FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   >>  
p prick in his little finger, like a pin prick. "What nonsense!" said the prince to himself. "Am I not king of the whole land? May I not kick my own dog, if I choose? What evil is there in that?" A silver voice spoke in his ear: "The king of the land has a right to do good, but not evil; you have been guilty of bad temper and of cruelty to-day; see that you do better to-morrow." The prince turned sharply, but no one was to be seen; yet he recognised the voice as that of Fairy Candide. He followed her advice for a little, but presently he forgot, and the ring pricked him so sharply that his finger had a drop of blood on it. This happened again and again, for the prince grew more self-willed and headstrong every day; he had some bad friends, too, who urged him on, in the hope that he would ruin himself and give them a chance to seize the throne. He treated his people carelessly and his servants cruelly, and everything he wanted he felt that he must have. The ring annoyed him terribly; it was embarrassing for a king to have a drop of blood on his finger all the time! At last he took the ring off and put it out of sight. Then he thought he should be perfectly happy, having his own way; but instead, he grew more unhappy as he grew less good. Whenever he was crossed, or could not have his own way instantly, he flew into a passion. Finally, he wanted something that he really could not have. This time it was a most beautiful young girl, named Zelia; the prince saw her, and loved her so much that he wanted at once to make her his queen. To his great astonishment, she refused. "Am I not pleasing to you?" asked the prince in surprise. "You are very handsome, very charming, prince," said Zelia; "but you are not like the good king, your father; I fear you would make me very miserable if I were your queen." In a great rage, Prince Cherry ordered the young girl to be put in prison; and the key of her dungeon he kept. He told one of his friends, a wicked man who flattered him for his own purposes, about the thing, and asked his advice. "Are you not king?" said the bad friend. "May you not do as you will? Keep the girl in a dungeon till she does as you command, and if she will not, sell her as a slave." "But would it not be a disgrace for me to harm an innocent creature?" said the prince. "It would be a disgrace to you to have it said that one of your subjects dared disobey you!" said the courtier. He had
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   >>  



Top keywords:

prince

 

wanted

 

finger

 

advice

 

friends

 
dungeon
 

disgrace

 

sharply

 

instantly

 
subjects

astonishment

 
courtier
 

surprise

 

pleasing

 

refused

 

disobey

 

passion

 

Finally

 

beautiful

 

Cherry


ordered

 

Prince

 

friend

 

purposes

 

wicked

 

crossed

 

flattered

 

prison

 

father

 

charming


innocent

 
handsome
 

miserable

 

command

 

creature

 
throne
 

turned

 

morrow

 

cruelty

 

recognised


happened

 

willed

 

pricked

 

forgot

 

Candide

 

presently

 
temper
 

guilty

 

choose

 

nonsense