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“In reply to the numerous questions of the hermit, the Prince soon told his story.

“‘Well, well!’ exclaimed the hermit. ‘Then you are the Prince Ferrando. I might have known it, for you so closely resemble your father.’

“‘You knew him, then?’ inquired the Prince.

“‘I have often seen him,’ the hermit replied. ‘The likeness is wonderful. And so you have come back to find that your principality does not exist. It is a strange condition of things; but believe me–I mingled a great deal with the world before I came to this cave, and I know what I am talking about–when I tell you that there are many potentates who would be glad to come back from a journey and to find that their dominions had ceased to exist, and that with them had disappeared all the trials, responsibilities, and dangers of sovereignty.’

“‘But I am not that sort of person,’ said Ferrando. ‘I do not allow care to oppress me; I do not shrink from responsibility; I am not afraid of danger. I travelled far to broaden my mind; I came back prepared to reign wisely over my subjects. But I have no subjects, and therefore I cannot exercise that enlightened rule for which I have, with so much toil and study, prepared myself. Wherever I go I must always be an absolute alien, and as such I must try to learn to consider myself.’

“‘Cheer up, my friend,’ said the hermit. ‘You are too young to give up things in that way. And now allow me, sir, to introduce you to my daughter.’

“Ferrando sprang up quickly, and beheld standing near him a very handsome young woman carrying a large basket filled with water-cress. The Prince bowed low. ‘It is very unusual, I think,’ said he, ‘for a hermit to have a daughter.’

“The hermit smiled. ‘Yes,’ said he; ‘it is rather out of the common; but when I came here to seek rest and peace within these rocky walls, my daughter could not be dissuaded from accompanying me.’

“‘It is plain that she possesses a noble soul,’ said the Prince, again bowing low.

“‘I wonder if he ever thinks that of me?’ the Single Adherent asked himself, as he stood respectfully by his low stone.

“When the hermit’s daughter had been made aware of Ferrando’s former station and his misfortunes, she went away to prepare supper. The meal was soon ready, and consisted of cress fresh from the spring, fried cress, and toasted cress, with cress tea, and also freshly drawn water from a spring.”

“Poor young man!” exclaimed the Next Neighbor. “So tired and hungry! Was that all they had to give him?”

“Of course,” explained Pomona; “hermits never eat anything but water-cress.”

“After supper,” continued Jonas, “the hermit filled a pipe with dried water-cress, and offered another to his guest, and the three sat at the entrance of the cave and discussed the Prince’s affairs, in which the hermit and his daughter seemed to take a lively interest. At a little distance on the small stone sat the Single Adherent, also smoking a pipe of water-cress, and his inability to enjoy this novel sensation was plainly evident in the radiant beams of the full moon. In the course of an hour the Prince and his Adherent retired to a guest-cave near by; but the hermit and his daughter sat up far into the night discussing the Prince and the peculiar circumstances in which he found himself.

“The next morning after breakfast, the principal dish of which was a salmi of water-cress, the hermit, his daughter, and their guest held council together; while the Adherent stood at a respectful distance, and listened with earnest attention to all that was said.

“‘My daughter and I,’ said the hermit, ‘agree that it is a lamentable thing that a prince such as yourself, so eminently qualified to rule, should have no opportunity to exercise his abilities for sovereignty; therefore we think the best thing you can do is to rent a principality for a term of years. In some ways this would be better than inheriting one, for if you do not like it you can give it up at the end of the term.’