The Faery Tales of Weir | Page 2

the clouds seemed caught in the tree-tops, or the
snow flew and made the red roofs white; or whether the sun danced on
the green lawns, for each day ended with a faery tale, and these are the
tales of Weir.

THE TALE OF THE BLUE GLOVE
The King of the South country was not as happy as a king ought to be
whose subjects are both peaceful and industrious. Every night when the
moths were flying and the tall candles were lit in the hall, when the soft
air was musical with the strumming of harps, and the sweet complaint
of violins, he would walk out on the great parapet with one hand under
his chin and his head drooping; then the courtiers would say, "The King
is sad."
If he looked out he could see town after town, like strings of pearls and
corals, with blue smoke coming from the chimneys of red-roofed
houses, and beyond the towns the sea like a green bowl. If he looked
straight down he could see a rush of color, as if the flowers were

coming up to him in billowy waves.
But the King was not happy, for the reason that he wanted to marry his
three sons, and he didn't know of any princesses who would, so to
speak, fill the bill. He had journeyed over the mountains to inspect
several little ladies who were brought to him, in their stiff satin gowns
to make their curtsey and smile their prettiest, but none of them seemed
desirable for a daughter. The King knew, indeed, very much what he
wanted. She mustn't chatter and she mustn't be too fond of chocolates
in gold and enameled boxes; and she mustn't have likes and dislikes;
and she must be patient, for all really royal people know how to wait;
and she must possess the beautiful art of smiling. The King had seen
her in the frames of old paintings, still and sweet and jeweled, but
never alive and lovely.
On the evening when this tale begins the King was watching the three
princes play at ball. The ball was of scented Spanish leather covered
with crimson silk on which was stamped the sporting dolphin of the
royal house. Sometimes it would drop to the green turf where the
parrots would peck at it, thinking it a gorgeous apple. The hooded
falcon on the jester's arm knew better, for the jester fed him real apples.
Prince Hugh, Prince Merlin, and Prince Richard were as supple as
willows, as straight as pines, as graceful as silver birches. Their blond
hair hung thick and straight against their necks and was cut square
above their level brows. Their manners were so good that their father
didn't quite know their characters; and that made the problem of their
marriages more difficult.
All at once, as on a stage, they stopped playing ball and began to look
at something or someone. The King followed their eyes, and saw a
strange sight. A young girl with a great dog at her side was coming
slowly over the grass, her hands clasped above her breast, her long
golden hair hanging nearly to the hem of her gown which was of coarse
brown wool. She had no stockings, and on her feet she wore wooden
shoes.
That a peasant girl should walk across the royal gardens was enough to

make the princes stare. Then the King saw that they were looking at the
girl's hands, of which one was bare. On the other was a glove of blue
cut-velvet, heavily embroidered with a design of flowers which circled
themselves about a tiny mirror set exactly on the wrist; no glove for a
peasant!
She came slowly up the great stairs of the terrace as if she were
expected. By this time the court-lackeys had rushed out, full of
officiousness, to stop the outrage; but the King, at the end of a puzzled
day, was in no mood to hinder the least diversion. He advanced to meet
the visitor, who raised to him a pair of beautiful blue eyes and smiled.
"Where did she learn to smile?" thought the King, conscious that the
gaze of the three princes was still upon the girl.
She held out the gloved hand. "King Cuthbert, I am sent to your court
by King Luke. Will you be pleased to look in my mirror?"
Her wrist was raised to the level of his eyes. "What do you see?" she
asked in a soft, solicitous voice.
"Myself, maiden," he replied.
She sighed, and the tears came in her eyes.
"Who else could I see?" he exclaimed.
She smiled and shook her head, then she nodded towards the three
straight boys on the lawn. "Those are your sons?"
"Mine, indeed, maiden."