resemblance to himself, began to
be deeply interested. In the first window there was a picture of him in
one of the turrets of the tower, farther on he was seeking something in
a chink in the wall, in the next picture he was opening an old cabinet
with a golden key, and so it went on through numbers of scenes, and
presently the Prince noticed that another figure occupied the most
important place in each scene, and this time it was a tall handsome
young man: poor Prince Curlicue found it a pleasure to look at him,
he was so straight and strong. By this time it had grown dark, and the
Prince had to go back to his own room, and to amuse himself he took up a
quaint old book and began to look at the pictures. But his surprise was
great to find that they represented the same scenes as the windows of
the gallery, and what was more, that they seemed to be alive. In looking
at pictures of musicians he saw their hands move and heard sweet sounds;
there was a picture of a ball, and the Prince could watch the little
dancing people come and go. He turned a page, and there was an excellent
smell of a savoury dinner, and one of the figures who sat at the feast
looked at him and said:

'We drink your health, Curlicue. Try to give us our Queen again, for if
you do you will be rewarded; if not, it will be the worse for you.'

At these words the Prince, who had been growing more and more
astonished, was fairly terrified, and dropping the book with a crash he
sank back insensible. The noise he made brought his guards to his
aid, and as soon as he revived they asked him what was the matter. He
answered that he was so faint and giddy with hunger that he had imagined
he saw and heard all sorts of strange things. Thereupon, in spite of the
King's orders, the guards gave him an excellent supper, and when he had
eaten it he again opened his book, but could see none of the wonderful
pictures, which convinced him that he must have been dreaming before.

However, when he went into he gallery next day and looked at the painted
windows again, he found that they moved, and the figures came and went
as if they had been alive, and after watching the one who was like
himself find the key in the crack of the turret wall and open the old
cabinet, he determined to go and examine the place himself, and try to
find out what the mystery was. So he went up into the turret and began
to search about and tap upon the walls, and all at once he came upon a
place t