the
comfortable light beaming in the woodman's windows; and so they arrived,
and went into his cottage. He was an old man, and had a number of
children, who were just at supper, with nice hot bread-and-milk, when
their elder brother arrived with the cart. And they jumped and clapped
their hands; for they were good children; and he had brought them toys
from the town. And when they saw the pretty stranger, they ran to
her, and brought her to the fire, and rubbed her poor little feet, and
brought her bread and milk.

"Look, father!" they said to the old woodman, "look at this poor girl,
and see what pretty cold feet she has. They are as white as our milk!
And look and see what an odd cloak she has, just like the bit of velvet
that hangs up in our cupboard, and which you found that day the little
cubs were killed by King Padella, in the forest! And look, why, bless
us all! she has got round her neck just such another little shoe as
that you brought home, and have shown us so often--a little blue velvet
shoe!"

"What," said the old woodman, "what is all this about a shoe and a
cloak?"

And Betsinda explained that she had been left, when quite a little
child, at the town with this cloak and this shoe. And the persons who
had taken care of her had--had been angry with her, for no fault, she
hoped, of her own. And they had sent her away with her old clothes--and
here, in fact, she was. She remembered having been in a forest--and
perhaps it was a dream--it was so very odd and strange--having lived in
a cave with lions there; and, before that, having lived in a very, very
fine house, as fine as the King's, in the town.

When the woodman heard this, he was so astonished, it was quite curious
to see how astonished he was. He went to his cupboard, and took out of
a stocking a five-shilling piece of King Cavolfiore, and vowed it was
exactly like the young woman. And then he produced the shoe and piece
of velvet which he had kept so long, and compared them with the things
which Betsinda wore. In Betsinda's little shoe was written, "Hopkins,
maker to the Royal Family"; so in the other shoe was written, "Hopkins,
maker to the Royal Family." In the inside of Betsinda's piece of
cloak was embroidered, "PRIN ROSAL"; in the other piece of cloak was
embroidered "CESS BA. NO. 246." So that when put together you read,
"PRINCESS ROSALBA. NO. 246."

On seeing this, the dear old woodman fell down on his knee, saying,
"O my Princess, O my