did not trouble to ask me
here. Is it possible that you have so soon forgotten the Fairy of the
Fountain and the good services I did in taking you to my sisters. Why,
you have invited all of them, and I am the only one forgotten.'

The Queen was terribly upset at her error, and begged the Fairy to
forgive her. She hastened to assure her that she had not for a moment
forgotten her great obligation to her; and she begged her not to go back
on her friendship, and particularly to be good to the little Princess.

The others thought that the Fairy of the Fountain would wish evil to the
baby Princess, so they said to her: 'Dear sister, do not be cross with
the Queen; she is good and never would offend you.'

Now, as the Fairy of the Fountain liked to be spoken to nicely, this
softened her a little, and she said:

'Very well, I will not wish her all the harm I was going to; I will
lessen it a little. But take care that she never sees the light of day
until she is fifteen, or she and you will have reason to regret it. That
is all I have to say.' Then, suddenly changing into the little old woman
with the white hair and shepherdess dress, she pirouetted through the
wall, staff in hand. And the cries of the Queen and the prayers of the
good fairies did not matter a bit.

The Queen begged the other fairies to avert the terrible catastrophe,
and besought them to tell her what to do. They consulted together, and
at last told the Queen that they would build a palace without any
windows or doors, and with an underground passage, so that the
Princess's food could be brought to her. And she was to be kept there
until she was fifteen.

Then, with a wave of their wands, they made a lovely, pure-white marble
castle spring up, and, inside of this, all the chairs were made of
jewels, and even the floors were no different. And here the little
Princess dwelt and grew up a good and beautiful child, possessing all
the good qualities that her fairy godmothers had wished for her; and
from time to time they came to see how she was getting on. But, of all
the fairy godmothers, Tulip was the favourite. She reminded the Queen
never to forget the warning not to allow the Princess to see the light
of day, lest the terrible fate that the Fairy of the Fountain had laid
upon her would surely come to pass. The Queen, of course, promised never
to forget so important a matter.

Now, just as her little daughter was nearing the age of fifteen, the
Queen h