{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_503/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_503","id":"gutenberg_503","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/503","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Literature","Fairy tales","Folklore"],"text":"THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK\n\nBy Various\n\nEdited by Andrew Lang\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n     THE BRONZE RING\n     PRINCE HYACINTH AND THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS\n     EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON\n     THE YELLOW DWARF\n     LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD\n     THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD\n     CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER\n     ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP\n     THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO SET OUT TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS\n     RUMPELSTILTZKIN\n     BEAUTY AND THE BEAST\n     THE MASTER-MAID\n     WHY THE SEA IS SALT\n     THE MASTER CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS\n     FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS\n     THE WHITE CAT\n     THE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS\n     THE TERRIBLE HEAD\n     THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS\n     THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON\n     THE WONDERFUL SHEEP\n     LITTLE THUMB\n     THE FORTY THIEVES\n     HANSEL AND GRETTEL\n     SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED\n     THE GOOSE-GIRL\n     TOADS AND DIAMONDS\n     PRINCE DARLING\n     BLUE BEARD\n     TRUSTY JOHN\n     THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR\n     A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT\n     THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL\n     THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED AND THE FAIRY PARIBANOU\n     THE HISTORY OF JACK THE GIANT-KILLER\n     THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY\n     THE RED ETIN\n\n\n\n\nTHE BRONZE RING\n\n\nOnce upon a time in a certain country there lived a king whose palace\nwas surrounded by a spacious garden. But, though the gardeners were many\nand the soil was good, this garden yielded neither flowers nor fruits,\nnot even grass or shady trees.\n\nThe King was in despair about it, when a wise old man said to him:\n\n\u201cYour gardeners do not understand their business: but what can you\nexpect of men whose fathers were cobblers and carpenters? How should\nthey have learned to cultivate your garden?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are quite right,\u201d cried the King.\n\n\u201cTherefore,\u201d continued the old man, \u201cyou should send for a gardener\nwhose father and grandfather have been gardeners before him, and very\nsoon your garden will be full of green grass and gay flowers, and you\nwill enjoy its delicious fruit.\u201d\n\nSo the King sent messengers to every town, village, and hamlet in his\ndominions, to look for a gardener whose forefathers had been gardeners\nalso, and after forty days one was found.\n\n\u201cCome with us and be gardener to the King,\u201d they said to him.\n\n\u201cHow can I go to the King,\u201d said the gardener, \u201ca poor wretch like me?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is of no consequence,\u201d they answered. \u201cHere are new clothes for\nyou and your family.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I owe money to several people.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will pay your debts,\u201d they said.\n\nSo the gardener allowed himself to be persuaded, and went away with\nthe messengers, taking his wife and his son with him; and the King,\ndelighted to have found a real gardener, entrusted him with the care\nof his garden. The man found no difficulty in making the royal garden\nproduce flowers and fruit, and at the end of a year the park was not\nlike the same place, and the King showered gifts upon his new servant.\n\nThe gardener, as you have heard already, had a son, who was a very\nhandsome young man, with most agreeable manners, and every day he\ncarried the best fruit of the garden to the King, and all the prettiest\nflowers to his daughter. Now this princess was wonderfully pretty and\nwas just sixteen years old, and the King was beginning to think it was\ntime that she should be married.\n\n\u201cMy dear child,\u201d said he, \u201cyou are of an age to take a husband,\ntherefore I am thinking of marrying you to the son of my prime minister.\n\n\u201cFather,\u201d replied the Princess, \u201cI will never marry the son of the\nminister.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d asked the King.\n\n\u201cBecause I love the gardener\u2019s son,\u201d answered the Princess.\n\nOn hearing this the King was at first very angry, and then he wept and\nsighed, and declared that such a husband was not worthy of his daughter;\nbut the young Princess was not to be turned from her resolution to marry\nthe gardener\u2019s son.\n\nThen the King consulted his ministers. \u201cThis is what you must do,\u201d they\nsaid. \u201cTo get rid of the gardener you must send both suitors to a\nvery distant country, and the one who returns first shall marry your\ndaughter.\u201d\n\nThe King followed this advice, and the minister\u2019s son was presented with\na splendid horse and a purse full of gold pieces, while the gardener\u2019s\nson had only an old lame horse and a purse full of copper money, and\nevery one thought he would never come back from his journey.\n\nThe day before they started the Princess met her lover and said to him:\n\n\u201cBe brave, and remember always that I love you. Take this purse full of\njewels and make the best use you can of them for love of me, and come\nback quickly and demand my hand.\u201d\n\nThe two suitors left the town together, but the minister\u2019s son went off\nat a gallop on his good horse, and very soon was lost to sight behind\nthe most distant hills. He traveled on for some days, and presently\nreached a fountain beside which an old woman all in rags sat upon a\nstone.\n\n\u201cGood-day to you, young traveler,\u201d said she.\n\nBut the minister\u2019s son made no reply.\n\n\u201cHave pity upon me, traveler,\u201d she said again. \u201cI am dying of hunger,\nas you see, and three days have I been here and no one has given me\nanything.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me alone, old witch,\u201d cried the young man; \u201cI can do nothing for\nyou,\u201d and so saying he went on his way.\n\nThat same evening the gardener\u2019s son rode up to the fountain upon his\nlame gray horse.\n\n\u201cGood-day to you, young traveler,\u201d said the beggar-woman.\n\n\u201cGood-day, good woman,\u201d answered he.\n\n\u201cYoung traveler, have pity upon me.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake my purse, good woman,\u201d said he, \u201cand mount behind me, for your\nlegs can\u2019t be very strong.\u201d\n\nThe old woman didn\u2019t wait to be asked twice, but mounted behind him,\nand in this style they reached the chief city of a powerful kingdom. The\nminister\u2019s son was lodged in a grand inn, the gardener\u2019s son and the old\nwoman dismounted at the inn for beggars.\n\nThe next day the gardener\u2019s son heard a great noise in the street, and\nthe King\u2019s heralds passed, blowing all kinds of instruments, and crying:\n\n\u201cThe King, our master, is old and infirm. He will give a great reward to\nwhoever will cure him and give him back the strength of his youth.\u201d\n\nThen the old beggar-woman said to her benefactor:\n\n\u201cThis is what you must do to obtain the reward which the King promises.\nGo out of the town by the south gate, and there you will find three\nlittle dogs of different colors; the first will be white, the second\nblack, the third red. You must kill them and then burn them separately,\nand gather up the ashes. Put the ashes of each dog into a bag of its own\ncolor, then go before the door of the palace and cry out, \u2018A celebrated\nphysician has come from Janina in Albania. He alone can cure the King\nand give him back the strength of his youth.\u2019 The King\u2019s physicians will\nsay, This is an impostor, and not a learned man,\u2019 and they will make all\nsorts of difficulties, but you will overcome them all at last, and will\npresent yourself before the sick King. You must then demand as much wood\nas three mules can carry, and a great cauldron, and must shut yourself\nup in a room with the Sultan, and when the cauldron boils you must throw\nhim into it, and there leave him until his flesh is completely separated\nfrom his bones. Then arrange the bones in their proper places, and throw\nover them the ashes out of the three bags. The King will come back to\nlife, and will be just as he was when he was twenty years old. For your\nreward you must demand the bronze ring which has the power to grant\nyou everything you desire. Go, my son, and do not forget any of my\ninstructions.\u201d\n\nThe young man followed the old beggar-woman\u2019s directions. On going out\nof the town he found the white, red, and black dogs, and killed and\nburnt them, gathering the ashes in three bags. Then he ran to the palace\nand cried:\n\n\u201cA celebrated physician has just come from Janina in Albania. He alone\ncan cure the King and give him back the strength of his youth.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s physicians at first laughed at the unknown wayfarer, but the\nSultan ordered that the stranger should be admitted. They brought the\ncauldron and the loads of wood, and very soon the King was boiling away.\nToward mid-day the gardener\u2019s son arranged the bones in their places,\nand he had hardly scattered the ashes over them before the old King\nrevived, to find himself once more young and hearty.\n\n\u201cHow can I reward you, my benefactor?\u201d he cried. \u201cWill you take half my\ntreasures?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the gardener\u2019s son.\n\n\u201cMy daughter\u2019s hand?\u201d\n\n\u201c_No_.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake half my kingdom.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. Give me only the bronze ring which can instantly grant me anything\nI wish for.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the King, \u201cI set great store by that marvelous ring;\nnevertheless, you shall have it.\u201d And he gave it to him.\n\nThe gardener\u2019s son went back to say good-by to the old beggar-woman;\nthen he said to the bronze ring:\n\n\u201cPrepare a splendid ship in which I may continue my journey. Let the\nhull be of fine gold, the masts of silver, the sails of brocade; let\nthe crew consist of twelve young men of noble appearance, dressed like\nkings. St. Nicholas will be at the helm. As to the cargo, let it be\ndiamonds, rubies, emeralds, and carbuncles.\u201d\n\nAnd immediately a ship appeared upon the sea which resembled in every\nparticular the description given by the gardener\u2019s son, and, stepping\non board, he continued his journey. Presently he arrived at a great town\nand established himself in a wonderful palace. After several days he\nmet his rival, the minister\u2019s son, who had spent all his money and was\nreduced to the disagreeable employment of a carrier of dust and rubbish.\nThe gardener\u2019s son said to him:\n\n\u201cWhat is your name, what is your family, and from what country do you\ncome?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am the son of the prime minister of a great nation, and yet see what\na degrading occupation I am reduced to.\u201d\n\n\u201cListen to me; though I don\u2019t know anything more about you, I am willing\nto help you. I will give you a ship to take you back to your own country\nupon one condition.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever it may be, I accept it willingly.\u201d\n\n\u201cFollow me to my palace.\u201d\n\nThe minister\u2019s son followed the rich stranger, whom he had not\nrecognized. When they reached the palace the gardener\u2019s son made a sign\nto his slaves, who completely undressed the new-comer.\n\n\u201cMake this ring red-hot,\u201d commanded the master, \u201cand mark the man with\nit upon his back.\u201d\n\nThe slaves obeyed him.\n\n\u201cNow, young man,\u201d said the rich stranger, \u201cI am going to give you a\nvessel which will take you back to your own country.\u201d\n\nAnd, going out, he took the bronze ring and said:\n\n\u201cBronze ring, obey thy master. Prepare me a ship of which the\nhalf-rotten timbers shall be painted black, let the sails be in rags,\nand the sailors infirm and sickly. One shall have lost a leg, another\nan arm, the third shall be a hunchback, another lame or club-footed or\nblind, and most of them shall be ugly and covered with scars. Go, and\nlet my orders be executed.\u201d\n\nThe minister\u2019s son embarked in this old vessel, and thanks to favorable\nwinds, at length reached his own country. In spite of the pitiable\ncondition in which he returned they received him joyfully.\n\n\u201cI am the first to come back,\u201d said he to the King; now fulfil your\npromise, and give me the princess in marriage.\n\nSo they at once began to prepare for the wedding festivities. As to the\npoor princess, she was sorrowful and angry enough about it.\n\nThe next morning, at daybreak, a wonderful ship with every sail set came\nto anchor before the town. The King happened at that moment to be at the\npalace window.\n\n\u201cWhat strange ship is this,\u201d he cried, \u201cthat has a golden hull, silver\nmasts, and silken sails, and who are the young men like princes who man\nit? And do I not see St. Nicholas at the helm? Go at once and invite the\ncaptain of the ship to come to the palace.\u201d\n\nHis servants obeyed him, and very soon in came an enchantingly handsome\nyoung prince, dressed in rich silk, ornamented with pearls and diamonds.\n\n\u201cYoung man,\u201d said the King, \u201cyou are welcome, whoever you may be. Do me\nthe favor to be my guest as long as you remain in my capital.\u201d\n\n\u201cMany thanks, sire,\u201d replied the captain, \u201cI accept your offer.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy daughter is about to be married,\u201d said the King; \u201cwill you give her\naway?\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall be charmed, sire.\u201d\n\nSoon after came the Princess and her betrothed.\n\n\u201cWhy, how is this?\u201d cried the young captain; \u201cwould you marry this\ncharming princess to such a man as that?\u201d\n\n\u201cBut he is my prime minister\u2019s son!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat does that matter? I cannot give your daughter away. The man she is\nbetrothed to is one of my servants.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour servant?\u201d\n\n\u201cWithout doubt. I met him in a distant town reduced to carrying away\ndust and rubbish from the houses. I had pity on him and engaged him as\none of my servants.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is impossible!\u201d cried the King.\n\n\u201cDo you wish me to prove what I say? This young man returned in a vessel\nwhich I fitted out for him, an unseaworthy ship with a black battered\nhull, and the sailors were infirm and crippled.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is quite true,\u201d said the King.\n\n\u201cIt is false,\u201d cried the minister\u2019s son. \u201cI do not know this man!\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d said the young captain, \u201corder your daughter\u2019s betrothed to be\nstripped, and see if the mark of my ring is not branded upon his back.\u201d\n\nThe King was about to give this order, when the minister\u2019s son, to save\nhimself from such an indignity, admitted that the story was true.\n\n\u201cAnd now, sire,\u201d said the young captain, \u201cdo you not recognize me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI recognize you,\u201d said the Princess; \u201cyou are the gardener\u2019s son whom I\nhave always loved, and it is you I wish to marry.\u201d\n\n\u201cYoung man, you shall be my son-in-law,\u201d cried the King. \u201cThe marriage\nfestivities are already begun, so you shall marry my daughter this very\nday.\u201d\n\nAnd so that very day the gardener\u2019s son married the beautiful Princess.\n\nSeveral months passed. The young couple were as happy as the day was\nlong, and the King was more and more pleased with himself for having\nsecured such a son-in-law.\n\nBut, presently, the captain of the golden ship found it necessary to\ntake a long voyage, and after embracing his wife tenderly he embarked.\n\nNow in the outskirts of the capital there lived an old man, who had\nspent his life in studying black arts--alchemy, astrology, magic,\nand enchantment. This man found out that the gardener\u2019s son had only\nsucceeded in marrying the Princess by the help of the genii who obeyed\nthe bronze ring.\n\n\u201cI will have that ring,\u201d said he to himself. So he went down to the\nsea-shore and caught some little red fishes. Really, they were\nquite wonderfully pretty. Then he came back, and, passing before the\nPrincess\u2019s window, he began to cry out:\n\n\u201cWho wants some pretty little red fishes?\u201d\n\nThe Princess heard him, and sent out one of her slaves, who said to the\nold peddler:\n\n\u201cWhat will you take for your fish?\u201d\n\n\u201cA bronze ring.\u201d\n\n\u201cA bronze ring, old simpleton! And where shall I find one?\u201d\n\n\u201cUnder the cushion in the Princess\u2019s room.\u201d\n\nThe slave went back to her mistress.\n\n\u201cThe old madman will take neither gold nor silver,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cWhat does he want then?\u201d\n\n\u201cA bronze ring that is hidden under a cushion.\u201d\n\n\u201cFind the ring and give it to him,\u201d said the Princess.\n\nAnd at last the slave found the bronze ring, which the captain of the\ngolden ship had accidentally left behind and carried it to the man, who\nmade off with it instantly.\n\nHardly had he reached his own house when, taking the ring, he said,\n\u201cBronze ring, obey thy master. I desire that the golden ship shall turn\nto black wood, and the crew to hideous negroes; that St. Nicholas shall\nleave the helm and that the only cargo shall be black cats.\u201d\n\nAnd the genii of the bronze ring obeyed him.\n\nFinding himself upon the sea in this miserable condition, the young\ncaptain understood that some one must have stolen the bronze ring from\nhim, and he lamented his misfortune loudly; but that did him no good.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d he said to himself, \u201cwhoever has taken my ring has probably\ntaken my dear wife also. What good will it do me to go back to my own\ncountry?\u201d And he sailed about from island to island, and from shore to\nshore, believing that wherever he went everybody was laughing at him,\nand very soon his poverty was so great that he and his crew and the poor\nblack cats had nothing to eat but herbs and roots. After wandering about\na long time he reached an island inhabited by mice. The captain landed\nupon the shore and began to explore the country. There were mice\neverywhere, and nothing but mice. Some of the black cats had followed\nhim, and, not having been fed for several days, they were fearfully\nhungry, and made terrible havoc among the mice.\n\nThen the queen of the mice held a council.\n\n\u201cThese cats will eat every one of us,\u201d she said, \u201cif the captain of the\nship does not shut the ferocious animals up. Let us send a deputation to\nhim of the bravest among us.\u201d\n\nSeveral mice offered themselves for this mission and set out to find the\nyoung captain.\n\n\u201cCaptain,\u201d said they, \u201cgo away quickly from our island, or we shall\nperish, every mouse of us.\u201d\n\n\u201cWillingly,\u201d replied the young captain, \u201cupon one condition. That is\nthat you shall first bring me back a bronze ring which some clever\nmagician has stolen from me. If you do not do this I will land all my\ncats upon your island, and you shall be exterminated.\u201d\n\nThe mice withdrew in great dismay. \u201cWhat is to be done?\u201d said the Queen.\n\u201cHow can we find this bronze ring?\u201d She held a new council, calling in\nmice from every quarter of the globe, but nobody knew where the bronze\nring was. Suddenly three mice arrived from a very distant country. One\nwas blind, the second lame, and the third had her ears cropped.\n\n\u201cHo, ho, ho!\u201d said the new-comers. \u201cWe come from a far distant country.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you know where the bronze ring is which the genii obey?\u201d\n\n\u201cHo, ho, ho! we know; an old sorcerer has taken possession of it, and\nnow he keeps it in his pocket by day and in his mouth by night.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo and take it from him, and come back as soon as possible.\u201d\n\nSo the three mice made themselves a boat and set sail for the magician\u2019s\ncountry. When they reached the capital they landed and ran to the\npalace, leaving only the blind mouse on the shore to take care of the\nboat. Then they waited till it was night. The wicked old man lay down in\nbed and put the bronze ring into his mouth, and very soon he was asleep.\n\n\u201cNow, what shall we do?\u201d said the two little animals to each other.\n\nThe mouse with the cropped ears found a lamp full of oil and a bottle\nfull of pepper. So she dipped her tail first in the oil and then in the\npepper, and held it to the sorcerer\u2019s nose.\n\n\u201cAtisha! atisha!\u201d sneezed the old man, but he did not wake, and the\nshock made the bronze ring jump out of his mouth. Quick as thought the\nlame mouse snatched up the precious talisman and carried it off to the\nboat.\n\nImagine the despair of the magician when he awoke and the bronze ring\nwas nowhere to be found!\n\nBut by that time our three mice had set sail with their prize. A\nfavoring breeze was carrying them toward the island where the queen\nof the mice was awaiting them. Naturally they began to talk about the\nbronze ring.\n\n\u201cWhich of us deserves the most credit?\u201d they cried all at once.\n\n\u201cI do,\u201d said the blind mouse, \u201cfor without my watchfulness our boat\nwould have drifted away to the open sea.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, indeed,\u201d cried the mouse with the cropped ears; \u201cthe credit is\nmine. Did I not cause the ring to jump out of the man\u2019s mouth?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, it is mine,\u201d cried the lame one, \u201cfor I ran off with the ring.\u201d\n\nAnd from high words they soon came to blows, and, alas! when the quarrel\nwas fiercest the bronze ring fell into the sea.\n\n\u201cHow are we to face our queen,\u201d said the three mice \u201cwhen by our\nfolly we have lost the talisman and condemned our people to be utterly\nexterminated? We cannot go back to our country; let us land on this\ndesert island and there end our miserable lives.\u201d No sooner said than\ndone. The boat reached the island, and the mice landed.\n\nThe blind mouse was speedily deserted by her two sisters, who went off\nto hunt flies, but as she wandered sadly along the shore she found a\ndead fish, and was eating it, when she felt something very hard. At her\ncries the other two mice ran up.\n\n\u201cIt is the bronze ring! It is the talisman!\u201d they cried joyfully, and,\ngetting into their boat again, they soon reached the mouse island. It\nwas time they did, for the captain was just going to land his cargo of\ncats, when a deputation of mice brought him the precious bronze ring.\n\n\u201cBronze ring,\u201d commanded the young man, \u201cobey thy master. Let my ship\nappear as it was before.\u201d\n\nImmediately the genii of the ring set to work, and the old black vessel\nbecame once more the wonderful golden ship with sails of brocade; the\nhandsome sailors ran to the silver masts and the silken ropes, and very\nsoon they set sail for the capital.\n\nAh! how merrily the sailors sang as they flew over the glassy sea!\n\nAt last the port was reached.\n\nThe captain landed and ran to the palace, where he found the wicked\nold man asleep. The Princess clasped her husband in a long embrace. The\nmagician tried to escape, but he was seized and bound with strong cords.\n\nThe next day the sorcerer, tied to the tail of a savage mule loaded with\nnuts, was broken into as many pieces as there were nuts upon the mule\u2019s\nback.(1)\n\n\n(1) Traditions Populaires de l\u2019Asie Mineure. Carnoy et Nicolaides.\nParis: Maisonneuve, 1889.\n\n\n\n\nPRINCE HYACINTH AND THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a king who was deeply in love with a\nprincess, but she could not marry anyone, because she was under an\nenchantment. So the King set out to seek a fairy, and asked what he\ncould do to win the Princess\u2019s love. The Fairy said to him:\n\n\u201cYou know that the Princess has a great cat which she is very fond of.\nWhoever is clever enough to tread on that cat\u2019s tail is the man she is\ndestined to marry.\u201d\n\nThe King said to himself that this would not be very difficult, and he\nleft the Fairy, determined to grind the cat\u2019s tail to powder rather than\nnot tread on it at all.\n\nYou may imagine that it was not long before he went to see the Princess,\nand puss, as usual, marched in before him, arching his back. The King\ntook a long step, and quite thought he had the tail under his foot, but\nthe cat turned round so sharply that he only trod on air. And so it went\non for eight days, till the King began to think that this fatal tail\nmust be full of quicksilver--it was never still for a moment.\n\nAt last, however, he was lucky enough to come upon puss fast asleep and\nwith his tail conveniently spread out. So the King, without losing a\nmoment, set his foot upon it heavily.\n\nWith one terrific yell the cat sprang up and instantly changed into a\ntall man, who, fixing his angry eyes upon the King, said:\n\n\u201cYou shall marry the Princess because you have been able to break the\nenchantment, but I will have my revenge. You shall have a son, who will\nnever be happy until he finds out that his nose is too long, and if you\never tell anyone what I have just said to you, you shall vanish away\ninstantly, and no one shall ever see you or hear of you again.\u201d\n\nThough the King was horribly afraid of the enchanter, he could not help\nlaughing at this threat.\n\n\u201cIf my son has such a long nose as that,\u201d he said to himself, \u201che\nmust always see it or feel it; at least, if he is not blind or without\nhands.\u201d\n\nBut, as the enchanter had vanished, he did not waste any more time in\nthinking, but went to seek the Princess, who very soon consented to\nmarry him. But after all, they had not been married very long when the\nKing died, and the Queen had nothing left to care for but her little\nson, who was called Hyacinth. The little Prince had large blue eyes, the\nprettiest eyes in the world, and a sweet little mouth, but, alas!\nhis nose was so enormous that it covered half his face. The Queen was\ninconsolable when she saw this great nose, but her ladies assured her\nthat it was not really as large as it looked; that it was a Roman nose,\nand you had only to open any history to see that every hero has a large\nnose. The Queen, who was devoted to her baby, was pleased with what they\ntold her, and when she looked at Hyacinth again, his nose certainly did\nnot seem to her _quite_ so large.\n\nThe Prince was brought up with great care; and, as soon as he could\nspeak, they told him all sorts of dreadful stories about people who had\nshort noses. No one was allowed to come near him whose nose did not more\nor less resemble his own, and the courtiers, to get into favor with the\nQueen, took to pulling their babies\u2019 noses several times every day\nto make them grow long. But, do what they would, they were nothing by\ncomparison with the Prince\u2019s.\n\nWhen he grew sensible he learned history; and whenever any great prince\nor beautiful princess was spoken of, his teachers took care to tell him\nthat they had long noses.\n\nHis room was hung with pictures, all of people with very large noses;\nand the Prince grew up so convinced that a long nose was a great beauty,\nthat he would not on any account have had his own a single inch shorter!\n\nWhen his twentieth birthday was passed the Queen thought it was time\nthat he should be married, so she commanded that the portraits of\nseveral princesses should be brought for him to see, and among the\nothers was a picture of the Dear Little Princess!\n\nNow, she was the daughter of a great king, and would some day possess\nseveral kingdoms herself; but Prince Hyacinth had not a thought to spare\nfor anything of that sort, he was so much struck with her beauty. The\nPrincess, whom he thought quite charming, had, however, a little saucy\nnose, which, in her face, was the prettiest thing possible, but it was\na cause of great embarrassment to the courtiers, who had got into such\na habit of laughing at little noses that they sometimes found themselves\nlaughing at hers before they had time to think; but this did not do at\nall before the Prince, who quite failed to see the joke, and actually\nbanished two of his courtiers who had dared to mention disrespectfully\nthe Dear Little Princess\u2019s tiny nose!\n\nThe others, taking warning from this, learned to think twice before they\nspoke, and one even went so far as to tell the Prince that, though it\nwas quite true that no man could be worth anything unless he had a\nlong nose, still, a woman\u2019s beauty was a different thing; and he knew\na learned man who understood Greek and had read in some old manuscripts\nthat the beautiful Cleopatra herself had a \u201ctip-tilted\u201d nose!\n\nThe Prince made him a splendid present as a reward for this good\nnews, and at once sent ambassadors to ask the Dear Little Princess in\nmarriage. The King, her father, gave his consent; and Prince Hyacinth,\nwho, in his anxiety to see the Princess, had gone three leagues to meet\nher was just advancing to kiss her hand when, to the horror of all who\nstood by, the enchanter appeared as suddenly as a flash of lightning,\nand, snatching up the Dear Little Princess, whirled her away out of\ntheir sight!\n\nThe Prince was left quite unconsolable, and declared that nothing should\ninduce him to go back to his kingdom until he had found her again, and\nrefusing to allow any of his courtiers to follow him, he mounted his\nhorse and rode sadly away, letting the animal choose his own path.\n\nSo it happened that he came presently to a great plain, across which\nhe rode all day long without seeing a single house, and horse and rider\nwere terribly hungry, when, as the night fell, the Prince caught sight\nof a light, which seemed to shine from a cavern.\n\nHe rode up to it, and saw a little old woman, who appeared to be at\nleast a hundred years old.\n\nShe put on her spectacles to look at Prince Hyacinth, but it was quite\na long time before she could fix them securely because her nose was so\nvery short.\n\nThe Prince and the Fairy (for that was who she was) had no sooner looked\nat one another than they went into fits of laughter, and cried at the\nsame moment, \u201cOh, what a funny nose!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot so funny as your own,\u201d said Prince Hyacinth to the Fairy; \u201cbut,\nmadam, I beg you to leave the consideration of our noses--such as\nthey are--and to be good enough to give me something to eat, for I am\nstarving, and so is my poor horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said the Fairy. \u201cThough your nose is so ridiculous\nyou are, nevertheless, the son of my best friend. I loved your father as\nif he had been my brother. Now _he_ had a very handsome nose!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd pray what does mine lack?\u201d said the Prince.\n\n\u201cOh! it doesn\u2019t _lack_ anything,\u201d replied the Fairy. \u201cOn the contrary\nquite, there is only too much of it. But never mind, one may be a very\nworthy man though his nose is too long. I was telling you that I was\nyour father\u2019s friend; he often came to see me in the old times, and you\nmust know that I was very pretty in those days; at least, he used to say\nso. I should like to tell you of a conversation we had the last time I\never saw him.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cwhen I have supped it will give me the\ngreatest pleasure to hear it; but consider, madam, I beg of you, that I\nhave had nothing to eat to-day.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe poor boy is right,\u201d said the Fairy; \u201cI was forgetting. Come in,\nthen, and I will give you some supper, and while you are eating I can\ntell you my story in a very few words--for I don\u2019t like endless tales\nmyself. Too long a tongue is worse than too long a nose, and I remember\nwhen I was young that I was so much admired for not being a great\nchatterer. They used to tell the Queen, my mother, that it was so. For\nthough you see what I am now, I was the daughter of a great king. My\nfather----\u201d\n\n\u201cYour father, I dare say, got something to eat when he was hungry!\u201d\n interrupted the Prince.\n\n\u201cOh! certainly,\u201d answered the Fairy, \u201cand you also shall have supper\ndirectly. I only just wanted to tell you----\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I really cannot listen to anything until I have had something\nto eat,\u201d cried the Prince, who was getting quite angry; but then,\nremembering that he had better be polite as he much needed the Fairy\u2019s\nhelp, he added:\n\n\u201cI know that in the pleasure of listening to you I should quite forget\nmy own hunger; but my horse, who cannot hear you, must really be fed!\u201d\n\nThe Fairy was very much flattered by this compliment, and said, calling\nto her servants:\n\n\u201cYou shall not wait another minute, you are so polite, and in spite of\nthe enormous size of your nose you are really very agreeable.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlague take the old lady! How she does go on about my nose!\u201d said the\nPrince to himself. \u201cOne would almost think that mine had taken all the\nextra length that hers lacks! If I were not so hungry I would soon have\ndone with this chatterpie who thinks she talks very little! How stupid\npeople are not to see their own faults! That comes of being a princess:\nshe has been spoiled by flatterers, who have made her believe that she\nis quite a moderate talker!\u201d\n\nMeanwhile the servants were putting the supper on the table, and the\nprince was much amused to hear the Fairy who asked them a thousand\nquestions simply for the pleasure of hearing herself speak; especially\nhe noticed one maid who, no matter what was being said, always contrived\nto praise her mistress\u2019s wisdom.\n\n\u201cWell!\u201d he thought, as he ate his supper, \u201cI\u2019m very glad I came here.\nThis just shows me how sensible I have been in never listening to\nflatterers. People of that sort praise us to our faces without shame,\nand hide our faults or change them into virtues. For my part I never\nwill be taken in by them. I know my own defects, I hope.\u201d\n\nPoor Prince Hyacinth! He really believed what he said, and hadn\u2019t an\nidea that the people who had praised his nose were laughing at him, just\nas the Fairy\u2019s maid was laughing at her; for the Prince had seen her\nlaugh slyly when she could do so without the Fairy\u2019s noticing her.\n\nHowever, he said nothing, and presently, when his hunger began to be\nappeased, the Fairy said:\n\n\u201cMy dear Prince, might I beg you to move a little more that way, for\nyour nose casts such a shadow that I really cannot see what I have on my\nplate. Ah! thanks. Now let us speak of your father. When I went to his\nCourt he was only a little boy, but that is forty years ago, and I have\nbeen in this desolate place ever since. Tell me what goes on nowadays;\nare the ladies as fond of amusement as ever? In my time one saw them at\nparties, theatres, balls, and promenades every day. Dear me! _what_ a\nlong nose you have! I cannot get used to it!\u201d\n\n\u201cReally, madam,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cI wish you would leave off mentioning\nmy nose. It cannot matter to you what it is like. I am quite satisfied\nwith it, and have no wish to have it shorter. One must take what is\ngiven one.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow you are angry with me, my poor Hyacinth,\u201d said the Fairy, \u201cand I\nassure you that I didn\u2019t mean to vex you; on the contrary, I wished to\ndo you a service. However, though I really cannot help your nose being a\nshock to me, I will try not to say anything about it. I will even try to\nthink that you have an ordinary nose. To tell the truth, it would make\nthree reasonable ones.\u201d\n\nThe Prince, who was no longer hungry, grew so impatient at the Fairy\u2019s\ncontinual remarks about his nose that at last he threw himself upon his\nhorse and rode hastily away. But wherever he came in his journeyings he\nthought the people were mad, for they all talked of his nose, and yet\nhe could not bring himself to admit that it was too long, he had been so\nused all his life to hear it called handsome.\n\nThe old Fairy, who wished to make him happy, at last hit upon a plan.\nShe shut the Dear Little Princess up in a palace of crystal, and put\nthis palace down where the Prince would not fail to find it. His joy at\nseeing the Princess again was extreme, and he set to work with all his\nmight to try to break her prison; but in spite of all his efforts he\nfailed utterly. In despair he thought at least that he would try to\nget near enough to speak to the Dear Little Princess, who, on her part,\nstretched out her hand that he might kiss it; but turn which way he\nmight, he never could raise it to his lips, for his long nose always\nprevented it. For the first time he realized how long it really was, and\nexclaimed:\n\n\u201cWell, it must be admitted that my nose _is_ too long!\u201d\n\nIn an instant the crystal prison flew into a thousand splinters, and\nthe old Fairy, taking the Dear Little Princess by the hand, said to the\nPrince:\n\n\u201cNow, say if you are not very much obliged to me. Much good it was for\nme to talk to you about your nose! You would never have found out how\nextraordinary it was if it hadn\u2019t hindered you from doing what you\nwanted to. You see how self-love keeps us from knowing our own defects\nof mind and body. Our reason tries in vain to show them to us; we refuse\nto see them till we find them in the way of our interests.\u201d\n\nPrince Hyacinth, whose nose was now just like anyone\u2019s else, did not\nfail to profit by the lesson he had received. He married the Dear Little\nPrincess, and they lived happily ever after.(1)\n\n\n(1) Le Prince Desir et la Princesse Mignonne. Par Madame Leprince de\nBeaumont.\n\n\n\n\nEAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a poor husbandman who had many children and\nlittle to give them in the way either of food or clothing. They were all\npretty, but the prettiest of all was the youngest daughter, who was so\nbeautiful that there were no bounds to her beauty.\n\nSo once--it was late on a Thursday evening in autumn, and wild weather\noutside, terribly dark, and raining so heavily and blowing so hard that\nthe walls of the cottage shook again--they were all sitting together by\nthe fireside, each of them busy with something or other, when suddenly\nsome one rapped three times against the window-pane. The man went out\nto see what could be the matter, and when he got out there stood a great\nbig white bear.\n\n\u201cGood-evening to you,\u201d said the White Bear.\n\n\u201cGood-evening,\u201d said the man.\n\n\u201cWill you give me your youngest daughter?\u201d said the White Bear; \u201cif you\nwill, you shall be as rich as you are now poor.\u201d\n\nTruly the man would have had no objection to be rich, but he thought to\nhimself: \u201cI must first ask my daughter about this,\u201d so he went in and\ntold them that there was a great white bear outside who had faithfully\npromised to make them all rich if he might but have the youngest\ndaughter.\n\nShe said no, and would not hear of it; so the man went out again, and\nsettled with the White Bear that he should come again next Thursday\nevening, and get her answer. Then the man persuaded her, and talked so\nmuch to her about the wealth that they would have, and what a good thing\nit would be for herself, that at last she made up her mind to go, and\nwashed and mended all her rags, made herself as smart as she could, and\nheld herself in readiness to set out. Little enough had she to take away\nwith her.\n\nNext Thursday evening the White Bear came to fetch her. She seated\nherself on his back with her bundle, and thus they departed. When they\nhad gone a great part of the way, the White Bear said: \u201cAre you afraid?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, that I am not,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cKeep tight hold of my fur, and then there is no danger,\u201d said he.\n\nAnd thus she rode far, far away, until they came to a great mountain.\nThen the White Bear knocked on it, and a door opened, and they went into\na castle where there were many brilliantly lighted rooms which shone\nwith gold and silver, likewise a large hall in which there was a\nwell-spread table, and it was so magnificent that it would be hard to\nmake anyone understand how splendid it was. The White Bear gave her a\nsilver bell, and told her that when she needed anything she had but\nto ring this bell, and what she wanted would appear. So after she had\neaten, and night was drawing near, she grew sleepy after her journey,\nand thought she would like to go to bed. She rang the bell, and scarcely\nhad she touched it before she found herself in a chamber where a bed\nstood ready made for her, which was as pretty as anyone could wish to\nsleep in. It had pillows of silk, and curtains of silk fringed with\ngold, and everything that was in the room was of gold or silver, but\nwhen she had lain down and put out the light a man came and lay down\nbeside her, and behold it was the White Bear, who cast off the form of\na beast during the night. She never saw him, however, for he always came\nafter she had put out her light, and went away before daylight appeared.\n\nSo all went well and happily for a time, but then she began to be very\nsad and sorrowful, for all day long she had to go about alone; and\nshe did so wish to go home to her father and mother and brothers and\nsisters. Then the White Bear asked what it was that she wanted, and she\ntold him that it was so dull there in the mountain, and that she had to\ngo about all alone, and that in her parents\u2019 house at home there were\nall her brothers and sisters, and it was because she could not go to\nthem that she was so sorrowful.\n\n\u201cThere might be a cure for that,\u201d said the White Bear, \u201cif you would\nbut promise me never to talk with your mother alone, but only when the\nothers are there too; for she will take hold of your hand,\u201d he said,\n\u201cand will want to lead you into a room to talk with you alone; but that\nyou must by no means do, or you will bring great misery on both of us.\u201d\n\nSo one Sunday the White Bear came and said that they could now set out\nto see her father and mother, and they journeyed thither, she sitting on\nhis back, and they went a long, long way, and it took a long, long time;\nbut at last they came to a large white farmhouse, and her brothers and\nsisters were running about outside it, playing, and it was so pretty\nthat it was a pleasure to look at it.\n\n\u201cYour parents dwell here now,\u201d said the White Bear; \u201cbut do not forget\nwhat I said to you, or you will do much harm both to yourself and me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, indeed,\u201d said she, \u201cI shall never forget;\u201d and as soon as she was\nat home the White Bear turned round and went back again.\n\nThere were such rejoicings when she went in to her parents that it\nseemed as if they would never come to an end. Everyone thought that he\ncould never be sufficiently grateful to her for all she had done for\nthem all. Now they had everything that they wanted, and everything was\nas good as it could be. They all asked her how she was getting on where\nshe was. All was well with her too, she said; and she had everything\nthat she could want. What other answers she gave I cannot say, but I am\npretty sure that they did not learn much from her. But in the afternoon,\nafter they had dined at midday, all happened just as the White Bear had\nsaid. Her mother wanted to talk with her alone in her own chamber. But\nshe remembered what the White Bear had said, and would on no account go.\n\u201cWhat we have to say can be said at any time,\u201d she answered. But somehow\nor other her mother at last persuaded her, and she was forced to tell\nthe whole story. So she told how every night a man came and lay down\nbeside her when the lights were all put out, and how she never saw him,\nbecause he always went away before it grew light in the morning, and how\nshe continually went about in sadness, thinking how happy she would\nbe if she could but see him, and how all day long she had to go about\nalone, and it was so dull and solitary. \u201cOh!\u201d cried the mother, in\nhorror, \u201cyou are very likely sleeping with a troll! But I will teach you\na way to see him. You shall have a bit of one of my candles, which you\ncan take away with you hidden in your breast. Look at him with that when\nhe is asleep, but take care not to let any tallow drop upon him.\u201d\n\nSo she took the candle, and hid it in her breast, and when evening drew\nnear the White Bear came to fetch her away. When they had gone some\ndistance on their way, the White Bear asked her if everything had not\nhappened just as he had foretold, and she could not but own that it had.\n\u201cThen, if you have done what your mother wished,\u201d said he, \u201cyou have\nbrought great misery on both of us.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d she said, \u201cI have not done\nanything at all.\u201d So when she had reached home and had gone to bed it\nwas just the same as it had been before, and a man came and lay down\nbeside her, and late at night, when she could hear that he was sleeping,\nshe got up and kindled a light, lit her candle, let her light shine on\nhim, and saw him, and he was the handsomest prince that eyes had ever\nbeheld, and she loved him so much that it seemed to her that she must\ndie if she did not kiss him that very moment. So she did kiss him; but\nwhile she was doing it she let three drops of hot tallow fall upon\nhis shirt, and he awoke. \u201cWhat have you done now?\u201d said he; \u201cyou have\nbrought misery on both of us. If you had but held out for the space of\none year I should have been free. I have a step-mother who has bewitched\nme so that I am a white bear by day and a man by night; but now all is\nat an end between you and me, and I must leave you, and go to her. She\nlives in a castle which lies east of the sun and west of the moon, and\nthere too is a princess with a nose which is three ells long, and she\nnow is the one whom I must marry.\u201d\n\nShe wept and lamented, but all in vain, for go he must. Then she asked\nhim if she could not go with him. But no, that could not be. \u201cCan you\ntell me the way then, and I will seek you--that I may surely be allowed\nto do!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you may do that,\u201d said he; \u201cbut there is no way thither. It lies\neast of the sun and west of the moon, and never would you find your way\nthere.\u201d\n\nWhen she awoke in the morning both the Prince and the castle were gone,\nand she was lying on a small green patch in the midst of a dark, thick\nwood. By her side lay the self-same bundle of rags which she had brought\nwith her from her own home. So when she had rubbed the sleep out of her\neyes, and wept till she was weary, she set out on her way, and thus she\nwalked for many and many a long day, until at last she came to a great\nmountain. Outside it an aged woman was sitting, playing with a golden\napple. The girl asked her if she knew the way to the Prince who lived\nwith his stepmother in the castle which lay east of the sun and west of\nthe moon, and who was to marry a princess with a nose which was three\nells long. \u201cHow do you happen to know about him?\u201d inquired the old\nwoman; \u201cmaybe you are she who ought to have had him.\u201d \u201cYes, indeed, I\nam,\u201d she said. \u201cSo it is you, then?\u201d said the old woman; \u201cI know nothing\nabout him but that he dwells in a castle which is east of the sun and\nwest of the moon. You will be a long time in getting to it, if ever you\nget to it at all; but you shall have the loan of my horse, and then you\ncan ride on it to an old woman who is a neighbor of mine: perhaps she\ncan tell you about him. When you have got there you must just strike the\nhorse beneath the left ear and bid it go home again; but you may take\nthe golden apple with you.\u201d\n\nSo the girl seated herself on the horse, and rode for a long, long way,\nand at last she came to the mountain, where an aged woman was sitting\noutside with a gold carding-comb. The girl asked her if she knew the way\nto the castle which lay east of the sun and west of the moon; but she\nsaid what the first old woman had said: \u201cI know nothing about it, but\nthat it is east of the sun and west of the moon, and that you will be a\nlong time in getting to it, if ever you get there at all; but you shall\nhave the loan of my horse to an old woman who lives the nearest to me:\nperhaps she may know where the castle is, and when you have got to her\nyou may just strike the horse beneath the left ear and bid it go home\nagain.\u201d Then she gave her the gold carding-comb, for it might, perhaps,\nbe of use to her, she said.\n\nSo the girl seated herself on the horse, and rode a wearisome long way\nonward again, and after a very long time she came to a great mountain,\nwhere an aged woman was sitting, spinning at a golden spinning-wheel.\nOf this woman, too, she inquired if she knew the way to the Prince, and\nwhere to find the castle which lay east of the sun and west of the moon.\nBut it was only the same thing once again. \u201cMaybe it was you who should\nhave had the Prince,\u201d said the old woman. \u201cYes, indeed, I should have\nbeen the one,\u201d said the girl. But this old crone knew the way no better\nthan the others--it was east of the sun and west of the moon, she knew\nthat, \u201cand you will be a long time in getting to it, if ever you get\nto it at all,\u201d she said; \u201cbut you may have the loan of my horse, and I\nthink you had better ride to the East Wind, and ask him: perhaps he may\nknow where the castle is, and will blow you thither. But when you have\ngot to him you must just strike the horse beneath the left ear, and he\nwill come home again.\u201d And then she gave her the golden spinning-wheel,\nsaying: \u201cPerhaps you may find that you have a use for it.\u201d\n\nThe girl had to ride for a great many days, and for a long and wearisome\ntime, before she got there; but at last she did arrive, and then she\nasked the East Wind if he could tell her the way to the Prince who dwelt\neast of the sun and west of the moon. \u201cWell,\u201d said the East Wind, \u201cI\nhave heard tell of the Prince, and of his castle, but I do not know the\nway to it, for I have never blown so far; but, if you like, I will go\nwith you to my brother the West Wind: he may know that, for he is much\nstronger than I am. You may sit on my back, and then I can carry you\nthere.\u201d So she seated herself on his back, and they did go so swiftly!\nWhen they got there, the East Wind went in and said that the girl whom\nhe had brought was the one who ought to have had the Prince up at the\ncastle which lay east of the sun and west of the moon, and that now she\nwas traveling about to find him again, so he had come there with her,\nand would like to hear if the West Wind knew whereabout the castle was.\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the West Wind; \u201cso far as that have I never blown; but if you\nlike I will go with you to the South Wind, for he is much stronger than\neither of us, and he has roamed far and wide, and perhaps he can tell\nyou what you want to know. You may seat yourself on my back, and then I\nwill carry you to him.\u201d.\n\nSo she did this, and journeyed to the South Wind, neither was she very\nlong on the way. When they had got there, the West Wind asked him if he\ncould tell her the way to the castle that lay east of the sun and west\nof the moon, for she was the girl who ought to marry the Prince who\nlived there. \u201cOh, indeed!\u201d said the South Wind, \u201cis that she? Well,\u201d\n said he, \u201cI have wandered about a great deal in my time, and in all\nkinds of places, but I have never blown so far as that. If you like,\nhowever, I will go with you to my brother, the North Wind; he is the\noldest and strongest of all of us, and if he does not know where it is\nno one in the whole world will be able to tell you. You may sit upon\nmy back, and then I will carry you there.\u201d So she seated herself on his\nback, and off he went from his house in great haste, and they were not\nlong on the way. When they came near the North Wind\u2019s dwelling, he was\nso wild and frantic that they felt cold gusts a long while before they\ngot there. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he roared out from afar, and they froze\nas they heard. Said the South Wind: \u201cIt is I, and this is she who should\nhave had the Prince who lives in the castle which lies east of the sun\nand west of the moon. And now she wishes to ask you if you have ever\nbeen there, and can tell her the way, for she would gladly find him\nagain.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the North Wind, \u201cI know where it is. I once blew an aspen\nleaf there, but I was so tired that for many days afterward I was not\nable to blow at all. However, if you really are anxious to go there, and\nare not afraid to go with me, I will take you on my back, and try if I\ncan blow you there.\u201d\n\n\u201cGet there I must,\u201d said she; \u201cand if there is any way of going I will;\nand I have no fear, no matter how fast you go.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well then,\u201d said the North Wind; \u201cbut you must sleep here\nto-night, for if we are ever to get there we must have the day before\nus.\u201d\n\nThe North Wind woke her betimes next morning, and puffed himself up, and\nmade himself so big and so strong that it was frightful to see him, and\naway they went, high up through the air, as if they would not stop until\nthey had reached the very end of the world. Down below there was such a\nstorm! It blew down woods and houses, and when they were above the sea\nthe ships were wrecked by hundreds. And thus they tore on and on, and\na long time went by, and then yet more time passed, and still they were\nabove the sea, and the North Wind grew tired, and more tired, and at\nlast so utterly weary that he was scarcely able to blow any longer, and\nhe sank and sank, lower and lower, until at last he went so low that the\nwaves dashed against the heels of the poor girl he was carrying. \u201cArt\nthou afraid?\u201d said the North Wind. \u201cI have no fear,\u201d said she; and it\nwas true. But they were not very, very far from land, and there was just\nenough strength left in the North Wind to enable him to throw her on to\nthe shore, immediately under the windows of a castle which lay east of\nthe sun and west of the moon; but then he was so weary and worn out that\nhe was forced to rest for several days before he could go to his own\nhome again.\n\nNext morning she sat down beneath the walls of the castle to play with\nthe golden apple, and the first person she saw was the maiden with the\nlong nose, who was to have the Prince. \u201cHow much do you want for that\ngold apple of yours, girl?\u201d said she, opening the window. \u201cIt can\u2019t be\nbought either for gold or money,\u201d answered the girl. \u201cIf it cannot be\nbought either for gold or money, what will buy it? You may say what you\nplease,\u201d said the Princess.\n\n\u201cWell, if I may go to the Prince who is here, and be with him to-night,\nyou shall have it,\u201d said the girl who had come with the North Wind. \u201cYou\nmay do that,\u201d said the Princess, for she had made up her mind what she\nwould do. So the Princess got the golden apple, but when the girl went\nup to the Prince\u2019s apartment that night he was asleep, for the Princess\nhad so contrived it. The poor girl called to him, and shook him, and\nbetween whiles she wept; but she could not wake him. In the morning, as\nsoon as day dawned, in came the Princess with the long nose, and drove\nher out again. In the daytime she sat down once more beneath the windows\nof the castle, and began to card with her golden carding-comb; and then\nall happened as it had happened before. The Princess asked her what she\nwanted for it, and she replied that it was not for sale, either for gold\nor money, but that if she could get leave to go to the Prince, and be\nwith him during the night, she should have it. But when she went up to\nthe Prince\u2019s room he was again asleep, and, let her call him, or shake\nhim, or weep as she would, he still slept on, and she could not put any\nlife in him. When daylight came in the morning, the Princess with the\nlong nose came too, and once more drove her away. When day had quite\ncome, the girl seated herself under the castle windows, to spin with\nher golden spinning-wheel, and the Princess with the long nose wanted to\nhave that also. So she opened the window, and asked what she would\ntake for it. The girl said what she had said on each of the former\noccasions--that it was not for sale either for gold or for money, but if\nshe could get leave to go to the Prince who lived there, and be with him\nduring the night, she should have it.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cI will gladly consent to that.\u201d\n\nBut in that place there were some Christian folk who had been carried\noff, and they had been sitting in the chamber which was next to that of\nthe Prince, and had heard how a woman had been in there who had wept and\ncalled on him two nights running, and they told the Prince of this. So\nthat evening, when the Princess came once more with her sleeping-drink,\nhe pretended to drink, but threw it away behind him, for he suspected\nthat it was a sleeping-drink. So, when the girl went into the Prince\u2019s\nroom this time he was awake, and she had to tell him how she had come\nthere. \u201cYou have come just in time,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cfor I should have\nbeen married to-morrow; but I will not have the long-nosed Princess, and\nyou alone can save me. I will say that I want to see what my bride can\ndo, and bid her wash the shirt which has the three drops of tallow on\nit. This she will consent to do, for she does not know that it is you\nwho let them fall on it; but no one can wash them out but one born of\nChristian folk: it cannot be done by one of a pack of trolls; and then\nI will say that no one shall ever be my bride but the woman who can do\nthis, and I know that you can.\u201d There was great joy and gladness between\nthem all that night, but the next day, when the wedding was to take\nplace, the Prince said, \u201cI must see what my bride can do.\u201d \u201cThat you may\ndo,\u201d said the stepmother.\n\n\u201cI have a fine shirt which I want to wear as my wedding shirt, but three\ndrops of tallow have got upon it which I want to have washed off, and\nI have vowed to marry no one but the woman who is able to do it. If she\ncannot do that, she is not worth having.\u201d\n\nWell, that was a very small matter, they thought, and agreed to do it.\nThe Princess with the long nose began to wash as well as she could,\nbut, the more she washed and rubbed, the larger the spots grew. \u201cAh! you\ncan\u2019t wash at all,\u201d said the old troll-hag, who was her mother. \u201cGive it\nto me.\u201d But she too had not had the shirt very long in her hands before\nit looked worse still, and, the more she washed it and rubbed it, the\nlarger and blacker grew the spots.\n\nSo the other trolls had to come and wash, but, the more they did, the\nblacker and uglier grew the shirt, until at length it was as black as if\nit had been up the chimney. \u201cOh,\u201d cried the Prince, \u201cnot one of you is\ngood for anything at all! There is a beggar-girl sitting outside the\nwindow, and I\u2019ll be bound that she can wash better than any of you! Come\nin, you girl there!\u201d he cried. So she came in. \u201cCan you wash this shirt\nclean?\u201d he cried. \u201cOh! I don\u2019t know,\u201d she said; \u201cbut I will try.\u201d And\nno sooner had she taken the shirt and dipped it in the water than it\nwas white as driven snow, and even whiter than that. \u201cI will marry you,\u201d\n said the Prince.\n\nThen the old troll-hag flew into such a rage that she burst, and the\nPrincess with the long nose and all the little trolls must have burst\ntoo, for they have never been heard of since. The Prince and his bride\nset free all the Christian folk who were imprisoned there, and took away\nwith them all the gold and silver that they could carry, and moved far\naway from the castle which lay east of the sun and west of the moon.(1)\n\n\n(1) Asbjornsen and Moe.\n\n\n\n\nTHE YELLOW DWARF\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a queen who had been the mother of a great\nmany children, and of them all only one daughter was left. But then\n_she_ was worth at least a thousand.\n\nHer mother, who, since the death of the King, her father, had nothing in\nthe world she cared for so much as this little Princess, was so terribly\nafraid of losing her that she quite spoiled her, and never tried to\ncorrect any of her faults. The consequence was that this little person,\nwho was as pretty as possible, and was one day to wear a crown, grew\nup so proud and so much in love with her own beauty that she despised\neveryone else in the world.\n\nThe Queen, her mother, by her caresses and flatteries, helped to make\nher believe that there was nothing too good for her. She was dressed\nalmost always in the prettiest frocks, as a fairy, or as a queen going\nout to hunt, and the ladies of the Court followed her dressed as forest\nfairies.\n\nAnd to make her more vain than ever the Queen caused her portrait to be\ntaken by the cleverest painters and sent it to several neighboring kings\nwith whom she was very friendly.\n\nWhen they saw this portrait they fell in love with the Princess--every\none of them, but upon each it had a different effect. One fell ill, one\nwent quite crazy, and a few of the luckiest set off to see her as soon\nas possible, but these poor princes became her slaves the moment they\nset eyes on her.\n\nNever has there been a gayer Court. Twenty delightful kings did\neverything they could think of to make themselves agreeable, and after\nhaving spent ever so much money in giving a single entertainment thought\nthemselves very lucky if the Princess said \u201cThat\u2019s pretty.\u201d\n\nAll this admiration vastly pleased the Queen. Not a day passed but\nshe received seven or eight thousand sonnets, and as many elegies,\nmadrigals, and songs, which were sent her by all the poets in the\nworld. All the prose and the poetry that was written just then was about\nBellissima--for that was the Princess\u2019s name--and all the bonfires that\nthey had were made of these verses, which crackled and sparkled better\nthan any other sort of wood.\n\nBellissima was already fifteen years old, and every one of the Princes\nwished to marry her, but not one dared to say so. How could they when\nthey knew that any of them might have cut off his head five or six times\na day just to please her, and she would have thought it a mere trifle,\nso little did she care? You may imagine how hard-hearted her lovers\nthought her; and the Queen, who wished to see her married, did not know\nhow to persuade her to think of it seriously.\n\n\u201cBellissima,\u201d she said, \u201cI do wish you would not be so proud. What makes\nyou despise all these nice kings? I wish you to marry one of them, and\nyou do not try to please me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am so happy,\u201d Bellissima answered: \u201cdo leave me in peace, madam. I\ndon\u2019t want to care for anyone.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you would be very happy with any of these Princes,\u201d said the Queen,\n\u201cand I shall be very angry if you fall in love with anyone who is not\nworthy of you.\u201d\n\nBut the Princess thought so much of herself that she did not consider\nany one of her lovers clever or handsome enough for her; and her mother,\nwho was getting really angry at her determination not to be married,\nbegan to wish that she had not allowed her to have her own way so much.\n\nAt last, not knowing what else to do, she resolved to consult a certain\nwitch who was called \u201cThe Fairy of the Desert.\u201d Now this was very\ndifficult to do, as she was guarded by some terrible lions; but happily\nthe Queen had heard a long time before that whoever wanted to pass\nthese lions safely must throw to them a cake made of millet flour,\nsugar-candy, and crocodile\u2019s eggs. This cake she prepared with her own\nhands, and putting it in a little basket, she set out to seek the Fairy.\nBut as she was not used to walking far, she soon felt very tired and sat\ndown at the foot of a tree to rest, and presently fell fast asleep. When\nshe awoke she was dismayed to find her basket empty. The cake was all\ngone! and, to make matters worse, at that moment she heard the roaring\nof the great lions, who had found out that she was near and were coming\nto look for her.\n\n\u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d she cried; \u201cI shall be eaten up,\u201d and being too\nfrightened to run a single step, she began to cry, and leaned against\nthe tree under which she had been asleep.\n\nJust then she heard some one say: \u201cH\u2019m, h\u2019m!\u201d\n\nShe looked all round her, and then up the tree, and there she saw a\nlittle tiny man, who was eating oranges.\n\n\u201cOh! Queen,\u201d said he, \u201cI know you very well, and I know how much afraid\nyou are of the lions; and you are quite right too, for they have eaten\nmany other people: and what can you expect, as you have not any cake to\ngive them?\u201d\n\n\u201cI must make up my mind to die,\u201d said the poor Queen. \u201cAlas! I should\nnot care so much if only my dear daughter were married.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! you have a daughter,\u201d cried the Yellow Dwarf (who was so called\nbecause he _was_ a dwarf and had such a yellow face, and lived in the\norange tree). \u201cI\u2019m really glad to hear that, for I\u2019ve been looking for\na wife all over the world. Now, if you will promise that she shall marry\nme, not one of the lions, tigers, or bears shall touch you.\u201d\n\nThe Queen looked at him and was almost as much afraid of his ugly little\nface as she had been of the lions before, so that she could not speak a\nword.\n\n\u201cWhat! you hesitate, madam,\u201d cried the Dwarf. \u201cYou must be very fond of\nbeing eaten up alive.\u201d\n\nAnd, as he spoke, the Queen saw the lions, which were running down a\nhill toward them.\n\nEach one had two heads, eight feet, and four rows of teeth, and their\nskins were as hard as turtle shells, and were bright red.\n\nAt this dreadful sight, the poor Queen, who was trembling like a dove\nwhen it sees a hawk, cried out as loud as she could, \u201cOh! dear Mr.\nDwarf, Bellissima shall marry you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, indeed!\u201d said he disdainfully. \u201cBellissima is pretty enough, but I\ndon\u2019t particularly want to marry her--you can keep her.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! noble sir,\u201d said the Queen in great distress, \u201cdo not refuse her.\nShe is the most charming Princess in the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! well,\u201d he replied, \u201cout of charity I will take her; but be sure and\ndon\u2019t forget that she is mine.\u201d\n\nAs he spoke a little door opened in the trunk of the orange tree, in\nrushed the Queen, only just in time, and the door shut with a bang in\nthe faces of the lions.\n\nThe Queen was so confused that at first she did not notice another\nlittle door in the orange tree, but presently it opened and she found\nherself in a field of thistles and nettles. It was encircled by a muddy\nditch, and a little further on was a tiny thatched cottage, out of which\ncame the Yellow Dwarf with a very jaunty air. He wore wooden shoes and\na little yellow coat, and as he had no hair and very long ears he looked\naltogether a shocking little object.\n\n\u201cI am delighted,\u201d said he to the Queen, \u201cthat, as you are to be my\nmother-in-law, you should see the little house in which your Bellissima\nwill live with me. With these thistles and nettles she can feed a donkey\nwhich she can ride whenever she likes; under this humble roof no\nweather can hurt her; she will drink the water of this brook and eat\nfrogs--which grow very fat about here; and then she will have me always\nwith her, handsome, agreeable, and gay as you see me now. For if her\nshadow stays by her more closely than I do I shall be surprised.\u201d\n\nThe unhappy Queen, seeing all at once what a miserable life her daughter\nwould have with this Dwarf could not bear the idea, and fell down\ninsensible without saying a word.\n\nWhen she revived she found to her great surprise that she was lying in\nher own bed at home, and, what was more, that she had on the loveliest\nlace night cap that she had ever seen in her life. At first she thought\nthat all her adventures, the terrible lions, and her promise to the\nYellow Dwarf that he should marry Bellissima, must have been a dream,\nbut there was the new cap with its beautiful ribbon and lace to remind\nher that it was all true, which made her so unhappy that she could\nneither eat, drink, nor sleep for thinking of it.\n\nThe Princess, who, in spite of her wilfulness, really loved her mother\nwith all her heart, was much grieved when she saw her looking so sad,\nand often asked her what was the matter; but the Queen, who didn\u2019t want\nher to find out the truth, only said that she was ill, or that one of\nher neighbors was threatening to make war against her. Bellissima knew\nquite well that something was being hidden from her--and that neither of\nthese was the real reason of the Queen\u2019s uneasiness. So she made up her\nmind that she would go and consult the Fairy of the Desert about it,\nespecially as she had often heard how wise she was, and she thought that\nat the same time she might ask her advice as to whether it would be as\nwell to be married, or not.\n\nSo, with great care, she made some of the proper cake to pacify the\nlions, and one night went up to her room very early, pretending that\nshe was going to bed; but instead of that, she wrapped herself in a long\nwhite veil, and went down a secret staircase, and set off all by herself\nto find the Witch.\n\nBut when she got as far as the same fatal orange tree, and saw it\ncovered with flowers and fruit, she stopped and began to gather some\nof the oranges--and then, putting down her basket, she sat down to eat\nthem. But when it was time to go on again the basket had disappeared\nand, though she looked everywhere, not a trace of it could she find.\nThe more she hunted for it, the more frightened she got, and at last she\nbegan to cry. Then all at once she saw before her the Yellow Dwarf.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with you, my pretty one?\u201d said he. \u201cWhat are you\ncrying about?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d she answered; \u201cno wonder that I am crying, seeing that I have\nlost the basket of cake that was to help me to get safely to the cave of\nthe Fairy of the Desert.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what do you want with her, pretty one?\u201d said the little monster,\n\u201cfor I am a friend of hers, and, for the matter of that, I am quite as\nclever as she is.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Queen, my mother,\u201d replied the Princess, \u201chas lately fallen into\nsuch deep sadness that I fear that she will die; and I am afraid that\nperhaps I am the cause of it, for she very much wishes me to be married,\nand I must tell you truly that as yet I have not found anyone I consider\nworthy to be my husband. So for all these reasons I wished to talk to\nthe Fairy.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not give yourself any further trouble, Princess,\u201d answered the\nDwarf. \u201cI can tell you all you want to know better than she could. The\nQueen, your mother, has promised you in marriage----\u201d\n\n\u201cHas promised _me!_\u201d interrupted the Princess. \u201cOh! no. I\u2019m sure she has\nnot. She would have told me if she had. I am too much interested in\nthe matter for her to promise anything without my consent--you must be\nmistaken.\u201d\n\n\u201cBeautiful Princess,\u201d cried the Dwarf suddenly, throwing himself on his\nknees before her, \u201cI flatter myself that you will not be displeased\nat her choice when I tell you that it is to _me_ she has promised the\nhappiness of marrying you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou!\u201d cried Bellissima, starting back. \u201cMy mother wishes me to marry\nyou! How can you be so silly as to think of such a thing?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! it isn\u2019t that I care much to have that honor,\u201d cried the Dwarf\nangrily; \u201cbut here are the lions coming; they\u2019ll eat you up in three\nmouthfuls, and there will be an end of you and your pride.\u201d\n\nAnd, indeed, at that moment the poor Princess heard their dreadful howls\ncoming nearer and nearer.\n\n\u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d she cried. \u201cMust all my happy days come to an end\nlike this?\u201d\n\nThe malicious Dwarf looked at her and began to laugh spitefully. \u201cAt\nleast,\u201d said he, \u201cyou have the satisfaction of dying unmarried. A lovely\nPrincess like you must surely prefer to die rather than be the wife of a\npoor little dwarf like myself.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, don\u2019t be angry with me,\u201d cried the Princess, clasping her hands.\n\u201cI\u2019d rather marry all the dwarfs in the world than die in this horrible\nway.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook at me well, Princess, before you give me your word,\u201d said he. \u201cI\ndon\u2019t want you to promise me in a hurry.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d cried she, \u201cthe lions are coming. I have looked at you enough. I\nam so frightened. Save me this minute, or I shall die of terror.\u201d\n\nIndeed, as she spoke she fell down insensible, and when she recovered\nshe found herself in her own little bed at home; how she got there\nshe could not tell, but she was dressed in the most beautiful lace and\nribbons, and on her finger was a little ring, made of a single red hair,\nwhich fitted so tightly that, try as she might, she could not get it\noff.\n\nWhen the Princess saw all these things, and remembered what had\nhappened, she, too, fell into the deepest sadness, which surprised and\nalarmed the whole Court, and the Queen more than anyone else. A hundred\ntimes she asked Bellissima if anything was the matter with her; but she\nalways said that there was nothing.\n\nAt last the chief men of the kingdom, anxious to see their Princess\nmarried, sent to the Queen to beg her to choose a husband for her as\nsoon as possible. She replied that nothing would please her better, but\nthat her daughter seemed so unwilling to marry, and she recommended them\nto go and talk to the Princess about it themselves so this they at once\ndid. Now Bellissima was much less proud since her adventure with the\nYellow Dwarf, and she could not think of a better way of getting rid\nof the little monster than to marry some powerful king, therefore she\nreplied to their request much more favorably than they had hoped, saying\nthat, though she was very happy as she was, still, to please them, she\nwould consent to marry the King of the Gold Mines. Now he was a very\nhandsome and powerful Prince, who had been in love with the Princess for\nyears, but had not thought that she would ever care about him at all.\nYou can easily imagine how delighted he was when he heard the news,\nand how angry it made all the other kings to lose for ever the hope of\nmarrying the Princess; but, after all, Bellissima could not have married\ntwenty kings--indeed, she had found it quite difficult enough to choose\none, for her vanity made her believe that there was nobody in the world\nwho was worthy of her.\n\nPreparations were begun at once for the grandest wedding that had ever\nbeen held at the palace. The King of the Gold Mines sent such immense\nsums of money that the whole sea was covered with the ships that brought\nit. Messengers were sent to all the gayest and most refined Courts,\nparticularly to the Court of France, to seek out everything rare and\nprecious to adorn the Princess, although her beauty was so perfect that\nnothing she wore could make her look prettier. At least that is what\nthe King of the Gold Mines thought, and he was never happy unless he was\nwith her.\n\nAs for the Princess, the more she saw of the King the more she liked\nhim; he was so generous, so handsome and clever, that at last she was\nalmost as much in love with him as he was with her. How happy they were\nas they wandered about in the beautiful gardens together, sometimes\nlistening to sweet music! And the King used to write songs for\nBellissima. This is one that she liked very much:\n\n  In the forest all is gay\n  When my Princess walks that way.\n  All the blossoms then are found\n  Downward fluttering to the ground,\n  Hoping she may tread on them.\n  And bright flowers on slender stem\n  Gaze up at her as she passes\n  Brushing lightly through the grasses.\n  Oh! my Princess, birds above\n  Echo back our songs of love,\n  As through this enchanted land\n  Blithe we wander, hand in hand.\n\n\nThey really were as happy as the day was long. All the King\u2019s\nunsuccessful rivals had gone home in despair. They said good-by to the\nPrincess so sadly that she could not help being sorry for them.\n\n\u201cAh! madam,\u201d the King of the Gold Mines said to her \u201chow is this? Why\ndo you waste your pity on these princes, who love you so much that all\ntheir trouble would be well repaid by a single smile from you?\u201d\n\n\u201cI should be sorry,\u201d answered Bellissima, \u201cif you had not noticed how\nmuch I pitied these princes who were leaving me for ever; but for you,\nsire, it is very different: you have every reason to be pleased with\nme, but they are going sorrowfully away, so you must not grudge them my\ncompassion.\u201d\n\nThe King of the Gold Mines was quite overcome by the Princess\u2019s\ngood-natured way of taking his interference, and, throwing himself at\nher feet, he kissed her hand a thousand times and begged her to forgive\nhim.\n\nAt last the happy day came. Everything was ready for Bellissima\u2019s\nwedding. The trumpets sounded, all the streets of the town were hung\nwith flags and strewn with flowers, and the people ran in crowds to the\ngreat square before the palace. The Queen was so overjoyed that she had\nhardly been able to sleep at all, and she got up before it was light to\ngive the necessary orders and to choose the jewels that the Princess was\nto wear. These were nothing less than diamonds, even to her shoes, which\nwere covered with them, and her dress of silver brocade was embroidered\nwith a dozen of the sun\u2019s rays. You may imagine how much these had cost;\nbut then nothing could have been more brilliant, except the beauty of\nthe Princess! Upon her head she wore a splendid crown, her lovely\nhair waved nearly to her feet, and her stately figure could easily be\ndistinguished among all the ladies who attended her.\n\nThe King of the Gold Mines was not less noble and splendid; it was easy\nto see by his face how happy he was, and everyone who went near him\nreturned loaded with presents, for all round the great banqueting hall\nhad been arranged a thousand barrels full of gold, and numberless bags\nmade of velvet embroidered with pearls and filled with money, each one\ncontaining at least a hundred thousand gold pieces, which were given\naway to everyone who liked to hold out his hand, which numbers of people\nhastened to do, you may be sure--indeed, some found this by far the most\namusing part of the wedding festivities.\n\nThe Queen and the Princess were just ready to set out with the King when\nthey saw, advancing toward them from the end of the long gallery, two\ngreat basilisks, dragging after them a very badly made box; behind them\ncame a tall old woman, whose ugliness was even more surprising than her\nextreme old age. She wore a ruff of black taffeta, a red velvet hood,\nand a farthingale all in rags, and she leaned heavily upon a crutch.\nThis strange old woman, without saying a single word, hobbled three\ntimes round the gallery, followed by the basilisks, then stopping in the\nmiddle, and brandishing her crutch threateningly, she cried:\n\n\u201cHo, ho, Queen! Ho, ho, Princess! Do you think you are going to break\nwith impunity the promise that you made to my friend the Yellow Dwarf? I\nam the Fairy of the Desert; without the Yellow Dwarf and his orange\ntree my great lions would soon have eaten you up, I can tell you, and in\nFairyland we do not suffer ourselves to be insulted like this. Make up\nyour minds at once what you will do, for I vow that you shall marry the\nYellow Dwarf. If you don\u2019t, may I burn my crutch!\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! Princess,\u201d said the Queen, weeping, \u201cwhat is this that I hear? What\nhave you promised?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! my mother,\u201d replied Bellissima sadly, \u201cwhat did _you_ promise,\nyourself?\u201d\n\nThe King of the Gold Mines, indignant at being kept from his happiness\nby this wicked old woman, went up to her, and threatening her with his\nsword, said:\n\n\u201cGet away out of my country at once, and for ever, miserable creature,\nlest I take your life, and so rid myself of your malice.\u201d\n\nHe had hardly spoken these words when the lid of the box fell back on\nthe floor with a terrible noise, and to their horror out sprang the\nYellow Dwarf, mounted upon a great Spanish cat. \u201cRash youth!\u201d he cried,\nrushing between the Fairy of the Desert and the King. \u201cDare to lay a\nfinger upon this illustrious Fairy! Your quarrel is with me only. I\nam your enemy and your rival. That faithless Princess who would have\nmarried you is promised to me. See if she has not upon her finger a ring\nmade of one of my hairs. Just try to take it off, and you will soon find\nout that I am more powerful than you are!\u201d\n\n\u201cWretched little monster!\u201d said the King; \u201cdo you dare to call yourself\nthe Princess\u2019s lover, and to lay claim to such a treasure? Do you know\nthat you are a dwarf--that you are so ugly that one cannot bear to look\nat you--and that I should have killed you myself long before this if you\nhad been worthy of such a glorious death?\u201d\n\nThe Yellow Dwarf, deeply enraged at these words, set spurs to his\ncat, which yelled horribly, and leaped hither and thither--terrifying\neverybody except the brave King, who pursued the Dwarf closely, till he,\ndrawing a great knife with which he was armed, challenged the King to\nmeet him in single combat, and rushed down into the courtyard of the\npalace with a terrible clatter. The King, quite provoked, followed him\nhastily, but they had hardly taken their places facing one another, and\nthe whole Court had only just had time to rush out upon the balconies to\nwatch what was going on, when suddenly the sun became as red as blood,\nand it was so dark that they could scarcely see at all. The thunder\ncrashed, and the lightning seemed as if it must burn up everything; the\ntwo basilisks appeared, one on each side of the bad Dwarf, like giants,\nmountains high, and fire flew from their mouths and ears, until they\nlooked like flaming furnaces. None of these things could terrify the\nnoble young King, and the boldness of his looks and actions reassured\nthose who were looking on, and perhaps even embarrassed the Yellow Dwarf\nhimself; but even _his_ courage gave way when he saw what was happening\nto his beloved Princess. For the Fairy of the Desert, looking more\nterrible than before, mounted upon a winged griffin, and with long\nsnakes coiled round her neck, had given her such a blow with the lance\nshe carried that Bellissima fell into the Queen\u2019s arms bleeding and\nsenseless. Her fond mother, feeling as much hurt by the blow as the\nPrincess herself, uttered such piercing cries and lamentations that\nthe King, hearing them, entirely lost his courage and presence of mind.\nGiving up the combat, he flew toward the Princess, to rescue or to die\nwith her; but the Yellow Dwarf was too quick for him. Leaping with his\nSpanish cat upon the balcony, he snatched Bellissima from the Queen\u2019s\narms, and before any of the ladies of the Court could stop him he had\nsprung upon the roof of the palace and disappeared with his prize.\n\nThe King, motionless with horror, looked on despairingly at this\ndreadful occurrence, which he was quite powerless to prevent, and to\nmake matters worse his sight failed him, everything became dark, and he\nfelt himself carried along through the air by a strong hand.\n\nThis new misfortune was the work of the wicked Fairy of the Desert, who\nhad come with the Yellow Dwarf to help him carry off the Princess,\nand had fallen in love with the handsome young King of the Gold Mines\ndirectly she saw him. She thought that if she carried him off to some\nfrightful cavern and chained him to a rock, then the fear of death would\nmake him forget Bellissima and become her slave. So, as soon as they\nreached the place, she gave him back his sight, but without releasing\nhim from his chains, and by her magic power she appeared before him as\na young and beautiful fairy, and pretended to have come there quite by\nchance.\n\n\u201cWhat do I see?\u201d she cried. \u201cIs it _you_, dear Prince? What misfortune\nhas brought you to this dismal place?\u201d\n\nThe King, who was quite deceived by her altered appearance, replied:\n\n\u201cAlas! beautiful Fairy, the fairy who brought me here first took away\nmy sight, but by her voice I recognized her as the Fairy of the Desert,\nthough what she should have carried me off for I cannot tell you.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried the pretended Fairy, \u201cif you have fallen into _her_ hands,\nyou won\u2019t get away until you have married her. She has carried off more\nthan one Prince like this, and she will certainly have anything she\ntakes a fancy to.\u201d While she was thus pretending to be sorry for the\nKing, he suddenly noticed her feet, which were like those of a griffin,\nand knew in a moment that this must be the Fairy of the Desert, for her\nfeet were the one thing she could not change, however pretty she might\nmake her face.\n\nWithout seeming to have noticed anything, he said, in a confidential\nway:\n\n\u201cNot that I have any dislike to the Fairy of the Desert, but I really\ncannot endure the way in which she protects the Yellow Dwarf and keeps\nme chained here like a criminal. It is true that I love a charming\nprincess, but if the Fairy should set me free my gratitude would oblige\nme to love her only.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you really mean what you say, Prince?\u201d said the Fairy, quite\ndeceived.\n\n\u201cSurely,\u201d replied the Prince; \u201chow could I deceive you? You see it is\nso much more flattering to my vanity to be loved by a fairy than by\na simple princess. But, even if I am dying of love for her, I shall\npretend to hate her until I am set free.\u201d\n\nThe Fairy of the Desert, quite taken in by these words, resolved at once\nto transport the Prince to a pleasanter place. So, making him mount\nher chariot, to which she had harnessed swans instead of the bats which\ngenerally drew it, away she flew with him. But imagine the distress\nof the Prince when, from the giddy height at which they were rushing\nthrough the air, he saw his beloved Princess in a castle built of\npolished steel, the walls of which reflected the sun\u2019s rays so\nhotly that no one could approach it without being burnt to a cinder!\nBellissima was sitting in a little thicket by a brook, leaning her head\nupon her hand and weeping bitterly, but just as they passed she looked\nup and saw the King and the Fairy of the Desert. Now, the Fairy was so\nclever that she could not only seem beautiful to the King, but even the\npoor Princess thought her the most lovely being she had ever seen.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d she cried; \u201cwas I not unhappy enough in this lonely castle to\nwhich that frightful Yellow Dwarf brought me? Must I also be made to\nknow that the King of the Gold Mines ceased to love me as soon as he\nlost sight of me? But who can my rival be, whose fatal beauty is greater\nthan mine?\u201d\n\nWhile she was saying this, the King, who really loved her as much as\never, was feeling terribly sad at being so rapidly torn away from his\nbeloved Princess, but he knew too well how powerful the Fairy was to\nhave any hope of escaping from her except by great patience and cunning.\n\nThe Fairy of the Desert had also seen Bellissima, and she tried to read\nin the King\u2019s eyes the effect that this unexpected sight had had upon\nhim.\n\n\u201cNo one can tell you what you wish to know better than I can,\u201d said\nhe. \u201cThis chance meeting with an unhappy princess for whom I once had a\npassing fancy, before I was lucky enough to meet you, has affected me a\nlittle, I admit, but you are so much more to me than she is that I would\nrather die than leave you.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, Prince,\u201d she said, \u201ccan I believe that you really love me so much?\u201d\n\n\u201cTime will show, madam,\u201d replied the King; \u201cbut if you wish to convince\nme that you have some regard for me, do not, I beg of you, refuse to aid\nBellissima.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you know what you are asking?\u201d said the Fairy of the Desert,\nfrowning, and looking at him suspiciously. \u201cDo you want me to employ my\nart against the Yellow Dwarf, who is my best friend, and take away from\nhim a proud princess whom I can but look upon as my rival?\u201d\n\nThe King sighed, but made no answer--indeed, what was there to be said\nto such a clear-sighted person? At last they reached a vast meadow, gay\nwith all sorts of flowers; a deep river surrounded it, and many little\nbrooks murmured softly under the shady trees, where it was always cool\nand fresh. A little way off stood a splendid palace, the walls of\nwhich were of transparent emeralds. As soon as the swans which drew\nthe Fairy\u2019s chariot had alighted under a porch, which was paved with\ndiamonds and had arches of rubies, they were greeted on all sides by\nthousands of beautiful beings, who came to meet them joyfully, singing\nthese words:\n\n  \u201cWhen Love within a heart would reign,\n       Useless to strive against him \u2018tis.\n  The proud but feel a sharper pain,\n       And make a greater triumph his.\u201d\n\n\nThe Fairy of the Desert was delighted to hear them sing of her triumphs;\nshe led the King into the most splendid room that can be imagined, and\nleft him alone for a little while, just that he might not feel that\nhe was a prisoner; but he felt sure that she had not really gone quite\naway, but was watching him from some hiding-place. So walking up to a\ngreat mirror, he said to it, \u201cTrusty counsellor, let me see what I can\ndo to make myself agreeable to the charming Fairy of the Desert; for I\ncan think of nothing but how to please her.\u201d\n\nAnd he at once set to work to curl his hair, and, seeing upon a table a\ngrander coat than his own, he put it on carefully. The Fairy came back\nso delighted that she could not conceal her joy.\n\n\u201cI am quite aware of the trouble you have taken to please me,\u201d said she,\n\u201cand I must tell you that you have succeeded perfectly already. You see\nit is not difficult to do if you really care for me.\u201d\n\nThe King, who had his own reasons for wishing to keep the old Fairy in\na good humor, did not spare pretty speeches, and after a time he was\nallowed to walk by himself upon the sea-shore. The Fairy of the Desert\nhad by her enchantments raised such a terrible storm that the boldest\npilot would not venture out in it, so she was not afraid of her\nprisoner\u2019s being able to escape; and he found it some relief to think\nsadly over his terrible situation without being interrupted by his cruel\ncaptor.\n\nPresently, after walking wildly up and down, he wrote these verses upon\nthe sand with his stick:\n\n     \u201cAt last may I upon this shore\n       Lighten my sorrow with soft tears.\n     Alas! alas! I see no more\n       My Love, who yet my sadness cheers.\n\n     \u201cAnd thou, O raging, stormy Sea,\n       Stirred by wild winds, from depth to height,\n     Thou hold\u2019st my loved one far from me,\n       And I am captive to thy might.\n\n     \u201cMy heart is still more wild than thine,\n       For Fate is cruel unto me.\n     Why must I thus in exile pine?\n       Why is my Princess snatched from me?\n\n     \u201cO! lovely Nymphs, from ocean caves,\n       Who know how sweet true love may be,\n     Come up and calm the furious waves\n       And set a desperate lover free!\u201d\n\n\nWhile he was still writing he heard a voice which attracted his\nattention in spite of himself. Seeing that the waves were rolling in\nhigher than ever, he looked all round, and presently saw a lovely lady\nfloating gently toward him upon the crest of a huge billow, her long\nhair spread all about her; in one hand she held a mirror, and in the\nother a comb, and instead of feet she had a beautiful tail like a fish,\nwith which she swam.\n\nThe King was struck dumb with astonishment at this unexpected sight; but\nas soon as she came within speaking distance, she said to him, \u201cI know\nhow sad you are at losing your Princess and being kept a prisoner by\nthe Fairy of the Desert; if you like I will help you to escape from this\nfatal place, where you may otherwise have to drag on a weary existence\nfor thirty years or more.\u201d\n\nThe King of the Gold Mines hardly knew what answer to make to this\nproposal. Not because he did not wish very much to escape, but he was\nafraid that this might be only another device by which the Fairy of\nthe Desert was trying to deceive him. As he hesitated the Mermaid, who\nguessed his thoughts, said to him:\n\n\u201cYou may trust me: I am not trying to entrap you. I am so angry with the\nYellow Dwarf and the Fairy of the Desert that I am not likely to wish to\nhelp them, especially since I constantly see your poor Princess, whose\nbeauty and goodness make me pity her so much; and I tell you that if you\nwill have confidence in me I will help you to escape.\u201d\n\n\u201cI trust you absolutely,\u201d cried the King, \u201cand I will do whatever you\ntell me; but if you have seen my Princess I beg of you to tell me how\nshe is and what is happening to her.\n\n\u201cWe must not waste time in talking,\u201d said she. \u201cCome with me and I will\ncarry you to the Castle of Steel, and we will leave upon this shore a\nfigure so like you that even the Fairy herself will be deceived by it.\u201d\n\nSo saying, she quickly collected a bundle of sea-weed, and, blowing it\nthree times, she said:\n\n\u201cMy friendly sea-weeds, I order you to stay here stretched upon the sand\nuntil the Fairy of the Desert comes to take you away.\u201d And at once\nthe sea-weeds became like the King, who stood looking at them in great\nastonishment, for they were even dressed in a coat like his, but they\nlay there pale and still as the King himself might have lain if one\nof the great waves had overtaken him and thrown him senseless upon\nthe shore. And then the Mermaid caught up the King, and away they swam\njoyfully together.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said she, \u201cI have time to tell you about the Princess. In spite\nof the blow which the Fairy of the Desert gave her, the Yellow Dwarf\ncompelled her to mount behind him upon his terrible Spanish cat; but she\nsoon fainted away with pain and terror, and did not recover till they\nwere within the walls of his frightful Castle of Steel. Here she was\nreceived by the prettiest girls it was possible to find, who had been\ncarried there by the Yellow Dwarf, who hastened to wait upon her and\nshowed her every possible attention. She was laid upon a couch covered\nwith cloth of gold, embroidered with pearls as big as nuts.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d interrupted the King of the Gold Mines, \u201cif Bellissima forgets me,\nand consents to marry him, I shall break my heart.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou need not be afraid of that,\u201d answered the Mermaid, \u201cthe Princess\nthinks of no one but you, and the frightful Dwarf cannot persuade her to\nlook at him.\u201d\n\n\u201cPray go on with your story,\u201d said the King.\n\n\u201cWhat more is there to tell you?\u201d replied the Mermaid. \u201cBellissima was\nsitting in the wood when you passed, and saw you with the Fairy of the\nDesert, who was so cleverly disguised that the Princess took her to be\nprettier than herself; you may imagine her despair, for she thought that\nyou had fallen in love with her.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe believes that I love her!\u201d cried the King. \u201cWhat a fatal mistake!\nWhat is to be done to undeceive her?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know best,\u201d answered the Mermaid, smiling kindly at him. \u201cWhen\npeople are as much in love with one another as you two are, they don\u2019t\nneed advice from anyone else.\u201d\n\nAs she spoke they reached the Castle of Steel, the side next the sea\nbeing the only one which the Yellow Dwarf had left unprotected by the\ndreadful burning walls.\n\n\u201cI know quite well,\u201d said the Mermaid, \u201cthat the Princess is sitting by\nthe brook-side, just where you saw her as you passed, but as you will\nhave many enemies to fight with before you can reach her, take this\nsword; armed with it you may dare any danger, and overcome the greatest\ndifficulties, only beware of one thing--that is, never to let it fall\nfrom your hand. Farewell; now I will wait by that rock, and if you need\nmy help in carrying off your beloved Princess I will not fail you, for\nthe Queen, her mother, is my best friend, and it was for her sake that I\nwent to rescue you.\u201d\n\nSo saying, she gave to the King a sword made from a single diamond,\nwhich was more brilliant than the sun. He could not find words to\nexpress his gratitude, but he begged her to believe that he fully\nappreciated the importance of her gift, and would never forget her help\nand kindness.\n\nWe must now go back to the Fairy of the Desert. When she found that the\nKing did not return, she hastened out to look for him, and reached the\nshore, with a hundred of the ladies of her train, loaded with splendid\npresents for him. Some carried baskets full of diamonds, others golden\ncups of wonderful workmanship, and amber, coral, and pearls, others,\nagain, balanced upon their heads bales of the richest and most beautiful\nstuffs, while the rest brought fruit and flowers, and even birds. But\nwhat was the horror of the Fairy, who followed this gay troop, when she\nsaw, stretched upon the sands, the image of the King which the Mermaid\nhad made with the sea-weeds. Struck with astonishment and sorrow, she\nuttered a terrible cry, and threw herself down beside the pretended\nKing, weeping, and howling, and calling upon her eleven sisters, who\nwere also fairies, and who came to her assistance. But they were all\ntaken in by the image of the King, for, clever as they were, the Mermaid\nwas still cleverer, and all they could do was to help the Fairy of the\nDesert to make a wonderful monument over what they thought was the grave\nof the King of the Gold Mines. But while they were collecting jasper\nand porphyry, agate and marble, gold and bronze, statues and devices,\nto immortalize the King\u2019s memory, he was thanking the good Mermaid and\nbegging her still to help him, which she graciously promised to do as\nshe disappeared; and then he set out for the Castle of Steel. He walked\nfast, looking anxiously round him, and longing once more to see his\ndarling Bellissima, but he had not gone far before he was surrounded by\nfour terrible sphinxes who would very soon have torn him to pieces with\ntheir sharp talons if it had not been for the Mermaid\u2019s diamond sword.\nFor, no sooner had he flashed it before their eyes than down they fell\nat his feet quite helpless, and he killed them with one blow. But he\nhad hardly turned to continue his search when he met six dragons covered\nwith scales that were harder than iron. Frightful as this encounter was\nthe King\u2019s courage was unshaken, and by the aid of his wonderful sword\nhe cut them in pieces one after the other. Now he hoped his difficulties\nwere over, but at the next turning he was met by one which he did\nnot know how to overcome. Four-and-twenty pretty and graceful nymphs\nadvanced toward him, holding garlands of flowers, with which they barred\nthe way.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going, Prince?\u201d they said; \u201cit is our duty to guard this\nplace, and if we let you pass great misfortunes will happen to you\nand to us. We beg you not to insist upon going on. Do you want to kill\nfour-and-twenty girls who have never displeased you in any way?\u201d\n\nThe King did not know what to do or to say. It went against all his\nideas as a knight to do anything a lady begged him not to do; but, as he\nhesitated, a voice in his ear said:\n\n\u201cStrike! strike! and do not spare, or your Princess is lost for ever!\u201d\n\nSo, without reply to the nymphs, he rushed forward instantly, breaking\ntheir garlands, and scattering them in all directions; and then went\non without further hindrance to the little wood where he had seen\nBellissima. She was seated by the brook looking pale and weary when he\nreached her, and he would have thrown himself down at her feet, but she\ndrew herself away from him with as much indignation as if he had been\nthe Yellow Dwarf.\n\n\u201cAh! Princess,\u201d he cried, \u201cdo not be angry with me. Let me explain\neverything. I am not faithless or to blame for what has happened. I am\na miserable wretch who has displeased you without being able to help\nhimself.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried Bellissima, \u201cdid I not see you flying through the air with\nthe loveliest being imaginable? Was that against your will?\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed it was, Princess,\u201d he answered; \u201cthe wicked Fairy of the Desert,\nnot content with chaining me to a rock, carried me off in her chariot to\nthe other end of the earth, where I should even now be a captive but for\nthe unexpected help of a friendly mermaid, who brought me here to rescue\nyou, my Princess, from the unworthy hands that hold you. Do not refuse\nthe aid of your most faithful lover.\u201d So saying, he threw himself at her\nfeet and held her by her robe. But, alas! in so doing he let fall the\nmagic sword, and the Yellow Dwarf, who was crouching behind a lettuce,\nno sooner saw it than he sprang out and seized it, well knowing its\nwonderful power.\n\nThe Princess gave a cry of terror on seeing the Dwarf, but this only\nirritated the little monster; muttering a few magical words he summoned\ntwo giants, who bound the King with great chains of iron.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said the Dwarf, \u201cI am master of my rival\u2019s fate, but I will give\nhim his life and permission to depart unharmed if you, Princess, will\nconsent to marry me.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me die a thousand times rather,\u201d cried the unhappy King.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried the Princess, \u201cmust you die? Could anything be more\nterrible?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat you should marry that little wretch would be far more terrible,\u201d\n answered the King.\n\n\u201cAt least,\u201d continued she, \u201clet us die together.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me have the satisfaction of dying for you, my Princess,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cOh, no, no!\u201d she cried, turning to the Dwarf; \u201crather than that I will\ndo as you wish.\u201d\n\n\u201cCruel Princess!\u201d said the King, \u201cwould you make my life horrible to me\nby marrying another before my eyes?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot so,\u201d replied the Yellow Dwarf; \u201cyou are a rival of whom I am too\nmuch afraid; you shall not see our marriage.\u201d So saying, in spite of\nBellissima\u2019s tears and cries, he stabbed the King to the heart with the\ndiamond sword.\n\nThe poor Princess, seeing her lover lying dead at her feet, could no\nlonger live without him; she sank down by him and died of a broken\nheart.\n\nSo ended these unfortunate lovers, whom not even the Mermaid could help,\nbecause all the magic power had been lost with the diamond sword.\n\nAs to the wicked Dwarf, he preferred to see the Princess dead rather\nthan married to the King of the Gold Mines; and the Fairy of the Desert,\nwhen she heard of the King\u2019s adventures, pulled down the grand monument\nwhich she had built, and was so angry at the trick that had been played\nher that she hated him as much as she had loved him before.\n\nThe kind Mermaid, grieved at the sad fate of the lovers, caused them to\nbe changed into two tall palm trees, which stand always side by side,\nwhispering together of their faithful love and caressing one another\nwith their interlacing branches.(1)\n\n\n(1) Madame d\u2019Aulnoy.\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE RED RIDING HOOD\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl,\nthe prettiest creature was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond\nof her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman\nhad made for her a little red riding-hood; which became the girl so\nextremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding-Hood.\n\nOne day her mother, having made some custards, said to her:\n\n\u201cGo, my dear, and see how thy grandmamma does, for I hear she has been\nvery ill; carry her a custard, and this little pot of butter.\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who\nlived in another village.\n\nAs she was going through the wood, she met with Gaffer Wolf, who had\na very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some\nfaggot-makers hard by in the forest. He asked her whither she was going.\nThe poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and hear\na wolf talk, said to him:\n\n\u201cI am going to see my grandmamma and carry her a custard and a little\npot of butter from my mamma.\u201d\n\n\u201cDoes she live far off?\u201d said the Wolf.\n\n\u201cOh! ay,\u201d answered Little Red Riding-Hood; \u201cit is beyond that mill you\nsee there, at the first house in the village.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the Wolf, \u201cand I\u2019ll go and see her too. I\u2019ll go this way\nand you go that, and we shall see who will be there soonest.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf began to run as fast as he could, taking the nearest way,\nand the little girl went by that farthest about, diverting herself in\ngathering nuts, running after butterflies, and making nosegays of such\nlittle flowers as she met with. The Wolf was not long before he got to\nthe old woman\u2019s house. He knocked at the door--tap, tap.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood,\u201d replied the Wolf,\ncounterfeiting her voice; \u201cwho has brought you a custard and a little\npot of butter sent you by mamma.\u201d\n\nThe good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill,\ncried out:\n\n\u201cPull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then presently he\nfell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it was above\nthree days that he had not touched a bit. He then shut the door and went\ninto the grandmother\u2019s bed, expecting Little Red Riding-Hood, who came\nsome time afterward and knocked at the door--tap, tap.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood, hearing the big voice of the Wolf, was at first\nafraid; but believing her grandmother had got a cold and was hoarse,\nanswered:\n\n\u201c\u2018Tis your grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood, who has brought you a\ncustard and a little pot of butter mamma sends you.\u201d\n\nThe Wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could:\n\n\u201cPull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.\n\nThe Wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the\nbed-clothes:\n\n\u201cPut the custard and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come\nand lie down with me.\u201d\n\nLittle Red Riding-Hood undressed herself and went into bed, where, being\ngreatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her night-clothes,\nshe said to her:\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great arms you have got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is the better to hug thee, my dear.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great legs you have got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is to run the better, my child.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great ears you have got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is to hear the better, my child.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great eyes you have got!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is to see the better, my child.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmamma, what great teeth you have got!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is to eat thee up.\u201d\n\nAnd, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red\nRiding-Hood, and ate her all up.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD\n\n\nThere were formerly a king and a queen, who were so sorry that they had\nno children; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. They went to all the\nwaters in the world; vows, pilgrimages, all ways were tried, and all to\nno purpose.\n\nAt last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine\nchristening; and the Princess had for her god-mothers all the fairies\nthey could find in the whole kingdom (they found seven), that every one\nof them might give her a gift, as was the custom of fairies in those\ndays. By this means the Princess had all the perfections imaginable.\n\nAfter the ceremonies of the christening were over, all the company\nreturned to the King\u2019s palace, where was prepared a great feast for the\nfairies. There was placed before every one of them a magnificent cover\nwith a case of massive gold, wherein were a spoon, knife, and fork, all\nof pure gold set with diamonds and rubies. But as they were all sitting\ndown at table they saw come into the hall a very old fairy, whom they\nhad not invited, because it was above fifty years since she had been out\nof a certain tower, and she was believed to be either dead or enchanted.\n\nThe King ordered her a cover, but could not furnish her with a case\nof gold as the others, because they had only seven made for the seven\nfairies. The old Fairy fancied she was slighted, and muttered some\nthreats between her teeth. One of the young fairies who sat by her\noverheard how she grumbled; and, judging that she might give the little\nPrincess some unlucky gift, went, as soon as they rose from table, and\nhid herself behind the hangings, that she might speak last, and repair,\nas much as she could, the evil which the old Fairy might intend.\n\nIn the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the\nPrincess. The youngest gave her for gift that she should be the most\nbeautiful person in the world; the next, that she should have the wit\nof an angel; the third, that she should have a wonderful grace in\neverything she did; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly well;\nthe fifth, that she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that\nshe should play all kinds of music to the utmost perfection.\n\nThe old Fairy\u2019s turn coming next, with a head shaking more with spite\nthan age, she said that the Princess should have her hand pierced with a\nspindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company\ntremble, and everybody fell a-crying.\n\nAt this very instant the young Fairy came out from behind the hangings,\nand spake these words aloud:\n\n\u201cAssure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die\nof this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo entirely what\nmy elder has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce her hand with a\nspindle; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a profound\nsleep, which shall last a hundred years, at the expiration of which a\nking\u2019s son shall come and awake her.\u201d\n\nThe King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old Fairy, caused\nimmediately proclamation to be made, whereby everybody was forbidden, on\npain of death, to spin with a distaff and spindle, or to have so much as\nany spindle in their houses. About fifteen or sixteen years after, the\nKing and Queen being gone to one of their houses of pleasure, the young\nPrincess happened one day to divert herself in running up and down the\npalace; when going up from one apartment to another, she came into a\nlittle room on the top of the tower, where a good old woman, alone, was\nspinning with her spindle. This good woman had never heard of the King\u2019s\nproclamation against spindles.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing there, goody?\u201d said the Princess.\n\n\u201cI am spinning, my pretty child,\u201d said the old woman, who did not know\nwho she was.\n\n\u201cHa!\u201d said the Princess, \u201cthis is very pretty; how do you do it? Give it\nto me, that I may see if I can do so.\u201d\n\nShe had no sooner taken it into her hand than, whether being very hasty\nat it, somewhat unhandy, or that the decree of the Fairy had so ordained\nit, it ran into her hand, and she fell down in a swoon.\n\nThe good old woman, not knowing very well what to do in this affair,\ncried out for help. People came in from every quarter in great numbers;\nthey threw water upon the Princess\u2019s face, unlaced her, struck her on\nthe palms of her hands, and rubbed her temples with Hungary-water; but\nnothing would bring her to herself.\n\nAnd now the King, who came up at the noise, bethought himself of\nthe prediction of the fairies, and, judging very well that this must\nnecessarily come to pass, since the fairies had said it, caused the\nPrincess to be carried into the finest apartment in his palace, and to\nbe laid upon a bed all embroidered with gold and silver.\n\nOne would have taken her for a little angel, she was so very beautiful;\nfor her swooning away had not diminished one bit of her complexion; her\ncheeks were carnation, and her lips were coral; indeed, her eyes were\nshut, but she was heard to breathe softly, which satisfied those about\nher that she was not dead. The King commanded that they should not\ndisturb her, but let her sleep quietly till her hour of awaking was\ncome.\n\nThe good Fairy who had saved her life by condemning her to sleep a\nhundred years was in the kingdom of Matakin, twelve thousand leagues\noff, when this accident befell the Princess; but she was instantly\ninformed of it by a little dwarf, who had boots of seven leagues, that\nis, boots with which he could tread over seven leagues of ground in one\nstride. The Fairy came away immediately, and she arrived, about an hour\nafter, in a fiery chariot drawn by dragons.\n\nThe King handed her out of the chariot, and she approved everything\nhe had done, but as she had very great foresight, she thought when the\nPrincess should awake she might not know what to do with herself, being\nall alone in this old palace; and this was what she did: she\ntouched with her wand everything in the palace (except the King\nand Queen)--governesses, maids of honor, ladies of the bedchamber,\ngentlemen, officers, stewards, cooks, undercooks, scullions, guards,\nwith their beefeaters, pages, footmen; she likewise touched all the\nhorses which were in the stables, pads as well as others, the great dogs\nin the outward court and pretty little Mopsey too, the Princess\u2019s little\nspaniel, which lay by her on the bed.\n\nImmediately upon her touching them they all fell asleep, that they might\nnot awake before their mistress and that they might be ready to wait\nupon her when she wanted them. The very spits at the fire, as full as\nthey could hold of partridges and pheasants, did fall asleep also. All\nthis was done in a moment. Fairies are not long in doing their business.\n\nAnd now the King and the Queen, having kissed their dear child without\nwaking her, went out of the palace and put forth a proclamation that\nnobody should dare to come near it.\n\nThis, however, was not necessary, for in a quarter of an hour\u2019s time\nthere grew up all round about the park such a vast number of trees,\ngreat and small, bushes and brambles, twining one within another, that\nneither man nor beast could pass through; so that nothing could be seen\nbut the very top of the towers of the palace; and that, too, not unless\nit was a good way off. Nobody; doubted but the Fairy gave herein a very\nextraordinary sample of her art, that the Princess, while she continued\nsleeping, might have nothing to fear from any curious people.\n\nWhen a hundred years were gone and passed the son of the King then\nreigning, and who was of another family from that of the sleeping\nPrincess, being gone a-hunting on that side of the country, asked:\n\nWhat those towers were which he saw in the middle of a great thick wood?\n\nEveryone answered according as they had heard. Some said:\n\nThat it was a ruinous old castle, haunted by spirits.\n\nOthers, That all the sorcerers and witches of the country kept there\ntheir sabbath or night\u2019s meeting.\n\nThe common opinion was: That an ogre lived there, and that he carried\nthither all the little children he could catch, that he might eat them\nup at his leisure, without anybody being able to follow him, as having\nhimself only the power to pass through the wood.\n\nThe Prince was at a stand, not knowing what to believe, when a very good\ncountryman spake to him thus:\n\n\u201cMay it please your royal highness, it is now about fifty years since I\nheard from my father, who heard my grandfather say, that there was then\nin this castle a princess, the most beautiful was ever seen; that she\nmust sleep there a hundred years, and should be waked by a king\u2019s son,\nfor whom she was reserved.\u201d\n\nThe young Prince was all on fire at these words, believing, without\nweighing the matter, that he could put an end to this rare adventure;\nand, pushed on by love and honor, resolved that moment to look into it.\n\nScarce had he advanced toward the wood when all the great trees, the\nbushes, and brambles gave way of themselves to let him pass through; he\nwalked up to the castle which he saw at the end of a large avenue which\nhe went into; and what a little surprised him was that he saw none of\nhis people could follow him, because the trees closed again as soon as\nhe had passed through them. However, he did not cease from continuing\nhis way; a young and amorous prince is always valiant.\n\nHe came into a spacious outward court, where everything he saw might\nhave frozen the most fearless person with horror. There reigned all over\na most frightful silence; the image of death everywhere showed itself,\nand there was nothing to be seen but stretched-out bodies of men and\nanimals, all seeming to be dead. He, however, very well knew, by the\nruby faces and pimpled noses of the beefeaters, that they were only\nasleep; and their goblets, wherein still remained some drops of wine,\nshowed plainly that they fell asleep in their cups.\n\nHe then crossed a court paved with marble, went up the stairs and came\ninto the guard chamber, where guards were standing in their ranks, with\ntheir muskets upon their shoulders, and snoring as loud as they could.\nAfter that he went through several rooms full of gentlemen and ladies,\nall asleep, some standing, others sitting. At last he came into a\nchamber all gilded with gold, where he saw upon a bed, the curtains of\nwhich were all open, the finest sight was ever beheld--a princess, who\nappeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years of age, and whose bright\nand, in a manner, resplendent beauty, had somewhat in it divine. He\napproached with trembling and admiration, and fell down before her upon\nhis knees.\n\nAnd now, as the enchantment was at an end, the Princess awaked, and\nlooking on him with eyes more tender than the first view might seem to\nadmit of:\n\n\u201cIs it you, my Prince?\u201d said she to him. \u201cYou have waited a long while.\u201d\n\nThe Prince, charmed with these words, and much more with the manner in\nwhich they were spoken, knew not how to show his joy and gratitude;\nhe assured her that he loved her better than he did himself; their\ndiscourse was not well connected, they did weep more than talk--little\neloquence, a great deal of love. He was more at a loss than she, and we\nneed not wonder at it; she had time to think on what to say to him; for\nit is very probable (though history mentions nothing of it) that the\ngood Fairy, during so long a sleep, had given her very agreeable dreams.\nIn short, they talked four hours together, and yet they said not half\nwhat they had to say.\n\nIn the meanwhile all the palace awaked; everyone thought upon their\nparticular business, and as all of them were not in love they were ready\nto die for hunger. The chief lady of honor, being as sharp set as other\nfolks, grew very impatient, and told the Princess aloud that supper\nwas served up. The Prince helped the Princess to rise; she was entirely\ndressed, and very magnificently, but his royal highness took care not\nto tell her that she was dressed like his great-grandmother, and had\na point band peeping over a high collar; she looked not a bit less\ncharming and beautiful for all that.\n\nThey went into the great hall of looking-glasses, where they supped, and\nwere served by the Princess\u2019s officers, the violins and hautboys played\nold tunes, but very excellent, though it was now above a hundred years\nsince they had played; and after supper, without losing any time, the\nlord almoner married them in the chapel of the castle, and the chief\nlady of honor drew the curtains. They had but very little sleep--the\nPrincess had no occasion; and the Prince left her next morning to return\nto the city, where his father must needs have been in pain for him. The\nPrince told him:\n\nThat he lost his way in the forest as he was hunting, and that he had\nlain in the cottage of a charcoal-burner, who gave him cheese and brown\nbread.\n\nThe King, his father, who was a good man, believed him; but his mother\ncould not be persuaded it was true; and seeing that he went almost every\nday a-hunting, and that he always had some excuse ready for so doing,\nthough he had lain out three or four nights together, she began to\nsuspect that he was married, for he lived with the Princess above two\nwhole years, and had by her two children, the eldest of which, who was\na daughter, was named Morning, and the youngest, who was a son, they\ncalled Day, because he was a great deal handsomer and more beautiful\nthan his sister.\n\nThe Queen spoke several times to her son, to inform herself after\nwhat manner he did pass his time, and that in this he ought in duty to\nsatisfy her. But he never dared to trust her with his secret; he feared\nher, though he loved her, for she was of the race of the Ogres, and the\nKing would never have married her had it not been for her vast riches;\nit was even whispered about the Court that she had Ogreish inclinations,\nand that, whenever she saw little children passing by, she had all the\ndifficulty in the world to avoid falling upon them. And so the Prince\nwould never tell her one word.\n\nBut when the King was dead, which happened about two years afterward,\nand he saw himself lord and master, he openly declared his marriage; and\nhe went in great ceremony to conduct his Queen to the palace. They made\na magnificent entry into the capital city, she riding between her two\nchildren.\n\nSoon after the King went to make war with the Emperor Contalabutte, his\nneighbor. He left the government of the kingdom to the Queen his mother,\nand earnestly recommended to her care his wife and children. He was\nobliged to continue his expedition all the summer, and as soon as he\ndeparted the Queen-mother sent her daughter-in-law to a country house\namong the woods, that she might with the more ease gratify her horrible\nlonging.\n\nSome few days afterward she went thither herself, and said to her clerk\nof the kitchen:\n\n\u201cI have a mind to eat little Morning for my dinner to-morrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! madam,\u201d cried the clerk of the kitchen.\n\n\u201cI will have it so,\u201d replied the Queen (and this she spoke in the tone\nof an Ogress who had a strong desire to eat fresh meat), \u201cand will eat\nher with a sauce Robert.\u201d\n\nThe poor man, knowing very well that he must not play tricks with\nOgresses, took his great knife and went up into little Morning\u2019s\nchamber. She was then four years old, and came up to him jumping and\nlaughing, to take him about the neck, and ask him for some sugar-candy.\nUpon which he began to weep, the great knife fell out of his hand, and\nhe went into the back yard, and killed a little lamb, and dressed it\nwith such good sauce that his mistress assured him that she had never\neaten anything so good in her life. He had at the same time taken up\nlittle Morning, and carried her to his wife, to conceal her in the\nlodging he had at the bottom of the courtyard.\n\nAbout eight days afterward the wicked Queen said to the clerk of the\nkitchen, \u201cI will sup on little Day.\u201d\n\nHe answered not a word, being resolved to cheat her as he had done\nbefore. He went to find out little Day, and saw him with a little foil\nin his hand, with which he was fencing with a great monkey, the child\nbeing then only three years of age. He took him up in his arms and\ncarried him to his wife, that she might conceal him in her chamber along\nwith his sister, and in the room of little Day cooked up a young kid,\nvery tender, which the Ogress found to be wonderfully good.\n\nThis was hitherto all mighty well; but one evening this wicked Queen\nsaid to her clerk of the kitchen:\n\n\u201cI will eat the Queen with the same sauce I had with her children.\u201d\n\nIt was now that the poor clerk of the kitchen despaired of being able\nto deceive her. The young Queen was turned of twenty, not reckoning the\nhundred years she had been asleep; and how to find in the yard a beast\nso firm was what puzzled him. He took then a resolution, that he might\nsave his own life, to cut the Queen\u2019s throat; and going up into her\nchamber, with intent to do it at once, he put himself into as great\nfury as he could possibly, and came into the young Queen\u2019s room with his\ndagger in his hand. He would not, however, surprise her, but told\nher, with a great deal of respect, the orders he had received from the\nQueen-mother.\n\n\u201cDo it; do it\u201d (said she, stretching out her neck). \u201cExecute your\norders, and then I shall go and see my children, my poor children, whom\nI so much and so tenderly loved.\u201d\n\nFor she thought them dead ever since they had been taken away without\nher knowledge.\n\n\u201cNo, no, madam\u201d (cried the poor clerk of the kitchen, all in tears);\n\u201cyou shall not die, and yet you shall see your children again; but then\nyou must go home with me to my lodgings, where I have concealed them,\nand I shall deceive the Queen once more, by giving her in your stead a\nyoung hind.\u201d\n\nUpon this he forthwith conducted her to his chamber, where, leaving her\nto embrace her children, and cry along with them, he went and dressed a\nyoung hind, which the Queen had for her supper, and devoured it with\nthe same appetite as if it had been the young Queen. Exceedingly was\nshe delighted with her cruelty, and she had invented a story to tell the\nKing, at his return, how the mad wolves had eaten up the Queen his wife\nand her two children.\n\nOne evening, as she was, according to her custom, rambling round about\nthe courts and yards of the palace to see if she could smell any fresh\nmeat, she heard, in a ground room, little Day crying, for his mamma was\ngoing to whip him, because he had been naughty; and she heard, at the\nsame time, little Morning begging pardon for her brother.\n\nThe Ogress presently knew the voice of the Queen and her children, and\nbeing quite mad that she had been thus deceived, she commanded next\nmorning, by break of day (with a most horrible voice, which made\neverybody tremble), that they should bring into the middle of the great\ncourt a large tub, which she caused to be filled with toads, vipers,\nsnakes, and all sorts of serpents, in order to have thrown into it the\nQueen and her children, the clerk of the kitchen, his wife and maid;\nall whom she had given orders should be brought thither with their hands\ntied behind them.\n\nThey were brought out accordingly, and the executioners were just going\nto throw them into the tub, when the King (who was not so soon expected)\nentered the court on horseback (for he came post) and asked, with the\nutmost astonishment, what was the meaning of that horrible spectacle.\n\nNo one dared to tell him, when the Ogress, all enraged to see what had\nhappened, threw herself head foremost into the tub, and was instantly\ndevoured by the ugly creatures she had ordered to be thrown into it for\nothers. The King could not but be very sorry, for she was his mother;\nbut he soon comforted himself with his beautiful wife and his pretty\nchildren.\n\n\n\n\nCINDERELLA, OR THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER\n\n\nOnce there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the\nproudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had, by a former\nhusband, two daughters of her own humor, who were, indeed, exactly like\nher in all things. He had likewise, by another wife, a young daughter,\nbut of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took\nfrom her mother, who was the best creature in the world.\n\nNo sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over but the mother-in-law\nbegan to show herself in her true colors. She could not bear the good\nqualities of this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own\ndaughters appear the more odious. She employed her in the meanest work\nof the house: she scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and scrubbed madam\u2019s\nchamber, and those of misses, her daughters; she lay up in a sorry\ngarret, upon a wretched straw bed, while her sisters lay in fine rooms,\nwith floors all inlaid, upon beds of the very newest fashion, and where\nthey had looking-glasses so large that they might see themselves at\ntheir full length from head to foot.\n\nThe poor girl bore all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who\nwould have rattled her off; for his wife governed him entirely. When she\nhad done her work, she used to go into the chimney-corner, and sit down\namong cinders and ashes, which made her commonly be called Cinderwench;\nbut the youngest, who was not so rude and uncivil as the eldest, called\nher Cinderella. However, Cinderella, notwithstanding her mean apparel,\nwas a hundred times handsomer than her sisters, though they were always\ndressed very richly.\n\nIt happened that the King\u2019s son gave a ball, and invited all persons of\nfashion to it. Our young misses were also invited, for they cut a very\ngrand figure among the quality. They were mightily delighted at this\ninvitation, and wonderfully busy in choosing out such gowns, petticoats,\nand head-clothes as might become them. This was a new trouble to\nCinderella; for it was she who ironed her sisters\u2019 linen, and plaited\ntheir ruffles; they talked all day long of nothing but how they should\nbe dressed.\n\n\u201cFor my part,\u201d said the eldest, \u201cI will wear my red velvet suit with\nFrench trimming.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d said the youngest, \u201cshall have my usual petticoat; but then,\nto make amends for that, I will put on my gold-flowered manteau, and my\ndiamond stomacher, which is far from being the most ordinary one in the\nworld.\u201d\n\nThey sent for the best tire-woman they could get to make up their\nhead-dresses and adjust their double pinners, and they had their red\nbrushes and patches from Mademoiselle de la Poche.\n\nCinderella was likewise called up to them to be consulted in all these\nmatters, for she had excellent notions, and advised them always for the\nbest, nay, and offered her services to dress their heads, which they\nwere very willing she should do. As she was doing this, they said to\nher:\n\n\u201cCinderella, would you not be glad to go to the ball?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said she, \u201cyou only jeer me; it is not for such as I am to go\nthither.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou art in the right of it,\u201d replied they; \u201cit would make the people\nlaugh to see a Cinderwench at a ball.\u201d\n\nAnyone but Cinderella would have dressed their heads awry, but she was\nvery good, and dressed them perfectly well They were almost two days\nwithout eating, so much were they transported with joy. They broke above\na dozen laces in trying to be laced up close, that they might have a\nfine slender shape, and they were continually at their looking-glass.\nAt last the happy day came; they went to Court, and Cinderella followed\nthem with her eyes as long as she could, and when she had lost sight of\nthem, she fell a-crying.\n\nHer godmother, who saw her all in tears, asked her what was the matter.\n\n\u201cI wish I could--I wish I could--\u201c; she was not able to speak the rest,\nbeing interrupted by her tears and sobbing.\n\nThis godmother of hers, who was a fairy, said to her, \u201cThou wishest thou\ncouldst go to the ball; is it not so?\u201d\n\n\u201cY--es,\u201d cried Cinderella, with a great sigh.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said her godmother, \u201cbe but a good girl, and I will contrive\nthat thou shalt go.\u201d Then she took her into her chamber, and said to\nher, \u201cRun into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin.\u201d\n\nCinderella went immediately to gather the finest she could get, and\nbrought it to her godmother, not being able to imagine how this pumpkin\ncould make her go to the ball. Her godmother scooped out all the inside\nof it, having left nothing but the rind; which done, she struck it with\nher wand, and the pumpkin was instantly turned into a fine coach, gilded\nall over with gold.\n\nShe then went to look into her mouse-trap, where she found six mice, all\nalive, and ordered Cinderella to lift up a little the trapdoor, when,\ngiving each mouse, as it went out, a little tap with her wand, the mouse\nwas that moment turned into a fine horse, which altogether made a very\nfine set of six horses of a beautiful mouse-colored dapple-gray. Being\nat a loss for a coachman,\n\n\u201cI will go and see,\u201d says Cinderella, \u201cif there is never a rat in the\nrat-trap--we may make a coachman of him.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou art in the right,\u201d replied her godmother; \u201cgo and look.\u201d\n\nCinderella brought the trap to her, and in it there were three huge\nrats. The fairy made choice of one of the three which had the largest\nbeard, and, having touched him with her wand, he was turned into a fat,\njolly coachman, who had the smartest whiskers eyes ever beheld. After\nthat, she said to her:\n\n\u201cGo again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the\nwatering-pot, bring them to me.\u201d\n\nShe had no sooner done so but her godmother turned them into six\nfootmen, who skipped up immediately behind the coach, with their\nliveries all bedaubed with gold and silver, and clung as close behind\neach other as if they had done nothing else their whole lives. The Fairy\nthen said to Cinderella:\n\n\u201cWell, you see here an equipage fit to go to the ball with; are you not\npleased with it?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! yes,\u201d cried she; \u201cbut must I go thither as I am, in these nasty\nrags?\u201d\n\nHer godmother only just touched her with her wand, and, at the same\ninstant, her clothes were turned into cloth of gold and silver, all\nbeset with jewels. This done, she gave her a pair of glass slippers, the\nprettiest in the whole world. Being thus decked out, she got up into her\ncoach; but her godmother, above all things, commanded her not to stay\ntill after midnight, telling her, at the same time, that if she stayed\none moment longer, the coach would be a pumpkin again, her horses mice,\nher coachman a rat, her footmen lizards, and her clothes become just as\nthey were before.\n\nShe promised her godmother she would not fail of leaving the ball before\nmidnight; and then away she drives, scarce able to contain herself for\njoy. The King\u2019s son who was told that a great princess, whom nobody\nknew, was come, ran out to receive her; he gave her his hand as she\nalighted out of the coach, and led her into the ball, among all the\ncompany. There was immediately a profound silence, they left off\ndancing, and the violins ceased to play, so attentive was everyone to\ncontemplate the singular beauties of the unknown new-comer. Nothing was\nthen heard but a confused noise of:\n\n\u201cHa! how handsome she is! Ha! how handsome she is!\u201d\n\nThe King himself, old as he was, could not help watching her, and\ntelling the Queen softly that it was a long time since he had seen so\nbeautiful and lovely a creature.\n\nAll the ladies were busied in considering her clothes and headdress,\nthat they might have some made next day after the same pattern, provided\nthey could meet with such fine material and as able hands to make them.\n\nThe King\u2019s son conducted her to the most honorable seat, and afterward\ntook her out to dance with him; she danced so very gracefully that they\nall more and more admired her. A fine collation was served up, whereof\nthe young prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he busied in gazing\non her.\n\nShe went and sat down by her sisters, showing them a thousand\ncivilities, giving them part of the oranges and citrons which the Prince\nhad presented her with, which very much surprised them, for they did not\nknow her. While Cinderella was thus amusing her sisters, she heard the\nclock strike eleven and three-quarters, whereupon she immediately made a\ncourtesy to the company and hasted away as fast as she could.\n\nWhen she got home she ran to seek out her godmother, and, after having\nthanked her, she said she could not but heartily wish she might go next\nday to the ball, because the King\u2019s son had desired her.\n\nAs she was eagerly telling her godmother whatever had passed at the\nball, her two sisters knocked at the door, which Cinderella ran and\nopened.\n\n\u201cHow long you have stayed!\u201d cried she, gaping, rubbing her eyes and\nstretching herself as if she had been just waked out of her sleep; she\nhad not, however, any manner of inclination to sleep since they went\nfrom home.\n\n\u201cIf thou hadst been at the ball,\u201d said one of her sisters, \u201cthou wouldst\nnot have been tired with it. There came thither the finest princess, the\nmost beautiful ever was seen with mortal eyes; she showed us a thousand\ncivilities, and gave us oranges and citrons.\u201d\n\nCinderella seemed very indifferent in the matter; indeed, she asked them\nthe name of that princess; but they told her they did not know it, and\nthat the King\u2019s son was very uneasy on her account and would give all\nthe world to know who she was. At this Cinderella, smiling, replied:\n\n\u201cShe must, then, be very beautiful indeed; how happy you have been!\nCould not I see her? Ah! dear Miss Charlotte, do lend me your yellow\nsuit of clothes which you wear every day.\u201d\n\n\u201cAy, to be sure!\u201d cried Miss Charlotte; \u201clend my clothes to such a dirty\nCinderwench as thou art! I should be a fool.\u201d\n\nCinderella, indeed, expected well such answer, and was very glad of the\nrefusal; for she would have been sadly put to it if her sister had lent\nher what she asked for jestingly.\n\nThe next day the two sisters were at the ball, and so was Cinderella,\nbut dressed more magnificently than before. The King\u2019s son was always by\nher, and never ceased his compliments and kind speeches to her; to whom\nall this was so far from being tiresome that she quite forgot what her\ngodmother had recommended to her; so that she, at last, counted the\nclock striking twelve when she took it to be no more than eleven; she\nthen rose up and fled, as nimble as a deer. The Prince followed, but\ncould not overtake her. She left behind one of her glass slippers, which\nthe Prince took up most carefully. She got home but quite out of breath,\nand in her nasty old clothes, having nothing left her of all her finery\nbut one of the little slippers, fellow to that she dropped. The guards\nat the palace gate were asked:\n\nIf they had not seen a princess go out.\n\nWho said: They had seen nobody go out but a young girl, very meanly\ndressed, and who had more the air of a poor country wench than a\ngentlewoman.\n\nWhen the two sisters returned from the ball Cinderella asked them: If\nthey had been well diverted, and if the fine lady had been there.\n\nThey told her: Yes, but that she hurried away immediately when it struck\ntwelve, and with so much haste that she dropped one of her little glass\nslippers, the prettiest in the world, which the King\u2019s son had taken up;\nthat he had done nothing but look at her all the time at the ball, and\nthat most certainly he was very much in love with the beautiful person\nwho owned the glass slipper.\n\nWhat they said was very true; for a few days after the King\u2019s son caused\nit to be proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that he would marry her whose\nfoot the slipper would just fit. They whom he employed began to try it\nupon the princesses, then the duchesses and all the Court, but in vain;\nit was brought to the two sisters, who did all they possibly could\nto thrust their foot into the slipper, but they could not effect it.\nCinderella, who saw all this, and knew her slipper, said to them,\nlaughing:\n\n\u201cLet me see if it will not fit me.\u201d\n\nHer sisters burst out a-laughing, and began to banter her. The gentleman\nwho was sent to try the slipper looked earnestly at Cinderella, and,\nfinding her very handsome, said:\n\nIt was but just that she should try, and that he had orders to let\neveryone make trial.\n\nHe obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her foot,\nhe found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made\nof wax. The astonishment her two sisters were in was excessively great,\nbut still abundantly greater when Cinderella pulled out of her pocket\nthe other slipper, and put it on her foot. Thereupon, in came her\ngodmother, who, having touched with her wand Cinderella\u2019s clothes, made\nthem richer and more magnificent than any of those she had before.\n\nAnd now her two sisters found her to be that fine, beautiful lady whom\nthey had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet to beg\npardon for all the ill-treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella\ntook them up, and, as she embraced them, cried:\n\nThat she forgave them with all her heart, and desired them always to\nlove her.\n\nShe was conducted to the young prince, dressed as she was; he thought\nher more charming than ever, and, a few days after, married her.\nCinderella, who was no less good than beautiful, gave her two sisters\nlodgings in the palace, and that very same day matched them with two\ngreat lords of the Court.(1)\n\n\n(1) Charles Perrault.\n\n\n\n\nALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP\n\n\nThere once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a\ncareless, idle boy who would do nothing but play ball all day long in\nthe streets with little idle boys like himself. This so grieved the\nfather that he died; yet, in spite of his mother\u2019s tears and prayers,\nAladdin did not mend his ways. One day, when he was playing in the\nstreets as usual, a stranger asked him his age, and if he was not the\nson of Mustapha the tailor. \u201cI am, sir,\u201d replied Aladdin; \u201cbut he died\na long while ago.\u201d On this the stranger, who was a famous African\nmagician, fell on his neck and kissed him, saying, \u201cI am your uncle, and\nknew you from your likeness to my brother. Go to your mother and tell\nher I am coming.\u201d Aladdin ran home and told his mother of his newly\nfound uncle. \u201cIndeed, child,\u201d she said, \u201cyour father had a brother, but\nI always thought he was dead.\u201d However, she prepared supper, and bade\nAladdin seek his uncle, who came laden with wine and fruit. He presently\nfell down and kissed the place where Mustapha used to sit, bidding\nAladdin\u2019s mother not to be surprised at not having seen him before, as\nhe had been forty years out of the country. He then turned to Aladdin,\nand asked him his trade, at which the boy hung his head, while his\nmother burst into tears. On learning that Aladdin was idle and would\nlearn no trade, he offered to take a shop for him and stock it with\nmerchandise. Next day he bought Aladdin a fine suit of clothes and took\nhim all over the city, showing him the sights, and brought him home at\nnightfall to his mother, who was overjoyed to see her son so fine.\n\nThe next day the magician led Aladdin into some beautiful gardens a long\nway outside the city gates. They sat down by a fountain and the magician\npulled a cake from his girdle, which he divided between them. They then\njourneyed onward till they almost reached the mountains. Aladdin was\nso tired that he begged to go back, but the magician beguiled him with\npleasant stories, and led him on in spite of himself. At last they came\nto two mountains divided by a narrow valley. \u201cWe will go no farther,\u201d\n said the false uncle. \u201cI will show you something wonderful; only do you\ngather up sticks while I kindle a fire.\u201d When it was lit the magician\nthrew on it a powder he had about him, at the same time saying some\nmagical words. The earth trembled a little and opened in front of them,\ndisclosing a square flat stone with a brass ring in the middle to raise\nit by. Aladdin tried to run away, but the magician caught him and gave\nhim a blow that knocked him down. \u201cWhat have I done, uncle?\u201d he said\npiteously; whereupon the magician said more kindly: \u201cFear nothing, but\nobey me. Beneath this stone lies a treasure which is to be yours, and\nno one else may touch it, so you must do exactly as I tell you.\u201d At the\nword treasure Aladdin forgot his fears, and grasped the ring as he was\ntold, saying the names of his father and grandfather. The stone came up\nquite easily, and some steps appeared. \u201cGo down,\u201d said the magician; \u201cat\nthe foot of those steps you will find an open door leading into three\nlarge halls. Tuck up your gown and go through them without touching\nanything, or you will die instantly. These halls lead into a garden of\nfine fruit trees. Walk on until you come to a niche in a terrace where\nstands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains, and bring it to\nme.\u201d He drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding him\nprosper.\n\nAladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruit\noff the trees, and, having got the lamp, arrived at the mouth of the\ncave. The magician cried out in a great hurry: \u201cMake haste and give me\nthe lamp.\u201d This Aladdin refused to do until he was out of the cave. The\nmagician flew into a terrible passion, and throwing some more powder\non to the fire, he said something, and the stone rolled back into its\nplace.\n\nThe magician left Persia for ever, which plainly showed that he was no\nuncle of Aladdin\u2019s, but a cunning magician, who had read in his magic\nbooks of a wonderful lamp, which would make him the most powerful man in\nthe world. Though he alone knew where to find it, he could only receive\nit from the hand of another. He had picked out the foolish Aladdin for\nthis purpose, intending to get the lamp and kill him afterward.\n\nFor two days Aladdin remained in the dark, crying and lamenting. At last\nhe clasped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring, which\nthe magician had forgotten to take from him. Immediately an enormous and\nfrightful genie rose out of the earth, saying: \u201cWhat wouldst thou with\nme? I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obey thee in all things.\u201d\n Aladdin fearlessly replied: \u201cDeliver me from this place!\u201d whereupon the\nearth opened, and he found himself outside. As soon as his eyes could\nbear the light he went home, but fainted on the threshold. When he came\nto himself he told his mother what had passed, and showed her the lamp\nand the fruits he had gathered in the garden, which were, in reality,\nprecious stones. He then asked for some food. \u201cAlas! child,\u201d she said,\n\u201cI have nothing in the house, but I have spun a little cotton and will\ngo and sell it.\u201d Aladdin bade her keep her cotton, for he would sell the\nlamp instead. As it was very dirty she began to rub it, that it might\nfetch a higher price. Instantly a hideous genie appeared, and asked what\nshe would have. She fainted away, but Aladdin, snatching the lamp, said\nboldly: \u201cFetch me something to eat!\u201d The genie returned with a silver\nbowl, twelve silver plates containing rich meats, two silver cups, and\ntwo bottles of wine. Aladdin\u2019s mother, when she came to herself, said:\n\u201cWhence comes this splendid feast?\u201d \u201cAsk not, but eat,\u201d replied Aladdin.\nSo they sat at breakfast till it was dinner-time, and Aladdin told his\nmother about the lamp. She begged him to sell it, and have nothing to do\nwith devils. \u201cNo,\u201d said Aladdin, \u201csince chance hath made us aware of\nits virtues, we will use it, and the ring likewise, which I shall always\nwear on my finger.\u201d When they had eaten all the genie had brought,\nAladdin sold one of the silver plates, and so on until none were left.\nHe then had recourse to the genie, who gave him another set of plates,\nand thus they lived for many years.\n\nOne day Aladdin heard an order from the Sultan proclaimed that everyone\nwas to stay at home and close his shutters while the Princess, his\ndaughter, went to and from the bath. Aladdin was seized by a desire to\nsee her face, which was very difficult, as she always went veiled. He\nhid himself behind the door of the bath, and peeped through a chink. The\nPrincess lifted her veil as she went in, and looked so beautiful that\nAladdin fell in love with her at first sight. He went home so changed\nthat his mother was frightened. He told her he loved the Princess so\ndeeply that he could not live without her, and meant to ask her in\nmarriage of her father. His mother, on hearing this, burst out laughing,\nbut Aladdin at last prevailed upon her to go before the Sultan and carry\nhis request. She fetched a napkin and laid in it the magic fruits from\nthe enchanted garden, which sparkled and shone like the most beautiful\njewels. She took these with her to please the Sultan, and set out,\ntrusting in the lamp. The Grand Vizier and the lords of council had\njust gone in as she entered the hall and placed herself in front of the\nSultan. He, however, took no notice of her. She went every day for a\nweek, and stood in the same place. When the council broke up on the\nsixth day the Sultan said to his Vizier: \u201cI see a certain woman in the\naudience-chamber every day carrying something in a napkin. Call her next\ntime, that I may find out what she wants.\u201d Next day, at a sign from the\nVizier, she went up to the foot of the throne and remained kneeling till\nthe Sultan said to her: \u201cRise, good woman, and tell me what you want.\u201d\n She hesitated, so the Sultan sent away all but the Vizier, and bade\nher speak frankly, promising to forgive her beforehand for anything she\nmight say. She then told him of her son\u2019s violent love for the Princess.\n\u201cI prayed him to forget her,\u201d she said, \u201cbut in vain; he threatened to\ndo some desperate deed if I refused to go and ask your Majesty for the\nhand of the Princess. Now I pray you to forgive not me alone, but my\nson Aladdin.\u201d The Sultan asked her kindly what she had in the\nnapkin, whereupon she unfolded the jewels and presented them. He was\nthunderstruck, and turning to the Vizier said: \u201cWhat sayest thou? Ought\nI not to bestow the Princess on one who values her at such a price?\u201d The\nVizier, who wanted her for his own son, begged the Sultan to withhold\nher for three months, in the course of which he hoped his son would\ncontrive to make him a richer present. The Sultan granted this, and told\nAladdin\u2019s mother that, though he consented to the marriage, she must not\nappear before him again for three months.\n\nAladdin waited patiently for nearly three months, but after two had\nelapsed his mother, going into the city to buy oil, found every one\nrejoicing, and asked what was going on. \u201cDo you not know,\u201d was the\nanswer, \u201cthat the son of the Grand Vizier is to marry the Sultan\u2019s\ndaughter to-night?\u201d Breathless, she ran and told Aladdin, who was\noverwhelmed at first, but presently bethought him of the lamp. He rubbed\nit, and the genie appeared, saying, \u201cWhat is thy will?\u201d Aladdin replied:\n\u201cThe Sultan, as thou knowest, has broken his promise to me, and the\nVizier\u2019s son is to have the Princess. My command is that to-night you\nbring hither the bride and bridegroom.\u201d \u201cMaster, I obey,\u201d said the\ngenie. Aladdin then went to his chamber, where, sure enough, at midnight\nthe genie transported the bed containing the Vizier\u2019s son and the\nPrincess. \u201cTake this new-married man,\u201d he said, \u201cand put him outside in\nthe cold, and return at daybreak.\u201d Whereupon the genie took the Vizier\u2019s\nson out of bed, leaving Aladdin with the Princess. \u201cFear nothing,\u201d\n Aladdin said to her; \u201cyou are my wife, promised to me by your unjust\nfather, and no harm shall come to you.\u201d The Princess was too frightened\nto speak, and passed the most miserable night of her life, while Aladdin\nlay down beside her and slept soundly. At the appointed hour the\ngenie fetched in the shivering bridegroom, laid him in his place, and\ntransported the bed back to the palace.\n\nPresently the Sultan came to wish his daughter good-morning. The unhappy\nVizier\u2019s son jumped up and hid himself, while the Princess would not say\na word, and was very sorrowful. The Sultan sent her mother to her, who\nsaid: \u201cHow comes it, child, that you will not speak to your father? What\nhas happened?\u201d The Princess sighed deeply, and at last told her mother\nhow, during the night, the bed had been carried into some strange house,\nand what had passed there. Her mother did not believe her in the least,\nbut bade her rise and consider it an idle dream.\n\nThe following night exactly the same thing happened, and next morning,\non the Princess\u2019s refusal to speak, the Sultan threatened to cut off her\nhead. She then confessed all, bidding him to ask the Vizier\u2019s son if it\nwere not so. The Sultan told the Vizier to ask his son, who owned the\ntruth, adding that, dearly as he loved the Princess, he had rather die\nthan go through another such fearful night, and wished to be separated\nfrom her. His wish was granted, and there was an end to feasting and\nrejoicing.\n\nWhen the three months were over, Aladdin sent his mother to remind the\nSultan of his promise. She stood in the same place as before, and the\nSultan, who had forgotten Aladdin, at once remembered him, and sent for\nher. On seeing her poverty the Sultan felt less inclined than ever to\nkeep his word, and asked his Vizier\u2019s advice, who counselled him to set\nso high a value on the Princess that no man living could come up to\nit. The Sultan then turned to Aladdin\u2019s mother, saying: \u201cGood woman, a\nSultan must remember his promises, and I will remember mine, but your\nson must first send me forty basins of gold brimful of jewels, carried\nby forty black slaves, led by as many white ones, splendidly dressed.\nTell him that I await his answer.\u201d The mother of Aladdin bowed low and\nwent home, thinking all was lost. She gave Aladdin the message, adding:\n\u201cHe may wait long enough for your answer!\u201d \u201cNot so long, mother, as you\nthink,\u201d her son replied. \u201cI would do a great deal more than that for the\nPrincess.\u201d He summoned the genie, and in a few moments the eighty slaves\narrived, and filled up the small house and garden. Aladdin made them\nset out to the palace, two and two, followed by his mother. They were\nso richly dressed, with such splendid jewels in their girdles, that\neveryone crowded to see them and the basins of gold they carried on\ntheir heads. They entered the palace, and, after kneeling before the\nSultan, stood in a half-circle round the throne with their arms crossed,\nwhile Aladdin\u2019s mother presented them to the Sultan. He hesitated no\nlonger, but said: \u201cGood woman, return and tell your son that I wait for\nhim with open arms.\u201d She lost no time in telling Aladdin, bidding him\nmake haste. But Aladdin first called the genie. \u201cI want a scented bath,\u201d\n he said, \u201ca richly embroidered habit, a horse surpassing the Sultan\u2019s,\nand twenty slaves to attend me. Besides this, six slaves, beautifully\ndressed, to wait on my mother; and lastly, ten thousand pieces of gold\nin ten purses.\u201d No sooner said than done. Aladdin mounted his horse and\npassed through the streets, the slaves strewing gold as they went. Those\nwho had played with him in his childhood knew him not, he had grown so\nhandsome. When the Sultan saw him he came down from his throne, embraced\nhim, and led him into a hall where a feast was spread, intending to\nmarry him to the Princess that very day. But Aladdin refused, saying, \u201cI\nmust build a palace fit for her,\u201d and took his leave. Once home, he said\nto the genie: \u201cBuild me a palace of the finest marble, set with jasper,\nagate, and other precious stones. In the middle you shall build me a\nlarge hall with a dome, its four walls of massy gold and silver, each\nhaving six windows, whose lattices, all except one which is to be left\nunfinished, must be set with diamonds and rubies. There must be stables\nand horses and grooms and slaves; go and see about it!\u201d\n\nThe palace was finished by the next day, and the genie carried him there\nand showed him all his orders faithfully carried out, even to the laying\nof a velvet carpet from Aladdin\u2019s palace to the Sultan\u2019s. Aladdin\u2019s\nmother then dressed herself carefully, and walked to the palace with her\nslaves, while he followed her on horseback. The Sultan sent musicians\nwith trumpets and cymbals to meet them, so that the air resounded with\nmusic and cheers. She was taken to the Princess, who saluted her and\ntreated her with great honor. At night the Princess said good-by to her\nfather, and set out on the carpet for Aladdin\u2019s palace, with his mother\nat her side, and followed by the hundred slaves. She was charmed at the\nsight of Aladdin, who ran to receive her. \u201cPrincess,\u201d he said, \u201cblame\nyour beauty for my boldness if I have displeased you.\u201d She told him\nthat, having seen him, she willingly obeyed her father in this matter.\nAfter the wedding had taken place Aladdin led her into the hall, where a\nfeast was spread, and she supped with him, after which they danced till\nmidnight. Next day Aladdin invited the Sultan to see the palace. On\nentering the hall with the four-and-twenty windows, with their rubies,\ndiamonds, and emeralds, he cried: \u201cIt is a world\u2019s wonder! There is only\none thing that surprises me. Was it by accident that one window was\nleft unfinished?\u201d \u201cNo, sir, by design,\u201d returned Aladdin. \u201cI wished\nyour Majesty to have the glory of finishing this palace.\u201d The Sultan was\npleased, and sent for the best jewelers in the city. He showed them\nthe unfinished window, and bade them fit it up like the others. \u201cSir,\u201d\n replied their spokesman, \u201cwe cannot find jewels enough.\u201d The Sultan\nhad his own fetched, which they soon used, but to no purpose, for in\na month\u2019s time the work was not half done. Aladdin, knowing that their\ntask was vain, bade them undo their work and carry the jewels back, and\nthe genie finished the window at his command. The Sultan was surprised\nto receive his jewels again, and visited Aladdin, who showed him the\nwindow finished. The Sultan embraced him, the envious Vizier meanwhile\nhinting that it was the work of enchantment.\n\nAladdin had won the hearts of the people by his gentle bearing. He was\nmade captain of the Sultan\u2019s armies, and won several battles for him,\nbut remained modest and courteous as before, and lived thus in peace and\ncontent for several years.\n\nBut far away in Africa the magician remembered Aladdin, and by his magic\narts discovered that Aladdin, instead of perishing miserably in the\ncave, had escaped, and had married a princess, with whom he was living\nin great honor and wealth. He knew that the poor tailor\u2019s son could only\nhave accomplished this by means of the lamp, and traveled night and day\nuntil he reached the capital of China, bent on Aladdin\u2019s ruin. As he\npassed through the town he heard people talking everywhere about a\nmarvellous palace. \u201cForgive my ignorance,\u201d he asked, \u201cwhat is this\npalace you speak Of?\u201d \u201cHave you not heard of Prince Aladdin\u2019s palace,\u201d\n was the reply, \u201cthe greatest wonder of the world? I will direct you\nif you have a mind to see it.\u201d The magician thanked him who spoke, and\nhaving seen the palace, knew that it had been raised by the Genie of the\nLamp, and became half mad with rage. He determined to get hold of the\nlamp, and again plunge Aladdin into the deepest poverty.\n\nUnluckily, Aladdin had gone a-hunting for eight days, which gave the\nmagician plenty of time. He bought a dozen copper lamps, put them into a\nbasket, and went to the palace, crying: \u201cNew lamps for old!\u201d followed\nby a jeering crowd. The Princess, sitting in the hall of four-and-twenty\nwindows, sent a slave to find out what the noise was about, who came\nback laughing, so that the Princess scolded her. \u201cMadam,\u201d replied the\nslave, \u201cwho can help laughing to see an old fool offering to exchange\nfine new lamps for old ones?\u201d Another slave, hearing this, said: \u201cThere\nis an old one on the cornice there which he can have.\u201d Now this was the\nmagic lamp, which Aladdin had left there, as he could not take it out\nhunting with him. The Princess, not knowing its value, laughingly\nbade the slave take it and make the exchange. She went and said to the\nmagician: \u201cGive me a new lamp for this.\u201d He snatched it and bade the\nslave take her choice, amid the jeers of the crowd. Little he cared, but\nleft off crying his lamps, and went out of the city gates to a lonely\nplace, where he remained till nightfall, when he pulled out the lamp\nand rubbed it. The genie appeared, and at the magician\u2019s command carried\nhim, together with the palace and the Princess in it, to a lonely place\nin Africa.\n\nNext morning the Sultan looked out of the window toward Aladdin\u2019s palace\nand rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. He sent for the Vizier and asked\nwhat had become of the palace. The Vizier looked out too, and was lost\nin astonishment. He again put it down to enchantment, and this time the\nSultan believed him, and sent thirty men on horseback to fetch Aladdin\nin chains. They met him riding home, bound him, and forced him to go\nwith them on foot. The people, however, who loved him, followed, armed,\nto see that he came to no harm. He was carried before the Sultan,\nwho ordered the executioner to cut off his head. The executioner made\nAladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised his scimitar to\nstrike. At that instant the Vizier, who saw that the crowd had forced\ntheir way into the courtyard and were scaling the walls to rescue\nAladdin, called to the executioner to stay his hand. The people, indeed,\nlooked so threatening that the Sultan gave way and ordered Aladdin to be\nunbound, and pardoned him in the sight of the crowd. Aladdin now\nbegged to know what he had done. \u201cFalse wretch!\u201d said the Sultan, \u201ccome\nthither,\u201d and showed him from the window the place where his palace had\nstood. Aladdin was so amazed that he could not say a word. \u201cWhere is my\npalace and my daughter?\u201d demanded the Sultan. \u201cFor the first I am not so\ndeeply concerned, but my daughter I must have, and you must find her\nor lose your head.\u201d Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find her,\npromising, if he failed, to return and suffer death at the Sultan\u2019s\npleasure. His prayer was granted, and he went forth sadly from the\nSultan\u2019s presence. For three days he wandered about like a madman,\nasking everyone what had become of his palace, but they only laughed and\npitied him. He came to the banks of a river, and knelt down to say his\nprayers before throwing himself in. In so doing he rubbed the magic ring\nhe still wore. The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and asked his\nwill. \u201cSave my life, genie,\u201d said Aladdin, \u201cbring my palace back.\u201d \u201cThat\nis not in my power,\u201d said the genie; \u201cI am only the Slave of the Ring;\nyou must ask him of the lamp.\u201d \u201cEven so,\u201d said Aladdin, \u201cbut thou canst\ntake me to the palace, and set me down under my dear wife\u2019s window.\u201d He\nat once found himself in Africa, under the window of the Princess, and\nfell asleep out of sheer weariness.\n\nHe was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.\nHe saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owing to the loss of the\nlamp, and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.\n\nThat morning the Princess rose earlier than she had done since she had\nbeen carried into Africa by the magician, whose company she was forced\nto endure once a day. She, however, treated him so harshly that he dared\nnot live there altogether. As she was dressing, one of her women looked\nout and saw Aladdin. The Princess ran and opened the window, and at the\nnoise she made Aladdin looked up. She called to him to come to her, and\ngreat was the joy of these lovers at seeing each other again. After he\nhad kissed her Aladdin said: \u201cI beg of you, Princess, in God\u2019s name,\nbefore we speak of anything else, for your own sake and mine, tell me\nthat has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice in the hall of\nfour-and-twenty windows, when I went a-hunting.\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d she said, \u201cI am\nthe innocent cause of our sorrows,\u201d and told him of the exchange of the\nlamp. \u201cNow I know,\u201d cried Aladdin, \u201cthat we have to thank the African\nmagician for this! Where is the lamp?\u201d \u201cHe carries it about with him,\u201d\n said the Princess. \u201cI know, for he pulled it out of his breast to show\nme. He wishes me to break my faith with you and marry him, saying that\nyou were beheaded by my father\u2019s command. He is for ever speaking ill of\nyou but I only reply by my tears. If I persist, I doubt not but he\nwill use violence.\u201d Aladdin comforted her, and left her for a while.\nHe changed clothes with the first person he met in the town, and having\nbought a certain powder, returned to the Princess, who let him in by\na little side door. \u201cPut on your most beautiful dress,\u201d he said to her\n\u201cand receive the magician with smiles, leading him to believe that you\nhave forgotten me. Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish to taste\nthe wine of his country. He will go for some and while he is gone I will\ntell you what to do.\u201d She listened carefully to Aladdin and when he left\nshe arrayed herself gaily for the first time since she left China. She\nput on a girdle and head-dress of diamonds, and, seeing in a glass that\nshe was more beautiful than ever, received the magician, saying, to his\ngreat amazement: \u201cI have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead, and that\nall my tears will not bring him back to me, so I am resolved to mourn no\nmore, and have therefore invited you to sup with me; but I am tired of\nthe wines of China, and would fain taste those of Africa.\u201d The magician\nflew to his cellar, and the Princess put the powder Aladdin had given\nher in her cup. When he returned she asked him to drink her health in\nthe wine of Africa, handing him her cup in exchange for his, as a sign\nshe was reconciled to him. Before drinking the magician made her a\nspeech in praise of her beauty, but the Princess cut him short, saying:\n\u201cLet us drink first, and you shall say what you will afterward.\u201d She set\nher cup to her lips and kept it there, while the magician drained his to\nthe dregs and fell back lifeless. The Princess then opened the door to\nAladdin, and flung her arms round his neck; but Aladdin put her away,\nbidding her leave him, as he had more to do. He then went to the dead\nmagician, took the lamp out of his vest, and bade the genie carry the\npalace and all in it back to China. This was done, and the Princess in\nher chamber only felt two little shocks, and little thought she was at\nhome again.\n\nThe Sultan, who was sitting in his closet, mourning for his lost\ndaughter, happened to look up, and rubbed his eyes, for there stood the\npalace as before! He hastened thither, and Aladdin received him in the\nhall of the four-and-twenty windows, with the Princess at his side.\nAladdin told him what had happened, and showed him the dead body of the\nmagician, that he might believe. A ten days\u2019 feast was proclaimed, and\nit seemed as if Aladdin might now live the rest of his life in peace;\nbut it was not to be.\n\nThe African magician had a younger brother, who was, if possible, more\nwicked and more cunning than himself. He traveled to China to avenge his\nbrother\u2019s death, and went to visit a pious woman called Fatima, thinking\nshe might be of use to him. He entered her cell and clapped a dagger to\nher breast, telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain of death. He\nchanged clothes with her, colored his face like hers, put on her veil,\nand murdered her, that she might tell no tales. Then he went toward the\npalace of Aladdin, and all the people, thinking he was the holy woman,\ngathered round him, kissing his hands and begging his blessing. When\nhe got to the palace there was such a noise going on round him that\nthe Princess bade her slave look out of the window and ask what was the\nmatter. The slave said it was the holy woman, curing people by her touch\nof their ailments, whereupon the Princess, who had long desired to see\nFatima, sent for her. On coming to the Princess the magician offered up\na prayer for her health and prosperity. When he had done the Princess\nmade him sit by her, and begged him to stay with her always. The false\nFatima, who wished for nothing better, consented, but kept his veil down\nfor fear of discovery. The Princess showed him the hall, and asked him\nwhat he thought of it. \u201cIt is truly beautiful,\u201d said the false Fatima.\n\u201cIn my mind it wants but one thing.\u201d \u201cAnd what is that?\u201d said the\nPrincess. \u201cIf only a roc\u2019s egg,\u201d replied he, \u201cwere hung up from the\nmiddle of this dome, it would be the wonder of the world.\u201d\n\nAfter this the Princess could think of nothing but the roc\u2019s egg, and\nwhen Aladdin returned from hunting he found her in a very ill humor. He\nbegged to know what was amiss, and she told him that all her pleasure in\nthe hall was spoiled for the want of a roc\u2019s egg hanging from the dome.\n\u201cIf that is all,\u201d replied Aladdin, \u201cyou shall soon be happy.\u201d He left\nher and rubbed the lamp, and when the genie appeared commanded him to\nbring a roc\u2019s egg. The genie gave such a loud and terrible shriek that\nthe hall shook. \u201cWretch!\u201d he cried, \u201cis it not enough that I have done\neverything for you, but you must command me to bring my master and hang\nhim up in the midst of this dome? You and your wife and your palace\ndeserve to be burnt to ashes, but that this request does not come from\nyou, but from the brother of the African magician, whom you destroyed.\nHe is now in your palace disguised as the holy woman--whom he murdered.\nHe it was who put that wish into your wife\u2019s head. Take care of\nyourself, for he means to kill you.\u201d So saying, the genie disappeared.\n\nAladdin went back to the Princess, saying his head ached, and requesting\nthat the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands on it. But when\nthe magician came near, Aladdin, seizing his dagger, pierced him to the\nheart. \u201cWhat have you done?\u201d cried the Princess. \u201cYou have killed the\nholy woman!\u201d \u201cNot so,\u201d replied Aladdin, \u201cbut a wicked magician,\u201d and\ntold her of how she had been deceived.\n\nAfter this Aladdin and his wife lived in peace. He succeeded the Sultan\nwhen he died, and reigned for many years, leaving behind him a long line\nof kings.(1)\n\n\n(1) Arabian Nights.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO SET OUT TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS\n\n\nA father had two sons, of whom the eldest was clever and bright, and\nalways knew what he was about; but the youngest was stupid, and\ncouldn\u2019t learn or understand anything. So much so that those who saw him\nexclaimed: \u201cWhat a burden he\u2019ll be to his father!\u201d Now when there was\nanything to be done, the eldest had always to do it; but if something\nwas required later or in the night-time, and the way led through the\nchurchyard or some such ghostly place, he always replied: \u201cOh! no,\nfather: nothing will induce me to go there, it makes me shudder!\u201d for\nhe was afraid. Or, when they sat of an evening around the fire telling\nstories which made one\u2019s flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said:\n\u201cOh! it makes one shudder,\u201d the youngest sat in a corner, heard the\nexclamation, and could not understand what it meant. \u201cThey are always\nsaying it makes one shudder! it makes one shudder! Nothing makes me\nshudder. It\u2019s probably an art quite beyond me.\u201d\n\nNow it happened that his father said to him one day: \u201cHearken, you there\nin the corner; you are growing big and strong, and you must learn to\nearn your own bread. Look at your brother, what pains he takes; but\nall the money I\u2019ve spent on your education is thrown away.\u201d \u201cMy dear\nfather,\u201d he replied, \u201cI will gladly learn--in fact, if it were possible\nI should like to learn to shudder; I don\u2019t understand that a bit yet.\u201d\n The eldest laughed when he heard this, and thought to himself: \u201cGood\nheavens! what a ninny my brother is! he\u2019ll never come to any good;\nas the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.\u201d The father sighed, and\nanswered him: \u201cYou\u2019ll soon learn to shudder; but that won\u2019t help you to\nmake a living.\u201d\n\nShortly after this, when the sexton came to pay them a visit, the father\nbroke out to him, and told him what a bad hand his youngest son was at\neverything: he knew nothing and learned nothing. \u201cOnly think! when I\nasked him how he purposed gaining a livelihood, he actually asked to be\ntaught to shudder.\u201d \u201cIf that\u2019s all he wants,\u201d said the sexton, \u201cI can\nteach him that; just you send him to me, I\u2019ll soon polish him up.\u201d The\nfather was quite pleased with the proposal, because he thought: \u201cIt will\nbe a good discipline for the youth.\u201d And so the sexton took him into his\nhouse, and his duty was to toll the bell. After a few days he woke him\nat midnight, and bade him rise and climb into the tower and toll.\n\u201cNow, my friend, I\u2019ll teach you to shudder,\u201d thought he. He stole forth\nsecretly in front, and when the youth was up above, and had turned\nround to grasp the bell-rope, he saw, standing opposite the hole of the\nbelfry, a white figure. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d he called out, but the figure\ngave no answer, and neither stirred nor moved. \u201cAnswer,\u201d cried the\nyouth, \u201cor begone; you have no business here at this hour of the night.\u201d\n But the sexton remained motionless, so that the youth might think that\nit was a ghost. The youth called out the second time: \u201cWhat do you want\nhere? Speak if you are an honest fellow, or I\u2019ll knock you down the\nstairs.\u201d The sexton thought: \u201cHe can\u2019t mean that in earnest,\u201d so gave\nforth no sound, and stood as though he were made of stone. Then the\nyouth shouted out to him the third time, and as that too had no effect,\nhe made a dash at the spectre and knocked it down the stairs, so that it\nfell about ten steps and remained lying in a corner. Thereupon he tolled\nthe bell, went home to bed without saying a word, and fell asleep. The\nsexton\u2019s wife waited a long time for her husband, but he never appeared.\nAt last she became anxious, and woke the youth, and asked: \u201cDon\u2019t you\nknow where my husband is? He went up to the tower in front of you.\u201d\n \u201cNo,\u201d answered the youth; \u201cbut someone stood on the stairs up there just\nopposite the trap-door in the belfry, and because he wouldn\u2019t answer me,\nor go away, I took him for a rogue and knocked him down. You\u2019d better go\nand see if it was he; I should be much distressed if it were.\u201d The wife\nran and found her husband who was lying groaning in a corner, with his\nleg broken.\n\nShe carried him down, and then hurried with loud protestations to the\nyouth\u2019s father. \u201cYour son has been the cause of a pretty misfortune,\u201d\n she cried; \u201che threw my husband downstairs so that he broke his leg.\nTake the good-for-nothing wretch out of our house.\u201d The father was\nhorrified, hurried to the youth, and gave him a scolding.\n\n\u201cWhat unholy pranks are these? The evil one must have put them into your\nhead.\u201d \u201cFather,\u201d he replied, \u201conly listen to me; I am quite guiltless.\nHe stood there in the night, like one who meant harm. I didn\u2019t know who\nit was, and warned him three times to speak or begone.\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d groaned\nthe father, \u201cyou\u2019ll bring me nothing but misfortune; get out of my\nsight, I won\u2019t have anything more to do with you.\u201d \u201cYes, father,\nwillingly; only wait till daylight, then I\u2019ll set out and learn to\nshudder, and in that way I shall be master of an art which will gain me\na living.\u201d \u201cLearn what you will,\u201d said the father, \u201cit\u2019s all one to me.\nHere are fifty dollars for you, set forth into the wide world with them;\nbut see you tell no one where you come from or who your father is, for\nI am ashamed of you.\u201d \u201cYes, father, whatever you wish; and if that\u2019s all\nyou ask, I can easily keep it in mind.\u201d\n\nWhen day broke the youth put the fifty dollars into his pocket, set out\non the hard high road, and kept muttering to himself: \u201cIf I could only\nshudder! if I could only shudder!\u201d Just at this moment a man came by who\nheard the youth speaking to himself, and when they had gone on a bit and\nwere in sight of the gallows the man said to him: \u201cLook! there is the\ntree where seven people have been hanged, and are now learning to fly;\nsit down under it and wait till nightfall, and then you\u2019ll pretty soon\nlearn to shudder.\u201d \u201cIf that\u2019s all I have to do,\u201d answered the youth,\n\u201cit\u2019s easily done; but if I learn to shudder so quickly, then you shall\nhave my fifty dollars. Just come back to me to-morrow morning early.\u201d\n Then the youth went to the gallows-tree and sat down underneath it, and\nwaited for the evening; and because he felt cold he lit himself a fire.\nBut at midnight it got so chill that in spite of the fire he couldn\u2019t\nkeep warm. And as the wind blew the corpses one against the other,\ntossing them to and fro, he thought to himself: \u201cIf you are perishing\ndown here by the fire, how those poor things up there must be shaking\nand shivering!\u201d And because he had a tender heart, he put up a ladder,\nwhich he climbed unhooked one body after the other, and took down all\nthe seven. Then he stirred the fire, blew it up, and placed them all\nround in a circle, that they might warm themselves. But they sat there\nand did not move, and the fire caught their clothes. Then he spoke:\n\u201cTake care, or I\u2019ll hang you up again.\u201d But the dead men did not hear\nand let their rags go on burning. Then he got angry, and said: \u201cIf you\naren\u2019t careful yourselves, then I can\u2019t help you, and I don\u2019t mean to\nburn with you\u201d; and he hung them up again in a row. Then he sat down at\nhis fire and fell asleep. On the following morning the man came to him,\nand, wishing to get his fifty dollars, said: \u201cNow you know what it is to\nshudder.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he answered, \u201chow should I? Those fellows up there never\nopened their mouths, and were so stupid that they let those few old\ntatters they have on their bodies burn.\u201d Then the man saw he wouldn\u2019t\nget his fifty dollars that day, and went off, saying: \u201cWell, I\u2019m blessed\nif I ever met such a person in my life before.\u201d\n\nThe youth went too on his way, and began to murmur to himself: \u201cOh! if I\ncould only shudder! if I could only shudder!\u201d A carrier who was walking\nbehind him heard these words, and asked him: \u201cWho are you\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t\nknow,\u201d said the youth. \u201cWhere do you hail from?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d \u201cWho\u2019s\nyour father?\u201d \u201cI mayn\u2019t say.\u201d \u201cWhat are you constantly muttering to\nyourself?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d said the youth, \u201cI would give worlds to shudder, but no\none can teach me.\u201d \u201cStuff and nonsense!\u201d spoke the carrier; \u201ccome along\nwith me, and I\u2019ll soon put that right.\u201d The youth went with the carrier,\nand in the evening they reached an inn, where they were to spend the\nnight. Then, just as he was entering the room, he said again, quite\naloud: \u201cOh! if I could only shudder! if I could only shudder!\u201d The\nlandlord, who heard this, laughed and said: \u201cIf that\u2019s what you\u2019re\nsighing for, you shall be given every opportunity here.\u201d \u201cOh! hold your\ntongue!\u201d said the landlord\u2019s wife; \u201cso many people have paid for their\ncuriosity with their lives, it were a thousand pities if those beautiful\neyes were never again to behold daylight.\u201d But the youth said: \u201cNo\nmatter how difficult, I insist on learning it; why, that\u2019s what I\u2019ve set\nout to do.\u201d He left the landlord no peace till he told him that in the\nneighborhood stood a haunted castle, where one could easily learn to\nshudder if one only kept watch in it for three nights. The King had\npromised the man who dared to do this thing his daughter as wife, and\nshe was the most beautiful maiden under the sun. There was also much\ntreasure hid in the castle, guarded by evil spirits, which would then\nbe free, and was sufficient to make a poor man more than rich. Many had\nalready gone in, but so far none had ever come out again. So the youth\nwent to the King and spoke: \u201cIf I were allowed, I should much like\nto watch for three nights in the castle.\u201d The King looked at him, and\nbecause he pleased him, he said: \u201cYou can ask for three things, none of\nthem living, and those you may take with you into the castle.\u201d Then he\nanswered: \u201cWell, I shall beg for a fire, a turning lathe, and a carving\nbench with the knife attached.\u201d\n\nOn the following day the King had everything put into the castle; and\nwhen night drew on the youth took up his position there, lit a bright\nfire in one of the rooms, placed the carving bench with the knife close\nto it, and sat himself down on the turning lathe. \u201cOh! if I could only\nshudder!\u201d he said: \u201cbut I sha\u2019n\u2019t learn it here either.\u201d Toward midnight\nhe wanted to make up the fire, and as he was blowing up a blaze he heard\na shriek from a corner. \u201cOu, miou! how cold we are!\u201d \u201cYou fools!\u201d he\ncried; \u201cwhy do you scream? If you are cold, come and sit at the fire and\nwarm yourselves.\u201d And as he spoke two huge black cats sprang fiercely\nforward and sat down, one on each side of him, and gazed wildly at him\nwith their fiery eyes. After a time, when they had warmed themselves,\nthey said: \u201cFriend, shall we play a little game of cards?\u201d \u201cWhy not?\u201d he\nreplied; \u201cbut first let me see your paws.\u201d Then they stretched out their\nclaws. \u201cHa!\u201d said he; \u201cwhat long nails you\u2019ve got! Wait a minute: I must\nfirst cut them off.\u201d Thereupon he seized them by the scruff of their\nnecks, lifted them on to the carving bench, and screwed down their paws\nfirmly. \u201cAfter watching you narrowly,\u201d said he, \u201cI no longer feel any\ndesire to play cards with you\u201d; and with these words he struck them dead\nand threw them out into the water. But when he had thus sent the two of\nthem to their final rest, and was again about to sit down at the fire,\nout of every nook and corner came forth black cats and black dogs with\nfiery chains in such swarms that he couldn\u2019t possibly get away from\nthem. They yelled in the most ghastly manner, jumped upon his fire,\nscattered it all, and tried to put it out. He looked on quietly for\na time, but when it got beyond a joke he seized his carving-knife and\ncalled out: \u201cBe off, you rabble rout!\u201d and let fly at them. Some of them\nfled away, and the others he struck dead and threw them out into the\npond below. When he returned he blew up the sparks of the fire once\nmore, and warmed himself. And as he sat thus his eyes refused to keep\nopen any longer, and a desire to sleep stole over him. Then he looked\naround him and beheld in the corner a large bed. \u201cThe very thing,\u201d he\nsaid, and laid himself down in it. But when he wished to close his\neyes the bed began to move by itself, and ran all round the castle.\n\u201cCapital,\u201d he said, \u201conly a little quicker.\u201d Then the bed sped on as if\ndrawn by six horses, over thresholds and stairs, up this way and down\nthat. All of a sudden--crash, crash! with a bound it turned over, upside\ndown, and lay like a mountain on the top of him. But he tossed the\nblankets and pillows in the air, emerged from underneath, and said: \u201cNow\nanyone who has the fancy for it may go a drive,\u201d lay down at his fire,\nand slept till daylight. In the morning the King came, and when he\nbeheld him lying on the ground he imagined the ghosts had been too much\nfor him, and that he was dead. Then he said: \u201cWhat a pity! and such a\nfine fellow he was.\u201d The youth heard this, got up, and said: \u201cIt\u2019s not\ncome to that yet.\u201d Then the King was astonished, but very glad, and\nasked how it had fared with him. \u201cFirst-rate,\u201d he answered; \u201cand now\nI\u2019ve survived the one night, I shall get through the other two also.\u201d\n The landlord, when he went to him, opened his eyes wide, and said:\n\u201cWell, I never thought to see you alive again. Have you learned now what\nshuddering is?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he replied, \u201cit\u2019s quite hopeless; if someone could\nonly tell me how to!\u201d\n\nThe second night he went up again to the old castle, sat down at the\nfire, and began his old refrain: \u201cIf I could only shudder!\u201d As midnight\napproached, a noise and din broke out, at first gentle, but gradually\nincreasing; then all was quiet for a minute, and at length, with a loud\nscream, half of a man dropped down the chimney and fell before him. \u201cHi,\nup there!\u201d shouted he; \u201cthere\u2019s another half wanted down here, that\u2019s\nnot enough\u201d; then the din commenced once more, there was a shrieking\nand a yelling, and then the other half fell down. \u201cWait a bit,\u201d he said;\n\u201cI\u2019ll stir up the fire for you.\u201d When he had done this and again looked\naround, the two pieces had united, and a horrible-looking man sat on his\nseat. \u201cCome,\u201d said the youth, \u201cI didn\u2019t bargain for that, the seat is\nmine.\u201d The man tried to shove him away, but the youth wouldn\u2019t allow\nit for a moment, and, pushing him off by force, sat down in his place\nagain. Then more men dropped down, one after the other, who fetching\nnine skeleton legs and two skulls, put them up and played ninepins with\nthem. The youth thought he would like to play too, and said: \u201cLook here;\ndo you mind my joining the game?\u201d \u201cNo, not if you have money.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve\nmoney enough,\u201d he replied, \u201cbut your balls aren\u2019t round enough.\u201d Then\nhe took the skulls, placed them on his lathe, and turned them till they\nwere round. \u201cNow they\u2019ll roll along better,\u201d said he, \u201cand houp-la! now\nthe fun begins.\u201d He played with them and lost some of his money, but\nwhen twelve struck everything vanished before his eyes. He lay down and\nslept peacefully. The next morning the King came, anxious for news. \u201cHow\nhave you got on this time?\u201d he asked. \u201cI played ninepins,\u201d he answered,\n\u201cand lost a few pence.\u201d \u201cDidn\u2019t you shudder then?\u201d \u201cNo such luck,\u201d said\nhe; \u201cI made myself merry. Oh! if I only knew what it was to shudder!\u201d\n\nOn the third night he sat down again on his bench, and said, in the most\ndesponding way: \u201cIf I could only shudder!\u201d When it got late, six big men\ncame in carrying a coffin. Then he cried: \u201cHa! ha! that\u2019s most likely\nmy little cousin who only died a few days ago\u201d; and beckoning with his\nfinger he called out: \u201cCome, my small cousin, come.\u201d They placed the\ncoffin on the ground, and he approached it and took off the cover. In\nit lay a dead man. He felt his face, and it was cold as ice. \u201cWait,\u201d he\nsaid \u201cI\u2019ll heat you up a bit,\u201d went to the fire, warmed his hand, and\nlaid it on the man\u2019s face, but the dead remained cold. Then he lifted\nhim out, sat down at the fire, laid him on his knee, and rubbed his arms\nthat the blood should circulate again. When that too had no effect it\noccurred to him that if two people lay together in bed they warmed each\nother; so he put him into the bed, covered him up, and lay down beside\nhim; after a time the corpse became warm and began to move. Then the\nyouth said: \u201cNow, my little cousin, what would have happened if I\nhadn\u2019t warmed you?\u201d But the dead man rose up and cried out: \u201cNow I\nwill strangle you.\u201d \u201cWhat!\u201d said he, \u201cis that all the thanks I get? You\nshould be put straight back into your coffin,\u201d lifted him up, threw him\nin, and closed the lid. Then the six men came and carried him out again.\n\u201cI simply can\u2019t shudder,\u201d he said, \u201cand it\u2019s clear I sha\u2019n\u2019t learn it in\na lifetime here.\u201d\n\nThen a man entered, of more than ordinary size and of a very fearful\nappearance; but he was old and had a white beard. \u201cOh! you miserable\ncreature, now you will soon know what it is to shudder,\u201d he cried, \u201cfor\nyou must die.\u201d \u201cNot so quickly,\u201d answered the youth. \u201cIf I am to die,\nyou must catch me first.\u201d \u201cI shall soon lay hold of you,\u201d spoke the\nmonster. \u201cGently, gently, don\u2019t boast too much, I\u2019m as strong as you,\nand stronger too.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019ll soon see,\u201d said the old man; \u201cif you are\nstronger than I then I\u2019ll let you off; come, let\u2019s have a try.\u201d Then he\nled him through some dark passages to a forge, and grasping an axe he\ndrove one of the anvils with a blow into the earth. \u201cI can do better\nthan that,\u201d cried the youth, and went to the other anvil. The old man\ndrew near him in order to watch closely, and his white beard hung right\ndown. The youth seized the axe, cleft the anvil open, and jammed in the\nold man\u2019s beard. \u201cNow I have you,\u201d said the youth; \u201cthis time it\u2019s your\nturn to die.\u201d Then he seized an iron rod and belabored the old man till\nhe, whimpering, begged him to leave off, and he would give him great\nriches. The youth drew out the axe and let him go. The old man led him\nback to the castle and showed him in a cellar three chests of gold. \u201cOne\nof these,\u201d said he, \u201cbelongs to the poor, one to the King, and the\nthird is yours.\u201d At that moment twelve struck, and the spirit vanished,\nleaving the youth alone in the dark. \u201cI\u2019ll surely be able to find a way\nout,\u201d said he, and groping about he at length found his way back to the\nroom, and fell asleep at his fire. The next morning the King came, and\nsaid: \u201cWell, now you\u2019ve surely learned to shudder?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he answered;\n\u201cwhat can it be? My dead cousin was here, and an old bearded man came,\nwho showed me heaps of money down below there, but what shuddering is no\none has told me.\u201d Then the King spoke: \u201cYou have freed the castle from\nits curse, and you shall marry my daughter.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s all charming,\u201d he\nsaid; \u201cbut I still don\u2019t know what it is to shudder.\u201d\n\nThen the gold was brought up, and the wedding was celebrated, but the\nyoung King, though he loved his wife dearly, and though he was very\nhappy, still kept on saying: \u201cIf I could only shudder! if I could only\nshudder!\u201d At last he reduced her to despair. Then her maid said: \u201cI\u2019ll\nhelp you; we\u2019ll soon make him shudder.\u201d So she went out to the stream\nthat flowed through the garden, and had a pail full of little gudgeons\nbrought to her. At night, when the young King was asleep, his wife had\nto pull the clothes off him, and pour the pail full of little gudgeons\nover him, so that the little fish swam all about him. Then he awoke and\ncried out: \u201cOh! how I shudder, how I shudder, dear wife! Yes, now I know\nwhat shuddering is.\u201d (1)\n\n\n(1) Grimm.\n\n\n\n\nRUMPELSTILTZKIN\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a poor miller who had a very beautiful\ndaughter. Now it happened one day that he had an audience with the King,\nand in order to appear a person of some importance he told him that\nhe had a daughter who could spin straw into gold. \u201cNow that\u2019s a talent\nworth having,\u201d said the King to the miller; \u201cif your daughter is as\nclever as you say, bring her to my palace to-morrow, and I\u2019ll put her to\nthe test.\u201d When the girl was brought to him he led her into a room full\nof straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and spindle, and said: \u201cNow set to\nwork and spin all night till early dawn, and if by that time you haven\u2019t\nspun the straw into gold you shall die.\u201d Then he closed the door behind\nhim and left her alone inside.\n\nSo the poor miller\u2019s daughter sat down, and didn\u2019t know what in the\nworld she was to do. She hadn\u2019t the least idea of how to spin straw into\ngold, and became at last so miserable that she began to cry.\nSuddenly the door opened, and in stepped a tiny little man and said:\n\u201cGood-evening, Miss Miller-maid; why are you crying so bitterly?\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d\n answered the girl, \u201cI have to spin straw into gold, and haven\u2019t a notion\nhow it\u2019s done.\u201d \u201cWhat will you give me if I spin it for you?\u201d asked\nthe manikin. \u201cMy necklace,\u201d replied the girl. The little man took the\nnecklace, sat himself down at the wheel, and whir, whir, whir, the wheel\nwent round three times, and the bobbin was full. Then he put on another,\nand whir, whir, whir, the wheel went round three times, and the second\ntoo was full; and so it went on till the morning, when all the straw\nwas spun away, and all the bobbins were full of gold. As soon as the sun\nrose the King came, and when he perceived the gold he was astonished and\ndelighted, but his heart only lusted more than ever after the precious\nmetal. He had the miller\u2019s daughter put into another room full of straw,\nmuch bigger than the first, and bade her, if she valued her life, spin\nit all into gold before the following morning. The girl didn\u2019t know what\nto do, and began to cry; then the door opened as before, and the tiny\nlittle man appeared and said: \u201cWhat\u2019ll you give me if I spin the straw\ninto gold for you?\u201d \u201cThe ring from my finger,\u201d answered the girl. The\nmanikin took the ring, and whir! round went the spinning-wheel again,\nand when morning broke he had spun all the straw into glittering gold.\nThe King was pleased beyond measure at the sights but his greed for gold\nwas still not satisfied, and he had the miller\u2019s daughter brought into a\nyet bigger room full of straw, and said: \u201cYou must spin all this away\nin the night; but if you succeed this time you shall become my wife.\u201d\n \u201cShe\u2019s only a miller\u2019s daughter, it\u2019s true,\u201d he thought; \u201cbut I couldn\u2019t\nfind a richer wife if I were to search the whole world over.\u201d When the\ngirl was alone the little man appeared for the third time, and said:\n\u201cWhat\u2019ll you give me if I spin the straw for you once again?\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve\nnothing more to give,\u201d answered the girl. \u201cThen promise me when you\nare Queen to give me your first child.\u201d \u201cWho knows what may not happen\nbefore that?\u201d thought the miller\u2019s daughter; and besides, she saw no\nother way out of it, so she promised the manikin what he demanded, and\nhe set to work once more and spun the straw into gold. When the\nKing came in the morning, and found everything as he had desired, he\nstraightway made her his wife, and the miller\u2019s daughter became a queen.\n\nWhen a year had passed a beautiful son was born to her, and she thought\nno more of the little man, till all of a sudden one day he stepped into\nher room and said: \u201cNow give me what you promised.\u201d The Queen was in a\ngreat state, and offered the little man all the riches in her kingdom if\nhe would only leave her the child. But the manikin said: \u201cNo, a living\ncreature is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world.\u201d Then the\nQueen began to cry and sob so bitterly that the little man was sorry for\nher, and said: \u201cI\u2019ll give you three days to guess my name, and if you\nfind it out in that time you may keep your child.\u201d\n\nThen the Queen pondered the whole night over all the names she had ever\nheard, and sent a messenger to scour the land, and to pick up far and\nnear any names he could come across. When the little man arrived on the\nfollowing day she began with Kasper, Melchior, Belshazzar, and all the\nother names she knew, in a string, but at each one the manikin called\nout: \u201cThat\u2019s not my name.\u201d The next day she sent to inquire the names\nof all the people in the neighborhood, and had a long list of the\nmost uncommon and extraordinary for the little man when he made\nhis appearance. \u201cIs your name, perhaps, Sheepshanks Cruickshanks,\nSpindleshanks?\u201d but he always replied: \u201cThat\u2019s not my name.\u201d On the\nthird day the messenger returned and announced: \u201cI have not been able to\nfind any new names, but as I came upon a high hill round the corner of\nthe wood, where the foxes and hares bid each other good-night, I saw\na little house, and in front of the house burned a fire, and round\nthe fire sprang the most grotesque little man, hopping on one leg and\ncrying:\n\n  \u201cTo-morrow I brew, to-day I bake,\n    And then the child away I\u2019ll take;\n    For little deems my royal dame\n    That Rumpelstiltzkin is my name!\u201d\n\n\nYou can imagine the Queen\u2019s delight at hearing the name, and when the\nlittle man stepped in shortly afterward and asked: \u201cNow, my lady Queen,\nwhat\u2019s my name?\u201d she asked first: \u201cIs your name Conrad?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cIs your\nname Harry?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cIs your name perhaps, Rumpelstiltzkin?\u201d \u201cSome demon\nhas told you that! some demon has told you that!\u201d screamed the little\nman, and in his rage drove his right foot so far into the ground that it\nsank in up to his waist; then in a passion he seized the left foot with\nboth hands and tore himself in two.(1)\n\n\n(1) Grimm.\n\n\n\n\nBEAUTY AND THE BEAST\n\n\nOnce upon a time, in a very far-off country, there lived a merchant who\nhad been so fortunate in all his undertakings that he was enormously\nrich. As he had, however, six sons and six daughters, he found that his\nmoney was not too much to let them all have everything they fancied, as\nthey were accustomed to do.\n\nBut one day a most unexpected misfortune befell them. Their house\ncaught fire and was speedily burnt to the ground, with all the splendid\nfurniture, the books, pictures, gold, silver, and precious goods it\ncontained; and this was only the beginning of their troubles. Their\nfather, who had until this moment prospered in all ways, suddenly lost\nevery ship he had upon the sea, either by dint of pirates, shipwreck,\nor fire. Then he heard that his clerks in distant countries, whom he\ntrusted entirely, had proved unfaithful; and at last from great wealth\nhe fell into the direst poverty.\n\nAll that he had left was a little house in a desolate place at least a\nhundred leagues from the town in which he had lived, and to this he was\nforced to retreat with his children, who were in despair at the idea of\nleading such a different life. Indeed, the daughters at first hoped\nthat their friends, who had been so numerous while they were rich, would\ninsist on their staying in their houses now they no longer possessed\none. But they soon found that they were left alone, and that their\nformer friends even attributed their misfortunes to their own\nextravagance, and showed no intention of offering them any help. So\nnothing was left for them but to take their departure to the cottage,\nwhich stood in the midst of a dark forest, and seemed to be the most\ndismal place upon the face of the earth. As they were too poor to have\nany servants, the girls had to work hard, like peasants, and the sons,\nfor their part, cultivated the fields to earn their living. Roughly\nclothed, and living in the simplest way, the girls regretted unceasingly\nthe luxuries and amusements of their former life; only the youngest\ntried to be brave and cheerful. She had been as sad as anyone when\nmisfortune overtook her father, but, soon recovering her natural gaiety,\nshe set to work to make the best of things, to amuse her father and\nbrothers as well as she could, and to try to persuade her sisters to\njoin her in dancing and singing. But they would do nothing of the sort,\nand, because she was not as doleful as themselves, they declared that\nthis miserable life was all she was fit for. But she was really far\nprettier and cleverer than they were; indeed, she was so lovely that she\nwas always called Beauty. After two years, when they were all beginning\nto get used to their new life, something happened to disturb their\ntranquillity. Their father received the news that one of his ships,\nwhich he had believed to be lost, had come safely into port with a rich\ncargo. All the sons and daughters at once thought that their poverty\nwas at an end, and wanted to set out directly for the town; but their\nfather, who was more prudent, begged them to wait a little, and, though\nit was harvest time, and he could ill be spared, determined to go\nhimself first, to make inquiries. Only the youngest daughter had any\ndoubt but that they would soon again be as rich as they were before, or\nat least rich enough to live comfortably in some town where they would\nfind amusement and gay companions once more. So they all loaded their\nfather with commissions for jewels and dresses which it would have taken\na fortune to buy; only Beauty, feeling sure that it was of no use, did\nnot ask for anything. Her father, noticing her silence, said: \u201cAnd what\nshall I bring for you, Beauty?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe only thing I wish for is to see you come home safely,\u201d she\nanswered.\n\nBut this only vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blaming them for\nhaving asked for such costly things. Her father, however, was pleased,\nbut as he thought that at her age she certainly ought to like pretty\npresents, he told her to choose something.\n\n\u201cWell, dear father,\u201d she said, \u201cas you insist upon it, I beg that you\nwill bring me a rose. I have not seen one since we came here, and I love\nthem so much.\u201d\n\nSo the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly as possible, but\nonly to find that his former companions, believing him to be dead, had\ndivided between them the goods which the ship had brought; and after\nsix months of trouble and expense he found himself as poor as when he\nstarted, having been able to recover only just enough to pay the cost of\nhis journey. To make matters worse, he was obliged to leave the town\nin the most terrible weather, so that by the time he was within a few\nleagues of his home he was almost exhausted with cold and fatigue.\nThough he knew it would take some hours to get through the forest, he\nwas so anxious to be at his journey\u2019s end that he resolved to go on;\nbut night overtook him, and the deep snow and bitter frost made it\nimpossible for his horse to carry him any further. Not a house was to\nbe seen; the only shelter he could get was the hollow trunk of a great\ntree, and there he crouched all the night which seemed to him the\nlongest he had ever known. In spite of his weariness the howling of the\nwolves kept him awake, and even when at last the day broke he was not\nmuch better off, for the falling snow had covered up every path, and he\ndid not know which way to turn.\n\nAt length he made out some sort of track, and though at the beginning it\nwas so rough and slippery that he fell down more than once, it presently\nbecame easier, and led him into an avenue of trees which ended in a\nsplendid castle. It seemed to the merchant very strange that no snow\nhad fallen in the avenue, which was entirely composed of orange trees,\ncovered with flowers and fruit. When he reached the first court of the\ncastle he saw before him a flight of agate steps, and went up them, and\npassed through several splendidly furnished rooms. The pleasant warmth\nof the air revived him, and he felt very hungry; but there seemed to be\nnobody in all this vast and splendid palace whom he could ask to give\nhim something to eat. Deep silence reigned everywhere, and at last,\ntired of roaming through empty rooms and galleries, he stopped in a room\nsmaller than the rest, where a clear fire was burning and a couch was\ndrawn up closely to it. Thinking that this must be prepared for someone\nwho was expected, he sat down to wait till he should come, and very soon\nfell into a sweet sleep.\n\nWhen his extreme hunger wakened him after several hours, he was still\nalone; but a little table, upon which was a good dinner, had been drawn\nup close to him, and, as he had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours, he\nlost no time in beginning his meal, hoping that he might soon have an\nopportunity of thanking his considerate entertainer, whoever it might\nbe. But no one appeared, and even after another long sleep, from which\nhe awoke completely refreshed, there was no sign of anybody, though a\nfresh meal of dainty cakes and fruit was prepared upon the little table\nat his elbow. Being naturally timid, the silence began to terrify him,\nand he resolved to search once more through all the rooms; but it was of\nno use. Not even a servant was to be seen; there was no sign of life in\nthe palace! He began to wonder what he should do, and to amuse\nhimself by pretending that all the treasures he saw were his own, and\nconsidering how he would divide them among his children. Then he went\ndown into the garden, and though it was winter everywhere else, here the\nsun shone, and the birds sang, and the flowers bloomed, and the air was\nsoft and sweet. The merchant, in ecstacies with all he saw and heard,\nsaid to himself:\n\n\u201cAll this must be meant for me. I will go this minute and bring my\nchildren to share all these delights.\u201d\n\nIn spite of being so cold and weary when he reached the castle, he had\ntaken his horse to the stable and fed it. Now he thought he would saddle\nit for his homeward journey, and he turned down the path which led to\nthe stable. This path had a hedge of roses on each side of it, and the\nmerchant thought he had never seen or smelt such exquisite flowers.\nThey reminded him of his promise to Beauty, and he stopped and had just\ngathered one to take to her when he was startled by a strange noise\nbehind him. Turning round, he saw a frightful Beast, which seemed to be\nvery angry and said, in a terrible voice:\n\n\u201cWho told you that you might gather my roses? Was it not enough that I\nallowed you to be in my palace and was kind to you? This is the way you\nshow your gratitude, by stealing my flowers! But your insolence shall\nnot go unpunished.\u201d The merchant, terrified by these furious words,\ndropped the fatal rose, and, throwing himself on his knees, cried:\n\u201cPardon me, noble sir. I am truly grateful to you for your hospitality,\nwhich was so magnificent that I could not imagine that you would be\noffended by my taking such a little thing as a rose.\u201d But the Beast\u2019s\nanger was not lessened by this speech.\n\n\u201cYou are very ready with excuses and flattery,\u201d he cried; \u201cbut that will\nnot save you from the death you deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d thought the merchant, \u201cif my daughter could only know what\ndanger her rose has brought me into!\u201d\n\nAnd in despair he began to tell the Beast all his misfortunes, and the\nreason of his journey, not forgetting to mention Beauty\u2019s request.\n\n\u201cA king\u2019s ransom would hardly have procured all that my other daughters\nasked.\u201d he said: \u201cbut I thought that I might at least take Beauty her\nrose. I beg you to forgive me, for you see I meant no harm.\u201d\n\nThe Beast considered for a moment, and then he said, in a less furious\ntone:\n\n\u201cI will forgive you on one condition--that is, that you will give me one\nof your daughters.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried the merchant, \u201cif I were cruel enough to buy my own life at\nthe expense of one of my children\u2019s, what excuse could I invent to bring\nher here?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo excuse would be necessary,\u201d answered the Beast. \u201cIf she comes at all\nshe must come willingly. On no other condition will I have her. See if\nany one of them is courageous enough, and loves you well enough to come\nand save your life. You seem to be an honest man, so I will trust you to\ngo home. I give you a month to see if either of your daughters will come\nback with you and stay here, to let you go free. If neither of them is\nwilling, you must come alone, after bidding them good-by for ever, for\nthen you will belong to me. And do not imagine that you can hide from\nme, for if you fail to keep your word I will come and fetch you!\u201d added\nthe Beast grimly.\n\nThe merchant accepted this proposal, though he did not really think any\nof his daughters could be persuaded to come. He promised to return at\nthe time appointed, and then, anxious to escape from the presence of the\nBeast, he asked permission to set off at once. But the Beast answered\nthat he could not go until next day.\n\n\u201cThen you will find a horse ready for you,\u201d he said. \u201cNow go and eat\nyour supper, and await my orders.\u201d\n\nThe poor merchant, more dead than alive, went back to his room, where\nthe most delicious supper was already served on the little table which\nwas drawn up before a blazing fire. But he was too terrified to eat, and\nonly tasted a few of the dishes, for fear the Beast should be angry if\nhe did not obey his orders. When he had finished he heard a great noise\nin the next room, which he knew meant that the Beast was coming. As he\ncould do nothing to escape his visit, the only thing that remained was\nto seem as little afraid as possible; so when the Beast appeared and\nasked roughly if he had supped well, the merchant answered humbly that\nhe had, thanks to his host\u2019s kindness. Then the Beast warned him to\nremember their agreement, and to prepare his daughter exactly for what\nshe had to expect.\n\n\u201cDo not get up to-morrow,\u201d he added, \u201cuntil you see the sun and hear\na golden bell ring. Then you will find your breakfast waiting for you\nhere, and the horse you are to ride will be ready in the courtyard. He\nwill also bring you back again when you come with your daughter a month\nhence. Farewell. Take a rose to Beauty, and remember your promise!\u201d\n\nThe merchant was only too glad when the Beast went away, and though he\ncould not sleep for sadness, he lay down until the sun rose. Then, after\na hasty breakfast, he went to gather Beauty\u2019s rose, and mounted his\nhorse, which carried him off so swiftly that in an instant he had lost\nsight of the palace, and he was still wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it\nstopped before the door of the cottage.\n\nHis sons and daughters, who had been very uneasy at his long absence,\nrushed to meet him, eager to know the result of his journey, which,\nseeing him mounted upon a splendid horse and wrapped in a rich mantle,\nthey supposed to be favorable. He hid the truth from them at first, only\nsaying sadly to Beauty as he gave her the rose:\n\n\u201cHere is what you asked me to bring you; you little know what it has\ncost.\u201d\n\nBut this excited their curiosity so greatly that presently he told\nthem his adventures from beginning to end, and then they were all very\nunhappy. The girls lamented loudly over their lost hopes, and the sons\ndeclared that their father should not return to this terrible castle,\nand began to make plans for killing the Beast if it should come to fetch\nhim. But he reminded them that he had promised to go back. Then the\ngirls were very angry with Beauty, and said it was all her fault, and\nthat if she had asked for something sensible this would never have\nhappened, and complained bitterly that they should have to suffer for\nher folly.\n\nPoor Beauty, much distressed, said to them:\n\n\u201cI have, indeed, caused this misfortune, but I assure you I did it\ninnocently. Who could have guessed that to ask for a rose in the middle\nof summer would cause so much misery? But as I did the mischief it is\nonly just that I should suffer for it. I will therefore go back with my\nfather to keep his promise.\u201d\n\nAt first nobody would hear of this arrangement, and her father and\nbrothers, who loved her dearly, declared that nothing should make them\nlet her go; but Beauty was firm. As the time drew near she divided\nall her little possessions between her sisters, and said good-by to\neverything she loved, and when the fatal day came she encouraged and\ncheered her father as they mounted together the horse which had brought\nhim back. It seemed to fly rather than gallop, but so smoothly that\nBeauty was not frightened; indeed, she would have enjoyed the journey if\nshe had not feared what might happen to her at the end of it. Her father\nstill tried to persuade her to go back, but in vain. While they were\ntalking the night fell, and then, to their great surprise, wonderful\ncolored lights began to shine in all directions, and splendid fireworks\nblazed out before them; all the forest was illuminated by them, and\neven felt pleasantly warm, though it had been bitterly cold before. This\nlasted until they reached the avenue of orange trees, where were statues\nholding flaming torches, and when they got nearer to the palace they saw\nthat it was illuminated from the roof to the ground, and music sounded\nsoftly from the courtyard. \u201cThe Beast must be very hungry,\u201d said Beauty,\ntrying to laugh, \u201cif he makes all this rejoicing over the arrival of his\nprey.\u201d\n\nBut, in spite of her anxiety, she could not help admiring all the\nwonderful things she saw.\n\nThe horse stopped at the foot of the flight of steps leading to the\nterrace, and when they had dismounted her father led her to the little\nroom he had been in before, where they found a splendid fire burning,\nand the table daintily spread with a delicious supper.\n\nThe merchant knew that this was meant for them, and Beauty, who was\nrather less frightened now that she had passed through so many rooms and\nseen nothing of the Beast, was quite willing to begin, for her long ride\nhad made her very hungry. But they had hardly finished their meal when\nthe noise of the Beast\u2019s footsteps was heard approaching, and Beauty\nclung to her father in terror, which became all the greater when she saw\nhow frightened he was. But when the Beast really appeared, though\nshe trembled at the sight of him, she made a great effort to hide her\nterror, and saluted him respectfully.\n\nThis evidently pleased the Beast. After looking at her he said, in a\ntone that might have struck terror into the boldest heart, though he did\nnot seem to be angry:\n\n\u201cGood-evening, old man. Good-evening, Beauty.\u201d\n\nThe merchant was too terrified to reply, but Beauty answered sweetly:\n\u201cGood-evening, Beast.\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you come willingly?\u201d asked the Beast. \u201cWill you be content to stay\nhere when your father goes away?\u201d\n\nBeauty answered bravely that she was quite prepared to stay.\n\n\u201cI am pleased with you,\u201d said the Beast. \u201cAs you have come of your own\naccord, you may stay. As for you, old man,\u201d he added, turning to the\nmerchant, \u201cat sunrise to-morrow you will take your departure. When the\nbell rings get up quickly and eat your breakfast, and you will find the\nsame horse waiting to take you home; but remember that you must never\nexpect to see my palace again.\u201d\n\nThen turning to Beauty, he said:\n\n\u201cTake your father into the next room, and help him to choose everything\nyou think your brothers and sisters would like to have. You will find\ntwo traveling-trunks there; fill them as full as you can. It is only\njust that you should send them something very precious as a remembrance\nof yourself.\u201d\n\nThen he went away, after saying, \u201cGood-by, Beauty; good-by, old man\u201d;\nand though Beauty was beginning to think with great dismay of her\nfather\u2019s departure, she was afraid to disobey the Beast\u2019s orders; and\nthey went into the next room, which had shelves and cupboards all round\nit. They were greatly surprised at the riches it contained. There were\nsplendid dresses fit for a queen, with all the ornaments that were to\nbe worn with them; and when Beauty opened the cupboards she was quite\ndazzled by the gorgeous jewels that lay in heaps upon every shelf. After\nchoosing a vast quantity, which she divided between her sisters--for she\nhad made a heap of the wonderful dresses for each of them--she opened\nthe last chest, which was full of gold.\n\n\u201cI think, father,\u201d she said, \u201cthat, as the gold will be more useful to\nyou, we had better take out the other things again, and fill the trunks\nwith it.\u201d So they did this; but the more they put in the more room there\nseemed to be, and at last they put back all the jewels and dresses they\nhad taken out, and Beauty even added as many more of the jewels as she\ncould carry at once; and then the trunks were not too full, but they\nwere so heavy that an elephant could not have carried them!\n\n\u201cThe Beast was mocking us,\u201d cried the merchant; \u201che must have pretended\nto give us all these things, knowing that I could not carry them away.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet us wait and see,\u201d answered Beauty. \u201cI cannot believe that he meant\nto deceive us. All we can do is to fasten them up and leave them ready.\u201d\n\nSo they did this and returned to the little room, where, to their\nastonishment, they found breakfast ready. The merchant ate his with a\ngood appetite, as the Beast\u2019s generosity made him believe that he might\nperhaps venture to come back soon and see Beauty. But she felt sure that\nher father was leaving her for ever, so she was very sad when the bell\nrang sharply for the second time, and warned them that the time had come\nfor them to part. They went down into the courtyard, where two horses\nwere waiting, one loaded with the two trunks, the other for him to\nride. They were pawing the ground in their impatience to start, and the\nmerchant was forced to bid Beauty a hasty farewell; and as soon as he\nwas mounted he went off at such a pace that she lost sight of him in an\ninstant. Then Beauty began to cry, and wandered sadly back to her\nown room. But she soon found that she was very sleepy, and as she had\nnothing better to do she lay down and instantly fell asleep. And then\nshe dreamed that she was walking by a brook bordered with trees, and\nlamenting her sad fate, when a young prince, handsomer than anyone she\nhad ever seen, and with a voice that went straight to her heart, came\nand said to her, \u201cAh, Beauty! you are not so unfortunate as you suppose.\nHere you will be rewarded for all you have suffered elsewhere. Your\nevery wish shall be gratified. Only try to find me out, no matter how I\nmay be disguised, as I love you dearly, and in making me happy you will\nfind your own happiness. Be as true-hearted as you are beautiful, and we\nshall have nothing left to wish for.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat can I do, Prince, to make you happy?\u201d said Beauty.\n\n\u201cOnly be grateful,\u201d he answered, \u201cand do not trust too much to your\neyes. And, above all, do not desert me until you have saved me from my\ncruel misery.\u201d\n\nAfter this she thought she found herself in a room with a stately and\nbeautiful lady, who said to her:\n\n\u201cDear Beauty, try not to regret all you have left behind you, for you\nare destined to a better fate. Only do not let yourself be deceived by\nappearances.\u201d\n\nBeauty found her dreams so interesting that she was in no hurry to\nawake, but presently the clock roused her by calling her name softly\ntwelve times, and then she got up and found her dressing-table set\nout with everything she could possibly want; and when her toilet was\nfinished she found dinner was waiting in the room next to hers. But\ndinner does not take very long when you are all by yourself, and very\nsoon she sat down cosily in the corner of a sofa, and began to think\nabout the charming Prince she had seen in her dream.\n\n\u201cHe said I could make him happy,\u201d said Beauty to herself.\n\n\u201cIt seems, then, that this horrible Beast keeps him a prisoner. How\ncan I set him free? I wonder why they both told me not to trust to\nappearances? I don\u2019t understand it. But, after all, it was only a\ndream, so why should I trouble myself about it? I had better go and find\nsomething to do to amuse myself.\u201d\n\nSo she got up and began to explore some of the many rooms of the palace.\n\nThe first she entered was lined with mirrors, and Beauty saw herself\nreflected on every side, and thought she had never seen such a charming\nroom. Then a bracelet which was hanging from a chandelier caught her\neye, and on taking it down she was greatly surprised to find that it\nheld a portrait of her unknown admirer, just as she had seen him in her\ndream. With great delight she slipped the bracelet on her arm, and went\non into a gallery of pictures, where she soon found a portrait of the\nsame handsome Prince, as large as life, and so well painted that as she\nstudied it he seemed to smile kindly at her. Tearing herself away from\nthe portrait at last, she passed through into a room which contained\nevery musical instrument under the sun, and here she amused herself for\na long while in trying some of them, and singing until she was tired.\nThe next room was a library, and she saw everything she had ever wanted\nto read, as well as everything she had read, and it seemed to her that a\nwhole lifetime would not be enough to even read the names of the books,\nthere were so many. By this time it was growing dusk, and wax candles\nin diamond and ruby candlesticks were beginning to light themselves in\nevery room.\n\nBeauty found her supper served just at the time she preferred to have\nit, but she did not see anyone or hear a sound, and, though her father\nhad warned her that she would be alone, she began to find it rather\ndull.\n\nBut presently she heard the Beast coming, and wondered tremblingly if he\nmeant to eat her up now.\n\nHowever, as he did not seem at all ferocious, and only said gruffly:\n\n\u201cGood-evening, Beauty,\u201d she answered cheerfully and managed to conceal\nher terror. Then the Beast asked her how she had been amusing herself,\nand she told him all the rooms she had seen.\n\nThen he asked if she thought she could be happy in his palace; and\nBeauty answered that everything was so beautiful that she would be very\nhard to please if she could not be happy. And after about an hour\u2019s talk\nBeauty began to think that the Beast was not nearly so terrible as she\nhad supposed at first. Then he got up to leave her, and said in his\ngruff voice:\n\n\u201cDo you love me, Beauty? Will you marry me?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! what shall I say?\u201d cried Beauty, for she was afraid to make the\nBeast angry by refusing.\n\n\u201cSay \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019 without fear,\u201d he replied.\n\n\u201cOh! no, Beast,\u201d said Beauty hastily.\n\n\u201cSince you will not, good-night, Beauty,\u201d he said.\n\nAnd she answered, \u201cGood-night, Beast,\u201d very glad to find that her\nrefusal had not provoked him. And after he was gone she was very soon in\nbed and asleep, and dreaming of her unknown Prince. She thought he came\nand said to her:\n\n\u201cAh, Beauty! why are you so unkind to me? I fear I am fated to be\nunhappy for many a long day still.\u201d\n\nAnd then her dreams changed, but the charming Prince figured in\nthem all; and when morning came her first thought was to look at the\nportrait, and see if it was really like him, and she found that it\ncertainly was.\n\nThis morning she decided to amuse herself in the garden, for the sun\nshone, and all the fountains were playing; but she was astonished to\nfind that every place was familiar to her, and presently she came to the\nbrook where the myrtle trees were growing where she had first met the\nPrince in her dream, and that made her think more than ever that he must\nbe kept a prisoner by the Beast. When she was tired she went back to\nthe palace, and found a new room full of materials for every kind of\nwork--ribbons to make into bows, and silks to work into flowers. Then\nthere was an aviary full of rare birds, which were so tame that they\nflew to Beauty as soon as they saw her, and perched upon her shoulders\nand her head.\n\n\u201cPretty little creatures,\u201d she said, \u201chow I wish that your cage was\nnearer to my room, that I might often hear you sing!\u201d\n\nSo saying she opened a door, and found, to her delight, that it led into\nher own room, though she had thought it was quite the other side of the\npalace.\n\nThere were more birds in a room farther on, parrots and cockatoos that\ncould talk, and they greeted Beauty by name; indeed, she found them so\nentertaining that she took one or two back to her room, and they talked\nto her while she was at supper; after which the Beast paid her his usual\nvisit, and asked her the same questions as before, and then with a gruff\n\u201cgood-night\u201d he took his departure, and Beauty went to bed to dream of\nher mysterious Prince. The days passed swiftly in different amusements,\nand after a while Beauty found out another strange thing in the palace,\nwhich often pleased her when she was tired of being alone. There was one\nroom which she had not noticed particularly; it was empty, except that\nunder each of the windows stood a very comfortable chair; and the first\ntime she had looked out of the window it had seemed to her that a black\ncurtain prevented her from seeing anything outside. But the second time\nshe went into the room, happening to be tired, she sat down in one of\nthe chairs, when instantly the curtain was rolled aside, and a most\namusing pantomime was acted before her; there were dances, and colored\nlights, and music, and pretty dresses, and it was all so gay that Beauty\nwas in ecstacies. After that she tried the other seven windows in turn,\nand there was some new and surprising entertainment to be seen from each\nof them, so that Beauty never could feel lonely any more. Every evening\nafter supper the Beast came to see her, and always before saying\ngood-night asked her in his terrible voice:\n\n\u201cBeauty, will you marry me?\u201d\n\nAnd it seemed to Beauty, now she understood him better, that when she\nsaid, \u201cNo, Beast,\u201d he went away quite sad. But her happy dreams of the\nhandsome young Prince soon made her forget the poor Beast, and the only\nthing that at all disturbed her was to be constantly told to distrust\nappearances, to let her heart guide her, and not her eyes, and many\nother equally perplexing things, which, consider as she would, she could\nnot understand.\n\nSo everything went on for a long time, until at last, happy as she was,\nBeauty began to long for the sight of her father and her brothers and\nsisters; and one night, seeing her look very sad, the Beast asked her\nwhat was the matter. Beauty had quite ceased to be afraid of him. Now\nshe knew that he was really gentle in spite of his ferocious looks and\nhis dreadful voice. So she answered that she was longing to see her\nhome once more. Upon hearing this the Beast seemed sadly distressed, and\ncried miserably.\n\n\u201cAh! Beauty, have you the heart to desert an unhappy Beast like this?\nWhat more do you want to make you happy? Is it because you hate me that\nyou want to escape?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, dear Beast,\u201d answered Beauty softly, \u201cI do not hate you, and I\nshould be very sorry never to see you any more, but I long to see my\nfather again. Only let me go for two months, and I promise to come back\nto you and stay for the rest of my life.\u201d\n\nThe Beast, who had been sighing dolefully while she spoke, now replied:\n\n\u201cI cannot refuse you anything you ask, even though it should cost me my\nlife. Take the four boxes you will find in the room next to your own,\nand fill them with everything you wish to take with you. But remember\nyour promise and come back when the two months are over, or you may have\ncause to repent it, for if you do not come in good time you will find\nyour faithful Beast dead. You will not need any chariot to bring you\nback. Only say good-by to all your brothers and sisters the night before\nyou come away, and when you have gone to bed turn this ring round upon\nyour finger and say firmly: \u2018I wish to go back to my palace and see my\nBeast again.\u2019 Good-night, Beauty. Fear nothing, sleep peacefully, and\nbefore long you shall see your father once more.\u201d\n\nAs soon as Beauty was alone she hastened to fill the boxes with all the\nrare and precious things she saw about her, and only when she was tired\nof heaping things into them did they seem to be full.\n\nThen she went to bed, but could hardly sleep for joy. And when at last\nshe did begin to dream of her beloved Prince she was grieved to see him\nstretched upon a grassy bank, sad and weary, and hardly like himself.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d she cried.\n\nHe looked at her reproachfully, and said:\n\n\u201cHow can you ask me, cruel one? Are you not leaving me to my death\nperhaps?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! don\u2019t be so sorrowful,\u201d cried Beauty; \u201cI am only going to assure\nmy father that I am safe and happy. I have promised the Beast faithfully\nthat I will come back, and he would die of grief if I did not keep my\nword!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat would that matter to you?\u201d said the Prince \u201cSurely you would not\ncare?\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, I should be ungrateful if I did not care for such a kind\nBeast,\u201d cried Beauty indignantly. \u201cI would die to save him from pain. I\nassure you it is not his fault that he is so ugly.\u201d\n\nJust then a strange sound woke her--someone was speaking not very far\naway; and opening her eyes she found herself in a room she had never\nseen before, which was certainly not nearly so splendid as those she\nwas used to in the Beast\u2019s palace. Where could she be? She got up and\ndressed hastily, and then saw that the boxes she had packed the night\nbefore were all in the room. While she was wondering by what magic\nthe Beast had transported them and herself to this strange place she\nsuddenly heard her father\u2019s voice, and rushed out and greeted\nhim joyfully. Her brothers and sisters were all astonished at her\nappearance, as they had never expected to see her again, and there was\nno end to the questions they asked her. She had also much to hear\nabout what had happened to them while she was away, and of her father\u2019s\njourney home. But when they heard that she had only come to be with them\nfor a short time, and then must go back to the Beast\u2019s palace for ever,\nthey lamented loudly. Then Beauty asked her father what he thought could\nbe the meaning of her strange dreams, and why the Prince constantly\nbegged her not to trust to appearances. After much consideration, he\nanswered: \u201cYou tell me yourself that the Beast, frightful as he\nis, loves you dearly, and deserves your love and gratitude for his\ngentleness and kindness; I think the Prince must mean you to understand\nthat you ought to reward him by doing as he wishes you to, in spite of\nhis ugliness.\u201d\n\nBeauty could not help seeing that this seemed very probable; still, when\nshe thought of her dear Prince who was so handsome, she did not feel at\nall inclined to marry the Beast. At any rate, for two months she need\nnot decide, but could enjoy herself with her sisters. But though they\nwere rich now, and lived in town again, and had plenty of acquaintances,\nBeauty found that nothing amused her very much; and she often thought of\nthe palace, where she was so happy, especially as at home she never once\ndreamed of her dear Prince, and she felt quite sad without him.\n\nThen her sisters seemed to have got quite used to being without her, and\neven found her rather in the way, so she would not have been sorry when\nthe two months were over but for her father and brothers, who begged her\nto stay, and seemed so grieved at the thought of her departure that she\nhad not the courage to say good-by to them. Every day when she got up\nshe meant to say it at night, and when night came she put it off again,\nuntil at last she had a dismal dream which helped her to make up her\nmind. She thought she was wandering in a lonely path in the palace\ngardens, when she heard groans which seemed to come from some bushes\nhiding the entrance of a cave, and running quickly to see what could be\nthe matter, she found the Beast stretched out upon his side, apparently\ndying. He reproached her faintly with being the cause of his distress,\nand at the same moment a stately lady appeared, and said very gravely:\n\n\u201cAh! Beauty, you are only just in time to save his life. See what\nhappens when people do not keep their promises! If you had delayed one\nday more, you would have found him dead.\u201d\n\nBeauty was so terrified by this dream that the next morning she\nannounced her intention of going back at once, and that very night she\nsaid good-by to her father and all her brothers and sisters, and as soon\nas she was in bed she turned her ring round upon her finger, and said\nfirmly, \u201cI wish to go back to my palace and see my Beast again,\u201d as she\nhad been told to do.\n\nThen she fell asleep instantly, and only woke up to hear the clock\nsaying \u201cBeauty, Beauty\u201d twelve times in its musical voice, which told\nher at once that she was really in the palace once more. Everything\nwas just as before, and her birds were so glad to see her! But Beauty\nthought she had never known such a long day, for she was so anxious to\nsee the Beast again that she felt as if suppertime would never come.\n\nBut when it did come and no Beast appeared she was really frightened;\nso, after listening and waiting for a long time, she ran down into the\ngarden to search for him. Up and down the paths and avenues ran poor\nBeauty, calling him in vain, for no one answered, and not a trace of him\ncould she find; until at last, quite tired, she stopped for a minute\u2019s\nrest, and saw that she was standing opposite the shady path she had seen\nin her dream. She rushed down it, and, sure enough, there was the cave,\nand in it lay the Beast--asleep, as Beauty thought. Quite glad to have\nfound him, she ran up and stroked his head, but, to her horror, he did\nnot move or open his eyes.\n\n\u201cOh! he is dead; and it is all my fault,\u201d said Beauty, crying bitterly.\n\nBut then, looking at him again, she fancied he still breathed, and,\nhastily fetching some water from the nearest fountain, she sprinkled it\nover his face, and, to her great delight, he began to revive.\n\n\u201cOh! Beast, how you frightened me!\u201d she cried. \u201cI never knew how much\nI loved you until just now, when I feared I was too late to save your\nlife.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan you really love such an ugly creature as I am?\u201d said the Beast\nfaintly. \u201cAh! Beauty, you only came just in time. I was dying because\nI thought you had forgotten your promise. But go back now and rest, I\nshall see you again by and by.\u201d\n\nBeauty, who had half expected that he would be angry with her, was\nreassured by his gentle voice, and went back to the palace, where supper\nwas awaiting her; and afterward the Beast came in as usual, and talked\nabout the time she had spent with her father, asking if she had enjoyed\nherself, and if they had all been very glad to see her.\n\nBeauty answered politely, and quite enjoyed telling him all that had\nhappened to her. And when at last the time came for him to go, and he\nasked, as he had so often asked before, \u201cBeauty, will you marry me?\u201d\n\nShe answered softly, \u201cYes, dear Beast.\u201d\n\nAs she spoke a blaze of light sprang up before the windows of the\npalace; fireworks crackled and guns banged, and across the avenue of\norange trees, in letters all made of fire-flies, was written: \u201cLong live\nthe Prince and his Bride.\u201d\n\nTurning to ask the Beast what it could all mean, Beauty found that he\nhad disappeared, and in his place stood her long-loved Prince! At the\nsame moment the wheels of a chariot were heard upon the terrace, and two\nladies entered the room. One of them Beauty recognized as the stately\nlady she had seen in her dreams; the other was also so grand and queenly\nthat Beauty hardly knew which to greet first.\n\nBut the one she already knew said to her companion:\n\n\u201cWell, Queen, this is Beauty, who has had the courage to rescue your\nson from the terrible enchantment. They love one another, and only your\nconsent to their marriage is wanting to make them perfectly happy.\u201d\n\n\u201cI consent with all my heart,\u201d cried the Queen. \u201cHow can I ever thank\nyou enough, charming girl, for having restored my dear son to his\nnatural form?\u201d\n\nAnd then she tenderly embraced Beauty and the Prince, who had meanwhile\nbeen greeting the Fairy and receiving her congratulations.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said the Fairy to Beauty, \u201cI suppose you would like me to send\nfor all your brothers and sisters to dance at your wedding?\u201d\n\nAnd so she did, and the marriage was celebrated the very next day\nwith the utmost splendor, and Beauty and the Prince lived happily ever\nafter.(1)\n\n\n(1) La Belle et la Bete. Par Madame de Villeneuve.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MASTER-MAID\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king who had many sons. I do not exactly\nknow how many there were, but the youngest of them could not stay\nquietly at home, and was determined to go out into the world and try his\nluck, and after a long time the King was forced to give him leave to go.\nWhen he had traveled about for several days, he came to a giant\u2019s house,\nand hired himself to the giant as a servant. In the morning the giant\nhad to go out to pasture his goats, and as he was leaving the house he\ntold the King\u2019s son that he must clean out the stable. \u201cAnd after you\nhave done that,\u201d he said, \u201cyou need not do any more work to-day, for you\nhave come to a kind master, and that you shall find. But what I set you\nto do must be done both well and thoroughly, and you must on no account\ngo into any of the rooms which lead out of the room in which you slept\nlast night. If you do, I will take your life.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell to be sure, he is an easy master!\u201d said the Prince to himself as\nhe walked up and down the room humming and singing, for he thought there\nwould be plenty of time left to clean out the stable; \u201cbut it would be\namusing to steal a glance into his other rooms as well,\u201d thought the\nPrince, \u201cfor there must be something that he is afraid of my seeing,\nas I am not allowed to enter them.\u201d So he went into the first room.\nA cauldron was hanging from the walls; it was boiling, but the Prince\ncould see no fire under it. \u201cI wonder what is inside it,\u201d he thought,\nand dipped a lock of his hair in, and the hair became just as if it were\nall made of copper. \u201cThat\u2019s a nice kind of soup. If anyone were to taste\nthat his throat would be gilded,\u201d said the youth, and then he went into\nthe next chamber. There, too, a cauldron was hanging from the wall,\nbubbling and boiling, but there was no fire under this either. \u201cI will\njust try what this is like too,\u201d said the Prince, thrusting another lock\nof his hair into it, and it came out silvered over. \u201cSuch costly soup is\nnot to be had in my father\u2019s palace,\u201d said the Prince; \u201cbut everything\ndepends on how it tastes,\u201d and then he went into the third room. There,\ntoo, a cauldron was hanging from the wall, boiling, exactly the same\nas in the two other rooms, and the Prince took pleasure in trying this\nalso, so he dipped a lock of hair in, and it came out so brightly gilded\nthat it shone again. \u201cSome talk about going from bad to worse,\u201d said the\nPrince; \u201cbut this is better and better. If he boils gold here, what can\nhe boil in there?\u201d He was determined to see, and went through the door\ninto the fourth room. No cauldron was to be seen there, but on a bench\nsomeone was seated who was like a king\u2019s daughter, but, whosoever she\nwas, she was so beautiful that never in the Prince\u2019s life had he seen\nher equal.\n\n\u201cOh! in heaven\u2019s name what are you doing here?\u201d said she who sat upon\nthe bench.\n\n\u201cI took the place of servant here yesterday,\u201d said the Prince.\n\n\u201cMay you soon have a better place, if you have come to serve here!\u201d said\nshe.\n\n\u201cOh, but I think I have got a kind master,\u201d said the Prince. \u201cHe has not\ngiven me hard work to do to-day. When I have cleaned out the stable I\nshall be done.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but how will you be able to do that?\u201d she asked again. \u201cIf you\nclean it out as other people do, ten pitchforksful will come in for\nevery one you throw out. But I will teach you how to do it; you must\nturn your pitchfork upside down, and work with the handle, and then all\nwill fly out of its own accord.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I will attend to that,\u201d said the Prince, and stayed sitting where\nhe was the whole day, for it was soon settled between them that they\nwould marry each other, he and the King\u2019s daughter; so the first day of\nhis service with the giant did not seem long to him. But when evening\nwas drawing near she said that it would now be better for him to clean\nout the stable before the giant came home. When he got there he had a\nfancy to try if what she had said were true, so he began to work in the\nsame way that he had seen the stable-boys doing in his father\u2019s stables,\nbut he soon saw that he must give up that, for when he had worked a very\nshort time he had scarcely any room left to stand. So he did what the\nPrincess had taught him, turned the pitchfork round, and worked with the\nhandle, and in the twinkling of an eye the stable was as clean as if\nit had been scoured. When he had done that, he went back again into the\nroom in which the giant had given him leave to stay, and there he walked\nbackward and forward on the floor, and began to hum and sing.\n\nThen came the giant home with the goats. \u201cHave you cleaned the stable?\u201d\n asked the giant.\n\n\u201cYes, now it is clean and sweet, master,\u201d said the King\u2019s son.\n\n\u201cI shall see about that,\u201d said the giant, and went round to the stable,\nbut it was just as the Prince had said.\n\n\u201cYou have certainly been talking to my Master-maid, for you never got\nthat out of your own head,\u201d said the giant.\n\n\u201cMaster-maid! What kind of a thing is that, master?\u201d said the Prince,\nmaking himself look as stupid as an ass; \u201cI should like to see that.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you will see her quite soon enough,\u201d said the giant.\n\nOn the second morning the giant had again to go out with his goats,\nso he told the Prince that on that day he was to fetch home his horse,\nwhich was out on the mountain-side, and when he had done that he might\nrest himself for the remainder of the day, \u201cfor you have come to a kind\nmaster, and that you shall find,\u201d said the giant once more. \u201cBut do not\ngo into any of the rooms that I spoke of yesterday, or I will wring your\nhead off,\u201d said he, and then went away with his flock of goats.\n\n\u201cYes, indeed, you are a kind master,\u201d said the Prince; \u201cbut I will go\nin and talk to the Master-maid again; perhaps before long she may like\nbetter to be mine than yours.\u201d\n\nSo he went to her. Then she asked him what he had to do that day.\n\n\u201cOh! not very dangerous work, I fancy,\u201d said the King\u2019s son. \u201cI have\nonly to go up the mountain-side after his horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, how do you mean to set about it?\u201d asked the Master-maid.\n\n\u201cOh! there is no great art in riding a horse home,\u201d said the King\u2019s son.\n\u201cI think I must have ridden friskier horses before now.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, but it is not so easy a thing as you think to ride the horse\nhome,\u201d said the Master-maid; \u201cbut I will teach you what to do. When you\ngo near it, fire will burst out of its nostrils like flames from a pine\ntorch; but be very careful, and take the bridle which is hanging by the\ndoor there, and fling the bit straight into his jaws, and then it will\nbecome so tame that you will be able to do what you like with it.\u201d He\nsaid he would bear this in mind, and then he again sat in there the\nwhole day by the Master-maid, and they chatted and talked of one thing\nand another, but the first thing and the last now was, how happy and\ndelightful it would be if they could but marry each other, and get\nsafely away from the giant; and the Prince would have forgotten both the\nmountain-side and the horse if the Master-maid had not reminded him of\nthem as evening drew near, and said that now it would be better if he\nwent to fetch the horse before the giant came. So he did this, and\ntook the bridle which was hanging on a crook, and strode up the\nmountain-side, and it was not long before he met with the horse, and\nfire and red flames streamed forth out of its nostrils. But the youth\ncarefully watched his opportunity, and just as it was rushing at him\nwith open jaws he threw the bit straight into its mouth, and the horse\nstood as quiet as a young lamb, and there was no difficulty at all in\ngetting it home to the stable. Then the Prince went back into his room\nagain, and began to hum and to sing.\n\nToward evening the giant came home. \u201cHave you fetched the horse back\nfrom the mountain-side?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cThat I have, master; it was an amusing horse to ride, but I rode him\nstraight home, and put him in the stable too,\u201d said the Prince.\n\n\u201cI will see about that,\u201d said the giant, and went out to the stable,\nbut the horse was standing there just as the Prince had said. \u201cYou have\ncertainly been talking with my Master-maid, for you never got that out\nof your own head,\u201d said the giant again.\n\n\u201cYesterday, master, you talked about this Master-maid, and to-day you\nare talking about her; ah, heaven bless you, master, why will you not\nshow me the thing? for it would be a real pleasure to me to see it,\u201d\n said the Prince, who again pretended to be silly and stupid.\n\n\u201cOh! you will see her quite soon enough,\u201d said the giant.\n\nOn the morning of the third day the giant again had to go into the wood\nwith the goats. \u201cTo-day you must go underground and fetch my taxes,\u201d\n he said to the Prince. \u201cWhen you have done this, you may rest for the\nremainder of the day, for you shall see what an easy master you have\ncome to,\u201d and then he went away.\n\n\u201cWell, however easy a master you may be, you set me very hard work\nto do,\u201d thought the Prince; \u201cbut I will see if I cannot find your\nMaster-maid; you say she is yours, but for all that she may be able\nto tell me what to do now,\u201d and he went back to her. So, when the\nMaster-maid asked him what the giant had set him to do that day, he told\nher that he was to go underground and get the taxes.\n\n\u201cAnd how will you set about that?\u201d said the Master-maid.\n\n\u201cOh! you must tell me how to do it,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cfor I have never\nyet been underground, and even if I knew the way I do not know how much\nI am to demand.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! yes, I will soon tell you that; you must go to the rock there under\nthe mountain-ridge, and take the club that is there, and knock on the\nrocky wall,\u201d said the Master-maid. \u201cThen someone will come out who will\nsparkle with fire; you shall tell him your errand, and when he asks you\nhow much you want to have you are to say: \u2018As much as I can carry.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I will keep that in mind,\u201d said he, and then he sat there with the\nMaster-maid the whole day, until night drew near, and he would gladly\nhave stayed there till now if the Master-maid had not reminded him that\nit was time to be off to fetch the taxes before the giant came.\n\nSo he set out on his way, and did exactly what the Master-maid had told\nhim. He went to the rocky wall, and took the club, and knocked on it.\nThen came one so full of sparks that they flew both out of his eyes and\nhis nose. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cI was to come here for the giant, and demand the tax for him,\u201d said the\nKing\u2019s son.\n\n\u201cHow much are you to have then?\u201d said the other.\n\n\u201cI ask for no more than I am able to carry with me,\u201d said the Prince.\n\n\u201cIt is well for you that you have not asked for a horse-load,\u201d said he\nwho had come out of the rock. \u201cBut now come in with me.\u201d\n\nThis the Prince did, and what a quantity of gold and silver he saw! It\nwas lying inside the mountain like heaps of stones in a waste place, and\nhe got a load that was as large as he was able to carry, and with that\nhe went his way. So in the evening, when the giant came home with the\ngoats, the Prince went into the chamber and hummed and sang again as he\nhad done on the other two evenings.\n\n\u201cHave you been for the tax?\u201d said the giant.\n\n\u201cYes, that I have, master,\u201d said the Prince.\n\n\u201cWhere have you put it then?\u201d said the giant again.\n\n\u201cThe bag of gold is standing there on the bench,\u201d said the Prince.\n\n\u201cI will see about that,\u201d said the giant, and went away to the bench,\nbut the bag was standing there, and it was so full that gold and silver\ndropped out when the giant untied the string.\n\n\u201cYou have certainly been talking with my Master-maid!\u201d said the giant,\n\u201cand if you have I will wring your neck.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaster-maid?\u201d said the Prince; \u201cyesterday my master talked about this\nMaster-maid, and to-day he is talking about her again, and the first\nday of all it was talk of the same kind. I do wish I could see the thing\nmyself,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cYes, yes, wait till to-morrow,\u201d said the giant, \u201cand then I myself will\ntake you to her.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! master, I thank you--but you are only mocking me,\u201d said the King\u2019s\nson.\n\nNext day the giant took him to the Master-maid. \u201cNow you shall kill him,\nand boil him in the great big cauldron you know of, and when you have\ngot the broth ready give me a call,\u201d said the giant; then he lay down\non the bench to sleep, and almost immediately began to snore so that it\nsounded like thunder among the hills.\n\nSo the Master-maid took a knife, and cut the Prince\u2019s little finger, and\ndropped three drops of blood upon a wooden stool; then she took all the\nold rags, and shoe-soles, and all the rubbish she could lay hands on,\nand put them in the cauldron; and then she filled a chest with gold\ndust, and a lump of salt, and a water-flask which was hanging by the\ndoor, and she also took with her a golden apple, and two gold chickens;\nand then she and the Prince went away with all the speed they could,\nand when they had gone a little way they came to the sea, and then\nthey sailed, but where they got the ship from I have never been able to\nlearn.\n\nNow, when the giant had slept a good long time, he began to stretch\nhimself on the bench on which he was lying. \u201cWill it soon boil?\u201d said\nhe.\n\n\u201cIt is just beginning,\u201d said the first drop of blood on the stool.\n\nSo the giant lay down to sleep again, and slept for a long, long time.\nThen he began to move about a little again. \u201cWill it soon be ready now?\u201d\n said he, but he did not look up this time any more than he had done the\nfirst time, for he was still half asleep.\n\n\u201cHalf done!\u201d said the second drop of blood, and the giant believed it\nwas the Master-maid again, and turned himself on the bench, and lay down\nto sleep once more. When he had slept again for many hours, he began to\nmove and stretch himself. \u201cIs it not done yet?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cIt is quite ready,\u201d said the third drop of blood. Then the giant began\nto sit up and rub his eyes, but he could not see who it was who had\nspoken to him, so he asked for the Master-maid, and called her. But\nthere was no one to give him an answer.\n\n\u201cAh! well, she has just stolen out for a little,\u201d thought the giant, and\nhe took a spoon, and went off to the cauldron to have a taste; but there\nwas nothing in it but shoe-soles, and rags, and such trumpery as that,\nand all was boiled up together, so that he could not tell whether it\nwas porridge or milk pottage. When he saw this, he understood what had\nhappened, and fell into such a rage that he hardly knew what he was\ndoing. Away he went after the Prince and the Master-maid so fast that\nthe wind whistled behind him, and it was not long before he came to the\nwater, but he could not get over it. \u201cWell, well, I will soon find a\ncure for that; I have only to call my river-sucker,\u201d said the giant, and\nhe did call him. So his river-sucker came and lay down, and drank one,\ntwo, three draughts, and with that the water in the sea fell so low that\nthe giant saw the Master-maid and the Prince out on the sea in their\nship. \u201cNow you must throw out the lump of salt,\u201d said the Master-maid,\nand the Prince did so, and it grew up into such a great high mountain\nright across the sea that the giant could not come over it, and the\nriver-sucker could not drink any more water. \u201cWell, well, I will soon\nfind a cure for that,\u201d said the giant, so he called to his hill-borer\nto come and bore through the mountain so that the river-sucker might be\nable to drink up the water again. But just as the hole was made, and the\nriver-sucker was beginning to drink, the Master-maid told the Prince to\nthrow one or two drops out of the flask, and when he did this the sea\ninstantly became full of water again, and before the river-sucker\ncould take one drink they reached the land and were in safety. So they\ndetermined to go home to the Prince\u2019s father, but the Prince would on no\naccount permit the Master-maid to walk there, for he thought that it was\nunbecoming either for her or for him to go on foot.\n\n\u201cWait here the least little bit of time, while I go home for the seven\nhorses which stand in my father\u2019s stable,\u201d said he; \u201cit is not far off,\nand I shall not be long away, but I will not let my betrothed bride go\non foot to the palace.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! no, do not go, for if you go home to the King\u2019s palace you will\nforget me, I foresee that.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow could I forget you? We have suffered so much evil together, and\nlove each other so much,\u201d said the Prince; and he insisted on going home\nfor the coach with the seven horses, and she was to wait for him there,\nby the sea-shore. So at last the Master-maid had to yield, for he was\nso absolutely determined to do it. \u201cBut when you get there you must\nnot even give yourself time to greet anyone, but go straight into the\nstable, and take the horses, and put them in the coach, and drive back\nas quickly as you can. For they will all come round about you; but you\nmust behave just as if you did not see them, and on no account must you\ntaste anything, for if you do it will cause great misery both to you and\nto me,\u201d said she; and this he promised.\n\nBut when he got home to the King\u2019s palace one of his brothers was just\ngoing to be married, and the bride and all her kith and kin had come\nto the palace; so they all thronged round him, and questioned him about\nthis and that, and wanted him to go in with them; but he behaved as if\nhe did not see them, and went straight to the stable, and got out the\nhorses and began to harness them. When they saw that they could not by\nany means prevail on him to go in with them, they came out to him with\nmeat and drink, and the best of everything that they had prepared for\nthe wedding; but the Prince refused to touch anything, and would do\nnothing but put the horses in as quickly as he could. At last, however,\nthe bride\u2019s sister rolled an apple across the yard to him, and said: \u201cAs\nyou won\u2019t eat anything else, you may like to take a bite of that, for\nyou must be both hungry and thirsty after your long journey.\u201d And he\ntook up the apple and bit a piece out of it. But no sooner had he got\nthe piece of apple in his mouth than he forgot the Master-maid and that\nhe was to go back in the coach to fetch her.\n\n\u201cI think I must be mad! what do I want with this coach and horses?\u201d said\nhe; and then he put the horses back into the stable, and went into the\nKing\u2019s palace, and there it was settled that he should marry the bride\u2019s\nsister, who had rolled the apple to him.\n\nThe Master-maid sat by the sea-shore for a long, long time, waiting\nfor the Prince, but no Prince came. So she went away, and when she had\nwalked a short distance she came to a little hut which stood all alone\nin a small wood, hard by the King\u2019s palace. She entered it and asked if\nshe might be allowed to stay there. The hut belonged to an old crone,\nwho was also an ill-tempered and malicious troll. At first she would not\nlet the Master-maid remain with her; but at last, after a long time, by\nmeans of good words and good payment, she obtained leave. But the hut\nwas as dirty and black inside as a pigsty, so the Master-maid said that\nshe would smarten it up a little, that it might look a little more like\nwhat other people\u2019s houses looked inside. The old crone did not like\nthis either. She scowled, and was very cross, but the Master-maid did\nnot trouble herself about that. She took out her chest of gold, and\nflung a handful of it or so into the fire, and the gold boiled up and\npoured out over the whole of the hut, until every part of it both inside\nand out was gilded. But when the gold began to bubble up the old hag\ngrew so terrified that she fled as if the Evil One himself were pursuing\nher, and she did not remember to stoop down as she went through the\ndoorway, and so she split her head and died. Next morning the sheriff\ncame traveling by there. He was greatly astonished when he saw the gold\nhut shining and glittering there in the copse, and he was still more\nastonished when he went in and caught sight of the beautiful young\nmaiden who was sitting there; he fell in love with her at once, and\nstraightway on the spot he begged her, both prettily and kindly, to\nmarry him.\n\n\u201cWell, but have you a great deal of money?\u201d said the Master-maid.\n\n\u201cOh! yes; so far as that is concerned, I am not ill off,\u201d said the\nsheriff. So now he had to go home to get the money, and in the evening\nhe came back, bringing with him a bag with two bushels in it, which he\nset down on the bench. Well, as he had such a fine lot of money, the\nMaster-maid said she would have him, so they sat down to talk.\n\nBut scarcely had they sat down together before the Master-maid wanted to\njump up again. \u201cI have forgotten to see to the fire,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cWhy should you jump up to do that?\u201d said the sheriff; \u201cI will do that!\u201d\n So he jumped up, and went to the chimney in one bound.\n\n\u201cJust tell me when you have got hold of the shovel,\u201d said the\nMaster-maid.\n\n\u201cWell, I have hold of it now,\u201d said the sheriff.\n\n\u201cThen you may hold the shovel, and the shovel you, and pour red-hot\ncoals over you, till day dawns,\u201d said the Master-maid. So the sheriff\nhad to stand there the whole night and pour red-hot coals over himself,\nand, no matter how much he cried and begged and entreated, the red-hot\ncoals did not grow the colder for that. When the day began to dawn, and\nhe had power to throw down the shovel, he did not stay long where he\nwas, but ran away as fast as he possibly could; and everyone who met him\nstared and looked after him, for he was flying as if he were mad, and he\ncould not have looked worse if he had been both flayed and tanned, and\neveryone wondered where he had been, but for very shame he would tell\nnothing.\n\nThe next day the attorney came riding by the place where the Master-maid\ndwelt. He saw how brightly the hut shone and gleamed through the wood,\nand he too went into it to see who lived there, and when he entered and\nsaw the beautiful young maiden he fell even more in love with her than\nthe sheriff had done, and began to woo her at once. So the Master-maid\nasked him, as she had asked the sheriff, if he had a great deal of\nmoney, and the attorney said he was not ill off for that, and would at\nonce go home to get it; and at night he came with a great big sack of\nmoney--this time it was a four-bushel sack--and set it on the bench by\nthe Master-maid. So she promised to have him, and he sat down on the\nbench by her to arrange about it, but suddenly she said that she had\nforgotten to lock the door of the porch that night, and must do it.\n\n\u201cWhy should you do that?\u201d said the attorney; \u201csit still, I will do it.\u201d\n\nSo he was on his feet in a moment, and out in the porch.\n\n\u201cTell me when you have got hold of the door-latch,\u201d said the\nMaster-maid.\n\n\u201cI have hold of it now,\u201d cried the attorney.\n\n\u201cThen you may hold the door, and the door you, and may you go between\nwall and wall till day dawns.\u201d\n\nWhat a dance the attorney had that night! He had never had such a waltz\nbefore, and he never wished to have such a dance again. Sometimes he was\nin front of the door, and sometimes the door was in front of him, and\nit went from one side of the porch to the other, till the attorney was\nwell-nigh beaten to death. At first he began to abuse the Master-maid,\nand then to beg and pray, but the door did not care for anything but\nkeeping him where he was till break of day.\n\nAs soon as the door let go its hold of him, off went the attorney. He\nforgot who ought to be paid off for what he had suffered, he forgot\nboth his sack of money and his wooing, for he was so afraid lest the\nhouse-door should come dancing after him. Everyone who met him stared\nand looked after him, for he was flying like a madman, and he could not\nhave looked worse if a herd of rams had been butting at him all night\nlong.\n\nOn the third day the bailiff came by, and he too saw the gold house\nin the little wood, and he too felt that he must go and see who lived\nthere; and when he caught sight of the Master-maid he became so much in\nlove with her that he wooed her almost before he greeted her.\n\nThe Master-maid answered him as she had answered the other two, that\nif he had a great deal of money, she would have him. \u201cSo far as that is\nconcerned, I am not ill off,\u201d said the bailiff; so he was at once told\nto go home and fetch it, and this he did. At night he came back, and he\nhad a still larger sack of money with him than the attorney had brought;\nit must have been at least six bushels, and he set it down on the bench.\nSo it was settled that he was to have the Master-maid. But hardly had\nthey sat down together before she said that she had forgotten to bring\nin the calf, and must go out to put it in the byre.\n\n\u201cNo, indeed, you shall not do that,\u201d said the bailiff; \u201cI am the one to\ndo that.\u201d And, big and fat as he was, he went out as briskly as a boy.\n\n\u201cTell me when you have got hold of the calf\u2019s tail,\u201d said the\nMaster-maid.\n\n\u201cI have hold of it now,\u201d cried the bailiff.\n\n\u201cThen may you hold the calf\u2019s tail, and the calf\u2019s tail hold you,\nand may you go round the world together till day dawns!\u201d said the\nMaster-maid. So the bailiff had to bestir himself, for the calf went\nover rough and smooth, over hill and dale, and, the more the bailiff\ncried and screamed, the faster the calf went. When daylight began to\nappear, the bailiff was half dead; and so glad was he to leave loose\nof the calf\u2019s tail, that he forgot the sack of money and all else. He\nwalked now slowly--more slowly than the sheriff and the attorney had\ndone, but, the slower he went, the more time had everyone to stare and\nlook at him; and they used it too, and no one can imagine how tired out\nand ragged he looked after his dance with the calf.\n\nOn the following day the wedding was to take place in the King\u2019s palace,\nand the elder brother was to drive to church with his bride, and the\nbrother who had been with the giant with her sister. But when they had\nseated themselves in the coach and were about to drive off from the\npalace one of the trace-pins broke, and, though they made one, two, and\nthree to put in its place, that did not help them, for each broke in\nturn, no matter what kind of wood they used to make them of. This went\non for a long time, and they could not get away from the palace, so they\nwere all in great trouble. Then the sheriff said (for he too had been\nbidden to the wedding at Court): \u201cYonder away in the thicket dwells a\nmaiden, and if you can get her to lend you the handle of the shovel that\nshe uses to make up her fire I know very well that it will hold fast.\u201d\n So they sent off a messenger to the thicket, and begged so prettily that\nthey might have the loan of her shovel-handle of which the sheriff had\nspoken that they were not refused; so now they had a trace-pin which\nwould not snap in two.\n\nBut all at once, just as they were starting, the bottom of the coach\nfell in pieces. They made a new bottom as fast as they could, but, no\nmatter how they nailed it together, or what kind of wood they used,\nno sooner had they got the new bottom into the coach and were about to\ndrive off than it broke again, so that they were still worse off than\nwhen they had broken the trace-pin. Then the attorney said, for he too\nwas at the wedding in the palace: \u201cAway there in the thicket dwells\na maiden, and if you could but get her to lend you one-half of her\nporch-door I am certain that it will hold together.\u201d So they again sent\na messenger to the thicket, and begged so prettily for the loan of the\ngilded porch-door of which the attorney had told them that they got it\nat once. They were just setting out again, but now the horses were not\nable to draw the coach. They had six horses already, and now they put in\neight, and then ten, and then twelve, but the more they put in, and\nthe more the coachman whipped them, the less good it did; and the coach\nnever stirred from the spot. It was already beginning to be late in the\nday, and to church they must and would go, so everyone who was in the\npalace was in a state of distress. Then the bailiff spoke up and said:\n\u201cOut there in the gilded cottage in the thicket dwells a girl, and if\nyou could but get her to lend you her calf I know it could draw the\ncoach, even if it were as heavy as a mountain.\u201d They all thought that\nit was ridiculous to be drawn to church by a calf, but there was nothing\nelse for it but to send a messenger once more, and beg as prettily as\nthey could, on behalf of the King, that she would let them have the loan\nof the calf that the bailiff had told them about. The Master-maid let\nthem have it immediately--this time also she would not say \u201cno.\u201d\n\nThen they harnessed the calf to see if the coach would move; and away\nit went, over rough and smooth, over stock and stone, so that they could\nscarcely breathe, and sometimes they were on the ground, and sometimes\nup in the air; and when they came to the church the coach began to\ngo round and round like a spinning-wheel, and it was with the utmost\ndifficulty and danger that they were able to get out of the coach and\ninto the church. And when they went back again the coach went quicker\nstill, so that most of them did not know how they got back to the palace\nat all.\n\nWhen they had seated themselves at the table the Prince who had been in\nservice with the giant said that he thought they ought to have invited\nthe maiden who had lent them the shovel-handle, and the porch-door,\nand the calf up to the palace, \u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cif we had not got these\nthree things, we should never have got away from the palace.\u201d\n\nThe King also thought that this was both just and proper, so he sent\nfive of his best men down to the gilded hut, to greet the maiden\ncourteously from the King, and to beg her to be so good as to come up to\nthe palace to dinner at mid-day.\n\n\u201cGreet the King, and tell him that, if he is too good to come to me, I\nam too good to come to him,\u201d replied the Master-maid.\n\nSo the King had to go himself, and the Master-maid went with him\nimmediately, and, as the King believed that she was more than she\nappeared to be, he seated her in the place of honor by the youngest\nbridegroom. When they had sat at the table for a short time, the\nMaster-maid took out the cock, and the hen, and the golden apple which\nshe had brought away with her from the giant\u2019s house, and set them on\nthe table in front of her, and instantly the cock and the hen began to\nfight with each other for the golden apple.\n\n\u201cOh! look how those two there are fighting for the golden apple,\u201d said\nthe King\u2019s son.\n\n\u201cYes, and so did we two fight to get out that time when we were in the\nmountain,\u201d said the Master-maid.\n\nSo the Prince knew her again, and you may imagine how delighted he was.\nHe ordered the troll-witch who had rolled the apple to him to be torn\nin pieces between four-and-twenty horses, so that not a bit of her was\nleft, and then for the first time they began really to keep the wedding,\nand, weary as they were, the sheriff, the attorney, and the bailiff kept\nit up too.(1)\n\n\n(1) Asbjornsen and Moe.\n\n\n\n\nWHY THE SEA IS SALT\n\n\nOnce upon a time, long, long ago, there were two brothers, the one rich\nand the other poor. When Christmas Eve came, the poor one had not a bite\nin the house, either of meat or bread; so he went to his brother, and\nbegged him, in God\u2019s name, to give him something for Christmas Day. It\nwas by no means the first time that the brother had been forced to give\nsomething to him, and he was not better pleased at being asked now than\nhe generally was.\n\n\u201cIf you will do what I ask you, you shall have a whole ham,\u201d said he.\nThe poor one immediately thanked him, and promised this.\n\n\u201cWell, here is the ham, and now you must go straight to Dead Man\u2019s\nHall,\u201d said the rich brother, throwing the ham to him.\n\n\u201cWell, I will do what I have promised,\u201d said the other, and he took\nthe ham and set off. He went on and on for the livelong day, and at\nnightfall he came to a place where there was a bright light.\n\n\u201cI have no doubt this is the place,\u201d thought the man with the ham.\n\nAn old man with a long white beard was standing in the outhouse,\nchopping Yule logs.\n\n\u201cGood-evening,\u201d said the man with the ham.\n\n\u201cGood-evening to you. Where are you going at this late hour?\u201d said the\nman.\n\n\u201cI am going to Dead Man\u2019s Hall, if only I am on the right track,\u201d\n answered the poor man.\n\n\u201cOh! yes, you are right enough, for it is here,\u201d said the old man. \u201cWhen\nyou get inside they will all want to buy your ham, for they don\u2019t get\nmuch meat to eat there; but you must not sell it unless you can get the\nhand-mill which stands behind the door for it. When you come out again\nI will teach you how to stop the hand-mill, which is useful for almost\neverything.\u201d\n\nSo the man with the ham thanked the other for his good advice, and\nrapped at the door.\n\nWhen he got in, everything happened just as the old man had said it\nwould: all the people, great and small, came round him like ants on an\nant-hill, and each tried to outbid the other for the ham.\n\n\u201cBy rights my old woman and I ought to have it for our Christmas dinner,\nbut, since you have set your hearts upon it, I must just give it up to\nyou,\u201d said the man. \u201cBut, if I sell it, I will have the hand-mill which\nis standing there behind the door.\u201d\n\nAt first they would not hear of this, and haggled and bargained with\nthe man, but he stuck to what he had said, and the people were forced\nto give him the hand-mill. When the man came out again into the yard, he\nasked the old wood-cutter how he was to stop the hand-mill, and when he\nhad learned that, he thanked him and set off home with all the speed he\ncould, but did not get there until after the clock had struck twelve on\nChristmas Eve.\n\n\u201cWhere in the world have you been?\u201d said the old woman. \u201cHere I have sat\nwaiting hour after hour, and have not even two sticks to lay across each\nother under the Christmas porridge-pot.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! I could not come before; I had something of importance to see\nabout, and a long way to go, too; but now you shall just see!\u201d said the\nman, and then he set the hand-mill on the table, and bade it first grind\nlight, then a table-cloth, and then meat, and beer, and everything else\nthat was good for a Christmas Eve\u2019s supper; and the mill ground all that\nhe ordered. \u201cBless me!\u201d said the old woman as one thing after another\nappeared; and she wanted to know where her husband had got the mill\nfrom, but he would not tell her that.\n\n\u201cNever mind where I got it; you can see that it is a good one, and the\nwater that turns it will never freeze,\u201d said the man. So he ground meat\nand drink, and all kinds of good things, to last all Christmas-tide, and\non the third day he invited all his friends to come to a feast.\n\nNow when the rich brother saw all that there was at the banquet and in\nthe house, he was both vexed and angry, for he grudged everything his\nbrother had. \u201cOn Christmas Eve he was so poor that he came to me and\nbegged for a trifle, for God\u2019s sake, and now he gives a feast as if he\nwere both a count and a king!\u201d thought he. \u201cBut, for heaven\u2019s sake, tell\nme where you got your riches from,\u201d said he to his brother.\n\n\u201cFrom behind the door,\u201d said he who owned the mill, for he did not\nchoose to satisfy his brother on that point; but later in the evening,\nwhen he had taken a drop too much, he could not refrain from telling how\nhe had come by the hand-mill. \u201cThere you see what has brought me all my\nwealth!\u201d said he, and brought out the mill, and made it grind first one\nthing and then another. When the brother saw that, he insisted on having\nthe mill, and after a great deal of persuasion got it; but he had to\ngive three hundred dollars for it, and the poor brother was to keep it\ntill the haymaking was over, for he thought: \u201cIf I keep it as long as\nthat, I can make it grind meat and drink that will last many a long\nyear.\u201d During that time you may imagine that the mill did not grow\nrusty, and when hay-harvest came the rich brother got it, but the other\nhad taken good care not to teach him how to stop it. It was evening when\nthe rich man got the mill home, and in the morning he bade the old woman\ngo out and spread the hay after the mowers, and he would attend to the\nhouse himself that day, he said.\n\nSo, when dinner-time drew near, he set the mill on the kitchen-table,\nand said: \u201cGrind herrings and milk pottage, and do it both quickly and\nwell.\u201d\n\nSo the mill began to grind herrings and milk pottage, and first all\nthe dishes and tubs were filled, and then it came out all over the\nkitchen-floor. The man twisted and turned it, and did all he could to\nmake the mill stop, but, howsoever he turned it and screwed it, the mill\nwent on grinding, and in a short time the pottage rose so high that the\nman was like to be drowned. So he threw open the parlor door, but it was\nnot long before the mill had ground the parlor full too, and it was\nwith difficulty and danger that the man could go through the stream of\npottage and get hold of the door-latch. When he got the door open, he\ndid not stay long in the room, but ran out, and the herrings and pottage\ncame after him, and it streamed out over both farm and field. Now the\nold woman, who was out spreading the hay, began to think dinner was long\nin coming, and said to the women and the mowers: \u201cThough the master does\nnot call us home, we may as well go. It may be that he finds he is not\ngood at making pottage and I should do well to help him.\u201d So they began\nto straggle homeward, but when they had got a little way up the hill\nthey met the herrings and pottage and bread, all pouring forth and\nwinding about one over the other, and the man himself in front of the\nflood. \u201cWould to heaven that each of you had a hundred stomachs! Take\ncare that you are not drowned in the pottage!\u201d he cried as he went by\nthem as if Mischief were at his heels, down to where his brother dwelt.\nThen he begged him, for God\u2019s sake, to take the mill back again, and\nthat in an instant, for, said he: \u201cIf it grind one hour more the whole\ndistrict will be destroyed by herrings and pottage.\u201d But the brother\nwould not take it until the other paid him three hundred dollars, and\nthat he was obliged to do. Now the poor brother had both the money and\nthe mill again. So it was not long before he had a farmhouse much finer\nthan that in which his brother lived, but the mill ground him so much\nmoney that he covered it with plates of gold; and the farmhouse lay\nclose by the sea-shore, so it shone and glittered far out to sea.\nEveryone who sailed by there now had to be put in to visit the rich man\nin the gold farmhouse, and everyone wanted to see the wonderful mill,\nfor the report of it spread far and wide, and there was no one who had\nnot heard tell of it.\n\nAfter a long, long time came also a skipper who wished to see the mill.\nHe asked if it could make salt. \u201cYes, it could make salt,\u201d said he who\nowned it, and when the skipper heard that, he wished with all his might\nand main to have the mill, let it cost what it might, for, he thought,\nif he had it, he would get off having to sail far away over the perilous\nsea for freights of salt. At first the man would not hear of parting\nwith it, but the skipper begged and prayed, and at last the man sold it\nto him, and got many, many thousand dollars for it. When the skipper\nhad got the mill on his back he did not stay there long, for he was so\nafraid that the man would change his mind, and he had no time to ask\nhow he was to stop it grinding, but got on board his ship as fast as he\ncould.\n\nWhen he had gone a little way out to sea he took the mill on deck.\n\u201cGrind salt, and grind both quickly and well,\u201d said the skipper. So the\nmill began to grind salt, till it spouted out like water, and when\nthe skipper had got the ship filled he wanted to stop the mill, but\nwhichsoever way he turned it, and how much soever he tried, it went on\ngrinding, and the heap of salt grew higher and higher, until at last the\nship sank. There lies the mill at the bottom of the sea, and still, day\nby day, it grinds on; and that is why the sea is salt.(1)\n\n\n(1) Asbjornsen and Moe.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MASTER CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS\n\n\nThere was a miller who left no more estate to the three sons he had than\nhis mill, his ass, and his cat. The partition was soon made. Neither\nscrivener nor attorney was sent for. They would soon have eaten up all\nthe poor patrimony. The eldest had the mill, the second the ass, and\nthe youngest nothing but the cat. The poor young fellow was quite\ncomfortless at having so poor a lot.\n\n\u201cMy brothers,\u201d said he, \u201cmay get their living handsomely enough by\njoining their stocks together; but for my part, when I have eaten up my\ncat, and made me a muff of his skin, I must die of hunger.\u201d\n\nThe Cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to him with\na grave and serious air:\n\n\u201cDo not thus afflict yourself, my good master. You have nothing else to\ndo but to give me a bag and get a pair of boots made for me that I may\nscamper through the dirt and the brambles, and you shall see that you\nhave not so bad a portion in me as you imagine.\u201d\n\nThe Cat\u2019s master did not build very much upon what he said. He had often\nseen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice, as\nwhen he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the meal, and\nmake as if he were dead; so that he did not altogether despair of his\naffording him some help in his miserable condition. When the Cat had\nwhat he asked for he booted himself very gallantly, and putting his bag\nabout his neck, he held the strings of it in his two forepaws and went\ninto a warren where was great abundance of rabbits. He put bran and\nsow-thistle into his bag, and stretching out at length, as if he had\nbeen dead, he waited for some young rabbits, not yet acquainted with the\ndeceits of the world, to come and rummage his bag for what he had put\ninto it.\n\nScarce was he lain down but he had what he wanted. A rash and foolish\nyoung rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, immediately drawing\nclose the strings, took and killed him without pity. Proud of his prey,\nhe went with it to the palace and asked to speak with his majesty.\nHe was shown upstairs into the King\u2019s apartment, and, making a low\nreverence, said to him:\n\n\u201cI have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren, which my noble lord\nthe Marquis of Carabas\u201d (for that was the title which puss was pleased\nto give his master) \u201chas commanded me to present to your majesty from\nhim.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell thy master,\u201d said the king, \u201cthat I thank him and that he does me\na great deal of pleasure.\u201d\n\nAnother time he went and hid himself among some standing corn, holding\nstill his bag open, and when a brace of partridges ran into it he drew\nthe strings and so caught them both. He went and made a present of these\nto the king, as he had done before of the rabbit which he took in the\nwarren. The king, in like manner, received the partridges with great\npleasure, and ordered him some money for drink.\n\nThe Cat continued for two or three months thus to carry his Majesty,\nfrom time to time, game of his master\u2019s taking. One day in particular,\nwhen he knew for certain that he was to take the air along the\nriver-side, with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world,\nhe said to his master:\n\n\u201cIf you will follow my advice your fortune is made. You have nothing\nelse to do but go and wash yourself in the river, in that part I shall\nshow you, and leave the rest to me.\u201d\n\nThe Marquis of Carabas did what the Cat advised him to, without knowing\nwhy or wherefore. While he was washing the King passed by, and the Cat\nbegan to cry out:\n\n\u201cHelp! help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned.\u201d\n\nAt this noise the King put his head out of the coach-window, and,\nfinding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good game,\nhe commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of his\nLordship the Marquis of Carabas. While they were drawing the poor\nMarquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the coach and told the King\nthat, while his master was washing, there came by some rogues, who\nwent off with his clothes, though he had cried out: \u201cThieves! thieves!\u201d\n several times, as loud as he could.\n\nThis cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone. The King\nimmediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one\nof his best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas.\n\nThe King caressed him after a very extraordinary manner, and as the fine\nclothes he had given him extremely set off his good mien (for he was\nwell made and very handsome in his person), the King\u2019s daughter took a\nsecret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast\ntwo or three respectful and somewhat tender glances but she fell in love\nwith him to distraction. The King would needs have him come into the\ncoach and take part of the airing. The Cat, quite overjoyed to see his\nproject begin to succeed, marched on before, and, meeting with some\ncountrymen, who were mowing a meadow, he said to them:\n\n\u201cGood people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King that\nthe meadow you mow belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall be\nchopped as small as herbs for the pot.\u201d\n\nThe King did not fail asking of the mowers to whom the meadow they were\nmowing belonged.\n\n\u201cTo my Lord Marquis of Carabas,\u201d answered they altogether, for the Cat\u2019s\nthreats had made them terribly afraid.\n\n\u201cYou see, sir,\u201d said the Marquis, \u201cthis is a meadow which never fails to\nyield a plentiful harvest every year.\u201d\n\nThe Master Cat, who went still on before, met with some reapers, and\nsaid to them:\n\n\u201cGood people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King that all\nthis corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped as\nsmall as herbs for the pot.\u201d\n\nThe King, who passed by a moment after, would needs know to whom all\nthat corn, which he then saw, did belong.\n\n\u201cTo my Lord Marquis of Carabas,\u201d replied the reapers, and the King was\nvery well pleased with it, as well as the Marquis, whom he congratulated\nthereupon. The Master Cat, who went always before, said the same words\nto all he met, and the King was astonished at the vast estates of my\nLord Marquis of Carabas.\n\nMonsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle, the master of which was\nan ogre, the richest had ever been known; for all the lands which the\nKing had then gone over belonged to this castle. The Cat, who had taken\ncare to inform himself who this ogre was and what he could do, asked\nto speak with him, saying he could not pass so near his castle without\nhaving the honor of paying his respects to him.\n\nThe ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could do, and made him sit\ndown.\n\n\u201cI have been assured,\u201d said the Cat, \u201cthat you have the gift of being\nable to change yourself into all sorts of creatures you have a mind to;\nyou can, for example, transform yourself into a lion, or elephant, and\nthe like.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true,\u201d answered the ogre very briskly; \u201cand to convince you,\nyou shall see me now become a lion.\u201d\n\nPuss was so sadly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him that he\nimmediately got into the gutter, not without abundance of trouble and\ndanger, because of his boots, which were of no use at all to him in\nwalking upon the tiles. A little while after, when Puss saw that the\nogre had resumed his natural form, he came down, and owned he had been\nvery much frightened.\n\n\u201cI have been, moreover, informed,\u201d said the Cat, \u201cbut I know not how to\nbelieve it, that you have also the power to take on you the shape of the\nsmallest animals; for example, to change yourself into a rat or a mouse;\nbut I must own to you I take this to be impossible.\u201d\n\n\u201cImpossible!\u201d cried the ogre; \u201cyou shall see that presently.\u201d\n\nAnd at the same time he changed himself into a mouse, and began to run\nabout the floor. Puss no sooner perceived this but he fell upon him and\nate him up.\n\nMeanwhile the King, who saw, as he passed, this fine castle of the\nogre\u2019s, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise of his\nMajesty\u2019s coach running over the draw-bridge, ran out, and said to the\nKing:\n\n\u201cYour Majesty is welcome to this castle of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat! my Lord Marquis,\u201d cried the King, \u201cand does this castle also\nbelong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court and all the\nstately buildings which surround it; let us go into it, if you please.\u201d\n\nThe Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King,\nwho went first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they found a\nmagnificent collation, which the ogre had prepared for his friends, who\nwere that very day to visit him, but dared not to enter, knowing\nthe King was there. His Majesty was perfectly charmed with the good\nqualities of my Lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter, who\nhad fallen violently in love with him, and, seeing the vast estate he\npossessed, said to him, after having drunk five or six glasses:\n\n\u201cIt will be owing to yourself only, my Lord Marquis, if you are not my\nson-in-law.\u201d\n\nThe Marquis, making several low bows, accepted the honor which his\nMajesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very same day, married\nthe Princess.\n\nPuss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more but only for\nhis diversion.(1)\n\n\n(1) Charles Perrault.\n\n\n\n\nFELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a poor laborer who, feeling that he had not\nmuch longer to live, wished to divide his possessions between his son\nand daughter, whom he loved dearly.\n\nSo he called them to him, and said: \u201cYour mother brought me as her dowry\ntwo stools and a straw bed; I have, besides, a hen, a pot of pinks, and\na silver ring, which were given me by a noble lady who once lodged in my\npoor cottage. When she went away she said to me:\n\n\u201c\u2018Be careful of my gifts, good man; see that you do not lose the ring or\nforget to water the pinks. As for your daughter, I promise you that she\nshall be more beautiful than anyone you ever saw in your life; call her\nFelicia, and when she grows up give her the ring and the pot of pinks to\nconsole her for her poverty.\u2019 Take them both, then, my dear child,\u201d he\nadded, \u201cand your brother shall have everything else.\u201d\n\nThe two children seemed quite contented, and when their father died they\nwept for him, and divided his possessions as he had told them. Felicia\nbelieved that her brother loved her, but when she sat down upon one of\nthe stools he said angrily:\n\n\u201cKeep your pot of pinks and your ring, but let my things alone. I like\norder in my house.\u201d\n\nFelicia, who was very gentle, said nothing, but stood up crying quietly;\nwhile Bruno, for that was her brother\u2019s name, sat comfortably by the\nfire. Presently, when supper-time came, Bruno had a delicious egg, and\nhe threw the shell to Felicia, saying:\n\n\u201cThere, that is all I can give you; if you don\u2019t like it, go out and\ncatch frogs; there are plenty of them in the marsh close by.\u201d Felicia\ndid not answer, but she cried more bitterly than ever, and went away\nto her own little room. She found it filled with the sweet scent of the\npinks, and, going up to them, she said sadly:\n\n\u201cBeautiful pinks, you are so sweet and so pretty, you are the only\ncomfort I have left. Be very sure that I will take care of you, and\nwater you well, and never allow any cruel hand to tear you from your\nstems.\u201d\n\nAs she leaned over them she noticed that they were very dry. So taking\nher pitcher, she ran off in the clear moonlight to the fountain, which\nwas at some distance. When she reached it she sat down upon the brink\nto rest, but she had hardly done so when she saw a stately lady coming\ntoward her, surrounded by numbers of attendants. Six maids of honor\ncarried her train, and she leaned upon the arm of another.\n\nWhen they came near the fountain a canopy was spread for her, under\nwhich was placed a sofa of cloth-of-gold, and presently a dainty supper\nwas served, upon a table covered with dishes of gold and crystal, while\nthe wind in the trees and the falling water of the fountain murmured the\nsoftest music.\n\nFelicia was hidden in the shade, too much astonished by all she saw to\nventure to move; but in a few moments the Queen said:\n\n\u201cI fancy I see a shepherdess near that tree; bid her come hither.\u201d\n\nSo Felicia came forward and saluted the Queen timidly, but with so much\ngrace that all were surprised.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing here, my pretty child?\u201d asked the Queen. \u201cAre you\nnot afraid of robbers?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! madam,\u201d said Felicia, \u201ca poor shepherdess who has nothing to lose\ndoes not fear robbers.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are not very rich, then?\u201d said the Queen, smiling.\n\n\u201cI am so poor,\u201d answered Felicia, \u201cthat a pot of pinks and a silver ring\nare my only possessions in the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you have a heart,\u201d said the Queen. \u201cWhat should you say if anybody\nwanted to steal that?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know what it is like to lose one\u2019s heart, madam,\u201d she replied;\n\u201cbut I have always heard that without a heart one cannot live, and if it\nis broken one must die; and in spite of my poverty I should be sorry not\nto live.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are quite right to take care of your heart, pretty one,\u201d said the\nQueen. \u201cBut tell me, have you supped?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, madam,\u201d answered Felicia; \u201cmy brother ate all the supper there\nwas.\u201d\n\nThen the Queen ordered that a place should be made for her at the table,\nand herself loaded Felicia\u2019s plate with good things; but she was too\nmuch astonished to be hungry.\n\n\u201cI want to know what you were doing at the fountain so late?\u201d said the\nQueen presently.\n\n\u201cI came to fetch a pitcher of water for my pinks, madam,\u201d she answered,\nstooping to pick up the pitcher which stood beside her; but when she\nshowed it to the Queen she was amazed to see that it had turned to gold,\nall sparkling with great diamonds, and the water, of which it was full,\nwas more fragrant than the sweetest roses. She was afraid to take it\nuntil the Queen said:\n\n\u201cIt is yours, Felicia; go and water your pinks with it, and let it\nremind you that the Queen of the Woods is your friend.\u201d\n\nThe shepherdess threw herself at the Queen\u2019s feet, and thanked her\nhumbly for her gracious words.\n\n\u201cAh! madam,\u201d she cried, \u201cif I might beg you to stay here a moment I\nwould run and fetch my pot of pinks for you--they could not fall into\nbetter hands.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo, Felicia,\u201d said the Queen, stroking her cheek softly; \u201cI will wait\nhere until you come back.\u201d\n\nSo Felicia took up her pitcher and ran to her little room, but while she\nhad been away Bruno had gone in and taken the pot of pinks, leaving a\ngreat cabbage in its place. When she saw the unlucky cabbage Felicia was\nmuch distressed, and did not know what to do; but at last she ran back\nto the fountain, and, kneeling before the Queen, said:\n\n\u201cMadam, Bruno has stolen my pot of pinks, so I have nothing but my\nsilver ring; but I beg you to accept it as a proof of my gratitude.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut if I take your ring, my pretty shepherdess,\u201d said the Queen, \u201cyou\nwill have nothing left; and what will you do then?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! madam,\u201d she answered simply, \u201cif I have your friendship I shall do\nvery well.\u201d\n\nSo the Queen took the ring and put it on her finger, and mounted her\nchariot, which was made of coral studded with emeralds, and drawn by six\nmilk-white horses. And Felicia looked after her until the winding of\nthe forest path hid her from her sight, and then she went back to the\ncottage, thinking over all the wonderful things that had happened.\n\nThe first thing she did when she reached her room was to throw the\ncabbage out of the window.\n\nBut she was very much surprised to hear an odd little voice cry out:\n\u201cOh! I am half killed!\u201d and could not tell where it came from, because\ncabbages do not generally speak.\n\nAs soon as it was light, Felicia, who was very unhappy about her pot of\npinks, went out to look for it, and the first thing she found was the\nunfortunate cabbage. She gave it a push with her foot, saying: \u201cWhat are\nyou doing here, and how dared you put yourself in the place of my pot of\npinks?\u201d\n\n\u201cIf I hadn\u2019t been carried,\u201d replied the cabbage, \u201cyou may be very sure\nthat I shouldn\u2019t have thought of going there.\u201d\n\nIt made her shiver with fright to hear the cabbage talk, but he went on:\n\n\u201cIf you will be good enough to plant me by my comrades again, I can tell\nyou where your pinks are at this moment--hidden in Bruno\u2019s bed!\u201d\n\nFelicia was in despair when she heard this, not knowing how she was\nto get them back. But she replanted the cabbage very kindly in his old\nplace, and, as she finished doing it, she saw Bruno\u2019s hen, and said,\ncatching hold of it:\n\n\u201cCome here, horrid little creature! you shall suffer for all the unkind\nthings my brother has done to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! shepherdess,\u201d said the hen, \u201cdon\u2019t kill me; I am rather a gossip,\nand I can tell you some surprising things that you will like to hear.\nDon\u2019t imagine that you are the daughter of the poor laborer who brought\nyou up; your mother was a queen who had six girls already, and the King\nthreatened that unless she had a son who could inherit his kingdom she\nshould have her head cut off.\n\n\u201cSo when the Queen had another little daughter she was quite frightened,\nand agreed with her sister (who was a fairy) to exchange her for the\nfairy\u2019s little son. Now the Queen had been shut up in a great tower\nby the King\u2019s orders, and when a great many days went by and still she\nheard nothing from the Fairy she made her escape from the window by\nmeans of a rope ladder, taking her little baby with her. After wandering\nabout until she was half dead with cold and fatigue she reached this\ncottage. I was the laborer\u2019s wife, and was a good nurse, and the Queen\ngave you into my charge, and told me all her misfortunes, and then died\nbefore she had time to say what was to become of you.\n\n\u201cAs I never in all my life could keep a secret, I could not help telling\nthis strange tale to my neighbors, and one day a beautiful lady came\nhere, and I told it to her also. When I had finished she touched me with\na wand she held in her hand, and instantly I became a hen, and there was\nan end of my talking! I was very sad, and my husband, who was out\nwhen it happened, never knew what had become of me. After seeking me\neverywhere he believed that I must have been drowned, or eaten up by\nwild beasts in the forest. That same lady came here once more, and\ncommanded that you should be called Felicia, and left the ring and\nthe pot of pinks to be given to you; and while she was in the house\ntwenty-five of the King\u2019s guards came to search for you, doubtless\nmeaning to kill you; but she muttered a few words, and immediately they\nall turned into cabbages. It was one of them whom you threw out of your\nwindow yesterday.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know how it was that he could speak--I have never heard either\nof them say a word before, nor have I been able to do it myself until\nnow.\u201d\n\nThe Princess was greatly astonished at the hen\u2019s story, and said kindly:\n\u201cI am truly sorry for you, my poor nurse, and wish it was in my power to\nrestore you to your real form. But we must not despair; it seems to\nme, after what you have told me, that something must be going to happen\nsoon. Just now, however, I must go and look for my pinks, which I love\nbetter than anything in the world.\u201d\n\nBruno had gone out into the forest, never thinking that Felicia\nwould search in his room for the pinks, and she was delighted by\nhis unexpected absence, and thought to get them back without further\ntrouble. But as soon as she entered the room she saw a terrible army\nof rats, who were guarding the straw bed; and when she attempted to\napproach it they sprang at her, biting and scratching furiously. Quite\nterrified, she drew back, crying out: \u201cOh! my dear pinks, how can you\nstay here in such bad company?\u201d\n\nThen she suddenly bethought herself of the pitcher of water, and, hoping\nthat it might have some magic power, she ran to fetch it, and sprinkled\na few drops over the fierce-looking swarm of rats. In a moment not a\ntail or a whisker was to be seen. Each one had made for his hole as fast\nas his legs could carry him, so that the Princess could safely take her\npot of pinks. She found them nearly dying for want of water, and hastily\npoured all that was left in the pitcher upon them. As she bent over\nthem, enjoying their delicious scent, a soft voice, that seemed to\nrustle among the leaves, said:\n\n\u201cLovely Felicia, the day has come at last when I may have the happiness\nof telling you how even the flowers love you and rejoice in your\nbeauty.\u201d\n\nThe Princess, quite overcome by the strangeness of hearing a cabbage,\na hen, and a pink speak, and by the terrible sight of an army of rats,\nsuddenly became very pale, and fainted away.\n\nAt this moment in came Bruno. Working hard in the heat had not improved\nhis temper, and when he saw that Felicia had succeeded in finding her\npinks he was so angry that he dragged her out into the garden and shut\nthe door upon her. The fresh air soon made her open her pretty eyes, and\nthere before her stood the Queen of the Woods, looking as charming as\never.\n\n\u201cYou have a bad brother,\u201d she said; \u201cI saw he turned you out. Shall I\npunish him for it?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! no, madam,\u201d she said; \u201cI am not angry with him.\n\n\u201cBut supposing he was not your brother, after all, what would you say\nthen?\u201d asked the Queen.\n\n\u201cOh! but I think he must be,\u201d said Felicia.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said the Queen, \u201chave you not heard that you are a Princess?\u201d\n\n\u201cI was told so a little while ago, madam, but how could I believe it\nwithout a single proof?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! dear child,\u201d said the Queen, \u201cthe way you speak assures me that, in\nspite of your humble upbringing, you are indeed a real princess, and I\ncan save you from being treated in such a way again.\u201d\n\nShe was interrupted at this moment by the arrival of a very handsome\nyoung man. He wore a coat of green velvet fastened with emerald clasps,\nand had a crown of pinks on his head. He knelt upon one knee and kissed\nthe Queen\u2019s hand.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d she cried, \u201cmy pink, my dear son, what a happiness to see you\nrestored to your natural shape by Felicia\u2019s aid!\u201d And she embraced him\njoyfully. Then, turning to Felicia, she said:\n\n\u201cCharming Princess, I know all the hen told you, but you cannot have\nheard that the zephyrs, to whom was entrusted the task of carrying my\nson to the tower where the Queen, your mother, so anxiously waited for\nhim, left him instead in a garden of flowers, while they flew off to\ntell your mother. Whereupon a fairy with whom I had quarrelled changed\nhim into a pink, and I could do nothing to prevent it.\n\n\u201cYou can imagine how angry I was, and how I tried to find some means of\nundoing the mischief she had done; but there was no help for it. I could\nonly bring Prince Pink to the place where you were being brought up,\nhoping that when you grew up he might love you, and by your care be\nrestored to his natural form. And you see everything has come right, as\nI hoped it would. Your giving me the silver ring was the sign that the\npower of the charm was nearly over, and my enemy\u2019s last chance was to\nfrighten you with her army of rats. That she did not succeed in doing;\nso now, my dear Felicia, if you will be married to my son with this\nsilver ring your future happiness is certain. Do you think him handsome\nand amiable enough to be willing to marry him?\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d replied Felicia, blushing, \u201cyou overwhelm me with your\nkindness. I know that you are my mother\u2019s sister, and that by your art\nyou turned the soldiers who were sent to kill me into cabbages, and my\nnurse into a hen, and that you do me only too much honor in proposing\nthat I shall marry your son. How can I explain to you the cause of my\nhesitation? I feel, for the first time in my life, how happy it would\nmake me to be beloved. Can you indeed give me the Prince\u2019s heart?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is yours already, lovely Princess!\u201d he cried, taking her hand in\nhis; \u201cbut for the horrible enchantment which kept me silent I should\nhave told you long ago how dearly I love you.\u201d\n\nThis made the Princess very happy, and the Queen, who could not bear\nto see her dressed like a poor shepherdess, touched her with her wand,\nsaying:\n\n\u201cI wish you to be attired as befits your rank and beauty.\u201d And\nimmediately the Princess\u2019s cotton dress became a magnificent robe of\nsilver brocade embroidered with carbuncles, and her soft dark hair was\nencircled by a crown of diamonds, from which floated a clear white veil.\nWith her bright eyes, and the charming color in her cheeks, she was\naltogether such a dazzling sight that the Prince could hardly bear it.\n\n\u201cHow pretty you are, Felicia!\u201d he cried. \u201cDon\u2019t keep me in suspense, I\nentreat you; say that you will marry me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said the Queen, smiling, \u201cI think she will not refuse now.\u201d\n\nJust then Bruno, who was going back to his work, came out of the\ncottage, and thought he must be dreaming when he saw Felicia; but she\ncalled him very kindly, and begged the Queen to take pity on him.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d she said, \u201cwhen he was so unkind to you?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! madam,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cI am so happy that I should like\neverybody else to be happy too.\u201d\n\nThe Queen kissed her, and said: \u201cWell, to please you, let me see what I\ncan do for this cross Bruno.\u201d And with a wave of her wand she turned the\npoor little cottage into a splendid palace, full of treasures; only the\ntwo stools and the straw bed remained just as they were, to remind him\nof his former poverty. Then the Queen touched Bruno himself, and made\nhim gentle and polite and grateful, and he thanked her and the Princess\na thousand times. Lastly, the Queen restored the hen and the cabbages\nto their natural forms, and left them all very contented. The Prince and\nPrincess were married as soon as possible with great splendor, and lived\nhappily ever after.(1)\n\n\n(1) Fortunee. Par Madame la Comtesse d\u2019Aulnoy.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WHITE CAT\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king who had three sons, who were all so\nclever and brave that he began to be afraid that they would want to\nreign over the kingdom before he was dead. Now the King, though he felt\nthat he was growing old, did not at all wish to give up the government\nof his kingdom while he could still manage it very well, so he thought\nthe best way to live in peace would be to divert the minds of his sons\nby promises which he could always get out of when the time came for\nkeeping them.\n\nSo he sent for them all, and, after speaking to them kindly, he added:\n\n\u201cYou will quite agree with me, my dear children, that my great age makes\nit impossible for me to look after my affairs of state as carefully as\nI once did. I begin to fear that this may affect the welfare of my\nsubjects, therefore I wish that one of you should succeed to my crown;\nbut in return for such a gift as this it is only right that you should\ndo something for me. Now, as I think of retiring into the country, it\nseems to me that a pretty, lively, faithful little dog would be very\ngood company for me; so, without any regard for your ages, I promise\nthat the one who brings me the most beautiful little dog shall succeed\nme at once.\u201d\n\nThe three Princes were greatly surprised by their father\u2019s sudden fancy\nfor a little dog, but as it gave the two younger ones a chance they\nwould not otherwise have had of being king, and as the eldest was\ntoo polite to make any objection, they accepted the commission with\npleasure. They bade farewell to the King, who gave them presents of\nsilver and precious stones, and appointed to meet them at the same hour,\nin the same place, after a year had passed, to see the little dogs they\nhad brought for him.\n\nThen they went together to a castle which was about a league from the\ncity, accompanied by all their particular friends, to whom they gave a\ngrand banquet, and the three brothers promised to be friends always,\nto share whatever good fortune befell them, and not to be parted by\nany envy or jealousy; and so they set out, agreeing to meet at the same\ncastle at the appointed time, to present themselves before the King\ntogether. Each one took a different road, and the two eldest met with\nmany adventures; but it is about the youngest that you are going to\nhear. He was young, and gay, and handsome, and knew everything that a\nprince ought to know; and as for his courage, there was simply no end to\nit.\n\nHardly a day passed without his buying several dogs--big and little,\ngreyhounds, mastiffs, spaniels, and lapdogs. As soon as he had bought a\npretty one he was sure to see a still prettier, and then he had to get\nrid of all the others and buy that one, as, being alone, he found it\nimpossible to take thirty or forty thousand dogs about with him. He\njourneyed from day to day, not knowing where he was going, until at\nlast, just at nightfall, he reached a great, gloomy forest. He did not\nknow his way, and, to make matters worse, it began to thunder, and\nthe rain poured down. He took the first path he could find, and after\nwalking for a long time he fancied he saw a faint light, and began to\nhope that he was coming to some cottage where he might find shelter for\nthe night. At length, guided by the light, he reached the door of the\nmost splendid castle he could have imagined. This door was of gold\ncovered with carbuncles, and it was the pure red light which shone from\nthem that had shown him the way through the forest. The walls were of\nthe finest porcelain in all the most delicate colors, and the Prince saw\nthat all the stories he had ever read were pictured upon them; but as he\nwas terribly wet, and the rain still fell in torrents, he could not stay\nto look about any more, but came back to the golden door. There he saw\na deer\u2019s foot hanging by a chain of diamonds, and he began to wonder who\ncould live in this magnificent castle.\n\n\u201cThey must feel very secure against robbers,\u201d he said to himself. \u201cWhat\nis to hinder anyone from cutting off that chain and digging out those\ncarbuncles, and making himself rich for life?\u201d\n\nHe pulled the deer\u2019s foot, and immediately a silver bell sounded and the\ndoor flew open, but the Prince could see nothing but numbers of hands\nin the air, each holding a torch. He was so much surprised that he stood\nquite still, until he felt himself pushed forward by other hands, so\nthat, though he was somewhat uneasy, he could not help going on. With\nhis hand on his sword, to be prepared for whatever might happen, he\nentered a hall paved with lapis-lazuli, while two lovely voices sang:\n\n\n     \u201cThe hands you see floating above\n       Will swiftly your bidding obey;\n     If your heart dreads not conquering Love,\n       In this place you may fearlessly stay.\u201d\n\n\nThe Prince could not believe that any danger threatened him when he was\nwelcomed in this way, so, guided by the mysterious hands, he went toward\na door of coral, which opened of its own accord, and he found himself\nin a vast hall of mother-of-pearl, out of which opened a number of other\nrooms, glittering with thousands of lights, and full of such beautiful\npictures and precious things that the Prince felt quite bewildered.\nAfter passing through sixty rooms the hands that conducted him stopped,\nand the Prince saw a most comfortable-looking arm-chair drawn up close\nto the chimney-corner; at the same moment the fire lighted itself, and\nthe pretty, soft, clever hands took off the Prince\u2019s wet, muddy clothes,\nand presented him with fresh ones made of the richest stuffs, all\nembroidered with gold and emeralds. He could not help admiring\neverything he saw, and the deft way in which the hands waited on him,\nthough they sometimes appeared so suddenly that they made him jump.\n\nWhen he was quite ready--and I can assure you that he looked very\ndifferent from the wet and weary Prince who had stood outside in the\nrain, and pulled the deer\u2019s foot--the hands led him to a splendid room,\nupon the walls of which were painted the histories of Puss in Boots and\na number of other famous cats. The table was laid for supper with\ntwo golden plates, and golden spoons and forks, and the sideboard was\ncovered with dishes and glasses of crystal set with precious stones. The\nPrince was wondering who the second place could be for, when suddenly\nin came about a dozen cats carrying guitars and rolls of music, who took\ntheir places at one end of the room, and under the direction of a cat\nwho beat time with a roll of paper began to mew in every imaginable key,\nand to draw their claws across the strings of the guitars, making the\nstrangest kind of music that could be heard. The Prince hastily stopped\nup his ears, but even then the sight of these comical musicians sent him\ninto fits of laughter.\n\n\u201cWhat funny thing shall I see next?\u201d he said to himself, and instantly\nthe door opened, and in came a tiny figure covered by a long black veil.\nIt was conducted by two cats wearing black mantles and carrying swords,\nand a large party of cats followed, who brought in cages full of rats\nand mice.\n\nThe Prince was so much astonished that he thought he must be dreaming,\nbut the little figure came up to him and threw back its veil, and he saw\nthat it was the loveliest little white cat it is possible to imagine.\nShe looked very young and very sad, and in a sweet little voice that\nwent straight to his heart she said to the Prince:\n\n\u201cKing\u2019s son, you are welcome; the Queen of the Cats is glad to see you.\u201d\n\n\u201cLady Cat,\u201d replied the Prince, \u201cI thank you for receiving me so kindly,\nbut surely you are no ordinary pussy-cat? Indeed, the way you speak and\nthe magnificence of your castle prove it plainly.\u201d\n\n\u201cKing\u2019s son,\u201d said the White Cat, \u201cI beg you to spare me these\ncompliments, for I am not used to them. But now,\u201d she added, \u201clet supper\nbe served, and let the musicians be silent, as the Prince does not\nunderstand what they are saying.\u201d\n\nSo the mysterious hands began to bring in the supper, and first they put\non the table two dishes, one containing stewed pigeons and the other a\nfricassee of fat mice. The sight of the latter made the Prince feel as\nif he could not enjoy his supper at all; but the White Cat, seeing this,\nassured him that the dishes intended for him were prepared in a separate\nkitchen, and he might be quite certain that they contained neither rats\nnor mice; and the Prince felt so sure that she would not deceive him\nthat he had no more hesitation in beginning. Presently he noticed\nthat on the little paw that was next him the White Cat wore a bracelet\ncontaining a portrait, and he begged to be allowed to look at it. To his\ngreat surprise he found it represented an extremely handsome young man,\nwho was so like himself that it might have been his own portrait! The\nWhite Cat sighed as he looked at it, and seemed sadder than ever, and\nthe Prince dared not ask any questions for fear of displeasing her; so\nhe began to talk about other things, and found that she was interested\nin all the subjects he cared for himself, and seemed to know quite well\nwhat was going on in the world. After supper they went into another\nroom, which was fitted up as a theatre, and the cats acted and danced\nfor their amusement, and then the White Cat said good-night to him, and\nthe hands conducted him into a room he had not seen before, hung with\ntapestry worked with butterflies\u2019 wings of every color; there were\nmirrors that reached from the ceiling to the floor, and a little white\nbed with curtains of gauze tied up with ribbons. The Prince went to bed\nin silence, as he did not quite know how to begin a conversation with\nthe hands that waited on him, and in the morning he was awakened by\na noise and confusion outside of his window, and the hands came and\nquickly dressed him in hunting costume. When he looked out all the cats\nwere assembled in the courtyard, some leading greyhounds, some blowing\nhorns, for the White Cat was going out hunting. The hands led a wooden\nhorse up to the Prince, and seemed to expect him to mount it, at which\nhe was very indignant; but it was no use for him to object, for he\nspeedily found himself upon its back, and it pranced gaily off with him.\n\nThe White Cat herself was riding a monkey, which climbed even up to\nthe eagles\u2019 nests when she had a fancy for the young eaglets. Never was\nthere a pleasanter hunting party, and when they returned to the castle\nthe Prince and the White Cat supped together as before, but when they\nhad finished she offered him a crystal goblet, which must have contained\na magic draught, for, as soon as he had swallowed its contents, he\nforgot everything, even the little dog that he was seeking for the King,\nand only thought how happy he was to be with the White Cat! And so the\ndays passed, in every kind of amusement, until the year was nearly gone.\nThe Prince had forgotten all about meeting his brothers: he did not even\nknow what country he belonged to; but the White Cat knew when he ought\nto go back, and one day she said to him:\n\n\u201cDo you know that you have only three days left to look for the little\ndog for your father, and your brothers have found lovely ones?\u201d\n\nThen the Prince suddenly recovered his memory, and cried:\n\n\u201cWhat can have made me forget such an important thing? My whole fortune\ndepends upon it; and even if I could in such a short time find a dog\npretty enough to gain me a kingdom, where should I find a horse who\nwould carry me all that way in three days?\u201d And he began to be very\nvexed. But the White Cat said to him: \u201cKing\u2019s son, do not trouble\nyourself; I am your friend, and will make everything easy for you. You\ncan still stay here for a day, as the good wooden horse can take you to\nyour country in twelve hours.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thank you, beautiful Cat,\u201d said the Prince; \u201cbut what good will it do\nme to get back if I have not a dog to take to my father?\u201d\n\n\u201cSee here,\u201d answered the White Cat, holding up an acorn; \u201cthere is a\nprettier one in this than in the Dogstar!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! White Cat dear,\u201d said the Prince, \u201chow unkind you are to laugh at\nme now!\u201d\n\n\u201cOnly listen,\u201d she said, holding the acorn to his ear.\n\nAnd inside it he distinctly heard a tiny voice say: \u201cBow-wow!\u201d\n\nThe Prince was delighted, for a dog that can be shut up in an acorn must\nbe very small indeed. He wanted to take it out and look at it, but the\nWhite Cat said it would be better not to open the acorn till he was\nbefore the King, in case the tiny dog should be cold on the journey. He\nthanked her a thousand times, and said good-by quite sadly when the time\ncame for him to set out.\n\n\u201cThe days have passed so quickly with you,\u201d he said, \u201cI only wish I\ncould take you with me now.\u201d\n\nBut the White Cat shook her head and sighed deeply in answer.\n\nAfter all the Prince was the first to arrive at the castle where he had\nagreed to meet his brothers, but they came soon after, and stared in\namazement when they saw the wooden horse in the courtyard jumping like a\nhunter.\n\nThe Prince met them joyfully, and they began to tell him all their\nadventures; but he managed to hide from them what he had been doing, and\neven led them to think that a turnspit dog which he had with him was the\none he was bringing for the King. Fond as they all were of one another,\nthe two eldest could not help being glad to think that their dogs\ncertainly had a better chance. The next morning they started in the same\nchariot. The elder brothers carried in baskets two such tiny, fragile\ndogs that they hardly dared to touch them. As for the turnspit, he ran\nafter the chariot, and got so covered with mud that one could hardly see\nwhat he was like at all. When they reached the palace everyone crowded\nround to welcome them as they went into the King\u2019s great hall; and when\nthe two brothers presented their little dogs nobody could decide which\nwas the prettier. They were already arranging between themselves to\nshare the kingdom equally, when the youngest stepped forward, drawing\nfrom his pocket the acorn the White Cat had given him. He opened it\nquickly, and there upon a white cushion they saw a dog so small that it\ncould easily have been put through a ring. The Prince laid it upon the\nground, and it got up at once and began to dance. The King did not know\nwhat to say, for it was impossible that anything could be prettier than\nthis little creature. Nevertheless, as he was in no hurry to part with\nhis crown, he told his sons that, as they had been so successful the\nfirst time, he would ask them to go once again, and seek by land and sea\nfor a piece of muslin so fine that it could be drawn through the eye of\na needle. The brothers were not very willing to set out again, but\nthe two eldest consented because it gave them another chance, and they\nstarted as before. The youngest again mounted the wooden horse, and rode\nback at full speed to his beloved White Cat. Every door of the castle\nstood wide open, and every window and turret was illuminated, so it\nlooked more wonderful than before. The hands hastened to meet him, and\nled the wooden horse off to the stable, while he hurried in to find the\nWhite Cat. She was asleep in a little basket on a white satin cushion,\nbut she very soon started up when she heard the Prince, and was\noverjoyed at seeing him once more.\n\n\u201cHow could I hope that you would come back to me King\u2019s son?\u201d she said.\nAnd then he stroked and petted her, and told her of his successful\njourney, and how he had come back to ask her help, as he believed that\nit was impossible to find what the King demanded. The White Cat looked\nserious, and said she must think what was to be done, but that, luckily,\nthere were some cats in the castle who could spin very well, and if\nanybody could manage it they could, and she would set them the task\nherself.\n\nAnd then the hands appeared carrying torches, and conducted the Prince\nand the White Cat to a long gallery which overlooked the river, from\nthe windows of which they saw a magnificent display of fireworks of all\nsorts; after which they had supper, which the Prince liked even better\nthan the fireworks, for it was very late, and he was hungry after his\nlong ride. And so the days passed quickly as before; it was impossible\nto feel dull with the White Cat, and she had quite a talent for\ninventing new amusements--indeed, she was cleverer than a cat has any\nright to be. But when the Prince asked her how it was that she was so\nwise, she only said:\n\n\u201cKing\u2019s son, do not ask me; guess what you please. I may not tell you\nanything.\u201d\n\nThe Prince was so happy that he did not trouble himself at all about the\ntime, but presently the White Cat told him that the year was gone, and\nthat he need not be at all anxious about the piece of muslin, as they\nhad made it very well.\n\n\u201cThis time,\u201d she added, \u201cI can give you a suitable escort\u201d; and on\nlooking out into the courtyard the Prince saw a superb chariot of\nburnished gold, enameled in flame color with a thousand different\ndevices. It was drawn by twelve snow-white horses, harnessed four\nabreast; their trappings were flame-colored velvet, embroidered with\ndiamonds. A hundred chariots followed, each drawn by eight horses,\nand filled with officers in splendid uniforms, and a thousand guards\nsurrounded the procession. \u201cGo!\u201d said the White Cat, \u201cand when you\nappear before the King in such state he surely will not refuse you the\ncrown which you deserve. Take this walnut, but do not open it until you\nare before him, then you will find in it the piece of stuff you asked me\nfor.\u201d\n\n\u201cLovely Blanchette,\u201d said the Prince, \u201chow can I thank you properly for\nall your kindness to me? Only tell me that you wish it, and I will\ngive up for ever all thought of being king, and will stay here with you\nalways.\u201d\n\n\u201cKing\u2019s son,\u201d she replied, \u201cit shows the goodness of your heart that you\nshould care so much for a little white cat, who is good for nothing but\nto catch mice; but you must not stay.\u201d\n\nSo the Prince kissed her little paw and set out. You can imagine how\nfast he traveled when I tell you that they reached the King\u2019s palace in\njust half the time it had taken the wooden horse to get there. This time\nthe Prince was so late that he did not try to meet his brothers at their\ncastle, so they thought he could not be coming, and were rather glad of\nit, and displayed their pieces of muslin to the King proudly, feeling\nsure of success. And indeed the stuff was very fine, and would go\nthrough the eye of a very large needle; but the King, who was only too\nglad to make a difficulty, sent for a particular needle, which was kept\namong the Crown jewels, and had such a small eye that everybody saw at\nonce that it was impossible that the muslin should pass through it. The\nPrinces were angry, and were beginning to complain that it was a trick,\nwhen suddenly the trumpets sounded and the youngest Prince came in. His\nfather and brothers were quite astonished at his magnificence, and after\nhe had greeted them he took the walnut from his pocket and opened it,\nfully expecting to find the piece of muslin, but instead there was only\na hazel-nut. He cracked it, and there lay a cherry-stone. Everybody was\nlooking on, and the King was chuckling to himself at the idea of finding\nthe piece of muslin in a nutshell.\n\nHowever, the Prince cracked the cherry-stone, but everyone laughed when\nhe saw it contained only its own kernel. He opened that and found a\ngrain of wheat, and in that was a millet seed. Then he himself began to\nwonder, and muttered softly:\n\n\u201cWhite Cat, White Cat, are you making fun of me?\u201d\n\nIn an instant he felt a cat\u2019s claw give his hand quite a sharp scratch,\nand hoping that it was meant as an encouragement he opened the millet\nseed, and drew out of it a piece of muslin four hundred ells long, woven\nwith the loveliest colors and most wonderful patterns; and when the\nneedle was brought it went through the eye six times with the greatest\nease! The King turned pale, and the other Princes stood silent and\nsorrowful, for nobody could deny that this was the most marvelous piece\nof muslin that was to be found in the world.\n\nPresently the King turned to his sons, and said, with a deep sigh:\n\n\u201cNothing could console me more in my old age than to realize your\nwillingness to gratify my wishes. Go then once more, and whoever at the\nend of a year can bring back the loveliest princess shall be married\nto her, and shall, without further delay, receive the crown, for my\nsuccessor must certainly be married.\u201d The Prince considered that he had\nearned the kingdom fairly twice over but still he was too well bred\nto argue about it, so he just went back to his gorgeous chariot, and,\nsurrounded by his escort, returned to the White Cat faster than he had\ncome. This time she was expecting him, the path was strewn with flowers,\nand a thousand braziers were burning scented woods which perfumed the\nair. Seated in a gallery from which she could see his arrival, the White\nCat waited for him. \u201cWell, King\u2019s son,\u201d she said, \u201chere you are once\nmore, without a crown.\u201d \u201cMadam,\u201d said he, \u201cthanks to your generosity I\nhave earned one twice over; but the fact is that my father is so loth to\npart with it that it would be no pleasure to me to take it.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever mind,\u201d she answered, \u201cit\u2019s just as well to try and deserve it. As\nyou must take back a lovely princess with you next time I will be on\nthe look-out for one for you. In the meantime let us enjoy ourselves;\nto-night I have ordered a battle between my cats and the river rats on\npurpose to amuse you.\u201d So this year slipped away even more pleasantly\nthan the preceding ones. Sometimes the Prince could not help asking the\nWhite Cat how it was she could talk.\n\n\u201cPerhaps you are a fairy,\u201d he said. \u201cOr has some enchanter changed you\ninto a cat?\u201d\n\nBut she only gave him answers that told him nothing. Days go by so\nquickly when one is very happy that it is certain the Prince would never\nhave thought of its being time to go back, when one evening as they sat\ntogether the White Cat said to him that if he wanted to take a lovely\nprincess home with him the next day he must be prepared to do what she\ntold him.\n\n\u201cTake this sword,\u201d she said, \u201cand cut off my head!\u201d\n\n\u201cI!\u201d cried the Prince, \u201cI cut off your head! Blanchette darling, how\ncould I do it?\u201d\n\n\u201cI entreat you to do as I tell you, King\u2019s son,\u201d she replied.\n\nThe tears came into the Prince\u2019s eyes as he begged her to ask him\nanything but that--to set him any task she pleased as a proof of his\ndevotion, but to spare him the grief of killing his dear Pussy. But\nnothing he could say altered her determination, and at last he drew his\nsword, and desperately, with a trembling hand, cut off the little white\nhead. But imagine his astonishment and delight when suddenly a lovely\nprincess stood before him, and, while he was still speechless with\namazement, the door opened and a goodly company of knights and ladies\nentered, each carrying a cat\u2019s skin! They hastened with every sign of\njoy to the Princess, kissing her hand and congratulating her on being\nonce more restored to her natural shape. She received them graciously,\nbut after a few minutes begged that they would leave her alone with the\nPrince, to whom she said:\n\n\u201cYou see, Prince, that you were right in supposing me to be no ordinary\ncat. My father reigned over six kingdoms. The Queen, my mother, whom he\nloved dearly, had a passion for traveling and exploring, and when I\nwas only a few weeks old she obtained his permission to visit a certain\nmountain of which she had heard many marvelous tales, and set out,\ntaking with her a number of her attendants. On the way they had to pass\nnear an old castle belonging to the fairies. Nobody had ever been into\nit, but it was reported to be full of the most wonderful things, and\nmy mother remembered to have heard that the fairies had in their garden\nsuch fruits as were to be seen and tasted nowhere else. She began to\nwish to try them for herself, and turned her steps in the direction of\nthe garden. On arriving at the door, which blazed with gold and jewels,\nshe ordered her servants to knock loudly, but it was useless; it seemed\nas if all the inhabitants of the castle must be asleep or dead. Now the\nmore difficult it became to obtain the fruit, the more the Queen was\ndetermined that have it she would. So she ordered that they should bring\nladders, and get over the wall into the garden; but though the wall did\nnot look very high, and they tied the ladders together to make them very\nlong, it was quite impossible to get to the top.\n\n\u201cThe Queen was in despair, but as night was coming on she ordered\nthat they should encamp just where they were, and went to bed herself,\nfeeling quite ill, she was so disappointed. In the middle of the night\nshe was suddenly awakened, and saw to her surprise a tiny, ugly old\nwoman seated by her bedside, who said to her:\n\n\u201c\u2018I must say that we consider it somewhat troublesome of your Majesty to\ninsist upon tasting our fruit; but to save you annoyance, my sisters\nand I will consent to give you as much as you can carry away, on one\ncondition--that is, that you shall give us your little daughter to bring\nup as our own.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Ah! my dear madam,\u2019 cried the Queen, \u2018is there nothing else that you\nwill take for the fruit? I will give you my kingdoms willingly.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018No,\u2019 replied the old fairy, \u2018we will have nothing but your little\ndaughter. She shall be as happy as the day is long, and we will give her\neverything that is worth having in fairy-land, but you must not see her\nagain until she is married.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Though it is a hard condition,\u2019 said the Queen, \u2018I consent, for I\nshall certainly die if I do not taste the fruit, and so I should lose my\nlittle daughter either way.\u2019\n\n\u201cSo the old fairy led her into the castle, and, though it was still the\nmiddle of the night, the Queen could see plainly that it was far more\nbeautiful than she had been told, which you can easily believe, Prince,\u201d\n said the White Cat, \u201cwhen I tell you that it was this castle that we are\nnow in. \u2018Will you gather the fruit yourself, Queen?\u2019 said the old fairy,\n\u2018or shall I call it to come to you?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018I beg you to let me see it come when it is called,\u2019 cried the Queen;\n\u2018that will be something quite new.\u2019 The old fairy whistled twice, then\nshe cried:\n\n\u201c\u2018Apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, pears, melons, grapes,\napples, oranges, lemons, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, come!\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd in an instant they came tumbling in one over another, and yet they\nwere neither dusty nor spoilt, and the Queen found them quite as good as\nshe had fancied them. You see they grew upon fairy trees.\n\n\u201cThe old fairy gave her golden baskets in which to take the fruit away,\nand it was as much as four hundred mules could carry. Then she reminded\nthe Queen of her agreement, and led her back to the camp, and next\nmorning she went back to her kingdom, but before she had gone very far\nshe began to repent of her bargain, and when the King came out to meet\nher she looked so sad that he guessed that something had happened, and\nasked what was the matter. At first the Queen was afraid to tell him,\nbut when, as soon as they reached the palace, five frightful little\ndwarfs were sent by the fairies to fetch me, she was obliged to confess\nwhat she had promised. The King was very angry, and had the Queen and\nmyself shut up in a great tower and safely guarded, and drove the little\ndwarfs out of his kingdom; but the fairies sent a great dragon who ate\nup all the people he met, and whose breath burnt up everything as he\npassed through the country; and at last, after trying in vain to rid\nhimself of this monster, the King, to save his subjects, was obliged to\nconsent that I should be given up to the fairies. This time they came\nthemselves to fetch me, in a chariot of pearl drawn by sea-horses,\nfollowed by the dragon, who was led with chains of diamonds. My cradle\nwas placed between the old fairies, who loaded me with caresses, and\naway we whirled through the air to a tower which they had built on\npurpose for me. There I grew up surrounded with everything that was\nbeautiful and rare, and learning everything that is ever taught to a\nprincess, but without any companions but a parrot and a little dog, who\ncould both talk; and receiving every day a visit from one of the old\nfairies, who came mounted upon the dragon. One day, however, as I sat at\nmy window I saw a handsome young prince, who seemed to have been hunting\nin the forest which surrounded my prison, and who was standing and\nlooking up at me. When he saw that I observed him he saluted me with\ngreat deference. You can imagine that I was delighted to have some one\nnew to talk to, and in spite of the height of my window our conversation\nwas prolonged till night fell, then my prince reluctantly bade me\nfarewell. But after that he came again many times and at last I\nconsented to marry him, but the question was how was I to escape from my\ntower. The fairies always supplied me with flax for my spinning, and by\ngreat diligence I made enough cord for a ladder that would reach to\nthe foot of the tower; but, alas! just as my prince was helping me to\ndescend it, the crossest and ugliest of the old fairies flew in. Before\nhe had time to defend himself my unhappy lover was swallowed up by the\ndragon. As for me, the fairies, furious at having their plans defeated,\nfor they intended me to marry the king of the dwarfs, and I utterly\nrefused, changed me into a white cat. When they brought me here I found\nall the lords and ladies of my father\u2019s court awaiting me under the same\nenchantment, while the people of lesser rank had been made invisible,\nall but their hands.\n\n\u201cAs they laid me under the enchantment the fairies told me all my\nhistory, for until then I had quite believed that I was their child, and\nwarned me that my only chance of regaining my natural form was to win\nthe love of a prince who resembled in every way my unfortunate lover.\n\n\u201cAnd you have won it, lovely Princess,\u201d interrupted the Prince.\n\n\u201cYou are indeed wonderfully like him,\u201d resumed the Princess--\u201cin voice,\nin features, and everything; and if you really love me all my troubles\nwill be at an end.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd mine too,\u201d cried the Prince, throwing himself at her feet, \u201cif you\nwill consent to marry me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI love you already better than anyone in the world,\u201d she said; \u201cbut\nnow it is time to go back to your father, and we shall hear what he says\nabout it.\u201d\n\nSo the Prince gave her his hand and led her out, and they mounted the\nchariot together; it was even more splendid than before, and so was the\nwhole company. Even the horses\u2019 shoes were of rubies with diamond nails,\nand I suppose that is the first time such a thing was ever seen.\n\nAs the Princess was as kind and clever as she was beautiful, you may\nimagine what a delightful journey the Prince found it, for everything\nthe Princess said seemed to him quite charming.\n\nWhen they came near the castle where the brothers were to meet, the\nPrincess got into a chair carried by four of the guards; it was hewn out\nof one splendid crystal, and had silken curtains, which she drew round\nher that she might not be seen.\n\nThe Prince saw his brothers walking upon the terrace, each with a lovely\nprincess, and they came to meet him, asking if he had also found a wife.\nHe said that he had found something much rarer--a white cat! At which\nthey laughed very much, and asked him if he was afraid of being eaten up\nby mice in the palace. And then they set out together for the town. Each\nprince and princess rode in a splendid carriage; the horses were decked\nwith plumes of feathers, and glittered with gold. After them came the\nyoungest prince, and last of all the crystal chair, at which everybody\nlooked with admiration and curiosity. When the courtiers saw them coming\nthey hastened to tell the King.\n\n\u201cAre the ladies beautiful?\u201d he asked anxiously.\n\nAnd when they answered that nobody had ever before seen such lovely\nprincesses he seemed quite annoyed.\n\nHowever, he received them graciously, but found it impossible to choose\nbetween them.\n\nThen turning to his youngest son he said:\n\n\u201cHave you come back alone, after all?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour Majesty,\u201d replied the Prince, \u201cwill find in that crystal chair a\nlittle white cat, which has such soft paws, and mews so prettily, that I\nam sure you will be charmed with it.\u201d\n\nThe King smiled, and went to draw back the curtains himself, but at a\ntouch from the Princess the crystal shivered into a thousand splinters,\nand there she stood in all her beauty; her fair hair floated over her\nshoulders and was crowned with flowers, and her softly falling robe was\nof the purest white. She saluted the King gracefully, while a murmur of\nadmiration rose from all around.\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d she said, \u201cI am not come to deprive you of the throne you fill\nso worthily. I have already six kingdoms, permit me to bestow one upon\nyou, and upon each of your sons. I ask nothing but your friendship, and\nyour consent to my marriage with your youngest son; we shall still have\nthree kingdoms left for ourselves.\u201d\n\nThe King and all the courtiers could not conceal their joy and\nastonishment, and the marriage of the three Princes was celebrated at\nonce. The festivities lasted several months, and then each king and\nqueen departed to their own kingdom and lived happily ever after.(1)\n\n\n(1) La Chatte blanche. Par Madame la Comtesse d\u2019Aulnoy.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS\n\n\nOnce upon a time, in a large forest, there lived an old woman and\nthree maidens. They were all three beautiful, but the youngest was the\nfairest. Their hut was quite hidden by trees, and none saw their beauty\nbut the sun by day, and the moon by night, and the eyes of the stars.\nThe old woman kept the girls hard at work, from morning till night,\nspinning gold flax into yarn, and when one distaff was empty another was\ngiven them, so they had no rest. The thread had to be fine and even, and\nwhen done was locked up in a secret chamber by the old woman, who twice\nor thrice every summer went a journey. Before she went she gave out work\nfor each day of her absence, and always returned in the night, so that\nthe girls never saw what she brought back with her, neither would she\ntell them whence the gold flax came, nor what it was to be used for.\n\nNow, when the time came round for the old woman to set out on one of\nthese journeys, she gave each maiden work for six days, with the usual\nwarning: \u201cChildren, don\u2019t let your eyes wander, and on no account speak\nto a man, for, if you do, your thread will lose its brightness, and\nmisfortunes of all kinds will follow.\u201d They laughed at this oft-repeated\ncaution, saying to each other: \u201cHow can our gold thread lose its\nbrightness, and have we any chance of speaking to a man?\u201d\n\nOn the third day after the old woman\u2019s departure a young prince, hunting\nin the forest, got separated from his companions, and completely lost.\nWeary of seeking his way, he flung himself down under a tree, leaving\nhis horse to browse at will, and fell asleep.\n\nThe sun had set when he awoke and began once more to try and find his\nway out of the forest. At last he perceived a narrow foot-path, which he\neagerly followed and found that it led him to a small hut. The maidens,\nwho were sitting at the door of their hut for coolness, saw him\napproaching, and the two elder were much alarmed, for they remembered\nthe old woman\u2019s warning; but the youngest said: \u201cNever before have I\nseen anyone like him; let me have one look.\u201d They entreated her to come\nin, but, seeing that she would not, left her, and the Prince, coming up,\ncourteously greeted the maiden, and told her he had lost his way in the\nforest and was both hungry and weary. She set food before him, and\nwas so delighted with his conversation that she forgot the old woman\u2019s\ncaution, and lingered for hours. In the meantime the Prince\u2019s companions\nsought him far and wide, but to no purpose, so they sent two messengers\nto tell the sad news to the King, who immediately ordered a regiment of\ncavalry and one of infantry to go and look for him.\n\nAfter three days\u2019 search, they found the hut. The Prince was still\nsitting by the door and had been so happy in the maiden\u2019s company that\nthe time had seemed like a single hour. Before leaving he promised to\nreturn and fetch her to his father\u2019s court, where he would make her his\nbride. When he had gone, she sat down to her wheel to make up for\nlost time, but was dismayed to find that her thread had lost all\nits brightness. Her heart beat fast and she wept bitterly, for she\nremembered the old woman\u2019s warning and knew not what misfortune might\nnow befall her.\n\nThe old woman returned in the night and knew by the tarnished thread\nwhat had happened in her absence. She was furiously angry and told\nthe maiden that she had brought down misery both on herself and on the\nPrince. The maiden could not rest for thinking of this. At last she\ncould bear it no longer, and resolved to seek help from the Prince.\n\nAs a child she had learned to understand the speech of birds, and this\nwas now of great use to her, for, seeing a raven pluming itself on a\npine bough, she cried softly to it: \u201cDear bird, cleverest of all birds,\nas well as swiftest on wing, wilt thou help me?\u201d \u201cHow can I help\nthee?\u201d asked the raven. She answered: \u201cFly away, until thou comest to a\nsplendid town, where stands a king\u2019s palace; seek out the king\u2019s son\nand tell him that a great misfortune has befallen me.\u201d Then she told the\nraven how her thread had lost its brightness, how terribly angry the old\nwoman was, and how she feared some great disaster. The raven promised\nfaithfully to do her bidding, and, spreading its wings, flew away. The\nmaiden now went home and worked hard all day at winding up the yarn her\nelder sisters had spun, for the old woman would let her spin no longer.\nToward evening she heard the raven\u2019s \u201ccraa, craa,\u201d from the pine tree\nand eagerly hastened thither to hear the answer.\n\nBy great good fortune the raven had found a wind wizard\u2019s son in the\npalace garden, who understood the speech of birds, and to him he had\nentrusted the message. When the Prince heard it, he was very sorrowful,\nand took counsel with his friends how to free the maiden. Then he said\nto the wind wizard\u2019s son: \u201cBeg the raven to fly quickly back to the\nmaiden and tell her to be ready on the ninth night, for then will I come\nand fetch her away.\u201d The wind wizard\u2019s son did this, and the raven flew\nso swiftly that it reached the hut that same evening. The maiden thanked\nthe bird heartily and went home, telling no one what she had heard.\n\nAs the ninth night drew near she became very unhappy, for she feared\nlest some terrible mischance should arise and ruin all. On this night\nshe crept quietly out of the house and waited trembling at some little\ndistance from the hut. Presently she heard the muffled tramp of horses,\nand soon the armed troop appeared, led by the Prince, who had prudently\nmarked all the trees beforehand, in order to know the way. When he saw\nthe maiden he sprang from his horse, lifted her into the saddle, and\nthen, mounting behind, rode homeward. The moon shone so brightly that\nthey had no difficulty in seeing the marked trees.\n\nBy and by the coming of dawn loosened the tongues of all the birds,\nand, had the Prince only known what they were saying, or the maiden\nbeen listening, they might have been spared much sorrow, but they were\nthinking only of each other, and when they came out of the forest the\nsun was high in the heavens.\n\nNext morning, when the youngest girl did not come to her work, the old\nwoman asked where she was. The sisters pretended not to know, but the\nold woman easily guessed what had happened, and, as she was in reality\na wicked witch, determined to punish the fugitives. Accordingly, she\ncollected nine different kinds of enchanters\u2019 nightshade, added some\nsalt, which she first bewitched, and, doing all up in a cloth into the\nshape of a fluffy ball, sent it after them on the wings of the wind,\nsaying:\n\n  \u201cWhirlwind!--mother of the wind!\n  Lend thy aid \u2018gainst her who sinned!\n  Carry with thee this magic ball.\n  Cast her from his arms for ever,\n  Bury her in the rippling river.\u201d\n\n\nAt midday the Prince and his men came to a deep river, spanned by so\nnarrow a bridge that only one rider could cross at a time. The horse on\nwhich the Prince and the maiden were riding had just reached the middle\nwhen the magic ball flew by. The horse in its fright suddenly reared,\nand before anyone could stop it flung the maiden into the swift current\nbelow. The Prince tried to jump in after her, but his men held him back,\nand in spite of his struggles led him home, where for six weeks he shut\nhimself up in a secret chamber, and would neither eat nor drink, so\ngreat was his grief. At last he became so ill his life was despaired of,\nand in great alarm the King caused all the wizards of his country to be\nsummoned. But none could cure him. At last the wind wizard\u2019s son said to\nthe King: \u201cSend for the old wizard from Finland he knows more than all\nthe wizards of your kingdom put together.\u201d A messenger was at once sent\nto Finland, and a week later the old wizard himself arrived on the wings\nof the wind. \u201cHonored King,\u201d said the wizard, \u201cthe wind has blown this\nillness upon your son, and a magic ball has snatched away his beloved.\nThis it is which makes him grieve so constantly. Let the wind blow upon\nhim that it may blow away his sorrow.\u201d Then the King made his son go\nout into the wind, and he gradually recovered and told his father all.\n\u201cForget the maiden,\u201d said the King, \u201cand take another bride\u201d; but the\nPrince said he could never love another.\n\nA year afterward he came suddenly upon the bridge where his beloved met\nher death. As he recalled the misfortune he wept bitterly, and would\nhave given all he possessed to have her once more alive. In the midst\nof his grief he thought he heard a voice singing, and looked round, but\ncould see no one. Then he heard the voice again, and it said:\n\n\u201cAlas! bewitched and all forsaken,  \u2018Tis I must lie for ever here!\nMy beloved no thought has taken  To free his bride, that was so dear.\u201d\n\nHe was greatly astonished, sprang from his horse, and looked everywhere\nto see if no one were hidden under the bridge; but no one was there.\nThen he noticed a yellow water-lily floating on the surface of the\nwater, half hidden by its broad leaves; but flowers do not sing, and\nin great surprise he waited, hoping to hear more. Then again the voice\nsang:\n\n     \u201cAlas! bewitched and all forsaken,\n       \u2018Tis I must lie for ever here!\n     My beloved no thought has taken\n       To free his bride, that was so dear.\u201d\n\nThe Prince suddenly remembered the gold-spinners, and said to himself:\n\u201cIf I ride thither, who knows but that they could explain this to me?\u201d\n He at once rode to the hut, and found the two maidens at the fountain.\nHe told them what had befallen their sister the year before, and how he\nhad twice heard a strange song, but yet could see no singer. They said\nthat the yellow water-lily could be none other than their sister, who\nwas not dead, but transformed by the magic ball. Before he went to bed,\nthe eldest made a cake of magic herbs, which she gave him to eat. In the\nnight he dreamed that he was living in the forest and could understand\nall that the birds said to each other. Next morning he told this to the\nmaidens, and they said that the charmed cake had caused it, and advised\nhim to listen well to the birds, and see what they could tell him, and\nwhen he had recovered his bride they begged him to return and deliver\nthem from their wretched bondage.\n\nHaving promised this, he joyfully returned home, and as he was riding\nthrough the forest he could perfectly understand all that the birds\nsaid. He heard a thrush say to a magpie: \u201cHow stupid men are! they\ncannot understand the simplest thing. It is now quite a year since the\nmaiden was transformed into a water-lily, and, though she sings so sadly\nthat anyone going over the bridge must hear her, yet no one comes to\nher aid. Her former bridegroom rode over it a few days ago and heard her\nsinging, but was no wiser than the rest.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd he is to blame for all her misfortunes,\u201d added the magpie. \u201cIf he\nheeds only the words of men she will remain a flower for ever. She\nwere soon delivered were the matter only laid before the old wizard of\nFinland.\u201d\n\nAfter hearing this, the Prince wondered how he could get a message\nconveyed to Finland. He heard one swallow say to another: \u201cCome, let us\nfly to Finland; we can build better nests there.\u201d\n\n\u201cStop, kind friends!\u201d cried the Prince. \u201cWill you do something for me?\u201d\n The birds consented, and he said: \u201cTake a thousand greetings from me\nto the wizard of Finland, and ask him how I may restore a maiden\ntransformed into a flower to her own form.\u201d\n\nThe swallows flew away, and the Prince rode on to the bridge. There he\nwaited, hoping to hear the song. But he heard nothing but the rushing of\nthe water and the moaning of the wind, and, disappointed, rode home.\n\nShortly after, he was sitting in the garden, thinking that the swallows\nmust have forgotten his message, when he saw an eagle flying above him.\nThe bird gradually descended until it perched on a tree close to the\nPrince and said: \u201cThe wizard of Finland greets thee and bids me say that\nthou mayest free the maiden thus: Go to the river and smear thyself all\nover with mud; then say: \u2018From a man into a crab,\u2019 and thou wilt become\na crab. Plunge boldly into the water, swim as close as thou canst to the\nwater-lily\u2019s roots, and loosen them from the mud and reeds. This done,\nfasten thy claws into the roots and rise with them to the surface. Let\nthe water flow all over the flower, and drift with the current until\nthou comest to a mountain ash tree on the left bank. There is near it\na large stone. Stop there and say: \u2018From a crab into a man, from a\nwater-lily into a maiden,\u2019 and ye both will be restored to your own\nforms.\u201d\n\nFull of doubt and fear, the Prince let some time pass before he was bold\nenough to attempt to rescue the maiden. Then a crow said to him: \u201cWhy\ndost thou hesitate? The old wizard has not told thee wrong, neither have\nthe birds deceived thee; hasten and dry the maiden\u2019s tears.\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing worse than death can befall me,\u201d thought the Prince, \u201cand death\nis better than endless sorrow.\u201d So he mounted his horse and went to\nthe bridge. Again he heard the water-lily\u2019s lament, and, hesitating no\nlonger, smeared himself all over with mud, and, saying: \u201cFrom a man into\na crab,\u201d plunged into the river. For one moment the water hissed in\nhis ears, and then all was silent. He swam up to the plant and began\nto loosen its roots, but so firmly were they fixed in the mud and reeds\nthat this took him a long time. He then grasped them and rose to the\nsurface, letting the water flow over the flower. The current carried\nthem down the stream, but nowhere could he see the mountain ash. At last\nhe saw it, and close by the large stone. Here he stopped and said: \u201cFrom\na crab into a man, from a water-lily into a maiden,\u201d and to his delight\nfound himself once more a prince, and the maiden was by his side. She\nwas ten times more beautiful than before, and wore a magnificent pale\nyellow robe, sparkling with jewels. She thanked him for having freed her\nfrom the cruel witch\u2019s power, and willingly consented to marry him.\n\nBut when they came to the bridge where he had left his horse it was\nnowhere to be seen, for, though the Prince thought he had been a crab\nonly a few hours, he had in reality been under the water for more than\nten days. While they were wondering how they should reach his father\u2019s\ncourt, they saw a splendid coach driven by six gaily caparisoned horses\ncoming along the bank. In this they drove to the palace. The King and\nQueen were at church, weeping for their son, whom they had long mourned\nfor dead. Great was their delight and astonishment when the Prince\nentered, leading the beautiful maiden by the hand. The wedding was at\nonce celebrated and there was feasting and merry-making throughout the\nkingdom for six weeks.\n\nSome time afterward the Prince and his bride were sitting in the garden,\nwhen a crow said to them: \u201cUngrateful creatures! Have you forgotten the\ntwo poor maidens who helped you in your distress? Must they spin gold\nflax for ever? Have no pity on the old witch. The three maidens are\nprincesses, whom she stole away when they were children together, with\nall the silver utensils, which she turned into gold flax. Poison were\nher fittest punishment.\u201d\n\nThe Prince was ashamed of having forgotten his promise and set out at\nonce, and by great good fortune reached the hut when the old woman was\naway. The maidens had dreamed that he was coming, and were ready to go\nwith him, but first they made a cake in which they put poison, and\nleft it on a table where the old woman was likely to see it when she\nreturned. She _did_ see it, and thought it looked so tempting that she\ngreedily ate it up and at once died.\n\nIn the secret chamber were found fifty wagon-loads of gold flax, and as\nmuch more was discovered buried. The hut was razed to the ground, and\nthe Prince and his bride and her two sisters lived happily ever after.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TERRIBLE HEAD\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king whose only child was a girl. Now the\nKing had been very anxious to have a son, or at least a grandson, to\ncome after him, but he was told by a prophet whom he consulted that his\nown daughter\u2019s son should kill him. This news terrified him so much that\nhe determined never to let his daughter be married, for he thought it\nwas better to have no grandson at all than to be killed by his grandson.\nHe therefore called his workmen together, and bade them dig a deep round\nhole in the earth, and then he had a prison of brass built in the hole,\nand then, when it was finished, he locked up his daughter. No man ever\nsaw her, and she never saw even the fields and the sea, but only the sky\nand the sun, for there was a wide open window in the roof of the house\nof brass. So the Princess would sit looking up at the sky, and watching\nthe clouds float across, and wondering whether she should ever get out\nof her prison. Now one day it seemed to her that the sky opened above\nher, and a great shower of shining gold fell through the window in the\nroof, and lay glittering in her room. Not very long after, the Princess\nhad a baby, a little boy, but when the King her father heard of it he\nwas very angry and afraid, for now the child was born that should be his\ndeath. Yet, cowardly as he was, he had not quite the heart to kill\nthe Princess and her baby outright, but he had them put in a huge\nbrass-bound chest and thrust out to sea, that they might either be\ndrowned or starved, or perhaps come to a country where they would be out\nof his way.\n\nSo the Princess and the baby floated and drifted in the chest on the sea\nall day and night, but the baby was not afraid of the waves nor of the\nwind, for he did not know that they could hurt him, and he slept quite\nsoundly. And the Princess sang a song over him, and this was her song:\n\n  \u201cChild, my child, how sound you sleep!\n  Though your mother\u2019s care is deep,\n  You can lie with heart at rest\n  In the narrow brass-bound chest;\n  In the starless night and drear\n  You can sleep, and never hear\n  Billows breaking, and the cry\n  Of the night-wind wandering by;\n  In soft purple mantle sleeping\n  With your little face on mine,\n  Hearing not your mother weeping\n  And the breaking of the brine.\u201d\n\n\nWell, the daylight came at last, and the great chest was driven by the\nwaves against the shore of an island. There the brass-bound chest lay,\nwith the Princess and her baby in it, till a man of that country came\npast, and saw it, and dragged it on to the beach, and when he had broken\nit open, behold! there was a beautiful lady and a little boy. So he took\nthem home, and was very kind to them, and brought up the boy till he was\na young man. Now when the boy had come to his full strength the King of\nthat country fell in love with his mother, and wanted to marry her, but\nhe knew that she would never part from her boy. So he thought of a plan\nto get rid of the boy, and this was his plan: A great Queen of a country\nnot far off was going to be married, and this king said that all his\nsubjects must bring him wedding presents to give her. And he made a\nfeast to which he invited them all, and they all brought their presents;\nsome brought gold cups, and some brought necklaces of gold and amber,\nand some brought beautiful horses; but the boy had nothing, though he\nwas the son of a princess, for his mother had nothing to give him. Then\nthe rest of the company began to laugh at him, and the King said: \u201cIf\nyou have nothing else to give, at least you might go and fetch the\nTerrible Head.\u201d\n\nThe boy was proud, and spoke without thinking:\n\n\u201cThen I swear that I _will_ bring the Terrible Head, if it may be\nbrought by a living man. But of what head you speak I know not.\u201d\n\nThen they told him that somewhere, a long way off, there dwelt three\ndreadful sisters, monstrous ogrish women, with golden wings and claws\nof brass, and with serpents growing on their heads instead of hair. Now\nthese women were so awful to look on that whoever saw them was turned\nat once into stone. And two of them could not be put to death, but the\nyoungest, whose face was very beautiful, could be killed, and it was\n_her_ head that the boy had promised to bring. You may imagine it was no\neasy adventure.\n\nWhen he heard all this he was perhaps sorry that he had sworn to bring\nthe Terrible Head, but he was determined to keep his oath. So he went\nout from the feast, where they all sat drinking and making merry, and\nhe walked alone beside the sea in the dusk of the evening, at the place\nwhere the great chest, with himself and his mother in it, had been cast\nashore.\n\nThere he went and sat down on a rock, looking toward the sea, and\nwondering how he should begin to fulfill his vow. Then he felt some one\ntouch him on the shoulder; and he turned, and saw a young man like a\nking\u2019s son, having with him a tall and beautiful lady, whose blue eyes\nshone like stars. They were taller than mortal men, and the young man\nhad a staff in his hand with golden wings on it, and two golden serpents\ntwisted round it, and he had wings on his cap and on his shoes. He spoke\nto the boy, and asked him why he was so unhappy; and the boy told him\nhow he had sworn to bring the Terrible Head, and knew not how to begin\nto set about the adventure.\n\nThen the beautiful lady also spoke, and said that \u201cit was a foolish oath\nand a hasty, but it might be kept if a brave man had sworn it.\u201d Then the\nboy answered that he was not afraid, if only he knew the way.\n\nThen the lady said that to kill the dreadful woman with the golden wings\nand the brass claws, and to cut off her head, he needed three things:\nfirst, a Cap of Darkness, which would make him invisible when he wore\nit; next, a Sword of Sharpness, which would cleave iron at one blow; and\nlast, the Shoes of Swiftness, with which he might fly in the air.\n\nThe boy answered that he knew not where such things were to be procured,\nand that, wanting them, he could only try and fail. Then the young man,\ntaking off his own shoes, said: \u201cFirst, you shall use these shoes till\nyou have taken the Terrible Head, and then you must give them back to\nme. And with these shoes you will fly as fleet as a bird, or a thought,\nover the land or over the waves of the sea, wherever the shoes know the\nway. But there are ways which they do not know, roads beyond the borders\nof the world. And these roads have you to travel. Now first you must\ngo to the Three Gray Sisters, who live far off in the north, and are so\nvery cold that they have only one eye and one tooth among the three. You\nmust creep up close to them, and as one of them passes the eye to the\nother you must seize it, and refuse to give it up till they have told\nyou the way to the Three Fairies of the Garden, and _they_ will give you\nthe Cap of Darkness and the Sword of Sharpness, and show you how to wing\nbeyond this world to the land of the Terrible Head.\u201d\n\nThen the beautiful lady said: \u201cGo forth at once, and do not return to\nsay good-by to your mother, for these things must be done quickly, and\nthe Shoes of Swiftness themselves will carry you to the land of the\nThree Gray Sisters--for they know the measure of that way.\u201d\n\nSo the boy thanked her, and he fastened on the Shoes of Swiftness, and\nturned to say good-by to the young man and the lady. But, behold! they\nhad vanished, he knew not how or where! Then he leaped in the air to try\nthe Shoes of Swiftness, and they carried him more swiftly than the wind,\nover the warm blue sea, over the happy lands of the south, over the\nnorthern peoples who drank mare\u2019s milk and lived in great wagons,\nwandering after their flocks. Across the wide rivers, where the wild\nfowl rose and fled before him, and over the plains and the cold North\nSea he went, over the fields of snow and the hills of ice, to a place\nwhere the world ends, and all water is frozen, and there are no men, nor\nbeasts, nor any green grass. There in a blue cave of the ice he found\nthe Three Gray Sisters, the oldest of living things. Their hair was as\nwhite as the snow, and their flesh of an icy blue, and they mumbled and\nnodded in a kind of dream, and their frozen breath hung round them like\na cloud. Now the opening of the cave in the ice was narrow, and it\nwas not easy to pass in without touching one of the Gray Sisters. But,\nfloating on the Shoes of Swiftness, the boy just managed to steal in,\nand waited till one of the sisters said to another, who had their one\neye:\n\n\u201cSister, what do you see? do you see old times coming back?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, sister.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen give _me_ the eye, for perhaps I can see farther than you.\u201d\n\nThen the first sister passed the eye to the second, but as the second\ngroped for it the boy caught it cleverly out of her hand.\n\n\u201cWhere is the eye, sister?\u201d said the second gray woman.\n\n\u201cYou have taken it yourself, sister,\u201d said the first gray woman.\n\n\u201cHave you lost the eye, sister? have you lost the eye?\u201d said the third\ngray woman; \u201cshall we _never_ find it again, and see old times coming\nback?\u201d\n\nThen the boy slipped from behind them out of the cold cave into the air,\nand he laughed aloud.\n\nWhen the gray women heard that laugh they began to weep, for now they\nknew that a stranger had robbed them, and that they could not help\nthemselves, and their tears froze as they fell from the hollows where no\neyes were, and rattled on the icy ground of the cave. Then they began to\nimplore the boy to give them their eye back again, and he could not help\nbeing sorry for them, they were so pitiful. But he said he would never\ngive them the eye till they told him the way to the Fairies of the\nGarden.\n\nThen they wrung their hands miserably, for they guessed why he had come,\nand how he was going to try to win the Terrible Head. Now the Dreadful\nWomen were akin to the Three Gray Sisters, and it was hard for them to\ntell the boy the way. But at last they told him to keep always south,\nand with the land on his left and the sea on his right, till he reached\nthe Island of the Fairies of the Garden. Then he gave them back the\neye, and they began to look out once more for the old times coming back\nagain. But the boy flew south between sea and land, keeping the land\nalways on his left hand, till he saw a beautiful island crowned with\nflowering trees. There he alighted, and there he found the Three Fairies\nof the Garden. They were like three very beautiful young women, dressed\none in green, one in white, and one in red, and they were dancing and\nsinging round an apple tree with apples of gold, and this was their\nsong:\n\n       THE SONG OF THE WESTERN FAIRIES\n\n     Round and round the apples of gold,\n       Round and round dance we;\n     Thus do we dance from the days of old\n       About the enchanted tree;\n     Round, and round, and round we go,\n     While the spring is green, or the stream shall flow,\n       Or the wind shall stir the sea!\n\n     There is none may taste of the golden fruit\n       Till the golden new time come\n     Many a tree shall spring from shoot,\n     Many a blossom be withered at root,\n       Many a song be dumb;\n     Broken and still shall be many a lute\n       Or ever the new times come!\n\n     Round and round the tree of gold,\n       Round and round dance we,\n     So doth the great world spin from of old,\n     Summer and winter, and fire and cold,\n     Song that is sung, and tale that is told,\n     Even as we dance, that fold and unfold\n       Round the stem of the fairy tree!\n\n\nThese grave dancing fairies were very unlike the Grey Women, and they\nwere glad to see the boy, and treated him kindly. Then they asked him\nwhy he had come; and he told them how he was sent to find the Sword of\nSharpness and the Cap of Darkness. And the fairies gave him these, and\na wallet, and a shield, and belted the sword, which had a diamond blade,\nround his waist, and the cap they set on his head, and told him that now\neven they could not see him though they were fairies. Then he took it\noff, and they each kissed him and wished him good fortune, and then they\nbegan again their eternal dance round the golden tree, for it is their\nbusiness to guard it till the new times come, or till the world\u2019s\nending. So the boy put the cap on his head, and hung the wallet round\nhis waist, and the shining shield on his shoulders, and flew beyond the\ngreat river that lies coiled like a serpent round the whole world. And\nby the banks of that river, there he found the three Terrible Women all\nasleep beneath a poplar tree, and the dead poplar leaves lay all about\nthem. Their golden wings were folded and their brass claws were crossed,\nand two of them slept with their hideous heads beneath their wings\nlike birds, and the serpents in their hair writhed out from under the\nfeathers of gold. But the youngest slept between her two sisters, and\nshe lay on her back, with her beautiful sad face turned to the sky; and\nthough she slept her eyes were wide open. If the boy had seen her he\nwould have been changed into stone by the terror and the pity of it,\nshe was so awful; but he had thought of a plan for killing her without\nlooking on her face. As soon as he caught sight of the three from far\noff he took his shining shield from his shoulders, and held it up like\na mirror, so that he saw the Dreadful Women reflected in it, and did not\nsee the Terrible Head itself. Then he came nearer and nearer, till he\nreckoned that he was within a sword\u2019s stroke of the youngest, and he\nguessed where he should strike a back blow behind him. Then he drew the\nSword of Sharpness and struck once, and the Terrible Head was cut from\nthe shoulders of the creature, and the blood leaped out and struck him\nlike a blow. But he thrust the Terrible Head into his wallet, and flew\naway without looking behind. Then the two Dreadful Sisters who were left\nwakened, and rose in the air like great birds; and though they could not\nsee him because of his Cap of Darkness, they flew after him up the wind,\nfollowing by the scent through the clouds, like hounds hunting in a\nwood. They came so close that he could hear the clatter of their golden\nwings, and their shrieks to each other: \u201c_here, here,_\u201d \u201c_no, there;\nthis way he went,_\u201d as they chased him. But the Shoes of Swiftness flew\ntoo fast for them, and at last their cries and the rattle of their wings\ndied away as he crossed the great river that runs round the world.\n\nNow when the horrible creatures were far in the distance, and the boy\nfound himself on the right side of the river, he flew straight eastward,\ntrying to seek his own country. But as he looked down from the air he\nsaw a very strange sight--a beautiful girl chained to a stake at the\nhigh-water mark of the sea. The girl was so frightened or so tired that\nshe was only prevented from falling by the iron chain about her waist,\nand there she hung, as if she were dead. The boy was very sorry for her\nand flew down and stood beside her. When he spoke she raised her head\nand looked round, but his voice only seemed to frighten her. Then he\nremembered that he was wearing the Cap of Darkness, and that she could\nonly hear him, not see him. So he took it off, and there he stood before\nher, the handsomest young man she had ever seen in all her life, with\nshort curly yellow hair, and blue eyes, and a laughing face. And he\nthought her the most beautiful girl in the world. So first with one blow\nof the Sword of Sharpness he cut the iron chain that bound her, and then\nhe asked her what she did there, and why men treated her so cruelly. And\nshe told him that she was the daughter of the King of that country, and\nthat she was tied there to be eaten by a monstrous beast out of the sea;\nfor the beast came and devoured a girl every day. Now the lot had fallen\non her; and as she was just saying this a long fierce head of a cruel\nsea creature rose out of the waves and snapped at the girl. But the\nbeast had been too greedy and too hurried, so he missed his aim the\nfirst time. Before he could rise and bite again the boy had whipped the\nTerrible Head out of his wallet and held it up. And when the sea beast\nleaped out once more its eyes fell on the head, and instantly it was\nturned into a stone. And the stone beast is there on the sea-coast to\nthis day.\n\nThen the boy and the girl went to the palace of the King, her father,\nwhere everyone was weeping for her death, and they could hardly believe\ntheir eyes when they saw her come back well. And the King and Queen made\nmuch of the boy, and could not contain themselves for delight when they\nfound he wanted to marry their daughter. So the two were married with\nthe most splendid rejoicings, and when they had passed some time at\ncourt they went home in a ship to the boy\u2019s own country. For he could\nnot carry his bride through the air, so he took the Shoes of Swiftness,\nand the Cap of Darkness, and the Sword of Sharpness up to a lonely place\nin the hills. There he left them, and there they were found by the man\nand woman who had met him at home beside the sea, and had helped him to\nstart on his journey.\n\nWhen this had been done the boy and his bride set forth for home, and\nlanded at the harbor of his native land. But whom should he meet in the\nvery street of the town but his own mother, flying for her life from the\nwicked King, who now wished to kill her because he found that she would\nnever marry him! For if she had liked the King ill before, she liked him\nfar worse now that he had caused her son to disappear so suddenly. She\ndid not know, of course, where the boy had gone, but thought the King\nhad slain him secretly. So now she was running for her very life,\nand the wicked King was following her with a sword in his hand. Then,\nbehold! she ran into her son\u2019s very arms, but he had only time to kiss\nher and step in front of her, when the King struck at him with his\nsword. The boy caught the blow on his shield, and cried to the King:\n\n\u201cI swore to bring you the Terrible Head, and see how I keep my oath!\u201d\n\nThen he drew forth the head from his wallet, and when the King\u2019s eyes\nfell on it, instantly he was turned into stone, just as he stood there\nwith his sword lifted!\n\nNow all the people rejoiced, because the wicked King should rule them no\nlonger. And they asked the boy to be their king, but he said no, he must\ntake his mother home to her father\u2019s house. So the people chose for king\nthe man who had been kind to his mother when first she was cast on the\nisland in the great chest.\n\nPresently the boy and his mother and his wife set sail for his mother\u2019s\nown country, from which she had been driven so unkindly. But on the way\nthey stayed at the court of a king, and it happened that he was\nholding games, and giving prizes to the best runners, boxers, and\nquoit-throwers. Then the boy would try his strength with the rest, but\nhe threw the quoit so far that it went beyond what had ever been thrown\nbefore, and fell in the crowd, striking a man so that he died. Now this\nman was no other than the father of the boy\u2019s mother, who had fled away\nfrom his own kingdom for fear his grandson should find him and kill him\nafter all. Thus he was destroyed by his own cowardice and by chance, and\nthus the prophecy was fulfilled. But the boy and his wife and his mother\nwent back to the kingdom that was theirs, and lived long and happily\nafter all their troubles.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a princess who was the prettiest creature in\nthe world. And because she was so beautiful, and because her hair was\nlike the finest gold, and waved and rippled nearly to the ground, she\nwas called Pretty Goldilocks. She always wore a crown of flowers, and\nher dresses were embroidered with diamonds and pearls, and everybody who\nsaw her fell in love with her.\n\nNow one of her neighbors was a young king who was not married. He was\nvery rich and handsome, and when he heard all that was said about Pretty\nGoldilocks, though he had never seen her, he fell so deeply in love\nwith her that he could neither eat nor drink. So he resolved to send an\nambassador to ask her in marriage. He had a splendid carriage made for\nhis ambassador, and gave him more than a hundred horses and a hundred\nservants, and told him to be sure and bring the Princess back with him.\nAfter he had started nothing else was talked of at Court, and the King\nfelt so sure that the Princess would consent that he set his people to\nwork at pretty dresses and splendid furniture, that they might be\nready by the time she came. Meanwhile, the ambassador arrived at the\nPrincess\u2019s palace and delivered his little message, but whether she\nhappened to be cross that day, or whether the compliment did not please\nher, is not known. She only answered that she was very much obliged\nto the King, but she had no wish to be married. The ambassador set off\nsadly on his homeward way, bringing all the King\u2019s presents back with\nhim, for the Princess was too well brought up to accept the pearls\nand diamonds when she would not accept the King, so she had only kept\ntwenty-five English pins that he might not be vexed.\n\nWhen the ambassador reached the city, where the King was waiting\nimpatiently, everybody was very much annoyed with him for not bringing\nthe Princess, and the King cried like a baby, and nobody could console\nhim. Now there was at the Court a young man, who was more clever and\nhandsome than anyone else. He was called Charming, and everyone loved\nhim, excepting a few envious people who were angry at his being the\nKing\u2019s favorite and knowing all the State secrets. He happened to one\nday be with some people who were speaking of the ambassador\u2019s return\nand saying that his going to the Princess had not done much good, when\nCharming said rashly:\n\n\u201cIf the King had sent me to the Princess Goldilocks I am sure she would\nhave come back with me.\u201d\n\nHis enemies at once went to the King and said:\n\n\u201cYou will hardly believe, sire, what Charming has the audacity to\nsay--that if _he_ had been sent to the Princess Goldilocks she would\ncertainly have come back with him. He seems to think that he is so much\nhandsomer than you that the Princess would have fallen in love with him\nand followed him willingly.\u201d The King was very angry when he heard this.\n\n\u201cHa, ha!\u201d said he; \u201cdoes he laugh at my unhappiness, and think himself\nmore fascinating than I am? Go, and let him be shut up in my great tower\nto die of hunger.\u201d\n\nSo the King\u2019s guards went to fetch Charming, who had thought no more of\nhis rash speech, and carried him off to prison with great cruelty. The\npoor prisoner had only a little straw for his bed, and but for a little\nstream of water which flowed through the tower he would have died of\nthirst.\n\nOne day when he was in despair he said to himself:\n\n\u201cHow can I have offended the King? I am his most faithful subject, and\nhave done nothing against him.\u201d\n\nThe King chanced to be passing the tower and recognized the voice of his\nformer favorite. He stopped to listen in spite of Charming\u2019s enemies,\nwho tried to persuade him to have nothing more to do with the traitor.\nBut the King said:\n\n\u201cBe quiet, I wish to hear what he says.\u201d\n\nAnd then he opened the tower door and called to Charming, who came very\nsadly and kissed the King\u2019s hand, saying:\n\n\u201cWhat have I done, sire, to deserve this cruel treatment?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou mocked me and my ambassador,\u201d said the King, \u201cand you said that\nif I had sent you for the Princess Goldilocks you would certainly have\nbrought her back.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is quite true, sire,\u201d replied Charming; \u201cI should have drawn such a\npicture of you, and represented your good qualities in such a way,\nthat I am certain the Princess would have found you irresistible. But I\ncannot see what there is in that to make you angry.\u201d\n\nThe King could not see any cause for anger either when the matter was\npresented to him in this light, and he began to frown very fiercely at\nthe courtiers who had so misrepresented his favorite.\n\nSo he took Charming back to the palace with him, and after seeing that\nhe had a very good supper he said to him:\n\n\u201cYou know that I love Pretty Goldilocks as much as ever, her refusal has\nnot made any difference to me; but I don\u2019t know how to make her change\nher mind; I really should like to send you, to see if you can persuade\nher to marry me.\u201d\n\nCharming replied that he was perfectly willing to go, and would set out\nthe very next day.\n\n\u201cBut you must wait till I can get a grand escort for you,\u201d said the\nKing. But Charming said that he only wanted a good horse to ride, and\nthe King, who was delighted at his being ready to start so promptly,\ngave him letters to the Princess, and bade him good speed. It was on a\nMonday morning that he set out all alone upon his errand, thinking of\nnothing but how he could persuade the Princess Goldilocks to marry\nthe King. He had a writing-book in his pocket, and whenever any happy\nthought struck him he dismounted from his horse and sat down under\nthe trees to put it into the harangue which he was preparing for the\nPrincess, before he forgot it.\n\nOne day when he had started at the very earliest dawn, and was riding\nover a great meadow, he suddenly had a capital idea, and, springing from\nhis horse, he sat down under a willow tree which grew by a little river.\nWhen he had written it down he was looking round him, pleased to find\nhimself in such a pretty place, when all at once he saw a great golden\ncarp lying gasping and exhausted upon the grass. In leaping after little\nflies she had thrown herself high upon the bank, where she had lain till\nshe was nearly dead. Charming had pity upon her, and, though he couldn\u2019t\nhelp thinking that she would have been very nice for dinner, he picked\nher up gently and put her back into the water. As soon as Dame Carp\nfelt the refreshing coolness of the water she sank down joyfully to the\nbottom of the river, then, swimming up to the bank quite boldly, she\nsaid:\n\n\u201cI thank you, Charming, for the kindness you have done me. You have\nsaved my life; one day I will repay you.\u201d So saying, she sank down into\nthe water again, leaving Charming greatly astonished at her politeness.\n\nAnother day, as he journeyed on, he saw a raven in great distress. The\npoor bird was closely pursued by an eagle, which would soon have eaten\nit up, had not Charming quickly fitted an arrow to his bow and shot the\neagle dead. The raven perched upon a tree very joyfully.\n\n\u201cCharming,\u201d said he, \u201cit was very generous of you to rescue a poor\nraven; I am not ungrateful, some day I will repay you.\u201d\n\nCharming thought it was very nice of the raven to say so, and went on\nhis way.\n\nBefore the sun rose he found himself in a thick wood where it was too\ndark for him to see his path, and here he heard an owl crying as if it\nwere in despair.\n\n\u201cHark!\u201d said he, \u201cthat must be an owl in great trouble, I am sure it has\ngone into a snare\u201d; and he began to hunt about, and presently found a\ngreat net which some bird-catchers had spread the night before.\n\n\u201cWhat a pity it is that men do nothing but torment and persecute poor\ncreatures which never do them any harm!\u201d said he, and he took out his\nknife and cut the cords of the net, and the owl flitted away into the\ndarkness, but then turning, with one flicker of her wings, she came back\nto Charming and said:\n\n\u201cIt does not need many words to tell you how great a service you have\ndone me. I was caught; in a few minutes the fowlers would have been\nhere--without your help I should have been killed. I am grateful, and\none day I will repay you.\u201d\n\nThese three adventures were the only ones of any consequence that befell\nCharming upon his journey, and he made all the haste he could to reach\nthe palace of the Princess Goldilocks.\n\nWhen he arrived he thought everything he saw delightful and magnificent.\nDiamonds were as plentiful as pebbles, and the gold and silver, the\nbeautiful dresses, the sweetmeats and pretty things that were everywhere\nquite amazed him; he thought to himself: \u201cIf the Princess consents to\nleave all this, and come with me to marry the King, he may think himself\nlucky!\u201d\n\nThen he dressed himself carefully in rich brocade, with scarlet and\nwhite plumes, and threw a splendid embroidered scarf over his shoulder,\nand, looking as gay and as graceful as possible, he presented himself at\nthe door of the palace, carrying in his arm a tiny pretty dog which\nhe had bought on the way. The guards saluted him respectfully, and a\nmessenger was sent to the Princess to announce the arrival of Charming\nas ambassador of her neighbor the King.\n\n\u201cCharming,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cthe name promises well; I have no doubt\nthat he is good looking and fascinates everybody.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed he does, madam,\u201d said all her maids of honor in one breath. \u201cWe\nsaw him from the window of the garret where we were spinning flax, and\nwe could do nothing but look at him as long as he was in sight.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell to be sure,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cthat\u2019s how you amuse yourselves,\nis it? Looking at strangers out of the window! Be quick and give me my\nblue satin embroidered dress, and comb out my golden hair. Let somebody\nmake me fresh garlands of flowers, and give me my high-heeled shoes and\nmy fan, and tell them to sweep my great hall and my throne, for I want\neveryone to say I am really \u2018Pretty Goldilocks.\u2019\u201d\n\nYou can imagine how all her maids scurried this way and that to make the\nPrincess ready, and how in their haste they knocked their heads together\nand hindered each other, till she thought they would never have done.\nHowever, at last they led her into the gallery of mirrors that she might\nassure herself that nothing was lacking in her appearance, and then\nshe mounted her throne of gold, ebony, and ivory, while her ladies took\ntheir guitars and began to sing softly. Then Charming was led in, and\nwas so struck with astonishment and admiration that at first not a word\ncould he say. But presently he took courage and delivered his harangue,\nbravely ending by begging the Princess to spare him the disappointment\nof going back without her.\n\n\u201cSir Charming,\u201d answered she, \u201call the reasons you have given me are\nvery good ones, and I assure you that I should have more pleasure in\nobliging you than anyone else, but you must know that a month ago as I\nwas walking by the river with my ladies I took off my glove, and as I\ndid so a ring that I was wearing slipped off my finger and rolled into\nthe water. As I valued it more than my kingdom, you may imagine how\nvexed I was at losing it, and I vowed to never listen to any proposal of\nmarriage unless the ambassador first brought me back my ring. So now\nyou know what is expected of you, for if you talked for fifteen days and\nfifteen nights you could not make me change my mind.\u201d\n\nCharming was very much surprised by this answer, but he bowed low to the\nPrincess, and begged her to accept the embroidered scarf and the tiny\ndog he had brought with him. But she answered that she did not want any\npresents, and that he was to remember what she had just told him. When\nhe got back to his lodging he went to bed without eating any supper, and\nhis little dog, who was called Frisk, couldn\u2019t eat any either, but came\nand lay down close to him. All night Charming sighed and lamented.\n\n\u201cHow am I to find a ring that fell into the river a month ago?\u201d said\nhe. \u201cIt is useless to try; the Princess must have told me to do it on\npurpose, knowing it was impossible.\u201d And then he sighed again.\n\nFrisk heard him and said:\n\n\u201cMy dear master, don\u2019t despair; the luck may change, you are too good\nnot to be happy. Let us go down to the river as soon as it is light.\u201d\n\nBut Charming only gave him two little pats and said nothing, and very\nsoon he fell asleep.\n\nAt the first glimmer of dawn Frisk began to jump about, and when he had\nwaked Charming they went out together, first into the garden, and then\ndown to the river\u2019s brink, where they wandered up and down. Charming was\nthinking sadly of having to go back unsuccessful when he heard someone\ncalling: \u201cCharming, Charming!\u201d He looked all about him and thought he\nmust be dreaming, as he could not see anybody. Then he walked on and the\nvoice called again: \u201cCharming, Charming!\u201d\n\n\u201cWho calls me?\u201d said he. Frisk, who was very small and could look\nclosely into the water, cried out: \u201cI see a golden carp coming.\u201d And\nsure enough there was the great carp, who said to Charming:\n\n\u201cYou saved my life in the meadow by the willow tree, and I promised that\nI would repay you. Take this, it is Princess Goldilock\u2019s ring.\u201d Charming\ntook the ring out of Dame Carp\u2019s mouth, thanking her a thousand times,\nand he and tiny Frisk went straight to the palace, where someone told\nthe Princess that he was asking to see her.\n\n\u201cAh! poor fellow,\u201d said she, \u201che must have come to say good-by, finding\nit impossible to do as I asked.\u201d\n\nSo in came Charming, who presented her with the ring and said:\n\n\u201cMadam, I have done your bidding. Will it please you to marry my\nmaster?\u201d When the Princess saw her ring brought back to her unhurt she\nwas so astonished that she thought she must be dreaming.\n\n\u201cTruly, Charming,\u201d said she, \u201cyou must be the favorite of some fairy, or\nyou could never have found it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d answered he, \u201cI was helped by nothing but my desire to obey\nyour wishes.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince you are so kind,\u201d said she, \u201cperhaps you will do me another\nservice, for till it is done I will never be married. There is a prince\nnot far from here whose name is Galifron, who once wanted to marry me,\nbut when I refused he uttered the most terrible threats against me, and\nvowed that he would lay waste my country. But what could I do? I could\nnot marry a frightful giant as tall as a tower, who eats up people as\na monkey eats chestnuts, and who talks so loud that anybody who has to\nlisten to him becomes quite deaf. Nevertheless, he does not cease to\npersecute me and to kill my subjects. So before I can listen to your\nproposal you must kill him and bring me his head.\u201d\n\nCharming was rather dismayed at this command, but he answered:\n\n\u201cVery well, Princess, I will fight this Galifron; I believe that he will\nkill me, but at any rate I shall die in your defense.\u201d\n\nThen the Princess was frightened and said everything she could think of\nto prevent Charming from fighting the giant, but it was of no use, and\nhe went out to arm himself suitably, and then, taking little Frisk with\nhim, he mounted his horse and set out for Galifron\u2019s country. Everyone\nhe met told him what a terrible giant Galifron was, and that nobody\ndared go near him; and the more he heard, the more frightened he grew.\nFrisk tried to encourage him by saying: \u201cWhile you are fighting the\ngiant, dear master, I will go and bite his heels, and when he stoops\ndown to look at me you can kill him.\u201d\n\nCharming praised his little dog\u2019s plan, but knew that this help would\nnot do much good.\n\nAt last he drew near the giant\u2019s castle, and saw to his horror that\nevery path that led to it was strewn with bones. Before long he saw\nGalifron coming. His head was higher than the tallest trees, and he sang\nin a terrible voice:\n\n  \u201cBring out your little boys and girls,\n  Pray do not stay to do their curls,\n  For I shall eat so very many,\n  I shall not know if they have any.\u201d\n\n\nThereupon Charming sang out as loud as he could to the same tune:\n\n  \u201cCome out and meet the valiant Charming\n  Who finds you not at all alarming;\n  Although he is not very tall,\n  He\u2019s big enough to make you fall.\u201d\n\n\nThe rhymes were not very correct, but you see he had made them up so\nquickly that it is a miracle that they were not worse; especially as he\nwas horribly frightened all the time. When Galifron heard these words he\nlooked all about him, and saw Charming standing, sword in hand this put\nthe giant into a terrible rage, and he aimed a blow at Charming with his\nhuge iron club, which would certainly have killed him if it had reached\nhim, but at that instant a raven perched upon the giant\u2019s head, and,\npecking with its strong beak and beating with its great wings so\nconfused and blinded him that all his blows fell harmlessly upon the\nair, and Charming, rushing in, gave him several strokes with his sharp\nsword so that he fell to the ground. Whereupon Charming cut off his head\nbefore he knew anything about it, and the raven from a tree close by\ncroaked out:\n\n\u201cYou see I have not forgotten the good turn you did me in killing the\neagle. To-day I think I have fulfilled my promise of repaying you.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, I owe you more gratitude than you ever owed me,\u201d replied\nCharming.\n\nAnd then he mounted his horse and rode off with Galifron\u2019s head.\n\nWhen he reached the city the people ran after him in crowds, crying:\n\n\u201cBehold the brave Charming, who has killed the giant!\u201d And their shouts\nreached the Princess\u2019s ear, but she dared not ask what was happening,\nfor fear she should hear that Charming had been killed. But very soon\nhe arrived at the palace with the giant\u2019s head, of which she was still\nterrified, though it could no longer do her any harm.\n\n\u201cPrincess,\u201d said Charming, \u201cI have killed your enemy; I hope you will\nnow consent to marry the King my master.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh dear! no,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cnot until you have brought me some\nwater from the Gloomy Cavern.\n\n\u201cNot far from here there is a deep cave, the entrance to which is\nguarded by two dragons with fiery eyes, who will not allow anyone to\npass them. When you get into the cavern you will find an immense hole,\nwhich you must go down, and it is full of toads and snakes; at the\nbottom of this hole there is another little cave, in which rises the\nFountain of Health and Beauty. It is some of this water that I really\nmust have: everything it touches becomes wonderful. The beautiful things\nwill always remain beautiful, and the ugly things become lovely. If one\nis young one never grows old, and if one is old one becomes young. You\nsee, Charming, I could not leave my kingdom without taking some of it\nwith me.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrincess,\u201d said he, \u201cyou at least can never need this water, but I am\nan unhappy ambassador, whose death you desire. Where you send me I will\ngo, though I know I shall never return.\u201d\n\nAnd, as the Princess Goldilocks showed no sign of relenting, he started\nwith his little dog for the Gloomy Cavern. Everyone he met on the way\nsaid:\n\n\u201cWhat a pity that a handsome young man should throw away his life so\ncarelessly! He is going to the cavern alone, though if he had a\nhundred men with him he could not succeed. Why does the Princess ask\nimpossibilities?\u201d Charming said nothing, but he was very sad. When he\nwas near the top of a hill he dismounted to let his horse graze, while\nFrisk amused himself by chasing flies. Charming knew he could not be far\nfrom the Gloomy Cavern, and on looking about him he saw a black hideous\nrock from which came a thick smoke, followed in a moment by one of the\ndragons with fire blazing from his mouth and eyes. His body was yellow\nand green, and his claws scarlet, and his tail was so long that it lay\nin a hundred coils. Frisk was so terrified at the sight of it that he\ndid not know where to hide. Charming, quite determined to get the water\nor die, now drew his sword, and, taking the crystal flask which Pretty\nGoldilocks had given him to fill, said to Frisk:\n\n\u201cI feel sure that I shall never come back from this expedition; when I\nam dead, go to the Princess and tell her that her errand has cost me\nmy life. Then find the King my master, and relate all my adventures to\nhim.\u201d\n\nAs he spoke he heard a voice calling: \u201cCharming, Charming!\u201d\n\n\u201cWho calls me?\u201d said he; then he saw an owl sitting in a hollow tree,\nwho said to him:\n\n\u201cYou saved my life when I was caught in the net, now I can repay you.\nTrust me with the flask, for I know all the ways of the Gloomy Cavern,\nand can fill it from the Fountain of Beauty.\u201d Charming was only too glad\nto give her the flask, and she flitted into the cavern quite unnoticed\nby the dragon, and after some time returned with the flask, filled to\nthe very brim with sparkling water. Charming thanked her with all his\nheart, and joyfully hastened back to the town.\n\nHe went straight to the palace and gave the flask to the Princess, who\nhad no further objection to make. So she thanked Charming, and ordered\nthat preparations should be made for her departure, and they soon set\nout together. The Princess found Charming such an agreeable companion\nthat she sometimes said to him: \u201cWhy didn\u2019t we stay where we were? I\ncould have made you king, and we should have been so happy!\u201d\n\nBut Charming only answered:\n\n\u201cI could not have done anything that would have vexed my master so\nmuch, even for a kingdom, or to please you, though I think you are as\nbeautiful as the sun.\u201d\n\nAt last they reached the King\u2019s great city, and he came out to meet the\nPrincess, bringing magnificent presents, and the marriage was celebrated\nwith great rejoicings. But Goldilocks was so fond of Charming that she\ncould not be happy unless he was near her, and she was always singing\nhis praises.\n\n\u201cIf it hadn\u2019t been for Charming,\u201d she said to the King, \u201cI should never\nhave come here; you ought to be very much obliged to him, for he did the\nmost impossible things and got me water from the Fountain of Beauty, so\nI can never grow old, and shall get prettier every year.\u201d\n\nThen Charming\u2019s enemies said to the King:\n\n\u201cIt is a wonder that you are not jealous, the Queen thinks there is\nnobody in the world like Charming. As if anybody you had sent could not\nhave done just as much!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is quite true, now I come to think of it,\u201d said the King. \u201cLet him\nbe chained hand and foot, and thrown into the tower.\u201d\n\nSo they took Charming, and as a reward for having served the King so\nfaithfully he was shut up in the tower, where he only saw the jailer,\nwho brought him a piece of black bread and a pitcher of water every day.\n\nHowever, little Frisk came to console him, and told him all the news.\n\nWhen Pretty Goldilocks heard what had happened she threw herself at the\nKing\u2019s feet and begged him to set Charming free, but the more she cried,\nthe more angry he was, and at last she saw that it was useless to say\nany more; but it made her very sad. Then the King took it into his\nhead that perhaps he was not handsome enough to please the Princess\nGoldilocks, and he thought he would bathe his face with the water\nfrom the Fountain of Beauty, which was in the flask on a shelf in the\nPrincess\u2019s room, where she had placed it that she might see it often.\nNow it happened that one of the Princess\u2019s ladies in chasing a spider\nhad knocked the flask off the shelf and broken it, and every drop of the\nwater had been spilt. Not knowing what to do, she had hastily swept away\nthe pieces of crystal, and then remembered that in the King\u2019s room she\nhad seen a flask of exactly the same shape, also filled with sparkling\nwater. So, without saying a word, she fetched it and stood it upon the\nQueen\u2019s shelf.\n\nNow the water in this flask was what was used in the kingdom for getting\nrid of troublesome people. Instead of having their heads cut off in the\nusual way, their faces were bathed with the water, and they instantly\nfell asleep and never woke up any more. So, when the King, thinking\nto improve his beauty, took the flask and sprinkled the water upon his\nface, _he_ fell asleep, and nobody could wake him.\n\nLittle Frisk was the first to hear the news, and he ran to tell\nCharming, who sent him to beg the Princess not to forget the poor\nprisoner. All the palace was in confusion on account of the King\u2019s\ndeath, but tiny Frisk made his way through the crowd to the Princess\u2019s\nside, and said:\n\n\u201cMadam, do not forget poor Charming.\u201d\n\nThen she remembered all he had done for her, and without saying a word\nto anyone went straight to the tower, and with her own hands took off\nCharming\u2019s chains. Then, putting a golden crown upon his head, and the\nroyal mantle upon his shoulders, she said:\n\n\u201cCome, faithful Charming, I make you king, and will take you for my\nhusband.\u201d\n\nCharming, once more free and happy, fell at her feet and thanked her for\nher gracious words.\n\nEverybody was delighted that he should be king, and the wedding, which\ntook place at once, was the prettiest that can be imagined, and Prince\nCharming and Princess Goldilocks lived happily ever after.(1)\n\n\n(1) Madame d\u2019Aulnoy.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON\n\n\nDick Whittington was a very little boy when his father and mother died;\nso little, indeed, that he never knew them, nor the place where he was\nborn. He strolled about the country as ragged as a colt, till he met\nwith a wagoner who was going to London, and who gave him leave to walk\nall the way by the side of his wagon without paying anything for his\npassage. This pleased little Whittington very much, as he wanted to see\nLondon sadly, for he had heard that the streets were paved with\ngold, and he was willing to get a bushel of it; but how great was his\ndisappointment, poor boy! when he saw the streets covered with dirt\ninstead of gold, and found himself in a strange place, without a friend,\nwithout food, and without money.\n\nThough the wagoner was so charitable as to let him walk up by the side\nof the wagon for nothing, he took care not to know him when he came to\ntown, and the poor boy was, in a little time, so cold and hungry that he\nwished himself in a good kitchen and by a warm fire in the country.\n\nIn his distress he asked charity of several people, and one of them bid\nhim \u201cGo to work for an idle rogue.\u201d \u201cThat I will,\u201d said Whittington,\n\u201cwith all my heart; I will work for you if you will let me.\u201d\n\nThe man, who thought this savored of wit and impertinence (though the\npoor lad intended only to show his readiness to work), gave him a blow\nwith a stick which broke his head so that the blood ran down. In this\nsituation, and fainting for want of food, he laid himself down at the\ndoor of one Mr. Fitzwarren, a merchant, where the cook saw him, and,\nbeing an ill-natured hussy, ordered him to go about his business or she\nwould scald him. At this time Mr. Fitzwarren came from the Exchange, and\nbegan also to scold at the poor boy, bidding him to go to work.\n\nWhittington answered that he should be glad to work if anybody would\nemploy him, and that he should be able if he could get some victuals to\neat, for he had had nothing for three days, and he was a poor country\nboy, and knew nobody, and nobody would employ him.\n\nHe then endeavored to get up, but he was so very weak that he fell down\nagain, which excited so much compassion in the merchant that he ordered\nthe servants to take him in and give him some meat and drink, and let\nhim help the cook to do any dirty work that she had to set him about.\nPeople are too apt to reproach those who beg with being idle, but give\nthemselves no concern to put them in the way of getting business to do,\nor considering whether they are able to do it, which is not charity.\n\nBut we return to Whittington, who could have lived happy in this worthy\nfamily had he not been bumped about by the cross cook, who must be\nalways roasting and basting, or when the spit was idle employed her\nhands upon poor Whittington! At last Miss Alice, his master\u2019s daughter,\nwas informed of it, and then she took compassion on the poor boy, and\nmade the servants treat him kindly.\n\nBesides the crossness of the cook, Whittington had another difficulty\nto get over before he could be happy. He had, by order of his master, a\nflock-bed placed for him in a garret, where there was a number of rats\nand mice that often ran over the poor boy\u2019s nose and disturbed him\nin his sleep. After some time, however, a gentleman who came to his\nmaster\u2019s house gave Whittington a penny for brushing his shoes. This\nhe put into his pocket, being determined to lay it out to the best\nadvantage; and the next day, seeing a woman in the street with a cat\nunder her arm, he ran up to know the price of it. The woman (as the cat\nwas a good mouser) asked a deal of money for it, but on Whittington\u2019s\ntelling her he had but a penny in the world, and that he wanted a cat\nsadly, she let him have it.\n\nThis cat Whittington concealed in the garret, for fear she should be\nbeat about by his mortal enemy the cook, and here she soon killed or\nfrightened away the rats and mice, so that the poor boy could now sleep\nas sound as a top.\n\nSoon after this the merchant, who had a ship ready to sail, called\nfor his servants, as his custom was, in order that each of them might\nventure something to try their luck; and whatever they sent was to pay\nneither freight nor custom, for he thought justly that God Almighty\nwould bless him the more for his readiness to let the poor partake of\nhis fortune.\n\nAll the servants appeared but poor Whittington, who, having neither\nmoney nor goods, could not think of sending anything to try his luck;\nbut his good friend Miss Alice, thinking his poverty kept him away,\nordered him to be called.\n\nShe then offered to lay down something for him, but the merchant told\nhis daughter that would not do, it must be something of his own. Upon\nwhich poor Whittington said he had nothing but a cat which he bought\nfor a penny that was given him. \u201cFetch thy cat, boy,\u201d said the merchant,\n\u201cand send her.\u201d Whittington brought poor puss and delivered her to the\ncaptain, with tears in his eyes, for he said he should now be disturbed\nby the rats and mice as much as ever. All the company laughed at\nthe adventure but Miss Alice, who pitied the poor boy, and gave him\nsomething to buy another cat.\n\nWhile puss was beating the billows at sea, poor Whittington was severely\nbeaten at home by his tyrannical mistress the cook, who used him so\ncruelly, and made such game of him for sending his cat to sea, that\nat last the poor boy determined to run away from his place, and having\npacked up the few things he had, he set out very early in the morning on\nAll-Hallows day. He traveled as far as Holloway, and there sat down on\na stone to consider what course he should take; but while he was thus\nruminating, Bow bells, of which there were only six, began to ring; and\nhe thought their sounds addressed him in this manner:\n\n  \u201cTurn again, Whittington,\n  Thrice Lord Mayor of London.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cLord Mayor of London!\u201d said he to himself, \u201cwhat would not one endure\nto be Lord Mayor of London, and ride in such a fine coach? Well, I\u2019ll go\nback again, and bear all the pummelling and ill-usage of Cicely rather\nthan miss the opportunity of being Lord Mayor!\u201d So home he went, and\nhappily got into the house and about his business before Mrs. Cicely\nmade her appearance.\n\nWe must now follow Miss Puss to the coast of Africa. How perilous are\nvoyages at sea, how uncertain the winds and the waves, and how many\naccidents attend a naval life!\n\nThe ship that had the cat on board was long beaten at sea, and at last,\nby contrary winds, driven on a part of the coast of Barbary which was\ninhabited by Moors unknown to the English. These people received our\ncountrymen with civility, and therefore the captain, in order to trade\nwith them, showed them the patterns of the goods he had on board, and\nsent some of them to the King of the country, who was so well pleased\nthat he sent for the captain and the factor to come to his palace, which\nwas about a mile from the sea. Here they were placed, according to the\ncustom of the country, on rich carpets, flowered with gold and silver;\nand the King and Queen being seated at the upper end of the room, dinner\nwas brought in, which consisted of many dishes; but no sooner were the\ndishes put down but an amazing number of rats and mice came from all\nquarters and devoured all the meat in an instant.\n\nThe factor, in surprise, turned round to the nobles and asked if these\nvermin were not offensive. \u201cOh! yes,\u201d said they, \u201cvery offensive; and\nthe King would give half his treasure to be freed of them, for they\nnot only destroy his dinner, as you see, but they assault him in his\nchamber, and even in bed, so that he is obliged to be watched while he\nis sleeping, for fear of them.\u201d\n\nThe factor jumped for joy; he remembered poor Whittington and his\ncat, and told the King he had a creature on board the ship that would\ndespatch all these vermin immediately. The King\u2019s heart heaved so high\nat the joy which this news gave him that his turban dropped off his\nhead. \u201cBring this creature to me,\u201d said he; \u201cvermin are dreadful in a\ncourt, and if she will perform what you say I will load your ship with\ngold and jewels in exchange for her.\u201d The factor, who knew his business,\ntook this opportunity to set forth the merits of Miss Puss. He told his\nMajesty that it would be inconvenient to part with her, as, when she\nwas gone, the rats and mice might destroy the goods in the ship--but to\noblige his Majesty he would fetch her. \u201cRun, run,\u201d said the Queen; \u201cI am\nimpatient to see the dear creature.\u201d\n\nAway flew the factor, while another dinner was providing, and returned\nwith the cat just as the rats and mice were devouring that also. He\nimmediately put down Miss Puss, who killed a great number of them.\n\nThe King rejoiced greatly to see his old enemies destroyed by so small a\ncreature, and the Queen was highly pleased, and desired the cat might\nbe brought near that she might look at her. Upon which the factor called\n\u201cPussy, pussy, pussy!\u201d and she came to him. He then presented her to the\nQueen, who started back, and was afraid to touch a creature who had made\nsuch havoc among the rats and mice; however, when the factor stroked\nthe cat and called \u201cPussy, pussy!\u201d the Queen also touched her and cried\n\u201cPutty, putty!\u201d for she had not learned English.\n\nHe then put her down on the Queen\u2019s lap, where she, purring, played with\nher Majesty\u2019s hand, and then sang herself to sleep.\n\nThe King, having seen the exploits of Miss Puss, and being informed that\nher kittens would stock the whole country, bargained with the captain\nand factor for the whole ship\u2019s cargo, and then gave them ten times as\nmuch for the cat as all the rest amounted to. On which, taking leave of\ntheir Majesties and other great personages at court, they sailed with a\nfair wind for England, whither we must now attend them.\n\nThe morn had scarcely dawned when Mr. Fitzwarren arose to count over\nthe cash and settle the business for that day. He had just entered the\ncounting-house, and seated himself at the desk, when somebody came,\ntap, tap, at the door. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d said Mr. Fitzwarren. \u201cA friend,\u201d\n answered the other. \u201cWhat friend can come at this unseasonable time?\u201d \u201cA\nreal friend is never unseasonable,\u201d answered the other. \u201cI come to bring\nyou good news of your ship Unicorn.\u201d The merchant bustled up in such a\nhurry that he forgot his gout; instantly opened the door, and who should\nbe seen waiting but the captain and factor, with a cabinet of jewels,\nand a bill of lading, for which the merchant lifted up his eyes and\nthanked heaven for sending him such a prosperous voyage. Then they told\nhim the adventures of the cat, and showed him the cabinet of jewels\nwhich they had brought for Mr. Whittington. Upon which he cried out with\ngreat earnestness, but not in the most poetical manner:\n\n  \u201cGo, send him in, and tell him of his fame,\n  And call him Mr. Whittington by name.\u201d\n\n\nIt is not our business to animadvert upon these lines; we are not\ncritics, but historians. It is sufficient for us that they are the words\nof Mr. Fitzwarren; and though it is beside our purpose, and perhaps not\nin our power to prove him a good poet, we shall soon convince the reader\nthat he was a good man, which was a much better character; for when some\nwho were present told him that this treasure was too much for such a\npoor boy as Whittington, he said: \u201cGod forbid that I should deprive him\nof a penny; it is his own, and he shall have it to a farthing.\u201d He then\nordered Mr. Whittington in, who was at this time cleaning the kitchen\nand would have excused himself from going into the counting-house,\nsaying the room was swept and his shoes were dirty and full of\nhob-nails. The merchant, however, made him come in, and ordered a chair\nto be set for him. Upon which, thinking they intended to make sport\nof him, as had been too often the case in the kitchen, he besought his\nmaster not to mock a poor simple fellow, who intended them no harm, but\nlet him go about his business. The merchant, taking him by the hand,\nsaid: \u201cIndeed, Mr. Whittington, I am in earnest with you, and sent for\nyou to congratulate you on your great success. Your cat has procured you\nmore money than I am worth in the world, and may you long enjoy it and\nbe happy!\u201d\n\nAt length, being shown the treasure, and convinced by them that all of\nit belonged to him, he fell upon his knees and thanked the Almighty for\nhis providential care of such a poor and miserable creature. He then\nlaid all the treasure at his master\u2019s feet, who refused to take any part\nof it, but told him he heartily rejoiced at his prosperity, and hoped\nthe wealth he had acquired would be a comfort to him, and would make\nhim happy. He then applied to his mistress, and to his good friend\nMiss Alice, who refused to take any part of the money, but told him she\nheartily rejoiced at his good success, and wished him all imaginable\nfelicity. He then gratified the captain, factor, and the ship\u2019s crew for\nthe care they had taken of his cargo. He likewise distributed presents\nto all the servants in the house, not forgetting even his old enemy the\ncook, though she little deserved it.\n\nAfter this Mr. Fitzwarren advised Mr. Whittington to send for the\nnecessary people and dress himself like a gentleman, and made him the\noffer of his house to live in till he could provide himself with a\nbetter.\n\nNow it came to pass when Mr. Whittington\u2019s face was washed, his hair\ncurled, and he dressed in a rich suit of clothes, that he turned out\na genteel young fellow; and, as wealth contributes much to give a man\nconfidence, he in a little time dropped that sheepish behavior which\nwas principally occasioned by a depression of spirits, and soon grew a\nsprightly and good companion, insomuch that Miss Alice, who had formerly\npitied him, now fell in love with him.\n\nWhen her father perceived they had this good liking for each other\nhe proposed a match between them, to which both parties cheerfully\nconsented, and the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, Sheriffs, the Company\nof Stationers, the Royal Academy of Arts, and a number of eminent\nmerchants attended the ceremony, and were elegantly treated at an\nentertainment made for that purpose.\n\nHistory further relates that they lived very happy, had several\nchildren, and died at a good old age. Mr. Whittington served as Sheriff\nof London and was three times Lord Mayor. In the last year of his\nmayoralty he entertained King Henry V and his Queen, after his\nconquest of France, upon which occasion the King, in consideration of\nWhittington\u2019s merit, said: \u201cNever had prince such a subject\u201d; which\nbeing told to Whittington at the table, he replied: \u201cNever had subject\nsuch a king.\u201d His Majesty, out of respect to his good character,\nconferred the honor of knighthood on him soon after.\n\nSir Richard many years before his death constantly fed a great number\nof poor citizens, built a church and a college to it, with a yearly\nallowance for poor scholars, and near it erected a hospital.\n\nHe also built Newgate for criminals, and gave liberally to St.\nBartholomew\u2019s Hospital and other public charities.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WONDERFUL SHEEP\n\n\nOnce upon a time--in the days when the fairies lived--there was a king\nwho had three daughters, who were all young, and clever, and beautiful;\nbut the youngest of the three, who was called Miranda, was the prettiest\nand the most beloved.\n\nThe King, her father, gave her more dresses and jewels in a month than\nhe gave the others in a year; but she was so generous that she shared\neverything with her sisters, and they were all as happy and as fond of\none another as they could be.\n\nNow, the King had some quarrelsome neighbors, who, tired of leaving him\nin peace, began to make war upon him so fiercely that he feared he would\nbe altogether beaten if he did not make an effort to defend himself.\nSo he collected a great army and set off to fight them, leaving the\nPrincesses with their governess in a castle where news of the war was\nbrought every day--sometimes that the King had taken a town, or won a\nbattle, and, at last, that he had altogether overcome his enemies and\nchased them out of his kingdom, and was coming back to the castle as\nquickly as possible, to see his dear little Miranda whom he loved so\nmuch.\n\nThe three Princesses put on dresses of satin, which they had had made\non purpose for this great occasion, one green, one blue, and the third\nwhite; their jewels were the same colors. The eldest wore emeralds, the\nsecond turquoises, and the youngest diamonds, and thus adorned they\nwent to meet the King, singing verses which they had composed about his\nvictories.\n\nWhen he saw them all so beautiful and so gay he embraced them tenderly,\nbut gave Miranda more kisses than either of the others.\n\nPresently a splendid banquet was served, and the King and his daughters\nsat down to it, and as he always thought that there was some special\nmeaning in everything, he said to the eldest:\n\n\u201cTell me why you have chosen a green dress.\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d she answered, \u201chaving heard of your victories I thought that\ngreen would signify my joy and the hope of your speedy return.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a very good answer,\u201d said the King; \u201cand you, my daughter,\u201d he\ncontinued, \u201cwhy did you take a blue dress?\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cto show that we constantly hoped for your\nsuccess, and that the sight of you is as welcome to me as the sky with\nits most beautiful stars.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d said the King, \u201cyour wise answers astonish me, and you, Miranda.\nWhat made you dress yourself all in white?\n\n\u201cBecause, sire,\u201d she answered, \u201cwhite suits me better than anything\nelse.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said the King angrily, \u201cwas that all you thought of, vain\nchild?\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought you would be pleased with me,\u201d said the Princess; \u201cthat was\nall.\u201d\n\nThe King, who loved her, was satisfied with this, and even pretended to\nbe pleased that she had not told him all her reasons at first.\n\n\u201cAnd now,\u201d said he, \u201cas I have supped well, and it is not time yet to go\nto bed, tell me what you dreamed last night.\u201d\n\nThe eldest said she had dreamed that he brought her a dress, and the\nprecious stones and gold embroidery on it were brighter than the sun.\n\nThe dream of the second was that the King had brought her a spinning\nwheel and a distaff, that she might spin him some shirts.\n\nBut the youngest said: \u201cI dreamed that my second sister was to be\nmarried, and on her wedding-day, you, father, held a golden ewer and\nsaid: \u2018Come, Miranda, and I will hold the water that you may dip your\nhands in it.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe King was very angry indeed when he heard this dream, and frowned\nhorribly; indeed, he made such an ugly face that everyone knew how angry\nhe was, and he got up and went off to bed in a great hurry; but he could\nnot forget his daughter\u2019s dream.\n\n\u201cDoes the proud girl wish to make me her slave?\u201d he said to himself. \u201cI\nam not surprised at her choosing to dress herself in white satin without\na thought of me. She does not think me worthy of her consideration! But\nI will soon put an end to her pretensions!\u201d\n\nHe rose in a fury, and although it was not yet daylight, he sent for the\nCaptain of his Bodyguard, and said to him:\n\n\u201cYou have heard the Princess Miranda\u2019s dream? I consider that it means\nstrange things against me, therefore I order you to take her away into\nthe forest and kill her, and, that I may be sure it is done, you must\nbring me her heart and her tongue. If you attempt to deceive me you\nshall be put to death!\u201d\n\nThe Captain of the Guard was very much astonished when he heard this\nbarbarous order, but he did not dare to contradict the King for fear of\nmaking him still more angry, or causing him to send someone else, so he\nanswered that he would fetch the Princess and do as the King had said.\nWhen he went to her room they would hardly let him in, it was so early,\nbut he said that the King had sent for Miranda, and she got up quickly\nand came out; a little black girl called Patypata held up her train, and\nher pet monkey and her little dog ran after her. The monkey was called\nGrabugeon, and the little dog Tintin.\n\nThe Captain of the Guard begged Miranda to come down into the garden\nwhere the King was enjoying the fresh air, and when they got there, he\npretended to search for him, but as he was not to be found, he said:\n\n\u201cNo doubt his Majesty has strolled into the forest,\u201d and he opened the\nlittle door that led to it and they went through.\n\nBy this time the daylight had begun to appear, and the Princess, looking\nat her conductor, saw that he had tears in his eyes and seemed too sad\nto speak.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d she said in the kindest way. \u201cYou seem very\nsorrowful.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! Princess,\u201d he answered, \u201cwho would not be sorrowful who was\nordered to do such a terrible thing as I am? The King has commanded me\nto kill you here, and carry your heart and your tongue to him, and if I\ndisobey I shall lose my life.\u201d\n\nThe poor Princess was terrified, she grew very pale and began to cry\nsoftly.\n\nLooking up at the Captain of the Guard with her beautiful eyes, she said\ngently:\n\n\u201cWill you really have the heart to kill me? I have never done you any\nharm, and have always spoken well of you to the King. If I had deserved\nmy father\u2019s anger I would suffer without a murmur, but, alas! he is\nunjust to complain of me, when I have always treated him with love and\nrespect.\u201d\n\n\u201cFear nothing, Princess,\u201d said the Captain of the Guard. \u201cI would far\nrather die myself than hurt you; but even if I am killed you will not\nbe safe: we must find some way of making the King believe that you are\ndead.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat can we do?\u201d said Miranda; \u201cunless you take him my heart and my\ntongue he will never believe you.\u201d\n\nThe Princess and the Captain of the Guard were talking so earnestly that\nthey did not think of Patypata, but she had overheard all they said, and\nnow came and threw herself at Miranda\u2019s feet.\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d she said, \u201cI offer you my life; let me be killed, I shall be\nonly too happy to die for such a kind mistress.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, Patypata,\u201d cried the Princess, kissing her, \u201cthat would never do;\nyour life is as precious to me as my own, especially after such a proof\nof your affection as you have just given me.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right, Princess,\u201d said Grabugeon, coming forward, \u201cto love such\na faithful slave as Patypata; she is of more use to you than I am, I\noffer you my tongue and my heart most willingly, especially as I wish to\nmake a great name for myself in Goblin Land.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, no, my little Grabugeon,\u201d replied Miranda, \u201cI cannot bear the\nthought of taking your life.\u201d\n\n\u201cSuch a good little dog as I am,\u201d cried Tintin, \u201ccould not think of\nletting either of you die for his mistress. If anyone is to die for her\nit must be me.\u201d\n\nAnd then began a great dispute between Patypata, Grabugeon, and Tintin,\nand they came to high words, until at last Grabugeon, who was quicker\nthan the others, ran up to the very top of the nearest tree, and let\nherself fall, head first, to the ground, and there she lay--quite dead!\n\nThe Princess was very sorry, but as Grabugeon was really dead, she\nallowed the Captain of the Guard to take her tongue; but, alas! it\nwas such a little one--not bigger than the Princess\u2019s thumb--that they\ndecided sorrowfully that it was of no use at all: the King would not\nhave been taken in by it for a moment!\n\n\u201cAlas! my little monkey,\u201d cried the Princess, \u201cI have lost you, and yet\nI am no better off than I was before.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe honor of saving your life is to be mine,\u201d interrupted Patypata,\nand, before they could prevent her, she had picked up a knife and cut\nher head off in an instant.\n\nBut when the Captain of the Guard would have taken her tongue it turned\nout to be quite black, so that would not have deceived the King either.\n\n\u201cAm I not unlucky?\u201d cried the poor Princess; \u201cI lose everything I love,\nand am none the better for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you had accepted my offer,\u201d said Tintin, \u201cyou would only have had me\nto regret, and I should have had all your gratitude.\u201d\n\nMiranda kissed her little dog, crying so bitterly, that at last she\ncould bear it no longer, and turned away into the forest. When she\nlooked back the Captain of the Guard was gone, and she was alone, except\nfor Patypata, Grabugeon, and Tintin, who lay upon the ground. She could\nnot leave the place until she had buried them in a pretty little mossy\ngrave at the foot of a tree, and she wrote their names upon the bark of\nthe tree, and how they had all died to save her life. And then she began\nto think where she could go for safety--for this forest was so close to\nher father\u2019s castle that she might be seen and recognized by the first\npasser-by, and, besides that, it was full of lions and wolves, who would\nhave snapped up a princess just as soon as a stray chicken. So she began\nto walk as fast as she could, but the forest was so large and the sun\nwas so hot that she nearly died of heat and terror and fatigue; look\nwhich way she would there seemed to be no end to the forest, and she\nwas so frightened that she fancied every minute that she heard the King\nrunning after her to kill her. You may imagine how miserable she was,\nand how she cried as she went on, not knowing which path to follow, and\nwith the thorny bushes scratching her dreadfully and tearing her pretty\nfrock to pieces.\n\nAt last she heard the bleating of a sheep, and said to herself:\n\n\u201cNo doubt there are shepherds here with their flocks; they will show me\nthe way to some village where I can live disguised as a peasant girl.\nAlas! it is not always kings and princes who are the happiest people in\nthe world. Who could have believed that I should ever be obliged to run\naway and hide because the King, for no reason at all, wishes to kill\nme?\u201d\n\nSo saying she advanced toward the place where she heard the bleating,\nbut what was her surprise when, in a lovely little glade quite\nsurrounded by trees, she saw a large sheep; its wool was as white as\nsnow, and its horns shone like gold; it had a garland of flowers round\nits neck, and strings of great pearls about its legs, and a collar of\ndiamonds; it lay upon a bank of orange-flowers, under a canopy of cloth\nof gold which protected it from the heat of the sun. Nearly a hundred\nother sheep were scattered about, not eating the grass, but some\ndrinking coffee, lemonade, or sherbet, others eating ices, strawberries\nand cream, or sweetmeats, while others, again, were playing games. Many\nof them wore golden collars with jewels, flowers, and ribbons.\n\nMiranda stopped short in amazement at this unexpected sight, and was\nlooking in all directions for the shepherd of this surprising flock,\nwhen the beautiful sheep came bounding toward her.\n\n\u201cApproach, lovely Princess,\u201d he cried; \u201chave no fear of such gentle and\npeaceable animals as we are.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat a marvel!\u201d cried the Princess, starting back a little. \u201cHere is a\nsheep that can talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour monkey and your dog could talk, madam,\u201d said he; \u201care you more\nastonished at us than at them?\u201d\n\n\u201cA fairy gave them the power to speak,\u201d replied Miranda. \u201cSo I was used\nto them.\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps the same thing has happened to us,\u201d he said, smiling\nsheepishly. \u201cBut, Princess, what can have led you here?\u201d\n\n\u201cA thousand misfortunes, Sir Sheep,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cI am the unhappiest princess in the world, and I am seeking a shelter\nagainst my father\u2019s anger.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome with me, madam,\u201d said the Sheep; \u201cI offer you a hiding-place which\nyou only will know of, and where you will be mistress of everything you\nsee.\u201d\n\n\u201cI really cannot follow you,\u201d said Miranda, \u201cfor I am too tired to walk\nanother step.\u201d\n\nThe Sheep with the golden horns ordered that his chariot should be\nfetched, and a moment after appeared six goats, harnessed to a pumpkin,\nwhich was so big that two people could quite well sit in it, and was all\nlined with cushions of velvet and down. The Princess stepped into it,\nmuch amused at such a new kind of carriage, the King of the Sheep took\nhis place beside her, and the goats ran away with them at full speed,\nand only stopped when they reached a cavern, the entrance to which\nwas blocked by a great stone. This the King touched with his foot, and\nimmediately it fell down, and he invited the Princess to enter without\nfear. Now, if she had not been so alarmed by everything that had\nhappened, nothing could have induced her to go into this frightful cave,\nbut she was so afraid of what might be behind her that she would have\nthrown herself even down a well at this moment. So, without hesitation,\nshe followed the Sheep, who went before her, down, down, down, until she\nthought they must come out at the other side of the world--indeed, she\nwas not sure that he wasn\u2019t leading her into Fairyland. At last she saw\nbefore her a great plain, quite covered with all sorts of flowers, the\nscent of which seemed to her nicer than anything she had ever smelled\nbefore; a broad river of orange-flower water flowed round it and\nfountains of wine of every kind ran in all directions and made the\nprettiest little cascades and brooks. The plain was covered with the\nstrangest trees, there were whole avenues where partridges, ready\nroasted, hung from every branch, or, if you preferred pheasants, quails,\nturkeys, or rabbits, you had only to turn to the right hand or to the\nleft and you were sure to find them. In places the air was darkened by\nshowers of lobster-patties, white puddings, sausages, tarts, and all\nsorts of sweetmeats, or with pieces of gold and silver, diamonds and\npearls. This unusual kind of rain, and the pleasantness of the whole\nplace, would, no doubt, have attracted numbers of people to it, if the\nKing of the Sheep had been of a more sociable disposition, but from all\naccounts it is evident that he was as grave as a judge.\n\nAs it was quite the nicest time of the year when Miranda arrived in this\ndelightful land the only palace she saw was a long row of orange trees,\njasmines, honeysuckles, and musk-roses, and their interlacing branches\nmade the prettiest rooms possible, which were hung with gold and silver\ngauze, and had great mirrors and candlesticks, and most beautiful\npictures. The Wonderful Sheep begged that the Princess would consider\nherself queen over all that she saw, and assured her that, though for\nsome years he had been very sad and in great trouble, she had it in her\npower to make him forget all his grief.\n\n\u201cYou are so kind and generous, noble Sheep,\u201d said the Princess, \u201cthat I\ncannot thank you enough, but I must confess that all I see here seems to\nme so extraordinary that I don\u2019t know what to think of it.\u201d\n\nAs she spoke a band of lovely fairies came up and offered her amber\nbaskets full of fruit, but when she held out her hands to them they\nglided away, and she could feel nothing when she tried to touch them.\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d she cried, \u201cwhat can they be? Whom am I with?\u201d and she began to\ncry.\n\nAt this instant the King of the Sheep came back to her, and was so\ndistracted to find her in tears that he could have torn his wool.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter, lovely Princess?\u201d he cried. \u201cHas anyone failed to\ntreat you with due respect?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! no,\u201d said Miranda; \u201conly I am not used to living with sprites and\nwith sheep that talk, and everything here frightens me. It was very kind\nof you to bring me to this place, but I shall be even more grateful to\nyou if you will take me up into the world again.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not be afraid,\u201d said the Wonderful Sheep; \u201cI entreat you to have\npatience, and listen to the story of my misfortunes. I was once a king,\nand my kingdom was the most splendid in the world. My subjects loved me,\nmy neighbors envied and feared me. I was respected by everyone, and it\nwas said that no king ever deserved it more.\n\n\u201cI was very fond of hunting, and one day, while chasing a stag, I left\nmy attendants far behind; suddenly I saw the animal leap into a pool of\nwater, and I rashly urged my horse to follow it, but before we had gone\nmany steps I felt an extraordinary heat, instead of the coolness of the\nwater; the pond dried up, a great gulf opened before me, out of which\nflames of fire shot up, and I fell helplessly to the bottom of a\nprecipice.\n\n\u201cI gave myself up for lost, but presently a voice said: \u2018Ungrateful\nPrince, even this fire is hardly enough to warm your cold heart!\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Who complains of my coldness in this dismal place?\u2019 I cried.\n\n\u201c\u2018An unhappy being who loves you hopelessly,\u2019 replied the voice, and at\nthe same moment the flames began to flicker and cease to burn, and I\nsaw a fairy, whom I had known as long as I could remember, and whose\nugliness had always horrified me. She was leaning upon the arm of a\nmost beautiful young girl, who wore chains of gold on her wrists and was\nevidently her slave.\n\n\u201c\u2018Why, Ragotte,\u2019 I said, for that was the fairy\u2019s name, \u2018what is the\nmeaning of all this? Is it by your orders that I am here?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018And whose fault is it,\u2019 she answered, \u2018that you have never understood\nme until now? Must a powerful fairy like myself condescend to explain\nher doings to you who are no better than an ant by comparison, though\nyou think yourself a great king?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Call me what you like,\u2019 I said impatiently; \u2018but what is it that you\nwant--my crown, or my cities, or my treasures?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Treasures!\u2019 said the fairy, disdainfully. \u2018If I chose I could make\nany one of my scullions richer and more powerful than you. I do not\nwant your treasures, but,\u2019 she added softly, \u2018if you will give me your\nheart--if you will marry me--I will add twenty kingdoms to the one you\nhave already; you shall have a hundred castles full of gold and five\nhundred full of silver, and, in short, anything you like to ask me for.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Madam Ragotte,\u2019 said I, \u2018when one is at the bottom of a pit where one\nhas fully expected to be roasted alive, it is impossible to think of\nasking such a charming person as you are to marry one! I beg that you\nwill set me at liberty, and then I shall hope to answer you fittingly.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Ah!\u2019 said she, \u2018if you really loved me you would not care where you\nwere--a cave, a wood, a fox-hole, a desert, would please you equally\nwell. Do not think that you can deceive me; you fancy you are going to\nescape, but I assure you that you are going to stay here and the first\nthing I shall give you to do will be to keep my sheep--they are very\ngood company and speak quite as well as you do.\n\n\u201cAs she spoke she advanced, and led me to this plain where we now stand,\nand showed me her flock, but I paid little attention to it or to her.\n\n\u201cTo tell the truth, I was so lost in admiration of her beautiful slave\nthat I forgot everything else, and the cruel Ragotte, perceiving this,\nturned upon her so furious and terrible a look that she fell lifeless to\nthe ground.\n\n\u201cAt this dreadful sight I drew my sword and rushed at Ragotte, and\nshould certainly have cut off her head had she not by her magic arts\nchained me to the spot on which I stood; all my efforts to move were\nuseless, and at last, when I threw myself down on the ground in despair,\nshe said to me, with a scornful smile:\n\n\u201c\u2018I intend to make you feel my power. It seems that you are a lion at\npresent, I mean you to be a sheep.\u2019\n\n\u201cSo saying, she touched me with her wand, and I became what you see. I\ndid not lose the power of speech, or of feeling the misery of my present\nstate.\n\n\u201c\u2018For five years,\u2019 she said, \u2018you shall be a sheep, and lord of this\npleasant land, while I, no longer able to see your face, which I loved\nso much, shall be better able to hate you as you deserve to be hated.\u2019\n\n\u201cShe disappeared as she finished speaking, and if I had not been too\nunhappy to care about anything I should have been glad that she was\ngone.\n\n\u201cThe talking sheep received me as their king, and told me that they,\ntoo, were unfortunate princes who had, in different ways, offended the\nrevengeful fairy, and had been added to her flock for a certain number\nof years; some more, some less. From time to time, indeed, one regains\nhis own proper form and goes back again to his place in the upper world;\nbut the other beings whom you saw are the rivals or the enemies of\nRagotte, whom she has imprisoned for a hundred years or so; though even\nthey will go back at last. The young slave of whom I told you about is\none of these; I have seen her often, and it has been a great pleasure to\nme. She never speaks to me, and if I were nearer to her I know I should\nfind her only a shadow, which would be very annoying. However, I noticed\nthat one of my companions in misfortune was also very attentive to this\nlittle sprite, and I found out that he had been her lover, whom the\ncruel Ragotte had taken away from her long before; since then I have\ncared for, and thought of, nothing but how I might regain my freedom.\nI have often been in the forest; that is where I have seen you, lovely\nPrincess, sometimes driving your chariot, which you did with all the\ngrace and skill in the world; sometimes riding to the chase on so\nspirited a horse that it seemed as if no one but yourself could have\nmanaged it, and sometimes running races on the plain with the Princesses\nof your Court--running so lightly that it was you always who won the\nprize. Oh! Princess, I have loved you so long, and yet how dare I\ntell you of my love! what hope can there be for an unhappy sheep like\nmyself?\u201d\n\nMiranda was so surprised and confused by all that she had heard that\nshe hardly knew what answer to give to the King of the Sheep, but she\nmanaged to make some kind of little speech, which certainly did not\nforbid him to hope, and said that she should not be afraid of the\nshadows now she knew that they would some day come to life again.\n\u201cAlas!\u201d she continued, \u201cif my poor Patypata, my dear Grabugeon, and\npretty little Tintin, who all died for my sake, were equally well off, I\nshould have nothing left to wish for here!\u201d\n\nPrisoner though he was, the King of the Sheep had still some powers and\nprivileges.\n\n\u201cGo,\u201d said he to his Master of the Horse, \u201cgo and seek the shadows of\nthe little black girl, the monkey, and the dog: they will amuse our\nPrincess.\u201d\n\nAnd an instant afterward Miranda saw them coming toward her, and their\npresence gave her the greatest pleasure, though they did not come near\nenough for her to touch them.\n\nThe King of the Sheep was so kind and amusing, and loved Miranda so\ndearly, that at last she began to love him too. Such a handsome\nsheep, who was so polite and considerate, could hardly fail to please,\nespecially if one knew that he was really a king, and that his strange\nimprisonment would soon come to an end. So the Princess\u2019s days passed\nvery gaily while she waited for the happy time to come. The King of\nthe Sheep, with the help of all the flock, got up balls, concerts, and\nhunting parties, and even the shadows joined in all the fun, and came,\nmaking believe to be their own real selves.\n\nOne evening, when the couriers arrived (for the King sent most carefully\nfor news--and they always brought the very best kinds), it was announced\nthat the sister of the Princess Miranda was going to be married to\na great Prince, and that nothing could be more splendid than all the\npreparations for the wedding.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried the young Princess, \u201chow unlucky I am to miss the sight of\nso many pretty things! Here am I imprisoned under the earth, with no\ncompany but sheep and shadows, while my sister is to be adorned like a\nqueen and surrounded by all who love and admire her, and everyone but\nmyself can go to wish her joy!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy do you complain, Princess?\u201d said the King of the Sheep. \u201cDid I say\nthat you were not to go to the wedding? Set out as soon as you please;\nonly promise me that you will come back, for I love you too much to be\nable to live without you.\u201d\n\nMiranda was very grateful to him, and promised faithfully that nothing\nin the world should keep her from coming back. The King caused an escort\nsuitable to her rank to be got ready for her, and she dressed herself\nsplendidly, not forgetting anything that could make her more beautiful.\nHer chariot was of mother-of-pearl, drawn by six dun-colored griffins\njust brought from the other side of the world, and she was attended by a\nnumber of guards in splendid uniforms, who were all at least eight feet\nhigh and had come from far and near to ride in the Princess\u2019s train.\n\nMiranda reached her father\u2019s palace just as the wedding ceremony began,\nand everyone, as soon as she came in, was struck with surprise at\nher beauty and the splendor of her jewels. She heard exclamations\nof admiration on all sides; and the King her father looked at her so\nattentively that she was afraid he must recognize her; but he was so\nsure that she was dead that the idea never occurred to him.\n\nHowever, the fear of not getting away made her leave before the marriage\nwas over. She went out hastily, leaving behind her a little coral casket\nset with emeralds. On it was written in diamond letters: \u201cJewels for the\nBride,\u201d and when they opened it, which they did as soon as it was found,\nthere seemed to be no end to the pretty things it contained. The King,\nwho had hoped to join the unknown Princess and find out who she was,\nwas dreadfully disappointed when she disappeared so suddenly, and gave\norders that if she ever came again the doors were to be shut that she\nmight not get away so easily. Short as Miranda\u2019s absence had been, it\nhad seemed like a hundred years to the King of the Sheep. He was waiting\nfor her by a fountain in the thickest part of the forest, and the ground\nwas strewn with splendid presents which he had prepared for her to show\nhis joy and gratitude at her coming back.\n\nAs soon as she was in sight he rushed to meet her, leaping and bounding\nlike a real sheep. He caressed her tenderly, throwing himself at her\nfeet and kissing her hands, and told her how uneasy he had been in\nher absence, and how impatient for her return, with an eloquence which\ncharmed her.\n\nAfter some time came the news that the King\u2019s second daughter was going\nto be married. When Miranda heard it she begged the King of the Sheep\nto allow her to go and see the wedding as before. This request made him\nfeel very sad, as if some misfortune must surely come of it, but his\nlove for the Princess being stronger than anything else he did not like\nto refuse her.\n\n\u201cYou wish to leave me, Princess,\u201d said he; \u201cit is my unhappy fate--you\nare not to blame. I consent to your going, but, believe me, I can give\nyou no stronger proof of my love than by so doing.\u201d\n\nThe Princess assured him that she would only stay a very short time, as\nshe had done before, and begged him not to be uneasy, as she would be\nquite as much grieved if anything detained her as he could possibly be.\n\nSo, with the same escort, she set out, and reached the palace as the\nmarriage ceremony began. Everybody was delighted to see her; she was\nso pretty that they thought she must be some fairy princess, and the\nPrinces who were there could not take their eyes off her.\n\nThe King was more glad than anyone else that she had come again, and\ngave orders that the doors should all be shut and bolted that very\nminute. When the wedding was all but over the Princess got up quickly,\nhoping to slip away unnoticed among the crowd, but, to her great dismay,\nshe found every door fastened.\n\nShe felt more at ease when the King came up to her, and with the\ngreatest respect begged her not to run away so soon, but at least to\nhonor him by staying for the splendid feast which was prepared for the\nPrinces and Princesses. He led her into a magnificent hall, where all\nthe Court was assembled, and himself taking up the golden bowl full of\nwater, he offered it to her that she might dip her pretty fingers into\nit.\n\nAt this the Princess could no longer contain herself; throwing herself\nat the King\u2019s feet, she cried out:\n\n\u201cMy dream has come true after all--you have offered me water to wash my\nhands on my sister\u2019s wedding day, and it has not vexed you to do it.\u201d\n\nThe King recognized her at once--indeed, he had already thought several\ntimes how much like his poor little Miranda she was.\n\n\u201cOh! my dear daughter,\u201d he cried, kissing her, \u201ccan you ever forget my\ncruelty? I ordered you to be put to death because I thought your dream\nportended the loss of my crown. And so it did,\u201d he added, \u201cfor now your\nsisters are both married and have kingdoms of their own--and mine shall\nbe for you.\u201d So saying he put his crown on the Princess\u2019s head and\ncried:\n\n\u201cLong live Queen Miranda!\u201d\n\nAll the Court cried: \u201cLong live Queen Miranda!\u201d after him, and the young\nQueen\u2019s two sisters came running up, and threw their arms round her\nneck, and kissed her a thousand times, and then there was such a\nlaughing and crying, talking and kissing, all at once, and Miranda\nthanked her father, and began to ask after everyone--particularly\nthe Captain of the Guard, to whom she owed so much; but, to her great\nsorrow, she heard that he was dead. Presently they sat down to the\nbanquet, and the King asked Miranda to tell them all that had happened\nto her since the terrible morning when he had sent the Captain of the\nGuard to fetch her. This she did with so much spirit that all the guests\nlistened with breathless interest. But while she was thus enjoying\nherself with the King and her sisters, the King of the Sheep was waiting\nimpatiently for the time of her return, and when it came and went, and\nno Princess appeared, his anxiety became so great that he could bear it\nno longer.\n\n\u201cShe is not coming back any more,\u201d he cried. \u201cMy miserable sheep\u2019s\nface displeases her, and without Miranda what is left to me, wretched\ncreature that I am! Oh! cruel Ragotte; my punishment is complete.\u201d\n\nFor a long time he bewailed his sad fate like this, and then, seeing\nthat it was growing dark, and that still there was no sign of the\nPrincess, he set out as fast as he could in the direction of the town.\nWhen he reached the palace he asked for Miranda, but by this time\neveryone had heard the story of her adventures, and did not want her to\ngo back again to the King of the Sheep, so they refused sternly to let\nhim see her. In vain he begged and prayed them to let him in; though\nhis entreaties might have melted hearts of stone they did not move the\nguards of the palace, and at last, quite broken-hearted, he fell dead at\ntheir feet.\n\nIn the meantime the King, who had not the least idea of the sad thing\nthat was happening outside the gate of his palace, proposed to Miranda\nthat she should be driven in her chariot all round the town, which was\nto be illuminated with thousands and thousands of torches, placed in\nwindows and balconies, and in all the grand squares. But what a sight\nmet her eyes at the very entrance of the palace! There lay her dear,\nkind sheep, silent and motionless, upon the pavement!\n\nShe threw herself out of the chariot and ran to him, crying bitterly,\nfor she realized that her broken promise had cost him his life, and for\na long, long time she was so unhappy that they thought she would have\ndied too.\n\nSo you see that even a princess is not always happy--especially if she\nforgets to keep her word; and the greatest misfortunes often happen to\npeople just as they think they have obtained their heart\u2019s desires!(1)\n\n\n(1) Madame d\u2019Aulnoy.\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE THUMB\n\n\nThere was, once upon a time, a man and his wife fagot-makers by trade,\nwho had several children, all boys. The eldest was but ten years old,\nand the youngest only seven.\n\nThey were very poor, and their seven children incommoded them greatly,\nbecause not one of them was able to earn his bread. That which gave\nthem yet more uneasiness was that the youngest was of a very puny\nconstitution, and scarce ever spoke a word, which made them take that\nfor stupidity which was a sign of good sense. He was very little, and\nwhen born no bigger than one\u2019s thumb, which made him be called Little\nThumb.\n\nThe poor child bore the blame of whatsoever was done amiss in the house,\nand, guilty or not, was always in the wrong; he was, notwithstanding,\nmore cunning and had a far greater share of wisdom than all his brothers\nput together; and, if he spake little, he heard and thought the more.\n\nThere happened now to come a very bad year, and the famine was so great\nthat these poor people resolved to rid themselves of their children. One\nevening, when they were all in bed and the fagot-maker was sitting with\nhis wife at the fire, he said to her, with his heart ready to burst with\ngrief:\n\n\u201cThou seest plainly that we are not able to keep our children, and I\ncannot see them starve to death before my face; I am resolved to lose\nthem in the wood to-morrow, which may very easily be done; for, while\nthey are busy in tying up fagots, we may run away, and leave them,\nwithout their taking any notice.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried his wife; \u201cand canst thou thyself have the heart to take thy\nchildren out along with thee on purpose to lose them?\u201d\n\nIn vain did her husband represent to her their extreme poverty: she\nwould not consent to it; she was indeed poor, but she was their mother.\nHowever, having considered what a grief it would be to her to see them\nperish with hunger, she at last consented, and went to bed all in tears.\n\nLittle Thumb heard every word that had been spoken; for observing, as\nhe lay in his bed, that they were talking very busily, he got up softly,\nand hid himself under his father\u2019s stool, that he might hear what they\nsaid without being seen. He went to bed again, but did not sleep a wink\nall the rest of the night, thinking on what he had to do. He got up\nearly in the morning, and went to the river-side, where he filled his\npockets full of small white pebbles, and then returned home.\n\nThey all went abroad, but Little Thumb never told his brothers one\nsyllable of what he knew. They went into a very thick forest, where they\ncould not see one another at ten paces distance. The fagot-maker began\nto cut wood, and the children to gather up the sticks to make fagots.\nTheir father and mother, seeing them busy at their work, got away from\nthem insensibly, and ran away from them all at once, along a by-way\nthrough the winding bushes.\n\nWhen the children saw they were left alone, they began to cry as loud as\nthey could. Little Thumb let them cry on, knowing very well how to get\nhome again, for, as he came, he took care to drop all along the way the\nlittle white pebbles he had in his pockets. Then he said to them:\n\n\u201cBe not afraid, brothers; father and mother have left us here, but I\nwill lead you home again, only follow me.\u201d\n\nThey did so, and he brought them home by the very same way they came\ninto the forest. They dared not go in, but sat themselves down at the\ndoor, listening to what their father and mother were saying.\n\nThe very moment the fagot-maker and his wife reached home the lord of\nthe manor sent them ten crowns, which he had owed them a long while, and\nwhich they never expected. This gave them new life, for the poor people\nwere almost famished. The fagot-maker sent his wife immediately to the\nbutcher\u2019s. As it was a long while since they had eaten a bit, she bought\nthrice as much meat as would sup two people. When they had eaten, the\nwoman said:\n\n\u201cAlas! where are now our poor children? they would make a good feast of\nwhat we have left here; but it was you, William, who had a mind to lose\nthem: I told you we should repent of it. What are they now doing in the\nforest? Alas! dear God, the wolves have perhaps already eaten them up;\nthou art very inhuman thus to have lost thy children.\u201d\n\nThe fagot-maker grew at last quite out of patience, for she repeated it\nabove twenty times, that they should repent of it, and that she was in\nthe right of it for so saying. He threatened to beat her if she did not\nhold her tongue. It was not that the fagot-maker was not, perhaps, more\nvexed than his wife, but that she teased him, and that he was of the\nhumor of a great many others, who love wives to speak well, but\nthink those very importunate who are continually doing so. She was\nhalf-drowned in tears, crying out:\n\n\u201cAlas! where are now my children, my poor children?\u201d\n\nShe spoke this so very loud that the children, who were at the gate,\nbegan to cry out all together:\n\n\u201cHere we are! Here we are!\u201d\n\nShe ran immediately to open the door, and said, hugging them:\n\n\u201cI am glad to see you, my dear children; you are very hungry and weary;\nand my poor Peter, thou art horribly bemired; come in and let me clean\nthee.\u201d\n\nNow, you must know that Peter was her eldest son, whom she loved above\nall the rest, because he was somewhat carroty, as she herself was. They\nsat down to supper, and ate with such a good appetite as pleased both\nfather and mother, whom they acquainted how frightened they were in\nthe forest, speaking almost always all together. The good folks were\nextremely glad to see their children once more at home, and this joy\ncontinued while the ten crowns lasted; but, when the money was all gone,\nthey fell again into their former uneasiness, and resolved to lose them\nagain; and, that they might be the surer of doing it, to carry them to a\nmuch greater distance than before.\n\nThey could not talk of this so secretly but they were overheard by\nLittle Thumb, who made account to get out of this difficulty as well as\nthe former; but, though he got up very early in the morning to go and\npick up some little pebbles, he was disappointed, for he found the\nhouse-door double-locked, and was at a stand what to do. When their\nfather had given each of them a piece of bread for their breakfast,\nLittle Thumb fancied he might make use of this instead of the pebbles by\nthrowing it in little bits all along the way they should pass; and so he\nput the bread in his pocket.\n\nTheir father and mother brought them into the thickest and most obscure\npart of the forest, when, stealing away into a by-path, they there left\nthem. Little Thumb was not very uneasy at it, for he thought he could\neasily find the way again by means of his bread, which he had scattered\nall along as he came; but he was very much surprised when he could not\nfind so much as one crumb; the birds had come and had eaten it up, every\nbit. They were now in great affliction, for the farther they went the\nmore they were out of their way, and were more and more bewildered in\nthe forest.\n\nNight now came on, and there arose a terribly high wind, which made them\ndreadfully afraid. They fancied they heard on every side of them the\nhowling of wolves coming to eat them up. They scarce dared to speak or\nturn their heads. After this, it rained very hard, which wetted them to\nthe skin; their feet slipped at every step they took, and they fell into\nthe mire, whence they got up in a very dirty pickle; their hands were\nquite benumbed.\n\nLittle Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, to see if he could\ndiscover anything; and having turned his head about on every side, he\nsaw at last a glimmering light, like that of a candle, but a long way\nfrom the forest. He came down, and, when upon the ground, he could see\nit no more, which grieved him sadly. However, having walked for some\ntime with his brothers toward that side on which he had seen the light,\nhe perceived it again as he came out of the wood.\n\nThey came at last to the house where this candle was, not without an\nabundance of fear: for very often they lost sight of it, which happened\nevery time they came into a bottom. They knocked at the door, and a good\nwoman came and opened it; she asked them what they would have.\n\nLittle Thumb told her they were poor children who had been lost in the\nforest, and desired to lodge there for God\u2019s sake.\n\nThe woman, seeing them so very pretty, began to weep, and said to them:\n\n\u201cAlas! poor babies; whither are ye come? Do ye know that this house\nbelongs to a cruel ogre who eats up little children?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! dear madam,\u201d answered Little Thumb (who trembled every joint of\nhim, as well as his brothers), \u201cwhat shall we do? To be sure the wolves\nof the forest will devour us to-night if you refuse us to lie here; and\nso we would rather the gentleman should eat us; and perhaps he may take\npity upon us, especially if you please to beg it of him.\u201d\n\nThe Ogre\u2019s wife, who believed she could conceal them from her husband\ntill morning, let them come in, and brought them to warm themselves at a\nvery good fire; for there was a whole sheep upon the spit, roasting for\nthe Ogre\u2019s supper.\n\nAs they began to be a little warm they heard three or four great raps at\nthe door; this was the Ogre, who had come home. Upon this she hid them\nunder the bed and went to open the door. The Ogre presently asked if\nsupper was ready and the wine drawn, and then sat himself down to table.\nThe sheep was as yet all raw and bloody; but he liked it the better for\nthat. He sniffed about to the right and left, saying:\n\n\u201cI smell fresh meat.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat you smell so,\u201d said his wife, \u201cmust be the calf which I have just\nnow killed and flayed.\u201d\n\n\u201cI smell fresh meat, I tell thee once more,\u201d replied the Ogre, looking\ncrossly at his wife; \u201cand there is something here which I do not\nunderstand.\u201d\n\nAs he spoke these words he got up from the table and went directly to\nthe bed.\n\n\u201cAh, ah!\u201d said he; \u201cI see then how thou wouldst cheat me, thou cursed\nwoman; I know not why I do not eat thee up too, but it is well for thee\nthat thou art a tough old carrion. Here is good game, which comes very\nquickly to entertain three ogres of my acquaintance who are to pay me a\nvisit in a day or two.\u201d\n\nWith that he dragged them out from under the bed one by one. The poor\nchildren fell upon their knees, and begged his pardon; but they had to\ndo with one of the most cruel ogres in the world, who, far from having\nany pity on them, had already devoured them with his eyes, and told\nhis wife they would be delicate eating when tossed up with good\nsavory sauce. He then took a great knife, and, coming up to these poor\nchildren, whetted it upon a great whet-stone which he held in his left\nhand. He had already taken hold of one of them when his wife said to\nhim:\n\n\u201cWhy need you do it now? Is it not time enough to-morrow?\u201d\n\n\u201cHold your prating,\u201d said the Ogre; \u201cthey will eat the tenderer.\n\n\u201cBut you have so much meat already,\u201d replied his wife, \u201cyou have no\noccasion; here are a calf, two sheep, and half a hog.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true,\u201d said the Ogre; \u201cgive them their belly full that they may\nnot fall away, and put them to bed.\u201d\n\nThe good woman was overjoyed at this, and gave them a good supper; but\nthey were so much afraid they could not eat a bit. As for the Ogre,\nhe sat down again to drink, being highly pleased that he had got\nwherewithal to treat his friends. He drank a dozen glasses more than\nordinary, which got up into his head and obliged him to go to bed.\n\nThe Ogre had seven daughters, all little children, and these young\nogresses had all of them very fine complexions, because they used to\neat fresh meat like their father; but they had little gray eyes, quite\nround, hooked noses, and very long sharp teeth, standing at a\ngood distance from each other. They were not as yet over and above\nmischievous, but they promised very fair for it, for they had already\nbitten little children, that they might suck their blood.\n\nThey had been put to bed early, with every one a crown of gold upon her\nhead. There was in the same chamber a bed of the like bigness, and it\nwas into this bed the Ogre\u2019s wife put the seven little boys, after which\nshe went to bed to her husband.\n\nLittle Thumb, who had observed that the Ogre\u2019s daughters had crowns of\ngold upon their heads, and was afraid lest the Ogre should repent his\nnot killing them, got up about midnight, and, taking his brothers\u2019\nbonnets and his own, went very softly and put them upon the heads of\nthe seven little ogresses, after having taken off their crowns of gold,\nwhich he put upon his own head and his brothers\u2019, that the Ogre might\ntake them for his daughters, and his daughters for the little boys whom\nhe wanted to kill.\n\nAll this succeeded according to his desire; for, the Ogre waking about\nmidnight, and sorry that he deferred to do that till morning which\nhe might have done over-night, threw himself hastily out of bed, and,\ntaking his great knife,\n\n\u201cLet us see,\u201d said he, \u201chow our little rogues do, and not make two jobs\nof the matter.\u201d\n\nHe then went up, groping all the way, into his daughters\u2019 chamber, and,\ncoming to the bed where the little boys lay, and who were every soul of\nthem fast asleep, except Little Thumb, who was terribly afraid when\nhe found the Ogre fumbling about his head, as he had done about his\nbrothers\u2019, the Ogre, feeling the golden crowns, said:\n\n\u201cI should have made a fine piece of work of it, truly; I find I drank\ntoo much last night.\u201d\n\nThen he went to the bed where the girls lay; and, having found the boys\u2019\nlittle bonnets,\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said he, \u201cmy merry lads, are you there? Let us work as we ought.\u201d\n\nAnd saying these words, without more ado, he cut the throats of all his\nseven daughters.\n\nWell pleased with what he had done, he went to bed again to his wife.\nSo soon as Little Thumb heard the Ogre snore, he waked his brothers, and\nbade them all put on their clothes presently and follow him. They stole\ndown softly into the garden, and got over the wall. They kept running\nabout all night, and trembled all the while, without knowing which way\nthey went.\n\nThe Ogre, when he awoke, said to his wife: \u201cGo upstairs and dress those\nyoung rascals who came here last night.\u201d\n\nThe wife was very much surprised at this goodness of her husband, not\ndreaming after what manner she should dress them; but, thinking that\nhe had ordered her to go and put on their clothes, she went up, and was\nstrangely astonished when she perceived her seven daughters killed, and\nweltering in their blood.\n\nShe fainted away, for this is the first expedient almost all women find\nin such cases. The Ogre, fearing his wife would be too long in doing\nwhat he had ordered, went up himself to help her. He was no less amazed\nthan his wife at this frightful spectacle.\n\n\u201cAh! what have I done?\u201d cried he. \u201cThe wretches shall pay for it, and\nthat instantly.\u201d\n\nHe threw a pitcher of water upon his wife\u2019s face, and, having brought\nher to herself, said:\n\n\u201cGive me quickly my boots of seven leagues, that I may go and catch\nthem.\u201d\n\nHe went out, and, having run over a vast deal of ground, both on\nthis side and that, he came at last into the very road where the poor\nchildren were, and not above a hundred paces from their father\u2019s house.\nThey espied the Ogre, who went at one step from mountain to mountain,\nand over rivers as easily as the narrowest kennels. Little Thumb, seeing\na hollow rock near the place where they were, made his brothers hide\nthemselves in it, and crowded into it himself, minding always what would\nbecome of the Ogre.\n\nThe Ogre, who found himself much tired with his long and fruitless\njourney (for these boots of seven leagues greatly fatigued the wearer),\nhad a great mind to rest himself, and, by chance, went to sit down upon\nthe rock where the little boys had hid themselves. As it was impossible\nhe could be more weary than he was, he fell asleep, and, after reposing\nhimself some time, began to snore so frightfully that the poor children\nwere no less afraid of him than when he held up his great knife and was\ngoing to cut their throats. Little Thumb was not so much frightened as\nhis brothers, and told them that they should run away immediately toward\nhome while the Ogre was asleep so soundly, and that they should not be\nin any pain about him. They took his advice, and got home presently.\nLittle Thumb came up to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently and put\nthem on his own legs. The boots were very long and large, but, as they\nwere fairies, they had the gift of becoming big and little, according to\nthe legs of those who wore them; so that they fitted his feet and legs\nas well as if they had been made on purpose for him. He went immediately\nto the Ogre\u2019s house, where he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss\nof the Ogre\u2019s murdered daughters.\n\n\u201cYour husband,\u201d said Little Thumb, \u201cis in very great danger, being taken\nby a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if he does not give\nthem all his gold and silver. The very moment they held their daggers\nat his throat he perceived me, and desired me to come and tell you the\ncondition he is in, and that you should give me whatsoever he has of\nvalue, without retaining any one thing; for otherwise they will kill him\nwithout mercy; and, as his case is very pressing, he desired me to make\nuse (you see I have them on) of his boots, that I might make the more\nhaste and to show you that I do not impose upon you.\u201d\n\nThe good woman, being sadly frightened, gave him all she had: for this\nOgre was a very good husband, though he used to eat up little children.\nLittle Thumb, having thus got all the Ogre\u2019s money, came home to his\nfather\u2019s house, where he was received with abundance of joy.\n\nThere are many people who do not agree in this circumstance, and pretend\nthat Little Thumb never robbed the Ogre at all, and that he only thought\nhe might very justly, and with a safe conscience, take off his boots\nof seven leagues, because he made no other use of them but to run after\nlittle children. These folks affirm that they are very well assured of\nthis, and the more as having drunk and eaten often at the fagot-maker\u2019s\nhouse. They aver that when Little Thumb had taken off the Ogre\u2019s boots\nhe went to Court, where he was informed that they were very much in pain\nabout a certain army, which was two hundred leagues off, and the success\nof a battle. He went, say they, to the King, and told him that, if he\ndesired it, he would bring him news from the army before night.\n\nThe King promised him a great sum of money upon that condition. Little\nThumb was as good as his word, and returned that very same night with\nthe news; and, this first expedition causing him to be known, he got\nwhatever he pleased, for the King paid him very well for carrying his\norders to the army. After having for some time carried on the business\nof a messenger, and gained thereby great wealth, he went home to his\nfather, where it was impossible to express the joy they were all in at\nhis return. He made the whole family very easy, bought places for his\nfather and brothers, and, by that means, settled them very handsomely in\nthe world, and, in the meantime, made his court to perfection.(1)\n\n\n(1) Charles Perrault.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FORTY THIEVES\n\n\nIn a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the\nother Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty,\nwhile Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in\na neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba\nwas in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him\nin a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into\na tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted\nforty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The\nfinest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a\nlittle way among some bushes, and said: \u201cOpen, Sesame!\u201d(1) so plainly\nthat Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made the\ntroop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. They\nstayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and\ncatch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door\nopened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the Captain went in\nlast he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then closed\nthe door, saying: \u201cShut, Sesame!\u201d Every man bridled his horse and\nmounted, the Captain put himself at their head, and they returned as\nthey came.\n\n\n(1) Sesame is a kind of grain.\n\n\nThen Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the\nbushes, and said: \u201cOpen, Sesame!\u201d and it flew open. Ali Baba, who\nexpected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large\nand well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault,\nwhich received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich\nbales of merchandise--silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold\nand silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in and the\ndoor shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as\nmany bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside,\ncould carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots.\nUsing the words: \u201cShut, Sesame!\u201d he closed the door and went home.\n\nThen he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the\nmoney-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her\nkeep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. \u201cLet me first\nmeasure it,\u201d said his wife. \u201cI will go borrow a measure of someone,\nwhile you dig the hole.\u201d So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a\nmeasure. Knowing Ali Baba\u2019s poverty, the sister was curious to find out\nwhat sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and artfully put some\nsuet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba\u2019s wife went home and set the\nmeasure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her\ngreat content. She then carried it back to her sister, without noticing\nthat a piece of gold was sticking to it, which Cassim\u2019s wife perceived\ndirectly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim\nwhen he came home: \u201cCassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not\ncount his money, he measures it.\u201d He begged her to explain this riddle,\nwhich she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him where\nshe found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not sleep, and\nwent to his brother in the morning before sunrise. \u201cAli Baba,\u201d he said,\nshowing him the gold piece, \u201cyou pretend to be poor and yet you measure\ngold.\u201d By this Ali Baba perceived that through his wife\u2019s folly Cassim\nand his wife knew their secret, so he confessed all and offered Cassim a\nshare. \u201cThat I expect,\u201d said Cassim; \u201cbut I must know where to find the\ntreasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all.\u201d Ali\nBaba, more out of kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very\nwords to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, meaning to be beforehand with him\nand get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning, and set\nout with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place,\nand the door in the rock. He said: \u201cOpen, Sesame!\u201d and the door opened\nand shut behind him. He could have feasted his eyes all day on the\ntreasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it as\npossible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say\nfor thinking of his great riches. Instead of \u201cSesame,\u201d he said: \u201cOpen,\nBarley!\u201d and the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of\ngrain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so\nfrightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the\nword as if he had never heard it.\n\nAbout noon the robbers returned to their cave, and saw Cassim\u2019s mules\nroving about with great chests on their backs. This gave them the alarm;\nthey drew their sabres, and went to the door, which opened on their\nCaptain\u2019s saying: \u201cOpen, Sesame!\u201d Cassim, who had heard the trampling of\ntheir horses\u2019 feet, resolved to sell his life dearly, so when the door\nopened he leaped out and threw the Captain down. In vain, however, for\nthe robbers with their sabres soon killed him. On entering the cave they\nsaw all the bags laid ready, and could not imagine how anyone had got in\nwithout knowing their secret. They cut Cassim\u2019s body into four quarters,\nand nailed them up inside the cave, in order to frighten anyone who\nshould venture in, and went away in search of more treasure.\n\nAs night drew on Cassim\u2019s wife grew very uneasy, and ran to her\nbrother-in-law, and told him where her husband had gone. Ali Baba did\nhis best to comfort her, and set out to the forest in search of Cassim.\nThe first thing he saw on entering the cave was his dead brother. Full\nof horror, he put the body on one of his asses, and bags of gold on the\nother two, and, covering all with some fagots, returned home. He drove\nthe two asses laden with gold into his own yard, and led the other to\nCassim\u2019s house. The door was opened by the slave Morgiana, whom he knew\nto be both brave and cunning. Unloading the ass, he said to her: \u201cThis\nis the body of your master, who has been murdered, but whom we must bury\nas though he had died in his bed. I will speak with you again, but now\ntell your mistress I am come.\u201d The wife of Cassim, on learning the fate\nof her husband, broke out into cries and tears, but Ali Baba offered to\ntake her to live with him and his wife if she would promise to keep\nhis counsel and leave everything to Morgiana; whereupon she agreed, and\ndried her eyes.\n\nMorgiana, meanwhile, sought an apothecary and asked him for some\nlozenges. \u201cMy poor master,\u201d she said, \u201ccan neither eat nor speak, and\nno one knows what his distemper is.\u201d She carried home the lozenges and\nreturned next day weeping, and asked for an essence only given to those\njust about to die. Thus, in the evening, no one was surprised to hear\nthe wretched shrieks and cries of Cassim\u2019s wife and Morgiana, telling\neveryone that Cassim was dead. The day after Morgiana went to an old\ncobbler near the gates of the town who opened his stall early, put a\npiece of gold in his hand, and bade him follow her with his needle and\nthread. Having bound his eyes with a handkerchief, she took him to the\nroom where the body lay, pulled off the bandage, and bade him sew the\nquarters together, after which she covered his eyes again and led him\nhome. Then they buried Cassim, and Morgiana his slave followed him to\nthe grave, weeping and tearing her hair, while Cassim\u2019s wife stayed at\nhome uttering lamentable cries. Next day she went to live with Ali Baba,\nwho gave Cassim\u2019s shop to his eldest son.\n\nThe Forty Thieves, on their return to the cave, were much astonished to\nfind Cassim\u2019s body gone and some of their money-bags. \u201cWe are certainly\ndiscovered,\u201d said the Captain, \u201cand shall be undone if we cannot find\nout who it is that knows our secret. Two men must have known it; we have\nkilled one, we must now find the other. To this end one of you who\nis bold and artful must go into the city dressed as a traveler, and\ndiscover whom we have killed, and whether men talk of the strange manner\nof his death. If the messenger fails he must lose his life, lest we be\nbetrayed.\u201d One of the thieves started up and offered to do this, and\nafter the rest had highly commended him for his bravery he disguised\nhimself, and happened to enter the town at daybreak, just by Baba\nMustapha\u2019s stall. The thief bade him good-day, saying: \u201cHonest man, how\ncan you possibly see to stitch at your age?\u201d \u201cOld as I am,\u201d replied the\ncobbler, \u201cI have very good eyes, and will you believe me when I tell you\nthat I sewed a dead body together in a place where I had less light than\nI have now.\u201d The robber was overjoyed at his good fortune, and, giving\nhim a piece of gold, desired to be shown the house where he stitched\nup the dead body. At first Mustapha refused, saying that he had been\nblindfolded; but when the robber gave him another piece of gold he began\nto think he might remember the turnings if blindfolded as before. This\nmeans succeeded; the robber partly led him, and was partly guided by\nhim, right in front of Cassim\u2019s house, the door of which the robber\nmarked with a piece of chalk. Then, well pleased, he bade farewell to\nBaba Mustapha and returned to the forest. By and by Morgiana, going out,\nsaw the mark the robber had made, quickly guessed that some mischief was\nbrewing, and fetching a piece of chalk marked two or three doors on each\nside, without saying anything to her master or mistress.\n\nThe thief, meantime, told his comrades of his discovery. The Captain\nthanked him, and bade him show him the house he had marked. But when\nthey came to it they saw that five or six of the houses were chalked\nin the same manner. The guide was so confounded that he knew not what\nanswer to make, and when they returned he was at once beheaded for\nhaving failed. Another robber was dispatched, and, having won over Baba\nMustapha, marked the house in red chalk; but Morgiana being again too\nclever for them, the second messenger was put to death also. The Captain\nnow resolved to go himself, but, wiser than the others, he did not\nmark the house, but looked at it so closely that he could not fail to\nremember it. He returned, and ordered his men to go into the neighboring\nvillages and buy nineteen mules, and thirty-eight leather jars, all\nempty except one, which was full of oil. The Captain put one of his men,\nfully armed, into each, rubbing the outside of the jars with oil from\nthe full vessel. Then the nineteen mules were loaded with thirty-seven\nrobbers in jars, and the jar of oil, and reached the town by dusk. The\nCaptain stopped his mules in front of Ali Baba\u2019s house, and said to Ali\nBaba, who was sitting outside for coolness: \u201cI have brought some oil\nfrom a distance to sell at to-morrow\u2019s market, but it is now so late\nthat I know not where to pass the night, unless you will do me the favor\nto take me in.\u201d Though Ali Baba had seen the Captain of the robbers in\nthe forest, he did not recognize him in the disguise of an oil merchant.\nHe bade him welcome, opened his gates for the mules to enter, and\nwent to Morgiana to bid her prepare a bed and supper for his guest. He\nbrought the stranger into his hall, and after they had supped went again\nto speak to Morgiana in the kitchen, while the Captain went into the\nyard under pretense of seeing after his mules, but really to tell his\nmen what to do. Beginning at the first jar and ending at the last, he\nsaid to each man: \u201cAs soon as I throw some stones from the window of the\nchamber where I lie, cut the jars open with your knives and come out,\nand I will be with you in a trice.\u201d He returned to the house,\nand Morgiana led him to his chamber. She then told Abdallah, her\nfellow-slave, to set on the pot to make some broth for her master, who\nhad gone to bed. Meanwhile her lamp went out, and she had no more oil in\nthe house. \u201cDo not be uneasy,\u201d said Abdallah; \u201cgo into the yard and take\nsome out of one of those jars.\u201d Morgiana thanked him for his advice,\ntook the oil pot, and went into the yard. When she came to the first jar\nthe robber inside said softly: \u201cIs it time?\u201d\n\nAny other slave but Morgiana, on finding a man in the jar instead of the\noil she wanted, would have screamed and made a noise; but she, knowing\nthe danger her master was in, bethought herself of a plan, and answered\nquietly: \u201cNot yet, but presently.\u201d She went to all the jars, giving\nthe same answer, till she came to the jar of oil. She now saw that her\nmaster, thinking to entertain an oil merchant, had let thirty-eight\nrobbers into his house. She filled her oil pot, went back to the\nkitchen, and, having lit her lamp, went again to the oil jar and filled\na large kettle full of oil. When it boiled she went and poured enough\noil into every jar to stifle and kill the robber inside. When this brave\ndeed was done she went back to the kitchen, put out the fire and the\nlamp, and waited to see what would happen.\n\nIn a quarter of an hour the Captain of the robbers awoke, got up,\nand opened the window. As all seemed quiet, he threw down some little\npebbles which hit the jars. He listened, and as none of his men seemed\nto stir he grew uneasy, and went down into the yard. On going to the\nfirst jar and saying, \u201cAre you asleep?\u201d he smelt the hot boiled oil, and\nknew at once that his plot to murder Ali Baba and his household had been\ndiscovered. He found all the gang was dead, and, missing the oil out of\nthe last jar, became aware of the manner of their death. He then forced\nthe lock of a door leading into a garden, and climbing over several\nwalls made his escape. Morgiana heard and saw all this, and, rejoicing\nat her success, went to bed and fell asleep.\n\nAt daybreak Ali Baba arose, and, seeing the oil jars still there, asked\nwhy the merchant had not gone with his mules. Morgiana bade him look\nin the first jar and see if there was any oil. Seeing a man, he started\nback in terror. \u201cHave no fear,\u201d said Morgiana; \u201cthe man cannot harm\nyou: he is dead.\u201d Ali Baba, when he had recovered somewhat from his\nastonishment, asked what had become of the merchant. \u201cMerchant!\u201d said\nshe, \u201che is no more a merchant than I am!\u201d and she told him the whole\nstory, assuring him that it was a plot of the robbers of the forest, of\nwhom only three were left, and that the white and red chalk marks had\nsomething to do with it. Ali Baba at once gave Morgiana her freedom,\nsaying that he owed her his life. They then buried the bodies in Ali\nBaba\u2019s garden, while the mules were sold in the market by his slaves.\n\nThe Captain returned to his lonely cave, which seemed frightful to\nhim without his lost companions, and firmly resolved to avenge them by\nkilling Ali Baba. He dressed himself carefully, and went into the town,\nwhere he took lodgings in an inn. In the course of a great many journeys\nto the forest he carried away many rich stuffs and much fine linen, and\nset up a shop opposite that of Ali Baba\u2019s son. He called himself Cogia\nHassan, and as he was both civil and well dressed he soon made friends\nwith Ali Baba\u2019s son, and through him with Ali Baba, whom he was\ncontinually asking to sup with him. Ali Baba, wishing to return his\nkindness, invited him into his house and received him smiling, thanking\nhim for his kindness to his son. When the merchant was about to take his\nleave Ali Baba stopped him, saying: \u201cWhere are you going, sir, in such\nhaste? Will you not stay and sup with me?\u201d The merchant refused, saying\nthat he had a reason; and, on Ali Baba\u2019s asking him what that was, he\nreplied: \u201cIt is, sir, that I can eat no victuals that have any salt\nin them.\u201d \u201cIf that is all,\u201d said Ali Baba, \u201clet me tell you that there\nshall be no salt in either the meat or the bread that we eat to-night.\u201d\n He went to give this order to Morgiana, who was much surprised. \u201cWho is\nthis man,\u201d she said, \u201cwho eats no salt with his meat?\u201d \u201cHe is an honest\nman, Morgiana,\u201d returned her master; \u201ctherefore do as I bid you.\u201d But\nshe could not withstand a desire to see this strange man, so she helped\nAbdallah to carry up the dishes, and saw in a moment that Cogia Hassan\nwas the robber Captain, and carried a dagger under his garment. \u201cI am\nnot surprised,\u201d she said to herself, \u201cthat this wicked man, who intends\nto kill my master, will eat no salt with him; but I will hinder his\nplans.\u201d\n\nShe sent up the supper by Abdallah, while she made ready for one of the\nboldest acts that could be thought on. When the dessert had been served,\nCogia Hassan was left alone with Ali Baba and his son, whom he thought\nto make drunk and then to murder them. Morgiana, meanwhile, put on a\nhead-dress like a dancing-girl\u2019s, and clasped a girdle round her waist,\nfrom which hung a dagger with a silver hilt, and said to Abdallah: \u201cTake\nyour tabor, and let us go and divert our master and his guest.\u201d Abdallah\ntook his tabor and played before Morgiana until they came to the door,\nwhere Abdallah stopped playing and Morgiana made a low courtesy. \u201cCome\nin, Morgiana,\u201d said Ali Baba, \u201cand let Cogia Hassan see what you can\ndo\u201d; and, turning to Cogia Hassan, he said: \u201cShe\u2019s my slave and my\nhousekeeper.\u201d Cogia Hassan was by no means pleased, for he feared\nthat his chance of killing Ali Baba was gone for the present; but he\npretended great eagerness to see Morgiana, and Abdallah began to play\nand Morgiana to dance. After she had performed several dances she drew\nher dagger and made passes with it, sometimes pointing it at her own\nbreast, sometimes at her master\u2019s, as if it were part of the dance.\nSuddenly, out of breath, she snatched the tabor from Abdallah with her\nleft hand, and, holding the dagger in her right hand, held out the tabor\nto her master. Ali Baba and his son put a piece of gold into it, and\nCogia Hassan, seeing that she was coming to him, pulled out his purse to\nmake her a present, but while he was putting his hand into it Morgiana\nplunged the dagger into his heart.\n\n\u201cUnhappy girl!\u201d cried Ali Baba and his son, \u201cwhat have you done to ruin\nus?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was to preserve you, master, not to ruin you,\u201d answered Morgiana.\n\u201cSee here,\u201d opening the false merchant\u2019s garment and showing the dagger;\n\u201csee what an enemy you have entertained! Remember, he would eat no salt\nwith you, and what more would you have? Look at him! he is both the\nfalse oil merchant and the Captain of the Forty Thieves.\u201d\n\nAli Baba was so grateful to Morgiana for thus saving his life that he\noffered her to his son in marriage, who readily consented, and a few\ndays after the wedding was celebrated with greatest splendor.\n\nAt the end of a year Ali Baba, hearing nothing of the two remaining\nrobbers, judged they were dead, and set out to the cave. The door opened\non his saying: \u201cOpen Sesame!\u201d He went in, and saw that nobody had been\nthere since the Captain left it. He brought away as much gold as he\ncould carry, and returned to town. He told his son the secret of\nthe cave, which his son handed down in his turn, so the children and\ngrandchildren of Ali Baba were rich to the end of their lives.(1)\n\n\n(1) Arabian Nights.\n\n\n\n\nHANSEL AND GRETTEL\n\n\nOnce upon a time there dwelt on the outskirts of a large forest a poor\nwoodcutter with his wife and two children; the boy was called Hansel and\nthe girl Grettel. He had always little enough to live on, and once, when\nthere was a great famine in the land, he couldn\u2019t even provide them with\ndaily bread. One night, as he was tossing about in bed, full of cares\nand worry, he sighed and said to his wife: \u201cWhat\u2019s to become of us? how\nare we to support our poor children, now that we have nothing more for\nourselves?\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what, husband,\u201d answered the woman; \u201cearly\nto-morrow morning we\u2019ll take the children out into the thickest part\nof the wood; there we shall light a fire for them and give them each a\npiece of bread; then we\u2019ll go on to our work and leave them alone. They\nwon\u2019t be able to find their way home, and we shall thus be rid of them.\u201d\n \u201cNo, wife,\u201d said her husband, \u201cthat I won\u2019t do; how could I find it in\nmy heart to leave my children alone in the wood? The wild beasts would\nsoon come and tear them to pieces.\u201d \u201cOh! you fool,\u201d said she, \u201cthen we\nmust all four die of hunger, and you may just as well go and plane the\nboards for our coffins\u201d; and she left him no peace till he consented.\n\u201cBut I can\u2019t help feeling sorry for the poor children,\u201d added the\nhusband.\n\nThe children, too, had not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard\nwhat their step-mother had said to their father. Grettel wept bitterly\nand spoke to Hansel: \u201cNow it\u2019s all up with us.\u201d \u201cNo, no, Grettel,\u201d said\nHansel, \u201cdon\u2019t fret yourself; I\u2019ll be able to find a way to escape, no\nfear.\u201d And when the old people had fallen asleep he got up, slipped\non his little coat, opened the back door and stole out. The moon was\nshining clearly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house\nglittered like bits of silver. Hansel bent down and filled his pocket\nwith as many of them as he could cram in. Then he went back and said to\nGrettel: \u201cBe comforted, my dear little sister, and go to sleep: God will\nnot desert us\u201d; and he lay down in bed again.\n\nAt daybreak, even before the sun was up, the woman came and woke the two\nchildren: \u201cGet up, you lie-abeds, we\u2019re all going to the forest to fetch\nwood.\u201d She gave them each a bit of bread and said: \u201cThere\u2019s something\nfor your luncheon, but don\u2019t you eat it up before, for it\u2019s all you\u2019ll\nget.\u201d Grettel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the stones\nin his pocket. Then they all set out together on the way to the forest.\nAfter they had walked for a little, Hansel stood still and looked back\nat the house, and this maneuver he repeated again and again. His father\nobserved him, and said: \u201cHansel, what are you gazing at there, and why\ndo you always remain behind? Take care, and don\u2019t lose your footing.\u201d\n \u201cOh! father,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cI am looking back at my white kitten, which\nis sitting on the roof, waving me a farewell.\u201d The woman exclaimed:\n\u201cWhat a donkey you are! that isn\u2019t your kitten, that\u2019s the morning sun\nshining on the chimney.\u201d But Hansel had not looked back at his kitten,\nbut had always dropped one of the white pebbles out of his pocket on to\nthe path.\n\nWhen they had reached the middle of the forest the father said: \u201cNow,\nchildren, go and fetch a lot of wood, and I\u2019ll light a fire that you\nmay not feel cold.\u201d Hansel and Grettel heaped up brushwood till they had\nmade a pile nearly the size of a small hill. The brushwood was set fire\nto, and when the flames leaped high the woman said: \u201cNow lie down at the\nfire, children, and rest yourselves: we are going into the forest to cut\ndown wood; when we\u2019ve finished we\u2019ll come back and fetch you.\u201d Hansel\nand Grettel sat down beside the fire, and at midday ate their little\nbits of bread. They heard the strokes of the axe, so they thought their\nfather was quite near. But it was no axe they heard, but a bough he had\ntied on a dead tree, and that was blown about by the wind. And when they\nhad sat for a long time their eyes closed with fatigue, and they fell\nfast asleep. When they awoke at last it was pitch dark. Grettel began\nto cry, and said: \u201cHow are we ever to get out of the wood?\u201d But Hansel\ncomforted her. \u201cWait a bit,\u201d he said, \u201ctill the moon is up, and then\nwe\u2019ll find our way sure enough.\u201d And when the full moon had risen he\ntook his sister by the hand and followed the pebbles, which shone like\nnew threepenny bits, and showed them the path. They walked on through\nthe night, and at daybreak reached their father\u2019s house again. They\nknocked at the door, and when the woman opened it she exclaimed: \u201cYou\nnaughty children, what a time you\u2019ve slept in the wood! we thought\nyou were never going to come back.\u201d But the father rejoiced, for\nhis conscience had reproached him for leaving his children behind by\nthemselves.\n\nNot long afterward there was again great dearth in the land, and the\nchildren heard their mother address their father thus in bed one night:\n\u201cEverything is eaten up once more; we have only half a loaf in the\nhouse, and when that\u2019s done it\u2019s all up with us. The children must be\ngot rid of; we\u2019ll lead them deeper into the wood this time, so that\nthey won\u2019t be able to find their way out again. There is no other way\nof saving ourselves.\u201d The man\u2019s heart smote him heavily, and he thought:\n\u201cSurely it would be better to share the last bite with one\u2019s children!\u201d\n But his wife wouldn\u2019t listen to his arguments, and did nothing but scold\nand reproach him. If a man yields once he\u2019s done for, and so, because he\nhad given in the first time, he was forced to do so the second.\n\nBut the children were awake, and had heard the conversation. When the\nold people were asleep Hansel got up, and wanted to go out and pick up\npebbles again, as he had done the first time; but the woman had barred\nthe door, and Hansel couldn\u2019t get out. But he consoled his little\nsister, and said: \u201cDon\u2019t cry, Grettel, and sleep peacefully, for God is\nsure to help us.\u201d\n\nAt early dawn the woman came and made the children get up. They received\ntheir bit of bread, but it was even smaller than the time before. On the\nway to the wood Hansel crumbled it in his pocket, and every few minutes\nhe stood still and dropped a crumb on the ground. \u201cHansel, what are you\nstopping and looking about you for?\u201d said the father. \u201cI\u2019m looking back\nat my little pigeon, which is sitting on the roof waving me a farewell,\u201d\n answered Hansel. \u201cFool!\u201d said the wife; \u201cthat isn\u2019t your pigeon, it\u2019s\nthe morning sun glittering on the chimney.\u201d But Hansel gradually threw\nall his crumbs on the path. The woman led the children still deeper into\nthe forest farther than they had ever been in their lives before. Then\na big fire was lit again, and the mother said: \u201cJust sit down there,\nchildren, and if you\u2019re tired you can sleep a bit; we\u2019re going into the\nforest to cut down wood, and in the evening when we\u2019re finished we\u2019ll\ncome back to fetch you.\u201d At midday Grettel divided her bread with\nHansel, for he had strewn his all along their path. Then they fell\nasleep, and evening passed away, but nobody came to the poor children.\nThey didn\u2019t awake till it was pitch dark, and Hansel comforted his\nsister, saying: \u201cOnly wait, Grettel, till the moon rises, then we shall\nsee the bread-crumbs I scattered along the path; they will show us the\nway back to the house.\u201d When the moon appeared they got up, but they\nfound no crumbs, for the thousands of birds that fly about the woods\nand fields had picked them all up. \u201cNever mind,\u201d said Hansel to Grettel;\n\u201cyou\u2019ll see we\u2019ll find a way out\u201d; but all the same they did not. They\nwandered about the whole night, and the next day, from morning till\nevening, but they could not find a path out of the wood. They were very\nhungry, too, for they had nothing to eat but a few berries they found\ngrowing on the ground. And at last they were so tired that their legs\nrefused to carry them any longer, so they lay down under a tree and fell\nfast asleep.\n\nOn the third morning after they had left their father\u2019s house they set\nabout their wandering again, but only got deeper and deeper into the\nwood, and now they felt that if help did not come to them soon they must\nperish. At midday they saw a beautiful little snow-white bird sitting on\na branch, which sang so sweetly that they stopped still and listened to\nit. And when its song was finished it flapped its wings and flew on in\nfront of them. They followed it and came to a little house, on the roof\nof which it perched; and when they came quite near they saw that the\ncottage was made of bread and roofed with cakes, while the window was\nmade of transparent sugar. \u201cNow we\u2019ll set to,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cand have a\nregular blow-out.(1) I\u2019ll eat a bit of the roof, and you, Grettel,\ncan eat some of the window, which you\u2019ll find a sweet morsel.\u201d Hansel\nstretched up his hand and broke off a little bit of the roof to see what\nit was like, and Grettel went to the casement and began to nibble at it.\nThereupon a shrill voice called out from the room inside:\n\n  \u201cNibble, nibble, little mouse,\n  Who\u2019s nibbling my house?\u201d\n\nThe children answered:\n\n  \u201cTis Heaven\u2019s own child,\n  The tempest wild,\u201d\n\nand went on eating, without putting themselves about. Hansel, who\nthoroughly appreciated the roof, tore down a big bit of it, while\nGrettel pushed out a whole round window-pane, and sat down the better\nto enjoy it. Suddenly the door opened, and an ancient dame leaning on\na staff hobbled out. Hansel and Grettel were so terrified that they let\nwhat they had in their hands fall. But the old woman shook her head and\nsaid: \u201cOh, ho! you dear children, who led you here? Just come in and\nstay with me, no ill shall befall you.\u201d She took them both by the hand\nand let them into the house, and laid a most sumptuous dinner before\nthem--milk and sugared pancakes, with apples and nuts. After they had\nfinished, two beautiful little white beds were prepared for them, and\nwhen Hansel and Grettel lay down in them they felt as if they had got\ninto heaven.\n\n\n(1) He was a vulgar boy!\n\n\nThe old woman had appeared to be most friendly, but she was really an\nold witch who had waylaid the children, and had only built the little\nbread house in order to lure them in. When anyone came into her power\nshe killed, cooked, and ate him, and held a regular feast-day for the\noccasion. Now witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but, like\nbeasts, they have a keen sense of smell, and know when human beings pass\nby. When Hansel and Grettel fell into her hands she laughed maliciously,\nand said jeeringly: \u201cI\u2019ve got them now; they sha\u2019n\u2019t escape me.\u201d Early\nin the morning, before the children were awake, she rose up, and when\nshe saw them both sleeping so peacefully, with their round rosy cheeks,\nshe muttered to herself: \u201cThat\u2019ll be a dainty bite.\u201d Then she seized\nHansel with her bony hand and carried him into a little stable, and\nbarred the door on him; he might scream as much as he liked, it did him\nno good. Then she went to Grettel, shook her till she awoke, and\ncried: \u201cGet up, you lazy-bones, fetch water and cook something for your\nbrother. When he\u2019s fat I\u2019ll eat him up.\u201d Grettel began to cry bitterly,\nbut it was of no use; she had to do what the wicked witch bade her.\n\nSo the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Grettel got nothing but\ncrab-shells. Every morning the old woman hobbled out to the stable and\ncried: \u201cHansel, put out your finger, that I may feel if you are getting\nfat.\u201d But Hansel always stretched out a bone, and the old dame, whose\neyes were dim, couldn\u2019t see it, and thinking always it was Hansel\u2019s\nfinger, wondered why he fattened so slowly. When four weeks had passed\nand Hansel still remained thin, she lost patience and determined to wait\nno longer. \u201cHi, Grettel,\u201d she called to the girl, \u201cbe quick and get some\nwater. Hansel may be fat or thin, I\u2019m going to kill him to-morrow and\ncook him.\u201d Oh! how the poor little sister sobbed as she carried the\nwater, and how the tears rolled down her cheeks! \u201cKind heaven help us\nnow!\u201d she cried; \u201cif only the wild beasts in the wood had eaten us, then\nat least we should have died together.\u201d \u201cJust hold your peace,\u201d said the\nold hag; \u201cit won\u2019t help you.\u201d\n\nEarly in the morning Grettel had to go out and hang up the kettle full\nof water, and light the fire. \u201cFirst we\u2019ll bake,\u201d said the old dame;\n\u201cI\u2019ve heated the oven already and kneaded the dough.\u201d She pushed Grettel\nout to the oven, from which fiery flames were already issuing. \u201cCreep\nin,\u201d said the witch, \u201cand see if it\u2019s properly heated, so that we can\nshove in the bread.\u201d For when she had got Grettel in she meant to close\nthe oven and let the girl bake, that she might eat her up too. But\nGrettel perceived her intention, and said: \u201cI don\u2019t know how I\u2019m to do\nit; how do I get in?\u201d \u201cYou silly goose!\u201d said the hag, \u201cthe opening is\nbig enough; see, I could get in myself,\u201d and she crawled toward it, and\npoked her head into the oven. Then Grettel gave her a shove that sent\nher right in, shut the iron door, and drew the bolt. Gracious! how she\nyelled, it was quite horrible; but Grettel fled, and the wretched old\nwoman was left to perish miserably.\n\nGrettel flew straight to Hansel, opened the little stable-door, and\ncried: \u201cHansel, we are free; the old witch is dead.\u201d Then Hansel sprang\nlike a bird out of a cage when the door is opened. How they rejoiced,\nand fell on each other\u2019s necks, and jumped for joy, and kissed one\nanother! And as they had no longer any cause for fear, they went in the\nold hag\u2019s house, and here they found, in every corner of the room, boxes\nwith pearls and precious stones. \u201cThese are even better than pebbles,\u201d\n said Hansel, and crammed his pockets full of them; and Grettel said:\n\u201cI too will bring something home,\u201d and she filled her apron full. \u201cBut\nnow,\u201d said Hansel, \u201clet\u2019s go and get well away from the witch\u2019s wood.\u201d\n When they had wandered about for some hours they came to a big lake.\n\u201cWe can\u2019t get over,\u201d said Hansel; \u201cI see no bridge of any sort or kind.\u201d\n \u201cYes, and there\u2019s no ferry-boat either,\u201d answered Grettel; \u201cbut look,\nthere swims a white duck; if I ask her she\u2019ll help us over,\u201d and she\ncalled out:\n\n  \u201cHere are two children, mournful very,\n  Seeing neither bridge nor ferry;\n  Take us upon your white back,\n  And row us over, quack, quack!\u201d\n\n\nThe duck swam toward them, and Hansel got on her back and bade his\nlittle sister sit beside him. \u201cNo,\u201d answered Grettel, \u201cwe should be too\nheavy a load for the duck: she shall carry us across separately.\u201d The\ngood bird did this, and when they were landed safely on the other side,\nand had gone for a while, the wood became more and more familiar to\nthem, and at length they saw their father\u2019s house in the distance. Then\nthey set off to run, and bounding into the room fell on their father\u2019s\nneck. The man had not passed a happy hour since he left them in the\nwood, but the woman had died. Grettel shook out her apron so that the\npearls and precious stones rolled about the room, and Hansel threw down\none handful after the other out of his pocket. Thus all their troubles\nwere ended, and they lived happily ever afterward.\n\nMy story is done. See! there runs a little mouse; anyone who catches it\nmay make himself a large fur cap out of it.(1)\n\n\n(1) Grimm.\n\n\n\n\nSNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED\n\n\nA poor widow once lived in a little cottage with a garden in front of\nit, in which grew two rose trees, one bearing white roses and the other\nred. She had two children, who were just like the two rose trees; one\nwas called Snow-white and the other Rose-red, and they were the sweetest\nand best children in the world, always diligent and always cheerful; but\nSnow-white was quieter and more gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red loved\nto run about the fields and meadows, and to pick flowers and catch\nbutterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother and helped her\nin the household, or read aloud to her when there was no work to do. The\ntwo children loved each other so dearly that they always walked about\nhand in hand whenever they went out together, and when Snow-white said,\n\u201cWe will never desert each other,\u201d Rose-red answered: \u201cNo, not as long\nas we live\u201d; and the mother added: \u201cWhatever one gets she shall share\nwith the other.\u201d They often roamed about in the woods gathering berries\nand no beast offered to hurt them; on the contrary, they came up to them\nin the most confiding manner; the little hare would eat a cabbage leaf\nfrom their hands, the deer grazed beside them, the stag would bound past\nthem merrily, and the birds remained on the branches and sang to them\nwith all their might.\n\nNo evil ever befell them; if they tarried late in the wood and night\novertook them, they lay down together on the moss and slept till\nmorning, and their mother knew they were quite safe, and never felt\nanxious about them. Once, when they had slept all night in the wood and\nhad been wakened by the morning sun, they perceived a beautiful child\nin a shining white robe sitting close to their resting-place. The figure\ngot up, looked at them kindly, but said nothing, and vanished into the\nwood. And when they looked round about them they became aware that they\nhad slept quite close to a precipice, over which they would certainly\nhave fallen had they gone on a few steps further in the darkness. And\nwhen they told their mother of their adventure, she said what they had\nseen must have been the angel that guards good children.\n\nSnow-white and Rose-red kept their mother\u2019s cottage so beautifully clean\nand neat that it was a pleasure to go into it. In summer Rose-red looked\nafter the house, and every morning before her mother awoke she placed\na bunch of flowers before the bed, from each tree a rose. In winter\nSnow-white lit the fire and put on the kettle, which was made of brass,\nbut so beautifully polished that it shone like gold. In the evening when\nthe snowflakes fell their mother said: \u201cSnow-white, go and close the\nshutters,\u201d and they drew round the fire, while the mother put on her\nspectacles and read aloud from a big book and the two girls listened and\nsat and span. Beside them on the ground lay a little lamb, and behind\nthem perched a little white dove with its head tucked under its wings.\n\nOne evening as they sat thus cosily together someone knocked at the door\nas though he desired admittance. The mother said: \u201cRose-red, open\nthe door quickly; it must be some traveler seeking shelter.\u201d Rose-red\nhastened to unbar the door, and thought she saw a poor man standing in\nthe darkness outside; but it was no such thing, only a bear, who poked\nhis thick black head through the door. Rose-red screamed aloud and\nsprang back in terror, the lamb began to bleat, the dove flapped its\nwings, and Snow-white ran and hid behind her mother\u2019s bed. But the bear\nbegan to speak, and said: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid: I won\u2019t hurt you. I am half\nfrozen, and only wish to warm myself a little.\u201d \u201cMy poor bear,\u201d said the\nmother, \u201clie down by the fire, only take care you don\u2019t burn your fur.\u201d\n Then she called out: \u201cSnow-white and Rose-red, come out; the bear will\ndo you no harm; he is a good, honest creature.\u201d So they both came out of\ntheir hiding-places, and gradually the lamb and dove drew near too, and\nthey all forgot their fear. The bear asked the children to beat the snow\na little out of his fur, and they fetched a brush and scrubbed him till\nhe was dry. Then the beast stretched himself in front of the fire, and\ngrowled quite happily and comfortably. The children soon grew quite at\ntheir ease with him, and led their helpless guest a fearful life. They\ntugged his fur with their hands, put their small feet on his back, and\nrolled him about here and there, or took a hazel wand and beat him\nwith it; and if he growled they only laughed. The bear submitted to\neverything with the best possible good-nature, only when they went too\nfar he cried: \u201cOh! children, spare my life!\n\n  \u201cSnow-white and Rose-red,\n  Don\u2019t beat your lover dead.\u201d\n\nWhen it was time to retire for the night, and the others went to bed,\nthe mother said to the bear: \u201cYou can lie there on the hearth, in\nheaven\u2019s name; it will be shelter for you from the cold and wet.\u201d As\nsoon as day dawned the children led him out, and he trotted over the\nsnow into the wood. From this time on the bear came every evening at\nthe same hour, and lay down by the hearth and let the children play what\npranks they liked with him; and they got so accustomed to him that the\ndoor was never shut till their black friend had made his appearance.\n\nWhen spring came, and all outside was green, the bear said one morning\nto Snow-white: \u201cNow I must go away, and not return again the whole\nsummer.\u201d \u201cWhere are you going to, dear bear?\u201d asked Snow-white. \u201cI\nmust go to the wood and protect my treasure from the wicked dwarfs.\nIn winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are obliged to remain\nunderground, for they can\u2019t work their way through; but now, when the\nsun has thawed and warmed the ground, they break through and come up\nabove to spy the land and steal what they can; what once falls into\ntheir hands and into their caves is not easily brought back to light.\u201d\n Snow-white was quite sad over their friend\u2019s departure, and when she\nunbarred the door for him, the bear, stepping out, caught a piece of\nhis fur in the door-knocker, and Snow-white thought she caught sight of\nglittering gold beneath it, but she couldn\u2019t be certain of it; and the\nbear ran hastily away, and soon disappeared behind the trees.\n\nA short time after this the mother sent the children into the wood to\ncollect fagots. They came in their wanderings upon a big tree which lay\nfelled on the ground, and on the trunk among the long grass they\nnoticed something jumping up and down, but what it was they couldn\u2019t\ndistinguish. When they approached nearer they perceived a dwarf with a\nwizened face and a beard a yard long. The end of the beard was jammed\ninto a cleft of the tree, and the little man sprang about like a dog\non a chain, and didn\u2019t seem to know what he was to do. He glared at the\ngirls with his fiery red eyes, and screamed out: \u201cWhat are you standing\nthere for? Can\u2019t you come and help me?\u201d \u201cWhat were you doing, little\nman?\u201d asked Rose-red. \u201cYou stupid, inquisitive goose!\u201d replied the\ndwarf; \u201cI wanted to split the tree, in order to get little chips of\nwood for our kitchen fire; those thick logs that serve to make fires for\ncoarse, greedy people like yourselves quite burn up all the little food\nwe need. I had successfully driven in the wedge, and all was going well,\nbut the cursed wood was so slippery that it suddenly sprang out, and the\ntree closed up so rapidly that I had no time to take my beautiful white\nbeard out, so here I am stuck fast, and I can\u2019t get away; and you silly,\nsmooth-faced, milk-and-water girls just stand and laugh! Ugh! what\nwretches you are!\u201d\n\nThe children did all in their power, but they couldn\u2019t get the beard\nout; it was wedged in far too firmly. \u201cI will run and fetch somebody,\u201d\n said Rose-red. \u201cCrazy blockheads!\u201d snapped the dwarf; \u201cwhat\u2019s the good\nof calling anyone else? You\u2019re already two too many for me. Does\nnothing better occur to you than that?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be so impatient,\u201d said\nSnow-white, \u201cI\u2019ll see you get help,\u201d and taking her scissors out of\nher pocket she cut off the end of his beard. As soon as the dwarf felt\nhimself free he seized a bag full of gold which was hidden among the\nroots of the tree, lifted it up, and muttered aloud: \u201cCurse these rude\nwretches, cutting off a piece of my splendid beard!\u201d With these words he\nswung the bag over his back, and disappeared without as much as looking\nat the children again.\n\nShortly after this Snow-white and Rose-red went out to get a dish of\nfish. As they approached the stream they saw something which looked like\nan enormous grasshopper springing toward the water as if it were going\nto jump in. They ran forward and recognized their old friend the dwarf.\n\u201cWhere are you going to?\u201d asked Rose-red; \u201cyou\u2019re surely not going to\njump into the water?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not such a fool,\u201d screamed the dwarf. \u201cDon\u2019t\nyou see that cursed fish is trying to drag me in?\u201d The little man\nhad been sitting on the bank fishing, when unfortunately the wind had\nentangled his beard in the line; and when immediately afterward a big\nfish bit, the feeble little creature had no strength to pull it out; the\nfish had the upper fin, and dragged the dwarf toward him. He clung on\nwith all his might to every rush and blade of grass, but it didn\u2019t help\nhim much; he had to follow every movement of the fish, and was in great\ndanger of being drawn into the water. The girls came up just at the\nright moment, held him firm, and did all they could to disentangle his\nbeard from the line; but in vain, beard and line were in a hopeless\nmuddle. Nothing remained but to produce the scissors and cut the beard,\nby which a small part of it was sacrificed.\n\nWhen the dwarf perceived what they were about he yelled to them: \u201cDo\nyou call that manners, you toad-stools! to disfigure a fellow\u2019s face? It\nwasn\u2019t enough that you shortened my beard before, but you must now\nneeds cut off the best bit of it. I can\u2019t appear like this before my own\npeople. I wish you\u2019d been in Jericho first.\u201d Then he fetched a sack of\npearls that lay among the rushes, and without saying another word he\ndragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.\n\nIt happened that soon after this the mother sent the two girls to the\ntown to buy needles, thread, laces, and ribbons. Their road led over a\nheath where huge boulders of rock lay scattered here and there. While\ntrudging along they saw a big bird hovering in the air, circling slowly\nabove them, but always descending lower, till at last it settled on\na rock not far from them. Immediately afterward they heard a sharp,\npiercing cry. They ran forward, and saw with horror that the eagle had\npounced on their old friend the dwarf, and was about to carry him off.\nThe tender-hearted children seized hold of the little man, and struggled\nso long with the bird that at last he let go his prey. When the dwarf\nhad recovered from the first shock he screamed in his screeching voice:\n\u201cCouldn\u2019t you have treated me more carefully? You have torn my thin\nlittle coat all to shreds, useless, awkward hussies that you are!\u201d Then\nhe took a bag of precious stones and vanished under the rocks into his\ncave. The girls were accustomed to his ingratitude, and went on their\nway and did their business in town. On their way home, as they were\nagain passing the heath, they surprised the dwarf pouring out his\nprecious stones on an open space, for he had thought no one would pass\nby at so late an hour. The evening sun shone on the glittering stones,\nand they glanced and gleamed so beautifully that the children stood\nstill and gazed on them. \u201cWhat are you standing there gaping for?\u201d\n screamed the dwarf, and his ashen-gray face became scarlet with rage.\nHe was about to go off with these angry words when a sudden growl was\nheard, and a black bear trotted out of the wood. The dwarf jumped up in\ngreat fright, but he hadn\u2019t time to reach his place of retreat, for the\nbear was already close to him. Then he cried in terror: \u201cDear Mr.\nBear, spare me! I\u2019ll give you all my treasure. Look at those beautiful\nprecious stones lying there. Spare my life! what pleasure would you get\nfrom a poor feeble little fellow like me? You won\u2019t feel me between your\nteeth. There, lay hold of these two wicked girls, they will be a tender\nmorsel for you, as fat as young quails; eat them up, for heaven\u2019s sake.\u201d\n But the bear, paying no attention to his words, gave the evil little\ncreature one blow with his paw, and he never moved again.\n\nThe girls had run away, but the bear called after them: \u201cSnow-white\nand Rose-red, don\u2019t be afraid; wait, and I\u2019ll come with you.\u201d Then they\nrecognized his voice and stood still, and when the bear was quite close\nto them his skin suddenly fell off, and a beautiful man stood beside\nthem, all dressed in gold. \u201cI am a king\u2019s son,\u201d he said, \u201cand have been\ndoomed by that unholy little dwarf, who had stolen my treasure, to roam\nabout the woods as a wild bear till his death should set me free. Now he\nhas got his well-merited punishment.\u201d\n\nSnow-white married him, and Rose-red his brother, and they divided the\ngreat treasure the dwarf had collected in his cave between them. The\nold mother lived for many years peacefully with her children; and she\ncarried the two rose trees with her, and they stood in front of her\nwindow, and every year they bore the finest red and white roses.(1)\n\n\n(1) Grimm.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOOSE-GIRL\n\n\nOnce upon a time an old queen, whose husband had been dead for many\nyears, had a beautiful daughter. When she grew up she was betrothed to\na prince who lived a great way off. Now, when the time drew near for her\nto be married and to depart into a foreign kingdom, her old mother gave\nher much costly baggage, and many ornaments, gold and silver, trinkets\nand knicknacks, and, in fact, everything that belonged to a royal\ntrousseau, for she loved her daughter very dearly. She gave her a\nwaiting-maid also, who was to ride with her and hand her over to the\nbridegroom, and she provided each of them with a horse for the journey.\nNow the Princess\u2019s horse was called Falada, and could speak.\n\nWhen the hour for departure drew near the old mother went to her\nbedroom, and taking a small knife she cut her fingers till they bled;\nthen she held a white rag under them, and letting three drops of blood\nfall into it, she gave it to her daughter, and said: \u201cDear child, take\ngreat care of this rag: it may be of use to you on the journey.\u201d\n\nSo they took a sad farewell of each other, and the Princess stuck the\nrag in front of her dress, mounted her horse, and set forth on the\njourney to her bridegroom\u2019s kingdom. After they had ridden for about\nan hour the Princess began to feel very thirsty, and said to her\nwaiting-maid: \u201cPray get down and fetch me some water in my golden cup\nout of yonder stream: I would like a drink.\u201d \u201cIf you\u2019re thirsty,\u201d said\nthe maid, \u201cdismount yourself, and lie down by the water and drink; I\ndon\u2019t mean to be your servant any longer.\u201d The Princess was so thirsty\nthat she got down, bent over the stream, and drank, for she wasn\u2019t\nallowed to drink out of the golden goblet. As she drank she murmured:\n\u201cOh! heaven, what am I to do?\u201d and the three drops of blood replied:\n\n  \u201cIf your mother only knew,\n  Her heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\nBut the Princess was meek, and said nothing about her maid\u2019s rude\nbehavior, and quietly mounted her horse again. They rode on their\nway for several miles, but the day was hot, and the sun\u2019s rays smote\nfiercely on them, so that the Princess was soon overcome by thirst\nagain. And as they passed a brook she called once more to her\nwaiting-maid: \u201cPray get down and give me a drink from my golden\ncup,\u201d for she had long ago forgotten her maid\u2019s rude words. But the\nwaiting-maid replied, more haughtily even than before: \u201cIf you want a\ndrink, you can dismount and get it; I don\u2019t mean to be your servant.\u201d\n Then the Princess was compelled by her thirst to get down, and bending\nover the flowing water she cried and said: \u201cOh! heaven, what am I to\ndo?\u201d and the three drops of blood replied:\n\n  \u201cIf your mother only knew,\n  Her heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\nAnd as she drank thus, and leaned right over the water, the rag\ncontaining the three drops of blood fell from her bosom and floated down\nthe stream, and she in her anxiety never even noticed her loss. But the\nwaiting-maid had observed it with delight, as she knew it gave her power\nover the bride, for in losing the drops of blood the Princess had become\nweak and powerless. When she wished to get on her horse Falada again,\nthe waiting-maid called out: \u201cI mean to ride Falada: you must mount\nmy beast\u201d; and this too she had to submit to. Then the waiting-maid\ncommanded her harshly to take off her royal robes, and to put on her\ncommon ones, and finally she made her swear by heaven not to say a word\nabout the matter when they reached the palace; and if she hadn\u2019t taken\nthis oath she would have been killed on the spot. But Falada observed\neverything, and laid it all to heart.\n\nThe waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the real bride the worse horse,\nand so they continued their journey till at length they arrived at the\npalace yard. There was great rejoicing over the arrival, and the Prince\nsprang forward to meet them, and taking the waiting-maid for his bride,\nhe lifted her down from her horse and led her upstairs to the royal\nchamber. In the meantime the real Princess was left standing below in\nthe courtyard. The old King, who was looking out of his window, beheld\nher in this plight, and it struck him how sweet and gentle, even\nbeautiful, she looked. He went at once to the royal chamber, and asked\nthe bride who it was she had brought with her and had left thus standing\nin the court below. \u201cOh!\u201d replied the bride, \u201cI brought her with me to\nkeep me company on the journey; give the girl something to do, that she\nmay not be idle.\u201d But the old King had no work for her, and couldn\u2019t\nthink of anything; so he said, \u201cI\u2019ve a small boy who looks after the\ngeese, she\u2019d better help him.\u201d The youth\u2019s name was Curdken, and the\nreal bride was made to assist him in herding geese.\n\nSoon after this the false bride said to the Prince: \u201cDearest husband,\nI pray you grant me a favor.\u201d He answered: \u201cThat I will.\u201d \u201cThen let the\nslaughterer cut off the head of the horse I rode here upon, because it\nbehaved very badly on the journey.\u201d But the truth was she was afraid\nlest the horse should speak and tell how she had treated the Princess.\nShe carried her point, and the faithful Falada was doomed to die.\nWhen the news came to the ears of the real Princess she went to the\nslaughterer, and secretly promised him a piece of gold if he would do\nsomething for her. There was in the town a large dark gate, through\nwhich she had to pass night and morning with the geese; would he \u201ckindly\nhang up Falada\u2019s head there, that she might see it once again?\u201d The\nslaughterer said he would do as she desired, chopped off the head, and\nnailed it firmly over the gateway.\n\nEarly next morning, as she and Curdken were driving their flock through\nthe gate, she said as she passed under:\n\n\n  \u201cOh! Falada, \u2018tis you hang there\u201d;\n\nand the head replied:\n\n  \u201c\u2018Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:\n  If your mother only knew,\n  Her heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\nThen she left the tower and drove the geese into a field. And when they\nhad reached the common where the geese fed she sat down and unloosed\nher hair, which was of pure gold. Curdken loved to see it glitter in the\nsun, and wanted much to pull some hair out. Then she spoke:\n\n  \u201cWind, wind, gently sway,\n  Blow Curdken\u2019s hat away;\n  Let him chase o\u2019er field and wold\n  Till my locks of ruddy gold,\n  Now astray and hanging down,\n  Be combed and plaited in a crown.\u201d\n\n\nThen a gust of wind blew Curdken\u2019s hat away, and he had to chase it over\nhill and dale. When he returned from the pursuit she had finished\nher combing and curling, and his chance of getting any hair was gone.\nCurdken was very angry, and wouldn\u2019t speak to her. So they herded the\ngeese till evening and then went home.\n\nThe next morning, as they passed under the gate, the girl said:\n\n  \u201cOh! Falada, \u2018tis you hang there;\u201d\n\nand the head replied:\n\n  \u201c\u2018Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:\n  If your mother only knew,\n  Her heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\nThen she went on her way till she came to the common, where she sat down\nand began to comb out her hair; then Curdken ran up to her and wanted to\ngrasp some of the hair from her head, but she called out hastily:\n\n  \u201cWind, wind, gently sway,\n  Blow Curdken\u2019s hat away;\n  Let him chase o\u2019er field and wold\n  Till my locks of ruddy gold,\n  Now astray and hanging down,\n  Be combed and plaited in a crown.\u201d\n\n\nThen a puff of wind came and blew Curdken\u2019s hat far away, so that he had\nto run after it; and when he returned she had long finished putting\nup her golden locks, and he couldn\u2019t get any hair; so they watched the\ngeese till it was dark.\n\nBut that evening when they got home Curdken went to the old King, and\nsaid: \u201cI refuse to herd geese any longer with that girl.\u201d \u201cFor what\nreason?\u201d asked the old King. \u201cBecause she does nothing but annoy me\nall day long,\u201d replied Curdken; and he proceeded to relate all her\niniquities, and said: \u201cEvery morning as we drive the flock through the\ndark gate she says to a horse\u2019s head that hangs on the wall:\n\n     \u201c\u2018Oh! Falada, \u2018tis you hang there\u2019;\n\nand the head replies:\n\n     \u201c\u2018\u2019Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:\n     If your mother only knew,\n     Her heart would surely break in two.\u2019\u201d\n\n\nAnd Curdken went on to tell what passed on the common where the geese\nfed, and how he had always to chase his hat.\n\nThe old King bade him go and drive forth his flock as usual next day;\nand when morning came he himself took up his position behind the dark\ngate, and heard how the goose-girl greeted Falada. Then he followed her\nthrough the field, and hid himself behind a bush on the common. He soon\nsaw with his own eyes how the goose-boy and the goose-girl looked after\nthe geese, and how after a time the maiden sat down and loosed her hair,\nthat glittered like gold, and repeated:\n\n  \u201cWind, wind, gently sway,\n  Blow Curdken\u2019s hat away;\n  Let him chase o\u2019er field and wold\n  Till my locks of ruddy gold\n  Now astray and hanging down,\n  Be combed and plaited in a crown.\u201d\n\nThen a gust of wind came and blew Curdken\u2019s hat away, so that he had to\nfly over hill and dale after it, and the girl in the meantime quietly\ncombed and plaited her hair: all this the old King observed, and\nreturned to the palace without anyone having noticed him. In the evening\nwhen the goose-girl came home he called her aside, and asked her why she\nbehaved as she did. \u201cI may not tell you why; how dare I confide my woes\nto anyone? for I swore not to by heaven, otherwise I should have lost my\nlife.\u201d The old King begged her to tell him all, and left her no peace,\nbut he could get nothing out of her. At last he said: \u201cWell, if you\nwon\u2019t tell me, confide your trouble to the iron stove there,\u201d and he\nwent away. Then she crept to the stove, and began to sob and cry and to\npour out her poor little heart, and said: \u201cHere I sit, deserted by all\nthe world, I who am a king\u2019s daughter, and a false waiting-maid has\nforced me to take off my own clothes, and has taken my place with my\nbridegroom, while I have to fulfill the lowly office of goose-girl.\n\n  \u201cIf my mother only knew\n  Her heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nBut the old King stood outside at the stove chimney, and listened to her\nwords. Then he entered the room again, and bidding her leave the stove,\nhe ordered royal apparel to be put on her, in which she looked amazingly\nlovely. Then he summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got\nthe false bride, who was nothing but a waiting-maid, while the real one,\nin the guise of the ex-goose-girl, was standing at his side. The young\nKing rejoiced from his heart when he saw her beauty and learned how good\nshe was, and a great banquet was prepared, to which everyone was bidden.\nThe bridegroom sat at the head of the table, the Princess on one side of\nhim and the waiting-maid on the other; but she was so dazzled that she\ndid not recognize the Princess in her glittering garments. Now when they\nhad eaten and drunk, and were merry, the old King asked the waiting-maid\nto solve a knotty point for him. \u201cWhat,\u201d said he, \u201cshould be done to a\ncertain person who has deceived everyone?\u201d and he proceeded to relate\nthe whole story, ending up with, \u201cNow what sentence should be passed?\u201d\n Then the false bride answered: \u201cShe deserves to be put stark naked into\na barrel lined with sharp nails, which should be dragged by two white\nhorses up and down the street till she is dead.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are the person,\u201d said the King, \u201cand you have passed sentence on\nyourself; and even so it shall be done to you.\u201d And when the sentence\nhad been carried out the young King was married to his real bride, and\nboth reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness.(1)\n\n\n(1) Grimm.\n\n\n\n\nTOADS AND DIAMONDS\n\n\nTHERE was once upon a time a widow who had two daughters. The eldest\nwas so much like her in the face and humor that whoever looked upon the\ndaughter saw the mother. They were both so disagreeable and so proud\nthat there was no living with them.\n\nThe youngest, who was the very picture of her father for courtesy and\nsweetness of temper, was withal one of the most beautiful girls ever\nseen. As people naturally love their own likeness, this mother even\ndoted on her eldest daughter and at the same time had a horrible\naversion for the youngest--she made her eat in the kitchen and work\ncontinually.\n\nAmong other things, this poor child was forced twice a day to draw water\nabove a mile and a-half off the house, and bring home a pitcher full\nof it. One day, as she was at this fountain, there came to her a poor\nwoman, who begged of her to let her drink.\n\n\u201cOh! ay, with all my heart, Goody,\u201d said this pretty little girl;\nand rinsing immediately the pitcher, she took up some water from the\nclearest place of the fountain, and gave it to her, holding up the\npitcher all the while, that she might drink the easier.\n\nThe good woman, having drunk, said to her:\n\n\u201cYou are so very pretty, my dear, so good and so mannerly, that I cannot\nhelp giving you a gift.\u201d For this was a fairy, who had taken the form\nof a poor country woman, to see how far the civility and good manners of\nthis pretty girl would go. \u201cI will give you for a gift,\u201d continued the\nFairy, \u201cthat, at every word you speak, there shall come out of your\nmouth either a flower or a jewel.\u201d\n\nWhen this pretty girl came home her mother scolded her for staying so\nlong at the fountain.\n\n\u201cI beg your pardon, mamma,\u201d said the poor girl, \u201cfor not making more\nhaste.\u201d\n\nAnd in speaking these words there came out of her mouth two roses, two\npearls, and two diamonds.\n\n\u201cWhat is it I see there?\u201d said the mother, quite astonished. \u201cI think I\nsee pearls and diamonds come out of the girl\u2019s mouth! How happens this,\nchild?\u201d\n\nThis was the first time she had ever called her child.\n\nThe poor creature told her frankly all the matter, not without dropping\nout infinite numbers of diamonds.\n\n\u201cIn good faith,\u201d cried the mother, \u201cI must send my child thither.\nCome hither, Fanny; look what comes out of thy sister\u2019s mouth when she\nspeaks. Wouldst not thou be glad, my dear, to have the same gift given\nthee? Thou hast nothing else to do but go and draw water out of the\nfountain, and when a certain poor woman asks you to let her drink, to\ngive it to her very civilly.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt would be a very fine sight indeed,\u201d said this ill-bred minx, \u201cto see\nme go draw water.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou shall go, hussy!\u201d said the mother; \u201cand this minute.\u201d\n\nSo away she went, but grumbling all the way, taking with her the best\nsilver tankard in the house.\n\nShe was no sooner at the fountain than she saw coming out of the wood\na lady most gloriously dressed, who came up to her, and asked to drink.\nThis was, you must know, the very fairy who appeared to her sister,\nbut now had taken the air and dress of a princess, to see how far this\ngirl\u2019s rudeness would go.\n\n\u201cAm I come hither,\u201d said the proud, saucy one, \u201cto serve you with water,\npray? I suppose the silver tankard was brought purely for your ladyship,\nwas it? However, you may drink out of it, if you have a fancy.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are not over and above mannerly,\u201d answered the Fairy, without\nputting herself in a passion. \u201cWell, then, since you have so little\nbreeding, and are so disobliging, I give you for a gift that at every\nword you speak there shall come out of your mouth a snake or a toad.\u201d\n\nSo soon as her mother saw her coming she cried out:\n\n\u201cWell, daughter?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, mother?\u201d answered the pert hussy, throwing out of her mouth two\nvipers and two toads.\n\n\u201cOh! mercy,\u201d cried the mother; \u201cwhat is it I see? Oh! it is that wretch\nher sister who has occasioned all this; but she shall pay for it\u201d; and\nimmediately she ran to beat her. The poor child fled away from her, and\nwent to hide herself in the forest, not far from thence.\n\nThe King\u2019s son, then on his return from hunting, met her, and seeing her\nso very pretty, asked her what she did there alone and why she cried.\n\n\u201cAlas! sir, my mamma has turned me out of doors.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s son, who saw five or six pearls and as many diamonds come out\nof her mouth, desired her to tell him how that happened. She thereupon\ntold him the whole story; and so the King\u2019s son fell in love with\nher, and, considering himself that such a gift was worth more than any\nmarriage portion, conducted her to the palace of the King his father,\nand there married her.\n\nAs for the sister, she made herself so much hated that her own mother\nturned her off; and the miserable wretch, having wandered about a good\nwhile without finding anybody to take her in, went to a corner of the\nwood, and there died.(1)\n\n\n(1) Charles Perrault.\n\n\n\n\nPRINCE DARLING\n\n\nONCE upon a time there lived a king who was so just and kind that his\nsubjects called him \u201cthe Good King.\u201d It happened one day, when he was\nout hunting, that a little white rabbit, which his dogs were chasing,\nsprang into his arms for shelter. The King stroked it gently, and said\nto it:\n\n\u201cWell, bunny, as you have come to me for protection I will see that\nnobody hurts you.\u201d\n\nAnd he took it home to his palace and had it put in a pretty little\nhouse, with all sorts of nice things to eat.\n\nThat night, when he was alone in his room, a beautiful lady suddenly\nappeared before him; her long dress was as white as snow, and she had\na crown of white roses upon her head. The good King was very much\nsurprised to see her, for he knew his door had been tightly shut, and he\ncould not think how she had got in. But she said to him:\n\n\u201cI am the Fairy Truth. I was passing through the wood when you were out\nhunting, and I wished to find out if you were really good, as everybody\nsaid you were, so I took the shape of a little rabbit and came to your\narms for shelter, for I know that those who are merciful to animals will\nbe still kinder to their fellow-men. If you had refused to help me\nI should have been certain that you were wicked. I thank you for the\nkindness you have shown me, which has made me your friend for ever. You\nhave only to ask me for anything you want and I promise that I will give\nit to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said the good King, \u201csince you are a fairy you no doubt know\nall my wishes. I have but one son whom I love very dearly, that is why\nhe is called Prince Darling. If you are really good enough to wish to do\nme a favor, I beg that you will become his friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d answered the Fairy. \u201cI can make your son the\nhandsomest prince in the world, or the richest, or the most powerful;\nchoose whichever you like for him.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not ask either of these things for my son,\u201d replied the good\nKing; \u201cbut if you will make him the best of princes, I shall indeed be\ngrateful to you. What good would it do him to be rich, or handsome, or\nto possess all the kingdoms of the world if he were wicked? You\nknow well he would still be unhappy. Only a good man can be really\ncontented.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are quite right,\u201d answered the Fairy; \u201cbut it is not in my power to\nmake Prince Darling a good man unless he will help me; he must himself\ntry hard to become good, I can only promise to give him good advice, to\nscold him for his faults, and to punish him if he will not correct and\npunish himself.\u201d\n\nThe good King was quite satisfied with this promise; and very soon\nafterward he died.\n\nPrince Darling was very sorry, for he loved his father with all his\nheart, and he would willingly have given all his kingdoms and all his\ntreasures of gold and silver if they could have kept the good King with\nhim.\n\nTwo days afterward, when the Prince had gone to bed, the Fairy suddenly\nappeared to him and said:\n\n\u201cI promised your father that I would be your friend, and to keep my word\nI have come to bring you a present.\u201d At the same time she put a little\ngold ring upon his finger.\n\n\u201cTake great care of this ring,\u201d she said: \u201cit is more precious than\ndiamonds; every time you do a bad deed it will prick your finger, but\nif, in spite of its pricking, you go on in your own evil way, you will\nlose my friendship, and I shall become your enemy.\u201d\n\nSo saying, the Fairy disappeared, leaving Prince Darling very much\nastonished.\n\nFor some time he behaved so well that the ring never pricked him, and\nthat made him so contented that his subjects called him Prince Darling\nthe Happy.\n\nOne day, however, he went out hunting, but could get no sport, which\nput him in a very bad temper; it seemed to him as he rode along that his\nring was pressing into his finger, but as it did not prick him he did\nnot heed it. When he got home and went to his own room, his little dog\nBibi ran to meet him, jumping round him with pleasure. \u201cGet away!\u201d said\nthe Prince, quite gruffly. \u201cI don\u2019t want you, you are in the way.\u201d\n\nThe poor little dog, who didn\u2019t understand this at all, pulled at his\ncoat to make him at least look at her, and this made Prince Darling so\ncross that he gave her quite a hard kick.\n\nInstantly his ring pricked him sharply, as if it had been a pin. He was\nvery much surprised, and sat down in a corner of his room feeling quite\nashamed of himself.\n\n\u201cI believe the Fairy is laughing at me,\u201d he thought. \u201cSurely I can have\ndone no great wrong in just kicking a tiresome animal! What is the good\nof my being ruler of a great kingdom if I am not even allowed to beat my\nown dog?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am not making fun of you,\u201d said a voice, answering Prince Darling\u2019s\nthoughts. \u201cYou have committed three faults. First of all, you were out\nof temper because you could not have what you wanted, and you thought\nall men and animals were only made to do your pleasure; then you were\nreally angry, which is very naughty indeed; and lastly, you were\ncruel to a poor little animal who did not in the least deserve to be\nill-treated.\n\n\u201cI know you are far above a little dog, but if it were right and\nallowable that great people should ill-treat all who are beneath them, I\nmight at this moment beat you, or kill you, for a fairy is greater than\na man. The advantage of possessing a great empire is not to be able to\ndo the evil that one desires, but to do all the good that one possibly\ncan.\u201d\n\nThe Prince saw how naughty he had been, and promised to try and do\nbetter in future, but he did not keep his word. The fact was he had been\nbrought up by a foolish nurse, who had spoiled him when he was little.\nIf he wanted anything he only had to cry and fret and stamp his feet\nand she would give him whatever he asked for, which had made him\nself-willed; also she had told him from morning to night that he would\none day be a king, and that kings were very happy, because everyone was\nbound to obey and respect them, and no one could prevent them from doing\njust as they liked.\n\nWhen the Prince grew old enough to understand, he soon learned that\nthere could be nothing worse than to be proud, obstinate, and conceited,\nand he had really tried to cure himself of these defects, but by that\ntime all his faults had become habits; and a bad habit is very hard to\nget rid of. Not that he was naturally of a bad disposition; he was truly\nsorry when he had been naughty, and said:\n\n\u201cI am very unhappy to have to struggle against my anger and pride every\nday; if I had been punished for them when I was little they would not be\nsuch a trouble to me now.\u201d\n\nHis ring pricked him very often, and sometimes he left off what he was\ndoing at once; but at other times he would not attend to it. Strangely\nenough, it gave him only a slight prick for a trifling fault, but when\nhe was really naughty it made his finger actually bleed. At last he got\ntired of being constantly reminded, and wanted to be able to do as he\nliked, so he threw his ring aside, and thought himself the happiest of\nmen to have got rid of its teasing pricks. He gave himself up to doing\nevery foolish thing that occurred to him, until he became quite wicked\nand nobody could like him any longer.\n\nOne day, when the Prince was walking about, he saw a young girl who was\nso very pretty that he made up his mind at once that he would marry her.\nHer name was Celia, and she was as good as she was beautiful.\n\nPrince Darling fancied that Celia would think herself only too happy if\nhe offered to make her a great queen, but she said fearlessly:\n\n\u201cSire, I am only a shepherdess, and a poor girl, but, nevertheless, I\nwill not marry you.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you dislike me?\u201d asked the Prince, who was very much vexed at this\nanswer.\n\n\u201cNo, my Prince,\u201d replied Celia; \u201cI cannot help thinking you very\nhandsome; but what good would riches be to me, and all the grand dresses\nand splendid carriages that you would give me, if the bad deeds which I\nshould see you do every day made me hate and despise you?\u201d\n\nThe Prince was very angry at this speech, and commanded his officers to\nmake Celia a prisoner and carry her off to his palace. All day long the\nremembrance of what she had said annoyed him, but as he loved her he\ncould not make up his mind to have her punished.\n\nOne of the Prince\u2019s favorite companions was his foster-brother, whom\nhe trusted entirely; but he was not at all a good man, and gave Prince\nDarling very bad advice, and encouraged him in all his evil ways. When\nhe saw the Prince so downcast he asked what was the matter, and when\nhe explained that he could not bear Celia\u2019s bad opinion of him, and was\nresolved to be a better man in order to please her, this evil adviser\nsaid to him:\n\n\u201cYou are very kind to trouble yourself about this little girl; if I were\nyou I would soon make her obey me. Remember that you are a king, and\nthat it would be laughable to see you trying to please a shepherdess,\nwho ought to be only too glad to be one of your slaves. Keep her in\nprison, and feed her on bread and water for a little while, and then, if\nshe still says she will not marry you, have her head cut off, to teach\nother people that you mean to be obeyed. Why, if you cannot make a girl\nlike that do as you wish, your subjects will soon forget that they are\nonly put into this world for our pleasure.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Prince Darling, \u201cwould it not be a shame if I had an\ninnocent girl put to death? For Celia has done nothing to deserve\npunishment.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf people will not do as you tell them they ought to suffer for it,\u201d\n answered his foster-brother; \u201cbut even if it were unjust, you had better\nbe accused of that by your subjects than that they should find out that\nthey may insult and thwart you as often as they please.\u201d\n\nIn saying this he was touching a weak point in his brother\u2019s character;\nfor the Prince\u2019s fear of losing any of his power made him at once\nabandon his first idea of trying to be good, and resolve to try and\nfrighten the shepherdess into consenting to marry him.\n\nHis foster-brother, who wanted him to keep this resolution, invited\nthree young courtiers, as wicked as himself to sup with the Prince,\nand they persuaded him to drink a great deal of wine, and continued to\nexcite his anger against Celia by telling him that she had laughed at\nhis love for her; until at last, in quite a furious rage, he rushed off\nto find her, declaring that if she still refused to marry him she should\nbe sold as a slave the very next day.\n\nBut when he reached the room in which Celia had been locked up, he was\ngreatly surprised to find that she was not in it, though he had the key\nin his own pocket all the time. His anger was terrible, and he vowed\nvengeance against whoever had helped her to escape. His bad friends,\nwhen they heard him, resolved to turn his wrath upon an old nobleman who\nhad formerly been his tutor; and who still dared sometimes to tell the\nPrince of his faults, for he loved him as if he had been his own son. At\nfirst Prince Darling had thanked him, but after a time he grew impatient\nand thought it must be just mere love of fault-finding that made his old\ntutor blame him when everyone else was praising and flattering him. So\nhe ordered him to retire from his Court, though he still, from time\nto time, spoke of him as a worthy man whom he respected, even if he no\nlonger loved him. His unworthy friends feared that he might some day\ntake it into his head to recall his old tutor, so they thought they now\nhad a good opportunity of getting him banished for ever.\n\nThey reported to the Prince that Suliman, for that was the tutor\u2019s name,\nhad boasted of having helped Celia to escape, and they bribed three men\nto say that Suliman himself had told them about it. The Prince, in great\nanger, sent his foster-brother with a number of soldiers to bring his\ntutor before him, in chains, like a criminal. After giving this order he\nwent to his own room, but he had scarcely got into it when there was\na clap of thunder which made the ground shake, and the Fairy Truth\nappeared suddenly before him.\n\n\u201cI promised your father,\u201d said she sternly, \u201cto give you good advice,\nand to punish you if you refused to follow it. You have despised my\ncounsel, and have gone your own evil way until you are only outwardly a\nman; really you are a monster--the horror of everyone who knows you. It\nis time that I should fulfil my promise, and begin your punishment. I\ncondemn you to resemble the animals whose ways you have imitated. You\nhave made yourself like the lion by your anger, and like the wolf by\nyour greediness. Like a snake, you have ungratefully turned upon one who\nwas a second father to you; your churlishness has made you like a bull.\nTherefore, in your new form, take the appearance of all these animals.\u201d\n\nThe Fairy had scarcely finished speaking when Prince Darling saw to his\nhorror that her words were fulfilled. He had a lion\u2019s head, a bull\u2019s\nhorns, a wolf\u2019s feet, and a snake\u2019s body. At the same instant he found\nhimself in a great forest, beside a clear lake, in which he could see\nplainly the horrible creature he had become, and a voice said to him:\n\n\u201cLook carefully at the state to which your wickedness has brought you;\nbelieve me, your soul is a thousand times more hideous than your body.\u201d\n\nPrince Darling recognized the voice of the Fairy Truth and turned in\na fury to catch her and eat her up if he possibly could; but he saw no\none, and the same voice went on:\n\n\u201cI laugh at your powerlessness and anger, and I intend to punish your\npride by letting you fall into the hands of your own subjects.\u201d\n\nThe Prince began to think that the best thing he could do would be to\nget as far away from the lake as he could, then at least he would not\nbe continually reminded of his terrible ugliness. So he ran toward the\nwood, but before he had gone many yards he fell into a deep pit which\nhad been made to trap bears, and the hunters, who were hiding in a tree,\nleaped down, and secured him with several chains, and led him into the\nchief city of his own kingdom.\n\nOn the way, instead of recognizing that his own faults had brought this\npunishment upon him, he accused the Fairy of being the cause of all his\nmisfortunes, and bit and tore at his chains furiously.\n\nAs they approached the town he saw that some great rejoicing was being\nheld, and when the hunters asked what had happened they were told that\nthe Prince, whose only pleasure it was to torment his people, had been\nfound in his room, killed by a thunder-bolt (for that was what was\nsupposed to have become of him). Four of his courtiers, those who had\nencouraged him in his wicked doings, had tried to seize the kingdom\nand divide it between them, but the people, who knew it was their bad\ncounsels which had so changed the Prince, had cut off their heads, and\nhad offered the crown to Suliman, whom the Prince had left in prison.\nThis noble lord had just been crowned, and the deliverance of the\nkingdom was the cause of the rejoicing. \u201cFor,\u201d they said, \u201che is a good\nand just man, and we shall once more enjoy peace and prosperity.\u201d\n\nPrince Darling roared with anger when he heard this; but it was still\nworse for him when he reached the great square before his own palace. He\nsaw Suliman seated upon a magnificent throne, and all the people crowded\nround, wishing him a long life that he might undo all the mischief done\nby his predecessor.\n\nPresently Suliman made a sign with his hand that the people should be\nsilent, and said: \u201cI have accepted the crown you have offered me, but\nonly that I may keep it for Prince Darling, who is not dead as you\nsuppose; the Fairy has assured me that there is still hope that you may\nsome day see him again, good and virtuous as he was when he first came\nto the throne. Alas!\u201d he continued, \u201che was led away by flatterers.\nI knew his heart, and am certain that if it had not been for the bad\ninfluence of those who surrounded him he would have been a good king and\na father to his people. We may hate his faults, but let us pity him and\nhope for his restoration. As for me, I would die gladly if that could\nbring back our Prince to reign justly and worthily once more.\u201d\n\nThese words went to Prince Darling\u2019s heart; he realized the true\naffection and faithfulness of his old tutor, and for the first time\nreproached himself for all his evil deeds; at the same instant he felt\nall his anger melting away, and he began quickly to think over his\npast life, and to admit that his punishment was not more than he had\ndeserved. He left off tearing at the iron bars of the cage in which he\nwas shut up, and became as gentle as a lamb.\n\nThe hunters who had caught him took him to a great menagerie, where he\nwas chained up among all the other wild beasts, and he determined to\nshow his sorrow for his past bad behavior by being gentle and obedient\nto the man who had to take care of him. Unfortunately, this man was very\nrough and unkind, and though the poor monster was quite quiet, he often\nbeat him without rhyme or reason when he happened to be in a bad temper.\nOne day when this keeper was asleep a tiger broke its chain, and flew at\nhim to eat him up. Prince Darling, who saw what was going on, at\nfirst felt quite pleased to think that he should be delivered from his\npersecutor, but soon thought better of it and wished that he were free.\n\n\u201cI would return good for evil,\u201d he said to himself, \u201cand save the\nunhappy man\u2019s life.\u201d He had hardly wished this when his iron cage flew\nopen, and he rushed to the side of the keeper, who was awake and was\ndefending himself against the tiger. When he saw the monster had got out\nhe gave himself up for lost, but his fear was soon changed into joy, for\nthe kind monster threw itself upon the tiger and very soon killed it,\nand then came and crouched at the feet of the man it had saved.\n\nOvercome with gratitude, the keeper stooped to caress the strange\ncreature which had done him such a great service; but suddenly a voice\nsaid in his ear:\n\n\u201cA good action should never go unrewarded,\u201d and at the same instant the\nmonster disappeared, and he saw at his feet only a pretty little dog!\n\nPrince Darling, delighted by the change, frisked about the keeper,\nshowing his joy in every way he could, and the man, taking him up in his\narms, carried him to the King, to whom he told the whole story.\n\nThe Queen said she would like to have this wonderful little dog, and\nthe Prince would have been very happy in his new home if he could have\nforgotten that he was a man and a king. The Queen petted and took\ncare of him, but she was so afraid that he would get too fat that she\nconsulted the court physician, who said that he was to be fed only upon\nbread, and was not to have much even of that. So poor Prince Darling was\nterribly hungry all day long, but he was very patient about it.\n\nOne day, when they gave him his little loaf for breakfast, he thought\nhe would like to eat it out in the garden; so he took it up in his mouth\nand trotted away toward a brook that he knew of a long way from the\npalace. But he was surprised to find that the brook was gone, and where\nit had been stood a great house that seemed to be built of gold and\nprecious stones. Numbers of people splendidly dressed were going into\nit, and sounds of music and dancing and feasting could be heard from the\nwindows.\n\nBut what seemed very strange was that those people who came out of the\nhouse were pale and thin, and their clothes were torn, and hanging in\nrags about them. Some fell down dead as they came out before they had\ntime to get away; others crawled farther with great difficulty; while\nothers again lay on the ground, fainting with hunger, and begged a\nmorsel of bread from those who were going into the house, but they would\nnot so much as look at the poor creatures.\n\nPrince Darling went up to a young girl who was trying to eat a few\nblades of grass, she was so hungry. Touched with compassion, he said to\nhimself:\n\n\u201cI am very hungry, but I shall not die of starvation before I get my\ndinner; if I give my breakfast to this poor creature perhaps I may save\nher life.\u201d\n\nSo he laid his piece of bread in the girl\u2019s hand, and saw her eat it up\neagerly.\n\nShe soon seemed to be quite well again, and the Prince, delighted to\nhave been able to help her, was thinking of going home to the palace,\nwhen he heard a great outcry, and, turning round, saw Celia, who was\nbeing carried against her will into the great house.\n\nFor the first time the Prince regretted that he was no longer the\nmonster, then he would have been able to rescue Celia; now he could only\nbark feebly at the people who were carrying her off, and try to follow\nthem, but they chased and kicked him away.\n\nHe determined not to quit the place till he knew what had become of\nCelia, and blamed himself for what had befallen her.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d he said to himself, \u201cI am furious with the people who are\ncarrying Celia off, but isn\u2019t that exactly what I did myself, and if I\nhad not been prevented did I not intend to be still more cruel to her?\u201d\n\nHere he was interrupted by a noise above his head--someone was opening\na window, and he saw with delight that it was Celia herself, who came\nforward and threw out a plate of most delicious-looking food, then the\nwindow was shut again, and Prince Darling, who had not had anything to\neat all day, thought he might as well take the opportunity of getting\nsomething. He ran forward to begin, but the young girl to whom he\nhad given his bread gave a cry of terror and took him up in her arms,\nsaying:\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t touch it, my poor little dog--that house is the palace of\npleasure, and everything that comes out of it is poisoned!\u201d\n\nAt the same moment a voice said:\n\n\u201cYou see a good action always brings its reward,\u201d and the Prince found\nhimself changed into a beautiful white dove. He remembered that white\nwas the favorite color of the Fairy Truth, and began to hope that he\nmight at last win back her favor. But just now his first care was for\nCelia, and rising into the air he flew round and round the house, until\nhe saw an open window; but he searched through every room in vain. No\ntrace of Celia was to be seen, and the Prince, in despair, determined\nto search through the world till he found her. He flew on and on for\nseveral days, till he came to a great desert, where he saw a cavern,\nand, to his delight, there sat Celia, sharing the simple breakfast of an\nold hermit.\n\nOverjoyed to have found her, Prince Darling perched upon her shoulder,\ntrying to express by his caresses how glad he was to see her again,\nand Celia, surprised and delighted by the tameness of this pretty white\ndove, stroked it softly, and said, though she never thought of its\nunderstanding her:\n\n\u201cI accept the gift that you make me of yourself, and I will love you\nalways.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake care what you are saying, Celia,\u201d said the old hermit; \u201care you\nprepared to keep that promise?\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, I hope so, my sweet shepherdess,\u201d cried the Prince, who was\nat that moment restored to his natural shape. \u201cYou promised to love me\nalways; tell me that you really mean what you said, or I shall have to\nask the Fairy to give me back the form of the dove which pleased you so\nmuch.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou need not be afraid that she will change her mind,\u201d said the Fairy,\nthrowing off the hermit\u2019s robe in which she had been disguised and\nappearing before them.\n\n\u201cCelia has loved you ever since she first saw you, only she would not\ntell you while you were so obstinate and naughty. Now you have repented\nand mean to be good you deserve to be happy, and so she may love you as\nmuch as she likes.\u201d\n\nCelia and Prince Darling threw themselves at the Fairy\u2019s feet, and\nthe Prince was never tired of thanking her for her kindness. Celia\nwas delighted to hear how sorry he was for all his past follies and\nmisdeeds, and promised to love him as long as she lived.\n\n\u201cRise, my children,\u201d said the Fairy, \u201cand I will transport you to the\npalace, and Prince Darling shall have back again the crown he forfeited\nby his bad behavior.\u201d\n\nWhile she was speaking, they found themselves in Suliman\u2019s hall, and his\ndelight was great at seeing his dear master once more. He gave up the\nthrone joyfully to the Prince, and remained always the most faithful of\nhis subjects.\n\nCelia and Prince Darling reigned for many years, but he was so\ndetermined to govern worthily and to do his duty that his ring, which he\ntook to wearing again, never once pricked him severely.(1)\n\n\n(1) Cabinet des Fees.\n\n\n\n\nBLUE BEARD\n\n\nThere was a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a deal\nof silver and gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches gilded all\nover with gold. But this man was so unlucky as to have a blue beard,\nwhich made him so frightfully ugly that all the women and girls ran away\nfrom him.\n\nOne of his neighbors, a lady of quality, had two daughters who were\nperfect beauties. He desired of her one of them in marriage, leaving to\nher choice which of the two she would bestow on him. They would neither\nof them have him, and sent him backward and forward from one another,\nnot being able to bear the thoughts of marrying a man who had a blue\nbeard, and what besides gave them disgust and aversion was his having\nalready been married to several wives, and nobody ever knew what became\nof them.\n\nBlue Beard, to engage their affection, took them, with the lady their\nmother and three or four ladies of their acquaintance, with other young\npeople of the neighborhood, to one of his country seats, where they\nstayed a whole week.\n\nThere was nothing then to be seen but parties of pleasure, hunting,\nfishing, dancing, mirth, and feasting. Nobody went to bed, but all\npassed the night in rallying and joking with each other. In short,\neverything succeeded so well that the youngest daughter began to think\nthe master of the house not to have a beard so very blue, and that he\nwas a mighty civil gentleman.\n\nAs soon as they returned home, the marriage was concluded. About a\nmonth afterward, Blue Beard told his wife that he was obliged to take\na country journey for six weeks at least, about affairs of very great\nconsequence, desiring her to divert herself in his absence, to send for\nher friends and acquaintances, to carry them into the country, if she\npleased, and to make good cheer wherever she was.\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d said he, \u201care the keys of the two great wardrobes, wherein I\nhave my best furniture; these are of my silver and gold plate, which is\nnot every day in use; these open my strong boxes, which hold my money,\nboth gold and silver; these my caskets of jewels; and this is the\nmaster-key to all my apartments. But for this little one here, it is the\nkey of the closet at the end of the great gallery on the ground floor.\nOpen them all; go into all and every one of them, except that little\ncloset, which I forbid you, and forbid it in such a manner that, if you\nhappen to open it, there\u2019s nothing but what you may expect from my just\nanger and resentment.\u201d\n\nShe promised to observe, very exactly, whatever he had ordered; when\nhe, after having embraced her, got into his coach and proceeded on his\njourney.\n\nHer neighbors and good friends did not stay to be sent for by the\nnew married lady, so great was their impatience to see all the rich\nfurniture of her house, not daring to come while her husband was there,\nbecause of his blue beard, which frightened them. They ran through all\nthe rooms, closets, and wardrobes, which were all so fine and rich that\nthey seemed to surpass one another.\n\nAfter that they went up into the two great rooms, where was the best\nand richest furniture; they could not sufficiently admire the number\nand beauty of the tapestry, beds, couches, cabinets, stands, tables, and\nlooking-glasses, in which you might see yourself from head to foot; some\nof them were framed with glass, others with silver, plain and gilded,\nthe finest and most magnificent ever were seen.\n\nThey ceased not to extol and envy the happiness of their friend, who in\nthe meantime in no way diverted herself in looking upon all these rich\nthings, because of the impatience she had to go and open the closet on\nthe ground floor. She was so much pressed by her curiosity that, without\nconsidering that it was very uncivil to leave her company, she went\ndown a little back staircase, and with such excessive haste that she had\ntwice or thrice like to have broken her neck.\n\nComing to the closet-door, she made a stop for some time, thinking upon\nher husband\u2019s orders, and considering what unhappiness might attend her\nif she was disobedient; but the temptation was so strong she could not\novercome it. She then took the little key, and opened it, trembling, but\ncould not at first see anything plainly, because the windows were shut.\nAfter some moments she began to perceive that the floor was all covered\nover with clotted blood, on which lay the bodies of several dead women,\nranged against the walls. (These were all the wives whom Blue Beard had\nmarried and murdered, one after another.) She thought she should have\ndied for fear, and the key, which she pulled out of the lock, fell out\nof her hand.\n\nAfter having somewhat recovered her surprise, she took up the key,\nlocked the door, and went upstairs into her chamber to recover herself;\nbut she could not, she was so much frightened. Having observed that the\nkey of the closet was stained with blood, she tried two or three times\nto wipe it off, but the blood would not come out; in vain did she wash\nit, and even rub it with soap and sand; the blood still remained, for\nthe key was magical and she could never make it quite clean; when the\nblood was gone off from one side, it came again on the other.\n\nBlue Beard returned from his journey the same evening, and said he had\nreceived letters upon the road, informing him that the affair he went\nabout was ended to his advantage. His wife did all she could to convince\nhim she was extremely glad of his speedy return.\n\nNext morning he asked her for the keys, which she gave him, but with\nsuch a trembling hand that he easily guessed what had happened.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said he, \u201cis not the key of my closet among the rest?\u201d\n\n\u201cI must certainly have left it above upon the table,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cFail not to bring it to me presently,\u201d said Blue Beard.\n\nAfter several goings backward and forward she was forced to bring him\nthe key. Blue Beard, having very attentively considered it, said to his\nwife,\n\n\u201cHow comes this blood upon the key?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know,\u201d cried the poor woman, paler than death.\n\n\u201cYou do not know!\u201d replied Blue Beard. \u201cI very well know. You were\nresolved to go into the closet, were you not? Mighty well, madam; you\nshall go in, and take your place among the ladies you saw there.\u201d\n\nUpon this she threw herself at her husband\u2019s feet, and begged his pardon\nwith all the signs of true repentance, vowing that she would never more\nbe disobedient. She would have melted a rock, so beautiful and sorrowful\nwas she; but Blue Beard had a heart harder than any rock!\n\n\u201cYou must die, madam,\u201d said he, \u201cand that presently.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince I must die,\u201d answered she (looking upon him with her eyes all\nbathed in tears), \u201cgive me some little time to say my prayers.\u201d\n\n\u201cI give you,\u201d replied Blue Beard, \u201chalf a quarter of an hour, but not\none moment more.\u201d\n\nWhen she was alone she called out to her sister, and said to her:\n\n\u201cSister Anne\u201d (for that was her name), \u201cgo up, I beg you, upon the top\nof the tower, and look if my brothers are not coming over; they promised\nme that they would come to-day, and if you see them, give them a sign to\nmake haste.\u201d\n\nHer sister Anne went up upon the top of the tower, and the poor\nafflicted wife cried out from time to time:\n\n\u201cAnne, sister Anne, do you see anyone coming?\u201d\n\nAnd sister Anne said:\n\n\u201cI see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which\nlooks green.\u201d\n\nIn the meanwhile Blue Beard, holding a great sabre in his hand, cried\nout as loud as he could bawl to his wife:\n\n\u201cCome down instantly, or I shall come up to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cOne moment longer, if you please,\u201d said his wife, and then she cried\nout very softly, \u201cAnne, sister Anne, dost thou see anybody coming?\u201d\n\nAnd sister Anne answered:\n\n\u201cI see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which is\ngreen.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome down quickly,\u201d cried Blue Beard, \u201cor I will come up to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am coming,\u201d answered his wife; and then she cried, \u201cAnne, sister\nAnne, dost thou not see anyone coming?\u201d\n\n\u201cI see,\u201d replied sister Anne, \u201ca great dust, which comes on this side\nhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre they my brothers?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! no, my dear sister, I see a flock of sheep.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you not come down?\u201d cried Blue Beard\n\n\u201cOne moment longer,\u201d said his wife, and then she cried out: \u201cAnne,\nsister Anne, dost thou see nobody coming?\u201d\n\n\u201cI see,\u201d said she, \u201ctwo horsemen, but they are yet a great way off.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod be praised,\u201d replied the poor wife joyfully; \u201cthey are my brothers;\nI will make them a sign, as well as I can, for them to make haste.\u201d\n\nThen Blue Beard bawled out so loud that he made the whole house tremble.\nThe distressed wife came down, and threw herself at his feet, all in\ntears, with her hair about her shoulders.\n\n\u201cThis signifies nothing,\u201d says Blue Beard; \u201cyou must die\u201d; then, taking\nhold of her hair with one hand, and lifting up the sword with the other,\nhe was going to take off her head. The poor lady, turning about to him,\nand looking at him with dying eyes, desired him to afford her one little\nmoment to recollect herself.\n\n\u201cNo, no,\u201d said he, \u201crecommend thyself to God,\u201d and was just ready to\nstrike...\n\nAt this very instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate that\nBlue Beard made a sudden stop. The gate was opened, and presently\nentered two horsemen, who, drawing their swords, ran directly to Blue\nBeard. He knew them to be his wife\u2019s brothers, one a dragoon, the other\na musketeer, so that he ran away immediately to save himself; but the\ntwo brothers pursued so close that they overtook him before he could get\nto the steps of the porch, when they ran their swords through his body\nand left him dead. The poor wife was almost as dead as her husband, and\nhad not strength enough to rise and welcome her brothers.\n\nBlue Beard had no heirs, and so his wife became mistress of all his\nestate. She made use of one part of it to marry her sister Anne to a\nyoung gentleman who had loved her a long while; another part to buy\ncaptains commissions for her brothers, and the rest to marry herself to\na very worthy gentleman, who made her forget the ill time she had passed\nwith Blue Beard.(1)\n\n\n(1) Charles Perrault.\n\n\n\n\nTRUSTY JOHN\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was an old king who was so ill that he thought to\nhimself, \u201cI am most likely on my death-bed.\u201d Then he said, \u201cSend Trusty\nJohn to me.\u201d Now Trusty John was his favorite servant, and was so called\nbecause all his life he had served him so faithfully. When he approached\nthe bed the King spake to him: \u201cMost trusty John, I feel my end is\ndrawing near, and I could face it without a care were it not for my son.\nHe is still too young to decide everything for himself, and unless you\npromise me to instruct him in all he should know, and to be to him as a\nfather, I shall not close my eyes in peace.\u201d Then Trusty John answered:\n\u201cI will never desert him, and will serve him faithfully, even though it\nshould cost me my life.\u201d Then the old King said: \u201cNow I die comforted\nand in peace\u201d; and then he went on: \u201cAfter my death you must show him\nthe whole castle, all the rooms and apartments and vaults, and all the\ntreasures that lie in them; but you must not show him the last room in\nthe long passage, where the picture of the Princess of the Golden Roof\nis hidden. When he beholds that picture he will fall violently in love\nwith it and go off into a dead faint, and for her sake he will encounter\nmany dangers; you must guard him from this.\u201d And when Trusty John had\nagain given the King his hand upon it the old man became silent, laid\nhis head on the pillow, and died.\n\nWhen the old King had been carried to his grave Trusty John told the\nyoung King what he had promised his father on his death-bed, and added:\n\u201cAnd I shall assuredly keep my word, and shall be faithful to you as I\nhave been to him, even though it should cost me my life.\u201d\n\nNow when the time of mourning was over, Trusty John said to him: \u201cIt\nis time you should see your inheritance. I will show you your ancestral\ncastle.\u201d So he took him over everything, and let him see all the riches\nand splendid apartments, only the one room where the picture was he\ndid not open. But the picture was placed so that if the door opened\nyou gazed straight upon it, and it was so beautifully painted that\nyou imagined it lived and moved, and that it was the most lovable and\nbeautiful thing in the whole world. But the young King noticed that\nTrusty John always missed one door, and said: \u201cWhy do you never open\nthis one for me?\u201d \u201cThere is something inside that would appall you,\u201d he\nanswered. But the King replied: \u201cI have seen the whole castle, and shall\nfind out what is in there\u201d; and with these words he approached the door\nand wanted to force it open. But Trusty John held him back, and said: \u201cI\npromised your father before his death that you shouldn\u2019t see what that\nroom contains. It might bring both you and me to great grief.\u201d \u201cAh!\nno,\u201d answered the young King; \u201cif I don\u2019t get in, it will be my certain\ndestruction; I should have no peace night or day till I had seen what\nwas in the room with my own eyes. Now I don\u2019t budge from the spot till\nyou have opened the door.\u201d\n\nThen Trusty John saw there was no way out of it, so with a heavy heart\nand many sighs he took the key from the big bunch. When he had opened\nthe door he stepped in first, and thought to cover the likeness so that\nthe King might not perceive it; but it was hopeless: the King stood on\ntiptoe and looked over his shoulder. And when he saw the picture of the\nmaid, so beautiful and glittering with gold and precious stones, he fell\nswooning to the ground. Trusty John lifted him up, carried him to bed,\nand thought sorrowfully: \u201cThe curse has come upon us; gracious heaven!\nwhat will be the end of it all?\u201d Then he poured wine down his throat\ntill he came to himself again. The first words he spoke were: \u201cOh! who\nis the original of the beautiful picture?\u201d \u201cShe is the Princess of the\nGolden Roof,\u201d answered Trusty John. Then the King continued: \u201cMy love\nfor her is so great that if all the leaves on the trees had tongues they\ncould not express it; my very life depends on my winning her. You are my\nmost trusty John: you must stand by me.\u201d\n\nThe faithful servant pondered long how they were to set about the\nmatter, for it was said to be difficult even to get into the presence of\nthe Princess. At length he hit upon a plan, and spoke to the King: \u201cAll\nthe things she has about her--tables, chairs, dishes, goblets, bowls,\nand all her household furniture--are made of gold. You have in\nyour treasure five tons of gold; let the goldsmiths of your kingdom\nmanufacture them into all manner of vases and vessels, into all sorts of\nbirds and game and wonderful beasts; that will please her. We shall\ngo to her with them and try our luck.\u201d The King summoned all his\ngoldsmiths, and they had to work hard day and night, till at length the\nmost magnificent things were completed. When a ship had been laden with\nthem the faithful John disguised himself as a merchant, and the King had\nto do the same, so that they should be quite unrecognizable. And so\nthey crossed the seas and journeyed till they reached the town where the\nPrincess of the Golden Roof dwelt.\n\nTrusty John made the King remain behind on the ship and await his\nreturn. \u201cPerhaps,\u201d he said, \u201cI may bring the Princess back with me, so\nsee that everything is in order; let the gold ornaments be arranged and\nthe whole ship decorated.\u201d Then he took a few of the gold things in his\napron, went ashore, and proceeded straight to the palace. When he came\nto the courtyard he found a beautiful maiden standing at the well,\ndrawing water with two golden pails. And as she was about to carry away\nthe glittering water she turned round and saw the stranger, and asked\nhim who he was. Then he replied: \u201cI am a merchant,\u201d and opening his\napron, he let her peep in. \u201cOh! my,\u201d she cried; \u201cwhat beautiful gold\nwares!\u201d she set down her pails, and examined one thing after the other.\nThen she said: \u201cThe Princess must see this, she has such a fancy for\ngold things that she will buy up all you have.\u201d She took him by the hand\nand let him into the palace, for she was the lady\u2019s maid.\n\nWhen the Princess had seen the wares she was quite enchanted, and said:\n\u201cThey are all so beautifully made that I shall buy everything you have.\u201d\n But Trusty John said: \u201cI am only the servant of a rich merchant, what\nI have here is nothing compared to what my master has on his ship; his\nmerchandise is more artistic and costly than anything that has ever been\nmade in gold before.\u201d She desired to have everything brought up to her,\nbut he said: \u201cThere is such a quantity of things that it would take many\ndays to bring them up, and they would take up so many rooms that\nyou would have no space for them in your house.\u201d Thus her desire and\ncuriosity were excited to such an extent that at last she said: \u201cTake me\nto your ship; I shall go there myself and view your master\u2019s treasures.\u201d\n\nThen Trusty John was quite delighted, and brought her to the ship; and\nthe King, when he beheld her, saw that she was even more beautiful than\nher picture, and thought every moment that his heart would burst. She\nstepped on to the ship, and the King led her inside. But Trusty John\nremained behind with the steersman, and ordered the ship to push off.\n\u201cSpread all sail, that we may fly on the ocean like a bird in the air.\u201d\n Meanwhile the King showed the Princess inside all his gold wares, every\nsingle bit of it--dishes, goblets, bowls, the birds and game, and all\nthe wonderful beasts. Many hours passed thus, and she was so happy that\nshe did not notice that the ship was sailing away. After she had seen\nthe last thing she thanked the merchant and prepared to go home; but\nwhen she came to the ship\u2019s side she saw that they were on the high\nseas, far from land, and that the ship was speeding on its way under\nfull canvas. \u201cOh!\u201d she cried in terror, \u201cI am deceived, carried away and\nbetrayed into the power of a merchant; I would rather have died!\u201d But\nthe King seized her hand and spake: \u201cI am no merchant, but a king of as\nhigh birth as yourself; and it was my great love for you that made me\ncarry you off by stratagem. The first time I saw your likeness I fell to\nthe ground in a swoon.\u201d When the Princess of the Golden Roof heard this\nshe was comforted, and her heart went out to him, so that she willingly\nconsented to become his wife.\n\nNow it happened one day, while they were sailing on the high seas,\nthat Trusty John, sitting on the forepart of the ship, fiddling away to\nhimself, observed three ravens in the air flying toward him. He ceased\nplaying, and listened to what they were saying, for he understood their\nlanguage. The one croaked: \u201cAh, ha! so he\u2019s bringing the Princess of\nthe Golden Roof home.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered the second, \u201cbut he\u2019s not got her\nyet.\u201d \u201cYes, he has,\u201d spake the third, \u201cfor she\u2019s sitting beside him on\nthe ship.\u201d Then number one began again and cried: \u201cThat\u2019ll not help him!\nWhen they reach the land a chestnut horse will dash forward to greet\nthem: the King will wish to mount it, and if he does it will gallop away\nwith him, and disappear into the air, and he will never see his bride\nagain.\u201d \u201cIs there no escape for him?\u201d asked number two. \u201cOh! yes, if\nsomeone else mounts quickly and shoots the horse dead with the pistol\nthat is sticking in the holster, then the young King is saved. But who\u2019s\nto do that? And anyone who knows it and tells him will be turned into\nstone from his feet to his knees.\u201d Then spake number two: \u201cI know more\nthan that: even if the horse is slain, the young King will still not\nkeep his bride: when they enter the palace together they will find a\nready-made wedding shirt in a cupboard, which looks as though it were\nwoven of gold and silver, but is really made of nothing but sulphur and\ntar: when the King puts it on it will burn him to his marrow and bones.\u201d\n Number three asked: \u201cIs there no way of escape, then?\u201d \u201cOh! yes,\u201d\n answered number two: \u201cIf someone seizes the shirt with gloved hands and\nthrows it into the fire, and lets it burn, then the young King is saved.\nBut what\u2019s the good? Anyone knowing this and telling it will have half\nhis body turned into stone, from his knees to his heart.\u201d Then number\nthree spake: \u201cI know yet more: though the bridal shirt too be burnt, the\nKing hasn\u2019t even then secured his bride: when the dance is held after\nthe wedding, and the young Queen is dancing, she will suddenly grow\ndeadly white, and drop down like one dead, and unless some one lifts her\nup and draws three drops of blood from her right side, and spits them\nout again, she will die. But if anyone who knows this betrays it, he\nwill be turned into stone from the crown of his head to the soles of his\nfeet.\u201d When the ravens had thus conversed they fled onward, but Trusty\nJohn had taken it all in, and was sad and depressed from that time\nforward; for if he were silent to his master concerning what he had\nheard, he would involve him in misfortune; but if he took him into his\nconfidence, then he himself would forfeit his life. At last he said: \u201cI\nwill stand by my master, though it should be my ruin.\u201d\n\nNow when they drew near the land it came to pass just as the ravens had\npredicted, and a splendid chestnut horse bounded forward. \u201cCapital!\u201d\n said the King; \u201cthis animal shall carry me to my palace,\u201d and was about\nto mount, but Trusty John was too sharp for him, and, springing up\nquickly, seized the pistol out of the holster and shot the horse dead.\nThen the other servants of the King, who at no time looked favorably on\nTrusty John, cried out: \u201cWhat a sin to kill the beautiful beast that was\nto bear the King to his palace!\u201d But the King spake: \u201cSilence! let him\nalone; he is ever my most trusty John. Who knows for what good end he\nmay have done this thing?\u201d So they went on their way and entered\nthe palace, and there in the hall stood a cupboard in which lay the\nready-made bridal shirt, looking for all the world as though it were\nmade of gold and silver. The young King went toward it and was about to\ntake hold of it, but Trusty John, pushing him aside, seized it with his\ngloved hands, threw it hastily into the fire, and let it burn The\nother servants commenced grumbling again, and said: \u201cSee, he\u2019s actually\nburning the King\u2019s bridal shirt.\u201d But the young King spoke: \u201cWho knows\nfor what good purpose he does it? Let him alone, he is my most trusty\nJohn.\u201d Then the wedding was celebrated, the dance began, and the bride\njoined in, but Trusty John watched her countenance carefully. Of a\nsudden she grew deadly white, and fell to the ground as if she were\ndead. He at once sprang hastily toward her, lifted her up, and bore her\nto a room, where he laid her down, and kneeling beside her he drew three\ndrops of blood from her right side, and spat them out. She soon\nbreathed again and came to herself; but the young King had watched the\nproceeding, and not knowing why Trusty John had acted as he did, he flew\ninto a passion, and cried: \u201cThrow him into prison.\u201d On the following\nmorning sentence was passed on Trusty John, and he was condemned to be\nhanged. As he stood on the gallows he said: \u201cEvery one doomed to\ndeath has the right to speak once before he dies; and I too have that\nprivilege?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the King, \u201cit shall be granted to you.\u201d So\nTrusty John spoke: \u201cI am unjustly condemned, for I have always been\nfaithful to you\u201d; and he proceeded to relate how he had heard the\nravens\u2019 conversation on the sea, and how he had to do all he did in\norder to save his master. Then the King cried: \u201cOh! my most trusty John,\npardon! pardon! Take him down.\u201d But as he uttered the last word Trusty\nJohn had fallen lifeless to the ground, and was a stone.\n\nThe King and Queen were in despair, and the King spake: \u201cAh! how ill\nhave I rewarded such great fidelity!\u201d and made them lift up the stone\nimage and place it in his bedroom near his bed. As often as he looked at\nit he wept and said: \u201cOh! if I could only restore you to life, my most\ntrusty John!\u201d After a time the Queen gave birth to twins, two small\nsons, who throve and grew, and were a constant joy to her. One day when\nthe Queen was at church, and the two children sat and played with their\nfather, he gazed again full of grief on the stone statue, and sighing,\nwailed: \u201cOh, if I could only restore you to life, my most trusty John!\u201d\n Suddenly the stone began to speak, and said: \u201cYes, you can restore me\nto life again if you are prepared to sacrifice what you hold most dear.\u201d\n And the King cried out: \u201cAll I have in the world will I give up for your\nsake.\u201d The stone continued: \u201cIf you cut off with your own hand the heads\nof your two children, and smear me with their blood, I shall come back\nto life.\u201d The King was aghast when he heard that he had himself to put\nhis children to death; but when he thought of Trusty John\u2019s fidelity,\nand how he had even died for him, he drew his sword, and with his own\nhand cut the heads off his children. And when he had smeared the stone\nwith their blood, life came back, and Trusty John stood once more safe\nand sound before him. He spake to the King: \u201cYour loyalty shall be\nrewarded,\u201d and taking up the heads of the children, he placed them on\ntheir bodies, smeared the wounds with their blood, and in a minute they\nwere all right again and jumping about as if nothing had happened.\nThen the King was full of joy, and when he saw the Queen coming, he hid\nTrusty John and the two children in a big cupboard. As she entered he\nsaid to her: \u201cDid you pray in church?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d she answered, \u201cbut my\nthoughts dwelt constantly on Trusty John, and of what he has suffered\nfor us.\u201d Then he spake: \u201cDear wife, we can restore him to life, but the\nprice asked is our two little sons; we must sacrifice them.\u201d The Queen\ngrew white and her heart sank, but she replied: \u201cWe owe it to him on\naccount of his great fidelity.\u201d Then he rejoiced that she was of the\nsame mind as he had been, and going forward he opened the cupboard, and\nfetched the two children and Trusty John out, saying: \u201cGod be praised!\nTrusty John is free once more, and we have our two small sons again.\u201d\n Then he related to her all that had passed, and they lived together\nhappily ever afterward.(1)\n\n\n(1) Grimm.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR\n\n\nOne summer\u2019s day a little tailor sat on his table by the window in\nthe best of spirits, and sewed for dear life. As he was sitting thus a\npeasant woman came down the street, calling out: \u201cGood jam to sell,\ngood jam to sell.\u201d This sounded sweetly in the tailor\u2019s ears; he put\nhis frail little head out of the window, and shouted: \u201cup here, my good\nwoman, and you\u2019ll find a willing customer.\u201d The woman climbed up the\nthree flights of stairs with her heavy basket to the tailor\u2019s room, and\nhe made her spread out all the pots in a row before him. He examined\nthem all, lifted them up and smelled them, and said at last: \u201cThis jam\nseems good, weigh me four ounces of it, my good woman; and even if it\u2019s\na quarter of a pound I won\u2019t stick at it.\u201d The woman, who had hoped to\nfind a good market, gave him what he wanted, but went away grumbling\nwrathfully. \u201cNow heaven shall bless this jam for my use,\u201d cried the\nlittle tailor, \u201cand it shall sustain and strengthen me.\u201d He fetched some\nbread out of a cupboard, cut a round off the loaf, and spread the jam on\nit. \u201cThat won\u2019t taste amiss,\u201d he said; \u201cbut I\u2019ll finish that waistcoat\nfirst before I take a bite.\u201d He placed the bread beside him, went\non sewing, and out of the lightness of his heart kept on making his\nstitches bigger and bigger. In the meantime the smell of the sweet jam\nrose to the ceiling, where heaps of flies were sitting, and attracted\nthem to such an extent that they swarmed on to it in masses. \u201cHa! who\ninvited you?\u201d said the tailor, and chased the unwelcome guests away. But\nthe flies, who didn\u2019t understand English, refused to let themselves\nbe warned off, and returned again in even greater numbers. At last the\nlittle tailor, losing all patience, reached out of his chimney corner\nfor a duster, and exclaiming: \u201cWait, and I\u2019ll give it to you,\u201d he beat\nthem mercilessly with it. When he left off he counted the slain, and\nno fewer than seven lay dead before him with outstretched legs. \u201cWhat a\ndesperate fellow I am!\u201d said he, and was filled with admiration at his\nown courage. \u201cThe whole town must know about this\u201d; and in great haste\nthe little tailor cut out a girdle, hemmed it, and embroidered on it in\nbig letters, \u201cSeven at a blow.\u201d \u201cWhat did I say, the town? no, the whole\nworld shall hear of it,\u201d he said; and his heart beat for joy as a lamb\nwags his tail.\n\nThe tailor strapped the girdle round his waist and set out into the wide\nworld, for he considered his workroom too small a field for his prowess.\nBefore he set forth he looked round about him, to see if there was\nanything in the house he could take with him on his journey; but he\nfound nothing except an old cheese, which he took possession of. In\nfront of the house he observed a bird that had been caught in some\nbushes, and this he put into his wallet beside the cheese. Then he went\non his way merrily, and being light and agile he never felt tired. His\nway led up a hill, on the top of which sat a powerful giant, who was\ncalmly surveying the landscape. The little tailor went up to him, and\ngreeting him cheerfully said: \u201cGood-day, friend; there you sit at your\nease viewing the whole wide world. I\u2019m just on my way there. What do you\nsay to accompanying me?\u201d The giant looked contemptuously at the tailor,\nand said: \u201cWhat a poor wretched little creature you are!\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s a good\njoke,\u201d answered the little tailor, and unbuttoning his coat he showed\nthe giant the girdle. \u201cThere now, you can read what sort of a fellow\nI am.\u201d The giant read: \u201cSeven at a blow\u201d; and thinking they were human\nbeings the tailor had slain, he conceived a certain respect for the\nlittle man. But first he thought he\u2019d test him, so taking up a stone in\nhis hand, he squeezed it till some drops of water ran out. \u201cNow you do\nthe same,\u201d said the giant, \u201cif you really wish to be thought strong.\u201d\n \u201cIs that all?\u201d said the little tailor; \u201cthat\u2019s child\u2019s play to me,\u201d so\nhe dived into his wallet, brought out the cheese, and pressed it till\nthe whey ran out. \u201cMy squeeze was in sooth better than yours,\u201d said he.\nThe giant didn\u2019t know what to say, for he couldn\u2019t have believed it\nof the little fellow. To prove him again, the giant lifted a stone and\nthrew it so high that the eye could hardly follow it. \u201cNow, my little\npigmy, let me see you do that.\u201d \u201cWell thrown,\u201d said the tailor; \u201cbut,\nafter all, your stone fell to the ground; I\u2019ll throw one that won\u2019t come\ndown at all.\u201d He dived into his wallet again, and grasping the bird in\nhis hand, he threw it up into the air. The bird, enchanted to be free,\nsoared up into the sky, and flew away never to return. \u201cWell, what do\nyou think of that little piece of business, friend?\u201d asked the tailor.\n\u201cYou can certainly throw,\u201d said the giant; \u201cbut now let\u2019s see if you can\ncarry a proper weight.\u201d With these words he led the tailor to a huge oak\ntree which had been felled to the ground, and said: \u201cIf you are strong\nenough, help me to carry the tree out of the wood.\u201d \u201cMost certainly,\u201d\n said the little tailor: \u201cjust you take the trunk on your shoulder; I\u2019ll\nbear the top and branches, which is certainly the heaviest part.\u201d The\ngiant laid the trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor sat at his ease\namong the branches; and the giant, who couldn\u2019t see what was going on\nbehind him, had to carry the whole tree, and the little tailor into the\nbargain. There he sat behind in the best of spirits, lustily whistling a\ntune, as if carrying the tree were mere sport. The giant, after dragging\nthe heavy weight for some time, could get on no further, and shouted\nout: \u201cHi! I must let the tree fall.\u201d The tailor sprang nimbly down,\nseized the tree with both hands as if he had carried it the whole way\nand said to the giant: \u201cFancy a big lout like you not being able to\ncarry a tree!\u201d\n\nThey continued to go on their way together, and as they passed by a\ncherry tree the giant grasped the top of it, where the ripest fruit\nhung, gave the branches into the tailor\u2019s hand, and bade him eat. But\nthe little tailor was far too weak to hold the tree down, and when the\ngiant let go the tree swung back into the air, bearing the little tailor\nwith it. When he had fallen to the ground again without hurting himself,\nthe giant said: \u201cWhat! do you mean to tell me you haven\u2019t the strength\nto hold down a feeble twig?\u201d \u201cIt wasn\u2019t strength that was wanting,\u201d\n replied the tailor; \u201cdo you think that would have been anything for a\nman who has killed seven at a blow? I jumped over the tree because the\nhuntsmen are shooting among the branches near us. Do you do the like if\nyou dare.\u201d The giant made an attempt, but couldn\u2019t get over the tree,\nand stuck fast in the branches, so that here too the little tailor had\nthe better of him.\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019re a fine fellow, after all,\u201d said the giant; \u201ccome and spend\nthe night with us in our cave.\u201d The little tailor willingly consented to\ndo this, and following his friend they went on till they reached a cave\nwhere several other giants were sitting round a fire, each holding\na roast sheep in his hand, of which he was eating. The little tailor\nlooked about him, and thought: \u201cYes, there\u2019s certainly more room to turn\nround in here than in my workshop.\u201d The giant showed him a bed and bade\nhim lie down and have a good sleep. But the bed was too big for the\nlittle tailor, so he didn\u2019t get into it, but crept away into the corner.\nAt midnight, when the giant thought the little tailor was fast asleep,\nhe rose up, and taking his big iron walking-stick, he broke the bed\nin two with a blow, and thought he had made an end of the little\ngrasshopper. At early dawn the giants went off to the wood, and quite\nforgot about the little tailor, till all of a sudden they met him\ntrudging along in the most cheerful manner. The giants were terrified at\nthe apparition, and, fearful lest he should slay them, they all took to\ntheir heels as fast as they could.\n\nThe little tailor continued to follow his nose, and after he had\nwandered about for a long time he came to the courtyard of a royal\npalace, and feeling tired he lay down on the grass and fell asleep.\nWhile he lay there the people came, and looking him all over read on his\ngirdle: \u201cSeven at a blow.\u201d \u201cOh!\u201d they said, \u201cwhat can this great hero of\na hundred fights want in our peaceful land? He must indeed be a mighty\nman of valor.\u201d They went and told the King about him, and said what a\nweighty and useful man he\u2019d be in time of war, and that it would be well\nto secure him at any price. This counsel pleased the King, and he sent\none of his courtiers down to the little tailor, to offer him, when he\nawoke, a commission in their army. The messenger remained standing by\nthe sleeper, and waited till he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes,\nwhen he tendered his proposal. \u201cThat\u2019s the very thing I came here for,\u201d\n he answered; \u201cI am quite ready to enter the King\u2019s service.\u201d So he was\nreceived with all honor, and given a special house of his own to live\nin.\n\nBut the other officers resented the success of the little tailor, and\nwished him a thousand miles away. \u201cWhat\u2019s to come of it all?\u201d they asked\neach other; \u201cif we quarrel with him, he\u2019ll let out at us, and at every\nblow seven will fall. There\u2019ll soon be an end of us.\u201d So they resolved\nto go in a body to the King, and all to send in their papers. \u201cWe are\nnot made,\u201d they said, \u201cto hold out against a man who kills seven at a\nblow.\u201d The King was grieved at the thought of losing all his faithful\nservants for the sake of one man, and he wished heartily that he had\nnever set eyes on him, or that he could get rid of him. But he didn\u2019t\ndare to send him away, for he feared he might kill him along with his\npeople, and place himself on the throne. He pondered long and deeply\nover the matter, and finally came to a conclusion. He sent to the tailor\nand told him that, seeing what a great and warlike hero he was, he\nwas about to make him an offer. In a certain wood of his kingdom there\ndwelled two giants who did much harm; by the way they robbed, murdered,\nburned, and plundered everything about them; \u201cno one could approach them\nwithout endangering his life. But if he could overcome and kill these\ntwo giants he should have his only daughter for a wife, and half his\nkingdom into the bargain; he might have a hundred horsemen, too, to back\nhim up.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s the very thing for a man like me,\u201d thought the little\ntailor; \u201cone doesn\u2019t get the offer of a beautiful princess and half a\nkingdom every day.\u201d \u201cDone with you,\u201d he answered; \u201cI\u2019ll soon put an end\nto the giants. But I haven\u2019t the smallest need of your hundred horsemen;\na fellow who can slay seven men at a blow need not be afraid of two.\u201d\n\nThe little tailor set out, and the hundred horsemen followed him. When\nhe came to the outskirts of the wood he said to his followers: \u201cYou wait\nhere, I\u2019ll manage the giants by myself\u201d; and he went on into the wood,\ncasting his sharp little eyes right and left about him. After a while\nhe spied the two giants lying asleep under a tree, and snoring till\nthe very boughs bent with the breeze. The little tailor lost no time in\nfilling his wallet with stones, and then climbed up the tree under\nwhich they lay. When he got to about the middle of it he slipped along a\nbranch till he sat just above the sleepers, when he threw down one stone\nafter the other on the nearest giant. The giant felt nothing for a long\ntime, but at last he woke up, and pinching his companion said: \u201cWhat did\nyou strike me for?\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t strike you,\u201d said the other, \u201cyou must be\ndreaming.\u201d They both lay down to sleep again, and the tailor threw down\na stone on the second giant, who sprang up and cried: \u201cWhat\u2019s that for?\nWhy did you throw something at me?\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t throw anything,\u201d growled\nthe first one. They wrangled on for a time, till, as both were tired,\nthey made up the matter and fell asleep again. The little tailor began\nhis game once more, and flung the largest stone he could find in his\nwallet with all his force, and hit the first giant on the chest. \u201cThis\nis too much of a good thing!\u201d he yelled, and springing up like a madman,\nhe knocked his companion against the tree till he trembled. He gave,\nhowever, as good as he got, and they became so enraged that they tore up\ntrees and beat each other with them, till they both fell dead at once on\nthe ground. Then the little tailor jumped down. \u201cIt\u2019s a mercy,\u201d he said,\n\u201cthat they didn\u2019t root up the tree on which I was perched, or I should\nhave had to jump like a squirrel on to another, which, nimble though I\nam, would have been no easy job.\u201d He drew his sword and gave each of\nthe giants a very fine thrust or two on the breast, and then went to\nthe horsemen and said: \u201cThe deed is done, I\u2019ve put an end to the two of\nthem; but I assure you it has been no easy matter, for they even tore up\ntrees in their struggle to defend themselves; but all that\u2019s of no use\nagainst one who slays seven men at a blow.\u201d \u201cWeren\u2019t you wounded?\u201d asked\nthe horsemen.\n\n\u201cNo fear,\u201d answered the tailor; \u201cthey haven\u2019t touched a hair of my\nhead.\u201d But the horsemen wouldn\u2019t believe him till they rode into the\nwood and found the giants weltering in their blood, and the trees lying\naround, torn up by the roots.\n\nThe little tailor now demanded the promised reward from the King, but he\nrepented his promise, and pondered once more how he could rid himself\nof the hero. \u201cBefore you obtain the hand of my daughter and half my\nkingdom,\u201d he said to him, \u201cyou must do another deed of valor. A unicorn\nis running about loose in the wood, and doing much mischief; you must\nfirst catch it.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m even less afraid of one unicorn than of two\ngiants; seven at a blow, that\u2019s my motto.\u201d He took a piece of cord and\nan axe with him, went out to the wood, and again told the men who had\nbeen sent with him to remain outside. He hadn\u2019t to search long, for the\nunicorn soon passed by, and, on perceiving the tailor, dashed straight\nat him as though it were going to spike him on the spot. \u201cGently,\ngently,\u201d said he, \u201cnot so fast, my friend\u201d; and standing still he waited\ntill the beast was quite near, when he sprang lightly behind a tree; the\nunicorn ran with all its force against the tree, and rammed its horn so\nfirmly into the trunk that it had no strength left to pull it out again,\nand was thus successfully captured. \u201cNow I\u2019ve caught my bird,\u201d said the\ntailor, and he came out from behind the tree, placed the cord round its\nneck first, then struck the horn out of the tree with his axe, and when\neverything was in order led the beast before the King.\n\nStill the King didn\u2019t want to give him the promised reward and made a\nthird demand. The tailor was to catch a wild boar for him that did a\ngreat deal of harm in the wood; and he might have the huntsmen to help\nhim. \u201cWillingly,\u201d said the tailor; \u201cthat\u2019s mere child\u2019s play.\u201d But he\ndidn\u2019t take the huntsmen into the wood with him, and they were well\nenough pleased to remain behind, for the wild boar had often\nreceived them in a manner which did not make them desire its further\nacquaintance. As soon as the boar perceived the tailor it ran at him\nwith foaming mouth and gleaming teeth, and tried to knock him down; but\nour alert little friend ran into a chapel that stood near, and got out\nof the window again with a jump. The boar pursued him into the church,\nbut the tailor skipped round to the door, and closed it securely. So the\nraging beast was caught, for it was far too heavy and unwieldy to spring\nout of the window. The little tailor summoned the huntsmen together,\nthat they might see the prisoner with their own eyes. Then the hero\nbetook himself to the King, who was obliged now, whether he liked it or\nnot, to keep his promise, and hand him over his daughter and half his\nkingdom. Had he known that no hero-warrior, but only a little tailor\nstood before him, it would have gone even more to his heart. So the\nwedding was celebrated with much splendor and little joy, and the tailor\nbecame a king.\n\nAfter a time the Queen heard her husband saying one night in his sleep:\n\u201cMy lad, make that waistcoat and patch these trousers, or I\u2019ll box your\nears.\u201d Thus she learned in what rank the young gentleman had been born,\nand next day she poured forth her woes to her father, and begged him to\nhelp her to get rid of a husband who was nothing more nor less than a\ntailor. The King comforted her, and said: \u201cLeave your bedroom door open\nto-night, my servants shall stand outside, and when your husband is\nfast asleep they shall enter, bind him fast, and carry him on to a\nship, which shall sail away out into the wide ocean.\u201d The Queen was\nwell satisfied with the idea, but the armor-bearer, who had overheard\neverything, being much attached to his young master, went straight to\nhim and revealed the whole plot. \u201cI\u2019ll soon put a stop to the business,\u201d\n said the tailor. That night he and his wife went to bed at the usual\ntime; and when she thought he had fallen asleep she got up, opened the\ndoor, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who had only pretended\nto be asleep, began to call out in a clear voice: \u201cMy lad, make that\nwaistcoat and patch those trousers, or I\u2019ll box your ears. I have killed\nseven at a blow, slain two giants, led a unicorn captive, and caught a\nwild boar, then why should I be afraid of those men standing outside my\ndoor?\u201d The men, when they heard the tailor saying these words, were so\nterrified that they fled as if pursued by a wild army, and didn\u2019t dare\ngo near him again. So the little tailor was and remained a king all the\ndays of his life.\n\n\n\n\nA VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT\n\n\nCHAPTER I\n\n\nMy father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire, and I was the third\nof four sons. He sent me to Cambridge at fourteen years old, and after\nstudying there three years I was bound apprentice to Mr. Bates, a famous\nsurgeon in London. There, as my father now and then sent me small sums\nof money, I spent them in learning navigation, and other arts useful to\nthose who travel, as I always believed it would be some time or other my\nfortune to do.\n\nThree years after my leaving him my good master, Mr. Bates, recommended\nme as ship\u2019s surgeon to the \u201cSwallow,\u201d on which I voyaged three years.\nWhen I came back I settled in London, and, having taken part of a\nsmall house, I married Miss Mary Burton, daughter of Mr. Edmund Burton,\nhosier.\n\nBut my good master Bates died two years after; and as I had few friends\nmy business began to fail, and I determined to go again to sea. After\nseveral voyages, I accepted an offer from Captain W. Pritchard, master\nof the \u201cAntelope,\u201d who was making a voyage to the South Sea. We set sail\nfrom Bristol, May 4, 1699; and our voyage at first was very prosperous.\n\nBut in our passage to the East Indies we were driven by a violent storm\nto the north-west of Van Diemen\u2019s Land. Twelve of our crew died from\nhard labor and bad food, and the rest were in a very weak condition.\nOn the 5th of November, the weather being very hazy, the seamen spied\na rock within 120 yards of the ship; but the wind was so strong that we\nwere driven straight upon it, and immediately split. Six of the crew,\nof whom I was one, letting down the boat, got clear of the ship, and we\nrowed about three leagues, till we could work no longer. We therefore\ntrusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves; and in about half an hour\nthe boat was upset by a sudden squall. What became of my companions in\nthe boat, or those who escaped on the rock or were left in the vessel,\nI cannot tell; but I conclude they were all lost. For my part, I swam as\nfortune directed me, and was pushed forward by wind and tide; but when\nI was able to struggle no longer I found myself within my depth. By this\ntime the storm was much abated. I reached the shore at last, about eight\no\u2019clock in the evening, and advanced nearly half a mile inland, but\ncould not discover any sign of inhabitants. I was extremely tired, and\nwith the heat of the weather I found myself much inclined to sleep. I\nlay down on the grass, which was very short and soft, and slept sounder\nthan ever I did in my life for about nine hours. When I woke, it was\njust daylight. I attempted to rise, but could not; for as I happened to\nbe lying on my back, I found my arms and legs were fastened on each side\nto the ground; and my hair, which was long and thick, tied down in the\nsame manner. I could only look upward. The sun began to grow hot, and\nthe light hurt my eyes. I heard a confused noise about me, but could\nsee nothing except the sky. In a little time I felt something alive\nand moving on my left leg, which, advancing gently over my breast, came\nalmost up to my chin, when, bending my eyes downward, I perceived it to\nbe a human creature, not six inches high, with a bow and arrow in his\nhands, and a quiver at his back. In the meantime I felt at least forty\nmore following the first. I was in the utmost astonishment, and roared\nso loud that they all ran back in a fright; and some of them were\nhurt with the falls they got by leaping from my sides upon the ground.\nHowever, they soon returned, and one of them, who ventured so far as to\nget a full sight of my face, lifted up his hands in admiration. I lay\nall this while in great uneasiness; but at length, struggling to get\nloose, I succeeded in breaking the strings that fastened my left arm\nto the ground; and at the same time, with a violent pull that gave me\nextreme pain, I a little loosened the strings that tied down my hair, so\nthat I was just able to turn my head about two inches. But the creatures\nran off a second time before I could seize them, whereupon there was a\ngreat shout, and in an instant I felt above a hundred arrows discharged\non my left hand, which pricked me like so many needles. Moreover, they\nshot another flight into the air, of which some fell on my face, which\nI immediately covered with my left hand. When this shower of arrows\nwas over I groaned with grief and pain, and then, striving again to get\nloose, they discharged another flight of arrows larger than the first,\nand some of them tried to stab me with their spears; but by good luck\nI had on a leather jacket, which they could not pierce. By this time\nI thought it most prudent to lie still till night, when, my left\nhand being already loose, I could easily free myself; and as for the\ninhabitants, I thought I might be a match for the greatest army they\ncould bring against me if they were all of the same size as him I\nsaw. When the people observed that I was quiet they discharged no more\narrows, but by the noise I heard I knew that their number was increased;\nand about four yards from me, for more than an hour, there was a\nknocking, like people at work. Then, turning my head that way as well\nas the pegs and strings would let me, I saw a stage set up, about a foot\nand a half from the ground, with two or three ladders to mount it. From\nthis, one of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made me a long\nspeech, of which I could not understand a word, though I could tell from\nhis manner that he sometimes threatened me, and sometimes spoke with\npity and kindness. I answered in few words, but in the most submissive\nmanner; and, being almost famished with hunger, I could not help showing\nmy impatience by putting my finger frequently to my mouth, to signify\nthat I wanted food. He understood me very well, and, descending from the\nstage, commanded that several ladders should be set against my sides, on\nwhich more than a hundred of the inhabitants mounted, and walked toward\nmy mouth with baskets full of food, which had been sent by the King\u2019s\norders when he first received tidings of me. There were legs and\nshoulders like mutton but smaller than the wings of a lark. I ate\nthem two or three at a mouthful, and took three loaves at a time. They\nsupplied me as fast as they could, with a thousand marks of wonder at\nmy appetite. I then made a sign that I wanted something to drink. They\nguessed that a small quantity would not suffice me, and, being a most\ningenious people, they slung up one of their largest hogsheads, then\nrolled it toward my hand, and beat out the top. I drank it off at a\ndraught, which I might well do, for it did not hold half a pint. They\nbrought me a second hogshead, which I drank, and made signs for more;\nbut they had none to give me. However, I could not wonder enough at the\ndaring of these tiny mortals, who ventured to mount and walk upon my\nbody, while one of my hands was free, without trembling at the very\nsight of so huge a creature as I must have seemed to them. After some\ntime there appeared before me a person of high rank from his Imperial\nMajesty. His Excellency, having mounted my right leg, advanced to my\nface, with about a dozen of his retinue, and spoke about ten minutes,\noften pointing forward, which, as I afterward found, was toward the\ncapital city, about half a mile distant, whither it was commanded by his\nMajesty that I should be conveyed. I made a sign with my hand that was\nloose, putting it to the other (but over his Excellency\u2019s head, for\nfear of hurting him or his train), to show that I desired my liberty.\nHe seemed to understand me well enough, for he shook his head, though\nhe made other signs to let me know that I should have meat and drink\nenough, and very good treatment. Then I once more thought of attempting\nto escape; but when I felt the smart of their arrows on my face and\nhands, which were all in blisters and observed likewise that the number\nof my enemies increased, I gave tokens to let them know that they might\ndo with me what they pleased. Then they daubed my face and hands with a\nsweet-smelling ointment, which in a few minutes removed all the smarts\nof the arrows. The relief from pain and hunger made me drowsy, and\npresently I fell asleep. I slept about eight hours, as I was told\nafterward; and it was no wonder, for the physicians, by the Emperor\u2019s\norders, had mingled a sleeping draught in the hogsheads of wine.\n\nIt seems that, when I was discovered sleeping on the ground after my\nlanding, the Emperor had early notice of it, and determined that I\nshould be tied in the manner I have related (which was done in the\nnight, while I slept), that plenty of meat and drink should be sent me,\nand a machine prepared to carry me to the capital city. Five hundred\ncarpenters and engineers were immediately set to work to prepare the\nengine. It was a frame of wood, raised three inches from the ground,\nabout seven feet long and four wide, moving upon twenty-two wheels. But\nthe difficulty was to place me on it. Eighty poles were erected for this\npurpose, and very strong cords fastened to bandages which the workmen\nhad tied round my neck, hands, body, and legs. Nine hundred of the\nstrongest men were employed to draw up these cords by pulleys fastened\non the poles, and in less than three hours I was raised and slung\ninto the engine, and there tied fast. Fifteen hundred of the Emperor\u2019s\nlargest horses, each about four inches and a half high, were then\nemployed to draw me toward the capital. But while all this was done I\nstill lay in a deep sleep, and I did not wake till four hours after we\nbegan our journey.\n\nThe Emperor and all his Court came out to meet us when we reached the\ncapital; but his great officials would not suffer his Majesty to risk\nhis person by mounting on my body. Where the carriage stopped there\nstood an ancient temple, supposed to be the largest in the whole\nkingdom, and here it was determined that I should lodge. Near the great\ngate, through which I could easily creep, they fixed ninety-one chains,\nlike those which hang to a lady\u2019s watch, which were locked to my\nleft leg with thirty-six padlocks; and when the workmen found it was\nimpossible for me to break loose, they cut all the strings that bound\nme. Then I rose up, feeling as melancholy as ever I did in my life. But\nthe noise and astonishment of the people on seeing me rise and walk were\ninexpressible. The chains that held my left leg were about two yards\nlong, and gave me not only freedom to walk backward and forward in a\nsemicircle, but to creep in and lie at full length inside the temple.\nThe Emperor, advancing toward me from among his courtiers, all most\nmagnificently clad, surveyed me with great admiration, but kept beyond\nthe length of my chain. He was taller by about the breadth of my nail\nthan any of his Court, which alone was enough to strike awe into the\nbeholders, and graceful and majestic. The better to behold him, I lay\ndown on my side, so that my face was level with his, and he stood three\nyards off. However, I have had him since many times in my hand, and\ntherefore cannot be deceived. His dress was very simple; but he wore a\nlight helmet of gold, adorned with jewels and a plume. He held his sword\ndrawn in his hand, to defend himself if I should break loose; it was\nalmost three inches long, and the hilt was of gold, enriched with\ndiamonds. His voice was shrill, but very clear. His Imperial Majesty\nspoke often to me, and I answered; but neither of us could understand a\nword.\n\n\nCHAPTER II\n\n\nAfter about two hours the Court retired, and I was left with a strong\nguard to keep away the crowd, some of whom had had the impudence to\nshoot their arrows at me as I sat by the door of my house. But the\ncolonel ordered six of them to be seized and delivered bound into my\nhands. I put five of them into my coat pocket; and as to the sixth, I\nmade a face as if I would eat him alive. The poor man screamed terribly,\nand the colonel and his officers were much distressed, especially when\nthey saw me take out my penknife. But I soon set them at ease, for,\ncutting the strings he was bound with, I put him gently on the ground,\nand away he ran. I treated the rest in the same manner, taking them one\nby one out of my pocket; and I saw that both the soldiers and people\nwere delighted at this mark of my kindness.\n\nToward night I got with some difficulty into my house, where I lay on\nthe ground, as I had to do for a fortnight, till a bed was prepared for\nme out of six hundred beds of the ordinary measure.\n\nSix hundred servants were appointed me, and three hundred tailors made\nme a suit of clothes. Moreover, six of his Majesty\u2019s greatest scholars\nwere employed to teach me their language, so that soon I was able to\nconverse after a fashion with the Emperor, who often honored me with his\nvisits. The first words I learned were to desire that he would please\nto give me my liberty, which I every day repeated on my knees; but he\nanswered that this must be a work of time, and that first I must swear a\npeace with him and his kingdom. He told me also that by the laws of the\nnation I must be searched by two of his officers, and that as this could\nnot be done without my help, he trusted them in my hands, and whatever\nthey took from me should be returned when I left the country. I took up\nthe two officers, and put them into my coat pockets. These gentlemen,\nhaving pen, ink, and paper about them, made an exact list of everything\nthey saw, which I afterward translated into English, and which ran as\nfollows:\n\n\u201cIn the right coat pocket of the great Man-Mountain we found only one\ngreat piece of coarse cloth, large enough to cover the carpet of your\nMajesty\u2019s chief room of state. In the left pocket we saw a huge silver\nchest, with a silver cover, which we could not lift. We desired that it\nshould be opened, and one of us stepping into it found himself up to the\nmid-leg in a sort of dust, some of which flying into our faces sent us\nboth into a fit of sneezing. In his right waistcoat pocket we found a\nnumber of white thin substances, folded one over another, about the size\nof three men, tied with a strong cable, and marked with black figures,\nwhich we humbly conceive to be writings. In the left there was a sort of\nengine, from the back of which extended twenty long poles, with which,\nwe conjecture, the Man-Mountain combs his head. In the smaller pocket on\nthe right side were several round flat pieces of white and red metal, of\ndifferent sizes. Some of the white, which appeared to be silver, were\nso large and heavy that my comrade and I could hardly lift them. From\nanother pocket hung a huge silver chain, with a wonderful kind of engine\nfastened to it, a globe half silver and half of some transparent metal;\nfor on the transparent side we saw certain strange figures, and thought\nwe could touch them till we found our fingers stopped by the shining\nsubstance. This engine made an incessant noise, like a water-mill, and\nwe conjecture it is either some unknown animal, or the god he worships,\nbut probably the latter, for he told us that he seldom did anything\nwithout consulting it.\n\n\u201cThis is a list of what we found about the body of the Man-Mountain, who\ntreated us with great civility.\u201d\n\nI had one private pocket which escaped their search, containing a pair\nof spectacles and a small spy-glass, which, being of no consequence to\nthe Emperor, I did not think myself bound in honor to discover.\n\n\nCHAPTER III\n\n\nMy gentleness and good behavior gained so far on the Emperor and his\nCourt, and, indeed, on the people in general, that I began to have hopes\nof getting my liberty in a short time. The natives came by degrees to be\nless fearful of danger from me. I would sometimes lie down and let five\nor six of them dance on my hand; and at last the boys and girls ventured\nto come and play at hide-and-seek in my hair.\n\nThe horses of the army and of the royal stables were no longer shy,\nhaving been daily led before me; and one of the Emperor\u2019s huntsmen, on a\nlarge courser, took my foot, shoe and all, which was indeed a prodigious\nleap. I amused the Emperor one day in a very extraordinary manner. I\ntook nine sticks, and fixed them firmly in the ground in a square. Then\nI took four other sticks, and tied them parallel at each corner, about\ntwo feet from the ground. I fastened my handkerchief to the nine sticks\nthat stood erect, and extended it on all sides till it was as tight as\nthe top of a drum; and I desired the Emperor to let a troop of his best\nhorse, twenty-four in number, come and exercise upon this plain. His\nmajesty approved of the proposal, and I took them up one by one, with\nthe proper officers to exercise them. As soon as they got into order\nthey divided into two parties, discharged blunt arrows, drew their\nswords, fled and pursued, and, in short, showed the best military\ndiscipline I ever beheld. The parallel sticks secured them and their\nhorses from falling off the stage, and the Emperor was so much delighted\nthat he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several days, and\npersuaded the Empress herself to let me hold her in her chair within\ntwo yards of the stage, whence she could view the whole performance.\nFortunately no accident happened, only once a fiery horse, pawing with\nhis hoof, struck a hole in my handkerchief, and overthrew his rider and\nhimself. But I immediately relieved them both, and covering the hole\nwith one hand, I set down the troop with the other as I had taken them\nup. The horse that fell was strained in the shoulder; but the rider was\nnot hurt, and I repaired my handkerchief as well as I could. However,\nI would not trust to the strength of it any more in such dangerous\nenterprises.\n\nI had sent so many petitions for my liberty that his Majesty at length\nmentioned the matter in a full council, where it was opposed by none\nexcept Skyresh Bolgolam, admiral of the realm, who was pleased without\nany provocation to be my mortal enemy. However, he agreed at length,\nthough he succeeded in himself drawing up the conditions on which I\nshould be set free. After they were read I was requested to swear to\nperform them in the method prescribed by their laws, which was to hold\nmy right foot in my left hand, and to place the middle finger of my\nright hand on the crown of my head, and my thumb on the top of my right\near. But I have made a translation of the conditions, which I here offer\nto the public:\n\n\u201cGolbaste Mamarem Evlame Gurdile Shefin Mully Ully Gue, Most Mighty\nEmperor of Lilliput, delight and terror of the universe, whose dominions\nextend to the ends of the globe, monarch of all monarchs, taller than\nthe sons of men, whose feet press down to the center, and whose head\nstrikes against the sun, at whose nod the princes of the earth shake\ntheir knees, pleasant as the spring, comfortable as the summer, fruitful\nas autumn, dreadful as winter: His Most Sublime Majesty proposeth to the\nMan-Mountain, lately arrived at our celestial dominions, the following\narticles, which by a solemn oath he shall be obliged to perform:\n\n\u201cFirst. The Man-Mountain shall not depart from our dominions without our\nlicense under the great seal.\n\n\u201cSecond. He shall not presume to come into our metropolis without our\nexpress order, at which time the inhabitants shall have two hours\u2019\nwarning to keep within doors.\n\n\u201cThird. The said Man-Mountain shall confine his walks to our principal\nhigh roads, and not offer to walk or lie down in a meadow or field of\ncorn.\n\n\u201cFourth. As he walks the said roads he shall take the utmost care not to\ntrample upon the bodies of any of our loving subjects, their horses or\ncarriages, nor take any of our subjects into his hands without their own\nconsent.\n\n\u201cFifth. If an express requires extraordinary speed the Man-Mountain\nshall be obliged to carry in his pocket the messenger and horse a six\ndays\u2019 journey, and return the said messenger (if so required) safe to\nour imperial presence.\n\n\u201cSixth. He shall be our ally against our enemies in the island of\nBlefuscu, and do his utmost to destroy their fleet, which is now\npreparing to invade us.\n\n\u201cLastly. Upon his solemn oath to observe all the above articles,\nthe said Man-Mountain shall have a daily allowance of meat and drink\nsufficient for the support of 1,724 of our subjects, with free access to\nour royal person, and other marks of our favor. Given at our palace at\nBelfaburac, the twelfth day of the ninety-first moon of our reign.\u201d\n\nI swore to these articles with great cheerfulness, whereupon my chains\nwere immediately unlocked, and I was at full liberty.\n\nOne morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained my freedom,\nReldresal, the Emperor\u2019s secretary for private affairs, came to my\nhouse, attended only by one servant. He ordered his coach to wait at\na distance, and desired that I would give him an hour\u2019s audience. I\noffered to lie down that he might the more conveniently reach my\near; but he chose rather to let me hold him in my hand during our\nconversation. He began with compliments on my liberty, but he added\nthat, save for the present state of things at Court, perhaps I might not\nhave obtained it so soon. \u201cFor,\u201d he said, \u201chowever flourishing we may\nseem to foreigners, we are in danger of an invasion from the island of\nBlefuscu, which is the other great empire of the universe, almost as\nlarge and as powerful as this of his Majesty. For as to what we have\nheard you say, that there are other kingdoms in the world, inhabited\nby human creatures as large as yourself, our philosophers are very\ndoubtful, and rather conjecture that you dropped from the moon, or one\nof the stars, because a hundred mortals of your size would soon destroy\nall the fruit and cattle of his Majesty\u2019s dominions. Besides, our\nhistories of six thousand moons make no mention of any other regions\nthan the two mighty empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu, which, as I was\ngoing to tell you, are engaged in a most obstinate war, which began in\nthe following manner: It is allowed on all hands that the primitive\nway of breaking eggs was upon the larger end; but his present Majesty\u2019s\ngrandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it\naccording to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers.\nWhereupon the Emperor, his father, made a law commanding all his\nsubjects to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly\nresented this law that there have been six rebellions raised on that\naccount, wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown. It is\ncalculated that eleven hundred persons have at different times suffered\nrather than break their eggs at the smaller end. But these rebels,\nthe Bigendians, have found so much encouragement at the Emperor of\nBlefuscu\u2019s Court, to which they always fled for refuge, that a bloody\nwar, as I said, has been carried on between the two empires for\nsix-and-thirty moons; and now the Blefuscudians have equipped a large\nfleet, and are preparing to descend upon us. Therefore his Imperial\nMajesty, placing great confidence in your valor and strength, has\ncommanded me to set the case before you.\u201d\n\nI desired the secretary to present my humble duty to the Emperor, and\nto let him know that I was ready, at the risk of my life, to defend him\nagainst all invaders.\n\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\n\nIt was not long before I communicated to his Majesty the plan I formed\nfor seizing the enemy\u2019s whole fleet. The Empire of Blefuscu is an island\nparted from Lilliput only by a channel eight hundred yards wide. I\nconsulted the most experienced seamen on the depth of the channel, and\nthey told me that in the middle, at high water, it was seventy glumguffs\n(about six feet of European measure). I walked toward the coast, where,\nlying down behind a hillock, I took out my spy-glass, and viewed the\nenemy\u2019s fleet at anchor--about fifty men-of-war, and other vessels. I\nthen came back to my house and gave orders for a great quantity of\nthe strongest cables and bars of iron. The cable was about as thick as\npackthread, and the bars of the length and size of a knitting-needle. I\ntrebled the cable to make it stronger, and for the same reason twisted\nthree of the iron bars together, bending the ends into a hook. Having\nthus fixed fifty hooks to as many cables, I went back to the coast,\nand taking off my coat, shoes, and stockings, walked into the sea in my\nleather jacket about half an hour before high water. I waded with what\nhaste I could, swimming in the middle about thirty yards, till I felt\nground, and thus arrived at the fleet in less than half an hour. The\nenemy was so frightened when they saw me that they leaped out of their\nships and swam ashore, where there could not be fewer than thirty\nthousand. Then, fastening a hook to the hole at the prow of each ship,\nI tied all the cords together at the end. Meanwhile the enemy discharged\nseveral thousand arrows, many of which stuck in my hands and face. My\ngreatest fear was for my eyes, which I should have lost if I had\nnot suddenly thought of the pair of spectacles which had escaped the\nEmperor\u2019s searchers. These I took out and fastened upon my nose, and\nthus armed went on with my work in spite of the arrows, many of which\nstruck against the glasses of my spectacles, but without any other\neffect than slightly disturbing them. Then, taking the knot in my hand,\nI began to pull; but not a ship would stir, for they were too fast\nheld by their anchors. Thus the boldest part of my enterprise remained.\nLetting go the cord, I resolutely cut with my knife the cables that\nfastened the anchors, receiving more than two hundred shots in my face\nand hands. Then I took up again the knotted end of the cables to which\nmy hooks were tied, and with great ease drew fifty of the enemy\u2019s\nlargest men-of-war after me.\n\nWhen the Blefuscudians saw the fleet moving in order, and me pulling at\nthe end, they set up a scream of grief and despair that it is impossible\nto describe. When I had got out of danger I stopped awhile to pick out\nthe arrows that stuck in my hands and face, and rubbed on some of\nthe same ointment that was given me at my arrival. I then took off my\nspectacles, and after waiting about an hour, till the tide was a little\nfallen, I waded on to the royal port of Lilliput.\n\nThe Emperor and his whole Court stood on the shore awaiting me. They saw\nthe ships move forward in a large half-moon, but could not discern me,\nwho, in the middle of the channel, was under water up to my neck. The\nEmperor concluded that I was drowned, and that the enemy\u2019s fleet was\napproaching in a hostile manner. But he was soon set at ease, for, the\nchannel growing shallower every step I made, I came in a short time\nwithin hearing, and holding up the end of the cable by which the fleet\nwas fastened, I cried in a loud voice: \u201cLong live the most puissant\nEmperor of Lilliput!\u201d The Prince received me at my landing with all\npossible joy, and made me a Nardal on the spot, which is the highest\ntitle of honor among them.\n\nHis Majesty desired that I would take some opportunity to bring all the\nrest of his enemy\u2019s ships into his ports, and seemed to think of nothing\nless than conquering the whole Empire of Blefuscu, and becoming the sole\nmonarch of the world. But I plainly protested that I would never be the\nmeans of bringing a free and brave people into slavery; and though\nthe wisest of the Ministers were of my opinion, my open refusal was so\nopposed to his Majesty\u2019s ambition that he could never forgive me. And\nfrom this time a plot began between himself and those of his Ministers\nwho were my enemies, that nearly ended in my utter destruction.\n\nAbout three weeks after this exploit there arrived an embassy from\nBlefuscu, with humble offers of peace, which was soon concluded, on\nterms very advantageous to our Emperor. There were six ambassadors, with\na train of about five hundred persons, all very magnificent. Having been\nprivately told that I had befriended them, they made me a visit, and\npaying me many compliments on my valor and generosity, invited me\nto their kingdom in the Emperor their master\u2019s name. I asked them to\npresent my most humble respects to the Emperor their master, whose\nroyal person I resolved to attend before I returned to my own country.\nAccordingly, the next time I had the honor to see our Emperor I desired\nhis general permission to visit the Blefuscudian monarch. This he\ngranted me, but in a very cold manner, of which I afterward learned the\nreason.\n\nWhen I was just preparing to pay my respects to the Emperor of Blefuscu,\na distinguished person at Court, to whom I had once done a great\nservice, came to my house very privately at night, and without sending\nhis name desired admission. I put his lordship into my coat pocket, and,\ngiving orders to a trusty servant to admit no one, I fastened the door,\nplaced my visitor on the table, and sat down by it. His lordship\u2019s face\nwas full of trouble; and he asked me to hear him with patience, in a\nmatter that highly concerned my honor and my life.\n\n\u201cYou are aware,\u201d he said, \u201cthat Skyresh Bolgolam has been your mortal\nenemy ever since your arrival, and his hatred is increased since\nyour great success against Blefuscu, by which his glory as admiral is\nobscured. This lord and others have accused you of treason, and several\ncouncils have been called in the most private manner on your account.\nOut of gratitude for your favors I procured information of the whole\nproceedings, venturing my head for your service, and this was the charge\nagainst you:\n\n\u201cFirst, that you, having brought the imperial fleet of Blefuscu into the\nroyal port, were commanded by his Majesty to seize all the other ships,\nand put to death all the Bigendian exiles, and also all the people of\nthe empire who would not immediately consent to break their eggs at the\nsmaller end. And that, like a false traitor to his Most Serene Majesty,\nyou excused yourself from the service on pretence of unwillingness to\nforce the consciences and destroy the liberties and lives of an innocent\npeople.\n\n\u201cAgain, when ambassadors arrived from the Court of Blefuscu, like a\nfalse traitor, you aided and entertained them, though you knew them to\nbe servants of a prince lately in open war against his Imperial Majesty.\n\n\u201cMoreover, you are now preparing, contrary to the duty of a faithful\nsubject, to voyage to the Court of Blefuscu.\n\n\u201cIn the debate on this charge,\u201d my friend continued, \u201chis Majesty often\nurged the services you had done him, while the admiral and treasurer\ninsisted that you should be put to a shameful death. But Reldresal,\nsecretary for private affairs, who has always proved himself your friend\nsuggested that if his Majesty would please to spare your life and only\ngive orders to put out both your eyes, justice might in some measure be\nsatisfied. At this Bolgolam rose up in fury, wondering how the secretary\ndared desire to preserve the life of a traitor; and the treasurer,\npointing out the expense of keeping you, also urged your death. But his\nMajesty was graciously pleased to say that since the council thought the\nloss of your eyes too easy a punishment, some other might afterward be\ninflicted. And the secretary, humbly desiring to be heard again, said\nthat as to expense your allowance might be gradually lessened, so that,\nfor want of sufficient food you should grow weak and faint, and die in\na few months, when his Majesty\u2019s subjects might cut your flesh from your\nbones and bury it, leaving the skeleton for the admiration of posterity.\n\n\u201cThus, through the great friendship of the secretary the affair was\narranged. It was commanded that the plan of starving you by degrees\nshould be kept a secret; but the sentence of putting out your eyes was\nentered on the books. In three days your friend the secretary will come\nto your house and read the accusation before you, and point out the\ngreat mercy of his Majesty, that only condemns you to the loss of\nyour eyes--which, he does not doubt, you will submit to humbly and\ngratefully. Twenty of his Majesty\u2019s surgeons will attend, to see the\noperation well performed, by discharging very sharp-pointed arrows into\nthe balls of your eyes as you lie on the ground.\n\n\u201cI leave you,\u201d said my friend, \u201cto consider what measures you will take;\nand, to escape suspicion, I must immediately return, as secretly as I\ncame.\u201d\n\nHis lordship did so; and I remained alone, in great perplexity. At first\nI was bent on resistance; for while I had liberty I could easily with\nstones pelt the metropolis to pieces; but I soon rejected that idea with\nhorror, remembering the oath I had made to the Emperor, and the favors\nI had received from him. At last, having his Majesty\u2019s leave to pay\nmy respects to the Emperor of Blefuscu, I resolved to take this\nopportunity. Before the three days had passed I wrote a letter to my\nfriend the secretary telling him of my resolution; and, without waiting\nfor an answer, went to the coast, and entering the channel, between\nwading and swimming reached the port of Blefuscu, where the people, who\nhad long expected me, led me to the capital.\n\nHis Majesty, with the royal family and great officers of the Court, came\nout to receive me, and they entertained me in a manner suited to the\ngenerosity of so great a prince. I did not, however, mention my disgrace\nwith the Emperor of Lilliput, since I did not suppose that prince would\ndisclose the secret while I was out of his power. But in this, it soon\nappeared, I was deceived.\n\n\nCHAPTER V\n\n\nThree days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the northeast\ncoast of the island, I observed at some distance in the sea something\nthat looked like a boat overturned. I pulled off my shoes and stockings,\nand wading two or three hundred yards, I plainly saw it to be a real\nboat, which I supposed might by some tempest have been driven from a\nship. I returned immediately to the city for help, and after a huge\namount of labor I managed to get my boat to the royal port of Blefuscu,\nwhere a great crowd of people appeared, full of wonder at sight of so\nprodigious a vessel. I told the Emperor that my good fortune had thrown\nthis boat in my way to carry me to some place whence I might return to\nmy native country, and begged his orders for materials to fit it up, and\nleave to depart--which, after many kindly speeches, he was pleased to\ngrant.\n\nMeanwhile the Emperor of Lilliput, uneasy at my long absence (but never\nimagining that I had the least notice of his designs), sent a person of\nrank to inform the Emperor of Blefuscu of my disgrace; this messenger\nhad orders to represent the great mercy of his master, who was content\nto punish me with the loss of my eyes, and who expected that his brother\nof Blefuscu would have me sent back to Lilliput, bound hand and foot,\nto be punished as a traitor. The Emperor of Blefuscu answered with many\ncivil excuses. He said that as for sending me bound, his brother knew\nit was impossible. Moreover, though I had taken away his fleet he was\ngrateful to me for many good offices I had done him in making the peace.\nBut that both their Majesties would soon be made easy; for I had found\na prodigious vessel on the shore, able to carry me on the sea, which\nhe had given orders to fit up; and he hoped in a few weeks both empires\nwould be free from me.\n\nWith this answer the messenger returned to Lilliput; and I (though the\nmonarch of Blefuscu secretly offered me his gracious protection if I\nwould continue in his service) hastened my departure, resolving never\nmore to put confidence in princes.\n\nIn about a month I was ready to take leave. The Emperor of Blefuscu,\nwith the Empress and the royal family, came out of the palace; and I lay\ndown on my face to kiss their hands, which they graciously gave me. His\nMajesty presented me with fifty purses of sprugs (their greatest gold\ncoin) and his picture at full length, which I put immediately into one\nof my gloves, to keep it from being hurt. Many other ceremonies took\nplace at my departure.\n\nI stored the boat with meat and drink, and took six cows and two bulls\nalive, with as many ewes and rams, intending to carry them into my own\ncountry; and to feed them on board, I had a good bundle of hay and a bag\nof corn. I would gladly have taken a dozen of the natives; but this was\na thing the Emperor would by no means permit, and besides a diligent\nsearch into my pockets, his Majesty pledged my honor not to carry away\nany of his subjects, though with their own consent and desire.\n\nHaving thus prepared all things as well as I was able, I set sail. When\nI had made twenty-four leagues, by my reckoning, from the island of\nBlefuscu, I saw a sail steering to the northeast. I hailed her, but\ncould get no answer; yet I found I gained upon her, for the wind\nslackened; and in half an hour she spied me, and discharged a gun. I\ncame up with her between five and six in the evening, Sept. 26, 1701;\nbut my heart leaped within me to see her English colors. I put my cows\nand sheep into my coat pockets, and got on board with all my little\ncargo. The captain received me with kindness, and asked me to tell him\nwhat place I came from last; but at my answer he thought I was raving.\nHowever, I took my black cattle and sheep out of my pocket, which, after\ngreat astonishment, clearly convinced him.\n\nWe arrived in England on the 13th of April, 1702. I stayed two months\nwith my wife and family; but my eager desire to see foreign countries\nwould suffer me to remain no longer. However, while in England I made\ngreat profit by showing my cattle to persons of quality and others; and\nbefore I began my second voyage I sold them for 600_l_. I left 1500_l_.\nwith my wife, and fixed her in a good house; then taking leave of her\nand my boy and girl, with tears on both sides, I sailed on board the\n\u201cAdventure.\u201d (1)\n\n\n(1) Swift.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man who had a meadow which lay on the side\nof a mountain, and in the meadow there was a barn in which he stored\nhay. But there had not been much hay in the barn for the last two years,\nfor every St. John\u2019s eve, when the grass was in the height of its vigor,\nit was all eaten clean up, just as if a whole flock of sheep had gnawed\nit down to the ground during the night. This happened once, and it\nhappened twice, but then the man got tired of losing his crop, and\nsaid to his sons--he had three of them, and the third was called\nCinderlad--that one of them must go and sleep in the barn on St. John\u2019s\nnight, for it was absurd to let the grass be eaten up again, blade and\nstalk, as it had been the last two years, and the one who went to watch\nmust keep a sharp look-out, the man said.\n\nThe eldest was quite willing to go to the meadow; he would watch the\ngrass, he said, and he would do it so well that neither man, nor beast,\nnor even the devil himself should have any of it. So when evening came\nhe went to the barn, and lay down to sleep, but when night was drawing\nnear there was such a rumbling and such an earthquake that the walls and\nroof shook again, and the lad jumped up and took to his heels as fast as\nhe could, and never even looked back, and the barn remained empty that\nyear just as it had been for the last two.\n\nNext St. John\u2019s eve the man again said that he could not go on in this\nway, losing all the grass in the outlying field year after year, and\nthat one of his sons must just go there and watch it, and watch well\ntoo. So the next oldest son was willing to show what he could do. He\nwent to the barn and lay down to sleep, as his brother had done; but\nwhen night was drawing near there was a great rumbling, and then an\nearthquake, which was even worse than that on the former St. John\u2019s\nnight, and when the youth heard it he was terrified, and went off,\nrunning as if for a wager.\n\nThe year after, it was Cinderlad\u2019s turn, but when he made ready to go\nthe others laughed at him, and mocked him. \u201cWell, you are just the right\none to watch the hay, you who have never learned anything but how to sit\namong the ashes and bake yourself!\u201d said they. Cinderlad, however, did\nnot trouble himself about what they said, but when evening drew near\nrambled away to the outlying field. When he got there he went into the\nbarn and lay down, but in about an hour\u2019s time the rumbling and creaking\nbegan, and it was frightful to hear it. \u201cWell, if it gets no worse than\nthat, I can manage to stand it,\u201d thought Cinderlad. In a little time\nthe creaking began again, and the earth quaked so that all the hay flew\nabout the boy. \u201cOh! if it gets no worse than that I can manage to stand\nit,\u201d thought Cinderlad. But then came a third rumbling, and a third\nearthquake, so violent that the boy thought the walls and roof had\nfallen down, but when that was over everything suddenly grew as still\nas death around him. \u201cI am pretty sure that it will come again,\u201d thought\nCinderlad; but no, it did not. Everything was quiet, and everything\nstayed quiet, and when he had lain still a short time he heard something\nthat sounded as if a horse were standing chewing just outside the barn\ndoor. He stole away to the door, which was ajar, to see what was there,\nand a horse was standing eating. It was so big, and fat, and fine a\nhorse that Cinderlad had never seen one like it before, and a saddle\nand bridle lay upon it, and a complete suit of armor for a knight, and\neverything was of copper, and so bright that it shone again. \u201cHa, ha! it\nis thou who eatest up our hay then,\u201d thought the boy; \u201cbut I will stop\nthat.\u201d So he made haste, and took out his steel for striking fire, and\nthrew it over the horse, and then it had no power to stir from the spot,\nand became so tame that the boy could do what he liked with it. So he\nmounted it and rode away to a place which no one knew of but himself,\nand there he tied it up. When he went home again his brothers laughed\nand asked how he had got on.\n\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t lie long in the barn, if even you have been so far as the\nfield!\u201d said they.\n\n\u201cI lay in the barn till the sun rose, but I saw nothing and heard\nnothing, not I,\u201d said the boy. \u201cGod knows what there was to make you two\nso frightened.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, we shall soon see whether you have watched the meadow or not,\u201d\n answered the brothers, but when they got there the grass was all\nstanding just as long and as thick as it had been the night before.\n\nThe next St. John\u2019s eve it was the same thing, once again: neither of\nthe two brothers dared to go to the outlying field to watch the crop,\nbut Cinderlad went, and everything happened exactly the same as on the\nprevious St. John\u2019s eve: first there was a rumbling and an earthquake,\nand then there was another, and then a third: but all three earthquakes\nwere much, very much more violent than they had been the year before.\nThen everything became still as death again, and the boy heard something\nchewing outside the barn door, so he stole as softly as he could to\nthe door, which was slightly ajar, and again there was a horse standing\nclose by the wall of the house, eating and chewing, and it was far\nlarger and fatter than the first horse, and it had a saddle on its back,\nand a bridle was on it too, and a full suit of armor for a knight, all\nof bright silver, and as beautiful as anyone could wish to see. \u201cHo,\nho!\u201d thought the boy, \u201cis it thou who eatest up our hay in the night?\nbut I will put a stop to that.\u201d So he took out his steel for striking\nfire, and threw it over the horse\u2019s mane, and the beast stood there as\nquiet as a lamb. Then the boy rode this horse, too, away to the place\nwhere he kept the other, and then went home again.\n\n\u201cI suppose you will tell us that you have watched well again this time,\u201d\n said the brothers.\n\n\u201cWell, so I have,\u201d said Cinderlad. So they went there again, and there\nthe grass was, standing as high and as thick as it had been before, but\nthat did not make them any kinder to Cinderlad.\n\nWhen the third St. John\u2019s night came neither of the two elder brothers\ndared to lie in the outlying barn to watch the grass, for they had been\nso heartily frightened the night that they had slept there that they\ncould not get over it, but Cinderlad dared to go, and everything\nhappened just the same as on the two former nights. There were three\nearthquakes, each worse than the other, and the last flung the boy from\none wall of the barn to the other, but then everything suddenly\nbecame still as death. When he had lain quietly a short time, he heard\nsomething chewing outside the barn door; then he once more stole to the\ndoor, which was slightly ajar, and behold, a horse was standing just\noutside it, which was much larger and fatter than the two others he had\ncaught. \u201cHo, ho! it is thou, then, who art eating up our hay this time,\u201d\n thought the boy; \u201cbut I will put a stop to that.\u201d So he pulled out his\nsteel for striking fire, and threw it over the horse, and it stood as\nstill as if it had been nailed to the field, and the boy could do just\nwhat he liked with it. Then he mounted it and rode away to the place\nwhere he had the two others, and then he went home again. Then the two\nbrothers mocked him just as they had done before, and told him that they\ncould see that he must have watched the grass very carefully that night,\nfor he looked just as if he were walking in his sleep; but Cinderlad did\nnot trouble himself about that, but just bade them go to the field and\nsee. They did go, and this time too the grass was standing, looking as\nfine and as thick as ever.\n\nThe King of the country in which Cinderlad\u2019s father dwelt had a daughter\nwhom he would give to no one who could not ride up to the top of the\nglass hill, for there was a high, high hill of glass, slippery as ice,\nand it was close to the King\u2019s palace. Upon the very top of this the\nKing\u2019s daughter was to sit with three gold apples in her lap, and the\nman who could ride up and take the three golden apples should marry her,\nand have half the kingdom. The King had this proclaimed in every church\nin the whole kingdom, and in many other kingdoms too. The Princess was\nvery beautiful, and all who saw her fell violently in love with her,\neven in spite of themselves. So it is needless to say that all the\nprinces and knights were eager to win her, and half the kingdom besides,\nand that for this cause they came riding thither from the very end of\nthe world, dressed so splendidly that their raiments gleamed in the\nsunshine, and riding on horses which seemed to dance as they went, and\nthere was not one of these princes who did not think that he was sure to\nwin the Princess.\n\nWhen the day appointed by the King had come, there was such a host of\nknights and princes under the glass hill that they seemed to swarm, and\neveryone who could walk or even creep was there too, to see who won the\nKing\u2019s daughter. Cinderlad\u2019s two brothers were there too, but they would\nnot hear of letting him go with them, for he was so dirty and black\nwith sleeping and grubbing among the ashes that they said everyone would\nlaugh at them if they were seen in the company of such an oaf.\n\n\u201cWell, then, I will go all alone by myself,\u201d said Cinderlad.\n\nWhen the two brothers got to the glass hill, all the princes and knights\nwere trying to ride up it, and their horses were in a foam; but it was\nall in vain, for no sooner did the horses set foot upon the hill than\ndown they slipped, and there was not one which could get even so much as\na couple of yards up. Nor was that strange, for the hill was as smooth\nas a glass window-pane, and as steep as the side of a house. But they\nwere all eager to win the King\u2019s daughter and half the kingdom, so they\nrode and they slipped, and thus it went on. At length all the horses\nwere so tired that they could do no more, and so hot that the foam\ndropped from them and the riders were forced to give up the attempt. The\nKing was just thinking that he would cause it to be proclaimed that the\nriding should begin afresh on the following day, when perhaps it might\ngo better, when suddenly a knight came riding up on so fine a horse that\nno one had ever seen the like of it before, and the knight had armor of\ncopper, and his bridle was of copper too, and all his accoutrements were\nso bright that they shone again. The other knights all called out to him\nthat he might just as well spare himself the trouble of trying to ride\nup the glass hill, for it was of no use to try; but he did not heed\nthem, and rode straight off to it, and went up as if it were nothing at\nall. Thus he rode for a long way--it may have been a third part of the\nway up--but when he had got so far he turned his horse round and rode\ndown again. But the Princess thought that she had never yet seen so\nhandsome a knight, and while he was riding up she was sitting thinking,\n\u201cOh! how I hope he may be able to come up to the top!\u201d And when she saw\nthat he was turning his horse back she threw one of the golden apples\ndown after him, and it rolled into his shoe. But when he had come down\nfrom off the hill he rode away, and that so fast that no one knew what\nhad become of him.\n\nSo all the princes and knights were bidden to present themselves before\nthe King that night, so that he who had ridden so far up the glass hill\nmight show the golden apple which the King\u2019s daughter had thrown down.\nBut no one had anything to show. One knight presented himself after the\nother, and none could show the apple.\n\nAt night, too, Cinderlad\u2019s brothers came home again and had a long story\nto tell about riding up the glass hill. At first, they said, there was\nnot one who was able to get even so much as one step up, but then came\na knight who had armor of copper, and a bridle of copper, and his armor\nand trappings were so bright that they shone to a great distance, and it\nwas something like a sight to see him riding. He rode one-third of the\nway up the glass hill, and he could easily have ridden the whole of it\nif he had liked; but he had turned back, for he had made up his mind\nthat that was enough for once. \u201cOh! I should have liked to see him too,\nthat I should,\u201d said Cinderlad, who was as usual sitting by the chimney\namong the cinders. \u201cYou, indeed!\u201d said the brothers, \u201cyou look as if you\nwere fit to be among such great lords, nasty beast that you are to sit\nthere!\u201d\n\nNext day the brothers were for setting out again, and this time too\nCinderlad begged them to let him go with them and see who rode; but no,\nthey said he was not fit to do that, for he was much too ugly and dirty.\n\u201cWell, well, then I will go all alone by myself,\u201d said Cinderlad. So the\nbrothers went to the glass hill, and all the princes and knights began\nto ride again, and this time they had taken care to roughen the shoes of\ntheir horses; but that did not help them: they rode and they slipped as\nthey had done the day before, and not one of them could get even so far\nas a yard up the hill. When they had tired out their horses, so that\nthey could do no more, they again had to stop altogether. But just as\nthe King was thinking that it would be well to proclaim that the riding\nshould take place next day for the last time, so that they might have\none more chance, he suddenly bethought himself that it would be well to\nwait a little longer to see if the knight in copper armor would come on\nthis day too. But nothing was to be seen of him. Just as they were still\nlooking for him, however, came a knight riding on a steed that was much,\nmuch finer than that which the knight in copper armor had ridden, and\nthis knight had silver armor and a silver saddle and bridle, and all\nwere so bright that they shone and glistened when he was a long way off.\nAgain the other knights called to him, and said that he might just as\nwell give up the attempt to ride up the glass hill, for it was useless\nto try; but the knight paid no heed to that, but rode straight away\nto the glass hill, and went still farther up than the knight in copper\narmor had gone; but when he had ridden two-thirds of the way up he\nturned his horse around, and rode down again. The Princess liked this\nknight still better than she had liked the other, and sat longing that\nhe might be able to get up above, and when she saw him turning back she\nthrew the second apple after him, and it rolled into his shoe, and as\nsoon as he had got down the glass hill he rode away so fast that no one\ncould see what had become of him.\n\nIn the evening, when everyone was to appear before the King and\nPrincess, in order that he who had the golden apple might show it, one\nknight went in after the other, but none of them had a golden apple to\nshow.\n\nAt night the two brothers went home as they had done the night before,\nand told how things had gone, and how everyone had ridden, but no one\nhad been able to get up the hill. \u201cBut last of all,\u201d they said, \u201ccame\none in silver armor, and he had a silver bridle on his horse, and a\nsilver saddle, and oh, but he could ride! He took his horse two-thirds\nof the way up the hill, but then he turned back. He was a fine fellow,\u201d\n said the brothers, \u201cand the Princess threw the second golden apple to\nhim!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, how I should have liked to see him too!\u201d said Cinderlad.\n\n\u201cOh, indeed! He was a little brighter than the ashes that you sit\ngrubbing among, you dirty black creature!\u201d said the brothers.\n\nOn the third day everything went just as on the former days. Cinderlad\nwanted to go with them to look at the riding, but the two brothers would\nnot have him in their company, and when they got to the glass hill there\nwas no one who could ride even so far as a yard up it, and everyone\nwaited for the knight in silver armor, but he was neither to be seen nor\nheard of. At last, after a long time, came a knight riding upon a horse\nthat was such a fine one, its equal had never yet been seen. The knight\nhad golden armor, and the horse a golden saddle and bridle, and these\nwere all so bright that they shone and dazzled everyone, even while the\nknight was still at a great distance. The other princes and knights were\nnot able even to call to tell him how useless it was to try to ascend\nthe hill, so amazed were they at sight of his magnificence. He rode\nstraight away to the glass hill, and galloped up it as if it were no\nhill at all, so that the Princess had not even time to wish that he\nmight get up the whole way. As soon as he had ridden to the top, he took\nthe third golden apple from the lap of the Princess and then turned his\nhorse about and rode down again, and vanished from their sight before\nanyone was able to say a word to him.\n\nWhen the two brothers came home again at night they had much to tell of\nhow the riding had gone off that day, and at last they told about the\nknight in the golden armor too. \u201cHe was a fine fellow, that was! Such\nanother splendid knight is not to be found on earth!\u201d said the brothers.\n\n\u201cOh, how I should have liked to see him too!\u201d said Cinderlad.\n\n\u201cWell, he shone nearly as brightly as the coal-heaps that thou art\nalways lying raking among, dirty black creature that thou art!\u201d said the\nbrothers.\n\nNext day all the knights and princes were to appear before the King and\nPrincess--it had been too late for them to do it the night before--in\norder that he who had the golden apple might produce it. They all went\nin turn, first princes, and then knights, but none of them had a golden\napple.\n\n\u201cBut somebody must have it,\u201d said the King, \u201cfor with our own eyes we\nall saw a man ride up and take it.\u201d So he commanded that everyone in the\nkingdom should come to the palace, and see if he could show the apple.\nAnd one after the other they all came, but no one had the golden apple,\nand after a long, long time Cinderlad\u2019s two brothers came likewise. They\nwere the last of all, so the King inquired of them if there was no one\nelse in the kingdom left to come.\n\n\u201cOh! yes, we have a brother,\u201d said the two, \u201cbut he never got the golden\napple! He never left the cinder-heap on any of the three days.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever mind that,\u201d said the King; \u201cas everyone else has come to the\npalace, let him come too.\u201d\n\nSo Cinderlad was forced to go to the King\u2019s palace.\n\n\u201cHast thou the golden apple?\u201d asked the King.\n\n\u201cYes, here is the first, and here is the second, and here is the third,\ntoo,\u201d said Cinderlad, and he took all three apples out of his pocket,\nand with that drew off his sooty rags, and appeared there before them in\nhis bright golden armor, which gleamed as he stood.\n\n\u201cThou shalt have my daughter, and the half of my kingdom, and thou hast\nwell earned both!\u201d said the King. So there was a wedding, and Cinderlad\ngot the King\u2019s daughter, and everyone made merry at the wedding, for all\nof them could make merry, though they could not ride up the glass hill,\nand if they have not left off their merry-making they must be at it\nstill.(1)\n\n\n(1) Asbjornsen and Moe.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED AND THE FAIRY PARIBANOU\n\n\nThere was a sultan, who had three sons and a niece. The eldest of the\nPrinces was called Houssain, the second Ali, the youngest Ahmed, and the\nPrincess, his niece, Nouronnihar.\n\nThe Princess Nouronnihar was the daughter of the younger brother of the\nSultan, who died, and left the Princess very young. The Sultan took upon\nhimself the care of his daughter\u2019s education, and brought her up in his\npalace with the three Princes, proposing to marry her when she arrived\nat a proper age, and to contract an alliance with some neighboring\nprince by that means. But when he perceived that the three Princes, his\nsons, loved her passionately, he thought more seriously on that affair.\nHe was very much concerned; the difficulty he foresaw was to make them\nagree, and that the two youngest should consent to yield her up to their\nelder brother. As he found them positively obstinate, he sent for them\nall together, and said to them: \u201cChildren, since for your good and\nquiet I have not been able to persuade you no longer to aspire to\nthe Princess, your cousin, I think it would not be amiss if every one\ntraveled separately into different countries, so that you might not\nmeet each other. And, as you know I am very curious, and delight in\neverything that\u2019s singular, I promise my niece in marriage to him that\nshall bring me the most extraordinary rarity; and for the purchase of\nthe rarity you shall go in search after, and the expense of traveling, I\nwill give you every one a sum of money.\u201d\n\nAs the three Princes were always submissive and obedient to the Sultan\u2019s\nwill, and each flattered himself fortune might prove favorable to him,\nthey all consented to it. The Sultan paid them the money he promised\nthem; and that very day they gave orders for the preparations for their\ntravels, and took their leave of the Sultan, that they might be the more\nready to go the next morning. Accordingly they all set out at the same\ngate of the city, each dressed like a merchant, attended by an officer\nof confidence dressed like a slave, and all well mounted and equipped.\nThey went the first day\u2019s journey together, and lay all at an inn, where\nthe road was divided into three different tracts. At night, when they\nwere at supper together, they all agreed to travel for a year, and to\nmeet at that inn; and that the first that came should wait for the rest;\nthat, as they had all three taken their leave together of the Sultan,\nthey might all return together. The next morning by break of day, after\nthey had embraced and wished each other good success, they mounted their\nhorses and took each a different road.\n\nPrince Houssain, the eldest brother, arrived at Bisnagar, the capital\nof the kingdom of that name, and the residence of its king. He went and\nlodged at a khan appointed for foreign merchants; and, having learned\nthat there were four principal divisions where merchants of all sorts\nsold their commodities, and kept shops, and in the midst of which\nstood the castle, or rather the King\u2019s palace, he went to one of these\ndivisions the next day.\n\nPrince Houssain could not view this division without admiration. It was\nlarge, and divided into several streets, all vaulted and shaded from the\nsun, and yet very light too. The shops were all of a size, and all\nthat dealt in the same sort of goods lived in one street; as also the\nhandicrafts-men, who kept their shops in the smaller streets.\n\nThe multitude of shops, stocked with all sorts of merchandise, as the\nfinest linens from several parts of India, some painted in the most\nlively colors, and representing beasts, trees, and flowers; silks and\nbrocades from Persia, China, and other places, porcelain both from Japan\nand China, and tapestries, surprised him so much that he knew not how to\nbelieve his own eyes; but when he came to the goldsmiths and jewelers he\nwas in a kind of ecstacy to behold such prodigious quantities of wrought\ngold and silver, and was dazzled by the lustre of the pearls, diamonds,\nrubies, emeralds, and other jewels exposed to sale.\n\nAnother thing Prince Houssain particularly admired was the great number\nof rose-sellers who crowded the streets; for the Indians are so great\nlovers of that flower that no one will stir without a nosegay in his\nhand or a garland on his head; and the merchants keep them in pots in\ntheir shops, that the air is perfectly perfumed.\n\nAfter Prince Houssain had run through that division, street by street,\nhis thoughts fully employed on the riches he had seen, he was very much\ntired, which a merchant perceiving, civilly invited him to sit down in\nhis shop, and he accepted; but had not been sat down long before he\nsaw a crier pass by with a piece of tapestry on his arm, about six feet\nsquare, and cried at thirty purses. The Prince called to the crier,\nand asked to see the tapestry, which seemed to him to be valued at an\nexorbitant price, not only for the size of it, but the meanness of the\nstuff; when he had examined it well, he told the crier that he could\nnot comprehend how so small a piece of tapestry, and of so indifferent\nappearance, could be set at so high a price.\n\nThe crier, who took him for a merchant, replied: \u201cIf this price seems\nso extravagant to you, your amazement will be greater when I tell you I\nhave orders to raise it to forty purses, and not to part with it under.\u201d\n \u201cCertainly,\u201d answered Prince Houssain, \u201cit must have something very\nextraordinary in it, which I know nothing of.\u201d \u201cYou have guessed it,\nsir,\u201d replied the crier, \u201cand will own it when you come to know that\nwhoever sits on this piece of tapestry may be transported in an instant\nwherever he desires to be, without being stopped by any obstacle.\u201d\n\nAt this discourse of the crier the Prince of the Indies, considering\nthat the principal motive of his travel was to carry the Sultan, his\nfather, home some singular rarity, thought that he could not meet with\nany which could give him more satisfaction. \u201cIf the tapestry,\u201d said he\nto the crier, \u201chas the virtue you assign it, I shall not think forty\npurses too much, but shall make you a present besides.\u201d \u201cSir,\u201d replied\nthe crier, \u201cI have told you the truth; and it is an easy matter to\nconvince you of it, as soon as you have made the bargain for forty\npurses, on condition I show you the experiment. But, as I suppose you\nhave not so much about you, and to receive them I must go with you to\nyour khan, where you lodge, with the leave of the master of the shop, we\nwill go into the back shop, and I will spread the tapestry; and when we\nhave both sat down, and you have formed the wish to be transported into\nyour apartment of the khan, if we are not transported thither it shall\nbe no bargain, and you shall be at your liberty. As to your present,\nthough I am paid for my trouble by the seller, I shall receive it as a\nfavor, and be very much obliged to you, and thankful.\u201d\n\nOn the credit of the crier, the Prince accepted the conditions, and\nconcluded the bargain; and, having got the master\u2019s leave, they went\ninto his back shop; they both sat down on it, and as soon as the Prince\nformed his wish to be transported into his apartment at the khan he\npresently found himself and the crier there; and, as he wanted not a\nmore sufficient proof of the virtue of the tapestry, he counted the\ncrier out forty pieces of gold, and gave him twenty pieces for himself.\n\nIn this manner Prince Houssain became the possessor of the tapestry,\nand was overjoyed that at his arrival at Bisnagar he had found so rare\na piece, which he never disputed would gain him the hand of Nouronnihar.\nIn short, he looked upon it as an impossible thing for the Princes his\nyounger brothers to meet with anything to be compared with it. It was\nin his power, by sitting on his tapestry, to be at the place of meeting\nthat very day; but, as he was obliged to stay there for his brothers, as\nthey had agreed, and as he was curious to see the King of Bisnagar and\nhis Court, and to inform himself of the strength, laws, customs, and\nreligion of the kingdom, he chose to make a longer abode there, and to\nspend some months in satisfying his curiosity.\n\nPrince Houssain might have made a longer abode in the kingdom and\nCourt of Bisnagar, but he was so eager to be nearer the Princess that,\nspreading the tapestry, he and the officer he had brought with him sat\ndown, and as soon as he had formed his wish were transported to the inn\nat which he and his brothers were to meet, and where he passed for a\nmerchant till they came.\n\nPrince Ali, Prince Houssain\u2019s second brother, who designed to travel\ninto Persia, took the road, having three days after he parted with\nhis brothers joined a caravan, and after four days\u2019 travel arrived at\nSchiraz, which was the capital of the kingdom of Persia. Here he passed\nfor a jeweler.\n\nThe next morning Prince Ali, who traveled only for his pleasure, and\nhad brought nothing but just necessaries along with him, after he had\ndressed himself, took a walk into that part of the town which they at\nSchiraz called the bezestein.\n\nAmong all the criers who passed backward and forward with several sorts\nof goods, offering to sell them, he was not a little surprised to see\none who held an ivory telescope in his hand of about a foot in length\nand the thickness of a man\u2019s thumb, and cried it at thirty purses. At\nfirst he thought the crier mad, and to inform himself went to a shop,\nand said to the merchant, who stood at the door: \u201cPray, sir, is not that\nman\u201d (pointing to the crier who cried the ivory perspective glass at\nthirty purses) \u201cmad? If he is not, I am very much deceived.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, sir,\u201d answered the merchant, \u201che was in his right senses\nyesterday; I can assure you he is one of the ablest criers we have, and\nthe most employed of any when anything valuable is to be sold. And if he\ncries the ivory perspective glass at thirty purses it must be worth as\nmuch or more, on some account or other. He will come by presently, and\nwe will call him, and you shall be satisfied; in the meantime sit down\non my sofa, and rest yourself.\u201d\n\nPrince Ali accepted the merchant\u2019s obliging offer, and presently\nafterward the crier passed by. The merchant called him by his name, and,\npointing to the Prince, said to him: \u201cTell that gentleman, who asked\nme if you were in your right senses, what you mean by crying that ivory\nperspective glass, which seems not to be worth much, at thirty purses.\nI should be very much amazed myself if I did not know you.\u201d The crier,\naddressing himself to Prince Ali, said: \u201cSir, you are not the only\nperson that takes me for a madman on account of this perspective glass.\nYou shall judge yourself whether I am or no, when I have told you its\nproperty and I hope you will value it at as high a price as those I have\nshowed it to already, who had as bad an opinion of me as you.\n\n\u201cFirst, sir,\u201d pursued the crier, presenting the ivory pipe to the\nPrince, \u201cobserve that this pipe is furnished with a glass at both ends;\nand consider that by looking through one of them you see whatever object\nyou wish to behold.\u201d \u201cI am,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cready to make you all\nimaginable reparation for the scandal I have thrown on you if you will\nmake the truth of what you advance appear,\u201d and as he had the ivory pipe\nin his hand, after he had looked at the two glasses he said: \u201cShow me\nat which of these ends I must look that I may be satisfied.\u201d The crier\npresently showed him, and he looked through, wishing at the same time to\nsee the Sultan his father, whom he immediately beheld in perfect health,\nset on his throne, in the midst of his council. Afterward, as there was\nnothing in the world so dear to him, after the Sultan, as the Princess\nNouronnihar, he wished to see her; and saw her at her toilet laughing,\nand in a pleasant humor, with her women about her.\n\nPrince Ali wanted no other proof to be persuaded that this perspective\nglass was the most valuable thing in the world, and believed that if\nhe should neglect to purchase it he should never meet again with such\nanother rarity. He therefore took the crier with him to the khan where\nhe lodged, and counted him out the money, and received the perspective\nglass.\n\nPrince Ali was overjoyed at his bargain, and persuaded himself that,\nas his brothers would not be able to meet with anything so rare and\nadmirable, the Princess Nouronnihar would be the recompense of his\nfatigue and trouble; that he thought of nothing but visiting the Court\nof Persia incognito, and seeing whatever was curious in Schiraz and\nthereabouts, till the caravan with which he came returned back to the\nIndies. As soon as the caravan was ready to set out, the Prince joined\nthem, and arrived happily without any accident or trouble, otherwise\nthan the length of the journey and fatigue of traveling, at the place of\nrendezvous, where he found Prince Houssain, and both waited for Prince\nAhmed.\n\nPrince Ahmed, who took the road of Samarcand, the next day after his\narrival there went, as his brothers had done, into the bezestein, where\nhe had not walked long but heard a crier, who had an artificial apple\nin his hand, cry it at five and thirty purses; upon which he stopped the\ncrier, and said to him: \u201cLet me see that apple, and tell me what virtue\nand extraordinary properties it has, to be valued at so high a rate.\u201d\n \u201cSir,\u201d said the crier, giving it into his hand, \u201cif you look at the\noutside of this apple, it is very worthless, but if you consider its\nproperties, virtues, and the great use and benefit it is to mankind, you\nwill say it is no price for it, and that he who possesses it is master\nof a great treasure. In short, it cures all sick persons of the most\nmortal diseases; and if the patient is dying it will recover him\nimmediately and restore him to perfect health; and this is done after\nthe easiest manner in the world, which is by the patient\u2019s smelling the\napple.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf I may believe you,\u201d replied Prince Ahmed, \u201cthe virtues of this apple\nare wonderful, and it is invaluable; but what ground have I, for all you\ntell me, to be persuaded of the truth of this matter?\u201d \u201cSir,\u201d replied\nthe crier, \u201cthe thing is known and averred by the whole city of\nSamarcand; but, without going any further, ask all these merchants you\nsee here, and hear what they say. You will find several of them will\ntell you they had not been alive this day if they had not made use of\nthis excellent remedy. And, that you may better comprehend what it is,\nI must tell you it is the fruit of the study and experiments of a\ncelebrated philosopher of this city, who applied himself all his\nlifetime to the study and knowledge of the virtues of plants and\nminerals, and at last attained to this composition, by which he\nperformed such surprising cures in this town as will never be forgot,\nbut died suddenly himself, before he could apply his sovereign remedy,\nand left his wife and a great many young children behind him, in very\nindifferent circumstances, who, to support her family and provide for\nher children, is resolved to sell it.\u201d\n\nWhile the crier informed Prince Ahmed of the virtues of the artificial\napple, a great many persons came about them and confirmed what he said;\nand one among the rest said he had a friend dangerously ill, whose life\nwas despaired of; and that was a favorable opportunity to show Prince\nAhmed the experiment. Upon which Prince Ahmed told the crier he would\ngive him forty purses if he cured the sick person.\n\nThe crier, who had orders to sell it at that price, said to Prince\nAhmed: \u201cCome, sir, let us go and make the experiment, and the apple\nshall be yours; and I can assure you that it will always have the\ndesired effect.\u201d In short, the experiment succeeded, and the Prince,\nafter he had counted out to the crier forty purses, and he had delivered\nthe apple to him, waited patiently for the first caravan that should\nreturn to the Indies, and arrived in perfect health at the inn where the\nPrinces Houssain and Ali waited for him.\n\nWhen the Princes met they showed each other their treasures, and\nimmediately saw through the glass that the Princess was dying. They then\nsat down on the carpet, wished themselves with her, and were there in a\nmoment.\n\nPrince Ahmed no sooner perceived himself in Nouronnihar\u2019s chamber than\nhe rose off the tapestry, as did also the other two Princes, and went\nto the bedside, and put the apple under her nose; some moments after the\nPrincess opened her eyes, and turned her head from one side to another,\nlooking at the persons who stood about her; and then rose up in the bed,\nand asked to be dressed, just as if she had waked out of a sound sleep.\nHer women having presently informed her, in a manner that showed their\njoy, that she was obliged to the three Princes for the sudden recovery\nof her health, and particularly to Prince Ahmed, she immediately\nexpressed her joy to see them, and thanked them all together, and\nafterward Prince Ahmed in particular.\n\nWhile the Princess was dressing the Princes went to throw themselves at\nthe Sultan their father\u2019s feet, and pay their respects to him. But when\nthey came before him they found he had been informed of their arrival by\nthe chief of the Princess\u2019s eunuchs, and by what means the Princess had\nbeen perfectly cured. The Sultan received and embraced them with the\ngreatest joy, both for their return and the recovery of the Princess his\nniece, whom he loved as well as if she had been his own daughter, and\nwho had been given over by the physicians. After the usual ceremonies\nand compliments the Princes presented each his rarity: Prince Houssain\nhis tapestry, which he had taken care not to leave behind him in the\nPrincess\u2019s chamber; Prince Ali his ivory perspective glass, and Prince\nAhmed his artificial apple; and after each had commended their present,\nwhen they put it into the Sultan\u2019s hands, they begged of him to\npronounce their fate, and declare to which of them he would give the\nPrincess Nouronnihar for a wife, according to his promise.\n\nThe Sultan of the Indies, having heard, without interrupting them, all\nthat the Princes could represent further about their rarities, and\nbeing well informed of what had happened in relation to the Princess\nNouronnihar\u2019s cure, remained some time silent, as if he were thinking\non what answer he should make. At last he broke the silence, and said\nto them: \u201cI would declare for one of you children with a great deal of\npleasure if I could do it with justice; but consider whether I can do it\nor no. \u2018Tis true, Prince Ahmed, the Princess my niece is obliged to\nyour artificial apple for her cure; but I must ask you whether or no\nyou could have been so serviceable to her if you had not known by Prince\nAli\u2019s perspective glass the danger she was in, and if Prince Houssain\u2019s\ntapestry had not brought you so soon. Your perspective glass, Prince\nAli, informed you and your brothers that you were like to lose the\nPrincess your cousin, and there you must own a great obligation.\n\n\u201cYou must also grant that that knowledge would have been of no service\nwithout the artificial apple and the tapestry. And lastly, Prince\nHoussain, the Princess would be very ungrateful if she should not\nshow her acknowledgment of the service of your tapestry, which was so\nnecessary a means toward her cure. But consider, it would have been of\nlittle use if you had not been acquainted with the Princess\u2019s illness\nby Prince Ali\u2019s glass, and Prince Ahmed had not applied his artificial\napple. Therefore, as neither tapestry, ivory perspective glass, nor\nartificial apple have the least preference one before the other, but, on\nthe contrary, there\u2019s a perfect equality, I cannot grant the Princess to\nany one of you; and the only fruit you have reaped from your travels is\nthe glory of having equally contributed to restore her health.\n\n\u201cIf all this be true,\u201d added the Sultan, \u201cyou see that I must have\nrecourse to other means to determine certainly in the choice I ought\nto make among you; and that, as there is time enough between this and\nnight, I\u2019ll do it to-day. Go and get each of you a bow and arrow, and\nrepair to the great plain, where they exercise horses. I\u2019ll soon come to\nyou, and declare I will give the Princess Nouronnihar to him that shoots\nthe farthest.\u201d\n\nThe three Princes had nothing to say against the decision of the Sultan.\nWhen they were out of his presence they each provided themselves with a\nbow and arrow, which they delivered to one of their officers, and went\nto the plain appointed, followed by a great concourse of people.\n\nThe Sultan did not make them wait long for him, and as soon as he\narrived Prince Houssain, as the eldest, took his bow and arrow and shot\nfirst; Prince Ali shot next, and much beyond him; and Prince Ahmed last\nof all, but it so happened that nobody could see where his arrow fell;\nand, notwithstanding all the diligence that was used by himself and\neverybody else, it was not to be found far or near. And though it was\nbelieved that he shot the farthest, and that he therefore deserved the\nPrincess Nouronnihar, it was, however, necessary that his arrow\nshould be found to make the matter more evident and certain; and,\nnotwithstanding his remonstrance, the Sultan judged in favor of Prince\nAli, and gave orders for preparations to be made for the wedding, which\nwas celebrated a few days after with great magnificence.\n\nPrince Houssain would not honor the feast with his presence. In short,\nhis grief was so violent and insupportable that he left the Court, and\nrenounced all right of succession to the crown, to turn hermit.\n\nPrince Ahmed, too, did not come to Prince Ali\u2019s and the Princess\nNouronnihar\u2019s wedding any more than his brother Houssain, but did not\nrenounce the world as he had done. But, as he could not imagine what had\nbecome of his arrow, he stole away from his attendants and resolved to\nsearch after it, that he might not have anything to reproach himself\nwith. With this intent he went to the place where the Princes Houssain\u2019s\nand Ali\u2019s were gathered up, and, going straight forward from there,\nlooking carefully on both sides of him, he went so far that at last\nhe began to think his labor was all in vain; but yet he could not help\ngoing forward till he came to some steep craggy rocks, which were\nbounds to his journey, and were situated in a barren country, about four\nleagues distant from where he set out.\n\n\nII\n\n\nWhen Prince Ahmed came pretty nigh to these rocks he perceived an arrow,\nwhich he gathered up, looked earnestly at it, and was in the greatest\nastonishment to find it was the same he shot away. \u201cCertainly,\u201d said he\nto himself, \u201cneither I nor any man living could shoot an arrow so far,\u201d\n and, finding it laid flat, not sticking into the ground, he judged that\nit rebounded against the rock. \u201cThere must be some mystery in this,\u201d\n said he to himself again, \u201cand it may be advantageous to me. Perhaps\nfortune, to make me amends for depriving me of what I thought the\ngreatest happiness, may have reserved a greater blessing for my\ncomfort.\u201d\n\nAs these rocks were full of caves and some of those caves were deep, the\nPrince entered into one, and, looking about, cast his eyes on an iron\ndoor, which seemed to have no lock, but he feared it was fastened.\nHowever, thrusting against it, it opened, and discovered an easy\ndescent, but no steps, which he walked down with his arrow in his\nhand. At first he thought he was going into a dark, obscure place, but\npresently a quite different light succeeded that which he came out of,\nand, entering into a large, spacious place, at about fifty or sixty\npaces distant, he perceived a magnificent palace, which he had not then\ntime enough to look at. At the same time a lady of majestic port and air\nadvanced as far as the porch, attended by a large troop of ladies, so\nfinely dressed and beautiful that it was difficult to distinguish which\nwas the mistress.\n\nAs soon as Prince Ahmed perceived the lady, he made all imaginable\nhaste to go and pay his respects; and the lady, on her part, seeing him\ncoming, prevented him from addressing his discourse to her first, but\nsaid to him: \u201cCome nearer, Prince Ahmed, you are welcome.\u201d\n\nIt was no small surprise to the Prince to hear himself named in a place\nhe had never heard of, though so nigh to his father\u2019s capital, and he\ncould not comprehend how he should be known to a lady who was a stranger\nto him. At last he returned the lady\u2019s compliment by throwing himself at\nher feet, and, rising up again, said to her:\n\n\u201cMadam, I return you a thousand thanks for the assurance you give me of\na welcome to a place where I believed my imprudent curiosity had made\nme penetrate too far. But, madam, may I, without being guilty of ill\nmanners, dare to ask you by what adventure you know me? and how you, who\nlive in the same neighborhood with me, should be so great a stranger to\nme?\u201d\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d said the lady, \u201clet us go into the hall, there I will gratify\nyou in your request.\u201d\n\nAfter these words the lady led Prince Ahmed into the hall. Then she sat\ndown on a sofa, and when the Prince by her entreaty had done the same\nshe said: \u201cYou are surprised, you say, that I should know you and not be\nknown by you, but you will be no longer surprised when I inform you who\nI am. You are undoubtedly sensible that your religion teaches you to\nbelieve that the world is inhabited by genies as well as men. I am the\ndaughter of one of the most powerful and distinguished genies, and my\nname is Paribanou. The only thing that I have to add is, that you seemed\nto me worthy of a more happy fate than that of possessing the Princess\nNouronnihar; and, that you might attain to it, I was present when you\ndrew your arrow, and foresaw it would not go beyond Prince Houssain\u2019s.\nI took it in the air, and gave it the necessary motion to strike against\nthe rocks near which you found it, and I tell you that it lies in your\npower to make use of the favorable opportunity which presents itself to\nmake you happy.\u201d\n\nAs the Fairy Paribanou pronounced these last words with a different\ntone, and looked, at the same time, tenderly upon Prince Ahmed, with\na modest blush on her cheeks, it was no hard matter for the Prince to\ncomprehend what happiness she meant. He presently considered that the\nPrincess Nouronnihar could never be his and that the Fairy Paribanou\nexcelled her infinitely in beauty, agreeableness, wit, and, as much\nas he could conjecture by the magnificence of the palace, in immense\nriches. He blessed the moment that he thought of seeking after his arrow\na second time, and, yielding to his love, \u201cMadam,\u201d replied he, \u201cshould\nI all my life have the happiness of being your slave, and the admirer\nof the many charms which ravish my soul, I should think myself the most\nblessed of men. Pardon in me the boldness which inspires me to ask this\nfavor, and don\u2019t refuse to admit me into your Court, a prince who is\nentirely devoted to you.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d answered the Fairy, \u201cwill you not pledge your faith to me,\nas well as I give mine to you?\u201d \u201cYes, madam,\u201d replied the Prince, in an\necstacy of joy; \u201cwhat can I do better, and with greater pleasure?\nYes, my sultaness, my queen, I\u2019ll give you my heart without the least\nreserve.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d answered the Fairy, \u201cyou are my husband, and I am\nyour wife. But, as I suppose,\u201d pursued she, \u201cthat you have eaten nothing\nto-day, a slight repast shall be served up for you, while preparations\nare making for our wedding feast at night, and then I will show you the\napartments of my palace, and you shall judge if this hall is not the\nmeanest part of it.\u201d\n\nSome of the Fairy\u2019s women, who came into the hall with them, and guessed\nher intentions, went immediately out, and returned presently with some\nexcellent meats and wines.\n\nWhen Prince Ahmed had ate and drunk as much as he cared for, the Fairy\nParibanou carried him through all the apartments, where he saw diamonds,\nrubies, emeralds and all sorts of fine jewels, intermixed with pearls,\nagate, jasper, porphyry, and all sorts of the most precious marbles.\nBut, not to mention the richness of the furniture, which was\ninestimable, there was such a profuseness throughout that the Prince,\ninstead of ever having seen anything like it, owned that he could not\nhave imagined that there was anything in the world that could come up to\nit. \u201cPrince,\u201d said the Fairy, \u201cif you admire my palace so much, which,\nindeed, is very beautiful, what would you say to the palaces of the\nchief of our genies, which are much more beautiful, spacious, and\nmagnificent? I could also charm you with my gardens, but we will let\nthat alone till another time. Night draws near, and it will be time to\ngo to supper.\u201d\n\nThe next hall which the Fairy led the Prince into, and where the cloth\nwas laid for the feast, was the last apartment the Prince had not seen,\nand not in the least inferior to the others. At his entrance into it\nhe admired the infinite number of sconces of wax candles perfumed with\namber, the multitude of which, instead of being confused, were placed\nwith so just a symmetry as formed an agreeable and pleasant sight. A\nlarge side table was set out with all sorts of gold plate, so finely\nwrought that the workmanship was much more valuable than the weight of\nthe gold. Several choruses of beautiful women richly dressed, and whose\nvoices were ravishing, began a concert, accompanied with all sorts of\nthe most harmonious instruments; and when they were set down at table\nthe Fairy Paribanou took care to help Prince Ahmed to the most delicate\nmeats, which she named as she invited him to eat of them, and which\nthe Prince found to be so exquisitely nice that he commended them with\nexaggeration, and said that the entertainment far surpassed those of\nman. He found also the same excellence in the wines, which neither he\nnor the Fairy tasted of till the dessert was served up, which consisted\nof the choicest sweetmeats and fruits.\n\nThe wedding feast was continued the next day, or, rather, the days\nfollowing the celebration were a continual feast.\n\nAt the end of six months Prince Ahmed, who always loved and honored the\nSultan his father, conceived a great desire to know how he was, and\nthat desire could not be satisfied without his going to see; he told the\nFairy of it, and desired she would give him leave.\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d said she, \u201cgo when you please. But first, don\u2019t take it amiss\nthat I give you some advice how you shall behave yourself where you are\ngoing. First, I don\u2019t think it proper for you to tell the Sultan your\nfather of our marriage, nor of my quality, nor the place where you have\nbeen. Beg of him to be satisfied in knowing you are happy, and desire\nno more; and let him know that the sole end of your visit is to make him\neasy, and inform him of your fate.\u201d\n\nShe appointed twenty gentlemen, well mounted and equipped, to attend\nhim. When all was ready Prince Ahmed took his leave of the Fairy,\nembraced her, and renewed his promise to return soon. Then his horse,\nwhich was most finely caparisoned, and was as beautiful a creature as\nany in the Sultan of Indies\u2019 stables, was led to him, and he mounted him\nwith an extraordinary grace; and, after he had bid her a last adieu, set\nforward on his journey.\n\nAs it was not a great way to his father\u2019s capital, Prince Ahmed soon\narrived there. The people, glad to see him again, received him with\nacclamations of joy, and followed him in crowds to the Sultan\u2019s\napartment. The Sultan received and embraced him with great joy,\ncomplaining at the same time, with a fatherly tenderness, of the\naffliction his long absence had been to him, which he said was the more\ngrievous for that, fortune having decided in favor of Prince Ali his\nbrother, he was afraid he might have committed some rash action.\n\nThe Prince told a story of his adventures without speaking of the Fairy,\nwhom he said that he must not mention, and ended: \u201cThe only favor I\nask of your Majesty is to give me leave to come often and pay you my\nrespects, and to know how you do.\u201d\n\n\u201cSon,\u201d answered the Sultan of the Indies, \u201cI cannot refuse you the leave\nyou ask me; but I should much rather you would resolve to stay with me;\nat least tell me where I may send to you if you should fail to come, or\nwhen I may think your presence necessary.\u201d \u201cSir,\u201d replied Prince Ahmed,\n\u201cwhat your Majesty asks of me is part of the mystery I spoke to your\nMajesty of. I beg of you to give me leave to remain silent on this head,\nfor I shall come so frequently that I am afraid that I shall sooner be\nthought troublesome than be accused of negligence in my duty.\u201d\n\nThe Sultan of the Indies pressed Prince Ahmed no more, but said to him:\n\u201cSon, I penetrate no farther into your secrets, but leave you at your\nliberty; but can tell you that you could not do me a greater pleasure\nthan to come, and by your presence restore to me the joy I have not\nfelt this long time, and that you shall always be welcome when you come,\nwithout interrupting your business or pleasure.\u201d\n\nPrince Ahmed stayed but three days at the Sultan his father\u2019s Court, and\nthe fourth returned to the Fairy Paribanou, who did not expect him so\nsoon.\n\nA month after Prince Ahmed\u2019s return from paying a visit to his father,\nas the Fairy Paribanou had observed that the Prince, since the time that\nhe gave her an account of his journey, his discourse with his father,\nand the leave he asked to go and see him often, had never talked of the\nSultan, as if there had been no such person in the world, whereas before\nhe was always speaking of him, she thought he forebore on her account;\ntherefore she took an opportunity to say to him one day: \u201cPrince, tell\nme, have you forgot the Sultan your father? Don\u2019t you remember the\npromise you made to go and see him often? For my part I have not forgot\nwhat you told me at your return, and so put you in mind of it, that you\nmay not be long before you acquit yourself of your promise.\u201d\n\nSo Prince Ahmed went the next morning with the same attendance as\nbefore, but much finer, and himself more magnificently mounted,\nequipped, and dressed, and was received by the Sultan with the same\njoy and satisfaction. For several months he constantly paid his visits,\nalways in a richer and finer equipage.\n\nAt last some viziers, the Sultan\u2019s favorites, who judged of Prince\nAhmed\u2019s grandeur and power by the figure he cut, made the Sultan jealous\nof his son, saying it was to be feared he might inveigle himself into\nthe people\u2019s favor and dethrone him.\n\nThe Sultan of the Indies was so far from thinking that Prince Ahmed\ncould be capable of so pernicious a design as his favorites would make\nhim believe that he said to them: \u201cYou are mistaken; my son loves me,\nand I am certain of his tenderness and fidelity, as I have given him no\nreason to be disgusted.\u201d\n\nBut the favorites went on abusing Prince Ahmed till the Sultan said: \u201cBe\nit as it will, I don\u2019t believe my son Ahmed is so wicked as you would\npersuade me he is; how ever, I am obliged to you for your good advice,\nand don\u2019t dispute but that it proceeds from your good intentions.\u201d\n\nThe Sultan of the Indies said this that his favorites might not know the\nimpressions their discourse had made on his mind; which had so alarmed\nhim that he resolved to have Prince Ahmed watched unknown to his grand\nvizier. So he sent for a female magician, who was introduced by a back\ndoor into his apartment. \u201cGo immediately,\u201d he said, \u201cand follow my son,\nand watch him so well as to find out where he retires, and bring me\nword.\u201d\n\nThe magician left the Sultan, and, knowing the place where Prince Ahmed\nfound his arrow, went immediately thither, and hid herself near the\nrocks, so that nobody could see her.\n\nThe next morning Prince Ahmed set out by daybreak, without taking leave\neither of the Sultan or any of his Court, according to custom. The\nmagician, seeing him coming, followed him with her eyes, till on a\nsudden she lost sight of him and his attendants.\n\nAs the rocks were very steep and craggy, they were an insurmountable\nbarrier, so that the magician judged that there were but two things\nfor it: either that the Prince retired into some cavern, or an abode of\ngenies or fairies. Thereupon she came out of the place where she was hid\nand went directly to the hollow way, which she traced till she came\nto the farther end, looking carefully about on all sides; but,\nnotwithstanding all her diligence, could perceive no opening, not so\nmuch as the iron gate which Prince Ahmed discovered, which was to be\nseen and opened to none but men, and only to such whose presence was\nagreeable to the Fairy Paribanou.\n\nThe magician, who saw it was in vain for her to search any farther, was\nobliged to be satisfied with the discovery she had made, and returned to\ngive the Sultan an account.\n\nThe Sultan was very well pleased with the magician\u2019s conduct, and said\nto her: \u201cDo you as you think fit; I\u2019ll wait patiently the event of your\npromises,\u201d and to encourage her made her a present of a diamond of great\nvalue.\n\nAs Prince Ahmed had obtained the Fairy Paribanou\u2019s leave to go to the\nSultan of the Indies\u2019 Court once a month, he never failed, and the\nmagician, knowing the time, went a day or two before to the foot of the\nrock where she lost sight of the Prince and his attendants, and waited\nthere.\n\nThe next morning Prince Ahmed went out, as usual, at the iron gate, with\nthe same attendants as before, and passed by the magician, whom he knew\nnot to be such, and, seeing her lie with her head against the rock,\nand complaining as if she were in great pain, he pitied her, turned his\nhorse about, went to her, and asked her what was the matter with her,\nand what he could do to ease her.\n\nThe artful sorceress looked at the Prince in a pitiful manner, without\never lifting up her head, and answered in broken words and sighs, as\nif she could hardly fetch her breath, that she was going to the capital\ncity, but on the way thither she was taken with so violent a fever that\nher strength failed her, and she was forced to lie down where he saw\nher, far from any habitation, and without any hopes of assistance.\n\n\u201cGood woman,\u201d replied Prince Ahmed, \u201cyou are not so far from help as you\nimagine. I am ready to assist you, and convey you where you will meet\nwith a speedy cure; only get up, and let one of my people take you\nbehind him.\u201d\n\nAt these words the magician, who pretended sickness only to know where\nthe Prince lived and what he did, refused not the charitable offer he\nmade her, and that her actions might correspond with her words she made\nmany pretended vain endeavors to get up. At the same time two of the\nPrince\u2019s attendants, alighting off their horses, helped her up, and set\nher behind another, and mounted their horses again, and followed the\nPrince, who turned back to the iron gate, which was opened by one of his\nretinue who rode before. And when he came into the outward court of the\nFairy, without dismounting himself, he sent to tell her he wanted to\nspeak with her.\n\nThe Fairy Paribanou came with all imaginable haste, not knowing what\nmade Prince Ahmed return so soon, who, not giving her time to ask him\nthe reason, said: \u201cPrincess, I desire you would have compassion on this\ngood woman,\u201d pointing to the magician, who was held up by two of his\nretinue. \u201cI found her in the condition you see her in, and promised her\nthe assistance she stands in need of, and am persuaded that you, out of\nyour own goodness, as well as upon my entreaty, will not abandon her.\u201d\n\nThe Fairy Paribanou, who had her eyes fixed upon the pretended sick\nwoman all the time that the Prince was talking to her, ordered two of\nher women who followed her to take her from the two men that held her,\nand carry her into an apartment of the palace, and take as much care of\nher as she would herself.\n\nWhile the two women executed the Fairy\u2019s commands, she went up to Prince\nAhmed, and, whispering in his ear, said: \u201cPrince, this woman is not so\nsick as she pretends to be; and I am very much mistaken if she is not an\nimpostor, who will be the cause of a great trouble to you. But don\u2019t\nbe concerned, let what will be devised against you; be persuaded that\nI will deliver you out of all the snares that shall be laid for you. Go\nand pursue your journey.\u201d\n\nThis discourse of the Fairy\u2019s did not in the least frighten Prince\nAhmed. \u201cMy Princess,\u201d said he, \u201cas I do not remember I ever did or\ndesigned anybody an injury, I cannot believe anybody can have a thought\nof doing me one, but if they have I shall not, nevertheless, forbear\ndoing good whenever I have an opportunity.\u201d Then he went back to his\nfather\u2019s palace.\n\nIn the meantime the two women carried the magician into a very fine\napartment, richly furnished. First they sat her down upon a sofa, with\nher back supported with a cushion of gold brocade, while they made a bed\non the same sofa before her, the quilt of which was finely embroidered\nwith silk, the sheets of the finest linen, and the coverlet\ncloth-of-gold. When they had put her into bed (for the old sorceress\npretended that her fever was so violent she could not help herself in\nthe least) one of the women went out, and returned soon again with a\nchina dish in her hand, full of a certain liquor, which she presented to\nthe magician, while the other helped her to sit up. \u201cDrink this liquor,\u201d\n said she; \u201cit is the Water of the Fountain of Lions, and a sovereign\nremedy against all fevers whatsoever. You will find the effect of it in\nless than an hour\u2019s time.\u201d\n\nThe magician, to dissemble the better, took it after a great deal of\nentreaty; but at last she took the china dish, and, holding back her\nhead, swallowed down the liquor. When she was laid down again the two\nwomen covered her up. \u201cLie quiet,\u201d said she who brought her the china\ncup, \u201cand get a little sleep if you can. We\u2019ll leave you, and hope to\nfind you perfectly cured when we come again an hour hence.\u201d\n\nThe two women came again at the time they said they should, and found\nthe magician up and dressed, and sitting upon the sofa. \u201cOh, admirable\npotion!\u201d she said: \u201cit has wrought its cure much sooner than you told me\nit would, and I shall be able to prosecute my journey.\u201d\n\nThe two women, who were fairies as well as their mistress, after they\nhad told the magician how glad they were that she was cured so soon,\nwalked before her, and conducted her through several apartments, all\nmore noble than that wherein she lay, into a large hall, the most richly\nand magnificently furnished of all the palace.\n\nFairy Paribanou sat in this hall on a throne of massive gold, enriched\nwith diamonds, rubies, and pearls of an extraordinary size, and attended\non each hand by a great number of beautiful fairies, all richly clothed.\nAt the sight of so much majesty, the magician was not only dazzled, but\nwas so amazed that, after she had prostrated herself before the throne,\nshe could not open her lips to thank the Fairy as she proposed. However,\nParibanou saved her the trouble, and said to her: \u201cGood woman, I am glad\nI had an opportunity to oblige you, and to see you are able to pursue\nyour journey. I won\u2019t detain you, but perhaps you may not be displeased\nto see my palace; follow my women, and they will show it you.\u201d\n\nThen the magician went back and related to the Sultan of the Indies all\nthat had happened, and how very rich Prince Ahmed was since his marriage\nwith the Fairy, richer than all the kings in the world, and how there\nwas danger that he should come and take the throne from his father.\n\nThough the Sultan of the Indies was very well persuaded that Prince\nAhmed\u2019s natural disposition was good, yet he could not help being\nconcerned at the discourse of the old sorceress, to whom, when she was\ntaking her leave, he said: \u201cI thank thee for the pains thou hast taken,\nand thy wholesome advice. I am so sensible of the great importance it is\nto me that I shall deliberate upon it in council.\u201d\n\nNow the favorites advised that the Prince should be killed, but the\nmagician advised differently: \u201cMake him give you all kinds of wonderful\nthings, by the Fairy\u2019s help, till she tires of him and sends him away.\nAs, for example, every time your Majesty goes into the field, you are\nobliged to be at a great expense, not only in pavilions and tents for\nyour army, but likewise in mules and camels to carry their baggage. Now,\nmight not you engage him to use his interest with the Fairy to procure\nyou a tent which might be carried in a man\u2019s hand, and which should be\nso large as to shelter your whole army against bad weather?\u201d\n\nWhen the magician had finished her speech, the Sultan asked his\nfavorites if they had anything better to propose; and, finding them\nall silent, determined to follow the magician\u2019s advice, as the most\nreasonable and most agreeable to his mild government.\n\nNext day the Sultan did as the magician had advised him, and asked for\nthe pavilion.\n\nPrince Ahmed never expected that the Sultan his father would have\nasked such a thing, which at first appeared so difficult, not to say\nimpossible. Though he knew not absolutely how great the power of genies\nand fairies was, he doubted whether it extended so far as to compass\nsuch a tent as his father desired. At last he replied: \u201cThough it is\nwith the greatest reluctance imaginable, I will not fail to ask the\nfavor of my wife your Majesty desires, but will not promise you to\nobtain it; and if I should not have the honor to come again to pay you\nmy respects that shall be the sign that I have not had success. But\nbeforehand, I desire you to forgive me, and consider that you yourself\nhave reduced me to this extremity.\u201d\n\n\u201cSon,\u201d replied the Sultan of the Indies, \u201cI should be very sorry if what\nI ask of you should cause me the displeasure of never seeing you more. I\nfind you don\u2019t know the power a husband has over a wife; and yours would\nshow that her love to you was very indifferent if she, with the power\nshe has of a fairy, should refuse you so trifling a request as this I\ndesire you to ask of her for my sake.\u201d The Prince went back, and was\nvery sad for fear of offending the Fairy. She kept pressing him to\ntell her what was the matter, and at last he said: \u201cMadam, you may have\nobserved that hitherto I have been content with your love, and have\nnever asked you any other favor. Consider then, I conjure you, that\nit is not I, but the Sultan my father, who indiscreetly, or at least I\nthink so, begs of you a pavilion large enough to shelter him, his Court,\nand army from the violence of the weather, and which a man may carry in\nhis hand. But remember it is the Sultan my father asks this favor.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d replied the Fairy, smiling, \u201cI am sorry that so small a matter\nshould disturb you, and make you so uneasy as you appeared to me.\u201d\n\nThen the Fairy sent for her treasurer, to whom, when she came, she said:\n\u201cNourgihan\u201d--which was her name--\u201cbring me the largest pavilion in my\ntreasury.\u201d Nourgiham returned presently with the pavilion, which she\ncould not only hold in her hand, but in the palm of her hand when she\nshut her fingers, and presented it to her mistress, who gave it to\nPrince Ahmed to look at.\n\nWhen Prince Ahmed saw the pavilion which the Fairy called the largest in\nher treasury, he fancied she had a mind to jest with him, and thereupon\nthe marks of his surprise appeared presently in his countenance; which\nParibanou perceiving burst out laughing. \u201cWhat! Prince,\u201d cried she, \u201cdo\nyou think I jest with you? You\u2019ll see presently that I am in earnest.\nNourgihan,\u201d said she to her treasurer, taking the tent out of Prince\nAhmed\u2019s hands, \u201cgo and set it up, that the Prince may judge whether it\nmay be large enough for the Sultan his father.\u201d\n\nThe treasurer went immediately with it out of the palace, and carried it\na great way off; and when she had set it up one end reached to the very\npalace; at which time the Prince, thinking it small, found it large\nenough to shelter two greater armies than that of the Sultan his\nfather\u2019s, and then said to Paribanou: \u201cI ask my Princess a thousand\npardons for my incredulity; after what I have seen I believe there\nis nothing impossible to you.\u201d \u201cYou see,\u201d said the Fairy, \u201cthat the\npavilion is larger than what your father may have occasion for; for\nyou must know that it has one property--that it is larger or smaller\naccording to the army it is to cover.\u201d\n\nThe treasurer took down the tent again, and brought it to the Prince,\nwho took it, and, without staying any longer than till the next day,\nmounted his horse, and went with the same attendants to the Sultan his\nfather.\n\nThe Sultan, who was persuaded that there could not be any such thing\nas such a tent as he asked for, was in a great surprise at the Prince\u2019s\ndiligence. He took the tent and after he had admired its smallness his\namazement was so great that he could not recover himself. When the tent\nwas set up in the great plain, which we have before mentioned, he found\nit large enough to shelter an army twice as large as he could bring into\nthe field.\n\nBut the Sultan was not yet satisfied. \u201cSon,\u201d said he, \u201cI have already\nexpressed to you how much I am obliged to you for the present of the\ntent you have procured me; that I look upon it as the most valuable\nthing in all my treasury. But you must do one thing more for me, which\nwill be every whit as agreeable to me. I am informed that the Fairy,\nyour spouse, makes use of a certain water, called the Water of the\nFountain of Lions, which cures all sorts of fevers, even the most\ndangerous, and, as I am perfectly well persuaded my health is dear to\nyou, I don\u2019t doubt but you will ask her for a bottle of that water for\nme, and bring it me as a sovereign medicine, which I may make use of\nwhen I have occasion. Do me this other important piece of service, and\nthereby complete the duty of a good son toward a tender father.\u201d\n\nThe Prince returned and told the Fairy what his father had said;\n\u201cThere\u2019s a great deal of wickedness in this demand?\u201d she answered, \u201cas\nyou will understand by what I am going to tell you. The Fountain of\nLions is situated in the middle of a court of a great castle, the\nentrance into which is guarded by four fierce lions, two of which sleep\nalternately, while the other two are awake. But don\u2019t let that frighten\nyou: I\u2019ll give you means to pass by them without any danger.\u201d\n\nThe Fairy Paribanou was at that time very hard at work, and, as she had\nseveral clews of thread by her, she took up one, and, presenting it\nto Prince Ahmed, said: \u201cFirst take this clew of thread. I\u2019ll tell you\npresently the use of it. In the second place, you must have two horses;\none you must ride yourself, and the other you must lead, which must be\nloaded with a sheep cut into four quarters, that must be killed to-day.\nIn the third place, you must be provided with a bottle, which I will\ngive you, to bring the water in. Set out early to-morrow morning, and\nwhen you have passed the iron gate throw the clew of thread before you,\nwhich will roll till it comes to the gates of the castle. Follow it, and\nwhen it stops, as the gates will be open, you will see the four lions:\nthe two that are awake will, by their roaring, wake the other two, but\ndon\u2019t be frightened, but throw each of them a quarter of mutton, and\nthen clap spurs to your horse and ride to the fountain; fill your bottle\nwithout alighting, and then return with the same expedition. The lions\nwill be so busy eating they will let you pass by them.\u201d\n\nPrince Ahmed set out the next morning at the time appointed by the\nFairy, and followed her directions exactly. When he arrived at the\ngates of the castle he distributed the quarters of mutton among the\nfour lions, and, passing through the midst of them bravely, got to the\nfountain, filled his bottle, and returned back as safe and sound as he\nwent. When he had gone a little distance from the castle gates he turned\nhim about, and, perceiving two of the lions coming after him, he drew\nhis sabre and prepared himself for defense. But as he went forward he\nsaw one of them turned out of the road at some distance, and showed by\nhis head and tail that he did not come to do him any harm, but only to\ngo before him, and that the other stayed behind to follow, he put his\nsword up again in its scabbard. Guarded in this manner, he arrived at\nthe capital of the Indies, but the lions never left him till they had\nconducted him to the gates of the Sultan\u2019s palace; after which they\nreturned the same way they came, though not without frightening all\nthat saw them, for all they went in a very gentle manner and showed no\nfierceness.\n\nA great many officers came to attend the Prince while he dismounted his\nhorse, and afterward conducted him into the Sultan\u2019s apartment, who was\nat that time surrounded with his favorites. He approached toward the\nthrone, laid the bottle at the Sultan\u2019s feet, and kissed the rich\ntapestry which covered his footstool, and then said:\n\n\u201cI have brought you, sir, the healthful water which your Majesty desired\nso much to keep among your other rarities in your treasury, but at the\nsame time wish you such extraordinary health as never to have occasion\nto make use of it.\u201d\n\nAfter the Prince had made an end of his compliment the Sultan placed him\non his right hand, and then said to him: \u201cSon, I am very much obliged\nto you for this valuable present, as also for the great danger you have\nexposed yourself to upon my account (which I have been informed of by\na magician who knows the Fountain of Lions); but do me the pleasure,\u201d\n continued he, \u201cto inform me by what address, or, rather, by what\nincredible power, you have been secured.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d replied Prince Ahmed, \u201cI have no share in the compliment your\nMajesty is pleased to make me; all the honor is due to the Fairy my\nspouse, whose good advice I followed.\u201d Then he informed the Sultan what\nthose directions were, and by the relation of this his expedition let\nhim know how well he had behaved himself. When he had done the Sultan,\nwho showed outwardly all the demonstrations of great joy, but secretly\nbecame more jealous, retired into an inward apartment, where he sent for\nthe magician.\n\nThe magician, at her arrival, saved the Sultan the trouble to tell her\nof the success of Prince Ahmed\u2019s journey, which she had heard of before\nshe came, and therefore was prepared with an infallible means, as she\npretended. This means she communicated to the Sultan who declared it\nthe next day to the Prince, in the midst of all his courtiers, in these\nwords: \u201cSon,\u201d said he, \u201cI have one thing more to ask of you, after which\nI shall expect nothing more from your obedience, nor your interest with\nyour wife. This request is, to bring me a man not above a foot and a\nhalf high, and whose beard is thirty feet long who carries a bar of\niron upon his shoulders of five hundredweight, which he uses as a\nquarterstaff.\u201d\n\nPrince Ahmed, who did not believe that there was such a man in the world\nas his father described, would gladly have excused himself; but the\nSultan persisted in his demand, and told him the Fairy could do more\nincredible things.\n\nThe next day the Prince returned to his dear Paribanou, to whom he told\nhis father\u2019s new demand, which, he said, he looked upon to be a thing\nmore impossible than the two first; \u201cfor,\u201d added he, \u201cI cannot imagine\nthere can be such a man in the world; without doubt, he has a mind to\ntry whether or no I am so silly as to go about it, or he has a design on\nmy ruin. In short, how can he suppose that I should lay hold of a man\nso well armed, though he is but little? What arms can I make use of to\nreduce him to my will? If there are any means, I beg you will tell them,\nand let me come off with honor this time.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t affright yourself, Prince,\u201d replied the Fairy; \u201cyou ran a risk in\nfetching the Water of the Fountain of Lions for your father, but there\u2019s\nno danger in finding out this man, who is my brother Schaibar, but is so\nfar from being like me, though we both had the same father, that he is\nof so violent a nature that nothing can prevent his giving cruel marks\nof his resentment for a slight offense; yet, on the other hand, is so\ngood as to oblige anyone in whatever they desire. He is made exactly as\nthe Sultan your father has described him, and has no other arms than a\nbar of iron of five hundred pounds weight, without which he never stirs,\nand which makes him respected. I\u2019ll send for him, and you shall judge\nof the truth of what I tell you; but be sure to prepare yourself against\nbeing frightened at his extraordinary figure when you see him.\u201d \u201cWhat!\nmy Queen,\u201d replied Prince Ahmed, \u201cdo you say Schaibar is your brother?\nLet him be never so ugly or deformed I shall be so far from being\nfrightened at the sight of him that, as our brother, I shall honor and\nlove him.\u201d\n\nThe Fairy ordered a gold chafing-dish to be set with a fire in it under\nthe porch of her palace, with a box of the same metal, which was a\npresent to her, out of which taking a perfume, and throwing it into the\nfire, there arose a thick cloud of smoke.\n\nSome moments after the Fairy said to Prince Ahmed: \u201cSee, there comes my\nbrother.\u201d The Prince immediately perceived Schaibar coming gravely with\nhis heavy bar on his shoulder, his long beard, which he held up before\nhim, and a pair of thick mustachios, which he tucked behind his ears and\nalmost covered his face; his eyes were very small and deep-set in his\nhead, which was far from being of the smallest size, and on his head he\nwore a grenadier\u2019s cap; besides all this, he was very much hump-backed.\n\nIf Prince Ahmed had not known that Schaibar was Paribanou\u2019s brother,\nhe would not have been able to have looked at him without fear, but,\nknowing first who he was, he stood by the Fairy without the least\nconcern.\n\nSchaibar, as he came forward, looked at the Prince earnestly enough to\nhave chilled his blood in his veins, and asked Paribanou, when he first\naccosted her, who that man was. To which she replied: \u201cHe is my husband,\nbrother. His name is Ahmed; he is son to the Sultan of the Indies. The\nreason why I did not invite you to my wedding was I was unwilling to\ndivert you from an expedition you were engaged in, and from which I\nheard with pleasure you returned victorious, and so took the liberty now\nto call for you.\u201d\n\nAt these words, Schaibar, looking on Prince Ahmed favorably, said: \u201cIs\nthere anything else, sister, wherein I can serve him? It is enough\nfor me that he is your husband to engage me to do for him whatever he\ndesires.\u201d \u201cThe Sultan, his father,\u201d replied Paribanou, \u201chas a curiosity\nto see you, and I desire he may be your guide to the Sultan\u2019s Court.\u201d\n \u201cHe needs but lead me the way I\u2019ll follow him.\u201d \u201cBrother,\u201d replied\nParibanou, \u201cit is too late to go to-day, therefore stay till to-morrow\nmorning; and in the meantime I\u2019ll inform you of all that has passed\nbetween the Sultan of the Indies and Prince Ahmed since our marriage.\u201d\n\nThe next morning, after Schaibar had been informed of the affair, he and\nPrince Ahmed set out for the Sultan\u2019s Court. When they arrived at the\ngates of the capital the people no sooner saw Schaibar but they ran and\nhid themselves; and some shut up their shops and locked themselves up in\ntheir houses, while others, flying, communicated their fear to all they\nmet, who stayed not to look behind them, but ran too; insomuch that\nSchaibar and Prince Ahmed, as they went along, found the streets all\ndesolate till they came to the palaces where the porters, instead\nof keeping the gates, ran away too, so that the Prince and Schaibar\nadvanced without any obstacle to the council-hall, where the Sultan was\nseated on his throne, and giving audience. Here likewise the ushers,\nat the approach of Schaibar, abandoned their posts, and gave them free\nadmittance.\n\nSchaibar went boldly and fiercely up to the throne, without waiting to\nbe presented by Prince Ahmed, and accosted the Sultan of the Indies in\nthese words: \u201cThou hast asked for me,\u201d said he; \u201csee, here I am; what\nwouldst thou have with me?\u201d\n\nThe Sultan, instead of answering him, clapped his hands before his eyes\nto avoid the sight of so terrible an object; at which uncivil and rude\nreception Schaibar was so much provoked, after he had given him the\ntrouble to come so far, that he instantly lifted up his iron bar and\nkilled him before Prince Ahmed could intercede in his behalf. All that\nhe could do was to prevent his killing the grand vizier, who sat not far\nfrom him, representing to him that he had always given the Sultan his\nfather good advice. \u201cThese are they, then,\u201d said Schaibar, \u201cwho gave him\nbad,\u201d and as he pronounced these words he killed all the other viziers\nand flattering favorites of the Sultan who were Prince Ahmed\u2019s enemies.\nEvery time he struck he killed some one or other, and none escaped but\nthey who were not so frightened as to stand staring and gaping, and who\nsaved themselves by flight.\n\nWhen this terrible execution was over Schaibar came out of the\ncouncil-hall into the midst of the courtyard with the iron bar upon his\nshoulder, and, looking hard at the grand vizier, who owed his life to\nPrince Ahmed, he said: \u201cI know here is a certain magician, who is a\ngreater enemy of my brother-in-law than all these base favorites I\nhave chastised. Let the magician be brought to me presently.\u201d The grand\nvizier immediately sent for her, and as soon as she was brought Schaibar\nsaid, at the time he fetched a stroke at her with his iron bar: \u201cTake\nthe reward of thy pernicious counsel, and learn to feign sickness\nagain.\u201d\n\nAfter this he said: \u201cThis is not yet enough; I will use the whole town\nafter the same manner if they do not immediately acknowledge Prince\nAhmed, my brother-in-law, for their Sultan and the Sultan of the\nIndies.\u201d Then all that were there present made the air echo again\nwith the repeated acclamations of: \u201cLong life to Sultan Ahmed\u201d; and\nimmediately after he was proclaimed through the whole town. Schaibar\nmade him be clothed in the royal vestments, installed him on the throne,\nand after he had caused all to swear homage and fidelity to him went\nand fetched his sister Paribanou, whom he brought with all the pomp and\ngrandeur imaginable, and made her to be owned Sultaness of the Indies.\n\nAs for Prince Ali and Princess Nouronnihar, as they had no hand in the\nconspiracy against Prince Ahmed and knew nothing of any, Prince Ahmed\nassigned them a considerable province, with its capital, where they\nspent the rest of their lives. Afterwards he sent an officer to Prince\nHoussain to acquaint him with the change and make him an offer of which\nprovince he liked best; but that Prince thought himself so happy in his\nsolitude that he bade the officer return the Sultan his brother thanks\nfor the kindness he designed him, assuring him of his submission; and\nthat the only favor he desired of him was to give him leave to live\nretired in the place he had made choice of for his retreat.(1)\n\n\n(1) Arabian Nights.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY OF JACK THE GIANT-KILLER\n\n\nIn the reign of the famous King Arthur there lived in Cornwall a lad\nnamed Jack, who was a boy of a bold temper, and took delight in hearing\nor reading of conjurers, giants, and fairies; and used to listen eagerly\nto the deeds of the knights of King Arthur\u2019s Round Table.\n\nIn those days there lived on St. Michael\u2019s Mount, off Cornwall, a huge\ngiant, eighteen feet high and nine feet round; his fierce and savage\nlooks were the terror of all who beheld him.\n\nHe dwelt in a gloomy cavern on the top of the mountain, and used to wade\nover to the mainland in search of prey; when he would throw half a dozen\noxen upon his back, and tie three times as many sheep and hogs round his\nwaist, and march back to his own abode.\n\nThe giant had done this for many years when Jack resolved to destroy\nhim.\n\nJack took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, his armor, and a dark lantern,\nand one winter\u2019s evening he went to the mount. There he dug a pit\ntwenty-two feet deep and twenty broad. He covered the top over so as to\nmake it look like solid ground. He then blew his horn so loudly that the\ngiant awoke and came out of his den crying out: \u201cYou saucy villain! you\nshall pay for this I\u2019ll broil you for my breakfast!\u201d\n\nHe had just finished, when, taking one step further, he tumbled headlong\ninto the pit, and Jack struck him a blow on the head with his pickaxe\nwhich killed him. Jack then returned home to cheer his friends with the\nnews.\n\nAnother giant, called Blunderbore, vowed to be revenged on Jack if ever\nhe should have him in his power. This giant kept an enchanted castle in\nthe midst of a lonely wood; and some time after the death of Cormoran\nJack was passing through a wood, and being weary, sat down and went to\nsleep.\n\nThe giant, passing by and seeing Jack, carried him to his castle, where\nhe locked him up in a large room, the floor of which was covered with\nthe bodies, skulls and bones of men and women.\n\nSoon after the giant went to fetch his brother who was likewise a giant,\nto take a meal off his flesh; and Jack saw with terror through the bars\nof his prison the two giants approaching.\n\nJack, perceiving in one corner of the room a strong cord, took courage,\nand making a slip-knot at each end, he threw them over their heads, and\ntied it to the window-bars; he then pulled till he had choked them. When\nthey were black in the face he slid down the rope and stabbed them to\nthe heart.\n\nJack next took a great bunch of keys from the pocket of Blunderbore,\nand went into the castle again. He made a strict search through all\nthe rooms, and in one of them found three ladies tied up by the hair\nof their heads, and almost starved to death. They told him that their\nhusbands had been killed by the giants, who had then condemned them to\nbe starved to death because they would not eat the flesh of their own\ndead husbands.\n\n\u201cLadies,\u201d said Jack, \u201cI have put an end to the monster and his wicked\nbrother; and I give you this castle and all the riches it contains, to\nmake some amends for the dreadful pains you have felt.\u201d He then very\npolitely gave them the keys of the castle, and went further on his\njourney to Wales.\n\nAs Jack had but little money, he went on as fast as possible. At length\nhe came to a handsome house. Jack knocked at the door, when there came\nforth a Welsh giant. Jack said he was a traveler who had lost his way,\non which the giant made him welcome, and let him into a room where there\nwas a good bed to sleep in.\n\nJack took off his clothes quickly, but though he was weary he could not\ngo to sleep. Soon after this he heard the giant walking backward and\nforward in the next room, and saying to himself:\n\n  \u201cThough here you lodge with me this night,\n  You shall not see the morning light;\n  My club shall dash your brains out quite.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cSay you so?\u201d thought Jack. \u201cAre these your tricks upon travelers? But\nI hope to prove as cunning as you are.\u201d Then, getting out of bed, he\ngroped about the room, and at last found a large thick billet of wood.\nHe laid it in his own place in the bed, and then hid himself in a dark\ncorner of the room.\n\nThe giant, about midnight, entered the apartment, and with his bludgeon\nstruck many blows on the bed, in the very place where Jack had laid the\nlog; and then he went back to his own room, thinking he had broken all\nJack\u2019s bones.\n\nEarly in the morning Jack put a bold face upon the matter, and walked\ninto the giant\u2019s room to thank him for his lodging. The giant started\nwhen he saw him, and began to stammer out: \u201cOh! dear me; is it you? Pray\nhow did you sleep last night? Did you hear or see anything in the dead\nof the night?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing to speak of,\u201d said Jack, carelessly; \u201ca rat, I believe, gave me\nthree or four slaps with its tail, and disturbed me a little; but I soon\nwent to sleep again.\u201d\n\nThe giant wondered more and more at this; yet he did not answer a word,\nbut went to bring two great bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast.\nJack wanted to make the giant believe that he could eat as much as\nhimself, so he contrived to button a leathern bag inside his coat, and\nslip the hasty-pudding into this bag, while he seemed to put it into his\nmouth.\n\nWhen breakfast was over he said to the giant: \u201cNow I will show you a\nfine trick. I can cure all wounds with a touch; I could cut off my head\nin one minute, and the next put it sound again on my shoulders. You\nshall see an example.\u201d He then took hold of the knife, ripped up the\nleathern bag, and all the hasty-pudding tumbled out upon the floor.\n\n\u201cOds splutter hur nails!\u201d cried the Welsh giant, who was ashamed to be\noutdone by such a little fellow as Jack, \u201chur can do that hurself\u201d;\nso he snatched up the knife, plunged it into his own stomach, and in a\nmoment dropped down dead.\n\nJack, having hitherto been successful in all his undertakings, resolved\nnot to be idle in future; he therefore furnished himself with a horse,\na cap of knowledge, a sword of sharpness, shoes of swiftness, and an\ninvisible coat, the better to perform the wonderful enterprises that lay\nbefore him.\n\nHe traveled over high hills, and on the third day he came to a large and\nspacious forest through which his road lay. Scarcely had he entered the\nforest when he beheld a monstrous giant dragging along by the hair\nof their heads a handsome knight and his lady. Jack alighted from his\nhorse, and tying him to an oak tree, put on his invisible coat, under\nwhich he carried his sword of sharpness.\n\nWhen he came up to the giant he made several strokes at him, but could\nnot reach his body, but wounded his thighs in several places; and at\nlength, putting both hands to his sword and aiming with all his might,\nhe cut off both his legs. Then Jack, setting his foot upon his neck,\nplunged his sword into the giant\u2019s body, when the monster gave a groan\nand expired.\n\nThe knight and his lady thanked Jack for their deliverance, and invited\nhim to their house, to receive a proper reward for his services. \u201cNo,\u201d\n said Jack, \u201cI cannot be easy till I find out this monster\u2019s habitation.\u201d\n So, taking the knight\u2019s directions, he mounted his horse and soon after\ncame in sight of another giant, who was sitting on a block of timber\nwaiting for his brother\u2019s return.\n\nJack alighted from his horse, and, putting on his invisible coat,\napproached and aimed a blow at the giant\u2019s head, but, missing his aim,\nhe only cut off his nose. On this the giant seized his club and laid\nabout him most unmercifully.\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said Jack, \u201cif this be the case I\u2019d better dispatch you!\u201d so,\njumping upon the block, he stabbed him in the back, when he dropped down\ndead.\n\nJack then proceeded on his journey, and traveled over hills and dales,\ntill arriving at the foot of a high mountain he knocked at the door of a\nlonely house, when an old man let him in.\n\nWhen Jack was seated the hermit thus addressed him: \u201cMy son, on the top\nof this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by the giant Galligantus\nand a vile magician. I lament the fate of a duke\u2019s daughter, whom they\nseized as she was walking in her father\u2019s garden, and brought hither\ntransformed into a deer.\u201d\n\nJack promised that in the morning, at the risk of his life, he would\nbreak the enchantment; and after a sound sleep he rose early, put on his\ninvisible coat, and got ready for the attempt.\n\nWhen he had climbed to the top of the mountain he saw two fiery\ngriffins, but he passed between them without the least fear of danger,\nfor they could not see him because of his invisible coat. On the castle\ngate he found a golden trumpet, under which were written these lines:\n\n  \u201cWhoever can this trumpet blow\n  Shall cause the giant\u2019s overthrow.\u201d\n\n\nAs soon as Jack had read this he seized the trumpet and blew a shrill\nblast, which made the gates fly open and the very castle itself tremble.\n\nThe giant and the conjurer now knew that their wicked course was at an\nend, and they stood biting their thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack,\nwith his sword of sharpness, soon killed the giant, and the magician was\nthen carried away by a whirlwind; and every knight and beautiful lady\nwho had been changed into birds and beasts returned to their proper\nshapes. The castle vanished away like smoke, and the head of the giant\nGalligantus was then sent to King Arthur.\n\nThe knights and ladies rested that night at the old man\u2019s hermitage, and\nnext day they set out for the Court. Jack then went up to the King, and\ngave his Majesty an account of all his fierce battles.\n\nJack\u2019s fame had now spread through the whole country, and at the King\u2019s\ndesire the duke gave him his daughter in marriage, to the joy of all his\nkingdom. After this the King gave him a large estate, on which he and\nhis lady lived the rest of their days in joy and contentment.(1)\n\n\n(1) Old Chapbook.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY\n\n\n     And many a hunting song they sung,\n       And song of game and glee;\n     Then tuned to plaintive strains their tongue,\n       \u201cOf Scotland\u2019s luve and lee.\u201d\n      To wilder measures next they turn\n       \u201cThe Black, Black Bull of Norroway!\u201d\n      Sudden the tapers cease to burn,\n       The minstrels cease to play.\n\n            \u201cThe Cout of Keeldar,\u201d by J. Leyden.\n\n\nIn Norroway, langsyne, there lived a certain lady, and she had three\ndochters. The auldest o\u2019 them said to her mither: \u201cMither, bake me a\nbannock, and roast me a collop, for I\u2019m gaun awa\u2019 to seek my fortune.\u201d\n Her mither did sae; and the dochter gaed awa\u2019 to an auld witch\nwasherwife and telled her purpose. The auld wife bade her stay that day,\nand gang and look out o\u2019 her back door, and see what she could see. She\nsaw nocht the first day. The second day she did the same, and saw nocht.\nOn the third day she looked again, and saw a coach-and-six coming along\nthe road. She ran in and telled the auld wife what she saw. \u201cAweel,\u201d\n quo\u2019 the auld wife, \u201cyon\u2019s for you.\u201d Sae they took her into the coach,\nand galloped aff.\n\nThe second dochter next says to her mither: \u201cMither, bake me a bannock,\nand roast me a collop, fur I\u2019m gaun awa\u2019 to seek my fortune.\u201d Her mither\ndid sae; and awa\u2019 she gaed to the auld wife, as her sister had dune. On\nthe third day she looked out o\u2019 the back door, and saw a coach-and-four\ncoming along the road. \u201cAweel,\u201d quo\u2019 the auld wife, \u201cyon\u2019s for you.\u201d Sae\nthey took her in, and aff they set.\n\nThe third dochter says to her mither: \u201cMither, bake me a bannock, and\nroast me a collop, for I\u2019m gaun awa\u2019 to seek my fortune.\u201d Her mither did\nsae; and awa\u2019 she gaed to the auld witch-wife. She bade her look out\no\u2019 her back door, and see what she could see. She did sae; and when she\ncame back said she saw nocht. The second day she did the same, and saw\nnocht. The third day she looked again, and on coming back said to the\nauld wife she saw nocht but a muckle Black Bull coming roaring alang the\nroad. \u201cAweel,\u201d quo\u2019 the auld wife, \u201cyon\u2019s for you.\u201d On hearing this she\nwas next to distracted wi\u2019 grief and terror; but she was lifted up and\nset on his back, and awa\u2019 they went.\n\nAye they traveled, and on they traveled, till the lady grew faint wi\u2019\nhunger. \u201cEat out o\u2019 my right lug,\u201d says the Black Bull, \u201cand drink out\no\u2019 my left lug, and set by your leavings.\u201d Sae she did as he said, and\nwas wonderfully refreshed. And lang they gaed, and sair they rade, till\nthey came in sight o\u2019 a very big and bonny castle. \u201cYonder we maun be\nthis night,\u201d quo\u2019 the bull; \u201cfor my auld brither lives yonder\u201d; and\npresently they were at the place. They lifted her aff his back, and took\nher in, and sent him away to a park for the night. In the morning,\nwhen they brought the bull hame, they took the lady into a fine shining\nparlor, and gave her a beautiful apple, telling her no to break it till\nshe was in the greatest strait ever mortal was in in the world, and that\nwad bring her o\u2019t. Again she was lifted on the bull\u2019s back, and after\nshe had ridden far, and farer than I can tell, they came in sight o\u2019 a\nfar bonnier castle, and far farther awa\u2019 than the last. Says the bull\ntill her: \u201cYonder we maun be the night, for my second brither lives\nyonder\u201d; and they were at the place directly. They lifted her down\nand took her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In the\nmorning they took the lady into a fine and rich room, and gave her the\nfinest pear she had ever seen, bidding her no to break it till she was\nin the greatest strait ever mortal could be in, and that wad get her out\no\u2019t. Again she was lifted and set on his back, and awa\u2019 they went. And\nlang they gaed, and sair they rade, till they came in sight o\u2019 the far\nbiggest castle, and far farthest aff, they had yet seen. \u201cWe maun be\nyonder the night,\u201d says the bull, \u201cfor my young brither lives yonder\u201d;\nand they were there directly. They lifted her down, took her in, and\nsent the bull to the field for the night. In the morning they took her\ninto a room, the finest of a\u2019, and gied her a plum, telling her no to\nbreak it till she was in the greatest strait mortal could be in, and\nthat wad get her out o\u2019t. Presently they brought hame the bull, set the\nlady on his back, and awa\u2019 they went.\n\nAnd aye they gaed, and on they rade, till they came to a dark and ugsome\nglen, where they stopped, and the lady lighted down. Says the bull to\nher: \u201cHere ye maun stay till I gang and fight the deil. Ye maun seat\nyoursel\u2019 on that stane, and move neither hand nor fit till I come back,\nelse I\u2019ll never find ye again. And if everything round about ye turns\nblue I hae beated the deil; but should a\u2019 things turn red he\u2019ll hae\nconquered me.\u201d She set hersel\u2019 down on the stane, and by-and-by a\u2019 round\nher turned blue. O\u2019ercome wi\u2019 joy, she lifted the ae fit and crossed it\nowre the ither, sae glad was she that her companion was victorious. The\nbull returned and sought for but never could find her.\n\nLang she sat, and aye she grat, till she wearied. At last she rase and\ngaed awa\u2019, she kedna whaur till. On she wandered till she came to a\ngreat hill o\u2019 glass, that she tried a\u2019 she could to climb, bat wasna\nable. Round the bottom o\u2019 the hill she gaed, sabbing and seeking a\npassage owre, till at last she came to a smith\u2019s house; and the smith\npromised, if she wad serve him seven years, he wad make her iron shoon,\nwherewi\u2019 she could climb owre the glassy hill. At seven years\u2019 end she\ngot her iron shoon, clamb the glassy hill, and chanced to come to the\nauld washerwife\u2019s habitation. There she was telled of a gallant young\nknight that had given in some bluidy sarks to wash, and whaever washed\nthae sarks was to be his wife. The auld wife had washed till she was\ntired, and then she set to her dochter, and baith washed, and they\nwashed, and they better washed, in hopes of getting the young knight;\nbut a\u2019 they could do they couldna bring out a stain. At length they set\nthe stranger damosel to wark; and whenever she began the stains came\nout pure and clean, but the auld wife made the knight believe it was her\ndochter had washed the sarks. So the knight and the eldest dochter were\nto be married, and the stranger damosel was distracted at the thought\nof it, for she was deeply in love wi\u2019 him. So she bethought her of her\napple, and breaking it, found it filled with gold and precious jewelry,\nthe richest she had ever seen. \u201cAll these,\u201d she said to the eldest\ndochter, \u201cI will give you, on condition that you put off your marriage\nfor ae day, and allow me to go into his room alone at night.\u201d So\nthe lady consented; but meanwhile the auld wife had prepared a\nsleeping-drink, and given it to the knight, wha drank it, and never\nwakened till next morning. The lee-lang night ther damosel sabbed and\nsang:\n\n  \u201cSeven lang years I served for thee,\n  The glassy hill I clamb for thee,\n  The bluidy shirt I wrang for thee;\n  And wilt thou no wauken and turn to me?\u201d\n\n\nNext day she kentna what to do for grief. She then brak the pear, and\nfound it filled wi\u2019 jewelry far richer than the contents o\u2019 the apple.\nWi\u2019 thae jewels she bargained for permission to be a second night in\nthe young knight\u2019s chamber; but the auld wife gied him anither\nsleeping-drink, and he again sleepit till morning. A\u2019 night she kept\nsighing and singing as before:\n\n\u201cSeven lang years I served for thee,\u201d &c. Still he sleepit, and she\nnearly lost hope a\u2019thegither. But that day when he was out at the\nhunting, somebody asked him what noise and moaning was yon they heard\nall last night in his bedchamber. He said he heardna ony noise. But they\nassured him there was sae; and he resolved to keep waking that night\nto try what he could hear. That being the third night, and the damosel\nbeing between hope and despair, she brak her plum, and it held far the\nrichest jewelry of the three. She bargained as before; and the auld\nwife, as before, took in the sleeping-drink to the young knight\u2019s\nchamber; but he telled her he couldna drink it that night without\nsweetening. And when she gaed awa\u2019 for some honey to sweeten it wi\u2019, he\npoured out the drink, and sae made the auld wife think he had drunk it.\nThey a\u2019 went to bed again, and the damosel began, as before, singing:\n\n  \u201cSeven lang years I served for thee,\n  The glassy hill I clamb for thee,\n  The bluidy shirt I wrang for thee;\n  And wilt thou no wauken and turn to me?\u201d\n\nHe heard, and turned to her. And she telled him a\u2019 that had befa\u2019en her,\nand he telled her a\u2019 that had happened to him. And he caused the auld\nwasherwife and her dochter to be burned. And they were married, and he\nand she are living happy till this day, for aught I ken.(1)\n\n\n(1) Chambers, Popular Traditions of Scotland.\n\n\n\n\nTHE RED ETIN\n\n\nThere were ance twa widows that lived on a small bit o\u2019 ground, which\nthey rented from a farmer. Ane of them had twa sons, and the other had\nane; and by-and-by it was time for the wife that had twa sons to send\nthem away to seeke their fortune. So she told her eldest son ae day to\ntake a can and bring her water from the well, that she might bake a cake\nfor him; and however much or however little water he might bring, the\ncake would be great or sma\u2019 accordingly; and that cake was to be a\u2019 that\nshe could gie him when he went on his travels.\n\nThe lad gaed away wi\u2019 the can to the well, and filled it wi\u2019 water, and\nthen came away hame again; but the can being broken the maist part of\nthe water had run out before he got back. So his cake was very sma\u2019; yet\nsma\u2019 as it was, his mother asked if he was willing to take the half of\nit with her blessing, telling him that, if he chose rather to have the\nhale, he would only get it wi\u2019 her curse. The young man, thinking he\nmight hae to travel a far way, and not knowing when or how he might get\nother provisions, said he would like to hae the hale cake, com of his\nmother\u2019s malison what like; so she gave him the hale cake, and her\nmalison alang wi\u2019t. Then he took his brither aside, and gave him a\nknife to keep till he should come back, desiring him to look at it every\nmorning, and as lang as it continued to be clear, then he might be sure\nthat the owner of it was well; but if it grew dim and rusty, then for\ncertain some ill had befallen him.\n\nSo the young man set out to seek his fortune. And he gaed a\u2019 that day,\nand a\u2019 the next day; and on the third day, in the afternoon, he came up\nto where a shepherd was sitting with a flock o\u2019 sheep. And he gaed up\nto the shepherd and asked him wha the sheep belanged to; and the man\nanswered:\n\n\n     \u201cThe Red Etin of Ireland\n       Ance lived in Bellygan,\n     And stole King Malcolm\u2019s daughter,\n       The King of fair Scotland.\n     He beats her, he binds her,\n       He lays her on a band;\n     And every day he dings her\n       With a bright silver wand\n     Like Julian the Roman\n     He\u2019s one that fears no man.\n     It\u2019s said there\u2019s ane predestinate\n       To be his mortal foe;\n     But that man is yet unborn\n       And lang may it be so.\u201d\n\nThe young man then went on his journey; and he had not gone far when he\nespied an old man with white locks herding a flock of swine; and he gaed\nup to him and asked whose swine these were, when the man answered:\n\n     \u201cThe Red Etin of Ireland\u201d--\n            (Repeat the verses above.)\n\nThen the young man gaed on a bit farther, and came to another very old\nman herding goats; and when he asked whose goats they were, the answer\nwas:\n\n     \u201cThe Red Etin of Ireland\u201d--\n            (Repeat the verses again.)\n\nThis old man also told him to beware of the next beasts that he should\nmeet, for they were of a very different kind from any he had yet seen.\n\nSo the young man went on, and by-and-by he saw a multitude of very\ndreadfu\u2019 beasts, ilk ane o\u2019 them wi\u2019 twa heads, and on every head four\nhorns. And he was sore frightened, and ran away from them as fast as he\ncould; and glad was he when he came to a castle that stood on a hillock,\nwi\u2019 the door standing wide to the wa\u2019. And he gaed into the castle for\nshelter, and there he saw an auld wife sitting beside the kitchen fire.\nHe asked the wife if he might stay there for the night, as he was tired\nwi\u2019 a lang journey; and the wife said he might, but it was not a good\nplace for him to be in, as it belanged to the Red Etin, who was a very\nterrible beast, wi\u2019 three heads, that spared no living man he could get\nhold of. The young man would have gone away, but he was afraid of the\nbeasts on the outside of the castle; so he beseeched the old woman to\nconceal him as well as she could, and not to tell the Etin that he was\nthere. He thought, if he could put over the night, he might get away in\nthe morning without meeting wi\u2019 the beasts, and so escape. But he had\nnot been long in his hidy-hole before the awful Etin came in; and nae\nsooner was he in than he was heard crying:\n\n  \u201cSnouk but and snouk ben,\n  I find the smell of an earthly man;\n  Be he living, or be he dead,\n  His heart this night shall kitchen(1) my bread.\u201d\n\n\n(1) \u201cKitchen,\u201d that is, \u201cseason.\u201d\n\n\nThe monster soon found the poor young man, and pulled him from his hole.\nAnd when he had got him out he told him that if he could answer him\nthree questions his life should be spared. The first was: Whether\nIreland or Scotland was first inhabited? The second was: Whether man was\nmade for woman, or woman for man? The third was: Whether men or\nbrutes were made first? The lad not being able to answer one of these\nquestions, the Red Etin took a mace and knocked him on the head, and\nturned him into a pillar of stone.\n\nOn the morning after this happened the younger brither took out the\nknife to look at it, and he was grieved to find it a\u2019 brown wi\u2019 rust. He\ntold his mother that the time was now come for him to go away upon\nhis travels also; so she requested him to take the can to the well for\nwater, that she might bake a cake for him. The can being broken, he\nbrought hame as little water as the other had done, and the cake was as\nlittle. She asked whether he would have the hale cake wi\u2019 her malison,\nor the half wi\u2019 her blessing; and, like his brither, he thought it best\nto have the hale cake, come o\u2019 the malison what might. So he gaed away;\nand everything happened to him that had happened to his brother!\n\nThe other widow and her son heard of a\u2019 that had happened frae a fairy,\nand the young man determined that he would also go upon his travels, and\nsee if he could do anything to relieve his twa friends. So his mother\ngave him a can to go to the well and bring home water, that she might\nbake him a cake for his journey. And he gaed, and as he was bringing\nhame the water, a raven owre abune his head cried to him to look, and\nhe would see that the water was running out. And he was a young man of\nsense, and seeing the water running out, he took some clay and patched\nup the holes, so that he brought home enough water to bake a large cake.\nWhen his mother put it to him to take the half-cake wi\u2019 her blessing,\nhe took it in preference to having the hale wi\u2019 her malison; and yet the\nhalf was bigger than what the other lads had got a\u2019thegither.\n\nSo he gaed away on his journey; and after he had traveled a far way he\nmet wi\u2019 an auld woman, that asked him if he would give her a bit of his\nbannock. And he said he would gladly do that, and so he gave her a piece\nof the bannock; and for that she gied him a magical wand, that she said\nmight yet be of service to him if he took care to use it rightly. Then\nthe auld woman, who was a fairy, told him a great deal that whould\nhappen to him, and what he ought to do in a\u2019 circumstances; and after\nthat she vanished in an instant out o\u2019 his sight. He gaed on a great way\nfarther, and then he came up to the old man herding the sheep; and when\nhe asked whose sheep these were, the answer was:\n\n      \u201cThe Red Etin of Ireland\n        Ance lived in Bellygan,\n      And stole King Malcolm\u2019s daughter,\n        The King of fair Scotland.\n      He beats her, he binds her,\n        He lays her on a band;\n      And every day he dings her\n        With a bright silver wand.\n      Like Julian the Roman,\n      He\u2019s one that fears no man,\n      But now I fear his end is near,\n        And destiny at hand;\n      And you\u2019re to be, I plainly see,\n        The heir of all his land.\u201d\n\n(Repeat the same inquiries to the man attending the swine and the man\nattending the goats, with the same answer in each case.)\n\n\nWhen he came to the place where the monstrous beasts were standing, he\ndid not stop nor run away, but went boldly through among them. One came\nup roaring with open mouth to devour him, when he struck it with his\nwand, and laid it in an instant dead at his feet. He soon came to the\nEtin\u2019s castle, where he knocked, and was admitted. The auld woman that\nsat by the fire warned him of the terrible Etin, and what had been the\nfate of the twa brithers; but he was not to be daunted. The monster soon\ncame in, saying:\n\n  \u201cSnouk but and snouk ben,\n  I find the smell of an earthly man;\n  Be he living, or be he dead,\n  His heart shall be kitchen to my bread.\u201d\n\nHe quickly espied the young man, and bade him come forth on the floor.\nAnd then he put the three questions to him, but the young man had been\ntold everything by the good fairy, so he was able to answer all the\nquestions. When the Etin found this he knew that his power was gone. The\nyoung man then took up the axe and hewed off the monster\u2019s three heads.\nHe next asked the old woman to show him where the King\u2019s daughters lay;\nand the old woman took him upstairs and opened a great many doors, and\nout of every door came a beautiful lady who had been imprisoned there by\nthe Etin; and ane o\u2019 the ladies was the King\u2019s daughter. She also took\nhim down into a low room, and there stood two stone pillars that he had\nonly to touch wi\u2019 his wand, when his two friends and neighbors started\ninto life. And the hale o\u2019 the prisoners were overjoyed at their\ndeliverance, which they all acknowledged to be owing to the prudent\nyoung man. Next day they a\u2019 set out for the King\u2019s Court, and a gallant\ncompany they made. And the King married his daughter to the young man\nthat had delivered her, and gave a noble\u2019s daughter to ilk ane o\u2019 the\nother young men; and so they a\u2019 lived happily a\u2019 the rest o\u2019 their\ndays.(1)\n\n\n(1) Chambers, Popular Traditions of Scotland.","title":"The Blue Fairy Book","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":138439}