THE LIGHT PRINCESS


GEORGE MACDONALD





1. What! No Children?


Once upon a time, so long ago that I have quite forgotten the date,
there lived a king and queen who had no children.

And the king said to himself, "All the queens of my acquaintance
have children, some three, some seven, and some as many as twelve;
and my queen has not one. I feel ill-used." So he made up his mind
to be cross with his wife about it. But she bore it all like a good
patient queen as she was. Then the king grew very cross indeed. But
the queen pretended to take it all as a joke, and a very good one
too.

"Why don't you have any daughters, at least?" said he. "I don't say
sons; that might be too much to expect."

"I am sure, dear king, I am very sorry," said the queen.

"So you ought to be," retorted the king; "you are not going to make
a virtue of that, surely."