“But I must go back for the Pearl Princess,” he declared. And although the Thoughtful Snail grumbled that he had not come to get any sort of princess, Silverboy would not think of going without her. He took her by the hand and led her out; and when the Thoughtful Snail and the Friendly Glowworm saw how beautiful she was, they were glad, indeed, that she had not been left in the den to be devoured by the Slippery Spider. Down the little lane they all went, and at every step Silverboy and the Pearl Princess grew larger, until when they were near the opening, they had to crouch and creep to get through it at all. Silverboy was so glad to find himself growing taller again that he did not care a straw for that, and he only laughed when the briers tore his hands and his face as he tried his best to keep their sharp points from the Pearl Princess. At last they were out of the lane, and the Thoughtful Snail cried:-- “Come, Silverboy, come. Don’t wait. The Slippery Spider may be here at any moment”; for he had forgotten that Silverboy was large enough now to kill a hundred Slippery Spiders. But Silverboy stood gazing into the face of the Pearl Princess as if he was bewitched. “I never, never saw any one so beautiful,” he cried. “Dear Pearl Princess, I’m a man now. Won’t you marry me?” “Yes,” replied the Pearl Princess, “I will; that is,” she added, “I will, if you will promise never to tell any one that once I was smaller than a spider.” Silverboy was now a tall young man. He led the Pearl Princess with one hand and carried the Thoughtful Snail and the Friendly Glowworm in the other, and they all went across fields and meadows and brooks, through forests and forests, and up the highest of all mountains to the Wonder Palace of the Moon Lady. Then there was rejoicing that _was_ rejoicing from the very bottom of the palace to the top. The candy room threw its door open and begged to be eaten. The toys set to playing all of their own accord. The brooks ran faster than brooks ever ran before and made prettier little dimples and ripples than any other brooks ever made. The ponies began to trot and prance and canter. The gardens became more beautiful than any one ever dreamed that even a garden could be. The Moon King and Silvergirl were married, and Silverboy and the Pearl Princess were married, and the Thoughtful Snail and the Friendly Glowworm danced at the weddings. The air was full of all the music that ever was in all the world; but from another mountain a sound came across the valley, and up, up, to the Wonder Palace, that was not music, but a most mournful sighing. When the Moon Lady heard it, her face grew pink, and she turned away and looked out of the window on the farther side of the palace. “Heigh, there!” cried the Moon King. “Who is that sighing on the night of my wedding? Find him and give him whatever he wants. Do you know him, sister? What does he want?” “I think it must be that he wants me,” replied the Moon Lady demurely.