re
closed.

For a long time the Prince stood and gazed upon her, for never in all
his life had he seen a maiden so lovely. Then suddenly he bent down and
kissed her lips.

[Illustration]

That was the end of the enchantment. The Princess's eyelids quivered;
languidly she moved her head and stretched out her arms. Her eyes opened
and she smiled.

"Is it you, my Prince?" she said. "How long you have kept me waiting!"

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XI

IN that very moment the charm was broken and the castle awoke.

[Illustration]

Instead of the profound silence there came a hustle and confusion of
noise. Clocks began to strike, doors began to slam, dogs began to bark,
cocks began to crow and hens to cluck; a breeze sprang up outside and
set the branches of the trees swaying and creaking; the doves began to
coo upon the roofs, the swallows to twitter under the eaves, flies came
out and buzzed about the window, mice squeaked in the wainscot and ran
scampering along the rafters. The fountain in the garden leapt up sixty
feet into the air, and the goldfish swam among the water-lily leaves;
ants left their nests and foraged about the paths, the butterflies
danced and fluttered over the flowers, which lifted their heads as
though to drink in the rays of the sun. In every tree in the garden a
thrush woke up and began to sing; sparrows chirped, jays screamed,
blue-tits chattered, and the chiff-chaff uttered his strange note. In
the woods a cuckoo called and blackbird fluted to blackbird in the
hedge. In the stables the horses awoke and champed at their stalls; the
cat jumped down and ran after a mouse which crept out from under the
straw. The sentry at the courtyard gate woke up and rubbed his eyes and
came smartly to attention, looking round uneasily, for he thought he had
only been asleep for a few minutes and was afraid that somebody might
have seen him who would report him to the sergeant. The pikemen also
woke with a start, and the sergeant woke too, and bellowed an order in a
loud and angry voice, for he was ashamed of himself for sleeping in
front of his men. The young squire who was going hawking fitted his
falcon's hood and mounted his steed; the page-boy with the hound went
off to his master. On the topmost tower of the castle the royal
standard, which had been drooping against the flagstaff, filled out and
waved freely in the breeze.

[Illustration]

The hedge which had grown up to surround the enchan