The slim equerry took a purse from his pocket and handed it to the grand duke. The grand duke opened it, turned it upside down, poured on to his palm eleven golden sovereigns, and pressed them with somewhat clumsy fingers into Pollyooly's hands. The amazed Pollyooly flushed; and her eyes shone like bright stars; the family of Lippe-Schweidnitz rose a thousand feet in her estimation. "Oh! Thank you, your Highness!" she gasped. "Zere is no zanks--nod none! You haf made Adalbert peenk. You are von sblendid anchel child. And id iz me to zank you," said the grand duke; and very gently, for the size of his fingers, he patted her head. Then he drew himself up and, with a splendid wave of his gigantic hand, added: "Und now go and blay wiz Adalbert--blay wiz him always!" CHAPTER XVI POLLYOOLY ENTERTAINS ROYALTY Pollyooly came away from the presence of the grand duke in something of a daze. She came down the steps in the sea-wall quite unconscious of the fact that she was not moving over level ground. The eleven golden sovereigns in her hand felt too good to be true; and at the bottom of the steps she stopped and counted them with eyes which could hardly believe what they saw: eleven golden sovereigns. She gave them into the care of Mrs. Gibson while, in obedience to the behest of the grand duke, she continued to play rounders. The game had fallen into a state of suspended animation during her absence from it. Her return enlivened it. Presently she was again absorbed in it, playing it with the concentration with which she did most things, the concentration which is so large a part of genius, which made her one of the finest grillers of bacon in England. She forgot the grand duke; she forgot the eleven golden sovereigns; she thought only of the game; and she drove her team and the perspiring prince with merciless vigor. The grand duke watched it closely, now and then applauding in an excited, ringing voice. Prince Adalbert had performed his one great exploit and was now declined upon a lower level. He played his best, obeying with his natural clumsiness the shrieked commands of Pollyooly; but he did not again arise to a really meritorious feat. Nevertheless, the grand duke was content with him. He did not indeed watch 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.