and anxiety arrived. In the
morning Rosalie would be fifteen. The prince was much occupied with the
preparations for his marriage; it was to be a very grand affair. All the
good fairies of his acquaintance were to be present as well as the queen
of the fairies. Rosalie found herself alone in the morning and she
resolved to take a walk. While musing upon the happiness of the morrow,
she involuntarily approached the green-house. She entered, smiling
pensively, and found herself face to face with the cloth which covered
the treasure.

"To-morrow," said she, "I shall at last know what this thick cloth
conceals from me. If I wished, indeed I might see it to-day, for I
plainly perceive some little openings in which I might insert my fingers
and by enlarging just a little----. In fact, who would ever know it? I
would sew the cloth after having taken a glimpse. Since to-morrow is so
near, when I am to see all, I may as well take a glance to-day."

Rosalie looked about her and saw no one; and, in her extreme desire to
gratify her curiosity, she forgot the goodness of the prince and the
dangers which menaced them all if she yielded to this temptation.

She passed her fingers through the little apertures and strained them
lightly. The cloth was rent from the top to the bottom with a noise
like thunder and Rosalie saw before her eyes a tree of marvellous
beauty, with a coral trunk and leaves of emeralds. The seeming fruits
which covered the tree were of precious stones of all colors--diamonds,
sapphires, pearls, rubies, opals, topazes, all as large as the fruits
they were intended to represent and of such brilliancy that Rosalie was
completely dazzled by them. But scarcely had she seen this rare and
unparalleled tree, when a noise louder than the first drew her from her
ecstasy. She felt herself lifted up and transported to a vast plain,
from which she saw the palace of the king falling in ruins and heard the
most frightful cries of terror and suffering issue from its walls. Soon
Rosalie saw the prince himself creep from the ruins bleeding and his
clothing almost torn from him. He advanced towards her and said sadly:--

"Rosalie! ungrateful Rosalie! see what you have done to me, not only to
me, but to my whole court. After what you have done, I do not doubt that
you will yield a third time to your curiosity; that you will complete my
misfortunes, those of your unhappy father and your own. Adieu, Rosalie,
adieu! May sincere repe