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204 enemy Cancaline has carried off the Princess. You must know she is a cruel fairy who hates me; and, unfortunately, being my senior, she is more powerful than I am. I know not by what means I can recover Joliette from her horrid clutches."

When the Queen heard such sad news, she thought she should die of grief; she cried very much, and begged her kind friend to try and see the child again, at any price. In the meanwhile the jailor came into the Queen's apartment, and found she had been brought to bed. He flew to tell the King of it, who ran to ask for the child; but she said that a fairy whose name she did not know had appeared and taken it away by force. The wicked King stamped his foot, and bit his nails to the quick. "I promised to hang thee," said he; "I will keep my word instantly." He then dragged the poor Queen into a wood, climbed up a tree, and was going to hang her, when the Fairy, having rendered herself invisible, gave him a violent push, and he fell from the top of the tree, knocking out four of his teeth. Whilst his people were endeavouring to put them in again, the Fairy carried the Queen away in her flying chariot, and conducted her to a beautiful castle. She took great care of her, and if she had had the Princess Joliette with her she would have been perfectly happy; but they could not find out where Cancaline had placed her, although the little Mouse tried all she possibly could. Time passed on, and the Queen's extreme affliction was a little abated. Fifteen years had flown away when it was reported that the wicked King's son had determined to marry his turkey-keeper, notwithstanding the young girl objected to the match. It was very surprising that a turkey-keeper should refuse to become a Queen; however, the wedding-dresses were made, and it was to be so splendid a marriage that they came from a hundred miles about to see it. The little Mouse transported herself thither; she wished to see the turkey-keeper at her ease. She went into the poultry-yard, and found her dressed in coarse linen, with naked feet, and a greasy napkin round her head. There were dresses of gold and silver,—diamonds, pearls, ribands, and lace, all about her on the ground; the turkeys were trampling on them, dirtying them, and spoiling them. The girl was sitting upon a large stone; the wicked King's son, who was