When he had finished they shook their heads and said : ` Now you see that we spoke no idle words when we told you that ill would come of your marriage ! We offered you a good and hard-working wife , and you would have none of her . And it is not only your wife you have lost , but your fortune also . For who will give you back your money if they are all dead ? ' ` It is true , O my father , ' answered the young man . But in his heart he thought more of the loss of his wife than of the money he had given for her . The White Doe -LSB- From L'Etude Ethnographique sur les Baronga , par Henri Junod . -RSB- Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who loved each other dearly , and would have been perfectly happy if they had only had a little son or daughter to play with . They never talked about it , and always pretended that there was nothing in the world to wish for ; but , sometimes when they looked at other people 's children , their faces grew sad , and their courtiers and attendants knew the reason why . One day the queen was sitting alone by the side of a waterfall which sprung from some rocks in the large park adjoining the castle . She was feeling more than usually miserable , and had sent away her ladies so that no one might witness her grief . Suddenly she heard a rustling movement in the pool below the waterfall , and , on glancing up , she saw a large crab climbing on to a stone beside her . ` Great queen , ' said the crab , ' I am here to tell you that the desire of your heart will soon be granted . But first you must permit me to lead you to the palace of the fairies , which , though hard by , has never been seen by mortal eyes because of the thick clouds that surround it . When there you will know more ; that is , if you will trust yourself to me . ' The queen had never before heard an animal speak , and was struck dumb with surprise . However , she was so enchanted at the words of the crab that she smiled sweetly and held out her hand ; it was taken , not by the crab , which had stood there only a moment before , but by a little old woman smartly dressed in white and crimson with green ribbons in her grey hair . And , wonderful to say , not a drop of water fell from her clothes . The old woman ran lightly down a path along which the queen had been a hundred times before , but it seemed so different she could hardly believe it was the same . Instead of having to push her way through nettles and brambles , roses and jasmine hung about her head , while under her feet the ground was sweet with violets .
The orange trees were so tall and thick that , even at mid-day , the sun was never too hot , and at the end XXXXX the path was a glimmer of something so dazzling that the queen had to shade her eyes , and peep at it only between her fingers .
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