ourt,
and never again to appear before him. The poor Princess went sadly up to
her room and began to cry, but when she was reminded of her father's
commands, she dried her eyes, and made a bundle of her jewels and her
best dresses and hurriedly left the castle where she was born.

She walked straight along the road in front of her, without knowing very
well where she was going or what was to become of her, for she had never
been shown how to work, and all she had learnt consisted of a few
household rules, and receipts of dishes which her mother had taught her
long ago. And as she was afraid that no housewife would want to engage a
girl with such a pretty face, she determined to make herself as ugly as
she could.

She therefore took off the dress that she was wearing and put on some
horrible old rags belonging to a beggar, all torn and covered with mud.
After that she smeared mud all over her hands and face, and shook her
hair into a great tangle. Having thus changed her appearance, she went
about offering herself as a goose-girl or shepherdess. But the farmers'
wives would have nothing to say to such a dirty maiden, and sent her
away with a morsel of bread for charity's sake.

After walking for a great many days without being able to find any work,
she came to a large farm where they were in want of a shepherdess, and
engaged her gladly.

One day when she was keeping her sheep in a lonely tract of land, she
suddenly felt a wish to dress herself in her robes of splendour. She
washed herself carefully in the stream, and as she always carried her
bundle with her, it was easy to shake off her rags, and transform
herself in a few moments into a great lady.

The King's son, who had lost his way out hunting, perceived this lovely
damsel a long way off, and wished to look at her closer. But as soon as
the girl saw what he was at, she fled into the wood as swiftly as a
bird. The Prince ran after her, but as he was running he caught his foot
in the root of a tree and fell, and when he got up again, she was
nowhere to be seen.

When she was quite safe, she put on her rags again, and smeared over her
face and hands. However the young Prince, who was both hot and thirsty,
found his way to the farm, to ask for a drink of cider, and he inquired
the name of the beautiful lady that kept the sheep. At this everyone
began to laugh, for they said that the shepherdess was one of the
ugliest and dirtiest creatures under the sun.

Th