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Rh must have been hard indeed that was not moved by the state she was reduced to, suckling those filthy whelps under the impression that she was their mother.

The old Queen ordered Feintise to strangle the Queen's three children and the son of the Princess, and bury them so secretly that no one should ever be the wiser. As she was about to execute this order, and held already in her hand the fatal cord, she cast her eyes on the poor infants, and was so struck by their beauty and the extraordinary appearance of the stars that sparkled on their foreheads, that she shrank from dipping her hands in such illustrious blood!

She had a boat brought round to the sea-beach. They put the four babes into the same cradle with some strings of jewels, so that if fortune should cast them into the hands of some one charitable enough to bring them up they would be rewarded for their trouble.

The boat driving before a stiff breeze was soon so far out at sea that Feintise could no longer distinguish it. At the same time the waves began to rise, the sun was shrouded, the clouds broke into torrents of rain, and a thousand claps of thunder woke the echoes all around. She could not doubt that the boat would be swamped, and she felt relieved by the thought that the poor little innocents would perish, for she would otherwise be always haunted by the fear that some extraordinary event would occur in their favour, and betray the share she had had in their preservation.

The King, incessantly occupied with the thoughts of his dear wife, and of the state in which he had left her, having agreed to a short truce, came back post haste to the city. He reached the palace twelve hours after the Queen's confinement. When the Queen-Mother heard of his arrival, she went to meet him with a well put on air of grief. She held him for a long time clasped to her bosom, bathing his face with her tears. It appeared as if her sorrow had deprived her of words. The King, trembling from hand to foot, dreaded to ask what had happened, for he could not doubt that some great disaster had befallen him. At length she made a great effort, and told him that his wife had given birth to three puppies. They were immediately produced by Feintise; and the Admiral's wife, all in tears, flinging herself at the King's feet, implored him not to put the Queen to