d have been equally struck dumb with amazement,--as any one may see
who will attend while I go back to the beginning, and relate what had
happened.

By the beginning is meant the birth of Prince Vance, when the powerful
fairy Copetta had been chosen his godmother, since which time she
certainly had not devoted herself to being agreeable to the Prince. She
had insisted, for instance, that her godson should pay attention to his
lessons; that he should show respect to his tutors; and, what was most
outrageous of all, that he, Prince Vance, only son of his parents and
sole heir to the kingdom, should learn to obey. She had coolly informed
her godson, moreover, that if he did not obey her willingly, it would
certainly be the worse for him; since learn he must, by harsh means, if
no others would move him.

All this seemed to Vance a most unpleasant and unreasonable sort of
talk, and, as may be imagined, it did not increase his love for his
godmother. So things had gone on from bad to worse between them until
Vance was a fine, lusty lad beginning his teens, when one day the Blue
Wizard came to court.

Vance had been having a remarkably unpleasant scene with his godmother
that morning. She had come popping into the school-room, in a
disagreeable way she had of appearing when she was least expected; and,
of course, nothing would do but she must come at the exact moment when
the Prince was engaged in boxing his tutor's ears (without
boxing-gloves), because the poor old man wanted him to learn the
boundaries of what would some day be his own kingdom.

"You shall see the boundaries by travelling over them all on foot," the
fairy had said crossly. "You are growing up idle, selfish, and
disobedient; a shame to your godmother and a disgrace to your family.
You will be associating with the Blue Wizard next, I dare say!"

"Yes, so I will," the Prince answered stubbornly; for though he really
had never heard of the Blue Wizard before, he would have said anything
just then to vex his godmother,--"so I will. I should like to see him. I
really wish he would come this very day!"

"As for me, you evil boy!" Copetta said, more angrily yet, striking her
cane sharply upon the ground, "you shall want me badly enough before you
find me, I promise you; and sorrow shall have made you wiser before you
look upon my face again."

"Not that I shall miss you much, with your scoldings and
fault-findings!" replied the saucy Prince; and as she vanis