hile, urged by his foster-brother, a bad man who
encouraged Cheri in his wickedness, the young man rushed in a rage to
the room in which Zelie was confined, determined that, if she still
refused to marry him, the very next day she should be sold as a slave.

Great was his surprise, on entering the apartment, to find the captive
had disappeared, for he carried the key of the door in his pocket.

[Illustration: _Painted by Jennie Harbour_
ZELIE AND THE FAIRY CANDIDE "PRINCE CHERI"]

Amongst those at the Royal Court was a Councillor named Suliman, a man
of a noble mind, who had often dared to tell the Prince of his faults,
and had at first been thanked for this, but later on Cheri grew angry
that anyone should presume to blame him while all others at the Court
were full of flattery and praise, but in his heart of hearts the
Prince respected this good man, and this the wicked flatterers knew
full well, and therefore feared lest he should come into the Prince's
favour.

So now they falsely said, that it was Suliman who had helped Zelie
to escape, and beyond himself with fury, Cheri commanded his
foster-brother to send soldiers to bring Suliman to him in chains,
like a criminal.

After giving these orders Cheri retired to his chamber, but scarcely
had he entered, when the earth trembled, there came a great clap of
thunder, and the Fairy Candide appeared before him.

"I promised your father," said she in a stern voice, "to give you
good advice, and to punish you if you refused to follow it. You
have despised my counsels and your crimes have converted you into a
monster, the horror of heaven and earth. Now it is time to fulfill my
promise of punishment. I condemn you to take the resemblance of the
beasts you are like in disposition--A lion, because of your fury--a
wolf, on account of your greediness--a serpent, for destroying him who
has been your second father--a bull, by reason of your brutality."

[Illustration]

Hardly had the Fairy pronounced these words, when Cheri perceived with
horror that his body had been transformed.

He had a lion's head, a bull's horns, the feet of a wolf, and the
tail of a viper. At the same moment he found himself in a forest, and
there, after roaming about miserably for some time, he fell into a
pit dug by hunters. He was captured and led into the capital of his
Kingdom.

On the way thither instead of acknowledging that he had brought this
evil plight upon himself, he bit at his cha