these two years, and who have I
seen except the gaolers sent by you?'

While she spoke the Queen and Turritella were looking at her in the
greatest surprise, perfectly dazzled by her beauty and the splendour of
her jewels, and the Queen said:

'If one may ask, Madam, where did you get all these diamonds? Perhaps
you mean to tell me that you have discovered a mine of them in the
tower!'

'I certainly did find them here,' answered the Princess.

'And pray,' said the Queen, her wrath increasing every moment, 'for
whose admiration are you decked out like this, since I have often seen
you not half as fine on the most important occasions at Court?'

'For my own,' answered Fiordelisa. 'You must admit that I have had
plenty of time on my hands, so you cannot be surprised at my spending
some of it in making myself smart.'

'That's all very fine,' said the Queen suspiciously. 'I think I will
look about, and see for myself.'

So she and Turritella began to search every corner of the little room,
and when they came to the straw mattress out fell such a quantity of
pearls, diamonds, rubies, opals, emeralds, and sapphires, that they were
amazed, and could not tell what to think. But the Queen resolved to hide
somewhere a packet of false letters to prove that the Princess had been
conspiring with the King's enemies, and she chose the chimney as a good
place. Fortunately for Fiordelisa this was exactly where the Blue Bird
had perched himself, to keep an eye upon her proceedings, and try to
avert danger from his beloved Princess, and now he cried:

'Beware, Fiordelisa! Your false enemy is plotting against you.'

This strange voice so frightened the Queen that she took the letter and
went away hastily with Turritella, and they held a council to try and
devise some means of finding out what Fairy or Enchanter was favouring
the Princess. At last they sent one of the Queen's maids to wait upon
Fiordelisa, and told her to pretend to be quite stupid, and to see and
hear nothing, while she was really to watch the Princess day and night,
and keep the Queen informed of all her doings.

Poor Fiordelisa, who guessed she was sent as a spy, was in despair, and
cried bitterly that she dared not see her dear Blue Bird for fear that
some evil might happen to him if he were discovered.

The days were so long, and the nights so dull, but for a whole month she
never went near her little window lest he should fly to her as he used
to do.

H