第 五 章 · Riquet with the Tuft

. Riquet with the Tuft

Once upon a time there was a Queen who had a son so ugly and so

misshapen that it was long disputed whether he had human form. A fairy

who was at his birth said, however, that he would be very amiable for

all that, since he would have uncommon good sense. She even added that

it would be in his power, by virtue of a gift she had just then given

him, to bestow as much sense as he pleased on the person he loved the

best. All this somewhat comforted the poor Queen. It is true that this

child no sooner began to talk than he said a thousand pretty things, and

in all his actions there was an intelligence that was quite charming. I

forgot to tell you that he was born with a little tuft of hair upon his

head, which made them call him Riquet[1] with the Tuft, for Riquet was

the family name.

[Footnote 1: R[=e]k[=a].]

Seven or eight years later the Queen of a neighboring kingdom had two

daughters who were twins. The first born of these was more beautiful

than the day; whereat the Queen was so very glad that those present were

afraid that her excess of joy would do her harm. The same fairy who was

present at the birth of little Riquet with the Tuft was here also, and,

to moderate the Queen's gladness, she declared that this little Princess

should have no sense at all, but should be as stupid as she was pretty.

This mortified the Queen extremely; but afterward she had a far greater

sorrow, for the second daughter proved to be very ugly.

"Do not afflict yourself so much, madam," said the fairy. "Your daughter

shall have her recompense; she shall have so great a portion of sense

that the want of beauty will hardly be perceived."

"God grant it," replied the Queen; "but is there no way to make the

eldest, who is so pretty, have any sense?"

"I can do nothing for her, madam, as to sense," answered the fairy, "but

everything as to beauty; and as there is nothing I would not do for your

satisfaction, I give her for gift that she shall have power to make

handsome the person who shall best please her."

As these princesses grew up, their perfections grew with them. All the

public talk was of the beauty of the elder and the rare good sense of

the younger. It is true also that their defects increased considerably

with their age. The younger visibly grew uglier and uglier, and the

elder became every day more and more stupid: she either made no answer

at all to what was asked her, or said something very silly. She was with

all this so unhandy that she could not place four pieces of china upon

the mantelpiece without breaking one of them, nor drink a glass of water

without spilling half of it upon her clothes.

Although beauty is a very great advantage in young people, the younger

sister was always the more preferred in society. People would indeed go

first to the Beauty to look upon and admire her, but turn aside soon

after to the Wit to hear a thousand most entertaining and agreeable

things; and it was amazing to see, in less than a quarter of an hour's

time, the elder with not a soul near her, and the whole company crowding

about the younger. The elder, dull as she was, could not fail to notice

this; and without the slightest regret would have given all her beauty

to have half her sister's wit. The Queen, prudent as she was, could not

help reproaching her several times for her stupidity, which almost made

the poor Princess die of grief.

One day, as she had hidden herself in a wood to bewail her misfortune,

she saw coming to her a very disagreeable little man, but most

magnificently dressed. This was the young Prince Riquet with the Tuft,

who having fallen in love with her upon seeing her picture,--many of

which were distributed all the world over,--had left his father's

kingdom to have the pleasure of seeing and talking with her. Overjoyed

to find her thus alone, he addressed himself to her with all imaginable

politeness and respect. Having observed, after he had paid her the

ordinary compliments, that she was extremely melancholy, he said to

her:--

"I cannot comprehend, madam, how a person so beautiful as you are can be

so sorrowful as you seem to be; for though I can boast of having seen a

great number of exquisitely charming ladies, I can say that I never

beheld any one whose beauty approaches yours."

"You are pleased to say so," answered the Princess, and here she

stopped.

"Beauty," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "is such a great advantage, that

it ought to take place of all things besides; and since you possess this

treasure, I can see nothing that can possibly very much afflict you."

"I had far rather," cried the Princess, "be as ugly as you are, and have

sense, than have the beauty I possess, and be as stupid as I am."

"There is nothing, madam," returned he, "shows more that we have good

sense than to believe we have none; and it is the nature of that

excellent quality that the more people have of it, the more they believe

they want it."

"I do not know that," said the Princess; "but I know very well that I

am very senseless, and that vexes me mightily."

"If that be all which troubles you, madam, I can very easily put an end

to your affliction."

"And how will you do that?" cried the Princess.

"I have the power, madam," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "to give to

that person whom I love best as much good sense as can be had; and as

you, madam, are that very person, it will be your fault only if you have

not as great a share of it as any one living, provided you will be

pleased to marry me."

The Princess was quite confused, and answered not a word.

"I see," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "that this proposal does not

please you, and I do not wonder at it; but I will give you a whole year

to consider it."

The Princess had so little sense and, at the same time, so great a

longing to have some, that she imagined the end of that year would never

come, so she accepted the proposal which was made her.

She had no sooner promised Riquet with the Tuft that she would marry him

on that day twelvemonth than she found herself quite otherwise than she

was before: she had an incredible faculty of speaking whatever she had

in her mind in a polite, easy, and natural manner.

She began that moment a very gallant conversation with Riquet with the

Tuft, which she kept up at such a rate that Riquet with the Tuft

believed he had given her more sense than he had reserved for himself.

When she returned to the palace, the whole court knew not what to think

of such a sudden and extraordinary change; for they heard from her now

as much sensible discourse and as many infinitely witty phrases as they

had heard stupid and silly impertinences before. The whole court was

overjoyed beyond imagination at it. It pleased all but her younger

sister, because, having no longer the advantage of her in respect of

wit, she appeared in comparison with her a very disagreeable, homely

girl.

The King governed himself by her advice, and would even sometimes hold a

council in her apartment. The news of this change in the Princess spread

everywhere; the young princes of the neighboring kingdoms strove all

they could to gain her favor, and almost all of them asked her in

marriage; but she found not one of them had sense enough for her. She

gave them all a hearing, but would not engage herself to any.

However, there came one so powerful, so rich, so witty, and so handsome

that she could not help feeling a strong inclination toward him. Her

father perceived it, and told her that she was her own mistress as to

the choice of a husband, and that she might declare her intentions. She

thanked her father, and desired him to give her time to consider it.

She went by chance to walk in the same wood where she met Riquet with

the Tuft, the more conveniently to think what she ought to do. While she

was walking in a profound meditation, she heard a confused noise under

her feet, as it were of a great many people busily running backward and

forward. Listening more attentively, she heard one say:--

"Bring me that pot," another, "Give me that kettle," and a third, "Put

some wood upon the fire."

The ground at the same time opened, and she saw under her feet a great

kitchen full of cooks, kitchen helps, and all sorts of officers

necessary for a magnificent entertainment. There came out of it a

company of cooks, to the number of twenty or thirty, who went to plant

themselves about a very long table set up in the forest, with their

larding pins in their hands and fox tails in their caps, and began to

work, keeping time to a very harmonious tune.

The Princess, all astonished at this sight, asked them for whom they

worked.

"For Prince Riquet with the Tuft," said the chief of them, "who is to be

married to-morrow."

The Princess, more surprised than ever, and recollecting all at once

that it was now that day twelvemonth on which she had promised to marry

the Prince Riquet with the Tuft, was ready to sink into the ground.

What made her forget this was that when she made this promise, she was

very silly; and having obtained that vast stock of sense which the

prince had bestowed upon her, she had entirely forgotten the things she

had done in the days of her stupidity. She continued her walk, but had

not taken thirty steps before Riquet with the Tuft presented himself to

her, gallant and most magnificently dressed, like a prince who was going

to be married.

"You see, madam," said he, "I am exact in keeping my word, and doubt not

in the least but you are come hither to perform your promise."

"I frankly confess," answered the Princess, "that I have not yet come to

a decision in this matter, and I believe I never shall be able to arrive

at such a one as you desire."

"You astonish me, madam," said Riquet with the Tuft.

"I can well believe it," said the Princess; "and surely if I had to do

with a clown, or a man of no sense, I should find myself very much at a

loss. 'A princess always keeps her word,' he would say to me, 'and you

must marry me, since you promised to do so.' But as he to whom I talk

is the one man in the world who is master of the greatest sense and

judgment, I am sure he will hear reason. You know that when I was but a

fool I could scarcely make up my mind to marry you; why will you have

me, now I have so much judgment as you gave me, come to such a decision

which I could not then make up my mind to agree to? If you sincerely

thought to make me your wife, you have been greatly in the wrong to

deprive me of my dull simplicity, and make me see things much more

clearly than I did."

"If a man of no wit and sense," replied Riquet with the Tuft, "would be

well received, as you say, in reproaching you for breach of your word,

why will you not let me, madam, have the same usage in a matter wherein

all the happiness of my life is concerned? Is it reasonable that persons

of wit and sense should be in a worse condition than those who have

none? Can you pretend this, you who have so great a share, and desired

so earnestly to have it? But let us come to the fact, if you please.

Putting aside my ugliness and deformity, is there anything in me which

displeased you? Are you dissatisfied with my birth, my wit, my humor, or

my manners?"

"Not at all," answered the Princess; "I love you and respect you in all

that you mention."

[Illustration: "I AM EXACT IN KEEPING MY WORD." p. 61.]

"If it be so," said Riquet with the Tuft, "I am happy, since it is in

your power to make me the most amiable of men."

"How can that be?" said the Princess.

"It is done," said Riquet with the Tuft, "if you love me enough to wish

it was so; and that you may no ways doubt, madam, of what I say, know

that the same fairy who on my birthday gave me for gift the power of

making the person who should please me witty and judicious, has in like

manner given you for gift the power of making him whom you love and to

whom you would grant the favor, to be extremely handsome."

"If it be so," said the Princess, "I wish with all my heart that you may

be the most lovable prince in the world, and I bestow my gift on you as

much as I am able."

The Princess had no sooner pronounced these words than Riquet with the

Tuft appeared to her the finest prince upon earth, the handsomest and

most amiable man she ever saw. Some affirm that it was not the fairy's

charms, but love alone, which worked the change.

They say that the Princess, having made due reflection on the

perseverance of her lover, his discretion, and all the good qualities of

his mind, his wit and judgment, saw no longer the deformity of his body,

nor the ugliness of his face; that his hump seemed to her no more than

the grand air of one having a broad back, and that whereas till then

she saw him limp horribly, she now found it nothing more than a certain

sidling air, which charmed her.

They say further that his eyes, which were squinted very much, seemed to

her most bright and sparkling, that their irregularity passed in her

judgment for a mark of the warmth of his affection, and, in short, that

his great red nose was, in her opinion, somewhat martial and heroic in

character.

However it was, the Princess promised immediately to marry him, on

condition that he obtained the King's consent. The King, knowing that

his daughter highly esteemed Riquet with the Tuft, whom he knew also for

a most sage and judicious prince, received him for his son-in-law with

pleasure, and the next morning their nuptials were celebrated, as Riquet

with the Tuft had foreseen, and according to the orders he had given a

long time before.