nce had she tried to check the rush of the evil temper
when it came upon her. She hated it when she was out of it, and that
was something; but while she was in it, she went full swing with it
wherever the prince of the power of it pleased to carry her. Nor was
this all: although she might by this time have known well enough that
as soon as she was out of it she was certain to be ashamed of it, she
would yet justify it to herself with twenty different arguments that
looked very good at the time, but would have looked very poor indeed
afterwards, if then she had ever remembered them.

She was not sorry to leave the shepherd's cottage, for she felt certain
of soon finding her way back to her father and mother; and she would,
indeed, have set out long before, but that her foot had somehow got
hurt when Prince gave her his last admonition, and she had never since
been able for long walks, which she sometimes blamed as the cause of
her temper growing worse. But if people are good-tempered only when
they are comfortable, what thanks have they?--Her foot was now much
better; and as soon as the shepherdess had thus spoken, she resolved to
set out at once, and work or beg her way home. At the moment she was
quite unmindful of what she owed the good people, and, indeed, was as
yet incapable of understanding a tenth part of her obligation to them.
So she bade them good by without a tear, and limped her way down the
hill, leaving the shepherdess weeping, and the shepherd looking very
grave.

When she reached the valley she followed the course of the stream,
knowing only that it would lead her away from the hill where the sheep
fed, into richer lands where were farms and cattle. Rounding one of the
roots of the hill she saw before her a poor woman walking slowly along
the road with a burden of heather upon her back, and presently passed
her, but had gone only a few paces farther when she heard her calling
after her in a kind old voice--

"Your shoe-tie is loose, my child."

But Rosamond was growing tired, for her foot had become painful, and so
she was cross, and neither returned answer, nor paid heed to the
warning. For when we are cross, all our other faults grow busy, and
poke up their ugly heads like maggots, and the princess's old dislike
to doing any thing that came to her with the least air of advice about
it returned in full force.

"My child," said the woman again, "if you don't fasten your shoe-tie,
it will make you f