Fiordelisa clapped her hands and danced for joy
when she saw this triumph of magic art, and as soon as it was
evening, went to a shady garden-path down which she knew
Turritella would pass, and then she made the mice galop, and the
tiny people show off their tricks, and sure enough Turritella
came, and the moment she saw it all cried:
'Little kitchen-maid, little kitchen-maid, what will you take for
your mouse-carriage?'
And the Queen answered:
'Let me sleep once more in the Chamber of Echoes.'
'I won't refuse your request, poor creature,' said Turritella
condescendingly.
And then she turned to her ladies and whispered
'The silly creature does not know how to profit by her chances;
so much the better for me.'
When night came Fiordelisa said all the loving words she could
think of, but alas! with no better success than before, for the
King slept heavily after his draught. One of the pages said:
'This peasant girl must he crazy;' but another answered:
'Yet what she says sounds very sad and touching.'
As for Fiordelisa, she thought the King must have a very hard
heart if he could hear how she grieved and yet pay her no
attention. She had but one more chance, and on breaking the last
egg she found to her great delight that it contained a more
marvellous thing than ever.
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