Page:Fairytales00auln.djvu/213

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THE BEE AND THE ORANGE TREE.
173

A league off she smelt the poor little Princess; she ran to the shore in search of her before Ravagio could find her. They were equally greedy, and never were seen such hideous figures, each with one squinting eye in the middle of the forehead, a mouth as large as that of an oven, a nose large and flat, long asses' ears, hair standing on end, and humps behind and before. When Tourmentine, however, saw Aimée in her rich cradle, wrapped in swaddling-clothes of gold brocade, playing with her little hands, her cheeks resembling the white rose mixed with the carnation, and her little vermilion smiling mouth half open, which seemed to smile at the horrid monster who came to devour her, the Ogress, touched with pity she had never felt before, resolved to nurse it, and if she did eat it, not to do so directly. She took the child in her arms, tied the cradle on her back, and in this manner she returned to her cave. "Look, Ravagio," said she to her husband, "here is some fresh meat, very plump, very tender; but, by my head! thou shalt not touch it with teeth,—it is a beautiful little girl. I shall bring it up, and we will marry her to our son; they will have some extraordinary little Ogres, and that will amuse us in our old age."—"Well said," replied Ravagio; "thou art wise, as thou art great. Let me look at the child—it seems wonderfully beautiful!" "Do not eat it!" said Tourmentine, putting the child in his great clutches. "No, no," said he: "I would rather die of hunger." Here, then, were Ravagio, Tourmentine, and the young Ogre, caressing Aimée in so tender a manner that it was miraculous.

But the poor child, who only saw these deformed creatures around her, and not her nurse, began to put up its lip, and then she cried lustily; Ravagio's cavern echoed with it. Tourmentine, fearing the noise would frighten her still more, took and carried her into the wood, her children following her. She had six—each one uglier than the other. She was half a fairy, as I have said before; her power consisted in a little ivory wand, which she held in her hand when she wished for anything. She took the wand then, and said, "I wish, in the name of the royal fairy, Trufio, that the most beautiful hind in our forests, gentle and tame, would leave its fawn, and come hither directly, and nurse this little creature that Fortune has sent me." Immediately a hind appeared; the little Ogres welcomed her kindly; she drew