“In a moment she was beside him, and he noticed her eyes were sparkling and blue as the girdle she wore.
“‘O, Prince of the Southern Lands,’ she began, in musical tones, ‘you have witnessed the dance of the Rainbow Sisters—a sight forbidden to mortals. We live in an enchanted mountain in the heart of a great forest. Our mother is the beautiful Sea Foam, whom you have often watched in her white dress upon the ocean. We help our mother with her work, but our home is in the deep recesses of these lovely woods. Never before has a mortal eye seen these woods nor witnessed our sacred dance in them. From our magical wands float out the mists to form the cloud-world. Upward they travel, gathering moisture as they go, and floating across the blue heavens, they fall again in refreshing rain upon the earth. But our precious mist-clouds never fall in your country. We will never send them there again unless, unless—’ and she hesitated in the most charming and provoking manner in the world.
“‘Unless what, O beautiful Princess of the Silver Gown?’ eagerly asked the Prince.
“‘Alas, that I may not tell you,’ replied the little Princess, growing grave. ‘This only may I add: Once, in the long ago, your people did a great wrong, and were very rude to my sisters. It was their custom then to dance publicly, once a year. Always, your people gathered to watch them, and with pleasure my sisters danced before them, and with their magical wands they sent out the mist-clouds far and wide. Refreshing rain fell in your midst then as elsewhere, and everything was joyous and charming. But your people were rude and offended my sisters sorely, and never again will they visit you or dance before mortals. All your methods to bring rain into your country will fail, your schemes will come to naught, and until my sisters relent and forgive, the clouds will continue to sail across your blue skies as white as the flecks of foam on the sea.’
“‘Never shall the rain fall in my country?’ echoed the young man sadly. ‘Never? Then, O beautiful Princess,’ he added despondently, ‘shall I never see you again?’ For at that moment the Prince forgot his great problem, how to bring rain to his country, and thought only (with a heavy heart) that he would lose sight of the little Princess of the Silver Dress.
“‘Never, O Prince,’ replied the Princess gravely, ‘unless—’ then she smiled suddenly, showing her teeth like gleaming pearls between her red lips,—‘never unless you find us again, and—’
“‘And what?’ the Prince demanded earnestly.
“‘Alas,’ replied the silver maid, again grave, ‘I cannot tell you. There is one thing alone that might cause them to return to your country, but it seems so impossible, that it will never happen, I am sure; and beside, I cannot tell you what it is.’
“‘O,’ replied the Prince earnestly, ‘I will find it out. No obstacle on earth will prove too hard, and you may be sure nothing will prevent my finding you, beautiful Princess.’
“‘I wish you success,’ sweetly replied the Silver Princess, and then, as she spoke these words, she blushed a vivid crimson.