had he not become
almost incapable of thinking of anything but how beautiful she was. He
watched the whole night long, and saw that as the moon went down she
retreated in smaller and smaller circles, until at last he could see her
no more.

Weary as he was, he set out for the old woman's cottage, where he
arrived just in time for her breakfast, which she shared with him. He
then went to bed, and slept for many hours. When he awoke the sun was
down, and he departed in great anxiety lest he should lose a glimpse
of the lovely vision. But, whether it was by the machinations of the
swamp-fairy, or merely that it is one thing to go and another to return
by the same road, he lost his way. I shall not attempt to describe his
misery when the moon rose, and he saw nothing but trees, trees, trees.

She was high in the heavens before he reached the glade. Then indeed
his troubles vanished, for there was the princess coming dancing towards
him, in a dress that shone like gold, and with shoes that glimmered
through the grass like fireflies. She was of course still more beautiful
than before. Like an embodied sunbeam she passed him, and danced away
into the distance.

Before she returned in her circle, the clouds had begun to gather about
the moon. The wind rose, the trees moaned, and their lighter branches
leaned all one way before it. The prince feared that the princess would
go in, and he should see her no more that night. But she came dancing on
more jubilant than ever, her golden dress and her sunny hair streaming
out upon the blast, waving her arms towards the moon, and in the
exuberance of her delight ordering the clouds away from off her face.
The prince could hardly believe she was not a creature of the elements,
after all.

By the time she had completed another circle, the clouds had gathered
deep, and there were growlings of distant thunder. Just as she passed
the tree where he stood, a flash of lightning blinded him for a moment,
and when he saw again, to his horror, the princess lay on the ground.
He darted to her, thinking she had been struck; but when she heard him
coming, she was on her feet in a moment.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I beg your pardon. I thought--the lightning" said the prince,
hesitating.

"There's nothing the matter," said the princess, waving him off rather
haughtily.

The poor prince turned and walked towards the wood.

"Come back," said Daylight: "I like you. You do what you are t