`` Sire , '' she said , `` I am not come to deprive you of the throne you fill so worthily . I have already six kingdoms , permit me to bestow one upon you , and upon each of your sons . I ask nothing but your friendship , and your consent to my marriage with your youngest son ; we shall still have three kingdoms left for ourselves . '' The King and all the courtiers could not conceal their joy and astonishment , and the marriage of the three Princes was celebrated at once . The festivities lasted several months , and then each king and queen departed to their own kingdom and lived happily ever after . -LRB- 1 -RRB- -LRB- 1 -RRB- La Chatte blanche . Par Madame la Comtesse d'Aulnoy . THE WATER-LILY . THE GOLD-SPINNERS Once upon a time , in a large forest , there lived an old woman and three maidens . They were all three beautiful , but the youngest was the fairest . Their hut was quite hidden by trees , and none saw their beauty but the sun by day , and the moon by night , and the eyes of the stars . The old woman kept the girls hard at work , from morning till night , spinning gold flax into yarn , and when one distaff was empty another was given them , so they had no rest . The thread had to be fine and even , and when done was locked up in a secret chamber by the old woman , who twice or thrice every summer went a journey . Before she went she gave out work for each day of her absence , and always returned in the night , so that the girls never saw what she brought back with her , neither would she tell them whence the gold flax came , nor what it was to be used for . Now , when the time came round for the old woman to set out on one of these journeys , she gave each maiden work for six days , with the usual warning : `` Children , do n't let your eyes wander , and on no account speak to a man , for , if you do , your thread will lose its brightness , and misfortunes of all kinds will follow . '' They laughed at this oft-repeated caution , saying to each other : `` How can our gold thread lose its brightness , and have we any chance of speaking to a man ? '' On the third day after the old woman 's departure a young prince , hunting in the forest , got separated from his companions , and completely lost . Weary of seeking his way , he flung himself down under a tree , leaving his horse to browse at will , and fell asleep . The sun had set when he awoke and began once more to try and find his way out of the forest . At last he perceived a narrow foot-path , which he eagerly followed and found that it led him to a small hut .
The maidens , who were sitting at the door of their hut for coolness , saw him approaching , and the two elder were much alarmed , XXXXX they remembered the old woman 's warning ; but the youngest said : `` Never before have I seen anyone like him ; let me have one look . ''
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