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.Yes, one had! It was the pretty lady of the carriage- I never could tell youhow pretty she was.She was tall, with cheeks like white roses blushing, shehad dark hair, and very large dark-grey eyes, and her face was the kindest inthe world! ThePrince first thought how nice and good she looked, even before he thought howpretty she looked.She stood up forPrince Prigio when her partner would speak ill of him.She had never seen thePrince, for she was but newly come toPantouflia; but she declared that it was his misfortune, not his fault, to beso clever."And then, think how hard they made him work at school! Besides,"said this kind young lady, "1hear he is extremely handsome, and very brave; and he has a54 Andrew Long good heart, for he was kind.I have heard, to a poor boy, anddid all his examination papers for him, so that the boy passed first ineverything.And now he is Minister of Education, though he can't do a line ofGreek prose!"The Prince blushed at this.for he knew his conduct had not been honourable.But he at once fell over head and ears in love with the young lady, a thing hehad never done in his life before, because he said "women are so stupid!" Yousee he was so clever!Now, at this very moment when the Prince, all of a sudden, was as deep in loveas if he had been the stupidest officer in the room an extraordinary thinghappened! Some-thing seemed to give a whirr! in his brain, and in one instant he knew allabout it! He believed in fairies and fairy gifts, and understood that his capwas the cap of darkness, and his shoes the seven-league boots, and his pursethe purse ofFortunatus! He had read about those things in historical books:but now he believed in them.CHAPTER VIIThe Prince Faffs in LoveHe understood all this, and burst out laughing, which nearly frightened an oldlady near him out of her wits.Ah! how hefile:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/Asimov,%20Isaac%20-%20Mythical%20Beasties%20(SSC)%20UC.txt (39 of 251) [5/21/03 2:06:10 AM]file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/Asimov,%20Isaac%20-%20Mythical%20Beasties%20(SSC)%20UC.txt wished he were only in evening dress, that he might dance with thecharming young lady.But there he was, dressed just as if he were going out tohunt, if anyone couid have seen him.So, even if he took off his cap ofdarkness and became visible, he was no figure for a ball.Once he would nothave cared, but now he cared very much indeed.But the Prince was not clever for nothing.He thought for a moment, then wentout of the room, and in three steps of thePRINCE PRIGIO 55seven-league boots was at his empty, dark, cold palace again.He struck a light with a flint and steel, lit a torch, and ran upstairs to thegarret.The flaring light of the torch fell on the pile of "rubbish," as thePage 32 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlQueen would have called it, which he turned over with eager hands.Wasthere yes, there was another cap! There it lay, a handsome green one with ared feather.The Prince pulled off the cap of darkness, put on the other, andsaid: "/ wish I were dressed in my best suil of white and gold, with the royalPantouflia diamonds!"In one moment there he was in white and gold, the greatest and mostmagnificent dandy in the whole world, and the hand-somest man!"How about my boots, I wonder," said the Prince; for his seven-league bootswere stout riding-boots, not good to dance in.whereas now he was in elegantshoes of silk and gold.He threw down the wishing cap, put on the other the cap of darkness and madethree strides in the direction ofGluckstein.But he was only three steps nearer it than he had been, and theseven-league boots were standing beside him on the floor!"No," said the Prince, "no man can be in two different pairs of boots at oneand the same time! That's mathematics!"He then hunted about in the lumber room again till he found a small, shabby,old Persian carpet, the size of a hearthrug.He went to his own room, took aportmanteau in his hand, sat down on the carpet, and said: "I wish I were inGluckstein!"In a moment there he found himself; for this was mat famous carpet whichPrince Hussein bought long ago, in the market at Bisnagar, and which thefairies had brought with the other presents to the christening of PrincePrigio.When he arrived at the house where the ball was going on, he put the magicalcarpet in the portmanteau, and left it in the cloakroom, receiving a numberedticket in exchange.Then he marched in all his glory (and of course withoutthe cap of darkness) into the room where they were dancing.Everybody madeplace for him.bowing down to the ground, and the loyal band struck up ThePrince's March:56 Andrew LongHeaven bless our Prince Prigio!What is there he doesn't know?file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/Asimov,%20Isaac%20-%20Mythical%20Beasties%20(SSC)%20UC.txt (40 of 251) [5/21/03 2:06:10 AM]file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/Asimov,%20Isaac%20-%20Mythical%20Beasties%20(SSC)%20UC.txtGreek, Swiss, German (High and Low), And the names of the mountains in Mexico,Heaven bless the Prince!He used to be very fond of this march, and the words some people said he hadmade them himself.But now, somehow, he didn't much like it.He went straightto the Duke ofStumpfelbahn, the Hereditary Master of the Ceremonies, and asked to beintroduced to the beautiful young lady.She was the daughter of the newEnglish Ambassador, and her name was Lady Rosalind.But she nearly faintedwhen she heard who it was that wished to dance with her, for she was not atall particularly clever; and the Prince had such a bad character for snubbinggirls, and asking them difficult questions.How-ever, it was impossible to refuse, and so she danced with thePrince, and he danced very well.Then they sat out in the conservatory, amongthe flowers, where nobody came near them; and then they danced again, and thenthe Prince took her down to supper
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Tematy
IndexIsaac Asimov Foundation 09 Foundation and Chaos
Isaac Asimov Foundation 06 Prelude To Foundation
Isaac Asimov [R Daneel Olivaw 02] Naked Sun (v4.0) (pdf)
Isaac Asimov Magical Worlds of Fantasy Faeries
Isaac Asimov Robots in Time 2 Marauder
Isaac Asimov Robot City 6 Perihelion
Isaac Asimov Robot City 3 Cyborg
Isaac Asimov Robot Visions
Asimov, Isaac Gwiazdy jak pył
Christopher Nicole [Hilton 01 Caribee (v1.5) (epub)