ust use in order to set him free. He repeated them joyfully,
for he had always longed to bring the old man back and to make his last
days happy. Rosimond thus became the benefactor of all his family, and
had the pleasure of doing good to those who had wished to do him evil.
As for the Court, to whom he had rendered such services, all he asked
was the freedom to live far from its corruption; and, to crown all,
fearing that if he kept the ring he might be tempted to use it in order
to regain his lost place in the world, he made up his mind to restore it
to the Fairy. For many days he sought her up and down the woods and at
last he found her. 'I want to give you back,' he said, holding out the
ring, 'a gift as dangerous as it is powerful, and which I fear to use
wrongfully. I shall never feel safe till I have made it impossible for
me to leave my solitude and to satisfy my passions.'

While Rosimond was seeking to give back the ring to the Fairy,
Bramintho, who had failed to learn any lessons from experience, gave way
to all his desires, and tried to persuade the Prince, lately become
King, to ill-treat Rosimond. But the Fairy, who knew all about
everything, said to Rosimond, when he was imploring her to accept the
ring:

'Your wicked brother is doing his best to poison the mind of the King
towards you, and to ruin you. He deserves to be punished, and he must
die; and in order that he may destroy himself, I shall give the ring to
him.'

Rosimond wept at these words, and then asked:

'What do you mean by giving him the ring as a punishment? He will only
use it to persecute everyone, and to become master.'

'The same things,' answered the Fairy, 'are often a healing medicine to
one person and a deadly poison to another. Prosperity is the source of
all evil to a naturally wicked man. If you wish to punish a scoundrel,
the first thing to do is to give him power. You will see that with this
rope he will soon hang himself.'

Having said this, she disappeared, and went straight to the Palace,
where she showed herself to Bramintho under the disguise of an old woman
covered with rags. She at once addressed him in these words:

'I have taken this ring from the hands of your brother, to whom I had
lent it, and by its help he covered himself with glory. I now give it to
you, and be careful what you do with it.'

Bramintho replied with a laugh:

'I shall certainly not imitate my brother, who was foolish enough to
bring back