THE YELLOW DWARF

NCE upon a time there lived a queen
who had an only daughter, whom she
loved so excessively that she never
corrected her faults or thwarted her
wishes. ‘The consequence of this
folly was, the young lady grew up
very self-willed and unamiable. Her
great beauty made her likewise very proud. She
was called All-fair, and the fame of her beauty
spread through all the surrounding courts, and
many princes became so enamoured as to offer her
marriage. But the princess rejected them all,
much to the annoyance of the queen, her mother,
who was very anxious to see her daughter well
married. When she found all her entreaties were
of no avail, she resolved to go and consult the
Fairy of the Desert respecting the best course to
be adopted towards her stubborn daughter. It
was, however, difficult to gain access to this fairy ;
for she was guarded by two fierce lions. The
queen, however, knew of a certain cake that would
appease their fury, and enable her to pass by them.
Providing herself with this, she set out privately
towards the fairy’s dwelling. After walking several
miles, she became so excessively weary that she
lay down under a tree, and fell into a sound sleep.

99

  

THE
YELLOW
DWARF