n, where he lived in the greatest luxury, and did
nothing but amuse himself from morning to night. So Celandine stayed,
and helped the Queen to keep house, and very soon they loved her dearly.
When the Fairy of the Beech-Woods came to them, they presented the
Princess to her, and told her story, little thinking that the Fairy knew
more about Celandine than they did. The old Fairy was equally delighted
with her, and often invited her to visit her Leafy Palace, which was the
most enchanting place that could be imagined, and full of treasures.
Often she would say to the Princess, when showing her some wonderful
thing:

'This will do for a wedding gift some day.' And Celandine could not help
thinking that it was to her that the Fairy meant to give the two blue
wax-torches which burned without ever getting smaller, or the diamond
from which more diamonds were continually growing, or the boat that
sailed under water, or whatever beautiful or wonderful thing they might
happen to be looking at. It is true that she never said so positively,
but she certainly allowed the Princess to believe it, because she
thought a little disappointment would be good for her. But the person
she really relied upon for curing Celandine of her vanity was Prince
Featherhead. The old Fairy was not at all pleased with the way he had
been going on for some time, but her heart was so soft towards him that
she was unwilling to take him away from the pleasures he loved, except
by offering him something better, which is not the most effectual mode
of correction, though it is without doubt the most agreeable.

However, she did not even hint to the Princess that Featherhead was
anything but absolutely perfect, and talked of him so much that when at
last she announced that he was coming to visit her, Celandine made up
her mind that this delightful Prince would be certain to fall in love
with her at once, and was quite pleased at the idea. The old Fairy
thought so too, but as this was not at all what she wished, she took
care to throw such an enchantment over the Princess that she appeared to
Featherhead quite ugly and awkward, though to every one else she looked
just as usual. So when he arrived at the Leafy Palace, more handsome and
fascinating even than ever she had been led to expect, he hardly so much
as glanced at the Princess, but bestowed all his attention upon the old
Fairy, to whom he seemed to have a hundred things to say. The Princess
was immensel