ing
crowd of snakes seemed to whisper to one another 'Her husband? her
husband?' But the queen of snakes moved on until her head was almost
in the princess's face, and her little eyes seemed to flash fire. And
still the princess stood in the doorway and never moved, but cried
again: 'Oh, Queen of Snakes, Queen of Snakes, give me back my
husband!' Then the queen of snakes replied: 'To-morrow you shall have
him--to-morrow!' When she heard these words and knew that she had
conquered, the princess staggered from the door, and sank upon her bed
and fainted. As in a dream, she saw that her room was full of snakes,
all jostling and squabbling over the bowls of milk until it was
finished. And then they went away.

[Illustration: 'QUEEN OF SNAKES, GIVE ME BACK MY HUSBAND']

In the morning the princess was up early, and took off the mourning
dress which she had worn for five whole years, and put on gay and
beautiful clothes. And she swept the house and cleaned it, and adorned
it with garlands and nosegays of sweet flowers and ferns, and prepared
it as though she were making ready for her wedding. And when night
fell she lit up the woods and gardens with lanterns, and spread a
table as for a feast, and lit in the house a thousand wax candles.
Then she waited for her husband, not knowing in what shape he would
appear. And at midnight there came striding from the river the prince,
laughing, but with tears in his eyes; and she ran to meet him, and
threw herself into his arms, crying and laughing too.

So the prince came home; and the next day they two went back to the
palace, and the old king wept with joy to see them. And the bells, so
long silent, were set a-ringing again, and the guns firing, and the
trumpets blaring, and there was fresh feasting and rejoicing.

And the old woman who had been the prince's nurse became nurse to the
prince's children--at least she was called so; though she was far too
old to do anything for them but love them. Yet she still thought that
she was useful, and knew that she was happy. And happy, indeed, were
the prince and princess, who in due time became king and queen, and
lived and ruled long and prosperously.

(Major Campbell, Feroshepore.)

_THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS IN THE FOREST_

There were, once upon a time, a king and queen of Denmark who had an
only son, a handsome and clever lad. When he was eighteen, his father,
the old king, fell very ill, and there was no hope that he woul