"I shall try to be good, Princess," said Mark, who by this time had recovered his breath.
The little girl seemed very much insulted. She drew herself up and flushed all over her face.
"You must not say Princess to me," she said, "that is what only the little Princes say. You must say, 'my most gracious and serene Highness,' whenever you speak to me."
This was too much. Mark blushed with anger.
"May God forgive me," he said, "if I do anything so foolish. I am here to teach thee and thy brother, and I will do it in my own way, or not at all."
The little Princess looked as if she were about to cry, then, apparently thinking better of it, she said, with a half sob, and dropping the stately "you":
"Well, my papa says that thou art an angel. I suppose thou must do as thou wilt."
The little boy, meanwhile, had been staring at Mark with solemn eyes. He said nothing, but he came, finally, to the little schoolmaster and put his hand in his.
What more might have been said cannot be told, for at this moment the page appeared again, saying that dinner was served at the third table, and that the Herr Tutor was to dine there.
The Baroness seemed surprised at this.