was always very angry if she discovered they were watching her,
they scarcely dared to do so. At length one night they thought they
had lost her altogether. It was morning before they found her.
Feeble as she was, she had wandered into a thicket a long way from
the glade, and there she lay--fast asleep, of course.

Although the fame of her beauty and sweetness had gone abroad,
yet as everybody knew she was under a bad spell, no king in the
neighbourhood had any desire to have her for a daughter-in-law.
There were serious objections to such a relation.

About this time in a neighbouring kingdom, in consequence of the
wickedness of the nobles, an insurrection took place upon the death
of the old king, the greater part of the nobility was massacred,
and the young prince was compelled to flee for his life, disguised
like a peasant. For some time, until he got out of the country,
he suffered much from hunger and fatigue; but when he got into
that ruled by the princess's father, and had no longer any fear
of being recognised, he fared better, for the people were kind.
He did not abandon his disguise, however. One tolerable reason
was that he had no other clothes to put on, and another that he
had very little money, and did not know where to get any more.
There was no good in telling everybody he met that he was a prince,
for he felt that a prince ought to be able to get on like other people,
else his rank only made a fool of him. He had read of princes
setting out upon adventure; and here he was out in similar case,
only without having had a choice in the matter. He would go on,
and see what would come of it.

For a day or two he had been walking through the palace-wood,