felt he could not live
without Renzolla; so, calling the fairy, he asked her for his wife.
Whereupon the fairy, who wished for nothing but Renzolla's good, not
only freely consented, but gave her a dowry of seven millions of gold.

The King, overjoyed at this piece of good fortune, departed with
Renzolla, who, ill-mannered and ungrateful for all the fairy had done
for her, went off with her husband without uttering one single word of
thanks. Then the fairy, beholding such ingratitude, cursed her, and
wished that her face should become like that of a she-goat; and hardly
had she uttered the words, when Renzolla's mouth stretched out, with a
beard a span long on it, her jaws shrunk, her skin hardened, her cheeks
grew hairy, and her plaited tresses turned to pointed horns.

When the poor King saw this he was thunderstruck, not knowing what had
happened that so great a beauty should be thus transformed; and, with
sighs and tears he exclaimed, "Where are the locks that bound me? Where
are the eyes that transfixed me? Must I then be the husband of a
she-goat? No, no, my heart shall not break for such a goat-face!" So
saying, as soon as they reached his palace, he put Renzolla into a
kitchen, along with a chambermaid; and gave to each of them ten bundles
of flax to spin, commanding them to have the thread ready at the end of
a week.

The maid, in obedience to the King, set about carding the flax,
preparing and putting it on the distaff, twirling her spindle, reeling
it and working away without ceasing; so that on Saturday evening her
thread was all done. But Renzolla, thinking she was still the same as
in the fairy's house, not having looked at herself in the glass, threw
the flax out of the window, saying, "A pretty thing indeed of the King
to set me such work to do! If he wants shirts let him buy them, and not
fancy that he picked me up out of the gutter. But let him remember that
I brought him home seven millions of gold, and that I am his wife and
not his servant. Methinks, too, that he is somewhat of a donkey to
treat me this way!"

Nevertheless, when Saturday morning came, seeing that the maid had spun
all her share of the flax, Renzolla was greatly afraid; so away she
went to the palace of the fairy and told her misfortune. Then the fairy
embraced her with great affection, and gave her a bag full of spun
thread, to present to the King and show him what a notable and
industrious housewife she was. Renzolla took the b