"Fie, papa," she said, "it is not made at all; it is a natural rose."
"Let us see what the other casket contains before we lose our temper," said the Emperor, and then out came the little nightingale and sang so sweetly that at first nobody could think of anything to say against it."
"Superbe, superbe," cried the ladies of the court, for they all chattered French, one worse than the other.
"How the bird reminds me of the late Empress' musical-box!" said an old Lord-in-Waiting. "Ah, me! the same tone, the same execution."
"The very same," said the Emperor, and he cried like a little child.
"I hope it is not a real bird," said the Princess.
Oh, yes! it is a real bird," said those who had brought it.
"Then let the bird fly away," she said, and she would on no account allow the Prince to come in.
But he was not to be disheartened; he smeared his face with black and brown, drew his cap over his forehead, and knocked at the Palace door. The Emperor opened it.
"Good day, Emperor," he said. "Could I get work at the Palace?"