There was a young girl who lived far from the world, alone, in
sanctity. Every day a dove brought her her food.
One day she saw a young girl whom two gens-d'armes were taking to
prison or to execution. The orphan said to herself:
"If she had lived like me, they would not have taken her to
prison." And thereupon she had a thought of pride, and from that
day the dove no longer brought her anything to eat. She goes to seek
a priest, and tells him what has happened, and since when she does
not receive any more food. This priest tells her that she has been
punished on account of that thought, and that she must be present at
the birth of three children, and see what their gifts would be. The
first was the son of a king. She asks the queen permission to remain
in the bed-chamber, no matter in what corner; all would be the same to
her if she would only give her leave. She consents to it. When this
queen gives birth to a boy, the infant has round its neck a white
cord, and this orphan understood that he would be guillotined [175]
when he was eighteen years old. She sees the birth of another child;
a girl with a red cord round her neck, and she sees that she will turn
out badly, and that she would go to ruin. She sees a third; this was
a boy, and he had blue cord on, which meant that he would be very good.
After having seen that this orphan goes back to the house of the
queen. There she lived happily, busying herself especially about this
child. As she caressed it she often used to say in a sad tone:
"Poor child!"
The mother remarked that, and one day she said: "One would say that
this child was very unfortunate. Do you always act thus when you
caress a child, as if it were very wretched, or as if something were
going to happen to it?"
She said that to her more than once. And when the (fated) age was
drawing near, this orphan told the queen what must happen at the age of
eighteen. I leave you to judge of the distress of this queen. She told
it to her husband, and the father and mother told it to their son; and
he said that he must leave the house immediately. He goes then a long
way off to another town. And as he was a pretty good scholar, he got
a place in a house where there was a large shop. They sold everything
there; and as this lad was very good everybody loved him. They heard
him go out of the house every night, but they did not know where. The
master was curious (to learn this), and he made a hole above the shop,
for he went there too in the night. He sees him take a wax candle, and
put the price of this candle into the cash-box by the hole, counting
the money aloud. Taking the candle with him he falls on his knees,
and went a considerable distance to a chapel, walking still on his
knees. The master follows him during a whole week, and the boy did
always the same thing; and on the eighth day the master looks through
the key-hole of the chapel, and sees an angel descend and throw a
chain to our lad, and the angel lifted him up in the air. A moment
after he comes down again, and goes back to his master's house.
The master tells him that he has seen all, and the boy says that his
penance is also finished, and that he must go home. The master does
not wish it.
"You shall go afterwards, if you wish it; but first you must marry
my daughter."
He tells him that he has a father and mother, and that he cannot do
it without telling them; but if they wish it, he will do so willingly.
He starts home then at once. You may imagine what joy for the king
and the queen. They were constantly trembling lest they should hear
that their dearly loved son had been hanged. They did not know what
to do for joy. He told them how he had done penance, and that without
doubt the good God had pardoned him; and how his old master wished him
to marry his daughter. He does so, and all live happily and die well.
Louise Lanusse.