“How beautiful you are,” he murmured. “So is the night,” said the princess, “and you do not tell the night that it is beautiful.” “Your eyes are like stars,” the prince said. “There are real stars above,” said the princess. “You are like no one else!” cried the prince. “At least you need not charge me with that,” said the poor princess. Nor would she dance with him or with anyone else. For she imagined that they did not wish to dance with her, and that her dancing was worse than anyone’s. And as soon as she was able, and long before cock-crow, she slipped away from them all and went to sleep in a handy crocus cup. Now at all this the king and queen were nearly as distressed as the prince, and they were obliged to tell Prince Hesperus the whole story of the christening. When he heard about the uninvited Human Being who had given the baby princess this dreadful present and had kept the key to the bracelet which was its bond, he sprang up and grasped his tiny sword. “I will go out in the world and find this Human Being,” he cried, “and I will bring back the bracelet key.” Without again seeing the princess, Prince Hesperus left the palace and fared forth on his quest. And when she found that he was gone, she was more wretched than ever before. For in her life no one had ever talked to her as he had talked, speaking his inmost fancies, and when she had lost him, she wanted more than ever to talk with him. But the king, who was a very wise fairy, did not tell her where the prince had gone. And now the Princess Romancia did not know what to do with herself. The court was unbearable; all her trivial occupations bored her; and the whole world seemed to have been made different from all other worlds. Worst to endure was the presence of her companions, who all seemed to love and to understand one another, while she only was alone and out of their sympathy. “Oh,” she cried, “if only I had a game or a task to do with somebody or something that didn’t know I am different--that wouldn’t know who I am!” And she thought longingly of the prince’s fancy about the leaf-shadow for a pet which should dance with one all day long. “A leaf-shadow would not know that I am not like everybody else!” the poor princess thought.