The Grey Fairy Book | Page 8

beauty is required. To tell the truth,
sire,' he added, ‘her expression seems to me hard.'
‘That is pride and dignity,' said the king, ‘and nothing can be more
becoming.'
‘Pride or hardness, as you will,' said the equerry; ‘but to my mind the
choice of so many fierce creatures for her amusements seems to tell of
a fierce nature, and I also think there is something suspicious in the

care taken to prevent her speaking.'
The equerry's remarks were full of good sense; but as opposition is only
apt to increase love in the hearts of men, and especially of kings who
hate being contradicted, this king begged, the very next day, for the
hand of the Princess Mutinosa. It was granted him on two conditions.
The first was that the wedding should take place the very next day; and
the second, that he should not speak to the princess till she was his wife;
to all of which the king agreed, in spite of his equerry's objections, so
that the first word he heard his bride utter was the ‘Yes' she spoke at
their marriage.
Once married, however, she no longer placed any check on herself, and
her ladies-in-waiting came in for plenty of rude speeches---- even the
king did not escape scolding; but as he was a good- tempered man, and
very much in love, he bore it patiently. A few days after the wedding
the newly married pair set out for their kingdom without leaving many
regrets behind.
The good equerry's fears proved only too true, as the king found out to
his cost. The young queen made her self most disagreeable to all her
court, her spite and bad temper knew no bounds, and before the end of
a month she was known far and wide as a regular vixen.
One day, when riding out, she met a poor old woman walking along the
road, who made a curtsy and was going on, when the queen had her
stopped, and cried: ‘You are a very impertinent person; don't you know
that I am the queen? And how dare you not make me a deeper curtsy?'
‘Madam,' said the old woman, ‘I have never learnt how to measure
curtsies; but I had no wish to fail in proper respect.'
‘What!' screamed the queen; ‘she dares to answer! Tie her to my horse's
tail and I'll just carry her at once to the best dancing- master in the town
to learn how to curtsy.'
The old woman shrieked for mercy, but the queen would not listen, and
only mocked when she said she was protected by the fairies. At last the
poor old thing submitted to be tied up, but when the queen urged her
horse on he never stirred. In vain she spurred him, he seemed turned to
bronze. At the same moment the cord with which the old woman was
tied changed into wreaths of flowers, and she herself into a tall and
stately lady.
Looking disdainfully at the queen, she said, ‘Bad woman, unworthy of

your crown; I wished to judge for myself whether all I heard of you
was true. I have now no doubt of it, and you shall see whether the
fairies are to be laughed at.'
So saying the fairy Placida (that was her name) blew a little gold
whistle, and a chariot appeared drawn by six splendid ostriches. In it
was seated the fairy queen, escorted by a dozen other fairies mounted
on dragons.
All having dismounted, Placida told her adventures, and the fairy queen
approved all she had done, and proposed turning Mutinosa into bronze
like her horse.
Placida, however, who was very kind and gentle, begged for a milder
sentence, and at last it was settled that Mutinosa should become her
slave for life unless she should have a child to take her place.
The king was told of his wife's fate and submitted to it, which, as he
could do nothing to help it, was the only course open to him.
The fairies then all dispersed, Placida taking her slave with her, and on
reaching her palace she said: ‘You ought by rights to be scullion, but as
you have been delicately brought up the change might be too great for
you. I shall therefore only order you to sweep my rooms carefully, and
to wash and comb my little dog.'
Mutinosa felt there was no use in disobeying, so she did as she was bid
and said nothing.
After some time she gave birth to a most lovely little girl, and when she
was well again the fairy gave her a good lecture on her past life, made
her promise to behave better in future, and sent her back to the king,
her husband.
Placida now gave