slowly for the unfortunate Minister. At length dawn appeared, shedding its rosy tints upon the long row of gibbets which had been set up.
Exhausted by a terrible nightmare, the Princess hardly closed her eyes. One of her thin hands hung down from the side of her couch; her bosom heaved.
At that moment one of the doors of her chamber was partially opened, and, a moment afterwards, closed again noiselessly. At the same instant a strange sensation awakened the Princess. An enormous weight was stifling her. Feebly she raised her heavy eyelids, pressed on by the finger of death. Oh, miracle! Curled up upon her breast—soft, supple, graceful, and of an azure the most beautiful imaginable—a cat was admiring her, smiling at her, in its way, with its great limpid golden eyes. Diamonds, big as stars, sparkled amid its silky coat. Ailla had only power to utter a loud scream, to break the cord of her bell, and to faint away once more.
Some hours later, happy, appeased, and already less pale, the Princess went in great pomp to the Council Chamber. Before her, on a cushion of cloth of gold, the azure-coloured cat allowed itself to be devoutly borne. Then the Prime Minister, prostrating himself, and with all the usual ceremonial, presented Brisloün to the Princess, and related to her how, after having discovered the Blue Cat at the bottom of an inaccessible cavern, guarded by frightful monsters, this young man had, at the peril of his life, and after overcoming a thousand difficulties, brought it away.
During the delivery of this address the Princess had very attentively regarded her deliverer. She even suddenly remembered that she had promised her hand to whoever should succeed in accomplishing the difficult task in which so many others had failed. As she appeared inclined to keep her word, the Minister again prostrated himself, and, not without embarrassment, observed to his sovereign that Brisloün—otherwise gifted with all the qualities that make an amiable husband—was unfortunately only a draper. But, without pausing to hear more, Ailla replied quickly:—
"His address and courage shall stand him in stead of letters of nobility, and to begin with I will name him Grand Commander of the Blue Cat, of which order the lowest chevalier shall be princes of the blood! The wedding shall take place a week hence!"
"A strange sensation awakened the princess."
Many days sped happily, and probably no cloud would have shown itself upon the horizon, but for the fancy which overtook the precious Blue Cat to escape from the royal apartments, where it was kept with great ceremony, to scamper for awhile on the roof of the palace. The moon, it was true, was shining that night with peculiar brightness, and it may be imagined that being a cat does not necessarily imply inability to admire the beauties of nature.
In short, imprudent pussy, intoxicated by the air and liberty, pranced about so
