liquid. She was also so spiteful that she gladly devoted
all her time to carrying out all the mean or ill-natured tricks of the
whole body of fairies.

With her large experience, added to her native spite, she found but
little difficulty in carrying off Fairer-than-a-Fairy. The poor child,
who was only seven years old, nearly died of fear on finding herself
in the power of this hideous creature. However, when after an hour's
journey underground she found herself in a splendid palace with lovely
gardens, she felt a little reassured, and was further cheered when she
discovered that her pet cat and dog had followed her.

The old Fairy led her to a pretty room which she said should be hers, at
the same time giving her the strictest orders never to let out the fire
which was burning brightly in the grate. She then gave two glass bottles
into the Princess's charge, desiring her to take the greatest care of
them, and having enforced her orders with the most awful threats in case
of disobedience, she vanished, leaving the little girl at liberty to
explore the palace and grounds and a good deal relieved at having only
two apparently easy tasks set her.

Several years passed, during which time the Princess grew accustomed to
her lonely life, obeyed the Fairy's orders, and by degrees forgot all
about the court of the King her father.

One day, whilst passing near a fountain in the garden, she noticed
that the sun's rays fell on the water in such a manner as to produce
a brilliant rainbow. She stood still to admire it, when, to her great
surprise, she heard a voice addressing her which seemed to come from the
centre of its rays. The voice was that of a young man, and its sweetness
of tone and the agreeable things it uttered, led one to infer that its
owner must be equally charming; but this had to be a mere matter of
fancy, for no one was visible.

The beautiful Rainbow informed Fairer-than-a-Fairy that he was young,
the son of a powerful king, and that the Fairy, Lagree, who owed his
parents a grudge, had revenged herself by depriving him of his natural
shape for some years; that she had imprisoned him in the palace, where
he had found his confinement hard to bear for some time, but now, he
owned, he no longer sighed for freedom since he had seen and learned to
love Fairer-than-a-Fairy.

He added many other tender speeches to this declaration, and the
Princess, to whom such remarks were a new experience, could not help
fee