old black Frank left but ashes!

Then the prince ran upstairs to the fairy cupboard, his heart beating
loudly with excitement, The sun was shining through the arrow-shot
window; all the yellow motes were dancing in its rays. The light fell
on the strange heaps of fairy things--talismans and spells. The prince
hunted about here and there, and at last he discovered six ancient
water-vessels of black leather, each with a silver plate on it, and on
the plate letters engraved. This was what was written on the plates:

_AQVA. DE. FONTE. LEONVM._*

* Water from the Fountain of Lions.

"Thank heaven!" said the prince. "I thought they were sure to have
brought it!"

Then he took one of the old black-leather bottles, and ran downstairs
again to the place where he had burned the body of the poor old sick
cat.

[Illustration: Page 93]

He opened the bottle, and poured a few drops of the water on the ashes
and the dying embers.

Up there sprang a tall, white flame of fire, waving like a tongue of
light; and forth from the heap jumped the most beautiful, strong, funny,
black cat that ever was seen!

It was Frank as he had been in the vigour of his youth; and he knew the
prince at once, and rubbed himself against him and purred.

The prince lifted up Frank and kissed his nose for joy; and a bright
tear rolled down on Frank's face, and made him rub his nose with his paw
in the most comical manner.

Then the prince set him down, and he ran round and round after his tail;
and, lastly, cocked his tail up, and marched proudly after the prince
into the castle.

"Oh, Frank!" said Prince Prigio, "no cat since the time of Puss in Boots
was ever so well taken care of as you shall be. For if the fairy water
from the Fountain of Lions can bring _you_ back to life--why, there is a
chance for Alphonso and Enrico!"

Then Prigio bustled about, got ready some cold luncheon from the
store-room, took all his fairy things that he was likely to need, sat
down with them on the flying carpet, and wished himself at the mountain
of the Firedrake.

"I have the king now," he said; "for if I can't find the ashes of my
brothers, by Jove! I'll!--"

Do you know what he meant to do, if he could not find his brothers? Let
every child-guess.

Off he flew; and there he was in a second, just beside poor Alphonso's
garden-engine. Then Prigio, seeing a little heap of grey ashes beside
the engine, watered them with the fairy water; and up jumped