The Princess Loses Herself I have said the Princess Irene was about eight years old when my story begins.

And this is how it begins.
One very wet day, when the mountain was covered with mist which was constantly gathering itself together into raindrops, and pouring down on the roofs of the great old house, whence it fell in a fringe of water from the eaves all round about it, the princess could not of course go out.

She got very tired, so tired that even her toys could no longer amuse her.

You would wonder at that if I had time to describe to you one half of the toys she had.

But then, you wouldn't have the toys themselves, and that makes all the difference: you can't get tired of a thing before you have it.