“Well done for the little mädchen!” and good King Ludwig smiled
At Fräulein and her sister, the teacher, and the child.
“Now answer me one more question,”—with a twinkle of fun in his eye,—
“What kingdom do I belong to?” For he thought she would make reply
“The animal;” and he meant to ask with a frown, if that was the thing
For a little child like her, to say to her lord and master, the King?
He knew not the artless wisdom that would set his wit at naught,
And the little Christel guessed nothing at all of what was in his thought.
But her glance shot up at the question, and the brightness in her face,
Like a sunbeam on a lily, seemed to shine all over the place.