"Just so," said the white lady. "My story threads need gentle handling, and sometimes people seize them roughly and tear and soil them, and then of course they are no longer pretty. But listen now. What will you have? The first in the wheel is a very, very old fairy story. I span it for your great-great-grandmothers; shall I spin it again for you?" "Oh, please," said both children at once. "Then sit down on the floor and lean your heads against my knees," said the lady. "Shut your eyes and listen. That is all you have to do. Never mind the cats, they will be quite quiet." [Illustration: STORY SPINNING.--p. 141.] Hugh and Jeanne did as she told them. They leaned their heads, the smooth black one of the little girl, the fair-haired curly one of the boy, on the lady's white robe. You can hardly imagine how soft and pleasant it was to the touch. A half-sleepy feeling came over them; they shut their eyes and did not feel inclined to open them again. But they did not really go to sleep; the fairy lady began to work the wheel, and through the soft whirr came the sound of a voice--whether it was the voice of the lady or of the wheel they could not tell. And this was the old, old story the wheel spun for them. "Listen, children," it began. "We are listening," said Jeanne, rather testily. "You needn't say that again." "Hush, Jeanne," said Hugh; "you'll stop the story if you're not quiet." "Listen, children," said the voice again. And Jeanne was quite quiet. "Once on a time--a very long time ago--in a beautiful castle there lived a beautiful Princess. She was young and sweet and very fair to see. And she was the only child of her parents, who thought nothing too rare or too good for her. At her birth all the fairies had given her valuable gifts--no evil wishes had been breathed over her cradle. Only the fairy who had endowed her with good sense and ready wit had dropped certain words, which had left some anxiety in the minds of her parents. "'She will need my gifts,' the fairy had said. 'If she uses them well, they and these golden balls will stand her in good need. "And as she kissed the baby she left by her pillow three lovely golden balls, at which, as soon as the little creature saw them, she smiled with pleasure, and held out her tiny hands to catch them.