"The broth is not so rich as this in the Kerver kitchen," thought he, "but it may have a better taste."
Upon this, he entered the third room. There also a pot was suspended from a hook, and boiling without fire. Yvon dipped a lock of hair into it, and took it out all coated with gold. It shone so brightly that it might have been mistaken for a sunbeam.
"Good!" cried he. "In our country the old women have a saying, 'Everything gets worse and worse'; here it is just the contrary—everything gets better and better. What shall I find in the fourth room, I wonder—diamond soup?"
He pushed open the door and saw something rarer than precious stones. This was a young woman of such marvelous beauty that Yvon, dazzled, fell on his knees at the sight.
"Unfortunate youth!" cried she, in a trembling voice, "what are you doing here?"
"I belong to the house," answered Yvon; "the giant took me into his service this morning."
"His service!" repeated the young girl. "May Heaven preserve you from it!"
"Why so?" said Yvon. "I have a good master; the work is not hard. The stable once swept, my task is finished."
"Yes, and how will you set to work to sweep it?" said the lady. "If you sweep it in the usual way, for every forkful of dung that you throw out of the door, ten will come in at the window. But I will tell you what to do. Turn the fork and sweep with the handle, and the dung will instantly fly out of itself."
"I will obey," said Yvon; upon which he sat down by the young girl and began to talk with her. She was the daughter of a fairy, whom the wretched giant had made his slave. Friendship soon springs up between companions in misfortune. Before the end of the day Finette (for that was the lady's name) and Yvon had already promised to belong to each other if they could escape from their abominable master. The difficulty was to find the means.