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 of 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 . ` What can it be ? ' she asked , turning to her guide ; who answered : ` Oh , that is the fairies ' palace , and here are some of them coming to meet us . ' As she spoke the gates swung back and six fairies approached , each bearing in her hand a flower made of precious stones , but so like a real one that it was only by touching you could tell the difference . ` Madam , ' they said , ` we know not how to thank you for this mark of your confidence , but have the happiness to tell you that in a short time you will have a little daughter . '
The queen was so enchanted at this news that she nearly fainted with joy ; but when she was able to speak , she poured out all her gratitude to the fairies XXXXX their promised gift .
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