Big Book of Fairy Tales

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BIG BOOK

OF

FAIRY TALES

ILL USTRA TED

BY

GUSTAVE DORE

AND OTHER ARTISTS

M. A. Donohue & Co^
Chicago

Copyrlebt 188fi

by

JOHN D. WILLIAMS

Copyright 1692

by

WILLIAMS COMPANY

.=»»-

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

In a sunny spot s f, jod an old country-house, encircled b\
canals. Between f he wak and the water's edge there grew hugL
burdock leaves, that had shot up to such a height that a littl«
child might have stood upright under the tallest of them ; and
this spot was as wild as though it had been situated in the deptV
^, a ttood. In this snug retirement a duck was setting on he;

H

THE CGLY DUCKLIX

nest to hatch her young ; but she began to think it a weansom<>
task as the little ones seemed very backward in making their
appearance : besides, she had few visitors ; for the other ducks
preferred swimming about in the canals, instead of beino- at the
trouble of climbing up the slope, and then sitting under a bur-
dock leaf to gossip with her.

At length one egg cracked, and then another. " Peep! peep!"
cried they, as each yolk became a live thing, and popped out
its head.

" Quack ! quack I " said the mother, and they tried to cackle
like her, while they looked all about them under the green leaves*
and she allowed them to look to their heart's content, because
green is good for the eyes.

" How large the world is, to be sure ! " said the young ones.
And truly enough, they had rather more room than when they
•vcre still 4n the egg-shell.

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

i^

" Do you fancy this is the whole world ? " cried the mother.
" Why, it reaches far away beyond the other side of the garden,
down to the parson's field ; though I never went to such a dis-
tance as that! " But are you all there? " continued she, rising.
" No, faith ! you are not ; for there still lies the largest egg. I
wonder how long this business is to last— I really begin to grow
quite tired of it!" And she sat clown once more.

"Well, how are you getting on ? " inquired an old duck, who
came to pay her a visit.

" This egg takes a deal of hatching," answered the sitting
duck, " it won't break ; but just look at the others, are they not
the prettiest ducklings ever seen ? They are the image of their
father, who, by-the-bye, does not trouble himself to come and see

me.

" Let me look at the egg that won't break," quoth the old

16

1HE UGLY DUCKLING.

duck. "Take my word for it, it must be a guinea-fowl's egg.
I was once deceived in the same way, and I bestowed a deal
of car: and anxiety on the youngsters, for they are afraid of
water. I could not make them take to it. I stormed and raved,
but it was of no use. Let's see the egg. Sure enough, it is a
guinea-fowl's egg. Leave it alone, and set about teaching the
other children to swim."

"I'll just sit upon it a bit longer," said the duck; "for
since I § have sat so long, a few days more won't make much
odds."

" Please yourself," said the old duck, as she went away.

At length the large egg cracked. "Peep! peep!" squeaked
the youngster, as he crept out. How big and ugly he was to be
sure ! The duck looked at him, saying, " Really this is a most
enormous duckling! None of the others are like him. I wondet
whether he is a guinea-chick after all ? Well, we shall soon s^e

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

17

when we go down to the water ; for in he shall go, though I push

him in mys< f."

On the fr. 'lowing morning the weather was most delightful,

and the sun was shining brightly
on the green burdock leaves.
The mother cluck took her young
brood down to the canal. Splash
into the water she went. " Quack !
quack!" cried she, and forthwith
one duckling after another jumped
in. The water closed over their
heads for a moment; but they soon
rose to the surface again, and swam
about so nicely, just as if their legs

paddled them about af their own accord ; and they had all taken

to the water; even tho ugly, gray-coated youngster swam about

-vith the rest.

[8

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

^V

■ Nay, he is no guinea-
chick," said she, "only
look how capitally he
uses his leirs, and how
steady he keeps himself ;
he's every inch my own
child ! And really he's
very pretty when one
comes to look at him
attentively. Quack-
quack ! " added she,
" now come along and I'll take you into high society,
and introduce you to the duck-yard , but mind you keep

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

19

close to me, that nobody
may tread upon you;
and, above all, beware of
the cat."

They now reached the
farm-yard, where there
was a threat hubbub. Two
families were fighting for
an eel's head, which, in
the end, was carried off by
the cat.
" See, children, that's the way with the world ! " remarked th=
mother of the ducklings, licking her beak, for she would have
been very glad to have had the eel's head for herself. " Now,
move on ! " said she, " and mind you cackle properly, and bow
your head before that old duck yonder; she is the noblest born
of them all, and is of Spanish descent, and that's why she is

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

SO dignified; and look! she has a red rag tied to her leg, which
is the greatest mark of distinction that can be bestowed upon a
duck, as it shows an anxiety not to lose her, and that she should
be recognized by both man and beast. Now cackle— and don't
turn in your toes ; a well-bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart,
like papa and mamma, in this sort of way. Now bend your neck,
and say, 'Quack'"

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

21

The ducklings did as they were bid; but the other ducks,
after looking at them, only said aloud : " Now look ! there
comes another set, as if we were not numerous enough already.
And bless me ! what a queer-looking chap one of the ducklings
is to be sure — we can't put up with him ! " And one of the
throng darted forward, and bit him in the neck.

" Leave him alone," said the mother, " he did no harm to any

ii

one.

" No ; but he is too big and uncouth," said the biting duck.
" and therefore he wants a thrashing."

" Mamma has a sweet little family," said the old duck, with the
red rag about her leg ; " they are all pretty except one, who is rather
ill-favored. I wish mamma could polish him a bit."

" I'm afraid that will be impossible, your grace," said the
mother of the ducklings. " It's true, he is not pretty, but he
has a very good disposition, and swims as well, or perhaps bet-
ter than all the others put together. However, he may grow
prettier, and perhaps become smaller ; he remained too long in

22

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

the egg-shell, and therefore his figure is not properly formed."
And with this she smoothed down the ruffled feathers of his neck,
adding, " At all events, as he is a male duck, it won't matter so
much. I think he'll prove strong, and be able to fight his way
through the world."

" The other ducklings are elegant little creatures," said the
old duck. "Now, make yourself at home; and if you should
happen to find an eel's head, you can bring it to me."

And so the family made themselves comfortable.

But the poor duckling who had been the last to creep out
of his egg-shell, and looked so ugly, was bitten, pushed about, and
made game of, not only by the ducks, but by the hens. They
all declared he was much to bier; and a sruinea-fowl who fancied
himself at least an emperor, because he had come into the world
with spurs, now puffed himself up like a vessel in full sail and
flew at the Duckling, and blustered till his head turned completely
red, so that the poor little thing did not know where he could
walk or stand, and was quite grieved at being so ugly that the
whole farm-yard scouted him.

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

23

Nor did matters mend the next day, or the following ones, but
rather grew worse and worse. The poor Duckling was hunted
down by everybody. Even his sisters were so unkind to him, that
they were continually saying, •' I wish the cat would run away
with you, you ugly creature !" while his mother added, "I wish
you had never been born I " And the ducks pecked at him, the

hens struck him, and the girl who fed the poultry used to kick
him.

So he ran away, and flew over the palings. The little birds in
the bushes were startled, and took wing. " That is because I am
so ugly," thought the Duckling, as he closed his eyes in despair,
but presently he roused up again, and ran on further till he came
to a large marsh inhabited by wild ducks. Here he spent the
whole night— and tired and sorrowful enough he was.

On the following morning, when the wild ducks rose and saw

*4

IJiiL UGLY DUCKLliVQ.

their new comrade, they said, " What sort of a creature are you ? "
Upon which the duckling greeted them all round as civilly as he
knew how.

"You are remarkably ugly," observed the ducks ;" but we don't
care about that so long as you do not want to marry into our family."
Poor forlorn creature! He had truly no such thoughts in his

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

among

25
the

head. All he wanted was to obtain leave to lie
rushes, and drink a little of the marsh water.

He remained there for two whole days, at the end of which
there came two wild geese, or, more properly speaking, goslings,
who were only just out of the egg-shell and consequently very
pert.

,-S^S

" I say, friend,'' quoth they, " you are so ug'y, that we should
have no objection to take you with us for a travelling companion.
In the neighboring marsh there dwell some sweetly pretty female
geese, all of them unmarried, and who cackle most charmingly.
Perhaps you may have a chance to pick up a wife amongst them,
ugly as you are."

Pop! pop! sounded through the air, and the two wild goslings
fell dead amongst the rushes, while the 'water turned as red as
blood. Pop ! pop ! again echoed around, and whole flocks of

26

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

wild geese flew up from the rushes. Again and again the same
alarming noise was heard. It was a shooting party, and the
sportsmen surrounded the whole marsh, while others had climbed
into the branches of the trees that overshadowed the rushes. A
blue mist rose in clouds and mingled with the green leaves, and
sailed far away across the water ; a pack of ducks next flounced
into the marsh. Splash, splash they went, while the reeds and

rushes bent beneath them on all sides. What a fright they occa-
sioned the poor Duckling! He turned away his head to hide it
under his wing, when lo ! a tremendous looking dog, with his
tongue lolling out, and his eyes glaring fearfully, stood right be-
fore him, opening his jaws and showing his sharp teeth as though

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

27

he would gobble up the poor Duckling at a mouthful! — but
splash ! splash ! on he went without touching him.

" Thank goodness ! " sighed the Duckling, " I am so ugly that
even a dog won't bite me."

And he lay quite still, while the shot rattled through the rushes,
and pop after pop echoed through the air.

*S

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

*\$$$i*

It was not till late in the day that all became quiet, but the poor
youngster did not yet venture to rise, but waited several hours
before he looked about him, and then hastened out of the marsh as
East as he could go. He ran across fields and meadows, till there
arose such a storm that he could scarcely get on at all.

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

29

Towards evening he reached a wretched little cottage, that was
in such a tumble-down condition, that if it remained standing at
all, it could only be from not yet having made up its mind on
which side it should fall first. The tempest was now raging to
such a height that the Duckling was forced to sit down to stem
the wind, when he perceived that the door hung so loosely on one
of its hinges, that he could slip into the room through the crack,
which he accordingly did.

The inmates of the cottage were, a woman, a tom-cat, and a
hen. The tom-cat, whom she called her darling, could raise his
back and purr; and he could even throw out sparks, provided he
was stroked against the grain. The hen had small, short legs, for
which reason she was called Henny Shortlegs ; she laid good eggs,
and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child.

3Q

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

Next morning they perceived the little stranger, when the tom-
cat began to purr, and the hen to cluck.

"What's that ? " said the woman, looking round. Not seeing
very distinctly, she mistook the Duckling for a fat duck that had
lost its way. " Why, this is quite a prize ! " added she ; " I can
now get duck's eggs, unless indeed it be a male ! We must wait a
bit and see."

So the Duckling was kept on trial for three weeks ; but no eggs
were forthcoming. The tom-cat and the hen were the master
and mistress of the house, and always said, "we and the world "
— for they fancied themselves to be the half, and by far the best
half too, of the whole universe. The Duckling thought there
might be two opinions on this point ; but the hen would not admit
of any such doubts.

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

31

" Can you lay eggs ? " asked she.

" No. "

" Then have the goodness to hold your tongue. "

And the tom-cat inquired : " Can you raise your back, or purr,
or throw out sparks ? "

" No."

" Then you have no business to have any opinion at all, when
rational people are talking,"

32 THE UGLY DUCKLING.

The Duckling sat in a corner very much out of spirits, when in
came the fresh air and sunshine, which gave him such a strange
longing to swim on the water, that he could not help saying sp to
the hen.

"What's this whim?" said she;" That comes of being idle.
If you could either lay eggs or purr, you would not indulge in
such fancies."

"But it is so delightful to swim about on the water!" ob.
served the Duckling, "and to feel it close over one's head when
one dives down to the bottom."

" A great pleasure, indeed ! " quoth the hen. "You must be crazy,
surely! Only ask the cat — for he is the wisest creature I know
— how he would like to swim on the water or to dive under it. To
say nothing of myself, just ask our old mistress who is wiser than
anybody in the world whether she'd relish swimming wad feeling
the waters close above her head."

"You can't understand me! "said the Duckling.

"We can't understand you? I should like to know who could.
You don't suppose you are wiser than the tom-cat and our mis-
tress — to say nothing of myself ? Don't take these idle fancies
into your head, child. I say disagreeable things, which is a mark
of true friendship. Now, look to it, and mind that you either lay
eggs, or learn to purr and emit sparks."

" I think I'll take my chance, and go abroad into the wide world,"
said the Duckling.

" Do," said the hen. *

And the Duckling went forth, and swam on the water, and dived
beneath its surface ; but he was slighted by all other animals, on
account of his ugliness.

Autumn had now set in. The leaves of the forest had turned
first yellow, and then brown ; and the wind caught them up, and
made them dance about, It began to be very cold, and the clouds

THE UGLY DUCKLING. 33

looked heavy with hail and flakes of snow ; while the raven sat
on a hedge, crying " Caw I caw ! " from sheer cold ; and one began
to shiver, if one merely thought about it. One evening, just as
:he sun was setting, there came a whole flock of beautiful lame
}irds from a large grove. The Duckling had never seen any so
ovely before. They were dazzlingly white, with long, graceful
necks; they were swans. They uttered a peculiar cry, and then
spread their magnificent wings, and away they flew from the cold
country, to warmer lands across the open sea. They rose so high
chat the Ugly Duckling felt a strange sensation come over him. He
turned round and round in the water like a wheel, stretched his
neck up into the air towards them, and uttered so loud and strange a
cry that he was frightened at it himself. Oh ! never could he again
forget those beautiful, happy birds ; and when they were quite out
of sight, he dived down to the bottom of the water, and when he

34

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

once more rose to the surface, he was half beside himself. He
knew not how these birds were called, nor whither they were
bound ; but he felt an affection for them, such as he had never
yet experienced for any living creature. Nor did he even presume
to envy them ; for how could it ever have entered his head to wish
himself endowed with their loveliness ? He would h»ve been glad

I

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

35

enough if the ducks had merely suffered him to remain among them
— poor ugly animal that he was I

And winter proved so very, very cold ! The Duckling was
obliged to keep swimming about, for fear the water should freeze
entirely ; but every night, the hole in which he swam grew smaller
and smaller. It now froze so hard, that the surface of the ice
cracked again ; yet the Duckling still paddled about, to prevent

the hole from closing up. At last he was so exhausted, that he
lay insensible, and became ice-bound.

Early next morning, a peasant came by, and seeing what had

36

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

taken place, broke the ice to pieces with his wooden shoe, and
carried the Duckling home to his wife ; so the little creature was
revived once more.

The children wished to play with him; but the Duckling thought
they meant to hurt him, and in his fright he bounced right into a
bowl of milk, that was spirted all over the room. The woman
clapped her hands, which only frightened him still more, and drove

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

him first into the butter-tub, then down into the meal-tub, and out
again. What a scene then ensued ! The woman screamed, and

flun" the tongs at him ; the children tumbled over each other in
their endeavors to catch the Duckling, and laughed and shrieked.
Fortunately, the door stood open, and he slipt through, and then
over the fagots, into the newly-fallen snow, where he lay quite ex-
hausted-

38

THE UGLY DLTA'Z/jVl

But it would be too painful to tell of all the privations and misery
that the Duckling endured during the hard winter. He was lay-
ing in a marsh, amongst the reeds, when the sun as:ain be^an to
shine. The larks were singing, and the spring had set in, in all its
beauty.

The Duckling now felt able to flap his wings.' They rustled
much louder than before, and bore him away most sturdily ; and
before he was well aware of it, he found himself in a large garden,
where the apple-trees were in full blossom, and the fragrant elder
was steeping its long, drooping branches in the waters of a wind-
ing canal. Three magnificent white swans now emerged from the
thicket before him ; they flapped their wings, and then swam lightly
on the surface of the water.

" I will fly towards these royal birds — and they will strike me
dead for daring to approach them, so ugly as I am ! But it matters
not. Better to be killed by them, than to be pecked at by the

I ill'* uuLj x/i/Uli^J-tl/,

39

ducks, beaten by the hens, pushed about by the girl that feeds the
poultry, and to suffer want in the winter." And he flew into the
water, and swam towards these splendid swans, who rushed to
meet him with rustling wings the moment they saw him. " Do
but kill me ! " said the poor animal, as he bent his head down to
the surface of the water, and awaited his doom. But what did he
see in the clear stream ? Why, his own image, which was no
longer that of a heavy-looking dark gray bird, ugly and ill-favored,
but of a beautiful Swan !

It matters not being born in a duck-yard, when one is hatched
from a swan's egg !

Some little children now came into the garden, and threw bread-
crumbs and corn into the water; and the youngest cried, "There
is a new one ! " The other children clapped their hands, and flew
to their father and mother, and, all said: "The new one is the
prettiest."

He then felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wings.
He was more than happy, yet none the prouder ; for a good heart
is never proud. He remembered how he had been pursued and
made game of ; and now he heard everybody say he was the most
beautiful of all beautiful birds. He flapped his wings, and raised
his slender neck, as he cried, in the fulness of his heart, " I never
dreamed of such happiness while I was an Ugly Duckling."

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD.

A

LONG

time

ago

there

lived

a king

and

queen,

who

were

very

sad because

t they had no
21 children.
^8=SE g At last the
queen had a little
daughter, and the king
was so delighted that
he gave a grand chris-
tening feast ; it was so
grand that the like of
it was never known.
He invited all the fairies in the land — there were seven of them — to
stand godmothers to the little princess, hoping that each would
bestow upon her some good gift, as used to be the custom of fairies
in those days.

After the ceremony, all the guests went back to the palace,
where there was set before each fairy godmother a magnificent
gold-covered dish, with an embroidered table-napkin, and a knife
and fork cf pure gold, all covered over with diamonds and rubies.
But alas ! as they sat down at table, in came an old fairy who had
never been invited, because, fifty years before, she had left the
ting's dominions, and had never since been heard of. The king

THE PRINCESS AND TUB FAIRS'.

42 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD.

was much put out when he saw her. At once he ordered a cover
to be placed for her, but, unluckily, it was only of common earth-
enware, for he had ordered from his jeweller just seven gold dishes
for the seven fairies who had been asked to the christening. The
elder fairy felt herself slighted, and muttered angry threats between
her teeth. These were overheard by one of the younger fairies,
who happened to sit next her. This good godmother, afraid of
harm coming to the pretty child, ran and hid herself behind the
tapestry in the hall. She did this in order that she might speak
last ; so that if the spiteful fairy gave any ill gift to the child, she
might be able to counteract it.

The six now gave their good gifts, and they were the best that
could be thought of. Then the old fairy's turn came. Shaking
her head spitefully, she said that when the child grew up to be a
young lady, she would prick her hand with a spindle and die of the
wound. When they heard this all shuddered, and some began to
weep. As for the king and queen they were almost out of their
wits with grief. And now the wise young fairy appeared from be-
hind the tapestry, and said, cheerfully, " You may keep up your
spirits ; the princess will not die. I have not the power to undo
completely the mischief worked by an older fairy ; I cannot pre-
vent the princess pricking her finger: but, instead of dying, she
will only fall into a sleep, that will last a hundred years. At the
end of that time, a king's son will come and waken her, and the
two will be married and live happily ever after." Immediately all
the fairies vanished.

The king, in the hope of preventing the threatened misfortune.
issued an edict, forbidding all persons to spin. But it was in vain.
One day, when she was just fifteen years of age, the king and
queen left the princess alone in one of their palaces. She was
wandering about when she came to a ruined tower ; she climbed
to the top, and there found an old woman — so deaf that she had

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD. h

never heard of the king's edict — and she was busy spinning with
a distaff. "What are you doing, good old woman ? " cried the
princess in her ear. " I am spinning, my pretty child." Oh, what
fun that must be! Let me try if I can spin too." She had no
sooner taken up the spindle than she handled it so carelessly that
the point pricked her finger. She fainted away at once, and
dropped down silently on the floor. The poor frightened old
woman cried, " Help, help ! " and soon the ladies-in-waiting came
to see what was the matter. They tried every means to restore
their young mistress, but nothing would do. She lay with the
color still in her face and her breath going and coming softly, but
her eyes were fast closed. When the king and queen came home
and saw her sleeping so, they knew regret was idle — all had
come about just as the cruel fairy had said. But they also knew
that their daughter was not sleeping forever : they knew that she
would waken after a hundred years, though it was not likely
either of them would be living then to see her. Until that happy
hour should arrive, they determined to leave her in repose ; so they
laid the sweet princess on the handsomest embroidered bed in the
handsomest room in the handsomest of all their palaces. There
she slept, and looked for all the world like a sleeping angel.

When this accident happened, the good young fairy who had
saved the princess by changing her sleep of death into a sleep
of a hundred years was twelve thousand miles away. But she
knew everything and soon arrived in a chariot of fire drawn by
dragons. The king went to the door of his palace, looking very
sad, and gave her his hand to alight. The fairy condoled with him
and approved of all that he had done. — Then, as she was a
very sensible and prudent fairy, she suggested that the princess,
when she awoke, might be a good deal put about — especially with
a young prince by her side — at finding herself alone in a large
palace. So, without asking any one's leave, she took her magic

THE SLEEPING BEA UTY IN THE WOOD. 45

wand and touched everybody in the palace, except the king and
queen. She ended with touching the little fat lap-dog, who had
laid himself clown beside his mistress on her splendid bed. He
and all the rest fell asleep in a moment. The very spits that
were before the kitchen fire ceased turning, and the fire went out,
and every thing became as silent as if it were the middle of the
night. The king and queen, having kissed their sleeping daughter,
left the palace, and in quarter of an hour there sprang up about
it a great wood, so thick and thorny that neither beast nor man
could go through it. Above this dense forest could only be seen
the top of the high tower where the lovely princess slept.

A great many changes happened in the hundred years. The
king and the queen died, and the throne passed to another royal
family, and the story of the poor princess was almost quite for-
gotten. When the hundred years were at an end, the son of the
reigning king was one day out hunting. He was stopped in the
chase by the thick wood, and asked what wood it was, and what
the tower was that he saw above the tops of the trees. At first no
one could answer him, but an old peasant was found, who said
that his father had been told by his grandfather that in this
tower was a beautiful princess, who was doomed to sleep there for
a hundred years, till awakened by a king's son, whose bride she
was destined to become. When he heard this, the young prince
determined to find out the truth for himself. He leaped from
his horse, and began to force his way through the wood. Won-
derful to relate, the stiff branches and the thorns and the bram-
bles all gave way to let him pass ; and when he had passed they
closed behind, allowing none of those with him to follow. The
prince went boldly on alone. The first thing he saw was enough
to frighten any one. Bodies of men and horses lay stretched on
the ground, and the silence was truly awful. Soon, however, ne
noticed that the men's faces were not as white as death, but had

•A BEAUTIFUL GIRL LAY ASLEEP ON AN EMBHOIDfiltED BED.*

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD. 47

the color of health, and that beside them were glasses half-filled
with wine, showing that they had gone to sleep drinking. He
passed then through a large court, paved with marble, where rows
of guards stood presenting arms, but they were as still as if cut
out of stone ; then he passed through many rooms, where gen-
tlemen and ladies, all in old-fashioned dresses, were sound asleep,
some standing, some sitting. At last the astonished prince came
to an inner-room, and there was the fairest sight he ever saw. A
beautiful girl lay asleep on an embroidered bed, and she looked
as if she had only just closed her eyes. The prince went up to
her and knelt down beside her, and I am not sure but he kissed the
lovely princess. The end of the enchantment had now come; the
princess wakened at once, and, looking at him with the sweetest
look, said, " It is you, my prince ? What a long time I have waited
for you ! " Charmed with these words, still and more with the way
in which they were said, the prince told her that he loved her al-
ready more than his life. " And I love you quite as much," said
she. "How often have I dreamed about you during the last hundred
years." For a long time they sat talking and it seemed as if they
never could have said enough.

In the meantime all the attendants, whose enchantment was
also broken, not being in love like their mistress, felt very hungry.
The lady-in waiting, out of all patience, ventured to tell the prin-
cess that dinner was served. Then the prince handed his be-
loved princess to the great hall. She did not wait to dress for
dinner, being already perfectly and magnificently attired. Her
lover had the politeness not to notice that her dress was so long
behind the age that she appeared exactly like a portrait he had-
seen of his own grandmother. What did it matter ? — she was so
beautiful. During dinner there was a concert by the attendant
musicians, and, though they had not played for a century, their
music was exceedingly good. They ended with a wedding march,

THE PKINCE Am> PKINCESS AT D1KNER.

SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED. 4 g

for that very evening the prince and princess were married. The
bride, of course, was nearly a hundred years older than the bride-
groom, but she looked really quite as young. The prince carried
the princess to court, and in time the two ascended the throne,
and they lived so long and happily together, that we may wish all
people were like them.

SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED.

There was once a poor widow, who lived in a little cottage, and
in front of the cottage was a gar,den, where stood two little rose-
trees ; one bore white roses and the other red. The widow had
two daughters, who were like the two rose-trees ; one was called
Snow-white, and the other was called Rose-red. They were two
of the best children that ever lived ; but Snow-white was more quiet
and gentle than Rose-red. And they loved each other dearly

Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother's cottage so clean
that it was a pleasure to see it. In the summer, Rose-red looked
after the house, and every morning she gathered a nosegay for her
mother ; and in the nosegay she put a rose off each tree. In win-
ter, Snow-white lighted the fire and hung the kettle on the hook ;
and when it was evening and the snow was falling, the mother said,
" Snow-white, go and bolt the door ! " and then the two little girls
sat down on the hearth, and the mother took her spectacles, and
read aloud out of a great book, and Snow-white and Rose-red spun.
Near them lay a lamb on the floor and behind them, on a perch, a
white dove sat with its head under its wing.

c SNOW-WrfllE AND ROSE-RED.

One evening, as they were sitting thus together, they heard *
loud knocking. The mother said, " Quick, Rose-red, open the
door ! perhaps it is a traveller looking for shelter." Rose-red went
and pushed the bolt back, thinking to see some poor man, but there
stood a bear, and he poked in his thick black head. Rose-red gave a
little scream, the little lamb bleated, the little dove fluttered about,
and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother's bed. But the bear
began to speak, and said, " Don't be afraid ; I will do you no harm ;
I am half frozen, and only want to warm myself a little." " Poor
bear ! " said the mother, " lie down before the fire, only take care
not to burn your fur." Then she called out, " Come here, Snow-
white and Rose-red ; the bear will not hurt you ; he seems a gen-
tle bear." They both approached, and soon they and the lamb
and the dove ceased to be afraid ; indeed, they all became quite
friendly, and the children played tricks with the bear. They pulled
his fur, set their feet on his back, and rolled him here and there,
or took a hazel-rod and beat him, and when he growled, they
laughed. The bear was very much pleased with this frolic, only,
when they became too mischievous, he called out,

" Little Snow-white and little Rose-red,
Don't be so rough or soon I'll be dead."

When bed-time came, the mother said to the bear, " You can
just lie there on the hearth, and you will be sheltered from the bad
weather." At daybreak, the two children led him out, and he trot-
ted over the snow into the wood. The bear came every evening
afterwards, at the same hour ; and the two girls became so used to
him, that the door was never bolted until the black bear had
arrived.

At last it was spring, and everything out of doors was green.
The bear then said one morning to Snow-white, " Now I must

SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED. 5 1

go away, and may not come again the whole summer." " Where
are you going, dear Bear? " asked Snow-white. " Into the wood to
guard my treasures from the bad dwarfs. In winter, when the
ground is hard, they have to keep in their holes, and cannot work
their way through ; but now that the sun has thawed and warm-
ed the earth, they come out and steal all they can." Snow-white
was quite sad at his going away. As she opened the door for
him, and the bear ran out, the hook of the door caught him, and a
piece of his skin was torn off : it seemed to Snow-white as if,
through the hole in his coat, she saw the glittering of gold, but
she was not sure. The bear ran quickly away, and soon was out
of sight behind the trees.

Some time after, the mother sent the children into the wood
to gather sticks. Within the wood they found a large tree which
had been blown over, and lay on the grass, and beside the trunk
something was jumping up and down. At first they could not
make out what it was. When they came nearer, they saw it was
a dwarf, with an old withered face, and a beard as white as snow
and about a yard long. The end of the beard was stuck fast in
a cleft in the tree, and the little fellow was jumping about like a
dog tied to a chain, and he did not know how to get free. He
glared at the girls with his red fiery eyes, and screamed out,
" Why are you standing there like a couple of posts ? Can't you
come and help me? " " What is the matter with you little man ? "
asked Rose-red. " Stupid little goose ! " answered the dwarf :
" I wanted to chop the tree, so as to have some small pieces of
wood for the kitchen, and had driven the wedge well in, and all
was going smoothly, when out sprang the wedge and the tree
closed up so quickly that I could not pull my beautiful beard out:
now here it sticks, and I can't get away. There, don't laugh, you
foolish milk-faced things. Can't you make yourselves of use?"
The children did their best, but they could not pull the beard

52

SXO IV WHITE AXD KOSE-XED.

out ; it stuck too fast. " I shall run and fetch help ! " cried Rose-
red. " You great sheep's head ! " snarled the dwarf, " what do you
want to call more people for? you are two too many for me al-,
ready. Can't you think of anything else? " " Don't he impatient,"

said Snow-white, " I have thought of something." She took her lit-
lie scissors out of her pocket, and cut the end of the beard off.
As soon as the dwarf was free, he snatched up a sack filled with
quid that was sticking between the roots of the tree, and threw it

SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED. 53

over his shoulder, growling and crying, " You stupid people, to cut
a piece off my beautiful beard! bad luck to you ! " and he marched
off without once looking at the children.

Some time afterwards, Snow-white and Rose-red went to fish.
As they came to the pond they saw something like a great grass-
hopper jumping about on the bank, as if it were going spring into
the water. They ran up, and saw that it was the dwarf. " What
are you after ? " asked Rose-red. " You don't want to go into the
water ! " " I am not quite such a fool as that ! " cried the dwarf.
" Don't you see a fish wants to pull me in ? " The little man had
been sitting there fishing, and unfortunately the wind had en-
tangled the line with his beard. So when a great fish bit at his
hook, the weak creature could not pull him out, and the fish was
pulling the dwarf into the water. He caught hold of all the reeds
and rushes, but that did not help him much. The fish pulled him
wherever it liked, and he must have soon been drawn into the pond.
The girls came just at the right moment : they held him fast, and
' tried \o get his beard loose from the line, but both were too closely
entangled for that. There was nothing for it but to pull out the
scissors and cut off another piece of the beard. When the
dwarf saw that, he cried out, " You silly geese ! what need is there
to disfigure one's face so? You cut my beard once before, and
nothing^vill please you but you must cut it again. I dare not be
seen by my people. I wish you had run the soles of your feet off be-
fore you came here." He then took up a sack of pearls that lay
amon<>- the rushes, and disappeared behind a stone.

Soon after, the mother sent the two girls to the next town to
buy thread, needles and pins, lace and ribbons. The road passed
over a heath, on which great masses of rock lay scattered about.
There they saw a large bird in the air, and it settled down by a rock
not far distant. Immediately they heard a piercing shriek. They
ran up, and saw with horror that the eagle had caught their old

54

SX0W-U1IITE AND ROSE-RED.

acquaintance the dwarf, and was trying to carry him off. The
compassionate children instantly seized hold of the little man, and
held him, and the eagle at last let go his prey. As soon as the
dwarf had recovered from his fright, he cried out in his shrill voice,
■ Could you not have held me more gently ? You have torn
my fine brown coat all to tatters, awkward clumsy rubbish that
you are ! " Then he took up a sack of precious stones, and slipped
away behind the rock into his den. Snow-white and Rose-red, who
who were used to his ingratitude, went on their way, and bought
what their mother wanted in the town. As they were returning
home over the same heath, they surprised the dwarf, who had emp-
tied his sack of precious stones on a little clean place, thinking
that no one was likely to come that way. The sun shone on
the glittering stones ; and they looked so beautiful that the children
could not help standing still to admire them. " What are you stand-
ing there gaping for ? " cried the dwarf, his face turning red with
rage. With these cross words he was going away, when a loud
roaring was heard, and a black bear trotted out of the woods to-
wards them. The dwarf sprang up, terrified, but he could not get
to his den in time. The bear overtook him. Then he called out,
" Dear Mr. Bear, spare me, and I will give you all my treasures!
Give me my life! for what do you want with a poor thin little fel-
low like me ? You would scarcely feel me between your teeth.
Rather take those two wicked girls; they will be nice morsels
for you, as fat as young quails : eat them, but spare me ! " The
bear never troubled himself to answer. He gave the malicious
creature a single stroke with his paw, and he never moved again.
The girls had run away, but the bear called after them, " Snow-
white and Rose-red, don't be afraid ; wait a minute, and I will
go with you." They knew the voice of their old friend, and
stood still. The bear came up to them and off fell his skin, and
he stood up before them a handsome young man, dressed allin

THK DWARF'S DEATH.

6 THE THREE BEARS.

gold " I am a king's son," said he ; " I was changed into a wild
bear by the wicked dwarf, who had stolen all my treasures, and
was forced to run about in the wood till I should be released by
his death. Now he has received his well-deserved punishment."
They all went home together to the widow's cottage, and Snow-
white was married to the prince, and Rose-red to his brother. And
they divided among them the great treasures which the dwarf had
amassed. The old mother lived for many years happily with her
children ; and when she left her cottage for the palace, she took the
two Rose-trees with her, and they were planted before her window,
and bore every year the most beautiful white and red roses.

THE THREE BEARS.

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together
in a house of their own in a wood. One of them was a Little
Small Wee Bear, another was a Middle-sized Bear, and the third
was a Great Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge :
a little pot for the Little Small Wee Bear, and a middle-sized pot
for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great Huge Bear.
And they had each a chair to sit on : a little chair for the Little
Small Wee Bear, a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear, and
a great chair for the Great Huge Bear. And they had each a
bed to sleep in : a little bed for the Little Small Wee Bear, a mid-
dle-sized bed for the Middle Bear, and a great bed for the Great

Huge Bear.

One day, after they had made porridge for their breakfast, and
poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the wood
while the porridge was cooling. And while they were walking,

5 8 THE THREE BEAXS.

a little girl named Silver-hair, came to the house. First she looked
in at the window, and then she peeped in at the key-hole, and see-
ing nobody in the house, she lifted the latch. The door was not
fastened, so little Silver-hair easily got in, and she was well pleased
when she saw the porridge on the table.

So first she tasted the porridge of the Great Huge Bear, and
that was too hot for her ; and then she tasted the porridge of the
Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her; and then she went to
the porridge of the Little Small Wee Bear, and that was neither
too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she
ate it all up.

Then little Silver-hair sat down in the chair of the Great Huge
Bear, and that was too hard for her ; and then she sat down in the
chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her ; and then
she sat down in the chair of the Little Small Wee Bear, and that
was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated
herself in it, and there she sat till the bottom of the chair came
out, and down she came plump upon the ground.

Then little Silver-hair went up-stairs into the bed-chamber in
which the Three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed
of the Great Huge Bear, but that was too high at the head for
her ; and next she lay upon the bed of the Middle Bear, and that
was too high at the foot for her; and then she lay down upon the
bed of the Little Small Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at
the head nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up
comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep.

By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be
cool enough, so they came home to breakfast. Now little Silver-
hair had left the spoon of the Great Huge Bear standing in his por-
ridge.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE I" said
.he Great Huge Bear, in his great rough gruff voice.

THE THREE BEARS.

59

And when the Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon
was standing: in it too.

™ Somebody has been at my porridge ! " said the Middle Bear in
his midc" - voice.

6o

THE THREE BEAKS.

Then the Little Small Wee Bear looked at his, and there was
the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone.

* Somebody has been at viy porridge and has eaten it all up /'
said the Little Small Wee Bear in his little small wee voice.

THE THREE BEARS.

61

Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that some one had entered
their house and had eaten up the Little Small Wee Bear's breakfast,

began to look about them. Now little Silver-hair had not put the
hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great
Huge Bear.

6 2 THE THREE BEAKS.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"
said the Great Huge Bear, in his great rough gruff voice.

And little Silver-hair had squatted down the soft cushion of the
Middle Bear.

" Somebody has been sitting in my chair !" said the Middle
Hear, in his middle voice.

And you know what little Silver-hair had done to the third chair.

" Somebody has been sill lug in my chair, and has sat the bottom
out of it T said the Little Small Wee Bear, in his little small wee
voice.

Then the Three Bears thought that they should make further
search ; so they went up-stairs into their bed-chamber.

Now little Silver-hair had pulled the pillow of the Great Huge
Bear out of its place.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!" said
the Great Huge Bear, in his great rough gruff voice.

And little Silver-hair had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear
out of its place.

"Somebody has been lying in my bed !" said the Middle Bear in
his middle voice.

And when the Little Small Wee Bear came to look at his bed,
there was the bolster in its place, and the pillow in its place upon
the bolster; and upon the pillow was little Silver-hair's pretty
head — which was not in its place, for she had no business there.

" Somebody has been lying in my bed — and here she is ! " said the
Little Small Wee Bear, in his little small wee voice.

Little Silver-hair had heard in her sleep the great rough gruff
voice of the Great Huge Bear, but she was so fast asleep that
it was no more to her than the roaring of wind or the rumbling of
thunder. And she had heard the middle voice of the Middle Bear,
but it was only as if she had heard some one speaking in a dream-
But when she heard the little small wee voice of the Little Small

LITTLE SILVER-HAIR RUNNING AWAY.

4 THE THREE BEARS.

Wee Bear, it was so sharp and so shrill that it awakened her at
once. Up she started, and when she saw the Three Bears on one
side of the bed, she tumbled out at the other and ran to the window.
Now the window was open— out little Silver-hair jumped, and away
she ran into the woods, and the Three Bears never saw anything
nore of her.

4*

CINDERELLA ; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SUPPER.

CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.

There was once an honest gentleman, who married a second
time. His second wife was a widow, and the proudest and most
disagreeable woman in the whole country. She had two daughters
who were in everything exactly like herself. The gentleman had
one little girl, and she was as sweet a child as ever lived. The
stepmother had not been married a single day before she became
jealous of the good qualities of the little girl who was so great ^

CINDERELLA SITTING IN THE CniMXEY-CORX'EK.

CINDERELLA ; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER. 67

contrast to her own two daughters, and what did she do but give
her all the hard work of the house to look after ? But our poor
little damsel never complained ; indeed, she did not dare to speak
about her ill-treatment to her father, who thought his new wife
was perfection itself.

When her work was done she used to sit in the chimney-corner
among the ashes, and from this the two sisters gave her the nick-
name of Cinderella. But Cinderella, though she was shabbily clad,
was handsomer and far worthier than they, with all their fine

clothes.

Now it happened that the king's son gave a ball, to which he
asked all the rank and fashion of the city, and the two elder
sisters were included in the list of invitations. They were very
proud at being asked, and took great pains in settling what they
should wear. For days together they talked of nothing but their
clothes.

" I," said the elder, " shall put on my red velvet gown with my
point-lace trimmings." "And I," said the younger, " shall have my
ordinary silk petticoat, but I shall set it off with an upper skirt of
flowered brocade, and I shall put on my circlet of diamonds, which
is a great deal finer than anything of yours." Here the two sis-
ters began to dispute which had the best things, and words ran
high. Cinderella did what she could to make peace. She even
kindly offered to dress them herself, and especially to arrange
their hair, and that she could do most beautifully. The important
evening came at last, and she did her best to adorn the two young
ladies. When she was combing out the hair of the elder one, that
ill-natured girl said, " Cinderella, don't you wish you were going to
the ball ? " " Ah, madam," replied Cinderella — and they always
made her say madam — " you are only making a fool of me ; I have
no such good fortune." " True enough," said the elder sister ;
" people would only laugh to seen a little cinder-girl at a ball."

HUK GODMOTHER TOOK THE PUMPKIN AND SCOOPED OUT
ALL, THE INSIDE."

DERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.

Any other than Cinderella would not have taken such pains with
these two proud girls, but she was good, and dressed them very
becomingly. The carriage came to the door. Cinderella watched
them go into it, and saw them whirl away in grand style ; then she
sat down by the kitchen fire and cried. Immediately her god-
mother who was a fairy appeared beside her. " What are you cry-
ing for my little maid? "

" Oh, I should so like— I should so like- " her sobs stopped her
" You should so like to go to the ball— isn't that it?' Cinderella
nodded. " Well, then, be a good girl, and you shall go. Run into
the garden, and bring me the biggest pumpkin you can see." Cin-
derella could not understand what a big pumpkin had to do with
her going to the ball; but she was obedient and obliging, so she
went. Her godmother took the pumpkin, scooped out all the in-
side, and then struck it with her wand. It became a splendid gilt
coach, lined with rose colored satin. " Now, my dear," said the
godmother, " fetch me the mosu-eirap out of the pantry." Cinder-
ella fetched it, and
in it there were six
fat mice. The fairy
raised the wire door
of the trap, and, as
each mouse ran out,
she struck it, and
:! it into a
'-' black
horse. " But what
am I to do for a
coachman, Cinde-
rella?" Cinderella
said that she had

seen a large black rat in the rat-trap, and that he might do for
want of a better. "That is a happy thought," c^ed the fairy.

changed
beautifu

o CINDERELLA; OK, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.

u Go and bring him." He was brought, and the fairy turned him
into a most respectable coachman, with the finest whiskers in>
acnnable. She afterwards took six lizards from behind the
pumpkin-frame, and changed them into six footmen, all in splen-
did livery, and the six footmen immediately got up behind the
carriage. " Well, Cinderella," said her fairy godmother, " now you
can go to the ball." '• What, in these clothes ! " exclaimed Cin-
derella, in a most dolorous tone, looking down on her ragged
frock. Her godmother gave a laugh, and touched her also with
the wand. Immediately her wretched threadbare jacket became
stiff with gold and bright jewels; her woollen petticoat grew into
a gown of sweeping satin; and her little feet were no longer bare,
but covered with silk stockings and the prettiest glass slippers in
the world. " Now, Cinderella, away with you to the ball; but

CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.

remember, do not stay an instant after midnight; if you do, your
carriage; will become a pumpkin, your coachman a rat, your horses
mice and yourself the little cinder-girl you were a minute ago."
"No, I won't stay an instant after midnight!" said Cinderella, and
she set off with her heart full of joy.

Some one, most likely a friend of the fairy's, had told the king's
son that an uninvited princess, whom nobody knew, was coming to
the ball, and when Cinderella arrived at the palace there he was
standing at the entrance, ready to receive her.

He gave her his hand, and led her gallantly through the assenv
bled guests, who made way for her to pass, and every one whispered
to his & neighbor, " How beautiful she is ! " The court ladies looked
at her eagerly, clothes and all, and made up their minds to have
their dresses made next day of exactly the same pattern. The
king's son himself led her out to dance, and she danced so grace-
fully that he admired her more and more. Indeed, at supper, which
was fortunately early, he was so taken up with her, that he quite
forgot to eat. As for Cinderella, she felt rather shy amongst so
many strangers so she sought out her sisters, placed herself beside
them, and offered them all sorts of kind attentions, much to their
surprise, for they did not recognize her in the least. She was
talking with them when the clock struck a quarter to twelve ; when
she he°ard that she took leave of the royal family, re-entered her
carriage, escorted tenderly by the king's son, and soon arrived safely
at he? own door. There she found her godmother, and, after
thanking her for the great treat she had enjoyed, she begged per-
mission to go to a second ball, the following night, to which the
queen had invited her. The godmother said she might go. Just
then the two sisters knocked at the gate. The fairy godmother
vanished, and, when they, entered there was Cinderella sitting m
the chimney-corner rubbing her eyes and pretending to be very
sleepy. "Ah," cried the elder sister, maliciously, "what a delightful

72 CINDERELLA ; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.

ball it has been ! There was present the most beautiful princess 1
ever saw, and she was exceedingly polite to us both." " Was she? '"
said Cinderella, indifferently. " And who might she be ? "

" Nobody knows, though all would give their ears to know, es-
pecially the king's son." "Indeed!" replied Cinderella, a little
more interested : " I should like to see her, Miss Javotte " (that
was the name of the elder sister). " Will you not lend me the
yellow gown that you wear on Sundays, and let me go to-morrow?"
"A likely story indeed," cried Miss Javotte, " that I should lend
it to a cinder-girl. I am not so mad as that ! "

The next night came, and the two sisters, richly dressed in quite
new dresses, went to the ball. Cinderella, more splendidly attired
and more beautiful than ever, soon followed them.

" Now, remember twelve o'clock," was the last thing her god-
mother said ; and she thought she
certainly should. But the prince's
attentions to her were even greater
than on the first evening, and in the
pleasure of listening to him time
passed by unnoticed. While the two
were sitting in a lovely recess, look-
ing at the moon from under a bower
of orange blossoms, she heard a clock
strike the first stroke of twelve. She
rose and fled away like a startled deer.
The prince was amazed ; he attempted
to follow her, but she could not be
caught ; indeed, he missed his beauti-
ful princess altogether, and only saw a dirty little lass running out of
the palace gate, whom he had never seen before, and of whom he
certainly would never have taken any notice. Cinderella reached
home L eathless and weary, ragged and cold, without horses, 01

•'THE HERALD PUT THE SLIPPKR ON HER TRETTY FOOT,
AND IT FITTED EXACTLY."

CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.

carriage, or footman, or coachman ; the only remnant she had of
her past grandeur was one of her little glass slippers ; the other she
had dropped in the ball-room as she ran away.

When the two sisters came back from the ball, they \yere full of
this strange adventure, how the beautiful princess had appeared
more lovely than ever, and how, as the clock was striking twelve, she
had suddenly risen up and fled,
disappearing no one knew how
or where, and dropping one of
her glass slippers behind her
in her flight. And they added
that all the court and royal
family were sure that the king's
son had become desperately
in love with the unknown lovely
lady. Cinderella listened with-
out saying a word, but she
turned her face to the kitchen
fire and blushed as red as a
rose, and next morning she
went to her weary work again.
A few days after, the whole
city was roused by a herald
going round with a little glass slipper in his hand, proclaiming, with
a flourish of trumpets, that the king's son ordered it to be fitted on
the foot of every young girl in the kingdom, and that he would
marry the one it fitted best, or the one to whom it and the fellow
slipper belonged. Young princesses, young duchesses, young
countesses, young gentlewomen ! all tried it on, but being a fairy
slipper it fitted nobody ; and besides nobody could produce its fel-
low slipper, which lay all the time safely in the pocket of Cinder-
ella's old gown.

CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER. 75

At last the herald came to the house of the two sisters, and
though these knew well enough that neither of them was the beau,
tiful Tady, they tried their best to get their clumsy feet into the
slipper : of course, it was all in vain. " Let me try it on," said Cin-
derella, from the chimney corner. " What, you ! " cried the others,
bursting into shouts of laughter ; but Cinderella only smiled and
held out her hand. Her 'sisters could not prevent her, since the
command was that every young girl in the kingdom should make
the attempt, in case the right owner might be overlooked. So the
herald bade Cinderella sit down on a three-legged stool in the
kitchen, and he put the slipper on har pretty foot, and it fitted ex-
actly. Cinderella then drew from her pocket the fellow slipper,
which she also put on, and stood up ; and with the touch of the
macric shoes all her dress was changed, and she was no longer the
poo°r despised cinder-girl, but the beautiful lady whom the king's

son loved.

Her sisters recognized her at once. They were filled with aston-
ishment and fear, and threw themselves at her feet, begging her
pardon for all their past unkindness. She raised and embraced
them, and told them that she heartily forgave them and only hoped
they would love her always. She was then taken to the palace,
and told her whole story to the king and the royal family. The
youno- prince found her more beautiful and lovable than ever, and
the w°edding came off the next day. Cinderella was as good as she
was beautiful ; and she sent for her two sisters to the palace, and
not long afterwards they were married to two rich gentlemen of the
court.

7 6

THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER.

!

dE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER.

There
was once
alittle
bro t h e r
took his
sister by
the hand
and said,
"Since
our mo-
th e r is
dead we
have not
had a
happy
minute;
our step-
mother gives us nothing but hard crusts
to eat, and the dog under the table fares
better than we. Come, we will go out into
the wide world together." They went the
whole day over meadows and rocks and
stones. In the evening they came to a
great wood, and were so worn out with grief,
hunger, and weariness, that they lay down
in a hollow tree and fell fast asleep. When
they awoke the next morning, the sun was already high in the
heavens, and it shone down so hot on the tree that the little

mmgmwMi

THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SLSTER. 7

brother said, " Sister, I am thirsty ; I would go and have a drink
if I knew where there was a brook ; I think I can hear one run-
ning." He got up, took his sister by the hand, and they went to
look for the brook.

The wicked stepmother, however, was a witch, and knew well
that the children had run away, and she had sneaked after them
and enchanted all the springs in the forest. When they had found
a brook that was dancing brightly over the pebbles, the brother
stooped down to drink, but his sister heard how it said as it ran
along, " Whoever drinks of me will become a tiger." So the little
sister'cried out, " Oh brother, do not drink, lest you become a tiger
and tear me to pieces ! " The little brother did not drink, although
he was so thirsty, but said, " I will wait for the next brook." When
they came to the next, the little sister heard it say, " Whoever
drinks of me will become a wolf," and she cried out, " Oh, brother,
do not drink, lest you become a wolf and eat me up!" Then the
brother did not drink, but said, " I will wait till I come to the next
brook, and then I must drink, say what you will, for my thirst is
getting too great." And when they came to the third brook, the
little stster heard it saying, " Whoever drinks of me will become a
f awn _whoever drinks of me will become a fawn," and she cried,
" Oh, brother, do not drink, or you will become a fawn and run
away from me ! " But the brother had already stooped down and
drank of the water, and as soon as the first drop touched his lips
he was changed into a fawn.

The little sister cried over her poor bewitched brother, and the
fawn cried also as he stood beside her. At last the girl said,
" Never mind, dear fawn, I will not forsake you." She then took
off her golden garter and put it round the fawn's neck, and pulled
some rushes, and wove them into a rope. To this she tied him and
led him away, and they went on deeper and deeper into the wood.
When they had gone a long long way they came to a little house ;

THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER.

the maiden peeped into it, and as it was empty she thought, " We
may as well stay here.' ' So there they stayed.

They had lived alone for a long time, when it happened that
the king of the country held a great hunt in the forest.

" Oh," said the little fawn to his sister, " let me go and see the
hunt ; I can't keep away ! " And he begged so hard, that she con-
sented. " But," said she, " when you come back at evening, I shall
have shut my door against the wild huntsmen ; now, in order that I
may know you, knock and say, ' My little sister, let me in ; if
you do not say so, I shall not open the door."

Away sprang the fawn, and he was so happy to find himself in
the open air. The king and his huntsmen caught sight of him,
and immediately set off in chase, but they could not catch him.
Just as it was getting dark, he ran up to the little house, knocked,
and cried " My little sister, let me in ! " and when the door was
opened he sprang in and rested all night on his soft bed of leaves
and moss. Next morning the hunt began again, and when the fawn
heard the noise of the chase he could not rest, and cried, " Sister,
open the door ; I must go!" His sister opened the door and
said, " But, remember, you must be back in the evening, and when
you' come say, ' My little sister, let me in ;' that I may know who
it is." When the king and his huntsmen saw the fawn with the
gold band once more, they all rode after him, but he was too quick
for them. The chase went on all day ; at last, towards evening,
the hunters got round him, and wounded him with an arrow in the
foot, so that he had to limp and go slowly. One of the hunters
crept softly after him to the little house, and heard him say, " Little
sister, let me in! "and he saw that the door was opened and im-
mediately shut to again ; he then went back to the king and told
him what he had seen and heard. " We shall have another hunt
to-morrow," said the king. The little sister was terribly frightened
when she saw that her fawn was wounded ; she washed off the

THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER.

blood, laid herbs on the place, and said, " Now go to bed, dear
fawn, and get well." The wound, however, was so slight, that next
morning it did not feel sore at all. Again the woods rang with
the hunter's horn, and when the fawn heard it he said, " I cannot
stay away, I must go, nothing shall keep me!" His sister cried,
and said, " Now you will go and be killed, and leave me here alone
in the forest, without a friend in the world." " Then I must die
here of grief," answered the fawn, " for when I hear the sound of
the horn I feel as if I could jump out of my skin." So his sister
had to open the door, though with a heavy heart, and the fawn
sprang out joyfully into the forest. As soon as the king saw him,
he said to his huntsmen, " Now chase him all day till evening, but
don't do anything to hurt him." When the sun was set the king
turned to the huntsman who had followed the fawn the day before.
" Come, now," he said, " and show me the little house you saw in
the wood." And when he was before the door, he knocked and cried,
" Little sister, let me in ! " Immediately the door was opened,
and the king went in, and there stood a maiden more beautiful than
any he had ever seen. The little sister was afraid when she saw
that it was not her fawn who had come in, but a man with a golden
crown on his head. But the king looked kindly at her, and took
her hand, and said, " Will you go with me to my palace and be my
queen?" " Oh yes !" answered the maiden, " but the fawn must
come with me, for I cannot forsake him." " He shall stay with
you," said the king, " as long as you live, and shall want for nothing."
At that moment in came the fawn ; his sister tied the rope of rushes
round his neck, and they all left the little house together.

The king took the beautiful girl on his horse, and led her to the^
palace, where the marriage was celebrated with great splendor."
The little sister was now queen, and she and the king lived a long
time very happily together, whilst the fawn was well taken care
of, and played about all day in the palace gardens. But when

THE LITTLE fclSTLK, TILE KLVG AND THE FAWN.

THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER. 8 1

the wicked stepmother heard that everything went so well with the
little sister and her brother, she vas full of envy and spite ; her
only thought was how she could do some mischief to them both.
Her only daughter, who had but one eye, and was as ugly as could
be, was continually reproaching her, and saying, " It is I who
ought to have been made queen!" " Never mind," said the old
witch ; " have patience ; you will be made queen by-and-by."

Soon the queen had a little boy, and it happened that the king
was away hunting at the time. Now, what did the old witch do,
but take the form of the lady-in-waiting, and enter the room where
the queen was lying, and say to her, " I have made ready a bath
which will do you good and make you strong again ; be quick, be-
fore the water gets cold." Her daughter was close at hand, and
they carried the poor weak queen before them into the bath-room,
and laid her in the bath then they shut the door, and ran away.
And under the bath they had kindled a great furnace fire, so
that the beautiful young queen was scorched to death.

When that was done, the old witch took her own daughter, put
a cap on her, and laid her on the bed in the queen's room. She
changed her also into the shape of the young queen all but her one
eye, for her power was not great enough to give her another. How-
ever, she told her daughter to lie on that side on which there was no
eye, so that the king might not observe it. In the evening the king
came home, and when he heard that he had a little son, he was
very much pleased, and wished to visit his dear queen, and see how
she was getting on ; but the old woman cried out in a great hurry,
" Don't touch the curtain ! the queen must not see the light, and
must be left quite quiet." So the king wentaway.and never found
out that he was deceived.

But when it was midnight, and all the world was sleeping, the
nurse, who sat beside the cradle, and who was the only one awake,
saw the door open, and the true queen come in. She took the

8 2 THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER.

child out of the cradle, and rocked it gently, then, shaking up the
pillows, she laid it down again and covered it with the counterpane.
She did not forget the fawn either, but went to the corner where
it lay, and stroked it. And then she passed out without making any
noise. The nurse asked the sentinels, next morning, whether any
©ne had entered the palace during the night, but they said, " No ;
we have seen nobody." The queen continued to come in the same
way for several nights, though she never spoke a word, and the nurse
always saw her, but never dared to mention it.
At last the queen began to speak, and said :—

" How fareth my babe ? and how tareth my fawn ?
Twice more can I come, and then never again."

The nurse could not answer her, but when she had disappeared
she went to the king, and told him all about it. "What does it
mean ? " said he, " I will watch myself by the child to-night." And
when it was evening he watched, and sure enough at midnight the
dead queen appeared and said : —

"How fareth my babe \ and how fareth my fawn ?
Once more can I came, and then never again."

And she fondled the child as before, and then vanished.
The king did not dare to speak to her ; but he watched again
the next night. This time she said : —

"How fareth my babe ? and how fareth my fawn .
This time is the last : I come never again."

When he heard that, the king could no longer keep from speak-
ing. He sprang forward and cried, " You surely are no other than
my own dear queen ? " She replied, " Yes, I am your queen," and as
soon as she had said so she was restored to life, and became once
ipore fresh and blooming. Then she told what the witch and her

THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER. 83

one-eyed daughter had done. The king ordered them to be tried,
and sentence was passed upon them. The daughter was taken
into the woods, and the wild beasts tore her to pieces, and the
witch was burnt. And as soon as there was nothing left of her
but ashes, 'the little fawn took again his human shape, and was a
very handsome young man ; and the king and the queen and the
queen's brother lived all happily together to the end of their
lives.

PUSS IN BOOTS-

There was once a miller, who at his death had no other legacy to
leave to lfis three children than his mill, his ass, and his cat. The
property was soon divided. The eldest son took the mill, the

second took the
ass, and as for the
youngest,allthat
remained for
him was the cat.
This share in
his father's pro-
perty did not
appear m u c h
worth, so the
youngest son
began to grnm.
b 1 e . " M y
brothers," said
he, " will be
able to earn an
honest liveli-
hood by going

PUSS IN BOOTS.

85

*<^

into partnership ; but when I have eaten my cat and sold his skin, I
shall be sure to die of hunger."

The cat, who was sitting beside him, chanced to overhear this.
He at once rose, and, looking at his master with a very grave and
wise air, said, " Nay, don't

V-

take such a gloomy view

of things. Only give me

a bag, and get me a pair

of boots made, so that I

may stride through the

bramble-bushes without

hurting myself, and you

will soon see that I am

worth more than you

imagine." The cat's new

master did not put much

faith in these promises, but he had seen him perform so many

clever tricks in catching rats and mice, that he did not quite

despair of his helping him to better his fortunes.

As soon as the cat got what he asked for, he drew on his boots
and slung the bag round his neck, taking hold of the two strings
with his° fore-paws. * He then set off for a warren plentifully
stocked with rabbits. When he got there, he filled his bag with
bran and lettuces, and stretched himself out beside it as stiff as if
he had been dead, and waited till some fine young rabbit, ignorant
of the wickedness and deceit of the world, should be tempted
into the bag by the prospect of a feast. This happened very
soon. A fat thoughtless rabbit went in headlong, and the cat at
once drew the strings and strangled him without mercy. Puss, of
course, was very proud of his success ; and he immediately went to
the palace and asked to speak to the king. He was shown into
the king's cabinet, when he bowed respectfully to his majesty, and

PL T SS IN BOOTS.

said. " Sire, here is a magnificent rabbit, from the warren of the
Marquis of Carabas" (that was the title the cat had taken it into
his head to bestow upon his master), " which he desires me to
present to your majesty."

" Tell your master," said the king, " that I accept his present
and am very much obliged to him."

A few days after, the cat went and hid himself in the corn-
field, and held his bag open as before. This time two splendid
partridges were lured into the trap, when he drew the strings and
made them both prisoners. He then went and presented them
to the king as he had done with the rabbit. The king received
the partridges very graciously; indeed, he was so pleased, that
he ordered the messenger of the Marquis of Carabas to be hand-
somely rewarded for his trouble.

For two or three months the cat went on in this way carry-
ing game every now and then to the palace, and telling the king
always the same story, that he was indebted for it to the Marquis
of Carabas. At last the cat happened to hear that the king was
going to take a drive on the banks of the river, along with his
daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world. Puss went off
to his master. " Sir," said he, " if you will follow my advice your
fortune is made. You need only go and bathe in the river at a
place I shall show you, and leave the rest to me."

" Very well," said the
miller's son, and he did as the
cat advised. Just as he was
bathing the king went past.
Then the cat began to bawl
out as loud as he co«ld,
" Help! help! or the Marquis
of Carabas will be drowned !
When he heard the cries, the king looked out of the carriage-
window. He saw the cat who had so frequently brought him

88

PUSS IN BOOTS.

rabbits and partridges, and ordered his body-guards to fly at once
to the help of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.

Whilst the poor marquis was being fished out of the water the
cat came up to the royal carriage and told his majesty, that, as his
master was bathing, some robbers had stolen his clothes, although
he had cried out " Stop thief I " with all his might. The king
immediately commanded the gentleman of his wardrobe to go and
fetch one of his most magnificent suits of clothes for the Mar-
quis of Carabas. The order was executed in a twinkling, and soon
the miller's son appeared splendidly attired before the king and the
princess. He was naturally a handsome young man, and in his
gay dress he looked so well that the king took him for a very fine
gentleman, and the princess was so struck with his appearance

that she at once fell over head and ears in love.

The king insisted

on his getting into

the carriage and

taking a drive with

them. ■ The cat

greatly pleased at

the turn things were

taking, ran on

before. He reached

a meadow where

some peasants were

'mowing grass.

Good people," said

he, " if you do not

tell the king, when

he comes this way

that the field

you are mowing

V=5Si

90

PUSS IN BOOTS.

belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall all be chopped as
fine as mincemeat." The king did not fail to ask the mowers
to whom the meadow belonged. " To the Marquis of Carabas,
please your majesty," said they, trembling, for the threat of the
cat had frightened them mightily. " Upon my word, marquis,"
said the king, " this is fine land of yours." " Yes, sire," replied
the miller's son, " it is not a bad meadow take it all together."
The cat who continued to run on before the carriage, now
came up to some reapers. He bounced in upon them, " I say,
you reapers," cried he, " see you tell the king that all this corn
belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, or you shall every one of
you be chopped as fine as mincemeat." The king passed by a
moment after, and asked to whom the corn-fields belonged. " To
the Marquis of Carabas, please your majesty," said the reapers.
" Really, dear marquis, I am pleased you own so much land,"
remarked the king. And the cat kept still running on before the
carriage and repeating the same instructions to all the laborers
he came up to, so you may fancy how astonished the king was
at the vast possessions of the Marquis of Carabas.

At length the cat
arrived at a great
castle where an ogre
lived, who was im-
mensely rich, for all
the lands the king
had been riding
through were a por-
tion of his estate.
He knocked at the
big gate, and sent in
a message to the
ogre, asking leave to

PUSS IN BOOTS.

y»

pay his respects to him. The ogre, received him as civilly as an ogre
could possibly do, and bade him rest himself. " You are very
kind," said the cat and he took a chair ; " I have heard, Mr.
Ogre," he went on to say, " that you have the power of changing
yourself into all sorts of animals, such, for instance, as a lion or an

elephant."

" So I have," replied the ogre, rather abruptly, "and to prove it,

you will see

me become a

lion." And,

in a moment,

there stood

the lion. The

cat was seized

with such a

fright, that he

jumped off his

seat, made for the window, and clambered up to the roof.

After a time, he saw the ogre return to his natural shape, so he

came down again and confessed that he had been very much

frightened. " But, Mr. Ogre, " said he, " it may be easy for such

a big gentleman as you to change yourself into a large animal ;

I do not suppose you can become a small one— say a rat or a

mouse." " Impossible indeed! " said the ogre, quite indignantly,

'• you shall see!" and immediately he took the shape of a mouse

and began frisking about on the floor, when the cat pounced upon

him and ate him up in a moment.

By this time the king had reached the gates of the ogres castle,
and it looked so grand that he expressed a strong wish to enter
it The cat heard the rumbling of the carriage across the draw-
bridge, so he ran out in a great hurry, and stood on the marble
steps, and cried, "Welcome to the castle of the Marquxs of
Carabas ! "

9 2

r-crss in boots.

The marquis handed out the princess, and, following the king
they entered a great hall, where a magnificent feast was laid out
which had been prepared for some of the ogre's friends. They
sat down to eat ; and now we come to the end of our story.
The kirig was delighted with the good qualities of the Marquis
of Carabas. So his majesty, after drinking five or six glasses of
wine, looked across the table, and said, " It rests with you, mar-
quis, whether you will become my son-in-law." The marquis re-
plied that he should only be too happy ; and the very next day the
princess and he were married.

As for the cat, he became a great lord, and ever after only hunt
ed mice for his own amusement.

THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS.

93

THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS.

T HER*

was once
a kin g's
daughter so
be a u t i f u 1
that they
called her
the Fair
One with
Golden
Locks. In
a neighbor-
ing country

there was a
young king
who want-
ed nothing
but a wife
to make
him happy.

Everybody spoke to him about the good qualities of the Fair One
with Golden Locks, and at last, without even seeing her. he fell
desperately in love with her. He made up his mind to send an
ambassador at once to ask her in marriage. But, alas ! when the
ambassador delivered his message, the princess told him she had
not the slightest wish to be married.

When the unsuccessful ambassador returned, the king, as you
may suppose, was very sad. Now, there was a young gentleman

g4 THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS.

at court, named Avenant. He was as beautiful as the sun, and
every one loved him, except those people — to be found everywhere
— who were envious of his good fortune. These malicious people
heard him say once, " If the king had sent me to fetch the Fair
One with Golden Locks, I know she would have come back with
me," and they repeated the saying in such a way, that it seemed as
if Avenant thought so much of himself and his fine looks, that he
felt sure the princess would have followed him all over the world.
When this came to the ears of the king, it made him so angry that
he ordered Avenant to be imprisoned in a high tower, and left to
die there of hunger. The guards carried off poor Avenant, and
he was left in the tower with nothing to eat, and only water to
drink. This, however, kept him alive for a few days, during which
he never ceased to complain aloud about his misfortunes.

It so happened that the king, coming past the tower, overheard
him. The tears rushed into his eyes, he opened the door, and
called, "Avenant!" Avenant came, creeping feebly along, and
fell at the king's feet. " What harm," he said, " have I done that
you should treat me so cruelly ? " " You have mocked me and my
ambassador ; for you said, if I had sent you to fetch the Fair One
with Golden Locks you would have brought her back." " I did
say it; and it was true," replied Avenant fearlessly ; "for I should
have told her so much about you and your good qualities, that I
am sure she would have returned with me." " I believe it," said
the king, and he looked angrily at those who had spoken ill of his
favorite. He then gave Avenant a free pardon, and took him back
with him to the court. After supper, to which Avenant did full
justice, the king admitted him to a private audience ; and said,
" I am as much in love as ever with the Fair One with Golden
Locks, so I shall take you at your word, and send you to try and
win her for me." "Very well," replied Avenant, cheerfully; "I
shall go to-morrow."

THE FAIR ONE WJTH GOLDEN LOCKS. 95

It was on a Monday that he started. He rode slowly ; and one
morning he came to a stream running through a meadow. He
dismounted and sat down on its banks. There he saw a large
golden carp that had jumped quite out of the water, gasping, and
and nearly dead, on the grass ; Avenant took pity on it, and lifted
it gently, and put it back into the stream. The carp took a plunge
to & refresh itself, and then came back, and said, " Avenant, I thank
you for your kindness ; if ever I can, I will do you a good turn."

Next day he met a raven in great distress ; it was being pursued
by an ea<de, which would have swallowed it up in no time ; so he
let fly an arrow, and shot the eagle dead. The raven, delighted,
perched on an opposite tree. " Avenant," he screeched, " you
have generously helped me ; I am not ungrateful, and will do you
a good turn whenever I can." « Thank you," said Avenant.

Some days after he entered a thick wood, and in it he heard an
owl hooting, as if in trouble. She had been caught by the nets
spread by bird-catchers to entrap small birds. Avenant took out
his knife, cut the net, and let the owl go free. She mounted into
the air, and cried out, " Avenant, I have a grateful heart ; I shall
recompense you one day ! "

These were the principal adventures that befell Avenant on his
journey to the kingdom of the Fair One with Golden _ Locks
When he got there he dressed himself with the greatest pains, and
carrying in his hand a small basket in which was a lovely little
dog, an offering of respect to the princess, he presented himself at
the palace gates. The Fair One with Golden Locks was very soon
told that Avenant, another ambassador from the king her suitor,

awaited an audience.

When she was grandly dressed to receive him, Avenant was
admitted to her presence. He then said all that he had to say.
- Gentle Avenant," returned the princess, " your arguments are
very strong, and I am inclined to listen to them; but I must tell

gf, THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS.

you that about a month back I let a ring fall into the river, and 1
resolved not to listen to a marriage-proposal from anybody unless
his ambassador found me that lost treasure."

Avenant, surprised and vexed, made a low bow and retired, tak-
ing with him the basket and the little dog, Cabriole, which the
princess had refused to accept. Till far on in the night he sat
sighing to himself. " My dear master," said Cabriole, " fortune
will, no doubt, favor you ; let us go at daybreak to the river-side."
Avenant patted him, but said nothing, and at last, worn out with
grief, he fell asleep. At dawn, Cabriole wakened him. " Master,"
he cried, " dress yourself, and let us go to the river." There Ave-
nant walked up and down, and before long he heard a voice calling
from a distance, "Avenant! Avenant!" The little dog ran to the
water-side — " Never believe me again, master, if it is not a golden
carp with a ring in its mouth ! " "Yes, Avenant," said the carp,
" this is the ring which the princess has lost; you saved my life
once, and I have recompensed you. Farewell!" Avenant took the
ring gratefully, and hastened to the palace. Begging an audience,
he handed the ring to the princess, and asked her to accompany
him now to his master's kingdom. She took the ring, looked at it,
and thought she was surely dreaming ; then she made up her mind
to set him a second task. " There is a prince named Galifron,"
she said, " whom I have often refused to marry. He is a giant, as
tall as a tower ; go and fight him and bring me his head." " Very
well, madam," replied Avenant, " I go at once to fight the giant Gali-
fron." The princess, who never had expected that Avenant would
consent, now did all she could to persuade him not to go, but in
vain. Avenant armed himself and set off.

He drew near the castle of Galifron, and soon he saw the giant
walking, and his head was level with the highest trees. He caught
sight of Avenant, and would have slain him on the spot, had not a
raven, sitting on a tree close at hand, suddenly flown at him, and
picked out both his eyes. Then Avenant easily killed him, and

THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS. 97

cut off his head. The raven perched on a tree, and cried out,
" You shot the eagle who was pursuing me; I promised to recom-
pense you, and to-day I have done it." " I am your debtor," said
Avenant. He hung the frightful head to his saddle-bow, mounted
his horse^ and rode back to the city. The princess, who had
trembled for his safety, was delighted to see him return. " Madam,"
said Avenant, " your enemy is dead ; so I trust you will accept the
hand of the king my master." " I cannot," replied she, thoughtfully,
" unless you first bring me a phial of the water in the Grotto of
Darkness. The grotto is ten miles in length, and guarded at the
entrance by two fiery dragons. Within it is a pit full of scorpions,
lizards, and serpents ; and at the bottom of the pit rises the Foun-
tain of Beauty and Health. All ./ho wash in its water become,
if ugly, beautiful; and if beautiful, beautiful forever: if old they
grow young; and if young, remain young, forever." " Princess,"
replied Avenant, " you are already so lovely that you do not need
it. But I am an unfortunate ambassador, whose death you desire.
I will obey you, though I know I shall never return."

So he went away, accompanied by his faithful little dog, He
reached a high mountain, and from the top he saw a hole in a
rock. A moment after appeared one of the two fiery dragons.
Avenant drew his sword, and taking out a phial given him by the
princess, he prepared.to enter the cave. Just then a voice called,
" Avenant, Avenant ! " and he saw an owl sitting in a hollow tree.
The owl said, " You cut the net in which I was caught, and I
vowed to recompense you. Give me the phial. I know every
corner of the Grotto of Darkness. I will fetch the Water of
Beauty." Delighted beyond words, Avenant gave him the phial.
The owl flew with it into the grotto, and soon re-appeared, bring-
ing it quite full and well corked. After thanking the owl most
heartily, Avenant joyfully returned to the city.

The Fair One with Golden Locks had no more to say. She

9 8

THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOC m

agreed to accompany him to his master's cour f - At length they
arrived at the king's palace, and the Fair One mth Golden Locks

became the queen. But in her heart she loved Avenant ; and she
praised him so much to the king, that he at last became jealous;

THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS. 99

and, though Avenant gave him no cause of offence, he shut him
up in the same high tower as before. When the Fair One with
Golden Locks heard of this, she reproached her husband with his
ingratitude, and then implored that Avenant might be set at liberty.
But the king only said, " she loves him ! " and refused her prayer.
The queen asked no more, but fell into a deep melancholy. When
the king saw it, he thought she did not care for him because he
was not handsome enough, and that if he could wash his face with
her Water of Beauty, it would make her love him more. He
knew that she kept it in a cabinet in her own room.

Now it happened that a waiting-maid, in cleaning out this cabi-
net the "very day before, had knocked down the phial and broken
it into a thousand pieces ; so that all the contents were lost. Very
much alarmed, she had remembered seeing in a cabinet belonging
to the king a similar phial. This she fetched, and put it in the
place of the one which had held the Water of Beauty. But the
king's phial contained the Water of Death. Now the king took
up this phial, believing it to be the Water of Beauty, washed his
face, fell asleep, and died.

Cabriole heard the news, and, making his way through the
crowd which clustered round the young and lovely queen, he
whispered softly to her, " Madam, do not forget poor Avenant."
She was not disposed to do so. She rose up, without speaking to
anybody, and went straight to the tower where he was imprisoned
There, with her own hands, she struck off his chains, and, putting
a crown of gold on his head, said to him, " Be king and my hus-
band."

Avenant could not refuse, for in his heart he had loved her all
the time. The marriage was celebrated with all imaginable pomp,
and all the people were delighted to have him as their sovereign.
And now I have nothing more to tell than that Avenant and the
Fair One with Golden Locks lived and reigned happily all the rest
of theii

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE

Once on a time there was a Little Old Woman who lived in a
Shoe. This shoe stood near a great forest, and was so large it
served as a house for the Old Lady and all her children, of which
she had so many that she did not know what to do with them.

But the Little Old Woman was very fond of her children, and
they thought only of the best way to please her. They all liked
very much to be in the open air and to be permitted to work

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN WHO LI I ED EY A bHOE. 1 01

in the sunshine. First, there was
Strong-arm, a fine healthy boy,
who cut down trees in the forest
to supply his mother with fire-
wood. Here you may see him
carrying two great bundles, which
he has felled from the forest close
by. Then there was Peter, who
was very skilful with his hands
and fingers ; he would weave the
young and supple osiers into the
strangest and prettiest shapes-

■*<«wv>.

102

maki
and

ng baskets for his mother, and cradles for his little brothers
sisters. Mark was the chief gardener, and, helped by his

brothers and sisters, watched
the growth of the vegetables and
flowers in the garden. Simon
tended the Sheep ; which he
would take to the fine mead-
ows to nibble the grass, and
at evening carefully bring
tham home to their nice little
shed that Strong-arm had
built ; Tom had care of the
Rabbits and never forgot to
give them fresh cabbage-
leaves every day. He also
had charge of the good-
natured Cow; Lizzie, the
eldest sister, milked it, and
fed the Cocks and Hens,
and gathered the new-laid
eggs, so that every morning
she could have a number of
them to put on the table
for breakfast and made the
butter and the fine large
cheeses. She also knew
how to make bread, as also
very light pies, puddings, and

custards, and would often
bake nice cakes for her
good brothers, which
they had as a reward
when they did their work
well. It was Harry's task
to bring from the bubbling
and sparkling well, sweet
water for his mother, and
brothers and sisters.

It was Jenny's duty to
teach the youngest childr. :-j
to read, and this she Ud
with great patience and
care — the youngest cnes she taught by showing them nice
books. The old wninan was very industrious herself, and

picture
desired

104

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN'

that all her children should b<* so likewise, for she knew that to be
clever and useful when we grow up, we must begin to learn when
we are young. I must not forget to mention the great dog Grim,
who watched the house, and kept off danger in the night by his
barking. He always took his station by the Shoe, and guarded
well the family in the darknes'. A brave fellow he was, as was
once shown, when a large savage Wolf came out of the forest,
and seized one of the little children by the frock. Grim ran at
the hungry animal, and, not at all daunted, caught him by the
throat, rolling him over on the ground. Strong-arm was near

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

I05

and, rushing upon the Wolf with his hatchet, at one blow killed
it. After this, he hung up the skin on a tree, as a warning to all
other hungry Wolves who might come prowling that way !

In the morning, when Strong-arm had gone into the forest,
and when Mark was working in the garden, and while Simon and
Peter were making baskets or tending the Sheep, this Little Old

io6

HE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

Lady would go forth to the brook, with all her younger children,
to wash the clothes. The girls would go into the water and help
their mother to wash, whilst Willie and Charlie would lay out the
clothes to dry ; when this
was done, they were care-
fully folded and carried
home in baskets by the
boys; thus every thing
was done in a neat and
orderly manner.

Now, it was in this way
the Old Lady spent her
time, and in this way she
ruled and taught her
children. It is certain
she would have been as
happy as her youngest
children playing in the
sunshine, were it not for
one sad event. You will
soon learn what this event
was ; meanwhile, I must
tell you that, when the
poor Old Lady thought
of it, it caused her so much
pain that she would be
forced to leave her work.

WHO LI VED IN A SHOE.

IO?

4ir

%x) fa ' /1

Then, sitting on the green bank by the river's side, she would
weep long in great grief.

This Little Old Woman had not always lived in a Shoe. No;
she and her family had once dwelt in a large house with great
windows, that stood on the banks of the sparkling lake. It was a

luS

TILE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

charming house ; the front and sides were all grown over with
creeping plants and ivy, and it had a fine roof of bright-red tiles.
Very happy were they in those days. Alas ! ill-fortune came upon
them at a moment when they least expected it.

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

J 09

It was an event that caused all the poor Little Old Lady's grief,
for it was nothing else than the loss, of her husband, whom she
loved so much and had not now seen for so many years. He was,
like his son Strong-arm, a wood-cutter. One day, as was his cus-
tom, he went into the forest to fell trees. Now, there lived in a
huge castle beyond the forest, a fierce Giant, whose name was
Gorgoras. He was as tall as the highest trees in the forest, his
arms and legs as large as any of their branches, while his body was
thicker than the trunk of any tree in the wood. His face was

no

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

almost covered with black hair, and his great eyes were like red-
hot coals. One day, this cruel Giant came out from his castle,
and, being in a bad temper, he, with many blows of his club,
dashed the house of the poor Little Old Woman into ruins ! It
was a very lucky thing that she and all her children were out in
the fields at the time. After this, the Giant went into the forest,
and, seeing the father at work, he, in a voice which sounded like
thunder among the trees, asked him what he did there? The
poor man was dumb with terror, and his knees shook and

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

I I )

trembled. The Giant said he wanted a man lc cut wood
for the fires in his castle, and, upon this, he. seized the wood-
cutter by the waist and bore him off. When the Little Old Woman
came home, she found her house in ruins, and her husband was
nowhere to be seen ! She knew at once that it was the work of the
wicked Giant, and became alarmed for her husband, as she «vas

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

certain that if he were seen by the Giant he would either kill him
or carry him to the deep dungeons in his castle. Night came on,
and her husband did not return, so she and her family went in
search of him, When they came to that part of the wood where
the Giant had met their father, they saw an immense Shoe. They

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

"3

spent a long time weeping and cry- «

ing out for their father, meeting
with no reply but the sighing of the
wind among the branches of the for-
est trees. Then the Old Lady
thought she and her children would
drag the Shoe out of the wood and
take shelter in it, till they should be
able to build a fresh house. They
fixed it firmly in the ground, prop-
ped it up with stout beams of tim-
ber, covered the top with a trap-
door to keep out rain and wind,
and, as it was very high, Peter and
Strong-arm cut a piece out of

the side to make an entrance. In this shoe they lived for many a
year, finding it suit them so well that they gave up the idea of
building a fresh house. Yet the Little Old Lady never forgot her
husband and his sad fate. Often would she sigh, and many hours
would she spend thinking of the best way to release him from the
bondage of the Giant ; but no plan could she form for his rescue.
Strong-arm had seen how wretched his mother was, and. he was
filled with sorrow as he watched her weeping and moaning on the
river's bank. When he learned it was for his father she mourned,
he was fired with the desire to release him at any cost ; so he spoke
to his brothers, who determined that he and the eleven next eldest
should go forth to conquer the Giant. His mother knew the
Giant's strength, and would not hear of his making the attempt.

H4

THE LJT2LE OLD WOMAN

She was sure he would be killed if he dared to approach the
Giant's castle. But the heart of Strong-arm knew no fear, and he
was ready to meet any danger. He bought a dozen sharp swords,
keeping for his own use an immense blade, such as in his powerful

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

"5

hands would deal a terrible

blow! He told his skilful

brother Peter to construct

twelve strong shields of wicker- '

work with iron spikes in the

centre of each, and as many

helmets of the same kind.

Both shields and helmets were

very light, though so closely

woven that they were not cut

by the heaviest blows that

Strong-arm could deal on them.

To make success more certain,

the skilful Peter made twelve

cross-bows, and for each one he

added a hundred iron-headed

arrows. Strong-arm and his

eleven brothers were now ready

to go 'forth and attack the

Giant ; but the Old Lady was

full of fear. Her eldest son

would hear of no delay, so they

put on their helmets, with their

swords and shields. Then

Strong-arm had them all stand

in order like well-trained soldiers, and going one at a time to their

mother, she gave each son her blessing, and then fell upon her

knees and prayed for their success as they went forth.

Ii6

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

Strong-arm now gave the order to advance, and they started
for the forest. They marched along with bold hearts, for it was a
long way off, and the road through the forest was difficult to find,
but they neither cared for difficulties nor trouble, so long as they
had the chance of restoring their kind father to liberty ; their
cause was good, Strong-arm said, and that right over might
should be their motto. When night came on, they were yet a
great distance from the castle, so they collected some wood and
made a fire, which they all sat round, and had some supper, which
their good mother had provided them with before starting. After
Mipper Strong-arm related histories to them showing how those
who fought for the true and just always conquered the wicked at
last, and told them that to be great men they must be good men;

who hhljj in a i>WJh.

then they all prayed that they might get their father out of the
hands of the wicked Giant, after which they lay down to sleep, two
always being left to watch. As soon as the sun rose, they all
washad in a clear stream that was near ; then Strong-arm served out
to each a nice biscuit ; this with a drink of spring water was their
breakfast, which they enjoyed very much. All being ready, the
order was given to march, and they soon came in sight of the
Giant's castle. Around the castle was a deepditch, and before the
massive gate there was a narrow bridge.

Strong-arm, leaving his eleven brothers in a little wood close by
the bridge, where they might remain safe yet within call if he
should want them, boldly strode up to the entrance. He seized

ilS

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

the knocker which was so heavy that it required the strength of
both his hands to lift it, Then he sounded such a peal on the
door that it fairly shook the walls of the castle ; the door was
opened by a funny little boy with a large head, who kept grinning

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

ll 9

and laughing. Strong-arm
demanded of him where his
master the Giant was to be
found, but the little fellow
only laughed the louder.

At the noise, and hearing
a strange voice, up sprang an
ill-looking little man, with a
large knife in his hand, who
had been crouched down in
the shadow, and so had not
been seen by Strong-arm, who
quickly placed his wicker-
work shield before his breast,
and pressed forward; the
man cried, Get back, or I'll
kill you ; this is not the place
for good boys — Get back, he
cried ; but Strong-arm made
a thrust at him and plunged
his sword deep into the little
man's side, who crept quickly
into his dark corner again.

Strong-arm now felt very
valiant, and walked boldly
across the court-yard.and pres-
ently he met a very smartly dressed page, who took his hat off and

120

2'JiJL LillLn uLL> MQMAAi

bowed to Strong-arm, asking what he might please to want. Strong.

arm said he had come to liberate his father, whom he knew was kept

a prisoner by the Giant ; on this
the little man said, You must
cross the inner court-yard, and
there you will see Old Margery
Longnose sweeping the floor ;
you must speak very kindly
to her and she may perhaps
assist you. Strong-arm soon
found the old woman, to
whom he related his story,
at which she said she was
sorry for him, because the
part of the castle in which
his father was kept was guard-
ed by a large Dragon, and
unless he could kill it he
never could get his father's
liberty. Strong-arm, noth-
ing daunted, followed the
old woman's direction, and
soon found himself in the
presence of the monster, who
was fast asleep; so Strong-
arm made short work of it
by sending his sword right

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

lVi'

through its heart; at which it jumped up, uttering a loud scream
and made as if it would spring forward and seize Strong-arm ; but
the good sword had done its work, and the monster fell heavHy on
the ground dead.

Now whilst all this was going vu, the giant who had been

122

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN 1

drinking much wine, was fast asleep in
a remote part of the castle. Strong-
arm had no sooner finished the Dragon,
than up strutted the funny little boy
who fir>.t opened the door, grinning and
laughing as before, and said, Your ser-
vant, sir, I know who and what you
want ; at the same time leading Strong-
arm round to another part of the court-
yard, where lie saw his poor father, who

»-<.

immediately sprung to his feet and embraced his son. He said
he was a dear, good, and dutiful boy to encounter so much danger
for him ; but alas ! how was he to escape, for he was chained to
the door. Then Strong-arm called up his brothers, and when
they had embraced their father, they soon broke the chain and set
him free ; so they all started off in the greatest joy for home.

124

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

I must return to the Little Old Woman. She, after her sons
had gone away, gave way to the most bitter grief for having let
them go to share the same cruel fate as her husband. , While in
this state, an old Witch came up to her, and on the Old Lady tell-
ing her the cause of her sorrow, she said she would help her, that
the Giant was an enemy of hers, and she would not only see that
the good sons prospered, but that the Giant should meet with such
pungent as his wicked ways deserved. Then the old Witch
took the Little Lady on her broom, and they sailed off through
the air, straight for the Giant's castle.

On their way the Witch related how the Giant and she hated

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

it.

125

each other: that she had great power, and wished to kill the
Giant. To carry out her design, she began by afflicting him with
corns and tender feet. Now when the Giant awoke from his sleep
he was in such pain that he c*ould bear it no longer, so he thought
he would go in search of his missing Shoe, which, like the other
one he had in his castle, was easy and large for his foot. When

126

THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN

he came to the spot where the Old Lady and her children lived,
he saw his old Shoe, and, with a laugh that shook the trees, he
thrust his foot into it, breaking through the trap door at the top !

L

The children,
in great alarm, rushed
about inside the Shoe,
and, in great fear and trembling, scram-
bled through the door slits which the

WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

Giant had formerly made for

the Witch and the Little Old

Lady, as also Strong-arm, his

eleven brothers, and his father

were come up to the spot.

Strong-arm and his eleven

brothers shot their arrows

at him till at last he fell

wounded, when Strong-arm

went up to him and cut

off his head. Then the father

and the Little Old Woman

and her many children built

a new house, and lived happil;-

ever afterwards.

his corns. By this time

128 THE FROG-FRINCE.

THE FROG-PRINCE.

In that good old time when wishing was having, there lived ?
king who had several daughters, and they were all beautiful. But
the youngest was the loveliest. Near the king's palace lay a great
dark forest, and in the forest was a fountain. When it was very
hot, the king's daughter used to seat herself at the edge of the
cool fountain, and played with a golden ball, throwing it up in the
air and catching it again. Now, one day it happened that she let
the ball roll into the water. At the loss of her ball the king's
daughter began to weep, and she cried louder and louder evary
minute.

She had not been crying lone: before someone called to her,
'■ What is the matter with you, king's daughter ? " She looked round
to see who spoke, and saw a frog stretching his thick ugly head
out of the water. " Oh, did you speak ? " said she ; " I am crying
for my golden ball which has fallen into the fountain." " Be quiet
and don't cry," answered the frog, " I dare say I can help you :
but what will you give me if I fetch your ball ? " " Whatever you
like, dear frog," said she ; " my clothes, my pearls, and jewels, even
the gold crown I wear." The frog answered, " These are all ©f no
use to me ; but if you will love me and let me be your companion
and playfellow, and sit near you at your little table, and eat from
your little golden plate, and drink from your little cup, and sleep
in your little bed — if you will promise me all this, then I will fetch
your golden ball from the bottom of the water." " Oh yes," said
she, " I promise you everything, if you will only bring me back my
golden ball." But she thought to herself all the time : " What
nonsense the silly frog talks ! " As soon as the frog had received
the promise, he dived down. In a little while up he came again

THE FROG- PRINCE. 1 29

with the ball in hi? mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's
daughter was full of joy when she saw her pretty plaything again ;
she packed it up and ran away with it. " Stop! stop !" cried the

frog ; * take me with you. I cannot go so fast as you." Alas I
ail his crying was useless, the princess did not hear him.

The next day, when she was sitting at dinner with the king and
all his courtiers, eating from her little gold plate, a sound was heard
of something coming up the marble stairs, splish-splash, splish-
splash, and when it had reached the top, it knocked at the door
and cried, " Youngest king's daughter, open the door." She rose
and went to see who it was, but, when she opened the door and

I30 THE FROG-PRINCE.

saw the frog, she shut it to with a bang, an u went back to her seat
looking very pale. The king said, " What is this, my child ? why
are you in such a fright ? Is there a giant outside to carry you
off ? " " Oh no," answered she, " it is no giant, but an ugly frog."
■ What does the frog want with you ? " said the king. She told
him. Just then there was another knock, and a voice cried,
" Youngest king's daughter, open the door ; have you forgotten
the promise you made, by the clear fountain, beneath the lime-tree ?
Youngest king's daughter, open the door ! "

Then the king said, " What you promised you must perform.
Go and let him in." She went and opened the door; in hopped
the frog, and he followed her till he came up to her chair. There
he sat, and cried out, " lift me up on the table." She would not,
till her father ordered her to obey. As soon as the frog was on
the table, he said, " Now push your little golden plate nearer me,
that we may eat together." She did so, but, as one could easily
see, very unwillingly. The frog seemed to enjoy his dinner, but
ever>' bit she ate stuck in the throat of our poor little princess.
Then the frog said, " I have eaten enough, and am tired ; carry
me up-stairs to your little room, and make your little silken bed
smooth, and we will lie down to sleep together." At this the prin-
cess began to cry ; for she was afraid of the cold frog. But the
king looked angrily at her, and said, " He who helped you when
in trouble must not now be despised.' So she took up the frog
with two fingers, and carried him up stairs. When she got into
bed, instead of lifting him into it too, she threw him with all her
strength against the wall, saying, " Now, you ugly frog, there will
be an end to you ! "

But as he fell from the wall he was changed from a frog into a
handsome prince, with beautiful eyes, who became, by her own
promise and her father's consent, her dear companion and husband

"^JjL^JjL^^U^^^ff:

'vwmww.-y ■:

mmmm m ni 'i T "

,1, II 1 . . ';.. ""

. j-v::» ;.^4^^ ;'■--'■' 5^.^ "'' w s *'i

"WHAT YOU PROMISED YOU MUST PERFORM."

! 3 2 THE FROG-PRINCE.

Then he told her how he had been changed by a witch, and how
no one but herself could have released him from his enchantment.
The next day as soon as the sun was up, a carriage, drawn by
eight white horses with golden bridles, drove up to the palace gates.
Behind it stood the faithful Henry, the servant of the young prince.
This trustworthy attendant had been so grieved when his master
was changed into a frog, that he had fastened three iron bands
round his heart, for fear it should break with grief and sorrow. But
now that the carriage was ready to convey the prince to his king-
dom he mounted behind, fall of joy at his master's release. They
had not gone far when the prince heard behind him a noise as if
something was breaking. He turned round and cried out, " Henry,
the carriage is breaking ! " But Henry replied, " No, sir, it is not
the carriage, but one of the bands that I bound round my heart
when I thought it would have burst with grief at your being a frog
at the bottom of a fountain." Twice afterwards on the journey
the same noise was heard, and both times the prince thought some-
thing about the carriage was giving way, but it was only the bands
which bound the heart of the faithful Henry breaking -out of joy
that the Frog-prince was a frog no longer.