oking
around he saw an owl. "You saved my life from the fowlers," said the
owl. "I promised to repay you, the time has now come. Give me your
flask. I will bring you the water of beauty."

And carrying the flask, the owl entered the grotto, unhindered,
returning in less than a quarter of an hour with it full to the brim.
Avenant thanked the owl heartily, and joyously started for the town,
where he presented the flask to the Princess, who immediately gave
orders to prepare for her departure.

But as she considered Avenant altogether charming, before she set out,
she several times said to him: "If you wish, we need not go, for I
will make you king of my country." But Avenant made reply:

"I would not displease my master for all the kingdoms of earth,
although your beauty I consider greater than that of the sun."

Thus they arrived at the King's capital, and the wedding took place
amidst great rejoicings; but Princess Goldenhair, who loved Avenant
from the depths of her heart, was not happy unless she could see him,
and was for ever singing his praises. "I should not have come, had it
not been for Avenant," she told the King, "you ought to be very much
obliged to him." Then the envious courtiers counselled the King, and
Avenant was cast once more into the tower, chained hand and foot. When
Princess Goldenhair heard of this imprisonment, she fell on her knees
before the King, and begged for Avenant's release; but he would not
heed her, so that she became saddened and would speak no more.

Then the King thought: "Maybe I am not handsome enough to please her!"
so he determined to wash his face in the water of beauty.

Now it had happened that a chamber-maid had broken the flask
containing this wonderful water, so that it was all spilled; then,
without saying anything to anyone, she had replaced it by a similar
flask taken from the King's apartment, but the liquid in this flask
was really that which was used when the princes or great lords were
condemned to death, for, instead of being beheaded, their faces were
washed with this water and they fell asleep and did not wake again.
And so the King using this water one evening, thinking it to be the
beauty water, and hoping and expecting to be made more handsome, went
to sleep and awoke no more. Upon hearing what had occurred, Cabriole
at once went and told Avenant, who asked him to go to the Princess
Goldenhair and beseech her to remember the poor prisoner. When the
Prince