he fountain plays!" and instantly there appeared a golden
cage, with a beautiful bird made of precious stones and gold, which
sang like a nightingale. When the ladies saw this they went and told it
to the Queen, who wished to see the bird; then she asked the same
question as about the little coach, and Betta made the same reply as
before. Whereupon the Queen, who perceived, as she thought, what a
silly creature Betta was, promised to grant her request, and took the
cage with the bird. And as soon as night came she gave Pintosmalto a
sleeping-draught as before, and sent him to bed. When Betta saw that he
slept like a dead person, she began again to wail and lament, saying
things that would have moved a flintstone to compassion; and thus she
passed another night, full of trouble, weeping and wailing and tearing
her hair. But as soon as it was day the Queen came to fetch her
captive, and left poor Betta in grief and sorrow, and biting her hands
with vexation at the trick that had been played her.

In the morning when Pintosmalto went to a garden outside the city gate
to pluck some figs, he met a cobbler, who lived in a room close to
where Betta lay and had not lost a word of all she had said. Then he
told Pintosmalto of the weeping, lamentation, and crying of the unhappy
beggar-girl; and when Pintosmalto, who already began to get a little
more sense, heard this, he guessed how matters stood, and resolved
that, if the same thing happened again, he would not drink what the
Queen gave him.

Betta now wished to make the third trial, so she said the words,
"Scatola matola, the sun shines!" and instantly there appeared a
quantity of stuffs of silk and gold, and embroidered scarfs, with a
golden cup; in short, the Queen herself could not have brought together
so many beautiful ornaments. When the ladies saw these things they told
their mistress, who endeavoured to obtain them as she had done the
others; but Betta replied as before, that if the Queen wished to have
them she must let her spend the night at the door of the chamber. Then
the Queen said to herself, "What can I lose by satisfying this silly
girl, in order to get from her these beautiful things?" So taking all
the treasures which Betta offered her, as soon as Night appeared, the
instrument for the debt contracted with Sleep and Repose being
liquidated, she gave the sleeping-draught to Pintosmalto; but this time
he did not swallow it, and making an excuse to leave the r