As she was going home , bowed with grief , she saw a little black pony coming towards her , springing and curveting in every direction . When it got quite near her it neighed loudly , and galloped past her so quickly that in a moment it was out of her sight . -LSB- From the French , Kletke . -RSB- AN IMPOSSIBLE ENCHANTMENT There once lived a king who was much loved by his people , and he , too , loved them warmly . He led a very happy life , but he had the greatest dislike to the idea of marrying , nor had he ever felt the slightest wish to fall in love . His subjects begged him to marry , and at last he promised to try to do so . But as , so far , he had never cared for any woman he had seen , he made up his mind to travel in hopes of meeting some lady he could love . So he arranged all the affairs of state in an orderly manner , and set out , attended by only one equerry , who , though not very clever , had most excellent good sense . These people indeed generally make the best fellow-travellers . The king explored several countries , doing all he could to fall in love , but in vain ; and at the end of two years ' journeys he turned his face towards home , with as free a heart as when he set out . As he was riding along through a forest he suddenly heard the most awful miawing and shrieking of cats you can imagine . The noise drew nearer , and nearer , and at last they saw a hundred huge Spanish cats rush through the trees close to them . They were so closely packed together that you could easily have covered them with a large cloak , and all were following the same track . They were closely pursued by two enormous apes , dressed in purple suits , with the prettiest and best made boots you ever saw . The apes were mounted on superb mastiffs , and spurred them on in hot haste , blowing shrill blasts on little toy trumpets all the time . The king and his equerry stood still to watch this strange hunt , which was followed by twenty or more little dwarfs , some mounted on wolves , and leading relays , and others with cats in leash . The dwarfs were all dressed in purple silk liveries like the apes . A moment later a beautiful young woman mounted on a tiger came in sight . She passed close to the king , riding at full speed , without taking any notice of him ; but he was at once enchanted by her , and his heart was gone in a moment . -LSB- Illustration : The King sees Princess Mutinosa out hunting -RSB- To his great joy he saw that one of the dwarfs had fallen behind the rest , and at once began to question him .
The dwarf told him that the lady he had just seen was the Princess Mutinosa , the daughter of the king in whose country they were XXXXX that moment .
As From So To at for in near on past