The Story of the Treasure Seekers · Chapter
VI: Noël’s Princess explained
The Bastable children go to Greenwich Park for a day of imaginative play, where Noël insists he will find a princess.
What happens
The Bastable children go to Greenwich Park for a day of imaginative play, where Noël insists he will find a princess. They encounter a lonely, well-mannered little girl who turns out to be a real princess. Despite her governess's disapproval, they play games, share chocolate drops, and even conduct a mock wedding. The adventure ends when the princess is taken away, leaving the children to reflect on the encounter.
Themes in this chapter
Childhood Adventure and Imagination
The children transform a park visit into a bear hunt and a royal encounter, blending reality with fantasy.
Innocence and Moral Development
The children show politeness and respect even when treated rudely, and they clean up after their picnic.
The Contrast Between Children and Adults
The princess's governess is stern and dismissive, while the children are open and playful, highlighting the divide between adult rigidity and childlike freedom.
Characters to notice
- Noël Bastable
Declares he will find a princess and marries her in a mock ceremony; imaginative and romantic.
- Oswald Bastable
Narrates the chapter; leads the bear hunt and remains polite to the governess.
- Dora Bastable
Plays the female role Gabrielle; conducts the wedding ceremony with her handkerchief.
- Alice Bastable
Plays Sintram in the bear hunt; makes a face at the governess.
- Dicky Bastable
Participates in the hunt and games; counts the princess's names.
- H. O. Bastable
Plays the Little Master; makes a face at the governess; asks about the princess's dinner and crown.
- Eliza
Prepares lunch for the children and encourages them to go to the park.
Key passages
“She happened quite accidentally. We were not looking for a Princess at all just then; but Noël had said he was going to find a Princess all by himself; and marry her—and he really did.”
The princess appeared by chance; Noël had declared he would find and marry a princess, and it actually came true.
Sets up the chapter's central event and Noël's prophetic claim.
“The little girl answered, 'I won't!' Then the prim lady said—'Wilson, carry her Highness indoors.' And the little girl was carried away screaming, and kicking with her little thin legs and her buttoned boots, and between her screams she shrieked: 'Common children! I am glad, glad, glad! Common children! Common children!'”
The princess defiantly refused to obey, so the governess ordered a servant to carry her inside; she was carried away while screaming that she was glad to play with common children.
Highlights the princess's rebellion against adult authority and her affection for the Bastables.
“She told us that she was the fifth cousin of Queen Victoria. We asked who the other cousins were, but she did not seem to understand. She went on and said she was seven times removed.”
The princess claimed to be Queen Victoria's fifth cousin and 'seven times removed,' but the children found the concept confusing.
Illustrates the children's humorous misunderstanding of royal lineage.
