cceed to my throne. If
it _should_ happen to be Prince Goldenlocks--but, of course, I don't
want to influence you in any way."

"Leave it to me," said the Fairy. "You agree, no doubt, that the quality
most desirable in a king is love and kindliness----"

"Y-yes," said the King doubtfully.

"I was sure of it. Well, I have a way of putting this quality to the
test which has never yet failed." And with that she vanished. She could
have gone out at the door quite easily, but she preferred to vanish.

I expect you know what her way was. You have read about it often in your
fairy books. On the next day, as Prince Proper was coming along the
road, she appeared suddenly in front of him in the shape of a poor old
woman.

"Please give me something to buy a crust of bread, pretty gentleman,"
she pleaded. "I'm starving."

Prince Proper looked at her sternly.

"Economically," he said, "it is to the advantage of the State that the
submerged classes should be a charge on the State itself and not on
individuals. The civic interests of the community demand that
promiscuous charity should be sternly discouraged. Surely you see that
for yourself?"

The Fairy didn't quite. The language had taken her by surprise. In all
her previous adventures of this kind, two of the young Princes had
refused her roughly, and the third had shared his last piece of bread
with her. This adventure was going all wrong.

"Let me explain it to you more fully," went on Proper, and for an hour
and twenty-seven minutes he did so. Then he went on his way, leaving a
dazed Fairy behind him.

By and by Prince Clever came along. Suddenly he saw a poor old woman in
front of him.

"Please give me something to buy a crust of bread," she pleaded. "I'm
starving."

Prince Clever burst into a roar of laughter.

"You don't catch _me_," he said. "I've read about this a _hundred_
times. You're not an old woman at all; you're a Fairy."

"W-what do you mean?" she stammered.

"This is a silly test of Father's. Well, you can tell him he's got _one_
son who's clever enough to see through him." And he went on his way.

By and by Prince Goldenlocks came along. I need not say that he did all
that you would expect of a third and youngest son who had pink cheeks,
long golden hair, and (as I ought to have said before) a very loving
nature. He shared his last piece of bread with the poor old woman....

(Surely he will get the throne!)

But the Fairy was an honest Fair