Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/51

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PEDRO AND THE PRINCE.
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bed to the floor and had died. The princess in great affliction and grief ordered a beautiful mausoleum to be erected in the garden to place the child's corpse in it. The following day when they were all celebrating with a great feast the event that Pedro had come to life again, the little boy also returned to life. He was found playing in the garden with some little stones. Great was their joy, and they all lived very happily and contentedly.




VII. The Rabbit.

A man used to go about the streets crying out, "Who'll buy troubles?" And as he passed by the king's palace, the queen, looking out of window, saw that he was selling flowers; and turning towards her maid of honour she told her to buy them. The maid bought the flowers and planted them in the garden, and the queen went every day to watch their growth and tend them. One day, as she was taking a walk in the garden, she saw a rabbit running past, and she told her maid of honour to try and catch it. The maid seized it, and then fastened it up with her garter. They then continued their walk, and, whilst they were giving a turn round the garden, the rabbit escaped with the garter round its neck. The princess was very sorry to lose it, and the following day, at the same hour, took another turn round the garden, and she again saw the same rabbit running. She told her maid to catch hold of it, which she did, and this time she fastened it up with a handkerchief. They took another turn round the garden, and whilst they did so the rabbit escaped with the handkerchief. When the princess, with her maid of honour, returned to the spot where they had left the rabbit, she was