“He told me he did,” said Elsa, who, being sensitive herself, usually knew when Alice’s feelings were hurt. Elsa’s eyes were shining with pleasure: it was only half-past three o’clock, there was an hour and a half of enjoyment ahead, with dolls’ dresses all ready to make, ginger cookies to eat, and a fairy story to hear. The bright wood-fire sparkling and crackling added to the cheer. Her eyes were dark like purple pansies as she raised them, expectantly, to Miss Ruth.
“Now that we are all ready,” said Miss Ruth, “I will begin. Prince Gray Owl is the name of the story.”
“Was the Gray Owl really a prince?” asked Alice.
“Hush!” said Betty.
Once upon a time,—began Miss Ruth,—there was a beautiful princess who lived in a great gray castle with her uncle. The castle and the kingdom belonged to the princess, but as the king, her father, and the queen, her mother, were dead, her uncle ruled over the kingdom.
Princess Katrina was only ten years old when her father and mother died. As the years went on, her uncle liked better and better to be king, and did not want to give up the position. But he knew that when Princess Katrina married, he could no longer be king, because her husband would become the ruler. Many a brave young prince wanted to marry the princess, whose great beauty and cheerful heart were famed throughout the world. But the uncle said “No” to each one of these suitors, and ordered them never to come into the kingdom again on penalty of having their heads cut off.
Princess Katrina was now nineteen years old. Her uncle knew that if she were not married before she was twenty-one, she could then choose a husband for herself. So he arranged to have her marry, not a prince, but a wicked old king, ruler of a far-off country, two days’ journey beyond the sunset. The uncle agreed to give this bad man a large sum of gold with the princess, and in return, the uncle was to keep the kingdom. For the far-away king wanted gold more than he did land.
Early one September morning Katrina’s uncle came to the sunshiny bower where she sat alone, embroidering a beautiful scarlet-and-gold tapestry. The princess made a beautiful picture, there in the sunshine, with her soft hair shining like spun gold, her clear blue eyes, and her fair cheeks tinged with rose colour. She looked a royal princess indeed, in her blue velvet gown, with a long scarf of light blue gauze floating over her shoulders.
“Good morning, Uncle Wulfred,” said the princess. She was not very fond of her uncle, but she always greeted him kindly.