back constantly to take her dress and draw her on.

She let him have his way and he soon led her back to the beautiful
garden where she had spent part of the day before. Here she ate some
fruit, drank some water of the fountain, and felt as if she had made an
excellent meal. She walked about amongst the flowers, played with her
little dog, and at night returned to sleep in the cave.

In this way the princess passed several months, and as her first terrors
died away she gradually became more resigned to her fate. The little
dog, too, was a great comfort, and her constant companion.

One day she noticed that he seemed very sad and did not even caress her
as usual. Fearing he might be ill she carried him to a spot where she
had seen him eat some particular herbs, hoping they might do him good,
but he would not touch them. He spent all the night, too, sighing and
groaning as if in great pain.

At last the princess fell asleep, and when she awoke her first thought
was for her little pet, but not finding him at her feet as usual, she
ran out of the cave to look for him. As she stepped out of the cave she
caught sight of an old man, who hurried away so fast that she had barely
time to see him before he disappeared.

This was a fresh surprise and almost as great a shock as the loss of her
little dog, who had been so faithful to her ever since the first day she
had seen him. She wondered if he had strayed away or if the old man had
stolen him.

Tormented by all kinds of thoughts and fears she wandered on, when
suddenly she felt herself wrapped in a thick cloud and carried through
the air. She made no resistance and before very long found herself, to
her great surprise, in an avenue leading to the palace in which she had
been born. No sign of the cloud anywhere.

As the princess approached the palace she perceived that everyone was
dressed in black, and she was filled with fear as to the cause of this
mourning. She hastened on and was soon recognised and welcomed with
shouts of joy. Her sister hearing the cheers ran out and embraced the
wanderer, with tears of happiness, telling her that the shock of her
disappearance had been so terrible that their mother had only survived
it a few days. Since then the younger princess had worn the crown, which
she now resigned to her sister to whom it by right belonged.

But the elder wished to refuse it, and would only accept the crown on
condition that her sister should share in all t