was guarded by a huge, shaggy hound, with tongue of fire and claws of iron, who tore to pieces anyone who went to the castle without the giant's leave. Trencoss had made war on the

low her to go outside the castle, and told her if she went one step beyond its doors, the hounds, with tongues of fire and claws of iron, would tear her to pieces. A week after her arrival, war broke out between the giant and the king of the islands,

little princess," said Trencoss, "and you wil

slowly, and the night came, but brought no sleep to Eileen, and in the grey light of the morning she rose and opened the window, and looked about in every direction to see if there were any chance of escape. But the window was ever so high above the ground, and b

cried t

said the princess.

e window," said the

ssy,' said the P

the room. The princess took the little cat on her lap and stroked h

m, and what is your na

s my name," said the cat, "I am a fri

help worse," s

e. When the giant comes back from battle and asks

r marry him," sa

nd for you three balls from the fairy dew that lies on the bushes on a misty morning as big as these," said t

"They are not much bigger than peas, and t

the balls are wound; but the giant, like you, will think they can 44 be made in a few days, and so he will readily promise to do what

giant come back

o-morrow afternoo

ntil then?" said the pri

my palace on the island on which no man ever placed

nd?" asked the princess

an you will see before many days are over; and if all goes well, he

no weapon can wound the hundred hounds that guard t

ry morning watch the tree on which you saw me, and if you see in the branches anyone you like better than yourself," said the cat, winking at the

e you again?" as

ying so much as good-bye, he jumped through the win

ounds, and her heart sank, for she knew that in a few moments she would be summoned to his presence. Indeed, he had hardly entere

s you wish; but you must f

like, little princ

your dwarfs wind three balls as big as these from the fairy

arfs orders at once, and by this time to-morrow the balls wi

eave me to myse

" said T

ur as a giant

as a giant," r

morning, and the next, and the next, the dwarfs went out into the fields and searched all the hedgerows, but they could gather only as much fairy dew as would make a thread as long as a wee girl's eyelash; and so they had to go out morning after morning,

and never stopped until he came to the Prince 47 of the Silver River. The prince was alone, and very s

ot heed him. "Mew," again said the cat; but again the prince did not heed hi

om, and what do you w

you would like to

s that?" sai

re thinking of, and of whom you are thinking," said the ca

thousand times over fo

ith a wink. "I named no nam

he prince, "if you knew what I was thin

is in the castle of the giant Trencoss,

the prince "and I will challenge th

ands of man can kill him, and even if you could kill him, his hundred h

I to do?" ask

nd shake the branches, and you will see what you will see. Then hold out your hat with the silver plumes, and three balls––one yellow, one red, and one blue––will be t

ned and he saw the Princess Eileen, looking lovelier than ever. He was going to call out her name, but she placed her fingers on her 49 lips, and he remembered what the cat had told him, that he was to speak no word. In silence he held out the hat wit

. He set off as fast as he could. He went up hill and down dale, and never stopped un

ght the three

" said t

ow me," sa

t the palace far behind and

l, hold the thread in your right hand, drop the ball

floated out to sea, unravelling as it went

w," said

on the sea shining like silver. It came nearer and nearer, and h

ls made of human hands. In that palace there is a sword with a diamond hilt, and by that sword alone the giant Trencoss can be killed. There also are a hundred cakes, and it is only on eating the

he stepped into the silver boat, which floated awa

le days and nights, and on the third morning the prince saw an island in the distance, and very glad he was; for he thought it w

ince hungrier and thirstier than he was before, and forgetting his promise to the little cat––not to eat anything until he entered the palace in the unknown seas––he caught one of the branches, and, in a moment, was in the tree eating the delicious fruit. While he was doing so the boat floated out to sea and soon was lost to sight; but the prince, having eaten, forgot all about

island of fruits and flowers. Our king and queen saw you com

hleen, and long before the feast was finished he was over head and ears in love with her. When the feast was ended the queen ordered the ballroom to be made ready, and when night fell the dancing began, and was kept up until the morning star, and the prince danced all night with the princess, falling deeper and deeper in love with her every minute. Between dancing by night and feasting by day weeks went by. All the time poor Eileen in the giant's castle was counting the hours, and all this time the dwarfs were winding the balls, and a ball and a half were already wound. At last the prince asked the king and q

let no living thing touch you, for if you do you shall never leave the island. Drop the second ball into the water, as you did the first, and when the boat comes step in at once. T

the court, went in search of him, taking the quickest way to the sea. While the 54 maidens with the silver harps played sweetest music, the princess, whose voice was sweeter than any music, called on the prince by his name, and so moved his heart that he was about to look behind, when he remembered how the cat had told him he should not do so until he was in the boat. Just as it touched the shore the princess p

was to be seen. Soon the boat was almost within a stone's cast of the island, and it began to sail round and round until it was 55 well under the bending branches. The scent of the berries was so sweet that it sharpened the prince's hunger, and he longed to pluck them; but, remembering what had happened to him on the enchanted island, he was afraid to touch them. But the boat kept on sailing round and round, and at last a great wind rose from the sea and shook th

n ball knocked down one of the trees in front of him, and before he knew where he was a hundred giants came running after it. When they saw the prince they turned towards him, a

y little man?"

ce," replied

ou?" said the giant. "And wh

, for nobody had asked

, with one eye in her forehead and one in her chi

laughed so loud that the princ

, "he wouldn't

'll fatten him up; and when he is cooked and dre

all things nice, so that he should be a sweet morsel for the king of the giants when he returned to the island. The poor prince would not eat anything

e cooked and dressed for the king; but sad as the 57 prince was, he was not half as sad as the P

ound two balls, and

ess that the king of the giants was to retu

ive, tell me if you wish for anything, f

," said the prince, whose

again," said the giant

il he heard close to his ear a sound like "purr, purr!" He

ke I come. I come for the sake of the Princess Eileen. Of course, you forgot al

lovers m

lovers ne

shame when he heard the

never set your eyes on the Princess Eileen. When the old giantess comes back tell her you wish, when the morning comes, to go down to the sea to look at it for the

s, when she came in, "is

t die to-morrow?"

t

ke to go down to the sea to l

aid the giantess, "i

k in the light of the mo

antess, and, saying "goo

it the moment it touched the shore. Swifter than the wind it bore him out to sea, and before he had time to look behind him the island of the giantess was like a faint red speck in the distance. The day passed and the night fell, and the stars looked down, and the boat sa

as of marble, and on every pillar save one, which stood in the centre of the room, was a little white cat with black eyes. Ranged round the wall, from one door-jamb to the other, were three rows of precious jewels. The first was a row of brooches of gold and silver,

em jumped on to the pillar in the centre of the room, he began to wonder why this was so, when, all of a sudden,

u know me

said the

of the Little White Cat, and I am the King of the C

called for the sword that would kill the giant Trenco

ord and the cakes and l

ll wind the last ball, and to-morrow the giant will claim the princess for his bride

brooch lovelier than any

he night as brightly and as swiftly as a shooting star. In the first flush of the morning it touched the strand. The prince jumped out and went on and on, up hill and down dale, until he came to the giant's castle. When the hounds saw him they barked furious

he cried out: "Who comes to c

returning, told him it was a pr

club, and rushed out to the fight. The fight lasted t

ting for the day. We can be

prince. "Now or n

's head; but the prince, darting forward like a flash of lightning, drove his sword in

he saw the giant fall she rushed out to greet the prince, and that very night he and she and all the dwarfs and harpers set out for the Palace of the Silver River, which they reached the next morning, and from that day to this there never has been a gayer wedding than t