PRINCESS
BELLE-ETOILE

WALTER CRANE'S PICTURE BOOKS

LONDON
NEW YORK
JOHN LANE
THE BODLEY HEAD



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PRINCESS BELLE-ETOILE.

 

Once upon a time there were three Princesses, named Roussette, Brunette,and Blondine, who lived in retirement with their mother, a Princess whohad lost all her former grandeur. One day an old woman called and askedfor a dinner, as this Princess was an excellent cook. After the meal wasover, the old woman, who was a fairy, promised that their kindnessshould be rewarded, and immediately disappeared.

Shortly after, the King came that way, with his brother and the LordAdmiral. They were all so struck with the beauty of the threePrincesses, that the King married the youngest, Blondine, his brothermarried Brunette, and the Lord Admiral married Roussette.

The good Fairy, who had brought all this about, also caused the youngQueen Blondine to have three lovely children, two boys and a girl, outof whose hair fell fine jewels. Each had a brilliant star on theforehead, and a rich chain of gold around the neck. At the same timeBrunette, her sister, gave birth to a handsome boy. Now the young Queenand Brunette were much attached to each other, but Roussette was jealousof both, and the old Queen, the King's mother, hated them. Brunette diedsoon after the birth of her son, and the King was absent on a warlikeexpedition, so Roussette joined the wicked old Queen in forming plans toinjure Blondine. They ordered Feintise, the old Queen's waiting-woman,to strangle the Queen's three children and the son of Princess Brunette,and bury them secretly. But as she was about to execute this wickedorder, she was so struck by their beauty, and the appearance of thesparkling stars on their foreheads, that she shrank from the deed.

So she had a boat brought round to the beach, and put the four babes,with some strings of jewels, into a cradle, which she placed in theboat, and then set it adrift. The boat was soon far out at sea. Thewaves rose, the rain poured in torrents, and the thunder roared.Feintise could not doubt that the boat would be swamped, and feltrelieved by the thought that the poor little innocents would perish, for[Pg 2]she would otherwise always be haunted by the fear that somethingwould occur to betray the share she had had in their preservation.



But the good Fairy protected them, and after floating at sea for sevendays they were picked up by a Corsair. He was so struck by their beautythat he altered his course, and took them home to his wife, who had nochildren. She was transported with joy when he placed them in her hands.They admired together the wonderful stars, the chains of gold that couldnot be taken off their necks, and their long ringlets. Much greater wasthe woman's astonishment when she combed them, for at every instantthere rolled out of their hair pearls, rubies, diamonds, and emeralds.She told her husband of it, who was not less surprised than herself.

"I am very tired," said he, "of a Corsair's life,

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