nd then by
common consent they went off hand in hand through the wood by a way
which surprised the Queen.

It was the way by which the fairies came from the palace to the
fountains. As they went the Queen paused to look at a strange thing
which made her heart beat very fast. At a certain spot the bushes
overhead were full of roses and orange blossoms, entwined and laced in
such a way as to form a cradle covered with leaves. The earth beneath
was a carpet of violets, and, in the giant cedars above, thousands of
little birds, each one a different colour, sang their songs; and the
meaning of their melody was this: that cradle, woven by fairy fingers,
was not there for nothing.

The Queen had not got over this surprise before she saw in the distance
a castle that dazzled her vision, so splendid did it shine. To tell the
truth, the walls and the ceilings were of nothing but diamonds, and all
the benches--even the balcony and terraces--all were pure diamonds
scintillating with flashes beyond the strength of human eyes to bear.
The Queen gave a great cry of joy as she covered her eyes with her hand.
Then, as they came to the gate of the castle, she asked the little old
woman if what she saw were real, or if she were dreaming?

'Nothing is more real, madam,' the fairy replied. And at that moment the
door of the castle opened and six other fairies came out. But what
fairies! They were the most beautiful ever seen. They all made a low
bow to the Queen, and each one presented her with a branch flowering
with petals of precious stones, to make herself a bouquet. One bore
roses, another tulips, another rare wild-flowers, and the rest budded
with carnations and pomegranates.

'Madam,' they said, 'we could not give you a greater mark of our
friendship for you, than to invite you here. We are pleased to be able
to tell you that you shall have a lovely little Princess whom you shall
call Desiree. Be sure not to forget that, when she is born, you summon
us, because we wish to endow her with all the good qualities possible.
All you will have to do is to take the branches of the bouquet, and, in
naming each flower, think of the fairy of that name; rest assured that
we shall be in your room immediately.'

The Queen, full of joy, threw her arms around each one's neck in turn,
and kissed them all, over and over again, for half an hour. After that
they begged the Queen to go through their palace, and the diamonds were
so bright that the