When she had been dressed by the four-and-twenty maidens in a charming robe which the Queen had sent for her , and in which she looked prettier than ever , Prince Percinet came to see her , and was bitterly disappointed when she told him what she had been thinking . He begged her to consider again how unhappy the wicked Queen would make her , and how , if she would but marry him , all the fairy palace would be hers , and his one thought would be to please her . But , in spite of everything he could say , the Princess was quite determined to go back , though he at last persuaded her to stay eight days , which were so full of pleasure and amusement that they passed like a few hours . On the last day , Graciosa , who had often felt anxious to know what was going on in her father 's palace , said to Percinet that she was sure that he could find out for her , if he would , what reason the Queen had given her father for her sudden disappearance . Percinet at first offered to send his courier to find out , but the Princess said : ` Oh ! is n't there a quicker way of knowing than that ? ' ` Very well , ' said Percinet , ` you shall see for yourself . ' So up they went together to the top of a very high tower , which , like the rest of the castle , was built entirely of rock-crystal . There the Prince held Graciosa 's hand in his , and made her put the tip of her little finger into her mouth , and look towards the town , and immediately she saw the wicked Queen go to the King , and heard her say to him , ` That miserable Princess is dead , and no great loss either . I have ordered that she shall be buried at once . ' And then the Princess saw how she dressed up a log of wood and had it buried , and how the old King cried , and all the people murmured that the Queen had killed Graciosa with her cruelties , and that she ought to have her head cut off . When the Princess saw that the King was so sorry for her pretended death that he could neither eat nor drink , she cried : ` Ah , Percinet ! take me back quickly if you love me . ' And so , though he did not want to at all , he was obliged to promise that he would let her go . ` You may not regret me , Princess , ' he said sadly , ` for I fear that you do not love me well enough ; but I foresee that you will more than once regret that you left this fairy palace where we have been so happy . ' But , in spite of all he could say , she bade farewell to the Queen , his mother , and prepared to set out ; so Percinet , very unwillingly , brought the little sledge with the stags and she mounted beside him . But they had hardly gone twenty yards when a tremendous noise behind her made Graciosa look back , and she saw the palace of crystal fly into a million splinters , like the spray of a fountain , and vanish . ` Oh , Percinet ! ' she cried , ` what has happened ? The palace is gone . '
` Yes , ' he answered , ` my palace is a thing XXXXX the past ; you will see it again , but not until after you have been buried . '
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