Greta wanted to say, "Let's follow Princess Ingrid," but she didn't know
which way the Princess had gone. So she followed Anna without a word.
The Knights' Hall was the largest room Greta had ever seen. The walls
were covered with hangings whose colored threads were woven in such a
way as to show scenes from Danish history. Greta thought she would like
to study history if she could learn it from pictures like these instead
of from textbooks. While she was looking at one of the hangings in a far
corner of the room, Anna grabbed her arm.
"There they go, Greta. Don't you want to follow them?"
Then Greta remembered that Princess Ingrid was here in the castle. How
could she have forgotten? She and Anna and Tante Elsie left the Knights'
Hall and entered the long series of drawing-rooms that filled one wing
of Frederiksborg. Greta scarcely looked at the paintings that hung on
every wall. She wanted to see a real live princess, not a painted lady
in a golden frame. They walked slowly through room after room, but not a
glimpse of the Princess did they get.
"I guess Princess Ingrid and her sister have left the castle," said
Greta, in an unhappy tone. She was ready now to leave it herself, for it
held no further interest for her.
"Now for the most wonderful room of all," said Anna, after they had gone
through all the drawing-rooms. She almost had to drag Greta to the
chapel, which formed an important part of the castle itself. When the
royal family lived at Frederiksborg, services were held here every
Sunday. This chapel was really as large as a church. As they came in,
the organist was playing softly, and Greta sat down to listen to the
music, while Anna and her mother went to look at the paintings which
were on exhibition in the balcony of the chapel.
Afterwards, Greta never remembered exactly how it happened. She must
have closed her eyes for a minute in order to enjoy the music
completely. The first thing she remembered was a soft voice saying, "Are
you all alone here, my dear?"
When Greta had opened her eyes and recognized the speaker she jumped to
her feet. "Why, it's the little girl who found my handkerchief the other
day. How very nice to see you again. When we saw you here asleep, we
thought you had gotten lost in this great castle."
Greta explained that her aunt and her cousin were up in the balcony.
Then her eyes shone like stars and her heart almost skipped a beat as
the lovely Princess Ingrid took a rosebud from the bouquet which she
carried and held it out to Greta. "Perhaps you would like to wear this
little flower," she said in her gentle way. Then, with another smile,
she and the Princess Louise went out of the chapel.
Greta stood like one in a dream. Now she knew how the knights of olden
times felt when they had been honored by the King. She, little Margrete,
had a flower from the hands of the Crown Princess of Denmark. All her
life long she would remember this moment.
CHAPTER XII
CHOUSE IS HOMESICK
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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