in went
about looking more distracted than ever. But now let us return to Prince
Vivien, and see what his restless spirit has brought him to. Though
Placida's kingdom was a large one, his horse had carried him gallantly
to the limit of it, but it could go no further, and the Prince was
obliged to dismount and continue his journey on foot, though this slow
mode of progress tired his patience severely.

[Illustration]

After what seemed to him a very long time, he found himself all alone in
a vast forest, so dark and gloomy that he secretly shuddered; however,
he chose the most promising looking path he could find, and marched
along it courageously at his best speed, but in spite of all his
efforts, night fell before he reached the edge of the wood.

For some time he stumbled along, keeping to the path as well as he could
in the darkness, and just as he was almost wearied out he saw before
him a gleam of light.

This sight revived his drooping spirits, and he made sure that he was
now close to the shelter and supper he needed so much, but the more he
walked towards the light the further away it seemed; sometimes he even
lost sight of it altogether, and you may imagine how provoked and
impatient he was by the time he finally arrived at the miserable cottage
from which the light proceeded. He gave a loud knock at the door, and an
old woman's voice answered from within, but as she did not seem to be
hurrying herself to open it he redoubled his blows, and demanded to be
let in imperiously, quite forgetting that he was no longer in his own
kingdom. But all this had no effect upon the old woman, who only noticed
all the uproar he was making by saying gently:

'You must have patience.'

He could hear that she really was coming to open the door to him, only
she was so very long about it. First she chased away her cat, lest it
should run away when the door was opened, then he heard her talking to
herself and made out that her lamp wanted trimming, that she might see
better who it was that knocked, and then that it lacked fresh oil, and
she must refill it. So what with one thing and another she was an
immense time trotting to and fro, and all the while she now and again
bade the Prince have patience. When at last he stood within the little
hut he saw with despair that it was a picture of poverty, and that not a
crumb of anything eatable was to be seen, and when he explained to the
old woman that he was dying of hunger and fa