ne a pretty thing!" said she. "Bravo! good! Now I will fix
him as he deserves!" She called the lowest of her servants, and made her
suddenly appear in the great hall of the king, where all were assembled
for the wedding. "How beautiful she is! how beautiful she is!" all said
as soon as they saw her. "Is this, then, your first bride?" "What!"
answered Lionbruno, "my first bride! This is the lowest of the servants
of my first bride." "Gracious!" exclaimed the noblemen; "if this is the
lowest of the servants and is so beautiful, imagine what the mistress
must be!" "Then," said the king, "if this is not your first bride, I
wish you to make her come herself." "Yes, yes, herself!" cried the
others, likewise. Poor Lionbruno! He was obliged to have recourse again
to the ring. But this time, also, the fairy did not go, but sent instead
her next servant. Scarcely had they seen her when they all said: "This
one, oh, this one, is really beautiful! This, now, is certainly your
first bride, is she not, Lionbruno?" "No, no!" replied Lionbruno; "my
first bride is a marvel of beauty. Different from this one! This one is
only the second servant." Then the king, in a threatening tone, said to
him: "Lionbruno, let us put an end to this! I command you to cause your
first wife to come here instantly." The matter was growing serious. Poor
Lionbruno had recourse for the third time to the ruby, and said to it:
"Ruby mine, if you really wish to help me, now is the moment. You must
cause the fairy Colina herself to come here." The summons reached her at
once, and this time she went. When all those great lords and the king
and his daughter saw that marvel of beauty, they became as so many
statues. But the fairy Colina approached Lionbruno, pretended to take
his hand, and drew off his ring, saying: "Traitor! you cannot find me
until you have worn out seven pairs of iron shoes." Then she vanished.
The king, in fury, said to Lionbruno: "I understand. The power of
carrying off the star was not yours, but your ruby's. Leave my palace!"
He had him seized and well beaten and sent away.

And so poor Lionbruno was left without the fairy Colina and the king's
daughter, and departed from the city in great grief. When he had gone a
few steps, he heard a great noise. It was a smithy. He entered, and
called the blacksmith: "Master, I want seven pairs of iron shoes." "I
will make you twelve if you wish, but it seems to me that you must have
some agreement with th