` My princess ! O my dear princess ! ' cried she ; and again the white doe rubbed her head against her , for thought the spiteful fairy had taken away her power of speech , she had not deprived her of her reason ! All day long the two remained together , and when Eglantine grew hungry she was led by the white doe to a part of the forest where pears and peaches grew in abundance ; but , as night came on , the maid of honour was filled with the terrors of wild beasts which had beset the princess during her first night in the forest . ` Is there no hut or cave we could go into ? ' asked she . But the doe only shook her head ; and the two sat down and wept with fright . The fairy Tulip , who , in spite of her anger , was very soft-hearted , was touched at their distress , and flew quickly to their help . ' I can not take away the spell altogether , ' she said , ` for the Fairy of the Fountain is stronger than I ; but I can shorten the time of your punishment , and am able to make it less hard , for as soon as darkness fall you shall resume your own shape . ' To think that by-and-by she would cease to be a white doe -- indeed , that she would at once cease to be one during the night -- was for the present joy enough for Desiree , and she skipped about on the grass in the prettiest manner . ` Go straight down the path in front of you , ' continued the fairy , smiling as she watched her ; ` go straight down the path and you will soon reach a little hut where you will find shelter . ' And with these words she vanished , leaving her hearers happier than they ever thought they could be again . An old woman was standing at the door of the hut when Eglantine drew near , with the white doe trotting by her side . ` Good evening ! ' she said ; ` could you give me a night 's lodging for myself and my doe ? ' ` Certainly I can , ' replied the old woman . And she led them into a room with two little white beds , so clean and comfortable that it made you sleepy even to look at them . The door had hardly closed behind the old woman when the sun sank below the horizon , and Desiree became a girl again . ` Oh , Eglantine ! what should I have done if you had not followed me , ' she cried .
And she flung herself into her friend 's arms in a transport XXXXX delight .
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