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seated the Prince Royal on the golden throne set with diamonds; placed a handsome crown upon his head; clothed him in violet-coloured velvet robes, spangled with suns and moons; and then all the court cried aloud, three times, "Long live the king!" Nothing was thought of but rejoicing.

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Then the king said to the prince, Now that we are the masters, we may surely release our sister from the tower in which she has been so long confined." To reach the tower they had only to cross the garden, in one corner of which it was built.

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Rosetta was busy embroidering when she saw her brothers, but she rose, and taking the king's hand, said, Good morning, sire; now that you are king, and I am your little subject, I beseech your majesty to remove me from this tower, where I am very, very solitary." And then she began

to cry. The king embraced her, and told her to dry her tears, for he had come to take her to a fine castle. And the prince, who had his pockets full of sugar-plums, gave them to Rosetta, and said to her, Come, let us quit this ugly tower: the king will soon find a husband for you; so do not cry."

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When Rosetta first saw the nice garden, filled with flowers, fruits and fountains, she was so surprised that she could not say a word; for she had, till then, never seen anything of the kind. She looked all around, walked a little way, stopped, and then gathered fruit from the trees and flowers from the borders. Her little dog, Fretillon (who had only one ear, was green like a parrot, and danced to admiration), ran capering before her, and his gambols very much amused the company. All at once he ran into a

thicket, and the princess followed him; and never was any one more surprised than she was at seeing there a large peacock, which having its tail spread out, seemed to her so beautiful that she could not take her eyes off it. The king and the prince, who soon came up to her, inquired what she was so much amazed at. She showed them the peacock, and asked them what it was. They told her that it was a bird which was sometimes eaten. "What!" said she, "do they ever kill and eat so beautiful a bird? I declare to you that I will never marry any one but the King of the Peacocks; I shall then be queen, and I will take care that no more peacocks are eaten.”

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It would be impossible to express the king's astonishment. But, sister," said he to her, "where shall we find the King of the Peacocks?"

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Wherever you please, sire," said

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she; but I will marry no one but him."

After she had come to this resolution the two princes conducted her to their castle, and the peacock with her, for she was so fond of it she would not leave it.

Now all the ladies of the court, having never seen Rosetta, hastened to pay their respects to her; some brought her sweetmeats or sugarplums; others rich gowns, ribbons, dolls, embroidered shoes, pearls, and diamonds; and she behaved so prettily, kissing her hand and curtseying whenever anything was presented to her, that all were delighted with her.

Meanwhile the king and the prince resolved to have a portrait taken of the Princess Rosetta. When they had had it painted so beautifully that it only wanted speech, they said to her, Rosetta, since you will only

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