what I tell you," replied the old woman,
pettishly. "Nine months after the
hatchment, as you elegantly phrase it, you will
give birth to a son."

"Likewise ridicu—extremely small?"
asked the queen.

"No, no, of the average size," answered
the old woman; "and what is more, when
this son is born, that extremely small child
will be of the average size also. You will
therefore take the latter out of the basket
and place it in the cradle with the young
prince, informing your royal husband that
you have given birth to twins—a son and a
daughter."

"Then the extremely small child will be
female?" asked the queen.

"I thought I had said as much by
implication," observed the old woman, with a
shrug. "Please hear me out. You yourself
will act as nurse to the boy—"

"My own child," interposed the queen.

"Of course; but for the girl you must
engage another person. And mind, when
the christening of the two children is about
to take place, you will invite me to stand
as the little girl's godmother."

"Your address?" said the queen,
suggestively.

"Oh, you don't require an address,"
said the old woman. " All you have to do
is to search the basket, at the bottom of
which, underneath the wool, you will find
a small feathery substance."

"What one might call a fluff?" suggested
the queen.

"Yes—true—perhaps one might," was
the reply. " Well, you will just blow this—
ahem—fluff out of the window, and you will
consider not only that I am invited, but
also that I have accepted the invitation.
Mind, not a word of what has passed to
any living soul."

Without waiting for an answer, the old
woman hobbled off, and before she had
gone many steps, changed into a young
woman, who trod the ground so lightly,
that she seemed rather to fly than to walk.
Was the apparition a mere dream? Certainly
not. Though the old-young woman
was gone, the tiny basket still remained in
the hand of the queen, who took it home,
folded it in a silk kerchief, and placed it in
her bosom, feeling happier than she had
felt for many a long day.

Just before a fortnight had elapsed the
king came back with the glad tidings that
he had thoroughly routed the enemy; and
this accurate fulfilment of the old woman's
first prediction increased the queen's confidence
in the second. A little gold case
was made, which preserved the precious
egg from even the possibility of danger;
and in three months the miniature child
was duly hatched, arid put in the basket of
wool to grow. A few months afterwards
the son made his appearance, and the
hatched child having thriven according to
expectation, and being placed in the boy's
cradle, the little fiction about the twins
was accepted without hesitation, and the
joy, not only of the court, but likewise of
the land, was universal. When the day
appointed for the christening arrived, the
"fluff" was blown out of the window, and
was answered by the appearance of a
wonderfully fine chariot, drawn by six
horses, yellow as the yolk of an egg, from
which stepped a young lady, whose
brilliant attire dazzled all beholders, and
whose face, when she withdrew her veil,
proved even more dazzling than her attire.
In the arms of this glittering visitor the
baby-girl was conveyed to the font, and at
the request of her godmother was
christened "Yolka"—a name which sounded
odd to all except the queen; but she,
remembering the egg, divined its hidden
significance. An ordinary noble was the
godfather of the boy, who received the ordinary
name, William.

When the ceremony was over the
sparkling godmother took an opportunity
to whisper some good advice into the ear
of the queen, enjoining her always to
let the tiny basket lie by Yolka's side in
the cradle, adding that as soon as the
child was able to understand anything,
the importance of always preserving this
apparently insignificant treasure was to
be deeply impressed on her mind. The
sparkling godmother then took her leave,
and those of the august assembly who
ventured to inquire who she was, were
quietly informed by the queen that she was
a princess of her acquaintance, who lived
a long way off; and that explanation was
found, in every respect, satisfactory.

The two children throve wonderfully,
Yolka growing so exceedingly pretty, that,
in the opinion of some wiseacres, she
promised to be the very image of her god-
mother. Nay, the nurse told the queen,
that sometimes at midnight a beautiful
lady would unaccountably make her
appearance, and look lovingly on the sleeping
child, a piece of information which the
queen gratefully received, at the same time
delicately hinting that it had better not be
carried further.