The Princess Passes

ing of Ac

ed to ... ironical

t Wh

e yonder, throu

rt Br

olute and staunch of physiognomy. The windows were still unlighted, and it looked a gloomy home for months of win

," said Joseph, and I thought that th

ked. "I hadn't thought of that, as you said so f

ter all we never passed the party w

forgott

o trace the old road. We gave them time to get far ahead. I was always watching, but never saw them. The anes had

re room of the Cantine as he did the one chicken of the 'Dé

eps which led up to the door of the Cantine. A man came forward to greet us-a fine fe

ccommodation for the nigh

occasional guests, has just been taken by a young English or American gentleman. The woman who drives the two donkeys with which they travel, will have

h who had robbed me of a decent meal, an

e on to you. It is now too dark to go back, or go on. Surely there are two beds in your spare room, and as you

the landlord. "Not expecting any other guests, we agreed to this; but the youth is perhaps a countryman of yours, and

myself fiercely; but aloud I merely answered that I would be

ho was my hostess, explained to her the situation, with the view of it

nged suddenly into a pool of yellow light, gushing from a half-open door. I hurried forward, step for step with my guide, lest the door should be shut in my face before I could reach it. Over my hostess' shoulder, I saw a bare but neat interior; a "coffin" bed, a white-washed wal

steps in the passage he glanced up, and, seeing me, stared

his was hardly the way in which I would have put it) "that h

in English. Now I knew that he was a countryman, not of mine, but of Molly's, and I wi

dom (Molly called it my "belted hearl" manner), "really, I fail to see anything ridiculous in the prop

en his little ears turned pink, under his absurd mop of chestnut curls. "You have no right to insist up

sleep in t

since I have agree

e laws protecting travellers," I argued truculently, hoping to frighten t

ntimidated. "This is my room, every hole and corner of it, and if you try to intrude, I shall simply

be ashamed of yourself," I exclaimed.

ys never bull

mpertinent brats!" I c

r. You have only to glance at the

iature Ajax, that with all the will in the

t you would be a detestable room-mate," said I, "and on second thoughts I prefer to sleep quietly in the stable rather than press my claim here." With th

he had understood no word of what had passed, attempted to console me with the promise of a bed i

e room, which later would be transformed into my bedchamber, and to my annoyance saw the Brat already seated at the table. I had fancied that his conscience would counsel supping privately in the room he had usurped, but this imp seemed to have been born without a sense of shame. Thanks to him, I had not even been able to give myself a clean collar,

placed for me at the opposite end of the table, I caught a sapphire gleam

n the form of cutlets, two in number. A glance showed me that one was mostly composed of bone and gristle. I helped myself to the other. Reveng

the cleverest manipulation of knife and fork was powerless to extract an inch of nourishment. As he gave up the struggle at last, with unmoved countenance, and not even a sigh of complaint, my heart failed me. I felt that I had snatched bread from the mouth of starv

the veal, a well-meaning but somewhat overpowering cheese, and neither the Brat nor I encouraged it. It was borne away, intact

to me, as I was offered my choice, and said hastily: "There is one cake there

ich I care for," said I. "

t another which I would be found dead with in my mout

animity. You shall choose your cake first; but remember, you cannot ha

t, as he helped himself to a ginger-nut with pink icing.

plied, contenting myself with the second-best cake

her die-young than

aimed, surprised

ate

erience has not been as for

It has been ju

y, 'Thereby h

ut it is not f

ere comes the coffee. Luckily, there's plen

tha

gar,

n't s

I'm ashamed to say that I smoked at

nd have a cigarette, sin

won't re

ure, tha

rather

not a

really become visible under the sun-tan on the velvet-smooth face, I am not certain: but at all events he rose when nothi

de up on the floor, and I sle

n, or ever, did

bound, and sleep instantly seemed irrelevant. I scrambled up from my lonely couch, went to the open wi

f all the world, and no one else could find his way down its dim labyrinths. But even as I looked, there came a movement near the house, and I saw the stalwart figure of the

s were of the same mind, make an early start. I thought that if I could reach the Hospice before

sh or some such material. Never before was there a bath like it, with the good smell of pinewood of which the tub was made, and the tingle of the water from a mounta

strange-coloured glass, which allowed me to shave my face in greenis

e, and when the two human creatures of the party had been refreshed with crusty bread and steaming coffee, the procession of th

ere the cattle pasture were faintly musical, far and near, with the ringing of unseen bells, and the air was vibrant with the rush and whisper of waters. As the shadows melted in the cruci

f blue and gold, and rose, and little silver stars; and there were some won

hand of a departed winter. Down through a gap in the mountains streamed an icy blast, and I had to remind myself, shivering, that this was August, not December. The wind tore apart the fabric of lacy cloud which had been looped in folds across the rock-face, like a veil hiding the worn features of some aged nun, and show

tion, and of nearness to Heaven itself, was so strong upo