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Once upon
a time...
In the days when the fairies lived, there was a king who had
three daughters, who were all young, and clever, and beautiful; but
the youngest of the three, who was called Miranda, was the prettiest
and the most beloved.
The King, her father, gave her more dresses and jewels in a month
than he gave the others in a year; but she was so generous that she
shared everything with her sisters, and they were all as happy and
as fond of one another as they could be.
Now, the King had some quarrelsome neighbours, who, tired of leaving
him in peace, began to make war upon him so fiercely that he feared
he would be altogether beaten if he did not make an effort to defend
himself. So he collected a great army and set off to fight them,
leaving the Princesses with their governess in a castle where news
of the war was brought every day--sometimes that the King had taken
a town, or won a battle, and, at last, that he had altogether
overcome his enemies and chased them out of his kingdom, and was
coming back to the castle as quickly as possible, to see his dear
little Miranda whom he loved so much.
The three Princesses put on dresses of satin, which they had had
made on purpose for this great occasion, one green, one blue, and
the third white; their jewels were the same colours. The eldest wore
emeralds, the second turquoises, and the youngest diamonds, and thus
adorned they went to meet the King, singing verses which they had
composed about his victories.
When he saw them all so beautiful and so gay he embraced them
tenderly, but gave Miranda more kisses than either of the others.
Presently a splendid banquet was served, and the King and his
daughters sat down to it, and as he always thought that there was
some special meaning in everything, he said to the eldest:
"Tell me why you have chosen a green dress."
"Sire," she answered, "having heard of your victories I thought that
green would signify my joy and the hope of your speedy return."
"That is a very good answer," said the King; "and you, my daughter,"
he continued, "why did you take a blue dress?"
"Sire," said the Princess, "to show that we constantly hoped for
your success, and that the sight of you is as welcome to me as the
sky with its most beautiful stars."
"Why," said the King, "your wise answers astonish me, and you,
Miranda. What made you dress yourself all in white?
"Because, sire," she answered, "white suits me better than anything
else."
"What!" said the King angrily, "was that all you thought of, vain
child?"
"I thought you would be pleased with me," said the Princess; "that
was all."
The King, who loved her, was satisfied with this, and even pretended
to be pleased that she had not told him all her reasons at first.
"And now," said he, "as I have supped well, and it is not time yet
to go to bed, tell me what you dreamed last night."
The eldest said she had dreamed that he brought her a dress, and the
precious stones and gold embroidery on it were brighter than the
sun.
The dream of the second was that the King had brought her a spinning
wheel and a distaff, that she might spin him some shirts.
But the youngest said: "I dreamed that my second sister was to be
married, and on her wedding-day, you, father, held a golden ewer and
said: `Come, Miranda, and I will hold the water that you may dip
your hands in it.'"
The King was very angry indeed when he heard this dream, and frowned
horribly; indeed, he made such an ugly face that everyone knew how
angry he was, and he got up and went off to bed in a great hurry;
but he could not forget his daughter's dream.
"Does the proud girl wish to make me her slave?" he said to himself.
"I am not surprised at her choosing to dress herself in white satin
without a thought of me. She does not think me worthy of her
consideration! But I will soon put an end to her pretensions!"
He rose in a fury, and although it was not yet daylight, he sent for
the Captain of his Bodyguard, and said to him:
"You have heard the Princess Miranda's dream? I consider that it
means strange things against me, therefore I order you to take her
away into the forest and kill her, and, that I may be sure it is
done, you must bring me her heart and her tongue. If you attempt to
deceive me you shall be put to death!"
The Captain of the Guard was very much astonished when he heard this
barbarous order, but he did not dare to contradict the King for fear
of making him still more angry, or causing him to send someone else,
so he answered that he would fetch the Princess and do as the King
had said. When he went to her room they would hardly let him in, it
was so early, but he said that the King had sent for Miranda, and
she got up quickly and came out; a little black girl called Patypata
held up her train, and her pet monkey and her little dog ran after
her. The monkey was called Grabugeon, and the little dog Tintin.
The Captain of the Guard begged Miranda to come down into the garden
where the King was enjoying the fresh air, and when they got there,
he pretended to search for him, but as he was not to be found, he
said:
"No doubt his Majesty has strolled into the forest," and he opened
the little door that led to it and they went through.
By this time the daylight had begun to appear, and the Princess,
looking at her conductor, saw that he had tears in his eyes and
seemed too sad to speak.
"What is the matter?" she said in the kindest way. "You seem very
sorrowful."
"Alas! Princess," he answered, "who would not be sorrowful who was
ordered to do such a terrible thing as I am? The King has commanded
me to kill you here, and carry your heart and your tongue to him,
and if I disobey I shall lose my life."
The poor Princess was terrified, she grew very pale and began to cry
softly.
Looking up at the Captain of the Guard with her beautiful eyes, she
said gently:
Will you really have the heart to kill me? I have never done you any
harm, and have always spoken well of you to the King. If I had
deserved my father's anger I would suffer without a murmur, but,
alas! he is unjust to complain of me, when I have always treated him
with love and respect."
"Fear nothing, Princess," said the Captain of the Guard. "I would
far rather die myself than hurt you; but even if I am killed you
will not be safe: we must find some way of making the King believe
that you are dead."
"What can we do?" said Miranda; "unless you take him my heart and my
tongue he will never believe you."
The Princess and the Captain of the Guard were talking so earnestly
that they did not think of Patypata, but she had overheard all they
said, and now came and threw herself at Miranda's feet
"Madam," she said, "I offer you my life; let me be killed, I shall
be only too happy to die for such a kind mistress."
"Why, Patypata," cried the Princess, kissing her, "that would never
do; your life is as precious to me as my own, especially after such
a proof of your affection as you have just given me."
"You are right, Princess," said Grabugeon, coming forward, "to love
such a faithful slave as Patypata; she is of more use to you than I
am, I offer you my tongue and my heart most willingly, especially as
I wish to make a great name for myself in Goblin Land."
"No, no, my little Grabugeon," replied Miranda, "I cannot bear the
thought of taking your life."
"Such a good little dog as I am," cried Tintin, could not think of
letting either of you die for his mistress. If anyone is to die for
her it must be me."
And then began a great dispute between Patypata, Grabugeon, and
Tintin, and they came to high words, until at last Grabugeon, who
was quicker than the others, ran up to the very top of the nearest
tree, and let herself fall, head first, to the ground, and there she
lay--quite dead!
The Princess was very sorry, but as Grabugeon was really dead, she
allowed the Captain of the Guard to take her tongue; but, alas! it
was such a little one--not bigger than the Princess's thumb that
they decided sorrowfully that it was of no use at all: the King
would not have been taken in by it for a moment!
"Alas! my little monkey," cried the Princess, "I have lost you, and
yet I am no better off than I was before."
"The honor of saving your life is to be mine," interrupted Patypata,
and, before they could prevent her, she had picked up a knife and
cut her head off in an instant.
But when the Captain of the Guard would have taken her tongue it
turned out to be quite black, so that would not have deceived the
King either.
"Am I not unlucky?" cried the poor Princess; "I lose everything I
love, and am none the better for it."
"If you had accepted my offer," said Tintin, "you would only have
had me to regret, and I should have had all your gratitude."
Miranda kissed her little dog, crying so bitterly, that at last she
could bear it no longer, and turned away into the forest. When she
looked back the Captain of the Guard was gone, and she was alone,
except for Patypata, Grabugeon, and Tintin, who lay upon the ground.
She could not leave the place until she had buried them in a pretty
little mossy grave at the foot of a tree, and she wrote their names
upon the bark of the tree, and how they had all died to save her
life. And then she began to think where she could go for safety--for
this forest was so close to her father's castle that she might be
seen and recognized by the first passer-by, and, besides that, it
was full of lions and wolves, who would have snapped up a princess
just as soon as a stray chicken. So she began to walk as fast as she
could, but the forest was so large and the sun was so hot that she
nearly died of heat and terror and fatigue; look which way she would
there seemed to be no end to the forest, and she was so frightened
that she fancied every minute that she heard the King running after
her to kill her. You may imagine how miserable she was, and how she
cried as she went on, not knowing which path to follow, and with the
thorny bushes scratching her dreadfully and tearing her pretty frock
to pieces.
At last she heard the bleating of a sheep, and said to herself:
"No doubt there are shepherds here with their flocks; they will show
me the way to some village where I can live disguised as a peasant
girl. Alas! it is not always kings and princes who are the happiest
people in the world. Who could have believed that I should ever be
obliged to run away and hide because the King, for no reason at all,
wishes to kill me?"
So saying she advanced toward the place where she heard the
bleating, but what was her surprise when, in a lovely little glade
quite surrounded by trees, she saw a large sheep; its wool was as
white as snow, and its horns shone like gold; it had a garland of
flowers round its neck, and strings of great pearls about its legs,
and a collar of diamonds; it lay upon a bank of orange-flowers,
under a canopy of cloth of gold which protected it from the heat of
the sun. Nearly a hundred other sheep were scattered about, not
eating the grass, but some drinking coffee, lemonade, or sherbet,
others eating ices, strawberries and cream, or sweetmeats, while
others, again, were playing games. Many of them wore golden collars
with jewels, flowers, and ribbons.
Miranda stopped short in amazement at this unexpected sight, and was
looking in all directions for the shepherd of this surprising flock,
when the beautiful sheep came bounding toward her.
"Approach, lovely Princess," he cried; "have no fear of such gentle
and peaceable animals as we are."
"What a marvel!" cried the Princess, starting back a little. "Here
is a sheep that can talk."
"Your monkey and your dog could talk, madam," said he; "are you more
astonished at us than at them?"
"A fairy gave them the power to speak," replied Miranda. "So I was
used to them."
"Perhaps the same thing has happened to us," he said, smiling
sheepishly. "But, Princess, what can have led you here?"
"A thousand misfortunes, Sir Sheep," she answered.
"I am the unhappiest princess in the world, and I am seeking a
shelter against my father's anger."
"Come with me, madam," said the Sheep; "I offer you a hiding-place
which you only will know of, and where you will be mistress of
everything you see."
"I really cannot follow you," said Miranda, "for I am too tired to
walk another step."
The Sheep with the golden horns ordered that his chariot should be
fetched, and a moment after appeared six goats, harnessed to a
pumpkin, which was so big that two people could quite well sit in
it, and was all lined with cushions of velvet and down. The Princess
stepped into it, much amused at such a new kind of carriage, the
King of the Sheep took his place beside her, and the goats ran away
with them at full speed, and only stopped when they reached a
cavern, the entrance to which was blocked by a great stone. This the
King touched with his foot, and immediately it fell down, and he
invited the Princess to enter without fear. Now, if she had not been
so alarmed by everything that had happened, nothing could have
induced her to go into this frightful cave, but she was so afraid of
what might be behind her that she would have thrown herself even
down a well at this moment. So, without hesitation, she followed the
Sheep, who went before her, down, down, down, until she thought they
must come out at the other side of the world indeed, she was not
sure that he wasn't leading her into Fairyland. At last she saw
before her a great plain, quite covered with all sorts of flowers,
the scent of which seemed to her nicer than anything she had ever
smelled before; a broad river of orange-flower water flowed round it
and fountains of wine of every kind ran in all directions and made
the prettiest little cascades and brooks. The plain was covered with
the strangest trees, there were whole avenues where partridges,
ready roasted, hung from every branch, or, if you preferred
pheasants, quails, turkeys, or rabbits, you had only to turn to the
right hand or to the left and you were sure to find them. In places
the air was darkened by showers of lobster-patties, white puddings,
sausages, tarts, and all sorts of sweetmeats, or with pieces of gold
and silver, diamonds and pearls. This unusual kind of rain, and the
pleasantness of the whole place, would, no doubt, have attracted
numbers of people to it, if the King of the Sheep had been of a more
sociable disposition, but from all accounts it is evident that he
was as grave as a judge.
As it was quite the nicest time of the year when Miranda arrived in
this delightful land the only palace she saw was a long row of
orange trees, jasmines, honeysuckles, and musk-roses, and their
interlacing branches made the prettiest rooms possible, which were
hung with gold and silver gauze, and had great mirrors and
candlesticks, and most beautiful pictures. The Wonderful Sheep
begged that the Princess would consider herself queen over all that
she saw, and assured her that, though for some years he had been
very sad and in great trouble, she had it in her power to make him
forget all his grief.
"You are so kind and generous, noble Sheep," said the Princess,
"that I cannot thank you enough, but I must confess that all I see
here seems to me so extraordinary that I don't know what to think of
it."
As she spoke a band of lovely fairies came up and offered her amber
baskets full of fruit, but when she held out her hands to them they
glided away, and she could feel nothing when she tried to touch
them.
"Oh!" she cried, "what can they be? Whom am I with?" and she began
to cry.
At this instant the King of the Sheep came back to her, and was so
distracted to find her in tears that he could have torn his wool.
"What is the matter, lovely Princess?" he cried. "Has anyone failed
to treat you with due respect?"
"Oh! no," said Miranda; "only I am not used to living with sprites
and with sheep that talk, and everything here frightens me. It was
very kind of you to bring me to this place, but I shall be even more
grateful to you if you will take me up into the world again."
"Do not be afraid," said the Wonderful Sheep; "I entreat you to have
patience, and listen to the story of my misfortunes. I was once a
king, and my kingdom was the most splendid in the world. My subjects
loved me, my neighbours envied and feared me. I was respected by
everyone, and it was said that no king ever deserved it more.
"I was very fond of hunting, and one day, while chasing a stag, I
left my attendants far behind; suddenly I saw the animal leap into a
pool of water, and I rashly urged my horse to follow it, but before
we had gone many steps I felt an extraordinary heat, instead of the
coolness of the water; the pond dried up, a great gulf opened before
me, out of which flames of fire shot up, and I fell helplessly to
the bottom of a precipice.
"I gave myself up for lost, but presently a voice said: `Ungrateful
Prince, even this fire is hardly enough to warm your cold heart!'
"`Who complains of my coldness in this dismal place?' I cried.
"`An unhappy being who loves you hopelessly,' replied the voice, and
at the same moment the flames began to flicker and cease to burn,
and I saw a fairy, whom I had known as long as I could remember, and
whose ugliness had always horrified me. She was leaning upon the arm
of a most beautiful young girl, who wore chains of gold on her
wrists and was evidently her slave.
"`Why, Ragotte,' I said, for that was the fairy's name, `what is the
meaning of all this? Is it by your orders that I am here?'
"`And whose fault is it,' she answered, `that you have never
understood me until now? Must a powerful fairy like myself
condescend to explain her doings to you who are no better than an
ant by comparison, though you think yourself a great king?'
"`Call me what you like,' I said impatiently; `but what is it that
you want--my crown, or my cities, or my treasures?'
"`Treasures!' said the fairy, disdainfully. `If I chose I could make
any one of my scullions richer and more powerful than you. I do not
want your treasures, but,' she added softly, `if you will give me
your heart if you will marry me I will add twenty kingdoms to the
one you have already; you shall have a hundred castles full of gold
and five hundred full of silver, and, in short, anything you like to
ask me for.'
"`Madam Ragotte,' said I, `when one is at the bottom of a pit where
one has fully expected to be roasted alive, it is impossible to
think of asking such a charming per- son as you are to marry one! I
beg that you will set me at liberty, and then I shall hope to answer
you fittingly.'
"`Ah!' said she, `if you really loved me you would not care where
you were--a cave, a wood, a fox-hole, a desert, would please you
equally well. Do not think that you can deceive me; you fancy you
are going to escape, but I assure you that you are going to stay
here and the first thing I shall give you to do will be to keep my
sheep--they are very good company and speak quite as well as you do.
"As she spoke she advanced, and led me to this plain where we now
stand, and showed me her flock, but I paid little attention to it or
to her.
"To tell the truth, I was so lost in admiration of her beautiful
slave that I forgot everything else, and the cruel Ragotte,
perceiving this, turned upon her so furious and terrible a look that
she fell lifeless to the ground.
"At this dreadful sight I drew my sword and rushed at Ragotte, and
should certainly have cut off her head had she not by her magic arts
chained me to the spot on which I stood; all my efforts to move were
useless, and at last, when I threw myself down on the ground in
despair, she said to me, with a scornful smile:
"`I intend to make you feel my power. It seems that you are a lion
at present, I mean you to be a sheep.'
"So saying, she touched me with her wand, and I became what you see.
I did not lose the power of speech, or of feeling the misery of my
present state.
"`For five years,' she said, `you shall be a sheep, and lord of this
pleasant land, while I, no longer able to see your face, which I
loved so much, shall be better able to hate you as you deserve to be
hated.'
"She disappeared as she finished speaking, and if I had not been too
unhappy to care about anything I should have been glad that she was
gone.
"The talking sheep received me as their king, and told me that they,
too, were unfortunate princes who had, in different ways, offended
the revengeful fairy, and had been added to her flock for a certain
number of years; some more, some less. From time to time, indeed,
one regains his own proper form and goes back again to his place in
the upper world; but the other beings whom you saw are the rivals or
the enemies of Ragotte, whom she has imprisoned for a hundred years
or so; though even they will go back at last. The young slave of
whom I told you about is one of these; I have seen her often, and it
has been a great pleasure to me. She never speaks to me, and if I
were nearer to her I know I should find her only a shadow, which
would be very annoying. However, I noticed that one of my companions
in misfortune was also very attentive to this little sprite, and I
found out that he had been her lover, whom the cruel Ragotte had
taken away from her long before; since then I have cared for, and
thought of, nothing but how I might regain my freedom. I have often
been in the forest; that is where I have seen you, lovely Princess,
sometimes driving your chariot, which you did with all the grace and
skill in the world; sometimes riding to the chase on so spirited a
horse that it seemed as if no one but yourself could have managed
it, and sometimes running races on the plain with the Princesses of
your Court--running so lightly that it was you always who won the
prize. Oh! Princess, I have loved you so long, and yet how dare I
tell you of my love! what hope can there be for an unhappy sheep
like myself?"
Miranda was so surprised and confused by all that she had heard that
she hardly knew what answer to give to the King of the Sheep, but
she managed to make some kind of little speech, which certainly did
not forbid him to hope, and said that she should not be afraid of
the shadows now she knew that they would some day come to life
again. "Alas!" she continued, "if my poor Patypata, my dear
Grabugeon, and pretty little Tintin, who all died for my sake, were
equally well off, I should have nothing left to wish for here!"
Prisoner though he was, the King of the Sheep had still some powers
and privileges.
"Go," said he to his Master of the Horse, "go and seek the shadows
of the little black girl, the monkey, and the dog: they will amuse
our Princess."
And an instant afterward Miranda saw them coming toward her, and
their presence gave her the greatest pleasure, though they did not
come near enough for her to touch them.
The King of the Sheep was so kind and amusing, and loved Miranda so
dearly, that at last she began to love him too. Such a handsome
sheep, who was so polite and considerate, could hardly fail to
please, especially if one knew that he was really a king, and that
his strange imprisonment would soon come to an end. So the
Princess's days passed very gaily while she waited for the happy
time to come. The King of the Sheep, with the help of all the flock,
got up balls, concerts, and hunting parties, and even the shadows
joined in all the fun, and came, making believe to be their own real
selves.
One evening, when the couriers arrived (for the King sent most
carefully for news and they always brought the very best kinds), it
was announced that the sister of the Princess Miranda was going to
be married to a great Prince, and that nothing could be more
splendid than all the preparations for the wedding.
"Ah!" cried the young Princess, "how unlucky I am to miss the sight
of so many pretty things! Here am I imprisoned under the earth, with
no company but sheep and shadows, while my sister is to be adorned
like a queen and surrounded by all who love and admire her, and
everyone but myself can go to wish her joy!"
"Why do you complain, Princess?" said the King of the Sheep. "Did I
say that you were not to go to the wedding? Set out as soon as you
please; only promise me that you will come back, for I love you too
much to be able to live without you."
Miranda was very grateful to him, and promised faithfully that
nothing in the world should keep her from coming back. The King
caused an escort suitable to her rank to be got ready for her, and
she dressed herself splendidly, not forgetting anything that could
make her more beautiful. Her chariot was of mother-of-pearl, drawn
by six dun-collared griffins just brought from the other side of the
world, and she was attended by a number of guards in splendid
uniforms, who were all at least eight feet high and had come from
far and near to ride in the Princess's train.
Miranda reached her father's palace just as the wedding ceremony
began, and everyone, as soon as she came in, was struck with
surprise at her beauty and the splendour of her jewels. She heard
exclamations of admiration on all sides; and the King her father
looked at her so attentively that she was afraid he must recognize
her; but he was so sure that she was dead that the idea never
occurred to him.
However, the fear of not getting away made her leave before the
marriage was over. She went out hastily, leaving behind her a little
coral casket set with emeralds. On it was written in diamond
letters: "Jewels for the Bride," and when they opened it, which they
did as soon as it was found, there seemed to be no end to the pretty
things it contained. The King, who had hoped to join the unknown
Princess and find out who she was, was dreadfully disappointed when
she disappeared so suddenly, and gave orders that if she ever came
again the doors were to be shut that she might not get away so
easily. Short as Miranda's absence had been, it had seemed like a
hundred years to the King of the Sheep. He was waiting for her by a
fountain in the thickest part of the forest, and the ground was
strewn with splendid presents which he had prepared for her to show
his joy and gratitude at her coming back.
As soon as she was in sight he rushed to meet her, leaping and
bounding like a real sheep. He caressed her tenderly, throwing
himself at her feet and kissing her hands, and told her how uneasy
he had been in her absence, and how impatient for her return, with
an eloquence which charmed her.
After some time came the news that the King's second daughter was
going to be married. When Miranda heard it she begged the King of
the Sheep to allow her to go and see the wedding as before. This
request made him feel very sad, as if some misfortune must surely
come of it, but his love for the Princess being stronger than
anything else he did not like to refuse her.
"You wish to leave me, Princess," said he; "it is my unhappy fate
you are not to blame. I consent to your going, but, believe me, I
can give you no stronger proof of my love than by so doing."
The Princess assured him that she would only stay a very short time,
as she had done before, and begged him not to be uneasy, as she
would be quite as much grieved if anything detained her as he could
possibly be.
So, with the same escort, she set out, and reached the palace as the
marriage ceremony began. Everybody was delighted to see her; she was
so pretty that they thought she must be some fairy princess, and the
Princes who were there could not take their eyes off her.
The King was more glad than anyone else that she had come again, and
gave orders that the doors should all be shut and bolted that very
minute. When the wedding was all but over the Princess got up
quickly, hoping to slip away unnoticed among the crowd, but, to her
great dismay, she found every door fastened.
She felt more at ease when the King came up to her, and with the
greatest respect begged her not to run away so soon, but at least to
honor him by staying for the splendid feast which was prepared for
the Princes and Princesses. He led her into a magnificent hall,
where all the Court was assembled, and himself taking up the golden
bowl full of water, he offered it to her that she might dip her
pretty fingers into it.
At this the Princess could no longer contain herself; throwing
herself at the King's feet, she cried out:
"My dream has come true after all--you have offered me water to wash
my hands on my sister's wedding day, and it has not vexed you to do
it."
The King recognized her at once--indeed, he had already thought
several times how much like his poor little Miranda she was.
"Oh! my dear daughter," he cried, kissing her, "can you ever forget
my cruelty? I ordered you to be put to death because I thought your
dream portended the loss of my crown. And so it did," he added, "for
now your sisters are both married and have kingdoms of their
own--and mine shall be for you." So saying he put his crown on the
Princess's head and cried:
"Long live Queen Miranda!"
All the Court cried: "Long live Queen Miranda!" after him, and the
young Queen's two sisters came running up, and threw their arms
round her neck, and kissed her a thousand times, and then there was
such a laughing and crying, talking and kissing, all at once, and
Miranda thanked her father, and began to ask after everyone
particularly the Captain of the Guard, to whom she owed so much;
but, to her great sorrow, she heard that he was dead. Presently they
sat down to the banquet, and the King asked Miranda to tell them all
that had happened to her since the terrible morning when he had sent
the Captain of the Guard to fetch her. This she did with so much
spirit that all the guests listened with breathless interest. But
while she was thus enjoying herself with the King and her sisters,
the King of the Sheep was waiting impatiently for the time of her
return, and when it came and went, and no Princess appeared, his
anxiety became so great that he could bear it no longer.
"She is not coming back any more," he cried. "My miserable sheep's
face displeases her, and without Miranda what is left to me,
wretched creature that I am! Oh! cruel Ragotte; my punishment is
complete."
For a long time he bewailed his sad fate like this, and then, seeing
that it was growing dark, and that still there was no sign of the
Princess, he set out as fast as he could in the direction of the
town. When he reached the palace he asked for Miranda, but by this
time everyone had heard the story of her adventures, and did not
want her to go back again to the King of the Sheep, so they refused
sternly to let him see her. In vain he begged and prayed them to let
him in; though his entreaties might have melted hearts of stone they
did not move the guards of the palace, and at last, quite
broken-hearted, he fell dead at their feet.
In the meantime the King, who had not the least idea of the sad
thing that was happening outside the gate of his palace, proposed to
Miranda that she should be driven in her chariot all round the town,
which was to be illuminated with thousands and thousands of torches,
placed in windows and balconies, and in all the grand squares. But
what a sight met her eyes at the very entrance of the palace! There
lay her dear, kind sheep, silent and motionless, upon the pavement!
She threw herself out of the chariot and ran to him, crying
bitterly, for she realized that her broken promise had cost him his
life, and for a long, long time she was so unhappy that they thought
she would have died too.
So you see that even a princess is not always happy especially if
she forgets to keep her word; and the greatest misfortunes often
happen to people just as they think they have obtained their heart's
desires!
The Wonderful Sheep
from the Blue Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
