, or running
a race, such as I read of or see in pictures. What a lot of things there
are that I should like to do! But first, I should like to go and see the
world. I'll try."

Apparently it was his godmother's plan always to let him try, and try
hard, before he gained anything. This day the knots that tied up his
traveling-cloak were more than usually troublesome, and it was a full
half hour before he got out into the open air, and found himself
floating merrily over the top of the tower.

Hitherto, in all his journeys he had never let himself go out of sight
of home, but now he felt sick of the very look of his tower with its
round smooth walls.

"Off we go!" cried he, when the cloak stirred itself with a slight slow
motion, as if waiting his orders. "Anywhere--anywhere, so that I am away
from here, and out into the world."

As he spoke, the cloak bounded forward and went skimming through the
air, faster than the very fastest railway train.

"Gee-up, gee-up!" cried Prince Dolor in great excitement. "This is as
good as riding a horse," and tossed his head back to meet the fresh
breeze, and pulled his coat-collar up and his hat down, as he felt the
wind grow keener and colder, colder than anything he had ever known.

"What does it matter, though?" said he. "I'm a boy, and boys ought not
to mind anything."

Still, by-and-by he began to shiver, and, as he had come away without
his dinner, grew frightfully hungry. The sunshine changed to rain, and
he got soaked through and through in a very few minutes.

"Shall I turn back?" meditated he. "Suppose I say, 'Abracadabra?'"

Here he stopped, for already the cloak gave a lurch as if it were
expecting to be sent home.

"No--I can't go back! I must go forward and see the world, but oh! if I
had but the shabbiest old rug to shelter me from the rain, or the driest
morsel of bread and cheese, just to keep me from starving! Still, I
don't much mind, I'm a prince and ought to be able to stand anything.
Hold on, cloak, we'll make the best of it."

No sooner had he said this than he felt stealing over his knees
something warm and soft; in fact, a most beautiful bearskin, which
folded itself round him and cuddled him up as closely as if he had been
the cub of the kind old mother-bear that once owned it. Then feeling in
his pocket, which suddenly stuck out in a marvelous way, he found, not
exactly bread and cheese, nor even sandwiches, but a packet of the most
delicious foo