ay
at my utmost speed, and escaped through the outer court of the castle.
The Giant, fearing that I should be lost altogether, sent his green lion
after me, with orders to bring me back, cost what it might, and I should
certainly have let myself be caught, or eaten up, or anything, rather
than run any further, if I had not luckily met you by the fountain. And
oh!' concluded the Princess, 'how delightful it is once more to be able
to sit still in peace. I was so tired of trying to learn things.'

Prince Vivien said that, for his part, he had been kept a great deal too
still, and had not found it at all amusing, and then he recounted all
his adventures with breathless rapidity. How he had taken shelter with
Dame Patience, and consulted the Oracle, and voyaged in the paper ship.
Then they went hand in hand to release all the prisoners in the castle,
and all the Princes and Princesses who were in cages in the menagerie,
for the instant the Green Giant was dead they had resumed their natural
forms. As you may imagine, they were all very grateful, and Princess
Placida entreated them never, never to do another stitch of work so long
as they lived, and they promptly made a great bonfire in the courtyard,
and solemnly burnt all the embroidery frames and spinning wheels. Then
the Princess gave them splendid presents, or rather sat by while Prince
Vivien gave them, and there were great rejoicings in the Green Castle,
and everyone did his best to please the Prince and Princess. But with
all their good intentions, they often made mistakes, for Vivien and
Placida were never of one mind about their plans, so it was very
confusing, and they frequently found themselves obeying the Prince's
orders, very, very slowly, and rushing off with lightning speed to do
something that the Princess did not wish to have done at all, until,
by-and-by, the two cousins took to consulting with, and consoling one
another in all these little vexations, and at last came to be so fond of
each other that for Placida's sake Vivien became quite patient, and for
Vivien's sake Placida made the most unheard-of exertions. But now the
Fairies who had been watching all these proceedings with interest,
thought it was time to interfere, and ascertain by further trials if
this improvement was likely to continue, and if they really loved one
another. So they caused Placida to seem to have a violent fever, and
Vivien to languish and grow dull, and made each of them very un