replied the pretty horse; "but she is more of a dragon than the one you have killed, and will sufficiently put your patience and your virtue to the test." "Will she not cause me the loss of the king's favour?" cried he; "that is all I fear." "I will not reveal the future to you," said Comrade; "you must be satisfied that I am always on the watch." He said no more, for the King appeared at the end of an avenue. Fortuné joined him, and told him the Queen was not well, and had commanded him to stay near her. "It appears to me," said the King, smiling, "you are very much in her good graces, and that it is to her you speak your mind, in preference to me, for I have not forgotten that you entreated her to procure you the glory of going to fight the dragon." "I dare not contradict you, Sire," replied the Chevalier; "but I assure your Majesty I make a great distinction between your favours and those of the Queen, and if a subject were permitted to make a confidant of his sovereign, it would be a most delightful pleasure to me to declare my sentiments to you." The King interrupted him by asking him where he had left the Queen.
Meanwhile, the Queen was complaining to Floride of Fortuné's indifference to her—"The sight of him becomes hateful to me," cried she; "he must quit the Court, or I must retire from it; I can no longer suffer the presence of an ungrateful youth, who dares show me so much contempt. What other human being would not esteem himself happy to please a Queen, all-powerful in this kingdom? He is the only one in the world. Ah! the gods have reserved him to disturb the repose of my life!"
Floride was not at all sorry that her mistress was so displeased with Fortuné, and far from endeavouring to oppose her displeasure, she increased it by recalling to her mind many little circumstances, that perhaps she would not have chosen to remark. Her rage thus augmented, made her think of some new device to ruin the poor Chevalier.
As soon as the King had rejoined her, and expressed his concern for her health, she said, "I own I was very ill, but it is difficult to remain so with Fortuné, he is so cheerful, and his ideas so amusing; you must know," continued she, "he has entreated me to obtain another favour from your Majesty. He has asked, with the greatest confidence of success,
