"Well, I'm going to," said William. "I'm not goin' to say that again wot you said 'cause they all heard it. I'll go on from there."
The audience rocked in wild delight. Behind the scenes Mrs. de Vere Carter wrung her hands and sniffed strong smelling-salts. "That boy!" she moaned.
Then William, sinking his voice from the indignant clearness with which it had addressed the prompter, to a muffled inaudibility, continued:
"To eat this little maid is my intent."
But there leapt on the stage again the radiant white and blue figure of the Prince brandishing his wooden sword.
"Avaunt! Begone! You wicked wolf, away!
This gentle maid shall never be your prey."
At this point William should have slunk away. But the vision revealed by his one available eye-hole of the Prince standing in a threatening attitude with one arm round Joan filled him with a sudden and unaccountable annoyance. He advanced slowly and pugnaciously towards the Prince; and the Prince, who had never before acted with William in his head (which was hired for one evening only) fled from the stage with a wild yell of fear. The curtain was lowered hastily.
There was consternation behind the scenes. William, glaring from out his eye-hole and refusing to remove his head, defended himself in his best manner.
"Well I di'n't tell him to run away, did I? I di'n't mean him to run away. I only looked at him. Well, I was goin' to slink in a minit. I only wanted to look at him. I was goin' to slink."
"Oh, never mind! Get on with the play!" moaned Mrs. de Vere Carter. "But you've quite destroyed the atmosphere, William. You've spoilt the beautiful story. But hurry up, it's time for the grandmother's cottage scene now."