Prince Cherie and the Fairy Candid.

WHILE the days of the fairies still lasted, there lived a king so wise and beneficent in all his actions that he was called by the name of the Good King. One day in hunting, a white rabbit, being closely pursued by the hounds, threw itself into his arms. The king stroked the little creature, and said, "As you have placed yourself under my protection, I will take care you are not hurt." He had the rabbit carried to his palace, and a little house made for it, and bade his servants give it nice food. One day, while the king was alone in his chamber, suddenly a beautiful lady appeared; her dress was white as snow, and her head was crowned with a wreath of white roses. The king was very much surprised to see this lady, for the door of his room was closed, and he was puzzled to know how she could have found admission; when she said to him, " I am the fairy Candid. Passing through the wood while you were

hunting, I was curious to know if you were as good as everybody says that you are. To ascertain this, I assumed the shape of a rabbit, and took refuge in your arms; for I was sure that he who would pity a little rabbit, could not be unmerciful to his fellow-creatures; while, had you refused me your protection, I should have concluded that, with all your show of goodness, you were wicked in your heart. I am come to thank you for your kind offices to me, and to assure you that I will always be your friend. You may command me in all things within my power, and I promise to grant you what you desire."

"Madam," said the king, "I have an only son, who is called Prince Cherie; and if have any affection for me, become, for my sake, his friend and protector."

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"Willingly," said the fairy; "I can make your son the handsomest, the richest, or the most powerful prince in the world; choose whichever of these gifts you like best for him."

"I desire none of them for my son," answered the good king; "but I shall be very much obliged to you if you will make him the best of all princes. Of what service to him would be his beauty, or his riches, or the possession of all the kingdoms in the world, if he were wicked?"

"You have well spoken," said Candid; "but it is not in my power to make the prince a good man in spite of

himself. All that I can promise you is, to give him good advice, to point out his faults to him, and to punish him if he will not correct them and punish himself by repentance."

The good king was very well satisfied with this promise, and shortly afterwards he died. Prince Cherie wept very much for his father, for he loved him dearly, and would have given all his gold and his silver, and all his kingdoms, to have saved his life. Two days after the good king's death, as Cherie was reclining on a sofa, the fairy Candid appeared to him. "I promised your father," said she, addressing herself to him, "to be your friend; and to keep my word, I am come to make you a present.' She then placed on his finger a gold ring, and continued, "Take great care of this ring; it is plain, but it is more precious than any diamond: whenever you are about to commit a bad action, it will prick your finger; but remember that if, in spite of its warning, you persevere in an evil deed, you will forfeit my friendship; nay, I shall become your enemy." As she finished these words, Candid disappeared, and left the prince very much astonished and delighted with his present. He was for some time so wise and good that the ring did not prick him at all. After a while, as he was one day hunting, he was so unsuccessful as not to take anything whatever. This put him in rather an ill humour, and he thought that he felt his ring pricking his finger, but so gently

that he did not take much notice of it. As he was returning to his chamber, his little dog ran as usual to meet him, and leaped round him to be caressed; but the prince was not in a humour to play with him, and in his anger he gave the little dog a kick, when instantly the ring pricked him as sharply as if it had been a pin. Ashamed and confused, he seated himself in a corner of his chamber, saying to himself, "Surely the fairy is making sport of me; for what great crime have I committed in kicking an animal that was teasing me? To what purpose do I rule over a large empire, if I may not even beat my dog?"

"I am not making sport of you," said a voice in answer to the thoughts which were thus passing in Cherie's mind; "you have, instead of one, committed three faults. You first lost your temper, because you cannot bear to be crossed, even in trifles, but think that men and beasts are made to obey you. You next put yourself in a passion with your dog, who could not understand you; and lastly, you were cruel enough to kick the poor animal, who did not deserve ill-treatment. I know that you are much above a dog, and that you are the king of a great empire; but the advantage of being a ruler over others does not consist in the power of committing all the evil to which we feel disposed, but in the practice of all the good that lies within our power."

Cherie had not yet lost his sense of right; he acknow