comrade
of the young Prince, gave a pitiful little trill. "Dear little fellow,"
cried Prince Harweda, "do you also long for your freedom? You shall at
least be as free as I am." So saying, he opened the cage door and the
bird flew out.

The Prince laughed as he watched it flutter about from chair to table
and back to chair again. He was so much occupied with the bird that he
did not notice that the walls had again shaken and the windows were now
their full size, until the added light caused him to look around. He
turned and saw the room looking almost exactly as it did the day he
entered it with so much pride because it was all his own. Now it seemed
close and stuffy and he would gladly have exchanged it for the humblest
home in his father's kingdom where he could meet people and hear them
talk and see them smile at each other, even if they should take no
notice of him. One day soon after this the little bird fluttered up
against the window pane and beat his wings against it in a vain effort
to get out. A new idea seized the young Prince, and taking up one of the
golden jars he went to the window and struck on one of its checkered
panes of glass with all his force. "You shall be free, even if I can
not," said he to the bird. Two or three strong blows shivered the small
pane and the bird swept out into the free open air beyond. "Ah, my
pretty one, how glad I am that you are free at last," exclaimed the
prince as he stood watching the flight of his fellow-prisoner. His face
was bright with the glad, unselfish joy over the bird's liberty. The
small, pink marble palace shook from top to bottom, the iron door flew
open and the fresh wind from the sea rushed in and seemed to catch the
boy in its invisible arms. Prince Harweda could hardly believe his eyes
as he sprang to the door. There stood his fairy god-mother, smiling and
with her hand reached out toward him. "Come, my god-child," said she
gently, "we shall now go back to your father and mother, the King and
Queen, and they will rejoice with us that you have been cured of your
terrible disease of selfishness."

Great indeed was the rejoicing in the palace when Prince Harweda was
returned to them a sweet, loving boy, kind and thoughtful to all about
him. Many a struggle he had with himself and many a conquest over the
old habit of selfishness, but as time passed by he grew to be a great
and wise king, loving and tenderly caring for all his people and loved
by them in re