cried the daughters; "leave it, and perhaps she will eat it
by-and-by."

So the stew was left upon the hearth. In the excitement Dorothy had
stopped spinning, and nobody had observed it. Suddenly Dame Betsy
noticed that the wheel was silent.

"Why are you not spinning, miss?" she asked, sharply. "Are you stopping
work to look at a cat?"

But Dorothy made no reply; she paid no attention whatever: she continued
to stare at the cat; she was quite pale, and her blue eyes were very
large. And no wonder, for she saw, instead of a cat, a beautiful little
princess, with eyes like stars, in a trailing robe of gray velvet
covered with silver embroidery, and instead of a purr she heard a
softly-hummed song. Dame Betsy seized Dorothy by the arm.

"To your work!" she cried.

And Dorothy began to spin; but she was trembling from head to foot, and
every now and then she glanced at the princess on the hearth.

The daughters, in their best gowns, sat with their mother around the
hearth until nine o'clock; then Dorothy was ordered to leave her wheel,
the cottage was locked up, and everybody went to bed.

Dorothy's bed was a little bundle of straw up in the garret under the
eaves. She was very tired when she lay down, but did not dare to sleep,
for she remembered her promise to mend the eldest daughter's apron. So
she waited until the house was still; then she arose and crept softly
down-stairs.

The fire on the hearth was still burning, and there sat the princess,
and the sweet hum of her singing filled the room. But Dorothy could not
understand a word of the song, because it was in the Persian language.
She stood in the doorway and trembled; she did not know what to do. It
seemed to her that she must be losing her wits to see a princess where
every one else saw a cat. Still she could not doubt the evidence of her
own eyes. Finally she advanced a little way and courtesied very low. The
princess stopped singing at once. She arose in a stately fashion, and
fastened her bright eyes upon Dorothy.

"So you know me?" said she.

Dorothy courtesied again.

"Are you positive that I am not a cat?"

Dorothy courtesied.

"Well, I am _not_ a cat," said the princess. "I am a true princess from
Persia, travelling incognita. You are the first person who has pierced
my disguise. You must have very extraordinary eyes. Aren't you hungry?"

Dorothy courtesied.

"Come here and eat the stew," ordered the princess, in a commanding
tone. "M