with me."

Weeping bitterly, Rosalie continued her journey, and wherever she
presented herself they refused to receive her and the mouse, who never
quitted her side. She entered a forest where happily she found a brook
at which she quenched her thirst. She found also fruits and nuts in
abundance. She drank, ate and seated herself near a tree, thinking with
agony of her father and wondering what would become of him during the
fifteen days.

While Rosalie was thus musing she kept her eyes closed so as not to see
the wicked little gray mouse. Her fatigue, and the silence and darkness
around her, brought on sleep and she slept a long time profoundly.

THE PRINCE GRACIOUS

While Rosalie was thus quietly sleeping, the prince Gracious was engaged
in a hunt through the forest by torch-light. The fawn, pursued fiercely
by the dogs, came trembling with terror to crouch down near the brook by
which Rosalie was sleeping. The dogs and gamekeepers sprang forward
after the fawn. Suddenly the dogs ceased barking and grouped themselves
silently around Rosalie. The prince dismounted from his horse to set the
dogs again upon the trail of the deer but what was his surprise to see a
lovely young girl asleep in this lonely forest! He looked carefully
around but saw no one else. She was indeed alone--abandoned. On
examining her more closely, he saw traces of tears upon her cheeks and
indeed they were still escaping slowly from her closed eyelids.

Rosalie was simply clothed but the richness of her silk dress denoted
wealth. Her fine white hands, her rosy nails, her beautiful chestnut
locks, carefully and tastefully arranged with a gold comb, her elegant
boots and necklace of pure pearls indicated elevated rank.

Rosalie did not awake, notwithstanding the stamping of the horses, the
baying of the dogs and the noisy tumult made by a crowd of sportsmen.

The prince was stupefied and stood gazing steadily at Rosalie. No one
present recognized her. Anxious and disquieted by this profound sleep,
Prince Gracious took her hand softly. Rosalie still slept. The prince
pressed her hand lightly in his but even this did not awaken her.

Turning to his officers, he said: "I cannot thus abandon this
unfortunate child, who has perhaps been led astray by some design, the
victim of some cruel wickedness."

"But how can she be removed while she is asleep, prince," said Hubert,
his principal gamekeeper, "can we not make a litter of branches and