s daughter to ask her to be his partner he caught sight of the
black dot in a silver mirror. Instantly he guessed who had put it there
and why, but he said nothing, and danced so beautifully that the
princess was quite delighted with him. At the end of the dance he bowed
low to his partner and left her, to mingle with the crowd that was
filling the doorway. As he passed the Wise Man he contrived not only to
steal the bottle, but to place two black dots on his face, and one on
the faces of twenty other men. Then he slipped the bottle back in the
Wise Man's robe.

[Illustration: THE CHILD FINDS OUT THE TRUTH]

By and bye he went up to the king's daughter again, and begged for the
honour of another dance. She consented, and while he was stooping to tie
the ribbons on his shoe she took out from her pocket another bottle,
which the Wizard had given her, and put a black dot on his cheek. But
she was not as skilful as the Wise Man, and the Shifty Lad felt the
touch of her fingers; so as soon as the dance was over he contrived to
place a second black dot on the faces of the twenty men and two more on
the Wizard, after which he slipped the bottle into her pocket.

* * * * *

At length the ball came to an end, and then the king ordered all the
doors to be shut, and search made for a man with two black dots on his
cheek. The chamberlain went among the guests, and soon found such a man,
but just as he was going to arrest him and bring him before the king his
eye fell on another with the same mark, and another, and another, till
he had counted twenty--besides the Wise Man--on whose face were found
spots.

Not knowing what to do, the chamberlain hurried back with his tale to
the king, who immediately sent for the Wise Man, and then for his
daughter.

'The thief must have stolen your bottle,' said the king to the Wizard.

'No, my lord, it is here,' answered the Wise Man, holding it out.

'Then he must have got yours,' he cried, turning to his daughter.

'Indeed, father, it is safe in my pocket,' replied she, taking it out as
she spoke; and they all three looked at each other and remained silent.

'Well,' said the king at last, 'the man who has done this is cleverer
than most men, and if he will make himself known to me he shall marry
the princess and govern half my kingdom while I am alive, and the whole
of it when I am dead. Go and announce this in the ballroom,' he added to
an attendant, 'an