The tea was just poured out, when the door opened, and in entered all
the princesses. I was very much ashamed, and started up, but had no
asylum whither to run. They all asked us how we did after our journey;
and I made an apology, as well as I could, to the Princess Elizabeth,
for my intrusion into her apartment--confessing I did not know where to
find my own.
The princess royal, eagerly coming up to me, said, “I thought you
would be distressed at first arriving, and I wanted to help you; and I
enquired where your room was, and said I would look at it myself; and I
went round to it, but I found the king was that way, and so, you know, I
could not go past him; but indeed I wished to have seen it for you.”
There was hardly any thanking her for such infinite sweetness; they then
desired us to go on with our tea, and went into the princess royal's
room.
I was now a little revived; and soon after the Princess Elizabeth came
back, and asked if we had done, desiring us at the same time not to
hurry.
Yes, we said; and ashamed of thus keeping possession of her room, I was
gliding out, when she flew to me, and said, “Don't go!--pray come and
stay with me a little.” She then flew to another end of the room, and
getting a chair, brought it herself close up to me, and seating herself
on another, said, “Come, sit down by me, Miss Burney.”
You may suppose how I resisted and apologised,--truly telling her that I
had not opposed her royal highness's design, from being ashamed of even
suspecting it. She only laughed good-humouredly, and made me take the
chair she had thus condescended to fetch me. ... In a very few minutes,
the other princesses came for her. The princess royal then told me she
was quite sorry to hear we had been so much distressed--and I found Miss
Plantabad recounted our adventures.
I was not glad of this, though greatly gratified by the goodness of the
princess. But I know how quickly complaints circulate, and I wish not
even for redress by such means, which commonly, when so obtained, is
more humiliating than the offence which calls for it.