cribe my vision, Madam," he replied, "and, though
my poor words cannot hope to do it justice, they will at least convince
you that it was indeed the Princess whom I was permitted to see."

He described her as well as he could, though with a growing bewilderment
that the lady of his dream should have a Mother who so little resembled
her.

Queen Selina listened to his rhapsody with misgivings. With every
allowance for the fervour of a lover who was also a Fairy Prince, even
maternal partiality could not blind her to the fact that his description
would be far less incorrect as applied to that Heritage girl than to the
Princess Edna.

"It certainly _suggests_ dear Edna, Prince," she remarked, with a mental
note that Daphne must be kept out of his way. "Except, perhaps in one or
two respects; but then you can't expect to see people in dreams looking
_exactly_ like themselves, _can_ you? I'll run up and bring her down to
you--and, if a Mother may say so, I _don't_ think you'll be _very_
disappointed."

But it was to Daphne's chamber that she went first. "Oh, Miss Heritage,"
she began, quite pleasantly, "I'm going to ask you to do something for
me. I don't at all like the effect of those jewels they've sewn on to
the front of my satin-brocade. I'm sure they would look much better on
my cloth-of-gold skirt. _Would_ you mind getting both skirts from my
wardrobe and just making the necessary alterations for me? You had
better set to work at once, as I may be requiring the cloth-of-gold very
shortly. And as time is pressing, I will tell them to bring all your
meals up here till the work is done. It's so important that I can't
trust any of the regular ladies-in-waiting with it."

"That disposes of _her_ for at least a week," she reflected, as she went
on to Princess Edna's apartments. "And everything ought to be settled
long before _that_!"

When, a little later, she smilingly re-entered the Reception Hall with
one arm affectionately placed round her reluctant daughter's waist, it
cannot be denied that the Prince was very much disappointed indeed. The
vision had not prepared him for Edna's _pince-nez_, among other matters,
and altogether he felt that his Godmother had exaggerated the Princess's
personal attractions to a most unscrupulous degree. But this he had
sufficient self-command to conceal. In fact, he rather overdid it,
though it was only to himself that his courtly greeting sounded fulsome
and insincere.

But if Ed