(‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night? It sounds funny. I think I’ll go with him to look after him.’ For, you see, Ernalie was rather inquisitive, as you may have found out by this time.)
So the soldier went one way, and Treblo went back to the house whistling ‘When the king shall enjoy his own again.’
But the Princess ran on in front of him and reached the house first, so that by the time he was there she had taken the feather out of her bonnet and was quite visible again.
He came in quite naturally, as if nothing had happened, and the rest of the day went off quietly enough.
They went very early to bed at the farm, and the house was quiet by half-past eight.
Just before they went to bed Ernalie asked the Prince:
‘Do you like walking at night much?’
‘It depends upon the night very much,’ he answered.
‘Such a night as this, for instance,’ said she.
‘Oh yes—“a moonlight night for a ramble,” don’t you know?’ he said, laughing.