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Immediately Percinet stood beside her, having entered the cell as easily as if he carried the key in his pocket. "Behold me, princess, ready to serve you, even though you forsook me." He touched the skein with his wand, and it untangled itself, and wound itself up in perfect order. "Do you wish anything more, madam?" asked he coldly.
Then he gave three strokes of his wand upon the barrel, and all the feathers flew out in a cloud and settled down in neat little separate heaps all round the room. 'What should I do without you, Percinet? said Graciosa gratefully.
Graciosa tried patiently, but she could see no difference in the feathers; she threw them all back again into the basket, and began to weep bitterly. "Let me die," said she, "for death only will end my sorrows. Percinet loves me no longer; if he did, he would already have been here." "Here I am, my princess," cried a voice from under the basket; and the fairy-prince appeared.
'Very well, said Percinet, 'you shall see for yourself. So up they went together to the top of a very high tower, which, like the rest of the castle, was built entirely of rock-crystal.
At last she threw it into the middle of the floor, crying: 'Oh, Percinet! this fatal skein will be the death of me if you will not forgive me and help me once more. And immediately in came Percinet as easily as if he had all the keys in his own possession. 'Here I am, Princess, as much as ever at your service, said he, 'though really you are not very kind to me.
"Princess," said the page, bowing, "I am in no one's service but your own. I am Percinet, a prince in my own country, so that there is no inequality of rank between us. I have loved you long, and seen you often, for I have the fairy gift of making myself invisible.
'Percinet, if you can still care for such an imprudent Princess, do come and help me once more. Immediately Percinet stood before her. 'Ah, Princess! he said, 'but for the wicked Queen I fear you would never think of me at all. 'Indeed I should, said Graciosa; 'I am not so ungrateful as you think. Only wait a little and I believe I shall love you quite dearly.
'Ah, Princess! said the Queen, 'don't keep this poor Percinet in suspense any longer. You little guess the anxiety he has suffered while you were in the power of that miserable Queen.
Percinet advised her to pretend illness on account of the cruel treatment she was supposed to have received; which so delighted Grognon, that she got well all the sooner, and the marriage was celebrated with great splendour.
But, in spite of all he could say, she bade farewell to the Queen, his mother, and prepared to set out; so Percinet, very unwillingly, brought the little sledge with the stags and she mounted beside him.
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