His curiosity was too much for his dignity. 'Well—what?' he asked, gruffly enough.
'Only,' she said, 'that I've been thinking over things, and I dare say you could fight my brothers—only not all together and I'm not sure that Charlie wouldn't beat you.'
'Charlie! I could settle him in five minutes,' muttered Bertie, only half appeased.
'Oh, not in five, Bertie,' cried Mabel, 'ten, perhaps; but you'd never want to, would you, when he's my brother? And now,' she added, 'we're friends again, aren't we, Bertie?'
He was a cynic in his way—'I see,' he said, 'you want something out of me; you should have thought of that before you quarrelled, you know!'
Mabel contracted her eyebrows and bit her lip for a moment, then she said meekly—
'I know I should, Bertie; but I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind doing this for me. I can ask the boy on my other side—he's a stupid-looking boy, and I don't care about knowing him—still, if you won't do it——'
'Oh, well, I don't mind,' he said, softened at once. 'What is it you want?'
'Bertie,' she whispered breathlessly, 'you'll be quite a nice boy if you'll only get me that dear little sugar prince off the cake there; you can reach him better than I can, and—and I don't quite like to—only, be quick, or some one else will get him first.'
And in another second the enraptured prince found himself lying on her plate!