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‘It is to her portrait, then, that you have been speaking?’ said the King. ‘My son, you have made yourself the laughing-stock of the whole court. They think you are mad.’

‘You would be as much struck as I am if you saw her portrait,’ replied the Prince firmly.

‘Fetch it and show it to me, then,’ said the King, equally firmly.

The Prince went, and returned with the Princess’s portrait as requested; and the King was so struck with her beauty that he gave the Prince leave there and then to marry her, and promised to withdraw his word from the other Princess.

‘My dear Warrior,’ said he, ‘I should love to have so beautiful a Princess in my court.’

The Prince kissed his father’s hand and bowed his knee, for he could not conceal his joy. He begged the King to send a messenger not only to the Black Princess but also to Princess Desiree; and he hoped that in regard to his own Princess, he would choose a man who would prove the most capable; and he must be rich, because this was a special occasion and called for all the elaborate preparation it was possible to show in such a diplomatic mission.

The King’s choice fell on Prince Becafigue; he was a young Prince who spoke eloquently, and he possessed five millions of money. And, beside this, he loved the Warrior Prince very dearly.

When the messenger was taking his leave the Prince said to him:

‘Do not forget, my dear Becafigue, that my life depends on my marrying Princess Desiree, whom you are going to see. Do your best for me and tell the Princess that I love her.’ Then he handed Becafigue his photograph to give the Princess.

The young Prince Becafigue’s cortege was so grand, and consisted of so many carriages, that it took them twenty-three hours to pass; and the whole world turned out to see him enter the gates of the palace where the King and Queen and Princess Desiree lived. The King and Queen saw him coming and were very pleased with all his grandeur, and commanded that he should be received in a manner befitting so great a personage.

Becafigue was taken before the King and Queen, and, after paying his respects to them, told them his message and asked to be introduced to the Princess Desiree. What was his surprise on being refused!

‘I am very sorry to have to say no to your request, Prince Becafigue,’ said the King, ‘but I will tell you why. On the day the Princess was born a fairy took an aversion to her, and said that a great misfortune should befall her if she saw the light of day before she was fifteen years of age.’

‘And am I to return without her?’ said Becafigue. ‘Here is a portrait of the Warrior Prince.’ Then, as he was handing it to the King, and was about to say something further about it, a voice came from the photograph, speaking with loving tones:

‘Dear Desiree, you cannot imagine with what joy I wait for you: come soon to our court, where your beauty will grace it as no other court will ever be graced.’

The portrait said nothing more, and the King and the Queen were so surprised that they asked Becafigue to allow them to show it to the Princess.

Becafigue readily assented and the Queen took the portrait to the Princess and showed it to her; and the Princess was delighted. Although the Queen had told her nothing, the Princess knew that it meant a great marriage, and was not surprised when her mother asked: ‘Would you be cross if you had to marry this man?’

‘Madam,’ said the Princess, ‘it is not for me to choose; I shall be pleased to obey whatever you wish.’

‘But,’ said the Queen, ‘if my choice should fall on this particular Prince, would you consider yourself happy?’

The Princess blushed and turned her eyes away and said nothing; then the Queen took her in her arms and kissed her, for she loved the Princess very much and knew that she would soon lose her, for it wanted only three months to her fifteenth birthday.