He opened his wings and puffed up every feather. He certainly was a magnificent creature. The grown-up Sea-gulls felt quite ashamed of their homely dresses of black and white; but the young ones only gaped, and crowded open-mouthed to the front to look. The Parrot's snowy coat shaded different colors like opals when he moved, and each feather was edged with gold. The crest upon his head sparkled as if there were diamonds in it, and under his wings he was rose-red. "But I am free!" he cried, as the diamonds glittered and flashed,--"free to go home where the palm-trees grow, and the sun shines as it never shines in this chilly land! Look well at me while you can, for you will never see me again." With that he poised a moment above them, then sailed away to the South, like a gorgeous monster butterfly. And they never did see him again. When they had watched him out of sight, and turned again, there was nothing remaining of the castle, and the Philosopher, too, had disappeared. The sun was setting, and the Mermaids and the Mer-babies went to their homes in the sea, while the Sea-gulls put their little gulls to bed in the nests among the rocks high above the restless waves. * * * Now all the talk was of the Philosopher's Magic Stone, and who should find it. And at court every one was discussing how this unexpected turn of events would affect the Princess's marriage. It was to have taken place in a very short time. The King was very angry. He considered that a slight had been cast upon the Princess and upon himself by the carelessness of the Philosopher. He was not well pleased, either, to know that the great wealth of the man who was to have been his son-in-law was all due to magic influences. Neither did he like what he heard of the Philosopher's appearance when last he was seen. He announced that the Princess's wedding would take place at the time fixed, and that she should be married to the first Prince, or other suitable candidate, who arrived on that day. And even the Philosopher might take his chance of being the first, if he were then in a position to support the Princess in the luxury to which she had been accustomed. [Illustration: "DO YOU THINK THE PHILOSOPHER WILL FIND THE STONE?" SHE ASKED OF THE ELDEST LADY-IN-WAITING.] As for the Princess herself, what did she think of it all? No one knew, for she did not say. She sat at her palace window, and looked out over the distant mountains, and dreamed of her wedding day. "Do you think the Philosopher will find the Stone?" she asked of the Eldest Lady-in-Waiting, who was in attendance. "We may well hope so, your Royal Highness," said the Eldest Lady. "He is a great man and wise. I hear, too, that he had been walking only a short distance from the castle when he lost the Stone. It can hardly fail to be found very soon." The Princess sat still and looked over toward the mountains.