I was putting some books away today and one happened to be the Red Fairy Book (edited by Andrew Lang) and it opened to this page and... THOSE TIGHTS. Closer inspection revealed a mustache that would be a contender in any Portland mustache competition.
Then I noticed Squirrel Island. I think the next Bond villain should consider setting up on Squirrel Island. Anyway - I didn't read the whole story because I was doing something else, but a quick peek to the Wikipedia entry on The Princess Mayblossom (and flipping through the book) reveals that this fellow (his name is Ambassador Fanfaronade) with his flashy tights and luxurious mustache is a CAD. But as is so often the case, a very handsome cad - so handsome that she begs him to run off with her. But our girl Mayblossom figures it out in time (well, she figures it out after he tries to push her off a cliff) and pushes him off a Squirrel Island cliff and "over he went and sank to the bottom of the sea like a lump of lead and was never heard of any more." (This kind of sounds like a Lifetime movie.)
The mermaids appear to be having an argument about who has to drag him out of the way. (I did it last time! You do it.) Maybe they toss him into a ravine at the bottom of the sea.
Here's the whole picture, so you can see the finely rendered rope and the plumed hat. Mayblossom! Wake up! He's no good for you!!! He's handsome, but does he have a quality spirit?
(she was under a fairy curse that lasted until her 20th birthday. After she returned from Squirrel Island she married the prince, who was "a hundred times handsomer and braver than the Ambassador, the Princess found she could like him very much. So the wedding was held at once, with so much splendour and rejoicing that all the previous misfortunes were quite forgotten.")
well, that all worked out then.
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