XI.

The moment he found himself at liberty he took off his hat and feathers, and wrapping them in his silk mantle, rushed through the streets towards St. Gregory’s, carrying them under his arm.  There stood Rose already, in a corner of the high church door, expecting his arrival.

“Ah, Philip, dear Philip,” she said, pressing his hand, “how happy you have made me! how lucky we are!  I was very uneasy to get away from my friend’s house, and I have been waiting here this quarter of an hour, but never cared for the frost and snow—­my happiness was so great:  I am so glad you’re come back.”

“And I too, dear Rose, thank God that I have got back to you.  May the eagles fly away with these trinkum-trankums of great people.  But I’ll tell you some other time of the scenes I’ve had.  Tell me now, my darling, how you are, and whether you love me still!”

“Ah!  Philip, you’ve become a great man now, and it would be better to ask if you still care anything for me.”

“Thunder!  How came you to know so soon that I’ve been a great man?”

“Why, you told me yourself.  Ah!  Philip, Philip, I only hope you won’t be proud, now that you’ve grown so rich.  I am but a poor girl, and not good enough for you now—­and I have been thinking, Philip, if you forsake me, I would rather have had you continue a poor gardener.  I should fret myself to death if you forsook me.”

“What are you talking about, Rose?  ’T is true that for one half-hour I have been a prince; ’t was but a joke, and I want no more of such jokes in my life.  Now I am a watchman again, and as poor as ever.  To be sure, I have five thousand dollars in my pocket, that I got from a Mameluke; that would make us rich, but unfortunately they don’t belong to me!”

“You’re speaking nonsense, Philip,” said Rose, giving him the purse of gold that the Prince had given her.  “Here, take back your money, ’t is too heavy for my bag.”

“What should I do with all this gold?  Where did you get it, Rose?”

“You won it in the lottery, Philip.”

“What! have I won? and they told me at the office my number was not yet out.  I had hoped and wished that it might come to give us a setting up in the world; but gardener Redman said to me as I went a second time towards the office:  ‘Poor Philip—­a blank.’  Huzzah!  I have won!  Now I will buy a large garden and marry you.  How much is it?”

“Are you crazy, Philip, or have you drunk too much?  You must know better than I can tell you how much it is.  I only looked at it quietly under the table at my friend’s, and was frightened to see so many glittering coins, all of gold, Philip.  Ah! then I thought, no wonder Philip was so impertinent—­for, you know, you were very impertinent, Philip,—­but I can’t blame you for it.  Oh, I could throw my own arms round your neck and cry for joy.”

“Rose, if you will do it I shall make no objections.  But there’s some misunderstanding here.  Who was it that gave you this money, and told you it was my prize in the lottery?  I have my ticket safe in my drawer at home, and nobody has asked me for it.”