iordelisa would be at a little window which looked into the garden,
where he could come and talk to her. Only, she said, he must take very
great care not to be seen, as it would be as much as her place was worth
to be caught helping King Charming to see the Princess. The squire was
delighted, and promised all she asked; but the moment he had run off to
announce his success to the King, the false waiting-woman went and
told the Queen all that had passed. She at once determined that her own
daughter should be at the little window; and she taught her so well all
she was to say and do, that even the stupid Turritella could make no
mistake.
The night was so dark that the King had not a chance of finding out the
trick that was being played upon him, so he approached the window with
the greatest delight, and said everything that he had been longing
to say to Fiordelisa to persuade her of his love for her. Turritella
answered as she had been taught, that she was very unhappy, and that
there was no chance of her being better treated by the Queen until her
daughter was married. And then the King entreated her to marry him; and
thereupon he drew his ring from his finger and put it upon Turritella's,
and she answered him as well as she could. The King could not help
thinking that she did not say exactly what he would have expected from
his darling Fiordelisa, but he persuaded himself that the fear of being
surprised by the Queen was making her awkward and unnatural. He would
not leave her until she had promised to see him again the next night,
which Turritella did willingly enough. The Queen was overjoyed at the
success of her stratagem, end promised herself that all would now be as
she wished; and sure enough, as soon as it was dark the following night
the King came, bringing with him a chariot which had been given him by
an Enchanter who was his friend. This chariot was drawn by flying frogs,
and the King easily persuaded Turritella to come out and let him put her
into it, then mounting beside her he cried triumphantly--
'Now, my Princess, you are free; where will it please you that we shall
hold our wedding?'
And Turritella, with her head muffled in her mantle, answered that the
Fairy Mazilla was her godmother, and that she would like it to be at her
castle. So the King told the Frogs, who had the map of the whole world
in their heads, and very soon he and Turritella were set down at the
castle of the Fairy Mazilla. The Kin
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