Chapter 11.

Otago Witness, Issue 2130, 20 December 1894, Page 14

Chapter 11.

The Glorious Princess.

So, for many days the artist visited the palace. It waa rumoured abroad that the liing was getting his portrait painted, and the people shook their heads, and said that the King was very foolish to do that. They said that the artißt would paint him bo that everybody would hate him ever after. But the artißt was taken by the King through the golden door, and he was shown the glorious Princess. She was so fair and so sweet to look at that the artist sighed and exclaimed with delight. Here he had something worthy of his bruoh. But the eubjeot waa so worthy that he scarcely dared to painfc her. When he looked at that lovely, radiant face and at the sweet, unselfish expression upon it, he realised that he could never, never paint it so that it would appear repugnant to anyone. When he went home he set to and painted and painted; and every day the lovable features stood out clearer and clearer on the canvas. The artist's brush could not lie — every time he went to the palace and through the goldon door where the sweet Princess was, every time he had a clearer knowledge that he was making a lovely and lovable picture. And every time the artist left his home the young page would steal into the studio and stand before the picture and gaze upon it. Then he would go away dissatisfied and wander up and down the artist's house and wonder what had happened to him. He did not know at first, but the opposite of what the King had intended had come to pass. To gaze upon the picture was to fall in love with the Princess 1

And the artist found that out the day the picture waß finished. Tbe Princess had been too good ; he had not been able to paint in her face any treachery or deceit or heartleseneßß, because it had not been there. That beautiful child had grown up shut out from the world and its wickedness till her soul was as pure as one of her own white litioa. And he had to paint her so. Then he saw that his page — the youth whom he loved, the first who had seaa the picture— had fallen in love with it 1 " This picture, sent to the King of Yasula, will only have the effect of making him desire to possess the fair Princess more than ever. I have failed."

Tbe artist spoke to himself, but a voioa came from behind him :

" Not bo, O my master ! "

Turning round he saw his page, as usual, gazing at the picture as if he could not take his eyes off it.

"What sayest thou? Assuredly he will love tbe piotnre even as thou dost, foolish boy, that canst not even take thine eyes of! it for very love."

" He will love it, truly," replied the page earnestly. "He will love it ainceroly. Then use thy great genius, 0 my master, and add a few more strokes to the parfeoting of its beauty and truth. Then he shall love it indeed, but purely, unselfishly. He shall love the picture and the Princess even as I love— desiring not his own gain, but desiring hers ; giving up his wish for her, because of her wish to remain with her father. He shall love unselfishly, and that ia the only true love."

The artist laughed. "Thou hast learnt thy first lesson well, my son," said he. " For thyself it is well that thou lovest so. But I fear me that it will be more difficult to make the King of Yasula give up his due."

" O my master, thy genius can accomplish even this I " replied the youth earnestly.

Thanks to the page's faith in him the artist resolved to try. He worked early and late, and at la6t the picture was finished. It was only just In time. For just as the picture was arriving at the kingdom of Yasuln, a messenger was being despatched to the Princess's father. The King had at last discovered, by using spies and by bribing the servants at his enemy's palace, that there was a eeoret part of the palace where someone was being hidden, though in great luxury and splendour. His suspicions had long ago been roused, chiefly because the burial place of tbe dead baby had never been Inquired about, and the King had never seemed to care about referring to it. Now the King of Yasula was angrily stamping about his palace. He vowed vengeanco upon the king who had served him so shabby a triok. There should be warhe would enter the country and would wreck the palace, and not one stone should be left upon another. He waa interrupted in the midst of hia raging by a messenger who arrived saying that a picture had come from the neighbouring kingdom, and a letter from a Princess. The King was Btartled. So they were actually going to own that they had played him a trick, were they 1 He would accept no picture, he said. He would have the Princess herself, and no substitute for her would satisfy him. If he had stuck to this decision the artist's labour would have been vaini but fortunately, or unfortunately*

he was naturally rather curious. So, being f King with unlimited power, he oounterv manded the order he had given, and desired the picture to be brought to him.

Then he caused his people to withdraw, and gazed at it long and earnestly. In the face before him he saw the dear features ol the Princess whom he had loved and lost. At first sorrow took hold of him, then tha desire for vengeance became stronger. But then as he gazed at the sweet face on the oanvas before him be became ashamed o£ his revengeful feelings. This sweet lady could not help her father having sinned ; and ehs would suffer, too. He began to feel sorry that she should suffer. Naturally it would almost break her heart to take her right away from her father and friends, and never allow her to see them again. How could he beat to see that pretty face disfigured with tears 1 She might pine away. Very likely she would die before his eyes. He was old now, and wouldnt be much of a oompanion for a young girl. If he had a son now, then It would be all right, and he could leave them both bia kingdom and die happy. Strange to say, ha had never thought himself old before, till he had looked at that picture.

Well, the King remained a long time be* fore the canvas and looked and thought. And as the time slipped by the angry look which had been on his face at first gradually died away. He beoame more and more gentle, till, if his courtiers had seen him, I don't think they would have known him. Then he remembered that a letter had also oome with the picture. He took it up. It was from the lovely lady herself. The contents were different from what he had expected, and also different from what the Prinoeet's father had Intended them to bo.

" We have done you a great wrong," the letter ran, " and I oaanot expeot that you will forgive it. I will come to you and be yours, if you will forgive my father and not visit your anger upon him. It is only a sad Prinoe*s whom you will have, and I fear me you will be disappointed in your possession ; but Indeed I will do my best for you if yoa will only not wreak your vengeance upon my dear father.— Yours, PniNOESa Airene."

Tbe King stayed a long time in the chamber before the picture, and the Court had got tired of waiting for him. When at last be reappeared, he astonished them first by countermanding the preparations for war which had been going on for some days, and next be despatched a messenger, alone and unarmed, Into the country of his enemy, bearing with him the wand of peace.

And the Princess's father received, amid great rejoicing, the news that he might ke«p his daughter. " And," the message ran. "we have been enemies too long ; let us now be friends, even as in the days of our youth."

And later on, when the two Kings were reconciled, and both rejoiced in the goodneßS ani beauty of the Princess, who got to love her father's friend as a second father, they found out that they might always have been happy together if only they bad never quarrelled, And the artist f

You may be sure the King wanted to reward him very richly, but the artist told the King that the credit of the idea of Snishlng the picture and of sending it to Yasula in the end waß all due to his young page.

So the King asked him to name his reward.

The page would ask for none; but he humbly begged the King to let the promise remain, and allow him some day to come and claim a recompense. The only favour he asked, he said, was to be allowed to aay farewell to the lovely Princess, as he and hl« master were goiug away on a long journey. The King willingly granted this request, and thß Princess said farewell to him very prettily, telling him that she was sorry ht was going away. A few years afterwards the page did return, but" he was a page no longer. He had become a great and noble warrior, and he brought back a long train of followers bearing rich presents to the Princess. And why do you think he returned ? To demand the favour he had not dared to ask for when he had been just the page of tbe artist—to ask the Princess's band in marriage. And so well had he prospered, and to great a man had he become, all for her sake, that neither of the Kings could say " No " to him— especially when the Princess was ready to say " Yes." So they were married amidst great rejoioinga. And the artist came to the wedding, and brought for a present the picture whioh he bad painted long ago — the interior of the palaco with its white marble columns. But there were two figures in the picture. The golden door was open, and the Princes?, radiantly beautiful, was coming forward out of the door, coming to meet the page, now a Prince.

And the arhlst told them that he had painted In the two figures after the King's visit, and when the page fell in love with the PriDcess'a picture. Years after, those two, at the death of the two kings, ruled over both countries, and never were king and queen so much beloved as they. So this is the end of my story.

•*• Accidents generally so common at Christmas time by the ignition of cotton wool used for decorative purposes might be pre* vented by soaking the wool in a solution ot chloride of ammonium, and then drying it. The wool will fchaa be uninflammable.

* m * The Bikds' Christmas Sheaf.— ln Norway, a distinctive and very pretty feature of Christmas feasting is the provision made for the birdi. Great 1b the joy of the obildren when carts, laden with grain in the sheaf, come into every town, and each family Invests in a sheaf, which on Christmas Day is brought forth by the father, fastened to a pole, and erected at some convenient cornet of the bouse, that the birds may share the good obeer. Not that the birds are forgotten at other times. Miniature wooden houses are fastened to the eaves or to trees in the gar* dens, and therein is kept a, store of grain for the solace of the birds all through the winter* but this sheaf is aulte an extia treat.