Dillon and some of the elder men shook their heads.

"Can you wonder?" the young prince said, passionately. "Here is
Master Kennedy, who is younger than myself, though a free life and
exercise have made him a man, in comparison to me. He has his life
before him. He will bear his part in many a pitched battle, and,
doubtless, in many a private adventure. He is his own master, and,
as long as he does his duty, there are none to say, 'you must not
do that; you must not say that; you must preserve your dignity;
you must speak softly and discreetly; you must wait patiently.'

"I envy you, Master Kennedy. I envy you, from the bottom of my
heart! Come often to see me. You will always be welcome;" and,
turning abruptly away, he left the chamber hurriedly, to conceal
the tears which filled his eyes.

His counsellors shook their heads solemnly, but Colonel O'Brien
said, warmly:

"What the king says is natural, for a man of his age; and, for my
part, it has increased my respect for him. I say it without
offence, but what could be duller than the life this lad leads
here? He has been brought up, literally, without a pleasure. His
late Majesty, heaven rest his soul! was absorbed in his religious
exercises, and nothing could have been more trying, to a boy, than
a court in which the priests and confessors were practically
supreme. Since his father's death, things have been but little
better, and now I see that, at heart, the young king has plenty of
spirit and energy, I can feel that his life has been that of a
caged hawk, and I am not surprised that he occasionally breaks out