ce raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he gave orders that his
guests' wishes should be gratified. The Adherent, who was standing in
the background, raised his eyebrows also; but he was not surprised.

"In about half an hour the hermit and his daughter rejoined the Prince
in the grand hall. To his utter amazement, Ferrando beheld his guests
dressed in rich and handsome garments.

"'Did they bring any trunks with them?' he whispered to his Adherent, as
they approached.

"'No, your Royal Highness,' was the answer. 'They brought nothing but a
basket of water-cress, which the lady said had been freshly picked and
ought not to be wasted.'

"With great dignity the hermit advanced to the Prince, and by his side
walked his daughter, who was so beautiful in her silks and laces that
the Prince found it impossible to remove his eyes from her.

"'In order to explain this change in our appearance,' said the hermit,
'I will state that the Dowager from whom you rented this principality is
my brother's widow. Before he died he arranged that the Dowager should
reign over the principality as long as she lived, and that my daughter
should then succeed her. At the same time, knowing that his wife did not
understand the governing of principalities, he appointed me Assistant
Prince, with a salary. This seemed like a very good plan, but it did
not work. The Dowager soon showed such a disposition to meddle with
everything that was going on that my position gradually became so
intolerable that I determined to retire to a hermit's cell, to which my
daughter accompanied me.'

"With his mind scarcely able to grasp the situation, the Prince gazed
from the one to the other of his guests. 'Can it be possible,' he said
presently, 'that in renting this principality I have interfered with
your prospects?'

"'Oh, not at all, not at all,' replied the hermit. 'In the first place,
you have given us the great honor of visiting you and of occupying our
old suite of apartments. I cannot describe to your Royal Highness the
pleasure I felt when I saw my dressing-gown hanging on its accustomed
hook, with my favorite slippers beneath it.'

"'I take back my invitation for a week!' cried the Prince. 'Now that I
know who you are, you must stay with me for a long time. I wish you
could stay always,' he added, his eyes still fixed upon the beautiful
young woman. Then, as if to explain this outburst of interest, he said:
'You know, I rely so much on your advic