6. She Laughs Too Much.


Meantime, notwithstanding awkward occurrences, and griefs that she
brought upon her parents, the little princess laughed and grew--not
fat, but plump and tall. She reached the age of seventeen, without
having fallen into any worse scrape than a chimney; by rescuing her
from which, a little bird-nesting urchin got fame and a black face.
Nor, thoughtless as she was, had she committed anything worse than
laughter at everybody and everything that came in her way. When she
was told, for the sake of experiment, that General Clanrunfort was
cut to pieces with all his troops, she laughed; when she heard that
the enemy was on his way to besiege her papa's capital, she laughed
hugely; but when she was told that the city would certainly be
abandoned to the mercy of the enemy's soldiery--why, then she
laughed immoderately. She never could be brought to see the serious
side of anything. When her mother cried, she said,--

"What queer faces mamma makes! And she squeezes water out of her
cheeks? Funny mamma!"

And when her papa stormed at her, she laughed, and danced round and
round him, clapping her hands, and crying--

"Do it again, papa. Do it again! It's SUCH fun! Dear, funny papa!"

And if he tried to catch her, she glided from him in an instant,
not in the least afraid of him, but thinking it part of the game
not to be caught. With one push of her foot, she would be floating