Fierce was his anger when he heard his daughter 's tale , and he vowed that he would hide her safely from you , till the day when you would claim her publicly as your queen . ` By and bye I was born , and was brought up by my grandfather in one of his great houses . Here are the rings you gave to my mother , and here is the cross , and these will prove if I am your son or not . ' As he spoke the young man laid the jewels at the feet of the king , and the nobles and the judges pressed round to examine them . The king alone did not move from his seat , for he had forgotten the hall of justice and all about him , and saw only the apple-orchard , as it was twenty years ago , and the beautiful girl playing at ball . A sudden silence round him made him look up , and he found the eyes of the assembly fixed on him . ` It is true ; it is he who is my son , and not the other , ' he said with an effort , ` and let every man present swear to acknowledge him as king , after my death . ' Therefore one by one they all knelt before him and took the oath , and a message was sent to the false prince , forbidding him ever again to appear at court , though a handsome pension was granted him . At last the ceremony was over , and the king , signing to his newly found son to follow him , rose and went into another room . ` Tell me how you knew all that , ' he said , throwing himself into a carved chair filled with crimson cushions , and the prince told of his meeting with the old woman who had brought him the jewels from his mother , and how he had sworn before a priest to marry her , though he did not want to do it , on account of the difference in their ages , and besides , he would rather receive a bride chosen by the king himself . But the king frowned , and answered sharply : ` You swore to marry her if she saved your life , and , come what may , you must fulfil your promise . ' Then , striking a silver shield that hung close by , he said to the equerry who appeared immediately : ` Go and seek the priest who lives near the door of the prison , and ask him where you can find the old woman who visited him last night ; and when you have found her , bring her to the palace . ' It took some time to discover the whereabouts of the old woman , but at length it was accomplished , and when she arrived at the palace with the equerry , she was received with royal honours , as became the bride of the prince . The guards looked at each other with astonished eyes , as the wizened creature , bowed with age , passed between their lines ; but they were more amazed still at the lightness of her step as she skipped up the steps to the great door before which the king was standing , with the prince at his side . If they both felt a shock at the appearance of the aged lady they did not show it , and the king , with a grave bow , took her band , and led her to the chapel , where a bishop was waiting to perform the marriage ceremony . For the next few weeks little was seen of the prince , who spent all his days in hunting , and trying to forget the old wife at home . As for the princess , no one troubled himself about her , and she passed the days alone in her apartments , for she had absolutely declined the services of the ladies-in-waiting whom the king had appointed for her . One night the prince returned after a longer chase than usual , and he was so tired that he went up straight to bed . Suddenly he was awakened by a strange noise in the room , and suspecting that a robber might have stolen in , he jumped out of bed , and seized his sword , which lay ready to his hand . Then he perceived that the noise proceeded from the next room , which belonged to the princess , and was lighted by a burning torch .
Creeping softly to the door , he peeped through it , and beheld her lying quietly , with a crown of gold and pearls upon her head , her wrinkles all gone , and her face , which was whiter than the snow , XXXXX fresh as that of a girl of fourteen .
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