began to be tired, and threatened him in a terrible manner. In the meantime, the King and the Queen said, "Could anything have happened to us worse than this? If the Dragon of the Lake came to eat all of us up, we could not be more distressed; if they put our Moufette into a pie, we are lost." Upon which the giant told them, he had received news from his master, and that if the Princess would marry a nephew of his, he consented to let her live; that as to the rest, this nephew was handsome and well made; that he was a Prince, and that she might live very happily with him.
This proposal slightly ameliorated their majesties' grief; the Queen spoke to the Princess, but she found her more averse to this marriage than to her death. "I will not be guilty, Madam," said she, "of preserving my life by an act of infidelity; you have promised me to Prince Moufy, I will never be another's; let me die, the sacrifice of my life will ensure the peace of yours." The King followed the Queen; he spoke to his daughter upon the subject with the greatest affection imaginable; she remained firm in her decision, and finally he agreed to conduct her to the top of a mountain, whither the Dragon of the Lake was to come for her.
Everything was prepared for this sad sacrifice; not even those of Iphigenia and Psyche were so mournful; nothing but black dresses, pale faces and consternation was to be seen. Four hundred young girls of the first distinction, dressed in long white robes, and cypress wreaths on their head, accompanied her. They carried her in a black velvet litter, uncovered, in order that every one might see the masterpiece of the gods; her dishevelled locks lay scattered upon her shoulders, here and there tied with crape, and the wreath she wore upon her head was of jasmine mixed with marigolds.[1] She seemed to be affected only by the grief of the King and Queen, who followed her, overwhelmed by their deep affliction. The giant, armed from top to toe, walked by the side of the litter containing the Princess, and looking at her with a longing eye, seemed as if he was sure of having his share of her to eat; the air was filled with sighs and sobs, and the road was inundated by the tears that were shed.
"Ah, Frog! Frog!" cried the Queen, "you have quite
- ↑ Soucis, which also signifies cares. See note, page 378.
