®fje Htbrar p 
 
 of rtjc 
 
 ®ntoer£ttp of JSortf) Carolina 
 
 J396 68991 
 
 J 
 Mabie 
 Fairy tales every child should know 
 

 
 This BOOK may be kept out TWO WEEKS 
 ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE 
 CENTS a day thereafter. It was taken out on 
 the day indicated below: 
 
 Augl7>40 
 24Jul'45 
 
 S " ... 
 
 - IS 
 2»'48 
 
 «tn 
 
 ? ». 
 
 -. 
 
 
 v 
 
 ^22 5C 
 
 JUL • * 
 
 Lib. lOM-Fe '38 
 
 MY 8'5a 
 
 HW 1 4 195* 
 AUG 2 S 1965 
 
 i 
 
 MAY i 3 797t 
 
 hoy j ^ 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/fairytaleseverycmabi 
 
FAIRY TALES EVERY 
 CHILD SHOULD KNOW 
 
 A SELECTION OF THE BEST FAIRYTALES 
 OF ALL TIMES AND OF ALL AUTHORS 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 GROSSET & DUNLAP 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
Copyright, 190S. BY 
 DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 
 
 All rights reserved^ 
 Eluding that of translation into foreign languor, 
 9nC S including the Scandinavian. 
 
Librar r ' of 
 
 North Caroh 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 TO 
 
 * ' e "FAIRIES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW" 
 
 The fairy tale is a poetic recording of the facts of 
 life, an interpretation by the imagination of its hard 
 conditions, an effort to reconcile the spirit which 
 loves freedom and goodness and beauty with its 
 harsh, bare and disappointing conditions. It is, in 
 its earliest form, a spontaneous and instinctive en- 
 deavor to shape the facts of the world to meet the 
 needs of the imagination, the cravings of the heart. 
 It involves a free, poetic dealing with realities in 
 accordance with the law of mental growth ; it is the 
 naive activity of the young imagination of the race, 
 untrammelled by the necessity of rigid adherence 
 to the fact. 
 f The myths record the earliest attempt at an expla- 
 / nation of the world and its life ; the fairy tale records 
 \the free and joyful play of the imagination, opening 
 doors through hard conditions to the spirit, which 
 craves power, freedom, happiness ; righting wrongs 
 and redressing injuries; defeating base designs; re- 
 warding patience and virtue ; crowning true love 
 with happiness ; placing the powers of darkness 
 under the control of man and making their ministers 
 his servants. In the fairy story, men are not set 
 entirely free from their limitations, but, by the aid 
 of fairies, genii, giants and demons, they are put 
 
vi Introduction 
 
 in command of unusual powers and make themselves 
 masters of the forces of nature. 
 
 The oldest fairy stories constitute a fascinating 
 introduction to the book of modern science, curi- 
 ously predicting its discoveries, its uncovering of the 
 resources of the earth and air, its growing control of 
 the tremendous forces which work in earth and air. 
 And it is significant that the recent progress of 
 science is steadily toward what our ancestors would 
 have considered fairy land ; for in all the imaginings 
 of the childhood of the race there was nothing more 
 marvellous or more audaciously improbable than the 
 transmission of the accents and modulations of 
 familiar voices through long distances, and the 
 power of communication across leagues of sea with- 
 out mechanical connections of any kind. 
 
 The faculty which created the fairy tale is the 
 same faculty which, supplemented by a broader ob- 
 servation and based on more accurate knowledge, 
 has broadened the range and activities of modern 
 man, made the world accessible to him, enabled him 
 to live in one place but to speak and act in places 
 thousands of miles distant, given him command of 
 colossal forces, and is fast making him rich on a 
 scale which would have seemed incredible to men 
 of a half-century ago. There is nothing in any 
 fairy tale more marvellous and inherently improba- 
 ble than many of the achievements of scientific 
 observation and invention, and we are only at the 
 beginning of the wonders that lie within the reach 
 of the human spirit I 
 
 No one can understand the modern world with- 
 
Introduction vii 
 
 out the aid of the imagination, and as the frontiers 
 of knowledge are pushed still further away from 
 the obvious and familiar, there will be an increasing 
 tax on the imagination. The world of dead matter 
 which our fathers thought they understood has be- 
 come a world of subtle forces moving with incon- 
 ceivable velocity; nothing is inert, all things are 
 transformed into other and more elusive shapes pre- 
 cisely as the makers of the fairy tales foresaw and 
 predicted; the world lives in every atom just as 
 their world lived; forces lie just outside the range 
 of physical sight, but entirely within the range of 
 spiritual vision, precisely as the tellers of these old 
 stories divined; mystery and wonder enfold all 
 things, and not only evoke the full play of the mind, 
 but flood it with intimations and suggestions of the 
 presence of more elusive and subtle forces, of finer 
 and more obedient powers, as the world of fairies, 
 magi and demons enfolded the ancient earth of 
 daily toil and danger. 
 
 In a word, the fairy stories have come true ; they 
 are historical in the sense that they faithfully report 
 a stage of spiritual growth and predict a higher 
 order of realities through a deeper knowledge of 
 actualities. They were poetic renderings of facts 
 which science is fast verifying, chiefly by the use of 
 the same faculty which enriched early literature with 
 the myth and the fairy tale. The scientist has turned 
 poet in these later days, and the imagination which 
 once expressed itself in a free handling of facts so 
 as to make them answer the needs and demands of 
 the human spirit, now expresses itself in that 
 
viii Introduction 
 
 breadth of vision which reconstructs an extinct 
 animal from a bone and analyzes the light of a sun 
 flaming on the outermost boundaries of space. 
 
 This collection of tales, gathered from the rich 
 literature of the childhood of the world, or from the 
 books of the few modern men who have found the 
 key of that wonderful world, is put forth not only 
 without apology, but with the hope that it may 
 widen the demand for these charming reports of a 
 world in which the truths of our working world 
 are loyally upheld, while its hard facts are quietly 
 but authoritatively dismissed from attention. The 
 widest interpretation has been given to the fairy 
 tale, so as to include many of those classic romances 
 of childhood in which no fairy appears, but which 
 are invested with the air and are permeated with 
 the glorious freedom of fairy land. 
 
 No sane man or woman undervalues the immense 
 gains of the modern world in the knowledge of facts 
 and the application of ideas to things in order to 
 secure comfort, health, access to the treasure in the 
 earth and on its surface, the means of education 
 and greater freedom from the tyranny of toil by the 
 accumulation of the fruits of toil ; but no sane man 
 or woman believes that a mechanical age is other 
 than a transitional age, that the possession of things 
 is the final achievement of society, and that in multi- 
 plication of conveniences civilization will reach its 
 point of culmination. 
 
 We are so engrossed in getting rich that we for- 
 get that by and by, when we have become rich, we 
 shall have to learn how to live ; for work can never 
 
Introduction ix 
 
 be an end in itself ; it is a " means of grace " when 
 it is not drudgery ; and it must, in the long run, be 
 a preparation for play. For play is not organized 
 idleness, frivolity set in a fanciful order; it is the 
 normal, spontaneous exercise of physical activity, 
 the wholesome gayety of the mind, the natu- 
 ral expression of the spirit, without self-con- 
 sciousness, constraint, or the tyranny of hours and 
 tasks. It is the highest form of energy, because 
 it is free and creative ; a joy in itself, and therefore 
 a joy in the world. This is the explanation of the 
 sense of freedom and elation which come from a 
 great work of art; it is the instinctive perception of 
 the fact that while immense toil lies behind the 
 artist's skill, the soul of the creation came from be- 
 yond the world of work and the making of it was a 
 bit of play. The man of creative spirit is often a 
 tireless worker, but in his happiest hours he is at 
 play; for all work, when it rises into freedom and 
 power, is play. " We work," wrote a Greek thinker 
 of the most creative people who have yet appeared, 
 " hi order that we may have leisure." The note of 
 that life was freedom ; its activity was not " evoked 
 by external needs, but was free, spontaneous and de- 
 lightful ; an ordered energy which stimulates all the 
 vital and mental powers." 
 
 Robert Louis Stevenson, who knew well how to 
 touch work with the spirit and charm of play, re- 
 ports of certain evenings spent at a clubhouse near 
 Brussels, that the men who gathered there " were 
 employed over the frivolous mercantile concerns of 
 Belgium during the day; but in the evening they 
 
x Introduction 
 
 found some hours for the serious concerns of life." 
 They gave their days to commerce, but their even- 
 ings were devoted to more important interests ! 
 
 These words are written for those older people 
 who have made the mistake of straying away from 
 childhood; children do not read introductions, be- 
 cause they know that the valuable part of the boo'- 
 is to be found in the later pages. They read the 
 stories; their elders read the introduction as well. 
 They both need the stuff of imagination, of which 
 myths, legends, and fairy tales are made. So much 
 may be said of these old stories that it is a serious 
 question where to begin, and a still more difficult 
 question where to end. For these tales are the first 
 outpourings of that spring of imagination whence 
 flow the most illuminating, inspiring, refreshing and 
 captivating thoughts and ideas about life. No 
 philosophy is deeper than that which underlies 
 these stories ; no psychology is more important than 
 that which finds its choicest illustration in them; 
 no chapter in the history of thought is more sug- 
 gestive and engrossing than that which records 
 their growth and divines their meaning. Fairy tales 
 and myths are so much akin that they are easily 
 transformed and exchange costumes without chang- 
 ing character; while the legend, which belongs to a 
 later period, often reflects the large meaning of the 
 myth and the free fancy of the fairy tale. 
 
 As a class, children not only possess the faculty 
 of imagination, but are very largely occupied with 
 it during the most sensitive and formative years, 
 and those who lack it are brought under its spell by 
 
Introduction xi 
 
 their fellows. They do not accurately distinguish 
 between the actual and the imaginary, and they live 
 at ease in a world out of which paths run in every 
 direction into wonderland. They begin their educa- 
 tion when they begin to play ; for play not only 
 affords an outlet for their energy, and so supplies 
 one great means of growth and training, but places 
 them in social relations with their mates and in con- 
 scious contact with the world about them. The old 
 games that have been played by generations of chil- 
 dren not only precede the training of the school 
 and supplement it, but accomplish some results in 
 the nature of the child which are beyond the reach 
 of the school. When a crowd of boys are rushing 
 across country in " hounds and deer," they are 
 giving lungs, heart and muscles the best possible 
 exercise; they are sharing certain rules of honor 
 with one another, expressed in that significant 
 phrase, " fair play " ; and they are giving rein to 
 their imaginations in the very name of their occu- 
 pation. Body, spirit and imagination have their part 
 in every good game ; for the interest of a game lies 
 in its appeal to the imagination, as in " hounds and 
 deer," or in its stimulus to activity, as in " tag " and 
 " hide-and-seek." 
 
 There are few chapters in the biography of the 
 childhood of men of genius more significant than 
 those which describe imaginary worlds which were, 
 for a time, as real as the actual world in which the 
 boy lived. Goethe entertained and mystified his 
 playmates with accounts of a certain garden in 
 which he wandered at will, but which they could 
 
Kit Introduction 
 
 not find; and De Quincey created a kingdom, with 
 all its complex relations and varied activities, which 
 he ruled with beneficence and affection until, in an 
 unlucky hour, he revealed his secret to his brother, 
 who straightway usurped his authority, and gov- 
 erned his subjects with such tyranny and cruelty 
 that De Quincey was compelled to save his people 
 by destroying them. 
 
 These elaborate and highly organized efforts of 
 the young imagination, of which boys and girls of 
 unusual inventiveness are capable, are imitated on 
 a smaller scale by all normal children. They endow 
 inanimate things with life, and play and suffer with 
 them as with their real playmates. The little girl 
 not only talks with her dolls, but weeps with and for 
 them when disaster overtakes them. The boy faces 
 foes of his own making in the woods, or at lonely 
 places in the road, who are quite as real to him as the 
 people with whom he lives. By common agreement 
 a locality often becomes a historic spot to a whole 
 group of boys ; enemies are met and overcome there ; 
 grave perils are bravely faced ; and the magic some- 
 times lingers long after the dream has been dis- 
 solved in the dawning light of definite knowledge. 
 Childhood is one long day of discovery ; first, to the 
 unfolding spirit, there is revealed a wonderland 
 partly actual and partly created by the action of the 
 mind; then follows the slow awakening, when the 
 growing boy or girl learns to distinguish between 
 fact and fancy, and to separate the real from the 
 imaginary. 
 
 This process of learning to " see things as they 
 
Introduction xiii 
 
 are " is often regarded as the substance of education, 
 and to be able to distinguish sharply and accurately 
 between reality and vision, actual and imaginary 
 image is accepted as the test of thorough training 
 of the intelligence. What really takes place is the 
 readjustment of the work of the faculties so as to 
 secure harmonious action ; and in the happy and 
 sound development of the nature the imagination 
 does not give place to observation, but deals with 
 principles, forces and laws instead of with things. 
 The loss of vision is never compensated for by the 
 gain of sight ; to see a thing one must use his mind 
 quite as much as his eye. It too often happens, as 
 the result of our educational methods, that in train- 
 ing the observer we blight the poet; and the poet 
 is, after all, the most important person in society. 
 He keeps the soul of his fellows alive. Without him 
 the modern world would become one vast, dreary, 
 soul-destroying Coketown, and man would sink to 
 the level of Gradgrind. The practical man de- 
 velops the resources of the country, the man of 
 vision discerns, formulates and directs its spiritual 
 policy and growth; the mechanic builds the house, 
 but the architect creates it; the artisan makes the 
 tools, but the artist uses them ; the observer sees and 
 records the fact, but the scientist discovers the law ; 
 the man of affairs manages the practical concerns 
 of the world from day to day, but the poet makes it 
 spiritual, significant, interesting, worth living in. 
 
 The modern child passes through the same stages 
 as did the children of four thousand years ago. He, 
 too, is a poet. He believes that the world about him 
 
xiv Introduction 
 
 throbs with life and is peopled with all manner of 
 strange, beautiful, powerful folk, who live just out- 
 side the range of his sight ; he, too, personifies light 
 and heat and storm and wind and cold as his re- 
 mote ancestors did. He, too, lives in and through 
 his imagination; and if, in later life, he grows in 
 power and becomes a creative man, his achievements 
 are the fruits of the free and vigorous life of his 
 imagination. The higher kinds of power, the higher 
 opportunities of mind, the richer resources, the 
 springs of the deeper happiness, are open to him in 
 the exact degree in which he is able to use his im- 
 agination with individual freedom and intelligence. 
 Formal education makes small provision for this 
 great need of his nature ; it trains his eye, his hand, 
 his faculty of observation, his ability to reason, his 
 capacity for resolute action; but it takes little ac- 
 count of that higher faculty which, cooperating with 
 the other faculties, makes him an architect instead of 
 a builder, an artist instead of an artisan, a poet in- 
 stead of a drudge. 
 
 The fairy tale belongs to the child and ought al- 
 ways to be within his reach, not only because it is his 
 special literary form and his nature craves it, but 
 because it is one of the most vital of the textbooks 
 offered to him in the school of life. In ultimate im- 
 portance it outranks the arithmetic, the grammar, 
 the geography, the manuals of science; for without 
 the aid of the imagination none of these books is 
 really comprehensible. 
 
 Hamilton Wright Mabie. 
 
 March, 1905. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 TO 
 
 "FAIRY TALES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW " 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction v 
 
 • >One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes i 
 
 (Grimm's Fairy Tales) 
 
 ' The Magic Mirror n 
 
 (Grimm's Fairy Tales) 
 
 P The Enchanted Stag 26 
 
 (Grimm's Fairy Tales) 
 
 •Hansel and Grethel 35 
 
 (Grimm's Fairy Tales) 
 
 ^The Story of Aladdin ; or, The Wonderful Lamp . 48 
 
 (" Arabian Nights' Entertainments ") 
 
 The History of Ali Baba, and of the Forty Rob- 
 bers Killed by One Slave 109 
 
 (" Arabian Nights' Entertainments ") 
 
 v The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor . . 140 
 
 (" Arabian Nights' Entertainments ") 
 
 ,- r The White Cat . . ^^ 147 
 
 (From the tale by the Comtesse d'Aulnoy) 
 
 The Golden Goose 166 
 
 (Grimm's Fairy Tales) 
 
 The Twelve Brothers :--• 173 
 
 (Grimm's Fairy Tales) 
 
 ■ The Fair One with the Golden Locks . . . 180 
 
 (From the tale by the Comtesse d'Aulnoy) 
 
 pToH Thumb 195 
 
 (First written in prose in 1621 by Richard Johnson) 
 
 v ' Blue Beard 204 
 
 (From the French tale by Charles Perrault) 
 
 \ 
 
CONTENTS— Continued 
 
 PAGE 
 
 * Cinderella ; or, The Little Glass Slipper . . . 212 
 
 (From the French tale by Charles Perrault) 
 
 ' Puss in Boots 222 
 
 . (Ff"om the French tale by Charles Perrault) 
 
 The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood .... 229 
 
 (From the French tale by Charles Perrault) 
 
 Jack and the Bean-Stalk 236 
 
 (Said to be an allegory of the Teutonic Al-fader. The tale 
 is also written in French by Charles Perrault) 
 
 * Jack the Giant Killer 254 
 
 (From the old British legend told by Geoffrey of Mon- 
 mouth, of Corineus the Trojan) 
 
 S % Little Red Riding Hood 273 
 
 (From the French tale by Charles Perrault) 
 
 •The Three Bears 276 
 
 (Robert Southey) 
 
 L-'ic The Princess on the Pea 279 
 
 (From the tale by Hans Christian Andersen) 
 
 l'The Ugly Duckling ........ 281 
 
 (From the tale by Hans Christian Andersen) 
 
 The Light Princess 294 
 
 (George MacDonald) 
 
 Beauty and the Beast 352 
 
 (From the French tale by Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve) 
 
Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
i 
 
/ 
 
 FAIRY TALES EVERY CHILD 
 SHOULD KNOW 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 ONE EYE, TWO EYES, THREE EYES 
 
 There was once a woman who had three daugh- 
 ters, of whom the eldest was named " One Eye," be- 
 cause she had only one eye in the middle of her fore- 
 head. The second had two eyes, like other people, 
 and she was called " Two Eyes." The youngest had 
 three eyes, two like her second sister, and one in the 
 middle of her forehead, like the eldest, and she bore 
 the name of " Three Eyes." 
 
 Now because little Two Eyes looked just like 
 other people, her mother and sisters could not en- 
 dure her. They said to her, " You are not better 
 than common folks, with your two eyes; you don't 
 belong to us." 
 
 So they pushed her about, and threw all their old 
 clothes to her for her to wear, and gave her only 
 the pieces that were left to eat, and did everything 
 that they could to make her miserable. It so hap- 
 pened that little Two Eyes was sent into the fields 
 to take care of the goats, and she was often very 
 hungry, although her sisters had as much as they 
 liked to eat. So one day she seated herself on a 
 mound in the field, and began to weep and cry so 
 bitterly that two little rivulets flowed from her eves. 
 
2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Once, in the midst of her sorrow she looked up, and 
 saw a woman standing near her who said, " What 
 are you weeping for, little Two Eyes?" 
 
 " I cannot help weeping," she replied ; " for be- 
 cause I have two eyes, like other people, my mother 
 and sisters cannot bear me ; they push me about 
 from one corner to another and make we wear their 
 old clothes, and give me nothing to eat but what is 
 left, so that I am always hungry. To-day they gave 
 me so little that I am nearly starved." 
 
 " Dry up your tears, little Two Eyes," said the 
 wise woman ; " I will tell you something to do 
 which will prevent you from ever being hungry 
 again. You have only to say to your own goat : 
 
 " ' Little goat, if you're able, 
 Pray deck out my table,' 
 
 and immediately there will be a pretty little table 
 before you full of all sorts of good things for you 
 to eat, as much as you like. And when you have 
 had enough, and you do not want the table any 
 more, you need only say : 
 
 " ' Little goat, when you're able, 
 Remove my nice table,' 
 
 and it will vanish from your eyes." 
 
 Then the wise woman went away. " Now," 
 thought little Two Eyes, " I will try if what she 
 says is true, for I am very hungry," so she said: 
 
 " Little goat, if you're able, 
 Pray deck out my table." 
 
 The words were scarcely spoken, when a beauti- 
 
One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes 3 
 
 ful little table stood really before her ; it had a white 
 cloth and plates, and knives and forks, and silver 
 spoons, and such a delicious dinner, smoking- hot 
 as if it had just come from the kitchen. Then little 
 Two Eyes sat down and said the shortest grace she 
 knew — " Pray God be our guest for all time. 
 Amen " — before she allowed herself to taste any- 
 thing. But oh, how she did enjoy her dinner! and 
 when she had finished, she said, as the wise woman 
 had taught her: 
 
 " Little goat, when you're able, 
 Remove my nice table." 
 
 In a moment, the table and everything upon it had 
 disappeared. " That is a pleasant way to keep 
 house," said little Two Eyes, and felt quite con- 
 tented and happy. In the evening, when she went 
 home with the goat, she found an earthenware dish 
 with some scraps which her sisters had left for her, 
 but she did not touch them. The next morning she 
 went away with the goat, leaving them behind 
 where they had been placed for her. The first and 
 second times that she did so, the sisters did not 
 notice it; but when they found it happened every 
 day, they said one to the other, " There is something- 
 strange about little Two Eyes, she leaves her sup 
 per every day, and all that has been put for her has 
 been wasted ; she must get food somewhere else." 
 
 So they determined to find out the truth, and they 
 arranged that when Two Eyes took her goat to the 
 field, One Eye should go with her to take particular 
 notice of what she did, and discover if anything" 
 was brought for her to eat and drink. 
 
4 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 So when Two Eyes started with her goat, One 
 Eye said to her, " I am going with you to-day to 
 see if the goat gets her food properly while you are 
 watching the rest." 
 
 But Two Eyes knew what she had in her mind. 
 So she drove the goat into the long grass, and said, 
 " Come, One Eye, let us sit down here and rest, and 
 I will sing to you." 
 
 One Eye seated herself, and, not being accus- 
 tomed to walk so far, or to be out in the heat of 
 the sun, she began to feel tired, and as little Two 
 Eyes kept on singing, she closed her one eye and 
 fell fast asleep. 
 
 When Two Eyes saw this, she knew that One 
 Eye could not betray her, so she said : 
 
 " Little goat, if you are able, 
 Come and deck my pretty table." 
 
 She seated herself when it appeared, and ate and 
 drank very quickly, and when she had finished she 
 said: 
 
 " Little goat, when you are able, 
 Come and clear away my table." 
 
 It vanished in the twinkling of an eye; and then 
 Two Eyes woke up One Eye, and said, " Little One 
 Eye, you are a clever one to watch goats ; for, while 
 you are asleep, they might be running all over the 
 world. Come, let us go home ! " 
 
 So they went to the house, and little Two Eyes 
 again left the scraps on the dish untouched, and 
 One Eye could not tell her mother whether little 
 Two Eyes had eaten anything in the field; for she 
 said to excuse herself, " I was asleep." 
 
One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes 5 
 
 The next day the mother said to Three Eyes, 
 " You must go to the field this time, and find out 
 whether there is anyone who brings food to little 
 Two Eyes ; for she must eat and drink secretly." 
 
 So when little Two Eyes started with her goat, 
 Three Eyes followed, and said, " I am going with 
 you to-day, to see if the goats are properly fed and 
 watched." 
 
 But Two Eyes knew her thoughts ; so she led the 
 goat through the long grass to tire Three Eyes, and 
 at last she said, " Let us sit down here and rest, 
 and I will sing to you, Three Eyes." 
 
 She was glad to sit down, for the walk and the 
 heat of the sun had really tired her ; and, as her 
 sister continued her song, she was obliged to close 
 two of her eyes, and they slept, but not the third. 
 In fact, Three Eyes was wide awake with one eye, 
 and heard and saw all that Two Eyes did ; for poor 
 little Two Eyes, thinking she was asleep, said her 
 speech to the goat, and the table came with all the 
 good things on it, and was carried away when Two 
 Eyes had eaten enough ; and the cunning Three 
 Eyes saw it all with her one eye. But she pre- 
 tended to be asleep when her sister came to wake 
 her and told her she was going home. 
 
 That evening, when little Two Eyes again left 
 the supper they placed aside for her, Three Eyes 
 said to her mother, " I know where the proud thing 
 gets her good eating and drinking ; " and then she 
 described all she had seen in the field. " I saw it 
 all with one eye," she said ; " for she had made my 
 other two eyes close with her fine singing, but 
 luckily the one in my forehead remained open." 
 
6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Then the envious mother cried out to poor little 
 Two Eyes, " You wish to have better food than we, 
 do you ? You shall lose your wish ! " She took up 
 a butcher's knife, went out, and stuck the good 
 little goat in the heart, and it fell dead. 
 
 When little Two Eyes saw this, she went out into 
 the field, seated herself on a mound, and wept most 
 bitter tears. 
 
 Presently the wise woman stood again before her, 
 and said, " Little Two Eyes, why do you weep ? " 
 
 " Ah ! " she replied, " I must weep. The goat, 
 who every day spread my table so beautifully, has 
 been killed by my mother, and I shall have again to 
 suffer from hunger and sorrow." 
 
 " Little Two Eyes," said the wise woman, " I 
 will give you some good advice. Go home, and ask 
 your sister to give you the inside of the slaughtered 
 goat, and then go and bury it in the ground in front 
 of the house-door." 
 
 On saying this the wise woman vanished. 
 
 Little Two Eyes went home quickly, and said to 
 her sister, " Dear sister, give me some part of my 
 poor goat. I don't want anything valuable; only 
 give me the inside." 
 
 Her sister laughed, and said, " Of course you can 
 have that, if you don't want anything else." 
 
 So little Two Eyes took the inside; and in the 
 evening, when all was quiet, buried it in the ground 
 outside the house-door, as the wise womgn had told 
 her to do. 
 
 The next morning, when they all rose and looked 
 out of the window, there stood a most wonderful 
 tree, with leaves of silver and apples of gold hang- 
 
One Eye, Tzvo Eyes, Three Eyes 7 
 
 ing between them. Nothing in the wide world 
 could be more beautiful or more costly. They none 
 of them knew how the tree could come there in one 
 night, excepting little Two Eyes. She supposed it 
 had grown up from the inside of the goat; for it 
 stood over where she had buried it in the earth. 
 
 Then said the mother to little One Eye, " Climb 
 up, my child, and break off some of the fruit from 
 the tree." 
 
 One Eye climbed up, but when she tried to catch 
 a branch and pluck one of the apples, it escaped 
 from her hand, and so it happened every time she 
 made the attempt, and, do what she would, she 
 could not reach one. 
 
 " Three Eyes," said the mother, " climb up, and 
 try what you can do; perhaps you will be able to 
 see better with your three eyes than One Eye can." 
 
 One Eye slid down from the tree, and Three Eyes 
 climbed up. But Three Eyes was not more skilful ; 
 with all her efforts she could not draw the branches, 
 nor the fruit, near enough to pluck even a leaf, for 
 they sprang back as she put out her hand. 
 
 At last the mother was impatient, and climbed up 
 herself, but with no more success, for, as she ap- 
 peared to grasp a branch, or fruit, her hand closed 
 upon thin air. 
 
 " May I try ? " said little Two Eyes ; " perhaps I 
 may succeed." 
 
 " You, indeed ! " cried her sisters ; " you, with 
 your two eyes, what can you do ? " 
 
 But Two Eyes climbed up, and the golden apples 
 did not fly back from her when she touched them, 
 but almost laid themselves on her hand, and she 
 
8 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 plucked them one after another, till she carried 
 down her own little apron full. 
 
 The mother took them from her, and gave them 
 to her sisters, as she said little Two Eyes did not 
 handle them properly ; but this was only from jeal- 
 ousy, because little Two Eyes was the only one who 
 could reach the fruit, and she went into the house 
 feeling more spiteful to her than ever. 
 
 It happened that while all three sisters were 
 standing under the tree together a young knight 
 rode by. " Run away, quick, and hide yourself, 
 little Two Eyes ; hide yourself somewhere, for we 
 shall be quite ashamed for you to be seen." Then 
 they pushed the poor girl, in great haste, under an 
 empty cask, which stood near the tree, and several 
 of the golden apples that she had plucked along 
 with her. 
 
 As the knight came nearer they saw he was a 
 handsome man ; and presently he halted, and looked 
 with wonder and pleasure at the beautiful tree with 
 its silver leaves and golden fruit 
 
 At last he spoke to the sisters, and asked : " To 
 whom does this beautiful tree belong? If a man 
 possessed only one branch he might obtain all he 
 wished for in the world." 
 
 " This tree belongs to us," said the two sisters, 
 v and we will break off a branch for you if you 
 like." They gave themselves a great deal of trouble 
 in trying to do as they offered; but all to no pur- 
 pose, for the branches and the fruit evaded their 
 efforts, and sprung back at every touch. 
 
 " This is wonderful," exclaimed the knight, 
 
One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes 9 
 
 " that the tree should belong to you, and yet you are 
 not able to gather even a branch." 
 
 They persisted, however, in declaring that the 
 tree was their own property. At this moment little 
 Two Eyes, who was angry because her sisters had 
 not told the truth, caused two of the golden apples 
 to slip out from under the cask, and they rolled on 
 till they reached the feet of the knight's horse. 
 When he saw them, he asked in astonishment where 
 they came from. 
 
 The two ugly maidens replied that they had an- 
 other sister, but they dared not let him see her, for 
 she had only two eyes, like common people, and was 
 named little Two Eyes. 
 
 But the knight felt very anxious to see her, and 
 called out, " Little Two Eyes, come here." Then 
 came Two Eyes, quite comforted, from the empty 
 cask, and the knight was astonished to find her so 
 beautiful. 
 
 Then he said, " Little Two Eyes, can you break 
 off a branch of the tree for me ? " 
 
 " Oh yes," she replied, " I can, very easily, for 
 the tree belongs to me." And she climbed up, and, 
 without any trouble, broke off a branch with its 
 silver leaves and golden fruit and gave it to the 
 knight. 
 
 He looked down at her as she stood by his horse, 
 and said : " Little Two Eyes, what shall I give you 
 for this?" 
 
 " Ah ! " she answered, " I suffer from hunger 
 and thirst, and sorrow, and troubVe, from early 
 morning till late at night; if you would only take 
 me with you, and release me, I should be so happy." 
 
io Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Then the knight lifted the little maiden on his 
 horse, and rode home with her to his father's castle. 
 There she was given beautiful clothes to wear, and 
 as much to eat and drink as she wished, and as she 
 grew up the young knight loved her so dearly that 
 they were married with great rejoicings. 
 
 Now, when the two sisters saw little Two Eyes 
 carried away by the handsome young knight, they 
 were overjoyed at their good fortune. " The won- 
 derful tree belongs to us now," they said ; " even if 
 we cannot break off a branch, yet everybody who 
 passes will stop to admire it, and make acquaintance 
 with us, and, who knows? we may get husbands 
 after all." 
 
 But when they rose the next morning, lo ! the 
 tree had vanished, and with it all their hopes. And 
 on this very morning, when little Two Eyes looked 
 out of her chamber window of the castle, she saw, 
 to her great joy, that the tree had followed her. 
 
 Little Two Eyes lived for a long time in great 
 happiness; but she heard nothing of her sisters, till 
 one day two poor women came to the castle, to beg 
 for alms. Little Two Eyes saw them, and, looking 
 earnestly in their faces, she recognised her two 
 sisters, who had become so poor that they were 
 obliged to beg their bread from door to door. 
 
 But the good sister received them most kindly, 
 and promised to take care of them and give them 
 all they wanted. And then they did indeed repent 
 and feel sorry for having treated her so badly in 
 their youthful days. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE MAGIC MIRROR 
 
 One day in the middle of winter, when the snow- 
 flakes fell from the sky like feathers, a queen sat at 
 a window netting. Her netting-needle was of black 
 ebony, and as she worked, and the snow glittered, 
 she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell 
 into the snow. The red spots looked so beautiful 
 in the white snow that the queen thought to herself : 
 
 " Oh, if I only had a little child, I should like it 
 to be as fair as snow, as rosy as the red blood, and 
 with hair and eyes as black as ebony." 
 
 Very soon after this the queen had a little 
 daughter who was very fair, had rosy cheeks, and 
 hair as black as ebony ; and they gave her the name 
 of Snow-white. But at the birth of the little child 
 the queen died. 
 
 When Snow-white was a year old, the king took 
 another wife. She was very handsome, but so 
 proud and vain that she could not endure that any- 
 one should surpass her in beauty. She possessed a 
 wonderful mirror, and when she stood before it to 
 look at herself she would say : 
 
 " Mirror, mirror on the wall, 
 Am I most beautiful of all? " 
 
12 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Then the mirror would reply: 
 
 " Young queen, thou an: so wondrous fair, 
 None can with thee at all compare." 
 
 Then she would go away quite contented, for 
 she knew the magic mirror could speak only the 
 truth. 
 
 Years went by, and as Snow-white grew up, she 
 became day after day more beautiful, till she 
 reached the age of seven years, and then people 
 began to talk about her, and say that she would be 
 more lovely even than the queen herself. So the 
 proud woman went to her magic looking-glass, and 
 asked : 
 
 " Mirror, mirror on the wall, 
 Am I most beautiful of all? " 
 
 But the mirror answered: 
 
 " Queen, thou are lovely still to see, 
 But Snow-white will be 
 A thousand times more beautiful than thee." 
 
 Then the queen was terrified, and turned green 
 and yellow with jealousy. If she had caught sight 
 of Snow-white at that moment, she would have been 
 ready to tear her heart out of her body, she hated 
 the maiden so fiercely. 
 
 And this jealousy and envy grew every day 
 stronger and stronger in her heart, like a disease, 
 till she had no rest day or night. 
 
 At last she sent for a hunter, who lived near a 
 forest, and said to him, " Hunter, I want to get rid 
 of that child. Take her out into the wood, and if 
 you bring me some proofs that she is dead, I will 
 
TJic Magic Mirror 13 
 
 reward you handsomely. Never let her appear be- 
 fore my eyes again." 
 
 So the hunter enticed the child into the wood ; but 
 when he took out his hunting-knife to thrust into 
 Snow-white's innocent heart, she fell on her knees 
 and wept, and said, " Ah, dear hunter, leave me my 
 life ; I will run away into the wild wood, and never, 
 never come home any more." 
 
 She looked so innocent and beautiful as she knelt, 
 that the hunter's heart was moved with compas- 
 sion : " Run away, then, thou poor child," he cried ; 
 " I cannot harm thee." 
 
 Snow-white thanked him so sweetly, and was out 
 of sight in a few moments. 
 
 " She will be devoured by wild beasts," he said 
 to himself. But the thought that he had not killed 
 her was as if a stone-weight had been lifted from 
 his heart. 
 
 To satisfy the queen, he took part of the inside of 
 a young fawn, which the wicked woman thought 
 was poor little Snow-white, and was overjoyed to 
 think she was dead. 
 
 But the poor little motherless child, when she 
 found herself alone in the wood, and saw nothing 
 but trees and leaves, was dreadfully frightened, and 
 knew not what to do. At last she began to run 
 over the sharp stones and through the thorns, and 
 though the wild beasts sprang out before her, they 
 did her no harm. She ran on as long as she could, 
 till her little feet became quite sore; and towards 
 evening she saw, to her great joy, a pretty little 
 house. So she went up to it, and found the door 
 open and no one at home. 
 
14 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 It was a tiny little house, but everything in it was 
 so clean and neat and elegant that it is beyond de- 
 scription. In the middle of the room stood a small 
 table, covered with a snow-white table-cloth, ready 
 for supper. On it were arranged seven little plates, 
 seven little spoons, seven little knives and forks, 
 and seven mugs. By the wall stood seven little 
 beds, near each other, covered with white quilts. 
 
 Poor Snow-white, who was hungry and thirsty, 
 ate a few vegetables and a little bread from each 
 plate, and drank a little drop of wine from each cup, 
 for she did not like to take all she wanted from one 
 alone. After this, feeling very tired, she thought 
 she would lie down and rest on one of the beds, but 
 she found it difficult to choose one to suit her. One 
 was too long, another too short; so she tried them 
 all till she came to the seventh, and that was so com- 
 fortable that she laid herself down, and was soon 
 fast asleep. 
 
 When it was quite dark the masters of the house 
 came home. They were seven little dwarfs, who 
 dug and searched in the mountains for minerals. 
 First they lighted seven little lamps, and as soon as 
 the room was full of light they saw that some one 
 had been there, for everything did not stand in the 
 order in which they had left it. 
 
 Then said the first, " Who has been sitting in my 
 little chair?" 
 
 The second exclaimed, " Who has been eating 
 from my little plate ? " 
 
 The third cried, " Some one has taken part of 
 my bread." 
 
The Magic Mirror 15 
 
 " Who has been eating my vegetables ? " said the 
 fourth. 
 
 Then said the fifth, " Some one has used my 
 fork." 
 
 The sixth cried, " And who has been cutting with 
 my knife? " 
 
 " And some one has been drinking out of my 
 cup," said the seventh. 
 
 Then the eldest looked at his bed, and, seeing that 
 it looked tumbled, cried out that some one had been 
 upon it. The others came running forward, and 
 found all their beds in the same condition. But 
 when the seventh approached his bed, and saw 
 Snow-white lying there fast asleep, he called the 
 others, who came quickly, and holding their lights 
 over their heads, cried out in wonder as they beheld 
 the sleeping child. " Oh, what a beautiful little 
 child ! " they said to each other, and were so de- 
 lighted that they would not awaken her, but left her 
 to sleep as long as she liked in the little bed, while 
 its owner slept with one of his companions, and so 
 the night passed away. 
 
 In the morning, when Snow-white awoke, and 
 saw all the dwarfs, she was terribly frightened. 
 But they spoke kindly to her, till she lost all fear, 
 and they asked her name. 
 
 " I am called Snow-white," she replied. 
 
 " But how came you to our house ? " asked one. 
 
 Then she related to them all that had happened; 
 how her stepmother had sent her into the wood with 
 the hunter, who had spared her life, and that, after 
 wandering about for a whole day, she had found 
 their house. 
 
16 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 The dwarfs talked a little while together, and 
 then one said, " Do you think you could be our little 
 housekeeper, to make the beds, cook the dinner, and 
 wash and sew and knit for us, and keep everything 
 neat and clean and orderly? If you can, then you 
 shall stay here with us, and nobody shall hurt you." 
 
 " Oh yes, I will try," said Snow-white. So they 
 let her stay, and she was a clever little thing. She 
 managed very well, and kept the house quite clean 
 and in order. And while they were gone to the 
 mountains to find gold, she got their supper ready, 
 and they were very happy together. 
 
 But every morning when they left her, the kind 
 little dwarfs warned Snow-white to be careful. 
 While the maiden was alone they knew she was in 
 danger, and told her not to show herself, for her 
 stepmother would soon find out where she was, and 
 said, " Whatever you do, let nobody into the house 
 while we are gone." 
 
 After the wicked queen had proved, as she 
 thought, that Snow-white was dead, she felt quite 
 satisfied there was no one in the world now likely 
 to become so beautiful as herself, so she stepped up 
 to her mirror and asked: 
 
 " Mirror, mirror on the wall, 
 Who is most beautiful of all?" 
 
 To her vexation the mirror replied: 
 
 " Fair queen, at home there is none like thee, 
 But over the mountains is Snow-white free, 
 With seven little dwarfs, who are strange to see; 
 A thousand times fairer than thou is she." 
 
The Magic Mirror 17 
 
 The queen was furious when she heard this, for 
 she knew the mirror was truthful, and that the 
 hunter must have deceived her, and that Snow- 
 white still lived. So she sat and pondered over 
 these facts, thinking what would be best to do, foi 
 as long as she was not the most beautiful woman 
 in the land, her jealousy gave her no peace. After 
 a time, she decided what to do. First, she painted 
 her face, and whitened her hair; then she dressed 
 herself in old woman's clothes, and was so dis- 
 guised that no one could have recognised her. 
 
 Watching an opportunity, she left the castle, and 
 took her way to the wood near the mountains, 
 where the seven little dwarfs lived. When she 
 reached the door, she knocked, and cried, " Beauti- 
 ful goods to sell ; beautiful goods to sell." 
 
 Snow-white, when she heard it, peeped through 
 the window, and said, " Good-day, old lady. What 
 have you in your basket for me to buy? " 
 
 " Everything that is pretty," she replied ; " laces, 
 and pearls, and earrings, and bracelets of every 
 colour ; " and she held up her basket, which was 
 lined with glittering silk. 
 
 " I can let in this respectable old woman," 
 thought Snow-white ; " she will not harm me." So 
 she unbolted the door, and told her to come in. Oh, 
 how delighted Snow-white was with the pretty 
 things ; she bought several trinkets, and a beautiful 
 silk lace for her stays, but she did not see the evil 
 eye of the old woman who was watching her. Pres- 
 ently she said, " Child, come here ; I will show you 
 how to lace your stays properly." Snow-white had 
 no suspicion, so she placed herself before the old 
 
2 8 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 woman that she might lace her stays. But no sooner 
 was the lace in the holes than she began to lace so 
 fast and pull so tight that Snow-white could not 
 breathe, and presently fell down at her feet as if 
 dead. 
 
 " Now you are beautiful indeed," said the woman, 
 and, fancying she heard footsteps, she rushed away 
 as quickly as she could. 
 
 Not long after, the seven dwarfs came home, and 
 they were terribly frightened to see dear little 
 Snow-white lying on the ground without motion, 
 as if she were dead. They lifted her up, and saw 
 in a moment that her stays had been laced too tight. 
 Quickly they cut the stay-lace in two, till Snow- 
 white began to breathe a little, and after a time was 
 restored to life. But when the dwarfs heard what 
 riad happened, they said : " That old market-woman 
 was no other than your wicked stepmother. Snow- 
 white, you must never again let anyone in while we 
 are not with you." 
 
 The wicked queen when she returned home, after, 
 as she thought, killing Snow-white, went to her 
 looking-glass and asked: 
 
 " Mirror, mirror on the wall, 
 Am I most beautiful of all?" 
 
 Then answered the mirror: 
 
 " Queen, thou art not the fairest now ; 
 Snow-white over the mountain's brow 
 A thousand times fairer is than thou." 
 
 When she heard this she was so terrified that the 
 blood rushed to her heart, for she knew that after 
 
The Magic Mirror 19 
 
 all she had done Snow-white was still alive. " I 
 must think of something else," she said to herself, 
 " to get rid of that odious child." 
 
 Now this wicked queen had some knowledge of 
 witchcraft, and she knew how to poison a comb, so 
 that whoever used it would fall dead. This the 
 wicked stepmother soon got ready, and dressing 
 herself again like an old woman, but quite different 
 from the last, she started off to travel over the 
 mountains to the dwarfs' cottage. 
 
 When Snow-white heard the old cry, " Goods to 
 sell, fine goods to sell," she looked out of the window 
 and said: 
 
 " Go away, go away ; I must not let you in." 
 
 " Look at this, then," said the woman ; " you 
 shall have it for your own if you like," and she held 
 up before the child's eyes the bright tortoise-shell 
 comb which she had poisoned. 
 
 Poor Snow-white could not refuse such a present, 
 so she opened the door and let the woman in, quite 
 forgetting the advice of the dwarfs. After she had 
 bought a few things, the old woman said, " Let me 
 try this comb in your hair ; it is so fine it will make 
 it beautifully smooth and glossy." 
 
 So Snow-white, thinking no wrong, stood before 
 the woman to have her hair dressed ; but no sooner 
 had the comb touched the roots of her hair than the 
 poison took effect, and the maiden fell to the ground 
 lifeless. 
 
 " You paragon of beauty," said the wicked 
 woman, " all has just happened as I expected," and 
 then she went away quickly. 
 
 Fortunately evening soon arrived, and the seven 
 
20 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 dwarfs returned home. When they saw Snow- 
 white lying dead on the ground, they knew at once 
 that the stepmother had been there again ; but on 
 seeing the poisoned comb in her hair they pulled it 
 out quickly, and Snow-white very soon came to her- 
 self, and related all that had passed. 
 
 Again they warned her not to let anyone enter 
 the house during their absence, and on no account 
 to open the door; but Snow-white was not clever 
 enough to resist her clever wicked stepmother, and 
 she forgot to obey. 
 
 The wicked queen felt sure now that she had 
 really killed Snow-white ; so as soon as she returned 
 home she went to her looking-glass, and inquired : 
 
 " Mirror, mirror on the wall, 
 Who is most beautiful of all? " 
 
 But the mirror replied: 
 
 " Queen, thou art the fairest here, 
 But not when Snow-white is near ; 
 Over the mountains still is she, 
 Fairer a thousand times than thee." 
 
 As the looking-glass thus replied, the queen 
 trembled and quaked with rage. " Snow-white shall 
 die," cried she, " if it costs me my own life ! " 
 
 Then she went into a lonely forbidden chamber 
 where no one was allowed to come, and poisoned a 
 beautiful apple. Outwardly it looked ripe and 
 tempting, of a pale green with rosy cheeks, so that 
 it made everyone's mouth water to look at it, but 
 whoever ate even a small piece must die. 
 
 As soon as this apple was ready, the wicked queen 
 
The Magic Mirror 21 
 
 painted her face, disguised her hair, dressed herself 
 as a farmer's wife, and went again over the mount- 
 ains to the dwarfs' cottage. 
 
 When she knocked at the door, Snow-white 
 stretched her head out of the window, and said, " I 
 dare not let you in ; the seven dwarfs have for- 
 bidden me." 
 
 " But I am all right," said the fanner's wife. 
 " Stay, I will show you my apples. Are they not 
 beautiful ? let me make you a present of one." 
 
 " No, thank you," cried Snow-white ; " I dare not 
 take it." 
 
 " What ! " cried the woman, " are you afraid it 
 is poisoned? Look here now, I will cut the apple 
 in halves ; you shall have the rosy-cheek side, and 
 I will eat the other." 
 
 The apple was so cleverly made that the red 
 side alone was poisonous. Snow-white longed so 
 much for the beautnul fruit as she saw the farmer's 
 wife eat one half that she could not any longer 
 resist, but stretched out her hand from the window 
 and took the poisoned half. But no sooner had she 
 taken one mouthful than she fell on the ground 
 dead. 
 
 Then the wicked queen glanced in at the window 
 with a horrible look in her eye, and laughed aloud 
 as she exclaimed: 
 
 " White as snow, red as blood, and black as 
 ebony; this time the dwarfs will not be able to 
 awake thee." 
 
 And as soon as she arrived at home, and asked 
 her mirror who was the most beautiful in the land, 
 it replied : 
 
2.2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Fair queen, there is none in all the land 
 So beautiful as thou." 
 
 Then had her envious heart rest, at least such rest 
 as a heart full of envy and malice ever can have. 
 
 The little dwarfs, when they came home in the 
 evening - , found poor Snow-white on the ground; 
 but though the}'' lifted her up, there were no signs 
 of breath from her mouth, and they found she was 
 really dead. Yet they tried in every way to restore 
 her; they tried to extract the poison from her lips, 
 they combed her hair, and washed it with wine and 
 water, but all to no purpose : the dear child gave no 
 signs of life, and at last they knew she was dead. 
 Then they laid her on a bier, and the seven dwarfs 
 seated themselves round her, and wept and mourned 
 for three days. They would have buried her then, 
 but there was no change in her appearance ; her face 
 was as fresh, and her cheeks and lips had their usual 
 colour. Then said one, " We cannot lay this beauti- 
 ful child in the dark, cold earth." 
 
 So they agreed to have a coffin made entirely of 
 glass, transparent all over, that they might watch 
 for any signs of decay, and they wrote in letters of 
 gold her name on the lid, and that she was the 
 daughter of a king. The coffin was placed on the 
 side of the mountain, and each of them watched it 
 by turns, so that it was never left alone. And the 
 birds of the air came near and mourned for Snow- 
 white; first the owl, then the raven, and at last the 
 dove. Snow-white lay for a long, long time in the 
 glass coffin, but showed not the least signs of decay. 
 It seemed as if she slept; for her skin was snow 
 
The Magic Mirror 23 
 
 white, her cheeks rosy red, and her hair black as 
 ebony. 
 
 It happened one day that the son of a king - , while 
 riding' in the forest, came by chance upon the 
 dwarfs' house and asked for a night's lodging. As 
 he left the next morning he saw the coffin on the 
 mountain-side, with beautiful Snow-white lying in 
 it, and read what was written upon the lid in letters 
 of gold. 
 
 Then he said to the dwarfs, " Let me have this 
 coffin, and I will give you for it whatever you ask." 
 
 But the elder dwarf answered, " We would not 
 give it thee for all the gold in the world." 
 
 But the prince answered, " Let me have it as a 
 gift, then. I know not why, but my heart is drawn 
 towards this beautiful child, and I feel I cannot live 
 without her. If you will let me have her, she shall 
 be treated with the greatest honour and respect as 
 one dearly beloved." 
 
 As he thus spoke the good little dwarfs were full 
 of sympathy for him, and gave him the comn. Then 
 the prince called his servants, and the coffin was 
 placed on their shoulders, and they carried it away, 
 followed by the king's son, who watched it care- 
 fully. Now it happened that one of them made a 
 false step and stumbled. This shook the coffin, and 
 caused the poisoned piece of apple which Snow- 
 white had bitten to roll out of her mouth. A little 
 while after she suddenly opened her eyes, lifted up 
 the coffin-lid, raised herself and was again alive. 
 
 " Oh ! where am I ? " she cried. 
 
 Full of joy, the king's son approached her, and 
 
*4 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 said, " Dear Snow-white, you are safe ; vou are with 
 me." 
 
 Then he related to her all that had happened, and 
 what the little dwarfs had told him about her, and 
 said at last, " I love you better than all in the world 
 besides, dear little Snow-white, and you must come 
 with me to my father's castle and be my wife." 
 
 Then was Snow-white taken out of the coffin and 
 placed in a carriage to travel with the prince, and 
 the king was so pleased with his son's choice that 
 the marriage was soon after celebrated with great 
 pomp and magnificence. 
 
 Now it happened that the stepmother of Snow- 
 white was invited, among other guests, to the wed- 
 ding-feast. Before she left her house she stood in 
 all her rich dress before the magic mirror to admire 
 her own appearance, but she could not help saying : 
 
 " Mirror, mirror on the wall. 
 Am I most beautiful of all ? " 
 
 Then to her surprise the mirror replied: 
 
 " Fair queen, thou art the fairest here, 
 But at the palace, now, 
 The bride will prove a thousand times 
 More beautiful than thou." 
 
 Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was 
 so dreadfully alarmed that she knew not what to do. 
 At first she declared she would not go to this wed- 
 ding at all, but she felt it impossible to rest until 
 she had seen the bride, so she determined to go. 
 But what was her astonishment and vexation when 
 
The Magic Mirror 25 
 
 she recognised in the young bride Snow-white her- 
 self, now grown a charming young woman, and 
 richly dressed in royal robes ! Her rage and terror 
 were so great that she stood still and could not move 
 for some minutes. At last she went into the ball- 
 room, but the slippers she wore were to her as iron 
 bands full of coals of fire, in which she was obliged 
 to dance. And so in the red, glowing shoes she 
 continued to dance till she fell dead on the floor, a 
 sad example of envy and jealousy. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE ENCHANTED STAG 
 
 There were once a brother and sister who loved 
 each other dearly ; their mother was dead, and their 
 father had married again a woman who was most 
 unkind and cruel to them. One day the boy took 
 his sister's hand, and said to her, " Dear little sister, 
 since our mother died we have not had one happy 
 hour. Our stepmother gives us dry hard crusts 
 for dinner and supper; she often knocks us about, 
 and threatens to kick us out of the house. Even 
 the little dogs under the table fare better than we do, 
 for she often throws them nice pieces to eat. 
 Heaven pity us ! Oh, if our dear mother knew ! 
 Come, let us go out into the wide world ! " 
 
 So they went out, and wandered over fields and 
 meadows the whole day till evening. At last they 
 found themselves in a large forest ; it began to rain, 
 and the little sister said, " See, brother, heaven and 
 our hearts weep together." At last, tired out with 
 hunger and sorrow, and the long journey, they 
 crept into a hollow tree, laid themselves down, and 
 slept till morning. 
 
 When they awoke the sun was high in the 
 heavens, and shone brightly into the hollow tree, so 
 they left their place of shelter and wandered away 
 in search of water. 
 
The Enchanted Stag 27 
 
 " Oh, I am so thirsty ! " said the boy. " If we 
 could only find a brook or a stream." He stopped 
 to listen, and said, " Stay, I think I hear a running 
 stream." So he took his sister by the hand, and 
 they ran together to find it. 
 
 Now, the stepmother of these poor children was 
 a wicked witch. She had seen the children go away, 
 and, following them cautiously like a snake, had be- 
 witched all the springs and streams in the forest. 
 The pleasant trickling of a brook over the pebbles 
 was heard by the children as they reached it, and 
 the boy was just stooping to drink, when the sister 
 heard in the babbling of the brook: 
 
 " Whoever drinks of me, a tiger soon will be." 
 
 Then she cried quickly, " Stay, brother, stay ! do 
 not drink, or you will become a wild beast, and tear 
 me to pieces." 
 
 Thirsty as he was, the brother conquered his 
 desire to drink at her words, and said, " Dear sister, 
 I will wait till we come to a spring." So they 
 wandered farther, but as they approached, she heard 
 in the bubbling spring the words — 
 
 " Who drinks of me, a wolf will be." 
 
 " Brother, I pray you, do not drink of this brook ; 
 you will be changed into a wolf, and devour me." 
 
 Again the brother denied himself and promised to 
 wait ; but he said, " At the next stream I must drink, 
 say what you will, my thirst is so great." 
 
 Not far off ran a pretty streamlet, looking clear 
 
28 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 and bright ; but here also in its murmuring waters, 
 the sister heard the words — 
 
 " Who dares to drink of me, 
 Turned to a stag will be." 
 
 " Dear brother, do not drink," she began ; but 
 she was too late, for her brother had already knelt 
 by the stream to drink, and as the first drop of water 
 touched his lips he became a fawn. How the little 
 sister wept over the enchanted brother, and the 
 fawn wept also. 
 
 He did not run away, but stayed close to her; 
 and at last she said, " Stand still, dear fawn ; don't 
 fear, I must take care of you, but I will never leave 
 you." So she untied her little golden garter and 
 fastened it round the neck of the fawn ; then she 
 gathered some soft green rushes, and braided them 
 into a soft string, which she fastened to the fawn's 
 golden collar, and then led him away into the depths 
 of the forest. 
 
 After wandering about for some time, they at 
 last found a little deserted hut, and the sister was 
 overjoyed, for she thought it would form a nice 
 shelter for them both. So she led the fawn in, and 
 then went out alone, to gather moss and dried leaves, 
 to make him a soft bed. 
 
 Every morning she went out to gather dried 
 roots, nuts, and berries, for her own food, and 
 sweet fresh grass for the fawn, which he ate out of 
 her hand, and the poor little animal went out with 
 her, and played about as happy as the day was long. 
 
 When evening came, and the poor sister felt tired, 
 
The Enchanted Stag 39 
 
 she would kneel down and say her prayers, and then 
 lay her delicate head on the fawn's back, which was 
 a soft warm pillow, on which she could sleep peace- 
 fully. Had this dear brother only kept his own 
 proper form, how happy they would have been to- 
 gether ! After they had been alone in the forest for 
 some time, and the little sister had grown a lovely 
 maiden, and the fawn a large stag, a numerous hunt- 
 ing party came to the forest, and amongst them the 
 king of the country. 
 
 The sounding horn, the barking of the dogs, the 
 holloa of the huntsmen, resounded through the for- 
 est, and were heard by the stag, who became eager 
 to join his companions. 
 
 " Oh dear," he said, " do let me go and see the 
 hunt; I cannot restrain myself." And he begged 
 so hard that at last she reluctantly consented. 
 
 " But remember," she said, " I must lock the cot- 
 tage door against those huntsmen, so when you 
 come back in the evening, and knock, I shall not 
 admit you, unless you say, " Dear little sister let me 
 in." 
 
 He bounded off as she spoke, scarcely stopping to 
 listen, for it was so delightful for him to breathe 
 the fresh air and be free again. 
 
 He had not run far when the king's chief hunter 
 caught sight of the beautiful animal, and started off 
 in chase of him ; but it was no easy matter to over- 
 take such rapid footsteps. Once, when he thought 
 he had him safe, the fawn sprang over the bushes 
 and disappeared. 
 
 As it was now nearly dark, he ran up to the little 
 cottage, knocked at the door, and cried, " Dear little 
 
30 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 sister, let me in." The door was instantly opened, 
 and oh, how glad his sister was to see him safely 
 resting on his soft pleasant bed! 
 
 A few days after this, the huntsmen were again 
 in the forest; and when the fawn heard the holloa, 
 he could not rest in peace, but begged his sister 
 again to let him go. 
 
 She opened the door, and said, " I will let you go 
 this time ; but pray do not forget to say what I told 
 you, when you return this evening." 
 
 The chief hunter very soon espied the beautiful 
 fawn with the golden collar, pointed it out to the 
 king, and they determined to hunt it. 
 
 They chased him with all their skill till the even- 
 ing; but he was too light and nimble for them to 
 catch, till a shot wounded him slightly in the foot, 
 so that he was obliged to hide himself in the bushes, 
 and, after the huntsmen were gone, limp slowly 
 home. 
 
 One of them, however, determined to follow him 
 at a distance, and discover where he went. What 
 was his surprise at seeing him go up to a door and 
 knock, and to hear him say, " Dear little sister, let 
 me in." The door was only opened a little way, 
 and quickly shut ; but the huntsman had seen enough 
 to make him full of wonder, when he returned and 
 described to the king what he had seen. 
 
 " We will have one more chase to-morrow," said 
 the king, " and discover this mystery." 
 
 In the meantime the loving sister was terribly 
 alarmed at finding the stag's foot wounded and 
 bleeding. She quickly washed off the blood, and, 
 after bathing the wound, placed healing herbs on it 
 
The Enchanted Stag $i 
 
 and said, " Lie down on your bed, dear fawn, and 
 the wound will soon heal, if you rest your foot." 
 
 In the morning the wound was so much better 
 that the fawn felt the foot almost as strong- as ever, 
 and so, when he again heard the holloa of the 
 hunters, he could not rest. " Oh, dear sister, I must 
 go once more ; it will be easy for me to avoid the 
 huntors now, and my foot feels quite well; they 
 will not hunt me unless they see me running, and I 
 don't mean to do that." 
 
 But his sister wept, and begged him not to go: 
 " If they kill you, dear fawn, I shall be here alone 
 in the forest, forsaken by the whole world." 
 
 " And I shall die of grief," he said, " if I remain 
 here listening to the hunter's horn." 
 
 So at length his sister, with a heavy heart, set 
 him free, and he bounded away joyfully into the 
 forest. 
 
 As soon as the king caught sight of him, he said 
 to the huntsmen, " Follow that stag about, but don't 
 hurt him." So they hunted him all day, but at the 
 approach of sunset the king said to the hunter who 
 had followed the fawn the day before, " Come and 
 show me the little cottage." 
 
 So they went together, and when the king saw 
 it he sent his companion home, and went on alone 
 so quickly that he arrived there before the fawn; 
 and, going up to the little door, knocked and said 
 softly, " Dear little sister, let me in." 
 
 As the door opened, the king stepped in, and in 
 great astonishment saw a maiden more beautiful 
 than he had ever seen in his life standing before 
 him. But how frightened she felt to see instead of 
 
32 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 her dear little fawn a noble gentleman walk in with 
 a gold crown on his head. 
 
 However, he appeared very friendly, and after a 
 little talk he held out his hand to her, and said, 
 " Wilt thou go with me to my castle and be my dear 
 wife?" 
 
 " Ah yes," replied the maiden, " I would will- 
 ingly; but I cannot leave my dear fawn: he must 
 go with me wherever I am." 
 
 " He shall remain with you as long as you live," 
 replied the king, " and I will never ask you to for- 
 sake him." 
 
 While they were talking, the fawn came bound- 
 ing in, looking quite well and happy. Then his 
 sister fastened the string of rushes to his collar, 
 took it in her hand, and led him away from the cot- 
 tage in the wood to where the king's beautiful horse 
 waited for him. 
 
 The king placed the maiden before him on his 
 horse and rode away to his castle, the fawn follow- 
 ing by their side. Soon after, their marriage was 
 celebrated with great splendour, and the fawn was 
 taken the greatest care of, and played where he 
 pleased, or roamed about the castle grounds in hap- 
 piness and safety. 
 
 In the meantime the wicked stepmother, who had 
 caused these two young people such misery, sup- 
 posed that the sister had been devoured by wild 
 beasts, and that the fawn had been hunted to death. 
 Therefore when she heard of their happiness, such 
 envy and malice arose in her heart that she could 
 find no rest till she had tried to destroy it. 
 
 She and her ugly daughter came to the castle 
 
The Enchanted Stag 33 
 
 when the queen had a little baby, and one of them 
 pretended to be a nurse, and at last got the mother 
 and child into their power. 
 
 They shut the queen up in the bath, and tried to 
 suffocate her, and the old woman put her own ugly 
 daughter in the queen's bed that the king might not 
 know she was away. 
 
 She would not, however, let him speak to her, 
 but pretended that she must be kept quite quiet. 
 
 The queen escaped from the bath-room, where 
 the wicked old woman had locked her up, but she 
 did not go far, as she wanted to watch over her 
 child and the little fawn. 
 
 For two nights the baby's nurse saw a figure of 
 the queen come into the room and take up her baby 
 and nurse it. Then she told the king, and he deter- 
 mined to watch himself. The old stepmother, who 
 acted as nurse to her ugly daughter, whom she tried 
 to make the king believe was his wife, had said that 
 the queen was too weak to see him, and never left 
 her room. " There cannot be two queens," said the 
 king to himself, " so to-night I will watch in the 
 nursery." As soon as the figure came in and took 
 up her baby, he saw it was his real wife, and caught 
 her in his arms, saying, " You are my own beloved 
 wife, as beautiful as ever." 
 
 The wicked witch had thrown her into a trance, 
 hoping she would die, and that the king would then 
 marry her daughter; but on the king speaking to 
 her, the spell was broken. The queen told the king 
 how cruelly she had been treated by her stepmother, 
 and on hearing this he became very angry, and had 
 the witch and her daughter brought to justice. 
 3 
 
34 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 They were both sentenced to die — the daughter to 
 be devoured by wild beasts, and the mother to be 
 burnt alive. 
 
 No sooner, however, was she reduced to ashes 
 than the charm which held the queen's brother in 
 the form of a stag was broken; he recovered his 
 own natural shape, and appeared before them a tall, 
 handsome young man. 
 
 After this, the brother and sister lived happily 
 and peacefully for the rest of their lives. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 HANSEL AND GRETHEL 
 
 Near the borders of a large forest dwelt in olden 
 times a poor wood-cutter, who had two children — a 
 boy named Hansel, and his sister, Grethel. They 
 had very little to live upon, and once when there 
 was a dreadful season of scarcity in the land, the 
 poor woodcutter could not earn sufficient to supply 
 their daily food. 
 
 One evening, after the children were gone to bed, 
 the parents sat talking together over their sorrow, 
 and the poor husband sighed, and said to his wife, 
 who was not the mother of his children, but their 
 stepmother, " What will become of us, for I can- 
 not earn enough to support myself and you, much 
 less the children? what shall we do with them, for 
 they must not starve ? " 
 
 " I know what to do, husband," she replied ; 
 " early to-morrow morning we will take the chil- 
 dren for a walk across the forest and leave them 
 in the thickest part; they will never find the way 
 home again, you may depend, and then we shall 
 only have to work for ourselves." 
 
 " No, wife," said the man, " that I will never do. 
 How could I have the heart to leave my children all 
 alone in the wood, where the wild beasts would 
 come quickly and devour them ? " 
 
36 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Oh, you fool," replied the stepmother, " if you 
 refuse to do this, you know we must all four perish 
 with hunger; you may as well go and cut the wood 
 for our coffins." And after this she let him have 
 no peace till he became quite worn out, and could 
 not sleep for hours, but lay thinking in sorrow about 
 his children. 
 
 The two children, who also were too hungry to 
 sleep, heard all that their stepmother had said to 
 their father. Poor little Grethel wept bitter tears 
 as she listened, and said to her brother, " What is 
 going to happen to us, Hansel ? " 
 
 " Hush, Grethel," he whispered ; " don't be so 
 unhappy; I know what to do." 
 
 Then they lay quite still till their parents were 
 asleep. 
 
 As soon as it was quiet, Hansel got up, put on his 
 little coat, unfastened the door, and slipped out. 
 The moon shone brightly, and the white pebble 
 stones which lay before the cottage door glistened 
 like new silver money. Hansel stooped and picked 
 up as many of the pebbles as he could stuff in his 
 little coat pockets. He then went back to Grethel 
 and said, " Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep 
 in peace; heaven will take care of us." Then he 
 laid himself down again in bed, and slept till the 
 day broke. 
 
 As soon as the sun was risen, the stepmother 
 came and woke the two children, and said, " Get up, 
 you lazy bones, and come into the wood with me to 
 gather wood for the fire." Then she gave each of 
 them a piece of bread, and said, " You must keep 
 
Hansel and (jrethel 37 
 
 fliat to eat for your dinner, and don't quarrel over 
 it, for you will get nothing more." 
 
 Grethel took the bread under her charge, for 
 Hansel's pockets were full of pebbles. Then the 
 stepmother led them a long way into the forest. 
 They had gone but a very short distance when Han- 
 sel looked back at the house, and this he did again 
 and again. 
 
 At last his stepmother said, " Why do you keep 
 staying behind and looking back so? " 
 
 " Oh. mother," said the boy, " I can see my little 
 white cat sitting on the roof of the house, and I am 
 sure she is crying for me." 
 
 ''Nonsense," she replied; "that is not your cat; 
 it is the morning sun shining on the chimney-pot." 
 
 Hansel had seen no cat, but he stayed behind 
 every time to drop a white pebble from his pocket 
 on the ground as they walked. 
 
 As soon as they reached a thick part of the wood, 
 their stepmother said : 
 
 " Come, children, gather some wood, and I will 
 make a fire, for it is very cold here." 
 
 Then Hansel and Grethel raised quite a high heap 
 of brushwood and faggots, which soon blazed up 
 into a bright fire, and the woman said to them : 
 
 " Sit down here, children, and rest, while I go 
 and find your father, who is cutting wood in the 
 forest; when we have finished our work, we will 
 come again and fetch you." 
 
 Hansel and Grethel seated themselves by the fire, 
 and when noon arrived they each ate the piece of 
 bread which their stepmother had given them for 
 their dinner; and as long as they heard the strokes 
 
38 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 of the axe they felt safe, for they believed that their 
 father was working near them. But it was not an 
 axe they heard — only a branch which still hung on 
 a withered tree, and was moved up and down by the 
 wind. At last, when they had been sitting there a 
 long time, the children's eyes became heavy with 
 fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When they awoke 
 it was dark night, and poor Grethel began to cry, 
 and said, " Oh, how shall we get out of the wood? " 
 
 But Hansel comforted her. " Don't fear," he 
 said ; " let us wait a little while till the moon rises, 
 and then we shall easily find our way home." 
 
 Very soon the full moon rose, and then Hansel 
 took his little sister by the hand, and the white 
 pebble stones, which glittered like newly-coined 
 money in the moonlight, and which Hansel had 
 dropped as he walked, pointed out the way. They 
 walked all the night through, and did not reach 
 their father's house till break of day. 
 
 They knocked at the door, and when their step- 
 mother opened it, she exclaimed : " You naughty 
 children, why have you been staying so long in the 
 forest? we thought you were never coming back." 
 But their father was overjoyed to see them, for it 
 grieved him to the heart to think that they had been 
 left alone in the wood. 
 
 Not long after this there came another time of 
 scarcity and want in every house, and the children 
 heard their stepmother talking after they were in 
 bed. "The times are as bad as ever," she said; 
 " we have just half a loaf left, and when that is 
 gone all love will be at an end. The children must 
 go away ; we will take them deeper into the forest 
 
Hansel and Grcthel 39 
 
 this time, and they will not be able to find their way 
 home as they did before ; it is the only plan to save 
 ourselves from starvation. But the husband felt 
 heavy at heart, for he thought it was better to share 
 the last morsel with his children. 
 
 His wife would listen to nothing he said, but con- 
 tinued to reproach him, and as he had given way to 
 her the first time, he could not refuse to do so now. 
 The children were awake, and heard all the con- 
 versation; so, as soon as their parents slept, Han- 
 sel got up, intending to go out and gather some 
 more of the bright pebbles to let fall as he walked, 
 that they might point out the way home; but his 
 stepmother had locked the door, and he could not 
 open it. When he went back to his bed he told his 
 little sister not to fret, but to go to sleep in peace, 
 for he was sure they would be taken care of. 
 
 Early the next morning the stepmother came and 
 pulled the children out of bed, and, when they were 
 dressed, gave them each a piece of bread for their 
 dinners, smaller than they had had before, and then 
 they started on their way to the wood. 
 
 As they walked, Hansel, who had the bread in 
 his pocket, broke off little crumbs, and stopped every 
 now and then to drop one, turning round as if he 
 was looking back at his home. 
 
 " Hansel," said the woman, " what are you stop- 
 ping for in that way? Come along directly." 
 
 " I saw my pigeon sitting on the roof, and he 
 wants to say good-bye to me," replied the boy. 
 
 " Nonsense," she said ; " that is not your pigeon ; 
 it is only the morning sun shining on the chimney- 
 top." 
 
4o Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 
 
 But Hansel did not look back any more ; he only 
 dropped pieces of bread behind him, as they walked 
 through the wood. This time they went on till they 
 reached the thickest and densest part of the forest, 
 where they had never been before in all their lives. 
 Again they gathered faggots and brushwood, of 
 which the stepmother made up a large fire. Then 
 she said, " Remain here, children, and rest, while I 
 go to help your father, who is cutting wood in the 
 forest; when you feel tired, you can lie down and 
 sleep for a little while, and we will come and fetch 
 you in the evening, when your father has finished 
 his work." 
 
 So the children remained alone till mid-day, and 
 then Grethel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, 
 for he had scattered his own all along the road as 
 they walked. After this they slept for awhile, and 
 tke evening drew on; but no one came to fetch the 
 poor children. When they awoke it was quite dark, 
 and poor little Grethel was afraid ; but Hansel com- 
 forted her, as he had done before, by telling her they 
 need only wait till the moon rose. " You know, little 
 sister," he said, " that I have thrown breadcrumbs 
 all along the road we came, and they will easily point 
 out the way home." 
 
 But when they went out of the thicket into the 
 moonlight they found no breadcrumbs, for the nu- 
 merous birds which inhabited the trees of the forest 
 had picked them all up. 
 
 Hansel tried to hide his fear when he made this 
 sad discovery, and said to his sister, " Cheer up, 
 Grethel ; I dare say we shall find our way home with- 
 out the crumbs. Let us try." But this they found 
 
Hansel and GtctLcl 41 
 
 impossible, They wandered about the whole night, 
 and the next day from morning till evening ; but they 
 could not get out of the wood, and were so hungry 
 that had it not been for a few berries which they 
 picked they must have starved. 
 
 At last they were so tired that their poor little 
 legs could carry them no farther ; so they laid them- 
 selves down under a tree and went to sleep. When 
 they awoke it was the third morning since they had 
 left their father's house, and they determined to try 
 once more to find their way home ; but it was no use, 
 they only went still deeper into the wood, and knew 
 that if no help came they must starve. 
 
 About noon, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird 
 sitting on the branch of a tree, and singing so beauti- 
 fully that they stood still to listen. When he had 
 finished his song, he spread out his wings and flew 
 on before them. The children followed him, till 
 at last they saw at a distance a small house; and 
 the bird flew and perched on the roof. 
 
 But how surprised were the boy and girl, when 
 they came nearer, to find that the house was built of 
 gingerbread, and ornamented with sweet cakes and 
 tarts, while the window was formed of barley-sugar. 
 " Oh ! " exclaimed Hansel, " let us stop here and 
 have a splendid feast. I will have a piece from the 
 roof first, Grethel; and you can eat some of the 
 barley-sugar window, it tastes so nice." Hansel 
 reached up on tiptoe, and breaking off a piece of the 
 gingerbread, he began to eat with all his might, for 
 he was very hungry. Grethel seated herself on the 
 doorstep, and began munching away at the cakes 
 
42 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 of which it was made. Presently a voice came out 
 of the cottage : 
 
 " Munching, crunching, munching, 
 Who's eating up my house ? " 
 
 Then answered the children: 
 
 " The wind, the wind, 
 Only the wind," 
 
 and went on eating as if they never meant to leave 
 off, without a suspicion of wrong. Hansel, who 
 found the cake on the roof taste very good, broke 
 off another large piece, and Grethel had just taken 
 out a whole pane of barley-sugar from the window, 
 and seated herself to eat it, when the door opened, 
 and a strange-looking old woman came out leaning 
 on a stick. 
 
 Hansel and Grethel were so frightened that they 
 let fall what they held in their hands. The old 
 woman shook her head at them, and said, " Ah, you 
 dear children, who has brought you here? Come 
 in, and stay with me for a little while, and there 
 shall no harm happen to you." She seized them both 
 by the hands as she spoke, and led them into the 
 house. She gave them for supper plenty to eat and 
 drink — milk and pancakes and sugar, apples and 
 nuts ; and when evening came, Hansel and Grethel 
 were shown two beautiful little beds with white cur- 
 tains, and they lay down in them and thought they 
 were in heaven. 
 
 But although the old woman pretended to be 
 
Hansel and Grethel 43 
 
 friendly, she was a wicked witch, who had her house 
 built of gingerbread on purpose to entrap children. 
 When once they were in her power, she would feed 
 them well till they got fat, and then kill them and 
 cook them for her dinner; and this she called her 
 feast-day. Fortunately the witch had weak eyes, 
 and could not see very well ; but she had a very keen 
 scent, as wild animals have, and could easily discover 
 when human beings were near. As Hansel and 
 Grethel had approached her cottage, she laughed to 
 herself maliciously, and said, with a sneer : " I have 
 them now ; they shall not escape from me again ! " 
 
 Early in the morning, before the children were 
 awake, she was up, standing by their beds ; and when 
 she saw how beautiful they looked in their sleep, 
 with their round rosy cheeks, she muttered to her- 
 self, " What nice tit-bits they will be ! " Then she 
 laid hold of Hansel with her rough hand, dragged 
 him out of bed, and led him to a little cage which 
 had a lattice-door, and shut him in ; he might scream 
 as much as he would, but it was all useless. 
 
 After this she went back to Grethel, and, shaking 
 her roughly till she woke, cried : " Get up, you lazy 
 hussy, and draw some water, that I may boil some- 
 thing good for your brother, who is shut up in a 
 cage outside till he gets fat; and then I shall cook 
 him and eat him ! " When Grethel heard this she 
 began to cry bitterly ; but it was all useless, she was 
 obliged to do as the wicked witch told her. 
 
 For poor Hansel's breakfast the best of everything 
 was cooked ; but Grethel had nothing for herself but 
 a crab's claw. Every morning the old woman would 
 go out to the little cage, and say : " Hansel, stick out 
 
44 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 your finger, that I may feel if you are fat enough 
 for eating." But Hansel, who knew how dim her 
 old eyes were, always stuck a bone through the bars 
 of his cage, which she thought was his finger, for 
 she could not see ; and when she felt how thin it was, 
 she wondered very much why he did not get fat. 
 
 However, as the weeks went on, and Hansel 
 seemed not to get any fatter, she became impatient, 
 and said she could not wait any longer. " Go, 
 Grethel," she cried to the maiden, " be quick and 
 draw water ; Hansel may be fat or lean, I don't care, 
 to-morrow morning I mean to kill him, and cook 
 him ! " 
 
 Oh! how the poor little sister grieved when she 
 was forced to draw the water; and, as the tears 
 rolled down her cheeks, she exclaimed : " It would 
 have been better to be eaten by wild beasts, or to 
 have been starved to death in the woods; then we 
 should have died together ! " 
 
 " Stop your crying ! " cried the old woman ; " it is 
 not of the least use, no one will come to help you." 
 
 Early in the morning Grethel was obliged to go 
 out and fill the great pot with water, and hang it 
 over the fire to boil. As soon as this was done, the 
 old woman said, " We will bake some bread first ; I 
 have made the oven hot, and the dough is already 
 kneaded." Then she dragged poor little Grethel up 
 to the oven door, under which the flames were burn- 
 ing fiercely, and said : " Creep in there, and see if 
 it is hot enough yet to bake the bread." But if 
 Grethel had obeyed her, she would have shut the 
 poor child in and baked her for dinner, instead of 
 boiling Hansel 
 
Hansel ind Grethel 45 
 
 Grethel, however, guessed what she wanted to do, 
 and said, " I don't know how to get in through that 
 narrow door." 
 
 " Stupid goose," said the old woman, " why, the 
 oven door is quite large enough for me; just look, 
 I could get in myself." As she spoke she stepped 
 forward and pretended to put her head in the oven. 
 
 A sudden thought gave Grethel unusual strength ; 
 she started forward, gave the old woman a push 
 which sent her right into the oven, then she shut the 
 iron door and fastened the bolt. 
 
 Oh ! how the old witch did howl, it was quite hor- 
 rible to hear her. But Grethel ran away, and there- 
 fore she was left to burn, just as she had left many 
 poor little children to burn. And how quickly 
 Grethel ran to Hansel, opened the door of his cage, 
 and cried, " Hansel, Hansel, we are free ; the old 
 witch is dead." He flew like a bird out of his cage 
 at these words as soon as the door was opened, and 
 the children were so overjoyed that they ran into 
 each other's arms, and kissed each other with the 
 greatest love. 
 
 And now that there was nothing to be afraid of, 
 they went back into the house, and while looking 
 round the old witch's room, they saw an old oak 
 chest, which they opened, and found it full of pearls 
 and precious stones. " These are better than peb- 
 bles," said Hansel ; and he filled his pockets as full 
 as they would hold. 
 
 ft I will carry some home too," said Grethel, and 
 she held out her apron, which held quite as much as 
 Hansel's pockets. 
 
4-6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knoiv 
 
 " We will go now," he said, " and get away as 
 soon as we can from this enchanted forest." 
 
 They had been walking for nearly two hours when 
 they came to a large sheet of water. 
 
 " What shall we do now ? " said the boy. " We 
 cannot get across, and there is no bridge of any 
 sort." 
 
 " Oh ! here comes a boat," cried Grethel, but she 
 was mistaken ; it was only a white duck which came 
 swimming towards the children. " Perhaps she will 
 help us across if we ask her," said the child; and 
 she sung, " Little duck, do help poor Hansel and 
 Grethel ; there is not a bridge, nor a boat — will you 
 let us sail across on your white back? " 
 
 The good-natured duck came near the bank as 
 Grethel spoke, so close indeed that Hansel could seat 
 himself and wanted to take his little sister on his 
 lap, but she said, " No, we shall be too heavy for the 
 kind duck ; let her take us over one at a time." 
 
 The good creature did as the children wished; 
 she carried Grethel over first, and then came back 
 for Hansel. And then how happy the children were 
 to find themselves in a part of the wood which tht, 
 remembered quite well, and as they walked on, the 
 more familiar it became, till at last they caught sight 
 of their father's house. Then they began to run, 
 and, bursting into the room, threw themselves into 
 their father's arms. 
 
 Poor man, he had not had a moment's peace since 
 the children had been left alone in the forest ' he 
 was full of joy at finding them safe and well again, 
 and now they had nothing to fear, for their wicked 
 stepmother was dead. 
 
Hansel and Grethel 47 
 
 But how surprised the poor wood-cutter was when 
 Grethel opened and shook her little apron to see the 
 glittering pearls and precious stones scattered about 
 the room, while Hansel drew handful after handful 
 from his pockets. From this moment all his care 
 and sorrow was at an end, and the father lived in 
 happiness with his children till his death. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE STORY OF ALADDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 In one of the large and rich cities of China, there 
 once lived a tailor named Mustapha. He was very- 
 poor. He could hardly, by his daily labour, main- 
 tain himself and his family, which consisted only of 
 his wife and a son. 
 
 His son, who was called Aladdin, was a very care- 
 less and idle fellow. He was disobedient to his 
 father and mother, and would go out early in the 
 morning and stay out all day, playing in the streets 
 and public places with idle children of his own age. 
 
 When he was old enough to learn a trade, his 
 father took him into his own shop, and taught him 
 how to use his needle ; but all his father's endeavours 
 to keep him to his work were vain, for no sooner was 
 his back turned, than he was gone for that day. 
 Mustapha chastised him, but Aladdin was incor- 
 rigible, and his father, to his great grief, was forced 
 to abandon him to his idleness; and was so much 
 troubled about him, that he fell sick and died in a 
 few months. 
 
 Aladdin, who was now no longer restrained by the 
 fear of a father, gave himself entirely over to his 
 idle habits, and was never out of the streets from 
 his companions. This course he followed till he was 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 49 
 
 fifteen years old, without giving his mind to any 
 useful pursuit, or the least reflection on what would 
 become of him. As he was one day playing, accord- 
 ing to custom, in the street, with his evil associates, 
 a stranger passing by stood to observe him. 
 
 This stranger was a sorcerer, known as the 
 African magician, as he had been but two days 
 arrived from Africa, his native country. 
 
 The African magician, observing in Aladdin's 
 countenance something which assured him that he 
 was a fit boy for his purpose, inquired his name and 
 history of some of his companions, and when he had 
 learnt all he desired to know, went up to him, and 
 taking him aside from his comrades, said, " Child, 
 was not your father called Mustapha the tailor ? " 
 " Yes, sir," answered the boy, " but he has been dead 
 a long time." 
 
 At these words the African magician threw his 
 arms about Aladdin's neck, and kissed him several 
 times, with tears in his eyes, and said, " I am your 
 uncle. Your worthy father was my own brother. 
 I knew you at first sight, you are so like him." Then 
 he gave Aladdin a handful of small money, saying, 
 " Go, my son, to your mother, give my love to her,, 
 and tell her that I will visit her to-morrow, that I 
 may see where my good brother lived so long, and 
 ended his days." 
 
 Aladdin ran to his mother, overjoyed at the money 
 his uncle had given him. " Mother," said he, " have 
 I an uncle ? " " No, child," replied his mother, " you 
 have no uncle by your father's side or mine." " I 
 am just now come," said Aladdin, " from a man who 
 says he is my uncle and my father's brother. He 
 
50 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 cried and kissed me when I told him my father was 
 dead, and gave me money, sending his love to you, 
 and promising to come and pay you a visit, that he 
 may see the house my father lived and died in." 
 " Indeed, child," replied the mother, " your father 
 had no brother, nor have you an uncle." 
 
 The next day the magician found Aladdin playing 
 in another part of the town, and embracing him as 
 before, put two pieces of gold into his hand, and 
 said to him, " Carry this, child, to your mother ; tell 
 her that I will come and see her to-night, and bid 
 her get us something for supper; but first show me 
 the house where you live." 
 
 Aladdin showed the African magician the house, 
 and carried the two pieces of gold to his mother, 
 who went out and bought provisions ; and consider- 
 ing she wanted various utensils, borrowed them of 
 her neighbours. She spent the whole day in prepar- 
 ing the supper ; and at night, when it was ready, said 
 to her son, " Perhaps the stranger knows not how 
 to find our house; go and bring him, if you meet 
 with him." 
 
 Aladdin was just ready to go, when the magician 
 knocked at the door, and came in loaded with wine 
 and all sorts of fruits, which he brought for a des- 
 sert. After he had given what he brought into 
 Aladdin's hands, he saluted his mother, and desired 
 her to show him the place where his brother Mus- 
 tapha used to sit on the sofa ; and when she had so 
 done, he fell down and kissed it several times, cry- 
 ing out, with tears in his eyes, " My poor brother ! 
 how unhappy am I, not to have come soon enough 
 to give you one last embrace." Aladdin's mother 
 
Story of Aladdin; or. The Wonderful Lamp 51 
 
 desired him to sit down in the same place, but he 
 declined. " No," said he, " I shall not do that ; but 
 give me leave to sit opposite to it, that although T 
 see not the master of a family so dear to me, I may 
 at least behold the place where he used to sit." 
 
 When the magician had made choice of a place, 
 and sat down, he began to enter into discourse with 
 Aladdin's mother. " My good sister," said he, " do 
 not be surprised at your never having seen me all 
 the time you have been married to my brother Mus- 
 tapha of happy memory. I have been forty years 
 absent from this country, which is my native place, 
 as well as my late brother's; and during that time 
 have travelled into the Indies, Persia, Arabia, Syria, 
 and Egypt, and afterward crossed over into Africa, 
 where I took up my abode. At last, as it is natural 
 for a man, I was desirous to see my native country 
 again, and to embrace my dear brother ; and finding 
 I had strength enough to undertake so long a jour- 
 ney, I made the necessary preparations, and set out. 
 Nothing ever afflicted me so much as hearing of 
 my brother's death. But God be praised for all 
 things!, It is a comfort for me to find, as it were, 
 my brother in a son, who has his most remarkable 
 features." 
 
 The African magician perceiving that the widow 
 wept at the remembrance of her husband, changed 
 the conversation, and turning toward her son, asked 
 him, " What business do you follow ? Are you of 
 any trade ? " 
 
 At this question the youth hung down his head, 
 and was not a little abashed when his mother 
 answered, " Aladdin is an idle fellow. His father, 
 
52 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 when alive, strove all he could to teach him his 
 trade, but could not succeed; and since his death, 
 notwithstanding all I can say to him, he does noth- 
 ing but idle away his time in the streets, as you saw 
 him, without considering he is no longer a child ; 
 and if you do not make him ashamed of it, I despair 
 of his ever coming to any good. For my part, I am 
 resolved, one of these days, to turn him out of doors, 
 and let him provide for himself." 
 
 After these words, Aladdin's mother burst into 
 tears ; and the magician said, " This is not well, 
 nephew; you must think of helping yourself, and 
 getting your livelihood. There are many sorts of 
 trades; perhaps you do not like your father's, and 
 would prefer another; I will endeavour to help you. 
 If you have no mind to learn any handicraft, I will 
 take a shop for you, furnish it with all sorts of fine 
 stuffs and linens; and then with the money you 
 make of them you can lay in fresh goods, and live 
 in an honourable way. Tell me freely what you 
 think of my proposal; you shall always find me 
 ready to keep my word." 
 
 This plan just suited Aladdin, who hated work. 
 He told the magician he had a greater inclination 
 to that business than to any other, and that he should 
 be much obliged to him for his kindness. " Well 
 then," said the African magician, " I will carry you 
 with me to-morrow, clothe you as handsomely as 
 the best merchants in the city, and afterward we wiW 
 open a shop as I mentioned." 
 
 The widow, after his promises of kindness to her 
 son, no longer doubted that the magician was her 
 husband's brother. She thanked him for his good 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 53 
 
 intentions; and after having exhorted Aladdin to 
 render himself worthy of his uncle's favour, served 
 up supper, at which they talked of several indifferent 
 matters ; and then the magician took his leave and 
 retired. 
 
 He came again the next day, as he had promised, 
 and took Aladdin with him to a merchant, who sold 
 all sorts of clothes for different ages and ranks, 
 ready made, and a variety of fine stuffs, and bade 
 Aladdin choose those he preferred, which he paid 
 for. 
 
 When Aladdin found himself so handsomely 
 equipped, he returned his uncle thanks, who thus 
 addressed him : " As you are soon to be a merchant, 
 it is proper you should frequent these shops, and be 
 acquainted with them." He then showed him the 
 largest and finest mosques, carried him to the khans 
 or inns where the merchants and travellers lodged, 
 and afterward to the sultan's palace, where he had 
 free access; and at last brought him to his own 
 khan, where, meeting with some merchants he had 
 become acquainted with since his arrival, he gave 
 them a treat, to bring them and his pretended 
 nephew acquainted. 
 
 This entertainment lasted till night, when Aladdin 
 would have taken leave of his uncle to go home ; 
 the magician would not let him go by himself, but 
 conducted him to his mother, who, as soon as she 
 saw him so well dressed, was transported with joy, 
 and bestowed a thousand blessings upon the magi- 
 cian. 
 
 Early the next morning the magician called again 
 for Aladdin, and said he would take him to spend 
 
54 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 that day in the country, and on the next he would 
 purchase the shop. He then led him out at one of 
 the gates of the city, to some magnificent palaces, 
 to each of which belonged beautiful gardens, into 
 which anybody might enter. At every building he 
 came to, he asked Aladdin if he did not think it fine ; 
 and the youth was ready to answer when any one 
 presented itself, crying out, " Here is a finer house, 
 uncle, than any we have yet seen." By this artifice, 
 the cunning magician led Aladdin some way into the 
 country ; and as he meant to carry him farther, to 
 execute his design, he took an opportunity to sit 
 down in one of the gardens, on the brink of a fount- 
 ain of clear water, which discharged itself by a 
 lion's mouth of bronze into a basin, pretending to 
 be tired : " Come, nephew," said he, " you must be 
 weary as well as I ; let us rest ourselves, and we 
 shall be better able to pursue our walk." 
 
 The magician next pulled from his girdle a hand- 
 kerchief with cakes and fruit, and during this short 
 repast he exhorted his nephew to leave off bad com- 
 pany, and to seek that of wise and prudent men, to 
 improve by their conversation ; " for," said he, " you 
 will soon be at man's estate, and you cannot too 
 early begin to imitate their example." When they 
 had eaten as much as they liked, they got up, and 
 pursued their walk through gardens separated from 
 one another only by small ditches, which marked out 
 the limits without interrupting the communication; 
 so great was the confidence the inhabitants reposed 
 in each other. By this means the African magician 
 drew Aladdin insensibly beyond the gardens, and 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 55 
 
 crossed the country, till they nearly reached the 
 mountains. 
 
 At last they arrived between two mountains of 
 moderate height and equal size, divided by a narrow 
 valley, which was the place where the magician in- 
 tended to execute the design that had brought him 
 from Africa to China. " We will go no farther 
 now," said he to Aladdin ; " I will show you here 
 some extraordinary things, which, when you have 
 seen, you will thank me for: but while I strike a 
 light, gather up all the loose dry sticks you can see, 
 to kindle a fire with." 
 
 Aladdin found so many dried sticks, that he soon 
 collected a great heap. The magician presently set 
 them on fire ; and when they were in a blaze, threw 
 in some incense, pronouncing several magical words, 
 which Aladdin did not understand. 
 
 He had scarcely done so when the earth opened 
 just before the magician, and discovered a stone 
 with a brass ring fixed in it. Aladdin was so fright- 
 ened that he would have run away, but the magician 
 caught hold of him. and gave him such a box on the 
 ear that he knocked him down. Aladdin got up 
 trembling, and with tears in his eyes said to the 
 magician, " What have I done, uncle, to be treated 
 in this severe manner?" "I am your uncle," 
 answered the magician ; " I supply the place of your 
 father, and you ought to make no reply. But child," 
 added he, softening, " do not be afraid ; for I shall 
 not ask anything of you, but that you obey me punc- 
 tually, if you would reap the advantages which I 
 intend you. Know, then, that under this stone there 
 is hidden a treasure, destined to be yours, and which 
 
5& Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 will make you richer than the greatest monarch in 
 the world. No person but yourself is permitted to 
 lift this stone, or enter the cave ; so you must punc- 
 tually execute what I may command, for it is a 
 matter of great consequence both to you and me." 
 
 Aladdin, amazed at all he saw and heard, forgot 
 what was past, and rising said, " Well, uncle, what 
 is to be done? Command me, I am ready to obey." 
 " I am overjoyed, child," said the African magician, 
 embracing him. " Take hold of the ring, and lift 
 up that stone." " Indeed, uncle," replied Aladdin, 
 " I am not strong enough ; you must help me." 
 " You have no occasion for my assistance," 
 answered the magician ; " if I help you, we shall be 
 able to do nothing. Take hold of the ring, and lift 
 it up ; you will find it will come easily." Aladdin did 
 as the magician bade him, raised the stone with ease, 
 and laid it on one side. 
 
 When the stone was pulled up, there appeared a 
 staircase about three or four feet deep, leading to a 
 door. " Descend, my son," said the African magi- 
 cian, " those steps, and open that door. It will lead 
 you into a palace, divided into three great halls. In 
 each of these you will see four large brass cisterns 
 placed on each side, full of gold and silver ; but take 
 care you do not meddle with them. Before you 
 enter the first hall, be sure to tuck up your robe, 
 wrap it about you, and then pass through the second 
 into the third without stopping. Above all things, 
 have a care that you do not touch the walls so much 
 as with your clothes; for if you do, you will die 
 instantly. At the end of the third hall, you will find 
 a door which opens into a garden, planted with fine 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 57 
 
 trees loaded with fruit. Walk directly across the 
 garden to a terrace, where you will see a niche be- 
 fore you, and in that niche a lighted lamp. Take 
 the lamp down and put it out. When you have 
 thrown away the wick and poured out the liquor, 
 put it in your waistband and bring it to me. Do not 
 be afraid that the liquor will spoil your clothes, for 
 it is not oil, and the lamp will be dry as soon as it 
 is thrown out." 
 
 After these words the magician drew a ring off 
 his finger, and put it on one of Aladdin's, saying, 
 " It is a talisman against all evil, so long as you 
 obey me. Go, therefore, boldly, and we shall both 
 be rich all our lives." 
 
 Aladdin descended the steps, and, opening the 
 door, found the three halls just as the African ma- 
 gician had described. He went through them with 
 all the precaution the fear of death could inspire, 
 crossed the garden without stopping, took down the 
 lamp from the niche, threw out the wick and the 
 liquor, and, as the magician had desired, put it in 
 his waistband. But as he came down from the ter- 
 race, seeing it was perfectly dry, he stopped in the 
 garden to observe the trees, which were loaded with 
 extraordinary fruit of different colours on each tree. 
 Some bore fruit entirely white, and some clear and 
 transparent as crystal; some pale red, and others 
 deeper; some green, blue, and purple, and others 
 yellow ; in short, there was fruit of all colours. The 
 white were pearls ; the clear and transparent, 
 diamonds ; the deep red, rubies ; the paler, balas 
 rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue, turquoises; 
 the purple, amethysts; and the yellow, sapphires. 
 
58 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Aladdin, ignorant of their value, would have pre- 
 ferred figs, or grapes, or pomegranates ; but as he 
 had his uncle's permission, he resolved to gather 
 some of every sort. Having filled the two new 
 purses his uncle had bought for him with his clothes, 
 he wrapped some up in the skirts of his vest, and 
 crammed his bosom as full as it could hold. 
 
 Aladdin, having thus loaded himself with riches 
 of which he knew not the value, returned through 
 the three halls with the utmost precaution, and soon 
 arrived at the mouth of the cave, where the African 
 magician awaited him with the utmost impatience. 
 As soon as Aladdin saw him, he cried out, " Pray, 
 uncle, lend me your hand, to help me out." " Give 
 me the lamp first," replied the magician ; " it will be 
 troublesome to you." " Indeed, uncle," answered 
 Aladdin, " I cannot now, but I will as soon as I am 
 up." The African magician was determined that he 
 would have the lamp before he would help him up: 
 and Aladdin, who had encumbered himself so much 
 with his fruit that he could not well get at it, refused 
 to give it to him till he was out of the cave. The 
 African magician, provoked at this obstinate refusal, 
 flew into a passion, threw a little of his incense into 
 the fire, and pronounced two magical words, when 
 the stone which had closed the mouth of the stair- 
 case moved into its place, with the earth over it in 
 the same manner as it lay at the arrival of the 
 magician and Aladdin. 
 
 This action of the magician plainly revealed to 
 Aladdin that he was no uncle of his, but one who 
 designed him evil. The truth was that he had 
 learnt from his maaric books the secret and the value 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 59 
 
 of this wonderful lamp, the owner of which would 
 be made richer than any earthly ruler, and hence his 
 journey to China. His art had also told him that 
 he was not permitted to take it himself, but must 
 receive it as a voluntary gift from the hands of an- 
 other person. Hence he employed young Aladdin, 
 and hoped by a mixture of kindness and authority to 
 make him obedient to his word and will. When he 
 found that his attempt had failed, he set out to re- 
 turn to Africa, but avoided the town, lest any person 
 who had seen him leave in company with Aladdin 
 should make inquiries after the youth. Aladdin 
 being suddenly enveloped in darkness, cried, and 
 called out to his uncle to tell him he was ready to 
 give him the lamp ; but in vain, since his cries could 
 not be heard. He descended to the bottom of the 
 steps, with a design to get into the palace, but the 
 door, which was opened before by enchantment, was 
 now shut by the same means. He then redoubled 
 his cries and tears, sat down on the steps without 
 any hopes of ever seeing light again, and in an ex- 
 pectation of passing from the present darkness to 
 a speedy death. In this great emergency he said, 
 " There is no strength or power but in the great 
 and high God " : and in joining his hands to pray he 
 rubbed the ring which the magician had put on his 
 finger. Immediately a genie of frightful aspect ap- 
 peared, and said, " What wouldst thou have ? I am 
 ready to obey thee. I serve him who possesses the 
 ring on thy finger; I, and the other slaves of that 
 ring." 
 
 At another time Aladdin would have been fright- 
 ened at the sight of so extraordinary a figure, but 
 
6o Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 the danger he was in made him answer without hesi- 
 tation, " Whoever thou art, deliver me from this 
 place." He had no sooner spoken these words, than 
 he found himself on the very spot where the ma- 
 gician had last left him, and no sign of cave or 
 opening, nor disturbance of the earth. Returning 
 God thanks to find himself once more in the world, 
 he made the best of his way home. When he got 
 within his mother's door, the joy to see her and his 
 weakness for want of sustenance made him so faint 
 that he remained for a long time as dead. As soon 
 as he recovered, he related to his mother all that had 
 happened to him, and they were both very vehe- 
 ment in their complaints of the cruel magician. 
 Aladdin slept very soundly till late the next morning, 
 when the first thing he said to his mother was, that 
 he wanted something to eat, and wished she would 
 give him his breakfast. " Alas ! child," said she, " I 
 have not a bit of bread to give you ; you ate up all 
 the provisions I had in the house yesterday; but I 
 have a little cotton which I have spun ; I will go and 
 sell it, and buy bread and something for our dinner." 
 "Mother," replied Aladdin, "keep your cotton for 
 another time, and give me the lamp I brought home 
 with me yesterday; I will go and sell it, and the 
 money I shall get for it will serve both for break- 
 fast and dinner, and perhaps supper too." 
 
 Aladdin's mother took the lamp and said to her 
 son, " Here it is, but it is very dirty ; if it were a 
 little cleaner I believe it would bring something 
 more." She took some fine sand and water to clean 
 it; but had no sooner begun to rub it, than in an 
 instant a hideous genie of gigantic size appeared 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 61 
 
 before her, and said to her in a voice of thunder, 
 " What wouldst thou have ? I am ready to obey 
 thee as thy slave, and the slave of all those who have 
 that lamp in their hands; I and the other slaves of 
 the lamp." 
 
 Aladdin's mother, terrified at the sight of the 
 genie, fainted ; when Aladdin, who had seen such a 
 phantom in the cavern, snatched the lamp out of 
 his mother's hand, and said to the genie boldly, " I 
 am hungry, bring me something to eat." The genie 
 disappeared immediately, and in an instant returned 
 Mvith a large silver tray, holding twelve covered 
 dishes of the same metal, which contained the most 
 delicious viands ; six large white bread cakes on two 
 plates, two flagons of wine, and two silver cups. 
 All these he placed upon a carpet and disappeared ; 
 this was done before Aladdin's mother recovered 
 from her swoon. 
 
 Aladdin had fetched some water, and sprinkled it 
 in her face to recover her. Whether that or the 
 smell of the meat effected her cure, it was not long 
 before she came to herself. " Mother," said Alad- 
 din, "be not afraid: get up and eat; here is what 
 will put you in heart, and at the same time satisfy 
 my extreme hunger." 
 
 His mother was much surprised to see the great 
 tray, twelve dishes, six loaves, the two flagons and 
 cups, and to smell the savoury odour which exhaled 
 from the dishes. " Child," said she, " to whom are 
 we obliged for this great plenty and liberality ? Has 
 the sultan been made acquainted with our poverty, 
 and had compassion on us?" "It is no matter, 
 mother," said Aladdin, " let us sit down and eat ; 
 
62 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 for you have almost as much need of a good break- 
 fast as myself ; when we have done, I will tell you." 
 Accordingly, both mother and son sat down and ate 
 with the better relish as the table was so well fur- 
 nished. But all the time Aladdin's mother could 
 not forbear looking at and admiring the tray and 
 dishes, though she could not judge whether they 
 were silver or any other metal, and the novelty more 
 than the value attracted her attention. 
 
 The mother and son sat at breakfast till it was 
 dinner-time, and then they thought it would be best 
 to put the two meals together; yet, after this they 
 found they should have enough left for supper, and 
 two meals for the next day. 
 
 When Aladdin's mother had taken away and set 
 by what was left, she went and sat down by her son 
 on the sofa, saying, " I expect now that you should 
 satisfy my impatience, and tell me exactly what 
 passed between the genie and you while I was in a 
 swoon " ; which he readily complied with. 
 
 She was in as great amazement at what her son 
 told her, as at the appearance of the genie ; and said 
 to him, " But, son, what have we to do with genies ? 
 I never heard that any of my acquaintance had ever 
 seen one. How came that vile genie to address him- 
 self to me, and not to you, to whom he had appeared 
 before in the cave ? " " Mother," answered Aladdin, 
 " the genie you saw is not the one who appeared to 
 me. If you remember, he that I first saw called him- 
 self the slave of the ring on my finger ; and this you 
 saw, called himself the slave of the lamp you had in 
 your hand ; but I believe you did not hear hiim for 
 I think you fainted as soon as he began to speak." 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 63 
 
 " What ! " cried the mother, " was your lamp then 
 the occasion of that cursed genie's addressing him- 
 self rather to me than to you? Ah ! my son, take it 
 out of my sight, and put it where you please. I had 
 rather you would sell it than run the hazard of being 
 frightened to death again by touching it; and if 
 you would take my advice, you would part also with 
 the ring, and not have anything to do with genies, 
 who, as our prophet has told us, are only devils." 
 
 " With your leave, mother," replied Aladdin, " I 
 shall now take care how I sell a lamp which may be 
 so serviceable both to you and me. That false and 
 wicked magician would not have undertaken so long 
 a journey to secure this wonderful lamp if he had 
 not known its value to exceed that of gold and 
 silver. And since we have honestly come by it, let 
 us make a profitable use of it, without making any 
 great show, and exciting the envy and jealousy of 
 our neighbours. However, since the genies frighten 
 you so much, I will take it out of your sight, and 
 put it where I may find it when I want it. The ring 
 I cannot resolve to part with ; for without that you 
 had never seen me again; and though I am alive 
 now, perhaps, if it were gone, I might not be so 
 some moments hence; therefore, I hope you will 
 give me leave to keep it, and to wear it always on 
 my finger." Aladdin's mother replied that he might 
 do what he pleased; for her part, she would have 
 nothing to do with genies, and never say anything 
 more about them. 
 
 By the next night they had eaten all the pro- 
 visions the genie had brought; and the next day 
 Aladdin, who could not bear the thoughts of hunger, 
 
64 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 putting one of the silver dishes under his vest, went 
 out early to sell it, and addressing himself to a Jew 
 whom he met in the streets, took him aside, and 
 pulling out the plate, asked him if he would buy it. 
 The cunning Jew took the dish, examined it, and 
 as soon as he found that it was good silver, asked 
 Aladdin at how much he valued it. Aladdin, who 
 had never been used to such traffic, told him he 
 would trust to his judgment and honour. The Jew 
 was somewhat confounded at this plain dealing; 
 and doubting whether Aladdin understood the 
 -material or the full value of what he offered to sell, 
 took a piece of gold out of his purse and gave it 
 liirn, though it was but the sixtieth part of the worth 
 of the plate. Aladdin, taking the money very 
 eagerly, retired with so much haste, that the Jew, 
 not content with the exorbitancy of his profit, was 
 vexed he had not penetrated into his ignorance, and 
 was going to run after him, to endeavour to get 
 some change out of the piece of gold; but he ran 
 so fast, and had got so far, that it would have been 
 impossible for him to overtake him. 
 
 Before Aladdin went home, he called at a baker's, 
 bought some cakes of bread, changed his money, 
 and on his return gave the rest to his mother, who 
 went and purchased provisions enough to last them 
 some time. After this manner they lived, till Alad- 
 din had sold the twelve dishes singly, as necessity 
 pressed, to the Jew, for the same money ; who, after 
 the first time, durst not offer him less, for fear of 
 losing so good a bargain. When he had sold the 
 last dish, he had recourse to the tray, which weighed 
 ten times as much as the dishes, and would have 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 65 
 
 carried it to his old purchaser, but that it was too 
 large and cumbersone ; therefore he was obliged to 
 bring him home with him to his mother's, where, 
 after the Jew had examined the weight of the tray, 
 he laid down ten pieces of gold, with which Aladdin 
 was very well satisfied. 
 
 When all the money was spent, Aladdin had re- 
 course again to the lamp. He took it in his hands, 
 looked for the part where his mother had rubbed it 
 with the sand, rubbed it also, when the genie im- 
 mediately appeared, and said, " What wouldst thou 
 have? I am read)' to obey thee as thy slave, and 
 the slave of all those who have that lamp in their 
 hands ; I, and the other slaves of the lamp." " I 
 am hungry," said Aladdin, " bring me something 
 to eat." The genie disappeared, and presently re- 
 turned with a tray, the same number of covered 
 dishes as before, set them down, and vanished. 
 
 As soon as Aladdin found that their provisions 
 were again expended, he took one of the dishes, 
 and went to look for his Jew chapman ; but passing 
 by a goldsmith's shop, the goldsmith perceiving him, 
 called to him, and said, " My lad, I imagine that you 
 have something to sell to the Jew, whom I often 
 see you visit ; but perhaps you do not know that he 
 is the greatest rogue even among the Jews. I will 
 give you the full worth of what you have to sell, or 
 I will direct you to other merchants who will not 
 cheat you." 
 
 This offer induced Aladdin to pull his plate from 
 under his vest and show it to the goldsmith ; who at 
 first sight saw that it was made of the finest silver, 
 and asked him if he had sold such as that to the 
 
66 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Jew; when Aladdin told him that he had sold him 
 twelve such, for a piece of gold each. " What a vil 
 lain ! " cried the goldsmith. " But," added he, " my 
 son, what is past cannot be recalled. By showing 
 you the value of this plate, which is of the finest 
 silver we use in our shops, I will let you see how 
 much the Jew has cheated you." 
 
 The goldsmith took a pair of scales, weighed the 
 dish, and assured him that his plate would fetch by 
 weight sixty pieces of gold, which he offered to pay 
 down immediately. 
 
 Aladdin thanked him for his fair dealing, and 
 never after went to any other person. 
 
 Though Aladdin and his mother had an inex- 
 haustible treasure in their lamp, and might have had 
 whatever they wished for, yet they lived with the 
 same frugality as before, and it may easily be sup- 
 posed that the money for which Aladdin had sold 
 the dishes and tray was sufficient to maintain them 
 some time. 
 
 During this interval, Aladdin frequented the 
 shops of the principal merchants, where they sold 
 cloth of gold and silver, linens, silk stuffs, and 
 jewellery, and, oftentimes joining in their conversa- 
 tion, acquired a knowledge of the world, and a 
 desire to improve himself. By his acquaintance 
 among the jewellers, he came to know that the fruits 
 which he had gathered when he took the lamp were, 
 instead of coloured glass, stones of inestimable value ; 
 but he had the prudence not to mention this to any 
 one, not even to his mother. 
 
 One day as Aladdin was walking about the town, 
 he heard an order proclaimed, commanding the 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 67 
 
 people to shut up their shops and houses, and keep 
 within doors while the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, 
 the sultan's daughter, went to the bath and returned. 
 
 This proclamation inspired Aladdin with eager 
 desire to see the princess's face, which he determined 
 to gratify, by placing himself behind the door of the 
 bath, so that he could not fail to see her face. 
 
 Aladdin had not long concealed himself before 
 the princess came. She was attended by a great 
 crowd of ladies, slaves, and mutes, who walked on 
 each side and behind her. When she came within 
 three or four paces of the door of the bath, she took 
 off her veil, and gave Aladdin an opportunity of a 
 full view of her face. 
 
 The princess was a noted beauty : her eyes were 
 large, lively, and sparkling; her smile bewitching; 
 her nose faultless ; her mouth small ; her lips ver- 
 milion. It is not therefore surprising that Aladdin, 
 who had never before seen such a blaze of charms, 
 was dazzled and enchanted. 
 
 After the princess had passed by, and entered the 
 bath, Aladdin quitted his hiding-place, and went 
 home. His mother perceived him to be more 
 thoughtful and melancholy than usual ; and asked 
 what had happened to make him so, or if he was ill. 
 Hfee then told his mother all his adventure, and con- 
 cluded by declaring, " I love the princess more than 
 I can express, and am resolved that I will ask her 
 in marriage of the sultan." 
 
 Aladdin's mother listened with surprise to what 
 her son told her ; but when he talked of asking the 
 princess in marriage, she laughed aloud. " Alas ! 
 
68 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 child," said she, "what are you thinking of? You 
 must be mad to talk thus." 
 
 " I assure you, mother," replied Aladdin, " that I 
 am not mad, but in my right senses. I foresaw that 
 you would reproach me with folly and extrava- 
 gance ; but I must tell you once more, that I am re- 
 solved to demand the princess of the sultan in mar- 
 riage ; nor do I despair of success. I have the slaves 
 of the lamp and of the ring to help me, and you 
 know how powerful their aid is. And I have an- 
 other secret to tell you : those pieces of glass, which 
 I got from the trees in the garden of the subter- 
 ranean palace, are jewels of inestimable value, and 
 fit for the greatest monarchs. All the precious 
 stones the jewellers have in Bagdad are not to be 
 compared to mine for size or beauty ; and I am sure 
 that the offer of them will secure the favour of the 
 sultan. You have a large porcelain dish fit to hold 
 them; fetch it, and let us see how they will look, 
 when we have arranged them according to their dif- 
 ferent colours. 
 
 Aladdin's mother brought the china dish, when 
 he took the jewels out of the two purses in which 
 he had kept them, and placed them in order, accord- 
 ing to his fancy. But the brightness and lustre 
 they emitted in the daytime, and the variety of the 
 colours, so dazzled the eyes both of mother and son, 
 that they were astonished beyond measure. Alad- 
 din's mother, emboldened by the sight of these 
 rich jewels, and fearful lest her son should be guilty 
 of greater extravagance, complied with his request, 
 and promised to go early in the next morning to the 
 palace of the sultan. Aladdin rose before daybreak, 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 69 
 
 awakened his mother, pressing her to go to the sul- 
 tan's palace, and to get admittance, if possible, before 
 the grand vizier, the other viziers, and the great 
 officers of state went in to take their seats in the 
 divan, where the sultan always attended in person. 
 
 Aladdin's mother took the china dish, in which 
 they had put the jewels the day before, wrapped it 
 in two fine napkins, and set forward for the sultan's 
 palace. When she came to the gates, the grand 
 vizier, the other viziers, and most distinguished lords 
 of the court were just gone in; but notwithstanding 
 the cro'wd of people was great, she got into the 
 divan, a spacious hall, the entrance into which was 
 very magnificent. She placed herself just before the 
 sultan, grand vizier, and the great lords, who sat in 
 council, on his right and left hand. Several causes 
 were called, according to their order, pleaded and 
 adjudged, until the time the divan generally broke 
 up, when the sultan, rising, returned to his apart- 
 ment, attended by the grand vizier ; the other viziers 
 and ministers of state then retired, as also did all 
 those whose business had called them thither. 
 
 Aladdin's mother, seeing the sultan retire, and all 
 the people depart, judged rightly that he would not 
 sit again that day, and resolved to go home; and on 
 her arrival said, with much simplicity, " Son, I have 
 seen the sultan, and am very well persuaded he has 
 seen me, too, for I placed myself just before him; 
 but he was so much taken up with those who at- 
 tended on all sides of him that I pitied him, and 
 wondered at his patience. At last I believe he was 
 heartily tired, for he rose up suddenly, and would 
 not hear a great many who were ready prepared to 
 
7<o Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 speak to him, but went away, at which I was well 
 pleased, for indeed I began to lose all patience, and 
 was extremely fatigued with staying so long. But 
 there is no harm done; I will go again to-morrow; 
 perhaps the sultan may not be so busy." 
 
 The next morning she repaired to the sultan's 
 palace with the present, as early as the day before ; 
 but when she came there, she found the gates of 
 the divan shut. She went six times afterward on 
 the days appointed, placed herself always directly 
 before the sultan, but with as little success as the 
 first morning. 
 
 On the sixth day, however, after the divan was 
 broken up, when the sultan returned to his own 
 apartment, he said to his grand vizier : " I have for 
 some time observed a certain woman, who attends 
 constantly every day that I give audience, with 
 something wrapped up in a napkin; she always 
 stands up from the beginning to the breaking up of 
 the audience, and affects to place herself just before 
 me. If this woman comes to our next audience, do 
 not fail to call her, that I may hear what she has to 
 say." The grand vizier made answer by lowering 
 his hand, and then lifting it up above his head, sig- 
 nifying his willingness to lose it if he failed. 
 
 On the next audience day, when Aladdin's mother 
 went to the divan, and placed herself in front of the 
 sultan as usual, the grand vizier immediately called 
 the chief of the mace-bearers, and pointing to her 
 bade him bring her before the sultan. The old 
 woman at once followed the mace-bearer, and when 
 she reached the sultan bowed her head down to the 
 carpet which covered the platform of the throne, 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 71 
 
 and remained in that posture until he bade her rise, 
 which she had no sooner done, than he said to her, 
 " Good woman, I have observed you to stand many 
 days from the beginning to the rising of the divan ; 
 what business brings you here ? " 
 
 After these words, Aladdin's mother prostrated 
 herself a second time ; and when she arose, said, 
 " Monarch of monarchs, I beg of you to pardon the 
 boldness of my petition, and to assure me of your 
 pardon and forgiveness." " Well," replied the sul- 
 tan, " I will forgive you, be it what it may, and no 
 hurt shall come to you ; speak boldly." 
 
 When Aladdin's mother had taken all these pre- 
 cautions, for fear of the sultan's anger, she told him 
 faithfully the errand on which her son had sent her, 
 and the event which led to his making so bold a 
 request in spite of all her remonstrances. 
 
 The sultan hearkened to this discourse without 
 showing the least anger ; but before he gave her any 
 answer, asked her what she had brought tied up in 
 the napkin. She took the china dish which she had 
 set down at the foot of the throne, untied it, and 
 presented it to the sultan. 
 
 The sultan's amazement and surprise were inex- 
 pressible, when he saw so many large, beautiful and 
 valuable jewels collected in the dish. He remained 
 for some time lost in admiration. At last, when he 
 had recovered himself, he received the present from 
 Aladdin's mother's hand ; saying, " How rich, how 
 beautiful ! " After he had admired and handled all 
 the jewels one after another, he turned to his grand 
 vizier, and showing him the dish, said, " Behold, 
 admire, wonder ! and confess that your eyes never 
 
72 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 
 
 beheld jewels so rich and beautiful before." The 
 vizier was charmed. " Well," continued the sultan, 
 " what sayest thou to such a present ? Is it not 
 worthy of the princess my daughter? And ought 
 I not to bestow her on one who values her at so 
 great a price ? " "I cannot but own," replied the 
 grand vizier, " that the present is worthy of the 
 princess; but I beg of your majesty to grant me 
 three months before you come to a final resolution. 
 I hope, before that time, my son, whom you have 
 regarded with your favour, will be able to make a 
 nobler present than this Aladdin, who is an entire 
 stranger to your majesty." 
 
 The sultan granted his request, and he said to the 
 old woman, " Good woman, go home, and tell your 
 son that I agree to the proposal you have made me ; 
 but I cannot marry the princess my daughter for 
 three months; at the expiration of that time come 
 again." 
 
 Aladdin's mother returned home much more grati- 
 fied than she had expected, and told her son with 
 much joy the condescending answer she had re- 
 ceived from the sultan's own mouth; and that she 
 was to come to the divan again that day three 
 months. 
 
 Aladdin thought himself the most happy of all 
 men at hearing this news, and thanked his mother 
 for the pains she had taken in the affair, the good 
 success of which was of so great importance to his 
 peace, that he counted every day, week, and even 
 hour as it passed. When two of the three months 
 were passed, his mother one evening, having no oil 
 in the house, went out to buy some, and found a 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 73 
 
 general rejoicing — the houses dressed with foliage, 
 silks, and carpeting, and every one striving to show 
 their joy according to their ability. The streets were 
 crowded with officers in habits of ceremony, 
 mounted on horses richly caparisoned, each at- 
 tended by a great many footmen. Aladdin's mother 
 asked the oil merchant what was the meaning of all 
 this preparation of public festivity. " Whence came 
 you, good woman," said he, " that you don't know 
 that the grand vizier's son is to marry the Princess 
 Buddir al Buddoor, the sultan's daughter, to-night? 
 She will presently return from the bath; and these 
 officers whom you see are to assist at the cavalcade 
 to the palace, where the ceremony is to be solem- 
 nised." 
 
 Aladdin's mother, on hearing these news, ran 
 home very quickly. " Child," cried she, " you are 
 undone ! the sultan's fine promises will come to 
 nought. This night the grand vizier's son is to 
 marry the Princess Buddir al Buddoor." 
 
 At this account, Aladdin was thunderstruck, and 
 he bethought himself of the lamp, and of the genie 
 who had promised to obey him ; and without indulg- 
 ing in idle words against the sultan, the vizier, or 
 his son, he determined, if possible, to prevent the 
 marriage. 
 
 When Aladdin had got into his chamber, he took 
 the lamp, rubbed it in the same place as before, when 
 immediately the genie appeared, and said to him, 
 u What wouldst thou have ? I am ready to obey 
 thee as thy slave ; I, and the other slaves of the 
 lamp." " Hear me," said Aladdin ; " thou hast 
 hitherto obeyed me, but now I am about to impose 
 
74 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 on thee a harder task. The sultan's daughter, who 
 was promised me as my bride, is this night married 
 to the son of the grand vizier. Bring them both 
 hither to me immediately they retire to their bed- 
 chamber." 
 
 " Master," replied the genie, " I obey you." 
 Aladdin supped with his mother as was their 
 wont, and then went to his own apartment, and sat 
 up to await the return of the genie, according to his 
 commands. 
 
 In the mean time the festivities in honour of the 
 princess's marriage were conducted in the sultan's 
 palace with great magnificence. The ceremonies 
 were at last brought to a conclusion, and the princess 
 and the son of the vizier retired to the bedchamber 
 prepared for them. No sooner had they entered it, 
 and dismissed their attendants, than the genie, the 
 faithful slave of the lamp, to the great amazement 
 and alarm of the bride and bridegroom, took up the 
 bed, and by an agency invisible to them, transported 
 it in an instant into Aladdin's chamber, where he 
 set it down. " Remove the bridegroom," said 
 Aladdin to the genie, " and keep him a prisoner till 
 to-morrow dawn, and then return with him here." 
 On Aladdin being left alone with the princess, he 
 endeavoured to assuage her fears, and explained to 
 her the treachery practiced upon him by the sultan 
 her father. He then laid himself down beside her, 
 putting a drawn scimitar between them, to show that 
 he was determined to secure her safety, and to treat 
 her with the utmost possible respect. At break of 
 day, the genie appeared at the appointed hour, 
 bringing back the bridegroom, whom by breathing 
 
Story of Aladdin; or. The Wonderful Lamp 75 
 
 upon he had left motionless and entranced at the 
 door of Aladdin's chamber during- the night, and at 
 Aladdin's command transported the couch with the 
 bride and bridegroom on it, by the same invisible 
 agency, into the palace of the sultan. 
 
 At the instant that the genie had set down the 
 couch with the bride and bridegroom in their own 
 chamber, the sultan came to the door to offer his good 
 wishes to his daughter. The grand vizier's son, 
 who was almost perished with cold, by standing in 
 his thin under-garmeut all night, no sooner heard 
 the knocking at the door than he got out of bed, 
 and ran into the robing-chamber, where he had un- 
 dressed himself the night before. 
 
 The sultan having opened the door, went to the 
 bedside, kissed the princess on the forehead, but was 
 extremely surprised to see her look so melancholy. 
 She only cast at him a sorrowful look, expressive 
 of great affliction. He suspected there was some- 
 thing extraordinary in this silence, and thereupon 
 went immediately to the sultaness's apartment, told 
 her in what a state he found the princess, and how 
 she had received him. " Sire," said the sultaness, 
 " I will go and see her ; she will not receive me in 
 the same manner." 
 
 The princess received her mother with sighs and 
 tears, and signs of deep dejection. At last, upon 
 her pressing on her the duty of telling her all her 
 thoughts, she gave to the sultaness a precise descrip- 
 tion of all that happened to her during the night ; on 
 which the sultaness enjoined on her the necessity of 
 silence and discretion, as no one'would give credence 
 to so strange a tale. The grand vizier's son, elated 
 
76 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 with the honour of being the sultan's son-in-law, 
 kept silence on his part, and the events of the night 
 were not allowed to cast the least gloom on the fes- 
 tivities on the following day, in continued celebra- 
 tion of the royal marriage. 
 
 When night came, the bride and bridegroom were 
 again attended to their chamber with the same cere- 
 monies as on the preceding evening. Aladdin, know- 
 ing that this would be so, had already given his com- 
 mands to the genie of the lamp ; and no sooner were 
 they alone than their bed was removed in the same 
 mysterious manner as on the preceding evening ; and 
 having passed the night in the same unpleasant way, 
 they were in the morning conveyed to the palace of 
 the sultan. Scarcely had they been replaced in their 
 apartment, when the sultan came to make his com- 
 pliments to his daughter, when the princess could no 
 longer conceal from him the unhappy treatment she 
 had been subject to, and told him all that had hap- 
 pened as she had already related it to her mother. 
 The sultan, on hearing these strange tidings, con- 
 sulted with the grand vizier; and finding from him 
 that his son had been subjected to even worse treat- 
 ment by an invisible agency, he determined to de- 
 clare the marriage to be cancelled, and all the fes- 
 tivities, which were yet to last for several days, to 
 be countermanded and terminated. 
 
 This sudden change in the mind of the sultan gave 
 rise to various speculations and reports. Nobody 
 but Aladdin knew the secret, and he kept it with the 
 most scrupulous silence; and neither the sultan nor 
 the grand vizier, who had forgotten Aladdin and his 
 request, had the least thought that he had any hand 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 77 
 
 in the strange adventures that befell the bride and 
 bridegroom. 
 
 On the very day that the three months contained 
 in the sultan's promise expired, the mother of Alad- 
 din again went to the palace, and stood in the same 
 place in the divan. The sultan knew her again, and 
 directed his vizier to have her brought before him. 
 
 After having prostrated herself, she made answer, 
 in reply to the sultan : u Sire, I come at the end of 
 three months to ask of you the fulfillment of the 
 promise you made to my son." The sultan little 
 thought the request of Aladdin's mother was made to 
 him in earnest, or that he would hear any more of 
 the matter. He therefore took counsel with his 
 vizier, who suggested that the sultan should attach 
 such conditions to the marriage that no one of the 
 humble condition of Aladdin could possibly fulfill. 
 In accordance with this suggestion of the vizier, the 
 sultan replied to the mother of Aladdin : " Good 
 woman, it is true sultans ought to abide by their 
 word, and I am ready to keep mine, by making your 
 son happy in marriage with the princess my 
 daughter. But as I cannot marry her without some 
 further proof of your son being able to support her 
 in royal state, you may tell him I will fulfill my 
 promise as soon as he shall send me forty trays of 
 massy gold, full of the same sort of jewels you have 
 already made me a present of, and carried by the 
 like number of black slaves, who shall be led by as 
 many young and handsome white slaves, all dressed 
 magnificently. On these conditions I am ready to 
 bestow the princess my daughter upon him; there- 
 
78 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 fore, good woman, go and tell him so, and I will 
 wait till you bring me his answer." 
 
 Aladdin's mother prostrated herself a second time 
 before the sultan's throne, and retired. On her way 
 home, she laughed within herself at her son's foolish 
 imagination. " Where," said she, " can he get so 
 many large gold trays, and such precious stones to 
 fill them? It is altogether out of his power, and I 
 believe he will not be much pleased with my em- 
 bassy this time." When she came home, full of 
 these thoughts, she told Aladdin all the circum- 
 stances of her interview with the sultan, and the con- 
 ditions on which he consented to the marriage. 
 " The sultan expects your answer immediately," said 
 she ; and then added, laughing, " I believe he may 
 wait long enough ! " 
 
 " Not so long, mother, as you imagine," replied 
 Aladdin. " This demand is a mere trifle, and will 
 prove no bar to my marriage with the princess. I 
 will prepare at once to satisfy his request." 
 
 Aladdin retired to his own apartment and sum- 
 moned the genie of the lamp, and required him to 
 prepare and present the gift immediately, before the 
 sultan closed his morning audience, according to the 
 terms in which it had been prescribed. The genie 
 professed his obedience to the owner of the lamp, 
 and disappeared. Within a very short time, a train 
 of forty black slaves, led by the same number of 
 white slaves, appeared opposite the house in which 
 Aladdin lived. Each black slave carried on his head 
 a basin of massy gold, full of pearls, diamonds, 
 rubies, and emeralds. Aladdin then addressed his 
 mother : " Madam, pray lose no time ; before the sul- 
 
 
Story of Aladdin: or. The Wonderful Lamp 79 
 
 tan and the divan rise, I would have you return to 
 the palace with this present as the dowry demanded 
 for the princess, that he may judge by my diligence 
 and exactness of the ardent and sincere desire I 
 have to procure myself the honour of this alliance." 
 
 As soon as this magnificent procession, with Alad- 
 din's mother at its head, had begun to march from 
 Aladdin's house, the whole city was filled with the 
 crowds of people desirous to see so grand a sight. 
 The graceful bearing, elegant form, and wonderful 
 likeness of each slave ; their grave walk at an equal 
 distance from each other, the lustre of their jewelled 
 girdles, and the brilliancy of the aigrettes of precious 
 stones in their turbans, excited the greatest admira- 
 tion in the spectators. As they had to pass through 
 several streets to the palace, the whole length of the 
 way was lined with files of spectators. Nothing, in- 
 deed, was ever seen so beautiful and brilliant in the 
 sultan's palace, and the richest robes of the emirs of 
 his court were not to be compared to the costly 
 dresses of these slaves, whom they supposed to be 
 kings. 
 
 As the sultan, who had been informed of their ap- 
 proach, had given orders for them to be admitted, 
 they met with no obstacle, but went into the divan in 
 regular order, one part turning to the right and the 
 other to the left. After they were all entered, and 
 had formed a semicircle before the sultan's throne, 
 the black slaves laid the golden trays on the carpet, 
 prostrated themselves, touching the carpet with their 
 foreheads, and at the same time the white slaves 
 did the same. When they rose, the black slaves un- 
 
80 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 covered the trays, and then all stood with their arms 
 crossed over their breasts. 
 
 In the mean time, Aladdin's mother advanced to 
 the foot of the throne, and having prostrated herself, 
 said to the sultan, " Sire, my son knows this pres- 
 ent is much below the notice of Princess Buddir al 
 Buddoor; but hopes, nevertheless, that your majesty 
 will accept of it, and make it agreeable to the prin- 
 cess, and with the greater confidence since he has 
 endeavoured to conform to the conditions you were 
 pleased to impose." 
 
 The sultan, overpowered at the sight of such more 
 than royal magnificence, replied without hesitation 
 to the words of Aladdin's mother : " Go and tell your 
 son that I wait with open arms to embrace him ; and 
 the more haste he makes to come and receive the 
 princess my daughter from my hands, the greater 
 pleasure he will do me." As soon as Aladdin's 
 mother had retired, the sultan put an end to the 
 audience; and rising from his throne ordered that 
 the princess's attendants should come and carry the 
 trays into their mistress's apartment, whither he 
 went himself to examine them with her at his leisure. 
 The fourscore slaves were conducted into the pal- 
 ace ; and the sultan, telling the princess of their mag- 
 nificent apparel, ordered them to be brought before 
 her apartment, that she might see through the lat- 
 tices he had not exaggerated in his account of them. 
 
 In the meantime Aladdin's mother reached home, 
 and showed in her air and countenance the good 
 news she brought to her son. " My son," said she, 
 " you may rejoice you are arrived at the height of 
 your desires. The sultan has declared that you shall 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp Si 
 
 marry the Princess Buddir al Buddoor. He waits 
 for you with impatience." 
 
 Aladdin, enraptured with this news, made his 
 mother very little reply, but retired to his chamber. 
 There he rubbed his lamp, and the obedient genie 
 appeared. " Genie," said Aladdin, " convey me at 
 once to a bath, and supply me with the richest and 
 most magnificent robe ever worn by a monarch." 
 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the 
 genie rendered him, as well as himself, invisible, 
 and transported him into a bath of the finest marble 
 of all sorts of colours ; where he was undressed, 
 without seeing by whom, in a magnificent and spa- 
 cious hall. He was then well rubbed and washed 
 with various scented waters. After he had passed 
 through several degrees of heat, he came out quite 
 a different man from what he was before. His skin 
 w r as clear as that of a child, his body lightsome and 
 free ; and when he returned into the hall, he found, 
 instead of his own poor raiment, a rob&, the mag- 
 nificence of which astonished him. The genie helped 
 him to dress, and when lie had done, transported him 
 back to his own chamber, where he asked him if 
 he had any other commands. " Yes," answered 
 Aladdin, " bring me a charger that surpasses in 
 beauty and goodness the best in the sultan's stables ; 
 with a saddle, bridle, and other caparisons to cor- 
 respond with his value. Furnish also twenty slaves, 
 as richly clothed as those who carried the present to 
 the sultan, to walk by my side and follow me, and 
 twenty more to go before me in two ranks. Besides 
 these, bring my mother six women slaves to attend 
 her, as richly dressed at least as any of the Princess 
 
82 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Buddir al Buddoor's, each carrying a complete dress 
 fit for any sultaness. I want also ten thousand 
 pieces of gold in ten purses ; go, and make haste." 
 
 As soon as Aladdin had given these orders, the 
 genie disappeared, but presently returned with the 
 horse, the forty slaves, ten of whom carried each 
 a purse containing ten thousand pieces of gold, and 
 six women slaves, each carrying on her head a 
 different dress for Aladdin's mother, wrapt up in 
 a piece of silver tissue, and presented them all to 
 Aladdin. 
 
 He presented the six women slaves to his mother, 
 telling her they were her slaves, and that the dresses 
 they had brought were for her use. Of the ten 
 purses Aladdin took four, which he gave to his 
 mother, telling her, those were to supply her with 
 necessaries ; the other six he left in the hands of the 
 slaves who brought them, with an order to throw 
 them by handfuls among the people as they went to 
 the sultan's palace. The six slaves who carried the 
 purses he ordered likewise to march before him, 
 three on the right hand and three on the left. 
 
 When Aladdin had thus prepared himself for his 
 first interview with the sultan, he dismissed the 
 genie, and immediately mounting his charger, began 
 his march, and though he never was on horseback 
 before, appeared with a grace the most experienced 
 horseman might envy. The innumerable concourse 
 of people through whom he passed made the air echo 
 with their acclamations, especially every time the six 
 slaves who carried the purses threw handfuls of gold 
 among the populace. 
 
 On Aladdin's arrival at the palace, the sultan was 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 83 
 
 surprised to find him more richly and magnificently 
 robed than he had ever been himself, and was im- 
 pressed with his good looks and dignity of manner, 
 which were so different from what he expected in 
 the son of one so humble as Aladdin's mother. He 
 embraced him with all the demonstrations of joy, 
 and when he would have fallen at his feet, held him 
 by the hand, and made him sit near his throne. He 
 shortly after led him amidst the sounds of trumpets, 
 hautboys, and all kinds of music, to a magnificent 
 entertainment, at which the sultan and Aladdin ate 
 by themselves, and the great lords of the court, 
 according to their rank and dignity, sat at different 
 tables. After the feast, the sultan sent for the chief 
 cadi, and commanded him to draw up a contract of 
 marriage between the Princess Buddir al Buddoor 
 and Aladdin. When the contract had been drawn, 
 the sultan asked Aladdin if he would stay in the pal- 
 ace and complete the ceremonies of the marriage 
 that day. " Sire," said Aladdin, " though great is 
 my impatience to enter on the honour granted me by 
 your majesty, yet I beg you to permit me first to 
 build a palace worthy to receive the princess your 
 daughter. I pray you to grant me sufficient ground 
 near your palace, and I will have it completed with 
 the utmost expedition." The sultan granted Alad- 
 din his request, and again embraced him. After 
 which he took his leave with as much politeness as if 
 he had been bred up and had always lived at court. 
 
 Aladdin returned home in the order he had come, 
 amidst the acclamations of the people, who wished 
 him all happiness and prosperity. As soon as he dis- 
 mounted, he retired to his own chamber, took the 
 
$4 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 lamp, and summoned the genie as usual, who pro- 
 fessed his allegiance. " Genie," said Aladdin, " build 
 me a palace fit to receive the Princess Buddir al 
 Buddoor. Let its materials be made of nothing less 
 than porphyry, jasper, agate, lapis lazuli, and the fin- 
 est marble. Let its walls be massive gold and silver 
 bricks laid alternately. Let each front contain six 
 windows, and let the lattices of these (except one, 
 which must be left unfinished) be enriched with 
 diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, so that they shall 
 -exceed everything of the kind ever seen in the 
 world. Let there be an inner and outer court in 
 front of the palace, and a spacious garden ; but above 
 all things, provide a safe treasure-house, and fill it 
 with gold and silver. Let there be also kitchens and 
 storehouses, stables full of the finest horses, with 
 their equerries and grooms, and hunting equipage, 
 officers, attendants, and slaves, both men and 
 women, to form a retinue for the princess and my- 
 self. Go and execute my wishes." 
 
 When Aladdin gave these commands to the genie, 
 the sun was set. The next morning at daybreak the 
 genie presented himself, and, having obtained Alad- 
 din's consent, transported him in a moment to the 
 palace he had made. The genie led him through all 
 the apartments, where he found officers and slaves, 
 habited according to their rank and the services to 
 which they were appointed. The genie then showed 
 him the treasury, which was opened by a treasurer, 
 where Aladdin saw large vases of different sizes, 
 piled up to the top with money, ranged all round the 
 chamber. The genie thence led him to the stables, 
 where were some of the finest horses in the world, 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 85 
 
 and the grooms busy in dressing them ; from thence 
 they went to the storehouses, which were filled with 
 all things necessary, both for food and ornament. 
 
 When Aladdin had examined every portion of the 
 palace, and particularly the hall with the four-and- 
 twenty windows, and found it far to exceed his 
 fondest expectations, he said, " Genie, there is one 
 thing wanting, a fine carpet for the princess to walk 
 upon from the sultan's palace to mine. Lay one 
 down immediately." The genie disappeared, and 
 Aladdin saw what he desired executed in an instant. 
 The genie then returned, and carried him to his own 
 home. 
 
 When the sultan's porters came to open the gates, 
 they were amazed to find what had been an un- 
 occupied garden filled up with a magnificent palace, 
 and a splendid carpet extending to it all the way 
 from the sultan's palace. They told the strange tid- 
 ings to the grand vizier, who informed the sultan, 
 who exclaimed, " It must be Aladdin's palace, which 
 I gave him leave to build for my daughter. He has 
 wished to surprise us, and let us see what wonders 
 can be done in only one night." 
 
 Aladdin, on his being conveyed by the genie to his 
 own home, requested his mother to go to the 
 Princess Buddir al Buddoor, and tell her that the 
 palace would be ready for her reception in the 
 evening. She went, attended by her women slaves, 
 in the same order as on the preceding day. Shortly 
 after her arrival at the princess's apartment, the 
 sultan himself came in, and was surprised to find 
 her, whom he knew as his suppliant at his divan in 
 such humble guise, to be now more richly and 
 
86 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 sumptuously attired than his own daughter. This 
 gave him a higher opinion of Aladdin, who took 
 such care of his mother, and made her share his 
 wealth and honours. Shortly after her departure, 
 Aladdin, mounting his horse, and attended by his 
 retinue of magnificent attendants, left his paternal 
 home forever, and went to the palace in the same 
 pomp as on the day before. Nor did he forget to 
 take with him the Wonderful Lamp, to which he 
 owed all his good fortune, nor to wear the Ring 
 which was given him as a talisman. The sultan en- 
 tertained Aladdin with the utmost magnificence, and 
 at night, on the conclusion of the marriage cere- 
 monies, the princess took leave of the sultan her 
 father. Bands of music led the procession, followed 
 by a hundred state ushers, and the like number of 
 black mutes, in two files, with their officers at their 
 head. Four hundred of the sultan's young pages 
 carried flambeaux on each side, which, together with 
 the illuminations of the sultan's and Aladdin's pal- 
 aces, made it as light as day. In this order the 
 princess, conveyed in her litter, and accompanied 
 also by Aladdin's mother, carried in a superb litter 
 and attended by her women slaves, proceeded on the 
 carpet which was spread from the sultan's palace to 
 that of Aladdin. On her arrival Aladdin was ready 
 to receive her at the entrance, and led her into a 
 large hall, illuminated with an infinite number of 
 wax candles, where a noble feast was served up. 
 The dishes were of massy gold, and contained the 
 most delicate viands. The vases, basins, and gob- 
 lets were gold also, and of exquisite workmanship, 
 and all the other ornaments and embellishments of 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 87 
 
 the hall were answerable to this display. The 
 princess, dazzled to see so much riches collected in 
 one place, said to Aladdin, " I thought, prince, that 
 nothing - in the world was so beautiful as the sultan 
 my father's palace, but the sight of this hall alone 
 is sufficient to show I was deceived." 
 
 When the supper was ended, there entered a com- 
 pany of female dancers, who performed, according 
 to the custom of the country, singing at the same 
 time verses in praise of the bride and bridegroom. 
 About midnight Aladdin's mother conducted the 
 bride to the nuptial apartment, and he soon after 
 retired. 
 
 The next morning the attendants of Aladdin pre- 
 sented themselves to dress him, and brought him 
 another habit, as rich and magnificent as that worn 
 the day before. He then ordered one of the horses 
 to be got ready, mounted him, and went in the midst 
 of a large troop of slaves to the sultan's palace to 
 entreat him to take a repast in the princess's palace, 
 attended by his grand vizier and all the lords of his 
 court. The sultan consented with pleasure, rose up 
 immediately, and, preceded by the principal officers 
 of his palace, and followed by all the great lords of 
 his court, accompanied Aladdin. 
 
 The nearer the sultan approached Aladdin's pal- 
 ace, the more he was struck with its beauty ; but 
 when he entered it, came into the hall, and saw the 
 windows, enriched with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, 
 all large perfect stones, he was completely surprised, 
 and said to his son-in-law, " This palace is one of 
 the wonders of the world ; for where in all the world 
 besides shall we find walls built of massy gold and 
 
88 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 silver, and diamonds, rubies, and emeralds compos- 
 ing the windows? But what most surprises me is, 
 that a hall of this magnificence should be left with 
 one of its windows incomplete and unfinished." 
 " Sire," answered Aladdin, " the omission was by 
 design, since I wished that you should have the 
 glory of finishing this hall." " I take your intention 
 kindly," said the sultan, " and will give orders about 
 it immediately." 
 
 After the sultan had finished this magnificent en- 
 tertainment, provided for him and for his court by 
 Aladdin, he was informed that the jewellers and 
 goldsmiths attended ; upon which he returned to the 
 hall, and showed them the window which was un- 
 finished. " I sent for you," said he, " to fit up this 
 window in as great perfection as the rest. Examine 
 them well, and make all the dispatch you can." 
 
 The jewellers and goldsmiths examined the three- 
 and-twenty windows with great attention, and after 
 they had consulted together, to know what each 
 could furnish, they returned, and presented them- 
 selves before the sultan, whose principal jeweller, 
 undertaking to speak for the rest, said, " Sire, we 
 are all willing to exert our utmost care and industry 
 to obey you; but among us all we cannot furnish 
 jewels enough for so great a work." " I have more 
 than are necessary," said the sultan ; " come to my 
 palace, and you shall choose what may answer your 
 purpose." 
 
 When the sultan returned to his palace, he ordered 
 his jewels to be brought out, and the jewellers took 
 a great quantity, particularly those Aladdin had 
 made him a present of, which they soon used, with- 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 89 
 
 out making any great advance in their work. They 
 came again several times for more, and in a month's 
 time had not finished half their work. In short, 
 they used all the jewels the sultan had, and bor- 
 rowed of the vizier, but yet the work was not half 
 done. 
 
 Aladdin, who knew that all the sultan's endeav- 
 ours to make this window like the rest were in vain, 
 sent for the jewellers and goldsmiths, and not only 
 commanded them to desist from their work, but 
 ordered them to undo what they had begun, and to 
 carry all their jewels back to the sultan and to the 
 vizier. They undid in a few hours what they had 
 been six weeks about, and retired, leaving Aladdin 
 alone in the hall. He took the lamp, which he car- 
 ried about him, rubbed it, and presently the genie 
 appeared. " Genie," said Aladdin, " I ordered thee 
 to leave one of the four-and-twenty windows of this 
 hall imperfect, and thou hast executed my com- 
 mands punctually ; now I would have thee make it 
 like the rest." The genie immediately disappeared. 
 Aladdin went out of the hall, and returning soon 
 after, found the window, as he wished it to be, like 
 the others. 
 
 In the mean time, the jewellers and goldsmiths 
 repaired to the palace, and were introduced into the 
 sultan's presence; where the chief jeweller presented 
 the precious stones which he had brought back. The 
 sultan asked them if Aladdin had given them any 
 reason for so doing, and they answering that he had 
 given them none, he ordered a horse to be brought, 
 which he mounted, and rode to his son-in-law's pal- 
 ace, with some few attendants on foot, to inquire 
 
go Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 why he had ordered the completion of the window 
 to be stopped. Aladdin met him at the gate, and 
 without giving any reply to his inquiries conducted 
 him to the grand saloon, where the sultan, to his 
 great surprise, found the window, which was left 
 imperfect, to correspond exactly with the others. 
 He fancied at first that he was mistaken, and ex- 
 amined the two windows on each side, and after- 
 ward all the four-and-twenty ; but when he was con- 
 vinced that the window which several workmen had 
 been so long about was finished in so short a time, 
 he embraced Aladdin and kissed him between his 
 eyes. " My son," said he, " what a man you are to 
 do such surprising things always in the twinkling 
 of an eye ! there is not your fellow in the world ; the 
 more I know, the more I admire you." 
 
 The sultan returned to the palace, and after this 
 went frequently to the window to contemplate and 
 admire the wonderful palace of his son-in-law. 
 
 Aladdin did not confine himself in his palace, but 
 went with much state, sometimes to one mosque, 
 and sometimes to another, to prayers, or to visit the 
 grand vizier or the principal lords of the court. 
 Every time he went out, he caused two slaves, who 
 walked by the side of his horse, to throw handfuls 
 of money among the people as he passed through 
 the streets and squares. This generosity gained him 
 the love and blessings of the people, and it was com- 
 mon for them to sw r ear by his head. Thus Aladdin, 
 while he paid all respect to the sultan, won by his 
 affable behaviour and liberality the affections of the 
 people. 
 
 Aladdin had conducted himself in this manner 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 91 
 
 several years, when the African magician, who had 
 for some years dismissed him from his recollection, 
 determined to inform himself with certainty whether 
 he perished, as he supposed, in the subterranean 
 cave or not. After he had resorted to a long course 
 of magic ceremonies, and had formed a horoscope 
 by which to ascertain Aladdin's fate, what was his 
 surprise to find the appearances to declare that 
 Aladdin, instead of dying in the cave, had made his 
 escape, and was living in royal splendour, by the aid 
 of the genie of the wonderful lamp ! 
 
 On the very next day, the magician set out and 
 travelled with the utmost haste to the capital of 
 China, where, on his arrival, he took up his lodgings 
 in a khan. 
 
 He then quickly learnt about the wealth, char- 
 ities, happiness, and splendid palace of Prince Alad- 
 din. Directly he saw the wonderful fabric, he knew 
 that none but the genies, the slaves of the lamp, 
 could have performed such wonders, and, piqued to 
 the quick at Aladdin's high estate, he returned to 
 the khan. 
 
 On his return he had recourse to an operation of 
 geomancy to find out where the lamp was — whether 
 Aladdin carried it about with him, or where he left 
 it. The result of his consultation informed him, to 
 his great joy, that the lamp was in the palace. 
 " Well," said he, rubbing his hands in glee, " I shall 
 have the lamp, and I shall make Aladdin return to 
 his original mean condition." 
 
 The next day the magician learnt, from the chief 
 superintendent of the khan where he lodged, that 
 Aladdin had gone on a hunting expedition, which 
 
92 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 was to last for eight days, of which only three had 
 expired. The magician wanted to know no more. 
 He resolved at once on his plans. He went to a 
 coppersmith, and asked for a dozen copper lamps: 
 the master of the shop told him he had not so many 
 by him, but if he would have patience till the next 
 day, he would have them ready. The magician ap- 
 pointed his time, and desired him to take care that 
 they should be handsome and well polished. 
 
 The next day the magician called for the twelve 
 lamps, paid the man his full price, put them into a 
 basket hanging on his arm, and went directly to 
 Aladdin's palace. As he approached, he began cry- 
 ing, " Who will exchange old lamps for new ones ? ** 
 As he went along, a crowd of children collected, 
 who hooted, and thought him, as did all who 
 chanced to be passing by, a madman or a fool, to 
 offer to change new lamps for old ones. 
 
 The African magician regarded not their scoffs, 
 hootings, or all they could say to him, but still con- 
 tinued crying, " Who will change old lamps for new 
 ones ? " He repeated this so often, walking back- 
 ward and forward in front of the palace, that the 
 princess, who was then in the hall with the four- 
 and-twenty windows, hearing a man cry something, 
 and seeing a great mob crowding about him, sent 
 one of her women slaves to know what he cried 
 
 The slave returned, laughing so heartily that the 
 princess rebuked her. " Madam,"' answered the 
 slave, laughing still, " who can forbear laughing, to 
 see an old man with a basket on his arm, full of fine 
 new lamps, asking to change them for old ones ? the 
 children and mob crowding about him, so that he 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 93 
 
 can hardly stir, make all the noise they can in deri- 
 sion of him." 
 
 Another female slave hearing this, said, " Now 
 you speak of lamps, I know not whether the princess 
 may have observed it, but there is an old one upon 
 a shelf of the Prince Aladdin's robing room, and 
 whoever owns it will not be sorry to find a new 
 one in its stead. If the princess chooses, she may 
 have the pleasure of trying if this old man is so 
 silly as to give a new lamp for an old one, without 
 taking anything for the exchange." 
 
 The princess, who knew not the value of this 
 lamp, and the interest that Aladdin had to keep it 
 safe, entered into the pleasantry, and commanded a 
 slave to take it and make the exchange. The slave 
 obeyed, went out of the hall, and no sooner got to 
 the palace gates than he saw the African magician, 
 called to him, and showing him the old lamp, said, 
 " Give me a new lamp for this." 
 
 The magician never doubted but this was the 
 lamp he wanted. There could be no other such in 
 this palace, where every utensil was gold or silver. 
 He snatched it eagerly out of the slave's hand, and 
 thrusting it as far as he could into his breast, offered 
 him his basket, and bade him choose which he liked 
 best. The slave picked out one and carried it to the 
 princess ; but the change was no sooner made than 
 the place rung with the shouts of the children, de- 
 riding the magician's folly. 
 
 The African magician stayed no longer near the 
 palace, nor cried any more, " New lamps for old 
 ones," but made the best of his way to his khan. 
 
94 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 His end was answered, and by his silence he got rid 
 of the children and the mob. 
 
 As soon as he was out of sight of the two palaces, 
 he hastened down the least-frequented streets ; and 
 having no more occasion for his lamps or basket, 
 set all down in a spot where nobody saw him ; then 
 going down another street or two, he walked till 
 he came to one of the city gates, and pursuing his 
 way through the suburbs, which were very exten- 
 sive, at length reached a lonely spot, where he 
 stopped till the darkness of the night, as the most 
 suitable time for the design he had in contemplation. 
 When it became quite dark, he pulled the lamp out 
 of his breast and rubbed it. At that summons the 
 genie appeared,, and said, " What wouldst thou 
 have ? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave, and the 
 slave of all those who have that lamp in their hands ; 
 both I and the other slaves of the lamp." " I com- 
 mand thee," replied the magician, " to transport me 
 immediately, and the palace which thou and the 
 other slaves of the lamp have built in this city, with 
 all the people in it, to Africa." The genie made no 
 reply, but with the assistance of the other genies, 
 the slaves of the lamp, immediately transported him 
 and the palace, entire, to the spot whither he had 
 been desired to convey it. 
 
 Early the next morning, when the sultan, accord- 
 ing to custom, went to contemplate and admire Alad- 
 din's place, his amazement was unbounded to find 
 that it could nowhere be seen. He could not com- 
 prehend how so large a palace which he had seen 
 plainly every day for some years, should vanish so 
 soon, and not leave the least remains behind. In 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 95 
 
 his perplexity he ordered the grand vizier to be sent 
 for with expedition. 
 
 The grand vizier, who, in secret, bore no good 
 will to Aladdin, intimated his suspicion that the pal- 
 ace was built by magic, and that Aladdin had made 
 his hunting excursion an excuse for the removal of 
 his palace with the same suddenness with which it 
 had been erected. He induced the sultan to send 
 a detachment of his guard, and to have Aladdin 
 seized as a prisoner of state. On his son-in-law be- 
 ing brought before him, he would not hear a word 
 from him, but ordered him to be put to death. The 
 decree caused so much discontent among the people, 
 Avhose affection Aladdin had secured by his largesses 
 and charities, that the sultan, fearful of an insur- 
 rection, was obliged to grant him his life. When 
 Aladdin found himself at liberty, he again addressed 
 the sultan : " Sire, I pray you to let me know the 
 crime by which I have thus lost the favour of thy 
 countenance." " Your crime 1 " answered the sultan, 
 " wretched man ! do you not know it ? Follow me, 
 and I will show you." The sultan then took Aladdin 
 into the apartment from whence he was wont to look 
 at and admire his palace, and said, " You ought to 
 know where your palace stood ; look, mind, and tell 
 me what has become of it." Aladdin did so, and be- 
 ing utterly amazed at the loss of his palace, was 
 speechless. At last recovering himself, he said, " It 
 is true, I do not see the palace. It is vanished ; but 
 I had no concern in its removal. I beg you to give 
 me forty days, and if in that time I cannot restore it, 
 I will offer my bead to be disposed of at your pleas- 
 ure." " I give you the time you ask, but at the end 
 
.96 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 of the forty days, forget not to present yourself be- 
 fore me." 
 
 Aladdin went out of the sultan's palace in a condi- 
 tion of exceeding humiliation. The lords who had 
 courted him in the days of his splendour, now de- 
 clined to have any communication with him. For 
 three days he wandered about the city, exciting the 
 wonder and compassion of the multitude by asking 
 everybody he met if they had seen his palace, or 
 -could tell him anything of it. On the third day he 
 wandered into the country, and as he was approach- 
 ing a river, he fell down the bank with so much vio- 
 lence that he rubbed the ring which the magician 
 had given him so hard by holding on the rock to 
 save himself, that immediately the same genie ap- 
 peared whom he had seen in the cave where the ma- 
 gician had left him. " What wouldst thou have ? " 
 said the genie, " I am ready to obey thee as thy 
 slave, and the slave of all those that have that ring 
 •on their finger; both I and the other slaves of the 
 ring." 
 
 Aladdin, agreeably surprised at an offer of help 
 so little expected, replied, " Genie, show me where 
 the palace I caused to be built now stands, or trans- 
 port it back where it first stood." " Your com- 
 mand," answered the genie, " is not wholly in my 
 power; I am only the slave of the ring, and not of 
 the lamp." " I command thee, then," replied Alad- 
 din, " by the power of the ring, to transport me to 
 the spot where my palace stands, in what part of the 
 world soever it may be." These words were no 
 sooner out of his mouth, than the genie transported 
 (him into Africa, to the midst of a large plain, where 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 97 
 
 his palace stood, at no great distance from a city, 
 and placing him exactly under the window of the 
 princess's apartment, left him. 
 
 Now it so happened that shortly after Aladdin had 
 been transported by the slave of the ring to the 
 neighbourhood of his palace, that one of the attend- 
 ants of the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, looking 
 through the window, perceived him and instantly 
 told her mistress. The princess, who could not be- 
 lieve the joyful tidings, hastened herself to the win- 
 dow, and seeing Aladdin, immediately opened it. 
 The noise of opening the window made Aladdin turn 
 his head that way, and perceiving the princess, he 
 saluted her with an air that expressed his joy. " To 
 lose no time," said she to him, " I have sent to have 
 the private door opened for you ; enter and come 
 up." 
 
 The private door, which was just under the prin- 
 cess's apartment, was soon opened, and Aladdin con- 
 ducted up into the chamber. It is impossible to ex- 
 press the joy of both at seeing each other, after so 
 cruel a separation. After embracing and shedding 
 tears of joy, they sat down, and Aladdin said, " I 
 beg of you, princess, to tell me what is become of an 
 old lamp which stood upon a shelf in my robing- 
 chamber." 
 
 " Alas ! " answered the princess, " I was afraid our 
 misfortune might be owing to that lamp ; and what 
 grieves me most is, that I have been the cause of it. 
 I was foolish enough to change the old lamp for a 
 new one, and the next morning I found myself in 
 this unknown country, which I am told is Africa." 
 
 " Princess," said Aladdin, interrupting her, " you 
 
98 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 have explained all by telling me we are in Africa. 
 I desire you only to tell me if you know where the 
 old lamp now is." " The African magician carries it 
 carefully wrapt up in his bosom," said the princess ; 
 " and this I can assure you, because he pulled it out 
 before me, and showed it to me in triumph." 
 
 " Princess," said Aladdin, " I think I have found 
 the means to deliver you and to regain possession of 
 the lamp, on which all my prosperity depends; to 
 execute this design it is necessary for me to go to 
 the town. I shall return by noon, and will then tell 
 you what must be done by you to insure success. In 
 the mean time, I shall disguise myself, and beg that 
 the private door may be opened at the first knock." 
 
 When Aladdin was out of the palace, he looked 
 round him on all sides, and perceiving a peasant 
 going into the country, hastened after him ; and 
 when he had overtaken him, made a proposal to him 
 to change clothes, which the man agreed to. When 
 they had made the exchange, the countryman went 
 about his business, and Aladdin entered the neigh- 
 bouring city. After traversing several streets, he 
 came to that part of the town where the merchants 
 and artisans had their particular streets according 
 to their trades. He went into that of the druggists ; 
 and entering one of the largest and best furnished 
 shops, asked the druggist if he had a certain powder, 
 which he named. 
 
 The druggist, judging Aladdin by his habit to be 
 very poor, told him he had it, but that it was very 
 dear ; upon which Aladdin, penetrating his thoughts, 
 pulled out his purse, and showing him some gold, 
 asked for half a dram of the powder; which the 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, Th-c Wonderful Lamp 99 
 
 druggist weighed and gave him, telling him the 
 price was a piece of gold. Aladdin put the money 
 into his hand, and hastened to the palace, which he 
 entered at once by the private door. When he came 
 into the princess's apartments, he said to her, " Prin- 
 cess, you must take your part in the scheme which 
 I propose for our deliverance. You must overcome 
 your aversion to the magician, and assume a most 
 friendly manner toward him, and ask him to oblige 
 you by partaking of an entertainment in your apart- 
 ments. Before he leaves, ask him to exchange cups 
 with you, which he, gratified at the honour you do 
 him, will gladly do, when you must give him the cup 
 containing this powder. On drinking it he will in- 
 stantly fall asleep, and we will obtain the lamp, 
 whose slaves will do all our bidding, and restore us 
 and the palace to the capital of China." 
 
 The princess obeyed to the utmost her husband's 
 instructions. She assumed a look of pleasure on 
 the next visit of the magician, and asked him to an 
 entertainment, which he most willingly accepted. At 
 the close of the evening, during which the princess 
 had tried all she could to please him, she asked him 
 to exchange cups with her, and giving the signal, 
 had the drugged cup brought to her, which she gave 
 to the magician. He drank it out of compliment to 
 the princess to the very last drop, when he fell back- 
 ward lifeless on the sofa. 
 
 The princess, in anticipation of the success of her 
 scheme, had so placed her women from the great 
 hall to the foot of the staircase, that the word was no 
 sooner given that the African magician was fallen 
 backward, than the door was opened, and Aladdin 
 
too Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 admitted to the hall. The princess rose from her 
 seat, and ran, overjoyed, to embrace him; but he 
 stopped her, and said, " Princess, retire to your 
 apartment; and let me be left alone, while I en- 
 deavour to transport you back to China as speedily 
 as you were brought from thence." 
 
 When the princess, her women, and slaves were 
 gone out of the hall, Aladdin shut the door, and go- 
 ing directly to the dead body of the magician, opened 
 his vest, took out the lamp which was carefully 
 wrapped up, and rubbing it, the genie immediately 
 appeared. " Genie," said Aladdin, " I command thee 
 to transport this palace instantly to the place from 
 whence it was brought hither." The genie bowed 
 his head in token of obedience, and disappeared. Im- 
 mediately the palace was transported into China, and 
 its removal was only felt by two little shocks, the one 
 when it was lifted up, the other when it was set 
 down, and both in a very short interval of time. 
 
 On the morning after the restoration of Aladdin's 
 palace, the sultan was looking out of his window, 
 and mourning over the fate of his daughter, when 
 he thought that he saw the vacancy created by the 
 disappearance of the palace to be again filled up. 
 
 On looking more attentively, he was convinced 
 beyond the power of doubt that it was his son-in- 
 law's palace. Joy and gladness succeeded to sorrow 
 and grief. He at once ordered a horse to be saddled, 
 which he mounted that instant, thinking he could 
 not make haste enough to the place. 
 
 Aladdin rose that morning by daybreak, put on 
 one of the most magnificent habits his wardrobe af- 
 forded, and went up into the hall of twenty- four 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp iot 
 
 windows, from whence he perceived the sultan ap- 
 proaching, and received him at the foot of the great 
 staircase, helping him to dismount. 
 
 He led the sultan into the princess's apartment. 
 The happy father embraced her with tears of joy; 
 and the princess, on her side, afforded similar testi- 
 monies of her extreme pleasure. After a short in- 
 terval, devoted to mutual explanations of all that 
 had happened, the sultan restored Aladdin to his 
 favour, and expressed his regret for the apparent 
 harshness with which he had treated him. " My 
 son," said he, " be not displeased at my proceedings 
 against you ; they arose from my paternal love, and 
 therefore you ought to forgive the excesses to which 
 it hurried me." " Sire," replied Aladdin, " I have 
 not the least reason to complain of your conduct, 
 since you did nothing but what your duty required. 
 This infamous magician, the basest of men, was the 
 sole cause of my misfortune." 
 
 The African magician, who was thus twice foiled 
 in his endeavour to ruin Aladdin, had a younger 
 brother, who was as skilful a magician as himself,, 
 and exceeded him in wickedness and hatred of man- 
 kind. By mutual agreement they communicated 
 with each other once a year, however widely sepa- 
 rate might be their place of residence from each 
 other. The younger brother not having received as 
 ( usual his annual communication, prepared to take a 
 horoscope and ascertain his brother's proceedings. 
 He, as well as his brother, always carried a geoman- 
 tic square instrument about him ; he prepared the 
 sand, cast the points, and drew the figures. On ex- 
 amining the planetary crystal, he found that his 
 
to2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 brother was no longer living, but had been poisoned ; 
 and by another observation, that he was in the capi- 
 tal of the kingdom of China; also, that the person 
 who had poisoned him was of mean birth, though 
 married to a princess, a sultan's daughter. 
 
 When the magician had informed himself of his 
 brother's fate, he resolved immediately to revenge 
 his death, and at once departed for China; where, 
 after crossing plains, rivers, mountains, deserts, and 
 a long tract of country without delay, he arrived 
 after incredible fatigues. When he came to the capi- 
 tal of China, he took a lodging at a khan. His magic 
 art soon revealed to him that Aladdin was the person 
 who had been the cause of the death of his brother. 
 He had heard, too, all the persons of repute in the 
 city talking of a woman called Fatima, who was re- 
 tired from the world, and of the miracles she 
 wrought. As he fancied that this woman might be 
 serviceable to him in the project he had conceived, 
 he made more minute inquiries, and requested to be 
 informed more particularly who that holy woman 
 was, and what sort of miracles she performed. 
 
 " What ! " said the person whom he addressed, 
 " have you never seen or heard of her ? She is the 
 admiration of the whole town, for her fasting, her 
 austerities, and her exemplary life. Except Mon- 
 days and Fridays, she never stirs out of her little 
 cell ; and on those days on which she comes into the 
 town she does an infinite deal of good ; for there is 
 not a person who is diseased but she puts her hand 
 on them and cures them." 
 
 Having ascertained the place where the hermitage 
 of this holy woman was, the magician went at night, 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 103 
 
 and, plunging a poniard into her heart, killed this 
 good woman. In the morning he dyed his face of 
 the same hue as hers, and arraying himself in her 
 garb, taking her veil, the large necklace she wore 
 round her waist, and her stick, went straight to the 
 palace of Aladdin. 
 
 As soon as the people saw the holy woman, as 
 they imagined him to be, they presently gathered 
 about him in a great crowd. Some begged his bless- 
 ing, others kissed his hand, and others, more re- 
 served, only the hem of his garment ; while others, 
 suffering from disease, stooped for him to lay his 
 hands upon them; which he did, muttering some 
 words in form of prayer, and, in short, counterfeiting 
 so well, that everybody took him for the holy woman. 
 He came at last to the square before Aladdin's pal- 
 ace. The crowd and the noise were so great that 
 the princess, who was in the hall of four-and-twenty 
 windows, heard it, and asked what was the matter. 
 One of her women told her it was a great crowd of 
 people collected about the holy woman to be cured 
 of diseases by the imposition of her hands. 
 
 The princess, who had long heard of this holy 
 woman, but had never seen her, was very desirous to 
 have some conversation with her ; which the chief 
 officer perceiving, told her it was an easy matter to 
 bring her to her, if she desired and commanded it; 
 and the princess expressing her wishes, he immedi- 
 ately sent four slaves for the pretended holy woman. 
 
 As soon as the crowd saw the attendants from the 
 palace, they made way ; and the magician, perceiving 
 also that they were coming for him, advanced to 
 meet them, overjoyed to find his plot succeed so 
 
104 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 well. " Holy woman," said one of the slaves, " the 
 princess wants to see you, and has sent us for 
 you." " The princess does me too great an honour." 
 replied the false Fatima ; " I am ready to obey her 
 command," and at the same time followed the slaves 
 to the palace. 
 
 When the pretended Fatima had made her obei- 
 sance, the princess said, " My good mother, I have 
 one thing to request, which you must not refuse me ; 
 it is, to stay with me, that you may edify me with 
 your way of living, and that I may learn from your 
 good example." " Princess," said the counterfeit 
 Fatima, " I beg of you not to ask what I cannot con- 
 sent to without neglecting my prayers and devotion." 
 " That shall be no hindrance to you," answered the 
 princess ; " 1 have a great many apartments unoccu- 
 pied ; you shall choose which you like best, and have 
 as much liberty to perform your devotions as if you 
 were in your own cell." 
 
 The magician, who really desired nothing more 
 than to introduce himself into the palace, where it 
 would be a much easier matter for him to execute 
 his designs, did not long excuse himself from ac- 
 cepting the obliging offer which the princess made 
 him. " Princess," said he, " whatever resolution a 
 poor wretched woman as I am may have made to re- 
 nounce the pomp and grandeur of this world, I dare 
 not presume to oppose the will and commands of so 
 pious and charitable a princess." 
 
 Upon this the princess, rising up, said, " Come 
 with me, I will show you what vacant apartments I 
 have, that you may make choice of that you like 
 best." The magician followed the princess, and of 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 105 
 
 all the apartments she showed him, made choice of 
 that which was the worst, saying that it was too 
 good for him, and that he only accepted it to please 
 her. 
 
 Afterward the princess would have brought him 
 back into the great hall to make him dine with her ; 
 but he, considering that he should then be obliged to 
 show his face, which he had always taken care to con- 
 ceal with Fatima's veil, and fearing that the princess 
 should find out that he was not Fatima, begged of 
 her earnestly to excuse him, telling her that he never 
 ate anything but bread and dried fruits, and desir- 
 ing to eat that slight repast in his own apartment. 
 The princess granted his request, saying, " You may 
 be as free here, good mother, as if you were in your 
 own cell : I will order you a dinner, but remember I 
 expect you as soon as you have finished your repast." 
 
 After the princess had dined, and the false Fa- 
 tima had been sent for by one of the attendants, he 
 again waited upon her. " My good mother," said 
 the princess, " I am overjoyed to see so holy a 
 woman as yourself, who will confer a blessing upon 
 this palace. But now I am speaking of the palace, 
 pray how do you like it ? And before I show it all 
 to you, tell me first what you think of this hall." 
 
 Upon this question, the counterfeit Fatima sur- 
 veyed the hall from one end to the other. When he 
 had examined it well, he said to the princess, " As far 
 as such a solitary being as I am, who am un- 
 acquainted with what the world calls beautiful, can 
 judge, this hall is truly admirable; there wants but 
 one thing." " What is that, good mother ? " de- 
 manded the princess ; " tell me, I conjure you. For 
 
106 Fairy Talcs Every CJuld Should Kruyw 
 
 my part, I always believed, and have heard say, it 
 wanted nothing; but if it does, it shall be supplied." 
 
 " Princess," said the false Fatima, with great dis- 
 simulation, " forgive me the liberty I have taken ; 
 but my opinion is, if it can be of any importance, 
 that if a roc's egg were hung up in the middle of the 
 dome, this hall would have no parallel in the four 
 quarters of the world, and your palace would be the 
 wonder of the universe." 
 
 " My good mother," said the princess, " what is a 
 roc, and where may one get an egg? " " Princess," 
 replied the pretended Fatima, "it is a bird of pro- 
 digious size, which inhabits the summit of Mount 
 Caucasus; the architect who built your palace can 
 get you one." 
 
 After the princess had thanked the false Fatima 
 for what she believed her good advice, she con- 
 versed with her upon other matters ; but could not 
 forget the roc's egg, which she resolved to request 
 of Aladdin when next he should visit his apartments. 
 He did so in the course of that evening, and shortly 
 after he entered, the princess thus addressed him : 
 " I always believed that our palace was the most 
 superb, magnificent, and complete in the world: but 
 I will tell you now what it wants, and that is a roc's 
 egg hung up in the midst of the dome." " Princess," 
 replied Aladdin, " it is enough that you think it 
 wants such an ornament; you shall see by the dili- 
 gence which I use in obtaining it, that there is noth- 
 ing which I would not do for your sake." 
 
 Aladdin left the Princess Buddir al Buddoor that 
 moment, and went up into the hall of four-and- 
 twenty windows, where, pulling out of his bosom the 
 
Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 107 
 
 lamp, which after the danger he had been exposed 
 to he always carried about him, he rubbed it; upon 
 which the genie immediately appeared. " Genie," 
 said Aladdin, " I command thee, in the name of this 
 lamp, bring a roc's egg to be hung up in the middle 
 of the dome of the hall of the palace." Aladdin had 
 no sooner pronounced these words, than the hall 
 shook as if ready to fall ; and the genie said in a 
 loud and terrible voice, " Is it not enough that I 
 and the other slaves of the lamp have done every- 
 thing for you, but you, by an unheard-of ingratitude, 
 must command me to bring my master, and hang 
 him up in the midst of this dome ? This attempt de- 
 serves that you, the princess, and the palace, should 
 be immediately reduced to ashes ; but you are spared 
 because this request does not come from yourself. 
 Its true author is the brother of the African magi- 
 cian, your enemy whom you have destroyed. He 
 is now in your palace, disguised in the habit of the 
 holy woman Fatima, whom he has murdered ; at his 
 suggestion your wife makes this pernicious demand. 
 His design is to kill you, therefore take care of your- 
 self." After these words the genie disappeared. 
 
 Aladdin resolved at once what to do. He re- 
 turned to the princess's apartment, and without men- 
 tioning a word of what had happened, sat down, and 
 complained of a great pain which had suddenly 
 seized his head. On hearing this, the princess told 
 him how she had invited the holy Fatima to stay 
 with her, and that she was now in the palace ; and 
 at the request of the prince, ordered her to be sum- 
 moned to her at once. 
 
 When the pretended Fatima came, Aladdin said, 
 
108 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Come hither, good mother ; I am glad to see yoa 
 here at so fortunate a time. I am tormented with 
 a violent pain in my head, and request your assist- 
 ance, and hope 3'ou will not refuse me that cure 
 which you impart to afflicted persons." So saying; 
 he arose, but held down his head. The counterfeit 
 Fatima advanced toward him, with his hand all the 
 time on a dagger concealed in his girdle under his 
 gown; which Aladdin, observing, he snatched the 
 weapon from his hand, pierced him to the heart with 
 his own dagger, and then pushed him down on the 
 floor. 
 
 " My dear prince, what have you done ? " cried 
 the princess, in surprise. " You have killed the holy 
 woman ! " " No, my princess," answered Aladdin 
 with emotion, " I have not killed Fatima, but a vil- 
 lain, who would have assassinated me, if I had not 
 prevented him. " This wicked man," added he, un- 
 covering his face, " is the brother of the magician 
 who attempted our ruin. He has strangled the true 
 Fatima, and disguised himself in her clothes with in- 
 tent to murder me." Aladdin then informed her how 
 the genie had told him these facts, and how narrowly 
 she and the palace had escaped destruction through 
 his treacherous suggestion which had led to her re- 
 quest. 
 
 Thus was Aladdin delivered from the persecution 
 of the two brothers, who were magicians. Within a 
 few years afterward, the sultan died in a good old 
 age, and as he left no male children, the Princess 
 Buddir al Buddoor succeeded him, and she and 
 Aladdin reigned together many years, and left a 
 numerous and illustrious posterity. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE HISTORY OF ALI BABA, AND OF THE FORTY 
 ROBBERS KILLED BY ONE SLAVE 
 
 There once lived in a town of Persia two broth- 
 ers, one named Cassim and the other AH Baba. 
 Their father divided a small inheritance equally be- 
 tween them. Cassim married a very rich wife, and 
 became a wealthy merchant. Ali Baba married a 
 woman as poor as himself, and lived by cutting 
 wood, and bringing it upon three asses into the 
 town to sell. 
 
 One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, and 
 had just cut wood enough to load his asses, he saw 
 at a distance a great cloud of dust, which seemed 
 to approach him. He observed it with attention, 
 and distinguished soon after a body of horsemen, 
 who he suspected might be robbers. He deter- 
 mined to leave his asses to save himself. He climbed 
 up a large tree, planted on a high rock, whose 
 branches were thick enough to conceal him, and 
 yet enabled him to see all that passed without being 
 discovered. 
 
 The troop, who were to the number of forty, all 
 well mounted and armed, came to the foot of the 
 rock on which the tree stood, and there dismounted. 
 Every man unbridled his horse, tied him to some 
 
no Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 shrub, and hung about his neck a bag of corn which 
 they brought behind them. Then each of them 
 took off his saddle-bag, which seemed to AH Baba 
 to be full of gold and silver from its weight. One, 
 whom he took to be their captain, came -under the 
 tree in which Ali Baba was concealed ; and making 
 his way through some shrubs, pronounced these 
 words : " Open, Sesame ! " x As soon as the captain 
 of the robbers had thus spoken, a door opened in 
 the rock ; and after he had made all his troop enter 
 before him, he followed them, when the door shut 
 again of itself. 
 
 The robbers stayed some time within the rock, 
 during which Ali Baba, fearful of being caught, re- 
 mained in the tree. 
 
 At last the door opened again, and as the captain 
 went in last, so he came out first, and stood to see 
 them all pass by him; when Ali Baba heard him 
 make the door close by pronouncing these words, 
 " Shut, Sesame ! " Every man at once went and 
 bridled his horse, fastened his wallet, and mounted 
 again. When the captain saw them all ready, he 
 put himself at their head, and they returned the 
 way they had come. 
 
 Ali Baba followed them with his eyes as far as 
 he could see them; and afterward stayed a consid- 
 erable time before he descended. Remembering 
 the words the captain of the robbers used to cause 
 the door to open and shut, he had the curiosity to 
 try if his pronouncing them would have the same 
 effect. Accordingly, he went among the shrubs, and 
 perceiving the door concealed behind them, stood 
 
 1 " Sesame " is a small grain. 
 
The History of Ali Baba in 
 
 before it, and said, " Open, Sesame ! " The door in* 
 stantly flew wide open. 
 
 AH Baba, who expected a dark, dismal cavern, 
 was surprised to see a well-lighted and spacious 
 chamber, which received the light from an opening 
 at the top of the rock, and in which were all sorts 
 of provisions, rich bales of silk, stuff, brocade, and 
 valuable carpeting, piled upon one another ; gold 
 and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags. 
 The sight of all these riches made him suppose that 
 this cave must have been occupied for ages by rob- 
 bers, who had succeeded one another. 
 
 Ali Baba went boldly into the cave, and collected 
 as much of the gold coin, which was in bags, as 
 he thought his three asses could carry. When he 
 had loaded them with the bags, he laid wood over 
 them in such a manner that they could not be seen. 
 When he had passed in and out as often as he 
 wished, he stood before the door, and pronouncing 
 the words, " Shut, Sesame ! " the door closed of it- 
 self. He then made the best of his way to town. 
 
 When Ali Baba got home, he drove his asses into 
 a little yard, shut the gates very carefully, threw off 
 the wood that covered the panniers, carried the bags 
 into his house, and ranged them in order before his 
 wife. He then emptied the bags, which raised such 
 a great heap of gold as dazzled his wife's eyes, and 
 then he told her the whole adventure from begin- 
 ning to end, and, above all, recommended her to 
 keep it secret. 
 
 The wife rejoiced greatly in their good fortune,, 
 and would count all the gold piece by piece. " Wife," 
 replied Ali Baba, " you do not know what you 
 
ii2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 undertake, when you pretend to count the money; 
 you will never have done. I will dig a hole, and 
 bury it. There is no time to be lost." " You are in 
 the right, husband," replied she, " but let us know, as 
 nigh as possible, how much we have. I will borrow 
 a small measure, and measure it, while you dig the 
 hole." 
 
 Away the wife ran to her brother-in-law Cassim, 
 who lived just by, and addressing herself to his 
 wife, desired her to lend her a measure for a little 
 while. Her sister-in-law asked her whether she 
 would have a great or a small one. The other asked 
 for a small one. She bade her stay a little, and she 
 would readily fetch one. 
 
 The sister-in-law did so, but as she knew AH 
 Baba's poverty, she was curious to know what sort 
 of grain his wife wanted to measure, and artfully 
 putting some suet at the bottom of the measure, 
 brought it to her, with an excuse that she was sorry 
 that she had made her stay so long, but that she 
 could not find it sooner. 
 
 Ali Baba's wife went home, set the measure upon 
 the heap of gold, filled it, and emptied it often upon 
 the sofa, till she had done, when she was very well 
 satisfied to find the number of measures amounted to 
 so many as they did, and went to tell her husband, 
 who had almost finished digging the hole. While 
 Ali Baba was burying the gold, his wife, to show 
 her exactness and diligence to her sister-in-law, 
 carried the measure back again, but without taking 
 notice that a piece of gold had stuck to the bottom. 
 " Sister," said she, giving it to her again, " you see 
 
The History of Ali Baba 113 
 
 that I have not kept your measure long. I am 
 obliged to you for it, and return it with thanks." 
 
 As soon as Ali Baba's wife was gone, Cassim's 
 looked at the bottom of the measure, and was in 
 inexpressible surprise to find a piece of gold sticking 
 to it. Envy immediately possessed her breast. 
 " What ! " said she, " has Ali Baba gold so plentiful 
 as to measure it? Whence has he all this wealth? " 
 
 Cassim, her husband, was at his counting-house. 
 When he came home, his wife said to him, " Cas- 
 sim, I know you think yourself rich, but Ali Baba 
 is infinitely richer than you. He does not count 
 his money, but measures it." Cassim desired her to 
 explain the riddle, which she did, by telling him the 
 stratagem she had used to make the discovery, and 
 showed him the piece of money, which was so old 
 that they could not tell in what prince's reign it was 
 coined. 
 
 Cassim, after he had married the rich widow, had 
 never treated Ali Baba as a brother, but neglected 
 him; and now, instead of being pleased, he conceived 
 a base envy at his brother's prosperity. He could 
 not sleep all that night, and went to him in the morn- 
 ing before sunrise. " Ali Baba," said he, " I am sur- 
 prised at you ; you pretend to be miserably poor, and 
 yet you measure gold. My wife found this at the 
 bottom of the measure you borrowed yesterday." 
 
 By this discourse, Ali Baba perceived that Cas- 
 sim and his wife, through his own wife's folly, knew 
 what they had so much reason to conceal ; but what 
 was done, could not be undone. Therefore, without 
 showing the least surprise or trouble, he confessed 
 8 
 
ii4 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 all, and offered his brother part of his treasure to 
 keep the secret. 
 
 " I expect as much," replied Cassim haughtily ; 
 "but I must know exactly where this treasure is, 
 and how I may visit it myself when I choose ; other- 
 wise, I will go and inform against you, and then you 
 will not only get no more, but will lose all you have, 
 and I shall have a share for my information." 
 
 Ali Baba told him all he desired, even to the very 
 words he was to use to gain admission into the 
 cave. 
 
 Cassim rose the next morning long before the 
 sun, and set out for the forest with ten mules bear- 
 ing great chests, which he designed to fill, and fol- 
 lowed the road which Ali Baba had pointed out to 
 him. He was not long before he reached the rock, 
 and found out the place, by the tree and other marks 
 which his brother had given him. When he reached 
 the entrance of the cavern, he pronounced the words, 
 " Open, Sesame ! " The door immediately opened, 
 and, when he was in, closed upon him. In examin- 
 ing the cave, he was in great admiration to find 
 much more riches than he had expected from Ali 
 Baba's relation. He quickly laid as many bags of 
 gold as he could carry at the door of the cavern; 
 but his thoughts were so full of the great riches he 
 should possess, that he could not think of the neces- 
 sary word to make it open, but instead of " Se- 
 same," said, " Open, Barley ! " and was much 
 amazed to find that the door remained fast shut. 
 He named several sorts of grain, but still the door 
 would not open. 
 
 Cassim had never expected such an incident, and 
 
The History of All Baba ii<j 
 
 was so alarmed at the danger he was in, that the 
 more he endeavoured to remember the word " Se- 
 same," the more his memory was confounded, and 
 he had as much forgotten it as if he had never 
 heard it mentioned. He threw down the bags he 
 had loaded himself with, and walked distractedly up 
 and down the cave, without having the least regard 
 to the riches that were around him. 
 
 About noon the robbers visited their cave. At 
 some distance they saw Cassim's mules straggling 
 about the rock, with great chests on their backs. 
 Alarmed at this, they galloped full speed to the 
 cave. They drove away the mules, which strayed 
 through the forest so far, that they were soon out 
 of sight, and went directly, with their naked sabres 
 in their hands, to the door, which, on their captain 
 pronouncing the proper words, immediately opened. 
 
 Cassim, who heard the noise of the horses' feet,, 
 at once guessed the arrival of the robbers, and re- 
 solved to make one effort for his life. He rushed 
 to the door, and no sooner saw the door open, than 
 he ran out and threw the leader down, but could 
 not escape the other robbers, who with their scimi- 
 tars soon deprived him of life. 
 
 The first care of the robbers after this was to ex- 
 amine the cave. They found all the bags which 
 Cassim had brought to the door, to be ready to load 
 his mules, and carried them again to their places, 
 but they did not miss what Ali Baba had taken away 
 before. Then holding a council, and deliberating 
 upon this occurrence, they guessed that Cassim, 
 when he was in, could no get out again, but could 
 not imagine how he had learned the secret words 
 
n6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 by which alone he could enter. They could not deny 
 the fact of his being there ; and to terrify any per- 
 son or accomplice who should attempt the same 
 thing, they agreed to cut Cassim's body into four 
 quarters — to hang two on one side, and two on the 
 other, within the door of the cave. They had no 
 sooner taken this resolution than they put it in exe- 
 cution; and when they had nothing more to detain 
 them, left the place of their hoards well closed. 
 They mounted their horses, went to beat the roads 
 again, and to attack the caravans they might meet. 
 
 In the mean time, Cassim's wife was very uneasy 
 when night came, and her husband was not returned. 
 She ran to Ali Baba in great alarm, and said, " I 
 believe, brother-in-law, that you know Cassim is 
 gone to the forest, and upon what account ; it is now 
 night, and he has not returned; I am afraid some 
 misfortune has happened to him." Ali Baba told 
 her that she need not frighten herself, for that cer- 
 tainly Cassim would not think it proper to come into 
 the town till the night should be pretty far advanced. 
 
 Cassim's wife, considering how much it concerned 
 iher husband to keep the business secret, was the 
 more easily persuaded to believe her brother-in-law. 
 She went home again, and waited patiently till mid- 
 night. Then her fear redoubled, and her grief was 
 the more sensible because she was forced to keep it 
 to herself. She repented of her foolish curiosity, 
 and cursed her desire of prying into the affairs of 
 her brother and sister-in-law. She spent all the 
 night in weeping; and as soon as it was day went 
 to them, telling them, by her tears, the cause of her 
 coming. 
 
The History of Ali Baba 117 
 
 AH Baba did not wait for his sister-in-law to de- 
 sire him to go to see what was become of Cassim, but 
 departed immediately with his three asses, begging 
 of her first to moderate her affliction. He went to 
 the forest, and when he came near the rock, having 
 seen neither his brother nor the mules in his way, 
 was seriously alarmed at finding some blood spilt 
 near the door, which he took for an ill omen ; but 
 when he had pronounced the word, and the door 
 had opened, he was struck with horror at the dismal 
 sight of his brother's body. He was not long in de- 
 termining how he should pay the last dues to his 
 brother ; but without adverting to the little fraternal 
 affection he had shown for him, went into the cave, 
 to find something to enshroud his remains ; and hav- 
 ing loaded one of his asses with them, covered them 
 over with wood. The other two asses he loaded 
 with bags of gold, covering them with wood also as 
 before ; and then bidding the door shut, came away ; 
 but was so cautious as to stop some time at the end 
 of the forest, that he might not go into the town be- 
 fore night. When he came home, he drove the two 
 asses loaded with gold into his little yard, and left 
 the care of unloading them to his wife, while he led 
 the other to his sister-in-law's house. 
 
 Ali Baba knocked at the dor, which was opened 
 by Morgiana, a clever, intelligent slave, who was 
 fruitful in inventions to meet the most difficult cir- 
 cumstances. When he came into the court, he un- 
 loaded the ass, and taking Morgiana aside, said to 
 her, " You must observe an inviolable secrecy. Your 
 master's body is contained in these two panniers. 
 We must burv him as if he had died a natural death. 
 
n8 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Go now and tell your mistress. I leave the matter 
 to your wit and skilful devices." 
 
 Ali Baba helped to place the body in Cassim's 
 house, again recommended to Morgiana to act her 
 part well, and then returned with his ass. 
 
 Morgiana went out early the next morning to a 
 druggist, and asked for a sort of lozenge which was 
 considered efficacious in the most dangerous dis- 
 orders. The apothecary inquired who was ill ? She 
 replied, with a sigh, " Her good master Cassim him- 
 self : and that he could neither eat nor speak." In 
 the evening Morgiana went to the same druggist's 
 again, and with tears in her eyes, asked for an es- 
 sence which they used to give to sick people only 
 when at the last extremity. " Alas ! " said she, tak- 
 ing it from the apothecary, " I am afraid that this 
 remedy will have no better effect than the lozenges ; 
 and that I shall lose my good master." 
 
 On the other hand, as Ali Baba and his wife were 
 often seen to go between Cassim's and their own 
 house all that day, and to seem melancholy, nobody 
 was surprised in the evening to hear the lamentable 
 shrieks and cries of Cassim's wife and Morgiana, 
 who gave out everywhere that her master was dead. 
 The next morning at daybreak Morgiana went to an 
 old cobbler whom she knew to be always early at his 
 stall, and bidding him good-morrow, put a piece of 
 gold into his hand, saying, " Baba Mustapha, you 
 must bring with you your sewing tackle, and come 
 with me ; but I must tell you, I shall blindfold you 
 when you come to such a place." 
 
 Baba Mustapha seemed to hesitate a little at these 
 words. " Oh ! oh ! " replied he, " you would have 
 
The History of Alt Baba 119 
 
 me do something against my conscience, or against 
 my honour?" "God forbid," said Morgiana, put- 
 ting another piece of gold into his hand, " that I 
 should ask anything that is contrary to your hon- 
 our ! only come along with me and fear nothing." 
 
 Baba Mustapha went with Morgiana, who, after 
 she had bound his eyes with a handkerchief at the 
 place she had mentioned, conveyed him to her de- 
 ceased master's house, and never unloosed his eyes 
 till he had entered the room where she had put the 
 corpse together. " Baba Mustapha," said she, " you 
 must make haste and sew the parts of this body 
 together; and when you have done, I will give you 
 another piece of gold." 
 
 After Baba Mustapha had finished his task, she 
 blindfolded him again, gave him the third piece 
 of gold as she had promised, and recommending 
 secrecy to him carried him back to the place where 
 she first bound his eyes, pulled off the bandage, and 
 let him go home, but watched him that he returned 
 toward his stall, till he was quite out of sight, for 
 fear he should have the curiosity to return and 
 dodge her ; she then went home. Morgiana, on her 
 return, warmed some water to wash the body, and 
 at the same time Ali Baba perfumed it with incense, 
 and wrapped it in the burying clothes with the 
 accustomed ceremonies. Not long after the proper 
 officer brought the bier, and when the attendants of 
 jthe mosque, whose business it was to wash the dead, 
 offered to perform their duty, she told them that it 
 was done already. Shortly after this the imaun and 
 the other ministers of the mosque arrived. Four 
 neighbours carried the corpse to the burying* 
 
120 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 ground, following the imaun, who recited some 
 prayers. Ali Baba came after with some neigh- 
 bours, who often relieved the others in carrying the 
 bier to the burying-ground. Morgiana, a slave to 
 the deceased, followed in the procession, weeping, 
 beating her breast, and tearing her hair. Cassim's 
 wife stayed at home mourning, uttering lamentable 
 cries with the women of the neighbourhood, who 
 came, according to custom, during the funeral, and 
 joining their lamentations with hers filled the quar- 
 ter far and near with sounds of sorrow. 
 
 In this manner Cassim's melancholy death was 
 concealed and hushed up between Ali Baba, his 
 widow, and Morgiana, his slave, with so much con- 
 trivance that nobody in the city had the least knowl- 
 edge or suspicion of the cause of it. Three or four 
 days after the funeral, Ali Baba removed his few 
 goods openly to his sister-in-law's house, in which 
 it was agreed that he should in future live; but the 
 money he had taken from the robbers he conveyed 
 thither by night. As for Cassim's warehouse, he 
 entrusted it entirely to the management of his eldest 
 son. 
 
 While these things were being done, the forty 
 robbers again visited their retreat in the forest. 
 Great, then, was their surprise to find Cassim's body 
 taken away, with some of their bags of gold. " We 
 are certainly discovered," said the captain. " The 
 removal of the body, and the loss of some of our 
 money, plainly shows that the man whom we killed 
 had an accomplice : and for our own lives' sake we 
 must try and find him. What say yow, my lads ? " 
 
The History of Alt Baba 121 
 
 All the robbers unanimously approved of the cap- 
 tain's proposal. 
 
 " Well," said the captain, " one of you, the bold- 
 est and most skilful among you, must go into the 
 town, disguised as a traveller and a stranger, to try 
 if he can hear any talk of the man whom we have 
 killed, and endeavour to find out who he was, and 
 where he lived. This is a matter of the first im- 
 portance, and for fear of any treachery, I propose 
 that whoever undertakes this business without suc- 
 cess, even though the failure arises only from an 
 error of judgment, shall suffer death." 
 
 Without waiting for the sentiments of his com- 
 panions, one of the robbers started up, and said, 
 " I submit to this condition, and think it an honour 
 to expose my life to serve the troop." 
 
 After this robber had received great commenda- 
 tions from the captain and his comrades, he dis- 
 guised himself so that nobody would take him for 
 what he was ; and taking his leave of the troop that 
 night, went into the town just at daybreak; and 
 walked up and down, till accidentally he came to 
 Baba Mustapha's stall, which was always open be- 
 fore any of the shops. 
 
 Baba Mustapha was seated with an awl in his 
 hand, just going to work. The robber saluted him, 
 bidding him good-morrow ; and perceiving that he 
 was old, said, " Honest man, you begin to work 
 very early: is it possible that one of your age can 
 see so well? I question, even if it were somewhat 
 lighter, whether you could see to stitch." 
 
 " You do not know me," replied Baba Mustapha ; 
 " for old as I am, I have extraordinary good eyes ; 
 
122 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 and you will not doubt it when I tell you that I 
 sewed the body of a dead man together in a place 
 where I had not so much light as I have now." 
 
 " A dead body ! " exclaimed the robber, with af- 
 fected amazement. " Yes, yes," answered Baba 
 Mustapha, " I see you want to have me speak out, 
 but you shall know no more." 
 
 The robber felt sure that he had discovered what 
 he sought. He pulled out a piece of gold, and put- 
 ting it into Baba Mustapha's hand, said to him, " I 
 do not want to learn your secret, though I can 
 assure you you might safely trust me with it. The 
 only thing I desire of you is to show me the house 
 where you stitched up the dead body." 
 
 " If I were disposed to do you that favour," re- 
 plied Baba Mustapha, " I assure you I cannot. I 
 was taken to a certain place, whence I was led 
 blindfold to the house, and afterward brought back 
 again in the same manner; you see, therefore, 
 the impossibility of my doing what you desire." 
 
 " Well," replied the robber, " you may, however, 
 remember a little of the way that you were led 
 blindfold. Come, let me blind your eyes at the 
 same place. We will walk together; perhaps you 
 may recognise some part; and as everybody ought 
 to be paid for their trouble, there is another piece of 
 gold for you; gratify me in what I ask you." So 
 saying, he put another piece of gold into his hand. 
 
 The two pieces of gold were great temptations 
 to Baba Mustapha. He looked at them a long time 
 in his hand, without saying a word, but at last he 
 pulled out his purse and put them in. " I cannot 
 promise," said he to the robber, " that I can remem* 
 
The History of Ali Baba 123 
 
 ber the way exactly ; but since you desire, I will try 
 what I can do." At these words Baba Mustapha 
 rose up, to the great joy of the robber, and led him 
 to the place where Morgiana had bound his eyes. 
 " It was here," said Baba Mustapha, " I was blind- 
 folded ; and I turned this way." The robber tied his 
 handkerchief over his eyes, and walked by him till 
 he stopped directly at Cassim's house, where Ali 
 Baba then lived. The thief, before he pulled off the 
 band, marked the door with a piece of chalk, which 
 he had ready in his hand, and then asked him if he 
 knew whose house that was; to which Baba Mus- 
 tapha replied that as he did not live in that neigh- 
 bourhood, he could not tell. 
 
 The robber, finding he could discover no more 
 from Baba Mustapha, thanked him for the trouble 
 he had taken, and left him to go back to his stall, 
 while he returned to the forest, persuaded that he 
 should be very well received. 
 
 A little after the robber and Baba Mustapha had 
 parted, Morgiana went out of Ali Baba's house upon 
 some errand, and upon her return, seeing the mark 
 the robber had made, stopped to observe it. " What 
 can be the meaning of this mark ? " said she to her- 
 self ; " somebody intends my master no good : how- 
 ever, with whatever intention it was done, it is ad- 
 visable to guard against the worst." Accordingly, 
 she fetched a piece of chalk, and marked two or three 
 doors on each side, in the same manner, without 
 saying a word to her master or mistress. 
 
 In the mean time, the robber rejoined his troop in 
 the forest, and recounted to them his success; ex- 
 patiating upon his good fortune, in meeting so soon 
 
124 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 with the only person who could inform him of what 
 he wanted to know. All the robbers listened to him 
 with the utmost satisfaction ; when the captain, after 
 commending his diligence, addressing himself to 
 them all, said, " Comrades, we have no time to lose : 
 let us set off well armed, without its appearing who 
 we are; but that we may not excite any suspicion, 
 let only one or two go into the town together, and 
 join at our rendezvous, which shall be the great 
 square. In the mean time, our comrade who brought 
 us the good news and I will go and find out the 
 house, that we may consult what had best be done." 
 
 This speech and plan was approved of by all, and 
 they were soon ready. They filed off in parties of 
 two each, after some interval of time, and got into 
 the town without being in the least suspected. The 
 captain, and he who had visited the town in the 
 morning as spy, came in the last. He led the cap- 
 tain into the street where he had marked Ali Baba's 
 residence ; and when they came to the first of the 
 houses which Morgiana had marked, he pointed it 
 out. But the captain observed that the next door 
 was chalked in the same manner and in the same 
 place ; and showing it to his guide, asked him which 
 house it was, that, or the first. The guide was so 
 confounded, that he knew not what answer to make ; 
 but still more puzzled, when he and the captain saw 
 five or six houses similarly marked. He assured 
 the captain, with an oath, that he had marked but 
 one, and could not tell who had chalked the rest, so 
 that he could not distinguish the house which the 
 cobbler had stopped at. 
 
 The captain, finding that their design had proved 
 
The History of All Bab a 125 
 
 abortive, went directly to the place of meeting, 
 and told his troop that they had lost their labour, 
 and must return to their cave. He himself set them 
 the example, and they all returned as they had 
 come. 
 
 When the troop was all got together, the captain 
 told them the reason of their returning; and pres- 
 ently the conductor was declared by all worthy of 
 death. He condemned himself, acknowledging that 
 he ought to have taken better precaution, and pre- 
 pared to receive the stroke from him who was ap- 
 pointed to cut off his head. 
 
 < But as the safety of the troop required the discov- 
 ery of the second intruder into the cave, another of 
 the gang, who promised himself that he should suc- 
 ceed better, presented himself, and his offer being 
 accepted, he went and corrupted Baba Mustapha, 
 as the other had done ; and being shown the house, 
 marked it in a place more remote from sight, with 
 red chalk. 
 
 Not long after, Morgiana, whose eyes nothing 
 could escape, went out, and seeing the red chalk, and 
 arguing with herself as she had done before, marked 
 the other neighbours' houses in the same place and 
 manner. 
 
 The robber, at his return to his company, valued 
 himself much on the precaution he had taken, which 
 he looked upon as an infallible way of distinguish- 
 ing Ali Baba's house from the others ; and the cap- 
 tain and all of them thought it must succeed. They 
 conveyed themselves into the town with the same 
 precaution as before ; but when the robber and his 
 captain came to the street, they found the same diffi- 
 
126 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 culty; at which the captain was enraged, and the 
 robber in as great confusion as his predecessor. 
 
 Thus the captain and his troop were forced to re- 
 tire a second time, and much more dissatisfied ; while 
 the robber who had been the author of the mistake 
 underwent the same punishment, to which he will- 
 ingly submitted. 
 
 The captain, having lost two brave fellows of his 
 troop, was afraid of diminishing it too much by pur- 
 suing this plan to get information of the residence 
 of their plunderer. He found by their example that 
 their heads were not so good as their hands on such 
 occasions ; and therefore resolved to take upon him- 
 self the important commission. 
 
 Accordingly, he went and addressed himself to 
 Baba Mustapha, who did him the same service he 
 had done to the other robbers. He did not set any 
 particular mark on the house, but examined and ob- 
 served it so carefully, by passing often by it, that it 
 was impossible for him to mistake it. 
 
 The captain, well satisfied with his attempt, and 
 informed of what he wanted to know, returned to 
 the forest; and when he came into the cave, where 
 the troop waited for him, said, " Now, comrades, 
 nothing can prevent our full revenge, as I am cer- 
 tain of the house; and in my way hither I have 
 thought how to put it into execution, but if any 
 one can form a better expedient, let him communi- 
 cate it." He then told them his contrivance; and 
 as they approved of it, ordered them to go into the 
 villages about, and buy nineteen mules, with thirty- 
 eight large leather jars, one full of oil, and the 
 others empty. 
 
The History of Ali Baba 12/ 
 
 In two or three days' time the robbers had pur- 
 chased the mules and jars, and as the mouths of the 
 jars were rather too narrow for his purpose, the 
 captain caused them to be widened, and after having 
 put one of his men into each, with the weapons 
 which he thought fit, leaving open the seam which 
 had been undone to leave them room to breathe, 
 he rubbed the jars on the outside with oil from the 
 full vessel. 
 
 Things being thus prepared, when the nineteen 
 mules were loaded with thirty-seven robbers in jars, 
 and the jar of oil, the captain, as their driver, set 
 out with them, and reached the town by the dusk 
 of the evening, as he had intended. He led them 
 through the streets, till he came to Ali Baba's, at 
 whose door he designed to have knocked ; but was 
 prevented by his sitting there after supper to take a 
 little fresh air. He stopped his mules, addressed 
 himself to him, and said, " I have brought some oil 
 a great way, to sell at to-morrow's market ; and it is 
 now so late that I do not know where to lodge. If 
 I should not be troublesome to you, dp me the fa- 
 vour to let me pass the night with you, and I shall 
 be very much obliged by your hospitality." 
 
 Though Ali Baba had seen the captain of the rob- 
 bers in the forest, and had heard him speak, it was 
 impossible to know him in the disguise of an oil 
 merchant. He told him he should be welcome, and 
 immediately opened his gates for the mules to go 
 into the yard. At the same time he called to a slave, 
 and ordered him, when the mules were unloaded, to 
 put them into the stable, and to feed them; and 
 then went to Morgiana, to bid her get a good sup- 
 
128 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 per for his guest. After they had finished supper, 
 AH Baba, charging Morgiana afresh to take care of 
 his guest, said to her, " To-morrow morning I de- 
 sign to go to the bath before day ; take care my bath- 
 ing linen be ready, give them to Abdalla (which 
 was the slave's name), and make me some good 
 broth against my return." After this he went to bed. 
 
 In the mean time the captain of the robbers went 
 into the yard, and took off the lid of each jar, and 
 gave his people orders what to do. Beginning at 
 the first jar, and so on to the last, he said to each 
 man : " As soon as I throw some stones out of the 
 chamber window where I lie, do not fail to come 
 out, and I will immediately join you." After this 
 he returned into the house, when Morgiana, taking 
 up a light, conducted him to his chamber, where she 
 left him; and, he, to avoid any suspicion, put the 
 /ight out soon after, and laid himself down in his 
 clothes, that he might be the more ready to rise. 
 
 Morgiana, remembering AH Baba's orders, got 
 his bathing linen ready, and ordered Abdalla to set 
 on the pot for the broth ; but while she was preparing 
 it the lamp went out, and there was no more oil in 
 the house, nor any candles. What to do she did not 
 know, for the broth must be made. Abdalla, seeing 
 her very uneasy, said, " Do not fret and tease your- 
 self, but go into the yard, and take some oil out of 
 one of the jars." 
 
 Morgiana thanked Abdalla for his advice, took 
 the oil-pot, and went into the yard; when, as she 
 came nigh the first jar, the robber within said softly, 
 "Is it time?" 
 
 Though naturally much surprised at finding a 
 
77ft' History of Alt Baba 129 
 
 man in the jar instead of the oil she wanted, she 
 immediately felt the importance of keeping silence, 
 as Ali Baba, his family, and herself were in great 
 danger; and collecting herself, without showing the 
 least emotion, she answered, " Not yet, but pres- 
 ently." She went quietly in this manner to all the 
 jars, giving the same answer, till she came to the jar 
 of oil. 
 
 By this means Morgiana found that her master 
 Ali Baba had admitted thirty-eight robbers into his 
 house, and that this pretended oil merchant was 
 their captain. She made what haste she could to fill 
 her oil-pot, and returned into her kitchen, where, as 
 soon as she had lighted her lamp, she took a great 
 kettle, went again to the oil-jar, filled the kettle, 
 set it on a large wood fire, and as soon as it boiled, 
 went and poured enough into every jar to stifle and 
 destroy the robber within. 
 
 When this action, worthy of the courage of Mor- 
 giana, was executed without any noise, as she had 
 projected, she returned into the kitchen with the 
 empty kettle ; and having put out the great fire she 
 had made to boil the oil, and leaving just enough to 
 make the broth, put out the lamp also, and remained 
 silent, resolving not to go to rest till she had ob- 
 served what might follow through a window of the 
 kitchen, which opened into the yard. 
 
 She had not waited long before the captain of the 
 robbers got up, opened the window, and finding no 
 light, and hearing no noise, or any one stirring in 
 the house, gave the appointed signal, by throwing 
 little stones, several of which hit the jars, as he 
 doubted not bv the sound they gave. He ther. 
 
130 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 listened, but not hearing or perceiving anything 
 whereby he could judge that his companions stirred, 
 he began to grow very uneasy, threw stones again a 
 second and also a third time, and could not compre- 
 hend the reason that none of them should answer 
 his signal. Much alarmed, he went softly down into 
 the yard, and going to the first jar, while asking the 
 robber, whom he thought alive, if he was in readi- 
 ness, smelt the hot boiled oil, which sent forth a 
 steam out of the jar. Hence he suspected that his 
 plot to murder Ali Baba, and plunder his house, was 
 discovered. Examining all the jars, one after an- 
 other, he found that all his gang were dead ; and, 
 enraged to despair at having failed in his design, he 
 forced the lock of a door that led from the yard to 
 the garden, and climbing over the walls made his 
 escape. 
 
 When Morgiana saw him depart, she went to bed, 
 satisfied and pleased to have succeeded so well in 
 saving her master and family. 
 
 Ali Baba rose before day, and, followed by his 
 slave, went to the baths, entirely ignorant of the 
 important event which had happened at home. 
 
 When he returned from the baths, he was very 
 much surprised to see the oil- jars, and that the mer- 
 chant was not gone with the mules. He asked Mor- 
 giana, who opened the door, the reason of it. " My 
 good master," answered she, " God preserve you 
 and all your family. You will be better informed 
 of what you wish to know when you have seen what 
 I have to show you, if you will follow me." 
 
 As soon as Morgiana had shut the door, Ali Baba 
 followed her, when she requested him to look into 
 
The History of AH Baba 131 
 
 the first jar, and see if there was any oil. AH Baba 
 did so, and seeing a man, started back in alarm, and 
 cried out. " Do not be afraid," said Morgiana, 
 " the man you see there can neither do you nor any- 
 body else any harm. He is dead." " Ah, Mor- 
 giana," said AH Baba, " what is it you show me ? 
 Explain yourself." " I will," replied Morgiana. 
 " Moderate your astonishment, and do not excite 
 the curiosity of your neighbours ; for it is of great 
 importance to keep this affair secret. Look into all 
 the other jars." 
 
 AH Baba examined all the other jars, one after 
 another; and when he came to that which had the 
 oil in it, found it prodigiously sunk, and stood for 
 some time motionless, sometimes looking at the 
 jars, and sometimes at Morgiana, without saying a 
 word, so great was his surprise. At last, when he 
 had recovered himself, he said, " And what is be- 
 come of the merchant ? " 
 
 " Merchant ! " answered she ; " he is as much one 
 as I am. I will tell you who he is, and what is 
 become of him ; but you had better hear the story in 
 your own chamber; for it is time for your health 
 that you had your broth after your bathing." 
 
 Morgiana then told him all she had done, from the 
 first observing the mark upon the house, to the de- 
 struction of the robbers, and the flight of their cap' 
 tain. 
 
 On hearing of these brave deeds from the lips of 
 Morgiana, AH Baba said to her — " God, by your 
 means, has delivered me from the snares these rob- 
 bers laid for my destruction. I owe, therefore, my 
 life to you ; and, for the first token of my acknowl- 
 
132 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 edgment, give you your liberty from this moment, 
 till I can complete your recompense as I intend." 
 
 Ali Baba's garden was very long, and shaded at 
 the further end by a great number of large trees. 
 Near these he and the slave Abdalla dug a trench, 
 long and wide enough to hold the bodies of the rob- 
 bers ; and as the earth was light, they were not long 
 in doing it. When this was done, Ali Baba hid the 
 jars and weapons ; and as he had no occasion for the 
 mules, he sent them at different times to be sold in 
 the market by his slave. 
 
 While Ali Baba took these measures, the captain 
 of the forty robbers returned to the forest with in- 
 conceivable mortification. He did not stay long ; the 
 loneliness of the gloomy cavern became frightful to 
 him. He determined, however, to avenge the fate 
 of his companions, and to accomplish the death of 
 Ali Baba. For this purpose he returned to the town, 
 and took a lodging in a khan, and disguised himself 
 as a merchant in silks. Under this assumed charac- 
 ter, he gradually conveyed a great many sorts of 
 rich stuffs and fine linen to his lodging from the 
 cavern, but with all the necessary precautions to 
 conceal the place whence he brought them. In order 
 to dispose of the merchandise, when he had thus 
 amassed them together, he took a warehouse, which 
 happened to be opposite to Cassim's, which Ali 
 Baba's son had occupied since the death of his uncle. 
 
 He took the name of Cogia Houssain, and, as a 
 new-comer, was, according to custom, extremely 
 civil and complaisant to all the merchants his neigh- 
 bours. Ali Baba's son was, from his vicinity, one 
 of the first to converse with Cogia Houssain, who 
 
The History of Ali Baba 133 
 
 strove to cultivate his friendship more particularly. 
 Two or three days after he was settled, AH Baba 
 came to see his son, and the captain of the robbers 
 recognised him at once, and soon learned from his 
 son who he was. After this he increased his assidu- 
 ities, caressed him in the most engaging manner, 
 made him some small presents, and often asked him 
 to dine and sup with him, when he treated him very 
 handsomely. 
 
 Ali Baba's son did not choose to lie under such 
 obligation to Cogia Houssain ; but wase so much 
 straitened for want of room in his house, that he 
 could not entertain him. He therefore acquainted 
 his father, Ali Baba, with his wish to invite him in 
 return. 
 
 Ali Baba with great pleasure took the treat upon 
 himself. " Son," said he, " to-morrow being Friday, 
 which is a day that the shops of such great mer- 
 chants as Cogia Houssain and yourself are shut, get 
 him to accompany you, and as you pass by my door, 
 call in. I will go and order Morgiana to provide a 
 supper." 
 
 The next day Ali Baba's son and Cogia Houssain 
 met by appointment, took their walk, and as they re- 
 turnedjAli Baba's son led Cogia Houssain through 
 the street where his father lived, and when they 
 came to the house, stopped and knocked at the door. 
 " This, sir," said he, " is my father's house, who, 
 from the account I have given him of your friend- 
 ship, charged me to procure him the honour of your 
 acquaintance; and I desire you to add this pleasure 
 to those for which I am already indebted to you." 
 
 Though it was the sole turn of Cogia Houssain to 
 
134 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 introdtice himself into Ali Baba's house, that he 
 might kill him, without hazarding his own life or 
 making any noise, yet he excused himself, and of- 
 fered to take his leave; but a slave having opened 
 the door, Ali Baba's son took him obligingly by the 
 hand, and, in a manner, forced him in. 
 
 Ali Baba received Cogia Houssain with a smiling 
 countenance, and in the most obliging manner he 
 could wish. He thanked him for all the favours he 
 had done his son ; adding withal, the obligation was 
 the greater, as he was a young man, not much ac- 
 quainted with the world, and that he might con- 
 tribute to his information. 
 
 Cogia Houssain returned the compliment by as- 
 suring Ali Baba that though his son might not have 
 acquired the experience of older men, he had good 
 sense equal to the experience of many others. After 
 a little more conversation on different subjects, he 
 offered again to take his leave, when Ali Baba, stop- 
 ping him, said, " Where are you going, sir, in so 
 much haste? I beg you would do me the honour 
 to sup with me, though my entertainment may not 
 be worthy your acceptance ; such as it is, I heartily 
 offer it." " Sir," replied Cogia Houssain, " I am 
 thoroughly persuaded of your good-will; but the 
 truth is, I can eat no victuals that have any salt in 
 them ; therefore judge how I should feel at your ta- 
 ble." " If that is the only reason," said Ali Baba, 
 " it ought not to deprive me of the honour of your 
 company ; for, in the first place, there is no salt ever 
 put into my bread, and as to the meat we shall have 
 to-night, I promise you there shall be none in that 
 
The History of Ali Baba 135 
 
 Therefore you must do me the favour to stay. I 
 will return immediately." 
 
 Ali Baba went into the kitchen, and ordered Mor- 
 giana to put no salt to the meat that was to be 
 dressed that night ; and to make quickly two or three 
 ragouts besides what he had ordered, but be sure 
 to put no salt in them. 
 
 Morgiana, who was always ready to obey her mas- 
 ter, could not help being surprised at his strange 
 order. " Who is this strange man," said she, " who 
 eats no salt with his meat? Your supper will be 
 spoiled, if I keep it back so long." " Do not be 
 angry, Morgiana," replied Ali Baba; "he is an hon- 
 est man, therefore do as I bid you." 
 
 Morgiana obeyed, though with no little reluctance, 
 and had a curiosity to see this man who ate no salt. 
 To this end, when she had finished what she had to 
 do in the kitchen, she helped Abdalla to carry up 
 the dishes ; and looking at Cogia Houssain, knew 
 him at first sight, notwithstanding his disguise, to 
 be the captain of the robbers, and examining him 
 very carefully, perceived that he had a dagger 
 under his garment. " I am not in the least amazed," 
 said she to herself, " that this wicked man, who is 
 my master's greatest enemy, would eat no salt with 
 him, since he intends to assassinate him; but I will 
 prevent him." 
 
 Morgiana, while they were at supper, determined 
 in her own mind to execute one of the boldest acts 
 ever meditated. When Abdalla came for the dessert 
 of fruit, and had put it with the wine and glasses 
 before Ali Baba, Morgiana retired, dressed herself 
 neatly, with a suitable head-dress like a dancer, 
 
136 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 girded her waist with a silver-gilt girdle, to which 
 there hung a poniard with a hilt and guard of the 
 same metal, and put a handsome mask on her face. 
 When she had thus disguised herself, she said to 
 Abdalla, " Take your tabour, and let us go and 
 divert our master and his son's friend, as we do 
 sometimes when he is alone." 
 
 Abdalla took his tabour and played all the way 
 into the hall before Morgiana, who, when she came 
 to the door, made a low obeisance by way of asking 
 leave to exhibit her skill, while Abdalla left off play- 
 ing. " Come in, Morgiana," said AH Baba, " and let 
 Cogia Houssain see what you can do, that he may tell 
 us what he thinks of your performance." 
 
 Cogia Houssain, who did not expect this diversion 
 after supper, began to fear he should not be able to 
 take advantage of the opportunity he thought he 
 had found ; but hoped, if he now missed his aim, to 
 secure it another time, by keeping up a friendly cor- 
 respondence with the father and son ; therefore, 
 though he could have wished AH Baba would have 
 declined the dance, he pretended to be obliged to 
 him for it, and had the complaisance to express his 
 satisfaction at what he said, which pleased his host. 
 
 As soon as Abdalla saw that AH Baba and Cogia 
 Houssain had done talking, he began to play on the 
 tabour, and accompanied it with an air, to which 
 Morgiana, who was an excellent performer, danced 
 in such a manner as would have created admiration 
 in any company. 
 
 After she had danced several dances with much 
 grace, she drew the poniard, and holding it in her 
 hand, began a dance, in which she outdid herself 
 
The History of Ali Baba 137 
 
 by the many different figures, light movements, and 
 the surprising leaps and wonderful exertions with 
 which she accompanied it. Sometimes she presented 
 the poniard to one breast, sometimes to another, and 
 oftentimes seemed to strike her own. At last, she 
 snatched the tabour from Abdalla with her left 
 hand, and holding the dagger in her right presented 
 the other side of the tabour, after the manner of 
 those who get a livelihood by dancing, and solicit the 
 liberality of the spectators. 
 
 Ali Baba put a piece of gold into the tabour, as 
 did also his son ; and Cogia Houssain seeing that she 
 was coming to him, had pulled his purse out of his 
 bosom to make her a present; but while he was 
 putting his hand into it, Morgiana, with a courage 
 and resolution worthy of herself, plunged the 
 poniard into his heart. 
 
 Ali Baba and his son, shocked at this action, cried 
 out aloud. " Unhappy woman ! " exclaimed Ali 
 Baba, " what have you done to ruin me and my 
 family ? " " It was to preserve, not to ruin you," 
 answered Morgiana ; " for see here," continued she, 
 opening the pretended Cogia Houssain's garment, 
 and showing the dagger, " what an enemy you had 
 entertained? Look well at him, and you will find 
 him to be both the fictitious oil merchant, and the 
 captain of the gang of forty robbers. Remember, 
 too, that he would eat no salt with you ; and what 
 would you have more to persuade you of his wicked 
 design ? Before I saw him, I suspected him as soon 
 as you told me you had such a guest. I knew 
 him, and you now find that my suspicion was not 
 groundless." 
 
138 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Ali Baba, who immediately felt the new obliga- 
 tion he had to Morgiana for saving his life a second 
 time, embraced her : " Morgiana," said he, " I gave 
 you your liberty, and then promised you that my 
 gratitude should not stop there, but that I would soon 
 give you higher proofs of its sincerity, which I now 
 do by making you my daughter-in-law." Then ad- 
 dressing himself to his son, he said, " I believe you, 
 son, to be so dutiful a child, that you will not refuse 
 Morgiana for your wife. You see that Cogia Hous- 
 sain sought your friendship with a treacherous de- 
 sign to take away my life ; and if he had succeeded, 
 there is no doubt but he would have sacrificed you 
 also to his revenge. Consider, that by marrying 
 Morgiana you marry the preserver of my family and 
 your own." 
 
 The son, far from showing any dislike, readily 
 consented to the marriage ; not only because he 
 would not disobey his father, but also because it was 
 agreeable to his inclination. After this they thought 
 of burying the captain of the robbers with his com- 
 rades, and did it so privately that nobody discovered 
 their bones till many years after, when no one had 
 any concern in the publication of this remarkable 
 history. A few days afterward, Ali Baba celebrated 
 the nuptials of his son and Morgiana with great 
 solemnity, a sumptuous feast, and the usual dancing 
 and spectacles; and had the satisfaction to see that 
 his friends and neighbours, whom he invited, had 
 no knowledge of the true motives of the marriage; 
 but that those who were not unacquainted with Mor- 
 giana's good qualities commended his generosity and 
 goodness of heart. Ali Baba did not visit the rob- 
 
The History of Alt Baba 139 
 
 bers' cave for a whole year, as he supposed the other 
 two, whom he could get no account of, might be 
 alive. 
 
 At the year's end, when he found they had not 
 made any attempt to disturb him, he had the curiosity 
 to make another journey. He mounted his horse, 
 and when he came to the cave he alighted, tied his 
 horse to a tree, then approaching the entrance, and 
 pronouncing the words, " Open, Sesame ! " the door 
 opened. He entered the cavern, and by the condi- 
 tion he found things in, judged that nobody had been 
 there since the captain had fetched the goods for his 
 shop. From this time he believed he was the only 
 person in the world who had the secret of opening 
 the cave, and that all the treasure was at his sole dis- 
 posal. He put as much gold into his saddle-bag as 
 his horse would carry, and returned to town. Some 
 years later he carried his son to the cave and taught 
 him the secret, which he handed down to his poster- 
 ity, who, using their good fortune with moderation, 
 lived in great honour and splendour. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 
 
 I designed, after my first, voyage, to spend the rest 
 of my days at Bagdad, but it was not long ere I grew 
 weary of an indolent life, and I put to sea a second 
 time, with merchants of known probity. We em- 
 barked on board a good ship, and, after recommend- 
 ing ourselves to God, set sail. We traded from isl- 
 and to island, and exchanged commodities with great 
 profit. One day we landed on an island covered with 
 several sorts of fruit trees, but we could see neither 
 man nor animal. We walked in the meadows, along 
 the streams that watered them. While some diverted 
 themselves with gathering flowers, and others fruits, 
 I took my wine and provisions, and sat down near 
 a stream betwixt two high trees, which formed a 
 thick shade. I made a good meal, and afterward fell 
 asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but when 
 I awoke the ship was gone. 
 
 In this sad condition, I was ready to die with 
 grief. I cried out in agony, beat my head and breast, 
 and threw myself upon the ground, where I lay 
 some time in despair. I upbraided myself a hun- 
 dred times for not being content with the produce 
 of my first voyage, that might have sufficed me all 
 my life. But all this was in vain, and my repentance 
 
Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor 141 
 
 came too late. At last I resigned myself to the will 
 of God. Not knowing what to do, I climbed up to 
 the top of a lofty tree, from whence I looked about 
 on all sides, to see if I could discover anything that 
 could give me hopes. When I gazed toward the sea 
 I could see nothing but sky and water ; but looking 
 over the land, I beheld something white ; and com- 
 ing down, I took what provision I had left and went 
 toward it, the distance being so great, that I could 
 not distinguish what it was. 
 
 As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, 
 of a prodigious height and extent ; and when I came 
 up to it, I touched it, and found it to be very smooth. 
 I went round to see if it was open on any side, but 
 saw it was not, and that there was no climbing up 
 to the top, as it was so smooth. It was at least fifty 
 paces round. 
 
 By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a 
 sudden the sky became as dark as if it had been 
 covered with a thick cloud. I was much astonished 
 at this sudden darkness, but much more when I 
 found it occasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, 
 that came flying toward me. I remembered that I 
 had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous bird 
 called the Roc, and conceived that the great dome 
 which I so much admired must be its egg. In short, 
 the bird alighted, and sat over the egg. As I per- 
 ceived her coming, I crept close to the egg, so that 
 I had before me one of the legs of the bird, which 
 was as big as the trunk of a tree. I tied myself 
 strongly to it with my turban, in hopes that the roc 
 next morning would carry me with her out of this 
 desert island. After having passed the night in this 
 
142 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 condition, the bird flew away as soon as it was day- 
 light, and carried me so high, that I could not dis- 
 cern the earth ; she afterward descended with so 
 much rapidity that I lost my senses. But when I 
 found myself on the ground, I speedily untied the 
 knot, and had scarcely done so, when the roc, having 
 taken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, 
 flew away. 
 
 The spot where it left me was encompassed on all 
 sides by mountains, that seemed to reach above the 
 clouds, and so steep that there was no possibility 
 of getting out of the valley. This was a new per- 
 plexity; so that when I compared this place with 
 the desert island from which the roc had brought 
 me, I found that I had gained nothing by the 
 change. 
 
 As I walked through this valley, I perceived it 
 was strewed with diamonds, some of which were 
 of surprising bigness. I took pleasure in looking 
 upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such ob- 
 jects as greatly diminished my satisfaction, and 
 which I could not view without terror, namely, a 
 great number of serpents, so monstrous that the 
 least of them was capable of swallowing an elephant. 
 They retired in the day-time to their dens, where 
 they hid themselves from the roc, their enemy, and 
 came out only in the night. 
 
 I spent the day in walking about in the valley, 
 resting myself at times in such places as I thought 
 most convenient. When night came on I went into 
 i cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. 
 I secured the entrance, which was low and narrow, 
 with a great stone, to preserve me from the ser- 
 
Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor 143 
 
 pents; but not so far as to exclude the light. I 
 supped on part of my provisions, but the serpents, 
 which began hissing round me, put me into such ex- 
 treme fear that I did not sleep. When day appeared 
 the serpents retired, and I came out of the cave 
 trembling. I can justly say that I walked upon dia- 
 monds without feeling any inclination to touch them. 
 At last I sat down, and notwithstanding my appre- 
 hensions, not having closed my eyes during the 
 night, fell asleep, after having eaten a little more of 
 my provisions. But I had scarcely shut my eyes 
 when something that fell by me with a great noise 
 awaked me. This was a large piece of raw meat; 
 and at the same time I saw several others fall down 
 from the rocks in different places. 
 
 I had always regarded as fabulous what I had 
 heard sailors and others relate of the valley of dia- 
 monds, and of the stratagems employed by mer- 
 chants to obtain jewels from thence ; but now I 
 found that they had stated nothing but the truth. 
 For the fact is, that the merchants come to the 
 neighbourhood of this valley, when the eagles have 
 young ones, and throwing great joints of meat into 
 the valley, the diamonds, upon whose points they 
 fall, stick to them ; the eagles, which are stronger in 
 this country than anywhere else, pounce with great 
 force upon those pieces of meat, and carry them to 
 their nests on the precipices of the rocks to feed their 
 young : the merchants at this time run to their nests, 
 disturb and drive off the eagles by their shouts, and 
 take away the diamonds that stick to the meat. 
 
 I perceived in this device the means of my deliv- 
 erance. 
 
144 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Having collected together the largest diamonds 
 I could find, I put them into the leather bag in which 
 I used to carry my provisions, I took the largest of 
 the pieces of meat, tied it close round me with the 
 cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the 
 ground, with my face downward, the bag of dia- 
 monds being made fast to my girdle. 
 
 I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when 
 one of the eagles, having taken me up with the 
 piece of meat to which I was fastened, carried me 
 to his nest on the top of the mountain. The mer- 
 chants immediately began their shouting to frighten 
 the eagles ; and when they had obliged them to quit 
 their prey, one of them came to the nest where I 
 was. He was much alarmed when he saw me; but 
 recovering himself, instead of inquiring how I came 
 thither, began to quarrel with me, and asked why 
 I stole his goods ? " You will treat me," replied I, 
 " with more civility, when you know me better. Do 
 not be uneasy ; I have diamonds enough for you and 
 myself, more than all the other merchants together. 
 Whatever they have they owe to chance; but I se- 
 lected for myself, in the bottom of the valley, those 
 which you see in this bag." I had scarcely done 
 speaking, when the other merchants came crowding 
 about us, much astonished to see me ; but they were 
 much more surprised when I told them my story. 
 
 They conducted me to their encampment; and 
 there having opened my bag, they were surprised at 
 the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed that 
 they had never seen any of such size and perfection. 
 I prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which 
 I had been carried (for every merchant had his 
 
Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor 145 
 
 own) to take as many for his share as he pleased. 
 He contented himself with one, and that, too, the 
 least of them ; and when I pressed him to take more, 
 without fear of doing me any injury, " No," said he, 
 " I am very well satisfied with this, which is valuable 
 enough to save me the trouble of making any more 
 voyages, and will raise as great a fortune as I de- 
 sire." 
 
 I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I 
 related my story a second time, for the satisfaction 
 of those who had not heard it. I could not moderate 
 my joy when I found myself delivered from the 
 danger I have mentioned. I thought myself in a 
 dream, and could scarcely believe myself out of dan- 
 ger. 
 
 The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat 
 into the valley for several days ; and each of them be- 
 ing satisfied with the diamonds that had fallen to his 
 lot, we left the place the next morning, and travelled 
 near high mountains, where there were serpents of 
 a prodigious length, which we had the good fortune 
 to escape. We took shipping at the first port we 
 reached, and touched at the isle of Roha, where the 
 trees grow that yield camphire. This tree is so large, 
 and its branches so thick, that one hundred men may 
 easily sit under its shade. The juice, of which the 
 camphire is made, exudes from a hole bored in the 
 upper part of the tree, and is received in a vessel, 
 where it thickens to a consistency, and becomes what 
 we call camphire. After the juice is thus drawn out, 
 the tree withers and dies. 
 
 In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an ani- 
 mal less than the elephant, but larger than the buf- 
 
146 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 falo. It has a horn upon its nose, about a cubit in 
 length ; this horn is solid, and cleft through the mid- 
 dle. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs 
 his horn into his belly, and carries him off upon his 
 head ; but the blood and the fat of the elephant run- 
 ning into his eyes and making him blind, he falls to 
 the ground; and then, strange to relate, the roc 
 comes and carries them both away in her claws, for 
 food for her young ones. 
 
 I pass over many other things peculiar to this 
 island, lest I should weary you. Here I exchanged 
 some of my diamonds for merchandise. From hence 
 we went to other islands, and at last, having touched 
 at several trading towns of the continent, we landed 
 at Bussorah, from whence I proceeded to Bagdad. 
 There I immediately gave large presents to the poor, 
 and lived honourably upon the vast riches I had 
 brought, and gained with so much fatigue. 
 
 Thus Sindbad ended the relation of the second 
 voyage, gave Hindbad another hundred sequins, and 
 invited him to come the next day to hear the account 
 of the third. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 There was once a king who had three sons, all 
 remarkably handsome in their persons, and in their 
 tempers brave and noble. Some wicked courtiers 
 made the king believe that the princes were impa- 
 tient to wear the crown, and that they were contriv- 
 ing a plot to deprive him of his sceptre and his 
 kingdom. The king felt he was growing old ; but 
 as he found himself as capable of governing as he 
 had ever been, he had no inclination to resign his 
 power; and therefore, that he might pass the rest 
 of his days peaceably, he determined to employ the 
 princes in such a manner, as at once to give each of 
 them the hope of succeeding to the crown, and fill 
 up the time they might otherwise spend in so un- 
 dutiful a manner. He sent for them to his cabinet, 
 and after conversing with them kindly, he added : 
 " You must be sensible, my dear children, that my 
 great age prevents me from attending so closely as 
 I have hitherto done to state affairs. I fear this 
 may be injurious to my subjects; I therefore desire 
 to place my crown on the head of one of you, but it is 
 no more than just, that in return for such a present, 
 you should procure me some amusement in my re- 
 tirement, before I leave the Capital for ever. I can- 
 
148 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 not help thinking, that a little dog, that is handsome, 
 faithful, and engaging, would be the very thing to 
 make me happy ; so that without bestowing a prefer- 
 ence on either of you, I declare that he who brings 
 me the most perfect little dog shall be my successor. 
 The princes were much surprised at the fancy of 
 their father to have a little dog, yet they accepted 
 the proposition with pleasure : and accordingly, after 
 taking leave of the king, who presented them with 
 abundance of money and jewels, and appointed that 
 day twelvemonth for their return, they set off on 
 their travels. 
 
 Before taking leave of each other, however, they 
 took some refreshment together, in an old palace 
 about three miles out of town where they agreed to 
 meet in the same place on that day twelvemonth, 
 and go all together with their presents to court. 
 They also agreed to change their names, that they 
 might be unknown to every one in their travels. 
 
 Each took a different road; but it is intended to 
 relate the adventures of only the youngest, who was 
 the handsomest, most amiable, and accomplished 
 prince that had ever been seen. No day passed, as 
 he travelled from town to town, that he did not 
 buy all the handsome dogs that fell in his way ; and 
 as soon as he saw one that was handsomer than those 
 he had before, he made a present of the last; for 
 twenty servants would have been scarcely sufficient 
 to take care of all the dogs he was continually buy- 
 ing. 
 
 At length, wandering he knew not whither, he 
 found himself in a forest ; night suddenly came on, 
 and with it a violent storm of thunder, lightning, 
 
The White Cat 149 
 
 and rain. To add to his perplexity, he lost his path, 
 and could find no way out of the forest. After he 
 had groped about for a long- time, he perceived a 
 light, which made him suppose that he was not far 
 from some house : he accordingly pursued his way 
 towards it, and in a short time found himself at the 
 gates of the most magnificent palace he ever beheld. 
 The door that opened into it was made of gold, cov- 
 ered with sapphire stones, which cast so resplendent 
 a brightness over everything around, that scarcely 
 could the strongest eyesight bear to look at it. This 
 was the light the prince had seen from the forest. 
 The walls of the building were of transparent porce- 
 lain, variously coloured, and represented the history 
 of all the fairies that had existed from the begin- 
 ning of the world. The prince coming back to the 
 golden door, observed a deer's foot fastened to a 
 chain of diamonds ; he could not help wondering at 
 the magnificence he beheld, and the security in which 
 the inhabitants seemed to live ; " for," said he to him- 
 self, " nothing can be easier than for thieves to steal 
 this chain, and as many of the sapphire stones as 
 would make their fortunes." He pulled the chain, 
 and heard a bell the sound of which was exquisite. 
 In a few moments the door was opened ; but he per- 
 ceived nothing but twelve hands in the air, each hold- 
 ing a torch. The prince was so astonished that he 
 durst not move a step; when he felt himself gently 
 pushed on by some other hands from behind him. 
 He walked on, in great perplexity, till he entered a 
 vestibule inlaid with porphyry and lapis-stone. 
 There the most melodious voice he had ever heard 
 chanted the following: words : 
 
150 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Welcome, prince, no danger fear, 
 Mirth and love attend you here ; 
 You shall break the magic spell, 
 That on a beauteous lady fell. 
 
 " Welcome, prince, no danger fear, 
 Mirth and love attend you here." 
 
 The prince now advanced with confidence, won- 
 dering what these words could mean; the hands 
 moved him forward towards a large door of coral, 
 which opened of itself to give him admittance into a 
 splendid apartment built of mother-of-pearl, through 
 which he passed into others so richly adorned with 
 paintings and jewels, and so resplendently lighted 
 with thousands of lamps, girandoles and lustres, that 
 the prince imagined he must be in an enchanted pal- 
 ace. When he had passed through sixty apartments, 
 all equally splendid, he was stopped by the hands, 
 and a large easy-chair advanced of itself towards the 
 chimney; and the hands, which he observed were 
 extremely white and delicate, took off his wet 
 clothes, and supplied their place with the finest linen 
 imaginable, and then added a commodious wrap- 
 ping-gown, embroidered with the brightest gold, and 
 all over enriched with pearls. The hands next 
 brought him an elegant dressing-table, and combed 
 his hair so very gently that he scarcely felt their 
 touch. They held before him a beautiful basin, filled 
 with perfumes, for him to wash his face and hands, 
 and afterwards took off the wrapping-gown and 
 dressed him in a suit of clothes of still greater splen- 
 dour. When his dress was complete, they conducted 
 
The White Cat 151 
 
 him to an apartment he had not yet seen, and which 
 also was magnificently furnished. There was in it a 
 table spread for a repast, and everything upon it was 
 of the purest gold adorned with jewels. The prince 
 observed there were two covers set, and was won- 
 dering who was to be his companion, when his at- 
 tention was suddenly caught by a small figure not 
 a foot high, which just then entered the room, and 
 advanced towards him. It had on a long black veil, 
 and was supported by two cats dressed in mourning, 
 and with swords by their sides : they were followed 
 by a numerous retinue of cats, some carrying cages 
 full of rats and others mousetraps full of mice. 
 
 The prince was at a loss what to think. The little 
 figure now approached, and throwing aside her veil, 
 he beheld a most beautiful white cat. She seemed 
 young and melancholy, and addressing herself to the 
 prince, she said, " Young prince, you are welcome ; 
 your presence affords me the greatest pleasure." 
 " Madam," replied the prince, " I would fain thank 
 you for your generosity, nor can I help observing 
 that you must be an extraordinary creature to pos- 
 sess with your present form the gift of speech and 
 the magnificent palace I have seen." " All this is 
 very true," answered the beautiful cat, " but, prince, 
 I am not fond of talking, and least of all do I like 
 compliments; let us therefore sit down to supper." 
 The trunkless hands then placed the dishes on the 
 table, and the prince and white cat seated them- 
 selves. The first dish was a pie made of young 
 pigeons, and the next was a fricassee of the fattest 
 mice. The view of the one made the prince almost 
 afraid to taste the other, till the white cat, who 
 
152 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 guessed his thoughts, assured him that there were 
 certain dishes at table in which there was not a mor- 
 sel of either rat or mouse, which had been dressed on 
 purpose for him. Accordingly he ate heartily of 
 such as she recommended. When supper was over, 
 the prince perceived that the white cat had a portrait 
 set in gold hanging to one of her feet. He begged 
 her permission to look at it; when, to his astonish- 
 ment, he saw the portrait of a handsome young man, 
 that exactly resembled himself! He thought there 
 was something very extraordinary in all this : yet, as 
 the white cat sighed and looked very sorrowful, he 
 did not venture to ask any questions. He con- 
 versed with her on different subjects, and found her 
 extremely well versed in every thing that was pass- 
 ing in the world. When night was far advanced, the 
 white cat wished him a good night, and he was con- 
 ducted by the hands to his bedchamber, which was 
 different still from any thing he had seen in the pal- 
 ace, being hung with the wings of butterflies, mixed 
 with the most curious feathers. His bed was of 
 gauze, festooned with bunches of the gayest ribands, 
 and the looking-glasses reached from the floor to the 
 ceiling. The prince was undressed and put into bed 
 by the hands, without speaking a word. He how- 
 ever slept little, and in the morning was awaked by a 
 confused noise. The hands took him out of bed, and 
 put on him a handsome hunting- jacket. He looked 
 into the court-yard, and perceived more than five 
 hundred cats, busily employed in preparing for the 
 field, for this was a day of festival. Presently the 
 white cat came to his apartment ; and having politely 
 inquired after his health, she invited him to partake 
 
The White Cat 153 
 
 of their amusement. The prince willingly accepted, 
 mounted a wooden horse, richly caparisoned, which 
 had been prepared for him, and which he was as- 
 sured would gallop to admiration. The beautiful 
 white cat mounted a monkey, dressed in a dragoon's 
 bonnet, which made her look so fierce that all the 
 rats and mice ran away in the utmost terror. 
 
 Every thing being ready, the horns sounded, and 
 away they went ; no hunting was ever more agree- 
 able; the cats ran faster than the hares and rab- 
 bits ; and when they caught any they were hunted 
 in the presence of the white cat, and a thousand 
 cunning tricks were played. Nor were the birds in 
 safety ; for the monkey made nothing of climbing up 
 the trees, with the white cat on his back, to the nest 
 of the young eagles. When the hunting was over, 
 the whole retinue returned to the palace; and the 
 white cat immediately exchanged her dragoon's cap 
 for the veil, and sat down to supper with the prince, 
 who, being very hungry, ate heartily, and afterwards 
 partook with her of the most delicious liqueurs, which 
 being often repeated made him forget that he was to 
 procure a little dog for the old king. He thought 
 no longer of any thing but of pleasing the sweet lit- 
 tle creature who received him so courteously ; ac- 
 cordingly every day was spent in new amusements. 
 The prince had almost forgotten his country and re- 
 lations, and sometimes even regretted that he was 
 not a cat, so great was his affection for his mewing 
 companions. " Alas ! " said he to the white cat, 
 " how will it afflict me to leave you whom I love so 
 much ! Either make yourself a lady, or make me a 
 cat." She smiled at the prince's wish, but made him 
 
154 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 
 
 scarcely any reply. At length the twelvemonth was 
 nearly expired; the white cat, who knew the very 
 day when the prince was to reach his father's palace, 
 reminded him that he had but three days longer to 
 look for a perfect little dog. The prince, astonished 
 at his own forgetfulness, began to afflict himself ; 
 when the cat told him not to be so sorrowful, since 
 she would not only provide him with a little dog, 
 but also with a wooden horse which should convey 
 him safely in less than twelve hours. " Look here," 
 said she, showing him an acorn, " this contains what 
 you desire." The prince put the acorn to his ear, and 
 heard the barking of a little dog. Transported with 
 joy, he thanked the cat a thousand times, and the 
 next day, bidding her tenderly adieu, he set out on 
 his return. 
 
 The prince arrived first at the place of rendezvous, 
 and was soon joined by his brothers ; they mutually 
 embraced, and began to give an account of their 
 success ; when the youngest showed them only a little 
 mongrel cur, telling them he thought it could not 
 fail to please the king from its extraordinary beauty, 
 the brothers trod on each other's toes under the ta- 
 ble; as much as to say, we have not much to fear 
 from this sorry looking animal. The next day 
 they went together to the palace. The dogs of the 
 two elder princes were lying on cushions, and so 
 curiously wrapped around with embroidered quilts, 
 that one would scarcely venture to touch them. The 
 youngest produced his cur, dirty all over, and all 
 wondered how the prince could hope to receive a 
 crown for such a present. The king examined the 
 two little dogs of the elder princes, and declared he 
 
The White Cat 155 
 
 thought them so equally beautiful that he knew not 
 to which, with justice, he could give the preference. 
 They accordingly began to dispute ; when the young- 
 est prince, taking his acorn from his pocket, soon 
 ended their contention; for a little dog appeared 
 which could with ease go through the smallest ring, 
 and was besides a miracle of beauty. The king 
 could not possibly hesitate in declaring his satis- 
 faction ; yet, as he was not more inclined than the 
 year before to part with his crown, he could think 
 of nothing more to his purpose than telling his 
 sons that he was extremely obliged to them for the 
 pains they had taken; and that since they had suc- 
 ceeded so well, he could not but wish they would 
 make a second attempt; he therefore begged they 
 would take another year for procuring him a piece 
 of cambric, so fine as to be drawn through the eye of 
 a small needle. 
 
 The three princes thought this very hard ; yet they 
 set out in obedience to the king's command. The 
 two eldest took different roads, and the youngest re- 
 mounted his wooden horse, and in a short time ar- 
 rived at the palace of his beloved white cat, who re- 
 ceived him with the greatest joy, while the trunkless 
 hands helped him to dismount, and provided him 
 with immediate refreshments ; after which the prince 
 gave the white cat an account of the admiration 
 which had been bestowed on the beautiful little dog, 
 and informed her of his father's farther injunction. 
 " Make yourself perfectly easy, dear prince," said 
 she, " I have in my palace some cats that are per- 
 fectly clever in making such cambric as the king 
 requires ; so you have nothing to do but to give me 
 
156 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 the pleasure of your company while it is making; 
 and I will procure you all the amusement possible." 
 She accordingly ordered the most curious fireworks 
 to be played off in sight of the window of the apart- 
 ment in which they were sitting; and nothing but 
 festivity and rejoicing was heard throughout the 
 palace for the prince's return. As the white cat 
 continually gave proofs of an excellent understand- 
 ing, the prince was by no means tired of her com- 
 pany ; she talked with him of state affairs, of thea- 
 tres, of fashions; in short, she was at a loss on no 
 subject whatever; so that when the prince was 
 alone, he had plenty of amusement in thinking how 
 it could possibly be that a small white cat could 
 be endowed with all the powers of human creatures. 
 The twelvemonth in this manner again passed in- 
 sensibly away; but the cat took care to remind the 
 prince of his duty in proper time. " For once, my 
 prince," said she, " I will have the pleasure of equip- 
 ping you as suits your high rank ; " when looking 
 into the courtyard, he saw a superb car, ornamented 
 all over with gold, silver, pearls and diamonds, drawn 
 by twelve horses as white as snow, and harnessed in 
 the most sumptuous trappings ; and behind the car a 
 thousand guards richly apparelled were in waiting to 
 attend on the prince's person. She then presented 
 him with a nut : " You will find in it," said she, " the 
 piece of cambric I promised you. Do not break the 
 shell till you are in the presence of the king your 
 father." Then, to prevent the acknowledgments 
 which the prince was about to offer, she hastily bade 
 him adieu. Nothing could exceed the speed with 
 which the snow-white horses conveyed this fortunate 
 
The White Cat 157 
 
 prince to his father's palace, where his brothers had 
 just arrived before him. They embraced each other, 
 and demanded an immediate audience of the king, 
 who received them with the greatest kindness. The 
 princes hastened to place at the feet of his majesty 
 the curious present he had required them to procure. 
 The eldest produced a piece of cambric that was so 
 extremely fine, that his friends had no doubt of its 
 passing the eye of the needle, which was now deliv- 
 ered to the king, having been kept locked up in the 
 custody of his majesty's treasurer all the time. 
 Every one supposed he would certainly obtain the 
 crown. But when the king tried to draw it thfbugh 
 the eye of the needle, it would not pass, though it 
 failed but very little. Then came the second prince, 
 who made as sure of obtaining the crown as his 
 brother had done ; but, alas ! with no better success : 
 for though his piece of cambric was exquisitely fine, 
 yet it could not be drawn through the eye of the 
 needle. It was now the youngest prince's turn, who 
 accordingly advanced, and opening an elegant little 
 box inlaid with jewels, he took out a walnut, and 
 cracked the shell, imagining he should immediately 
 perceive his piece of cambric; but what was his as- 
 tonishment to see nothing but a filbert ! He did not 
 however lose his hopes ; he cracked the filbert, and it 
 presented him with a cherry-stone. The lords of the 
 court, who had assembled to witness this extraordi- 
 nary trial, could not, any more than the princes his 
 brothers, refrain from laughing, to think he should 
 be so silly as to claim with them the crown on no bet- 
 ter pretensions. The prince however cracked the 
 cherry-stone, which was filled with a kernel : be 
 
158 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 divided it, and found in the middle a grain of wheat, 
 and in that grain a millet seed. He was now abso- 
 lutely confounded, and could not help muttering be- 
 tween his teeth : " O white cat, white cat, thou hast 
 deceived me ! " At this instant he felt his hand 
 scratched by the claw of a cat : upon which he again 
 took courage, and opening the grain of millet seed, 
 to the astonishment of all present, he drew forth a 
 piece of cambric four hundred yards long, and fine 
 enough to be drawn with perfect ease through the 
 eye of the needle. When the king found he had no 
 pretext left for refusing the crown to his youngest 
 son, he sighed deeply, and it was easy to be seen that 
 he was sorry for the prince's success. " My sons," 
 said he, " it is so gratifying to the heart of a father 
 to receive proofs of his children's love and obedi- 
 ence, that I cannot refuse myself the satisfaction of 
 requiring of you one thing more. You must under- 
 take another expedition ; and whichever, by the end 
 of a year, brings me the most beautiful lady, shall 
 marry her, and obtain my crown." 
 
 So they again took leave of the king and of each 
 other, and set out without delay, and in less than 
 twelve hours our young prince arrived in his splen- 
 did car at the palace of his dear white cat. Every 
 thing went on as before, till the end of another year. 
 At length only one day remained of the year, when 
 the white cat thus addressed him : " To-morrow, my 
 prince, you must present yourself at the palace of 
 your father, and give him a proof of your obedience. 
 It depends only on yourself to conduct thither the 
 most beautiful princess ever yet beheld, for the time 
 is come when the enchantment by which I am bound 
 
The White Cat 159 
 
 may be ended. You must cut off my head and tail," 
 continued she, " and throw them into the fire." 
 " I J " said the prince hastily, " I cut off your head 
 and tail ! You surely mean to try my affection, 
 which, believe me, beautiful cat, is truly yours." 
 " You mistake me, generous prince," said she, " I 
 do not doubt your regard ; but if you wish to see me 
 in any other form than that of a cat, you must con- 
 sent to do as I desire. Then you will have done me a 
 service I shall never be able sufficiently to repay." 
 The prince's eyes filled with tears as she spoke, yet 
 he considered himself obliged to undertake the 
 dreadful task, and the cat continuing to press him 
 with greater eagerness, with a trembling hand he 
 ■drew his sword, cut off her head and tail, and threw 
 them into the fire. No sooner was this done, than 
 the most beautiful lady his eyes had ever seen stood 
 before him : and before he had sufficiently recovered 
 from his surprise to speak to her, a long train of at- 
 tendants, who, at the same moment as their mistress, 
 were changed to their natural shapes, came to offer 
 their congratulations to the queen, and inquire her 
 commands. She received them with the greatest kind- 
 ness ; and ordering them to withdraw, she thus ad- 
 dressed the astonished prince. " Do not imagine, 
 dear prince, that 1 have always been a cat, or that I 
 am of obscure birth. My father was the monarch of 
 six kingdoms ; he tenderly loved my mother, leaving 
 her always at liberty to follow her own inclinations. 
 Her prevailing passion was to travel ; and a short 
 time before my birth, having heard of some fairies 
 who were in possession of the largest gardens filled 
 with the most delicious fruits, she had so strong a 
 
160 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 desire to eat some of them, that she set out for the 
 country in which they lived. She arrived at their 
 abode which she found to be a magnificent palace, 
 on all sides glittering with gold and precious stones. 
 She knocked a long time at the gates; but no one 
 came, nor could she perceive the least sign that it had 
 any inhabitant. The difficulty, however, did but in- 
 crease the violence of my mother's longing; for she 
 saw the tops of the trees above the garden walls 
 loaded with the most luscious fruits. The queen, 
 in despair, ordered her attendants to place tents 
 close to the door of the palace ; but having waited six 
 weeks, without seeing any one pass the gates, she 
 fell sick of vexation, and her life was despaired of. 
 " One night, as she lay half asleep, she turned her- 
 self about, and opening her eyes, perceived a little 
 old woman, very ugly and deformed, seated in thf 
 easy chair by her bedside. ' I, and my sister fairies,' 
 said she, 'take it very ill that your majesty should so 
 obstinately persist in getting some of our fruit ; but 
 since so precious a life is at stake, we consent to give 
 you as much as you can carry away, provided you 
 will give us in return what we shall ask.' ' Ah ! kind 
 fairy,' cried the queen, ' I will give you anything I 
 possess, even my very kingdoms, on condition that I 
 eat of your fruit.' The old fairy then informed the 
 queen that what they required was, that she would 
 give them the child she was going to have, as soon 
 as she should be born; adding, that every possible 
 care should be taken of her, and that she should be- 
 come the most accomplished princess. The queen 
 replied, that however cruel the condition, she must 
 accept it, since nothing but the fruit could save her 
 
The White Cat 161 
 
 life. In short, dear prince," continued the lady, " my 
 mother instantly got out of bed, was dressed by her 
 attendants, entered the palace, and satisfied her long- 
 ing. When the queen had eaten her fill, she ordered 
 four thousand mules to be procured, and loaded with 
 the fruit, which had the virtue of continuing all the 
 year round in a state of perfection. Thus provided, 
 she returned to the king, my father, who with the 
 whole court, received her with rejoicings, as it was 
 before imagined she would die of disappointment. 
 All this time the queen said nothing to my father of 
 the promise she had made, to give her daughter to the 
 fairies ; so that, when the time was come that she 
 expected my birth, she grew very melancholy ; till at 
 length, being pressed by the king, she declared to him 
 the truth. Nothing could exceed his affliction, when 
 he heard that his only child, when born, was to be 
 given to the fairies. He bore it, however, as well as 
 he could, for fear of adding to my mother's grief; 
 and also believing he should find some means of 
 keeping me in a place of safety, which the fairies 
 would not be able to approach. As soon therefore as 
 I was born, he had me conveyed to a tower in the 
 palace, to which there were twenty flights of stairs, 
 and a door to each, of which my father kept the key, 
 so that none came near me without his consent. 
 When the fairies heard of what had been done, they 
 sent first to demand me ; and on my father's refusal, 
 they let loose a monstrous dragon, who devoured 
 men, women and children, and the breath of whose 
 nostrils destroyed every thing it came near, so that 
 the trees and plants began to die in great abundance. 
 The grief of the king, at seeing this, could scarcely 
 
1 62 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 be equalled; and finding that his whole kingdom 
 would in a short time be reduced to famine, he con- 
 sented to give me into their hands. I was accord- 
 ingly laid in a cradle of mother-of-pearl, ornamented 
 with gold and jewels, and carried to their palace, 
 when the dragon immediately disappeared. The 
 fairies placed me in a tower of their palace, ele- 
 gantly furnished, but to which there was no door, so 
 that whoever approached was obliged to come by the 
 windows, which were a great height from the 
 ground : from these I had the liberty of getting out 
 into a delightful garden, in which were baths, and 
 every sort of cooling fruit. In this place was I edu- 
 cated by the fairies, who behaved to me with the 
 greatest kindness; my clothes were splendid, and I 
 was instructed in every kind of accomplishment. In 
 short, prince, if I had never seen any one but them- 
 selves, I should have remained very happy. One of 
 the windows of my tower overlooked a long avenue 
 shaded with trees, so that I had never seen in it a 
 human creature. One day, however, as I was talk- 
 ing at this window with my parrot, I perceived a 
 young gentleman who was listening to our conversa- 
 tion. As I had never seen a man, but in pictures, I 
 was not sorry for the opportunity of gratifying my 
 curiosity. I thought him a very pleasing object, and 
 he at length bowed in the most respectful manner, 
 without daring to speak, for he knew that I was in 
 the palace of the fairies. When it began to grow 
 dark he went away, and I vainly endeavoured to see 
 which road he took. The next morning, as soon as it 
 was light, I again placed myself at the window, 
 and had the pleasure of seeing that the gentlema» 
 
The White Cat 163 
 
 had returned to the same place. He now spoke to 
 me through a speaking-trumpet, and informed me he 
 thought me a most charming lady, and that he 
 should be very unhappy if he did not pass his life in 
 my company. 
 
 I resolved to find some means of escaping from 
 my tower with the engaging prince I had seen. I 
 was not long in devising a means for the execution 
 of my project. I begged the fairies to bring me a 
 netting-needle, a mesh and some cord, saying I 
 wished to make some nets to amuse myself with 
 catching birds at my window. This they readily 
 complied with, and in a short time I completed a lad- 
 der long enough to reach the ground. I now sent my 
 parrot to the prince, to beg he would come to his 
 usual place, as I wished to speak with him. He did 
 not fail, and finding the ladder, mounted it, and 
 quickly entered my tower. This at first alarmed me ; 
 but the charms of his conversation had restored me 
 to tranquillity, when all at once the window opened, 
 and the fairy Violent, mounted on the dragon's back, 
 rushed into the tower. My beloved prince thought 
 of nothing but how to defend me from their fury; 
 for I had had time to relate to him my story, previ- 
 ous to this cruel interruption ; but their numbers 
 overpowered him, and the fairy Violent had the bar- 
 barity to command the dragon to devour my prince 
 before my eyes. In my despair, I would have thrown 
 myself also into the mouth of the horrible monster, 
 but this they took care to prevent, saying my life 
 should be preserved for greater punishment. The 
 fairy then touched me with her wand, and I instantly 
 became a white cat. She next conducted me to this 
 
164 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 palace, which belonged to my father, and gave me a 
 train of cats for my attendants, together with the 
 twelve hands which waited on your highness. She 
 then informed me of my birth, and the death of myv 
 parents, and pronounced upon me what she imag- 
 ined the greatest of maledictions : That I should not 
 be restored to my natural figure till a young prince, 
 the perfect resemblance of him I had lost, should cut 
 off my head and tail. You are that perfect resem- 
 blance ; and, accordingly, you have ended the en- 
 chantment. I need not add, that I already love you 
 more than my life. Let us therefore hasten to the 
 palace of the king your father, and obtain his appro- 
 bation to our marriage." 
 
 The prince and princess accordingly set out side 
 by side, in a car of still greater splendour than be- 
 fore, and reached the palace just as the two brothers 
 had arrived with two beautiful princesses. The 
 king, hearing that each of his sons had succeeded in 
 finding what he had required, again began to think 
 of some new expedient to delay the time of his 
 resigning his crown ; but when the whole court were 
 with the king assembled to pass judgment, the 
 princess who accompanied the youngest, perceiving 
 his thoughts by his countenance, stepped majestically 
 forward, and thus addressed him : " What pity that 
 your majesty, who is so capable of governing, 
 should think of resigning the crown ! I am fortu- 
 nate enough to have six kingdoms in my possession ; 
 permit me to bestow one on each of the eldest 
 princes, and to enjoy the remaining four in the so- 
 ciety of the youngest. And may it please your ma- 
 jesty to keep your own kingdom, and make no de» 
 
The White Cat 165 
 
 cision concerning the beauty of three princesses, who, 
 without such a proof of your majesty's preference, 
 will no doubt live happily together ! " The air re- 
 sounded with the applauses of the assembly. The 
 young prince and princess embraced the king, and 
 next their brothers and sisters; the three weddings 
 immediately took place ; and the kingdoms were di- 
 vided as the princess had proposed. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE GOLDEN GOOSE 
 
 There was a man who had three sons, the young- 
 est of whom was considered very silly, and every- 
 body used to mock him and make fun of him. The 
 eldest son wanted to go and cut wood in the forest, 
 and before he left home his mother prepared beauti- 
 ful pancakes and a bottle of wine for him to take 
 with him, so that he might not suffer from hunger 
 or thirst. 
 
 As he entered the forest he met a gray old man, 
 who bade him " Good-morning," and said : " Give 
 me a little piece of cake out of your basket and a 
 drop of wine out of your bottle, for I am very 
 hungry and thirsty." 
 
 But the clever son replied : " What, give you my 
 cake and my wine ! Why, if I did, I should have 
 none for myself. Not I, indeed, so take yourself 
 off ! " and he left the man standing and went on. 
 
 The young man began cutting down a tree, but it 
 was not long before he made a false stroke : the axe 
 slipped and cut his arm so badly that he was obliged 
 to go home and have it bound up. Now, this false 
 stroke was caused by the little gray old man. 
 
 Next day the second son went into the forest to 
 cut wood, and his mother gave him a cake and a 
 
The Golden Goose 167 
 
 bottle of wine. As he entered the wood the same 
 little old man met him, and begged for a piece of 
 cake and a drop of wine. But the second son 
 answered rudely : " What I might give to you I shall 
 want myself, so be off." 
 
 Then he left the little old man standing in the 
 road, and walked on. His punishment soon came ; 
 he had scarcely given two strokes on a tree with his 
 axe, when he hit his leg such a terrible blow that 
 he was obliged to limp home in great pain. 
 
 Then the stupid son said to his father, " Let me 
 go for once and cut wood in the forest." 
 
 But his father said : " No, your brothers have 
 been hurt already, and it would be worse for you, 
 who don't understand wood-cutting." 
 
 The boy, however, begged so hard to be allowed 
 to go that his father said : " There, get along with 
 you; you will buy your experience very dearly, I 
 expect." 
 
 His mother, however, gave him a cake which had 
 been made with water and baked in the ashes, and a 
 bottle of sour beer. 
 
 When he reached the wood the very same little 
 old man met him, and after greeting him kindly, 
 said : " Give me a little of your cake and a drop 
 from your bottle, for I am very hungry and thirsty." 
 
 " Oh," replied the simple youth, " I have only a 
 cake, which has been baked in the ashes, and some 
 sour beer; but you are welcome to a share of it. 
 Let us sit down, and eat and drink together." 
 
 So they seated themselves, and, lo and behold, 
 when the youth opened his basket, the cake had been 
 turned into a beautiful cake, and the sour beer into 
 
i68 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 wine. After they had eaten and drank enough, the 
 little old man said : " Because you have been kind- 
 hearted, and shared your dinner with me, I will 
 make you in future lucky in all you undertake. 
 There stands an old tree ; cut it down, and you will 
 find something good at the root." 
 
 Then the old man said " Farewell," and left him. 
 
 The youth set to work, and very soon succeeded 
 in felling the tree, when he found sitting at the roots 
 a goose, whose feathers were of pure gold. He took 
 it up, and, instead of going home, carried it with 
 him to an inn at a little distance, where he intended 
 to pass the night. 
 
 The landlord had three daughters, who looked at 
 the goose with envious eyes. They had never seen 
 such a wonderful bird, and longed to have at least 
 one of its feathers. " Ah," thought the eldest, " I 
 shall soon have an opportunity to phickone of them ;" 
 and so it happened, for not long after the young man 
 left the room. She instantly went up to the bird 
 and took hold of its wing, but as she did so, the 
 finger and thumb remained and stuck fast. In a 
 short time after the second sister came in with the 
 full expectation of gaining a golden feather, but as 
 she touched her sister to move her from the bird, 
 her hand stuck fast to her sister's dress, and neither 
 of them could free herself. At last, in came the 
 third sister with the same intention. " Keep away, 
 keep away ! " screamed the other two ; " in heaven's 
 name keep away ! " 
 
 But she could not imagine why she should keep 
 away. If they were near the golden bird, why 
 should not she be there ? So she made a spring for- 
 
The Golden Goose 169 
 
 ward and touched her second sister, and immedi- 
 ately she also was made a prisoner, and in this posi- 
 tion they were obliged to remain by the goose all 
 night. 
 
 In the morning the young man came in, took the 
 goose on his arm, and went away without troubling 
 himself about the three girls, who were following 
 close behind him. And as he walked quickly, they 
 were obliged to run one behind the other, left or 
 right of him, just as he was inclined to go. 
 
 In the middle of a field they were met by the par- 
 son of the parish, who looked with wonder at the 
 procession as it came near him. " Shame on you ! " 
 he cried out. " What are you about, you bold-faced 
 hussies, running after a young man in that way 
 through the fields ? Go home, all of you." 
 
 He placed his hand on the youngest to pull her 
 back, but the moment he touched her he also became 
 fixed, and was obliged to follow and run like the 
 rest. In a few minutes the clerk met them, and 
 when he saw the parson runing after the girls, he 
 wondered greatly, and cried out, " Halloa, master 
 parson, where are you running in such haste ? Have 
 you forgotten that there is a christening to-day ? " 
 And as the procession did not stop, he ran after it, 
 and seized the parson's gown. 
 
 In a moment he found that his hand was fixed, 
 and he also had to run like the rest. And now there 
 were five trotting along, one behind the other. 
 Presently two peasants came by with their sickles 
 from the field. The parson called out to them, and 
 begged them to come and release him and the clerk. 
 Hardly had they touched the clerk when they also 
 
170 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 stuck fast as the others, and the simpleton with his 
 golden goose travelled with the seven. 
 
 After awhile they came to a city in which reigned 
 a king who had a daughter of such a melancholy 
 disposition that no one could make her laugh ; there- 
 fore he issued a decree that whoever would make 
 the princess laugh should have her in marriage. 
 
 Now, when the simple youth heard this, he ran 
 before her, and the whole seven trotted after him. 
 The sight was so ridiculous that the moment the 
 princess saw it she burst into a violent fit of laughter 
 and they thought she would never leave off. 
 
 After this, the youth went to the king, and de- 
 manded his daughter in marriage, according to the 
 king's decree; but his majesty did not quite like to 
 have the young man for a son-in-law, so he said that, 
 before he could consent to the marriage, the youth 
 must bring him a man who could drink all the wine 
 in the king's cellar. 
 
 The simpleton went into the forest, for he thought, 
 " If anyone can help me, it is the little gray man." 
 When he arrived at the spot where he had cut down 
 the tree, there stood a man with a very miserable 
 face. 
 
 The youth asked him why he looked so sorrowful. 
 
 " Oh," he exclaimed, " I suffer such dreadful 
 thirst that nothing seems able to quench it ; and cold 
 water I cannot endure. I have emptied a cask of 
 wine already, but it was just like a drop of water on 
 a hot stone." 
 
 " I can help you," cried the young man : " come 
 with me, and you shall have your fill, I promise 
 you." 
 
The Golden Goose 171 
 
 Upon this he led the man into the king's cellar, 
 where he opened the casks one after another, and 
 drank and drank till his back ached ; and before the 
 day closed he had quite emptied the king's cellar. 
 
 Again the young man asked for his bride, but the 
 king was annoyed at the thought of giving his 
 daughter to such a common fellow, and to get rid 
 of him he made another condition. He said that no 
 man should have his daughter who could not find 
 someone able to eat up a whole mountain of bread. 
 
 Away went the simpleton to the forest as before, 
 and there in the same place sat a man binding him- 
 self round tightly with a belt, and making the most 
 horrible faces. As the youth approached, he cried, 
 " I have eaten a whole ovenful of rolls, but it has 
 not satisfied me a bit; I am as hungry as ever, and 
 my stomach feels so empty that I am obliged to 
 bind it round tightly, or I should die of hunger." 
 
 The simpleton could hardly contain himself for 
 joy when he heard this. " Get up," he exclaimed, 
 " and come with me, and I will give you plenty to 
 eat, I'll warrant." 
 
 So he led him to the king's court, where his 
 majesty had ordered all the flour in the kingdom to 
 be made into bread, and piled up in a huge mountain. 
 The hungry man placed himself before the bread, 
 and began to eat, and before evening the whole pile 
 had disappeared. 
 
 Then the simpleton went a third time to the king, 
 and asked for his bride, but the king made several 
 excuses, and at last said that if he could bring him 
 a ship that would travel as well by land as by water, 
 
172 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 then he should, without any further conditions, 
 marry his daughter. 
 
 The youth went at once straight to the forest, and 
 saw the same old gray man to whom he had given 
 his cake. " Ah," he said, as the youth approached, 
 " it was I who sent the men to eat and drink, and I 
 will also give you a ship that can travel by land or 
 by sea, because when you thought I was poor you 
 were kind-hearted, and gave me food and drink." 
 
 The youth took the ship, and when the king saw 
 it he was quite surprised; but he could not any 
 longer refuse to give him his daughter in marriage. 
 The wedding was celebrated with great pomp, and 
 after the king's death the simple woodcutter inher- 
 ited the whole kingdom, and lived happily with his 
 wife. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE TWELVE BROTHERS 
 
 There were once a king and queen who had 
 twelve children — all boys. Now, one day the king 
 told his wife that if a daughter should be born, all 
 the sons must die — that their sister alone might in- 
 herit his kingdom and riches. 
 
 So the king had twelve coffins made, which were 
 filled with shavings, and in each was the little pil- 
 low for the dead. He had them locked up in a 
 private room, the key of which he gave to the queen, 
 praying her not to speak of it to anyone. But the 
 poor mother was so unhappy that she wept for a 
 whole day, and looked so sad that her youngest son 
 noticed it. 
 
 He had the Bible name of Benjamin, and was al- 
 ways with his mother. 
 
 " Dear mother," he said, " why are you so sorrow- 
 ful?" 
 
 " My child, I may not tell you," she replied ; but 
 the boy allowed her no rest till she unlocked the 
 door of the private room, and showed him the twelve 
 coffins filled with shavings. 
 
 " Dearest Benjamin," she said, " these coffins are 
 for you and your brothers ; for if you should ever 
 have a little sister, you will all die, and be buried in 
 them. 
 
174 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 She wept bitterly as she told him, but her son 
 comforted her, and said, " Do not weep, dear mother. 
 We will take care of ourselves, and go far away." 
 
 Then she took courage, and said, " Yes, go away 
 with your eleven brothers, and remain in the forest ; 
 and let one climb a tree, from whence he will be 
 able to see the tower of the castle. If I should have 
 a son, a white flag shall be hoisted, and then you 
 may return home ; but if you see a red flag, you will 
 know it is a girl, and then hasten away as fast as 
 you can, and may Heaven protect you ! Every night 
 I will pray for you, that you may not suffer from the 
 cold in winter or the heat in summer." 
 
 Then she blessed all her sons, and they went away 
 into the forest, while each in turn mounted a high 
 tree daily, to watch for the flag on the tower. 
 
 Eleven days passed, and it was Benjamin's turn 
 to watch. He saw the flag hoisted, and it was red — 
 the signal that they must die. The brothers were 
 angry, and said, " Shall we suffer death on account 
 of a maiden ? When we find one we will kill her, to 
 avenge ourselves." 
 
 They went still farther into the forest, and came 
 upon a most pleasant little cottage, which was un- 
 inhabited. " We will make this our home," they 
 said; " and Benjamin, as you are the youngest and 
 weakest, you shall stay at home and keep house, 
 while we go out and procure food." 
 
 So they wandered about the forest, shooting 
 hares, wild rabbits, pigeons and other birds, which 
 they brought to Benjamin to prepare for food. In 
 this cottage they lived for ten years happily together, 
 so that the time passed quickly. 
 
The Twelve Brothers 175 
 
 Their little sister was growing a great girl. She 
 had a sweet disposition, and was very beautiful to 
 look upon. She wore rich clothes, and a golden 
 star on her forehead. 
 
 One day, when she was about ten years old, she 
 discovered in her mother's wardrobe twelve shirts. 
 " Mother," she exclaimed, " whose shirts are these? 
 They are much too small for my father." 
 
 The queen sighed as she replied, " Dear child, 
 these shirts belong to your twelve brothers." 
 
 " Twelve brothers ! " cried the little maiden. 
 " Where are they ? I have not even heard of them." 
 
 " Heaven knows where they are," was the reply ; 
 " but they are wandering about the world some- 
 where." Then the queen took her little daughter to 
 the private room in the castle, and showed her the 
 twelve coffins which had been prepared for her 
 brothers, and related to her, with many tears, why 
 they had left home. 
 
 " Dear mother," said the child, " do not weep. I 
 will go and seek my brothers." So she took the 
 twelve shirts with her, and wandered away into the 
 forest. 
 
 She walked for a whole day, and in the evening 
 came to a cottage, stepped in, and found a young 
 boy, who stared with astonishment at seeing a 
 beautiful little girl dressed in rich clothing and 
 wearing a golden star on her forehead. 
 
 At last he said, " Who are you, and what do you 
 want?" 
 
 " I am a king's daughter," she said, " and I seek 
 my twelve brothers, and I intend to search for them 
 till I find them ; " and she showed him their shirts. 
 
176 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Then Benjamin knew that she was his sister, and 
 said, " I am your youngest brother, Benjamin." 
 Then she wept for joy. They kissed each other with 
 deep affection, and were for a time very happy. 
 
 At last Benjamin said, " Dear sister, we have 
 made a vow that the first young maiden we meet 
 should die, because through a maiden we have lost 
 our kingly rights." 
 
 " I would willingly die," she said, " if by so doing 
 I could restore my brothers to their rightful posses- 
 sions." 
 
 " No, you shall not die," he replied. " Hide your- 
 self behind this tub until our eleven brothers come 
 liome ; then I will make an agreement with them." 
 
 At night the brothers returned from hunting, and 
 the supper was ready. While they sat at table, one 
 of them said, " Well, Benjamin, have you any 
 news ? " 
 
 " Perhaps I have," he said, " although it seems 
 strange that I, who stay at home, should know more 
 than yoUj who have been out." 
 
 " Well, tell us your news," said one. So he said : 
 
 " I will tell you if you will make one promise." 
 
 " Yes, yes ! " they all cried. " What is it? " 
 
 " Well, then, promise me that the first maiden you 
 meet with in the forest shall not die." 
 
 " Yes, yes ! " said they all ; " she shall have mercy ; 
 but tell us." 
 
 " Then," said the youngest brother, " our sister is 
 here ; " and, rising, he lifted the tub, and the king's 
 daughter came forth in her royal robes and with a 
 golden star on her forehead, and looking so fair and 
 delicate and beautiful that the brothers were full 
 
The Twelve Brothers 177 
 
 of joy, and kissed and embraced her with the fond- 
 est affection. 
 
 She stayed with Benjamin, and helped him in 
 keeping- the house clean and cooking the game which 
 the others brought home. Everything was so nicely 
 managed now and with so much order, the curtains 
 and the quilts were beautifully white, and the din- 
 ners cooked so well that the brothers were always 
 contented, and lived in great unity with their little 
 sister. 
 
 There was a pretty garden around the house in 
 which they lived, and one day, when they were all 
 at home dining together, and enjoying themselves, 
 the maiden went out into the garden to gather them 
 some flowers. 
 
 She had tended twelve lilies with great care, and 
 they were now in such splendid bloom that she 
 determined to pluck them for her brothers, to please 
 them. 
 
 But the moment she gathered the lilies, her twelve 
 brothers were changed into twelve ravens, and flew 
 away over the trees of the forest, while the charm- 
 ing house and garden vanished from her sight. Now 
 was the poor little maiden left all alone in the wild 
 wood, and knew not what to do; but on turning" 
 round she saw a curious old woman standing near, 
 who said to her, " My child, what hast thou done ? 
 Why didst thou not leave those white flowers to 
 grow on their stems? They were thy twelve 
 brothers, and now they will always remain ravens." 
 
 " Is there no way to set them free ? " asked the 
 maiden, weeping. 
 
 " No way in the world," she replied, " but one, and 
 
178 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 that is far too difficult for thee to perform; yet it 
 would break the spell and set them free. Hast thou 
 firmness enough to remain dumb seven years, and 
 not speak to anyone, or even laugh ? for if ever you 
 utter a single word, or fail only once in the seven 
 years, all you have done before will be vain, and at 
 this one word your brothers will die." 
 
 " Yes," said the maiden, " I can do this to set 
 my brothers free." 
 
 Then the maiden climbed into a tree, and, seating 
 herself in the branches, began to knit. 
 
 She remained here, living on the fruit that grew 
 on the tree, and without laughing or uttering a 
 word. 
 
 As she sat in her tree, the king, who was hunting, 
 had a favourite hound, who very soon discovered 
 her, ran to the tree on which the maiden sat, sprang 
 op to it, and barked at her violently. 
 
 The king came nearer, and saw the beautiful 
 king's daughter with the golden star on her fore- 
 head. He was so struck with her beauty that he 
 begged her to come down, and asked her to be his 
 bride. She did not speak a word, but merely nodded 
 her head. Then the king himself climbed up into 
 the tree, and bringing her down, seated her on his 
 own horse and galloped away with her to his home. 
 
 The marriage was soon after celebrated with great 
 pomp, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed. 
 
 When they had lived happily together for some 
 years, the king's mother, a wicked woman, began to 
 raise evil reports about the queen, and said to the 
 king, " It is some beggar girl you have picked up. 
 Who can tell what wicked tricks she practises. She 
 
The Twelve Brothers 179 
 
 can't help being dumb, but why does she never 
 laugh? unless she has a guilty conscience." The 
 king at first would listen to none of these suspicions, 
 but she urged him so long, and accused the queen 
 of such wicked conduct, that at last he condemned 
 her to be burnt to death. 
 
 Now in the court-yard a great fire was kindled, 
 and the king stood weeping at a window overlooking 
 the court of the palace, for he still loved her dearly. 
 He saw her brought forth and tied to the stake ; the 
 fire kindled, and the flames with their forked tongues 
 were creeping towards her, when at the last moment 
 the seven years were past, and suddenly a rustling 
 noise of wings was heard in the air; twelve black 
 ravens alighted on the earth and instantly assumed 
 their own forms — they were the brothers of the 
 queen. 
 
 They tore down the pile and extinguished the fire, 
 set their sister free, and embraced her tenderly. The 
 queen, who was now able to speak, told the king 
 why she had been dumb and had never laughed. 
 
 The delight of the king was only equalled by his 
 anger against the wicked witch, who was brought 
 to justice and ordered to be thrown into a vat of oil 
 full of poisonous snakes, where she died a dreadful 
 death. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE FAIR ONE WITH THE GOLDEN LOCKS 
 
 There was once a most beautiful and amiable 
 princess who was called " The Fair One with 
 Locks of Gold," for her hair shone brighter than 
 gold, and flowed in curls down to her feet, her head 
 was always encircled by a wreath of beautiful flow- 
 ers, and pearls and diamonds. 
 
 A handsome, rich, young prince, whose territories 
 joined to hers, was deeply in love with the reports 
 lie heard of her, and sent to demand her in mar- 
 riage. The ambassador sent with proposals was most 
 sumptuously attired, and surrounded by lackeys on 
 beautiful horses, as well as charged with every kind 
 of compliment, from the anxious prince, who hoped 
 he would bring the princess back with him; but 
 whether it was that she was not that day in a good 
 humour, or that she did not like the speeches made 
 "by the ambassador, I don't know, but she returned 
 thanks to his master for the honour he intended her, 
 and said she had no inclination to marry. When 
 the ambassador arrived at the king's chief city, where 
 he was expected with great impatience, the people 
 were extremely afflicted to see him return without 
 the Fair One with the Locks of Gold ; and the king 
 wept like a child. There was a youth at court whose 
 
The Fair One with the Golden Locks 181 
 
 beauty outshone the sun, the gracefulness of whose 
 person was not to be equalled, and for his graceful- 
 ness and wit, he was called Avenant : the king loved 
 him, and indeed every body except the envious. 
 Avenant being one day in company with some per- 
 sons, inconsiderately said, " If the king had sent 
 me to the Fair One with Locks of Gold, I dare say 
 I could have prevailed on her to return with me." 
 These enviers of Avenant's prosperity immediately 
 ran open mouthed to the king, saying, " Sir, sir,, 
 what does your majesty think Avenant says? He 
 boasts that if you had sent him to the Fair One 
 with the Golden Hair, he could have brought her 
 with him; which shows he is so vain as to think 
 himself handsomer than your majesty, and that her 
 love for him would have made her follow him wher- 
 ever he went." This put the king into a violent 
 rage. " What ! " said he, " does this youngster make 
 a jest at my misfortune, and pretend to set himself 
 above me ? Go and put him immediately in my great 
 tower, and there let him starve to death." The 
 king's guards went and seized Avenant, who 
 thought no more of what he had said, dragged him* 
 to prison, and used him in the most cruel manner. 
 
 One day when he was almost quite spent, he said 
 to himself, fetching a deep sigh, " Wherein can I 
 have offended the king? He has not a more faith- 
 ful subject than myself; nor have I ever done any- 
 thing to displease him." The king happened at that 
 time to pass by the tower ; and stopped to hear him, 
 notwithstanding the persuasions of those that were 
 with him ; " Hold your peace," replied the king,, 
 " and let me hear him out." Which having done, 
 
1 82 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 and being greatly moved by his sufferings, he 
 opened the door of the tower, and called him by his 
 name. Upon which Avenant came forth in a sad 
 condition, and, throwing himself at the king's feet, 
 " What have I done, sir," said he, " that your 
 majesty should use me thus severely ? " " Thou hast 
 ridiculed me and my ambassador," replied the king ; 
 " and hast said, that if I had sent thee to the Fair 
 One with Locks of Gold, thou couldst have brought 
 her with thee." " It is true, sir," replied Avenant, 
 " for I would have so thoroughly convinced her of 
 your transcending qualities, that it should not have 
 been in her power to have denied me ; and this, 
 surely, I said in the name of your majesty." The 
 king found in reality he had done no injury; so, 
 he took him away with him, repenting heartily of 
 the wrong he had done him. After having given 
 him an excellent supper, the king sent for him into 
 his cabinet. " Avenant," said he, " I still love the 
 Fair One with Locks of Gold ; I have a mind to send 
 thee to her, to try whether thou canst succeed." 
 Avenant replied, he was ready to obey his majesty 
 in all things, and would depart the very next morn- 
 ing. " Hold," said the king, " I will provide thee 
 first with a most sumptuous equipage." " There is 
 no necessity for that," answered Avenant ; " I need 
 only a good horse and your letters of credence." 
 Upon this the king embraced him; being overjoyed 
 to see him so soon ready. 
 
 It was upon a Monday morning that he took leave 
 of the king and his friends. Being on his journey 
 by break of day, and entering into a spacious 
 meadow, a fine thought came into his head : he 
 
The Fair One with the Golden Locks 183 
 
 alighted immediately, and seated himself by the 
 bank of a little stream that watered one side of the 
 meadow, and wrote the sentiment down in his 
 pocket book. After he had done writing, he looked 
 about him every" way, being charmed with the beau- 
 ties of the place, and suddenly perceived a large 
 gilded carp, which stirred a little, and that was all it 
 could do, for having attempted to catch some little 
 flies, it had leaped so far out of the water, as to 
 throw itself upon the grass, where it was almost 
 dead, not being able to recover its natural element. 
 Avenant took pity on the poor creature, and though 
 it was a fish-day, and he might have carried it away 
 for his dinner, he took it up, and gently put it again 
 into the river, where the carp, feeling the refreshing 
 coolness of the water, began to rejoice, and sunk to 
 the bottom ; but soon rising up again, brisk and gay, 
 to the side of the river ; " Avenant," said the carp, 
 " I thank you for the kindness you have done me ; 
 had it not been for you, I had died ; but you have 
 saved my life, and I will reward you." After this 
 short compliment, the carp darted itself to the bot- 
 tom of the water, leaving Avenant not a little sur- 
 prised at its wit and great civility. 
 
 Another day, as he was pursuing his journey, he 
 saw a crow in great distress : being pursued by a 
 huge eagle, he took his bow, which he always carried 
 abroad with him, and aiming at the eagle, let fly an 
 arrow, which pierced him through the body, so that 
 he fell down dead; which the crow seeing, came in 
 an ecstasy of joy, and perched upon a tree. " Ave- 
 nant," said the crow, " you have been extremely gen- 
 erous to succour me, who am but a poor wretched 
 
1 84 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 crow; but I am not ungrateful and will do you as 
 good a turn." Avenant admired the wit of the crow, 
 and continuing his journey, he entered into a wood 
 so early one morning, that he could scarcely see his 
 way, where he heard an owl crying out like an owl 
 in despair. So looking about every where, he at 
 length came to a place where certain fowlers had 
 spread their nets in the night-time to catch little 
 birds. " What pity 'tis," said he, " men are only 
 made to torment one another, or else to persecute 
 poor animals who never do them any harm ! " So 
 saying, he drew his knife, cut the cords, and set the 
 owl at liberty; who, before he took wing, said, 
 " Avenant, the fowlers are coming, I should have 
 been taken, and must have died, without your assist- 
 ance : I have a grateful heart, and will remember it." 
 These were the three most remarkable adventures 
 that befell Avenant in his journey ; and when he ar- 
 rived at the end of it, he washed himself, combed 
 and powdered his hair, and put on a suit of cloth of 
 gold : which having done, he put a rich embroidered 
 scarf about his neck, with a small basket, wherein 
 was a little dog which he was very fond of. And 
 Avenant was so amiable, and did every thing with 
 so good a grace, that when he presented himself at 
 the gate of the palace, all the guards paid him great 
 respect, and every one strove who should first give 
 notice to the Fair One with Locks of Gold, that 
 Avenant, the neighbouring king's ambassador, de- 
 manded audience. The princess on hearing the 
 name of Avenant, said, " It has a pleasing sound, 
 and I dare say he is agreeable and pleases every 
 body; and she said to her maids of honour, "go 
 
The Fair One with the Golden Locks 185 
 
 fetch me my rich embroidered gown of blue satin, 
 dress my hair, and bring my wreaths of fresh flow- 
 ers : let me have my high shoes, and my fan, and let 
 my audience chamber and throne be clean, and richly 
 adorned ; for I would have him every where with 
 truth say, that I am really the Fair One with Locks 
 of Gold." Thus all her women were employed to 
 dress her as a queen should be. At length, she went 
 to her great gallery of looking-glasses, to see if any 
 thing was wanting; after which she ascended her 
 throne of gold, ivory, and ebony, the fragrant smell 
 of which was superior to the choicest balm. She 
 also commanded her maids of honour to take their 
 instruments, and play to their own singing so sweetly 
 that none should be disgusted. 
 
 Avenant was conducted into the chamber of audi- 
 ence, were he stood so transported with admiration, 
 that, as he afterwards said, he had scarcely power to 
 open his lips. At length, however, he took courage, 
 and made his speech wonderfully well; wherein he 
 prayed the princess not to let him be so unfortunate 
 as to return without her. " Gentle Avenant," said 
 she, " all the reasons you have laid before me, are 
 very good, and I assure you, I would rather favour 
 you than any other; but you must know, about a 
 month since, I went to take the air by the side of a 
 river, with my maids of honour; as I was pulling 
 off my glove, I pulled a ring from my ringer, which 
 by accident fell into the river. This ring I valued 
 more than my whole kingdom; whence you may 
 judge how much I am afflicted by the loss of it. And 
 I have made a vow never to hearken to any proposals 
 of marriage, unless the ambassador who makes them, 
 
186 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 shall also bring my ring. This is the present which 
 you have to make me ; otherwise you may talk your 
 heart out, for months and even years shall never 
 change my resolution." When he returned to his 
 lodgings, he went to bed supperless ; and his little 
 dog, who was called Cabriole, made a fasting night 
 of it too, and went and lay down by his master ; who 
 did nothing all night but sigh and lament, saying, 
 " How can I find a ring that fell into a great river 
 a month ago ? It would be folly to attempt it. The 
 princess enjoined me this task, merely because she 
 knew it was impossible," he continued, greatly af- 
 flicted ; which Cabriole observing, said, " My dear 
 master, pray do not despair of your good fortune; 
 for you are too good to be unhappy. Therefore, 
 when it is day, let us go to the river side. Avenant 
 made no answer, but gave his dog two little cuff's 
 with his hand, and being overwhelmed with grief, 
 fell asleep. 
 
 But when Cabriole perceived it was broad day, 
 he fell a barking so loud that he waked his master. 
 " Rise, sir," said he, " put on your clothes, and let 
 us go and try our fortune." Avenant took his 
 little dog's advice ; got up, and dressed himself, went 
 down into the garden, and out of the garden he 
 walked insensibly to the river side, with his hat over 
 his eyes, and his arms across, thinking of nothing 
 but taking his leave ; when all on a sudden he heard 
 a voice call, " Avenant, Avenant ! " upon which he 
 looked around him, but seeing nothing, he concluded 
 it was an illusion, and was proceeding in his walk; 
 but he presently heard himself called again. " Who 
 calls me ? " said he ; Cabriole, who was very little, 
 
The Fair Om with the Golden Locks 187 
 
 and looked closely into the water, cried out, " Never 
 believe me, if it is not a gilded carp." Immediately 
 the carp appeared, and with an audible voice said, 
 " Avenant, you saved my life in the poplar meadow, 
 where I must have died without your assistance ; 
 and now I am come to requite your kindness. Here, 
 my dear Avenant, here is the ring - which the Fair 
 One with Locks of Gold dropped into the river." 
 Upon which he stooped and took it out of the carp's 
 mouth ; to whom he returned a thousand thanks. 
 And now, instead of returning home, he went di- 
 rectly to the palace with little Cabriole, who skipped 
 about, and wagged his tail for joy, that he had per- 
 suaded his master to walk by the side of the river. 
 The princess being told that Avenant desired an 
 audience : " Alas," said she, " the poor youth has 
 come to take his leave of me! He has considered 
 what I enjoined him as impossible, and is returning 
 to his master." But Avenant being admitted, pre- 
 sented her the ring, saying, " Madam, behold I have 
 executed your command ; and now, I hope, you will 
 receive my master for your royal consort." When 
 she saw her ring, and that it was noways injured, 
 she was so amazed that she could hardly believe her 
 eyes. " Surely, courteous Avenant," said she, " you 
 must be favoured by some fairy; for naturally this 
 is impossible. 1 ' " Madam," said he, " I am ac- 
 quainted with no fairy; but I was willing to obey 
 your command." " Well, then, seeing you have so 
 good a will," continued she, " you must do me an- 
 other piece of service, without which I will never 
 marry. There is a certain prince who lives not far 
 from hence, whose name is Galifron, and whom 
 
1 88 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 nothing would serve but that he must needs marry 
 me. He declared his mind to me, with most terrible 
 menaces, that if I denied him, he would enter my 
 kingdom with fire and sword; but you shall judge 
 whether I would accept his proposal : he is a giant, as 
 high as a steeple; he devours men as an ape eats 
 chestnuts ; when he goes into the country, he carries 
 cannons in his pocket, to use instead of pistols ; and 
 when he speaks aloud he deafens the ears of those 
 that stand near him. I answered him, that I did not 
 choose to marry, and desired him to excuse me. 
 Nevertheless, he has not ceased to persecute me, and 
 has put an infinite number of my subjects to the 
 sword: therefore, before all other things you must 
 fight him, and bring me his head." 
 
 Avenant was somewhat startled by this proposal ; 
 but, having considered it awhile, " Well, madam," 
 said he, " I will fight this Galifron ; I believe I shall 
 be vanquished; but I will die like a man of cour- 
 age." The princess was" astonished at his intrepid- 
 ity, and said a thousand things to dissuade him from 
 it, but all in vain. At length he arrived at Gali- 
 fron's castle, the roads all the way being strewed 
 with the bones and carcasses of men which the giant 
 had devoured, or cut in pieces. It was not long be- 
 fore Avenant saw the monster approach, and he im- 
 mediately challenged him ; but there was no occasion 
 for this, for he lifted his iron mace, and had cer- 
 tainly beat out the gentle Avenant's brains at the 
 first blow, had not a crow at that instant perched 
 upon the giant's head, and with his bill pecked out 
 both his eyes. The blood trickled down his face, 
 whereat he grew desperate, and laid about him on 
 
The Fair One with the Golden Locks 189 
 
 ^/ery side ; but Avenant took care to avoid his blows, 
 and gave him many great wounds with his sword, 
 which he pushed up to the very hilt ; so that the giant 
 fainted, and fell down with loss of blood. Avenant 
 immediately cut off his head ; and while he was in an 
 ecstasy of joy, for his good success, the crow perched 
 upon a tree, and said, " Avenant, I did not forget the 
 kindnesses I received at your hands, when you killed 
 the eagle that pursued me ; I promised to make you 
 amends, and now I have been as good as my word." 
 " I acknowledge your kindness, Mr. Crow," replied 
 Avenant ; " I am still your debtor, and your servant." 
 So saying, he mounted his courser, and rode away 
 with the giant's horrid head. When he arrived at 
 the city, every body crowded after him, crying out, 
 " Long live the valiant Avenant, who has slain the 
 cruel monster ! " so that the princess, who heard the 
 noise, and trembling for fear she should have heard 
 of Avenant's death, durst not inquire what was the 
 matter. But presently after, she saw Avenant enter 
 with the giant's head; at the sight of which she 
 trembled, though there was nothing to fear. 
 " Madam," said he, " behold your enemy is dead ; 
 and now, I hope, you will no longer refuse the king 
 my master." " Alas ! " replied the Fair One with 
 Locks of Gold, " I must still refuse him, unless you 
 can find means to bring me some of the water of the 
 gloomy cave. Not far from hence," continued she, 
 " there is a very deep cave, about six leagues in com- 
 pass ; the entrance into which is guarded by two 
 dragons. The dragons dart fire from their mouths 
 and eyes; and when you have got into this cave, 
 you will meet with a very deep hole, into which you 
 
190 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 must go down, and you will find it full of toads, 
 adders and serpents. At the bottom of this hole 
 there is a kind of cellar, through which runs the 
 fountain of beauty and health. This is the water 
 I must have; its virtues are wonderful; for the 
 fair, by washing in it, preserve their beauty; and 
 the deformed it renders beautiful ; if they are young, 
 it preserves them always youthful ; and if old it 
 makes them young again. Now judge you, Avenant, 
 whether I will ever leave my kingdom without carry- 
 ing some of this water along with me." . " Madam," 
 said he, " you are so beautiful, that this water will 
 be of no use to you ; but I am an unfortunate am- 
 bassador, whose death you seek. However, I will 
 go in search of what you desire, though I am certain 
 never to return." 
 
 At length he arrived at the top of a mountain, 
 where he sat down to rest himself ; giving his horse 
 liberty to feed, and Cabriole to run after the flies. 
 He knew that the gloomy cave was not far off, and 
 looked about to see whether he could discover it; 
 and at length he perceived a horrid rock as black 
 as ink, whence issued a thick smoke; and immedi- 
 ately after he spied one of the dragons casting forth 
 fire from his jaws and eyes ; his skin all over yellow 
 and green, with prodigious claws and a long tail 
 rolled up in an hundred folds. Avenant, with a 
 resolution to die in the attempt, drew his sword, and 
 with the phial which the Fair One with Locks of 
 Gold had given him to fill with the water of beauty, 
 went towards the cave, saying to his little dog, " Ca- 
 briole, here is an end of me ; I never shall be able to 
 ^et this water, it is so well guarded by the dragons; 
 
The Fair One with the Golden Locks 191 
 
 therefore when I am dead, fill this phial with my 
 blood, and carry it to my princess, that she may 
 see what her severity has cost me : then go to the 
 king my master and give him an account of my mis- 
 fortunes." While he was saying this, he heard a 
 voice call " Avenant, Avenant ! " " Who calls me ? " 
 said he ; and presently he espied an owl in the hole 
 of an old hollow tree, who, calling him again, said, 
 " You rescued me from the fowler's net, where I 
 had been assuredly taken, had you not delivered me. 
 I promised to make you amends, and now the time 
 is come ; give me your phial ; I am acquainted with 
 all the secret inlets into the gloomy cave, and will 
 go and fetch you the water of beauty." Avenant 
 most gladly gave the phial, and the owl, entering 
 without any impediment into the cave, filled it, and 
 in less than a quarter of an hour returned with it 
 well stopped. Avenant was overjoyed at his good 
 fortune, gave the owl a thousand thanks, and re- 
 turned with a merry heart to the city. Being ar- 
 rived at the palace, he presented the phial to the 
 Fair One with Locks of Gold, who had then noth- 
 ing further to say. She returned Avenant thanks, 
 and gave orders for every thing that was requisite 
 for her departure : after which she set forward with 
 him. The Fair One with Locks of Gold thought 
 Avenant very amiable, and said to him sometimes 
 upon the road, " If you had been willing, I could 
 have made you a king; and then we need not have 
 left my kingdom." But Avenant replied, " I would 
 not have been guilty of such a piece of treachery to 
 my master for all the kingdoms of the earth ; though 
 
jg2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 I must acknowledge your beauties are more re- 
 splendent than the sun." 
 
 At length they arrived at the king's chief city, 
 .who understanding that the Fair One with Locks 
 of.Gold was arrived, he went forth to meet her, and 
 made her the richest presents in the world. The 
 nuptials were solemnized with such demonstrations 
 of joy, that nothing else was discoursed of. But 
 the Fair One with Locks of Gold, who loved Ave- 
 nant in her heart, was never pleased but when she 
 was in his company, and would be always speaking 
 in his praise : " I had never come hither," said she to 
 the king, " had it not been for Avenant, who, to 
 serve me, has conquered impossibilities; you are 
 infinitely obliged to him; he procured me the water 
 of beauty and health ; by which I shall never grow 
 old, and shall always preserve my health and 
 oeauty." The enviers of Avenant's happiness, who 
 heard the queen's words, said to the king, " Were 
 your majesty inclined to be jealous, you have reason 
 enough to be so, for the queen is desperately in love 
 with Avenant." " Indeed," said the king, " I am 
 sensible of the truth of what you tell me ; let him be 
 put in the great tower, with fetters upon his feet 
 and hands." Avenant was immediately seized. 
 However, his little dog Cabriole never forsook him, 
 but cheered him the best he could, and brought him 
 all the news of the court. When the Fair One with 
 Locks of Gold was informed of his misfortunes, 
 she threw herself at the king's feet, and all in tears 
 besought him to release Avenant out of prison. But 
 the more she besought him the more he was in- 
 censed, believing it was her affection that made her 
 
The Fair One with the Golden Locks 193 
 
 so zealous a suppliant in his behalf. Finding she 
 could not prevail, she said no more to him, but 
 grew very pensive and melancholy. 
 
 The king took it into his head that she did not 
 think him handsome enough ; so he resolved to wash 
 his face with the water of beauty, in hopes that the 
 queen would then conceive a greater affection for 
 him than she had. This water stood in a phial upon 
 a table in the queen's chamber, where she had put 
 it, that it might not be out of her sight. But one 
 of the chambermaids going to kill a spider with 
 her besom, by accident threw down the phial, and 
 broke it, so that the water was lost. She dried it 
 up with all the speed she could, and not knowing 
 what to do, she bethought herself that she had seen 
 a phial of clear water in the king's cabinet very like 
 that she had broken. Without any more ado, there- 
 fore, she went and fetched that phial, and set it 
 upon the table in place of the other. This water 
 which was in the king's cabinet, was a certain water 
 which he made use of to poison the great lords and 
 princes of his court when they were convicted of any 
 great crime ; to which purpose, instead of cutting off 
 their heads, or hanging them, he caused their faces 
 to be rubbed with this water, which cast them into 
 so profound a sleep that they never waked again. 
 Now the king one evening took this phial, and 
 rubbed his face well with the water, after which he 
 fell asleep and died. Cabriole was one of the first 
 that came to a knowledge of this accident, and im- 
 mediately ran to inform Avenant of it who bid 
 him go to the Fair One with Locks of Gold, and 
 remind her of the poor prisoner. Cabriole slipped 
 
194 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 unperceived through the crowd, for there was a 
 great noise and hurry at court upon the king's 
 death ; and getting to the queen, " Madam," said he, 
 " remember poor Avenant." She presently called 
 to mind the afflictions he had suffered for her sake, 
 and his fidelity. Without speaking a word, she went 
 directly to the great tower, and took off the fetters 
 from Avenant's feet and hands herself ; after which, 
 putting the crown upon his head, and the royal man- 
 tle about his shoulders, " Amiable Avenant," said 
 she, " I will make you a sovereign prince, and take 
 you for my consort." Avenant threw himself at her 
 feet, and in terms the most passionate and respect- 
 ful returned her thanks. Every body was overjoyed 
 to have him for their king: the nuptials were the 
 most splendid in the world; and the Fair One 
 with Locks of Gold lived a long time with her be- 
 loved Avenant, both happy and contented in the 
 enjoyment of each other. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 TOM THUMB 
 
 In the days of King Arthur, Merlin, the most 
 learned enchanter of his time, was on a journey; 
 and, being very weary, stopped one day at the cot- 
 tage of an honest ploughman to ask for refresh- 
 ment. The ploughman's wife, with great civility, 
 immediately brought him some milk in a wooden 
 bowl, and some brown bread on a wooden platter. 
 Merlin could not help observing, that, although 
 every thing within the cottage was particularly neat 
 and clean, and in good order, the ploughman and 
 his wife had the most sorrowful air imaginable. So 
 he questioned them on the cause of their melancholy, 
 and learned that they were very miserable because 
 they had no children. The poor woman declared, 
 with tears in her eyes, that she should be the hap- 
 piest creature in the world if she had a son, al- 
 though he were no bigger than his father's thumb. 
 Merlin was much amused with the thoughts of a boy 
 no bigger than a man's thumb, and, as soon as he 
 returned home, he sent for the queen of the fairies 
 (with whom he was very intimate), and related to 
 her the desire of the ploughman and his wife to 
 have a son the size of his father's thumb. The 
 queen of the fairies liked the plan exceedingly, and 
 
196 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 declared their wish should speedily be granted. Ac- 
 cordingly the ploughman's wife had a son, who in 
 a few minutes grew as tall as his father's thumb. 
 The queen of the fairies came in at the window as 
 the mother was sitting up in bed admiring the 
 child. The queen kissed the infant, and giving it 
 the name of Tom Thumb, immediately summoned 
 several fairies from Fairy Land to clothe her little 
 new favourite: 
 
 " An oak leaf hat he had for his crown, 
 His shirt it was by spiders spun ; 
 With doublet wove of thistle's down, 
 His trousers up with points were done. 
 His stockings, of apple rind, they tie 
 With eye-lash plucked from his mother's eye, 
 His shoes were made of a mouse's skin, 
 Nicely tanned, with the hair within." 
 
 Tom never was any bigger than his father's 
 thumb, which was not a large thumb either ; but, as 
 he grew older, he became very cunning and sly, for - 
 which his mother did not sufficiently correct him, 
 so that when he was able to play with the boys for 
 cherry stones, and had lost all his own, he used to 
 creep into the boys' bags, fill his pockets, and come 
 out again to play. But one day as he was getting out 
 of a bag of cherry stones, the boy to whom it be- 
 longed chanced to see him. " Ah ha, my little Tom 
 Thumb ! " said the boy, " have I caught you at your 
 bad tricks at last? Now I will reward you for 
 thieving." Then drawing the string tight round 
 his neck, and shaking the bag heartily, the 
 
Tom Thumb 197 
 
 cherry stones bruised Tom's legs, thighs, and 
 body sadly ; which made him beg to be let out, and 
 promise never to be guilty of such things any more. 
 Shortly afterwards, Tom's mother was making a 
 batter pudding, and, that he might see how she 
 mixed it, he climbed on the edge of the bowl ; but his- 
 foot happening to slip, he fell over head and ears 
 into the batter, and his mother not observing him, 
 stirred him into the pudding, and popped him into 
 the pot to boil. The hot water made Tom kick and 
 struggle; and his mother, seeing the pudding jump 
 up and down in such a furious manner, thought it 
 was bewitched ; and a tinker coming by just at the 
 time, she quickly gave him the pudding, who put 
 it into his budget and walked on. 
 
 As soon as Tom could get the batter out of his- 
 mouth, he began to cry aloud; which so frightened 
 the poor tinker, that he flung the pudding over the 
 hedge, and ran away from it as fast as he could run. 
 The pudding being broken to pieces by the fall, Tom 
 was released, and walked home to his mother, who 
 gave him a kiss and put him to bed. Tom Thumb's 
 mother once took him with her when she went to 
 milk the cow; and it being a very windy day, she 
 tied him with a needleful of thread to a thistle, that 
 he might not be blown away. The cow liking his 
 oak leaf hat took him and the thistle up at one 
 mouthful. While the cow chewed the thistle, Tom, 
 terrified at her great teeth, which seemed ready to 
 crush him to pieces, roared, "Mother, Mother! " as 
 loud as he could bawl. " Where are you, Tommy, 
 my dear Tommy ? " said the mother. " Here, 
 mother, here in the red cow's mouth." The mother 
 
198 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 began to cry and wring her hands ; but the cow sur- 
 prised at such odd noises in her throat, opened her 
 mouth and let him drop out. His mother clapped 
 him into her apron, and ran home with him. Tom's 
 father made him a whip of a barley straw to drive 
 the cattle with, and being one day in the field, he 
 slipped into a deep furrow. A raven flying over, 
 picked him up with a grain of corn, and flew with 
 him to the top of a giant's castle, by the seaside, 
 where he left him ; and old Grumbo the giant, com- 
 ing soon after to walk upon his terrace, swallowed 
 Tom like a pill, clothes and all. Tom presently made 
 the giant very uncomfortable, and he threw him up 
 into the sea. A great fish then swallowed him. The 
 fish was soon after caught, and sent as a present to 
 King Arthur. When it was cut open, every body 
 was delighted with little Tom Thumb. The king 
 made him his dwarf; he was the favourite of the 
 whole court; and, by his merry pranks, often 
 amused the queen and the knights of the Round Ta- 
 ble. The king, when he rode on horseback, fre- 
 quently took Tom in his hand ; and, if a shower of 
 rain came on, he used to creep into the king's waist- 
 coat pocket, and sleep till the rain was over. The 
 king also, sometimes questioned Tom concerning his 
 parents; and when Tom informed his majesty they 
 were very poor people, the king led him into his 
 treasury, and told him he should pay his friends a 
 visit, and take with him as much money as he could 
 carry. Tom procured a little purse, and putting a 
 threepenny piece into it, with much labour and diffi- 
 culty got it upon his back ; and, after travelling two 
 days and nights, arrived at his father's house. 
 
Tom Thumb 199 
 
 His mother met him at the door, almost tired to 
 death, having in forty-eight hours travelled almost 
 half a mile with a huge silver threepence upon his 
 back. His parents were glad to see him, especially 
 when he had brought such an amazing sum of money 
 with him. They placed him in a walnut shell by the 
 fire side, and feasted him for three days upon a 
 hazel nut, which made him sick, for a whole nut 
 usually served him a month. Tom got well, but 
 could not travel because it had rained; therefore 
 his mother took him in her hand, and with one puff 
 blew him into King Arthur's court ; where Tom en- 
 tertained the king, queen, and nobility at tilts and 
 tournaments, at which he exerted himself so much 
 that he brought on a fit of sickness, and his life was 
 despaired of. At this juncture the queen of the 
 fairies came in a chariot drawn by flying mice, 
 placed Tom by her side, and drove through the air, 
 without stopping till they arrived at her palace; 
 when, after restoring him to health, and permitting 
 him to enjoy all the gay diversions of Fairy Land, 
 the queen commanded a fair wind, and, placing Tom 
 before it, blew him straight to the court of King 
 Arthur. But just as Tom should have alighted in 
 the courtyard of the palace, the cook happened to 
 pass along with the king's great bowl of firmity 
 (King Arthur loved firmity), and poor Tom Thumb 
 fell plump into the middle of it and splashed the hot 
 firmity into the cook's eyes. Down went the bowl. 
 " Oh dear ; oh dear ! " cried Tom ; " Murder ! mur- 
 der ! " bellowed the cook ! and away ran the king's 
 nice firmity into the kennel. The cook was a red- 
 faced, cross fellow, and swore to the king, that Tom 
 
200 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 had done it out of mere mischief; so he was taken 
 up, tried, and sentenced to be beheaded. Tom hear- 
 ing this dreadful sentence, and seeing a miller 
 stand by with his mouth wide open, he took a good 
 spring, and jumped down the miller's throat, unper- 
 ceived by all, even by the miller himself. 
 
 Tom being lost, the court broke up, and away went 
 the miller to his mill. But Tom did not leave him 
 long at rest, he began to roll and tumble about, 
 so that the miller thought himself bewitched, and 
 sent for a doctor. When the doctor came, Tom be- 
 gan to dance and sing; the doctor was as much 
 frightened as the miller, and sent in great haste for 
 five more doctors, and twenty learned men. While 
 all these were debating upon the affair, the miller 
 (for they were very tedious) happened to yawn, 
 and Tom, taking the opportunity, made another 
 jump, and alighted on his feet in the middle of the 
 table. The miller, provoked to be thus tormented 
 by such a little creature, fell into a great passion, 
 caught hold of Tom, and threw him out of the win- 
 dow, into the river. A large salmon swimming by, 
 snapped him up in a minute. The salmon was soon 
 caught and sold in the market to the steward of a 
 lord. The lord, thinking it an uncommon fine fish, 
 made a present of it to the king, who ordered it to 
 be dressed immediately. When the cook cut open 
 the salmon, he found poor Tom, and ran with him 
 directly to the king; but the king being busy with 
 state affairs, desired that he might be brought an- 
 other day. The cook resolving to keep him safely 
 this time, as he had so lately given him the slip, 
 clapped him into a mouse-trap, and left him to amuse 
 
Tom Thumb 201 
 
 himself by peeping through the wires for a whole 
 week ; when the king sent for him, he forgave him 
 for throwing down the firmity, ordered him new 
 clothes and knighted him. 
 
 " His shirt was made of butterflies' wings ; 
 His boots were made of chicken skins ; 
 His coat and breeches were made with pride ; 
 A tailor's needle hung by his side ; 
 A mouse for a horse he used to ride." 
 
 Thus dressed and mounted, he rode a hunting 
 with the king and nobility, who all laughed heartily 
 at Tom and his fine prancing steed. As they rode 
 by a farm house one day, a cat jumped from be- 
 hind the door, seized the mouse and little Tom, and 
 began to devour the mouse. However, Tom boldly 
 drew his sword and attacked the cat, who then let 
 him fall. The king and his nobles seeing Tom fall- 
 ing, went to his assistance, and one of the lords 
 caught him in his hat; but poor Tom was sadly 
 scratched, and his clothes were torn by the claws 
 of the cat. In this condition he was carried home, 
 when a bed of down was made for him in a little 
 ivory cabinet. The queen of the fairies came, and 
 took him again to Fairy Land, where she kept him 
 for some years; and then, dressing him in bright 
 green, sent him flying once more through the air 
 to the earth, in the days of King Thunstone. The 
 people flocked far and near to look at him ; and the 
 king, before whom he was carried, asked him who 
 he was, whence he came, and where he lived ? Tom 
 answered : 
 
202 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " My name is Tom Thumb, 
 From the Fairies I come; 
 When King Arthur shone, 
 This court was my home. 
 In me he delighted, 
 By him I was knighted, 
 Did you never hear of 
 Sir Thomas Thumb? " 
 
 The king was so charmed with this address, that 
 he ordered a little chair to be made, in order that 
 Tom might sit on his table, and also a palace of gold 
 a span high, with a door an inch wide, for little Tom 
 to live in. He also gave him a coach drawn by six 
 small mice. This made the queen angry, because she 
 had not a new coach too. Therefore, resolving to 
 ruin Tom, she complained to the king that he had 
 behaved very insolently to her. The king sent for 
 him in a rage. Tom, to escape his fury, crept into 
 an empty snail-shell, and there lay till he was al- 
 most starved ; when peeping out of the shell, he saw 
 a fine butterfly settled on the ground. He now ven- 
 tured out, and getting astride, the butterfly took 
 wing, and mounted into the air with little Tom on 
 his back. Away he flew from field to field, from 
 tree to tree, till at last he flew to the king's court. 
 The king, queen, and nobles, all strove to catch the 
 butterfly, but could not. At length poor Tom, hav- 
 ing neither bridle nor saddle, slipped from his seat, 
 and fell into a white pot, where he was found almost 
 drowned. The queen vowed he should be guillo- 
 tined: but while the guillotine was getting ready, 
 he was secured once more in a mouse-trap; when 
 
Tom Thumb 203 
 
 the cat seeing something stir, and supposing it to be 
 a mouse, patted the trap about till she broke it, and 
 set Tom at liberty. Soon afterwards a spider, tak- 
 ing him for a fly, made at him. Tom drew his 
 sword and fought valiantly, but the spider's poison- 
 ous breath overcame him : 
 
 " He fell dead on the ground where late he had 
 
 stood, 
 And the spider sucked up the last drop of his blood." 
 
 King Thunstone and his whole court went into 
 mourning for little Tom Thumb. They buried him 
 under a rosebush, and raised a nice white marble 
 monument over his grave, w r ith the following epi- 
 taph: 
 
 " Here lies Tom Thumb, King Arthur's knight, 
 Who died by spider's cruel bite. 
 He was well known in Arthur's court, 
 Where he afforded gallant sport ; 
 He rode at tilt and tournament, 
 And on a mouse a hunting went ; 
 Alive he filled the court with mirth, 
 His death to sorrow soon gave birth. 
 Wipe, wipe your eyes, and shake your head 
 And cry, ' Alas ! Tom Thumb is dead.' " 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 BLUE BEARD 
 
 There was, some time ago, a gentleman who was 
 very rich. He had fine town and country houses, his 
 dishes and plates were all of gold or silver, his 
 rooms were hung with damask, his chairs and sofas 
 were covered with the richest silks, and his carriages 
 were all gilt with gold in a grand style. But it 
 happened that this gentleman had a blue beard, 
 which made him so very frightful and ugly, that 
 none of the ladies, in the parts where he lived, would 
 venture to go into his company. Now there was a 
 certain lady of rank, who lived very near him, and 
 had two daughters, both of them of very great 
 beauty. Blue Beard asked her to bestow one of 
 them upon him for a wife, and left it to herself to 
 choose which of the two it should be. But both 
 the young ladies again and again said they would 
 never marry Blue Beard ; yet, to be as civil as they 
 could, each of them said, the only reason why she 
 would not have him was, because she was loath to 
 hinder her sister from the match, which would be 
 such a good one for her. Still the truth of the 
 matter was, they could neither of them bear the 
 thoughts of having a husband with a blue beard; 
 and besides, they had heard of his having been mar- 
 
Blue Beard 205 
 
 ried to several wives before, and nobody could tell 
 what had ever become of any of them. As Blue 
 Beard wished very much to gain their favour, he 
 asked the lady and her daughters, and some ladies 
 who were on a visit at their house, to go with him 
 to one of his country seats, where they spent a whole 
 week, during which they passed all their time in 
 nothing but parties for hunting and fishing, music, 
 dancing, and feasts. No one even thought of going 
 to bed, and the nights were passed in merry-makings 
 of all kinds. In short, the time rolled on in so much 
 pleasure, that the youngest of the two sisters began 
 to think that the beard which she had been so much 
 afraid of, was not so very blue, and that the gentle- 
 man who owned it was vastly civil and pleasing. 
 Soon after their return home, she told her mother 
 that she had no longer any dislike to accept of Blue 
 Beard for her husband ; and in a very short time 
 they were married. 
 
 About a month after the marriage had taken 
 place, Blue Beard told his wife that he should be 
 forced to leave her for a few weeks, as he had 
 some affairs to attend to in the country. He 
 desired her to be sure to indulge herself in every 
 kind of pleasure, to invite as many of her friends 
 as she liked, and to treat them with all sorts of 
 dainties, that her time might pass pleasantly till he 
 came back again. " Here," said he, " are the keys 
 of the two large wardrobes. This is the key of the 
 great box that contains the best plate, which we use 
 for company, this belongs to my strong, box, where 
 I keep my money, and this belongs to the casket, 
 in which are all my jewels. Here also is a master- 
 
206 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 key to all the rooms in the house ; but this small key 
 belongs to the closet at the end of the long gallery 
 on the ground floor. I give you leave," said he, 
 " to open, or to do what you like with all the rest 
 except this closet. This, my dear, you must not 
 enter, nor even put the key into the lock, for all the 
 world. If you do not obey me in this one thing, 
 you must expect the most dreadful punishments." 
 She promised to obey his orders in the most faith- 
 ful manner; and Blue Beard, after kissing her ten- 
 derly, stepped into his coach, and drove away. 
 
 When Blue Beard was gone, the friends of his 
 wife did not wait to be asked, so eager were they 
 to see all the riches and fine things she had gained 
 by marriage; for they had none of them gone to 
 the wedding, on account of their dislike to the 
 blue beard of the bridegroom. As soon as ever 
 they came to the house, they ran about from room 
 to room, from closet to closet, and then from ward- 
 robe to wardrobe, looking into each with wonder 
 and delight, and said, that every fresh one they 
 came to, was richer and finer than what they had 
 seen the moment before. At last they came to the 
 drawing-rooms, where their surprise was made still 
 greater by the costly grandeur of the hangings, the 
 sofas, the chairs, carpets, tables, sideboards, and 
 looking-glasses ; the frames of these last were silver- 
 gilt, most richly adorned, and in the glasses they 
 saw themselves from head to foot. In short, noth- 
 ing could exceed the richness of what they saw ; and 
 they all did not fail to admire and envy the good 
 fortune of their friend. But all this time the bride 
 herself was far from thinking about the fine 
 
Blue Beard 207 
 
 speeches they made to her, for she was eager to see 
 what was in the closet her husband had told her not 
 to open. So great, indeed, was her desire to do this, 
 that, without once thinking how rude it would be to 
 leave her guests, she slipped away down a private 
 staircase that led to this forbidden closet, and in 
 such a hurry, that she was two or three times in 
 danger of falling down stairs and breaking her 
 neck. 
 
 When she reached the door of the closet, she 
 stopped for a few moments to think of the order 
 her husband had given her, and how he had told 
 her that he would not fail to keep his word and 
 punish her very severely, if she did not obey him. 
 But she was so very curious to know what was in- 
 side, that she made up her mind to venture in spite 
 of every thing. She then, with a trembling hand, 
 put the key into the lock, and the door straight flew 
 open. As the window shutters were closed, she at 
 first could see nothing; but in a short time she saw 
 that the floor was covered with clotted blood, on 
 which the bodies of several dead women were lying. 
 
 These were all the wives whom Blue Beard had 
 married, and killed one after another. At this sight 
 she was ready to sink with fear, and the key of the 
 closet door, which she held in her hand, fell on the 
 floor. When she had a little got the better of her 
 fright, she took it up, locked the door, and made 
 haste back to her own room, that she might have a 
 little time to get into a humour to amuse her com- 
 pany; but this she could not do, so great was her 
 fright at what she had seen. As she found that the 
 key of the closet had got stained with blood in fall- 
 
208 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 mg on the floor, she wiped it two or three times over 
 to clean it ; yet still the blood kept on it the same as 
 before. She next washed it, but the blood did not 
 move at all. She then scoured it with brickdust, 
 and after with sand, but in spite of all she could do, 
 the blood was still there; for the key was a fairy 
 who was Blue Beard's friend ; so that as fast as she 
 got off the blood on one side, it came again on the 
 other. Early in the same evening Blue Beard came 
 home, saying, that before he had gone far on his 
 journey he was met by a horseman, who was com- 
 ing to tell him that his affair in the country was 
 settled without his being present; upon which his 
 wife said every thing she could think of, to make 
 him believe she was in a transport of joy at his 
 sudden return. 
 
 The next morning he asked her for the keys: 
 she gave them to him; but as she could not help 
 showing her fright, Blue Beard easily guessed what 
 had been the matter. " How is it," said he, " that 
 the key of the closet upon the ground floor is not 
 here?" "Is it not?" said the wife, "then I must 
 have left it on my dressing-table. " Be sure you 
 give it me by and by," replied Blue Beard. After 
 going a good many times backwards and forwards, 
 as if she was looking for the key, she was at last 
 forced to give it to Blue Beard. He looked hard 
 at it, and then said : " How came this blood upon 
 the key ? " "I am sure I do not know," replied the 
 poor lady, at the same time turning as white as a 
 sheet. " You do not know ? " said Blue Beard 
 sternly, " but I know well enough. You have been 
 in the closet on the ground floor! Very well, 
 
Blue Beard 209- 
 
 madam : since you are so mighty fond of this closet, 
 you shall be sure to take your place among the ladies 
 you saw there." His wife, who was almost dead 
 with fear, now fell upon her knees, asked his pardon 
 a thousand times for her fault, and begged him to 
 forgive her, looking all the time so very mournful 
 and lovely, that she would have melted any heart 
 that was not harder than a rock. But Blue Beard 
 only said, " No, no, madam ; you shall die this very 
 minute ! " " Alas ! " said the poor trembling creat- 
 ure, " if I must die, give me, as least, a little time 
 to say my prayers." " I give you," replied the cruel 
 Blue Beard, " half a quarter of an hour : not a 
 moment longer." When Blue Beard had left her to 
 herself, she called her sister; and after telling her, 
 as well as she could for sobbing, that she had but 
 half a quarter of an hour to live ; " Prithee," said', 
 she, "sister Anne," (this was her sister's name), 
 run up to the top of the tower, and see if my 
 brothers are not in sight, for they said they would 
 visit me to-day, and if you see them, make a sign 
 for them to gallop on as fast as ever they can." Her 
 sister straight did as she was desired ; and the poor 
 trembling lady every minute cried out to her: 
 " Anne ! sister Anne ! do you see any one coming? " 
 Her sister said, " I see nothing but the sun, which 
 makes a dust, and the grass, which looks green." 
 
 In the meanwhile, Blue Beard, with a great cim- 
 eter in his hand, bawled as loud as he could to his 
 wife, " Come down at once, or I will fetch you." 
 " One moment longer, I beseech you," replied she, 
 and again called softly to her sister, " Sister Anne, 
 do you see any one coming ? " To which she 
 
2io Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 answered, " I see nothing but the sun, which makes 
 a dust, and the grass, which looks green." Blue 
 Beard now again bawled out, " Come down, I say, 
 this very moment, or I shall come to fetch you." 
 " I am coming ; indeed I will come in one minute," 
 sobbed his wretched wife. Then she once more 
 cried out, " Anne ! sister Anne ! do you see any one 
 coming?" "I see," said her sister, "a cloud of 
 dust a little to the left." " Do you think it is my 
 brothers ? " said the wife. " Alas ! no, dear sister," 
 replied she, " it is only a flock of sheep." " Will 
 you come down, madam ? " said Blue Beard, in the 
 greatest rage. " Only one single moment more," 
 said she. And then she called out for the last time, 
 " Sister Anne ! sister Anne ! do you see no one com- 
 ing? "I see," replied her sister, "two men on 
 horseback coming; but they are still a great way 
 off." " Thank God," cried she, " they are my 
 brothers ; beckon them to make haste." Blue Beard 
 now cried out so loud for her to come down, that 
 his voice shook the whole house. The poor lady, 
 with her hair loose, and all in tears, now came down, 
 and fell on her kness, begging him to spare her 
 life ; but he stopped her, saying, " All this is of no 
 use, for you shall die : " and then, seizing her by 
 the hair, raised his cimeter to strike off her head. 
 The poor woman now begged a single moment to 
 say one prayer. " No, no," said Blue Beard, " I 
 will give you no more time. You have had too 
 much already." And again he raised his arm. Just 
 at this instant a loud knocking was heard at the 
 gates, which made Blue Beard wait for a moment to 
 see who it was. The gates now flew open, and two 
 
Blue Beard 211 
 
 officers, dressed in their uniform, came in, and, with 
 their swords in their hands, ran straight to Blue 
 Beard, who, seeing they were his wife's brothers, 
 tried to escape from their presence ; but they pur- 
 sued and seized him before he had gone twenty 
 steps, and plunging their swords into his body he 
 fell down dead at their feet. 
 
 The poor wife, who was almost as dead as her 
 husband, was not able at first to rise and embrace 
 her brothers; but she soon came to herself; and, as 
 Blue Beard had no heirs, she found herself the 
 owner of his great riches. She gave a part of his 
 vast fortune as a marriage dowry to her sister Anne, 
 who soon after became the wife of a young gentle- 
 man who had long loved her. Some of the money 
 she laid out in buying captains' commissions for her 
 two brothers, and the rest she gave to a worthy 
 gentleman whom she married shortly after, and 
 whose kind treatment soon made her forget Blue 
 Beard's cruelty. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 CINDERELLA ; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER 
 
 There was once a very rich gentleman who lost 
 his wife, and having loved her exceedingly, he was 
 very sorry when she died. Finding himself quite 
 unhappy for her loss, he resolved to marry a second 
 time, thinking by this means he should be as happy 
 as before. Unfortunately, however, the lady he 
 chanced to fix upon was the proudest and most 
 haughty woman ever known ; she was always out 
 of humour with every one ; nobody could please her, 
 and she returned the civilities of those about her with 
 the most affronting disdain. She had two daugh- 
 ters by a former husband. These she brought up to 
 he proud and idle. Indeed, in temper and behaviour 
 they perfectly resembled their mother; they did not 
 love their books, and would not learn to work; in 
 short they were disliked by every body. The gentle- 
 man on his side too had a daughter, who in sweet- 
 ness of temper and carriage was the exact likeness 
 of her own mother, whose death he had so much 
 lamented, and whose tender care of the little girl he 
 was in hopes to see replaced by that of his new bride. 
 But scarcely was the marriage ceremony over, before 
 his wife began to show her real temper. She could 
 not bear the pretty little girl, because her sweet 
 obliging manners made those of her own daughters 
 
Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 213 
 
 appear a thousand times the more odious and dis- 
 agreeable. She therefore ordered her to live in the 
 kitchen ; and, if ever she brought any thing into the 
 parlour, always scolded her till she was out of sight. 
 She made her work with the servants in washing 
 the dishes, and rubbing the tables and chairs ; it 
 was her place to clean madam's chamber, and that 
 of the misses her daughters, which was all inlaid, 
 had beds of the newest fashion, and looking-glasses 
 so long and broad, that they saw themselves from 
 head to foot in them; while the little creature her- 
 self was forced to sleep up in a sorry garret, upon 
 a wretched straw bed, without curtains, or any thing 
 to make her comfortable. The poor child bore this 
 with the greatest patience, not daring to complain 
 to her father, who, she feared, would only reprove, 
 her, for she saw that his wife governed him entirely. 
 When she had done all her work she used to sit in 
 the chimney-corner among the cinders; so that in 
 the house she went by the name of Cinderbreech. 
 The youngest of the two sisters, however, being 
 rather more civil than the eldest, called her Cinder- 
 ella. And Cinderella, dirty and ragged as she was, 
 as often happens in such cases, was a thousand times 
 prettier than her sisters, drest out in all their splen- 
 dour. It happened that the king's son gave a ball, 
 to which he invited all the persons of fashion in the 
 country. Our two misses were of the number, for 
 the king's son did not know how disagreeable they 
 were, but supposed, as they were so much indulge^, 
 that they were extremely amiable. He did not in- 
 vite Cinderella, for he had never seen or heard of 
 her. 
 
214 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 The two sisters began immediately to be very busy 
 in preparing for the happy day. Nothing could ex- 
 ceed their joy. Every moment of their time was 
 spent in fancying such gowns, shoes, and head- 
 dresses as would set them off to the greatest ad- 
 vantage. All this was new vexation to poor Cinder- 
 ella, for it was she who ironed and plaited lier sisters' 
 linen. They talked of nothing but how they should 
 be dressed : " I," said the eldest, " will wear my scar- 
 let velvet with French trimming." " And I," said 
 the youngest, " shall wear the same petticoat I had 
 made for the last ball. But then, to make amends 
 for that, I shall put on my gold muslin train, and 
 wear my diamonds in my hair; with these I must 
 certainly look well." They sent several miles for the 
 best hair dresser that was to be had, and all their 
 ornaments were bought at the most fashionable 
 shops. On the morning of the ball, they called up 
 Cinderella to consult with her about their dress, for 
 they knew she had a great deal of taste. Cinderella 
 gave them the best advice she could, and even 
 offered to assist in adjusting their head-dresses; 
 which was exactly what they wanted, and they ac- 
 cordingly accepted her proposal. While Cinderella 
 was busily engaged in dressing her sisters, they said 
 to her, " Should you not like, Cinderella, to go to 
 the ball ? " " Ah ! " replied Cinderella, " you are only 
 laughing at me, it is not for such as I am to think of 
 going to balls." " You are in the right," said they, 
 " folks might laugh indeed, to see a Cinderbreech 
 dancing in a ball room." Any other than Cinderella 
 would have tried to make the haughty creatures look 
 as ugly as she could; but the sweet tempered girl, 
 
Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 215 
 
 on the contrary, did every thing she could think of to 
 make them look well. The sisters had scarcely eaten 
 any thing for two days, so great was their joy as 
 the happy day drew near. More than a dozen laces 
 were broken in endeavouring to give them a fine 
 slender shape, and they were always before the 
 looking glass. At length the much wished for mo- 
 ment arrived ; the proud misses stepped into a beauti- 
 ful carriage, and, followed by servants in rich liv- 
 eries, drove towards the palace. Cinderella followed 
 them with her eyes as far as she could; and when 
 they were out of sight, she sat down in a corner and 
 began to cry. Her godmother, who saw her in tears, 
 
 asked her what ailed her. " I wish 1 w-i-s-h — " 
 
 sobbed poor Cinderella, without being able to say 
 another word. The godmother, who was a fairy, 
 said to her, " You wish to go to the ball, Cinderella, 
 is not this the truth ? " " Alas ! yes," replied the 
 poor child, sobbing still more than before. " Well, 
 well, be a good girl," said the godmother, " and you 
 shall go." She then led Cinderella to her bedcham- 
 ber, and said to her : "Run into the garden and bring 
 me a pumpkin." Cinderella flew like lightning, and 
 brought the finest she could lay hold of. Her god- 
 mother scooped out the inside, leaving nothing but 
 the rind ; she then struck it with her wand, and the 
 pumpkin instantly became a fine coach gilded all 
 over with gold. She then looked into her mouse- 
 trap, where she found six mice all alive and brisk. 
 She told Cinderella to lift up the door of the trap 
 very gently ; and as the mice passed out, she touched 
 them one by one with her wand, and each immedi- 
 ately became a beautiful horse of a fine dapple graj 
 
2i6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 mouse colour. " Here, my child," said the god- 
 mother, " is a coach and horses too, as handsome as 
 your sisters', but what shall we do for a postillion ? " 
 " I will run," replied Cinderella, " and see if there 
 be not a rat in the trap. If I find one, he will do very 
 well for a postillion." " Well thought of, my child," 
 said her godmother ; " make what haste you can." 
 
 Cinderella brought the rat trap, which, to her 
 great joy, contained three of the largest rats ever 
 seen. The fairy chose the one which had the longest 
 beard ; and touching him with her wand, he was in- 
 stantly turned into a handsome postillion, with the 
 finest pair of whiskers imaginable. She next said 
 to Cinderella : " Go again into the garden, and you 
 will find six lizards behind the watering-pot; bring 
 them hither." This was no sooner done, than with 
 a stroke from the fairy's wand they were changed 
 into six footmen, who all jumped up behind the 
 coach in their laced liveries, and stood side by side as 
 cleverly as if they had been used to nothing else the 
 whole of their lives. The fairy then said to Cin- 
 derella : " Well, my dear, is not this such an equip- 
 age as you could wish for to take you to the ball? 
 Are you not delighted with it ? " " Y-e-s," replied 
 Cinderella with hesitation, " but must I go thither 
 in these filthy rags ? " Her godmother touched her 
 with the wand, and her rags instantly became the 
 most magnificent apparel, ornamented with the most 
 costly jewels in the whole world. To these she 
 added a beautiful pair of glass slippers, and bade 
 her set out for the palace. The fairy, however, be- 
 fore she took leave of Cinderella, strictly charged 
 her on no account whatever to stay at the ball after 
 
Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 217 
 
 the clock had struck twelve, telling her that, should 
 she stay but a single moment after that time, her 
 coach would again become a pumpkin, her horses 
 mice, her footmen lizards, and her fine clothes be 
 changed to filthy rags. Cinderella did not fail to 
 promise all her godmother desired of her ; and al- 
 most wild with joy drove away to the palace. As 
 soon as she arrived, the king's son, who had been 
 informed that a great princess, whom nobody knew, 
 was come to the ball, presented himself at the door 
 of her carriage, helped her out, and conducted her to 
 the ball room. Cinderella no sooner appeared than 
 every one was silent ; both the dancing and the music 
 stopped, and every body was employed in gazing at 
 the uncommon beauty of this unknown stranger. 
 Nothing was heard but whispers of "How handsome 
 she is ! " The king himself, old as he was, could not 
 keep his eyes from her, and continually repeated to 
 the queen, that it was a long time since he had seen 
 so lovely a creature. The ladies endeavoured to find 
 out how her clothes were made, that they might get 
 some of the same pattern for themselves by the next 
 day, should they be lucky enough to meet with such 
 handsome materials, and such good work-people to 
 make them. 
 
 The king's son conducted her to the most honour- 
 able seat, and soon after took her out to dance with 
 him. She both moved and danced so gracefully, that 
 every one admired her still more than before, and 
 she was thought the most beautiful and accom- 
 plished lady they ever beheld. After some time a 
 delicious collation was served up ; but the young 
 prince was so busily employed in looking at her, 
 
218 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 that he did not eat a morsel. Cinderella seated her- 
 self near her sisters, paid them a thousand attentions, 
 and offered them a part of the oranges and sweet- 
 meats with which the prince had presented her, while 
 they on their part were quite astonished at these 
 civilities from a lady whom they did not know. As 
 they were conversing together, Cinderella heard the 
 clock strike eleven and three quarters. She rose 
 from her seat, curtesied to the company, and hast- 
 ened away as fast as she could. As soon as she got 
 home she flew to her godmother, and, after thank- 
 ing her a thousand times, told her she would give 
 the world to be able to go again to the ball the next 
 day, for the king's son had entreated her to be there. 
 While she was telling her godmother every thing 
 that had happened to her at the ball, the two sisters 
 knocked a loud rat-tat-tat at the door ; which Cinder- 
 ella opened. " How late you have stayed ! " said she, 
 yawning, rubbing her eyes, and stretching herself, 
 as if just awakened out of her sleep, though she 
 had in truth felt no desire for sleep since they left 
 her. " If you had been at the ball," said one of her 
 sisters, " let me tell you, you would not have been 
 sleepy. There came thither the handsomest, yes, 
 the very handsomest princess ever beheld ! She paid 
 us a thousand attentions, and made us take a part 
 of the oranges and sweetmeats the prince had given 
 her. Cinderella could scarcely contain herself for 
 joy: she asked her sisters the name of this princess, 
 to which they replied, that nobody had been able 
 to discover who she was ; that the king's son was 
 extremely grieved on that account, and had offered 
 a large reward to any person who could find out 
 
Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 219 
 
 where she came from. Cinderella smiled, and said : 
 " How very beautiful she must be ! How fortunate 
 you are ! Ah, could I but see her for a single mo- 
 ment! Dear Miss Charlotte, lend me only the yel- 
 low gown you wear every day, and let me go to see 
 her." " Oh ! yes, I warrant you ; lend my clothes to 
 a Cinderbreech ! Do you really suppose me such a 
 fool? No, no; pray, Miss Forward, mind your 
 proper business, and leave dress and balls to your 
 betters." Cinderella expected some such answer, 
 and was by no means sorry, for she would have been 
 sadly at a loss what to do if her sister had lent her 
 the clothes that she asked of her. 
 
 The next day the two sisters again appeared at 
 the ball, and so did Cinderella, but dressed much 
 more magnificently than the night before. The 
 king's son was continually by her side, and said the 
 most obliging things imaginable to her. The charm- 
 ing young creature was far from being tired of all 
 the agreeable things she met with. On the con- 
 trary, she was so delighted with them that she en- 
 tirely forgot the charge her godmother had givqn 
 her. Cinderella at last heard the striking of a 
 clock, and counted one, two, three, on till she came 
 to twelve, though she thought that it could be but 
 eleven at most. She got up and flew as nimbly as 
 a deer out of the ball-room. The prince tried to 
 overtake her ; but poor Cinderella's fright made her 
 run the faster. However, in her great hurry, she 
 dropped one of her glass slippers from her foot, 
 which the prince stooped down and picked up, and 
 took the greatest care of it possible. Cinderella got 
 home tired and out of breath, in her old clothes, 
 
220 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 without either coach or footmen, and having nothing 
 left of her magnificence but the fellow of the glass 
 slipper which she had dropped. In the mean while, 
 the prince had inquired of all his guards at the pal- 
 ace gates, if they had not seen a magnificent princess 
 pass out, and which way she went ? The guards re- 
 plied, that no princess had passed the gates; and 
 that they had not seen a creature but a little ragged 
 girl, who looked more like a beggar than a princess. 
 When the two sisters returned from the ball, Cin- 
 derella asked them if they had been as much amused 
 as the night before, and if the beautiful princess had 
 been there? They told her that she had; but that 
 as soon as the clock struck twelve, she hurried away 
 from the ball room, and in the great haste she had 
 made, had dropped one of her glass slippers, which 
 was the prettiest shape that could be ; that the king's 
 son had picked it up, and had done nothing but look 
 at it all the rest of the evening ; and that every body 
 believed he was violently in love with the handsome 
 lady to whom it belonged. 
 
 This was very true; for a few days after, the 
 prince had it proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that 
 he would marry the lady whose foot should exactly 
 fit the slipper he had found. Accordingly the 
 prince's messengers took the slipper, and carried it 
 first to all the princesses, then to the duchesses, in 
 short, to all the ladies of the court. But without 
 success. They then brought it to the two sisters, 
 who each tried all she could to squeeze her foot into 
 the slipper, but saw at last that this was quite im- 
 possible. Cinderella who was looking at them all 
 the while, and knew her slipper, could not help smil- 
 
Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 221 
 
 ing, and ventured to say, " Pray, sir, let me try to 
 get on the slipper." The gentleman made her sit 
 down ; and putting the slipper to her foot, it instantly 
 slipped in, and he saw that it fitted her like wax. 
 The two sisters were amazed to see that the slipper 
 fitted Cinderella; but how much greater was their 
 astonishment when she drew out of her pocket the 
 other slipper and put it on ! Just at this moment the 
 fairy entered the room, and touching Cinderella's 
 clothes with her wand, made her all at once appear 
 more magnificently dressed than they had ever seen 
 her before. 
 
 The two sisters immediately perceived that she 
 was the beautiful princess they had seen at the ball. 
 They threw themselves at her feet, and asked her 
 forgiveness for the ill treatment she had received 
 from them. Cinderella helped them to rise, and, ten- 
 derly embracing them, said that she forgave them 
 with all her heart, and begged them to bestow on 
 her their affection. Cinderella was then conducted, 
 dressed as she was, to the young prince, who find- 
 ing her more beautiful than ever, instantly desired 
 her to accept of his hand. The marriage ceremony 
 took place in a few days ; and Cinderella, who was 
 as amiable as she was handsome, gave her sisters 
 magnificent apartments in the palace, and a short 
 time after married them to two great lords of the 
 court. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 PUSS IN BOOTS 
 
 There was a miller who had three sons, and when 
 he died he divided what he possessed among them 
 in the following manner: He gave his mill to the 
 eldest, his ass to the second, and his cat to the 
 youngest. Each of the brothers accordingly took 
 what belonged to him, without the help of an at- 
 torney, who would soon have brought their little 
 fortune to nothing, in law expenses. The poor 
 young fellow who had nothing but the cat, com- 
 plained that he was hardly used : " My brothers," 
 said he, " by joining their stocks together, may do 
 well in the world, but for me, when I have eaten 
 my cat, and made a fur cap of his skin, I may soon 
 die of hunger ! " The cat, who all this time sat 
 listening just inside the door of a cupboard, now 
 ventured to come out and addressed him as fol- 
 lows : " Do not thus afflict yourself, my good mas- 
 ter. You have only to give me a bag, and get a pair 
 of boots made for me, so that I may scamper 
 through the dirt and the brambles, and you shall 
 see that you are not so ill provided for as you 
 imagine." Though the cat's master did not much 
 depend upon these promises, yet, as he had often 
 observed the cunning tricks puss used to catch the 
 
Puss in Boots 223 
 
 rats and mice, such as hanging upon his hind legs, 
 and hiding in the meal to make believe that he was 
 dead, he did not entirely despair of his being of 
 some use to him in his unhappy condition. 
 
 When the cat had obtained what he asked for, he 
 gayly began to equip himself : he drew on his boots ; 
 and putting the bag about his neck, he took hold 
 of the strings with his fore paws, and bidding his 
 master take courage, immediately sallied forth. The 
 first attempt Puss made was to go into a warren 
 in which there were a great number of rabbits. He 
 put some bran and some parsley into his bag; and 
 then stretching himself out at full length as if he 
 was dead, he waited for some young rabbits, who 
 as yet knew nothing of the cunning tricks of the 
 world, to come and get into the bag, the better to 
 feast upon the dainties he had put into it. Scarcely 
 had he lain down before he succeeded as well as 
 could be wished. A giddy young rabbit crept into 
 the bag, and the cat immediately drew the strings, 
 and killed him without mercy. Puss, proud of his 
 prey, hastened directly to the palace, where he asked 
 to speak to the king. On being shown into the 
 apartment of his majesty, he made a low bow, and 
 said, " I have brought you, sire, this rabbit from 
 the warren of my lord the marquis of Carabas, who 
 commanded me to present it to your majesty with 
 the assurance of his respect." (This was the title 
 the cat thought proper to bestow upon his mas- 
 ter.) " Tell my lord marquis of Carabas," replied 
 the king, " that I accept of his present with pleas- 
 ure, and that I am greatly obliged to him." Soon 
 after, the cat laid himself down in the same manner 
 
224 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 in a field of corn, and had as much good fortune as 
 before; for two fine partridges got into his bag, 
 which he immediately killed and carried to the pal- 
 ace : the king received them as he had done the rab- 
 bit, and ordered his servants to give the messenger 
 something to drink. In this manner he continued 
 to carry presents of game to the king from my lord 
 marquis of Carabas, once at least in every week. 
 
 One day, the cat having heard that the king in- 
 tended to take a ride that morning by the river's side 
 with his daughter, who was the most beautiful prin- 
 cess in the world, he said to his master : " If you 
 will but follow my advice, your fortune is made. 
 Take off your clothes, and bathe yourself in the 
 river, just in the place I shall show you, and leave 
 the rest to me." The marquis of Carabas did ex- 
 actly as he was desired, without being able to guess 
 at what the cat intended. While he was bathing the 
 king passed by, and puss directly called out as loud 
 as he could bawl : " Help ! help ! My lord marquis 
 of Carabas is in danger of being drowned ! " The 
 king hearing the cries, put his head out at the win- 
 dow of his carriage to see what was the matter : 
 when, perceiving the very cat who had brought him 
 so many presents, he ordered his attendants to go 
 directly to the assistance of my lord marquis of 
 Carabas. While they were employed in taking the 
 marquis out of the river, the cat ran to the king's 
 carriage, and told his majesty, that while his master 
 was bathing, some thieves had run off with his 
 clothes as they lay by the river's side; the cunning 
 cat all the time having hid them under a large 
 stone. The king: hearing this, commanded the offi- 
 
Puss in Boots 225 
 
 cers of his wardrobe to fetch one of the handsomest 
 suits it contained, and present it to my lord marquis 
 of Carabas, at the same time loading him with a 
 thousand attentions. As the fine clothes they 
 brought him made him look like a gentleman, and 
 set off his person, which was very comely, to the 
 greatest advantage, the king's daughter was mightily 
 taken with his appearance, and the marquis of 
 Carabas had no sooner cast upon her two or three 
 respectful glances, then she became violently in love 
 with him. 
 
 The king insisted on his getting into the carriage 
 and taking a ride with them. The cat, enchanted 
 to see how well his scheme was likely to succeed, 
 ran before to a meadow that was reaping, and said 
 to the reapers : " Good people, if you do not tell the 
 king, who will soon pass this way, that the meadow 
 you are reaping belongs to my lord marquis of 
 Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as mince 
 meat." The king did not fail to ask the reapers to 
 whom the meadow belonged ? " To my lord mar- 
 quis of Carabas," said they all at once; for the 
 threats of the cat had terribly frighted them. " You 
 have here a very fine piece of land, my lord 
 marquis," said the king. " Truly, sire," replied he, 
 " it does not fail to bring me every year a plentiful 
 harvest." The cat who still went on before, now 
 came to a field where some other labourers were 
 making sheaves of the corn they had reaped, to 
 whom he said as before : " Good people, if you do 
 not tell the king who will presently pass this way, 
 that the corn you have reaped in this field belongs 
 to my lord marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped 
 
226 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 as small as mince meat." The king accordingly 
 passed a moment after, and inquired to whom the 
 corn he saw belonged ? " To my lord maquis of 
 Carabas," answered they very glibly; upon which 
 the king again complimented the marquis upon his 
 noble possessions. The cat still continued to go be- 
 fore, and gave the same charge to all the people he 
 met with; so that the king was greatly astonished 
 at the splendid fortune of my lord marquis of Car- 
 abas. Puss at length arrived at a stately castle, 
 which belonged to an Ogre, the richest ever known ; 
 for all the lands the king had passed through and ad- 
 mired were his. The cat took care to learn every 
 particular about the Ogre, and what he could do, 
 and then asked to speak with him, saying, as he 
 entered the room in which he was, that he could not 
 pass so near his castle without doing himself the 
 honour to inquire after his health. The Ogre re- 
 ceived him as civilly as an Ogre could do, and de- 
 sired him to be seated. " I have been informed," 
 said the cat, " that you have the gift of changing 
 yourself to all sorts of animals; into a lion or an 
 elephant for example." " It is very true," replied the 
 Ogre somewhat sternly ; " and to convince you I 
 will directly take the form of a lion." The cat was 
 so much terrified at finding himself so near to a lion, 
 that he sprang from him, and climbed to the roof of 
 the house; but not without much difficulty, as his 
 boots were not very fit to walk upon the tiles. 
 
 Some minutes after, the cat perceiving that the 
 Ogre had quitted the form of a lion, ventured to 
 come down from the tiles, and owned that he had 
 been a good deal frightened. " I have been further 
 
Puss in Boots 227 
 
 informed," continued the cat, "but I know not how to 
 believe it, that you have the power of taking the form 
 of the smallest animals also ; for example of chang- 
 ing yourself to a rat or a mouse : I confess I should 
 think this impossible." " Impossible ! you shall 
 see ; " and at the same instant he changed himself 
 into a mouse, and began to frisk about the room. 
 The cat no sooner cast his eyes upon the Ogre in 
 this form, than he sprang upon him and devoured 
 him in an instant. In the meantime the king, ad- 
 miring as he came near it, the magnificent castle of 
 the Ogre, ordered his attendants to drive up to the 
 gates, as he wished to take a nearer view of it. The 
 cat, hearing the noise of the carriage on the draw- 
 bridge, immediately came out, saying: "Your 
 majesty is welcome to the castle of my lord marquis 
 of Carabas." " And is this splendid castle yours 
 also, my lord marquis of Carabas? I never saw 
 anything more stately than the building, or more 
 beautiful than the park and pleasure grounds 
 around it ; no doubt the castle is no less magnificent 
 within than without : pray, my lord marquis, indulge 
 me with a sight of it." 
 
 The marquis gave his hand to the young princess 
 as she alighted, and followed the king who went be- 
 fore ; they entered a spacious hall, where they found 
 a splendid collation which the Ogre had prepared for 
 some friends he had that day expected to visit him ; 
 but who, hearing that the king with the princess 
 and a great gentleman of the court were within, had 
 not dared to enter. The king was so much charmed 
 with the amiable qualities and noble fortune of the 
 marquis of Carabas, and the young princess too had 
 
228 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 fallen so violently in love with him, that when the 
 king had partaken of the collation, and drunk a few 
 glasses of wine, he said to the marquis : " It will be 
 you own fault, my lord marquis of Carabas, if you 
 do not soon become my son-in-law." The marquis 
 received the intelligence with a thousand respectful 
 acknowledgments, accepted the honour conferred 
 upon him, and married the princess that very day\ 
 The cat became a great lord, and never after ran 
 after rats and mice but for his amusement. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 
 
 Once upon a time there was a king and a queen 
 who grieved sorely that they had no children. When 
 at last the queen gave birth to a daughter the king 
 was so overjoyed that he gave a great christening 
 feast, the like of which had never before been 
 known. He asked all the fairies in the land — there 
 were seven all told — to stand godmothers to the 
 little princess, hoping that each might give her a gift, 
 and so she should have all imaginable perfections. 
 
 After the christening, all the company returned to 
 the palace, where a great feast had been spread for 
 the fair) 7 godmothers. Before each was set a mag- 
 nificent plate, with a gold knife and a gold fork 
 studded with diamonds and rubies. Just as they 
 were seating themselves, however, there entered an 
 old fairy who had not been invited because more 
 than fifty years ago she had shut herself up in a 
 tower and it was supposed that she was either dead 
 or enchanted. 
 
 The king ordered a cover to be laid for her, but 
 it could not be a massive gold one like the others, 
 for only seven had been ordered made. The old 
 fairy thought herself ill-used and muttered between 
 her teeth. One of the young fairies, overhearing 
 
23 o Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 her, and fancying she might work some mischief to 
 the little baby, went and hid herself behind the hang- 
 ings in the hall, so as to be able to have the last 
 word and undo any harm the old fairy might wish to 
 work. The fairies now began to endow the princess. 
 The youngest, for her gift, decreed that she should 
 be the most beautiful person in the world ; the next 
 that she should have the mind of an angel ; the third 
 that she should be perfectly graceful; the fourth 
 that she should dance admirably well ; the fifth, that 
 she should sing like a nightingale; the sixth, that 
 she should play charmingly upon every musical in- 
 strument. The turn of the old fairy had now come, 
 and she declared, while her head shook with malice, 
 that the princess should pierce her hand with a spin- 
 dle and die of the wound. This dreadful fate threw 
 all the company into tears of dismay, when the 
 young fairy who had hidden herself came forward 
 and said: 
 
 " Be of good cheer, king and queen ; your daugh- 
 ter shall not so die. It is true I cannot entirely undo 
 what my elder has done. The princess will pierce 
 her hand with a spindle, but, instead of dying, she 
 will only fall into a deep sleep. The sleep will last 
 a hundred years, and at the end of that time a king's 
 son will come to wake her." 
 
 The king, in hopes of preventing what the old 
 fairy had foretold, immediately issued an edict by 
 which he forbade all persons in his dominion from 
 spinning or even having spindles in their houses 
 under pain of instant death. 
 
 Now fifteen years after the princess was born she 
 was with the king and queen at one of their castles, 
 
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood 231 
 
 and as she was running about by herself she came 
 to a little chamber at the top of a tower, and there 
 sat an honest old woman spinning, for she had never 
 heard of the king's edict. 
 
 " What are you doing? " asked the princess. 
 
 " I am spinning, my fair child," said the old 
 woman, who did not know her. 
 
 " How pretty it is ! " exclaimed the princess. 
 " How do you do it ? Give it to me that I may see 
 if I can do it." She had no sooner taken up the 
 spindle, than, being hasty and careless, she pierced 
 her hand with the point of it, and fainted away. The 
 old woman, in great alarm, called for help. People 
 came running in from all sides ; they threw water 
 in the princess's face and did all they could to re- 
 store her, but nothing would bring her to. The 
 king, who had heard the noise and confusion, came 
 up also, and remembering what the fairy had said, 
 he had the princess carried to the finest apartment 
 and laid upon a richly embroidered bed. She lay 
 there in all her loveliness, for the swoon had not 
 made her pale; her lips were cherry-ripe and her 
 cheeks ruddy and fair ; her eyes were closed, but 
 they could hear her breathing quietly ; she could not 
 be dead. The king looked sorrowfully upon her. 
 He knew that she would not awake for a hundred 
 years. 
 
 The good fairy who had saved her life and turned 
 her death into sleep was in the kingdom of Mata- 
 quin, twelve thousand leagues away, when this hap- 
 pened, but she learned of it from a dwarf who had 
 a pair of seven-league boots, and instantly set out 
 for the castle, where she arrived in an hour, drawn 
 
2$2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 by dragons in a fiery chariot. The king came for- 
 ward to receive her and showed his grief. The good 
 fairy was very wise and saw that the princess when 
 she woke would find herself all alone in that great 
 castle and everything about her would be strange. So 
 this is what she did. She touched with her wand 
 everybody that was in the castle, except the king 
 and queen. She touched the governesses, maids of 
 honour, women of the bed-chamber, gentlemen, offi- 
 cers, stewards, cooks, scullions, boys, guards, por- 
 ters, pages, footmen; she touched the horses in the 
 stable with their grooms, the great mastiffs in the 
 court-yard, and even little Pouste, the tiny lap-dog 
 of the princess that was on the bed beside her. As 
 soon as she had touched them they all fell asleep, 
 not to wake again until the time arrived for their 
 mistress to do so, when they would be ready to wait 
 upon her. Even the spits before the fire, laden with 
 partridges and pheasants, went to sleep, and the 
 fire itself went to sleep also. 
 
 It was the work of a moment. The king and 
 queen kissed their daughter farewell and left the 
 castle, issuing a proclamation that no person what- 
 soever was to approach it. That was needless, for 
 in a quarter of an hour there had grown up about it 
 a wood so thick and filled with thorns that nothing 
 could get at the castle, and the castle top itself 
 could only be seen from a great distance. 
 
 A hundred years went by, and the kingdom was 
 in the hands of another royal family. The son of 
 the king was hunting one day when he discovered 
 the towers of the castle above the tops of the trees, 
 and asked what castle that was. All manner of 
 
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood 233 
 
 answers were given to him. One said it was an en- 
 chanted castle, another that witches lived there, but 
 most believed that it was occupied by a great ogre 
 which carried thither all the children he could catch 
 and ate them up one at a time, for nobody could get 
 at him through the wood. The prince did not know 
 what to believe, when finally an old peasant said : 
 
 " Prince, it is more than fifty years since I heard 
 my father say that there was in that castle the most 
 beautiful princess that ever was seen ; that she was 
 to sleep for a hundred years, and to be awakened at 
 last by the king's son, who was to marry her." 
 
 The young prince at these words felt himself on 
 fire. He had not a moment's doubt that he was des- 
 tined to this great adventure, and full of ardour he 
 determined at once to set out for the castle. Scarcely 
 had he come to the wood when all the trees and 
 thorns which had made such an impenetrable thicket 
 opened on one side and the other to offer him a path. 
 He walked toward the castle, which appeared now 
 at the end of a long avenue, but when he turned to 
 look for his followers not one was to be seen ; the 
 woods had closed instantly upon him as he had 
 passed through. He was entirely alone, and utter 
 silence was about him. He entered a large fore- 
 court and stood still with amazement and awe. On 
 every side were stretched the bodies of men and ani- 
 mals apparently lifeless. But the faces of the men 
 were rosy, and the goblets by them had a few drops 
 of wine left. The men had plainly fallen asleep. 
 His steps resounded as he passed over the marble 
 pavement and up the marble staircase. He entered 
 the guard-room; there the guards stood drawn up in 
 
334 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 line with carbines at their shoulders, but they were 
 sound asleep. He passed through one apartment 
 after another, where were ladies and gentlemen 
 asleep in their chairs or standing. He entered a 
 chamber covered with gold, and saw on a bed, the 
 curtains of which were drawn, the most lovely sight 
 he had ever looked upon — a princess, who appeared 
 to be about fifteen or sixteen, and so fair that she 
 seemed to belong to another world. He drew near, 
 trembling and wondering, and knelt beside her. 
 Her hand lay upon her breast, and he touched his 
 lips to it. At that moment, the enchantment being 
 ended, the princess awoke, and, looking drowsily 
 and tenderly at the young man, said : 
 
 " Have you come, my prince ? I have waited long 
 for you." The prince was overjoyed at the words, 
 and at the tender voice and look, and scarcely knew 
 how to speak. But he managed to assure her of his 
 love, and they soon forgot all else as they talked and 
 talked. They talked for four hours, and had not 
 then said half that was in their heads to say. 
 
 Meanwhile all the rest of the people in the castle 
 had been wakened at the same moment as the prin- 
 cess, and they were now extremely hungry. The 
 lady-in-waiting became very impatient, and at 
 length announced to the princess that they all waited 
 for her. Then the prince took the princess by the 
 hand; she was dressed in great splendour, but he 
 did not hint that she looked as he had seen pictures 
 of his great-grandmother look; he thought her all 
 the more charming for that. They passed into a 
 hall of mirrors, where they supped, attended by the 
 officers of the princess. The violins and haut-boys 
 
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood 235 
 
 played old but excellent pieces of music, and after 
 supper, to lose no time,' the grand almoner married 
 the royal lovers in the chapel of the castle. 
 
 When they left the castle the next day to return to 
 the prince's home, they were followed by all the 
 retinue of the princess. They marched down the 
 long avenue, and the wood opened again to let them 
 pass. Outside they met the prince's followers, who 
 were overjoyed to see their master. He turned to 
 show them the castle, but behold ! there was no cas- 
 tle to be seen, and no wood; castle and wood had 
 vanished, but the prince and princess went gayly 
 away, and when the old king and queen died they 
 reigned in their stead. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 
 
 In the days of King Alfred, there lived a poor 
 woman whose cottage was situated in a remote 
 country village, a great many miles from London. 
 She had been a widow. some years, and had an only 
 child named Jack, whom she indulged to a fault. 
 The consequence of her blind partiality was, that 
 Jack did not pay the least attention to any thing she 
 said, but was indolent, careless, and extravagant. 
 His follies were not owing to a bad disposition, but 
 that his mother had never checked him. By degrees 
 she disposed of all she possessed — scarcely any 
 thing remained but a cow. The poor woman one 
 day met Jack with tears in her eyes; her distress 
 was great, and for the first time in her life she 
 could not help reproaching him, saying, " Oh ! you 
 wicked child, by your ungrateful course of life you 
 have at last brought me to beggary and ruin. 
 Cruel, cruel boy! I have not money enough to 
 purchase even a bit of bread for another day — 
 nothing now remains to sell but my poor cow! I 
 am sorry to part with her; it grieves me sadly, 
 but we must not starve." For a few minutes, Jack 
 felt a degree of remorse, but it was soon over, and 
 he began teasing his mother to let him sell the cow 
 at the next village, so much, that she at last con- 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 237 
 
 sented. As he was going along, he met a butcher, 
 who inquired why he was driving the cow from 
 home? Jack replied, he was going to sell it. The 
 butcher held some curious beans in his hat; they 
 were of various colours, and attracted Jack's atten- 
 tion. This did not pass unnoticed by the butcher, 
 who, knowing Jack's easy temper, thought now was 
 the time to take an advantage of it; and determined 
 not to let slip so good an opportunity, asked what 
 was the price of the cow, offering at the same time 
 all the beans in his hat for her. The silly boy could 
 not conceal the pleasure he felt at what he supposed 
 so great an offer, the bargain was struck instantly, 
 and the cow exchanged for a few paltry beans. 
 Jack made the best of his way home, calling aloud 
 to his mother before he reached home, thinking to 
 surprise her. 
 
 When she saw the beans, and heard Jack's ac- 
 count, her patience quite forsook her. She kicked 
 the beans away in a passion — they flew in all direc- 
 tions — some were scattered in the garden. Not 
 having any thing to eat, they both went supper- 
 less to bed. Jack woke early in the morning, and 
 seeing something uncommon from the window of 
 his bed-chamber, ran down stairs into the garden, 
 where he soon discovered that some of the beans 
 had taken root, and sprung up surprisingly : the 
 stalks were of an immense thickness, and had so 
 entwined, that they formed a ladder nearly like a 
 chain in appearance. Looking upward, he could not 
 discern the top, it appeared to be lost in the clouds : 
 he tried it, found it firm, and not to be shaken. He 
 quickly formed the resolution of endeavouring to 
 
238 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 climb up to the top, in order to seek his fortune, and 
 ran to communicate his intention to his mother, not 
 doubting but she would be equally pleased with 
 himself. She declared he should not go; said it 
 would break her heart if he did — entreated, and 
 threatened — but all in vain. Jack set out, and after 
 climbing for some hours, reached the top of the 
 bean-stalk, fatigued and quite exhausted. Looking 
 around, he found himself in a strange country; it 
 appeared to be a desert, quite barren, not a tree, 
 shrub, house, or living creature to be seen ; here and 
 there were scattered fragments of stone; and at 
 unequal distances, small heaps of earth were loosely 
 thrown together. 
 
 Jack seated himself pensively upon a block of 
 stone, and thought of his mother — he reflected with 
 sorrow upon his disobedience in climbing the bean- 
 stalk against her will; and concluded that he must 
 die with hunger. However he walked on, hoping 
 to see a house where he might beg something to eat 
 and drink ; presently a handsome young woman ap- 
 peared at a distance : as she approached, Jack could 
 not help admiring how beautiful and lively she 
 looked; she was dressed in the most elegant manner, 
 and had a small white wand in her hand, on the top 
 of which was a peacock of pure gold. While Jack 
 was looking with great surprise at this charming 
 female, she came up to him, and with a smile of the 
 most bewitching sweetness, inquired how he came 
 there. Jack related the circumstance of the bean- 
 stalk. She asked him if he recollected his father ; he 
 replied he did not; and added, there must be some 
 mystery relating to him, because if he asked his 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 239 
 
 mother who his father was, she always burst into 
 tears, and appeared violently agitated, nor did she re- 
 cover herself for some days after; one thing, how- 
 ever, he could not avoid observing upon these occa- 
 sions, which was that she always carefully avoided 
 answering him, and even seemed afraid of speaking, 
 as if there was some secret connected with his 
 father's history which she must not disclose. The 
 young woman replied, " I will reveal the whole 
 story; your mother must not. But, before I begin, 
 I require a solemn promise on your part to do what 
 I command ; I am a fairy, and if you do not per- 
 form exactly what I desire, you will be destroyed." 
 Jack was frightened at her menaces, but promised 
 to fulfil her injunctions exactly, and the fairy thus 
 addressed him : 
 
 " Your father was a rich man, his disposition re- 
 markably benevolent : he was very good to the poor, 
 and constantly relieving them. He made it a rule 
 never to let a day pass without doing good to some 
 person. On one particular day in the week, he kept 
 open house, and invited only those who were re- 
 duced and had lived well. He always presided him- 
 self, and did all in his power to render his guests 
 comfortable; the rich and the great were not in- 
 vited. The servants were zll hapoy, and greatly at- 
 tached to their master and mistress. Your father, 
 though only a private gentleman, was as rich as a 
 prince, and he deserved all he possessed, for he 
 only lived to do good. Such a ■man was soon known 
 and talked of. A giant lived h great many miles 
 off: this man was altogether as wicked as your 
 father was good ; he was in his heart envious, cove- 
 
240 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 tous, and cruel; but he had the art of concealing 
 those vices. He was poor, and wished to enrich 
 himself at any rate. Hearing your father spoken of, 
 he formed the design of becoming acquainted with 
 him, hoping to ingratiate himself into your father's 
 favour. He removed quickly into your neighbour- 
 hood, caused to be reported that he was a gentle- 
 man who had just lost all he possessed by an earth- 
 quake, and found it difficult to escape with his 
 life ; his wife was with him. Your father gave 
 credit to his story, and pitied him, gave him hand- 
 some apartments in his own house, and caused him 
 and his wife to be treated like visitors of conse- 
 quence, little imagining that the giant was meditat- 
 ing a horrid return for all his favours. 
 
 " Things went on in this way for some time, the 
 giant becoming daily more impatient to put his plan 
 into execution; at last a favourable opportunity 
 presented itself. Your father's house was at some 
 distance from the seashore, but with a glass the 
 coast could be seen distinctly. The giant was one 
 day using the telescope; the wind was very high; 
 he saw a fleet of ships in distress off the rocks ; he 
 hastened to your father, mentioned the circum- 
 stance, and eagerly requested he would send all the 
 servants he con'd spare to relieve the sufferers. 
 Every one was instantly despatched, except the 
 porter and your nurse; the giant then joined your 
 father in the study, and appeared to be delighted — 
 he really was so. Your father recommended a 
 favourite book, and was branding it down : the giant 
 took the opportunity, and stabbed him ; he instantly 
 fell down dead. The giant left the body, found the 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 241 
 
 porter and nurse, and presently despatched them ; 
 being - determined to have no living witnesses of his 
 crimes. You were then only three months old : 
 your mother had you in her arms in a remote part of 
 the house, and was ignorant of what was going on ; 
 she went into the study, but how was she shocked, 
 on discovering your father a corpse, and weltering 
 in his blood ! she was stupefied with horror and 
 grief, and was motionless. The giant, who was 
 seeking her, found her in that state, and hastened 
 to serve her and you as he had done her husband, 
 but she fell at his feet, and in a pathetic manner be- 
 sought him to spare your life and hers. 
 
 " Remorse, for a moment, seemed to touch the 
 barbarian's heart: he granted your lives; but first 
 he made her take a most solemn oath, never to in- 
 form you who your father was, or to answer any 
 questions concerning him : assuring her that if she 
 did, he would certainly discover her, and put both 
 of you to death in the most cruel manner. Your 
 mother took you in her arms, and fled as quickly as 
 possible ; she was scarcely gone when the giant re- 
 pented that he had suffered her to escape. He 
 would have pursued her instantly ; but he had to 
 provide for his own safety; as it was necessary he 
 should be gone before the servants returned. Hav- 
 ing gained your father's confidence, he knew where 
 to find all his treasure : he soon loaded himself and 
 his wife, set the house on fire in several places, and 
 when the servants returned, the house was burned 
 quite down to the ground. Your poor mother, for- 
 lorn, abandoned, and forsaken, wandered with you 
 a great many miles from ihis scene of desolation. 
 
242 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Fear added to her haste. She settled in the cottage 
 where you were brought up, and it was entirely 
 owing to her fear of the giant that she never men- 
 tioned your father to you. I became your father's 
 guardian at his birth ; but fairies have laws to which 
 they are subject as well as mortals. A short time 
 before the giant went to your father's, I trans- 
 gressed; my punishment was a suspension of power 
 for a limited time — an unfortunate circumstance, as 
 it totally prevented my succouring your father. 
 
 " The day on which you met the butcher, as you 
 went to sell your mother's cow, my power was 
 restored. It was I who secretly prompted you to 
 take the beans in exchange for the cow. By my 
 power, the bean-stalk grew to so great a height, and 
 formed a ladder. I need not add that I inspired you 
 with a strong desire to ascend the ladder. The 
 giant lives in this country: you are the person ap- 
 pointed to punish him for all his wickedness. You 
 will have dangers and difficulties to encounter, but 
 you must persevere in avenging the death of your 
 father, or you will not prosper in any of your under- 
 takings, but will always be miserable. As to the 
 giant's possessions, you may seize on all you can; 
 for every thing he has is yours, though now you 
 are unjustly deprived of it. One thing I desire — 
 do not let your mother know you are acquainted 
 with your father's history, till you see me again. 
 Go along the direct road, you will soon see the 
 house where your cruel enemy lives. While you 
 do as I order you, I will protect and guard you; 
 but, remember, if you dare disobey my commands, 
 a most dreadful punishment awaits you." 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 243 
 
 When the fairy had concluded, she disappeared, 
 leaving Jack to pursue his journey. He walked on 
 till after sunset, when, to his great joy, he espied a 
 large mansion. This agreeable sight revived his. 
 drooping spirits ; he redoubled his speed, and soon 
 reached it. A plain-looking woman was at the door 
 — he accosted her, begging she would give him a 
 morsel of bread and a night's lodging. She ex- 
 pressed the greatest surprise at seeing him ; and 
 said it was quite uncommon to see a human being 
 near their house, for it was well known that her 
 husband was a large and very powerful giant, and 
 that he would never eat any thing but human flesh, 
 if he could possibly get it; that he did not think 
 any thing of walking fifty miles to procure it, 
 usually being out the whole day for that purpose. 
 
 This account greatly terrified Jack, but still he 
 hoped to elude the giant, and therefore he again 
 entreated the woman to take him in for one night 
 only, and hide him where she thought proper. The 
 good woman at last suffered herself to be per- 
 suaded, for she was of a compassionate and gener- 
 ous disposition, and took him into the house. First, 
 they entered a fine large hall, magnificently fur- 
 nished ; they then passed through several spacious 
 rooms, all in the same style of grandeur; but they 
 appeared to be quite forsaken and desolate. A long 
 gallery was next; it was very dark — just light 
 enough to show that, instead of a wall on one side, 
 there was a grating of iron, which parted off a 
 dismal dungeon, from whence issued the groans of 
 those poor victims whom the cruel giant reserved 
 in confinement for his own voracious appetite. Poor 
 
244 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Jack was half dead with fear, and would have given 
 the world to have been with his mother again, for 
 he now began to fear that he should never see her 
 more, and gave himself up for lost; he even mis- 
 trusted the good woman, and thought she had let 
 him into the house for no other purpose than to 
 lock him up among the unfortunate people in the 
 dungeon. At the farther end of the gallery there 
 was a spacious kitchen, and a very excellent fire 
 was burning in the grate. The good woman bid 
 Jack sit down, and gave him plenty to eat and 
 drink. Jack, not seeing any thing here to make him 
 uncomfortable, soon forgot his fear, and was just 
 beginning to enjoy himself, when he was aroused by 
 a loud knocking at the street-door, which made the 
 whole house shake : the giant's wife ran to secure 
 him in the oven, and then went to let her husband 
 in. Jack heard him accost her in a voice like 
 thunder, saying : " Wife, I smell fresh meat." 
 " Oh ! my dear/' replied she, " it is nothing but the 
 people in the dungeon." The giant appeared to be- 
 lieve her, and walked into the very kitchen where 
 poor Jack was concealed, who shook, trembled, and 
 was more terrified than he had yet been. At last, 
 the monster seated himself quietly by the fireside, 
 whilst his wife prepared supper. By degrees Jack 
 recovered himself sufficiently to look at the giant 
 through a small crevice. He was quite astonished to 
 see what an amazing quantity he devoured, and 
 thought he never would have done eating and drink- 
 ing. When supper was ended, the giant desired his 
 wife to bring him his hen. A very beautiful hen 
 was then brought, and placed on the table before 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 245 
 
 him. Jack's curiosity was very great to see what 
 would happen: he observed that every time the 
 giant said " Lay ! " the hen laid an egg of solid gold. 
 The giant amused himself a long time with his hen ; 
 meanwhile his wife went to bed. At length the 
 giant fell asleep by the fire-side, and snored like the 
 roaring of a cannon. 
 
 At daybreak, Jack, finding the giant still asleep, 
 and not likely to awaken soon, crept softly out 
 of his hiding-place, seized the hen, and ran off 
 with her. He met with some difficulty in finding 
 his way out of the house, but at last he reached 
 the road with safety. He easily found the way 
 to the bean-stalk, and descended it better and 
 quicker than he expected. His mother was over- 
 joyed to see him ; he found her crying bitterly, and 
 lamenting his hard fate, for she concluded he had 
 come to some shocking end through his rashness. 
 Jack was impatient to show his hen, and inform his 
 mother how valuable it was. " And now, mother," 
 said Jack, " I have brought home that which will 
 quickly make us rich ; and I hope to make you some 
 amends for the affliction I have caused you through 
 my idleness, extravagance, and folly." The hen pro- 
 duced as many golden eggs as they desired: they 
 sold them, and in a little time became possessed of 
 as much riches as they wanted. For some months 
 Jack and his mother lived very happily together; 
 but he being very desirous of travelling, recollecting 
 the fairy's commands, and fearing that if he delayed, 
 she would put her threats into execution, longed to 
 climb the bean-stalk, and pay the giant another visit, 
 in order to carry away some more of his treasures; 
 
246 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 for, during the time that Jack was in the giant's 
 mansion, whilst he lay concealed in the oven, he 
 learned from the conversation that took place be- 
 tween the giant and his wife, that he possessed some 
 wonderful curiosities. Jack thought of his jour- 
 ney again and again, but still he could not summon 
 resolution enough to break it to his mother, being 
 well assured that she would endeavour to prevent 
 his going. However, one day he told her boldly 
 that he must take a journey up the bean-stalk; she 
 begged and prayed him not to think of it, and tried 
 all in her power to dissuade him : she told him that 
 the giant's wife would certainly know him again, 
 and that the giant would desire nothing better than 
 to get him into his power, that he might put him to 
 a cruel death, in order to be revenged for the loss 
 of his hen. Jack, finding that all his arguments 
 were useless, pretended to give up the point, though 
 resolved to go at all events. He had a dress pre- 
 pared which would disguise him, and something to 
 colour his skin. He thought it impossible for any 
 one to recollect him in this dress. 
 
 In a few mornings after this, he arose very early, 
 changed his complexion, and, unperceived by any 
 one, climbed the bean-stalk a second time. He was 
 greatly fatigued when he reached the top, and very 
 hungry. Having rested some time on one of the 
 stones, he pursued his journey to the giant's man- 
 sion. He reached it late in the evening: the woman 
 was at the door as before. Jack addressed her, at 
 the same time telling her a pitiful tale, and request- 
 ing that she would give him some victuals and 
 drink, and also a night's lodging. 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 247 
 
 She told him (what he knew before very well) 
 about her husband being a powerful and cruel giant ; 
 and also that she one night admitted a poor, hungry, 
 friendless boy, who was half dead with travelling ; 
 that the little ungrateful fellow had stolen one of 
 the giant's treasures ; and, ever since that, her hus- 
 band had been worse than before, used her very 
 cruelly, and continually upbraided her with being 
 the cause of his misfortune. Jack was at no loss to 
 discover that he was attending to the account of a 
 story in which he was the principal actor. He did 
 his best to persuade the good woman to admit him, 
 but found it a very hard task. At last she con- 
 sented; and as she led the way, Jack observed that 
 every thing was just as he had found it before. 
 She took him into the kitchen, and after he had done 
 eating and drinking, she hid him in an old lumber- 
 closet. The giant returned at the usual time, and 
 walked in so heavily, that the house was shaken to 
 its foundation. He seated himself by the fire, and 
 soon after exclaimed : " Wife ! I smell fresh meat ! " 
 The wife replied, it was the crows, who had brought 
 a piece of raw meat, and left it on the top of the 
 house. Whilst supper was preparing, the giant was 
 very ill-tempered and impatient, frequently lifting 
 up his hand to strike his wife, for not being quick 
 enough ; she, however, was always so fortunate as 
 to elude the blow. He was also continually up- 
 braiding her with the loss of his wonderful hen. 
 The giant at last having ended his voracious supper, 
 and eaten till he was quite satisfied, said to his wife : 
 " I must have something to amuse me ; either my 
 bags of money or my harp." After a great deal of 
 
248 Fairy Tales Every Child Slundd Know 
 
 ill-humour, and having teased his wife some time, 
 he commanded her to bring down his bags of gold 
 and silver. Jack, as before, peeped out of his hid- 
 ing-place, and presently his wife brought two bags 
 into the room : they were of a very large size ; one 
 was filled with new guineas, and the other with new 
 shillings. They were both placed before the giant, 
 who began reprimanding his poor wife most se- 
 verely for staying so long; she replied, trembling 
 with fear, that they were so heavy, that she could 
 scarcely lift them; and concluded, at last, that she 
 would never again bring them down stairs ; adding, 
 that she had nearly fainted, owing to their weight. 
 This so exasperated the giant, that he raised his 
 hand to strike her ; she, however, escaped, and went 
 to bed, leaving him to count over his treasure, by 
 way of amusement. The giant took his bags, and 
 after turning them over and over, to see that they 
 were in the same state as he left them, began to 
 count their contents. First, the bag which con- 
 tained the silver was emptied, and the contents 
 placed upon the table. Jack viewed the glittering 
 heaps with delight, and most heartily wished them 
 in his own possession. The giant (little thinking 
 he was so narrowly watched) reckoned the silver 
 over several times; and then, having satisfied him- 
 self that all was safe, put it into the bag again, 
 which he made very secure. The other bag was 
 opened next, and the guineas placed upon the table. 
 If Jack was pleased at the sight of the silver, how 
 much more delighted he felt when he saw such a 
 heap of glittering gold ! He even had the boldness 
 to think of gaining both bags; but suddenly recol- 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 249 
 
 fecting himself, he began to fear that the giant 
 would sham sleep, the better to entrap any one who 
 might be concealed. When the giant had counted 
 over the gold till he was tired, he put it up, if pos- 
 sible, more secure than he had put up the silver be- 
 fore ; he then fell back on his chair by the fireside, 
 and fell asleep. He snored so loud, that Jack com- 
 pared his noise to the roaring of the sea in a high 
 wind, when the tide is coming in. At last, Jack con- 
 cluded him to be asleep, and therefore secure, stole 
 out of hi? hiding-place, and approached the giant, 
 in order to carry off the two bags of money ; but 
 just as he laid his hand upon one of the bags, a 
 little dog, whom he had not perceived before, started 
 from under the giant's chair, and barked at Jack 
 most furiously, who now gave himself up for lost. 
 Fear riveted him to the spot. Instead of endeav- 
 ouring to escape, he stood still, though expecting 
 his enemy to awake every instant. Contrary, how- 
 ever, to his expectation, the giant continued in a 
 sound sleep, and the dog grew weary of barking. 
 Jack now began to recollect himself, and on looking 
 round, saw a large piece of meat; this he threw to 
 the dog, who instantly seized it, and took it into the 
 lumber-closet, which Jack had just left. Finding 
 himself delivered from a noisy and troublesome 
 enemy, and seeing the giant did not awake, Jack 
 boldly seized the bags, and throwing them over his 
 shoulders, ran out of the kitchen. He reached the 
 street door in safety, and found it quite daylight. 
 In his way to the top of the bean-stalk, he found 
 himself greatly incommoded with the weight of the 
 money-bags ; and really thev were so heavy that he 
 
250 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 could scarcely carry them. Jack was overjoyed 
 when he found himself near the bean-stalk ; he soon 
 reached the bottom, and immediately ran to seek his 
 mother; to his great surprise, the cottage was de- 
 serted; he ran from one room to another, without 
 being able to find any one; he then hastened into 
 the village, hoping to see some of the neighbours, 
 who could inform him where he could find his 
 mother. An old woman at last directed him to a 
 neighbouring house, where she was ill of a fever. 
 He was greatly shocked on finding her apparently 
 dying, and could scarcely bear his own reflections, 
 on knowing himself to be the cause. On being in- 
 formed of our hero's safe return, his mother, by 
 degrees, revived, and gradually recovered. Jack 
 presented her with his two valuable bags. They 
 lived happily and comfortably; the cottage was re- 
 built, and well furnished. 
 
 For three years Jack heard no more of the bean- 
 stalk, but he could not forget it; though he feared 
 making his mother unhappy. She would not men- 
 tion the hated bean-stalk, lest it should remind him 
 of taking another journey. Notwithstanding the 
 comforts Jack enjoyed at home, his mind dwelt con- 
 tinually upon the bean-stalk ; for the fairy's menaces, 
 in case of his disobedience, were ever present to his 
 mind, and prevented him from being happy; he 
 could think of nothing else. It was in vain endeav- 
 ouring to amuse himself ; he became thoughtful, and 
 would arise at the first dawn of day, and view the 
 bean-stalk for hours together. His mother saw 
 that something preyed heavily upon his mind, and 
 endeavoured to discover the cause; but Jack knew 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 251 
 
 too well what the consequence would be, should she 
 succeed. He did his utmost, therefore, to conquer 
 the great desire he had for another journey up the 
 bean-stalk. Finding, however, that his inclination 
 grew too powerful for him, he began to make secret 
 preparations for his journey, and on the longest 
 day, arose as soon as it was light, ascended the bean- 
 stalk, and reached the top with some little trouble. 
 He found the road, journey, etc., much as it was on 
 the two former times ; he arrived at the giant's man- 
 sion in the evening, and found his wife standing, as 
 usual, at the door. Jack had disguised himself so 
 completely, that she did not appear to have the 
 least recollection of him ; however, when he pleaded 
 hunger and poverty, in order to gain admittance, he 
 found it very difficult to persuade her. At last he 
 prevailed, and was concealed in the copper. When 
 the giant returned, he said, " I smell fresh meat! " 
 But Jack felt quite composed, as he had said so 
 before, and had been soon satisfied. However, the 
 giant started up suddenly, and, notwithstanding all 
 his wife could say, he searched all round the room. 
 Whilst this was going forward, Jack was exceed- 
 ingly terrified, and ready to die with fear, wishing 
 himself at home a thousand times ; but when the 
 giant approached the copper, and put his hand upon 
 the lid, Jack thought his death was certain. The 
 giant ended his search there, without moving the 
 lid, and seated himself quietly by the fireside. This 
 fright nearly overcame poor Jack ; he was afraid of 
 moving or even breathing, lest he should be dis- 
 covered. The giant at last ate a hearty supper. 
 When he had finished, he commanded his wife to 
 
252 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 fetch down his harp. Jack peeped under the cop- 
 per-lid, and soon saw the most beautiful harp that 
 could be imagined: it was placed by the giant on 
 the table, who said, " Play ! " and it instantly played 
 of its own accord, without being touched. The 
 music was uncommonly fine. Jack was delighted, 
 and felt more anxious to get the harp into his pos- 
 session, than either of the former treasures. The 
 giant's soul was not attuned to harmony, and the 
 music soon lulled him into a sound sleep. Now, 
 therefore, was the time to carry off the harp, as the 
 giant appeared to be in a more profound sleep than 
 usual. Jack soon determined, got out of the cop- 
 per, and seized the harp. The harp was enchanted 
 by a fairy : it called out loudly : " Master ! master ! " 
 The giant awoke, stood up, and tried to pursue 
 Jack; but he had drank so much, that he could 
 hardly stand. Poor Jack ran as fast as he could. 
 In a little time the giant recovered sufficiently to 
 walk slowly, or rather, to reel after him. Had he 
 been sober, he must have overtaken Jack instantly; 
 but, as he then was, Jack contrived to be first at the 
 top of the bean-stalk. The giant called after him 
 in a voice like thunder, and sometimes was very 
 near him. The moment Jack got down the bean- 
 stalk he called out for a hatchet ; one was brought 
 him directly ; just at that instant, the giant was be- 
 ginning to descend ; but Jack, with his hatchet, cut 
 the bean-stalk close off at the root, which made the 
 giant fall headlong into the garden: the fall killed 
 him, thereby releasing the world from a barbarous 
 enemy. Jack's mother was delighted when she saw 
 the bean-stalk destroyed. At this instant the fairy 
 
Jack and the Bean-Stalk 253 
 
 appeared : she first addressed Jack's mother and ex- 
 plained every circumstance relating to the journeys 
 up the bean-stalk. The fairy charged Jack to be 
 dutiful to his mother, and to follow his father's good 
 example, which was the only way to be happy. She 
 then disappeared. Jack heartily begged his mother's 
 pardon for all the sorrow and affliction he had 
 caused her, promising most faithfully to be very 
 dutiful and obedient to her for the future. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 JACK THE GIANT KILLER 
 
 In the reign of the famous King Arthur, there 
 lived near the Land's End of England, in the county 
 of Cornwall, a worthy farmer, who had an only 
 son named Jack. Jack was a boy of a bold temper ; 
 he took pleasure in hearing or reading stories of 
 wizards, conjurers, giants, and fairies, and used to 
 listen eagerly while his father talked of the great 
 deeds of the brave knights of King Arthur's Round 
 Table- When Jack was sent to take care of the 
 sheep and oxen in the fields, he used to amuse him- 
 self with planning battles, sieges, and the means to 
 conquer or surprise a foe. He was above the com- 
 mon sports of children ; but hardly any one could 
 equal him at wrestling; or, if he met with a match 
 for himself in strength, his skill and address always 
 made him the victor. In those days there lived on 
 St. Michael's Mount of Cornwall, which rises out 
 of the sea at some distance from the main land, a 
 huge giant. He was eighteen feet high, and three 
 yards round ; and his fierce and savage looks were 
 the terror of all his neighbours. He dwelt in a 
 gloomy cavern on the very top of the mountain, and 
 used to wade over to the main land in search of his 
 prey. When he came near, the people left their 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 255 
 
 houses ; and after he had glutted his appetite upon 
 their cattle, he would throw half-a-dozen oxen upon 
 his back, and tie three times as many sheep and hogs 
 round his waist, and so march back to his own abode. 
 The giant had done this for many years, and the 
 coast of Cornwall was greatly hurt by his thefts, 
 when Jack boldly resolved to destroy him. He there- 
 fore took a horn, a shovel, pickaxe, and a dark lan- 
 tern, and early in a long winter's evening he swam 
 to the mount. There he fell to work at once, and 
 before morning he had dug a pit twenty-two feet 
 deep, and almost as many broad. He covered it 
 over with sticks and straw, and strewed some of the 
 earth over them, to make it look just like solid 
 ground. He then put his horn to his mouth, and 
 blew such a loud and long tantivy, that the giant 
 awoke and came towards Jack, roaring like thunder : 
 " You saucy villain, you shall pay dearly for break- 
 ing my rest ; I will broil you for my breakfast." He 
 had scarcely spoken these words, when he came ad- 
 vancing one step farther ; but then he tumbled head- 
 long into the pit, and his fall shook the very moun- 
 tain. " O ho, Mr. Giant ! " said Jack, looking into 
 the pit, " have you found your way so soon to the 
 bottom ? How is your appetite now ? Will nothing 
 serve you for breakfast this cold morning but broil- 
 ing poor Jack ? " The giant now tried to rise, but 
 Jack struck him a blow on the crown of the head 
 with his pickaxe, which killed him at once. Jack 
 then made haste back to rejoice his friends with the 
 news of the giant's death. When the justices of 
 Cornwall heard of this valiant action, they sent for 
 Jack, and declared that he should always be called 
 
256 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Jack the Giant Killer; and they also gave him a 
 sword and belt, upon which was written in letters of 
 gold: 
 
 " This is the valiant Cornishman 
 Who slew the Giant Cormoran." 
 
 The news of Jack's exploits soon spread over the 
 western parts of England ; and another giant, called 
 Old Blunderbore, vowed to have revenge on Jack, 
 if it should ever be his fortune to get him into his 
 power. This giant kept an enchanted castle in the 
 midst of a lonely wood. About four months after 
 the death of Cormoran, as Jack was taking a journey 
 into Wales, he passed through this wood ; and as he 
 was very weary, he sat down to rest by the side of 
 a pleasant fountain, and there he fell into a deep 
 sleep. The giant came to the fountain for water 
 just at this time, and found Jack there; and as the 
 lines on Jack's belt showed who he was, the giant 
 lifted him up and laid him gently upon his shoulder 
 to carry him to his castle : but as he passed through 
 the thicket, the rustling of the leaves waked Jack; 
 and he was sadly afraid when he found himself in 
 the clutches of Blunderbore. Yet this was nothing 
 to his fright soon after ; for when they reached the 
 castle, he beheld the floor covered all over with the 
 skulls and bones of men and women. The giant 
 took him into a large room where lay the hearts and 
 limbs of persons who had been lately killed ; and he 
 told Jack, with a horrid grin, that men's hearts, 
 eaten with pepper and vinegar, were his nicest food ; 
 and also, that he thought he should make a dainty 
 meal on his heart. When he had said this, he locked 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 257 
 
 Jack up in that room, while he went to fetch an- 
 other giant who lived in the same wood, to enjoy 
 a dinner off Jack's flesh with him. While he was 
 away, Jack heard dreadful shrieks, groans, and cries, 
 from many parts of the castle ; and soon after he 
 heard a mournful voice repeat these lines: 
 
 " Haste, valiant stranger, haste away, 
 Lest you become the giant's prey. 
 On his return he'll bring another, 
 Still more savage than his brother : 
 A horrid, cruel monster, who, 
 Before he kills, will torture you. 
 Oh valiant stranger, haste away, 
 Or you'll become these giants' prey." 
 
 This warning was so shocking to poor Jack, that 
 he was ready to go mad. He ran to the window, 
 and saw the two giants coming along arm in arm. 
 This window was right over the gates of the castle. 
 " Now," thought Jack, " either my death or free- 
 dom is at hand." There were two strong cords in 
 the room : Jack made a large noose with a slip-knot 
 at the ends of both these, and as the giants were 
 coming through the gates, he threw the ropes over 
 their heads. He then made the other ends fast to 
 a beam in the ceiling, and pulled with all his might 
 till he had almost strangled them. When he saw 
 that they were both quite black in the face, and had 
 not the least strength left, he drew his sword, and 
 slid down the ropes ; he then killed the giants, and 
 thus saved himself from the cruel death they meant 
 to put him to. Jack next took a great bunch of keys 
 
258 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 from the pocket of Blunderbore, and went into the 
 castle again. He made a strict search through all 
 the rooms; and in them found three ladies tied up 
 by the hair of their heads, and almost starved to 
 death. They told him that their husbands had been, 
 killed by the giants, who had then condemned them 
 to be starved to death, because they would not eat 
 the flesh of their own dead husbands. " Ladies," 
 said Jack, " I have put an end to the monster and 
 his wicked brother; and I give you this castle and 
 all the riches it contains, to make you some amends 
 for the dreadful pains you have felt." He then very 
 politely gave them the keys of the castle, and went 
 further on his journey to Wales. As Jack had not 
 taken any of the giant's riches for himself, and so 
 had very little money of his own, he thought it best 
 to travel as fast as he could. At length he lost 
 his way, and when night came on he was in a lonely 
 valley between two lofty mountains, where he 
 walked about for some hours without seeing any 
 dwelling place, so he thought himself very lucky at 
 last, in finding a large and handsome house. 
 
 He went up to it boldly, and knocked loudly at 
 the gate, when, to his great terror and surprise, there 
 came forth a monstrous giant with two heads. He 
 spoke to Jack very civilly, for he was a We'sh giant, 
 and all the mischief he did was by private and secret 
 malice, under the show of friendship and kindness. 
 Jack told him that he was a traveller who had lost 
 his way, on which the huge monster made him wel- 
 come, and led him into a room, where there was a 
 good bed to pass the night in. Jack took off his 
 clothes quickly; but though he was so weary he 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 259 
 
 could not go to sleep. Soon after this he heard the 
 giant walking backward and forward in the next 
 room, and saying to himself : 
 
 " Though here you lodge with me this night, 
 You shall not see the morning light ; 
 My club shall dash your brains out quite." 
 
 " Say you so ? " thought Jack ; " are these your 
 tricks upon travellers ? But I hope to prove as cun- 
 ning as you." Then getting out of bed, he groped 
 about the room, and at last found a large thick billet 
 of wood ; he laid it in his own place in the bed, and 
 then hid himself in a dark corner of the room. In 
 the middle of the night the giant came with his 
 great club, and struck many heavy blows on the bed, 
 in the very place where Jack had laid the billet, and 
 then he went back to his own room, thinking he had 
 broken all his bones. Early in the morning, Jack 
 put a bold face upon the matter, and walked into 
 the giant's room to thank him for his lodgings. The 
 giant started when he saw him, and he began to 
 stammer out, " Oh, dear me ! Is it you ? Pray, how 
 did you sleep last night ?/' Did you hear or see any 
 thing in the dead of the night ? " " Nothing worth 
 speaking of," said Jack carelessly y ( a rat, I believe, 
 gave me three or four slaps with his. tail, and dis- 
 turbed me a little ; but I soon went to sleep again." 
 The giant wondered more and more at this ; yet he 
 did not answer a word, but went to bring two great 
 bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast. Jack 
 wished to make the giant believe that he could eat 
 as much as himself. So he contrived to button a 
 
260 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 leathern bag inside his coat, and slipped the hasty- 
 pudding into this bag, while he seemed to put it into 
 his mouth. When breakfast was over, he said to the 
 giant : " Now I will show you a fine trick ; I can cure 
 all wounds with a touch; I could cut off my head 
 one minute, and the next, put it sound again on my 
 shoulders : you shall see an example." He then took 
 hold of the knife, ripped up the leathern bag, and all 
 the hasty-pudding tumbled out upon the floor. 
 " Ods splutter hur nails," cried the Welsh giant, 
 who was ashamed to be outdone by such a little fel- 
 low as Jack, " hur can do that hurself." So he 
 snatched up the knife, plunged it into his stomach, 
 and in a moment dropped down dead. 
 
 As soon as Jack had thus tricked the Welsh mon- 
 ster, he went farther on his journey ; and a few days 
 after he met with King Arthur's only son, who had 
 got his father's leave to travel into Wales, to deliver 
 a beautiful lady from the power of a wicked magi- 
 cian, who held her in his enchantments. When 
 Jack found that the young prince had no servants 
 with him, he begged leave to attend him ; and the 
 prince at once agreed to this, and gave Jack many 
 thanks for his kindness. The prince was a hand- 
 some, polite, and brave knight, and so good-natured 
 that he gave money to every body he met. At length 
 he gave his last penny to an old woman, and then 
 turned to Jack, and said : " How shall we be able 
 to get food for ourselves the rest of our journey? " 
 ** Leave that to me sir," said Jack ; " I will provide 
 for my prince." Night now came on, and the prince 
 began to grow uneasy at thinking where they should 
 lodge. " Sir," said Jack, " be of good heart ; two 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 261 
 
 miles farther there lives a large giant, whom I know 
 well. He has three heads, and will fight five hundred 
 men, and make them fly before him." " Alas ! " re- 
 plied the king's son, " we had better never have been 
 born than meet with such a monster." " My lord, 
 leave me to manage him, and wait here in quiet till I 
 return." The prince now staid behind, while Jack 
 rode on full speed. And when he came to the gates 
 of the castle, he gave a loud knock. The giant, with 
 a voice like thunder, roared out: " Who is there?" 
 And Jack made answer, and said : " No one but 
 your poor cousin Jack." " Well," said the giant, 
 "what news, cousin Jack?" "Dear uncle," said 
 Jack, " I have some heavy news." " Pooh ! " said 
 the giant, " what heavy news can come to me ? I 
 am a giant with three heads ; and can fight five hun- 
 dred men, and make them fly before me." " Alas ! " 
 said Jack, " Here is the king's son, coming with two 
 thousand men, to kill you, and to destroy the castle 
 and all that you have." " Oh, cousin Jack," said the 
 giant, " This is heavy news indeed ! But I have a 
 large cellar under ground, where I will hide myself, 
 and you shall lock, and bar me in, and keep the keys 
 till the king's son is gone." 
 
 Now when Jack had made the giant fast in the 
 vault, he went back and fetched the prince to the 
 castle ; they both made themselves merry with the 
 wine and other dainties that were in the house. So 
 that night they rested very pleasantly, while the 
 poor giant lay trembling and shaking with fear in 
 the cellar under ground. Early in the morning, Jack 
 gave the king's son gold and silver out of the giant's 
 treasure, and set him three miles forward on his 
 
262 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 journey. He then went to let his uncle out of the 
 hole, who asked Jack what he should give him as a 
 reward for saving his castle. " Why, good uncle," 
 said Jack, " I desire nothing but the old coat and 
 cap, with the old rusty sword and slippers, which 
 are hanging at your bed's head." Then said the 
 giant: " You shall have them; and pray keep them 
 for my sake, for they are things of great use : the 
 coat will keep you invisible, the cap will give you 
 knowledge, the sword cut through anything, and the 
 shoes are of vast swiftness; these may be useful to 
 you in all times of danger, so take them with all my 
 heart." Jack gave many thanks to the giant, and 
 then set off to the prince. When he had come up 
 with the king's son, they soon arrived at the dwell- 
 ing of the beautiful lady, who was under the power 
 of a wicked magician. She received the prince very 
 politely, and made a noble feast for him ; and when it 
 was ended, she rose, and wiping her mouth with a 
 fine handkerchief, said : " My lord, you must submit 
 to the custom of my palace; to-morrow morning I 
 command you to tell me on whom I bestow this 
 handkerchief or lose your head." She then went 
 out of the room. The young prince went to bed 
 very mournful: but Jack put on his cap of knowl- 
 edge, which told him that the lady was forced, by the 
 power of enchantment, to meet the wicked magician 
 every night in the middle of the forest. Jack now 
 put on his coat of darkness, and his shoes of swift- 
 ness, and was there before her. When the lady 
 came, she gave the handkerchief to the magician. 
 Jack with his sword of sharpness, at one blow, cut 
 off his head; the enchantment was then ended in a 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 263 
 
 moment, and the lady was restored to her former 
 virtue and goodness. 
 
 She was married to the prince on the next day, 
 and soon after went back with her royal husband, 
 and a great company, to the court of King Arthur, 
 where they were received with loud and joyful wel- 
 comes ; and the valiant hero Jack, for the many great 
 exploits he had done for the good of his country, 
 was made one of the Knights of the Round Table. 
 As Jack had been so lucky in all his adventures, he 
 resolved not to be idle for the future, but still to 
 do what services he could for the honour of the king 
 and the nation. He therefore humbly begged his 
 majesty to furnish him with a horse and money, 
 that he might travel in search of new and strange 
 exploits. " For," said he to the king, " there are 
 many giants yet living in the remote parts of Wales, 
 to the great terror and distress of your majesty's 
 subjects; therefore if it please you, sire, to favour 
 me in my design, I will soon rid your kingdom of 
 these giants and monsters in human shape." Now 
 when the king heard this offer, and began to think 
 of the cruel deeds of these blood-thirsty giants and 
 savage monsters, he gave Jack every thing proper 
 for such a journey. After this Jack took leave of the 
 king, the prince, and all the knights, and set off; 
 taking with him his cap of knowledge, his sword of 
 sharpness, his shoes of swiftness, and his invisible 
 coat, the better to perform the great exploits that 
 might fall in his way. He went along over high hills 
 and lofty mountains, and on the third day he came 
 to a large wide forest, through which his road led. 
 He had hardly entered the forest, when on a sudden 
 
264 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knoiv 
 
 he heard very dreadful shrieks and cries. He forced 
 his way through the trees, and saw a monstrous 
 giant dragging along by the hair of their heads a 
 handsome knight and his beautiful lady. Their tears 
 and cries melted the heart of honest Jack to pity and 
 compassion; he alighted from his horse, and tying 
 him to an oak tree he put on his invisible coat, under 
 which he carried his sword of sharpness. 
 
 When he came up to the giant, he made several 
 strokes at him, but could not reach his body, on ac- 
 count of the enormous height of the terrible creature, 
 but he wounded his thighs in several places ; and at 
 length, putting both hands to his sword, and aim- 
 ing with all his might, he cut off both the giant's legs 
 just below the garter; and the trunk of his body 
 tumbling to the ground, made not only the trees 
 shake, but the earth itself tremble with the force of 
 his fall. Then Jack, setting his foot upon his neck, 
 exclaimed, " Thou barbarous and savage wretch, 
 behold I come to execute upon thee the just reward 
 for all thy crimes ; " and instantly plunged his sword 
 into the giant's body. The huge monster gave a 
 hideous groan, and yielded up his life into the hands 
 of the victorious Jack the Giant Killer, whilst the 
 noble knight and the virtuous lady were both joyful 
 spectators of his sudden death and their deliverance. 
 The courteous knight and his fair lady, not only re- 
 turned Jack hearty thanks for their deliverance, but 
 also invited him to their house, to refresh himself 
 after his dreadful encounter, as likewise to receive a 
 reward for his good services. " No," said Jack, " I 
 cannot be at ease till I find out the den that was the 
 monster's habitation." The knight on hearing this 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 265 
 
 grew very sorrowful, and replied, " Noble stranger, 
 it is too much to run a second hazard ; this monster 
 lived in a den under yonder mountain, with a brother 
 of his, more fierce and cruel than himself ; therefore, 
 if you should go thither, and perish in the attempt, 
 it would be a heart-breaking thing to me and my 
 lady ; so let me persuade you to go with us, and de- 
 sist from any farther pursuit." " Nay," answered 
 Jack, " if there be another, even if there were twenty, 
 I would shed the last drop of blood in my body be- 
 fore one of them should escape my fury. When I 
 have finished this task, I will come and pay my re- 
 spects to you." So when they had told him where to 
 find them again, he got on his horse and went after 
 the dead giant's brother. 
 
 Jack had not rode a mile and a half, before he 
 came in sight of the mouth of the cavern ; and nigh 
 the entrance of it, he saw the other giant sitting on a 
 huge block of fine timber, with a knotted iron club 
 lying by his side, waiting for his brother. His eyes 
 looked like flames of fire, his face was grim and ugly, 
 and his cheeks seemed like two flitches of bacon ; 
 the bristles of his beard seemed to be thick rods of 
 iron wire ; and his long locks of hair hung down 
 upon his broad shoulders like curling snakes. Jack 
 got down from his horse, and turned him into a 
 thicket ; then he put on his coat of darkness, and 
 drew a little nearer to behold this figure, and said 
 softly: " Oh, monster! are you there? It will not be 
 long before I shall take you fast by the beard." The 
 giant all this while, could not see him, by reason of 
 his invisible coat : so Jack came quite close to him, 
 and struck a blow at his head with his sword of 
 
266 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 sharpness, but he missed his aim, and only cut off 
 his nose, which made him roar like loud claps of 
 thunder. And though he rolled his glaring eyes 
 round on every side, he could not see who had given 
 him the blow ; yet he took up his iron club, and be- 
 gan to lay about him like one that was mad with pain 
 and fury. 
 
 " Nay," said Jack, " if this be the case I will kill 
 you at once." So saying, he slipped nimbly behind 
 him,, and jumping upon the block of timber, as the 
 giant rose from it, he stabbed him in the back ; when, 
 after a few howls, he dropped down dead. Jack 
 cut off his head, and sent it with the head of his 
 brother, whom he had killed before in the forest, to 
 King Arthur, by a wagon which he hired for that 
 purpose, with an account of all his exploits. When 
 Jack had thus killed these two monsters, he went 
 into their cave in search of their treasure : he passed 
 through many turnings and windings, which led him 
 to a room paved with freestone ; at the end of it was 
 a boiling caldron, and on the right hand stood a 
 large table where the giants used to dine. He then 
 came to a window that was secured with iron bars, 
 through which he saw a number of wretched cap- 
 tives, who cried out when they saw Jack, " Alas ! 
 alas ! young man, you are come to be one among us 
 in this horrid den." " I hope," said Jack, " you will 
 not stay here long; but pray tell me what is the 
 meaning of your being here at all ? " " Alas ! " said 
 one poor old man, " I will tell you, sir. We are 
 persons that have been taken by the giants who hold 
 this cave, and are kept till they choose to have a 
 feast, then one of us is to be killed, and cooked 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 267 
 
 to please their taste. It is not long since they took 
 three for the same purpose." " Well," said Jack, 
 " I have given them such a dinner that it will be 
 long enough before they have any more." The 
 captives were amazed at his words. " You may be- 
 lieve me," said Jack ; " for I have killed them both 
 with the edge of the sword, and have sent their large 
 heads to the court of King Arthur, as marks of my 
 great success." 
 
 To show them that what he said was true, he un- 
 locked the gate, and set them all free. Then he 
 led them to the great room, placed them round the 
 table, and set before them two quarters of beef, 
 with bread and wine ; upon which they feasted to 
 their fill. When supper was over, they searched the 
 giants' coffers, and Jack shared the store in them 
 among the captives, who thanked him for their es- 
 cape. The next morning they set off to their homes, 
 and Jack to the knight's house, whom he had left 
 with his lady not long before. It was just at the 
 time of sunrise that Jack mounted his horse to pro- 
 ceed on his journey. 
 
 He arrived at the knight's house, where he was 
 received with the greatest joy by the thankful knight 
 and his lady, who, in honour of Jack's exploits, gave 
 a grand feast, to which all the nobles and gentry 
 were invited. When the company were assembled, 
 the knight declared to them the great actions of 
 Jack, and gave him, as a mark of respect, a fine 
 ring, on which was engraved the picture of the giant 
 dragging the knight and the lady by the hair, with 
 this motto round it: 
 
268 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 
 
 " Behold, in dire distress were we, 
 Under a giant's fierce command ; 
 But gained our lives and liberty, 
 
 From valiant Jack's victorious hand." 
 
 Among the guests then present were five aged 
 gentlemen, who were fathers to some of those cap- 
 tives who had been freed by Jack from the dungeon 
 of the giants. As soon as they heard that he was the 
 person who had done such wonders, they pressed 
 round him with tears of joy, to return him thanks 
 for the happiness he had caused to them. After this 
 the bowl went round, and every one drank to the 
 health and long life of the gallant hero. Mirth in- 
 creased, and the hall was filled with peals of laugh- 
 ter and joyful cries. But, on a sudden, a herald, 
 pale and breathless with haste and terror, rushed 
 into the midst of the company, and told them that 
 Thundel, a savage giant with two heads, had heard 
 of the death of his two kinsmen, and was come to 
 take his revenge on Jack; and that he was now 
 within a mile of the house ; the people flying before 
 him like chaff before the wind. At this news the 
 very boldest of the guests trembled; but Jack drew 
 his sword, and said : " Let him come, I have a rod 
 for him also. Pray, ladies and gentlemen, do me the 
 favour to walk into the garden, and you shall soon 
 behold the giant's defeat and death." To this they 
 all agreed, and heartily wished him success in his 
 dangerous attempt. The knight's house stood in 
 the middle of a moat, thirty feet deep and twenty 
 wide, over which lay a drawbridge. Jack set men 
 to work, to cut the bridge on both sides, almost to 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 269 
 
 the middle ; and then dressed himself in his coat of 
 darkness, and went against the giant with his sword 
 of sharpness. As he came close to him, though the 
 giant could not see him, for his invisible coat, yet he 
 found some danger was near, which made him cry 
 out: 
 
 " Fa, fe, fi, fo, fum, 
 I smell the blood of an Englishman ; 
 Let him be alive, or let him be dead, 
 I'll grind his bones to make me bread." 
 
 " Say you so my friend ? " said Jack, " you are a 
 monstrous miller indeed." " Art thou," cried the 
 giant, " the villain that killed my kinsmen ? Then 
 I will tear thee with my teeth, and grind thy bones 
 to powder." " You must catch me first," said Jack ; 
 and throwing off his coat of darkness, and putting 
 on his shoes of swiftness, he began to run ; the giant 
 following him like a walking castle, making the 
 earth shake at every step. 
 
 Jack led him round and round the walls of the 
 house, that the company might see the monster ; and 
 to finish the work Jack ran over the drawbridge, 
 the giant going after him with his club. But when 
 the giant came to the middle, where the bridge had 
 been cut on both sides, the great weight of his body 
 made it break, and he tumbled into the water, and 
 rolled about like a large whale. Jack now stood by 
 the side of the moat, and laughed and jeered at 
 him, saying : " I think you told me, you would 
 grind my bones to powder. When will you begin ? " 
 The giant foamed at both his horrid mouths with 
 fury, and plunged from side to side of the moat; 
 
270 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 but he could not get 6ut to have revenge on his little 
 foe. At last Jack ordered a cart rope to be brought 
 to him. He then drew it over his two heads, and by 
 the help of a team of horses, dragged him to the 
 edge of the moat, where he cut off the monster's 
 heads ; and before he either eat or drank, he sent 
 them both to the court of King Arthur. He then 
 went back to the table with the company, and the 
 rest of the day was spent in mirth and good cheer. 
 After staying with the knight for some time, Jack 
 grew weary of such an idle life, and set out again in 
 search of new adventures. He went over the hills 
 and dales without meeting any, till he came to the 
 foot of a very high mountain. Here he knocked 
 at the door of a small and lonely house ; and an old 
 man, with a head as white as snow, let him in. 
 " Good father," said Jack, " can you lodge a traveller 
 who has lost his way ? " " Yes/' said the hermit, 
 " I can, if you will accept such fare as my poor 
 house affords." Jack entered, and the old man set 
 before him some bread and fruit for his supper. 
 When Jack had eaten as much as he chose, the her- 
 mit said, " My son, I know you are the famous con- 
 queror of giants ; now, on the top of this mountain 
 is an enchanted castle, kept by a giant named Galli- 
 gantus, who, by the help of a vile magician, gets 
 many knights into his castle, where he changes them 
 into the shape of beasts. Above all I lament the 
 hard fate of a duke's daughter, whom they seized 
 as she was walking in her father's garden, and 
 brought hither through the air in a chariot drawn by 
 two fiery dragons, and turned her into the shape of a 
 deer. Many knights have tried to destroy the en- 
 
Jack the Giant Killer 271 
 
 chantment, and deliver her ; yet none have been able 
 to do it, by reason of two fiery griffins who guard 
 the gate of the castle, and destroy all who come nigh. 
 But as you, my son, have an invisible coat, you may 
 pass by them without being seen ; and on the gates 
 of the castle, you will find engraved, by what means 
 the enchantment may be broken." 
 
 Jack promised, that in the morning, at the risk of 
 his life he would break the enchantment: and after 
 a sound sleep he arose early, put on his invisible 
 coat, and got ready for the attempt. When he had 
 climbed to the top of the mountain, he saw the two 
 fiery griffins ; but he passed between them without 
 the least fear of danger ; for they could not see him 
 because of his invisible coat. On the castle gate he 
 found a golden trumpet, under which were written 
 these lines : 
 
 " Whoever can this trumpet blow, 
 Shall cause the giant's overthrow." 
 
 As soon as Jack had read this, he seized the trum- 
 pet, and blew a shrill blast which made the gates 
 fly open and the very castle itself tremble. The 
 giant and the conjurer now knew that their wicked 
 course was at an end, and they stood biting their 
 thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack, with his sword 
 of sharpness, soon killed the giant. The magician 
 was then carried away by a whirlwind and every 
 knight and beautiful lady, who had been changed 
 into birds and beasts, returned to their proper shapes. 
 The castle vanished away like smoke and the head 
 of the giant Galligantus was sent to King Arthur. 
 
272 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 The knights and ladies rested that night at the old 
 man's hermitage, and next day they set out for the 
 court. Jack then went up to the king, and gave his 
 majesty an account of all his fierce battles. Jack's 
 fame had spread through the whole country ; and at 
 the king's desire, the duke gave him his daugh- 
 ter in marriage, to the joy of all the kingdom. After 
 this the king gave him a large estate; on which he 
 and his lady lived the rest of their days, in joy and 
 content. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 
 
 Once upon a time there lived in a village a coun- 
 try girl, who was the sweetest little creature that 
 ever was seen ; her mother naturally loved her with 
 excessive fondness, and her grandmother doted on 
 her still more. The good woman had made for her 
 a pretty little red-coloured hood, which so much be- 
 came the little girl, that every one called her Little 
 Red Riding Hood. 
 
 One day her mother having made some cheese- 
 cakes, said to her, " Go, my child, and see how your 
 grandmother does, for I hear she is ill ; carry her 
 some of these cakes, and a little pot of butter." 
 Little Red Riding Hood straight set out with a bas- 
 ket filled with the cakes and the pot of butter, for 
 her grandmother's house, which was in a village a 
 little way off the town that her mother lived in. As 
 she was crossing a wood, which lay in her road, she 
 met a large wolf, which had a great mind to eat her 
 up, but dared not, for fear of some wood-cutters, who 
 were at work near them in the forest. Yet he spoke 
 to her, and asked her whither she was going. The 
 little girl, who did not know the danger of talking 
 to a wolf, replied : " I am going to see my grand- 
 mamma, and carry these cakes and a pot of butter." 
 
274 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Does she live far off ? " said the wolf. " Oh yes ! " 
 answered Little Red Riding Hood ; " beyond the mill 
 you see yonder, at the first house in the village." 
 " Well," said the wolf, " I will take this way, and 
 you take that, and see which will be there the soon- 
 est." 
 
 The wolf set out full speed, running as fast as he 
 could, and taking the nearest way, while the little 
 girl took the longest ; and as she went along began 
 to gather nuts, run after butterflies, and make nose- 
 gays of such flowers as she found within her reach. 
 The wolf got to the dwelling of the grandmother 
 first, and knocked at the door. " Who is there ? " 
 said some voice in the house. " It is your grand- 
 child, Little Red Riding Hood," said the wolf, speak- 
 ing like the little girl as well as he could. " I have 
 brought you some cheesecakes, and a little pot of 
 butter, that mamma has sent you." The good old 
 woman, who was ill in bed, called out, " Pull the 
 bobbin, and the latch will go up." The wolf pulled 
 the bobbin, and the door went open. The wolf then 
 jumped upon the poor old grandmother, and ate her 
 up in a moment, for it was three days since he had 
 tasted any food. The wolf then shut the door, and 
 laid himself down in the bed, and waited for Little 
 Red Riding Hood, who very soon after reached the 
 house. Tap! tap! " Who is there ?" cried he. She 
 was at first a little afraid at hearing the gruff voice 
 of the wolf, but she thought that perhaps her grand- 
 mother had got a cold, so she answered : " It is your 
 grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood. Mamma has 
 sent you some cheesecakes, and a little pot of but- 
 ter." The -wolf cried out in a softer voice, " Pull 
 
Little Red Riding Hood 275 
 
 the bobbin, and the latch will go up." Little Red 
 Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door went 
 open. When she came into the room, the wolf hid 
 himself under the bedclothes, and said to her, try- 
 ing all he could to speak in a feeble voice : " Put the 
 basket on the stool, my dear, and take off your 
 clothes, and come into bed." Little Red Riding 
 Hood, who always used to do as she was told, 
 straight undressed herself, and stepped into bed; 
 but she thought it strange to see how her grand- 
 mother looked in her nightclothes, so she said to her : 
 " Dear me, grandmamma, what great arms you have 
 got ! " They are so much the better to hug you, my 
 child," replied the wolf. " But grandmamma," said 
 the little girl, " what great ears you have got ! " 
 " They are so much the better to hear you, my child," 
 replied the wolf. " But then, grandmamma, what 
 great eyes you have got ! " said the little girl. " They 
 are so much the better to see you, my child," replied 
 the wolf. " And grandmamma, what great teeth 
 you have got ! " said the little girl, who now began 
 to be rather afraid. " They are to eat you up," said 
 the wolf; and saying these words, the wicked crea- 
 ture fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her 
 up in a moment. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE THREE BEARS 
 
 In a far-off country there was once a little girl 
 who was called Silver-hair, because her curly hair 
 shone brightly. She was a sad romp, and so rest- 
 less that she could not be kept quiet at home, but 
 must needs run out and away, without leave. 
 
 One day she started off into a wood to gather 
 wild flowers, and into the fields to chase butterflies. 
 She ran here and she ran there, and went so far, 
 at last, that she found herself in a lonely place, where 
 she saw a snug little house, in which three bears 
 lived ; but they were not then at home. 
 
 The door was ajar, and Silver-hair pushed it open 
 and found the place to be quite empty, so she made 
 up her mind to go in boldly, and look all about the 
 place, little thinking what sort of people lived there. 
 
 Now the three bears had gone out to walk a little 
 before this. They were the Big Bear, and the Mid- 
 dle-sized Bear, and the Little Bear; but they had 
 left their porridge on the table to cool. So when 
 Silver-hair came into the kitchen, she saw the three 
 bowls of porridge. She tasted the largest bowl, 
 which belonged to the Big Bear, and found it too 
 cold; then she tasted the middle-sized bowl, which 
 belonged to the Middle-sized Bear, and found it too 
 hot; then she tasted the smallest bowl, which be- 
 
The Three Bears 277 
 
 longed to the Little Bear, and it was just right, and 
 she ate it all. 
 
 She went into the parlour, and there were three 
 chairs. She tried the biggest chair, which belonged 
 to the Big Bear, and found it too high ; then she 
 tried the middle-sized chair, which belonged to the 
 Middle-sized Bear, and she found it too broad ; then 
 she tried the little chair, which belonged to the Little 
 Bear, and found it just right, but she sat in it so 
 hard that she broke it. 
 
 Now Silver-hair was by this time very tired, 
 and she went upstairs to the chamber, and there she 
 found three beds. She tried the largest bed, which 
 belonged to the Big Bear, and found it too soft ; 
 then she tried the middle-sized bed, which belonged 
 to the Middle-sized Bear, and she found it too hard ; 
 then she tried the smallest bed, which belonged to the 
 Little Bear, and found it just right, so she lay down 
 upon it, and fell fast asleep. 
 
 While Silver-hair was lying fast asleep, the three 
 bears came home from their walk. They came into 
 the kitchen, to get their porridge, but when the Big 
 Bear went to his, he growled out : 
 
 "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN TASTING MY 
 PORRIDGE ! " 
 
 and the Middle-sized Bear looked into his bowl, and 
 said: 
 
 " Somebody has been tasting my porridge! " 
 and the Little Bear piped : 
 
 "Somebody has tasted my porridge and eaten it 
 all up!" 
 
 Then they went into the parlour, and the Big Bear 
 growled : 
 
278 Fairy l ales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MYj 
 CHAIR ! " 
 and the Middle-sized Bear said : 
 
 " Somebody has been sitting in my chair ! " 
 and the Little Bear piped : 
 
 "Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and 
 has broken it all to pieces!" 
 
 So they went up-stairs into the chamber, and the 
 Big Bear growled: 
 
 " SOMEBODY HAS BEEN TUMBLING MY 
 BED ! " 
 and the Middle-sized Bear said : 
 
 " Somebody has been tumbling my bed! " 
 and the little Bear piped : 
 
 " Somebody has been tumbling my bed, and here 
 she is!" 
 
 At that, Silver-hair woke in a fright, and jumped 
 out of the window and ran away as fast as her legs 
 could carry her, and never went near the Three 
 Bears' snug little house again. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA 
 
 There was once a prince who wanted to marry 
 a princess ; but she was to be a real princess. So he 
 travelled about, all through the world, to find a real 
 one, but everywhere there was something in the 
 way. There were princesses enough, but whether 
 they were real princesses he could not quite make 
 out: there was always something that did not seem 
 quite right. So he came home again, and was quite 
 sad : for he wished so much to have a real princess. 
 One evening a terrible storm came on. It lightened 
 and thundered, the rain streamed down ; it was 
 quite fearful! Then there was a knocking at the 
 town gate, and the old king went out to open it. 
 
 It was a princess who stood outside the gate. 
 But, mercy ! how she looked, from the rain and the 
 rough weather ! The water ran down from her hair 
 and her clothes ; it ran in at the points of her shoes, 
 and out at the heels; and yet she declared that she 
 was a real princess. 
 
 " Yes, we will soon find that out," thought the old 
 queen. But she said nothing, only went into the 
 bedchamber, took all the bedding off, and put a pea 
 on the flooring of the bedstead ; then she took twenty 
 mattresses and laid them upon the pea, and then 
 
280 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 twenty eider-down beds upon the mattresses. On 
 this the princess had to lie all night. In the morn- 
 ing she was asked how she had slept. 
 
 " Oh, miserably ! " said the princess. " I scarcely 
 closed my eyes all night long. Goodness knows what 
 was in my bed. I lay upon something hard, so that 
 I am black and blue all over. It is quite dreadful ! " 
 
 Now they saw that she was a real princess, for 
 through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider- 
 down beds she had felt the pea. No one but a real 
 princess could be so delicate. 
 
 So the prince took her for his wife, for now he 
 knew that he had a true princess ; and the pea was 
 put in the museum, and it is there now, unless some- 
 body has carried it off. 
 
 Look you, this is a true story. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE UGLY DUCKLING 
 
 It was so glorious out in the country ; it was sum- 
 mer ; the cornfields were yellow, the oats were green, 
 the hay had been put up in stacks in the green mead- 
 ows, and the stork went about on his long red legs, 
 and chattered Egyptian, for this was the language he 
 had learned from his good mother. All around the 
 fields and meadows were great forests, and in the 
 midst of these forests lay deep lakes. Yes, it was 
 right glorious out in the country. In the midst of 
 the sunshine there lay an old farm, with deep canals 
 about it, and from the wall down to the water grew 
 great burdocks, so high that little children could 
 stand upright under the loftiest of them. It was 
 just as wild there as in the deepest wood, and here 
 sat a Duck upon her nest; she had to hatch her 
 ducklings ; but she was almost tired out before the 
 little ones came and then she so seldom had visitors. 
 The other ducks liked better to swim about in the 
 canals than to run up to sit down under a burdock, 
 and cackle with her. 
 
 At last one egg-shell after another burst open. 
 " Piep ! piep ! " it cried, and in all the eggs there 
 were little creatures that stuck out their heads. 
 
 " Quack ! quack ! " they said ; and they all came 
 quacking out as fast as they could, looking all round 
 
282 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 them under the green leaves; and the mother let 
 them look as much as they chose, for green is good 
 for the eye. 
 
 " How wide the world is ! " said all the young 
 ones, for they certainly had much more room now 
 than when they were in the eggs. 
 
 "D'ye think this is all the world?" said the 
 mother. " That stretches far across the other side 
 of the garden, quite into the parson's field; but I 
 have never been there yet. I hope you are all to- 
 gether," and she stood up. " No, I have not all. 
 The largest egg still lies there. How long is that to 
 last? I am really tired of it." And she sat down 
 again. 
 
 " Well, how goes it ? " asked an old Duck who 
 had come to pay her a visit. 
 
 " It lasts a long time with that one egg," said the 
 Duck who sat there. " It will not burst. Now, only 
 look at the others ; are they not the prettiest little 
 ducks one could possibly see ? They are all like their 
 father. The rogue, he never comes to see me." 
 
 " Let me see the egg which will not burst," said 
 the old visitor. " You may be sure it is a turkey's 
 egg. I was once cheated in that way, and had much 
 anxiety and trouble with the young ones, for they 
 are afraid of the water. Must I say it to you, I 
 could not get them to venture in. I quacked and I 
 clacked, but it was no use. Let me see the egg. 
 Yes, that's a turkey's egg. Let it lie there, and 
 teach the other children to swim." 
 
 " I think I will sit on it a little longer," said the 
 Duck. " I've sat so long now that I can sit a few. 
 days more." 
 
The Ugly Duckling 283 
 
 " Just as you please," said the old Duck ; and she 
 went away. 
 
 At last the great egg burst. " Piep ! piep ! " said 
 the little one, and crept forth. It was very large and 
 very ugly. The Duck looked at it. 
 
 " It's a very large duckling," said she ; " none of 
 the others look like that. Can it really be a turkey 
 chick? Well, we shall soon find out. It must go 
 into the water, even if I have to thrust it in my- 
 self." 
 
 The next day it was bright, beautiful weather; 
 the sun shone on all the green trees. The Mother- 
 Duck went down to the canal with all her family. 
 Splash ! she jumped into the water. " Quack ! 
 quack ! " she said, and one duckling after another 
 plunged in. The water closed over their heads, but 
 they came up in an instant, and swam capitally; 
 their legs went of themselves, and they were all in 
 the water. The ugly gray Duckling swam with 
 them. 
 
 " No, it's not a turkey," said she ; " look how well 
 it can use its legs, and how straight it holds itself. 
 It is my own child ! On the whole it's quite pretty, 
 if one looks at it rightly. Quack ! quack ! come with 
 me, and I'll lead you out into the great world, and 
 present you in the duck-yard; but keep close to me, 
 so that no one may tread on you, and take care of 
 the cats ! " 
 
 And so they came into the duck-yard. There was 
 a terrible riot going on in there, for two families 
 were quarrelling about an eel's head, and the cat got 
 it after all. 
 
 " See, that's how it goes in the world ! " said the 
 
284 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knoiv 
 
 Mother-Duck; and she whetted her beak, for she 
 too wanted the eel's head. " Only use your legs," 
 she said. " See that you can bustle about, and bow 
 your heads before the old Duck yonder. She's the 
 grandest of all here ; she's of Spanish blood — that's 
 why she's so fat; and d'ye see? she has a red rag 
 round her leg ; that's something particularly fine, and 
 the greatest distinction a duck can enjoy ; it signifies 
 that one does not want to lose her, and that she's 
 to be known by the animals and by men too. Shake 
 yourselves — don't turn in your toes ; a well brought- 
 up duck turns its toes quite out, just like father and 
 mother — so ! Now bend your necks and say 
 ' Quack ! ' " 
 
 And they did so : but the other ducks round about 
 looked at them, and said quite boldly : 
 
 " Look there ! now we're to have these hanging 
 on, as if there were not enough of us already ! And 
 — fie ! — how that duckling yonder looks ; we won't 
 stand that ! " And one duck flew up at it, and bit it 
 in the neck. 
 
 " Let it alone," said the mother; " it does no harm 
 to any one." 
 
 " Yes, but it's too large and peculiar," said the 
 Duck who had bitten it ; " and therefore it must be 
 put down." 
 
 " Those are pretty children that the mother has 
 there," said the old Duck with the rag round her 
 leg. " They're all pretty but that one ; that was 
 rather unlucky. I wish she could bear it over again." 
 
 " That cannot be done, my lady," replied the 
 Mother-Duck. " It is not pretty, but it has a really 
 good disposition, and swims as well as any other; 
 
The Ugly Duckling 285 
 
 yes, I may even say it, swims better. I think it will 
 grow up pretty, and become smaller in time ; it has 
 lain too long in the egg, and therefore is not properly 
 shaped." And then she pinched it in the neck, and 
 smoothed its feathers. " Moreover, it is a drake," 
 she said, " and therefore it is not of so much conse- 
 quence. I think he will be very strong. He makes 
 his way already." 
 
 " The other ducklings are graceful enough," said 
 the old Duck. " Make yourself at home ; and if you 
 find an eel's head, you may bring it me." 
 
 And now they were at home. But the poor Duck- 
 ling which had crept last out of the egg, and looked 
 so ugly, was bitten and pushed and jeered, as much 
 by the ducks as by the chickens. 
 
 " It is too big ! " they all said. And the turkey- 
 cock, who had been born with spurs, and therefore 
 thought himself an emperor, blew himself up like a 
 ship in full sail, and bore straight down upon it ; then 
 he gobbled and grew quite red in the face. The poor 
 Duckling did not know where it should stand or 
 walk ; it was quite melancholy because it looked 
 ugly, and was the butt of the whole duck-yard. 
 
 So it went on the first day ; and afterwards it be- 
 came worse and worse. The poor Duckling was 
 hunted about by every one ; even its brothers and 
 sisters were quite angry with it, and said, " If the 
 cat would only catch you, you ugly creature ! " And 
 the mother said, "If you were only far away!" 
 And the ducks bit it, and the chickens beat it, and the 
 girl who had to feed the poultry kicked at it with her 
 foot. 
 
286 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 Then it ran and flew over the fence, and the little 
 birds in the bushes flew up in fear. -^ 
 
 " That is because I am so ugly ! " thought the 
 Duckling; and it shut its eyes, but flew on farther, 
 and so it came out into the great moor, where the 
 wild ducks lived. Here it lay the whole night long; 
 and it was weary and downcast. 
 
 Towards morning the wild ducks flew up, and 
 looked at their new companion. 
 
 " What sort of a one are you ? " they asked ; and 
 the Duckling turned in every direction, and bowed 
 as well as it could. " You are remarkably ugly ! " 
 said the Wild Ducks. " But that is nothing to us, 
 so long as you do not marry into our family." 
 
 Poor thing! it certainly did not think of marry- 
 ing, and only hoped to obtain leave to lie among the 
 reeds and drink some of the swamp water. 
 
 Thus it lay two whole days ; then came thither 
 two wild geese, or, property speaking, two wild 
 ganders. It was not long since each had crept out 
 of an egg, and that's why they were so saucy. 
 
 " Listen, comrade," said one of them. " You're 
 so ugly that I like you. Will you go with us, and 
 become a bird of passage? Near here, in another 
 moor, there are a few sweet lovely wild geese, all 
 unmarried, and all able to say ' Rap ! ' You've a 
 chance of making your fortune, ugly as you are." 
 
 " Piff ! paff ! " resounded through the air ; and the 
 two ganders fell down dead in the swamp, and the 
 water became blood red. " Piff ! paff ! " it sounded 
 again, and the whole flock of wild geese rose up 
 from the reeds. And then there was another report. 
 A great hunt was going on. The sportsmen were 
 
The Ugly Duckling 287 
 
 lying in wait all round the moor, and some were 
 even sitting up in the branches of the trees, which 
 spread far over the reeds. The blue smoke rose up 
 like clouds among the dark trees, and was wafted far 
 away across the water ; and the hunting dogs came — 
 splash, splash ! — into the swamp, and the rushes and 
 the reeds bent down on every side. That was a fright 
 for the poor Duckling! It turned its head, and put 
 it under its wing; but at that moment a frightful 
 great dog stood close by the Duckling. His tongue 
 hung far out of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed hor- 
 rible and ugly ; he thrust out his nose close against 
 the Duckling, showed his sharp teeth, and — splash, 
 splash ! — on he went, without seizing it. 
 
 " Oh, Heaven be thanked ! " sighed the Duckling. 
 " I am so ugly that even the dog does not like to bite 
 me!" 
 
 And so it lay quite quiet, while the shots rattled 
 through the reeds and gun after gun was fired. At 
 last, late in the day, all was still ; but the poor Duck- 
 ling did not dare to rise up ; it waited several hours 
 before it looked round, and then hastened away out 
 of the moor as fast as it could. It ran on over field 
 and meadow ; there was such a storm raging that 
 it was difficult to get from one place to another. 
 
 Towards evening the Duck came to a little misera- 
 ble peasant's hut. This hut was so dilapidated that 
 it did not itself know on which side it should fall; 
 and that's why it remained standing. The storm 
 whistled round the Duckling in such a way that the 
 poor creature was obliged to sit down, to stand 
 against it; and the wind blew worse and worse. 
 Then the Duckling noticed that one of the hinges 
 
288 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 of the door had given way, and the door hung so 
 slanting that the Duckling could slip through the 
 crack into the room ; and that is what it did. 
 
 Here lived a woman, with her Cat and her Hen. 
 And the Cat, whom she called Sonnie, could arch 
 his back and purr, he could even give out sparks; 
 but to make him do it one had to stroke his fur the 
 wrong way. The Hen had quite little, short legs, 
 and therefore she was called Chickabiddy Short- 
 shanks. She laid good eggs, and the woman loved 
 her like her own child. 
 
 In the morning the strange Duckling was at once 
 noticed, and the Cat began to purr and the Hen to 
 cluck. 
 
 " What's this ? " said the woman, and looked all 
 round ; but she could not see well, and therefore she 
 thought the Duckling was a fat duck that had 
 strayed. " This is a rare prize ! " she said. " Now 
 I shall have duck's eggs. I hope it is not a drake. 
 We must try that." 
 
 And so the Duckling was admitted on trial for 
 three weeks ; but no eggs came. And the Cat was 
 master of the House, and the Hen was the lady, and 
 always said, " We and the world ! " for she thought 
 they were half the world, and by far the better half. 
 
 The Duckling thought one might have a different 
 opinion, but the Hen would not allow it. 
 
 " Can you lay eggs? " she asked. 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Then will you hold your tongue ! " 
 
 And the Cat said, " Can you curve your back, and 
 purr, and give out sparks ? " 
 
 "No." " 
 
The Ugly Duckling 289 
 
 " Then you will please have no opinion of your 
 own when sensible folks are speaking." ^ 
 
 And the Duckling sat in a corner and was mel- 
 ancholy ; then the fresh air and the sunshine 
 streamed in ; and it was seized with such a strange 
 longing to swim on the water, that it could not hel 
 telling the Hen of it. 
 
 " What are you thinking of ? " cried the Hen. 
 " You have nothing to do, that's why you have these 
 fancies. Lay eggs, or purr, and they will pass over." 
 
 " But it is so charming to swim on the water ! " 
 said the Duckling, " so refreshing to let it close 
 above one's head, and to dive down to the bottom." 
 
 " Yes, that must be a mighty pleasure, truly," 
 quoth the Hen, " I fancy you must have gone crazy. 
 Ask the Cat about it — he's the cleverest animal I 
 know — ask him if he likes to swim on the water, or 
 to dive down — I won't speak about myself. Ask 
 our mistress, the old woman ; no one in the world is 
 cleverer than she. Do you think she has any de- 
 sire to swim, and to let the water close above her 
 head? " 
 
 " You don't understand me," said the Duckling. 
 
 " We don't understand you? Then pray who is to 
 understand you? You surely don't pretend to be 
 cleverer than the Cat and the woman — I won't say 
 anything of myself. Don't be conceited, child, and 
 thank your Maker for all the kindness you have re- 
 ceived. Did you not get into a warm room, and 
 have you not fallen into company from which you 
 may learn something? But you are a chatterer, and 
 it is not pleasant to associate with you. You may 
 believe me, I speak for your good. I tell you dis- 
 
 re I 
 
290 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 agreeable things, and by that one may always know 
 one's true friends ! Only take care that you learn to 
 lay eggs, or to purr, and give out sparks ! " 
 
 " I think I will go out into the wide world," said 
 Jthe Duckling. 
 
 " Yes, do go," replied the Hen. 
 
 And so the Duckling went away. It swam on the 
 water, and dived, but It was slighted by every 
 creature because of its ugliness. 
 
 Now came the autumn. The leaves in the forest 
 turned yellow and brown ; the wind caught them so 
 that they danced about, and up in the air it was very 
 Cold. The clouds hung low, heavy with hail and 
 snow-flakes, and on the fence stood the raven, cry- 
 ing, " Croak ! croak ! " for mere cold ; yes, it was 
 enough to make one feel cold to think of this. The 
 poor little Duckling certainly had not a good time. 
 One evening — the sun was just setting in his beauty 
 — there came a whole flock of great, handsome birds 
 out of the bushes. They were dazzlingly white, with 
 long, flexible necks — they were swans. They ut- 
 tered a very peculiar cry, spread forth their glorious 
 great wings, and flew away from that cold region 
 to warmer lands, to fair open lakes. They mounted 
 so high, so high ! and the ugly Duckling felt quite 
 strangely as it watched them. It turned round and 
 round in the water like a wheel, stretched out its 
 neck towards them, and uttered such a strange loud 
 cry as frightened itself. Oh ! it could not forget 
 those beautiful, happy birds ; and so soon as it could 
 see them no longer, it dived down to the very bottom, 
 and when it came up again it was quite beside itself. 
 It knew not the name of those birds, and knew not 
 
The Ugly Duckling 291 
 
 whither they were flying; but it loved them more 
 than it had ever loved any one. It was not at all 
 envious of them. How could it think of wishing to 
 possess such loveliness as they had ? It would have 
 been glad if only the ducks would have endured its 
 company — the poor, ugly creature! 
 
 And the winter grew cold, very cold ! The Duck- 
 ling was forced to swim about in the water, to pre- 
 vent the surface from freezing entirely; but every 
 night the hole in which it swam about became 
 smaller and smaller. It froze so hard that the icy 
 covering crackled again ; and the Duckling was 
 obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the 
 hole from freezing up. At last it became exhausted, 
 and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice. 
 
 Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when 
 he saw what had happened, he took his wooden 
 shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the 
 Duckling home to his wife. Then it came to itself 
 again. The children wanted to play with it ; but the 
 Duckling thought they wanted to hurt it, and in its 
 terror fluttered up into the milk-pan, so that the 
 milk spurted down into the room. The woman 
 clasped her hands, at which the Duckling flew down 
 into the butter-tub, and then into the meal-barrel and 
 out again. How it looked then! The woman 
 screamed, and struck at it with the fire-tongs; the 
 children tumbled over one another in their efforts to 
 catch the Duckling; and they laughed and they 
 screamed ! — well it was that the door stood open, and 
 the poor creature was able to slip out between the 
 shrubs into the newly-fallen snow — there it lay quite 
 exhausted. 
 
292 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 
 
 But it would be too melancholy if I were to tell all 
 the misery and care which the Duckling had to en- 
 dure in the hard winter. It lay out on the moor 
 among the reeds, when the sun began to shine again 
 and the larks to sing. It was a beautiful spring. 
 
 Then all at once the Duckling could flap its wings. 
 They beat the air more strongly than before, and 
 bore it strongly away; and before it well knew how 
 all this happened, it found itself in a great garden, 
 where the elder-trees smelt sweet, and bent their 
 long green branches down to the canal that wound 
 through the region. Oh, here it was so beautiful, 
 such a gladness of spring ! and from the thicket came 
 three glorious white swans ; they rustled their wings, 
 and swam lightly on the water. The Duckling knew 
 the splendid creatures, and felt, oppressed by a pe- 
 culiar sadness. 
 
 " I will fly away to them, to the royal birds, and 
 they will beat me, because I, that am so ugly, dare to 
 come near them. But it is all the same. Better to 
 be killed by them than to be pursued by ducks, and 
 beaten by fowls, and pushed about by the girl who 
 takes care of the poultry yard, and to suffer hunger 
 in winter ! " And it flew out into the water, and 
 swam towards the beautiful swans ; these looked at 
 it, and came sailing down upon it with outspread 
 wings. " Kill me ! " said the poor creature, and bent 
 its head down upon the water, expecting nothing but 
 death. But what was this that it saw in the clear 
 water ? It beheld its own image ; and, lo ! it was no 
 longer a clumsy dark-gray bird, ugly and hateful 
 to look at, but a — swan ! 
 
The Ugly Duckling 293 
 
 It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard 
 if one has only lain in a swan's egg. 
 
 It felt quite glad at all the need and misfortune 
 it had suffered, now it realised its happiness in all the 
 splendour that surrounded it. And the great swans 
 swam round it, and stroked it with their beaks. 
 
 Into the garden came little children, who threw 
 bread and corn into the water; and the youngest 
 cried, " There is a new one ! " and the other children 
 shouted joyously, " Yes, a new one has arrived ! " 
 And they clapped their hands and danced about, and 
 ran to their father and mother ; and bread and cake 
 were thrown into the water ; and they all said, " The 
 new one is the most beautiful of all ! so young and 
 handsome ! " and the old swans bowed their heads 
 before him. Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his 
 head under his wings, for he did not know what to 
 do ; he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He 
 thought how he had been persecuted and despised; 
 and now he heard them saying that he was the most 
 beautiful of all birds. Even the elder-tree bent its 
 branches straight down into the water before him, 
 and the sun shone warm and mild. Then his wings 
 rustled, he lifted his slender neck, and cried rejoic- 
 ingly from the depths of his heart : 
 
 " I never dreamed of so much happiness when I 
 was the Ugly Duckling ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE LIGHT PRINCESS 
 
 What! No Children ? 
 
 Once upon a time, so long ago that I have quite 
 forgotten the date, there lived a king and queen who 
 had no children. 
 
 And the king said to himself, " All the queens of 
 my acquaintance have children, some three, some 
 seven, and some as many as twelve; and my queen 
 has not one. I fell ill-used." So he made up his 
 mind to be cross with his wife about it. But she 
 bore it all like a good patient queen as she was. 
 Then the king grew very cross indeed. But the 
 queen pretended to take it all as a joke, and a very 
 good one too. 
 
 " Why don't you have any daughters, at least ? " 
 said he. " I don't say sons; that might be too much 
 to expect." 
 
 " I am sure, dear king, I am very sorry," said the 
 queen. 
 
 " So you ought to be," retorted the king ; " you 
 are not going to make a virtue of that, surely." 
 
The Light Princess 295 
 
 But he was not an ill-tempered king, and in any 
 matter of less moment would have let the queen 
 have her own way with all his heart. This, however, 
 was an affair of State. 
 
 The queen smiled. 
 
 " You must have patience with a lady, you know, 
 dear king," said she. 
 
 She was, indeed, a very nice queen, and heartily 
 sorry that she could not oblige the king immediately. 
 
 The king tried to have patience, but he succeeded 
 very badly. It was more than he deserved, therefore, 
 when, at last, the queen gave him a daughter — as 
 lovely a little princess as ever cried. 
 
 II 
 Won't I, Just? 
 
 The day drew near when the infant must He 
 christened. The king wrote all the invitations with 
 his own hand. Of course somebody was forgotten. 
 
 Now it does not generally matter if somebody is 
 forgotten, only you must mind who. Unfortunately, 
 the king forgot without intending to forget ; and so 
 the chance fell upon the Princess Makemnoit, which 
 was awkward. For the princess was the king's own 
 sister ; and he ought not to have forgotten her. But 
 she had made herself so disagreeable to the old king, 
 their father, that he had forgotten her in making 
 his will ; and so it was no wonder that her brother 
 forgot her in writing his invitations. But poor re- 
 lations don't do anything to keep you in mind of 
 
296 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 them. Why don't they? The king could not see 
 into the garret she lived in, could he ? 
 
 She was a sour, spiteful creature. The wrinkles 
 of contempt crossed the wrinkles of peevishness, and 
 made her face as full of wrinkles as a pat of butter. 
 If ever a king could be justified in forgetting any- 
 body, this king was justified in forgetting his sister, 
 even at a christening. She looked very odd, too. 
 Her forehead was as large as all the rest of her face, 
 and projected over it like a precipice. When she 
 was angry, her little eyes flashed blue. When she 
 hated anybody, they shone yellow and green. What 
 they looked like when she loved anybody, I do not 
 know ; for I never heard of her loving anybody but 
 herself, and I do not think she could have man- 
 aged that if she had not somehow got used to herself. 
 But what made it highly imprudent in the king to 
 forget her was — that she was awfully clever. In 
 fact, she was a witch ; and when she bewitched any- 
 body, he very soon had enough of it; for she beat 
 all the wicked fairies in wickedness, and all the 
 clever ones in cleverness. She despised all the modes 
 we read of in history, in which offended fairies and 
 witches have taken their revenges; and therefore, 
 after waiting and waiting in vain for an invitation, 
 she made up her mind at last to go without one, and 
 make the whole family miserable, like a princess as 
 she was. 
 
 So she put on her best gown, went to the palace, 
 was kindly received by the happy monarch, who for- 
 got that he had forgotten her, and took her place in 
 the procession to the royal chapel. When they were 
 all gathered about the font, she contrived to get next 
 
The Light Princess 297 
 
 to it, and throw something into the water; after 
 which she maintained a very respectful demeanour 
 till the water was applied to the child's face. But at 
 that moment she turned round in her place three 
 times, and muttered the following words, loud 
 enough for those beside her to hear : 
 
 " Light of spirit, by my charms, 
 Light of body, every part, 
 Never weary human arms — 
 Only crush thy parents' heart ! " 
 
 They all thought she had lost her wits, and was 
 repeating some foolish nursery rhyme ; but a shud- 
 der went through the whole of them notwithstand- 
 ing. The baby, on the contrary, began to laugh and 
 crow ; while the nurse gave a start and a smothered 
 cry, for, she thought she was struck with paralysis : 
 she could not feel the baby in her arms. But she 
 clasped it tight and said nothing. 
 
 The mischief was done. 
 
 Ill 
 
 She Can't Be Ours! 
 
 Her atrocious aunt had deprived the child of all 
 her gravity. If you ask me how this was effected, I 
 answer, " In the easiest way in the world. She 
 had only to destroy gravitation." For the princess 
 was a philosopher, and knew all the ins and outs of 
 the laws of gravitation as well as the ins and outs 
 of her boot-lace. And being a witch as well, she 
 
298 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 could abrogate those laws in a moment; or at least 
 so clog their wheels and rust their bearings that 
 they would not work at all. But we have more to do 
 with what followed than with how it was done. 
 
 The first awkwardness that resulted from this un- 
 happy privation was, that the moment the nurse be- 
 gan to float the baby up and down, she flew from 
 her arms towards the ceiling. Happily, the resist- 
 ance of the air brought her ascending career to a 
 close within a foot of it. There she remained, hori- 
 zontal as when she left her nurse's arms, kicking and 
 laughing amazingly. The nurse in terror flew to the 
 bell, and begged the footman, who answered it, to 
 bring up the house-steps directly. Trembling in 
 every limb, she climbed upon the steps, and had to 
 stand upon the very top, and reach up, before she 
 could catch the floating tail of the baby's long 
 clothes. 
 
 When the strange fact came to be known, there 
 was a terrible commotion in the palace. The occa- 
 sion of its discovery by the king was naturally a 
 repetition of the nurse's experience. Astonished that 
 he felt no weight when the child was laid in his 
 arms, he began to wave her up and — not down ; for 
 she slowly ascended to the ceiling as before, and 
 there remained floating in perfect comfort and satis- 
 faction, as was testified by her peals of tiny laughter. 
 The king stood staring up in speechless amazement, 
 and trembled so that his beard shook like grass in the 
 wind. At last, turning to the queen, who was just as 
 horror-struck as himself, he said, gasping, staring, 
 and stammering : 
 
 " She can't be ours, queen ! " 
 
The Light Princess 299 
 
 Now the queen was much cleverer than the king, 
 and had begun already to suspect that " this effect 
 defective came by cause." 
 
 " I am sure she is ours," answered she. " But we 
 ought to have taken better care of her at the christ- 
 ening. People who were never invited ought not to 
 have been present." 
 
 " Oh, ho ! " said the king, tapping his forehead 
 with his forefinger, " I have it all. I've found her 
 out. Don't you see it, queen ? Princess Makemnoit 
 has bewitched her." 
 
 " That's just what I say," answered the queen. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, my love ; I did not hear you. 
 John ! bring the steps I get on my throne with." 
 
 For he was a little king with a great throne, like 
 many other kings. 
 
 The throne-steps were brought, and set upon the 
 dining-table, and John got upon the top of them. 
 But he could not reach the little princess, who lay 
 like a baby-laughter-cloud in the air, exploding con- 
 tinuously. 
 
 "Take the tongs, John," said his Majesty; and 
 getting up on the table, he handed them to him. 
 
 John could reach the baby now, and the little 
 princess was handed down by the tongs. 
 
 IV 
 
 Where Is She? 
 
 One fine summer day, a month after these her 
 first adventures, during which time she had been 
 
300 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 very carefully watched, the princess was lying on 
 the bed in the queen's own chamber, fast asleep. 
 One of the windows was open, for it was noon, and 
 the day was so sultry that the little girl was wrapped 
 in nothing less ethereal than slumber itself. The 
 queen came into the room, and not observing that 
 the baby was on the bed, opened another window. 
 A frolicsome fairy wind, which had been watching 
 for a chance of mischief, rushed in at the one win- 
 dow, and taking its way over the bed where the 
 child was lying, caught her up, and rolling and float- 
 ing her along like a piece of flue, or a dandelion seed, 
 carried her with it through the opposite window, and 
 away. The queen went down-stairs, quite ignorant 
 of the loss she had herself occasioned. 
 
 When the nurse returned, she supposed that her 
 Majesty had carried her off, and, dreading a scold- 
 ing, delayed making inquiry about her. But hearing 
 nothing, she grew uneasy, and went at length to the 
 queen's boudoir, where she found her Majesty. 
 
 "Please, your Majesty, shall I take the baby?" 
 said she. 
 
 " Where is she ? " asked the queen. 
 
 " Please forgive me. I know it was wrong." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " said the queen, looking 
 grave. 
 
 " Oh ! don't frighten me, your Majesty ! " ex- 
 claimed the nurse, clasping her hands. 
 
 The queen saw that something was amiss, and fell 
 down in a faint. The nurse rushed about the palace, 
 screaming, " My baby ! my baby ! " 
 
 Every one ran to the queen's room. But the queen 
 could gyve no orders. They soon found out, how- 
 
The Light Princess 301 
 
 ever, that the princess was missing - , and in a moment 
 the palace was like a beehive in a garden ; and in one 
 minute more the queen was brought to herself by a 
 great shout and a clapping of hands. They had 
 found the princess fast asleep under a rose-bush, to 
 which the elfish little wind-puff had carried her, fin- 
 ishing its michief by shaking a shower of red rose- 
 leaves all over the little white sleeper. Startled by 
 the noise the servants made, she woke, and, furious 
 with glee, scattered the rose-leaves in all directions, 
 like a shower of spray in the sunset. 
 
 She was watched more carefully after this, no 
 doubt ; yet it would be endless to relate all the odd 
 incidents resulting from this peculiarity of the young 
 princess. But there never was a baby in a house, 
 not to say a palace, that kept the household in such 
 constant good humour, at least below-stairs. If it 
 was not easy for her nurses to hold her, at least she 
 made neither their arms nor their hearts ache. And 
 she was so nice to play at ball with ! There was 
 positively no danger of letting her fall. They might 
 throw her down, or knock her down, or push her 
 down, but they couldn't let her down. It is true, 
 they might let her fly into the fire or the coal-hole, 
 or through the window ; but none of these accidents 
 had happened as yet. If you heard peals of laughter 
 resounding from some unknown region, you might 
 be sure enough of the cause. Going down into the 
 kitchen, or the room, you would find Jane and 
 Thomas, and Robert and Susan, all and sum, play- 
 ing at ball with the little princess. She was the 
 ball herself, and did not enjoy it the less for that. 
 Away she went, flying from one to another, screech- 
 
302 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 ing with laughter. And the servants loved the baH 
 itself better even than the game. But they had to 
 take some care how they threw her, for if she re- 
 ceived an upward direction, she would never come 
 down again without being fetched. 
 
 V 
 What Is to Be Done? 
 
 But above-stairs it was different. One day, for 
 instance, after breakfast, the king went into his 
 counting-house, and counted out his money. 
 
 The operation gave him no pleasure. 
 
 " To think," said he to himself, " that every one of 
 these gold sovereigns weighs a quarter of an ounce, 
 and my real, live, flesh-and-blood princess weighs 
 nothing at all ! " * 
 
 And he hated his gold sovereigns, as they lay with 
 a broad smile of self-satisfaction all over their yel- 
 low faces. 
 
 The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and 
 honey. But at the second mouthful she burst out 
 crying, and could not swallow it. The king heard 
 her sobbing. Glad of anybody, but especially of his 
 queen, to quarrel with, he clashed his gold sovereigns 
 into his money-box, clapped his crown on his head, 
 and rushed into the parlour. 
 
 " What is all this about ? " exclaimed he. " What 
 are you crying for, queen ? " 
 
 " I can't eat it," said the queen, looking ruefully at 
 the honey-pot. 
 
The Light Princess 30^ 
 
 " No wonder ! " retorted the king. " You've just 
 eaten your breakfast — two turkey eggs, and three 
 anchovies." 
 
 " Oh, that's not it ! " sobbed her Majesty. " It's 
 my child, my child ! " 
 
 " Well, what's the matter with your child ? She's 
 neither up the chimney nor down the draw-well. 
 Just hear her laughing." 
 
 Yet the king could not help a sigh, which he tried 
 to turn into a cough, saying: 
 
 " It is a good thing to be light-hearted, I am sure, 
 whether she be ours or not." 
 
 " It is a bad thing to be light-headed," answered 
 the queen, looking with prophetic soul far into the 
 future. 
 
 " 'T is a good thing to be light-handed," said the 
 king. 
 
 " 'T is a bad thing to be light-fingered," answered 
 the queen. 
 
 " T is a good thing to be light-footed," said the 
 king. 
 
 " 'T is a bad thing — " began the queen ; but the 
 king interrupted her. 
 
 " In fact," said he, with the tone of one who con- 
 cludes an argument in which he has had only imag- 
 inary opponents, and in which, therefore, he has 
 come off triumphant — " in fact, it is a good thing 
 altogether to be light-bodied." 
 
 " But it is a bad thing altogether to be light- 
 minded," retorted the queen, who was beginning to 
 lose her temper. 
 
 This last answer quite discomfited his Majesty, 
 who turned on his heel, and betook himself to his 
 
304 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 counting-house again. But he was not half-way 
 towards it, when the voice of his queen overtook 
 him. 
 
 " And it's a bad thing to be light-haired," 
 screamed she, determined to have more last words, 
 now that her spirit was roused. 
 
 The queen's hair was black as night; and the 
 king's had been, and his daughter's was, golden as 
 morning. But it was not this reflection on his hair 
 that arrested him ; it was the double use of the word 
 light. For the king hated all witticisms, and pun- 
 ning especially. And besides, he could not tell 
 whether the queen meant light-haired or light- 
 heired; for why might she not aspirate her vowels 
 when she was exasperated herself ? 
 
 He turned upon his other heel, and rejoined her. 
 She looked angry still, because she knew that she 
 was guilty, or, what was much the same, knew that 
 he thought so. 
 
 " My dear queen," said he, " duplicity of any sort 
 is exceedingly objectionable between married people 
 of any rank, not to say kings and queens; and the 
 most objectionable form duplicity can assume is that 
 of punning." 
 
 " There! " said the queen, " I never made a jest, 
 but I broke it in the making. I am the most un- 
 fortunate woman in the world ! " 
 
 She looked so rueful that the king took her in his 
 arms ; and they sat down to consult. 
 
 " Can you bear this ? " said the king. 
 
 " No, I can't," said the queen. 
 
 '" Well, what's to be done ? " said the king. 
 
The Light Princess 305' 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know," said the queen. " But 
 might you not try an apology ? " 
 
 " To my old sister, I suppose you mean ? " said the 
 king. 
 
 " Yes," said the queen. 
 
 " Well, I don't mind," said the king. 
 
 So he went the next morning to the house of the 
 princess, and, making a very humble apology, 
 begged her to undo the spell. But the princess de- 
 clared, with a grave face, that she knew nothing at 
 all about it. Her eyes, however, shone pink, which 
 was a sign that she was happy. She advised the 
 king and queen to have patience, and to mend their 
 ways. The king returned disconsolate. The queen 
 tried to comfort him. 
 
 " We will wait till she is older. She may then 
 be able to suggest something herself. She will know 
 at least how she feels, and explain things to us." 
 
 " But what if she should marry ? " exclaimed the 
 king, in sudden consternation at the idea. 
 
 " Well, what of that? " rejoined the queen. 
 
 " Just think ! If she were to have children ! In 
 the course of a hundred years the air might be as 
 full of floating children as of gossamers in autumn." 
 
 " That is no business of ours," replied the queem 
 " Besides, by that time they will have learned to take 
 care of themselves." 
 
 A sigh was the king's only answer. 
 
 He would have consulted the court physicians; 
 but he was afraid they would try experiments upon 
 her. 
 
306 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 VI 
 
 She Lauglts Too Much 
 
 Meantime, notwithstanding awkward occurrences, 
 and griefs that she brought upon her parents, the 
 little princess laughed and grew — not fat, but plump 
 and tall. She reached the age of seventeen, without 
 having fallen into any worse scrape than a chimney ; 
 by rescuing her from which, a little bird-nesting 
 urchin got fame and a black face. Nor, thoughtless 
 as she was, had she committed anything worse than 
 laughter at everybody and everything that came in 
 her way. When she was told, for the sake of experi- 
 ment, that General Qanrunfort was cut to pieces with 
 all his troops, she laughed ; when she heard that the 
 enemy was on his way to besiege her father's capital, 
 she laughed hugely ; but when she was told that the 
 city would certainly be abandoned to the mercy of 
 the enemy's soldiery — why, then she laughed im- 
 moderately. She never could be brought to see the 
 serious side of anything. When her mother cried, 
 she said : 
 
 " What queer faces mamma makes ! And she 
 squeezes water out of her cheeks ! Funny mamma ! " 
 
 And when her papa stormed at her, she laughed, 
 and danced round and round him, clapping her 
 hands, and crying: 
 
 " Do it again, papa. Do it again! It's such fun! 
 Dear, funny papa ! " 
 
 And if he tried to catch her, she glided from him 
 in an instant, not in the least afraid of him, but 
 
The Light Princess 307 
 
 thinking it part of the game not to be caught. With 
 one push of her foot, she would be floating in the air 
 above his head ; or she would go dancing backwards 
 and forwards and sideways, like a great butterfly. 
 It happened several times, when her father and 
 mother were holding a consultation about her in pri- 
 vate, that they were interrupted by vainly repressed 
 outbursts of laughter over their heads ; and look- 
 ing up with indignation, saw her floating at full 
 length in the air above them, whence she regarded 
 them with the most comical appreciation of the posi- 
 tion. 
 
 One day an awkward accident happened. The 
 princess had come out upon the lawn with one of 
 her attendants, who held her by the hand. Spying 
 her father at the other side of the lawn, she snatched 
 her hand from the maid's, and sped across to him. 
 Now when she wanted to run alone, her custom was 
 to catch up a stone in each hand, so that she might 
 Come down again after a bound. Whatever she 
 wore as part of her attire had no effect in this way. 
 Even gold, when it thus became as it were a part 
 of herself, lost all its weight for the time. But 
 whatever she only held in her hands retained its 
 downward tendency. On this occasion she could 
 see nothing to catch up but a huge toad, that was 
 walking across the lawn as if he had a hundred 
 years to do it in. Not knowing what disgust meant, 
 for this was one of her peculiarities, she snatched 
 up the toad and bounded away. She had almost 
 reached her father, and he was holding out his arms 
 to receive her, and take from her lips the kiss which 
 hovered on them like a butterfly on a rosebud, when 
 
308 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 a puff of wind blew her aside into the arms of a 
 young page, who had just been receiving a message 
 from his Majesty. Now it was no great peculiarity 
 in the princess that, once she was set agoing, it al- 
 ways cost her time and trouble to check herself. On 
 this occasion there was no time. She must kiss — > 
 and she kissed the page. She did not mind it much ; 
 for she had no shyness in her composition "; and she 
 knew, besides, that she could not help it. So she 
 only laughed, like a musical box. The poor page 
 fared the worst. For the princess, trying to correct 
 the unfortunate tendency of the kiss, put out her 
 hands to keep off the page ; so that, along with the 
 kiss, he received, on the other cheek, a slap with the 
 huge black toad, which she poked right into his eye. 
 He tried to laugh, too, but the attempt resulted in 
 such an odd contortion of countenance, as showed 
 that there was no danger of his pluming himself 
 on the kiss. As for the king, his dignity was greatly 
 hurt, and he did not speak to the page for a whole 
 month. 
 
 I may here remark that it was very amusing to see 
 her run, if her mode of progression could properly 
 be called running. For first she would make a 
 bound ; then, having alighted, she would run a few 
 steps, and make another bound. Sometimes she 
 would fancy she had reached the ground before she 
 actually had, and her feet would go backwards and 
 forwards, running upon nothing at all, like those of 
 a chicken on its back. Then she would laugh like 
 the very spirit of fun; only in her laugh there was 
 something missing. What it was, I find myself un- 
 able to describe. I think it was a certain tone, de- 
 
The Liglit Princess 309. 
 
 pending upon the possibility of sorrow — morbidezza, 
 perhaps. She never smiled. 
 
 VII 
 
 Try Metaphysics 
 
 After a long avoidance of the painful subject,, 
 the king and queen resolved to hold a council of 
 three upon it ; and so they sent for the princess. In 
 she came, sliding and flitting and gliding from one 
 piece of furniture to another, and put herself at 
 last in an arm-chair, in a sitting posture. Whether 
 she could be said to sit, seeing she received no sup- 
 port from the seat of the chair, I do not pretend to 
 determine. 
 
 " My dear child," said the king, " you must be 
 aware by this time that you are not exactly like other 
 people." 
 
 " Oh, you dear funny papa! I have got a nose, 
 and two eyes, and all the rest. So have you. So 
 has mamma." 
 
 " Now be serious, my dear, for once," said the 
 queen. 
 
 " No, thank you, mamma ; I had rather not." 
 
 " Would you not like to be able to walk like 
 other people?" said the king. 
 
 " No indeed, I should think not. You only crawl. 
 You are such slow coaches ! " 
 
 " How do you feel, my child ? " he resumed, after 
 a pause of discomfiture. 
 
 " Quite well, thank you." 
 
310 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " I mean, what do you feel like ? " 
 
 " Like nothing at all, that I know of." 
 
 " You must feel like something." 
 
 " I feel like a princess with such a funny papa, 
 and such a dear pet of a queen-mamma ! " 
 
 " Now really ! " began the queen ; but the princess 
 interrupted her. 
 
 " Oh, yes," she added, " I remember. I have a 
 curious feeling sometimes, as if I were the only 
 person that had any sense in the whole world." 
 
 She had been trying to behave herself with dig- 
 nity ; but now she burst into a violent fit of laughter, 
 threw herself backwards over the chair, and went 
 rolling about the floor in an ecstasy of enjoyment. 
 The king picked her up easier than one does a down 
 quilt, and replaced her in her former relation to the 
 chair. The exact preposition expressing this rela- 
 tion I do not happen to know. 
 
 " Is there nothing you wish for ? " resumed the 
 king, who had learned by this time that it was use- 
 less to be angry with her. 
 
 " Oh, you dear papa ! — yes," answered she. 
 
 " What is it, my darling? " 
 
 " I have been longing for it — oh, such a time ! — 
 ever since last night." 
 
 " Tell me what it is." 
 
 " Will you promise to let me have it ? " 
 
 The king was on the point of saying yes, but the 
 wiser queen checked him with a single motion of her 
 head. 
 
 " Tell me what it is first," said he. 
 
 " No, no. Promise first." 
 
 "I dare not. What is it?" 
 
The Light Princess 311 
 
 " Mind, I hold you to your promise. It is — to be 
 tied to the end of a string — a very long string in- 
 deed, and be flown like a kite. Oh, such fun ! I 
 would rain rose-water, and hail sugar-plums, and 
 snow whipped-cream, and — and — and — " 
 
 A fit of laughing checked her ; and she would 
 have been off again over the floor, had not the king 
 started up and caught her just in time. Seeing that 
 nothing but talk could be got out of her, he rang 
 the bell, and sent her away with two of her ladies-in- 
 waiting. 
 
 " Now, queen," he said, turning to her Majesty, 
 " what is to be done ? " 
 
 " There is but one thing left," answered she. 
 " Let us consult the college of Metaphysicians." 
 
 " Bravo! " cried the king; " we will." 
 
 Now at the head of this college were two very 
 wise Chinese philosophers — by name Hum-Drum, 
 and Kopy-Keck. For them the king sent; and 
 straightway they came. In a long speech he com- 
 municated to them what they knew very well al- 
 ready — as who did not? — namely, the peculiar con- 
 dition of his daughter in relation to the globe on 
 which she dwelt ; and requested them to consult to- 
 gether as to what might be the cause and probable 
 cure of her infirmity. The king laid stress upon 
 the word, but failed to discover his own pun. The 
 queen laughed ; but Hum-Drum and Kopy-Keck 
 heard with humility and retired in silence. 
 
 Their consultation consisted chiefly in propound- 
 ing and supporting, for the thousandth time, each 
 his favourite theories. For the condition of the 
 princess afforded delightful scope for the discussion 
 
312 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 of every question arising from the division of 
 thought — in fact, of all the Metaphysics of the Chi- 
 nese Empire. But it is only justice to say that they 
 did not altogether neglect the discussion of the 
 practical question, what was to be done. 
 
 Hum-Drum was a Materialist, and Kopy-Keck 
 was a Spiritualist. The former was slow and sen- 
 tentious ; the latter was quick and flighty ; the latter 
 had generally the first word ; the former the last. 
 
 " I reassert my former assertion," began Kopy- 
 Keck, with a plunge. " There is not a fault in the 
 princess, body or soul ; only they are wrong put to- 
 gether. Listen to me now, Hum-Drum, and I will 
 tell you in brief what I think. Don't speak. Don't 
 answer me. I zvon't hear you till I have done. At 
 that decisive moment, when souls seek their ap- 
 pointed habitations, two eager souls met, struck, re- 
 bounded, lost their way, and arrived each at the 
 wrong place. The soul of the princess was one of 
 those, and she went far astray. She does not be- 
 long by rights to this world at all, but to some other 
 planet, probably Mercury. Her proclivity to her 
 true sphere destroys all the natural influence which 
 this orb would otherwise possess over her corporeal 
 frame. She cares for nothing here. There is no 
 relation between her and this world. 
 
 " She must therefore be taught, by the sternest 
 compulsion, to take an interest in the earth as the 
 earth. She must study every department of its his- 
 tory — its animal history, its vegetable history, its 
 mineral history, its social history, its moral history, 
 its political history, its scientific history, its literary 
 history, its musical history, its artistical history, 
 
The Light Princess 313 
 
 above all, its metaphysical history. She must begin 
 with the Chinese dynasty and end with Japan. But 
 first of all she must study geology, and especially 
 the history of the extinct races of animals — their 
 natures, their habits, their loves, their hates, their 
 revenges. She must " 
 
 " Hold, h-o-o-old ! " roared Hum-Drum. " It is 
 certainly my turn now. My rooted and insubverti- 
 ble conviction is, that the causes of the anomalies 
 evident in the princess's condition are strictly and 
 solely physical. But that is only tantamount to ac- 
 knowledging that they exist. Hear my opinion. 
 From some cause or other, of no importance to our 
 inquiry, the motion of her heart has been reversed. 
 That remarkable combination of the suction and the 
 force-pump works the wrong way — I mean in the 
 case of the unfortunate princess, it draws in where 
 it should force out, and forces out where it should 
 draw in. The offices of the auricles and the ventri- 
 cles are subverted. The blood is sent forth by the 
 veins, and returns by the arteries. Consequently it 
 is running the wrong way through all her corporeal 
 organism — lungs and all. Is it then at all mysteri- 
 ous, seeing that such is the case, that on the other 
 particular of gravitation as well, she should differ 
 from normal humanity? My proposal for the cure 
 is this : 
 
 " Phlebotomise until she is reduced to the last 
 point of safety. Let it be effected, if necessary, in 
 a warm bath. When she is reduced to a state of 
 perfect asphyxy, apply a ligature to the left ankle, 
 drawing it as tight as the bone will bear. Apply, 
 at the same moment, another of equal tension around 
 
314 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 the right wrist. By means of plates constructed for 
 the purpose, place the other foot and hand under 
 the receivers of two air-pumps. Exhaust the re- 
 ceivers. Exhibit a pint of French brandy, and await 
 the result." 
 
 " Which would presently arrive in the form of 
 grim Death," said Kopy-Keck. 
 
 " If it should, she would yet die in doing our 
 duty," retorted Hum-Drum. 
 
 But their Majesties had too much tenderness for 
 their volatile offspring to subject her to either of the 
 schemes of the equally unscrupulous philosophers. 
 Indeed, the most complete knowledge of the laws 
 of nature would have been unserviceable in her case ; 
 for it was impossible to classify her. She was a 
 fifth imponderable body, sharing all the other prop- 
 erties of the ponderable. 
 
 VIII 
 
 Try a Drop of Water 
 
 Perhaps the best thing for the princess would 
 have been to fall in love. But how a princess who 
 had no gravity could fall into anything is a diffi- 
 culty — perhaps the difficulty. As for her own feel- 
 ings on the subject, she did not even know that there 
 was such a beehive of honey and stings to be fallen 
 into. But now I come to mention another curious 
 fact about her. 
 
 The palace was built on the shores of the loveliest 
 lake in the world; and the princess loved this lake 
 
The Light Princess 315 
 
 more than father or mother. The root of this prefer- 
 ence no doubt, although the princess did not recog- 
 nise it as such, was, that the moment she got into it, 
 she recovered the natural right of which she had been 
 so wickedly deprived — namely, gravity. Whether 
 this was owing to the fact that water had been em- 
 ployed as the means of conveying the injury, I do 
 not know. But it is certain that she could swim and 
 dive Hke the duck that her old nurse said she was. 
 The manner in which this alleviation of her misfor- 
 tune was discovered was as follows : 
 
 One summer evening, during the carnival of the 
 country, she had been taken upon the lake by the 
 king and queen, in the royal barge. They were ac- 
 companied by many of the courtiers in a fleet of lit- 
 tle boats. In the middle of the lake she wanted to 
 get into the lord chancellor's barge, for his daughter, 
 who was a great favourite with her, was in it with 
 her father. Now though the old king rarely con- 
 descended to make light of his misfortune, yet, hap- 
 pening on this occasion to be in a particularly good 
 humour, as the barges approached each other, he 
 caught up the princess to throw her into the chan- 
 cellor's barge. He lost his balance, however, and, 
 dropping into the bottom of the barge, lost his hold 
 of his daughter ; not, however, before imparting to 
 her the downward tendency of his own person, 
 though in a somewhat different direction, for, as the 
 king fell into the boat, she fell into the water. With 
 a burst of delighted laughter she disappeared into 
 the lake. A cry of horror ascended from the boats. 
 They had never seen the princess go down before. 
 Half the men were under water in a moment; but 
 
316 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 they had all, one after another, come up to the sur- 
 face again for breath, when — tinkle, tinkle, babble, 
 and gush ! came the princess's laugh over the water 
 from far away. There she was, swimming like a 
 swan. Nor would she come out for king or queen, 
 chancellor or daughter. She was perfectly obstinate. 
 But at the same time she seemed more sedate than 
 usual. Perhaps that was because a great pleasure 
 spoils laughing. At all events, after this, the pas- 
 sion of her life was to get into the water, and she 
 was always the better behaved and the more beauti- 
 ful the more she had of it. Summer and winter it 
 was quite the same ; only she could not stay so long 
 in the water when they had to break the ice to let 
 her in. Any day, from morning to evening in sum- 
 mer, she might be descried — a streak of white in the 
 blue water — lying as still as the shadow of a cloud, 
 or shooting along like a dolphin ; disappearing, and 
 coming up again far off, just where one did not ex- 
 pect her. She would have been in the lake of a 
 night too, if she could have had her way ; for the 
 balcony of her window overhung a deep pool in it ; 
 and through a shallow reedy passage she could have 
 swum out into the wide wet water, and no one would 
 have been any the wiser. Indeed, when she hap- 
 pened to wake in the moonlight she could hardly 
 resist the temptation. But there was the sad diffi- 
 culty of getting into it. She had as great a dread 
 of the air as some children have of the water. For 
 the slightest gust of wind would blow her away; 
 3tfid a gust might arise in the stillest moment. And 
 if she gave herself a push towards the water and 
 just failed of reaching it, her situation would be 
 
The Light Princess 317 
 
 dreadfully awkward, irrespective of the wind ; for 
 at best there she would have to remain, suspended in 
 her night-gown, till she was seen and angled for by 
 somebody from the window. 
 
 " Oh ! if I had my gravity," thought she, contem- 
 plating the water, '' I would flash off this balcony 
 like a long white sea-bird, headlong into the darling 
 wetness. Heigh-ho ! " 
 
 This was the only consideration that made her 
 wish to be like other people. 
 
 Another reason for her being fond of the water 
 was that in it alone she enjoyed any freedom. For 
 she could not walk without a cortege, consisting in 
 part of a troop of light-horse, for fear of the liberties 
 which the wind might take with her. And the king 
 grew more apprehensive with increasing years, till 
 at last he would not allow her to walk abroad at 
 all without some twenty silken cords fastened to as 
 many parts of her dress, and held by twenty noble- 
 men. Of course horseback was out of the question. 
 But she bade good-bye to all this ceremony when 
 she got into the water. 
 
 And so remarkable were its effects upon her, es- 
 pecially in restoring her for the time to the ordinary 
 human gravity, that Hum-Drum and Kopy-Keck 
 agreed in recommending the king to bury her alive 
 for three years; in the hope that, as the water did 
 her so much good, the earth would do her yet more. 
 But the king had some vulgar prejudices against 
 the experiment, and would not give his consent. 
 Foiled in this, they yet agreed in another recommen- 
 dation ; which, seeing that one imported his opin- 
 ions from China and the other from Thibet, was 
 
318 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 very remarkable indeed. They argued that, if water 
 of external origin and application could be so effica- 
 cious, water from a deeper source might work a per- 
 fect cure ; in short, that if the poor afflicted princess 
 could by any means be made to cry, she might re- 
 cover her lost gravity. 
 
 But how was this to be brought about? Therein 
 lay all the difficulty — to meet which the philosophers 
 were not wise enough. To make the princess cry 
 was as impossible as to make her weigh. They sent 
 for a professional beggar, commanded him to pre- 
 pare his most touching oracle of woe, helped him 
 out of the court charade box to whatever he wanted 
 for dressing up, and promised great rewards in the 
 event of his success. But it was all in vain. She 
 listened to the mendicant artist's story, and gazed at 
 his marvellous make up, till she could contain herself 
 no longer, and went into the most undignified con- 
 tortions for relief, shrieking, positively screeching 
 with laughter. 
 
 When she had a little recovered herself, she or- 
 dered her attendants to drive him away, and not 
 give him a single copper; whereupon his look of 
 mortified discomfiture wrought her punishment and 
 his revenge, for it sent her into violent hysterics, 
 from which she was with difficulty recovered. 
 
 But so anxious was the king that the suggestion 
 should have a fair trial, that he put himself in a 
 rage one day, and, rushing up to her room, gave her 
 an awful whipping. Yet not a tear would flow. She 
 looked grave, and her laughing sounded uncom- 
 monly like screaming — that was all. The good old 
 tyrant, though he put on his best gold spectacles to 
 
The Light Princess 319 
 
 took, could not discover the smallest cloud in the 
 serene blue of her eyes. 
 
 IX 
 
 Put Me in Again! 
 
 It must have been about this time that the son of 
 a king, who lived a thousand miles from Lagobel, 
 set out to look for the daughter of a queen. He 
 travelled far and wide, but as sure as he found a 
 princess, he found some fault with her. Of course 
 he could not marry a mere woman, however beauti- 
 ful; and there was no princess to be found worthy 
 of him. Whether the prince was so near perfec- 
 tion that he had a right to demand perfection itself, 
 I cannot pretend to say. All I know is, that he was 
 a fine, handsome, brave, generous, well-bred, and 
 well-behaved youth, as all princes are. 
 
 In his wanderings he had come across some re- 
 ports about our princess ; but as everybody said she 
 was bewitched, he never dreamed that she could be- 
 witch him. For what indeed could a prince do with 
 a princess that had lost her gravity? Who could 
 tell what she might not lose next? She might lose 
 her visibility, or her tangibility; or, in short, the 
 power of making impressions upon the radical senso- 
 rium ; so that he should never be able to tell whether 
 she was dead or alive. Of course he made no fur- 
 ther inquiries about her. 
 
 One day he lost sight of his retinue in a great for- 
 est. These forests are very useful in delivering 
 
32o Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 princes from their courtiers, like a sieve that keeps 
 back the bran. Then the princes get away to follow 
 their fortunes. In this way they have the advantage 
 of the princesses, who are forced to marry before 
 they have had a bit of fun. I wish our princesses 
 got lost in a forest sometimes. 
 
 One lovely evening, after wandering about for 
 many days, he found that he was approaching the 
 outskirts of this forest; for the trees had got so 
 thin that he could see the sunset through them ; and 
 he soon came upon a kind of heath. Next he came 
 upon signs of human neighbourhood; but by this 
 time it was getting late, and there was nobody in the 
 fields to direct him. 
 
 After travelling for another hour, his horse, quite 
 worn out with long labour and lack of food, fell, and 
 was unable to rise again. So he continued his jour- 
 ney on foot. A length he entered another wood — 
 not a wild forest, but a civilised wood, through 
 which a footpath led him to the side of a lake. 
 Along this path the prince pursued his way through 
 the gathering darkness. Suddenly he paused, and 
 listened. Strange sounds came across the water. 
 It was, in fact, the princess laughing. Now there 
 was something odd in her laugh, as I have already 
 hinted; for the hatching of a real hearty laugh re- 
 quires the incubation of gravity; and perhaps this 
 was how the prince mistook the laughter for scream- 
 ing. Looking over the lake, he saw something 
 white in the water; and, in an instant, he had torn 
 off his tunic, kicked off his sandals, and plunged in. 
 He soon reached the white object, and found that it 
 was a woman. There was not light enough to show 
 
The Light Princess 321 
 
 that she was a princess, but quite enough to show 
 that she was a lady, for it does not want much light 
 to see that. 
 
 Now I cannot tell how it came about — whether 
 she pretended to be drowning, or whether he fright- 
 ened her, or caught her so as to embarrass her — but 
 certainly he brought her to shore in a fashion igno- 
 minious to a swimmer, and more nearly drowned 
 than she had ever expected to be ; for the water had 
 got into her throat as often as she had tried to speak. 
 
 At the place to which he bore her, the bank was 
 only a foot or two above the water ; so he gave her 
 a strong lift out of the water, to lay her on the 
 bank. But, her gravitation ceasing the moment she 
 left the water, away she went up into the air, scold- 
 ing and screaming. 
 
 " You naughty, naughty, naughty, NAUGHTY 
 man ! " she cried. 
 
 No one had ever succeeded in putting her into 
 a passion before. When the prince saw her ascend, 
 he thought he must have been bewitched, and have 
 mistaken a great swan for a lady. But the princess 
 caught hold of the topmost cone upon a lofty fir. 
 This came off; but she caught at another; and, in 
 fact, stopped herself by gathering cones, dropping 
 them as the stalks gave way. The prince, mean- 
 time, stood in the water, staring, and forgetting to 
 get out. But the princess disappearing, he scram- 
 bled on shore, and went in the direction of the tree. 
 There he found her climbing down one of the 
 branches towards the stem. But in the darkness of 
 the wood, the prince continued in some bewilder- 
 ment as to what the phenomenon could be; until, 
 
322 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 reaching the ground, and seeing him standing there, 
 she caught hold of him, and said : 
 
 " I'll tell papa." 
 
 " Oh no, you won't ! " returned the prince. 
 
 " Yes, I will," she persisted. " What business 
 had you to pull me down out of the water, and 
 throw me to the bottom of the air ? I never did you 
 any harm." 
 
 " Pardon me. I did not mean to hurt you." 
 
 " I don't believe you have any brains ; and that is 
 a worse loss than your wretched gravity. I pity 
 you." 
 
 The prince now saw that he had come upon the 
 bewitched princess, and had already offended her. 
 But before he could think what to say next, she 
 burst out angrily, giving a stamp with her foot that 
 would have sent her aloft again but for the hold she 
 had of his arm : 
 
 " Put me up directly." 
 
 " Put you up where, you beauty ? " asked the 
 prince. 
 
 He had fallen in love with her almost, already; 
 for her anger made her more charming than any one 
 else had ever beheld her ; and, as far as he could see, 
 which certainly was not far, she had not a single 
 fault about her, except, of course, that she had not 
 any gravity. No prince, however, would judge of a 
 princess by weight. The loveliness of her foot he 
 would hardly estimate by the depth of the impres- 
 sion it could make in mud. 
 
 " Put you up where, you beauty ? " asked the 
 prince. 
 
 " In the water, you stupid ! " answered the prin- 
 cess. 
 
The Light Princess 323 
 
 " Come, then," said the prince. 
 
 The condition of her dress, increasing her usual 
 difficulty in walking, compelled her to cling to him; 
 and he conld hardly persuade himself that he was 
 not in a delightful dream, notwithstanding the tor- 
 rent of musical abuse with which she overwhelmed 
 him. The prince being therefore in no hurry, they 
 came upon the lake at quite another part, where the 
 bank was twenty-five feet high at least; and when 
 they had reached the edge, he turned towards the 
 princess, and said : 
 
 " How am I to put you in ? " 
 
 " That is your business," she answered, quite 
 snappishly. " You took me out — put me in again." 
 
 " Very well," said the prince ; and, catching her 
 up in his arms, he sprang with her from the rock. 
 The princess had just time to give one delighted 
 shriek of laughter before the water closed over them. 
 When they came to the surface, she found that, for 
 a moment or two, she could not even laugh, for she 
 had gone down with such a rush, that it was with 
 difficulty she recovered her breath. The instant they 
 reached the surface — 
 
 " How do you like falling in ? " said the prince. 
 
 After some effort the princess panted out: 
 
 " Is that what you call falling in? " 
 
 " Yes," answered the prince, " I should think it a 
 very tolerable specimen." 
 
 " It seemed to me like going up," rejoined she. 
 
 " My feeling was certainly one of elevation too," 
 the prince conceded. 
 
 The princess did not appear to understand him, 
 for she retorted his question: 
 
324 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " How do you like falling in ? " said the princess. 
 
 " Beyond everything," answered he ; " for I have 
 fallen in with the only perfect creature I ever saw." 
 
 " No more of that. I am tired of it," said the 
 princess. 
 
 Perhaps she shared her father's aversion to pun- 
 ning. 
 
 " Don't you like falling in, then ? " said the prince. 
 
 " It is the most delightful fun I ever had in my 
 life," answered she. " I never fell before. I wish 
 I could learn. To think I am the only person in 
 my father's kingdom that can't fall ! " 
 
 Here the poor princess looked almost sad. 
 
 " I shall be most happy to fall in with you any 
 time you like," said the prince, devotedly. 
 
 " Thank you. I don't know. Perhaps it would 
 not be proper. But I don't care. At all events, as 
 we have fallen in, let us have a swim together." 
 
 " With all my heart," responded the prince. 
 
 And away they went, swimming, and diving, and 
 floating, until at last they heard cries along the 
 shore, and saw lights glancing in all directions. It 
 was now quite late, and there was no moon. 
 
 " I must go home," said the princess. " I am very 
 sorry, for this is delightful." 
 
 " So am I," returned the prince. " But I am glad 
 I haven't a home to go to — at least, I don't exactly 
 know where it is." 
 
 " I wish I hadn't one either," rejoined the prin- 
 cess ; " it is so stupid ! I have a great mind," she 
 continued, " to play them all a trick. Why couldn't 
 they leave me alone? They won't trust me in the 
 lake for a single night ! You see where that green 
 
The Light Princess 325 
 
 light is burning? That is the window of my room. 
 Now if you would just swim there with me very 
 quietly, and when we are all but under the balcony, 
 give me such a push — up you call it — as you did a 
 little while ago, I should be able to catch hold of the 
 balcony, and get in at the window ; and then they 
 may look for me till to-morrow morning ! " 
 
 " With more obedience than pleasure," said the 
 prince, gallantly ; and away they swam, very gently. 
 
 " Will you be in the lake to-morrow night ? " the 
 prince ventured to ask. 
 
 " To be sure I will. I don't think so. Perhaps," 
 was the princess's somewhat strange answer. 
 
 But the prince was intelligent enough not to press 
 her further; and merely whispered, as he gave her 
 the parting lift, " Don't tell." The only answer the 
 princess returned was a roguish look. She was 
 already a yard above his head. The look seemed to 
 say, " Never fear. It is too good fun to spoil that 
 way." 
 
 So perfectly like other people had she been in the 
 water, that even yet the prince could scarcely be- 
 lieve his eyes when he saw her ascend slowly, grasp 
 the balcony, and disappear through the window. He 
 turned, almost expecting to see her still by his side. 
 But he was alone in the water. So he swam away 
 quietly, and watched the lights roving about the 
 shore for hours after the princess was safe in her 
 chamber. As soon as they disappeared, he landed 
 in search of his tunic and sword, and, after some 
 trouble, found them again. Then he made the best 
 of his way round the lake to the other side. There 
 the wood was wilder, and the shore steeper — rising 
 
326 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 more immediately towards the mountains which sur- 
 rounded the lake on all sides, and kept sending it 
 messages of silvery streams from morning to night, 
 and all night long. He soon found a spot where 
 he could see the green light in the princess's room, 
 and where, even in the broad daylight, he would be 
 in no danger of being discovered from the opposite 
 shore. It was a sort of cave in the rock, where he 
 provided himself a bed of withered leaves, and lay 
 down too tired for hunger to keep him awake. All 
 night long he dreamed that he was swimming with 
 the princess. 
 
 X 
 
 Look at the Moon 
 
 Early the next morning the prince set out to look 
 for something to eat, which he soon found at a 
 forester's hut, where for many following days he 
 was supplied with all that a brave prince could con- 
 sider necessary. And having plenty to keep him 
 alive for the present, he would not think of wants 
 not yet in existence. Whenever Care intruded, this 
 prince always bowed him out in the most princely 
 manner. 
 
 When he returned from his breakfast to his 
 watch-cave, he saw the princess already floating 
 about in the lake, attended by the king and queen — 
 whom he knew by their crowns — and a great com- 
 pany in lovely little boats, with canopies of all the 
 colours of the rainbow, and flags and streamers of a 
 great many more. It was a very bright day, and 
 soon the prince, burned up with the heat, began to 
 
The Light Princess 327 
 
 long for the cold water and the cool princess. But 
 he had to endure till twilight; for the boats had 
 provisions on board, and it was not till the sun went 
 down that the gay party began to vanish. Boat after 
 boat drew away to the shore, following that of the 
 king and queen, till only one, apparently the prin- 
 cess's own boat, remained. But she did not want 
 to go home even yet, and the prince thought he saw 
 her order the boat to the shore without her. At all 
 events it rowed away ; and now, of all the radiant 
 company, only one white speck remained. Then 
 the prince began to sing. 
 And this is what he sung : 
 
 " Lady fair, 
 Swan-white, 
 Lift thine eyes, 
 Banish night 
 By the might 
 Of thine eyes. 
 
 " Snowy arms, 
 Oars of snow, 
 Oar her hither, 
 Plashing low. 
 Soft and slow, 
 Oar her hither. 
 
 u Stream behind her 
 O'er the lake, 
 Radiant whiteness! 
 In her wake 
 
 Following, following, for her sake, 
 Radiant whiteness ! 
 
328 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Cling about her, 
 Waters blue; 
 Part not from her, 
 But renew 
 Cold and true 
 Kisses round her. 
 
 " Lap me round, 
 Waters sad 
 That have left her 
 Make me glad, 
 For ye had 
 Kissed her ere ye left her." 
 
 Before he had finished his song, the princess was 
 just under the place where he sat, and looking up to 
 find him. Her ears had led her truly. 
 
 " Would you like a fall, princess ? " said the 
 prince, looking down. 
 
 " Ah ! there you are ! Yes, if you please, prince," 
 said the princess, looking up. 
 
 " How do you know I am a prince, princess ? " 
 said the prince. 
 
 " Because you are a very nice young man, prince," 
 said the princess. 
 
 " Come up then, princess." 
 
 " Fetch me, prince." 
 
 The prince took off his scarf, then his swordbelt, 
 then his tunic, and tied them all together, and let 
 them down. But the line was far too short. He 
 unwound his turban, and added it to the rest, when it- 
 was all but long enough ; and his purse completed it. 
 The princess just managed to lay hold of the knot 
 
The Light Princess 329 
 
 of money, and was beside him in a moment. This 
 rock was much higher than the other, and the splash 
 and the dive were tremendous. The princess was 
 in ecstasies of delight, and their swim was delicious. 
 
 Night after night they met, and swam about in 
 the dark clear lake, where such was the prince's 
 gladness, that (whether the princess's way of look- 
 ing at things infected him, or he was actually getting 
 light-headed) he often fancied that he was swim- 
 ming in the sky instead of the lake. But when he 
 talked about being in heaven, the princess laughed 
 at him dreadfully. 
 
 When the moon came, she brought them fresh 
 pleasure. Everything looked strange and new in her 
 light, with an old, withered, yet unfading newness. 
 When the moon was nearly full, one of their great 
 delights was to dive deep in the water, and then, 
 turning round, look up through it at the great blot 
 of light close above them, shimmering and trembling 
 and wavering, spreading and contracting, seeming 
 to melt away, and again grow solid. Then they 
 would shoot up through the blot, and lo! there was 
 the moon, far off, clear and steady and cold, and 
 very lovely, at the bottom of a deeper and bluer lake 
 than theirs, as the princess said. 
 
 The prince soon found out that while in the water 
 the princess was very like other people. And be- 
 sides this, she was not so forward in her questions 
 or pert in her replies at sea as on shore. Neither 
 did she laugh so much; and when she did laugh, it 
 was more gently. She seemed altogether more 
 modest and maidenly in the water than out of it. 
 But when the prince, who had really fallen in love 
 
3$o Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 when he fell in the lake, began to talk to her about 
 love, she always turned her head towards him and 
 laughed. After a while she began to look puzzled, 
 as if she were trying to understand what he meant, 
 but could not — revealing a notion that he meant 
 something. But as soon as ever she left the lake, 
 she was so altered, that the prince said to himself, 
 " If I marry her, I see no help for it : we must turn 
 merman and mermaid, and go out to sea at once." 
 
 XI 
 
 Hiss! 
 
 The princess's pleasure in the lake had grown to 
 a passion, and she could scarcely bear to be out of it 
 for an hour. Imagine then her consternation, when, 
 diving with the prince one night, a sudden suspicion 
 seized her that the lake was not so deep as it used to 
 be. The prince could not imagine what had hap- 
 pened. She shot to the surface, and, without a word, 
 swam at full speed towards the higher side of the 
 lake. He followed, begging to know if she was ill, 
 or what was the matter. She never turned her head, 
 or took the smallest notice of his question. Ar- 
 rived at the shore, she coasted the rocks with minute 
 inspection. But she was not able to come to a con- 
 clusion, for the moon was very small, and so she 
 could not see well. She turned therefore and swam 
 home, without saying a word to explain her conduct 
 to the prince, of whose presence she seemed no 
 longer conscious. He withdrew to his cave, in great 
 perplexity and distress. 
 
The Light Princess 331 
 
 Next day she made many observations, which, 
 alas! strengthened her fears. She saw that the 
 banks were too dry ; and that the grass on the shore, 
 and the trailing plants on the rocks, were withering 
 away. She caused marks to be made along the bor- 
 ders, and examined them, day after day, in all direc- 
 tions of the wind; till at last the horrible idea be- 
 came a certain fact — that the surface of the lake was 
 slowly sinking. 
 
 The poor princess nearly went out of the little 
 mind she had. It was awful to her to see the lake, 
 which she loved more than any living thing, lie 
 dying before her eyes. It sank away, slowly vanish- 
 ing. The tops of rocks that had never been seen till 
 now, began to appear far down in the clear water. 
 Before long they were dry in the sun. It was fearful 
 to think of the mud that would soon lie there baking 
 and festering, full of lovely creatures dying, and 
 ugly creatures coming to life, like the unmaking of 
 a world. And how hot the sun would be without 
 any lake ! She could not bear to swim in it any 
 more, and began to pine away. Her life seemed 
 bound up with it; and ever as the lake sank, she 
 pined. People said she would not live an hour after 
 the lake was gone. 
 
 But she never cried. 
 
 Proclamation was made to all the kingdom, that 
 whosoever should discover the cause of the lake's 
 decrease, would be rewarded after a princely fash- 
 ion. Hum-Drum and Kopy-Keck applied them- 
 selves to their physics and metaphysics ; but in vain. 
 Not even they could suggest a cause. 
 
 Now the fact was that the old princess was at the 
 
332 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 root of the mischief. When she heard that her 
 niece found more pleasure in the water than any one 
 else had out of it, she went into a rage, and cursed 
 herself for her want of foresight. 
 
 " But," said she, " I will soon set all right. The 
 king and the people shall die of thirst; their brains 
 shall boil and frizzle in their skulls before I will lose 
 my revenge." 
 
 And she laughed a ferocious laugh, that made the 
 hairs on the back of her black cat stand erect with 
 terror. 
 
 Then she went to an old chest in the room, and 
 opening it, took out what looked like a piece of dried 
 seaweed. This she threw into a tub of water. Then 
 she threw some powder into the water, and stirred 
 it with her bare arm, muttering over it words of 
 hideous sound, and yet more hideous import. Then 
 she set the tub aside, and took from the chest a huge 
 bunch of a hundred rusty keys, that clattered in her 
 shaking hands. Then she sat down and proceeded 
 to oil them all. Before she had finished, out from 
 the tub, the water of which had kept on a slow mo- 
 tion ever since she had ceased stirring it, came the 
 head and half the body of a huge gray snake. But 
 the witch did not look round. It grew out of the 
 tub, waving itself backwards and forwards with a 
 slow horizontal motion, till it reached the princess, 
 when it laid its head upon her shoulder, and gave a 
 low hiss in her ear. She started — but with joy ; and 
 seeing the head resting on her shoulder, drew it 
 towards her and kissed it. Then she drew it all out 
 of the tub, and wound it round her body. It was 
 
The Light Princess 333 
 
 one of those dreadful creatures which few have ever 
 beheld — the White Snakes of Darkness. 
 
 Then she took the keys and went down to her 
 cellar ; and as she unlocked the door she said to her- 
 self: 
 
 " This is worth living for ! " 
 
 Locking the door behind her, she descended a few 
 steps into the cellar, and crossing it, unlocked an- 
 other door into a dark, narrow passage. She locked 
 this also behind her, and descended a few more 
 steps. If any one had followed the witch-princess, 
 he would have heard her unlock exactly one hundred 
 doors, and descend a few steps after unlocking each. 
 When she had unlocked the last, she entered a vast 
 cave, the roof of which was supported by huge 
 natural pillars of rock. Now this roof was the 
 under side of the bottom of the lake. 
 
 She then untwined the snake from her body, and 
 held it by the tail high above her. The hideous 
 creature stretched up its head towards the roof of 
 the cavern, which it was just able to reach. It then 
 began to move its head backwards and forwards } 
 with a slow oscillating motion, as if looking for 
 something. At the same moment the witch began 
 to walk round and round the cavern, coming nearer 
 to the centre every circuit; while the head of the 
 snake described the same path over the roof that 
 she did over the floor, for she kept holding it up. 
 And still it kept slowly oscillating. Round and 
 round the cavern they went, ever lessening the cir- 
 cuit, till at last the snake made a sudden dart, and 
 clung to the roof with its mouth. 
 
334 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " That's right, my beauty ! " cried the princess ; 
 " drain it dry." 
 
 She let it go, left it hanging, and sat down on a 
 great stone, with her black cat, which had followed 
 her all round the cave, by her side. Then she began 
 to knit and mutter awful words. The snake hung 
 like a huge leech, sucking at the stone ; the cat stood 
 with his back arched, and his tail like a piece of 
 cable, looking up at the snake ; and the old woman 
 sat and knitted and muttered. Seven days and seven 
 nights they remained thus; when suddenly the ser- 
 pent dropped from the roof as if exhausted, and 
 shrivelled up till it was again like a piece of dried 
 seaweed. The witch started to her feet, picked it 
 up, put it in her pocket, and looked up at the roof. 
 One drop of water was trembling on the spot where 
 the snake had been sucking. As soon as she saw 
 that, she turned and fled, followed by her cat. Shut- 
 ting the door in a terrible hurry, she locked it, 
 and having muttered some frightful words, sped to 
 the next, which also she locked and muttered over ; 
 and so with all the hundred doors, till she arrived 
 in her own cellar. Then she sat down on the floor 
 ready to faint, but listening with malicious delight 
 to the rushing of the water, which she could hear 
 distinctly through all the hundred doors. 
 
 But this was not enough. Now that she had 
 tasted revenge, she lost her patience. Without fur- 
 ther measures, the lake would be too long in dis- 
 appearing. So the next night, with the last shred of 
 the dying old moon rising, she took some of the 
 water in which she had revived the snake, put it in 
 a bottle, and set out, accompanied by her cat. Be- 
 
The Light Princess 335 
 
 fore morning she had made the entire circuit of the 
 lake, muttering fearful words as she crossed every 
 stream, and casting into it some of the water out 
 of her bottle. When she had finished the circuit she 
 muttered yet again, and flung a handful of water 
 towards the moon. Thereupon every spring in the 
 country ceased to throb and bubble, dying away 
 like the pulse of a dying man. The next day there 
 was no sound of falling water to be heard along 
 the borders of the lake. The very courses were dry ; 
 and the mountains showed no silvery streaks down 
 their dark sides. And not alone had the fountains 
 of mother Earth ceased to flow; for all the babies 
 throughout the country were crying dreadfully — 
 only without tears. 
 
 XII 
 
 Where Is the Prince? 
 
 Never since the night when the princess left him 
 so abruptly had the prince had a single interview 
 with her. He had seen her once or twice in the 
 lake ; but as far as he could discover, she had not 
 been in it any more at night. He had sat and sung, 
 and looked in vain for his Nereid, while she, like a 
 true Nereid, was wasting away with her lake, sink- 
 ing as it sank, withering as it dried. When at 
 length he discovered the change that Was taking 
 place in the level of the water, he was in great alarm 
 and perplexity. He could not tell whether the lake 
 was dying because the lady had forsaken it; or 
 
336 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knoiv 
 
 whether the lady would not come because the lake 
 had begun to sink. But he resolved to know so 
 much at least. 
 
 He disguised himself, and, going to the palace, 
 requested to see the lord chamberlain. His appear- 
 ance at once gained his request ; and the lord cham- 
 berlain, being a man of some insight, perceived that 
 there was more in the prince's solicitation than met 
 the ear. He felt likewke that no one could tell 
 whence a solution of the present difficulties might 
 arise. So he granted the prince's prayer to be made 
 shoeblack to the princess. It was rather cunning 
 in the prince to request such an easy post, for the 
 princess could not possibly soil as many shoes as 
 other princesses. 
 
 He soon learned all that could be told about the 
 princess. He went nearly distracted; but after 
 roaming about the lake for days, and diving in 
 every depth that remained, all that he could do was 
 to put an extra polish on the dainty pair of boots 
 that was never called for. 
 
 For the princess kept her room, with the curtains 
 drawn to shut out the dying lake, but could not 
 shut it out of her mind for a moment. It haunted 
 her imagination so that she felt as if the lake were 
 her soul, drying up within her, first to mud, then 
 to madness and death. She thus brooded over the 
 change, with all its dreadful accompaniments, till 
 .she was nearly distracted. As for the prince,, she 
 ihad forgotten him. However much she had enjoyed 
 ihis company in the water, she did not care for him 
 without it. But she seemed to have forgotten her 
 father and mother too. 
 
The Light Princess 237 
 
 The lake went on sinking. Small slimy spots be- 
 gan to appear, which glittered steadily amidst the 
 changeful shine of the water. These grew to broad 
 patches of mud, which widened and spread, with 
 rocks here and there, and floundering fishes and 
 crawling eels swarming. The people went every- 
 where catching these, and looking for anything that 
 might have dropped from the royal boats. 
 
 At length the lake was all but gone, only a few 
 of the deepest pools remaining unexhausted. 
 
 It happened one day that a party of youngsters 
 found themselves on the brink of one of these pools 
 in the very centre of the lake. It was a rocky 
 basin of considerable depth. Looking in, they saw 
 at the bottom something that shone yellow in the 
 sun. A little boy jumped in and dived for it. It 
 was a plate of gold covered with writing. They 
 carried it to the king. 
 
 On one side of it stood these words : 
 
 " Death alone from death can save. 
 Love is death, and so is brave. 
 Love can fill the deepest grave. 
 Love loves on beneath the wave." 
 
 Now this was enigmatical enough to the king and 
 courtiers. But the reverse of the plate explained it 
 a little. Its writing amounted to this : 
 
 " If the lake should disappear, they must find the 
 hole through which the water ran. But it would be 
 useless to try to stop it by any ordinary means. 
 There was but one effectual mode. The body of a 
 living man could alone staunch the flow. The man 
 
338 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 must give himself of his own will; and the lake 
 must take his life as it filled. Otherwise the offer- 
 ing would be of no avail. If the nation could not 
 provide one hero, it was time it should perish." 
 
 XIII 
 Here I Am! 
 
 This was a very disheartening revelation to the 
 king — not that he was unwilling to sacrifice a sub- 
 ject, but that he was hopeless of finding a man will- 
 ing to sacrifice himself. No time was to be lost, 
 however, for the princess was lying motionless on 
 her bed, and taking no nourishment but lake-water, 
 which was now none of the best. Therefore the 
 king caused the contents of the wonderful plate of 
 gold to be published throughout the country. 
 
 No one, however, came forward. 
 
 The prince, having gone several days' journey 
 into the forest, to consult a hermit whom he had 
 met there on his way to Lagobel, knew nothing of 
 the oracle till his return. 
 
 When he had acquainted himself with all the 
 particulars, he sat down and thought : 
 
 " She will die if I don't do it, and life would be 
 nothing to me without her; so I shall lose nothing 
 by doing it. And life will be as pleasant to her as 
 ever, for she will soon forget me. And there will 
 be so much more beauty and happiness in the world ! 
 To be sure, I shall not see it." (Here the poor 
 prince gave a sigh.) " How lovely the lake will be 
 in the moonlight, with that glorious creature sport- 
 
The Light Princess 339 
 
 ing in it like a wild goddess ! It is rather hard to be 
 drowned by inches, though. Let me see — that will 
 be seventy inches of me to drown." (Here he tried 
 to laugh, but could not.) " The longer the better, 
 however," he resumed, " for can I not bargain that 
 the princess shall be beside me all the time? So I 
 shall see her once more, kiss her perhaps — who 
 knows? and die looking in her eyes. It will be no 
 death. At least, I shall not feel it. And to see the 
 lake filling for the beauty again! All right! I am 
 ready." 
 
 He kissed the princess's boot, laid it down, and 
 hurried to the king's apartment. But feeling, as he 
 went, that anything sentimental would be disagree- 
 able, he resolved to carry off the whole affair with 
 nonchalance. So he knocked at the door of the 
 king's counting-house, where it was all but a capital 
 crime to disturb him. 
 
 When the king heard the knock, he started up, 
 and opened the door in a rage. Seeing only the 
 shoeblack, he drew his sword. This, I am sorry to 
 say, was his usual mode of asserting his regality 
 when he thought his dignity was in danger. But 
 the prince was not in the least alarmed. 
 
 " Please your majesty, I'm your butler," said he. 
 
 " My butler ! you lying rascal ! What do you. 
 mean ? " 
 
 " I mean, I will cork your big bottle." 
 
 " Is the fellow mad ? " bawled the king, raising 
 the point of his sword. 
 
 " I will put the stopper — plug — what you call it, in 
 your leaky lake, grand monarch," said the prince. 
 
 The kins: was in such a rage that before he could 
 
34° Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 speak he had time to cool, and to reflect that it 
 would be great waste to kill the only man who was 
 willing to be useful in the present emergency, see- 
 ing that in the end the insolent fellow would be as 
 dead as if he had died by his majesty's own hand. 
 
 " Oh ! " said he at last, putting up his sword with 
 difficulty, it was so long ; " I am obliged to you, you 
 young fool ! Take a glass of wine ? " 
 
 " No, thank you," replied the prince. 
 
 " Very well," said the king. " Would you like to 
 run and see your parents before you make your 
 experiment ? " 
 
 " No, thank you," said the prince. 
 
 " Then we will go and look for the hole at once," 
 said his majesty, and proceeded to call some at- 
 tendants. 
 
 " Stop, please your majesty, I have a condition to 
 make," interposed the prince. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the king, " a condition ! and 
 with me ! How dare you ? " 
 
 " As you please," returned the prince, coolly. " I 
 wish your majesty a good morning." 
 
 " You wretch ! I will have you put in a sack, and 
 stuck in the hole." 
 
 " Very well, your majesty," replied the prince, be- 
 coming a little more respectful, lest the wrath of the 
 king should deprive him of the pleasure of dying for 
 the princess. " But what good will that do your 
 majesty? Please to remember that the oracle says 
 the victim must offer himself." 
 
 " Well, you have offered yourself," retorted the 
 king. 
 
 " Yes, upon one condition." 
 
The Light Princess 341 
 
 " Condition again ! " roared the king, once more 
 drawing his sword. " Begone ! Somebody else will 
 be glad enough to take the honour off your shoul- 
 ders." 
 
 " Your majesty knows it will not be easy to get 
 another to take my place." 
 
 "Well, what is your condition?" growled the 
 king, feeling that the prince was right. 
 
 " Only this," replied the prince ; " that, as I must 
 on no account die before I am fairly drowned, and 
 the waiting will be rather wearisome, the princess, 
 your daughter, shall go with me, feed me with her 
 own hands, and look at me now and then to comfort 
 me; for you must confess it is rather hard. As 
 soon as the water is up to my eyes, she may go and 
 be happy, and forget her poor shoeblack." 
 
 Here the prince's voice faltered, and he very 
 nearly grew sentimental, in spite of his resolution. 
 
 " Why didn't you tell me before what your condi- 
 tion was ? Such a. fuss about nothing ! " exclaimed 
 the king. 
 
 " Do you grant it? " persisted the prince. 
 
 " Of course I do," replied the king. 
 
 " Very well. I am ready." 
 
 " Go and have some dinner, then, while I set my 
 people to find the place." 
 
 The king ordered out his guards, and gave direc- 
 tions to the officers to find the hole in the lake at 
 once. So the bed of the lake was marked out in 
 divisions and thoroughly examined, and in an hour 
 or so the hole was discovered. It was in the middle 
 of a stone, near the centre of the lake, in the very 
 pool where the golden plate had been found. It was 
 
342 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 a three-cornered hole of no great size. There was 
 water all round the stone, but very little was flowing 
 through the hole. 
 
 XIV 
 This Is Very Kind of You 
 
 The prince went to dress for the occasion, for he 
 was resolved to die like a prince. 
 
 When the princess heard that a man had offered 
 to die for her, she was so transported that she 
 jumped off the bed, feeble as she was, and danced 
 about the room for joy. She did not care who the 
 man was ; that was nothing to her. The hole wanted 
 stopping; and if only a man would do, why, take 
 one. In an hour or two more everything was ready. 
 Her maid dressed her in haste, and they carried her 
 to the side of the lake. When she saw it she 
 shrieked, and covered her face with her hands. They 
 bore her across to the stone, where they had already 
 placed a little boat for her. The water was not 
 deep enough to float in, but they hoped it would be, 
 before long. They laid her on cushions, placed in 
 the boat wines and fruits and other nice things, and 
 stretched a canopy over all. 
 
 In a few minutes the prince appeared. The prin- 
 cess recognised him at once, but did not think it 
 worth while to acknowledge him. 
 
 " Here I am," said the prince. " Put me in." 
 
 " They told me it was a shoeblack," said the 
 princess. 
 
 " So I am," said the prince. " I blacked your 
 
The Light Princess 343 
 
 little boots three times a day, because they were all 
 I could get of you. Put me in." 
 
 The courtiers did not resent his bluntness, except 
 by saying to each other that he was taking it out 
 in impudence. 
 
 But how was he to be put in ? The golden plate 
 contained no instructions on this point. The prince 
 looked at the hole, and saw but one way. He put 
 both his legs into it, sitting on the stone, and, stoop- 
 ing forward, covered the corner that remained open 
 with his two hands. In this uncomfortable position 
 he resolved to abide his fate, and turning to the 
 people, said : 
 
 " Now you can go." 
 
 The king had already gone home to dinner. 
 
 " Now you can go," repeated the princess after 
 him, like a parrot. 
 
 The people obeyed her and went. 
 
 Presently a little wave flowed over the stone, and 
 wetted one of the prince's knees. But he did not 
 mind it much. He began to sing, and the song he 
 sang was this : 
 
 " As a world that has no well, 
 Darkly bright in forest dell ; 
 As a world without the gleam 
 Of the downward-going stream; 
 As a world without the glance 
 Of the ocean's fair expanse; 
 As a world where never rain 
 Glittered on the sunny plain ; — 
 Such, my heart, thy world would be, 
 If no love did flow in thee. 
 
344 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " As a world without the sound 
 Of the rivulets underground ; 
 Or the bubbling of the spring 
 Out of darkness wandering; 
 Or the mighty rush and flowing 
 Of the river's downward going; 
 Or the music-showers that drop 
 On the outspread beech's top ; 
 Or the ocean's mighty voice, 
 When his lifted waves rejoice ; — 
 Such, my soul, thy world would be, 
 If no love did sing in thee. 
 
 " Lady, keep thy world's delight, 
 Keep the waters in thy sight. 
 Love hath made me strong to go, 
 For thy sake, to realms below, 
 Where the water's shine and hum 
 Through the darkness never come. 
 Let, I pray, one thought of me 
 Spring, a little well, in thee ; 
 Lest thy loveless soul be found 
 Like a dry and thirsty ground." 
 
 " Sing again, prince. It makes it less tedious," 
 said the princess. 
 
 But the prince was too much overcome to sing any 
 more, and a long pause followed. 
 
 " This is ver}' kind of you, prince," said the prin- 
 cess at last, quite coolly, as she lay in the boat with 
 her eyes shut. 
 
 " I am sorry I can't return the compliment," 
 thought the prince, " but you are worth dying for, 
 after all." 
 
The Light Princess 345 
 
 Again a wavelet, and another, and another flowed 
 over the stone, and wetted both the prince's knees ; 
 but he did not speak or move. Two — three — four 
 hours passed in this way, the princess apparently- 
 asleep, and the prince very patient. But he was 
 much disappointed in his position, for he had none 
 of the consolation he had hoped for. 
 
 At last he could bear it no longer. 
 
 " Princess ! " said he. 
 
 But at the moment up started the princess, cry- 
 ing: 
 
 "I'm afloat! I'm afloat!" 
 
 And the little boat bumped against the stone. 
 
 "Princess!" repeated the prince, encouraged by 
 seeing her wide awake and looking eagerly at the 
 water. 
 
 " Well ? " said she, without looking round. 
 
 " Your papa promised that you should look at me, 
 and you haven't looked at me once." 
 
 " Did he? Then I suppose I must. But I am so 
 sleepy ! " 
 
 " Sleep, then, darling, and don't mind me," said 
 the poor prince. 
 
 " Really, you are very good," replied the princess. 
 " I think I will go to sleep again." 
 
 " Just give me a glass of wine and a biscuit first," 
 said the prince, very humbly. 
 
 " With all my heart," said the princess, and 
 yawned as she said it. 
 
 She got the wine and the biscuit, however, and 
 leaning over the side of the boat towards him, was 
 compelled to look at him. 
 
346 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 " Why, prince," she said, " you don't look well ! 
 Are you sure you don't mind it ? " 
 
 " Not a bit," answered he, feeling very faint in- 
 deed. " Only I shall die before it is of any use to 
 you, unless I have something to eat." 
 
 " There, then," said she, holding out the wine to 
 him. 
 
 " Ah ! you must feed me. I dare not move my 
 hands. The water would run away directly." 
 
 " Good gracious ! " said the princess ; and she be- 
 gan at once to feed him with bits of biscuit and sips 
 of wine. 
 
 As she fed him, he contrived to kiss the tips of her 
 fingers now and then. She did not seem to mind it, 
 one way or the other. But the prince felt better. 
 
 " Now, for your own sake, princess," said he, " I 
 cannot let you go to sleep. You must sit and look 
 at me, else I shall not be able to keep up." 
 
 " Well, I will do anything to oblige you," answered 
 she, with condescension; and, sitting down, she did 
 look at him, and kept looking at him with wonderful 
 steadiness, considering all things. 
 
 The sun went down, and the moon rose, and, gush 
 after gush, the waters were rising up the prince's 
 body. They were up to his waist now. 
 
 " Why can't we go and have a swim ? " said the 
 princess. " There seems to be water enough just 
 about here." 
 
 " I shall never swim more," said the prince. 
 
 " Oh, I forgot," said the princess, and was silent. 
 
 So the water grew and grew, and rose up and up 
 on the prince. And the princess sat and looked at 
 him. She fed him now and then. The night wore 
 
The Light Princess 347 
 
 on. The waters rose and rose. The moon rose like- 
 wise higher and higher, and shone full on the face 
 of the dying prince. The water was up to his neck. 
 
 " Will you kiss me, princess ? " said he, feebly. 
 The nonchalance was all gone now. 
 
 " Yes, I will," answered the princess, and kissed 
 him with a long, sweet, cold kiss. 
 
 " Now," said he, with a sigh of content, " I die 
 happy." 
 
 He did not speak again. The princess gave him 
 some wine for the last time : he was past eating. 
 Then she sat down again, and looked at him. The 
 water rose and rose. It touched his chin. It touched 
 his lower lip. It touched between his lips. He shut 
 them hard to keep it out. The princess began to feel 
 strange. It touched his upper lip. He breathed 
 through his nostrils. The princess looked wild. It 
 covered his nostrils. Her eyes looked scared, and 
 shone strange in the moonlight. His head fell back ; 
 the water closed over it, and the bubbles of his last 
 breath bubbled up through the water. The princess 
 gave a shriek, and sprang into the lake. 
 
 She laid hold first of .one leg, and then of the 
 other, and pulled and tugged, but she could not move 
 either. She stopped to take breath, and that made 
 her think that he could not get any breath. She 
 was frantic. She got hold of him, and held his 
 head above the water, which was possible now his 
 hands were no longer on the hole. But it was of no 
 use, for he was past breathing. 
 
 Love and water brought back all her strength. 
 She got under the water, and pulled and pulled 
 with her whole might, till at last she got one leg out. 
 
348 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 The other easily followed. How she got him into 
 the boat she never could tell ; but when she did, she 
 fainted away. Coming to herself, she seized the 
 oars, kept herself steady as best she could, and 
 rowed and rowed, though she had never rowed be- 
 fore. Round rocks, and over shallows, and through 
 mud she rowed, till she got to the landing-stairs of 
 the palace. By this time her people were on the 
 shore, for they had heard her shriek. She made 
 them carry the prince to her own room, and lay 
 him in her bed, and light a fire, and send for the 
 doctors. 
 
 " But the lake, your highness ! " said the cham- 
 berlain, who, roused by the noise, came in, in his 
 nightcap. 
 
 " Go and drown yourself in it ! " she said. 
 
 This was the last rudeness of which the princess 
 was ever guilty; and one must allow that she had 
 good cause to feel provoked with the lord chamber- 
 lain. 
 
 Had it been the king himself, he would have fared 
 no better. But both he and the queen were fast 
 asleep. And the chamberlain went back to his bed. 
 Somehow, the doctors never came. So the princess 
 and her old nurse were left with the prince. But the 
 old nurse was a wise woman, and knew what to do. 
 
 They tried everything for a long time without suc- 
 cess. The princess was nearly distracted between 
 hope and fear, but she tried on and on, one thing 
 after another, and everything over and over again. 
 
 At last, when they had all but given it up, just 
 as the sun rose, the prince opened his eyes. 
 
The Light Princess 349 
 
 XV 
 
 Look at the Rain! 
 
 The princess burst into a passion of tears and fell 
 on the floor. There she lay for an hour, and her 
 tears never ceased. All the pent-up crying of her 
 life was spent now. And a rain came on, such as 
 had never been seen in that country. The sun shone 
 all the time, and the great drops, which fell straight 
 to the earth, shone likewise. The palace was in the 
 heart of a rainbow. It was a rain of rubies, and sap- 
 phires, and emeralds, and topazes. The torrents 
 poured from the mountains like molten gold ; and if 
 it had not been for its subterraneous outlet, the lake 
 would have overflowed and inundated the country. 
 It was full from shore to shore. 
 
 But the princess did not heed the lake. She lay 
 on the floor and wept. And this rain within doors 
 was far more wonderful than the rain out of doors. 
 For when it abated a little, and she proceeded to rise, 
 she found, to her astonishment, that she could not. 
 At length, after many efforts, she succeeded in get- 
 ting upon her feet. But she tumbled down again 
 directly. Hearing her fall, her old nurse uttered 
 a yell of delight, and ran to her, screaming : 
 
 " My darling child ! she's found her gravity ! " 
 
 " Oh, that's it ! is it ? " said the princess, rubbing 
 her shoulder and her knee alternately. " I consider 
 it very unpleasant. I feel as if I should be crushed 
 to pieces." 
 
 " Hurrah ! " cried the prince from the bed. " If 
 
35° Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 you've come round, princess, so have I. How's the 
 lake?" 
 
 " Brimful," answered the nurse. 
 
 " Then we're all happy." 
 
 " That we are indeed ! " answered the princess, 
 sobbing. 
 
 And there was rejoicing all over the country that 
 rainy day. Even the babies forgot their past trou- 
 bles, and danced and crowed amazingly. And the 
 king told stories, and the queen listened to them. 
 And he divided the money in his box, and she the 
 honey in her pot, among all the children. And there 
 was such jubilation as was never heard of before. 
 
 Of course the prince and princess were betrothed 
 at once. But the princess had to learn to walk, 
 before they could be married with any propriety. 
 And this was not so easy at her time of life, for she 
 could walk no more than a baby. She was always 
 falling down and hurting herself. 
 
 " Is this the gravity you used to make so much 
 of ? " said she one day to the prince, as he raised her 
 from the floor. " For my part, I was a great deal 
 more comfortable without it." 
 
 " No, no, that's not it. This is it," replied the 
 prince, as he took her up, and carried her about like 
 a baby, kissing her all the time. " This is gravity." 
 
 " That's better," said she. " I don't mind that so 
 much." 
 
 And she smiled the sweetest, loveliest smile in the 
 prince's face. And she gave him one little kiss in 
 return for all his; and he thought them overpaid, 
 for he was beside himself with delight. I fear she 
 
The Light Princess 351 
 
 complained of her gravity more than once after this, 
 notwithstanding. 
 
 It was a long time before she got reconciled to 
 walking. But the pain of learning it was quite 
 counterbalanced by two things, either of which 
 would have been sufficient consolation. The first 
 was, that the prince himself was her teacher; and 
 the second, that she could tumble into the lake as 
 often as she pleased. Still, she preferred to have 
 the prince jump in with her; and the splash they 
 made before was nothing to the splash they made 
 now. 
 
 The lake never sank again. In process of time 
 it wore the roof of the cavern quite through, and was 
 twice as deep as before. 
 
 The only revenge the princess took upon her aunt 
 was to tread pretty hard on her gouty toe the next 
 time she saw her. But she was sorry for it the very 
 next day, when she heard that the water had under- 
 mined her house, and that it had fallen in the night, 
 burying her in its ruins; whence no one ever ven- 
 tured to dig up her body. There she lies to this day. 
 
 So the prince and princess lived and were happy ; 
 and had crowns of gold, and clothes of cloth, and 
 shoes of leather, and children of boys and girls, not 
 one of whom was ever known, on the most critical 
 occasion, to lose the smallest atom of his or her due 
 proportion of gravity. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 There was once a very rich merchant, who had 
 six children, three boys and three girls. As he was 
 himself a man of great sense, he spared no expense 
 for their education, but provided them with all sorts 
 of masters for their improvement. The three daugh- 
 ters were all handsome, but particularly the young- 
 est : indeed she was so very beautiful that in her 
 childhood every one called her the Little Beauty, 
 and being still the same when she was grown up, 
 nobody called her by any other name, which made 
 her sisters very jealous of her. This youngest 
 daughter was not only more handsome than her 
 sisters, but was also better tempered. The two eld- 
 est were vain of being rich, and spoke with pride 
 to those they thought below them. They gave 
 themselves a thousand airs, and would not visit other 
 merchants' daughters ; nor would they indeed be seen 
 with any but persons of quality. They went every 
 day to balls, plays, and public walks, and always 
 made game of their youngest sister for spending her 
 time in reading, or other useful employments. As 
 it was well known that these young ladies would 
 have large fortunes, many great merchants wished to 
 get them for wives; but the two eldest always 
 answered that, for their parts, they had no thoughts 
 
Beauty and the Beast 353 
 
 of marrying any one below a duke, or an earl at 
 least. Beauty had quite as many offers as her sis- 
 ters, but she always answered with the greatest civil- 
 ity, that she was much obliged to her lovers, but 
 would rather live some years longer with her father, 
 as she thought herself too young to marry. 
 
 It happened that by some unlucky accident the 
 merchant suddenly lost all his fortune, and had noth- 
 ing left but a small cottage in the country. Upon 
 this, he said to his daughters, while the tears ran 
 down his cheeks all the time, "My children, we 
 must now go and dwell in the cottage, and try to get 
 a living by labour, for we have no other means of 
 support." The two eldest replied that, for their 
 parts, they did not know how to work, and would 
 not leave town; for they had lovers enough who 
 would be glad to marry them, though they had no 
 longer any fortune. But in this they were mistaken ; 
 for when the lovers heard what had happened, they 
 said, " The girls were so proud and ill-tempered, 
 that all we wanted was their fortune; we are not 
 sorry at all to see their pride brought down. Let 
 them give themselves airs to their cows and sheep." 
 But every body pitied poor Beauty, because she was 
 so sweet-tempered and kind to all that knew her; 
 and several gentlemen offered to marry her, though 
 she had not a penny; but Beauty still refused, and 
 said she could not think of leaving her poor father 
 in this trouble and would go and help him in his la- 
 bours in the country. At first Beauty could not help 
 sometimes crying in secret for the hardships she 
 was now obliged to suffer ; but in a very short time 
 she said to herself, "All the crying in the world will 
 
354 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 do me no good, so I will try to be happy without a 
 fortune." 
 
 When they had removed to their cottage, the mer- 
 chant and his three sons employed themselves in 
 ploughing and sowing the fields, and working in the 
 garden. Beauty also did her part, for she got up by 
 four o'clock every morning, lighted the fires, cleaned 
 the house, and got the breakfast for the whole fam- 
 ily. At first she found all this very hard; but she 
 soon grew quite used to it, and thought it no hard- 
 ship at all; and indeed the work greatly amended 
 her health. When she had done, she used to amuse 
 herself with reading, playing on her music, or sing- 
 ing while she spun. But her two sisters were at a 
 loss what to do to pass the time away: they had 
 their breakfast in bed, and did not rise till ten o'clock. 
 Then they commonly walked out ; but always found 
 themselves very soon tired ; when they would often 
 sit down under a shady tree, and grieve for the loss 
 of their carriage and fine clothes, and say to each 
 other, " What a mean-spirited poor stupid creature 
 our young sister is, to be so content with our low 
 way of life ! " But their father thought in quite an- 
 other way: he admired the patience of this sweet 
 young creature ; for her sisters not only left her to 
 do the whole work of the house, but made game of 
 her every moment. 
 
 After they had lived in this manner about a year, 
 the merchant received a letter, which informed him 
 that one of the richest ships, which he thought was 
 lost, had just come into port. This news made the 
 two eldest sisters almost mad with joy; for they 
 thought they should now leave the cottage, and have 
 
Beauty and the Beast 355 
 
 all their finery again. When they found that their 
 father must take a journey to the ship, the two eld- 
 est begged he would not fail to bring them back 
 some new gowns, caps, rings, and all sorts of trin- 
 kets. But Beauty asked for nothing ; for she thought 
 in herself that all the ship was worth would hardly 
 buy every thing her sisters wished for. " Beauty," 
 said the merchant, " how comes it about that you 
 ask for nothing ; what can I bring you, my child ? " 
 " Since you are so kind as to think of me, dear 
 father," she answered, " I should be glad if you 
 would bring me a rose, for we have none in our gar- 
 den." Mow Beauty did not indeed wish for a rose, 
 nor any thing else, but she only said this, that she 
 might not affront her sisters, for else they would 
 have said she wanted her father to praise her for not 
 asking him for any thing. The merchant took his 
 leave of them and set out on his journey; but when 
 he got to the ship, some persons went to law with 
 him about the cargo, and after a deal of trouble, he 
 came back to his cottage as poor as he had gone 
 away. When he was within thirty miles of his home, 
 and thinking of the joy he should have in again 
 meeting his children, his road lay through a thick 
 forest, and he quite lost himself. It rained and 
 snowed very hard, and besides, the wind was so 
 high as to throw him twice from his horse. Night 
 came on, and he thought to be sure he should die of 
 cold and hunger, or be torn to pieces by the wolves 
 that he heard howling round him. All at once, he 
 now cast his eyes towards a long row of trees, and 
 saw a light at the end of them, but it seemed a great 
 way off. He made the best of his way towards it, 
 
356 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 
 
 and found that it came from a fine palace, lighted 
 all over. He walked faster, and soon reached the 
 gates, which he opened, and was very much sur- 
 prised that he did not see a single person or creature 
 in any of the yards. His horse had followed him, 
 and finding a stable with the door open, went into it 
 at once; and here the poor beast, being nearly 
 starved, helped himself to a good meal of oats and 
 hay. His master then tied him up, and walked 
 towards the house, which he entered, but still with' 
 out seeing a living creature. He went on to a large 
 hall, where he found a good fire, and a table cov- 
 ered with some very nice dishes, and only one plate 
 with a knife and fork. As the snow and rain had 
 wetted him to the skin, he went up to the fire to dry 
 himself. " I hope," said he, " the master of the 
 house or his servants will excuse me, for to be sure 
 it will not be long now before I see them.'' He 
 waited a good time, but still nobody came: at last 
 the clock struck eleven, and the merchant, being 
 quite faint for the want of food, helped himself to a 
 chicken, which he made but two mouth fuls of, and 
 then to a few glasses of wine, yet all the time trem- 
 bling with fear. He sat till the clock struck twelve, 
 but did not see a single creature. He now took 
 courage, and began to think of looking a little more 
 about him; so he opened a door at the end of the 
 hall, and went through it into a very grand room, 
 in which there was a fine bed ; and as he was quite 
 weak and tired, he shut the door, took off his clothes, 
 and got into it. 
 
 It was ten o'clock in the morning before he 
 thought of getting up, when he was amazed to see 
 
Beauty and the Beast 357 
 
 a handsome new suit of clothes laid ready for him, 
 instead of his own, which he had spoiled. " To be 
 sure," said he to himself, " this place belongs to 
 some good fairy, who has taken pity on my ill luck." 
 He looked out of the window, and, instead of snow, 
 he saw the most charming arbours covered with all 
 kinds of flowers. He returned to the hall, where he 
 had supped, and found a breakfast table, with some 
 chocolate got ready for him. " Indeed, my good 
 fairy," said the merchant aloud, " I am vastly obliged 
 to you for your kind care of me." He then made a 
 hearty breakfast, took his hat, and was going to the 
 stable to pay his horse a visit ; but as he passed 
 under one of the arbours, which was loaded with 
 roses, he thought of what Beauty had asked him 
 to bring back to her, and so he took a bunch of roses 
 to carry home. At the same moment he heard a 
 most shocking noise, and saw such a frightful beast 
 coming towards him, that he was ready to drop with 
 fear. " Ungrateful man ! " said the beast, in a terri- 
 ble voice, " I have saved your life by letting you 
 into my palace, and in return you steal my roses, 
 which I value more than any thing else that belongs 
 to me. But you shall make amends for your fault 
 with your life. You shall die in a quarter of an hour." 
 The merchant fell on his knees to the beast, and„ 
 clasping his hands, said, " My lord, I humbly beg 
 your pardon. I did not think it would offend you to 
 gather a rose for one of my daughters, who wished 
 to have one." " I am not a lord, but a beast," replied 
 the monster ; " I do not like false compliments, but 
 that people should say what they think : so do not 
 fancy that you can coax me by any such ways. You 
 
358 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 tell me that you have daughters ; now I will pardon 
 you, if one of them will agree to come and die in- 
 stead of you. Go ; and if your daughters should re- 
 fuse, promise me that you yourself will return in 
 three months." 
 
 The tender-hearted merchant had no thought of 
 letting any one of his daughters die instead of him ; 
 but he knew that if he seemed to accept the beast's 
 terms, he should at least have the pleasure of seeing 
 them once again. So he gave the beast his promise ; 
 and the beast told him he might then set off as soon 
 as he liked. " But," said the beast, " I do not wish 
 you to go back empty-handed. Go to the room you 
 slept in, and you will find a chest there ; fill it with 
 just what you like best, and I will get it taken to 
 your own house for you." When the beast had said 
 this, he went away; and the good merchant said to 
 himself, " If I must die, yet I shall now have the com- 
 fort of leaving my children some riches." He re- 
 turned to the room he had slept in, and found a 
 great many pieces of gold. He filled the chest with 
 them to the very brim, locked it, and mounting his 
 horse, left the palace as sorry as he had been glad 
 when he first found it. The horse took a path 
 across the forest of his own accord, and in a few 
 hours they reached the merchant's house. His chil- 
 dren came running round him as he got off his 
 horse ; but the merchant, instead of kissing them 
 with joy, could not help crying as he looked at them. 
 He held in his hand the bunch of roses, which he 
 gave to Beauty, saying : " Take these roses, Beauty ; 
 but little do you think how dear they have cost your 
 poor father;" and then he gave them an account of 
 
Beauty and the Beast 359 
 
 all that he had seen or heard in the palace of the 
 beast. The two eldest sisters now began to shed 
 tears, and to lay the blame upon Beauty, who they 
 said would be the cause of her father's death. 
 " See," said they, " what happens from the pride of 
 the little wretch. Why did not she ask for fine things 
 as we did? But, to be sure, miss must not be like 
 other people ; and though she will be the cause of 
 her father's death, yet she does not shed a tear." 
 " It would be of no use," replied Beauty, " to weep 
 for the death of my father, for he shall not die now. 
 As the beast will accept of one of his daughters, I 
 will give myself up to him ; and think myself happy 
 in being able at once to save his life, and prove my 
 love for the best of fathers." " No, sister," said the 
 three brothers, " you shall not die ; we will go in 
 search for this monster, and either he or we will per- 
 ish." " Do not hope to kill him," said the mer- 
 chant, " for his power is far too great for you to be 
 able to do any such thing. I am charmed with the 
 kindness of Beauty, but I will not suffer her life to be 
 lost. I myself am old, and cannot expect to live 
 much longer; so I shall but give up a few years of 
 my life, and shall only grieve for the sake of my 
 children." " Never, father," cried Beauty, " shall 
 you go to the palace without me ; for you cannot 
 hinder my going after you. Though young, I am not 
 over fond of life ; and I would much rather be eaten 
 up by the monster, than die of the grief your loss 
 would give me." The merchant tried in vain to 
 reason with Beauty, for she would go ; which, in 
 truth, made her two sisters glad, for they were jeal- 
 ous of her, because everybody loved her. 
 
360 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 The merchant was so grieved at the thoughts of 
 losing his child, that he never once thought of the 
 chest filled with gold ; but at night, to his great sur- 
 prise, he found it standing by his bedside. He said 
 nothing about his riches to his eldest daughters, for 
 he knew very well it would at once make them want 
 to return to town ; but he told Beauty his secret, and 
 she then said, that while he was away, two gentle- 
 men had been on a visit to their cottage, who had 
 fallen in love with her two sisters. She then begged 
 her father to marry them without delay ; for she was 
 so sweet-tempered, that she loved them for all they 
 had used her so ill, and forgave them with all her 
 heart. When the three months were past, the mer- 
 chant and Beauty got ready to set out for the palace 
 of the beast. Upon this, the two sisters rubbed their 
 eyes with an onion, to make believe they shed a 
 great many tears; but both the merchant and his 
 sons cried in earnest. There was only Beauty who 
 did not, for she thought that this would only make 
 the matter worse. They reached the palace in a very 
 few hours, and the horse, without bidding, went 
 into the same stable as before. The merchant and 
 Beauty walked towards the large hall, where they 
 found a table covered with every dainty, and two 
 plates laid ready. The merchant had very little ap- 
 petite; but Beauty, that she might the better hide 
 her grief, placed herself at the table, and helped her 
 father ; she then began herself to eat, and thought all 
 the time that to be sure the beast had a mind to fat- 
 ten her before he eat her up, as he had got such good 
 cheer for her. When they had done their supper, 
 they heard a great noise, and the good old man be- 
 
Beauty and the Beast 361 
 
 gan to bid his poor child farewell, for he knew it 
 was the beast coming to them. When Beauty first 
 saw his frightful form, she could not help being 
 afraid ; but she tried to hide her fear as much as she 
 could. The beast asked her if she had come quite 
 of her own accord, and though she was now still 
 more afraid than before, she made shift to say, 
 " Y-e-s." " You are a good girl, and I think my- 
 self very much obliged to you." He then turned 
 towards her father, and said to him, " Good man, 
 you may leave the palace to-morrow morning, and 
 take care never to come back to it again. Good 
 night. Beauty." " Good night, beast," said she ; and 
 then the monster went out of the room. 
 
 " Ah ! my dear child," said the merchant, kissing 
 his daughter, " I am half dead already, at the 
 thoughts of leaving you with this dreadful beast; 
 you had better go back, and let me stay in your 
 place." " No," said Beauty boldly, " I will never 
 agree to that; you must go home to-morrow morn- 
 ing." They then wished each other good night, and 
 went to bed, both of them thinking they should not 
 be able to close their eyes ; but as soon as ever they 
 had laid down, they fell into a deep sleep, and did 
 not wake till morning. Beauty dreamed that a lady 
 came up to her, who said, " I am very much pleased, 
 Beauty, with the goodness you have shown, in being 
 willing to give your life to save that of your father : 
 and it shall not go without a reward." As soon as 
 Beauty awoke, she told her father this dream ; but 
 though it gave him some comfort, he could not take 
 leave of his darling child without shedding many 
 tears. When the merchant got out of sight, Beauty 
 
362 Fairy Tales Et>ery Child Should Know 
 
 sat down in the large hall, and began to cry also: 
 yet she had a great deal of courage, and so she soon 
 resolved not to make her sad case still worse by sor- 
 row, which she knew could not be of any use to her, 
 but to wait as well as she could till night, when she 
 thought the beast would not fail to come and eat her 
 up. She walked about to take a view of all the 
 palace, and the beauty of every part of it much 
 charmed her. 
 
 But what was her surprise, when she came to a 
 door on which was written, Beauty's room! She 
 opened it in haste, and her eyes were all at once daz- 
 zled at the grandeur of the inside of the room. 
 What made her wonder more than all the rest was, 
 a large library filled with books, a harpsichord, and 
 many other pieces of music. " The beast takes care I 
 shall not be at a loss how to amuse myself,''' said she. 
 She then thought that it was not likely such things 
 would have been got ready for her, if she had but 
 one day to live; and began to hope all would not 
 turn out so bad as she and her father had feared. 
 She opened the library, and saw these verses written 
 in letters of gold on the back of one of the books : 
 
 " Beauteous lady, dry your tears, 
 Here's no cause for sighs or fears ; 
 Command as freely as you may, 
 Enjoyment still shall mark your sway." 
 
 "Alas!" said she, sighing, "there is nothing I 
 so much desire as to see my poor father and to know 
 what he is doing at this moment." She said this to 
 herself; but just then by chance, she cast her eyes 
 
Beauty and the Beast 363 
 
 on a looking-glass that stood near her, and in the 
 glass she saw her home, and her father riding up 
 to the cottage in the deepest sorrow. Her sisters 
 came out to meet him, but for all they tried to 
 look sorry, it was easy to see that in their hearts 
 they were very glad. In a short time all this picture 
 went away out of the glass: but Beauty began to 
 think that the beast was very kind to her, and that 
 she had no need to be afraid of him. About the 
 middle of the day, she found a table laid ready for 
 her; and a sweet concert of music played all the 
 time she was eating her dinner without her seeing 
 a single creature. But at supper, when she was go- 
 ing to seat herself at table, she heard the noise of the 
 beast, and could not help trembling with fear. 
 " Beauty," said he, " will you give me leave to see 
 you sup ? " " That is as you please," answered she, 
 very much afraid. " Not in the least," said the 
 beast ; " you alone command in this place. If you 
 should not like my company, you need only to say 
 so, and I will leave you that moment. But tell me, 
 Beauty, do you not think me very ugly ? " " Why, 
 yes," 9aid she, " for I cannot tell a story ; but then 
 I think you are very good." " You are right," re- 
 plied the beast ; " and, besides being ugly, I am also 
 very stupid : I know very well enough that I am but 
 a beast." 
 
 " I should think you cannot be very stupid," said 
 Beauty, " if you yourself know this." " Pray do not 
 let me hinder you from eating," said he; " and be 
 sure you do not want for any thing ; for all you see 
 is yours, and I shall be vastly grieved if you are not 
 happy." " You are very kind," said Beauty : " I 
 
364 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 must needs own that I think very well of your good- 
 nature, and then I almost forget how ugly you are." 
 " Yes, yes, I hope I am good-tempered," said he, 
 " but still I am a monster." " There are many men 
 who are worse monsters than you are," replied 
 Beauty ; " and I am better pleased with you in that 
 form, though it is so ugly, than with those who 
 carry wicked hearts under the form of a man." " If 
 I had any sense," said the beast, " I would thank 
 you for what you have said ; but I am too stupid to 
 say any thing that would give you pleasure." Beauty 
 eat her supper with a very good appetite, and almost 
 lost all her dread of the monster ; but she was ready 
 to sink with fright, when he said to her, " Beauty, 
 will you be my wife ? " For a few minutes she was 
 not able to speak a word, for she was afraid of put- 
 ting him in a passion, by refusing. At length she 
 said, " No, beast." The beast made no reply, but 
 sighed deeply, and went away. When Beauty found 
 herself alone, she began to feel pity for the poor 
 beast. " Dear ! " said she, " what a sad thing it is 
 that he should be so very frightful, since he is so 
 good-tempered ! " 
 
 Beauty lived three months in this palace, very 
 well pleased. The beast came to see her every 
 night, and talked with her while she supped ; and 
 though what he said was not very clever, yet as she 
 saw in him every day some new mark of his good- 
 ness, so instead of dreading the time of his coming, 
 she was always looking at her watch, to see if it was 
 almost nine o'clock; for that was the time when he 
 never failed to visit her. There was but one thing 
 that vexed her; which was that every night, before 
 
Beauty ami the Beast 365 
 
 the beast went away from her, he always made it a 
 rule to ask her if she would be his wife, and seemed 
 very much grieved at her saying no. At last, one 
 night, she said to him, " You vex me greatly, beast, 
 by forcing me to refuse you so often ; I wish I could 
 take such a liking to you as to agree to marry you, 
 but I must tell you plainly, that I do not think it will 
 ever happen. I shall always be your friend ; so try 
 to let that make you easy." " I must needs do so 
 then," said the beast, " for I know well enough how 
 frightful I am; but I love you better than myself. 
 Yet I think I am very lucky in your being pleased to 
 stay with me; now promise me, Beauty, that you 
 will never leave me." Beauty was quite struck when 
 he said this ; for that very day she had seen in her 
 glass that her father had fallen sick of grief for her 
 sake, and was very ill for the want of seeing her 
 again. " I would promise you, with all my heart," 
 said she, " never to leave you quite ; but I long so 
 much to see my father, that if you do not give me 
 leave to visit him I shall die with grief." " I would 
 rather die myself, Beauty," answered the beast, 
 " than make you fret ; I will send you to your 
 father's cottage, you shall stay there, and your poor 
 beast shall die of sorrow." " No," said Beauty, cry- 
 ing, " I love you too well to be the cause of your 
 death; I promise to return in a week. Yon have 
 shown me that my sisters are married, and my broth- 
 ers are gone for soldiers, so that my father is left all 
 alone. Let me stay a week with him." " You shall 
 find yourself with him to-morrow morning/' replied 
 the beast ; " but mind, do not forget your promise. 
 When you wish to return you have nothing to do but 
 
366 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 to put your ring on a table when you go to bed. 
 Good-bye, Beauty ! " The beast then sighed as he 
 said these words, and Beauty went to bed very sorry 
 to see him so much grieved. When she awoke in the 
 morning, she found herself in her father's cottage. 
 She rung a bell that was at her bedside, and a ser- 
 vant entered ; but as soon as she saw Beauty, the 
 woman gave a loud shriek; upon which the mer- 
 chant ran up stairs, and when he beheld his daugh- 
 ter he was ready to die of joy. He ran to the bed- 
 side, and kissed her a hundred times. At last 
 Beauty began to remember that she had brought no 
 clothes with her to put on ; but the servant told her 
 she had just found in the next room a large chest 
 full of dresses, trimmed all over with gold, and 
 adorned with pearls and diamonds. 
 
 Beauty in her own mind thanked the beast for his 
 kindness, and put on the plainest gown she could 
 find among them all. She then told the servant to 
 put the rest away with a great deal of care, for she 
 intended to give them to her sisters ; but as soon as 
 she had spoken these words the chest was gone out 
 of sight in a moment. Her father then said, per- 
 haps the beast chose for her to keep them all for her- 
 self ; and as soon as he had said this, they saw the 
 chest standing again in the same place. While Beauty 
 was dressing herself, a servant brought word to 
 her that her sisters were come with their husbands to 
 pay her a visit. They both lived unhappily with the 
 gentlemen they had married. The husband of the 
 eldest was very handsome ; but was so very proud 
 of this, that he thought of nothing else from morn- 
 ing till night, and did not attend to the beauty of his 
 
Beauty and the Beast 367 
 
 wife. The second had married a man of great learn- 
 ing ; but he made no use of it, only to torment and 
 affront all his friends, and his wife more than any 
 of them. The two sisters were ready to burst with 
 spite when they saw Beauty dressed like a princess, 
 and look so very charming. All the kindness that 
 she showed them was of no use ; for they were 
 vexed more than ever, when she told them how 
 happy she lived at the palace of the beast. The 
 spiteful creatures went by themselves into the gar- 
 den, where they cried to think of her good fortune. 
 " Why should the little wretch be better off than 
 we ? " said they. " We are much handsomer than 
 she is." " Sister," said the eldest, " a thought has 
 just come into my head : let us try to keep her here 
 longer than the week that the beast gave her leave 
 for : and then he will be so angry, that perhaps he 
 will eat her up in a moment." " That is well thought 
 of," answered the other, " but to do this we must 
 seem very kind to her." They then made up their 
 minds to be so, and went to join her in the cottage : 
 where they showed her so much false love, that 
 Beauty could not help crying for joy. 
 
 When the week was ended, the two sisters began 
 to pretend so much grief at the thoughts of her 
 leaving them, that she agreed to stay a week more ; 
 but all that time Beauty could not help fretting for 
 the sorrow that she knew her staying would give her 
 poor beast; for she tenderly loved him, and much 
 wished for his company again. The tenth night of 
 her being at the cottage she dreamed she was in the 
 garden of the palace, and that the beast lay dying 
 on a grass plot, and, with his last breath, put her 
 
368 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 in mind of her promise, and laid his death to her 
 keeping away from him. Beauty awoke in a great 
 fright, and burst into tears. " Am not I wicked," 
 said she, " to behave so ill to a beast who has shown 
 me so much kindness ; why will I not marry him ? 
 I am sure I should be more happy with him than my 
 sisters are with their husbands. He shall not be 
 wretched any longer on my account; for I should 
 do nothing but blame myself all the rest of my life." 
 She then rose, put her ring on the table, got into 
 bed again, and soon fell asleep. In the morning she 
 with joy found herself in the palace of the beast. 
 She dressed herself very finely, that she might please 
 him the better, and thought she had never known a 
 day pass away so slow. At last the clock struck nine, 
 but the beast did not come. Beauty then thought to 
 be sure she had been the cause of his death in earnest. 
 She ran from room to room all over the palace, 
 calling out his name, but still she saw nothing of 
 him. After looking for him a long time, she thought 
 of her dream, and ran directly towards the grass 
 plot ; and there she found the poor beast lying sense- 
 less and seeming dead. She threw herself upon his 
 body, thinking nothing at all of his ugliness; and 
 finding his heart still beat, she ran and fetched 
 some water from a pond in the garden, and threw it 
 on his face. The beast then opened his eyes, and 
 said : " You have forgot your promise, Beauty. My 
 grief for the loss of you has made me resolve to 
 starve myself to death ; but I shall die content, since 
 I have had the pleasure of seeing you once more." 
 " No, dear beast," replied Beauty, " you shall not 
 die ; you shall live to be my husband : from this mo- 
 
Beauty and the Beast 369 
 
 ment I offer to marry you, and will be only yours. 
 Oh ! I thought I felt only friendship for you ; but the 
 pain I now feel, shows me that I could not live with- 
 out seeing you." 
 
 The moment Beauty had spoken these words, the 
 palace was suddenly lighted up, and music, fire- 
 works, and all kinds of rejoicings, appeared round 
 about them. Yet Beauty took no notice of all this, 
 but watched over her dear beast with the greatest 
 tenderness. But now she was all at once amazed 
 to see at her feet, instead of her poor beast, the 
 handsomest prince that ever was seen, who thanked 
 her most warmly for having broken his enchant- 
 ment. Though this young prince deserved all her 
 notice, she could not help asking him what was be- 
 come of the beast. " You see him at your feet, 
 Beauty," answered the prince, " for I am he. A 
 wicked fairy had condemned me to keep the form of 
 a beast till a beautiful young lady should agree to 
 marry me, and ordered me, on pain of death, not to 
 show that I had any sense. You, alone, dearest 
 Beauty, have kindly judged of me by the goodness 
 of my heart; and in return I offer you my hand and 
 my crown, though I know the reward is much less 
 than what I owe you." Beauty, in the most pleasing 
 surprise, helped the prince to rise, and they walked 
 along to the palace, when her wonder was very 
 great to find her father and sisters there, who had 
 been brought by the lady Beauty had seen in her 
 dream. "Beauty," said the lady (for she was a 
 fairy), " receive the reward of the choice you have 
 made. You have chosen goodness of heart rather 
 than sense and beauty ; therefore you deserve to find 
 
t 
 370 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 
 
 them all three joined in the same person. You are 
 going to be a great Queen : I hope a crown will not 
 destroy your virtue." 
 
 " As for you, ladies," said the fairy to the other 
 two sisters, " I have long known the malice of your 
 hearts, and the wrongs you have done. You shall 
 become two statues; but under that form you shall 
 still keep your reason, and shall be fixed at the gates 
 of your sister's palace ; and I will not pass any worse 
 sentence on you than to see her happy. You will 
 never appear in your own persons again till you are 
 fully cured of your faults ; and to tell the truth, I am 
 very much afraid you will remain statues for ever." 
 
 At the same moment, the fairy, with a stroke of 
 her wand, removed all who were present to the 
 young prince's country, where he was received with 
 the greatest joy by his subjects. He married Beauty, 
 and passed a long and happy life with her, because 
 they still kept in the same course of goodness from 
 which they had never departed. 
 
 THE COUNTRY UJE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N. Y.