noon
That all my plans should have come to _ this _ ! '' The dragon was forging along at a tremendous pace . It would soon be near enough to single out its prey -- and still the old Fairy stood there , racking her memory in vain . Close upon noon Mirliflor had thrown away his hoe and torn off his apron for ever . In a few minutes more he would be with his love -- and yet his heart was oppressed by a certain fear that had been haunting him all the morning . The Fairy would re-transform him -- but could he be sure of the effect on Daphne ? What if he lost , as Mirliflor , the love that Giroflé had won ?