"I see," said the cook. "Well, I think you may venture.
She's a good old soul."

"Which way does it lie from here?" asked the prince.

She gave him full instructions; and he left her with many thanks.

Being now refreshed, however, the prince did not go back to the cottage
that day: he remained in the forest, amusing himself as best he could,
but waiting anxiously for the night, in the hope that the princess
would again appear. Nor was he disappointed, for, directly the
moon rose, he spied a glimmering shape far across the glade.
As it drew nearer, he saw it was she indeed--not dressed in white
as before: in a pale blue like the sky, she looked lovelier still.
He thought it was that the blue suited her yet better than the white;
he did not know that she was really more beautiful because the
moon was nearer the full. In fact the next night was full moon,
and the princess would then be at the zenith of her loveliness.

The prince feared for some time that she was not coming near his
hiding-place that night; but the circles in her dance ever widened
as the moon rose, until at last they embraced the whole glade,
and she came still closer to the trees where he was hiding than she
had come the night before. He was entranced with her loveliness,
for it was indeed a marvellous thing. All night long he watched her,
but dared not go near her. He would have been ashamed of watching
her too, had he not become almost incapable of thinking of anything
but how beautiful she was. He watched the whole night long, and saw
that as the moon went down she retreated in smaller and smaller circles,
until at last he could see her no more.