Princess Hyacinth gave a shriek, and faltered slowly backwards; Wiggs, who was familiar with these little accidents in the books which she dusted, and Woggs, who had a natural love for any kind of animal, stood their ground. "Whatever is it?" murmured Hyacinth. It was as well that Belvane was there. "Allow me to present to your Royal Highness," she said, stepping forward, "his Royal Highness Prince Udo of Araby." "Prince _Udo?_" said Hyacinth, all unwilling to believe it. "I'm afraid so," said Udo gloomily. He had thought over this meeting a good deal in the last two or three days, and he realised now that he had underestimated the difficulties of it. Hyacinth remembered that she was a Princess and a woman. "I'm delighted to welcome your Royal Highness to Euralia," she said. "Won't you sit down--I mean up--er, down." (How _did_ rabbits sit? Or whatever he was?) Udo decided to sit up. "Thank you. You've no idea how difficult it is to talk on four legs to somebody higher up. It strains the neck so." There was an awkward silence. Nobody quite knew what to say. Except Belvane. She turned to Udo with her most charming smile. "Did you have a pleasant journey?" she asked sweetly. "No," said Udo coldly. "Oh, do tell us what happened to you?" cried Hyacinth. "Did you meet some terrible enchanter on the way? Oh, I am so dreadfully sorry." When one is not feeling very well there is a certain type of question which is always annoying. "Can't you _see_ what's happened to me?" said Udo crossly. "I don't know _how_ it happened. I had come two days' journey from Araby, when----" "Please, your Royal Highness," said Wiggs, "is this _your_ tail in the salt?" She took it out, gave it a shake, and handed it back to him. "Oh, thank you, thank you--two days' journey from Araby when I woke up one afternoon and found myself like this. I ask you to imagine my annoyance. My first thought naturally was to return home and hide myself; but I told myself, Princess, that _you_ wanted me." The Princess could not help being touched by this, said as it was with a graceful movement of the ears and a caressing of the right whisker, but she wondered a little what she would do with him now that she had got him. "Er--what _are_ you?" put in Belvane kindly, knowing how men are always glad to talk about themselves. Udo had caught sight of a well-covered table, and was looking at it with a curious mixture of hope and resignation. "Very, very hungry," he said, speaking with the air of one who knows. The Princess, whose mind had been travelling, woke up suddenly. "Oh, I was forgetting my manners," she said with a smile for which the greediest would have forgiven her. "Let us sit down and refresh ourselves. May I present to your Royal Highness the Countess Belvane." "Do I shake hands or pat him?" murmured that mistress of Court etiquette, for once at a loss. Udo placed a paw over his heart and bowed profoundly.