tiful," answered Nanda, with another
bow.

Again the Princess yawned. Then she said:

"Help me to rise."

So the maid assisted her to gain her feet, although Langwidere was the
stronger of the two; and then the Princess slowly walked across the
silver floor to her cabinet, leaning heavily at every step upon Nanda's
arm.

Now I must explain to you that the Princess Langwidere had thirty
heads--as many as there are days in the month. But of course she could
only wear one of them at a time, because she had but one neck. These
heads were kept in what she called her "cabinet," which was a beautiful
dressing-room that lay just between Langwidere's sleeping-chamber and
the mirrored sitting-room. Each head was in a separate cupboard lined
with velvet. The cupboards ran all around the sides of the
dressing-room, and had elaborately carved doors with gold numbers on
the outside and jeweled-framed mirrors on the inside of them.

When the Princess got out of her crystal bed in the morning she went to
her cabinet, opened one of the velvet-lined cupboards, and took the
head it contained from its golden shelf. Then, by the aid of the
mirror inside the open door, she put on the head--as neat and straight
as could be--and afterward called her maids to robe her for the day.
She always wore a simple white costume, that suited all the heads.
For, being able to change her face whenever she liked, the Princess had
no interest in wearing a variety of gowns, as have other ladies who are
compelled to wear the same face constantly.

Of course the thirty heads were in great variety, no two formed alike
but all being of exceeding loveliness. There were heads with golden
hair, brown hair, rich auburn hair and black hair; but none with gray
hair. The heads had eyes of blue, of gray, of hazel, of brown and of
black; but there were no red eyes among them, and all were bright and
handsome. The noses were Grecian, Roman, retrousse and Oriental,
representing all types of beauty; and the mouths were of assorted sizes
and shapes, displaying pearly teeth when the heads smiled. As for
dimples, they appeared in cheeks and chins, wherever they might be most
charming, and one or two heads had freckles upon the faces to contrast
the better with the brilliancy of their complexions.

One key unlocked all the velvet cupboards containing these treasures--a
curious key carved from a single blood-red ruby--and this was fastened
to a strong but slend