Page:The Enchanted Knights; or The Chronicle of the Three Sisters.djvu/41

Rh air and grace of a princess. With her were two lovely children—a young prince seven years old, and a sweet little princess yet unable to walk. A moment afterwards entered Albert;—nothing of the terrible countenance or form of a bear was to be seen upon him, but he appeared the most amiable of princes. Wulfield presented her brother to him, and Albert embraced his brother-in-law with fraternal tenderness and affection.

The prince and his whole court were for certain days enchanted by an inimical power. They possessed, however, the privilege of returning to their natural state every seventh day, from sunrise to sunrise, till the silvery stars on the horizon began to grow pale; then the spell spread with the falling of the morning dew over the land,—the castle changed into a steep inaccessible rock—the beautiful park into a dismal solitude—the fountains and cascades into dim and muddy pools—the lord of the castle became a shaggy bear—the knights and squires badgers and martens—the ladies of honour and chambermaids owls and bats, which cooed and wailed all day and night. It was on such a day of disenchantment that Albert bore his bride home. The lovely Wulfield, who had wept for six days at the thought