"I can't find papa," said Frans. "I wanted to tell him that it went 'bully' for me at the examination this morning. I thought perhaps your highness might like to know it too. The teachers seem to think I shall stand 'tip-top' in my report."
"I don't believe you will deserve it," said Alma sharply. "I never see you studying."
"But I have studied lately, more than I ever studied in my life. I didn't go to bed a single night last week before one o'clock."
"You ought to be ashamed to tell it!" said Alma reprovingly. "You know papa don't allow you to sit up late."
"I shall tell him about it myself, and I know papa will excuse me," said Frans, in high spirits.
The colonel did excuse Frans, and was delighted to hear of his success, though he did not fail to say it was hard to make up by such forced studying for neglect during the term, and a thing that he hoped would never be needed again.
Frans was in a glorious good-humour during the short time he allowed himself for lunch, and made his pony fly as he hurried back to school immediately afterwards.
The school was in a village about twenty minutes' ride from the colonel's home. The afternoon session was over, and yet Frans did not return. The colonel was very anxious about his son. He feared that he had been induced to celebrate his success in some wild frolic, and sent in a messenger to search after him.
The report came back that Frans had done very badly at school during the latter part of the day, and had ridden off at full speed, evidently in a very bad humour at his failure.
Later in the evening the pony came home, riderless, and sorrow settled on the household at Ekero.