ot be vexed.

When the ambassador reached the city, where the King was waiting
impatiently, everybody was very much annoyed with him for not bringing
the Princess, and the King cried like a baby, and nobody could console
him. Now there was at the Court a young man, who was more clever and
handsome than anyone else. He was called Charming, and everyone loved
him, excepting a few envious people who were angry at his being the
King's favorite and knowing all the State secrets. He happened to one
day be with some people who were speaking of the ambassador's return
and saying that his going to the Princess had not done much good, when
Charming said rashly:

"If the King had sent me to the Princess Goldilocks I am sure she would
have come back with me."

His enemies at once went to the King and said:

"You will hardly believe, sire, what Charming has the audacity to
say--that if _he_ had been sent to the Princess Goldilocks she would
certainly have come back with him. He seems to think that he is so much
handsomer than you that the Princess would have fallen in love with him
and followed him willingly." The King was very angry when he heard this.

"Ha, ha!" said he; "does he laugh at my unhappiness, and think himself
more fascinating than I am? Go, and let him be shut up in my great tower
to die of hunger."

So the King's guards went to fetch Charming, who had thought no more of
his rash speech, and carried him off to prison with great cruelty. The
poor prisoner had only a little straw for his bed, and but for a little
stream of water which flowed through the tower he would have died of
thirst.

One day when he was in despair he said to himself:

"How can I have offended the King? I am his most faithful subject, and
have done nothing against him."

The King chanced to be passing the tower and recognized the voice of his
former favorite. He stopped to listen in spite of Charming's enemies,
who tried to persuade him to have nothing more to do with the traitor.
But the King said:

"Be quiet, I wish to hear what he says."

And then he opened the tower door and called to Charming, who came very
sadly and kissed the King's hand, saying:

"What have I done, sire, to deserve this cruel treatment?"

"You mocked me and my ambassador," said the King, "and you said that
if I had sent you for the Princess Goldilocks you would certainly have
brought her back."

"It is quite true, sire," replied Charming; "I should have dr