by
the hair of her head, and giving her two or three sound cuffs,
cried, "You shall tell me where this young man is, you old
sorceress, or I will put you to death."

The nurse struggled to get from her, and at last succeeded. She
went immediately with tears in her eyes, and her face all bloody,
to complain to the queen, who was not a little surprised to see
her in this condition, and asked who had misused her.

"Madam," began the nurse, "you see how the princess has treated
me; she had certainly murdered me, if I had not had the good
fortune to escape out of her hands." She then related what had
been the cause of all that violent passion in the princess. The
queen was surprised at her account, and could not guess how she
came to be so infatuated as to take that for a reality which
could be no other than a dream. "Your majesty must conclude from
all this," continued the nurse, "that the princess is out of her
senses. You will think so yourself if you will go and see her."

The queen's affection for the princess deeply interested her in
what she heard; she ordered the nurse to follow her; and they
immediately went together to the princess's palace.

The queen of China sat down by her daughter's bed-side on her
arrival in her apartment, and after she had informed herself
about her health began to ask her what had made her so angry with
her nurse, as to treat her in the manner she had done.
"Daughter," said she, "this is not right, and a great princess
like you should not suffer herself to be so transported by
passion."

"Madam," replied the princess, "I plainly perceive your majesty
is come to mock me; but I declare I will never let you rest till
you consent to my marrying the young man who lay with me last
night. You must know where he is, and therefore I beg of your
majesty to let him come to me again."

"Daughter," answered the queen, "you surprise me; I do not
understand your meaning." The princess now forgot all respect for
the queen; "Madam," replied she, "the king my father and you have
persecuted me about marrying, when I had no inclination; I now
have an inclination, and I will have this young man I told you of
for my husband, or I will destroy myself."

The queen endeavoured to calm the princess by conciliatory
language: "Daughter," said she, "you know well you are guarded in
this apartment, how then could any man come to you?" But instead
of attending to her, the princess interrupted her, by such
ext