| to see him. This plan pleased the old man; and before many days the Mikado gave orders for a hunting party and set out for the mountains. On reaching the house of Taketori, he suddenly entered, without being announced, and saw, that it was filled with a soft radiance, and there,-sure enough,-was the most entrancingly lovely being he had ever seen, even in his dreams. Knowing that this must be the princess, he caught her by her flowing sleeve as she fled into the inner room; she turned away her head and hid her face in her other sleeve, but not until he had caught one glimpse of a face so purely lovely that it would haunt him for evermore. The Mikado declared that he would not let her go, she must return with him to the palace, but the princess replied, that as she was not |
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an earth-born maiden, it was impossible to comply with his wishes; whereupon the Mikado threw his arm around her waist, intending to carry her off bodily, when,-wonderful to relate,-she faded away from his sight; and he was convinced, that she was no human being but only a beautiful fairy. He begged her to come back that he might see her once more before returning to the palace, and the princess appeared again, filling the room with rosy light. Taking a long farewell look he went out, bitterly disappointed that the princess was lost to him, but yet so glad that she had not vanished forever from the earth, taht he knighted old Taketori on the spot and gave him command of the one hundred men who accompanied him.
Sadly the Mikado returned to the now |
