"I do love you," at length he said, "as the Princess Belinda's sister, and therefore one who will some day be my sister too!"
"Ah!" sighed Concaterina, "but I want more than that, you dear boy. Belinda, indeed! you are much too good for her, poor ill-favoured, child! How happy we could be together, Zac. You don't think me ugly, do you?"
Zac certainly did not, and therefore could not say so, but when the princess went on in the same way, and tried to persuade him to let her usurp the place in his affections which belonged to Belinda, he could only reply that he knew she could not really mean it, and begged her not to play tricks upon him in that manner.
"Ah, Zac," she returned, "they are no tricks; I never before saw anyone whom I could really love, and I do love you, Zac, so very much!" and as she spoke she passed her arm again round the perplexed boy's neck in a loving manner.
What step she would next have taken I am unable to say, for at that moment who should enter the summer-house but the Princess Amabilia.
"Pretty conduct this, indeed!" she cried, when she saw the position of affairs. "Concaterina! I wonder you are not ashamed of yourself, teasing that poor boy with your affection when you know he wants none of it!"
The younger sister had by this time withdrawn the offending arm and turned sharply upon the intruder.
"How tiresome you are, Amabilia," she said pettishly; "always interfering. Zac and I understand each other quite well, and don't want you here at all. Do go away!"
"Hoity-toity!" rejoined the other. "I go away, forsooth, that would be very reasonable, when we both know that dear Zac loves me fifty times better than he does you. Impudence!"
At this Concaterina fired up.