petition of your loyal and faithful subjects gathered before you this day."

Willie drew quite a long breath of relief, when at last he arrived safely at the conclusion of the address. It had cost him and Mat no end of time and trouble to compose, and when eventually arranged as here given, there was an unpleasant doubt upon their minds as to whether all those long words so carefully picked out and strung together were not, somehow or other, more correct in sound than in sense.

Well, so long as it sounded all right that was all that really mattered. And really, when read by Willie, with just an extra tone of pompousness and grandeur, and without any attempts at undue emphasis, which might so easily destroy the rhythm, and prove fatal to the scanty vein of sense running through the words, the effect upon the whole was decidedly satisfactory, and, to our youthful minds, reflected great credit upon the authors, whose renown as scholars was henceforth enhanced tenfold.

114

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scarcely be able to put my speech before my scholars as an example in composition, should I? And then-I am shockingly ignorant of that sort of thing!-but a princess should scarcely use the word 'loyal' with reference to herself, and talk to people as her 'subjects,' I believe. But it is always so difficult on the spur of the moment to think of the right words to use, that one ought to feel fairly satisfied if one can think of anything at all to say!"

66

Very true," rejoined Mrs. Hughes, emphatically; and then they turned away from each other, and tried their best to make their smiling faces resume a becoming air of gravity.

Still clinging to my end of the royal robes, I had squeezed in between the two ladies, in order to gain a good view of the proceedings, and now, inferring from Miss Royce's tone, and the few words which I had overheard, that she was running down her own speech, I seized her hand impulsively, and looking anxiously up into her face, exclaimed eagerly, "It was beautiful, Miss Royce; it was, indeed!"

Just then, however, Mat stepped shyly forward, and "Silence!" having been loudly proclaimed by the Scamp, Miss Royce merely patted my cheek with an approving smile, and moved forward a pace to where Mat knelt on one knee, ready to present her with the trowel, which he had neatly and laboriously covered with tin foil and gilt paper.

Accepting the gift with another low bow, she handed it at once to Hugh Marshall, the "Gold Stick in Waiting," as we had dubbed him, in imitation of a certain title which had recently afforded us vast amusement, when reading the account of some regal ceremony.

The "Gold Stick" stooped down, and thrust the trowel deep into an earthy spot which had been previously selected and marked. Then, bending low, Her Royal Highness grasped the handle, and, with a quick turn of the wrist, loosened the clod of earth, and deposited it safely upon the surface of the ground.

CHAPTER XIII.

で

THE SCAMP OVERHEARS A SECRET.

THE address, carefully refolded, was then handed over to the sceptre-bearer, who was supposed to keep it in safe custody for his royal mistress: whilst she, in response to Willie Knowles' retiring salutation, bowed low, and said,—

"I thank you very cordially, my Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, and you, my faithful liege subjects, for the very loyal words in which you have addressed me this day. It will, I am sure, give Her Most Gracious Majesty much pleasure to receive from me the report of those earnest and heartfelt expressions of attachment to her throne, which have just fallen from the lips of the Lord Mayor.

"On her behalf, as well as on my own, I beg to assure you that we shall ever regard it in the light of a privilege and a pleasure to lend our patronage and presence to any cause which may, in the future, affect the public weal,-as does, in so eminent a degree, the event of to-day."

"Hear! hear! Three cheers for the Princess!" burst from the Scamp, and immediately the air rang with the hearty responses of the boys.

Miss Royce took advantage of the noise to turn towards Mrs. Hughes, who stood beside her, and to whisper hastily, "It's lucky that my audience is not a very critical one! I should

scarcely be able to put my speech before my scholars as an example in composition, should I? And then-I am shockingly ignorant of that sort of thing!-but a princess should scarcely use the word 'loyal' with reference to herself, and talk to people as her subjects,' I believe. But it is always so difficult on the spur of the moment to think of the right words to use, that one ought to feel fairly satisfied if one can think of anything at all to say!"

"Very true," rejoined Mrs. Hughes, emphatically; and then they turned away from each other, and tried their best to make their smiling faces resume a becoming air of gravity.

Still clinging to my end of the royal robes, I had squeezed in between the two ladies, in order to gain a good view of the proceedings, and now, inferring from Miss Royce's tone, and the few words which I had overheard, that she was running down her own speech, I seized her hand impulsively, and looking anxiously up into her face, exclaimed eagerly, "It was beautiful, Miss Royce; it was, indeed!"

Just then, however, Mat stepped shyly forward, and "Silence!" having been loudly proclaimed by the Scamp, Miss Royce merely patted my cheek with an approving smile, and moved forward a pace to where Mat knelt on one knee, ready to present her with the trowel, which he had neatly and laboriously covered with tin foil and gilt paper.

Accepting the gift with another low bow, she handed it at once to Hugh Marshall, the "Gold Stick in Waiting," as we had dubbed him, in imitation of a certain title which had recently afforded us vast amusement, when reading the account of some regal ceremony.

The "Gold Stick " stooped down, and thrust the trowel deep into an earthy spot which had been previously selected and marked. Then, bending low, Her Royal Highness grasped the handle, and, with a quick turn of the wrist, loosened the clod of earth, and deposited it safely upon the surface of the ground.