e; Ricardo was fishing, and Jaqueline
was sculling a stroke now and then, just to keep the boat right with the
wind. Ricardo had very bad sport, when suddenly the trout began to rise
all over the lake. Dick got excited, and stumbled about the boat from
stern to bow, tripping over Jaqueline's feet, and nearly upsetting the
vessel in his hurry to throw his flies over every trout he saw feeding.

{Drifting in a light breeze: p66.jpg}

But, as too often occurs, they were taking one particular fly which was
on the water, and would look at nothing else.

"Oh, bother them!" cried Ricardo. "I can't find a fly in my book in the
least like that little black one they are feeding on!"

He tried half-a-dozen different fly-hooks, but all to no purpose; he lost
his temper, got his tackle entangled in Jaqueline's hair and then in the
landing-net; and, though such a big boy, he was nearly crying with
vexation.

The Princess Jaqueline, with great pains and patience, disentangled the
casting line, first from her hair, which Ricardo was anxious to cut (the
great stupid oaf,--her pretty hair!) then from the landing-net; but Dick
had grown sulky.

"It's no use," he said; "I have not a fly that will suit. Let's go
home," and he threw a tin can at a rising trout.

"Now, Dick," said Jaqueline, "you know I can help you. I did not learn
magic for nothing. Just you look the other way for a minute or two, and
you will find the right fly at the end of your line."

Dick turned his head away (it is not proper to look on at magical arts),
and then in a moment, saw the right hook on his cast; but Jaqueline was
not in the boat. She had turned herself into an artificial fly (a small
black gnat), and Dick might set to his sport again.

"What a trump that girl is," he said aloud. "Clever, too!" and he began
casting. He got a trout every cast, great big ones, over a pound, and
soon he had a basketful. But he began to feel rather bored.

"There's not much fun taking them," he said, "when they are so silly."

At that very moment he noticed that the fly was off his cast, and
Jaqueline was sitting at the oars.

"You see, Ricardo," she said, "I was right after all. There is not much
pleasure in sport that is easy and certain. Now, apply this moral to
dragon-killing with magic instruments. It may be useful when one is
obliged to defend oneself, but surely a prince ought not to give his
whole time to nothing else!"

Dick had no answer re