of the Princess, the King, seeing all his
retreat cut off, called his daughter, and said to her, "My dear
Grannonia, I have tried to get rid of a suitor who asked to marry you,
by making such conditions as seemed to me impossible. But as I am
beaten, and obliged to consent, I pray you, as you are a dutiful
daughter, to enable me to keep my word, and to be content with what
Fate wills and I am obliged to do."

"Do as you please, father," said Grannonia; "I shall not oppose a
single jot of your will!" The King, hearing this, bade Cola Matteo tell
the serpent to come.

The serpent then set out for the palace, mounted on a car all of gold
and drawn by four golden elephants. But wherever he came the people
fled away in terror, seeing such a large and frightful serpent making
his progress through the city; and when he arrived at the palace, the
courtiers all trembled like rushes and ran away; and even the very
scullions did not dare to stay in the place. The King and Queen, also,
shivering with fear, crept into a chamber. Only Grannonia stood her
ground; for though her father and her mother cried continually, "Fly,
fly, Grannonia, save yourself," she would not stir from the spot,
saying, "Why should I fly from the husband you have given me?" And when
the serpent came into the room, he took Grannonia by the waist, in his
tail, and gave her such a shower of kisses that the King writhed like a
worm, and went as pale as Death. Then the serpent carried her into
another room and fastened the door; and shaking off his skin on the
floor, he became a most beautiful youth, with a head all covered with
ringlets of gold, and with eyes that would enchant you!

When the King saw the serpent go into the room with his daughter and
shut the door after him, he said to his wife, "Heaven have mercy on
that good soul, my daughter! for she is dead to a certainty, and that
accursed serpent has doubtless swallowed her down like the yolk of an
egg." Then he put his eye to the key-hole to see what had become of
her; but when he saw the exceeding beauty of the youth, and the skin of
the serpent that he had left lying on the ground, he gave the door a
kick, then in they rushed, and, taking the skin, flung it into the fire
and burned it.

When the youth saw this, he cried, "Ah, fools, what have you done!" and
instantly he was turned into a dove and flew at the window, where, as
he struck his head through the panes, he cut himself sorely.

Grannonia