Description

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In a part of Arabia where groves of palms and sweet-scented flowers give the traveller restafter toilsome journeys under burning skies, there reigned a young king whose name wasLino. He had grown up under the wise rule of his father, who had lately died, and though hewas only nineteen, he did not believe, like many young men, that he must change all thelaws in order to show how clever he was, but was content with the old ones which hadmade the people happy and the country prosperous. There was only one fault that hissubjects had to find with him, and that was that he did not seem in any hurry to be married, in spite of the prayers that they frequently offered him.The neighbouring kingdom was governed by the Swan fairy, who had an only daughter, thePrincess Hermosa, who was as charming in her way as Lino in his. The Swan fairy alwayshad an ambassador at the young king's court, and on hearing the grumbles of the citizensthat Lino showed no signs of taking a wife, the good man resolved that he would try hishand at match-making. 'For, ' he said, 'if there is any one living who is worthy of thePrincess Hermosa he is to be found here. At any rate, I can but try and bring them together.'Now, of course, it was not proper to offer the princess in marriage, and the difficulty was towork upon the unconscious king so as to get the proposal to come from him. But theambassador was well used to the ways of courts, and after several conversations on the artof painting, which Lino loved, he led the talk to portraits, and mentioned carelessly that aparticularly fine picture had lately been made of his own princess. 'Though, as for alikeness, ' he concluded, 'perhaps it is hardly as good as this small miniature, which waspainted a year ag.