Page 167 [167]
OCR
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 friendship. 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! Palomba!" 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. 129
