ar to all creatures, young and old, came at last, and
before the first few days of it had gone, the king rode through its
budding valleys to see his little daughter. He had been in a distant
part of his dominions all the winter, for he was not in the habit of
stopping in one great city, or of visiting only his favourite country
houses, but he moved from place to place, that all his people might
know him. Wherever he journeyed, he kept a constant look-out for the
ablest and best men to put into office; and wherever he found himself
mistaken, and those he had appointed incapable or unjust, he removed
them at once. Hence you see it was his care of the people that kept
him from seeing his princess so often as he would have liked. You may
wonder why he did not take her about with him; but there were several
reasons against his doing so, and I suspect her great-great-grandmother
had had a principal hand in preventing it. Once more Irene heard the
bugle-blast, and once more she was at the gate to meet her father as he
rode up on his great white horse.

After they had been alone for a little while, she thought of what she
had resolved to ask him.

'Please, king-papa,' she said, 'Will you tell me where I got this
pretty ring? I can't remember.'

The king looked at it. A strange beautiful smile spread like sunshine
over his face, and an answering smile, but at the same time a
questioning one, spread like moonlight over Irene's. 'It was your
queen-mamma's once,' he said.

'And why isn't it hers now?' asked Irene.

'She does not want it now,' said the king, looking grave.

'Why doesn't she want it now?'

'Because she's gone where all those rings are made.'

'And when shall I see her?' asked the princess.

'Not for some time yet,' answered the king, and the tears came into his
eyes.

Irene did not remember her mother and did not know why her father
looked so, and why the tears came in his eyes; but she put her arms
round his neck and kissed him, and asked no more questions.

The king was much disturbed on hearing the report of the
gentlemen-at-arms concerning the creatures they had seen; and I presume
would have taken Irene with him that very day, but for what the
presence of the ring on her finger assured him of. About an hour
before he left, Irene saw him go up the old stair; and he did not come
down again till they were just ready to start; and she thought with
herself that he had been up to see the old lad