dirt-colored pebbles that she had gathered. 'Take this, my dear,' she
croaked, 'and wear it, and you shall see that I am right--that this is
the jewel of happiness.'

"Now the beautiful princess did not want to wear that ugly,
dirt-colored stone--no princess would, you know. But, nevertheless,
because her heart was kind and she saw that the poor, crooked old woman
would feel very bad if her gift was not accepted, she took the dull,
common pebble and put it with the bright, shiny jewels that she had
gathered.

"And that very night the fairy appeared to the princess again.

"'Did you do as I told you?' the fairy asked. 'Did you look for the
jewel of happiness on the shore of the sea of life?'

"'Oh, yes,' cried the princess. 'And see what a world of lovely ones I
found!'

"The fairy looked at all the pretty, shiny stones that the princess had
gathered. 'And what is this?' the fairy asked, pointing to the ugly,
dirt-colored pebble.

"'Oh, that,' replied the princess, hanging her head in
embarrassment,--'that is nothing but a worthless pebble. A poor old
woman gave it to me to wear because she thinks it is beautiful.'

"'But you will not wear the ugly thing, will you?' asked the fairy.
'Think how every one would point at you, and laugh, and call you
strange and foolish.'