he
began to wonder if his eyes had deceived him.

The next morning he went to the false bride's room, but her ladies told
him she would neither speak nor get up, though she ate everything they
set before her. The prince was sorely perplexed as to what could be the
matter with her, for naturally he could not guess that she was expecting
her mother to return every moment, and to remove the spell the doves had
laid upon her, and meanwhile was afraid to speak lest she should
betray herself. At length he made up his mind to summon all the court
physicians; he did not tell her what he was going to do, lest it should
make her worse, but he went himself and begged the four learned
leeches attached to the king's person to follow him to the princess's
apartments. Unfortunately, as they entered, the princess was so enraged
at the sight of them that she forgot all about the doves, and shrieked
out: 'Dirty creatures! dirty creatures!' which so offended the
physicians that they left the room at once, and nothing that the prince
could say would prevail on them to remain. He then tried to persuade his
wife to send them a message that she was sorry for her rudeness, but not
a word would she say.

Late that evening, when he had performed all the tiresome duties which
fall to the lot of every prince, the young man was leaning out of his
window, refreshing himself with the cool breezes that blew off the sea.
His thoughts went back to the scene of the morning, and he wondered if,
after all, he had not made a great mistake in marrying a low-born wife,
however beautiful she might be. How could he have imagined that the
quiet, gentle girl who had been so charming a companion to him during
the first days of their marriage, could have become in a day the rude,
sulky woman, who could not control her temper even to benefit herself.
One thing was clear, if she did not change her conduct very shortly he
would have to send her away from court.

He was thinking these thoughts, when his eyes fell on the sea beneath
him, and there, as before, was the figure that so closely resembled his
wife, standing with her feet in the water, holding out her arms to him.

'Wait for me! Wait for me! Wait for me!' he cried; not even knowing he
was speaking. But when he reached the shore there was nothing to be seen
but the shadows cast by the moonlight.

A state ceremonial in a city some distance off caused the prince to ride
away at daybreak, and he left without