was lying stretched out upon
cushions, and as Eglantine bent over her to bathe the wounded leg, she
began to talk:

'Oh! let me die,' cried she, 'rather than go on leading this life. You
cannot tell the misery of being a beast all the day, and unable to speak
to the man I love, to whose impatience I owe my cruel fate. Yet, even
so, I cannot bring myself to hate him.'

These words, low though they were spoken, reached Becasigue, who could
hardly believe his ears. He stood silent for a moment; then, crossing to
the window out of which the prince was gazing, he took his arm and led
him across the room. A single glance was sufficient to show the prince
that it was indeed Desiree; and how another had come to the palace
bearing her name, at that instant he neither knew nor cared. Stealing on
tip-toe from the room, he knocked at the next door, which was opened by
Eglantine, who thought it was the old woman bearing their supper.

She started back at the sight of the prince, whom this time she also
recognised. But he thrust her aside, and flung himself at the feet of
Desiree, to whom he poured out all his heart!

Dawn found them still conversing; and the sun was high in the heavens
before the princess perceived that she retained her human form. Ah! how
happy she was when she knew that the days of her punishment were over;
and with a glad voice she told the prince the tale of her enchantment.

So the story ended well after all; and the fairy Tulip, who turned out
to be the old woman of the hut, made the young couple such a wedding
feast as had never been seen since the world began. And everybody was
delighted, except Cerisette and her mother, who were put in a boat and
carried to a small island, where they had to work hard for their living.

The Girl-Fish

[Contes des Fees, par Madame d'Aulnoy.]

Once upon a time there lived, on the bank of a stream, a man and a woman
who had a daughter. As she was an only child, and very pretty besides,
they never could make up their minds to punish her for her faults or
to teach her nice manners; and as for work--she laughed in her mother's
face if she asked her to help cook the dinner or to wash the plates. All
the girl would do was to spend her days in dancing and playing with her
friends; and for any use she was to her parents they might as well have
no daughter at all.

However, one morning her mother looked so tired that even the selfish
girl could not help seeing it, and