Thus they arrived at the King’s capital, and the wedding took place amidst great rejoicings; but Princess Goldenhair, who loved Avenant from the depths of her heart, was not happy unless she could see him, and was for ever singing his praises.  “I should not have come, had it not been for Avenant,” she told the King, “you ought to be very much obliged to him.”  Then the envious courtiers counselled the King, and Avenant was cast once more into the tower, chained hand and foot.  When Princess Goldenhair heard of this imprisonment, she fell on her knees before the King, and begged for Avenant’s release; but he would not heed her, so that she became saddened and would speak no more.

Then the King thought:  “Maybe I am not handsome enough to please her!” so he determined to wash his face in the water of beauty.

Now it had happened that a chamber-maid had broken the flask containing this wonderful water, so that it was all spilled; then, without saying anything to anyone, she had replaced it by a similar flask taken from the King’s apartment, but the liquid in this flask was really that which was used when the princes or great lords were condemned to death, for, instead of being beheaded, their faces were washed with this water and they fell asleep and did not wake again.  And so the King using this water one evening, thinking it to be the beauty water, and hoping and expecting to be made more handsome, went to sleep and awoke no more.  Upon hearing what had occurred, Cabriole at once went and told Avenant, who asked him to go to the Princess Goldenhair and beseech her to remember the poor prisoner.  When the Princess received this message, she went straight to the tower, and, with her own hands, struck off the chains that bound Avenant, and placing a crown of gold upon his head, and a royal mantle upon his shoulders, said:  “Come, dear Avenant, I will make you King, and take you for my husband.”  Then there was a grand wedding, and Princess Goldenhair and Avenant, with Cabriole, lived long, all of them happy and contented.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Many years ago there lived a dear little girl, who was beloved by everyone who knew her; but her grandmother was so very fond of her that she never felt that she could think and do enough for her.

On her grand-daughter’s birthday she presented her with a red silk hood; and as it suited her very well, she would never wear anything else; and so she was called Little Red Riding Hood.  One day her mother said to her, “Come, Red Riding Hood, here is a nice piece of meat, and a bottle of wine:  take these to your grandmother; she is weak and ailing, and they will do her good.  Be there before she gets up; go quietly and carefully; and do not run, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will have nothing.  When you go into her room, do not forget to say ‘Good-morning’; and do not pry into all the corners.”  “I will do just as you say,” answered Red Riding Hood, bidding good-bye to her mother.