gs, that he came to the court of
Queen Frivola, where he was extremely well received. The Queen was
delighted with him, so were all her ladies; and the King was very polite
to him, though he did not quite see why the whole court was making such
a fuss over him.

[Illustration]

Prince Narcissus enjoyed all that went on, and found the time pass very
pleasantly. Before long, of course, he heard the story about the
Princess Potentilla, and, as it had by that time been repeated many
times, and had been added to here and there, she was represented as such
a monster of ugliness that he was really quite curious to see her, and
resolved to avail himself of the magic power of his ring to accomplish
his design. So he made himself invisible, and passed the guard without
their so much as suspecting that anyone was near. Climbing the wall was
rather a difficulty, but when he at length found himself inside it he
was charmed with the peaceful beauty of the little domain it enclosed,
and still more delighted when he perceived a slender, lovely maiden
wandering among the flowers. It was not until he had sought vainly for
the imaginary monster that he realised that this was the Princess
herself, and by that time he was deeply in love with her, for indeed it
would have been hard to find anyone prettier than Potentilla, as she sat
by the brook, weaving a garland of blue forget-me-nots to crown her
waving golden locks, or to imagine anything more gentle than the way she
tended all the birds and beasts who inhabited her small kingdom, and who
all loved and followed her. Prince Narcissus watched her every movement,
and hovered near her in a dream of delight, not daring as yet to appear
to her, so humble had he suddenly become in her presence. And when
evening came, and the nurse fetched the Princess into her little house,
he felt obliged to go back to Frivola's palace, for fear his absence
should be noticed and someone should discover his new treasure. But he
forgot that to go back absent, and dreamy, and indifferent, when he had
before been gay and ardent about everything, was the surest way of
awakening suspicion; and when, in response to the jesting questions
which were put to him upon the subject, he only blushed and returned
evasive answers, all the ladies were certain that he had lost his heart,
and did their utmost to discover who was the happy possessor of it. As
to the Prince, he was becoming day by day more attached to Potentilla,