ed upon it.

"Now, let me tell you something," he said, leading Mary Louise to a
seat beneath a beautiful tree in a large garden close by a stately
castle.

While she rested on the marble bench the great Serpent coiled himself
in a ring, his head raised about two feet above the ground. He had
wonderful black eyes and as he looked at her she almost fancied there
were tears in them.

"Once upon a time, not so very long ago," he began, "a young prince
lived in this castle. But one day a wicked magician disguised as a
poor beggar came to the kitchen door and asked for bread. Now it
happened to be baking day, and the Royal Baker had just placed a
thousand loaves of dough in the oven. He was tired and hot and said to
the beggar in a cross voice: 'You must wait until evening.' This made
the beggar man dreadfully angry, and the next minute he waved a crooked
stick above his head and cried, 'Let the master of this castle and his
household become snakes!' Instantly, a great change came over all who
lived in the castle. The prince turned into a serpent and all the
retainers became snakes."

As he finished speaking, the poor Snake gave a low cry and hid his head
in the grass.

"Cheer up," said Mary Louise, for she knew at once that the serpent was
the poor prince in disguise. "I have a magic ring!"

Dear me, I forgot to mention that the Princess Mermaid had given it to
little Mary Louise for a charm against evil.

"But what can that do for me?" asked the poor serpent prince.

"Leave that to me," replied little Mary Louise, and she turned the
magic ring around three times, and, all of a sudden, a little Black Man
appeared.

"What can I do for you, little Mistress?" he asked.

"This serpent was once a handsome prince," explained Mary Louise, "but
by the magic of a wicked magician has been changed into a snake. Help
him to regain his natural shape."

"That is a hard matter," said the little Black Man thoughtfully. "I
know this wicked magician. He has great power and it takes a strong
charm to work against his evil power."

And then the little Black Man ran his hand through his crinkly hair and
thought for a while.

"There is a crimson apple that grows in the Gardens of the West," he
said at last, "which if eaten, enables one to regain his natural shape.
But the distance is far, and the way dangerous. And the owner of the
garden refuses admittance to any man. But whether he would refuse a
little girl, I d