f this same stranger."

"Oh, madam," answered Abricotina, "is not his desire to see you violent
enough already? Would you augment it?"

"Yes," cried the princess; "a certain impulse of vanity, which I was
never sensible of till now, has bred this foolish fancy in me."

Leander heard all this discourse, and lost not a tittle of what she
said; some of her expressions gave him hope, others absolutely destroyed
it. The princess presently asked Abricotina whether she had seen
anything extraordinary during her short travels.

"Madam," said she, "I passed through one forest where I saw certain
creatures that resembled little children: they skip and dance upon the
trees like squirrels; they are very ugly, but have wonderful agility and
address."

"I wish I had one of them," said the princess; "but if they are so
nimble as you say they are, it is impossible to catch one."

Leander, who passed through the same forest, knew what Abricotina meant,
and presently wished himself in the place. He caught a dozen of little
monkeys, some bigger, some less, and all of different colors, and with
much ado put them into a large sack; then, wishing himself at Paris,
where, he had heard, a man might have everything for money, he went and
bought a little gold chariot. He taught six green monkeys to draw it;
they were harnessed with fine traces of flame-colored morocco leather.
He went to another place, where he met with two monkeys of merit,
the most pleasant of which was called Briscambril, the other
Pierceforest--both very spruce and well educated. He dressed Briscambril
like a king and placed him in the coach; Pierceforest he made the
coachman; the others were dressed like pages; all which he put into his
sack, coach and all.

The princess not being gone to bed, heard a rumbling of a little coach
in the long gallery; at the same time, her ladies came to tell her that
the king of the dwarfs was arrived, and the chariot immediately entered
her chamber with all the monkey train. The country monkeys began to
show a thousand tricks, which far surpassed those of Briscambril and
Pierceforest. To say the truth, Leander conducted the whole machine. He
drew the chariot where Briscambril sat arrayed as a king, and making
him hold a box of diamonds in his hand, he presented it with a becoming
grace to the princess. The princess' surprise may be easily imagined.
Moreover, Briscambril made a sign for Pierceforest to come and dance
with him. The mos