s was
looking at him intently, and his confusion increased as she smiled
pleasantly at him in passing. Instead of hurrying forward to open the
door for her as usual, he stood in his place as if frozen, and the duty
fell to Andrew, who joined him as soon as the last lady had passed
through the door and the curtain was let fall.

"I say, Frank," said the lad merrily, "she didn't seem very cross with
you. Lucky to be you, with your mother a favourite. You're all right,
and I don't suppose you'll hear another word about the business. It's a
good thing sometimes to be a boy."

But Andrew proved to be wrong, and within the next hour or so; for the
last of the audience--reckless officers praying for promotion and
gentlemen asking the Prince's support as they sought for place--had
gone, when a servant entered the anteroom, and took Frank's breath away
by saying that the Prince wished to speak with him directly.

"It's all over with you, Frank," whispered Andrew; "leave me a lock of
your hair, and you may as well give me your sword for a keepsake.
You'll never want it again."

These bantering words did not quell the boy's alarm, but he had no time
for thought; he had to go, and, drawing himself up and trying to put on
a firm mien, he went to the door, drew aside the curtain, knocked, and
entered.

The Prince was busy at a table covered with papers, the Princess sat
near him in the opening of one of the windows, and her ladies were at
the other end of the room beyond earshot.

The boy grasped all this as he moved toward the table, and then stood
waiting respectfully for his Royal Highness to speak.

But some minutes elapsed, during which the boy's heart beat heavily, and
he stood watching the Prince, as he kept on dipping his pen in the ink
and signed some of the papers by him, and drew the pen across others.

Frank would have given anything for a look of encouragement from the
Princess; but she sat with her face still turned away, reading. At
last!

The Prince looked up sharply, as if he had just become aware of the
boy's presence, and said in rather imperfect English: "Well, my boy!"

Frank, who had felt so manly the previous night and that morning, was
the schoolboy again, completely taken aback, and for a few moments stood
staring blankly at the inquiring eyes before him. Then, as the Prince
raised his brows as if about to say, "Why don't you speak?" the boy said
hurriedly:

"Your Royal Highness sent for m