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The Magical Music
by
When the music was finished, the King died. His mother was a sorceress, and a very wicked old woman, who, when her son was dead, gave it out that she herself was dying; for she had now lived so long that people had begun to suspect something, and to think that she had too much to do with magic. So she pretended to die, and was buried in the royal vault; and at night she came out and went far away from the city to a great cave in a lonely country where dwelt the demons and evil spirits who were her servants. She now spent her life in wickedness. She it was who put it into the heads of so many sensible people to contend for the crown, and it was with joy that she saw them carried out to the asylum. Many other evil thoughts she put into the hearts of the people, and she was forever imagining and doing mischief.
When this young Princess, her great-grandchild, was born, Mahbracca (that was the name of the old sorceress) was very much troubled, and used all available means to destroy the infant; but her efforts were vain, for the people of the ocean protected her from all enchantments.
As the Princess grew up, she loved to ramble on the white sands, and she was once perceived there by a party of ladies from the palace, who had persuaded her to come with them to their royal home, where she had now been for a year. She knew not who she was, nor did her friends at the palace; and her relations of the ocean had always hoped that some day she would return to them. Now the sorceress feared that some day she would happen to sing the magical music, and be made queen; and she hated the poor girl so much, that she would not have had this happen for all the world. Therefore it was, no doubt, that she had sent the Nimshee, in order to prevent the Princess from ever exercising the wonderful gift she had inherited.
This much the water-woman told the Prince, but as to what had now become of the Princess, she did not know; but there were others of her people who knew more than she did, and she would inquire of them. Taking the Prince by the hand, she led him out upon a headland that projected some distance out into the sea, and blew four times loudly upon her conch-shell. A great heaving and swelling of the waters was presently seen, and in a few moments an elderly personage emerged from the waves, and walked carefully up to the rock on which they stood. He was a curious-looking individual, and, as the water-woman informed the Prince, a powerful lord of the ocean.
He was wrapped in an old-fashioned cloak, made of the finest quality of sea-weed, and drawing this closely around him, he requested his fair cousin of the sea to be as quick as possible in her business with him, as it was not prudent for him to be in the air much at his age. So the water-woman briefly related to him what the Prince had told her.
When he heard this, the old sea-gentleman folded his arms and looked very grave. “Mahbracca is at the bottom of this,” said he. “The Prime Minister would never have thought of imprisoning the Princess, if that wretched sorceress had not put it into his head. I have no doubt that she now has the Princess in her power, and very likely shut up in her retreat.”
“What!” cried the Prince, “where is it? Where is her cave? I will go instantly and rescue my beloved Princess!” and he drew his sword of adamant and waved it over his head.
“Ah my friend!” said the old man of the water, “you could do little against the powerful Mahbracca and her minions. But you might go there to be sure, and find out if she really has possession of the Princess. But then you may lose your life.”