"You see," I said, as I heard the front-door bell ring, and heard the tramp of horses outside, "the prince was to have everything, all that his heart could wish--dogs, the golden bow and arrows, the azure ball, and the deathless crimson rose--as long as he restrained his temper, and never gave way to fits of violent passion. But if he swore at his old nurse, Ancoretta, or struck the goat-herd, Fritz, or even pinched the goose-girl, Mopsa, palace, dogs, bow, ball and rose were all to disappear like a flash of lightning, and he was to become again the poor little bare-legged village lad. Then the princess was to be carried off by fiery dragons, and never return till he, Florizel, had been able to grow good and pitiful again, and to do some lowly, humble service to some poor old dame that everybody else despised, and was unkind to." At this point of my story, Fremantle entered and announced the carriage. "Go on, go on," cried the children in one breath. "We want to hear what happened!" But I answered, shaking my head, "How Prince Florizel was rude to his tutor, ungrateful to his old nurse, and beat his faithful foster-brother, Fritz, is another story, as Mr. Kipling would say; and all this you must wait to hear in the second volume of my mind, which will appear on Easter Monday, when Hals shall come over, if his mother can spare him, and we three will all sail off in fairy barks with silken sails to the far and happy land of Fancy." So Harry departed, attended by Jane, and Bess sat on in silence looking hard into the fire, and then early, and of her own accord, pleaded fatigue and slipped off to bed. Just as I was finishing dinner I saw old Nurse Milner standing in the doorway. "Nothing wrong, nurse?" I asked, starting up. "Nothing very wrong," answered old Nana, cautiously; "leastways, Miss Bess is not ill, but she seems out of sorts and won't say her prayers to-night, and will keep throwing herself about, till I think she's bound to fall out of bed. I have asked her what's the matter, but she's as secret as a state door. She and Master Harry have been up to some tricks, I'll be bound, for I don't hold to children playin' by themselves, as if they were nothing but lambkins in a meadow. You can't tell what they won't be up to, but this you may be sure of, to childers left by themselves, mischief is natural sport." And old Nana glared, and made me feel very small. "No great harm done this time," I said, and went upstairs. "What's the matter, little girl?" I asked. I took a little hot, feverish hand and pressed her to tell me why she would not say her prayers. At first Bess was sullen--turned her head away, and would not speak; but she could not resist my kiss, and at last confession bubbled up to her lips. [Sidenote: A LITTLE MAID'S CONFESSION] "Mama," she exclaimed vehemently, "I have been wicked, very wicked--wicked as an ogre or a she-dragon. Can you love me really and truly when you know what I've done--really love me again?"