mpany in rich attire.

"Why, see," said the young Queen to her husband, "yon little boy hath
wings. Really, dear, I must have him for my page. Would n't it be
wonderful to have a winged page? Besides, he will be a playmate for
Rosabella."

So the King gave the charcoal-burner and his wife fifty pieces of bright
gold, which pleased them very much, and the charcoal-burner himself
lifted the bird-boy up in his arms, and placed him on the King's saddle.
Then the bird-boy waved good-bye to his two little ragged
foster-brothers, who were howling as if their hearts would break, and
rode away with the King. In a few hours the company came to a splendid
castle of shining white stone, standing in beautiful green gardens
running down to the sea. Once at home, the Queen commanded that the
little winged boy be washed and tidied, and his charcoal-burner's rags
replaced with a pretty black velvet suit. You may be sure that, when the
bird-boy was washed and dressed, there was no handsomer, more winning
little boy in all the world.

So the bird-boy became the best beloved playmate of the Queen's only
child, her darling Rosabella. Now, if the bird-boy was the prettiest
little boy in all the world, Rosabella was the prettiest little girl.
Moreover, she had a sweet disposition, which is a gift even more
precious than the gift of beauty. It was a lovely picture to see the
children building toy castles on the floor of the nursery in the castle
tower, the sun streaming on the black-brown hair and silver white wings
of the little boy, and on the golden curls of Rosabella.

Twelve years passed. The bird-boy grew into a handsome lad; Rosabella
into the loveliest of princesses. Twice had the bird-boy saved
Rosabella's life. He had saved her the first time by swooping down and
catching her in his wings just as she was about to tread on a wicked
yellow viper; he had saved her in the same way when she had fallen over
a cliff at the edge of the sea.

Every year, on the bird-boy's birthday, a great gray bird would fly in
from over the sea, circle the castle thrice, and disappear, crying
mournfully.

Now when the bird-boy and Rosabella were in their seventeenth year, it
came to pass that the King was summoned to war. His enemy was no other
than the wicked chamberlain Malefico, who had succeeded to the kingdom
of the bird-boy's father, when that Prince had died some years before.
So the good King, who had been a real father to the bird-boy, put o