pened the door, and, pulling it hastily, tore her
son's ear from his head. Half out of her wits, she set him in her lap,
took up his ear, kissed it, and clapped it again upon its place; but
the invisible Leander, seizing upon a handful of twigs, with which
they corrected the king's little dogs, gave the queen several lashes
upon her hands, and her son as many on the nose: upon which the queen
cried out, "Murder! murder!" and the king looked about, and the people
came running in; but nothing was to be seen. Some cried that the queen
was mad, and that her madness proceeded from her grief to see that her
son had lost one ear; and the king was as ready as any to believe it,
so that when she came near him he avoided her, which made a very
ridiculous scene. Leander, then leaving the chamber, went into the
garden, and there, assuming his own shape, he boldly began to pluck
the queen's cherries, apricots, strawberries, and flowers, though he
knew she set such a high value on them, that it was as much as a man's
life was worth to touch one. The gardeners, all amazed, came and told
their majesties that Prince Leander was making havoc of all the fruits
and flowers in the queen's garden.

"What insolence!" said the queen: then turning to Furibon, "My pretty
child, forget the pain of thy ear but for a moment, and fetch that
vile wretch hither; take our guards, both horse and foot, seize him,
and punish him as he deserves."

Furibon, encouraged by his mother, and attended by a great number of
armed soldiers, entered the garden, and saw Leander; who, taking
refuge under a tree, pelted them all with oranges. But when they came
running towards him, thinking to have seized him, he was not to be
seen; he had slipped behind Furibon, who was in a bad condition
already. But Leander played him one trick more; for he pushed him down
upon the gravel-walk, and frightened him so that the soldiers had to
take him up, carry him away, and put him to bed.

Satisfied with this revenge, he returned to his servants, who waited
for him, and giving them money, sent them back to his castle, that
none might know the secret of his red cap and roses. As yet he had not
determined whither to go; however, he mounted his fine horse
Gris-de-line, and, laying the reins upon his neck, let him take his
own road: at length he arrived in a forest, where he stopped to
shelter himself from the heat. He had not been above a minute there
before he heard a lamentable noi