so prejudiced against him by his violence that
she could only regard him with feelings of hatred, which she was at no
pains to conceal. The King hoped, however, that time might not only
soften her anger, but accustom her to his sight. He took the
precaution of surrounding the palace with a dense cloud, and then
hastened to his Court, where his prolonged absence was causing much
anxiety.

The Prince and all the courtiers were delighted to see their beloved
King again, but they had to submit themselves to more frequent
absences than ever on his part. He made business a pretext for
shutting himself up in his study, but it was really in order to spend
the time with the Princess, who remained inflexible.

Not being able to imagine what could be the cause of so much obstinacy
the King began to fear, lest, in spite of all his precautions, she
might have heard of the charms of the Prince his son, whose goodness,
youth and beauty, made him adored at Court. This idea made him
horribly uneasy, and he resolved to remove the cause of his fears by
sending the Prince on his travels escorted by a magnificent retinue.

The Prince, after visiting several Courts, arrived at the one where
the lost Princess was still deeply mourned. The King and Queen
received him most graciously, and some festivities were revived to do
him honour.

One day when the Prince was visiting the Queen in her own apartments
he was much struck by a most beautiful portrait. He eagerly inquired
whose it was, and the Queen, with many tears, told him it was all that
was left her of her beloved daughter, who had suddenly been carried
off, she knew neither where nor how.

The Prince was deeply moved, and vowed that he would search the world
for the Princess, and take no rest till he had found and restored her
to her mother's arms. The Queen assured him of her eternal gratitude,
and promised, should he succeed, to give him her daughter in marriage,
together with all the estates she herself owned.

The Prince, far more attracted by the thoughts of possessing the
Princess than her promised dower, set forth in his quest after taking
leave of the King and Queen, the latter giving him a miniature of her
daughter which she was in the habit of wearing. His first act was to
seek the Fairy under whose protection he had been placed, and he
implored her to give him all the assistance of her art and counsel in
this important matter.

After listening attentively to the whole