t. So he continued to walk
on through the forest, and after some hours he arrived at the gate of a
temple, guarded by two huge lions. Being invisible, he was able to enter
unharmed. In the middle of the temple was an altar, on which lay a book,
and behind the altar hung a great curtain. The Prince approached the
altar and opened the book, which contained the names of all the lovers
in the world: and in it he read that Rosalie had been carried off by the
Prince of the Air to an abyss which had no entrance except the one that
lay by way of the Fountain of Gold.

Now, as the Prince had not the smallest idea where this fountain was to
be found, it might be thought that he was not much nearer Rosalie than
before. This was not, however, the view taken by the Prince.

'Though every step that I take may perhaps lead me further from her,'
he said to himself, 'I am still thankful to know that she is alive
somewhere.'

On leaving the temple the Invisible Prince saw six paths lying before
him, each of which led through the wood. He was hesitating which to
choose, when he suddenly beheld two people coming towards him, down
the track which lay most to his right. They turned out to be the Prince
Gnome and his friend, and the sudden desire to get some news of his
sister, Princess Argentine, caused the Invisible Prince to follow them
and to listen to their conversation.

'Do you think,' the Prince Gnome was saying, 'do you think that I would
not break my chains if I could? I know that the Princess Argentine will
never love me, yet each day I feel her dearer still. And as if this
were not enough, I have the horror of feeling that she probably loves
another. So I have resolved to put myself out of my pain by means of the
Golden Fountain. A single drop of its water falling on the sand around
will trace the name of my rival in her heart. I dread the test, and yet
this very dread convinces me of my misfortune.'

It may be imagined that after listening to these words the Invisible
Prince followed Prince Gnome like his shadow, and after walking some
time they arrived at the Golden Fountain. The unhappy lover stooped down
with a sigh, and dipping his finger in the water let fall a drop on
the sand. It instantly wrote the name of Prince Flame, his brother. The
shock of this discovery was so real, that Prince Gnome sank fainting
into the arms of his friend.

Meanwhile the Invisible Prince was turning over in his mind how he could
best deli