he lords and ladies.

The company rode on a few miles more, and suddenly the Prince caught
sight of a beautiful jeweled dagger lying in the highway. At the same
moment the little golden bird sang a few clear notes of warning.

"What a fine dagger!" cried the Prince, "I must have it."

And he was about to dismount and pick up the dagger, when Florian
spurred on ahead of him, seized the dagger, and tossed it into a ditch.

"Fie, what a naughty page!" cried the lords and ladies.

The company now rode on for a few miles more, and the Prince saw by the
roadside a beautiful enchanted garden. Birds of many colors sang in the
branches of the trees, fountains sparkled and danced in the sunlight,
and the sweetest of music was heard. At the same moment the golden bird
sang louder and longer than ever.

"What a beautiful garden!" cried the Prince. "Let us ride in and look
about."

So Florian hurried to the Prince's side, and implored him not to enter,
saying that the garden was enchanted and that some harm would certainly
befall him.

At this, all the lords and ladies, who were a little jealous, perhaps,
that a page should know more than they, laughed at poor Florian, and
even Florizel smiled at him and said, "All that is only fancy, little
Florian," and dashed in through the garden gate. For a minute or so
nothing happened, and the first to enter mocked at Florian again; but
when the whole company had entered the garden, there was a clap of
thunder, and everybody except the Prince and Florian, who was protected
by the Enchanter's charm, was turned into stone. The echoes of the
thunder had hardly ceased rolling when two frightful demons with lions'
heads rushed towards them through the garden, seized the Prince, and
hurried him away. Florian was left alone in the garden. Night was fast
approaching.

Now, the owner of the enchanted garden was a witch, who had a daughter
so frightfully ugly that even her mother's powerful magic could not make
her beautiful. In spite of her ugliness, however, the witch's daughter
considered herself quite beautiful, and was always importuning her
mother to invite to the castle princes whom she considered worthy of her
hand. So the old witch gave wonderful dances and parties, to which all
the eligible young kings and princes of the neighborhood were invited;
but just as soon as the witch's daughter appeared with a horrid smirk on
her ugly face, the young men were sure to make their excuses and