"But do you believe there could be a princess who never saw the daylight?
Do you believe that now ?" This the prince said, not that he doubted the princess, but that he wanted the fairy to tell him more.

She was too old a fairy, however, to be caught so easily.
"Of all people, fairies must not tell secrets.

Besides, she's a princess." "Well, I'll tell you a secret.

I'm a prince." "I know that." "How do you know it ?" "By the curl of the third eyelash on your left eyelid." "Which corner do you count from ?" "That's a secret." "Another secret?
Well, at least, if I am a prince, there can be no harm in telling me about a princess." "It's just the princes I can't tell." "There ain't any more of them--are there ?" said the prince.
"What! you don't think you're the only prince in the world, do you ?" "Oh, dear, no! not at all.

But I know there's one too many just at present, except the princess----" "Yes, yes, that's it," said the fairy.
"What's it ?" asked the prince.
But he could get nothing more out of the fairy, and had to go to bed unanswered, which was something of a trial.
Now wicked fairies will not be bound by the law which the good fairies obey, and this always seems to give the bad the advantage over the good, for they use means to gain their ends which the others will not.