nd dried him in no time. After that he curled himself
up under the bear-skin rug, and though he determined to be the most
wide-awake boy imaginable, being so exceedingly snug and warm and
comfortable, Prince Dolor condescended to shut his eyes just for one
minute. The next minute he was sound asleep.

When he awoke, he found himself floating over a country quite unlike
anything he had ever seen before.

Yet it was nothing but what most of you children see every day and never
notice it--a pretty country landscape, like England, Scotland,
France, or any other land you choose to name. It had no particular
features--nothing in it grand or lovely--was simply pretty, nothing
more; yet to Prince Dolor, who had never gone beyond his lonely tower
and level plain, it appeared the most charming sight imaginable.

First, there was a river. It came tumbling down the hillside, frothing
and foaming, playing at hide-and-seek among the rocks, then bursting
out in noisy fun like a child, to bury itself in deep, still pools.
Afterward it went steadily on for a while, like a good grown-up person,
till it came to another big rock, where it misbehaved itself extremely.
It turned into a cataract, and went tumbling over and over, after a
fashion that made the prince--who had never seen water before, except in
his bath or his drinking-cup--clap his hands with delight.

"It is so active, so alive! I like things active and alive!" cried he,
and watched it shimmering and dancing, whirling and leaping, till, after
a few windings and vagaries, it settled into a respectable stream. After
that it went along, deep and quiet, but flowing steadily on, till it
reached a large lake, into which it slipped and so ended its course.

All this the boy saw, either with his own naked eye or through his gold
spectacles. He saw also as in a picture, beautiful but silent, many
other things which struck him with wonder, especially a grove of trees.

Only think, to have lived to his age (which he himself did not know, as
he did not know his own birthday) and never to have seen trees! As
he floated over these oaks, they seemed to him--trunk, branches, and
leaves--the most curious sight imaginable.

"If I could only get nearer, so as to touch them," said he, and
immediately the obedient cloak ducked down; Prince Dolor made a snatch
at the topmost twig of the tallest tree, and caught a bunch of leaves in
his hand.

Just a bunch of green leaves--such as we see in