away the soles, for fear they should eat us." So Fretillon
barked all night, and when the morning came, the Princess was floating
near the shore. Close to the sea at this spot, there lived a good old
man; he was poor, and did not care for the things of the world, and no
one ever visited him in his little hut. He was very much surprised when
heard Fretillon barking, for no dogs ever came in that direction; he
thought some travellers must have lost their way, and went out with the
kind intention of putting them on the right road again. All at once he
caught sight of the Princess and Fretillon floating on the sea, and the
Princess, seeing him, stretched out her arms to him, crying out, "Good
man, save me, or I shall perish; I have been in the water like this for
two days." When he heard her speak so sorrowfully, he had great pity on
her, and went back into his hut to fetch a long hook; he waded into the
water up to his neck, and once or twice narrowly escaped drowning. At
last, however, he succeeded in dragging the bed on to the shore. Rosette
and Fretillon were overjoyed to find themselves again on dry ground; and
were full of gratitude to the kind old man. Rosette wrapped herself in
her coverlet, and walked bare-footed into the hut, where the old man lit
a little fire of dry straw, and took one of his dead wife's best dresses
out of a trunk, with some stockings and shoes, and gave them to the
Princess. Dressed in her peasant's attire, she looked as beautiful as
the day, and Fretillon capered round her and made her laugh. The old man
guessed that Rosette was some great lady, for her bed was embroidered
with gold and silver, and her mattress was of satin. He begged her to
tell him her story, promising not to repeat what she told him if she so
wished. So she related to him all that had befallen her, crying bitterly
the while, for she still thought that it was the King of the Peacocks
who had ordered her to be drowned.

"What shall we do, my daughter?" said the old man. "You are a Princess
and accustomed to the best of everything, and I have but poor fare to
offer, black bread and radishes; but if you will let me, I will go and
tell the King of the Peacocks that you are here; if he had once seen
you, he would assuredly marry you." "Alas! he is a wicked man," said
Rosette; "he would only put me to death; but if you can lend me a little
basket, I will tie it round Fretillon's neck, and he will have very bad
luck, if he does not