Now it was the custom in those days for princes and princesses to be brought up by fairies , who loved them as their own children , and did not mind what inconvenience they put other people to for their sakes , for all the world as if they had been real mothers . The fairy Aveline , who lived in a country that touched at one point the kingdom of King Souci , had under her care the lovely Princess Minon-Minette , and had made up her mind to marry her to the young king , who , in spite of his awkward manners , which could be improved , was really very much nicer than most of the young men she was likely to meet . So Aveline made her preparations accordingly , and began by arranging that the equerry should lose himself in the forest , after which she took away the king 's sword and his horse while he lay asleep under a tree . Her reason for this was that she felt persuaded that , finding himself suddenly alone and robbed of everything , the king would hide his real birth , and would have to fall back on his powers of pleasing , like other men , which would be much better for him . When the king awoke and found that the tree to which he had tied his horse had its lowest branch broken , and that nothing living was in sight , he was much dismayed , and sought high and low for his lost treasure , but all in vain . After a time he began to get hungry , so he decided that he had better try to find his way out of the forest , and perhaps he might have a chance of getting something to eat . He had only gone a few steps when he met Aveline , who had taken the shape of an old woman with a heavy bundle of faggots on her back . She staggered along the path and almost fell at his feet , and Souci , afraid that she might have hurt herself , picked her up and set her on her feet again before passing on his way . But he was not to be let off so easy . ` What about my bundle ? ' cried the old woman . ` Where is your politeness ? Really , you seem to have been very nicely brought up ! What have they taught you ? ' ` Taught me ? Nothing , ' replied he . ' I can well believe it ! ' she said . ` You do n't know even how to pick up a bundle . Oh , you can come near ; I am cleverer than you , and know how to pick up a bundle very well . '
The king blushed XXXXX her words , which he felt had a great deal of truth in them , and took up the bundle meekly .
about along at by like of on so than under