the audience was over he sent for the princess
and told her of the insolent proposal the emperor had made for her
sister. The princess was even more furious than her father, and after
consulting together they decided to send the younger daughter to some
distant place out of reach of the young emperor; but _where_ this
should be they did not quite know. However, at length, after they had
both racked their brains to find a suitable prison, they fixed on a
lonely castle called the Desert Tower, where they thought she would be
quite safe.

Meantime, it was thought best to let the court gaieties go on as
usual, and orders were given for all sorts of splendid entertainments;
and on the day that was fixed for carrying off the princess, the whole
court was invited to a great hunt in the forest.

The emperor and the young princess were counting the hours till this
morning, which promised to be so delightful, should dawn. The king and
his guest arrived together at the meeting-place, but what was the
surprise and distress of the young man at not seeing the object of his
love amongst the ladies present. He waited anxiously, looking up and
down, not hearing anything that the king said to him; and when the
hunt began and she still was absent, he declined to follow, and spent
the whole day seeking her, but in vain.

[Illustration: THE PRINCESS GETS HER LETTER]

On his return, one of his attendants told him that some hours before
he had met the princess's carriage, escorted by a troop of soldiers
who were riding on each side, so that no one could get speech of her.
He had followed them at a distance, and saw them stop at the Desert
Tower, and on its return he noticed that the carriage was empty. The
emperor was deeply grieved by this news. He left the court at once,
and ordered his ambassadors to declare war the very next day, unless
the king promised to set free the princess. And more than this, no
sooner had he reached his own country than he raised a large army,
with which he seized the frontier towns, before his enemy had had time
to collect any troops. But, ere he quitted the court, he took care to
write a letter to his beloved princess, imploring her to have
patience and trust to him; and this he gave into the hands of his
favourite equerry, who would he knew lay down his life in his service.

With many precautions the equerry managed to examine the surroundings
of the tower, and at last discovered, not only where the pri