He was devoted to the boy; he was interested in the life at this tiny court.

The days of public and court mourning for the lamented Princess and her husband wearing away after an established period, he found himself eagerly delving into the gaieties that followed.

Life at the Castle and in the homes of the nobility provided a new and sharp contrast to the busy, sordid existence he had known at home.

It was like a fine, wholesome, endless dream to him.

He drifted on the joyous, smiling tide of pleasure that swept Edelweiss with its careless waves night and day.