Opening, part 24 · page 21 2101She started back at the sight of the prince, whom this time she also recognised.102But he thrust her aside, and flung himself at the feet of Desiree, to whom he poured out all his heart!103Dawn found them still conversing; and the sun was high in the heavens before the princess perceived that she retained her human form.104Ah! how happy she was when she knew that the days of her punishment were over; and with a glad voice she told the prince the tale of her enchantment.105So the story ended well after all; and the fairy Tulip, who turned out to be the old woman of the hut, made the young couple such a wedding feast as had never been seen since the world began.106And everybody was delighted, except Cerisette and her mother, who were put in a boat and carried to a small island, where they had to work hard for their living.107[Contes des Fees, par Madame d'Aulnoy.]108The Girl-Fish109Once upon a time there lived, on the bank of a stream, a man and a woman who had a daughter.110As she was an only child, and very pretty besides, they never could make up their minds to punish her for her faults or to teach her nice manners; and as for work-- she laughed in her mother's face if she asked her to help cook the dinner or to wash the plates.111All the girl would do was to spend her days in dancing and playing with her friends; and for any use she was to her parents they might as well have no daughter at all.1 2← previousOpening, part 23next →Opening, part 25↑ back to The Orange Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/24/page/2/