Page:Fairytales00auln.djvu/139

Rh putting some brimstone into her broth. From that moment she has always sought an opportunity to be revenged." The queen began to weep. "If I could have guessed who she was," said she, "I would have tried to make a friend of her. I'm sure I wish I were dead!" When the king saw her so deeply afflicted, he said to her, "My love, let us go and consult on what step we should take;" and led her away, supporting her by the arm, for she was still trembling from the fright into which Carabossa had thrown her.

When the king and queen reached their apartments, they summoned their counsellors, caused all the doors and windows to be carefully closed, that nobody might hear a word that was uttered, and came to the resolution to invite all the Fairies for a thousand leagues round to be present at the birth of the child. Couriers were despatched immediately with very polite letters to the Fairies, requesting them to take the trouble to attend the queen's confinement, and to keep the matter a great secret; for they trembled at the idea of Carabossa's hearing of it, and coming to make some disturbance. As a reward for their trouble, they were each promised a hongreline of blue velvet, a petticoat of amaranth velvet, a pair of slippers of crimson satin, slashed, a small pair of gilt scissors, and a case full of fine needles.

As soon as the couriers had departed, the queen set to work, with all her maids and servants, to prepare the presents she had promised the Fairies. She knew a great many, but only five answered their invitation. They arrived at the very moment the queen gave birth to a little princess. Behold them quickly closeted to endow her with precious gifts. The first endowed her with perfect beauty; the second bestowed on her infinite wit; the third, the faculty of singing admirably; the fourth, the talent of composition both in prose and verse. As the fifth was about to speak, a noise was heard in the chimney, like that of the falling of a huge stone from the top of a steeple, and Carabossa appeared all begrimed with soot, and shouting as loud as she could, "I endow this little creature

"With ill-luck in plenty, until she be twenty!"

At these words the queen, who was in bed, began to cry, and beg Carabossa would have pity on the little Princess.