s any
consolation to him without coming to much harm. All his subjects came
to see him, and said whatever they thought would comfort him: some were
grave, even gloomy with him; and some agreeable, even gay; but not one
could make the least impression upon him. Indeed, he hardly seemed to
hear what they said. At last came a lady who was wrapped in a black
mantle, and seemed to be in the deepest grief. She wept and sobbed until
even the King's attention was attracted; and when she said that, far
from coming to try and diminish his grief, she, who had just lost a good
husband, was come to add her tears to his, since she knew what he
must be feeling, the King redoubled his lamentations. Then he told the
sorrowful lady long stories about the good qualities of his departed
Queen, and she in her turn recounted all the virtues of her departed
husband; and this passed the time so agreeably that the King quite
forgot to thump his head against the feather-beds, and the lady did not
need to wipe the tears from her great blue eyes as often as before. By
degrees they came to talking about other things in which the King took
an interest, and in a wonderfully short time the whole kingdom was
astonished by the news that the King was married again to the sorrowful
lady.

Now the King had one daughter, who was just fifteen years old. Her name
was Fiordelisa, and she was the prettiest and most charming Princess
imaginable, always gay and merry. The new Queen, who also had a
daughter, very soon sent for her to come to the Palace. Turritella,
for that was her name, had been brought up by her godmother, the Fairy
Mazilla, but in spite of all the care bestowed upon her, she was neither
beautiful nor gracious. Indeed, when the Queen saw how ill-tempered
and ugly she appeared beside Fiordelisa she was in despair, and did
everything in her power to turn the King against his own daughter, in
the hope that he might take a fancy to Turritella. One day the King said
that it was time Fiordelisa and Turritella were married, so he would
give one of them to the first suitable Prince who visited his Court. The
Queen answered:

'My daughter certainly ought to be the first to be married; she is older
than yours, and a thousand times more charming!'

The King, who hated disputes, said, 'Very well, it's no affair of mine,
settle it your own way.'

Very soon after came the news that King Charming, who was the most
handsome and magnificent Prince in all th