Of course I have a good deal of work to do, and all the washing up, but my sisters are so big and strong that one can’t expect them to bother themselves with niggling little things like that.  Besides, they have so many other things to do.  Only this morning, when Sister Bert was just going to sit down, Sister Fred pulled away her chair, and she sat on the floor and her legs went up in the air.  She said it was a “grand slam,” which some of us thought very funny.  I didn’t laugh myself, because I never go out anywhere, and so I don’t understand topical remarks, but I do think it is nice to live in such an amusing house.

(Later.)—­A wonderful thing has happened!  Two messengers came from the Prince an hour ago to invite us to the ball to-night!  I’d never seen a messenger in my life, so I peeped out of the chimney corner at them and wondered if they would stay to tea.  But instead of that my sisters put up what they call a “trapeze” (I never knew we had one before), and the messengers did some extraordinary things on it, I thought they would kill themselves.  After it was over, Sister Fred told them a lot of stories about the old man, and altogether it was quite different from what I expected.  Ours is a funny house.

As soon as the messengers had gone, my sisters began to get ready for the ball.  I knew I shouldn’t be able to go, because I haven’t got a frock, and I simply couldn’t wear anything of theirs, they are so much bigger than I am.  They finished dressing downstairs for some reason, where anybody might have seen them—­they are so funny about things like that—­and we had a lot of laughter about the clothes being too tight and so on.  I think anything like that is so amusing.  Then they went off, and here I am all alone.  It is getting dark, and so I am going to cheer myself up by singing a little.

(Later).—­I am going to the ball!  My Fairy Godmother, whom I had often heard about, suddenly came to see us.  I told her my sisters were out, and she asked where they had gone, and wouldn’t I like to go too, so of course I said I should love it.  So I am going, and she has got a frock for me and everything.  She is very kind, but not quite so fairy-like as I expected.

Wednesday.—­I have had a lovely time, and I think I am in love.  I got to the Ball just as the juggling and the ventriloquism were over—­it must be a delightful Court to live in—­and there was such a sensation as I appeared.  The Prince singled me out at once.  He has the pinkest cheeks and the reddest lips of any man I know, and his voice is soft and gentle, and oh!  I love him.  One wants a man to be manly and a woman to be womanly, and I don’t think I should love a man if he were at all like Sister Fred or Sister Bert.  The Prince is quite different.  We were alone most of the time, and we sang several songs together.  My sisters never recognized me; it was most surprising.  I heard Sister Fred telling a very fine-looking gentleman a story about a lodger (whatever that is) who had a bit of a head; it sounded very humorous.  Wherever Sister Fred goes there is sure to be fun.  I am indeed a lucky girl to have two such sisters and to be in love with a Prince.  Sister Bert sat down on the floor twice—­it was most amusing.