lan. Why are you so sad?'

'How can I help being sad? Your father threatens me with death, and I
see myself already without a head.'

'And what have you made up your mind to do?'

'There's nothing to be done, and after all I suppose one can only die
once.'

'Now, don't be so foolish, my dear Prince; but keep up your spirits, for
there is no need to despair. Go to bed, and when you wake up to-morrow
morning the palace will be finished. Then you must go all round it,
giving a tap here and there on the walls to look as if you had just
finished it.'

And so it all turned out just as she had said. As soon as it was
daylight Prince Milan stepped out of his room, and found a palace which
was quite a work of art down to the very smallest detail. The Magician
himself was not a little astonished at its beauty, and could hardly
believe his eyes.

'Well, you certainly are a splendid workman,' he said to the Prince.
'I see you are very clever with your hands, now I must see if you are
equally accomplished with your head. I have thirty daughters in my
house, all beautiful princesses. To-morrow I will place the whole thirty
in a row. You must walk past them three times, and the third time you
must show me which is my youngest daughter Hyacinthia. If you don't
guess rightly, you shall lose your head.'

'This time you've made a mistake,' thought Prince Milan, and going to
his room he sat down at the window. Just fancy my not recognising the
beautiful Hyacinthia! Why, that is the easiest thing in the world.'

'Not so easy as you think,' cried the little bee, who was flying past.
'If I weren't to help you, you'd never guess. We are thirty sisters so
exactly alike that our own father can hardly distinguish us apart.'

'Then what am I to do?' asked Prince Milan.

'Listen,' answered Hyacinthia. 'You will recognise me by a tiny fly I
shall have on my left cheek, but be careful for you might easily make a
mistake.'

The next day the Magician again commanded Prince Milan to be led before
him. His daughters were all arranged in a straight row in front of him,
dressed exactly alike, and with their eyes bent on the ground.

'Now, you genius,' said the Magician, 'look at these beauties three
times, and then tell us which is the Princess Hyacinthia.'

Prince Milan went past them and looked at them closely. But they were
all so precisely alike that they looked like one face reflected in
thirty mirrors, and the fly was nowhere to be se