Like many others in the world, there was a king and a queen. One day
there came to them a young girl who wished for a situation. They asked
her her name, and she said "Faithful." [150] The king said to her,
"Are you like your name?" and she said "Yes."
She stopped there seven years. Her master gave her all the keys,
even that of the treasure. One day, when the king and queen were out,
Faithful goes to the fountain, and she sees seven robbers coming
out of the house. Judge what a state this poor girl was in! She runs
straight to the treasury, and sees that more than half the treasure
is missing. She did not know what would become of her--she was all
of a tremble. When the king and queen came home she told them what
had happened, but they would not believe her, and they put her in
prison. She stays there a year. She kept saying that she was not in
fault, but they would not believe her. The king condemns her to death,
and sends her with four men to the forest to kill her, telling them
to bring him her heart.
They go off, but these men thought it a pity to kill this young girl,
for she was very pretty, and she told them that she was innocent of
this robbery; and they say to her:
"If you will not come any more into this land, we will spare your
life."
She promises them that she will not be seen again in those parts. The
men see an ass, and they tell her that they will carry its heart to
the king. The young girl said to them:
"Flay this ass, I pray you; and, in order that no one may know me,
I will never take this skin off me."
The men (do so), and go off to the king, and the young girl goes to
look for some shelter. At nightfall she finds a beautiful house. She
asks if they want some one to keep the geese. They tell her, "Yes,
yes, yes." They put her along with the geese, and tell her that she
must go with them every day to such a field. She went out very early
in the morning and came back late. It was the king's house, and it
was the queen-mother and her son who lived there.
After some time there appeared to her one day an old woman, who called
to her:
"Faithful, you have done penance enough. The son of the king is going
to give some grand feasts, and you must go to them. This evening
you will ask madame permission, and you will tell her that you will
give her all the news of the ball if she will let you go for a little
while. And, see, here is a nut. All the dresses and things you want
will come out of that. You will break it as you go to the place of
the festival." [151]
That evening she asked permission of her mistress to go and see the
festival which the king is going to give, for a short time only,
and that she will return directly and tell her all that she has seen
there. Her mistress said, "Yes." That evening she goes then. On her
way she breaks the nut, and there comes out of it a silver robe. She
puts it on, and goes there, and immediately she enters all the world
looks at her. The king is bewitched, he does not quit her for an
instant, and they always dance together. He pays no attention at
all to the other young ladies. They enjoy the refreshments very
much. Some friends of the king call him, and he has to go there;
and in this interval Faithful makes her escape to the house.
She tells the queen how that a young girl had come to the ball,
how she had dazzled everybody, and especially the king, who paid
attention to her alone, but that she had escaped.
When the son comes to the house, his mother says to him:
"She escaped from you then, your young lady? She did not care for
you, doubtless."