She laid one hand on the paper hanger's table, vaulted up sideways, and, seated on the top, legs swinging, buried herself in the book, unconscious that the overturned paste was slowly fastening her to the spattered table top. An hour later, hearing steps on the landing, she sprang--that is, she went through all the graceful motions of springing lightly to the floor. But she had not budged an inch. No Gorgon's head could have consigned her to immovability more hopeless. Restrained from freedom by she knew not what, she made one frantic and demoralized effort--and sank back in terror at the ominous tearing sound. She was glued irrevocably to the table. [Illustration] XIII THE CROWN PRINCE _Wherein the Green Mouse Squeaks_ A few minutes later the paper hanging young man entered, swinging an empty dinner pail and halted in polite surprise before a flushed young girl in full fencing costume, who sat on his operating table, feet crossed, convulsively hugging a book to the scarlet heart embroidered on her plastron. "I--hope you don't mind my sitting here," she managed to say. "I wanted to watch the work." "By all means," he said pleasantly. "Let me get you a chair----" "No, thank you. I had rather sit th-this way. Please begin and don't mind if I watch you." The young man appeared to be perplexed. "I'm afraid," he ventured, "that I may require that table for cutting and----" "Please--if you don't mind--begin to paste. I am in-intensely interested in p-pasting--I like to w-watch p-paper p-pasted on a w-wall." Her small teeth chattered in spite of her; she strove to control her voice--strove to collect her wits. He stood irresolute, rather astonished, too. "I'm sorry," he said, "but----" "_Please_ paste; won't you?" she asked. "Why, I've got to have that table to paste on----" "Then d-don't think of pasting. D-do anything else; cut out some strips. I am so interested in watching p-paper hangers cut out things--" "But I need the table for that, too----" "No, you don't. You can't be a--a very skillful w-workman if you've got to use your table for everything----" [Illustration: "'I'm afraid', he ventured 'that I may require that table for cutting.'"] He laughed. "You are quite right; I'm not a skillful paper hanger." "Then," she said, "I am surprised that you came here to paper our library, and I think you had better go back to your shop and send a competent man." He laughed again. The paper hanger's youthful face was curiously attractive when he laughed--and otherwise, more or less. He said: "I came to paper this library because Mr. Carr was in a hurry, and I was the only man in the shop. I didn't want to come. But they made me.... I think they're rather afraid of Mr. Carr in the shop.... And this work _must_ be finished today." She did not know what to say; anything to keep him away from the table until she could think clearly.