Chapter I: Front Matter

PRINCE VANCE

PRINCE VANCE

The Story of a Prince with a Court in his Box

BY

ELEANOR PUTNAM and ARLO BATES

_ILLUSTRATED BY FRANK MYRICK_

BOSTON ROBERTS BROTHERS 1888

_Copyright, 1888_,
BY ARLO BATES.

University Press: JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.

_TO THE BOY ORIC_

_Dear son, this twisted, tangled web of whims
For you was woven while you scarcely knew
The simplest speech men use; but infant limbs,
That round and smooth in dimpled fairness grew,
Waved for all word in a babe's perfect glee,
So wondrous sweet to see._

_It is not stranger than this world must seem
To one who its vagaries first does scan;
It is less weird than the enchanted dream
Which life may change to ere you be a man.
Such as it is, take it for this alone,--
That it is all your own._

_Those who together wrought its colors gay,
And its fantastic warp and woof entwined,
May not again for you in work or play
Together labor. Yet the loving mind
In which they then were one will still be one
Till life and sense be done._

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page

THE FAIRY COPETTA AND THE PRINCE _Frontispiece_

INITIAL: Chapter I 15

INITIAL: Chapter II 20

"'Come,' he said to the Prince, in rather an injured tone" 21

"He picked up the poor tutor, and putting him on the
window-sill laughed at him" 24

TAILPIECE: "'It is in here,' the Blue Wizard said, holding
out a pretty gold bonbon box" 25

INITIAL: Chapter III 26

THE ROYAL TABLE, WITH THE COURT SHRINKING 27

"'Oh, as to that,' the Blue Wizard answered carelessly,
giving the King in turn a bath in the finger-bowl" 31

TAILPIECE: "He seated his royal mother on the top of the
sugar-bowl" 33

INITIAL: Chapter IV 34

TAILPIECE: THE HISSING SWANS 40

INITIAL: Chapter V 41

"The Lord Chancellor, who seemed to be always in trouble,
picked some sort of quarrel with a large green
grasshopper" 44

"He moved from a bunch of thistles which he had carefully
stripped to the next" 46

INITIAL: Chapter VI 50

"'How do you know?' demanded the raven, fixing his
glittering eye on the Prince" 51

"But presently a little window opened in the side of the
tree trunk, from which a wrinkled old face looked out" 56

INITIAL: Chapter VII 59

"'But I want it in my mouth,' sighed the man on the ground" 61

"A second man stood on an overturned bucket and blew into
the mouth of the first with a pair of bellows" 63

"'What's all this?' the Prince asked of one who seemed of
some authority" 66

INITIAL: Chapter VIII 68

The Court on the Fisherman's Table 71

INITIAL: Chapter IX 76

"He stopped in amazement, and no wonder" 77

TAILPIECE: THE GIANT'S CASTLE 81

INITIAL: Chapter X 82

PRINCE VANCE ON THE GIANT'S HAND 83

"'I should not wonder, now,' she said, 'if my husband would
give these things to me; they are too small to be of
any use except as seasoning'" 90

INITIAL: Chapter XI 93

INITIAL: Chapter XII 97

"'There!' she exclaimed, as she held it toward him, 'there
it is; and good enough eating for a royal prince'" 99

"'But,' asked the Prince, 'does nobody know anything? Has
nobody any sense?'" 101

TAILPIECE: "'Why don't you catch me?'" 104

INITIAL: Chapter XIII 105

"Now that at last he was standing still, the Prince
perceived his nose was of a most peculiar and curious
fashion" 107

"'Simply a sort of slow-match; grows in the daytime as much
as it burns away at night'" 110

INITIAL: Chapter XIV 112

At the Funny Man's Table 113

INITIAL: Chapter XV 118

"The monkey, looking up, wiped its eyes upon a small lace
handkerchief, which was already quite damp enough" 121

TAILPIECE: "At this the monkey wept so violently" 125

INITIAL: Chapter XVI 126

"He was a good-natured-looking old man; but his head, body,
arms, and legs, even his features, were twisted" 127

INITIAL: Chapter XVII 130

"The Prince took the spade and began to dig, though not
very hopefully" 134

THE WIZARD MAKING A CAT'S-CRADLE 137

INITIAL: Chapter XVIII 140

"'Don't quibble!' retorted the cat, sharply" 143

INITIAL: Chapter XIX 146

"As the last stroke of twelve ceased, out stepped the Fairy
Copetta" 148

PRINCE VANCE.