t be rewarded for his bravery. Here
the King, followed by his court, quickly appeared; for he was as much
delighted as any one at the victory of the young man.

"Noble youth," he exclaimed, "you are the bravest of the brave. You
are the only man I know who is worthy of our royal daughter, and you
shall marry her forthwith. Long since, I vowed that only with the
bravest should she wed."

At this moment, the Queen and the Princess, returning from their
ride, heard with joy the result of the combat; and riding up to the
victor, the Queen declared that she would gladly join with her royal
husband in giving their daughter to so brave a man.

The Absolute Fool stood for a moment in silent thought; then,
addressing the King, he said:

"Was Your Majesty's father a king?"

"He was," was the answer.

"Was his father of royal blood?"

"No; he was not," replied the King. "My grandfather was a man of the
people; but his pre-eminent virtue, his great ability as a statesman,
and the dignity and nobility of his character made him the unanimous
choice of the nation as its sovereign."

"I am sorry to hear that," said the Absolute Fool; "for it makes it
necessary for me to decline the kind offer of your daughter in
marriage. If I marry a princess at all, she must be one who can trace
back her lineage through a long line of royal ancestors." And as he
spoke, his breast swelled with manly pride.

For a moment, the King was dumb with rage. Then loudly he shouted:
"Ho, guards! Annihilate him! Avenge this insult!"

At these words, the sword of every by-stander leaped from its
scabbard; but, before any one could take a step forward, the Princess
seized the Absolute Fool by his long and flowing locks, and put spurs
to her horse. The young man yelled with pain, and shouted to
her to let go; but she held firmly to his hair, and as he was
extraordinarily active and fleet of foot, he kept pace with the
galloping horse. A great crowd of people started in pursuit, but as
none of them were mounted, they were soon left behind.

"Let go my hair! Let go my hair!" shouted the Absolute Fool, as he
bounded along. "You don't know how it hurts. Let go! Let go!"

But the Princess never relinquished her hold until they were out of
the King's domain.

"A little more," cried the indignant youth, when she let him go, "and
you would have pulled out a handful of my hair."

"A little less," said the Princess, contemptuously, "and you would
have been