thE hAPPY PRINCE

    y, on a tall column, stood tatue of the

    hin leaves of fine

    gold, for eyes  sapphires, and a large red ruby

    glowed on .

    ;iful as a

    ; remarked one of town Councillors wo

    gain a reputation for istic tastes; quot;only not quite so

    useful,quot;  people shink him

    unpractical, w.

    quot; you be like t; asked a sensible mother

    of tle boy he happy Prince

    never dreams of crying for anyt;

    quot;I am glad te ;

    muttered a disappointed man as  tatue.

    quot; like an angel,quot; said ty Chey

    came out of t scarlet cloaks and their

    clean we pinafores.

    quot;; said tical Master, quot;you have never

    seen one.quot;

    quot;A he

    Matical Master frowned and looked very severe, for

    approve of children dreaming.

    One nigy a little Swallow.  his friends

    o Egypt six  ayed behind,

    for  beautiful Reed.   her

    early in ter a big

    yellotracted by  t he

    opped to talk to her.

    quot;S; said to come to the

    point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow.  So he flew round

    and round oucer h his wings, and making silver

    ripples.  ts lasted all the

    summer.

    quot;It is a ridiculous attac,quot; ttered t;she

    oo many relationsquot;; and indeed the river was

    quite full of Reeds.  tumn came they all flew

    away.

    After t lonely, and began to tire of his lady-

    love.  quot;Sion,quot; ;and I am afraid t

    ste, for sing ;  And

    certainly, w graceful

    curtseys.  quot;I admit t sic,quot; inued, quot;but I

    love travelling, and my ly, sravelling

    also.quot;

    quot;ill you come a; o  the Reed

    staco her home.

    quot;You rifling ; ;I am off to the

    Pyramids.  Good-bye!quot; and he flew away.

    All day long  nigime  ty.

    quot; up?quot; ;I own has made

    preparations.quot;

    tatue on tall column.

    quot;I  up t; ;it is a fine position, h

    plenty of fres;  So ed just bet of the

    happy Prince.

    quot;I ; ly to himself as he looked

    round, and o go to sleep; but just as ting

    er fell on ; a

    curious t; ;t a single cloud in the sky,

    tars are quite clear and brig it is raining.  the

    climate in the Reed used

    to like t t was merely ;

    ther drop fell.

    quot; is tatue if it cannot keep t; he

    said; quot;I must look for a good c,quot; and ermined to

    fly away.

    But before hird drop fell, and he

    looked up, and saw - A did he see?

    tears, and tears were

    running dohe

    moonlig ttle Sy.

    quot;; he said.

    quot;I am t;

    quot;; asked t;you e

    drenc;

    quot;,quot; ansatue, quot;I

    did not knoears he Palace of Sans-

    Souci, o enter.  In time I

    played he evening I led

    t y

    I never cared to ask , everyt

    me iful.  My courtiers called me the happy Prince, and

    happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness.  So I lived, and so I

    died.  And no I am dead t me up

    I can see all ty, and

    t is made of lead yet I cannot c ;

    quot;! is  solid gold?quot; said to himself.  he was

    too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

    quot;Far a; continued tatue in a lo;far away

    in a little street the windows is

    open, and t I can see a ed at a table.  her face

    is the

    needle, for sress.  She is embroidering passion-

    floin go of the Queens maids-of-

    o  t Court-ball.  In a bed in the corner of

    ttle boy is lying ill.  he has a fever, and is

    asking for oranges.  o give  river

    er, so tle Swallow, will you

    not bring  of my s are fastened

    to tal and I cannot move.quot;

    quot;I am ed for in Egypt,quot; said t;My friends are

    flying up and doalking to tus-

    floo sleep in tomb of t King.

    ted coffin.  he is wrapped in

    yelloh spices.  Round his neck is a chain

    of pale green jade, and ;

    quot;Stle S; said t;

    stay , and be my messenger?  the boy is so

    ty, and t;

    quot;I dont t; ans;Last summer,

    he

    millers sons,  me.  they never

    me, of course; oo , and

    besides, I come of a family famous for its agility; but still, it

    .quot;

    But t ttle Swallow was

    sorry.  quot;It is very cold ; ;but I ay h you

    for one nig;

    quot;ttle S; said the Prince.

    So t t ruby from the Princes sword,

    and fle in own.

    ower, we marble angels

    ured.  he sound of

    dancing.  A beautiful girl came out on th her lover.

    quot;ars are,quot; o ;and how wonderful

    is t;

    quot;I ime for tate-ball,quot; she

    ans;I o be embroidered on it;

    but tresses are so lazy.quot;

    erns o ts

    of tto, and sahe old Jews

    bargaining  money in copper

    scales.  At last o the boy

    ossing feverisher had fallen

    asleep, sired.  In  ruby on

    table beside tly round

    t;how cool I

    feel,quot; said t;I must be getting betterquot;; and o a

    delicious slumber.

    to told

    ;It is curious,quot; ;but I feel quite warm

    no is so cold.quot;

    quot;t is because you ion,quot; said the Prince.

    And ttle So then he fell asleep.

    thinking always made him sleepy.

    o t; a

    remarkable p; said thology as he was

    passing over t;A ser!quot;  And e a

    long letter about it to ted it,

    it  t understand.

    quot;to-nigo Egypt,quot; said the Swallow, and he was in high

    spirits at t.  ed all ts, and

    sat a long time on top of teeple.   the

    Sparroinguished

    stranger!quot; so he enjoyed himself very much.

    o t;have you any

    commissions for Egypt?quot; ;I am just starting.quot;

    quot;Stle S; said t;

    stay  longer?quot;

    quot;I am ed for in Egypt,quot; ans;to-morrow my

    friends o taract.  the river-horse

    couc granite throne

    sits t long cars, and when

    tar sters one cry of joy, and then he is

    silent.  At noon to ters edge to

    drink.  their roar is louder

    taract.

    quot;Stle S; said t;far away

    across ty I see a young man in a garret.  he is leaning over

    a desk covered umbler by here is a

    buncs.  his hair is brown and crisp, and his

    lips are red as a pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy eyes.

    rying to finisor of tre, but

    oo cold to e any more.  te,

    and .quot;

    quot;I   longer,quot; said the Swallow, who

    really .  quot;Sake ;

    quot;Alas!  I ; said t;my eyes are all t

    I .  t

    out of India a t one of take

    it to  to the jeweller, and buy food and

    firewood, and finis;

    quot;Dear Prince,quot; said t;I cannot do tquot;; and he began

    to weep.

    quot;Stle S; said t;do as I

    command you.quot;

    So t to the

    students garret.  It  in, as there was a

    ed, and came into the room.

    t hear

    tter of the

    beautiful sapps.

    quot;I am beginning to be appreciated,quot; ;this is from some

    great admirer.  Now I can finis; and e

    happy.

    t day to t on the

    mast of a large vessel and cs

    out of t;; ted as each

    c came up.  quot;I am going to Egyptquot;! cried t

    nobody minded, and he happy

    Prince.

    quot;I am come to bid you good-bye,quot; he cried.

    quot;Stle S; said t;

    stay  longer?quot;

    quot;It is er,quot; ans;and the chill snow will soon

    be  trees, and the

    crocodiles lie in t them.  My

    companions are building a nest in temple of Baalbec, and the

    pink and co eacher.

    Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I  you, and

    next spring I iful jewels in place of

    than a red

    rose, and t sea.quot;

    quot;In t; said t;tands a

    little matc cter, and

    t

    bring home some money, and she is crying.  She has no shoes or

    stockings, and tle  my other eye,

    and give it to  beat ;

    quot;I ay  longer,quot; said t;but I

    cannot pluck out your eye.  You e blind t;

    quot;Stle S; said t;do as I

    command you.quot;

    So  ted do.

    tco the palm

    of ; a lovely bit of glass,quot; cried ttle girl;

    and she ran home, laughing.

    to t;You are blind no; he

    said, quot;so I ay ;

    quot;No, little S; said t;you must go ao

    Egypt.quot;

    quot;I ay ; said t at

    t.

    All t day  on told him

    stories of w range lands.  old he

    red ibises, he Nile, and

    catche

    self, and lives in t, and knohe

    mercs, wheir camels, and carry

    amber beads in tains of the

    Moon, wal; of

    t green snake t sleeps in a palm-tree, and y

    priests to feed it he pygmies who sail

    over a big lake on large flat leaves, and are al h

    tterflies.

    quot;Dear little S; said t;you tell me of marvellous

    t more marvellous the suffering of men

    and of ery so great as Misery.  Fly over my

    city, little Sell me ;

    So t city, and sahe rich making

    merry in tiful ting at

    tes.  o dark lanes, and sae faces of

    starving c listlessly at treets.

    Under ttle boys were lying in one

    anoto try and keep t;how hungry we

    are!quot; t;You must not lie ; sed tchman,

    and t into the rain.

    told t he had seen.

    quot;I am covered ; said t;you must take it

    off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; think

    t gold can make t;

    Leaf after leaf of till the

    e dull and grey.  Leaf after leaf of the

    fine gold  to the childrens faces grew

    rosier, and treet.  quot;e have

    bread no; they cried.

    ter t.  treets

    looked as if t and

    glistening; long icicles like crystal daggers he

    eaves of t about in furs, and ttle

    boys  caps and skated on the ice.

    ttle S

    leave too well.  he picked up crumbs

    outside t looking and tried

    to keep himself warm by flapping his wings.

    But at last  o die.   strength

    to fly up to t;Good-bye, dear

    Prince!quot; ; me kiss your ;

    quot;I am glad t you are going to Egypt at last, little S;

    said t;you ayed too long  you must kiss

    me on t;

    quot;It is not to Egypt t I am going,quot; said t;I am

    going to ther of Sleep, is he

    not?quot;

    And

    .

    At t moment a curious crack sounded inside tatue, as if

    somet is t t had

    snapped rig certainly was a dreadfully .

    Early t morning the square below in

    company ohe column he

    looked up at tatue:  quot;Dear me! he happy Prince

    looks!quot; he said.

    quot;; cried town Councillors, who always agreed

    up to look at it.

    quot;t of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he is

    golden no longer,quot; said t, quot;ttle beter

    t;

    quot;Little better t; said town Councillors.

    quot;And ually a dead bird at !quot; continued the

    Mayor.  quot;e must really issue a proclamation t birds are not to

    be alloo die ;  And toe of the

    suggestion.

    So tatue of t;As he is no

    longer beautiful ; said t Professor at

    ty.

    ted tatue in a furnace, and the Mayor held a

    meeting of tion to decide o be done he

    metal.  quot;e must atue, of course,quot; ;and it

    satue of myself.quot;

    quot;Of myself,quot; said eacohey

    quarrelled.   ill.

    quot; a strange t; said t the

    foundry.  quot;t  melt in the furnace.  e

    must t a;  So t on a dust-he

    dead Swallow was also lying.

    quot;Bring me t precious ty,quot; said God to

    one of   and

    the dead bird.

    quot;You ly c; said God, quot;for in my garden of Paradise

    ttle bird sy of gold

    t;