will allow me.'

'Oh, I will settle that,' answered the lady; and so she did, and the
same day they set out for the lady's house, Dotterine sitting beside the
coachman.

Six months went by, and then came the joyful news that the king's son
had collected an army and had defeated the usurper who had taken his
father's place, but at the same moment Dotterine learned that the old
king had died in captivity. The girl wept bitterly for his loss, but in
secrecy, as she had told her mistress nothing about her past life.

At the end of a year of mourning, the young king let it be known that he
intended to marry, and commanded all the maidens in the kingdom to come
to a feast, so that he might choose a wife from among them. For weeks
all the mothers and all the daughters in the land were busy preparing
beautiful dresses and trying new ways of putting up their hair, and the
three lovely daughters of Dotterine's mistress were as much excited as
the rest. The girl was clever with her fingers, and was occupied all day
with getting ready their smart clothes, but at night when she went to
bed she always dreamed that her godmother bent over her and said, 'Dress
your young ladies for the feast, and when they have started follow them
yourself. Nobody will be so fine as you.'

When the great day came, Dotterine could hardly contain herself, and
when she had dressed her young mistresses and seen them depart with
their mother she flung herself on her bed, and burst into tears. Then
she seemed to hear a voice whisper to her, 'Look in your basket, and you
will find in it everything that you need.'

Dotterine did not want to be told twice! Up she jumped, seized her
basket, and repeated the magic words, and behold! there lay a dress on
the bed, shining as a star. She put it on with fingers that trembled
with joy, and, looking in the glass, was struck dumb at her own beauty.
She went downstairs, and in front of the door stood a fine carriage,
into which she stepped and was driven away like the wind.

The king's palace was a long way off, yet it seemed only a few minutes
before Dotterine drew up at the great gates. She was just going to
alight, when she suddenly remembered she had left her basket behind her.
What was she to do? Go back and fetch it, lest some ill-fortune should
befall her, or enter the palace and trust to chance that nothing evil
would happen? But before she could decide, a little swallow flew up with
the basket in its beak,