The Queen said she would like to have this wonderful little dog , and the Prince would have been very happy in his new home if he could have forgotten that he was a man and a king . The Queen petted and took care of him , but she was so afraid that he would get too fat that she consulted the court physician , who said that he was to be fed only upon bread , and was not to have much even of that . So poor Prince Darling was terribly hungry all day long , but he was very patient about it . One day , when they gave him his little loaf for breakfast , he thought he would like to eat it out in the garden ; so he took it up in his mouth and trotted away toward a brook that he knew of a long way from the palace . But he was surprised to find that the brook was gone , and where it had been stood a great house that seemed to be built of gold and precious stones . Numbers of people splendidly dressed were going into it , and sounds of music and dancing and feasting could be heard from the windows . But what seemed very strange was that those people who came out of the house were pale and thin , and their clothes were torn , and hanging in rags about them . Some fell down dead as they came out before they had time to get away ; others crawled farther with great difficulty ; while others again lay on the ground , fainting with hunger , and begged a morsel of bread from those who were going into the house , but they would not so much as look at the poor creatures . Prince Darling went up to a young girl who was trying to eat a few blades of grass , she was so hungry . Touched with compassion , he said to himself : `` I am very hungry , but I shall not die of starvation before I get my dinner ; if I give my breakfast to this poor creature perhaps I may save her life . '' So he laid his piece of bread in the girl 's hand , and saw her eat it up eagerly . She soon seemed to be quite well again , and the Prince , delighted to have been able to help her , was thinking of going home to the palace , when he heard a great outcry , and , turning round , saw Celia , who was being carried against her will into the great house . For the first time the Prince regretted that he was no longer the monster , then he would have been able to rescue Celia ; now he could only bark feebly at the people who were carrying her off , and try to follow them , but they chased and kicked him away . He determined not to quit the place till he knew what had become of Celia , and blamed himself for what had befallen her . `` Alas ! '' he said to himself , `` I am furious with the people who are carrying Celia off , but is n't that exactly what I did myself , and if I had not been prevented did I not intend to be still more cruel to her ? '' Here he was interrupted by a noise above his head -- someone was opening a window , and he saw with delight that it was Celia herself , who came forward and threw out a plate of most delicious-looking food , then the window was shut again , and Prince Darling , who had not had anything to eat all day , thought he might as well take the opportunity of getting something . He ran forward to begin , but the young girl to whom he had given his bread gave a cry of terror and took him up in her arms , saying : `` Do n't touch it , my poor little dog -- that house is the palace of pleasure , and everything that comes out of it is poisoned ! '' At the same moment a voice said : `` You see a good action always brings its reward , '' and the Prince found himself changed into a beautiful white dove . He remembered that white was the favorite color of the Fairy Truth , and began to hope that he might at last win back her favor .
But just now his first care was XXXXX Celia , and rising into the air he flew round and round the house , until he saw an open window ; but he searched through every room in vain .
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