All his limbs seemed to draw together , and his body to become very short and round ; his head grew quite tiny , and instead of his white skin he was covered with the richest , softest velvet . Better than all , he had two lovely gauze wings which carried him the whole day without getting tired . Late in the afternoon the boy fancied he saw a vast heap of stones a long way off , and he flew straight towards it . But when he reached the gates he saw that it was really a great town , so he wished himself back in his own shape and entered the city . He found the palace doors wide open and went boldly into a sort of hall which was full of people , and where men and maids were gossiping together . He joined their talk and soon learned from them that the king had only one daughter who had such a hatred to men that she would never suffer one to enter her presence . Her father was in despair , and had had pictures painted of the handsomest princes of all the courts in the world , in the hope that she might fall in love with one of them ; but it was no use ; the princess would not even allow the pictures to be brought into her room . ` It is late , ' remarked one of the women at last ; ' I must go to my mistress . ' And , turning to one of the lackeys , she bade him find a bed for the youth . ` It is not necessary , ' answered the prince , ` this bench is good enough for me . I am used to nothing better . ' And when the hall was empty he lay down for a few minutes . But as soon as everything was quiet in the palace he took out the hair and wished himself a bee , and in this shape he flew upstairs , past the guards , and through the keyhole into the princess 's chamber . Then he turned himself into a man again . At this dreadful sight the princess , who was broad awake , began to scream loudly . ' A man ! a man ! ' cried she ; but when the guards rushed in there was only a bumble-bee buzzing about the room . They looked under the bed , and behind the curtains , and into the cupboards , then came to the conclusion that the princess had had a bad dream , and bowed themselves out . The door had scarcely closed on them than the bee disappeared , and a handsome youth stood in his place . '
I knew a man was hidden somewhere , ' cried the princess , and screamed more loudly XXXXX before .
At from into off past than that through to towards