robes, which nearly smothered him.

Though very few knew it, the Prince in coming to the chapel had met with
an accident. A young lady of rank, whose duty it was to carry him to and
from the chapel, had been so busy arranging her train with one hand,
that she stumbled and let him fall. She picked him up--the accident was
so slight it seemed hardly worth speaking of. The baby had turned pale,
but did not cry. No one knew that anything was wrong. Even if he had
moaned, the silver trumpets were loud enough to drown his voice. It
would have been a pity to let anything trouble such a day.

Such a procession! Heralds in blue and silver; pages in crimson and
gold; and a troop of little girls in dazzling white, carrying baskets of
flowers, which they strewed all the way before the child and the
nurse,--finally the four and twenty godfathers and godmothers, splendid
to look at.

The prince was a mere heap of lace and muslin, and had it not been for a
canopy of white satin and ostrich feathers, which was held over him
whenever he was carried, his presence would have been unnoticed.

"It is just like fairyland," said one little flower-girl to another,
"and I think the only thing the Prince wants now is a fairy godmother."

"Does he?" said a shrill, but soft and not unpleasant voice, and a
person no larger than a child was seen.

She was a pleasant little, old, grey-haired, grey-eyed woman, dressed
all in grey.

"Take care and don't let the baby fall again."

The grand nurse started, flushing angrily.

"Old woman, you will be kind enough not to say, 'the baby,' but 'the
Prince.' Keep away; his Royal Highness is just going to sleep."

"I must kiss him, I am his godmother."

"You!" cried the elegant lady-nurse.

"You!!" cried all the Court and the heralds began to blow the silver
trumpets, to stop the conversation.

As the procession formed to return, the old woman stood on the topmost
step, and stretched herself on tiptoe by the help of her stick, and gave
the little Prince three kisses.

"Take yourself out of the way," cried the nurse, "or the king shall be
informed immediately."

"The King knows nothing of me," replied the old woman, with an
indifferent air. "My friend in the palace is the King's wife. I know her
Majesty well, and I love her and her child. And since you dropped him on
the marble stairs I choose to take him for my own. I am his godmother,
ready to help him whenever he wants me."

"You help him!"