on, the more withered and worn did she become as the moon waned.
At the time at which my story has now arrived, she looked, when the moon
was small or gone, like an old woman exhausted with suffering. This was
the more painful that her appearance was unnatural; for her hair and
eyes did not change. Her wan face was both drawn and wrinkled, and had
an eager hungry look. Her skinny hands moved as if wishing, but unable,
to lay hold of something. Her shoulders were bent forward, her chest
went in, and she stooped as if she were eighty years old. At last she
had to be put to bed, and there await the flow of the tide of life. But
she grew to dislike being seen, still more being touched by any hands,
during this season. One lovely summer evening, when the moon lay all but
gone upon the verge of the horizon, she vanished from her attendants,
and it was only after searching for her a long time in great terror,
that they found her fast asleep in the forest, at the foot of a silver
birch, and carried her home.

A little way from the palace there was a great open glade, covered with
the greenest and softest grass. This was her favourite haunt; for here
the full moon shone free and glorious, while through a vista in the
trees she could generally see more or less of the dying moon as it
crossed the opening. Here she had a little rustic house built for her,
and here she mostly resided. None of the court might go there without
leave, and her own attendants had learned by this time not to be
officious in waiting upon her, so that she was very much at liberty.
Whether the good fairies had anything to do with it or not I cannot
tell, but at last she got into the way of retreating further into the
wood every night as the moon waned, so that sometimes they had great
trouble in finding her; but as she was always very angry if she
discovered they were watching her, they scarcely dared to do so. At
length one night they thought they had lost her altogether. It was
morning before they found her. Feeble as she was, she had wandered into
a thicket a long way from the glade, and there she lay--fast asleep, of
course.

Although the fame of her beauty and sweetness had gone abroad, yet as
everybody knew she was under a bad spell, no king in the neighbourhood
had any desire to have her for a daughter-in-law. There were serious
objections to such a relation.

About this time in a neighbouring kingdom, in consequence of the
wickedness of the nobles