Once upon a time there was a little princess who was very unhappy because she was not as pretty to look at as she thought a little princess should be. One day she sat in the garden and cried a great deal. She was sure she was not fit o be the queen. As she was sitting, an old woman carrying a bundle passed along the road outside and looked over the wall.

``Why do you cry, little princess?’’ she asked.

``I am not beautiful,’’ the little princess replied,’’ and so I shall never be made a queen.’’

``why don’t you go out in the world and find someone who can make you beautiful,’’ saying this she started on her way.

This seemed like a new adventure. The little princess went out through the garden gate and started down the road. She came across a boy who was stumbling along the road as if it were hard fro him to find his way. He put out his hand and touched the princess’s silken sleeves.

``where are you going?’’, he asked. ``I am going to find someone who will help to make me beautiful,’’ she said. ``I am pretty enough to be a queen’’.

``wait a while and help me! I am blind and cannot find my way home’.

So the little princess took his hand and walked along with him, leading him very gently to where he lived.

The little princess went on quickly. Then she saw a little girl standing by edge of the woods and crying, When the little girl saw the princess she looked up and asked, ``where are you going?’’.

`` I am going to find someone who will help to make me beautiful,’’ she said. `` I am not pretty enough to be a queen’’, `` wait a while and help me’’, said the little girl. ``my mother is ill and went to fetch eggs and milk. But I have no money and they say that must pay,’’

The little princess pulled from her silk bag a golden coin and gave it to her’’. ``this is to pay for you milk and eggs,’’ princess said.

The little girl laughed with happiness. Her smile was as bright as the sunshine.

``now I must make great haste,’’ thought little princess, ``it is almost evening and I am no more beautiful than when I started’’.

Suddenly she came across the same old woman who had spoken to her in the morning. The little princess, wailed, ``oh I could not find anyone who could make me beautiful’’. ``what did you do?’’ the old woman asked.

Little princess narrated her everything. The old woman smiled and held a mirror in front of her and said, ``you brightened up the lives of people along your way, brought smiles and happiness. You are a very kind girl, and see, how beautiful you look!’’

Her face shone brightly. She asked, ``shall I ever be a queen?’’ the old woman replied, ``you are a queen, my dear!’’

That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful, lives of some great people is shining examples of this.