feet, and more than a hundred talons, his three heads, and his brazen body, aroused him from this sort of lethargy. He had smelt the Prince from afar off, and expected to devour him, as he had every one who had preceded him, and upon whom he had made some excellent meals. Their bones were piled around the apple-tree, upon which was the beautiful apple, and they were heaped up so high, that it was not possible to see it.
The frightful animal came bounding along, covering the ground with a froth which was very poisonous: out of his infernal throat issued fire and young dragons, which he hurled like darts in the eyes and ears of the knights-errants who wished to carry away the apple. But when he saw his alarming figure multiplied a hundred and a hundred times in the Prince's mirrors, it was he that was frightened in his turn. He stopped, and looking fiercely at the Prince laden with dragons, he took flight. Cheri, perceiving the happy effect of his armour, pursued him to the entrance of a deep chasm, into which the monster precipitated himself to avoid him. The Prince closed up the aperture securely, and returned with all speed to the singing apple. After mounting upon the top of all the bones that surrounded it, he looked with admiration upon the beautiful tree; it was of amber, the apples being topazes, and the most beautiful of all, which he sought so carefully and at so much peril, appeared at the top, composed of a single ruby, with a crown of diamonds upon it. The Prince, transported with joy at being able to give Belle-Etoile so perfect and rare a treasure, quickly broke the amber branch, and, quite proud of his good fortune, mounted his white horse; but he could nowhere see the Dove,—she had flown away as soon as there was no further need of her assistance. Without losing any more time in unavailing regrets, and as he feared the dragon, whose hissings he heard, would find some means of getting back to the apples, he returned with his prize to the Princess.
She had never slept during his absence; she incessantly reproached herself for wishing to possess greater wit than others; she feared for Cheri's life more than her own. "Ah! unfortunate being that I am," cried she, sighing heavily, "why was I so conceited? was it not sufficient that I could think and speak well enough, not to do or say anything
