TWILIGHT LAND

if she is carried away again, let her contrive to cut off a
lock of his hair from over the young man’s right ear.
Then to-morrow we will find out who has been trimmed.”

Yes, the princess would do that; so, before evening
was come, she tied a pair of scissors to her belt.

Well, Jacob Stuck could hardly wait for the night to
come to summon the Genie of Good Luck. “I want to
sup with the princess again,” said he.

‘To hear is to obey,” said the Genie of Good Luck ;
and, as soon as he had made everything ready, ie he
flew to fetch the princess again.

Well, they feasted and drank, and the music lived:
and the candles were as bright as day, and beautiful girls
sang and danced, and Jacob Stuck was as happy as a
king. But the princess kept her scissors by her, and,
when Jacob Stuck was not looking, she contrived to snip
off a lock of his hair from over his right ear, and nobody
saw what was done but the Genie of Good Luck.

So it came towards midnight.

Once more the door opened, and the beautiful serving-
lad came into the room, carrying the tray of silver with
something upon it wrapped in a napkin. This time Jacob
Stuck gave the princess an emerald ring for a keepsake,
and the wonder of it was that every morning two other
rings just like it would drop from it.

Then twelve o'clock sounded, the lights went out, and
the Genie took the princess home again.

But the Genie had seen what the princess had done.
As soon as he had taken her safe home, he struck his
palms together and summoned all his companions. “ Go,”
said he, “throughout the town and trim a lock of hair
from over the right ear of every man in the whole place ;”

182