1.] , THE LOST PRINCE. 31

 

golden tassel of his velvet cap streaming in the air as
he rode down towards the astonished sisters, before
whom he reined in his pig, and stood at a short
distance, bowing gracefully to his visitors. A general
grunt of ‘Well done, Rindelgrover!’ burst from the
surrounding swine upon the appearance of this
evidently powerful individual, but he appeared to
object to any such demonstration. Rising in his
stirrups, he waved his hand in a careless manner as
if to forbid further observations of a similar character,
and then bowed again to the Princesses, apparently
awaiting their pleasure.

‘Oh, sir!’ exclaimed Malvina, ‘can you—will
you—help us to get back our brother?’

‘Devonshire cream is an excellent thing for break-
fast, especially with strawberries, replied the Dwarf,
with a smile.

Pettina, who was as clever as beautiful, at once
remembered her mother’s account of the behaviour of
Rindelgrover upon their first meeting, and the ob-
jection which he had to questions. She therefore
took her part in the conversation in the following
manner. Smiling back pleasantly upon the little
gentleman, she said in her sweetest tone:

‘How nice it is to have friends in the forest to
help one when one wants anything! How happy we
should be if we knew all about our brother's disap-
pearance and what to do in order to get him back
again!’ and here, nudging her sister, who readily
understood her meaning, they both exclaimed at one
and the same moment: ‘ Ri-too-ri-lal-lural !’

The Dwarf’s face lighted up with unmistakeable