86 ‘THE DISCREET PRINCESS,

away to give her some time to meditate. He was no sooner
gone, than Finetta hastened to make a bed over the hole of
asink in one of the rooms of the castle. This room was as
handsome as any of the rest. Finetta put over the hole two
weak sticks across; then very handsomely made the bed upon
them, and immediately returned to her chamber. A moment
after came Rich-Craft, and the princess conducted him into the
room where she had made him his bed, and retired. The
prince threw himself hastily upon the bed, and his weight
having all at once broken the slender sticks, he fell down to the
bottom of the sink. Finetta was delighted to hear (by the
noise of his falling) what had happened ; but her first care
was to seek her sisters; and she was sorry to find their own
misconduct had caused all their troubles. In the meantime
Rich-Craft passed the night very uncomfortably : and when
day came, with a great deal of painful struggling, he came to
the end of the drain, which ran into a river at a considerable
distance from the castle. He fonnd means to make himself
heard by some men who were fishing in the river, by whom he
was drawn out in such a pickle as raised compassion in those
good people.

He caused himself to be carried to his father’s court to get
cured ; and this disgrace made him take such a strong hatred
and aversion to Finetta, that he thought less on his cure than
on revenge. That princess passed her time very sadly, as her
sisters continued so ill from their bruises, as to require many
comforting nourishing things, which she had not the means of
procuring, and she dreaded much her father’s anger upon
finding that their distaffs were broken. The cunning Rich-
Craft guessed all this, and contrived that baskets of cordialsand
medicines should be placed under the window at night, to tempt
Finetta to come down for them; and though she feared there