hair was red as fire, and she had but one eye,
and that not a pretty one! Her face was as broad as a full moon, and
her mouth was so large that everybody who met her would have been afraid
they were going to be eaten up, only she had no teeth. As she was as
cross as she was ugly, she could not bear to hear everyone saying how
pretty and how charming Graciosa was; so she presently went away from
the court to her own castle, which was not far off. But if anybody who
went to see her happened to mention the charming Princess, she would cry
angrily:

'It's not true that she is lovely. I have more beauty in my little
finger than she has in her whole body.'

Soon after this, to the great grief of the Princess, the Queen was taken
ill and died, and the King became so melancholy that for a whole year he
shut himself up in his palace. At last his physicians, fearing that he
would fall ill, ordered that he should go out and amuse himself; so a
hunting party was arranged, but as it was very hot weather the King soon
got tired, and said he would dismount and rest at a castle which they
were passing.

This happened to be the Duchess Grumbly's castle, and when she heard
that the King was coming she went out to meet him, and said that the
cellar was the coolest place in the whole castle if he would condescend
to come down into it. So down they went together, and the King seeing
about two hundred great casks ranged side by side, asked if it was only
for herself that she had this immense store of wine.

'Yes, sire,' answered she, 'it is for myself alone, but I shall be
most happy to let you taste some of it. Which do you like, canary, St.
Julien, champagne, hermitage sack, raisin, or cider?'

'Well,' said the King, 'since you are so kind as to ask me, I prefer
champagne to anything else.'

Then Duchess Grumbly took up a little hammer and tapped upon the cask
twice, and out came at least a thousand crowns.

'What's the meaning of this?' said she smiling.

Then she tapped the next cask, and out came a bushel of gold pieces.

'I don't understand this at all,' said the Duchess, smiling more than
before.

Then she went on to the third cask, tap, tap, and out came such a stream
of diamonds and pearls that the ground was covered with them.

'Ah!' she cried, 'this is altogether beyond my comprehension, sire.
Someone must have stolen my good wine and put all this rubbish in its
place.'

'Rubbish, do you call it, Madam Grumbly?' cri