"Did you live here long ago, and then not for a great while?"
"No, I never lived here, and then I'm not so old as all that. I heard about the old days of course from——" but then she got red, and stopped suddenly. "I think it's time to go," she said.
"Wait a minute," said I; "will you show us some of the rooms of the house? We should so like to see them."
The new princess hesitated. Then she shook her head. "No, dears," she said, "I'd better not. Just try to keep to your old fancies, and take Gerald's way: it's the best just now. And now listen: this is Wednesday. I can't come to-morrow. You'll promise to come on Friday?"
"Yes," we all said.
"I particularly want you to come on Friday," she went on, and her face grew a little sad, "though I can't quite explain why—except—just that after that perhaps I can't see you for a good while."
"Oh! don't say that," we all cried together; "do try and not let it be that way. We will come on Friday, you may be sure."
"But don't expect me very early," she said. "I may not be able to come till pretty late."
And then she kissed us all again, and she went her way, and we ours.
It happened very well that she had asked us to come on Friday, and not on Thursday, for on Thursday it was so extra pouring wet that nurse wouldn't let us go out at all. And we were exceedingly anxious on Friday morning to see what the weather was going to be, and we were all delighted to see it was fine.