ite, "only see that low little girl who came here in a coarse
frock and barefooted, what finery and favour she has gained by her
story-telling chair! All the Court are praising her and overlooking me,
though the feast was made in honour of my birthday. Mamma, I must have
that chair from her. What business has a common little girl with
anything so amusing?"

"So you shall, my daughter," said Queen Wantall--for by this time she
saw that King Winwealth had, according to custom, fallen asleep on his
throne. So calling two of her pages, Screw and Hardhands, she ordered
them to bring the chair from the other end of the hall where Snowflower
sat, and at once made it a present to Princess Greedalind.

Nobody in that Court ever thought of disputing Queen Wantall's commands,
and poor Snowflower sat down in a corner to cry. While Princess
Greedalind, putting on what she thought a very grand air, laid down her
head on the cushion, saying: "Chair of my grandmother, tell me a
story."

"Where did you get a grandmother?" cried the clear voice from under the
cushion. And up went the chair with such force as to throw Princess
Greedalind off on the floor, where she lay screaming, a good deal more
angry than hurt.

All those at Court tried in vain to comfort her. But Queen Wantall,
whose temper was still worse, vowed that she would punish the impudent
thing, and sent for Sturdy, her chief woodman, to chop it up with his
axe.

At the first stroke the cushion was cut open, and to the surprise of
everybody a bird, whose snow-white feathers were tipped with purple,
darted out, and flew away through an open window.

"Catch it! catch it!" cried the Queen and the Princess; and all but King
Winwealth, who still slept on his throne, rushed out after the bird. It
flew over the palace garden and into a wild common, where houses had
been before Queen Wantall pulled them down to search for a gold mine,
which Her Majesty never found, though three deep pits were dug to come
at it.

To make the place look smart at the feast time, these pits had been
covered over with loose branches and turf. All the rest of the company
remembered this but Queen Wantall and Princess Greedalind. They were
nearest to the bird, and poor Snowflower, by running hard, came close
behind them, but Fairfortune, one of the King's pages, drew her back by
the purple mantle, when, coming to the covered pit, branches and turf
gave way, and down went the Queen and the Princess.