is true that bad people put ten times as much strong will and
hard work into their evil acts as good folk do into better deeds, because
the latter think their cause will help itself along, while the sinners
know perfectly well that they must help themselves or lose. So the witch
only persevered the more, and at last she hit on this plan. With much
devilish ado she enchanted a comb of thorns, so that whoever was combed
with it would turn into a fly, and must remain one till the witch bade
the victim assume his or her usual form.

"Then on the bridal morn the old woman offered to comb out the long
golden locks of the young lady, and she did so, no other person being
present, so she began her incantation:

"'Earthly beauty fade away,
Maiden's form no longer stay,
For a fly thou shalt become,
And as a busy insect hum,
_Hum--hum--brum--brum_!
_Buzz-uz-uz_ about the room!

"'Ope thine eyes and spread thy wings,
Pass away to insect things.
Now the world will hate thee more
Than it ever loved before
When it hears thy ceaseless hum,
_Buzz-uz-uz_ about the room!'

"And hearing this, the bride sank into a deep sleep, during which she
changed into a fly, and so soared up to the ceiling and about the room,
buzzing indeed.

"Now, with all her cleverness, the witch had missed a stitch in her
sorcery, for she had not combed hard enough to _draw blood_, being afraid
to wake the maid; hence it came to pass that instead of a small common
fly she became a very large and exquisitely beautiful one, with a head
like gold, a silver body, and beautiful blue and silver wings like her
bridal dress. And she was not confined to buzzing, for she had the power
to sing one verse. However, when the change took place, the old woman
rushed from the room screaming like mad, declaring that her young
mistress was a witch who had turned into a fly as soon as she had touched
her with a consecrated comb which had been dipped in holy water, and to
this she added many lies, as that a witch to avoid the holy sacrament of
marriage always changed her form, and that she had always suspected the
signorina of being a witch ever since she had seen her fly in the wind
over the Arno to the young signore.

"But when they went to look at the fly, and found it so large and
beautiful, they were amazed, nor were they less astonished when they
heard it begin to buzz with a most entrancing strangely sweet sound, an