The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Princess Idleways, by Mrs. W. J. Hayes

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Title: The Princess Idleways
A Fairy Story

Author: Mrs. W. J. Hayes

Release Date: January 13, 2010 [EBook #30955]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS ***

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[Illustration: "I HAVE BROUGHT MY LITTLE DAUGHTER TO YOU, MY
FRIEND."--[PAGE 19.]]

The Princess Idleways

_A FAIRY STORY_

BY
MRS. W. J. HAYS

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK AND LONDON
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

CHAPTER I.

You must not suppose that the Princess Idleways was a great, grand
woman, for she was not: she was only a little lovely girl named Laura.
To be sure, she was of high birth; that is to say, her father and
grandfather and great-grandfather, as well as all the fine lady
grandmothers, were people who, not obliged to labor for themselves or
others, having always had more time and wealth and pleasure than they
knew what to do with, were something like the beautiful roses which grow
more and more beautiful with planting and transplanting, and shielding
from too hot a sun or too sharp a wind; but, for all that, roses, as you
know, have thorns.

Little Laura Idleways was as bright and bewitching in appearance as any
rosebud, but she had a few thorns which could prick. She lived in a
great castle high up in the mountains, from the windows of which she
could see hill after hill stretching far away up to the clouds, and
eagles flapping their great wings over deep ravines, down which tumbled
foaming cascades. The castle was a very ancient building, and part of it
was nearly a ruin; indeed, it was so old that Laura's father--who was a
soldier, and not much at home--had decided not to repair it, but allowed
the stones to fall, and would not have them touched; so the wild vines
grew luxuriantly over them, and made a beautiful drapery.