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 THE INVISIBLE PRINCE



Once upon a time there lived a Fairy who had power over the

earth; the sea; fire; and the air; and this Fairy had four sons。 

The eldest; who was quick and lively; with a vivid imagination;

she made Lord of Fire; which was in her opinion the noblest of

all the elements。  To the second son; whose wisdom and prudence

made amends for his being rather dull; she gave the government of

the earth。  The third was wild and savage; and of monstrous

stature; and the Fairy; his mother; who was ashamed of his

defects; hoped to hide them by creating him King of the Seas。 

The youngest; who was the slave of his passions and of a very

uncertain temper; became Prince of the Air。



Being the youngest; he was naturally his mother's favourite; but

this did not blind her to his weaknesses; and she foresaw that

some day he would suffer much pain through falling in love。  So

she thought the best thing she could do was to bring him up with

a horror of women; and; to her great delight; she saw this

dislike only increased as he grew older。  From his earliest

childhood he heard nothing but stories of princes who had fallen

into all sorts of troubles through love; and she drew such

terrible pictures of poor little Cupid that the young man had no

difficulty in believing that he was the root of all evil。



All the time that this wise mother could spare from filling her

son with hatred for all womenkind she passed in giving him a love

of the pleasures of the chase; which henceforth became his chief

joy。  For his amusement she had made a new forest; planted with

the most splendid trees; and turned loose in it every animal that

could be found in any of the four quarters of the globe。  In the

midst of this forest she built a palace which had not its equal

for beauty in the whole world; and then she considered that she

had done enough to make any prince happy。



Now it is all very well to abuse the God of Love; but a man

cannot struggle against his fate。  In his secret heart the Prince

got tired of his mother's constant talk on this subject; and when

one day she quitted the palace to attend to some business;

begging him never to go beyond the grounds; he at once jumped at

the chance of disobeying her。



Left to himself the Prince soon forgot the wise counsels of his

mother; and feeling very much bored with his own company; he

ordered some of the spirits of the air to carry him to the court

of a neighbouring sovereign。  This kingdom was situated in the

Island of Roses; where the climate is so delicious that the grass

is always green and the flowers always sweet。  The waves; instead

of beating on the rocks; seemed to die gently on the shore;

clusters of golden bushes covered the land; and the vines were

bent low with grapes。



The King of this island had a daughter named Rosalie; who was

more lovely than any girl in the whole world。  No sooner had the

eyes of the Prince of the Air rested on her than he forgot all

the terrible woes which had been prophesied to him ever since he

was born; for in one single moment the plans of years are often

upset。  He instantly began to think how best to make himself

happy; and the shortest way that occurred to him was to have

Rosalie carried off by his attendant spirits。



It is easy to imagine the feelings of the King when he found that

his daughter had vanished。  He wept her loss night and day; and

his only comfort was to talk over it with a young and unknown

prince; who had just arrived at the Court。  Alas!  he did not

know what a deep interest the stranger had in Rosalie; for he too

had seen her; and had fallen a victim to her charms。



One day the King; more sorrowful than usual; was walking sadly

along the sea…shore; when after a long silence the unknown

Prince; who was his only companion; suddenly spoke。  'There is no

evil without a remedy;' he said to the unhappy father; 'and if

you will promise me your daughter in marriage; I will undertake

to bring her back to you。'



'You are trying to soothe me by vain promises;' answered the

King。  'Did I not see her caught up into the air; in spite of

cries which would have softened the heart of any one but the

barbarian who has robbed me of her?  The unfortunate girl is

pining away in some unknown land; where perhaps no foot of man

has ever trod; and I shall see her no more。  But go; generous

stranger; bring back Rosalie if you can; and live happy with her

ever after in this country; of which I now declare you heir。' 



Although the stranger's name and rank were unknown to Rosalie's

father; he was really the son of the King of the Golden Isle;

which had for capital a city that extended from one sea to

another。  The walls; washed by the quiet waters; were covered

with gold; which made one think of the yellow sands。  Above them

was a rampart of orange and lemon trees; and all the streets were

paved with gold。



The King of this beautiful island had one son; for whom a life of

adventure had been foretold at his birth。  This so frightened his

father and mother that in order to comfort them a Fairy; who

happened to be present at the time; produced a little pebble

which she told them to keep for the Prince till he grew up; as by

putting it in his mouth he would become invisible; as long as he

did not try to speak; for if he did the stone would lose all its

virtue。  In this way the good fairy hoped that the Prince would

be protected against all dangers。



No sooner did the Prince begin to grow out of boyhood than he

longed to see if the other countries of the world were as

splendid as the one in which he lived。  So; under pretence of

visiting some small islands that belonged to his father; he set

out。  But a frightful storm drove his ship on to unknown shores;

where most of his followers were put to death by the savages; and

the Prince himself only managed to escape by making use of his

magic pebble。  By this means he passed through the midst of them

unseen; and wandered on till he reached the coast; where he

re…embarked on board his ship。



The first land he sighted was the Island of Roses; and he went at

once to the court of the King; Rosalie's father。  The moment his

eyes beheld the Princess; he fell in love with her like everyone

else。



He had already spent several months in this condition when the

Prince of the Air whirled her away; to the grief and despair of

every man on the island。  But sad though everybody was; the

Prince of the Golden Isle was perfectly inconsolable; and he

passed both days and nights in bemoaning his loss。



'Alas!' he cried; 'shall I never see my lovely Princess again?'

Who knows where she may be; and what fairy may have her in his

keeping?  I am only a man; but I am strong in my love; and I will

seek the whole world through till I find her。'



So saying; he left the court; and made ready for his journey。



He travelled many weary days without hearing a single word of the

lost Princess; till one morning; as he was walking through a

thick forest; he suddenly perceived a magnificent palace standing

at the end of a pine avenue; and his heart bounded to think that

he might be gazing on Rosalie's prison。  He hastened his steps;

and quickly arrived at the gate of the palace; which was formed

of a single agate。  The gate swung open to let him through; and

he next passed successively three courts; surrounded by deep

ditches filled with running water; with birds of brilliant

plumage flying about the banks。  Everything around was rare and

beautiful; but the Prince scarcely raised his eyes to all these

wonders。  He thought only of the Princess and where he should

find her; but in vain he opened every door and searched in every

corner; he neither saw Rosalie nor anyone else。  At last there

was no place left for him to search but a little wood; which

contained in the centre a sort of hall built entirely of

orange…trees; with four small rooms opening out of the corners。 

Three of these were empty except for statues and wonderful

things; but in the fourth the Invisible Prince caught sight of

Rosalie。  His joy at beholding her again was; however; somewhat

lessened by seeing that the Prince of the Air was kneeling at her

feet; and pleading his own cause。  But it was in vain that he

implored her to listen; she only shook her head。  'No;' was all

she would say; 'you snatched me from my father whom I loved; and

all the splendour in the world can never console me。  Go!  I can

never feel anything towards you but hate and contempt。'  With

these words she turned away and entered her own apartments。



Unknown to herself the Invisible Prince had followed her; but

fearing to be discovered by the Princess in the presence of

others; he made up his mind to wait quietly till dark; and

employed the long hours in writing a poem to the Princess; which

he laid on the bed beside her。  This done; he thought of not

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