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The queen, suspecting that these frequent huntings, at all seasons, was only a pretence to colour some other engagements, had the prince watched, and found that he always left his party when he came to tho wood, and retirod into it; she therefore resolved, the very first opportunity she had, to unriddle the mystery. An oppertunity soon offered—for the emperor Cantalabutte having declared war against the king, the prince was appointed generalissimo, and went at the head of the army to defend the kingdom against this powerful adversary.
The queen, as soon as the prince was departed, lost no time in going to the wood, entered it,—and seon arrived at the castle, and, pretending to be much fatigued, asked leave to rest herself, which the young princess not only readily granted, but ordered refreshments to be set before her. The queen made herself known, and the princess, in the height of her surprise, could not help exclaiming,—“What! the mother of my prince, of my adored husband?” An explanation soon ensued. The queen then asked to see the children, which were brought to her. Their beautiful white skins and tender years made the Ogreish queen’s mouth to water and eyes to twinkle, and it was with much ado she refrained from giving them a bite, when she took them up to kiss them. The queen soon after took her leave, promising the princess that she would procure her pardon of the king, and come in a few days and take her from that old ruinous castle, as sho was pleased to style it, and introduce her at court. But it was far from the intentions of this wicked cannibal to mention the affair to the king, who certainly would have protected the princess and his grand-children: what she said was only a stratagem to get them into her power. In a few days the queen came again in a close carriage, saying that the king wished to receive his daughter-in-law and grandchildren in a private manner, previous to introducing them at court.
The princess readily entered the carriage with her children; and the queen, instead of carrying her to the court, brought her to a little country-house she had, situated in a deep glen, entirely surrounded with weods
