The others agreed, and Polly counted:
"One! Two! Three!"
They were off like the wind, past the fountain, the gates, the big clump of rose bushes, and it happened that Rose and Sprite were the first to reach the terrace.
"All right!" cried Princess Polly, "I'll tell the story of the 'Big,
Brave Knight.'"
"Does it begin with: 'Once upon a time'?" Sprite asked, eagerly.
"Oh, yes," Polly said. "Once upon a time there lived a knight who was big, and brave, and he loved a princess who was so beautiful that it was like looking at the sun to look at her face, because her beauty was so dazzling.
"She wasn't very happy, for who'd be happy when an old witch had enchanted her?"
"Oh, oo!" purred little Sprite, "I love a story that tells about folks that are enchanted."
"So do I," agreed Rose. "Now go on, Polly. How was she enchanted?"
"Oh, I wish I had the book right here, so I could read every word of it to you, but I let Leslie Grafton take it home to read, so I'll tell it as well as I can.