ut to reply, when a kind of roaring was heard in the
air, and they saw descend a chariot made of crocodile's skin, drawn by
fifty enormous toads. All the toads were hissing and blowing, and would
have cast their infectious venom in every direction, if they had not
been restrained by the power of the fairy Drolette.

When the chariot reached the ground, the fairy Furious, a huge and heavy
creature, issued from it. Her big eyes seemed bursting from their
sockets, her large flat nose covered her wrinkled, withered cheeks, her
monstrous mouth extended from ear to ear and when it was open a long
pointed black tongue was seen licking her horrid teeth.

She was not more than three feet in height and was very corpulent; her
grizzly skin was gluey and cold, like a snail's and her thin red hair
fell in locks of unequal length around her throat, which was disfigured
by a goitre. Her large, flat hands looked like the fins of a shark, her
dress was made of snail's skins and her mantle of the skins of toads.

She advanced towards Ourson (who shall hereafter be known by his true
name of Prince Marvellous) with a slow step. She paused in front of him
and casting a furious glance upon the fairy Drolette and an eye of
mocking triumph upon Violette, she folded her great cold arms and said
in a sharp yet hoarse voice:--

"My sister has triumphed over me, Prince Marvellous. I have, however,
one consolation: you will not be happy, because you have obtained your
original beauty at the expense of that little fool, who is now frightful
and repugnant and whom you will now never wish to approach. Yes! yes!
weep, my handsome Ourson! You will weep a long time, Violette, and you
will regret bitterly, if you do not already regret, that you have given
your beautiful skin to the prince Marvellous."

"Never, madam, never! My only regret is that I did not know sooner what
I could do to testify my gratitude."

The fairy Drolette, whose countenance had assumed an unaccustomed
expression of severity and irritation, now waved her wand and said:--

"Silence, sister! You shall not triumph long over the misfortunes of
Violette. I will provide a remedy for those misfortunes: her generous
devotion merits recompense."

"I defy you to come to her assistance under penalty of my wrath," said
Furious.

"I do not doubt your rage, sister, but I disdain to punish you for it,"
replied Drolette.

"To punish me!--Do you dare to threaten me?" said Furious. And his