The Enchanted Canary · page 21 2 3 4101Still his heart was light, for he felt that he had got through the most difficult part of his task, and the rest was easy.102About mid-day he reached a sandy plain, scorching in the sun. Here he was seized with dreadful thirst; he took his gourd and raised it to his lips.103But the gourd was empty; in the excitement of his joy he had forgotten to fill it.104He rode on, struggling with his sufferings, but at last he could bear it no longer.105He let himself slide to the earth, and lay down beside his horse, his throat burning, his chest heaving, and his head going round.106Already he felt that death was near him, when his eyes fell on the bag where the oranges peeped out.107Poor Désiré, who had braved so many dangers to win the lady of his dreams, would have given at this moment all the princesses in the world, were they pink or golden, for a single drop of water.108‘Ah!’ he said to himself.109‘If only these oranges were real fruit—fruit as refreshing as what I ate in Flanders!110And, after all, who knows?’111This idea put some life into him.112He had the strength to lift himself up and put his hand into his bag.113He drew out an orange and opened it with his knife.114Out of it flew the prettiest little female canary that ever was seen.115‘Give me something to drink, I am dying of thirst,’ said the golden bird.116‘Wait a minute,’ replied Désiré, so much astonished that he forgot his own sufferings; and to satisfy the bird he took a second orange, and opened it without thinking what he was doing.117Out of it flew another canary, and she too began to cry:118‘I am dying of thirst; give me something to drink.’119Then Tubby’s son saw his folly, and while the two canaries flew away he sank on the ground, where, exhausted by his last effort, he lay unconscious.120VII121When he came to himself, he had a pleasant feeling of freshness all about him.122It was night, the sky was sparkling with stars, and the earth was covered with a heavy dew.123The traveller having recovered, mounted his horse, and at the first streak of dawn he saw a stream dancing in front of him, and stooped down and drank his fill.124He hardly had courage to open his last orange.125Then he remembered that the night before he had disobeyed the orders of the old man.126Perhaps his terrible thirst was a trick of the cunning witch, and suppose, even though he opened the orange on the banks of the stream, that he did not find in it the princess that he sought?127He took his knife and cut it open.128Alas! out of it flew a little canary, just like the others, who cried:129‘I am thirsty; give me something to drink.’130Great was the disappointment of Désiré.131However, he was determined not to let this bird fly away; so he took up some water in the palm of his hand and held it to its beak.132Scarcely had the canary drunk when she became a beautiful girl, tall and straight as a poplar tree, with black eyes and a golden skin.133Désiré had never seen anyone half so lovely, and he stood gazing at her in delight.checked by a teacher134On her side she seemed quite bewildered, but she looked about her with happy eyes, and was not at all afraid of her deliverer.135He asked her name.136She answered that she was called the Princess Zizi; she was about sixteen years old, and for ten years of that time the witch had kept her shut up in an orange, in the shape of a canary.137‘Well, then, my charming Zizi,’ said the young Prince, who was longing to marry her, ‘let us ride away quickly so as to escape from the wicked witch.’138But Zizi wished to know where he meant to take her.139‘To my father’s castle,’ he said.140He mounted his horse and took her in front of him, and, holding her carefully in his arms, they began their journey.141VIII142Everything the Princess saw was new to her, and in passing through mountains, valleys, and towns, she asked a thousand questions.143Désiré was charmed to answer them.144It is so delightful to teach those one loves!145Once she inquired what the girls in his country were like.146‘They are pink and white,’ he replied, ‘and their eyes are blue.’147‘Do you like blue eyes?’ said the Princess; but Désiré thought it was a good opportunity to find out what was in her heart, so he did not answer.148‘And no doubt,’ went on the Princess, ‘one of them is your intended bride?’149Still he was silent, and Zizi drew herself up proudly.150‘No,’ he said at last.151‘None of the girls of my own country are beautiful in my eyes, and that is why I came to look for a wife in the land of the sun. Was I wrong, my lovely Zizi?’152This time it was Zizi’s turn to be silent.153IX154Talking in this way they drew near to the castle.155When they were about four stone-throws from the gates they dismounted in the forest, by the edge of a fountain.156‘My dear Zizi,’ said Tubby’s son, ‘we cannot present ourselves before my father like two common people who have come back from a walk.157We must enter the castle with more ceremony.158Wait for me here, and in an hour I will return with carriages and horses fit for a princess.’159‘Don’t be long,’ replied Zizi, and she watched him go with wistful eyes.160When she was left by herself the poor girl began to feel afraid.161She was alone for the first time in her life, and in the middle of a thick forest.162Suddenly she heard a noise among the trees.163Fearing lest it should be a wolf, she hid herself in the hollow trunk of a willow tree which hung over the fountain.164It was big enough to hold her altogether, but she peeped out, and her pretty head was reflected in the clear water.165Then there appeared, not a wolf, but a creature quite as wicked and quite as ugly.166Let us see who this creature was.167X168Not far from the fountain there lived a family of bricklayers.169Now, fifteen years before this time, the father in walking through the forest found a little girl, who had been deserted by the gypsies.170He carried her home to his wife, and the good woman was sorry for her, and brought her up with her own sons.171As she grew older, the little gypsy became much more remarkable for strength and cunning than for sense or beauty.checked by a teacher172She had a low forehead, a flat nose, thick lips, coarse hair, and a skin not golden like that of Zizi, but the colour of clay.173As she was always being teased about her complexion, she got as noisy and cross as a titmouse.174So they used to call her Titty.175Titty was often sent by the bricklayer to fetch water from the fountain, and as she was very proud and lazy the gypsy disliked this very much.176It was she who had frightened Zizi by appearing with her pitcher on her shoulder.177Just as she was stooping to fill it, she saw reflected in the water the lovely image of the Princess.178‘What a pretty face!’ she exclaimed, ‘Why, it must be mine!179How in the world can they call me ugly?180I am certainly much too pretty to be their water carrier!’181So saying, she broke her pitcher and went home.182‘Where is your pitcher?’ asked the bricklayer.183‘Well, what do you expect?184The pitcher may go many times to the well....’185‘But at last it is broken.186Well, here is a bucket that will not break.’187The gypsy returned to the fountain, and addressing once more the image of Zizi, she said:188‘No; I don’t mean to be a beast of burden any longer.’189And she flung the bucket so high in the air that it stuck in the branches of an oak.190‘I met a wolf,’ she told the bricklayer, ‘and I broke the bucket across his nose.’191The bricklayer asked her no more questions, but took down a broom and gave her such a beating that her pride was humbled a little.192Then he handed to her an old copper milk-can, and said:193‘If you don’t bring it back full, your bones shall suffer for it.’194XI195Titty went off rubbing her sides; but this time she did not dare to disobey, and in a very bad temper stooped down over the well.196It was not at all easy to fill the milk-can, which was large and round.197It would not go down into the well, and the gypsy had to try again and again.checked by a teacher198At last her arms grew so tired that when she did manage to get the can properly under the water she had no strength to pull it up, and it rolled to the bottom.199On seeing the can disappear, she made such a miserable face that Zizi, who had been watching her all this time, burst into fits of laughter.200Titty turned round and perceived the mistake she had made; and she felt so angry that she made up her mind to be revenged at once.1 2 3 4← previousThe Three Dwarfs, part 3next →The Twelve Brothers↑ back to The Red Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg540/40/page/2/