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children. One day the king wished to go into the country, and the
princess wished to take the doll. While they were walking about, in a
moment of forgetfulness, she left her doll on a hedge. It was meal time,
and after they had eaten they got into the carriage and returned to the
royal palace. What do you suppose the princess forgot? the doll!

As soon as they arrived at the palace the princess remembered the doll.
What did she do? Instead of going up-stairs, she turned round and went
to look for the doll. When she got outdoors, she became lost and
wandered about like a person bereft of her senses. After a time she came
to a royal palace and asked who was the king of that palace. "The King
of Spain," they said. She asked for a lodging. She entered; the king
gave her lodging and treated her like a daughter. She made herself at
home in the palace and began to be the mistress. The king had no
daughters and gave her liberty to do as she pleased in spite of twelve
royal damsels. Now, as there is envy among equals, the damsels began to
oppose her. Said they: "Just see! Who knows who she is? and is she to be
our princess? Now this thing must stop!" The next day they said to the
princess: "Will you come with us?" "No, because papa does not wish it.
If he is willing, I will come." "Do you know what you must do to make
him let you come? tell him: 'By the soul of his daughter he must let you
go.' When he hears that, he will let you go at once." The princess did
so, but when the king heard her say: "By the soul of his daughter!" "Ah!
wretch," exclaimed the king; "quick, throw her down the trap-door!" When
the princess fell down the trap-door she found a door, then another, and
another, always feeling her way along. At a certain point she felt with
her hands like the blind, and found tinder and matches. She then lighted
a candle which she found there, and saw a beautiful young girl, with a
padlock on her mouth, so that she could not speak, but she made signs
that the key to open it with was under the pillow of the bed. The
princess got it and opened the padlock; then the young girl spoke, and
said that she was the daughter of the king whom a magician had stolen.
This magician brought her, every day, something to eat, and then locked
up her mouth, and she had to wait until the next day to open it again.
"But tell me," said the princess, "what way is there to free you?" "How
do I know? I can do nothing but ask the magician when he op