Page:The Pentamerone, or The Story of Stories.djvu/163

Rh answered the old woman, "go and hide yourself in the room downstairs in the garden, and I will find some pretence or another for sending Violet to you."

As soon as the prince heard this, he stole into the room without loss of time, and the old woman, pretending that she wanted to cut a piece of cloth, said to her niece, "Violet, if you love me, go down and fetch me the yard-measure." So Violet went, as her aunt bade her; but when she came to the room, she perceived the ambush, and taking the yard-measure she slipped out of the room as nimbly as a cat, leaving the prince with his nose lengthened out of pure shame and bursting with vexation.

When the old woman saw Violet come running so fast, she suspected that the trick had not succeeded; so presently after she said to the girl, "Go downstairs, niece, and fetch me the ball of Brescian thread that is on the top shelf in the cupboard." So Violet ran, and taking the thread slipped like an eel out of the hands of the prince. But after a little while the old woman said again, "Violet, my dear, if you do not go downstairs and fetch me the scissors, I am totally undone." Then Violet went down again, but she sprang as vigorously as a dog out of the trap; and when she came upstairs, she took the scissors and cut off one of her aunt's ears, saying, "Take that, madam, as a