ause of her annoyance in the past night; so off she ran
and told it to the fairies. "If it be he," said the fairies, "we will
soon give him tit for tat and as good in return. If this dog has bitten
you, we will manage to get a hair from him. He has give you one, we
will give him back one and a half. Only get the ogre to make you a pair
of slippers covered with little bells, and leave the rest to us. We
will pay him in good coin."

Violet, who was eager to be revenged, instantly got the ogre to make
the slippers for her; and, waiting till the Sky, like a Genoese woman,
had wrapped the black taffety round her face, they went, all four
together, to the house of the Prince, where the fairies and Violet hid
themselves in the chamber. And as soon as ever the Prince had closed
his eyes the fairies made a great noise and racket, and Violet began to
stamp with her feet at such a rate that, what with the clatter of her
heels and the jingling of her bells, the Prince awoke in great terror
and cried out, "Oh, mother, mother, help me!" And after repeating this
two or three times, they slipped away home.

The next morning the Prince went to take a walk in the garden, for he
could not live a moment without the sight of Violet, who was a pink of
pinks. And seeing her standing at the door, he said, "Good-day,
good-day, Violet!" And Violet answered, "Good-day, King's son! I know
more than you!" Then the Prince said, "Oh, father, father, what a
quantity of fleas!" But Violet replied, "Oh, mother, mother, help me!"

When the Prince heard this, he said to Violet, "You have won--your wits
are better than mine. I yield--you have conquered. And now that I see
you really know more than I do, I will marry you without more ado." So
he called the ogre and asked her of him for his wife; but the ogre said
it was not his affair, for he had learned that very morning that Violet
was the daughter of Cola Aniello. So the Prince ordered her father to
be called and told him of the good fortune that was in store for his
daughter; whereupon the marriage feast was celebrated with great joy,
and the truth of the saying was seen that--

"A fair maiden soon gets wed."

XIII

PIPPO

Ingratitude is a nail, which, driven into the tree of courtesy, causes
it to wither. It is a broken channel by which the foundations of
affection are undermined; and a lump of soot, which, falling into the
dish of friendship, destroys its scent and savour--as is seen