t trouble is on you now?" "Master," says the other, "please to let
me back in my forge, and let this carriage be filled with
paving-stones." No sooner said than done. The prince was sitting in his
forge, and the horses wondered what was after happening to the carriage.

When they came to the palace yard the King himself opened the carriage
door to pay respect to the new son-in-law. As soon as he turned the
handle a shower of stones fell on his powdered wig and his silk coat,
and down he fell under them. There was great fright, and some tittering,
and the King, after he wiped the blood from his forehead, looked very
cross at the eldest prince. "My liege," says he, "I'm very sorry for
this _accidence_, but I'm not to blame. I saw the young smith get into
the carriage, and we never stopped a minute since." "It's uncivil you
were to him. Go," says he to the other prince, "and bring the young
prince here, and be polite." "Never fear," says he.

But there's some people that couldn't be good-natured if they were to be
made heirs of Damer's estate. Not a bit civiller was the new messenger
than the old, and when the King opened the carriage door a second time
it's a shower of mud that came down on him; and if he didn't fume and
splutter and shake himself it's no matter. "There's no use," says he,
"going on this way. The fox never got a better messenger than himself."

So he changed his clothes and washed himself, and out he set to the
smith's forge. Maybe he wasn't polite to the young prince, and asked him
to sit along with himself. The prince begged to be allowed to sit in the
other carriage, and when they were half-way he opened his snuff-box.
"Master," says he, "I'd wished to be dressed now according to my rank."
"You shall be that," says _Seven Inches_. "And now I'll bid you
farewell. Continue as good and kind as you always were; love your wife,
and that's all the advice I'll give you." So _Seven Inches_ vanished;
and when the carriage door was opened in the yard, out walks the prince,
as fine as hands and pins could make him, and the first thing he did was
to run over to his bride and embrace her very heartily.

Everyone had great joy but the two other princes. There was not much
delay about the marriages that were all celebrated on the same day, and
the youngest prince and princess were the happiest married couple you
ever heard of in a story.

PATRICK KENNEDY.

The Grateful Beasts

There was once a young ma