"That's just the word for it. When she's seen the place, she'll pay the rest--eight thousand more. Quite a lot for those gold crowns on the luggage; but we all have our dolls with eyes to open or shut, and poor Mamma hasn't had any chance to play dolls till just lately. She's busy now having heaps of fun, and I'm having a little, too, in my simple childish way. Well, so long as we don't interfere with each other!... The Prince sees that Mamma can afford to buy dolls, so he would like to play with her, and me, and--" "And he doesn't want Barrymore and me in the playroom." "I _thought_ you were bright! It made him just sick to think of you two walking off with us from under his nose. _There_ was his automobile in Paris, and there was he _here_, perfectly useless, because I'm sure he'd lent the auto to his uncle." "To his uncle?" I echoed. "Don't you say that in England, or Scotland, or wherever you come from? 'Put it up the Spout'--pawned it; and he couldn't move one way or the other till he'd got Mamma's money. The minute that was in his pocket he began to plan. The first thing he did was to tell Mamma that he had a surprise for her, which he'd been getting ready for several days, and it would be spoiled if we all went off with you and that awfully good-looking chauffeur of yours on Thursday. He said he _must_ have till Saturday morning, and Mamma was so curious to know what the mystery was, and so afraid of hurting a real live Prince's feelings, that she was finally persuaded to wait." "Oh, that is the explanation of her letter to me." "Yes. I suspected what was going on, but she didn't; having dimples makes people so soft and good-natured. I don't _know_ what the Prince did after she'd given her word to stay, but I guessed." "He wired money to his chauffeur in Paris or somewhere, had the car got out of the clutches of that relative you referred to, and brought on here at top speed." "But not its own speed. When it arrived here last night, it was just as spick and span as it is now." "Then it must have come by train." "That's what I think. I bet the Prince was too much afraid some accident might happen to it on the way, and upset all his plans, to trust to having the thing driven down here by road." "You must be careful not to let your brain develop too fast," I pleaded, "or when you grow up, you--" "That's such a long time off, I don't need to worry yet," Miss Kidder remarked demurely. "Do you think I look more than my age?" "No, but you _talk_ more," said I. "How can you judge? What do you know about little girls like me?" "I don't know anything about little girls like you, because all the rest got broken; but if you'll teach me, I'll do my best to learn." "The Prince is doing his best too, I guess. I wonder which will learn faster?" "That depends partly on you. But I should have thought all his time was taken up with your mother."