Page:Indian Fairy Tales (Suniti Devi).djvu/21

 "In that case," said the young man, "you shall be my wife, for I shall have to marry you."

While they were talking thus, the young princess came back Dressed in one of her best saris, her beautiful black hair hanging down, her valuable jewels heightening her beauty, she stepped like a goddess into the room. She saw the young man standing on the floor and their eyes met for the first time. Startled at the vision, the young man asked the maid: "Who is this fair maiden?"

"She is only my maid," the old hag curtly replied.

The poor young princess's heart sank at these words, and she thought: "I, a princess, that servant's maid? I, who have been here for fifteen days, and who took all the needles out of the body?—and now my maid claims him to be hers! If I had but stayed a little longer, I would have taken those few needles out of his eyes and he would have been mine—and mine for ever!"

While the princess thought thus, the young man was also thinking: "Why did I not see this beautiful face when I opened my eyes? If she had taken the needles out of my body how happy might I have been to-day!" And somehow he had a suspicion that such a lovely girl could not possibly be a maid-servant. After a few moments' silence, he said: "I am a prince. This Page 7