Part 17 (1/2)
Now it happened that the prince's s.h.i.+p encountered a great storm and was driven about by the sea. At last it was blown by the gales to the land of the Junqueiras.
The prince saw the fisherman's daughter and the princess standing on the rocks by the sea. He stared hard at the princess. Then he spoke in a voice which shook.
”You remind me of some one I used to know,” he said. ”Tell me your name, I pray you, fair maid.”
The princess looked down at the garments of the fisher maid which she wore. She blushed. The prince she had recognized the very moment she had seen him.
”I am the daughter of the king of Naples,” she said.
The fisherman's daughter stared at her in amazement.
”She is no king's daughter!” she cried. ”She is a poor abandoned maid who came to us out of the sea. We found her upon these very rocks. It is my own dress that she is wearing. A king's daughter, indeed! She is no more the daughter of the king of Naples than I am!”
But the prince had taken the daughter of the king of Naples in his arms. As soon as they returned to the palace their wedding was celebrated with great joy and they lived together as G.o.d lives with the angels.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Headpiece]
MARIA-OF-THE-FOREST
_The Story of a King and His Fate_
Once upon a time there was a young king who went into the deep forest on a hunting expedition. He and his favorite page became separated from the rest of the party and soon they realized that they were lost.
As night approached they found the rude hut of a charcoal burner and begged for permission to pa.s.s the night there. They were received most hospitably.
Just at the hour of midnight the king was awakened from his sleep by a voice. This is what it said:
”Here in this hut is born to-night The maiden of your fate: You can't escape your lot, young king; Your fate for you will wait.
'Tis fate--'tis fate--'tis fate.”
The king turned over on his pillow and tried to sleep, but the strange voice kept ringing in his ears. He rose early.
As soon as he saw the charcoal burner the man said: ”A baby daughter was born to me last night.”
”At what time?” asked the king.
”It was just midnight,” replied the charcoal burner.
The king awakened his page and told him what had happened.
”I refuse to wed any maid born in this poor hut,” he said. ”You must help me to escape this fate.”
”What can I do about it?” asked the page, yawning.
”You must steal this babe this very day and put it to death,” said the king sternly.
The page did not dare refuse, and easily obtained possession of the baby when no one was looking. He carried her away into the deep forest, but he did not have the heart to put an innocent babe to death.