over their shoulders; and when Anders came,
both the muskets were levelled at him.

"Where may you be going?" asked one of the soldiers.

"I am going to the court ball," answered Anders.

"Indeed you are not," said the other soldier, and put his foot
forward. "Nobody is allowed there without a uniform."

But just at this instant the Princess came tripping across the yard.
She was dressed in white silk with bows of ribbon. When she became
aware of Anders and the soldiers, she walked over to them.

"Oh," she said, "he has such an extraordinarily fine cap on his head,
that that will do just as well as a uniform."

And she took Anders' hand and walked with him up the broad marble
stairs, where soldiers were posted at every third step, and through
the magnificent halls where courtiers in silk and velvet stood bowing
wherever he went. For, like as not, they must have thought him a
prince when they saw his fine cap.

At the farther end of the largest hall a table was set with golden
cups and golden plates in long rows. On huge silver platters were
pyramids of tarts and cakes, and red wine sparkled in glittering
decanters. The Princess sat down under a blue canopy with bouquets of
roses; and she let Anders sit in a golden chair by her side.

"But you must not eat with your cap on your head," she said, and was
going to take it off.

"Oh yes, I can eat just as well," said Anders, and held on to his cap,
for if they should take it away from him, nobody would any longer
believe that he was a prince, and, besides, he did not feel sure that
he would get it back again.

"Well, well, give it to me," said the Princess, "and I will give you a
kiss."

The Princess certainly was beautiful, and he would have dearly liked
to be kissed by her, but the cap which his mother had made he would
not give up on any condition. He only shook his head.

"Well, but now?" said the Princess; and she filled his pockets with
cakes, and put her own heavy gold chain around his neck, and bent down
and kissed him.

But he only moved farther back in his chair, and did not take his
hands away from his head.

Then the doors were thrown open, and the King entered with a large
suite of gentlemen in glittering uniforms and plumed hats. And the
King himself wore an ermine-bordered purple mantle which trailed
behind him, and he had a large gold crown on his white curly hair.

He smiled when he saw Anders in the gilt chair.

"That is a very fine ca