“It is on your own cheek!”
Princess Hilda was so astonished that she could only look at the Queen without speaking.
“Yes,” continued the Queen, kindly, “you might have searched throughout all the kingdoms of the earth and air, and yet never have found that precious Drop, had you not loved your little brother Henry more than to be Queen. That tear upon your cheek, which you shed for love of him, is the Diamond Water-drop, Hilda; keep it in this little crystal bottle; be prudent and resolute, and sooner or later Henry will be free again.”
As she spoke, she held out a little crystal bottle, and the tear from Princess Hilda’s cheek fell into it, and the Queen hung it about her neck by a coral chain, and kissed her, and bade her farewell. And as Princess Hilda went away, she fancied she had somewhere heard a voice like this Queen’s before; but where or when she could not tell.
VII
THE GOLDEN IVY-SEED
IT was not long before she arrived at the cloud which had brought her to the kingdom of the Air-Spirits, and there she found Tom the cat awaiting her. He got up and stretched himself as she approached, and when he saw the little crystal bottle hanging round her neck by its coral chain, he said:
“So far, all has gone well; but we have still to find the Golden Ivy-seed. There is no time to be lost, so catch hold of my tail and let us be off.”