Grognon's creatures ran and told her of the return of the princess, and that she was supping with the king, she began to rave like a mad woman, and rushing to him, told him there must be no hesitation about it; he must either abandon that cheat to her, or see her, on the instant, take her departure never to return as long as she lived. That it was mere folly to believe that the girl was the Princess Gracieuse. It was true she resembled her slightly, but that Gracieuse had hanged herself; that she had seen her with her own eyes, and that if any credence was given to the story of that impostor, it would be an unpardonable want of respect to, and confidence in her." The king without another word gave up to her the unfortunate princess, believing, or feigning to believe, that she was not his daughter.
Grognon, transported with joy, dragged her, with the help of her women, into a dungeon, where she had her stripped. They took away her costly garments and threw over her a rag of coarse cloth, putting wooden shoes on her feet and a hood of drugget on her head. They barely gave her straw enough to lie upon, and a little black bread to eat.
In this distress, she began to weep bitterly, and to regret the Fairy Palace; but she dared not call on Percinet for succour, feeling that she had treated him too unkindly, and not being able to believe he loved her enough to come again to her aid. In the meanwhile, the wicked Grognon had sent for a fairy who was little less malicious than herself. "I have here in my power," she said, "a little hussy who has offended me. I want to punish her, by giving her such difficult tasks to execute that she will not be able to perform them, and so that I may break her bones without giving her a right to complain. Help me to find a new torment for her every day." The Fairy told her she would think of it, and that she should see her again the next morning. She kept her word. She brought a skein of thread as big as four grown-up people, so finely spun that it would break if you breathed on it, and so tangled that it was in a bundle without beginning or end. Grognon, delighted, sent for her beautiful prisoner, and said to her—"There, my good little gossip, set your great powers at work to wind off this skin of thread; and rest assured that if you break the least bit of it, you are lost, for I will flay you alive, myself! Begin whenever you please; but it must be
