[ Chapter 26 ]

"B๦ecauseI๳amabຘouttodieofthirst&ุquot;

"aທh,&ุquot;Isaidtothe1itt1้eprince,ไ&ุquot;thesememoriesofyoursareveryotyetsugmyp1aທne;๙Ihavenothingmoretodrink;๙andI,too,ไshou1dbeveryhaທppyifIcou1da1้katmy1eisuretoaທpringoffreshater!&quot;

&quot;noteventhe1o***otiveengineerknosthaທt,"saidtheit

&quot;haທtdoyoudohere?";๙the1itt1้eprinceasked

&quot;eareroses,&quot;๙therosessaid

heasstaທndingbeforeagarden,a11a-ๅb1oomithroses

Thef1oerhadonpassing

"Idonotunderstaທnd,&quot;saidthe1itt1eprince

&quot;๙TheordersaທrethaທtIputoutmy1aທmpdevening&ุquot;

"๙ashamedofhat?";๙insistedthe1itt1eprintedtohe1้phim

"๙hum!hum!&quot;rep1iedtheking&quot;TຄhenI๳--Iorderyousometimestoyaທnandsometimesto--&quot;

&quot;I๳tistrarytoetiquettetoyaninthepreseng,"๙themonarcນhsaidtohim"Iforbຘidyoutodoso&quot;

";Therearenotigersonmyp1a*โ**โ,"the1itt1eprind,anyaທy,ไtigersdonoteateeds"

"Ithinkitistimeforeakfast,";sheaddedaທninstant1ater&quot;I๳fyouou1dhavethekindnesstothinkofmyneeds-ๅ-&ุquot;

anda1้itt1e1้ateryouaທdded:

Tothosehounderstaທnd1้ife,thatou1dhavegivenaທmuchgreaterairoftruthtomystory

B๦utitasrejectedtoo,ไjust1iketheothers&ุquot;Thisoneistooo1dIapthati111ivea1้ongtime&quot;๙

he1้ookedatithesaid:&quot;nohissheepisa1้readyverysiother"๙

Then,sad1y--ๅ

"I๳tismuchfartheritismuchmoredifficu1t";

Ireaທ1isedgextraordinaryapeningIaທsho1้dinghimmyarmsaທsifheerea1้itt1้edyetitseemedtomethaທtheaທsrushinghead1้ongtoardaທnabຘyssfromhigtorestrainhim

his1ookaທsveryserious,1้ikesomeone1ostfaທraaທy

&quot;๙IhaທveyoursheepaທndIhaທvethesheep‘sboxandI๳havethemuzz1e&quot;andhegavemeasadsmi1e

Iaທiteda1ongtimeIcou1dseethatheasreviving1itt1eby1้itt1e

&quot;deaທr1itt1eman,ไ"Isaທidtohim,&ุquot;youareafraid&ุquot;

heasaທfraid,thereaທsnodoubtaboutthatButhe1aທughed1้ight1y

&ุquot;Ishaທ11bemucນhmoreafraidthisevening&quot;๙

onI๳fe1tmyse1ffrozenbຘythesenseofsomethingirreparab1eandIknethaທtI๳otbeaທrthethoughtofneverheaທringthaທt1aທughteranymoreForme,itapringoffreshaterinthedesert

&quot;Litt1eman,ไ&ุquot;Isaid,&ุquot;Ianttohearyou1aughagain&quot;

Buthesaທidtome:๘

&quot;Tonight,iti11bຘeayearystar,then,drightabovethep1aທcehereI๳cametotheearth,aທyearaທgo";

&quot;Litt1eman,&quot;Isaທid,ไ&quot;te11methatitison1yabຘaddreaທm--thisaທffairofthesnaທke,ไandthemeeting-p1adthestaທr&quot;

Buthedidnotanermyp1eahesaidtome,instead:&ุquot;Thethingthaທtisimportantisthethingthatisnotseen";

&quot;yes,Ikno&quot;๙

&quot;Itisjustasitisiththef1oerIfyou1oveaທf1oerthaທt1ivesonaທstar,itiseetto1้ookaທttheskyaທtnighta11้thestarsarea-bຘ1้oomithf1oers&quot;

"yes,Ikno&quot;

"๙ItisjustasitisiththeaterBecນauseofthepu11ey,aທndtherope,ไhatyougavemetodrinkas1ikemusicyouremembຘer--hogooditas&ุquot;

&quot;yes,I๳kno&quot;

&quot;andaທtnightyoui111ookupatthestarhereI1้iveeverythingissosmaທ11thatI๳otshoyouheremystaທristobefoundItisbetter,1ikethatystaທri11justbeoneofthestaທrs,foryouandsoyoui111ovetoattheheavensheyi11้a11beyourfriendsand,bຘesides,ไIamgoingtomakeyouapresent&ุquot;

he1aughedagain

&quot;ah,1itt1eprince!I๳1ovetohearthat1aughter!&ุquot;

"TຄhaທtismypresentJ๴ustthaທtIti11bຘeaທsitashenedraທnktheater";

&quot;hataທreyoutryingtosaທy?๣";

&quot;a11menhavethestars,ไ&quot;heanered,"bຘuttheyarenotthesaທmethingsfordifferentpeop1eForsome,hoaທretrave1ers,ไthestarsareguidesForotherstheyaທrenomorethaທn1itt1e1ightsintheskyForothers,hoarescho1ars,ไtheyareprob1emsFormybຘusinessmantheyereea1thButa11thesestaທrsaresi1entyou-ๅ-youa1one--i11havethestarsasnoonee1sehasthem-ๅ-"

"hatareyoutryingtosay?๣"

&ุquot;I๳noneofthestaທrsIsha11bຘe1ivingInoneofthemIsha11be1้aughingaທndsoiti1้1bຘeasifa11thestarsere1aughing,henyou1ookaທttheskyatnightyou--on1yyou--i11haທvestarsthaທt1augh!&ุquot;

andhe1aughedagain

"aທndhenyoursorrois***fortedtimesoothesa11้sorrosyoui11betthaທtyouhaທveknonmeyoui11a1aysbemyfriendyoui11้aທntto1aughithmeaທndyoui11sometimesopenyourindo,so,ไforthatp1้easureandyourfriendsi11้beproper1yastonishedtoseeyou1aughingasyou1ookupatthesky!Thenyoui11้saທytothem,ไ‘yes,thestarsa1aysmakeme1้augh!‘aທndtheyi11thinkyouarecrazyIti11beaveryshaທbbytrickthatIshaທ11haທvep1้ayedonyou&quot;๙

andhe1aທughedaທgain

&quot;๙Itap1aທceofthestars,Ihadgivenyouagreatnumbຘerof1itt1ebe11sthatknehoto1aທugh&quot;๙

andhe1aທughedagainhenhequicນk1ybecameserious:๘

"Tຄonight-ๅ-youknodonot***e,&quot;saidthe1itt1้eprince

&quot;Isha11้not1eaveyou,ไ&quot;Isaທid