depressed, he, and the Queen, and her two brothers, went to
see her every day. The elder of these was called the big Prince, and the
younger, the little Prince. They loved their sister passionately, for
she was the most beautiful and graceful Princess ever seen, and the
least glance of hers was worth more than a hundred gold pieces. When she
was fifteen years old, the big Prince said to the King, "Father, my
sister is old enough to be married; shall we not soon have a wedding?"
The little Prince said the same to the Queen, but their Majesties
laughed and changed the subject, and made no answer about the marriage.

Now, it happened that the King and Queen both fell very ill, and died
within a few days of one another. There was great mourning; everyone
wore black, and all the bells were tolled. Rosette was inconsolable at
the loss of her good mother.

As soon as the funeral was over, the dukes and marquises of the kingdom
placed the big Prince on a throne made of gold and diamonds; he wore a
splendid crown on his head, and robes of violet velvet embroidered with
suns and moons. Then the whole Court cried out, "Long live the King!"
and now on all sides there was nothing but rejoicing.

Then the young King and his brother said one to another, "Now that we
are the masters, we will release our sister from the tower, where she
has been shut up for such a long and dreary time." They had only to pass
through the garden to reach the tower, which stood in one corner of it,
and had been built as high as was possible, for the late King and Queen
had intended her to remain there always. Rosette was embroidering a
beautiful dress on a frame in front of her, when she saw her brothers
enter. She rose, and taking the King's hand, said, "Good-day, sire, you
are now King, and I am your humble subject; I pray you to release me
from this tower, where I lead a melancholy life," and with this, she
burst into tears. The King embraced her, and begged her not to weep, for
he was come, he said, to take her from the tower, and to conduct her to
a beautiful castle. The Prince had his pockets full of sweetmeats, which
he gave Rosette. "Come," he said, "let us get away from this wretched
place; the King will soon find you a husband; do not be unhappy any
longer."

When Rosette saw the beautiful garden, full of flowers, and fruits, and
fountains, she was so overcome with astonishment, that she stood
speechless, for she had never seen anything of th