over
this robbery of her happiness, this poisoning of her cup of joy, this
unlucky stroke of fortune, and laid all the blame on her parents, though
they assured her that they had meant no harm. But the Princess refused
to be comforted, and at night, when all the inhabitants of the palace
were asleep, she stole out by a back door, disguised as a peasant woman,
determined to seek for her lost happiness till she found it. When she
got to the outskirts of the town, led by the light of the moon, she met
a fox, who offered to accompany her, an offer which Grannonia gladly
accepted, saying 'You are most heartily welcome, for I don't know my way
at all about the neighbourhood.'

So they went on their way together, and came at last to a wood, where,
being tired with walking, they paused to rest under the shade of a tree,
where a spring of water sported with the tender grass, refreshing it
with its crystal spray.

They laid themselves down on the green carpet and soon fell fast asleep,
and did not waken again till the sun was high in the heavens. They rose
up and stood for some time listening to the birds singing, because
Grannonia delighted in their songs.

When the fox perceived this, he said: 'If you only understood, as I do,
what these little birds are saying, your pleasure would be even
greater.'

Provoked by his words--for we all know that curiosity is as deeply
inborn in every woman as even the love of talking--Grannonia implored
the fox to tell her what the birds had said.

At first the wily fox refused to tell her what he had gathered from the
conversation of the birds, but at last he gave way to her entreaties,
and told her that they had spoken of the misfortunes of a beautiful
young Prince, whom a wicked enchantress had turned into a snake for the
period of seven years. At the end of this time he had fallen in love
with a charming Princess, but that when he had shut himself up into a
room with her, and had thrown off his snake's skin, her parents had
forced their way into the room and had burnt the skin, whereupon the
Prince, changed into the likeness of a dove, had broken a pane of glass
in trying to fly out of the window, and had wounded himself so badly
that the doctors despaired of his life.

Grannonia, when she learnt that they were talking of her lover, asked at
once whose son he was, and if there was any hope of his recovery; to
which the fox made answer that the birds had said he was the son of the
King