she did was to look at her own reflection in the
water, and she was extremely surprised to find that she was exactly like
the shepherdess she had so much admired, and wore the same white dress
and flowery wreath that she had seen in the painted windows. To complete
the resemblance, her flock of sheep appeared, grazing round her, and she
found a gay crook adorned with flowers upon the bank of the river. Quite
tired out by so many new and wonderful experiences, the Princess sat
down to rest at the foot of a tree, and there she fell fast asleep. Now
it happened that it was in this very country that Prince Peerless
had been set down, and while the Princess Sunbeam was still sleeping
peacefully, he came strolling along in search of a shady pasture for his
sheep.

The moment he caught sight of the Princess he recognised her as the
charming shepherdess whose picture he had seen so often in the tower,
and as she was far prettier than he had remembered her, he was delighted
that chance had led him that way.

He was still watching her admiringly when the Princess opened her
eyes, and as she also recognised him they were soon great friends. The
Princess asked Prince Peerless, as he knew the country better than she
did, to tell her of some peasant who would give her a lodging, and he
said he knew of an old woman whose cottage would be the very place for
her, it was so nice and so pretty. So they went there together, and the
Princess was charmed with the old woman and everything belonging to her.
Supper was soon spread for her under a shady tree, and she invited the
Prince to share the cream and brown bread which the old woman provided.
This he was delighted to do, and having first fetched from his own
garden all the strawberries, cherries, nuts and flowers he could find.
they sat down together and were very merry. After this they met every
day as they guarded their flocks, and were so happy that Prince Peerless
begged the Princess to marry him, so that they might never be parted
again. Now though the Princess Sunbeam appeared to be only a poor
shepherdess, she never forgot that she was a real Princess, and she was
not at all sure that she ought to marry a humble shepherd, though she
knew she would like to do so very much.

So she resolved to consult an Enchanter of whom she had heard a great
deal since she had been a shepherdess, and without saying a word to
anybody she set out to find the castle in which he lived with his
siste