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THE PRINCESS CARPILLON.

chamber, for fear, she said, of disturbing her; and when any noise was made, she scolded everybody. They ran to tell the King that the Princess was ill; that did not surprise him: he attributed it to her vexation, and the violence she was doing her own feelings; but, when Prince Bossu heard this sad news, he felt inconceivably grieved, and wanted to see her. The governess with difficulty prevented him; "At all events," said he, "let my physician see her." "Ah! my Lord," cried the governess, "it would be enough to kill her—she detests doctors and their remedies; but do not alarm yourself, she only requires a few days' rest—it is a headache, which she will soon sleep off." She managed thus to make him promise not to disturb her mistress, and still kept the doll in the bed. But one night when she was preparing to escape,—for she felt assured the impatient Prince would soon renew his attempts to enter—she heard him raving like a madman at the door, which he burst open without waiting for her to unlock it.

The cause of this violence was, that the Princess's ladies had discovered the fraud, and fearing they should suffer for it, they instantly went and informed the humpback. It would be impossible to describe the excess of his fury. He rushed to the King, thinking he was in the plot; but by the surprise he evinced, he was sure he was ignorant of it. As soon as the poor governess appeared, he flew at her, and taking her by the hair of her head, "Restore Carpillon to me," said he, "or I will tear out your heart." She only answered by her tears, and throwing herself at his feet, she entreated him to listen to her, but in vain. He dragged her himself into a deep dungeon, where he would have stabbed her a thousand times, if the King, who was as good as his son was wicked, had not obliged him to let her live in this frightful prison.

The amorous and violent Prince issued immediate orders to pursue her over land and sea; he set out himself and rushed in all directions like a man out of his wits. One day, as Carpillon was taking shelter under a large rock with her cow, for the weather was frightfully bad, and the thunder, lightning and hail made her tremble, Prince Bossu, and all his followers, who were soaked through by the rain, came and took refuge under the same rock. When she saw him so near her, alas! he frightened her much more than the thunder,—she grasped her bunch of gillyflowers with both hands, fearing