For two years everything went smoothly at court , and to king Balancin and his daughter the sun no sooner rose than it seemed time for it to set . Now , the king 's birthday fell in the month of June , and as the weather happened to be unusually fine , he told the princess to celebrate it in any way that pleased her . Diamantina was very fond of being on the river , and she was delighted at this chance of delighting her tastes . She would have a merry-making such as never had been seen before , and in the evening , when they were tired of sailing and rowing , there should be music and dancing , plays and fireworks . At the very end , before the people went home , every poor person should be given a loaf of bread and every girl who was to be married within the year a new dress . The great day appeared to Diamantina to be long in coming , but , like other days , it came at last . Before the sun was fairly up in the heavens the princess , too full of excitement to stay in the palace , was walking about the streets so covered with precious stones that you had to shade your eyes before you could look at her . By-and-by a trumpet sounded , and she hurried home , only to appear again in a few moments walking by the side of her father down to the river . Here a splendid barge was waiting for them , and from it they watched all sorts of races and feats of swimming and diving . When these were over the barge proceeded up the river to the field where the dancing and concerts were to take place , and after the prizes had been given away to the winners , and the loaves and the dresses had been distributed by the princess , they bade farewell to their guests , and turned to step into the barge which was to carry them back to the palace . Then a dreadful thing happened . As the king stepped on board the boat one of the sandals of the white slipper , which had got loose , caught in a nail that was sticking out , and caused the king to stumble . The pain was great , and unconsciously he turned and shook his foot , so that the sandals gave way , and in a moment the precious shoe was in the river . It had all occurred so quickly that nobody had noticed the loss of the slipper , not even the princess , whom the king 's cries speedily brought to his side . ` What is the matter , dear father ? ' asked she . But the king could not tell her ; and only managed to gasp out : ` My shoe ! my shoe ! ' While the sailors stood round staring , thinking that his majesty had suddenly gone mad . Seeing her father 's eyes fixed on the stream , Diamantina looked hastily in that direction .
There , dancing XXXXX the current , was the point of something white , which became more and more distant the longer they watched it .
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