ther." Then, to prevent the acknowledgments which the prince was
about to offer, she hastily bade him adieu. Nothing could exceed the
speed with which the snow-white horses conveyed this fortunate prince to
his father's palace, where his brothers had just arrived before him.
They embraced each other, and demanded an immediate audience of the
king, who received them with the greatest kindness. The princes hastened
to place at the feet of his majesty the curious present he had required
them to procure. The eldest produced a piece of cambric that was so
extremely fine, that his friends had no doubt of its passing the eye of
the needle, which was now delivered to the king, having been kept locked
up in the custody of his majesty's treasurer all the time, Every one
supposed he would certainly obtain the crown. But when the king tried to
draw it through the eye of the needle, it would not pass, though it
failed but very little. Then came the second prince, who made as sure of
obtaining the crown as his brother had done; but, alas! with no better
success: for though his piece of cambric was exquisitely fine, yet it
could not be drawn through the eye of the needle. It was now the
youngest prince's turn, who accordingly advanced, and opening an elegant
little box inlaid with jewels, he took out a walnut, and cracked the
shell, imagining he should immediately perceive his piece of cambric;
but what was his astonishment to see nothing but a filbert! He did not
however lose his hopes; he cracked the filbert, and it presented him
with a cherry-stone. The lords of the court, who had assembled to
witness this extraordinary trial, could not, any more than the princes
his brothers, refrain from laughing, to think he should be so silly as
to claim with them the crown on no better pretensions. The prince
however cracked the cherry-stone, which was filled with a kernel: he
divided it, and found in the middle a grain of wheat, and in that grain
a millet seed. He was now absolutely confounded, and could not help
muttering between his teeth: "O white cat, white cat, thou hast deceived
me!" At this instant he felt his hand scratched by the claw of a cat:
upon which he again took courage, and opening the grain of millet seed,
to the astonishment of all present, he drew forth a piece of cambric
four hundred yards long, and fine enough to be drawn with perfect ease
through the eye of the needle. When the king found he had no pretext
left for refusi