s thoughts wandered away to the beautiful
Princess, the beautiful Princess who was shut up so safely in the
great copper palace.

"It is ridiculous that no one sees the Princess," thought the soldier.
"I want to see her, and I shall."

He pulled out his tinder-box, struck a light, and lo! there stood the
dog with eyes as large as saucers.

"It is the middle of the night," said the soldier, "but I must see the
Princess, if it is only for a moment."

The dog bounded out of the door, and before the soldier had time
to wonder what he would do or say if the beautiful Princess really
appeared, there she was.

Yes, there she was, fast asleep on the dog's back. She was beautiful,
so beautiful that the soldier was quite sure that she was a real
Princess. He stooped and kissed her hand. She was so beautiful he
could not help it. Then off ran the dog, back to the copper palace
with the Princess.

"I had such a strange dream last night," the Princess told the King
and Queen at breakfast next morning. "I dreamed that an enormous dog
came and carried me off to a soldier, and the soldier kissed my hand.
It was a strange dream," she murmured.

"The Princess must not be left alone to-night," said the Queen. "She
may be frightened if she dreams again." And she told an old dame who
lived at court to sit in the Princess's room at night.

But what would the Queen have said if she had known that what the
Princess told them was no dream, but something that had really and
truly happened?

Well, that evening the soldier thought he would like to see the
Princess again.

He struck a light, and there stood one of his obedient dogs.

"Bring the Princess," ordered the soldier, and the dog vanished to do
his master's will.

The old dame sat beside the Princess's bed. She had heard all about
the Princess's dream.

"Was she dreaming herself now?" she wondered. She pinched
herself.--No, she was wide awake, yet she saw a dog, a real dog with
eyes as large as saucers, in front of her.

The dog seized the Princess, and ran off; but although he ran very
quickly, the old dame found time to put on her goloshes before she
followed.

How she panted along! How she ran, the faithful old dame! She was just
in time to see the Princess on the dog's back disappear into a large
house.

"I shall mark the house, so that I may know it in the morning," she
thought. And she took a piece of white chalk and made a great white
cross on the door.

The