elt that, in breaking off the
marriage already arranged he would almost certainly be bringing on his
subjects a long and bloody war; so, without answering, he turned away,
hoping that a few days might bring his son to reason. But the prince's
condition grew rapidly so much worse that the king, in despair, promised
to send an embassy at once to Desiree's father.

This news cured the young man in an instant of all his ills; and he
began to plan out every detail of dress and of horses and carriages
which were necessary to make the train of the envoy, whose name was
Becasigue, as splendid as possible. He longed to form part of the
embassy himself, if only in the disguise of a page; but this the king
would not allow, and so the prince had to content himself with searching
the kingdom for everything that was rare and beautiful to send to the
princess. Indeed, he arrived, just as the embassy was starting, with his
portrait, which had been painted in secret by the court painter.

The king and queen wished for nothing better than that their daughter
marry into such a great and powerful family, and received the ambassador
with every sign of welcome. They even wished him to see the princess
Desiree, but this was prevented by the fairy Tulip, who feared some ill
might come of it.

'And be sure you tell him,' added she, 'that the marriage cannot
be celebrated till she is fifteen years old, or else some terrible
misfortune will happen to the child.'

So when Becasigue, surround by his train, made a formal request that
the princess Desiree might be given in marriage to his master's son,
the king replied that he was much honoured, and would gladly give his
consent; but that no one could even see the princess till her fifteenth
birthday, as the spell laid upon her in her cradle by a spiteful fairy,
would not cease to work till that was past. The ambassador was greatly
surprised and disappointed, but he knew too much about fairies to
venture to disobey them, therefore he had to content himself with
presenting the prince's portrait to the queen, who lost no time in
carrying it to the princess. As the girl took it in her hands it
suddenly spoke, as it had been taught to do, and uttered a compliment of
the most delicate and charming sort, which made the princess flush with
pleasure.

'How would you like to have a husband like that?' asked the queen,
laughing.

'As if I knew anything about husbands!' replied Desiree, who had long
ago