yes?"

"Not so," replied the Yellow Dwarf; "you are a rival of whom I am too
much afraid; you shall not see our marriage." So saying, in spite of
Bellissima's tears and cries, he stabbed the King to the heart with the
diamond sword.

The poor Princess, seeing her lover lying dead at her feet, could no
longer live without him; she sank down by him and died of a broken
heart.

So ended these unfortunate lovers, whom not even the Mermaid could help,
because all the magic power had been lost with the diamond sword.

As to the wicked Dwarf, he preferred to see the Princess dead rather
than married to the King of the Gold Mines; and the Fairy of the Desert,
when she heard of the King's adventures, pulled down the grand monument
which she had built, and was so angry at the trick that had been played
her that she hated him as much as she had loved him before.

The kind Mermaid, grieved at the sad fate of the lovers, caused them to
be changed into two tall palm trees, which stand always side by side,
whispering together of their faithful love and caressing one another
with their interlacing branches.(1)

(1) Madame d'Aulnoy.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl,
the prettiest creature was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond
of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman
had made for her a little red riding-hood; which became the girl so
extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding-Hood.

One day her mother, having made some custards, said to her:

"Go, my dear, and see how thy grandmamma does, for I hear she has been
very ill; carry her a custard, and this little pot of butter."

Little Red Riding-Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who
lived in another village.

As she was going through the wood, she met with Gaffer Wolf, who had
a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some
faggot-makers hard by in the forest. He asked her whither she was going.
The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and hear
a wolf talk, said to him:

"I am going to see my grandmamma and carry her a custard and a little
pot of butter from my mamma."

"Does she live far off?" said the Wolf.

"Oh! ay," answered Little Red Riding-Hood; "it is beyond that mill you
see there, at the first house in the village."

"Well," said the Wolf, "and I'll go and see her too. I'll go th