old and sapphire and emerald lift
was made and fixed, and all the Court was so delighted that it spent
its whole time in going up and down in the lift, and there had to be new
blue satin cushions within a week.

Then the Prince superintended the fixing of the Princess's lift--the
Argentinella design--and the Princess Candida herself came to look on at
the works; and she and Florizel met, and their eyes met, and their hands
met, because his caught hers, and dragged her back just in time to save
her from being crushed by a heavy steel bar that was being lowered into
its place.

'Why, you've saved my life,' said the Princess.

But Florizel could say nothing. His heart was beating too fast, and it
seemed to be beating in his throat, and not in its proper place behind
his waistcoat.

'Who are you?' said the Princess.

'I'm an engineer,' said the Prince.

'Oh dear!' said the Princess, 'I thought you were a Prince. I'm sure you
look more like a Prince than any Prince _I've_ ever seen.'

'I wish I was a Prince,' said Florizel; 'but I never wished it till
three minutes ago.'

The Princess smiled, and then she frowned, and then she went away.

Florizel went straight back to the office, where his father, Mr. Rex
Bloomsbury, was busy at his knee-hole writing-table.

He spent the morning at the office, and the afternoon in the workshop.

'Father,' he said, 'I don't know what ever will become of me. I wish I
was a Prince!'

The King and Queen of Bohemia had never let their son know that he was a
Prince; for what is the use of being a Prince if there's never going to
be a kingdom for you?

Now, the King, who was called R. Bloomsbury, Esq., looked at his son
over his spectacles and said:

'Why?'

'Because I've been and gone and fallen head over ears in love with the
Princess Candida.'

The father rubbed his nose thoughtfully with his fountain pen.

'Humph!' he said; 'you've fixed your choice high.'

'Choice!' cried the Prince distractedly. 'There wasn't much choice about
it. She just looked at me, and there I was, don't you know? I didn't
_want_ to fall in love like this. Oh, father, it hurts most awfully!
What ever shall I do?'

After a long pause, full of thought, his father replied:

'Bear it, I suppose.'

'But I _can't_ bear it--at least, not unless I can see her every day.
Nothing else in the world matters in the least.'

'Dear me!' said his father.

'Couldn't I disguise myself as a Prince, and try t