The Prince after one glance at it turned away with a disdainful air , which greatly offended his father . ` Am I to understand that you are not pleased ? ' he said very sharply . ` No , sire , ' replied the Prince . ` How could I be pleased to marry an ugly , lame Princess ? ' ` Certainly it is becoming in YOU to object to that , ' said King Grumpy , ` since you are ugly enough to frighten anyone yourself . ' ` That is the very reason , ' said the Prince , ` that I wish to marry someone who is not ugly . I am quite tired enough of seeing myself . ' ' I tell you that you shall marry her , ' cried King Grumpy angrily . And the Prince , seeing that it was of no use to remonstrate , bowed and retired . As King Grumpy was not used to being contradicted in anything , he was very much displeased with his son , and ordered that he should be imprisoned in the tower that was kept on purpose for rebellious Princes , but had not been used for about two hundred years , because there had not been any . The Prince thought all the rooms looked strangely old-fashioned , with their antique furniture , but as there was a good library he was pleased , for he was very fond of reading , and he soon got permission to have as many books as he liked . But when he looked at them he found that they were written in a forgotten language , and he could not understand a single word , though he amused himself with trying . King Grumpy was so convinced that Prince Curlicue would soon get tired of being in prison , and so consent to marry the Princess Cabbage-Stalk , that he sent ambassadors to her father proposing that she should come and be married to his son , who would make her perfectly happy . The King was delighted to receive so good an offer for his unlucky daughter , though , to tell the truth , he found it impossible to admire the Prince 's portrait which had been sent to him . However , he had it placed in as favourable a light as possible , and sent for the Princess , but the moment she caught sight of it she looked the other way and began to cry . The King , who was very much annoyed to see how greatly she disliked it , took a mirror , and holding it up before the unhappy Princess , said : ' I see you do not think the Prince handsome , but look at yourself , and see if you have any right to complain about that . ' ` Sire , ' she answered , ' I do not wish to complain , only I beg of you do not make me marry at all . I had rather be the unhappy Princess Cabbage-Stalk all my life than inflict the sight of my ugliness on anyone else . ' But the King would not listen to her , and sent her away with the ambassadors .
In the meantime the Prince was kept safely locked up in his tower , and , that he might be as dull XXXXX possible , King Grumpy ordered that no one should speak to him , and that they should give him next to nothing to eat .
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