"Prefers her to Lady Daphne, does he?" she said to herself, as she realised that she would be forced to speak out now if he was to be saved from such an alliance. "Then he must _marry_ her, that's all! I can't and won't turn all Maerchenland topsy-turvy on _his_ account! I've done all I could for him, and I shall leave him to go his own way. I'll go up to bed before he arrives, and I expect it will be a long time before I'm able to come down, for I feel sure I am going to be ill--and little wonder!" Queen Selina was so elated by the Prince's message that she ordered it to be publicly announced at once. The Court, whom she informed herself, expressed the greatest delight, and, as for the old Court Chamberlain von Eisenbaenden, he was almost lyrical in his jubilation. "This is indeed a glorious day, Madam!" he cried. "It has long been my dream to see the reigning houses of Maerchenland and Clairdelune united, but of late I had begun to despair that it would ever be accomplished! And from all I have heard of Prince Mirliflor, her Royal Highness is almost as much to be felicitated as he!" "Thank you, Baron," replied the Queen. "We are all most pleased about it. Though I shall be very lonely without her. You see," she added, raising her voice for the benefit of such of her ladies-in-waiting as happened to be within hearing, "there is no one else here who is any companion for me. I can't make intimate friends of any of my ladies, as I could of the dear old Duchess of Gleneagles, for instance, or even the Marchioness of Muscombe. Ah, my dear Baron, our English aristocracy! You've nothing to approach them in a country like this--nothing!" "I can well understand," he said, "that your Majesty must feel the loss of such society." "I miss it, Baron," Queen Selina confessed, without untruthfulness, seeing that she always _had_ missed it. "It is only natural that I should. The Duchess is such a sweet woman--a true _grande dame_! And the Marchioness, though only a peeress by _marriage_, _such_ a clever, talented creature! They would both have so rejoiced to hear of our dear Edna's engagement--she was such a favourite of theirs, you know! I remember the Duchess always prophesied that she would make a brilliant marriage." These particulars were thrown in mainly for the edification of the Court, but Queen Selina had almost brought herself to believe them, and, in any case, none of her own family was at hand just then, so she was safe from contradiction. The announcement of Prince Mirlinor's proposal had no sooner reached Count Rubenfresser's ears than he drove over to the Palace, to ascertain from Edna herself whether the report had any truth in it. He succeeded in obtaining a private interview, and at once put his question. "It is only true so far as that the Prince has proposed to me by letter," Edna informed him. "Whether I shall accept him when he appears will depend entirely upon circumstances."