The Light Princess and Other Fairy Stories

a princess, he found some fault in her. Of course he could not marry a mere woman, however beautiful; and there was no princess to be found worthy of him. Whether the prince was so near perfect

uld a prince do with a princess that had lost her gravity? Who could tell what she might not lose next? She might lose her visibility, or her tangibility; or, in short, the p

, like a sieve that keeps back the bran. Then the princes get away to follow their fortunes. In this they have the advantage of

r the trees had got so thin that he could see the sunset through them; and he soon came upon a kind of heath. Next he came

gathering darkness. Suddenly he paused, and listened. Strange sounds came across the water. It was, in fact, the princess laughing. Now there was something odd in her laugh, as I have already hinted, for the hatching of a real hearty laugh requires the incubation of gravity; and perhaps this was how the prince mistook the laughter for screaming. Looking

r so as to embarrass her,-but certainly he brought her to shore in a fashion ignominious to a swimmer, and more nearl

gave her a strong lift out of the water, to lay her on the bank. But, her gravitation ce

hty, NAUGHTY, NAUG

t at another, and, in fact, stopped herself by gathering cones, dropping them as the stocks gave way. The prince, meantime, stood in the water, staring, and forgetting to get out. But the princess disappearing, he scrambled on shore, and went in the direction of the tree. T

tell

on't!" return

ou to pull me down out of the water, and throw me

did not mean

ns; and that is a worse loss that

d her. But before he could think what to say next, she burst out angrily, giving a stamp

up dir

e, you beauty?"

uld see, which certainly was not far, she had not a single fault about her, except, of course, that she had not any gravity. No prince, however,

e, you beauty?"

ou stupid!" answ

n," said t

n a delightful dream, notwithstanding the torrent of musical abuse with which she overwhelmed him. The prince being therefore in no hurry, they came upon the

I to put

nswered, quite snappishly. "Yo

hted shriek of laughter before the water closed over them. When they came to the surface, she found that, for a moment or two, she could not e

e falling in?"

ort the prince

at you call

ce, "I should think it a

e like going up

ly one of elevation too

r to understand him, for s

falling in?" sa

"for I have fallen in with the o

I am tired of it,"

d her father's av

alling in, then?"

ed she. "I never fell before. I wish I could learn. To think

princess loo

in with you any time you like

be proper. But I don't care. At all events, as

eart," respond

last they heard cries along the shore, and saw lights glancing

princess. "I am very sorr

am glad I haven't a home to go to-at le

lake for a single night!-You see where that green light is burning? That is the window of my room. Now if you would just swim there with me very quietly, and when we are all but under the balcon

re," said the prince, gallantly;

e to-morrow night?" the

ink so. Perhaps," was the prin

the parting lift, "Don't tell." The only answer the princess returned was a roguish look. She was alr

hamber. As soon as they disappeared, he landed in search of his tunic and sword, and, after some trouble, found them again. Then he made the best of his way round the lake to the other side. There the wood was wilder, and the shore steeper-rising more immediately towards the mountains which surrounded the lake on all sides, and kept sending it messages of silvery streams from morning to night, and all