that something
would be said to alleviate his grief. But neither grave nor lively
discourse made any impression upon him; he scarcely heard what was
spoken. At last there presented herself before him a lady, covered
from head to foot in a long crape veil, who wept and sobbed so much
that the king noticed her. She told him that she did not come, like
the rest, to console him, but rather to encourage his grief. She
herself had lost the best of husbands, and here she began to weep so
profusely, that it was a wonder her eyes were not melted out of her
head. The king began to weep in company, and to talk to her of his
dear wife--she did the same of her dear husband: in fact they talked
so much, that they talked their sorrow quite away. Then, lifting up
her veil, she showed lovely blue eyes and dark eyelashes. The king
noticed her more and more--he spoke less and less of the departed
queen; by and by he ceased to speak of her at all. The end was, that
he courted the inconsolable lady in the black veil, and married her.

By his first marriage he had one daughter, called Florina, or the
little Flora, because she was so fresh and lovely; at the time of his
second marriage she was quite fifteen years old. The new queen also
had a daughter, who was being brought up by her godmother, the fairy
Soussio--her name was Troutina, because her complexion was all spotted
like a trout's back. Indeed, she was altogether ugly and disagreeable;
and when contrasted with Florina, the difference between the two made
the mother so envious, that she and Troutina spared no pains to make
the princess's life unhappy, and to speak ill of her to her father.

One day the king observed that both girls were now old enough to be
married, and that he intended to choose for one of them the first
prince who visited his court.

"Be it so," said the queen; "and as my daughter is older, handsomer,
and more amiable than yours, she shall have the first choice." The
king disputed nothing; indeed, he never did--the queen ruled him in
all things.

Some time after, news came that King Charming would shortly arrive,
and that he was as charming as his name. When the queen heard this
news, she sent for milliners, dressmakers, jewellers, and decked
Troutina from head to foot; but to Florina she allowed not a single
new frock The poor princess had to put on her old one, which was very
old and shabby indeed, she was so much ashamed of it, that she hid
herself in a corne