Page:Fairytales00auln.djvu/123

Rh portrait should fall into the hands of this stranger, whose name I am ignorant of." "Oh, Madam," replied Abricotine, "is not his desire to behold you already sufficiently violent? Would you increase it?"—"Yes!" exclaimed the Princess; "a certain feeling of vanity, unknown to me till now, has given birth to that wish." Leander listened to all this without losing a word. Several expressions gave him the most flattering hopes, while the next moment others seemed to destroy them entirely.

It was late; the Princess entered her bed-chamber to retire for the night. Leander would have been too happy to follow her to her toilette; but, although it was easy for him to do so, the respect he entertained for her was sufficient to prevent him. He felt he ought not to take any liberties beyond what he might fairly be allowed, and his love was of so delicate and refined a nature, that he tormented himself most ingeniously respecting the veriest trifles.

He entered a cabinet, close to the bed-chamber of the Princess, to enjoy at least the pleasure of hearing her voice. She was at that moment asking Abricotine, if she had seen anything extraordinary in her little journey. "Madam," she replied, "I passed through a forest, in which I saw some animals resembling children; they jumped and danced upon the boughs of the trees like squirrels; they are very ugly, but their dexterity is incomparable." "Ah, how I should like to have some!" said the Princess; "if they were less agile one might possibly catch some of them."

Leander, who had also passed through this forest, knew perfectly well Abricotine must mean monkeys. Immediately he wished himself there: he caught a dozen large and small, and of various colours, put them with considerable difficulty into a great sack, then wished himself at Paris, where he had heard say anything could be had for money. He went to Dautel, who is a virtuoso, and bought of him a little coach entirely made of gold, to which he attached six green monkeys, with flame-coloured morocco harness mounted with gold. He then went to Brioché, a celebrated puppet-showman. He found there two very clever monkeys. The most intelligent was called Briscambille, and the other Perceforêt; they were both exceedingly polite and well educated. He