Page:Lange - The Blue Fairy Book.djvu/46

 you that I was your father’s friend; he often came to see me in the old times, and you must know that I was very pretty in those days; at least, he used to say so. I should like to tell you of a conversation we had the last time I ever saw him.’

‘Indeed,’ said the Prince, ‘when I have supped it will give me the greatest pleasure to hear it; but consider, madam, I beg of you, that I have had nothing to eat to-day.’

‘The poor boy is right,’ said the Fairy; ‘I was forgetting. Come in, then, and I will give you some supper, and while you are eating I can tell you my story in a very few words—for I don’t like endless tales myself. Too long a tongue is worse than too long a nose, and I remember when I was young that I was so much admired for not being a great chatterer. They used to tell the Queen, my mother, that it was so. For though you see what I am now, I was the daughter of a great king. My father—’

‘Your father, I dare say, got something to eat when he was hungry!’ interrupted the Prince.

‘Oh! certainly,’ answered the Fairy, ‘and you also shall have supper directly. I only just wanted to tell you—’

‘But I really cannot listen to anything until I have had something to eat,’ cried the Prince, who was getting quite angry; but then, remembering that he had better be polite as he much needed the Fairy’s help, he added:

‘I know that in the pleasure of listening to you I should quite forget my own hunger; but my horse, who cannot hear you, must really be fed!’

The Fairy was very much flattered by this compliment, and said, calling to her servants:

‘You shall not wait another minute, you are so polite, and in spite of the enormous size of your nose you are really very agreeable.’

‘Plague take the old lady! How she does go on about my nose!’ said the Prince to himself. ‘One would almost think that mine had taken all the extra length that hers lacks! If I were not so hungry I would soon have done with this chatterpie who thinks she talks very little! How stupid people are not to see their own faults! that comes of being a princess: she has been spoilt by flatterers, who have made her believe that she is quite a moderate talker!’

Meanwhile the servants were putting the supper on the table, and the Prince was much amused to hear the Fairy, who asked them a thousand questions simply for the pleasure of hearing her-