always in the right--that cleverness might be carried far too far--that
it was better even to be born stupid ("Like the rest of you," thought the
prince); and, in fact, nobody had a good word for him.

Yes, one had! It was the pretty lady of the carriage. I never could
tell you how pretty she was. She was tall, with cheeks like white roses
blushing: she had dark hair, and very large dark-grey eyes, and her face
was the kindest in the world! The prince first thought how nice and good
she looked, even before he thought how pretty she looked. _She_ stood up
for Prince Prigio when her partner would speak ill of him. She had never
seen the prince, for she was but newly come to Pantouflia; but she
declared that it was his _misfortune_, not his fault, to be so clever.
"And, then, think how hard they made him work at school! Besides," said
this kind young lady, "I hear he is extremely handsome, and very brave;
and he has a good heart, for he was kind, I have heard, to a poor boy,
and did all his examination papers for him, so that the boy passed first
in _everything_. And now he is Minister for Education, though he can't
do a line of Greek prose!"

The prince blushed at this, for he knew his conduct had not been
honourable. But he at once fell over head and ears in love with the
young lady, a thing he had never done in his life before, because--he
said--"women were so stupid!" You see he was so clever!

Now, at this very moment--when the prince, all of a sudden, was as deep
in love as if he had been the stupidest officer in the room--an
extraordinary thing happened! Something seemed to give a whirr! in his
brain, and in one instant _he knew all about it_! He believed in fairies
and fairy gifts, and understood that his cap was the cap of darkness, and
his shoes the seven-league boots, and his purse the purse of Fortunatus!
He had read about those things in historical books: but now he believed
in them.

CHAPTER VII.

_The Prince Falls in Love_.

He understood all this, and burst out laughing, which nearly frightened
an old lady near him out of her wits. Ah! how he wished he was only in
evening dress, that he might dance with the charming young lady. But
there he was, dressed just as if he were going out to hunt, if anyone
could have seen him. So, even if he took off his cap of darkness, and
became visible, he was no figure for a ball. Once he would not have
cared, but now he cared very much indeed.