THE SALT OF LIFE

had given him stood him in good stead. But for it he
’ would have become a black dog like those others, for thus
it had happened to all before him who had ferried the
witch queen over the water. So she expected to see him
run away yelping, as those others had done ; but the prince
remained a prince, and stood looking her in the face.

When the queen saw that her magic had failed her she
grew as pale as death, and fell to trembling in every limb.
She turned and hastened quickly away, and the prince
followed her wondering, for he neither knew the mischief
she had intended doing him, nor how his ring had saved
him from the fate of those others.

So they came back up the stairs and out through the
stone wall into the palace garden. The queen pressed
her hand against the stone and it turned back into its
place again. Then, beckoning to the prince, she hurried
away down the garden. Before he followed he picked up
a coal that lay near by, and put a cross upon the stone;
then he hurried after her, and so came to the palace once
more.

By this time the cocks were crowing, and the dawn of
day was just beginning to show over the roof-tops and
the chimney-stacks of the town.

As for the queen, she had regained her composure, and,
bidding the prince wait for her a moment, she hastened
to Ler chamber. There she opened her book of magic,
and in it she soon found who the prince was and how the
ring had saved him.

When she had learned all that she wanted to know she
put on a smiling face and came back to him. ‘Ah,
prince,” said she, ‘I well know who you are, for your
coming to my country is no secret tome. I have shown

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