THE CORN-FLOWER AND THE POPPY 343 
The little Princess was vain, and admired her own 
beauty. She always wore gowns of beautiful red silk. 
They were as soft and as gaily coloured as the petals of 
the gorgeous garden poppies. Every morning the gentle, 
careful little maid combed the Princess’s long dark hair 
with a golden comb. 
At noontime she carried to the Princess a golden plate 
loaded with the finest ripe fruit. She offered her foam- 
ing, creamy milk in a cup of gold. At evening-tide the 
maid robed the Princess in a nightgown of silk, and tucked 
her snugly in the softest and downiest of silken beds. 
When the Princess slept, the little maid drew the silken 
curtains of the bed, and herself slept on a couch close by, 
that she might waken at the Princess's least movement. 
The maid was always gentle, patient, and obedient; and 
her eyes were as true and blue as the petals of the corn- 
flower, and her hair as golden as the stalks of the ripe 
wheat in the field. One day the Princess sat on the wide 
verandah on the shady side of the palace. The little 
maid fanned her with a fan of sweetest-scented grasses. 
Afar in the field the reapers were at work in the harvest. 
“Come,” said the Princess. “Bring my parasol of 
bright red silk, and we will go to the fields and watch 
the harvesters.” 
The little maid bowed so low that you could not see 
the blue of her eyes, but only the gold of her hair and 
the blue of her gown. She hastened to bring the red silk 
parasol; and together they found their way to the harvest 
field. Now, the reapers loved their king and respected 
him. For his sake they loved the wilful little Princess. 
When the Princess and her maid reached the field, the 
workmen stopped their work for a moment and bowed 
respectfully before the two little girls. The Princess 
tossed her dark head saucily, and twirled her red silk 
parasol impatiently. She spoke scornfully to the honest 
workmen, and bade them go about their work. 
But the little maid smiled kindly upon the honest work- 
men. So though it was to the Princess that the work- 
men bowed, it was into the blue eyes of the little maid 
that they looked. It was the flutter of her simple blue 
gown which they caught as they looked back across the 
fields. Now, the Princess was weary from her long walk 
