PRINCE RICARDO. I4t

 

Cap, the sham Cap of Darkness, the sham
Sword of Sharpness, and the carpet which was
not a magic carpet at all.

His idea was, of course, that Ricardo would
start on an expedition confiding in his fairy
things, and he would find that they did not act.
Then he would be left to his own cleverness
and courage to get him out of the scrape.
That would teach him, thought the king, to
depend on himself, and to set a proper value
on cleverness and learning, and minding his
book.

Of course he might have locked the things
up, and forbidden Ricardo to touch them, but
that might have seemed harsh. And, as you
may easily imagine, with all the powers at his
command, the king fancied he could easily
rescue Ricardo from any very serious danger
at the hands of giants or magicians or mon-
sters. He only wanted to give him a fright or
two, and make him respect the judgment of
older and wiser people than himself.