deven367/babylm-100M-cbt · Datasets at Hugging Face

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I beg your pardon , I never noticed ; I 'm sure I am very sorry , '' cried the prince , who , never having been in love himself , never thought of other people .
And he tried to take Molinda 's hand , but she snatched it from him and ran away through the garden to the palace , leaving Prince Prigio to feel foolish , for once , and ashamed .
As for Lady Kathleena , she swept past him like a queen , without a word .
So the prince , for all his cleverness , was not happy .
After several days had gone by , the king returned from the solitary place where he had been speaking his mind .
He now felt calmer and better ; and so at last he came back to the palace .
But on seeing Prince Prigio , who was lolling in a hammock , translating Egyptian hieroglyphs into French poetry for his mother , the king broke out afresh , and made use of the most cruel and impolite expressions .
At last , he gave orders that all the Court should pack up and move to a distant city ; and that Prince Prigio should be left alone in the palace by himself .
For he was quite unendurable , the king said , and he could not trust his own temper when he thought of him .
And he grew so fierce , that even the queen was afraid of him now .
The poor queen cried a good deal ; Prigio being her favourite son , on account of his acknowledged ability and talent .
But the rest of the courtiers were delighted at leaving Prince Prigio behind .
For his part , he , very good-naturedly , showed them the best and shortest road to Falkenstein , the city where they were going ; and easily proved that neither the chief secretary for geography , nor the general of the army , knew anything about the matter -- which , indeed , they did not .
The ungrateful courtiers left Prigio with hoots and yells , for they disliked him so much that they forgot he would be king one day .
He therefore reminded them of this little fact in future history , which made them feel uncomfortable enough , and then lay down in his hammock and went to sleep .
When he wakened , the air was cold and the day was beginning to grow dark .
Prince Prigio thought he would go down and dine at a tavern in the town , for no servants had been left with him .
But what was his annoyance when he found that his boots , his sword , his cap , his cloak -- all his clothes , in fact , except those he wore , -- had been taken away by the courtiers , merely to spite him !
His wardrobe had been ransacked , and everything that had not been carried off had been cut up , burned , and destroyed .
Never was such a spectacle of wicked mischief .
It was as if hay had been made of everything he possessed .
What was worse , he had not a penny in his pocket to buy new things ; and his father had stopped his allowance of fifty thousand pounds a month .
Can you imagine anything more cruel and unjust than this conduct ?
for it was not the prince 's fault that he was so clever .
The cruel fairy had made him so .
But , even if the prince had been born clever -LRB- as may have happened to you -RRB- , was he to be blamed for that ?
The other people were just as much in fault for being born so stupid ; but the world , my dear children , can never be induced to remember this .
If you are clever , you will find it best not to let people know it -- if you want them to like you .
Well , here was the prince in a pretty plight .
Not a pound in his pocket , not a pair of boots to wear , not even a cap to cover his head from the rain ; nothing but cold meat to eat , and never a servant to answer the bell .
CHAPTER V. What Prince Prigio found in the Garret .
The prince walked from room to room of the palace ; but , unless he wrapped himself up in a curtain , there was nothing for him to wear when he went out in the rain .
At last he climbed up a turret-stair in the very oldest part of the castle , where he had never been before ; and at the very top was a little round room , a kind of garret .
The prince pushed in the door with some difficulty -- not that it was locked , but the handle was rusty , and the wood had swollen with the damp .
The room was very dark ; only the last grey light of the rainy evening came through a slit of a window , one of those narrow windows that they used to fire arrows out of in old times .
But in the dusk the prince saw a heap of all sorts of things lying on the floor and on the table .
There were two caps ; he put one on -- an old , grey , ugly cap it was , made of felt .
There was a pair of boots ; and he kicked off his slippers , and got into them .
They were a good deal worn , but fitted as if they had been made for him .
On the table was a purse with just three gold coins -- old ones , too -- in it ; and this , as you may fancy , the prince was very well pleased to put in his pocket .
A sword , with a sword-belt , he buckled about his waist ; and the rest of the articles , a regular collection of odds and ends , he left just where they were lying .
Then he ran downstairs , and walked out of the hall door .
CHAPTER VI .
What Happened to Prince Prigio in Town .
By this time the prince was very hungry .
The town was just three miles off ; but he had such a royal appetite , that he did not like to waste it on bad cookery , and the people of the royal town were bad cooks .
`` I wish I were in ` The Bear , ' at Gluckstein , '' said he to himself ; for he remembered that there was a very good cook there .
But , then , the town was twenty-one leagues away -- sixty-three long miles !
No sooner had the prince said this , and taken just three steps , than he found himself at the door of the `` Bear Inn '' at Gluckstein !
`` This is the most extraordinary dream , '' said he to himself ; for he was far too clever , of course , to believe in seven-league boots .
Yet he had a pair on at that very moment , and it was they which had carried him in three strides from the palace to Gluckstein !
The truth is , that the prince , in looking about the palace for clothes , had found his way into that very old lumber-room where the magical gifts of the fairies had been thrown by his clever mother , who did not believe in them .
But this , of course , the prince did not know .
Now you should be told that seven-league boots only take those prodigious steps when you say you want to go a long distance .
Otherwise they would be very inconvenient -- when you only want to cross the room , for example .
Perhaps this has not been explained to you by your governess ?
Well , the prince walked into `` The Bear , '' and it seemed odd to him that nobody took any notice of him .
And yet his face was as well known as that of any man in Pantouflia , for everybody had seen it , at least in pictures .
He was so puzzled by not being attended to as usual , that he quite forgot to take off his cap .
He sat down at the table , however , and shouted '' Kellner ! ''
at which all the waiters jumped , and looked round in every direction , but nobody came to him .
At first he thought they were too busy , but presently another explanation occurred to him .
-LCB- The waiters : p38.jpg -RCB- `` The king , '' he said to himself , `` has threatened to execute anybody who speaks to me , or helps me in any way .
Well , I do n't mean to starve in the midst of plenty , anyhow ; here goes ! ''
The prince rose , and went to the table in the midst of the room , where a huge roast turkey had just been placed .
He helped himself to half the breast , some sausages , chestnut stuffing , bread sauce , potatoes , and a bottle of red wine -- Burgundy .
He then went back to a table in a corner , where he dined very well , nobody taking any notice of him .
When he had finished , he sat watching the other people dining , and smoking his cigarette .
As he was sitting thus , a very tall man , an officer in the uniform of the Guards , came in , and , walking straight to the prince 's table , said : `` Kellner , clean this table , and bring in the bill of fare . ''
With these words , the officer sat down suddenly in the prince 's lap , as if he did not see him at all .
He was a heavy man , and the prince , enraged at the insult , pushed him away and jumped to his feet .
As he did so , his cap dropped off .
The officer fell on his knees at once , crying : `` Pardon , my prince , pardon !
I never saw you ! ''
This was more than the prince could be expected to believe .
`` Nonsense !
Count Frederick von Matterhorn , '' he said ; `` you must be intoxicated .
Sir !
you have insulted your prince and your superior officer .
Consider yourself under arrest !
You shall be sent to a prison to-morrow . ''
On this , the poor officer appealed piteously to everybody in the tavern .
They all declared that they had not seen the prince , nor even had an idea that he was doing them the honour of being in the neighbourhood of their town .
More and more offended , and convinced that there was a conspiracy to annoy and insult him , the prince shouted for the landlord , called for his bill , threw down his three pieces of gold without asking for change , and went into the street .
`` It is a disgraceful conspiracy , '' he said .
`` The king shall answer for this !
I shall write to the newspapers at once ! ''
He was not put in a better temper by the way in which people hustled him in the street .
They ran against him exactly as if they did not see him , and then staggered back in the greatest surprise , looking in every direction for the person they had jostled .
In one of these encounters , the prince pushed so hard against a poor old beggar woman that she fell down .
As he was usually most kind and polite , he pulled off his cap to beg her pardon , when , behold , the beggar woman gave one dreadful scream , and fainted !
A crowd was collecting , and the prince , forgetting that he had thrown down all his money in the tavern , pulled out his purse .
Then he remembered what he had done , and expected to find it empty ; but , lo , there were three pieces of gold in it !
Overcome with surprise , he thrust the money into the woman 's hand , and put on his cap again .
In a moment the crowd , which had been staring at him , rushed away in every direction , with cries of terror , declaring that there was a magician in the town , and a fellow who could appear and disappear at pleasure !
-LCB- The crowd running : p42.jpg -RCB- By this time , you or I , or anyone who was not so extremely clever as Prince Prigio , would have understood what was the matter .
He had put on , without knowing it , not only the seven-league boots , but the cap of darkness , and had taken Fortunatus 's purse , which could never be empty , however often you took all the money out .
All those and many other delightful wares the fairies had given him at his christening , and the prince had found them in the dark garret .
But the prince was so extremely wise , and learned , and scientific , that he did not believe in fairies , nor in fairy gifts .
`` It is indigestion , '' he said to himself : `` those sausages were not of the best ; and that Burgundy was extremely strong .

I beg your pardon , I never noticed ; I 'm sure I am very sorry , '' cried the prince , who , never having been in love himself , never thought of other people .

And he tried to take Molinda 's hand , but she snatched it from him and ran away through the garden to the palace , leaving Prince Prigio to feel foolish , for once , and ashamed .

As for Lady Kathleena , she swept past him like a queen , without a word .

So the prince , for all his cleverness , was not happy .

After several days had gone by , the king returned from the solitary place where he had been speaking his mind .

He now felt calmer and better ; and so at last he came back to the palace .

But on seeing Prince Prigio , who was lolling in a hammock , translating Egyptian hieroglyphs into French poetry for his mother , the king broke out afresh , and made use of the most cruel and impolite expressions .

At last , he gave orders that all the Court should pack up and move to a distant city ; and that Prince Prigio should be left alone in the palace by himself .

For he was quite unendurable , the king said , and he could not trust his own temper when he thought of him .

And he grew so fierce , that even the queen was afraid of him now .

The poor queen cried a good deal ; Prigio being her favourite son , on account of his acknowledged ability and talent .

But the rest of the courtiers were delighted at leaving Prince Prigio behind .

For his part , he , very good-naturedly , showed them the best and shortest road to Falkenstein , the city where they were going ; and easily proved that neither the chief secretary for geography , nor the general of the army , knew anything about the matter -- which , indeed , they did not .

The ungrateful courtiers left Prigio with hoots and yells , for they disliked him so much that they forgot he would be king one day .

He therefore reminded them of this little fact in future history , which made them feel uncomfortable enough , and then lay down in his hammock and went to sleep .

When he wakened , the air was cold and the day was beginning to grow dark .

Prince Prigio thought he would go down and dine at a tavern in the town , for no servants had been left with him .

But what was his annoyance when he found that his boots , his sword , his cap , his cloak -- all his clothes , in fact , except those he wore , -- had been taken away by the courtiers , merely to spite him !

His wardrobe had been ransacked , and everything that had not been carried off had been cut up , burned , and destroyed .

Never was such a spectacle of wicked mischief .

It was as if hay had been made of everything he possessed .

What was worse , he had not a penny in his pocket to buy new things ; and his father had stopped his allowance of fifty thousand pounds a month .

Can you imagine anything more cruel and unjust than this conduct ?

for it was not the prince 's fault that he was so clever .

The cruel fairy had made him so .

But , even if the prince had been born clever -LRB- as may have happened to you -RRB- , was he to be blamed for that ?

The other people were just as much in fault for being born so stupid ; but the world , my dear children , can never be induced to remember this .

If you are clever , you will find it best not to let people know it -- if you want them to like you .

Well , here was the prince in a pretty plight .

Not a pound in his pocket , not a pair of boots to wear , not even a cap to cover his head from the rain ; nothing but cold meat to eat , and never a servant to answer the bell .

CHAPTER V. What Prince Prigio found in the Garret .

The prince walked from room to room of the palace ; but , unless he wrapped himself up in a curtain , there was nothing for him to wear when he went out in the rain .

At last he climbed up a turret-stair in the very oldest part of the castle , where he had never been before ; and at the very top was a little round room , a kind of garret .

The prince pushed in the door with some difficulty -- not that it was locked , but the handle was rusty , and the wood had swollen with the damp .

The room was very dark ; only the last grey light of the rainy evening came through a slit of a window , one of those narrow windows that they used to fire arrows out of in old times .

But in the dusk the prince saw a heap of all sorts of things lying on the floor and on the table .

There were two caps ; he put one on -- an old , grey , ugly cap it was , made of felt .

There was a pair of boots ; and he kicked off his slippers , and got into them .

They were a good deal worn , but fitted as if they had been made for him .

On the table was a purse with just three gold coins -- old ones , too -- in it ; and this , as you may fancy , the prince was very well pleased to put in his pocket .

A sword , with a sword-belt , he buckled about his waist ; and the rest of the articles , a regular collection of odds and ends , he left just where they were lying .

Then he ran downstairs , and walked out of the hall door .

CHAPTER VI .

What Happened to Prince Prigio in Town .

By this time the prince was very hungry .

The town was just three miles off ; but he had such a royal appetite , that he did not like to waste it on bad cookery , and the people of the royal town were bad cooks .

`` I wish I were in ` The Bear , ' at Gluckstein , '' said he to himself ; for he remembered that there was a very good cook there .

But , then , the town was twenty-one leagues away -- sixty-three long miles !

No sooner had the prince said this , and taken just three steps , than he found himself at the door of the `` Bear Inn '' at Gluckstein !

`` This is the most extraordinary dream , '' said he to himself ; for he was far too clever , of course , to believe in seven-league boots .

Yet he had a pair on at that very moment , and it was they which had carried him in three strides from the palace to Gluckstein !

The truth is , that the prince , in looking about the palace for clothes , had found his way into that very old lumber-room where the magical gifts of the fairies had been thrown by his clever mother , who did not believe in them .

But this , of course , the prince did not know .

Now you should be told that seven-league boots only take those prodigious steps when you say you want to go a long distance .

Otherwise they would be very inconvenient -- when you only want to cross the room , for example .

Perhaps this has not been explained to you by your governess ?

Well , the prince walked into `` The Bear , '' and it seemed odd to him that nobody took any notice of him .

And yet his face was as well known as that of any man in Pantouflia , for everybody had seen it , at least in pictures .

He was so puzzled by not being attended to as usual , that he quite forgot to take off his cap .

He sat down at the table , however , and shouted '' Kellner ! ''

at which all the waiters jumped , and looked round in every direction , but nobody came to him .

At first he thought they were too busy , but presently another explanation occurred to him .

-LCB- The waiters : p38.jpg -RCB- `` The king , '' he said to himself , `` has threatened to execute anybody who speaks to me , or helps me in any way .

Well , I do n't mean to starve in the midst of plenty , anyhow ; here goes ! ''

The prince rose , and went to the table in the midst of the room , where a huge roast turkey had just been placed .

He helped himself to half the breast , some sausages , chestnut stuffing , bread sauce , potatoes , and a bottle of red wine -- Burgundy .

He then went back to a table in a corner , where he dined very well , nobody taking any notice of him .

When he had finished , he sat watching the other people dining , and smoking his cigarette .

As he was sitting thus , a very tall man , an officer in the uniform of the Guards , came in , and , walking straight to the prince 's table , said : `` Kellner , clean this table , and bring in the bill of fare . ''

With these words , the officer sat down suddenly in the prince 's lap , as if he did not see him at all .

He was a heavy man , and the prince , enraged at the insult , pushed him away and jumped to his feet .

As he did so , his cap dropped off .

The officer fell on his knees at once , crying : `` Pardon , my prince , pardon !

I never saw you ! ''

This was more than the prince could be expected to believe .

`` Nonsense !

Count Frederick von Matterhorn , '' he said ; `` you must be intoxicated .

Sir !

you have insulted your prince and your superior officer .

Consider yourself under arrest !

You shall be sent to a prison to-morrow . ''

On this , the poor officer appealed piteously to everybody in the tavern .

They all declared that they had not seen the prince , nor even had an idea that he was doing them the honour of being in the neighbourhood of their town .

More and more offended , and convinced that there was a conspiracy to annoy and insult him , the prince shouted for the landlord , called for his bill , threw down his three pieces of gold without asking for change , and went into the street .

`` It is a disgraceful conspiracy , '' he said .

`` The king shall answer for this !

I shall write to the newspapers at once ! ''

He was not put in a better temper by the way in which people hustled him in the street .

They ran against him exactly as if they did not see him , and then staggered back in the greatest surprise , looking in every direction for the person they had jostled .

In one of these encounters , the prince pushed so hard against a poor old beggar woman that she fell down .

As he was usually most kind and polite , he pulled off his cap to beg her pardon , when , behold , the beggar woman gave one dreadful scream , and fainted !

A crowd was collecting , and the prince , forgetting that he had thrown down all his money in the tavern , pulled out his purse .

Then he remembered what he had done , and expected to find it empty ; but , lo , there were three pieces of gold in it !

Overcome with surprise , he thrust the money into the woman 's hand , and put on his cap again .

In a moment the crowd , which had been staring at him , rushed away in every direction , with cries of terror , declaring that there was a magician in the town , and a fellow who could appear and disappear at pleasure !

-LCB- The crowd running : p42.jpg -RCB- By this time , you or I , or anyone who was not so extremely clever as Prince Prigio , would have understood what was the matter .

He had put on , without knowing it , not only the seven-league boots , but the cap of darkness , and had taken Fortunatus 's purse , which could never be empty , however often you took all the money out .

All those and many other delightful wares the fairies had given him at his christening , and the prince had found them in the dark garret .

But the prince was so extremely wise , and learned , and scientific , that he did not believe in fairies , nor in fairy gifts .

`` It is indigestion , '' he said to himself : `` those sausages were not of the best ; and that Burgundy was extremely strong .