une, and as the
weather happened to be unusually fine, he told the princess to celebrate
it in any way that pleased her. Diamantina was very fond of being on the
river, and she was delighted at this chance of delighting her tastes.
She would have a merry-making such as never had been seen before, and in
the evening, when they were tired of sailing and rowing, there should
be music and dancing, plays and fireworks. At the very end, before the
people went home, every poor person should be given a loaf of bread and
every girl who was to be married within the year a new dress.

The great day appeared to Diamantina to be long in coming, but, like
other days, it came at last. Before the sun was fairly up in the heavens
the princess, too full of excitement to stay in the palace, was walking
about the streets so covered with precious stones that you had to shade
your eyes before you could look at her. By-and-by a trumpet sounded, and
she hurried home, only to appear again in a few moments walking by the
side of her father down to the river. Here a splendid barge was waiting
for them, and from it they watched all sorts of races and feats of
swimming and diving. When these were over the barge proceeded up the
river to the field where the dancing and concerts were to take place,
and after the prizes had been given away to the winners, and the loaves
and the dresses had been distributed by the princess, they bade farewell
to their guests, and turned to step into the barge which was to carry
them back to the palace.

Then a dreadful thing happened. As the king stepped on board the boat
one of the sandals of the white slipper, which had got loose, caught in
a nail that was sticking out, and caused the king to stumble. The pain
was great, and unconsciously he turned and shook his foot, so that the
sandals gave way, and in a moment the precious shoe was in the river.

It had all occurred so quickly that nobody had noticed the loss of the
slipper, not even the princess, whom the king's cries speedily brought
to his side.

'What is the matter, dear father?' asked she. But the king could not
tell her; and only managed to gasp out: 'My shoe! my shoe!' While the
sailors stood round staring, thinking that his majesty had suddenly gone
mad.

Seeing her father's eyes fixed on the stream, Diamantina looked hastily
in that direction. There, dancing on the current, was the point of
something white, which became more and more distant the long