and sat down beside the
beautiful Parsley, and thanked her heartily for her help, and told her
how much he loved her.

And so he arrived at his father's capital, at the same moment as his
brothers who had returned with many carriage-loads of beautiful women.
But when they were all led before the King, the whole Court with one
consent awarded the prize of beauty to the fair Parsley.

The old King was delighted, and embraced his thrice fortunate son and
his new daughter-in-law tenderly, and appointed them as his successors
to the throne. But he commanded the other women to be thrown into the
water and drowned, like the bales of linen and the little dogs. The
Prince married Puddocky and reigned long and happily with her, and if
they aren't dead I suppose they are living still.

_THE STORY OF HOK LEE AND THE DWARFS_

There once lived in a small town in China a man named Hok Lee. He was a
steady industrious man, who not only worked hard at his trade, but did
all his own house-work as well, for he had no wife to do it for him.
'What an excellent industrious man is this Hok Lee!' said his
neighbours; 'how hard he works: he never leaves his house to amuse
himself or to take a holiday as others do!'

But Hok Lee was by no means the virtuous person his neighbours thought
him. True, he worked hard enough by day, but at night, when all
respectable folk were fast asleep, he used to steal out and join a
dangerous band of robbers, who broke into rich people's houses and
carried off all they could lay hands on.

This state of things went on for some time, and, though a thief was
caught now and then and punished, no suspicion ever fell on Hok Lee, he
was such a _very_ respectable, hard-working man.

Hok Lee had already amassed a good store of money as his share of the
proceeds of these robberies when it happened one morning on going to
market that a neighbour said to him:

'Why, Hok Lee, what is the matter with your face? One side of it is all
swelled up.'

True enough, Hok Lee's right cheek was twice the size of his left, and
it soon began to feel very uncomfortable.

'I will bind up my face,' said Hok Lee; 'doubtless the warmth will cure
the swelling.' But no such thing. Next day it was worse, and day by day
it grew bigger and bigger till it was nearly as large as his head and
became very painful.

Hok Lee was at his wits' ends what to do. Not only was his cheek
unsightly and painful, but his neighbours began t