{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_30129/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_30129","id":"gutenberg_30129","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30129","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: French Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's stories, French -- Translations into English","Fairy tales -- France"],"text":"[Illustration: Old French Fairy Tales\n\nComtesse De Segur]\n\n\n[Illustration: _Rosalie saw before her eyes a tree of marvellous beauty_]\n\n\n\n\n          OLD FRENCH\n          FAIRY TALES\n\n              by\n\n       Comtesse De Segur\n\n        Illustrated by\n  Virginia Frances Sterrett\n\n\n  The Penn Publishing Company\n         Philadelphia\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: Copyright 1920 by\nThe Penn Publishing Co.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORIES\n\n\n BLONDINE, BONNE-BICHE, AND BEAU-MINON\n\n\n BLONDINE                                  9\n\n BLONDINE LOST                            15\n\n THE FOREST OF LILACS                     23\n\n BLONDINE'S AWAKENING--BEAU-MINON         25\n\n BONNE-BICHE                              28\n\n BLONDINE'S SECOND AWAKENING              33\n\n THE PARROT                               40\n\n REPENTANCE                               49\n\n THE TORTOISE                             56\n\n THE JOURNEY AND ARRIVAL                  59\n\n\n\n GOOD LITTLE HENRY\n\n\n THE POOR SICK MOTHER                     69\n\n THE CROW, THE COCK, AND THE FROG         73\n\n THE HARVEST                              78\n\n THE VINTAGE                              81\n\n THE CHASE                                84\n\n THE FISHING                              89\n\n THE PLANT OF LIFE                        94\n\n\n\n PRINCESS ROSETTE\n\n\n THE FARM                                103\n\n ROSETTE AT THE COURT OF THE KING\n HER FATHER                              109\n\n FAMILY COUNCIL                          116\n\n SECOND DAY OF THE FESTIVAL              119\n\n THIRD AND LAST DAY OF THE FESTIVAL      129\n\n\n\n THE LITTLE GREY MOUSE\n\n\n THE LITTLE HOUSE                        143\n\n THE FAIRY DETESTABLE                    150\n\n THE PRINCE GRACIOUS                     162\n\n THE TREE IN THE ROTUNDA                 168\n\n THE CASKET                              174\n\n\n\n OURSON\n\n\n THE LARK AND THE TOAD                   182\n\n BIRTH AND INFANCY OF OURSON             189\n\n VIOLETTE                                192\n\n THE DREAM                               204\n\n THE TOAD AGAIN                          210\n\n VIOLETTE'S SACRIFICE                    218\n\n THE WILD BOAR                           223\n\n THE CONFLAGRATION                       232\n\n THE WELL                                243\n\n THE FARM--THE CASTLE--THE FORGE         252\n\n THE SACRIFICE                           258\n\n THE COMBAT                              263\n\n THE RECOMPENSE                          272\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n Rosalie saw before her eyes a tree of marvellous\n beauty                                                    _Frontispiece_\n\n                                                                     PAGE\n\n Leger meets the wicked princess, Fourbette                            11\n\n She threw her arms around the neck of Bonne-Biche                     35\n\n Blondine sees the castle of Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon                50\n\n They were three months passing through the forest                     60\n\n A large and deep river ran at the foot of the mountain                75\n\n A part of the wall crumbled with a terrible noise                     82\n\n Henry sprang upon the Wolf's back                                     87\n\n \"What are you seeking, little one?\"                                   94\n\n She saw a man arrive in a laced hat and coat                         105\n\n They walked side by side during the rest of the evening              127\n\n The fairy must give herself up to the queen and lose her\n power for eight days                                                 138\n\n Rosalie never left the park which was surrounded by high\n walls                                                                144\n\n The broom was on fire at once, blazed up and burned her hands        152\n\n Agnella and Passerose were dashed from cloud to cloud                185\n\n \"Ah, ha! you are at last in my domain, little fool!\"                 211\n\n Violette takes refuge from the wild boar                             224\n\n Violette consented willingly to pass the night in the forest         229\n\n\n\n\nBlondine Bonne Biche and Beau Minon\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF BLONDINE, BONNE-BICHE, AND BEAU-MINON\n\n\nBLONDINE\n\n\nThere was once a king called Benin. He was good and all the world loved\nhim; he was just and the wicked feared him. His wife, the Queen\nDoucette, was also good, and much beloved.\n\nThis happy pair had a daughter called the Princess Blondine, because of\nher superb fair hair, and she was as amiable and charming as her father\nthe king and her mother the queen.\n\nUnfortunately, the poor queen died a short time after the birth of\nBlondine and for a long time the king wept bitterly at his great loss.\nBlondine was too young to understand her mother's death: she did not\nweep but continued to laugh, to play and to sleep peacefully. The king\nloved her tenderly and she loved him more than all the world. He gave\nhis little daughter the most beautiful jewels, the finest bonbons, and\nthe most rare and delicious fruits. Blondine was very happy.\n\nOne day it was announced to the king, that all his subjects demanded\nthat he should marry again in order to have a son who should reign after\nhim. He refused at first but finally yielded to the pressing desires of\nhis people and said to his minister Leger:--\n\n\"My dear friend, my subjects wish me to marry again but my heart is so\nsad because of the death of my cherished queen Doucette that I cannot\nundertake the task of seeking another wife. Go, then, my good Leger and\nfind me a princess who will make my sweet Blondine happy. Go; I ask for\nnothing more. When you have found a perfect woman, you will demand her\nhand in marriage and conduct her to my court.\"\n\nLeger set off immediately, visited many courts and saw innumerable\nprincesses--ugly, humpbacked and wicked.\n\nAt last he arrived at the kingdom of the monarch Turbulent, who had a\nlovely daughter, bright, winning and apparently good. Leger found her so\ncharming, that he asked her hand in marriage for his king Benin, without\nsufficiently inquiring into her real character.\n\n[Illustration: _Leger meets the wicked princess, Fourbette_]\n\nTurbulent was enchanted at the prospect of getting rid of his daughter\nwho was jealous, proud and wicked. Also, her presence often interfered\nwith his excursions for pleasure, with the chase and with his various\nentertainments at the palace.\n\nWithout a moment's hesitation, he acceded to the Prime Minister's\nrequest, and he returned with the princess to the kingdom of the good\nking Benin.\n\nThe princess Fourbette was accompanied by four thousand mules, loaded\nwith the jewels and wardrobe of the charming bride.\n\nKing Benin had been apprised of their approach by a courier and went\nforward to receive the princess Fourbette. He found her beautiful but he\nnoted the absence of the mild and attractive expression of the poor lost\nDoucette.\n\nWhen Fourbette's eyes fell upon Blondine her glance was so cruel, so\nwicked, that the poor child, who was now three years old, was greatly\nterrified and began to weep bitterly.\n\n\"What is the matter?\" said the king. \"Why does my sweet and sensible\nBlondine weep like a bad little girl?\"\n\n\"Papa! dear papa!\" cried Blondine, throwing herself into the arms of the\nking, \"do not give me into the hands of this princess. I am afraid of\nher--her eyes are cruel!\"\n\nThe king was much surprised. He turned so suddenly towards the princess\nFourbette that she had no time to control herself and he perceived the\nterrible glance with which she regarded the little Blondine.\n\nBenin immediately resolved that Blondine should be wholly separated from\nthe new queen and remain as before under the exclusive protection of the\nnurse who had taken care of her and who loved her tenderly.\n\nThe queen thus saw Blondine rarely, and when she met her by chance she\ncould not wholly dissimulate the hatred she felt for her.\n\nAbout a year from that time a daughter was born to the queen Fourbette.\nShe was named Brunette, because of her dark hair which was black as the\nraven's wing.\n\nBrunette was pretty but not so lovely as Blondine; moreover she was as\nwicked as her mother. She detested Blondine and played all sorts of\ncruel tricks upon her, bit her, pinched her, pulled her hair, broke her\ntoys and tore her beautiful dresses.\n\nThe good little Blondine was never in a passion with her sister but\nalways tried to make excuses for her conduct.\n\n\"Oh, papa!\" she said to the king, \"do not scold Brunette; she is so\nlittle! she does not know that she grieves me when she breaks my toys!\nIt is only in play that she bites me, pulls my hair and pinches me.\"\n\nThe good king embraced his little daughter, and was silent but he knew\nthat Brunette was cruel and wicked; that Blondine was too gentle and\ngood to accuse her. He loved Blondine, therefore, more and more from day\nto day and his heart grew cold to Brunette.\n\nThe ambitious queen Fourbette saw all this clearly and hated intensely\nthe innocent and gentle Blondine. If she had not feared the rage of the\nking she would have made Blondine the most wretched child in the world.\n\nBenin had commanded that Blondine should never be left alone with the\nqueen. He was known to be just and good but he punished disobedience\nseverely and the queen herself dared not defy his commands.\n\n\n\n\nBLONDINE LOST\n\n\nBlondine grew to be seven years old and Brunette three.\n\nThe king had given Blondine a charming little carriage drawn by\nostriches, and a little coachman ten years of age, who was the nephew of\nher nurse.\n\nThe little page, who was called Gourmandinet, loved Blondine tenderly.\nHe had been her playmate from her birth and she had shown him a thousand\nacts of kindness.\n\nBut Gourmandinet had one terrible fault; he was a gourmand--was so fond\nof dainties and sweet things, that for a paper of bonbons he would\ncommit almost any wicked action. Blondine often said to him:\n\n\"I love you dearly, Gourmandinet, but I do not love to see you so\ngreedy. I entreat you to correct this villainous fault which will make\nyou despised by all the world.\"\n\nGourmandinet kissed her hand and promised to reform. But, alas! he\ncontinued to steal cakes from the kitchen and bonbons from the\nstore-room. Often, indeed, he was whipped for his disobedience and\ngluttony.\n\nThe queen Fourbette heard on every hand the reproaches lavished upon the\npage and she was cunning enough to think that she might make use of this\nweakness of Gourmandinet and thus get rid of poor Blondine.\n\nThe garden in which Blondine drove in her little carriage, drawn by\nostriches and guided by her little coachman, Gourmandinet, was separated\nby a grating from an immense and magnificent forest, called the Forest\nof Lilacs because during the whole year these lilacs were always covered\nwith superb flowers.\n\nNo one, however, entered these woods. It was well known that it was\nenchanted ground and that if you once entered there you could never hope\nto escape.\n\nGourmandinet knew the terrible secret of this forest. He had been\nseverely forbidden ever to drive the carriage of Blondine in that\ndirection lest by some chance Blondine might pass the grating and place\nher little feet on the enchanted ground.\n\nMany times the king Benin had sought to build a wall the entire length\nof the grating or to secure it in some way so as to make an entrance\nthere impossible. But the workmen had no sooner laid the foundation than\nsome unknown and invisible power raised the stones and they disappeared\nfrom sight.\n\nThe queen Fourbette now sought diligently to gain the friendship of\nGourmandinet by giving him every day some delicious dainties. In this\nway she made him so complete a slave to his appetite that he could not\nlive without the jellies, bonbons and cakes which she gave him in such\nprofusion. At last she sent for him to come to her, and said:--\n\n\"Gourmandinet, it depends entirely upon yourself whether you shall have\na large trunk full of bonbons and delicious dainties or never again eat\none during your life.\"\n\n\"Never again eat one! Oh! madam, I should die of such punishment. Speak,\nmadam, what must I do to escape this terrible fate?\"\n\n\"It is necessary,\" said the queen, looking at him fixedly, \"that you\nshould drive the princess Blondine near to the Forest of Lilacs.\"\n\n\"I cannot do it, madam; the king has forbidden it.\"\n\n\"Ah! you cannot do it; well, then, adieu. No more dainties for you. I\nshall command every one in the house to give you nothing.\"\n\n\"Oh! madam,\" said Gourmandinet, weeping bitterly, \"do not be so cruel.\nGive me some order which it is in my power to execute.\"\n\n\"I can only repeat that I command you to lead the princess Blondine near\nto the Forest of Lilacs; that you encourage her to descend from the\ncarriage, to cross the grating and enter the enchanted ground.\"\n\n\"But, madam,\" replied Gourmandinet, turning very pale, \"if the princess\nenters this forest she can never escape from it. You know the penalty of\nentering upon enchanted ground. To send my dear princess there is to\ngive her up to certain death.\"\n\n\"For the third and last time,\" said the queen, frowning fearfully, \"I\nask if you will take the princess to the forest? Choose! either an\nimmense box of bonbons which I will renew every month or never again to\ntaste the delicacies which you love.\"\n\n\"But how shall I escape from the dreadful punishment which his majesty\nwill inflict upon me?\"\n\n\"Do not be disquieted on that account. As soon as you have induced\nBlondine to enter the Forest of Lilacs, return to me. I will send you\noff out of danger with your bonbons, and I charge myself with your\nfuture fortune.\"\n\n\"Oh! madam, have pity upon me. Do not compel me to lead my dear princess\nto destruction. She who has always been so good to me!\"\n\n\"You still hesitate, miserable coward! Of what importance is the fate of\nBlondine to you? When you have obeyed my commands I will see that you\nenter the service of Brunette and I declare to you solemnly that the\nbonbons shall never fail.\"\n\nGourmandinet hesitated and reflected a few moments longer and, alas! at\nlast resolved to sacrifice his good little mistress to his gluttony.\n\nThe remainder of that day he still hesitated and he lay awake all night\nweeping bitter tears as he endeavored to discover some way to escape\nfrom the power of the wicked queen; but the certainty of the queen's\nbitter revenge if he refused to execute her cruel orders, and the hope\nof rescuing Blondine at some future day by seeking the aid of some\npowerful fairy, conquered his irresolution and decided him to obey the\nqueen.\n\nIn the morning at ten o'clock Blondine ordered her little carriage and\nentered it for a drive, after having embraced the king her father and\npromised him to return in two hours.\n\nThe garden was immense. Gourmandinet, on starting, turned the ostriches\naway from the Forest of Lilacs. When, however, they were entirely out of\nsight of the palace, he changed his course and turned towards the\ngrating which separated them from the enchanted ground. He was sad and\nsilent. His crime weighed upon his heart and conscience.\n\n\"What is the matter?\" said Blondine, kindly. \"You say nothing Are you\nill, Gourmandinet?\"\n\n\"No, my princess, I am well.\"\n\n\"But how pale you are! Tell me what distresses you, poor boy, and I\npromise to do all in my power to make you happy.\"\n\nBlondine's kind inquiries and attentions almost softened the hard heart\nof Gourmandinet, but the remembrance of the bonbons promised by the\nwicked queen, Fourbette, soon chased away his good resolutions. Before\nhe had time to reply, the ostriches reached the grating of the Forest of\nLilacs.\n\n\"Oh! the beautiful lilacs!\" exclaimed Blondine; \"how fragrant--how\ndelicious! I must have a bouquet of those beautiful flowers for my good\npapa. Get down, Gourmandinet and bring me some of those superb\nbranches.\"\n\n\"I cannot leave my seat, princess, the ostriches might run away with you\nduring my absence.\"\n\n\"Do not fear,\" replied Blondine; \"I could guide them myself to the\npalace.\"\n\n\"But the king would give me a terrible scolding for having abandoned\nyou, princess. It is best that you go yourself and gather your flowers.\"\n\n\"That is true. I should be very sorry to get you a scolding, my poor\nGourmandinet.\"\n\nWhile saying these words she sprang lightly from the carriage, crossed\nthe bars of the grating and commenced to gather the flowers.\n\nAt this moment Gourmandinet shuddered and was overwhelmed with remorse.\nHe wished to repair his fault by calling Blondine but although she was\nonly ten steps from him,--although he saw her perfectly--she could not\nhear his voice, and in a short time she was lost to view in the\nenchanted forest.\n\nFor a long time Gourmandinet wept over his crime, cursed his gluttony\nand despised the wicked queen Fourbette.\n\nAt last he recalled to himself that the hour approached at which\nBlondine would be expected at the palace. He returned to the stables\nthrough the back entrance and ran at once to the queen, who was\nanxiously expecting him.\n\nOn seeing him so deadly pale and his eyes inflamed from the tears of\nawful remorse, she knew that Blondine had perished.\n\n\"Is it done?\" said she.\n\nGourmandinet bowed his head. He had not the strength to speak.\n\n\"Come,\" said she, \"behold your reward!\"\n\nShe pointed to a large box full of delicious bonbons of every variety.\nShe commanded a valet to raise the box and place it upon one of the\nmules which had brought her jewelry.\n\n\"I confide this box to Gourmandinet, in order that he may take it to my\nfather,\" she said. \"Go, boy, and return in a month for another.\" She\nplaced in his hand at the same time a purse full of gold.\n\nGourmandinet mounted the mule in perfect silence and set off in full\ngallop. The mule was obstinate and wilful and soon grew restive under\nthe weight of the box and began to prance and kick. He did this so\neffectually that he threw Gourmandinet and his precious box of bonbons\nupon the ground.\n\nGourmandinet, who had never ridden upon a horse or mule, fell heavily\nwith his head upon the stones and died instantly.\n\nThus he did not receive from his crime the profit which he had hoped,\nfor he had not even tasted of the bonbons which the queen had given him.\n\nNo one regretted him. No one but the poor Blondine had ever loved him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOREST OF LILACS\n\n\nWhen Blondine entered the forest she commenced gathering the beautiful\nbranches of lilacs. She rejoiced in their profusion and delighted in\ntheir fragrance.\n\nAs she made her selection, it seemed to her that those which were more\ndistant were still more beautiful so she emptied her apron and her hat,\nwhich were both full and filled them again and again.\n\nBlondine had been thus busily occupied for about an hour. She began to\nsuffer from the heat and to feel great fatigue. She found the branches\nof lilacs heavy to carry and thought it was time to return to the\npalace. She looked around and saw herself surrounded with lilacs. She\ncalled Gourmandinet but no one replied.\n\n\"I have wandered further than I intended,\" said Blondine. \"I will return\nat once, though I am very weary. Gourmandinet will hear me and will\nsurely come to meet me.\"\n\nBlondine walked on rapidly for some time but she could not find the\nboundaries of the forest.\n\nMany times she called anxiously upon Gourmandinet but he did not respond\nand at last she became terribly frightened.\n\n\"What will become of me, all alone in this vast forest? What will my\npoor papa think when I do not return? And Gourmandinet, how will he dare\ngo back to the palace without me? He will be scolded, perhaps beaten and\nall this is my fault because I would leave my carriage to gather lilacs?\nUnfortunate girl that I am! I shall die of hunger and thirst in this\nforest if the wolves do not eat me up this night.\"\n\nWeeping bitterly, Blondine fell on the ground at the foot of a large\ntree. She wept a long time. At last her great fatigue mastered her\ngrief. She placed her little head upon her bundle of lilacs, and slept\npeacefully.\n\n\n\n\nBLONDINE'S AWAKENING--BEAU-MINON\n\n\nBlondine slept calmly all night; no ferocious beast came to trouble her\nslumbers. She did not suffer from the cold and awakened at a late hour\nin the morning. She rubbed her eyes, much surprised to see herself\nsurrounded by trees, in place of being in her own room in the palace,\nand upon her own bed.\n\nShe called her nurse and a soft mewing was the only response. Astonished\nand almost frightened, she looked around and saw at her feet a superb\nwhite cat, looking gently upon her and continuing to mew plaintively.\n\n\"Ah! pretty puss! how beautiful you are!\" cried Blondine, placing her\nlittle hand caressingly upon the soft fur, white as snow. \"I am so happy\nto see you, pretty puss, for you will conduct me to your home. I am\nindeed very hungry and I have not the strength to walk much further\nwithout food.\"\n\nBlondine had scarcely uttered these words, when the white pussy mewed\nagain and pointed with her little paw to a small package lying near her,\nwrapped neatly in fine white linen. She opened the parcel and found it\ncontained bread and butter which she found delicious. She gave the\ncrumbs to pussy, who munched them with seeming delight.\n\nWhen they had finished their simple meal, Blondine leaned over towards\nher little companion, and said, caressingly:\n\n\"Thanks, pretty puss, for the breakfast you have given me. Now, can you\nconduct me to my papa, who is certainly in despair because of my\nabsence?\"\n\nPussy, whom Blondine named Beau-Minon, shook her head and mewed\nplaintively.\n\n\"Ah! you understand me, Beau-Minon,\" said Blondine. \"I entreat you to\nhave pity upon me and lead me to some house before I perish with hunger,\ncold and terror in this vast forest!\"\n\nBeau-Minon looked at the princess fixedly and made a sign with her\nlittle graceful white head which seemed to say, \"I understand you.\" She\nrose, advanced a few steps and paused to see if Blondine followed her.\n\n\"I am here, Beau-Minon; I am following you gladly,\" said Blondine; \"but\nhow can we pass through these bushy thickets? I see no path.\"\n\nBeau-Minon made no reply but sprang lightly into the thicket which\nopened of itself to allow Blondine and Beau-Minon to pass, and then\nclosed up immediately.\n\nBlondine walked on for about half an hour. As she advanced, the forest\nbecame lighter, the grass was finer and the flowers more abundant. She\nsaw many pretty birds singing melodiously and graceful squirrels,\nbounding along the branches of the trees.\n\nBlondine, who had no doubt that she was about to leave the forest and\nsee her dear father again, was enchanted with all that she saw; she\nwished to pause and gather the lovely wild flowers; but Beau-Minon\nadvanced steadily and mewed plaintively whenever Blondine relaxed her\nspeed.\n\nIn about an hour Blondine perceived an elegant castle. Beau-Minon led\nher to the gilded grating. However, Blondine did not know how to enter.\nThere was no bell and the gate was closed. Beau-Minon had disappeared\nand Blondine was once more alone.\n\n\n\n\nBONNE-BICHE\n\n\nBeau-Minon had entered by a little passage, which seemed made expressly\nfor him and had probably given notice to some one at the castle, as the\ngate opened without Blondine having called.\n\nShe entered the court-yard but saw no one.\n\nThe door of the castle opened of itself. Blondine entered the vestibule\nwhich was of rare white marble. All the doors of the castle now opened\nlike the first and the princess passed through a suite of beautiful\nrooms.\n\nAt last, in the back part of a charming salon, furnished with blue and\ngold, she perceived a white hind, lying upon a bed of fine and fragrant\ngrasses. Beau-Minon stood near her. The pretty hind saw Blondine, arose,\nand approached her.\n\n\"You are most welcome, Blondine,\" said she. \"My son Beau-Minon and I\nhave expected you for a long time.\"\n\nAt these words, Blondine was much frightened.\n\n\"Take courage, princess; you are with friends. I know the king your\nfather and I love him and I love you also.\"\n\n\"Oh, madam,\" said Blondine, \"if you know the king my father, I pray you\nto take me to him. My absence must make him very wretched.\"\n\n\"My dear Blondine,\" said the hind, whose name was Bonne-Biche, sighing,\n\"it is not in my power to conduct you to your father. You are in the\nhands of the magician of the Forest of Lilacs. I myself am subject to\nhis power which is superior to mine but I can send soft dreams to your\nfather, which will reassure him as to your fate and let him know that\nyou are safe with me.\"\n\n\"Oh, madam!\" said Blondine, in an agony of grief, \"shall I never again\nsee my father whom I love so tenderly? My poor father!\"\n\n\"Dear Blondine, do not distress yourself as to the future. Wisdom and\nprudence are always recompensed. You will see your father again but not\nnow. In the meantime be good and docile. Beau-Minon and I will do all in\nour power to make you happy.\"\n\nBlondine sighed heavily and shed a few tears. She then reflected that to\nmanifest such grief was a poor recompense for all the goodness of\nBonne-Biche. She resolved, therefore, to control herself and to be\ncheerful.\n\nBonne-Biche took her to see the apartment they had prepared for her. The\nbedroom was hung with rose-colored silk embroidered with gold. The\nfurniture was covered with white velvet worked with silks of the most\nbrilliant hues. Every species of animal, bird and butterfly were\nrepresented in rare embroidery.\n\nAdjoining Blondine's chamber was a small study. It was hung with\nsky-blue damask, embroidered with fine pearls. The furniture was covered\nwith silver moir\u00e9, adorned with nails of turquoise. Two magnificent\nportraits, representing a young and superbly handsome woman and a\nstrikingly attractive young man, hung on the walls. Their costumes\nindicated that they were of royal race.\n\n\"Whose portraits are these, madam?\" said Blondine to Bonne-Biche.\n\n\"I am forbidden to answer that question, dear Blondine. You will know\nlater;--but this is the hour for dinner. Come, Blondine, I am sure you\nare hungry.\"\n\nBlondine was in fact almost dying of hunger. She followed Bonne-Biche\nand they entered the dining-room where she saw a table strangely served.\n\nAn enormous cushion of black satin was placed on the floor for\nBonne-Biche. On the table before her was a vase filled with the choicest\nherbs, fresh and nutritious and near this vase was a golden bucket,\nfilled with fresh and limpid water.\n\nOpposite Bonne-Biche was a little stool for Beau-Minon while before him\nwas a little porringer in gold, filled with little fried fish and the\nthighs of snipes. At one side was a bowl of rich crystal full of fresh\nmilk.\n\nBetween Beau-Minon and Bonne-Biche a plate was placed for Blondine. Her\nchair was of carved ivory covered with crimson velvet attached with\nnails of diamonds. Before her was a gold plate richly chased, filled\nwith delicious soup made of a young pullet and fig-birds, her glass and\nwater-bottle were of carved rock-crystal, a muffin was placed by her\nside, her fork and spoon were of gold and her napkin was of linen, finer\nthan anything she had ever seen.\n\nThe table was served by gazelles who were marvellously adroit. They\nwaited, carved and even divined the wishes of Blondine, Bonne-Biche and\nBeau-Minon. The dinner was exquisite--the chicken was splendid, the game\nand fish most delicate, the pastry and bonbons superlative. Blondine was\nhungry so she ate of all and found all excellent.\n\nAfter dinner, Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon conducted the princess into the\ngarden. She found there the most delicious fruits and lovely walks.\n\nAfter a charming walk, Blondine entered the castle with her new friends,\nmuch fatigued. Bonne-Biche proposed that she retire, to which she agreed\njoyfully.\n\nBlondine entered her chamber and found two gazelles waiting to attend\nher. They disrobed her with grace and adroitness, placed her in bed and\nseated themselves by her couch to watch over her.\n\nBlondine was soon peacefully asleep--not, however, without having first\nthought of her father and wept bitterly over her cruel separation from\nhim.\n\n\n\n\nBLONDINE'S SECOND AWAKENING\n\n\nBlondine slept profoundly, and on awaking she found herself entirely\nchanged. Indeed, it seemed to her she could not be the same person. She\nwas much taller, her intellect was developed, her knowledge enlarged.\nShe remembered a number of books she thought she had read during her\nsleep. She was sure she had been writing, drawing, singing and playing\non the piano and harp.\n\nShe looked around, however, and knew that the chamber was the same to\nwhich Bonne-Biche had conducted her and in which she had gone to sleep.\n\nAgitated, disquieted, she rose and ran to the glass. She saw that she\nwas much grown and she found herself charming, a hundred times more\nbeautiful than when she retired the night before. Her fair ringlets fell\nto her feet, her complexion was like the lily and the rose, her eyes\ncelestial blue, her nose beautifully formed, her cheeks rosy as the\nmorn, and her form was erect and graceful. In short, Blondine thought\nherself the most beautiful person she had ever seen.\n\nTrembling, almost frightened, she dressed herself hastily and ran to\nseek Bonne-Biche whom she found in the apartment where she had first\nseen her.\n\n\"Bonne-Biche, Bonne-Biche!\" she exclaimed, \"I entreat you to explain to\nme the change which I see and feel in myself. Last night I went to sleep\na child--I awoke this morning, and found myself a young lady. Is this an\nillusion or have I indeed grown and developed thus during the night?\"\n\n\"Yes, my dear Blondine, you are fourteen years old to-day. But you have\nslept peacefully seven years. My son Beau-Minon and I wished to spare\nyou the weariness of all early studies. When you first entered the\ncastle you knew nothing; not even how to read. I put you to sleep for\nseven years, and Beau-Minon and I have passed this time in instructing\nyou during your sleep. I see by the wonder expressed in your eyes, sweet\nprincess, that you doubt all this. Come into your study and reassure\nyourself on this point.\"\n\nBlondine followed Bonne-Biche to the little room. She ran first to the\npiano, commenced playing and found that she played remarkably well. She\nthen tried the harp and drew from it the most ravishing sounds, and she\nsang enchantingly.\n\nShe took her pencil and brushes and drew and painted with a facility\nwhich denoted a true talent. She wrote and found her handwriting clear\nand elegant. She looked at the countless books which were ranged round\nthe room and knew that she had read them all.\n\nSurprised, delighted, she threw her arms around the neck of Bonne-Biche,\nembraced Beau-Minon tenderly and said to them:\n\n\"Oh! my dear true good friends, what a debt of gratitude do I owe you\nfor having thus watched over my childhood and developed my intellect and\nmy heart. I feel how much I am improved in every respect and I owe it\nall to you.\"\n\nBonne-Biche returned her caresses and Beau-Minon patted her hand\ndelicately. After the first few happy moments had passed, Blondine cast\ndown her eyes and said timidly:\n\n\"Do not think me ungrateful, my dear good friends, if I wish you to add\none more to the benefits you have already conferred upon me. Tell me\nsomething of my father. Does he still weep my absence? Is he happy since\nhe lost me?\"\n\n\"Dear Blondine, your anxiety on this point is most natural and shall be\nrelieved. Look in this mirror, Blondine, and you shall see the king\nyour father and all that has passed since you left the palace.\"\n\n[Illustration: _She threw her arms around the neck of Bonne-Biche_]\n\nBlondine raised her eyes to the mirror and looked into the apartment of\nher father. The king seemed much agitated and was walking backwards and\nforwards. He appeared to be expecting some one. The queen, Fourbette,\nentered and related to him that notwithstanding the remonstrances of\nGourmandinet, Blondine had herself seized the reins and guided the\nostriches who becoming frightened dashed off in the direction of the\nForest of Lilacs and overturned the carriage. Blondine was thrown over\nthe grating which bounded the forest. She stated that Gourmandinet had\nbecome insane from terror and grief and she had sent him home to his\nparents. The king was in wild despair at this news. He ran to the Forest\nof Lilacs and he had to be withheld by force from throwing himself\nacross the boundary in order to search for his cherished Blondine. They\ncarried him to the palace where he yielded to the most frightful sorrow\nand despair, calling unceasingly upon his dear Blondine, his beloved\nchild. At last, overcome by grief, he slept and saw in a dream Blondine\nin the castle of Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon. Bonne-Biche gave him the\nsweet assurance that Blondine should one day be restored to him and that\nher childhood should be calm and happy.\n\nThe mirror now became misty and everything disappeared, then again clear\nas crystal and Blondine saw her father a second time. He had become\nold, his hair was white as snow and his countenance was sad. He held in\nhis hand a little portrait of Blondine, his tears fell upon it and he\npressed it often to his lips. The king was alone. Blondine saw neither\nthe Queen nor Brunette.\n\nPoor Blondine wept bitterly.\n\n\"Alas!\" said she, \"why is my dear father alone? Where is the queen?\nWhere is Brunette?\"\n\n\"The queen,\" said Bonne-Biche, \"showed so little grief at your death, my\nprincess, that your father's heart was filled with hatred and suspicion\ntowards her and he sent her back to the king Turbulent, her father, who\nconfined her in a tower, where she soon died of rage and anger. All the\nworld supposed you to be dead. As to your sister Brunette, she became so\nwicked, so insupportable, that the king hastened to give her in marriage\nlast year to the prince Violent, who charged himself with the duty of\nreforming the character of the cruel and envious princess Brunette. The\nprince was stern and harsh. Brunette saw that her wicked heart prevented\nher from being happy and she commenced trying to correct her faults. You\nwill see her again some day, dear Blondine and your example may complete\nher reformation.\"\n\nBlondine thanked Bonne-Biche tenderly for all these details. Her heart\nprompted her to ask, \"But when shall I see my father and sister?\" But\nshe feared to appear ungrateful and too anxious to leave the castle of\nher good friends. She resolved then to await another more suitable\nopportunity to ask this question.\n\nThe days passed away quietly and pleasantly. Blondine was much occupied,\nbut was sometimes melancholy. She had no one to talk with but\nBonne-Biche and she was only with her during the hours of lessons and\nrepasts. Beau-Minon could not converse and could only make himself\nunderstood by signs. The gazelles served Blondine with zeal and\nintelligence but they had not the gift of speech.\n\nBlondine walked every day, always accompanied by Beau-Minon, who pointed\nout to her the most lovely and sequestered paths and the rarest and\nrichest flowers.\n\nBonne-Biche had made Blondine promise solemnly never to leave the\nenclosure of the park and never to enter the forest. Many times Blondine\nhad asked Bonne-Biche the reason of this prohibition. Sighing\nprofoundly, she had replied:\n\n\"Ah, Blondine! do not seek to penetrate the forest. It is a fatal spot.\nMay you never enter there.\"\n\nSometimes Blondine mounted a pavilion which was built on an eminence\nnear the boundary of the forest. She looked admiringly and longingly at\nthe magnificent trees, the lovely and fragrant flowers, the thousand\ngraceful birds flying and singing and seeming to call her name.\n\n\"Alas!\" said she, \"why will not Bonne-Biche allow me to walk in this\nbeautiful forest? What possible danger can I encounter in that lovely\nplace and under her protection?\"\n\nWhenever she was lost in these reflections, Beau-Minon, who seemed to\ncomprehend what was passing in her heart, mewed plaintively, pulled her\nrobe and tried to draw her from the pavilion.\n\nBlondine smiled sweetly, followed her gentle companion and recommenced\nher walk in the solitary park.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PARROT\n\n\nSix months had passed since Blondine awaked from her seven years' sleep.\nIt seemed to the little princess a long time. The remembrance of her\ndear father often saddened her heart.\n\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon seemed to divine her thoughts. Beau-Minon\nmewed plaintively, and Bonne-Biche heaved the most profound sighs.\nBlondine spoke but rarely of that which occupied her thoughts\ncontinually. She feared to offend Bonne-Biche, who had said to her three\nor four times:\n\n\"Dear Blondine, be patient. You will see your father when you are\nfifteen, if you continue wise and good. Trust me, dear child; do not\ntrouble yourself about the future and above all do not seek to leave\nus.\"\n\nOne morning Blondine was alone and very sad. She was musing upon her\nsingular and monotonous existence. Suddenly she was disturbed in her\nreverie by three soft little strokes upon her window. Raising her head,\nshe perceived a parrot with beautiful green plumage and throat and\nbreast of bright orange.\n\nSurprised at the appearance of a bird entirely unknown to her, she\nopened the window and invited the parrot to enter.\n\nWhat was her amazement when the bird said to her, in a fine sharp voice:\n\n\"Good day, Blondine! I know that you sometimes have a very tedious time\nof it, because you have no one to talk to. I have taken pity upon you\nand come to have a chat with you. But I pray you do not mention that you\nhave seen me, for Bonne-Biche would cut my throat if she knew it.\"\n\n\"Why so, beautiful Parrot? Bonne-Biche is good; she injures no one and\nonly hates the wicked.\"\n\n\"Blondine, listen! If you do not promise to conceal my visit from\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon, I will fly away at once and never return.\"\n\n\"Since you wish it so much, beautiful Parrot, I will promise silence.\nLet us chat a little. It is a long time since I have had an opportunity\nto converse. You seem to me gay and witty. I do not doubt that you will\namuse me much.\"\n\nBlondine listened with delight to the lively talk of the Parrot, who\ncomplimented extravagantly her beauty, her wit and her talents.\n\nBlondine was enchanted. In about an hour the Parrot flew away, promising\nto return the next day. In short, he returned every day and continued to\ncompliment and amuse her.\n\nOne morning he struck upon the window and said:\n\n\"Blondine! Blondine! open the window, quickly! I bring you news of your\nfather. But above all make no noise unless you want my throat cut.\"\n\nBlondine was overwhelmed with joy. She opened the window with alacrity\nand said: \"Is it true, my beautiful Parrot, that you bring me news of my\ndear father? Speak quickly! What is he doing and how is he?\"\n\n\"Your father is well, Blondine, but he weeps your loss always. I have\npromised him to employ all my power to deliver you from your prison but\nI can do nothing without your assistance.\"\n\n\"My prison!\" said Blondine. \"But you are ignorant of all the goodness\nwhich Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon have shown me, of the pains they have\nlavished upon my education, of all their tenderness and forbearance.\nThey will be enchanted to find a way of restoring me to my father. Come\nwith me, beautiful Parrot and I will present you to Bonne-Biche. Come, I\nentreat you.\"\n\n\"Ah! Blondine,\" said the sharp voice of the Parrot, \"it is you,\nPrincess, who do not know Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon. They detest me\nbecause I have sometimes succeeded in rescuing their victims from them.\nYou will never see your father again, Blondine, you will never leave\nthis forest, unless you yourself shall break the charm which holds you\nhere.\"\n\n\"What charm?\" said Blondine. \"I know of no charm and what interest have\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon in keeping me a prisoner?\"\n\n\"Is it not to their interest to enliven their solitude, Blondine? There\nis a talisman which can procure your release. It is a simple Rose,\nwhich, gathered by yourself, will deliver you from your exile and\nrestore you to the arms of your fond father.\"\n\n\"But there is not a single Rose in the garden. How then can I gather\none?\"\n\n\"I will explain this to you another day, Blondine. Now I can tell you no\nmore, as I hear Bonne-Biche coming. But to convince you of the virtues\nof the Rose, entreat Bonne-Biche to give you one and see what she will\nsay. To-morrow--to-morrow, Blondine!\"\n\nThe Parrot flew away, well content to have scattered in Blondine's heart\nthe first seeds of discontent and ingratitude.\n\nThe Parrot had scarcely disappeared when Bonne-Biche entered. She\nappeared greatly agitated.\n\n\"With whom have you been talking, Blondine?\" looking suspiciously\ntowards the open window.\n\n\"With no one, madam,\" said the princess.\n\n\"I am certain I heard voices in conversation.\"\n\n\"I must have been speaking to myself.\"\n\nBonne-Biche made no reply. She was very sad and tears fell from her\neyes.\n\nBlondine was also engaged in thought. The cunning words of the Parrot\nmade her look upon the kindness of Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon in a\ntotally different light.\n\nIn place of saying to herself that a hind which had the power to speak,\nto make wild beasts intelligent, to put an infant to sleep for seven\nyears, to dedicate seven years to a tiresome and ignorant little girl,\nin short, a hind lodged and served like a queen, could be no ordinary\ncriminal; in place of cherishing a sentiment of gratitude for all that\nBonne-Biche had done for her, Blondine, alas! believed blindly in the\nParrot, the unknown bird of whose character and veracity she had no\nproof. She did not remember that the Parrot could have no possible\nmotive for risking its life to render her a service. Blondine believed\nit though, implicitly, because of the flattery which the Parrot had\nlavished upon her. She did not even recall with gratitude the sweet and\nhappy existence which Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon had secured to her. She\nresolved to follow implicitly the counsels of the Parrot. During the\ncourse of the day she said to Bonne-Biche:--\n\n\"Why, madam, do I not see among your flowers the most lovely and\ncharming of all flowers--the fragrant Rose?\"\n\nBonne-Biche was greatly agitated and said in a trembling voice:--\n\n\"Blondine! Blondine! do not ask for this most perfidious flower, which\npierces all who touch it! Never speak to me of the Rose, Blondine. You\ncannot know what fatal danger this flower contains for you!\"\n\nThe expression of Bonne-Biche was so stern and severe that Blondine\ndared not question her further.\n\nThe day passed away sadly enough. Bonne-Biche was unhappy and Beau-Minon\nvery sad.\n\nEarly in the morning, Blondine ran to her window and the Parrot entered\nthe moment she opened it.\n\n\"Well, my dear Blondine, did you notice the agitation of Bonne-Biche,\nwhen you mentioned the Rose? I promised you to point out the means by\nwhich you could obtain one of these charming flowers. Listen now to my\ncounsel. You will leave this park and enter the forest. I will accompany\nyou and I will conduct you to a garden where you will find the most\nbeautiful Rose in the world!\"\n\n\"But how is it possible for me to leave the park? Beau-Minon always\naccompanies me in my walks.\"\n\n\"Try to get rid of him,\" said the Parrot; \"but if that is impossible, go\nin spite of him.\"\n\n\"If this Rose is at a distance, will not my absence be perceived?\"\n\n\"It is about an hour's walk. Bonne-Biche has been careful to separate\nyou as far as possible from the Rose in order that you might not find\nthe means to escape from her power.\"\n\n\"But why does she wish to hold me captive? She is all-powerful and could\nsurely find pleasures more acceptable than educating an ignorant child.\"\n\n\"All this will be explained to you in the future, Blondine, when you\nwill be in the arms of your father. Be firm! After breakfast, in some\nway get away from Beau-Minon and enter the forest. I will expect you\nthere.\"\n\nBlondine promised, and closed the window, fearing that Bonne-Biche would\nsurprise her.\n\nAfter breakfast, according to her usual custom, she entered the garden.\nBeau-Minon followed her in spite of some rude rebuffs which he received\nwith plaintive mews. Arrived at the alley which led out of the park,\nBlondine resolved to get rid of Beau-Minon.\n\n\"I wish to be alone,\" said she, sternly; \"begone, Beau-Minon!\"\n\nBeau-Minon pretended not to understand. Blondine was impatient and\nenraged. She forgot herself so far as to strike Beau-Minon with her\nfoot. When poor Beau-Minon received this humiliating blow, he uttered a\ncry of anguish and fled towards the palace. Blondine trembled and was on\nthe point of recalling him, when a false shame arrested her. She walked\non rapidly to the gate, opened it not without trembling and entered the\nforest. The Parrot joined her without delay.\n\n\"Courage, Blondine! in one hour you will have the Rose and will see your\nfather, who weeps for you.\"\n\nAt these words, Blondine recovered her resolution which had begun to\nfalter. She walked on in the path indicated by the Parrot, who flew\nbefore her from branch to branch. The forest, which had seemed so\nbeautiful and attractive near the park of Bonne-Biche, became wilder and\nmore entangled. Brambles and stones almost filled up the path, the sweet\nsongs of the birds were no longer heard and the flowers had entirely\ndisappeared. Blondine felt oppressed by an inexplicable restlessness.\nThe Parrot pressed her eagerly to advance.\n\n\"Quick, quick, Blondine! time flies! If Bonne-Biche perceives your\nabsence you will never again see your father.\"\n\nBlondine, fatigued, almost breathless, with her arms torn by the briers\nand her shoes in shreds, now declared that she would go no further when\nthe Parrot exclaimed:--\n\n\"We have arrived, Blondine. Look! that is the enclosure which separates\nus from the Rose.\"\n\nBlondine saw at a turn in the path a small enclosure, the gate of which\nwas quickly opened by the Parrot. The soil was arid and stony but a\nmagnificent, majestic rose-bush adorned with one Rose, which was more\nbeautiful than all the roses of the world grew in the midst of this\nsterile spot.\n\n\"Take it, Blondine!\" said the parrot; \"you deserve it--you have truly\nearned it!\"\n\nBlondine seized the branch eagerly and in spite of the thorns which\npierced her fingers cruelly, she tore it from the bush.\n\nThe Rose was scarcely grasped firmly in her hand, when she heard a burst\nof mocking laughter. The Flower fell from her grasp, crying:--\n\n\"Thanks, Blondine, for having delivered me from the prison in which\nBonne-Biche held me captive. I am your evil genius! Now you belong to\nme!\"\n\n\"Ha! ha!\" now exclaimed the Parrot. \"Thanks, Blondine! I can now resume\nmy form of magician. You have destroyed your friends for I am their\nmortal enemy!\"\n\nSaying these cruel words, the Parrot and the Rose disappeared, leaving\nBlondine alone in the forest.\n\n\n\n\nREPENTANCE\n\n\nBlondine was stupefied! Her conduct now appeared to her in all its\nhorror. She had shown a monstrous ingratitude towards the friends who\nhad been so tenderly devoted to her--who had dedicated seven years to\nthe care of her education. Would these kind friends ever receive her,\never pardon her? What would be her fate, if they should close their\ndoors against her? And then, what did those awful words of the wicked\nParrot signify: \"You have caused the destruction of your friends\"?\n\nBlondine turned round and wished to retrace her steps to the castle of\nBonne-Biche. The briers and thorns tore her arms and face terribly. She\ncontinued however to force her way bravely through the thickets and\nafter three hours of most painful walking she came before the castle of\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon.\n\n[Illustration: _Blondine sees the castle of Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon_]\n\nHorror seized upon her, when in place of the superb building she saw\nonly an appalling ruin--in place of the magnificent trees and rare\nflowers which surrounded it, only briers and thorns, nettles and\nthistles, could be seen. Terrified and most desolate, she tried to force\nher way in the midst of the ruins, to seek some knowledge of her kind\nfriends. A large Toad issued from a pile of stones, advanced before her,\nand said:--\n\n\"What are you seeking? Have you not occasioned the death of your friends\nby the basest ingratitude? Begone! do not insult their memory by your\nunwelcome presence!\"\n\n\"Alas! alas!\" cried Blondine, \"my poor friends, Bonne-Biche and\nBeau-Minon, why can I not atone by my death for the sufferings I have\ncaused them?\" And she fell, sobbing piteously, upon the stones and\nnettles; her grief and her repentance were so excessive that she did not\nfeel their sharp points in her tender flesh. She wept profusely a long\ntime. At last she arose and looked about her, hoping to find some\nshelter where she might take refuge. Ruin only stared her in the face!\n\n\"Well,\" said she, \"let the wild beasts tear me to pieces, let me die of\nhunger and thirst, if I can expiate my sins here upon the tomb of\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon!\"\n\nAs she uttered these words, she heard a soft voice saying: \"True\nrepentance can atone for the worst of crimes.\"\n\nShe raised her head and saw only an immense black Crow flying above her.\n\n\"Alas! alas!\" said Blondine, \"my repentance however true, however bitter\nit may be, can never give me back the lives of my dear Bonne-Biche and\nBeau-Minon!\"\n\n\"Courage, courage, Blondine! redeem your fault by your repentance and\ndo not allow yourself to be utterly cast down by grief.\"\n\nThe poor princess arose and left the scene of desolation. She followed a\nlittle path, where the large trees seemed to have rooted out the\nbrambles and the earth was covered with moss. She was utterly exhausted\nwith grief and fatigue and fell at the foot of a large tree, sobbing\npiteously.\n\n\"Courage, Blondine!\" said another voice; \"courage and hope!\"\n\nShe saw near her only a Frog, which was looking at her compassionately.\n\n\"Oh, Frog!\" said the princess, \"you seem to pity my anguish! What will\nbecome of me now that I am alone and desolate in the world?\"\n\n\"Courage and hope!\" was the reply.\n\nBlondine sighed deeply and looked around, hoping to discover some herb\nor fruit to appease her hunger and thirst. She saw nothing and her tears\nflowed freely. The sound of bells now somewhat dissipated her despairing\nthoughts. She saw a beautiful cow approaching her, gently and slowly. On\narriving near her, the cow paused, bowed down, and showed her a silver\nporringer attached to her neck by a chain of beaten gold.\n\nBlondine was very grateful for this unexpected succor. She detached the\nporringer, milked the cow and drank the sweet milk with delight. The\npretty, gentle cow signed to her to replace the porringer. Blondine\nobeyed, kissed her on the neck and said, sadly:--\n\n\"Thanks, Blanchette, it is without doubt to my poor friends that I owe\nthis sweet charity. Perhaps in another and better world they can see the\nrepentance of their poor Blondine and wish to assist her in her\nfrightful position.\"\n\n\"A true repentance will obtain pardon for all faults,\" said a kind\nvoice.\n\n\"Ah!\" exclaimed Blondine, \"years of sorrow and weeping for my crimes\nwould not suffice! I can never pardon myself!\"\n\nIn the mean time, night approached. Notwithstanding her anguish and\nrepentance, Blondine began to reflect upon some means of securing\nherself from the ferocious wild beasts, whose terrible roars she already\nbelieved she heard in the distance. She saw some steps before her a kind\nof hut, formed by several trees growing near together and interlacing\ntheir branches. Bowing her head, she entered, and found that by\ncarefully connecting some branches she could form a pretty and secure\nretreat. She employed the remainder of the day in arranging this little\nroom and gathered a quantity of moss, with which she made herself a bed\nand pillow. She concealed the entrance to this little retreat by some\nbroken branches and leaves and went to rest, utterly worn out with\nregret and fatigue.\n\nWhen Blondine awoke it was broad daylight. At first she could scarcely\ncollect her thoughts and understand her position but the sad realities\nof her lot were soon apparent to her and she commenced weeping as\nbefore.\n\nBlondine was hungry, and she could not imagine how she was to secure\nfood but soon she heard again the sound of the cow-bells. In a few\nmoments, Blanchette stood near her. Blondine again loosened the\nporringer, drew the milk and drank till her hunger was appeased, then\nreplaced the porringer and kissed Blanchette, hoping to see her again\nduring the day. Every day--in the morning, at midday and in the\nevening--Blanchette came to offer Blondine her frugal repast.\n\nBlondine passed the time in tears for her poor friends, and bitter\nself-reproach for her crimes.\n\n\"By my unpardonable disobedience,\" she said to herself, \"I have caused\nthe most terrible misfortunes, which it is not in my power to repair. I\nhave not only lost my good and true friends but I am deprived of the\nonly means of finding my father, my poor father, who perhaps still\nexpects his Blondine, his most unhappy Blondine, condemned to live and\ndie alone in this frightful forest where her evil genius reigns\nsupreme.\"\n\nBlondine sought to amuse and employ herself in every possible way. Her\nlittle home was neatly arranged, and fresh moss and leaves composed her\nsimple couch. She had tied some branches together and formed a seat and\nshe made herself some needles and pins of the thorns and twisted some\nthread from the hemp which grew near her little hut, and with these\nimplements she had mended the rents in her shoes.\n\nIn this simple way Blondine lived for six months; her grief was always\nthe same and it is just to say that it was not her sad and solitary life\nwhich made her unhappy but sincere regret for her fault. She would\nwillingly have consented to pass her life in the forest if she could\nthus have brought to life Bonne-Biche and Beau-Minon.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TORTOISE\n\n\nOne day Blondine was seated at the entrance of her hut, musing sadly as\nusual, thinking of her lost friends and of her father, when she saw\nbefore her an enormous Tortoise.\n\n\"Blondine,\" said the Tortoise, \"if you will place yourself under my\nprotection, I will conduct you out of this forest.\"\n\n\"And why, Madam Tortoise, should I seek to leave this forest? Here I\ncaused the death of my friends and here I wish to die.\"\n\n\"Are you very certain of their death, Blondine?\"\n\n\"What do you mean? Is it possible I may be deceived? But, no; I saw the\nruins of their castle. The Parrot and the Toad assured me of their\ndeath. You are kind and good and wish to console me without doubt but,\nalas! I do not hope to see them again. If they still lived they would\nnot have left me alone with the frightful despair of having caused their\ndeath.\"\n\n\"But how do you know, Blondine, that this seeming neglect is not forced\nupon them? They may now be subjected to a power greater than their own.\nYou know, Blondine, that a true repentance will obtain pardon for many\ncrimes.\"\n\n\"Ah! Madam Tortoise, if they still live, if you can give me news of\nthem, if you can assure me that I need no longer reproach myself with\ntheir death, assure me that I shall one day see them again, there is no\nprice which I will not gladly pay to merit this great happiness.\"\n\n\"Blondine, I am not permitted to disclose to you the fate of your\nfriends but if you have the courage to mount on my back, remain there\nfor six months and not address a single question to me during the\njourney, I will conduct you to a place where all will be revealed.\"\n\n\"I promise all that you ask, Madam Tortoise, provided I can only learn\nwhat has become of my friends.\"\n\n\"Take care, Blondine! reflect well. Six months without descending from\nmy back and without asking me a single question! When once you have\naccepted the conditions, when we have commenced our journey, if you have\nnot the courage to endure to the end, you will remain eternally in the\npower of the enchanter, Perroquet, and his sister Rose and I cannot\neven continue to bestow upon you the little assistance to which you owe\nyour life during the last six months.\"\n\n\"Let us go, Madam Tortoise let us be off, immediately. I prefer to die\nof hunger and fatigue rather than of grief and uncertainty. Your words\nhave brought hope to my poor heart, and I have courage to undertake even\na more difficult journey than that of which you speak.\"\n\n\"Let it be according to your wish, Blondine. Mount my back. Fear neither\nhunger nor thirst nor cold nor sunshine nor any accident during our long\njourney. As long as it lasts you shall not suffer from any\ninconvenience.\"\n\nBlondine mounted on the back of the Tortoise. \"Now, silence!\" said she;\n\"and not one word till we have arrived and I speak to you first.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE JOURNEY AND ARRIVAL\n\n\nThe journey of Blondine lasted, as the Tortoise had said, six months.\nThey were three months passing through the forest. At the end of that\ntime she found herself on an arid plain which it required six weeks to\ncross. Then Blondine perceived a castle which reminded her of that of\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon. They were a full month passing through the\navenue to this castle.\n\nBlondine burned with impatience. Would she indeed learn the fate of her\ndear friends at the palace? In spite of her extreme anxiety, she dared\nnot ask a single question. If she could have descended from the back of\nthe Tortoise, ten minutes would have sufficed for her to reach the\ncastle. But, alas! the Tortoise crept on slowly and Blondine remembered\nthat she had been forbidden to alight or to utter a word. She resolved,\ntherefore, to control her impatience. The Tortoise seemed rather to\nrelax than to increase her speed. She consumed fourteen days still in\npassing through this avenue. They seemed fourteen centuries to Blondine.\nShe never, however, lost sight of the castle or of the door. The place\nseemed deserted; she heard no noise, she saw no sign of life.\n\nAt last, after twenty-four days' journey, the Tortoise paused, and said\nto Blondine:--\n\n\"Now, princess, descend. By your courage and obedience you have earned\nthe recompense I promised. Enter the little door which you see before\nyou. The first person you will meet will be the fairy Bienveillante and\nshe will make known to you the fate of your friends.\"\n\nBlondine sprang lightly to the earth. She had been immovable so long she\nfeared her limbs would be cramped but on the contrary she was as light\nand active as when she had lived so happily with her dear Bonne-Biche\nand Beau-Minon and ran joyously and gracefully gathering flowers and\nchasing butterflies.\n\nAfter having thanked the Tortoise most warmly she opened the door which\nhad been pointed out to her and found herself before a young person\nclothed in white, who asked in a sweet voice, whom she desired to see?\n\n[Illustration: _They were three months passing through the forest_]\n\n\"I wish to see the fairy Bienveillante. Tell her, I pray you, miss,\nthat the princess Blondine begs earnestly to see her without delay.\"\n\n\"Follow me, princess\", replied the young girl.\n\nBlondine followed in great agitation. She passed through several\nbeautiful rooms and met many young girls clothed in white, like her\nguide. They looked at her as if they recognized her and smiled\ngraciously.\n\nAt last Blondine arrived in a room in every respect resembling that of\nBonne-Biche in the Forest of Lilacs. The remembrances which this\nrecalled were so painful that she did not perceive the disappearance of\nher fair young guide.\n\nBlondine gazed sadly at the furniture of the room. She saw but one piece\nwhich had not adorned the apartment of Bonne-Biche in the Forest of\nLilacs. This was a wardrobe in gold and ivory, exquisitely carved. It\nwas closed. Blondine felt herself drawn towards it in an inexplicable\nmanner. She was gazing at it intently, not having indeed the power to\nturn her eyes away, when a door opened and a young and beautiful woman,\nmagnificently dressed, entered and drew near Blondine.\n\n\"What do you wish, my child?\" said she, in a sweet, caressing voice.\n\n\"Oh, madam!\" said Blondine, throwing herself at her feet, \"I have been\nassured that you could give me news of my dear, kind friends,\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon. You know, madam, without doubt by what\nheedless disobedience I gave them up to destruction and that I wept for\nthem a long time, believing them to be dead but the Tortoise, who\nconducted me here, has given me reason to hope I may one day see them\nagain. Tell me, madam, tell me if they yet live and if I may dare hope\nfor the happiness of rejoining them?\"\n\n\"Blondine\", replied the fairy Bienveillante, sadly, \"you are now about\nto know the fate of your friends, but no matter what you see or hear, do\nnot lose courage or hope.\"\n\nSaying these words, she seized the trembling Blondine and conducted her\nin front of the wardrobe which had already so forcibly attracted her\nattention.\n\n\"Blondine, here is the key to this wardrobe. Open it, and be brave!\"\n\nShe handed Blondine a gold key. With a trembling hand the princess\nopened the wardrobe. What was her anguish when she saw the skins of\nBonne-Biche and Beau-Minon fastened to the wardrobe with diamond nails!\nAt this terrible sight the unfortunate princess uttered a cry of horror\nand fell insensible at the feet of the fairy. At this moment the door\nopened and a prince, beautiful as the day, sprang towards Blondine,\nsaying:--\n\n\"Oh, my mother! this is too severe a trial for my sweet Blondine!\"\n\n\"Alas! my son, my heart also bleeds for her. But you know that this last\npunishment was indispensable to deliver her for ever from the yoke of\nthe cruel genius of the Forest of Lilacs.\"\n\nThe fairy Bienveillante now with her wand touched Blondine, who was\nimmediately restored to consciousness but despairing and sobbing\nconvulsively, she exclaimed:--\n\n\"Let me die at once! My life is odious to me! No hope, no happiness,\nfrom this time forth for ever for poor Blondine! My friends! my\ncherished friends! I will join you soon in the land of shadows!\"\n\n\"Blondine! ever dear Blondine!\" said the fairy, clasping her in her\narms, \"your friends live and love you tenderly. I am Bonne-Biche and\nthis is my son, Beau-Minon. The wicked genius of the Forest of Lilacs,\ntaking advantage of the negligence of my son, obtained dominion over us\nand forced us into the forms under which you have known us. We could not\nresume our natural appearance unless you should pluck the Rose, which I,\nknowing it to be your evil genius, retained captive. I placed it as far\nas possible from the castle in order to withdraw it from your view. I\nknew the misfortune to which you would be exposed on delivering your\nevil genius from his prison and Heaven is my witness, that my son and I\nwould willingly have remained a Hind and a Cat for ever in your eyes in\norder to spare you the cruel tortures to which you have been subjected.\nThe Parrot gained you over, in spite of all our precautions. You know\nthe rest, my dear child. But you can never know all that we have\nsuffered in witnessing your tears and your desolation.\"\n\nBlondine embraced the Fairy ardently and addressed a thousand questions\nto her.\n\n\"What has become of the gazelles who waited upon us so gracefully?\"\n\n\"You have already seen them, dear Blondine. They are the young girls who\naccompanied you. They also were changed when the evil genius gained his\npower over us.\"\n\n\"And the good white cow who brought me milk every day?\"\n\n\"We obtained permission from the Queen of the Fairies to send you this\nlight refreshment. The encouraging words of the Crow came also from us.\"\n\n\"You, then, madam, also sent me the Tortoise?\"\n\n\"Yes, Blondine. The Queen of the Fairies, touched by your repentance and\nyour grief, deprived the Evil Genius of the Forest of all power over us\non condition of obtaining from you one last proof of submission,\ncompelling you to take this long and fatiguing journey and inflicting\nthe terrible punishment of making you believe that my son and I had died\nfrom your imprudence. I implored, entreated the Queen of the Fairies to\nspare you at least this last anguish but she was inflexible.\"\n\nBlondine gazed at her lost friends, listened eagerly to every word and\ndid not cease to embrace those she had feared were eternally separated\nfrom her by death. The remembrance of her dear father now presented\nitself. The prince Parfait understood her secret desire and made it\nknown to his mother, the fairy Bienveillante.\n\n\"Prepare yourself, dear Blondine, to see your father. Informed by me, he\nnow expects you.\"\n\nAt this moment, Blondine found herself in a chariot of gold and pearls,\nthe fairy Bienveillante seated at her right hand, and the prince Parfait\nat her feet, regarding her kindly and tenderly. The chariot was drawn by\nfour swans of dazzling whiteness. They flew with such rapidity, that\nfive minutes brought them to the palace of King Benin. All the court was\nassembled about the king, all were expecting the princess Blondine.\n\nWhen the chariot appeared, the cries of joy and welcome were so\ntumultuous that the swans were confused and almost lost their way.\nPrince Parfait, who guided them, succeeded in arresting their attention\nand the chariot drew up at the foot of the grand stairway. King Benin\nsprang towards Blondine who, jumping lightly from the chariot, threw\nherself in her father's arms. They remained a long time in this position\nand everybody wept tears of joy.\n\nWhen King Benin had somewhat recovered himself he kissed, respectfully\nand tenderly, the hand of the good fairy who, after having protected and\neducated the princess Blondine had now restored her to him. He embraced\nthe prince Parfait whom he found most charming.\n\nThere were eight resplendent gala days in honor of the return of\nBlondine. At the close of this gay festival, the fairy Bienveillante\nannounced her intention of returning home. But Prince Parfait and\nBlondine were so melancholy at the prospect of this separation that King\nBenin resolved they should never quit the place. He wedded the fairy and\nBlondine became the happy wife of Prince Parfait who was always for her\nthe Beau-Minon of the Forest of Lilacs.\n\nBrunette, whose character had entirely changed, came often to see\nBlondine. Prince Violent, her husband, became more amiable as Brunette\nbecame more gentle and they were very happy.\n\nAs to Blondine, she had no misfortunes, no griefs. She had lovely\ndaughters, who resembled her, and good and handsome sons, the image of\ntheir manly father, Prince Parfait. Everybody loved them and every one\nconnected with them was happy ever after.\n\n\n\n\nGood Little Henry\n\n\n\n\nGOOD LITTLE HENRY\n\n\nTHE POOR SICK MOTHER\n\n\nThere was a poor woman, a widow, who lived alone with her little son\nHenry. She loved him tenderly and she had good reason to do so, for no\none had ever seen a more charming child. Although he was but seven years\nold, he kept the house while his good mother labored diligently and then\nleft home to sell her work and buy food for herself and her little\nHenry. He swept, he washed the floor, he cooked, he dug and cultivated\nthe garden and when all this was done he seated himself to mend his\nclothes or his mother's shoes and to make stools and tables--in short,\nto do everything his strength would enable him to do.\n\nThe house in which they lived belonged to them, but it was very\nlonesome. In front of their dwelling there was a lofty mountain so high\nthat no one had ever ascended to its summit, and besides it was\nsurrounded by a rushing torrent, by high walls and insurmountable\nprecipices.\n\nThe mother and her little boy were happy but alas! one day the poor\nmother fell sick. They knew no doctor and besides they had no money to\npay for one. Poor Henry did not know how to cure her. He brought her\nfresh cool water for he had nothing else to give her, he stayed by her\nnight and day and ate his little morsel of dry bread at the foot of her\nbed. When she slept he looked at her sadly and wept. The sickness\nincreased from day to day and at last the poor woman was almost in a\ndying condition. She could neither speak nor swallow and she no longer\nknew her little Henry, who was sobbing on his knees near her bed. In his\ndespair, he cried out:\n\n\"Fairy Bienfaisante, come to my help! Save my mother!\"\n\nHenry had scarcely pronounced these words, when a window opened and a\nlady richly dressed entered and in a soft voice, said to him:\n\n\"What do you wish of me, my little friend? You called me--here I am!\"\n\n\"Madam,\" cried Henry, throwing himself on his knees and clasping his\nhands, \"if you are the fairy Bienfaisante, save my poor mother who is\nabout to die and leave me alone in the world.\"\n\nThe good fairy looked at Henry most compassionately and then, without\nsaying a word, she approached the poor woman, bent over her, examined\nher attentively, breathed upon her and said:\n\n\"It is not in my power, my poor child, to cure your mother; her life\ndepends upon you alone, if you have the courage to undertake the journey\nI will point out to you.\"\n\n\"Speak, madam! I entreat you to speak! there is nothing I will not\nundertake to save the life of my dear mother.\"\n\nThe fairy replied,\n\n\"You must go and seek the plant of life, which grows on top of the\nmountain that you see from this window. When you have obtained this\nplant, press its juice into the mouth of your mother and she will be\nimmediately restored to health.\"\n\n\"I will start out immediately, madam. But who will take care of my poor\nmother during my absence? And, moreover,\" said he, sobbing bitterly,\n\"she will be dead before my return.\"\n\n\"Do not worry, my dear child. If you go to seek the plant of life, your\nmother will need nothing before your return; she will remain precisely\nin the condition in which you leave her. But you must dare many dangers\nand endure many things before you pluck the plant of life. Great courage\nand great perseverance are necessary on your part.\"\n\n\"I fear nothing, madam, my courage and perseverance shall not fail. Tell\nme only how I shall know this plant amongst all the others which cover\nthe top of the mountain.\"\n\n\"When you reach the summit, call the doctor who has charge of this\nplant, inform him that I have sent you and he will give you a branch of\nthe plant of life.\"\n\nHenry kissed the good fairy's hands and thanked her heartily, took a\nsorrowful leave of his mother, covering her with kisses, put some bread\nin his pocket and set out, after saluting the fairy respectfully.\n\nThe fairy smiled encouragingly at this poor child who so bravely\nresolved to ascend a mountain so dangerous that none of those who had\nattempted it had ever reached the summit.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CROW, THE COCK, AND THE FROG\n\n\nLittle Henry marched resolutely to the mountain which he found much more\ndistant than it had appeared to him. Instead of arriving in a half hour\nas he had expected, he walked rapidly the whole day without reaching its\nbase.\n\nAbout one-third of the way he saw a Crow which was caught by the claw in\na snare which some wicked boy had set for him. The poor Crow sought in\nvain to release himself from this trap which caused him cruel\nsufferings. Henry ran to him, cut the cord which bound him and set him\nat liberty. The poor Crow flew off rapidly, after having said to Henry,\n\n\"Thanks, my brave Henry, I will see you again.\"\n\nHenry was much surprised to hear the Crow speak but he did not relax his\nspeed.\n\nSome time afterwards while he was resting in a grove and eating a morsel\nof bread, he saw a Cock followed by a fox and about to be taken by him\nin spite of his efforts to escape. The poor frightened Cock passed very\nnear to Henry, who seized it adroitly, and hid it under his coat without\nthe fox having seen him. The fox continued his pursuit, supposing that\nthe Cock was before him. Henry did not move till he was entirely out of\nsight. He then released the Cock, who said to him in a low voice:\n\n\"Many thanks, my brave Henry, I will see you again.\"\n\nHenry was now rested. He rose and continued his journey. When he had\nadvanced a considerable distance he saw a poor Frog about to be devoured\nby a serpent. The Frog trembled and, paralyzed by fear, could not move.\nThe serpent advanced rapidly, its horrid mouth open. Henry seized a\nlarge stone and threw it so adroitly that it entered the serpent's\nthroat the moment it was about to devour the Frog. The frightened Frog\nleaped to a distance and cried out,\n\n\"Many thanks, brave Henry; we will meet again.\"\n\nHenry, who had before heard the Crow and the Cock speak, was not now\nastonished at these words of the Frog and continued to walk on rapidly.\n\nA short time after he arrived at the foot of the mountain but he was\ngreatly distressed to see that a large and deep river ran at its foot,\nso wide that the other side could scarcely be seen. Greatly at a loss he\npaused to reflect.\n\n[Illustration: _A large and deep river ran at the foot of the mountain_]\n\n\"Perhaps,\" said he, hopefully, \"I may find a bridge, or ford, or a\nboat.\"\n\nHenry followed the course of the river which flowed entirely around the\nmountain but everywhere it was equally wide and deep and he saw neither\nbridge nor boat. Poor Henry seated himself on the bank of the river,\nweeping bitterly.\n\n\"Fairy Bienfaisante! Fairy Bienfaisante! come to my help,\" he\nexclaimed. \"Of what use will it be to me to know that there is a plant\nat the top of the mountain which will save the life of my poor mother,\nif I can never reach its summit?\"\n\nAt this moment the Cock whom he had protected from the fox appeared on\nthe borders of the river, and said to him:\n\n\"The fairy Bienfaisante can do nothing for you. This mountain is beyond\nher control. But you have saved my life and I wish to prove my\ngratitude. Mount my back, Henry, and by the faith of a Cock I will take\nyou safe to the other side.\"\n\nHenry did not hesitate. He sprang on the Cock's back, fully expecting to\nfall into the water but his clothes were not even moist. The Cock\nreceived him so adroitly on his back that he felt as secure as if he had\nbeen on horseback. He held on firmly to the crest of the Cock who now\ncommenced the passage.\n\nThe river was so wide that he was flying constantly twenty-one days\nbefore he reached the other shore; but during these twenty-one days\nHenry was not sleepy and felt neither hunger nor thirst.\n\nWhen they arrived, Henry thanked the Cock most politely, who graciously\nbristled his feathers and disappeared. A moment after this Henry turned\nand to his astonishment the river was no longer to be seen.\n\n\"It was without doubt the genius of the mountain who wished to prevent\nmy approach,\" said Henry. \"But, with the help of the good fairy\nBienfaisante, I think I shall yet succeed in my mission.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE HARVEST\n\n\nHenry walked a long, long time but he walked in vain for he saw that he\nwas no farther from the foot of the mountain and no nearer to the summit\nthan he had been when he crossed the river. Any other child would have\nretraced his steps but the brave little Henry would not allow himself to\nbe discouraged. Notwithstanding his extreme fatigue he walked on\ntwenty-one days without seeming to make any advance. At the end of this\ntime he was no more discouraged than at the close of the first day.\n\n\"If I am obliged to walk a hundred years,\" he said aloud, \"I will go on\ntill I reach the summit.\"\n\n\"You have then a great desire to arrive there, little boy?\" said an old\nman, looking at him maliciously and standing just in his path. \"What are\nyou seeking at the top of this mountain?\"\n\n\"The plant of life, my good sir, to save the life of my dear mother who\nis about to die.\"\n\nThe little old man shook his head, rested his little pointed chin on the\ntop of his gold-headed cane and after having a long time regarded Henry,\nhe said:\n\n\"Your sweet and fresh face pleases me, my boy. I am one of the genii of\nthis mountain. I will allow you to advance on condition that you will\ngather all my wheat, that you will beat it out, make it into flour and\nthen into bread. When you have gathered, beaten, ground and cooked it,\nthen call me. You will find all the necessary implements in the ditch\nnear you. The fields of wheat are before you and cover the mountain.\"\n\nThe old man disappeared and Henry gazed in terror at the immense fields\nof wheat which were spread out before him. But he soon mastered this\nfeeling of discouragement--took off his vest, seized a scythe and\ncommenced cutting the wheat diligently. This occupied him a hundred and\nninety-five days and nights.\n\nWhen the wheat was all cut, Henry commenced to beat it with a flail\nwhich he found at hand. This occupied him sixty days.\n\nWhen the grain was all beaten out he began to grind it in a mill which\nrose up suddenly near him. This occupied him seventy days.\n\nWhen the wheat was all ground he began to knead it and to cook it. He\nkneaded and cooked for a hundred and twenty days.\n\nAs the bread was cooked he arranged it properly on shelves, like books\nin a library.\n\nWhen all was finished Henry was transported with joy and called the\ngenius of the mountain who appeared immediately and counted four hundred\nand sixty-eight thousand three hundred and twenty-nine new loaves of\nbread. He bit and ate a little end off of two or three, drew near to\nHenry, tapped him on the cheek and said:\n\n\"You are a good boy and I wish to pay you for your work.\"\n\nHe drew from his pocket a little wooden box which he gave to Henry and\nsaid, maliciously:\n\n\"When you return home, open this box and you will find in it the most\ndelicious tobacco you have ever seen.\"\n\nNow Henry had never used tobacco and the present of the little genius\nseemed to him very useless but he was too polite to let this be seen and\nhe thanked the old man as if satisfied.\n\nThe old one smiled, then burst out laughing and disappeared.\n\n\n\n\nTHE VINTAGE\n\n\nHenry began to walk rapidly and perceived with great delight that every\nstep brought him nearer to the summit of the mountain. In three hours he\nhad walked two-thirds of the way. But suddenly he found himself arrested\nby a very high wall which he had not perceived before. He walked around\nit, and found, after three days' diligent advance, that this wall\nsurrounded the entire mountain and that there was no door, not the\nsmallest opening by which he could enter.\n\nHenry seated himself on the ground, to reflect upon his situation. He\nresolved to wait patiently--he sat there forty-five days. At the end of\nthis time he said:\n\n\"I will not go back if I have to wait here a hundred years.\"\n\nHe had scarcely uttered these words when a part of the wall crumbled\naway with a terrible noise and he saw in the opening a giant,\nbrandishing an enormous cudgel.\n\n\"You have then a great desire to pass here, my boy? What are you seeking\nbeyond my wall?\"\n\n\"I am seeking the plant of life, Master Giant, to cure my poor mother\nwho is dying. If it is in your power and you will allow me to pass this\nwall, I will do anything for you that you may command.\"\n\n\"Is it so? Well, listen! Your countenance pleases me. I am one of the\ngenii of this mountain. I will allow you to pass this wall if you will\nfill my wine-cellar. Here are all my vines. Gather the grapes, crush\nthem, put the juice in the casks and arrange them well in my\nwine-cellar. You will find all the implements necessary at the foot of\nthis wall. When it is done, call me.\"\n\nThe Giant disappeared, closing the wall behind him. Henry looked around\nhim and as far as he could see, the vines of the Giant were growing\nluxuriously.\n\n\"Well, well,\" said Henry to himself, \"I cut all the wheat of the little\nold man--I can surely also gather the grapes of the big Giant. It will\nnot take me so long and it will not be as difficult to make wine of\nthese grapes as to make bread of the wheat.\"\n\n[Illustration: _A part of the wall crumbled with a terrible noise_]\n\nHenry took off his coat, picked up a pruning-knife which he saw at his\nfeet and began to cut the grapes and throw them into the vats. It took\nhim thirty days to gather this crop. When all was finished, he\ncrushed the grapes, poured the juice into the casks and ranged them in\nthe cellar, which they completely filled. He was ninety days making the\nwine.\n\nWhen the wine was ready and everything in the cellar in complete order,\nHenry called the Giant who immediately appeared, examined the casks,\ntasted the wine, then turned towards Henry and said:\n\n\"You are a brave little man and I wish to pay you for your trouble. It\nshall not be said that you worked gratis for the Giant of the mountain.\"\n\nHe drew a thistle from his pocket, gave it to Henry and said:\n\n\"After your return home, whenever you desire anything, smell this\nthistle.\"\n\nHenry did not think the Giant very generous but he received the thistle\nwith an amiable smile.\n\nThen the Giant whistled so loudly that the mountain trembled and the\nwall and Giant disappeared entirely and Henry was enabled to continue\nhis journey.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHASE\n\n\nHenry was within a half-hour's walk of the summit of the mountain when\nhe reached a pit so wide that he could not possibly jump to the other\nside and so deep that it seemed bottomless. Henry did not lose courage,\nhowever. He followed the borders of the pit till he found himself where\nhe started from and knew that this yawning pit surrounded the mountain.\n\n\"Alas! what shall I do?\" said poor Henry; \"I scarcely overcome one\nobstacle when another more difficult seems to rise up before me. How\nshall I ever pass this pit?\"\n\nThe poor child felt for the first time that his eyes were filled with\ntears. He looked around for some means of passing over but saw no\npossible chance and seated himself sadly on the brink of the precipice.\nSuddenly he heard a terrible growl. He turned and saw within ten steps\nof him an enormous Wolf gazing at him with flaming eyes.\n\n\"What are you seeking in my kingdom?\" said the Wolf, in a threatening\nvoice.\n\n\"Master Wolf, I am seeking the plant of life which alone can save my\ndear mother who is about to die. If you will assist me to cross this\npit, I will be your devoted servant and will obey any command you may\ngive me.\"\n\n\"Well, my boy, if you will catch all the game which is in my forests,\nbirds and beasts, and make them up into pies and nice roasts, by the\nfaith of the genius of the mountain, I will pass you over to the other\nside. You will find near this tree all the instruments necessary to\ncatch the game and to cook it. When your work is done, call me.\"\n\nSaying these words, he disappeared.\n\nHenry took courage. He lifted a bow and arrow which he saw on the\nground, and began to shoot at the partridges, woodcocks, pheasants and\ngame of all kinds which abounded there. But, alas! he did not understand\nit and killed nothing.\n\nDuring eight days he was shooting right and left in vain and was at last\nwearied and despairing, when he saw near him the Crow whose life he had\nsaved in the commencement of his journey.\n\n\"You rescued me from mortal danger,\" said the Crow, \"and I told you I\nshould see you again. I have come to redeem my promise. If you do not\nfulfil your promise to the Wolf, he will change you into some terrible\nwild beast. Follow me. I am going a-hunting and you have only to gather\nthe game and cook it.\"\n\nSaying these words, the Crow flew above the trees of the forest and with\nhis beak and his claws killed all the game to be found. In fact, during\none hundred and fifty days he caught one million eight hundred and sixty\nthousand seven hundred and twenty-six animals and birds, squirrels,\nmoor-cocks, pheasants, and quails. As the Crow killed them, Henry\nplucked the feathers, skinned them, cut them up and cooked them in\nroasts or pies. When all was cooked he arranged them neatly and then the\nCrow said to him:\n\n\"Adieu, Henry. There remains one obstacle yet to overcome but in that\ndifficulty I cannot aid you. But do not be discouraged. The good fairies\nprotect filial love.\"\n\nBefore Henry had time to thank the Crow, he had disappeared. He then\ncalled the Wolf and said to him:\n\n\"Master Wolf, here is all the game of your forest. I have prepared it as\nyou ordered and now will you assist me to pass this precipice?\"\n\nThe Wolf examined a pheasant, crunched a roast squirrel and a pie,\nlicked his lips and said to Henry:\n\n\"You are a brave and good boy. I will pay you for your trouble. It shall\nnot be said that you have worked for the Wolf of the mountain without\nreceiving your reward.\"\n\nSaying these words, he gave Henry a staff which he cut in the forest and\nsaid to him:\n\n[Illustration: _Henry sprang upon the Wolf's back_]\n\n\"When you have gathered the plant of life and wish yourself transported\nto any part of the world, mount the stick and it will be your horse.\"\n\nHenry was on the point of throwing this useless stick into the woods but\nhe wished to be polite, and receiving it smilingly, he thanked the Wolf\ncordially.\n\n\"Get on my back, Henry,\" said the Wolf.\n\nHenry sprang upon the Wolf's back and he made a bound so prodigious\nthat they landed immediately on the other side of the precipice.\n\nHenry dismounted, thanked the Wolf and walked on vigorously.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FISHING\n\n\nAt last, after so many labors and perils, Henry saw the lattice of the\ngarden in which the plant of life was growing and his heart bounded for\njoy. He looked always upward as he walked, and went on as rapidly as his\nstrength would permit, when suddenly he fell into a hole. He sprang\nbackwards, looked anxiously around him and saw a ditch full of water,\nlarge and long, so long indeed that he could not see either end.\n\n\"Without doubt this is that last obstacle of which the Crow spoke to\nme,\" said Henry to himself. \"Since I have overcome all my other\ndifficulties with the help of the good fairy Bienfaisante, she will\nassist me to surmount this also. It was surely she who sent me the Cock,\nthe Crow and the Old Man, the Giant and the Wolf. I will wait patiently\ntill it shall please her to assist me this time.\"\n\nOn saying these words, Henry began to walk along the ditch, hoping to\nfind the end. He walked on steadily two days and found himself at the\nend of that time just where he had started. Henry would not give way to\ndistress, he would not be discouraged; he seated himself on the borders\nof the ditch and said:\n\n\"I will not move from this spot till the genius of the mountain allows\nme to pass this ditch.\"\n\nHenry had just uttered these words when an enormous Cat appeared before\nhim and began to mew so horribly that he was almost deafened by the\nsound. The Cat said to him:\n\n\"What are you doing here? Do you not know that I could tear you to\npieces with one stroke of my claws?\"\n\n\"I do not doubt your power, Mr. Cat, but you will not do so when you\nknow that I am seeking the plant of life to save my poor mother who is\ndying. If you will permit me to pass your ditch, I will do anything in\nmy power to please you.\"\n\n\"Will you?\" said the Cat. \"Well, then, listen; your countenance pleases\nme. If, therefore, you will catch all the fish in this ditch and salt\nand cook them, I will pass you over to the other side, on the faith of a\nCat!\"\n\nHenry advanced some steps and saw lines, fish-hooks, bait, and nets on\nthe ground. He took a net, and hoped that by one vigorous haul he would\ntake many fish and that he would succeed much better than with a line\nand hook. He threw the net and drew it in with great caution. But alas!\nhe had caught nothing!\n\nDisappointed, Henry thought he had not been adroit. He threw the net\nagain and drew it very softly: still nothing!\n\nHenry was patient. For ten days he tried faithfully without having\ncaught a single fish. Then he gave up the net and tried the hook and\nline. He waited an hour, two hours;--not a single fish bit at the bait!\nHe moved from place to place, till he had gone entirely around the\nditch. He tried diligently fifteen days and caught not a single fish. He\nknew not now what to do. He thought of the good fairy Bienfaisante, who\nhad abandoned him at the end of his undertaking. He seated himself sadly\nand gazed intently at the ditch when suddenly the water began to boil\nand he saw the head of a Frog appear.\n\n\"Henry,\" said the Frog, \"you saved my life--I wish now to save yours in\nreturn. If you do not execute the orders of the Cat of the mountain he\nwill eat you for his breakfast. You cannot catch the fish because the\nwater is so deep and they take refuge at the bottom. But allow me to act\nfor you. Light your fire for cooking and prepare your vessels for\nsalting. I will bring you the fish.\"\n\nSaying these words, the Frog plunged back into the water. Henry saw that\nthe waves were agitated and boiling up, as if a grand contest was going\non at the bottom of the ditch. In a moment, however, the Frog\nreappeared, sprang ashore and deposited a superb salmon which he had\ncaught. Henry had scarcely time to seize the salmon when the Frog leaped\nashore with a carp. During sixty days the Frog continued his labors.\nHenry cooked the large fish and threw the little ones into the casks to\nbe salted. Finally, at the end of two months, the Frog leaped towards\nHenry and said:\n\n\"There is not now a single fish in the ditch. You can call the Cat of\nthe mountain.\"\n\nHenry thanked the Frog heartily, who extended his wet foot towards him,\nin sign of friendship. Henry pressed it affectionately and gratefully\nand the Frog disappeared.\n\nIt took Henry fifteen days to arrange properly all the large fish he had\ncooked and all the casks of small fish he had salted. He then called the\nCat, who appeared immediately.\n\n\"Mr. Cat,\" said Henry, \"here are all your fish cooked and salted. Will\nyou now keep your promise and pass me over to the other side?\"\n\nThe Cat examined the fish and the casks; tasted a salted and a cooked\nfish, licked his lips, smiled and said to Henry:\n\n\"You are a brave boy! I will recompense your fortitude and patience. It\nshall never be said that the Cat of the mountain does not pay his\nservants.\"\n\nSaying these words, the Cat tore off one of his own claws and said,\nhanding it to Henry:\n\n\"When you are sick or feel yourself growing old, touch your forehead\nwith this claw. Sickness, suffering and old age will disappear. This\nmiraculous claw will have the same virtue for all that you love and all\nwho love you.\"\n\nHenry thanked the Cat most warmly, took the precious claw and wished to\ntry its powers immediately, as he felt painfully weary. The claw had\nscarcely touched his brow when he felt as fresh and vigorous as if he\nhad just left his bed.\n\nThe Cat looked on smiling, and said: \"Now get on my tail.\"\n\nHenry obeyed. He was no sooner seated on the Cat's tail than he saw the\ntail lengthen itself till it reached across the ditch.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PLANT OF LIFE\n\n\nWhen he had saluted the Cat respectfully, Henry ran towards the garden\nof the plant of life, which was only a hundred steps from him. He\ntrembled lest some new obstacle should retard him but he reached the\ngarden lattice without any difficulty. He sought the gate and found it\nreadily, as the garden was not large. But, alas! the garden was filled\nwith innumerable plants utterly unknown to him and it was impossible to\nknow how to distinguish the plant of life. Happily he remembered that\nthe good fairy Bienfaisante had told him that when he reached the summit\nof the mountain he must call the Doctor who cultivated the garden of the\nfairies. He called him then with a loud voice. In a moment he heard a\nnoise among the plants near him and saw issue from them a little man, no\ntaller than a hearth brush. He had a book under his arm, spectacles on\nhis crooked little nose and wore the great black cloak of a doctor.\n\n[Illustration: \"_What are you seeking little one?_\"]\n\n\"What are you seeking, little one?\" said the Doctor; \"and how is it\npossible that you have gained this summit?\"\n\n\"Doctor, I come from the fairy Bienfaisante, to ask the plant of life to\ncure my poor sick mother, who is about to die.\"\n\n\"All those who come from the fairy Bienfaisante,\" said the little\nDoctor, raising his hat respectfully, \"are most welcome. Come, my boy, I\nwill give you the plant you seek.\"\n\nThe Doctor then buried himself in the botanical garden where Henry had\nsome trouble in following him, as he was so small as to disappear\nentirely among the plants. At last they arrived near a bush growing by\nitself. The Doctor drew a little pruning-knife from his pocket, cut a\nbunch and gave it to Henry, saying:\n\n\"Take this and use it as the good fairy Bienfaisante directed but do not\nallow it to leave your hands. If you lay it down under any circumstances\nit will escape from you and you will never recover it.\"\n\nHenry was about to thank him but the little man had disappeared in the\nmidst of his medicinal herbs, and he found himself alone.\n\n\"What shall I do now in order to arrive quickly at home? If I encounter\non my return the same obstacles which met me as I came up the mountain,\nI shall perhaps lose my plant, my dear plant, which should restore my\ndear mother to life.\"\n\nHappily Henry now remembered the stick which the Wolf had given him.\n\n\"Well, let us see,\" said he, \"if this stick has really the power to\ncarry me home.\"\n\nSaying this, he mounted the stick and wished himself at home. In the\nsame moment he felt himself raised in the air, through which he passed\nwith the rapidity of lightning and found himself almost instantly by his\nmother's bed.\n\nHenry sprang to his mother and embraced her tenderly. But she neither\nsaw nor heard him. He lost no time, but pressed the plant of life upon\nher lips. At the same moment she opened her eyes, threw her arms around\nHenry's neck and exclaimed:\n\n\"My child! my dear Henry! I have been very sick but now I feel almost\nwell. I am hungry.\"\n\nThen, looking at him in amazement, she said: \"How you have grown, my\ndarling! How is this? How can you have changed so in a few days?\"\n\nHenry had indeed grown a head taller. Two years, seven months and six\ndays had passed away since he left his home. He was now nearly ten years\nold. Before he had time to answer, the window opened and the good fairy\nBienfaisante appeared. She embraced Henry and, approaching the couch of\nhis mother, related to her all that little Henry had done and suffered,\nthe dangers he had dared, the fatigues he endured; the courage, the\npatience, the goodness he had manifested. Henry blushed on hearing\nhimself thus praised by the fairy. His mother pressed him to her heart,\nand covered him with kisses. After the first moments of happiness and\nemotion had passed away, the fairy said:\n\n\"Now, Henry, you can make use of the present of the little Old Man and\nthe Giant of the mountain.\"\n\nHenry drew out his little box and opened it. Immediately there issued\nfrom it a crowd of little workmen, not larger than bees, who filled the\nroom. They began to work with such promptitude that in a quarter of an\nhour they had built and furnished a beautiful house in the midst of a\nlovely garden with a thick wood on one side and a beautiful meadow on\nthe other.\n\n\"All this is yours, my brave Henry,\" said the fairy. \"The Giant's\nthistle will obtain for you all that is necessary. The Wolf's staff will\ntransport you where you wish. The Cat's claw will preserve your health\nand your youth and also that of your dear mother. Adieu, Henry! Be happy\nand never forget that virtue and filial love are always recompensed.\"\n\nHenry threw himself on his knees before the fairy who gave him her hand\nto kiss, smiled upon him and disappeared.\n\nHenry's mother had a great desire to arise from her bed and admire her\nnew house, her garden, her woods and her meadow. But, alas! she had no\ndress. During her first illness she had made Henry sell all that she\npossessed, as they were suffering for bread.\n\n\"Alas! alas! my child, I cannot leave my bed. I have neither dresses nor\nshoes.\"\n\n\"You shall have all those things, dear mother,\" exclaimed Henry.\n\nDrawing his thistle from his pocket, he smelled it while he wished for\ndresses, linen, shoes for his mother and himself and also for linen for\nthe house. At the same moment the presses were filled with linen, his\nmother was dressed in a good and beautiful robe of merino and Henry\ncompletely clothed in blue cloth, with good, substantial shoes. They\nboth uttered a cry of joy. His mother sprang from her bed to run through\nthe house with Henry. Nothing was wanting. Everywhere the furniture was\ngood and comfortable. The kitchen was filled with pots and kettles; but\nthere was nothing in them.\n\nHenry again put his thistle to his nose and desired to have a good\ndinner served up.\n\nA table soon appeared, with good smoking soup, a splendid leg of lamb, a\nroasted pullet and good salad. They took seats at the table with the\nappetite of those who had not eaten for three years. The soup was soon\nswallowed, the leg of lamb entirely eaten, then the pullet, then the\nsalad.\n\nWhen their hunger was thus appeased, the mother, aided by Henry, took\noff the cloth, washed and arranged all the dishes and then put the\nkitchen in perfect order. They then made up their beds with the sheets\nthey found in the presses and went happily to bed, thanking God and the\ngood fairy Bienfaisante. The mother also gave grateful thanks for her\ndear son Henry.\n\nThey lived thus most happily, they wanted nothing--the thistle provided\neverything. They did not grow old or sick--the claw cured every ill.\nThey never used the staff, as they were too happy at home ever to desire\nto leave it.\n\nHenry asked of his thistle only two cows, two good horses and the\nnecessaries of life for every day. He wished for nothing superfluous,\neither in clothing or food and thus he preserved his thistle as long as\nhe lived. It is not known when they died. It is supposed that the Queen\nof the Fairies made them immortal and transported them to her palace,\nwhere they still are.\n\n\n\n\nThe Princess Rosette\n\n\n\n\nHISTORY OF PRINCESS ROSETTE\n\n\nTHE FARM\n\n\nThere was once a king and queen, who had three daughters. The two eldest\nwere twins--Orangine and Roussette--and their parents loved them very\ndearly. They were beautiful and intelligent, but they were not very\ngood. In this they resembled the king and queen. The third princess was\ncalled Rosette and was three years younger than her sisters. She was as\namiable as she was handsome, as good as she was beautiful.\n\nThe fairy Puissante was Rosette's godmother and this made her two\nsisters, Orangine and Roussette, very jealous. They were angry because\nthey also had not a fairy for their godmother.\n\nSome days after the birth of Rosette, the king and queen sent her to the\ncountry, on a farm, to be nursed. Rosette lived happily here for fifteen\nyears without her parents coming once to see her. Every year they sent a\nsmall sum of money to the farmer to pay Rosette's expenses and asked\nsome questions as to her health, but they never came to see her nor\ndisturbed themselves about her education.\n\nRosette would indeed have been very rude and ignorant if her good\ngodmother, the fairy Puissante, had not sent her teachers and all that\nwas necessary. In this way Rosette learned to read, to write, to keep\naccounts and to work beautifully. She became an accomplished musician,\nshe knew how to draw and spoke several languages.\n\nRosette was the most beautiful, the most attractive, the most amiable\nand the most excellent princess in the whole world. She had never\ndisobeyed her nurse or godmother, and had therefore never been reproved.\nShe did not regret her father and mother, as she did not know them and\nshe did not desire any other home than the farm where she had been so\nhappy.\n\nOne day when Rosette was seated on a bench before the door, she saw a\nman arrive in a laced hat and coat; he approached her and asked if he\ncould speak to the princess Rosette.\n\n\"Yes, without doubt,\" answered the princess; \"I am the princess\nRosette.\"\n\n[Illustration: _She saw a man arrive in a laced hat and coat_]\n\n\"Then, princess,\" said the man, respectfully taking off his hat, \"be\ngraciously pleased to receive this letter, which the king your father\nhas charged me to deliver to you.\"\n\nRosette took the letter, opened it, and read the following:\n\n    \"Rosette: Your sisters are now eighteen years old and it is time\n    they were married. I have invited the princes and princesses of all\n    the kingdoms of the earth to come and assist at a festival which I\n    intend to give in order to choose husbands for Orangine and\n    Roussette. You are now fifteen years old and can properly appear at\n    this festival. You may come and pass three days with me. I will send\n    for you in eight days. I cannot send you any money for your toilet\n    as I am now at great expense for your sisters; besides, no one will\n    look at you. Come, therefore, in any clothes you please.\n\n                                       \"The King Your Father.\"\n\nRosette ran quickly to show this letter to her nurse.\n\n\"Are you pleased, Rosette, to go to this festival?\"\n\n\"Yes, my good nurse, I am delighted. I will enjoy myself and become\nacquainted with my father, mother and my sisters and then I will return\nto you.\"\n\n\"But,\" said the nurse, shaking her head, \"what dress will you wear, my\npoor child?\"\n\n\"My beautiful robe of white percale which I always wear on holidays, my\ndear nurse.\"\n\n\"My poor little one, that robe is indeed very suitable for the country\nbut would appear miserably poor at a party of kings and princes.\"\n\n\"Of what consequence is all this, nurse? My father himself has said that\nno one will look at me. This thought will make me much more at my ease.\nI shall see all and no one will see me.\"\n\nThe nurse sighed but said nothing and began immediately to mend, whiten\nand smooth Rosette's white robe.\n\nThe day before the king was to send for her, the nurse called her and\nsaid:\n\n\"My dear child, here is your dress for the king's festival; be very\ncareful with it as I shall not be there to whiten and smooth it for\nyou.\"\n\n\"Thanks, my good nurse; be satisfied--I will take great care.\"\n\nThe nurse now packed in a little trunk the percale robe and white skirt,\na pair of cotton stockings and black shoes and then a little bouquet of\nflowers for Rosette to wear in her hair. Just as she was about to close\nthe trunk, the window opened violently and the fairy Puissante entered.\n\n\"You are going, then, to your father's court, my dear Rosette?\" said the\nfairy.\n\n\"Yes, dear godmother, but only for three days.\"\n\n\"But what dress have you prepared for those three days?\"\n\n\"Look, godmother! look!\" and she pointed to the trunk, which was still\nopen.\n\nThe fairy smiled, drew a small bottle from her pocket and said: \"I\nintend that my dear Rosette shall make a sensation by her dress. This is\nunworthy of her.\"\n\nThe fairy opened the bottle, and threw some drops of the liquid it\ncontained upon the robe, which became a coarse India rubber cloth; then\na drop upon the cotton stockings, which changed into blue yarn; a third\ndrop upon the bouquet, which became a hen's egg; a fourth upon the\nshoes, and they immediately changed into coarse felt.\n\n\"In this manner,\" said she, with a gracious air, \"do I wish my Rosette\nto appear. You must attire yourself in all this and, to complete your\ntoilette, here is a necklace of nuts, a band for your hair of burrs, and\nbracelets of dried beans.\" She kissed Rosette who was completely\nstupefied. The fairy then disappeared and the nurse burst into tears.\n\n\"Alas! it was not worth my while to give myself all the trouble of\npreparing this poor robe. Oh, my poor Rosette! Do not go to this\nfestival. Pretend you are ill, my child.\"\n\n\"No,\" said Rosette; \"that would be to displease my godmother. I am sure\nthat she does what is best for me. She is much wiser than I am. I will\ngo and I will wear all that my godmother has brought me.\" And the good\nand obedient Rosette thought no more of her dress. She went to bed and\nslept tranquilly.\n\nShe had scarce arranged her hair and dressed herself in the morning when\nthe chariot of the fairy came for her. She embraced her nurse, took her\nlittle trunk and departed.\n\n\n\n\nROSETTE AT THE COURT OF THE KING HER FATHER\n\n\nThey were but two hours on the way, for the king's capital was only ten\nleagues from the farm. When Rosette arrived, she was surprised to see\nthat she had to descend in a little, dirty court-yard, where a page\nattended her.\n\n\"Come, princess, I am commissioned to conduct you to your chamber.\"\n\n\"Can I not see the queen my mother?\" asked Rosette, timidly.\n\n\"In two hours, princess, when they are assembled for dinner, you will\nsee her. In the mean time you can dress.\"\n\nRosette followed the page, who led her through a long corridor, at the\nend of which was a narrow staircase. She ascended, slowly, after a long,\nlong time arriving at another corridor where she entered the chamber\ndestined for her. The queen had lodged Rosette in one of the servants'\nrooms. The little page placed Rosette's modest trunk in a corner and\nsaid, with an air of embarrassment,\n\n\"Pardon me, princess, for having led you into this chamber, so unworthy\nof you. The queen has disposed of all the other apartments for her\nguests, the kings, queens, princes and princesses. There was no other\nroom vacant and----\"\n\n\"Well, well,\" said Rosette, smiling, \"I shall not blame you. Besides, I\nshall be very comfortable.\"\n\n\"I will come for you, princess, to lead you to the king and queen at the\nproper hour.\"\n\n\"I will be ready,\" said Rosette, \"adieu, pretty page.\"\n\nRosette now unpacked her trunk. Her heart was beating and swelling\ntumultuously. Sighing heavily, she drew out her robe of coarse cloth and\nthe other articles of her toilette. Rosette was very adroit. She\narranged her exquisite blonde hair most beautifully, with a pullet's\nfeather and a band made of burrs. Her head-dress was indeed so charming\nthat it made her a hundred times more lovely. When she had put on her\nshoes and stockings and her robe, what was her amazement to see that it\nwas made of gold brocade, embroidered with rubies of marvellous beauty;\nher coarse heavy shoes were now white satin, adorned with buckles of one\nsingle ruby of wonderful splendour; her stockings were of silk and as\nfine as a spider's web; her necklace was of rubies surrounded with\nlarge diamonds; her bracelets of diamonds, the most splendid that had\never been seen.\n\nRosette now ran to the glass and saw that the pullet's wing had become a\nmagnificent locket and that the pendant was a carbuncle of such beauty\nand brilliancy that a fairy alone could possess it.\n\nRosette, happy, delighted, exultant, danced around the little room and\nthanked her good godmother aloud for having tested her obedience and\nthus magnificently rewarded it.\n\nThe page now knocked at the door, entered and started back, dazzled by\nthe beauty of Rosette and the magnificence of her toilette. Rosette\nfollowed him. They descended the stairs, passed through many apartments\nand at last entered a suite of superb salons, filled with kings, queens\nand nobles. Every one who saw Rosette paused and turned to admire her.\nThe modest princess, however, was ashamed to be thus gazed at and did\nnot dare raise her eyes. At last the page paused and said to Rosette:\n\n\"Princess, behold the queen your mother and the king!\"\n\nRosette raised her eyes and saw just before her the king and queen who\nregarded her with a comic surprise.\n\n\"Madam,\" said the king at last to her, \"be graciously pleased to tell me\nyour name. You are no doubt some great queen or still greater fairy\nwhose unexpected presence is an honor and a happiness for us.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" said Rosette, falling gracefully upon her knees, \"I am neither\na great queen nor a powerful fairy but your daughter Rosette, for whom\nyou were kind enough to send.\"\n\n\"Rosette!\" exclaimed the queen; \"Rosette clothed more magnificently than\nI have ever been! Who, then, miss, has given you all these beautiful\nthings?\"\n\n\"My godmother, madam. Graciously permit me, madam, to kiss your hand and\npresent me to my sisters.\"\n\nThe queen gave her hand coldly. Then pointing to Orangine and Roussette,\nwho were by her side, she said: \"There are your sisters.\"\n\nPoor Rosette, saddened by this cold welcome from her father and mother,\nturned gladly towards her sisters and wished to embrace them but they\ndrew back with terror, fearing that while embracing them Rosette would\ndisplace the red and white with which they were painted. Orangine\ncovered herself with white to conceal her yellow skin and Roussette to\nhide her ugly freckles.\n\nRosette was repulsed by her sisters but was soon surrounded by the\nladies of the court and all the invited princes. As she conversed with\nready grace and goodness and spoke several languages she charmed all\nthose who approached her. Orangine and Roussette were frightfully\njealous. The king and queen were furious for Rosette absorbed all\nattention; no one paid any attention to the sisters.\n\nAt table the young prince Charmant, who was monarch of the most\nmagnificent and beautiful of all the kingdoms of the earth and whom\nOrangine hoped to wed, placed himself by the side of Rosette and was\ncompletely absorbed in her during the repast.\n\nAfter dinner, Orangine and Roussette, in order to draw some attention\ntowards themselves, sang a duet. They sang indeed admirably and\naccompanied themselves on the harp. Rosette who was truly good and\nwished her sister to love her, applauded them rapturously and\ncomplimented them on their talent.\n\nOrangine, in place of being touched by this generous sentiment and\nhoping to play her sister a malicious trick, now insisted upon her\nsinging. Rosette for some time modestly refused. Her sisters, who\nsupposed that she did not know how to sing, were insistent. The queen\nherself, desiring to humiliate poor Rosette, joined her entreaties to\nthose of Orangine and Roussette and in fact commanded the young princess\nto sing.\n\nRosette curtsied to the queen. \"I obey, madam,\" said she.\n\nShe took the harp and the enchanting grace of her position astonished\nher sisters. They would have been glad indeed to interrupt her when she\ncommenced her prelude for they saw at a glance that her talent was much\nsuperior to theirs. But when, in a beautiful and melodious voice, she\nsang a romance, composed by herself on the happiness of being good and\nbeloved there was an outbreak of admiration, the enthusiasm became\ngeneral and her sisters almost fainted with jealousy and envy.\n\nCharmant was transported with admiration. He approached Rosette, his\neyes moistened with tears and said to her:\n\n\"Enchanting and lovely princess, I have never heard so touching a voice.\nCan I not have the happiness of hearing you once more?\"\n\nRosette, who was painfully aware of the jealousy of her sisters, excused\nherself, saying she was fatigued. Prince Charmant, who had clear\nintellect and penetration, divined the true motive of her refusal and\nadmired Rosette still more for her delicacy. The queen, irritated by the\nsuccess of Rosette, terminated the party at an early hour and retired.\n\nRosette returned to her little room and undressed herself. She removed\nher robe and her ornaments and put them in a superb case of ebony which\nshe found in her room. Much to her surprise, she found in her little\ntrunk the robe of coarse cloth, the pullet feather, the necklace of\nnuts, the burrs, the dry beans, the coarse shoes of felt and the blue\nyarn stockings. She would not allow herself, however, to be disquieted,\ncertain that her good godmother would come to her assistance at the\nproper time. Rosette was indeed saddened by the coldness of her parents\nand the jealousy of her sisters; but, as she scarcely knew them, this\npainful impression was effaced by the remembrance of the Prince\nCharmant, who appeared so good and who had been so flattering in his\nattention to her. Rosette soon slept peacefully and awoke late in the\nmorning.\n\n\n\n\nFAMILY COUNCIL\n\n\nWhile Rosette was only occupied with smiling and pleasant thoughts, the\nking, the queen and the princesses Orangine and Roussette were choking\nwith rage. They had all assembled in the queen's apartment.\n\n\"This is too horrible,\" said the princesses. \"Why did you send for this\nRosette, who has such dazzling jewels and makes herself admired and\nsought after by all these foolish kings and princes? Was it to humiliate\nus, my father, that you called us to the court at this time?\"\n\n\"I swear to you, my beautiful darlings,\" said the king, \"that it was by\nthe order of the fairy Puissante I was compelled to write for her to\ncome. Besides, I did not know that she was so beautiful and that----\"\n\n\"So beautiful!\" interrupted the princesses. \"Where do you find her so\nbeautiful? She is indeed ugly and coarse. It is her magnificent attire\nalone which makes her admired. Why have you not given to us your most\nsuperb jewels and your richest robes? We have the air of young slovens\nby the side of this proud princess.\"\n\n\"And where could I possibly have found jewels as magnificent as hers? I\nhave none which would compare with them. It is her godmother, the fairy\nPuissante, who has lent her these jewels.\"\n\n\"Why, then, did you summon a fairy to be the godmother of Rosette, when\nyou gave to us only queens for our godmothers?\"\n\n\"It was not your father who called her,\" cried the queen. \"The fairy\nPuissante herself, without being called, appeared to us and signified\nthat she would be Rosette's godmother.\"\n\n\"It is not worth while to spend the time in disputing and quarrelling,\"\nsaid the king. \"It is better to occupy ourselves in finding some means\nof getting rid of Rosette and preventing Prince Charmant from seeing her\nagain.\"\n\n\"Nothing more easy than that,\" said the queen. \"I will have her\ndespoiled to-morrow of her rare jewels and her beautiful robes. I will\norder my servants to seize her and carry her back to the farm which she\nshall never leave again.\"\n\nThe queen had scarcely uttered these words, when the fairy Puissante\nappeared with an angry and threatening air. \"If you dare to touch\nRosette,\" said she, with a thundering voice, \"if you do not keep her at\nthe palace, if she is not present at all the parties, you shall feel\nthe terrible effects of my anger. You unworthy king and you heartless\nqueen, you shall be changed into toads and you, odious daughters and\nsisters, shall become vipers. Dare now to touch Rosette!\"\n\nSaying these words, she disappeared.\n\nThe king, the queen and princesses were horribly frightened and\nseparated without saying a single word but their hearts were filled with\nrage. The princesses slept but little and were yet more furious in the\nmorning when they saw their eyes heavy and their features convulsed by\nevil passions. In vain they used rouge and powder and beat their maids.\nThey had no longer a vestige of beauty. The king and queen were as\nunhappy and as despairing as the princesses and indeed they saw no\nremedy for their grief and disappointment.\n\n\n\n\nSECOND DAY OF THE FESTIVAL\n\n\nIn the morning a coarse servant brought Rosette bread and milk and\noffered her services to dress her. Rosette, who did not wish this rude\ndomestic to see the change in her dress, thanked her smilingly and\nreplied that she was in the habit of arranging her hair and dressing\nherself. Rosette then began her toilette. When she had washed and combed\nher hair she wished to arrange it with the superb carbuncle she had worn\nthe day before but she saw with surprise that the ebony case had\ndisappeared and in its place was a small wooden trunk, upon which there\nlay a folded paper. She took it and read the following directions:\n\n    \"Here are your things, Rosette. Dress yourself as you were dressed\n    yesterday, in the clothing you brought from the farm.\"\n\nRosette did not hesitate an instant, certain that her godmother would\ncome to her help at the proper time. She arranged her pullet wing in a\ndifferent manner from that of the day before, put on her dress, her\nnecklace, her shoes, her bracelets and then stood before the glass.\n\nWhen she saw her own reflection in the mirror she was amazed. She was\nattired in the richest and most splendid riding-suit of sky-blue velvet\nand pearl buttons as large as walnuts; her stockings were bordered with\na wreath of pearls; her head-dress was a cap of sky-blue velvet with a\nlong plume of dazzling whiteness, which floated down to her waist and\nwas attached by a single pearl of unparalleled beauty and splendor. The\nboots were also of blue velvet embroidered in gold and pearls. Her\nbracelets and necklace also were of pearls, so large and so pure that a\nsingle one would have paid for the king's palace.\n\nAt the moment when Rosette was about to leave her chamber to follow the\npage, a sweet voice whispered in her ear, \"Rosette, do not mount any\nother horse than the one the prince Charmant will present you.\"\n\nShe turned and saw no one; but she felt convinced that this counsel came\nfrom her good godmother.\n\n\"Thanks, dear godmother,\" she said, in low tones. She felt a sweet kiss\nupon her cheek and smiled with happiness and gratitude.\n\nThe little page conducted her, as the day before, into the royal salon,\nwhere her appearance produced a greater effect than before. Her fine,\nsweet countenance, her splendid figure, her magnificent dress, allured\nall eyes and captivated all hearts.\n\nThe prince Charmant, who was evidently expecting her, advanced to meet\nher, offered his arm and led her to the king and queen who received her\nwith more coldness than the day before. Orangine and Roussette were\nbursting with spite at the sight of the splendid appearance of Rosette.\nThey would not even say good-day to their sister.\n\nThe good, young princess was of course somewhat embarrassed by this\nreception but the prince Charmant, seeing her distress, approached and\nasked permission to be her companion during the chase in the forest.\n\n\"It will be a great pleasure to me,\" replied Rosette, who did not know\nhow to dissimulate.\n\n\"It seems to me,\" said he, \"that I am your brother, so great is the\naffection which I feel for you, charming princess. Permit me to remain\nby your side and to defend you against all enemies.\"\n\n\"It will be an honor and a pleasure for me to be protected by a king so\nworthy of the name he bears.\"\n\nPrince Charmant was enchanted by this gracious reply and,\nnotwithstanding the malice of Orangine and Roussette, who tried in every\npossible way to attract him to themselves, he did not leave Rosette's\nside for a moment.\n\nAfter breakfast they descended to the court for a ride on horseback. A\npage advanced to Rosette, leading a splendid black horse, which could\nscarcely be held by the grooms, it was so wild and vicious.\n\n\"You must not ride this horse, princess,\" said Prince Charmant, \"it will\ncertainly kill you. Bring another horse for the princess,\" he said,\nturning to the page.\n\n\"The king and the queen gave orders that the princess should ride no\nother horse than this,\" said the page. At this the prince exclaimed:\n\n\"Dear princess, wait but for a moment; I myself will bring you a horse\nworthy of you but I implore you not to mount this dangerous animal.\"\n\n\"I will wait your return,\" said Rosette, with a gracious smile.\n\nA few moments afterwards Prince Charmant appeared, leading a magnificent\nhorse, white as snow. The saddle was of blue velvet, embroidered in\npearls and the bridle was of gold and pearls. When Rosette wished to\nmount, the horse knelt down and rose quietly when she had placed herself\nin the saddle.\n\nPrince Charmant sprang lightly upon his beautiful steed Alezan and\nplaced himself by the side of the princess Rosette. The king, the queen\nand the princesses, who had seen all this, were pale with rage but they\ndared say nothing for fear of the fairy Puissante.\n\nThe king gave the signal to depart. Every lady had her attendant\ngentleman. Orangine and Roussette were obliged to content themselves\nwith two insignificant princes who were neither so young nor so handsome\nas Prince Charmant. Orangine and Roussette were so sulky that even these\nprinces declared they would never wed princesses so uninteresting.\n\nIn place of following the chase, Prince Charmant and Rosette wandered in\nthe beautiful shady walks of the forest, talking merrily and giving\naccounts of their past lives.\n\n\"But,\" said Charmant, \"if the king your father has not allowed you to\nreside in his palace, how is it that he has given you such beautiful\njewels, worthy of a fairy?\"\n\n\"It is to my good godmother that I owe them,\" replied Rosette. And then\nshe told Prince Charmant how she had been educated on a farm and that\nshe was indebted to the fairy Puissante for everything that she knew and\neverything she valued. The fairy had watched over her education and\ngranted her every wish of her heart.\n\nCharmant listened with a lively interest and a tender compassion. And\nnow, in his turn, he told Rosette that he had been left an orphan at the\nage of seven years; that the fairy Puissante had presided over his\neducation; that she had also sent him to the festivals given by the\nking, telling him he would find there the perfect woman he was seeking.\n\n\"In short, I believe, dear Rosette, that I have found in you the\ncharming and perfect creature of whom the fairy spoke. Deign, princess,\nto connect your life with mine and authorize me to demand your hand of\nyour parents.\"\n\n\"Before answering, dear prince, I must obtain permission of my godmother\nbut you may be sure that I shall be very happy to pass my life with\nyou.\"\n\nThe morning thus passed away most agreeably for Rosette and Charmant and\nthey returned to the palace to dress for dinner.\n\nRosette entered her ugly garret and saw before her a magnificent box of\nrosewood, wide open. She undressed and as she removed her articles of\nclothing they arranged themselves in the box, which then closed firmly.\nShe arranged her hair and dressed herself with her usual neatness and\nthen ran to the glass. She could not suppress a cry of admiration.\n\nHer robe was of gauze and was so fine and light, and brilliant it looked\nas if woven of the wings of butterflies. It was studded with diamonds as\nbrilliant as stars. The hem of this robe, the corsage and the waist were\ntrimmed with diamond fringe which sparkled like suns. Her hair was\npartly covered with a net of diamonds from which a tassel of immense\ndiamonds fell to her shoulders. Every diamond was as large as a pear and\nwas worth a kingdom. Her necklace and bracelets were so immense and so\nbrilliant that you could not look at them fixedly without being\nblinded.\n\nThe young princess thanked her godmother most tenderly and felt again\nupon her fair cheek the sweet kiss of the morning. She followed the page\nand entered the royal salon. Prince Charmant was awaiting her at the\ndoor, offered her his arm and conducted her to the apartment of the king\nand queen. Rosette advanced to salute them.\n\nCharmant saw with indignation the glances of rage and revenge which the\nking, queen and princesses cast upon poor Rosette. He remained by her\nside as he had done in the morning and was witness to the admiration\nwhich she inspired and the malice and envy of her sisters.\n\nRosette was indeed sad to find herself the object of hatred to her\nfather, mother and sisters. Charmant perceived her melancholy and asked\nthe cause. She explained it to him frankly.\n\n\"When, oh! when, my dear Rosette, will you permit me to ask your hand of\nyour father? In my kingdom every one will love you and I more than all\nthe rest.\"\n\n\"To-morrow, dear prince, I will send you the reply of my godmother whom\nI shall question on the subject this evening.\"\n\nThey were now summoned to dinner. Charmant placed himself at Rosette's\nside and they conversed in a most agreeable manner.\n\nAfter dinner the king gave orders for the ball to commence. Orangine and\nRoussette, who had taken lessons for ten years, danced well but without\nany peculiar grace. They believed that Rosette had never had any\nopportunity to dance and with a mocking, malicious air, they now\nannounced to her that it was her turn.\n\nThe modest Rosette hesitated and drew back because it was repugnant to\nher to show herself in public and attract the general regard. But the\nmore she declined, the more her envious sisters insisted, hoping that\nshe would at last suffer a real humiliation.\n\nThe queen now interfered and sternly commanded Rosette to dance. Rosette\nrose at once to obey the queen. Charmant, seeing her embarrassment, said\nto her in low tones:\n\n\"I will be your partner, dear Rosette. If you do not know a single step,\nlet me execute it for you alone.\"\n\n\"Thanks, dear prince. I recognize and am grateful for your courtesy. I\naccept you for my partner and hope that you will not have occasion to\nblush for your generosity.\"\n\nAnd now Rosette and Charmant commenced. A more animated, graceful and\nlight dance was never seen. All present gazed at them with ever\nincreasing admiration. Rosette was so superior in dancing to Orangine\nand Roussette, that they could scarcely suppress their rage. They wished\nto throw themselves upon the young princess, choke her and tear her\ndiamonds from her. The king and queen, who had been watching them and\ndivined their intention, stopped them, and whispered in their ears:\n\n\"Remember the threats and power of the fairy Puissante! To-morrow shall\nbe the last day.\"\n\nWhen the dance was concluded, the most rapturous applause resounded\nthroughout the hall and every one entreated Charmant and Rosette to\nrepeat the dance. As they felt no fatigue they did not wish to seem\ndisobliging and executed a new dance, more graceful and attractive than\nthe first.\n\nOrangine and Roussette could no longer control themselves. They were\nsuffocating with rage, fainted and were carried from the room. They had\nbecome so marked by the passions of envy and rage that they had lost\nevery vestige of beauty and no one had any sympathy for them, as all had\nseen their jealousy and wickedness.\n\nThe applause and enthusiasm for Rosette and Charmant were so\noverpowering that they sought refuge in the garden. They walked side by\nside during the rest of the evening, and talked merrily and happily over\ntheir plans for the future, if the fairy Puissante would permit them to\nunite the smooth current of their lives. The diamonds of Rosette\nsparkled with such brilliancy that the alleys where they walked and the\nlittle groves where they seated themselves, seemed illuminated by a\nthousand stars. At last it was necessary to separate.\n\n[Illustration: _They walked side by side during the rest of the\nevening_]\n\n\"To-morrow!\" said Rosette, \"to-morrow I hope to say, _yours eternally_.\"\n\nRosette entered her little room. As she undressed, her clothing arranged\nitself as the day before in the case. This new case was of carved ivory\nand studded with turquoise nails. When Rosette had lain down peacefully\nupon her bed she put out the light, and said, in a low voice:\n\n\"My dear, good godmother, to-morrow I must give a definite answer to\nPrince Charmant. Dictate my response, dear godmother. I will obey your\ncommand, no matter how painful it may be.\"\n\n\"Say yes, my dear Rosette, to Prince Charmant,\" replied the soft voice\nof the fairy. \"I myself arranged this marriage. It was to make you\nacquainted with Prince Charmant that I forced your father to invite you\nto this festival.\"\n\nRosette thanked the kind fairy and slept the sleep of innocence, after\nhaving felt the maternal lips of her good protectress upon her cheeks.\n\n\n\n\nTHIRD AND LAST DAY OF THE FESTIVAL\n\n\nWhile Rosette was thus sleeping peacefully, the king, the queen, and\nOrangine and Roussette, purple with rage, were quarrelling and disputing\namongst themselves. Each was accusing the other of having brought about\nthe triumph of Rosette and their own humiliating defeat. One last hope\nremained for them. In the morning there was to be a chariot race. Each\nchariot was to be drawn by two horses and driven by a lady. It was\nresolved to give Rosette a very high chariot, drawn by two wild,\nuntrained and prancing horses.\n\n\"Prince Charmant will have no chariot and horses to exchange,\" said the\nqueen, \"as he had this morning in the case of the riding-horse. It is\neasy to find a horse for the saddle but it will be impossible for him to\nfind a chariot ready for the course.\"\n\nThe consoling thought that Rosette might be killed or grievously\nwounded and disfigured on the morrow brought peace to these four wicked\nbeings. They retired and dreamed of the next best means of ridding\nthemselves of Rosette if the chariot race failed. Orangine and Roussette\nslept but little so that in the morning they were still uglier and more\nunprepossessing than they had appeared the day before.\n\nRosette, who had a tranquil conscience and contented heart, slept all\nnight calmly. She had been much fatigued and did not wake till a late\nhour. Indeed, on rising she found she had scarcely time to dress. The\ncoarse kitchen girl brought her a cup of milk and a piece of bread. This\nwas by order of the queen who directed that she should be treated like a\nservant.\n\nRosette was not difficult to please. She ate the coarse bread and milk\nwith appetite and began to dress. The case of carved ivory had\ndisappeared. She put on as usual her robe of coarse cloth, her pullet's\nwing, and all the rude ornaments she had brought from the farm and then\nlooked at herself in the glass.\n\nShe was attired in a riding habit of straw-colored satin, embroidered in\nfront and at the hem with sapphires and emeralds. Her hat was of white\nvelvet, ornamented with plumes of a thousand colors, taken from the\nplumage of the rarest birds and attached by a sapphire larger than an\negg. On her neck was a chain of sapphires, at the end of which was a\nwatch, the face of which was opal, the back a carved sapphire and the\nglass diamond. This watch was always going, was never out of order and\nnever required to be wound up.\n\nRosette heard her page at the door and followed him. On entering the\nsalon she perceived Prince Charmant, who was awaiting her with the most\nlively impatience. He sprang forward to receive her, offered his arm and\nsaid with eagerness:--\n\n\"Well, dear princess, what did the fairy say to you? What answer do you\ngive me?\"\n\n\"That which my heart dictated, sweet prince. I consecrate my life to you\nas you have dedicated yours to me.\"\n\n\"Thanks! a thousand times thanks, dear and bewitching Rosette. When may\nI demand your hand of the king your father?\"\n\n\"At the close of the chariot race, dear prince.\"\n\n\"Permit me to add to my first petition that of being married to you this\nvery day. I cannot bear to see you subjected to the tyranny of your\nfamily and I wish to conduct you at once to my kingdom.\"\n\nRosette hesitated. The soft voice of the fairy whispered in her ear,\n\"Accept.\" The same voice whispered to Charmant, \"Press the marriage,\nprince and speak to the king without delay. Rosette's life is in danger\nand during eight days from the setting of the sun this evening I cannot\nwatch over her.\"\n\nCharmant trembled and repeated the fairy's words to Rosette, who replied\nthat it was a warning they must not neglect as it undoubtedly came from\nthe fairy Puissante.\n\nThe princess now advanced to salute the king, the queen and her sisters\nbut they neither looked at her nor spoke to her. She was however\nimmediately surrounded by a crowd of kings and princes, each one of whom\nhad himself proposed to ask her hand in marriage that evening but no one\nhad an opportunity to speak to her as Charmant never left her side a\nsingle moment.\n\nAfter the repast they went down to get into the chariots. The kings and\nprinces were to go on horseback and the ladies to drive the chariots.\n\nThe chariot designed for Rosette by the queen was now brought forward.\nCharmant seized Rosette at the moment she was about to take the reins\nand lifted her to the ground.\n\n\"You shall not enter this chariot, princess. Look at these wild\nungovernable horses.\"\n\nRosette now saw that it took four men to hold each of the horses and\nthat they were prancing and jumping alarmingly.\n\nAt this instant a pretty little jockey, attired in a straw-colored satin\nvest, with blue ribbon knots, exclaimed in silvery tones:--\n\n\"The equipage of the Princess Rosette!\"\n\nAnd now a little chariot of pearls and mother-of-pearl, drawn by two\nmagnificent steeds with harness of straw-colored velvet ornamented with\nsapphires, drew up before the princess.\n\nCharmant scarcely knew whether to allow Rosette to mount this unknown\nchariot for he still feared some cunning wickedness of the king and\nqueen. But the voice of the fairy sounded in his ear:--\n\n\"Allow Rosette to ascend the chariot; these horses are a present from\nme. Follow them wherever they may take Rosette. The day is advancing. I\nhave but a few hours left in which I can be of service to Rosette and\nshe must be safe in your kingdom before the day closes.\"\n\nCharmant assisted Rosette to ascend the chariot and sprang upon his\nhorse. A few moments afterwards, two chariots driven by veiled women\nadvanced in front of Rosette. One of them dashed her chariot with such\nviolence against that of Rosette, that the little chariot of\nmother-of-pearl would inevitably have been crushed had it not been\nconstructed by fairies. The heavy and massive chariot was dashed to\npieces instead of Rosette's. The veiled woman was thrown upon the\nstones, where she remained immovable whilst Rosette, who had recognized\nOrangine, tried to stop her own horses. The other chariot now dashed\nagainst that of Rosette and was crushed like the first and the veiled\nwoman was also dashed upon the stones, which seemed placed there to\nreceive her.\n\nRosette recognised Roussette and was about to descend from her chariot\nwhen Charmant interfered, and said: \"Listen, Rosette!\"\n\nA voice whispered, \"Go, flee quickly! The king is pursuing you with a\ngreat company to kill you both. The sun will set in a few hours. I have\nbarely time to rescue you from this danger so give my horses the reins;\nCharmant, abandon yours.\"\n\nCharmant sprang into the chariot by the side of Rosette, who was more\ndead than alive. The superb steeds set off with such marvellous speed\nthat they made more than twenty leagues an hour. For a long time they\nknew that they were pursued by the king with a numerous troop of armed\nmen but they could not overtake the horses of the fairy. The chariot\nstill flew on with lightning haste; the horses increased their speed\ntill at last they made a hundred leagues an hour. During six hours they\nkept up this rate and then drew up at the foot of the stairs of Prince\nCharmant.\n\nThe whole palace was illuminated and all the courtiers were waiting at\nthe entrance in their most magnificent costumes to welcome the princess\nand the prince.\n\nThe prince and Rosette were amazed, not knowing how to understand this\nunexpected reception. Charmant had just assisted the princess to descend\nfrom the chariot, when they saw before them the fairy Puissante, who\nsaid:--\n\n\"Most welcome to your kingdom. Prince Charmant, follow me; all is\nprepared for your marriage. Conduct Rosette to her room that she may\nchange her dress, whilst I explain to you all the events of this day\nwhich seem so incomprehensible to you. I have one hour at my disposal.\"\n\nThe fairy and Charmant now led Rosette to an apartment, ornamented with\nthe most exquisite taste, where she found her maids waiting to attend\nupon her.\n\n\"I will return to seek you in a short time, my dear Rosette,\" said the\nfairy; \"my moments are counted.\"\n\nShe departed with Charmant and said to him:--\n\n\"The hatred of the king and queen against Rosette had become so intense\nthat they had blindly resolved to defy my vengeance and to get rid of\nRosette. Seeing that their cunning arrangements in the chariot race had\nnot succeeded after I substituted my horses for those which would\ncertainly have killed Rosette, they resolved to have recourse to\nviolence. The king employed a band of brigands, who swore to him a blind\nobedience; they pursued your steps with vengeance in their hearts and as\nthe king knew your love for Rosette and foresaw that you would defend\nher to the death, he was resolved to sacrifice you also to his hatred.\nOrangine and Roussette, ignorant of this last project of the king,\nattempted to kill Rosette, as you have seen, by dashing their heavy\nchariots violently against the light chariot of the princess. I have\npunished them as they deserved.\n\n\"Orangine and Roussette have had their faces so crushed and wounded by\nthe stones that they have become frightful. I have aroused them from\ntheir state of unconsciousness, cured their wounds but left the hideous\nscars to disfigure them. I have deprived them of all their rich clothing\nand dressed them like peasants and I married them at once to two brutal\nostlers whom I commissioned to beat and maltreat them until their wicked\nhearts are changed--and this I think will never take place.\n\n\"As to the king and queen, I have changed them into beasts of burden and\ngiven them to wicked and cruel masters who will make them suffer for all\ntheir brutality to Rosette. Besides this, they have all been transported\ninto your kingdom and they will be compelled to hear unceasingly the\npraises of Rosette and her husband.\n\n\"I have but one piece of advice to give you, dear prince; hide from\nRosette the punishment I have inflicted upon her parents and sisters.\nShe is so good and tender-hearted that her happiness would be affected\nby it, but I ought not and will not take pity upon wicked people whose\nhearts are so vicious and unrepentant.\"\n\nCharmant thanked the fairy eagerly and promised silence. They now\nreturned to Rosette, who was clothed in her wedding-robe, prepared by\nthe fairy Puissante.\n\nIt was a tissue of dazzling golden gauze, embroidered with garlands of\nflowers and birds, in stones of all colors, of admirable beauty; the\njewels which formed the birds were so disposed as to produce, at every\nmotion of Rosette, a warbling more melodious than the sweetest music.\nUpon her head was a crown of flowers made of gems still more beautiful\nand rare than those on her robe. Her neck and arms were covered with\ncarbuncles more brilliant than the sun.\n\nCharmant was completely dazzled by his bride's beauty but the fairy\nrecalled him from his ecstasy by saying:--\n\n\"Quick! quick! onward! I have but half an hour, after which I must give\nmyself up to the queen of the fairies and lose my power for eight days.\nWe are all subject to this law and nothing can free us from it.\"\n\nCharmant presented his hand to Rosette and the fairy preceded them. They\nwalked towards the chapel which was brilliantly illuminated and here\nCharmant and Rosette received the nuptial benediction. On returning to\nthe parlor, they perceived that the fairy had disappeared, but, as they\nwere sure of again seeing her in eight days her absence caused them no\nanxiety. Charmant presented the new queen to his court. Everybody found\nher as charming and good as the prince and they felt disposed to love\nher as they loved him.\n\nWith a most amiable and thoughtful attention, the fairy had transported\nthe farm, upon which Rosette had been so happy, and all its occupants\ninto Charmant's kingdom. This farm was placed at the end of the park,\nso that Rosette could walk there every day and see her good nurse. The\nfairy had also brought into the palace all those cases which contained\nthe rich dresses in which Rosette had been so triumphant at the\nfestivals.\n\n[Illustration: _The fairy must give herself up to the queen and lose her\npower for eight days_]\n\nRosette and Charmant were very happy and loved each other tenderly\nalways. Rosette never knew the terrible punishment of her father, mother\nand sisters. When she asked Charmant the fate of her sisters, he told\nher that their faces were much disfigured by their fall amongst the\nstones but they were well and married and the good fairy expressly\nforbade Rosette to think of them. She spoke of them no more.\n\nAs to Orangine and Roussette, the more unhappy they were, the more cruel\nand wicked their hearts became, so the fairy allowed them to remain\nalways ugly and in the most degraded ranks of life.\n\nThe king and queen, changed into beasts of burden, found their only\nconsolation in biting and kicking everything that came within their\nreach. They were obliged to carry their masters to festivals given in\nhonor of Rosette's marriage and they were mad with rage when they heard\nthe praises lavished upon the young couple and in seeing Rosette pass\nby, beautiful, radiant and adored by Charmant.\n\nThe fairy had resolved that they should not return to their original\nforms till their hearts were changed. It is said that six thousand years\nhave passed, and they are still beasts of burden.\n\n\n\n\nThe Little Grey Mouse\n\n\n\n\nTHE LITTLE GREY MOUSE\n\n\nTHE LITTLE HOUSE\n\n\nThere was once a man named Prudent, who was a widower and he lived alone\nwith his little daughter. His wife had died a few days after the birth\nof this little girl, who was named Rosalie.\n\nRosalie's father had a large fortune. He lived in a great house, which\nbelonged to him. This house was surrounded by a large garden in which\nRosalie walked whenever she pleased to do so.\n\nShe had been trained with great tenderness and gentleness but her father\nhad accustomed her to the most unquestioning obedience. He forbade her\npositively to ask him any useless questions or to insist upon knowing\nanything he did not wish to tell her. In this way, by unceasing care\nand watchfulness, he had almost succeeded in curing one of Rosalie's\ngreat faults, a fault indeed unfortunately too common--curiosity.\n\n[Illustration: _Rosalie never left the park, which was surrounded by\nhigh walls_]\n\nRosalie never left the park, which was surrounded by high walls. She\nnever saw any one but her father. They had no domestic in the house;\neverything seemed to be done of itself. She always had what she\nwanted--clothing, books, work, and playthings. Her father educated her\nhimself and although she was nearly fifteen years old, she was never\nweary and never thought that she might live otherwise and might see more\nof the world.\n\nThere was a little house at the end of the park without windows and with\nbut one door, which was always locked. Rosalie's father entered this\nhouse every day and always carried the key about his person. Rosalie\nthought it was only a little hut in which the garden-tools were kept.\nShe never thought of speaking about it but one day, when she was seeking\na watering-pot for her flowers, she said to him:--\n\n\"Father, please give me the key of the little house in the garden.\"\n\n\"What do you want with this key, Rosalie?\"\n\n\"I want a watering-pot and I think I could find one in that little\nhouse.\"\n\n\"No, Rosalie, there is no watering-pot there.\"\n\nPrudent's voice trembled so in pronouncing these words that Rosalie\nlooked up with surprise, and saw that his face was pale and his forehead\nbathed in perspiration.\n\n\"What is the matter, father?\" said she, alarmed.\n\n\"Nothing, daughter, nothing.\"\n\n\"It was my asking for the key which agitated you so violently, father.\nWhat does this little house contain which frightens you so much?\"\n\n\"Rosalie, Rosalie! you do not know what you are saying. Go and look for\nyour watering-pot in the green-house.\"\n\n\"But, father, what is there in the little garden-house?\"\n\n\"Nothing that can interest you, Rosalie.\"\n\n\"But why do you go there every day without permitting me to go with\nyou?\"\n\n\"Rosalie, you know that I do not like to be questioned and that\ncuriosity is the greatest defect in your character.\"\n\nRosalie said no more but she remained very thoughtful. This little\nhouse, of which she had never before thought, was now constantly in her\nmind.\n\n\"What can be concealed there?\" she said to herself. \"How pale my father\nturned when I asked his permission to enter! I am sure he thought I\nshould be in some sort of danger. But why does he go there himself every\nday? It is no doubt to carry food to some ferocious beast confined\nthere. But if it was some wild animal, would I not hear it roar or howl\nor shake the house? No, I have never heard any sound from this cabin. It\ncannot then be a beast. Besides, if it was a ferocious beast, it would\ndevour my father when he entered alone. Perhaps, however, it is chained.\nBut if it is indeed chained, then there would be no danger for me. What\ncan it be? A prisoner? My father is good, he would not deprive any\nunfortunate innocent of light and liberty. Well, I absolutely must\ndiscover this mystery. How shall I manage it? If I could only secretly\nget the key from my father for a half hour! Perhaps some day he will\nforget it.\"\n\nRosalie was aroused from this chain of reflection by her father, who\ncalled to her with a strangely agitated voice.\n\n\"Here, father--I am coming.\"\n\nShe entered the house and looked steadily at her father. His pale, sad\ncountenance indicated great agitation.\n\nMore than ever curious, she resolved to feign gaiety and indifference in\norder to allay her father's suspicions and make him feel secure. In this\nway she thought she might perhaps obtain possession of the key at some\nfuture time. He might not always think of it if she herself seemed to\nhave forgotten it.\n\nThey seated themselves at the table. Prudent ate but little and was sad\nand silent, in spite of his efforts to appear gay. Rosalie, however,\nseemed so thoughtless and bright that her father at last recovered his\naccustomed good spirits.\n\nRosalie would be fifteen years old in three weeks. Her father had\npromised an agreeable surprise for this event. A few days passed\npeacefully away. There remained but fifteen days before her birth-day.\nOne morning Prudent said to Rosalie:--\n\n\"My dear child, I am compelled to be absent for one hour. I must go out\nto arrange something for your birth-day. Wait for me in the house, my\ndear. Do not yield yourself up to idle curiosity. In fifteen days you\nwill know all that you desire to know, for I read your thoughts and I\nknow what occupies your mind. Adieu, my daughter, beware of curiosity!\"\n\nPrudent embraced his daughter tenderly and withdrew, leaving her with\ngreat reluctance.\n\nAs soon as he was out of sight, Rosalie ran to her father's room and\nwhat was her joy to see the key forgotten upon the table! She seized it\nand ran quickly to the end of the park. Arrived at the little house, she\nremembered the words of her father, \"Beware of curiosity!\" She\nhesitated, and was upon the point of returning the key without having\nlooked at the house, when she thought she heard a light groan. She put\nher ear against the door and heard a very little voice singing softly:--\n\n    \"A lonely prisoner I pine,\n    No hope of freedom now is mine;\n    I soon must draw my latest breath,\n    And in this dungeon meet my death.\"\n\n\"No doubt,\" said Rosalie to herself, \"this is some unfortunate creature\nwhom my father holds captive.\"\n\nTapping softly upon the door, she said: \"Who are you, and what can I do\nfor you?\"\n\n\"Open the door, Rosalie! I pray you open the door!\"\n\n\"But why are you a prisoner? Have you not committed some crime?\"\n\n\"Alas! no, Rosalie. An enchanter keeps me here a prisoner. Save me and\nI will prove my gratitude by telling you truly who I am.\"\n\nRosalie no longer hesitated: her curiosity was stronger than her\nobedience. She put the key in the lock, but her hand trembled so that\nshe could not open it. She was about to give up the effort, when the\nlittle voice continued:--\n\n\"Rosalie, that which I have to tell you will teach you many things which\nwill interest you. Your father is not what he appears to be.\"\n\nAt these words Rosalie made a last effort, the key turned and the door\nopened.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRY DETESTABLE\n\n\nRosalie looked in eagerly. The little house was dark; she could see\nnothing but she heard the little voice:--\n\n\"Thanks, Rosalie, it is to you that I owe my deliverance.\"\n\nThe voice seemed to come from the earth. She looked, and saw in a corner\ntwo brilliant little eyes gazing at her maliciously.\n\n\"My cunning trick has succeeded, Rosalie, and betrayed you into yielding\nto your curiosity. If I had not spoken and sung you would have returned\nwith the key and I should have been lost. Now that you have set me at\nliberty, you and your father are both in my power.\"\n\nRosalie did not yet fully comprehend the extent of the misfortune she\nhad brought about by her disobedience. She knew, however, that it was a\ndangerous foe which her father had held captive and she wished to retire\nand close the door.\n\n\"Stop, Rosalie! It is no longer in your power to keep me in this odious\nprison from which I never could have escaped if you had waited until\nyour fifteenth birth-day.\"\n\nAt this moment the little house disappeared entirely, and Rosalie saw\nwith the greatest consternation that the key alone remained in her hand.\nShe now saw at her side a small gray mouse who gazed at her with its\nsparkling little eyes and began to laugh in a thin, discordant voice.\n\n\"Ha! ha! ha! What a frightened air you have, Rosalie! In truth you amuse\nme very much. But it is lucky for me that you had so much curiosity. It\nhas been nearly fifteen years since I was shut up in this frightful\nprison, having no power to injure your father, whom I hate, or to bring\nany evil upon you, whom I detest because you are his daughter.\"\n\n\"Who are you, then, wicked mouse?\"\n\n\"I am the mortal enemy of your family, my pet. I call myself the fairy\nDetestable and the name suits me, I assure you. All the world hates me\nand I hate all the world. I shall follow you now for the rest of your\nlife, wherever you go.\"\n\n\"Go away at once, miserable creature! A mouse is not to be feared and I\nwill find a way to get rid of you.\"\n\n\"We shall see, my pet! I shall remain at your side wherever you go!\"\n\n[Illustration: _The broom was on fire at once, blazed up and burned her\nhands_]\n\nRosalie now ran rapidly towards the house; every time she turned she saw\nthe mouse galloping after her, and laughing with a mocking air. Arrived\nat the house, she tried to crush the mouse in the door, but it remained\nopen in spite of every effort she could make and the mouse remained\nquietly upon the door-sill.\n\n\"Wait awhile, wicked monster!\" cried Rosalie, beside herself with rage\nand terror.\n\nShe seized a broom and tried to dash it violently against the mouse but\nthe broom was on fire at once, blazed up and burned her hands; she threw\nit quickly to the floor and pushed it into the chimney with her foot,\nlest it should set fire to the house. Then seizing a kettle which was\nboiling on the fire, she emptied it upon the mouse but the boiling water\nwas changed into good fresh milk and the mouse commenced drinking it,\nsaying:--\n\n\"How exceedingly amiable you are, Rosalie! Not content with having\nreleased me from captivity, you give me an excellent breakfast.\"\n\nPoor Rosalie now began to weep bitterly. She was utterly at a loss what\nto do, when she heard her father entering.\n\n\"My father!\" cried she, \"my father! Oh! cruel mouse, I beseech you in\npity to go away that my father may not see you!\"\n\n\"No, I shall not go but I will hide myself behind your heels until your\nfather knows of your disobedience.\"\n\nThe mouse had scarcely concealed herself behind Rosalie, when Prudent\nentered. He looked at Rosalie, whose paleness and embarrassed air\nbetrayed her fear.\n\n\"Rosalie,\" said Prudent, with a trembling voice, \"I forgot the key of\nthe little garden-house; have you found it?\"\n\n\"Here it is, father,\" said Rosalie, presenting it to him, and coloring\ndeeply.\n\n\"How did this cream come to be upset on the floor?\"\n\n\"Father, it was the cat.\"\n\n\"The cat? Impossible. The cat brought a vessel of milk to the middle of\nthe room and upset it there?\"\n\n\"No! no! father, it was I that did it; in carrying it, I accidentally\noverturned it.\"\n\nRosalie spoke in a low voice, and dared not look at her father.\n\n\"Take the broom, Rosalie, and sweep up this cream.\"\n\n\"There is no broom, father.\"\n\n\"No broom! there was one when I left the house.\"\n\n\"I burned it, father, accidentally, by---- by----\"\n\nShe paused--her father looked fixedly at her, threw a searching unquiet\nglance about the room, sighed and turned his steps slowly towards the\nlittle house in the garden.\n\nRosalie fell sobbing bitterly upon a chair; the mouse did not stir. A\nfew moments afterwards, Prudent entered hastily, his countenance marked\nwith horror.\n\n\"Rosalie! unhappy child! what have you done? You have yielded to your\nfatal curiosity and released our most cruel enemy from prison.\"\n\n\"Pardon me, father! oh pardon me!\" she cried, throwing herself at his\nfeet; \"I was ignorant of the evil I did.\"\n\n\"Misfortune is always the result of disobedience, Rosalie; disobedient\nchildren think they are only committing a small fault, when they are\ndoing the greatest injury to themselves and others.\"\n\n\"But, father, who and what then is this mouse, who causes you this\nterrible fear? How, if it had so much power, could you keep it so long a\nprisoner and why can you not put it in prison again?\"\n\n\"This mouse, my unhappy child, is a wicked fairy, but very powerful. For\nmyself, I am the genius Prudent and since you have given liberty to my\nenemy, I can now reveal to you that which I should have concealed until\nyou were fifteen years old.\n\n\"I am, then, as I said to you, the genius Prudent; your dear mother was\na simple mortal but her virtues and her graces touched the queen of the\nfairies and also the king of the genii and they permitted me to wed her.\nI gave a splendid festival on my marriage-day. Unfortunately I forgot to\ninvoke the fairy Detestable, who was already irritated against me for\nhaving married a princess, after having refused one of her daughters.\nShe was so exasperated against me that she swore an implacable hatred\nagainst me, my wife and my children. I was not terrified at her threats,\nas I myself had a power almost equal to her own and I was much beloved\nby the queen of the fairies. Many times by the power of my enchantments,\nI triumphed over the malicious hatred of the fairy Detestable.\n\n\"A few hours after your birth your mother was thrown into the most\nviolent convulsions which I could not calm. I left her for a few moments\nto invoke the aid of the queen of the fairies. When I returned your\nmother was dead.\n\n\"The wicked fairy Detestable had profited by my absence and caused her\ndeath. She was about to endow you with all the passions and vices of\nthis evil world, when my unexpected return happily paralyzed her\nefforts. I interrupted her at the moment when she had endowed you with a\ncuriosity sufficient to make you wretched and to subject you entirely to\nher power at fifteen years of age. By my power, united to that of the\nqueen of the fairies, I counter-balanced this fatal influence and we\ndecided that you should not fall under her power at fifteen years of\nage, unless you yielded three times under the gravest circumstances to\nyour idle curiosity.\n\n\"At the same time the queen of the fairies, to punish the fairy\nDetestable, changed her into a mouse, shut her up in the little garden\nhouse, and declared that she should never leave it unless you\nvoluntarily opened the door. Also, that she should never resume her\noriginal form of fairy unless you yielded three times to your criminal\ncuriosity before you were fifteen years of age. Lastly, that if you\nresisted once the fatal passion you should be for ever released, as well\nas myself, from the power of the fairy Detestable.\n\n\"With great difficulty I obtained all these favors and only by promising\nthat I would share your fate and become, like yourself, the slave of\nthe fairy Detestable, if you weakly allowed yourself to yield three\ntimes to your curiosity. I promised solemnly to educate you in such a\nmanner as to destroy this terrible passion, calculated to cause so many\nsorrows.\n\n\"For all these reasons I have confined myself and you, Rosalie, in this\nenclosure. I have permitted you to see no one, not even a domestic. I\nprocured by my power all that your heart desired and I have been feeling\nquite satisfied in having succeeded so well with you. In three weeks you\nwould have been fifteen, and for ever delivered from the odious yoke of\nthe fairy Detestable.\n\n\"I was alarmed when you asked for the key of the little house, of which\nyou had never before seemed to think. I could not conceal the painful\nimpression which this demand made upon me. My agitation excited your\ncuriosity. In spite of your gaiety and assumed thoughtlessness, I\npenetrated your thoughts, and you may judge of my grief when the queen\nof the fairies ordered me to make the temptation possible and the\nresistance meritorious by leaving the key at least once in your reach. I\nwas thus compelled to leave it, that fatal key, and thus facilitate by\nmy absence my own and your destruction.\n\n\"Imagine, Rosalie, what I suffered during the hour of my absence,\nleaving you alone with this temptation before your eyes and when I saw\nyour embarrassment and blushes on my return, indicating to me too well\nthat you had allowed your curiosity to master you.\n\n\"I was commanded to conceal everything from you; to tell you nothing of\nyour birth or of the dangers which surround you, until your fifteenth\nbirthday. If I had disobeyed, you would at once have fallen into the\npower of the fairy Detestable.\n\n\"And yet, Rosalie, all is not lost. You can yet repair your fault by\nresisting for fifteen days this terrible passion. At fifteen years of\nage you were to have been united to a charming prince, who is related to\nus, the prince Gracious. This union is yet possible.\n\n\"Ah, Rosalie! my still dear child, take pity on yourself, if you have no\nmercy for me and resist your curiosity.\"\n\nRosalie was on her knees before her father, her face concealed in her\nhands and weeping bitterly. At these words she took courage, embraced\nhim tenderly and said to him:--\n\n\"Oh, father! I promise you solemnly that I will atone for this fault. Do\nnot leave me, dear father! With you by me, I shall be inspired with a\ncourage which would otherwise fail me. I dare not be deprived of your\nwise paternal counsel.\"\n\n\"Alas! Rosalie! it is no longer in my power to remain with you for I am\nnow under the dominion of my enemy. Most certainly she will not allow me\nto stay by your side and warn you against the snares and temptations\nwhich she will spread at your feet. I am astonished at not having seen\nmy cruel foe before this time. The view of my affliction and despair\nwould have for her hard heart an irresistible charm.\"\n\n\"I have been near you all the time, at your daughter's feet,\" said the\nlittle gray mouse, in a sharp voice, stepping out and showing herself to\nthe unfortunate genius. \"I have been highly entertained at the recital\nof all that I have already made you suffer, and the pleasure I felt in\nhearing you give this account to your daughter induced me to conceal\nmyself till this moment. Now say adieu to your dear but curious Rosalie;\nshe must accompany me, and I forbid you to follow her.\"\n\nSaying these words, she seized the hem of Rosalie's dress with her sharp\nlittle teeth and tried to draw her away. Rosalie uttered a piercing cry\nand clung convulsively to her father but an irresistible force bore her\noff. The unfortunate genius seized a stick and raised it to strike the\nmouse but before he had time to inflict the blow the mouse placed one of\nher little paws on the genius's foot and he remained as immovable as a\nstatue. Rosalie embraced her father's knees and implored the mouse to\ntake pity upon her but the little wretch gave one of her sharp,\ndiabolical laughs and said:--\n\n\"Come, come, my pretty! Pity it is not here that you will find the\ntemptations to yield twice to your irresistible fault! We will travel\nall over the world together and I will show you many countries in\nfifteen days.\"\n\nThe mouse pulled Rosalie without ceasing. Her arms were still clasped\naround her father, striving to resist the overpowering force of her\nenemy. The mouse uttered a discordant little cry and suddenly the house\nwas in flames. Rosalie had sufficient presence of mind to reflect that\nif she allowed herself to be burned there would be no means left of\nsaving her father, who must then remain eternally under the power of\nDetestable. Whereas, if she preserved her own life there remained always\nsome chance of rescuing him.\n\n\"Adieu, adieu, dear father!\" she cried; \"we will meet again in fifteen\ndays. After having given you over to your enemy, your Rosalie will yet\nsave you.\"\n\nShe then tore herself away, in order not to be devoured by the flames.\nShe ran on rapidly for some time without knowing where she was going.\nShe walked several hours but at last, exhausted with fatigue and half\ndead with hunger, she resolved to approach a kind-looking woman who was\nseated at her door.\n\n\"Madam,\" said she, \"will you give me a place to sleep? I am dying with\nhunger and fatigue. Will you not be so kind as to allow me to enter and\npass the night with you?\"\n\n\"How is it that so beautiful a girl as yourself is found upon the\nhighways and what ugly animal is that with the expression of a demon\nwhich accompanies you.\"\n\nRosalie turned round and saw the little gray mouse smiling upon her\nmockingly. She tried to chase it away but the mouse obstinately refused\nto move. The good woman, seeing this contest, shook her head and said:--\n\n\"Go on your ways, my pretty one. The Evil One and his followers cannot\nlodge with me.\"\n\nWeeping bitterly, Rosalie continued her journey, and wherever she\npresented herself they refused to receive her and the mouse, who never\nquitted her side. She entered a forest where happily she found a brook\nat which she quenched her thirst. She found also fruits and nuts in\nabundance. She drank, ate and seated herself near a tree, thinking with\nagony of her father and wondering what would become of him during the\nfifteen days.\n\nWhile Rosalie was thus musing she kept her eyes closed so as not to see\nthe wicked little gray mouse. Her fatigue, and the silence and darkness\naround her, brought on sleep and she slept a long time profoundly.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PRINCE GRACIOUS\n\n\nWhile Rosalie was thus quietly sleeping, the prince Gracious was engaged\nin a hunt through the forest by torch-light. The fawn, pursued fiercely\nby the dogs, came trembling with terror to crouch down near the brook by\nwhich Rosalie was sleeping. The dogs and gamekeepers sprang forward\nafter the fawn. Suddenly the dogs ceased barking and grouped themselves\nsilently around Rosalie. The prince dismounted from his horse to set the\ndogs again upon the trail of the deer but what was his surprise to see a\nlovely young girl asleep in this lonely forest! He looked carefully\naround but saw no one else. She was indeed alone--abandoned. On\nexamining her more closely, he saw traces of tears upon her cheeks and\nindeed they were still escaping slowly from her closed eyelids.\n\nRosalie was simply clothed but the richness of her silk dress denoted\nwealth. Her fine white hands, her rosy nails, her beautiful chestnut\nlocks, carefully and tastefully arranged with a gold comb, her elegant\nboots and necklace of pure pearls indicated elevated rank.\n\nRosalie did not awake, notwithstanding the stamping of the horses, the\nbaying of the dogs and the noisy tumult made by a crowd of sportsmen.\n\nThe prince was stupefied and stood gazing steadily at Rosalie. No one\npresent recognized her. Anxious and disquieted by this profound sleep,\nPrince Gracious took her hand softly. Rosalie still slept. The prince\npressed her hand lightly in his but even this did not awaken her.\n\nTurning to his officers, he said: \"I cannot thus abandon this\nunfortunate child, who has perhaps been led astray by some design, the\nvictim of some cruel wickedness.\"\n\n\"But how can she be removed while she is asleep, prince,\" said Hubert,\nhis principal gamekeeper, \"can we not make a litter of branches and thus\nremove her to some hostel in the neighborhood while your highness\ncontinues the chase?\"\n\n\"Your idea is good, Hubert. Make the litter and we will immediately\nplace her upon it, only you will not carry her to a hostel, but to my\npalace. This young maiden is assuredly of high birth, and she is\nbeautiful as an angel. I will watch over her myself, so that she may\nreceive the care and attention to which she is entitled.\"\n\nHubert, with the assistance of his men, soon arranged the litter upon\nwhich Prince Gracious spread his mantle; then approaching Rosalie, who\nwas still sleeping softly, he raised her gently in his arms and laid her\nupon the cloak. At this moment Rosalie seemed to be dreaming. She smiled\nand murmured, in low tones:--\n\n\"My father! my father! saved for ever! The Queen of the Fairies! The\nPrince Gracious! I see him; he is charming!\"\n\nThe prince, surprised to hear his name pronounced, did not doubt that\nRosalie was a princess under some cruel enchantment. He commanded his\ngamekeepers to walk very softly so as not to wake her and he walked by\nthe side of the litter.\n\nOn arriving at the palace, Prince Gracious ordered that the queen's\napartment should be prepared for Rosalie. He suffered no one to touch\nher but carried her himself to her chamber and laid her gently upon the\nbed, ordering the women who were to wait upon and watch over her to\napprise him as soon as she awaked. Then, casting a farewell look upon\nthe sad, sweet face of the sleeper, he strode from the room.\n\nRosalie slept tranquilly until morning. The sun was shining brightly\nwhen she awoke. She looked about her with great surprise. The wicked\nmouse was not near her to terrify her--it had happily disappeared.\n\n\"Am I delivered from this wicked fairy Detestable?\" said she, joyfully.\n\"Am I in the hands of a fairy more powerful than herself?\"\n\nRosalie now stepped to the window and saw many armed men and many\nofficers, dressed in brilliant uniforms. More and more surprised, she\nwas about to call one of the men, whom she believed to be either genii\nor enchanters, when she heard footsteps approaching. She turned and saw\nthe prince Gracious, clothed in an elegant and rich hunting-dress,\nstanding before her and regarding her with admiration. Rosalie\nimmediately recognized the prince of her dream and cried out\ninvoluntarily:--\n\n\"The prince Gracious!\"\n\n\"You know me then?\" said the prince, in amazement. \"How, if you have\never known me, could I have forgotten your name and features?\"\n\n\"I have only seen you in my dreams, prince,\" said Rosalie, blushing. \"As\nto my name, you could not possibly know it, since I myself did not know\nmy father's name until yesterday.\"\n\n\"And what is the name, may I ask, which has been concealed from you so\nlong?\"\n\nRosalie then told him all that she had heard from her father. She\nfrankly confessed her culpable curiosity and its terrible consequences.\n\n\"Judge of my grief, prince, when I was compelled to leave my father in\norder to escape from the flames which the wicked fairy had lighted;\nwhen, rejected everywhere because of the wicked mouse, I found myself\nexposed to death from hunger and thirst! Soon, however, a heavy sleep\ntook possession of me, during which I had many strange dreams. I do not\nknow how I came here or whether it is in your palace that I find\nmyself.\"\n\nGracious then related to Rosalie how he had found her asleep in the\nforest and the words which he had heard her utter in her dream. He then\nadded:--\n\n\"There is one thing your father did not tell you, Rosalie; that is, that\nthe queen of the fairies, who is our relation, had decided that we\nshould be married when you were fifteen years of age. It was no doubt\nthe queen of the fairies who inspired me with the desire to go hunting\nby torchlight, in order that I might find you in the forest where you\nhad wandered. Since you will be fifteen in a few days, Rosalie, deign to\nconsider my palace as your own and command here in advance, as my queen.\nYour father will soon be restored to you and we will celebrate our happy\nmarriage.\"\n\nRosalie thanked her young and handsome cousin heartily and then returned\nto her chamber, where she found her maids awaiting her with a wonderful\nselection of rich and splendid robes and head-dresses. Rosalie, who had\nnever given much attention to her toilet, took the first dress that was\npresented to her. It was of rose-colored gauze, ornamented with fine\nlace with a head-dress of lace and moss rosebuds. Her beautiful chestnut\nhair was arranged in bands, forming a crown. When her toilet was\ncompleted, the prince came to conduct her to breakfast.\n\nRosalie ate like a person who had not dined the day before. After the\nrepast, the prince led her to the garden and conducted her to the\ngreen-houses, which were very magnificent. At the end of one of the\nhot-houses there was a little rotunda, ornamented with choice flowers;\nin the centre of this rotunda there was a large case which seemed to\ncontain a tree but a thick heavy cloth was thrown over it and tightly\nsewed together. Through the cloth however could be seen a number of\npoints of extraordinary brilliancy.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TREE IN THE ROTUNDA\n\n\nRosalie admired all the flowers very much but she waited with some\nimpatience for the prince to remove the cloth which enveloped this\nmysterious tree. He left the green-house, however, without having spoken\nof it.\n\n\"What then, my prince, is this tree which is so carefully concealed?\"\n\n\"It is the wedding present which I destined for you but you cannot see\nit until your fifteenth birthday,\" said the prince, gayly.\n\n\"But what is it that shines so brilliantly under the cloth?\" said she,\nimportunately.\n\n\"You will know all in a few days, Rosalie, and I flatter myself that you\nwill not find my present a common affair.\"\n\n\"And can I not see it before my birthday?\"\n\n\"No, Rosalie; the queen of the fairies has forbidden me, under heavy\npenalties, to show it to you until after you become my wife. I do hope\nthat you love me enough to control your curiosity till that time.\"\n\nThese last words made Rosalie tremble, for they recalled to her the\nlittle gray mouse and the misfortunes which menaced her as well as her\nfather, if she allowed herself to fall under the temptation, which,\nwithout doubt, her enemy the fairy Detestable had placed before her. She\nspoke no more of the mysterious case, and continued her walk with the\nprince. The day passed most agreeably. The prince presented her to the\nladies of his court and commanded them to honor and respect in her the\nprincess Rosalie, whom the queen of the fairies had selected as his\nbride. Rosalie was very amiable to every one and they all rejoiced in\nthe idea of having so charming and lovely a queen.\n\nThe following days were passed in every species of festivity. The prince\nand Rosalie both saw with joyous hearts the approach of the birth-day\nwhich was to be also that of their marriage:--the prince, because he\ntenderly loved his cousin, and Rosalie because she loved the prince,\nbecause she desired strongly to see her father again, and also because\nshe hoped to see what the case in the rotunda contained. She thought of\nthis incessantly. She dreamed of it during the night and whenever she\nwas alone she could with difficulty restrain herself from rushing to\nthe green-house to try to discover the secret.\n\nFinally, the last day of anticipation and anxiety arrived. In the\nmorning Rosalie would be fifteen. The prince was much occupied with the\npreparations for his marriage; it was to be a very grand affair. All the\ngood fairies of his acquaintance were to be present as well as the queen\nof the fairies. Rosalie found herself alone in the morning and she\nresolved to take a walk. While musing upon the happiness of the morrow,\nshe involuntarily approached the green-house. She entered, smiling\npensively, and found herself face to face with the cloth which covered\nthe treasure.\n\n\"To-morrow,\" said she, \"I shall at last know what this thick cloth\nconceals from me. If I wished, indeed I might see it to-day, for I\nplainly perceive some little openings in which I might insert my fingers\nand by enlarging just a little----. In fact, who would ever know it? I\nwould sew the cloth after having taken a glimpse. Since to-morrow is so\nnear, when I am to see all, I may as well take a glance to-day.\"\n\nRosalie looked about her and saw no one; and, in her extreme desire to\ngratify her curiosity, she forgot the goodness of the prince and the\ndangers which menaced them all if she yielded to this temptation.\n\nShe passed her fingers through the little apertures and strained them\nlightly. The cloth was rent from the top to the bottom with a noise\nlike thunder and Rosalie saw before her eyes a tree of marvellous\nbeauty, with a coral trunk and leaves of emeralds. The seeming fruits\nwhich covered the tree were of precious stones of all colors--diamonds,\nsapphires, pearls, rubies, opals, topazes, all as large as the fruits\nthey were intended to represent and of such brilliancy that Rosalie was\ncompletely dazzled by them. But scarcely had she seen this rare and\nunparalleled tree, when a noise louder than the first drew her from her\necstasy. She felt herself lifted up and transported to a vast plain,\nfrom which she saw the palace of the king falling in ruins and heard the\nmost frightful cries of terror and suffering issue from its walls. Soon\nRosalie saw the prince himself creep from the ruins bleeding and his\nclothing almost torn from him. He advanced towards her and said sadly:--\n\n\"Rosalie! ungrateful Rosalie! see what you have done to me, not only to\nme, but to my whole court. After what you have done, I do not doubt that\nyou will yield a third time to your curiosity; that you will complete my\nmisfortunes, those of your unhappy father and your own. Adieu, Rosalie,\nadieu! May sincere repentance atone for your ingratitude towards an\nunhappy prince who loved you and only sought to make you happy!\"\n\nSaying these words, he withdrew slowly.\n\nRosalie threw herself upon her knees, bathed in tears and called him\ntenderly but he disappeared without ever turning to contemplate her\ndespair. Rosalie was about to faint away, when she heard the little\ndiscordant laugh of the gray mouse and saw it before her.\n\n\"Your thanks are due to me, my dear Rosalie, for having assisted you so\nwell. It was I who sent you those bewitching dreams of the mysterious\ntree during the night. It was I who nibbled the cloth, to help you in\nyour wish to look in. Without this last artifice of mine, I believe I\nshould have lost you, as well as your father and your prince Gracious.\nOne more slip, my pet, and you will be my slave for ever!\"\n\nThe cruel mouse, in her malicious joy, began to dance around Rosalie;\nher words, wicked as they were, did not excite the anger of the guilty\ngirl.\n\n\"This is all my fault,\" said she; \"had it not been for my fatal\ncuriosity and my base ingratitude, the gray mouse would not have\nsucceeded in making me yield so readily to temptation. I must atone for\nall this by my sorrow, by my patience and by the firmness with which I\nwill resist the third proof to which I am subjected, no matter how\ndifficult it may be. Besides, I have but a few hours to wait and my dear\nprince has told me that his happiness and that of my dearly loved father\nand my own, depends upon myself.\"\n\nBefore her lay the smouldering ruins of the palace of the Prince\nGracious. So complete had been its destruction that a cloud of dust and\nsmoke hung over it, and hardly one stone remained upon another. The\ncries of those in pain were borne to her ears and added to her\nbitterness of feeling.\n\nRosalie continued to lie prone on the ground. The gray mouse employed\nevery possible means to induce her to move from the spot. Rosalie, the\npoor, unhappy and guilty Rosalie, persisted in remaining in view of the\nruin she had caused.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CASKET\n\n\nThus passed the entire day. Rosalie suffered cruelly with thirst.\n\n\"Ought I not suffer even more than I do?\" she said to herself, \"in order\nto punish me for all I have made my father and my cousin endure? I will\nawait in this terrible spot the dawning of my fifteenth birthday.\"\n\nThe night was falling when an old woman who was passing by, approached\nand said:--\n\n\"My beautiful child, will you oblige me by taking care of this casket,\nwhich is very heavy to carry, while I go a short distance to see one of\nmy relations?\"\n\n\"Willingly, madam,\" replied Rosalie, who was very obliging. The old\nwoman placed the casket in her hands, saying:--\n\n\"Many thanks, my beautiful child! I shall not be absent long. But I\nentreat you not to look in this casket, for it contains things--things\nsuch as you have never seen--and as you will never have an opportunity\nto see again. Do not handle it rudely, for it is of very fragile ware\nand would be very easily broken and then you would see what it contains\nand no one ought to see what is there concealed.\"\n\nThe old woman went off after saying this. Rosalie placed the casket near\nher and reflected on all the events which had just passed. It was now\nnight and the old woman did not return. Rosalie now threw her eyes on\nthe casket and saw with surprise that it illuminated the ground all\naround her.\n\n\"What can there be in this casket which is so brilliant?\" said she.\n\nShe turned it round and round and regarded it from every side but\nnothing could explain this extraordinary light and she placed it\ncarefully upon the ground, saying:--\n\n\"Of what importance is it to me what this casket contains? It is not\nmine but belongs to the old woman who confided it to me. I will not\nthink of it again for fear I may be tempted to open it.\"\n\nIn fact, she no longer looked at it and endeavored not to think of it;\nshe now closed her eyes, resolved to wait patiently till the dawn.\n\n\"In the morning I shall be fifteen years of age. I shall see my father\nand Gracious and will have nothing more to fear from the wicked fairy.\"\n\n\"Rosalie! Rosalie!\" said suddenly the small voice of the little mouse,\n\"I am near you once more. I am no longer your enemy and to prove that I\nam not, if you wish it, I will show you what this casket contains.\"\n\nRosalie did not reply.\n\n\"Rosalie, do you not hear what I propose? I am your friend, believe me.\"\n\nNo reply.\n\nThen the little gray mouse, having no time to lose, sprang upon the\ncasket and began to gnaw the lid.\n\n\"Monster!\" cried Rosalie, seizing the casket and pressing it against her\nbosom, \"if you touch this casket again I will wring your neck.\"\n\nThe mouse cast a diabolical glance upon Rosalie but it dared not brave\nher anger. While it was meditating some other means of exciting the\ncuriosity of Rosalie, a clock struck twelve. At the same moment the\nmouse uttered a cry of rage and disappointment and said to Rosalie:--\n\n\"Rosalie, the hour of your birth has just sounded. You are now fifteen;\nyou have nothing more to fear from me. You are now beyond my power and\nmy temptations as are also your odious father and hated prince. As to\nmyself, I am compelled to keep this ignoble form of a mouse until I can\ntempt some young girl beautiful and well born as yourself to fall into\nmy snares. Adieu, Rosalie! you can now open the casket.\"\n\nSaying these words, the mouse disappeared.\n\nRosalie, wisely distrusting these words of her enemy, would not follow\nher last counsel, and resolved to guard the casket carefully till the\ndawn. Scarcely had she taken this resolution, when an owl, which was\nflying above her head, let a stone fall upon the casket, which broke\ninto a thousand pieces. Rosalie uttered a cry of terror and at the same\nmoment she saw before her the queen of the fairies, who said:--\n\n\"Come Rosalie, you have finally triumphed over the cruel enemy of your\nfamily. I will now restore you to your father but first you must eat and\ndrink, as you are much exhausted.\"\n\nThe fairy now presented her with a rare fruit, of which a single\nmouthful satisfied both hunger and thirst. Then a splendid chariot,\ndrawn by two dragons, drew up before the fairy. She entered and\ncommanded Rosalie to do the same. Rosalie, as soon as she recovered from\nher surprise, thanked the queen of the fairies with all her heart for\nher protection and asked if she was not to see her father and the prince\nGracious.\n\n\"Your father awaits you in the palace of the prince.\"\n\n\"But, madam, I thought that the palace of the prince was destroyed and\nhe himself wounded sadly?\"\n\n\"That, Rosalie, was only an illusion to fill you with horror and remorse\nat the result of your curiosity and to prevent you from falling before\nthe third temptation. You will soon see the palace of the prince just as\nit was before you tore the cloth which covered the precious tree he\ndestined for you.\"\n\nAs the fairy said this the chariot drew up before the palace steps.\nRosalie's father and the prince were awaiting her with all the court.\nRosalie first threw herself in her father's arms, then in those of the\nprince, who seemed to have no remembrance of the fault she had committed\nthe day before. All was ready for the marriage ceremony which was to be\ncelebrated immediately. All the good fairies assisted at this festival\nwhich lasted several days.\n\nRosalie's father lived with his child and she was completely cured of\nher curiosity. She was tenderly loved by Prince Gracious whom she loved\nfondly all her life. They had beautiful children, for whom they chose\npowerful fairies as godmothers in order that they might be protected\nagainst the wicked fairies and genii.\n\n\n\n\nOURSON\n\n\n\n\nOURSON\n\n\nTHE LARK AND THE TOAD\n\n\nThere was once a pretty woman named Agnella, who cultivated a farm. She\nlived alone with a young servant named Passerose. The farm was small but\nbeautiful and in fine order. She had a most charming cow, which gave a\nquantity of milk, a cat to destroy the mice and an ass to carry her\nfruit, butter, vegetables, eggs, and cheese to markets every Wednesday.\n\nNo one knew up to that time how Agnella and Passerose had arrived at\nthis unknown farm which received in the county the name of the Woodland\nFarm.\n\nOne evening Passerose was busy milking the pretty white cow while\nAgnella prepared the supper. At the moment she was placing some good\nsoup and a plate of cream upon the table, she saw an enormous toad\ndevouring with avidity some cherries which had been put on the ground in\na vine-leaf.\n\n\"Ugly toad!\" exclaimed Agnella, \"I will teach you how to eat my\ncherries!\" At the same moment she lifted the leaves which contained the\ncherries, and gave the toad a kick which dashed it off about ten steps.\nShe was about to throw it from the door, when the toad uttered a sharp\nwhistle and raised itself upon its hind legs; its great eyes were\nflashing, and its enormous mouth opening and shutting with rage, its\nwhole ugly body was trembling and from its quivering throat was heard a\nterrible bellowing.\n\nAgnella paused in amazement; she recoiled, indeed, to avoid the venom of\nthe monstrous and enraged toad. She looked around for a broom to eject\nthis hideous monster, when the toad advanced towards her, made with its\nfore paws a gesture of authority, and said in a voice trembling with\nrage:--\n\n\"You have dared to touch me with your foot! You have prevented me from\nsatisfying my appetite with the cherries which you had placed within my\nreach! You have tried to expel me from your house! My vengeance shall\nreach you and will fall upon that which you hold most dear! You shall\nknow and feel that the fairy Furious is not to be insulted with\nimpunity. You shall have a son, covered with coarse hair like a bear's\ncub and----\"\n\n\"Stop, sister,\" interrupted a small voice, sweet and flute-like, which\nseemed to come from above. Agnella raised her head and saw a lark\nperched on the top of the front door. \"You revenge yourself too cruelly\nfor an injury inflicted, not upon you in your character of a fairy but\nupon the ugly and disgusting form in which it has pleased you to\ndisguise yourself. By my power, which is superior to yours, I forbid you\nto exaggerate the evil which you have already done in your blind rage\nand which, alas! it is not in my power to undo. And you, poor mother,\"\nshe continued, turning to Agnella, \"do not utterly despair; there is a\npossible remedy for the deformity of your child. I will accord to him\nthe power of changing his skin with any one whom he may, by his goodness\nand service rendered, inspire with sufficient gratitude and affection to\nconsent to the change. He will then resume the handsome form which would\nhave been his if my sister, the fairy Furious, had not given you this\nterrible proof of her malice and cruelty.\"\n\n\"Alas! madam Lark,\" replied Agnella, \"all this goodness cannot prevent\nmy poor, unhappy son from being disgusting and like a wild beast. His\nvery playmates will shun him as a monster.\"\n\n\"That is true,\" replied the fairy Drolette; \"and the more so as it is\nforbidden to yourself or to Passerose to change skins with him. But I\nwill neither abandon you nor your son. You will name him Ourson until\nthe day when he can assume a name worthy of his birth and beauty. He\nmust then be called the prince Marvellous.\"\n\nSaying these words, the fairy flew lightly through the air and\ndisappeared from sight.\n\nThe fairy Furious withdrew, filled with rage, walking slowly and turning\nevery instant to gaze at Agnella with a menacing air. As she moved\nslowly along, she spat her venom from side to side and the grass, the\nplants and the bushes perished along her course. This was a venom so\nsubtle that nothing could ever flourish on the spot again and the path\nis called to this day the Road of the Fairy Furious.\n\nWhen Agnella found herself alone, she began to sob. Passerose, who had\nfinished her work and saw the hour of supper approaching, entered the\ndining-room and with great surprise saw her mistress in tears.\n\n\"Dear queen, what is the matter? Who can have caused you this great\ngrief? I have seen no one enter the house.\"\n\n\"No one has entered, my dear, except those who enter everywhere. A\nwicked fairy under the form of a toad and a good fairy under the\nappearance of a lark.\"\n\n\"And what have these fairies said to you, my queen, to make you weep so\npiteously? Has not the good fairy interfered to prevent the misfortunes\nwhich the wicked fairy wished to bring about?\"\n\n\"No, my dear friend. She has somewhat lightened them but it was not in\nher power to set them aside altogether.\"\n\n[Illustration: _Agnella and Passerose were dashed from cloud to cloud_]\n\nAgnella then recounted all that had taken place and that she would have\na son with a skin like a bear. At this narrative Passerose wept as\nbitterly as her mistress.\n\n\"What a misfortune!\" she exclaimed. \"What degradation and shame, that\nthe heir of a great kingdom should be a bear! What will King Ferocious,\nyour husband, say if he should ever discover us?\"\n\n\"And how will he ever find us, Passerose? You know that after our flight\nwe were swept away by a whirlwind and dashed from cloud to cloud for\ntwelve hours with such astonishing rapidity that we found ourselves more\nthan three thousand leagues from the kingdom of Ferocious. Besides, you\nknow his wickedness. You know how bitterly he hates me since I prevented\nhim from killing his brother Indolent and his sister Nonchalante. You\nknow that I fled because he wished to kill me also. I have no reason to\nfear that he will pursue me for I am sure that he will wish never to see\nme again.\"\n\nPasserose, after having wept and sobbed some time with the Queen Aimee,\nfor that was her true name, now entreated her mistress to be seated at\nthe table.\n\n\"If we wept all night, dear queen, we could not prevent your son from\nbeing shaggy but we will endeavor to educate him so well, to make him so\ngood, that he will not be a long time in finding some good and grateful\nsoul who will exchange a white skin for this hairy one which the evil\nfairy Furious has put upon him. A beautiful present indeed! She would\nhave done well to reserve it for herself.\"\n\nThe poor queen, whom we will continue to call Agnella for fear of giving\ninformation to King Ferocious, rose slowly, dried her eyes and succeeded\nin somewhat overcoming her sadness. Little by little the gay and\ncheering conversation of Passerose dissipated her forebodings. Before\nthe close of the evening, Passerose had convinced her that Ourson would\nnot remain a long time a bear; that he would soon resume a form worthy\nof a noble prince. That she would herself indeed be most happy to\nexchange with him, if the fairy would permit it.\n\nAgnella and Passerose now retired to their chambers and slept\npeacefully.\n\n\n\n\nBIRTH AND INFANCY OF OURSON\n\n\nThree months after the appearance of the toad and the cruel sentence of\nthe fairy Furious, Agnella gave birth to a boy whom she named Ourson, as\nthe fairy Drolette had commanded. Neither Agnella nor Passerose could\ndecide if he was ugly or handsome for he was so hairy, so covered with\nlong brown bristles, you could see nothing but his eyes and his mouth,\nand not even these unless he opened them.\n\nIf Agnella had not been his mother and if Passerose had not loved her\nlike a sister, poor Ourson would have died from neglect for he was so\nfrightful no one would have dared to touch--he would have been taken for\na little cub and killed with pitchforks. But Agnella was his mother and\nher first movement was to embrace him lovingly and, bathed in tears, to\nexclaim:--\n\n\"Poor little Ourson! who can ever love you well enough to deliver you\nfrom this horrible curse? Alas! why will not the fairy permit me to make\nthis exchange, which is allowed to another who may love you? No one can\never love you as I do.\"\n\nOurson did not reply to these endearments; he slept peacefully.\n\nPasserose wept also in sympathy with Agnella but she was not in the\nhabit of afflicting herself for a long time on any occasion so she dried\nher eyes and said to Agnella:--\n\n\"Dear queen, I am very certain that your dear son will be clothed but a\nshort time with this villainous bear-skin and from this day I shall call\nhim Prince Marvellous.\"\n\n\"I beseech you not to do so,\" said the queen, anxiously; \"you know that\nthe fairies love to be obeyed.\"\n\nPasserose took the child, clothed it in the linen that had been prepared\nfor it and leaned over to embrace it but she pricked her lips against\nthe rough bristles of Ourson and drew back precipitately.\n\n\"It will not be I who will embrace you frequently, my boy,\" said she, in\na low voice; \"you prick like a real hedgehog.\"\n\nIt was Passerose, however, to whom Agnella gave the charge of the little\nOurson. He had nothing of the bear but his skin: he was the\nsweetest-tempered, the most knowing, the most affectionate child that\never was seen. Passerose soon loved him with all her heart.\n\nAs Ourson grew up he was sometimes permitted to leave the farm. He was\nin no danger for no one knew him in the country. The children always ran\naway at his approach and the women repulsed him. Men avoided him--they\nlooked upon him as something accursed. Sometimes when Agnella went to\nmarket she put him on her donkey and took him with her and on those days\nshe found more difficulty in selling her vegetables and cheese. The\nmothers fled from her, fearing that Ourson would come too near them.\n\nAgnella wept often and vainly implored the fairy Drolette. Whenever a\nlark flew near her, hope was born in her breast. But the larks, alas,\nwere real larks, fit only to make pies and not fairies in disguise.\n\n\n\n\nVIOLETTE\n\n\nOurson at eight years of age was tall and strong, with magnificent eyes\nand a sweet voice; his bristles were no longer stiff but his hair was\nsoft as silk, and those who loved him could embrace him without being\nscratched, as Passerose had been the day of his birth. Ourson loved his\nmother tenderly and Passerose almost as well but he was often alone and\nvery sad. He saw too well the horror he inspired and he saw also that he\nwas unlike other children.\n\nOne day he was walking along a beautiful road which bordered on the\nfarm. He had walked a long time and overcome with heat and fatigue he\nlooked about him for some fresh and quiet spot for repose when he\nthought he saw a little object, fair and rosy, a few steps from him.\nDrawing near with precaution he saw a little girl asleep. She seemed to\nbe about three years old and she was beautiful as the Loves and Graces.\nHer blonde hair partly covered her fair and dimpled shoulders while her\nsoft cheeks were round and fresh and dimpled and a half smile played\nupon her rosy and parted lips, through which small teeth, white and even\nas pearls, could be seen. Her charming head was reposing upon a lovely\nrounded arm and the little hand was beautifully formed and white as\nsnow. The attitude of this little girl was so graceful, so enchanting,\nthat Ourson stood before her immovable with admiration. He watched with\nas much surprise as pleasure, this child sleeping as soundly and\npeacefully in the wood as if she had been at home in her own little bed.\nOurson looked at her a long time and examined her toilet which was more\nrich and elegant than anything he had ever seen. Her dress was of white\nsilk embroidered in gold; her boots were of blue satin also embroidered\nin gold; her stockings were silk and fine as a spider's web; magnificent\nbracelets were sparkling upon her arms and the clasp seemed to contain\nher portrait; a string of beautiful pearls encircled her throat.\n\nA lark now commenced its song just above the lovely little girl and\nawakened her from her profound slumber. She looked about her, called her\nnurse but finding herself alone in the woods, began to weep bitterly.\n\nOurson was much affected at her tears and his embarrassment was very\ngreat.\n\n\"If I show myself,\" said he to himself, \"this poor little one will take\nme for some wild beast of the forest. If she sees me she will be\nterrified; she will take to flight and wander still further from her\nhome. If I leave her here, she will die of terror and hunger. What shall\nI do!\"\n\nWhilst Ourson reflected thus, the little girl turned around, saw him,\nuttered a cry of alarm, tried to flee and fell back in a panic.\n\n\"Do not fly from me, dear little one,\" said Ourson, in his sad, soft\nvoice; \"I would not injure you for the whole world; on the contrary, I\nwill assist you to find your father and mother.\"\n\nThe child gazed at him with staring eyes and seemed much alarmed.\n\n\"Speak to me, little one,\" said Ourson; \"I am not a bear, as you might\nsuppose, but a poor and most unfortunate little boy, who inspires every\none with terror and whom everybody avoids.\"\n\nThe sweet child's eyes became calmer and softer, her fear seemed melting\naway and she looked undecided.\n\nOurson took one step towards her but she became greatly frightened,\nuttered a sharp cry and tried again to rise and run off. Ourson paused\nand began to weep bitterly.\n\n\"Unfortunate wretch that I am,\" he said; \"I cannot even assist this poor\nlost child. My appearance fills her with terror! She would rather be\nlost than have help from me!\"\n\nSo saying, poor Ourson covered his face with his hands and sobbing\npiteously threw himself on the ground. A few moments afterwards he felt\na little hand seeking to take possession of his own. He raised his head\nand saw the child standing before him, her eyes filled with tears. She\ncaressed and patted the hairy cheeks of poor Ourson.\n\n\"Don't cry, little cub, don't cry,\" said she. \"Violette is no longer\nafraid, she will not run away again. Violette will love poor little cub.\nWon't little cub give his hand to Violette? And if you cry again,\nViolette will embrace you, poor little cub.\"\n\nTears of happiness and tenderness succeeded those of despair in Ourson.\nViolette, seeing that he was again weeping, approached her soft rosy\nlips to Ourson's hairy cheek and gave him several kisses.\n\n\"You see, little cub, that Violette is no longer afraid. Violette kisses\nyou! The little cub won't eat Violette--she will follow you!\"\n\nIf Ourson had followed the dictates of his heart, he would have pressed\nher to his bosom and covered with kisses the good and charming child who\novercame her natural terror in order to assuage the grief and\nmortification of a poor being whom she saw unfortunate and miserable.\nBut he feared to arouse her terrors.\n\n\"She would think that I was about to devour her,\" he said.\n\nHe contented himself, therefore, with clasping her hands softly, and\nkissing them delicately. Violette permitted this smilingly.\n\n\"Now little cub is satisfied. Little cub will love Violette, poor\nViolette, who is lost!\"\n\nOurson understood well that her name was Violette; but he could not\ncomprehend how this little girl, so richly clad, was left alone in the\nforest.\n\n\"Where do you live, my dear little Violette?\"\n\n\"Yonder--yonder--with papa and mamma.\"\n\n\"What is the name of your papa?\"\n\n\"He is the king and dear mamma is the queen.\"\n\nOurson was more and more surprised and asked:\n\n\"Why are you alone in this forest?\"\n\n\"Violette doesn't know. Poor Violette rode on a big dog--he ran, oh! so\nfast--so fast, a long time! Violette was so tired, she fell down and\nslept!\"\n\n\"And the dog, where is he?\"\n\nViolet turned in every direction and called softly:\n\n\"Ami! Ami!\"\n\nNo dog appeared.\n\n\"Alas! Ami has gone! Poor Violette is alone--alone!\"\n\nOurson took Violette's hand and she did not withdraw it but smiled\nsweetly.\n\n\"Shall I go and seek mamma, Violette?\"\n\n\"No, no! Violette cannot stay all alone in this wood. Violette will\ngo.\"\n\n\"Come, then, with me, dear little girl. I will take you to my mother.\"\n\nOurson and Violette now turned their steps towards the farm. Ourson\ngathered strawberries and cherries for Violette, who would not touch\nthem till Ourson had eaten half. When she found that he still held his\nhalf in his hand, she took them, and placed them herself in his mouth,\nsaying:\n\n\"Eat--eat, little cub. Violette will not eat unless you eat. Violette\ncannot have little cub unhappy. Violette will not see you weep.\"\n\nShe looked at him to see if he was content and happy. Ourson was really\nhappy. He saw that his good and pretty little companion not only\ntolerated him but was interested in him and sought to make herself\nagreeable. His eyes were sparkling with joy, his voice, always soft and\nsad, was now tender. After half an hour's walk, he said to her:\n\n\"Violette, you are no longer afraid of poor Ourson, are you?\"\n\n\"Oh! no, no, no!\" exclaimed she. \"Ourson is good--Violette will not\nleave him.\"\n\n\"You are willing, then, that I shall embrace you? you are no longer\nafraid of me?\"\n\nViolette, without further reply, threw herself in his arms. Ourson\nembraced her tenderly and pressed her to his heart.\n\n\"Dear Violette, I will always love you. I will never forget that you\nare the only child who was ever willing to speak to me, touch me or\nembrace me.\"\n\nA short time after they arrived at the farm. Agnella and Passerose were\nseated at the door, talking together. When they saw Ourson arrive\nholding a little girl richly dressed by the hand, they were so surprised\nthat neither could utter a word.\n\n\"Dear mamma, here is a good and charming little girl whom I found\nsleeping in the forest. She is called Violette. She is very well bred\nand is not afraid of me. She even embraced me when she saw me weeping.\"\n\n\"And why did you weep, my poor boy?\" said Agnella.\n\n\"Because the little girl was afraid of me,\" said Ourson, in a sad and\ntrembling voice, \"and hurt herself when trying to run away from me.\"\n\n\"Violette is not afraid now,\" said she, interrupting him hastily.\n\"Violette gave her hand to poor Ourson, embraced him and fed him with\ncherries and strawberries.\"\n\n\"But what is all this about?\" said Passerose. \"Why has our Ourson the\ncharge of this little girl? why was she alone in the wood? who is she?\nAnswer, Ourson, I do not understand this.\"\n\n\"I know nothing more than yourself, dear Passerose,\" said Ourson. \"I saw\nthis little child asleep in the wood all alone. She awoke and began to\nweep. Suddenly she saw me and cried out in terror. I spoke to her and\nbegan to approach her; but she screamed again with fright. I was\nsorrowful--oh! so very sorrowful! I wept bitterly.\"\n\n\"Hush! hush! poor Ourson,\" exclaimed Violette, putting her little hand\non his mouth; \"Violette will certainly never make you cry again.\"\n\nWhile saying these words Violette's voice was trembling and her sweet\neyes were full of tears.\n\n\"Good little girl!\" said Agnella, embracing her; \"you love our poor\nOurson, who is so unhappy!\"\n\n\"Oh, yes! Violette loves Ourson--will always love Ourson!\"\n\nAgnella and Passerose asked Violette many questions about her father,\nmother and country; but they could learn nothing more from her than she\nhad already told Ourson. Her father was a king, her mother a queen and\nshe did not know how she came to be alone in the forest.\n\nAgnella did not hesitate to take under her protection this poor lost\nchild. She loved her already because of the affection the little one\nseemed to entertain for Ourson and because of the happiness Ourson's\nwhole manner expressed on seeing himself loved by some one else than his\nmother and Passerose.\n\nIt was now the hour for supper. Passerose laid the cloth and they all\ntook their seats at the table. Violette asked to be put at Ourson's\nside. She was gay and laughed and talked merrily. Ourson was more happy\nthan he had ever been. Agnella was contented, and Passerose jumped for\njoy on seeing a little playmate for her dear Ourson. In her transports\nshe spilled a pan of cream which was not lost, however, as a cat came\nand licked it up to the last drop. After supper, Violette fell asleep in\nher chair.\n\n\"Where shall we lay her?\" said Agnella. \"I have no bed for her.\"\n\n\"Give her mine, dear mamma,\" said Ourson; \"I can sleep quite as well in\nthe stable.\"\n\nAgnella and Passerose at first refused but Ourson insisted so much upon\nbeing allowed to make this little sacrifice, that they at last\nconsented. Passerose carried Violette still sleeping in her arms,\nundressed her without awaking her and laid her quietly in Ourson's bed,\nnear that of Agnella. Ourson went to sleep in the stable on the bundles\nof hay. He slept peacefully with content in his heart.\n\nPasserose rejoined Agnella in the parlor. She found her meditating, with\nher head resting on her hand.\n\n\"Of what are you thinking, dear queen?\" said she; \"your eyes are sad,\nyour lips do not smile. I am come to show you the bracelets of the\nlittle stranger. This medallion ought to open but I have tried in vain\nto open it. Perhaps we shall find here a portrait or a name.\"\n\n\"Give it to me, my child. These bracelets are beautiful; they may aid\nus, perhaps, in finding a resemblance which presents itself vaguely to\nmy remembrance and which I am trying in vain to make clear.\"\n\nAgnella took the bracelets and turned them from side to side and pressed\nthem in every way, trying to open the medallion, but she succeeded no\nbetter than Passerose had done.\n\nAt the moment when, weary of her vain efforts, she returned them to\nPasserose, she saw in the middle of the room a woman glittering as the\nsun; her face was of dazzling whiteness, her hair seemed made of threads\nof gold and a crown of glittering stars adorned her brow. Her waist was\nsmall and her person seemed transparent, it was so delicate and\nluminous; her floating robe was studded with stars like those which\nformed her crown. Her glance was soft yet she smiled maliciously but\nstill with goodness.\n\n\"Madam,\" said she to Agnella, \"you see in me the fairy Drolette, the\nprotectress of your son and of the little princess whom he brought home\nthis morning from the forest. This princess is nearly related to you for\nshe is your niece--the daughter of your brother-in-law Indolent and\nsister-in-law Nonchalante. Your husband succeeded after your flight in\nkilling Indolent and Nonchalante, who did not distrust him and who\npassed all their time in sleeping, eating and lounging. Unfortunately, I\ncould not prevent this crime as I was absent assisting at the birth of a\nprince whose parents are under my protection, and I forgot myself while\nplaying tricks upon a wicked old maid of honor and an old chamberlain\nwho was cruel and avaricious, both of them friends of my sister, the\nfairy Furious. But I arrived in time to save the princess Violette, only\ndaughter and heiress of King Indolent and Queen Nonchalante. She was\nplaying in the garden while the king Ferocious was seeking her with his\nponiard in his hand. I induced her to mount on the back of my dog Ami,\nwho was ordered to leave her in the forest and to that point I directed\nthe steps of the prince your son. Conceal from both of them their birth\nand your own and do not allow Violette to see these bracelets, which\ncontain the portraits of her father and mother, nor the rich clothing\nwhich I have replaced by other articles better suited to the quiet\nexistence she will lead here. I have here,\" said the fairy, \"a casket of\nprecious stones. It contains the happiness of Violette but you must hide\nthem from all eyes and not open the casket until she shall have been\nlost and found.\"\n\n\"I will execute your orders most faithfully, madam, but I pray you tell\nme if my unhappy son must long wear his frightful covering.\"\n\n\"Patience! patience!\" cried the fairy, \"I watch over you, over Violette\nand over your son. Inform Ourson of the faculty he has of exchanging his\nskin with any one who loves him well enough to make this sacrifice for\nhis sake. Remember that no one must know the rank of Ourson or of\nViolette. Passerose, on account of devotion, deserves to be the only one\ninitiated into this mystery and she can always be trusted. Adieu,\nqueen; count always upon my protection. Here is a ring, which you must\nplace upon your little finger. As long as you wear it there you will\nwant for nothing.\"\n\nWaving her farewell with her hand, the fairy took the form of a lark and\nflew away singing merrily.\n\nAgnella and Passerose looked at each other. Agnella sighed, Passerose\nsmiled.\n\n\"Let us hide this precious casket, dear queen, and the clothing of\nViolette. I am going now to see what the fairy has prepared for\nViolette's dress to-morrow morning.\"\n\nShe ran quickly and opened the wardrobe, and found it filled with\nclothing, linen and hosiery, all plain but good and comfortable. After\nhaving looked at all, counted all and approved all and after having\nassisted Agnella to undress, Passerose went to bed and was soon sound\nasleep.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DREAM\n\n\nIn the morning Ourson was the first awake, aroused by the lowing of the\ncow. He rubbed his eyes and looked about him and asked himself why he\nwas in a stable. Then he recalled the events of the day before, sprang\nup from his bundle of hay and ran quickly to the fountain to wash his\nface.\n\nWhile he was washing, Passerose, who had like Ourson risen at a very\nearly hour and had come out to milk the cow, left the house-door open.\nOurson entered quietly and proceeded to the chamber of his mother, who\nwas still sleeping. He drew back the curtains from Violette's bed and\nfound her sleeping as peacefully as Agnella.\n\nOurson watched her for a long time and was happy to see that she smiled\nin her dreams. Suddenly Violette's brow contracted and she uttered a cry\nof alarm, half raised herself in the bed, and throwing her little arms\naround Ourson's neck, she exclaimed:\n\n\"Ourson! good Ourson! save poor Violette! poor Violette is in the water\nand a wicked toad is pulling Violette!\"\n\nShe now awoke, weeping bitterly, with all the symptoms of great alarm.\nShe clasped Ourson tightly with her little arms: he tried in vain to\nreassure and control her but she still exclaimed:\n\n\"Wicked toad! good Ourson! save Violette!\"\n\nAgnella, who had awaked at her first cry, could not yet understand\nViolette's alarm but she succeeded at last in calming her and the child\ntold her dream.\n\n\"Violette was walking with Ourson but he did not give his hand to\nViolette nor look at her. A wicked toad came and pulled Violette into\nthe water; she fell and called Ourson; he came and saved Violette. She\nloves good Ourson,\" she added, in a tender voice; \"will never forget\nhim.\"\n\nSaying these words, Violette threw herself into his arms. He, no longer\nfearing the effect of his bear-skin, embraced her a thousand times and\ncomforted and encouraged her.\n\nAgnella had no doubt that this dream was a warning sent by the fairy\nDrolette. She resolved to watch carefully over Violette and to make\nknown to Ourson all that she could reveal to him without disobeying the\nfairy.\n\nWhen she had washed and dressed Violette, she called Ourson to\nbreakfast. Passerose brought them a bowl of milk fresh from the cow,\nsome good brown bread and a pot of butter. Violette, who was hungry,\nshouted for joy when she saw this good breakfast.\n\n\"Violette loves good milk, good bread, good butter, loves everything\nhere, with good Ourson and good Mamma Ourson!\"\n\n\"I am not called Mamma Ourson,\" said Agnella, laughing; \"call me only\nMamma.\"\n\n\"Oh no, no! not mamma!\" cried Violette, shaking her head sadly. \"Mamma!\nmamma is lost! she was always sleeping, never walking, never taking care\nof poor Violette, never kissing little Violette, Mamma Ourson speaks,\nwalks, kisses Violette and dresses her. I love Mamma Ourson, oh, so\nmuch!\" she said, seizing Agnella's hand and pressing it to her heart.\n\nAgnella replied by clasping her tenderly in her arms.\n\nOurson was much moved--his eyes were moist. Violette perceived this and\npassing her hand over his eyes, she said, entreatingly:\n\n\"I pray you don't cry, Ourson; if you cry, Violette must cry too.\"\n\n\"No, no, dear little girl, I will cry no more. Let us eat our breakfast\nand then we will take a walk.\"\n\nThey breakfasted with good appetites. Violette clapped her hands\nfrequently and exclaimed:\n\n\"Oh how good it is! I love it! I am very glad!\"\n\nAfter breakfast, Ourson and Violette went out to walk while Agnella and\nPasserose attended to the house. Ourson played with Violette and\ngathered her flowers and strawberries. She said to him:\n\n\"We will always walk with each other. You must always play with\nViolette.\"\n\n\"I cannot always play, little girl. I have to help mamma and Passerose\nto work.\"\n\n\"What sort of work, Ourson?\"\n\n\"To sweep, scour, take care of the cow, cut the grass and bring wood and\nwater.\"\n\n\"Violette will work with Ourson.\"\n\n\"You are too little, dear Violette, but still you can try.\"\n\nWhen they returned to the house, Ourson started on his various tasks.\nViolette followed him everywhere, she did her best and believed that she\nwas helping him but she was really too small to be useful. After some\ndays had passed away, she began to wash the cups and saucers, spread the\ncloth, fold the linen and wipe the table. She went to the milking with\nPasserose, helped to strain the milk and skim it and wash the marble\nflag-stones. She was never out of temper, never disobedient and never\nanswered impatiently or angrily.\n\nOurson loved her more and more from day to day. Agnella and Passerose\nwere also very fond of her and the more so because they knew that she\nwas Ourson's cousin.\n\nViolette loved them but Ourson most of all. How could she help loving\nthis good boy, who always forgot himself for her, who was constantly\nseeking to amuse and please her and who would indeed have been willing\nto die for his little friend?\n\nOne day, when Passerose had taken Violette with her to market, Agnella\nrelated to Ourson the sad circumstances which had preceded his birth.\nShe revealed to him the possibility of his getting rid of his hairy skin\nand receiving a smooth white skin in exchange if he could ever find any\none who would voluntarily make this sacrifice from affection and\ngratitude.\n\n\"Never,\" cried Ourson, \"never will I propose or accept such a sacrifice.\nI will never consent to devote a being who loves me to that life of\nwretchedness which the vengeance of the fairy Furious has condemned me\nto endure; never, from a wish of mine, shall a heart capable of such a\nsacrifice suffer all that I have suffered and all that I still suffer\nfrom the fear and antipathy of men.\"\n\nAgnella argued in vain against this firm and noble resolve of Ourson. He\ndeclared that she must never again speak to him of this exchange, to\nwhich he would most assuredly never give his consent and that it must\nnever be named to Violette or any other person who loved him.\n\nAgnella promised compliance, after a few weak arguments. In reality she\napproved and admired his sentiments. She could not but hope, however,\nthat the fairy Drolette would recompense the generous and noble\ncharacter of her little charge and, by some extraordinary exercise of\nher power, release him from his hairy skin.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TOAD AGAIN\n\n\nSome years passed away in this peaceful manner without the occurrence of\nany remarkable event. Ourson and Violette both grew rapidly. Agnella\nthought no more of Violette's frightful dream; her vigilance had greatly\nrelaxed and she often allowed her to walk alone or under the care of\nOurson.\n\nOurson was now fifteen years of age and he was tall and strong. No one\ncould say whether he was handsome or homely for his long black hair\ncovered his body and face entirely. He was good, generous and\nloving--always ready to render a service, always contented and cheerful.\nSince the day when he had found Violette in the wood his melancholy had\ndisappeared; he was utterly indifferent to the general antipathy which\nhe inspired and he no longer walked in uninhabited places but lived\nhappily in the circle of the three beings whom he cherished and who\nloved him supremely.\n\nViolette was now ten years old and she had not lost a single sweet charm\nof her beauty in growing up. Her eyes were softer and more angelic, her\ncomplexion fresher and purer, her mouth more beautiful and arch in its\nexpression. She had grown much in height--was tall, light and graceful\nand her rich blonde hair, when unbound, fell to her feet and entirely\nenveloped her like a veil. Passerose had the care of this superb hair\nand Agnella never ceased to admire it.\n\nViolette had learned many things during those seven years. Agnella had\ntaught her how to do housework. In other things, Ourson had been her\nteacher. He had taught her to read, write and keep accounts and he often\nread aloud to her while she was sewing. Instructive and amusing books\nwere found in her room without any one knowing where they came from.\nThere was also clothing and other necessary objects for Violette,\nOurson, Agnella and Passerose. There was no longer any necessity for\ngoing to market to sell or the neighboring village to buy. Through the\nagency of the ring on Agnella's little finger everything they wished\nfor, or had need of, was speedily brought to them.\n\nOne day when Ourson was walking with Violette she stumbled against a\nstone, fell and hurt her foot. Ourson was frightened when he saw his\ncherished Violette bleeding. He did not know what to do to relieve her;\nhe saw how much she suffered, for, notwithstanding all her efforts, she\ncould not suppress the tears which escaped from her eyes but finally he\nremembered that a brook flowed not ten paces from them.\n\n\"Dear Violette,\" he said, \"lean upon me and we will endeavor to reach\nthe rivulet--the fresh water will relieve you.\"\n\nViolette tried to walk while Ourson supported her. He succeeded in\nseating her on the borders of the stream where she took off her shoe and\nbathed her delicate little foot in the fresh flowing water.\n\n\"I will run to the house, dear Violette, and bring some linen to wrap up\nyour foot. Wait for me, I shall not be long absent and take good care\nnot to get nearer the stream for this little brook is deep and if you\nslip you might drown.\"\n\nWhen Ourson was out of sight Violette felt an uneasiness which she\nattributed to the pain caused by her wound. An unaccountable repulsion\nmade her feel inclined to withdraw her foot from the water in which it\nwas hanging. Before she decided to obey this strange impulse she saw the\nwater troubled and the head of an enormous toad appear upon the surface.\nThe great swollen angry eyes of the loathsome animal were fixed upon\nViolette, who since her dream had always had a dread of toads. The\nappearance of this hideous creature, its monstrous swollen body and\nmenacing glance, froze her with such horror that she could neither move\nnor cry out.\n\n[Illustration: _\"Ah, ha! you are at last in my domain, little fool!\"_]\n\n\"Ah! ha! you are at last in my domain, little fool!\" said the toad. \"I\nam the fairy Furious, the enemy of your family. I have been lying in\nwait for you a long time and should have had you before if my sister,\nthe fairy Drolette, had not protected you and sent you a dream to warn\nyou against me. Ourson whose hairy skin is a talisman of safety is now\nabsent, my sister is on a journey and you are at last mine.\"\n\nSaying these words, she seized Violette's foot with her cold and shining\npaws and tried to draw her down into the water. Violette uttered the\nmost piercing shrieks; she struggled and caught hold of the plants and\nshrubs growing on the borders of the stream. The first, alas, gave way,\nand Violette in despair seized hold of others.\n\n\"Ourson! oh, Ourson! help! help! dear Ourson, save me, save your poor\nViolette! I am perishing! save me! help! help!\"\n\nThe fairy Furious, in the form of a toad, was about to carry her off.\nThe last shrub had given way and Violette's last cry was hushed.\n\nThe poor Violette disappeared under the water just as another cry, more\ndespairing, more terrible, answered to her own. But, alas! her hair\nalone appeared above the water when Ourson reached the spot, breathless\nand panting with terror. He had heard Violette's cries and had turned\nback with the rapidity of lightning.\n\nWithout a moment's hesitation he sprang into the water and seized\nViolette by her long hair but he felt instantly that he was sinking\nwith her. The fairy Furious was drawing them to the bottom of the\nstream. He knew he was sinking but he did not lose his self-possession.\nInstead of releasing Violette, he seized her both arms and invoked the\nfairy Drolette. When they reached the bottom, he gave one vigorous\nstroke with his heel which brought him again to the surface. Holding\nViolette securely with one arm, he swam sturdily with the other and\nthrough some supernatural force he reached the shore where he deposited\nthe unconscious Violette.\n\nHer eyes were closed, her teeth tightly clenched and the pallor of death\nwas on her face. Ourson threw himself on his knees by her side weeping\nbitterly. Brave Ourson, whom no dangers could intimidate, no privation,\nno suffering could master, now wept like a child. His sweet sister, so\nwell beloved! his only friend, his consolation, his happiness was lying\nthere motionless, lifeless! Ourson's strength and courage had deserted\nhim and he sank down without consciousness by the side of his beloved\nViolette.\n\nAt this moment a lark flew rapidly up, approached Violette and Ourson,\ngave one stroke of her little beak to Ourson and another to Violette and\ndisappeared.\n\nOurson was not the only one who replied to the shrieks of Violette.\nPasserose had heard them and then the more terrible cry of Ourson which\nsucceeded them. She ran to the house to apprise Agnella and they both\nran rapidly toward the stream from which the cries for help seemed to\ncome.\n\nOn approaching, they saw with surprise and alarm that Violette and\nOurson were lying on the ground in a state of unconsciousness. Passerose\nplaced her hand on Violette's heart and felt it still beating. Agnella\nascertained at the same moment that Ourson was still living. She\ndirected Passerose to take Violette home, undress her and put her to bed\nwhile she endeavored to restore consciousness to Ourson with salts and\nother restoratives before conducting him to the farm. Ourson was too\ntall and heavy to be carried while Violette, on the contrary, was light\nand it was easy for Passerose to carry her to the house. When she\narrived there, she was soon restored to animation. It was some moments\nbefore she was conscious. She was still agitated with a vague\nremembrance of terror but without knowing what had alarmed her.\n\nDuring this time the tender care of Agnella had restored Ourson to life.\nHe opened his eyes, gazed tenderly at his mother and threw himself\nweeping upon her neck.\n\n\"Mother, dear mother!\" he exclaimed, \"my Violette, my beloved sister,\nhas perished! Let me die with her!\"\n\n\"Be composed, my son,\" replied Agnella; \"Violette still lives. Passerose\nhas carried her to the house and will bestow upon her all the attention\nshe requires.\"\n\nOurson seemed to revive on hearing these words. He rose and wished to\nrun to the farm but his second thought was consideration for his mother\nand he restrained his impatience to suit her steps. On their way to the\nfarm he told his mother all that he knew of the events which had almost\ncost Violette and himself their lives. He added that the slime from the\nmouth of the fairy Furious had left a strange dulness in his head.\n\nAgnella now told him how Passerose and herself had found them stretched\nunconscious upon the border of the stream. They soon arrived at the\nfarm, and Ourson, still dripping, rushed into Violette's presence.\n\nOn seeing him Violette remembered everything and she sprang towards him.\nShe threw her arms around him and wept upon his bosom. Ourson also wept\nand Agnella and Passerose were both in tears. It was a concert of\nemotion, enough to soften all hearts. Passerose put an end to it by\ncrying out:\n\n\"Would not one say--ha! ha!--that we were the most--ha! ha!--unfortunate\npeople--ha! ha!--in the universe!--Look at our poor Ourson, wet as a\nwater-reed, bathing himself in his own and Violette's tears. Courage,\nchildren, courage and happiness! See, we are all alive, thanks to\nOurson.\"\n\n\"Oh, yes!\" interrupted Violette; \"thanks to Ourson--to my dear, my\nwell-beloved Ourson. How shall I ever repay him for all I owe him? How\ncan I ever testify my profound gratitude, my tender affection?\"\n\n\"By loving me always as you do now, my dear Violette, my sister. Ah! if\nit has indeed been in my power to render you some little service, have\nyou not changed my whole existence? Have you not made me gay and\nhappy--me who was so wretched and so miserable before? Are you not every\nday and every hour of the day the consolation and happiness of my life\nand of that of my excellent mother?\"\n\nViolette was still weeping and she answered only by pressing more\ntenderly to her heart her Ourson, her adopted brother.\n\n\"Dear son,\" said his mother, \"you are dripping wet. Go and change your\nclothing. Violette has need of some hours' repose. We will meet again at\ndinner.\"\n\nViolette consented to go to bed but did not sleep for her heart was\nmelting, overflowing with gratitude and tenderness. She sought in vain\nfor some means of rewarding the devotion of Ourson. She could think of\nno other way than that of trying to become perfect so as to increase the\nhappiness of Ourson and Agnella.\n\n\n\n\nVIOLETTE'S SACRIFICE\n\n\nWhen the dinner hour came, Violette arose, dressed herself and entered\nthe dining-room where Agnella and Passerose were awaiting her. Ourson\nwas not there.\n\n\"Ourson is not with you, mother,\" said Violette.\n\n\"I have not seen him,\" said Agnella.\n\n\"Nor I,\" said Passerose; \"I will go and seek him.\"\n\nShe entered his chamber and found him seated upon his bed, his head\nresting upon his arm.\n\n\"Come, Ourson, come quick; we are waiting dinner for you.\"\n\n\"I cannot come,\" said Ourson, in a weak voice; \"I have a strange\nheaviness in my head.\"\n\nPasserose flew to inform Agnella and Violette of his illness and they\nwere by his side in an instant. Ourson made an effort to rise in order\nto reassure them but he fell upon a chair. Agnella found that he had a\nviolent fever and she prevailed upon him to lie down. Violette\nabsolutely refused to leave him.\n\n\"I am the cause of his illness,\" she said, \"and I will not leave his\nside till he is well. I shall die of anxiety if you force me to leave my\ndear brother.\"\n\nAgnella and Passerose also installed themselves near their dear invalid\nbut alas! soon poor Ourson did not recognise them. He was delirious! He\ncalled his mother and Violette every moment and continued to call them\nmost importunately and to complain of their absence, even while they\nwere holding him in their arms.\n\nAgnella and Violette never left him day nor night during all his\nsickness. The eighth day, Agnella, exhausted with fatigue, had fallen\nasleep near the poor sufferer's bed; his difficult respiration and\nlifeless eye seemed to announce the near approach of death. Violette was\non her knees, holding and pressing in her fine white hands the hairy\nhands of Ourson and covering them with tears and kisses.\n\nIn the midst of this scene of desolation, a clear sweet song interrupted\nthe mournful silence of the chamber of the dying boy. Violette started.\nThis soft melody seemed to bring consolation and happiness; she raised\nher head and saw a lark perched upon the open shutter.\n\n\"Violette!\" said the lark.\n\nViolette trembled fearfully.\n\n\"Violette,\" repeated the little soft voice of the lark, \"do you love\nOurson?\"\n\n\"Do I love him? Ah! love him--I love him more than any one else--more\nthan I love myself.\"\n\n\"Would you purchase his life at the price of your happiness?\"\n\n\"Yes, gladly would I purchase life for him by the sacrifice of my\nhappiness and of my own life.\"\n\n\"Listen, then, Violette. I am the fairy Drolette. I love Ourson, I love\nyou and I love your family. The venom which my sister the fairy Furious\nhas blown upon the head of Ourson is sufficient to cause his death.\nNevertheless, if you are sincere, if you really feel for Ourson the\nsentiments of gratitude and tenderness which you express, his life is in\nyour hands. You are permitted to redeem it! But remember that you will\nsoon be called upon to give the most terrible proof of your attachment\nand that if he lives you will pay for his existence by a most horrible\nsacrifice.\"\n\n\"Oh, madam! quick, quick, tell me what I am to do to save my dear\nOurson. Nothing will be terrible to me, all will be joy and happiness if\nyou aid me to save my brother Ourson.\"\n\n\"Well, my child, very well,\" replied the fairy. \"Kiss his left ear three\ntimes, saying at each kiss: _'To thee!--For thee!--With thee!'_ Reflect\nagain, Violette, before undertaking this cure. If you are not prepared\nfor the most difficult sacrifices, the greatest misfortunes will\noverwhelm you and my sister Furious will be the mistress of your life.\"\n\nAs her only reply, Violette crossed her hands upon her breast, cast upon\nthe fairy, who was about to fly away, a look of tender gratitude, and,\nthrowing herself upon Ourson, she kissed his left ear three times,\nsaying, with an accent loving and penetrating:\n\n\"To thee!--For thee!--With thee!\"\n\nScarcely had she said these words, when Ourson uttered a profound sigh,\nopened his eyes, perceived Violette and seizing her hands carried them\nto his lips, saying:\n\n\"Violette, dear Violette! it seems to me I am awaking from a long dream.\nTell me all that has passed. Why am I here? Why are you so pale and\nthin? Your cheeks are hollow, you seem to have grown old and your\nbeautiful eyes are red with weeping.\"\n\n\"Hush!\" said Violette, \"do not wake your mother, who is sleeping by your\nside. She has not slept for a long time and is much fatigued. You have\nbeen very ill, Ourson!\"\n\n\"And you, dear Violette, have you been resting?\"\n\nViolette blushed and hesitated.\n\n\"How could I sleep, dear Ourson, when I was the cause of all your\nsufferings?\"\n\nOurson was silent. He looked at her tenderly, kissed her hands and again\nasked her to tell him what had passed. She told him but she was too\nmodest and too truly devoted to reveal to him the price that the fairy\nhad affixed to his cure. Ourson, therefore, was far from knowing the\ntruth.\n\nOurson now felt himself restored to health, rose up, proceeded to his\nmother softly and awakened her by a kiss. Agnella thought he was\ndelirious and called Passerose who was astonished when Violette told\nthem that Ourson had been restored by the good fairy Drolette.\n\nAfter all this, Ourson and Violette loved each other more tenderly than\never and they never left each other unless their occupations forced them\nto be apart.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WILD BOAR\n\n\nTwo years passed. One day Ourson had been cutting wood in the forest.\nViolette was to bring him his dinner and return with him in the evening.\nAt midday Passerose hung on Violette's arm a basket containing wine,\nbread, a little pot of butter, some ham and some cherries. Violette set\noff eagerly. The morning had appeared to her very long and she was\nimpatient to be again with Ourson. To shorten the way she went through\nthe forest which was composed of large trees under which she could\neasily walk. There were neither briars nor thorns in her way and a soft,\nthick moss covered the earth.\n\nViolette stepped lightly for she was happy to have found a shorter path\nto her dear Ourson. When she had passed over about half the distance she\nheard the noise of a heavy and precipitate step but too far off for her\nto imagine what it could be. After some moments of expectation she saw\nan enormous wild boar coming towards her. He seemed greatly enraged,\nploughed the ground with his tusks and rubbed the bark from the trees as\nhe passed along. His heavy snorting and breathing were as distinctly\nheard as his step. Violette did not know where to fly or to hide\nherself. While she was hesitating the wild boar came in sight, saw her,\nand paused. His eyes were flaming, his whole body bristling, his tusks\nclashing together. He uttered a ferocious grunt, and sprang towards\nViolette. Happily she was near a tree whose branches were within her\nreach. She seized one, sprang up with it, and climbed from branch to\nbranch, until she knew she was beyond his reach. Scarcely was she in\nsafety when the savage animal precipitated himself with all his weight\nagainst the tree in which she had taken refuge. Furious at this\nobstacle, he commenced tearing the bark from the tree and gave it such\nfurious blows with his snout that Violette was terribly frightened. The\nconcussion caused by these violent and repeated blows might at last\ncause the fall of the tree. She clung tightly and trembling to the tree.\nThe wild boar at last weary of his useless attacks laid himself down at\nthe foot of the tree casting from time to time a menacing look at\nViolette.\n\nMany hours passed in this painful situation, Violette trembling but\nholding on steadily and the wild boar, sometimes calm, sometimes in a\nterrible rage, springing against the tree and tearing it with his\ntusks.\n\n[Illustration: _Violette takes refuge from the wild boar_]\n\nViolette called on her brother, her dear Ourson, for help. At every new\nattempt of the wild boar she renewed her cries for aid but alas! Ourson\nwas too far off and he could not hear. No one came to her aid.\n\nDiscouragement and despair gained upon her; she began to feel hunger.\nShe had thrown away the basket of provisions when she sprang up the\ntree, the wild boar had trampled upon it, crushed it and eaten up\neverything it contained.\n\nWhilst Violette was a prey to these terrors and vainly calling for help\nOurson was amazed at not seeing her come with the dinner.\n\n\"Can they have forgotten me?\" he said to himself. \"No, neither my mother\nnor Violette could have forgotten me. I could not have explained myself\nwell. Without doubt they expected me back to dinner; they are looking\nfor me now and are perhaps uneasy.\"\n\nAt this thought Ourson abandoned his work and commenced walking\nprecipitately towards the house. He also wished to shorten the way and\ndetermined to cross the forest. Soon he thought he heard plaintive cries\nof distress. He paused--he listened, his heart beat violently as he\nbelieved he recognized the voice of Violette. But, no--he heard nothing\nnow. He was about to resume his march when he heard a more distinct and\npiercing cry.\n\nNow he knew that it must be Violette, his Violette, who was in danger\nand calling upon Ourson for help. He ran in the direction from which the\nnoise seemed to come. Approaching, he heard not only calls for help but\nroars and growls accompanied by ferocious cries and violent blows. Poor\nOurson ran on with the speed of despair. At last he perceived the wild\nboar shaking with his snout the tree upon which Violette was still\ncrouched in safety though pale and overcome.\n\nThis sight gave him new strength. He invoked the protection of the good\nfairy Drolette and rushed upon the wild boar with his axe in his hand.\nThe wild boar in his rage bellowed furiously. He gnashed his formidable\ntusks one against the other and sprang towards Ourson, who dodged the\nattack and jumped to one side. The boar passed beyond him, paused a\nmoment, then turned more furious than ever against Ourson who had now\ntaken breath and with his axe raised in his hand awaited his enemy.\n\nThe wild boar sprung on Ourson and received on his head a most violent\nblow but his bones were so hard he scarcely seemed to feel it. The\nviolence of the attack overthrew Ourson. The wild boar, seeing his enemy\non the ground, did not give him time to rise but sprang upon him and\nwith his tusks endeavored to tear him to pieces.\n\nOurson now thought himself lost, indeed he thought no more of himself,\nhe prayed only for Violette's safety.\n\nWhilst the wild boar was thus trampling and kicking his enemy, a jeering\nsong was heard just above the combatants. The wild boar shuddered,\nsuddenly quitted Ourson, raised his head and saw a lark flying above\nthem. The mocking song continued and the brute, uttering a cry of rage,\nlowered his head and withdrew slowly without once turning round.\n\nViolette at sight of Ourson's danger had fainted away but had rested\nsupported by the branches of the tree. Ourson, who thought himself torn\nto pieces, scarcely dared attempt to move but feeling no pain he rose\npromptly to assist Violette. His heart was full of gratitude to the\nfairy Drolette to whom he attributed his rescue. At this moment the lark\nflew towards him, pecked his cheeks and whispered in his ear:\n\n\"Ourson, it was the fairy Furious who sent this wild boar. I arrived in\ntime to save you. Profit by the gratitude of Violette and change skins\nwith her. She will consent joyfully.\"\n\n\"Never!\" cried Ourson. \"I would rather be a bear all my life--rather\ndie. Poor Violette! I should indeed be base if I abused her tenderness\ntowards me in this way.\"\n\n\"Good-bye, obstinate one!\" said the lark, flying away singing, \"till we\nmeet again. I shall come again--and then----\"\n\n\"The result will be the same,\" said Ourson.\n\nHe then climbed the tree, took Violette in his arms, and descended. He\nlaid her upon the soft green moss and bathed her forehead with a little\nwine he found in a broken bottle.\n\nIn a few moments Violette was restored to consciousness. She could\nscarcely believe her senses when she saw Ourson, living and unwounded,\nkneeling by her side and bathing her forehead and temples.\n\n\"Ourson! dear Ourson! again you have saved my life. Tell me, oh! tell\nme, what can I do to prove my gratitude?\"\n\n\"Do not speak of gratitude, my cherished Violette. Do I not owe all my\nhappiness to you? In saving your life I save my own and all I value.\"\n\n\"All that you say, dear brother, is sweet and tender but I desire no\nless to render you some real and signal service, which will show all the\ngratitude and all the love with which my heart is filled.\"\n\n\"Good! good! we shall see,\" said Ourson, laughing. \"In the mean time let\nus think of preserving our lives. You have eaten nothing since morning,\npoor Violette, for I see on the ground the remnants of the provisions\nyou brought, as I suppose, for our dinner. It is late and the day is\ndeclining so we must hurry to return to the farm before dark.\"\n\nViolette now tried to rise but her terror and her long fast had weakened\nher so much that she fell to the ground.\n\n\"I cannot stand, Ourson, I am too weak. What will become of us?\"\n\nOurson was greatly embarrassed. Violette was no longer a child and had\ngrown so large that he could not carry her so far, neither could he\nleave her exposed to the attacks of the ferocious beasts of the forest\nand he feared she could not do without food till the morning. In this\nperplexity he saw a packet fall at his feet. He raised it, opened it and\nfound a pie, a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine. Ourson knew that this\nbounty was from the hand of the fairy Drolette and with a heart full of\ngratitude he put the bottle to Violette's lips. One mouthful of this\ngood wine which was indeed unequalled restored a portion of Violette's\nstrength. The pie and the bread completely restored her as well as\nOurson who did full honor to the repast. While eating and drinking they\nconversed of their past terrors and present happiness.\n\nNow, however, it was night and neither Violette nor Ourson knew which\nway to turn their steps in order to reach the farm. They were in the\nmidst of a wood. Violette was reclining against the tree which had been\nher refuge from the wild boar. They dared not quit this spot lest in the\nobscurity they might not find as comfortable a one.\n\n\"Well, dear Violette, do not be alarmed. It is warm, the weather is\nbeautiful and you are reclining upon a bed of soft green moss. Let us\npass the night where we are. I will cover you with my coat and I will\nlie at your feet to protect you from all danger and alarm. Mamma and\nPasserose will not be very anxious for they are ignorant of the dangers\nwe have encountered and you know that we have often on a lovely evening\nlike this reached home after they had retired.\"\n\nViolette consented willingly to pass the night in the forest. In the\nfirst place, they could not do otherwise; secondly, she was never afraid\nwith Ourson and always thought that what he decided to do was right.\n\n[Illustration: _Violette consented willingly to pass the night in the\nforest_]\n\nOurson now arranged Violette's bed of moss in the best possible manner,\ntook off his coat and in spite of her resistance spread it over her.\nThen, after having seen Violette's eyes close and sleep take possession\nof all her senses he lay at her feet and soon slept most profoundly.\n\nViolette was the first awake in the morning. She walked around the tree\nwhich had sheltered them during the night. Ourson awaked and not seeing\nViolette he sprang up in an instant and called her name in a voice\nchoking with terror.\n\n\"I am here! I am here, dear brother!\" she replied, running towards him;\n\"I am seeking the path to the farm. But what is the matter? you\ntremble!\"\n\n\"I thought you had been carried away by some wicked fairy, dear\nViolette, and I reproached myself for having fallen asleep. Let us go\nnow quickly in order to reach home before mamma and Passerose are\nawake.\"\n\nOurson knew the forest well. He soon found the path to the farm and they\narrived some moments before Agnella and Passerose awoke. They agreed to\nconceal from Agnella the dangers to which they had been exposed, to\nspare her anguish and disquietude for the future. Passerose alone was\nmade the confidant of their dangerous adventures.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CONFLAGRATION\n\n\nOurson now forbade Violette to go alone in the forest. She was no longer\nallowed to carry him his dinner so he always returned to the house at\nmidday. Violette never left the farm without Ourson.\n\nThree years after the event in the forest, Ourson saw Violette arise in\nthe morning pale and exhausted. She was seeking him.\n\n\"Come, come,\" she said, drawing him along, \"I have something to\nsay--something to relate--Oh, come!\"\n\nOurson was much alarmed and followed her precipitately.\n\n\"What is it, dear Violette? For the love of Heaven, speak to me! What\ncan I do for you?\"\n\n\"Nothing, nothing, dear Ourson; you can do nothing--only listen to me.\nYou remember the dream I had in my childhood, of the toad! the river!\nthe danger! Well, last night I had this same dream again. It is\nterrible! terrible! Ourson, dear Ourson, your life is menaced! If you\ndie, I will die also!\"\n\n\"How! By whom is my life threatened?\"\n\n\"Listen! I was sleeping and a toad--still a toad--always a toad--came to\nme and said:\n\n\"'The moment approaches when your dear Ourson is to resume his natural\nskin. To you he is to be indebted for this change. I hate him! I hate\nyou! You shall not make each other happy! Ourson shall perish and you\ncannot accomplish the sacrifice which in your folly you meditate. In a\nfew days, yes, perhaps in a few hours I shall take a signal vengeance\nupon you both. Good-bye--do you hear?--till we meet again!'\n\n\"I awoke, suppressed a cry which was about to issue from my lips and\nsaw, as I saw on that day in which you saved me from the water, the\nhideous toad creeping upon the shutter and gazing at me menacingly. It\ndisappeared, leaving me more dead than alive. I arose dressed myself and\ncame to find you my brother, my friend to warn you against the vengeance\nof the fairy Furious and to entreat you to seek the aid of the good\nfairy Drolette.\"\n\nOurson listened in great alarm. He was not frightened by the fate which\nmenaced himself--he was agitated by the sacrifice which Furious\nannounced and which he understood but too well. The thought alone of his\ndear and lovely Violette being muffled up in his hideous bear's skin\nthrough devotion to him made him tremble and he preferred death.\nOurson's anguish was pictured in his countenance, and Violette, who was\nwatching him closely, threw herself upon his neck and sobbed violently.\n\n\"Alas! my brother, my dear brother, you will soon be torn from me. You,\nwho do not know what it is to fear, now tremble. You who comfort me\nencourage me and sustain me in all my fears have now no word to utter to\nrestore my failing courage. You who have combated the most terrible\ndangers now bow your head and are resigned to fate.\"\n\n\"No, Violette, it is not fear which makes me tremble--it is not fear\nwhich agitates me. It is a word which the fairy Furious has uttered, of\nwhich you do not comprehend the meaning but which I understand\nperfectly. The threat was addressed to you, my Violette. It is for you I\ntremble!\"\n\nViolette divined from this that the moment of sacrifice had come, that\nshe was about to be called upon to keep the promise she had made to the\nfairy Drolette. In place of trembling and shrinking, she felt the most\nlively joy. She could now at last make some return for the devotion, the\nincessant watchful tenderness of her dear Ourson--could in her turn be\nuseful to him. She made no response to the fears expressed by Ourson but\nthanked him and spoke to him more tenderly than ever before, thinking\nthat soon perhaps she would be separated from him by death. Ourson had\nthe same thought. They both fervently invoked the protection of the\nfairy Drolette. Ourson, indeed, called upon her in a loud voice but she\ndid not respond to his appeal.\n\nThe day passed away sadly. Neither Ourson nor Violette spoke to Agnella\non the subject of their disquiet for fear of aggravating her melancholy\nwhich had been constantly increasing as Ourson grew to manhood.\n\n\"Already twenty years old!\" thought she. \"If he persists in living in\nthis solitude and seeing no one and in refusing to change with Violette,\nwho asks nothing better, I am certain, I am convinced, he will wear this\nbear-skin till his death.\"\n\nAgnella wept, often wept; but her tears brought her no remedy.\n\nThe day Violette had her frightful dream, Agnella also had a dream. The\nfairy Drolette had appeared to her:\n\n\"Courage, queen,\" she said to her, \"in a few days Ourson will lose his\nbear's skin and you can give him his true name of Prince Marvellous.\"\n\nAgnella had awaked full of hope and happiness. She redoubled her\ntenderness to Violette, believing that it was to her she would owe the\nhappiness of her son.\n\nEvery one retired at night with different feelings. Violette and Ourson,\nfull of anxiety for the future which appeared so threatening, Agnella's\nheart bounding with joy at that same future which appeared so near and\nso replete with happiness, Passerose, astonished at the melancholy of\nthe one and the joy of the other and ignorant of the cause of both.\n\nAll slept, however. Violette after weeping profusely. Ourson after\nhaving invoked the fairy Drolette; Agnella after smiling and thinking of\nOurson handsome and attractive and Passerose after saying to herself a\nhundred times: \"But what is the matter with them all to-day?\"\n\nScarcely an hour after all at the farm were asleep, Violette was aroused\nby the smell of fire and smoke. Agnella awoke at the same moment.\n\n\"Mother,\" said Violette, \"do you not smell something?\"\n\n\"The house is on fire,\" said Agnella. \"Look what a light is round about\nus!\"\n\nThey sprang from their beds and ran to the parlor. The flames had\nalready taken possession of it and of the neighboring chambers.\n\n\"Ourson! Passerose!\" cried Agnella.\n\n\"Ourson! Ourson!\" exclaimed Violette.\n\nPasserose sprang half clothed into the parlor.\n\n\"We are lost, madam! The flames are all through the house. The doors and\nwindows are firmly closed--it is impossible to open them.\"\n\n\"My son! my son!\" cried Agnella.\n\n\"My brother! my brother!\" exclaimed Violette.\n\nThey ran to the doors; all their efforts to open them or the windows\nwere ineffectual.\n\n\"Oh! my terrible dream!\" murmured Violette. \"Dear Ourson, adieu for\never!\"\n\nOurson had also been awakened by the flames and smoke. He slept out of\nthe farm-house, and near the stable. His first impulse was to run to the\nfront of the house but notwithstanding his extraordinary strength he\ncould not open it. One would have thought that the door would break to\npieces under his efforts. It was evidently held fast by the fairy\nFurious.\n\nOurson sprang upon a ladder and passed across the flames into a granary\nthrough an open window, then descended into the room where his mother\nand Violette were embracing, expecting instant death. Before they had\ntime to recognize him he seized them in his arms and cried to Passerose\nto follow him. He ran along the granary and descended the ladder with\nhis mother in one arm and Violette in the other and followed by\nPasserose. The moment after they reached the ground in safety, the\nladder and granary became a prey to the flames.\n\nOurson led Agnella and Violette some distance from the fire. Passerose\nwas self-possessed: she had quite a large package of clothing which she\nhad collected at the commencement of the fire. Agnella and Violette had\nescaped barefooted and in their night robes, and the clothing brought\nby Passerose was thus very necessary to protect them from the cold.\nAfter having thanked Ourson for saving their lives at the peril of his\nown they complimented Passerose upon her forethought.\n\n\"See,\" said Passerose, \"the advantage of not losing one's senses. Whilst\nyou two were only thinking of your Ourson, I made up this package of\nnecessary things.\"\n\n\"That is true, my good Passerose; but what purpose would your package\nhave served, if my mother and Violette had perished in the flames?\"\n\n\"Oh, I knew very well that you would not allow them to be burned up\nalive. Is any one ever in danger when you are present? Is not this the\nthird time you have saved Violette's life?\"\n\nViolette pressed Ourson's hands tenderly and carried them to her lips.\nAgnella embraced her and said:\n\n\"Dear Violette, Ourson is happy in your tenderness which fully rewards\nhim for all he has done for you. I feel assured that on your part you\nwould be happy to sacrifice yourself for him if an occasion offered,\nthat only too willingly would you help him.\"\n\nBefore Violette could speak, Ourson said with animation:\n\n\"Mother, do not say anything to Violette of sacrificing herself for me.\nYou know the thought alone makes me wretched.\"\n\nIn place of replying to Ourson, Agnella placed her hand on her forehead\nand cried out anxiously:\n\n\"The casket, Passerose! the casket! Have you saved the casket?\"\n\n\"I forgot it, madam,\" said Passerose.\n\nThe countenance of Agnella expressed such regret and anxiety, that\nOurson questioned her as to this precious casket which seemed to trouble\nher so much.\n\n\"The casket was a present of the fairy Drolette. She told me that the\nhappiness of Violette was contained in it. It was in the wardrobe, at\nthe foot of my bed. Alas! by what fatality did I forget it?\"\n\nShe had scarcely uttered these words when the brave Ourson sprang\ntowards the burning house and notwithstanding the tears and\nsupplications of Agnella, Violette and Passerose, disappeared in the\nflames exclaiming:\n\n\"You shall have the casket, mother, or I will perish with it!\"\n\nA horrible silence followed this act of Ourson. Violette fell on her\nknees with her arms extended towards the burning house, Agnella with her\nhands clasped looked with straining eyes at the opening through which\nOurson had entered while Passerose was motionless, hiding her face with\nher hands. Some moments passed thus and they appeared ages to the three\nwomen who were expecting a sentence of life or death.\n\nOurson did not reappear. The crackling of the burning wood, the flashing\nof the flames, increased in violence. Suddenly, a frightful noise made\nViolette and Agnella utter a cry of despair.\n\nThe roof, covered with flames, had fallen in and Ourson was buried under\nthe ruins--crushed by the ruins, consumed by the fire.\n\nThe silence of death succeeded this dreadful catastrophe. The flames\ndiminished, then died away--no sound now interrupted the despair of\nAgnella and Violette.\n\nViolette had fallen into the arms of Agnella and they sobbed thus a long\ntime in silence. Passerose contemplated the smoking ruins and wept. Poor\nOurson was buried there a victim of his courage and his devotion!\nAgnella and Violette still wept bitterly; they appeared neither to hear\nnor understand what was passing around them.\n\n\"Let us leave this place,\" said Passerose, at last.\n\nAgnella and Violette made no response.\n\nPasserose tried to lead Violette away.\n\n\"Come,\" said she; \"come, Violette, let us seek a shelter for the\nnight--the evening fortunately is mild.\"\n\n\"What shelter do I want?\" said Violette. \"What is the evening to me or\nthe morning? There are no more beautiful days for me! The sun will shine\nno more but to illumine my despair!\"\n\n\"But if we remain here weeping we shall die of hunger, Violette, and in\nspite of the bitterest grief, we must think of the necessities of life.\"\n\n\"Better to die of hunger than of grief! I will not leave this place\nwhere I saw my dear Ourson for the last time--where he perished, a\nvictim of his tenderness for us.\"\n\nPasserose shrugged her shoulders; she remembered that the stable had not\nbeen burned so she ran there with all speed, milked the cow, drank a\ncupful of milk and tried in vain to make Agnella and Violette do the\nsame.\n\nAgnella rose and said to Violette in a solemn tone:\n\n\"Your grief is just, my daughter. Never did a more noble or generous\nheart beat in a human form than Ourson's and he loved you more than he\nloved himself--to spare your grief he sacrificed his happiness and his\nlife.\"\n\nAgnella now recounted to Violette the scene which preceded Ourson's\nbirth, the power Violette had to deliver him from his deformity by\naccepting it for herself and Ourson's constant prayer that Violette\nshould never be informed of the possibility of such a sacrifice.\n\nIt is easy to comprehend the feelings of loving tenderness and regret\nwhich filled the heart of Violette after this confidence and she wept\nmore bitterly than ever.\n\n\"And now, my daughter,\" continued Agnella, \"there remains one duty to\nfulfil, that is to give burial to my son. We must clear away these ruins\nand remove the ashes and when we have found the remains of our\nwell-beloved Ourson----\"\n\nSobs interrupted her speech; she could say no more.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WELL\n\n\nAgnella, Violette and Passerose walked slowly towards the burned walls\nof the farmhouse. With the courage of despair they removed the smoking\nruins. They worked diligently two days before this work was completed.\nNo vestige of poor Ourson appeared and yet they had removed piece by\npiece, handful by handful, all that covered the site. On removing the\nlast half-burned planks, Violette perceived an aperture, which she\nquickly enlarged. It was the orifice of a well. Her heart beat\nviolently--a vague hope inspired it.\n\n\"Ourson!\" cried she, with a faint voice.\n\n\"Violette! dear Violette! I am here; I am saved!\"\n\nViolette could reply only by a smothered cry; she lost her consciousness\nand fell into the well which enclosed her dear Ourson. If the good fairy\nDrolette had not watched over her fall, she would have broken her head\nand limbs against the sides of the well. But their kind protectress,\nwho had already rendered them so many services, sustained her and she\nfell safely at Ourson's feet.\n\nViolette soon returned to consciousness. Their happiness was too great\nto be believed in--to be trusted. They did not cease to give the most\ntender assurances of affection. And now they were aroused from their\necstasy by the cries of Passerose, who, losing sight of Violette and\nseeking her amongst the ruins, discovered the open well. Peering into\nthe darkness she saw Violette's white robe and she imagined that the\npoor girl had thrown herself intentionally into the well and there found\nthe death she sought. Passerose screamed loud enough to destroy her\nlungs. Agnella came slowly forward to know the cause of this alarm.\n\n\"Be silent, Passerose,\" cried Ourson in a loud voice; \"you are\nfrightening our mother. I am in the well with Violette; we are happy and\nwant for nothing.\"\n\n\"Oh blessed news! blessed news!\" cried Passerose; \"I see them! I see\nthem! Madam, madam, come quickly, quickly! They are here--they are\nwell--they have need of nothing!\"\n\nAgnella, pale, and half dead with emotion, listened to Passerose without\ncomprehending her. She fell on her knees and had not strength to rise.\nBut when she heard the voice of her dear Ourson calling to her: \"Mother,\nmother, your poor son Ourson still lives!\" she sprang toward the well,\nand would have precipitated herself within, had not Passerose seized her\nby the arms and drawn her back suddenly.\n\n\"For the love of Ourson, dear queen, do not throw yourself into this\nhole; you will kill yourself! I will restore Ourson and Violette to you\nunharmed.\"\n\nAgnella, trembling with happiness, comprehended the wisdom of the\ncounsel given by Passerose. She remained rooted to the spot but\nshuddering with agitation while Passerose ran to seek a ladder.\n\nPasserose was absent a long time which was excusable as she was somewhat\nconfused. First she seized a cord, then a pitchfork, then a chair. For\nan instant she thought of lowering the cow to the bottom of the well so\nthat poor Ourson might have a drink of fresh warm milk. At last she\nfound the ladder before her eyes, almost in her hands, but she had not\nseen it.\n\nWhile Passerose was seeking the ladder, Ourson and Violette talked\nincessantly of their present happiness and the despair and anguish they\nhad endured.\n\n\"I passed uninjured through the flames,\" said Ourson, \"and sought\ngroping about for the wardrobe of my mother. The smoke suffocated and\nblinded me. Then I felt myself raised by the hair and cast to the bottom\nof this well where you have come to join me, dear Violette.\n\n\"In place of finding water, or even moisture here, I felt at once a\nsweet, fresh air. A soft carpet was spread on the bottom: you see it is\nstill here. There was from some source sufficient light around me. I\nfound ample provisions at my side. Look at them, Violette, I have not\ntouched them. A few drops of wine was all I could swallow.\n\n\"The knowledge of your despair and that of my mother rendered me too\nunhappy and the fairy Drolette took pity on me. She appeared to me under\nyour form, dear Violette, and I took her for you and sprang forward to\nseize you in my arms but I embraced only a vague form of air or vapor. I\ncould see her but I could not touch her.\n\n\"'Ourson', said the fairy, smiling sweetly upon me, 'I have assumed\nViolette's form to testify my friendship in the most agreeable way. Be\ncomforted; you shall see her to-morrow. She weeps bitterly, because she\nbelieves you to be dead but I will send her to you to-morrow. She will\nmake you a visit at the bottom of this well. She will accompany you when\nyou go forth from this tomb and you shall see your mother and the blue\nheavens and the dazzling sun which neither your mother nor Violette wish\nto look upon since your loss, but which appeared beautiful to them while\nyou were with them. You will return once more to this well for it\ncontains your happiness.'\n\n\"'My happiness!' I exclaimed to the fairy; 'when I have found my mother\nand my Violette I shall be in possession of all my happiness.'\n\n\"'Believe implicitly what I say. This well contains your happiness and\nthat of Violette.'\n\n\"'Violette's happiness, madam, is to live with me and my mother.'\"\n\n\"Ah! you replied well,\" interrupted Violette. \"But what said the fairy?\"\n\n\"'I know what I say,' she answered. 'In a few days something will be\nwanting to complete your happiness. You will find it here. We will meet\nagain, Ourson. Remember what I have said.'\n\n\"'Yes, madam; I hope it will be soon.'\n\n\"'When you see me again, my poor child, you will be scarcely content and\nthen you will wish that you had never seen me. Silence and farewell.'\n\n\"She flew away smiling sweetly, leaving behind her a delicious perfume\nand an atmosphere so soft and heavenly that it diffused a peaceful calm\nin my heart. I suffered no more--I expected you.\"\n\nViolette on her part comprehended better than Ourson why the next return\nof the fairy would be painful to him. Since Agnella had revealed to her\nin confidence the nature of the sacrifice that she could impose upon\nherself, she was resolved to accomplish it, in spite of the opposition\nof Ourson. She thought only of the delight of giving an immense proof of\nher affection. This hope tempered her joy at having found him.\n\nWhen Ourson had completed his narrative, they heard the shrill voice of\nPasserose crying out to them:\n\n\"Look, look, my children! the ladder. I will put it down to you. Take\ncare that it does not fall on your heads. You must have some provisions\ndown there; send them up, if you please; we are somewhat destitute above\nhere. For two days I have only had a little milk to drink and a crust.\nYour mother and Violette have lived upon the air and their tears.\nSoftly! softly! take care not to break the ladder. Madam! madam! here\nthey are: here are Ourson's and Violette's heads--Good! Step up! There\nyou are!\"\n\nAgnella, still pallid and trembling, was immovable as a statue.\n\nAfter having seen Violette in safety, Ourson sprang from the well and\nthrew himself into his mother's arms. She covered him with tears and\nkisses and held him a long time clasped to her heart. After having\nthought him dead during so many painful hours, it seemed a dream to her\nalmost impossible to realize that she was holding him safe once more.\nFinally Passerose terminated this melting scene by seizing Ourson and\nsaying to him:\n\n\"Now it is my turn! I am forgotten, forsooth, because I do not bathe\nmyself in tears; because I keep my head cool and preserve my strength.\nWas it not Passerose, after all, who got you out of that terrible hole?\nSpeak the truth.\"\n\n\"Yes, yes, my good Passerose! You may believe that I love you and\nindeed I thank you for drawing me out of it where, however, I was doing\nvery well after my sweet Violette came down to me.\"\n\n\"But now I think of it,\" said Passerose, \"tell me, Violette, how did you\nget to the bottom of that well without killing yourself?\"\n\n\"I did not go down purposely. I fell and Ourson received me in his\narms.\"\n\n\"All this is not very clear,\" said Passerose. \"The fairy Drolette had\nsomething to do with it.\"\n\n\"Yes, the good and amiable fairy,\" said Ourson. \"She is always\ncounteracting the cruelties of her wicked sister.\"\n\nWhile thus talking merrily, their stomachs gave indication that they\nwere suffering for dinner. Ourson had left in the well the provisions\nfurnished by the fairy. The rest of the happy family were still\nembracing and weeping over past remembrances but Passerose without\nsaying a word descended into the well and remounted with the provisions\nwhich she placed on a bundle of straw; she then placed around the table\nfour other bundles of straw for seats.\n\n\"Dinner is ready,\" said she; \"come and eat; you all need food. The good\nqueen and Violette will soon fall from exhaustion. Ourson has had a\nlittle wine but he has eaten nothing. Here is a pie, a ham, bread and\nwine. Long life to the good fairy!\"\n\nAgnella, Violette and Ourson did not require to be told a second time\nbut placed themselves gayly at the table. Their appetites were good and\nthe repast excellent. Happiness illuminated every countenance; they\ntalked, laughed, clasped each other's hands and were in paradise.\n\nWhen dinner was over, Passerose was surprised that the fairy Drolette\nhad not provided for all their wants.\n\n\"Look,\" said she, \"the house is in ruins, we are destitute of\neverything! The stable is our only shelter, the straw our only bed and\nthe provisions I brought up from the well our only food. Formerly\neverything was provided before we had the time to ask for it.\"\n\nAgnella looked suddenly at her hand--the ring was no longer there! They\nmust now gain their bread by the sweat of their brows. Ourson and\nViolette seeing her air of consternation demanded the cause of it.\n\n\"Alas! my children, you will no doubt think me very ungrateful to feel\ndisquieted about the future in the midst of our great happiness but I\nperceive that during the fire I have lost the ring given me by the good\nfairy and this ring would have furnished us with all the necessaries of\nlife so long as it was upon my finger. Alas! I have it no longer. What\nshall we do?\"\n\n\"Dismiss all anxiety, dear mother,\" said Ourson. \"Am I not tall and\nstrong? I will seek for work and you can all live on my wages.\"\n\n\"And I, too,\" said Violette, \"can I not assist my good mother and\nPasserose? In seeking work for yourself, Ourson, you can also find\nsomething for me to do.\"\n\n\"I will go at once and seek work,\" said Ourson. \"Adieu, mother. We will\nmeet again, Violette.\"\n\nKissing their hands, he set off with a light step.\n\nHe had no presentiment, poor boy, of the reception which awaited him in\nthe three houses where he sought employment.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARM--THE CASTLE--THE FORGE\n\n\nOurson walked more than three hours before he arrived at a large and\nbeautiful farm where he hoped to obtain employment. He saw from a\ndistance the farmer and his family seated before his front door taking\ntheir evening meal.\n\nHe was but a short way off when one of the children, a little boy about\nten years of age, perceived him. He sprang from his seat, uttered a cry\nof terror and fled into the house.\n\nA second child, a little girl eight years old, hearing the cry of her\nbrother turned towards Ourson and commenced the most piercing shrieks.\n\nAll the family now followed the movement of the children and turned\naround. At the sight of Ourson the women cried out with terror and the\nchildren fled in wild alarm. The men seized sticks and pitchforks\nexpecting to be attacked by poor Ourson whom they took for some\nextraordinary animal escaped from a menagerie.\n\nOurson, seeing this movement of terror and preparation for attack, spoke\nto them hoping to dissipate their fears.\n\n\"I am not a bear, as you seem to suppose, but a poor boy seeking work\nand who would be very glad if you should give him employment.\"\n\nThe farmer was greatly amazed to hear a bear speak. He did not know\nwhether to fly or to interrogate him further. He resolved, however, to\nspeak.\n\n\"Who are you and from whence do you come?\"\n\n\"I come from the Woodland Farm and I am the son of Agnella,\" Ourson\nreplied.\n\n\"Ah, then it was you who in your childhood went with your mother to\nmarket and frightened all our children to death. You have lived in the\nwoods and done without our help. Why do you seek us now? Go away and\nlive as you have lived heretofore.\"\n\n\"Our farm-house is burned to the ground. I have to work now with my\nhands to support my mother and sister. For this reason, I pray you to\ngive me work. I will do all you command me.\"\n\n\"Do you suppose, boy, that I will take into my service a villainous\nanimal like you who will frighten my wife and my servants to death and\nthrow my children into convulsions? I am not quite such a fool, my boy;\nnot quite such a fool. Enough of this. Be off, and allow us to finish\nour dinner.\"\n\n\"Master farmer, be merciful. Only try my work. Place me altogether by\nmyself; then no one will fear me. I will conceal myself so well that\nyour children shall not see me.\"\n\n\"Will you be done talking, wicked bear? Go instantly; if you don't you\nshall feel the teeth of my pitchfork.\"\n\nPoor Ourson bowed his head. Tears of humiliation and disappointment\nglittered in his eyes. He withdrew slowly, followed by the coarse laugh\nand shouts of the farm hands.\n\nWhen out of sight he no longer restrained his tears, but in all this\nshame and despair the thought that Violette could take upon herself his\nugly covering did not enter his thoughts.\n\nOurson walked on till he came in sight of a castle where he saw a crowd\nof men coming, going and laboring at every kind of work. Some were\nmowing, some raking, some currying horses, some sweeping, some watering\nplants, some sowing.\n\n\"Here is a house where I shall certainly find work,\" said Ourson to\nhimself. \"I see neither women nor children and I think the men will not\nbe afraid of me.\"\n\nOurson drew near without being seen. He took off his hat and stood\nbefore a man who seemed to be the superintendent.\n\n\"Sir--\" said he.\n\nThe man looked up, recoiled a step when he saw Ourson and examined him\nwith the greatest surprise.\n\n\"Who are you and what do you want?\" said he, in a rude voice.\n\n\"Sir, I am the son of Agnella, mistress of the Woodland Farm.\"\n\n\"Well! and what has brought you here?\"\n\n\"Our house is burned down, sir. I am seeking work in order to support my\nmother and sister. I hope you will be good enough to give me\nemployment.\"\n\n\"Give employment to a bear?\"\n\n\"Sir, I have only the appearance of a bear. Under this rough outside,\nwhich is so repugnant to you, there beats a human heart--a heart capable\nof gratitude and affection. You shall have no reason to complain either\nof my work or of my good will.\"\n\nWhilst Ourson spoke and the superintendent listened with a mocking air,\na great noise was heard amongst the horses. They began to kick and\nprance and the grooms could scarcely hold them. Some of them indeed\nescaped and fled in terror to the woods.\n\n\"It is the bear! It is the bear!\" cried the grooms. \"It has terrified\nthe horses. Drive it off! Chase it away! We cannot control our horses.\"\n\n\"Off with you!\" cried the superintendent.\n\nOurson was stupefied by his misfortunes and was immovable.\n\n\"Ha! you will not go,\" vociferated the man. \"Wait a few moments, you\nhairy beast. I will give you something to run for. Halloa, men! bring\nout the dogs, and set them upon this animal. Hurry!--see him scampering\noff!\"\n\nIn fact Ourson, more dead than alive at this cruel treatment,\nprecipitately withdrew from the presence of these wicked and inhuman\nmen. This second attempt had failed utterly but he would not allow\nhimself to be discouraged.\n\n\"It is still three or four hours before sunset so I have time to\ncontinue my search for work.\"\n\nHe directed his steps towards a forge which was some distance from\nWoodland Farm. The master of the forge employed a great many workmen. He\ngave work to those who asked it, not in charity, but in view of his own\ninterest. He was feared but he was not loved. He developed the riches of\nthe country but no one thanked him for it because he alone profited by\nit. By his avidity and his opulence he ground down the poor workmen who\ncould only find employment with this new Marquis of Carabas.\n\nPoor Ourson arrived at the forge. The master was at the door, scolding\nsome, threatening others and terrifying all.\n\n\"Sir,\" said Ourson, drawing near, \"have you any work to give me?\"\n\n\"Certainly. What kind of work----?\"\n\nHe raised his head at these words for he had replied without looking at\nOurson. When his eye fell upon him he did not finish his phrase; his\neyes flashed with rage and he stammered out:--\n\n\"What foolery is this? Are we in the midst of the Carnival, that a\nworkman ventures upon such a ridiculous masquerade? Throw off your ugly\nbear's skin instantly or I will crisp your bristles for you in my fire.\"\n\n\"This, sir, is no masquerade,\" replied Ourson, sadly; \"it is, alas! my\nnatural skin but if you will be humane enough to employ me you will see\nthat my strength is equal to my goodwill.\"\n\n\"I give work to you, you vile animal!\" cried the master of the forge,\nfoaming with rage: \"I will put you into a sack and send you to a\nmenagerie or I will throw you into a den with your brother bears. You\nwill have work enough to defend yourself from their claws. Be off!\"\n\nAnd brandishing his club he would have dealt Ourson a heavy blow if the\npoor boy had not made a hasty retreat.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SACRIFICE\n\n\nOurson turned his steps homeward, discouraged and exhausted. He walked\nslowly and arrived at the farm late. Violette ran to meet him, took him\nby the hand, and without saying a word led him to his mother. There she\nfell on her knees and said:--\n\n\"My mother, I know what our well-beloved Ourson has suffered to-day.\nDuring his absence the fairy Furious has told me all and the good fairy\nDrolette has confirmed her story. My mother, when our Ourson was, as we\nbelieved, lost to us for ever and lost for my sake you revealed to me\nthat which in his nobility and goodness he wished to conceal. I know\nthat by changing skins with him I can restore to him his original\nbeauty. Happy, a hundred times happy in having this opportunity to\nrecompense the tenderness and devotion of my dearly-loved brother\nOurson, I demand to make this exchange allowed by the fairy Drolette and\nI entreat her to complete the transfer immediately.\"\n\n\"Violette! Violette!\" exclaimed Ourson, in great agitation, \"take back\nyour words! You do not know to what you engage yourself; you are\nignorant of the life of anguish and misery unparalleled, the life of\nsolitude and isolation to which you thus condemn yourself; you know not\nthe unceasing desolation you will feel at knowing that you are an object\nof fear to all mankind. Violette, Violette, in pity to me, withdraw your\nwords!\"\n\n\"Dear Ourson,\" said Violette, calmly, but resolutely, \"in making what\nyou believe to be so great a sacrifice, I accomplish the dearest wish of\nmy heart; I secure my own happiness; I satisfy an ardent and imperious\ndesire to testify my tenderness and my gratitude. I esteem myself for\ndoing what I propose. I should despise myself if I left it undone.\"\n\n\"Pause, Violette, for one instant longer, I beseech you! Think of my\ngrief, when I no longer see my beautiful Violette, when I think of you\nexposed to the railleries, the horror of men. Oh! Violette, do not\ncondemn your poor Ourson to this anguish.\"\n\nThe lovely face of Violette was veiled with sadness. The fear that\nOurson would feel repugnance towards her made her heart tremble; but\nthis thought, which was wholly personal, was very fleeting--it could not\ntriumph over her devoted tenderness. Her only response was to throw\nherself in the arms of Agnella, and say:--\n\n\"Mother, embrace your fair and pretty Violette for the last time.\"\n\nWhilst Agnella, Ourson and Passerose embraced her and looked lovingly\nupon her--whilst Ourson, on his knees, supplicated her to leave him his\nbear-skin to which he had been accustomed for twenty years--Violette\ncalled out again in a loud voice:--\n\n\"Fairy Drolette! Fairy Drolette! come and accept the price of the life\nand health of my dear Ourson.\"\n\nAt this moment the fairy Drolette appeared in all her glory. She was\nseated in a massive chariot of gold, drawn by a hundred and fifty larks.\nShe was clothed with a robe of butterflies' wings, of the most brilliant\ncolors while from her shoulders fell a mantle of network of diamonds,\nwhich trailed ten feet behind her and it was so fine in texture that it\nwas light as gauze. Her hair, glittering like tissue of gold, was\nornamented by a crown of carbuncles more brilliant than the sun; each of\nher slippers was carved from a single ruby and her beautiful face, soft,\nyet gay, breathed contentment. She fixed upon Violette a most\naffectionate regard.\n\n\"You wish it, then, my daughter?\" said she.\n\n\"Madam,\" cried Ourson, falling at her feet, \"deign to listen to me. You,\nwho have loaded me with undeserved benefits--you, who have inspired me\nwith boundless gratitude--you, good and just--will you execute the mad\nwish of my dear Violette? Will you make my whole life wretched by\nforcing me to accept this sacrifice? No, no, charming and humane fairy,\nyou could not, you will not do it!\"\n\nWhilst Ourson was thus supplicating, the fairy gave Violette a light\ntouch with her wand of pearl and Ourson another--then said:--\n\n\"Let it be according to the wish of your heart, my daughter. Let it be\ncontrary to your ardent desires, my son.\"\n\nAt the same moment, the face, arms and the whole body of the lovely\nyoung girl were covered with the long hair which Ourson had worn, and\nOurson appeared with a white smooth skin, which set off his extreme\nbeauty to advantage.\n\nViolette gazed at him with admiration, while he, his eyes cast down and\nfull of tears, dared not look at his poor Violette, so horribly\nmetamorphosed. At last he looked up, threw himself in her arms, and they\nwept together.\n\nOurson was marvellously handsome. Violette was, as Ourson had been,\nwithout form, without beauty, but not ugly. When Violette raised her\nhead and looked at Agnella, the latter extended her hands towards her,\nand said:--\n\n\"Thanks, my daughter, my noble, generous child.\"\n\n\"Mother,\" said Violette, in low voice, \"do you love me still?\"\n\n\"Do I love you, my cherished child? Yes, a hundred times, a thousand\ntimes more than ever before.\"\n\n\"Violette,\" said Ourson, \"never fear being ugly in our eyes. To my\neyes, you are a hundred times more beautiful than when clothed with all\nyour loveliness. To me you are a sister--a friend incomparable. You will\nalways be the companion of my life, the ideal of my heart.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE COMBAT\n\n\nViolette was about to reply, when a kind of roaring was heard in the\nair, and they saw descend a chariot made of crocodile's skin, drawn by\nfifty enormous toads. All the toads were hissing and blowing, and would\nhave cast their infectious venom in every direction, if they had not\nbeen restrained by the power of the fairy Drolette.\n\nWhen the chariot reached the ground, the fairy Furious, a huge and heavy\ncreature, issued from it. Her big eyes seemed bursting from their\nsockets, her large flat nose covered her wrinkled, withered cheeks, her\nmonstrous mouth extended from ear to ear and when it was open a long\npointed black tongue was seen licking her horrid teeth.\n\nShe was not more than three feet in height and was very corpulent; her\ngrizzly skin was gluey and cold, like a snail's and her thin red hair\nfell in locks of unequal length around her throat, which was disfigured\nby a goitre. Her large, flat hands looked like the fins of a shark, her\ndress was made of snail's skins and her mantle of the skins of toads.\n\nShe advanced towards Ourson (who shall hereafter be known by his true\nname of Prince Marvellous) with a slow step. She paused in front of him\nand casting a furious glance upon the fairy Drolette and an eye of\nmocking triumph upon Violette, she folded her great cold arms and said\nin a sharp yet hoarse voice:--\n\n\"My sister has triumphed over me, Prince Marvellous. I have, however,\none consolation: you will not be happy, because you have obtained your\noriginal beauty at the expense of that little fool, who is now frightful\nand repugnant and whom you will now never wish to approach. Yes! yes!\nweep, my handsome Ourson! You will weep a long time, Violette, and you\nwill regret bitterly, if you do not already regret, that you have given\nyour beautiful skin to the prince Marvellous.\"\n\n\"Never, madam, never! My only regret is that I did not know sooner what\nI could do to testify my gratitude.\"\n\nThe fairy Drolette, whose countenance had assumed an unaccustomed\nexpression of severity and irritation, now waved her wand and said:--\n\n\"Silence, sister! You shall not triumph long over the misfortunes of\nViolette. I will provide a remedy for those misfortunes: her generous\ndevotion merits recompense.\"\n\n\"I defy you to come to her assistance under penalty of my wrath,\" said\nFurious.\n\n\"I do not doubt your rage, sister, but I disdain to punish you for it,\"\nreplied Drolette.\n\n\"To punish me!--Do you dare to threaten me?\" said Furious. And hissing\nfuriously, she called her chariot, mounted it, rose in the air and tried\nto launch upon Drolette all the venom of her toads in order to suffocate\nher.\n\nBut Drolette knew her sister perfectly. Her faithful larks held the door\nof her chariot open and she sprang within. The larks rose in the air,\nhovered above the toads, and then lowered themselves rapidly upon them.\nThe toads, in spite of their weight, escaped the blows by turning\nadroitly to one side. They however threw their venom on the larks which\nwere nearest to them, who died instantly.\n\nDrolette detached them with the rapidity of a thunder-bolt, rose again\nin the air and fell so adroitly on the toads, that the larks tore out\ntheir eyes with their claws, before Furious had time to come to the\nrescue of her army.\n\nThe outcries of the toads and the hissing of the larks made a deafening\nnoise; and the fairy Drolette called out to her friends, who were\nregarding the combat with terror:--\n\n\"Withdraw immediately and stop your ears!\"\n\nWhich was done instantly, in obedience to her command.\n\nThe fairy Furious made one last effort. She guided her blinded toads in\nsuch a way as to meet the larks face to face, and to dart their venom\nupon them.\n\nBut Drolette rose higher and higher in the air and Furious found herself\nalways under her sister's chariot.\n\nAt last, unable to contain her rage, Furious cried out:--\n\n\"You are assisted by the queen of the fairies, an old fool whom I should\ngladly see in the lower regions!\"\n\nScarcely had she pronounced these words when her chariot fell heavily to\nthe earth. The toads perished and the chariot disappeared. The fairy\nFurious only remained, in the form of an enormous toad. She wished to\nspeak but she could only bellow and snuffle. She gazed at Drolette and\nher larks--at Prince Marvellous, Violette and Agnella, in a transport of\nrage but her power was destroyed.\n\nThe fairy Drolette lowered her chariot, descended to the earth and\nsaid:--\n\n\"The queen of the fairies has punished you for your audacity, sister.\nRepent, if you wish to obtain pardon.\"\n\nThe only answer of Furious was to spit forth her poisonous venom, which\nhappily reached no one.\n\nDrolette extended her wand towards her and said:\n\n\"I command you to disappear and never to appear again to the prince\nMarvellous, to Violette or to their mother.\"\n\nDrolette had scarcely uttered these words when the toad disappeared;\nthere remained no vestige of the chariot or of herself.\n\nDrolette remained some time motionless. She passed her hand over her\nbrow, as if to chase away a sad thought; then approaching Prince\nMarvellous, she said to him:--\n\n\"Prince, the title which I give you indicates your birth. You are the\nson of King Ferocious and the queen Aimee, concealed till now under the\nappearance of a modest farmer woman. The name of your father\nsufficiently indicates his character. Your mother having prevented him\nfrom killing his brother Indolent and his sister-in-law Nonchalante, he\nturned his rage against her. I was her protectress, and carried her off\nwith her faithful Passerose in a cloud.\n\n\"And you, Princess Violette, your birth is equal to that of Prince\nMarvellous. Your father and mother were that same King Indolent and\nQueen Nonchalante who, saved once by Queen Aimee, became at last the\nvictims of King Ferocious and their own apathy. Since that time King\nFerocious has been killed by his subjects who could no longer support\nhis cruel yoke.\n\n\"They expect you, prince, to reign over them. I have revealed to them\nyour existence and I have promised them that you will take a wife worthy\nof you. You can select from the twelve princesses whom your father\nretained captive after having slain their parents. They are all wise and\nbeautiful and each has a kingdom for her marriage portion.\"\n\nSurprise had kept Prince Marvellous silent. At the last words of the\nfairy he turned towards Violette, and seeing that she was weeping, he\nsaid:--\n\n\"Why do you weep, my Violette? Do you fear that I will blush for\nyou--that I will not dare to testify before my whole court the\ntenderness with which you inspire me? That I will conceal what you have\ndone for me or forget the bonds which attach me to you for ever? Can you\nbelieve that I will be ungrateful enough to seek any other affection\nthan yours and fill your place by any of those princesses held captive\nby my father? No, dearest Violette! Until this time I have seen in you\nonly a sister but from this moment you are the companion of my life, my\nsole friend, my wife!\"\n\n\"Your wife, dear brother? That is impossible! How can you seat upon your\nthrone a creature so repulsive as your poor Violette? How will you dare\nto brave the raillery of your subjects and of the neighboring kings? And\nhow could I show my deformity in the midst of the festivals given on\nyour return to your kingdom? No, no, my brother! Let me live near you,\nnear to your mother, alone, unknown, covered with a veil. I cannot be\nyour wife! No one shall blame you for having made so sad a choice.\"\n\nThe prince insisted long and firmly. Violette could scarcely control her\nemotions but she resisted with as much resolution as devotion. Agnella\nsaid nothing. She would have been willing that her son should accept\neven this last sacrifice from poor Violette and simply allow her to\nlive near to them but hidden from the world.\n\nPasserose wept and in a low tone encouraged the prince in his\ndetermination.\n\n\"Violette,\" said the prince, at last, \"since you absolutely refuse to\nascend the throne with me, I abandon it and all royal power in order to\nlive with you as before in solitude and happiness. Without your sweet\npresence, the sceptre would be a heavy burden; with you at my side, our\nlittle farm will be a paradise! Say, dear Violette, shall it be so?\"\n\n\"Yes, dear brother, you have triumphed; let us live as we have lived so\nmany years: modest in our lives, happy in our affections.\"\n\n\"Noble prince and generous princess,\" said the fairy, \"you shall be\nrecompensed for this rare and devoted tenderness. Prince, in the well to\nwhich I carried you during the fire, there is a priceless treasure for\nViolette and yourself. Descend into the well, seek for it, and when you\nhave found it bring it to me. I will teach you its value.\"\n\nThe prince did not wait to be told a second time; he ran towards the\nwell; the ladder was still there and he descended. On arriving at the\nbottom, he saw nothing but the carpet which had been there from the\nfirst; he searched the walls of the well, but saw no indication of\ntreasure. Finally he raised the carpet, and perceived a black stone with\na ring attached; he raised the stone and discovered a casket which\nglittered like a constellation.\n\n\"This must contain the treasure spoken of by the fairy,\" said he.\n\nThe prince seized the casket; it was as light as a nutshell. He ascended\nthe ladder hastily, holding the casket carefully in his arms.\n\nThey were awaiting his return with impatience. He handed the casket to\nthe fairy. Agnella exclaimed:--\n\n\"This is the same casket you confided to me, madam, and which I supposed\nI had lost in the fire.\"\n\n\"It is the same,\" replied the fairy. \"Here is the key; open it, prince.\"\n\nPrince Marvellous hastened to open it. But who can describe the general\ndisappointment, when, in place of some rich treasure which they supposed\nit contained, they found only the bracelets which Violette had worn when\nher cousin found her sleeping in the wood, and a vial of perfumed oil!\n\nThe fairy looked from one to the other, and enjoyed their surprise and\nconsternation. She took the bracelets and gave them to Violette.\n\n\"This is my bridal present, my dear child; every one of these diamonds\nhas the property of guarding from all evil influences the person who\nwears it, and of endowing its wearer with every virtue, enormous riches\nand resplendent beauty, with wit, intellect and all desirable happiness.\nUse them for the children who will be born of your union with Prince\nMarvellous.\n\n\"As to this vial of perfumed oil, it is the wedding gift of the prince\nyour cousin. I know you love perfumes, this has peculiar virtues; use it\nto-day. To-morrow I will return to seek you and carry you all to your\nkingdom,\" she said.\n\n\"I renounce my kingdom, madam,\" said Ourson.\n\n\"Who will govern your people?\" said Agnella.\n\n\"You, my mother, if you are willing,\" replied Ourson.\n\nThe queen was about to refuse, when the fairy interfered.\n\n\"We will speak of this to-morrow,\" said she. \"You, madam, I know, desire\nto accept the crown which you are about to refuse. I forbid you,\nhowever, to accept it before my return. And you, dear and amiable\nprince,\" added she, in a sweet voice, accompanied with an affectionate\nglance, \"I forbid you to repeat this offer before my return. Adieu till\nto-morrow. When you are truly happy, my dear children, think kindly of\nyour friend the fairy Drolette.\"\n\nThe fairy ascended her chariot. The larks flew like lightning and she\nsoon disappeared, leaving behind her a delicious perfume.\n\n\n\n\nTHE RECOMPENSE\n\n\nPrince Marvellous looked at Violette and sighed heavily; Violette gazed\nat the prince and smiled sweetly.\n\n\"How handsome you are, my dear cousin! I am so happy to have it in my\npower to restore you your beauty. And now I will pour some of this\nperfumed oil upon my hands; since I cannot please your eye, I will at\nleast embalm you,\" said she, laughing.\n\nShe uncorked the vial, and entreated Marvellous to sprinkle some drops\non her forehead and cheeks. The heart of the prince was too full for\nwords. He took the vial and obeyed the order of his cousin. Their\nsurprise and joy were indescribable on seeing that as soon as the oil\ntouched Violette's forehead the hair disappeared and her skin resumed\nits original purity and dazzling whiteness.\n\nThe prince and Violette, on seeing the virtue of this wonderful oil,\nuttered loud cries of delight and ran towards the stable where they saw\nAgnella and Passerose. They called their attention to the happy effect\nof this perfumed oil given them by the fairy. Both joined in their\nhappiness. The prince could scarcely believe the evidence of his senses.\nAnd now nothing could prevent his union with Violette, so good, so\ndevoted, so tender, so lovely, so well constituted to make him supremely\nhappy.\n\nThe queen thought of the morrow--of her return to her kingdom, which she\nhad abandoned twenty years ago. She wished that she herself, that\nViolette, that her son the prince had clothing worthy of so great an\noccasion but, alas! she had neither the time nor the means to procure\nthem: they would therefore be compelled to wear their coarse clothing,\nand thus show themselves to their people. Violette and Marvellous\nlaughed at this distress of their mother.\n\n\"Do you not think, mamma,\" said Violette, \"that our dear prince is\nsufficiently adorned with his rare beauty and that a rich and royal robe\nwould not make him more beautiful or more amiable?\"\n\n\"And do you not agree with me, my dear mother,\" said Marvellous, \"in\nthinking that our dear Violette is lovely enough in the simplest\nclothing, that the lustre of her eyes surpasses the most brilliant\ndiamonds, that the clear whiteness of her teeth rivals successfully the\nrarest pearls, that the richness of her blonde hair surpasses a crown of\nbrilliants?\"\n\n\"Yes, yes, my children,\" replied Agnella, \"without doubt, you are both\nof you handsome and attractive but a rich dress spoils nothing, not even\nbeauty. Jewels, embroidery and heavy brocades would detract nothing from\nyour charms. And I who am old----\"\n\n\"But not ugly, madam,\" interrupted Passerose, hastily. \"You are still\namiable and handsome, in spite of your little country cap, your skirts\nof coarse striped cloth, your waist of red camlet and your stomacher of\nsimple cloth. Besides, when you return to your kingdom, you can buy\nevery kind of dress your heart desires.\"\n\nThe evening passed away gayly and there seemed no anxiety about the\nfuture. The fairy had provided their supper; they passed the night on\nthe bundles of hay in the stable and as they were all fatigued by the\nemotions of the day they slept profoundly. The sun had been shining a\nlong time and the fairy Drolette was with them, before they awoke.\n\nA soft \"Hem! hem!\" of the fairy aroused them. The prince was the first\nto open his eyes; he threw himself on his knees before the fairy and\nthanked her with such warmth and gratitude that her heart was touched.\n\nViolette was on her knees by his side and joining her thanks to those of\nthe prince.\n\n\"I do not doubt your gratitude, dear children,\" said the fairy; \"but I\nhave much to do. I am expected in the kingdom of the king Benin where I\nam to attend at the birth of the third son of the princess Blondine.\nThis prince is to be the husband of your first daughter, Prince\nMarvellous, and I am resolved to endow him with all the qualities which\nwill obtain for him the warm love of your daughter. And now I must\nconduct you to your kingdom; I will return in time to be present at your\nwedding. Queen,\" she continued, turning to Aimee, who was now just\nopening her eyes, \"we are about to set out immediately for your son's\nkingdom. Are you and your faithful Passerose ready for the journey?\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the queen, with a slight embarrassment, \"we are ready\nto follow you but will you not blush for our dress, so little worthy of\nour rank?\"\n\n\"It is not I who will blush, queen,\" said the fairy, smiling, \"but\nrather yourself who have this sensation of shame. But I will remedy this\nevil also.\"\n\nSaying this, she described a circle with her wand above the head of the\nqueen, who in the same moment found herself clothed in a robe of gold\nbrocade. Upon her head was a hat with splendid plumes, fastened with a\nband of superb diamonds and her boots were of velvet, spangled with\ngold.\n\nAimee looked at her robe with an air of complaisance.\n\n\"And Violette and my son the prince, will you not extend your goodness\nto them also?\"\n\n\"Violette and the prince have asked for nothing. I will do as they wish.\nSpeak, Violette, do you desire to change your costume?\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied Violette, casting down her sweet eyes and blushing, \"I\nhave been sufficiently happy in this robe of simple cloth. In this\ncostume my brother knew me and loved me. Permit me to continue to wear\nit as far as regard for my station allows and allow me to preserve it\nalways in remembrance of the happy years of my childhood.\"\n\nThe prince thanked Violette for these sweet words, and pressed her hand\ntenderly.\n\nThe fairy kindly nodded her approval and called for her chariot, which\nwas waiting a few steps from them. She entered and placed the queen next\nherself, then the prince, Violette and Passerose.\n\nIn less than an hour the larks had flown over the three thousand leagues\nwhich separated them from the kingdom of Prince Marvellous. All his\ncourt and all his subjects, apprised beforehand by the fairy, expected\nhim. The streets and the palaces were filled by the eager, happy crowd.\n\nWhen the chariot appeared in sight, the people uttered cries of joy\nwhich were redoubled when it drew up before the great entrance of the\npalace, when they saw descend Queen Aimee, a little older, no doubt, but\nstill pretty and gracious, and the Prince Marvellous, whose natural\nbeauty and grace were enhanced by the splendor of his clothing,\nglittering with gold and precious stones, which were also a present from\nthe fairy.\n\nBut the acclamations arose to frenzy when the prince, taking Violette\nby the hand, presented her to the people.\n\nHer sweet, attractive countenance, her superb and elegant form, were\nadorned with a dress with which the fairy had clothed her by one stroke\nof her wand.\n\nHer robe was of gold lace, while her waist, her arms and shoulders shone\nwith innumerable larks formed of diamonds larger than humming-birds. On\nher graceful head she wore a crown of larks made of precious stones of\nall colors. Her countenance, soft but gay, her grace, her beauty, won\nthe hearts of all.\n\nFor a long time nothing was heard but shouts of \"Long live King\nMarvellous! Long live Queen Violette!\" The noise and tumult were so\ngreat that many persons became deaf. The good fairy, who desired that\nonly joy and happiness should prevail throughout the kingdom on this\nauspicious day, cured them instantly at the request of Violette.\n\nThere was a magnificent feast spread for the court and the people. A\nmillion, three hundred and forty-six thousand, eight hundred and\ntwenty-two persons dined at the expense of the fairy and each guest was\npermitted to carry away enough for eight days.\n\nDuring the repast the fairy set off for the kingdom of King Benin,\npromising to return in time for the wedding of Marvellous and Violette.\nDuring the eight days of the fairy's absence Marvellous, who saw that\nhis mother was a little sad at not being queen, entreated her earnestly\nto accept Violette's kingdom and she consented to reign there on\ncondition that King Marvellous and Queen Violette would come every year\nand pass three months with her.\n\nQueen Aimee, before parting with her children, wished to witness their\nmarriage. The fairy Drolette and many other fairies of her acquaintance\nand many genii were invited to the marriage. They all received the most\nmagnificent presents, and were so satisfied with the welcome given them\nby King Marvellous and Queen Violette that they graciously promised to\nreturn whenever they were invited.\n\nTwo years afterwards they received an invitation to be present at the\nbirth of the first child of King Marvellous. There came to Queen\nViolette a daughter, who, like her mother, was a marvel of goodness and\nbeauty.\n\nThe king and queen could not fulfil the promise they had made to Queen\nAimee. One of the genii who had been invited to the wedding of\nMarvellous and Violette, found in Queen Aimee so much of goodness,\nsweetness, and beauty, that he loved her, and, visiting her several\ntimes in her new kingdom and being affectionately and graciously\nreceived by her, he carried her off one day in a whirlwind. Queen Aimee\nwept for a while but as she loved the genius she was not inconsolable;\nindeed, she promptly consented to wed him. The king of the genii granted\nto her as a wedding present the power of participating in all the\nprivileges of her husband: never to die, never to grow old and the\nability to transport herself in the twinkling of an eye wherever she\nwished to go. Aimee used this power very often to visit her son and his\nchildren.\n\nKing Marvellous and Queen Violette had eight sons and four daughters and\nthey were all charming. They were happy, without doubt, for they loved\neach other tenderly and their grandmother, who, it was said spoiled them\na little induced their grandfather, the genius Bienveillant, to\ncontribute all in his power to their happiness. Consequently, they\nreceived many rich gifts.\n\nPasserose, who was warmly attached to Queen Aimee, had followed her into\nher new kingdom but when the genius carried her off in a whirlwind,\nPasserose, seeing herself forgotten and not being able to follow her\nmistress was so sad in the loneliness caused by the departure of Aimee,\nthat she prayed the fairy Drolette to transport her to the kingdom of\nKing Marvellous and Queen Violette. She remained with them and took care\nof their children to whom she often recounted the adventures of Ourson\nand Violette. She still remains, it is said, though the genius and his\nqueen have made her many excuses for not having carried her off in the\nwhirlwind.\n\n\"No, no,\" Passerose replied to all these explanations; \"let us remain as\nwe are. You forgot me once--you might forget me another time. Here, my\ndear Ourson and my sweet Violette never forget their old nurse. I love\nthem and I will remain with them. They loved me and they will take care\nof me.\"\n\nThe farmer, the superintendent, and the master of the forge who had been\nso cruel to Ourson were severely punished by the fairy Drolette.\n\nThe farmer was devoured by a bear, some hours after he had chased away\nOurson.\n\nThe superintendent was dismissed by his master for having let loose the\ndogs, who escaped and never could be found. The same night he was bitten\nby a venomous serpent and expired some moments afterwards.\n\nThe master of the forge having reprimanded his workmen too brutally,\nthey resolved upon vengeance: seized him and cast him into the blazing\nfurnace where he perished miserably.","title":"Old French Fairy Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":52276}