THE YELLOW DWARF. 461

eyes, and saw a little yellow man in a tree, half a yard high,
picking and eating oranges. “Ah! qucen,” said the Yellow
Dwarf (for so he was called, on account of his complexion, and
the orange tree he lived in), “how will you escape the lions?
There is but one way; I know what business brought you
here ; promise me your daughter in marriage, and I will save
you.” ‘The queen, though she could not look upon so frightful
a figure without horror, was forced to consent; and, having

 

agreed to the terms proposed, she instantly found herself in her
own palace, and all that had passed seemed only as a dream ;
nevertheless, she was so thoroughly persuaded of the reality of
it, that she became melancholy.

‘The young princess being unable to learn the cause of her
mother's dejection, resolved to go and inquire of the Desert
Fairy ; and accordingly, having prepared a cake for the lions,
she also set off for her abode. It happened that All-Fair took
exactly the same route her mother had done before her ; and
coming to the fatal tree which was loaded with oranges, she