and drank, and then went to bed and slept soundly. When the Princess arose next morning, the Fairy presented to her the handsomest Prince that had ever been seen. She had been to the very end of the world to fetch him, in her flying chariot; he was as amiable as Joliette. The moment she saw him, she loved him. He, on his side, was charmed with her, and the Queen was transported with joy. They prepared a splendid banquet, and wonderfully fine dresses, and the marriage ceremony was performed amidst the greatest rejoicings.
The unfortunate Queen,
Whose distress you have seen,
In prison—abandon'd—forlorn—
By perils beset,
O'er her poor Joliette
Might have wept from the hour she was born,
Had not a kind Fay,
Who had many a day,
As a Mouse, shared her commons so short,
With gratitude warm,
Bravely weather'd the storm,
And brought their bark safe into port!
This is but a fable,
Yet from it I'm able
A moral, perchance, to impart:
To all things be kind,
And let gratitude find
For ever a place in your heart.
