This she knew, nor ever deemed
that her right would be disputed; but her younger sisters, who were
neither so good nor so beautiful as their elder one, were suddenly
seized with envy, and began to plot together in what manner they could
secure the crown for themselves. They had never loved their sister nor
each other, but they both agreed that the rightful heiress was to be
deposed, while each of the twin sisters vaunted herself most fit to
govern the country. Neither of them had the least intention of yielding the crown to the
other, though both saw the necessity of wresting it from the lawful
heiress, as they said it would be absurd to permit such a farce as a
dwarf queen to rule over them. Now, this led to a very hot discussion,
which the Princess Bertha, who was concealed from them in some nook in
the chamber, happened to overhear. This envy of her sisters grieved her very much. She herself was not
ambitious, and had her sisters been good to her, she would willingly
have ceded the crown to them, but seeing their envy, her just
indignation was roused, and she was determined not to be thrust aside
because she was little of stature, so striding majestically up to them,
and drawing herself up to the full extent of her tiny height, she
angrily accosted them. "How is it, sisters, that envy has filled your hearts, and that ye
meditate an act of injustice? Know ye not that I am your lawful
sovereign? The crown is mine; I will yield it to no one." "Pooh!" cried both the sisters, with a laugh; "you could not wear it." "No matter," said Bertha. "I will have one made on purpose." "You!" answered one of the sisters. "Shall we have a dwarf to reign over
us?" "What has my stature to do with my lawful right to the crown?" quoth the
elder. "Think you that I am an idiot as well as a dwarf? Have I not
abilities equal to yours--nay, superior. Come, don't let me hear any
more of this silly bickering, or I shall find means to punish you both." These big words, proceeding from such a small body, and from one, too,
who had never showed herself of an imperious disposition, but had
hitherto allowed herself to be trampled upon and set at nought by them
without a murmur, half-startled the twin sisters, and half-provoked
their mirth. They were enraged at such words being used towards them by one whom they
thought fit to despise, and knew not what to answer, so they only looked
at one another. Now, there was something in that look which told Bertha that her sisters
would make very little to-do about silencing her for ever, if she did
not remain quiet; and being so small a personage, to murder her and
conceal the murder would be a matter of small difficulty, so she
prudently withdrew. But no time was to be lost; one of her sisters might
be proclaimed queen if she did not engage the people on her side. So,
wending her tiny steps to the foot of the palace stairs, she hid herself
behind the hall door. Now, in the hall were two serving men, who were discussing as to which
of the twin sisters should wear the crown. "Of course," said one, "the poor little dwarf princess won't have a
chance." "Why not?" said the other. "She is the firstborn." "True," said the first; "if she had her rights, but you'll find that
some day she will be found missing, and not likely to turn up again." "What! you don't mean to say that----"

"Hush!" said the other, putting his finger to his lips. Now, the Princess Bertha had heard enough of this conversation to make
her wary, and perceiving that one of the serving men had his hat on and
appeared about to leave the palace, she managed to creep unseen behind
his chair, and climbed up into his pocket. Shortly afterwards the
serving man rose up to go, and left the palace. Then the pigmy princess, whilst snugly ensconced in the man's pocket as
he walked along the street, began to reflect what should be her next
step. "Within the palace," she said to herself, "all is scheming and envy. I
am easily put out of the way when they once get me. I must escape far
from the palace and put myself under the protection of the people. At
any rate, I'll first have a peep at the world without." So, thrusting her little head out of the man's pocket, she looked to the
right and the left, and found herself in the middle of a large square. There was a great crowd of people, who were looking at a puppet show. The serving man whose pocket she was in also stood still to look. She,
too, seized with curiosity, strained her head out of the pocket to take
a peep at the puppets. A play was being acted in which two puppet knights were fighting for the
love of a fair lady. A sudden thought struck her. She would join the
puppets and mix in the play; it would be a way of showing herself to the
public. So she stole out of the serving man's pocket, and taking
advantage of the people's absorbing interest in the play, crept
stealthily over their feet, till she came to a box full of puppets on
the ground. The uppermost puppet in the box was a lady, gaily attired,
probably the very lady for whom the puppet knights were fighting, so she
laid herself over the body of the doll, so as to be taken by the man
when he wanted her, instead of the usual puppet. The very next moment the showman, who now had to bring the lady on the
scene, reached down his hand without looking, and seizing the princess
in lieu of the wooden doll, brought her upon the stage. "Cease your broils," shouted the pigmy princess in her tiny voice. "Is
it thus that noble knights waste their precious blood for the love of a
woman? Is not the love of a woman at her own disposal--to be granted to
the man she pleases? Will she necessarily love the victor, or will he
have the arrogance to think that he can conquer her heart as he could
conquer a foe? Cease, madmen, and spare your blood to grace the
battlefield, or to defend the rights of woman. Ye are not too plentiful,
my noble knights. The realm has much need of ye. "Wrongs enough ye have to redress. What say ye to the grievous wrong
they are trying to do the Princess Bertha, by pushing her aside, who is
the firstborn, because they deem her too small to take her own part? But
ye noble knights, who love justice, will assert her claim to the crown
throughout the kingdom, and defeat the insolent champions hired by her
envious sisters, who would defraud their own royal sovereign. "Proclaim throughout the land that ye will have none other to rule over
you but the rightful heiress--the Princess Bertha." After the princess's harangue, the showman, who had long dropped the
other puppets in amazement, believing that none other than a fairy trod
his stage, stood with his eyes and mouth wide open, knowing not what to
do. The spectators were in ecstasies at so beautiful and so
natural-looking a puppet, while the crowd increased ten-fold.