81 files changed, 19864 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/38976-0.txt b/38976-0.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3f53d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-0.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3654 @@
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS
+FIORIMONDE, AND OTHER STORIES ***
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE
+
+AND OTHER STORIES
+
+[Illustration: "She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water."--FRONTISPIECE.]
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE;
+
+AND OTHER STORIES
+
+BY
+
+MARY DE MORGAN
+
+[_Author of "On a Pincushion"_]
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+WALTER CRANE
+
+LONDON:
+MACMILLAN & CO:
+1880
+
+
+TO
+
+MY SIX LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES
+
+THESE STORIES ARE AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
+
+BY
+
+THEIR LOVING AUNT
+
+MARY DE MORGAN
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                      PAGE
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE      1
+
+THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON               43
+
+THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN              79
+
+THE PEDLAR'S PACK                      131
+
+THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT                140
+
+THE THREE CLEVER KINGS                 157
+
+THE WISE PRINCESS                      175
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+1. _Frontispiece._
+                                                              PAGE
+
+2. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "PRINCESS FIORIMONDE"             1
+
+3. THE PRINCESS AND HER LOOKING-GLASS               _To face_   29
+
+4. GERVAISE WITH THE NECKLACE                            "      39
+
+5. TAILPIECE                                                    42
+
+6. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON"      43
+
+7. ARASMON AND CHRYSEA PLAYING TO THE VILLAGERS     _To face_   44
+
+8. ARASMON PLAYING BEFORE THE KING                       "      66
+
+9. TAILPIECE                                                    78
+
+10. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN"           79
+
+11. THE PRINCE AND THE WIZARD                       _To face_   87
+
+12. THE PRISON WINDOW                                    "     128
+
+13. TAILPIECE                                                  130
+
+14. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "THE PEDLAR'S PACK"            131
+
+15. THE PEDLAR AND THE DONKEY                       _To face_  131
+
+16. TAILPIECE                                                  139
+
+17. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT"             140
+
+18. THE IMP AND THE BAKER                           _To face_  141
+
+19. TAILPIECE                                                  156
+
+20. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE THREE CLEVER KINGS"              157
+
+21. THE THREE CLEVER KINGS                          _To face_  170
+
+22. TAILPIECE                                                  174
+
+23. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE WISE PRINCESS"                   175
+
+24. THE WISE PRINCESS ON THE SEA-SHORE              _To face_  178
+
+25. TAILPIECE                                                  184
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once there lived a King, whose wife was dead, but who had a most beautiful
+daughter--so beautiful that every one thought she must be good as well,
+instead of which the Princess was really very wicked, and practised
+witchcraft and black magic, which she had learned from an old witch who
+lived in a hut on the side of a lonely mountain. This old witch was wicked
+and hideous, and no one but the King's daughter knew that she lived there;
+but at night, when every one else was asleep, the Princess, whose name was
+Fiorimonde, used to visit her by stealth to learn sorcery. It was only the
+witch's arts which had made Fiorimonde so beautiful that there was no one
+like her in the world, and in return the Princess helped her with all her
+tricks, and never told any one she was there.
+
+The time came when the King began to think he should like his daughter to
+marry, so he summoned his council and said, "We have no son to reign after
+our death, so we had best seek for a suitable prince to marry to our royal
+daughter, and then, when we are too old, he shall be king in our stead."
+And all the council said he was very wise, and it would be well for the
+Princess to marry. So heralds were sent to all the neighbouring kings and
+princes to say that the King would choose a husband for the Princess, who
+should be king after him. But when Fiorimonde heard this she wept with
+rage, for she knew quite well that if she had a husband he would find out
+how she went to visit the old witch, and would stop her practising magic,
+and then she would lose her beauty.
+
+When night came, and every one in the palace was fast asleep, the Princess
+went to her bedroom window and softly opened it. Then she took from her
+pocket a handful of peas and held them out of the window and chirruped low,
+and there flew down from the roof a small brown bird and sat upon her wrist
+and began to eat the peas. No sooner had it swallowed them than it began to
+grow and grow and grow till it was so big that the Princess could not hold
+it, but let it stand on the window-sill, and still it grew and grew and
+grew till it was as large as an ostrich. Then the Princess climbed out of
+the window and seated herself on the bird's back, and at once it flew
+straight away over the tops of the trees till it came to the mountain where
+the old witch dwelt, and stopped in front of the door of her hut.
+
+The Princess jumped off, and muttered some words through the keyhole, when
+a croaking voice from within called,
+
+"Why do you come to-night? Have I not told you I wished to be left alone
+for thirteen nights; why do you disturb me?"
+
+"But I beg of you to let me in," said the Princess, "for I am in trouble
+and want your help."
+
+"Come in then," said the voice; and the door flew open, and the Princess
+trod into the hut, in the middle of which, wrapped in a gray cloak which
+almost hid her, sat the witch. Princess Fiorimonde sat down near her, and
+told her, her story. How the King wished her to marry, and had sent word to
+the neighbouring princes, that they might make offers for her.
+
+"This is truly bad hearing," croaked the witch, "but we shall beat them
+yet; and you must deal with each Prince as he comes. Would you like them to
+become dogs, to come at your call, or birds, to fly in the air, and sing of
+your beauty, or will you make them all into beads, the beads of such a
+necklace as never woman wore before, so that they may rest upon your neck,
+and you may take them with you always."
+
+"The necklace! the necklace!" cried the Princess, clapping her hands with
+joy. "That will be best of all, to sling them upon a string and wear them
+around my throat. Little will the courtiers know whence come my new
+jewels."
+
+"But this is a dangerous play," quoth the witch, "for, unless you are very
+careful, you yourself may become a bead and hang upon the string with the
+others, and there you will remain till some one cuts the string, and draws
+you off."
+
+"Nay, never fear," said the Princess, "I will be careful, only tell me what
+to do, and I will have great princes and kings to adorn me, and all their
+greatness shall not help them."
+
+Then the witch dipped her hand into a black bag which stood on the ground
+beside her, and drew out a long gold thread.
+
+The ends were joined together, but no one could see the joins, and however
+much you pulled, it would not break. It would easily go over Fiorimonde's
+head, and the witch slipped it on her neck saying,
+
+"Now mind, while this hangs here you are safe enough, but if once you join
+your fingers around the string you too will meet the fate of your lovers,
+and hang upon it yourself. As for the kings and princes who would marry
+you, all you have to do is to make them close their fingers around the
+chain, and at once they will be strung upon it as bright hard beads, and
+there they shall remain, till it is cut and they drop off."
+
+"This is really delightful," cried the Princess; "and I am already quite
+impatient for the first to come that I may try."
+
+"And now," said the witch, "since you are here, and there is yet time, we
+will have a dance, and I will summon the guests." So saying, she took from
+a corner a drum and a pair of drum-sticks, and going to the door, began to
+beat upon it. It made a terrible rattling. In a moment came flying through
+the air all sorts of forms. There were little dark elves with long tails,
+and goblins who chattered and laughed, and other witches who rode on
+broom-sticks. There was one wicked fairy in the form of a large cat, with
+bright green eyes, and another came sliding in like a long shining viper.
+
+Then, when all had arrived, the witch stopped drumming, and, going to the
+middle of the hut, stamped on the floor, and a trap-door opened in the
+ground. The old witch stepped through it, and led the way down a narrow
+dark passage, to a large underground chamber, and all her strange guests
+followed, and here they all danced and made merry in a terrible way, but at
+first sound of cock-crow all the guests disappeared with a whiff, and the
+Princess hastened up the dark passage again, and out of the hut to where
+her big bird still waited for her, and mounting its back she flew home in a
+trice. Then, when she had stepped in at her bedroom window, she poured into
+a cup from a small black bottle, a few drops of magic water, and gave it to
+the bird to drink, and as it sipped it grew smaller, and smaller, till at
+last it had quite regained its natural size, and hopped on to the roof as
+before, and the Princess shut her window, and got into bed, and fell
+asleep, and no one knew of her strange journey, or where she had been.
+
+Next day Fiorimonde declared to her father the King, that she was quite
+willing to wed any prince he should fix upon as a husband for her, at which
+he was much pleased, and soon after informed her, that a young king was
+coming from over the sea to be her husband. He was king of a large rich
+country, and would take back his bride with him to his home. He was called
+King Pierrot. Great preparations were made for his arrival, and the
+Princess was decked in her finest array to greet him, and when he came all
+the courtiers said, "This is truly a proper husband for our beautiful
+Princess," for he was strong and handsome, with black hair, and eyes like
+sloes. King Pierrot was delighted with Fiorimonde's beauty, and was happy
+as the day is long; and all things went merrily till the evening before the
+marriage. A great feast was held, at which the Princess looked lovelier
+than ever dressed in a red gown, the colour of the inside of a rose, but
+she wore no jewels nor ornaments of any kind, save one shining gold string
+round her milk-white throat.
+
+When the feast was done, the Princess stepped from her golden chair at her
+father's side, and walked softly into the garden, and stood under an
+elm-tree looking at the shining moon. In a few moments King Pierrot
+followed her, and stood beside her, looking at her and wondering at her
+beauty.
+
+"To-morrow, then, my sweet Princess, you will be my Queen, and share all I
+possess. What gift would you wish me to give you on our wedding day?"
+
+"I would have a necklace wrought of the finest gold and jewels to be found,
+and just the length of this gold cord which I wear around my throat,"
+answered Princess Fiorimonde.
+
+"Why do you wear that cord?" asked King Pierrot; "it has no jewel nor
+ornament about it."
+
+"Nay, but there is no cord like mine in all the world," cried Fiorimonde,
+and her eyes sparkled wickedly as she spoke; "it is as light as a feather,
+but stronger than an iron chain. Take it in both hands and try to break it,
+that you may see how strong it is;" and King Pierrot took the cord in both
+hands to pull it hard; but no sooner were his fingers closed around it than
+he vanished like a puff of smoke, and on the cord appeared a bright,
+beautiful bead--so bright and beautiful as was never bead before--clear as
+crystal, but shining with all colours--green, blue, and gold.
+
+Princess Fiorimonde gazed down at it and laughed aloud.
+
+"Aha, my proud lover! are you there?" she cried with glee; "my necklace
+bids fair to beat all others in the world," and she caressed the bead with
+the tips of her soft, white fingers, but was careful that they did not
+close round the string. Then she returned into the banqueting hall, and
+spoke to the King.
+
+"Pray, sire," said she, "send some one at once to find King Pierrot, for,
+as he was talking to me a minute ago, he suddenly left me, and I am afraid
+lest I may have given him offence, or perhaps he is ill."
+
+The King desired that the servants should seek for King Pierrot all over
+the grounds, and seek him they did, but nowhere was he to be found, and the
+old King looked offended.
+
+"Doubtless he will be ready to-morrow in time for the wedding," quoth he,
+"but we are not best pleased that he should treat us in this way."
+
+Princess Fiorimonde had a little maid called Yolande. She was a
+bright-faced girl with merry brown eyes, but she was not beautiful like
+Fiorimonde, and she did not love her mistress, for she was afraid of her,
+and suspected her of her wicked ways. When she undressed her that night she
+noticed the gold cord, and the one bright bead upon it, and as she combed
+the Princess's hair she looked over her shoulder into the looking-glass,
+and saw how she laughed, and how fondly she looked at the cord, and
+caressed the bead, again and again with her fingers.
+
+"That is a wonderful bead on your Highness's cord," said Yolande, looking
+at its reflection in the mirror; "surely it must be a bridal gift from King
+Pierrot."
+
+"And so it is, little Yolande," cried Fiorimonde, laughing merrily; "and
+the best gift he could give me. But I think one bead alone looks ugly and
+ungainly; soon I hope I shall have another, and another, and another, all
+as beautiful as the first."
+
+Then Yolande shook her head, and said to herself, "This bodes no good."
+
+Next morning all was prepared for the marriage, and the Princess was
+dressed in white satin and pearls with a long white lace veil over her, and
+a bridal wreath on her head, and she stood waiting among her grandly
+dressed ladies, who all said that such a beautiful bride had never been
+seen in the world before. But just as they were preparing to go down to the
+fine company in the hall, a messenger came in great haste summoning the
+Princess at once to her father the King, as he was much perplexed.
+
+"My daughter," cried he, as Fiorimonde in all her bridal array entered the
+room where he sat alone, "what can we do? King Pierrot is nowhere to be
+found; I fear lest he may have been seized by robbers and basely murdered
+for his rich clothes, or carried away to some mountain and left there to
+starve. My soldiers are gone far and wide to seek him--and we shall hear
+of him ere day is done--but where there is no bridegroom there can be no
+bridal."
+
+"Then let it be put off, my father," cried the Princess, "and to-morrow we
+shall know if it is for a wedding, or a funeral, we must dress;" and she
+pretended to weep, but even then could hardly keep from laughing.
+
+So the wedding guests went away, and the Princess laid aside her bridal
+dress, and all waited anxiously for news of King Pierrot; and no news came.
+So at last every one gave him up for dead, and mourned for him, and
+wondered how he had met his fate.
+
+Princess Fiorimonde put on a black gown, and begged to be allowed to live
+in seclusion for one month in which to grieve for King Pierrot; but when
+she was again alone in her bedroom she sat before her looking-glass and
+laughed till tears ran down her cheeks; and Yolande watched her, and
+trembled, when she heard her laughter. She noticed, too, that beneath her
+black gown, the Princess still wore her gold cord, and did not move it
+night or day.
+
+The month had barely passed away when the King came to his daughter, and
+announced that another suitor had presented himself, whom he should much
+like to be her husband. The Princess agreed quite obediently to all her
+father said; and it was arranged that the marriage should take place. This
+new prince was called Prince Hildebrandt. He came from a country far north,
+of which one day he would be king. He was tall, and fair, and strong, with
+flaxen hair and bright blue eyes. When Princess Fiorimonde saw his portrait
+she was much pleased, and said, "By all means let him come, and the sooner
+the better." So she put off her black clothes, and again great preparations
+were made for a wedding; and King Pierrot was quite forgotten.
+
+Prince Hildebrandt came, and with him many fine gentlemen, and they brought
+beautiful gifts for the bride. The evening of his arrival all went well,
+and again there was a grand feast, and Fiorimonde looked so beautiful that
+Prince Hildebrandt was delighted; and this time she did not leave her
+father's side, but sat by him all the evening.
+
+Early next morning at sunrise, when every one was still sleeping, the
+Princess rose, and dressed herself in a plain white gown, and brushed all
+her hair over her shoulders, and crept quietly downstairs into the palace
+gardens; then she walked on till she came beneath the window of Prince
+Hildebrandt's room, and here she paused and began to sing a little song as
+sweet and joyous as a lark's. When Prince Hildebrandt heard it he got up
+and went to the window and looked out to see who sang, and when he saw
+Fiorimonde standing in the red sunrise-light, which made her hair look
+gold, and her face rosy, he made haste to dress himself and go down to meet
+her.
+
+"How, my Princess," cried he, as he stepped into the garden beside her.
+"This is indeed great happiness to meet you here so early. Tell me why do
+you come out at sunrise to sing by yourself?"
+
+"I come that I may see the colours of the sky--red, blue, and gold,"
+answered the Princess. "Look, there are no such colours to be seen
+anywhere, unless, indeed, it be in this bead which I wear here on my
+golden cord.
+
+"What is that bead, and where did it come from?" asked Hildebrandt.
+
+"It came from over the sea, where it shall never return again," answered
+the Princess. And again her eyes began to sparkle with eagerness, and she
+could scarcely conceal her mirth. "Lift the cord off my neck and look at it
+near, and tell me if you ever saw one like it."
+
+Hildebrandt put out his hands and took hold of the cord, but no sooner were
+his fingers closed around it than he vanished, and a new bright bead was
+slung next to the first one on Fiorimonde's chain, and this one was even
+more beautiful than the other.
+
+The Princess gave a long low laugh, quite terrible to hear.
+
+"Oh, my sweet necklace," cried she, "how beautiful you are growing! I think
+I love you more than anything in the world besides." Then she went softly
+back to bed, without any one hearing her, and fell sound asleep, and slept
+till Yolande came to tell her it was time for her to get up and dress for
+the wedding.
+
+The Princess was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and only Yolande noticed that
+beneath her satin gown, she wore the golden cord, but now there were two
+beads upon it instead of one. Scarcely was she ready when the King burst
+into her room in a towering rage.
+
+"My daughter," cried he, "there is a plot against us. Lay aside your bridal
+attire and think no more of Prince Hildebrandt, for he too has disappeared,
+and is nowhere to be found."
+
+At this the Princess wept, and entreated that Hildebrandt should be sought
+for far and near, but she laughed to herself, and said, "Search where you
+will, yet you shall not find him;" and so again a great search was made,
+and when no trace of the Prince was found, all the palace was in an uproar.
+
+The Princess again put off her bride's dress and clad herself in black, and
+sat alone, and pretended to weep, but Yolande, who watched her, shook her
+head, and said, "More will come and go before the wicked Princess has done
+her worst."
+
+A month passed, in which Fiorimonde pretended to mourn for Hildebrandt,
+then she went to the King and said,
+
+"Sire, I pray that you will not let people say that when any bridegroom
+comes to marry me, as soon as he has seen me he flies rather than be my
+husband. I beg that suitors may be summoned from far and near that I may
+not be left alone unwed."
+
+The King agreed, and envoys were sent all the world over to bid any who
+would come and be the husband of Princess Fiorimonde. And come they did,
+kings and princes from south and north, east and west,--King Adrian, Prince
+Sigbert, Prince Algar, and many more,--but though all went well till the
+wedding morning, when it was time to go to church, no bridegroom was to be
+found. The old King was sadly frightened, and would fain have given up all
+hope of finding a husband for the Princess, but now she implored him, with
+tears in her eyes, not to let her be disgraced in this way. And so suitor
+after suitor continued to come, and now it was known, far and wide, that
+whoever came to ask for the hand of Princess Fiorimonde vanished, and was
+seen no more of men. The courtiers were afraid and whispered under their
+breath, "It is not all right, it cannot be;" but only Yolande noticed how
+the beads came upon the golden thread, till it was well-nigh covered, yet
+there always was room for one bead more.
+
+So the years passed, and every year Princess Fiorimonde grew lovelier and
+lovelier, so that no one who saw her could guess how wicked she was.
+
+In a far off country lived a young prince whose name was Florestan. He had
+a dear friend named Gervaise, whom he loved better than any one in the
+world. Gervaise was tall, and broad, and stout of limb, and he loved Prince
+Florestan so well, that he would gladly have died to serve him.
+
+It chanced that Prince Florestan saw a portrait of Princess Fiorimonde, and
+at once swore he would go to her father's court, and beg that he might
+have her for his wife, and Gervaise in vain tried to dissuade him.
+
+"There is an evil fate about the Princess Fiorimonde," quoth he; "many have
+gone to marry her, but where are they now?"
+
+"I don't know or care," answered Florestan, "but this is sure, that I will
+wed her and return here, and bring my bride with me."
+
+So he set out for Fiorimonde's home, and Gervaise went with him with a
+heavy heart.
+
+When they reached the court, the old King received them and welcomed them
+warmly, and he said to his courtiers, "Here is a fine young prince to whom
+we would gladly see our daughter wed. Let us hope that this time all will
+be well." But now Fiorimonde had grown so bold, that she scarcely tried to
+conceal her mirth.
+
+"I will gladly marry him to-morrow, if he comes to the church," she said;
+"but if he is not there, what can I do," and she laughed long and merrily,
+till those who heard her shuddered.
+
+When the Princess's ladies came to tell her that Prince Florestan was
+arrived, she was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a fountain,
+feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.
+
+"Bid him come to me," she said, "for I will not go any more in state to
+meet any suitors, neither will I put on grand attire for them. Let him come
+and find me as I am, since all find it so easy to come and go." So her
+ladies told the prince that Fiorimonde waited for him near the fountain.
+
+She did not rise when he came to where she lay, but his heart bounded with
+joy, for he had never in his life beheld such a beautiful woman.
+
+She wore a thin soft white dress, which clung to her lithe figure. Her
+beautiful arms and hands were bare, and she dabbled with them in the water,
+and played with the fish. Her great blue eyes were sparkling with mirth,
+and were so beautiful, that no one noticed the wicked look hid in them; and
+on her neck lay the marvellous many-coloured necklace, which was itself a
+wonder to behold.
+
+"You have my best greetings, Prince Florestan," she said. "And you, too,
+would be my suitor. Have you thought well of what you would do, since so
+many princes who have seen me have fled for ever, rather than marry me?"
+and as she spoke, she raised her white hand from the water, and held it out
+to the Prince, who stooped and kissed it, and scarcely knew how to answer
+her for bewilderment at her great loveliness.
+
+Gervaise followed his master at a short distance, but he was ill at ease,
+and trembled for fear of what should come.
+
+"Come, bid your friend leave us," said Fiorimonde, looking at Gervaise,
+"and sit beside me, and tell me of your home, and why you wish to marry me,
+and all pleasant things."
+
+Florestan begged that Gervaise would leave them for a little, and he walked
+slowly away, in a very mournful mood.
+
+He went on down the walks, not heeding where he was going, till he met
+Yolande, who stood beneath a tree laden with rosy apples, picking the
+fruit, and throwing it into a basket at her feet. He would have passed her
+in silence, but she stopped him, and said,
+
+"Have you come with the new Prince? Do you love your master?"
+
+"Ay, better than any one else on the earth," answered Gervaise. "Why do you
+ask?"
+
+"And where is he now," said Yolande, not heeding Gervaise's question.
+
+"He sits by the fountain with the beautiful Princess," said Gervaise.
+
+"Then, I hope you have said good-bye to him well, for be assured you shall
+never see him again," said Yolande nodding her head.
+
+"Why not, and who are you to talk like this?" asked Gervaise.
+
+"My name is Yolande," answered she, "and I am Princess Fiorimonde's maid.
+Do you not know that Prince Florestan is the eleventh lover who has come to
+marry her, and one by one they have disappeared, and only I know where they
+are gone."
+
+"And where are they gone?" cried Gervaise, "and why do you not tell the
+world, and prevent good men being lost like this?"
+
+"Because I fear my mistress," said Yolande, speaking low and drawing near
+to him; "she is a sorceress, and she wears the brave kings and princes who
+come to woo her, strung upon a cord round her neck. Each one forms the bead
+of a necklace which she wears, both day and night. I have watched that
+necklace growing; first it was only an empty gold thread; then came King
+Pierrot, and when he disappeared the first bead appeared upon it. Then came
+Hildebrandt, and two beads were on the string instead of one; then followed
+Adrian, Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Baldwyn, and
+Leofric, and Raoul, and all are gone, and ten beads hang upon the string,
+and to-night there will be eleven, and the eleventh will be your Prince
+Florestan."
+
+"If this be so," cried Gervaise, "I will never rest till I have plunged my
+sword into Fiorimonde's heart;" but Yolande shook her head.
+
+"She is a sorceress," she said, "and it might be hard to kill her; besides,
+that might not break the spell, and bring back the princes to life. I wish
+I could show you the necklace, and you might count the beads, and see if I
+do not speak truth, but it is always about her neck, both night and day, so
+it is impossible."
+
+"Take me to her room to-night when she is asleep, and let me see it there,"
+said Gervaise.
+
+"Very well, we will try," said Yolande; "but you must be very still, and
+make no noise, for if she wakes, remember it will be worse for us both."
+
+When night came and all in the palace were fast asleep, Gervaise and
+Yolande met in the great hall, and Yolande told him that the Princess
+slumbered soundly.
+
+"So now let us go," said she, "and I will show you the necklace on which
+Fiorimonde wears her lovers strung like beads, though how she transforms
+them I know not."
+
+"Stay one instant, Yolande," said Gervaise, holding her back, as she would
+have tripped upstairs. "Perhaps, try how I may, I shall be beaten, and
+either die or become a bead like those who have come before me. But if I
+succeed and rid the land of your wicked Princess, what will you promise me
+for a reward?"
+
+"What would you have?" asked Yolande.
+
+"I would have you say you will be my wife, and come back with me to my own
+land," said Gervaise.
+
+"That I will promise gladly," said Yolande, kissing him, "but we must not
+speak or think of this till we have cut the cord from Fiorimonde's neck,
+and all her lovers are set free."
+
+So they went softly up to the Princess's room, Yolande holding a small
+lantern, which gave only a dim light. There, in her grand bed, lay Princess
+Fiorimonde. They could just see her by the lantern's light, and she looked
+so beautiful that Gervaise began to think Yolande spoke falsely, when she
+said she was so wicked.
+
+Her face was calm and sweet as a baby's; her hair fell in ruddy waves on
+the pillow; her rosy lips smiled, and little dimples showed in her cheeks;
+her white soft hands were folded amidst the scented lace and linen of which
+the bed was made. Gervaise almost forgot to look at the glittering beads
+hung round her throat, in wondering at her loveliness, but Yolande pulled
+him by the arm.
+
+"Do not look at her," she whispered softly, "since her beauty has cost dear
+already; look rather at what remains of those who thought her as fair as
+you do now; see here," and she pointed with her finger to each bead in
+turn.
+
+"This was Pierrot, and this Hildebrandt, and these are Adrian, and Sigbert,
+and Algar, and Cenred, and that is Pharamond, and that Raoul, and last of
+all here is your own master Prince Florestan. Seek him now where you will
+and you will not find him, and you shall never see him again till the cord
+is cut and the charm broken."
+
+"Of what is the cord made?" whispered Gervaise.
+
+"It is of the finest gold," she answered. "Nay, do not you touch her lest
+she wake. I will show it to you." And Yolande put down the lantern and
+softly put out her hands to slip the beads aside, but as she did so, her
+fingers closed around the golden string, and directly she was gone. Another
+bead was added to the necklace, and Gervaise was alone with the sleeping
+Princess. He gazed about him in sore amazement and fear. He dared not call
+lest Fiorimonde should wake.
+
+"Yolande," he whispered as loud as he dared, "Yolande where are you?" but
+no Yolande answered.
+
+Then he bent down over the Princess and gazed at the necklace. Another bead
+was strung upon it next to the one to which Yolande had pointed as Prince
+Florestan. Again he counted them. "Eleven before, now there are twelve. Oh
+hateful Princess! I know now where go the brave kings and princes who came
+to woo you, and where, too, is my Yolande," and as he looked at the last
+bead, tears filled his eyes. It was brighter and clearer than the others,
+and of a warm red hue, like the red dress Yolande had worn. The Princess
+turned and laughed in her sleep, and at the sound of her laughter Gervaise
+was filled with horror and loathing. He crept shuddering from the room, and
+all night long sat up alone, plotting how he might defeat Fiorimonde, and
+set Florestan and Yolande free.
+
+[Illustration: "Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string."--P. 29.]
+
+Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her necklace and counted
+its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead was added to the
+string.
+
+"Who can have come and grasped my chain unknown to me?" she said to
+herself, and she sat and pondered for a long time. At last she broke into
+weird laughter.
+
+"At any rate, whoever it was, is fitly punished," quoth she. "My brave
+necklace, you can take care of yourself, and if any one tries to steal you,
+they will get their reward, and add to my glory. In truth I may sleep in
+peace, and fear nothing."
+
+The day passed away and no one missed Yolande. Towards sunset the rain
+began to pour in torrents, and there was such a terrible thunderstorm that
+every one was frightened. The thunder roared, the lightning gleamed flash
+after flash, every moment it grew fiercer and fiercer. The sky was so dark
+that, save for the lightning's light, nothing could be seen, but Princess
+Fiorimonde loved the thunder and lightning.
+
+She sat in a room high up in one of the towers, clad in a black velvet
+dress, and she watched the lightning from the window, and laughed at each
+peal of thunder. In the midst of the storm a stranger, wrapped in a cloak,
+rode to the palace door, and the ladies ran to tell the Princess that a new
+prince had come to be her suitor. "And he will not tell his name," said
+they, "but says he hears that all are bidden to ask for the hand of
+Princess Fiorimonde, and he too would try his good fortune."
+
+"Let him come at once," cried the Princess. "Be he prince or knave what
+care I? If princes all fly from me it may be better to marry a peasant."
+
+So they led the new-comer up to the room where Fiorimonde sat. He was
+wrapped in a thick cloak, but he flung it aside as he came in, and showed
+how rich was his silken clothing underneath; and so well was he disguised,
+that Fiorimonde never saw that it was Gervaise, but looked at him, and
+thought she had never seen him before.
+
+"You are most welcome, stranger prince, who has come through such
+lightning and thunder to find me," said she. "Is it true, then, that you
+wish to be my suitor? What have you heard of me?"
+
+"It is quite true, Princess," said Gervaise. "And I have heard that you are
+the most beautiful woman in the world."
+
+"And is that true also?" asked the Princess. "Look at me now, and see."
+
+Gervaise looked at her and in his heart he said, "It is quite true, oh
+wicked Princess! There never was woman as beautiful as you, and never
+before did I hate a woman as I hate you now;" but aloud he said,
+
+"No, Princess, that is not true; you are very beautiful, but I have seen a
+woman who is fairer than you for all that your skin looks ivory against
+your velvet dress, and your hair is like gold."
+
+"A woman who is fairer than I?" cried Fiorimonde, and her breast began to
+heave and her eyes to sparkle with rage, for never before had she heard
+such a thing said. "Who are you who dares come and tell me of women more
+beautiful than I am?"
+
+"I am a suitor who asks to be your husband, Princess," answered Gervaise,
+"but still I say I have seen a woman who was fairer than you."
+
+"Who is she--where is she?" cried Fiorimonde, who could scarcely contain
+her anger. "Bring her here at once that I may see if you speak the truth."
+
+"What will you give me to bring her to you?" said Gervaise. "Give me that
+necklace you wear on your neck, and then I will summon her in an instant;"
+but Fiorimonde shook her head.
+
+"You have asked," said she, "for the only thing from which I cannot part,"
+and then she bade her maids bring her her jewel-casket, and she drew out
+diamonds, and rubies, and pearls, and offered them, all or any, to
+Gervaise. The lightning shone on them and made them shine and flash, but he
+shook his head.
+
+"No, none of these will do," quoth he. "You can see her for the necklace,
+but for nothing else."
+
+"Take it off for yourself then," cried Fiorimonde, who now was so angry
+that she only wished to be rid of Gervaise in any way.
+
+"No, indeed," said Gervaise, "I am no tire-woman, and should not know how
+to clasp and unclasp it;" and in spite of all Fiorimonde could say or do,
+he would not touch either her or the magic chain.
+
+At night the storm grew even fiercer, but it did not trouble the Princess.
+She waited till all were asleep, and then she opened her bedroom window and
+chirruped softly to the little brown bird, who flew down from the roof at
+her call. Then she gave him a handful of seeds as before, and he grew and
+grew and grew till he was as large as an ostrich, and she sat upon his back
+and flew out through the air, laughing at the lightning and thunder which
+flashed and roared around her. Away they flew till they came to the old
+witch's cave, and here they found the witch sitting at her open door
+catching the lightning to make charms with.
+
+"Welcome, my dear," croaked she, as Fiorimonde stepped from the bird; "here
+is a night we both love well. And how goes the necklace?--right merrily I
+see. Twelve beads already--but what is that twelfth?" and she looked at it
+closely.
+
+"Nay, that is one thing I want you to tell me," said Fiorimonde, drying the
+rain from her golden hair. "Last night when I slept there were eleven, and
+this morning there are twelve; and I know not from whence comes the
+twelfth."
+
+"It is no suitor," said the witch, "but from some young maid, that that
+bead is made. But why should you mind? It looks well with the others."
+
+"Some young maid," said the Princess. "Then, it must be Cicely or Marybel,
+or Yolande, who would have robbed me of my necklace as I slept. But what
+care I? The silly wench is punished now, and so may all others be, who
+would do the same."
+
+"And when will you get the thirteenth bead, and where will he come from?"
+asked the witch.
+
+"He waits at the palace now," said Fiorimonde, chuckling. "And this is why
+I have to speak to you;" and then she told the witch of the stranger who
+had come in the storm, and of how he would not touch her necklace, nor take
+the cord in his hand, and how he said also that he knew a woman fairer than
+she.
+
+"Beware, Princess, beware," cried the witch in a warning voice, as she
+listened. "Why should you heed tales of other women fairer than you? Have I
+not made you the most beautiful woman in the world, and can any others do
+more than I? Give no ear to what this stranger says or you shall rue it."
+But still the Princess murmured, and said she did not love to hear any one
+speak of others as beautiful as she.
+
+"Be warned in time," cried the witch, "or you will have cause to repent it.
+Are you so silly or so vain as to be troubled because a Prince says idly
+what you know is not true? I tell you do not listen to him, but let him be
+slung to your chain as soon as may be, and then he will speak no more." And
+then they talked together of how Fiorimonde could make Gervaise grasp the
+fatal string.
+
+Next morning when the sun rose, Gervaise started off into the woods, and
+there he plucked acorns and haws, and hips, and strung them on to a string
+to form a rude necklace. This he hid in his bosom, and then went back to
+the palace without telling any one.
+
+When the Princess rose, she dressed herself as beautifully as she could,
+and braided her golden locks with great care, for this morning she meant
+her new suitor to meet his fate. After breakfast, she stepped into the
+garden, where the sun shone brightly, and all looked fresh after the storm.
+Here from the grass she picked up a golden ball, and began to play with it.
+
+"Go to our new guest," cried she to her ladies, "and ask him to come here
+and play at ball with me." So they went, and soon they returned bringing
+Gervaise with them.
+
+"Good morrow, prince," cried she. "Pray, come and try your skill at this
+game with me; and you," she said to her ladies, "do not wait to watch our
+play, but each go your way, and do what pleases you best." So they all went
+away, and left her alone with Gervaise.
+
+"Well, prince," cried she as they began to play, "what do you think of me
+by morning light? Yesterday when you came it was so dark, with thunder and
+clouds, that you could scarcely see my face, but now that there is bright
+sunshine, pray look well at me, and see if you do not think me as beautiful
+as any woman on earth," and she smiled at Gervaise, and looked so lovely as
+she spoke, that he scarce knew how to answer her; but he remembered
+Yolande, and said,
+
+"Doubtless you are very beautiful; then why should you mind my telling you
+that I have seen a woman lovelier than you?"
+
+At this the Princess again began to be angry, but she thought of the
+witch's words and said,
+
+"Then, if you think there is a woman fairer than I, look at my beads, and
+now, that you see their colours in the sun, say if you ever saw such jewels
+before."
+
+"It is true I have never seen beads like yours, but I have a necklace here,
+which pleases me better;" and from his pocket he drew the haws and acorns,
+which he had strung together.
+
+"What is that necklace, and where did you get it? Show it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde; but Gervaise held it out of her reach, and said,
+
+"I like my necklace better than yours, Princess; and, believe me, there is
+no necklace like mine in all the world."
+
+"Why; is it a fairy necklace? What does it do? Pray give it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde, trembling with anger and curiosity, for she thought, "Perhaps
+it has power to make the wearer beautiful; perhaps it was worn by the woman
+whom he thought more beautiful than I, and that is why she looked so fair."
+
+"Come, I will make a fair exchange," said Gervaise. "Give me your necklace
+and you shall have mine, and when it is round your throat I will truthfully
+say that you are the fairest woman in the world; but first I must have your
+necklace."
+
+[Illustration: "Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber."--P. 39.]
+
+"Take it, then," cried the Princess, who, in her rage and eagerness, forgot
+all else, and she seized the string of beads to lift it from her neck, but
+no sooner had she taken it in her hands than they fell with a rattle to the
+earth, and Fiorimonde herself was nowhere to be seen. Gervaise bent down
+over the necklace as it lay upon the grass, and, with a smile, counted
+thirteen beads; and he knew that the thirteenth was the wicked Princess,
+who had herself met the evil fate she had prepared for so many others.
+
+"Oh, clever Princess!" cried he, laughing aloud, "you are not so very
+clever, I think, to be so easily outwitted." Then he picked up the necklace
+on the point of the sword and carried it, slung thereon, into the council
+chamber, where sat the King surrounded by statesmen and courtiers busy with
+state affairs.
+
+"Pray, King," said Gervaise, "send some one to seek for Princess
+Fiorimonde. A moment ago she played with me at ball in the garden, and now
+she is nowhere to be seen."
+
+The King desired that servants should seek her Royal Highness; but they
+came back saying she was not to be found.
+
+"Then let me see if I cannot bring her to you; but first let those who have
+been longer lost than she, come and tell their own tale." And, so saying,
+Gervaise let the necklace slip from his sword on to the floor, and taking
+from his breast a sharp dagger, proceeded to cut the golden thread on which
+the beads were strung and as he clave it in two there came a mighty noise
+like a clap of thunder.
+
+"Now;" cried he, "look, and see King Pierrot who was lost," and as he spoke
+he drew from the cord a bead, and King Pierrot, in his royal clothes, with
+his sword at his side, stood before them.
+
+"Treachery!" he cried, but ere he could say more Gervaise had drawn off
+another bead, and King Hildebrandt appeared, and after him came Adrian, and
+Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Raoul, and last of the
+princes, Gervaise's own dear master Florestan, and they all denounced
+Princess Fiorimonde and her wickedness.
+
+"And now," cried Gervaise, "here is she who has helped to save you all,"
+and he drew off the twelfth bead, and there stood Yolande in her red
+dress; and when he saw her Gervaise flung away his dagger and took her in
+his arms, and they wept for joy.
+
+The King and all the courtiers sat pale and trembling, unable to speak for
+fear and shame. At length the King said with a deep groan,
+
+"We owe you deep amends, O noble kings and princes! What punishment do you
+wish us to prepare for our most guilty daughter?" but here Gervaise stopped
+him, and said,
+
+"Give her no other punishment than what she has chosen for herself. See,
+here she is, the thirteenth bead upon the string; let no one dare to draw
+it off, but let this string be hung up where all people can see it and see
+the one bead, and know the wicked Princess is punished for her sorcery, so
+it will be a warning to others who would do like her."
+
+So they lifted the golden thread with great care and hung it up outside the
+town-hall, and there the one bead glittered and gleamed in the sunlight,
+and all who saw it knew that it was the wicked Princess Fiorimonde who had
+justly met her fate.
+
+Then all the kings and princes thanked Gervaise and Yolande, and loaded
+them with presents, and each went to his own land.
+
+And Gervaise married Yolande, and they went back with Prince Florestan to
+their home, and all lived happily to the end of their lives.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Long ago there lived a wandering musician and his wife, whose names were
+Arasmon and Chrysea. Arasmon played upon a lute to which Chrysea sang, and
+their music was so beautiful that people followed them in crowds and gave
+them as much money as they wanted. When Arasmon played all who heard him
+were silent from wonder and admiration, but when Chrysea sang they could
+not refrain from weeping, for her voice was more beautiful than anything
+they had ever heard before.
+
+Both were young and lovely, and were as happy as the day was long, for they
+loved each other dearly, and liked wandering about seeing new countries
+and people and making sweet music. They went to all sorts of places,
+sometimes to big cities, sometimes to little villages, sometimes to lonely
+cottages by the sea-shore, and sometimes they strolled along the green
+lanes and fields, singing and playing so exquisitely, that the very birds
+flew down from the trees to listen to them.
+
+One day they crossed a dark line of hills, and came out on a wild moorland
+country, where they had never been before. On the side of the hill they saw
+a little village, and at once turned towards it, but as they drew near
+Chrysea said,
+
+"What gloomy place is this? See how dark and miserable it looks."
+
+[Illustration: "One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen."--P. 44.]
+
+"Let us try to cheer it with some music," said Arasmon, and began to play
+upon his lute, while Chrysea sang. One by one the villagers came out of
+their cottages and gathered round them to listen, but Chrysea thought she
+had never before seen such forlorn-looking people. They were thin and bent,
+their faces were pale and haggard, also their clothes looked old and
+threadbare, and in some places were worn into holes. But they crowded about
+Arasmon and Chrysea, and begged them to go on playing and singing, and as
+they listened the women shed tears, and the men hid their faces and were
+silent. When they stopped, the people began to feel in their pockets as if
+to find some coins, but Arasmon cried,
+
+"Nay, good friends, keep your money for yourselves. You have not too much
+of it, to judge by your looks. But let us stay with you for to-night, and
+give us food and lodging, and we shall think ourselves well paid, and will
+play and sing to you as much as you like."
+
+"Stay with us as long as you can, stay with us always," begged the people;
+and each one entreated to be allowed to receive the strangers and give them
+the best they had. So Arasmon and Chrysea played and sang to them till they
+were tired, and at last, when the heavy rain began to fall, they turned
+towards the village, but as they passed through its narrow streets they
+thought the place itself looked even sadder than its inmates. The houses
+were ill-built, and seemed to be almost tumbling down. The streets were
+uneven and badly kept. In the gardens they saw no flowers, but dank dark
+weeds. They went into a cottage which the people pointed out to them, and
+Arasmon lay down by the fire, calling to Chrysea to rest also, as they had
+walked far, and she must be weary. He soon fell asleep, but Chrysea sat at
+the door watching the dark clouds as they drifted over the darker houses.
+Outside the cottage hung a blackbird in a cage, with drooping wings and
+scanty plumage. It was the only animal they had yet seen in the village,
+for of cats or dogs or singing-birds there seemed to be none.
+
+When she saw it, Chrysea turned to the woman of the house, who stood beside
+her, and said,
+
+"Why don't you let it go? It would be much happier flying about in the
+sunshine."
+
+"The sun never shines here," said the woman sadly. "It could not pierce
+through the dark clouds which hang over the village. Besides, we do not
+think of happiness. It is as much as we can do to live."
+
+"But tell me," said Chrysea, "what is it that makes you so sad and your
+village such a dreary place? I have been to many towns in my life, but to
+none which looked like this."
+
+"Don't you know," said the woman, "that this place is spell-bound?"
+
+"Spell-bound?" cried Chrysea. "What do you mean?"
+
+The woman turned and pointed towards the moor. "Over yonder," she said,
+"dwells a terrible old wizard by whom we are bewitched, and he has a number
+of little dark elves who are his servants, and these are they who make our
+village what you see it. You don't know how sad it is to live here. The
+elves steal our eggs, and milk, and poultry, so that there is never enough
+for us to eat, and we are half-starved. They pull down our houses, and undo
+our work as fast as we do it. They steal our corn when it is standing in
+sheaves, so that we find nothing but empty husks;" and as she ceased
+speaking the woman sighed heavily.
+
+"But if they do all this harm," said Chrysea, "why do not some of you go
+to the moor and drive them away?"
+
+"It is part of the spell," said the woman, "that we can neither hear nor
+see them. I have heard my grandfather say that in the old time this place
+was no different to others, but one day this terrible old magician came and
+offered the villagers a great deal of money if they would let him dwell
+upon the moor; for before that it was covered with golden gorse and
+heather, and the country folk held all their merrymakings there, but they
+were tempted with the gold, and sold it, and from that day the elves have
+tormented us; and as we cannot see them, we cannot get rid of them, but
+must just bear them as best we may."
+
+"That is a sad way to speak," said Chrysea. "Cannot you find out what the
+spell really is and break it?"
+
+"It is a song," said the woman, "and every night they sing it afresh. It is
+said that if any one could go to the moor between midnight and dawn, and
+could hear them singing it, and then sing through the tune just as they
+themselves do, the charm would be broken, and we should be free. But it
+must be some one who has never taken their money, so we cannot do it, for
+we can neither see nor hear them."
+
+"But I have not taken their money," said Chrysea. "And there is no tune I
+cannot sing when I have heard it once. So I will go to the moor for you and
+break the spell."
+
+"Nay, do not think of such a thing," cried the woman. "For the elves are
+most spiteful, and you don't know what harm they might do to you, even if
+you set us free."
+
+Chrysea said no more, but all the evening she thought of what the woman had
+told her, and still stood looking out into the dismal street. When she went
+to bed she did not sleep, but lay still till the clock struck one. Then she
+rose softly, and wrapping herself in a cloak, opened the door and stepped
+out into the rain. As she passed, she looked up and saw the blackbird
+crouching in the bottom of its cage. She opened the cage door to let it
+fly, but still it did not move, so she lifted it out in her hand.
+
+"Poor bird!" said she gently; "I wish I could give this village its liberty
+as easily as I can give you yours," and carrying it with her she walked on
+towards the moor. It was a large waste piece of land, and looked as though
+it had been burnt, for the ground was charred and black, and there was no
+grass or green plant growing on it, but there were some blackened stumps of
+trees, and to these Chrysea went, and hid herself behind one to wait and
+see what would come. She watched for a long time without seeing any one,
+but at last there rose from the ground not far from her a lurid gleam,
+which spread and spread until it became a large circle of light, in the
+midst of which she saw small dark figures moving, like ugly little men. The
+light was now so bright that she could distinguish each one quite plainly,
+and never before had she seen anything so ugly, for they were black as ink,
+and their faces were twisted and looked cruel and wicked.
+
+They joined hands, and, forming a ring, danced slowly round, and, as they
+did so, the ground opened, and there rose up in their centre a tiny
+village exactly like the spell-bound village, only that the houses were but
+a few inches high. Round this the elves danced, and then they began to
+sing. Chrysea listened eagerly to their singing, and no sooner had they
+done, than she opened her lips and sang the same tune through from
+beginning to end just as she had heard it.
+
+Her voice rang out loud and clear, and at the sound the little village
+crumbled and fell away as though it had been made of dust.
+
+The elves stood silent for a moment, and then with a wild cry they all
+rushed towards Chrysea, and at their head she saw one about three times the
+size of the others, who appeared to be their chief.
+
+"Come, quickly, let us punish the woman who has dared to thwart us," he
+cried. "What shall we change her to?"
+
+"A frog to croak on the ground," cried one.
+
+"No, an owl to hoot in the night," cried another.
+
+"Oh, for pity's sake," implored Chrysea, "don't change me to one of these
+loathsome creatures, so that, if Arasmon finds me, he will spurn me."
+
+"Hear her," cried the chief, "and let her have her will. Let us change her
+to no bird or beast, but to a bright golden harp, and thus shall she
+remain, until upon her strings some one shall play our tune, which she has
+dared to sing."
+
+"Agreed!" cried the others, and all began to dance round Chrysea and to
+sing as they had sung around the village. She shrieked and tried to run,
+but they stopped her on every side. She cried, "Arasmon! Arasmon!" but no
+one came, and when the elves' song was done, and they disappeared, all that
+was left was a little gold harp hanging upon the boughs of the tree, and
+only the blackbird who sat above knew what had come of poor Chrysea.
+
+When morning dawned, and the villagers awoke, all felt that some great
+change had taken place. The heavy cloud which hung above the village had
+cleared away; the sun shone brightly, and the sky was blue; streams which
+had been dry for years, were running clear and fresh: and the people all
+felt strong, and able to work again; the trees were beginning to bud, and
+in their branches sang birds, whose voices had not been heard there for
+many a long year. The villagers looked from one to another and said,
+"Surely the spell is broken; surely the elves must have fled;" and they
+wept for joy.
+
+Arasmon woke with the first beam of the sun, and finding Chrysea was not
+there, he rose, and went to seek her in the village, calling, "Chrysea,
+Chrysea! the sun is up and we must journey on our way;" but no Chrysea
+answered, so he walked down all the streets, calling "Chrysea! come,
+Chrysea!" but no Chrysea came. Then he said,
+
+"She has gone into the fields to look for wild flowers, and will soon be
+back." So he waited for her patiently, but the sun rose high, the villagers
+went to their work, and she did not return. At this Arasmon was frightened,
+and asked every one he met if they had seen her, but each one shook his
+head and said "No, they had seen nothing of her."
+
+Then he called some of the men together and told them that his wife had
+wandered away, and he feared lest she might lose herself and go still
+farther, and he asked them to help him to look for her. So some went one
+way, and some another, to search, and Arasmon himself walked for miles the
+whole country round, calling "Chrysea! Chrysea!" but no answer came.
+
+The sun was beginning to set and twilight to cover the land, when Arasmon
+came on to the moor where Chrysea had met her fate. That, too, was changed.
+Flowers and grass were already beginning to grow there, and the children of
+the village, who till now had never dared to venture near it, were playing
+about it. Arasmon could hear their voices as he came near the tree against
+which Chrysea had leaned, and on which now hung the golden harp. In the
+branches above sat the blackbird singing, and Arasmon stopped and listened
+to its song, and thought he had never heard a bird sing so sweetly before.
+For it sang the magic song by which Chrysea had broken the elves' spell,
+the first tune it had heard since it regained its liberty.
+
+"Dear blackbird," said Arasmon, looking up to it, "I wish your singing
+could tell me where to find my wife Chrysea;" and as he looked up he saw a
+golden harp hanging upon the branches, and he took it down and ran his
+fingers over the strings. Never before did harp give forth such music. It
+was like a woman's voice, and was most beautiful, but so sad that when
+Arasmon heard it he felt inclined to cry. It seemed to be calling for help,
+but he could not understand what it said, though each time he touched the
+strings it cried, "Arasmon, Arasmon, I am here! It is I, Chrysea;" but
+though Arasmon listened, and wondered at its tones, yet he did not know
+what it said.
+
+He examined it carefully. It was a beautiful little harp, made of pure
+gold, and at the top was a pair of golden hands and arms clasped together.
+
+"I will keep it," said Arasmon, "for I never yet heard a harp with such a
+tone, and when Chrysea comes she shall sing to it."
+
+But Chrysea was nowhere to be found, and at last the villagers declared she
+must be lost, or herself have gone away on purpose, and that it was vain to
+seek her farther. At this Arasmon was angry, and saying that he would seek
+Chrysea as long as he had life, he left the village to wander over the
+whole world till he should find her. He went on foot, and took with him the
+golden harp.
+
+He walked for many, many miles far away from the village and the moor, and
+when he came to any farmhouses, or met any country people on the road he
+began to play, and every one thronged round him and stared, in breathless
+surprise at his beautiful music. When he had done he would ask them, "Have
+you seen my wife Chrysea? She is dressed in white and gold, and sings more
+sweetly than any of the birds of heaven."
+
+But all shook their heads and said, "No, she had not been there;" and
+whenever he came to a strange village, where he had not been before, he
+called, "Chrysea, Chrysea, are you here?" but no Chrysea answered, only the
+harp in his hands cried whenever he touched its strings, "It is I, Arasmon!
+It is I, Chrysea!" but though he thought its notes like Chrysea's voice, he
+never understood them.
+
+He wandered for days and months and years through countries and villages
+which he had never known before. When night came and he found himself in
+the fields alone, he would lie down upon his cloak and sleep with his head
+resting upon the harp, and if by chance one of its golden threads was
+touched it would cry, "Arasmon, awake, I am here!" Then he would dream that
+Chrysea was calling him, and would wake and start up to look for her,
+thinking she must be close at hand.
+
+One day, towards night, when he had walked far, and was very tired, he came
+to a little village on a lonely, rocky coast by the sea, and he found that
+a thick mist had come up, and hung over the village, so that he could
+barely see the path before him as he walked. But he found his way down on
+to the beach, and there stood a number of fisherwomen, trying to look
+through the mist towards the sea, and speaking anxiously.
+
+"What is wrong, and for whom are you watching, good folk?" he asked them.
+
+"We are watching for our husbands," answered one. "They went out in their
+boats fishing in the early morning, when it was quite light, and then
+arose this dreadful fog, and they should have come back long ago, and we
+fear lest they may lose their way in the darkness and strike on a rock and
+be drowned."
+
+"I too, have lost my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Has she passed by here?
+She had long golden hair, and her gown was white and gold, and she sang
+with a voice like an angel's."
+
+The women all said, "No, they had not seen her;" but still they strained
+their eyes towards the sea, and Arasmon also began to watch for the return
+of the boats.
+
+They waited and waited, but they did not come, and every moment the
+darkness grew thicker and thicker, so that the women could not see each
+other's faces, though they stood quite near together.
+
+Then Arasmon took his harp and began to play, and its music floated over
+the water for miles through the darkness, but the women were weeping so for
+their husbands, that they did not heed it.
+
+"It is useless to watch," said one. "They cannot steer their boats in such
+a darkness. We shall never see them again."
+
+"I will wait all night till morning," said another, "and all day next day,
+and next night, till I see some sign of the boats, and know if they be
+living or dead," but as she stopped speaking, there rose a cry of "Here
+they are," and two or three fishing-boats were pushed on to the sand close
+by where they stood, and the women threw their arms round their husbands'
+necks, and all shouted for joy.
+
+The fishermen asked who it was who had played the harp; "For," they said,
+"it was that which saved us. We were far from land, and it was so dark that
+we could not tell whether to go to left or to right, and had no sign to
+guide us to shore; when of a sudden we heard the most beautiful music, and
+we followed the sound, and came in quite safely.
+
+"'Twas this good harper who played while we watched," said the women, and
+one and all turned to Arasmon, and told him with tears of their gratitude,
+and asked him what they could do for him, or what they could give him in
+token of their thankfulness; but Arasmon shook his head and said, "You can
+do nothing for me, unless you can tell me where to seek my wife Chrysea. It
+is to find her I am wandering;" and when the women shook their heads, and
+said again they knew nothing of her, the harp-strings as he touched them
+cried again,
+
+"Arasmon! Arasmon! listen to me. It is I, Chrysea;" but again no one
+understood it, and though all pitied him, no one could help him.
+
+Next morning when the mist had cleared away, and the sun was shining, a
+little ship set sail for foreign countries, and Arasmon begged the captain
+to take him in it that he might seek Chrysea still farther.
+
+They sailed and sailed, till at last they came to the country for which
+they were bound; but they found the whole land in confusion, and war and
+fighting everywhere, and all the people were leaving their homes and hiding
+themselves in the towns, for fear of a terrible enemy, who was invading
+them. But no one hurt Arasmon as he wandered on with his harp in his hand,
+only no one would stop to answer him, when he asked if Chrysea had been
+there, for every one was too frightened and hurried to heed him.
+
+At last he came to the chief city where the King dwelt, and here he found
+all the men building walls and fortresses, and preparing to defend the
+town, because they knew their enemy was coming to besiege it, but all the
+soldiers were gloomy and low-spirited.
+
+"It is impossible for us to conquer," they said, "for there are three of
+them to every one of us, and they will take our city and make our King
+prisoner."
+
+That night as the watchmen looked over the walls, they saw in the distance
+an immense army marching towards them, and their swords and helmets
+glittered in the moonlight.
+
+Then they gave the signal, and the captains gathered together their men to
+prepare them for fighting; but so sure were they of being beaten that it
+was with difficulty their officers could bring them to the walls.
+
+"It would be better," said the soldiers, "to lay down our arms at once and
+let the enemy enter, for then we should not lose our lives as well as our
+city and our wealth."
+
+When Arasmon heard this he sat upon the walls of the town, and began to
+play upon his harp, and this time its music was so loud and clear, that it
+could be heard far and wide, and its sound was so exultant and joyous, that
+when the soldiers heard it they raised their heads, and their fears
+vanished, and they started forward, shouting and calling that they would
+conquer or be killed.
+
+Then the enemy attacked the city, but the soldiers within met them with so
+much force that they were driven back, and had to fly, and the victorious
+army followed them and drove them quite out of their country, and Arasmon
+went with them, playing on his harp, to cheer them as they went.
+
+When they knew the victory was theirs, all the captains wondered what had
+caused their sudden success, and one of the lieutenants said, "It was that
+strange harper who went with us, playing on his harp. When our men heard
+it, they became as brave as lions." So the captains sent for Arasmon, but
+when he came they were astonished to see how worn and thin he looked, and
+could scarcely believe it was he who had made such wonderful music, for his
+face had grown thin and pale, and there were gray locks in his hair.
+
+They asked him what he would like to have, saying they would give him
+whatever he would choose, for the great service he had done them.
+
+Arasmon only shook his head and said,
+
+"There is nothing I want that you can give me. I am seeking the whole world
+round to find my wife Chrysea. It is many many years since I lost her. We
+two were as happy as birds on the bough. We wandered over the world singing
+and playing in the sunshine. But now she is gone, and I care for nothing
+else." And the captains looked pityingly at him, for they all thought him
+mad, and could not understand what the harp said when he played on it
+again, and it cried,
+
+"Listen, Arasmon! I too am here--I, Chrysea."
+
+So Arasmon left that city, and started again, and wandered for days and
+months and years.
+
+He came by many strange places, and met with many strange people, but he
+found no trace of Chrysea, and each day he looked older and sadder and
+thinner.
+
+At length he came to a country where the King loved nothing on earth so
+much as music. So fond of it was he, that he had musicians and singers by
+the score, always living in his palace, and there was no way of pleasing
+him so well as by sending a new musician or singer. So when Arasmon came
+into the country, and the people heard how marvellously he played, they
+said at once, "Let us take him to the King. The poor man is mad. Hear how
+he goes on asking for his wife; but, mad or not, his playing will delight
+the King. Let us take him at once to the palace." So, though Arasmon would
+have resisted them, they dragged him away to the court, and sent a
+messenger to the King, to say they had found a poor mad wandering harper,
+who played music the like of which they had never heard before.
+
+The King and Queen, and all the court, sat feasting when the messenger came
+in saying that the people were bringing a new harper to play before his
+majesty.
+
+"A new harper!" quoth he. "That is good hearing. Let him be brought here to
+play to us at once."
+
+So Arasmon was led into the hall, and up to the golden thrones on which sat
+the King and Queen. A wonderful hall it was, made of gold and silver, and
+crystal and ivory, and the courtiers, dressed in blue and green and gold
+and diamonds, were a sight to see. Behind the throne were twelve young
+maids dressed in pure white, who sang most sweetly, and behind them were
+the musicians who accompanied them on every kind of instrument. Arasmon had
+never in his life seen such a splendid sight.
+
+"Come here," cried the King to him, "and let us hear you play." And the
+singers ceased singing, and the musicians smiled scornfully, for they could
+not believe Arasmon's music could equal theirs. For he looked to be in a
+most sorry plight. He had walked far, and the dust of the roads was on him.
+His clothes were worn threadbare, and stained and soiled, while his face
+was so thin and anxious and sad that it was pitiful to see; but his harp of
+pure shining gold was undulled, and untarnished. He began to play, and then
+all smiles ceased, and the women began to weep, and the men sat and stared
+at him in astonishment. When he had done the King started up, and throwing
+his arms about his neck, cried, "Stay with me. You shall be my chief
+musician. Never before have I heard playing like yours, and whatever you
+want I will give you." But when he heard this, Arasmon knelt on one knee
+and said,
+
+"My gracious lord, I cannot stay. I have lost my wife Chrysea. I must
+search all over the world till I find her. Ah! how beautiful she was, and
+how sweetly she sang; her singing was far sweeter than even the music of my
+harp."
+
+"Indeed!" cried the King. "Then I too would fain hear her. But stay with
+me, and I will send messengers all over the world to seek her far and near,
+and they will find her much sooner than you."
+
+[Illustration: "He began to play, and then all smiles ceased."--P. 66.]
+
+So Arasmon stayed at the court, but he said that if Chrysea did not come
+soon he must go farther to seek her himself.
+
+The King gave orders that he should be clad in the costliest clothes and
+have all he could want given to him, and after this he would hear no music
+but Arasmon's playing, so all the other musicians were jealous, and wished
+he had never come to the palace. But the strangest thing was that no one
+but Arasmon could play upon his golden harp. All the King's harpers tried,
+and the King himself tried also, but when they touched the strings there
+came from them a strange, melancholy wailing, and no one but Arasmon could
+bring out its beautiful notes.
+
+But the courtiers and musicians grew more and more angry with Arasmon, till
+at last they hated him bitterly, and only wanted to do him some harm; for
+they said,
+
+"Who is he, that our King should love and honour him before us? After all,
+it is not his playing which is so beautiful; it is chiefly the harp on
+which he plays, and if that were taken from him he would be no better than
+the rest of us;" and then they began to consult together as to how they
+should steal his harp.
+
+One hot summer evening Arasmon went into the palace gardens, and sat down
+to rest beneath a large beech-tree, when a little way off he saw two
+courtiers talking together, and heard that they spoke of him, though they
+did not see him or know he was there.
+
+"The poor man is mad," said one; "of that there is little doubt, but, mad
+or not, as long as he plays on his harp the King will not listen to any one
+else."
+
+"The only way is to take the harp from him," said the other. "But it is
+hard to know how to get it away, for he will never let it go out of his
+hands."
+
+"We must take it from him when he is sleeping," said the first.
+
+"Certainly," said the other; and then Arasmon heard them settle how and
+when they would go to his room at night to steal his harp.
+
+He sat still till they were gone, and then he rose, and grasping it
+tenderly, turned from the palace and walked away through the garden gates.
+
+"I have lost Chrysea," he said, "and now they would take from me even my
+harp, the only thing I have to love in all this world, but I will go away,
+far off where they will never find me," and when he was out of sight, he
+ran with all his might, and never rested till he was far away on a lonely
+hill, with no one near to see him.
+
+The stars were beginning to shine though it was not yet dark. Arasmon sat
+on a stone and looked at the country far and near. He could hear the sheep
+bells tinkling around him, and far, far off in the distance he could see
+the city and the palace he had left.
+
+Then he began to play on his harp, and as he played the sheep stopped
+browsing and drew near him to listen.
+
+The stars grew brighter and the evening darker, and he saw a woman carrying
+a child coming up the hill.
+
+She looked pale and tired, but her face was very happy as she sat down not
+far from Arasmon and listened to his playing, whilst she looked eagerly
+across the hill as if she watched for some one who was coming. Presently
+she turned and said, "How beautifully you play; I never heard music like it
+before, but what makes you look so sad? Are you unhappy?"
+
+"Yes," said Arasmon, "I am very miserable. I lost my wife Chrysea many
+years ago, and now I don't know where she can be."
+
+"It is a year since I have seen my husband," said the woman. "He went to
+the war a year ago, but now there is peace and he is coming back, and
+to-night he will come over this hill. It was just here we parted, and now I
+am come to meet him."
+
+"How happy you must be," said Arasmon. "I shall never see Chrysea again,"
+and as he spoke he struck a chord on the harp, which cried, "O Arasmon, my
+husband! why do you not know me? It is I, Chrysea."
+
+"Do not say that," continued the woman; "you will find her some day. Why do
+you sit here? Was it here you parted from her?"
+
+Then Arasmon told her how they had gone to a strange desolate village and
+rested there for the night, and in the morning Chrysea was gone, and that
+he had wandered all over the world looking for her ever since.
+
+"I think you are foolish," said the woman; "perhaps your wife has been
+waiting for you at that village all this time. I would go back to the place
+where I parted from her if I were you, and wait there till she returns. How
+could I meet my husband if I did not come to the spot where we last were
+together? We might both wander on for ever and never find each other; and
+now, see, here he is coming," and she gave a cry of joy and ran to meet a
+soldier who was walking up the hill.
+
+Arasmon watched them as they met and kissed, and saw the father lift the
+child in his arms, then the three walked over the hill together, and when
+they were gone he sat down and wept bitterly. "What was it she said?" he
+said. "That I ought to go back to the spot where we parted. She will not be
+there, but I will go and die at the place where I last saw her." So again
+he grasped his harp and started. He travelled many days and weeks by land
+and sea, till late one day he came in sight of the hill on which stood the
+little village. But at first he could not believe that he had come to the
+right place, so changed did all appear. He stopped and looked around him in
+astonishment. He stood in a shady lane, the arching trees met over his
+head. The banks were full of spring flowers, and either side of the hedge
+were fields full of young green corn.
+
+"Can this be the wretched bare road down which we walked together? I would
+indeed it were, and that she were with me now," said he. When he looked
+across to the village, the change seemed greater still. There were many
+more cottages, and they were trim and well kept, standing in neat gardens
+full of flowers. He heard the cheerful voices of the peasants, and the
+laughter of the village children. The whole place seemed to be full of life
+and happiness. He stopped again upon the mound where he and Chrysea had
+first played and sung.
+
+"It is many, many a long year since I was here," he said. "Time has changed
+all things strangely; but it would be hard to say which is the more
+altered, this village or I, for then it was sunk in poverty and
+wretchedness, and now it has gained happiness and wealth, and I, who was so
+happy and glad, now am broken-down and worn. I have lost my only wealth, my
+wife Chrysea. It was just here she stood and sang, and now I shall never
+see her again or hear her singing."
+
+There came past him a young girl driving some cows, and he turned and spoke
+to her. "Tell me, I beg," he said, "is not your village much changed of
+late years? I was here long ago, but I cannot now think it the same place,
+for this is as bright and flourishing a town as I have ever seen, and I
+remember it only as a dreary tumble-down village where the grass never
+grew."
+
+"Oh!" said the girl, "then you were here in our bad time, but we do not now
+like to speak of that, for fear our troubles should return. Folks say we
+were spell-bound. 'Tis so long ago that I can scarcely remember it, for I
+was quite a little child then. But a wandering musician and his wife set us
+free; at least, everything began to mend after they came, and now we think
+they must have been angels from heaven, for next day they went, and we have
+never seen them since."
+
+"It was I and my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Have you seen her? Has she
+been here? I have sought all over the world ever since, but I cannot find
+her, and now I fear lest she be dead."
+
+The girl stared at him in surprise. "You? you poor old man! Of what are you
+talking? You must surely be mad to say such things. These musicians were
+the most beautiful people upon the earth, and they were young and dressed
+in shining white and gold, and you are old and gray and ragged, and surely
+you are very ill too, for you seem to be so weak that you can scarcely
+walk. Come home with me, and I will give you food and rest till you are
+better."
+
+Arasmon shook his head. "I am seeking Chrysea," he said, "and I will rest
+no more till I have found her;" and the girl, seeing that he was
+determined, left him alone and went on her way driving her cows before
+her.
+
+When she had gone Arasmon sat by the wayside and wept as though his heart
+would break. "It is too true," he said; "I am so old and worn that when I
+find her she will not know me," and as he again fell a-weeping his hand
+struck the harp-strings, and they cried, "I have watched you through all
+these years, my Arasmon. Take comfort, I am very near," and his tears
+ceased, and he was soothed by the voice of the harp, though he knew not
+why.
+
+Then he rose. "I will go to the moor," he said, "and look for the tree on
+which I found my harp, and that will be my last resting-place, for surely
+my strength will carry me no farther." So he tottered slowly on, calling,
+as he went, in a weak voice, "Chrysea, my Chrysea! are you here? I have
+sought you over the world since you left me, and now that I am old and like
+to die, I am come to seek you where we parted."
+
+When he came upon the moor, he wondered again at the change of all the
+country round. He thought of the charred, blackened waste on which he had
+stood before, and now he looked with amazement at the golden gorse, the
+purple heather, so thick that he could scarcely pick his way amongst it.
+
+"It is a beautiful place now," he said, "but I liked it better years ago,
+deserted and desolate though it was, for my Chrysea was here."
+
+There were so many trees upon the common that he could not tell which was
+the one on which his harp had hung, but, unable to go any farther, he
+staggered and sank down beneath a large oak-tree, in whose branches a
+blackbird was singing most sweetly. The sun was setting just as of yore
+when he had found his harp, and most of the birds' songs were over, but
+this one bird still sang sweet and clear, and Arasmon, tired and weak
+though he was, raised his head and listened.
+
+"I never heard bird sing like that," he said. "What is the tune it sings? I
+will play it on my harp before I die." And with what strength remained to
+him he reached forth his trembling hand, and grasping his harp struck upon
+it the notes of the bird's song, then he fell back exhausted, and his eyes
+closed.
+
+At once the harp slid from his hand, and Chrysea stood beside him--Chrysea
+dressed as of old, in shining white and gold, with bright hair and eyes.
+
+"Arasmon!" she cried, "see, it is I, Chrysea!" but Arasmon did not move.
+Then she raised her voice and sang more sweetly than the bird overhead, and
+Arasmon opened his eyes and looked at her.
+
+"Chrysea!" cried he; "I have found my wife Chrysea!" and he laid his head
+on her bosom and died. And when Chrysea saw it her heart broke, and she lay
+beside him and died without a word.
+
+In the morning when some of the villagers crossed the common they saw
+Arasmon and Chrysea lying beneath the oak-tree in each other's arms, and
+drew near them, thinking they were asleep, but when they saw their faces
+they knew they were dead.
+
+Then an old man stooped and looked at Chrysea, and said,
+
+"Surely it is the woman who came to us and sang long ago, when we were in
+our troubles; and, though he is sadly changed and worn, it is like her
+husband who played for her singing."
+
+Then came the girl who had driven the cows and told them how she had met
+Arasmon, and all he had said to her.
+
+"He searched everywhere for his wife, he said," said she. "I am glad he has
+found her. Where could she be?"
+
+"Would that we had known it was he," said they all, "how we would have
+greeted him! but see, he looks quite content and as if he wished nothing
+more, since he has found his wife Chrysea."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Long ago, in the days of fairies, there lived a King and Queen, who were
+rich and happy.
+
+But the Queen was a proud, haughty woman, and disliked every one more
+powerful than herself. And most of all, she hated the fairy folk, and could
+not bear them to come to the castle where she and the King dwelt.
+
+Time passed, and the Queen had a little baby,--a daughter whom they called
+Joan--and the bells were rung, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country, and the King and Queen were happy as the day is long.
+
+One day as the Queen sat by the cradle of the little Princess, watching
+it, she said, "My pretty babe, when you are grown to be a woman you will be
+rich and beautiful, and you shall marry some young Prince, who will love
+you dearly, and then in your turn be Queen, and have a fine palace, and
+jewels, and lands to your heart's content." Scarcely had she done speaking
+when she heard a little noise beside her, and, looking up, saw a woman
+dressed in yellow from head to foot standing on the other side of the
+cradle. She wore a yellow cap, which covered her head completely, so that
+no hair was seen, and her eyes, which looked cunning and fierce, were
+yellow as her dress.
+
+"And how do you know, Queen, that your child will be so happy? Whose help
+will you seek to get her all these fine things?" said the strange woman.
+
+"I will ask no one's help," said the Queen haughtily, "for I am Queen of
+the land, and can have what I please."
+
+The yellow woman laughed, and said, "Don't be too sure, proud Queen; but
+the next night that the moon is bright, guard well the Princess when the
+clock strikes twelve, lest aught of her's be stolen from her."
+
+"No thief shall come near her," cried the Queen; but ere she had done
+speaking the woman had vanished, and the Queen knew it was a fairy.
+
+The sky that night was dark and overcast, and no moon to be seen, and the
+next night was the same, but the third night the moon shone bright and
+clear, and as the clock struck twelve the Queen awoke and looked at the
+baby, who was sleeping peacefully in its cradle; but 'twixt the strokes of
+the clock she heard a faint whistling outside the window, which grew louder
+and fuller each moment. 'Twas as if some one whistled to decoy away a bird,
+and on hearing it the baby awoke and began to cry bitterly. The Queen could
+not quiet her, try how she might. At last the little one gave one scream
+louder than all the others and then lay quite still, and at that moment the
+Queen saw something flutter across the room like a tiny bird, with pink,
+soft feathers. It flew straight out of the window, and the whistling
+ceased, and all again was quiet as before. The Queen took the baby in her
+arms and looked at it anxiously by the light of the moon, but it looked
+well and slept calmly, so its mother placed it in its cradle and tried to
+forget the yellow fairy and the whistling.
+
+The nurse of the Princess Joan was a very wise old woman who knew a great
+deal of fairies and their ways, and as the child grew up she watched her
+with an anxious face.
+
+"She is under a charm," she said, "though what it is I don't know; but
+before she is a woman they will see how different she is from others."
+
+The nurse's words proved to be true. No one had ever seen a little girl
+like the Princess. Nothing troubled her. She never shed one tear. If she
+were angry she would stamp her feet and her eyes would flash, but she never
+wept, and she loved nobody. When her little dog died she laughed outright;
+when the King her father went to the war it did not grieve her; and when he
+returned she was no happier than she had been when he was away. She never
+kissed her mother, or her ladies, and when they said they loved her, she
+stared at them, and asked what they meant. At this the ladies were angry
+with her and chid her for being hard-hearted, but the old nurse always
+stopped them, saying,
+
+"'Tis not her you should blame. She is enchanted, but 'tis not her fault."
+
+Princess Joan grew up and was the loveliest woman in the land. It was many
+long years since any one so fair had been seen, but for all that her mother
+mourned over her sorely, and her eyes were red with crying for her
+beautiful daughter, who had never yet wept one tear herself.
+
+The neighbouring country was governed by a King and Queen who had only one
+son, named Michael, whom everybody loved dearly. He was a handsome young
+man, and as good as he was handsome. He was as gracious to the poorest
+beggar as to the greatest lord, and all the poor folk came to him to tell
+him their troubles, if they thought they were badly treated; and because
+he was brave and handsome also, the court people loved him as well as the
+peasants.
+
+In this country there stood on a high hill a round tower, and at the top of
+it lived an old wizard. No man knew his age, for he had dwelt there for
+hundreds of years, and no one knew how the tower had been built, for it was
+made of one huge stone, and there were no joins in it at all.
+
+The King and Queen were afraid of the old magician, and never went near
+him; indeed, no one in all the country had ever ventured to climb the tower
+and see the old man at his work except Prince Michael, who knew the old
+sorcerer well and did not fear him at all, but went up and down the tower
+as he chose.
+
+One bright moonlight night it chanced that the Prince found himself alone
+on the hill-side, and seeing a bright light shining from the top of the
+tower he resolved to enter and pay the old man a visit. So he went to a
+little door, and pushing it open stepped into a narrow, dark, winding
+staircase, that went straight up the centre to the room at the top, in
+which the wizard dwelt. The staircase was pitch dark, for there were no
+windows. Moreover, it was so narrow that only one person could walk in it
+at a time, but Prince Michael knew the way quite well, and climbed and
+climbed till he saw a chink of light, and at last trod through a little
+doorway into the room in which the sorcerer sat.
+
+This room was as light as day, for it was lit by a lamp which the old man
+himself had made, and in which no oil or wick was burning, but every day it
+was filled with sunbeams, and held them at night after the sun had set.
+
+So the whole room was brilliant, and in the middle sat the wizard, who was
+a wonderful old man to look on, for he was all white. His beard was white
+as snow, and from afar you could not tell which was beard and which gown,
+but when you came near you saw that the beard flowed nearly to his feet,
+and his skin was as white as either beard or gown. And his eyes were quite
+colourless, but as bright as two candles.
+
+When Michael entered he sat looking at an enormous book full of coloured
+pictures of little men and women about three inches high each. They were
+not like other pictures, for they walked and moved over the page as though
+they were alive.
+
+"It is I, father. What book are you looking at?" said Michael, stepping up
+to the old man's side.
+
+"In this book," said the wizard, "I keep the portraits of all the men and
+women in the world, and they are living portraits too, for they move, and
+look just like the originals."
+
+"That must be very amusing," cried Michael. "Pray show me the portraits of
+all the Kings, and Queens, and Princesses. This will be delightful," and he
+knelt down by the old man and looked over his shoulder.
+
+The sorcerer muttered to himself and turned over the pages, and then
+stopped at one on which Michael saw little figures of Kings and Queens of
+all sorts, some of which he knew, and some of which he had never seen
+before.
+
+[Illustration: "'Tis their daughter, Princess Joan," said the wizard with a
+sigh. "But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her."--P. 87.]
+
+"There," he cried, "is old King Réné who came to our court last year, and
+that is Queen Constance, and that is their nephew Prince Guilbert, who will
+be king when they are dead, and here are our neighbours the King and Queen
+of the next country, and oh, my father, who is this lovely Princess next to
+them?"
+
+"'Tis their daughter Princess Joan," said the wizard with a sigh. "But do
+not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but trouble to all who
+know her."
+
+"I don't care if she bring trouble or happiness," cried the Prince. "But
+for certain she is the most beautiful creature in the world," and he seized
+the book and looked long at the tiny figure of the Princess. Truly it was
+very beautiful. It was dressed in white, with a golden girdle round the
+waist, and a wreath of golden daisies on its head, and as Michael looked,
+it turned upon the pages, and smiled at him till he smiled back again, and
+could not move his eyes from it.
+
+When the wizard saw this, he took the book from the young man's hands, and
+hid it away, saying,
+
+"Think no more of Princess Joan, however beautiful she be, or one day you
+will rue it dearly."
+
+Prince Michael made no answer, but he thought all the more of the little
+picture of the Princess. After he had left the tower, and returned to the
+palace, he could not forget her, but dreamt of her all night, and thought
+of her all day.
+
+Next morning he went to the King and said, "My father, I am come to beg
+that you will send to the King of the next country and ask if I may have
+his daughter, Princess Joan, for my wife, for I have seen her portrait, and
+there is no one in the world whom I love so well."
+
+When the King heard this he was delighted.
+
+"Our good neighbours," he said, "are rich and powerful, and it will be a
+capital thing for our son to marry their daughter." So he at once sent off
+an ambassador to beg for the hand of Princess Joan for Prince Michael.
+
+Joan's father and mother were delighted with the offer, and at once
+resolved to accept it; but the Queen's heart sank within her, for she
+thought, "Our poor Joan is not like any other maid who ever lived before,
+and perhaps when Prince Michael sees her and finds this out, he will refuse
+to wed her after all;" but she said nothing of her fears, and the
+ambassador returned to the court, loaded with presents, and bearing a
+message of acceptance.
+
+Till his return Prince Michael knew no peace or rest, but wandered about
+among the hills by himself, thinking of Joan, and still, in his heart, he
+wondered what the magician had meant when he said that if he thought much
+of Princess Joan, one day he would rue it.
+
+At last he said to himself, "I will disguise myself as a poor man, and go
+and see my Princess for myself before the ambassador returns, then shall I
+know what the wizard means."
+
+So he dressed himself as a peasant, and started alone without telling any
+one whither he went, and he travelled day and night till he came to the
+country where Joan dwelt and to her father's palace. Then he walked near
+the palace gardens, and no one noticed him, and he saw a group of lovely
+ladies, who sat together on the grass.
+
+His heart beat high as he looked at them, for in their midst, most
+beautiful of all, sat the Princess Joan. Her yellow hair fell to her waist,
+her face was like a blush rose, and her eyes were blue as forget-me-nots,
+but when she lifted them, he saw that they were clear and hard as glass,
+and her voice when she spoke was like a bright cold bell.
+
+There ran up to her a little serving-maid, crying bitterly, and said,
+
+"I beg of you, Princess, to let me return to my own home for a time, for my
+father, the huntsman, has broken his leg and is very ill."
+
+"Why should you cry for that?" said the Princess. "'Tis your father and not
+you that is hurt; but you may go, for when you cry and your eyes look red
+you are ugly, and I don't like to see you, so be sure that when you return
+you are pretty and bright as ever."
+
+When her ladies heard her they looked angry, but no one spoke, and the
+little maid went crying away.
+
+Up there came a groom from the palace and said,
+
+"Your Royal Highness, the horse that you rode yesterday is dead, and we
+think it is because you would ride so far when it was already tired, as we
+told you."
+
+"Dead is it?" cried the Princess. "Then see quickly and get me another,
+that I may ride again to-morrow, and be sure this time that it is a good
+strong horse, or it may give way beneath me and so my ride be shortened."
+
+The groom went away muttering, and the Princess's ladies looked even graver
+than before, but the Princess's own face was bright as a summer sky, and
+she talked on without heeding their sad looks.
+
+Prince Michael turned away with a heavy heart.
+
+"The magician spoke truly," he said to himself, "and there will be nothing
+but sorrow for all those who love my poor Princess Joan."
+
+Yet he could not bear to leave her and return at once to his own home, and
+still he remained near the palace, and for some days watched her
+unnoticed, when she walked and rode, and listened to all she said, and each
+day he grieved more and more, for she never said one kind loving word to
+any one; yet each day when he saw how beautiful she was he loved her more
+and more.
+
+When he again returned to his own home he found great rejoicings
+everywhere, for the ambassador had returned with a message from Joan's
+father promising she should marry the Prince, and everywhere preparations
+were being made for the entry of the Princess to her new home.
+
+"And now, my son," said the King, "all is arranged for you to journey in
+state to her father's court and bring back your bride, so now I hope that
+you are happy and wish for nothing more."
+
+On hearing this Prince Michael's face was sad and grave, and his father and
+mother wondered what ailed him. But he said to himself, "I will never marry
+my Joan till she loves me as I do her, and how can she ever do that when
+she loves no one, not even her own father and mother?"
+
+At the court of Joan's father grand preparations had been made, and all was
+in excitement when Prince Michael arrived with servants, and horses, and
+presents for the bride.
+
+The King and Queen sat in state to receive him, and beside them was Joan,
+and she looked so beautiful, in a dress as blue as her eyes, that every one
+said, "How glad he will be when he sees how lovely she is."
+
+There was a blowing of trumpets and ringing of bells when Prince Michael,
+followed by his attendants, entered, and the King and Queen and all the
+courtiers rose.
+
+He passed up the hall to the thrones on which they sat, and kneeling on one
+knee, kissed their hands, and last he kissed the hand of the Princess, but
+he did not lift his eyes from the ground or look in her face, and his own
+was so sad that the people whispered to each other, and said, "What is the
+matter, and why does he look so unhappy? Surely he ought to be content when
+he sees how beautiful she is."
+
+At night when the merrymakings were over the Prince sent a message to the
+Queen, begging she would speak with him alone, and when she heard this her
+heart sank, and she thought, "He must know that there is something amiss
+with Joan, and perhaps he comes to say he will not marry her after all."
+
+So she sent every one away, except the old nurse and bid the Prince to
+come.
+
+When he came in and saw her sad looks he said, "You have guessed then,
+Queen, why I come to speak to you. Tell me truly what ails Princess Joan,
+and why is she unlike any one I ever saw." The Queen cried bitterly, and
+said, "I know not; would I did!" but the old nurse said,
+
+"I know and will tell you, Prince. Princess Joan is under a spell. A bad
+fairy enchanted her when she was a tiny baby, and till this charm is
+broken, she will never be like other people."
+
+"And what is the charm?" asked the Prince.
+
+"Nay, that I don't know," said the nurse. Then she told Michael of the
+yellow woman and the whistling the Queen had heard at night; and as he
+listened the Prince sighed and said, "There is no charm which cannot be
+broken if one does but know how, but this is hard to do, for we do not know
+what the spell is, or who is the fairy who cast it. But bid the people
+cease their preparations, Queen, and stop the wedding rejoicings, for there
+will be no wedding. No, not till I have found the fairy who has wronged my
+Joan, and made her set her free. To-morrow I shall start at break of day,
+and journey to the farthest ends of the world, to search for what can break
+the charm. But I pray, Queen, that Joan may wait for me for seven years,
+and if, when they are past, I have not returned, and you have heard nothing
+of me, you must think that I am dead and gone, and marry her to whom you
+will, for if I be alive, I will return before then. And till seven years
+are past remember that Joan is still mine."
+
+On hearing this the Queen wept still more, and begged the Prince either to
+remain and marry Joan, or to leave her and return to his home and forget
+her; but if he wandered away to lands of goblins and fairies, no one would
+know what had become of him, and he would never find the fairy who had
+charmed Joan or learn how to break the spell; but Prince Michael only shook
+his head, and said, "I have sworn that I will not marry Joan till she loves
+me as I do her, neither can I return to my home and forget her, so bid her
+be ready at dawn to-morrow to bid me farewell, and tell none that I am
+going till I have gone. Also I beg you to send a messenger to my father and
+mother to tell them why I do not return, for I will not see them first,
+lest they too should try to dissuade me." The Queen said no more, but she
+cried very bitterly; but the old nurse smiled and nodded to Michael and
+said,
+
+"You do well. You are a noble Prince, and would well deserve our Princess's
+love."
+
+Next morning at break of day the Queen awoke the Princess and bade her
+rise, for Prince Michael waited to bid her good-bye. The Prince stood at
+the door of the palace, and when Princess Joan came out looking lovelier
+than ever in the dim morning light, the tears filled his eyes, and he
+thought, "Most likely I shall never see her again, and then she will never
+know how much I have loved her."
+
+"Good-bye, Joan," he said; "do not quite forget me for seven years, for
+perhaps I may yet come back and marry you."
+
+"And why do you go?" said Joan; "I had thought there would be a grand
+wedding, and I should have all the gifts that are being prepared for me,
+and now I shall have nothing; but good-bye, if go you must."
+
+Michael sighed as he mounted his horse and bade her farewell. When he
+looked back at the palace, the Queen and Joan still stood at the door, and
+the Queen sobbed; but Princess Joan looked quite happy and contented, and
+smiled brightly.
+
+Prince Michael rode and rode, till he came to his own home, and then he
+turned at once to the tower in which dwelt the magician. He climbed the
+tower and found the old man sitting alone as before, but he had no book
+before him, and he looked very grave.
+
+"I know why you are come," he said, as soon as Michael entered the room.
+"So you have seen Princess Joan; and do you still wish to marry her?"
+
+"I will marry her, or no one," said Michael. "But not till I have found out
+who has bewitched her, and have broken the charm."
+
+"You will have to search far for that," said the wizard; "And it may be
+years ere you could set her free. Forget her, my son, and return to your
+own home, and do not waste your life in a fruitless quest."
+
+"I will seek to break the charm, even if it take my whole life," said
+Michael. "But tell me what it is, and how shall I find out how to break
+it."
+
+"A fairy has stolen her heart," said the wizard, "and that is why she loves
+no one, and can feel no sorrow; she has no heart with which to love or
+pity, and till it is found and restored to her, she will be hard and cold
+as stone. The fairy swore she would be revenged on her mother for her
+pride, and so she is."
+
+"Then I will go and seek her heart, and bring it back to her," said
+Michael. "But where shall I look for it? Tell me at least where has the
+fairy hidden it."
+
+"She has taken it to a castle in which are kept all the hearts of men and
+women, that fairies steal, or that they themselves throw away; and this
+castle is very far from here; moreover, it is guarded by an old gnome, who
+is spiteful and cruel, and who pays no heed to those who beg him to let
+them enter. Give up the Princess and return to your home, for if you go,
+you will only die, or be enchanted like poor Princess Joan."
+
+"Nevertheless, I shall go," said Michael. "So tell me what path to take,
+and I will start at once."
+
+On hearing this the sorcerer took from his bosom a small round piece of
+glass, and gave it to the young man. "Take this," he said; "It is all that
+I can give you, to help you, and through it you must look at the stars, and
+you will see that they are all of different colours--blue, green, red, and
+yellow; look for the one which is the deepest, brightest red, and follow
+it; it will lead you many miles both by land and sea, but follow steadily,
+and let nothing turn you from your course, and you will surely come to the
+castle wherein is imprisoned the heart of your Princess."
+
+The Prince thanked the magician, and took the glass; then bidding him
+"Good-bye," he left the strangely lighted chamber, and went down the dark
+staircase, and stood again on the hill outside, with the dark sky overhead
+filled with shining stars.
+
+Michael raised the glass and looked at them through it, and then he almost
+shouted with surprise, for they looked wonderful. They were like jewels of
+all colours--green, blue, yellow, pink--and in the south was one of a deep
+glowing red, like a blood-red rose, and Michael knew that that was the star
+he must follow.
+
+Then he looked back towards his father's palace. "Farewell," he said; "some
+day I will return, and bring with me my Princess Joan." So he set off, and
+journeyed and journeyed, till he had reached towns and villages which he
+had never seen before. All that night he travelled while the stars shone,
+and he could see the rosy star to follow. But when the stars grew pale,
+and the sun rose, and people began to wake up and turn to their work, he
+lay down under a tree and slept soundly. When he woke the day was almost
+done, and the sun was sinking. So he went to a little town near and bought
+food, and rested till again the stars shone in the sky. Then he rose and
+went on all night, still following the crimson star. So passed many days
+and nights, and he journeyed through strange lands, and his heart sank when
+he thought, "So may I wander all round the world, and come no nearer to the
+star, or to the castle where they keep the heart of my poor Joan."
+
+At last he came to the sea-shore, and in front of him lay a great cold sea,
+and beyond it he saw no sign of land. But the star shone right over it, and
+he knew that he must cross, if he still would follow it. It was in the
+evening, the sun had set, but some fishermen still remained on the beach,
+resting beside their boats. Michael went up to them, and taking some money
+from his pocket, asked for how much they would sell him one of their
+boats.
+
+At this the men looked surprised, and one of them said, "Why do you wish to
+buy a boat? We use them to fish near the shore, but no boat or ship has
+ever crossed this sea, for no one knows what land is beyond."
+
+"Then I will be the first to find out," said Michael. "Tell me how much you
+want, and give me your largest boat." On this the men muttered together,
+and one said, "He is mad." "Yes," said another, "but his money is good, for
+all that. Let the madman have his way. It will hurt him, not us." So they
+gave Michael their best boat, and he paid them well, and he set sail and
+steered where the red star shone. He sailed all night till he had left
+every trace of land behind him, and saw no shore in front, only the cold,
+gray sea on every side. By day he kept the boat still, afraid lest he
+should get out of the track of the star, but when the second night came he
+was so weary that in spite of himself he fell asleep. When he awoke he
+found the sun had risen, and his boat was drifting close to land. It was a
+flat, lonely shore, without trees or grass growing in sight, and facing
+him was an immense castle. It was built of black marble, and a more gloomy
+place could not be, for the windows were small and high up, and were all
+barred across, with heavy iron bars, and the castle had no spires or
+towers, but was one square black block, and looked more like a prison than
+a castle. Around it was a high wall, and outside this a moat, without a
+bridge.
+
+Michael steered his boat to shore, and stepped from it, and looked about
+for some way by which he could cross the moat, and try for entrance to the
+castle. Then he saw a little hut near, and beside it lay an old man
+apparently fast asleep. He was small and dark, and his face was gray and
+wrinkled as a monkey's, and he had no hair on his head. Close beside him
+coiled up was a large snake, also asleep. Michael stood watching them both,
+afraid to wake them, when, without a word, the gray man raised his head,
+and opening a pair of dull, gray eyes, fixed them on him. Still he did not
+speak, and at last the Prince, growing impatient, went up to him and said,
+"Friend, I beg you to tell me how I am to enter the castle; or if you have
+the key, to give it to me."
+
+On this the old man answered, "I have the key, and no one can enter without
+my leave. What will you give me for it?"
+
+"Why," said Michael, "I have nothing but money," and he took some coins
+from his pocket as he spoke.
+
+At this the old man laughed. "Your money is nothing to me," he said; "But
+look yonder. Over there I am building a wall of heavy stones, and I am old,
+and my strength fails me; stay and work for me at that wall, and in return
+I will give you the key of the castle."
+
+"But how long must I work?" said Michael, "For unless I can enter the
+castle before seven years are over, it will be no use to me.
+
+"Look at that serpent," said the old man; "It is sitting on its eggs. When
+they are hatched you shall have the key and open the castle door. Till then
+you must be my slave."
+
+"Gladly," said Michael, who was delighted; "for no snake could take seven
+years hatching its eggs."
+
+Then the old man rose, and beckoning to him to follow, went into the little
+cottage. From a nail upon the wall he took a pair of manacles fastened
+together by a heavy iron chain. These he slipped over Michael's wrists, and
+stooping down over them, muttered a few words, and at once the manacles
+fastened together as if they had been locked, and Michael could not move
+them, or draw out his hands. Then the old man took down another heavy chain
+and passed it over the first and fastened it with more iron rings to his
+ankles, so that he could only move his arms and hands a little way, and
+could not raise them high, and could only walk with slow careful steps.
+This done, he pointed to where, on the wall high up, hung a gleaming golden
+sword, the handle of which was set with precious stones.
+
+"That," said he, "is the key of the castle, and you need only push the
+doors with its point and they will all fly open; but while your hands are
+chained you cannot reach it to lift it down, but when the serpent's eggs
+are hatched your iron rings will fall off, and you yourself may take the
+sword down from its place, and push your way into the castle. Now get you
+to your work, and work hard, or you may rue it."
+
+Then he showed Michael how he was to move the heavy stones, and where to
+build with them, and he himself sat down by the serpent and watched him,
+while the Prince went to work with a light heart, for he thought, "It is
+hard work while it lasts, but 'twill not be for long, and 'tis not much to
+do to win my Joan." So he worked hard till the sun had set, and then the
+old man rose, saying, "Enough," and called him into the hut and gave him
+food and drink, but he ate nothing himself, and then he showed him where he
+could sleep in one corner, and Michael lay down and slept soundly and
+dreamed of Joan.
+
+At break of day he was waked by the old man, who again gave him plenty to
+eat, and again ate nothing, but what he gave to him he took from an urn in
+the corner, and when he had done he put into the urn the fragments that
+were left.
+
+All day Michael worked hard, and in the evening as he passed by the snake,
+he looked at it as it lay coiled over its eggs, and said,
+
+"How soon will your work be done, and mine also, good snake? Make haste, I
+pray, that I may find my way into the castle, and return to my Princess."
+
+So the days passed. Each morning the old man awoke Michael and gave him
+food, and set him to work, and all day he laboured hard. Then when night
+approached, he called "Enough," and beckoning him into the hut, gave him
+plenty to eat and drink, but never ate himself, and beside that one word
+never spoke, but crouched all day beside the snake, with closed eyes as if
+asleep.
+
+Meantime, the doors of the castle never opened, and no one was seen going
+in, or coming out; but sometimes, towards night, strange noises might be
+heard from within its walls; sometimes there were wails and moans, which it
+filled Michael with horror to hear, and sometimes there was sweet singing,
+so sweet that it drew tears to his eyes.
+
+But the days passed, and the serpent never moved from its eggs, and
+Michael's heart began to be oppressed with fear, lest the old man was
+deceiving him, and they should never be hatched at all. As each day passed,
+he put aside a stone on a bare rock, and one day when he counted over the
+stones to see how many days were gone, he found that more than a year had
+passed since his boat had brought him to the shore. His hands had grown
+hard and brown and cracked, with working at the heavy stones, and his face
+and neck were blistered and sunburnt with the fierce sun that beat upon
+them as he worked. His clothes were cut and torn and soiled, and yet he
+seemed to be no nearer entering the castle. Then he rose and went into the
+cottage, and looked longingly at the sword which hung high up, on the
+walls, and raised his arms to try and reach it, but the chains held him
+down, and as he turned from it in despair he saw the old man standing in
+the doorway watching him with his cold dull eyes.
+
+"What would you do here?" he asked; "have I not bid you serve me till the
+serpent's eggs are hatched, and then the sword shall be yours?"
+
+"And when will the serpent's eggs be hatched?" cried Michael in despair.
+
+"That," said the old man, "I cannot tell, but a bargain is a bargain; keep
+you your part and I will keep mine." Then he turned again to where the
+serpent lay, and lying down beside it closed his eyes, and Michael returned
+to his work mournfully.
+
+Time passed, but there came no change. Michael despaired in his heart, but
+he could not have escaped even if he would, because of the chains which
+hung from his arms.
+
+"I will work here," he said, "till the seven years are out, then I will
+climb on the wall which I have built and throw myself into the sea and end
+my troubles."
+
+Sometimes at night he would take from his bosom the piece of magic glass
+which the wizard had given him and would gaze through it at the star which
+still looked a bright crimson colour.
+
+"Why have you led me here, cruel star," he asked sadly, "if you cannot help
+me more? Are you shining over my home and my Princess, and does she
+remember me? The seven long years will soon be passed, and they will wed
+her to another king, and it will be all of no avail that I have given up
+everything to find her heart, since I have only broken my own."
+
+So the time passed. Michael worked hard by day, but by night he lay and
+wept. One day, when the seven years had nearly worn themselves away, he
+bent over a pool of water, and in it saw his own form, and he saw that his
+hair was thin and streaked with gray, and his face furrowed and seamed, and
+his eyes dim with crying, also his shoulders were bowed with hard work, and
+his clothes, once so gorgeous, now hung mere rags upon his bent form.
+
+"Now all is in vain," said he, "for if even I returned to my own home no
+one will know me, so changed am I. I will go and kill the snake that has
+caused my misery, and then I will slay the old man who has deceived me."
+
+So he went up to the snake, who lay motionless coiled over its eggs as
+usual, and reached out his hand to grasp its throat, but as he did so his
+tears fell and dropped upon its head, and it writhed fearfully and then
+glided away so fast that he could not see where it went, and left the heap
+of gray eggs bare beneath his hand. The old man lay beside them as still as
+usual, and did not move or open his eyes, even when the snake glided
+hissing past him.
+
+"If the snake has escaped me," cried Michael, "then at least I can destroy
+the eggs;" and lifting his heel he struck them with all his might, but his
+foot left no mark upon them, nor even moved them from their place. They
+might have been made of iron, and each one nailed to the ground, so hard
+and firm they stood.
+
+Michael burst out weeping afresh. "How foolish I am," he said, "Yes, and
+wicked too. It is not the fault of the poor snake that its eggs are not
+hatched. Perhaps it is enchanted like me, and waits as patiently for them;"
+and he bent his head till his tears fell upon the eggs. No sooner did they
+touch them, than the shells broke, and the pieces fell asunder, and from
+each egg came a small moving thing, though what it was Michael did not see,
+for he leaped to his feet with a shout of joy, which filled the air, and
+echoed again from the castle. At this the old man opened his eyes, and
+raising himself gazed, as if thunderstruck, with astonishment at the eggs.
+
+"Tis a miracle," he cried, chuckling with joy.
+
+But out of the eggs, there came no one fully formed animal, but from one
+egg came a foot, from another a leg, from another a tail, and from one a
+head, and each looked as though it belonged to some different beast, yet
+all these drew themselves together, and joined so well that the join was
+not to be seen. And they made a hideous monster of many colours. Then the
+manacles on Michael's wrists burst asunder, and the chains fell to the
+ground.
+
+"Now," he cried, "I will go and take for myself the sword from the wall,
+and win my way into the castle, and nothing shall hinder me more." And he
+turned and rushed into the hut. There, upon the wall hung the shining
+sword, and Michael reached out his hand and seized it firmly, and drew it
+down from its place.
+
+"I will swear a vow," he cried, "upon this sword, that when I enter the
+castle, I will say not one word for good or for ill to any one, save to ask
+for what I come to seek, lest I should again be kept for years. Moreover, I
+will not taste food or drink, till I have found the heart of my Joan to
+take back to her." Then, with the sword in his hand, he passed the old man,
+who still sat chuckling over the monster, too busy to heed him, and he went
+straight on to the bridgeless moat. It was not wide, and he swam it easily,
+and scrambled up the bank by the stone wall. He pushed with the point of
+the sword at the gate, and it at once flew open, and he stood in the outer
+court. Then he saw a heavy door in the wall of the castle, and went up to
+it, nothing fearing, and, on touching it with the sword's point, it too
+flew open at once, and he entered.
+
+He stepped into a passage filled with flowers and hung with silken
+hangings. He trod upon a velvet carpet, and the air was laden with sweet
+scents, and from afar he heard sweet voices singing. He strode on through
+another door, and yet another, and at each step he took all things became
+lovelier, till at last he passed into a splendid chamber, the like of which
+he had never seen before. In the ceiling were precious stones set in
+patterns of flowers and crowns, on the walls were soft velvet hangings and
+embroideries. The furniture was of carven gold and silver and ivory, and
+everywhere grew flowers of wonderful beauty, which sprang from the floor
+and crept along the walls, and filled the air with sweet scents, and
+hanging on the walls were cages which held what Michael thought were birds,
+which sang most sweetly.
+
+On a table in the centre of the room was a banquet all laid ready, and as
+Michael looked at it and wondered where he should go farther, a curtain was
+drawn aside, and there stepped forth a stately dame dressed in black
+velvet, who came smiling towards him and held out her hand, saying, "I am
+indeed glad to see you, I am mistress of this castle, and you are very
+welcome; but I beg that before you tell me from where you come and what you
+seek, you will sit down and share this feast with me." Michael was
+beginning to answer, when he felt the sword in his hand, and remembered his
+oath, and looking full in the face of the new-comer, said, "I seek the
+heart of Princess Joan."
+
+"And you shall find it," answered the grand lady. "But first you must rest
+and eat, for you must be both tired and hungry;" and so saying she sat at
+one end of the table, and signed to Michael to sit at the other, and took
+the golden covers from the dishes, and prepared to begin the feast. Michael
+knew not what to do, but he sat at the table in silence, and all at once
+bethought him of the magic glass in his bosom, and drawing it forth when
+she was not looking, gazed through it at her, and then he beheld no
+finely-dressed lady, but a wizened old woman, robed in yellow, with an evil
+yellow face and evil yellow eyes. He hid the glass again, and sat still as
+stone, though the yellow woman pressed on him the different dishes again
+and again. He saw that her face grew white with rage. Then all of a sudden
+she disappeared, and the lights went out, and he was left alone in the
+darkness. He rose and searched for the door by which he had entered, but
+could not find it nor any way out of the room; so there he was, a prisoner
+alone with the singing-birds.
+
+"Never mind," quoth he to himself cheerily; "I have at last reached the
+inside of the castle, and surely shall find the heart of my Joan, and if I
+keep my vow and neither eat nor drink here or say aught but ask for that
+which I seek, nothing can harm me."
+
+So he sat down contentedly to wait for what might come. There he sat the
+whole night, and no one came near him, but the birds sang so beautifully
+that he almost forgot how the time passed.
+
+When morning dawned and light again shone through the windows, he searched
+everywhere for some way out of the room, but the door had quite
+disappeared. Moreover, the feast had gone from the table. The day passed,
+and still he was all alone, and as evening again drew in he sat and
+lamented, quite wearied out and faint for want of food. But when the
+darkness came, the lamps about the room were suddenly lit as if by magic,
+and all was brilliant, and a curtain was drawn aside, and there came in a
+little child with bright eyes and hair, who held in one hand a goblet and
+in the other a well-filled plate. These she placed before Michael, saying,
+"My mistress sends you these, and begs that you will eat and drink, for you
+must be both hungry and thirsty;" but Michael pushed away the goblet and
+the plate, and said,
+
+"I seek the heart of Princess Joan; I beg you to give it to me."
+
+To this the seeming child answered nothing, but still pressed on him the
+food and wine. Then Michael took from his bosom the magic glass and looked
+through it, and saw no lovely child, but the same yellow hag with
+shrivelled face and evil eyes. With a cry of rage she disappeared, and
+though Michael searched everywhere, he could not find the way by which she
+went.
+
+Now indeed he began to feel that unless he ate he could not live much
+longer, and wept from very weakness.
+
+"Still I will neither eat nor drink," he said, "till I have found what I
+came to seek, and the fairy cannot refuse me much longer."
+
+Night passed and day came, and he lay upon a couch quite still, too weak to
+move, yet he feared to sleep lest some spell should be thrown upon him.
+
+So he lay all day, and as evening again drew near he began to feel despair,
+for he knew that in another day he would be dead of hunger.
+
+"Oh! Why have I toiled for seven years," he cried aloud, "and at last won
+my way into the castle, if now I am to be starved to death, and Joan will
+never know how I have laboured for her sake?"
+
+"And why should you be starved to death, my Prince?" said a voice; and at
+once the lights lit themselves, and into the room stepped the figure of
+the Princess Joan just as he had seen her last, dressed in white and gold,
+and in one hand bearing a golden goblet filled with clear ruby-coloured
+wine.
+
+Michael gave a cry of joy and held out his arms to clasp her in them, but
+as he did so the sword sprang as it hung at his side, and he remembered his
+vow and drew back and gazed at her without speaking.
+
+She knelt down beside him and raised the goblet to his lips, saying softly,
+"My poor love, how long you have worked for me! Pray drink now, that you
+may be refreshed ere we two start for our home."
+
+Then as he looked at her face and saw how beautiful she was his heart
+wavered, and he thought, "Can it be my Joan, and that I have truly won
+her?" and almost had he let her place the wine at his lips, while with one
+hand she stroked his hair and murmured to him the while in a soft voice,
+when the cup struck against the magic glass in his bosom, and he drew it
+forth and looked at her, and he trembled with horror and disgust, for there
+he saw no lovely Princess Joan, but the same yellow hag, who held in one
+skinny hand a goblet, formed from a skull, from which she would have him
+drink.
+
+Michael sprang to his feet and dashed it from him, and the ruby wine poured
+on the floor, and there followed an awful noise like a peal of thunder, and
+the room was full of smoke, and wild cries were heard.
+
+He grasped the sword and sat still, trembling all over; but when the smoke
+cleared away the whole aspect of the room was changed; the silken hangings,
+and gold, and pearls, and flowers, were all gone, and he was sitting in a
+grim gray chamber like a vault, and in front of him stood the yellow hag,
+whose eyes shone spitefully and her lips laughed wickedly; but in one hand
+she held what it made Michael rejoice to see. It was a soft pink feathery
+thing, with wings, but shaped like a heart, and it trembled and quivered in
+her hand.
+
+"Take it," she cried, "for well have you won it. Take it, and tell the
+Queen how many years of toil and labour her proud words and boasting have
+cost. Then when you see her, from whom it was stolen, let it fly, but
+first say over it these words:--
+
+    "Heart of Joan
+    Lost and won
+    Fly back home,
+    Thy journey's done.
+    Take back joy
+    Take back pain
+    Heart of Joan,
+    Fly home again."
+
+and it will fly to her side, and you will see it no more; and now begone."
+
+Michael seized the heart with a cry of joy and exultation, and then turned
+and fled from the room through an open iron door, and passed through the
+passages, no longer softly carpeted and hung with silk, but dreary and
+bare, made of cold stone, down which his foot-steps echoed and clashed.
+
+He hurried from the castle as quickly as might be, and once outside did not
+stop to look for the old man or the monster, but swam the moat, and went
+straight to where his boat lay moored as he had left it, nearly seven years
+before, and never paused till he had rowed so far that the gray castle and
+the shore had almost passed from view. At last he came again to the shore
+where he had bought his boat of the fishermen, and here he went on land,
+and started to walk till he had reached Joan's country, and her father's
+castle.
+
+He had no money, and his clothes were rags, his hair was thin and gray, and
+his shoulders bent. He looked like a poor beggar, and he had to beg food as
+he went, or he would have been starved. Still, he was ready to cry for joy,
+because he took with him the little soft heart he had gone so far to find.
+
+He trudged on both day and night, making great haste, for he knew that the
+seven years were almost gone, and he was afraid lest already he might be
+too late, and find that Joan had married some one else. At last, after many
+weary miles, he reached her country, and drew near to the palace where she
+lived, and here he found that the people were all decorating their houses,
+and making preparations as if for some great festival.
+
+He stopped and begged for food from a woman who stood by a cottage door,
+and when she had given him some bread, as he ate it he asked her to tell
+him what went on in the country, and why there was such rejoicing.
+
+"It is for the marriage of the King's daughter Joan," said the woman;
+"To-morrow she is to be married to old King Lambert, and the wedding will
+be very grand, but none of the country folk like it, for he is old and
+ugly, and they say he does not love her at all, but only marries her that
+he may be king of this country as well as his own. The Queen is in sore
+distress about it, and for seven years refused her consent; but they will
+be over to-morrow, and so they will be wed, and the guests are already
+beginning to arrive at the palace, and each one brings some splendid gift."
+
+"I will be a guest at that wedding," cried Michael; "And I bring the best
+gift of all for the bride;" and he hurried on again, not heeding the
+woman's scorn and laughter.
+
+When he came to the palace, he found that it was hung with flags, and
+arches of flowers were erected in front of it, and grand lords and ladies,
+and servants stood at the door to receive the guests who came.
+
+Michael went as near as he dared, afraid lest he should be driven away by
+the servants, and then he saw a little foot-page, and he went to him and
+said,
+
+"Please tell me where is the Princess Joan, and what she is doing."
+
+"She is sitting with the King and Queen and King Lambert in the state-room,
+to receive the guests and accept the presents they bring," said the page.
+
+"I am a guest, and I bring a present for her," cried Michael; "Tell me how
+I shall get into the palace that I may give it to her."
+
+On hearing this the page burst out laughing, and told the other servants
+what he said. And they were very angry, and seized Michael, and some would
+have ducked him in the pond, and some would have taken him before the King,
+but they said, "Not now--wait till the wedding is over to-morrow, and then
+we will see how he will punish the beggar-man for his impertinence."
+
+So they took him off to a stone tower outside the garden gates and thrust
+him into it, and locked the door, and there was only one little window high
+up and barred across with bars, and from it he could see the palace and the
+gardens.
+
+Then at last he gave way to despair. "Of what avail were all my years of
+toil, and for what am I gray and old before my time," he cried, "if after
+all, when I have earned that for which I worked so long, I may not give it
+to Joan, but must remain a prisoner and see her pass by to marry some one
+else?" and he threw himself on the ground and cried aloud.
+
+At night as he lay and mourned, he heard sounds of merrymaking, and music
+and laughter from the castle. Sometimes he called out, "Joan! Joan! I am
+here--I who have worked for you for years, and brought home your stolen
+heart, and now will you wed King Lambert in spite of all?" sometimes he
+beat against the bars of the prison window, but all in vain, and at last,
+when all sound had ceased from the castle, he lay silent upon the ground,
+caring no more for life.
+
+When the sun rose, and there was again a stir without, he got up and looked
+from the window, and saw the old nurse who walked by herself in the garden,
+and she looked very sad. Then Michael called out, "Do you not know me? You
+at least, who bid me go, and praised me then, should remember me now." On
+hearing this the old nurse drew near the prison window, and looked at him,
+and said, "Who are you, and why are you here? My eyes are old, and my ears
+are deaf, but I think I have seen you, and heard your voice before."
+
+"Seven years ago," said Michael, "I too was a bridegroom, who came to wed
+your Princess, and for seven long years have I worked, that I might bring
+home to her the heart she had not. Go and ask your Queen, why she has
+broken her pledge to wait for seven years, till Prince Michael should
+return."
+
+"Prince Michael! Is it really Prince Michael?" cried the old nurse
+joyfully. "And you come in time, for our Princess is not married yet, and
+she must pass by here, on her way to church. So you shall call to her as
+she passes by, and speak for yourself."
+
+"Then keep near and tell me when she comes," said Michael, "lest she go by
+without seeing me."
+
+Presently the whole castle was astir, and trumpets were sounding, and
+clarions ringing. Then when the sun was high, Michael heard the tramping of
+horses, and the sound of music, and the old nurse said to him, "Here she
+is," and he looked between the bars of the prison window and saw a grand
+procession, and his heart gave a bound, for in their midst, in a golden
+gown, and seated on a white palfrey, was Princess Joan, and she looked just
+as lovely as when he went away seven years before.
+
+On one side of her rode her father and mother, and the Queen's face was
+most mournful, and her eyes were red with crying. On the other rode an ugly
+old man, whom Michael guessed to be King Lambert, and he smiled and bowed
+to the people, but they muttered and grumbled, when they looked at him,
+and saw how ugly and wicked, he looked.
+
+When Michael saw them coming, he took from his bosom the little pink heart,
+and stroked it fondly as he whispered over it,
+
+    "Heart of Joan
+    Lost and won
+    Fly back home,
+    Thy journey's done.
+    Take back joy
+    Take back pain
+    Heart of Joan,
+    Fly home again;"
+
+and at once it spread its wings and fluttered through the bars of the
+prison, and over the heads of the people, who shouted, "Look at the pink
+bird!" For a moment it rested at the side of the Princess Joan, and then
+disappeared. She gave a scream, and cried,
+
+"My mother! My father! What has happened? Oh see, it is Michael who has
+returned!" and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's head
+towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars to
+clasp the Prince.
+
+[Illustration: ----and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince."--P. 128.]
+
+"Michael, my love!" she cried, "How gray and worn you are now. How hard you
+must have laboured for me through these long years. Now, how shall I pay
+you, save by loving you all my life!" and she tried to beat down the bars
+of the prison window.
+
+When the people heard her, they cried, "It is Prince Michael, who went
+seven years ago, and who we all thought was dead, and he is returned in
+time to marry our Princess. Now will we indeed have a wedding, and she
+shall marry the Prince who has toiled so long for her;" and King and Queen
+and people laughed for joy. 'Twas in vain for King Lambert to rage, and cry
+that the Princess was betrothed to him.
+
+"Nay!" said the Queen, "She has been pledged to Prince Michael for seven
+years. We are grieved for your sake, King Lambert, but we cannot break our
+royal word."
+
+Then the people burst into the prison and brought out Michael, all torn and
+gray as he was, and Princess Joan kissed him before them all, and begged
+that he would marry her at once, that every one might see how well she
+loved him and how grateful she was. So they brought a fine white horse with
+a grand gold saddle, and jewelled bridle, and placed Michael upon it, and
+he rode to church beside the Princess, and married her, and the people
+threw flowers before them, and bells rang and trumpets sounded, and all
+were glad.
+
+And when it was done Michael was dressed in purple and gold, and messengers
+were sent to his father and mother and the old wizard, that they might come
+and see how he had come home victorious, and rejoicings filled the whole
+country.
+
+"For now we are sure of a good King," the people said. "See, he has already
+shown what he can do. Surely no one else could ever have found the heart of
+Princess Joan."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: "Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little."--P.
+131.]
+
+
+
+
+THE PEDLAR'S PACK
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+A pedlar was toiling along a dusty road carrying his pack on his back, when
+he saw a donkey grazing by the wayside.
+
+"Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do, perhaps you would
+not mind carrying my load for me for a little."
+
+"If I do so, what will you give me?" said the donkey.
+
+"I will give you two pieces of gold," said the pedlar, but he did not speak
+the truth, for he knew he had no gold to give.
+
+"Agreed," said the donkey. So they journeyed on together in a very
+friendly manner, the donkey carrying the pedlar's pack, and the pedlar
+walking by his side. After a time they met a raven, who was looking for
+worms in the roadside, and the donkey called out to him,
+
+"Good-morrow, black friend. If you are going our way, you would do well to
+sit upon my back and drive away the flies, which worry me sadly."
+
+"And what will you pay me to do this?" asked the raven.
+
+"Money is no object to me," said the donkey, "so I will give you three
+pieces of gold." And he too knew he was making a false promise, for he had
+no gold at all to give.
+
+"Agreed," said the raven. So they went on in high good humour, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's wares, and the raven sitting on the donkey's back
+driving away the flies.
+
+After a time they met a hedge-sparrow, and the raven called out to it,
+
+"Good-day, little cousin. Do you want to earn a little money? If so, bring
+me some worms from the bank as we go along, for I had no breakfast, and am
+very hungry."
+
+"What will you give me for it?" asked the hedge-sparrow.
+
+"Let us say four pieces of gold," said the raven grandly; "for I have saved
+more during my long life than I know how to spend." But he knew this was
+not true, for he had not saved any gold at all.
+
+"Very well," said the hedge-sparrow, and so on they went, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's pack, and the raven keeping the flies away from the
+donkey, and the hedge-sparrow bringing worms to the raven.
+
+Presently they saw in the distance a good-sized town, and the pedlar took
+out from his pack, some shawls and stuffs and hung them over the donkey's
+back that the passers-by might see, and buy if they were so disposed. On
+the top of the other goods lay a small scarlet blanket, and when he saw it
+the hedge-sparrow said to the pedlar,
+
+"What will you take for that little blanket? It seems to be a good one.
+Name your price and you shall have it whatever it is, for I am badly in
+want of a blanket just now;" but as the hedge-sparrow had not a penny in
+the world, he knew he could not pay for it.
+
+"The price of the blanket is five pieces of gold," said the pedlar.
+
+"That seems to me to be very dear," said the hedge-sparrow. "I don't mind
+giving you four pieces of gold for it, but five is too much."
+
+"Agreed," said the pedlar, and he chuckled to himself and thought, "Now I
+shall be able to pay the donkey, otherwise I might have had some trouble in
+getting rid of him."
+
+The hedge-sparrow flew to the raven's side and whispered in his ear,
+"Please to pay me the four pieces of gold you owe me, for we are coming to
+a town, and I must be turning back."
+
+"Four pieces of gold is really too much for bringing a few worms," said the
+raven. "It is absurd to expect such payment, but I will give you three, and
+you shall have them almost immediately," and he bent down over the donkey's
+ear and whispered,
+
+"My friend, it is time you paid me the three pieces of gold which you
+promised, for the pedlar will stop at this town, and you will not have to
+go farther with him."
+
+"On thinking it over," said the donkey, "I have come to the conclusion that
+three pieces of gold are really a great deal too much to give for having a
+few flies driven away. You must have known that I was only joking when I
+said it, but I will let you have two, though I consider that it is much
+more than the job was worth;" and the donkey turned again to the pedlar,
+saying, "Now, good sir, your two pieces of gold, if you please."
+
+"In a moment," said the pedlar, and turning to the hedge-sparrow, said, "I
+really must have the money for the blanket at once."
+
+"So you shall," answered the hedge-sparrow, and cried angrily to the raven,
+"I want my money now, and cannot wait."
+
+"In an instant," answered the raven, and again whispered to the donkey,
+"Why can't you pay me honestly? I should be ashamed of trying to slip out
+of my debts in such a way."
+
+"I won't keep you waiting a second," said the donkey, and he turned once
+more to the pedlar and cried, "Come, give me my money. For shame! a man
+like you trying to cheat a poor beast like me."
+
+Then the pedlar said to the hedge-sparrow, "Pay me for my blanket, or I'll
+wring your neck."
+
+And the hedge-sparrow cried to the raven, "Give me my money or I'll peck
+out your eyes."
+
+And the raven croaked to the donkey, "If you don't pay me, I'll bite off
+your tail."
+
+And the donkey again cried to the pedlar, "You dishonest wretch, pay me my
+money or I'll kick you soundly."
+
+And they made such an uproar outside the walls of the town, that the beadle
+came out to see what it was all about. Each turned to him and began to
+complain of the other loudly.
+
+"You are a set of rogues and vagabonds," said the beadle, "and you shall
+all come before the mayor, and he'll settle your quarrels pretty quickly,
+and treat you as you deserve."
+
+At this they all begged to be allowed to go away, each one saying he did
+not care about being paid at all. But the beadle would not listen to them,
+and led them straight away to the market-place, where the mayor sat judging
+the people.
+
+"Now, whom have we here?" cried he. "A pedlar, a donkey, a raven, and a
+hedge-sparrow. A set of worthless vagabonds, I'll be bound! Let us hear
+what they have to say for themselves."
+
+On this the pedlar began to complain of the hedge-sparrow, and the
+hedge-sparrow of the raven, and the raven of the donkey, and the donkey of
+the pedlar.
+
+The mayor did not heed them much, but he eyed the pedlar's pack, and at
+length interrupted them, and said,
+
+"I am convinced that you are a set of good-for-nothing fellows, and one is
+quite as bad as the other, so I order that the pedlar be locked up in the
+prison, that the donkey be soundly well thrashed, and that the raven and
+the hedge-sparrow both have their tail-feathers pulled out, and then be
+turned out of the town. As for the blanket, it seems to me to be the only
+good thing in the whole matter, and as I cannot allow you to keep the cause
+of such a disturbance, I will take it for myself. Beadle, lead the
+prisoners away."
+
+So the beadle did as he was told, and the pedlar was locked up for many
+days in the prison.
+
+"It is very sad to think to what straits an honest man may be brought," he
+sighed to himself as he sat lamenting his hard fate. "In future this will
+be a warning to me to keep clear of hedge-sparrows. If the hedge-sparrow
+had paid me as he ought, I should not be here now."
+
+Meantime the donkey was being soundly well thrashed, and after each blow he
+cried,
+
+"Alas! alas! See what comes to an innocent quadruped for having to do with
+human beings. Had the pedlar given me the money he owed, I should not now
+be beaten thus. In future I will never make a bargain with men."
+
+The raven and the hedge-sparrow hopped out of the town by different roads,
+and both were very sad, for they had lost all their tail feathers, which
+the beadle had pulled out.
+
+"Alas!" croaked the raven, "my fate is indeed a hard one. But it serves me
+right for trusting a donkey who goes on his feet and cannot fly. It is
+truly a warning to me never again to trust anything without a beak."
+
+The hedge-sparrow was quite crestfallen, and could scarcely keep from
+tears. "It all comes of my being so taken in by that raven," he sighed.
+"But I should have known that these large birds are never honest. In future
+I will be wise, and never make a bargain with anything bigger or stronger
+than myself."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once there was a baker who had a very bad, violent temper, and whenever a
+batch of bread was spoiled he flew into such a rage, that his wife and
+daughters dared not go near him. One day it happened that all his bread was
+burnt, and on this he stamped and raved with anger. He threw the loaves all
+about the floor, when one, burnt blacker than the rest, broke in half, and
+out of it crept a tiny thin black man, no thicker than an eel, with long
+arms and legs.
+
+"What are you making all this fuss about, Master Baker?" said he. "If you
+will give me a home in your oven I will see to the baking of your bread,
+and will answer for it that you shall never have so much as a loaf
+spoiled."
+
+[Illustration: "If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled."--P. 141.]
+
+"And pray what sort of bread would it be, if you were in the oven, and
+helped to bake it?" said the baker; "I think my customers might not like to
+eat it."
+
+"On the contrary," said the imp, "they would like it exceedingly. It is
+true that it would make them rather unhappy, but that will not hurt you, as
+you need not eat it yourself."
+
+"Why should it make them unhappy?" said the baker. "If it is good bread it
+won't do any one harm, and if it is bad they won't buy it."
+
+"It will taste very good," replied the imp, "but it will make all who eat
+it discontented, and they will think themselves very unfortunate whether
+they are so or no; but this will not do you any harm, and I promise you
+that you shall sell as much as you wish."
+
+"Agreed!" said the baker. So the little imp crept into the oven and curled
+himself into the darkness behind, and the baker saw no more of him.
+
+But next day he made a great batch of bread, and though he took no heed of
+the time when he put it in, and drew it out, just as he wanted it, it was
+done quite right--neither too dark nor too light--and the baker was in high
+good humour.
+
+The first person who tasted the bread was the chief justice. He came down
+to breakfast in high spirits, for he had just heard that an old aunt was
+dead, and had left him a great deal of money. So he kissed his wife and
+chucked his daughters under the chin, and told them that he had good news
+for them. His old aunt had left him twenty thousand pounds in her will. On
+this his wife clapped her hands for joy, and his daughters ran to him and
+kissed him, and begged him to let them have some of it. So they all sat
+down to breakfast in great glee, but no sooner had the justice tasted the
+bread than his face fell.
+
+"This is excellent bread," he said, taking a large slice; "I wish
+everything else were as good;" and he heaved a deep sigh.
+
+"Why?" cried his wife, who had not yet begun to eat. "This morning, I am
+sure, there is nothing for you to complain of."
+
+"Nay!" said the mayor; "it is very nice to have twenty thousand pounds, but
+think how much nicer it would have been if it had been thirty. How much
+more one could have done with that! Or even if it had been twenty-five
+thousand pounds, or even twenty-one. Twenty-one thousand pounds is a very
+nice sum of money, but twenty thousand pounds is no good at all. I am not
+sure that it would not be better not to have had any."
+
+"Nonsense!" cried his wife, who was now eating her breakfast also; "you are
+very wicked to be so discontented; but one thing I do say. It would have
+been much nicer if we had had it when we were young and better able to
+enjoy it. Money is very little use to people at our time of life. It would
+have been really nice if we had had it fifteen years ago. As it is, I can't
+say I care much for it, and it makes me sad to think we did not get it
+before."
+
+"Nay," cried the daughters; "in that case how much better it would have
+been for us to have it instead of you; we are young, and able to enjoy
+ourselves, and we could have given you a little of it if you'd liked, but
+we could have been very happy with the rest; as it is, it is no pleasure to
+us."
+
+So they fell to quarrelling about the money, and by the time breakfast was
+done, they all had tears in their eyes, and felt discontented and unhappy.
+
+The next person to eat the bread was the village doctor. All night long he
+had been sitting up with a man who had broken his leg, and he had feared
+lest he should die, but as morning came he saw he would live, so he
+returned home to his wife in very good spirits, although he was sadly
+tired. The wife had already had her breakfast, but she had made all ready
+for her husband, with a loaf of the baker's new bread.
+
+"See, dear husband," she said, "here is your breakfast, and some nice bread
+quite new, because I know you like it. How glad we ought to be, that this
+poor man is likely to live."
+
+"Yes, indeed," said the doctor; "being up all night is tiring work, but I
+don't grudge it when I know that it does some good," and then he began to
+eat. "I am not sure, after all, that I have done such a good thing in
+curing this man. It is true that his broken leg hurt him very much, but
+perhaps when he is well again, he may break his back, and that would be
+much worse. Perhaps I had better have left him to die. I daresay when he is
+quite well, all kinds of misfortunes will befall him; I had much better
+have let him alone."
+
+"Why," cried his wife in surprise, "what are you saying, husband? Are you
+not a doctor, and is it not your business to cure people? And when you
+succeed ought you not to be glad?"
+
+"I wish I were not a doctor," said the husband, sighing. "It would be much
+better if there were no doctors at all;" and he sat and lamented, and
+nothing his wife could say, could cheer him.
+
+In a pretty little cottage near the doctor's house lived a young couple,
+who were newly married, and were as happy as the day was long. Their
+cottage was covered with roses, and filled with pretty things, and they
+had everything their hearts could desire. This morning they both came down
+smiling and happy, and the young wife kissed her husband, and sang for joy.
+So they sat down to breakfast, chattering like two birds in a nest; but no
+sooner had the husband tasted the bread than his face fell, and he was
+silent for a time; then he said,
+
+"It is a very terrible thing to think how happy we are, for it cannot last.
+Something melancholy is sure to happen to us, and till it comes we shall
+live in dread of it; for we know happiness never lasts, and this is a
+thought that makes me very sad."
+
+The wife had now also taken some bread.
+
+"What is this you are saying?" she said. "How can you think such dreadful
+things? I do not like you when you talk like that; and I think it is very
+hard for me to be married to a man who wants to be unhappy."
+
+"The best thing we can hope for," said the husband, sighing, "is for some
+great misfortune to befall us; then we should be all right, for we should
+know then, that we knew the worst that could come. As it is we shall live
+in suspense all our days."
+
+"Now," cried his wife, "I am indeed unfortunate. What could be worse than
+to have a husband who does not like being happy? I wish I had married some
+one else; or indeed had no husband at all."
+
+So both began to grumble, and at last to quarrel, and finally both were
+crying with anger.
+
+Not far out of the village was a large pleasant farmhouse, standing amongst
+fields, and the farmer was a hale, bright man, with a good wife and pretty
+children. He was very busy just now getting in the corn, for it was autumn,
+and he stood among his men, directing them as they worked in the fields. He
+had not had time to have a proper breakfast before going to work, but his
+wife sent some out to him with some of the baker's new bread, and he sat
+down under a tree to eat it. As he did so he looked up at the farmhouse,
+and thought, with pride, that it was the largest farm in all the country
+round, and that it had belonged to his father, and his grandfather, and
+his great-grandfather, before him.
+
+"'Tis a fine old house, for sure," thought he, as he took a large piece of
+bread, "'Tis so well built and strong;" but no sooner had he swallowed a
+mouthful than his thoughts changed.
+
+"What should I do if it were to fall down and crush me some day," he said
+to himself. "After all, 'tis only built of brick, and might tumble any day.
+How much stronger it would have been if it had been built of stone. Then it
+would not have been nearly so likely to give way. Really when my
+great-grandfather built it he should have thought of this. How selfish all
+men are;" and he became quite unhappy lest his house should fall, and
+lamented while he ate.
+
+In the kitchen the farmer's wife was very busy cooking and cleaning, and
+scarcely stopped to eat till near mid-day. Then she took up a piece of
+bread and cheese, and leant against the window as she ate it, that she
+might watch for her eldest girl and boy, Janey and Jimmy, who would now be
+returning from school.
+
+"Our baker really bakes very decent bread," said she; "'tis almost as good
+as my own;" and she went on eating till she saw her two children coming
+through the fields together.
+
+"Here they come," said she; "How bonny they look. Really I ought to be very
+proud of them. I don't know which is the prettier, Janey or Jimmy, but 'tis
+a pity, for sure, that Janey is the eldest. It would be much better if
+Jimmy were older than she. 'Tis a bad thing for the sister to be older than
+the brother. Now, if he were her age, and she were his, that would be
+really nice, for then he could take care of her and see after her; but, as
+it is, she will try to direct him, and boys never like to obey their
+sisters; I really almost think I had better not have had any children at
+all," and the tears filled her eyes, and when her girl and boy ran in to
+her, her face was very sad, and she seemed to be scarcely glad to see them.
+
+So things went on all over the village. Each one as he tasted the bread
+grew discontented and angry, till at last all the people went about
+grumbling and complaining, or else shedding tears outright. Only the baker
+himself was cheerful and merry, and sang as he kneaded his dough, and sold
+it to his customers with a light heart, for his trade had never been so
+good. Every atom of bread he made was sold at once, so he cared not one
+whit for the trouble of the other people, and laughed to himself when he
+heard them complaining, and thought of the words of the dark little elf.
+
+One day as he stood kneading at the door and whistling to himself, the
+doctor walked past and looked angrily at him.
+
+"What on earth are you making that whistling for?" he asked. "I declare one
+would think that you were as happy as a man could be."
+
+"And so I am," said the baker, "And so I should think were you too, for you
+have nothing to trouble you."
+
+"Nothing to trouble me, forsooth!" cried the doctor in a rage. "How dare
+you insult me in this way? I tell you what it is, my fine fellow, I think
+you are very impertinent, and if I have any more of your impudence I will
+take my stick and thrash you soundly. It really is not to be borne, that
+one man should be allowed to tell another that he has nothing to complain
+of."
+
+"Nay, _you_ can have as much to complain of as you like, so long as I have
+not," cried the baker, and he laughed loudly. This only made the doctor
+angrier still, and he was just going to seize the baker when up came the
+farmer.
+
+"Was there ever such a village as this?" he cried. "It is not fit for any
+one to live in, there is always such fighting and quarrelling going on.
+What is the matter here?"
+
+"Matter enough," cried the doctor. "Here is a fellow dares to tell me I
+have nothing to complain of, nor he either."
+
+"This is monstrous!" said the farmer; "he deserves to be hung. How dares he
+say such a thing on such a wretched day as this, with such a blue sky and
+such a bright sun?"
+
+"Why, Master Farmer," cried the baker, "yesterday you grumbled because it
+was raining, and now you grumble because it is fine."
+
+"And I tell you that it is enough to make one grumble," said the farmer.
+"It should have been fair yesterday, and should have rained to-day. You
+ought to be ashamed of such talk, Master Baker, and I think it would serve
+you justly right if we took you before the Justice and let us see what he
+thinks of your conduct."
+
+"Nay!" cried the baker, beginning to be frightened, "what have I done that
+I am to be taken before the Justice?"
+
+"What have you done, indeed!" said the doctor. "We will see if the Justice
+cannot find that out pretty quickly." So they seized the baker and dragged
+him away in spite of himself, and as they pulled him through the village
+the people thronged about them, and followed till there was quite a large
+crowd.
+
+The Justice sat at his door smoking a pipe, with tears in his eyes.
+
+"Now what is all this uproar for?" cried he. "Am I never to be left in
+peace? How hard is the life of a Justice!" but he got up and came out on
+the steps to meet them.
+
+"See here," cried the doctor; "here is a man who says he has nothing to
+complain of, and we have brought him to you, to know if he is to be
+punished, or to be allowed to go on talking like this."
+
+"Certainly not," cried the Justice, "or we shall soon have the whole
+village in an uproar. Let him be taken to the market-place, and I will
+order that he be publicly flogged by the soldiers."
+
+At this the poor baker burst out crying, and entreated to be let off,
+saying that now indeed he had plenty to complain of, but at this the
+justice was angrier still. "Then," said he, "you certainly deserve to be
+flogged for having told an untruth before, when you said you had not. Take
+him away, and do as I bid."
+
+So they dragged the baker off to the market-place, and made a ring round
+him, so that he could not escape, and then there came down two or three
+soldiers with ropes in their hands, and they seized him, and began to beat
+him before all the crowd.
+
+But by this time all the people were so enraged against him, that a number
+of them cried, "Let us go to his house and pull it down." So off they ran
+to the baker's house, and broke the windows and knocked about the
+furniture, and then some of them fell on the oven, and wrenched off the
+door, and others seized the pokers and tongs, and smashed in its sides, and
+in the hurry and scuffle, the little dark man crept out of the oven and
+scuttled away unseen by any one. But no sooner had he gone than a great
+change came across the people.
+
+The soldiers on the green stopped beating the baker, and looked at each
+other aghast, and the Justice called out,
+
+"Stop! What is all this uproar about? And what has this man done that you
+are beating him without my orders?" and the people in the crowd whispered
+to each other; "It is true,--what has he done?" and they slunk away,
+looking ashamed.
+
+The Justice also at first looked somewhat ashamed of himself, but he drew
+himself up, and looking very important, said, "There, my man, you are
+forgiven for this once, and now go your way, and see that you behave better
+in future;" and then he walked away with much dignity.
+
+So the baker was left alone in the market-place, and he cried for rage and
+pain.
+
+"This all comes of the oven imp," cried he, as he limped home. "Directly I
+get home I will drive him out of my oven, and away from my house. Better to
+have a hundred batches of bread spoiled than to be flogged for saying one
+is happy." But when he reached his house the little dark man was nowhere to
+be found; there was nought but the broken oven with its sides battered in.
+
+The baker mended the oven, and from that time forth his bread was just like
+other people's; but for all that he had learnt to be quite contented, for
+now he knew that there were worse things than having his loaves burnt
+black, and he was only too well pleased to take his chance with other
+people, without the help of fairy folk. As for the little black imp, he was
+never heard of more, and the people in the village soon recovered their
+good humour, and were just as happy and contented as they had been before
+they tasted the bread of discontent.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+YE THREE CLEVER KINGS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Old King Roland lay upon his death-bed, and as he had no son to reign after
+him he sent for his three nephews, Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete, and
+addressed them as follows:--
+
+"My dear nephews, I feel that my days are now drawing to an end, and one of
+you will have to be King when I am dead. But there is no pleasure in being
+King. My people have been difficult to govern and never content with what I
+did for them, so that my life has been a hard one, and though I have
+watched you all closely, still I know not, which is most fit to wear the
+crown; so my wish is that you should each try it in turn. You, Aldovrand,
+as you are the oldest, shall be King first, and if you reign happily, all
+well and good; but if you fail, let Aldebert take your place; and if he
+fail, let him give it up to Alderete, and then you will know which is the
+best fitted to govern."
+
+On this the three young men all thanked their uncle, and each one declared
+that he would do his best, and soon after old King Roland died and was
+buried with great state and ceremony.
+
+So now Aldovrand was to be King, and he was crowned, and there were great
+rejoicings everywhere.
+
+"'Tis a fine thing to be King," cried he in much glee; "Now I can amuse
+myself and do just as I please, and there will be no one to stop me, and I
+will lie in bed as late as I like in the morning, for who dares blame one,
+if one is King?"
+
+Next morning the Prime Minister and the Chancellor came to the palace to
+see the new King and settle affairs of state, but they were told that his
+majesty was in bed and had given orders that no one should disturb him.
+
+"This is a bad beginning," sighed the Prime Minister.
+
+"Very bad," echoed the Chancellor.
+
+When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at
+battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry
+at being interrupted in his game.
+
+"A pretty thing," he cried, "That I the King am to be sent for hither and
+thither as if I were a lacquey. They must go away and come another time;"
+and on hearing this the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked graver still.
+
+But next morning there came the Commander-in-Chief and the Lord High
+Admiral, as well as the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, all wanting to
+have an audience with the King, and as he was not out of bed and they could
+not wait any longer, they all stood outside his bedroom door, and knocked
+to gain admittance, and at last he came out in a towering rage, and
+throwing them his crown, cried,
+
+"Here, let one of my cousins be King, for I will not bear this longer. It
+is much more trouble than it is worth, so Aldebert or Alderete may try it
+and see how they like it, but as for me, I have had enough of it," and he
+ran downstairs and out of the palace door, leaving the Prime Minister and
+the Chancellor and the General and Admiral staring at each other in dismay.
+
+Aldovrand walked out of the town unnoticed, and turned towards the country,
+whistling cheerily to himself. When he had gone some way in the fields, he
+came to a farmhouse, and in a meadow near, the farmer stood talking to his
+men. Aldovrand went straight up to him, and, touching his hat, asked if he
+could give him any work.
+
+"Work?" cried the farmer, little thinking he was talking to his late king.
+"Why, what sort of work can you do?"
+
+"Well," said Aldovrand, "I am not very fond of running about, but if you
+want any one to mind your sheep, or keep the birds from your corn, I could
+do that nicely."
+
+"I tell you what you can do if you like," said the farmer. "I am wanting a
+goose-boy to take care of my geese. See, there they are on the common. All
+you will have to do is to see that they don't stray away, and to drive them
+in at night."
+
+"That will suit me exactly," cried Aldovrand. "I will begin at once;" and
+he went straight on to the common, and when he had collected the geese
+together lay down to watch them in high good humour.
+
+"This is capital," he cried, "and much better than being King at the
+palace. Here there is no Prime Minister or Chancellor to come worrying;"
+and he lay watching the geese all day very contentedly.
+
+When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor knew that Aldovrand was really
+gone, they went in a great hurry to Aldebert to tell him that it was his
+turn to be King. But when he heard how his cousin had run away, he looked
+frightened.
+
+"I will do my best," quoth he; "but I really know very little about the
+matter. However, you must tell me, and I will do whatever you direct."
+
+At hearing this the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were delighted.
+
+"Now we have got the right sort of King," they said; and both wagged their
+heads with joy.
+
+So King Aldebert was crowned, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.
+
+Early next morning he was up all ready to receive his Ministers, and first
+came the Prime Minister.
+
+"Your Majesty," said he, "I come to you on an affair of much importance. A
+great part of our city is falling down, and it is very necessary that we
+should rebuild it at once. If you will command it, therefore, I will see
+that it is done."
+
+"I have no doubt you are right," said the King; "pray let them begin
+building at once;" and the Prime Minister went away delighted.
+
+Scarcely had he gone when in came the Commander-in-Chief.
+
+"Your Majesty," said he, "I wish to lay before you the state of our army.
+Our soldiers have had a great deal of fighting to do lately, and are
+beginning to be discontented, but the late King, your uncle, would never
+attend to their wants."
+
+"Pray do what you like," said King Aldebert.
+
+"To satisfy them," said the Commander-in-Chief, "I think that we should
+double their pay. This would keep them in a good humour, and all will go
+well."
+
+"By all means, that will certainly be the best way," said Aldebert. "Let it
+be given to them at once;" and on hearing this, the Commander-in-Chief went
+away right merrily.
+
+When he had gone, there came in the Chancellor with a long face.
+
+"Your Majesty," he said, "I have this morning been to the treasury, and I
+find that there is scarcely any money left. The late King, your uncle,
+spent so much in spite of all I could say, that now it is almost all gone.
+Your Majesty must now save all you can for the next year or two, and you
+ought also to lower the soldiers' pay, and stop all public works."
+
+"I have no doubt you are quite right," cried the King. "You know best, let
+it be done as you wish."
+
+But next morning in came the Prime Minister with a frowning face. "How is
+this, your Majesty?" cried he. "Just as we are beginning our buildings, the
+Chancellor comes and tells us that we are not to have any money to build
+with." He had not done speaking when the Commander-in-Chief burst into the
+room unable to conceal his rage.
+
+"Yesterday your Majesty told me that all the soldiers should have double
+pay, and this morning I hear, that instead of that, their wages are to be
+lowered!" Here he was interrupted by the Chancellor, who came running in
+looking much excited,
+
+"Your Majesty," he cried, "did you not yesterday say we were now to begin
+saving, and that I was not to allow any more money to be spent, and that
+the army must do with less pay?"
+
+And then all three began to quarrel among themselves. When he saw how angry
+they were, King Aldebert took off his crown and said, "I am sure you are
+each of you quite right; but I think I am scarcely fit to be a King. Indeed
+I think you had better find my cousin Alderete, and let him be crowned, and
+I will seek my fortune elsewhere." And he had slipped out of the room, and
+run downstairs and out of the palace, before they could stop him.
+
+He went briskly down the highroad into the country, the same way that
+Aldovrand had gone.
+
+After he had gone some way, he met a travelling tinker who sat by the
+roadside mending tin cans, with his little fire at his side.
+
+Aldebert stood watching him, and at last said, "How cleverly you mend those
+holes! You must lead a pleasant life, going from house to house in the
+green lanes mending wares. Do you think I could learn how to do it if you
+would teach me?"
+
+The tinker, who was an old man, looked at him and said,
+
+"Well, I don't mind giving you a trial if you like to come with me, for I
+want a strong young man sometimes to help me wheel my little cart, and
+I'll teach you my trade, and we'll see what you can make of it."
+
+So Aldebert was delighted, and went with the tinker.
+
+When they knew he was really gone the Prime Minister and the Chancellor
+looked at each other in dismay.
+
+"This will never do," cried they; "we must go at once to Prince Alderete;
+and let us hope he may do better than his cousins."
+
+When Prince Alderete heard that it was his turn to reign he jumped for joy.
+
+"Now," cried he, "at last I will show what a king should really be like. My
+cousins were neither of them any good, but they shall now see how different
+I will be."
+
+So he was crowned, and again there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.
+
+Next day he sat in state to receive the Chancellor and Prime Minister and
+hear what they had to say.
+
+"My friends," said he to them, "a good King ought to be like a father to
+his people, and this is what I mean to be. I mean to arrange everything
+for them myself, and if they will only obey me, and do as I direct, they
+are sure to be both prosperous and happy."
+
+On hearing this both Prime Minister and Chancellor looked anxious, and the
+Chancellor said,
+
+"I fear, your Majesty, your people will not like to be too much meddled
+with." At this the King was very angry, and bid them see about their own
+business, and not presume to teach him his.
+
+When they had gone he went to take a drive in his city, that he might see
+it and know it well; but directly he returned to the palace he sent for the
+Prime Minister, and when he had arrived, said,
+
+"I already see much to be altered in my kingdom. I do not like the houses
+in which many of the people dwell, nor indeed the dresses they wear; but
+what strikes me most of all is, that wherever I go I smell a strong smell
+of pea soup. Now, nothing is so unwholesome as pea soup, and therefore it
+would not be right in me to allow the people to go on eating it. I
+command, therefore, that no one shall again make, or eat pea soup, within
+my realm on pain of death."
+
+Again the Prime Minister looked very grave, and began to say,
+
+"Your Majesty, your subjects will surely not like to be hindered from
+eating and drinking what pleases them!" But the King cried out in a rage,
+
+"Go at once and do as I bid you." So the Prime Minister had to obey.
+
+Early next morning when the King arose he heard a great hubbub under his
+window, and when he went to see what it was, he saw a vast mob of people
+all shouting, "The King, the King! Where is this King who would dictate to
+us what we shall eat and drink?"
+
+When he saw them he was terribly frightened, and at once sent off for the
+Prime Minister and Chancellor to come to his aid.
+
+"Pray go and tell them to eat what they like," he cried when they arrived;
+"But, do you know, I find it will not at all suit me to be King. You had
+best try Aldovrand, or Aldebert, again;" and, so saying, he took off his
+crown and laid it down, and slipped away out of the palace before either
+Prime Minister or Chancellor could stop him.
+
+He went out of the back door, and ran, and ran, and ran, till he had left
+the town far behind, and came to the country fields and lanes--the same way
+that his two cousins had gone; and as he went he met a sweep trudging along
+carrying his long brooms over his shoulder.
+
+"My friend," cried Alderete, stopping him, "Of all things in the world I
+should like to be a sweep and learn how to sweep chimneys. May I go with
+you, and will you teach me your trade?"
+
+The sweep looked surprised, but said, "Yes, Alderete could go with him if
+he chose, and as he was now going on to the farmhouses, on the road, to
+sweep the chimneys, he could begin at once." So Alderete went with the
+sweep, carrying some of his brooms for him.
+
+After a time the people outside the palace grew quiet, when they heard that
+the King would not interfere with them further. And when all was again
+still, the Prime Minister and Chancellor went to seek the King, but he was
+nowhere to be found in the palace.
+
+"This will never do," cried they. "We must have a King somehow, so we had
+best have back one of the others." So they started to look for Aldovrand or
+Aldebert.
+
+They sought them all over the city, and at last they came into the same
+country road down which the three cousins had gone, and there they saw
+Aldovrand lying in a meadow watching his flock of geese.
+
+"Good day, my friends," cried he when he saw them; "And how are things
+going on at the palace? I hope my cousins like reigning better than I did.
+Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese, and it is much
+nicer than being King."
+
+Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor told him all that had happened, and
+begged that he would come back with them to the palace again, but at this
+Aldovrand laughed outright.
+
+[Illustration: "Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King."--P. 170.]
+
+"No indeed!" cried he, "I would not be King again for any man living. You
+had best go and seek my cousin Aldebert, and ask him. I saw him go down the
+road with a tinker, helping him to mend his tins. So go and ask him, and
+leave me to mind my geese in peace."
+
+So the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor had to seek still farther.
+
+They trudged on and on, till at last they met Aldebert, who sat by the side
+of the road mending a tin kettle, and whistling cheerily.
+
+"Heyday, whom have we here?" cried he. "The Prime Minister and the
+Chancellor! And I am right glad to see you both. See how clever I have
+grown; I am learning to be a tinker, and I mended that hole all myself."
+
+Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor begged him to leave his pots, and
+come back to the palace and be King, but he fell to work again, harder than
+ever, and said,
+
+"No indeed; go and ask my cousins, who are both much cleverer than I. I
+really don't do for it at all, but I make a very good tinker, and I like
+that much better."
+
+"Then what can we do?" cried the Prime Minister, "for we don't know where
+Alderete has gone."
+
+"I saw him go by here with a sweep a little time ago," said Aldebert; "and
+he went into that farmhouse yonder, so you had best seek him there."
+
+So the Prime Minister and the Chancellor went on to the farmhouse. At the
+door stood the farmer's wife, but when they asked her if she had seen the
+King go by, she stared with surprise.
+
+"Nay," said she; "no one has been here but our sweep and his apprentice. He
+is in there sweeping the chimney now." On hearing this, the Prime Minister
+and Chancellor at once ran into the farmhouse, and saw the old sweep
+standing by the kitchen fire-place. "And where is the other sweep?" cried
+they. "He is gone up the chimney, and is just going to begin sweeping,"
+said the old man. "So if you want to speak to him you must shout." So they
+shouted and called,
+
+"King Alderete, King Alderete!" as loud as ever they could, but he did not
+hear. Then the Chancellor knelt in front of the grate, and put his head up
+the chimney, and called,
+
+"King Alderete, King Alderete! It is the Prime Minister and I, the
+Chancellor, come to fetch your Majesty back to the palace."
+
+When Alderete heard him up the chimney, he trembled in every limb, but he
+replied,
+
+"I'm not going to come down; I don't want to be King. I am going to be a
+sweep, and I like that much better. I shan't come down till you are gone
+away, and now you had best go quickly, for I am going to begin sweeping,
+and all the soot will fall on your head," and then they heard the rattle of
+the broom in the chimney, and a whole shower of soot fell on the
+Chancellor's head.
+
+The Prime Minister and the Chancellor turned back to the city very
+disconsolately. "We must go and look for a King elsewhere," they said. "It
+is no use troubling about Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete." So they left
+the one to his geese, and one to his tins, and the other to sweep chimneys,
+and that was the end of the three clever Kings.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE WISE PRINCESS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once upon a time lived a King whose wife was dead and who had one little
+daughter who was named Fernanda. She was very good and pretty, but when she
+was a child she vexed all her ladies by asking them questions about
+everything she saw.
+
+"Your Highness should not wish to know too much," they told her, whereat
+Princess Fernanda threw up her little head, and said,
+
+"I want to know everything."
+
+As she grew up she had masters and mistresses to teach her, and learnt
+every language and every science; but still she said, "It is not enough; I
+want to know more."
+
+In a deep cave underground there lived an old Wizard who was so wise that
+his face was well-nigh black with wrinkles, and his long white beard flowed
+to his feet. He knew all sorts of magic, and every day and night sat poring
+over his books till now there seemed to be nothing left for him to learn.
+
+One night after every one was asleep, Princess Fernanda rose and slipped
+softly down the stairs and out of the palace unheard by any one, and stole
+away to the Wizard's cave.
+
+The old man was sitting on his low stool reading out of an immense book by
+a dim green light, but he raised his eyes as the Princess entered at the
+low doorway, and looked at her. She wore a blue and silver robe, but her
+bright hair was unbound, and fell in ripples to her waist.
+
+"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" he asked shortly.
+
+"I am the Princess Fernanda," she said, "and I wish to be your pupil. Teach
+me all you know."
+
+"Why do you wish for that?" said the Wizard: "you will not be better or
+happier for it."
+
+"I am not happy now," said the Princess sighing wearily. "Teach me and you
+shall find me an apt pupil, and I will pay you with gold."
+
+"I will not have your gold," said the Wizard, "but come to me every night
+at this hour, and in three years you shall know all I do."
+
+So every night the Princess went down to the Wizard's cave while all the
+court were sleeping. And the people wondered at her more and more, and
+said, "How much she knows! How wise she is!"
+
+When the three years had gone by the Wizard said to her, "Go! I can teach
+you no more now. You are as wise as I." Then the Princess thanked him and
+went back to her father's palace.
+
+She was very wise. She knew the languages of all animals. The fishes came
+from the deep at her call, and the birds from the trees. She could tell
+when the winds would rise, and when the sea would be still. She could have
+turned her enemies to stone, or given untold wealth to her friends. But
+for all that, when she smiled, her lips were very sad, and her eyes were
+always full of care. She said she was weary, and her father thought she was
+sick, and would have sent for the physicians, but she stopped him.
+
+"How should physicians help me, my father," she said, "seeing that I know
+more than they?"
+
+One night, a year after she had taken her last lesson from the Wizard, she
+arose and returned to his cave, and he raised his eyes and saw her standing
+before him as formerly.
+
+"What do you want?" he said. "I have taught you all I know."
+
+"You have taught me much," she said, falling on her knees beside him, "yet
+I am ignorant of one thing--teach me that also--_how to be happy_.'
+
+"Nay," said the Wizard with a very mournful smile; "I cannot teach you
+that, for I do not know it myself. Go and ask it of them who know and are
+wiser than I."
+
+[Illustration: "Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore."--P. 178.]
+
+Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the sea-shore. All
+that night she spent sitting on a rock that jutted out into the sea,
+watching the wild sky and the moon coming and going behind the clouds. The
+sea dashed up around her, and the wind blew, but she did not fear them, and
+when the sun rose the waters were still and the wind fell. A skylark rose
+from the fields and flew straight up to heaven, singing as though his heart
+would burst with pure joy.
+
+"Surely that bird is happy," said the Princess to herself; and she called
+it in its own tongue.
+
+"Why do you sing?" she asked.
+
+"I sing because I am so happy," answered the lark.
+
+"And why are you so happy?" asked the Princess.
+
+"So happy?" said the lark. "God is so good. The sky is so blue, and the
+fields are so green. Is that not enough to make me happy?"
+
+"Teach me, then, that I may be happy too," said Princess Fernanda.
+
+"I cannot," said the lark; "I don't know how to teach;" and then he rose,
+singing, into the blue overhead, and Princess Fernanda sighed and turned
+back towards the palace.
+
+Outside her door she met her little lap-dog, who barked and jumped for joy
+on seeing her.
+
+"Little dog," she said; "poor little dog, are you so glad to see me? Why
+are you so happy?"
+
+"Why am I so happy?" said the little dog, surprised. "I have plenty to eat,
+and a soft cushion to rest upon, and you to caress me. Is not it enough to
+make me happy?"
+
+"It is not enough for me," said the Princess, sighing; but the little dog
+only wagged his tail and licked her hand.
+
+Inside her room was the Princess's favourite little maid Doris, folding up
+her dresses.
+
+"Doris," she said, "you look very merry. Why are you so happy?"
+
+"Please your Royal Highness, I am going to the fair," answered Doris, "and
+Luke is to meet me there; only," she added, pouting a little, "I wish I had
+a pretty new hat to wear with my new dress."
+
+"Then you are not perfectly happy, so you cannot teach me," said Princess
+Fernanda, and then she sighed again.
+
+In the evening at sunset she arose, and went out into the village, and at
+the door of the first cottage to which she came, sat a woman nursing a
+baby, and hushing it to sleep. The baby was fat and rosy, and the mother
+looked down at it proudly.
+
+The Princess stopped, and spoke to her.
+
+"You have a fine little child there," she said. "Surely you must be very
+happy."
+
+The woman smiled.
+
+"Yes," she said, "so I am; only just now my goodman is out fishing, and as
+he's rather late, it makes me anxious."
+
+"Then you could not teach me," said the Princess, sighing to herself as she
+moved away. She wandered on till she came to a church, which she entered.
+All was still within, for the church was empty; but before the altar, on a
+splendid bier, lay the body of a young man, who had been killed in the war.
+He was dressed in his gay uniform, and his breast was covered with medals,
+and his sword lay beside him. He was shot through the heart, but his face
+was peaceful and his lips were smiling. The Princess walked to his side,
+and looked at the quiet face. Then she stooped and kissed the cold
+forehead, and envied the soldier. "If he could speak," she said, "he surely
+could teach me. No living mouth could ever smile like that." Then she
+looked up and saw a white angel standing on the other side of the bier, and
+she knew it was Death.
+
+"You have taught him," she said, holding out her arms. "Will you not teach
+me to smile like that?"
+
+"Nay," said Death, pointing to the medals on the dead man's breast, "I
+taught him whilst he was doing his duty. I cannot teach you." And so saying
+he vanished from her sight.
+
+She went out from the church down to the sea-shore. There was a high sea,
+and a great wind, a little child had been playing on a row of rocks, and
+had slipped off them into the water, and was struggling among the waves,
+and would soon be drowned, for he was beyond his depth in the water.
+
+When the Princess saw him, she plunged into the water and swam to where the
+child was, and taking him in her arms, placed him safely on the rocks
+again, but the waves were so strong that she could scarcely keep above
+them. As she tried to seize the rocks, she saw Death coming over the water
+towards her, and she turned to meet him gladly.
+
+"Now," said he, clasping her in his arms, "I will teach you all you want to
+know;" and he drew her under the water, and she died.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Kings servants found her lying on the shore, with her face white and
+her lips cold, but smiling as they had never smiled before, and her face
+was very calm. They carried her home, and she was laid out in great state,
+covered with gold and silver.
+
+"She was so wise," sobbed her little maid, as she placed flowers in the
+cold hand, "she knew everything."
+
+"Not everything," said the skylark from the window; "for she asked me,
+ignorant though I am, to teach her how to be happy."
+
+"That was the one thing I could not teach her," said the old Wizard,
+looking at the dead Princess's face. "Yet I think now she must be wiser
+than I, and have learned that too. For see how she smiles."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, _Edinburgh_.
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS
+FIORIMONDE, AND OTHER STORIES ***
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/38976-h/38976-h.htm b/38976-h/38976-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e959ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/38976-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,3833 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Necklace Of Princess Fiorimonde, by Mary De Morgan.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+    hr { width: 33%;
+	 margin-top: 2em;
+	 margin-bottom: 2em;
+         margin-left: auto;
+         margin-right: auto;
+         clear: both;
+       }
+
+    table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
+
+    body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+        }
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .tocnum  {position: absolute; top: auto; right: 10%;}
+    .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;}
+
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+    .caption  {font-weight: bold;}
+
+img.cap { float:left;
+        margin: 0 0.5em 0 0;
+        position:relative; }
+p.cap_1 { text-indent: -2em; }
+p.cap_2 { text-indent: -1.2em; }
+p.cap_3 { text-indent: -0.9em; }
+div.drop p { margin-bottom:0; }
+
+    .figcenter   {margin: auto; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figleft     {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top:
+                 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figright    {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;
+                 margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+
+    .poem             {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem span.i0     {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i2     {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE, AND OTHER STORIES ***</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 470px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="470" height="650" alt="Cover" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h1>THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE</h1>
+
+<h2>AND OTHER STORIES</h2>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><a name="front" id="front"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 446px;">
+<img src="images/frontis.jpg" width="446" height="650" alt="&quot;She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.&quot;&mdash;Frontispiece." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.&quot;&mdash;Frontispiece.</span>
+</div>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 481px;">
+<img src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="481" height="650" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h1>THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE;</h1>
+
+<h2>AND OTHER STORIES</h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>MARY DE MORGAN</h2>
+
+<h4>[<i>Author of "On a Pincushion"</i>]</h4>
+
+<h4>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY</h4>
+
+<h3>WALTER CRANE</h3>
+
+<p class="center">
+LONDON:<br />
+MACMILLAN &amp; CO:<br />
+1880<br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="center">
+TO<br />
+<br />
+MY SIX LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES<br />
+<br />
+THESE STORIES ARE AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED<br />
+<br />
+BY<br />
+<br />
+THEIR LOVING AUNT<br />
+<br />
+MARY DE MORGAN<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+<span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Wanderings of Arasmon</span>              <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_43'>43</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Heart of Princess Joan</span>             <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_79'>79</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Pedlar's Pack</span>                     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Bread of Discontent</span>               <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Three Clever Kings</span>                <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Wise Princess</span>                     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+1. <i><a href="#front">Frontispiece</a>.</i><br />
+<span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+<br />
+2. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial Letter, "Princess Fiorimonde"</span>       <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></span><br />
+<br />
+3. <span class="smcap">The Princess and her Looking-Glass</span>       <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_28'>29</a></span><br />
+<br />
+4. <span class="smcap">Gervaise with the Necklace</span>                             <span class="tocnum">"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#Page_39'>39</a></span><br />
+<br />
+5. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                               <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_42'>42</a></span><br />
+<br />
+6. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial Letter, "The Wanderings of Arasmon"</span> <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_43'>43</a></span><br />
+<br />
+7. <span class="smcap">Arasmon and Chrysea playing to the Villagers</span>  <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_44'>44</a></span><br />
+<br />
+8. <span class="smcap">Arasmon playing before the King</span>                    <span class="tocnum">"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#Page_66'>66</a></span><br />
+<br />
+9. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                                   <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_78'>78</a></span><br />
+<br />
+10. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Heart of Princess Joan"</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_79'>79</a></span><br />
+<br />
+11. <span class="smcap">The Prince and the Wizard</span>      <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_86'>87</a></span><br />
+<br />
+12. <span class="smcap">The Prison Window</span>                   <span class="tocnum">"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#Page_128'>128</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span>13. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                              <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_130'>130</a></span><br />
+<br />
+14. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial Letter, "The Pedlar's Pack"</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></span><br />
+<br />
+15. <span class="smcap">The Pedlar and the Donkey</span>       <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_131'>130</a></span><br />
+<br />
+16. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_139'>139</a></span><br />
+<br />
+17. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Bread of Discontent"</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></span><br />
+<br />
+18. <span class="smcap">The Imp and the Baker</span>               <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_140'>141</a></span><br />
+<br />
+19. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_156'>156</a></span><br />
+<br />
+20. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Three Clever Kings"</span>       <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></span><br />
+<br />
+21. <span class="smcap">The Three Clever Kings</span>           <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></span><br />
+<br />
+22. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_174'>174</a></span><br />
+<br />
+23. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Wise Princess"</span>            <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></span><br />
+<br />
+24. <span class="smcap">The Wise Princess on the Sea-shore</span>   <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></span><br />
+<br />
+25. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_184'>184</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/tree.jpg" width="200" height="233" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i014.jpg" width="600" height="204" alt="THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o1.jpg" width="125" height="129" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">
+Once there lived a King, whose wife was dead, but who had a most beautiful
+daughter&mdash;so beautiful that every one thought she must be good as well,
+instead of which the Princess was really very wicked, and practised
+witchcraft and black magic, which she had learned from an old witch who
+lived in a hut on the side of a lonely mountain. This old witch was wicked
+and hideous, and no one but the King's daughter knew that she lived there;
+but at night, when every one else was asleep, the Princess, whose name was
+Fiorimonde, used to visit her by stealth to learn sorcery.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> It was only the
+witch's arts which had made Fiorimonde so beautiful that there was no one
+like her in the world, and in return the Princess helped her with all her
+tricks, and never told any one she was there.</p></div>
+
+<p>The time came when the King began to think he should like his daughter to
+marry, so he summoned his council and said, "We have no son to reign after
+our death, so we had best seek for a suitable prince to marry to our royal
+daughter, and then, when we are too old, he shall be king in our stead."
+And all the council said he was very wise, and it would be well for the
+Princess to marry. So heralds were sent to all the neighbouring kings and
+princes to say that the King would choose a husband for the Princess, who
+should be king after him. But when Fiorimonde heard this she wept with
+rage, for she knew quite well that if she had a husband he would find out
+how she went to visit the old witch, and would stop her practising magic,
+and then she would lose her beauty.</p>
+
+<p>When night came, and every one in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> palace was fast asleep, the Princess
+went to her bedroom window and softly opened it. Then she took from her
+pocket a handful of peas and held them out of the window and chirruped low,
+and there flew down from the roof a small brown bird and sat upon her wrist
+and began to eat the peas. No sooner had it swallowed them than it began to
+grow and grow and grow till it was so big that the Princess could not hold
+it, but let it stand on the window-sill, and still it grew and grew and
+grew till it was as large as an ostrich. Then the Princess climbed out of
+the window and seated herself on the bird's back, and at once it flew
+straight away over the tops of the trees till it came to the mountain where
+the old witch dwelt, and stopped in front of the door of her hut.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess jumped off, and muttered some words through the keyhole, when
+a croaking voice from within called,</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you come to-night? Have I not told you I wished to be left alone
+for thirteen nights; why do you disturb me?"</p>
+
+<p>"But I beg of you to let me in," said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> Princess, "for I am in trouble
+and want your help."</p>
+
+<p>"Come in then," said the voice; and the door flew open, and the Princess
+trod into the hut, in the middle of which, wrapped in a gray cloak which
+almost hid her, sat the witch. Princess Fiorimonde sat down near her, and
+told her, her story. How the King wished her to marry, and had sent word to
+the neighbouring princes, that they might make offers for her.</p>
+
+<p>"This is truly bad hearing," croaked the witch, "but we shall beat them
+yet; and you must deal with each Prince as he comes. Would you like them to
+become dogs, to come at your call, or birds, to fly in the air, and sing of
+your beauty, or will you make them all into beads, the beads of such a
+necklace as never woman wore before, so that they may rest upon your neck,
+and you may take them with you always."</p>
+
+<p>"The necklace! the necklace!" cried the Princess, clapping her hands with
+joy. "That will be best of all, to sling them upon a string<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> and wear them
+around my throat. Little will the courtiers know whence come my new
+jewels."</p>
+
+<p>"But this is a dangerous play," quoth the witch, "for, unless you are very
+careful, you yourself may become a bead and hang upon the string with the
+others, and there you will remain till some one cuts the string, and draws
+you off."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, never fear," said the Princess, "I will be careful, only tell me what
+to do, and I will have great princes and kings to adorn me, and all their
+greatness shall not help them."</p>
+
+<p>Then the witch dipped her hand into a black bag which stood on the ground
+beside her, and drew out a long gold thread.</p>
+
+<p>The ends were joined together, but no one could see the joins, and however
+much you pulled, it would not break. It would easily go over Fiorimonde's
+head, and the witch slipped it on her neck saying,</p>
+
+<p>"Now mind, while this hangs here you are safe enough, but if once you join
+your fingers around the string you too will meet the fate of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> your lovers,
+and hang upon it yourself. As for the kings and princes who would marry
+you, all you have to do is to make them close their fingers around the
+chain, and at once they will be strung upon it as bright hard beads, and
+there they shall remain, till it is cut and they drop off."</p>
+
+<p>"This is really delightful," cried the Princess; "and I am already quite
+impatient for the first to come that I may try."</p>
+
+<p>"And now," said the witch, "since you are here, and there is yet time, we
+will have a dance, and I will summon the guests." So saying, she took from
+a corner a drum and a pair of drum-sticks, and going to the door, began to
+beat upon it. It made a terrible rattling. In a moment came flying through
+the air all sorts of forms. There were little dark elves with long tails,
+and goblins who chattered and laughed, and other witches who rode on
+broom-sticks. There was one wicked fairy in the form of a large cat, with
+bright green eyes, and another came sliding in like a long shining viper.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then, when all had arrived, the witch stopped drumming, and, going to the
+middle of the hut, stamped on the floor, and a trap-door opened in the
+ground. The old witch stepped through it, and led the way down a narrow
+dark passage, to a large underground chamber, and all her strange guests
+followed, and here they all danced and made merry in a terrible way, but at
+first sound of cock-crow all the guests disappeared with a whiff, and the
+Princess hastened up the dark passage again, and out of the hut to where
+her big bird still waited for her, and mounting its back she flew home in a
+trice. Then, when she had stepped in at her bedroom window, she poured into
+a cup from a small black bottle, a few drops of magic water, and gave it to
+the bird to drink, and as it sipped it grew smaller, and smaller, till at
+last it had quite regained its natural size, and hopped on to the roof as
+before, and the Princess shut her window, and got into bed, and fell
+asleep, and no one knew of her strange journey, or where she had been.</p>
+
+<p>Next day Fiorimonde declared to her father<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> the King, that she was quite
+willing to wed any prince he should fix upon as a husband for her, at which
+he was much pleased, and soon after informed her, that a young king was
+coming from over the sea to be her husband. He was king of a large rich
+country, and would take back his bride with him to his home. He was called
+King Pierrot. Great preparations were made for his arrival, and the
+Princess was decked in her finest array to greet him, and when he came all
+the courtiers said, "This is truly a proper husband for our beautiful
+Princess," for he was strong and handsome, with black hair, and eyes like
+sloes. King Pierrot was delighted with Fiorimonde's beauty, and was happy
+as the day is long; and all things went merrily till the evening before the
+marriage. A great feast was held, at which the Princess looked lovelier
+than ever dressed in a red gown, the colour of the inside of a rose, but
+she wore no jewels nor ornaments of any kind, save one shining gold string
+round her milk-white throat.</p>
+
+<p>When the feast was done, the Princess stepped from her golden chair at her
+father's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> side, and walked softly into the garden, and stood under an
+elm-tree looking at the shining moon. In a few moments King Pierrot
+followed her, and stood beside her, looking at her and wondering at her
+beauty.</p>
+
+<p>"To-morrow, then, my sweet Princess, you will be my Queen, and share all I
+possess. What gift would you wish me to give you on our wedding day?"</p>
+
+<p>"I would have a necklace wrought of the finest gold and jewels to be found,
+and just the length of this gold cord which I wear around my throat,"
+answered Princess Fiorimonde.</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you wear that cord?" asked King Pierrot; "it has no jewel nor
+ornament about it."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, but there is no cord like mine in all the world," cried Fiorimonde,
+and her eyes sparkled wickedly as she spoke; "it is as light as a feather,
+but stronger than an iron chain. Take it in both hands and try to break it,
+that you may see how strong it is;" and King Pierrot took the cord in both
+hands to pull it hard; but no sooner were his fingers closed around it than
+he vanished like a puff of smoke,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> and on the cord appeared a bright,
+beautiful bead&mdash;so bright and beautiful as was never bead before&mdash;clear as
+crystal, but shining with all colours&mdash;green, blue, and gold.</p>
+
+<p>Princess Fiorimonde gazed down at it and laughed aloud.</p>
+
+<p>"Aha, my proud lover! are you there?" she cried with glee; "my necklace
+bids fair to beat all others in the world," and she caressed the bead with
+the tips of her soft, white fingers, but was careful that they did not
+close round the string. Then she returned into the banqueting hall, and
+spoke to the King.</p>
+
+<p>"Pray, sire," said she, "send some one at once to find King Pierrot, for,
+as he was talking to me a minute ago, he suddenly left me, and I am afraid
+lest I may have given him offence, or perhaps he is ill."</p>
+
+<p>The King desired that the servants should seek for King Pierrot all over
+the grounds, and seek him they did, but nowhere was he to be found, and the
+old King looked offended.</p>
+
+<p>"Doubtless he will be ready to-morrow in time for the wedding," quoth he,
+"but we are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> not best pleased that he should treat us in this way."</p>
+
+<p>Princess Fiorimonde had a little maid called Yolande. She was a
+bright-faced girl with merry brown eyes, but she was not beautiful like
+Fiorimonde, and she did not love her mistress, for she was afraid of her,
+and suspected her of her wicked ways. When she undressed her that night she
+noticed the gold cord, and the one bright bead upon it, and as she combed
+the Princess's hair she looked over her shoulder into the looking-glass,
+and saw how she laughed, and how fondly she looked at the cord, and
+caressed the bead, again and again with her fingers.</p>
+
+<p>"That is a wonderful bead on your Highness's cord," said Yolande, looking
+at its reflection in the mirror; "surely it must be a bridal gift from King
+Pierrot."</p>
+
+<p>"And so it is, little Yolande," cried Fiorimonde, laughing merrily; "and
+the best gift he could give me. But I think one bead alone looks ugly and
+ungainly; soon I hope I shall<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> have another, and another, and another, all
+as beautiful as the first."</p>
+
+<p>Then Yolande shook her head, and said to herself, "This bodes no good."</p>
+
+<p>Next morning all was prepared for the marriage, and the Princess was
+dressed in white satin and pearls with a long white lace veil over her, and
+a bridal wreath on her head, and she stood waiting among her grandly
+dressed ladies, who all said that such a beautiful bride had never been
+seen in the world before. But just as they were preparing to go down to the
+fine company in the hall, a messenger came in great haste summoning the
+Princess at once to her father the King, as he was much perplexed.</p>
+
+<p>"My daughter," cried he, as Fiorimonde in all her bridal array entered the
+room where he sat alone, "what can we do? King Pierrot is nowhere to be
+found; I fear lest he may have been seized by robbers and basely murdered
+for his rich clothes, or carried away to some mountain and left there to
+starve. My soldiers are gone far and wide to seek him&mdash;and we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> shall hear
+of him ere day is done&mdash;but where there is no bridegroom there can be no
+bridal."</p>
+
+<p>"Then let it be put off, my father," cried the Princess, "and to-morrow we
+shall know if it is for a wedding, or a funeral, we must dress;" and she
+pretended to weep, but even then could hardly keep from laughing.</p>
+
+<p>So the wedding guests went away, and the Princess laid aside her bridal
+dress, and all waited anxiously for news of King Pierrot; and no news came.
+So at last every one gave him up for dead, and mourned for him, and
+wondered how he had met his fate.</p>
+
+<p>Princess Fiorimonde put on a black gown, and begged to be allowed to live
+in seclusion for one month in which to grieve for King Pierrot; but when
+she was again alone in her bedroom she sat before her looking-glass and
+laughed till tears ran down her cheeks; and Yolande watched her, and
+trembled, when she heard her laughter. She noticed, too, that beneath her
+black gown, the Princess still wore her gold cord, and did not move it
+night or day.</p>
+
+<p>The month had barely passed away when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> the King came to his daughter, and
+announced that another suitor had presented himself, whom he should much
+like to be her husband. The Princess agreed quite obediently to all her
+father said; and it was arranged that the marriage should take place. This
+new prince was called Prince Hildebrandt. He came from a country far north,
+of which one day he would be king. He was tall, and fair, and strong, with
+flaxen hair and bright blue eyes. When Princess Fiorimonde saw his portrait
+she was much pleased, and said, "By all means let him come, and the sooner
+the better." So she put off her black clothes, and again great preparations
+were made for a wedding; and King Pierrot was quite forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Hildebrandt came, and with him many fine gentlemen, and they brought
+beautiful gifts for the bride. The evening of his arrival all went well,
+and again there was a grand feast, and Fiorimonde looked so beautiful that
+Prince Hildebrandt was delighted; and this time she did not leave her
+father's side, but sat by him all the evening.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Early next morning at sunrise, when every one was still sleeping, the
+Princess rose, and dressed herself in a plain white gown, and brushed all
+her hair over her shoulders, and crept quietly downstairs into the palace
+gardens; then she walked on till she came beneath the window of Prince
+Hildebrandt's room, and here she paused and began to sing a little song as
+sweet and joyous as a lark's. When Prince Hildebrandt heard it he got up
+and went to the window and looked out to see who sang, and when he saw
+Fiorimonde standing in the red sunrise-light, which made her hair look
+gold, and her face rosy, he made haste to dress himself and go down to meet
+her.</p>
+
+<p>"How, my Princess," cried he, as he stepped into the garden beside her.
+"This is indeed great happiness to meet you here so early. Tell me why do
+you come out at sunrise to sing by yourself?"</p>
+
+<p>"I come that I may see the colours of the sky&mdash;red, blue, and gold,"
+answered the Princess. "Look, there are no such colours to be seen
+anywhere, unless, indeed, it be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> in this bead which I wear here on my
+golden cord.</p>
+
+<p>"What is that bead, and where did it come from?" asked Hildebrandt.</p>
+
+<p>"It came from over the sea, where it shall never return again," answered
+the Princess. And again her eyes began to sparkle with eagerness, and she
+could scarcely conceal her mirth. "Lift the cord off my neck and look at it
+near, and tell me if you ever saw one like it."</p>
+
+<p>Hildebrandt put out his hands and took hold of the cord, but no sooner were
+his fingers closed around it than he vanished, and a new bright bead was
+slung next to the first one on Fiorimonde's chain, and this one was even
+more beautiful than the other.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess gave a long low laugh, quite terrible to hear.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, my sweet necklace," cried she, "how beautiful you are growing! I think
+I love you more than anything in the world besides." Then she went softly
+back to bed, without any one hearing her, and fell sound asleep, and slept<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>
+till Yolande came to tell her it was time for her to get up and dress for
+the wedding.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and only Yolande noticed that
+beneath her satin gown, she wore the golden cord, but now there were two
+beads upon it instead of one. Scarcely was she ready when the King burst
+into her room in a towering rage.</p>
+
+<p>"My daughter," cried he, "there is a plot against us. Lay aside your bridal
+attire and think no more of Prince Hildebrandt, for he too has disappeared,
+and is nowhere to be found."</p>
+
+<p>At this the Princess wept, and entreated that Hildebrandt should be sought
+for far and near, but she laughed to herself, and said, "Search where you
+will, yet you shall not find him;" and so again a great search was made,
+and when no trace of the Prince was found, all the palace was in an uproar.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess again put off her bride's dress and clad herself in black, and
+sat alone, and pretended to weep, but Yolande, who watched her, shook her
+head, and said, "More will come<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> and go before the wicked Princess has done
+her worst."</p>
+
+<p>A month passed, in which Fiorimonde pretended to mourn for Hildebrandt,
+then she went to the King and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Sire, I pray that you will not let people say that when any bridegroom
+comes to marry me, as soon as he has seen me he flies rather than be my
+husband. I beg that suitors may be summoned from far and near that I may
+not be left alone unwed."</p>
+
+<p>The King agreed, and envoys were sent all the world over to bid any who
+would come and be the husband of Princess Fiorimonde. And come they did,
+kings and princes from south and north, east and west,&mdash;King Adrian, Prince
+Sigbert, Prince Algar, and many more,&mdash;but though all went well till the
+wedding morning, when it was time to go to church, no bridegroom was to be
+found. The old King was sadly frightened, and would fain have given up all
+hope of finding a husband for the Princess, but now she implored him, with
+tears in her eyes, not to let her be disgraced in this way.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> And so suitor
+after suitor continued to come, and now it was known, far and wide, that
+whoever came to ask for the hand of Princess Fiorimonde vanished, and was
+seen no more of men. The courtiers were afraid and whispered under their
+breath, "It is not all right, it cannot be;" but only Yolande noticed how
+the beads came upon the golden thread, till it was well-nigh covered, yet
+there always was room for one bead more.</p>
+
+<p>So the years passed, and every year Princess Fiorimonde grew lovelier and
+lovelier, so that no one who saw her could guess how wicked she was.</p>
+
+<p>In a far off country lived a young prince whose name was Florestan. He had
+a dear friend named Gervaise, whom he loved better than any one in the
+world. Gervaise was tall, and broad, and stout of limb, and he loved Prince
+Florestan so well, that he would gladly have died to serve him.</p>
+
+<p>It chanced that Prince Florestan saw a portrait of Princess Fiorimonde, and
+at once swore he would go to her father's court, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> beg that he might
+have her for his wife, and Gervaise in vain tried to dissuade him.</p>
+
+<p>"There is an evil fate about the Princess Fiorimonde," quoth he; "many have
+gone to marry her, but where are they now?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know or care," answered Florestan, "but this is sure, that I will
+wed her and return here, and bring my bride with me."</p>
+
+<p>So he set out for Fiorimonde's home, and Gervaise went with him with a
+heavy heart.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the court, the old King received them and welcomed them
+warmly, and he said to his courtiers, "Here is a fine young prince to whom
+we would gladly see our daughter wed. Let us hope that this time all will
+be well." But now Fiorimonde had grown so bold, that she scarcely tried to
+conceal her mirth.</p>
+
+<p>"I will gladly marry him to-morrow, if he comes to the church," she said;
+"but if he is not there, what can I do," and she laughed long and merrily,
+till those who heard her shuddered.</p>
+
+<p>When the Princess's ladies came to tell her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> that Prince Florestan was
+arrived, she was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a fountain,
+feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.</p>
+
+<p>"Bid him come to me," she said, "for I will not go any more in state to
+meet any suitors, neither will I put on grand attire for them. Let him come
+and find me as I am, since all find it so easy to come and go." So her
+ladies told the prince that Fiorimonde waited for him near the fountain.</p>
+
+<p>She did not rise when he came to where she lay, but his heart bounded with
+joy, for he had never in his life beheld such a beautiful woman.</p>
+
+<p>She wore a thin soft white dress, which clung to her lithe figure. Her
+beautiful arms and hands were bare, and she dabbled with them in the water,
+and played with the fish. Her great blue eyes were sparkling with mirth,
+and were so beautiful, that no one noticed the wicked look hid in them; and
+on her neck lay the marvellous many-coloured necklace, which was itself a
+wonder to behold.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You have my best greetings, Prince Florestan," she said. "And you, too,
+would be my suitor. Have you thought well of what you would do, since so
+many princes who have seen me have fled for ever, rather than marry me?"
+and as she spoke, she raised her white hand from the water, and held it out
+to the Prince, who stooped and kissed it, and scarcely knew how to answer
+her for bewilderment at her great loveliness.</p>
+
+<p>Gervaise followed his master at a short distance, but he was ill at ease,
+and trembled for fear of what should come.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, bid your friend leave us," said Fiorimonde, looking at Gervaise,
+"and sit beside me, and tell me of your home, and why you wish to marry me,
+and all pleasant things."</p>
+
+<p>Florestan begged that Gervaise would leave them for a little, and he walked
+slowly away, in a very mournful mood.</p>
+
+<p>He went on down the walks, not heeding where he was going, till he met
+Yolande, who stood beneath a tree laden with rosy apples, picking the
+fruit, and throwing it into a basket<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> at her feet. He would have passed her
+in silence, but she stopped him, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Have you come with the new Prince? Do you love your master?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ay, better than any one else on the earth," answered Gervaise. "Why do you
+ask?"</p>
+
+<p>"And where is he now," said Yolande, not heeding Gervaise's question.</p>
+
+<p>"He sits by the fountain with the beautiful Princess," said Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, I hope you have said good-bye to him well, for be assured you shall
+never see him again," said Yolande nodding her head.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not, and who are you to talk like this?" asked Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Yolande," answered she, "and I am Princess Fiorimonde's maid.
+Do you not know that Prince Florestan is the eleventh lover who has come to
+marry her, and one by one they have disappeared, and only I know where they
+are gone."</p>
+
+<p>"And where are they gone?" cried Gervaise, "and why do you not tell the
+world, and prevent good men being lost like this?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Because I fear my mistress," said Yolande, speaking low and drawing near
+to him; "she is a sorceress, and she wears the brave kings and princes who
+come to woo her, strung upon a cord round her neck. Each one forms the bead
+of a necklace which she wears, both day and night. I have watched that
+necklace growing; first it was only an empty gold thread; then came King
+Pierrot, and when he disappeared the first bead appeared upon it. Then came
+Hildebrandt, and two beads were on the string instead of one; then followed
+Adrian, Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Baldwyn, and
+Leofric, and Raoul, and all are gone, and ten beads hang upon the string,
+and to-night there will be eleven, and the eleventh will be your Prince
+Florestan."</p>
+
+<p>"If this be so," cried Gervaise, "I will never rest till I have plunged my
+sword into Fiorimonde's heart;" but Yolande shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>"She is a sorceress," she said, "and it might be hard to kill her; besides,
+that might not break the spell, and bring back the princes to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> life. I wish
+I could show you the necklace, and you might count the beads, and see if I
+do not speak truth, but it is always about her neck, both night and day, so
+it is impossible."</p>
+
+<p>"Take me to her room to-night when she is asleep, and let me see it there,"
+said Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, we will try," said Yolande; "but you must be very still, and
+make no noise, for if she wakes, remember it will be worse for us both."</p>
+
+<p>When night came and all in the palace were fast asleep, Gervaise and
+Yolande met in the great hall, and Yolande told him that the Princess
+slumbered soundly.</p>
+
+<p>"So now let us go," said she, "and I will show you the necklace on which
+Fiorimonde wears her lovers strung like beads, though how she transforms
+them I know not."</p>
+
+<p>"Stay one instant, Yolande," said Gervaise, holding her back, as she would
+have tripped upstairs. "Perhaps, try how I may, I shall be beaten, and
+either die or become a bead like those who have come before me. But if I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
+succeed and rid the land of your wicked Princess, what will you promise me
+for a reward?"</p>
+
+<p>"What would you have?" asked Yolande.</p>
+
+<p>"I would have you say you will be my wife, and come back with me to my own
+land," said Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"That I will promise gladly," said Yolande, kissing him, "but we must not
+speak or think of this till we have cut the cord from Fiorimonde's neck,
+and all her lovers are set free."</p>
+
+<p>So they went softly up to the Princess's room, Yolande holding a small
+lantern, which gave only a dim light. There, in her grand bed, lay Princess
+Fiorimonde. They could just see her by the lantern's light, and she looked
+so beautiful that Gervaise began to think Yolande spoke falsely, when she
+said she was so wicked.</p>
+
+<p>Her face was calm and sweet as a baby's; her hair fell in ruddy waves on
+the pillow; her rosy lips smiled, and little dimples showed in her cheeks;
+her white soft hands were folded amidst the scented lace and linen of which
+the bed was made. Gervaise almost forgot to look at the glittering beads
+hung round her throat,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> in wondering at her loveliness, but Yolande pulled
+him by the arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not look at her," she whispered softly, "since her beauty has cost dear
+already; look rather at what remains of those who thought her as fair as
+you do now; see here," and she pointed with her finger to each bead in
+turn.</p>
+
+<p>"This was Pierrot, and this Hildebrandt, and these are Adrian, and Sigbert,
+and Algar, and Cenred, and that is Pharamond, and that Raoul, and last of
+all here is your own master Prince Florestan. Seek him now where you will
+and you will not find him, and you shall never see him again till the cord
+is cut and the charm broken."</p>
+
+<p>"Of what is the cord made?" whispered Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"It is of the finest gold," she answered. "Nay, do not you touch her lest
+she wake. I will show it to you." And Yolande put down the lantern and
+softly put out her hands to slip the beads aside, but as she did so, her
+fingers closed around the golden string, and directly she was gone. Another
+bead was added to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> necklace, and Gervaise was alone with the sleeping
+Princess. He gazed about him in sore amazement and fear. He dared not call
+lest Fiorimonde should wake.</p>
+
+<p>"Yolande," he whispered as loud as he dared, "Yolande where are you?" but
+no Yolande answered.</p>
+
+<p>Then he bent down over the Princess and gazed at the necklace. Another bead
+was strung upon it next to the one to which Yolande had pointed as Prince
+Florestan. Again he counted them. "Eleven before, now there are twelve. Oh
+hateful Princess! I know now where go the brave kings and princes who came
+to woo you, and where, too, is my Yolande," and as he looked at the last
+bead, tears filled his eyes. It was brighter and clearer than the others,
+and of a warm red hue, like the red dress Yolande had worn. The Princess
+turned and laughed in her sleep, and at the sound of her laughter Gervaise
+was filled with horror and loathing. He crept shuddering from the room, and
+all night long sat up alone, plotting how he might defeat Fiorimonde, and
+set Florestan and Yolande free.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 456px;">
+<img src="images/i043.jpg" width="456" height="650" alt="&quot;Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string.&quot;&mdash;P. 29." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string.&quot;&mdash;P. 29.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her necklace and counted
+its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead was added to the
+string.</p>
+
+<p>"Who can have come and grasped my chain unknown to me?" she said to
+herself, and she sat and pondered for a long time. At last she broke into
+weird laughter.</p>
+
+<p>"At any rate, whoever it was, is fitly punished," quoth she. "My brave
+necklace, you can take care of yourself, and if any one tries to steal you,
+they will get their reward, and add to my glory. In truth I may sleep in
+peace, and fear nothing."</p>
+
+<p>The day passed away and no one missed Yolande. Towards sunset the rain
+began to pour in torrents, and there was such a terrible thunderstorm that
+every one was frightened. The thunder roared, the lightning gleamed flash
+after flash, every moment it grew fiercer and fiercer. The sky was so dark
+that, save for the lightning's light, nothing could be seen, but Princess
+Fiorimonde loved the thunder and lightning.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>She sat in a room high up in one of the towers, clad in a black velvet
+dress, and she watched the lightning from the window, and laughed at each
+peal of thunder. In the midst of the storm a stranger, wrapped in a cloak,
+rode to the palace door, and the ladies ran to tell the Princess that a new
+prince had come to be her suitor. "And he will not tell his name," said
+they, "but says he hears that all are bidden to ask for the hand of
+Princess Fiorimonde, and he too would try his good fortune."</p>
+
+<p>"Let him come at once," cried the Princess. "Be he prince or knave what
+care I? If princes all fly from me it may be better to marry a peasant."</p>
+
+<p>So they led the new-comer up to the room where Fiorimonde sat. He was
+wrapped in a thick cloak, but he flung it aside as he came in, and showed
+how rich was his silken clothing underneath; and so well was he disguised,
+that Fiorimonde never saw that it was Gervaise, but looked at him, and
+thought she had never seen him before.</p>
+
+<p>"You are most welcome, stranger prince,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> who has come through such
+lightning and thunder to find me," said she. "Is it true, then, that you
+wish to be my suitor? What have you heard of me?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is quite true, Princess," said Gervaise. "And I have heard that you are
+the most beautiful woman in the world."</p>
+
+<p>"And is that true also?" asked the Princess. "Look at me now, and see."</p>
+
+<p>Gervaise looked at her and in his heart he said, "It is quite true, oh
+wicked Princess! There never was woman as beautiful as you, and never
+before did I hate a woman as I hate you now;" but aloud he said,</p>
+
+<p>"No, Princess, that is not true; you are very beautiful, but I have seen a
+woman who is fairer than you for all that your skin looks ivory against
+your velvet dress, and your hair is like gold."</p>
+
+<p>"A woman who is fairer than I?" cried Fiorimonde, and her breast began to
+heave and her eyes to sparkle with rage, for never before had she heard
+such a thing said. "Who are you who dares come and tell me of women more
+beautiful than I am?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I am a suitor who asks to be your husband, Princess," answered Gervaise,
+"but still I say I have seen a woman who was fairer than you."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is she&mdash;where is she?" cried Fiorimonde, who could scarcely contain
+her anger. "Bring her here at once that I may see if you speak the truth."</p>
+
+<p>"What will you give me to bring her to you?" said Gervaise. "Give me that
+necklace you wear on your neck, and then I will summon her in an instant;"
+but Fiorimonde shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>"You have asked," said she, "for the only thing from which I cannot part,"
+and then she bade her maids bring her her jewel-casket, and she drew out
+diamonds, and rubies, and pearls, and offered them, all or any, to
+Gervaise. The lightning shone on them and made them shine and flash, but he
+shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, none of these will do," quoth he. "You can see her for the necklace,
+but for nothing else."</p>
+
+<p>"Take it off for yourself then," cried Fiorimonde,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> who now was so angry
+that she only wished to be rid of Gervaise in any way.</p>
+
+<p>"No, indeed," said Gervaise, "I am no tire-woman, and should not know how
+to clasp and unclasp it;" and in spite of all Fiorimonde could say or do,
+he would not touch either her or the magic chain.</p>
+
+<p>At night the storm grew even fiercer, but it did not trouble the Princess.
+She waited till all were asleep, and then she opened her bedroom window and
+chirruped softly to the little brown bird, who flew down from the roof at
+her call. Then she gave him a handful of seeds as before, and he grew and
+grew and grew till he was as large as an ostrich, and she sat upon his back
+and flew out through the air, laughing at the lightning and thunder which
+flashed and roared around her. Away they flew till they came to the old
+witch's cave, and here they found the witch sitting at her open door
+catching the lightning to make charms with.</p>
+
+<p>"Welcome, my dear," croaked she, as Fiorimonde stepped from the bird; "here
+is a night we both love well. And how goes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> the necklace?&mdash;right merrily I
+see. Twelve beads already&mdash;but what is that twelfth?" and she looked at it
+closely.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, that is one thing I want you to tell me," said Fiorimonde, drying the
+rain from her golden hair. "Last night when I slept there were eleven, and
+this morning there are twelve; and I know not from whence comes the
+twelfth."</p>
+
+<p>"It is no suitor," said the witch, "but from some young maid, that that
+bead is made. But why should you mind? It looks well with the others."</p>
+
+<p>"Some young maid," said the Princess. "Then, it must be Cicely or Marybel,
+or Yolande, who would have robbed me of my necklace as I slept. But what
+care I? The silly wench is punished now, and so may all others be, who
+would do the same."</p>
+
+<p>"And when will you get the thirteenth bead, and where will he come from?"
+asked the witch.</p>
+
+<p>"He waits at the palace now," said Fiorimonde, chuckling. "And this is why
+I have to speak to you;" and then she told the witch of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> the stranger who
+had come in the storm, and of how he would not touch her necklace, nor take
+the cord in his hand, and how he said also that he knew a woman fairer than
+she.</p>
+
+<p>"Beware, Princess, beware," cried the witch in a warning voice, as she
+listened. "Why should you heed tales of other women fairer than you? Have I
+not made you the most beautiful woman in the world, and can any others do
+more than I? Give no ear to what this stranger says or you shall rue it."
+But still the Princess murmured, and said she did not love to hear any one
+speak of others as beautiful as she.</p>
+
+<p>"Be warned in time," cried the witch, "or you will have cause to repent it.
+Are you so silly or so vain as to be troubled because a Prince says idly
+what you know is not true? I tell you do not listen to him, but let him be
+slung to your chain as soon as may be, and then he will speak no more." And
+then they talked together of how Fiorimonde could make Gervaise grasp the
+fatal string.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning when the sun rose, Gervaise<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> started off into the woods, and
+there he plucked acorns and haws, and hips, and strung them on to a string
+to form a rude necklace. This he hid in his bosom, and then went back to
+the palace without telling any one.</p>
+
+<p>When the Princess rose, she dressed herself as beautifully as she could,
+and braided her golden locks with great care, for this morning she meant
+her new suitor to meet his fate. After breakfast, she stepped into the
+garden, where the sun shone brightly, and all looked fresh after the storm.
+Here from the grass she picked up a golden ball, and began to play with it.</p>
+
+<p>"Go to our new guest," cried she to her ladies, "and ask him to come here
+and play at ball with me." So they went, and soon they returned bringing
+Gervaise with them.</p>
+
+<p>"Good morrow, prince," cried she. "Pray, come and try your skill at this
+game with me; and you," she said to her ladies, "do not wait to watch our
+play, but each go your way, and do what pleases you best." So they all went
+away, and left her alone with Gervaise.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, prince," cried she as they began to play, "what do you think of me
+by morning light? Yesterday when you came it was so dark, with thunder and
+clouds, that you could scarcely see my face, but now that there is bright
+sunshine, pray look well at me, and see if you do not think me as beautiful
+as any woman on earth," and she smiled at Gervaise, and looked so lovely as
+she spoke, that he scarce knew how to answer her; but he remembered
+Yolande, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Doubtless you are very beautiful; then why should you mind my telling you
+that I have seen a woman lovelier than you?"</p>
+
+<p>At this the Princess again began to be angry, but she thought of the
+witch's words and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if you think there is a woman fairer than I, look at my beads, and
+now, that you see their colours in the sun, say if you ever saw such jewels
+before."</p>
+
+<p>"It is true I have never seen beads like yours, but I have a necklace here,
+which pleases me better;" and from his pocket he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> drew the haws and acorns,
+which he had strung together.</p>
+
+<p>"What is that necklace, and where did you get it? Show it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde; but Gervaise held it out of her reach, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I like my necklace better than yours, Princess; and, believe me, there is
+no necklace like mine in all the world."</p>
+
+<p>"Why; is it a fairy necklace? What does it do? Pray give it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde, trembling with anger and curiosity, for she thought, "Perhaps
+it has power to make the wearer beautiful; perhaps it was worn by the woman
+whom he thought more beautiful than I, and that is why she looked so fair."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, I will make a fair exchange," said Gervaise. "Give me your necklace
+and you shall have mine, and when it is round your throat I will truthfully
+say that you are the fairest woman in the world; but first I must have your
+necklace."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 459px;">
+<img src="images/i055.jpg" width="459" height="650" alt="&quot;Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber.&quot;&mdash;P. 39." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber.&quot;&mdash;P. 39.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Take it, then," cried the Princess, who, in her rage and eagerness, forgot
+all else, and she seized the string of beads to lift it from her neck, but
+no sooner had she taken it in her hands than they fell with a rattle to the
+earth, and Fiorimonde herself was nowhere to be seen. Gervaise bent down
+over the necklace as it lay upon the grass, and, with a smile, counted
+thirteen beads; and he knew that the thirteenth was the wicked Princess,
+who had herself met the evil fate she had prepared for so many others.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, clever Princess!" cried he, laughing aloud, "you are not so very
+clever, I think, to be so easily outwitted." Then he picked up the necklace
+on the point of the sword and carried it, slung thereon, into the council
+chamber, where sat the King surrounded by statesmen and courtiers busy with
+state affairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Pray, King," said Gervaise, "send some one to seek for Princess
+Fiorimonde. A moment ago she played with me at ball in the garden, and now
+she is nowhere to be seen."</p>
+
+<p>The King desired that servants should seek her Royal Highness; but they
+came back saying she was not to be found.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Then let me see if I cannot bring her to you; but first let those who have
+been longer lost than she, come and tell their own tale." And, so saying,
+Gervaise let the necklace slip from his sword on to the floor, and taking
+from his breast a sharp dagger, proceeded to cut the golden thread on which
+the beads were strung and as he clave it in two there came a mighty noise
+like a clap of thunder.</p>
+
+<p>"Now;" cried he, "look, and see King Pierrot who was lost," and as he spoke
+he drew from the cord a bead, and King Pierrot, in his royal clothes, with
+his sword at his side, stood before them.</p>
+
+<p>"Treachery!" he cried, but ere he could say more Gervaise had drawn off
+another bead, and King Hildebrandt appeared, and after him came Adrian, and
+Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Raoul, and last of the
+princes, Gervaise's own dear master Florestan, and they all denounced
+Princess Fiorimonde and her wickedness.</p>
+
+<p>"And now," cried Gervaise, "here is she who has helped to save you all,"
+and he drew<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> off the twelfth bead, and there stood Yolande in her red
+dress; and when he saw her Gervaise flung away his dagger and took her in
+his arms, and they wept for joy.</p>
+
+<p>The King and all the courtiers sat pale and trembling, unable to speak for
+fear and shame. At length the King said with a deep groan,</p>
+
+<p>"We owe you deep amends, O noble kings and princes! What punishment do you
+wish us to prepare for our most guilty daughter?" but here Gervaise stopped
+him, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Give her no other punishment than what she has chosen for herself. See,
+here she is, the thirteenth bead upon the string; let no one dare to draw
+it off, but let this string be hung up where all people can see it and see
+the one bead, and know the wicked Princess is punished for her sorcery, so
+it will be a warning to others who would do like her."</p>
+
+<p>So they lifted the golden thread with great care and hung it up outside the
+town-hall, and there the one bead glittered and gleamed in the sunlight,
+and all who saw it knew that it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> the wicked Princess Fiorimonde who had
+justly met her fate.</p>
+
+<p>Then all the kings and princes thanked Gervaise and Yolande, and loaded
+them with presents, and each went to his own land.</p>
+
+<p>And Gervaise married Yolande, and they went back with Prince Florestan to
+their home, and all lived happily to the end of their lives.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 167px;">
+<img src="images/i059.jpg" width="167" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i060.jpg" width="600" height="208" alt="THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/l1.jpg" width="125" height="124" alt="L" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_3">Long ago there lived a wandering musician and his wife, whose names were
+Arasmon and Chrysea. Arasmon played upon a lute to which Chrysea sang, and
+their music was so beautiful that people followed them in crowds and gave
+them as much money as they wanted. When Arasmon played all who heard him
+were silent from wonder and admiration, but when Chrysea sang they could
+not refrain from weeping, for her voice was more beautiful than anything
+they had ever heard before.</p></div>
+
+<p>Both were young and lovely, and were as happy as the day was long, for they
+loved each<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> other dearly, and liked wandering about seeing new countries
+and people and making sweet music. They went to all sorts of places,
+sometimes to big cities, sometimes to little villages, sometimes to lonely
+cottages by the sea-shore, and sometimes they strolled along the green
+lanes and fields, singing and playing so exquisitely, that the very birds
+flew down from the trees to listen to them.</p>
+
+<p>One day they crossed a dark line of hills, and came out on a wild moorland
+country, where they had never been before. On the side of the hill they saw
+a little village, and at once turned towards it, but as they drew near
+Chrysea said,</p>
+
+<p>"What gloomy place is this? See how dark and miserable it looks."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 481px;">
+<img src="images/i062.jpg" width="481" height="650" alt="&quot;One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen.&quot;&mdash;P. 44." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen.&quot;&mdash;P. 44.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Let us try to cheer it with some music," said Arasmon, and began to play
+upon his lute, while Chrysea sang. One by one the villagers came out of
+their cottages and gathered round them to listen, but Chrysea thought she
+had never before seen such forlorn-looking people. They were thin and bent,
+their faces were pale and haggard, also their clothes looked old and
+threadbare, and in some places were worn into holes. But they crowded about
+Arasmon and Chrysea, and begged them to go on playing and singing, and as
+they listened the women shed tears, and the men hid their faces and were
+silent. When they stopped, the people began to feel in their pockets as if
+to find some coins, but Arasmon cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, good friends, keep your money for yourselves. You have not too much
+of it, to judge by your looks. But let us stay with you for to-night, and
+give us food and lodging, and we shall think ourselves well paid, and will
+play and sing to you as much as you like."</p>
+
+<p>"Stay with us as long as you can, stay with us always," begged the people;
+and each one entreated to be allowed to receive the strangers and give them
+the best they had. So Arasmon and Chrysea played and sang to them till they
+were tired, and at last, when the heavy rain began to fall, they turned
+towards the village, but as they passed through its narrow streets they
+thought the place itself looked even sadder<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> than its inmates. The houses
+were ill-built, and seemed to be almost tumbling down. The streets were
+uneven and badly kept. In the gardens they saw no flowers, but dank dark
+weeds. They went into a cottage which the people pointed out to them, and
+Arasmon lay down by the fire, calling to Chrysea to rest also, as they had
+walked far, and she must be weary. He soon fell asleep, but Chrysea sat at
+the door watching the dark clouds as they drifted over the darker houses.
+Outside the cottage hung a blackbird in a cage, with drooping wings and
+scanty plumage. It was the only animal they had yet seen in the village,
+for of cats or dogs or singing-birds there seemed to be none.</p>
+
+<p>When she saw it, Chrysea turned to the woman of the house, who stood beside
+her, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't you let it go? It would be much happier flying about in the
+sunshine."</p>
+
+<p>"The sun never shines here," said the woman sadly. "It could not pierce
+through the dark clouds which hang over the village. Besides, we do not
+think of happiness. It is as much as we can do to live."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But tell me," said Chrysea, "what is it that makes you so sad and your
+village such a dreary place? I have been to many towns in my life, but to
+none which looked like this."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you know," said the woman, "that this place is spell-bound?"</p>
+
+<p>"Spell-bound?" cried Chrysea. "What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>The woman turned and pointed towards the moor. "Over yonder," she said,
+"dwells a terrible old wizard by whom we are bewitched, and he has a number
+of little dark elves who are his servants, and these are they who make our
+village what you see it. You don't know how sad it is to live here. The
+elves steal our eggs, and milk, and poultry, so that there is never enough
+for us to eat, and we are half-starved. They pull down our houses, and undo
+our work as fast as we do it. They steal our corn when it is standing in
+sheaves, so that we find nothing but empty husks;" and as she ceased
+speaking the woman sighed heavily.</p>
+
+<p>"But if they do all this harm," said Chrysea,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> "why do not some of you go
+to the moor and drive them away?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is part of the spell," said the woman, "that we can neither hear nor
+see them. I have heard my grandfather say that in the old time this place
+was no different to others, but one day this terrible old magician came and
+offered the villagers a great deal of money if they would let him dwell
+upon the moor; for before that it was covered with golden gorse and
+heather, and the country folk held all their merrymakings there, but they
+were tempted with the gold, and sold it, and from that day the elves have
+tormented us; and as we cannot see them, we cannot get rid of them, but
+must just bear them as best we may."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a sad way to speak," said Chrysea. "Cannot you find out what the
+spell really is and break it?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is a song," said the woman, "and every night they sing it afresh. It is
+said that if any one could go to the moor between midnight and dawn, and
+could hear them singing it, and then sing through the tune just as they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>
+themselves do, the charm would be broken, and we should be free. But it
+must be some one who has never taken their money, so we cannot do it, for
+we can neither see nor hear them."</p>
+
+<p>"But I have not taken their money," said Chrysea. "And there is no tune I
+cannot sing when I have heard it once. So I will go to the moor for you and
+break the spell."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, do not think of such a thing," cried the woman. "For the elves are
+most spiteful, and you don't know what harm they might do to you, even if
+you set us free."</p>
+
+<p>Chrysea said no more, but all the evening she thought of what the woman had
+told her, and still stood looking out into the dismal street. When she went
+to bed she did not sleep, but lay still till the clock struck one. Then she
+rose softly, and wrapping herself in a cloak, opened the door and stepped
+out into the rain. As she passed, she looked up and saw the blackbird
+crouching in the bottom of its cage. She opened the cage door to let it
+fly, but still it did not move, so she lifted it out in her hand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Poor bird!" said she gently; "I wish I could give this village its liberty
+as easily as I can give you yours," and carrying it with her she walked on
+towards the moor. It was a large waste piece of land, and looked as though
+it had been burnt, for the ground was charred and black, and there was no
+grass or green plant growing on it, but there were some blackened stumps of
+trees, and to these Chrysea went, and hid herself behind one to wait and
+see what would come. She watched for a long time without seeing any one,
+but at last there rose from the ground not far from her a lurid gleam,
+which spread and spread until it became a large circle of light, in the
+midst of which she saw small dark figures moving, like ugly little men. The
+light was now so bright that she could distinguish each one quite plainly,
+and never before had she seen anything so ugly, for they were black as ink,
+and their faces were twisted and looked cruel and wicked.</p>
+
+<p>They joined hands, and, forming a ring, danced slowly round, and, as they
+did so, the ground opened, and there rose up in their centre<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> a tiny
+village exactly like the spell-bound village, only that the houses were but
+a few inches high. Round this the elves danced, and then they began to
+sing. Chrysea listened eagerly to their singing, and no sooner had they
+done, than she opened her lips and sang the same tune through from
+beginning to end just as she had heard it.</p>
+
+<p>Her voice rang out loud and clear, and at the sound the little village
+crumbled and fell away as though it had been made of dust.</p>
+
+<p>The elves stood silent for a moment, and then with a wild cry they all
+rushed towards Chrysea, and at their head she saw one about three times the
+size of the others, who appeared to be their chief.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, quickly, let us punish the woman who has dared to thwart us," he
+cried. "What shall we change her to?"</p>
+
+<p>"A frog to croak on the ground," cried one.</p>
+
+<p>"No, an owl to hoot in the night," cried another.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, for pity's sake," implored Chrysea, "don't change me to one of these
+loathsome<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> creatures, so that, if Arasmon finds me, he will spurn me."</p>
+
+<p>"Hear her," cried the chief, "and let her have her will. Let us change her
+to no bird or beast, but to a bright golden harp, and thus shall she
+remain, until upon her strings some one shall play our tune, which she has
+dared to sing."</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed!" cried the others, and all began to dance round Chrysea and to
+sing as they had sung around the village. She shrieked and tried to run,
+but they stopped her on every side. She cried, "Arasmon! Arasmon!" but no
+one came, and when the elves' song was done, and they disappeared, all that
+was left was a little gold harp hanging upon the boughs of the tree, and
+only the blackbird who sat above knew what had come of poor Chrysea.</p>
+
+<p>When morning dawned, and the villagers awoke, all felt that some great
+change had taken place. The heavy cloud which hung above the village had
+cleared away; the sun shone brightly, and the sky was blue; streams which
+had been dry for years, were running clear and fresh: and the people all
+felt strong, and able to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> work again; the trees were beginning to bud, and
+in their branches sang birds, whose voices had not been heard there for
+many a long year. The villagers looked from one to another and said,
+"Surely the spell is broken; surely the elves must have fled;" and they
+wept for joy.</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon woke with the first beam of the sun, and finding Chrysea was not
+there, he rose, and went to seek her in the village, calling, "Chrysea,
+Chrysea! the sun is up and we must journey on our way;" but no Chrysea
+answered, so he walked down all the streets, calling "Chrysea! come,
+Chrysea!" but no Chrysea came. Then he said,</p>
+
+<p>"She has gone into the fields to look for wild flowers, and will soon be
+back." So he waited for her patiently, but the sun rose high, the villagers
+went to their work, and she did not return. At this Arasmon was frightened,
+and asked every one he met if they had seen her, but each one shook his
+head and said "No, they had seen nothing of her."</p>
+
+<p>Then he called some of the men together and told them that his wife had
+wandered away,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> and he feared lest she might lose herself and go still
+farther, and he asked them to help him to look for her. So some went one
+way, and some another, to search, and Arasmon himself walked for miles the
+whole country round, calling "Chrysea! Chrysea!" but no answer came.</p>
+
+<p>The sun was beginning to set and twilight to cover the land, when Arasmon
+came on to the moor where Chrysea had met her fate. That, too, was changed.
+Flowers and grass were already beginning to grow there, and the children of
+the village, who till now had never dared to venture near it, were playing
+about it. Arasmon could hear their voices as he came near the tree against
+which Chrysea had leaned, and on which now hung the golden harp. In the
+branches above sat the blackbird singing, and Arasmon stopped and listened
+to its song, and thought he had never heard a bird sing so sweetly before.
+For it sang the magic song by which Chrysea had broken the elves' spell,
+the first tune it had heard since it regained its liberty.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear blackbird," said Arasmon, looking up to it, "I wish your singing
+could tell me where to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> find my wife Chrysea;" and as he looked up he saw a
+golden harp hanging upon the branches, and he took it down and ran his
+fingers over the strings. Never before did harp give forth such music. It
+was like a woman's voice, and was most beautiful, but so sad that when
+Arasmon heard it he felt inclined to cry. It seemed to be calling for help,
+but he could not understand what it said, though each time he touched the
+strings it cried, "Arasmon, Arasmon, I am here! It is I, Chrysea;" but
+though Arasmon listened, and wondered at its tones, yet he did not know
+what it said.</p>
+
+<p>He examined it carefully. It was a beautiful little harp, made of pure
+gold, and at the top was a pair of golden hands and arms clasped together.</p>
+
+<p>"I will keep it," said Arasmon, "for I never yet heard a harp with such a
+tone, and when Chrysea comes she shall sing to it."</p>
+
+<p>But Chrysea was nowhere to be found, and at last the villagers declared she
+must be lost, or herself have gone away on purpose, and that it was vain to
+seek her farther. At this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> Arasmon was angry, and saying that he would seek
+Chrysea as long as he had life, he left the village to wander over the
+whole world till he should find her. He went on foot, and took with him the
+golden harp.</p>
+
+<p>He walked for many, many miles far away from the village and the moor, and
+when he came to any farmhouses, or met any country people on the road he
+began to play, and every one thronged round him and stared, in breathless
+surprise at his beautiful music. When he had done he would ask them, "Have
+you seen my wife Chrysea? She is dressed in white and gold, and sings more
+sweetly than any of the birds of heaven."</p>
+
+<p>But all shook their heads and said, "No, she had not been there;" and
+whenever he came to a strange village, where he had not been before, he
+called, "Chrysea, Chrysea, are you here?" but no Chrysea answered, only the
+harp in his hands cried whenever he touched its strings, "It is I, Arasmon!
+It is I, Chrysea!" but though he thought its notes like Chrysea's voice, he
+never understood them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He wandered for days and months and years through countries and villages
+which he had never known before. When night came and he found himself in
+the fields alone, he would lie down upon his cloak and sleep with his head
+resting upon the harp, and if by chance one of its golden threads was
+touched it would cry, "Arasmon, awake, I am here!" Then he would dream that
+Chrysea was calling him, and would wake and start up to look for her,
+thinking she must be close at hand.</p>
+
+<p>One day, towards night, when he had walked far, and was very tired, he came
+to a little village on a lonely, rocky coast by the sea, and he found that
+a thick mist had come up, and hung over the village, so that he could
+barely see the path before him as he walked. But he found his way down on
+to the beach, and there stood a number of fisherwomen, trying to look
+through the mist towards the sea, and speaking anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"What is wrong, and for whom are you watching, good folk?" he asked them.</p>
+
+<p>"We are watching for our husbands," answered one. "They went out in their
+boats<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> fishing in the early morning, when it was quite light, and then
+arose this dreadful fog, and they should have come back long ago, and we
+fear lest they may lose their way in the darkness and strike on a rock and
+be drowned."</p>
+
+<p>"I too, have lost my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Has she passed by here?
+She had long golden hair, and her gown was white and gold, and she sang
+with a voice like an angel's."</p>
+
+<p>The women all said, "No, they had not seen her;" but still they strained
+their eyes towards the sea, and Arasmon also began to watch for the return
+of the boats.</p>
+
+<p>They waited and waited, but they did not come, and every moment the
+darkness grew thicker and thicker, so that the women could not see each
+other's faces, though they stood quite near together.</p>
+
+<p>Then Arasmon took his harp and began to play, and its music floated over
+the water for miles through the darkness, but the women were weeping so for
+their husbands, that they did not heed it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is useless to watch," said one. "They cannot steer their boats in such
+a darkness. We shall never see them again."</p>
+
+<p>"I will wait all night till morning," said another, "and all day next day,
+and next night, till I see some sign of the boats, and know if they be
+living or dead," but as she stopped speaking, there rose a cry of "Here
+they are," and two or three fishing-boats were pushed on to the sand close
+by where they stood, and the women threw their arms round their husbands'
+necks, and all shouted for joy.</p>
+
+<p>The fishermen asked who it was who had played the harp; "For," they said,
+"it was that which saved us. We were far from land, and it was so dark that
+we could not tell whether to go to left or to right, and had no sign to
+guide us to shore; when of a sudden we heard the most beautiful music, and
+we followed the sound, and came in quite safely.</p>
+
+<p>"'Twas this good harper who played while we watched," said the women, and
+one and all turned to Arasmon, and told him with tears of their gratitude,
+and asked him what they could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> do for him, or what they could give him in
+token of their thankfulness; but Arasmon shook his head and said, "You can
+do nothing for me, unless you can tell me where to seek my wife Chrysea. It
+is to find her I am wandering;" and when the women shook their heads, and
+said again they knew nothing of her, the harp-strings as he touched them
+cried again,</p>
+
+<p>"Arasmon! Arasmon! listen to me. It is I, Chrysea;" but again no one
+understood it, and though all pitied him, no one could help him.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning when the mist had cleared away, and the sun was shining, a
+little ship set sail for foreign countries, and Arasmon begged the captain
+to take him in it that he might seek Chrysea still farther.</p>
+
+<p>They sailed and sailed, till at last they came to the country for which
+they were bound; but they found the whole land in confusion, and war and
+fighting everywhere, and all the people were leaving their homes and hiding
+themselves in the towns, for fear of a terrible enemy, who was invading
+them. But no one hurt Arasmon as he wandered on with his harp in his hand,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+only no one would stop to answer him, when he asked if Chrysea had been
+there, for every one was too frightened and hurried to heed him.</p>
+
+<p>At last he came to the chief city where the King dwelt, and here he found
+all the men building walls and fortresses, and preparing to defend the
+town, because they knew their enemy was coming to besiege it, but all the
+soldiers were gloomy and low-spirited.</p>
+
+<p>"It is impossible for us to conquer," they said, "for there are three of
+them to every one of us, and they will take our city and make our King
+prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>That night as the watchmen looked over the walls, they saw in the distance
+an immense army marching towards them, and their swords and helmets
+glittered in the moonlight.</p>
+
+<p>Then they gave the signal, and the captains gathered together their men to
+prepare them for fighting; but so sure were they of being beaten that it
+was with difficulty their officers could bring them to the walls.</p>
+
+<p>"It would be better," said the soldiers, "to lay down our arms at once and
+let the enemy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> enter, for then we should not lose our lives as well as our
+city and our wealth."</p>
+
+<p>When Arasmon heard this he sat upon the walls of the town, and began to
+play upon his harp, and this time its music was so loud and clear, that it
+could be heard far and wide, and its sound was so exultant and joyous, that
+when the soldiers heard it they raised their heads, and their fears
+vanished, and they started forward, shouting and calling that they would
+conquer or be killed.</p>
+
+<p>Then the enemy attacked the city, but the soldiers within met them with so
+much force that they were driven back, and had to fly, and the victorious
+army followed them and drove them quite out of their country, and Arasmon
+went with them, playing on his harp, to cheer them as they went.</p>
+
+<p>When they knew the victory was theirs, all the captains wondered what had
+caused their sudden success, and one of the lieutenants said, "It was that
+strange harper who went with us, playing on his harp. When our men heard
+it, they became as brave as lions." So the captains<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> sent for Arasmon, but
+when he came they were astonished to see how worn and thin he looked, and
+could scarcely believe it was he who had made such wonderful music, for his
+face had grown thin and pale, and there were gray locks in his hair.</p>
+
+<p>They asked him what he would like to have, saying they would give him
+whatever he would choose, for the great service he had done them.</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon only shook his head and said,</p>
+
+<p>"There is nothing I want that you can give me. I am seeking the whole world
+round to find my wife Chrysea. It is many many years since I lost her. We
+two were as happy as birds on the bough. We wandered over the world singing
+and playing in the sunshine. But now she is gone, and I care for nothing
+else." And the captains looked pityingly at him, for they all thought him
+mad, and could not understand what the harp said when he played on it
+again, and it cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Listen, Arasmon! I too am here&mdash;I, Chrysea."</p>
+
+<p>So Arasmon left that city, and started again, and wandered for days and
+months and years.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He came by many strange places, and met with many strange people, but he
+found no trace of Chrysea, and each day he looked older and sadder and
+thinner.</p>
+
+<p>At length he came to a country where the King loved nothing on earth so
+much as music. So fond of it was he, that he had musicians and singers by
+the score, always living in his palace, and there was no way of pleasing
+him so well as by sending a new musician or singer. So when Arasmon came
+into the country, and the people heard how marvellously he played, they
+said at once, "Let us take him to the King. The poor man is mad. Hear how
+he goes on asking for his wife; but, mad or not, his playing will delight
+the King. Let us take him at once to the palace." So, though Arasmon would
+have resisted them, they dragged him away to the court, and sent a
+messenger to the King, to say they had found a poor mad wandering harper,
+who played music the like of which they had never heard before.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen, and all the court, sat feasting when the messenger came
+in saying<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> that the people were bringing a new harper to play before his
+majesty.</p>
+
+<p>"A new harper!" quoth he. "That is good hearing. Let him be brought here to
+play to us at once."</p>
+
+<p>So Arasmon was led into the hall, and up to the golden thrones on which sat
+the King and Queen. A wonderful hall it was, made of gold and silver, and
+crystal and ivory, and the courtiers, dressed in blue and green and gold
+and diamonds, were a sight to see. Behind the throne were twelve young
+maids dressed in pure white, who sang most sweetly, and behind them were
+the musicians who accompanied them on every kind of instrument. Arasmon had
+never in his life seen such a splendid sight.</p>
+
+<p>"Come here," cried the King to him, "and let us hear you play." And the
+singers ceased singing, and the musicians smiled scornfully, for they could
+not believe Arasmon's music could equal theirs. For he looked to be in a
+most sorry plight. He had walked far, and the dust of the roads was on him.
+His clothes were worn threadbare, and stained and soiled,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> while his face
+was so thin and anxious and sad that it was pitiful to see; but his harp of
+pure shining gold was undulled, and untarnished. He began to play, and then
+all smiles ceased, and the women began to weep, and the men sat and stared
+at him in astonishment. When he had done the King started up, and throwing
+his arms about his neck, cried, "Stay with me. You shall be my chief
+musician. Never before have I heard playing like yours, and whatever you
+want I will give you." But when he heard this, Arasmon knelt on one knee
+and said,</p>
+
+<p>"My gracious lord, I cannot stay. I have lost my wife Chrysea. I must
+search all over the world till I find her. Ah! how beautiful she was, and
+how sweetly she sang; her singing was far sweeter than even the music of my
+harp."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" cried the King. "Then I too would fain hear her. But stay with
+me, and I will send messengers all over the world to seek her far and near,
+and they will find her much sooner than you."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 480px;">
+<img src="images/i086.jpg" width="480" height="650" alt="&quot;He began to play, and then all smiles ceased.&quot;&mdash;P. 66." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;He began to play, and then all smiles ceased.&quot;&mdash;P. 66.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So Arasmon stayed at the court, but he said that if Chrysea did not come
+soon he must go farther to seek her himself.</p>
+
+<p>The King gave orders that he should be clad in the costliest clothes and
+have all he could want given to him, and after this he would hear no music
+but Arasmon's playing, so all the other musicians were jealous, and wished
+he had never come to the palace. But the strangest thing was that no one
+but Arasmon could play upon his golden harp. All the King's harpers tried,
+and the King himself tried also, but when they touched the strings there
+came from them a strange, melancholy wailing, and no one but Arasmon could
+bring out its beautiful notes.</p>
+
+<p>But the courtiers and musicians grew more and more angry with Arasmon, till
+at last they hated him bitterly, and only wanted to do him some harm; for
+they said,</p>
+
+<p>"Who is he, that our King should love and honour him before us? After all,
+it is not his playing which is so beautiful; it is chiefly the harp on
+which he plays, and if that were taken from him he would be no better than
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> rest of us;" and then they began to consult together as to how they
+should steal his harp.</p>
+
+<p>One hot summer evening Arasmon went into the palace gardens, and sat down
+to rest beneath a large beech-tree, when a little way off he saw two
+courtiers talking together, and heard that they spoke of him, though they
+did not see him or know he was there.</p>
+
+<p>"The poor man is mad," said one; "of that there is little doubt, but, mad
+or not, as long as he plays on his harp the King will not listen to any one
+else."</p>
+
+<p>"The only way is to take the harp from him," said the other. "But it is
+hard to know how to get it away, for he will never let it go out of his
+hands."</p>
+
+<p>"We must take it from him when he is sleeping," said the first.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly," said the other; and then Arasmon heard them settle how and
+when they would go to his room at night to steal his harp.</p>
+
+<p>He sat still till they were gone, and then he rose, and grasping it
+tenderly, turned from the palace and walked away through the garden gates.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have lost Chrysea," he said, "and now they would take from me even my
+harp, the only thing I have to love in all this world, but I will go away,
+far off where they will never find me," and when he was out of sight, he
+ran with all his might, and never rested till he was far away on a lonely
+hill, with no one near to see him.</p>
+
+<p>The stars were beginning to shine though it was not yet dark. Arasmon sat
+on a stone and looked at the country far and near. He could hear the sheep
+bells tinkling around him, and far, far off in the distance he could see
+the city and the palace he had left.</p>
+
+<p>Then he began to play on his harp, and as he played the sheep stopped
+browsing and drew near him to listen.</p>
+
+<p>The stars grew brighter and the evening darker, and he saw a woman carrying
+a child coming up the hill.</p>
+
+<p>She looked pale and tired, but her face was very happy as she sat down not
+far from Arasmon and listened to his playing, whilst she looked eagerly
+across the hill as if she watched<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> for some one who was coming. Presently
+she turned and said, "How beautifully you play; I never heard music like it
+before, but what makes you look so sad? Are you unhappy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Arasmon, "I am very miserable. I lost my wife Chrysea many
+years ago, and now I don't know where she can be."</p>
+
+<p>"It is a year since I have seen my husband," said the woman. "He went to
+the war a year ago, but now there is peace and he is coming back, and
+to-night he will come over this hill. It was just here we parted, and now I
+am come to meet him."</p>
+
+<p>"How happy you must be," said Arasmon. "I shall never see Chrysea again,"
+and as he spoke he struck a chord on the harp, which cried, "O Arasmon, my
+husband! why do you not know me? It is I, Chrysea."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not say that," continued the woman; "you will find her some day. Why do
+you sit here? Was it here you parted from her?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Arasmon told her how they had gone to a strange desolate village and
+rested there for the night, and in the morning Chrysea was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> gone, and that
+he had wandered all over the world looking for her ever since.</p>
+
+<p>"I think you are foolish," said the woman; "perhaps your wife has been
+waiting for you at that village all this time. I would go back to the place
+where I parted from her if I were you, and wait there till she returns. How
+could I meet my husband if I did not come to the spot where we last were
+together? We might both wander on for ever and never find each other; and
+now, see, here he is coming," and she gave a cry of joy and ran to meet a
+soldier who was walking up the hill.</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon watched them as they met and kissed, and saw the father lift the
+child in his arms, then the three walked over the hill together, and when
+they were gone he sat down and wept bitterly. "What was it she said?" he
+said. "That I ought to go back to the spot where we parted. She will not be
+there, but I will go and die at the place where I last saw her." So again
+he grasped his harp and started. He travelled many days and weeks by land
+and sea, till late one day he came in sight of the hill<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> on which stood the
+little village. But at first he could not believe that he had come to the
+right place, so changed did all appear. He stopped and looked around him in
+astonishment. He stood in a shady lane, the arching trees met over his
+head. The banks were full of spring flowers, and either side of the hedge
+were fields full of young green corn.</p>
+
+<p>"Can this be the wretched bare road down which we walked together? I would
+indeed it were, and that she were with me now," said he. When he looked
+across to the village, the change seemed greater still. There were many
+more cottages, and they were trim and well kept, standing in neat gardens
+full of flowers. He heard the cheerful voices of the peasants, and the
+laughter of the village children. The whole place seemed to be full of life
+and happiness. He stopped again upon the mound where he and Chrysea had
+first played and sung.</p>
+
+<p>"It is many, many a long year since I was here," he said. "Time has changed
+all things strangely; but it would be hard to say which is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> the more
+altered, this village or I, for then it was sunk in poverty and
+wretchedness, and now it has gained happiness and wealth, and I, who was so
+happy and glad, now am broken-down and worn. I have lost my only wealth, my
+wife Chrysea. It was just here she stood and sang, and now I shall never
+see her again or hear her singing."</p>
+
+<p>There came past him a young girl driving some cows, and he turned and spoke
+to her. "Tell me, I beg," he said, "is not your village much changed of
+late years? I was here long ago, but I cannot now think it the same place,
+for this is as bright and flourishing a town as I have ever seen, and I
+remember it only as a dreary tumble-down village where the grass never
+grew."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh!" said the girl, "then you were here in our bad time, but we do not now
+like to speak of that, for fear our troubles should return. Folks say we
+were spell-bound. 'Tis so long ago that I can scarcely remember it, for I
+was quite a little child then. But a wandering musician and his wife set us
+free; at least,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> everything began to mend after they came, and now we think
+they must have been angels from heaven, for next day they went, and we have
+never seen them since."</p>
+
+<p>"It was I and my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Have you seen her? Has she
+been here? I have sought all over the world ever since, but I cannot find
+her, and now I fear lest she be dead."</p>
+
+<p>The girl stared at him in surprise. "You? you poor old man! Of what are you
+talking? You must surely be mad to say such things. These musicians were
+the most beautiful people upon the earth, and they were young and dressed
+in shining white and gold, and you are old and gray and ragged, and surely
+you are very ill too, for you seem to be so weak that you can scarcely
+walk. Come home with me, and I will give you food and rest till you are
+better."</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon shook his head. "I am seeking Chrysea," he said, "and I will rest
+no more till I have found her;" and the girl, seeing that he was
+determined, left him alone and went on her way driving her cows before
+her.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When she had gone Arasmon sat by the wayside and wept as though his heart
+would break. "It is too true," he said; "I am so old and worn that when I
+find her she will not know me," and as he again fell a-weeping his hand
+struck the harp-strings, and they cried, "I have watched you through all
+these years, my Arasmon. Take comfort, I am very near," and his tears
+ceased, and he was soothed by the voice of the harp, though he knew not
+why.</p>
+
+<p>Then he rose. "I will go to the moor," he said, "and look for the tree on
+which I found my harp, and that will be my last resting-place, for surely
+my strength will carry me no farther." So he tottered slowly on, calling,
+as he went, in a weak voice, "Chrysea, my Chrysea! are you here? I have
+sought you over the world since you left me, and now that I am old and like
+to die, I am come to seek you where we parted."</p>
+
+<p>When he came upon the moor, he wondered again at the change of all the
+country round. He thought of the charred, blackened waste on which he had
+stood before, and now he looked with amazement at the golden gorse, the
+purple<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> heather, so thick that he could scarcely pick his way amongst it.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a beautiful place now," he said, "but I liked it better years ago,
+deserted and desolate though it was, for my Chrysea was here."</p>
+
+<p>There were so many trees upon the common that he could not tell which was
+the one on which his harp had hung, but, unable to go any farther, he
+staggered and sank down beneath a large oak-tree, in whose branches a
+blackbird was singing most sweetly. The sun was setting just as of yore
+when he had found his harp, and most of the birds' songs were over, but
+this one bird still sang sweet and clear, and Arasmon, tired and weak
+though he was, raised his head and listened.</p>
+
+<p>"I never heard bird sing like that," he said. "What is the tune it sings? I
+will play it on my harp before I die." And with what strength remained to
+him he reached forth his trembling hand, and grasping his harp struck upon
+it the notes of the bird's song, then he fell back exhausted, and his eyes
+closed.</p>
+
+<p>At once the harp slid from his hand, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> Chrysea stood beside him&mdash;Chrysea
+dressed as of old, in shining white and gold, with bright hair and eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Arasmon!" she cried, "see, it is I, Chrysea!" but Arasmon did not move.
+Then she raised her voice and sang more sweetly than the bird overhead, and
+Arasmon opened his eyes and looked at her.</p>
+
+<p>"Chrysea!" cried he; "I have found my wife Chrysea!" and he laid his head
+on her bosom and died. And when Chrysea saw it her heart broke, and she lay
+beside him and died without a word.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning when some of the villagers crossed the common they saw
+Arasmon and Chrysea lying beneath the oak-tree in each other's arms, and
+drew near them, thinking they were asleep, but when they saw their faces
+they knew they were dead.</p>
+
+<p>Then an old man stooped and looked at Chrysea, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Surely it is the woman who came to us and sang long ago, when we were in
+our troubles; and, though he is sadly changed and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> worn, it is like her
+husband who played for her singing."</p>
+
+<p>Then came the girl who had driven the cows and told them how she had met
+Arasmon, and all he had said to her.</p>
+
+<p>"He searched everywhere for his wife, he said," said she. "I am glad he has
+found her. Where could she be?"</p>
+
+<p>"Would that we had known it was he," said they all, "how we would have
+greeted him! but see, he looks quite content and as if he wished nothing
+more, since he has found his wife Chrysea."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 169px;">
+<img src="images/i099.jpg" width="169" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i100.jpg" width="600" height="213" alt="THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/l2.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="L" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_3">Long ago, in the days of fairies, there lived a King and Queen, who were
+rich and happy.</p></div>
+
+<p>But the Queen was a proud, haughty woman, and disliked every one more
+powerful than herself. And most of all, she hated the fairy folk, and could
+not bear them to come to the castle where she and the King dwelt.</p>
+
+<p>Time passed, and the Queen had a little baby,&mdash;a daughter whom they called
+Joan&mdash;and the bells were rung, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country, and the King and Queen were happy as the day is long.</p>
+
+<p>One day as the Queen sat by the cradle of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> the little Princess, watching
+it, she said, "My pretty babe, when you are grown to be a woman you will be
+rich and beautiful, and you shall marry some young Prince, who will love
+you dearly, and then in your turn be Queen, and have a fine palace, and
+jewels, and lands to your heart's content." Scarcely had she done speaking
+when she heard a little noise beside her, and, looking up, saw a woman
+dressed in yellow from head to foot standing on the other side of the
+cradle. She wore a yellow cap, which covered her head completely, so that
+no hair was seen, and her eyes, which looked cunning and fierce, were
+yellow as her dress.</p>
+
+<p>"And how do you know, Queen, that your child will be so happy? Whose help
+will you seek to get her all these fine things?" said the strange woman.</p>
+
+<p>"I will ask no one's help," said the Queen haughtily, "for I am Queen of
+the land, and can have what I please."</p>
+
+<p>The yellow woman laughed, and said, "Don't be too sure, proud Queen; but
+the next<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> night that the moon is bright, guard well the Princess when the
+clock strikes twelve, lest aught of her's be stolen from her."</p>
+
+<p>"No thief shall come near her," cried the Queen; but ere she had done
+speaking the woman had vanished, and the Queen knew it was a fairy.</p>
+
+<p>The sky that night was dark and overcast, and no moon to be seen, and the
+next night was the same, but the third night the moon shone bright and
+clear, and as the clock struck twelve the Queen awoke and looked at the
+baby, who was sleeping peacefully in its cradle; but 'twixt the strokes of
+the clock she heard a faint whistling outside the window, which grew louder
+and fuller each moment. 'Twas as if some one whistled to decoy away a bird,
+and on hearing it the baby awoke and began to cry bitterly. The Queen could
+not quiet her, try how she might. At last the little one gave one scream
+louder than all the others and then lay quite still, and at that moment the
+Queen saw something flutter across the room like a tiny bird, with pink,
+soft feathers. It flew straight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> out of the window, and the whistling
+ceased, and all again was quiet as before. The Queen took the baby in her
+arms and looked at it anxiously by the light of the moon, but it looked
+well and slept calmly, so its mother placed it in its cradle and tried to
+forget the yellow fairy and the whistling.</p>
+
+<p>The nurse of the Princess Joan was a very wise old woman who knew a great
+deal of fairies and their ways, and as the child grew up she watched her
+with an anxious face.</p>
+
+<p>"She is under a charm," she said, "though what it is I don't know; but
+before she is a woman they will see how different she is from others."</p>
+
+<p>The nurse's words proved to be true. No one had ever seen a little girl
+like the Princess. Nothing troubled her. She never shed one tear. If she
+were angry she would stamp her feet and her eyes would flash, but she never
+wept, and she loved nobody. When her little dog died she laughed outright;
+when the King her father went to the war it did not grieve her; and when he
+returned she was no happier<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> than she had been when he was away. She never
+kissed her mother, or her ladies, and when they said they loved her, she
+stared at them, and asked what they meant. At this the ladies were angry
+with her and chid her for being hard-hearted, but the old nurse always
+stopped them, saying,</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis not her you should blame. She is enchanted, but 'tis not her fault."</p>
+
+<p>Princess Joan grew up and was the loveliest woman in the land. It was many
+long years since any one so fair had been seen, but for all that her mother
+mourned over her sorely, and her eyes were red with crying for her
+beautiful daughter, who had never yet wept one tear herself.</p>
+
+<p>The neighbouring country was governed by a King and Queen who had only one
+son, named Michael, whom everybody loved dearly. He was a handsome young
+man, and as good as he was handsome. He was as gracious to the poorest
+beggar as to the greatest lord, and all the poor folk came to him to tell
+him their troubles, if they thought they were badly treated;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> and because
+he was brave and handsome also, the court people loved him as well as the
+peasants.</p>
+
+<p>In this country there stood on a high hill a round tower, and at the top of
+it lived an old wizard. No man knew his age, for he had dwelt there for
+hundreds of years, and no one knew how the tower had been built, for it was
+made of one huge stone, and there were no joins in it at all.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen were afraid of the old magician, and never went near
+him; indeed, no one in all the country had ever ventured to climb the tower
+and see the old man at his work except Prince Michael, who knew the old
+sorcerer well and did not fear him at all, but went up and down the tower
+as he chose.</p>
+
+<p>One bright moonlight night it chanced that the Prince found himself alone
+on the hill-side, and seeing a bright light shining from the top of the
+tower he resolved to enter and pay the old man a visit. So he went to a
+little door, and pushing it open stepped into a narrow, dark, winding
+staircase, that went straight up<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> the centre to the room at the top, in
+which the wizard dwelt. The staircase was pitch dark, for there were no
+windows. Moreover, it was so narrow that only one person could walk in it
+at a time, but Prince Michael knew the way quite well, and climbed and
+climbed till he saw a chink of light, and at last trod through a little
+doorway into the room in which the sorcerer sat.</p>
+
+<p>This room was as light as day, for it was lit by a lamp which the old man
+himself had made, and in which no oil or wick was burning, but every day it
+was filled with sunbeams, and held them at night after the sun had set.</p>
+
+<p>So the whole room was brilliant, and in the middle sat the wizard, who was
+a wonderful old man to look on, for he was all white. His beard was white
+as snow, and from afar you could not tell which was beard and which gown,
+but when you came near you saw that the beard flowed nearly to his feet,
+and his skin was as white as either beard or gown. And his eyes were quite
+colourless, but as bright as two candles.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When Michael entered he sat looking at an enormous book full of coloured
+pictures of little men and women about three inches high each. They were
+not like other pictures, for they walked and moved over the page as though
+they were alive.</p>
+
+<p>"It is I, father. What book are you looking at?" said Michael, stepping up
+to the old man's side.</p>
+
+<p>"In this book," said the wizard, "I keep the portraits of all the men and
+women in the world, and they are living portraits too, for they move, and
+look just like the originals."</p>
+
+<p>"That must be very amusing," cried Michael. "Pray show me the portraits of
+all the Kings, and Queens, and Princesses. This will be delightful," and he
+knelt down by the old man and looked over his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>The sorcerer muttered to himself and turned over the pages, and then
+stopped at one on which Michael saw little figures of Kings and Queens of
+all sorts, some of which he knew, and some of which he had never seen
+before.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 469px;">
+<img src="images/i109.jpg" width="469" height="650" alt="&quot;&#39;Tis their daughter, Princess Joan,&quot; said the wizard with a
+sigh. &quot;But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her.&quot;&mdash;P. 87." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&#39;Tis their daughter, Princess Joan,&quot; said the wizard with a
+sigh. &quot;But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her.&quot;&mdash;P. 87.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"There," he cried, "is old King R&eacute;n&eacute; who came to our court last year, and
+that is Queen Constance, and that is their nephew Prince Guilbert, who will
+be king when they are dead, and here are our neighbours the King and Queen
+of the next country, and oh, my father, who is this lovely Princess next to
+them?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis their daughter Princess Joan," said the wizard with a sigh. "But do
+not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but trouble to all who
+know her."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care if she bring trouble or happiness," cried the Prince. "But
+for certain she is the most beautiful creature in the world," and he seized
+the book and looked long at the tiny figure of the Princess. Truly it was
+very beautiful. It was dressed in white, with a golden girdle round the
+waist, and a wreath of golden daisies on its head, and as Michael looked,
+it turned upon the pages, and smiled at him till he smiled back again, and
+could not move his eyes from it.</p>
+
+<p>When the wizard saw this, he took the book from the young man's hands, and
+hid it away, saying,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Think no more of Princess Joan, however beautiful she be, or one day you
+will rue it dearly."</p>
+
+<p>Prince Michael made no answer, but he thought all the more of the little
+picture of the Princess. After he had left the tower, and returned to the
+palace, he could not forget her, but dreamt of her all night, and thought
+of her all day.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning he went to the King and said, "My father, I am come to beg
+that you will send to the King of the next country and ask if I may have
+his daughter, Princess Joan, for my wife, for I have seen her portrait, and
+there is no one in the world whom I love so well."</p>
+
+<p>When the King heard this he was delighted.</p>
+
+<p>"Our good neighbours," he said, "are rich and powerful, and it will be a
+capital thing for our son to marry their daughter." So he at once sent off
+an ambassador to beg for the hand of Princess Joan for Prince Michael.</p>
+
+<p>Joan's father and mother were delighted with the offer, and at once
+resolved to accept it; but the Queen's heart sank within her,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> for she
+thought, "Our poor Joan is not like any other maid who ever lived before,
+and perhaps when Prince Michael sees her and finds this out, he will refuse
+to wed her after all;" but she said nothing of her fears, and the
+ambassador returned to the court, loaded with presents, and bearing a
+message of acceptance.</p>
+
+<p>Till his return Prince Michael knew no peace or rest, but wandered about
+among the hills by himself, thinking of Joan, and still, in his heart, he
+wondered what the magician had meant when he said that if he thought much
+of Princess Joan, one day he would rue it.</p>
+
+<p>At last he said to himself, "I will disguise myself as a poor man, and go
+and see my Princess for myself before the ambassador returns, then shall I
+know what the wizard means."</p>
+
+<p>So he dressed himself as a peasant, and started alone without telling any
+one whither he went, and he travelled day and night till he came to the
+country where Joan dwelt and to her father's palace. Then he walked near
+the palace gardens, and no one noticed him, and he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> saw a group of lovely
+ladies, who sat together on the grass.</p>
+
+<p>His heart beat high as he looked at them, for in their midst, most
+beautiful of all, sat the Princess Joan. Her yellow hair fell to her waist,
+her face was like a blush rose, and her eyes were blue as forget-me-nots,
+but when she lifted them, he saw that they were clear and hard as glass,
+and her voice when she spoke was like a bright cold bell.</p>
+
+<p>There ran up to her a little serving-maid, crying bitterly, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I beg of you, Princess, to let me return to my own home for a time, for my
+father, the huntsman, has broken his leg and is very ill."</p>
+
+<p>"Why should you cry for that?" said the Princess. "'Tis your father and not
+you that is hurt; but you may go, for when you cry and your eyes look red
+you are ugly, and I don't like to see you, so be sure that when you return
+you are pretty and bright as ever."</p>
+
+<p>When her ladies heard her they looked angry, but no one spoke, and the
+little maid went crying away.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Up there came a groom from the palace and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Your Royal Highness, the horse that you rode yesterday is dead, and we
+think it is because you would ride so far when it was already tired, as we
+told you."</p>
+
+<p>"Dead is it?" cried the Princess. "Then see quickly and get me another,
+that I may ride again to-morrow, and be sure this time that it is a good
+strong horse, or it may give way beneath me and so my ride be shortened."</p>
+
+<p>The groom went away muttering, and the Princess's ladies looked even graver
+than before, but the Princess's own face was bright as a summer sky, and
+she talked on without heeding their sad looks.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Michael turned away with a heavy heart.</p>
+
+<p>"The magician spoke truly," he said to himself, "and there will be nothing
+but sorrow for all those who love my poor Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<p>Yet he could not bear to leave her and return at once to his own home, and
+still he remained near the palace, and for some days<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> watched her
+unnoticed, when she walked and rode, and listened to all she said, and each
+day he grieved more and more, for she never said one kind loving word to
+any one; yet each day when he saw how beautiful she was he loved her more
+and more.</p>
+
+<p>When he again returned to his own home he found great rejoicings
+everywhere, for the ambassador had returned with a message from Joan's
+father promising she should marry the Prince, and everywhere preparations
+were being made for the entry of the Princess to her new home.</p>
+
+<p>"And now, my son," said the King, "all is arranged for you to journey in
+state to her father's court and bring back your bride, so now I hope that
+you are happy and wish for nothing more."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this Prince Michael's face was sad and grave, and his father and
+mother wondered what ailed him. But he said to himself, "I will never marry
+my Joan till she loves me as I do her, and how can she ever do that when
+she loves no one, not even her own father and mother?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At the court of Joan's father grand preparations had been made, and all was
+in excitement when Prince Michael arrived with servants, and horses, and
+presents for the bride.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen sat in state to receive him, and beside them was Joan,
+and she looked so beautiful, in a dress as blue as her eyes, that every one
+said, "How glad he will be when he sees how lovely she is."</p>
+
+<p>There was a blowing of trumpets and ringing of bells when Prince Michael,
+followed by his attendants, entered, and the King and Queen and all the
+courtiers rose.</p>
+
+<p>He passed up the hall to the thrones on which they sat, and kneeling on one
+knee, kissed their hands, and last he kissed the hand of the Princess, but
+he did not lift his eyes from the ground or look in her face, and his own
+was so sad that the people whispered to each other, and said, "What is the
+matter, and why does he look so unhappy? Surely he ought to be content when
+he sees how beautiful she is."</p>
+
+<p>At night when the merrymakings were over the Prince sent a message to the
+Queen,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> begging she would speak with him alone, and when she heard this her
+heart sank, and she thought, "He must know that there is something amiss
+with Joan, and perhaps he comes to say he will not marry her after all."</p>
+
+<p>So she sent every one away, except the old nurse and bid the Prince to
+come.</p>
+
+<p>When he came in and saw her sad looks he said, "You have guessed then,
+Queen, why I come to speak to you. Tell me truly what ails Princess Joan,
+and why is she unlike any one I ever saw." The Queen cried bitterly, and
+said, "I know not; would I did!" but the old nurse said,</p>
+
+<p>"I know and will tell you, Prince. Princess Joan is under a spell. A bad
+fairy enchanted her when she was a tiny baby, and till this charm is
+broken, she will never be like other people."</p>
+
+<p>"And what is the charm?" asked the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, that I don't know," said the nurse. Then she told Michael of the
+yellow woman and the whistling the Queen had heard at night;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> and as he
+listened the Prince sighed and said, "There is no charm which cannot be
+broken if one does but know how, but this is hard to do, for we do not know
+what the spell is, or who is the fairy who cast it. But bid the people
+cease their preparations, Queen, and stop the wedding rejoicings, for there
+will be no wedding. No, not till I have found the fairy who has wronged my
+Joan, and made her set her free. To-morrow I shall start at break of day,
+and journey to the farthest ends of the world, to search for what can break
+the charm. But I pray, Queen, that Joan may wait for me for seven years,
+and if, when they are past, I have not returned, and you have heard nothing
+of me, you must think that I am dead and gone, and marry her to whom you
+will, for if I be alive, I will return before then. And till seven years
+are past remember that Joan is still mine."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this the Queen wept still more, and begged the Prince either to
+remain and marry Joan, or to leave her and return to his home and forget
+her; but if he wandered away to lands of goblins and fairies, no one would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>
+know what had become of him, and he would never find the fairy who had
+charmed Joan or learn how to break the spell; but Prince Michael only shook
+his head, and said, "I have sworn that I will not marry Joan till she loves
+me as I do her, neither can I return to my home and forget her, so bid her
+be ready at dawn to-morrow to bid me farewell, and tell none that I am
+going till I have gone. Also I beg you to send a messenger to my father and
+mother to tell them why I do not return, for I will not see them first,
+lest they too should try to dissuade me." The Queen said no more, but she
+cried very bitterly; but the old nurse smiled and nodded to Michael and
+said,</p>
+
+<p>"You do well. You are a noble Prince, and would well deserve our Princess's
+love."</p>
+
+<p>Next morning at break of day the Queen awoke the Princess and bade her
+rise, for Prince Michael waited to bid her good-bye. The Prince stood at
+the door of the palace, and when Princess Joan came out looking lovelier
+than ever in the dim morning light, the tears filled his eyes, and he
+thought, "Most likely I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> shall never see her again, and then she will never
+know how much I have loved her."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, Joan," he said; "do not quite forget me for seven years, for
+perhaps I may yet come back and marry you."</p>
+
+<p>"And why do you go?" said Joan; "I had thought there would be a grand
+wedding, and I should have all the gifts that are being prepared for me,
+and now I shall have nothing; but good-bye, if go you must."</p>
+
+<p>Michael sighed as he mounted his horse and bade her farewell. When he
+looked back at the palace, the Queen and Joan still stood at the door, and
+the Queen sobbed; but Princess Joan looked quite happy and contented, and
+smiled brightly.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Michael rode and rode, till he came to his own home, and then he
+turned at once to the tower in which dwelt the magician. He climbed the
+tower and found the old man sitting alone as before, but he had no book
+before him, and he looked very grave.</p>
+
+<p>"I know why you are come," he said, as soon as Michael entered the room.
+"So you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> have seen Princess Joan; and do you still wish to marry her?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will marry her, or no one," said Michael. "But not till I have found out
+who has bewitched her, and have broken the charm."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to search far for that," said the wizard; "And it may be
+years ere you could set her free. Forget her, my son, and return to your
+own home, and do not waste your life in a fruitless quest."</p>
+
+<p>"I will seek to break the charm, even if it take my whole life," said
+Michael. "But tell me what it is, and how shall I find out how to break
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"A fairy has stolen her heart," said the wizard, "and that is why she loves
+no one, and can feel no sorrow; she has no heart with which to love or
+pity, and till it is found and restored to her, she will be hard and cold
+as stone. The fairy swore she would be revenged on her mother for her
+pride, and so she is."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I will go and seek her heart, and bring it back to her," said
+Michael. "But<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> where shall I look for it? Tell me at least where has the
+fairy hidden it."</p>
+
+<p>"She has taken it to a castle in which are kept all the hearts of men and
+women, that fairies steal, or that they themselves throw away; and this
+castle is very far from here; moreover, it is guarded by an old gnome, who
+is spiteful and cruel, and who pays no heed to those who beg him to let
+them enter. Give up the Princess and return to your home, for if you go,
+you will only die, or be enchanted like poor Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<p>"Nevertheless, I shall go," said Michael. "So tell me what path to take,
+and I will start at once."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this the sorcerer took from his bosom a small round piece of
+glass, and gave it to the young man. "Take this," he said; "It is all that
+I can give you, to help you, and through it you must look at the stars, and
+you will see that they are all of different colours&mdash;blue, green, red, and
+yellow; look for the one which is the deepest, brightest red, and follow
+it; it will lead you many miles both by land and sea,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> but follow steadily,
+and let nothing turn you from your course, and you will surely come to the
+castle wherein is imprisoned the heart of your Princess."</p>
+
+<p>The Prince thanked the magician, and took the glass; then bidding him
+"Good-bye," he left the strangely lighted chamber, and went down the dark
+staircase, and stood again on the hill outside, with the dark sky overhead
+filled with shining stars.</p>
+
+<p>Michael raised the glass and looked at them through it, and then he almost
+shouted with surprise, for they looked wonderful. They were like jewels of
+all colours&mdash;green, blue, yellow, pink&mdash;and in the south was one of a deep
+glowing red, like a blood-red rose, and Michael knew that that was the star
+he must follow.</p>
+
+<p>Then he looked back towards his father's palace. "Farewell," he said; "some
+day I will return, and bring with me my Princess Joan." So he set off, and
+journeyed and journeyed, till he had reached towns and villages which he
+had never seen before. All that night he travelled while the stars shone,
+and he could see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> the rosy star to follow. But when the stars grew pale,
+and the sun rose, and people began to wake up and turn to their work, he
+lay down under a tree and slept soundly. When he woke the day was almost
+done, and the sun was sinking. So he went to a little town near and bought
+food, and rested till again the stars shone in the sky. Then he rose and
+went on all night, still following the crimson star. So passed many days
+and nights, and he journeyed through strange lands, and his heart sank when
+he thought, "So may I wander all round the world, and come no nearer to the
+star, or to the castle where they keep the heart of my poor Joan."</p>
+
+<p>At last he came to the sea-shore, and in front of him lay a great cold sea,
+and beyond it he saw no sign of land. But the star shone right over it, and
+he knew that he must cross, if he still would follow it. It was in the
+evening, the sun had set, but some fishermen still remained on the beach,
+resting beside their boats. Michael went up to them, and taking some money
+from his pocket, asked for how much they would sell him one of their
+boats.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At this the men looked surprised, and one of them said, "Why do you wish to
+buy a boat? We use them to fish near the shore, but no boat or ship has
+ever crossed this sea, for no one knows what land is beyond."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I will be the first to find out," said Michael. "Tell me how much you
+want, and give me your largest boat." On this the men muttered together,
+and one said, "He is mad." "Yes," said another, "but his money is good, for
+all that. Let the madman have his way. It will hurt him, not us." So they
+gave Michael their best boat, and he paid them well, and he set sail and
+steered where the red star shone. He sailed all night till he had left
+every trace of land behind him, and saw no shore in front, only the cold,
+gray sea on every side. By day he kept the boat still, afraid lest he
+should get out of the track of the star, but when the second night came he
+was so weary that in spite of himself he fell asleep. When he awoke he
+found the sun had risen, and his boat was drifting close to land. It was a
+flat, lonely shore, without trees or grass<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> growing in sight, and facing
+him was an immense castle. It was built of black marble, and a more gloomy
+place could not be, for the windows were small and high up, and were all
+barred across, with heavy iron bars, and the castle had no spires or
+towers, but was one square black block, and looked more like a prison than
+a castle. Around it was a high wall, and outside this a moat, without a
+bridge.</p>
+
+<p>Michael steered his boat to shore, and stepped from it, and looked about
+for some way by which he could cross the moat, and try for entrance to the
+castle. Then he saw a little hut near, and beside it lay an old man
+apparently fast asleep. He was small and dark, and his face was gray and
+wrinkled as a monkey's, and he had no hair on his head. Close beside him
+coiled up was a large snake, also asleep. Michael stood watching them both,
+afraid to wake them, when, without a word, the gray man raised his head,
+and opening a pair of dull, gray eyes, fixed them on him. Still he did not
+speak, and at last the Prince, growing impatient, went up to him and said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>
+"Friend, I beg you to tell me how I am to enter the castle; or if you have
+the key, to give it to me."</p>
+
+<p>On this the old man answered, "I have the key, and no one can enter without
+my leave. What will you give me for it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why," said Michael, "I have nothing but money," and he took some coins
+from his pocket as he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>At this the old man laughed. "Your money is nothing to me," he said; "But
+look yonder. Over there I am building a wall of heavy stones, and I am old,
+and my strength fails me; stay and work for me at that wall, and in return
+I will give you the key of the castle."</p>
+
+<p>"But how long must I work?" said Michael, "For unless I can enter the
+castle before seven years are over, it will be no use to me.</p>
+
+<p>"Look at that serpent," said the old man; "It is sitting on its eggs. When
+they are hatched you shall have the key and open the castle door. Till then
+you must be my slave."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Gladly," said Michael, who was delighted; "for no snake could take seven
+years hatching its eggs."</p>
+
+<p>Then the old man rose, and beckoning to him to follow, went into the little
+cottage. From a nail upon the wall he took a pair of manacles fastened
+together by a heavy iron chain. These he slipped over Michael's wrists, and
+stooping down over them, muttered a few words, and at once the manacles
+fastened together as if they had been locked, and Michael could not move
+them, or draw out his hands. Then the old man took down another heavy chain
+and passed it over the first and fastened it with more iron rings to his
+ankles, so that he could only move his arms and hands a little way, and
+could not raise them high, and could only walk with slow careful steps.
+This done, he pointed to where, on the wall high up, hung a gleaming golden
+sword, the handle of which was set with precious stones.</p>
+
+<p>"That," said he, "is the key of the castle, and you need only push the
+doors with its point and they will all fly open; but while your hands<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> are
+chained you cannot reach it to lift it down, but when the serpent's eggs
+are hatched your iron rings will fall off, and you yourself may take the
+sword down from its place, and push your way into the castle. Now get you
+to your work, and work hard, or you may rue it."</p>
+
+<p>Then he showed Michael how he was to move the heavy stones, and where to
+build with them, and he himself sat down by the serpent and watched him,
+while the Prince went to work with a light heart, for he thought, "It is
+hard work while it lasts, but 'twill not be for long, and 'tis not much to
+do to win my Joan." So he worked hard till the sun had set, and then the
+old man rose, saying, "Enough," and called him into the hut and gave him
+food and drink, but he ate nothing himself, and then he showed him where he
+could sleep in one corner, and Michael lay down and slept soundly and
+dreamed of Joan.</p>
+
+<p>At break of day he was waked by the old man, who again gave him plenty to
+eat, and again ate nothing, but what he gave to him he took from an urn in
+the corner, and when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> he had done he put into the urn the fragments that
+were left.</p>
+
+<p>All day Michael worked hard, and in the evening as he passed by the snake,
+he looked at it as it lay coiled over its eggs, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"How soon will your work be done, and mine also, good snake? Make haste, I
+pray, that I may find my way into the castle, and return to my Princess."</p>
+
+<p>So the days passed. Each morning the old man awoke Michael and gave him
+food, and set him to work, and all day he laboured hard. Then when night
+approached, he called "Enough," and beckoning him into the hut, gave him
+plenty to eat and drink, but never ate himself, and beside that one word
+never spoke, but crouched all day beside the snake, with closed eyes as if
+asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime, the doors of the castle never opened, and no one was seen going
+in, or coming out; but sometimes, towards night, strange noises might be
+heard from within its walls; sometimes there were wails and moans, which it
+filled Michael with horror to hear, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> sometimes there was sweet singing,
+so sweet that it drew tears to his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>But the days passed, and the serpent never moved from its eggs, and
+Michael's heart began to be oppressed with fear, lest the old man was
+deceiving him, and they should never be hatched at all. As each day passed,
+he put aside a stone on a bare rock, and one day when he counted over the
+stones to see how many days were gone, he found that more than a year had
+passed since his boat had brought him to the shore. His hands had grown
+hard and brown and cracked, with working at the heavy stones, and his face
+and neck were blistered and sunburnt with the fierce sun that beat upon
+them as he worked. His clothes were cut and torn and soiled, and yet he
+seemed to be no nearer entering the castle. Then he rose and went into the
+cottage, and looked longingly at the sword which hung high up, on the
+walls, and raised his arms to try and reach it, but the chains held him
+down, and as he turned from it in despair he saw the old man standing in
+the doorway watching him with his cold dull eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What would you do here?" he asked; "have I not bid you serve me till the
+serpent's eggs are hatched, and then the sword shall be yours?"</p>
+
+<p>"And when will the serpent's eggs be hatched?" cried Michael in despair.</p>
+
+<p>"That," said the old man, "I cannot tell, but a bargain is a bargain; keep
+you your part and I will keep mine." Then he turned again to where the
+serpent lay, and lying down beside it closed his eyes, and Michael returned
+to his work mournfully.</p>
+
+<p>Time passed, but there came no change. Michael despaired in his heart, but
+he could not have escaped even if he would, because of the chains which
+hung from his arms.</p>
+
+<p>"I will work here," he said, "till the seven years are out, then I will
+climb on the wall which I have built and throw myself into the sea and end
+my troubles."</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes at night he would take from his bosom the piece of magic glass
+which the wizard had given him and would gaze through it at the star which
+still looked a bright crimson colour.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Why have you led me here, cruel star," he asked sadly, "if you cannot help
+me more? Are you shining over my home and my Princess, and does she
+remember me? The seven long years will soon be passed, and they will wed
+her to another king, and it will be all of no avail that I have given up
+everything to find her heart, since I have only broken my own."</p>
+
+<p>So the time passed. Michael worked hard by day, but by night he lay and
+wept. One day, when the seven years had nearly worn themselves away, he
+bent over a pool of water, and in it saw his own form, and he saw that his
+hair was thin and streaked with gray, and his face furrowed and seamed, and
+his eyes dim with crying, also his shoulders were bowed with hard work, and
+his clothes, once so gorgeous, now hung mere rags upon his bent form.</p>
+
+<p>"Now all is in vain," said he, "for if even I returned to my own home no
+one will know me, so changed am I. I will go and kill the snake that has
+caused my misery, and then I will slay the old man who has deceived me."</p>
+
+<p>So he went up to the snake, who lay<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> motionless coiled over its eggs as
+usual, and reached out his hand to grasp its throat, but as he did so his
+tears fell and dropped upon its head, and it writhed fearfully and then
+glided away so fast that he could not see where it went, and left the heap
+of gray eggs bare beneath his hand. The old man lay beside them as still as
+usual, and did not move or open his eyes, even when the snake glided
+hissing past him.</p>
+
+<p>"If the snake has escaped me," cried Michael, "then at least I can destroy
+the eggs;" and lifting his heel he struck them with all his might, but his
+foot left no mark upon them, nor even moved them from their place. They
+might have been made of iron, and each one nailed to the ground, so hard
+and firm they stood.</p>
+
+<p>Michael burst out weeping afresh. "How foolish I am," he said, "Yes, and
+wicked too. It is not the fault of the poor snake that its eggs are not
+hatched. Perhaps it is enchanted like me, and waits as patiently for them;"
+and he bent his head till his tears fell upon the eggs.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> No sooner did they
+touch them, than the shells broke, and the pieces fell asunder, and from
+each egg came a small moving thing, though what it was Michael did not see,
+for he leaped to his feet with a shout of joy, which filled the air, and
+echoed again from the castle. At this the old man opened his eyes, and
+raising himself gazed, as if thunderstruck, with astonishment at the eggs.</p>
+
+<p>"Tis a miracle," he cried, chuckling with joy.</p>
+
+<p>But out of the eggs, there came no one fully formed animal, but from one
+egg came a foot, from another a leg, from another a tail, and from one a
+head, and each looked as though it belonged to some different beast, yet
+all these drew themselves together, and joined so well that the join was
+not to be seen. And they made a hideous monster of many colours. Then the
+manacles on Michael's wrists burst asunder, and the chains fell to the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," he cried, "I will go and take for myself the sword from the wall,
+and win my way into the castle, and nothing shall hinder<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> me more." And he
+turned and rushed into the hut. There, upon the wall hung the shining
+sword, and Michael reached out his hand and seized it firmly, and drew it
+down from its place.</p>
+
+<p>"I will swear a vow," he cried, "upon this sword, that when I enter the
+castle, I will say not one word for good or for ill to any one, save to ask
+for what I come to seek, lest I should again be kept for years. Moreover, I
+will not taste food or drink, till I have found the heart of my Joan to
+take back to her." Then, with the sword in his hand, he passed the old man,
+who still sat chuckling over the monster, too busy to heed him, and he went
+straight on to the bridgeless moat. It was not wide, and he swam it easily,
+and scrambled up the bank by the stone wall. He pushed with the point of
+the sword at the gate, and it at once flew open, and he stood in the outer
+court. Then he saw a heavy door in the wall of the castle, and went up to
+it, nothing fearing, and, on touching it with the sword's point, it too
+flew open at once, and he entered.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He stepped into a passage filled with flowers and hung with silken
+hangings. He trod upon a velvet carpet, and the air was laden with sweet
+scents, and from afar he heard sweet voices singing. He strode on through
+another door, and yet another, and at each step he took all things became
+lovelier, till at last he passed into a splendid chamber, the like of which
+he had never seen before. In the ceiling were precious stones set in
+patterns of flowers and crowns, on the walls were soft velvet hangings and
+embroideries. The furniture was of carven gold and silver and ivory, and
+everywhere grew flowers of wonderful beauty, which sprang from the floor
+and crept along the walls, and filled the air with sweet scents, and
+hanging on the walls were cages which held what Michael thought were birds,
+which sang most sweetly.</p>
+
+<p>On a table in the centre of the room was a banquet all laid ready, and as
+Michael looked at it and wondered where he should go farther, a curtain was
+drawn aside, and there stepped forth a stately dame dressed in black
+velvet, who came smiling towards him and held out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> her hand, saying, "I am
+indeed glad to see you, I am mistress of this castle, and you are very
+welcome; but I beg that before you tell me from where you come and what you
+seek, you will sit down and share this feast with me." Michael was
+beginning to answer, when he felt the sword in his hand, and remembered his
+oath, and looking full in the face of the new-comer, said, "I seek the
+heart of Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<p>"And you shall find it," answered the grand lady. "But first you must rest
+and eat, for you must be both tired and hungry;" and so saying she sat at
+one end of the table, and signed to Michael to sit at the other, and took
+the golden covers from the dishes, and prepared to begin the feast. Michael
+knew not what to do, but he sat at the table in silence, and all at once
+bethought him of the magic glass in his bosom, and drawing it forth when
+she was not looking, gazed through it at her, and then he beheld no
+finely-dressed lady, but a wizened old woman, robed in yellow, with an evil
+yellow face and evil yellow eyes. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> hid the glass again, and sat still as
+stone, though the yellow woman pressed on him the different dishes again
+and again. He saw that her face grew white with rage. Then all of a sudden
+she disappeared, and the lights went out, and he was left alone in the
+darkness. He rose and searched for the door by which he had entered, but
+could not find it nor any way out of the room; so there he was, a prisoner
+alone with the singing-birds.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind," quoth he to himself cheerily; "I have at last reached the
+inside of the castle, and surely shall find the heart of my Joan, and if I
+keep my vow and neither eat nor drink here or say aught but ask for that
+which I seek, nothing can harm me."</p>
+
+<p>So he sat down contentedly to wait for what might come. There he sat the
+whole night, and no one came near him, but the birds sang so beautifully
+that he almost forgot how the time passed.</p>
+
+<p>When morning dawned and light again shone through the windows, he searched
+everywhere for some way out of the room, but the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> door had quite
+disappeared. Moreover, the feast had gone from the table. The day passed,
+and still he was all alone, and as evening again drew in he sat and
+lamented, quite wearied out and faint for want of food. But when the
+darkness came, the lamps about the room were suddenly lit as if by magic,
+and all was brilliant, and a curtain was drawn aside, and there came in a
+little child with bright eyes and hair, who held in one hand a goblet and
+in the other a well-filled plate. These she placed before Michael, saying,
+"My mistress sends you these, and begs that you will eat and drink, for you
+must be both hungry and thirsty;" but Michael pushed away the goblet and
+the plate, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I seek the heart of Princess Joan; I beg you to give it to me."</p>
+
+<p>To this the seeming child answered nothing, but still pressed on him the
+food and wine. Then Michael took from his bosom the magic glass and looked
+through it, and saw no lovely child, but the same yellow hag with
+shrivelled face and evil eyes. With a cry of rage she disappeared, and
+though Michael searched everywhere,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> he could not find the way by which she
+went.</p>
+
+<p>Now indeed he began to feel that unless he ate he could not live much
+longer, and wept from very weakness.</p>
+
+<p>"Still I will neither eat nor drink," he said, "till I have found what I
+came to seek, and the fairy cannot refuse me much longer."</p>
+
+<p>Night passed and day came, and he lay upon a couch quite still, too weak to
+move, yet he feared to sleep lest some spell should be thrown upon him.</p>
+
+<p>So he lay all day, and as evening again drew near he began to feel despair,
+for he knew that in another day he would be dead of hunger.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh! Why have I toiled for seven years," he cried aloud, "and at last won
+my way into the castle, if now I am to be starved to death, and Joan will
+never know how I have laboured for her sake?"</p>
+
+<p>"And why should you be starved to death, my Prince?" said a voice; and at
+once the lights lit themselves, and into the room stepped<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> the figure of
+the Princess Joan just as he had seen her last, dressed in white and gold,
+and in one hand bearing a golden goblet filled with clear ruby-coloured
+wine.</p>
+
+<p>Michael gave a cry of joy and held out his arms to clasp her in them, but
+as he did so the sword sprang as it hung at his side, and he remembered his
+vow and drew back and gazed at her without speaking.</p>
+
+<p>She knelt down beside him and raised the goblet to his lips, saying softly,
+"My poor love, how long you have worked for me! Pray drink now, that you
+may be refreshed ere we two start for our home."</p>
+
+<p>Then as he looked at her face and saw how beautiful she was his heart
+wavered, and he thought, "Can it be my Joan, and that I have truly won
+her?" and almost had he let her place the wine at his lips, while with one
+hand she stroked his hair and murmured to him the while in a soft voice,
+when the cup struck against the magic glass in his bosom, and he drew it
+forth and looked at her, and he trembled with horror and disgust, for there
+he saw no lovely Princess<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> Joan, but the same yellow hag, who held in one
+skinny hand a goblet, formed from a skull, from which she would have him
+drink.</p>
+
+<p>Michael sprang to his feet and dashed it from him, and the ruby wine poured
+on the floor, and there followed an awful noise like a peal of thunder, and
+the room was full of smoke, and wild cries were heard.</p>
+
+<p>He grasped the sword and sat still, trembling all over; but when the smoke
+cleared away the whole aspect of the room was changed; the silken hangings,
+and gold, and pearls, and flowers, were all gone, and he was sitting in a
+grim gray chamber like a vault, and in front of him stood the yellow hag,
+whose eyes shone spitefully and her lips laughed wickedly; but in one hand
+she held what it made Michael rejoice to see. It was a soft pink feathery
+thing, with wings, but shaped like a heart, and it trembled and quivered in
+her hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Take it," she cried, "for well have you won it. Take it, and tell the
+Queen how many years of toil and labour her proud words and boasting have
+cost. Then when you see her, from whom<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> it was stolen, let it fly, but
+first say over it these words:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Heart of Joan<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lost and won<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly back home,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy journey's done.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back joy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back pain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heart of Joan,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly home again."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>and it will fly to her side, and you will see it no more; and now begone."</p>
+
+<p>Michael seized the heart with a cry of joy and exultation, and then turned
+and fled from the room through an open iron door, and passed through the
+passages, no longer softly carpeted and hung with silk, but dreary and
+bare, made of cold stone, down which his foot-steps echoed and clashed.</p>
+
+<p>He hurried from the castle as quickly as might be, and once outside did not
+stop to look for the old man or the monster, but swam the moat, and went
+straight to where his boat lay moored as he had left it, nearly seven years
+before, and never paused till he had rowed so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> far that the gray castle and
+the shore had almost passed from view. At last he came again to the shore
+where he had bought his boat of the fishermen, and here he went on land,
+and started to walk till he had reached Joan's country, and her father's
+castle.</p>
+
+<p>He had no money, and his clothes were rags, his hair was thin and gray, and
+his shoulders bent. He looked like a poor beggar, and he had to beg food as
+he went, or he would have been starved. Still, he was ready to cry for joy,
+because he took with him the little soft heart he had gone so far to find.</p>
+
+<p>He trudged on both day and night, making great haste, for he knew that the
+seven years were almost gone, and he was afraid lest already he might be
+too late, and find that Joan had married some one else. At last, after many
+weary miles, he reached her country, and drew near to the palace where she
+lived, and here he found that the people were all decorating their houses,
+and making preparations as if for some great festival.</p>
+
+<p>He stopped and begged for food from a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> woman who stood by a cottage door,
+and when she had given him some bread, as he ate it he asked her to tell
+him what went on in the country, and why there was such rejoicing.</p>
+
+<p>"It is for the marriage of the King's daughter Joan," said the woman;
+"To-morrow she is to be married to old King Lambert, and the wedding will
+be very grand, but none of the country folk like it, for he is old and
+ugly, and they say he does not love her at all, but only marries her that
+he may be king of this country as well as his own. The Queen is in sore
+distress about it, and for seven years refused her consent; but they will
+be over to-morrow, and so they will be wed, and the guests are already
+beginning to arrive at the palace, and each one brings some splendid gift."</p>
+
+<p>"I will be a guest at that wedding," cried Michael; "And I bring the best
+gift of all for the bride;" and he hurried on again, not heeding the
+woman's scorn and laughter.</p>
+
+<p>When he came to the palace, he found that it was hung with flags, and
+arches of flowers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> were erected in front of it, and grand lords and ladies,
+and servants stood at the door to receive the guests who came.</p>
+
+<p>Michael went as near as he dared, afraid lest he should be driven away by
+the servants, and then he saw a little foot-page, and he went to him and
+said,</p>
+
+<p>"Please tell me where is the Princess Joan, and what she is doing."</p>
+
+<p>"She is sitting with the King and Queen and King Lambert in the state-room,
+to receive the guests and accept the presents they bring," said the page.</p>
+
+<p>"I am a guest, and I bring a present for her," cried Michael; "Tell me how
+I shall get into the palace that I may give it to her."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this the page burst out laughing, and told the other servants
+what he said. And they were very angry, and seized Michael, and some would
+have ducked him in the pond, and some would have taken him before the King,
+but they said, "Not now&mdash;wait till the wedding is over to-morrow, and then
+we will see how he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> will punish the beggar-man for his impertinence."</p>
+
+<p>So they took him off to a stone tower outside the garden gates and thrust
+him into it, and locked the door, and there was only one little window high
+up and barred across with bars, and from it he could see the palace and the
+gardens.</p>
+
+<p>Then at last he gave way to despair. "Of what avail were all my years of
+toil, and for what am I gray and old before my time," he cried, "if after
+all, when I have earned that for which I worked so long, I may not give it
+to Joan, but must remain a prisoner and see her pass by to marry some one
+else?" and he threw himself on the ground and cried aloud.</p>
+
+<p>At night as he lay and mourned, he heard sounds of merrymaking, and music
+and laughter from the castle. Sometimes he called out, "Joan! Joan! I am
+here&mdash;I who have worked for you for years, and brought home your stolen
+heart, and now will you wed King Lambert in spite of all?" sometimes he
+beat against the bars of the prison window, but all in vain, and at last,
+when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> all sound had ceased from the castle, he lay silent upon the ground,
+caring no more for life.</p>
+
+<p>When the sun rose, and there was again a stir without, he got up and looked
+from the window, and saw the old nurse who walked by herself in the garden,
+and she looked very sad. Then Michael called out, "Do you not know me? You
+at least, who bid me go, and praised me then, should remember me now." On
+hearing this the old nurse drew near the prison window, and looked at him,
+and said, "Who are you, and why are you here? My eyes are old, and my ears
+are deaf, but I think I have seen you, and heard your voice before."</p>
+
+<p>"Seven years ago," said Michael, "I too was a bridegroom, who came to wed
+your Princess, and for seven long years have I worked, that I might bring
+home to her the heart she had not. Go and ask your Queen, why she has
+broken her pledge to wait for seven years, till Prince Michael should
+return."</p>
+
+<p>"Prince Michael! Is it really Prince Michael?" cried the old nurse
+joyfully. "And<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> you come in time, for our Princess is not married yet, and
+she must pass by here, on her way to church. So you shall call to her as
+she passes by, and speak for yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Then keep near and tell me when she comes," said Michael, "lest she go by
+without seeing me."</p>
+
+<p>Presently the whole castle was astir, and trumpets were sounding, and
+clarions ringing. Then when the sun was high, Michael heard the tramping of
+horses, and the sound of music, and the old nurse said to him, "Here she
+is," and he looked between the bars of the prison window and saw a grand
+procession, and his heart gave a bound, for in their midst, in a golden
+gown, and seated on a white palfrey, was Princess Joan, and she looked just
+as lovely as when he went away seven years before.</p>
+
+<p>On one side of her rode her father and mother, and the Queen's face was
+most mournful, and her eyes were red with crying. On the other rode an ugly
+old man, whom Michael guessed to be King Lambert, and he smiled and bowed
+to the people, but they muttered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> and grumbled, when they looked at him,
+and saw how ugly and wicked, he looked.</p>
+
+<p>When Michael saw them coming, he took from his bosom the little pink heart,
+and stroked it fondly as he whispered over it,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Heart of Joan<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lost and won<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly back home,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy journey's done.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back joy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back pain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heart of Joan,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly home again;"<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>and at once it spread its wings and fluttered through the bars of the
+prison, and over the heads of the people, who shouted, "Look at the pink
+bird!" For a moment it rested at the side of the Princess Joan, and then
+disappeared. She gave a scream, and cried,</p>
+
+<p>"My mother! My father! What has happened? Oh see, it is Michael who has
+returned!" and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's head
+towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars to
+clasp the Prince.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 479px;">
+<img src="images/i152.jpg" width="479" height="650" alt="&mdash;&mdash;and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey&#39;s
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince.&quot;&mdash;P. 128." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&mdash;&mdash;and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey&#39;s
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince.&quot;&mdash;P. 128.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Michael, my love!" she cried, "How gray and worn you are now. How hard you
+must have laboured for me through these long years. Now, how shall I pay
+you, save by loving you all my life!" and she tried to beat down the bars
+of the prison window.</p>
+
+<p>When the people heard her, they cried, "It is Prince Michael, who went
+seven years ago, and who we all thought was dead, and he is returned in
+time to marry our Princess. Now will we indeed have a wedding, and she
+shall marry the Prince who has toiled so long for her;" and King and Queen
+and people laughed for joy. 'Twas in vain for King Lambert to rage, and cry
+that the Princess was betrothed to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay!" said the Queen, "She has been pledged to Prince Michael for seven
+years. We are grieved for your sake, King Lambert, but we cannot break our
+royal word."</p>
+
+<p>Then the people burst into the prison and brought out Michael, all torn and
+gray as he was, and Princess Joan kissed him before them all, and begged
+that he would marry her at once, that every one might see how well she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>
+loved him and how grateful she was. So they brought a fine white horse with
+a grand gold saddle, and jewelled bridle, and placed Michael upon it, and
+he rode to church beside the Princess, and married her, and the people
+threw flowers before them, and bells rang and trumpets sounded, and all
+were glad.</p>
+
+<p>And when it was done Michael was dressed in purple and gold, and messengers
+were sent to his father and mother and the old wizard, that they might come
+and see how he had come home victorious, and rejoicings filled the whole
+country.</p>
+
+<p>"For now we are sure of a good King," the people said. "See, he has already
+shown what he can do. Surely no one else could ever have found the heart of
+Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 190px;">
+<img src="images/i155.jpg" width="190" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 486px;">
+<img src="images/i157.jpg" width="486" height="650" alt="&quot;Good-day, friend,&quot; said he. &quot;If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little.&quot;&mdash;P.
+131." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Good-day, friend,&quot; said he. &quot;If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little.&quot;&mdash;P.
+131.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i158.jpg" width="600" height="213" alt="THE PEDLAR&#39;S PACK" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE PEDLAR&#39;S PACK</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/a1.jpg" width="125" height="128" alt="A" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">A pedlar was toiling along a dusty road carrying his pack on his back, when
+he saw a donkey grazing by the wayside.</p></div>
+
+<p>"Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do, perhaps you would
+not mind carrying my load for me for a little."</p>
+
+<p>"If I do so, what will you give me?" said the donkey.</p>
+
+<p>"I will give you two pieces of gold," said the pedlar, but he did not speak
+the truth, for he knew he had no gold to give.</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," said the donkey. So they journeyed on together in a very
+friendly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> manner, the donkey carrying the pedlar's pack, and the pedlar
+walking by his side. After a time they met a raven, who was looking for
+worms in the roadside, and the donkey called out to him,</p>
+
+<p>"Good-morrow, black friend. If you are going our way, you would do well to
+sit upon my back and drive away the flies, which worry me sadly."</p>
+
+<p>"And what will you pay me to do this?" asked the raven.</p>
+
+<p>"Money is no object to me," said the donkey, "so I will give you three
+pieces of gold." And he too knew he was making a false promise, for he had
+no gold at all to give.</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," said the raven. So they went on in high good humour, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's wares, and the raven sitting on the donkey's back
+driving away the flies.</p>
+
+<p>After a time they met a hedge-sparrow, and the raven called out to it,</p>
+
+<p>"Good-day, little cousin. Do you want to earn a little money? If so, bring
+me some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> worms from the bank as we go along, for I had no breakfast, and am
+very hungry."</p>
+
+<p>"What will you give me for it?" asked the hedge-sparrow.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us say four pieces of gold," said the raven grandly; "for I have saved
+more during my long life than I know how to spend." But he knew this was
+not true, for he had not saved any gold at all.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said the hedge-sparrow, and so on they went, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's pack, and the raven keeping the flies away from the
+donkey, and the hedge-sparrow bringing worms to the raven.</p>
+
+<p>Presently they saw in the distance a good-sized town, and the pedlar took
+out from his pack, some shawls and stuffs and hung them over the donkey's
+back that the passers-by might see, and buy if they were so disposed. On
+the top of the other goods lay a small scarlet blanket, and when he saw it
+the hedge-sparrow said to the pedlar,</p>
+
+<p>"What will you take for that little blanket? It seems to be a good one.
+Name your price<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> and you shall have it whatever it is, for I am badly in
+want of a blanket just now;" but as the hedge-sparrow had not a penny in
+the world, he knew he could not pay for it.</p>
+
+<p>"The price of the blanket is five pieces of gold," said the pedlar.</p>
+
+<p>"That seems to me to be very dear," said the hedge-sparrow. "I don't mind
+giving you four pieces of gold for it, but five is too much."</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," said the pedlar, and he chuckled to himself and thought, "Now I
+shall be able to pay the donkey, otherwise I might have had some trouble in
+getting rid of him."</p>
+
+<p>The hedge-sparrow flew to the raven's side and whispered in his ear,
+"Please to pay me the four pieces of gold you owe me, for we are coming to
+a town, and I must be turning back."</p>
+
+<p>"Four pieces of gold is really too much for bringing a few worms," said the
+raven. "It is absurd to expect such payment, but I will give you three, and
+you shall have them almost immediately," and he bent down over the donkey's
+ear and whispered,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"My friend, it is time you paid me the three pieces of gold which you
+promised, for the pedlar will stop at this town, and you will not have to
+go farther with him."</p>
+
+<p>"On thinking it over," said the donkey, "I have come to the conclusion that
+three pieces of gold are really a great deal too much to give for having a
+few flies driven away. You must have known that I was only joking when I
+said it, but I will let you have two, though I consider that it is much
+more than the job was worth;" and the donkey turned again to the pedlar,
+saying, "Now, good sir, your two pieces of gold, if you please."</p>
+
+<p>"In a moment," said the pedlar, and turning to the hedge-sparrow, said, "I
+really must have the money for the blanket at once."</p>
+
+<p>"So you shall," answered the hedge-sparrow, and cried angrily to the raven,
+"I want my money now, and cannot wait."</p>
+
+<p>"In an instant," answered the raven, and again whispered to the donkey,
+"Why can't you pay me honestly? I should be ashamed of trying to slip out
+of my debts in such a way."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I won't keep you waiting a second," said the donkey, and he turned once
+more to the pedlar and cried, "Come, give me my money. For shame! a man
+like you trying to cheat a poor beast like me."</p>
+
+<p>Then the pedlar said to the hedge-sparrow, "Pay me for my blanket, or I'll
+wring your neck."</p>
+
+<p>And the hedge-sparrow cried to the raven, "Give me my money or I'll peck
+out your eyes."</p>
+
+<p>And the raven croaked to the donkey, "If you don't pay me, I'll bite off
+your tail."</p>
+
+<p>And the donkey again cried to the pedlar, "You dishonest wretch, pay me my
+money or I'll kick you soundly."</p>
+
+<p>And they made such an uproar outside the walls of the town, that the beadle
+came out to see what it was all about. Each turned to him and began to
+complain of the other loudly.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a set of rogues and vagabonds," said the beadle, "and you shall
+all come before the mayor, and he'll settle your quarrels pretty quickly,
+and treat you as you deserve."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At this they all begged to be allowed to go away, each one saying he did
+not care about being paid at all. But the beadle would not listen to them,
+and led them straight away to the market-place, where the mayor sat judging
+the people.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, whom have we here?" cried he. "A pedlar, a donkey, a raven, and a
+hedge-sparrow. A set of worthless vagabonds, I'll be bound! Let us hear
+what they have to say for themselves."</p>
+
+<p>On this the pedlar began to complain of the hedge-sparrow, and the
+hedge-sparrow of the raven, and the raven of the donkey, and the donkey of
+the pedlar.</p>
+
+<p>The mayor did not heed them much, but he eyed the pedlar's pack, and at
+length interrupted them, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I am convinced that you are a set of good-for-nothing fellows, and one is
+quite as bad as the other, so I order that the pedlar be locked up in the
+prison, that the donkey be soundly well thrashed, and that the raven and
+the hedge-sparrow both have their tail-feathers pulled out, and then be
+turned out of the town.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> As for the blanket, it seems to me to be the only
+good thing in the whole matter, and as I cannot allow you to keep the cause
+of such a disturbance, I will take it for myself. Beadle, lead the
+prisoners away."</p>
+
+<p>So the beadle did as he was told, and the pedlar was locked up for many
+days in the prison.</p>
+
+<p>"It is very sad to think to what straits an honest man may be brought," he
+sighed to himself as he sat lamenting his hard fate. "In future this will
+be a warning to me to keep clear of hedge-sparrows. If the hedge-sparrow
+had paid me as he ought, I should not be here now."</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the donkey was being soundly well thrashed, and after each blow he
+cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Alas! alas! See what comes to an innocent quadruped for having to do with
+human beings. Had the pedlar given me the money he owed, I should not now
+be beaten thus. In future I will never make a bargain with men."</p>
+
+<p>The raven and the hedge-sparrow hopped out of the town by different roads,
+and both were very sad, for they had lost all their tail feathers, which
+the beadle had pulled out.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Alas!" croaked the raven, "my fate is indeed a hard one. But it serves me
+right for trusting a donkey who goes on his feet and cannot fly. It is
+truly a warning to me never again to trust anything without a beak."</p>
+
+<p>The hedge-sparrow was quite crestfallen, and could scarcely keep from
+tears. "It all comes of my being so taken in by that raven," he sighed.
+"But I should have known that these large birds are never honest. In future
+I will be wise, and never make a bargain with anything bigger or stronger
+than myself."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 174px;">
+<img src="images/i166.jpg" width="174" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i167.jpg" width="600" height="215" alt="THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o2.jpg" width="125" height="127" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">Once there was a baker who had a very bad, violent temper, and whenever a
+batch of bread was spoiled he flew into such a rage, that his wife and
+daughters dared not go near him. One day it happened that all his bread was
+burnt, and on this he stamped and raved with anger. He threw the loaves all
+about the floor, when one, burnt blacker than the rest, broke in half, and
+out of it crept a tiny thin black man, no thicker than an eel, with long
+arms and legs.</p></div>
+
+<p>"What are you making all this fuss about, Master Baker?" said he. "If you
+will give me a home in your oven I will see to the baking of your bread,
+and will answer for it that you shall never have so much as a loaf
+spoiled."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 485px;">
+<img src="images/i169.jpg" width="485" height="650" alt="&quot;If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled.&quot;&mdash;P. 141." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled.&quot;&mdash;P. 141.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And pray what sort of bread would it be, if you were in the oven, and
+helped to bake it?" said the baker; "I think my customers might not like to
+eat it."</p>
+
+<p>"On the contrary," said the imp, "they would like it exceedingly. It is
+true that it would make them rather unhappy, but that will not hurt you, as
+you need not eat it yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Why should it make them unhappy?" said the baker. "If it is good bread it
+won't do any one harm, and if it is bad they won't buy it."</p>
+
+<p>"It will taste very good," replied the imp, "but it will make all who eat
+it discontented, and they will think themselves very unfortunate whether
+they are so or no; but this will not do you any harm, and I promise you
+that you shall sell as much as you wish."</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed!" said the baker. So the little imp crept into the oven and curled
+himself into the darkness behind, and the baker saw no more of him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But next day he made a great batch of bread, and though he took no heed of
+the time when he put it in, and drew it out, just as he wanted it, it was
+done quite right&mdash;neither too dark nor too light&mdash;and the baker was in high
+good humour.</p>
+
+<p>The first person who tasted the bread was the chief justice. He came down
+to breakfast in high spirits, for he had just heard that an old aunt was
+dead, and had left him a great deal of money. So he kissed his wife and
+chucked his daughters under the chin, and told them that he had good news
+for them. His old aunt had left him twenty thousand pounds in her will. On
+this his wife clapped her hands for joy, and his daughters ran to him and
+kissed him, and begged him to let them have some of it. So they all sat
+down to breakfast in great glee, but no sooner had the justice tasted the
+bread than his face fell.</p>
+
+<p>"This is excellent bread," he said, taking a large slice; "I wish
+everything else were as good;" and he heaved a deep sigh.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" cried his wife, who had not yet begun to eat. "This morning, I am
+sure, there is nothing for you to complain of."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Nay!" said the mayor; "it is very nice to have twenty thousand pounds, but
+think how much nicer it would have been if it had been thirty. How much
+more one could have done with that! Or even if it had been twenty-five
+thousand pounds, or even twenty-one. Twenty-one thousand pounds is a very
+nice sum of money, but twenty thousand pounds is no good at all. I am not
+sure that it would not be better not to have had any."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense!" cried his wife, who was now eating her breakfast also; "you are
+very wicked to be so discontented; but one thing I do say. It would have
+been much nicer if we had had it when we were young and better able to
+enjoy it. Money is very little use to people at our time of life. It would
+have been really nice if we had had it fifteen years ago. As it is, I can't
+say I care much for it, and it makes me sad to think we did not get it
+before."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," cried the daughters; "in that case how much better it would have
+been for us to have it instead of you; we are young, and able to enjoy
+ourselves, and we could have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> given you a little of it if you'd liked, but
+we could have been very happy with the rest; as it is, it is no pleasure to
+us."</p>
+
+<p>So they fell to quarrelling about the money, and by the time breakfast was
+done, they all had tears in their eyes, and felt discontented and unhappy.</p>
+
+<p>The next person to eat the bread was the village doctor. All night long he
+had been sitting up with a man who had broken his leg, and he had feared
+lest he should die, but as morning came he saw he would live, so he
+returned home to his wife in very good spirits, although he was sadly
+tired. The wife had already had her breakfast, but she had made all ready
+for her husband, with a loaf of the baker's new bread.</p>
+
+<p>"See, dear husband," she said, "here is your breakfast, and some nice bread
+quite new, because I know you like it. How glad we ought to be, that this
+poor man is likely to live."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed," said the doctor; "being up all night is tiring work, but I
+don't grudge it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> when I know that it does some good," and then he began to
+eat. "I am not sure, after all, that I have done such a good thing in
+curing this man. It is true that his broken leg hurt him very much, but
+perhaps when he is well again, he may break his back, and that would be
+much worse. Perhaps I had better have left him to die. I daresay when he is
+quite well, all kinds of misfortunes will befall him; I had much better
+have let him alone."</p>
+
+<p>"Why," cried his wife in surprise, "what are you saying, husband? Are you
+not a doctor, and is it not your business to cure people? And when you
+succeed ought you not to be glad?"</p>
+
+<p>"I wish I were not a doctor," said the husband, sighing. "It would be much
+better if there were no doctors at all;" and he sat and lamented, and
+nothing his wife could say, could cheer him.</p>
+
+<p>In a pretty little cottage near the doctor's house lived a young couple,
+who were newly married, and were as happy as the day was long. Their
+cottage was covered with roses, and filled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> with pretty things, and they
+had everything their hearts could desire. This morning they both came down
+smiling and happy, and the young wife kissed her husband, and sang for joy.
+So they sat down to breakfast, chattering like two birds in a nest; but no
+sooner had the husband tasted the bread than his face fell, and he was
+silent for a time; then he said,</p>
+
+<p>"It is a very terrible thing to think how happy we are, for it cannot last.
+Something melancholy is sure to happen to us, and till it comes we shall
+live in dread of it; for we know happiness never lasts, and this is a
+thought that makes me very sad."</p>
+
+<p>The wife had now also taken some bread.</p>
+
+<p>"What is this you are saying?" she said. "How can you think such dreadful
+things? I do not like you when you talk like that; and I think it is very
+hard for me to be married to a man who wants to be unhappy."</p>
+
+<p>"The best thing we can hope for," said the husband, sighing, "is for some
+great misfortune to befall us; then we should be all right, for we should
+know then, that we knew the worst that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> could come. As it is we shall live
+in suspense all our days."</p>
+
+<p>"Now," cried his wife, "I am indeed unfortunate. What could be worse than
+to have a husband who does not like being happy? I wish I had married some
+one else; or indeed had no husband at all."</p>
+
+<p>So both began to grumble, and at last to quarrel, and finally both were
+crying with anger.</p>
+
+<p>Not far out of the village was a large pleasant farmhouse, standing amongst
+fields, and the farmer was a hale, bright man, with a good wife and pretty
+children. He was very busy just now getting in the corn, for it was autumn,
+and he stood among his men, directing them as they worked in the fields. He
+had not had time to have a proper breakfast before going to work, but his
+wife sent some out to him with some of the baker's new bread, and he sat
+down under a tree to eat it. As he did so he looked up at the farmhouse,
+and thought, with pride, that it was the largest farm in all the country
+round, and that it had belonged to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> his father, and his grandfather, and
+his great-grandfather, before him.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis a fine old house, for sure," thought he, as he took a large piece of
+bread, "'Tis so well built and strong;" but no sooner had he swallowed a
+mouthful than his thoughts changed.</p>
+
+<p>"What should I do if it were to fall down and crush me some day," he said
+to himself. "After all, 'tis only built of brick, and might tumble any day.
+How much stronger it would have been if it had been built of stone. Then it
+would not have been nearly so likely to give way. Really when my
+great-grandfather built it he should have thought of this. How selfish all
+men are;" and he became quite unhappy lest his house should fall, and
+lamented while he ate.</p>
+
+<p>In the kitchen the farmer's wife was very busy cooking and cleaning, and
+scarcely stopped to eat till near mid-day. Then she took up a piece of
+bread and cheese, and leant against the window as she ate it, that she
+might watch for her eldest girl and boy, Janey and Jimmy, who would now be
+returning from school.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Our baker really bakes very decent bread," said she; "'tis almost as good
+as my own;" and she went on eating till she saw her two children coming
+through the fields together.</p>
+
+<p>"Here they come," said she; "How bonny they look. Really I ought to be very
+proud of them. I don't know which is the prettier, Janey or Jimmy, but 'tis
+a pity, for sure, that Janey is the eldest. It would be much better if
+Jimmy were older than she. 'Tis a bad thing for the sister to be older than
+the brother. Now, if he were her age, and she were his, that would be
+really nice, for then he could take care of her and see after her; but, as
+it is, she will try to direct him, and boys never like to obey their
+sisters; I really almost think I had better not have had any children at
+all," and the tears filled her eyes, and when her girl and boy ran in to
+her, her face was very sad, and she seemed to be scarcely glad to see them.</p>
+
+<p>So things went on all over the village. Each one as he tasted the bread
+grew discontented and angry, till at last all the people went about
+grumbling and complaining, or else shedding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> tears outright. Only the baker
+himself was cheerful and merry, and sang as he kneaded his dough, and sold
+it to his customers with a light heart, for his trade had never been so
+good. Every atom of bread he made was sold at once, so he cared not one
+whit for the trouble of the other people, and laughed to himself when he
+heard them complaining, and thought of the words of the dark little elf.</p>
+
+<p>One day as he stood kneading at the door and whistling to himself, the
+doctor walked past and looked angrily at him.</p>
+
+<p>"What on earth are you making that whistling for?" he asked. "I declare one
+would think that you were as happy as a man could be."</p>
+
+<p>"And so I am," said the baker, "And so I should think were you too, for you
+have nothing to trouble you."</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing to trouble me, forsooth!" cried the doctor in a rage. "How dare
+you insult me in this way? I tell you what it is, my fine fellow, I think
+you are very impertinent, and if I have any more of your impudence I will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>
+take my stick and thrash you soundly. It really is not to be borne, that
+one man should be allowed to tell another that he has nothing to complain
+of."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, <i>you</i> can have as much to complain of as you like, so long as I have
+not," cried the baker, and he laughed loudly. This only made the doctor
+angrier still, and he was just going to seize the baker when up came the
+farmer.</p>
+
+<p>"Was there ever such a village as this?" he cried. "It is not fit for any
+one to live in, there is always such fighting and quarrelling going on.
+What is the matter here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Matter enough," cried the doctor. "Here is a fellow dares to tell me I
+have nothing to complain of, nor he either."</p>
+
+<p>"This is monstrous!" said the farmer; "he deserves to be hung. How dares he
+say such a thing on such a wretched day as this, with such a blue sky and
+such a bright sun?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Master Farmer," cried the baker, "yesterday you grumbled because it
+was raining, and now you grumble because it is fine."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And I tell you that it is enough to make one grumble," said the farmer.
+"It should have been fair yesterday, and should have rained to-day. You
+ought to be ashamed of such talk, Master Baker, and I think it would serve
+you justly right if we took you before the Justice and let us see what he
+thinks of your conduct."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay!" cried the baker, beginning to be frightened, "what have I done that
+I am to be taken before the Justice?"</p>
+
+<p>"What have you done, indeed!" said the doctor. "We will see if the Justice
+cannot find that out pretty quickly." So they seized the baker and dragged
+him away in spite of himself, and as they pulled him through the village
+the people thronged about them, and followed till there was quite a large
+crowd.</p>
+
+<p>The Justice sat at his door smoking a pipe, with tears in his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Now what is all this uproar for?" cried he. "Am I never to be left in
+peace? How hard is the life of a Justice!" but he got up and came out on
+the steps to meet them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"See here," cried the doctor; "here is a man who says he has nothing to
+complain of, and we have brought him to you, to know if he is to be
+punished, or to be allowed to go on talking like this."</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not," cried the Justice, "or we shall soon have the whole
+village in an uproar. Let him be taken to the market-place, and I will
+order that he be publicly flogged by the soldiers."</p>
+
+<p>At this the poor baker burst out crying, and entreated to be let off,
+saying that now indeed he had plenty to complain of, but at this the
+justice was angrier still. "Then," said he, "you certainly deserve to be
+flogged for having told an untruth before, when you said you had not. Take
+him away, and do as I bid."</p>
+
+<p>So they dragged the baker off to the market-place, and made a ring round
+him, so that he could not escape, and then there came down two or three
+soldiers with ropes in their hands, and they seized him, and began to beat
+him before all the crowd.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But by this time all the people were so enraged against him, that a number
+of them cried, "Let us go to his house and pull it down." So off they ran
+to the baker's house, and broke the windows and knocked about the
+furniture, and then some of them fell on the oven, and wrenched off the
+door, and others seized the pokers and tongs, and smashed in its sides, and
+in the hurry and scuffle, the little dark man crept out of the oven and
+scuttled away unseen by any one. But no sooner had he gone than a great
+change came across the people.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers on the green stopped beating the baker, and looked at each
+other aghast, and the Justice called out,</p>
+
+<p>"Stop! What is all this uproar about? And what has this man done that you
+are beating him without my orders?" and the people in the crowd whispered
+to each other; "It is true,&mdash;what has he done?" and they slunk away,
+looking ashamed.</p>
+
+<p>The Justice also at first looked somewhat ashamed of himself, but he drew
+himself up, and looking very important, said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> "There, my man, you are
+forgiven for this once, and now go your way, and see that you behave better
+in future;" and then he walked away with much dignity.</p>
+
+<p>So the baker was left alone in the market-place, and he cried for rage and
+pain.</p>
+
+<p>"This all comes of the oven imp," cried he, as he limped home. "Directly I
+get home I will drive him out of my oven, and away from my house. Better to
+have a hundred batches of bread spoiled than to be flogged for saying one
+is happy." But when he reached his house the little dark man was nowhere to
+be found; there was nought but the broken oven with its sides battered in.</p>
+
+<p>The baker mended the oven, and from that time forth his bread was just like
+other people's; but for all that he had learnt to be quite contented, for
+now he knew that there were worse things than having his loaves burnt
+black, and he was only too well pleased to take his chance with other
+people, without the help of fairy folk. As for the little black imp, he was
+never heard of more, and the people in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> the village soon recovered their
+good humour, and were just as happy and contented as they had been before
+they tasted the bread of discontent.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 172px;">
+<img src="images/i185.jpg" width="172" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i186.jpg" width="600" height="207" alt="Ye Three Clever Kings" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Ye Three Clever Kings</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o3.jpg" width="125" height="130" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">Old King Roland lay upon his death-bed, and as he had no son to reign after
+him he sent for his three nephews, Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete, and
+addressed them as follows:&mdash;</p></div>
+
+<p>"My dear nephews, I feel that my days are now drawing to an end, and one of
+you will have to be King when I am dead. But there is no pleasure in being
+King. My people have been difficult to govern and never content with what I
+did for them, so that my life has been a hard one, and though I have
+watched you all closely, still I know not, which is most fit to wear the
+crown; so my wish is that you should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> each try it in turn. You, Aldovrand,
+as you are the oldest, shall be King first, and if you reign happily, all
+well and good; but if you fail, let Aldebert take your place; and if he
+fail, let him give it up to Alderete, and then you will know which is the
+best fitted to govern."</p>
+
+<p>On this the three young men all thanked their uncle, and each one declared
+that he would do his best, and soon after old King Roland died and was
+buried with great state and ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>So now Aldovrand was to be King, and he was crowned, and there were great
+rejoicings everywhere.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis a fine thing to be King," cried he in much glee; "Now I can amuse
+myself and do just as I please, and there will be no one to stop me, and I
+will lie in bed as late as I like in the morning, for who dares blame one,
+if one is King?"</p>
+
+<p>Next morning the Prime Minister and the Chancellor came to the palace to
+see the new King and settle affairs of state, but they were told that his
+majesty was in bed and had given orders that no one should disturb him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"This is a bad beginning," sighed the Prime Minister.</p>
+
+<p>"Very bad," echoed the Chancellor.</p>
+
+<p>When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at
+battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry
+at being interrupted in his game.</p>
+
+<p>"A pretty thing," he cried, "That I the King am to be sent for hither and
+thither as if I were a lacquey. They must go away and come another time;"
+and on hearing this the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked graver still.</p>
+
+<p>But next morning there came the Commander-in-Chief and the Lord High
+Admiral, as well as the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, all wanting to
+have an audience with the King, and as he was not out of bed and they could
+not wait any longer, they all stood outside his bedroom door, and knocked
+to gain admittance, and at last he came out in a towering rage, and
+throwing them his crown, cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Here, let one of my cousins be King, for I will not bear this longer. It
+is much more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> trouble than it is worth, so Aldebert or Alderete may try it
+and see how they like it, but as for me, I have had enough of it," and he
+ran downstairs and out of the palace door, leaving the Prime Minister and
+the Chancellor and the General and Admiral staring at each other in dismay.</p>
+
+<p>Aldovrand walked out of the town unnoticed, and turned towards the country,
+whistling cheerily to himself. When he had gone some way in the fields, he
+came to a farmhouse, and in a meadow near, the farmer stood talking to his
+men. Aldovrand went straight up to him, and, touching his hat, asked if he
+could give him any work.</p>
+
+<p>"Work?" cried the farmer, little thinking he was talking to his late king.
+"Why, what sort of work can you do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Aldovrand, "I am not very fond of running about, but if you
+want any one to mind your sheep, or keep the birds from your corn, I could
+do that nicely."</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you what you can do if you like," said the farmer. "I am wanting a
+goose-boy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> to take care of my geese. See, there they are on the common. All
+you will have to do is to see that they don't stray away, and to drive them
+in at night."</p>
+
+<p>"That will suit me exactly," cried Aldovrand. "I will begin at once;" and
+he went straight on to the common, and when he had collected the geese
+together lay down to watch them in high good humour.</p>
+
+<p>"This is capital," he cried, "and much better than being King at the
+palace. Here there is no Prime Minister or Chancellor to come worrying;"
+and he lay watching the geese all day very contentedly.</p>
+
+<p>When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor knew that Aldovrand was really
+gone, they went in a great hurry to Aldebert to tell him that it was his
+turn to be King. But when he heard how his cousin had run away, he looked
+frightened.</p>
+
+<p>"I will do my best," quoth he; "but I really know very little about the
+matter. However, you must tell me, and I will do whatever you direct."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At hearing this the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were delighted.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we have got the right sort of King," they said; and both wagged their
+heads with joy.</p>
+
+<p>So King Aldebert was crowned, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.</p>
+
+<p>Early next morning he was up all ready to receive his Ministers, and first
+came the Prime Minister.</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," said he, "I come to you on an affair of much importance. A
+great part of our city is falling down, and it is very necessary that we
+should rebuild it at once. If you will command it, therefore, I will see
+that it is done."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt you are right," said the King; "pray let them begin
+building at once;" and the Prime Minister went away delighted.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had he gone when in came the Commander-in-Chief.</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," said he, "I wish to lay before you the state of our army.
+Our soldiers have had a great deal of fighting to do lately,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> and are
+beginning to be discontented, but the late King, your uncle, would never
+attend to their wants."</p>
+
+<p>"Pray do what you like," said King Aldebert.</p>
+
+<p>"To satisfy them," said the Commander-in-Chief, "I think that we should
+double their pay. This would keep them in a good humour, and all will go
+well."</p>
+
+<p>"By all means, that will certainly be the best way," said Aldebert. "Let it
+be given to them at once;" and on hearing this, the Commander-in-Chief went
+away right merrily.</p>
+
+<p>When he had gone, there came in the Chancellor with a long face.</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," he said, "I have this morning been to the treasury, and I
+find that there is scarcely any money left. The late King, your uncle,
+spent so much in spite of all I could say, that now it is almost all gone.
+Your Majesty must now save all you can for the next year or two, and you
+ought also to lower the soldiers' pay, and stop all public works."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt you are quite right," cried<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> the King. "You know best, let
+it be done as you wish."</p>
+
+<p>But next morning in came the Prime Minister with a frowning face. "How is
+this, your Majesty?" cried he. "Just as we are beginning our buildings, the
+Chancellor comes and tells us that we are not to have any money to build
+with." He had not done speaking when the Commander-in-Chief burst into the
+room unable to conceal his rage.</p>
+
+<p>"Yesterday your Majesty told me that all the soldiers should have double
+pay, and this morning I hear, that instead of that, their wages are to be
+lowered!" Here he was interrupted by the Chancellor, who came running in
+looking much excited,</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," he cried, "did you not yesterday say we were now to begin
+saving, and that I was not to allow any more money to be spent, and that
+the army must do with less pay?"</p>
+
+<p>And then all three began to quarrel among themselves. When he saw how angry
+they were, King Aldebert took off his crown and said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> "I am sure you are
+each of you quite right; but I think I am scarcely fit to be a King. Indeed
+I think you had better find my cousin Alderete, and let him be crowned, and
+I will seek my fortune elsewhere." And he had slipped out of the room, and
+run downstairs and out of the palace, before they could stop him.</p>
+
+<p>He went briskly down the highroad into the country, the same way that
+Aldovrand had gone.</p>
+
+<p>After he had gone some way, he met a travelling tinker who sat by the
+roadside mending tin cans, with his little fire at his side.</p>
+
+<p>Aldebert stood watching him, and at last said, "How cleverly you mend those
+holes! You must lead a pleasant life, going from house to house in the
+green lanes mending wares. Do you think I could learn how to do it if you
+would teach me?"</p>
+
+<p>The tinker, who was an old man, looked at him and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I don't mind giving you a trial if you like to come with me, for I
+want a strong young<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> man sometimes to help me wheel my little cart, and
+I'll teach you my trade, and we'll see what you can make of it."</p>
+
+<p>So Aldebert was delighted, and went with the tinker.</p>
+
+<p>When they knew he was really gone the Prime Minister and the Chancellor
+looked at each other in dismay.</p>
+
+<p>"This will never do," cried they; "we must go at once to Prince Alderete;
+and let us hope he may do better than his cousins."</p>
+
+<p>When Prince Alderete heard that it was his turn to reign he jumped for joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," cried he, "at last I will show what a king should really be like. My
+cousins were neither of them any good, but they shall now see how different
+I will be."</p>
+
+<p>So he was crowned, and again there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.</p>
+
+<p>Next day he sat in state to receive the Chancellor and Prime Minister and
+hear what they had to say.</p>
+
+<p>"My friends," said he to them, "a good King ought to be like a father to
+his people,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> and this is what I mean to be. I mean to arrange everything
+for them myself, and if they will only obey me, and do as I direct, they
+are sure to be both prosperous and happy."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this both Prime Minister and Chancellor looked anxious, and the
+Chancellor said,</p>
+
+<p>"I fear, your Majesty, your people will not like to be too much meddled
+with." At this the King was very angry, and bid them see about their own
+business, and not presume to teach him his.</p>
+
+<p>When they had gone he went to take a drive in his city, that he might see
+it and know it well; but directly he returned to the palace he sent for the
+Prime Minister, and when he had arrived, said,</p>
+
+<p>"I already see much to be altered in my kingdom. I do not like the houses
+in which many of the people dwell, nor indeed the dresses they wear; but
+what strikes me most of all is, that wherever I go I smell a strong smell
+of pea soup. Now, nothing is so unwholesome as pea soup, and therefore it
+would not be right<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> in me to allow the people to go on eating it. I
+command, therefore, that no one shall again make, or eat pea soup, within
+my realm on pain of death."</p>
+
+<p>Again the Prime Minister looked very grave, and began to say,</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty, your subjects will surely not like to be hindered from
+eating and drinking what pleases them!" But the King cried out in a rage,</p>
+
+<p>"Go at once and do as I bid you." So the Prime Minister had to obey.</p>
+
+<p>Early next morning when the King arose he heard a great hubbub under his
+window, and when he went to see what it was, he saw a vast mob of people
+all shouting, "The King, the King! Where is this King who would dictate to
+us what we shall eat and drink?"</p>
+
+<p>When he saw them he was terribly frightened, and at once sent off for the
+Prime Minister and Chancellor to come to his aid.</p>
+
+<p>"Pray go and tell them to eat what they like," he cried when they arrived;
+"But, do you know, I find it will not at all suit me to be King. You had
+best try Aldovrand, or Aldebert,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> again;" and, so saying, he took off his
+crown and laid it down, and slipped away out of the palace before either
+Prime Minister or Chancellor could stop him.</p>
+
+<p>He went out of the back door, and ran, and ran, and ran, till he had left
+the town far behind, and came to the country fields and lanes&mdash;the same way
+that his two cousins had gone; and as he went he met a sweep trudging along
+carrying his long brooms over his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"My friend," cried Alderete, stopping him, "Of all things in the world I
+should like to be a sweep and learn how to sweep chimneys. May I go with
+you, and will you teach me your trade?"</p>
+
+<p>The sweep looked surprised, but said, "Yes, Alderete could go with him if
+he chose, and as he was now going on to the farmhouses, on the road, to
+sweep the chimneys, he could begin at once." So Alderete went with the
+sweep, carrying some of his brooms for him.</p>
+
+<p>After a time the people outside the palace grew quiet, when they heard that
+the King<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> would not interfere with them further. And when all was again
+still, the Prime Minister and Chancellor went to seek the King, but he was
+nowhere to be found in the palace.</p>
+
+<p>"This will never do," cried they. "We must have a King somehow, so we had
+best have back one of the others." So they started to look for Aldovrand or
+Aldebert.</p>
+
+<p>They sought them all over the city, and at last they came into the same
+country road down which the three cousins had gone, and there they saw
+Aldovrand lying in a meadow watching his flock of geese.</p>
+
+<p>"Good day, my friends," cried he when he saw them; "And how are things
+going on at the palace? I hope my cousins like reigning better than I did.
+Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese, and it is much
+nicer than being King."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor told him all that had happened, and
+begged that he would come back with them to the palace again, but at this
+Aldovrand laughed outright.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 480px;">
+<img src="images/i200.jpg" width="480" height="650" alt="&quot;Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King.&quot;&mdash;P. 170." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King.&quot;&mdash;P. 170.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No indeed!" cried he, "I would not be King again for any man living. You
+had best go and seek my cousin Aldebert, and ask him. I saw him go down the
+road with a tinker, helping him to mend his tins. So go and ask him, and
+leave me to mind my geese in peace."</p>
+
+<p>So the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor had to seek still farther.</p>
+
+<p>They trudged on and on, till at last they met Aldebert, who sat by the side
+of the road mending a tin kettle, and whistling cheerily.</p>
+
+<p>"Heyday, whom have we here?" cried he. "The Prime Minister and the
+Chancellor! And I am right glad to see you both. See how clever I have
+grown; I am learning to be a tinker, and I mended that hole all myself."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor begged him to leave his pots, and
+come back to the palace and be King, but he fell to work again, harder than
+ever, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"No indeed; go and ask my cousins, who are both much cleverer than I. I
+really don't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> do for it at all, but I make a very good tinker, and I like
+that much better."</p>
+
+<p>"Then what can we do?" cried the Prime Minister, "for we don't know where
+Alderete has gone."</p>
+
+<p>"I saw him go by here with a sweep a little time ago," said Aldebert; "and
+he went into that farmhouse yonder, so you had best seek him there."</p>
+
+<p>So the Prime Minister and the Chancellor went on to the farmhouse. At the
+door stood the farmer's wife, but when they asked her if she had seen the
+King go by, she stared with surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said she; "no one has been here but our sweep and his apprentice. He
+is in there sweeping the chimney now." On hearing this, the Prime Minister
+and Chancellor at once ran into the farmhouse, and saw the old sweep
+standing by the kitchen fire-place. "And where is the other sweep?" cried
+they. "He is gone up the chimney, and is just going to begin sweeping,"
+said the old man. "So if you want to speak to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> him you must shout." So they
+shouted and called,</p>
+
+<p>"King Alderete, King Alderete!" as loud as ever they could, but he did not
+hear. Then the Chancellor knelt in front of the grate, and put his head up
+the chimney, and called,</p>
+
+<p>"King Alderete, King Alderete! It is the Prime Minister and I, the
+Chancellor, come to fetch your Majesty back to the palace."</p>
+
+<p>When Alderete heard him up the chimney, he trembled in every limb, but he
+replied,</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not going to come down; I don't want to be King. I am going to be a
+sweep, and I like that much better. I shan't come down till you are gone
+away, and now you had best go quickly, for I am going to begin sweeping,
+and all the soot will fall on your head," and then they heard the rattle of
+the broom in the chimney, and a whole shower of soot fell on the
+Chancellor's head.</p>
+
+<p>The Prime Minister and the Chancellor turned back to the city very
+disconsolately. "We must go and look for a King elsewhere," they said. "It
+is no use troubling about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete." So they left
+the one to his geese, and one to his tins, and the other to sweep chimneys,
+and that was the end of the three clever Kings.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 176px;">
+<img src="images/i205.jpg" width="176" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i206.jpg" width="600" height="212" alt="THE WISE PRINCESS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE WISE PRINCESS</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o4.jpg" width="125" height="128" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">Once upon a time lived a King whose wife was dead and who had one little
+daughter who was named Fernanda. She was very good and pretty, but when she
+was a child she vexed all her ladies by asking them questions about
+everything she saw.</p></div>
+
+<p>"Your Highness should not wish to know too much," they told her, whereat
+Princess Fernanda threw up her little head, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I want to know everything."</p>
+
+<p>As she grew up she had masters and mistresses to teach her, and learnt
+every language and every science; but still she said, "It is not enough; I
+want to know more."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In a deep cave underground there lived an old Wizard who was so wise that
+his face was well-nigh black with wrinkles, and his long white beard flowed
+to his feet. He knew all sorts of magic, and every day and night sat poring
+over his books till now there seemed to be nothing left for him to learn.</p>
+
+<p>One night after every one was asleep, Princess Fernanda rose and slipped
+softly down the stairs and out of the palace unheard by any one, and stole
+away to the Wizard's cave.</p>
+
+<p>The old man was sitting on his low stool reading out of an immense book by
+a dim green light, but he raised his eyes as the Princess entered at the
+low doorway, and looked at her. She wore a blue and silver robe, but her
+bright hair was unbound, and fell in ripples to her waist.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" he asked shortly.</p>
+
+<p>"I am the Princess Fernanda," she said, "and I wish to be your pupil. Teach
+me all you know."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you wish for that?" said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> Wizard: "you will not be better or
+happier for it."</p>
+
+<p>"I am not happy now," said the Princess sighing wearily. "Teach me and you
+shall find me an apt pupil, and I will pay you with gold."</p>
+
+<p>"I will not have your gold," said the Wizard, "but come to me every night
+at this hour, and in three years you shall know all I do."</p>
+
+<p>So every night the Princess went down to the Wizard's cave while all the
+court were sleeping. And the people wondered at her more and more, and
+said, "How much she knows! How wise she is!"</p>
+
+<p>When the three years had gone by the Wizard said to her, "Go! I can teach
+you no more now. You are as wise as I." Then the Princess thanked him and
+went back to her father's palace.</p>
+
+<p>She was very wise. She knew the languages of all animals. The fishes came
+from the deep at her call, and the birds from the trees. She could tell
+when the winds would rise, and when the sea would be still. She could have
+turned her enemies to stone, or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> given untold wealth to her friends. But
+for all that, when she smiled, her lips were very sad, and her eyes were
+always full of care. She said she was weary, and her father thought she was
+sick, and would have sent for the physicians, but she stopped him.</p>
+
+<p>"How should physicians help me, my father," she said, "seeing that I know
+more than they?"</p>
+
+<p>One night, a year after she had taken her last lesson from the Wizard, she
+arose and returned to his cave, and he raised his eyes and saw her standing
+before him as formerly.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" he said. "I have taught you all I know."</p>
+
+<p>"You have taught me much," she said, falling on her knees beside him, "yet
+I am ignorant of one thing&mdash;teach me that also&mdash;<i>how to be happy</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said the Wizard with a very mournful smile; "I cannot teach you
+that, for I do not know it myself. Go and ask it of them who know and are
+wiser than I."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 473px;">
+<img src="images/i210.jpg" width="473" height="650" alt="&quot;Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore.&quot;&mdash;P. 178." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore.&quot;&mdash;P. 178.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the sea-shore. All
+that night she spent sitting on a rock that jutted out into the sea,
+watching the wild sky and the moon coming and going behind the clouds. The
+sea dashed up around her, and the wind blew, but she did not fear them, and
+when the sun rose the waters were still and the wind fell. A skylark rose
+from the fields and flew straight up to heaven, singing as though his heart
+would burst with pure joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely that bird is happy," said the Princess to herself; and she called
+it in its own tongue.</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you sing?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I sing because I am so happy," answered the lark.</p>
+
+<p>"And why are you so happy?" asked the Princess.</p>
+
+<p>"So happy?" said the lark. "God is so good. The sky is so blue, and the
+fields are so green. Is that not enough to make me happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Teach me, then, that I may be happy too," said Princess Fernanda.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot," said the lark; "I don't know how to teach;" and then he rose,
+singing, into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> the blue overhead, and Princess Fernanda sighed and turned
+back towards the palace.</p>
+
+<p>Outside her door she met her little lap-dog, who barked and jumped for joy
+on seeing her.</p>
+
+<p>"Little dog," she said; "poor little dog, are you so glad to see me? Why
+are you so happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why am I so happy?" said the little dog, surprised. "I have plenty to eat,
+and a soft cushion to rest upon, and you to caress me. Is not it enough to
+make me happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not enough for me," said the Princess, sighing; but the little dog
+only wagged his tail and licked her hand.</p>
+
+<p>Inside her room was the Princess's favourite little maid Doris, folding up
+her dresses.</p>
+
+<p>"Doris," she said, "you look very merry. Why are you so happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Please your Royal Highness, I am going to the fair," answered Doris, "and
+Luke is to meet me there; only," she added, pouting a little, "I wish I had
+a pretty new hat to wear with my new dress."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you are not perfectly happy, so you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> cannot teach me," said Princess
+Fernanda, and then she sighed again.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening at sunset she arose, and went out into the village, and at
+the door of the first cottage to which she came, sat a woman nursing a
+baby, and hushing it to sleep. The baby was fat and rosy, and the mother
+looked down at it proudly.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess stopped, and spoke to her.</p>
+
+<p>"You have a fine little child there," she said. "Surely you must be very
+happy."</p>
+
+<p>The woman smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," she said, "so I am; only just now my goodman is out fishing, and as
+he's rather late, it makes me anxious."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you could not teach me," said the Princess, sighing to herself as she
+moved away. She wandered on till she came to a church, which she entered.
+All was still within, for the church was empty; but before the altar, on a
+splendid bier, lay the body of a young man, who had been killed in the war.
+He was dressed in his gay uniform, and his breast was covered with medals,
+and his sword lay beside<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> him. He was shot through the heart, but his face
+was peaceful and his lips were smiling. The Princess walked to his side,
+and looked at the quiet face. Then she stooped and kissed the cold
+forehead, and envied the soldier. "If he could speak," she said, "he surely
+could teach me. No living mouth could ever smile like that." Then she
+looked up and saw a white angel standing on the other side of the bier, and
+she knew it was Death.</p>
+
+<p>"You have taught him," she said, holding out her arms. "Will you not teach
+me to smile like that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said Death, pointing to the medals on the dead man's breast, "I
+taught him whilst he was doing his duty. I cannot teach you." And so saying
+he vanished from her sight.</p>
+
+<p>She went out from the church down to the sea-shore. There was a high sea,
+and a great wind, a little child had been playing on a row of rocks, and
+had slipped off them into the water, and was struggling among the waves,
+and would soon be drowned, for he was beyond his depth in the water.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When the Princess saw him, she plunged into the water and swam to where the
+child was, and taking him in her arms, placed him safely on the rocks
+again, but the waves were so strong that she could scarcely keep above
+them. As she tried to seize the rocks, she saw Death coming over the water
+towards her, and she turned to meet him gladly.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said he, clasping her in his arms, "I will teach you all you want to
+know;" and he drew her under the water, and she died.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The Kings servants found her lying on the shore, with her face white and
+her lips cold, but smiling as they had never smiled before, and her face
+was very calm. They carried her home, and she was laid out in great state,
+covered with gold and silver.</p>
+
+<p>"She was so wise," sobbed her little maid, as she placed flowers in the
+cold hand, "she knew everything."</p>
+
+<p>"Not everything," said the skylark from the window; "for she asked me,
+ignorant though I am, to teach her how to be happy."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That was the one thing I could not teach her," said the old Wizard,
+looking at the dead Princess's face. "Yet I think now she must be wiser
+than I, and have learned that too. For see how she smiles."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 174px;">
+<img src="images/i217.jpg" width="174" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<h4><i>Printed by</i> <span class="smcap">R. &amp; R. Clark</span>,<br /> <i>Edinburgh</i>.</h4>
+
+
+<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE, AND OTHER STORIES ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/38976-h/images/a1.jpg b/38976-h/images/a1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..552eb09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/a1.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/cover.jpg b/38976-h/images/cover.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..adb5836
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/cover.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/frontis.jpg b/38976-h/images/frontis.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2ee999
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/frontis.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i014.jpg b/38976-h/images/i014.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f24e16b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i014.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i043.jpg b/38976-h/images/i043.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..748c991
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i043.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i055.jpg b/38976-h/images/i055.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..335395b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i055.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i059.jpg b/38976-h/images/i059.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a44a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i059.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i060.jpg b/38976-h/images/i060.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a169dc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i060.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i062.jpg b/38976-h/images/i062.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0223eb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i062.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i086.jpg b/38976-h/images/i086.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5021493
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i086.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i099.jpg b/38976-h/images/i099.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d670c35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i099.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i100.jpg b/38976-h/images/i100.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a6723c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i100.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i109.jpg b/38976-h/images/i109.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1efc14f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i109.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i152.jpg b/38976-h/images/i152.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41984e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i152.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i155.jpg b/38976-h/images/i155.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b95f859
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i155.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i157.jpg b/38976-h/images/i157.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be78806
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i157.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i158.jpg b/38976-h/images/i158.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41cf902
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i158.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i166.jpg b/38976-h/images/i166.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b01c79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i166.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i167.jpg b/38976-h/images/i167.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff38dbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i167.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i169.jpg b/38976-h/images/i169.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..459561e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i169.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i185.jpg b/38976-h/images/i185.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1bf760b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i185.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i186.jpg b/38976-h/images/i186.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad19f15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i186.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i200.jpg b/38976-h/images/i200.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b373307
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i200.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i205.jpg b/38976-h/images/i205.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa87eff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i205.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i206.jpg b/38976-h/images/i206.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b40745
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i206.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i210.jpg b/38976-h/images/i210.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..867e63e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i210.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/i217.jpg b/38976-h/images/i217.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92872a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/i217.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/l1.jpg b/38976-h/images/l1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25d2443
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/l1.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/l2.jpg b/38976-h/images/l2.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79ac2c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/l2.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/o1.jpg b/38976-h/images/o1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..932478f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/o1.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/o2.jpg b/38976-h/images/o2.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff5ac29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/o2.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/o3.jpg b/38976-h/images/o3.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9962b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/o3.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/o4.jpg b/38976-h/images/o4.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b777a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/o4.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/titlepage.jpg b/38976-h/images/titlepage.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a829b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/titlepage.jpg
diff --git a/38976-h/images/tree.jpg b/38976-h/images/tree.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c7b6fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/38976-h/images/tree.jpg
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f09a4f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #38976 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38976)
diff --git a/old/38976-8.txt b/old/38976-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ba3827
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4053 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and
+Other Stories, by Mary De Morgan
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and Other Stories
+
+Author: Mary De Morgan
+
+Illustrator: Walter Crane
+
+Release Date: February 25, 2012 [EBook #38976]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This file was produced from images generously made
+available by The Internet Archive.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE
+
+AND OTHER STORIES
+
+[Illustration: "She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water."--FRONTISPIECE.]
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE;
+
+AND OTHER STORIES
+
+BY
+
+MARY DE MORGAN
+
+[_Author of "On a Pincushion"_]
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+WALTER CRANE
+
+LONDON:
+MACMILLAN & CO:
+1886
+
+
+TO
+
+MY SIX LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES
+
+THESE STORIES ARE AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
+
+BY
+
+THEIR LOVING AUNT
+
+MARY DE MORGAN
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                      PAGE
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE      1
+
+THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON               43
+
+THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN              79
+
+THE PEDLAR'S PACK                      131
+
+THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT                140
+
+THE THREE CLEVER KINGS                 157
+
+THE WISE PRINCESS                      175
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+1. _Frontispiece._
+                                                              PAGE
+
+2. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "PRINCESS FIORIMONDE"             1
+
+3. THE PRINCESS AND HER LOOKING-GLASS               _To face_   29
+
+4. GERVAISE WITH THE NECKLACE                            "      39
+
+5. TAILPIECE                                                    42
+
+6. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON"      43
+
+7. ARASMON AND CHRYSEA PLAYING TO THE VILLAGERS     _To face_   44
+
+8. ARASMON PLAYING BEFORE THE KING                       "      66
+
+9. TAILPIECE                                                    78
+
+10. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN"           79
+
+11. THE PRINCE AND THE WIZARD                       _To face_   87
+
+12. THE PRISON WINDOW                                    "     128
+
+13. TAILPIECE                                                  130
+
+14. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "THE PEDLAR'S PACK"            131
+
+15. THE PEDLAR AND THE DONKEY                       _To face_  131
+
+16. TAILPIECE                                                  139
+
+17. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT"             140
+
+18. THE IMP AND THE BAKER                           _To face_  141
+
+19. TAILPIECE                                                  156
+
+20. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE THREE CLEVER KINGS"              157
+
+21. THE THREE CLEVER KINGS                          _To face_  170
+
+22. TAILPIECE                                                  174
+
+23. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE WISE PRINCESS"                   175
+
+24. THE WISE PRINCESS ON THE SEA-SHORE              _To face_  178
+
+25. TAILPIECE                                                  184
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once there lived a King, whose wife was dead, but who had a most beautiful
+daughter--so beautiful that every one thought she must be good as well,
+instead of which the Princess was really very wicked, and practised
+witchcraft and black magic, which she had learned from an old witch who
+lived in a hut on the side of a lonely mountain. This old witch was wicked
+and hideous, and no one but the King's daughter knew that she lived there;
+but at night, when every one else was asleep, the Princess, whose name was
+Fiorimonde, used to visit her by stealth to learn sorcery. It was only the
+witch's arts which had made Fiorimonde so beautiful that there was no one
+like her in the world, and in return the Princess helped her with all her
+tricks, and never told any one she was there.
+
+The time came when the King began to think he should like his daughter to
+marry, so he summoned his council and said, "We have no son to reign after
+our death, so we had best seek for a suitable prince to marry to our royal
+daughter, and then, when we are too old, he shall be king in our stead."
+And all the council said he was very wise, and it would be well for the
+Princess to marry. So heralds were sent to all the neighbouring kings and
+princes to say that the King would choose a husband for the Princess, who
+should be king after him. But when Fiorimonde heard this she wept with
+rage, for she knew quite well that if she had a husband he would find out
+how she went to visit the old witch, and would stop her practising magic,
+and then she would lose her beauty.
+
+When night came, and every one in the palace was fast asleep, the Princess
+went to her bedroom window and softly opened it. Then she took from her
+pocket a handful of peas and held them out of the window and chirruped low,
+and there flew down from the roof a small brown bird and sat upon her wrist
+and began to eat the peas. No sooner had it swallowed them than it began to
+grow and grow and grow till it was so big that the Princess could not hold
+it, but let it stand on the window-sill, and still it grew and grew and
+grew till it was as large as an ostrich. Then the Princess climbed out of
+the window and seated herself on the bird's back, and at once it flew
+straight away over the tops of the trees till it came to the mountain where
+the old witch dwelt, and stopped in front of the door of her hut.
+
+The Princess jumped off, and muttered some words through the keyhole, when
+a croaking voice from within called,
+
+"Why do you come to-night? Have I not told you I wished to be left alone
+for thirteen nights; why do you disturb me?"
+
+"But I beg of you to let me in," said the Princess, "for I am in trouble
+and want your help."
+
+"Come in then," said the voice; and the door flew open, and the Princess
+trod into the hut, in the middle of which, wrapped in a gray cloak which
+almost hid her, sat the witch. Princess Fiorimonde sat down near her, and
+told her, her story. How the King wished her to marry, and had sent word to
+the neighbouring princes, that they might make offers for her.
+
+"This is truly bad hearing," croaked the witch, "but we shall beat them
+yet; and you must deal with each Prince as he comes. Would you like them to
+become dogs, to come at your call, or birds, to fly in the air, and sing of
+your beauty, or will you make them all into beads, the beads of such a
+necklace as never woman wore before, so that they may rest upon your neck,
+and you may take them with you always."
+
+"The necklace! the necklace!" cried the Princess, clapping her hands with
+joy. "That will be best of all, to sling them upon a string and wear them
+around my throat. Little will the courtiers know whence come my new
+jewels."
+
+"But this is a dangerous play," quoth the witch, "for, unless you are very
+careful, you yourself may become a bead and hang upon the string with the
+others, and there you will remain till some one cuts the string, and draws
+you off."
+
+"Nay, never fear," said the Princess, "I will be careful, only tell me what
+to do, and I will have great princes and kings to adorn me, and all their
+greatness shall not help them."
+
+Then the witch dipped her hand into a black bag which stood on the ground
+beside her, and drew out a long gold thread.
+
+The ends were joined together, but no one could see the joins, and however
+much you pulled, it would not break. It would easily go over Fiorimonde's
+head, and the witch slipped it on her neck saying,
+
+"Now mind, while this hangs here you are safe enough, but if once you join
+your fingers around the string you too will meet the fate of your lovers,
+and hang upon it yourself. As for the kings and princes who would marry
+you, all you have to do is to make them close their fingers around the
+chain, and at once they will be strung upon it as bright hard beads, and
+there they shall remain, till it is cut and they drop off."
+
+"This is really delightful," cried the Princess; "and I am already quite
+impatient for the first to come that I may try."
+
+"And now," said the witch, "since you are here, and there is yet time, we
+will have a dance, and I will summon the guests." So saying, she took from
+a corner a drum and a pair of drum-sticks, and going to the door, began to
+beat upon it. It made a terrible rattling. In a moment came flying through
+the air all sorts of forms. There were little dark elves with long tails,
+and goblins who chattered and laughed, and other witches who rode on
+broom-sticks. There was one wicked fairy in the form of a large cat, with
+bright green eyes, and another came sliding in like a long shining viper.
+
+Then, when all had arrived, the witch stopped drumming, and, going to the
+middle of the hut, stamped on the floor, and a trap-door opened in the
+ground. The old witch stepped through it, and led the way down a narrow
+dark passage, to a large underground chamber, and all her strange guests
+followed, and here they all danced and made merry in a terrible way, but at
+first sound of cock-crow all the guests disappeared with a whiff, and the
+Princess hastened up the dark passage again, and out of the hut to where
+her big bird still waited for her, and mounting its back she flew home in a
+trice. Then, when she had stepped in at her bedroom window, she poured into
+a cup from a small black bottle, a few drops of magic water, and gave it to
+the bird to drink, and as it sipped it grew smaller, and smaller, till at
+last it had quite regained its natural size, and hopped on to the roof as
+before, and the Princess shut her window, and got into bed, and fell
+asleep, and no one knew of her strange journey, or where she had been.
+
+Next day Fiorimonde declared to her father the King, that she was quite
+willing to wed any prince he should fix upon as a husband for her, at which
+he was much pleased, and soon after informed her, that a young king was
+coming from over the sea to be her husband. He was king of a large rich
+country, and would take back his bride with him to his home. He was called
+King Pierrot. Great preparations were made for his arrival, and the
+Princess was decked in her finest array to greet him, and when he came all
+the courtiers said, "This is truly a proper husband for our beautiful
+Princess," for he was strong and handsome, with black hair, and eyes like
+sloes. King Pierrot was delighted with Fiorimonde's beauty, and was happy
+as the day is long; and all things went merrily till the evening before the
+marriage. A great feast was held, at which the Princess looked lovelier
+than ever dressed in a red gown, the colour of the inside of a rose, but
+she wore no jewels nor ornaments of any kind, save one shining gold string
+round her milk-white throat.
+
+When the feast was done, the Princess stepped from her golden chair at her
+father's side, and walked softly into the garden, and stood under an
+elm-tree looking at the shining moon. In a few moments King Pierrot
+followed her, and stood beside her, looking at her and wondering at her
+beauty.
+
+"To-morrow, then, my sweet Princess, you will be my Queen, and share all I
+possess. What gift would you wish me to give you on our wedding day?"
+
+"I would have a necklace wrought of the finest gold and jewels to be found,
+and just the length of this gold cord which I wear around my throat,"
+answered Princess Fiorimonde.
+
+"Why do you wear that cord?" asked King Pierrot; "it has no jewel nor
+ornament about it."
+
+"Nay, but there is no cord like mine in all the world," cried Fiorimonde,
+and her eyes sparkled wickedly as she spoke; "it is as light as a feather,
+but stronger than an iron chain. Take it in both hands and try to break it,
+that you may see how strong it is;" and King Pierrot took the cord in both
+hands to pull it hard; but no sooner were his fingers closed around it than
+he vanished like a puff of smoke, and on the cord appeared a bright,
+beautiful bead--so bright and beautiful as was never bead before--clear as
+crystal, but shining with all colours--green, blue, and gold.
+
+Princess Fiorimonde gazed down at it and laughed aloud.
+
+"Aha, my proud lover! are you there?" she cried with glee; "my necklace
+bids fair to beat all others in the world," and she caressed the bead with
+the tips of her soft, white fingers, but was careful that they did not
+close round the string. Then she returned into the banqueting hall, and
+spoke to the King.
+
+"Pray, sire," said she, "send some one at once to find King Pierrot, for,
+as he was talking to me a minute ago, he suddenly left me, and I am afraid
+lest I may have given him offence, or perhaps he is ill."
+
+The King desired that the servants should seek for King Pierrot all over
+the grounds, and seek him they did, but nowhere was he to be found, and the
+old King looked offended.
+
+"Doubtless he will be ready to-morrow in time for the wedding," quoth he,
+"but we are not best pleased that he should treat us in this way."
+
+Princess Fiorimonde had a little maid called Yolande. She was a
+bright-faced girl with merry brown eyes, but she was not beautiful like
+Fiorimonde, and she did not love her mistress, for she was afraid of her,
+and suspected her of her wicked ways. When she undressed her that night she
+noticed the gold cord, and the one bright bead upon it, and as she combed
+the Princess's hair she looked over her shoulder into the looking-glass,
+and saw how she laughed, and how fondly she looked at the cord, and
+caressed the bead, again and again with her fingers.
+
+"That is a wonderful bead on your Highness's cord," said Yolande, looking
+at its reflection in the mirror; "surely it must be a bridal gift from King
+Pierrot."
+
+"And so it is, little Yolande," cried Fiorimonde, laughing merrily; "and
+the best gift he could give me. But I think one bead alone looks ugly and
+ungainly; soon I hope I shall have another, and another, and another, all
+as beautiful as the first."
+
+Then Yolande shook her head, and said to herself, "This bodes no good."
+
+Next morning all was prepared for the marriage, and the Princess was
+dressed in white satin and pearls with a long white lace veil over her, and
+a bridal wreath on her head, and she stood waiting among her grandly
+dressed ladies, who all said that such a beautiful bride had never been
+seen in the world before. But just as they were preparing to go down to the
+fine company in the hall, a messenger came in great haste summoning the
+Princess at once to her father the King, as he was much perplexed.
+
+"My daughter," cried he, as Fiorimonde in all her bridal array entered the
+room where he sat alone, "what can we do? King Pierrot is nowhere to be
+found; I fear lest he may have been seized by robbers and basely murdered
+for his rich clothes, or carried away to some mountain and left there to
+starve. My soldiers are gone far and wide to seek him--and we shall hear
+of him ere day is done--but where there is no bridegroom there can be no
+bridal."
+
+"Then let it be put off, my father," cried the Princess, "and to-morrow we
+shall know if it is for a wedding, or a funeral, we must dress;" and she
+pretended to weep, but even then could hardly keep from laughing.
+
+So the wedding guests went away, and the Princess laid aside her bridal
+dress, and all waited anxiously for news of King Pierrot; and no news came.
+So at last every one gave him up for dead, and mourned for him, and
+wondered how he had met his fate.
+
+Princess Fiorimonde put on a black gown, and begged to be allowed to live
+in seclusion for one month in which to grieve for King Pierrot; but when
+she was again alone in her bedroom she sat before her looking-glass and
+laughed till tears ran down her cheeks; and Yolande watched her, and
+trembled, when she heard her laughter. She noticed, too, that beneath her
+black gown, the Princess still wore her gold cord, and did not move it
+night or day.
+
+The month had barely passed away when the King came to his daughter, and
+announced that another suitor had presented himself, whom he should much
+like to be her husband. The Princess agreed quite obediently to all her
+father said; and it was arranged that the marriage should take place. This
+new prince was called Prince Hildebrandt. He came from a country far north,
+of which one day he would be king. He was tall, and fair, and strong, with
+flaxen hair and bright blue eyes. When Princess Fiorimonde saw his portrait
+she was much pleased, and said, "By all means let him come, and the sooner
+the better." So she put off her black clothes, and again great preparations
+were made for a wedding; and King Pierrot was quite forgotten.
+
+Prince Hildebrandt came, and with him many fine gentlemen, and they brought
+beautiful gifts for the bride. The evening of his arrival all went well,
+and again there was a grand feast, and Fiorimonde looked so beautiful that
+Prince Hildebrandt was delighted; and this time she did not leave her
+father's side, but sat by him all the evening.
+
+Early next morning at sunrise, when every one was still sleeping, the
+Princess rose, and dressed herself in a plain white gown, and brushed all
+her hair over her shoulders, and crept quietly downstairs into the palace
+gardens; then she walked on till she came beneath the window of Prince
+Hildebrandt's room, and here she paused and began to sing a little song as
+sweet and joyous as a lark's. When Prince Hildebrandt heard it he got up
+and went to the window and looked out to see who sang, and when he saw
+Fiorimonde standing in the red sunrise-light, which made her hair look
+gold, and her face rosy, he made haste to dress himself and go down to meet
+her.
+
+"How, my Princess," cried he, as he stepped into the garden beside her.
+"This is indeed great happiness to meet you here so early. Tell me why do
+you come out at sunrise to sing by yourself?"
+
+"I come that I may see the colours of the sky--red, blue, and gold,"
+answered the Princess. "Look, there are no such colours to be seen
+anywhere, unless, indeed, it be in this bead which I wear here on my
+golden cord.
+
+"What is that bead, and where did it come from?" asked Hildebrandt.
+
+"It came from over the sea, where it shall never return again," answered
+the Princess. And again her eyes began to sparkle with eagerness, and she
+could scarcely conceal her mirth. "Lift the cord off my neck and look at it
+near, and tell me if you ever saw one like it."
+
+Hildebrandt put out his hands and took hold of the cord, but no sooner were
+his fingers closed around it than he vanished, and a new bright bead was
+slung next to the first one on Fiorimonde's chain, and this one was even
+more beautiful than the other.
+
+The Princess gave a long low laugh, quite terrible to hear.
+
+"Oh, my sweet necklace," cried she, "how beautiful you are growing! I think
+I love you more than anything in the world besides." Then she went softly
+back to bed, without any one hearing her, and fell sound asleep, and slept
+till Yolande came to tell her it was time for her to get up and dress for
+the wedding.
+
+The Princess was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and only Yolande noticed that
+beneath her satin gown, she wore the golden cord, but now there were two
+beads upon it instead of one. Scarcely was she ready when the King burst
+into her room in a towering rage.
+
+"My daughter," cried he, "there is a plot against us. Lay aside your bridal
+attire and think no more of Prince Hildebrandt, for he too has disappeared,
+and is nowhere to be found."
+
+At this the Princess wept, and entreated that Hildebrandt should be sought
+for far and near, but she laughed to herself, and said, "Search where you
+will, yet you shall not find him;" and so again a great search was made,
+and when no trace of the Prince was found, all the palace was in an uproar.
+
+The Princess again put off her bride's dress and clad herself in black, and
+sat alone, and pretended to weep, but Yolande, who watched her, shook her
+head, and said, "More will come and go before the wicked Princess has done
+her worst."
+
+A month passed, in which Fiorimonde pretended to mourn for Hildebrandt,
+then she went to the King and said,
+
+"Sire, I pray that you will not let people say that when any bridegroom
+comes to marry me, as soon as he has seen me he flies rather than be my
+husband. I beg that suitors may be summoned from far and near that I may
+not be left alone unwed."
+
+The King agreed, and envoys were sent all the world over to bid any who
+would come and be the husband of Princess Fiorimonde. And come they did,
+kings and princes from south and north, east and west,--King Adrian, Prince
+Sigbert, Prince Algar, and many more,--but though all went well till the
+wedding morning, when it was time to go to church, no bridegroom was to be
+found. The old King was sadly frightened, and would fain have given up all
+hope of finding a husband for the Princess, but now she implored him, with
+tears in her eyes, not to let her be disgraced in this way. And so suitor
+after suitor continued to come, and now it was known, far and wide, that
+whoever came to ask for the hand of Princess Fiorimonde vanished, and was
+seen no more of men. The courtiers were afraid and whispered under their
+breath, "It is not all right, it cannot be;" but only Yolande noticed how
+the beads came upon the golden thread, till it was well-nigh covered, yet
+there always was room for one bead more.
+
+So the years passed, and every year Princess Fiorimonde grew lovelier and
+lovelier, so that no one who saw her could guess how wicked she was.
+
+In a far off country lived a young prince whose name was Florestan. He had
+a dear friend named Gervaise, whom he loved better than any one in the
+world. Gervaise was tall, and broad, and stout of limb, and he loved Prince
+Florestan so well, that he would gladly have died to serve him.
+
+It chanced that Prince Florestan saw a portrait of Princess Fiorimonde, and
+at once swore he would go to her father's court, and beg that he might
+have her for his wife, and Gervaise in vain tried to dissuade him.
+
+"There is an evil fate about the Princess Fiorimonde," quoth he; "many have
+gone to marry her, but where are they now?"
+
+"I don't know or care," answered Florestan, "but this is sure, that I will
+wed her and return here, and bring my bride with me."
+
+So he set out for Fiorimonde's home, and Gervaise went with him with a
+heavy heart.
+
+When they reached the court, the old King received them and welcomed them
+warmly, and he said to his courtiers, "Here is a fine young prince to whom
+we would gladly see our daughter wed. Let us hope that this time all will
+be well." But now Fiorimonde had grown so bold, that she scarcely tried to
+conceal her mirth.
+
+"I will gladly marry him to-morrow, if he comes to the church," she said;
+"but if he is not there, what can I do," and she laughed long and merrily,
+till those who heard her shuddered.
+
+When the Princess's ladies came to tell her that Prince Florestan was
+arrived, she was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a fountain,
+feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.
+
+"Bid him come to me," she said, "for I will not go any more in state to
+meet any suitors, neither will I put on grand attire for them. Let him come
+and find me as I am, since all find it so easy to come and go." So her
+ladies told the prince that Fiorimonde waited for him near the fountain.
+
+She did not rise when he came to where she lay, but his heart bounded with
+joy, for he had never in his life beheld such a beautiful woman.
+
+She wore a thin soft white dress, which clung to her lithe figure. Her
+beautiful arms and hands were bare, and she dabbled with them in the water,
+and played with the fish. Her great blue eyes were sparkling with mirth,
+and were so beautiful, that no one noticed the wicked look hid in them; and
+on her neck lay the marvellous many-coloured necklace, which was itself a
+wonder to behold.
+
+"You have my best greetings, Prince Florestan," she said. "And you, too,
+would be my suitor. Have you thought well of what you would do, since so
+many princes who have seen me have fled for ever, rather than marry me?"
+and as she spoke, she raised her white hand from the water, and held it out
+to the Prince, who stooped and kissed it, and scarcely knew how to answer
+her for bewilderment at her great loveliness.
+
+Gervaise followed his master at a short distance, but he was ill at ease,
+and trembled for fear of what should come.
+
+"Come, bid your friend leave us," said Fiorimonde, looking at Gervaise,
+"and sit beside me, and tell me of your home, and why you wish to marry me,
+and all pleasant things."
+
+Florestan begged that Gervaise would leave them for a little, and he walked
+slowly away, in a very mournful mood.
+
+He went on down the walks, not heeding where he was going, till he met
+Yolande, who stood beneath a tree laden with rosy apples, picking the
+fruit, and throwing it into a basket at her feet. He would have passed her
+in silence, but she stopped him, and said,
+
+"Have you come with the new Prince? Do you love your master?"
+
+"Ay, better than any one else on the earth," answered Gervaise. "Why do you
+ask?"
+
+"And where is he now," said Yolande, not heeding Gervaise's question.
+
+"He sits by the fountain with the beautiful Princess," said Gervaise.
+
+"Then, I hope you have said good-bye to him well, for be assured you shall
+never see him again," said Yolande nodding her head.
+
+"Why not, and who are you to talk like this?" asked Gervaise.
+
+"My name is Yolande," answered she, "and I am Princess Fiorimonde's maid.
+Do you not know that Prince Florestan is the eleventh lover who has come to
+marry her, and one by one they have disappeared, and only I know where they
+are gone."
+
+"And where are they gone?" cried Gervaise, "and why do you not tell the
+world, and prevent good men being lost like this?"
+
+"Because I fear my mistress," said Yolande, speaking low and drawing near
+to him; "she is a sorceress, and she wears the brave kings and princes who
+come to woo her, strung upon a cord round her neck. Each one forms the bead
+of a necklace which she wears, both day and night. I have watched that
+necklace growing; first it was only an empty gold thread; then came King
+Pierrot, and when he disappeared the first bead appeared upon it. Then came
+Hildebrandt, and two beads were on the string instead of one; then followed
+Adrian, Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Baldwyn, and
+Leofric, and Raoul, and all are gone, and ten beads hang upon the string,
+and to-night there will be eleven, and the eleventh will be your Prince
+Florestan."
+
+"If this be so," cried Gervaise, "I will never rest till I have plunged my
+sword into Fiorimonde's heart;" but Yolande shook her head.
+
+"She is a sorceress," she said, "and it might be hard to kill her; besides,
+that might not break the spell, and bring back the princes to life. I wish
+I could show you the necklace, and you might count the beads, and see if I
+do not speak truth, but it is always about her neck, both night and day, so
+it is impossible."
+
+"Take me to her room to-night when she is asleep, and let me see it there,"
+said Gervaise.
+
+"Very well, we will try," said Yolande; "but you must be very still, and
+make no noise, for if she wakes, remember it will be worse for us both."
+
+When night came and all in the palace were fast asleep, Gervaise and
+Yolande met in the great hall, and Yolande told him that the Princess
+slumbered soundly.
+
+"So now let us go," said she, "and I will show you the necklace on which
+Fiorimonde wears her lovers strung like beads, though how she transforms
+them I know not."
+
+"Stay one instant, Yolande," said Gervaise, holding her back, as she would
+have tripped upstairs. "Perhaps, try how I may, I shall be beaten, and
+either die or become a bead like those who have come before me. But if I
+succeed and rid the land of your wicked Princess, what will you promise me
+for a reward?"
+
+"What would you have?" asked Yolande.
+
+"I would have you say you will be my wife, and come back with me to my own
+land," said Gervaise.
+
+"That I will promise gladly," said Yolande, kissing him, "but we must not
+speak or think of this till we have cut the cord from Fiorimonde's neck,
+and all her lovers are set free."
+
+So they went softly up to the Princess's room, Yolande holding a small
+lantern, which gave only a dim light. There, in her grand bed, lay Princess
+Fiorimonde. They could just see her by the lantern's light, and she looked
+so beautiful that Gervaise began to think Yolande spoke falsely, when she
+said she was so wicked.
+
+Her face was calm and sweet as a baby's; her hair fell in ruddy waves on
+the pillow; her rosy lips smiled, and little dimples showed in her cheeks;
+her white soft hands were folded amidst the scented lace and linen of which
+the bed was made. Gervaise almost forgot to look at the glittering beads
+hung round her throat, in wondering at her loveliness, but Yolande pulled
+him by the arm.
+
+"Do not look at her," she whispered softly, "since her beauty has cost dear
+already; look rather at what remains of those who thought her as fair as
+you do now; see here," and she pointed with her finger to each bead in
+turn.
+
+"This was Pierrot, and this Hildebrandt, and these are Adrian, and Sigbert,
+and Algar, and Cenred, and that is Pharamond, and that Raoul, and last of
+all here is your own master Prince Florestan. Seek him now where you will
+and you will not find him, and you shall never see him again till the cord
+is cut and the charm broken."
+
+"Of what is the cord made?" whispered Gervaise.
+
+"It is of the finest gold," she answered. "Nay, do not you touch her lest
+she wake. I will show it to you." And Yolande put down the lantern and
+softly put out her hands to slip the beads aside, but as she did so, her
+fingers closed around the golden string, and directly she was gone. Another
+bead was added to the necklace, and Gervaise was alone with the sleeping
+Princess. He gazed about him in sore amazement and fear. He dared not call
+lest Fiorimonde should wake.
+
+"Yolande," he whispered as loud as he dared, "Yolande where are you?" but
+no Yolande answered.
+
+Then he bent down over the Princess and gazed at the necklace. Another bead
+was strung upon it next to the one to which Yolande had pointed as Prince
+Florestan. Again he counted them. "Eleven before, now there are twelve. Oh
+hateful Princess! I know now where go the brave kings and princes who came
+to woo you, and where, too, is my Yolande," and as he looked at the last
+bead, tears filled his eyes. It was brighter and clearer than the others,
+and of a warm red hue, like the red dress Yolande had worn. The Princess
+turned and laughed in her sleep, and at the sound of her laughter Gervaise
+was filled with horror and loathing. He crept shuddering from the room, and
+all night long sat up alone, plotting how he might defeat Fiorimonde, and
+set Florestan and Yolande free.
+
+[Illustration: "Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string."--P. 29.]
+
+Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her necklace and counted
+its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead was added to the
+string.
+
+"Who can have come and grasped my chain unknown to me?" she said to
+herself, and she sat and pondered for a long time. At last she broke into
+weird laughter.
+
+"At any rate, whoever it was, is fitly punished," quoth she. "My brave
+necklace, you can take care of yourself, and if any one tries to steal you,
+they will get their reward, and add to my glory. In truth I may sleep in
+peace, and fear nothing."
+
+The day passed away and no one missed Yolande. Towards sunset the rain
+began to pour in torrents, and there was such a terrible thunderstorm that
+every one was frightened. The thunder roared, the lightning gleamed flash
+after flash, every moment it grew fiercer and fiercer. The sky was so dark
+that, save for the lightning's light, nothing could be seen, but Princess
+Fiorimonde loved the thunder and lightning.
+
+She sat in a room high up in one of the towers, clad in a black velvet
+dress, and she watched the lightning from the window, and laughed at each
+peal of thunder. In the midst of the storm a stranger, wrapped in a cloak,
+rode to the palace door, and the ladies ran to tell the Princess that a new
+prince had come to be her suitor. "And he will not tell his name," said
+they, "but says he hears that all are bidden to ask for the hand of
+Princess Fiorimonde, and he too would try his good fortune."
+
+"Let him come at once," cried the Princess. "Be he prince or knave what
+care I? If princes all fly from me it may be better to marry a peasant."
+
+So they led the new-comer up to the room where Fiorimonde sat. He was
+wrapped in a thick cloak, but he flung it aside as he came in, and showed
+how rich was his silken clothing underneath; and so well was he disguised,
+that Fiorimonde never saw that it was Gervaise, but looked at him, and
+thought she had never seen him before.
+
+"You are most welcome, stranger prince, who has come through such
+lightning and thunder to find me," said she. "Is it true, then, that you
+wish to be my suitor? What have you heard of me?"
+
+"It is quite true, Princess," said Gervaise. "And I have heard that you are
+the most beautiful woman in the world."
+
+"And is that true also?" asked the Princess. "Look at me now, and see."
+
+Gervaise looked at her and in his heart he said, "It is quite true, oh
+wicked Princess! There never was woman as beautiful as you, and never
+before did I hate a woman as I hate you now;" but aloud he said,
+
+"No, Princess, that is not true; you are very beautiful, but I have seen a
+woman who is fairer than you for all that your skin looks ivory against
+your velvet dress, and your hair is like gold."
+
+"A woman who is fairer than I?" cried Fiorimonde, and her breast began to
+heave and her eyes to sparkle with rage, for never before had she heard
+such a thing said. "Who are you who dares come and tell me of women more
+beautiful than I am?"
+
+"I am a suitor who asks to be your husband, Princess," answered Gervaise,
+"but still I say I have seen a woman who was fairer than you."
+
+"Who is she--where is she?" cried Fiorimonde, who could scarcely contain
+her anger. "Bring her here at once that I may see if you speak the truth."
+
+"What will you give me to bring her to you?" said Gervaise. "Give me that
+necklace you wear on your neck, and then I will summon her in an instant;"
+but Fiorimonde shook her head.
+
+"You have asked," said she, "for the only thing from which I cannot part,"
+and then she bade her maids bring her her jewel-casket, and she drew out
+diamonds, and rubies, and pearls, and offered them, all or any, to
+Gervaise. The lightning shone on them and made them shine and flash, but he
+shook his head.
+
+"No, none of these will do," quoth he. "You can see her for the necklace,
+but for nothing else."
+
+"Take it off for yourself then," cried Fiorimonde, who now was so angry
+that she only wished to be rid of Gervaise in any way.
+
+"No, indeed," said Gervaise, "I am no tire-woman, and should not know how
+to clasp and unclasp it;" and in spite of all Fiorimonde could say or do,
+he would not touch either her or the magic chain.
+
+At night the storm grew even fiercer, but it did not trouble the Princess.
+She waited till all were asleep, and then she opened her bedroom window and
+chirruped softly to the little brown bird, who flew down from the roof at
+her call. Then she gave him a handful of seeds as before, and he grew and
+grew and grew till he was as large as an ostrich, and she sat upon his back
+and flew out through the air, laughing at the lightning and thunder which
+flashed and roared around her. Away they flew till they came to the old
+witch's cave, and here they found the witch sitting at her open door
+catching the lightning to make charms with.
+
+"Welcome, my dear," croaked she, as Fiorimonde stepped from the bird; "here
+is a night we both love well. And how goes the necklace?--right merrily I
+see. Twelve beads already--but what is that twelfth?" and she looked at it
+closely.
+
+"Nay, that is one thing I want you to tell me," said Fiorimonde, drying the
+rain from her golden hair. "Last night when I slept there were eleven, and
+this morning there are twelve; and I know not from whence comes the
+twelfth."
+
+"It is no suitor," said the witch, "but from some young maid, that that
+bead is made. But why should you mind? It looks well with the others."
+
+"Some young maid," said the Princess. "Then, it must be Cicely or Marybel,
+or Yolande, who would have robbed me of my necklace as I slept. But what
+care I? The silly wench is punished now, and so may all others be, who
+would do the same."
+
+"And when will you get the thirteenth bead, and where will he come from?"
+asked the witch.
+
+"He waits at the palace now," said Fiorimonde, chuckling. "And this is why
+I have to speak to you;" and then she told the witch of the stranger who
+had come in the storm, and of how he would not touch her necklace, nor take
+the cord in his hand, and how he said also that he knew a woman fairer than
+she.
+
+"Beware, Princess, beware," cried the witch in a warning voice, as she
+listened. "Why should you heed tales of other women fairer than you? Have I
+not made you the most beautiful woman in the world, and can any others do
+more than I? Give no ear to what this stranger says or you shall rue it."
+But still the Princess murmured, and said she did not love to hear any one
+speak of others as beautiful as she.
+
+"Be warned in time," cried the witch, "or you will have cause to repent it.
+Are you so silly or so vain as to be troubled because a Prince says idly
+what you know is not true? I tell you do not listen to him, but let him be
+slung to your chain as soon as may be, and then he will speak no more." And
+then they talked together of how Fiorimonde could make Gervaise grasp the
+fatal string.
+
+Next morning when the sun rose, Gervaise started off into the woods, and
+there he plucked acorns and haws, and hips, and strung them on to a string
+to form a rude necklace. This he hid in his bosom, and then went back to
+the palace without telling any one.
+
+When the Princess rose, she dressed herself as beautifully as she could,
+and braided her golden locks with great care, for this morning she meant
+her new suitor to meet his fate. After breakfast, she stepped into the
+garden, where the sun shone brightly, and all looked fresh after the storm.
+Here from the grass she picked up a golden ball, and began to play with it.
+
+"Go to our new guest," cried she to her ladies, "and ask him to come here
+and play at ball with me." So they went, and soon they returned bringing
+Gervaise with them.
+
+"Good morrow, prince," cried she. "Pray, come and try your skill at this
+game with me; and you," she said to her ladies, "do not wait to watch our
+play, but each go your way, and do what pleases you best." So they all went
+away, and left her alone with Gervaise.
+
+"Well, prince," cried she as they began to play, "what do you think of me
+by morning light? Yesterday when you came it was so dark, with thunder and
+clouds, that you could scarcely see my face, but now that there is bright
+sunshine, pray look well at me, and see if you do not think me as beautiful
+as any woman on earth," and she smiled at Gervaise, and looked so lovely as
+she spoke, that he scarce knew how to answer her; but he remembered
+Yolande, and said,
+
+"Doubtless you are very beautiful; then why should you mind my telling you
+that I have seen a woman lovelier than you?"
+
+At this the Princess again began to be angry, but she thought of the
+witch's words and said,
+
+"Then, if you think there is a woman fairer than I, look at my beads, and
+now, that you see their colours in the sun, say if you ever saw such jewels
+before."
+
+"It is true I have never seen beads like yours, but I have a necklace here,
+which pleases me better;" and from his pocket he drew the haws and acorns,
+which he had strung together.
+
+"What is that necklace, and where did you get it? Show it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde; but Gervaise held it out of her reach, and said,
+
+"I like my necklace better than yours, Princess; and, believe me, there is
+no necklace like mine in all the world."
+
+"Why; is it a fairy necklace? What does it do? Pray give it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde, trembling with anger and curiosity, for she thought, "Perhaps
+it has power to make the wearer beautiful; perhaps it was worn by the woman
+whom he thought more beautiful than I, and that is why she looked so fair."
+
+"Come, I will make a fair exchange," said Gervaise. "Give me your necklace
+and you shall have mine, and when it is round your throat I will truthfully
+say that you are the fairest woman in the world; but first I must have your
+necklace."
+
+[Illustration: "Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber."--P. 39.]
+
+"Take it, then," cried the Princess, who, in her rage and eagerness, forgot
+all else, and she seized the string of beads to lift it from her neck, but
+no sooner had she taken it in her hands than they fell with a rattle to the
+earth, and Fiorimonde herself was nowhere to be seen. Gervaise bent down
+over the necklace as it lay upon the grass, and, with a smile, counted
+thirteen beads; and he knew that the thirteenth was the wicked Princess,
+who had herself met the evil fate she had prepared for so many others.
+
+"Oh, clever Princess!" cried he, laughing aloud, "you are not so very
+clever, I think, to be so easily outwitted." Then he picked up the necklace
+on the point of the sword and carried it, slung thereon, into the council
+chamber, where sat the King surrounded by statesmen and courtiers busy with
+state affairs.
+
+"Pray, King," said Gervaise, "send some one to seek for Princess
+Fiorimonde. A moment ago she played with me at ball in the garden, and now
+she is nowhere to be seen."
+
+The King desired that servants should seek her Royal Highness; but they
+came back saying she was not to be found.
+
+"Then let me see if I cannot bring her to you; but first let those who have
+been longer lost than she, come and tell their own tale." And, so saying,
+Gervaise let the necklace slip from his sword on to the floor, and taking
+from his breast a sharp dagger, proceeded to cut the golden thread on which
+the beads were strung and as he clave it in two there came a mighty noise
+like a clap of thunder.
+
+"Now;" cried he, "look, and see King Pierrot who was lost," and as he spoke
+he drew from the cord a bead, and King Pierrot, in his royal clothes, with
+his sword at his side, stood before them.
+
+"Treachery!" he cried, but ere he could say more Gervaise had drawn off
+another bead, and King Hildebrandt appeared, and after him came Adrian, and
+Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Raoul, and last of the
+princes, Gervaise's own dear master Florestan, and they all denounced
+Princess Fiorimonde and her wickedness.
+
+"And now," cried Gervaise, "here is she who has helped to save you all,"
+and he drew off the twelfth bead, and there stood Yolande in her red
+dress; and when he saw her Gervaise flung away his dagger and took her in
+his arms, and they wept for joy.
+
+The King and all the courtiers sat pale and trembling, unable to speak for
+fear and shame. At length the King said with a deep groan,
+
+"We owe you deep amends, O noble kings and princes! What punishment do you
+wish us to prepare for our most guilty daughter?" but here Gervaise stopped
+him, and said,
+
+"Give her no other punishment than what she has chosen for herself. See,
+here she is, the thirteenth bead upon the string; let no one dare to draw
+it off, but let this string be hung up where all people can see it and see
+the one bead, and know the wicked Princess is punished for her sorcery, so
+it will be a warning to others who would do like her."
+
+So they lifted the golden thread with great care and hung it up outside the
+town-hall, and there the one bead glittered and gleamed in the sunlight,
+and all who saw it knew that it was the wicked Princess Fiorimonde who had
+justly met her fate.
+
+Then all the kings and princes thanked Gervaise and Yolande, and loaded
+them with presents, and each went to his own land.
+
+And Gervaise married Yolande, and they went back with Prince Florestan to
+their home, and all lived happily to the end of their lives.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Long ago there lived a wandering musician and his wife, whose names were
+Arasmon and Chrysea. Arasmon played upon a lute to which Chrysea sang, and
+their music was so beautiful that people followed them in crowds and gave
+them as much money as they wanted. When Arasmon played all who heard him
+were silent from wonder and admiration, but when Chrysea sang they could
+not refrain from weeping, for her voice was more beautiful than anything
+they had ever heard before.
+
+Both were young and lovely, and were as happy as the day was long, for they
+loved each other dearly, and liked wandering about seeing new countries
+and people and making sweet music. They went to all sorts of places,
+sometimes to big cities, sometimes to little villages, sometimes to lonely
+cottages by the sea-shore, and sometimes they strolled along the green
+lanes and fields, singing and playing so exquisitely, that the very birds
+flew down from the trees to listen to them.
+
+One day they crossed a dark line of hills, and came out on a wild moorland
+country, where they had never been before. On the side of the hill they saw
+a little village, and at once turned towards it, but as they drew near
+Chrysea said,
+
+"What gloomy place is this? See how dark and miserable it looks."
+
+[Illustration: "One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen."--P. 44.]
+
+"Let us try to cheer it with some music," said Arasmon, and began to play
+upon his lute, while Chrysea sang. One by one the villagers came out of
+their cottages and gathered round them to listen, but Chrysea thought she
+had never before seen such forlorn-looking people. They were thin and bent,
+their faces were pale and haggard, also their clothes looked old and
+threadbare, and in some places were worn into holes. But they crowded about
+Arasmon and Chrysea, and begged them to go on playing and singing, and as
+they listened the women shed tears, and the men hid their faces and were
+silent. When they stopped, the people began to feel in their pockets as if
+to find some coins, but Arasmon cried,
+
+"Nay, good friends, keep your money for yourselves. You have not too much
+of it, to judge by your looks. But let us stay with you for to-night, and
+give us food and lodging, and we shall think ourselves well paid, and will
+play and sing to you as much as you like."
+
+"Stay with us as long as you can, stay with us always," begged the people;
+and each one entreated to be allowed to receive the strangers and give them
+the best they had. So Arasmon and Chrysea played and sang to them till they
+were tired, and at last, when the heavy rain began to fall, they turned
+towards the village, but as they passed through its narrow streets they
+thought the place itself looked even sadder than its inmates. The houses
+were ill-built, and seemed to be almost tumbling down. The streets were
+uneven and badly kept. In the gardens they saw no flowers, but dank dark
+weeds. They went into a cottage which the people pointed out to them, and
+Arasmon lay down by the fire, calling to Chrysea to rest also, as they had
+walked far, and she must be weary. He soon fell asleep, but Chrysea sat at
+the door watching the dark clouds as they drifted over the darker houses.
+Outside the cottage hung a blackbird in a cage, with drooping wings and
+scanty plumage. It was the only animal they had yet seen in the village,
+for of cats or dogs or singing-birds there seemed to be none.
+
+When she saw it, Chrysea turned to the woman of the house, who stood beside
+her, and said,
+
+"Why don't you let it go? It would be much happier flying about in the
+sunshine."
+
+"The sun never shines here," said the woman sadly. "It could not pierce
+through the dark clouds which hang over the village. Besides, we do not
+think of happiness. It is as much as we can do to live."
+
+"But tell me," said Chrysea, "what is it that makes you so sad and your
+village such a dreary place? I have been to many towns in my life, but to
+none which looked like this."
+
+"Don't you know," said the woman, "that this place is spell-bound?"
+
+"Spell-bound?" cried Chrysea. "What do you mean?"
+
+The woman turned and pointed towards the moor. "Over yonder," she said,
+"dwells a terrible old wizard by whom we are bewitched, and he has a number
+of little dark elves who are his servants, and these are they who make our
+village what you see it. You don't know how sad it is to live here. The
+elves steal our eggs, and milk, and poultry, so that there is never enough
+for us to eat, and we are half-starved. They pull down our houses, and undo
+our work as fast as we do it. They steal our corn when it is standing in
+sheaves, so that we find nothing but empty husks;" and as she ceased
+speaking the woman sighed heavily.
+
+"But if they do all this harm," said Chrysea, "why do not some of you go
+to the moor and drive them away?"
+
+"It is part of the spell," said the woman, "that we can neither hear nor
+see them. I have heard my grandfather say that in the old time this place
+was no different to others, but one day this terrible old magician came and
+offered the villagers a great deal of money if they would let him dwell
+upon the moor; for before that it was covered with golden gorse and
+heather, and the country folk held all their merrymakings there, but they
+were tempted with the gold, and sold it, and from that day the elves have
+tormented us; and as we cannot see them, we cannot get rid of them, but
+must just bear them as best we may."
+
+"That is a sad way to speak," said Chrysea. "Cannot you find out what the
+spell really is and break it?"
+
+"It is a song," said the woman, "and every night they sing it afresh. It is
+said that if any one could go to the moor between midnight and dawn, and
+could hear them singing it, and then sing through the tune just as they
+themselves do, the charm would be broken, and we should be free. But it
+must be some one who has never taken their money, so we cannot do it, for
+we can neither see nor hear them."
+
+"But I have not taken their money," said Chrysea. "And there is no tune I
+cannot sing when I have heard it once. So I will go to the moor for you and
+break the spell."
+
+"Nay, do not think of such a thing," cried the woman. "For the elves are
+most spiteful, and you don't know what harm they might do to you, even if
+you set us free."
+
+Chrysea said no more, but all the evening she thought of what the woman had
+told her, and still stood looking out into the dismal street. When she went
+to bed she did not sleep, but lay still till the clock struck one. Then she
+rose softly, and wrapping herself in a cloak, opened the door and stepped
+out into the rain. As she passed, she looked up and saw the blackbird
+crouching in the bottom of its cage. She opened the cage door to let it
+fly, but still it did not move, so she lifted it out in her hand.
+
+"Poor bird!" said she gently; "I wish I could give this village its liberty
+as easily as I can give you yours," and carrying it with her she walked on
+towards the moor. It was a large waste piece of land, and looked as though
+it had been burnt, for the ground was charred and black, and there was no
+grass or green plant growing on it, but there were some blackened stumps of
+trees, and to these Chrysea went, and hid herself behind one to wait and
+see what would come. She watched for a long time without seeing any one,
+but at last there rose from the ground not far from her a lurid gleam,
+which spread and spread until it became a large circle of light, in the
+midst of which she saw small dark figures moving, like ugly little men. The
+light was now so bright that she could distinguish each one quite plainly,
+and never before had she seen anything so ugly, for they were black as ink,
+and their faces were twisted and looked cruel and wicked.
+
+They joined hands, and, forming a ring, danced slowly round, and, as they
+did so, the ground opened, and there rose up in their centre a tiny
+village exactly like the spell-bound village, only that the houses were but
+a few inches high. Round this the elves danced, and then they began to
+sing. Chrysea listened eagerly to their singing, and no sooner had they
+done, than she opened her lips and sang the same tune through from
+beginning to end just as she had heard it.
+
+Her voice rang out loud and clear, and at the sound the little village
+crumbled and fell away as though it had been made of dust.
+
+The elves stood silent for a moment, and then with a wild cry they all
+rushed towards Chrysea, and at their head she saw one about three times the
+size of the others, who appeared to be their chief.
+
+"Come, quickly, let us punish the woman who has dared to thwart us," he
+cried. "What shall we change her to?"
+
+"A frog to croak on the ground," cried one.
+
+"No, an owl to hoot in the night," cried another.
+
+"Oh, for pity's sake," implored Chrysea, "don't change me to one of these
+loathsome creatures, so that, if Arasmon finds me, he will spurn me."
+
+"Hear her," cried the chief, "and let her have her will. Let us change her
+to no bird or beast, but to a bright golden harp, and thus shall she
+remain, until upon her strings some one shall play our tune, which she has
+dared to sing."
+
+"Agreed!" cried the others, and all began to dance round Chrysea and to
+sing as they had sung around the village. She shrieked and tried to run,
+but they stopped her on every side. She cried, "Arasmon! Arasmon!" but no
+one came, and when the elves' song was done, and they disappeared, all that
+was left was a little gold harp hanging upon the boughs of the tree, and
+only the blackbird who sat above knew what had come of poor Chrysea.
+
+When morning dawned, and the villagers awoke, all felt that some great
+change had taken place. The heavy cloud which hung above the village had
+cleared away; the sun shone brightly, and the sky was blue; streams which
+had been dry for years, were running clear and fresh: and the people all
+felt strong, and able to work again; the trees were beginning to bud, and
+in their branches sang birds, whose voices had not been heard there for
+many a long year. The villagers looked from one to another and said,
+"Surely the spell is broken; surely the elves must have fled;" and they
+wept for joy.
+
+Arasmon woke with the first beam of the sun, and finding Chrysea was not
+there, he rose, and went to seek her in the village, calling, "Chrysea,
+Chrysea! the sun is up and we must journey on our way;" but no Chrysea
+answered, so he walked down all the streets, calling "Chrysea! come,
+Chrysea!" but no Chrysea came. Then he said,
+
+"She has gone into the fields to look for wild flowers, and will soon be
+back." So he waited for her patiently, but the sun rose high, the villagers
+went to their work, and she did not return. At this Arasmon was frightened,
+and asked every one he met if they had seen her, but each one shook his
+head and said "No, they had seen nothing of her."
+
+Then he called some of the men together and told them that his wife had
+wandered away, and he feared lest she might lose herself and go still
+farther, and he asked them to help him to look for her. So some went one
+way, and some another, to search, and Arasmon himself walked for miles the
+whole country round, calling "Chrysea! Chrysea!" but no answer came.
+
+The sun was beginning to set and twilight to cover the land, when Arasmon
+came on to the moor where Chrysea had met her fate. That, too, was changed.
+Flowers and grass were already beginning to grow there, and the children of
+the village, who till now had never dared to venture near it, were playing
+about it. Arasmon could hear their voices as he came near the tree against
+which Chrysea had leaned, and on which now hung the golden harp. In the
+branches above sat the blackbird singing, and Arasmon stopped and listened
+to its song, and thought he had never heard a bird sing so sweetly before.
+For it sang the magic song by which Chrysea had broken the elves' spell,
+the first tune it had heard since it regained its liberty.
+
+"Dear blackbird," said Arasmon, looking up to it, "I wish your singing
+could tell me where to find my wife Chrysea;" and as he looked up he saw a
+golden harp hanging upon the branches, and he took it down and ran his
+fingers over the strings. Never before did harp give forth such music. It
+was like a woman's voice, and was most beautiful, but so sad that when
+Arasmon heard it he felt inclined to cry. It seemed to be calling for help,
+but he could not understand what it said, though each time he touched the
+strings it cried, "Arasmon, Arasmon, I am here! It is I, Chrysea;" but
+though Arasmon listened, and wondered at its tones, yet he did not know
+what it said.
+
+He examined it carefully. It was a beautiful little harp, made of pure
+gold, and at the top was a pair of golden hands and arms clasped together.
+
+"I will keep it," said Arasmon, "for I never yet heard a harp with such a
+tone, and when Chrysea comes she shall sing to it."
+
+But Chrysea was nowhere to be found, and at last the villagers declared she
+must be lost, or herself have gone away on purpose, and that it was vain to
+seek her farther. At this Arasmon was angry, and saying that he would seek
+Chrysea as long as he had life, he left the village to wander over the
+whole world till he should find her. He went on foot, and took with him the
+golden harp.
+
+He walked for many, many miles far away from the village and the moor, and
+when he came to any farmhouses, or met any country people on the road he
+began to play, and every one thronged round him and stared, in breathless
+surprise at his beautiful music. When he had done he would ask them, "Have
+you seen my wife Chrysea? She is dressed in white and gold, and sings more
+sweetly than any of the birds of heaven."
+
+But all shook their heads and said, "No, she had not been there;" and
+whenever he came to a strange village, where he had not been before, he
+called, "Chrysea, Chrysea, are you here?" but no Chrysea answered, only the
+harp in his hands cried whenever he touched its strings, "It is I, Arasmon!
+It is I, Chrysea!" but though he thought its notes like Chrysea's voice, he
+never understood them.
+
+He wandered for days and months and years through countries and villages
+which he had never known before. When night came and he found himself in
+the fields alone, he would lie down upon his cloak and sleep with his head
+resting upon the harp, and if by chance one of its golden threads was
+touched it would cry, "Arasmon, awake, I am here!" Then he would dream that
+Chrysea was calling him, and would wake and start up to look for her,
+thinking she must be close at hand.
+
+One day, towards night, when he had walked far, and was very tired, he came
+to a little village on a lonely, rocky coast by the sea, and he found that
+a thick mist had come up, and hung over the village, so that he could
+barely see the path before him as he walked. But he found his way down on
+to the beach, and there stood a number of fisherwomen, trying to look
+through the mist towards the sea, and speaking anxiously.
+
+"What is wrong, and for whom are you watching, good folk?" he asked them.
+
+"We are watching for our husbands," answered one. "They went out in their
+boats fishing in the early morning, when it was quite light, and then
+arose this dreadful fog, and they should have come back long ago, and we
+fear lest they may lose their way in the darkness and strike on a rock and
+be drowned."
+
+"I too, have lost my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Has she passed by here?
+She had long golden hair, and her gown was white and gold, and she sang
+with a voice like an angel's."
+
+The women all said, "No, they had not seen her;" but still they strained
+their eyes towards the sea, and Arasmon also began to watch for the return
+of the boats.
+
+They waited and waited, but they did not come, and every moment the
+darkness grew thicker and thicker, so that the women could not see each
+other's faces, though they stood quite near together.
+
+Then Arasmon took his harp and began to play, and its music floated over
+the water for miles through the darkness, but the women were weeping so for
+their husbands, that they did not heed it.
+
+"It is useless to watch," said one. "They cannot steer their boats in such
+a darkness. We shall never see them again."
+
+"I will wait all night till morning," said another, "and all day next day,
+and next night, till I see some sign of the boats, and know if they be
+living or dead," but as she stopped speaking, there rose a cry of "Here
+they are," and two or three fishing-boats were pushed on to the sand close
+by where they stood, and the women threw their arms round their husbands'
+necks, and all shouted for joy.
+
+The fishermen asked who it was who had played the harp; "For," they said,
+"it was that which saved us. We were far from land, and it was so dark that
+we could not tell whether to go to left or to right, and had no sign to
+guide us to shore; when of a sudden we heard the most beautiful music, and
+we followed the sound, and came in quite safely.
+
+"'Twas this good harper who played while we watched," said the women, and
+one and all turned to Arasmon, and told him with tears of their gratitude,
+and asked him what they could do for him, or what they could give him in
+token of their thankfulness; but Arasmon shook his head and said, "You can
+do nothing for me, unless you can tell me where to seek my wife Chrysea. It
+is to find her I am wandering;" and when the women shook their heads, and
+said again they knew nothing of her, the harp-strings as he touched them
+cried again,
+
+"Arasmon! Arasmon! listen to me. It is I, Chrysea;" but again no one
+understood it, and though all pitied him, no one could help him.
+
+Next morning when the mist had cleared away, and the sun was shining, a
+little ship set sail for foreign countries, and Arasmon begged the captain
+to take him in it that he might seek Chrysea still farther.
+
+They sailed and sailed, till at last they came to the country for which
+they were bound; but they found the whole land in confusion, and war and
+fighting everywhere, and all the people were leaving their homes and hiding
+themselves in the towns, for fear of a terrible enemy, who was invading
+them. But no one hurt Arasmon as he wandered on with his harp in his hand,
+only no one would stop to answer him, when he asked if Chrysea had been
+there, for every one was too frightened and hurried to heed him.
+
+At last he came to the chief city where the King dwelt, and here he found
+all the men building walls and fortresses, and preparing to defend the
+town, because they knew their enemy was coming to besiege it, but all the
+soldiers were gloomy and low-spirited.
+
+"It is impossible for us to conquer," they said, "for there are three of
+them to every one of us, and they will take our city and make our King
+prisoner."
+
+That night as the watchmen looked over the walls, they saw in the distance
+an immense army marching towards them, and their swords and helmets
+glittered in the moonlight.
+
+Then they gave the signal, and the captains gathered together their men to
+prepare them for fighting; but so sure were they of being beaten that it
+was with difficulty their officers could bring them to the walls.
+
+"It would be better," said the soldiers, "to lay down our arms at once and
+let the enemy enter, for then we should not lose our lives as well as our
+city and our wealth."
+
+When Arasmon heard this he sat upon the walls of the town, and began to
+play upon his harp, and this time its music was so loud and clear, that it
+could be heard far and wide, and its sound was so exultant and joyous, that
+when the soldiers heard it they raised their heads, and their fears
+vanished, and they started forward, shouting and calling that they would
+conquer or be killed.
+
+Then the enemy attacked the city, but the soldiers within met them with so
+much force that they were driven back, and had to fly, and the victorious
+army followed them and drove them quite out of their country, and Arasmon
+went with them, playing on his harp, to cheer them as they went.
+
+When they knew the victory was theirs, all the captains wondered what had
+caused their sudden success, and one of the lieutenants said, "It was that
+strange harper who went with us, playing on his harp. When our men heard
+it, they became as brave as lions." So the captains sent for Arasmon, but
+when he came they were astonished to see how worn and thin he looked, and
+could scarcely believe it was he who had made such wonderful music, for his
+face had grown thin and pale, and there were gray locks in his hair.
+
+They asked him what he would like to have, saying they would give him
+whatever he would choose, for the great service he had done them.
+
+Arasmon only shook his head and said,
+
+"There is nothing I want that you can give me. I am seeking the whole world
+round to find my wife Chrysea. It is many many years since I lost her. We
+two were as happy as birds on the bough. We wandered over the world singing
+and playing in the sunshine. But now she is gone, and I care for nothing
+else." And the captains looked pityingly at him, for they all thought him
+mad, and could not understand what the harp said when he played on it
+again, and it cried,
+
+"Listen, Arasmon! I too am here--I, Chrysea."
+
+So Arasmon left that city, and started again, and wandered for days and
+months and years.
+
+He came by many strange places, and met with many strange people, but he
+found no trace of Chrysea, and each day he looked older and sadder and
+thinner.
+
+At length he came to a country where the King loved nothing on earth so
+much as music. So fond of it was he, that he had musicians and singers by
+the score, always living in his palace, and there was no way of pleasing
+him so well as by sending a new musician or singer. So when Arasmon came
+into the country, and the people heard how marvellously he played, they
+said at once, "Let us take him to the King. The poor man is mad. Hear how
+he goes on asking for his wife; but, mad or not, his playing will delight
+the King. Let us take him at once to the palace." So, though Arasmon would
+have resisted them, they dragged him away to the court, and sent a
+messenger to the King, to say they had found a poor mad wandering harper,
+who played music the like of which they had never heard before.
+
+The King and Queen, and all the court, sat feasting when the messenger came
+in saying that the people were bringing a new harper to play before his
+majesty.
+
+"A new harper!" quoth he. "That is good hearing. Let him be brought here to
+play to us at once."
+
+So Arasmon was led into the hall, and up to the golden thrones on which sat
+the King and Queen. A wonderful hall it was, made of gold and silver, and
+crystal and ivory, and the courtiers, dressed in blue and green and gold
+and diamonds, were a sight to see. Behind the throne were twelve young
+maids dressed in pure white, who sang most sweetly, and behind them were
+the musicians who accompanied them on every kind of instrument. Arasmon had
+never in his life seen such a splendid sight.
+
+"Come here," cried the King to him, "and let us hear you play." And the
+singers ceased singing, and the musicians smiled scornfully, for they could
+not believe Arasmon's music could equal theirs. For he looked to be in a
+most sorry plight. He had walked far, and the dust of the roads was on him.
+His clothes were worn threadbare, and stained and soiled, while his face
+was so thin and anxious and sad that it was pitiful to see; but his harp of
+pure shining gold was undulled, and untarnished. He began to play, and then
+all smiles ceased, and the women began to weep, and the men sat and stared
+at him in astonishment. When he had done the King started up, and throwing
+his arms about his neck, cried, "Stay with me. You shall be my chief
+musician. Never before have I heard playing like yours, and whatever you
+want I will give you." But when he heard this, Arasmon knelt on one knee
+and said,
+
+"My gracious lord, I cannot stay. I have lost my wife Chrysea. I must
+search all over the world till I find her. Ah! how beautiful she was, and
+how sweetly she sang; her singing was far sweeter than even the music of my
+harp."
+
+"Indeed!" cried the King. "Then I too would fain hear her. But stay with
+me, and I will send messengers all over the world to seek her far and near,
+and they will find her much sooner than you."
+
+[Illustration: "He began to play, and then all smiles ceased."--P. 66.]
+
+So Arasmon stayed at the court, but he said that if Chrysea did not come
+soon he must go farther to seek her himself.
+
+The King gave orders that he should be clad in the costliest clothes and
+have all he could want given to him, and after this he would hear no music
+but Arasmon's playing, so all the other musicians were jealous, and wished
+he had never come to the palace. But the strangest thing was that no one
+but Arasmon could play upon his golden harp. All the King's harpers tried,
+and the King himself tried also, but when they touched the strings there
+came from them a strange, melancholy wailing, and no one but Arasmon could
+bring out its beautiful notes.
+
+But the courtiers and musicians grew more and more angry with Arasmon, till
+at last they hated him bitterly, and only wanted to do him some harm; for
+they said,
+
+"Who is he, that our King should love and honour him before us? After all,
+it is not his playing which is so beautiful; it is chiefly the harp on
+which he plays, and if that were taken from him he would be no better than
+the rest of us;" and then they began to consult together as to how they
+should steal his harp.
+
+One hot summer evening Arasmon went into the palace gardens, and sat down
+to rest beneath a large beech-tree, when a little way off he saw two
+courtiers talking together, and heard that they spoke of him, though they
+did not see him or know he was there.
+
+"The poor man is mad," said one; "of that there is little doubt, but, mad
+or not, as long as he plays on his harp the King will not listen to any one
+else."
+
+"The only way is to take the harp from him," said the other. "But it is
+hard to know how to get it away, for he will never let it go out of his
+hands."
+
+"We must take it from him when he is sleeping," said the first.
+
+"Certainly," said the other; and then Arasmon heard them settle how and
+when they would go to his room at night to steal his harp.
+
+He sat still till they were gone, and then he rose, and grasping it
+tenderly, turned from the palace and walked away through the garden gates.
+
+"I have lost Chrysea," he said, "and now they would take from me even my
+harp, the only thing I have to love in all this world, but I will go away,
+far off where they will never find me," and when he was out of sight, he
+ran with all his might, and never rested till he was far away on a lonely
+hill, with no one near to see him.
+
+The stars were beginning to shine though it was not yet dark. Arasmon sat
+on a stone and looked at the country far and near. He could hear the sheep
+bells tinkling around him, and far, far off in the distance he could see
+the city and the palace he had left.
+
+Then he began to play on his harp, and as he played the sheep stopped
+browsing and drew near him to listen.
+
+The stars grew brighter and the evening darker, and he saw a woman carrying
+a child coming up the hill.
+
+She looked pale and tired, but her face was very happy as she sat down not
+far from Arasmon and listened to his playing, whilst she looked eagerly
+across the hill as if she watched for some one who was coming. Presently
+she turned and said, "How beautifully you play; I never heard music like it
+before, but what makes you look so sad? Are you unhappy?"
+
+"Yes," said Arasmon, "I am very miserable. I lost my wife Chrysea many
+years ago, and now I don't know where she can be."
+
+"It is a year since I have seen my husband," said the woman. "He went to
+the war a year ago, but now there is peace and he is coming back, and
+to-night he will come over this hill. It was just here we parted, and now I
+am come to meet him."
+
+"How happy you must be," said Arasmon. "I shall never see Chrysea again,"
+and as he spoke he struck a chord on the harp, which cried, "O Arasmon, my
+husband! why do you not know me? It is I, Chrysea."
+
+"Do not say that," continued the woman; "you will find her some day. Why do
+you sit here? Was it here you parted from her?"
+
+Then Arasmon told her how they had gone to a strange desolate village and
+rested there for the night, and in the morning Chrysea was gone, and that
+he had wandered all over the world looking for her ever since.
+
+"I think you are foolish," said the woman; "perhaps your wife has been
+waiting for you at that village all this time. I would go back to the place
+where I parted from her if I were you, and wait there till she returns. How
+could I meet my husband if I did not come to the spot where we last were
+together? We might both wander on for ever and never find each other; and
+now, see, here he is coming," and she gave a cry of joy and ran to meet a
+soldier who was walking up the hill.
+
+Arasmon watched them as they met and kissed, and saw the father lift the
+child in his arms, then the three walked over the hill together, and when
+they were gone he sat down and wept bitterly. "What was it she said?" he
+said. "That I ought to go back to the spot where we parted. She will not be
+there, but I will go and die at the place where I last saw her." So again
+he grasped his harp and started. He travelled many days and weeks by land
+and sea, till late one day he came in sight of the hill on which stood the
+little village. But at first he could not believe that he had come to the
+right place, so changed did all appear. He stopped and looked around him in
+astonishment. He stood in a shady lane, the arching trees met over his
+head. The banks were full of spring flowers, and either side of the hedge
+were fields full of young green corn.
+
+"Can this be the wretched bare road down which we walked together? I would
+indeed it were, and that she were with me now," said he. When he looked
+across to the village, the change seemed greater still. There were many
+more cottages, and they were trim and well kept, standing in neat gardens
+full of flowers. He heard the cheerful voices of the peasants, and the
+laughter of the village children. The whole place seemed to be full of life
+and happiness. He stopped again upon the mound where he and Chrysea had
+first played and sung.
+
+"It is many, many a long year since I was here," he said. "Time has changed
+all things strangely; but it would be hard to say which is the more
+altered, this village or I, for then it was sunk in poverty and
+wretchedness, and now it has gained happiness and wealth, and I, who was so
+happy and glad, now am broken-down and worn. I have lost my only wealth, my
+wife Chrysea. It was just here she stood and sang, and now I shall never
+see her again or hear her singing."
+
+There came past him a young girl driving some cows, and he turned and spoke
+to her. "Tell me, I beg," he said, "is not your village much changed of
+late years? I was here long ago, but I cannot now think it the same place,
+for this is as bright and flourishing a town as I have ever seen, and I
+remember it only as a dreary tumble-down village where the grass never
+grew."
+
+"Oh!" said the girl, "then you were here in our bad time, but we do not now
+like to speak of that, for fear our troubles should return. Folks say we
+were spell-bound. 'Tis so long ago that I can scarcely remember it, for I
+was quite a little child then. But a wandering musician and his wife set us
+free; at least, everything began to mend after they came, and now we think
+they must have been angels from heaven, for next day they went, and we have
+never seen them since."
+
+"It was I and my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Have you seen her? Has she
+been here? I have sought all over the world ever since, but I cannot find
+her, and now I fear lest she be dead."
+
+The girl stared at him in surprise. "You? you poor old man! Of what are you
+talking? You must surely be mad to say such things. These musicians were
+the most beautiful people upon the earth, and they were young and dressed
+in shining white and gold, and you are old and gray and ragged, and surely
+you are very ill too, for you seem to be so weak that you can scarcely
+walk. Come home with me, and I will give you food and rest till you are
+better."
+
+Arasmon shook his head. "I am seeking Chrysea," he said, "and I will rest
+no more till I have found her;" and the girl, seeing that he was
+determined, left him alone and went on her way driving her cows before
+her.
+
+When she had gone Arasmon sat by the wayside and wept as though his heart
+would break. "It is too true," he said; "I am so old and worn that when I
+find her she will not know me," and as he again fell a-weeping his hand
+struck the harp-strings, and they cried, "I have watched you through all
+these years, my Arasmon. Take comfort, I am very near," and his tears
+ceased, and he was soothed by the voice of the harp, though he knew not
+why.
+
+Then he rose. "I will go to the moor," he said, "and look for the tree on
+which I found my harp, and that will be my last resting-place, for surely
+my strength will carry me no farther." So he tottered slowly on, calling,
+as he went, in a weak voice, "Chrysea, my Chrysea! are you here? I have
+sought you over the world since you left me, and now that I am old and like
+to die, I am come to seek you where we parted."
+
+When he came upon the moor, he wondered again at the change of all the
+country round. He thought of the charred, blackened waste on which he had
+stood before, and now he looked with amazement at the golden gorse, the
+purple heather, so thick that he could scarcely pick his way amongst it.
+
+"It is a beautiful place now," he said, "but I liked it better years ago,
+deserted and desolate though it was, for my Chrysea was here."
+
+There were so many trees upon the common that he could not tell which was
+the one on which his harp had hung, but, unable to go any farther, he
+staggered and sank down beneath a large oak-tree, in whose branches a
+blackbird was singing most sweetly. The sun was setting just as of yore
+when he had found his harp, and most of the birds' songs were over, but
+this one bird still sang sweet and clear, and Arasmon, tired and weak
+though he was, raised his head and listened.
+
+"I never heard bird sing like that," he said. "What is the tune it sings? I
+will play it on my harp before I die." And with what strength remained to
+him he reached forth his trembling hand, and grasping his harp struck upon
+it the notes of the bird's song, then he fell back exhausted, and his eyes
+closed.
+
+At once the harp slid from his hand, and Chrysea stood beside him--Chrysea
+dressed as of old, in shining white and gold, with bright hair and eyes.
+
+"Arasmon!" she cried, "see, it is I, Chrysea!" but Arasmon did not move.
+Then she raised her voice and sang more sweetly than the bird overhead, and
+Arasmon opened his eyes and looked at her.
+
+"Chrysea!" cried he; "I have found my wife Chrysea!" and he laid his head
+on her bosom and died. And when Chrysea saw it her heart broke, and she lay
+beside him and died without a word.
+
+In the morning when some of the villagers crossed the common they saw
+Arasmon and Chrysea lying beneath the oak-tree in each other's arms, and
+drew near them, thinking they were asleep, but when they saw their faces
+they knew they were dead.
+
+Then an old man stooped and looked at Chrysea, and said,
+
+"Surely it is the woman who came to us and sang long ago, when we were in
+our troubles; and, though he is sadly changed and worn, it is like her
+husband who played for her singing."
+
+Then came the girl who had driven the cows and told them how she had met
+Arasmon, and all he had said to her.
+
+"He searched everywhere for his wife, he said," said she. "I am glad he has
+found her. Where could she be?"
+
+"Would that we had known it was he," said they all, "how we would have
+greeted him! but see, he looks quite content and as if he wished nothing
+more, since he has found his wife Chrysea."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Long ago, in the days of fairies, there lived a King and Queen, who were
+rich and happy.
+
+But the Queen was a proud, haughty woman, and disliked every one more
+powerful than herself. And most of all, she hated the fairy folk, and could
+not bear them to come to the castle where she and the King dwelt.
+
+Time passed, and the Queen had a little baby,--a daughter whom they called
+Joan--and the bells were rung, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country, and the King and Queen were happy as the day is long.
+
+One day as the Queen sat by the cradle of the little Princess, watching
+it, she said, "My pretty babe, when you are grown to be a woman you will be
+rich and beautiful, and you shall marry some young Prince, who will love
+you dearly, and then in your turn be Queen, and have a fine palace, and
+jewels, and lands to your heart's content." Scarcely had she done speaking
+when she heard a little noise beside her, and, looking up, saw a woman
+dressed in yellow from head to foot standing on the other side of the
+cradle. She wore a yellow cap, which covered her head completely, so that
+no hair was seen, and her eyes, which looked cunning and fierce, were
+yellow as her dress.
+
+"And how do you know, Queen, that your child will be so happy? Whose help
+will you seek to get her all these fine things?" said the strange woman.
+
+"I will ask no one's help," said the Queen haughtily, "for I am Queen of
+the land, and can have what I please."
+
+The yellow woman laughed, and said, "Don't be too sure, proud Queen; but
+the next night that the moon is bright, guard well the Princess when the
+clock strikes twelve, lest aught of her's be stolen from her."
+
+"No thief shall come near her," cried the Queen; but ere she had done
+speaking the woman had vanished, and the Queen knew it was a fairy.
+
+The sky that night was dark and overcast, and no moon to be seen, and the
+next night was the same, but the third night the moon shone bright and
+clear, and as the clock struck twelve the Queen awoke and looked at the
+baby, who was sleeping peacefully in its cradle; but 'twixt the strokes of
+the clock she heard a faint whistling outside the window, which grew louder
+and fuller each moment. 'Twas as if some one whistled to decoy away a bird,
+and on hearing it the baby awoke and began to cry bitterly. The Queen could
+not quiet her, try how she might. At last the little one gave one scream
+louder than all the others and then lay quite still, and at that moment the
+Queen saw something flutter across the room like a tiny bird, with pink,
+soft feathers. It flew straight out of the window, and the whistling
+ceased, and all again was quiet as before. The Queen took the baby in her
+arms and looked at it anxiously by the light of the moon, but it looked
+well and slept calmly, so its mother placed it in its cradle and tried to
+forget the yellow fairy and the whistling.
+
+The nurse of the Princess Joan was a very wise old woman who knew a great
+deal of fairies and their ways, and as the child grew up she watched her
+with an anxious face.
+
+"She is under a charm," she said, "though what it is I don't know; but
+before she is a woman they will see how different she is from others."
+
+The nurse's words proved to be true. No one had ever seen a little girl
+like the Princess. Nothing troubled her. She never shed one tear. If she
+were angry she would stamp her feet and her eyes would flash, but she never
+wept, and she loved nobody. When her little dog died she laughed outright;
+when the King her father went to the war it did not grieve her; and when he
+returned she was no happier than she had been when he was away. She never
+kissed her mother, or her ladies, and when they said they loved her, she
+stared at them, and asked what they meant. At this the ladies were angry
+with her and chid her for being hard-hearted, but the old nurse always
+stopped them, saying,
+
+"'Tis not her you should blame. She is enchanted, but 'tis not her fault."
+
+Princess Joan grew up and was the loveliest woman in the land. It was many
+long years since any one so fair had been seen, but for all that her mother
+mourned over her sorely, and her eyes were red with crying for her
+beautiful daughter, who had never yet wept one tear herself.
+
+The neighbouring country was governed by a King and Queen who had only one
+son, named Michael, whom everybody loved dearly. He was a handsome young
+man, and as good as he was handsome. He was as gracious to the poorest
+beggar as to the greatest lord, and all the poor folk came to him to tell
+him their troubles, if they thought they were badly treated; and because
+he was brave and handsome also, the court people loved him as well as the
+peasants.
+
+In this country there stood on a high hill a round tower, and at the top of
+it lived an old wizard. No man knew his age, for he had dwelt there for
+hundreds of years, and no one knew how the tower had been built, for it was
+made of one huge stone, and there were no joins in it at all.
+
+The King and Queen were afraid of the old magician, and never went near
+him; indeed, no one in all the country had ever ventured to climb the tower
+and see the old man at his work except Prince Michael, who knew the old
+sorcerer well and did not fear him at all, but went up and down the tower
+as he chose.
+
+One bright moonlight night it chanced that the Prince found himself alone
+on the hill-side, and seeing a bright light shining from the top of the
+tower he resolved to enter and pay the old man a visit. So he went to a
+little door, and pushing it open stepped into a narrow, dark, winding
+staircase, that went straight up the centre to the room at the top, in
+which the wizard dwelt. The staircase was pitch dark, for there were no
+windows. Moreover, it was so narrow that only one person could walk in it
+at a time, but Prince Michael knew the way quite well, and climbed and
+climbed till he saw a chink of light, and at last trod through a little
+doorway into the room in which the sorcerer sat.
+
+This room was as light as day, for it was lit by a lamp which the old man
+himself had made, and in which no oil or wick was burning, but every day it
+was filled with sunbeams, and held them at night after the sun had set.
+
+So the whole room was brilliant, and in the middle sat the wizard, who was
+a wonderful old man to look on, for he was all white. His beard was white
+as snow, and from afar you could not tell which was beard and which gown,
+but when you came near you saw that the beard flowed nearly to his feet,
+and his skin was as white as either beard or gown. And his eyes were quite
+colourless, but as bright as two candles.
+
+When Michael entered he sat looking at an enormous book full of coloured
+pictures of little men and women about three inches high each. They were
+not like other pictures, for they walked and moved over the page as though
+they were alive.
+
+"It is I, father. What book are you looking at?" said Michael, stepping up
+to the old man's side.
+
+"In this book," said the wizard, "I keep the portraits of all the men and
+women in the world, and they are living portraits too, for they move, and
+look just like the originals."
+
+"That must be very amusing," cried Michael. "Pray show me the portraits of
+all the Kings, and Queens, and Princesses. This will be delightful," and he
+knelt down by the old man and looked over his shoulder.
+
+The sorcerer muttered to himself and turned over the pages, and then
+stopped at one on which Michael saw little figures of Kings and Queens of
+all sorts, some of which he knew, and some of which he had never seen
+before.
+
+[Illustration: "'Tis their daughter, Princess Joan," said the wizard with a
+sigh. "But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her."--P. 87.]
+
+"There," he cried, "is old King Réné who came to our court last year, and
+that is Queen Constance, and that is their nephew Prince Guilbert, who will
+be king when they are dead, and here are our neighbours the King and Queen
+of the next country, and oh, my father, who is this lovely Princess next to
+them?"
+
+"'Tis their daughter Princess Joan," said the wizard with a sigh. "But do
+not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but trouble to all who
+know her."
+
+"I don't care if she bring trouble or happiness," cried the Prince. "But
+for certain she is the most beautiful creature in the world," and he seized
+the book and looked long at the tiny figure of the Princess. Truly it was
+very beautiful. It was dressed in white, with a golden girdle round the
+waist, and a wreath of golden daisies on its head, and as Michael looked,
+it turned upon the pages, and smiled at him till he smiled back again, and
+could not move his eyes from it.
+
+When the wizard saw this, he took the book from the young man's hands, and
+hid it away, saying,
+
+"Think no more of Princess Joan, however beautiful she be, or one day you
+will rue it dearly."
+
+Prince Michael made no answer, but he thought all the more of the little
+picture of the Princess. After he had left the tower, and returned to the
+palace, he could not forget her, but dreamt of her all night, and thought
+of her all day.
+
+Next morning he went to the King and said, "My father, I am come to beg
+that you will send to the King of the next country and ask if I may have
+his daughter, Princess Joan, for my wife, for I have seen her portrait, and
+there is no one in the world whom I love so well."
+
+When the King heard this he was delighted.
+
+"Our good neighbours," he said, "are rich and powerful, and it will be a
+capital thing for our son to marry their daughter." So he at once sent off
+an ambassador to beg for the hand of Princess Joan for Prince Michael.
+
+Joan's father and mother were delighted with the offer, and at once
+resolved to accept it; but the Queen's heart sank within her, for she
+thought, "Our poor Joan is not like any other maid who ever lived before,
+and perhaps when Prince Michael sees her and finds this out, he will refuse
+to wed her after all;" but she said nothing of her fears, and the
+ambassador returned to the court, loaded with presents, and bearing a
+message of acceptance.
+
+Till his return Prince Michael knew no peace or rest, but wandered about
+among the hills by himself, thinking of Joan, and still, in his heart, he
+wondered what the magician had meant when he said that if he thought much
+of Princess Joan, one day he would rue it.
+
+At last he said to himself, "I will disguise myself as a poor man, and go
+and see my Princess for myself before the ambassador returns, then shall I
+know what the wizard means."
+
+So he dressed himself as a peasant, and started alone without telling any
+one whither he went, and he travelled day and night till he came to the
+country where Joan dwelt and to her father's palace. Then he walked near
+the palace gardens, and no one noticed him, and he saw a group of lovely
+ladies, who sat together on the grass.
+
+His heart beat high as he looked at them, for in their midst, most
+beautiful of all, sat the Princess Joan. Her yellow hair fell to her waist,
+her face was like a blush rose, and her eyes were blue as forget-me-nots,
+but when she lifted them, he saw that they were clear and hard as glass,
+and her voice when she spoke was like a bright cold bell.
+
+There ran up to her a little serving-maid, crying bitterly, and said,
+
+"I beg of you, Princess, to let me return to my own home for a time, for my
+father, the huntsman, has broken his leg and is very ill."
+
+"Why should you cry for that?" said the Princess. "'Tis your father and not
+you that is hurt; but you may go, for when you cry and your eyes look red
+you are ugly, and I don't like to see you, so be sure that when you return
+you are pretty and bright as ever."
+
+When her ladies heard her they looked angry, but no one spoke, and the
+little maid went crying away.
+
+Up there came a groom from the palace and said,
+
+"Your Royal Highness, the horse that you rode yesterday is dead, and we
+think it is because you would ride so far when it was already tired, as we
+told you."
+
+"Dead is it?" cried the Princess. "Then see quickly and get me another,
+that I may ride again to-morrow, and be sure this time that it is a good
+strong horse, or it may give way beneath me and so my ride be shortened."
+
+The groom went away muttering, and the Princess's ladies looked even graver
+than before, but the Princess's own face was bright as a summer sky, and
+she talked on without heeding their sad looks.
+
+Prince Michael turned away with a heavy heart.
+
+"The magician spoke truly," he said to himself, "and there will be nothing
+but sorrow for all those who love my poor Princess Joan."
+
+Yet he could not bear to leave her and return at once to his own home, and
+still he remained near the palace, and for some days watched her
+unnoticed, when she walked and rode, and listened to all she said, and each
+day he grieved more and more, for she never said one kind loving word to
+any one; yet each day when he saw how beautiful she was he loved her more
+and more.
+
+When he again returned to his own home he found great rejoicings
+everywhere, for the ambassador had returned with a message from Joan's
+father promising she should marry the Prince, and everywhere preparations
+were being made for the entry of the Princess to her new home.
+
+"And now, my son," said the King, "all is arranged for you to journey in
+state to her father's court and bring back your bride, so now I hope that
+you are happy and wish for nothing more."
+
+On hearing this Prince Michael's face was sad and grave, and his father and
+mother wondered what ailed him. But he said to himself, "I will never marry
+my Joan till she loves me as I do her, and how can she ever do that when
+she loves no one, not even her own father and mother?"
+
+At the court of Joan's father grand preparations had been made, and all was
+in excitement when Prince Michael arrived with servants, and horses, and
+presents for the bride.
+
+The King and Queen sat in state to receive him, and beside them was Joan,
+and she looked so beautiful, in a dress as blue as her eyes, that every one
+said, "How glad he will be when he sees how lovely she is."
+
+There was a blowing of trumpets and ringing of bells when Prince Michael,
+followed by his attendants, entered, and the King and Queen and all the
+courtiers rose.
+
+He passed up the hall to the thrones on which they sat, and kneeling on one
+knee, kissed their hands, and last he kissed the hand of the Princess, but
+he did not lift his eyes from the ground or look in her face, and his own
+was so sad that the people whispered to each other, and said, "What is the
+matter, and why does he look so unhappy? Surely he ought to be content when
+he sees how beautiful she is."
+
+At night when the merrymakings were over the Prince sent a message to the
+Queen, begging she would speak with him alone, and when she heard this her
+heart sank, and she thought, "He must know that there is something amiss
+with Joan, and perhaps he comes to say he will not marry her after all."
+
+So she sent every one away, except the old nurse and bid the Prince to
+come.
+
+When he came in and saw her sad looks he said, "You have guessed then,
+Queen, why I come to speak to you. Tell me truly what ails Princess Joan,
+and why is she unlike any one I ever saw." The Queen cried bitterly, and
+said, "I know not; would I did!" but the old nurse said,
+
+"I know and will tell you, Prince. Princess Joan is under a spell. A bad
+fairy enchanted her when she was a tiny baby, and till this charm is
+broken, she will never be like other people."
+
+"And what is the charm?" asked the Prince.
+
+"Nay, that I don't know," said the nurse. Then she told Michael of the
+yellow woman and the whistling the Queen had heard at night; and as he
+listened the Prince sighed and said, "There is no charm which cannot be
+broken if one does but know how, but this is hard to do, for we do not know
+what the spell is, or who is the fairy who cast it. But bid the people
+cease their preparations, Queen, and stop the wedding rejoicings, for there
+will be no wedding. No, not till I have found the fairy who has wronged my
+Joan, and made her set her free. To-morrow I shall start at break of day,
+and journey to the farthest ends of the world, to search for what can break
+the charm. But I pray, Queen, that Joan may wait for me for seven years,
+and if, when they are past, I have not returned, and you have heard nothing
+of me, you must think that I am dead and gone, and marry her to whom you
+will, for if I be alive, I will return before then. And till seven years
+are past remember that Joan is still mine."
+
+On hearing this the Queen wept still more, and begged the Prince either to
+remain and marry Joan, or to leave her and return to his home and forget
+her; but if he wandered away to lands of goblins and fairies, no one would
+know what had become of him, and he would never find the fairy who had
+charmed Joan or learn how to break the spell; but Prince Michael only shook
+his head, and said, "I have sworn that I will not marry Joan till she loves
+me as I do her, neither can I return to my home and forget her, so bid her
+be ready at dawn to-morrow to bid me farewell, and tell none that I am
+going till I have gone. Also I beg you to send a messenger to my father and
+mother to tell them why I do not return, for I will not see them first,
+lest they too should try to dissuade me." The Queen said no more, but she
+cried very bitterly; but the old nurse smiled and nodded to Michael and
+said,
+
+"You do well. You are a noble Prince, and would well deserve our Princess's
+love."
+
+Next morning at break of day the Queen awoke the Princess and bade her
+rise, for Prince Michael waited to bid her good-bye. The Prince stood at
+the door of the palace, and when Princess Joan came out looking lovelier
+than ever in the dim morning light, the tears filled his eyes, and he
+thought, "Most likely I shall never see her again, and then she will never
+know how much I have loved her."
+
+"Good-bye, Joan," he said; "do not quite forget me for seven years, for
+perhaps I may yet come back and marry you."
+
+"And why do you go?" said Joan; "I had thought there would be a grand
+wedding, and I should have all the gifts that are being prepared for me,
+and now I shall have nothing; but good-bye, if go you must."
+
+Michael sighed as he mounted his horse and bade her farewell. When he
+looked back at the palace, the Queen and Joan still stood at the door, and
+the Queen sobbed; but Princess Joan looked quite happy and contented, and
+smiled brightly.
+
+Prince Michael rode and rode, till he came to his own home, and then he
+turned at once to the tower in which dwelt the magician. He climbed the
+tower and found the old man sitting alone as before, but he had no book
+before him, and he looked very grave.
+
+"I know why you are come," he said, as soon as Michael entered the room.
+"So you have seen Princess Joan; and do you still wish to marry her?"
+
+"I will marry her, or no one," said Michael. "But not till I have found out
+who has bewitched her, and have broken the charm."
+
+"You will have to search far for that," said the wizard; "And it may be
+years ere you could set her free. Forget her, my son, and return to your
+own home, and do not waste your life in a fruitless quest."
+
+"I will seek to break the charm, even if it take my whole life," said
+Michael. "But tell me what it is, and how shall I find out how to break
+it."
+
+"A fairy has stolen her heart," said the wizard, "and that is why she loves
+no one, and can feel no sorrow; she has no heart with which to love or
+pity, and till it is found and restored to her, she will be hard and cold
+as stone. The fairy swore she would be revenged on her mother for her
+pride, and so she is."
+
+"Then I will go and seek her heart, and bring it back to her," said
+Michael. "But where shall I look for it? Tell me at least where has the
+fairy hidden it."
+
+"She has taken it to a castle in which are kept all the hearts of men and
+women, that fairies steal, or that they themselves throw away; and this
+castle is very far from here; moreover, it is guarded by an old gnome, who
+is spiteful and cruel, and who pays no heed to those who beg him to let
+them enter. Give up the Princess and return to your home, for if you go,
+you will only die, or be enchanted like poor Princess Joan."
+
+"Nevertheless, I shall go," said Michael. "So tell me what path to take,
+and I will start at once."
+
+On hearing this the sorcerer took from his bosom a small round piece of
+glass, and gave it to the young man. "Take this," he said; "It is all that
+I can give you, to help you, and through it you must look at the stars, and
+you will see that they are all of different colours--blue, green, red, and
+yellow; look for the one which is the deepest, brightest red, and follow
+it; it will lead you many miles both by land and sea, but follow steadily,
+and let nothing turn you from your course, and you will surely come to the
+castle wherein is imprisoned the heart of your Princess."
+
+The Prince thanked the magician, and took the glass; then bidding him
+"Good-bye," he left the strangely lighted chamber, and went down the dark
+staircase, and stood again on the hill outside, with the dark sky overhead
+filled with shining stars.
+
+Michael raised the glass and looked at them through it, and then he almost
+shouted with surprise, for they looked wonderful. They were like jewels of
+all colours--green, blue, yellow, pink--and in the south was one of a deep
+glowing red, like a blood-red rose, and Michael knew that that was the star
+he must follow.
+
+Then he looked back towards his father's palace. "Farewell," he said; "some
+day I will return, and bring with me my Princess Joan." So he set off, and
+journeyed and journeyed, till he had reached towns and villages which he
+had never seen before. All that night he travelled while the stars shone,
+and he could see the rosy star to follow. But when the stars grew pale,
+and the sun rose, and people began to wake up and turn to their work, he
+lay down under a tree and slept soundly. When he woke the day was almost
+done, and the sun was sinking. So he went to a little town near and bought
+food, and rested till again the stars shone in the sky. Then he rose and
+went on all night, still following the crimson star. So passed many days
+and nights, and he journeyed through strange lands, and his heart sank when
+he thought, "So may I wander all round the world, and come no nearer to the
+star, or to the castle where they keep the heart of my poor Joan."
+
+At last he came to the sea-shore, and in front of him lay a great cold sea,
+and beyond it he saw no sign of land. But the star shone right over it, and
+he knew that he must cross, if he still would follow it. It was in the
+evening, the sun had set, but some fishermen still remained on the beach,
+resting beside their boats. Michael went up to them, and taking some money
+from his pocket, asked for how much they would sell him one of their
+boats.
+
+At this the men looked surprised, and one of them said, "Why do you wish to
+buy a boat? We use them to fish near the shore, but no boat or ship has
+ever crossed this sea, for no one knows what land is beyond."
+
+"Then I will be the first to find out," said Michael. "Tell me how much you
+want, and give me your largest boat." On this the men muttered together,
+and one said, "He is mad." "Yes," said another, "but his money is good, for
+all that. Let the madman have his way. It will hurt him, not us." So they
+gave Michael their best boat, and he paid them well, and he set sail and
+steered where the red star shone. He sailed all night till he had left
+every trace of land behind him, and saw no shore in front, only the cold,
+gray sea on every side. By day he kept the boat still, afraid lest he
+should get out of the track of the star, but when the second night came he
+was so weary that in spite of himself he fell asleep. When he awoke he
+found the sun had risen, and his boat was drifting close to land. It was a
+flat, lonely shore, without trees or grass growing in sight, and facing
+him was an immense castle. It was built of black marble, and a more gloomy
+place could not be, for the windows were small and high up, and were all
+barred across, with heavy iron bars, and the castle had no spires or
+towers, but was one square black block, and looked more like a prison than
+a castle. Around it was a high wall, and outside this a moat, without a
+bridge.
+
+Michael steered his boat to shore, and stepped from it, and looked about
+for some way by which he could cross the moat, and try for entrance to the
+castle. Then he saw a little hut near, and beside it lay an old man
+apparently fast asleep. He was small and dark, and his face was gray and
+wrinkled as a monkey's, and he had no hair on his head. Close beside him
+coiled up was a large snake, also asleep. Michael stood watching them both,
+afraid to wake them, when, without a word, the gray man raised his head,
+and opening a pair of dull, gray eyes, fixed them on him. Still he did not
+speak, and at last the Prince, growing impatient, went up to him and said,
+"Friend, I beg you to tell me how I am to enter the castle; or if you have
+the key, to give it to me."
+
+On this the old man answered, "I have the key, and no one can enter without
+my leave. What will you give me for it?"
+
+"Why," said Michael, "I have nothing but money," and he took some coins
+from his pocket as he spoke.
+
+At this the old man laughed. "Your money is nothing to me," he said; "But
+look yonder. Over there I am building a wall of heavy stones, and I am old,
+and my strength fails me; stay and work for me at that wall, and in return
+I will give you the key of the castle."
+
+"But how long must I work?" said Michael, "For unless I can enter the
+castle before seven years are over, it will be no use to me.
+
+"Look at that serpent," said the old man; "It is sitting on its eggs. When
+they are hatched you shall have the key and open the castle door. Till then
+you must be my slave."
+
+"Gladly," said Michael, who was delighted; "for no snake could take seven
+years hatching its eggs."
+
+Then the old man rose, and beckoning to him to follow, went into the little
+cottage. From a nail upon the wall he took a pair of manacles fastened
+together by a heavy iron chain. These he slipped over Michael's wrists, and
+stooping down over them, muttered a few words, and at once the manacles
+fastened together as if they had been locked, and Michael could not move
+them, or draw out his hands. Then the old man took down another heavy chain
+and passed it over the first and fastened it with more iron rings to his
+ankles, so that he could only move his arms and hands a little way, and
+could not raise them high, and could only walk with slow careful steps.
+This done, he pointed to where, on the wall high up, hung a gleaming golden
+sword, the handle of which was set with precious stones.
+
+"That," said he, "is the key of the castle, and you need only push the
+doors with its point and they will all fly open; but while your hands are
+chained you cannot reach it to lift it down, but when the serpent's eggs
+are hatched your iron rings will fall off, and you yourself may take the
+sword down from its place, and push your way into the castle. Now get you
+to your work, and work hard, or you may rue it."
+
+Then he showed Michael how he was to move the heavy stones, and where to
+build with them, and he himself sat down by the serpent and watched him,
+while the Prince went to work with a light heart, for he thought, "It is
+hard work while it lasts, but 'twill not be for long, and 'tis not much to
+do to win my Joan." So he worked hard till the sun had set, and then the
+old man rose, saying, "Enough," and called him into the hut and gave him
+food and drink, but he ate nothing himself, and then he showed him where he
+could sleep in one corner, and Michael lay down and slept soundly and
+dreamed of Joan.
+
+At break of day he was waked by the old man, who again gave him plenty to
+eat, and again ate nothing, but what he gave to him he took from an urn in
+the corner, and when he had done he put into the urn the fragments that
+were left.
+
+All day Michael worked hard, and in the evening as he passed by the snake,
+he looked at it as it lay coiled over its eggs, and said,
+
+"How soon will your work be done, and mine also, good snake? Make haste, I
+pray, that I may find my way into the castle, and return to my Princess."
+
+So the days passed. Each morning the old man awoke Michael and gave him
+food, and set him to work, and all day he laboured hard. Then when night
+approached, he called "Enough," and beckoning him into the hut, gave him
+plenty to eat and drink, but never ate himself, and beside that one word
+never spoke, but crouched all day beside the snake, with closed eyes as if
+asleep.
+
+Meantime, the doors of the castle never opened, and no one was seen going
+in, or coming out; but sometimes, towards night, strange noises might be
+heard from within its walls; sometimes there were wails and moans, which it
+filled Michael with horror to hear, and sometimes there was sweet singing,
+so sweet that it drew tears to his eyes.
+
+But the days passed, and the serpent never moved from its eggs, and
+Michael's heart began to be oppressed with fear, lest the old man was
+deceiving him, and they should never be hatched at all. As each day passed,
+he put aside a stone on a bare rock, and one day when he counted over the
+stones to see how many days were gone, he found that more than a year had
+passed since his boat had brought him to the shore. His hands had grown
+hard and brown and cracked, with working at the heavy stones, and his face
+and neck were blistered and sunburnt with the fierce sun that beat upon
+them as he worked. His clothes were cut and torn and soiled, and yet he
+seemed to be no nearer entering the castle. Then he rose and went into the
+cottage, and looked longingly at the sword which hung high up, on the
+walls, and raised his arms to try and reach it, but the chains held him
+down, and as he turned from it in despair he saw the old man standing in
+the doorway watching him with his cold dull eyes.
+
+"What would you do here?" he asked; "have I not bid you serve me till the
+serpent's eggs are hatched, and then the sword shall be yours?"
+
+"And when will the serpent's eggs be hatched?" cried Michael in despair.
+
+"That," said the old man, "I cannot tell, but a bargain is a bargain; keep
+you your part and I will keep mine." Then he turned again to where the
+serpent lay, and lying down beside it closed his eyes, and Michael returned
+to his work mournfully.
+
+Time passed, but there came no change. Michael despaired in his heart, but
+he could not have escaped even if he would, because of the chains which
+hung from his arms.
+
+"I will work here," he said, "till the seven years are out, then I will
+climb on the wall which I have built and throw myself into the sea and end
+my troubles."
+
+Sometimes at night he would take from his bosom the piece of magic glass
+which the wizard had given him and would gaze through it at the star which
+still looked a bright crimson colour.
+
+"Why have you led me here, cruel star," he asked sadly, "if you cannot help
+me more? Are you shining over my home and my Princess, and does she
+remember me? The seven long years will soon be passed, and they will wed
+her to another king, and it will be all of no avail that I have given up
+everything to find her heart, since I have only broken my own."
+
+So the time passed. Michael worked hard by day, but by night he lay and
+wept. One day, when the seven years had nearly worn themselves away, he
+bent over a pool of water, and in it saw his own form, and he saw that his
+hair was thin and streaked with gray, and his face furrowed and seamed, and
+his eyes dim with crying, also his shoulders were bowed with hard work, and
+his clothes, once so gorgeous, now hung mere rags upon his bent form.
+
+"Now all is in vain," said he, "for if even I returned to my own home no
+one will know me, so changed am I. I will go and kill the snake that has
+caused my misery, and then I will slay the old man who has deceived me."
+
+So he went up to the snake, who lay motionless coiled over its eggs as
+usual, and reached out his hand to grasp its throat, but as he did so his
+tears fell and dropped upon its head, and it writhed fearfully and then
+glided away so fast that he could not see where it went, and left the heap
+of gray eggs bare beneath his hand. The old man lay beside them as still as
+usual, and did not move or open his eyes, even when the snake glided
+hissing past him.
+
+"If the snake has escaped me," cried Michael, "then at least I can destroy
+the eggs;" and lifting his heel he struck them with all his might, but his
+foot left no mark upon them, nor even moved them from their place. They
+might have been made of iron, and each one nailed to the ground, so hard
+and firm they stood.
+
+Michael burst out weeping afresh. "How foolish I am," he said, "Yes, and
+wicked too. It is not the fault of the poor snake that its eggs are not
+hatched. Perhaps it is enchanted like me, and waits as patiently for them;"
+and he bent his head till his tears fell upon the eggs. No sooner did they
+touch them, than the shells broke, and the pieces fell asunder, and from
+each egg came a small moving thing, though what it was Michael did not see,
+for he leaped to his feet with a shout of joy, which filled the air, and
+echoed again from the castle. At this the old man opened his eyes, and
+raising himself gazed, as if thunderstruck, with astonishment at the eggs.
+
+"Tis a miracle," he cried, chuckling with joy.
+
+But out of the eggs, there came no one fully formed animal, but from one
+egg came a foot, from another a leg, from another a tail, and from one a
+head, and each looked as though it belonged to some different beast, yet
+all these drew themselves together, and joined so well that the join was
+not to be seen. And they made a hideous monster of many colours. Then the
+manacles on Michael's wrists burst asunder, and the chains fell to the
+ground.
+
+"Now," he cried, "I will go and take for myself the sword from the wall,
+and win my way into the castle, and nothing shall hinder me more." And he
+turned and rushed into the hut. There, upon the wall hung the shining
+sword, and Michael reached out his hand and seized it firmly, and drew it
+down from its place.
+
+"I will swear a vow," he cried, "upon this sword, that when I enter the
+castle, I will say not one word for good or for ill to any one, save to ask
+for what I come to seek, lest I should again be kept for years. Moreover, I
+will not taste food or drink, till I have found the heart of my Joan to
+take back to her." Then, with the sword in his hand, he passed the old man,
+who still sat chuckling over the monster, too busy to heed him, and he went
+straight on to the bridgeless moat. It was not wide, and he swam it easily,
+and scrambled up the bank by the stone wall. He pushed with the point of
+the sword at the gate, and it at once flew open, and he stood in the outer
+court. Then he saw a heavy door in the wall of the castle, and went up to
+it, nothing fearing, and, on touching it with the sword's point, it too
+flew open at once, and he entered.
+
+He stepped into a passage filled with flowers and hung with silken
+hangings. He trod upon a velvet carpet, and the air was laden with sweet
+scents, and from afar he heard sweet voices singing. He strode on through
+another door, and yet another, and at each step he took all things became
+lovelier, till at last he passed into a splendid chamber, the like of which
+he had never seen before. In the ceiling were precious stones set in
+patterns of flowers and crowns, on the walls were soft velvet hangings and
+embroideries. The furniture was of carven gold and silver and ivory, and
+everywhere grew flowers of wonderful beauty, which sprang from the floor
+and crept along the walls, and filled the air with sweet scents, and
+hanging on the walls were cages which held what Michael thought were birds,
+which sang most sweetly.
+
+On a table in the centre of the room was a banquet all laid ready, and as
+Michael looked at it and wondered where he should go farther, a curtain was
+drawn aside, and there stepped forth a stately dame dressed in black
+velvet, who came smiling towards him and held out her hand, saying, "I am
+indeed glad to see you, I am mistress of this castle, and you are very
+welcome; but I beg that before you tell me from where you come and what you
+seek, you will sit down and share this feast with me." Michael was
+beginning to answer, when he felt the sword in his hand, and remembered his
+oath, and looking full in the face of the new-comer, said, "I seek the
+heart of Princess Joan."
+
+"And you shall find it," answered the grand lady. "But first you must rest
+and eat, for you must be both tired and hungry;" and so saying she sat at
+one end of the table, and signed to Michael to sit at the other, and took
+the golden covers from the dishes, and prepared to begin the feast. Michael
+knew not what to do, but he sat at the table in silence, and all at once
+bethought him of the magic glass in his bosom, and drawing it forth when
+she was not looking, gazed through it at her, and then he beheld no
+finely-dressed lady, but a wizened old woman, robed in yellow, with an evil
+yellow face and evil yellow eyes. He hid the glass again, and sat still as
+stone, though the yellow woman pressed on him the different dishes again
+and again. He saw that her face grew white with rage. Then all of a sudden
+she disappeared, and the lights went out, and he was left alone in the
+darkness. He rose and searched for the door by which he had entered, but
+could not find it nor any way out of the room; so there he was, a prisoner
+alone with the singing-birds.
+
+"Never mind," quoth he to himself cheerily; "I have at last reached the
+inside of the castle, and surely shall find the heart of my Joan, and if I
+keep my vow and neither eat nor drink here or say aught but ask for that
+which I seek, nothing can harm me."
+
+So he sat down contentedly to wait for what might come. There he sat the
+whole night, and no one came near him, but the birds sang so beautifully
+that he almost forgot how the time passed.
+
+When morning dawned and light again shone through the windows, he searched
+everywhere for some way out of the room, but the door had quite
+disappeared. Moreover, the feast had gone from the table. The day passed,
+and still he was all alone, and as evening again drew in he sat and
+lamented, quite wearied out and faint for want of food. But when the
+darkness came, the lamps about the room were suddenly lit as if by magic,
+and all was brilliant, and a curtain was drawn aside, and there came in a
+little child with bright eyes and hair, who held in one hand a goblet and
+in the other a well-filled plate. These she placed before Michael, saying,
+"My mistress sends you these, and begs that you will eat and drink, for you
+must be both hungry and thirsty;" but Michael pushed away the goblet and
+the plate, and said,
+
+"I seek the heart of Princess Joan; I beg you to give it to me."
+
+To this the seeming child answered nothing, but still pressed on him the
+food and wine. Then Michael took from his bosom the magic glass and looked
+through it, and saw no lovely child, but the same yellow hag with
+shrivelled face and evil eyes. With a cry of rage she disappeared, and
+though Michael searched everywhere, he could not find the way by which she
+went.
+
+Now indeed he began to feel that unless he ate he could not live much
+longer, and wept from very weakness.
+
+"Still I will neither eat nor drink," he said, "till I have found what I
+came to seek, and the fairy cannot refuse me much longer."
+
+Night passed and day came, and he lay upon a couch quite still, too weak to
+move, yet he feared to sleep lest some spell should be thrown upon him.
+
+So he lay all day, and as evening again drew near he began to feel despair,
+for he knew that in another day he would be dead of hunger.
+
+"Oh! Why have I toiled for seven years," he cried aloud, "and at last won
+my way into the castle, if now I am to be starved to death, and Joan will
+never know how I have laboured for her sake?"
+
+"And why should you be starved to death, my Prince?" said a voice; and at
+once the lights lit themselves, and into the room stepped the figure of
+the Princess Joan just as he had seen her last, dressed in white and gold,
+and in one hand bearing a golden goblet filled with clear ruby-coloured
+wine.
+
+Michael gave a cry of joy and held out his arms to clasp her in them, but
+as he did so the sword sprang as it hung at his side, and he remembered his
+vow and drew back and gazed at her without speaking.
+
+She knelt down beside him and raised the goblet to his lips, saying softly,
+"My poor love, how long you have worked for me! Pray drink now, that you
+may be refreshed ere we two start for our home."
+
+Then as he looked at her face and saw how beautiful she was his heart
+wavered, and he thought, "Can it be my Joan, and that I have truly won
+her?" and almost had he let her place the wine at his lips, while with one
+hand she stroked his hair and murmured to him the while in a soft voice,
+when the cup struck against the magic glass in his bosom, and he drew it
+forth and looked at her, and he trembled with horror and disgust, for there
+he saw no lovely Princess Joan, but the same yellow hag, who held in one
+skinny hand a goblet, formed from a skull, from which she would have him
+drink.
+
+Michael sprang to his feet and dashed it from him, and the ruby wine poured
+on the floor, and there followed an awful noise like a peal of thunder, and
+the room was full of smoke, and wild cries were heard.
+
+He grasped the sword and sat still, trembling all over; but when the smoke
+cleared away the whole aspect of the room was changed; the silken hangings,
+and gold, and pearls, and flowers, were all gone, and he was sitting in a
+grim gray chamber like a vault, and in front of him stood the yellow hag,
+whose eyes shone spitefully and her lips laughed wickedly; but in one hand
+she held what it made Michael rejoice to see. It was a soft pink feathery
+thing, with wings, but shaped like a heart, and it trembled and quivered in
+her hand.
+
+"Take it," she cried, "for well have you won it. Take it, and tell the
+Queen how many years of toil and labour her proud words and boasting have
+cost. Then when you see her, from whom it was stolen, let it fly, but
+first say over it these words:--
+
+    "Heart of Joan
+    Lost and won
+    Fly back home,
+    Thy journey's done.
+    Take back joy
+    Take back pain
+    Heart of Joan,
+    Fly home again."
+
+and it will fly to her side, and you will see it no more; and now begone."
+
+Michael seized the heart with a cry of joy and exultation, and then turned
+and fled from the room through an open iron door, and passed through the
+passages, no longer softly carpeted and hung with silk, but dreary and
+bare, made of cold stone, down which his foot-steps echoed and clashed.
+
+He hurried from the castle as quickly as might be, and once outside did not
+stop to look for the old man or the monster, but swam the moat, and went
+straight to where his boat lay moored as he had left it, nearly seven years
+before, and never paused till he had rowed so far that the gray castle and
+the shore had almost passed from view. At last he came again to the shore
+where he had bought his boat of the fishermen, and here he went on land,
+and started to walk till he had reached Joan's country, and her father's
+castle.
+
+He had no money, and his clothes were rags, his hair was thin and gray, and
+his shoulders bent. He looked like a poor beggar, and he had to beg food as
+he went, or he would have been starved. Still, he was ready to cry for joy,
+because he took with him the little soft heart he had gone so far to find.
+
+He trudged on both day and night, making great haste, for he knew that the
+seven years were almost gone, and he was afraid lest already he might be
+too late, and find that Joan had married some one else. At last, after many
+weary miles, he reached her country, and drew near to the palace where she
+lived, and here he found that the people were all decorating their houses,
+and making preparations as if for some great festival.
+
+He stopped and begged for food from a woman who stood by a cottage door,
+and when she had given him some bread, as he ate it he asked her to tell
+him what went on in the country, and why there was such rejoicing.
+
+"It is for the marriage of the King's daughter Joan," said the woman;
+"To-morrow she is to be married to old King Lambert, and the wedding will
+be very grand, but none of the country folk like it, for he is old and
+ugly, and they say he does not love her at all, but only marries her that
+he may be king of this country as well as his own. The Queen is in sore
+distress about it, and for seven years refused her consent; but they will
+be over to-morrow, and so they will be wed, and the guests are already
+beginning to arrive at the palace, and each one brings some splendid gift."
+
+"I will be a guest at that wedding," cried Michael; "And I bring the best
+gift of all for the bride;" and he hurried on again, not heeding the
+woman's scorn and laughter.
+
+When he came to the palace, he found that it was hung with flags, and
+arches of flowers were erected in front of it, and grand lords and ladies,
+and servants stood at the door to receive the guests who came.
+
+Michael went as near as he dared, afraid lest he should be driven away by
+the servants, and then he saw a little foot-page, and he went to him and
+said,
+
+"Please tell me where is the Princess Joan, and what she is doing."
+
+"She is sitting with the King and Queen and King Lambert in the state-room,
+to receive the guests and accept the presents they bring," said the page.
+
+"I am a guest, and I bring a present for her," cried Michael; "Tell me how
+I shall get into the palace that I may give it to her."
+
+On hearing this the page burst out laughing, and told the other servants
+what he said. And they were very angry, and seized Michael, and some would
+have ducked him in the pond, and some would have taken him before the King,
+but they said, "Not now--wait till the wedding is over to-morrow, and then
+we will see how he will punish the beggar-man for his impertinence."
+
+So they took him off to a stone tower outside the garden gates and thrust
+him into it, and locked the door, and there was only one little window high
+up and barred across with bars, and from it he could see the palace and the
+gardens.
+
+Then at last he gave way to despair. "Of what avail were all my years of
+toil, and for what am I gray and old before my time," he cried, "if after
+all, when I have earned that for which I worked so long, I may not give it
+to Joan, but must remain a prisoner and see her pass by to marry some one
+else?" and he threw himself on the ground and cried aloud.
+
+At night as he lay and mourned, he heard sounds of merrymaking, and music
+and laughter from the castle. Sometimes he called out, "Joan! Joan! I am
+here--I who have worked for you for years, and brought home your stolen
+heart, and now will you wed King Lambert in spite of all?" sometimes he
+beat against the bars of the prison window, but all in vain, and at last,
+when all sound had ceased from the castle, he lay silent upon the ground,
+caring no more for life.
+
+When the sun rose, and there was again a stir without, he got up and looked
+from the window, and saw the old nurse who walked by herself in the garden,
+and she looked very sad. Then Michael called out, "Do you not know me? You
+at least, who bid me go, and praised me then, should remember me now." On
+hearing this the old nurse drew near the prison window, and looked at him,
+and said, "Who are you, and why are you here? My eyes are old, and my ears
+are deaf, but I think I have seen you, and heard your voice before."
+
+"Seven years ago," said Michael, "I too was a bridegroom, who came to wed
+your Princess, and for seven long years have I worked, that I might bring
+home to her the heart she had not. Go and ask your Queen, why she has
+broken her pledge to wait for seven years, till Prince Michael should
+return."
+
+"Prince Michael! Is it really Prince Michael?" cried the old nurse
+joyfully. "And you come in time, for our Princess is not married yet, and
+she must pass by here, on her way to church. So you shall call to her as
+she passes by, and speak for yourself."
+
+"Then keep near and tell me when she comes," said Michael, "lest she go by
+without seeing me."
+
+Presently the whole castle was astir, and trumpets were sounding, and
+clarions ringing. Then when the sun was high, Michael heard the tramping of
+horses, and the sound of music, and the old nurse said to him, "Here she
+is," and he looked between the bars of the prison window and saw a grand
+procession, and his heart gave a bound, for in their midst, in a golden
+gown, and seated on a white palfrey, was Princess Joan, and she looked just
+as lovely as when he went away seven years before.
+
+On one side of her rode her father and mother, and the Queen's face was
+most mournful, and her eyes were red with crying. On the other rode an ugly
+old man, whom Michael guessed to be King Lambert, and he smiled and bowed
+to the people, but they muttered and grumbled, when they looked at him,
+and saw how ugly and wicked, he looked.
+
+When Michael saw them coming, he took from his bosom the little pink heart,
+and stroked it fondly as he whispered over it,
+
+    "Heart of Joan
+    Lost and won
+    Fly back home,
+    Thy journey's done.
+    Take back joy
+    Take back pain
+    Heart of Joan,
+    Fly home again;"
+
+and at once it spread its wings and fluttered through the bars of the
+prison, and over the heads of the people, who shouted, "Look at the pink
+bird!" For a moment it rested at the side of the Princess Joan, and then
+disappeared. She gave a scream, and cried,
+
+"My mother! My father! What has happened? Oh see, it is Michael who has
+returned!" and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's head
+towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars to
+clasp the Prince.
+
+[Illustration: ----and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince."--P. 128.]
+
+"Michael, my love!" she cried, "How gray and worn you are now. How hard you
+must have laboured for me through these long years. Now, how shall I pay
+you, save by loving you all my life!" and she tried to beat down the bars
+of the prison window.
+
+When the people heard her, they cried, "It is Prince Michael, who went
+seven years ago, and who we all thought was dead, and he is returned in
+time to marry our Princess. Now will we indeed have a wedding, and she
+shall marry the Prince who has toiled so long for her;" and King and Queen
+and people laughed for joy. 'Twas in vain for King Lambert to rage, and cry
+that the Princess was betrothed to him.
+
+"Nay!" said the Queen, "She has been pledged to Prince Michael for seven
+years. We are grieved for your sake, King Lambert, but we cannot break our
+royal word."
+
+Then the people burst into the prison and brought out Michael, all torn and
+gray as he was, and Princess Joan kissed him before them all, and begged
+that he would marry her at once, that every one might see how well she
+loved him and how grateful she was. So they brought a fine white horse with
+a grand gold saddle, and jewelled bridle, and placed Michael upon it, and
+he rode to church beside the Princess, and married her, and the people
+threw flowers before them, and bells rang and trumpets sounded, and all
+were glad.
+
+And when it was done Michael was dressed in purple and gold, and messengers
+were sent to his father and mother and the old wizard, that they might come
+and see how he had come home victorious, and rejoicings filled the whole
+country.
+
+"For now we are sure of a good King," the people said. "See, he has already
+shown what he can do. Surely no one else could ever have found the heart of
+Princess Joan."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: "Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little."--P.
+131.]
+
+
+
+
+THE PEDLAR'S PACK
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+A pedlar was toiling along a dusty road carrying his pack on his back, when
+he saw a donkey grazing by the wayside.
+
+"Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do, perhaps you would
+not mind carrying my load for me for a little."
+
+"If I do so, what will you give me?" said the donkey.
+
+"I will give you two pieces of gold," said the pedlar, but he did not speak
+the truth, for he knew he had no gold to give.
+
+"Agreed," said the donkey. So they journeyed on together in a very
+friendly manner, the donkey carrying the pedlar's pack, and the pedlar
+walking by his side. After a time they met a raven, who was looking for
+worms in the roadside, and the donkey called out to him,
+
+"Good-morrow, black friend. If you are going our way, you would do well to
+sit upon my back and drive away the flies, which worry me sadly."
+
+"And what will you pay me to do this?" asked the raven.
+
+"Money is no object to me," said the donkey, "so I will give you three
+pieces of gold." And he too knew he was making a false promise, for he had
+no gold at all to give.
+
+"Agreed," said the raven. So they went on in high good humour, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's wares, and the raven sitting on the donkey's back
+driving away the flies.
+
+After a time they met a hedge-sparrow, and the raven called out to it,
+
+"Good-day, little cousin. Do you want to earn a little money? If so, bring
+me some worms from the bank as we go along, for I had no breakfast, and am
+very hungry."
+
+"What will you give me for it?" asked the hedge-sparrow.
+
+"Let us say four pieces of gold," said the raven grandly; "for I have saved
+more during my long life than I know how to spend." But he knew this was
+not true, for he had not saved any gold at all.
+
+"Very well," said the hedge-sparrow, and so on they went, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's pack, and the raven keeping the flies away from the
+donkey, and the hedge-sparrow bringing worms to the raven.
+
+Presently they saw in the distance a good-sized town, and the pedlar took
+out from his pack, some shawls and stuffs and hung them over the donkey's
+back that the passers-by might see, and buy if they were so disposed. On
+the top of the other goods lay a small scarlet blanket, and when he saw it
+the hedge-sparrow said to the pedlar,
+
+"What will you take for that little blanket? It seems to be a good one.
+Name your price and you shall have it whatever it is, for I am badly in
+want of a blanket just now;" but as the hedge-sparrow had not a penny in
+the world, he knew he could not pay for it.
+
+"The price of the blanket is five pieces of gold," said the pedlar.
+
+"That seems to me to be very dear," said the hedge-sparrow. "I don't mind
+giving you four pieces of gold for it, but five is too much."
+
+"Agreed," said the pedlar, and he chuckled to himself and thought, "Now I
+shall be able to pay the donkey, otherwise I might have had some trouble in
+getting rid of him."
+
+The hedge-sparrow flew to the raven's side and whispered in his ear,
+"Please to pay me the four pieces of gold you owe me, for we are coming to
+a town, and I must be turning back."
+
+"Four pieces of gold is really too much for bringing a few worms," said the
+raven. "It is absurd to expect such payment, but I will give you three, and
+you shall have them almost immediately," and he bent down over the donkey's
+ear and whispered,
+
+"My friend, it is time you paid me the three pieces of gold which you
+promised, for the pedlar will stop at this town, and you will not have to
+go farther with him."
+
+"On thinking it over," said the donkey, "I have come to the conclusion that
+three pieces of gold are really a great deal too much to give for having a
+few flies driven away. You must have known that I was only joking when I
+said it, but I will let you have two, though I consider that it is much
+more than the job was worth;" and the donkey turned again to the pedlar,
+saying, "Now, good sir, your two pieces of gold, if you please."
+
+"In a moment," said the pedlar, and turning to the hedge-sparrow, said, "I
+really must have the money for the blanket at once."
+
+"So you shall," answered the hedge-sparrow, and cried angrily to the raven,
+"I want my money now, and cannot wait."
+
+"In an instant," answered the raven, and again whispered to the donkey,
+"Why can't you pay me honestly? I should be ashamed of trying to slip out
+of my debts in such a way."
+
+"I won't keep you waiting a second," said the donkey, and he turned once
+more to the pedlar and cried, "Come, give me my money. For shame! a man
+like you trying to cheat a poor beast like me."
+
+Then the pedlar said to the hedge-sparrow, "Pay me for my blanket, or I'll
+wring your neck."
+
+And the hedge-sparrow cried to the raven, "Give me my money or I'll peck
+out your eyes."
+
+And the raven croaked to the donkey, "If you don't pay me, I'll bite off
+your tail."
+
+And the donkey again cried to the pedlar, "You dishonest wretch, pay me my
+money or I'll kick you soundly."
+
+And they made such an uproar outside the walls of the town, that the beadle
+came out to see what it was all about. Each turned to him and began to
+complain of the other loudly.
+
+"You are a set of rogues and vagabonds," said the beadle, "and you shall
+all come before the mayor, and he'll settle your quarrels pretty quickly,
+and treat you as you deserve."
+
+At this they all begged to be allowed to go away, each one saying he did
+not care about being paid at all. But the beadle would not listen to them,
+and led them straight away to the market-place, where the mayor sat judging
+the people.
+
+"Now, whom have we here?" cried he. "A pedlar, a donkey, a raven, and a
+hedge-sparrow. A set of worthless vagabonds, I'll be bound! Let us hear
+what they have to say for themselves."
+
+On this the pedlar began to complain of the hedge-sparrow, and the
+hedge-sparrow of the raven, and the raven of the donkey, and the donkey of
+the pedlar.
+
+The mayor did not heed them much, but he eyed the pedlar's pack, and at
+length interrupted them, and said,
+
+"I am convinced that you are a set of good-for-nothing fellows, and one is
+quite as bad as the other, so I order that the pedlar be locked up in the
+prison, that the donkey be soundly well thrashed, and that the raven and
+the hedge-sparrow both have their tail-feathers pulled out, and then be
+turned out of the town. As for the blanket, it seems to me to be the only
+good thing in the whole matter, and as I cannot allow you to keep the cause
+of such a disturbance, I will take it for myself. Beadle, lead the
+prisoners away."
+
+So the beadle did as he was told, and the pedlar was locked up for many
+days in the prison.
+
+"It is very sad to think to what straits an honest man may be brought," he
+sighed to himself as he sat lamenting his hard fate. "In future this will
+be a warning to me to keep clear of hedge-sparrows. If the hedge-sparrow
+had paid me as he ought, I should not be here now."
+
+Meantime the donkey was being soundly well thrashed, and after each blow he
+cried,
+
+"Alas! alas! See what comes to an innocent quadruped for having to do with
+human beings. Had the pedlar given me the money he owed, I should not now
+be beaten thus. In future I will never make a bargain with men."
+
+The raven and the hedge-sparrow hopped out of the town by different roads,
+and both were very sad, for they had lost all their tail feathers, which
+the beadle had pulled out.
+
+"Alas!" croaked the raven, "my fate is indeed a hard one. But it serves me
+right for trusting a donkey who goes on his feet and cannot fly. It is
+truly a warning to me never again to trust anything without a beak."
+
+The hedge-sparrow was quite crestfallen, and could scarcely keep from
+tears. "It all comes of my being so taken in by that raven," he sighed.
+"But I should have known that these large birds are never honest. In future
+I will be wise, and never make a bargain with anything bigger or stronger
+than myself."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once there was a baker who had a very bad, violent temper, and whenever a
+batch of bread was spoiled he flew into such a rage, that his wife and
+daughters dared not go near him. One day it happened that all his bread was
+burnt, and on this he stamped and raved with anger. He threw the loaves all
+about the floor, when one, burnt blacker than the rest, broke in half, and
+out of it crept a tiny thin black man, no thicker than an eel, with long
+arms and legs.
+
+"What are you making all this fuss about, Master Baker?" said he. "If you
+will give me a home in your oven I will see to the baking of your bread,
+and will answer for it that you shall never have so much as a loaf
+spoiled."
+
+[Illustration: "If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled."--P. 141.]
+
+"And pray what sort of bread would it be, if you were in the oven, and
+helped to bake it?" said the baker; "I think my customers might not like to
+eat it."
+
+"On the contrary," said the imp, "they would like it exceedingly. It is
+true that it would make them rather unhappy, but that will not hurt you, as
+you need not eat it yourself."
+
+"Why should it make them unhappy?" said the baker. "If it is good bread it
+won't do any one harm, and if it is bad they won't buy it."
+
+"It will taste very good," replied the imp, "but it will make all who eat
+it discontented, and they will think themselves very unfortunate whether
+they are so or no; but this will not do you any harm, and I promise you
+that you shall sell as much as you wish."
+
+"Agreed!" said the baker. So the little imp crept into the oven and curled
+himself into the darkness behind, and the baker saw no more of him.
+
+But next day he made a great batch of bread, and though he took no heed of
+the time when he put it in, and drew it out, just as he wanted it, it was
+done quite right--neither too dark nor too light--and the baker was in high
+good humour.
+
+The first person who tasted the bread was the chief justice. He came down
+to breakfast in high spirits, for he had just heard that an old aunt was
+dead, and had left him a great deal of money. So he kissed his wife and
+chucked his daughters under the chin, and told them that he had good news
+for them. His old aunt had left him twenty thousand pounds in her will. On
+this his wife clapped her hands for joy, and his daughters ran to him and
+kissed him, and begged him to let them have some of it. So they all sat
+down to breakfast in great glee, but no sooner had the justice tasted the
+bread than his face fell.
+
+"This is excellent bread," he said, taking a large slice; "I wish
+everything else were as good;" and he heaved a deep sigh.
+
+"Why?" cried his wife, who had not yet begun to eat. "This morning, I am
+sure, there is nothing for you to complain of."
+
+"Nay!" said the mayor; "it is very nice to have twenty thousand pounds, but
+think how much nicer it would have been if it had been thirty. How much
+more one could have done with that! Or even if it had been twenty-five
+thousand pounds, or even twenty-one. Twenty-one thousand pounds is a very
+nice sum of money, but twenty thousand pounds is no good at all. I am not
+sure that it would not be better not to have had any."
+
+"Nonsense!" cried his wife, who was now eating her breakfast also; "you are
+very wicked to be so discontented; but one thing I do say. It would have
+been much nicer if we had had it when we were young and better able to
+enjoy it. Money is very little use to people at our time of life. It would
+have been really nice if we had had it fifteen years ago. As it is, I can't
+say I care much for it, and it makes me sad to think we did not get it
+before."
+
+"Nay," cried the daughters; "in that case how much better it would have
+been for us to have it instead of you; we are young, and able to enjoy
+ourselves, and we could have given you a little of it if you'd liked, but
+we could have been very happy with the rest; as it is, it is no pleasure to
+us."
+
+So they fell to quarrelling about the money, and by the time breakfast was
+done, they all had tears in their eyes, and felt discontented and unhappy.
+
+The next person to eat the bread was the village doctor. All night long he
+had been sitting up with a man who had broken his leg, and he had feared
+lest he should die, but as morning came he saw he would live, so he
+returned home to his wife in very good spirits, although he was sadly
+tired. The wife had already had her breakfast, but she had made all ready
+for her husband, with a loaf of the baker's new bread.
+
+"See, dear husband," she said, "here is your breakfast, and some nice bread
+quite new, because I know you like it. How glad we ought to be, that this
+poor man is likely to live."
+
+"Yes, indeed," said the doctor; "being up all night is tiring work, but I
+don't grudge it when I know that it does some good," and then he began to
+eat. "I am not sure, after all, that I have done such a good thing in
+curing this man. It is true that his broken leg hurt him very much, but
+perhaps when he is well again, he may break his back, and that would be
+much worse. Perhaps I had better have left him to die. I daresay when he is
+quite well, all kinds of misfortunes will befall him; I had much better
+have let him alone."
+
+"Why," cried his wife in surprise, "what are you saying, husband? Are you
+not a doctor, and is it not your business to cure people? And when you
+succeed ought you not to be glad?"
+
+"I wish I were not a doctor," said the husband, sighing. "It would be much
+better if there were no doctors at all;" and he sat and lamented, and
+nothing his wife could say, could cheer him.
+
+In a pretty little cottage near the doctor's house lived a young couple,
+who were newly married, and were as happy as the day was long. Their
+cottage was covered with roses, and filled with pretty things, and they
+had everything their hearts could desire. This morning they both came down
+smiling and happy, and the young wife kissed her husband, and sang for joy.
+So they sat down to breakfast, chattering like two birds in a nest; but no
+sooner had the husband tasted the bread than his face fell, and he was
+silent for a time; then he said,
+
+"It is a very terrible thing to think how happy we are, for it cannot last.
+Something melancholy is sure to happen to us, and till it comes we shall
+live in dread of it; for we know happiness never lasts, and this is a
+thought that makes me very sad."
+
+The wife had now also taken some bread.
+
+"What is this you are saying?" she said. "How can you think such dreadful
+things? I do not like you when you talk like that; and I think it is very
+hard for me to be married to a man who wants to be unhappy."
+
+"The best thing we can hope for," said the husband, sighing, "is for some
+great misfortune to befall us; then we should be all right, for we should
+know then, that we knew the worst that could come. As it is we shall live
+in suspense all our days."
+
+"Now," cried his wife, "I am indeed unfortunate. What could be worse than
+to have a husband who does not like being happy? I wish I had married some
+one else; or indeed had no husband at all."
+
+So both began to grumble, and at last to quarrel, and finally both were
+crying with anger.
+
+Not far out of the village was a large pleasant farmhouse, standing amongst
+fields, and the farmer was a hale, bright man, with a good wife and pretty
+children. He was very busy just now getting in the corn, for it was autumn,
+and he stood among his men, directing them as they worked in the fields. He
+had not had time to have a proper breakfast before going to work, but his
+wife sent some out to him with some of the baker's new bread, and he sat
+down under a tree to eat it. As he did so he looked up at the farmhouse,
+and thought, with pride, that it was the largest farm in all the country
+round, and that it had belonged to his father, and his grandfather, and
+his great-grandfather, before him.
+
+"'Tis a fine old house, for sure," thought he, as he took a large piece of
+bread, "'Tis so well built and strong;" but no sooner had he swallowed a
+mouthful than his thoughts changed.
+
+"What should I do if it were to fall down and crush me some day," he said
+to himself. "After all, 'tis only built of brick, and might tumble any day.
+How much stronger it would have been if it had been built of stone. Then it
+would not have been nearly so likely to give way. Really when my
+great-grandfather built it he should have thought of this. How selfish all
+men are;" and he became quite unhappy lest his house should fall, and
+lamented while he ate.
+
+In the kitchen the farmer's wife was very busy cooking and cleaning, and
+scarcely stopped to eat till near mid-day. Then she took up a piece of
+bread and cheese, and leant against the window as she ate it, that she
+might watch for her eldest girl and boy, Janey and Jimmy, who would now be
+returning from school.
+
+"Our baker really bakes very decent bread," said she; "'tis almost as good
+as my own;" and she went on eating till she saw her two children coming
+through the fields together.
+
+"Here they come," said she; "How bonny they look. Really I ought to be very
+proud of them. I don't know which is the prettier, Janey or Jimmy, but 'tis
+a pity, for sure, that Janey is the eldest. It would be much better if
+Jimmy were older than she. 'Tis a bad thing for the sister to be older than
+the brother. Now, if he were her age, and she were his, that would be
+really nice, for then he could take care of her and see after her; but, as
+it is, she will try to direct him, and boys never like to obey their
+sisters; I really almost think I had better not have had any children at
+all," and the tears filled her eyes, and when her girl and boy ran in to
+her, her face was very sad, and she seemed to be scarcely glad to see them.
+
+So things went on all over the village. Each one as he tasted the bread
+grew discontented and angry, till at last all the people went about
+grumbling and complaining, or else shedding tears outright. Only the baker
+himself was cheerful and merry, and sang as he kneaded his dough, and sold
+it to his customers with a light heart, for his trade had never been so
+good. Every atom of bread he made was sold at once, so he cared not one
+whit for the trouble of the other people, and laughed to himself when he
+heard them complaining, and thought of the words of the dark little elf.
+
+One day as he stood kneading at the door and whistling to himself, the
+doctor walked past and looked angrily at him.
+
+"What on earth are you making that whistling for?" he asked. "I declare one
+would think that you were as happy as a man could be."
+
+"And so I am," said the baker, "And so I should think were you too, for you
+have nothing to trouble you."
+
+"Nothing to trouble me, forsooth!" cried the doctor in a rage. "How dare
+you insult me in this way? I tell you what it is, my fine fellow, I think
+you are very impertinent, and if I have any more of your impudence I will
+take my stick and thrash you soundly. It really is not to be borne, that
+one man should be allowed to tell another that he has nothing to complain
+of."
+
+"Nay, _you_ can have as much to complain of as you like, so long as I have
+not," cried the baker, and he laughed loudly. This only made the doctor
+angrier still, and he was just going to seize the baker when up came the
+farmer.
+
+"Was there ever such a village as this?" he cried. "It is not fit for any
+one to live in, there is always such fighting and quarrelling going on.
+What is the matter here?"
+
+"Matter enough," cried the doctor. "Here is a fellow dares to tell me I
+have nothing to complain of, nor he either."
+
+"This is monstrous!" said the farmer; "he deserves to be hung. How dares he
+say such a thing on such a wretched day as this, with such a blue sky and
+such a bright sun?"
+
+"Why, Master Farmer," cried the baker, "yesterday you grumbled because it
+was raining, and now you grumble because it is fine."
+
+"And I tell you that it is enough to make one grumble," said the farmer.
+"It should have been fair yesterday, and should have rained to-day. You
+ought to be ashamed of such talk, Master Baker, and I think it would serve
+you justly right if we took you before the Justice and let us see what he
+thinks of your conduct."
+
+"Nay!" cried the baker, beginning to be frightened, "what have I done that
+I am to be taken before the Justice?"
+
+"What have you done, indeed!" said the doctor. "We will see if the Justice
+cannot find that out pretty quickly." So they seized the baker and dragged
+him away in spite of himself, and as they pulled him through the village
+the people thronged about them, and followed till there was quite a large
+crowd.
+
+The Justice sat at his door smoking a pipe, with tears in his eyes.
+
+"Now what is all this uproar for?" cried he. "Am I never to be left in
+peace? How hard is the life of a Justice!" but he got up and came out on
+the steps to meet them.
+
+"See here," cried the doctor; "here is a man who says he has nothing to
+complain of, and we have brought him to you, to know if he is to be
+punished, or to be allowed to go on talking like this."
+
+"Certainly not," cried the Justice, "or we shall soon have the whole
+village in an uproar. Let him be taken to the market-place, and I will
+order that he be publicly flogged by the soldiers."
+
+At this the poor baker burst out crying, and entreated to be let off,
+saying that now indeed he had plenty to complain of, but at this the
+justice was angrier still. "Then," said he, "you certainly deserve to be
+flogged for having told an untruth before, when you said you had not. Take
+him away, and do as I bid."
+
+So they dragged the baker off to the market-place, and made a ring round
+him, so that he could not escape, and then there came down two or three
+soldiers with ropes in their hands, and they seized him, and began to beat
+him before all the crowd.
+
+But by this time all the people were so enraged against him, that a number
+of them cried, "Let us go to his house and pull it down." So off they ran
+to the baker's house, and broke the windows and knocked about the
+furniture, and then some of them fell on the oven, and wrenched off the
+door, and others seized the pokers and tongs, and smashed in its sides, and
+in the hurry and scuffle, the little dark man crept out of the oven and
+scuttled away unseen by any one. But no sooner had he gone than a great
+change came across the people.
+
+The soldiers on the green stopped beating the baker, and looked at each
+other aghast, and the Justice called out,
+
+"Stop! What is all this uproar about? And what has this man done that you
+are beating him without my orders?" and the people in the crowd whispered
+to each other; "It is true,--what has he done?" and they slunk away,
+looking ashamed.
+
+The Justice also at first looked somewhat ashamed of himself, but he drew
+himself up, and looking very important, said, "There, my man, you are
+forgiven for this once, and now go your way, and see that you behave better
+in future;" and then he walked away with much dignity.
+
+So the baker was left alone in the market-place, and he cried for rage and
+pain.
+
+"This all comes of the oven imp," cried he, as he limped home. "Directly I
+get home I will drive him out of my oven, and away from my house. Better to
+have a hundred batches of bread spoiled than to be flogged for saying one
+is happy." But when he reached his house the little dark man was nowhere to
+be found; there was nought but the broken oven with its sides battered in.
+
+The baker mended the oven, and from that time forth his bread was just like
+other people's; but for all that he had learnt to be quite contented, for
+now he knew that there were worse things than having his loaves burnt
+black, and he was only too well pleased to take his chance with other
+people, without the help of fairy folk. As for the little black imp, he was
+never heard of more, and the people in the village soon recovered their
+good humour, and were just as happy and contented as they had been before
+they tasted the bread of discontent.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+YE THREE CLEVER KINGS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Old King Roland lay upon his death-bed, and as he had no son to reign after
+him he sent for his three nephews, Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete, and
+addressed them as follows:--
+
+"My dear nephews, I feel that my days are now drawing to an end, and one of
+you will have to be King when I am dead. But there is no pleasure in being
+King. My people have been difficult to govern and never content with what I
+did for them, so that my life has been a hard one, and though I have
+watched you all closely, still I know not, which is most fit to wear the
+crown; so my wish is that you should each try it in turn. You, Aldovrand,
+as you are the oldest, shall be King first, and if you reign happily, all
+well and good; but if you fail, let Aldebert take your place; and if he
+fail, let him give it up to Alderete, and then you will know which is the
+best fitted to govern."
+
+On this the three young men all thanked their uncle, and each one declared
+that he would do his best, and soon after old King Roland died and was
+buried with great state and ceremony.
+
+So now Aldovrand was to be King, and he was crowned, and there were great
+rejoicings everywhere.
+
+"'Tis a fine thing to be King," cried he in much glee; "Now I can amuse
+myself and do just as I please, and there will be no one to stop me, and I
+will lie in bed as late as I like in the morning, for who dares blame one,
+if one is King?"
+
+Next morning the Prime Minister and the Chancellor came to the palace to
+see the new King and settle affairs of state, but they were told that his
+majesty was in bed and had given orders that no one should disturb him.
+
+"This is a bad beginning," sighed the Prime Minister.
+
+"Very bad," echoed the Chancellor.
+
+When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at
+battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry
+at being interrupted in his game.
+
+"A pretty thing," he cried, "That I the King am to be sent for hither and
+thither as if I were a lacquey. They must go away and come another time;"
+and on hearing this the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked graver still.
+
+But next morning there came the Commander-in-Chief and the Lord High
+Admiral, as well as the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, all wanting to
+have an audience with the King, and as he was not out of bed and they could
+not wait any longer, they all stood outside his bedroom door, and knocked
+to gain admittance, and at last he came out in a towering rage, and
+throwing them his crown, cried,
+
+"Here, let one of my cousins be King, for I will not bear this longer. It
+is much more trouble than it is worth, so Aldebert or Alderete may try it
+and see how they like it, but as for me, I have had enough of it," and he
+ran downstairs and out of the palace door, leaving the Prime Minister and
+the Chancellor and the General and Admiral staring at each other in dismay.
+
+Aldovrand walked out of the town unnoticed, and turned towards the country,
+whistling cheerily to himself. When he had gone some way in the fields, he
+came to a farmhouse, and in a meadow near, the farmer stood talking to his
+men. Aldovrand went straight up to him, and, touching his hat, asked if he
+could give him any work.
+
+"Work?" cried the farmer, little thinking he was talking to his late king.
+"Why, what sort of work can you do?"
+
+"Well," said Aldovrand, "I am not very fond of running about, but if you
+want any one to mind your sheep, or keep the birds from your corn, I could
+do that nicely."
+
+"I tell you what you can do if you like," said the farmer. "I am wanting a
+goose-boy to take care of my geese. See, there they are on the common. All
+you will have to do is to see that they don't stray away, and to drive them
+in at night."
+
+"That will suit me exactly," cried Aldovrand. "I will begin at once;" and
+he went straight on to the common, and when he had collected the geese
+together lay down to watch them in high good humour.
+
+"This is capital," he cried, "and much better than being King at the
+palace. Here there is no Prime Minister or Chancellor to come worrying;"
+and he lay watching the geese all day very contentedly.
+
+When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor knew that Aldovrand was really
+gone, they went in a great hurry to Aldebert to tell him that it was his
+turn to be King. But when he heard how his cousin had run away, he looked
+frightened.
+
+"I will do my best," quoth he; "but I really know very little about the
+matter. However, you must tell me, and I will do whatever you direct."
+
+At hearing this the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were delighted.
+
+"Now we have got the right sort of King," they said; and both wagged their
+heads with joy.
+
+So King Aldebert was crowned, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.
+
+Early next morning he was up all ready to receive his Ministers, and first
+came the Prime Minister.
+
+"Your Majesty," said he, "I come to you on an affair of much importance. A
+great part of our city is falling down, and it is very necessary that we
+should rebuild it at once. If you will command it, therefore, I will see
+that it is done."
+
+"I have no doubt you are right," said the King; "pray let them begin
+building at once;" and the Prime Minister went away delighted.
+
+Scarcely had he gone when in came the Commander-in-Chief.
+
+"Your Majesty," said he, "I wish to lay before you the state of our army.
+Our soldiers have had a great deal of fighting to do lately, and are
+beginning to be discontented, but the late King, your uncle, would never
+attend to their wants."
+
+"Pray do what you like," said King Aldebert.
+
+"To satisfy them," said the Commander-in-Chief, "I think that we should
+double their pay. This would keep them in a good humour, and all will go
+well."
+
+"By all means, that will certainly be the best way," said Aldebert. "Let it
+be given to them at once;" and on hearing this, the Commander-in-Chief went
+away right merrily.
+
+When he had gone, there came in the Chancellor with a long face.
+
+"Your Majesty," he said, "I have this morning been to the treasury, and I
+find that there is scarcely any money left. The late King, your uncle,
+spent so much in spite of all I could say, that now it is almost all gone.
+Your Majesty must now save all you can for the next year or two, and you
+ought also to lower the soldiers' pay, and stop all public works."
+
+"I have no doubt you are quite right," cried the King. "You know best, let
+it be done as you wish."
+
+But next morning in came the Prime Minister with a frowning face. "How is
+this, your Majesty?" cried he. "Just as we are beginning our buildings, the
+Chancellor comes and tells us that we are not to have any money to build
+with." He had not done speaking when the Commander-in-Chief burst into the
+room unable to conceal his rage.
+
+"Yesterday your Majesty told me that all the soldiers should have double
+pay, and this morning I hear, that instead of that, their wages are to be
+lowered!" Here he was interrupted by the Chancellor, who came running in
+looking much excited,
+
+"Your Majesty," he cried, "did you not yesterday say we were now to begin
+saving, and that I was not to allow any more money to be spent, and that
+the army must do with less pay?"
+
+And then all three began to quarrel among themselves. When he saw how angry
+they were, King Aldebert took off his crown and said, "I am sure you are
+each of you quite right; but I think I am scarcely fit to be a King. Indeed
+I think you had better find my cousin Alderete, and let him be crowned, and
+I will seek my fortune elsewhere." And he had slipped out of the room, and
+run downstairs and out of the palace, before they could stop him.
+
+He went briskly down the highroad into the country, the same way that
+Aldovrand had gone.
+
+After he had gone some way, he met a travelling tinker who sat by the
+roadside mending tin cans, with his little fire at his side.
+
+Aldebert stood watching him, and at last said, "How cleverly you mend those
+holes! You must lead a pleasant life, going from house to house in the
+green lanes mending wares. Do you think I could learn how to do it if you
+would teach me?"
+
+The tinker, who was an old man, looked at him and said,
+
+"Well, I don't mind giving you a trial if you like to come with me, for I
+want a strong young man sometimes to help me wheel my little cart, and
+I'll teach you my trade, and we'll see what you can make of it."
+
+So Aldebert was delighted, and went with the tinker.
+
+When they knew he was really gone the Prime Minister and the Chancellor
+looked at each other in dismay.
+
+"This will never do," cried they; "we must go at once to Prince Alderete;
+and let us hope he may do better than his cousins."
+
+When Prince Alderete heard that it was his turn to reign he jumped for joy.
+
+"Now," cried he, "at last I will show what a king should really be like. My
+cousins were neither of them any good, but they shall now see how different
+I will be."
+
+So he was crowned, and again there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.
+
+Next day he sat in state to receive the Chancellor and Prime Minister and
+hear what they had to say.
+
+"My friends," said he to them, "a good King ought to be like a father to
+his people, and this is what I mean to be. I mean to arrange everything
+for them myself, and if they will only obey me, and do as I direct, they
+are sure to be both prosperous and happy."
+
+On hearing this both Prime Minister and Chancellor looked anxious, and the
+Chancellor said,
+
+"I fear, your Majesty, your people will not like to be too much meddled
+with." At this the King was very angry, and bid them see about their own
+business, and not presume to teach him his.
+
+When they had gone he went to take a drive in his city, that he might see
+it and know it well; but directly he returned to the palace he sent for the
+Prime Minister, and when he had arrived, said,
+
+"I already see much to be altered in my kingdom. I do not like the houses
+in which many of the people dwell, nor indeed the dresses they wear; but
+what strikes me most of all is, that wherever I go I smell a strong smell
+of pea soup. Now, nothing is so unwholesome as pea soup, and therefore it
+would not be right in me to allow the people to go on eating it. I
+command, therefore, that no one shall again make, or eat pea soup, within
+my realm on pain of death."
+
+Again the Prime Minister looked very grave, and began to say,
+
+"Your Majesty, your subjects will surely not like to be hindered from
+eating and drinking what pleases them!" But the King cried out in a rage,
+
+"Go at once and do as I bid you." So the Prime Minister had to obey.
+
+Early next morning when the King arose he heard a great hubbub under his
+window, and when he went to see what it was, he saw a vast mob of people
+all shouting, "The King, the King! Where is this King who would dictate to
+us what we shall eat and drink?"
+
+When he saw them he was terribly frightened, and at once sent off for the
+Prime Minister and Chancellor to come to his aid.
+
+"Pray go and tell them to eat what they like," he cried when they arrived;
+"But, do you know, I find it will not at all suit me to be King. You had
+best try Aldovrand, or Aldebert, again;" and, so saying, he took off his
+crown and laid it down, and slipped away out of the palace before either
+Prime Minister or Chancellor could stop him.
+
+He went out of the back door, and ran, and ran, and ran, till he had left
+the town far behind, and came to the country fields and lanes--the same way
+that his two cousins had gone; and as he went he met a sweep trudging along
+carrying his long brooms over his shoulder.
+
+"My friend," cried Alderete, stopping him, "Of all things in the world I
+should like to be a sweep and learn how to sweep chimneys. May I go with
+you, and will you teach me your trade?"
+
+The sweep looked surprised, but said, "Yes, Alderete could go with him if
+he chose, and as he was now going on to the farmhouses, on the road, to
+sweep the chimneys, he could begin at once." So Alderete went with the
+sweep, carrying some of his brooms for him.
+
+After a time the people outside the palace grew quiet, when they heard that
+the King would not interfere with them further. And when all was again
+still, the Prime Minister and Chancellor went to seek the King, but he was
+nowhere to be found in the palace.
+
+"This will never do," cried they. "We must have a King somehow, so we had
+best have back one of the others." So they started to look for Aldovrand or
+Aldebert.
+
+They sought them all over the city, and at last they came into the same
+country road down which the three cousins had gone, and there they saw
+Aldovrand lying in a meadow watching his flock of geese.
+
+"Good day, my friends," cried he when he saw them; "And how are things
+going on at the palace? I hope my cousins like reigning better than I did.
+Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese, and it is much
+nicer than being King."
+
+Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor told him all that had happened, and
+begged that he would come back with them to the palace again, but at this
+Aldovrand laughed outright.
+
+[Illustration: "Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King."--P. 170.]
+
+"No indeed!" cried he, "I would not be King again for any man living. You
+had best go and seek my cousin Aldebert, and ask him. I saw him go down the
+road with a tinker, helping him to mend his tins. So go and ask him, and
+leave me to mind my geese in peace."
+
+So the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor had to seek still farther.
+
+They trudged on and on, till at last they met Aldebert, who sat by the side
+of the road mending a tin kettle, and whistling cheerily.
+
+"Heyday, whom have we here?" cried he. "The Prime Minister and the
+Chancellor! And I am right glad to see you both. See how clever I have
+grown; I am learning to be a tinker, and I mended that hole all myself."
+
+Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor begged him to leave his pots, and
+come back to the palace and be King, but he fell to work again, harder than
+ever, and said,
+
+"No indeed; go and ask my cousins, who are both much cleverer than I. I
+really don't do for it at all, but I make a very good tinker, and I like
+that much better."
+
+"Then what can we do?" cried the Prime Minister, "for we don't know where
+Alderete has gone."
+
+"I saw him go by here with a sweep a little time ago," said Aldebert; "and
+he went into that farmhouse yonder, so you had best seek him there."
+
+So the Prime Minister and the Chancellor went on to the farmhouse. At the
+door stood the farmer's wife, but when they asked her if she had seen the
+King go by, she stared with surprise.
+
+"Nay," said she; "no one has been here but our sweep and his apprentice. He
+is in there sweeping the chimney now." On hearing this, the Prime Minister
+and Chancellor at once ran into the farmhouse, and saw the old sweep
+standing by the kitchen fire-place. "And where is the other sweep?" cried
+they. "He is gone up the chimney, and is just going to begin sweeping,"
+said the old man. "So if you want to speak to him you must shout." So they
+shouted and called,
+
+"King Alderete, King Alderete!" as loud as ever they could, but he did not
+hear. Then the Chancellor knelt in front of the grate, and put his head up
+the chimney, and called,
+
+"King Alderete, King Alderete! It is the Prime Minister and I, the
+Chancellor, come to fetch your Majesty back to the palace."
+
+When Alderete heard him up the chimney, he trembled in every limb, but he
+replied,
+
+"I'm not going to come down; I don't want to be King. I am going to be a
+sweep, and I like that much better. I shan't come down till you are gone
+away, and now you had best go quickly, for I am going to begin sweeping,
+and all the soot will fall on your head," and then they heard the rattle of
+the broom in the chimney, and a whole shower of soot fell on the
+Chancellor's head.
+
+The Prime Minister and the Chancellor turned back to the city very
+disconsolately. "We must go and look for a King elsewhere," they said. "It
+is no use troubling about Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete." So they left
+the one to his geese, and one to his tins, and the other to sweep chimneys,
+and that was the end of the three clever Kings.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE WISE PRINCESS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once upon a time lived a King whose wife was dead and who had one little
+daughter who was named Fernanda. She was very good and pretty, but when she
+was a child she vexed all her ladies by asking them questions about
+everything she saw.
+
+"Your Highness should not wish to know too much," they told her, whereat
+Princess Fernanda threw up her little head, and said,
+
+"I want to know everything."
+
+As she grew up she had masters and mistresses to teach her, and learnt
+every language and every science; but still she said, "It is not enough; I
+want to know more."
+
+In a deep cave underground there lived an old Wizard who was so wise that
+his face was well-nigh black with wrinkles, and his long white beard flowed
+to his feet. He knew all sorts of magic, and every day and night sat poring
+over his books till now there seemed to be nothing left for him to learn.
+
+One night after every one was asleep, Princess Fernanda rose and slipped
+softly down the stairs and out of the palace unheard by any one, and stole
+away to the Wizard's cave.
+
+The old man was sitting on his low stool reading out of an immense book by
+a dim green light, but he raised his eyes as the Princess entered at the
+low doorway, and looked at her. She wore a blue and silver robe, but her
+bright hair was unbound, and fell in ripples to her waist.
+
+"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" he asked shortly.
+
+"I am the Princess Fernanda," she said, "and I wish to be your pupil. Teach
+me all you know."
+
+"Why do you wish for that?" said the Wizard: "you will not be better or
+happier for it."
+
+"I am not happy now," said the Princess sighing wearily. "Teach me and you
+shall find me an apt pupil, and I will pay you with gold."
+
+"I will not have your gold," said the Wizard, "but come to me every night
+at this hour, and in three years you shall know all I do."
+
+So every night the Princess went down to the Wizard's cave while all the
+court were sleeping. And the people wondered at her more and more, and
+said, "How much she knows! How wise she is!"
+
+When the three years had gone by the Wizard said to her, "Go! I can teach
+you no more now. You are as wise as I." Then the Princess thanked him and
+went back to her father's palace.
+
+She was very wise. She knew the languages of all animals. The fishes came
+from the deep at her call, and the birds from the trees. She could tell
+when the winds would rise, and when the sea would be still. She could have
+turned her enemies to stone, or given untold wealth to her friends. But
+for all that, when she smiled, her lips were very sad, and her eyes were
+always full of care. She said she was weary, and her father thought she was
+sick, and would have sent for the physicians, but she stopped him.
+
+"How should physicians help me, my father," she said, "seeing that I know
+more than they?"
+
+One night, a year after she had taken her last lesson from the Wizard, she
+arose and returned to his cave, and he raised his eyes and saw her standing
+before him as formerly.
+
+"What do you want?" he said. "I have taught you all I know."
+
+"You have taught me much," she said, falling on her knees beside him, "yet
+I am ignorant of one thing--teach me that also--_how to be happy_.'
+
+"Nay," said the Wizard with a very mournful smile; "I cannot teach you
+that, for I do not know it myself. Go and ask it of them who know and are
+wiser than I."
+
+[Illustration: "Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore."--P. 178.]
+
+Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the sea-shore. All
+that night she spent sitting on a rock that jutted out into the sea,
+watching the wild sky and the moon coming and going behind the clouds. The
+sea dashed up around her, and the wind blew, but she did not fear them, and
+when the sun rose the waters were still and the wind fell. A skylark rose
+from the fields and flew straight up to heaven, singing as though his heart
+would burst with pure joy.
+
+"Surely that bird is happy," said the Princess to herself; and she called
+it in its own tongue.
+
+"Why do you sing?" she asked.
+
+"I sing because I am so happy," answered the lark.
+
+"And why are you so happy?" asked the Princess.
+
+"So happy?" said the lark. "God is so good. The sky is so blue, and the
+fields are so green. Is that not enough to make me happy?"
+
+"Teach me, then, that I may be happy too," said Princess Fernanda.
+
+"I cannot," said the lark; "I don't know how to teach;" and then he rose,
+singing, into the blue overhead, and Princess Fernanda sighed and turned
+back towards the palace.
+
+Outside her door she met her little lap-dog, who barked and jumped for joy
+on seeing her.
+
+"Little dog," she said; "poor little dog, are you so glad to see me? Why
+are you so happy?"
+
+"Why am I so happy?" said the little dog, surprised. "I have plenty to eat,
+and a soft cushion to rest upon, and you to caress me. Is not it enough to
+make me happy?"
+
+"It is not enough for me," said the Princess, sighing; but the little dog
+only wagged his tail and licked her hand.
+
+Inside her room was the Princess's favourite little maid Doris, folding up
+her dresses.
+
+"Doris," she said, "you look very merry. Why are you so happy?"
+
+"Please your Royal Highness, I am going to the fair," answered Doris, "and
+Luke is to meet me there; only," she added, pouting a little, "I wish I had
+a pretty new hat to wear with my new dress."
+
+"Then you are not perfectly happy, so you cannot teach me," said Princess
+Fernanda, and then she sighed again.
+
+In the evening at sunset she arose, and went out into the village, and at
+the door of the first cottage to which she came, sat a woman nursing a
+baby, and hushing it to sleep. The baby was fat and rosy, and the mother
+looked down at it proudly.
+
+The Princess stopped, and spoke to her.
+
+"You have a fine little child there," she said. "Surely you must be very
+happy."
+
+The woman smiled.
+
+"Yes," she said, "so I am; only just now my goodman is out fishing, and as
+he's rather late, it makes me anxious."
+
+"Then you could not teach me," said the Princess, sighing to herself as she
+moved away. She wandered on till she came to a church, which she entered.
+All was still within, for the church was empty; but before the altar, on a
+splendid bier, lay the body of a young man, who had been killed in the war.
+He was dressed in his gay uniform, and his breast was covered with medals,
+and his sword lay beside him. He was shot through the heart, but his face
+was peaceful and his lips were smiling. The Princess walked to his side,
+and looked at the quiet face. Then she stooped and kissed the cold
+forehead, and envied the soldier. "If he could speak," she said, "he surely
+could teach me. No living mouth could ever smile like that." Then she
+looked up and saw a white angel standing on the other side of the bier, and
+she knew it was Death.
+
+"You have taught him," she said, holding out her arms. "Will you not teach
+me to smile like that?"
+
+"Nay," said Death, pointing to the medals on the dead man's breast, "I
+taught him whilst he was doing his duty. I cannot teach you." And so saying
+he vanished from her sight.
+
+She went out from the church down to the sea-shore. There was a high sea,
+and a great wind, a little child had been playing on a row of rocks, and
+had slipped off them into the water, and was struggling among the waves,
+and would soon be drowned, for he was beyond his depth in the water.
+
+When the Princess saw him, she plunged into the water and swam to where the
+child was, and taking him in her arms, placed him safely on the rocks
+again, but the waves were so strong that she could scarcely keep above
+them. As she tried to seize the rocks, she saw Death coming over the water
+towards her, and she turned to meet him gladly.
+
+"Now," said he, clasping her in his arms, "I will teach you all you want to
+know;" and he drew her under the water, and she died.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Kings servants found her lying on the shore, with her face white and
+her lips cold, but smiling as they had never smiled before, and her face
+was very calm. They carried her home, and she was laid out in great state,
+covered with gold and silver.
+
+"She was so wise," sobbed her little maid, as she placed flowers in the
+cold hand, "she knew everything."
+
+"Not everything," said the skylark from the window; "for she asked me,
+ignorant though I am, to teach her how to be happy."
+
+"That was the one thing I could not teach her," said the old Wizard,
+looking at the dead Princess's face. "Yet I think now she must be wiser
+than I, and have learned that too. For see how she smiles."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, _Edinburgh_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde
+and Other Stories, by Mary De Morgan
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 38976-8.txt or 38976-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/9/7/38976/
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This file was produced from images generously made
+available by The Internet Archive.)
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/old/38976-8.zip b/old/38976-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb72c23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-8.zip
diff --git a/old/38976-h.zip b/old/38976-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f34443e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h.zip
diff --git a/old/38976-h/38976-h.htm b/old/38976-h/38976-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b1a596
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/38976-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,4255 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Necklace Of Princess Fiorimonde, by Mary De Morgan.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+    hr { width: 33%;
+	 margin-top: 2em;
+	 margin-bottom: 2em;
+         margin-left: auto;
+         margin-right: auto;
+         clear: both;
+       }
+
+    table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
+
+    body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+        }
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .tocnum  {position: absolute; top: auto; right: 10%;}
+    .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;}
+
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+    .caption  {font-weight: bold;}
+
+img.cap { float:left;
+        margin: 0 0.5em 0 0;
+        position:relative; }
+p.cap_1 { text-indent: -2em; }
+p.cap_2 { text-indent: -1.2em; }
+p.cap_3 { text-indent: -0.9em; }
+div.drop p { margin-bottom:0; }
+
+    .figcenter   {margin: auto; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figleft     {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top:
+                 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figright    {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;
+                 margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+
+    .poem             {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem span.i0     {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i2     {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and
+Other Stories, by Mary De Morgan
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and Other Stories
+
+Author: Mary De Morgan
+
+Illustrator: Walter Crane
+
+Release Date: February 25, 2012 [EBook #38976]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This file was produced from images generously made
+available by The Internet Archive.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 470px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="470" height="650" alt="Cover" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h1>THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE</h1>
+
+<h2>AND OTHER STORIES</h2>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><a name="front" id="front"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 446px;">
+<img src="images/frontis.jpg" width="446" height="650" alt="&quot;She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.&quot;&mdash;Frontispiece." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.&quot;&mdash;Frontispiece.</span>
+</div>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 481px;">
+<img src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="481" height="650" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h1>THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE;</h1>
+
+<h2>AND OTHER STORIES</h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>MARY DE MORGAN</h2>
+
+<h4>[<i>Author of "On a Pincushion"</i>]</h4>
+
+<h4>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY</h4>
+
+<h3>WALTER CRANE</h3>
+
+<p class="center">
+LONDON:<br />
+MACMILLAN &amp; CO:<br />
+1886<br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="center">
+TO<br />
+<br />
+MY SIX LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES<br />
+<br />
+THESE STORIES ARE AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED<br />
+<br />
+BY<br />
+<br />
+THEIR LOVING AUNT<br />
+<br />
+MARY DE MORGAN<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+<span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Wanderings of Arasmon</span>              <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_43'>43</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Heart of Princess Joan</span>             <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_79'>79</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Pedlar's Pack</span>                     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Bread of Discontent</span>               <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Three Clever Kings</span>                <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Wise Princess</span>                     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+1. <i><a href="#front">Frontispiece</a>.</i><br />
+<span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+<br />
+2. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial Letter, "Princess Fiorimonde"</span>       <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></span><br />
+<br />
+3. <span class="smcap">The Princess and her Looking-Glass</span>       <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_28'>29</a></span><br />
+<br />
+4. <span class="smcap">Gervaise with the Necklace</span>                             <span class="tocnum">"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#Page_39'>39</a></span><br />
+<br />
+5. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                               <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_42'>42</a></span><br />
+<br />
+6. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial Letter, "The Wanderings of Arasmon"</span> <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_43'>43</a></span><br />
+<br />
+7. <span class="smcap">Arasmon and Chrysea playing to the Villagers</span>  <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_44'>44</a></span><br />
+<br />
+8. <span class="smcap">Arasmon playing before the King</span>                    <span class="tocnum">"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#Page_66'>66</a></span><br />
+<br />
+9. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                                   <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_78'>78</a></span><br />
+<br />
+10. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Heart of Princess Joan"</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_79'>79</a></span><br />
+<br />
+11. <span class="smcap">The Prince and the Wizard</span>      <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_86'>87</a></span><br />
+<br />
+12. <span class="smcap">The Prison Window</span>                   <span class="tocnum">"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#Page_128'>128</a></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span>13. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                              <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_130'>130</a></span><br />
+<br />
+14. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial Letter, "The Pedlar's Pack"</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></span><br />
+<br />
+15. <span class="smcap">The Pedlar and the Donkey</span>       <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_131'>130</a></span><br />
+<br />
+16. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_139'>139</a></span><br />
+<br />
+17. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Bread of Discontent"</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></span><br />
+<br />
+18. <span class="smcap">The Imp and the Baker</span>               <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_140'>141</a></span><br />
+<br />
+19. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_156'>156</a></span><br />
+<br />
+20. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Three Clever Kings"</span>       <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></span><br />
+<br />
+21. <span class="smcap">The Three Clever Kings</span>           <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></span><br />
+<br />
+22. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_174'>174</a></span><br />
+<br />
+23. <span class="smcap">Heading and Initial, "The Wise Princess"</span>            <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></span><br />
+<br />
+24. <span class="smcap">The Wise Princess on the Sea-shore</span>   <span class="tocnum"><i>To face</i> <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></span><br />
+<br />
+25. <span class="smcap">Tailpiece</span>                                           <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_184'>184</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/tree.jpg" width="200" height="233" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i014.jpg" width="600" height="204" alt="THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o1.jpg" width="125" height="129" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">
+Once there lived a King, whose wife was dead, but who had a most beautiful
+daughter&mdash;so beautiful that every one thought she must be good as well,
+instead of which the Princess was really very wicked, and practised
+witchcraft and black magic, which she had learned from an old witch who
+lived in a hut on the side of a lonely mountain. This old witch was wicked
+and hideous, and no one but the King's daughter knew that she lived there;
+but at night, when every one else was asleep, the Princess, whose name was
+Fiorimonde, used to visit her by stealth to learn sorcery.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> It was only the
+witch's arts which had made Fiorimonde so beautiful that there was no one
+like her in the world, and in return the Princess helped her with all her
+tricks, and never told any one she was there.</p></div>
+
+<p>The time came when the King began to think he should like his daughter to
+marry, so he summoned his council and said, "We have no son to reign after
+our death, so we had best seek for a suitable prince to marry to our royal
+daughter, and then, when we are too old, he shall be king in our stead."
+And all the council said he was very wise, and it would be well for the
+Princess to marry. So heralds were sent to all the neighbouring kings and
+princes to say that the King would choose a husband for the Princess, who
+should be king after him. But when Fiorimonde heard this she wept with
+rage, for she knew quite well that if she had a husband he would find out
+how she went to visit the old witch, and would stop her practising magic,
+and then she would lose her beauty.</p>
+
+<p>When night came, and every one in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> palace was fast asleep, the Princess
+went to her bedroom window and softly opened it. Then she took from her
+pocket a handful of peas and held them out of the window and chirruped low,
+and there flew down from the roof a small brown bird and sat upon her wrist
+and began to eat the peas. No sooner had it swallowed them than it began to
+grow and grow and grow till it was so big that the Princess could not hold
+it, but let it stand on the window-sill, and still it grew and grew and
+grew till it was as large as an ostrich. Then the Princess climbed out of
+the window and seated herself on the bird's back, and at once it flew
+straight away over the tops of the trees till it came to the mountain where
+the old witch dwelt, and stopped in front of the door of her hut.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess jumped off, and muttered some words through the keyhole, when
+a croaking voice from within called,</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you come to-night? Have I not told you I wished to be left alone
+for thirteen nights; why do you disturb me?"</p>
+
+<p>"But I beg of you to let me in," said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> Princess, "for I am in trouble
+and want your help."</p>
+
+<p>"Come in then," said the voice; and the door flew open, and the Princess
+trod into the hut, in the middle of which, wrapped in a gray cloak which
+almost hid her, sat the witch. Princess Fiorimonde sat down near her, and
+told her, her story. How the King wished her to marry, and had sent word to
+the neighbouring princes, that they might make offers for her.</p>
+
+<p>"This is truly bad hearing," croaked the witch, "but we shall beat them
+yet; and you must deal with each Prince as he comes. Would you like them to
+become dogs, to come at your call, or birds, to fly in the air, and sing of
+your beauty, or will you make them all into beads, the beads of such a
+necklace as never woman wore before, so that they may rest upon your neck,
+and you may take them with you always."</p>
+
+<p>"The necklace! the necklace!" cried the Princess, clapping her hands with
+joy. "That will be best of all, to sling them upon a string<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> and wear them
+around my throat. Little will the courtiers know whence come my new
+jewels."</p>
+
+<p>"But this is a dangerous play," quoth the witch, "for, unless you are very
+careful, you yourself may become a bead and hang upon the string with the
+others, and there you will remain till some one cuts the string, and draws
+you off."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, never fear," said the Princess, "I will be careful, only tell me what
+to do, and I will have great princes and kings to adorn me, and all their
+greatness shall not help them."</p>
+
+<p>Then the witch dipped her hand into a black bag which stood on the ground
+beside her, and drew out a long gold thread.</p>
+
+<p>The ends were joined together, but no one could see the joins, and however
+much you pulled, it would not break. It would easily go over Fiorimonde's
+head, and the witch slipped it on her neck saying,</p>
+
+<p>"Now mind, while this hangs here you are safe enough, but if once you join
+your fingers around the string you too will meet the fate of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> your lovers,
+and hang upon it yourself. As for the kings and princes who would marry
+you, all you have to do is to make them close their fingers around the
+chain, and at once they will be strung upon it as bright hard beads, and
+there they shall remain, till it is cut and they drop off."</p>
+
+<p>"This is really delightful," cried the Princess; "and I am already quite
+impatient for the first to come that I may try."</p>
+
+<p>"And now," said the witch, "since you are here, and there is yet time, we
+will have a dance, and I will summon the guests." So saying, she took from
+a corner a drum and a pair of drum-sticks, and going to the door, began to
+beat upon it. It made a terrible rattling. In a moment came flying through
+the air all sorts of forms. There were little dark elves with long tails,
+and goblins who chattered and laughed, and other witches who rode on
+broom-sticks. There was one wicked fairy in the form of a large cat, with
+bright green eyes, and another came sliding in like a long shining viper.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then, when all had arrived, the witch stopped drumming, and, going to the
+middle of the hut, stamped on the floor, and a trap-door opened in the
+ground. The old witch stepped through it, and led the way down a narrow
+dark passage, to a large underground chamber, and all her strange guests
+followed, and here they all danced and made merry in a terrible way, but at
+first sound of cock-crow all the guests disappeared with a whiff, and the
+Princess hastened up the dark passage again, and out of the hut to where
+her big bird still waited for her, and mounting its back she flew home in a
+trice. Then, when she had stepped in at her bedroom window, she poured into
+a cup from a small black bottle, a few drops of magic water, and gave it to
+the bird to drink, and as it sipped it grew smaller, and smaller, till at
+last it had quite regained its natural size, and hopped on to the roof as
+before, and the Princess shut her window, and got into bed, and fell
+asleep, and no one knew of her strange journey, or where she had been.</p>
+
+<p>Next day Fiorimonde declared to her father<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> the King, that she was quite
+willing to wed any prince he should fix upon as a husband for her, at which
+he was much pleased, and soon after informed her, that a young king was
+coming from over the sea to be her husband. He was king of a large rich
+country, and would take back his bride with him to his home. He was called
+King Pierrot. Great preparations were made for his arrival, and the
+Princess was decked in her finest array to greet him, and when he came all
+the courtiers said, "This is truly a proper husband for our beautiful
+Princess," for he was strong and handsome, with black hair, and eyes like
+sloes. King Pierrot was delighted with Fiorimonde's beauty, and was happy
+as the day is long; and all things went merrily till the evening before the
+marriage. A great feast was held, at which the Princess looked lovelier
+than ever dressed in a red gown, the colour of the inside of a rose, but
+she wore no jewels nor ornaments of any kind, save one shining gold string
+round her milk-white throat.</p>
+
+<p>When the feast was done, the Princess stepped from her golden chair at her
+father's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> side, and walked softly into the garden, and stood under an
+elm-tree looking at the shining moon. In a few moments King Pierrot
+followed her, and stood beside her, looking at her and wondering at her
+beauty.</p>
+
+<p>"To-morrow, then, my sweet Princess, you will be my Queen, and share all I
+possess. What gift would you wish me to give you on our wedding day?"</p>
+
+<p>"I would have a necklace wrought of the finest gold and jewels to be found,
+and just the length of this gold cord which I wear around my throat,"
+answered Princess Fiorimonde.</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you wear that cord?" asked King Pierrot; "it has no jewel nor
+ornament about it."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, but there is no cord like mine in all the world," cried Fiorimonde,
+and her eyes sparkled wickedly as she spoke; "it is as light as a feather,
+but stronger than an iron chain. Take it in both hands and try to break it,
+that you may see how strong it is;" and King Pierrot took the cord in both
+hands to pull it hard; but no sooner were his fingers closed around it than
+he vanished like a puff of smoke,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> and on the cord appeared a bright,
+beautiful bead&mdash;so bright and beautiful as was never bead before&mdash;clear as
+crystal, but shining with all colours&mdash;green, blue, and gold.</p>
+
+<p>Princess Fiorimonde gazed down at it and laughed aloud.</p>
+
+<p>"Aha, my proud lover! are you there?" she cried with glee; "my necklace
+bids fair to beat all others in the world," and she caressed the bead with
+the tips of her soft, white fingers, but was careful that they did not
+close round the string. Then she returned into the banqueting hall, and
+spoke to the King.</p>
+
+<p>"Pray, sire," said she, "send some one at once to find King Pierrot, for,
+as he was talking to me a minute ago, he suddenly left me, and I am afraid
+lest I may have given him offence, or perhaps he is ill."</p>
+
+<p>The King desired that the servants should seek for King Pierrot all over
+the grounds, and seek him they did, but nowhere was he to be found, and the
+old King looked offended.</p>
+
+<p>"Doubtless he will be ready to-morrow in time for the wedding," quoth he,
+"but we are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> not best pleased that he should treat us in this way."</p>
+
+<p>Princess Fiorimonde had a little maid called Yolande. She was a
+bright-faced girl with merry brown eyes, but she was not beautiful like
+Fiorimonde, and she did not love her mistress, for she was afraid of her,
+and suspected her of her wicked ways. When she undressed her that night she
+noticed the gold cord, and the one bright bead upon it, and as she combed
+the Princess's hair she looked over her shoulder into the looking-glass,
+and saw how she laughed, and how fondly she looked at the cord, and
+caressed the bead, again and again with her fingers.</p>
+
+<p>"That is a wonderful bead on your Highness's cord," said Yolande, looking
+at its reflection in the mirror; "surely it must be a bridal gift from King
+Pierrot."</p>
+
+<p>"And so it is, little Yolande," cried Fiorimonde, laughing merrily; "and
+the best gift he could give me. But I think one bead alone looks ugly and
+ungainly; soon I hope I shall<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> have another, and another, and another, all
+as beautiful as the first."</p>
+
+<p>Then Yolande shook her head, and said to herself, "This bodes no good."</p>
+
+<p>Next morning all was prepared for the marriage, and the Princess was
+dressed in white satin and pearls with a long white lace veil over her, and
+a bridal wreath on her head, and she stood waiting among her grandly
+dressed ladies, who all said that such a beautiful bride had never been
+seen in the world before. But just as they were preparing to go down to the
+fine company in the hall, a messenger came in great haste summoning the
+Princess at once to her father the King, as he was much perplexed.</p>
+
+<p>"My daughter," cried he, as Fiorimonde in all her bridal array entered the
+room where he sat alone, "what can we do? King Pierrot is nowhere to be
+found; I fear lest he may have been seized by robbers and basely murdered
+for his rich clothes, or carried away to some mountain and left there to
+starve. My soldiers are gone far and wide to seek him&mdash;and we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> shall hear
+of him ere day is done&mdash;but where there is no bridegroom there can be no
+bridal."</p>
+
+<p>"Then let it be put off, my father," cried the Princess, "and to-morrow we
+shall know if it is for a wedding, or a funeral, we must dress;" and she
+pretended to weep, but even then could hardly keep from laughing.</p>
+
+<p>So the wedding guests went away, and the Princess laid aside her bridal
+dress, and all waited anxiously for news of King Pierrot; and no news came.
+So at last every one gave him up for dead, and mourned for him, and
+wondered how he had met his fate.</p>
+
+<p>Princess Fiorimonde put on a black gown, and begged to be allowed to live
+in seclusion for one month in which to grieve for King Pierrot; but when
+she was again alone in her bedroom she sat before her looking-glass and
+laughed till tears ran down her cheeks; and Yolande watched her, and
+trembled, when she heard her laughter. She noticed, too, that beneath her
+black gown, the Princess still wore her gold cord, and did not move it
+night or day.</p>
+
+<p>The month had barely passed away when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> the King came to his daughter, and
+announced that another suitor had presented himself, whom he should much
+like to be her husband. The Princess agreed quite obediently to all her
+father said; and it was arranged that the marriage should take place. This
+new prince was called Prince Hildebrandt. He came from a country far north,
+of which one day he would be king. He was tall, and fair, and strong, with
+flaxen hair and bright blue eyes. When Princess Fiorimonde saw his portrait
+she was much pleased, and said, "By all means let him come, and the sooner
+the better." So she put off her black clothes, and again great preparations
+were made for a wedding; and King Pierrot was quite forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Hildebrandt came, and with him many fine gentlemen, and they brought
+beautiful gifts for the bride. The evening of his arrival all went well,
+and again there was a grand feast, and Fiorimonde looked so beautiful that
+Prince Hildebrandt was delighted; and this time she did not leave her
+father's side, but sat by him all the evening.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Early next morning at sunrise, when every one was still sleeping, the
+Princess rose, and dressed herself in a plain white gown, and brushed all
+her hair over her shoulders, and crept quietly downstairs into the palace
+gardens; then she walked on till she came beneath the window of Prince
+Hildebrandt's room, and here she paused and began to sing a little song as
+sweet and joyous as a lark's. When Prince Hildebrandt heard it he got up
+and went to the window and looked out to see who sang, and when he saw
+Fiorimonde standing in the red sunrise-light, which made her hair look
+gold, and her face rosy, he made haste to dress himself and go down to meet
+her.</p>
+
+<p>"How, my Princess," cried he, as he stepped into the garden beside her.
+"This is indeed great happiness to meet you here so early. Tell me why do
+you come out at sunrise to sing by yourself?"</p>
+
+<p>"I come that I may see the colours of the sky&mdash;red, blue, and gold,"
+answered the Princess. "Look, there are no such colours to be seen
+anywhere, unless, indeed, it be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> in this bead which I wear here on my
+golden cord.</p>
+
+<p>"What is that bead, and where did it come from?" asked Hildebrandt.</p>
+
+<p>"It came from over the sea, where it shall never return again," answered
+the Princess. And again her eyes began to sparkle with eagerness, and she
+could scarcely conceal her mirth. "Lift the cord off my neck and look at it
+near, and tell me if you ever saw one like it."</p>
+
+<p>Hildebrandt put out his hands and took hold of the cord, but no sooner were
+his fingers closed around it than he vanished, and a new bright bead was
+slung next to the first one on Fiorimonde's chain, and this one was even
+more beautiful than the other.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess gave a long low laugh, quite terrible to hear.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, my sweet necklace," cried she, "how beautiful you are growing! I think
+I love you more than anything in the world besides." Then she went softly
+back to bed, without any one hearing her, and fell sound asleep, and slept<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>
+till Yolande came to tell her it was time for her to get up and dress for
+the wedding.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and only Yolande noticed that
+beneath her satin gown, she wore the golden cord, but now there were two
+beads upon it instead of one. Scarcely was she ready when the King burst
+into her room in a towering rage.</p>
+
+<p>"My daughter," cried he, "there is a plot against us. Lay aside your bridal
+attire and think no more of Prince Hildebrandt, for he too has disappeared,
+and is nowhere to be found."</p>
+
+<p>At this the Princess wept, and entreated that Hildebrandt should be sought
+for far and near, but she laughed to herself, and said, "Search where you
+will, yet you shall not find him;" and so again a great search was made,
+and when no trace of the Prince was found, all the palace was in an uproar.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess again put off her bride's dress and clad herself in black, and
+sat alone, and pretended to weep, but Yolande, who watched her, shook her
+head, and said, "More will come<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> and go before the wicked Princess has done
+her worst."</p>
+
+<p>A month passed, in which Fiorimonde pretended to mourn for Hildebrandt,
+then she went to the King and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Sire, I pray that you will not let people say that when any bridegroom
+comes to marry me, as soon as he has seen me he flies rather than be my
+husband. I beg that suitors may be summoned from far and near that I may
+not be left alone unwed."</p>
+
+<p>The King agreed, and envoys were sent all the world over to bid any who
+would come and be the husband of Princess Fiorimonde. And come they did,
+kings and princes from south and north, east and west,&mdash;King Adrian, Prince
+Sigbert, Prince Algar, and many more,&mdash;but though all went well till the
+wedding morning, when it was time to go to church, no bridegroom was to be
+found. The old King was sadly frightened, and would fain have given up all
+hope of finding a husband for the Princess, but now she implored him, with
+tears in her eyes, not to let her be disgraced in this way.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> And so suitor
+after suitor continued to come, and now it was known, far and wide, that
+whoever came to ask for the hand of Princess Fiorimonde vanished, and was
+seen no more of men. The courtiers were afraid and whispered under their
+breath, "It is not all right, it cannot be;" but only Yolande noticed how
+the beads came upon the golden thread, till it was well-nigh covered, yet
+there always was room for one bead more.</p>
+
+<p>So the years passed, and every year Princess Fiorimonde grew lovelier and
+lovelier, so that no one who saw her could guess how wicked she was.</p>
+
+<p>In a far off country lived a young prince whose name was Florestan. He had
+a dear friend named Gervaise, whom he loved better than any one in the
+world. Gervaise was tall, and broad, and stout of limb, and he loved Prince
+Florestan so well, that he would gladly have died to serve him.</p>
+
+<p>It chanced that Prince Florestan saw a portrait of Princess Fiorimonde, and
+at once swore he would go to her father's court, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> beg that he might
+have her for his wife, and Gervaise in vain tried to dissuade him.</p>
+
+<p>"There is an evil fate about the Princess Fiorimonde," quoth he; "many have
+gone to marry her, but where are they now?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know or care," answered Florestan, "but this is sure, that I will
+wed her and return here, and bring my bride with me."</p>
+
+<p>So he set out for Fiorimonde's home, and Gervaise went with him with a
+heavy heart.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the court, the old King received them and welcomed them
+warmly, and he said to his courtiers, "Here is a fine young prince to whom
+we would gladly see our daughter wed. Let us hope that this time all will
+be well." But now Fiorimonde had grown so bold, that she scarcely tried to
+conceal her mirth.</p>
+
+<p>"I will gladly marry him to-morrow, if he comes to the church," she said;
+"but if he is not there, what can I do," and she laughed long and merrily,
+till those who heard her shuddered.</p>
+
+<p>When the Princess's ladies came to tell her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> that Prince Florestan was
+arrived, she was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a fountain,
+feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.</p>
+
+<p>"Bid him come to me," she said, "for I will not go any more in state to
+meet any suitors, neither will I put on grand attire for them. Let him come
+and find me as I am, since all find it so easy to come and go." So her
+ladies told the prince that Fiorimonde waited for him near the fountain.</p>
+
+<p>She did not rise when he came to where she lay, but his heart bounded with
+joy, for he had never in his life beheld such a beautiful woman.</p>
+
+<p>She wore a thin soft white dress, which clung to her lithe figure. Her
+beautiful arms and hands were bare, and she dabbled with them in the water,
+and played with the fish. Her great blue eyes were sparkling with mirth,
+and were so beautiful, that no one noticed the wicked look hid in them; and
+on her neck lay the marvellous many-coloured necklace, which was itself a
+wonder to behold.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You have my best greetings, Prince Florestan," she said. "And you, too,
+would be my suitor. Have you thought well of what you would do, since so
+many princes who have seen me have fled for ever, rather than marry me?"
+and as she spoke, she raised her white hand from the water, and held it out
+to the Prince, who stooped and kissed it, and scarcely knew how to answer
+her for bewilderment at her great loveliness.</p>
+
+<p>Gervaise followed his master at a short distance, but he was ill at ease,
+and trembled for fear of what should come.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, bid your friend leave us," said Fiorimonde, looking at Gervaise,
+"and sit beside me, and tell me of your home, and why you wish to marry me,
+and all pleasant things."</p>
+
+<p>Florestan begged that Gervaise would leave them for a little, and he walked
+slowly away, in a very mournful mood.</p>
+
+<p>He went on down the walks, not heeding where he was going, till he met
+Yolande, who stood beneath a tree laden with rosy apples, picking the
+fruit, and throwing it into a basket<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> at her feet. He would have passed her
+in silence, but she stopped him, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Have you come with the new Prince? Do you love your master?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ay, better than any one else on the earth," answered Gervaise. "Why do you
+ask?"</p>
+
+<p>"And where is he now," said Yolande, not heeding Gervaise's question.</p>
+
+<p>"He sits by the fountain with the beautiful Princess," said Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, I hope you have said good-bye to him well, for be assured you shall
+never see him again," said Yolande nodding her head.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not, and who are you to talk like this?" asked Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Yolande," answered she, "and I am Princess Fiorimonde's maid.
+Do you not know that Prince Florestan is the eleventh lover who has come to
+marry her, and one by one they have disappeared, and only I know where they
+are gone."</p>
+
+<p>"And where are they gone?" cried Gervaise, "and why do you not tell the
+world, and prevent good men being lost like this?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Because I fear my mistress," said Yolande, speaking low and drawing near
+to him; "she is a sorceress, and she wears the brave kings and princes who
+come to woo her, strung upon a cord round her neck. Each one forms the bead
+of a necklace which she wears, both day and night. I have watched that
+necklace growing; first it was only an empty gold thread; then came King
+Pierrot, and when he disappeared the first bead appeared upon it. Then came
+Hildebrandt, and two beads were on the string instead of one; then followed
+Adrian, Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Baldwyn, and
+Leofric, and Raoul, and all are gone, and ten beads hang upon the string,
+and to-night there will be eleven, and the eleventh will be your Prince
+Florestan."</p>
+
+<p>"If this be so," cried Gervaise, "I will never rest till I have plunged my
+sword into Fiorimonde's heart;" but Yolande shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>"She is a sorceress," she said, "and it might be hard to kill her; besides,
+that might not break the spell, and bring back the princes to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> life. I wish
+I could show you the necklace, and you might count the beads, and see if I
+do not speak truth, but it is always about her neck, both night and day, so
+it is impossible."</p>
+
+<p>"Take me to her room to-night when she is asleep, and let me see it there,"
+said Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, we will try," said Yolande; "but you must be very still, and
+make no noise, for if she wakes, remember it will be worse for us both."</p>
+
+<p>When night came and all in the palace were fast asleep, Gervaise and
+Yolande met in the great hall, and Yolande told him that the Princess
+slumbered soundly.</p>
+
+<p>"So now let us go," said she, "and I will show you the necklace on which
+Fiorimonde wears her lovers strung like beads, though how she transforms
+them I know not."</p>
+
+<p>"Stay one instant, Yolande," said Gervaise, holding her back, as she would
+have tripped upstairs. "Perhaps, try how I may, I shall be beaten, and
+either die or become a bead like those who have come before me. But if I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
+succeed and rid the land of your wicked Princess, what will you promise me
+for a reward?"</p>
+
+<p>"What would you have?" asked Yolande.</p>
+
+<p>"I would have you say you will be my wife, and come back with me to my own
+land," said Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"That I will promise gladly," said Yolande, kissing him, "but we must not
+speak or think of this till we have cut the cord from Fiorimonde's neck,
+and all her lovers are set free."</p>
+
+<p>So they went softly up to the Princess's room, Yolande holding a small
+lantern, which gave only a dim light. There, in her grand bed, lay Princess
+Fiorimonde. They could just see her by the lantern's light, and she looked
+so beautiful that Gervaise began to think Yolande spoke falsely, when she
+said she was so wicked.</p>
+
+<p>Her face was calm and sweet as a baby's; her hair fell in ruddy waves on
+the pillow; her rosy lips smiled, and little dimples showed in her cheeks;
+her white soft hands were folded amidst the scented lace and linen of which
+the bed was made. Gervaise almost forgot to look at the glittering beads
+hung round her throat,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> in wondering at her loveliness, but Yolande pulled
+him by the arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not look at her," she whispered softly, "since her beauty has cost dear
+already; look rather at what remains of those who thought her as fair as
+you do now; see here," and she pointed with her finger to each bead in
+turn.</p>
+
+<p>"This was Pierrot, and this Hildebrandt, and these are Adrian, and Sigbert,
+and Algar, and Cenred, and that is Pharamond, and that Raoul, and last of
+all here is your own master Prince Florestan. Seek him now where you will
+and you will not find him, and you shall never see him again till the cord
+is cut and the charm broken."</p>
+
+<p>"Of what is the cord made?" whispered Gervaise.</p>
+
+<p>"It is of the finest gold," she answered. "Nay, do not you touch her lest
+she wake. I will show it to you." And Yolande put down the lantern and
+softly put out her hands to slip the beads aside, but as she did so, her
+fingers closed around the golden string, and directly she was gone. Another
+bead was added to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> necklace, and Gervaise was alone with the sleeping
+Princess. He gazed about him in sore amazement and fear. He dared not call
+lest Fiorimonde should wake.</p>
+
+<p>"Yolande," he whispered as loud as he dared, "Yolande where are you?" but
+no Yolande answered.</p>
+
+<p>Then he bent down over the Princess and gazed at the necklace. Another bead
+was strung upon it next to the one to which Yolande had pointed as Prince
+Florestan. Again he counted them. "Eleven before, now there are twelve. Oh
+hateful Princess! I know now where go the brave kings and princes who came
+to woo you, and where, too, is my Yolande," and as he looked at the last
+bead, tears filled his eyes. It was brighter and clearer than the others,
+and of a warm red hue, like the red dress Yolande had worn. The Princess
+turned and laughed in her sleep, and at the sound of her laughter Gervaise
+was filled with horror and loathing. He crept shuddering from the room, and
+all night long sat up alone, plotting how he might defeat Fiorimonde, and
+set Florestan and Yolande free.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 456px;">
+<img src="images/i043.jpg" width="456" height="650" alt="&quot;Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string.&quot;&mdash;P. 29." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string.&quot;&mdash;P. 29.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her necklace and counted
+its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead was added to the
+string.</p>
+
+<p>"Who can have come and grasped my chain unknown to me?" she said to
+herself, and she sat and pondered for a long time. At last she broke into
+weird laughter.</p>
+
+<p>"At any rate, whoever it was, is fitly punished," quoth she. "My brave
+necklace, you can take care of yourself, and if any one tries to steal you,
+they will get their reward, and add to my glory. In truth I may sleep in
+peace, and fear nothing."</p>
+
+<p>The day passed away and no one missed Yolande. Towards sunset the rain
+began to pour in torrents, and there was such a terrible thunderstorm that
+every one was frightened. The thunder roared, the lightning gleamed flash
+after flash, every moment it grew fiercer and fiercer. The sky was so dark
+that, save for the lightning's light, nothing could be seen, but Princess
+Fiorimonde loved the thunder and lightning.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>She sat in a room high up in one of the towers, clad in a black velvet
+dress, and she watched the lightning from the window, and laughed at each
+peal of thunder. In the midst of the storm a stranger, wrapped in a cloak,
+rode to the palace door, and the ladies ran to tell the Princess that a new
+prince had come to be her suitor. "And he will not tell his name," said
+they, "but says he hears that all are bidden to ask for the hand of
+Princess Fiorimonde, and he too would try his good fortune."</p>
+
+<p>"Let him come at once," cried the Princess. "Be he prince or knave what
+care I? If princes all fly from me it may be better to marry a peasant."</p>
+
+<p>So they led the new-comer up to the room where Fiorimonde sat. He was
+wrapped in a thick cloak, but he flung it aside as he came in, and showed
+how rich was his silken clothing underneath; and so well was he disguised,
+that Fiorimonde never saw that it was Gervaise, but looked at him, and
+thought she had never seen him before.</p>
+
+<p>"You are most welcome, stranger prince,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> who has come through such
+lightning and thunder to find me," said she. "Is it true, then, that you
+wish to be my suitor? What have you heard of me?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is quite true, Princess," said Gervaise. "And I have heard that you are
+the most beautiful woman in the world."</p>
+
+<p>"And is that true also?" asked the Princess. "Look at me now, and see."</p>
+
+<p>Gervaise looked at her and in his heart he said, "It is quite true, oh
+wicked Princess! There never was woman as beautiful as you, and never
+before did I hate a woman as I hate you now;" but aloud he said,</p>
+
+<p>"No, Princess, that is not true; you are very beautiful, but I have seen a
+woman who is fairer than you for all that your skin looks ivory against
+your velvet dress, and your hair is like gold."</p>
+
+<p>"A woman who is fairer than I?" cried Fiorimonde, and her breast began to
+heave and her eyes to sparkle with rage, for never before had she heard
+such a thing said. "Who are you who dares come and tell me of women more
+beautiful than I am?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I am a suitor who asks to be your husband, Princess," answered Gervaise,
+"but still I say I have seen a woman who was fairer than you."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is she&mdash;where is she?" cried Fiorimonde, who could scarcely contain
+her anger. "Bring her here at once that I may see if you speak the truth."</p>
+
+<p>"What will you give me to bring her to you?" said Gervaise. "Give me that
+necklace you wear on your neck, and then I will summon her in an instant;"
+but Fiorimonde shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>"You have asked," said she, "for the only thing from which I cannot part,"
+and then she bade her maids bring her her jewel-casket, and she drew out
+diamonds, and rubies, and pearls, and offered them, all or any, to
+Gervaise. The lightning shone on them and made them shine and flash, but he
+shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, none of these will do," quoth he. "You can see her for the necklace,
+but for nothing else."</p>
+
+<p>"Take it off for yourself then," cried Fiorimonde,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> who now was so angry
+that she only wished to be rid of Gervaise in any way.</p>
+
+<p>"No, indeed," said Gervaise, "I am no tire-woman, and should not know how
+to clasp and unclasp it;" and in spite of all Fiorimonde could say or do,
+he would not touch either her or the magic chain.</p>
+
+<p>At night the storm grew even fiercer, but it did not trouble the Princess.
+She waited till all were asleep, and then she opened her bedroom window and
+chirruped softly to the little brown bird, who flew down from the roof at
+her call. Then she gave him a handful of seeds as before, and he grew and
+grew and grew till he was as large as an ostrich, and she sat upon his back
+and flew out through the air, laughing at the lightning and thunder which
+flashed and roared around her. Away they flew till they came to the old
+witch's cave, and here they found the witch sitting at her open door
+catching the lightning to make charms with.</p>
+
+<p>"Welcome, my dear," croaked she, as Fiorimonde stepped from the bird; "here
+is a night we both love well. And how goes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> the necklace?&mdash;right merrily I
+see. Twelve beads already&mdash;but what is that twelfth?" and she looked at it
+closely.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, that is one thing I want you to tell me," said Fiorimonde, drying the
+rain from her golden hair. "Last night when I slept there were eleven, and
+this morning there are twelve; and I know not from whence comes the
+twelfth."</p>
+
+<p>"It is no suitor," said the witch, "but from some young maid, that that
+bead is made. But why should you mind? It looks well with the others."</p>
+
+<p>"Some young maid," said the Princess. "Then, it must be Cicely or Marybel,
+or Yolande, who would have robbed me of my necklace as I slept. But what
+care I? The silly wench is punished now, and so may all others be, who
+would do the same."</p>
+
+<p>"And when will you get the thirteenth bead, and where will he come from?"
+asked the witch.</p>
+
+<p>"He waits at the palace now," said Fiorimonde, chuckling. "And this is why
+I have to speak to you;" and then she told the witch of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> the stranger who
+had come in the storm, and of how he would not touch her necklace, nor take
+the cord in his hand, and how he said also that he knew a woman fairer than
+she.</p>
+
+<p>"Beware, Princess, beware," cried the witch in a warning voice, as she
+listened. "Why should you heed tales of other women fairer than you? Have I
+not made you the most beautiful woman in the world, and can any others do
+more than I? Give no ear to what this stranger says or you shall rue it."
+But still the Princess murmured, and said she did not love to hear any one
+speak of others as beautiful as she.</p>
+
+<p>"Be warned in time," cried the witch, "or you will have cause to repent it.
+Are you so silly or so vain as to be troubled because a Prince says idly
+what you know is not true? I tell you do not listen to him, but let him be
+slung to your chain as soon as may be, and then he will speak no more." And
+then they talked together of how Fiorimonde could make Gervaise grasp the
+fatal string.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning when the sun rose, Gervaise<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> started off into the woods, and
+there he plucked acorns and haws, and hips, and strung them on to a string
+to form a rude necklace. This he hid in his bosom, and then went back to
+the palace without telling any one.</p>
+
+<p>When the Princess rose, she dressed herself as beautifully as she could,
+and braided her golden locks with great care, for this morning she meant
+her new suitor to meet his fate. After breakfast, she stepped into the
+garden, where the sun shone brightly, and all looked fresh after the storm.
+Here from the grass she picked up a golden ball, and began to play with it.</p>
+
+<p>"Go to our new guest," cried she to her ladies, "and ask him to come here
+and play at ball with me." So they went, and soon they returned bringing
+Gervaise with them.</p>
+
+<p>"Good morrow, prince," cried she. "Pray, come and try your skill at this
+game with me; and you," she said to her ladies, "do not wait to watch our
+play, but each go your way, and do what pleases you best." So they all went
+away, and left her alone with Gervaise.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, prince," cried she as they began to play, "what do you think of me
+by morning light? Yesterday when you came it was so dark, with thunder and
+clouds, that you could scarcely see my face, but now that there is bright
+sunshine, pray look well at me, and see if you do not think me as beautiful
+as any woman on earth," and she smiled at Gervaise, and looked so lovely as
+she spoke, that he scarce knew how to answer her; but he remembered
+Yolande, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Doubtless you are very beautiful; then why should you mind my telling you
+that I have seen a woman lovelier than you?"</p>
+
+<p>At this the Princess again began to be angry, but she thought of the
+witch's words and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if you think there is a woman fairer than I, look at my beads, and
+now, that you see their colours in the sun, say if you ever saw such jewels
+before."</p>
+
+<p>"It is true I have never seen beads like yours, but I have a necklace here,
+which pleases me better;" and from his pocket he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> drew the haws and acorns,
+which he had strung together.</p>
+
+<p>"What is that necklace, and where did you get it? Show it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde; but Gervaise held it out of her reach, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I like my necklace better than yours, Princess; and, believe me, there is
+no necklace like mine in all the world."</p>
+
+<p>"Why; is it a fairy necklace? What does it do? Pray give it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde, trembling with anger and curiosity, for she thought, "Perhaps
+it has power to make the wearer beautiful; perhaps it was worn by the woman
+whom he thought more beautiful than I, and that is why she looked so fair."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, I will make a fair exchange," said Gervaise. "Give me your necklace
+and you shall have mine, and when it is round your throat I will truthfully
+say that you are the fairest woman in the world; but first I must have your
+necklace."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 459px;">
+<img src="images/i055.jpg" width="459" height="650" alt="&quot;Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber.&quot;&mdash;P. 39." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber.&quot;&mdash;P. 39.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Take it, then," cried the Princess, who, in her rage and eagerness, forgot
+all else, and she seized the string of beads to lift it from her neck, but
+no sooner had she taken it in her hands than they fell with a rattle to the
+earth, and Fiorimonde herself was nowhere to be seen. Gervaise bent down
+over the necklace as it lay upon the grass, and, with a smile, counted
+thirteen beads; and he knew that the thirteenth was the wicked Princess,
+who had herself met the evil fate she had prepared for so many others.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, clever Princess!" cried he, laughing aloud, "you are not so very
+clever, I think, to be so easily outwitted." Then he picked up the necklace
+on the point of the sword and carried it, slung thereon, into the council
+chamber, where sat the King surrounded by statesmen and courtiers busy with
+state affairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Pray, King," said Gervaise, "send some one to seek for Princess
+Fiorimonde. A moment ago she played with me at ball in the garden, and now
+she is nowhere to be seen."</p>
+
+<p>The King desired that servants should seek her Royal Highness; but they
+came back saying she was not to be found.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Then let me see if I cannot bring her to you; but first let those who have
+been longer lost than she, come and tell their own tale." And, so saying,
+Gervaise let the necklace slip from his sword on to the floor, and taking
+from his breast a sharp dagger, proceeded to cut the golden thread on which
+the beads were strung and as he clave it in two there came a mighty noise
+like a clap of thunder.</p>
+
+<p>"Now;" cried he, "look, and see King Pierrot who was lost," and as he spoke
+he drew from the cord a bead, and King Pierrot, in his royal clothes, with
+his sword at his side, stood before them.</p>
+
+<p>"Treachery!" he cried, but ere he could say more Gervaise had drawn off
+another bead, and King Hildebrandt appeared, and after him came Adrian, and
+Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Raoul, and last of the
+princes, Gervaise's own dear master Florestan, and they all denounced
+Princess Fiorimonde and her wickedness.</p>
+
+<p>"And now," cried Gervaise, "here is she who has helped to save you all,"
+and he drew<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> off the twelfth bead, and there stood Yolande in her red
+dress; and when he saw her Gervaise flung away his dagger and took her in
+his arms, and they wept for joy.</p>
+
+<p>The King and all the courtiers sat pale and trembling, unable to speak for
+fear and shame. At length the King said with a deep groan,</p>
+
+<p>"We owe you deep amends, O noble kings and princes! What punishment do you
+wish us to prepare for our most guilty daughter?" but here Gervaise stopped
+him, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Give her no other punishment than what she has chosen for herself. See,
+here she is, the thirteenth bead upon the string; let no one dare to draw
+it off, but let this string be hung up where all people can see it and see
+the one bead, and know the wicked Princess is punished for her sorcery, so
+it will be a warning to others who would do like her."</p>
+
+<p>So they lifted the golden thread with great care and hung it up outside the
+town-hall, and there the one bead glittered and gleamed in the sunlight,
+and all who saw it knew that it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> the wicked Princess Fiorimonde who had
+justly met her fate.</p>
+
+<p>Then all the kings and princes thanked Gervaise and Yolande, and loaded
+them with presents, and each went to his own land.</p>
+
+<p>And Gervaise married Yolande, and they went back with Prince Florestan to
+their home, and all lived happily to the end of their lives.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 167px;">
+<img src="images/i059.jpg" width="167" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i060.jpg" width="600" height="208" alt="THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/l1.jpg" width="125" height="124" alt="L" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_3">Long ago there lived a wandering musician and his wife, whose names were
+Arasmon and Chrysea. Arasmon played upon a lute to which Chrysea sang, and
+their music was so beautiful that people followed them in crowds and gave
+them as much money as they wanted. When Arasmon played all who heard him
+were silent from wonder and admiration, but when Chrysea sang they could
+not refrain from weeping, for her voice was more beautiful than anything
+they had ever heard before.</p></div>
+
+<p>Both were young and lovely, and were as happy as the day was long, for they
+loved each<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> other dearly, and liked wandering about seeing new countries
+and people and making sweet music. They went to all sorts of places,
+sometimes to big cities, sometimes to little villages, sometimes to lonely
+cottages by the sea-shore, and sometimes they strolled along the green
+lanes and fields, singing and playing so exquisitely, that the very birds
+flew down from the trees to listen to them.</p>
+
+<p>One day they crossed a dark line of hills, and came out on a wild moorland
+country, where they had never been before. On the side of the hill they saw
+a little village, and at once turned towards it, but as they drew near
+Chrysea said,</p>
+
+<p>"What gloomy place is this? See how dark and miserable it looks."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 481px;">
+<img src="images/i062.jpg" width="481" height="650" alt="&quot;One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen.&quot;&mdash;P. 44." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen.&quot;&mdash;P. 44.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Let us try to cheer it with some music," said Arasmon, and began to play
+upon his lute, while Chrysea sang. One by one the villagers came out of
+their cottages and gathered round them to listen, but Chrysea thought she
+had never before seen such forlorn-looking people. They were thin and bent,
+their faces were pale and haggard, also their clothes looked old and
+threadbare, and in some places were worn into holes. But they crowded about
+Arasmon and Chrysea, and begged them to go on playing and singing, and as
+they listened the women shed tears, and the men hid their faces and were
+silent. When they stopped, the people began to feel in their pockets as if
+to find some coins, but Arasmon cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, good friends, keep your money for yourselves. You have not too much
+of it, to judge by your looks. But let us stay with you for to-night, and
+give us food and lodging, and we shall think ourselves well paid, and will
+play and sing to you as much as you like."</p>
+
+<p>"Stay with us as long as you can, stay with us always," begged the people;
+and each one entreated to be allowed to receive the strangers and give them
+the best they had. So Arasmon and Chrysea played and sang to them till they
+were tired, and at last, when the heavy rain began to fall, they turned
+towards the village, but as they passed through its narrow streets they
+thought the place itself looked even sadder<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> than its inmates. The houses
+were ill-built, and seemed to be almost tumbling down. The streets were
+uneven and badly kept. In the gardens they saw no flowers, but dank dark
+weeds. They went into a cottage which the people pointed out to them, and
+Arasmon lay down by the fire, calling to Chrysea to rest also, as they had
+walked far, and she must be weary. He soon fell asleep, but Chrysea sat at
+the door watching the dark clouds as they drifted over the darker houses.
+Outside the cottage hung a blackbird in a cage, with drooping wings and
+scanty plumage. It was the only animal they had yet seen in the village,
+for of cats or dogs or singing-birds there seemed to be none.</p>
+
+<p>When she saw it, Chrysea turned to the woman of the house, who stood beside
+her, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't you let it go? It would be much happier flying about in the
+sunshine."</p>
+
+<p>"The sun never shines here," said the woman sadly. "It could not pierce
+through the dark clouds which hang over the village. Besides, we do not
+think of happiness. It is as much as we can do to live."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But tell me," said Chrysea, "what is it that makes you so sad and your
+village such a dreary place? I have been to many towns in my life, but to
+none which looked like this."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you know," said the woman, "that this place is spell-bound?"</p>
+
+<p>"Spell-bound?" cried Chrysea. "What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>The woman turned and pointed towards the moor. "Over yonder," she said,
+"dwells a terrible old wizard by whom we are bewitched, and he has a number
+of little dark elves who are his servants, and these are they who make our
+village what you see it. You don't know how sad it is to live here. The
+elves steal our eggs, and milk, and poultry, so that there is never enough
+for us to eat, and we are half-starved. They pull down our houses, and undo
+our work as fast as we do it. They steal our corn when it is standing in
+sheaves, so that we find nothing but empty husks;" and as she ceased
+speaking the woman sighed heavily.</p>
+
+<p>"But if they do all this harm," said Chrysea,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> "why do not some of you go
+to the moor and drive them away?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is part of the spell," said the woman, "that we can neither hear nor
+see them. I have heard my grandfather say that in the old time this place
+was no different to others, but one day this terrible old magician came and
+offered the villagers a great deal of money if they would let him dwell
+upon the moor; for before that it was covered with golden gorse and
+heather, and the country folk held all their merrymakings there, but they
+were tempted with the gold, and sold it, and from that day the elves have
+tormented us; and as we cannot see them, we cannot get rid of them, but
+must just bear them as best we may."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a sad way to speak," said Chrysea. "Cannot you find out what the
+spell really is and break it?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is a song," said the woman, "and every night they sing it afresh. It is
+said that if any one could go to the moor between midnight and dawn, and
+could hear them singing it, and then sing through the tune just as they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>
+themselves do, the charm would be broken, and we should be free. But it
+must be some one who has never taken their money, so we cannot do it, for
+we can neither see nor hear them."</p>
+
+<p>"But I have not taken their money," said Chrysea. "And there is no tune I
+cannot sing when I have heard it once. So I will go to the moor for you and
+break the spell."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, do not think of such a thing," cried the woman. "For the elves are
+most spiteful, and you don't know what harm they might do to you, even if
+you set us free."</p>
+
+<p>Chrysea said no more, but all the evening she thought of what the woman had
+told her, and still stood looking out into the dismal street. When she went
+to bed she did not sleep, but lay still till the clock struck one. Then she
+rose softly, and wrapping herself in a cloak, opened the door and stepped
+out into the rain. As she passed, she looked up and saw the blackbird
+crouching in the bottom of its cage. She opened the cage door to let it
+fly, but still it did not move, so she lifted it out in her hand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Poor bird!" said she gently; "I wish I could give this village its liberty
+as easily as I can give you yours," and carrying it with her she walked on
+towards the moor. It was a large waste piece of land, and looked as though
+it had been burnt, for the ground was charred and black, and there was no
+grass or green plant growing on it, but there were some blackened stumps of
+trees, and to these Chrysea went, and hid herself behind one to wait and
+see what would come. She watched for a long time without seeing any one,
+but at last there rose from the ground not far from her a lurid gleam,
+which spread and spread until it became a large circle of light, in the
+midst of which she saw small dark figures moving, like ugly little men. The
+light was now so bright that she could distinguish each one quite plainly,
+and never before had she seen anything so ugly, for they were black as ink,
+and their faces were twisted and looked cruel and wicked.</p>
+
+<p>They joined hands, and, forming a ring, danced slowly round, and, as they
+did so, the ground opened, and there rose up in their centre<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> a tiny
+village exactly like the spell-bound village, only that the houses were but
+a few inches high. Round this the elves danced, and then they began to
+sing. Chrysea listened eagerly to their singing, and no sooner had they
+done, than she opened her lips and sang the same tune through from
+beginning to end just as she had heard it.</p>
+
+<p>Her voice rang out loud and clear, and at the sound the little village
+crumbled and fell away as though it had been made of dust.</p>
+
+<p>The elves stood silent for a moment, and then with a wild cry they all
+rushed towards Chrysea, and at their head she saw one about three times the
+size of the others, who appeared to be their chief.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, quickly, let us punish the woman who has dared to thwart us," he
+cried. "What shall we change her to?"</p>
+
+<p>"A frog to croak on the ground," cried one.</p>
+
+<p>"No, an owl to hoot in the night," cried another.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, for pity's sake," implored Chrysea, "don't change me to one of these
+loathsome<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> creatures, so that, if Arasmon finds me, he will spurn me."</p>
+
+<p>"Hear her," cried the chief, "and let her have her will. Let us change her
+to no bird or beast, but to a bright golden harp, and thus shall she
+remain, until upon her strings some one shall play our tune, which she has
+dared to sing."</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed!" cried the others, and all began to dance round Chrysea and to
+sing as they had sung around the village. She shrieked and tried to run,
+but they stopped her on every side. She cried, "Arasmon! Arasmon!" but no
+one came, and when the elves' song was done, and they disappeared, all that
+was left was a little gold harp hanging upon the boughs of the tree, and
+only the blackbird who sat above knew what had come of poor Chrysea.</p>
+
+<p>When morning dawned, and the villagers awoke, all felt that some great
+change had taken place. The heavy cloud which hung above the village had
+cleared away; the sun shone brightly, and the sky was blue; streams which
+had been dry for years, were running clear and fresh: and the people all
+felt strong, and able to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> work again; the trees were beginning to bud, and
+in their branches sang birds, whose voices had not been heard there for
+many a long year. The villagers looked from one to another and said,
+"Surely the spell is broken; surely the elves must have fled;" and they
+wept for joy.</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon woke with the first beam of the sun, and finding Chrysea was not
+there, he rose, and went to seek her in the village, calling, "Chrysea,
+Chrysea! the sun is up and we must journey on our way;" but no Chrysea
+answered, so he walked down all the streets, calling "Chrysea! come,
+Chrysea!" but no Chrysea came. Then he said,</p>
+
+<p>"She has gone into the fields to look for wild flowers, and will soon be
+back." So he waited for her patiently, but the sun rose high, the villagers
+went to their work, and she did not return. At this Arasmon was frightened,
+and asked every one he met if they had seen her, but each one shook his
+head and said "No, they had seen nothing of her."</p>
+
+<p>Then he called some of the men together and told them that his wife had
+wandered away,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> and he feared lest she might lose herself and go still
+farther, and he asked them to help him to look for her. So some went one
+way, and some another, to search, and Arasmon himself walked for miles the
+whole country round, calling "Chrysea! Chrysea!" but no answer came.</p>
+
+<p>The sun was beginning to set and twilight to cover the land, when Arasmon
+came on to the moor where Chrysea had met her fate. That, too, was changed.
+Flowers and grass were already beginning to grow there, and the children of
+the village, who till now had never dared to venture near it, were playing
+about it. Arasmon could hear their voices as he came near the tree against
+which Chrysea had leaned, and on which now hung the golden harp. In the
+branches above sat the blackbird singing, and Arasmon stopped and listened
+to its song, and thought he had never heard a bird sing so sweetly before.
+For it sang the magic song by which Chrysea had broken the elves' spell,
+the first tune it had heard since it regained its liberty.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear blackbird," said Arasmon, looking up to it, "I wish your singing
+could tell me where to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> find my wife Chrysea;" and as he looked up he saw a
+golden harp hanging upon the branches, and he took it down and ran his
+fingers over the strings. Never before did harp give forth such music. It
+was like a woman's voice, and was most beautiful, but so sad that when
+Arasmon heard it he felt inclined to cry. It seemed to be calling for help,
+but he could not understand what it said, though each time he touched the
+strings it cried, "Arasmon, Arasmon, I am here! It is I, Chrysea;" but
+though Arasmon listened, and wondered at its tones, yet he did not know
+what it said.</p>
+
+<p>He examined it carefully. It was a beautiful little harp, made of pure
+gold, and at the top was a pair of golden hands and arms clasped together.</p>
+
+<p>"I will keep it," said Arasmon, "for I never yet heard a harp with such a
+tone, and when Chrysea comes she shall sing to it."</p>
+
+<p>But Chrysea was nowhere to be found, and at last the villagers declared she
+must be lost, or herself have gone away on purpose, and that it was vain to
+seek her farther. At this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> Arasmon was angry, and saying that he would seek
+Chrysea as long as he had life, he left the village to wander over the
+whole world till he should find her. He went on foot, and took with him the
+golden harp.</p>
+
+<p>He walked for many, many miles far away from the village and the moor, and
+when he came to any farmhouses, or met any country people on the road he
+began to play, and every one thronged round him and stared, in breathless
+surprise at his beautiful music. When he had done he would ask them, "Have
+you seen my wife Chrysea? She is dressed in white and gold, and sings more
+sweetly than any of the birds of heaven."</p>
+
+<p>But all shook their heads and said, "No, she had not been there;" and
+whenever he came to a strange village, where he had not been before, he
+called, "Chrysea, Chrysea, are you here?" but no Chrysea answered, only the
+harp in his hands cried whenever he touched its strings, "It is I, Arasmon!
+It is I, Chrysea!" but though he thought its notes like Chrysea's voice, he
+never understood them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He wandered for days and months and years through countries and villages
+which he had never known before. When night came and he found himself in
+the fields alone, he would lie down upon his cloak and sleep with his head
+resting upon the harp, and if by chance one of its golden threads was
+touched it would cry, "Arasmon, awake, I am here!" Then he would dream that
+Chrysea was calling him, and would wake and start up to look for her,
+thinking she must be close at hand.</p>
+
+<p>One day, towards night, when he had walked far, and was very tired, he came
+to a little village on a lonely, rocky coast by the sea, and he found that
+a thick mist had come up, and hung over the village, so that he could
+barely see the path before him as he walked. But he found his way down on
+to the beach, and there stood a number of fisherwomen, trying to look
+through the mist towards the sea, and speaking anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"What is wrong, and for whom are you watching, good folk?" he asked them.</p>
+
+<p>"We are watching for our husbands," answered one. "They went out in their
+boats<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> fishing in the early morning, when it was quite light, and then
+arose this dreadful fog, and they should have come back long ago, and we
+fear lest they may lose their way in the darkness and strike on a rock and
+be drowned."</p>
+
+<p>"I too, have lost my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Has she passed by here?
+She had long golden hair, and her gown was white and gold, and she sang
+with a voice like an angel's."</p>
+
+<p>The women all said, "No, they had not seen her;" but still they strained
+their eyes towards the sea, and Arasmon also began to watch for the return
+of the boats.</p>
+
+<p>They waited and waited, but they did not come, and every moment the
+darkness grew thicker and thicker, so that the women could not see each
+other's faces, though they stood quite near together.</p>
+
+<p>Then Arasmon took his harp and began to play, and its music floated over
+the water for miles through the darkness, but the women were weeping so for
+their husbands, that they did not heed it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is useless to watch," said one. "They cannot steer their boats in such
+a darkness. We shall never see them again."</p>
+
+<p>"I will wait all night till morning," said another, "and all day next day,
+and next night, till I see some sign of the boats, and know if they be
+living or dead," but as she stopped speaking, there rose a cry of "Here
+they are," and two or three fishing-boats were pushed on to the sand close
+by where they stood, and the women threw their arms round their husbands'
+necks, and all shouted for joy.</p>
+
+<p>The fishermen asked who it was who had played the harp; "For," they said,
+"it was that which saved us. We were far from land, and it was so dark that
+we could not tell whether to go to left or to right, and had no sign to
+guide us to shore; when of a sudden we heard the most beautiful music, and
+we followed the sound, and came in quite safely.</p>
+
+<p>"'Twas this good harper who played while we watched," said the women, and
+one and all turned to Arasmon, and told him with tears of their gratitude,
+and asked him what they could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> do for him, or what they could give him in
+token of their thankfulness; but Arasmon shook his head and said, "You can
+do nothing for me, unless you can tell me where to seek my wife Chrysea. It
+is to find her I am wandering;" and when the women shook their heads, and
+said again they knew nothing of her, the harp-strings as he touched them
+cried again,</p>
+
+<p>"Arasmon! Arasmon! listen to me. It is I, Chrysea;" but again no one
+understood it, and though all pitied him, no one could help him.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning when the mist had cleared away, and the sun was shining, a
+little ship set sail for foreign countries, and Arasmon begged the captain
+to take him in it that he might seek Chrysea still farther.</p>
+
+<p>They sailed and sailed, till at last they came to the country for which
+they were bound; but they found the whole land in confusion, and war and
+fighting everywhere, and all the people were leaving their homes and hiding
+themselves in the towns, for fear of a terrible enemy, who was invading
+them. But no one hurt Arasmon as he wandered on with his harp in his hand,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+only no one would stop to answer him, when he asked if Chrysea had been
+there, for every one was too frightened and hurried to heed him.</p>
+
+<p>At last he came to the chief city where the King dwelt, and here he found
+all the men building walls and fortresses, and preparing to defend the
+town, because they knew their enemy was coming to besiege it, but all the
+soldiers were gloomy and low-spirited.</p>
+
+<p>"It is impossible for us to conquer," they said, "for there are three of
+them to every one of us, and they will take our city and make our King
+prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>That night as the watchmen looked over the walls, they saw in the distance
+an immense army marching towards them, and their swords and helmets
+glittered in the moonlight.</p>
+
+<p>Then they gave the signal, and the captains gathered together their men to
+prepare them for fighting; but so sure were they of being beaten that it
+was with difficulty their officers could bring them to the walls.</p>
+
+<p>"It would be better," said the soldiers, "to lay down our arms at once and
+let the enemy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> enter, for then we should not lose our lives as well as our
+city and our wealth."</p>
+
+<p>When Arasmon heard this he sat upon the walls of the town, and began to
+play upon his harp, and this time its music was so loud and clear, that it
+could be heard far and wide, and its sound was so exultant and joyous, that
+when the soldiers heard it they raised their heads, and their fears
+vanished, and they started forward, shouting and calling that they would
+conquer or be killed.</p>
+
+<p>Then the enemy attacked the city, but the soldiers within met them with so
+much force that they were driven back, and had to fly, and the victorious
+army followed them and drove them quite out of their country, and Arasmon
+went with them, playing on his harp, to cheer them as they went.</p>
+
+<p>When they knew the victory was theirs, all the captains wondered what had
+caused their sudden success, and one of the lieutenants said, "It was that
+strange harper who went with us, playing on his harp. When our men heard
+it, they became as brave as lions." So the captains<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> sent for Arasmon, but
+when he came they were astonished to see how worn and thin he looked, and
+could scarcely believe it was he who had made such wonderful music, for his
+face had grown thin and pale, and there were gray locks in his hair.</p>
+
+<p>They asked him what he would like to have, saying they would give him
+whatever he would choose, for the great service he had done them.</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon only shook his head and said,</p>
+
+<p>"There is nothing I want that you can give me. I am seeking the whole world
+round to find my wife Chrysea. It is many many years since I lost her. We
+two were as happy as birds on the bough. We wandered over the world singing
+and playing in the sunshine. But now she is gone, and I care for nothing
+else." And the captains looked pityingly at him, for they all thought him
+mad, and could not understand what the harp said when he played on it
+again, and it cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Listen, Arasmon! I too am here&mdash;I, Chrysea."</p>
+
+<p>So Arasmon left that city, and started again, and wandered for days and
+months and years.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He came by many strange places, and met with many strange people, but he
+found no trace of Chrysea, and each day he looked older and sadder and
+thinner.</p>
+
+<p>At length he came to a country where the King loved nothing on earth so
+much as music. So fond of it was he, that he had musicians and singers by
+the score, always living in his palace, and there was no way of pleasing
+him so well as by sending a new musician or singer. So when Arasmon came
+into the country, and the people heard how marvellously he played, they
+said at once, "Let us take him to the King. The poor man is mad. Hear how
+he goes on asking for his wife; but, mad or not, his playing will delight
+the King. Let us take him at once to the palace." So, though Arasmon would
+have resisted them, they dragged him away to the court, and sent a
+messenger to the King, to say they had found a poor mad wandering harper,
+who played music the like of which they had never heard before.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen, and all the court, sat feasting when the messenger came
+in saying<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> that the people were bringing a new harper to play before his
+majesty.</p>
+
+<p>"A new harper!" quoth he. "That is good hearing. Let him be brought here to
+play to us at once."</p>
+
+<p>So Arasmon was led into the hall, and up to the golden thrones on which sat
+the King and Queen. A wonderful hall it was, made of gold and silver, and
+crystal and ivory, and the courtiers, dressed in blue and green and gold
+and diamonds, were a sight to see. Behind the throne were twelve young
+maids dressed in pure white, who sang most sweetly, and behind them were
+the musicians who accompanied them on every kind of instrument. Arasmon had
+never in his life seen such a splendid sight.</p>
+
+<p>"Come here," cried the King to him, "and let us hear you play." And the
+singers ceased singing, and the musicians smiled scornfully, for they could
+not believe Arasmon's music could equal theirs. For he looked to be in a
+most sorry plight. He had walked far, and the dust of the roads was on him.
+His clothes were worn threadbare, and stained and soiled,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> while his face
+was so thin and anxious and sad that it was pitiful to see; but his harp of
+pure shining gold was undulled, and untarnished. He began to play, and then
+all smiles ceased, and the women began to weep, and the men sat and stared
+at him in astonishment. When he had done the King started up, and throwing
+his arms about his neck, cried, "Stay with me. You shall be my chief
+musician. Never before have I heard playing like yours, and whatever you
+want I will give you." But when he heard this, Arasmon knelt on one knee
+and said,</p>
+
+<p>"My gracious lord, I cannot stay. I have lost my wife Chrysea. I must
+search all over the world till I find her. Ah! how beautiful she was, and
+how sweetly she sang; her singing was far sweeter than even the music of my
+harp."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" cried the King. "Then I too would fain hear her. But stay with
+me, and I will send messengers all over the world to seek her far and near,
+and they will find her much sooner than you."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 480px;">
+<img src="images/i086.jpg" width="480" height="650" alt="&quot;He began to play, and then all smiles ceased.&quot;&mdash;P. 66." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;He began to play, and then all smiles ceased.&quot;&mdash;P. 66.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So Arasmon stayed at the court, but he said that if Chrysea did not come
+soon he must go farther to seek her himself.</p>
+
+<p>The King gave orders that he should be clad in the costliest clothes and
+have all he could want given to him, and after this he would hear no music
+but Arasmon's playing, so all the other musicians were jealous, and wished
+he had never come to the palace. But the strangest thing was that no one
+but Arasmon could play upon his golden harp. All the King's harpers tried,
+and the King himself tried also, but when they touched the strings there
+came from them a strange, melancholy wailing, and no one but Arasmon could
+bring out its beautiful notes.</p>
+
+<p>But the courtiers and musicians grew more and more angry with Arasmon, till
+at last they hated him bitterly, and only wanted to do him some harm; for
+they said,</p>
+
+<p>"Who is he, that our King should love and honour him before us? After all,
+it is not his playing which is so beautiful; it is chiefly the harp on
+which he plays, and if that were taken from him he would be no better than
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> rest of us;" and then they began to consult together as to how they
+should steal his harp.</p>
+
+<p>One hot summer evening Arasmon went into the palace gardens, and sat down
+to rest beneath a large beech-tree, when a little way off he saw two
+courtiers talking together, and heard that they spoke of him, though they
+did not see him or know he was there.</p>
+
+<p>"The poor man is mad," said one; "of that there is little doubt, but, mad
+or not, as long as he plays on his harp the King will not listen to any one
+else."</p>
+
+<p>"The only way is to take the harp from him," said the other. "But it is
+hard to know how to get it away, for he will never let it go out of his
+hands."</p>
+
+<p>"We must take it from him when he is sleeping," said the first.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly," said the other; and then Arasmon heard them settle how and
+when they would go to his room at night to steal his harp.</p>
+
+<p>He sat still till they were gone, and then he rose, and grasping it
+tenderly, turned from the palace and walked away through the garden gates.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have lost Chrysea," he said, "and now they would take from me even my
+harp, the only thing I have to love in all this world, but I will go away,
+far off where they will never find me," and when he was out of sight, he
+ran with all his might, and never rested till he was far away on a lonely
+hill, with no one near to see him.</p>
+
+<p>The stars were beginning to shine though it was not yet dark. Arasmon sat
+on a stone and looked at the country far and near. He could hear the sheep
+bells tinkling around him, and far, far off in the distance he could see
+the city and the palace he had left.</p>
+
+<p>Then he began to play on his harp, and as he played the sheep stopped
+browsing and drew near him to listen.</p>
+
+<p>The stars grew brighter and the evening darker, and he saw a woman carrying
+a child coming up the hill.</p>
+
+<p>She looked pale and tired, but her face was very happy as she sat down not
+far from Arasmon and listened to his playing, whilst she looked eagerly
+across the hill as if she watched<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> for some one who was coming. Presently
+she turned and said, "How beautifully you play; I never heard music like it
+before, but what makes you look so sad? Are you unhappy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Arasmon, "I am very miserable. I lost my wife Chrysea many
+years ago, and now I don't know where she can be."</p>
+
+<p>"It is a year since I have seen my husband," said the woman. "He went to
+the war a year ago, but now there is peace and he is coming back, and
+to-night he will come over this hill. It was just here we parted, and now I
+am come to meet him."</p>
+
+<p>"How happy you must be," said Arasmon. "I shall never see Chrysea again,"
+and as he spoke he struck a chord on the harp, which cried, "O Arasmon, my
+husband! why do you not know me? It is I, Chrysea."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not say that," continued the woman; "you will find her some day. Why do
+you sit here? Was it here you parted from her?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Arasmon told her how they had gone to a strange desolate village and
+rested there for the night, and in the morning Chrysea was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> gone, and that
+he had wandered all over the world looking for her ever since.</p>
+
+<p>"I think you are foolish," said the woman; "perhaps your wife has been
+waiting for you at that village all this time. I would go back to the place
+where I parted from her if I were you, and wait there till she returns. How
+could I meet my husband if I did not come to the spot where we last were
+together? We might both wander on for ever and never find each other; and
+now, see, here he is coming," and she gave a cry of joy and ran to meet a
+soldier who was walking up the hill.</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon watched them as they met and kissed, and saw the father lift the
+child in his arms, then the three walked over the hill together, and when
+they were gone he sat down and wept bitterly. "What was it she said?" he
+said. "That I ought to go back to the spot where we parted. She will not be
+there, but I will go and die at the place where I last saw her." So again
+he grasped his harp and started. He travelled many days and weeks by land
+and sea, till late one day he came in sight of the hill<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> on which stood the
+little village. But at first he could not believe that he had come to the
+right place, so changed did all appear. He stopped and looked around him in
+astonishment. He stood in a shady lane, the arching trees met over his
+head. The banks were full of spring flowers, and either side of the hedge
+were fields full of young green corn.</p>
+
+<p>"Can this be the wretched bare road down which we walked together? I would
+indeed it were, and that she were with me now," said he. When he looked
+across to the village, the change seemed greater still. There were many
+more cottages, and they were trim and well kept, standing in neat gardens
+full of flowers. He heard the cheerful voices of the peasants, and the
+laughter of the village children. The whole place seemed to be full of life
+and happiness. He stopped again upon the mound where he and Chrysea had
+first played and sung.</p>
+
+<p>"It is many, many a long year since I was here," he said. "Time has changed
+all things strangely; but it would be hard to say which is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> the more
+altered, this village or I, for then it was sunk in poverty and
+wretchedness, and now it has gained happiness and wealth, and I, who was so
+happy and glad, now am broken-down and worn. I have lost my only wealth, my
+wife Chrysea. It was just here she stood and sang, and now I shall never
+see her again or hear her singing."</p>
+
+<p>There came past him a young girl driving some cows, and he turned and spoke
+to her. "Tell me, I beg," he said, "is not your village much changed of
+late years? I was here long ago, but I cannot now think it the same place,
+for this is as bright and flourishing a town as I have ever seen, and I
+remember it only as a dreary tumble-down village where the grass never
+grew."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh!" said the girl, "then you were here in our bad time, but we do not now
+like to speak of that, for fear our troubles should return. Folks say we
+were spell-bound. 'Tis so long ago that I can scarcely remember it, for I
+was quite a little child then. But a wandering musician and his wife set us
+free; at least,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> everything began to mend after they came, and now we think
+they must have been angels from heaven, for next day they went, and we have
+never seen them since."</p>
+
+<p>"It was I and my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Have you seen her? Has she
+been here? I have sought all over the world ever since, but I cannot find
+her, and now I fear lest she be dead."</p>
+
+<p>The girl stared at him in surprise. "You? you poor old man! Of what are you
+talking? You must surely be mad to say such things. These musicians were
+the most beautiful people upon the earth, and they were young and dressed
+in shining white and gold, and you are old and gray and ragged, and surely
+you are very ill too, for you seem to be so weak that you can scarcely
+walk. Come home with me, and I will give you food and rest till you are
+better."</p>
+
+<p>Arasmon shook his head. "I am seeking Chrysea," he said, "and I will rest
+no more till I have found her;" and the girl, seeing that he was
+determined, left him alone and went on her way driving her cows before
+her.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When she had gone Arasmon sat by the wayside and wept as though his heart
+would break. "It is too true," he said; "I am so old and worn that when I
+find her she will not know me," and as he again fell a-weeping his hand
+struck the harp-strings, and they cried, "I have watched you through all
+these years, my Arasmon. Take comfort, I am very near," and his tears
+ceased, and he was soothed by the voice of the harp, though he knew not
+why.</p>
+
+<p>Then he rose. "I will go to the moor," he said, "and look for the tree on
+which I found my harp, and that will be my last resting-place, for surely
+my strength will carry me no farther." So he tottered slowly on, calling,
+as he went, in a weak voice, "Chrysea, my Chrysea! are you here? I have
+sought you over the world since you left me, and now that I am old and like
+to die, I am come to seek you where we parted."</p>
+
+<p>When he came upon the moor, he wondered again at the change of all the
+country round. He thought of the charred, blackened waste on which he had
+stood before, and now he looked with amazement at the golden gorse, the
+purple<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> heather, so thick that he could scarcely pick his way amongst it.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a beautiful place now," he said, "but I liked it better years ago,
+deserted and desolate though it was, for my Chrysea was here."</p>
+
+<p>There were so many trees upon the common that he could not tell which was
+the one on which his harp had hung, but, unable to go any farther, he
+staggered and sank down beneath a large oak-tree, in whose branches a
+blackbird was singing most sweetly. The sun was setting just as of yore
+when he had found his harp, and most of the birds' songs were over, but
+this one bird still sang sweet and clear, and Arasmon, tired and weak
+though he was, raised his head and listened.</p>
+
+<p>"I never heard bird sing like that," he said. "What is the tune it sings? I
+will play it on my harp before I die." And with what strength remained to
+him he reached forth his trembling hand, and grasping his harp struck upon
+it the notes of the bird's song, then he fell back exhausted, and his eyes
+closed.</p>
+
+<p>At once the harp slid from his hand, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> Chrysea stood beside him&mdash;Chrysea
+dressed as of old, in shining white and gold, with bright hair and eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Arasmon!" she cried, "see, it is I, Chrysea!" but Arasmon did not move.
+Then she raised her voice and sang more sweetly than the bird overhead, and
+Arasmon opened his eyes and looked at her.</p>
+
+<p>"Chrysea!" cried he; "I have found my wife Chrysea!" and he laid his head
+on her bosom and died. And when Chrysea saw it her heart broke, and she lay
+beside him and died without a word.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning when some of the villagers crossed the common they saw
+Arasmon and Chrysea lying beneath the oak-tree in each other's arms, and
+drew near them, thinking they were asleep, but when they saw their faces
+they knew they were dead.</p>
+
+<p>Then an old man stooped and looked at Chrysea, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Surely it is the woman who came to us and sang long ago, when we were in
+our troubles; and, though he is sadly changed and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> worn, it is like her
+husband who played for her singing."</p>
+
+<p>Then came the girl who had driven the cows and told them how she had met
+Arasmon, and all he had said to her.</p>
+
+<p>"He searched everywhere for his wife, he said," said she. "I am glad he has
+found her. Where could she be?"</p>
+
+<p>"Would that we had known it was he," said they all, "how we would have
+greeted him! but see, he looks quite content and as if he wished nothing
+more, since he has found his wife Chrysea."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 169px;">
+<img src="images/i099.jpg" width="169" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i100.jpg" width="600" height="213" alt="THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/l2.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="L" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_3">Long ago, in the days of fairies, there lived a King and Queen, who were
+rich and happy.</p></div>
+
+<p>But the Queen was a proud, haughty woman, and disliked every one more
+powerful than herself. And most of all, she hated the fairy folk, and could
+not bear them to come to the castle where she and the King dwelt.</p>
+
+<p>Time passed, and the Queen had a little baby,&mdash;a daughter whom they called
+Joan&mdash;and the bells were rung, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country, and the King and Queen were happy as the day is long.</p>
+
+<p>One day as the Queen sat by the cradle of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> the little Princess, watching
+it, she said, "My pretty babe, when you are grown to be a woman you will be
+rich and beautiful, and you shall marry some young Prince, who will love
+you dearly, and then in your turn be Queen, and have a fine palace, and
+jewels, and lands to your heart's content." Scarcely had she done speaking
+when she heard a little noise beside her, and, looking up, saw a woman
+dressed in yellow from head to foot standing on the other side of the
+cradle. She wore a yellow cap, which covered her head completely, so that
+no hair was seen, and her eyes, which looked cunning and fierce, were
+yellow as her dress.</p>
+
+<p>"And how do you know, Queen, that your child will be so happy? Whose help
+will you seek to get her all these fine things?" said the strange woman.</p>
+
+<p>"I will ask no one's help," said the Queen haughtily, "for I am Queen of
+the land, and can have what I please."</p>
+
+<p>The yellow woman laughed, and said, "Don't be too sure, proud Queen; but
+the next<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> night that the moon is bright, guard well the Princess when the
+clock strikes twelve, lest aught of her's be stolen from her."</p>
+
+<p>"No thief shall come near her," cried the Queen; but ere she had done
+speaking the woman had vanished, and the Queen knew it was a fairy.</p>
+
+<p>The sky that night was dark and overcast, and no moon to be seen, and the
+next night was the same, but the third night the moon shone bright and
+clear, and as the clock struck twelve the Queen awoke and looked at the
+baby, who was sleeping peacefully in its cradle; but 'twixt the strokes of
+the clock she heard a faint whistling outside the window, which grew louder
+and fuller each moment. 'Twas as if some one whistled to decoy away a bird,
+and on hearing it the baby awoke and began to cry bitterly. The Queen could
+not quiet her, try how she might. At last the little one gave one scream
+louder than all the others and then lay quite still, and at that moment the
+Queen saw something flutter across the room like a tiny bird, with pink,
+soft feathers. It flew straight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> out of the window, and the whistling
+ceased, and all again was quiet as before. The Queen took the baby in her
+arms and looked at it anxiously by the light of the moon, but it looked
+well and slept calmly, so its mother placed it in its cradle and tried to
+forget the yellow fairy and the whistling.</p>
+
+<p>The nurse of the Princess Joan was a very wise old woman who knew a great
+deal of fairies and their ways, and as the child grew up she watched her
+with an anxious face.</p>
+
+<p>"She is under a charm," she said, "though what it is I don't know; but
+before she is a woman they will see how different she is from others."</p>
+
+<p>The nurse's words proved to be true. No one had ever seen a little girl
+like the Princess. Nothing troubled her. She never shed one tear. If she
+were angry she would stamp her feet and her eyes would flash, but she never
+wept, and she loved nobody. When her little dog died she laughed outright;
+when the King her father went to the war it did not grieve her; and when he
+returned she was no happier<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> than she had been when he was away. She never
+kissed her mother, or her ladies, and when they said they loved her, she
+stared at them, and asked what they meant. At this the ladies were angry
+with her and chid her for being hard-hearted, but the old nurse always
+stopped them, saying,</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis not her you should blame. She is enchanted, but 'tis not her fault."</p>
+
+<p>Princess Joan grew up and was the loveliest woman in the land. It was many
+long years since any one so fair had been seen, but for all that her mother
+mourned over her sorely, and her eyes were red with crying for her
+beautiful daughter, who had never yet wept one tear herself.</p>
+
+<p>The neighbouring country was governed by a King and Queen who had only one
+son, named Michael, whom everybody loved dearly. He was a handsome young
+man, and as good as he was handsome. He was as gracious to the poorest
+beggar as to the greatest lord, and all the poor folk came to him to tell
+him their troubles, if they thought they were badly treated;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> and because
+he was brave and handsome also, the court people loved him as well as the
+peasants.</p>
+
+<p>In this country there stood on a high hill a round tower, and at the top of
+it lived an old wizard. No man knew his age, for he had dwelt there for
+hundreds of years, and no one knew how the tower had been built, for it was
+made of one huge stone, and there were no joins in it at all.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen were afraid of the old magician, and never went near
+him; indeed, no one in all the country had ever ventured to climb the tower
+and see the old man at his work except Prince Michael, who knew the old
+sorcerer well and did not fear him at all, but went up and down the tower
+as he chose.</p>
+
+<p>One bright moonlight night it chanced that the Prince found himself alone
+on the hill-side, and seeing a bright light shining from the top of the
+tower he resolved to enter and pay the old man a visit. So he went to a
+little door, and pushing it open stepped into a narrow, dark, winding
+staircase, that went straight up<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> the centre to the room at the top, in
+which the wizard dwelt. The staircase was pitch dark, for there were no
+windows. Moreover, it was so narrow that only one person could walk in it
+at a time, but Prince Michael knew the way quite well, and climbed and
+climbed till he saw a chink of light, and at last trod through a little
+doorway into the room in which the sorcerer sat.</p>
+
+<p>This room was as light as day, for it was lit by a lamp which the old man
+himself had made, and in which no oil or wick was burning, but every day it
+was filled with sunbeams, and held them at night after the sun had set.</p>
+
+<p>So the whole room was brilliant, and in the middle sat the wizard, who was
+a wonderful old man to look on, for he was all white. His beard was white
+as snow, and from afar you could not tell which was beard and which gown,
+but when you came near you saw that the beard flowed nearly to his feet,
+and his skin was as white as either beard or gown. And his eyes were quite
+colourless, but as bright as two candles.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When Michael entered he sat looking at an enormous book full of coloured
+pictures of little men and women about three inches high each. They were
+not like other pictures, for they walked and moved over the page as though
+they were alive.</p>
+
+<p>"It is I, father. What book are you looking at?" said Michael, stepping up
+to the old man's side.</p>
+
+<p>"In this book," said the wizard, "I keep the portraits of all the men and
+women in the world, and they are living portraits too, for they move, and
+look just like the originals."</p>
+
+<p>"That must be very amusing," cried Michael. "Pray show me the portraits of
+all the Kings, and Queens, and Princesses. This will be delightful," and he
+knelt down by the old man and looked over his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>The sorcerer muttered to himself and turned over the pages, and then
+stopped at one on which Michael saw little figures of Kings and Queens of
+all sorts, some of which he knew, and some of which he had never seen
+before.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 469px;">
+<img src="images/i109.jpg" width="469" height="650" alt="&quot;&#39;Tis their daughter, Princess Joan,&quot; said the wizard with a
+sigh. &quot;But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her.&quot;&mdash;P. 87." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&#39;Tis their daughter, Princess Joan,&quot; said the wizard with a
+sigh. &quot;But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her.&quot;&mdash;P. 87.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"There," he cried, "is old King R&eacute;n&eacute; who came to our court last year, and
+that is Queen Constance, and that is their nephew Prince Guilbert, who will
+be king when they are dead, and here are our neighbours the King and Queen
+of the next country, and oh, my father, who is this lovely Princess next to
+them?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis their daughter Princess Joan," said the wizard with a sigh. "But do
+not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but trouble to all who
+know her."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care if she bring trouble or happiness," cried the Prince. "But
+for certain she is the most beautiful creature in the world," and he seized
+the book and looked long at the tiny figure of the Princess. Truly it was
+very beautiful. It was dressed in white, with a golden girdle round the
+waist, and a wreath of golden daisies on its head, and as Michael looked,
+it turned upon the pages, and smiled at him till he smiled back again, and
+could not move his eyes from it.</p>
+
+<p>When the wizard saw this, he took the book from the young man's hands, and
+hid it away, saying,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Think no more of Princess Joan, however beautiful she be, or one day you
+will rue it dearly."</p>
+
+<p>Prince Michael made no answer, but he thought all the more of the little
+picture of the Princess. After he had left the tower, and returned to the
+palace, he could not forget her, but dreamt of her all night, and thought
+of her all day.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning he went to the King and said, "My father, I am come to beg
+that you will send to the King of the next country and ask if I may have
+his daughter, Princess Joan, for my wife, for I have seen her portrait, and
+there is no one in the world whom I love so well."</p>
+
+<p>When the King heard this he was delighted.</p>
+
+<p>"Our good neighbours," he said, "are rich and powerful, and it will be a
+capital thing for our son to marry their daughter." So he at once sent off
+an ambassador to beg for the hand of Princess Joan for Prince Michael.</p>
+
+<p>Joan's father and mother were delighted with the offer, and at once
+resolved to accept it; but the Queen's heart sank within her,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> for she
+thought, "Our poor Joan is not like any other maid who ever lived before,
+and perhaps when Prince Michael sees her and finds this out, he will refuse
+to wed her after all;" but she said nothing of her fears, and the
+ambassador returned to the court, loaded with presents, and bearing a
+message of acceptance.</p>
+
+<p>Till his return Prince Michael knew no peace or rest, but wandered about
+among the hills by himself, thinking of Joan, and still, in his heart, he
+wondered what the magician had meant when he said that if he thought much
+of Princess Joan, one day he would rue it.</p>
+
+<p>At last he said to himself, "I will disguise myself as a poor man, and go
+and see my Princess for myself before the ambassador returns, then shall I
+know what the wizard means."</p>
+
+<p>So he dressed himself as a peasant, and started alone without telling any
+one whither he went, and he travelled day and night till he came to the
+country where Joan dwelt and to her father's palace. Then he walked near
+the palace gardens, and no one noticed him, and he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> saw a group of lovely
+ladies, who sat together on the grass.</p>
+
+<p>His heart beat high as he looked at them, for in their midst, most
+beautiful of all, sat the Princess Joan. Her yellow hair fell to her waist,
+her face was like a blush rose, and her eyes were blue as forget-me-nots,
+but when she lifted them, he saw that they were clear and hard as glass,
+and her voice when she spoke was like a bright cold bell.</p>
+
+<p>There ran up to her a little serving-maid, crying bitterly, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I beg of you, Princess, to let me return to my own home for a time, for my
+father, the huntsman, has broken his leg and is very ill."</p>
+
+<p>"Why should you cry for that?" said the Princess. "'Tis your father and not
+you that is hurt; but you may go, for when you cry and your eyes look red
+you are ugly, and I don't like to see you, so be sure that when you return
+you are pretty and bright as ever."</p>
+
+<p>When her ladies heard her they looked angry, but no one spoke, and the
+little maid went crying away.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Up there came a groom from the palace and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Your Royal Highness, the horse that you rode yesterday is dead, and we
+think it is because you would ride so far when it was already tired, as we
+told you."</p>
+
+<p>"Dead is it?" cried the Princess. "Then see quickly and get me another,
+that I may ride again to-morrow, and be sure this time that it is a good
+strong horse, or it may give way beneath me and so my ride be shortened."</p>
+
+<p>The groom went away muttering, and the Princess's ladies looked even graver
+than before, but the Princess's own face was bright as a summer sky, and
+she talked on without heeding their sad looks.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Michael turned away with a heavy heart.</p>
+
+<p>"The magician spoke truly," he said to himself, "and there will be nothing
+but sorrow for all those who love my poor Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<p>Yet he could not bear to leave her and return at once to his own home, and
+still he remained near the palace, and for some days<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> watched her
+unnoticed, when she walked and rode, and listened to all she said, and each
+day he grieved more and more, for she never said one kind loving word to
+any one; yet each day when he saw how beautiful she was he loved her more
+and more.</p>
+
+<p>When he again returned to his own home he found great rejoicings
+everywhere, for the ambassador had returned with a message from Joan's
+father promising she should marry the Prince, and everywhere preparations
+were being made for the entry of the Princess to her new home.</p>
+
+<p>"And now, my son," said the King, "all is arranged for you to journey in
+state to her father's court and bring back your bride, so now I hope that
+you are happy and wish for nothing more."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this Prince Michael's face was sad and grave, and his father and
+mother wondered what ailed him. But he said to himself, "I will never marry
+my Joan till she loves me as I do her, and how can she ever do that when
+she loves no one, not even her own father and mother?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At the court of Joan's father grand preparations had been made, and all was
+in excitement when Prince Michael arrived with servants, and horses, and
+presents for the bride.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen sat in state to receive him, and beside them was Joan,
+and she looked so beautiful, in a dress as blue as her eyes, that every one
+said, "How glad he will be when he sees how lovely she is."</p>
+
+<p>There was a blowing of trumpets and ringing of bells when Prince Michael,
+followed by his attendants, entered, and the King and Queen and all the
+courtiers rose.</p>
+
+<p>He passed up the hall to the thrones on which they sat, and kneeling on one
+knee, kissed their hands, and last he kissed the hand of the Princess, but
+he did not lift his eyes from the ground or look in her face, and his own
+was so sad that the people whispered to each other, and said, "What is the
+matter, and why does he look so unhappy? Surely he ought to be content when
+he sees how beautiful she is."</p>
+
+<p>At night when the merrymakings were over the Prince sent a message to the
+Queen,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> begging she would speak with him alone, and when she heard this her
+heart sank, and she thought, "He must know that there is something amiss
+with Joan, and perhaps he comes to say he will not marry her after all."</p>
+
+<p>So she sent every one away, except the old nurse and bid the Prince to
+come.</p>
+
+<p>When he came in and saw her sad looks he said, "You have guessed then,
+Queen, why I come to speak to you. Tell me truly what ails Princess Joan,
+and why is she unlike any one I ever saw." The Queen cried bitterly, and
+said, "I know not; would I did!" but the old nurse said,</p>
+
+<p>"I know and will tell you, Prince. Princess Joan is under a spell. A bad
+fairy enchanted her when she was a tiny baby, and till this charm is
+broken, she will never be like other people."</p>
+
+<p>"And what is the charm?" asked the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, that I don't know," said the nurse. Then she told Michael of the
+yellow woman and the whistling the Queen had heard at night;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> and as he
+listened the Prince sighed and said, "There is no charm which cannot be
+broken if one does but know how, but this is hard to do, for we do not know
+what the spell is, or who is the fairy who cast it. But bid the people
+cease their preparations, Queen, and stop the wedding rejoicings, for there
+will be no wedding. No, not till I have found the fairy who has wronged my
+Joan, and made her set her free. To-morrow I shall start at break of day,
+and journey to the farthest ends of the world, to search for what can break
+the charm. But I pray, Queen, that Joan may wait for me for seven years,
+and if, when they are past, I have not returned, and you have heard nothing
+of me, you must think that I am dead and gone, and marry her to whom you
+will, for if I be alive, I will return before then. And till seven years
+are past remember that Joan is still mine."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this the Queen wept still more, and begged the Prince either to
+remain and marry Joan, or to leave her and return to his home and forget
+her; but if he wandered away to lands of goblins and fairies, no one would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>
+know what had become of him, and he would never find the fairy who had
+charmed Joan or learn how to break the spell; but Prince Michael only shook
+his head, and said, "I have sworn that I will not marry Joan till she loves
+me as I do her, neither can I return to my home and forget her, so bid her
+be ready at dawn to-morrow to bid me farewell, and tell none that I am
+going till I have gone. Also I beg you to send a messenger to my father and
+mother to tell them why I do not return, for I will not see them first,
+lest they too should try to dissuade me." The Queen said no more, but she
+cried very bitterly; but the old nurse smiled and nodded to Michael and
+said,</p>
+
+<p>"You do well. You are a noble Prince, and would well deserve our Princess's
+love."</p>
+
+<p>Next morning at break of day the Queen awoke the Princess and bade her
+rise, for Prince Michael waited to bid her good-bye. The Prince stood at
+the door of the palace, and when Princess Joan came out looking lovelier
+than ever in the dim morning light, the tears filled his eyes, and he
+thought, "Most likely I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> shall never see her again, and then she will never
+know how much I have loved her."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, Joan," he said; "do not quite forget me for seven years, for
+perhaps I may yet come back and marry you."</p>
+
+<p>"And why do you go?" said Joan; "I had thought there would be a grand
+wedding, and I should have all the gifts that are being prepared for me,
+and now I shall have nothing; but good-bye, if go you must."</p>
+
+<p>Michael sighed as he mounted his horse and bade her farewell. When he
+looked back at the palace, the Queen and Joan still stood at the door, and
+the Queen sobbed; but Princess Joan looked quite happy and contented, and
+smiled brightly.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Michael rode and rode, till he came to his own home, and then he
+turned at once to the tower in which dwelt the magician. He climbed the
+tower and found the old man sitting alone as before, but he had no book
+before him, and he looked very grave.</p>
+
+<p>"I know why you are come," he said, as soon as Michael entered the room.
+"So you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> have seen Princess Joan; and do you still wish to marry her?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will marry her, or no one," said Michael. "But not till I have found out
+who has bewitched her, and have broken the charm."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to search far for that," said the wizard; "And it may be
+years ere you could set her free. Forget her, my son, and return to your
+own home, and do not waste your life in a fruitless quest."</p>
+
+<p>"I will seek to break the charm, even if it take my whole life," said
+Michael. "But tell me what it is, and how shall I find out how to break
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"A fairy has stolen her heart," said the wizard, "and that is why she loves
+no one, and can feel no sorrow; she has no heart with which to love or
+pity, and till it is found and restored to her, she will be hard and cold
+as stone. The fairy swore she would be revenged on her mother for her
+pride, and so she is."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I will go and seek her heart, and bring it back to her," said
+Michael. "But<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> where shall I look for it? Tell me at least where has the
+fairy hidden it."</p>
+
+<p>"She has taken it to a castle in which are kept all the hearts of men and
+women, that fairies steal, or that they themselves throw away; and this
+castle is very far from here; moreover, it is guarded by an old gnome, who
+is spiteful and cruel, and who pays no heed to those who beg him to let
+them enter. Give up the Princess and return to your home, for if you go,
+you will only die, or be enchanted like poor Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<p>"Nevertheless, I shall go," said Michael. "So tell me what path to take,
+and I will start at once."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this the sorcerer took from his bosom a small round piece of
+glass, and gave it to the young man. "Take this," he said; "It is all that
+I can give you, to help you, and through it you must look at the stars, and
+you will see that they are all of different colours&mdash;blue, green, red, and
+yellow; look for the one which is the deepest, brightest red, and follow
+it; it will lead you many miles both by land and sea,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> but follow steadily,
+and let nothing turn you from your course, and you will surely come to the
+castle wherein is imprisoned the heart of your Princess."</p>
+
+<p>The Prince thanked the magician, and took the glass; then bidding him
+"Good-bye," he left the strangely lighted chamber, and went down the dark
+staircase, and stood again on the hill outside, with the dark sky overhead
+filled with shining stars.</p>
+
+<p>Michael raised the glass and looked at them through it, and then he almost
+shouted with surprise, for they looked wonderful. They were like jewels of
+all colours&mdash;green, blue, yellow, pink&mdash;and in the south was one of a deep
+glowing red, like a blood-red rose, and Michael knew that that was the star
+he must follow.</p>
+
+<p>Then he looked back towards his father's palace. "Farewell," he said; "some
+day I will return, and bring with me my Princess Joan." So he set off, and
+journeyed and journeyed, till he had reached towns and villages which he
+had never seen before. All that night he travelled while the stars shone,
+and he could see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> the rosy star to follow. But when the stars grew pale,
+and the sun rose, and people began to wake up and turn to their work, he
+lay down under a tree and slept soundly. When he woke the day was almost
+done, and the sun was sinking. So he went to a little town near and bought
+food, and rested till again the stars shone in the sky. Then he rose and
+went on all night, still following the crimson star. So passed many days
+and nights, and he journeyed through strange lands, and his heart sank when
+he thought, "So may I wander all round the world, and come no nearer to the
+star, or to the castle where they keep the heart of my poor Joan."</p>
+
+<p>At last he came to the sea-shore, and in front of him lay a great cold sea,
+and beyond it he saw no sign of land. But the star shone right over it, and
+he knew that he must cross, if he still would follow it. It was in the
+evening, the sun had set, but some fishermen still remained on the beach,
+resting beside their boats. Michael went up to them, and taking some money
+from his pocket, asked for how much they would sell him one of their
+boats.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At this the men looked surprised, and one of them said, "Why do you wish to
+buy a boat? We use them to fish near the shore, but no boat or ship has
+ever crossed this sea, for no one knows what land is beyond."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I will be the first to find out," said Michael. "Tell me how much you
+want, and give me your largest boat." On this the men muttered together,
+and one said, "He is mad." "Yes," said another, "but his money is good, for
+all that. Let the madman have his way. It will hurt him, not us." So they
+gave Michael their best boat, and he paid them well, and he set sail and
+steered where the red star shone. He sailed all night till he had left
+every trace of land behind him, and saw no shore in front, only the cold,
+gray sea on every side. By day he kept the boat still, afraid lest he
+should get out of the track of the star, but when the second night came he
+was so weary that in spite of himself he fell asleep. When he awoke he
+found the sun had risen, and his boat was drifting close to land. It was a
+flat, lonely shore, without trees or grass<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> growing in sight, and facing
+him was an immense castle. It was built of black marble, and a more gloomy
+place could not be, for the windows were small and high up, and were all
+barred across, with heavy iron bars, and the castle had no spires or
+towers, but was one square black block, and looked more like a prison than
+a castle. Around it was a high wall, and outside this a moat, without a
+bridge.</p>
+
+<p>Michael steered his boat to shore, and stepped from it, and looked about
+for some way by which he could cross the moat, and try for entrance to the
+castle. Then he saw a little hut near, and beside it lay an old man
+apparently fast asleep. He was small and dark, and his face was gray and
+wrinkled as a monkey's, and he had no hair on his head. Close beside him
+coiled up was a large snake, also asleep. Michael stood watching them both,
+afraid to wake them, when, without a word, the gray man raised his head,
+and opening a pair of dull, gray eyes, fixed them on him. Still he did not
+speak, and at last the Prince, growing impatient, went up to him and said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>
+"Friend, I beg you to tell me how I am to enter the castle; or if you have
+the key, to give it to me."</p>
+
+<p>On this the old man answered, "I have the key, and no one can enter without
+my leave. What will you give me for it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why," said Michael, "I have nothing but money," and he took some coins
+from his pocket as he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>At this the old man laughed. "Your money is nothing to me," he said; "But
+look yonder. Over there I am building a wall of heavy stones, and I am old,
+and my strength fails me; stay and work for me at that wall, and in return
+I will give you the key of the castle."</p>
+
+<p>"But how long must I work?" said Michael, "For unless I can enter the
+castle before seven years are over, it will be no use to me.</p>
+
+<p>"Look at that serpent," said the old man; "It is sitting on its eggs. When
+they are hatched you shall have the key and open the castle door. Till then
+you must be my slave."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Gladly," said Michael, who was delighted; "for no snake could take seven
+years hatching its eggs."</p>
+
+<p>Then the old man rose, and beckoning to him to follow, went into the little
+cottage. From a nail upon the wall he took a pair of manacles fastened
+together by a heavy iron chain. These he slipped over Michael's wrists, and
+stooping down over them, muttered a few words, and at once the manacles
+fastened together as if they had been locked, and Michael could not move
+them, or draw out his hands. Then the old man took down another heavy chain
+and passed it over the first and fastened it with more iron rings to his
+ankles, so that he could only move his arms and hands a little way, and
+could not raise them high, and could only walk with slow careful steps.
+This done, he pointed to where, on the wall high up, hung a gleaming golden
+sword, the handle of which was set with precious stones.</p>
+
+<p>"That," said he, "is the key of the castle, and you need only push the
+doors with its point and they will all fly open; but while your hands<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> are
+chained you cannot reach it to lift it down, but when the serpent's eggs
+are hatched your iron rings will fall off, and you yourself may take the
+sword down from its place, and push your way into the castle. Now get you
+to your work, and work hard, or you may rue it."</p>
+
+<p>Then he showed Michael how he was to move the heavy stones, and where to
+build with them, and he himself sat down by the serpent and watched him,
+while the Prince went to work with a light heart, for he thought, "It is
+hard work while it lasts, but 'twill not be for long, and 'tis not much to
+do to win my Joan." So he worked hard till the sun had set, and then the
+old man rose, saying, "Enough," and called him into the hut and gave him
+food and drink, but he ate nothing himself, and then he showed him where he
+could sleep in one corner, and Michael lay down and slept soundly and
+dreamed of Joan.</p>
+
+<p>At break of day he was waked by the old man, who again gave him plenty to
+eat, and again ate nothing, but what he gave to him he took from an urn in
+the corner, and when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> he had done he put into the urn the fragments that
+were left.</p>
+
+<p>All day Michael worked hard, and in the evening as he passed by the snake,
+he looked at it as it lay coiled over its eggs, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"How soon will your work be done, and mine also, good snake? Make haste, I
+pray, that I may find my way into the castle, and return to my Princess."</p>
+
+<p>So the days passed. Each morning the old man awoke Michael and gave him
+food, and set him to work, and all day he laboured hard. Then when night
+approached, he called "Enough," and beckoning him into the hut, gave him
+plenty to eat and drink, but never ate himself, and beside that one word
+never spoke, but crouched all day beside the snake, with closed eyes as if
+asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime, the doors of the castle never opened, and no one was seen going
+in, or coming out; but sometimes, towards night, strange noises might be
+heard from within its walls; sometimes there were wails and moans, which it
+filled Michael with horror to hear, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> sometimes there was sweet singing,
+so sweet that it drew tears to his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>But the days passed, and the serpent never moved from its eggs, and
+Michael's heart began to be oppressed with fear, lest the old man was
+deceiving him, and they should never be hatched at all. As each day passed,
+he put aside a stone on a bare rock, and one day when he counted over the
+stones to see how many days were gone, he found that more than a year had
+passed since his boat had brought him to the shore. His hands had grown
+hard and brown and cracked, with working at the heavy stones, and his face
+and neck were blistered and sunburnt with the fierce sun that beat upon
+them as he worked. His clothes were cut and torn and soiled, and yet he
+seemed to be no nearer entering the castle. Then he rose and went into the
+cottage, and looked longingly at the sword which hung high up, on the
+walls, and raised his arms to try and reach it, but the chains held him
+down, and as he turned from it in despair he saw the old man standing in
+the doorway watching him with his cold dull eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What would you do here?" he asked; "have I not bid you serve me till the
+serpent's eggs are hatched, and then the sword shall be yours?"</p>
+
+<p>"And when will the serpent's eggs be hatched?" cried Michael in despair.</p>
+
+<p>"That," said the old man, "I cannot tell, but a bargain is a bargain; keep
+you your part and I will keep mine." Then he turned again to where the
+serpent lay, and lying down beside it closed his eyes, and Michael returned
+to his work mournfully.</p>
+
+<p>Time passed, but there came no change. Michael despaired in his heart, but
+he could not have escaped even if he would, because of the chains which
+hung from his arms.</p>
+
+<p>"I will work here," he said, "till the seven years are out, then I will
+climb on the wall which I have built and throw myself into the sea and end
+my troubles."</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes at night he would take from his bosom the piece of magic glass
+which the wizard had given him and would gaze through it at the star which
+still looked a bright crimson colour.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Why have you led me here, cruel star," he asked sadly, "if you cannot help
+me more? Are you shining over my home and my Princess, and does she
+remember me? The seven long years will soon be passed, and they will wed
+her to another king, and it will be all of no avail that I have given up
+everything to find her heart, since I have only broken my own."</p>
+
+<p>So the time passed. Michael worked hard by day, but by night he lay and
+wept. One day, when the seven years had nearly worn themselves away, he
+bent over a pool of water, and in it saw his own form, and he saw that his
+hair was thin and streaked with gray, and his face furrowed and seamed, and
+his eyes dim with crying, also his shoulders were bowed with hard work, and
+his clothes, once so gorgeous, now hung mere rags upon his bent form.</p>
+
+<p>"Now all is in vain," said he, "for if even I returned to my own home no
+one will know me, so changed am I. I will go and kill the snake that has
+caused my misery, and then I will slay the old man who has deceived me."</p>
+
+<p>So he went up to the snake, who lay<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> motionless coiled over its eggs as
+usual, and reached out his hand to grasp its throat, but as he did so his
+tears fell and dropped upon its head, and it writhed fearfully and then
+glided away so fast that he could not see where it went, and left the heap
+of gray eggs bare beneath his hand. The old man lay beside them as still as
+usual, and did not move or open his eyes, even when the snake glided
+hissing past him.</p>
+
+<p>"If the snake has escaped me," cried Michael, "then at least I can destroy
+the eggs;" and lifting his heel he struck them with all his might, but his
+foot left no mark upon them, nor even moved them from their place. They
+might have been made of iron, and each one nailed to the ground, so hard
+and firm they stood.</p>
+
+<p>Michael burst out weeping afresh. "How foolish I am," he said, "Yes, and
+wicked too. It is not the fault of the poor snake that its eggs are not
+hatched. Perhaps it is enchanted like me, and waits as patiently for them;"
+and he bent his head till his tears fell upon the eggs.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> No sooner did they
+touch them, than the shells broke, and the pieces fell asunder, and from
+each egg came a small moving thing, though what it was Michael did not see,
+for he leaped to his feet with a shout of joy, which filled the air, and
+echoed again from the castle. At this the old man opened his eyes, and
+raising himself gazed, as if thunderstruck, with astonishment at the eggs.</p>
+
+<p>"Tis a miracle," he cried, chuckling with joy.</p>
+
+<p>But out of the eggs, there came no one fully formed animal, but from one
+egg came a foot, from another a leg, from another a tail, and from one a
+head, and each looked as though it belonged to some different beast, yet
+all these drew themselves together, and joined so well that the join was
+not to be seen. And they made a hideous monster of many colours. Then the
+manacles on Michael's wrists burst asunder, and the chains fell to the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," he cried, "I will go and take for myself the sword from the wall,
+and win my way into the castle, and nothing shall hinder<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> me more." And he
+turned and rushed into the hut. There, upon the wall hung the shining
+sword, and Michael reached out his hand and seized it firmly, and drew it
+down from its place.</p>
+
+<p>"I will swear a vow," he cried, "upon this sword, that when I enter the
+castle, I will say not one word for good or for ill to any one, save to ask
+for what I come to seek, lest I should again be kept for years. Moreover, I
+will not taste food or drink, till I have found the heart of my Joan to
+take back to her." Then, with the sword in his hand, he passed the old man,
+who still sat chuckling over the monster, too busy to heed him, and he went
+straight on to the bridgeless moat. It was not wide, and he swam it easily,
+and scrambled up the bank by the stone wall. He pushed with the point of
+the sword at the gate, and it at once flew open, and he stood in the outer
+court. Then he saw a heavy door in the wall of the castle, and went up to
+it, nothing fearing, and, on touching it with the sword's point, it too
+flew open at once, and he entered.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He stepped into a passage filled with flowers and hung with silken
+hangings. He trod upon a velvet carpet, and the air was laden with sweet
+scents, and from afar he heard sweet voices singing. He strode on through
+another door, and yet another, and at each step he took all things became
+lovelier, till at last he passed into a splendid chamber, the like of which
+he had never seen before. In the ceiling were precious stones set in
+patterns of flowers and crowns, on the walls were soft velvet hangings and
+embroideries. The furniture was of carven gold and silver and ivory, and
+everywhere grew flowers of wonderful beauty, which sprang from the floor
+and crept along the walls, and filled the air with sweet scents, and
+hanging on the walls were cages which held what Michael thought were birds,
+which sang most sweetly.</p>
+
+<p>On a table in the centre of the room was a banquet all laid ready, and as
+Michael looked at it and wondered where he should go farther, a curtain was
+drawn aside, and there stepped forth a stately dame dressed in black
+velvet, who came smiling towards him and held out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> her hand, saying, "I am
+indeed glad to see you, I am mistress of this castle, and you are very
+welcome; but I beg that before you tell me from where you come and what you
+seek, you will sit down and share this feast with me." Michael was
+beginning to answer, when he felt the sword in his hand, and remembered his
+oath, and looking full in the face of the new-comer, said, "I seek the
+heart of Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<p>"And you shall find it," answered the grand lady. "But first you must rest
+and eat, for you must be both tired and hungry;" and so saying she sat at
+one end of the table, and signed to Michael to sit at the other, and took
+the golden covers from the dishes, and prepared to begin the feast. Michael
+knew not what to do, but he sat at the table in silence, and all at once
+bethought him of the magic glass in his bosom, and drawing it forth when
+she was not looking, gazed through it at her, and then he beheld no
+finely-dressed lady, but a wizened old woman, robed in yellow, with an evil
+yellow face and evil yellow eyes. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> hid the glass again, and sat still as
+stone, though the yellow woman pressed on him the different dishes again
+and again. He saw that her face grew white with rage. Then all of a sudden
+she disappeared, and the lights went out, and he was left alone in the
+darkness. He rose and searched for the door by which he had entered, but
+could not find it nor any way out of the room; so there he was, a prisoner
+alone with the singing-birds.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind," quoth he to himself cheerily; "I have at last reached the
+inside of the castle, and surely shall find the heart of my Joan, and if I
+keep my vow and neither eat nor drink here or say aught but ask for that
+which I seek, nothing can harm me."</p>
+
+<p>So he sat down contentedly to wait for what might come. There he sat the
+whole night, and no one came near him, but the birds sang so beautifully
+that he almost forgot how the time passed.</p>
+
+<p>When morning dawned and light again shone through the windows, he searched
+everywhere for some way out of the room, but the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> door had quite
+disappeared. Moreover, the feast had gone from the table. The day passed,
+and still he was all alone, and as evening again drew in he sat and
+lamented, quite wearied out and faint for want of food. But when the
+darkness came, the lamps about the room were suddenly lit as if by magic,
+and all was brilliant, and a curtain was drawn aside, and there came in a
+little child with bright eyes and hair, who held in one hand a goblet and
+in the other a well-filled plate. These she placed before Michael, saying,
+"My mistress sends you these, and begs that you will eat and drink, for you
+must be both hungry and thirsty;" but Michael pushed away the goblet and
+the plate, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I seek the heart of Princess Joan; I beg you to give it to me."</p>
+
+<p>To this the seeming child answered nothing, but still pressed on him the
+food and wine. Then Michael took from his bosom the magic glass and looked
+through it, and saw no lovely child, but the same yellow hag with
+shrivelled face and evil eyes. With a cry of rage she disappeared, and
+though Michael searched everywhere,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> he could not find the way by which she
+went.</p>
+
+<p>Now indeed he began to feel that unless he ate he could not live much
+longer, and wept from very weakness.</p>
+
+<p>"Still I will neither eat nor drink," he said, "till I have found what I
+came to seek, and the fairy cannot refuse me much longer."</p>
+
+<p>Night passed and day came, and he lay upon a couch quite still, too weak to
+move, yet he feared to sleep lest some spell should be thrown upon him.</p>
+
+<p>So he lay all day, and as evening again drew near he began to feel despair,
+for he knew that in another day he would be dead of hunger.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh! Why have I toiled for seven years," he cried aloud, "and at last won
+my way into the castle, if now I am to be starved to death, and Joan will
+never know how I have laboured for her sake?"</p>
+
+<p>"And why should you be starved to death, my Prince?" said a voice; and at
+once the lights lit themselves, and into the room stepped<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> the figure of
+the Princess Joan just as he had seen her last, dressed in white and gold,
+and in one hand bearing a golden goblet filled with clear ruby-coloured
+wine.</p>
+
+<p>Michael gave a cry of joy and held out his arms to clasp her in them, but
+as he did so the sword sprang as it hung at his side, and he remembered his
+vow and drew back and gazed at her without speaking.</p>
+
+<p>She knelt down beside him and raised the goblet to his lips, saying softly,
+"My poor love, how long you have worked for me! Pray drink now, that you
+may be refreshed ere we two start for our home."</p>
+
+<p>Then as he looked at her face and saw how beautiful she was his heart
+wavered, and he thought, "Can it be my Joan, and that I have truly won
+her?" and almost had he let her place the wine at his lips, while with one
+hand she stroked his hair and murmured to him the while in a soft voice,
+when the cup struck against the magic glass in his bosom, and he drew it
+forth and looked at her, and he trembled with horror and disgust, for there
+he saw no lovely Princess<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> Joan, but the same yellow hag, who held in one
+skinny hand a goblet, formed from a skull, from which she would have him
+drink.</p>
+
+<p>Michael sprang to his feet and dashed it from him, and the ruby wine poured
+on the floor, and there followed an awful noise like a peal of thunder, and
+the room was full of smoke, and wild cries were heard.</p>
+
+<p>He grasped the sword and sat still, trembling all over; but when the smoke
+cleared away the whole aspect of the room was changed; the silken hangings,
+and gold, and pearls, and flowers, were all gone, and he was sitting in a
+grim gray chamber like a vault, and in front of him stood the yellow hag,
+whose eyes shone spitefully and her lips laughed wickedly; but in one hand
+she held what it made Michael rejoice to see. It was a soft pink feathery
+thing, with wings, but shaped like a heart, and it trembled and quivered in
+her hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Take it," she cried, "for well have you won it. Take it, and tell the
+Queen how many years of toil and labour her proud words and boasting have
+cost. Then when you see her, from whom<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> it was stolen, let it fly, but
+first say over it these words:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Heart of Joan<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lost and won<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly back home,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy journey's done.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back joy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back pain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heart of Joan,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly home again."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>and it will fly to her side, and you will see it no more; and now begone."</p>
+
+<p>Michael seized the heart with a cry of joy and exultation, and then turned
+and fled from the room through an open iron door, and passed through the
+passages, no longer softly carpeted and hung with silk, but dreary and
+bare, made of cold stone, down which his foot-steps echoed and clashed.</p>
+
+<p>He hurried from the castle as quickly as might be, and once outside did not
+stop to look for the old man or the monster, but swam the moat, and went
+straight to where his boat lay moored as he had left it, nearly seven years
+before, and never paused till he had rowed so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> far that the gray castle and
+the shore had almost passed from view. At last he came again to the shore
+where he had bought his boat of the fishermen, and here he went on land,
+and started to walk till he had reached Joan's country, and her father's
+castle.</p>
+
+<p>He had no money, and his clothes were rags, his hair was thin and gray, and
+his shoulders bent. He looked like a poor beggar, and he had to beg food as
+he went, or he would have been starved. Still, he was ready to cry for joy,
+because he took with him the little soft heart he had gone so far to find.</p>
+
+<p>He trudged on both day and night, making great haste, for he knew that the
+seven years were almost gone, and he was afraid lest already he might be
+too late, and find that Joan had married some one else. At last, after many
+weary miles, he reached her country, and drew near to the palace where she
+lived, and here he found that the people were all decorating their houses,
+and making preparations as if for some great festival.</p>
+
+<p>He stopped and begged for food from a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> woman who stood by a cottage door,
+and when she had given him some bread, as he ate it he asked her to tell
+him what went on in the country, and why there was such rejoicing.</p>
+
+<p>"It is for the marriage of the King's daughter Joan," said the woman;
+"To-morrow she is to be married to old King Lambert, and the wedding will
+be very grand, but none of the country folk like it, for he is old and
+ugly, and they say he does not love her at all, but only marries her that
+he may be king of this country as well as his own. The Queen is in sore
+distress about it, and for seven years refused her consent; but they will
+be over to-morrow, and so they will be wed, and the guests are already
+beginning to arrive at the palace, and each one brings some splendid gift."</p>
+
+<p>"I will be a guest at that wedding," cried Michael; "And I bring the best
+gift of all for the bride;" and he hurried on again, not heeding the
+woman's scorn and laughter.</p>
+
+<p>When he came to the palace, he found that it was hung with flags, and
+arches of flowers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> were erected in front of it, and grand lords and ladies,
+and servants stood at the door to receive the guests who came.</p>
+
+<p>Michael went as near as he dared, afraid lest he should be driven away by
+the servants, and then he saw a little foot-page, and he went to him and
+said,</p>
+
+<p>"Please tell me where is the Princess Joan, and what she is doing."</p>
+
+<p>"She is sitting with the King and Queen and King Lambert in the state-room,
+to receive the guests and accept the presents they bring," said the page.</p>
+
+<p>"I am a guest, and I bring a present for her," cried Michael; "Tell me how
+I shall get into the palace that I may give it to her."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this the page burst out laughing, and told the other servants
+what he said. And they were very angry, and seized Michael, and some would
+have ducked him in the pond, and some would have taken him before the King,
+but they said, "Not now&mdash;wait till the wedding is over to-morrow, and then
+we will see how he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> will punish the beggar-man for his impertinence."</p>
+
+<p>So they took him off to a stone tower outside the garden gates and thrust
+him into it, and locked the door, and there was only one little window high
+up and barred across with bars, and from it he could see the palace and the
+gardens.</p>
+
+<p>Then at last he gave way to despair. "Of what avail were all my years of
+toil, and for what am I gray and old before my time," he cried, "if after
+all, when I have earned that for which I worked so long, I may not give it
+to Joan, but must remain a prisoner and see her pass by to marry some one
+else?" and he threw himself on the ground and cried aloud.</p>
+
+<p>At night as he lay and mourned, he heard sounds of merrymaking, and music
+and laughter from the castle. Sometimes he called out, "Joan! Joan! I am
+here&mdash;I who have worked for you for years, and brought home your stolen
+heart, and now will you wed King Lambert in spite of all?" sometimes he
+beat against the bars of the prison window, but all in vain, and at last,
+when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> all sound had ceased from the castle, he lay silent upon the ground,
+caring no more for life.</p>
+
+<p>When the sun rose, and there was again a stir without, he got up and looked
+from the window, and saw the old nurse who walked by herself in the garden,
+and she looked very sad. Then Michael called out, "Do you not know me? You
+at least, who bid me go, and praised me then, should remember me now." On
+hearing this the old nurse drew near the prison window, and looked at him,
+and said, "Who are you, and why are you here? My eyes are old, and my ears
+are deaf, but I think I have seen you, and heard your voice before."</p>
+
+<p>"Seven years ago," said Michael, "I too was a bridegroom, who came to wed
+your Princess, and for seven long years have I worked, that I might bring
+home to her the heart she had not. Go and ask your Queen, why she has
+broken her pledge to wait for seven years, till Prince Michael should
+return."</p>
+
+<p>"Prince Michael! Is it really Prince Michael?" cried the old nurse
+joyfully. "And<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> you come in time, for our Princess is not married yet, and
+she must pass by here, on her way to church. So you shall call to her as
+she passes by, and speak for yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Then keep near and tell me when she comes," said Michael, "lest she go by
+without seeing me."</p>
+
+<p>Presently the whole castle was astir, and trumpets were sounding, and
+clarions ringing. Then when the sun was high, Michael heard the tramping of
+horses, and the sound of music, and the old nurse said to him, "Here she
+is," and he looked between the bars of the prison window and saw a grand
+procession, and his heart gave a bound, for in their midst, in a golden
+gown, and seated on a white palfrey, was Princess Joan, and she looked just
+as lovely as when he went away seven years before.</p>
+
+<p>On one side of her rode her father and mother, and the Queen's face was
+most mournful, and her eyes were red with crying. On the other rode an ugly
+old man, whom Michael guessed to be King Lambert, and he smiled and bowed
+to the people, but they muttered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> and grumbled, when they looked at him,
+and saw how ugly and wicked, he looked.</p>
+
+<p>When Michael saw them coming, he took from his bosom the little pink heart,
+and stroked it fondly as he whispered over it,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Heart of Joan<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lost and won<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly back home,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thy journey's done.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back joy<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Take back pain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heart of Joan,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fly home again;"<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>and at once it spread its wings and fluttered through the bars of the
+prison, and over the heads of the people, who shouted, "Look at the pink
+bird!" For a moment it rested at the side of the Princess Joan, and then
+disappeared. She gave a scream, and cried,</p>
+
+<p>"My mother! My father! What has happened? Oh see, it is Michael who has
+returned!" and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's head
+towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars to
+clasp the Prince.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 479px;">
+<img src="images/i152.jpg" width="479" height="650" alt="&mdash;&mdash;and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey&#39;s
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince.&quot;&mdash;P. 128." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&mdash;&mdash;and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey&#39;s
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince.&quot;&mdash;P. 128.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Michael, my love!" she cried, "How gray and worn you are now. How hard you
+must have laboured for me through these long years. Now, how shall I pay
+you, save by loving you all my life!" and she tried to beat down the bars
+of the prison window.</p>
+
+<p>When the people heard her, they cried, "It is Prince Michael, who went
+seven years ago, and who we all thought was dead, and he is returned in
+time to marry our Princess. Now will we indeed have a wedding, and she
+shall marry the Prince who has toiled so long for her;" and King and Queen
+and people laughed for joy. 'Twas in vain for King Lambert to rage, and cry
+that the Princess was betrothed to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay!" said the Queen, "She has been pledged to Prince Michael for seven
+years. We are grieved for your sake, King Lambert, but we cannot break our
+royal word."</p>
+
+<p>Then the people burst into the prison and brought out Michael, all torn and
+gray as he was, and Princess Joan kissed him before them all, and begged
+that he would marry her at once, that every one might see how well she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>
+loved him and how grateful she was. So they brought a fine white horse with
+a grand gold saddle, and jewelled bridle, and placed Michael upon it, and
+he rode to church beside the Princess, and married her, and the people
+threw flowers before them, and bells rang and trumpets sounded, and all
+were glad.</p>
+
+<p>And when it was done Michael was dressed in purple and gold, and messengers
+were sent to his father and mother and the old wizard, that they might come
+and see how he had come home victorious, and rejoicings filled the whole
+country.</p>
+
+<p>"For now we are sure of a good King," the people said. "See, he has already
+shown what he can do. Surely no one else could ever have found the heart of
+Princess Joan."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 190px;">
+<img src="images/i155.jpg" width="190" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 486px;">
+<img src="images/i157.jpg" width="486" height="650" alt="&quot;Good-day, friend,&quot; said he. &quot;If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little.&quot;&mdash;P.
+131." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Good-day, friend,&quot; said he. &quot;If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little.&quot;&mdash;P.
+131.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i158.jpg" width="600" height="213" alt="THE PEDLAR&#39;S PACK" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE PEDLAR&#39;S PACK</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/a1.jpg" width="125" height="128" alt="A" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">A pedlar was toiling along a dusty road carrying his pack on his back, when
+he saw a donkey grazing by the wayside.</p></div>
+
+<p>"Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do, perhaps you would
+not mind carrying my load for me for a little."</p>
+
+<p>"If I do so, what will you give me?" said the donkey.</p>
+
+<p>"I will give you two pieces of gold," said the pedlar, but he did not speak
+the truth, for he knew he had no gold to give.</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," said the donkey. So they journeyed on together in a very
+friendly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> manner, the donkey carrying the pedlar's pack, and the pedlar
+walking by his side. After a time they met a raven, who was looking for
+worms in the roadside, and the donkey called out to him,</p>
+
+<p>"Good-morrow, black friend. If you are going our way, you would do well to
+sit upon my back and drive away the flies, which worry me sadly."</p>
+
+<p>"And what will you pay me to do this?" asked the raven.</p>
+
+<p>"Money is no object to me," said the donkey, "so I will give you three
+pieces of gold." And he too knew he was making a false promise, for he had
+no gold at all to give.</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," said the raven. So they went on in high good humour, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's wares, and the raven sitting on the donkey's back
+driving away the flies.</p>
+
+<p>After a time they met a hedge-sparrow, and the raven called out to it,</p>
+
+<p>"Good-day, little cousin. Do you want to earn a little money? If so, bring
+me some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> worms from the bank as we go along, for I had no breakfast, and am
+very hungry."</p>
+
+<p>"What will you give me for it?" asked the hedge-sparrow.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us say four pieces of gold," said the raven grandly; "for I have saved
+more during my long life than I know how to spend." But he knew this was
+not true, for he had not saved any gold at all.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said the hedge-sparrow, and so on they went, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's pack, and the raven keeping the flies away from the
+donkey, and the hedge-sparrow bringing worms to the raven.</p>
+
+<p>Presently they saw in the distance a good-sized town, and the pedlar took
+out from his pack, some shawls and stuffs and hung them over the donkey's
+back that the passers-by might see, and buy if they were so disposed. On
+the top of the other goods lay a small scarlet blanket, and when he saw it
+the hedge-sparrow said to the pedlar,</p>
+
+<p>"What will you take for that little blanket? It seems to be a good one.
+Name your price<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> and you shall have it whatever it is, for I am badly in
+want of a blanket just now;" but as the hedge-sparrow had not a penny in
+the world, he knew he could not pay for it.</p>
+
+<p>"The price of the blanket is five pieces of gold," said the pedlar.</p>
+
+<p>"That seems to me to be very dear," said the hedge-sparrow. "I don't mind
+giving you four pieces of gold for it, but five is too much."</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," said the pedlar, and he chuckled to himself and thought, "Now I
+shall be able to pay the donkey, otherwise I might have had some trouble in
+getting rid of him."</p>
+
+<p>The hedge-sparrow flew to the raven's side and whispered in his ear,
+"Please to pay me the four pieces of gold you owe me, for we are coming to
+a town, and I must be turning back."</p>
+
+<p>"Four pieces of gold is really too much for bringing a few worms," said the
+raven. "It is absurd to expect such payment, but I will give you three, and
+you shall have them almost immediately," and he bent down over the donkey's
+ear and whispered,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"My friend, it is time you paid me the three pieces of gold which you
+promised, for the pedlar will stop at this town, and you will not have to
+go farther with him."</p>
+
+<p>"On thinking it over," said the donkey, "I have come to the conclusion that
+three pieces of gold are really a great deal too much to give for having a
+few flies driven away. You must have known that I was only joking when I
+said it, but I will let you have two, though I consider that it is much
+more than the job was worth;" and the donkey turned again to the pedlar,
+saying, "Now, good sir, your two pieces of gold, if you please."</p>
+
+<p>"In a moment," said the pedlar, and turning to the hedge-sparrow, said, "I
+really must have the money for the blanket at once."</p>
+
+<p>"So you shall," answered the hedge-sparrow, and cried angrily to the raven,
+"I want my money now, and cannot wait."</p>
+
+<p>"In an instant," answered the raven, and again whispered to the donkey,
+"Why can't you pay me honestly? I should be ashamed of trying to slip out
+of my debts in such a way."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I won't keep you waiting a second," said the donkey, and he turned once
+more to the pedlar and cried, "Come, give me my money. For shame! a man
+like you trying to cheat a poor beast like me."</p>
+
+<p>Then the pedlar said to the hedge-sparrow, "Pay me for my blanket, or I'll
+wring your neck."</p>
+
+<p>And the hedge-sparrow cried to the raven, "Give me my money or I'll peck
+out your eyes."</p>
+
+<p>And the raven croaked to the donkey, "If you don't pay me, I'll bite off
+your tail."</p>
+
+<p>And the donkey again cried to the pedlar, "You dishonest wretch, pay me my
+money or I'll kick you soundly."</p>
+
+<p>And they made such an uproar outside the walls of the town, that the beadle
+came out to see what it was all about. Each turned to him and began to
+complain of the other loudly.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a set of rogues and vagabonds," said the beadle, "and you shall
+all come before the mayor, and he'll settle your quarrels pretty quickly,
+and treat you as you deserve."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At this they all begged to be allowed to go away, each one saying he did
+not care about being paid at all. But the beadle would not listen to them,
+and led them straight away to the market-place, where the mayor sat judging
+the people.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, whom have we here?" cried he. "A pedlar, a donkey, a raven, and a
+hedge-sparrow. A set of worthless vagabonds, I'll be bound! Let us hear
+what they have to say for themselves."</p>
+
+<p>On this the pedlar began to complain of the hedge-sparrow, and the
+hedge-sparrow of the raven, and the raven of the donkey, and the donkey of
+the pedlar.</p>
+
+<p>The mayor did not heed them much, but he eyed the pedlar's pack, and at
+length interrupted them, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I am convinced that you are a set of good-for-nothing fellows, and one is
+quite as bad as the other, so I order that the pedlar be locked up in the
+prison, that the donkey be soundly well thrashed, and that the raven and
+the hedge-sparrow both have their tail-feathers pulled out, and then be
+turned out of the town.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> As for the blanket, it seems to me to be the only
+good thing in the whole matter, and as I cannot allow you to keep the cause
+of such a disturbance, I will take it for myself. Beadle, lead the
+prisoners away."</p>
+
+<p>So the beadle did as he was told, and the pedlar was locked up for many
+days in the prison.</p>
+
+<p>"It is very sad to think to what straits an honest man may be brought," he
+sighed to himself as he sat lamenting his hard fate. "In future this will
+be a warning to me to keep clear of hedge-sparrows. If the hedge-sparrow
+had paid me as he ought, I should not be here now."</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the donkey was being soundly well thrashed, and after each blow he
+cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Alas! alas! See what comes to an innocent quadruped for having to do with
+human beings. Had the pedlar given me the money he owed, I should not now
+be beaten thus. In future I will never make a bargain with men."</p>
+
+<p>The raven and the hedge-sparrow hopped out of the town by different roads,
+and both were very sad, for they had lost all their tail feathers, which
+the beadle had pulled out.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Alas!" croaked the raven, "my fate is indeed a hard one. But it serves me
+right for trusting a donkey who goes on his feet and cannot fly. It is
+truly a warning to me never again to trust anything without a beak."</p>
+
+<p>The hedge-sparrow was quite crestfallen, and could scarcely keep from
+tears. "It all comes of my being so taken in by that raven," he sighed.
+"But I should have known that these large birds are never honest. In future
+I will be wise, and never make a bargain with anything bigger or stronger
+than myself."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 174px;">
+<img src="images/i166.jpg" width="174" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i167.jpg" width="600" height="215" alt="THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o2.jpg" width="125" height="127" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">Once there was a baker who had a very bad, violent temper, and whenever a
+batch of bread was spoiled he flew into such a rage, that his wife and
+daughters dared not go near him. One day it happened that all his bread was
+burnt, and on this he stamped and raved with anger. He threw the loaves all
+about the floor, when one, burnt blacker than the rest, broke in half, and
+out of it crept a tiny thin black man, no thicker than an eel, with long
+arms and legs.</p></div>
+
+<p>"What are you making all this fuss about, Master Baker?" said he. "If you
+will give me a home in your oven I will see to the baking of your bread,
+and will answer for it that you shall never have so much as a loaf
+spoiled."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 485px;">
+<img src="images/i169.jpg" width="485" height="650" alt="&quot;If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled.&quot;&mdash;P. 141." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled.&quot;&mdash;P. 141.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And pray what sort of bread would it be, if you were in the oven, and
+helped to bake it?" said the baker; "I think my customers might not like to
+eat it."</p>
+
+<p>"On the contrary," said the imp, "they would like it exceedingly. It is
+true that it would make them rather unhappy, but that will not hurt you, as
+you need not eat it yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Why should it make them unhappy?" said the baker. "If it is good bread it
+won't do any one harm, and if it is bad they won't buy it."</p>
+
+<p>"It will taste very good," replied the imp, "but it will make all who eat
+it discontented, and they will think themselves very unfortunate whether
+they are so or no; but this will not do you any harm, and I promise you
+that you shall sell as much as you wish."</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed!" said the baker. So the little imp crept into the oven and curled
+himself into the darkness behind, and the baker saw no more of him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But next day he made a great batch of bread, and though he took no heed of
+the time when he put it in, and drew it out, just as he wanted it, it was
+done quite right&mdash;neither too dark nor too light&mdash;and the baker was in high
+good humour.</p>
+
+<p>The first person who tasted the bread was the chief justice. He came down
+to breakfast in high spirits, for he had just heard that an old aunt was
+dead, and had left him a great deal of money. So he kissed his wife and
+chucked his daughters under the chin, and told them that he had good news
+for them. His old aunt had left him twenty thousand pounds in her will. On
+this his wife clapped her hands for joy, and his daughters ran to him and
+kissed him, and begged him to let them have some of it. So they all sat
+down to breakfast in great glee, but no sooner had the justice tasted the
+bread than his face fell.</p>
+
+<p>"This is excellent bread," he said, taking a large slice; "I wish
+everything else were as good;" and he heaved a deep sigh.</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" cried his wife, who had not yet begun to eat. "This morning, I am
+sure, there is nothing for you to complain of."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Nay!" said the mayor; "it is very nice to have twenty thousand pounds, but
+think how much nicer it would have been if it had been thirty. How much
+more one could have done with that! Or even if it had been twenty-five
+thousand pounds, or even twenty-one. Twenty-one thousand pounds is a very
+nice sum of money, but twenty thousand pounds is no good at all. I am not
+sure that it would not be better not to have had any."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense!" cried his wife, who was now eating her breakfast also; "you are
+very wicked to be so discontented; but one thing I do say. It would have
+been much nicer if we had had it when we were young and better able to
+enjoy it. Money is very little use to people at our time of life. It would
+have been really nice if we had had it fifteen years ago. As it is, I can't
+say I care much for it, and it makes me sad to think we did not get it
+before."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," cried the daughters; "in that case how much better it would have
+been for us to have it instead of you; we are young, and able to enjoy
+ourselves, and we could have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> given you a little of it if you'd liked, but
+we could have been very happy with the rest; as it is, it is no pleasure to
+us."</p>
+
+<p>So they fell to quarrelling about the money, and by the time breakfast was
+done, they all had tears in their eyes, and felt discontented and unhappy.</p>
+
+<p>The next person to eat the bread was the village doctor. All night long he
+had been sitting up with a man who had broken his leg, and he had feared
+lest he should die, but as morning came he saw he would live, so he
+returned home to his wife in very good spirits, although he was sadly
+tired. The wife had already had her breakfast, but she had made all ready
+for her husband, with a loaf of the baker's new bread.</p>
+
+<p>"See, dear husband," she said, "here is your breakfast, and some nice bread
+quite new, because I know you like it. How glad we ought to be, that this
+poor man is likely to live."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed," said the doctor; "being up all night is tiring work, but I
+don't grudge it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> when I know that it does some good," and then he began to
+eat. "I am not sure, after all, that I have done such a good thing in
+curing this man. It is true that his broken leg hurt him very much, but
+perhaps when he is well again, he may break his back, and that would be
+much worse. Perhaps I had better have left him to die. I daresay when he is
+quite well, all kinds of misfortunes will befall him; I had much better
+have let him alone."</p>
+
+<p>"Why," cried his wife in surprise, "what are you saying, husband? Are you
+not a doctor, and is it not your business to cure people? And when you
+succeed ought you not to be glad?"</p>
+
+<p>"I wish I were not a doctor," said the husband, sighing. "It would be much
+better if there were no doctors at all;" and he sat and lamented, and
+nothing his wife could say, could cheer him.</p>
+
+<p>In a pretty little cottage near the doctor's house lived a young couple,
+who were newly married, and were as happy as the day was long. Their
+cottage was covered with roses, and filled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> with pretty things, and they
+had everything their hearts could desire. This morning they both came down
+smiling and happy, and the young wife kissed her husband, and sang for joy.
+So they sat down to breakfast, chattering like two birds in a nest; but no
+sooner had the husband tasted the bread than his face fell, and he was
+silent for a time; then he said,</p>
+
+<p>"It is a very terrible thing to think how happy we are, for it cannot last.
+Something melancholy is sure to happen to us, and till it comes we shall
+live in dread of it; for we know happiness never lasts, and this is a
+thought that makes me very sad."</p>
+
+<p>The wife had now also taken some bread.</p>
+
+<p>"What is this you are saying?" she said. "How can you think such dreadful
+things? I do not like you when you talk like that; and I think it is very
+hard for me to be married to a man who wants to be unhappy."</p>
+
+<p>"The best thing we can hope for," said the husband, sighing, "is for some
+great misfortune to befall us; then we should be all right, for we should
+know then, that we knew the worst that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> could come. As it is we shall live
+in suspense all our days."</p>
+
+<p>"Now," cried his wife, "I am indeed unfortunate. What could be worse than
+to have a husband who does not like being happy? I wish I had married some
+one else; or indeed had no husband at all."</p>
+
+<p>So both began to grumble, and at last to quarrel, and finally both were
+crying with anger.</p>
+
+<p>Not far out of the village was a large pleasant farmhouse, standing amongst
+fields, and the farmer was a hale, bright man, with a good wife and pretty
+children. He was very busy just now getting in the corn, for it was autumn,
+and he stood among his men, directing them as they worked in the fields. He
+had not had time to have a proper breakfast before going to work, but his
+wife sent some out to him with some of the baker's new bread, and he sat
+down under a tree to eat it. As he did so he looked up at the farmhouse,
+and thought, with pride, that it was the largest farm in all the country
+round, and that it had belonged to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> his father, and his grandfather, and
+his great-grandfather, before him.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis a fine old house, for sure," thought he, as he took a large piece of
+bread, "'Tis so well built and strong;" but no sooner had he swallowed a
+mouthful than his thoughts changed.</p>
+
+<p>"What should I do if it were to fall down and crush me some day," he said
+to himself. "After all, 'tis only built of brick, and might tumble any day.
+How much stronger it would have been if it had been built of stone. Then it
+would not have been nearly so likely to give way. Really when my
+great-grandfather built it he should have thought of this. How selfish all
+men are;" and he became quite unhappy lest his house should fall, and
+lamented while he ate.</p>
+
+<p>In the kitchen the farmer's wife was very busy cooking and cleaning, and
+scarcely stopped to eat till near mid-day. Then she took up a piece of
+bread and cheese, and leant against the window as she ate it, that she
+might watch for her eldest girl and boy, Janey and Jimmy, who would now be
+returning from school.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Our baker really bakes very decent bread," said she; "'tis almost as good
+as my own;" and she went on eating till she saw her two children coming
+through the fields together.</p>
+
+<p>"Here they come," said she; "How bonny they look. Really I ought to be very
+proud of them. I don't know which is the prettier, Janey or Jimmy, but 'tis
+a pity, for sure, that Janey is the eldest. It would be much better if
+Jimmy were older than she. 'Tis a bad thing for the sister to be older than
+the brother. Now, if he were her age, and she were his, that would be
+really nice, for then he could take care of her and see after her; but, as
+it is, she will try to direct him, and boys never like to obey their
+sisters; I really almost think I had better not have had any children at
+all," and the tears filled her eyes, and when her girl and boy ran in to
+her, her face was very sad, and she seemed to be scarcely glad to see them.</p>
+
+<p>So things went on all over the village. Each one as he tasted the bread
+grew discontented and angry, till at last all the people went about
+grumbling and complaining, or else shedding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> tears outright. Only the baker
+himself was cheerful and merry, and sang as he kneaded his dough, and sold
+it to his customers with a light heart, for his trade had never been so
+good. Every atom of bread he made was sold at once, so he cared not one
+whit for the trouble of the other people, and laughed to himself when he
+heard them complaining, and thought of the words of the dark little elf.</p>
+
+<p>One day as he stood kneading at the door and whistling to himself, the
+doctor walked past and looked angrily at him.</p>
+
+<p>"What on earth are you making that whistling for?" he asked. "I declare one
+would think that you were as happy as a man could be."</p>
+
+<p>"And so I am," said the baker, "And so I should think were you too, for you
+have nothing to trouble you."</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing to trouble me, forsooth!" cried the doctor in a rage. "How dare
+you insult me in this way? I tell you what it is, my fine fellow, I think
+you are very impertinent, and if I have any more of your impudence I will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>
+take my stick and thrash you soundly. It really is not to be borne, that
+one man should be allowed to tell another that he has nothing to complain
+of."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, <i>you</i> can have as much to complain of as you like, so long as I have
+not," cried the baker, and he laughed loudly. This only made the doctor
+angrier still, and he was just going to seize the baker when up came the
+farmer.</p>
+
+<p>"Was there ever such a village as this?" he cried. "It is not fit for any
+one to live in, there is always such fighting and quarrelling going on.
+What is the matter here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Matter enough," cried the doctor. "Here is a fellow dares to tell me I
+have nothing to complain of, nor he either."</p>
+
+<p>"This is monstrous!" said the farmer; "he deserves to be hung. How dares he
+say such a thing on such a wretched day as this, with such a blue sky and
+such a bright sun?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Master Farmer," cried the baker, "yesterday you grumbled because it
+was raining, and now you grumble because it is fine."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And I tell you that it is enough to make one grumble," said the farmer.
+"It should have been fair yesterday, and should have rained to-day. You
+ought to be ashamed of such talk, Master Baker, and I think it would serve
+you justly right if we took you before the Justice and let us see what he
+thinks of your conduct."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay!" cried the baker, beginning to be frightened, "what have I done that
+I am to be taken before the Justice?"</p>
+
+<p>"What have you done, indeed!" said the doctor. "We will see if the Justice
+cannot find that out pretty quickly." So they seized the baker and dragged
+him away in spite of himself, and as they pulled him through the village
+the people thronged about them, and followed till there was quite a large
+crowd.</p>
+
+<p>The Justice sat at his door smoking a pipe, with tears in his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Now what is all this uproar for?" cried he. "Am I never to be left in
+peace? How hard is the life of a Justice!" but he got up and came out on
+the steps to meet them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"See here," cried the doctor; "here is a man who says he has nothing to
+complain of, and we have brought him to you, to know if he is to be
+punished, or to be allowed to go on talking like this."</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not," cried the Justice, "or we shall soon have the whole
+village in an uproar. Let him be taken to the market-place, and I will
+order that he be publicly flogged by the soldiers."</p>
+
+<p>At this the poor baker burst out crying, and entreated to be let off,
+saying that now indeed he had plenty to complain of, but at this the
+justice was angrier still. "Then," said he, "you certainly deserve to be
+flogged for having told an untruth before, when you said you had not. Take
+him away, and do as I bid."</p>
+
+<p>So they dragged the baker off to the market-place, and made a ring round
+him, so that he could not escape, and then there came down two or three
+soldiers with ropes in their hands, and they seized him, and began to beat
+him before all the crowd.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But by this time all the people were so enraged against him, that a number
+of them cried, "Let us go to his house and pull it down." So off they ran
+to the baker's house, and broke the windows and knocked about the
+furniture, and then some of them fell on the oven, and wrenched off the
+door, and others seized the pokers and tongs, and smashed in its sides, and
+in the hurry and scuffle, the little dark man crept out of the oven and
+scuttled away unseen by any one. But no sooner had he gone than a great
+change came across the people.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers on the green stopped beating the baker, and looked at each
+other aghast, and the Justice called out,</p>
+
+<p>"Stop! What is all this uproar about? And what has this man done that you
+are beating him without my orders?" and the people in the crowd whispered
+to each other; "It is true,&mdash;what has he done?" and they slunk away,
+looking ashamed.</p>
+
+<p>The Justice also at first looked somewhat ashamed of himself, but he drew
+himself up, and looking very important, said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> "There, my man, you are
+forgiven for this once, and now go your way, and see that you behave better
+in future;" and then he walked away with much dignity.</p>
+
+<p>So the baker was left alone in the market-place, and he cried for rage and
+pain.</p>
+
+<p>"This all comes of the oven imp," cried he, as he limped home. "Directly I
+get home I will drive him out of my oven, and away from my house. Better to
+have a hundred batches of bread spoiled than to be flogged for saying one
+is happy." But when he reached his house the little dark man was nowhere to
+be found; there was nought but the broken oven with its sides battered in.</p>
+
+<p>The baker mended the oven, and from that time forth his bread was just like
+other people's; but for all that he had learnt to be quite contented, for
+now he knew that there were worse things than having his loaves burnt
+black, and he was only too well pleased to take his chance with other
+people, without the help of fairy folk. As for the little black imp, he was
+never heard of more, and the people in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> the village soon recovered their
+good humour, and were just as happy and contented as they had been before
+they tasted the bread of discontent.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 172px;">
+<img src="images/i185.jpg" width="172" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i186.jpg" width="600" height="207" alt="Ye Three Clever Kings" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Ye Three Clever Kings</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o3.jpg" width="125" height="130" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">Old King Roland lay upon his death-bed, and as he had no son to reign after
+him he sent for his three nephews, Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete, and
+addressed them as follows:&mdash;</p></div>
+
+<p>"My dear nephews, I feel that my days are now drawing to an end, and one of
+you will have to be King when I am dead. But there is no pleasure in being
+King. My people have been difficult to govern and never content with what I
+did for them, so that my life has been a hard one, and though I have
+watched you all closely, still I know not, which is most fit to wear the
+crown; so my wish is that you should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> each try it in turn. You, Aldovrand,
+as you are the oldest, shall be King first, and if you reign happily, all
+well and good; but if you fail, let Aldebert take your place; and if he
+fail, let him give it up to Alderete, and then you will know which is the
+best fitted to govern."</p>
+
+<p>On this the three young men all thanked their uncle, and each one declared
+that he would do his best, and soon after old King Roland died and was
+buried with great state and ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>So now Aldovrand was to be King, and he was crowned, and there were great
+rejoicings everywhere.</p>
+
+<p>"'Tis a fine thing to be King," cried he in much glee; "Now I can amuse
+myself and do just as I please, and there will be no one to stop me, and I
+will lie in bed as late as I like in the morning, for who dares blame one,
+if one is King?"</p>
+
+<p>Next morning the Prime Minister and the Chancellor came to the palace to
+see the new King and settle affairs of state, but they were told that his
+majesty was in bed and had given orders that no one should disturb him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"This is a bad beginning," sighed the Prime Minister.</p>
+
+<p>"Very bad," echoed the Chancellor.</p>
+
+<p>When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at
+battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry
+at being interrupted in his game.</p>
+
+<p>"A pretty thing," he cried, "That I the King am to be sent for hither and
+thither as if I were a lacquey. They must go away and come another time;"
+and on hearing this the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked graver still.</p>
+
+<p>But next morning there came the Commander-in-Chief and the Lord High
+Admiral, as well as the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, all wanting to
+have an audience with the King, and as he was not out of bed and they could
+not wait any longer, they all stood outside his bedroom door, and knocked
+to gain admittance, and at last he came out in a towering rage, and
+throwing them his crown, cried,</p>
+
+<p>"Here, let one of my cousins be King, for I will not bear this longer. It
+is much more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> trouble than it is worth, so Aldebert or Alderete may try it
+and see how they like it, but as for me, I have had enough of it," and he
+ran downstairs and out of the palace door, leaving the Prime Minister and
+the Chancellor and the General and Admiral staring at each other in dismay.</p>
+
+<p>Aldovrand walked out of the town unnoticed, and turned towards the country,
+whistling cheerily to himself. When he had gone some way in the fields, he
+came to a farmhouse, and in a meadow near, the farmer stood talking to his
+men. Aldovrand went straight up to him, and, touching his hat, asked if he
+could give him any work.</p>
+
+<p>"Work?" cried the farmer, little thinking he was talking to his late king.
+"Why, what sort of work can you do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Aldovrand, "I am not very fond of running about, but if you
+want any one to mind your sheep, or keep the birds from your corn, I could
+do that nicely."</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you what you can do if you like," said the farmer. "I am wanting a
+goose-boy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> to take care of my geese. See, there they are on the common. All
+you will have to do is to see that they don't stray away, and to drive them
+in at night."</p>
+
+<p>"That will suit me exactly," cried Aldovrand. "I will begin at once;" and
+he went straight on to the common, and when he had collected the geese
+together lay down to watch them in high good humour.</p>
+
+<p>"This is capital," he cried, "and much better than being King at the
+palace. Here there is no Prime Minister or Chancellor to come worrying;"
+and he lay watching the geese all day very contentedly.</p>
+
+<p>When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor knew that Aldovrand was really
+gone, they went in a great hurry to Aldebert to tell him that it was his
+turn to be King. But when he heard how his cousin had run away, he looked
+frightened.</p>
+
+<p>"I will do my best," quoth he; "but I really know very little about the
+matter. However, you must tell me, and I will do whatever you direct."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At hearing this the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were delighted.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we have got the right sort of King," they said; and both wagged their
+heads with joy.</p>
+
+<p>So King Aldebert was crowned, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.</p>
+
+<p>Early next morning he was up all ready to receive his Ministers, and first
+came the Prime Minister.</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," said he, "I come to you on an affair of much importance. A
+great part of our city is falling down, and it is very necessary that we
+should rebuild it at once. If you will command it, therefore, I will see
+that it is done."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt you are right," said the King; "pray let them begin
+building at once;" and the Prime Minister went away delighted.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had he gone when in came the Commander-in-Chief.</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," said he, "I wish to lay before you the state of our army.
+Our soldiers have had a great deal of fighting to do lately,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> and are
+beginning to be discontented, but the late King, your uncle, would never
+attend to their wants."</p>
+
+<p>"Pray do what you like," said King Aldebert.</p>
+
+<p>"To satisfy them," said the Commander-in-Chief, "I think that we should
+double their pay. This would keep them in a good humour, and all will go
+well."</p>
+
+<p>"By all means, that will certainly be the best way," said Aldebert. "Let it
+be given to them at once;" and on hearing this, the Commander-in-Chief went
+away right merrily.</p>
+
+<p>When he had gone, there came in the Chancellor with a long face.</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," he said, "I have this morning been to the treasury, and I
+find that there is scarcely any money left. The late King, your uncle,
+spent so much in spite of all I could say, that now it is almost all gone.
+Your Majesty must now save all you can for the next year or two, and you
+ought also to lower the soldiers' pay, and stop all public works."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt you are quite right," cried<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> the King. "You know best, let
+it be done as you wish."</p>
+
+<p>But next morning in came the Prime Minister with a frowning face. "How is
+this, your Majesty?" cried he. "Just as we are beginning our buildings, the
+Chancellor comes and tells us that we are not to have any money to build
+with." He had not done speaking when the Commander-in-Chief burst into the
+room unable to conceal his rage.</p>
+
+<p>"Yesterday your Majesty told me that all the soldiers should have double
+pay, and this morning I hear, that instead of that, their wages are to be
+lowered!" Here he was interrupted by the Chancellor, who came running in
+looking much excited,</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty," he cried, "did you not yesterday say we were now to begin
+saving, and that I was not to allow any more money to be spent, and that
+the army must do with less pay?"</p>
+
+<p>And then all three began to quarrel among themselves. When he saw how angry
+they were, King Aldebert took off his crown and said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> "I am sure you are
+each of you quite right; but I think I am scarcely fit to be a King. Indeed
+I think you had better find my cousin Alderete, and let him be crowned, and
+I will seek my fortune elsewhere." And he had slipped out of the room, and
+run downstairs and out of the palace, before they could stop him.</p>
+
+<p>He went briskly down the highroad into the country, the same way that
+Aldovrand had gone.</p>
+
+<p>After he had gone some way, he met a travelling tinker who sat by the
+roadside mending tin cans, with his little fire at his side.</p>
+
+<p>Aldebert stood watching him, and at last said, "How cleverly you mend those
+holes! You must lead a pleasant life, going from house to house in the
+green lanes mending wares. Do you think I could learn how to do it if you
+would teach me?"</p>
+
+<p>The tinker, who was an old man, looked at him and said,</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I don't mind giving you a trial if you like to come with me, for I
+want a strong young<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> man sometimes to help me wheel my little cart, and
+I'll teach you my trade, and we'll see what you can make of it."</p>
+
+<p>So Aldebert was delighted, and went with the tinker.</p>
+
+<p>When they knew he was really gone the Prime Minister and the Chancellor
+looked at each other in dismay.</p>
+
+<p>"This will never do," cried they; "we must go at once to Prince Alderete;
+and let us hope he may do better than his cousins."</p>
+
+<p>When Prince Alderete heard that it was his turn to reign he jumped for joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," cried he, "at last I will show what a king should really be like. My
+cousins were neither of them any good, but they shall now see how different
+I will be."</p>
+
+<p>So he was crowned, and again there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.</p>
+
+<p>Next day he sat in state to receive the Chancellor and Prime Minister and
+hear what they had to say.</p>
+
+<p>"My friends," said he to them, "a good King ought to be like a father to
+his people,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> and this is what I mean to be. I mean to arrange everything
+for them myself, and if they will only obey me, and do as I direct, they
+are sure to be both prosperous and happy."</p>
+
+<p>On hearing this both Prime Minister and Chancellor looked anxious, and the
+Chancellor said,</p>
+
+<p>"I fear, your Majesty, your people will not like to be too much meddled
+with." At this the King was very angry, and bid them see about their own
+business, and not presume to teach him his.</p>
+
+<p>When they had gone he went to take a drive in his city, that he might see
+it and know it well; but directly he returned to the palace he sent for the
+Prime Minister, and when he had arrived, said,</p>
+
+<p>"I already see much to be altered in my kingdom. I do not like the houses
+in which many of the people dwell, nor indeed the dresses they wear; but
+what strikes me most of all is, that wherever I go I smell a strong smell
+of pea soup. Now, nothing is so unwholesome as pea soup, and therefore it
+would not be right<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> in me to allow the people to go on eating it. I
+command, therefore, that no one shall again make, or eat pea soup, within
+my realm on pain of death."</p>
+
+<p>Again the Prime Minister looked very grave, and began to say,</p>
+
+<p>"Your Majesty, your subjects will surely not like to be hindered from
+eating and drinking what pleases them!" But the King cried out in a rage,</p>
+
+<p>"Go at once and do as I bid you." So the Prime Minister had to obey.</p>
+
+<p>Early next morning when the King arose he heard a great hubbub under his
+window, and when he went to see what it was, he saw a vast mob of people
+all shouting, "The King, the King! Where is this King who would dictate to
+us what we shall eat and drink?"</p>
+
+<p>When he saw them he was terribly frightened, and at once sent off for the
+Prime Minister and Chancellor to come to his aid.</p>
+
+<p>"Pray go and tell them to eat what they like," he cried when they arrived;
+"But, do you know, I find it will not at all suit me to be King. You had
+best try Aldovrand, or Aldebert,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> again;" and, so saying, he took off his
+crown and laid it down, and slipped away out of the palace before either
+Prime Minister or Chancellor could stop him.</p>
+
+<p>He went out of the back door, and ran, and ran, and ran, till he had left
+the town far behind, and came to the country fields and lanes&mdash;the same way
+that his two cousins had gone; and as he went he met a sweep trudging along
+carrying his long brooms over his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"My friend," cried Alderete, stopping him, "Of all things in the world I
+should like to be a sweep and learn how to sweep chimneys. May I go with
+you, and will you teach me your trade?"</p>
+
+<p>The sweep looked surprised, but said, "Yes, Alderete could go with him if
+he chose, and as he was now going on to the farmhouses, on the road, to
+sweep the chimneys, he could begin at once." So Alderete went with the
+sweep, carrying some of his brooms for him.</p>
+
+<p>After a time the people outside the palace grew quiet, when they heard that
+the King<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> would not interfere with them further. And when all was again
+still, the Prime Minister and Chancellor went to seek the King, but he was
+nowhere to be found in the palace.</p>
+
+<p>"This will never do," cried they. "We must have a King somehow, so we had
+best have back one of the others." So they started to look for Aldovrand or
+Aldebert.</p>
+
+<p>They sought them all over the city, and at last they came into the same
+country road down which the three cousins had gone, and there they saw
+Aldovrand lying in a meadow watching his flock of geese.</p>
+
+<p>"Good day, my friends," cried he when he saw them; "And how are things
+going on at the palace? I hope my cousins like reigning better than I did.
+Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese, and it is much
+nicer than being King."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor told him all that had happened, and
+begged that he would come back with them to the palace again, but at this
+Aldovrand laughed outright.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 480px;">
+<img src="images/i200.jpg" width="480" height="650" alt="&quot;Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King.&quot;&mdash;P. 170." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King.&quot;&mdash;P. 170.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No indeed!" cried he, "I would not be King again for any man living. You
+had best go and seek my cousin Aldebert, and ask him. I saw him go down the
+road with a tinker, helping him to mend his tins. So go and ask him, and
+leave me to mind my geese in peace."</p>
+
+<p>So the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor had to seek still farther.</p>
+
+<p>They trudged on and on, till at last they met Aldebert, who sat by the side
+of the road mending a tin kettle, and whistling cheerily.</p>
+
+<p>"Heyday, whom have we here?" cried he. "The Prime Minister and the
+Chancellor! And I am right glad to see you both. See how clever I have
+grown; I am learning to be a tinker, and I mended that hole all myself."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor begged him to leave his pots, and
+come back to the palace and be King, but he fell to work again, harder than
+ever, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"No indeed; go and ask my cousins, who are both much cleverer than I. I
+really don't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> do for it at all, but I make a very good tinker, and I like
+that much better."</p>
+
+<p>"Then what can we do?" cried the Prime Minister, "for we don't know where
+Alderete has gone."</p>
+
+<p>"I saw him go by here with a sweep a little time ago," said Aldebert; "and
+he went into that farmhouse yonder, so you had best seek him there."</p>
+
+<p>So the Prime Minister and the Chancellor went on to the farmhouse. At the
+door stood the farmer's wife, but when they asked her if she had seen the
+King go by, she stared with surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said she; "no one has been here but our sweep and his apprentice. He
+is in there sweeping the chimney now." On hearing this, the Prime Minister
+and Chancellor at once ran into the farmhouse, and saw the old sweep
+standing by the kitchen fire-place. "And where is the other sweep?" cried
+they. "He is gone up the chimney, and is just going to begin sweeping,"
+said the old man. "So if you want to speak to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> him you must shout." So they
+shouted and called,</p>
+
+<p>"King Alderete, King Alderete!" as loud as ever they could, but he did not
+hear. Then the Chancellor knelt in front of the grate, and put his head up
+the chimney, and called,</p>
+
+<p>"King Alderete, King Alderete! It is the Prime Minister and I, the
+Chancellor, come to fetch your Majesty back to the palace."</p>
+
+<p>When Alderete heard him up the chimney, he trembled in every limb, but he
+replied,</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not going to come down; I don't want to be King. I am going to be a
+sweep, and I like that much better. I shan't come down till you are gone
+away, and now you had best go quickly, for I am going to begin sweeping,
+and all the soot will fall on your head," and then they heard the rattle of
+the broom in the chimney, and a whole shower of soot fell on the
+Chancellor's head.</p>
+
+<p>The Prime Minister and the Chancellor turned back to the city very
+disconsolately. "We must go and look for a King elsewhere," they said. "It
+is no use troubling about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete." So they left
+the one to his geese, and one to his tins, and the other to sweep chimneys,
+and that was the end of the three clever Kings.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 176px;">
+<img src="images/i205.jpg" width="176" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/i206.jpg" width="600" height="212" alt="THE WISE PRINCESS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE WISE PRINCESS</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="drop">
+<img src="images/o4.jpg" width="125" height="128" alt="O" class="cap" />
+<p class="cap_2">Once upon a time lived a King whose wife was dead and who had one little
+daughter who was named Fernanda. She was very good and pretty, but when she
+was a child she vexed all her ladies by asking them questions about
+everything she saw.</p></div>
+
+<p>"Your Highness should not wish to know too much," they told her, whereat
+Princess Fernanda threw up her little head, and said,</p>
+
+<p>"I want to know everything."</p>
+
+<p>As she grew up she had masters and mistresses to teach her, and learnt
+every language and every science; but still she said, "It is not enough; I
+want to know more."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In a deep cave underground there lived an old Wizard who was so wise that
+his face was well-nigh black with wrinkles, and his long white beard flowed
+to his feet. He knew all sorts of magic, and every day and night sat poring
+over his books till now there seemed to be nothing left for him to learn.</p>
+
+<p>One night after every one was asleep, Princess Fernanda rose and slipped
+softly down the stairs and out of the palace unheard by any one, and stole
+away to the Wizard's cave.</p>
+
+<p>The old man was sitting on his low stool reading out of an immense book by
+a dim green light, but he raised his eyes as the Princess entered at the
+low doorway, and looked at her. She wore a blue and silver robe, but her
+bright hair was unbound, and fell in ripples to her waist.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" he asked shortly.</p>
+
+<p>"I am the Princess Fernanda," she said, "and I wish to be your pupil. Teach
+me all you know."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you wish for that?" said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> Wizard: "you will not be better or
+happier for it."</p>
+
+<p>"I am not happy now," said the Princess sighing wearily. "Teach me and you
+shall find me an apt pupil, and I will pay you with gold."</p>
+
+<p>"I will not have your gold," said the Wizard, "but come to me every night
+at this hour, and in three years you shall know all I do."</p>
+
+<p>So every night the Princess went down to the Wizard's cave while all the
+court were sleeping. And the people wondered at her more and more, and
+said, "How much she knows! How wise she is!"</p>
+
+<p>When the three years had gone by the Wizard said to her, "Go! I can teach
+you no more now. You are as wise as I." Then the Princess thanked him and
+went back to her father's palace.</p>
+
+<p>She was very wise. She knew the languages of all animals. The fishes came
+from the deep at her call, and the birds from the trees. She could tell
+when the winds would rise, and when the sea would be still. She could have
+turned her enemies to stone, or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> given untold wealth to her friends. But
+for all that, when she smiled, her lips were very sad, and her eyes were
+always full of care. She said she was weary, and her father thought she was
+sick, and would have sent for the physicians, but she stopped him.</p>
+
+<p>"How should physicians help me, my father," she said, "seeing that I know
+more than they?"</p>
+
+<p>One night, a year after she had taken her last lesson from the Wizard, she
+arose and returned to his cave, and he raised his eyes and saw her standing
+before him as formerly.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" he said. "I have taught you all I know."</p>
+
+<p>"You have taught me much," she said, falling on her knees beside him, "yet
+I am ignorant of one thing&mdash;teach me that also&mdash;<i>how to be happy</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said the Wizard with a very mournful smile; "I cannot teach you
+that, for I do not know it myself. Go and ask it of them who know and are
+wiser than I."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 473px;">
+<img src="images/i210.jpg" width="473" height="650" alt="&quot;Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore.&quot;&mdash;P. 178." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore.&quot;&mdash;P. 178.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the sea-shore. All
+that night she spent sitting on a rock that jutted out into the sea,
+watching the wild sky and the moon coming and going behind the clouds. The
+sea dashed up around her, and the wind blew, but she did not fear them, and
+when the sun rose the waters were still and the wind fell. A skylark rose
+from the fields and flew straight up to heaven, singing as though his heart
+would burst with pure joy.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely that bird is happy," said the Princess to herself; and she called
+it in its own tongue.</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you sing?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I sing because I am so happy," answered the lark.</p>
+
+<p>"And why are you so happy?" asked the Princess.</p>
+
+<p>"So happy?" said the lark. "God is so good. The sky is so blue, and the
+fields are so green. Is that not enough to make me happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Teach me, then, that I may be happy too," said Princess Fernanda.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot," said the lark; "I don't know how to teach;" and then he rose,
+singing, into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> the blue overhead, and Princess Fernanda sighed and turned
+back towards the palace.</p>
+
+<p>Outside her door she met her little lap-dog, who barked and jumped for joy
+on seeing her.</p>
+
+<p>"Little dog," she said; "poor little dog, are you so glad to see me? Why
+are you so happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why am I so happy?" said the little dog, surprised. "I have plenty to eat,
+and a soft cushion to rest upon, and you to caress me. Is not it enough to
+make me happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not enough for me," said the Princess, sighing; but the little dog
+only wagged his tail and licked her hand.</p>
+
+<p>Inside her room was the Princess's favourite little maid Doris, folding up
+her dresses.</p>
+
+<p>"Doris," she said, "you look very merry. Why are you so happy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Please your Royal Highness, I am going to the fair," answered Doris, "and
+Luke is to meet me there; only," she added, pouting a little, "I wish I had
+a pretty new hat to wear with my new dress."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you are not perfectly happy, so you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> cannot teach me," said Princess
+Fernanda, and then she sighed again.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening at sunset she arose, and went out into the village, and at
+the door of the first cottage to which she came, sat a woman nursing a
+baby, and hushing it to sleep. The baby was fat and rosy, and the mother
+looked down at it proudly.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess stopped, and spoke to her.</p>
+
+<p>"You have a fine little child there," she said. "Surely you must be very
+happy."</p>
+
+<p>The woman smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," she said, "so I am; only just now my goodman is out fishing, and as
+he's rather late, it makes me anxious."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you could not teach me," said the Princess, sighing to herself as she
+moved away. She wandered on till she came to a church, which she entered.
+All was still within, for the church was empty; but before the altar, on a
+splendid bier, lay the body of a young man, who had been killed in the war.
+He was dressed in his gay uniform, and his breast was covered with medals,
+and his sword lay beside<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> him. He was shot through the heart, but his face
+was peaceful and his lips were smiling. The Princess walked to his side,
+and looked at the quiet face. Then she stooped and kissed the cold
+forehead, and envied the soldier. "If he could speak," she said, "he surely
+could teach me. No living mouth could ever smile like that." Then she
+looked up and saw a white angel standing on the other side of the bier, and
+she knew it was Death.</p>
+
+<p>"You have taught him," she said, holding out her arms. "Will you not teach
+me to smile like that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nay," said Death, pointing to the medals on the dead man's breast, "I
+taught him whilst he was doing his duty. I cannot teach you." And so saying
+he vanished from her sight.</p>
+
+<p>She went out from the church down to the sea-shore. There was a high sea,
+and a great wind, a little child had been playing on a row of rocks, and
+had slipped off them into the water, and was struggling among the waves,
+and would soon be drowned, for he was beyond his depth in the water.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When the Princess saw him, she plunged into the water and swam to where the
+child was, and taking him in her arms, placed him safely on the rocks
+again, but the waves were so strong that she could scarcely keep above
+them. As she tried to seize the rocks, she saw Death coming over the water
+towards her, and she turned to meet him gladly.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said he, clasping her in his arms, "I will teach you all you want to
+know;" and he drew her under the water, and she died.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The Kings servants found her lying on the shore, with her face white and
+her lips cold, but smiling as they had never smiled before, and her face
+was very calm. They carried her home, and she was laid out in great state,
+covered with gold and silver.</p>
+
+<p>"She was so wise," sobbed her little maid, as she placed flowers in the
+cold hand, "she knew everything."</p>
+
+<p>"Not everything," said the skylark from the window; "for she asked me,
+ignorant though I am, to teach her how to be happy."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That was the one thing I could not teach her," said the old Wizard,
+looking at the dead Princess's face. "Yet I think now she must be wiser
+than I, and have learned that too. For see how she smiles."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 174px;">
+<img src="images/i217.jpg" width="174" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<h4><i>Printed by</i> <span class="smcap">R. &amp; R. Clark</span>,<br /> <i>Edinburgh</i>.</h4>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde
+and Other Stories, by Mary De Morgan
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 38976-h.htm or 38976-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/9/7/38976/
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This file was produced from images generously made
+available by The Internet Archive.)
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/a1.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/a1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..552eb09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/a1.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/cover.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..adb5836
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/cover.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/frontis.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/frontis.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2ee999
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/frontis.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i014.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i014.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f24e16b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i014.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i043.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i043.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..748c991
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i043.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i055.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i055.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..335395b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i055.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i059.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i059.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a44a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i059.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i060.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i060.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a169dc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i060.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i062.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i062.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0223eb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i062.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i086.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i086.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5021493
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i086.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i099.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i099.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d670c35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i099.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i100.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i100.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a6723c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i100.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i109.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i109.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1efc14f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i109.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i152.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i152.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41984e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i152.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i155.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i155.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b95f859
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i155.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i157.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i157.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be78806
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i157.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i158.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i158.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41cf902
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i158.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i166.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i166.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b01c79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i166.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i167.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i167.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff38dbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i167.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i169.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i169.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..459561e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i169.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i185.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i185.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1bf760b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i185.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i186.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i186.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad19f15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i186.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i200.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i200.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b373307
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i200.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i205.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i205.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa87eff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i205.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i206.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i206.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b40745
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i206.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i210.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i210.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..867e63e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i210.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/i217.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/i217.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92872a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/i217.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/l1.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/l1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25d2443
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/l1.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/l2.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/l2.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79ac2c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/l2.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/o1.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/o1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..932478f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/o1.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/o2.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/o2.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff5ac29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/o2.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/o3.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/o3.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9962b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/o3.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/o4.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/o4.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b777a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/o4.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/titlepage.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/titlepage.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a829b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/titlepage.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976-h/images/tree.jpg b/old/38976-h/images/tree.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c7b6fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976-h/images/tree.jpg
diff --git a/old/38976.txt b/old/38976.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..366dc1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4053 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and
+Other Stories, by Mary De Morgan
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and Other Stories
+
+Author: Mary De Morgan
+
+Illustrator: Walter Crane
+
+Release Date: February 25, 2012 [EBook #38976]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This file was produced from images generously made
+available by The Internet Archive.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE
+
+AND OTHER STORIES
+
+[Illustration: "She was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a
+fountain, feeding the gold fish who swam in the water."--FRONTISPIECE.]
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE;
+
+AND OTHER STORIES
+
+BY
+
+MARY DE MORGAN
+
+[_Author of "On a Pincushion"_]
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+WALTER CRANE
+
+LONDON:
+MACMILLAN & CO:
+1886
+
+
+TO
+
+MY SIX LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES
+
+THESE STORIES ARE AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
+
+BY
+
+THEIR LOVING AUNT
+
+MARY DE MORGAN
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                      PAGE
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE      1
+
+THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON               43
+
+THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN              79
+
+THE PEDLAR'S PACK                      131
+
+THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT                140
+
+THE THREE CLEVER KINGS                 157
+
+THE WISE PRINCESS                      175
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+1. _Frontispiece._
+                                                              PAGE
+
+2. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "PRINCESS FIORIMONDE"             1
+
+3. THE PRINCESS AND HER LOOKING-GLASS               _To face_   29
+
+4. GERVAISE WITH THE NECKLACE                            "      39
+
+5. TAILPIECE                                                    42
+
+6. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON"      43
+
+7. ARASMON AND CHRYSEA PLAYING TO THE VILLAGERS     _To face_   44
+
+8. ARASMON PLAYING BEFORE THE KING                       "      66
+
+9. TAILPIECE                                                    78
+
+10. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN"           79
+
+11. THE PRINCE AND THE WIZARD                       _To face_   87
+
+12. THE PRISON WINDOW                                    "     128
+
+13. TAILPIECE                                                  130
+
+14. HEADING AND INITIAL LETTER, "THE PEDLAR'S PACK"            131
+
+15. THE PEDLAR AND THE DONKEY                       _To face_  131
+
+16. TAILPIECE                                                  139
+
+17. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT"             140
+
+18. THE IMP AND THE BAKER                           _To face_  141
+
+19. TAILPIECE                                                  156
+
+20. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE THREE CLEVER KINGS"              157
+
+21. THE THREE CLEVER KINGS                          _To face_  170
+
+22. TAILPIECE                                                  174
+
+23. HEADING AND INITIAL, "THE WISE PRINCESS"                   175
+
+24. THE WISE PRINCESS ON THE SEA-SHORE              _To face_  178
+
+25. TAILPIECE                                                  184
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once there lived a King, whose wife was dead, but who had a most beautiful
+daughter--so beautiful that every one thought she must be good as well,
+instead of which the Princess was really very wicked, and practised
+witchcraft and black magic, which she had learned from an old witch who
+lived in a hut on the side of a lonely mountain. This old witch was wicked
+and hideous, and no one but the King's daughter knew that she lived there;
+but at night, when every one else was asleep, the Princess, whose name was
+Fiorimonde, used to visit her by stealth to learn sorcery. It was only the
+witch's arts which had made Fiorimonde so beautiful that there was no one
+like her in the world, and in return the Princess helped her with all her
+tricks, and never told any one she was there.
+
+The time came when the King began to think he should like his daughter to
+marry, so he summoned his council and said, "We have no son to reign after
+our death, so we had best seek for a suitable prince to marry to our royal
+daughter, and then, when we are too old, he shall be king in our stead."
+And all the council said he was very wise, and it would be well for the
+Princess to marry. So heralds were sent to all the neighbouring kings and
+princes to say that the King would choose a husband for the Princess, who
+should be king after him. But when Fiorimonde heard this she wept with
+rage, for she knew quite well that if she had a husband he would find out
+how she went to visit the old witch, and would stop her practising magic,
+and then she would lose her beauty.
+
+When night came, and every one in the palace was fast asleep, the Princess
+went to her bedroom window and softly opened it. Then she took from her
+pocket a handful of peas and held them out of the window and chirruped low,
+and there flew down from the roof a small brown bird and sat upon her wrist
+and began to eat the peas. No sooner had it swallowed them than it began to
+grow and grow and grow till it was so big that the Princess could not hold
+it, but let it stand on the window-sill, and still it grew and grew and
+grew till it was as large as an ostrich. Then the Princess climbed out of
+the window and seated herself on the bird's back, and at once it flew
+straight away over the tops of the trees till it came to the mountain where
+the old witch dwelt, and stopped in front of the door of her hut.
+
+The Princess jumped off, and muttered some words through the keyhole, when
+a croaking voice from within called,
+
+"Why do you come to-night? Have I not told you I wished to be left alone
+for thirteen nights; why do you disturb me?"
+
+"But I beg of you to let me in," said the Princess, "for I am in trouble
+and want your help."
+
+"Come in then," said the voice; and the door flew open, and the Princess
+trod into the hut, in the middle of which, wrapped in a gray cloak which
+almost hid her, sat the witch. Princess Fiorimonde sat down near her, and
+told her, her story. How the King wished her to marry, and had sent word to
+the neighbouring princes, that they might make offers for her.
+
+"This is truly bad hearing," croaked the witch, "but we shall beat them
+yet; and you must deal with each Prince as he comes. Would you like them to
+become dogs, to come at your call, or birds, to fly in the air, and sing of
+your beauty, or will you make them all into beads, the beads of such a
+necklace as never woman wore before, so that they may rest upon your neck,
+and you may take them with you always."
+
+"The necklace! the necklace!" cried the Princess, clapping her hands with
+joy. "That will be best of all, to sling them upon a string and wear them
+around my throat. Little will the courtiers know whence come my new
+jewels."
+
+"But this is a dangerous play," quoth the witch, "for, unless you are very
+careful, you yourself may become a bead and hang upon the string with the
+others, and there you will remain till some one cuts the string, and draws
+you off."
+
+"Nay, never fear," said the Princess, "I will be careful, only tell me what
+to do, and I will have great princes and kings to adorn me, and all their
+greatness shall not help them."
+
+Then the witch dipped her hand into a black bag which stood on the ground
+beside her, and drew out a long gold thread.
+
+The ends were joined together, but no one could see the joins, and however
+much you pulled, it would not break. It would easily go over Fiorimonde's
+head, and the witch slipped it on her neck saying,
+
+"Now mind, while this hangs here you are safe enough, but if once you join
+your fingers around the string you too will meet the fate of your lovers,
+and hang upon it yourself. As for the kings and princes who would marry
+you, all you have to do is to make them close their fingers around the
+chain, and at once they will be strung upon it as bright hard beads, and
+there they shall remain, till it is cut and they drop off."
+
+"This is really delightful," cried the Princess; "and I am already quite
+impatient for the first to come that I may try."
+
+"And now," said the witch, "since you are here, and there is yet time, we
+will have a dance, and I will summon the guests." So saying, she took from
+a corner a drum and a pair of drum-sticks, and going to the door, began to
+beat upon it. It made a terrible rattling. In a moment came flying through
+the air all sorts of forms. There were little dark elves with long tails,
+and goblins who chattered and laughed, and other witches who rode on
+broom-sticks. There was one wicked fairy in the form of a large cat, with
+bright green eyes, and another came sliding in like a long shining viper.
+
+Then, when all had arrived, the witch stopped drumming, and, going to the
+middle of the hut, stamped on the floor, and a trap-door opened in the
+ground. The old witch stepped through it, and led the way down a narrow
+dark passage, to a large underground chamber, and all her strange guests
+followed, and here they all danced and made merry in a terrible way, but at
+first sound of cock-crow all the guests disappeared with a whiff, and the
+Princess hastened up the dark passage again, and out of the hut to where
+her big bird still waited for her, and mounting its back she flew home in a
+trice. Then, when she had stepped in at her bedroom window, she poured into
+a cup from a small black bottle, a few drops of magic water, and gave it to
+the bird to drink, and as it sipped it grew smaller, and smaller, till at
+last it had quite regained its natural size, and hopped on to the roof as
+before, and the Princess shut her window, and got into bed, and fell
+asleep, and no one knew of her strange journey, or where she had been.
+
+Next day Fiorimonde declared to her father the King, that she was quite
+willing to wed any prince he should fix upon as a husband for her, at which
+he was much pleased, and soon after informed her, that a young king was
+coming from over the sea to be her husband. He was king of a large rich
+country, and would take back his bride with him to his home. He was called
+King Pierrot. Great preparations were made for his arrival, and the
+Princess was decked in her finest array to greet him, and when he came all
+the courtiers said, "This is truly a proper husband for our beautiful
+Princess," for he was strong and handsome, with black hair, and eyes like
+sloes. King Pierrot was delighted with Fiorimonde's beauty, and was happy
+as the day is long; and all things went merrily till the evening before the
+marriage. A great feast was held, at which the Princess looked lovelier
+than ever dressed in a red gown, the colour of the inside of a rose, but
+she wore no jewels nor ornaments of any kind, save one shining gold string
+round her milk-white throat.
+
+When the feast was done, the Princess stepped from her golden chair at her
+father's side, and walked softly into the garden, and stood under an
+elm-tree looking at the shining moon. In a few moments King Pierrot
+followed her, and stood beside her, looking at her and wondering at her
+beauty.
+
+"To-morrow, then, my sweet Princess, you will be my Queen, and share all I
+possess. What gift would you wish me to give you on our wedding day?"
+
+"I would have a necklace wrought of the finest gold and jewels to be found,
+and just the length of this gold cord which I wear around my throat,"
+answered Princess Fiorimonde.
+
+"Why do you wear that cord?" asked King Pierrot; "it has no jewel nor
+ornament about it."
+
+"Nay, but there is no cord like mine in all the world," cried Fiorimonde,
+and her eyes sparkled wickedly as she spoke; "it is as light as a feather,
+but stronger than an iron chain. Take it in both hands and try to break it,
+that you may see how strong it is;" and King Pierrot took the cord in both
+hands to pull it hard; but no sooner were his fingers closed around it than
+he vanished like a puff of smoke, and on the cord appeared a bright,
+beautiful bead--so bright and beautiful as was never bead before--clear as
+crystal, but shining with all colours--green, blue, and gold.
+
+Princess Fiorimonde gazed down at it and laughed aloud.
+
+"Aha, my proud lover! are you there?" she cried with glee; "my necklace
+bids fair to beat all others in the world," and she caressed the bead with
+the tips of her soft, white fingers, but was careful that they did not
+close round the string. Then she returned into the banqueting hall, and
+spoke to the King.
+
+"Pray, sire," said she, "send some one at once to find King Pierrot, for,
+as he was talking to me a minute ago, he suddenly left me, and I am afraid
+lest I may have given him offence, or perhaps he is ill."
+
+The King desired that the servants should seek for King Pierrot all over
+the grounds, and seek him they did, but nowhere was he to be found, and the
+old King looked offended.
+
+"Doubtless he will be ready to-morrow in time for the wedding," quoth he,
+"but we are not best pleased that he should treat us in this way."
+
+Princess Fiorimonde had a little maid called Yolande. She was a
+bright-faced girl with merry brown eyes, but she was not beautiful like
+Fiorimonde, and she did not love her mistress, for she was afraid of her,
+and suspected her of her wicked ways. When she undressed her that night she
+noticed the gold cord, and the one bright bead upon it, and as she combed
+the Princess's hair she looked over her shoulder into the looking-glass,
+and saw how she laughed, and how fondly she looked at the cord, and
+caressed the bead, again and again with her fingers.
+
+"That is a wonderful bead on your Highness's cord," said Yolande, looking
+at its reflection in the mirror; "surely it must be a bridal gift from King
+Pierrot."
+
+"And so it is, little Yolande," cried Fiorimonde, laughing merrily; "and
+the best gift he could give me. But I think one bead alone looks ugly and
+ungainly; soon I hope I shall have another, and another, and another, all
+as beautiful as the first."
+
+Then Yolande shook her head, and said to herself, "This bodes no good."
+
+Next morning all was prepared for the marriage, and the Princess was
+dressed in white satin and pearls with a long white lace veil over her, and
+a bridal wreath on her head, and she stood waiting among her grandly
+dressed ladies, who all said that such a beautiful bride had never been
+seen in the world before. But just as they were preparing to go down to the
+fine company in the hall, a messenger came in great haste summoning the
+Princess at once to her father the King, as he was much perplexed.
+
+"My daughter," cried he, as Fiorimonde in all her bridal array entered the
+room where he sat alone, "what can we do? King Pierrot is nowhere to be
+found; I fear lest he may have been seized by robbers and basely murdered
+for his rich clothes, or carried away to some mountain and left there to
+starve. My soldiers are gone far and wide to seek him--and we shall hear
+of him ere day is done--but where there is no bridegroom there can be no
+bridal."
+
+"Then let it be put off, my father," cried the Princess, "and to-morrow we
+shall know if it is for a wedding, or a funeral, we must dress;" and she
+pretended to weep, but even then could hardly keep from laughing.
+
+So the wedding guests went away, and the Princess laid aside her bridal
+dress, and all waited anxiously for news of King Pierrot; and no news came.
+So at last every one gave him up for dead, and mourned for him, and
+wondered how he had met his fate.
+
+Princess Fiorimonde put on a black gown, and begged to be allowed to live
+in seclusion for one month in which to grieve for King Pierrot; but when
+she was again alone in her bedroom she sat before her looking-glass and
+laughed till tears ran down her cheeks; and Yolande watched her, and
+trembled, when she heard her laughter. She noticed, too, that beneath her
+black gown, the Princess still wore her gold cord, and did not move it
+night or day.
+
+The month had barely passed away when the King came to his daughter, and
+announced that another suitor had presented himself, whom he should much
+like to be her husband. The Princess agreed quite obediently to all her
+father said; and it was arranged that the marriage should take place. This
+new prince was called Prince Hildebrandt. He came from a country far north,
+of which one day he would be king. He was tall, and fair, and strong, with
+flaxen hair and bright blue eyes. When Princess Fiorimonde saw his portrait
+she was much pleased, and said, "By all means let him come, and the sooner
+the better." So she put off her black clothes, and again great preparations
+were made for a wedding; and King Pierrot was quite forgotten.
+
+Prince Hildebrandt came, and with him many fine gentlemen, and they brought
+beautiful gifts for the bride. The evening of his arrival all went well,
+and again there was a grand feast, and Fiorimonde looked so beautiful that
+Prince Hildebrandt was delighted; and this time she did not leave her
+father's side, but sat by him all the evening.
+
+Early next morning at sunrise, when every one was still sleeping, the
+Princess rose, and dressed herself in a plain white gown, and brushed all
+her hair over her shoulders, and crept quietly downstairs into the palace
+gardens; then she walked on till she came beneath the window of Prince
+Hildebrandt's room, and here she paused and began to sing a little song as
+sweet and joyous as a lark's. When Prince Hildebrandt heard it he got up
+and went to the window and looked out to see who sang, and when he saw
+Fiorimonde standing in the red sunrise-light, which made her hair look
+gold, and her face rosy, he made haste to dress himself and go down to meet
+her.
+
+"How, my Princess," cried he, as he stepped into the garden beside her.
+"This is indeed great happiness to meet you here so early. Tell me why do
+you come out at sunrise to sing by yourself?"
+
+"I come that I may see the colours of the sky--red, blue, and gold,"
+answered the Princess. "Look, there are no such colours to be seen
+anywhere, unless, indeed, it be in this bead which I wear here on my
+golden cord.
+
+"What is that bead, and where did it come from?" asked Hildebrandt.
+
+"It came from over the sea, where it shall never return again," answered
+the Princess. And again her eyes began to sparkle with eagerness, and she
+could scarcely conceal her mirth. "Lift the cord off my neck and look at it
+near, and tell me if you ever saw one like it."
+
+Hildebrandt put out his hands and took hold of the cord, but no sooner were
+his fingers closed around it than he vanished, and a new bright bead was
+slung next to the first one on Fiorimonde's chain, and this one was even
+more beautiful than the other.
+
+The Princess gave a long low laugh, quite terrible to hear.
+
+"Oh, my sweet necklace," cried she, "how beautiful you are growing! I think
+I love you more than anything in the world besides." Then she went softly
+back to bed, without any one hearing her, and fell sound asleep, and slept
+till Yolande came to tell her it was time for her to get up and dress for
+the wedding.
+
+The Princess was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and only Yolande noticed that
+beneath her satin gown, she wore the golden cord, but now there were two
+beads upon it instead of one. Scarcely was she ready when the King burst
+into her room in a towering rage.
+
+"My daughter," cried he, "there is a plot against us. Lay aside your bridal
+attire and think no more of Prince Hildebrandt, for he too has disappeared,
+and is nowhere to be found."
+
+At this the Princess wept, and entreated that Hildebrandt should be sought
+for far and near, but she laughed to herself, and said, "Search where you
+will, yet you shall not find him;" and so again a great search was made,
+and when no trace of the Prince was found, all the palace was in an uproar.
+
+The Princess again put off her bride's dress and clad herself in black, and
+sat alone, and pretended to weep, but Yolande, who watched her, shook her
+head, and said, "More will come and go before the wicked Princess has done
+her worst."
+
+A month passed, in which Fiorimonde pretended to mourn for Hildebrandt,
+then she went to the King and said,
+
+"Sire, I pray that you will not let people say that when any bridegroom
+comes to marry me, as soon as he has seen me he flies rather than be my
+husband. I beg that suitors may be summoned from far and near that I may
+not be left alone unwed."
+
+The King agreed, and envoys were sent all the world over to bid any who
+would come and be the husband of Princess Fiorimonde. And come they did,
+kings and princes from south and north, east and west,--King Adrian, Prince
+Sigbert, Prince Algar, and many more,--but though all went well till the
+wedding morning, when it was time to go to church, no bridegroom was to be
+found. The old King was sadly frightened, and would fain have given up all
+hope of finding a husband for the Princess, but now she implored him, with
+tears in her eyes, not to let her be disgraced in this way. And so suitor
+after suitor continued to come, and now it was known, far and wide, that
+whoever came to ask for the hand of Princess Fiorimonde vanished, and was
+seen no more of men. The courtiers were afraid and whispered under their
+breath, "It is not all right, it cannot be;" but only Yolande noticed how
+the beads came upon the golden thread, till it was well-nigh covered, yet
+there always was room for one bead more.
+
+So the years passed, and every year Princess Fiorimonde grew lovelier and
+lovelier, so that no one who saw her could guess how wicked she was.
+
+In a far off country lived a young prince whose name was Florestan. He had
+a dear friend named Gervaise, whom he loved better than any one in the
+world. Gervaise was tall, and broad, and stout of limb, and he loved Prince
+Florestan so well, that he would gladly have died to serve him.
+
+It chanced that Prince Florestan saw a portrait of Princess Fiorimonde, and
+at once swore he would go to her father's court, and beg that he might
+have her for his wife, and Gervaise in vain tried to dissuade him.
+
+"There is an evil fate about the Princess Fiorimonde," quoth he; "many have
+gone to marry her, but where are they now?"
+
+"I don't know or care," answered Florestan, "but this is sure, that I will
+wed her and return here, and bring my bride with me."
+
+So he set out for Fiorimonde's home, and Gervaise went with him with a
+heavy heart.
+
+When they reached the court, the old King received them and welcomed them
+warmly, and he said to his courtiers, "Here is a fine young prince to whom
+we would gladly see our daughter wed. Let us hope that this time all will
+be well." But now Fiorimonde had grown so bold, that she scarcely tried to
+conceal her mirth.
+
+"I will gladly marry him to-morrow, if he comes to the church," she said;
+"but if he is not there, what can I do," and she laughed long and merrily,
+till those who heard her shuddered.
+
+When the Princess's ladies came to tell her that Prince Florestan was
+arrived, she was in the garden, lying on the marble edge of a fountain,
+feeding the gold fish who swam in the water.
+
+"Bid him come to me," she said, "for I will not go any more in state to
+meet any suitors, neither will I put on grand attire for them. Let him come
+and find me as I am, since all find it so easy to come and go." So her
+ladies told the prince that Fiorimonde waited for him near the fountain.
+
+She did not rise when he came to where she lay, but his heart bounded with
+joy, for he had never in his life beheld such a beautiful woman.
+
+She wore a thin soft white dress, which clung to her lithe figure. Her
+beautiful arms and hands were bare, and she dabbled with them in the water,
+and played with the fish. Her great blue eyes were sparkling with mirth,
+and were so beautiful, that no one noticed the wicked look hid in them; and
+on her neck lay the marvellous many-coloured necklace, which was itself a
+wonder to behold.
+
+"You have my best greetings, Prince Florestan," she said. "And you, too,
+would be my suitor. Have you thought well of what you would do, since so
+many princes who have seen me have fled for ever, rather than marry me?"
+and as she spoke, she raised her white hand from the water, and held it out
+to the Prince, who stooped and kissed it, and scarcely knew how to answer
+her for bewilderment at her great loveliness.
+
+Gervaise followed his master at a short distance, but he was ill at ease,
+and trembled for fear of what should come.
+
+"Come, bid your friend leave us," said Fiorimonde, looking at Gervaise,
+"and sit beside me, and tell me of your home, and why you wish to marry me,
+and all pleasant things."
+
+Florestan begged that Gervaise would leave them for a little, and he walked
+slowly away, in a very mournful mood.
+
+He went on down the walks, not heeding where he was going, till he met
+Yolande, who stood beneath a tree laden with rosy apples, picking the
+fruit, and throwing it into a basket at her feet. He would have passed her
+in silence, but she stopped him, and said,
+
+"Have you come with the new Prince? Do you love your master?"
+
+"Ay, better than any one else on the earth," answered Gervaise. "Why do you
+ask?"
+
+"And where is he now," said Yolande, not heeding Gervaise's question.
+
+"He sits by the fountain with the beautiful Princess," said Gervaise.
+
+"Then, I hope you have said good-bye to him well, for be assured you shall
+never see him again," said Yolande nodding her head.
+
+"Why not, and who are you to talk like this?" asked Gervaise.
+
+"My name is Yolande," answered she, "and I am Princess Fiorimonde's maid.
+Do you not know that Prince Florestan is the eleventh lover who has come to
+marry her, and one by one they have disappeared, and only I know where they
+are gone."
+
+"And where are they gone?" cried Gervaise, "and why do you not tell the
+world, and prevent good men being lost like this?"
+
+"Because I fear my mistress," said Yolande, speaking low and drawing near
+to him; "she is a sorceress, and she wears the brave kings and princes who
+come to woo her, strung upon a cord round her neck. Each one forms the bead
+of a necklace which she wears, both day and night. I have watched that
+necklace growing; first it was only an empty gold thread; then came King
+Pierrot, and when he disappeared the first bead appeared upon it. Then came
+Hildebrandt, and two beads were on the string instead of one; then followed
+Adrian, Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Baldwyn, and
+Leofric, and Raoul, and all are gone, and ten beads hang upon the string,
+and to-night there will be eleven, and the eleventh will be your Prince
+Florestan."
+
+"If this be so," cried Gervaise, "I will never rest till I have plunged my
+sword into Fiorimonde's heart;" but Yolande shook her head.
+
+"She is a sorceress," she said, "and it might be hard to kill her; besides,
+that might not break the spell, and bring back the princes to life. I wish
+I could show you the necklace, and you might count the beads, and see if I
+do not speak truth, but it is always about her neck, both night and day, so
+it is impossible."
+
+"Take me to her room to-night when she is asleep, and let me see it there,"
+said Gervaise.
+
+"Very well, we will try," said Yolande; "but you must be very still, and
+make no noise, for if she wakes, remember it will be worse for us both."
+
+When night came and all in the palace were fast asleep, Gervaise and
+Yolande met in the great hall, and Yolande told him that the Princess
+slumbered soundly.
+
+"So now let us go," said she, "and I will show you the necklace on which
+Fiorimonde wears her lovers strung like beads, though how she transforms
+them I know not."
+
+"Stay one instant, Yolande," said Gervaise, holding her back, as she would
+have tripped upstairs. "Perhaps, try how I may, I shall be beaten, and
+either die or become a bead like those who have come before me. But if I
+succeed and rid the land of your wicked Princess, what will you promise me
+for a reward?"
+
+"What would you have?" asked Yolande.
+
+"I would have you say you will be my wife, and come back with me to my own
+land," said Gervaise.
+
+"That I will promise gladly," said Yolande, kissing him, "but we must not
+speak or think of this till we have cut the cord from Fiorimonde's neck,
+and all her lovers are set free."
+
+So they went softly up to the Princess's room, Yolande holding a small
+lantern, which gave only a dim light. There, in her grand bed, lay Princess
+Fiorimonde. They could just see her by the lantern's light, and she looked
+so beautiful that Gervaise began to think Yolande spoke falsely, when she
+said she was so wicked.
+
+Her face was calm and sweet as a baby's; her hair fell in ruddy waves on
+the pillow; her rosy lips smiled, and little dimples showed in her cheeks;
+her white soft hands were folded amidst the scented lace and linen of which
+the bed was made. Gervaise almost forgot to look at the glittering beads
+hung round her throat, in wondering at her loveliness, but Yolande pulled
+him by the arm.
+
+"Do not look at her," she whispered softly, "since her beauty has cost dear
+already; look rather at what remains of those who thought her as fair as
+you do now; see here," and she pointed with her finger to each bead in
+turn.
+
+"This was Pierrot, and this Hildebrandt, and these are Adrian, and Sigbert,
+and Algar, and Cenred, and that is Pharamond, and that Raoul, and last of
+all here is your own master Prince Florestan. Seek him now where you will
+and you will not find him, and you shall never see him again till the cord
+is cut and the charm broken."
+
+"Of what is the cord made?" whispered Gervaise.
+
+"It is of the finest gold," she answered. "Nay, do not you touch her lest
+she wake. I will show it to you." And Yolande put down the lantern and
+softly put out her hands to slip the beads aside, but as she did so, her
+fingers closed around the golden string, and directly she was gone. Another
+bead was added to the necklace, and Gervaise was alone with the sleeping
+Princess. He gazed about him in sore amazement and fear. He dared not call
+lest Fiorimonde should wake.
+
+"Yolande," he whispered as loud as he dared, "Yolande where are you?" but
+no Yolande answered.
+
+Then he bent down over the Princess and gazed at the necklace. Another bead
+was strung upon it next to the one to which Yolande had pointed as Prince
+Florestan. Again he counted them. "Eleven before, now there are twelve. Oh
+hateful Princess! I know now where go the brave kings and princes who came
+to woo you, and where, too, is my Yolande," and as he looked at the last
+bead, tears filled his eyes. It was brighter and clearer than the others,
+and of a warm red hue, like the red dress Yolande had worn. The Princess
+turned and laughed in her sleep, and at the sound of her laughter Gervaise
+was filled with horror and loathing. He crept shuddering from the room, and
+all night long sat up alone, plotting how he might defeat Fiorimonde, and
+set Florestan and Yolande free.
+
+[Illustration: "Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her
+necklace and counted its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead
+was added to the string."--P. 29.]
+
+Next morning when Fiorimonde dressed she looked at her necklace and counted
+its beads, but she was much perplexed, for a new bead was added to the
+string.
+
+"Who can have come and grasped my chain unknown to me?" she said to
+herself, and she sat and pondered for a long time. At last she broke into
+weird laughter.
+
+"At any rate, whoever it was, is fitly punished," quoth she. "My brave
+necklace, you can take care of yourself, and if any one tries to steal you,
+they will get their reward, and add to my glory. In truth I may sleep in
+peace, and fear nothing."
+
+The day passed away and no one missed Yolande. Towards sunset the rain
+began to pour in torrents, and there was such a terrible thunderstorm that
+every one was frightened. The thunder roared, the lightning gleamed flash
+after flash, every moment it grew fiercer and fiercer. The sky was so dark
+that, save for the lightning's light, nothing could be seen, but Princess
+Fiorimonde loved the thunder and lightning.
+
+She sat in a room high up in one of the towers, clad in a black velvet
+dress, and she watched the lightning from the window, and laughed at each
+peal of thunder. In the midst of the storm a stranger, wrapped in a cloak,
+rode to the palace door, and the ladies ran to tell the Princess that a new
+prince had come to be her suitor. "And he will not tell his name," said
+they, "but says he hears that all are bidden to ask for the hand of
+Princess Fiorimonde, and he too would try his good fortune."
+
+"Let him come at once," cried the Princess. "Be he prince or knave what
+care I? If princes all fly from me it may be better to marry a peasant."
+
+So they led the new-comer up to the room where Fiorimonde sat. He was
+wrapped in a thick cloak, but he flung it aside as he came in, and showed
+how rich was his silken clothing underneath; and so well was he disguised,
+that Fiorimonde never saw that it was Gervaise, but looked at him, and
+thought she had never seen him before.
+
+"You are most welcome, stranger prince, who has come through such
+lightning and thunder to find me," said she. "Is it true, then, that you
+wish to be my suitor? What have you heard of me?"
+
+"It is quite true, Princess," said Gervaise. "And I have heard that you are
+the most beautiful woman in the world."
+
+"And is that true also?" asked the Princess. "Look at me now, and see."
+
+Gervaise looked at her and in his heart he said, "It is quite true, oh
+wicked Princess! There never was woman as beautiful as you, and never
+before did I hate a woman as I hate you now;" but aloud he said,
+
+"No, Princess, that is not true; you are very beautiful, but I have seen a
+woman who is fairer than you for all that your skin looks ivory against
+your velvet dress, and your hair is like gold."
+
+"A woman who is fairer than I?" cried Fiorimonde, and her breast began to
+heave and her eyes to sparkle with rage, for never before had she heard
+such a thing said. "Who are you who dares come and tell me of women more
+beautiful than I am?"
+
+"I am a suitor who asks to be your husband, Princess," answered Gervaise,
+"but still I say I have seen a woman who was fairer than you."
+
+"Who is she--where is she?" cried Fiorimonde, who could scarcely contain
+her anger. "Bring her here at once that I may see if you speak the truth."
+
+"What will you give me to bring her to you?" said Gervaise. "Give me that
+necklace you wear on your neck, and then I will summon her in an instant;"
+but Fiorimonde shook her head.
+
+"You have asked," said she, "for the only thing from which I cannot part,"
+and then she bade her maids bring her her jewel-casket, and she drew out
+diamonds, and rubies, and pearls, and offered them, all or any, to
+Gervaise. The lightning shone on them and made them shine and flash, but he
+shook his head.
+
+"No, none of these will do," quoth he. "You can see her for the necklace,
+but for nothing else."
+
+"Take it off for yourself then," cried Fiorimonde, who now was so angry
+that she only wished to be rid of Gervaise in any way.
+
+"No, indeed," said Gervaise, "I am no tire-woman, and should not know how
+to clasp and unclasp it;" and in spite of all Fiorimonde could say or do,
+he would not touch either her or the magic chain.
+
+At night the storm grew even fiercer, but it did not trouble the Princess.
+She waited till all were asleep, and then she opened her bedroom window and
+chirruped softly to the little brown bird, who flew down from the roof at
+her call. Then she gave him a handful of seeds as before, and he grew and
+grew and grew till he was as large as an ostrich, and she sat upon his back
+and flew out through the air, laughing at the lightning and thunder which
+flashed and roared around her. Away they flew till they came to the old
+witch's cave, and here they found the witch sitting at her open door
+catching the lightning to make charms with.
+
+"Welcome, my dear," croaked she, as Fiorimonde stepped from the bird; "here
+is a night we both love well. And how goes the necklace?--right merrily I
+see. Twelve beads already--but what is that twelfth?" and she looked at it
+closely.
+
+"Nay, that is one thing I want you to tell me," said Fiorimonde, drying the
+rain from her golden hair. "Last night when I slept there were eleven, and
+this morning there are twelve; and I know not from whence comes the
+twelfth."
+
+"It is no suitor," said the witch, "but from some young maid, that that
+bead is made. But why should you mind? It looks well with the others."
+
+"Some young maid," said the Princess. "Then, it must be Cicely or Marybel,
+or Yolande, who would have robbed me of my necklace as I slept. But what
+care I? The silly wench is punished now, and so may all others be, who
+would do the same."
+
+"And when will you get the thirteenth bead, and where will he come from?"
+asked the witch.
+
+"He waits at the palace now," said Fiorimonde, chuckling. "And this is why
+I have to speak to you;" and then she told the witch of the stranger who
+had come in the storm, and of how he would not touch her necklace, nor take
+the cord in his hand, and how he said also that he knew a woman fairer than
+she.
+
+"Beware, Princess, beware," cried the witch in a warning voice, as she
+listened. "Why should you heed tales of other women fairer than you? Have I
+not made you the most beautiful woman in the world, and can any others do
+more than I? Give no ear to what this stranger says or you shall rue it."
+But still the Princess murmured, and said she did not love to hear any one
+speak of others as beautiful as she.
+
+"Be warned in time," cried the witch, "or you will have cause to repent it.
+Are you so silly or so vain as to be troubled because a Prince says idly
+what you know is not true? I tell you do not listen to him, but let him be
+slung to your chain as soon as may be, and then he will speak no more." And
+then they talked together of how Fiorimonde could make Gervaise grasp the
+fatal string.
+
+Next morning when the sun rose, Gervaise started off into the woods, and
+there he plucked acorns and haws, and hips, and strung them on to a string
+to form a rude necklace. This he hid in his bosom, and then went back to
+the palace without telling any one.
+
+When the Princess rose, she dressed herself as beautifully as she could,
+and braided her golden locks with great care, for this morning she meant
+her new suitor to meet his fate. After breakfast, she stepped into the
+garden, where the sun shone brightly, and all looked fresh after the storm.
+Here from the grass she picked up a golden ball, and began to play with it.
+
+"Go to our new guest," cried she to her ladies, "and ask him to come here
+and play at ball with me." So they went, and soon they returned bringing
+Gervaise with them.
+
+"Good morrow, prince," cried she. "Pray, come and try your skill at this
+game with me; and you," she said to her ladies, "do not wait to watch our
+play, but each go your way, and do what pleases you best." So they all went
+away, and left her alone with Gervaise.
+
+"Well, prince," cried she as they began to play, "what do you think of me
+by morning light? Yesterday when you came it was so dark, with thunder and
+clouds, that you could scarcely see my face, but now that there is bright
+sunshine, pray look well at me, and see if you do not think me as beautiful
+as any woman on earth," and she smiled at Gervaise, and looked so lovely as
+she spoke, that he scarce knew how to answer her; but he remembered
+Yolande, and said,
+
+"Doubtless you are very beautiful; then why should you mind my telling you
+that I have seen a woman lovelier than you?"
+
+At this the Princess again began to be angry, but she thought of the
+witch's words and said,
+
+"Then, if you think there is a woman fairer than I, look at my beads, and
+now, that you see their colours in the sun, say if you ever saw such jewels
+before."
+
+"It is true I have never seen beads like yours, but I have a necklace here,
+which pleases me better;" and from his pocket he drew the haws and acorns,
+which he had strung together.
+
+"What is that necklace, and where did you get it? Show it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde; but Gervaise held it out of her reach, and said,
+
+"I like my necklace better than yours, Princess; and, believe me, there is
+no necklace like mine in all the world."
+
+"Why; is it a fairy necklace? What does it do? Pray give it to me!" cried
+Fiorimonde, trembling with anger and curiosity, for she thought, "Perhaps
+it has power to make the wearer beautiful; perhaps it was worn by the woman
+whom he thought more beautiful than I, and that is why she looked so fair."
+
+"Come, I will make a fair exchange," said Gervaise. "Give me your necklace
+and you shall have mine, and when it is round your throat I will truthfully
+say that you are the fairest woman in the world; but first I must have your
+necklace."
+
+[Illustration: "Then he picked up the necklace on the point of his sword
+and carried it, slung thereon, into the council chamber."--P. 39.]
+
+"Take it, then," cried the Princess, who, in her rage and eagerness, forgot
+all else, and she seized the string of beads to lift it from her neck, but
+no sooner had she taken it in her hands than they fell with a rattle to the
+earth, and Fiorimonde herself was nowhere to be seen. Gervaise bent down
+over the necklace as it lay upon the grass, and, with a smile, counted
+thirteen beads; and he knew that the thirteenth was the wicked Princess,
+who had herself met the evil fate she had prepared for so many others.
+
+"Oh, clever Princess!" cried he, laughing aloud, "you are not so very
+clever, I think, to be so easily outwitted." Then he picked up the necklace
+on the point of the sword and carried it, slung thereon, into the council
+chamber, where sat the King surrounded by statesmen and courtiers busy with
+state affairs.
+
+"Pray, King," said Gervaise, "send some one to seek for Princess
+Fiorimonde. A moment ago she played with me at ball in the garden, and now
+she is nowhere to be seen."
+
+The King desired that servants should seek her Royal Highness; but they
+came back saying she was not to be found.
+
+"Then let me see if I cannot bring her to you; but first let those who have
+been longer lost than she, come and tell their own tale." And, so saying,
+Gervaise let the necklace slip from his sword on to the floor, and taking
+from his breast a sharp dagger, proceeded to cut the golden thread on which
+the beads were strung and as he clave it in two there came a mighty noise
+like a clap of thunder.
+
+"Now;" cried he, "look, and see King Pierrot who was lost," and as he spoke
+he drew from the cord a bead, and King Pierrot, in his royal clothes, with
+his sword at his side, stood before them.
+
+"Treachery!" he cried, but ere he could say more Gervaise had drawn off
+another bead, and King Hildebrandt appeared, and after him came Adrian, and
+Sigbert, and Algar, and Cenred, and Pharamond, and Raoul, and last of the
+princes, Gervaise's own dear master Florestan, and they all denounced
+Princess Fiorimonde and her wickedness.
+
+"And now," cried Gervaise, "here is she who has helped to save you all,"
+and he drew off the twelfth bead, and there stood Yolande in her red
+dress; and when he saw her Gervaise flung away his dagger and took her in
+his arms, and they wept for joy.
+
+The King and all the courtiers sat pale and trembling, unable to speak for
+fear and shame. At length the King said with a deep groan,
+
+"We owe you deep amends, O noble kings and princes! What punishment do you
+wish us to prepare for our most guilty daughter?" but here Gervaise stopped
+him, and said,
+
+"Give her no other punishment than what she has chosen for herself. See,
+here she is, the thirteenth bead upon the string; let no one dare to draw
+it off, but let this string be hung up where all people can see it and see
+the one bead, and know the wicked Princess is punished for her sorcery, so
+it will be a warning to others who would do like her."
+
+So they lifted the golden thread with great care and hung it up outside the
+town-hall, and there the one bead glittered and gleamed in the sunlight,
+and all who saw it knew that it was the wicked Princess Fiorimonde who had
+justly met her fate.
+
+Then all the kings and princes thanked Gervaise and Yolande, and loaded
+them with presents, and each went to his own land.
+
+And Gervaise married Yolande, and they went back with Prince Florestan to
+their home, and all lived happily to the end of their lives.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE WANDERINGS OF ARASMON
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Long ago there lived a wandering musician and his wife, whose names were
+Arasmon and Chrysea. Arasmon played upon a lute to which Chrysea sang, and
+their music was so beautiful that people followed them in crowds and gave
+them as much money as they wanted. When Arasmon played all who heard him
+were silent from wonder and admiration, but when Chrysea sang they could
+not refrain from weeping, for her voice was more beautiful than anything
+they had ever heard before.
+
+Both were young and lovely, and were as happy as the day was long, for they
+loved each other dearly, and liked wandering about seeing new countries
+and people and making sweet music. They went to all sorts of places,
+sometimes to big cities, sometimes to little villages, sometimes to lonely
+cottages by the sea-shore, and sometimes they strolled along the green
+lanes and fields, singing and playing so exquisitely, that the very birds
+flew down from the trees to listen to them.
+
+One day they crossed a dark line of hills, and came out on a wild moorland
+country, where they had never been before. On the side of the hill they saw
+a little village, and at once turned towards it, but as they drew near
+Chrysea said,
+
+"What gloomy place is this? See how dark and miserable it looks."
+
+[Illustration: "One by one the villagers came out of their cottages, and
+gathered round them to listen."--P. 44.]
+
+"Let us try to cheer it with some music," said Arasmon, and began to play
+upon his lute, while Chrysea sang. One by one the villagers came out of
+their cottages and gathered round them to listen, but Chrysea thought she
+had never before seen such forlorn-looking people. They were thin and bent,
+their faces were pale and haggard, also their clothes looked old and
+threadbare, and in some places were worn into holes. But they crowded about
+Arasmon and Chrysea, and begged them to go on playing and singing, and as
+they listened the women shed tears, and the men hid their faces and were
+silent. When they stopped, the people began to feel in their pockets as if
+to find some coins, but Arasmon cried,
+
+"Nay, good friends, keep your money for yourselves. You have not too much
+of it, to judge by your looks. But let us stay with you for to-night, and
+give us food and lodging, and we shall think ourselves well paid, and will
+play and sing to you as much as you like."
+
+"Stay with us as long as you can, stay with us always," begged the people;
+and each one entreated to be allowed to receive the strangers and give them
+the best they had. So Arasmon and Chrysea played and sang to them till they
+were tired, and at last, when the heavy rain began to fall, they turned
+towards the village, but as they passed through its narrow streets they
+thought the place itself looked even sadder than its inmates. The houses
+were ill-built, and seemed to be almost tumbling down. The streets were
+uneven and badly kept. In the gardens they saw no flowers, but dank dark
+weeds. They went into a cottage which the people pointed out to them, and
+Arasmon lay down by the fire, calling to Chrysea to rest also, as they had
+walked far, and she must be weary. He soon fell asleep, but Chrysea sat at
+the door watching the dark clouds as they drifted over the darker houses.
+Outside the cottage hung a blackbird in a cage, with drooping wings and
+scanty plumage. It was the only animal they had yet seen in the village,
+for of cats or dogs or singing-birds there seemed to be none.
+
+When she saw it, Chrysea turned to the woman of the house, who stood beside
+her, and said,
+
+"Why don't you let it go? It would be much happier flying about in the
+sunshine."
+
+"The sun never shines here," said the woman sadly. "It could not pierce
+through the dark clouds which hang over the village. Besides, we do not
+think of happiness. It is as much as we can do to live."
+
+"But tell me," said Chrysea, "what is it that makes you so sad and your
+village such a dreary place? I have been to many towns in my life, but to
+none which looked like this."
+
+"Don't you know," said the woman, "that this place is spell-bound?"
+
+"Spell-bound?" cried Chrysea. "What do you mean?"
+
+The woman turned and pointed towards the moor. "Over yonder," she said,
+"dwells a terrible old wizard by whom we are bewitched, and he has a number
+of little dark elves who are his servants, and these are they who make our
+village what you see it. You don't know how sad it is to live here. The
+elves steal our eggs, and milk, and poultry, so that there is never enough
+for us to eat, and we are half-starved. They pull down our houses, and undo
+our work as fast as we do it. They steal our corn when it is standing in
+sheaves, so that we find nothing but empty husks;" and as she ceased
+speaking the woman sighed heavily.
+
+"But if they do all this harm," said Chrysea, "why do not some of you go
+to the moor and drive them away?"
+
+"It is part of the spell," said the woman, "that we can neither hear nor
+see them. I have heard my grandfather say that in the old time this place
+was no different to others, but one day this terrible old magician came and
+offered the villagers a great deal of money if they would let him dwell
+upon the moor; for before that it was covered with golden gorse and
+heather, and the country folk held all their merrymakings there, but they
+were tempted with the gold, and sold it, and from that day the elves have
+tormented us; and as we cannot see them, we cannot get rid of them, but
+must just bear them as best we may."
+
+"That is a sad way to speak," said Chrysea. "Cannot you find out what the
+spell really is and break it?"
+
+"It is a song," said the woman, "and every night they sing it afresh. It is
+said that if any one could go to the moor between midnight and dawn, and
+could hear them singing it, and then sing through the tune just as they
+themselves do, the charm would be broken, and we should be free. But it
+must be some one who has never taken their money, so we cannot do it, for
+we can neither see nor hear them."
+
+"But I have not taken their money," said Chrysea. "And there is no tune I
+cannot sing when I have heard it once. So I will go to the moor for you and
+break the spell."
+
+"Nay, do not think of such a thing," cried the woman. "For the elves are
+most spiteful, and you don't know what harm they might do to you, even if
+you set us free."
+
+Chrysea said no more, but all the evening she thought of what the woman had
+told her, and still stood looking out into the dismal street. When she went
+to bed she did not sleep, but lay still till the clock struck one. Then she
+rose softly, and wrapping herself in a cloak, opened the door and stepped
+out into the rain. As she passed, she looked up and saw the blackbird
+crouching in the bottom of its cage. She opened the cage door to let it
+fly, but still it did not move, so she lifted it out in her hand.
+
+"Poor bird!" said she gently; "I wish I could give this village its liberty
+as easily as I can give you yours," and carrying it with her she walked on
+towards the moor. It was a large waste piece of land, and looked as though
+it had been burnt, for the ground was charred and black, and there was no
+grass or green plant growing on it, but there were some blackened stumps of
+trees, and to these Chrysea went, and hid herself behind one to wait and
+see what would come. She watched for a long time without seeing any one,
+but at last there rose from the ground not far from her a lurid gleam,
+which spread and spread until it became a large circle of light, in the
+midst of which she saw small dark figures moving, like ugly little men. The
+light was now so bright that she could distinguish each one quite plainly,
+and never before had she seen anything so ugly, for they were black as ink,
+and their faces were twisted and looked cruel and wicked.
+
+They joined hands, and, forming a ring, danced slowly round, and, as they
+did so, the ground opened, and there rose up in their centre a tiny
+village exactly like the spell-bound village, only that the houses were but
+a few inches high. Round this the elves danced, and then they began to
+sing. Chrysea listened eagerly to their singing, and no sooner had they
+done, than she opened her lips and sang the same tune through from
+beginning to end just as she had heard it.
+
+Her voice rang out loud and clear, and at the sound the little village
+crumbled and fell away as though it had been made of dust.
+
+The elves stood silent for a moment, and then with a wild cry they all
+rushed towards Chrysea, and at their head she saw one about three times the
+size of the others, who appeared to be their chief.
+
+"Come, quickly, let us punish the woman who has dared to thwart us," he
+cried. "What shall we change her to?"
+
+"A frog to croak on the ground," cried one.
+
+"No, an owl to hoot in the night," cried another.
+
+"Oh, for pity's sake," implored Chrysea, "don't change me to one of these
+loathsome creatures, so that, if Arasmon finds me, he will spurn me."
+
+"Hear her," cried the chief, "and let her have her will. Let us change her
+to no bird or beast, but to a bright golden harp, and thus shall she
+remain, until upon her strings some one shall play our tune, which she has
+dared to sing."
+
+"Agreed!" cried the others, and all began to dance round Chrysea and to
+sing as they had sung around the village. She shrieked and tried to run,
+but they stopped her on every side. She cried, "Arasmon! Arasmon!" but no
+one came, and when the elves' song was done, and they disappeared, all that
+was left was a little gold harp hanging upon the boughs of the tree, and
+only the blackbird who sat above knew what had come of poor Chrysea.
+
+When morning dawned, and the villagers awoke, all felt that some great
+change had taken place. The heavy cloud which hung above the village had
+cleared away; the sun shone brightly, and the sky was blue; streams which
+had been dry for years, were running clear and fresh: and the people all
+felt strong, and able to work again; the trees were beginning to bud, and
+in their branches sang birds, whose voices had not been heard there for
+many a long year. The villagers looked from one to another and said,
+"Surely the spell is broken; surely the elves must have fled;" and they
+wept for joy.
+
+Arasmon woke with the first beam of the sun, and finding Chrysea was not
+there, he rose, and went to seek her in the village, calling, "Chrysea,
+Chrysea! the sun is up and we must journey on our way;" but no Chrysea
+answered, so he walked down all the streets, calling "Chrysea! come,
+Chrysea!" but no Chrysea came. Then he said,
+
+"She has gone into the fields to look for wild flowers, and will soon be
+back." So he waited for her patiently, but the sun rose high, the villagers
+went to their work, and she did not return. At this Arasmon was frightened,
+and asked every one he met if they had seen her, but each one shook his
+head and said "No, they had seen nothing of her."
+
+Then he called some of the men together and told them that his wife had
+wandered away, and he feared lest she might lose herself and go still
+farther, and he asked them to help him to look for her. So some went one
+way, and some another, to search, and Arasmon himself walked for miles the
+whole country round, calling "Chrysea! Chrysea!" but no answer came.
+
+The sun was beginning to set and twilight to cover the land, when Arasmon
+came on to the moor where Chrysea had met her fate. That, too, was changed.
+Flowers and grass were already beginning to grow there, and the children of
+the village, who till now had never dared to venture near it, were playing
+about it. Arasmon could hear their voices as he came near the tree against
+which Chrysea had leaned, and on which now hung the golden harp. In the
+branches above sat the blackbird singing, and Arasmon stopped and listened
+to its song, and thought he had never heard a bird sing so sweetly before.
+For it sang the magic song by which Chrysea had broken the elves' spell,
+the first tune it had heard since it regained its liberty.
+
+"Dear blackbird," said Arasmon, looking up to it, "I wish your singing
+could tell me where to find my wife Chrysea;" and as he looked up he saw a
+golden harp hanging upon the branches, and he took it down and ran his
+fingers over the strings. Never before did harp give forth such music. It
+was like a woman's voice, and was most beautiful, but so sad that when
+Arasmon heard it he felt inclined to cry. It seemed to be calling for help,
+but he could not understand what it said, though each time he touched the
+strings it cried, "Arasmon, Arasmon, I am here! It is I, Chrysea;" but
+though Arasmon listened, and wondered at its tones, yet he did not know
+what it said.
+
+He examined it carefully. It was a beautiful little harp, made of pure
+gold, and at the top was a pair of golden hands and arms clasped together.
+
+"I will keep it," said Arasmon, "for I never yet heard a harp with such a
+tone, and when Chrysea comes she shall sing to it."
+
+But Chrysea was nowhere to be found, and at last the villagers declared she
+must be lost, or herself have gone away on purpose, and that it was vain to
+seek her farther. At this Arasmon was angry, and saying that he would seek
+Chrysea as long as he had life, he left the village to wander over the
+whole world till he should find her. He went on foot, and took with him the
+golden harp.
+
+He walked for many, many miles far away from the village and the moor, and
+when he came to any farmhouses, or met any country people on the road he
+began to play, and every one thronged round him and stared, in breathless
+surprise at his beautiful music. When he had done he would ask them, "Have
+you seen my wife Chrysea? She is dressed in white and gold, and sings more
+sweetly than any of the birds of heaven."
+
+But all shook their heads and said, "No, she had not been there;" and
+whenever he came to a strange village, where he had not been before, he
+called, "Chrysea, Chrysea, are you here?" but no Chrysea answered, only the
+harp in his hands cried whenever he touched its strings, "It is I, Arasmon!
+It is I, Chrysea!" but though he thought its notes like Chrysea's voice, he
+never understood them.
+
+He wandered for days and months and years through countries and villages
+which he had never known before. When night came and he found himself in
+the fields alone, he would lie down upon his cloak and sleep with his head
+resting upon the harp, and if by chance one of its golden threads was
+touched it would cry, "Arasmon, awake, I am here!" Then he would dream that
+Chrysea was calling him, and would wake and start up to look for her,
+thinking she must be close at hand.
+
+One day, towards night, when he had walked far, and was very tired, he came
+to a little village on a lonely, rocky coast by the sea, and he found that
+a thick mist had come up, and hung over the village, so that he could
+barely see the path before him as he walked. But he found his way down on
+to the beach, and there stood a number of fisherwomen, trying to look
+through the mist towards the sea, and speaking anxiously.
+
+"What is wrong, and for whom are you watching, good folk?" he asked them.
+
+"We are watching for our husbands," answered one. "They went out in their
+boats fishing in the early morning, when it was quite light, and then
+arose this dreadful fog, and they should have come back long ago, and we
+fear lest they may lose their way in the darkness and strike on a rock and
+be drowned."
+
+"I too, have lost my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Has she passed by here?
+She had long golden hair, and her gown was white and gold, and she sang
+with a voice like an angel's."
+
+The women all said, "No, they had not seen her;" but still they strained
+their eyes towards the sea, and Arasmon also began to watch for the return
+of the boats.
+
+They waited and waited, but they did not come, and every moment the
+darkness grew thicker and thicker, so that the women could not see each
+other's faces, though they stood quite near together.
+
+Then Arasmon took his harp and began to play, and its music floated over
+the water for miles through the darkness, but the women were weeping so for
+their husbands, that they did not heed it.
+
+"It is useless to watch," said one. "They cannot steer their boats in such
+a darkness. We shall never see them again."
+
+"I will wait all night till morning," said another, "and all day next day,
+and next night, till I see some sign of the boats, and know if they be
+living or dead," but as she stopped speaking, there rose a cry of "Here
+they are," and two or three fishing-boats were pushed on to the sand close
+by where they stood, and the women threw their arms round their husbands'
+necks, and all shouted for joy.
+
+The fishermen asked who it was who had played the harp; "For," they said,
+"it was that which saved us. We were far from land, and it was so dark that
+we could not tell whether to go to left or to right, and had no sign to
+guide us to shore; when of a sudden we heard the most beautiful music, and
+we followed the sound, and came in quite safely.
+
+"'Twas this good harper who played while we watched," said the women, and
+one and all turned to Arasmon, and told him with tears of their gratitude,
+and asked him what they could do for him, or what they could give him in
+token of their thankfulness; but Arasmon shook his head and said, "You can
+do nothing for me, unless you can tell me where to seek my wife Chrysea. It
+is to find her I am wandering;" and when the women shook their heads, and
+said again they knew nothing of her, the harp-strings as he touched them
+cried again,
+
+"Arasmon! Arasmon! listen to me. It is I, Chrysea;" but again no one
+understood it, and though all pitied him, no one could help him.
+
+Next morning when the mist had cleared away, and the sun was shining, a
+little ship set sail for foreign countries, and Arasmon begged the captain
+to take him in it that he might seek Chrysea still farther.
+
+They sailed and sailed, till at last they came to the country for which
+they were bound; but they found the whole land in confusion, and war and
+fighting everywhere, and all the people were leaving their homes and hiding
+themselves in the towns, for fear of a terrible enemy, who was invading
+them. But no one hurt Arasmon as he wandered on with his harp in his hand,
+only no one would stop to answer him, when he asked if Chrysea had been
+there, for every one was too frightened and hurried to heed him.
+
+At last he came to the chief city where the King dwelt, and here he found
+all the men building walls and fortresses, and preparing to defend the
+town, because they knew their enemy was coming to besiege it, but all the
+soldiers were gloomy and low-spirited.
+
+"It is impossible for us to conquer," they said, "for there are three of
+them to every one of us, and they will take our city and make our King
+prisoner."
+
+That night as the watchmen looked over the walls, they saw in the distance
+an immense army marching towards them, and their swords and helmets
+glittered in the moonlight.
+
+Then they gave the signal, and the captains gathered together their men to
+prepare them for fighting; but so sure were they of being beaten that it
+was with difficulty their officers could bring them to the walls.
+
+"It would be better," said the soldiers, "to lay down our arms at once and
+let the enemy enter, for then we should not lose our lives as well as our
+city and our wealth."
+
+When Arasmon heard this he sat upon the walls of the town, and began to
+play upon his harp, and this time its music was so loud and clear, that it
+could be heard far and wide, and its sound was so exultant and joyous, that
+when the soldiers heard it they raised their heads, and their fears
+vanished, and they started forward, shouting and calling that they would
+conquer or be killed.
+
+Then the enemy attacked the city, but the soldiers within met them with so
+much force that they were driven back, and had to fly, and the victorious
+army followed them and drove them quite out of their country, and Arasmon
+went with them, playing on his harp, to cheer them as they went.
+
+When they knew the victory was theirs, all the captains wondered what had
+caused their sudden success, and one of the lieutenants said, "It was that
+strange harper who went with us, playing on his harp. When our men heard
+it, they became as brave as lions." So the captains sent for Arasmon, but
+when he came they were astonished to see how worn and thin he looked, and
+could scarcely believe it was he who had made such wonderful music, for his
+face had grown thin and pale, and there were gray locks in his hair.
+
+They asked him what he would like to have, saying they would give him
+whatever he would choose, for the great service he had done them.
+
+Arasmon only shook his head and said,
+
+"There is nothing I want that you can give me. I am seeking the whole world
+round to find my wife Chrysea. It is many many years since I lost her. We
+two were as happy as birds on the bough. We wandered over the world singing
+and playing in the sunshine. But now she is gone, and I care for nothing
+else." And the captains looked pityingly at him, for they all thought him
+mad, and could not understand what the harp said when he played on it
+again, and it cried,
+
+"Listen, Arasmon! I too am here--I, Chrysea."
+
+So Arasmon left that city, and started again, and wandered for days and
+months and years.
+
+He came by many strange places, and met with many strange people, but he
+found no trace of Chrysea, and each day he looked older and sadder and
+thinner.
+
+At length he came to a country where the King loved nothing on earth so
+much as music. So fond of it was he, that he had musicians and singers by
+the score, always living in his palace, and there was no way of pleasing
+him so well as by sending a new musician or singer. So when Arasmon came
+into the country, and the people heard how marvellously he played, they
+said at once, "Let us take him to the King. The poor man is mad. Hear how
+he goes on asking for his wife; but, mad or not, his playing will delight
+the King. Let us take him at once to the palace." So, though Arasmon would
+have resisted them, they dragged him away to the court, and sent a
+messenger to the King, to say they had found a poor mad wandering harper,
+who played music the like of which they had never heard before.
+
+The King and Queen, and all the court, sat feasting when the messenger came
+in saying that the people were bringing a new harper to play before his
+majesty.
+
+"A new harper!" quoth he. "That is good hearing. Let him be brought here to
+play to us at once."
+
+So Arasmon was led into the hall, and up to the golden thrones on which sat
+the King and Queen. A wonderful hall it was, made of gold and silver, and
+crystal and ivory, and the courtiers, dressed in blue and green and gold
+and diamonds, were a sight to see. Behind the throne were twelve young
+maids dressed in pure white, who sang most sweetly, and behind them were
+the musicians who accompanied them on every kind of instrument. Arasmon had
+never in his life seen such a splendid sight.
+
+"Come here," cried the King to him, "and let us hear you play." And the
+singers ceased singing, and the musicians smiled scornfully, for they could
+not believe Arasmon's music could equal theirs. For he looked to be in a
+most sorry plight. He had walked far, and the dust of the roads was on him.
+His clothes were worn threadbare, and stained and soiled, while his face
+was so thin and anxious and sad that it was pitiful to see; but his harp of
+pure shining gold was undulled, and untarnished. He began to play, and then
+all smiles ceased, and the women began to weep, and the men sat and stared
+at him in astonishment. When he had done the King started up, and throwing
+his arms about his neck, cried, "Stay with me. You shall be my chief
+musician. Never before have I heard playing like yours, and whatever you
+want I will give you." But when he heard this, Arasmon knelt on one knee
+and said,
+
+"My gracious lord, I cannot stay. I have lost my wife Chrysea. I must
+search all over the world till I find her. Ah! how beautiful she was, and
+how sweetly she sang; her singing was far sweeter than even the music of my
+harp."
+
+"Indeed!" cried the King. "Then I too would fain hear her. But stay with
+me, and I will send messengers all over the world to seek her far and near,
+and they will find her much sooner than you."
+
+[Illustration: "He began to play, and then all smiles ceased."--P. 66.]
+
+So Arasmon stayed at the court, but he said that if Chrysea did not come
+soon he must go farther to seek her himself.
+
+The King gave orders that he should be clad in the costliest clothes and
+have all he could want given to him, and after this he would hear no music
+but Arasmon's playing, so all the other musicians were jealous, and wished
+he had never come to the palace. But the strangest thing was that no one
+but Arasmon could play upon his golden harp. All the King's harpers tried,
+and the King himself tried also, but when they touched the strings there
+came from them a strange, melancholy wailing, and no one but Arasmon could
+bring out its beautiful notes.
+
+But the courtiers and musicians grew more and more angry with Arasmon, till
+at last they hated him bitterly, and only wanted to do him some harm; for
+they said,
+
+"Who is he, that our King should love and honour him before us? After all,
+it is not his playing which is so beautiful; it is chiefly the harp on
+which he plays, and if that were taken from him he would be no better than
+the rest of us;" and then they began to consult together as to how they
+should steal his harp.
+
+One hot summer evening Arasmon went into the palace gardens, and sat down
+to rest beneath a large beech-tree, when a little way off he saw two
+courtiers talking together, and heard that they spoke of him, though they
+did not see him or know he was there.
+
+"The poor man is mad," said one; "of that there is little doubt, but, mad
+or not, as long as he plays on his harp the King will not listen to any one
+else."
+
+"The only way is to take the harp from him," said the other. "But it is
+hard to know how to get it away, for he will never let it go out of his
+hands."
+
+"We must take it from him when he is sleeping," said the first.
+
+"Certainly," said the other; and then Arasmon heard them settle how and
+when they would go to his room at night to steal his harp.
+
+He sat still till they were gone, and then he rose, and grasping it
+tenderly, turned from the palace and walked away through the garden gates.
+
+"I have lost Chrysea," he said, "and now they would take from me even my
+harp, the only thing I have to love in all this world, but I will go away,
+far off where they will never find me," and when he was out of sight, he
+ran with all his might, and never rested till he was far away on a lonely
+hill, with no one near to see him.
+
+The stars were beginning to shine though it was not yet dark. Arasmon sat
+on a stone and looked at the country far and near. He could hear the sheep
+bells tinkling around him, and far, far off in the distance he could see
+the city and the palace he had left.
+
+Then he began to play on his harp, and as he played the sheep stopped
+browsing and drew near him to listen.
+
+The stars grew brighter and the evening darker, and he saw a woman carrying
+a child coming up the hill.
+
+She looked pale and tired, but her face was very happy as she sat down not
+far from Arasmon and listened to his playing, whilst she looked eagerly
+across the hill as if she watched for some one who was coming. Presently
+she turned and said, "How beautifully you play; I never heard music like it
+before, but what makes you look so sad? Are you unhappy?"
+
+"Yes," said Arasmon, "I am very miserable. I lost my wife Chrysea many
+years ago, and now I don't know where she can be."
+
+"It is a year since I have seen my husband," said the woman. "He went to
+the war a year ago, but now there is peace and he is coming back, and
+to-night he will come over this hill. It was just here we parted, and now I
+am come to meet him."
+
+"How happy you must be," said Arasmon. "I shall never see Chrysea again,"
+and as he spoke he struck a chord on the harp, which cried, "O Arasmon, my
+husband! why do you not know me? It is I, Chrysea."
+
+"Do not say that," continued the woman; "you will find her some day. Why do
+you sit here? Was it here you parted from her?"
+
+Then Arasmon told her how they had gone to a strange desolate village and
+rested there for the night, and in the morning Chrysea was gone, and that
+he had wandered all over the world looking for her ever since.
+
+"I think you are foolish," said the woman; "perhaps your wife has been
+waiting for you at that village all this time. I would go back to the place
+where I parted from her if I were you, and wait there till she returns. How
+could I meet my husband if I did not come to the spot where we last were
+together? We might both wander on for ever and never find each other; and
+now, see, here he is coming," and she gave a cry of joy and ran to meet a
+soldier who was walking up the hill.
+
+Arasmon watched them as they met and kissed, and saw the father lift the
+child in his arms, then the three walked over the hill together, and when
+they were gone he sat down and wept bitterly. "What was it she said?" he
+said. "That I ought to go back to the spot where we parted. She will not be
+there, but I will go and die at the place where I last saw her." So again
+he grasped his harp and started. He travelled many days and weeks by land
+and sea, till late one day he came in sight of the hill on which stood the
+little village. But at first he could not believe that he had come to the
+right place, so changed did all appear. He stopped and looked around him in
+astonishment. He stood in a shady lane, the arching trees met over his
+head. The banks were full of spring flowers, and either side of the hedge
+were fields full of young green corn.
+
+"Can this be the wretched bare road down which we walked together? I would
+indeed it were, and that she were with me now," said he. When he looked
+across to the village, the change seemed greater still. There were many
+more cottages, and they were trim and well kept, standing in neat gardens
+full of flowers. He heard the cheerful voices of the peasants, and the
+laughter of the village children. The whole place seemed to be full of life
+and happiness. He stopped again upon the mound where he and Chrysea had
+first played and sung.
+
+"It is many, many a long year since I was here," he said. "Time has changed
+all things strangely; but it would be hard to say which is the more
+altered, this village or I, for then it was sunk in poverty and
+wretchedness, and now it has gained happiness and wealth, and I, who was so
+happy and glad, now am broken-down and worn. I have lost my only wealth, my
+wife Chrysea. It was just here she stood and sang, and now I shall never
+see her again or hear her singing."
+
+There came past him a young girl driving some cows, and he turned and spoke
+to her. "Tell me, I beg," he said, "is not your village much changed of
+late years? I was here long ago, but I cannot now think it the same place,
+for this is as bright and flourishing a town as I have ever seen, and I
+remember it only as a dreary tumble-down village where the grass never
+grew."
+
+"Oh!" said the girl, "then you were here in our bad time, but we do not now
+like to speak of that, for fear our troubles should return. Folks say we
+were spell-bound. 'Tis so long ago that I can scarcely remember it, for I
+was quite a little child then. But a wandering musician and his wife set us
+free; at least, everything began to mend after they came, and now we think
+they must have been angels from heaven, for next day they went, and we have
+never seen them since."
+
+"It was I and my wife Chrysea," cried Arasmon. "Have you seen her? Has she
+been here? I have sought all over the world ever since, but I cannot find
+her, and now I fear lest she be dead."
+
+The girl stared at him in surprise. "You? you poor old man! Of what are you
+talking? You must surely be mad to say such things. These musicians were
+the most beautiful people upon the earth, and they were young and dressed
+in shining white and gold, and you are old and gray and ragged, and surely
+you are very ill too, for you seem to be so weak that you can scarcely
+walk. Come home with me, and I will give you food and rest till you are
+better."
+
+Arasmon shook his head. "I am seeking Chrysea," he said, "and I will rest
+no more till I have found her;" and the girl, seeing that he was
+determined, left him alone and went on her way driving her cows before
+her.
+
+When she had gone Arasmon sat by the wayside and wept as though his heart
+would break. "It is too true," he said; "I am so old and worn that when I
+find her she will not know me," and as he again fell a-weeping his hand
+struck the harp-strings, and they cried, "I have watched you through all
+these years, my Arasmon. Take comfort, I am very near," and his tears
+ceased, and he was soothed by the voice of the harp, though he knew not
+why.
+
+Then he rose. "I will go to the moor," he said, "and look for the tree on
+which I found my harp, and that will be my last resting-place, for surely
+my strength will carry me no farther." So he tottered slowly on, calling,
+as he went, in a weak voice, "Chrysea, my Chrysea! are you here? I have
+sought you over the world since you left me, and now that I am old and like
+to die, I am come to seek you where we parted."
+
+When he came upon the moor, he wondered again at the change of all the
+country round. He thought of the charred, blackened waste on which he had
+stood before, and now he looked with amazement at the golden gorse, the
+purple heather, so thick that he could scarcely pick his way amongst it.
+
+"It is a beautiful place now," he said, "but I liked it better years ago,
+deserted and desolate though it was, for my Chrysea was here."
+
+There were so many trees upon the common that he could not tell which was
+the one on which his harp had hung, but, unable to go any farther, he
+staggered and sank down beneath a large oak-tree, in whose branches a
+blackbird was singing most sweetly. The sun was setting just as of yore
+when he had found his harp, and most of the birds' songs were over, but
+this one bird still sang sweet and clear, and Arasmon, tired and weak
+though he was, raised his head and listened.
+
+"I never heard bird sing like that," he said. "What is the tune it sings? I
+will play it on my harp before I die." And with what strength remained to
+him he reached forth his trembling hand, and grasping his harp struck upon
+it the notes of the bird's song, then he fell back exhausted, and his eyes
+closed.
+
+At once the harp slid from his hand, and Chrysea stood beside him--Chrysea
+dressed as of old, in shining white and gold, with bright hair and eyes.
+
+"Arasmon!" she cried, "see, it is I, Chrysea!" but Arasmon did not move.
+Then she raised her voice and sang more sweetly than the bird overhead, and
+Arasmon opened his eyes and looked at her.
+
+"Chrysea!" cried he; "I have found my wife Chrysea!" and he laid his head
+on her bosom and died. And when Chrysea saw it her heart broke, and she lay
+beside him and died without a word.
+
+In the morning when some of the villagers crossed the common they saw
+Arasmon and Chrysea lying beneath the oak-tree in each other's arms, and
+drew near them, thinking they were asleep, but when they saw their faces
+they knew they were dead.
+
+Then an old man stooped and looked at Chrysea, and said,
+
+"Surely it is the woman who came to us and sang long ago, when we were in
+our troubles; and, though he is sadly changed and worn, it is like her
+husband who played for her singing."
+
+Then came the girl who had driven the cows and told them how she had met
+Arasmon, and all he had said to her.
+
+"He searched everywhere for his wife, he said," said she. "I am glad he has
+found her. Where could she be?"
+
+"Would that we had known it was he," said they all, "how we would have
+greeted him! but see, he looks quite content and as if he wished nothing
+more, since he has found his wife Chrysea."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE HEART OF PRINCESS JOAN
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Long ago, in the days of fairies, there lived a King and Queen, who were
+rich and happy.
+
+But the Queen was a proud, haughty woman, and disliked every one more
+powerful than herself. And most of all, she hated the fairy folk, and could
+not bear them to come to the castle where she and the King dwelt.
+
+Time passed, and the Queen had a little baby,--a daughter whom they called
+Joan--and the bells were rung, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country, and the King and Queen were happy as the day is long.
+
+One day as the Queen sat by the cradle of the little Princess, watching
+it, she said, "My pretty babe, when you are grown to be a woman you will be
+rich and beautiful, and you shall marry some young Prince, who will love
+you dearly, and then in your turn be Queen, and have a fine palace, and
+jewels, and lands to your heart's content." Scarcely had she done speaking
+when she heard a little noise beside her, and, looking up, saw a woman
+dressed in yellow from head to foot standing on the other side of the
+cradle. She wore a yellow cap, which covered her head completely, so that
+no hair was seen, and her eyes, which looked cunning and fierce, were
+yellow as her dress.
+
+"And how do you know, Queen, that your child will be so happy? Whose help
+will you seek to get her all these fine things?" said the strange woman.
+
+"I will ask no one's help," said the Queen haughtily, "for I am Queen of
+the land, and can have what I please."
+
+The yellow woman laughed, and said, "Don't be too sure, proud Queen; but
+the next night that the moon is bright, guard well the Princess when the
+clock strikes twelve, lest aught of her's be stolen from her."
+
+"No thief shall come near her," cried the Queen; but ere she had done
+speaking the woman had vanished, and the Queen knew it was a fairy.
+
+The sky that night was dark and overcast, and no moon to be seen, and the
+next night was the same, but the third night the moon shone bright and
+clear, and as the clock struck twelve the Queen awoke and looked at the
+baby, who was sleeping peacefully in its cradle; but 'twixt the strokes of
+the clock she heard a faint whistling outside the window, which grew louder
+and fuller each moment. 'Twas as if some one whistled to decoy away a bird,
+and on hearing it the baby awoke and began to cry bitterly. The Queen could
+not quiet her, try how she might. At last the little one gave one scream
+louder than all the others and then lay quite still, and at that moment the
+Queen saw something flutter across the room like a tiny bird, with pink,
+soft feathers. It flew straight out of the window, and the whistling
+ceased, and all again was quiet as before. The Queen took the baby in her
+arms and looked at it anxiously by the light of the moon, but it looked
+well and slept calmly, so its mother placed it in its cradle and tried to
+forget the yellow fairy and the whistling.
+
+The nurse of the Princess Joan was a very wise old woman who knew a great
+deal of fairies and their ways, and as the child grew up she watched her
+with an anxious face.
+
+"She is under a charm," she said, "though what it is I don't know; but
+before she is a woman they will see how different she is from others."
+
+The nurse's words proved to be true. No one had ever seen a little girl
+like the Princess. Nothing troubled her. She never shed one tear. If she
+were angry she would stamp her feet and her eyes would flash, but she never
+wept, and she loved nobody. When her little dog died she laughed outright;
+when the King her father went to the war it did not grieve her; and when he
+returned she was no happier than she had been when he was away. She never
+kissed her mother, or her ladies, and when they said they loved her, she
+stared at them, and asked what they meant. At this the ladies were angry
+with her and chid her for being hard-hearted, but the old nurse always
+stopped them, saying,
+
+"'Tis not her you should blame. She is enchanted, but 'tis not her fault."
+
+Princess Joan grew up and was the loveliest woman in the land. It was many
+long years since any one so fair had been seen, but for all that her mother
+mourned over her sorely, and her eyes were red with crying for her
+beautiful daughter, who had never yet wept one tear herself.
+
+The neighbouring country was governed by a King and Queen who had only one
+son, named Michael, whom everybody loved dearly. He was a handsome young
+man, and as good as he was handsome. He was as gracious to the poorest
+beggar as to the greatest lord, and all the poor folk came to him to tell
+him their troubles, if they thought they were badly treated; and because
+he was brave and handsome also, the court people loved him as well as the
+peasants.
+
+In this country there stood on a high hill a round tower, and at the top of
+it lived an old wizard. No man knew his age, for he had dwelt there for
+hundreds of years, and no one knew how the tower had been built, for it was
+made of one huge stone, and there were no joins in it at all.
+
+The King and Queen were afraid of the old magician, and never went near
+him; indeed, no one in all the country had ever ventured to climb the tower
+and see the old man at his work except Prince Michael, who knew the old
+sorcerer well and did not fear him at all, but went up and down the tower
+as he chose.
+
+One bright moonlight night it chanced that the Prince found himself alone
+on the hill-side, and seeing a bright light shining from the top of the
+tower he resolved to enter and pay the old man a visit. So he went to a
+little door, and pushing it open stepped into a narrow, dark, winding
+staircase, that went straight up the centre to the room at the top, in
+which the wizard dwelt. The staircase was pitch dark, for there were no
+windows. Moreover, it was so narrow that only one person could walk in it
+at a time, but Prince Michael knew the way quite well, and climbed and
+climbed till he saw a chink of light, and at last trod through a little
+doorway into the room in which the sorcerer sat.
+
+This room was as light as day, for it was lit by a lamp which the old man
+himself had made, and in which no oil or wick was burning, but every day it
+was filled with sunbeams, and held them at night after the sun had set.
+
+So the whole room was brilliant, and in the middle sat the wizard, who was
+a wonderful old man to look on, for he was all white. His beard was white
+as snow, and from afar you could not tell which was beard and which gown,
+but when you came near you saw that the beard flowed nearly to his feet,
+and his skin was as white as either beard or gown. And his eyes were quite
+colourless, but as bright as two candles.
+
+When Michael entered he sat looking at an enormous book full of coloured
+pictures of little men and women about three inches high each. They were
+not like other pictures, for they walked and moved over the page as though
+they were alive.
+
+"It is I, father. What book are you looking at?" said Michael, stepping up
+to the old man's side.
+
+"In this book," said the wizard, "I keep the portraits of all the men and
+women in the world, and they are living portraits too, for they move, and
+look just like the originals."
+
+"That must be very amusing," cried Michael. "Pray show me the portraits of
+all the Kings, and Queens, and Princesses. This will be delightful," and he
+knelt down by the old man and looked over his shoulder.
+
+The sorcerer muttered to himself and turned over the pages, and then
+stopped at one on which Michael saw little figures of Kings and Queens of
+all sorts, some of which he knew, and some of which he had never seen
+before.
+
+[Illustration: "'Tis their daughter, Princess Joan," said the wizard with a
+sigh. "But do not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but
+trouble to all who know her."--P. 87.]
+
+"There," he cried, "is old King Rene who came to our court last year, and
+that is Queen Constance, and that is their nephew Prince Guilbert, who will
+be king when they are dead, and here are our neighbours the King and Queen
+of the next country, and oh, my father, who is this lovely Princess next to
+them?"
+
+"'Tis their daughter Princess Joan," said the wizard with a sigh. "But do
+not look at her, my son, for she will bring nothing but trouble to all who
+know her."
+
+"I don't care if she bring trouble or happiness," cried the Prince. "But
+for certain she is the most beautiful creature in the world," and he seized
+the book and looked long at the tiny figure of the Princess. Truly it was
+very beautiful. It was dressed in white, with a golden girdle round the
+waist, and a wreath of golden daisies on its head, and as Michael looked,
+it turned upon the pages, and smiled at him till he smiled back again, and
+could not move his eyes from it.
+
+When the wizard saw this, he took the book from the young man's hands, and
+hid it away, saying,
+
+"Think no more of Princess Joan, however beautiful she be, or one day you
+will rue it dearly."
+
+Prince Michael made no answer, but he thought all the more of the little
+picture of the Princess. After he had left the tower, and returned to the
+palace, he could not forget her, but dreamt of her all night, and thought
+of her all day.
+
+Next morning he went to the King and said, "My father, I am come to beg
+that you will send to the King of the next country and ask if I may have
+his daughter, Princess Joan, for my wife, for I have seen her portrait, and
+there is no one in the world whom I love so well."
+
+When the King heard this he was delighted.
+
+"Our good neighbours," he said, "are rich and powerful, and it will be a
+capital thing for our son to marry their daughter." So he at once sent off
+an ambassador to beg for the hand of Princess Joan for Prince Michael.
+
+Joan's father and mother were delighted with the offer, and at once
+resolved to accept it; but the Queen's heart sank within her, for she
+thought, "Our poor Joan is not like any other maid who ever lived before,
+and perhaps when Prince Michael sees her and finds this out, he will refuse
+to wed her after all;" but she said nothing of her fears, and the
+ambassador returned to the court, loaded with presents, and bearing a
+message of acceptance.
+
+Till his return Prince Michael knew no peace or rest, but wandered about
+among the hills by himself, thinking of Joan, and still, in his heart, he
+wondered what the magician had meant when he said that if he thought much
+of Princess Joan, one day he would rue it.
+
+At last he said to himself, "I will disguise myself as a poor man, and go
+and see my Princess for myself before the ambassador returns, then shall I
+know what the wizard means."
+
+So he dressed himself as a peasant, and started alone without telling any
+one whither he went, and he travelled day and night till he came to the
+country where Joan dwelt and to her father's palace. Then he walked near
+the palace gardens, and no one noticed him, and he saw a group of lovely
+ladies, who sat together on the grass.
+
+His heart beat high as he looked at them, for in their midst, most
+beautiful of all, sat the Princess Joan. Her yellow hair fell to her waist,
+her face was like a blush rose, and her eyes were blue as forget-me-nots,
+but when she lifted them, he saw that they were clear and hard as glass,
+and her voice when she spoke was like a bright cold bell.
+
+There ran up to her a little serving-maid, crying bitterly, and said,
+
+"I beg of you, Princess, to let me return to my own home for a time, for my
+father, the huntsman, has broken his leg and is very ill."
+
+"Why should you cry for that?" said the Princess. "'Tis your father and not
+you that is hurt; but you may go, for when you cry and your eyes look red
+you are ugly, and I don't like to see you, so be sure that when you return
+you are pretty and bright as ever."
+
+When her ladies heard her they looked angry, but no one spoke, and the
+little maid went crying away.
+
+Up there came a groom from the palace and said,
+
+"Your Royal Highness, the horse that you rode yesterday is dead, and we
+think it is because you would ride so far when it was already tired, as we
+told you."
+
+"Dead is it?" cried the Princess. "Then see quickly and get me another,
+that I may ride again to-morrow, and be sure this time that it is a good
+strong horse, or it may give way beneath me and so my ride be shortened."
+
+The groom went away muttering, and the Princess's ladies looked even graver
+than before, but the Princess's own face was bright as a summer sky, and
+she talked on without heeding their sad looks.
+
+Prince Michael turned away with a heavy heart.
+
+"The magician spoke truly," he said to himself, "and there will be nothing
+but sorrow for all those who love my poor Princess Joan."
+
+Yet he could not bear to leave her and return at once to his own home, and
+still he remained near the palace, and for some days watched her
+unnoticed, when she walked and rode, and listened to all she said, and each
+day he grieved more and more, for she never said one kind loving word to
+any one; yet each day when he saw how beautiful she was he loved her more
+and more.
+
+When he again returned to his own home he found great rejoicings
+everywhere, for the ambassador had returned with a message from Joan's
+father promising she should marry the Prince, and everywhere preparations
+were being made for the entry of the Princess to her new home.
+
+"And now, my son," said the King, "all is arranged for you to journey in
+state to her father's court and bring back your bride, so now I hope that
+you are happy and wish for nothing more."
+
+On hearing this Prince Michael's face was sad and grave, and his father and
+mother wondered what ailed him. But he said to himself, "I will never marry
+my Joan till she loves me as I do her, and how can she ever do that when
+she loves no one, not even her own father and mother?"
+
+At the court of Joan's father grand preparations had been made, and all was
+in excitement when Prince Michael arrived with servants, and horses, and
+presents for the bride.
+
+The King and Queen sat in state to receive him, and beside them was Joan,
+and she looked so beautiful, in a dress as blue as her eyes, that every one
+said, "How glad he will be when he sees how lovely she is."
+
+There was a blowing of trumpets and ringing of bells when Prince Michael,
+followed by his attendants, entered, and the King and Queen and all the
+courtiers rose.
+
+He passed up the hall to the thrones on which they sat, and kneeling on one
+knee, kissed their hands, and last he kissed the hand of the Princess, but
+he did not lift his eyes from the ground or look in her face, and his own
+was so sad that the people whispered to each other, and said, "What is the
+matter, and why does he look so unhappy? Surely he ought to be content when
+he sees how beautiful she is."
+
+At night when the merrymakings were over the Prince sent a message to the
+Queen, begging she would speak with him alone, and when she heard this her
+heart sank, and she thought, "He must know that there is something amiss
+with Joan, and perhaps he comes to say he will not marry her after all."
+
+So she sent every one away, except the old nurse and bid the Prince to
+come.
+
+When he came in and saw her sad looks he said, "You have guessed then,
+Queen, why I come to speak to you. Tell me truly what ails Princess Joan,
+and why is she unlike any one I ever saw." The Queen cried bitterly, and
+said, "I know not; would I did!" but the old nurse said,
+
+"I know and will tell you, Prince. Princess Joan is under a spell. A bad
+fairy enchanted her when she was a tiny baby, and till this charm is
+broken, she will never be like other people."
+
+"And what is the charm?" asked the Prince.
+
+"Nay, that I don't know," said the nurse. Then she told Michael of the
+yellow woman and the whistling the Queen had heard at night; and as he
+listened the Prince sighed and said, "There is no charm which cannot be
+broken if one does but know how, but this is hard to do, for we do not know
+what the spell is, or who is the fairy who cast it. But bid the people
+cease their preparations, Queen, and stop the wedding rejoicings, for there
+will be no wedding. No, not till I have found the fairy who has wronged my
+Joan, and made her set her free. To-morrow I shall start at break of day,
+and journey to the farthest ends of the world, to search for what can break
+the charm. But I pray, Queen, that Joan may wait for me for seven years,
+and if, when they are past, I have not returned, and you have heard nothing
+of me, you must think that I am dead and gone, and marry her to whom you
+will, for if I be alive, I will return before then. And till seven years
+are past remember that Joan is still mine."
+
+On hearing this the Queen wept still more, and begged the Prince either to
+remain and marry Joan, or to leave her and return to his home and forget
+her; but if he wandered away to lands of goblins and fairies, no one would
+know what had become of him, and he would never find the fairy who had
+charmed Joan or learn how to break the spell; but Prince Michael only shook
+his head, and said, "I have sworn that I will not marry Joan till she loves
+me as I do her, neither can I return to my home and forget her, so bid her
+be ready at dawn to-morrow to bid me farewell, and tell none that I am
+going till I have gone. Also I beg you to send a messenger to my father and
+mother to tell them why I do not return, for I will not see them first,
+lest they too should try to dissuade me." The Queen said no more, but she
+cried very bitterly; but the old nurse smiled and nodded to Michael and
+said,
+
+"You do well. You are a noble Prince, and would well deserve our Princess's
+love."
+
+Next morning at break of day the Queen awoke the Princess and bade her
+rise, for Prince Michael waited to bid her good-bye. The Prince stood at
+the door of the palace, and when Princess Joan came out looking lovelier
+than ever in the dim morning light, the tears filled his eyes, and he
+thought, "Most likely I shall never see her again, and then she will never
+know how much I have loved her."
+
+"Good-bye, Joan," he said; "do not quite forget me for seven years, for
+perhaps I may yet come back and marry you."
+
+"And why do you go?" said Joan; "I had thought there would be a grand
+wedding, and I should have all the gifts that are being prepared for me,
+and now I shall have nothing; but good-bye, if go you must."
+
+Michael sighed as he mounted his horse and bade her farewell. When he
+looked back at the palace, the Queen and Joan still stood at the door, and
+the Queen sobbed; but Princess Joan looked quite happy and contented, and
+smiled brightly.
+
+Prince Michael rode and rode, till he came to his own home, and then he
+turned at once to the tower in which dwelt the magician. He climbed the
+tower and found the old man sitting alone as before, but he had no book
+before him, and he looked very grave.
+
+"I know why you are come," he said, as soon as Michael entered the room.
+"So you have seen Princess Joan; and do you still wish to marry her?"
+
+"I will marry her, or no one," said Michael. "But not till I have found out
+who has bewitched her, and have broken the charm."
+
+"You will have to search far for that," said the wizard; "And it may be
+years ere you could set her free. Forget her, my son, and return to your
+own home, and do not waste your life in a fruitless quest."
+
+"I will seek to break the charm, even if it take my whole life," said
+Michael. "But tell me what it is, and how shall I find out how to break
+it."
+
+"A fairy has stolen her heart," said the wizard, "and that is why she loves
+no one, and can feel no sorrow; she has no heart with which to love or
+pity, and till it is found and restored to her, she will be hard and cold
+as stone. The fairy swore she would be revenged on her mother for her
+pride, and so she is."
+
+"Then I will go and seek her heart, and bring it back to her," said
+Michael. "But where shall I look for it? Tell me at least where has the
+fairy hidden it."
+
+"She has taken it to a castle in which are kept all the hearts of men and
+women, that fairies steal, or that they themselves throw away; and this
+castle is very far from here; moreover, it is guarded by an old gnome, who
+is spiteful and cruel, and who pays no heed to those who beg him to let
+them enter. Give up the Princess and return to your home, for if you go,
+you will only die, or be enchanted like poor Princess Joan."
+
+"Nevertheless, I shall go," said Michael. "So tell me what path to take,
+and I will start at once."
+
+On hearing this the sorcerer took from his bosom a small round piece of
+glass, and gave it to the young man. "Take this," he said; "It is all that
+I can give you, to help you, and through it you must look at the stars, and
+you will see that they are all of different colours--blue, green, red, and
+yellow; look for the one which is the deepest, brightest red, and follow
+it; it will lead you many miles both by land and sea, but follow steadily,
+and let nothing turn you from your course, and you will surely come to the
+castle wherein is imprisoned the heart of your Princess."
+
+The Prince thanked the magician, and took the glass; then bidding him
+"Good-bye," he left the strangely lighted chamber, and went down the dark
+staircase, and stood again on the hill outside, with the dark sky overhead
+filled with shining stars.
+
+Michael raised the glass and looked at them through it, and then he almost
+shouted with surprise, for they looked wonderful. They were like jewels of
+all colours--green, blue, yellow, pink--and in the south was one of a deep
+glowing red, like a blood-red rose, and Michael knew that that was the star
+he must follow.
+
+Then he looked back towards his father's palace. "Farewell," he said; "some
+day I will return, and bring with me my Princess Joan." So he set off, and
+journeyed and journeyed, till he had reached towns and villages which he
+had never seen before. All that night he travelled while the stars shone,
+and he could see the rosy star to follow. But when the stars grew pale,
+and the sun rose, and people began to wake up and turn to their work, he
+lay down under a tree and slept soundly. When he woke the day was almost
+done, and the sun was sinking. So he went to a little town near and bought
+food, and rested till again the stars shone in the sky. Then he rose and
+went on all night, still following the crimson star. So passed many days
+and nights, and he journeyed through strange lands, and his heart sank when
+he thought, "So may I wander all round the world, and come no nearer to the
+star, or to the castle where they keep the heart of my poor Joan."
+
+At last he came to the sea-shore, and in front of him lay a great cold sea,
+and beyond it he saw no sign of land. But the star shone right over it, and
+he knew that he must cross, if he still would follow it. It was in the
+evening, the sun had set, but some fishermen still remained on the beach,
+resting beside their boats. Michael went up to them, and taking some money
+from his pocket, asked for how much they would sell him one of their
+boats.
+
+At this the men looked surprised, and one of them said, "Why do you wish to
+buy a boat? We use them to fish near the shore, but no boat or ship has
+ever crossed this sea, for no one knows what land is beyond."
+
+"Then I will be the first to find out," said Michael. "Tell me how much you
+want, and give me your largest boat." On this the men muttered together,
+and one said, "He is mad." "Yes," said another, "but his money is good, for
+all that. Let the madman have his way. It will hurt him, not us." So they
+gave Michael their best boat, and he paid them well, and he set sail and
+steered where the red star shone. He sailed all night till he had left
+every trace of land behind him, and saw no shore in front, only the cold,
+gray sea on every side. By day he kept the boat still, afraid lest he
+should get out of the track of the star, but when the second night came he
+was so weary that in spite of himself he fell asleep. When he awoke he
+found the sun had risen, and his boat was drifting close to land. It was a
+flat, lonely shore, without trees or grass growing in sight, and facing
+him was an immense castle. It was built of black marble, and a more gloomy
+place could not be, for the windows were small and high up, and were all
+barred across, with heavy iron bars, and the castle had no spires or
+towers, but was one square black block, and looked more like a prison than
+a castle. Around it was a high wall, and outside this a moat, without a
+bridge.
+
+Michael steered his boat to shore, and stepped from it, and looked about
+for some way by which he could cross the moat, and try for entrance to the
+castle. Then he saw a little hut near, and beside it lay an old man
+apparently fast asleep. He was small and dark, and his face was gray and
+wrinkled as a monkey's, and he had no hair on his head. Close beside him
+coiled up was a large snake, also asleep. Michael stood watching them both,
+afraid to wake them, when, without a word, the gray man raised his head,
+and opening a pair of dull, gray eyes, fixed them on him. Still he did not
+speak, and at last the Prince, growing impatient, went up to him and said,
+"Friend, I beg you to tell me how I am to enter the castle; or if you have
+the key, to give it to me."
+
+On this the old man answered, "I have the key, and no one can enter without
+my leave. What will you give me for it?"
+
+"Why," said Michael, "I have nothing but money," and he took some coins
+from his pocket as he spoke.
+
+At this the old man laughed. "Your money is nothing to me," he said; "But
+look yonder. Over there I am building a wall of heavy stones, and I am old,
+and my strength fails me; stay and work for me at that wall, and in return
+I will give you the key of the castle."
+
+"But how long must I work?" said Michael, "For unless I can enter the
+castle before seven years are over, it will be no use to me.
+
+"Look at that serpent," said the old man; "It is sitting on its eggs. When
+they are hatched you shall have the key and open the castle door. Till then
+you must be my slave."
+
+"Gladly," said Michael, who was delighted; "for no snake could take seven
+years hatching its eggs."
+
+Then the old man rose, and beckoning to him to follow, went into the little
+cottage. From a nail upon the wall he took a pair of manacles fastened
+together by a heavy iron chain. These he slipped over Michael's wrists, and
+stooping down over them, muttered a few words, and at once the manacles
+fastened together as if they had been locked, and Michael could not move
+them, or draw out his hands. Then the old man took down another heavy chain
+and passed it over the first and fastened it with more iron rings to his
+ankles, so that he could only move his arms and hands a little way, and
+could not raise them high, and could only walk with slow careful steps.
+This done, he pointed to where, on the wall high up, hung a gleaming golden
+sword, the handle of which was set with precious stones.
+
+"That," said he, "is the key of the castle, and you need only push the
+doors with its point and they will all fly open; but while your hands are
+chained you cannot reach it to lift it down, but when the serpent's eggs
+are hatched your iron rings will fall off, and you yourself may take the
+sword down from its place, and push your way into the castle. Now get you
+to your work, and work hard, or you may rue it."
+
+Then he showed Michael how he was to move the heavy stones, and where to
+build with them, and he himself sat down by the serpent and watched him,
+while the Prince went to work with a light heart, for he thought, "It is
+hard work while it lasts, but 'twill not be for long, and 'tis not much to
+do to win my Joan." So he worked hard till the sun had set, and then the
+old man rose, saying, "Enough," and called him into the hut and gave him
+food and drink, but he ate nothing himself, and then he showed him where he
+could sleep in one corner, and Michael lay down and slept soundly and
+dreamed of Joan.
+
+At break of day he was waked by the old man, who again gave him plenty to
+eat, and again ate nothing, but what he gave to him he took from an urn in
+the corner, and when he had done he put into the urn the fragments that
+were left.
+
+All day Michael worked hard, and in the evening as he passed by the snake,
+he looked at it as it lay coiled over its eggs, and said,
+
+"How soon will your work be done, and mine also, good snake? Make haste, I
+pray, that I may find my way into the castle, and return to my Princess."
+
+So the days passed. Each morning the old man awoke Michael and gave him
+food, and set him to work, and all day he laboured hard. Then when night
+approached, he called "Enough," and beckoning him into the hut, gave him
+plenty to eat and drink, but never ate himself, and beside that one word
+never spoke, but crouched all day beside the snake, with closed eyes as if
+asleep.
+
+Meantime, the doors of the castle never opened, and no one was seen going
+in, or coming out; but sometimes, towards night, strange noises might be
+heard from within its walls; sometimes there were wails and moans, which it
+filled Michael with horror to hear, and sometimes there was sweet singing,
+so sweet that it drew tears to his eyes.
+
+But the days passed, and the serpent never moved from its eggs, and
+Michael's heart began to be oppressed with fear, lest the old man was
+deceiving him, and they should never be hatched at all. As each day passed,
+he put aside a stone on a bare rock, and one day when he counted over the
+stones to see how many days were gone, he found that more than a year had
+passed since his boat had brought him to the shore. His hands had grown
+hard and brown and cracked, with working at the heavy stones, and his face
+and neck were blistered and sunburnt with the fierce sun that beat upon
+them as he worked. His clothes were cut and torn and soiled, and yet he
+seemed to be no nearer entering the castle. Then he rose and went into the
+cottage, and looked longingly at the sword which hung high up, on the
+walls, and raised his arms to try and reach it, but the chains held him
+down, and as he turned from it in despair he saw the old man standing in
+the doorway watching him with his cold dull eyes.
+
+"What would you do here?" he asked; "have I not bid you serve me till the
+serpent's eggs are hatched, and then the sword shall be yours?"
+
+"And when will the serpent's eggs be hatched?" cried Michael in despair.
+
+"That," said the old man, "I cannot tell, but a bargain is a bargain; keep
+you your part and I will keep mine." Then he turned again to where the
+serpent lay, and lying down beside it closed his eyes, and Michael returned
+to his work mournfully.
+
+Time passed, but there came no change. Michael despaired in his heart, but
+he could not have escaped even if he would, because of the chains which
+hung from his arms.
+
+"I will work here," he said, "till the seven years are out, then I will
+climb on the wall which I have built and throw myself into the sea and end
+my troubles."
+
+Sometimes at night he would take from his bosom the piece of magic glass
+which the wizard had given him and would gaze through it at the star which
+still looked a bright crimson colour.
+
+"Why have you led me here, cruel star," he asked sadly, "if you cannot help
+me more? Are you shining over my home and my Princess, and does she
+remember me? The seven long years will soon be passed, and they will wed
+her to another king, and it will be all of no avail that I have given up
+everything to find her heart, since I have only broken my own."
+
+So the time passed. Michael worked hard by day, but by night he lay and
+wept. One day, when the seven years had nearly worn themselves away, he
+bent over a pool of water, and in it saw his own form, and he saw that his
+hair was thin and streaked with gray, and his face furrowed and seamed, and
+his eyes dim with crying, also his shoulders were bowed with hard work, and
+his clothes, once so gorgeous, now hung mere rags upon his bent form.
+
+"Now all is in vain," said he, "for if even I returned to my own home no
+one will know me, so changed am I. I will go and kill the snake that has
+caused my misery, and then I will slay the old man who has deceived me."
+
+So he went up to the snake, who lay motionless coiled over its eggs as
+usual, and reached out his hand to grasp its throat, but as he did so his
+tears fell and dropped upon its head, and it writhed fearfully and then
+glided away so fast that he could not see where it went, and left the heap
+of gray eggs bare beneath his hand. The old man lay beside them as still as
+usual, and did not move or open his eyes, even when the snake glided
+hissing past him.
+
+"If the snake has escaped me," cried Michael, "then at least I can destroy
+the eggs;" and lifting his heel he struck them with all his might, but his
+foot left no mark upon them, nor even moved them from their place. They
+might have been made of iron, and each one nailed to the ground, so hard
+and firm they stood.
+
+Michael burst out weeping afresh. "How foolish I am," he said, "Yes, and
+wicked too. It is not the fault of the poor snake that its eggs are not
+hatched. Perhaps it is enchanted like me, and waits as patiently for them;"
+and he bent his head till his tears fell upon the eggs. No sooner did they
+touch them, than the shells broke, and the pieces fell asunder, and from
+each egg came a small moving thing, though what it was Michael did not see,
+for he leaped to his feet with a shout of joy, which filled the air, and
+echoed again from the castle. At this the old man opened his eyes, and
+raising himself gazed, as if thunderstruck, with astonishment at the eggs.
+
+"Tis a miracle," he cried, chuckling with joy.
+
+But out of the eggs, there came no one fully formed animal, but from one
+egg came a foot, from another a leg, from another a tail, and from one a
+head, and each looked as though it belonged to some different beast, yet
+all these drew themselves together, and joined so well that the join was
+not to be seen. And they made a hideous monster of many colours. Then the
+manacles on Michael's wrists burst asunder, and the chains fell to the
+ground.
+
+"Now," he cried, "I will go and take for myself the sword from the wall,
+and win my way into the castle, and nothing shall hinder me more." And he
+turned and rushed into the hut. There, upon the wall hung the shining
+sword, and Michael reached out his hand and seized it firmly, and drew it
+down from its place.
+
+"I will swear a vow," he cried, "upon this sword, that when I enter the
+castle, I will say not one word for good or for ill to any one, save to ask
+for what I come to seek, lest I should again be kept for years. Moreover, I
+will not taste food or drink, till I have found the heart of my Joan to
+take back to her." Then, with the sword in his hand, he passed the old man,
+who still sat chuckling over the monster, too busy to heed him, and he went
+straight on to the bridgeless moat. It was not wide, and he swam it easily,
+and scrambled up the bank by the stone wall. He pushed with the point of
+the sword at the gate, and it at once flew open, and he stood in the outer
+court. Then he saw a heavy door in the wall of the castle, and went up to
+it, nothing fearing, and, on touching it with the sword's point, it too
+flew open at once, and he entered.
+
+He stepped into a passage filled with flowers and hung with silken
+hangings. He trod upon a velvet carpet, and the air was laden with sweet
+scents, and from afar he heard sweet voices singing. He strode on through
+another door, and yet another, and at each step he took all things became
+lovelier, till at last he passed into a splendid chamber, the like of which
+he had never seen before. In the ceiling were precious stones set in
+patterns of flowers and crowns, on the walls were soft velvet hangings and
+embroideries. The furniture was of carven gold and silver and ivory, and
+everywhere grew flowers of wonderful beauty, which sprang from the floor
+and crept along the walls, and filled the air with sweet scents, and
+hanging on the walls were cages which held what Michael thought were birds,
+which sang most sweetly.
+
+On a table in the centre of the room was a banquet all laid ready, and as
+Michael looked at it and wondered where he should go farther, a curtain was
+drawn aside, and there stepped forth a stately dame dressed in black
+velvet, who came smiling towards him and held out her hand, saying, "I am
+indeed glad to see you, I am mistress of this castle, and you are very
+welcome; but I beg that before you tell me from where you come and what you
+seek, you will sit down and share this feast with me." Michael was
+beginning to answer, when he felt the sword in his hand, and remembered his
+oath, and looking full in the face of the new-comer, said, "I seek the
+heart of Princess Joan."
+
+"And you shall find it," answered the grand lady. "But first you must rest
+and eat, for you must be both tired and hungry;" and so saying she sat at
+one end of the table, and signed to Michael to sit at the other, and took
+the golden covers from the dishes, and prepared to begin the feast. Michael
+knew not what to do, but he sat at the table in silence, and all at once
+bethought him of the magic glass in his bosom, and drawing it forth when
+she was not looking, gazed through it at her, and then he beheld no
+finely-dressed lady, but a wizened old woman, robed in yellow, with an evil
+yellow face and evil yellow eyes. He hid the glass again, and sat still as
+stone, though the yellow woman pressed on him the different dishes again
+and again. He saw that her face grew white with rage. Then all of a sudden
+she disappeared, and the lights went out, and he was left alone in the
+darkness. He rose and searched for the door by which he had entered, but
+could not find it nor any way out of the room; so there he was, a prisoner
+alone with the singing-birds.
+
+"Never mind," quoth he to himself cheerily; "I have at last reached the
+inside of the castle, and surely shall find the heart of my Joan, and if I
+keep my vow and neither eat nor drink here or say aught but ask for that
+which I seek, nothing can harm me."
+
+So he sat down contentedly to wait for what might come. There he sat the
+whole night, and no one came near him, but the birds sang so beautifully
+that he almost forgot how the time passed.
+
+When morning dawned and light again shone through the windows, he searched
+everywhere for some way out of the room, but the door had quite
+disappeared. Moreover, the feast had gone from the table. The day passed,
+and still he was all alone, and as evening again drew in he sat and
+lamented, quite wearied out and faint for want of food. But when the
+darkness came, the lamps about the room were suddenly lit as if by magic,
+and all was brilliant, and a curtain was drawn aside, and there came in a
+little child with bright eyes and hair, who held in one hand a goblet and
+in the other a well-filled plate. These she placed before Michael, saying,
+"My mistress sends you these, and begs that you will eat and drink, for you
+must be both hungry and thirsty;" but Michael pushed away the goblet and
+the plate, and said,
+
+"I seek the heart of Princess Joan; I beg you to give it to me."
+
+To this the seeming child answered nothing, but still pressed on him the
+food and wine. Then Michael took from his bosom the magic glass and looked
+through it, and saw no lovely child, but the same yellow hag with
+shrivelled face and evil eyes. With a cry of rage she disappeared, and
+though Michael searched everywhere, he could not find the way by which she
+went.
+
+Now indeed he began to feel that unless he ate he could not live much
+longer, and wept from very weakness.
+
+"Still I will neither eat nor drink," he said, "till I have found what I
+came to seek, and the fairy cannot refuse me much longer."
+
+Night passed and day came, and he lay upon a couch quite still, too weak to
+move, yet he feared to sleep lest some spell should be thrown upon him.
+
+So he lay all day, and as evening again drew near he began to feel despair,
+for he knew that in another day he would be dead of hunger.
+
+"Oh! Why have I toiled for seven years," he cried aloud, "and at last won
+my way into the castle, if now I am to be starved to death, and Joan will
+never know how I have laboured for her sake?"
+
+"And why should you be starved to death, my Prince?" said a voice; and at
+once the lights lit themselves, and into the room stepped the figure of
+the Princess Joan just as he had seen her last, dressed in white and gold,
+and in one hand bearing a golden goblet filled with clear ruby-coloured
+wine.
+
+Michael gave a cry of joy and held out his arms to clasp her in them, but
+as he did so the sword sprang as it hung at his side, and he remembered his
+vow and drew back and gazed at her without speaking.
+
+She knelt down beside him and raised the goblet to his lips, saying softly,
+"My poor love, how long you have worked for me! Pray drink now, that you
+may be refreshed ere we two start for our home."
+
+Then as he looked at her face and saw how beautiful she was his heart
+wavered, and he thought, "Can it be my Joan, and that I have truly won
+her?" and almost had he let her place the wine at his lips, while with one
+hand she stroked his hair and murmured to him the while in a soft voice,
+when the cup struck against the magic glass in his bosom, and he drew it
+forth and looked at her, and he trembled with horror and disgust, for there
+he saw no lovely Princess Joan, but the same yellow hag, who held in one
+skinny hand a goblet, formed from a skull, from which she would have him
+drink.
+
+Michael sprang to his feet and dashed it from him, and the ruby wine poured
+on the floor, and there followed an awful noise like a peal of thunder, and
+the room was full of smoke, and wild cries were heard.
+
+He grasped the sword and sat still, trembling all over; but when the smoke
+cleared away the whole aspect of the room was changed; the silken hangings,
+and gold, and pearls, and flowers, were all gone, and he was sitting in a
+grim gray chamber like a vault, and in front of him stood the yellow hag,
+whose eyes shone spitefully and her lips laughed wickedly; but in one hand
+she held what it made Michael rejoice to see. It was a soft pink feathery
+thing, with wings, but shaped like a heart, and it trembled and quivered in
+her hand.
+
+"Take it," she cried, "for well have you won it. Take it, and tell the
+Queen how many years of toil and labour her proud words and boasting have
+cost. Then when you see her, from whom it was stolen, let it fly, but
+first say over it these words:--
+
+    "Heart of Joan
+    Lost and won
+    Fly back home,
+    Thy journey's done.
+    Take back joy
+    Take back pain
+    Heart of Joan,
+    Fly home again."
+
+and it will fly to her side, and you will see it no more; and now begone."
+
+Michael seized the heart with a cry of joy and exultation, and then turned
+and fled from the room through an open iron door, and passed through the
+passages, no longer softly carpeted and hung with silk, but dreary and
+bare, made of cold stone, down which his foot-steps echoed and clashed.
+
+He hurried from the castle as quickly as might be, and once outside did not
+stop to look for the old man or the monster, but swam the moat, and went
+straight to where his boat lay moored as he had left it, nearly seven years
+before, and never paused till he had rowed so far that the gray castle and
+the shore had almost passed from view. At last he came again to the shore
+where he had bought his boat of the fishermen, and here he went on land,
+and started to walk till he had reached Joan's country, and her father's
+castle.
+
+He had no money, and his clothes were rags, his hair was thin and gray, and
+his shoulders bent. He looked like a poor beggar, and he had to beg food as
+he went, or he would have been starved. Still, he was ready to cry for joy,
+because he took with him the little soft heart he had gone so far to find.
+
+He trudged on both day and night, making great haste, for he knew that the
+seven years were almost gone, and he was afraid lest already he might be
+too late, and find that Joan had married some one else. At last, after many
+weary miles, he reached her country, and drew near to the palace where she
+lived, and here he found that the people were all decorating their houses,
+and making preparations as if for some great festival.
+
+He stopped and begged for food from a woman who stood by a cottage door,
+and when she had given him some bread, as he ate it he asked her to tell
+him what went on in the country, and why there was such rejoicing.
+
+"It is for the marriage of the King's daughter Joan," said the woman;
+"To-morrow she is to be married to old King Lambert, and the wedding will
+be very grand, but none of the country folk like it, for he is old and
+ugly, and they say he does not love her at all, but only marries her that
+he may be king of this country as well as his own. The Queen is in sore
+distress about it, and for seven years refused her consent; but they will
+be over to-morrow, and so they will be wed, and the guests are already
+beginning to arrive at the palace, and each one brings some splendid gift."
+
+"I will be a guest at that wedding," cried Michael; "And I bring the best
+gift of all for the bride;" and he hurried on again, not heeding the
+woman's scorn and laughter.
+
+When he came to the palace, he found that it was hung with flags, and
+arches of flowers were erected in front of it, and grand lords and ladies,
+and servants stood at the door to receive the guests who came.
+
+Michael went as near as he dared, afraid lest he should be driven away by
+the servants, and then he saw a little foot-page, and he went to him and
+said,
+
+"Please tell me where is the Princess Joan, and what she is doing."
+
+"She is sitting with the King and Queen and King Lambert in the state-room,
+to receive the guests and accept the presents they bring," said the page.
+
+"I am a guest, and I bring a present for her," cried Michael; "Tell me how
+I shall get into the palace that I may give it to her."
+
+On hearing this the page burst out laughing, and told the other servants
+what he said. And they were very angry, and seized Michael, and some would
+have ducked him in the pond, and some would have taken him before the King,
+but they said, "Not now--wait till the wedding is over to-morrow, and then
+we will see how he will punish the beggar-man for his impertinence."
+
+So they took him off to a stone tower outside the garden gates and thrust
+him into it, and locked the door, and there was only one little window high
+up and barred across with bars, and from it he could see the palace and the
+gardens.
+
+Then at last he gave way to despair. "Of what avail were all my years of
+toil, and for what am I gray and old before my time," he cried, "if after
+all, when I have earned that for which I worked so long, I may not give it
+to Joan, but must remain a prisoner and see her pass by to marry some one
+else?" and he threw himself on the ground and cried aloud.
+
+At night as he lay and mourned, he heard sounds of merrymaking, and music
+and laughter from the castle. Sometimes he called out, "Joan! Joan! I am
+here--I who have worked for you for years, and brought home your stolen
+heart, and now will you wed King Lambert in spite of all?" sometimes he
+beat against the bars of the prison window, but all in vain, and at last,
+when all sound had ceased from the castle, he lay silent upon the ground,
+caring no more for life.
+
+When the sun rose, and there was again a stir without, he got up and looked
+from the window, and saw the old nurse who walked by herself in the garden,
+and she looked very sad. Then Michael called out, "Do you not know me? You
+at least, who bid me go, and praised me then, should remember me now." On
+hearing this the old nurse drew near the prison window, and looked at him,
+and said, "Who are you, and why are you here? My eyes are old, and my ears
+are deaf, but I think I have seen you, and heard your voice before."
+
+"Seven years ago," said Michael, "I too was a bridegroom, who came to wed
+your Princess, and for seven long years have I worked, that I might bring
+home to her the heart she had not. Go and ask your Queen, why she has
+broken her pledge to wait for seven years, till Prince Michael should
+return."
+
+"Prince Michael! Is it really Prince Michael?" cried the old nurse
+joyfully. "And you come in time, for our Princess is not married yet, and
+she must pass by here, on her way to church. So you shall call to her as
+she passes by, and speak for yourself."
+
+"Then keep near and tell me when she comes," said Michael, "lest she go by
+without seeing me."
+
+Presently the whole castle was astir, and trumpets were sounding, and
+clarions ringing. Then when the sun was high, Michael heard the tramping of
+horses, and the sound of music, and the old nurse said to him, "Here she
+is," and he looked between the bars of the prison window and saw a grand
+procession, and his heart gave a bound, for in their midst, in a golden
+gown, and seated on a white palfrey, was Princess Joan, and she looked just
+as lovely as when he went away seven years before.
+
+On one side of her rode her father and mother, and the Queen's face was
+most mournful, and her eyes were red with crying. On the other rode an ugly
+old man, whom Michael guessed to be King Lambert, and he smiled and bowed
+to the people, but they muttered and grumbled, when they looked at him,
+and saw how ugly and wicked, he looked.
+
+When Michael saw them coming, he took from his bosom the little pink heart,
+and stroked it fondly as he whispered over it,
+
+    "Heart of Joan
+    Lost and won
+    Fly back home,
+    Thy journey's done.
+    Take back joy
+    Take back pain
+    Heart of Joan,
+    Fly home again;"
+
+and at once it spread its wings and fluttered through the bars of the
+prison, and over the heads of the people, who shouted, "Look at the pink
+bird!" For a moment it rested at the side of the Princess Joan, and then
+disappeared. She gave a scream, and cried,
+
+"My mother! My father! What has happened? Oh see, it is Michael who has
+returned!" and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's head
+towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars to
+clasp the Prince.
+
+[Illustration: ----and ere they could stop her she had turned her palfrey's
+head towards the prison window, and pushed her white arms through the bars
+to clasp the Prince."--P. 128.]
+
+"Michael, my love!" she cried, "How gray and worn you are now. How hard you
+must have laboured for me through these long years. Now, how shall I pay
+you, save by loving you all my life!" and she tried to beat down the bars
+of the prison window.
+
+When the people heard her, they cried, "It is Prince Michael, who went
+seven years ago, and who we all thought was dead, and he is returned in
+time to marry our Princess. Now will we indeed have a wedding, and she
+shall marry the Prince who has toiled so long for her;" and King and Queen
+and people laughed for joy. 'Twas in vain for King Lambert to rage, and cry
+that the Princess was betrothed to him.
+
+"Nay!" said the Queen, "She has been pledged to Prince Michael for seven
+years. We are grieved for your sake, King Lambert, but we cannot break our
+royal word."
+
+Then the people burst into the prison and brought out Michael, all torn and
+gray as he was, and Princess Joan kissed him before them all, and begged
+that he would marry her at once, that every one might see how well she
+loved him and how grateful she was. So they brought a fine white horse with
+a grand gold saddle, and jewelled bridle, and placed Michael upon it, and
+he rode to church beside the Princess, and married her, and the people
+threw flowers before them, and bells rang and trumpets sounded, and all
+were glad.
+
+And when it was done Michael was dressed in purple and gold, and messengers
+were sent to his father and mother and the old wizard, that they might come
+and see how he had come home victorious, and rejoicings filled the whole
+country.
+
+"For now we are sure of a good King," the people said. "See, he has already
+shown what he can do. Surely no one else could ever have found the heart of
+Princess Joan."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: "Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do,
+perhaps you would not mind carrying my load for me for a little."--P.
+131.]
+
+
+
+
+THE PEDLAR'S PACK
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+A pedlar was toiling along a dusty road carrying his pack on his back, when
+he saw a donkey grazing by the wayside.
+
+"Good-day, friend," said he. "If you have nothing to do, perhaps you would
+not mind carrying my load for me for a little."
+
+"If I do so, what will you give me?" said the donkey.
+
+"I will give you two pieces of gold," said the pedlar, but he did not speak
+the truth, for he knew he had no gold to give.
+
+"Agreed," said the donkey. So they journeyed on together in a very
+friendly manner, the donkey carrying the pedlar's pack, and the pedlar
+walking by his side. After a time they met a raven, who was looking for
+worms in the roadside, and the donkey called out to him,
+
+"Good-morrow, black friend. If you are going our way, you would do well to
+sit upon my back and drive away the flies, which worry me sadly."
+
+"And what will you pay me to do this?" asked the raven.
+
+"Money is no object to me," said the donkey, "so I will give you three
+pieces of gold." And he too knew he was making a false promise, for he had
+no gold at all to give.
+
+"Agreed," said the raven. So they went on in high good humour, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's wares, and the raven sitting on the donkey's back
+driving away the flies.
+
+After a time they met a hedge-sparrow, and the raven called out to it,
+
+"Good-day, little cousin. Do you want to earn a little money? If so, bring
+me some worms from the bank as we go along, for I had no breakfast, and am
+very hungry."
+
+"What will you give me for it?" asked the hedge-sparrow.
+
+"Let us say four pieces of gold," said the raven grandly; "for I have saved
+more during my long life than I know how to spend." But he knew this was
+not true, for he had not saved any gold at all.
+
+"Very well," said the hedge-sparrow, and so on they went, the donkey
+carrying the pedlar's pack, and the raven keeping the flies away from the
+donkey, and the hedge-sparrow bringing worms to the raven.
+
+Presently they saw in the distance a good-sized town, and the pedlar took
+out from his pack, some shawls and stuffs and hung them over the donkey's
+back that the passers-by might see, and buy if they were so disposed. On
+the top of the other goods lay a small scarlet blanket, and when he saw it
+the hedge-sparrow said to the pedlar,
+
+"What will you take for that little blanket? It seems to be a good one.
+Name your price and you shall have it whatever it is, for I am badly in
+want of a blanket just now;" but as the hedge-sparrow had not a penny in
+the world, he knew he could not pay for it.
+
+"The price of the blanket is five pieces of gold," said the pedlar.
+
+"That seems to me to be very dear," said the hedge-sparrow. "I don't mind
+giving you four pieces of gold for it, but five is too much."
+
+"Agreed," said the pedlar, and he chuckled to himself and thought, "Now I
+shall be able to pay the donkey, otherwise I might have had some trouble in
+getting rid of him."
+
+The hedge-sparrow flew to the raven's side and whispered in his ear,
+"Please to pay me the four pieces of gold you owe me, for we are coming to
+a town, and I must be turning back."
+
+"Four pieces of gold is really too much for bringing a few worms," said the
+raven. "It is absurd to expect such payment, but I will give you three, and
+you shall have them almost immediately," and he bent down over the donkey's
+ear and whispered,
+
+"My friend, it is time you paid me the three pieces of gold which you
+promised, for the pedlar will stop at this town, and you will not have to
+go farther with him."
+
+"On thinking it over," said the donkey, "I have come to the conclusion that
+three pieces of gold are really a great deal too much to give for having a
+few flies driven away. You must have known that I was only joking when I
+said it, but I will let you have two, though I consider that it is much
+more than the job was worth;" and the donkey turned again to the pedlar,
+saying, "Now, good sir, your two pieces of gold, if you please."
+
+"In a moment," said the pedlar, and turning to the hedge-sparrow, said, "I
+really must have the money for the blanket at once."
+
+"So you shall," answered the hedge-sparrow, and cried angrily to the raven,
+"I want my money now, and cannot wait."
+
+"In an instant," answered the raven, and again whispered to the donkey,
+"Why can't you pay me honestly? I should be ashamed of trying to slip out
+of my debts in such a way."
+
+"I won't keep you waiting a second," said the donkey, and he turned once
+more to the pedlar and cried, "Come, give me my money. For shame! a man
+like you trying to cheat a poor beast like me."
+
+Then the pedlar said to the hedge-sparrow, "Pay me for my blanket, or I'll
+wring your neck."
+
+And the hedge-sparrow cried to the raven, "Give me my money or I'll peck
+out your eyes."
+
+And the raven croaked to the donkey, "If you don't pay me, I'll bite off
+your tail."
+
+And the donkey again cried to the pedlar, "You dishonest wretch, pay me my
+money or I'll kick you soundly."
+
+And they made such an uproar outside the walls of the town, that the beadle
+came out to see what it was all about. Each turned to him and began to
+complain of the other loudly.
+
+"You are a set of rogues and vagabonds," said the beadle, "and you shall
+all come before the mayor, and he'll settle your quarrels pretty quickly,
+and treat you as you deserve."
+
+At this they all begged to be allowed to go away, each one saying he did
+not care about being paid at all. But the beadle would not listen to them,
+and led them straight away to the market-place, where the mayor sat judging
+the people.
+
+"Now, whom have we here?" cried he. "A pedlar, a donkey, a raven, and a
+hedge-sparrow. A set of worthless vagabonds, I'll be bound! Let us hear
+what they have to say for themselves."
+
+On this the pedlar began to complain of the hedge-sparrow, and the
+hedge-sparrow of the raven, and the raven of the donkey, and the donkey of
+the pedlar.
+
+The mayor did not heed them much, but he eyed the pedlar's pack, and at
+length interrupted them, and said,
+
+"I am convinced that you are a set of good-for-nothing fellows, and one is
+quite as bad as the other, so I order that the pedlar be locked up in the
+prison, that the donkey be soundly well thrashed, and that the raven and
+the hedge-sparrow both have their tail-feathers pulled out, and then be
+turned out of the town. As for the blanket, it seems to me to be the only
+good thing in the whole matter, and as I cannot allow you to keep the cause
+of such a disturbance, I will take it for myself. Beadle, lead the
+prisoners away."
+
+So the beadle did as he was told, and the pedlar was locked up for many
+days in the prison.
+
+"It is very sad to think to what straits an honest man may be brought," he
+sighed to himself as he sat lamenting his hard fate. "In future this will
+be a warning to me to keep clear of hedge-sparrows. If the hedge-sparrow
+had paid me as he ought, I should not be here now."
+
+Meantime the donkey was being soundly well thrashed, and after each blow he
+cried,
+
+"Alas! alas! See what comes to an innocent quadruped for having to do with
+human beings. Had the pedlar given me the money he owed, I should not now
+be beaten thus. In future I will never make a bargain with men."
+
+The raven and the hedge-sparrow hopped out of the town by different roads,
+and both were very sad, for they had lost all their tail feathers, which
+the beadle had pulled out.
+
+"Alas!" croaked the raven, "my fate is indeed a hard one. But it serves me
+right for trusting a donkey who goes on his feet and cannot fly. It is
+truly a warning to me never again to trust anything without a beak."
+
+The hedge-sparrow was quite crestfallen, and could scarcely keep from
+tears. "It all comes of my being so taken in by that raven," he sighed.
+"But I should have known that these large birds are never honest. In future
+I will be wise, and never make a bargain with anything bigger or stronger
+than myself."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE BREAD OF DISCONTENT
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once there was a baker who had a very bad, violent temper, and whenever a
+batch of bread was spoiled he flew into such a rage, that his wife and
+daughters dared not go near him. One day it happened that all his bread was
+burnt, and on this he stamped and raved with anger. He threw the loaves all
+about the floor, when one, burnt blacker than the rest, broke in half, and
+out of it crept a tiny thin black man, no thicker than an eel, with long
+arms and legs.
+
+"What are you making all this fuss about, Master Baker?" said he. "If you
+will give me a home in your oven I will see to the baking of your bread,
+and will answer for it that you shall never have so much as a loaf
+spoiled."
+
+[Illustration: "If you will give me a home in your oven I will see to the
+baking of your bread, and will answer for it that you shall never have so
+much as a loaf spoiled."--P. 141.]
+
+"And pray what sort of bread would it be, if you were in the oven, and
+helped to bake it?" said the baker; "I think my customers might not like to
+eat it."
+
+"On the contrary," said the imp, "they would like it exceedingly. It is
+true that it would make them rather unhappy, but that will not hurt you, as
+you need not eat it yourself."
+
+"Why should it make them unhappy?" said the baker. "If it is good bread it
+won't do any one harm, and if it is bad they won't buy it."
+
+"It will taste very good," replied the imp, "but it will make all who eat
+it discontented, and they will think themselves very unfortunate whether
+they are so or no; but this will not do you any harm, and I promise you
+that you shall sell as much as you wish."
+
+"Agreed!" said the baker. So the little imp crept into the oven and curled
+himself into the darkness behind, and the baker saw no more of him.
+
+But next day he made a great batch of bread, and though he took no heed of
+the time when he put it in, and drew it out, just as he wanted it, it was
+done quite right--neither too dark nor too light--and the baker was in high
+good humour.
+
+The first person who tasted the bread was the chief justice. He came down
+to breakfast in high spirits, for he had just heard that an old aunt was
+dead, and had left him a great deal of money. So he kissed his wife and
+chucked his daughters under the chin, and told them that he had good news
+for them. His old aunt had left him twenty thousand pounds in her will. On
+this his wife clapped her hands for joy, and his daughters ran to him and
+kissed him, and begged him to let them have some of it. So they all sat
+down to breakfast in great glee, but no sooner had the justice tasted the
+bread than his face fell.
+
+"This is excellent bread," he said, taking a large slice; "I wish
+everything else were as good;" and he heaved a deep sigh.
+
+"Why?" cried his wife, who had not yet begun to eat. "This morning, I am
+sure, there is nothing for you to complain of."
+
+"Nay!" said the mayor; "it is very nice to have twenty thousand pounds, but
+think how much nicer it would have been if it had been thirty. How much
+more one could have done with that! Or even if it had been twenty-five
+thousand pounds, or even twenty-one. Twenty-one thousand pounds is a very
+nice sum of money, but twenty thousand pounds is no good at all. I am not
+sure that it would not be better not to have had any."
+
+"Nonsense!" cried his wife, who was now eating her breakfast also; "you are
+very wicked to be so discontented; but one thing I do say. It would have
+been much nicer if we had had it when we were young and better able to
+enjoy it. Money is very little use to people at our time of life. It would
+have been really nice if we had had it fifteen years ago. As it is, I can't
+say I care much for it, and it makes me sad to think we did not get it
+before."
+
+"Nay," cried the daughters; "in that case how much better it would have
+been for us to have it instead of you; we are young, and able to enjoy
+ourselves, and we could have given you a little of it if you'd liked, but
+we could have been very happy with the rest; as it is, it is no pleasure to
+us."
+
+So they fell to quarrelling about the money, and by the time breakfast was
+done, they all had tears in their eyes, and felt discontented and unhappy.
+
+The next person to eat the bread was the village doctor. All night long he
+had been sitting up with a man who had broken his leg, and he had feared
+lest he should die, but as morning came he saw he would live, so he
+returned home to his wife in very good spirits, although he was sadly
+tired. The wife had already had her breakfast, but she had made all ready
+for her husband, with a loaf of the baker's new bread.
+
+"See, dear husband," she said, "here is your breakfast, and some nice bread
+quite new, because I know you like it. How glad we ought to be, that this
+poor man is likely to live."
+
+"Yes, indeed," said the doctor; "being up all night is tiring work, but I
+don't grudge it when I know that it does some good," and then he began to
+eat. "I am not sure, after all, that I have done such a good thing in
+curing this man. It is true that his broken leg hurt him very much, but
+perhaps when he is well again, he may break his back, and that would be
+much worse. Perhaps I had better have left him to die. I daresay when he is
+quite well, all kinds of misfortunes will befall him; I had much better
+have let him alone."
+
+"Why," cried his wife in surprise, "what are you saying, husband? Are you
+not a doctor, and is it not your business to cure people? And when you
+succeed ought you not to be glad?"
+
+"I wish I were not a doctor," said the husband, sighing. "It would be much
+better if there were no doctors at all;" and he sat and lamented, and
+nothing his wife could say, could cheer him.
+
+In a pretty little cottage near the doctor's house lived a young couple,
+who were newly married, and were as happy as the day was long. Their
+cottage was covered with roses, and filled with pretty things, and they
+had everything their hearts could desire. This morning they both came down
+smiling and happy, and the young wife kissed her husband, and sang for joy.
+So they sat down to breakfast, chattering like two birds in a nest; but no
+sooner had the husband tasted the bread than his face fell, and he was
+silent for a time; then he said,
+
+"It is a very terrible thing to think how happy we are, for it cannot last.
+Something melancholy is sure to happen to us, and till it comes we shall
+live in dread of it; for we know happiness never lasts, and this is a
+thought that makes me very sad."
+
+The wife had now also taken some bread.
+
+"What is this you are saying?" she said. "How can you think such dreadful
+things? I do not like you when you talk like that; and I think it is very
+hard for me to be married to a man who wants to be unhappy."
+
+"The best thing we can hope for," said the husband, sighing, "is for some
+great misfortune to befall us; then we should be all right, for we should
+know then, that we knew the worst that could come. As it is we shall live
+in suspense all our days."
+
+"Now," cried his wife, "I am indeed unfortunate. What could be worse than
+to have a husband who does not like being happy? I wish I had married some
+one else; or indeed had no husband at all."
+
+So both began to grumble, and at last to quarrel, and finally both were
+crying with anger.
+
+Not far out of the village was a large pleasant farmhouse, standing amongst
+fields, and the farmer was a hale, bright man, with a good wife and pretty
+children. He was very busy just now getting in the corn, for it was autumn,
+and he stood among his men, directing them as they worked in the fields. He
+had not had time to have a proper breakfast before going to work, but his
+wife sent some out to him with some of the baker's new bread, and he sat
+down under a tree to eat it. As he did so he looked up at the farmhouse,
+and thought, with pride, that it was the largest farm in all the country
+round, and that it had belonged to his father, and his grandfather, and
+his great-grandfather, before him.
+
+"'Tis a fine old house, for sure," thought he, as he took a large piece of
+bread, "'Tis so well built and strong;" but no sooner had he swallowed a
+mouthful than his thoughts changed.
+
+"What should I do if it were to fall down and crush me some day," he said
+to himself. "After all, 'tis only built of brick, and might tumble any day.
+How much stronger it would have been if it had been built of stone. Then it
+would not have been nearly so likely to give way. Really when my
+great-grandfather built it he should have thought of this. How selfish all
+men are;" and he became quite unhappy lest his house should fall, and
+lamented while he ate.
+
+In the kitchen the farmer's wife was very busy cooking and cleaning, and
+scarcely stopped to eat till near mid-day. Then she took up a piece of
+bread and cheese, and leant against the window as she ate it, that she
+might watch for her eldest girl and boy, Janey and Jimmy, who would now be
+returning from school.
+
+"Our baker really bakes very decent bread," said she; "'tis almost as good
+as my own;" and she went on eating till she saw her two children coming
+through the fields together.
+
+"Here they come," said she; "How bonny they look. Really I ought to be very
+proud of them. I don't know which is the prettier, Janey or Jimmy, but 'tis
+a pity, for sure, that Janey is the eldest. It would be much better if
+Jimmy were older than she. 'Tis a bad thing for the sister to be older than
+the brother. Now, if he were her age, and she were his, that would be
+really nice, for then he could take care of her and see after her; but, as
+it is, she will try to direct him, and boys never like to obey their
+sisters; I really almost think I had better not have had any children at
+all," and the tears filled her eyes, and when her girl and boy ran in to
+her, her face was very sad, and she seemed to be scarcely glad to see them.
+
+So things went on all over the village. Each one as he tasted the bread
+grew discontented and angry, till at last all the people went about
+grumbling and complaining, or else shedding tears outright. Only the baker
+himself was cheerful and merry, and sang as he kneaded his dough, and sold
+it to his customers with a light heart, for his trade had never been so
+good. Every atom of bread he made was sold at once, so he cared not one
+whit for the trouble of the other people, and laughed to himself when he
+heard them complaining, and thought of the words of the dark little elf.
+
+One day as he stood kneading at the door and whistling to himself, the
+doctor walked past and looked angrily at him.
+
+"What on earth are you making that whistling for?" he asked. "I declare one
+would think that you were as happy as a man could be."
+
+"And so I am," said the baker, "And so I should think were you too, for you
+have nothing to trouble you."
+
+"Nothing to trouble me, forsooth!" cried the doctor in a rage. "How dare
+you insult me in this way? I tell you what it is, my fine fellow, I think
+you are very impertinent, and if I have any more of your impudence I will
+take my stick and thrash you soundly. It really is not to be borne, that
+one man should be allowed to tell another that he has nothing to complain
+of."
+
+"Nay, _you_ can have as much to complain of as you like, so long as I have
+not," cried the baker, and he laughed loudly. This only made the doctor
+angrier still, and he was just going to seize the baker when up came the
+farmer.
+
+"Was there ever such a village as this?" he cried. "It is not fit for any
+one to live in, there is always such fighting and quarrelling going on.
+What is the matter here?"
+
+"Matter enough," cried the doctor. "Here is a fellow dares to tell me I
+have nothing to complain of, nor he either."
+
+"This is monstrous!" said the farmer; "he deserves to be hung. How dares he
+say such a thing on such a wretched day as this, with such a blue sky and
+such a bright sun?"
+
+"Why, Master Farmer," cried the baker, "yesterday you grumbled because it
+was raining, and now you grumble because it is fine."
+
+"And I tell you that it is enough to make one grumble," said the farmer.
+"It should have been fair yesterday, and should have rained to-day. You
+ought to be ashamed of such talk, Master Baker, and I think it would serve
+you justly right if we took you before the Justice and let us see what he
+thinks of your conduct."
+
+"Nay!" cried the baker, beginning to be frightened, "what have I done that
+I am to be taken before the Justice?"
+
+"What have you done, indeed!" said the doctor. "We will see if the Justice
+cannot find that out pretty quickly." So they seized the baker and dragged
+him away in spite of himself, and as they pulled him through the village
+the people thronged about them, and followed till there was quite a large
+crowd.
+
+The Justice sat at his door smoking a pipe, with tears in his eyes.
+
+"Now what is all this uproar for?" cried he. "Am I never to be left in
+peace? How hard is the life of a Justice!" but he got up and came out on
+the steps to meet them.
+
+"See here," cried the doctor; "here is a man who says he has nothing to
+complain of, and we have brought him to you, to know if he is to be
+punished, or to be allowed to go on talking like this."
+
+"Certainly not," cried the Justice, "or we shall soon have the whole
+village in an uproar. Let him be taken to the market-place, and I will
+order that he be publicly flogged by the soldiers."
+
+At this the poor baker burst out crying, and entreated to be let off,
+saying that now indeed he had plenty to complain of, but at this the
+justice was angrier still. "Then," said he, "you certainly deserve to be
+flogged for having told an untruth before, when you said you had not. Take
+him away, and do as I bid."
+
+So they dragged the baker off to the market-place, and made a ring round
+him, so that he could not escape, and then there came down two or three
+soldiers with ropes in their hands, and they seized him, and began to beat
+him before all the crowd.
+
+But by this time all the people were so enraged against him, that a number
+of them cried, "Let us go to his house and pull it down." So off they ran
+to the baker's house, and broke the windows and knocked about the
+furniture, and then some of them fell on the oven, and wrenched off the
+door, and others seized the pokers and tongs, and smashed in its sides, and
+in the hurry and scuffle, the little dark man crept out of the oven and
+scuttled away unseen by any one. But no sooner had he gone than a great
+change came across the people.
+
+The soldiers on the green stopped beating the baker, and looked at each
+other aghast, and the Justice called out,
+
+"Stop! What is all this uproar about? And what has this man done that you
+are beating him without my orders?" and the people in the crowd whispered
+to each other; "It is true,--what has he done?" and they slunk away,
+looking ashamed.
+
+The Justice also at first looked somewhat ashamed of himself, but he drew
+himself up, and looking very important, said, "There, my man, you are
+forgiven for this once, and now go your way, and see that you behave better
+in future;" and then he walked away with much dignity.
+
+So the baker was left alone in the market-place, and he cried for rage and
+pain.
+
+"This all comes of the oven imp," cried he, as he limped home. "Directly I
+get home I will drive him out of my oven, and away from my house. Better to
+have a hundred batches of bread spoiled than to be flogged for saying one
+is happy." But when he reached his house the little dark man was nowhere to
+be found; there was nought but the broken oven with its sides battered in.
+
+The baker mended the oven, and from that time forth his bread was just like
+other people's; but for all that he had learnt to be quite contented, for
+now he knew that there were worse things than having his loaves burnt
+black, and he was only too well pleased to take his chance with other
+people, without the help of fairy folk. As for the little black imp, he was
+never heard of more, and the people in the village soon recovered their
+good humour, and were just as happy and contented as they had been before
+they tasted the bread of discontent.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+YE THREE CLEVER KINGS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Old King Roland lay upon his death-bed, and as he had no son to reign after
+him he sent for his three nephews, Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete, and
+addressed them as follows:--
+
+"My dear nephews, I feel that my days are now drawing to an end, and one of
+you will have to be King when I am dead. But there is no pleasure in being
+King. My people have been difficult to govern and never content with what I
+did for them, so that my life has been a hard one, and though I have
+watched you all closely, still I know not, which is most fit to wear the
+crown; so my wish is that you should each try it in turn. You, Aldovrand,
+as you are the oldest, shall be King first, and if you reign happily, all
+well and good; but if you fail, let Aldebert take your place; and if he
+fail, let him give it up to Alderete, and then you will know which is the
+best fitted to govern."
+
+On this the three young men all thanked their uncle, and each one declared
+that he would do his best, and soon after old King Roland died and was
+buried with great state and ceremony.
+
+So now Aldovrand was to be King, and he was crowned, and there were great
+rejoicings everywhere.
+
+"'Tis a fine thing to be King," cried he in much glee; "Now I can amuse
+myself and do just as I please, and there will be no one to stop me, and I
+will lie in bed as late as I like in the morning, for who dares blame one,
+if one is King?"
+
+Next morning the Prime Minister and the Chancellor came to the palace to
+see the new King and settle affairs of state, but they were told that his
+majesty was in bed and had given orders that no one should disturb him.
+
+"This is a bad beginning," sighed the Prime Minister.
+
+"Very bad," echoed the Chancellor.
+
+When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at
+battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry
+at being interrupted in his game.
+
+"A pretty thing," he cried, "That I the King am to be sent for hither and
+thither as if I were a lacquey. They must go away and come another time;"
+and on hearing this the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked graver still.
+
+But next morning there came the Commander-in-Chief and the Lord High
+Admiral, as well as the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, all wanting to
+have an audience with the King, and as he was not out of bed and they could
+not wait any longer, they all stood outside his bedroom door, and knocked
+to gain admittance, and at last he came out in a towering rage, and
+throwing them his crown, cried,
+
+"Here, let one of my cousins be King, for I will not bear this longer. It
+is much more trouble than it is worth, so Aldebert or Alderete may try it
+and see how they like it, but as for me, I have had enough of it," and he
+ran downstairs and out of the palace door, leaving the Prime Minister and
+the Chancellor and the General and Admiral staring at each other in dismay.
+
+Aldovrand walked out of the town unnoticed, and turned towards the country,
+whistling cheerily to himself. When he had gone some way in the fields, he
+came to a farmhouse, and in a meadow near, the farmer stood talking to his
+men. Aldovrand went straight up to him, and, touching his hat, asked if he
+could give him any work.
+
+"Work?" cried the farmer, little thinking he was talking to his late king.
+"Why, what sort of work can you do?"
+
+"Well," said Aldovrand, "I am not very fond of running about, but if you
+want any one to mind your sheep, or keep the birds from your corn, I could
+do that nicely."
+
+"I tell you what you can do if you like," said the farmer. "I am wanting a
+goose-boy to take care of my geese. See, there they are on the common. All
+you will have to do is to see that they don't stray away, and to drive them
+in at night."
+
+"That will suit me exactly," cried Aldovrand. "I will begin at once;" and
+he went straight on to the common, and when he had collected the geese
+together lay down to watch them in high good humour.
+
+"This is capital," he cried, "and much better than being King at the
+palace. Here there is no Prime Minister or Chancellor to come worrying;"
+and he lay watching the geese all day very contentedly.
+
+When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor knew that Aldovrand was really
+gone, they went in a great hurry to Aldebert to tell him that it was his
+turn to be King. But when he heard how his cousin had run away, he looked
+frightened.
+
+"I will do my best," quoth he; "but I really know very little about the
+matter. However, you must tell me, and I will do whatever you direct."
+
+At hearing this the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were delighted.
+
+"Now we have got the right sort of King," they said; and both wagged their
+heads with joy.
+
+So King Aldebert was crowned, and there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.
+
+Early next morning he was up all ready to receive his Ministers, and first
+came the Prime Minister.
+
+"Your Majesty," said he, "I come to you on an affair of much importance. A
+great part of our city is falling down, and it is very necessary that we
+should rebuild it at once. If you will command it, therefore, I will see
+that it is done."
+
+"I have no doubt you are right," said the King; "pray let them begin
+building at once;" and the Prime Minister went away delighted.
+
+Scarcely had he gone when in came the Commander-in-Chief.
+
+"Your Majesty," said he, "I wish to lay before you the state of our army.
+Our soldiers have had a great deal of fighting to do lately, and are
+beginning to be discontented, but the late King, your uncle, would never
+attend to their wants."
+
+"Pray do what you like," said King Aldebert.
+
+"To satisfy them," said the Commander-in-Chief, "I think that we should
+double their pay. This would keep them in a good humour, and all will go
+well."
+
+"By all means, that will certainly be the best way," said Aldebert. "Let it
+be given to them at once;" and on hearing this, the Commander-in-Chief went
+away right merrily.
+
+When he had gone, there came in the Chancellor with a long face.
+
+"Your Majesty," he said, "I have this morning been to the treasury, and I
+find that there is scarcely any money left. The late King, your uncle,
+spent so much in spite of all I could say, that now it is almost all gone.
+Your Majesty must now save all you can for the next year or two, and you
+ought also to lower the soldiers' pay, and stop all public works."
+
+"I have no doubt you are quite right," cried the King. "You know best, let
+it be done as you wish."
+
+But next morning in came the Prime Minister with a frowning face. "How is
+this, your Majesty?" cried he. "Just as we are beginning our buildings, the
+Chancellor comes and tells us that we are not to have any money to build
+with." He had not done speaking when the Commander-in-Chief burst into the
+room unable to conceal his rage.
+
+"Yesterday your Majesty told me that all the soldiers should have double
+pay, and this morning I hear, that instead of that, their wages are to be
+lowered!" Here he was interrupted by the Chancellor, who came running in
+looking much excited,
+
+"Your Majesty," he cried, "did you not yesterday say we were now to begin
+saving, and that I was not to allow any more money to be spent, and that
+the army must do with less pay?"
+
+And then all three began to quarrel among themselves. When he saw how angry
+they were, King Aldebert took off his crown and said, "I am sure you are
+each of you quite right; but I think I am scarcely fit to be a King. Indeed
+I think you had better find my cousin Alderete, and let him be crowned, and
+I will seek my fortune elsewhere." And he had slipped out of the room, and
+run downstairs and out of the palace, before they could stop him.
+
+He went briskly down the highroad into the country, the same way that
+Aldovrand had gone.
+
+After he had gone some way, he met a travelling tinker who sat by the
+roadside mending tin cans, with his little fire at his side.
+
+Aldebert stood watching him, and at last said, "How cleverly you mend those
+holes! You must lead a pleasant life, going from house to house in the
+green lanes mending wares. Do you think I could learn how to do it if you
+would teach me?"
+
+The tinker, who was an old man, looked at him and said,
+
+"Well, I don't mind giving you a trial if you like to come with me, for I
+want a strong young man sometimes to help me wheel my little cart, and
+I'll teach you my trade, and we'll see what you can make of it."
+
+So Aldebert was delighted, and went with the tinker.
+
+When they knew he was really gone the Prime Minister and the Chancellor
+looked at each other in dismay.
+
+"This will never do," cried they; "we must go at once to Prince Alderete;
+and let us hope he may do better than his cousins."
+
+When Prince Alderete heard that it was his turn to reign he jumped for joy.
+
+"Now," cried he, "at last I will show what a king should really be like. My
+cousins were neither of them any good, but they shall now see how different
+I will be."
+
+So he was crowned, and again there were great rejoicings all over the
+country.
+
+Next day he sat in state to receive the Chancellor and Prime Minister and
+hear what they had to say.
+
+"My friends," said he to them, "a good King ought to be like a father to
+his people, and this is what I mean to be. I mean to arrange everything
+for them myself, and if they will only obey me, and do as I direct, they
+are sure to be both prosperous and happy."
+
+On hearing this both Prime Minister and Chancellor looked anxious, and the
+Chancellor said,
+
+"I fear, your Majesty, your people will not like to be too much meddled
+with." At this the King was very angry, and bid them see about their own
+business, and not presume to teach him his.
+
+When they had gone he went to take a drive in his city, that he might see
+it and know it well; but directly he returned to the palace he sent for the
+Prime Minister, and when he had arrived, said,
+
+"I already see much to be altered in my kingdom. I do not like the houses
+in which many of the people dwell, nor indeed the dresses they wear; but
+what strikes me most of all is, that wherever I go I smell a strong smell
+of pea soup. Now, nothing is so unwholesome as pea soup, and therefore it
+would not be right in me to allow the people to go on eating it. I
+command, therefore, that no one shall again make, or eat pea soup, within
+my realm on pain of death."
+
+Again the Prime Minister looked very grave, and began to say,
+
+"Your Majesty, your subjects will surely not like to be hindered from
+eating and drinking what pleases them!" But the King cried out in a rage,
+
+"Go at once and do as I bid you." So the Prime Minister had to obey.
+
+Early next morning when the King arose he heard a great hubbub under his
+window, and when he went to see what it was, he saw a vast mob of people
+all shouting, "The King, the King! Where is this King who would dictate to
+us what we shall eat and drink?"
+
+When he saw them he was terribly frightened, and at once sent off for the
+Prime Minister and Chancellor to come to his aid.
+
+"Pray go and tell them to eat what they like," he cried when they arrived;
+"But, do you know, I find it will not at all suit me to be King. You had
+best try Aldovrand, or Aldebert, again;" and, so saying, he took off his
+crown and laid it down, and slipped away out of the palace before either
+Prime Minister or Chancellor could stop him.
+
+He went out of the back door, and ran, and ran, and ran, till he had left
+the town far behind, and came to the country fields and lanes--the same way
+that his two cousins had gone; and as he went he met a sweep trudging along
+carrying his long brooms over his shoulder.
+
+"My friend," cried Alderete, stopping him, "Of all things in the world I
+should like to be a sweep and learn how to sweep chimneys. May I go with
+you, and will you teach me your trade?"
+
+The sweep looked surprised, but said, "Yes, Alderete could go with him if
+he chose, and as he was now going on to the farmhouses, on the road, to
+sweep the chimneys, he could begin at once." So Alderete went with the
+sweep, carrying some of his brooms for him.
+
+After a time the people outside the palace grew quiet, when they heard that
+the King would not interfere with them further. And when all was again
+still, the Prime Minister and Chancellor went to seek the King, but he was
+nowhere to be found in the palace.
+
+"This will never do," cried they. "We must have a King somehow, so we had
+best have back one of the others." So they started to look for Aldovrand or
+Aldebert.
+
+They sought them all over the city, and at last they came into the same
+country road down which the three cousins had gone, and there they saw
+Aldovrand lying in a meadow watching his flock of geese.
+
+"Good day, my friends," cried he when he saw them; "And how are things
+going on at the palace? I hope my cousins like reigning better than I did.
+Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese, and it is much
+nicer than being King."
+
+Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor told him all that had happened, and
+begged that he would come back with them to the palace again, but at this
+Aldovrand laughed outright.
+
+[Illustration: "Now, here I lie peacefully all day long and watch my geese,
+and it is much nicer than being King."--P. 170.]
+
+"No indeed!" cried he, "I would not be King again for any man living. You
+had best go and seek my cousin Aldebert, and ask him. I saw him go down the
+road with a tinker, helping him to mend his tins. So go and ask him, and
+leave me to mind my geese in peace."
+
+So the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor had to seek still farther.
+
+They trudged on and on, till at last they met Aldebert, who sat by the side
+of the road mending a tin kettle, and whistling cheerily.
+
+"Heyday, whom have we here?" cried he. "The Prime Minister and the
+Chancellor! And I am right glad to see you both. See how clever I have
+grown; I am learning to be a tinker, and I mended that hole all myself."
+
+Then the Prime Minister and Chancellor begged him to leave his pots, and
+come back to the palace and be King, but he fell to work again, harder than
+ever, and said,
+
+"No indeed; go and ask my cousins, who are both much cleverer than I. I
+really don't do for it at all, but I make a very good tinker, and I like
+that much better."
+
+"Then what can we do?" cried the Prime Minister, "for we don't know where
+Alderete has gone."
+
+"I saw him go by here with a sweep a little time ago," said Aldebert; "and
+he went into that farmhouse yonder, so you had best seek him there."
+
+So the Prime Minister and the Chancellor went on to the farmhouse. At the
+door stood the farmer's wife, but when they asked her if she had seen the
+King go by, she stared with surprise.
+
+"Nay," said she; "no one has been here but our sweep and his apprentice. He
+is in there sweeping the chimney now." On hearing this, the Prime Minister
+and Chancellor at once ran into the farmhouse, and saw the old sweep
+standing by the kitchen fire-place. "And where is the other sweep?" cried
+they. "He is gone up the chimney, and is just going to begin sweeping,"
+said the old man. "So if you want to speak to him you must shout." So they
+shouted and called,
+
+"King Alderete, King Alderete!" as loud as ever they could, but he did not
+hear. Then the Chancellor knelt in front of the grate, and put his head up
+the chimney, and called,
+
+"King Alderete, King Alderete! It is the Prime Minister and I, the
+Chancellor, come to fetch your Majesty back to the palace."
+
+When Alderete heard him up the chimney, he trembled in every limb, but he
+replied,
+
+"I'm not going to come down; I don't want to be King. I am going to be a
+sweep, and I like that much better. I shan't come down till you are gone
+away, and now you had best go quickly, for I am going to begin sweeping,
+and all the soot will fall on your head," and then they heard the rattle of
+the broom in the chimney, and a whole shower of soot fell on the
+Chancellor's head.
+
+The Prime Minister and the Chancellor turned back to the city very
+disconsolately. "We must go and look for a King elsewhere," they said. "It
+is no use troubling about Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete." So they left
+the one to his geese, and one to his tins, and the other to sweep chimneys,
+and that was the end of the three clever Kings.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE WISE PRINCESS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once upon a time lived a King whose wife was dead and who had one little
+daughter who was named Fernanda. She was very good and pretty, but when she
+was a child she vexed all her ladies by asking them questions about
+everything she saw.
+
+"Your Highness should not wish to know too much," they told her, whereat
+Princess Fernanda threw up her little head, and said,
+
+"I want to know everything."
+
+As she grew up she had masters and mistresses to teach her, and learnt
+every language and every science; but still she said, "It is not enough; I
+want to know more."
+
+In a deep cave underground there lived an old Wizard who was so wise that
+his face was well-nigh black with wrinkles, and his long white beard flowed
+to his feet. He knew all sorts of magic, and every day and night sat poring
+over his books till now there seemed to be nothing left for him to learn.
+
+One night after every one was asleep, Princess Fernanda rose and slipped
+softly down the stairs and out of the palace unheard by any one, and stole
+away to the Wizard's cave.
+
+The old man was sitting on his low stool reading out of an immense book by
+a dim green light, but he raised his eyes as the Princess entered at the
+low doorway, and looked at her. She wore a blue and silver robe, but her
+bright hair was unbound, and fell in ripples to her waist.
+
+"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" he asked shortly.
+
+"I am the Princess Fernanda," she said, "and I wish to be your pupil. Teach
+me all you know."
+
+"Why do you wish for that?" said the Wizard: "you will not be better or
+happier for it."
+
+"I am not happy now," said the Princess sighing wearily. "Teach me and you
+shall find me an apt pupil, and I will pay you with gold."
+
+"I will not have your gold," said the Wizard, "but come to me every night
+at this hour, and in three years you shall know all I do."
+
+So every night the Princess went down to the Wizard's cave while all the
+court were sleeping. And the people wondered at her more and more, and
+said, "How much she knows! How wise she is!"
+
+When the three years had gone by the Wizard said to her, "Go! I can teach
+you no more now. You are as wise as I." Then the Princess thanked him and
+went back to her father's palace.
+
+She was very wise. She knew the languages of all animals. The fishes came
+from the deep at her call, and the birds from the trees. She could tell
+when the winds would rise, and when the sea would be still. She could have
+turned her enemies to stone, or given untold wealth to her friends. But
+for all that, when she smiled, her lips were very sad, and her eyes were
+always full of care. She said she was weary, and her father thought she was
+sick, and would have sent for the physicians, but she stopped him.
+
+"How should physicians help me, my father," she said, "seeing that I know
+more than they?"
+
+One night, a year after she had taken her last lesson from the Wizard, she
+arose and returned to his cave, and he raised his eyes and saw her standing
+before him as formerly.
+
+"What do you want?" he said. "I have taught you all I know."
+
+"You have taught me much," she said, falling on her knees beside him, "yet
+I am ignorant of one thing--teach me that also--_how to be happy_.'
+
+"Nay," said the Wizard with a very mournful smile; "I cannot teach you
+that, for I do not know it myself. Go and ask it of them who know and are
+wiser than I."
+
+[Illustration: "Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the
+sea-shore."--P. 178.]
+
+Then the Princess left the cave and wandered down to the sea-shore. All
+that night she spent sitting on a rock that jutted out into the sea,
+watching the wild sky and the moon coming and going behind the clouds. The
+sea dashed up around her, and the wind blew, but she did not fear them, and
+when the sun rose the waters were still and the wind fell. A skylark rose
+from the fields and flew straight up to heaven, singing as though his heart
+would burst with pure joy.
+
+"Surely that bird is happy," said the Princess to herself; and she called
+it in its own tongue.
+
+"Why do you sing?" she asked.
+
+"I sing because I am so happy," answered the lark.
+
+"And why are you so happy?" asked the Princess.
+
+"So happy?" said the lark. "God is so good. The sky is so blue, and the
+fields are so green. Is that not enough to make me happy?"
+
+"Teach me, then, that I may be happy too," said Princess Fernanda.
+
+"I cannot," said the lark; "I don't know how to teach;" and then he rose,
+singing, into the blue overhead, and Princess Fernanda sighed and turned
+back towards the palace.
+
+Outside her door she met her little lap-dog, who barked and jumped for joy
+on seeing her.
+
+"Little dog," she said; "poor little dog, are you so glad to see me? Why
+are you so happy?"
+
+"Why am I so happy?" said the little dog, surprised. "I have plenty to eat,
+and a soft cushion to rest upon, and you to caress me. Is not it enough to
+make me happy?"
+
+"It is not enough for me," said the Princess, sighing; but the little dog
+only wagged his tail and licked her hand.
+
+Inside her room was the Princess's favourite little maid Doris, folding up
+her dresses.
+
+"Doris," she said, "you look very merry. Why are you so happy?"
+
+"Please your Royal Highness, I am going to the fair," answered Doris, "and
+Luke is to meet me there; only," she added, pouting a little, "I wish I had
+a pretty new hat to wear with my new dress."
+
+"Then you are not perfectly happy, so you cannot teach me," said Princess
+Fernanda, and then she sighed again.
+
+In the evening at sunset she arose, and went out into the village, and at
+the door of the first cottage to which she came, sat a woman nursing a
+baby, and hushing it to sleep. The baby was fat and rosy, and the mother
+looked down at it proudly.
+
+The Princess stopped, and spoke to her.
+
+"You have a fine little child there," she said. "Surely you must be very
+happy."
+
+The woman smiled.
+
+"Yes," she said, "so I am; only just now my goodman is out fishing, and as
+he's rather late, it makes me anxious."
+
+"Then you could not teach me," said the Princess, sighing to herself as she
+moved away. She wandered on till she came to a church, which she entered.
+All was still within, for the church was empty; but before the altar, on a
+splendid bier, lay the body of a young man, who had been killed in the war.
+He was dressed in his gay uniform, and his breast was covered with medals,
+and his sword lay beside him. He was shot through the heart, but his face
+was peaceful and his lips were smiling. The Princess walked to his side,
+and looked at the quiet face. Then she stooped and kissed the cold
+forehead, and envied the soldier. "If he could speak," she said, "he surely
+could teach me. No living mouth could ever smile like that." Then she
+looked up and saw a white angel standing on the other side of the bier, and
+she knew it was Death.
+
+"You have taught him," she said, holding out her arms. "Will you not teach
+me to smile like that?"
+
+"Nay," said Death, pointing to the medals on the dead man's breast, "I
+taught him whilst he was doing his duty. I cannot teach you." And so saying
+he vanished from her sight.
+
+She went out from the church down to the sea-shore. There was a high sea,
+and a great wind, a little child had been playing on a row of rocks, and
+had slipped off them into the water, and was struggling among the waves,
+and would soon be drowned, for he was beyond his depth in the water.
+
+When the Princess saw him, she plunged into the water and swam to where the
+child was, and taking him in her arms, placed him safely on the rocks
+again, but the waves were so strong that she could scarcely keep above
+them. As she tried to seize the rocks, she saw Death coming over the water
+towards her, and she turned to meet him gladly.
+
+"Now," said he, clasping her in his arms, "I will teach you all you want to
+know;" and he drew her under the water, and she died.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Kings servants found her lying on the shore, with her face white and
+her lips cold, but smiling as they had never smiled before, and her face
+was very calm. They carried her home, and she was laid out in great state,
+covered with gold and silver.
+
+"She was so wise," sobbed her little maid, as she placed flowers in the
+cold hand, "she knew everything."
+
+"Not everything," said the skylark from the window; "for she asked me,
+ignorant though I am, to teach her how to be happy."
+
+"That was the one thing I could not teach her," said the old Wizard,
+looking at the dead Princess's face. "Yet I think now she must be wiser
+than I, and have learned that too. For see how she smiles."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, _Edinburgh_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde
+and Other Stories, by Mary De Morgan
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NECKLACE OF PRINCESS FIORIMONDE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 38976.txt or 38976.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/8/9/7/38976/
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This file was produced from images generously made
+available by The Internet Archive.)
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/old/38976.zip b/old/38976.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..385fa62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/38976.zip