as taken to the room where the
Princess sat huddled up on her silver throne among the white velvet
cushions with her crown all on one side, crying out of her poor blind
eyes, so that the tears ran down over her green gown with the red roses
on it.

And directly he saw her he knew that she was the only girl, Princess as
she was, with a crown and a throne, who could ever be his heart's lady.
He went up to her and kneeled at her side and took her hand and kissed
it. The Princess started. She could not see or hear him, but at the
touch of his hand and his lips she knew that he was her heart's lord,
and she threw her arms round his neck, and cried more than ever.

He held her in his arms and stroked her hair till she stopped crying,
and then he called for bread and milk. This was brought in a silver
basin, and he fed her with it as you feed a little child.

The news ran through the city, 'The Princess has eaten,' and all the
bells were set ringing. Sep said good-night to his Princess and went to
bed in the best bedroom of the palace. Early in the grey morning he got
up and leaned out of the open window and called to his old friend the
wind.

And the wind came bustling in and clapped him on the back, crying,
'Well, my boy, and what can I do for you? Eh?'

Sep told him all about the Princess.

'Well,' said the wind, 'you've not done so badly. At any rate you've got
her love. And you couldn't have got that with anybody's help but your
own. Now, of course, the thing to do is to find the wicked Magician.'

'Of course,' said Sep.

'Well--I travel a good deal--I'll keep my eyes open, and let you know
if I hear anything.'

Sep spent the day holding the Princess's hand, and feeding her at meal
times; and that night the wind rattled his window and said, 'Let me in.'

It came in very noisily, and said, 'Well, I've found your Magician, he's
in the forest pretending to be a mole.'

'How can I find him?' said Sep.

'Haven't you any friends in the forest?' asked the wind.

Then Sep remembered his friends the squirrels, and he mounted his horse
and rode away to the chestnut-tree where they lived. They were charmed
to see him grown so tall and strong and handsome, and when he had told
them his story they said at once--

'Oh yes! delighted to be of any service to you.' And they called to all
their little brothers and cousins, and uncles and nephews to search the
forest for a mole that wasn't really a mole, and quite soon they