so did Alice, but Oswald took off his cap and said he was sorry if she was annoyed about anything; for Oswald has always been taught to be polite to ladies, however nasty. Dicky took his off, too, when he saw me do it; he says he did it first, but that is a mistake. If I were really a common boy I should say it was a lie.
Then we all came away, and when we got outside Dora said, "So she was really a Princess. Fancy a Princess living there!"
"Even Princesses have to live somewhere," said Dicky.
"And I thought it was play. And it was real. I wish I'd known! I should have liked to ask her lots of things," said Alice.
H. O. said he would have liked to ask her what she had for dinner and whether she had a crown.
I felt, myself, we had lost a chance of finding out a great deal about kings and queens. I might have known such a stupid-looking little girl would never have been able to pretend as well as that.
So we all went home across the Heath, and made dripping toast for tea.
When we were eating it Noël said, "I
