With these words , the officer sat down suddenly in the prince 's lap , as if he did not see him at all . He was a heavy man , and the prince , enraged at the insult , pushed him away and jumped to his feet . As he did so , his cap dropped off . The officer fell on his knees at once , crying : `` Pardon , my prince , pardon ! I never saw you ! '' This was more than the prince could be expected to believe . `` Nonsense ! Count Frederick von Matterhorn , '' he said ; `` you must be intoxicated . Sir ! you have insulted your prince and your superior officer . Consider yourself under arrest ! You shall be sent to a prison to-morrow . '' On this , the poor officer appealed piteously to everybody in the tavern . They all declared that they had not seen the prince , nor even had an idea that he was doing them the honour of being in the neighbourhood of their town . More and more offended , and convinced that there was a conspiracy to annoy and insult him , the prince shouted for the landlord , called for his bill , threw down his three pieces of gold without asking for change , and went into the street . `` It is a disgraceful conspiracy , '' he said . `` The king shall answer for this ! I shall write to the newspapers at once ! '' He was not put in a better temper by the way in which people hustled him in the street . They ran against him exactly as if they did not see him , and then staggered back in the greatest surprise , looking in every direction for the person they had jostled .
In one of these encounters , the prince pushed so hard against a poor old beggar woman XXXXX she fell down .
As On against at by down in that to under