have
cause to repent that the King admires her,' said the Queen, nodding her
head meaningly, and then she and Turritella went up to the little room
in the tower where the Princess was imprisoned. Fiordelisa was immensely
surprised to see that Turritella was wearing a royal mantle and a
diamond crown, and her heart sank when the Queen said: 'My daughter is
come to show you some of her wedding presents, for she is King
Charming's bride, and they are the happiest pair in the world, he loves
her to distraction.' All this time Turritella was spreading out lace,
and jewels, and rich brocades, and ribbons before Fiordelisa's unwilling
eyes, and taking good care to display King Charming's ring, which she
wore upon her thumb. The Princess recognised it as soon as her eyes fell
upon it, and after that she could no longer doubt that he had indeed
married Turritella. In despair she cried, 'Take away these miserable
gauds! what pleasure has a wretched captive in the sight of them?' and
then she fell insensible upon the floor, and the cruel Queen laughed
maliciously, and went away with Turritella, leaving her there without
comfort or aid. That night the Queen said to the King, that his daughter
was so infatuated with King Charming, in spite of his never having shown
any preference for her, that it was just as well she should stay in the
tower until she came to her senses. To which he answered that it was her
affair, and she could give what orders she pleased about the Princess.

When the unhappy Fiordelisa recovered, and remembered all she had just
heard, she began to cry bitterly, believing that King Charming was lost
to her for ever, and all night long she sat at her open window sighing
and lamenting; but when it was dawn she crept away into the darkest
corner of her little room and sat there, too unhappy to care about
anything. As soon as night came again she once more leaned out into the
darkness and bewailed her miserable lot.

Now it happened that King Charming, or rather the Blue Bird, had been
flying round the palace in the hope of seeing his beloved Princess, but
had not dared to go too near the windows for fear of being seen and
recognised by Turritella. When night fell he had not succeeded in
discovering where Fiordelisa was imprisoned, and, weary and sad, he
perched upon a branch of a tall fir tree which grew close to the tower,
and began to sing himself to sleep. But soon the sound of a soft voice
lamenting attracted hi