King Grumpy went out to meet her , but when he saw her , with a skin like a tortoise 's , her thick eyebrows meeting above her large nose , and her mouth from ear to ear , he could not help crying out : ` Well , I must say Curlicue is ugly enough , but I do n't think YOU need have thought twice before consenting to marry him . ' ` Sire , ' she replied , ' I know too well what I am like to be hurt by what you say , but I assure you that I have no wish to marry your son I had rather be called Princess Cabbage-Stalk than Queen Curlicue . ' This made King Grumpy very angry . ` Your father has sent you here to marry my son , ' he said , ` and you may be sure that I am not going to offend him by altering his arrangements . ' So the poor Princess was sent away in disgrace to her own apartments , and the ladies who attended upon her were charged to bring her to a better mind . At this juncture the guards , who were in great fear that they would be found out , sent to tell the King that his son was dead , which annoyed him very much . He at once made up his mind that it was entirely the Princess 's fault , and gave orders that she should be imprisoned in the tower in Prince Curlicue 's place . The Princess Cabbage-Stalk was immensely astonished at this unjust proceeding , and sent many messages of remonstrance to King Grumpy , but he was in such a temper that no one dared to deliver them , or to send the letters which the Princess wrote to her father . However , as she did not know this , she lived in hope of soon going back to her own country , and tried to amuse herself as well as she could until the time should come . Every day she walked up and down the long gallery , until she too was attracted and fascinated by the ever-changing pictures in the windows , and recognised herself in one of the figures . ` They seem to have taken a great delight in painting me since I came to this country , ' she said to herself . ` One would think that I and my crutch were put in on purpose to make that slim , charming young shepherdess in the next picture look prettier by contrast . Ah ! how nice it would be to be as pretty as that . ' And then she looked at herself in a mirror , and turned away quickly with tears in her eyes from the doleful sight . All at once she became aware that she was not alone , for behind her stood a tiny old woman in a cap , who was as ugly again as herself and quite as lame . ` Princess , ' she said , ` your regrets are so piteous that I have come to offer you the choice of goodness or beauty . If you wish to be pretty you shall have your way , but you will also be vain , capricious , and frivolous . If you remain as you are now , you shall be wise and amiable and modest . ' ` Alas I madam , ' cried the Princess , ` is it impossible to be at once wise and beautiful ? '
` No , child , ' answered the old XXXXX , ` only to you it is decreed that you must choose between the two .
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