dared to trust her
with his secret. Although he loved her, he feared her, for she was of
the race of ogres, and the King had only married her on account of her
great riches. It was even whispered about the court that she had the
inclinations of an ogress, and that when she saw little children
passing, it was with the greatest difficulty that she restrained herself
from pouncing upon them. The Prince, therefore, would never say one word
to her about his affairs.

On the death of the King, however, which took place two years later, the
Prince, being now his own master, made a public declaration of his
marriage, and went in great state to bring the Queen, his wife, to the
palace. She made a magnificent entry into the capital, with her two
children, one on either side of her.

Sometime afterwards, the King went to war with his neighbour, the
Emperor Cantalabute. He left the Queen, his mother, Regent of the
Kingdom, earnestly recommending to her care his wife and children. He
was likely to be all summer in the field, and he had no sooner left than
the Queen-mother sent her daughter-in-law and the children to a country
house in the wood, so that she might more easily gratify her horrible
longing. She followed them thither a few days after, and one evening
said to her head cook, "I will eat little Aurora for dinner to-morrow."
"Ah, madam!" exclaimed the cook. "I will," said the Queen, and she said
it in the voice of an ogress longing to eat fresh meat; "and I will have
her served with my favourite sauce."

The poor man, seeing plainly that an ogress was not to be trifled with,
took his great knife and went up to little Aurora's room. She was then
about four years old, and came jumping and laughing to throw her arms
about his neck, and ask him for sweetmeats. He burst into tears, and
the knife fell from his hands; then he went down again and into the
farmyard, and there killed a little lamb which he served up with so
delicious a sauce, that his mistress assured him she had never eaten
anything so excellent. In the meanwhile, he had carried off little
Aurora, and given her to his wife, that she might hide her in the
lodging which she occupied at the further end of the farmyard. A week
later, the wicked Queen said to her head cook, "I will eat little Day
for supper." He made no reply, having decided in his own mind to deceive
her as before.

He went in search of little Day, and found him with a tiny foil in his
hand, fencing