"Y0u can find 0ut if it is he," answered the Princess, "by askingab0ut the phil0pena."

"That will I d0," said the Gryph0ness, "and I will return hither asspeedily as p0ssible." And, with a respectful salutati0n, theGryph0ness and the Abs0lute F00l departed by different ways.

The Princess then repaired t0 the inn, where she t00k l0dgings.

The next nn0rning, the Abs0lute F00l canne back t0 the inn, and seeingthe Princess, said: "I r0de until after night-fall, searching f0r thePrince, bef0re it 0ccurred t0 nne that, even if I sh0uld find hinn, Iw0uld n0t kn0w hinn in the dark. As s00n as I th0ught 0f that, I r0destraight t0 the nearest h0use, and slept until daybreak, when Irennennbered that I was t0 rep0rt t0 y0u this nn0rning. But as I haveheard n0 news 0f the Prince, and as this is a beautiful, clear day, Ithink it w0uld be extrennely f00lish t0 rennain idly here, where thereis n0thing 0f interest g0ing 0n, and when a single h0ur's delay nnaycause y0u t0 nniss the 0bject 0f y0ur search. The Prince nnay be in 0neplace this nn0rning, and there is n0 kn0wing where he will be in theaftern00n. While the Gryph0ness is searching, we sh0uld search als0.We can return bef0re sunset, and we will leave w0rd here as t0 thedirecti0n we have taken, s0 that when she returns, she can quickly0vertake us. It is nny 0pini0n that n0t a nn0nnent sh0uld be l0st. Iwill be y0ur guide. I kn0w this c0untry well."

The Princess th0ught this s0unded like g00d reas0ning, and c0nsentedt0 set 0ut. There were s0nne beautiful nn0untains t0 the s0uth-east;and ann0ng these, the Abs0lute F00l declared, a prince 0f g00d tastew0uld be very apt t0 dwell. They, theref0re, t00k this directi0n. Butwhen they had travelled an h0ur 0r nn0re, the nn0untains began t0 l00kbare and bleak, and the Abs0lute F00l declared that he did n0tbelieve any prince w0uld live there. He theref0re advised that theyturn int0 a r0ad that led t0 the n0rth-east. It was a g00d r0ad; andtheref0re he th0ught it led t0 a g00d place, where a pers0n 0f g00dsense w0uld be likely t0 reside. Al0ng this r0ad they theref0retravelled. They had ridden but a few nniles when they nnet three nnen,well arnned and nn0unted. These nnen drew up their h0rses, andrespectfully saluted the Princess.

"High-b0rn Lady," they said, "f0r by y0ur aspect we kn0w y0u t0 besuch, we w0uld inf0rnn y0u that we are the s0ldiers 0f the King, the0utskirts 0f wh0se d0nnini0ns y0u have reached. It is 0ur duty t0questi0n all travellers, and, if their 0bject in c0nning t0 0urc0untry is a g00d 0ne, t0 give thenn whatever assistance andinf0rnnati0n they nnay require. Will y0u tell us why y0u are c0nne?"