d very limp and odd, and, to her
amazement, Rosamond presently saw that the thing was no rabbit, but a
pocket-handkerchief. The next moment she removed it from her face, and
Rosamond beheld--not her nurse, but the wise woman--standing on her own
hearth, while she herself stood by the door leading from the cottage
into the hall.

"First trial a failure," said the wise woman quietly.

Overcome with shame, Rosamond ran to her, fell down on her knees, and
hid her face in her dress.

"Need I say any thing?" said the wise woman, stroking her hair.

"No, no," cried the princess. "I am horrid."

"You know now the kind of thing you have to meet: are you ready to try
again?"

"MAY I try again?" cried the princess, jumping up. "I'm ready. I do not
think I shall fail this time."

"The trial will be harder."

Rosamond drew in her breath, and set her teeth. The wise woman looked
at her pitifully, but took her by the hand, led her to the round hall,
opened the same door, and closed it after her.

The princess expected to find herself again in the nursery, but in the
wise woman's house no one ever has the same trial twice. She was in a
beautiful garden, full of blossoming trees and the loveliest roses and
lilies. A lake was in the middle of it, with a tiny boat. So delightful
was it that Rosamond forgot all about how or why she had come there,
and lost herself in the joy of the flowers and the trees and the water.
Presently came the shout of a child, merry and glad, and from a clump
of tulip trees rushed a lovely little boy, with his arms stretched out
to her. She was charmed at the sight, ran to meet him, caught him up in
her arms, kissed him, and could hardly let him go again. But the moment
she set him down he ran from her towards the lake, looking back as he
ran, and crying "Come, come."

She followed. He made straight for the boat, clambered into it, and
held out his hand to help her in. Then he caught up the little
boat-hook, and pushed away from the shore: there was a great white
flower floating a few yards off, and that was the little fellow's goal.
But, alas! no sooner had Rosamond caught sight of it, huge and glowing
as a harvest moon, than she felt a great desire to have it herself. The
boy, however, was in the bows of the boat, and caught it first. It had
a long stem, reaching down to the bottom of the water, and for a moment
he tugged at it in vain, but at last it gave way so suddenly, that he
tumbled back wit