As he, too, was seeking his fortune, the Prince took him on in his suite.
The day after that, as the three were going through a wood, they came across a man with such flashing eyes that he could light a conflagration with only one of his glances. Of course, they took him on with them.
After tramping about for three days, they got to the castle where the wonderful Princess lived. Mathias held a council with his friends, and told them of his intentions. Then he changed his gold ducats, pawned his mother's shawl, bought decent clothes for the tramps, and made his entrance into the town with all the pomp and splendour due to his rank.
As he was travelling _incog._, he sent his card--a plain one without crown or coat-of-arms--to the King of the place, announcing that he had come with his followers to spend three nights in his daughter's bedroom.
"Followers not admitted," replied the King.
"All right!" retorted the Prince, ruefully.
The King made him a long speech, terse and pithy, as royal speeches usually are. The Prince, who listened with all attention, tried to yawn without opening his mouth.
"Yawn like a man!" said the King; "I don't mind it, do you?" said he to the prime minister, who had written the speech.
"Well! do you persist in your intention?" asked the King at the end of the speech.
"Then I'll light you up to my daughter's door."
Having reached the landing of the second floor, the King shook hands with the Prince and his followers; he wished them good-night; still, he lingered for a while on the threshold.
Mathias was dazzled with the superhuman beauty of the royal maiden, who was quite a garden in herself, for she was as lithe as a lily, as graceful as a waving bough, with a complexion like jasmines and roses, eyes like forget-me-nots, a mouth like a cherry, breasts like pomegranates, and as sweet a breath as mignonette.
She could not hide the admiration she felt for Mathias, and congratulated him especially on never having written a book.
When the old King heard that Mathias was not an author, he was so sorely troubled that he took up his candle and went off to bed.
No sooner had His Majesty taken himself off than The Big One went and crouched on the threshold of the door; The Long One made himself comfortable on one of the window-sills; The Man with the Flashing Eyes on the other. All three pretended to go off to sleep, but in reality they were all watching the Princess, who was carrying on a lively conversation with Mathias.