sh began to regard
the length of his nose as his greatest perfection, and would not have
had it an inch less even to save his crown.

When he was twenty years old his mother and his people wished him to
marry. They procured for him the likenesses of many princesses, but
the one he preferred was Princess Darling, daughter of a powerful
monarch and heiress to several kingdoms. Alas! with all her beauty,
this princess had one great misfortune, a little turned-up nose,
which, every one else said, made her only the more bewitching. But
here, in the kingdom of Prince Wish, the courtiers were thrown by it
into the utmost perplexity. They were in the habit of laughing at all
small noses; but how dared they make fun of the nose of Princess
Darling? Two unfortunate gentlemen, whom Prince Wish had overheard
doing so, were ignominiously banished from the court and capital.

After this, the courtiers became alarmed, and tried to correct their
habit of speech; but they would have found themselves in constant
difficulties, had not one clever person struck out a bright idea. He
said that though it was indispensably necessary for a man to have a
great nose, women were different; and that a learned man had
discovered in a very old manuscript that the celebrated Cleopatra,
Queen of Egypt, the beauty of the ancient world, had a turned-up nose.
At this information Prince Wish was so delighted that he made the
courtier a very handsome present, and immediately sent off ambassadors
to demand Princess Darling in marriage.

She accepted his offer at once, and returned with the ambassadors. He
made all haste to meet and welcome her; but when she was only three
leagues distant from his capital, before he had time even to kiss her
hand, the magician who had once assumed the shape of his mother's cat,
Minon, appeared in the air and carried her off before the lover's very
eyes.

Prince Wish, almost beside himself with grief, declared that nothing
should induce him to return to his throne and kingdom till he had
found Darling. He would suffer none of his courtiers or attendants to
follow him; but, bidding them all adieu, mounted a good horse, laid
the reins on the animal's neck, and let him take him wherever he
would.

The horse entered a wide-extended plain, and trotted on steadily the
whole day without finding a single house. Master and beast began
almost to faint with hunger; and Prince Wish might have wished himself
safe at home again, had