ore her
that she might choose. Most of them were fair and fat and charming,
but there was one who was dark-skinned and ugly, and spoke a strange
language which nobody could understand. The Queen wondered how she dared
offer herself, and she was told to go away, as she certainly would not
do. Upon which she muttered something and passed on, but hid herself in
a hollow tree, from which she could see all that happened. The Queen,
without giving her another thought, chose a pretty rosy-faced nurse,
but no sooner was her choice made than a snake, which was hidden in
the grass, bit that very nurse on her foot, so that she fell down as
if dead. The Queen was very much vexed by this accident, but she soon
selected another, who was just stepping forward when an eagle flew by
and dropped a large tortoise upon her head, which was cracked in pieces
like an egg-shell. At this the Queen was much horrified; nevertheless,
she chose a third time, but with no better fortune, for the nurse,
moving quickly, ran into the branch of a tree and blinded herself with a
thorn. Then the Queen in dismay cried that there must be some malignant
influence at work, and that she would choose no more that day; and she
had just risen to return to the palace when she heard peals of malicious
laughter behind her, and turning round saw the ugly stranger whom she
had dismissed, who was making very merry over the disasters and mocking
everyone, but especially the Queen. This annoyed Her Majesty very
much, and she was about to order that she should be arrested, when
the witch--for she was a witch--with two blows from a wand summoned a
chariot of fire drawn by winged dragons, and was whirled off through the
air uttering threats and cries. When the King saw this he cried:

'Alas! now we are ruined indeed, for that was no other than the Fairy
Carabosse, who has had a grudge against me ever since I was a boy and
put sulphur into her porridge one day for fun.'

Then the Queen began to cry.

'If I had only known who it was,' she said, 'I would have done my best
to make friends with her; now I suppose all is lost.'

The King was sorry to have frightened her so much, and proposed that
they should go and hold a council as to what was best to be done to
avert the misfortunes which Carabosse certainly meant to bring upon the
little Princess.

So all the counsellors were summoned to the palace, and when they had
shut every door and window, and stuffed up every keyhole