ed Irene, jumping up and flinging
her arms about her neck. 'I won't be so silly again, I promise you.
At least--I'm rather afraid to promise--but if I am, I promise to be
sorry for it--I do. I wish I were as old as you, grandmother. I don't
think you are ever afraid of anything.'

'Not for long, at least, my child. Perhaps by the time I am two
thousand years of age, I shall, indeed, never be afraid of anything.
But I confess I have sometimes been afraid about my children--sometimes
about you, Irene.'

'Oh, I'm so sorry, grandmother! Tonight, I suppose, you mean.'

'Yes--a little tonight; but a good deal when you had all but made up
your mind that I was a dream, and no real great-great-grandmother. You
must not suppose I am blaming you for that. I dare say you could not
help it.'

'I don't know, grandmother,' said the princess, beginning to cry. 'I
can't always do myself as I should like. And I don't always try. I'm
very sorry anyhow.'

The lady stooped, lifted her in her arms, and sat down with her in her
chair, holding her close to her bosom. In a few minutes the princess
had sobbed herself to sleep. How long she slept I do not know. When
she came to herself she was sitting in her own high chair at the
nursery table, with her doll's house before her.

CHAPTER 16

The Ring

The same moment her nurse came into the room, sobbing. When she saw
her sitting there she started back with a loud cry of amazement and
joy. Then running to her, she caught her in her arms and covered her
with kisses.

'My precious darling princess! where have you been? What has happened
to you? We've all been crying our eyes out, and searching the house
from top to bottom for you.'

'Not quite from the top,' thought Irene to herself; and she might have
added, 'not quite to the bottom', perhaps, if she had known all. But
the one she would not, and the other she could not say. 'Oh, Lootie!
I've had such a dreadful adventure!' she replied, and told her all
about the cat with the long legs, and how she ran out upon the
mountain, and came back again. But she said nothing of her grandmother
or her lamp.

'And there we've been searching for you all over the house for more
than an hour and a half!' exclaimed the nurse. 'But that's no matter,
now we've got you! Only, princess, I must say,' she added, her mood
changing, 'what you ought to have done was to call for your own Lootie
to come and help you, instead of running