Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/86

80 are very fond of them, especially with cream." Thus she went on, urging Grandmother to eat, and cutting slice after slice of bread, spreading it with butter, and pouring honey over it.

Suddenly, as if she recollected something, Grandmother struck her forehead, saying: "O that old head of mine! Just think, I never told you that we met the Princess in the arbor."

"Please Grandmother, don't say anything till I return, I must satisfy those children, so that they will behave."

In the meantime, the children headed by Frank and Bertie had rummaged through everything. They were just standing before the house watching Amina jump over a cane and fetch in her mouth articles that were thrown to her, when the mother came to the door to call them to luncheon. She did not need to call them twice. "Now, sit down under the trees and eat, but do not soil your clothes," she said as she spread the food out before them. The children sat down while the dogs stood about wistfully looking into their faces.

As soon as the mother re-entered the house, she begged Grandmother to proceed with the story about the Princess. This she willingly did, relating word for word all that had been said and done in the arbor.

"Don't I always say she has a good heart," remarked the gamekeeper's wife. "Whenever she comes here, she asks about the children and kisses Nanny on the forehead; and whoever is fond of children cannot be so bad. But those servants spread evil reports, as though she were,—who knows how bad?"