Children's stories, French -- Translations into English; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- France
The King, his father, who was a simple-minded man, believed him, but his
mother was not so easily satisfied. She noticed that he went hunting
nearly every day, and had always some story ready as an excuse, when he
had slept two or three nights away from home, and so she felt quite sure
that he had a lady-love. More than two years went by and the Princess
had two children, the first, which was a girl, was named Aurora, and the
second, a son, was called Day, because he was still more beautiful than
his sister.
The Queen, hoping to find out the truth from her son, often said to him
that he ought to form some attachment, but he never dared to trust her
with his secret. Although he loved her, he feared her, for she was of
the race of ogres, and the King had only married her on account of her
great riches. It was even whispered about the court that she had the
inclinations of an ogress, and that when she saw little children
passing, it was with the greatest difficulty that she restrained herself
from pouncing upon them. The Prince, therefore, would never say one word
to her about his affairs.
On the death of the King, however, which took place two years later, the
Prince, being now his own master, made a public declaration of his
marriage, and went in great state to bring the Queen, his wife, to the
palace. She made a magnificent entry into the capital, with her two
children, one on either side of her.
Sometime afterwards, the King went to war with his neighbour, the
Emperor Cantalabute. He left the Queen, his mother, Regent of the
Kingdom, earnestly recommending to her care his wife and children. He
was likely to be all summer in the field, and he had no sooner left than
the Queen-mother sent her daughter-in-law and the children to a country
house in the wood, so that she might more easily gratify her horrible
longing. She followed them thither a few days after, and one evening
said to her head cook, "I will eat little Aurora for dinner to-morrow."
"Ah, madam!" exclaimed the cook. "I will," said the Queen, and she said
it in the voice of an ogress longing to eat fresh meat; "and I will have
her served with my favourite sauce."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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