. Do you promise?'

The Princess's little voice said, 'Yes.'

'Well, then,' said the archer, 'I have got the jewel here that the fly
stole from you, and I will lend it to you, and you can wish yourself
Princess-size again, and then you must give me back the jewel.'

'Why, the jewel was stolen! You've no right to it. I shall call the
guard,' said Pandora angrily.

'They wouldn't hear you, little Princess, if you did call,' said the
archer; 'but I'll call them for you if you like. Only you promised.'

'So I did,' said the Princess. 'Well, lend me the jewel.'

He took it off his arm and laid it upon the table, and as soon as the
Princess touched it, it grew small, small, small, so that she could put
it on her finger. Then she said:

'I wish I were my right size again!'

And the archer rubbed his eyes, for there on the table stood the
dazzling figure of a real, full-sized Princess in a cloth-of-silver
gown, and a face more beautiful than the morning.

'Oh, how lovely you are!' he said, and gave her his hand to help her
down.

She jumped lightly from the table and stood before him, laughing with
joy at being her own real right size once more.

'Oh, thank you! thank you!' she cried; 'I must run and show my father
this very minute.'

'The jewel?' said the archer.

'Oh!' said Pandora. 'Well, yes, I did promise, but--well, I'm a Princess
of my word. Here it is.'

She held it out, but he did not take it.

'You may keep it for ever and ever, Princess dear,' he said, 'if you
will only marry me.'

'Oh, I can't!' she cried. 'I'm never going to marry anyone unless I love
him more than all the world.'

'I feel as if I'd loved you all my lives,' said Muscadel--'all my life,
I mean. Couldn't you wish to love me?'

'I don't think I want to,' said the Princess doubtfully.

'Then I must have the jewel. I'll find some way yet of making you love
me, and then you shall have it for ever and ever.'

'If I loved you,' said she, 'I suppose I shouldn't mind your having red
hair, and a red face, and red ears, and red hands, should I?'

'Not a bit,' said the archer cheerfully.

She stood there, twisting the magic jewel round and round on her Royal
finger.

'I suppose it's more important than anything else to love someone?' she
said.

'Much,' said he.

'Well, then,' said she, 'but are you the sort of person I ought to
love?'

'No,' said he, 'I'm not half good enough for you. But then nobody is.'

'That's nice of yo