riding back to the west. The old King, his father, was overjoyed when
he heard of the Little Princess, and he gave the Prince a retinue that
stretched for a mile behind him.

[Illustration: THE WIZARD WITH THE THREE DRAGONS, AND HIS CRYSTAL
GLOBE]

But when they came to the place where all roads meet, the Prince was
greatly perplexed, for this time, you see, he knew where he wanted to
go. In the end, he trusted to chance and rode ahead, but they had not
gone far before they came to the castle of the Wizard with Three
Dragons, in the middle of the Black Forest.

In the great hall sat the Wizard, himself, waiting for them, and he was
as soft as butter.

Yes, yes, he knew the Princess well enough, but it was too late to go
further that night. So the Prince and all his train had best come into
the castle and wait till morning.

That was what the Wizard said, and the Prince was glad enough to listen
to him, for he was beginning to fear that he would never find the
Princess again. But hardly had the last bowman come within the doors
than the Wizard blew upon his crystal globe, and muttered a spell.

At that, the Prince and his entire train were changed to solid stone, in
the twinkling of an eye, and there they remained till, at the proper
time, the Little Princess of the Fearless Heart came up the great stone
steps of the castle.

The Wizard was sitting on his throne with his Dragons behind his
shoulder, staring into his crystal globe as it spun in the air, hanging
on nothing at all.

He never took his eyes away when the Princess came up to the throne, and
she was far too polite to interrupt him when he was so busy. So for a
long, long time she stood there waiting, and the Wizard chuckled to
himself, for he thought that she was too frightened to speak. So he
breathed upon his crystal globe and muttered a spell.

But of course, nothing happened, for the Little Princess had a Fearless
Heart!

Then the Wizard grew black as night, for he saw that the matter was not
so easy as plucking wild flowers, so he turned away from the crystal
globe and stared at the Princess. His eyes burned like two hot coals,
so that she drew her cloak closer about her, but you cannot hide your
heart from a Wizard with Three Dragons, unless your cloak is woven of
sunlight, and the Little Black Dwarf has the only one of those in the
whole world, stowed away in an old chest in the garret.

So the Wizard saw at once that the Little Princess