ing
of the great lions, who had found out that she was near and were coming
to look for her.

"What shall I do?" she cried; "I shall be eaten up," and being too
frightened to run a single step, she began to cry, and leaned against
the tree under which she had been asleep.

Just then she heard some one say: "H'm, h'm!"

She looked all round her, and then up the tree, and there she saw a
little tiny man, who was eating oranges.

"Oh! Queen," said he, "I know you very well, and I know how much afraid
you are of the lions; and you are quite right too, for they have eaten
many other people: and what can you expect, as you have not any cake to
give them?"

"I must make up my mind to die," said the poor Queen. "Alas! I should
not care so much if only my dear daughter were married."

"Oh! you have a daughter," cried the Yellow Dwarf (who was so called
because he _was_ a dwarf and had such a yellow face, and lived in the
orange tree). "I'm really glad to hear that, for I've been looking for
a wife all over the world. Now, if you will promise that she shall marry
me, not one of the lions, tigers, or bears shall touch you."

The Queen looked at him and was almost as much afraid of his ugly little
face as she had been of the lions before, so that she could not speak a
word.

"What! you hesitate, madam," cried the Dwarf. "You must be very fond of
being eaten up alive."

And, as he spoke, the Queen saw the lions, which were running down a
hill toward them.

Each one had two heads, eight feet, and four rows of teeth, and their
skins were as hard as turtle shells, and were bright red.

At this dreadful sight, the poor Queen, who was trembling like a dove
when it sees a hawk, cried out as loud as she could, "Oh! dear Mr.
Dwarf, Bellissima shall marry you."

"Oh, indeed!" said he disdainfully. "Bellissima is pretty enough, but I
don't particularly want to marry her--you can keep her."

"Oh! noble sir," said the Queen in great distress, "do not refuse her.
She is the most charming Princess in the world."

"Oh! well," he replied, "out of charity I will take her; but be sure and
don't forget that she is mine."

As he spoke a little door opened in the trunk of the orange tree, in
rushed the Queen, only just in time, and the door shut with a bang in
the faces of the lions.

The Queen was so confused that at first she did not notice another
little door in the orange tree, but presently it opened and she found
herself in a