use looking so sad that the frog, who
was waiting for her, noticed it directly.

'What is the matter?' said she, smiling.

'Oh, how can you laugh!' replied the queen. 'This time I have to bring
her in an hour a posy of the rarest flowers, and where am I to find
them? If I fail I know she will kill me.'

'Well, I must see if I can't help you,' answered the frog. 'The only
person I have made friends with here is a bat. She is a good creature,
and always does what I tell her, so I will just lend her my cap, and
if she puts it on, and flies into the world, she will bring back all we
want. I would go myself, only she will be quicker.'

Then the queen dried her eyes, and waited patiently, and long before
the hour had gone by the bat flew in with all the most beautiful and
sweetest flowers that grew on the earth. The girl sprang up overjoyed
at the sight, and hurried with them to the Lion Fairy, who was so
astonished that for once she had nothing to say.

Now the smell and touch of the flowers had made the queen sick with
longing for her home, and she told the frog that she would certainly die
if she did not manage to escape somehow.

'Let me consult my cap,' said the frog; and taking it off she laid it in
a box, and threw in after it a few sprigs of juniper, some capers, and
two peas, which she carried under her right leg; she then shut down the
lid of the box, and murmured some words which the queen did not catch.

In a few moments a voice was heard speaking from the box.

'Fate, who rules us all,' said the voice, 'forbids your leaving this
place till the time shall come when certain things are fulfilled. But,
instead, a gift shall be given you, which will comfort you in all your
troubles.'

And the voice spoke truly, for, a few days after, when the frog peeped
in at the door she found the most beautiful baby in the world lying by
the side of the queen.

'So the cap has kept its word,' cried the frog with delight. 'How soft
its cheeks are, and what tiny feet it has got! What shall we call it?'

This was a very important point, and needed much discussion. A thousand
names were proposed and rejected for a thousand silly reasons. One was
another reminded the queen of somebody she did not like; but at length
an idea flashed into the queen's head, and she called out:

'I know! We will call her Muffette.'

'That is the very thing,' shouted the frog, jumping high into the air;
and so it was settled.

The princess M