ck that the demon Lala was nothing to him.

"My dearest dear one, why are you so late to-night?" asked he of the
Princess.

"I do not know what was the matter," answered the fair one, "but
something is terribly wrong"; and she told him all that had happened.

The Demon laughed at her. "You are nervous," said he. "But come! You
have not kissed me yet."

He came close to the Princess to kiss her, but the lad stepped between
them and gave the Demon such a push that he almost fell over; at the
same time he himself gave the Princess a kiss upon the cheek.

"Why do you push me away?" cried the Demon, and he was very angry.

The Princess began to tremble again. "I did not push you," said she.
"Moreover, some one kissed me on the cheek. I am sure somebody is in
the room with us."

The King Demon looked all around, but he could see nobody. Then he
called a slave to bring the Princess the jeweled slippers she always
wore when she came to his palace.

The slave brought the slippers on a golden cushion, and they were
crusted over with pearls and precious stones. He knelt before the
Princess, and she took one and put it on, but at the same time the lad
took the other and slipped it in his bosom. The Princess and the Demon
did not know what had become of it. They hunted everywhere, but they
could not find it.

"There, now! See how careless you are," said the Demon; and he bade
the slave bring another pair of slippers.

This the slave did, but it was the same with this pair as with the
others. While the Princess was putting on one slipper the lad took the
other and hid it in his bosom. The Princess and the Demon and the
slave all looked for it, but they could not find it.

At that the Princess flew into a passion and threw both the slippers
away from her.

"I do not care," said she; "and now I will not wear any slippers at
all."

"Never mind!" answered the Demon. "We will have a sherbet together,
and after that we will eat."

He clapped his hands, and another slave appeared, bearing two crystal
goblets full of sherbet. The Princess took one goblet and the Demon
the other. Just as they were about to drink the lad smote the crystal
goblet from the Princess's hand so that it fell upon the marble floor
and was shattered, and all the sherbet was spilled.

The lad picked up a splinter of the crystal and hid it in his bosom
with the golden twig, the diamond twig, and the two slippers. But the
Princess shook and trembled u