At length the lake was all but gone, only a few of the deepest pools remaining unexhausted.

It happened one day that a party of youngsters found themselves on the brink of one of these pools in the very centre of the lake.  It was a rocky basin of considerable depth.  Looking in, they saw at the bottom something that shone yellow in the sun.  A little boy jumped in and dived for it.  It was a plate of gold covered with writing.  They carried it to the king.

On one side of it stood these words: 

  “Death alone from death can save. 
   Love is death, and so is brave. 
   Love can fill the deepest grave. 
   Love loves on beneath the wave.”

Now this was enigmatical enough to the king and courtiers.  But the reverse of the plate explained it a little.  Its writing amounted to this: 

“If the lake should disappear, they must find the hole through which the water ran.  But it would be useless to try to stop it by any ordinary means.  There was but one effectual mode.  The body of a living man could alone staunch the flow.  The man must give himself of his own will; and the lake must take his life as it filled.  Otherwise the offering would be of no avail.  If the nation could not provide one hero, it was time it should perish,”

XIII

Here I Am!

This was a very disheartening revelation to the king—­not that he was unwilling to sacrifice a subject, but that he was hopeless of finding a man willing to sacrifice himself.  No time was to be lost however, for the princess was lying motionless on her bed, and taking no nourishment but lake-water, which was now none of the best.  Therefore the king caused the contents of the wonderful plate of gold to be published throughout the country.

No one, however, came forward.

The prince, having gone several days’ journey into the forest, to consult a hermit whom he had met there on his way to Lagobel, knew nothing of the oracle till his return.

When he had acquainted himself with all the particulars, he sat down and thought: 

“She will die if I don’t do it, and life would be nothing to me without her; so I shall lose nothing by doing it.  And life will be as pleasant to her as ever, for she will soon forget me.  And there will be so much more beauty and happiness in the world!  To be sure, I shall not see it.”  (Here the poor prince gave a sigh.) “How lovely the lake will be in the moonlight, with that glorious creature sporting in it like a wild goddess!  It is rather hard to be drowned by inches, though.  Let me see—­that will be seventy inches of me to drown.” (Here he tried to laugh, but could not.) “The longer the better, however,” he resumed, “for can I not bargain that the princess shall be beside me all the time?  So I shall see her once more, kiss her perhaps—­who knows? and die looking in her eyes.  It will be no death.  At least, I shall not feel it.  And to see the lake filling for the beauty again!  All right!  I am ready.”