a beautiful little
carriage of gold, studded with diamonds, and drawn by twelve peacocks at
full gallop. This King of the Peacocks was so handsome, that the King
and the Prince were delighted; he had long, light, curly hair, fair
complexion, and wore a crown of peacocks' feathers. Directly he saw
them, he guessed, seeing that they wore a different costume to the
people of the country, that they were strangers, and wishing to
ascertain if this was so, he ordered his carriage to stop, and sent for
them.

[Illustration: '_Oh, you are jesting;_' _replied the King of the
Peacocks._ _Princess Rosette_]

The King and the Prince advanced, bowing low, and said, "Sire, we have
come from afar, to show you a portrait." They drew forth Rosette's
portrait and showed it to him. After gazing at it a while, the King of
the Peacocks said, "I can scarcely believe that there is so beautiful a
maiden in the whole world." "She is a thousand times more beautiful,"
said the King. "You are jesting," replied the King of the Peacocks.
"Sire," rejoined the Prince, "here is my brother, who is a King, like
yourself; he is called King, and my name is Prince; our sister, of whom
this is the portrait, is the Princess Rosette. We have come to ask if
you will marry her; she is good and beautiful, and we will give her, as
dower, a bushel of golden crowns." "It is well," said the King. "I will
gladly marry her; she shall want for nothing, and I shall love her
greatly; but I require that she shall be as beautiful as her portrait,
and if she is in the smallest degree less so, I shall make you pay for
it with your lives." "We consent willingly," said both Rosette's
brothers. "You consent?" added the King. "You will go to prison then,
and remain there until the Princess arrives." The Princes made no
difficulty about this, for they knew well that Rosette was more
beautiful than her portrait. They were well looked after while in
prison, and were well served with all they required, and the King often
went to see them. He kept Rosette's portrait in his room, and could
scarcely rest day or night for looking at it. As the King and his
brother could not go to her themselves, they wrote to Rosette, telling
her to pack up as quickly as possible, and to start without delay, as
the King of the Peacocks was awaiting her. They did not tell her that
they were prisoners, for fear of causing her uneasiness.

The Princess scarcely knew how to contain herself with joy, when