her white shoulders were red with blood.
But lo! as soon as the rods touched her, they turned into bundles of
feathers, and the women tired themselves to death with whipping,
without hurting Graciosa the least in the world!

"Ah! kind Percinet, what do I not owe you? What should I do without
you!" sighed the princess, when she was taken back to her own chamber
and her nurse. And then she saw the prince standing before her, in his
green dress and his white plume, the most charming of pages.

Percinet advised her to pretend illness on account of the cruel
treatment she was supposed to have received; which so delighted
Grognon, that she got well all the sooner, and the marriage was
celebrated with great splendour.

Soon after, the king, who knew that his wife's weak point was her
vanity, gave a tournament, at which he ordered the six bravest knights
of the court to proclaim that Queen Grognon was the fairest lady
alive. No knight ventured to dispute this fact, until there appeared
one who carried a little box adorned with diamonds, and proclaimed
aloud that Grognon was the ugliest woman in the universe, and that the
most beautiful was she whose portrait was in the box. He opened it,
and behold the image of the Princess Graciosa!

The princess, who sat behind her stepmother, felt sure that the
unknown knight was Percinet; but she dared say nothing. The contest
was fixed for next day; but in the meantime, Grognon, wild with anger,
commanded Graciosa to be taken in the middle of the night to a forest
a hundred leagues distant, full of wolves, lions, tigers, and bears.
In vain the poor maiden implored that the attendants would kill her at
once, rather than leave her in that dreadful place: the queen's orders
must be obeyed; no answer was made to her, but the servants remounted
and rode away. Graciosa, in solitude and darkness, groped through the
forest, sometimes falling against the trunks of trees, sometimes
tearing herself with bushes and briers; at last, overcome with fear
and grief, she sank on the ground, sobbing out, "Percinet, Percinet,
have you forsaken me?"

While she spoke, a bright light dazzled her eyes, the midnight forest
was changed into glittering alleys, at the end of which appeared a
palace of crystal, shining like the sun. She knew it was the doing of
the fairy-prince who loved her, and felt a joy mingled with fear. She
turned to fly, but saw him standing before her, more handsome and
charming than eve