At the same moment, a voice said, “Good actions never go unrewarded!” And instantly Prince Cherry was transformed into a little white dove.

With great joy, he flew to the open palace window to seek out his Zelia, to try to help her.  But though he hunted in every room, no Zelia was to be found.  He had to fly away, without seeing her.  He wanted more than anything else to find her, and stay near her, so he flew out into the world, to seek her.

He sought her in many lands, until one day, in a far eastern country, he found her sitting in a tent, by the side of an old, white-haired hermit.  Cherry was wild with delight.  He flew to her shoulder, caressed her hair with his beak, and cooed in her ear.

“You dear, lovely little thing!” said Zelia.  “Will you stay with me?  If you will, I will love you always.”

“Ah, Zelia, see what you have done!” laughed the hermit.  At that instant, the white dove vanished, and Prince Cherry stood there, as handsome and charming as ever, and with a look of kindness and modesty in his eyes which had never been there before.  At the same time, the hermit stood up, his flowing hair changed to shining gold, and his face became a lovely woman’s face; it was the Fairy Candide.  “Zelia has broken your spell,” she said to the prince, “as I meant she should, when you were worthy of her love.”

Zelia and Prince Cherry fell at the fairy’s feet.  But with a beautiful smile she bade them come to their kingdom.  In a trice, they were transported to the prince’s palace, where King Suliman greeted them with tears of joy.  He gave back the throne with all his heart, and King Cherry ruled again, with Zelia for his queen.

He wore the little gold ring all the rest of his life, but never once did it have to prick him hard enough to make his finger bleed.

FOOTNOTES: 

[30] A shortened version of the familiar tale.

THE GOLD IN THE ORCHARD[31]

There was once a farmer who had a fine olive orchard.  He was very industrious, and the farm always prospered under his care.  But he knew that his three sons despised the farm work, and were eager to make wealth fast, through adventure.

When the farmer was old, and felt that his time had come to die, he called the three sons to him and said, “My sons, there is a pot of gold hidden in the olive orchard.  Dig for it, if you wish it.”

The sons tried to get him to tell them in what part of the orchard the gold was hidden; but he would tell them nothing more.

After the farmer was dead, the sons went to work to find the pot of gold; since they did not know where the hiding-place was, they agreed to begin in a line, at one end of the orchard, and to dig until one of them should find the money.

They dug until they had turned up the soil from one end of the orchard to the other, round the tree-roots and between them.  But no pot of gold was to be found.  It seemed as if some one must have stolen it, or as if the farmer had been wandering in his wits.  The three sons were bitterly disappointed to have all their work for nothing.