upon him and was sharply told to get away. The creature, accustomed to
nothing but caresses, tried to attract his attention by pulling at his
garments, when Prince Cherry turned and gave it a severe kick. At this
moment he felt in his finger a prick like a pin.

"What nonsense!" said he to himself. "The fairy must be making game of
me. Why, what great evil have I done! I, the master of a great empire,
cannot I kick my own dog?"

A voice replied, or else Prince Cherry imagined it, "No, sire; the
master of a great empire has a right to do good, but not evil. I--a
fairy--am as much above you as you are above your dog. I might punish
you, kill you, if I chose; but I prefer leaving you to amend your
ways. You have been guilty of three faults today--bad temper, passion,
cruelty: do better to-morrow."

The prince promised, and kept his word a while; but he had been brought
up by a foolish nurse, who indulged him in every way and was always
telling him that he would be a king one day, when he might do as he
liked in all things. He found out now that even a king cannot always do
that; it vexed him and made him angry. His ring began to prick him so
often that his little finger was continually bleeding. He disliked
this, as was natural, and soon began to consider whether it would not be
easier to throw the ring away altogether than to be constantly annoyed
by it. It was such a queer thing for a king to have a spot of blood on
his finger! At last, unable to put up with it any more, he took his ring
off and hid it where he would never see it; and believed himself the
happiest of men, for he could now do exactly what he liked. He did it,
and became every day more and more miserable.