At sunset the Prince stood upon the shore and stretched forth his hands
heavenwards, uttering the words specified by Love. He never knew whether
his mind had not the selfless quality enjoined by the youth, or whether
the roses of friendship were all withered and dead; but the sunset and
its glory was suddenly hidden from his sight by a veil of mist. When the
mist cleared it was night. Ulric lay down upon the sand and wept, for
he knew that the gift for which he had sought so long was not for him.
Towards morning he retraced his steps, hoping to meet the youth and to
tell him how completely he had again failed in his quest; but he could
not find the way to the forest. About mid-day, however, he came upon a
hedged-in garden surrounding a lonely villa. Through the maze of boughs
and foliage the Prince could see a beautiful maiden. She was clad in
white, and her only ornament was a white rose. Ulric had never beheld so
pure nor so lovely a maid. Hardly knowing what he did, he dismounted and
leaped the hedge. When he was inside the garden he noticed that the
trees were white with bloom, and that the path glittered with the fallen
blossoms. He saw, too, that no coloured flowers grew in the floral beds;
they were all white. As he gazed around, a silvery mist arose, and he
could see nothing excepting the maiden, until it seemed to him that the
enclosure was filled with her image. Then the mist cleared; the spell
was broken, and he was alone.
[Illustration]
The Prince was deeply sorry at having lost sight of the beautiful girl;
moreover, he hardly dared to seek her in the depths of the snowy garden.
An atmosphere of peace, which he feared to disturb, seemed to brood over
the place. Before leaving the maiden's home he plucked a rose, as a
memento of the fair vision he had seen; but to his surprise it was
entirely without perfume. As he examined it, wondering at the strange
phenomenon, some one addressed him from outside the hedge. Looking up,
he recognised the youth with whom he had conversed in the forest. Ulric
hurried towards him, with a cry of joy.
"That scentless bloom is not the rose of friendship, fair Prince," said
the youth, taking the flower from Ulric's hand.
"Thou sayest true; I have not yet found it. Nevertheless, methinks I am
on the right path. Hope stirs in my heart and whispers 'Courage!' But
now, I saw a maiden here, beautiful as an angel. If I only dare seek her
yonder, my soul tells me that I may discover in her the deathless rose
for which I long."
"Then go, thou King's son. Most like thou art right. Seek her."
"Wilt thou not go too, good youth? In all my travels I have never known
fear until now; and yet here, in this land of white flowers and whiter
mists, Hope's gentle spur notwithstanding, I am overawed, I dare not
venture."
"Ah, my Prince! if thou wilt find what thou desirest thou must be brave,
and advance with faith and courage. I cannot lead thee, neither can I
follow thee; but yonder the edge of this garden joins my land, the
forest where I met thee yesterday. If thou findest not the maiden, seek
me there. Farewell. See," he added, "see how sudden red thy white rose
hath blushed!"
And vanishing, he dropped Ulric's rose at the Prince's feet. It was of a
brilliant red, and gave forth a strangely powerful perfume.
Notwithstanding the encouragement of his unknown preceptor, the Prince
would never have ventured far along the glittering path. The Fates
seemed to check his progress. If the maiden, whom his heart prompted him
to seek, had not left her bower to meet him, his quest, even so near
upon success, might yet have ended in disappointment. But with gracious
step the maid approached, and, holding forth her hand quite simply,
herself led him through the garden.
Ulric walked on, looking into her eyes. His heart beat, and the
flower-strewn way seemed to melt from beneath his feet.
"Good minstrel, who art thou?" asked the maiden.
"I am thy devoted servant," murmured the Prince. "Prithee, tell me thy
name, gracious lady?"
"I am called Innocent, and I am the Princess of the Garden of
Innocence."
[Illustration]
"Is this the Garden of Innocence?"
"Yes."
"Is that the reason why the flowers are all white and scentless here?"
"Are they ever different, fair sir?" she asked wonderingly.
"In my land, sweet maiden, they are red, pink, purple, gold, and of
every colour. But now, I had one of your own white roses which had
changed to red."
The Princess looked at Ulric in amazement as he searched for his rose.
There it lay at his feet; but it had again become as white and as
scentless as all the other flowers in the garden. The Prince was sorely
puzzled. Had he only dreamed that the rose had changed to red in the
youth's hands?
They walked on in silence for many a long hour, their eyes meeting in a
sympathy too great for words.
"At last," thought the Prince, "I have found the 'white rose of
friendship,' the leaves whereof are immortal. I shall never part from
it; it will be with me all my life, great, sacrificing, eternal
friendship, straight from God."
He told Innocent of his grief, and of the bitter troubles that he had
encountered in his search.
"Poor minstrel!" she said softly. "Be happy now, for thy sorrow is
ended. I feel this deathless friendship for thee."
"God be thanked, that my quest is crowned with success; but since thou
art my true friend, since thou art noble enough to hold me dear, though
in thy eyes I seem but a poor beggar, know that I am the Prince of the
Rose Islands, which yield the many-coloured flowers I have told thee
of."
"Good my lord, that does not make thee more precious to me. Wert thou
poor and despised, hated of all the world, weary and sick unto death, I
could but hold thee more dear. Didst thou ask me for my life, I could
but lay it willingly at thy feet."
Tears stole down her cheeks, and she looked up at Ulric with eyes of
doglike fidelity.
"Ah, this is friendship!" sighed the Prince; "this is what Christabel
and Winfred discovered in the forest. Come, sweet Innocent, I will take
thee to the King, my father, and show him the 'deathless rose.'"
[Illustration]
As Ulric finished speaking, he folded her in his arms and kissed her.
The air was suddenly filled with ringing peals of laughter, and on the
path, close to them, stood the youth who had not dared to venture inside
the garden but a few hours before. Why had he come into the depths of
the white country now? He waved his arms, and all the flowers changed to
a brilliant red. Innocent's white rose fell from her hair, and in its
place lay a crimson bloom, the wondrous perfume of which ascended like
incense heavenwards.
"Fair Prince, thy search is fruitless," chanted the youth, in low
penetrating tones. "Thou hast indeed found a rose which is deathless;
but it is the sweet red rose of Love."