one had ever seen anything
like it before, and the Queen was perfectly dazzled when she opened it.
But the Princess scarcely gave a glance to any of these treasures, for
she thought of nothing but Fanfaronade. The Dwarf was rewarded with
a gold piece, and decorated with so many ribbons that it was hardly
possible to see him at all. The Princess sent to each of the fairies a
new spinning-wheel with a distaff of cedar wood, and the Queen said she
must look through her treasures and find something very charming to send
them also.

When the Princess was arrayed in all the gorgeous things the Dwarf had
brought, she was more beautiful than ever, and as she walked along the
streets the people cried: 'How pretty she is! How pretty she is!'

The procession consisted of the Queen, the Princess, five dozen other
princesses her cousins, and ten dozen who came from the neighbouring
kingdoms; and as they proceeded at a stately pace the sky began to
grow dark, then suddenly the thunder growled, and rain and hail fell
in torrents. The Queen put her royal mantle over her head, and all the
princesses did the same with their trains. Mayblossom was just about to
follow their example when a terrific croaking, as of an immense army of
crows, rooks, ravens, screech-owls, and all birds of ill-omen was heard,
and at the same instant a huge owl skimmed up to the Princess, and
threw over her a scarf woven of spiders' webs and embroidered with bats'
wings. And then peals of mocking laughter rang through the air, and they
guessed that this was another of the Fairy Carabosse's unpleasant jokes.

The Queen was terrified at such an evil omen, and tried to pull the
black scarf from the Princess's shoulders, but it really seemed as if it
must be nailed on, it clung so closely.

'Ah!' cried the Queen, 'can nothing appease this enemy of ours? What
good was it that I sent her more than fifty pounds of sweetmeats, and as
much again of the best sugar, not to mention two Westphalia hams? She is
as angry as ever.'

While she lamented in this way, and everybody was as wet as if they had
been dragged through a river, the Princess still thought of nothing but
the ambassador, and just at this moment he appeared before her, with
the King, and there was a great blowing of trumpets, and all the people
shouted louder than ever. Fanfaronade was not generally at a loss for
something to say, but when he saw the Princess, she was so much more
beautiful and majestic t