Chapter I: Front Matter

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PRINCE RICARDO OF PANTOUFLIA

BEING THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE PRIGIO'S SON, BY ANDREW LANG AUTHOR OF PRINCE PRIGIO

ILLUSTRATED BY GORDON BROWNE

PUBLISHED AT BRISTOL BY J. W. ARROWSMITH, QUAY STREET, AND AT LONDON BY SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & COMPANY LIMITED

DEDICATION. To Guy Campbell.

_My dear Guy_,

_You wanted to know more about Prince Prigio_, _who won the Lady Rosalind_, _and killed the Firedrake and the Remora by aid of his Fairy gifts_. _Here you have some of his later adventures_, _and you will learn from this story the advantages of minding your book_.

_Yours always_, _A. Lang_.

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Introductory. Explaining Matters.

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There may be children whose education has been so neglected that they have not read _Prince Prigio_. As this new story is about Prince Prigio's son, Ricardo, you are to learn that Prigio was the child and heir of Grognio, King of Pantouflia. The fairies gave the little Prince cleverness, beauty, courage; but one wicked fairy added, "You shall be _too_ clever." His mother, the queen, hid away in a cupboard all the fairy presents,--the Sword of Sharpness, the Seven-League Boots, the Wishing Cap, and many other useful and delightful gifts, in which her Majesty did not believe! But after Prince Prigio had become universally disliked and deserted, because he was so very clever and conceited, he happened to find all the fairy presents in the old turret chamber where they had been thrown. By means of these he delivered his country from a dreadful Red-Hot Beast, called the Firedrake, and, in addition to many other triumphs, he married the good and beautiful Lady Rosalind. His love for her taught him not to be conceited, though he did not cease to be extremely clever and fond of reading.

When this new story begins the Prince has succeeded to the crown, on the death of King Grognio, and is unhappy about his own son, Prince Ricardo, who is not clever, and who hates books! The story tells of Ricardo's adventures: how he tried to bring back Prince Charlie to England, how he failed; how he dealt with the odious old Yellow Dwarf; how he was aided by the fair magician, the Princess Jaqueline; how they both fell into a dreadful trouble; how King Prigio saved them; and how Jaqueline's dear and royal papa was discovered; with the end of all these adventures. The moral of the story will easily be discovered by the youngest reader, or, if not, it does not much matter.