But when he reached the room in which Celia had been locked up, he was
greatly surprised to find that she was not in it, though he had the key
in his own pocket all the time. His anger was terrible, and he vowed
vengeance against whoever had helped her to escape. His bad friends,
when they heard him, resolved to turn his wrath upon an old nobleman who
had formerly been his tutor; and who still dared sometimes to tell the
Prince of his faults, for he loved him as if he had been his own son. At
first Prince Darling had thanked him, but after a time he grew impatient
and thought it must be just mere love of fault-finding that made his old
tutor blame him when everyone else was praising and flattering him. So
he ordered him to retire from his Court, though he still, from time
to time, spoke of him as a worthy man whom he respected, even if he no
longer loved him. His unworthy friends feared that he might some day
take it into his head to recall his old tutor, so they thought they now
had a good opportunity of getting him banished for ever.
They reported to the Prince that Suliman, for that was the tutor’s name,
had boasted of having helped Celia to escape, and they bribed three men
to say that Suliman himself had told them about it. The Prince, in great
anger, sent his foster-brother with a number of soldiers to bring his
tutor before him, in chains, like a criminal. After giving this order he
went to his own room, but he had scarcely got into it when there was
a clap of thunder which made the ground shake, and the Fairy Truth
appeared suddenly before him.
“I promised your father,” said she sternly, “to give you good advice,
and to punish you if you refused to follow it. You have despised my
counsel, and have gone your own evil way until you are only outwardly a
man; really you are a monster--the horror of everyone who knows you. It
is time that I should fulfil my promise, and begin your punishment. I
condemn you to resemble the animals whose ways you have imitated. You
have made yourself like the lion by your anger, and like the wolf by
your greediness. Like a snake, you have ungratefully turned upon one who
was a second father to you; your churlishness has made you like a bull.
Therefore, in your new form, take the appearance of all these animals.”
The Fairy had scarcely finished speaking when Prince Darling saw to his
horror that her words were fulfilled. He had a lion’s head, a bull’s
horns, a wolf’s feet, and a snake’s body. At the same instant he found
himself in a great forest, beside a clear lake, in which he could see
plainly the horrible creature he had become, and a voice said to him:
“Look carefully at the state to which your wickedness has brought you;
believe me, your soul is a thousand times more hideous than your body.”
Prince Darling recognized the voice of the Fairy Truth and turned in
a fury to catch her and eat her up if he possibly could; but he saw no
one, and the same voice went on:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account