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 Ultimate Azure IaaS
for Infrastructure
Management

Unleash Azure’s Compute, Storage and Network

Components to Architect and Secure
Your Cloud Infrastructure

Dean Cefola

www.orangeava.com
Copyright © 2024 Orange Education Pvt Ltd, AVA™

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
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Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the
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Neither the author nor Orange Education Pvt Ltd or its dealers and
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First published: May 2024

Published by: Orange Education Pvt Ltd, AVA™

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 Dedicated To

All of You Who Have Supported the Azure Academy

Those Who Work to Change the World for the Better

Through It

and

Those Who Want to Keep Learning New Skills

to Improve Their Lives

You are Amazing…Happy Learning!

 About the Author

Dean Cefola brings over 25 years of IT experience to his role as a

Principal Cloud Engineer for Azure at Microsoft. Beyond his work at
Microsoft, he is heavily involved in The Azure Academy, serving as
owner, presenter, trainer, and consultant.

Cefola's career path in IT has been extensive. He began at the helpdesk,

progressing to client and device administration using industry tools like
SMS and System Center Configuration Manager. His experience
expanded into datacenter operations, where he honed his skills in server
administration and later transitioned to VMware administration. This foray
into virtualization sparked his interest in automation, leading him to
explore PowerShell and System Center Orchestrator.

The diverse skillset Cefola acquired laid a strong foundation for his future
endeavors. He leveraged his knowledge to build private cloud
environments, ultimately culminating in his current role at Microsoft,
where he focuses on Azure cloud solutions.

The Azure Academy serves as Cefola's way of giving back to the IT

community. Early in his career, learning resources were limited primarily
to books and expensive training courses. With the internet still in its early
stages and platforms like YouTube non-existent, learning options were
restricted. As someone who preferred a more hands-on learning approach,
Cefola found traditional methods like reading to be less than ideal.
Additionally, the high cost of formal training, often not covered by
employers, presented a financial hurdle.
The Azure Academy was established with the goal of providing a solution
to the learning difficulties Cefola himself encountered. The platform
offers engaging, entertaining, and educational videos designed to
empower individuals with the necessary skills to excel in the cloud
computing domain.
 About the Technical Reviewer

Anthony de Lagarde has 26 years of experience in designing and

engineering enterprise applications, deployed both on-premises and in the
public cloud. His professional experience covers both Open Source and
Microsoft technologies, with a current primary focus on the Azure
platform. Anthony has worked across various industries, including
Financial Services, Healthcare, State and Local Government, and Federal
Government. He has led numerous engineering projects, bringing new
global capabilities onto the Azure Platform.

Currently, Anthony works as a Principal Engineer within Azure CXP,

where he helps customers with their onboarding process by leading them
through design and deployment sessions for their enterprise solutions. He
works as a bridge between the field and various Azure Product
Engineering teams, providing direct feedback to improve Microsoft Cloud
platform capabilities.
 Acknowledgements

This book represents a culmination of lifelong learning. While my name

appears on the cover, countless others have provided invaluable support
and encouragement along the way.

First and foremost, I am grateful to God for the gift of life and the abilities
that allowed me to write this book and empower others in their careers.

To my wife and son, your unwavering love and efforts to keep me focused
have been my constant source of strength. This achievement wouldn't be
possible without you.

Special thanks to my daughter, Ruth, a published author in her own right.

Your success served as a powerful inspiration, urging me to take on this
writing challenge.

My deepest gratitude extends to the wider Azure community and the

dedicated viewers of The Azure Academy over the years. Your ongoing
support and the constant push to learn more every week fueled my drive to
complete this book.

Happy learning!
 Preface

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Azure. This book
covers many different aspects of the Azure Cloud from its humble
beginnings to a platform that has changed the world. We will equip you
with a foundational understanding of key cloud topics and concepts. The
journey doesn't end here – numerous resources are provided to fuel your
continued exploration of the cloud.

While the core focus lies on Azure, the book acknowledges the
importance of web scraping in the realm of real-time industry data. It
emphasizes the significance of data for various sectors and lays a
foundation for understanding web scraping and crawling within the data
landscape. The book also highlights the value of learning Python,
providing a refresher on its basic concepts and showcasing its usefulness
in web scraping tasks.

This book mirrors the author's own approach to learning the cloud over a
decade ago – a process that continues to this day. It emphasizes the
dynamic nature of technology, encouraging readers to adopt a lifelong
learning mindset. It acknowledges that complete mastery might not be
achievable, but the pursuit of passion and continuous learning are key.
Remember to take breaks and assess your progress along the way.

This book is divided into 10 chapters. It covers the beginnings of the

cloud, tiers of cloud services encompassing compute, network, and
storage. It further explains how these services partner with identity,
security, monitoring and automation to offer a well-rounded view of the
cloud. This knowledge will enable you to architect solutions and get the
most out of Azure on a daily basis.

Chapter 1. Introduction to Azure IaaS: This chapter serves as an

introduction to what Cloud Computing is at a high level, where
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) fits into the cloud paradigm along with
the other cloud services. It concludes by examining both the benefits and
challenges of Azure IaaS.

Chapter 2. Getting Started with Azure This chapter covers the Azure
Cloud hierarchy and governance. It also explores how to control and
manage the cloud, create high availability, best practices and management
services.

Chapter 3. Azure IaaS Compute Services: This chapter dives into the
Azure Compute Services stack. It explains Azure Marketplace, deploying
your first VM along with various configurations available. It also delves
into image management, VM Sizes and how Compute services tie into the
rest of Azure.

Chapter 4. Azure IaaS Storage This chapter focuses on Storage Services. It

explains how Microsoft protects your data from being lost, how VM disks
and images work, and what storage accounts are. It concludes with the
safety services of Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.

Chapter 5. Azure IaaS Networking Services: Networking is the foundation

of a well-designed cloud. So, this chapter delves into virtual networking
and its supporting services of DNS, network security, management and
connection services.
Chapter 6. Azure IaaS Monitoring: Once you build everything in the
cloud, we need to monitor it to be sure everything is working as expected.
This chapter dives into the world of Azure IaaS monitoring, guiding you
through the process of collecting data from your cloud resources.

Chapter 7. Azure IaaS Optimization: This chapter covers the optimization

services. This is where we get the most out of our cloud resources as well
as make the configuration changes so they can run most efficiently. And
we are not alone here, we are guided by Azure services and best practices
from millions of customers' experiences.

Chapter 8. Azure IaaS Automation: This chapter goes beyond simple

scripting to introduce you to a comprehensive approach to cloud
automation. Here, we will explore how to leverage services, policies, and
compliance measures to build and manage your infrastructure as code.

Chapter 9. Azure IaaS Designing Solutions: With our strong foundation

built we can start talking about putting it all together. This chapter focuses
on design principles, best practices and responsible engineering concepts
to understand official Azure architecture examples as well as create our
own.

Chapter 10. Azure IaaS Let’s wrap things up as this chapter provides some
resources for you to continue your learning.
 Downloading the code
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Please follow the link or scan the QR code to download the

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The code bundles and images of the book are also hosted on
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 In case there’s an update to the code, it will be updated on the existing
GitHub repository.

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 Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Azure IaaS

Introduction
Structure
Brief History of the Cloud
On-Premises
IaaS
PaaS
SaaS
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers

2. Getting Started with Azure IaaS

Introduction
Structure
Azure Hierarchy
Entra ID
Permissions
Azure Policies
Regions and Zones
Naming Standards
Cost Management
Defender for Cloud
Azure Monitor
Azure Advisor
Management Groups
Subscriptions
Azure Resource Groups

Azure Resources
Azure Resource Manager
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
Further Reading

3. Azure IaaS Compute Services

Introduction
Structure
Azure Marketplace
Deploying your First VM
Availability Options
Availability Sets
Availability Zones
Security Options
Standard
Trusted Launch
Confidential Virtual Machines
Image Selection
Spot Discounts
VM Sizes
VM Credentials
Inbound Port Rules
Licensing
Basics Recap
VM Disks
Disk Encryption
Data Disks
Advanced Disk Options

Disks Recap
Networking
Virtual Networks
Public IP Addresses
Network Security Groups
Advanced Networking Options
Networking Recap
Management
Managed Identity
Azure AD Login
Auto-Shutdown
Backup
Disaster Recovery
Guest OS Updates
Management Recap
Monitoring
Alerts
Diagnostics
Monitoring Recap
Advanced
Extensions
VM Applications
Custom Data
User Data
Performance (NVMe)
Dedicated Hosts
Capacity Reservations
Proximity Placement Groups
Advanced Recap
Tags
Review + Create
Accessing Your VMs
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
Further Reading

4. Azure IaaS Storage Services

Introduction
Structure
Azure Redundancy
Paired Regions
VM Images
Capturing Images
Replicating Images
Updating Images
VM Disks
VM Disk Types
VM Disk Size
VM Disk Performance and Cost
VM Disk Snapshots
VM Disk Encryption
Special VM Disks
Azure Storage Accounts
Backup for IaaS Storage
Disaster Recovery for IaaS Storage
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
Further Reading

5. Azure IaaS Networking Services

Introduction
Structure
Virtual Networks
Address Spaces
Subnetting
Peering
DNS Servers
Private DNS Zones
Private Resolver
Private Endpoints
Network Security
Virtual Network Manager
Connections
Best Practices
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
Further Reading

6. Azure IaaS Monitoring

Introduction
Structure
Monitoring Services
Need to Monitor
Azure Monitoring
Data Sources
Set Up Monitoring
Data Platform
Data Consumption
Data Export
Diagnostics
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
Further Reading

7. Azure IaaS Optimization

Introduction
Structure
Optimization Services
Azure Advisor Recommendations
Cost Management
Budgets
Cost Alerts and Rules
Defender for Cloud
Secure Score
Security Explorer
Workload Protections
Network Watcher
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
Further Reading

8. Azure IaaS Automation

Introduction
Structure
Azure Policy
Policy Definitions
Policy Initiatives
Compliance
Remediation Task
ARM Templates
Parameters
Variables
Resources
Bicep
Start Writing Bicep
Deploying IaC
Scripting
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers
References

9. Azure IaaS Designing Solutions

Introduction
Structure
Design Principles
Best Practices
Responsible Engineering
Conclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Answers

10. Azure IaaS Epilogue

The Conclusion of IaaS
Index
 CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Azure IaaS

Introduction

Welcome to a journey through the Azure IaaS world! There is a lot of

ground to be covered but we would do well to focus on one thought — to
take our learning to its logical conclusion, we need to think about SMART
goals. SMART goals are specific, measured, assignable, realistic, and
timed. This is the best way to apply what you learn so that you can get
what you need out of it and continue to learn and grow. We will come
back to SMART goals at the end of each chapter to help you out.

Azure infrastructure is usually the traditional IT person’s first area of

cloud adoption. This is because we find many similarities between cloud
infrastructure and on premises infrastructure. In this chapter, you will be
eased into this very deep topic by building on the foundation of traditional
IT skills. This will help you understand the benefits and challenges of the
ever-evolving world of the Azure cloud.
Structure

In this chapter, we will discuss the following topics:

Brief History of the Cloud

Cloud Layers, On-premises, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS

Benefits and Challenges of Azure IaaS

Brief History of the Cloud

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet,

or more specifically computing that happens in a third party’s data center
that you consume as a service over a remote connection. The cloud has
been around for a long time depending on your definition. Google search
is a type of cloud and so is your online email. Each provides a computing
service that happens out there in some data center, somewhere on the
planet that you do not manage or control but is a computing service you
consume. That is the essence of the cloud.

The cloud offers many benefits, such as faster innovation, scalability,

flexibility, reliability, productivity, and cost-efficiency. The fact that you
do not have to build or manage any of the underlying infrastructure, you
can just deploy 10,000 VMs 40,000 databases with 200,000 containers
across 8,000 networks across five geographies at the same time, right now
is the kind of scale and innovation to your processes you can start to think
about with the cloud. This should change your emphasis from manual
efforts on a single system to considering the possibilities of managing
thousands of resources through automation and scalable solutions, which
mean increased productivity and reliability. All of this comes down,
ultimately, to cost. This is where the cloud outshines on premise or other
types of hosted solutions because you only pay for what you use, and the
underlying hardware is not your problem. If a host breaks, Microsoft must
fix it and your VMs simply move to another host and keep on working.
All cloud computing services are not the same. There are different types of
cloud computing models that provide different levels of control,
responsibility, and abstraction to the users. The three major types of cloud
computing environments are public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid
cloud. Microsoft Azure is public cloud, as well as national and top-secret
cloud, to support the varying needs of governments. For further reading
please visit the following links: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-
us/blog/azure-government-top-secret-now-generally-available-for-us-
national-security-missions/

It is a commercially available public service that anyone can create an

account on and create resources to meet their needs. Your own data
centers, in a way, are private cloud.

The resources and infrastructure are exclusively yours and you must
maintain them and can use them how you like. The hybrid cloud combines
the public and private clouds through networking and other identity
connection services so you can share users, applications, and the data
between them. Azure can also be set up in a hybrid model.

So, for the rest of this book, we will focus on the public and hybrid cloud
implementations of Azure. There are also several different types of cloud
services, and the best way to understand those is by starting with
something you may be familiar with, the on premise or data center
computing.
On-Premises

In the data center or on-premises environment, you are responsible for

managing everything, the physical building, power, cooling as well as the
physical racks of equipment which also means the physical network,
cables, switches, routers, and so on, along with the storage. This could be
a SAN, NAS, or disks on the servers. These servers might have been used
as physical instances or virtualization platforms hosting virtual machines
(VM). Each VM has an operating system, drivers, IT support tools, as well
as the application you need to run. There may also be databases and other
runtime environments to make the system capable of presenting the app to
the users.

The problem with this approach is that all of these things are required by
the business to function, but they do not bring value to the business. It is
thought of as an expense or a necessary evil that all must have to get our
work done.
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
The text on this page is estimated to be only 27.40%
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GR AGIOS A A^D PERCINET. 231 princess," replied

Percinet, ''this gloomy solitude has been the seat of delights and
pleasing amusements : the loves and graces all wait on you ; and
the flowers, daisies, and primroses, spring up under your feet."
Graciosa durst make no reply, being unwilling to engage in such kind
of compliments, and therefore desired the prince to carry her to the
queen his mother. Immediately he commanded the harts to hasten
fo the palace of Fairy-land, whither, when the princess rame, her
ears were entertained with the sweetest music ; and the queen and
her two daughters, who were all exquisitely beautiful, came forth to
meet her, embraced her, and led her into a great room, the walls of
which were of the finest crystal. There, with great astonishment, she
observed the story of her life engraved to that very day, ending with
the tour she had just taken in the forest with the prince in his
calash. " Your historians are very quick," said Graciosa to Percinet, "
for I perceive all the variety of my actions, or even gestures, are
immediately recorded here." "The reason, my dear princess," replied
Percinet, " is, because I would not lose' the most minute idea of your
perfections, but imprint them deeply on my heart ; yet, alas ! I am
neither happy nor contented any where." She answered him not a
word, but thanked the queen for her kind reception. Soon after a
noble banquet was served up, and Graciosa ate with a good
appetite, being overjoyed she had met with Percinet in the forest,
where she had been afraid she should have found nothing but bears
and lions. And now the queen ordered the two princesses to conduct
Graciosa to her apartment. Nothing was ever more magnificent than
the chamber and furniture, nor so rich as the bed, where she was to
lie. She was attended by four and twenty virgins, dressed like
nymphs, the eldest of which was not above eighteen, and every one
seemed to be a miracle of beauty. When she was in bed, a most
heavenly symphony of music filled the room, to lull her to sleep ; but
.her spirits were so agitated and disordered by these
The text on this page is estimated to be only 26.60%
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232 GRAC10SA AND PERCINET. surprizing things, that it

was not in her power to c.osc her eyes. " All that I have seen," said
she, " must certainly be enchantments. Good heavens ! that a prince
so agreeable and witty should be so formidable ! I cannot make too
much haste from these enchanting places." Yet, when she
considered the agreeable difference between living in so magnificent
a palace, a\id exposing herself to the cruelty of the barbarous
Grognon, she could not think of the separation without regret. In the
morning, as soon as she was up, she was presented with garments
of all sorts and colours, and the richest jewels, laces, glove^ and silk
stockings ; all extremely fine, and admirable for the curiosity of their
workmanship. Graciosa's dress was never before so splendid, nor did
she ever more gracefully become it, nor appear more charming.
When she was dressed, Percinet entered her chamber, habited in
green and gold, for green was his colour, because Graciosa loved it.
Whatever is admirable in shape, beauty of features, and majesty of
mien, was all exquisitely perfect in Percinet., Graciosa told him she
had not slept a wink all night ; having been kept awake by the
thoughts of her misfortunes ; and. that she could not but be
apprehensive of the consequences. " What are your fears, madam?"
replied Percinet ; " you are absolute sovereign here, and are adored
; will you then forsake me, and return to your most cruel enemy ?" "
Were I mistress of my own destiny," answered the princess, " 1
would willingly accept the choice you propose ; but I am accountable
for my actions to the king my father ; and it is better, therefore, for
me to suffer, than be wanting in my duty." Percinet omitted nothing
that he could think of to persuade her to marry him ; but she would
by no means give her consent ; and it was almost against her will
that he detained her eight days ; during which time he entertained
her with a thousand new pleasures and diversions. While she stayed,
she several times expressed an
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GRACIOSA AND PERCINET. 233 earnest desire to know

what passed in Grognon's court; and what plausible stories she
contrived to conceal the cruelty of her intentions. " Percinet told her
he would send his squire, who was hoth witty and discreet. The
princess replied, " she was persuaded he needed nobody to inform
him, but might tell her himself." " Come then," said he, " with me to
the great tower, and you shall there distinctly see with j'our own
eyes what you desire to know." With that he led her to a tower that
was prodigiously high, and all of crystal, like the rest of the castle.
He bid her set her foot in a particular place, and put her little finger
in his mouth, and then look towards the city. Which she had no
sooner done, but she perceived the wicked Grognon sitting with the
king, and heard her talking with him after this manner : " this poor
wretch, the princess, with all her beauty, has hanged herself in the
cellar ; I have been to see her, and 1 protest the very sight of her
frightened me : all that is now to be done is to bury her, and then I
make no question but your majesty will soon forget so
inconsiderable a loss*" But the king wept, and bewailed the death of
his daughter, while Grognon, deriding his sorrows, retired to her
chamber ; where, by her command, a large billet was presently
dressed up in funeral pomp, and laid in a coffin, and the king
immediately ordered a solemn interment. Infinite was the train of
mourners that attended the hearse, weeping and wailing, and
bitterly cursing the stepdame, whom they secretly accused as the
cause of the princess's death. Every body went into deep mourning ;
and the princess could hear them lamenting to themselves, " what
pity it was, so sweet 'and young a princess should perish through
the cruelty of the wicked Grognon 1" u It were a good deed," they
cried, (( to cut her to pieces, and cast her to the fowls of the air."
The king also would neither eat nor drink, but gtieved ^onthmally.
Graciosa seeing her father so extremely afflicted,
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234 G ACUSA A^i> PERCINET. " Ah, Percinet," said she, u

'tis impossible for me longer to bear that my father should think me
dead; therefore, if you love me, carry me back again, that I may
shew myself at court." Notwithstanding all his arguments, he could
not prevail upon her to relinquish this request. " Dear princess," said
he, " you will wish yourself again, more than once, in the palace of
Fairy-land." But, whatever he could say, Grackxsa insisted upon
going : so, taking leave of the prince's mother and sisters, Percinet
and she got into the calash, and the harts ran with the swiftness of
arrows. When they were out of the precincts of the palace, Graciosa
heard a great noise; and, looking behind her, beheld the whole
edifice tumbled down, and shattered into a thousand pieces. " What
miracle is tnis/' cried she, " the place quite demolished !" " Yes,
madam," replied Percinet, " I must have my palace among the dead,
nor will you ever enter it again till your death." " Why are you
angry?'"' replied Graciosa, endeavouring to pacify him, " all things
considered, have not I more reason to complain than you ?" When
they arrived at the court, Percinet so ordered it that himself, the
princess, and the calash, became invisible ; so that she went unseen
till she came into the king's chamber, and threw herself at his feet.
When the king saw her, he started up in fear, and was running away,
taking her for a ghost • but she held him by his garment, and
convinced him ehe was not dead ; but that Grognon -had caused her
to be carried into a wild forest, where she had got into a tree, and
lived upon the fruit. She added, that the queen had caused a billet
to be buried instead of her ; and besought him to send her to one of
his remote castles, where she might not be exposed to the rage of
her rnother-in-Jaw. The king, doubting whether she spoke truth,
sear to have the billet taken up, and being convinced ot the
imposture, was amazed at Grognon's w icv.edu ess. iu>t imagining
such malice eould have been in a wo
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GRAOIOSA AND PERCINET. 235 man's breast. Any other

king would have laid her in the hillet's place : but he was a poor
weak man, who had not courage to be angry in earnest : however,
he caressed his daughter more than ever, and made her sup with
him. But when Grognon's creatures acquainted her with the
princess's return, and that she had supped with the king, her rage
became perfect frenzy. She flew to the king's chamber, and told him,
he must either deliver up his daughter to her that moment, or she
would instantly be gone and never see him more ; that he was a fool
to believe she was Graciosa, though indeed she somewhat
resembled her, for that Graciosa had certainly hanged herself; and
that if he gave credit to the impostures of others, he had not the
confidence and value which he ought to have for her. The king, not
daring to resist, delivered up the unfortunate princess into her
hands, believing, or feigning to believe, she was not his daughter.
Grognon, transported with joy, dragged the Princess, by the help of
her women, into a dark dungeon, where she caused her to be
stripped, covered her with coarse dirty rags and a nasty cap upon
her head, hardly allowing her straw to lie'' upon, or bread to eat. In
this distress she wept bitterly, and wished herself again in the castle
of Fairy-land" ; but she durst not call upon Percinet, conscious that
she had not beer, so kind to him as she ought to have been, in
having so ungratefully left the protection of his mother and sisters.
In the mean time the wicked Grognon had sent for a fairy more
malicious than herself, who being come, ec I have got," said she, " a
little saucy minx that vexes me to death ; I would willingly punish
her, by setting her some difficult tasks, which she not being able to
accomplish, I may have a pretence to break her bones, and she no
excuse : assist me, therefore, to find out some new punishment for
her every day/' The fairy answered she would consider of it, and
return the next day. She was as good as her word, and brought with
her a skein of thread, as wide about as
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236 GRACIOSA AND FERCINET. the waists of three people ;

so fine that it would hardly bear breathing upon ; and so tangled,
that neither beginning nor end were to be found. Grognon,
overjoyed at the impossibility of this task; sent immediately for the
lovely captive, and, with a smile of derision, " Here," said she, "
prepare your clumsy paws to unravel this skein ; and be assured if
thou breakest the least bit, thou shalt dearly pay for it ; for I will flay
the e alive myself: Begin when you will, but I must have it
unravelled before sun-set ;" and, saying this, she shut her up in a
chamber under three locks. When the Princess was alone, she
attempted the task, turned the skein a thousand ways, and broke it
a thousand times ; which so distracted her, that she gave over the
attempt; and throwing it in the middle of the room, " Go, fatal skein"
said she, " lie there, since thou it is that art to be the occasion of my
death. Oh, Percinet, Percinet ! if my severity has not given too great
a repulse to your friendship, though I cannot hope your assistance,
yet come, however, and receive my last Farewell." Saying this, she
fell a weeping so bitterly, that any thing less sensible thaji such a
friend would have been moved to compassion. Percinet immediately
opened the door with the same ease as if he had the keys in his
pocket. " Here I am, dear Princess," said he, " always ready for your
service ;" having said this, he struck three times with his wand upon
the ske^n ; and immediately the threads untwisted, and closed one
to the other ; and with two more strokes the whole was unravelled
with surprising ease : which done, he asked her, whether she had
any other .service to command him, and whether she intended
never to bear his company, but in her distresses ? u Upbraid me not,
sweet Percinet," cried she, " I am already too unfortunate." — "Oh
Princess," replyed Percinet, "it is your own fault that you are not
absolutely delivered from this insulting tyranny, to which you are a
victim. Go with me, make your felicity mine, and mine your's ; what
are you afraid of ?" " That you love me not with a sincere and lasting
affection," replied the Princess : "I
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GR AGIOS A AND PERCINET. 23 7 am desirous that time

should confirm the truth of the sentiments you express for me."
Percinet, being offended, took his leave and left her. The sun was
just setting, when Grognon, who waited for the close of the evening
with the greatest impatience, came with her four furies, who
attended her wherever she went. She put her three keys into the
three locks, and as she opened the door, " Well 1" said she, " I
suppose my beautiful idler has been afraid to make use of her ten
fingers. — Aye, aye, she had rather sleep to preserve her
complexion. However, when she was entered, Graciosa presented
her the skein, wherein there was not a thread amiss ; so that all
Grognon could say was, that she had sullied it, and was an awkward
creature ; for which she gave her two such unmerciful blows on her
fair cheeks,, which were of the colour of the lily and the rose, that
they became black and blue. The unfortunate Graciosa, who was
forced to suffer patiently what she could not avoid, was afterthis
locked close up again in her dungeon. Grognon, amazed that she
had succeeded no better with her skein of thread, sent for the fairy
again, and reproached her in very passionate terms : " Find me out
something else/' said she, " so difficult as may amount to an
impossibility." The fairy went away, and the next day returned with a
great tub full of feathers of all sorts of birds ; as nightingales,
canary-birds, robin-redbreasts, goldfinches, linnets, parrots, owls,
sparrows, pigeons, ostriches, bustards, peacocks, larks, partridges,
and an infinite number more, which I am not able to name; and
these feathers were so intermixed, that the birds themselves would
never have been able to have known their own apparel. " Here/' said
the fairy to Grognon, " is that will try the wit and patience of your
captive : command her to separate these feathers, and lay the
plumage of every one of these birds by itself ; which is a task would
puzzle her, were she a fairy herself.1* Grognon was in an ecstasy of
joy, only at the bare thoughts of the Princess's perplexity. She sent
for her, and after having terrified her with a
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238 GRACIOSA AND PERCINET. thousand menaces, she

shut her up with the feathers in a chamber under three IOCKS, as
before ; ffivin^ her to understand, that she expected her work
should be done before sun-set. Graciosa took some of the feathers,
and looked upon them ; but finding it impossible to know the
difference of one bird's feathers from those of another, she threw
them back into the tub. Yet she made several essays ; but the
oftener she tried, the more impossible she found her task. So that,
at length, overwhelmed with grief and despair, I must die, cried she,
with a lamentable voice ; it is my death that is sought for, and only
that can put an end to my miseries. Injured Percinet has left me too,
no doubt; and to call on him for succour would be in vain ; for, had
he any pity for me, he would have been here ere now. "cDear
Graciosa, I am here," ^cried Percinet, starting up from under the
feathers, where he lay hid : " I am ready to deliver you from all your
troubles ; and now, after so many proofs of my fidelity, can you any
longer suspect the sincerity of my affection, or think I do not love
you better than my life ?" Saying this, he struck three times with his
wand upon the tub. and immediately the feathers flew out, and
sorted themselves in little heaps about the room. " 1 am infinitely
obliged to you, sir/' said Graciosa : " but for you, I must have been
lost; and be assured I will not be ungrateful." Qirognon came exactly
at her hour ; but was amazed and confounded to see her designs
again defeated; she, however, bestowed some blows upon Graciosa,
pretending the feathers were not laid even. She sent for the fairy
directly, and fell into such a rage against her, that she knew not what
to say, being herself quite confounded. At length the fairy promised
to use her utmost art in making a box, which, if her curiosity ever
tempted her to open, should puzzle her to shut again, beyond all the
arts in Fairy- land t& help her : Accordingly, some days after, she
brought
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GRACIOSA AND PERCINBT. 239 tHs box, which was

somewhat large. "Here," said she to Grognon, " send your captive
somewhere with this box ; hut forbid her to open it, and then she
certainly will ; and you will have your desire/' Grognon, observing
the fairy's directions, (i Here," said she to her fair captive, " carry
this box to my rich castle, and .set it upon a table in my cabinet ;
but, upon pain of death, 1 command you not to look what is in it."
Graciosa, having put on her wooden clogs, her canvas gown, and
her woollen cap, set out on her journey. All that met her cried,
certainly there goes some goddess in disguise; for the poverty of her
dress could not conceal her wonderful beauty. However, she began
to be tired with her journey ; and, coming into a little wood,
surrounded with delightful meadows, she sat down to rest herself 5
having set the box upon her knees, her curiosity on a sudden
prompted her to open it. "What can be the danger?" said she to
herself; (f I shall take nothing out of it, and would only see what is
in it ;" so, reflecting no farther upon the consequences, she opened
the box ; when immediately out came a great many little men and
women, violins, instruments, little pictures, little cooks, and little
dishes; in short, the giant of the whole company was not higher
than your little finger : They danced in the meadows ; divided
themselves in companies, and began the pleasantest ball that was
ever seen ; some skipped and capered about; others acted as cooks
; some eat and drank ; and the little violins played to a miracle.
Graciosa, for some time, was delighted with the sight, thinking to
recall the merry wantons into the box ; but not one of them would
return ; the little gentlemen and ladies betook themselves to their
heels ; the violins ran away ; the cooks, with their pots upon their
heads, and their spits upon their shoulders, flew from her like so
many birds ; arid wnen she followed them into the wood, they got
into the meadows ; when she ran after them into the meadows, they
flew into the wood. " Oh indiscreet cuh 
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24") GRACIOSA AND PKRCINET. osity !" cried Graciosa

weeping, " Now my enemies will prevail ; the only misfortune I could
have prevented, is befallen me through my own folly ; no, I cannot
sufficiently blame myself. Oh! Percinet ! Percinet ! if it be possible for
thee still to love a princess so imprudent, assist me once more, in
th|s most perilous accident that ever threatened my life." Percinet
did not stay to be called thrice, but appeared immediately in his
green habit : saying, 6f were it not for the wicked Grognon, he
supposed Graciosa would never think of him." " Have a better
opinion of my sentiments/- replied the princess ; " I am neither
insensible of merit, nor ungrateful for kindnesses received. It is true,
I have put your constancy to trials ; but it is to crown it when I am
convinced of it." Percinet, being now better pleased than ever, gave
three strokes with his wand upon the box, and immediately the little
gentlemen and ladies, the violins, tfce cooks with their roast meat, in
short, the whole of this diminutive company placed themselves again
in the box, as if they had never been out of it ; which done,
Percinet, who had left his chariot in the wood, desired the princess
to use it the remaining part of her journey to the castle; and,
indeed, she had no small need of such a convenience, considering
the condition she was in. So, having rendered her invisible, he
conducted her himself, and by that means had the pleasure of her
company. Thus she arrived at the rich castle ; but when she
demanded the key of the cabinet, in Grognon's name, the governor
burst out a laughing. — " How !" said he, ** hast thou the
confidence to think shepherds' girls are ever admitted into queen's
cabinets! Go, go, get thee gone, wooden clogs and hobnails never
yet defiled these glittering floors." Graciosa desired him to write a
line why he had refused her entrance, which be readily did. So
leaving the castle, she was received by the amiable Percinet, who
waited for her, and conducted her back to the King's palace. It would
be difficult to relate all the tender and respectful argu 
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GBACIOSA AND PERCINET. 21 ments be used by tbe way,

to persuade her to put an end to ber misfortunes. To which she
replied, that if Grognon imposed upon her any more of these
impossible commands, she would yield him her consent. When tbe
enraged stepdame saw the Princess had re turned, she flew upon
the Fairy, whom she had detained with ber all the while, fastened
her claws in her wrinkled cheeks, and would have throttled her too,
bad it been possible to strangle a fairy. Graciosa presented ber tbe
governor's letter and tbe box ; b'it she threw both into the fire, not
vouchsafing to open them ; and bad she thought of it, would have
thrown the princess after them ; but she did not defer her
punishment long. She caused a great hole to be made in the garden,
as deep as a well, and a great stone to be laid over the mouth of it.
Then taking occasion to walk in the garden, she said to Graciosa,
and the rest that attended her, " Under that stone, as I am informed,
there lies concealed immense treasure, let us go and remove it."
Upon this they all set their hands to it, and Graciosa among the rest
; which was what Grognon desired ; for as the princess stood by the
side of the hole, Grognon pushed ber in, and then rolled the stone
over it again. This stroke appeared to be past remedy ; for how
could Percinet find her, buried thus in the earth ? she herself
despaired, and repented she had so long delayed to many him. "
How terrible is my destiny/' cried she : " this kind of death is more
dreadful than any other. Oh, Percinet ! you are sufficiently revenged
for my scrupulous reluctancy. Yet," continued she, " if 1 could bat
hope you would shew some regret for the loss of me, I should be
less sensible of my misfortune." She was lamenting in this manner to
ease her sorrows, when she perceived a little door open, which she
had not seen before, by reason of the obscurity : At the same time
she also saw daylight, and a garden full of flowers, fruits, fountains,
grottos, statues, groves, and arbours j sLe went in, and M
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242 CRACIOSA ANJ3 PERCINET. walked forward into a

spacious valley, wondering what would be the event of this
extraordinary beginning. Soon after she discovered the castle of
Fairy-land, which she easily knew again ; for a castle made all of
crystal, with the history of one's life engraved therein, is no very
common sight. Percinet appeared, too, together with the queen his
mother, and his sisters. " Fair princess," said the queen to Graciosa,.
" it is time now you would consent; make my son most happy, and
free yourself from that deplorable condition wherein you live under
the tyranny of Grognon." The grateful princess fell upon her knees,
and told the queen she might dispose of her destiny, and that she
would obey her in all things ; that she now discovered the truth of
Percinet's prediction, when he foretold her, that his palace should be
among the dead, and she never enter it again, till she had been
buried ; that she was amazed at his knowledge, that his merit was
no less her admiration, and therefore she accepted him for her
husband. Now the prince, in his turn, threw himself at her feet ; the
whole palace resounded with music and acclamations of joy, and the
nuptials were solemnized with the greatest magnificence. All the
Fairies for a thousand miles round came thither in the most
sumptuous equipages ; some io chariots drawn by swans, others by
dragons; some rode upon the clouds, and others in globes of fire.
Among the latter appeared the fairy, who assisted Grognon to
torment Graciosa. When she knew who it was, she was in the
greatest surprise ; besought her to forget what had passed, and said
she would endeavour to make her amends fcr the evils she had
caused her to suffer ; and it is certain that she did not stay out the
festival, but, re-mounting her chariot, drawn by two terrible
serpents, she flew to the king's palace; and finding Grognon out,
wrung off her neck, notwithstanding all the guards and women could
do to prevent it.
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Graciosa and Percinet, The Blue Bird.

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( 24* ) THE BLUE BIRD. THKHB was once a king, potent

both by his dominions and treasures ; but losing a virtuous wife, he
became inconsolable. He shut himself up for eight clays together in a
little cabinet, where he bruised his head against the walls, so greatly
was he afflicted ; his servants being afraid, lest he should kill
himself, they conveyed mats between the walls and the hangings, to
present him doing himself any mischief. All his subjects resolved to
wait upon him, and try the most propei consolations to assuage his
grief. Some prepared grave and serious discourses ; others, 'pleasing
and delightful stories ; and others auaint and merry tales. But all this
made no impression upon his mind; for he gave little or no attention
to what they said. At length a woman presented herself before him,
so muffled up in black cypress veils and mantles, and weeping and
sobbing so bitterly and so loud, that the king was strangely surprised
at it. She told him she came not to lessen his sorrows, but rather to
increase them, as nothing could be more justly lamented than the
loss of a good wife : that, for her part, having lost the best of
husbands, she was resolved to weep for him as long as she had any
eyes : and thereupon redoubling her lamentations, the king, in
imitation of her, did the like. He received her more kindly than any
body 5 he told her a thousand stones of his wife's good qualities:
the woman, too, enlarged urjon the virtues of ner deceased
husband; and thus they talked over their stock of sorrow till it was
quite spent, and neither had any more to say, nor one tear to shed.
Now when the artful widow saw the king's supplies of grief were all
exhausted, she withdrew her veils a little, and the afflicted king
refreshed his sight with looking upon tne countenance of his
companion in aespair, who M2
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244 THE BLUE BIRD. roiled two fine blue eyes, arched with
beautiful jhick brows ; and shewed also an agreeable countenance.
The king viewed her wistfully, and by degrees talked less of his wife,
and by-and-by said no more of her. But the widow continuing to say
she would never leave off weeping for her husband, the king desired
her not to perpetuate her grief : and, to conclude, all the world was
astonished to see them in a few days married together, and the
doleful sable changed into green and rose-colour. It is frequently
only necessary to find out the foible of people, in order to gain their
affections, and make them do just what you please. The king had
only one daughter by his first wife, who was looked upon as the
eighth wonder of the world, and, because of her youth, beauty, and
blooming complexion, was called Fiorina. She was never seen to
wear rich apparel, rather cruising plain vestments, fastened with a
few diamonds, and many flowers, which had an admirable effect
when they were placed in her beautiful tresses. She was fifteen
years of age when the king married again. The new queen sent for
her own daughter, who had been bred up with her godmother, the
fairy Soussio ; but for all that she was neither better dispositioned,
nor more beautiful. Yet though Soussio's endeavours in her
education had failed, she, however, loved her dearly ; and she was
called Truitonne, because her face was speckled like the back of a
trout ; her black hair was so foul and so greasy, that nobody could
touch it, and her tawny skin constantly distilled oil. The queen too,
loved her even to a degree of folly, and talked of nothing but her
charming Truitonne : And because Fiorina hacl all manner of
advantages over her, the queen grew quite impatient of her, and
sought by all manner of means to make the king displeased with
her: There was not a day passed but the queen and Truitonne did
some injury to Fiorina ; but the princess being of a mild and sensible
disposition, endeavoured to set herself above these mean artifices ot
narrow-souled malice.
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THE BLUE BIRD. 24i> The king one day said to the queen,
that Florins and Truitonne were big enough to be married, and that
he would endeavour to bestow one of them upon the first prince
that came to the court. " I expect," replied the queen, " that my
daughter shall be first considered, and, as she is older than your's,
and infinitely more amiable, there can be no doubt about it. The
king, who loved peace and quietness, said she was in the right, and
that it should be just as sh£ had a mind. Some time after, news was
brought that the charming king was coming: Never any prince
transcended him in gallantry and magnificence ; nor was there any
thing in his mind or person but what was perfectly answerable to his
name. When the queen heard the news, she set all her
embroiderers, milliners, and other tire-women at work, to make
clothes for Truitonne ; she also begged the king not to let Fiorina
have any thing new ; and having bribed her women, she caused all
her apparel, jewels, and ornaments of every kind, to be stolen the
very day the charming king arrived, so that when Fiorina went to
dress herself, she could not find so much as a ribband. She was at
no loss to imagine who had done her this good office ; so she sent
to the shops for more silk, but the mercers sent her word the queen
had forbid them to sell her any. So she was forced to content herself
with an ordinary gown, which made her so ashamed, that she placed
herself in a corner of the room when the charming king appeared.
The queen received him with al1 the ceremonies imaginable 5 she
presented him her daughter, mure glittering than the sun, yet more
conspicuously deformed in these splendid trappings than usually she
seemed to be. The king turned away ^his eyes, and would not even
look upon her; though the queen flattered herself that she pleased
him exceedingly, only that he was afraid of being engaged too
suddenly ; so she continued to place her in his eye. But instead of
courting Truitonne, he asked " whether there were
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246 THE BI UE BIRI>. not yet another princess, called

Fiorina ?" " Yes," said Truitonne, pointing, to her with her finger, "
there she is hiding herself in a corner, because she truly thinks
herself not dressed fine enough to shew herself." Fiorina blushed,
and looked so lovely, that the charming king, in raptures at the sight
of her, immediately rose and made her a profound reverence : "
Madam," said he, " you are too well adorned by your incomparable
beauty to have occasion for any foreign garments/' " Sir," replied
she, " I am not accustomed to be dressed in this manner, and you
would have done me a favour to have taken no notice of me." " It
would have been impossible," cried the charming king, " that so
wonderful a princess should have been in any place where
admiration and respect could have eyes for any other object." " Oh,
sir," said the queen, in a passion, " 1 come not hither to hear all this
extravagance. " Believe ine, sir, Fiorina is coquette enough already.
She has no occasion to be gallanted in this manner." The changing
king immediately perceived the motives which made the queen talk
in this manner, but as neither his rank nor inclination inclined him to
put any constraint upon himself, he continued to shew his admiration
of Fiorina, and discoursed with her nearly three hours. The queen, in
rage and despair, and Truitonne, no less inconsolable, to see the
princess preferred before her, made loud complaints to the king, and
forced him to consent, that while the charming king staid, Fiorina
should be confined in a tower, where nobody could see her.
Accordingly, as she was entering her apartment, four men in masks
seized and carried her to the top of the tower, where they left her in
solitude and darkness, and overwhelmed with sorrow: for she well
knew she was used thus only to prevent her being seen by the
charming king, for whom she had already conceived an affection,
and would gladly have married him. The charming king was ignorant
of the violence
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THE BLUE BIRD. 24" which had been done to the princess,
and waited with impatience to see her again ; he talked of her to
those whom the king had sent to wait upon him, but they had orders
from th£ queen to speak all the ill they could imagine of her. They
told him she was a coquette, vain, inconstant, and ill-tempered ;
that she tormented her friends and servants, and was so covetous
that she rather chose to appear like a poor shepherdess, than lay
out the money which her father allowed her to by rich habits. The
charming king gave a hearing to all this ; but was so provoked, that
he could hardly contain his anger. " No," said he to himself, " it is
impossible that heaven can have placed so bad a mind in a form so
wonderfully beautiful. She was, indeed, not properly dressed when I
saw her ; but her blushes on that account plainly proved she was
not accustomed to it. What! can she be ill-natured with that
enchanting air of modesty and sweetness ? No, I rather believe it is
the queen, who thus defames her in order to recommend her own
daughter, Truitonne, who is too deformed and disagreeable for any
one to have a personal regard for her." While he was thus reasoning
with himself, the courtiers who surrounded him divined by his
countenar.ce that they had not pleased him by speaking ill of Fiorina.
But there was one among them more adroit and cunning than the
others, who changing his tone and his language, on purpose to
sound the prince's sentiments, began to speak highly in praise of the
princess. Upon which the charming king started like a man of a
sudden wakened out of a profound sleep, joined the conversation,
joy diffused itself over his countenance, and he appeared quite
another man. Oh love ! how difficult is it to conceal thee ! When a
man is in love, every thing betrays the sentiments of his heart. The
queen, impatient to know the charming king's sentiments, sent for
her confidants, and put to them questions, but their answers only
confirmed her fears that he was in love with Fiorina. In the mean
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243 THB BLUE BIRD. time, in what a condition was tlie poor
princess *. She lay all night upon the bare ground in that dismal
dungeon into which the four men in masks had carried her. " I
should have had less reason to complain," said she, " had they
confined me here before I had seen this amiable king : for now the
idea of his perfections, which is so deeply imprinted injny mind, only
serves to augment my sufferings : I doubt not but the queen thus
cruelly exerts her tyranny over me, to prevent my ever seeing him
again. Alas, that little beauty which heaven has bestowed, how dear
will it cost me ! how fatal will it be to my repose 1" Saying this, she
wept so bitterly, that even her enemies, had they been witnessess of
her afflictions, must have pitied her. Thus passed away that night ;
and the queen, who was desirous to engage the charming king, by
all the demonstrations she could possibly give him of her regard,
sent him garments made after the fashion of the country, of
inimitable richness and magnificence, together with the order of the
knights of love, which she had obliged the king ta institute upon the
day of their nuptials. The ensign of this order was a heart of gold
enamelled with flame colour, encompassed with several arrows, and
pierced through with one, with this device, one, only, wounds me.
The queen had caused a ruby, as big as an Ostrich's egg, to be cut
into the shape of a heart ; every arrow was an entire diamond as
long as your finger; and the chain which held the heart was made of
pearls, the least of which weighed a pound. In short, the like was
tiever seen since the world was a world. The charming king was so
surprized at the sight of it that for some time he could not speak a
word. At the same time they also presented him a book, the leaves
of which were of vellum, embellished with admirable miniatures ; the
cover of gold, set with precious stones : In this book, in the most
tender and polite style, were curiously written the statutes of the
order of love. The Charming king was told, that the
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THE BLUB BIRD. 249 princess whom he had seen

requested him to be her knight, and had sent him that present.
"Howl* cried he, " does the fair princess Fiorina think upon me in
such a generous and obliging manner I" " No, sir," said the
messengers, " you mistake the name ; we come from the amiable
Truitonne." " Is it Truitonne that would have me be her knight ?''
said the king, with a cold and serious air ; " I am sorry I
cannot^accept the honour. A sovereign is not so much master of
himself, as to undertake all engagements that are offered him. I
know the duties of a knight, and what I undertake I would fulfil ; I
had rather not receive the favours she offers me, than render myself
unworthy of it." Saying this he immediately replaced the heart, the
chain, and the book, in the same manner they were brought, and
sent all back again to the queen, who, together with her daughter,
were ready to burst with rage at the contempt with which the
charming king had received so particular a favour. So soon as he
could go to wait upon the king and queen, he repaired to the court,
in hopes to see Fiorina there ; he looked round him every way, and
when any body entered the apartment, he immediately turned his
head towards the door, in visible anxiety. The malicious queen easily
perceived what passed in his mind ; but seeming to take no notice of
it, she talked to him of nothing but parties of pleasure ; to all which
he constantly gave wrong answers : and at length asked her in
downright terms where the princess Fiorina was ? " Sir," said she,
with the fierceness of a tygress, " the king her father has forbid her
to stir out of her chamber, till my daughter is married." " And what
reason," replied the charming king, ts is there for keeping this
amiable lady prisoner ?" " I know not," answered the queen ;
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250 THE BLUB BIRD. queen in a surly haste, not enduring

the sight of persons who were the cause of his anguish. When he
was returned to his apartment, he told a young prince who
accompanied him, and for whom he had a very great regard, that he
would give the world to gain one of the princess's women, whereby
he might have a moment's conversation with her. The prince soon
found ladies, who engaged to gain him what he wished ; and one of
them assured him that Fiorina should be at a little window, that
looked into the garden, where they might converse together,
provided he was cautious to prevent their being discovered; for,
added she, the king and queen are so severe, that they would put
me to death, were they to know that I favoured the charming king's
passion. The prince, overjoyed to have brought the affair to such
perfection, promised her whatever she desired, and flew to acquaint
the charming king with the hour of rendezvous. But the treacherous
confidant went and informed the queen of all that had passed
between the prince and her. The queen immediately resolve^ to
send her own daughter to the window ; for which purpose she gave
her such proper instructions, that Truitonne failed in nothing, though
she was naturally a great fool. The night was so dark, that the
charming king could never have perceived the trick put upon him,
even had he been less prepossessed than he was } so that he
approached the window with inexpressible transports of joy, and said
every thing to Truitonne that he would have said to Fiorina, to
convince her of his regard for her. Truitonne, to carry on the deceit,
told himshe was the most unfortunate person in theworldto have so
cruel a step-mother ; but that she must be contented to suffer until
her daughter was married. The charming king assured her, that if
she would accept of him for a husband, it would give him the
highest" pleasure to share with her both his crown and his heart.
Saving this, he pulled his ring from his finger, and put it upon
Truitonne's, adding, " it was an eter 
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THE 'BLUE BIRD. 251 nal pledge of his faith, and that she
need only to make her escape as soon as she could. Truitonne
answered his importunities as well as she could ; and the king did
not leave her till she had promised to meet him the next day at the
same place. The Queen being informed of the good success of this
interview, assured herself of a happy conclusion. In short, the day
being fixed, the charming king came in a flying calash, drawn by
winged frogs, which an enchanter, a friend of his, had made him a
present of. The night was very dark, Truitonne came out softly
through a little door, and the king, who waited for her, receiving her
in his arms, renewed his vows of eternal fidelity ; and, as he was not
disposed to fly far in his chaise, before they were married, he asked
where she would have the ceremony performed ? She answered,
that her godmother, a celebrated fairy, named Soussio, lived not far
off, and that if he thought fit, she would go to her castle. Though
the king knew not the way, he had only to tell his frogs to carry him
thither, for they were acquainted with the whole world, and in a
short time brought the king and Truitonne to Soussio's residence.
The castle was so brightly illuminated, that the charming king would
soon have discovered his error, if Truitonne had not been very
careful to keep her veil over her face. She asked for her godmother,
spoke to her apart, told her how she had deceived the charming
king, and begged of her to appease him. " Alas ! child," said the
fairy, " this will not be easy to do ; he loves Fiorina too well ; and I
am but too certain he will soon destroy all our hopes." All this while
the charming king stayed in a room, the walls of which were of
diamonds, so clear and transparent, that he saw through them
Soussio and Truitonne consuiting together. He thought himself in a
dream . %t How," said he, "have I been betrayed ? Have the
demons brought this enemy of our repose hither? Comes she to
disturb our nuptials ? But where is my dear Fiorina, that she appears
not ? Surely I brougnt
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9*2 THE BLUE BIRO. her along with me— -for nobody took
her from me by tne way." — Thus a thousand different imaginations
distracted his senses. But it was still worse ; Soussio and Truitonne
entered the room together, and Soussio, with an imperious tone,
said, " charming king, here is the princess to whom you have
plighted your faith. She is my god-daughter, and I desire you would
marry her immediately." " Who, I!" cried the charming king, " I
marry that monster ! Sure you think I am very easy to persuade, or
you would not make me such a proposal. No — no — I never made
her any promise ! and if she says the contrary, she — "
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