PRINCE PRIGIO. 45

 

Natural History books; and I thought the boys
were only making fun, and would be back soon,
safe and sound. How horrid being too clever
makes one! And now, what am I to do?”

What was he to do, indeed? And what would
you have done? Bring the horns and tail he
must, or perish in the adventure. Otherwise,
how could he meet his lady ?—why, she would
think him a mere braggart.

The prince sat down, and thought and
thought; and the day went on, and it was
now high noon.

At last he jumped up and rushed into the
library, a room where nobody ever went except
himself and the queen. There he turned the
books upside down, in his haste, till he found
an old one, by a French gentleman, Monsieur
Cyrano de Bergerac. It was an account of a
voyage to the moon, in which there is a great
deal of information about matters not generally
known; for few travellers have been to the moon.
In that book, Prince Prigio fancied he would
find something he half remembered, and that
would be of use to him. And he did! Soyou
see that cleverness, and minding your book,
have some advantages, after all. For here the
prince learned that there is a very rare beast
called a Remora, which is at least as cold as
the Firedrake is hot!

“ Now,” thought he, ‘‘2f I can iH make these
two fight, why the Remora may kill the Fire-