k upon the muslin."

The Prince had begun to suspect by this time that the White Cat was
no ordinary pussy, but whenever he begged her to tell him her history,
she only shook her head mournfully and sighed.

Well, the second year passed away as quickly as the first, and the
night before the day on which the three Princes were expected at their
father's court, the White Cat gave the young Prince a walnut, telling
him that it contained the muslin. Then she bade him good-by, and he
mounted the wooden horse and rode away.

This time the young Prince was so late that his brothers had already
begun to display their pieces of muslin to the King when he arrived
at the castle gates. The materials they had brought were of extremely
fine texture, and passed easily through the eye of a darning-needle,
but through the small needle the King had provided they would _not_
pass. Then the youngest Prince stepped into the great hall and
produced his walnut. He cracked it carefully, and found inside
a hazel-nut. This when cracked held a cherrystone, inside the
cherrystone was a grain of wheat, and in the wheat a millet-seed. The
Prince himself began to mistrust the White Cat, but he instantly
felt a cat's claw scratch him gently, so he persevered, opened the
millet-seed, and found inside a beautiful piece of soft white muslin
that was four hundred ells long at the very least. It passed with the
greatest ease through the eye of the smallest needle in the kingdom,
and the Prince felt that now the prize must be his.

But the old King was still very loth to give up ruling, so he told the
Princes that before any one of them could become King he must find
a Princess to marry him who would be lovely enough to grace her high
station; and whichever of the Princes brought home the most beautiful
bride should _really_ have the kingdom for his own.

Of course, the Prince went back to the White Cat, and told her how
very unfairly his father had behaved to him. She comforted him as best
she could, and told him not to be afraid, for she would introduce him
to the loveliest Princess the sun had ever shone upon.

The appointed time passed happily away, and one evening the White Cat
reminded the Prince that on the next day he must return home.

"Alas!" said he, "where shall I find a Princess now? The time is so
short that I cannot even look for one."

Then the White Cat told him that if only he would do as she bade him
all would be well.

"Take y