The Biter Bit, part 2 · page 21 2101The Magician himself was not a little astonished at its beauty, and could hardly believe his eyes.102‘Well, you certainly are a splendid workman,’ he said to the Prince.103‘I see you are very clever with your hands, now I must see if you are equally accomplished with your head.104I have thirty daughters in my house, all beautiful princesses.105To-morrow I will place the whole thirty in a row.106You must walk past them three times, and the third time you must show me which is my youngest daughter Hyacinthia.107If you don’t guess rightly, you shall lose your head.’108‘This time you’ve made a mistake,’ thought Prince Milan, and going to his room he sat down at the window.109Just fancy my not recognising the beautiful Hyacinthia!110Why, that is the easiest thing in the world.’111‘Not so easy as you think,’ cried the little bee, who was flying past.112‘If I weren’t to help you, you’d never guess.113We are thirty sisters so exactly alike that our own father can hardly distinguish us apart.’114‘Then what am I to do?’ asked Prince Milan.115‘Listen,’ answered Hyacinthia.116‘You will recognise me by a tiny fly I shall have on my left cheek, but be careful for you might easily make a mistake.’117The next day the Magician again commanded Prince Milan to be led before him.118His daughters were all arranged in a straight row in front of him, dressed exactly alike, and with their eyes bent on the ground.119‘Now, you genius,’ said the Magician, ‘look at these beauties three times, and then tell us which is the Princess Hyacinthia.’120Prince Milan went past them and looked at them closely.121But they were all so precisely alike that they looked like one face reflected in thirty mirrors, and the fly was nowhere to be seen; the second time he passed them he still saw nothing; but the third time he perceived a little fly stealing down one cheek, causing it to blush a faint pink.122Then the Prince seized the girl’s hand and cried out, ‘This is the Princess Hyacinthia!’1 2← previousThe Biter Bit, part 1next →The Biter Bit, part 3↑ back to The Green Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/27/page/2/