ce the fairy Furious has told me all and the good fairy
Drolette has confirmed her story. My mother, when our Ourson was, as we
believed, lost to us for ever and lost for my sake you revealed to me
that which in his nobility and goodness he wished to conceal. I know
that by changing skins with him I can restore to him his original
beauty. Happy, a hundred times happy in having this opportunity to
recompense the tenderness and devotion of my dearly-loved brother
Ourson, I demand to make this exchange allowed by the fairy Drolette and
I entreat her to complete the transfer immediately."

"Violette! Violette!" exclaimed Ourson, in great agitation, "take back
your words! You do not know to what you engage yourself; you are
ignorant of the life of anguish and misery unparalleled, the life of
solitude and isolation to which you thus condemn yourself; you know not
the unceasing desolation you will feel at knowing that you are an object
of fear to all mankind. Violette, Violette, in pity to me, withdraw your
words!"

"Dear Ourson," said Violette, calmly, but resolutely, "in making what
you believe to be so great a sacrifice, I accomplish the dearest wish of
my heart; I secure my own happiness; I satisfy an ardent and imperious
desire to testify my tenderness and my gratitude. I esteem myself for
doing what I propose. I should despise myself if I left it undone."

"Pause, Violette, for one instant longer, I beseech you! Think of my
grief, when I no longer see my beautiful Violette, when I think of you
exposed to the railleries, the horror of men. Oh! Violette, do not
condemn your poor Ourson to this anguish."

The lovely face of Violette was veiled with sadness. The fear that
Ourson would feel repugnance towards her made her heart tremble; but
this thought, which was wholly personal, was very fleeting--it could not
triumph over her devoted tenderness. Her only response was to throw
herself in the arms of Agnella, and say:--

"Mother, embrace your fair and pretty Violette for the last time."

Whilst Agnella, Ourson and Passerose embraced her and looked lovingly
upon her--whilst Ourson, on his knees, supplicated her to leave him his
bear-skin to which he had been accustomed for twenty years--Violette
called out again in a loud voice:--

"Fairy Drolette! Fairy Drolette! come and accept the price of the life
and health of my dear Ourson."

At this moment the fairy Drolette appeared in all her glory. She was
seated in a mass