"Pooh, that is nonsense!" said Fritz; "men do not mind being beaten by women unless it is that they despise them. In that country the woman that has thrown most men is the one that they are most anxious to marry." "I have never thrown any one yet," said Charlotte reflectively. "You!" Peaceful of look he eyed her wonderingly. "You have thrown something much stronger than a man," he said--"you, a princess, that has gone to prison!--and for that silly notion of yours that you could shock me. Ha!" "I did it for other reasons, too." "Quite like; people may have a lot of reasons they can make up afterwards for doing wise, brave, foolish things like that!" "But I did think," insisted Charlotte, "that those Women Chartists were right." "I do not care whether they are right or wrong;--that is not my concern. They may be just as foolish as you, or just as wise--what difference to me? But when I go to think of you sitting there in that common prison all those ten days with everybody looking for you--looking, looking, and not daring to say one word--so afraid at what you had done--oh, that is marvelous! That is to be a King! That is power!" Charlotte had become very attentive to her lover's praise. "You think they were really afraid, then?" she inquired, "afraid that it should be known." "You ask them!" replied Fritz, "and see if they do not all cry 'Hush'!" And then in his usual abrupt way he returned to matters more personal to himself. "Well, what are you going to say to me? For the last hour I have been asking you to marry me, and you have said nothing; only just 'wriggle, wriggle,' talking off on to something else." "Wriggling is one way of wrestling," said Charlotte. Her eye played mischief as she spoke. "Just waggling the tongue!" retorted Fritz with genial scorn. "Throw a man with that?--you cannot throw me!" "But I must throw somebody, or else I shall not be qualified. The women of that wonderful country of yours would look down on me." "Throw me!" The Prince opened his arms, smiling. "I will let you!" he said. "And despise me afterwards! No, Mr. Schnapp-dragon, I shall choose my own man, and throw him in my own way." "And if you succeed?" "Then--yes, then I will marry you." "And if you fail?" "Then I won't." "H'm!" observed the Prince in easy-going tones, "you must have been very sure of him before you would say that!" Charlotte opened her mouth to rebuke that brazen remark; and then shut it again. "When do you do it?" went on Fritz, equable as ever. "Before I go?" Charlotte pretended to temporize. "Well, perhaps to-morrow," said she. And sure enough, to-morrow it was. II