asleep. I was just resting my eyelids. Long trip and everything.” He yawned and followed Dunc to the floor of the capitol building.
Dunc looked at the list. “You’ve been assigned to Senator Suborn, and I have Senator Grafter. There’s mine.” Dunc pointed to a tall white-haired man with a potbelly. “You look for yours. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”
Amos wandered down the steps. His senator didn’t seem to be around. He turned to climb back up the steps and nearly ran into a boy wearing a wide purple ribbon across his chest.
The boy stared at Amos. Amos stared back. They stayed like that. Staring for several minutes. Finally Amos blinked. He couldn’t believe it. Looking at the boy was like looking in a mirror. They could have passed for identical twins.
The boy clicked his heels together and bowed. “I am Gustav the Eighth, Crown Prince of Moldavia. My entourage is here in America on a goodwill tour.”
Amos stuck out his hand. “I’m Amos the First, Nintendo king of the greater United States. I’m here because my social studies teacher threatened to flunk me if I stayed home. Nice to meet you, Gus.”
Dunc walked up as they were shaking hands. He looked from one face to the other and back again. “This is incredible. Amos, did you know that you two look exactly—”
Amos nodded. “Good-looking guy, isn’t he? Dunc, meet Gus. Gus, this is my best friend, Dunc.”
The boy clicked his heels again. “It is my extreme pleasure. I wonder, would the two of you do me the great honor of having breakfast with me tomorrow morning in my penthouse? It seems we have a great deal in common. I have a small proposition I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Sorry,” Amos started, “I’m all set to do my John Wayne impressions for—ouch!”He glared at Dunc. “You almost broke my foot.”
Dunc smiled. “We’d be happy to have breakfast with you, Your Highness. Thank you for asking.”
“Fine. I will expect you at seven-thirty sharp. My hotel is the one across the street. Take the elevator to the top.” The boy bowed one last time and left.
“You better have a good explanation for what you just did, or I’m going to rearrange your face,” Amos growled.
“Amos, you can’t turn down an invitation from a prince.”
“For Melissa, I can turn down anybody.”
“Mrs. Wormwood said Melissa’s not feeling well. She may have the flu. I doubt if she’ll even be at breakfast.”
“Maybe I should take breakfast to her. You know, comfort her in her hour of need. She’d respect me, and then want me to be closer to her.… ”
“Mrs. Wormwood is staying with her. She’ll be fine. Besides, think how impressed she’ll be when she finds out that you had breakfast with a real prince.”
Amos looked thoughtful. “You might have a point there.”
Dunc smiled. “Sure I do. Trust me.”
“Don’t push it.”
Amos stepped inside the elevator. “I sure hope Gus has something good for breakfast. I’m starved.”
Dunc punched the button. “Can you imagine? We’re going to have breakfast in a penthouse with a real live prince. Now aren’t you glad you came with me?”
“I’ve been giving that some thought. Melissa would have been grateful to me for a long time if I had brought breakfast to her room. No telling how grateful.”
“I told you she has the flu,” Dunc said. “If you had brought her breakfast, she wouldhave thrown it up and it would have been all your fault.”
“Melissa can’t throw up,” Amos said. “She isn’t the kind who throws up. Girls like Melissa never throw up.”
The elevator stopped at the top floor, and the boys stepped out. There was only one door.
“This must be the place.” Dunc moved to the door and knocked.
A man wearing a black and white uniform opened the door. “Yes?” He stared at Amos.
Amos ducked under the man’s arm into the spacious room. “We’re here to see Gus.”
The man moved to the side. “Prince Gustav,
Dunc looked at the list. “You’ve been assigned to Senator Suborn, and I have Senator Grafter. There’s mine.” Dunc pointed to a tall white-haired man with a potbelly. “You look for yours. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”
Amos wandered down the steps. His senator didn’t seem to be around. He turned to climb back up the steps and nearly ran into a boy wearing a wide purple ribbon across his chest.
The boy stared at Amos. Amos stared back. They stayed like that. Staring for several minutes. Finally Amos blinked. He couldn’t believe it. Looking at the boy was like looking in a mirror. They could have passed for identical twins.
The boy clicked his heels together and bowed. “I am Gustav the Eighth, Crown Prince of Moldavia. My entourage is here in America on a goodwill tour.”
Amos stuck out his hand. “I’m Amos the First, Nintendo king of the greater United States. I’m here because my social studies teacher threatened to flunk me if I stayed home. Nice to meet you, Gus.”
Dunc walked up as they were shaking hands. He looked from one face to the other and back again. “This is incredible. Amos, did you know that you two look exactly—”
Amos nodded. “Good-looking guy, isn’t he? Dunc, meet Gus. Gus, this is my best friend, Dunc.”
The boy clicked his heels again. “It is my extreme pleasure. I wonder, would the two of you do me the great honor of having breakfast with me tomorrow morning in my penthouse? It seems we have a great deal in common. I have a small proposition I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Sorry,” Amos started, “I’m all set to do my John Wayne impressions for—ouch!”He glared at Dunc. “You almost broke my foot.”
Dunc smiled. “We’d be happy to have breakfast with you, Your Highness. Thank you for asking.”
“Fine. I will expect you at seven-thirty sharp. My hotel is the one across the street. Take the elevator to the top.” The boy bowed one last time and left.
“You better have a good explanation for what you just did, or I’m going to rearrange your face,” Amos growled.
“Amos, you can’t turn down an invitation from a prince.”
“For Melissa, I can turn down anybody.”
“Mrs. Wormwood said Melissa’s not feeling well. She may have the flu. I doubt if she’ll even be at breakfast.”
“Maybe I should take breakfast to her. You know, comfort her in her hour of need. She’d respect me, and then want me to be closer to her.… ”
“Mrs. Wormwood is staying with her. She’ll be fine. Besides, think how impressed she’ll be when she finds out that you had breakfast with a real prince.”
Amos looked thoughtful. “You might have a point there.”
Dunc smiled. “Sure I do. Trust me.”
“Don’t push it.”
Amos stepped inside the elevator. “I sure hope Gus has something good for breakfast. I’m starved.”
Dunc punched the button. “Can you imagine? We’re going to have breakfast in a penthouse with a real live prince. Now aren’t you glad you came with me?”
“I’ve been giving that some thought. Melissa would have been grateful to me for a long time if I had brought breakfast to her room. No telling how grateful.”
“I told you she has the flu,” Dunc said. “If you had brought her breakfast, she wouldhave thrown it up and it would have been all your fault.”
“Melissa can’t throw up,” Amos said. “She isn’t the kind who throws up. Girls like Melissa never throw up.”
The elevator stopped at the top floor, and the boys stepped out. There was only one door.
“This must be the place.” Dunc moved to the door and knocked.
A man wearing a black and white uniform opened the door. “Yes?” He stared at Amos.
Amos ducked under the man’s arm into the spacious room. “We’re here to see Gus.”
The man moved to the side. “Prince Gustav,
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