Page:Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus.djvu/156

142 bemoaned and wept their loss inconsolably, and despairingly tore their hair and beards; she, however, proudly triumphed at the success of her cunning, and troubled herself no farther about the three unlucky wretches.

The first thing which she undertook, was to try whether the miraculous gifts would exercise their powers in the hand of a new possessor. Her trial succeeded to her wish; the table-napkin yielded its dish at her command, the copper penny produced ducats, and under the veil of the thumbstall she went unseen past the watch in the antechamber, into the apartments of her ladies.

With a joyously-beating heart she made projects for the most dazzling scenes, which she hoped to execute, and her darling wish was to change herself into a lovely fairy. She had the ingenuity to discover a new theory as to these puzzling ladies, even the accurate knowledge of whom is concealed from the beings of this world. What is a fairy, thought she, but the possessor of one or more magic secrets through which are wrought the wonders which appear to elevate them above the lot of mortals? And can I not, by the aid of this concealed power, qualify myself for one of the first of fairies? Her sole remaining wish was to possess a car drawn by dragons, or a team of butterflies, since the way through the air appeared yet closed to her. Still she flattered herself that this privilege would not be denied to her when she should be received into the community of fairies; she hoped easily to find an agreeable sister who would exchange with her such an airy equipage for one of her miraculous gifts. All night long she amused herself with agreeable castles in the air, to surprise handsome youths, to tease them invisibly, to drive them out of their wits, to plague them with the torments of love, and then to elude their grasp, &c. &c. Yet the new fairy felt a substantial want ere she could venture to go forth with a proper air on her adventures; she wanted first a well-furnished fairy wardrobe. With the earliest morning which followed a watchful night, in which her lively imagination had arranged the whole stock of fairy ornaments, from the flag-feather to the heel of the lowly shoe, the assembled company of tailors in Astorga was summoned, as if the first masquerade was to be opened, or as if the most capricious theatrical princesses were to be waited on for an Opera Seria. Yet before these preparations were completed, an event took place which astonished the whole kingdom of the Asturias, and especially the lovely Urraca.

The long exertions of her mind had one night at length sent the idealized Princess to sleep, when she was suddenly awakened by a martial voice, and an officer of the watch commanded her to follow him without delay. The terrified lady fell from the clouds, knew not what to say or think, but began to expostulate with the warrior, who, putting aside his present function, was indeed very