392 THE LITTLE SEA MAID.

Day by day the Prince grew more fond of her. He loved her
as one loves a dear good child, but it never came into his head
to make her his wife; and yet she must become his wife, or she
would not receive an immortal soul, and would have to become
foam on the sea on his marriage morning. ;

‘Do you not love me best of them all?” the eyes of the little
sea maid seemed to say, when he took her in his arms and kissed
her fair forehead.

“Yes, you are the dearest to me!” said the Prince, “ for you
have the best heart of them all. You are the most devoted to
me, and are like a young girl whom I once saw, but whom I cer-
tainly shall not find again. I was on board a ship which was
wrecked, The waves threw me ashore neara holy temple, where
several young girls performed the service. The youngest of them
found me by the shore and saved my life. I only saw her twice:
she was the only one in the world I could love; but you chase
her picture out of my mind, you are so like her. She belongs to
the holy temple, and therefore my good fortune has sent you to
me. We will never part!”

“ Ah! he does not know that I saved his life,” thought the little
sea maid. “I carried him over the sea to the wood where the
temple stands. I sat here under the foam and looked to see if
any one would come. I saw the beautiful girl whom he loves
better than me.” And the sea maid sighed gently—she could
not weep. “The maiden belongs to the holy temple,” she said,
“and will never come out into the world—they will meet no
more. I am with him and see him every day, I will cherish
him, love him, give up my life for him.”

But now they said that the Prince was to marry, and that the
beautiful daughter of a neigbouring King was to be his wife, and
that was why such a beautiful ship was being prepared. The story
was, that the Prince travelled to visit the land of the neighbour-
ing King, but it was done that he might see the King’s daughter.
A great company was to gowith him. The little sea maid shook
her head and smiled: she knew the Prince’s thoughts far better
than any of the others.

“T must travel,” he had said to her: “I must see the beautiful
Princess: my parents desire it, but they do not wish to compel
me to bring her home as my bride. I cannot love her. Sheis
not like the beautiful maiden in the temple, whom you resemble.
If I were to choose a bride, I would rather choose you, my dear
dumb foundling with the speaking eyes.”

And he kissed her red lips and played with her long hair, so
that she dreamed of happiness and of an immortal soul.

“You are not afraid of the sea, my dumb child ?” said he, when
they stood on the fine ship which was to carry him to the country
of the neighbouring King; and he told her of storm and calm, of
strange fishes in the deep, and of what the divers had seen there,