te was so
upset that she refused. Then her sister Bellote gave her some silk, and
Bellote's betrothed gave her some ribbons. Now, if Laideronnette had
been like some people she would have thrown the silk and the ribbons at
the Princess and her future husband. But Laideronnette was not like
that, and she only felt a great sorrow in her little heart, and turned
away and took her faithful nurse with her; and all the way home towards
the Light of Dawn, Laideronnette never spoke a single word.

One day, when Laideronnette was walking in a very shaded valley in the
forest, she saw on a tree a big green serpent, who lifted his head and
said to her, 'Laideronnette, you are not the only unhappy person; look
at my horrible form, and I was born more beautiful than you.' The
Princess was so terrified to hear a serpent talk that she fled away and
remained in her room for days, in case she should see or meet the green
serpent again.

Eventually Laideronnette got tired of being shut up in her room all day
alone, so one evening she came down and went to the edge of the sea,
bewailing all the time her awful loneliness and her sad destiny, when
suddenly she saw coming towards her over the waves a little barque of a
thousand different colours and designs on its sides. The sail was
beautifully embroidered in gold, and the Princess became very curious
to see all the beauties that the barque must contain inside.

She made her way aboard. Inside she found it lined with lovely velvet,
the seats of pure gold and the walls studded with diamonds; then, all of
a sudden, the barque turned and went out to sea. The Princess ran up and
caught hold of the oars, thinking to get back to her castle; but it was
no use: she could do nothing at all. On and on went the barque and the
poor little Princess wept bitterly at this new sorrow that had come to
her.

'Magotine is doing me a bad turn again,' she thought, so she abandoned
herself to her fate, hoping that she would die. 'Just after I was
looking forward to a little pleasure in seeing my parents yesterday,
comes one catastrophe on another; and now my sister is going to be
married to a great Prince. What have I done that I should have to live
alone in a desert spot because of my ugliness? Alas! for my company I
have only a serpent--who speaks!'

These reflections brought tears from the Princess, and she gazed on
every side to see which way death was coming for her. While looking and
gazing she saw,