es he left off what he was
doing at once; but at other times he would not attend to it. Strangely
enough, it gave him only a slight prick for a trifling fault, but when
he was really naughty it made his finger actually bleed. At last he got
tired of being constantly reminded, and wanted to be able to do as he
liked, so he threw his ring aside, and thought himself the happiest of
men to have got rid of its teasing pricks. He gave himself up to doing
every foolish thing that occurred to him, until he became quite wicked
and nobody could like him any longer.

One day, when the Prince was walking about, he saw a young girl who was
so very pretty that he made up his mind at once that he would marry her.
Her name was Celia, and she was as good as she was beautiful.

Prince Darling fancied that Celia would think herself only too happy if
he offered to make her a great queen, but she said fearlessly:

"Sire, I am only a shepherdess, and a poor girl, but, nevertheless, I
will not marry you."

"Do you dislike me?" asked the Prince, who was very much vexed at this
answer.

"No, my Prince," replied Celia; "I cannot help thinking you very
handsome; but what good would riches be to me, and all the grand dresses
and splendid carriages that you would give me, if the bad deeds which I
should see you do every day made me hate and despise you?"

The Prince was very angry at this speech, and commanded his officers to
make Celia a prisoner and carry her off to his palace. All day long the
remembrance of what she had said annoyed him, but as he loved her he
could not make up his mind to have her punished.

One of the Prince's favorite companions was his foster-brother, whom
he trusted entirely; but he was not at all a good man, and gave Prince
Darling very bad advice, and encouraged him in all his evil ways. When
he saw the Prince so downcast he asked what was the matter, and when
he explained that he could not bear Celia's bad opinion of him, and was
resolved to be a better man in order to please her, this evil adviser
said to him:

"You are very kind to trouble yourself about this little girl; if I were
you I would soon make her obey me. Remember that you are a king, and
that it would be laughable to see you trying to please a shepherdess,
who ought to be only too glad to be one of your slaves. Keep her in
prison, and feed her on bread and water for a little while, and then, if
she still says she will not marry you, have her head