dam, I will go and find the King, your husband; the
journey is long, and I travel but slowly; but, sooner or later, I shall
hope to arrive." This proposal could not have been more warmly received
than it was; the Queen clasped her hands, and made Moufette clasp hers
too, in sign of the gratitude she felt towards Madam Frog, for offering
to undertake the journey. She assured her that the King also would not
be ungrateful; "but," she continued, "of what use will it be to him to
know that I am in this melancholy abode; it will be impossible for him
to deliver me from it?" "Madam," replied the Frog, "we must leave that
to Heaven; we can only do that which depends on ourselves."

They said good-bye to one another; the Queen sent a message to the King,
written with her blood on a piece of rag; for she possessed neither ink
nor paper. She begged him to give attention to everything the good Frog
told him, and to believe all she said, as she was bringing him news of
herself.

The Frog was a year and four days climbing up the ten thousand steps
which lead from the dark country, in which she had left the Queen, up
into the world; it took her another year to prepare her equipage, for
she had too much pride to allow herself to appear at the Court like a
poor, common frog from the marshes. She had a little sedan-chair made,
large enough to hold two eggs comfortably; it was covered on the outside
with tortoise-shell, and lined with lizard-skin; then she chose fifty
maids of honour, these were the little green frogs which hop about the
meadows; each was mounted on a snail, furnished with a light saddle, and
rode in style with the leg thrown over the saddle-bow; several
water-rats, dressed as pages, ran before the snails, as her body-guard;
in short, nothing so pretty had ever been seen before, and to crown it
all, her cap of crimson roses, always fresh and in full bloom, suited
her in the most admirable manner. She was a bit of a coquette in her
way, so she felt obliged to add a little rouge and a few patches; some
said that she was painted as were many ladies of that country, but
inquiries into the matter proved that this report had only been spread
by her enemies.

The journey lasted seven years, during which time the poor Queen went
through unspeakable pains and suffering, and if it had not been for the
beautiful Moufette, who was a great comfort to her, she would have died
a hundred times over. This wonderful little creature coul