ow the food disappeared.

The story the servant had to tell of what he saw was so thrilling that
the Prince could scarcely wait for the next day when he himself hid
behind the curtains and watched.

The serving people put the food on the table and retired and presently
the lid of the chest opened and the Prince saw the beautiful maiden of
the wood step out. When she sat down at the table the Prince slipped up
behind her and caught her in his arms.

"You lovely creature!" he said, "I'm not going to let you escape me
again!"

At first the girl was greatly frightened but the Prince reassured her,
telling her that he loved her dearly and only wanted to make her his
wife.

He led her at once to the King, his father, and the girl was so modest
and lovely that the King soon agreed to the marriage.

[Illustration: _The Chest Opened and the Prince Saw the Beautiful
Maiden_]

Everybody in court was delighted--everybody, that is, but the
Chamberlain who had had hopes of marrying his own daughter to the
Prince. His daughter was an ugly ill-tempered girl and the Prince had
never even looked at her. The Chamberlain was sure, however, that with a
little more time he could arrange the match to his liking. So the
appearance of this beautiful girl who came from Heaven knows where threw
him into a fearful rage and he decided to do away with her at any cost.
Now he had in his employ a great burly Blackamoor. He called this
fellow to him and he told him that he must kidnap the girl at once and
kill her. The Blackamoor who was accustomed to do such deeds for the
Chamberlain nodded and said he would.

So when the palace was quiet that night he stole to the bedchamber where
the girl was lying asleep, threw a great robe over her head to stifle
her cries, and carried her off. She fainted away from fright and the
Blackamoor thinking her dead tossed her into a field of nettles in the
outskirts of the town.

Now, as you can imagine, in the morning there was a great uproar in the
palace when it was discovered that the Prince's beautiful bride-to-be
had disappeared. The Prince was utterly grief-stricken and refused to
eat. The King and all the ladies of the court tried their best to
comfort him but he turned away from them declaring he would die if his
bride were not restored to him.

The rascally Chamberlain put his handkerchief to his eyes and pretended
to weep he was so affected by the sight of the Prince's grief.

"My dear boy," he