"Father mustn't know about it. We'll just go off by ourselves--run away, Missa dear."
"Run away! God bless me no, child! The Admiral...."
The Princess begged and prayed, using all her powers of persuasion and caresses, until Missa was gradually stripped of all arguments to the contrary, and finally rose to her feet.
"But, Baby dear, how shall we make our living?"
But at that the Princess jumped up and began dancing wildly around.
"Missa, I'll dance--dance for all the world; make them wild with delight, till they throw themselves at my feet. Missa, don't you understand, can't you imagine ... oh, Missa, if you only knew.... But you shall see, you shall see for yourself...."
She sank down on the sofa, sobbing violently.
Next day the Princess went down to the office.
Doffen was now completely himself again after the Admiral's very effective "refusal."
He beamed like the sun when the Princess came in, made her a deep bow and said: "At your service, Miss--at your service, he, he!"
"Alive! The sight of you would have wakened me from the dead!"
"Will I? Anything, Miss, anything a man can do."
"_A thousand--pounds!_ Heaven preserve us! A thousand! I haven't more than seven-and-six on me.
"The Admiral! Yes, of course, he has; and more. But that's not mine. Da--" he checked himself, recollecting it was not the Admiral to whom he was speaking--"dear me, you wouldn't have me steal his money?"
"Oh, all you need do is to let me have the key."
"No, no, my dear young lady, no. It would never do.
"But it's only drawing a little in advance--on my inheritance, Eriksen, you know. That's all it is."
"But--what on earth do you want all that money for?"
She took his hand, and he trembled with emotion.
"Well, I'm going out into the wide world--to dance."
"But, heavens alive--that makes it worse than ever! The Admiral, he surely isn't going off dancing as well?"
"No; Missa's coming with me. We leave to-morrow, for Paris, Eriksen--London--New York--oh, ever so far!"
"But--but then, I shall never see you again."
"Indeed you shall, Eriksen; I'll send you tickets, a whole box all to yourself, for my performance in Paris. Just fancy, a box at the theatre all to yourself. And you must pay me a thousand pounds for it now."