"The nelumbo," he replied, without hesitating.
"The nelumbo? it is precisely my daughter's surname. What a curious coincidence! The princess must absolutely know you."
And he made a sign to one of the attendants, who at once went out. A few minutes after, the princess appeared. She was between sixteen and seventeen years old. Nothing could equal her admirable beauty.
Her father ordered her to bow to the scholar and said:
"Here is my daughter Nelumbo."
Gleam-of-day, looking at her, felt troubled to the depth of his soul. The prince spoke to him; he hardly heard, and replied awkwardly. When the princess had retired, the conversation languished; the prince at last rose and put an end to the interview.
During all the way back the young man was ashamed at the same time with his emotion before the girl, as well as his rudeness towards the prince. He was so much troubled that he ordered his retinue to go back to the palace.
When he entered the audience hall, he threw himself to the ground before the prince and begged to be excused for his rudeness.
"You need not excuse yourself; the sentiment that I read in your eyes is powerful and the thought of it is not unpleasant to me."
While Gleam-of-day, happy with this encouragement, was still excusing himself, twenty young girls came running: