everything to her mistress.

The news made the spiteful little hunchback furious, and she resolved
to be cruelly revenged for the contempt with which the emperor had
treated her. She ordered her nurse to pretend not to notice what might
be passing, and meantime she had a trap made so that if the emperor
pushed his way through the brambles at the foot of the tower, it would
not only catch him, as if he were a mouse, but would let loose a
number of poisoned arrows, which would pierce him all over. When it
was ready, the trap was hidden amongst the brambles without being
observed by the princess.

That same evening the emperor hurried to the tower with all the
impatience of love. As he came near he heard the princess break into a
long, joyous peal of laughter. He advanced quickly to give the usual
signal, when suddenly his foot trod on something, he knew not what. A
sharp, stinging pain ran through him, and he turned white and faint,
but, luckily, the trap had only opened a little way, and only a few of
the arrows flew out. For a moment he staggered, and then fell to the
ground covered with blood.

Had he been alone he would have died very shortly, but his faithful
squire was close at hand, and carried his master off to the wood where
the rest of his escort were waiting for him. His wounds were bound up,
and some poles were cut to make a rough litter, and, almost
unconscious, the emperor was borne away out of his enemy's country to
his own palace.

All this time the princess was feeling very anxious. She had been
whiling away the hours before this meeting by playing with a little
pet monkey, which had been making such funny faces that, in spite of
her troubles, she had burst into the hearty laugh overheard by the
emperor. But by-and-by she grew restless, waiting for the signal which
never came, and, had she dared, would certainly have rebelled when her
gaoler, whom she believed to be fast asleep, ordered her to go to bed
at once.

A fortnight passed, which was spent in great anxiety by the poor girl,
who grew thin and weak with the uncertainty. At the end of this
period, when the nurse went to her room one morning as usual in order
to write her daily report, she carelessly left the key in the door.
This was perceived by the princess, who turned it upon her so quickly
and quietly that she never found out she was locked in till she had
finished writing, and got up to seek her charge.

Finding herself free, the princ