le after mile,
And never a stile!
And never a tree or a stone!
She has not a tear:
Afar and anear
It is all so drear,
But she does not care,
Her heart is as dry as a bone.

None to come near her!
No one to cheer her!
No one to jeer her!
No one to hear her!
Not a thing to lift and hold!
She is always awake,
But her heart will not break:
She can only quake,
Shiver, and shake:
The old woman is very cold.

As strange as the song, was the crooning wailing tune that the wise
woman sung. At the first note almost, you would have thought she wanted
to frighten the princess; and so indeed she did. For when people WILL
be naughty, they have to be frightened, and they are not expected to
like it. The princess grew angry, pulled her hand away, and cried,--

"YOU are the ugly old woman. I hate you!"

Therewith she stood still, expecting the wise woman to stop also,
perhaps coax her to go on: if she did, she was determined not to move a
step. But the wise woman never even looked about: she kept walking on
steadily, the same space as before. Little Obstinate thought for
certain she would turn; for she regarded herself as much too precious
to be left behind. But on and on the wise woman went, until she had
vanished away in the dim moonlight. Then all at once the princess
perceived that she was left alone with the moon, looking down on her
from the height of her loneliness. She was horribly frightened, and
began to run after the wise woman, calling aloud. But the song she had
just heard came back to the sound of her own running feet,--

All all alone,
Like a dog-picked bone!

and again,--

She might call and shout,
And no one about
Would ever call back, "Who's there?"

and she screamed as she ran. How she wished she knew the old woman's
name, that she might call it after her through the moonlight!

But the wise woman had, in truth, heard the first sound of her running
feet, and stopped and turned, waiting. What with running and crying,
however, and a fall or two as she ran, the princess never saw her until
she fell right into her arms--and the same moment into a fresh rage;
for as soon as any trouble was over the princess was always ready to
begin another. The wise woman therefore pushed her away, and walked on;
while the princess ran scolding and storming after her. She