When he saw the beautiful robe cracking in the flames and his bright hopes turning to ashes with it, his heart sank and his cheeks paled, for he, too, had been deceived; and he sadly turned his steps homeward with the poor consolation, that the princess pitied him; for she wrote, that had she known the fur would burn she would not have put it in the fire.		THE DRAGON JEWEL.  Lord Lofty, though a great boaster, was also a great coward and, to escape any danger that might befall himself, he called together all his retainers and told them that whoever brought him the rainbow-jewel, from off the dragon's neck, should have whatever he asked. The men replied, that it was bad enough to be expected to get any kind of jewel, but utterly impossible to obtain one from the neck of a dragon. Hearing this the pompous lord exclaimed, that he had always supposed that vassals were bound to obey their lord even if they lost their lives in doing so; and anyhow he
前頁へ 次頁へ