until night fell, and then she
ordered her carriage to be brought. Graciosa, much against her will,
was forced into it, and away they drove, and never stopped until they
reached a great forest, a hundred leagues from the palace. This forest
was so gloomy, and so full of lions, tigers, bears and wolves, that
nobody dared pass through it even by daylight, and here they set down
the unhappy Princess in the middle of the black night, and left her in
spite of all her tears and entreaties. The Princess stood quite still at
first from sheer bewilderment, but when the last sound of the retreating
carriages died away in the distance she began to run aimlessly hither
and thither, sometimes knocking herself against a tree, sometimes
tripping over a stone, fearing every minute that she would be eaten up
by the lions. Presently she was too tired to advance another step, so
she threw herself down upon the ground and cried miserably:

'Oh, Percinet! where are you? Have you forgotten me altogether?'

She had hardly spoken when all the forest was lighted up with a sudden
glow. Every tree seemed to be sending out a soft radiance, which was
clearer than moonlight and softer than daylight, and at the end of a
long avenue of trees opposite to her the Princess saw a palace of clear
crystal which blazed like the sun. At that moment a slight sound behind
her made her start round, and there stood Percinet himself.

'Did I frighten you, my Princess?' said he. 'I come to bid you welcome
to our fairy palace, in the name of the Queen, my mother, who is
prepared to love you as much as I do.' The Princess joyfully mounted
with him into a little sledge, drawn by two stags, which bounded off and
drew them swiftly to the wonderful palace, where the Queen received her
with the greatest kindness, and a splendid banquet was served at once.
Graciosa was so happy to have found Percinet, and to have escaped from
the gloomy forest and all its terrors, that she was very hungry and very
merry, and they were a gay party. After supper they went into another
lovely room, where the crystal walls were covered with pictures, and the
Princess saw with great surprise that her own history was represented,
even down to the moment when Percinet found her in the forest.

'Your painters must indeed be diligent,' she said, pointing out the last
picture to the Prince.

'They are obliged to be, for I will not have anything forgotten that
happens to you,' he answered.

Wh