Page 75 - The Green Beaubird

grew cold with terror; but before he could
speak the talking bird began and said: 'O
sacred majesty! these are the three children
you longed for, your children who bear the
star on their fore heads; and their innocent
mother, is she not to this day kept a prisoner
under the filthy scullery?' Then the king saw
clearly how he had been tricked, and gave

order that the unhappy Chiaretta should be
taken out of her noisome prison and. robed
once more in her royal garments. As soon as
this had been done, she was brought into the
presence of the king and of his court; and
though she had for so long time suffered such
cruel usage, she retained all her former

loveliness. Then the talking bird related the
strange history from beginning to end, and the
king, when he knew it all, embraced tenderly
Chiaretta and their three children; but the
dancing water and the singing apple and the
talking bird, having been set at liberty,
disappeared straightway.
The next day the king commanded to be
lighted in the centre of the market a huge fire,

into which he caused to be thrown, without
pity, his mother and the two sisters of Chia-
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