cried enthusiastically,--

"Parbleu! I am no longer surprised. I will go and tell his highness, and
I shall soon have the honour of dining with you at the castle."

He did not wait to hear my answer, but went off in hot haste.

We laughed heartily at his folly, feeling quite sure that we should
neither dine with him nor the prince, but in a quarter of an hour he
returned in high glee, and invited us all to dinner on behalf of the
prince.

"I beg you will thank his highness, and at the same time ask him to
excuse us. The weather has improved, and I want to be off as soon as we
have taken a hasty morsel."

The young Frenchman exerted all his eloquence in vain, and at length
retired with a mortified air to take our answer to the prince.

I thought I had got rid of him at last, but I did not know my man. He
returned a short time after, and addressing himself in a complacent
manner to the ladies, as if I was of no more account, he told them that
he had given the prince such a description of their charms that he had
made up his mind to dine with them.

"I have already ordered the table to be laid for two more, as I shall
have the honour of being of the party. In a quarter of an hour, ladies,
the prince will be here."

"Very good," said I, "but as the prince is coming I must go to the