THE ENCHANTED PRINCE

(Porcul Cel Fermecat)

There was once a King, and he had three daughters. One day he sent for them and said:

"My dear daughters, the enemy has raised a large army and is marching against me, and I am compelled to take up the sword in defence of my country. I am much grieved to have to leave you. Now, mind, be good while I am away and take good care of the house. You may walk about in the garden wheresoever you please and you may enter any chamber in the palace; but one chamber, the one away down at the end of the corridor to the right, you must not enter, for it will go ill with you, if you do." “You need not worry, father dear," replied the girls, "we always have obeyed your commands. You may leave without fear. And may Heaven grant you victory, and may you soon be back with us once more!"

The maidens then, shedding bitter tears, kissed his hands and wished him godspeed. And the King reminding them again of his warning, gave his eldest daughter the keys to the rooms, and bidding them a last farewell, swung himself upon his warsteed, and away he galloped.

But the King's daughters felt very sad and lonesome; they hardly knew what to do with themselves. So, to while away the time, they decided to work and to read part of the day, and to spend the other part strolling about in the garden. And they did so, and all went well with them.

But the Evil One envied their peace of mind, and it was not long before he began to tempt the maidens and to whisper wicked counsel into their ears; and one day, when they were in the corridor, the eldest of them said:

"My dear sisters, the livelong day we do naught but spin and sew and read. There is not a place in the garden but we have walked about in it a hundred times. We know every nook and corner in the palace. We have visited all the rooms and seen every single blessed thing in them a thousand times, until we know everything by heart. There is only one room we have not

seen. That room yonder which father forbade us to enter. Now girls, wouldn't you like to have a look at it?"

"Cood Heavens, sister, how can you!" cried the youngest maiden. "I am astonished that such an idea could ever have entered your mind! Do you really mean to break our dear father's command! Doubtless, father knew what he was about, he must have had a good reason when he told us not to go in!"

Said the second maiden, mockingly: "Surely, sister dear, the sky will fall down upon us and destroy us all, will it not? Dragons will eat us up, or other such fearsome monsters! Horrid old giants will kidnap us! Anyway, what harm can there be in it? Father will never know!"

And before they were aware of it they found themselves at the end of the corridor right before that very room, and the eldest maiden suddenly thrust the key into the key-hole and giving it a little turn, snap! the door stood wide open, and the three sisters quickly entered the forbidden chamber.

But lo! what should they see! The room was quite bare! Never a single stick of furniture-except a large table. It stood right in the middle of the room. And spread upon the table was a very precious table-cloth made altogether out of gold, and upon the table-cloth lay a great big book also made altogether out of gold, and the book was open.

The maidens were dumfounded. And they were curious, too. They very much wished to know what was written in the book. The eldest sister went up first, and this was what she read:

"The King's eldest daughter will wed the son of a King from the East."

The second maiden went up next, and she turned over the page, and this was what she read:

"The King's second daughter will wed the son of a King from the West."

The three sisters were very much amused, and they laughed and jested, making a great hubbub and having a splendid time of it. But the youngest maiden absolutely refused to step up near to the table. Her sisters, however, would not let her alone. And willy nilly go up she did, just to have a wee little peep at the book. And she turned over the page, and this was what she read:

"The King's youngest daughter will wed a PIG."

A thunderbolt crashing down from out of a blue sky could not have hurt the poor little girl worse than did what she had read in the book. She fainted away, and had not her sisters held her up, she would have fallen down upon the floor and broken her head, as sure as fate.

When the maiden had recovered from her swoon, her sisters tried to comfort her. Said the eldest :

"Well, I never! How on earth can you believe such foolish stuff! Has anybody ever heard of a King's daughter marrying a Pig, anyhow? Cheer up, sweetheart!" And the second dest said:

"Why, what a child you are, sister, to be afraid! Suppose the loathsome beast should happen to come for you! Father has plenty of soldiers to protect you against him and against all the pigs of the world!"

The poor girl would fain have believed what her sisters were saying to her, but somehow or other she could not find it in her heart to do so. All the time her thoughts were on the book, and this book said that the lot of her sisters was to be so very, very beautiful, whereas for herself it foretold such a sad fate as had never yet befallen any girl since the beginning of creation. Besides, she could not but think that misfortune would overtake her because she had failed to pay heed to the warning of her beloved father.

She began to pine away, and ere long she had changed so much that folks scarcely knew her. She had been a buxom and cheerful lassie; but now, alas! she was naught but skin and bones, and she felt so unhappy that nothing could suit her fancy any more. No longer did she play with her sisters, nor did she go a-gathering flowers in the garden to bedeck her beautiful hair withal, nor yet did she join them in song when she sat spinning or sewing by the fireside with them.

In the meantime, the King had conquered the enemy and restored peace to his country. Throughout the war his thoughts had ever leen with his beloved daughters, and now he was most anxious to see them again; so he made haste and returned as soon as he could. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people with drums and fifes went fo.th to meet him, happy and

rejoicing all of them that their King was coming back home at last, triumphant and crowned with victory.

Upon his arrival at the capital, the King first of all returned thanks to Heaven for having aided him in putting down the dangerous foe. He then betook himself to the palace, and he was overwhelmed with joy when he at last saw his beloved daughters again.

But though his youngest daughter was doing her very best to conceal her great sorrow from him, her father at once perceived that during his absence the maiden had fallen away and grown thin, and that she was very sad and sorrowful. And it was as though a red-hot iron had pierced his heart through and through when the thought struck him that his daughters might have broken his command and entered the forbidden chamber while he was away. And the worst of it all was that it was even as he suspected!

However, to make sure, he summoned the maidens before him and bade them tell the whole truth. They owned up, but they were careful not to give away which one of them had been the tempter. Now, when he saw how things stood, he felt a sharp pang deep down in his heart, and he was well-nigh consumed with sorrow. But he succeeded in mastering his feelings at once, for he saw only too clearly that his darling daughter was dying away little by little; and he did whatsoever he could to solace and comfort her. Well he knew that what was once done could not possibly be undone, and that to blame and scold his daughters now that the mischief was wrought would not mend matters the least bit.

Already they were beginning to forget all about the unfortunate affair when one fine day there appeared before the King a Prince from the East, and he asked for the hand of his eldest daughter. And right glad was the King to give her to him. A most magnificent wedding was celebrated, and three days after, the bride was escorted in state even as far as the frontier of the realm. And shortly afterwards the same thing happened to the King's second daughter, only it was a Prince from the West that had come to ask her in marriage.

As the youngest maiden saw that things were falling out just exactly as it was written down in that great big book in w.ica sle and read, she became very, very sad indeed. She