(8) Cabinet des Fees.
In a part of the world whose name I forget lived once upon a time two
kings, called Peridor and Diamantino. They were cousins as well as
neighbours, and both were under the protection of the fairies; though it
is only fair to say that the fairies did not love them half so well as
their wives did.
Now it often happens that as princes can generally manage to get their
own way it is harder for them to be good than it is for common people.
So it was with Peridor and Diamantino; but of the two, the fairies
declared that Diamantino was much the worst; indeed, he behaved so badly
to his wife Aglantino, that the fairies would not allow him to live any
longer; and he died, leaving behind him a little daughter. As she was an
only child, of course this little girl was the heiress of the kingdom,
but, being still only a baby, her mother, the widow of Diamantino, was
proclaimed regent. The Queen-dowager was wise and good, and tried her
best to make her people happy. The only thing she had to vex her was
the absence of her daughter; for the fairies, for reasons of their own,
determined to bring up the little Princess Serpentine among themselves.
As to the other King, he was really fond of his wife, Queen Constance,
but he often grieved her by his thoughtless ways, and in order to punish
him for his carelessness, the fairies caused her to die quite suddenly.
When she was gone the King felt how much he had loved her, and his grief
was so great (though he never neglected his duties) that his subjects
called him Peridor the Sorrowful. It seems hardly possible that any
man should live like Peridor for fifteen years plunged in such depth of
grief, and most likely he would have died too if it had not been for the
fairies.
The one comfort the poor King had was his son, Prince Saphir, who was
only three years old at the time of his mother’s death, and great care
was given to his education. By the time he was fifteen Saphir had learnt
everything that a prince should know, and he was, besides, charming and
agreeable.
It was about this time that the fairies suddenly took fright lest his
love for his father should interfere with the plans they had made for
the young prince. So, to prevent this, they placed in a pretty little
room of which Saphir was very fond a little mirror in a black frame,
such as were often brought from Venice. The Prince did not notice
for some days that there was anything new in the room, but at last
he perceived it, and went up to look at it more closely. What was his
surprise to see reflected in the mirror, not his own face, but that of
a young girl as lovely as the morning! And, better still, every movement
of the girl, just growing out of childhood, was also reflected in the
wonderful glass.
As might have been expected, the young Prince lost his heart completely
to the beautiful image, and it was impossible to get him out of the
room, so busy was he in watching the lovely unknown. Certainly it was
very delightful to be able to see her whom he loved at any moment he
chose, but his spirits sometimes sank when he wondered what was to be
the end of this adventure.
The magic mirror had been for about a year in the Prince’s possession,
when one day a new subject of disquiet seized upon him. As usual, he was
engaged in looking at the girl, when suddenly he thought he saw a second
mirror reflected in the first, exactly like his own, and with the same
power. And in this he was perfectly right. The young girl had only
possessed it for a short time, and neglected all her duties for the sake
of the mirror. Now it was not difficult for Saphir to guess the reason
of the change in her, nor why the new mirror was consulted so often;
but try as he would he could never see the face of the person who was
reflected in it, for the young girl’s figure always came between. All he
knew was that the face was that of a man, and this was quite enough to
make him madly jealous. This was the doing of the fairies, and we must
suppose that they had their reasons for acting as they did.
When these things happened Saphir was about eighteen years old, and
fifteen years had passed away since the death of his mother. King
Peridor had grown more and more unhappy as time went on, and at last he
fell so ill that it seemed as if his days were numbered. He was so much
beloved by his subjects that this sad news was heard with despair by the
nation, and more than all by the Prince.
During his whole illness the King never spoke of anything but the Queen,
his sorrow at having grieved her, and his hope of one day seeing her
again. All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been
tried, and nothing would do him any good. At last he persuaded them to
let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest,
which made it very hard for him to breathe. So he commanded his servants
to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air. One day,
when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant
plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the
sill. His feathers were sky-blue and gold, his feet and his beak of such
glittering rubies that no one could bear to look at them, his eyes made
the brightest diamonds look dull, and on his head he wore a crown. I
cannot tell you what the crown was made of, but I am quite certain that
it was still more splendid than all the rest. As to his voice I can
say nothing about that, for the bird never sang at all. In fact, he did
nothing but gaze steadily at the King, and as he gazed, the King felt
his strength come back to him. In a little while the bird flew into the
room, still with his eyes fixed on the King, and at every glance the
strength of the sick man became greater, till he was once more as well
as he used to be before the Queen died. Filled with joy at his cure,
he tried to seize the bird to whom he owed it all, but, swifter than a
swallow, it managed to avoid him. In vain he described the bird to
his attendants, who rushed at his first call; in vain they sought the
wonderful creature both on horse and foot, and summoned the fowlers to
their aid: the bird could nowhere be found. The love the people bore
King Peridor was so strong, and the reward he promised was so large,
that in the twinkling of an eye every man, woman, and child had fled
into the fields, and the towns were quite empty.
All this bustle, however, ended in nothing but confusion, and, what
was worse, the King soon fell back into the same condition as he was in
before. Prince Saphir, who loved his father very dearly, was so unhappy
at this that he persuaded himself that he might succeed where the others
had failed, and at once prepared himself for a more distant search.
In spite of the opposition he met with, he rode away, followed by his
household, trusting to chance to help him. He had formed no plan, and
there was no reason that he should choose one path more than another.
His only idea was to make straight for those spots which were the
favourite haunts of birds. But in vain he examined all the hedges and
all the thickets; in vain he questioned everyone he met along the road.
The more he sought the less he found.
At last he came to one of the largest forests in all the world, composed
entirely of cedars. But in spite of the deep shadows cast by the
wide-spreading branches of the trees, the grass underneath was soft and
green, and covered with the rarest flowers. It seemed to Saphir that
this was exactly the place where the birds would choose to live, and
he determined not to quit the wood until he had examined it from end to
end. And he did more. He ordered some nets to be prepared and painted of
the same colours as the bird’s plumage, thinking that we are all easily
caught by what is like ourselves. In this he had to help him not only
the fowlers by profession, but also his attendants, who excelled in this
art. For a man is not a courtier unless he can do everything.
After searching as usual for nearly a whole day Prince Saphir began
to feel overcome with thirst. He was too tired to go any farther,
when happily he discovered a little way off a bubbling fountain of the
clearest water. Being an experienced traveller, he drew from his pocket
a little cup (without which no one should ever take a journey), and was
just about to dip it in the water, when a lovely little green frog,
much prettier than frogs generally are, jumped into the cup. Far from
admiring its beauty, Saphir shook it impatiently off; but it was no
good, for quick as lightning the frog jumped back again. Saphir, who was
raging with thirst, was just about to shake it off anew, when the little
creature fixed upon him the most beautiful eyes in the world, and said,
‘I am a friend of the bird you are seeking, and when you have quenched
your thirst listen to me.’
So the Prince drank his fill, and then, by the command of the Little
Green Frog, he lay down on the grass to rest himself.
‘Now,’ she began, ‘be sure you do exactly in every respect what I tell
you. First you must call together your attendants, and order them to
remain in a little hamlet close by until you want them. Then go, quite
alone, down a road that you will find on your right hand, looking
southwards. This road is planted all the way with cedars of Lebanon; and
after going down it a long way you will come at last to a magnificent
castle. And now,’ she went on, ‘attend carefully to what I am going to
say. Take this tiny grain of sand, and put it into the ground as close
as you can to the gate of the castle. It has the virtue both of opening
the gate and also of sending to sleep all the inhabitants. Then go at
once to the stable, and pay no heed to anything except what I tell you.
Choose the handsomest of all the horses, leap quickly on its back, and
come to me as fast as you can. Farewell, Prince; I wish you good
luck,’ and with these words the Little Frog plunged into the water and
disappeared.
The Prince, who felt more hopeful than he had done since he left home,
did precisely as he had been ordered. He left his attendants in the
hamlet, found the road the frog had described to him, and followed it
all alone, and at last he arrived at the gate of the castle, which was
even more splendid than he had expected, for it was built of crystal,
and all its ornaments were of massive gold. However, he had no thoughts
to spare for its beauty, and quickly buried his grain of sand in the
earth. In one instant the gates flew open, and all the dwellers inside
fell sound asleep. Saphir flew straight to the stable, and already had
his hand on the finest horse it contained, when his eye was caught by
a suit of magnificent harness hanging up close by. It occurred to
him directly that the harness belonged to the horse, and without ever
thinking of harm (for indeed he who steals a horse can hardly be blamed
for taking his saddle), he hastily placed it on the animal’s back.
Suddenly the people in the castle became broad awake, and rushed to the
stable. They flung themselves on the Prince, seized him, and dragged him
before their lord; but, luckily for the Prince, who could only find very
lame excuses for his conduct, the lord of the castle took a fancy to his
face, and let him depart without further questions.
Very sad, and very much ashamed of himself poor Saphir crept back to the
fountain, where the Frog was awaiting him with a good scolding.
‘Whom do you take me for?’ she exclaimed angrily. ‘Do you really believe
that it was just for the pleasure of talking that I gave you the advice
you have neglected so abominably?’
But the Prince was so deeply grieved, and apologised so very humbly,
that after some time the heart of the good little Frog was softened, and
she gave him another tiny little grain, but instead of being sand it was
now a grain of gold. She directed him to do just as he had done before,
with only this difference, that instead of going to the stable which
had been the ruin of his hopes, he was to enter right into the castle
itself, and to glide as fast as he could down the passages till he came
to a room filled with perfume, where he would find a beautiful maiden
asleep on a bed. He was to wake the maiden instantly and carry her off,
and to be sure not to pay any heed to whatever resistance she might
make.
The Prince obeyed the Frog’s orders one by one, and all went well for
this second time also. The gate opened, the inhabitants fell sound
asleep, and he walked down the passage till he found the girl on her
bed, exactly as he had been told he would. He woke her, and begged her
firmly, but politely, to follow him quickly. After a little persuasion
the maiden consented, but only on condition that she was allowed first
to put on her dress. This sounded so reasonable and natural that it did
not enter the Prince’s head to refuse her request.
But the maiden’s hand had hardly touched the dress when the palace
suddenly awoke from its sleep, and the Prince was seized and bound. He
was so vexed with his own folly, and so taken aback at the disaster,
that he did not attempt to explain his conduct, and things would have
gone badly with him if his friends the fairies had not softened the
hearts of his captors, so that they once more allowed him to leave
quietly. However, what troubled him most was the idea of having to meet
the Frog who had been his benefactress. How was he ever to appear before
her with this tale? Still, after a long struggle with himself, he made
up his mind that there was nothing else to be done, and that he deserved
whatever she might say to him. And she said a great deal, for she had
worked herself into a terrible passion; but the Prince humbly implored
her pardon, and ventured to point out that it would have been very hard
to refuse the young lady’s reasonable request. ‘You must learn to do as
you are told,’ was all the Frog would reply.
But poor Saphir was so unhappy, and begged so hard for forgiveness, that
at last the Frog’s anger gave way, and she held up to him a tiny diamond
stone. ‘Go back,’ she said, ‘to the castle, and bury this little diamond
close to the door. But be careful not to return to the stable or to the
bedroom; they have proved too fatal to you. Walk straight to the garden
and enter through a portico, into a small green wood, in the midst of
which is a tree with a trunk of gold and leaves of emeralds. Perched on
this tree you will see the beautiful bird you have been seeking so long.
You must cut the branch on which it is sitting, and bring it back to
me without delay. But I warn you solemnly that if you disobey my
directions, as you have done twice before, you have nothing more to
expect either of me or anyone else.’
With these words she jumped into the water, and the Prince, who had
taken her threats much to heart, took his departure, firmly resolved not
to deserve them. He found it all just as he had been told: the portico,
the wood, the magnificent tree, and the beautiful bird, which was
sleeping soundly on one of the branches. He speedily lopped off the
branch, and though he noticed a splendid golden cage hanging close by,
which would have been very useful for the bird to travel in, he left it
alone, and came back to the fountain, holding his breath and walking on
tip-toe all the way, for fear lest he should awake his prize. But what
was his surprise, when instead of finding the fountain in the spot where
he had left it, he saw in its place a little rustic palace built in
the best taste, and standing in the doorway a charming maiden, at whose
sight his mind seemed to give way.
‘What! Madam!’ he cried, hardly knowing what he said. ‘What! Is it you?’
The maiden blushed and answered: ‘Ah, my lord, it is long since I first
beheld your face, but I did not think you had ever seen mine.’
‘Oh, madam,’ replied he, ‘you can never guess the days and the hours I
have passed lost in admiration of you.’ And after these words they each
related all the strange things that had happened, and the more they
talked the more they felt convinced of the truth of the images they
had seen in their mirrors. After some time spent in the most tender
conversation, the Prince could not restrain himself from asking the
lovely unknown by what lucky chance she was wandering in the forest;
where the fountain had gone; and if she knew anything of the Frog to
whom he owed all his happiness, and to whom he must give up the bird,
which, somehow or other, was still sound asleep.
‘Ah, my lord,’ she replied, with rather an awkward air, ‘as to the Frog,
she stands before you. Let me tell you my story; it is not a long one. I
know neither my country nor my parents, and the only thing I can say for
certain is that I am called Serpentine. The fairies, who have taken
care of me ever since I was born, wished me to be in ignorance as to my
family, but they have looked after my education, and have bestowed on me
endless kindness. I have always lived in seclusion, and for the last two
years I have wished for nothing better. I had a mirror’--here shyness
and embarrassment choked her words--but regaining her self-control,
she added, ‘You know that fairies insist on being obeyed without
questioning. It was they who changed the little house you saw before you
into the fountain for which you are now asking, and, having turned me
into a frog, they ordered me to say to the first person who came to the
fountain exactly what I repeated to you. But, my lord, when you stood
before me, it was agony to my heart, filled as it was with thoughts of
you, to appear to your eyes under so monstrous a form. However, there
was no help for it, and, painful as it was, I had to submit. I desired
your success with all my soul, not only for your own sake, but also for
my own, because I could not get back my proper shape till you had become
master of the beautiful bird, though I am quite ignorant as to your
reason for seeking it.’
On this Saphir explained about the state of his father’s health, and all
that has been told before.
On hearing this story Serpentine grew very sad, and her lovely eyes
filled with tears.
‘Ah, my lord,’ she said, ‘you know nothing of me but what you have seen
in the mirror; and I, who cannot even name my parents, learn that you
are a king’s son.’
In vain Saphir declared that love made them equal; Serpentine would only
reply: ‘I love you too much to allow you to marry beneath your rank. I
shall be very unhappy, of course, but I shall never alter my mind. If
I do not find from the fairies that my birth is worthy of you, then,
whatever be my feelings, I will never accept your hand.’
The conversation was at this point, and bid fair to last some time
longer, when one of the fairies appeared in her ivory car, accompanied
by a beautiful woman past her early youth. At this moment the bird
suddenly awakened, and, flying on to Saphir’s shoulder (which it never
afterwards left), began fondling him as well as a bird can do. The fairy
told Serpentine that she was quite satisfied with her conduct, and made
herself very agreeable to Saphir, whom she presented to the lady she had
brought with her, explaining that the lady was no other than his Aunt
Aglantine, widow of Diamantino.
Then they all fell into each other’s arms, till the fairy mounted her
chariot, placed Aglantine by her side, and Saphir and Serpentine on the
front seat. She also sent a message to the Prince’s attendants that
they might travel slowly back to the Court of King Peridor, and that
the beautiful bird had really been found. This matter being comfortably
arranged, she started off her chariot. But in spite of the swiftness
with which they flew through the air, the time passed even quicker for
Saphir and Serpentine, who had so much to think about.
They were still quite confused with the pleasure of seeing each other,
when the chariot arrived at King Peridor’s palace. He had had himself
carried to a room on the roof, where his nurses thought that he would
die at any moment. Directly the chariot drew within sight of the castle
the beautiful bird took flight, and, making straight for the dying King,
at once cured him of his sickness. Then she resumed her natural shape,
and he found that the bird was no other than the Queen Constance, whom
he had long believed to be dead. Peridor was rejoiced to embrace his
wife and his son once more, and with the help of the fairies began to
make preparations for the marriage of Saphir and Serpentine, who turned
out to be the daughter of Aglantine and Diamantino, and as much a
princess as he was a prince. The people of the kingdom were delighted,
and everybody lived happy and contented to the end of their lives.