on."

"What was she like?" asked Agnes.

"She was about your size, and quite as ugly, only not in the same way;
for she had red cheeks, and a cocked little nose, and the biggest,
ugliest mouth you ever saw."

Agnes fell a-thinking.

"Is there a picture of her anywhere in the palace?" she asked.

"How should I know? You can ask a housemaid."

Agnes soon learned that there was one, and contrived to get a peep of
it. Then she was certain of what she had suspected from the description
given of her, namely, that she was the same she had seen in the picture
at the wise woman's house. The conclusion followed, that the lost
princess must be staying with her father and mother, for assuredly in
the picture she wore one of her frocks.

She went to the head scullion, and with humble manner, but proud heart,
begged her to procure for her the favor of a word with the queen.

"A likely thing indeed!" was the answer, accompanied by a resounding
box on the ear.

She tried the head cook next, but with no better success, and so was
driven to her meditations again, the result of which was that she began
to drop hints that she knew something about the princess. This came at
length to the queen's ears, and she sent for her.

Absorbed in her own selfish ambitions, Agnes never thought of the risk
to which she was about to expose her parents, but told the queen that
in her wanderings she had caught sight of just such a lovely creature
as she described the princess, only dressed like a peasant--saying,
that, if the king would permit her to go and look for her, she had
little doubt of bringing her back safe and sound within a few weeks.

But although she spoke the truth, she had such a look of cunning on her
pinched face, that the queen could not possibly trust her, but believed
that she made the proposal merely to get away, and have money given her
for her journey. Still there was a chance, and she would not say any
thing until she had consulted the king.

Then they had Agnes up before the lord chancellor, who, after much
questioning of her, arrived at last, he thought, at some notion of the
part of the country described by her--that was, if she spoke the truth,
which, from her looks and behavior, he also considered entirely
doubtful. Thereupon she was ordered back to the kitchen, and a band of
soldiers, under a clever lawyer, sent out to search every foot of the
supposed region. They were commanded not to return until they brought