Well, he related to her from first to last what had happened to him, and all he had endured for her sake. Then he embraced and kissed his beautiful wife and his pretty little boy. And they were very, very happy, and they stayed on in Fairyland. But ere long the Prince began to yearn for his folks, and he begged the Fairy Queen to go with him to Man's-Land, and she said she would.

And so he went back home again, taking his wife and child along with him. And the King when he saw them was overwhelmed with joy, and he gave such a magnificent feast in their honor that folks everywhere are talking about it even to this very day.

But as the King was now growing to be a very old man, the lords of the realm, together with the people, elected the Prince to succeed him to the throne, for he had shown himself to be a wise and righteous and gallant youth forsooth.

And the new King and his Queen lived and ruled in peace and happiness, a very, very long time, and their names will be remembered the wide world over for ever and ever and a day.

(Fêt-Frumos Cu Pêrul De Aur)

In the days of the long ago there was an old hermit; he was very, very poor, and he lived all alone in his hut, in a great big forest. The wild beasts were all the neighbors he had, and when they met him-just fancy!-they would always bow respectfully, because he was such a good and pious old man.

One morning, while strolling alo: g the river, which flowe 1 past not very far from his hut, he saw a small wooden box floating down with the current; and it seemel to him he heard a low wailing moan come forth from out of the box He pondered just for a little while, and then offering a s'ort prayer, he waded into the water clean up to his neck, and with the aid of a po'e he pulled the box a hore, and he opened it. And what should he ce in the box? Why, a tiny, wee little baby boy, only about two months old, crying bitterly! But the very moment the hermit took him from out of the box into his arms, the poor little baby left off weeping. Tied on to the baby's neck was an amulet, in which the old man found a note saying that the little boy belonged to the King's own daughter, just fancy!

The hermit liked the baby Providence had sent him very much, and he was most anxious to keep him and to bring him up, but unfortunately he was naught but a very poor old man, and he had no food at all to give to the little child: He wept long and bitterly, and falling down upon his knees he prayed to Heaven for help. And behold! a vine sprang forth from out of the ground, hard by the hut, and it bore the most beautiful grapes, and lo! the vine grew ever taller and taller until it reached up to the roof of the hut. And the old man plucked a few grapes from off the vine, and he gave them to the little baby, who ate them all. At this, the hermit was overwhelmed with joy, and he offered up prayers of thanks for the aid he had received in his hour of need.

When the baby had grown up, the hermit taught him how to read and write, and all about herbs, and likewise how to use the bow and arrows to hunt the wild beasts of the forest withal. And the boy got to be a very fine lad indeed, and he was quite

happy, too, though he had never seen any human being except the hermit. But one day the old man said to him:

"My dear boy, I am very, very old, and I am getting weaker and weaker daily, and I feel that my time is drawing near. But three days more, and I shall have passed away into the far beyond. Know then that I am not your real father. When you were but a wee little baby I found you drifting down the river in a small wooden box. Now, my dear boy, give heed to what I am going to say. When my body has become cold like ice, and my limbs numb and stiff, you will know that I am no more. And a great big lion will then come forth from out of the forest, but you need not have any fear of him, for he will do you no harm whatsoever. He will dig my grave, and you shall lay my body to rest, and then throw the sod down upon it. That done, you will climb up into the garret, and there you will find a bridle. And you will take hold of the bridle with both your hands, and give it a good hard shake!"

And as the old man said, even so it happened. Three days later he laid himself down on his hard couch, and he breathed his last. And a great big lion came forth from out of the forest and dug his grave. And the lad buried the old hermit, and for three days and three nights he stirred not from the grave, so overcome was he with grief and sorrow. Finally, faint with hunger and thirst, he moved towards the vine to get himself some grape, but lo! it had withered away altogether, and there was no fruit left upon it at all; and he bethought himself then of the he: mit's behest, and he climbed up to the garret, and there, sure enough, he found a bridle. Instantly he grasped it and gave it a good hard shake, and behold! Iefore him stood a magnificent winged steed, who cried:

"What is your bidding, good master?"

The lad was amazed, and having told the steed of the old hermit's death, he said to him:

"I stand all alone in the world now, and I want you to bide with me and be my friend. But first of all I must get away from this place at once, and build myself a cabin elsewhere in the forest. I could never be happy here, so close to my dear father's grave!"

"So be it, good master, I shall be your friend," cried the red, "but we shall not remain in the forest amongst the wild

beasts; we shall go away, far from here, and live amongst people!"

"People!" exclaimed the lad, "is that possible? Are we really to live amongst people!"

"Why certainly, my good master," said the steed.

"But how is it that no people have ever come to these parts?" asked the lad greatly puzzled.

"Why, what would they do here in the wild forest? No, master, if we wish to live amongst human beings, we must needs go and look them up!"

"So be it then!" cried the lad joyfully, "let's be off at once!" But the steed then told him that out there in the great big world it was not customary for folk to go about half-naked, and that he had better first provide himself with proper clothes. this, the lad was taken aback, and he felt rather sheepish. But the steed said, "Stick your hand into my left ear!" And the lad did so, and he scooped from out of the steed's ear a fine brandnew suit of clothes. And he tried to put them on, but he knew not how, and he was fearfully vexed with himself. But the steed helped him, and then the lad swung himself on the animal's back, and away he galloped.

He travelled and travelled and travelled, until he finally came to a big city. When he saw thousands and thousands of human beings swarm back and forth along the great, busy thoroughfares, he was well-nigh scared unto death. But he soon recovered from his fright, and for days and days he wandered up and down through the beautiful streets, marvelling at the tall handsome buildings and at the big roomy shops with the many pretty things displayed in them; and at sight of all those wond: ful things he was happy and contented. But it was not long efore he realized that not one of those things could he call his own, and his thoughts went back to his forest, where he had been lord and master over everything, and he felt sorry he had gone awa; from there. But the steed observed that he was sad, and he tried to comfort and to encourage him, and said:

"Cheer up, good master! Of a truth, there is naught he-cal outs but is already owned by somebody, but you need not worry about that! You will make your way in the world ye ! You just leave that to me!"

For some time yet the lad tarried in the city, getting used .o

the stir and bustle of its life and to the ways of the townsfolk, and then, mounting on his trusty steed, he set forth to seek his fortune in the wide, wide world.

On and on and on he travelled until he came at length to Fairyland. Here ruled three beautiful fairies. Following the counsel of his steed, he went and asked them to employ him as a valet, but they would not even listen to him. However, he begged very, very hard, and finally the fairies, yielding to his entreaties, took him into their service.

One day, the steed told the led that every few year: or so a stream of golden water appeared in the bath-house and that the man who was the first to bathe in that water came out of it with his hair all turned into pure t gold. And he al ɔ tol. . m i a chest in the bath-house were stowed away three magic garments, which the fairies valued a ove all e.se in the wo .Ć; he advised him to keep close watch over 12 over the magic clothes as well.

a....iaj-pool and

Now, the fairies had given the lad permission to move about freely in all the buildings, but they had told him that, no matter what happened, he must never set foot in the bath-house. But he paid no heed at all to this. He did enter the bath-house, whe..ever the fairies were away from home; and he watched and he watched, always minding as best as ever he could the wise counsel his trusty steed had given him.

One fine morning, the fairies went to visit some frien of theirs, but before leaving they commanded the lad to watch the bath-house, and should he hear a noise in it, to let them know at once by tearing out a shingle from off the roof of the building; and they would make haste and return immediately. The faries, you see, suspected that it was well-nigh time fo the golden water to make its appearance again.

All day long the lad kept a sharp watch. He was on the alert every single moment, and sure enough the wonderful thing happened at length; a beautiful stream of golden water began to flow through the pool in the bath-house! Instantly he plungel into the pool, and when he came forth from out of it, lo! his heir had all turned into purest gold! That done, he quickly sei el the three magic garments that were hidden away in the chest, an 1 without tarrying to say good-bye to anyone, he mounted i winged steed, and away he flew. But no sooner had he passed