Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. 1 Ye whose young cheeks are rosy bright, Whose hands are strong, whose hearts are clear, Waste not of hope the morning light; Ah, fools ! why stand ye idle here? Heber. OME with me, said the softest and most gentle voice Fesellino had ever heard, and I will show you orie day of my life. You will see many curious things which you will not understand at first, but you may ask me any question you like.
First of all you would like to know who I am ? I will try and explain. Tell me, am I right in supposing you have read many fairy tales ?
Oh yes, many, answered the little fellow readily. I have read about the ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ and the ‘Blue Bird,’ and the ‘ Princess with the Golden Locks,’ and many more.
Very well, in all those stories, if I recollect right, the Princess has to be sought out, and delivered from enchantment before anything can come right, is not that so ?
Yes, said Pesellino thoughtfully, wondering what was coming next.
I am not like that, although I am a real Princess?Princess Opportunity. Every day I leave my beautiful home in a land far away, by that golden gate through which the good dreams pass as the day breaks, and I come down to earth. But do not think / am a dream?I am no dream?I am very real. I come at all times, and I am to be found in all places. There are some who watch and wait for me, and make me welcome ; to those I come again and again. Butthere are others who are either too dull of soul, or too indolent to recognise me, and they are obliged to content themselves with my handmaid instead. I call her ‘ Remorse,’ she is very dark, and has very sad eyes ; you can see her for yourself if you look round. Pesellino obeyed, and observed with a slight shudder that the dark figure w…
