"My dear Countess," said Hyacinth, with a smile, "the invitation has already gone, so there's nothing more to be said, is there? Had you finished your exercises? Yes? Then, Wiggs, will you conduct her ladyship downstairs?" She turned and left her. The Countess watched her go, and then stood tragically in the middle of the room, clasping her diary to her breast. "This is terrible!" she said. "I feel _years_ older." She held out her diary at arm's length and said in a gloomy voice, "_What_ an entry for to-morrow!" The thought cheered her up a little. She began to consider plans. How could she circumvent this terrible young man who was going to put them all in their places. She wished that---- All at once she remembered something. "Wiggs," she said, "what was it I heard you saying to the Princess about a wish?" "Oh, that's my ring," said Wiggs eagerly. "If you've been good for a whole day you can have a good wish. And my wish is that----" "A wish!" said Belvane to herself. "Well, I wish that----" A sudden thought struck her. "You said that you had to be good for a whole day first?" "Yes." Belvane mused. "I wonder what they mean by _good_," she said. "Of course," explained Wiggs, "if you've been bad for a whole day you can have a bad wish. But I should hate to have a bad wish, wouldn't you?" "Simply hate it, child," said Belvane. "Er--may I have a look at that ring?" "Here it is," said Wiggs; "I always wear it round my neck." The Countess took it from her. "Listen," she said. "Wasn't that the Princess calling you? Run along, quickly, child." She almost pushed her from the room and closed the door on her. Alone again, she paced from end to end of the great chamber, her left hand nursing her right elbow, her chin in her right hand. "If you are good for a day," she mused, "you can have a good wish. If you are bad for a day you can have a bad wish. Yesterday I drew ten thousand pieces of gold for the Army; the actual expenses were what I paid--what I owe Woggs. . . . I suppose that is what narrow-minded people call being bad. . . . I suppose this Prince Udo would call it bad. . . . I suppose he thinks he will marry the Princess and throw me into prison." She flung her head back proudly. "Never!" Standing in the middle of the great Throne Room, she held the ring up in her two hands and wished. "I wish," she said, and there was a terrible smile in her eyes, "I wish that something very--very _humorous_ shall happen to Prince Udo on his journey." CHAPTER VIII PRINCE UDO SLEEPS BADLY Everybody likes to make a good impression on his first visit, but there were moments just before his arrival in Euralia when Prince Udo doubted whether the affair would go as well as he had hoped. You shall hear why. He had been out hunting with his friend, the young Duke Coronel, and was returning to the Palace when Hyacinth's messenger met him. He took the letter from him, broke the seals, and unrolled it.