rning and evening. The King
was greatly astonished, and ordered more inquiries to be made. His chief
adviser, anxious for favour, decided to go himself, taking with him a
body of archers. They found the old man and Rosette at dinner, eating
the meat that had been stolen from the King's kitchen, and they seized
them, and bound them with cords, taking Fretillon prisoner at the same
time.

They brought word to the King that the delinquents had been captured,
and he replied, "To-morrow, the last day of reprieve for my two insolent
prisoners will expire; they and these thieves shall die together." He
then went into his court of justice. The old man threw himself on his
knees before him, and begged to be allowed to tell him everything. As he
was speaking, the King looked towards the beautiful Princess, and his
heart was touched when he saw her crying. When, therefore, the old man
said that she was the Princess Rosette who had been thrown into the
water, in spite of the weak condition he was in from having starved for
so long, he gave three bounds of joy, ran and embraced her, and untied
her cords, declaring the while that he loved her with all his heart.

They at once went to find the Princes, who thought they were going to
be put to death, and came forward in great dejection and hanging their
heads; the nurse and her daughter were brought in at the same time. The
brothers and sister recognised one another, as soon as they were brought
face to face, and Rosette threw herself on her brothers' necks. The
nurse and her daughter, and the boatman, begged on their knees for
mercy, and the universal rejoicing and their own joy were so great, that
the King and the Princess pardoned them, and gave the good old man a
handsome reward, and from that time he continued to live in the palace.

Finally, the King of the Peacocks did all in his power to atone for his
conduct to the King and his brother, expressing the deepest regret at
having treated them so badly. The nurse restored to Rosette all her
beautiful clothes and the bushel of golden crowns, and the wedding
festivities lasted a fortnight. Everyone was happy down to Fretillon,
who ate nothing but partridge wings for the rest of his life.

THE END

_Colston & Coy. Limited, Printers, Edinburgh._

Transcriber's Note:

Punctuation has been standardised. Changes to the original publication
have been made as follows:

Page 64
as he was entirly governed by _chang