'And you won't say I'm ugly, any more - will you, princess?'
'Nursie, I never said you were ugly. What can you mean?'
'Well, if you didn't say it, you meant it.'
'Indeed, I never did.'
'You said I wasn't so pretty as that -'
'As my beautiful grandmother - yes, I did say that; and I say it
again, for it's quite true.'
'Then I do think you are unkind!' said the nurse, and put her
handkerchief to her eyes again.
'Nursie, dear, everybody can't be as beautiful as every other body,
you know. You are very nice-looking, but if you had been as
beautiful as my grandmother -'
'Bother your grandmother!' said the nurse.
'Nurse, that's very rude. You are not fit to be spoken to till you
can behave better.'
The princess turned away once more, and again the nurse was ashamed
of herself.
'I'm sure I beg your pardon, princess,' she said, though still in
an offended tone. But the princess let the tone pass, and heeded
only the words.
'You won't say it again, I am sure,' she answered, once more
turning towards her nurse. 'I was only going to say that if you
had been twice as nice-looking as you are, some king or other would
have married you, and then what would have become of me?'
'You are an angel!' repeated the nurse, again embracing her.
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