d and laid
her down, but the child, instead of holding up her little mouth to be
kissed, turned away from her and lay still. Then nursie's heart gave
way altogether, and she began to cry. At the sound of her first sob
the princess turned again, and held her face to kiss her as usual. But
the nurse had her handkerchief to her eyes, and did not see the
movement.

'Nursie,' said the princess, 'why won't you believe me?'

'Because I can't believe you,' said the nurse, getting angry again.

'Ah! then, you can't help it,' said Irene, 'and I will not be vexed
with you any more. I will give you a kiss and go to sleep.'

'You little angel!' cried the nurse, and caught her out of bed, and
walked about the room with her in her arms, kissing and hugging her.

'You will let me take you to see my dear old great big grandmother,
won't you?' said the princess, as she laid her down again.

'And you won't say I'm ugly, any more--will you, princess?' 'Nursie, I
never said you were ugly. What can you mean?'

'Well, if you didn't say it, you meant it.'

'Indeed, I never did.'

'You said I wasn't so pretty as that--'

'As my beautiful grandmother--yes, I did say that; and I say it again,
for it's quite true.'

'Then I do think you are unkind!' said the nurse, and put her
handkerchief to her eyes again.

'Nursie, dear, everybody can't be as beautiful as every other body, you
know. You are very nice-looking, but if you had been as beautiful as
my grandmother--'

'Bother your grandmother!' said the nurse.

'Nurse, that's very rude. You are not fit to be spoken to till you can
behave better.'

The princess turned away once more, and again the nurse was ashamed of
herself.

'I'm sure I beg your pardon, princess,' she said, though still in an
offended tone. But the princess let the tone pass, and heeded only the
words.

'You won't say it again, I am sure,' she answered, once more turning
towards her nurse. 'I was only going to say that if you had been twice
as nice-looking as you are, some king or other would have married you,
and then what would have become of me?'

'You are an angel!' repeated the nurse, again embracing her. 'Now,'
insisted Irene, 'you will come and see my grandmother--won't you?'

'I will go with you anywhere you like, my cherub,' she answered; and in
two minutes the weary little princess was fast asleep.

CHAPTER 5

The Princess Lets Well Alone

When she woke the next morning, the fir