last, stretched at full length in a sunny place, the prince
found a very old, half-blind, miserable cat. The poor creature was lean,
and its fur had fallen off in patches; it could no longer catch birds,
nor even mice, and there was nobody to give it milk. But cats do not
look far into the future; and this old black cat--Frank was his name--had
got a breakfast somehow, and was happy in the sun. The prince stood and
looked at him pityingly, and he thought that even a sick old cat was, in
some ways, happier than most men.

"Well," said the prince at last, "he could not live long anyway, and it
must be done. He will feel nothing."

Then he drew the sword of sharpness, and with one turn of his wrist cut
the cat's head clean off.

{Poor old Frank: p128.jpg}

It did not at once change into a beautiful young lady, as perhaps you
expect; no, that was improbable, and, as the prince was in love already,
would have been vastly inconvenient. The dead cat lay there, like any
common cat.

Then the prince built up a heap of straw, with wood on it, and there he
laid poor puss, and set fire to the pile. Very soon there was nothing of
old black Frank left but ashes!

Then the prince ran upstairs to the fairy cupboard, his heart beating
loudly with excitement. The sun was shining through the arrow-shot
window, all the yellow motes were dancing in its rays. The light fell on
the strange heaps of fairy things--talismans and spells. The prince
hunted about here and there, and at last he discovered six ancient water-
vessels of black leather, each with a silver plate on it, and on the
plate letters engraved. This was what was written on the plates:

AQVA. DE. FONTE. LEONVM. {130}

"Thank heaven!" said the prince. "I thought they were sure to have
brought it!"

Then he took one of the old black-leather bottles, and ran downstairs
again to the place where he had burned the body of the poor old sick cat.

He opened the bottle, and poured a few drops of the water on the ashes
and the dying embers.

Up there sprang a tall, white flame of fire, waving like a tongue of
light; and forth from the heap jumped the most beautiful, strong, funny,
black cat that ever was seen!

{The Prince and the bottles: p130.jpg}

It was Frank as he had been in the vigour of his youth; and he knew the
prince at once, and rubbed himself against him and purred.

The prince lifted up Frank and kissed his nose for joy; and a bright tear
rolled d