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6 THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. |
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interested in all he said that it was easy to guess how much he admired the princess. So when the queen sent for the courtiers and questioned them about all they had found out, their report confirmed her worst fears. As to the poor Princess Fiordelisa, she cried all night without stopping.
"It would have been quite bad enough to be shut up in this gloomy tower before I had ever seen King Charming," she said; "but now when he is here and they are all enjoying themselves with him, it is too unkind."
The next day the queen sent King Charming splendid presents of jewels and rich stuffs, and among other things an ornament made expressly in honor of the approaching wedding. It was a heart cut out of one huge ruby, and was surrounded by several diamond arrows and pierced by one. A golden true-lover's knot above the heart bore the motto, "But one can wound me," and the whole jewel was hung upon a chain of immense pearls. Never since the world has been a world had such a thing been made, and the king was quite amazed when it was presented to him. The page who brought it begged him to accept it from the princess, who chose him to be her knight.
"What!" cried he, "does the lovely Princess Fiordelisa deign to think of me in this amiable and encouraging way?"
"You confuse the names, sire," said the page hastily. "I come on behalf of the Princess Turritella."
"Oh, it is Turritella who wishes me to be her knight," said the king coldly. "I am sorry that I cannot accept the honor."
And he sent the splendid gifts back to the queen and Turritella, who were furiously angry at the contempt with which they were treated. As soon as he possibly could, King Charming went to see the king and queen, and as he entered the hall he looked for Fiordelisa, and every time any one came in he started round to see who it was, and was altogether so uneasy and dissatisfied that the queen saw it plainly. Bat she would not take any notice and talked of nothing but the entertainments she was planning. The prince answered at random, and presently asked if he was not to have the pleasure of seeing the Princess Fiordelisa.
"Sire," answered the queen haughtily, "her father has |
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