t into the pot, and took it out
all coated with copper.

"Oh, oh!" cried he, "this is a new kind of soup; anybody that swallows
it must have an iron-clad stomach."

He went into the next room; there also a pot was suspended from a
hook, and boiling without fire. Yvon dipped a lock of hair into it,
and took it out all coated with silver.

"The broth is not so rich as this in the Kerver kitchen," thought he,
"but it may have a better taste."

Upon this, he entered the third room. There also a pot was suspended
from a hook, and boiling without fire. Yvon dipped a lock of hair into
it, and took it out all coated with gold. It shone so brightly that it
might have been mistaken for a sunbeam.

"Good!" cried he. "In our country the old women have a saying, 'Everything
gets worse and worse'; here it is just the contrary--everything gets
better and better. What shall I find in the fourth room, I wonder--diamond
soup?"

He pushed open the door and saw something rarer than precious stones.
This was a young woman of such marvelous beauty that Yvon, dazzled,
fell on his knees at the sight.

"Unfortunate youth!" cried she, in a trembling voice, "what are you
doing here?"

"I belong to the house," answered Yvon; "the giant took me into his
service this morning."

"His service!" repeated the young girl. "May Heaven preserve you from
it!"

"Why so?" said Yvon. "I have a good master; the work is not hard. The
stable once swept, my task is finished."

"Yes, and how will you set to work to sweep it?" said the lady. "If
you sweep it in the usual way, for every forkful of dung that you
throw out of the door, ten will come in at the window. But I will tell
you what to do. Turn the fork and sweep with the handle, and the dung
will instantly fly out of itself."

"I will obey," said Yvon; upon which he sat down by the young girl and
began to talk with her. She was the daughter of a fairy, whom the
wretched giant had made his slave. Friendship soon springs up between
companions in misfortune. Before the end of the day Finette (for that
was the lady's name) and Yvon had already promised to belong to each
other if they could escape from their abominable master. The
difficulty was to find the means.

Time passes quickly in this kind of talk. Evening was approaching when
Finette sent away her new friend, advising him to sweep the stable
before the giant came home.

Yvon took down the fork and attempted to use it as he had seen it