"Yes, madam," replied Donal. "Mister Fargus found him at night in a cave in the birch-wood above the burn."
"What made you run away, Tam?" said the Lady, turning to the youth.
Tam was silent.
"Tell me. You need not be afraid."
"I thought mebbe I had hurt him"—with a nod in the direction of the Prince.
"Oh, you didn't hurt me! You only brought a little of the red juice out of my nose, and that can hurt nobody," said the Heir-Apparent.
Prince Alfred, who was standing by, smiled at his brother's sally, as did also the Lady in the straw hat.
Tam laughed outright. He had never heard or known of a bleeding nose being treated so lightly, and at the same time so funnily. His poor grandparents, however, were shocked at his levity, and Yetta gave him a vigorous nudge to recall him to a due sense of his position.
"If you like," said the Prince, "I'll give you one of my sticks in place of the one I threw away," adding, with nice diplomacy, "but I can tell you it's too proud a stick to hit a dog."
Tam smiled, and said he would not use it in that way.