knowledge of the terrible
position in which he stood, or rather lay, had flashed on him: he, a
German officer, had been knocked down by a civilian and was forever
disgraced.

Pollyooly continued to smack the bellowing prince; the Honourable John
Ruffin continued to ask the baron what the devil he meant by it; and
the poor wits of the panting nobleman continued to work on his dreadful
problem. Then a flash of inspiration showed him the saving solution:
he could accept his noisy questioner's view that his fall had been an
accident. He sat up and began to apologise faintly and sulkily for
having been knocked down.

The hands of Pollyooly were sore from smacking Prince Adalbert, but not
so sore as his royal cheeks; and still she smacked on. She interjected
between the smacks requests for an assurance that he would cease to
annoy the children on the beach. His fine Prussian determination not
to be robbed of his simple pleasures prevented him from giving it. He
preferred to bellow. But there are limits even to royal endurance; and
as the baron rose shakily to his feet, the prince howled the assurance
she demanded.

"And mind you do, or I'll smack you again," said Pollyooly coldly.

She rose to her feet, flushed and triumphant, and rubbed gently
together her stinging hands. The prince lay where he was, blubbering.

Ten yards away Mrs. Gibson stood holding the hand of the Lump, who
gazed at the scene in placid wonder; and she was laughing gently. Ten
yards away, on her right, stood a dozen children, surveying their
blubbering pest with joyful, vengeful eyes. Behind them distractedly
hovered three shocked nurses, quivering with horror at the upheaval of
the social edifice; and horror-stricken mothers were slowly approaching
the dreadful spot.

The baron slowly took in the humiliating significance of the scene; he
saw that the glory of a royal house had been levelled to the dust, or
rather to the sand. He caught his blubbering charge by the arm, jerked
him to his feet, and led him away by one large ear.

The Honourable John Ruffin looked after them and laughed quietly but
joyfully. Then he said:

"I congratulate you, Pollyooly--an excellent piece of work very neatly
done. The haughty foreigner will trouble you no more."

Mrs. Gibson came forward and added her congratulations to his. The
children gazed at Pollyooly with deep respect. Only the nurses and the
mothers held aloof; an earthquake shock would har