At the door the _Princess_ met him, and told her father this was her
deliverer, on whom her heart was set. So she had him; and this was how
the beggar boy came to marry the daughter of the King of Arabia.

PRINCE LINDWORM

Once upon a time, there was a fine young _King_ who was married to the
loveliest of Queens. They were exceedingly happy, all but for one
thing--they had no children. And this often made them both sad,
because the _Queen_ wanted a dear little child to play with, and the
_King_ wanted an heir to the kingdom.

One day the _Queen_ went out for a walk by herself, and she met an
ugly old woman. The old woman was just like a witch: but she was a
nice kind of witch, not the cantankerous sort. She said, "Why do you
look so doleful, pretty lady?" "It's no use my telling you," answered
the _Queen_, "nobody in the world can help me." "Oh, you never know,"
said the old woman. "Just you let me hear what your trouble is, and
maybe I can put things right."

"My dear woman, how can you?" said the _Queen_: and she told her, "The
_King_ and I have no children: that's why I am so distressed." "Well,
you needn't be," said the old witch. "I can set that right in a
twinkling, if only you will do exactly as I tell you. Listen.
To-night, at sunset, take a little drinking-cup with two ears" (that
is, handles), "and put it bottom upwards on the ground in the
north-west corner of your garden. Then go and lift it up to-morrow
morning at sunrise, and you will find two roses underneath it, one red
and one white. If you eat the red rose, a little boy will be born to
you: if you eat the white rose, a little girl will be sent. But,
whatever you do, you mustn't eat _both_ the roses, or you'll be
sorry,--that I warn you! Only one: remember that!" "Thank you a
thousand times," said the _Queen_, "this is good news indeed!" And she
wanted to give the old woman her gold ring; but the old woman wouldn't
take it.

So the _Queen_ went home and did as she had been told: and next
morning at sunrise she stole out into the garden and lifted up the
little drinking-cup. She _was_ surprised, for indeed she had hardly
expected to see anything. But there were the two roses underneath it,
one red and one white. And now she was dreadfully puzzled, for she did
not know which to choose. "If I choose the red one," she thought, "and
I have a little boy, he may grow up and go to the wars and get killed.
But if I choose the white one, and have