appearing to have anything to sustain it; a prodigy which astonished her so much, that she knew not what to think of it. It was still more astounding when she saw the head laid at her feet by an unseen hand. At the same time she heard a voice which said to her,—
"Fear no more, charming Princess, Furibon will never harm you."
Abricotine recognised the voice of Leander, and exclaimed, "I protest, Madam, the invisible being who speaks to you is the stranger who rescued me!" The Princess appeared equally surprised and delighted. "Ah!" said she, "if it be true that the sprite and the stranger are one and the same, I confess it would give me great pleasure to prove to him my gratitude." The Sprite replied, "I will labour still more to deserve it." With that he returned instantly to the army of Furibon, through which the news of their king's death was spreading rapidly. The moment he appeared among them in his usual dress, every one ran to him, officers and soldiers surrounded him, uttering loud shouts of joy. They acknowledged him as their king,—that the crown belonged of right to him. He liberally allowed them to share amongst themselves the thirty chambers full of gold, so that the whole army were made rich for ever; and after several ceremonies, which guaranteed to Leander the fidelity of his troops, he flew back again to the Princess, leaving orders with his army to return by easy marches to his own dominions.
The Princess had retired for the night, and the respect which Leander had for her prevented his entering her apartment. He went at once to his own, for he had always slept in the lower one. He was sufficiently fatigued to need repose, and in consequence forgot to fasten the door as carefully as usual. The Princess suffered from heat and anxiety. She rose before dawn, and descended in dishabille to the lower apartment. But what was her astonishment to see Leander asleep on the bed! She had plenty of time to examine his features without being seen, and to convince herself that he was the person whose portrait she possessed in the diamond box. "It is not possible," said she, "that this should be a sprite; for do sprites sleep? Is this a being composed of air and fire, occupying no space, according to the description of Abricotine?" She gently touched his hair; she listened
