Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-15
CHAPTER III.
At the Riding School.

At the Riding School.
His royal highness the Crown Prince
Ferdinand William Otto was in dis
grace.
he had risen at six, bathed, dressed,
and gone to mass, in disgrace. He
had breakfasted at seven-thirty on
fruit, cereal, and one egg, in disgrace.
He had gone to his study at eight
o'clock for lessons, in disgrace. A
long line of tutors came and went all
morning, and he worked diligently, but
he was still In disgrace. All morn
ing long and in the intervals between
tutors he had tried to catch Miss
lBraithwaite's eye.
Except for the most ordinary civil.
lilies, she had refused to look in his
direction.
"a photograph of Hedwig, and pretend
ing not to look at it.. Prince Ferdinand
William Otto had a suspicion that the
tutor was in love with Hedwig.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto did
not like the French tutor.
He also found the sun unsettling.
Besides, he hated verbs. Nouns were
different. One could do something
with nouns, although even they had
a way of having genders. Into his
head popped a recollection of a de-
lightful pastime of the day before
nothing more nor less than Tipping
paper wads at the guard on the scenic
railway as the car went past him.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto tore
off the corner of a piece of paper,
chewed 1t deliberately, rounded and
hardened it with his royal fingers, ard
aimed it at M. Puaux. 1t struck him
In the eye.
Instantly things happened. M.
Puaux yelled, and clapped a hand to
his eye. Miss Braithwaite rose. His
royal highness wrote a rather shaky
French verb, with the wrong termina-
ton. And on to this scene cam
Milky for the riding lesson.
Milky surveyed the scene. He had,
of course, bowed inside the door, and
all that sort of thing. But Milky was
an informal person, and was quite apt
to bow deeply before his future sover-
eign, and her poke him in the chest.
well !" said Milky.
Good morning." said Prince -Ferdi-
nand William Otto, in a small and
nervous voice.
Nothing wrong, is there?" de-
manded Milky.
M. Puaux got out his handkerchief
and said nothing violently.
"Ottol" said Miss Braithwaite.
"What did you do?'
Nothing He looked about. He
was quite convinced that M. Puaux
was what Bobby would have termed
a poor sport, and had not played the
game fairly. The guard at the rail-
way, he felt, would not have yelled
and wept. "Oh, well, 1 threw a piece
of paper. That's all. 1 didn't think
1t would hurt"
Miss Braithwaite rose and glanced
at the carpet. But Milky was quick.
Quick and understanding. He put his
shiny foot I'VE the paper wad.
"Paperl" said Miss Braithwaite.
"Why did you throw paper? And at
M. Puaux?'
"I-just felt like throwing some
thing" explained his royal highness.
IT guess it's the sun, or something"
Milky dropped his glove. and mirac-
ulously, when he had picked it up-the
little wad was gone.
"For throwing paper, five Marks"
said Miss B%raithwaite, and put 1t
down in the book she carried in her
pocket. 1t was rather an awful book.
On Saturdays the king looked it over,
and demanded explanations: FOR
untidy nails, five marksi A gentle
man never has untidy nails, Otto. For
objecting to winter fannels, two
marks. Humph! For pocketing sugar
from the tea tray, ten marks Humphi
For lack of attention during religious
instruction, five marks. Ten off for
the sugar, and only five for inattention
to religious Instruction. What have
you to say, STRIP
Prince Ferdinand William Otto
looked at Milky and Milky looked
back. Then Ferdinand William Otto's
left eyelid dropped. Milky was
astounded. How was he to know the
treasury of strange things that the
crown prince had tapped the previous
afternoon? But, after a glance around
the room, Nikky's eyelid dropped also.
He slid the paper wad into his pocket.
81 am afraid his royal highness has