“‘I bet you,’ said Merrylip.
“‘Bet what?’
“‘Bet I will show you something nicer than a burro; even nicer than two burros. You’ll be perfectly happy for two hours—then you’ll want to be a prince again and forget everything else.’
“‘You just say that because you are a girl,’ said Winfred. ‘Girls never understand boys.’
“‘I’ll prove it,’ said Merrylip. ‘Come under my cape.’
“‘I can’t,’ said Winfred. ‘I’m too big.’
“‘That is easy,’ said Merrylip. ‘You must kiss me on my ear, then see what happens.’
“‘Kisses are horrid,’ said Winfred. Still he was not going to take any chances of not having his wish, so he reached up and just put the smallest kind of a kiss on Merrylip’s ear. It tasted like marshmallows. As soon as he touched her, Winfred began to grow small. You have never seen a boy as small as he became—about so big. Then he climbed up and drew Merrylip’s cape over him and away they went. Up over the very tops of the trees, out across the Castle wall, down into the valley, pop over a stream, high again so as not to bump into a fat old oak, and—before you knew it—they were right above the city. Far below them were the people, walking about, and they didn’t, any of them, look larger than Merrylip.
“‘Now,’ said Merrylip. ‘Be ready!’
“Down they swooped right to the middle of the street, where a whole dozen children were playing London Bridges. They were rather dirty children; their clothes were not at all nice and their hair was mussed. As soon as the Prince’s feet touched the cobblestones, he became his natural size. Merrylip disappeared altogether, but Winfred heard her buzzing about his ear, telling him what to do.