other servants have gone out." And he ran down the tower-stair, his
dressing-gown sweeping after him.

Presently he returned, and there was a young man with him. This young
man was as pretty as a girl, and he looked very young. His blue eyes
were very sharp and bright, and he had rosy cheeks and fair curly
hair. He was dressed very poorly, and around his shoulders were
festooned strings of something that looked like fine white flowers,
but it was in reality pop-corn. He carried a great basket of pop-corn,
and bore a corn-popper over his shoulder.

When he entered he bowed low to the Head-nurse; her bonnet did not
seem to surprise him at all. "Would you like to buy some of my nice
pop-corn, madam?" he asked.

She curtesied. "Not to-day," she replied.

But in reality she did not know what pop-corn was. She had never seen
any, and neither had the Baron. That indeed was the reason why he had
admitted the man--he was curious to see what he was carrying. "Is it
good to eat?" he inquired.

"Try it, my lord," answered the man. So the Baron put a pop-corn in
his mouth and chewed it critically. "It is very good indeed," he
declared.

The man passed the basket to the Head-nurse, and she lifted the
cape of her bonnet and put a pop-corn in her mouth, and nibbled it
delicately. She also thought it very good.