Oldal 167 [167]
IHE THREE CITRONS
The fairy, who was as good as she was beautiful, tried to
comtort the slave by talking with her. "The acguaintance
was soon made; an innocent soul is unsuspicious in friend¬
ship. The fairy, without distrust, told the negress all that
had happened to her and the prince, why she was alone
in the forest, and how she was every instant expecting
Carlino with a grand equipage to conduct his bride to the
king of the Vermilion Towers, and to marry her there in
the presence of all the court.
On hearing this story, the wicked and envious negress
conceived an abominable idea. "Madame," said she, ‘‘if
the prince is coming with all his suite, you must be ready
to meet him. Your hair is all in disorder; let me come
to you, and I will comb It."
“With pleasure,” answered the fairy, with a gracious
smile, as she stretched out a little white hand, which looked,
in Lucy’s great black paw, like a crystal mirror in an ebony
Irame.
No sooner had she climbed the tree than the wicked slave
untied the fairy’s hair and began to comb it; then, all at
once, taking her great hair-pin, she pierced her to the brain.
Feeling herself wounded, the fairy cried, " Palomba! Palom¬
ba!" when she instantly turned to a wood-pigeon and flew
away. ‘lhe horrible negress took her victim’s place, and
stretched out her neck among the foliage, looking like a
statue of jet in a niche of emerald.
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