PRINCE RICARDO. 125

 

very young, and it never occurred to her that it
was just as wrong to find out what the king
meant by drinking the moon as by listening in
disguise. As she grew older she learned to
know better; but this is just the danger of
teaching young girls magic, and for that very
reason it has been given up in most countries.

However, the princess did not think about
right and wrong, unluckily. She went to the
bookcase and took down her Cornelius A grippa,
in one great tall black volume, with silver clasps
which nobody else could open; for, as the
princess said, there are books which it would
never do to leave lying about where the servants
or anybody could read them. Nobody could
undo the clasps, however strong or clever he
might be; but the princess just breathed on
them and made a sign, and the book flew open
at the right place—Book IV., chapter vi., about
the middle of page 576.

The magic spell was in Latin, of course; but
the princess knew Latin very well, and soon
she had the magic song by heart. Then she
closed the book and put it back on the shelf.
Then she threw open the window and drew
back the curtains, and put out all the lights
except two scented candles that burned with a
white fire under a round mirror with a silver
frame, opposite the window. And into that
mirror the moon shone white and full, filling
all the space of it, so that the room was