tch him very closely; he had chiefly eyes for
Pollyooly.

Once he said with enthusiasm:

"She is ze gompanion Adalbert 'af need of."

And again he said with enthusiasm:

"'ow it would be goot if she goom to Schweidnitz and blay wiz 'im all
ze days, Erkelenz!"

The slim equerry shook his head and said in a tone of conviction:

"She would nod coom, Highness."

Being of a younger generation, he spoke better English than his royal
master.

The grand duke shook his head sadly, and said;

"No: she would nod goom. Would she nod goom for mooch money, you zink?"

"I do nod zink she could be persuaded to coom," said his equerry.

"No: she would nod goom," said the grand duke. The baron had an
inspiration; he said in a stern voice:

"Ze day, 'ighness; ze day will goom soon. Zen you will gommand only;
and Bollyooly will obey."

"Ach, yes: ze day," said the grand duke, watching the playing children.
"It will goom soon doubtlez. Bud Bollyooly, will she obey? Zeze
English blay zere creeket very 'ard."

"She would be made obey," said the baron firmly.

The grand duke changed the subject by raising his voice in a splendid,
heartening roar at Pollyooly, who was running swiftly around the bases;
and for nearly an hour he did his best to burst the welkin. Then he
summoned the perspiring prince, shouted and waved good-bye to
Pollyooly, and walked to his son's lodgings to take a little
unnecessary nourishment before driving to the station.

Pollyooly went on playing till a quarter of five, when the game broke
up to let the players go to their tea. She collected the Lump from the
Gibson nurse and the eleven sovereigns from Mrs. Gibson, and started
down the beach tea-wards. As she went down the beach several earnest
enquirers stopped her to ask what the grand duke had said to her and
what she had said to the grand duke. They wore the air of being very
deeply impressed by the occurrence.

Pollyooly gratified their curiosity. Four of them said that they would
have been so confused by being suddenly hurried into the presence of
royalty that, not knowing whether they were standing on their heads or
their heels, they would not have found a word to say.

Pollyooly said quite truly that she had not suffered from any such
confusion. She did not add, as with no less truthfulness she might
have done, that what had induced a slight access of confusion in her
had been the sudden and unexpected possession of eleven golden