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Cutting off her head was much too easy a death for her; hanging was so common in his Majesty's dominions that it no longer afforded him any sport; finally, he bethought himself of a pair of fierce lions which had lately been sent to him as presents, and he determined, with these ferocious brutes, to hunt poor Rosalba down.
In like manner, when CAVOLFIORE, King of Crim Tartary, had a christening of his only child, ROSALBA, the Fairy Blackstick, who had been invited, was not more gracious than in Prince Giglio's case. When she was gone, the Court people, who had been awed and silent in her presence, began to speak.
The King was thinking of throwing the ring away, as it was so dangerous and made all the people so mad about Rosalba; but being a Prince of great humour, and good humour too, he cast eyes upon a poor youth who happened to be looking on very disconsolately, and said 'Bulbo, my poor lad! come and try on this ring. The Princess Rosalba makes it a present to you.
So the marriage party drove up to the palace: the dignitaries got out of their carriages and stood aside: poor Rosalba stepped out of her coach, supported by Bulbo, and stood almost fainting up against the railings so as to have a last look of her dear Giglio.
He remained standing, and looked at the room which he had prepared so that she would not find herself lost in it. Panels of old print cloth, with figures of Comedy, gave to the walls the sadness of past gayeties. He had placed in a corner a dim pastel which they had seen together at an antiquary's, and which, for its shadowy grace, she called the shade of Rosalba.
Whip, whack, flog, starve, rack, punish, torture Bulbo break all his bones roast him or flay him alive pull all his pretty teeth out one by one! But justly dear as Bulbo is to me, joy of my eyes, fond treasure of my soul! Ha, ha, ha, ha! revenge is dearer still. Ho! tortures, rack-men, executioners light up the fires and make the pincers hot! get lots of boiling lead! Bring out ROSALBA!"
Bulbo was embracing everybody; the Lord Chancellor was flinging up his wig and shouting like a madman; Hedzoff had got the Archbishop round the waist, and they were dancing a jig for joy; and as for Giglio, I leave you to imagine what HE was doing, and if he kissed Rosalba once, twice twenty thousand times, I'm sure I don't think he was wrong.
'What can have induced that hideous old Gruffanuff to dress herself up in such an absurd way? Did you ask her to be your bridesmaid, my dear? says Giglio to Rosalba. 'What a figure of fun Gruffy is!
'Last Tuesday week Baron Spinachi and a number of gentlemen, attached to the former dynasty, appeared in arms, crying, "God save Rosalba, the first Queen of Crim Tartary!" and surrounding a lady whom report describes as "BEAUTIFUL EXCEEDINGLY." Her history MAY be authentic, is certainly most romantic.
She exhorted him to deal justly by his subjects, to draw mildly on the taxes, never to break his promise when he had once given it and in all respects to be a good King. "A good King, my dear Fairy!" cries Rosalba. "Of course he will. Break his promise! can you fancy my Giglio would ever do anything so improper, so unlike him? No! never!"
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