e regarded it with considerable interest. Then seeing
the body in the doorway, he put the head and it together, and, finding
they fitted, came to the conclusion that they belonged to each other,
and that the stool had done the mischief. When he saw the bundle of
scarfs lying by the body, he unrolled it, and soon imagined the cause of
the lady's visit.

"Poor thing!" he said; "doubtless the Princess sent her here with this,
and most likely with a message also, which now I shall never hear. But
these poor women! what do they know? This rope will not bear a man like
me. Well! well! this poor girl is dead. I will pay respect to her."

And so he picked her up, and put her on his bed, thinking at the time
that she must have fainted when she heard the stool coming, for no blood
had flowed. He fitted on the head, and then he covered her up with the
sheet; but, in pulling this over her head, he uncovered her feet, which
he now perceived to be slipperless.

[Illustration]

"No shoes! Ah me! Well, I will be polite to a lady, even if she is
dead."

And so he drew off his own yellow boots, and put them on her feet, which
was easy enough, as they were a little too big for her. He had hardly
done this, and dressed himself, when he heard some one approaching; and
hastily removing the fallen stool, he got behind the door just as a fat
old fellow entered with a broadsword in one hand, and a pitcher of hot
water and some towels in the other. Glancing at the bed, and seeing the
yellow boots sticking out, the old fellow muttered: "Gone to bed with his
clothes on, eh? Well, I'll let him sleep!" And so, putting down the
pitcher and the towels, he walked out again. But not alone, for the
Prince silently stepped after him, and by keeping close behind him,
followed without being heard,--his politeness having been the fortunate
cause of his being in his stocking-feet. For some distance they walked
together thus, the Prince intending to slip off at the first cross
passage he came to. It was quite dusky in the long hall way, there being
no windows; and when the guard, at a certain place, made a very wide
step, taking hold of a rod by the side of the wall as he did so, the
Prince, not perceiving this, walked straight on, and popped right down
an open trap-door.

Nerralina not returning, the Princess was in great grief, not knowing at
first whether she had eloped with the Prince, or had met with some
misfortune on the way to his room. In the m