CHAPTER 24
Irene Behaves Like a Princess
When the princess awoke from the sweetest of sleeps, she found hernurse bending over her, the housekeeper looking over the nurse'sshoulder, and the laundry-maid looking over the housekeeper's. The roomwas full of women-servants; and the gentlemen-at-arms, with a longcolumn of servants behind them, were peeping, or trying to peep in atthe door of the nursery.
'Are those horrid creatures gone?' asked the princess, rememberingfirst what had terrified her in the morning.
'You naughty, naughty little princess!' cried Lootie.
Her face was very pale, with red streaks in it, and she looked as ifshe were going to shake her; but Irene said nothing--only waited tohear what should come next.
'How could you get under the clothes like that, and make us all fancyyou were lost! And keep it up all day too! You are the most obstinatechild! It's anything but fun to us, I can tell you!'
It was the only way the nurse could account for her disappearance.
'I didn't do that, Lootie,' said Irene, very quietly.
'Don't tell stories!' cried her nurse quite rudely.
'I shall tell you nothing at all,' said Irene.
'That's just as bad,' said the nurse.
'Just as bad to say nothing at all as to tell stories?' exclaimed theprincess. 'I will ask my papa about that. He won't say so. And Idon't think he will like you to say so.'
'Tell me directly what you mean by it!' screamed the nurse, half wildwith anger at the princess and fright at the possible consequences toherself.
'When I tell you the truth, Lootie,' said the princess, who somehow didnot feel at all angry, 'you say to me "Don't tell stories": it seems Imust tell stories before you will believe me.'
'You are very rude, princess,' said the nurse.
'You are so rude, Lootie, that I will not speak to you again till youare sorry. Why should I, when I know you will not believe me?'returned the princess. For she did know perfectly well that if shewere to tell Lootie what she had been about, the more she went on totell her, the less would she believe her.
'You are the most provoking child!' cried her nurse. 'You deserve tobe well punished for your wicked behaviour.'
'Please, Mrs Housekeeper,' said the princess, 'will you take me to yourroom, and keep me till my king-papa comes? I will ask him to come assoon as he can.'
Every one stared at these words. Up to this moment they had allregarded her as little more than a baby.
But the housekeeper was afraid of the nurse, and sought to patchmatters up, saying:
'I am sure, princess, nursie did not mean to be rude to you.'
'I do not think my papa would wish me to have a nurse who spoke to meas Lootie does. If she thinks I tell lies, she had better either sayso to my papa, or go away. Sir Walter, will you take charge of me?'
'With the greatest of pleasure, princess,' answered the captain of thegentlemen-at-arms, walking with his great stride into the room.
The crowd of servants made eager way for him, and he bowed low beforethe little princess's bed. 'I shall send my servant at once, on thefastest horse in the stable, to tell your king-papa that Your RoyalHighness desires his presence. When you have chosen one of theseunder-servants to wait upon you, I shall order the room to be cleared.'
'Thank you very much, Sir Walter,' said the princess, and her eyeglanced towards a rosy-cheeked girl who had lately come to the house asa scullery-maid.
But when Lootie saw the eyes of her dear princess going in search ofanother instead of her, she fell upon her knees by the bedside, andburst into a great cry of distress.
'I think, Sir Walter,' said the princess, 'I will keep Lootie. But Iput myself under your care; and you need not trouble my king-papa untilI speak to you again. Will you all please to go away? I am quite safeand well, and I did not hide myself for the sake either of amusingmyself, or of troubling my people. Lootie, will you please to dressme.'