Page 89 - Child's own book

the treaty, and, by wording it in the terms his daughter dictated
to him, he in his turn deceived the deceiver. The princess gave,
on several other occasions* such marks of her penetration, and
fine genius, that the people gave her the surname of Finetfca.
The king loved her far above his other daughters, and depended
so much upon her good sense* that if lie had had no other child
but her, he would have begun his journey to join the crusaders
with no manner of uneasiness; but lie much distrusted the
conduct of his other daughters.
The king heing very intimate with a powerful fairy, ac­
quainted her with the uneasiness he was in about his daughters.
As the fairy was one of the most expert, she gave the prince
three enchanted distaffs of glass* which were sure to break if
either of the princesses did anything wrong; but he was not
content with this precaution. He put the princesses into a
tower vastly high, and which stood in a very solitary and
desert place,, and the king
charged them not to admit
into it any person whatso­
ever. He took from them
all theiT officers and servants,
and after having presented
them with the enchanted
diatafla, the qualities of
which he told them* he
kissed the princesses, locked
the doors of the tower* of
which he took himself the keys, and departed- To prevent
them from perishing with hunger., cane was taken to fix a
pulley to one of the windows of the tow er: there ran a rope
through it* to which the princesses tied a basket, which they
let down daily for provisions. Drona and Pratilia led such a