change, and who had not the least desire to wed another prince!

One day, a certain Prince John from a nearby kingdom came to ask for Princess Gay's hand. This Prince John was very strong and very handsome and came from a very rich kingdom; consequently, he was also very confident and very vain, almost unbearable. When he escorted Princess Gay to the royal garden (the traditional place for young people to court and fall in love,) he wasted no time, but thinking he saw a note of interest in her eyes and feeling very sure of his ground, he immediately pulled her to him as if to kiss her. His nearness was nauseating to Gay, and without thinking, she pushed him away fiercely, some how landing him in the royal lily pond. Each apologized later, but Gay wasn't really sorry. After all!

After the episode with Prince John, Princess Gay made it obvious that she wasn't to be won by any amount of courting. The King and Queen, who could be every bit as stubborn as she, decided to stage a Grand Ball and invite sovereigns from all over, with the object that Princess Gay should choose one of their royal guests as her fiance. They gavo her a severe lecture, telling her that if she did not make her own choice on the night of the Ball, then they would have to choose for her. (They favored Prince John.) In any event, she was definitely to be married within six months.

On the night of the Grand Ball, Princess Gay was very distraught indeed. Her royal entrance was barely announced, when she stomped out to the garden, shoulders drooping and face pouting. And she was still sitting in that attitude when a soft voice asked "May I sit here?" Gay looked up, startled, and behold the most unbelievably lovely girl standing before her.

"I'm Princess Marguerite of Wonderland, which is right next to your kingdom. I saw you come out here looking s0 unhappy that I just had to see if I couldn't cheer you up," the stranger said as she seated herself next to Gay.

Princess Gay was extremely shy and reticent at first, expecting the gracious young princess to make fun of her pe-