The little princess put her hand in the old lady's, who, looking this way and that, brought her to the top of the first stair, and thence to the bottom of the second, and did not leave her till she saw her half way down the third. When she heard the cry of her nurse's pleasure at finding her, she turned and walked up the stairs again, very fast indeed for such a very great grandmother, and sat down to her spinning with another strange smile on her sweet old face. About this spinning of hers I will tell you more next time. Guess what she was spinning. CHAPTER IV WHAT THE NURSE THOUGHT OF IT "WHY, where can you have been, princess?" asked the nurse, taking her in her arms. "It's very unkind of you to hide away so long. I began to be afraid--" Here she checked herself. "What were you afraid of, nursie?" asked the princess. "Never mind," she answered. "Perhaps I will tell you another day. Now tell me where you have been?" "I've been up a long way to see my very great, huge, old grandmother," said the princess. "What do you mean by that?" asked the nurse, who thought she was making fun. "I mean that I've been a long way up and up to see my great grandmother. Ah, nursie, you don't know what a beautiful mother of grandmothers I've got upstairs. She is _such_ an old lady! with such lovely white hair!--as white as my silver cup. Now, when I think of it, I think her hair must be silver." "What nonsense you are talking, princess!" said the nurse. "I'm not talking nonsense," returned Irene, rather offended. "I will tell you all about her. She's much taller than you, and much prettier." "Oh, I daresay!" remarked the nurse. "And she lives upon pigeon's eggs." "Most likely," said the nurse. "And she sits in an empty room, spin-spinning all day long." "Not a doubt of it," said the nurse. "And she keeps her crown in her bedroom." "Of course--quite the proper place to keep her crown in. She wears it in bed, I'll be bound." "She didn't say that. And I don't think she does. That wouldn't be comfortable--would it? I don't think my papa wears his crown for a night-cap. Does he, nursie?" "I never asked him. I daresay he does." "And she's been there ever since I came here--ever so many years." "Anybody could have told you that," said the nurse, who did not believe a word Irene was saying. "Why didn't you tell me then?" "There was no necessity. You could make it all up for yourself." "You don't believe me then!" exclaimed the princess, astonished and angry, as well she might be. "Did you expect me to believe you, princess?" asked the nurse coldly. "I know princesses are in the habit of telling make-believes, but you are the first I ever heard of who expected to have them believed," she added, seeing that the child was strangely in earnest. The princess burst into tears.