riend and confidante. But such a
relationship was impossible; for, when she tried to share with her
daughter the emotions which crowded upon her, they rolled off the queen
like water off the breast of a swan.

The people adored the royal pair. They were both so beautiful, and
looked so noble and princely as they leaned back in the corners of
their gilt coach during their drives and gazed into vacancy, as if their
interests were above those of ordinary mortals.

Years passed, and the choice of the Chancellor of the Council did not
turn out to be so fortunate as had at first appeared, for the queen gave
her husband no heir, and the house of Greylock was threatened with the
danger of dying out with Wendelin XVI. This troubled the duchess indeed,
but not so much as one would have supposed, for she knew that yet
another Greylock lived, and the mother's heart ceased not to hope that
he would return one day, and hand down the name of her husband.

She therefore persisted in sending messengers to those lands where, to
judge by the costume of the people, the appearance of the country and
buildings, as shown in the magic mirror, George was most likely to be
found.

Once she allowed her daughter-in-law to look into the smooth glass with
her; but never again, for it happened that the queen chanced upon a time
when George, poorly dressed, and with great beads of perspiration on his
forehead, sat hard at work over his drawing in a miserable room under
the roof; her delicate nostrils sniffed the air disdainfully, as if
afraid that they might be insulted by any odour of poverty, and she
said coldly: "And you wish me to believe that person is a brother of my
highbred husband? Impossible!"

After this the duchess permitted no one save old Nonna to look into
the glass; she, however, spent many hours each clay in following the
miserable experiences of her unfortunate child. Sometimes indeed it
seemed to her as if a little happiness were mixed with the misery of his
existence, and it also struck her that her little imp of a George was
gradually growing to be a tall, distinguished-looking man with a noble
forehead and flashing eyes, whereas Wendelin, despite his beauty and his
grey lock, had become fat and red in the face, and looked like a common
farmer.

Great was her solicitude for him, and her heart bled when she saw him
suffer, which was not seldom; but then, on the other hand, she often had
to laugh with him and be merry, when h