PRINCE DARLING TRANSFORMED INTO THE MONSTER. 
 
 Seep. 284
 
 THE 
 
 BLUE FAIRY BOOK 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 ANDREW LANG 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS P>Y 11. J. FORT) 
 AND G. I'. JACO.UJJ HOOD 
 
 LONDON 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
 
 AND NEW YORK : 15 EAST 1C* STREET 
 
 1889 
 
 All riijh/s 
 
 92346
 
 TO 
 
 ELSPETH ANGELA CAMPBELL. 
 
 Too late tliey come, too late for you, 
 TJiese old friends tliat are ever new, 
 Enchanted in our volume blue, 
 
 For you ere now Jiave wandered o'er 
 A u-orld of tales untold of yore, 
 And learned tlie later fairy -lore ! 
 
 Nay, as within her briery brake 
 The Sleeping Beauty did awake, 
 Old tales may rouse tliem for your sake, 
 
 And you once more may voyage through 
 Tlie forests that of old we knew, 
 Tlie fairy forests deep in dew, 
 
 Wlwre, you, resuming childish things, 
 Shall listen ivhen tlie Blue Bird sings, 
 And sit at feast with fairy Kings, 
 
 And taste their wine, ere all be done, 
 And face more welcome shall be none 
 Among tlie guests of Oberon. 
 
 Ay, of that feast slwll tales be told, 
 The marvels of that world of gold, 
 To children young, wlien you are old. 
 
 When you are old ! Ah, dateless ' when,' 
 For youth sliall perish among men, 
 And Spring herself be ancient then !
 
 PEEFACE 
 
 THE TALES in this volume are intended for children, who will 
 like, it is hoped, the old stories that have pleased so many 
 generations. 
 
 The tales of Perrault are printed from the old English 
 version of the eighteenth century. 
 
 The stories from the Cabinet des Fees and from Madame 
 d'Aulnoy are translated, or rather adapted, by Miss Minnie 
 Wright, who has also, by M. Henri Carnoy's kind permission, 
 rendered ' The Bronze Ring ' from his Traditions Populaires 
 de I'Asie Mineure (Maisonneuve, Paris, 1889). 
 
 The stories from Grimm are translated by Miss May 
 Sellar ; another from the German^ by Miss Sylvia Hunt ; the 
 Norse tales are a version by Mrs. Alfred Hunt ; ' The Terrible 
 Head ' is adapted from Apollodorus, Simonides, and Pindar 
 by the Editor ; Miss Violet Hunt condensed ' Aladdin ' ; Miss 
 May Kendall did the same for Gulliver's Travels ; ' The 
 Fairy Paribanou ' is abridged from the old English translation 
 of Galland. 
 
 Messrs. Chambers have kindly allowed us to reprint ' The 
 Eed Etin ' and The Black Bull of Norroway ' from Mr. 
 Eobert Chambers' Popular Traditions of Scotland. 
 
 ' Dick Whittington ' is from the chap book edited by Mr. 
 Gomme and Mr. Wheatley for the Villon Society ; ' Jack the 
 Giant-Killer ' is from a chap book, but a good version of this 
 old favourite is hard to procure. 
 
 ANDREW LANG.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 FAGK 
 
 THE BRONZE RING 1 
 
 PRINCE HYACINTH AND THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS . . . . 12 
 
 EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON 19 
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF . ... 30 
 
 LITTLE EEC RIDING-HOOD . . 51 
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 54 
 
 CINDERELLA, OR THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER . . . . . 64 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP . . . ' . . . . 72 
 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO SET OUT TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS . 86 
 
 RUJIPELSTILTZKIN 96 
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST . . . 100 
 
 THE MASTER-MAID . .. , . . . . . . . 120 
 
 WHY THE SEA is SALT . . 136 
 
 THE MASTER CAT ; OR, Puss IN BOOTS . . . . . . 141 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS .' . . . . . 148 
 
 THE WHITE CAT . ' . . . . 157 
 
 THE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS . . ... 174 
 
 THE TERRIBLE HEAD 182 
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 193 
 
 THE HISTORY OF W T HITTINGTON . . 206
 
 x FAIRY TALES 
 
 PAGE 
 THE WONDEKFDL SHEEP 214 
 
 LITTLE THUMB 231 
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES 242 
 
 HANSEL AND GKETTEL 251 
 
 -SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-BED 259 
 
 THE GOOSE-GIEL 266 
 
 TOADS AND DIAMONDS 274 
 
 PKINCE DARLING 278 
 
 BLUE BEARD 290 
 
 TEUSTY JOHN 296 
 
 THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 304 
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT ......... 813 
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 332 
 
 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED AND THE FAIRY PARIBANOU . . . 342 
 
 THE HISTORY OF JACK THE GIANT-KILLER 374 
 
 THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY 380 
 
 THE BED ETIN . . 385 
 
 PLATES 
 
 PRINCE DARLING TRANSFORMED INTO THE MONSTER . . Frontispiece 
 
 THE OLD JEW SHOWS THE FISHES TO THE PRINCESS To face page 8 
 THE KING OF THE GOLD MINES ENCOUNTERS THE FOUR- 
 
 AND-TWENTY MAIDENS 48 
 
 CINDERELLA'S FLIGHT 70 
 
 THE PRINCE'S BRIDE 172 
 
 THE GOLD-SPINNERS 178 
 
 ' OPEN, SESAME ! ' 242 
 
 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIONS 366
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE taste of the world, which has veered so often, is con- 
 stant enough to fairy tales. The children to whom and for 
 whom they are told represent the young age of man. They 
 are true to his early loves, they have his unblunted edge 
 of belief, and his fresh appetite for marvels. The instinct 
 of economy so works that we are still repeating to the boys 
 and girls of each generation the stories that were old before 
 Homer sang, and the adventures that have wandered, like the 
 wandering Psyche, over all the world. We may alter now 
 and again the arrangement of incidents, but these always 
 remain essentially the same, and of all the combinations into 
 which they can be fitted, the oldest combinations are still the 
 favourites. 
 
 These truisms have been for some time recognised even 
 by Science, and the study of nursery tales, of their wander- 
 ings, their antiquity, their origin, has long been a diversion 
 of the learned. This, however, is not the place to repeat the 
 familiar antiquarian theories, nor to attempt any new variety 
 of conjecture. Even a child (this preface is not meant for 
 children) must recognise, as he turns the pages of the Blue 
 Fairy Book, that the same adventures and something like the 
 same plots meet him in stories translated from different lan- 
 guages. The Scotch ' Black Bull of Norroway,' for example, 
 must remind the very youngest reader of ' East of the Sun 
 and West of the Moon,' a tale from the Norse. Both, again, 
 have manifest resemblances to ' Beauty and the Beast,' and
 
 xii FAIRY TALES 
 
 every classical student lias the fable of ' Eros and Psyche ' 
 brought back to his memory, while every anthropologist recol- 
 lects a similar Narchen among Kaffirs and Bassutos. These 
 resemblances and analogies recur on every page. Our ' Bronze 
 Eing,' from the Levant, with the mice which make the Jew 
 sneeze by tickling his nose, has a variant among Mongolian 
 tribes. The Finns, the Santhals, the Kaffirs have a Cinderella 
 of their own, like the Scotch and the Celts. Parts of ' Hop 
 o' my Thumb ' (' The Little Thumb ') are current in Tartary ; 
 the incident of the changed crowns and the murder by the 
 ogre of his own children is part of that ancient Minyaii 
 legend of Athamas, Phrixus, and Helle. The tale of Jason 
 was old when the ' Odyssey ' was composed old and ' familiar ' 
 (like the ship Argo) ' to all men.' Here we have a shadow of its 
 main events in ' The Master Maid,' and there are other echoes 
 in Samoa, and among the red men of the North American 
 continent. The papyri of the second Rameses contain fairy 
 tales recognisably like ours ; there is no speech nor land where 
 their voice is not heard. 
 
 To explain these curious correspondences, these echoes out 
 of some far-off time, is the object of the science of the lower 
 mythology call it Folk-Lore, or by what name we will. But 
 that science does not at all exhaust the interest of nursery 
 stories. It struggles with their history, asks Have they come 
 from a common source ? have they been independently invented 
 in various centres ? have mankind inherited them all from far- 
 away first ancestors ? or have they been scattered like the seeds 
 of flowers in the course of commerce, slavery, marriage with 
 strange wives, and war ? To answer, or at least to put, these 
 questions is the business of science, of that science which is 
 concerned with origins, popular antiquities, the earlier deve- 
 lopments of human thought, life, and art. We shall not say 
 over again here what we have already repeated, perhaps too 
 frequently, concerning these problems. 1 
 
 1 The writer's own ideas may be found in the preface to Mrs. Hunt's
 
 INTRODUCTION xiii 
 
 They are problems of science, or of a study with scientific 
 aims, rather than of literary criticism. Perhaps it seems 
 almost as cruel to apply the methods of literary criticism as of 
 science to Nursery Tales. He who would enter into the 
 Kingdom of Faery should have the heart of a little child, if he 
 is to be happy and at home in that enchanted realm. But I 
 trust that one may have studied fairy tales both scientifically 
 and in a literary way, without losing the heart of childhood, 
 as far as those best of childish things are concerned. May 
 one be forgiven the egotism of confessing, that in the reading 
 and arranging of these old wives' fables, one has felt perhaps 
 as much pleasure as the child who reads them, or hears them, 
 for the first; time? Children, as we know, like to hear a 
 tale often, and always insist that it shall be told in the same 
 
 ' Decies rcpetita placebit ! 
 
 ' Blue Beard,' that little tragic and dramatic masterpiece, 
 moves me yet ; I still tremble for Puss in Boots when the 
 ogre turns into a lion ; and still one's heart goes with the girl 
 who seeks her lost and enchanted lover, and wins him again 
 in the third night of watching and of tears. This may not 
 seem a taste to be proud of, but it is a taste to be grateful for, 
 like the love of any other thing that is old and plain, and 
 dallies with the simplicity of love. 
 
 ' They all went to bed again, and the damsel began singing 
 
 as before 
 
 ' Seven lang years I served for thee, 
 The glassy hill I clamb for thee, 
 The bluidy shirt I wrang for thee, 
 And wilt thou not wauken and turn to me ? ' 
 
 They will not waken and turn to us, our lost loves, our 
 
 translations of Grimm's ' Kinder- und Hausmarchen,' in The Marriage 
 of Cupid and Psyche, in the Clarendon Press edition of Perrault's 
 Contes de ma Mdre VOye, in the last chapter of Myth, Ritiial, and 
 Religion, and the preface to Mr. Tuer's edition of the rhyme of ' Beauty 
 and the Beast,' attributed to Charles Lamb.
 
 xiv FAIRY TALES 
 
 lost chances, not for all our service, all our singing, not for 
 all our waiting seven or twice seven long years. But, in 
 the fairy tale, he heard, and he turned to her. ' And she 
 telled him a' that had befa'en her, and he telled her a' that 
 had happened to him.' Where have we heard these simple 
 words before, and known the long lost, the long divided, the 
 reunited hearts, brought 'to the rites of their ancient bed,' 
 and telling each other all the story of their sorrow ? It is at 
 the close of the ' Odyssey,' and Homer is the story-teller. 
 
 By private experience, then, one is led to hope and believe 
 that much reading of nursery stories, even through the 
 microscope of science and the spectacles of literature, need 
 not make one incapable of relishing the old and friendly 
 narratives. We do not forget our old mirse, the Mdrchen. 
 If any one differs, it is easy for him to pass over these few 
 pages, only placed in front of a limited edition of the Blue 
 Fairy Book, only meant for grown-up people, and never for 
 children. But there may be readers who will care to hear a 
 little about the literary sources whence our tales come, and 
 to know how far they are truly traditional, how far the art of 
 later times has altered or embellished the original data. 
 
 To begin with, I doubt if any of our tales are absolutely 
 pure from literary handling, absolutely set down as they drop 
 from the lips of tradition. The Grimms, for example, did 
 not treat their matter sentimentally, as Hans Christian 
 Andersen did, nor in a light courtly way, aiming at an 
 audience of great ladies, as Madame d'Aulnoy and Madame Le 
 Prince de Beaumont did. But one can hardly help suspecting 
 a literary touch in ' The Boy who set out to learn shivering.' 
 Some nameless Hoffmann has put his hand to that startling 
 and amusing tale, so much better than Mrs. Eadcliffe, where 
 Mrs. Eadcliffe is at her best. That dead body of a kinsman 
 so strangely coming on the scene, the vampire-like malignity 
 of the corpse, the black cats with their ghastly game at cards, 
 are ' ugsome ' incidents, as the story of the ' Red Etiii ' says,
 
 INTRODUCTION xv 
 
 and out of the way of true popular tradition. Again, the house 
 of sugar-plums in ' Hansel and Grettel ' is clearly modern, 
 perhaps the fancy of some educated nurse ; while the ogress 
 who fattens children is old in legend Zulus and Tartars 
 know her and is a part of history too, if we may credit a 
 traveller's tale in Pinkerton, about the cannibal folk near 
 Suakin. Even in the ' Eed Etin ' the verses, 
 
 The Eed Etin of Ireland 
 He lives in Ballygan, 
 
 are only in part things of tradition. The middle verse is a 
 portion of the chant in an old game of Scotch children, the 
 application to the Eed Etin has some modest literary origin. 
 It were superfluous to add that the stories from the Arabian 
 Nights (' Aladdin,' ' The Forty Thieves,' ' The Fairy Pari- 
 banou ') have dwindled into their present condition from a 
 literary form. The originals may be found by English readers 
 in Sir Eichard Burton's literal translation. As rendered there, 
 the Marchen have been modified and amplified to suit Oriental 
 literary taste, winch has moments of ( ruelty and lust, as well as 
 hours of florid tedium. For general readers the best Arabian 
 Nights will always be, not Mr. Lane's, not Mr. John Payne's, 
 not Sir Eichard Burton's, but the old English translation of 
 Galland's old adaptation. ' The Fairy Paribaiiou,' in this 
 book, is merely an abridgment of the English rendering of 
 Galland ; but, abridged as it is, it may seem long, and the 
 translator's manner may seem odd to children. In Miss 
 Violet Hunt's versions of ' Aladdin,' and ' The Forty Thieves,' 
 the tastes of children are more carefully studied, and the true 
 and literary forms of the tales have thus dwindled down into 
 something probably more like the Mcirchen which must have 
 been their source. These processes have constantly been 
 going 011 in the course of time. The old tradition is, as a 
 rule, the original form, that is worked up into literature, as 
 in Homer, where the ' Odyssey ' is based on a string of different
 
 xvi FAIEY TALES 
 
 Mdrchen, or in the Jason legend. But literature, again, 
 descends occasionally among the people, as Oriental stories 
 found their way into medieval sermons, and so fragments of 
 epic, or novel, or even of history, become Marchen once more. 
 To take another example, the Perseus epic legend is a tissue 
 of fairy tales, though Pindar made it into an ode, and 
 Simonides furnished Danae with a song. In this volume 
 (' The Terrible Head ') I have tried to reconstruct the original 
 nursery tale, chiefly by dropping the local -and personal 
 names, which, doubtless, were added to an old impersonal 
 and unlocated story by the Greeks in Argos and Seriphos. 
 The action of the gods, too, was probably an addition. In 
 the original the hero probably acted like Jack the Giant 
 Killer : ' he furnished himself with a sword of sharpness, shoes 
 of swiftness, and an invisible coat.' How did he ' furnish 
 himself ' with these rare properties ? The English chap- 
 book author never thinks of asking, but Greek epic legend 
 made them the gifts of Hermes and Athene. The best 
 English versions of the old Greek fairy tales are, doubtless, 
 lungsley's The Heroes, and Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales. 
 But so much turns, in Greek fable, on divine amours, intro- 
 duced to give the royal Acha3an houses a divine descent, that 
 it is never easy to make them intelligible to children. 
 
 The old authors who first approached these traditions in 
 a spirit of inquiry, authors like Charles Perrault, were more 
 or less right in saying that most nursery stories had a moral 
 intention. ' East of the Sun and West of the Moon ' has a 
 moral intention so archaic that it is no longer intelligible 
 except to students. Why is the lassie severed from her 
 lover? Because she broke an ancient and world-wide tabu 
 on the conduct of married people. She saw her husband ! 
 In other forms of the tale she calls him by his name, a 
 thing still forbidden to Zulu women. As these old absurd 
 rules of conduct become forgotten, the moral is merely the 
 punishment of disobedience, even when the command is mi-
 
 tNTBpDVCTIQN xvii 
 
 intelligible. There cornes in (as in ' Cupid and Psyche,' and 
 ' Beauty and the Beast ') the prettier moral of loyalty rewarded 
 and true love invincible. Punishment of disobedient curiosity 
 is the motive of ' Blue Beard,' and of all the stories about for- 
 bidden doors, wells, trees, fruits, and so forth, which, among 
 many races, are interwoven with the myth of ' The Origin of 
 Death.' In ' Cinderella,' as we have it here, that is as Perrault 
 gave it to the world, goodness, patience, kindness are rewarded. 
 ' The Fairies ' of Perrault, or ' Toads and Pearls,' is a moral tale 
 very wide spread, and is found among Bassutos and Kaffirs. 
 The lesson is one of kindness and politeness and gratitude, 
 as in the numberless tales of grateful beasts, and as in ' The 
 Bronze Ring.' But mere adroitness well recompensed is the 
 moral of ' Tom Thumb,' and ' Puss in Boots,' as we have it 
 here, though a different moral, that of gratitude, is inculcated 
 in the more archaic forms current in Eastern Africa and the 
 Soudan. Meanwhile ' Aladdin ' and ' The Fairy Paribanou ' 
 are almost non-moral. "Why should Aladdin be so lucky, 
 or Prince Ahmed favoured above his brothers ? These are 
 caprices of chance, or of love. 
 
 This collection, made for the pleasure of children, and 
 without scientific purpose, includes nursery tales which have 
 a purely literary origin. Many of these were the work of 
 ladies in the age when fairy tales were in vogue at the Court 
 of France. It by no means followed that the courtiers had 
 the hearts of children. A French lady said, 'J'aime les jeux 
 innocents avec ceux qui ne le sont pas.' 
 
 It was for innocents of this kind that Madame d'Aulnoy, 
 Madame de Villeneuve, Madame Le Prince de Beaumont, and 
 many others wrote. Their stories were often long polite 
 romances ; ' Beauty and the Beast,' in the original, is as 
 long as Northanger Abbey. But these clever ladies, who 
 furnished so much of the endless Cabinet des Fees, used 
 fairy properties and traditional incidents of metamorphosis, 
 and of talking beasts. They ' embroidered on them,' as
 
 xviii FAIRY TALES 
 
 one of them said, prodigiously ; nothing but the tissue 
 into which they stitched their flowers of gold and silver 
 thread was traditional. The long descriptions of royal fetes, 
 the diamonds, the masques, the carriages, the compliments, 
 were pure Louis Quiuze. We have not, therefore, translated 
 these tales at full length. 
 
 Miss Minnie Wright has reduced the novels of the Cabinet 
 des Fees from the original to the proportion of nursery tales. 
 Of them all, I think ' The Yellow Dwarf ' is the best. It 
 has become part of the popular treasure ; the fairies have 
 stolen it as they stole Tamlane and other mortal children. 
 It has dwelt in fairy land, and tasted fairy bread. ' The 
 Yellow Dwarf,' like ' The Wonderful Sheep,' ends ill ; a thing 
 unknown in true popular fairy tradition. But it has touches of 
 the right supei*natural. When the Princess wakens, after her 
 betrothal to the Yellow Dwarf, and hopes it was a dream, 
 and finds on her finger the fatal ring of one red hair, we 
 have a brave touch of horror and of truth. All of us have 
 wakened and struggled with a dim evil memory, and trusted 
 it was a dream, and found, in one form or other, a proof, a 
 shape of that ring of red hair. The Dwarf's charger, his 
 black cat, and all his wicked yellow tints, his wooden shoes, 
 his little yellow coat, his orange tree, and his cruel satire, 
 are excellently invented. Indeed I hope he will haunt the 
 dreams of no child as he haunted my own. He seems to me 
 like a prophecy of the Revolution, and of all that the ugly 
 men in wooden shoes did to the beautiful princesses. Do 
 you not admire, also, the ingredients of the lion's cake millet 
 seed, sugar candy, and crocodile's eggs? How distinctly 
 one remembers, among the dim thoughts of childhood, the 
 impression made by that mysterious, ominous cake, in the 
 beginning of the tale. What lions they were, too ' each had 
 two heads, eight feet, and four rows of teeth, and their skins 
 were as hard as turtle shells, and bright red.' It was an 
 ugsome wilderness, horribly haunted, that lay around that
 
 INTRODUCTION xix 
 
 palace of Bellissima's, where all the princes courted her, and 
 the fires were made of myriad sonnets and madrigals, ' which 
 crackled and sparkled better than any other sort of wood.' 
 Madame d'Aulnoy's ' White Cat ' is a pleasant foil to this 
 disastrous dwarf of hers ; the cat is a pretty kindly fee, and 
 we are almost sorry when she becomes a princess, however 
 beautiful and gracious. ' She looked very young, and very 
 sad,' and her voice was the most musical of mews ! 
 
 Miss Thackeray, who gave us such happy versions of those 
 ' old friends,' might have rendered ' The White Cat ' once 
 more for the older people. 'Pretty Goldilocks,' too, is an 
 enchanting lady, and it is not odd that the other princess 
 nearly fell in love with the courtly and melancholy sheep 
 who had been a prince. Never, truly, was sheep more 
 princely than he, though his ill end is contrary to the best 
 fairy traditions. 
 
 Even when abridged and stripped of their frippery Madame 
 d'Aulnoy's tales hardly compete with Perrault's masterpieces. 
 Of all the old friends of the Marchen he clung most closely 
 to tradition, giving often the very wofds of his boy's nurse, 
 though he added a quip or a gentle piece of satire or a veiled 
 gauloiserie, here and there. I have given his tales of Mother 
 Goose in the words of the oldest English translation I can 
 procure. Though published in 1697, Perrault's Contes de ma 
 Mere I'Oye do not seem to have been Englished till 1729. A 
 version is advertised in a newspaper of that year, but no copy 
 exists in the British Museum. The text we print is from a 
 very pretty little edition of 1763, which I purchased in Paris. 
 The French and English face each other, and the book was 
 probably meant to teach English children French, and French 
 children English. Clearly the English version was not made 
 from Perrault's first edition, but followed a later and slightly 
 altered text. Perrault's tales have been much cut about in 
 English. The ordinary picture-books have many garbled 
 phrases, and foolish pieces of moralising, or descriptions
 
 xx FAIltY TALES 
 
 utterly alien to Perrault's manner, are introduced. The 
 curiou3 close of ' The Sleeping Beauty ' has been improved 
 away in English versions, but I cannot be so false to Perrault. 
 Red Riding Hood is rescued and the wolf is killed by a woods- 
 man, a perversion of history. Probably children prefer the 
 truth. When M. P. J. Stahl told the tale to Charles Nodier's 
 little grandchild, a girl of four, she cried, ' Le gent il petit loup ' 
 Nice little wolf! M. Stahl w T as horrified, till he learned 
 that his young friend was going without her dinner for her 
 health's sake, and had been promised a cake. On Red Riding 
 Hood's cake, or ' custard,' her mind had been steadily fixed, 
 to the exclusion of that heroine herself. And the child was 
 commending the sportsmanlike conduct of the wolf, who is 
 not recorded to have eaten the cake even if he did gobble up 
 the heroine ! 
 
 We do not know what passes in the minds of children 
 when they hear the fairy tales. Perhaps they side with the 
 wolf, or have a tendresse for the Yellow Dwarf. But if their 
 open eyes and mouths tell the truth (they have not learned to 
 tell aught else) they are happy and contented with these grave 
 prodigious histories. Pretty certainly they do not take the 
 moral, and will be none the wiser, if much the more diverted, 
 for the tale of Prince Hyacinth Longnose. There are few 
 courtiers in our nurseries, but Madame le Prince de Beaumont 
 may have meant her tale for a little Dauphin's reading. 
 
 The stories from the Norse which Mrs. Hunt has trans- 
 lated are familiar to many already in Sir George Dasent's 
 delightful book. We had only room for a few : they differ 
 from the rest by a certain largeness of treatment ; the clean 
 cold air of the north, the healthy fragrance of pine forests 
 blows through them, borne by the strong north wind. They 
 are somewhat plain-spoken, but nobody who knows children, 
 nobody who is not a prurient pedant of prudery, will be 
 capable of thinking that this can harm their little readers. 
 Dickens, in childhood, had ' a child's Tom Jones, an innocent
 
 INTRODUCTION xxi 
 
 creature.' Still more innocent are the White Bear, and the 
 kind, and brave, and loyal Master Maid, and the Princess on 
 the Hill of Glass. 
 
 The stories from Grimm are among the best in the world, 
 and are probably familiar to most children who may be pre- 
 sented with the Blue Fairy Book. They will not be sorry to 
 laugh again with the ' Brave Little Tailor,' to shudder before 
 the boy learned to do so, and to wander to the witch's lollipop 
 cottage with Hansel and Grettel. The Grimms' Tales are 
 now all done into English by Mrs. Hunt, 1 but we have thought 
 it better to give an original rendpring, by Miss May Sellar. 
 
 The English tales are so scanty, and have been so flattened 
 and stupefied, and crammed with gross rural jests, in the 
 chap books, that we can only give a decent if a dull version 
 of ' Jack the Giant Killer ' and ' Dick Whittington.' On the 
 other hand ' Gulliver in Lilliput ' has been condensed by Miss 
 May Kendall ; the marvels are left, and the satire is subdued. 
 The Scotch stories are placed at the end for Scotch children. 
 If English people ' hate dialect ' so much that they cannot 
 read the Waverley novels and Burns, English children (if 
 inordinately and not merely affectedly stupid) may be puzzled 
 by ' The Black Bull of Norroway,' and ' The Red Etin of 
 Ireland.' Not much space, at all events, is sacrificed to the 
 lore of what Mr. Gladstone once ingenuously supposed to be 
 the ' Land o' the Leal.' The Etin and the Bull are such 
 very old friends of the editor's, that he could not omit them 
 when the fairies were invited-to the festival. 
 
 As in all collections, many critics will miss many of their 
 favourites. Space has its limits, and one is reluctantly 
 obliged to leave out a tale or two from the Mabinogion, several 
 from Islay's stories of the West Highlands, and many from 
 modern Greek, Japanese, Hindoo, Bassuto, Bed Indian, Berber, 
 Egyptian, and, above all, Finnish and Slavonic sources. As this 
 essay was being written came the sad news that our Folk-Lore 
 1 G. Bell and Sons.
 
 xxii FAIEY TALES 
 
 has lost its great Slavonic student, Mr. Ralston. No more will 
 children follow him they followed him once at Oxford, from 
 the Museum, I think, to the Theatre like the crowd that 
 went after the music of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He was 
 no less admirable a narrator than a cautious, kindly, and 
 learned student of nursery traditions. He had not only the 
 science but the spirit of the fairy world. This word in a 
 book meant for little boys and girls is due to the memory 
 of a lover of children. Finally, the Editor must thank the 
 authors who have helped him, and the artists who have lent 
 their fancy to the book. His friend Mr. Jacomb Hood will 
 pardon him for mentioning (in the sacred interests of science) 
 that Monsieur de la Barbe Bleue was not a Turk ! One of the 
 ladies' brothers was a Dragoon, the other a Mousquetaire, of 
 M. d'Artagnan's company perhaps. They were all French 
 folk and Christians ; had he been a Turk, Blue Beard need not 
 have been wedded to but one wife at a time.
 
 THE BRONZE EING 
 
 ONCE upon a time in a certain country there lived a king whose 
 palace was surrounded by a spacious garden. But, though 
 the gardeners were many and the soil was good, this garden yielded 
 neither flowers nor fruits, not even grass or shady trees. 
 
 The King was in despair about it when a wise old man said to 
 him : 
 
 ' Your gardeners do not understand their business: but what can 
 you expect of men whose fathers were cobblers and carpenters ? 
 How should they have learnt to cultivate your garden ? ' 
 
 ' You are quite right,' cried the King. 
 
 ' Therefore,' continued the old man, ' you should send for a gar- 
 dener whose father and grandfather have been gardeners before 
 him, and very soon your garden will be full of green grass and gay 
 flowers, and you will enjoy its delicious fruit.' 
 
 So the King sent messengers to every town, village, and hamlet 
 in his dominions, to look for a gardener whose forefathers had been 
 gardeners also, and after forty days one was found. 
 
 ' Come with us and be gardener to the King,' they said to him. 
 
 ' How can I go to the King,' said the gardener, ' a poor wretch 
 like me ? ' 
 
 ' That is of no consequence,' they answered. ' Here are new 
 clothes for you and your family.' 
 
 ' But I owe money to several people.' 
 
 ' We will pay your debts,' they said. 
 
 So the gardener allowed himself to be persuaded, and went 
 away with the messengers, taking his wife and his son with him ; 
 and the King, delighted to have found a real gardener, entrusted 
 him with the care of his garden. The man found no difficulty in 
 making the royal garden produce flowers and fruit, and at the end 
 of a year the park was not like the same place, and the King 
 showered gifts upon his new servant.
 
 2 THE BRONZE RING 
 
 The gardener, as you have heard already, had a son, who was a 
 very handsome young man, with most agreeable manners, and 
 every day he carried the best fruit of the garden to the King, and 
 all the prettiest flowers to his daughter. Now this princess was 
 wonderfully pretty and was just sixteen years old, and the King 
 was beginning to think it was time that she should be married. 
 
 ' My dear child,' said he, ' you are of an age to take a husband, 
 therefore I am thinking of marrying you to the son of my prime 
 minister.' 
 
 ' Father,' replied the Princess, ' I will never marry the son of 
 the minister.' 
 
 ' Why not ? ' asked the King. 
 
 4 Because I love the gardener's son,' answered the Princess. 
 
 On hearing this the King was at first very angry, and then he 
 wept and sighed, and declared that such a husband was not worthy 
 of his daughter ; but the young Princess was not to be turned from 
 her resolution to marry the gardener's son. 
 
 Then the King consulted his ministers. ' This is what you 
 must do,' they said. ' To get rid of the gardener yon must send 
 both suitors to a very distant country, and the one who returns 
 first shall marry your daughter.' 
 
 The King followed this advice, and the minister's son was pre- 
 sented with a splendid horse and a purse full of gold pieces, while 
 the gardener's son had only an old lame horse and a purse full of 
 copper money, and every one thought he would never come back 
 from his journey. 
 
 The day before they started the Princess met her lover and said 
 to him : 
 
 ' Be brave, and remember always that I love you. Take this 
 purse full of jewels and make the best use you can of them for love 
 of me, and come back quickly and demand my hand.' 
 
 The two suitors left the town together, but the minister's son 
 went off at a gallop on his good horse, and very soon was lost to 
 sight behind the most distant hills. He travelled on for some days, 
 and presently reached a fountain beside which an old woman all m 
 rags sat upon a stone. 
 
 ' Good-day to you, young traveller,' said she. 
 
 But the minister's son made no reply. 
 
 ' Have pity upon me, traveller,' she said again. ' I am dying of 
 hunger, as you see, and three days have I been here and no one 
 has given me anything.'
 
 THE BRONZE P.IXG 
 
 3 
 
 I can do 
 
 ' Let me alone, old witch,' cried the young man ; 
 nothing for you,' and so saying he went on his way. 
 
 That same evening the gardener's son rode up to the fountain 
 upon his lame grey horse. 
 
 ' Good-day to you, young traveller,' said the beggar-woman. 
 
 ' Good-day, good woman,' answered he. 
 
 ' Young traveller, have pity upon me.' 
 
 ' Take my purse, good woman,' said he, ' and mount behind me, 
 for your legs can't be very strong.' 
 
 The old woman didn't wait to be asked twice, but mounted 
 
 behind him, and in this style they reached the chief city of a power- 
 ful kingdom. The minister's son was lodged in a grand inn, the 
 gardener's son and the old woman dismounted at the inn for 
 beggars. 
 
 The next day the gardener's son heard a great noise in the 
 street, and the King's heralds passed, blowing all kinds of instru- 
 ments, and crying : 
 
 ' The King, our master, is old and infirm. He will give a great 
 reward to whoever will cure him and give him back the strength of 
 his youth.' 
 
 Then the old beggar-woman said to her benefactor : 
 
 u2
 
 4 THE BEONZE RING 
 
 ' This is what you must do to obtain the reward which the King 
 promises. Go out of the town by the south gate, and there you will 
 find three little dogs of different colours ; the first will be white, the 
 second black, the third red. You must kill them and then burn 
 them separately, and gather up the ashes. Put the ashes of each 
 dog into a bag of its own colour, then go before the door of the 
 palace and cry out, " A celebrated physician has come from Janina 
 in Albania. He alone can cure the King and give him back the 
 strength of his youth." The King's physicians will say, " This is 
 an impostor, and not a learned man," and they will make all sorts 
 of difficulties, but you will overcome them all at last, and will pre- 
 sent yourself before the sick King. You must then demand as much 
 wood as three mules can carry, and a great cauldron, and must shut 
 yourself up in a room with the Sultan, and when the cauldron boils 
 you must throw him into it, and there leave him until his flesh is 
 completely separated from his bones. Then arrange the bones in 
 their proper places, and throw over them the ashes out of the three 
 bags. The King will come back to life, and will be just as he was 
 when he was twenty years old. For your reward you must demand 
 the bronze ring which has the power to grant you everything you 
 desire. Go, my son, and do not forget any of my instructions.' 
 
 The young man followed the old beggar-woman's directions. 
 On going out of the town he found the white, red, and black dogs, 
 and killed and burnt them, gathering the ashes into three bags; 
 Then he ran to the palace and cried : 
 
 ' A celebrated physician has just come from Janina in Albania. 
 He alone can cure the King and give him back the strength of his 
 youth.' 
 
 The King's physicians at first laughed at the unknown wayfarer, 
 but the Sultan ordered that the stranger should be admitted. They 
 brought the cauldron and the loads of wood, and very soon the King 
 was boiling away. Towards mid-day the gardener's son arranged 
 the bones in their places, and he had hardly scattered the ashes over 
 them before the old King revived, to find himself once more young 
 and hearty. 
 
 ' How can I reward you, my benefactor ? ' he cried. ' Will you 
 take half my treasures ? ' 
 
 ' No,' said the gardener's son. 
 
 ' My daughter's hand ? ' 
 
 ' No.' 
 
 ' Take half my kingdom.'
 
 THE BEONZE RING 5 
 
 ' No. Give me only the bronze ring which can instantly grant 
 me anything I wish for.' 
 
 ' Alas ! ' said the King, ' I set great store by that marvellous 
 ring ; nevertheless, you shall have it.' And he gave it to him. 
 
 The gardener's son went back to say good-bye to the old beggar- 
 woman ; then he said to the bronze ring : 
 
 ' Prepare a splendid ship in which I may continue my journey. 
 Let the hull be of fine gold, the masts of silver, the sails of brocade ; 
 let the crew consist of twelve young men of noble appearance, dressed 
 like kings. St. Nicholas will be at the helm. As to the cargo, let 
 it be diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and carbuncles.' 
 
 And immediately a ship appeared upon the sea which resembled 
 in every particular the description given by the gardener's son, and, 
 stepping on board, he continued his journey. Presently he arrived 
 at a great town and established himself in a wonderful palace. 
 After several days he met his rival, the minister's son, who had 
 spent all his money and was reduced to the disagreeable employ- 
 ment of a carrier of dust and rubbish. The gardener's son said to 
 him : 
 
 ' What is your name, what is your family, and from what 
 country do you come ? ' 
 
 ' I am the son of the prime minister of a great nation, and yet 
 see what a degrading occupation I am reduced to.' 
 
 ' Listen to me ; though I don't know anything more about you, 
 I am willing to help you. I will give you a ship to take you back 
 to your own country upon one condition.' 
 
 ' Whatever it may be, I accept it willingly.' 
 
 ' Follow me to my palace.' 
 
 The minister's son followed the rich stranger, whom he had not 
 recognised. When they reached the palace the gardener's son made 
 a sign to his slaves, who completely undressed the new-comer. 
 
 ' Make this ring red- hot,' commanded the master, ' and mark the 
 man with it upon his back.' 
 
 The slaves obeyed him. 
 
 ' Now, young man,' said the rich stranger, ' I am going to give 
 you a vessel which will take you back to your own country.' 
 
 And, going out, he took the bronze ring and said : 
 
 ' Bronze ring, obey thy master. Prepare me a ship of which the 
 half-rotten timbers shall be painted black, let the sails be in rags, 
 and the sailors infirm and sickly. One shall have lost a leg, another 
 an arm, the third shall be a hunchback, another lame or club-footed
 
 6 THE BRONZE RING 
 
 or blind, and most of them shall be ugly and covered with scars. 
 Go, and let my orders be executed.' 
 
 The minister's son embarked in this old vessel, and, thanks to 
 favourable winds, at length reached his own country. In spite of 
 the pitiable condition in which he returned they received him 
 joyfully. 
 
 ' I am the first to come back,' said he to the King ; ' now fulfil 
 your promise, and give me the princess in marriage.' 
 
 So they at once began to prepare for the wedding festivities. As 
 to the poor princess, she was sorrowful and angry enough about it. 
 
 The next morning, at daybreak, a wonderful ship with every sail 
 set came to anchor before the town. The King happened at that 
 moment to be at the palace window. 
 
 ' What strange ship is this,' he cried, ' that has a golden hull, 
 silver masts, and silken sails, and who are the young men like 
 princes who man it ? And do I not see St. Nicholas at the 
 helm ? Go at once and invite the captain of the ship to come to 
 the palace.' 
 
 His servants obeyed him, and very soon in came an enchantingly 
 handsome young prince, dressed in rich silk, ornamented with 
 pearls and diamonds. 
 
 ' Young man,' said the King, ' you are welcome, whoever you 
 may be. Do me the favour to be my guest as long as you remain 
 in my capital.' 
 
 ' Many thanks, sire,' replied the captain, ' I accept your offer.' 
 
 ' My daughter is about to be married,' said the King; ' will you 
 give her away ? ' 
 
 ' I shall be charmed, sire.' 
 
 Soon after came the Princess and her betrothed. 
 
 ' Why, how is this ? ' cried the young captain ; ' would you 
 marry this charming princess to such a man as that ? ' 
 
 ' But he is my prime minister's son ! ' 
 
 ' What does that matter ? I cannot give your daughter away. 
 The man she is betrothed to is one of my servants.' 
 
 ' Your servant ? ' 
 
 ' Without doubt. I met him in a distant town reduced to 
 carrying awa} T dust and rubbish from the houses. I had pity on 
 him and engaged him as one of my servants.' 
 
 ' It is impossible ! ' cried the King. 
 
 ' Do you wish me to prove what I say ? This young man 
 returned in a vessel which I fitted out for him, an unseaworthy
 
 THE BRONZE RING 7 
 
 ship with a black battered hull, and the sailors were infirm and 
 crippled.' 
 
 ' It is quite true,' said the King. 
 
 ' It is false,' cried the minister's son. ' I do not know this 
 man ! ' 
 
 ' Sire,' said the young captain, ' order your daughter's betrothed 
 to be stripped, and see if the mark of my ring is not branded upon 
 his back.' 
 
 The King was about to give this order, when the minister's son, 
 to save himself from such an indignity, admitted that the story was 
 true. 
 
 ' And now, sire,' said the young captain, ' do not you recognise 
 me ? ' 
 
 ' I recognise you,' said the Princess ; ' you are the gardener's son 
 whom I have always loved, and it is you I wish to marry.' 
 
 ' Young man, you shall be my son-in-law,' cried the King. ' The 
 marriage festivities are already begun, so you shall marry my 
 daughter this very day.' 
 
 And so that very day the gardener's son married the beautiful 
 Princess. 
 
 Several months passed. The young couple were as happy as 
 the day was long, and the King was more and more pleased with 
 himself for having secured such a son-in-law. 
 
 But, presently, the captain of the golden ship found it necessary 
 to take a long voyage, and after embracing his wife tenderly he 
 embarked. 
 
 Now in the outskirts of the capital there lived a Jew, who had 
 spent his life in studying black arts alchemy, astrology, magic, 
 and enchantment. This man found out that the gardener's son 
 had only succeeded in marrying the Princess by the help of the 
 genii who obeyed the bronze ring. 
 
 ' I will have that ring,' said he to himself. So he went down to 
 the sea-shore and caught some little red fishes. Eeally, they were 
 quite wonderfully pretty. Then he came back, and, passing before 
 the Princess's window, he began to cry out : 
 
 ' Who wants some pretty little red fishes ? ' 
 
 The Princess heard him, and sent out one of her slaves, who 
 said to the old Jew : 
 
 ' What will you take for your fish ? ' 
 
 ' A bronze ring.' 
 
 4 A bronze ring, old simpleton ! And where shall I find one ? '
 
 8 THE BRONZE EING 
 
 ' Under the cushion in the Princess's room.' 
 
 The slave went back to her mistress. 
 
 ' The old madman will take neither gold nor silver,' said she. 
 
 ' What does he want then ? ' 
 
 ' A bronze ring that is hidden under a cushion.' 
 
 ' Find the ring and give it to him,' said the Princess. 
 
 And at last the slave found the bronze ring, which the captain 
 of the golden ship had accidentally left behind, and carried it to the 
 Jew, who made off with it instantly. 
 
 Hardly had he reached his own house when, taking the ring, he 
 said, 'Bronze ring, obey thy master. I desire that the golden 
 ship shall turn to black wood, and the crew to hideous negroes ; 
 that St. Nicholas shall leave the helm, and that the only cargo 
 shall be black cats.' 
 
 And the genii of the bronze ring obeyed him. 
 
 Finding himself upon the sea in this miserable condition, the 
 young captain understood that some one must have stolen the 
 bronze ring from him, and he lamented his misfortune loudly ; but 
 that did him no good. 
 
 ' Alas ! ' he said to himself, ' whoever has taken my ring has 
 probably taken my dear wife also. What good will it do me to go 
 back to my own country ? ' And he sailed about from island to 
 island, and from shore to shore, believing that wherever he went 
 everybody was laughing at him, and very soon his poverty was so 
 great that he and his crew and the poor black cats had nothing to 
 eat but herbs and roots. After wandering about a long time he 
 reached an island inhabited by mice. The captain landed upon the 
 shore and began to explore the country. There were mice every- 
 where, and nothing but mice. Some of the black cats had followed 
 him, and, not having been fed for several days, they were fearfully 
 hungry, and made terrible havoc among the mice. 
 
 Then the queen of the^bice held a council. 
 
 ' These cats will eat every one of us,' she said, ' if the captain of 
 the ship does not shut the ferocious animals up. Let us send a 
 deputation to him of the bravest among us.' 
 
 Several mice offered themselves for this mission and set out to 
 find the young captain. 
 
 ' Captain,' said they, ' go away quickly from our island, or we 
 shall perish, every mouse of us.' 
 
 'Willingly,' replied the young captain, 'upon one condition. 
 That is that you shall first bring me back a bronze ring which
 
 THE OLD JEW SHOWS THE FISHES TO THE PRINCESS.
 
 THE BRONZE EING 9 
 
 some clever magician has stolen from me. If you do not do this 
 I will land all my cats upon your island, and you shall be exter- 
 minated.' 
 
 The mice withdrew in great dismay. ' What is to be done ? ' 
 said the queen. ' How can we find this bronze ring ? ' She held 
 a new council, calling in mice from every quarter of the globe, but 
 nobody knew where the bronze ring was. Suddenly three mice 
 arrived from a very distant country. Or.e was blind, the second 
 lame, and the third had her ears cropped. 
 
 ' Ho, ho, ho ! ' said the new-comers. ' We come from a far 
 distant country.' 
 
 ' Do you know where the bronze ring is which the genii obey ? ' 
 
 ' Ho, ho, ho ! we know ; a wicked Jew has taken possession of 
 it, and now he keeps it in his pocket by day and in his mouth by 
 night.' 
 
 ' Go and take it from him, and come back as soon as possible.' 
 
 So the three mice made themselves a boat and set sail for the 
 Jew's country. When they reached the capital they landed and 
 ran to the palace, leaving only the blind mouse on the shore to 
 take care of the boat. Then they waited till it was night. The 
 Jew lay down in bed and put the bronze ring into his mouth, and 
 very soon he was asleep. 
 
 ' Now, what shall we do ? ' said the two little animals to each 
 other. 
 
 The mouse with the cropped ears found a lamp full of oil, and 
 a bottle full of pepper. So she dipped her tail first in the oil and 
 then in the pepper, and held it to the Jew's nose. 
 
 ' Atisha ! atisha ! ' sneezed the Jew, but he did not wake, and 
 the shock made the bronze ring jump out of his mouth. Quick as 
 thought the lame mouse snatched up the precious talisman and 
 carried it off to the boat. 
 
 Imagine the despair of the magician when he awoke and the 
 bronze ring was nowhere to be found ! 
 
 But by that time our three mice had set sail with their prize. 
 A favouring breeze was carrying them towards the island where 
 the queen of the mice was awaiting them. Naturally they began 
 to talk about the bronze ring. 
 
 ' Which of us deserves the most credit ? ' they cried all at once. 
 
 ' I do,' said the blind mouse, ' for without my watchfulness our 
 boat would have drifted away to the open sea.' 
 
 ' No, indeed,' cried the mouse with the cropped ears; 'the credit
 
 10 
 
 THE BBONZE RING 
 
 is mine. Did I not cause the ring to jump out of the Jew's 
 mouth ? ' 
 
 ' No, it is mine,' cried the lame one, ' for I ran off with the 
 ring.' 
 
 And from high words they soon came to blows, and, alas ! when 
 the quarrel was fiercest the bronze ring fell into the sea. 
 
 ' How are we to face our queen,' said the three mice, ' when 
 by our folly we have lost the talisman and condemned our people 
 to be utterly exterminated ? We cannot go back to our country ; let 
 us land on this desert island and there end our miserable lives.' No 
 sooner said than done. The boat reached the island, and the mice 
 landed. 
 
 The blind mouse was speedily deserted by her two sisters, who 
 went off to hunt flies, but as she wandered sadly along the shore she 
 
 found a dead fish, and was eating it, when she felt something very 
 hard. At her cries the other two mice ran up. 
 
 ' It is the bronze ring ! It is the talisman ! ' they cried joy- 
 fully, and, getting into their boat again, they soon reached the mouse 
 island. It was time they did, for the captain was just going to land 
 his cargo of cats, when a deputation of mice brought him the 
 precious bronze ring. 
 
 ' Bronze ring,' commanded the young man, ' obey thy master. 
 Let my ship appear as it was before.' 
 
 Immediately the genii of the ring set to work, and the old black 
 vessel became once more the wonderful golden ship with sails of
 
 THE BRONZE EING 11 
 
 brocade ; the handsome sailors ran to the silver masts and the 
 silken ropes, and very soon they set sail for the capital. 
 
 Ah ! how merrily the sailors sang as they flew over the glassy 
 sea ! 
 
 At last the port was reached. 
 
 The captain landed and ran to the palace, where he found the 
 Jew asleep. The Princess clasped her husband in a long embrace. 
 The magician tried to escape, but he was seized and bound with 
 strong cords. 
 
 The next day the Jew, tied to the tail of a savage mule loaded 
 with nuts, was broken into as many pieces as there were nuts upon 
 the mule's back. 1 
 
 1 Tmditions Populaires de fAsie Mineurt. Carnoy et Nicolaides. Paris : Muison- 
 iieuve, 1889.
 
 PRINCE HYACINTH 
 
 PEINCE HYACINTH 
 AND THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS 
 
 ONCE upon a time there lived a king who was deeply in love 
 with a princess, but she could not marry anyone, because she 
 was under an enchantment. So the King set out to seek a fairy, 
 and asked what he could do to win the Princess's love. The Fairy 
 said to him : 
 
 ' You know that the Princess has a great cat which she is very 
 fond of. Whoever is clever enough to tread on that cat's tail is the 
 man she is destined to marry.' 
 
 The King said to himself that this would not be very difficult, 
 and he left the Fairy, determined to grind the cat's tail to powder 
 rather than not tread on it at all. 
 
 You may imagine that it was not long before he went to see the 
 Princess, and puss, as usual, marched in before him, arching his 
 back. The King took a long step, and quite thought he had the
 
 AND THE DEAR LITTLE PEINCESS 13 
 
 tail under his foot, but the cat turned round so sharply that he only 
 trod on air. And so it went on for eight days, till the King began 
 to think that this fatal tail must be full of quicksilver it was never 
 still for a moment. 
 
 At last, however, he was lucky enough to come upon puss fast 
 asleep and with his tail conveniently spread out. So the King, 
 without losing a moment, set his foot upon it heavily. 
 
 With one terrific yell the cat sprang up and instantly changed 
 into a tall man, who, fixing his angry eyes upon the King, said : 
 
 ' You shall marry the Princess because you have been able to 
 break the enchantment, but I will have my revenge. You shall 
 have a son, who will never be happy until he finds out that his nose 
 is too long, and if you ever tell anyone what I have just said to 
 you, you shall vanish away instantly, and no one shall ever see 
 you or hear of you again.' 
 
 Though the King was horribly afraid of the enchanter, he could 
 not help laughing at this threat. 
 
 ' If my son has such a long nose as that,' he said to himself, ' he 
 must always see it or feel it ; at least, if he is not blind or without 
 hands.' 
 
 But, as the enchanter had vanished, he did not waste any more 
 time in thinking, but went to seek the Princess, who very soon 
 consented to marry him. But after all, they had not been married 
 very long when the King died, and the Queen had nothing left to 
 care for but her little son, who was called Hyacinth. The little 
 Prince had large blue eyes, the prettiest eyes in the world, and a 
 sweet little mouth, but, alas ! his nose was so enormous that it 
 covered half his face. The Queen was inconsolable when she saw 
 this great nose, but her ladies assured her that it was not really as 
 large as it looked ; that it was a Koman nose, and you had only to 
 open any history to see that every hero has a large nose. The 
 Queen, who was devoted to her baby, was pleased with what they 
 told her, and when she looked at Hyacinth again, his nose certainly 
 did not seem to her quite so large. 
 
 The Prince was brought up with great care ; and, as soon as he 
 could speak, they told him all sorts of dreadful stories about people 
 who had short noses. No one was allowed to come near him whose 
 nose did not more or less resemble his own, and the courtiers, to 
 get into favour with the Queen, took to pulling their babies' noses 
 several times every day to make them grow long. But, do what they 
 would, they were nothing by comparison with the Prince's.
 
 14 PRINCE HYACINTH 
 
 When lie grew sensible he learnt history ; and whenever any 
 great prince or beautiful princess was spoken of, his teachers took 
 care to tell him that they had long noses. 
 
 His room was hung with pictures, all of people with very large 
 noses ; and the Prince grew up so convinced that a long nose was 
 a great beauty, that he would not on any account have had his own 
 a single inch shorter ! 
 
 When his twentieth birthday was past, the Queen thought it 
 was time that he should be married, so she commanded that the 
 portraits of several princesses should be brought for him- to see, and 
 among the others was a picture of the Dear Little Princess ! 
 
 Now, she was the daughter of a great king, and would some day 
 possess several kingdoms herself ; but Prince Hyacinth had not a 
 thought to spare for anything of that sort, he was so much struck 
 with her beauty. The Princess, whom he thought quite charming, 
 had, however, a little saucy nose, which, in her face, was the prettiest 
 thing possible, but it was a cause of great embarrassment to the 
 courtiers, who had got into such a habit of laughing at little noses 
 that they sometimes found themselves laughing at hers before they 
 had time to think ; but this did not do at all before the Prince, who 
 quite failed to see the joke, and actually banished two of his 
 courtiers who had dared to mention disrespectfully the Dear Little 
 Princess's tiny nose ! 
 
 The others, taking warning from this, learnt to think twice before 
 they spoke, and one even went so far as to tell the Prince that, 
 though it was quite true that no man could be worth anything 
 unless he had a long nose, still, a woman's beauty was a different 
 thing; and he knew a learned man who understood Greek and 
 had read in some old manuscripts that the beautiful Cleopatra 
 herself had a ' tip-tilted ' nose ! 
 
 The Prince made him a splendid present as a reward for this 
 good news, and at once sent ambassadors to ask the Dear Little 
 Princess in marriage. The King, her father, gave his consent ; and 
 Prince Hyacinth, who, in his anxiety to see the Princess, had gone 
 three leagues to meet her, was just advancing to kiss her hand 
 when, to the horror of all who stood by, the enchanter appeared as 
 suddenly as a flash of lightning, and, snatching up the Dear Little 
 Princess, whirled her away out of their sight ! 
 
 The Prince was left quite inconsolable, and declared that nothing 
 should induce him to go back to his kingdom until he had found 
 her again, and refusing to allow any of his courtiers to follow
 
 AND THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS 
 
 him, he mounted his horse and rode sadly away, letting the animal 
 choose his own path. 
 
 So it happened that he came presently to a great plain, across 
 which he rode all day long without seeing a single house, and 
 horse and rider were quite 
 terribly hungry, when, as 
 the night fell, the Prince 
 caught sight of a light, 
 which seemed to shine 
 from a cavern. 
 
 He rode up to it, and 
 saw a little old woman, 
 who appeared to be at 
 least a hundred years old. 
 
 She put on her spec- 
 tacles to look at Prince 
 Hyacinth, but it was quite 
 a long time before she 
 could fix them securely 
 because her nose was so 
 very short. 
 
 The Prince and the 
 Fairy (for that was who 
 she was) had no sooner 
 looked at one another 
 than they went into fits 
 of laughter, and cried at 
 the same moment, ' Oh, 
 what a funny nose ! ' 
 
 ' Not so funny as your own,' said Prince Hyacinth to the Fairy ; 
 'but, madam, I beg you to leave the consideration of our noses 
 such as they are and to be good enough to give me something to 
 eat, for I am starving, and so is my poor horse.' 
 
 ' With all my heart,' said the Fairy. ' Though your nose is 
 so ridiculous you are, nevertheless, the son of my best friend. I 
 loved your father as if he had been my brother. Now he had a 
 very handsome nose ! ' 
 
 ' And pray what does mine lack ? ' said the Prince. 
 
 ' Oh ! it doesn't lack anything,' replied the Fairy. ' On the con- 
 trary quite, there is only too much of it. But never mind, one may 
 be a very worthy man though his nose is too long. I was telling
 
 16 PEINCE HYACINTH 
 
 you that I was your father's friend ; he often came to see me in the 
 old times, and you must know that I was very pretty in those days ; 
 at least, he used to say so. I should like to tell you of a conversa- 
 tion we had the last time I ever saw him.' 
 
 ' Indeed,' said the Prince, ' when I have supped it will give me 
 the greatest pleasure to hear it ; but consider, madam, I beg of you, 
 that I have had nothing to eat to-day.' 
 
 ' The poor boy is right,' said the Fairy ; ' I was forgetting. 
 Come in, then, and I will give you some supper, and while you are 
 eating I can tell you my story in a very few words for I don't like 
 endless tales myself. Too long a tongue is worse than too long a 
 nose, and I remember when I was young that I was so much 
 admired for not being a great chatterer. They used to tell the 
 Queen, my mother, that it was so. For though you see what I am 
 now, I was the daughter of a great king. My father 
 
 'Your father, I dare say, got something to eat when he was 
 hungry ! ' interrupted the Prince. 
 
 ' Oh ! certainly,' answered the Fairy, ' and you also shall have 
 supper directly. I only just wanted to tell you 
 
 ' But I really cannot listen to anything until I have had some- 
 thing to eat,' cried the Prince, who was getting quite angry ; but 
 then, remembering that he had better be polite as he much needed 
 the Fairy's help, he added : 
 
 ' I know that in the pleasure of listening to you I should quite 
 forget my own hunger ; but my horse, who cannot hear you, must 
 really be fed ! * 
 
 The Fairy was very much flattered by this compliment, and 
 said, calling to her servants : 
 
 ' You shall not wait another minute, you are so polite, and in 
 spite of the enormous size of your nose you are really very agree- 
 able.' 
 
 ' Plague take the old lady ! How she does go on about my nose ! ' 
 said the Prince to himself. ' One would almost think that mine had 
 taken all the extra length that hers lacks ! If I were not so hungry 
 I would soon have done with this chatterpie who thinks she talks 
 very little ! How stupid people are not to see their own faults ! 
 that comes of being a princess : she has been spoilt by flatterers, 
 who have made her believe that she is quite a moderate talker ! ' 
 
 Meanwhile the servants were putting the supper on the table, 
 and the Prince was much amused to hear the Fairy, who asked 
 them a thousand questions simply for the pleasure of hearing her-
 
 AND THE DEAR LITTLE PRINCESS 17 
 
 self speak ; especially he noticed one maid who, no matter what was 
 being said, always contrived to praise her mistress's wisdom. 
 
 ' Well ! ' he thought, as he ate his supper, ' I'm very glad I 
 came here. This just shows me how sensible I have been in never 
 listening to flatterers. People of that sort praise us to our faces 
 without shame, and hide our faults or change them into virtues. 
 For my part I never will be taken in by them. I know my own 
 defects, I hope.' 
 
 Poor Prince Hyacinth ! He really believed what he said, and 
 hadn't an idea that the people who had praised his nose were 
 laughing at him, just as the Fairy's maid was laughing at her; for 
 the Prince had seen her laugh slyly when she could do so without 
 the Fairy's noticing her. 
 
 However, he said nothing, and presently, when his hunger began 
 to be appeased, the Fairy said : 
 
 ' My dear Prince, might I beg you to move a little more that 
 way, for your nose casts such a shadow that I really cannot see 
 what I have on my plate. Ah ! 
 thanks. Now let us speak of 
 your father. When I went to 
 his Court he was only a little 
 boy, but that is forty years 
 ago, and I have been in this 
 desolate place ever since. Tell 
 me what goes on nowadays ; 
 are the ladies as fond of amuse- 
 ment as ever ? In my time one 
 saw them at parties, theatres, 
 balls, and promenades every 
 day. Dear me ! What a long 
 nose you have ! I cannot get 
 used to it ! ' 
 
 ' Eeally, madam,' said the 
 Prince, 'I wish you would 
 leave off mentioning my nose. It cannot matter to you what it is 
 like. I am quite satisfied with it, and have no wish to have it 
 shorter. One must take what is given one.' 
 
 ' Now you are angry with me, my poor Hyacinth,' said the 
 Fairy, ' and I assure you that I didn't mean to vex you ; on the 
 contrary, I wished to do you a service. However, though I really 
 cannot help your nose being a shock to me, I will try not to say 
 
 c
 
 18 PRINCE HYACINTH 
 
 anything about it. I will even try to think that you have an 
 ordinary nose. To tell the truth, it would make three reasonable 
 ones.' 
 
 The Prince, who was no longer hungry, grew so impatient at the 
 Fairy's continual remarks about his nose that at last he threw him- 
 self upon his horse and rode hastily away. But wherever he came 
 in his journeyings he thought the people were mad, for they all 
 talked of his nose, and yet he could not bring himself to admit that 
 it was too long, he had been so used all his life to hear it called 
 handsome. 
 
 The old Fairy, who wished to make him happy, at last hit upon 
 a plan. She shut the Dear Little Princess up in a palace of 
 crystal, and put this palace down where the Prince could not fail to 
 find it. His joy at seeing the Princess again was extreme, and he 
 set to work with all his might to try to break her prison ; but in 
 spite of all his efforts he failed utterly. In despair he thought at 
 least that he would try to get near enough to speak to the Dear 
 Little Princess, who, on her part, stretched out her hand that he 
 might kiss it ; but turn which way he might, he never could raise 
 it to his lips, for his long nose always prevented it. For the first 
 time he realised how long it really was, and exclaimed : 
 
 ' "Well, it must be admitted that my nose is too long ! ' 
 
 In an instant the crystal prison flew into a thousand splinters, 
 and the old Fairy, taking the Dear Little Princess by the hand, 
 said to the Prince : 
 
 ' Now, say if you are not very much obliged to me. Much 
 good it was for me to talk to you about your nose ! You would 
 never have found out how extraordinary it was if it hadn't hindered 
 you from doing what you wanted to. You see how self-love keeps 
 us from knowing our own defects of mind and body. Our reason 
 tries in vain to show them to us ; we refuse to see them till we find 
 them in the way of our interests. 1 
 
 Prince Hyacinth, whose nose was now just like anyone else's, 
 did not fail to profit by the lesson he had received. He married 
 the Dear Little Princess, and they lived happily ever after. 1 
 
 1 Le Prince Detir el la Princetse Uignonne. Far Madame Leprince de Beaumont.
 
 10 
 
 EAST OF THE SUN & WEST OF THE MOON 
 
 ANCE upon a time there was a poor husbandman who had many 
 " children and little to give them in the way either of food or 
 clothing. They were all pretty, but the prettiest of all was the 
 youngest daughter, who was so beautiful that there were no bounds 
 to her beauty. 
 
 So once it was late on a Thursday evening in autumn, and 
 wild weather outside, terribly dark, and raining so heavily and 
 blowing so hard that the walls of the cottage shook again they 
 were all sitting together by the fireside, each of them busy with 
 something or other, when suddenly some one rapped three times 
 against the window-pane. The man went out to see what could be 
 the matter, and when he got out there stood a great big white bear. 
 
 ' Good- evening to you,' said the White Bear. 
 
 ' Good-evening,' said the man. 
 
 ' Will you give me your youngest daughter ? ' said the White 
 Bear ; ' if you will, you shall be as rich as you are now poor.' 
 
 Truly the man would have had no objection to be rich, but he 
 thought to himself : ' I must first ask my daughter about this,' so 
 he went in and told them that there was a great white bear outside 
 who had faithfully promised to make them all rich if he might but 
 have the youngest daughter. 
 
 She said no, and would not hear of it ; so the man went out 
 again, and settled with the White Bear that he should come again 
 next Thursday evening, and get her answer. Then the man per- 
 suaded her, and talked so much to her about the wealth that they 
 would have, and what a good thing it would be for herself, that at last 
 she made up her mind to go, and washed and mended all her rags, 
 made herself as smart as she could, and held herself in readiness 
 to set out. Little enough had she to take away with her. 
 
 Next Thursday evening the White Bear came to fetch her. She 
 seated herself on his back with her bundle, and thus thev departed. 
 
 c2
 
 20 EAST OF THE SUN AND 
 
 When they had gone a great part of the way, the White Bear said : 
 ' Are you afraid ? ' 
 
 ' No, that I am not,' said she. 
 
 ' Keep tight hold of my fur, and then there is no danger,' said 
 he. 
 
 And thus she rode far, far away, until they came to a great 
 mountain. Then the White Bear knocked on it, and a door opened, 
 and they went into a castle where there were many brilliantly 
 lighted rooms which shone with gold and silver, likewise a large 
 
 hall in which there was a well-spread table, and it was so magni- 
 ficent that it woiild be hard to make anyone understand how 
 splendid it was. The White Bear gave her a silver bell, and told 
 her that when she needed anything she had but to ring this bell, 
 and what she wanted would appear. So after she had eaten, and 
 night was drawing near, she grew sleepy after her journey, and 
 thought she would like to go to bed. She rang the bell, and 
 scarcely had she touched it before she found herself in a chamber 
 where a bed stood ready made for her, which was as pretty as any- 
 one could wish to sleep in. It had pillows of silk, and curtains of
 
 WEST OF THE MOON 21 
 
 silk fringed with gold, and everything that was in the room was of 
 gold or silver ; but when she had lain down and put out the light a 
 man came and lay down beside her, and behold it was the White 
 Bear, who cast off the form of a beast during the night. She never 
 saw him, however, for he always came after she had put out her 
 light, and went away before daylight appeared. 
 
 So all went well and happily for a time, but then she began to 
 be very sad and sorrowful, for all day long she had to go about 
 alone ; and she did so wish to go home to her father and mother 
 and brothers and sisters. Then the White Bear asked what it was 
 that she wanted, and she told him that it was so dull there in the 
 mountain, and that she had to go about all alone, and that in her 
 parents' house at home there were all her brothers and sisters, and 
 it was because she could not go to them that she was so sorrowful. 
 
 ' There might be a cure for that,' said the W 7 hite Bear, ' if you 
 would but promise me never to talk with your mother alone, but 
 only when the others are there too ; for she will take hold of your 
 hand,' he said, 'and will want to lead you into a room to talk with 
 you alone ; but that you must by no means do, or you will bring 
 great misery on both of us.' 
 
 So one Sunday the White Bear came and said that they could 
 now set out to see her father and mother, and they journeyed 
 thither, she sitting on his back, and they went a long, long way, 
 and it took a long, long time ; but at last they came to a large 
 white farmhouse, and her brothers and sisters were running about 
 outside it, playing, and it was so pretty that it was a pleasure to 
 look at it. 
 
 ' Your parents dwell here now,' said the White Bear ; ' but do 
 not forget what I said to you, or you will do much harm both to 
 yourself and me.' 
 
 ' No, indeed,' said she, ' I shall never forget ; ' and as soon as she 
 was at home the White Bear turned round and went back again. 
 
 There were such rejoicings when she went in to her parents 
 that it seemed as if they would never come to an end. Everyone 
 thought that he could never be sufficiently grateful to her for all 
 she had done for them all. Now they had everything that they 
 wanted, and everything was as good as it could be. They all asked 
 her how she was getting on where she was. All was well with her 
 too, she said ; and she had everything that she could want. What 
 other answers she gave I cannot say, but I am pretty sure that 
 they did not learn much from her. But in the afternoon, after
 
 22 EAST OF THE SUN AND 
 
 they had dined at mid-day, all happened just as the White Bear 
 had said. Her mother wanted to talk with her alone in her own 
 chamber. But she remembered what the White Bear had said, and 
 would on no account go. ' What we have to say can be said at any 
 time,' she answered. But somehow or other her mother at last 
 persuaded her, and she was forced to tell the whole story. So she 
 told how every night a man came and lay down beside her when 
 the lights were all put out, and how she never saw him, because he 
 always went away before it grew light in the morning, and how 
 she continually went about in sadness, thinking how happy she 
 would be if she could but see him, and how all day long she had to 
 go about alone, and it was so dull and solitary. ' Oh ! ' cried the 
 mother, in horror, ' you are very likely sleeping with a troll ! But 
 I will teach you a way to see him. You shall have a bit of one of 
 my candles, which you can take away with you hidden in your 
 breast. Look at him with that when he is asleep, but take care 
 not to let any tallow drop upon him.' 
 
 So she took the candle, and hid it in her breast, and when 
 evening drew near the White Bear came to fetch her away. When 
 they had gone some distance on their way, the White Bear asked 
 her if everything had not happened just as he had foretold, and she 
 could not but own that it had* ' Then, if you have done what your 
 mother wished,' said he, ' you have brought great misery on both of 
 us.' ' No,' she said, ' I have not done anything at all.' So when 
 she had reached home and had gone to bed it was just the same as 
 it had been before, and a man came and lay down beside her, and 
 late at night, when she could hear that he was sleeping, she got up 
 and kindled a light, lit her candle, let her light shine on him, and 
 saw him, and he was the handsomest prince that eyes had ever 
 beheld, and she loved him so much that it seemed to her that she 
 must die if she did not kiss him that very moment. So she did 
 kiss him ; but while she was doing it she let three drops of hot 
 tallow fall upon his shirt, and he awoke. ' What have you done 
 now ? ' said he ; ' you have brought misery on both of us. If you 
 had but held out for the space of one year I should have been free. 
 I have a stepmother who has bewitched me so that I am a white 
 bear by day and a man by night ; but now all is at an end between 
 you and me, and I must leave you, and go to her. She lives in a 
 castle which lies east of the sun and west of the moon, and there 
 too is a princess with a nose which is three ells long, and she now 
 is the one whom I must marrv.'
 
 WEST OF THE MOON 23 
 
 She wept and lamented, but all in vain, for go he must. Then 
 she asked him if she could not go with him. But no, that could 
 not be. ' Can you tell me the way then, and I will seek you that 
 I may surely be allowed to do ! ' 
 
 ' Yes, you may do that,' said he ; ' but there is no way thither. 
 It lies east of the sun and west of the moon, and never would you 
 find your way there.' 
 
 When she awoke in the morning both the Prince and the castle 
 
 were gone, and she was lying on a small green patch in the midst of 
 a dark, thick wood. By her side lay the self-same bundle of rags 
 which she had brought with her from her own home. So when 
 she had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and wept till she was 
 weary, she set out on her way, and thus she walked for many and 
 many a long day, until at last she came to a great mountain. Out- 
 side it an aged woman was sitting, playing with a golden apple. 
 The girl asked her if she knew the way to the Prince who lived 
 with his stepmother in the castle which lay east of the sun and
 
 24 EAST OF THE SUN AND 
 
 west of the moon, and who was to marry a princess with a nose 
 which was three ells long. ' How do you happen to know about 
 him ? ' enquired the old woman ; ' maybe you are she who ought 
 to have had him.' ' Yes, indeed, I am,' she said. ' So it is you, 
 then ? ' said the old woman ; ' I know nothing about him but that 
 he dwells in a castle which is east of the sun and west of the moon. 
 You will be a long time in getting to it, if ever you get to it at all ; 
 but you shall have the loan of my horse, and then you can ride on 
 it to an old woman who is a neighbour of mine : perhaps she can 
 tell you about him. When you have got there you must just strike 
 the horse beneath the left ear and bid it go home again ; but you 
 may take the golden apple with you.' 
 
 So the girl seated herself on the horse, and rode for a long, long 
 way, and at last she came to the mountain, where an aged woman 
 was sitting outside with a gold carding-comb. The girl asked her 
 if she knew the way to the castle which lay east of the sun and 
 west of the moon ; but she said what the first old woman had said : 
 ' I know nothing about it, but that it is east of the sun and west of 
 the moon, and that you will be a long time in getting to it, if ever 
 you get there at aU ; but you shall have the loan of my horse to an 
 old woman who lives the nearest to me : perhaps she may know 
 where the castle is, and when you have got to her you may just strike 
 the horse beneath the left ear and bid it go home again.' Then she 
 gave her the gold carding-comb, for it might, perhaps, be of use to 
 her, she said. 
 
 So the girl seated herself on the horse, and rode a wearisome 
 long way onwards again, and after a very long time she came to a 
 great mountain, where an aged woman was sitting, spinning at a 
 golden spinning-wheel. Of this woman, too, she enquired if she 
 knew the way to the Prince, and where to find the castle which lay 
 east of the sun and west of the moon. But it was only the same 
 thing once again. ' Maybe it was you who should have had the 
 Prince,' said the old woman. ' Yes, indeed, I should have been the 
 one,' said the girl. But this old crone knew the way no better than 
 the others it was east of the sun and west of the moon, she knew 
 that, ' and you will be a long time in getting to it, if ever you get 
 to it at all,' she said ; ' but you may have the loan of my horse, and 
 I think you had better ride to the East "Wind, and ask him : perhaps 
 he may know where the castle is, and will blow you thither. But 
 when you have got to him you must just strike the horse beneath 
 the left ear, and he will come home again.' And then she gave her
 
 WEST OF THE MOON 25 
 
 the golden spinning-wheel, saying : ' Perhaps you may find that 
 you have a use for it.' 
 
 The girl had to ride for a great many days, and for a long and 
 wearisome time, before she got there ; but at last she did arrive, and 
 then she asked the East Wind if he could tell her the way to the 
 Prince who dwelt east of the sun and west of the rnoon. ' Well, 1 
 said the East Wind, ' I have heard tell of the Prince, and of his castle, 
 but I do not know the way to it, for I have never blown so far ; but, 
 if you like, I will go with you to my brother the West Wind : he may 
 know that, for he is much stronger than I am. You may sit on 
 my back, and then I can carry you there.' So she seated herself 
 on his back, and they did go so swiftly ! When they got there, the 
 East Wind went in and said that the girl whom he had brought was 
 the one who ought to have had the Prince up at the castle which 
 lay east of the sun and west of the moon, and that now she was 
 travelling about to find him again, so he had come there with her, 
 and would like to hear if the West Wind knew whereabouts the 
 castle was. ' No,' said the West Wind; ' so far as that have I never 
 blown : but if you like I will go with you to the South Wind, for 
 he is much stronger than either of us, and he has roamed far and 
 wide, and perhaps he can tell you what you want to know. You 
 may seat yourself on my back, and then I will carry you to him.' 
 
 So she did this, and journeyed to the South Wind, neither was 
 she very long on the way. When they had got there, the West Wind 
 asked him if he could tell her the way to the castle that lay east of 
 the sun and west of the moon, for she was the girl who ought to 
 marry the Prince who lived there. ' Oh, indeed ! ' said the South 
 Wind, ' is that she ? Well,' said he, ' I have wandered about a great 
 deal in my time, and in all kinds of places, but I have never blown 
 so far as that. If you like, however, I will go with you to my 
 brother the North Wind ; he is the oldest and strongest of all of 
 us, and if he does not know where it is no one in the whole world 
 will be able to tell you. You may sit upon my back, and then I 
 will carry you there.' So she seated herself on his back, and off he 
 went from his house in great haste, and they were not long on the 
 way. When they came near the North Wind's dwelling, he was 
 so wild and frantic that they felt cold gusts a long while before 
 they got there. ' What do you want ? ' he roared out from afar, 
 and they froze as they heard. Said the South Wind : ' It is I, and 
 this is she who should have had the Prince who lives in the castle 
 which lies east of the sun and west of the moon. And now she
 
 26 EAST OF THE SUN AND 
 
 wishes to ask you if you have ever been there, and can tell her the 
 way, for she would gladly find him again.' 
 
 ' Yes,' said the North Wind, ' I know where it is. I once blew 
 an aspen leaf there, but I was so tired that for many days after- 
 wards I was not able to blow at all. However, if you really are 
 anxious to go there, and are not afraid to go with me, I will take 
 you on my back, and try if I can blow you there.' 
 
 ' Get there I must,' said she ; ' and if there is any way of going 
 I will ; and I have no fear, no matter how fast you go.' 
 
 4 Very well then,' said the North Wind ; ' but you must sleep here 
 to-night, for if we are ever to get there we must have the day before us.' 
 
 The North Wind woke her betimes next morning, and puffed 
 
 himself up, and made himself so big and so strong that it was 
 frightful to see him, and away they went, high up through the air, 
 as if they would not stop until they had reached the very end of 
 the world. Down below there was such a storm ! It blew down 
 woods and houses, and when they were above the sea the ships 
 were wrecked by hundreds. And thus they tore on and on, and a 
 long time went by, and then yet more time passed, and still they 
 were above the sea, and the North Wind grew tired, and more tired, 
 and at last so utterly weary that he was scarcely able to blow any 
 longer, and he sank and sank, lower and lower, until at last he 
 went so low that the crests of the waves dashed against the heels 
 of the poor girl he was carrying. ' Art thou afraid ? ' said the 
 North Wind. ' I have no fear,' said she ; and it was true. But they
 
 WEST OF THE MOON 27 
 
 were not very, very far from land, and there was just enough strength 
 left in the North Wind to enable him to throw her on to the shore, 
 immediately under the windows of a castle which lay east of the 
 sun and west of the moon ; but then he was so weary and worn 
 out that he was forced to rest for several days before he could go 
 to his own home again. 
 
 Next morning she sat down beneath the walls of the castle to 
 play with the golden apple, and the first person she saw was the 
 maiden with the long nose, who was to have the Prince. ' How 
 much do you want for that gold apple of yours, girl ? ' said she, 
 opening the window. ' It can't be bought either for gold or money,' 
 answered the girl. ' If it cannot be bought either for gold or money, 
 what will buy it ? You may say what you please,' said the Princess. 
 
 ' Well, if I may go to the Prince who is here, and be with him 
 to-night, you shall have it,' said the girl who had come with the 
 North Wind. ' You may do that,' said the Princess, for she had made 
 up her mind what she would do. So the Princess got the golden 
 apple, but when the girl went up to the Prince's apartment that 
 night he was asleep, for the Princess had so contrived it. The poor 
 girl called to him, and shook him, and between whiles she wept ; 
 but she could not wake him. In the morning, as soon as day 
 dawned, in came the Princess with the long nose, and drove her 
 out again. In the daytime she sat down once more beneath the 
 windows of the castle, and began to card with her golden carding- 
 comb ; and then all happened as it had happened before. The 
 princess asked her what she wanted for it, and she replied that it 
 was not for sale, either for gold or money, but that if she could get 
 leave to go to the Prince, and be with him during the night, she 
 should have it. But when she went up to the Prince's room he 
 was again asleep, and, let her call him, or shake him, or weep as 
 she would, he still slept on, and she could not put any life in him. 
 When daylight came in the morning, the Princess with the long 
 nose came too, and once more drove her away. When day had 
 quite come, the girl seated herself under the castle windows, to spin 
 with her golden spinning-wheel, and the Princess with the long 
 nose wanted to have that also. So she opened the window, and 
 asked what she would take for it. The girl said what she had said 
 on each of the former occasions that it was not for sale either for 
 gold or for money, but if she could get leave to go to the Prince who 
 lived there, and be with him during the night, she should have it. 
 
 ' Y T es,' said the Princess, ' I will gladly consent to that.
 
 EAST OF THE SUN AND 
 
 But in that place there were some Christian folk who had been 
 carried off, and they had been sitting in the chamber which was 
 next to that of the Prince, and had heard how a woman had 
 been in there who had wept and called on him two nights running, 
 and they told the Prince of this. So that evening, when the Princess 
 came once more with her sleeping-drink, he pretended to drink, 
 but threw it away behind him, for he suspected that it was a sleep- 
 ing drink. So, when the girl went into the Prince's room this 
 time he was awake, and she had to tell him how she had come 
 there. ' You have come just in time,' said the Prince, ' for I should 
 have been married to-morrow ; but I will not have the long-nosed 
 Princess, and you alone can save me. I will say that I want to see 
 what my bride can do, and bid her wash the shirt which has the 
 three drops of tallow on it. This she will consent to do, for she 
 
 does not know that it is 
 you who let them fall on 
 it ; but no one can wash 
 them out but one born of 
 Christian folk : it cannot 
 be done by one of a pack 
 of trolls ; and then I will 
 say that no one shall 
 ever be my bride but the 
 woman who can do this, 
 and I know that you can.' 
 There was great joy and 
 gladness between them 
 all that night, but the 
 next day, when the wed- 
 ding was to take place, 
 the Prince said, ' I must 
 see what my bride can 
 do.' ' That you may do,' 
 said the stepmother. 
 
 ' I have a fine shirt 
 which I want to wear 
 as my wedding shirt, but 
 three drops of tallow have 
 got upon it which I want 
 to have washed off, and I have vowed to marry no one but the woman 
 who is able to do it. If she cannot do that, she is not worth having.'
 
 WEST OF THE MOON 29 
 
 Well, that was a very small matter, they thought, and agreed to 
 do it. The Princess with the long nose began to wash as well as she 
 could, but, the more she washed and rubbed, the larger the spots 
 grew. ' Ah ! you can't wash at all,' said the old troll-hag, who was 
 her mother. ' Give it to me.' But she too had not had the shirt 
 very long in her hands before it looked worse still, and, the more 
 she washed it and rubbed it, the larger and blacker grew the spots. 
 
 So the other trolls had to come and wash, but, the more they 
 did, the blacker and uglier grew the shirt, until at length it was as 
 black as if it had been up the chimney. ' Oh,' cried the Prince, 
 ' not one of you is good for anything at all ! There is a beggar- 
 girl sitting outside the window, and I'll be bound that she can wash 
 better than any of you ! Come in, you girl there ! ' he cried. So 
 she came in. ' Can you wash this shirt clean ? ' he cried. ' Oh ! I 
 don't know,' she said ; ' but I will try.' And no sooner had she 
 taken the shirt and dipped it in the water than it was white as 
 driven snow, and even whiter than that. ' I will marry you,' said 
 the Prince. 
 
 Then the old troll-hag flew into such a rage that she burst, and 
 the Princess with the long nose and all the little trolls must have 
 burst too, for they have never been heard of since. The Prince and 
 his bride set free all the Christian folk who were imprisoned there, 
 and took away with them all the gold and silver that they could 
 carry, and moved far away from the castle which lay east of the sun 
 and west of the moon. 1 
 
 1 Asbjornsen and iloe.
 
 30 
 
 THE YELLOW DWAEF 
 
 ONCE npon a time there lived a queen who had been the mother 
 of a great many children, and of them all only one daughter 
 was left. But then she was worth at least a thousand. 
 
 Her mother, who, since the death of the King, her father, had 
 nothing in the world she cared for so much as this little princess, 
 was so terribly afraid of losing her that she quite spoiled her, 
 and never tried to correct any of her faults. The consequence 
 was that this little person, who was as pretty as possible, and 
 was one day to wear a crown, grew up so proud and so much 
 in love with her own beauty that she despised everyone else in 
 the world. 
 
 The Queen, her mother, by her caresses and flatteries, helped to 
 make her believe that there was nothing too good for her. She 
 was dressed almost always in the prettiest frocks, as a fairy, or as 
 a queen going out to hunt, and the ladies of the Court followed her 
 dressed as forest-fairies. 
 
 And to make her more vain than ever the Queen caused her 
 portrait to be taken by the cleverest painters and sent it to several 
 neighbouring kings with whom she was very friendly. 
 
 When they saw this portrait they fell in love with the Princess 
 every one of them, but upon each it had a different effect. One 
 fell ill, one went quite crazy, and a few of the luckiest set off to see 
 her as soon as possible ; but these poor princes became her slaves 
 the moment they set eyes on her. 
 
 Never has there been a gayer Court. Twenty delightful kings 
 did everything they could think of to make themselves agreeable, 
 and after having spent ever so much money in giving a single 
 entertainment thought themselves very lucky if the Princess said 
 ' That's pretty.' 
 
 All this admiration vastly pleased the Queen. Not a day passed 
 but she received seven or eight thousand sonnets, and as many
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 31 
 
 elegies, madrigals, and songs, which were sent her by all the poets 
 in the world. All the prose and the poetry that was written just 
 then was about Bellissima for that was the Princess's name and 
 all the bonfires that they had were made of these verses, which 
 crackled and sparkled better than any other sort of wood. 
 
 Bellissima was already fifteen years old, and every one of the 
 Princes wished to marry her, but not one dared to say so. How 
 could they when they knew that any of them might have cut off 
 his head five or six times a day just to please her, and she would 
 have thought it a mere trifle, so little did she care ? You may 
 imagine how hard-hearted her lovers thought her ; and the Queen, 
 who wished to see her married, did not know how to persuade her 
 to think of it seriously. 
 
 ' Bellissima,' she said, ' I do wish you would not be so proud. 
 What makes you despise all these nice kings ? I wish you to 
 marry one of them, and you do not try to please me.' 
 
 ' I am so happy,' Bellissima answered : ' do leave me in peace, 
 madam. I don't want to care for anyone.' 
 
 ' But you would be very happy with any of these princes,' said 
 the Queen, ' and I shall be very angry if you fall in love with any- 
 one who is not worthy of you.' 
 
 But the Princess thought so much of herself that she did not 
 consider any one of her lovers clever or handsome enough for her ; 
 and her mother, who was getting really angry at her determination 
 not to be married, began to wish that she had not allowed her to 
 have her own way so much. 
 
 At last, not knowing what else to do, she resolved to consult a 
 certain witch who was called ' The Fairy of the Desert.' Now this 
 was very difficult to do, as she was guarded by some terrible lions ; 
 but happily the Queen had heard a long time before that whoever 
 wanted to pass these lions safely must throw to them a cake made 
 of millet flour, sugar-candy, and crocodile's eggs. This cake she 
 prepared with her own hands, and putting it in a little basket, she 
 set out to seek the Fairy. But as she was not used to walking far, 
 she soon felt very tired and sat down at the foot of a tree to rest, 
 and presently fell fast asleep. When she awoke she was dismayed 
 to find her basket empty. The cake was ah 1 gone ! and, to make 
 matters worse, at that moment she heard the roaring of the great 
 lions, who had found out that she was near and were coming to 
 look for her. 
 
 ' What shall I do ? ' she cried ; ' I shall be eaten up,' and being
 
 32 THE YELLOW DWAEF 
 
 too much frightened to run a single step, she began to cry, and 
 leant against the tree under which she had been asleep. 
 Just then she heard some one say : ' H'rn, h'm 1 ' 
 
 She looked all round her, and then up at the tree, and there she 
 saw a little tiny man, who was eating oranges. 
 
 ' Oh ! Queen,' said he, ' I know you very well, and I know how 
 much afraid you are of the lions ; and you are quite right too, for
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 33 
 
 they have eaten many other people : and what can you expect, as 
 you have not any cake to give them ? ' 
 
 ' I must make up my mind to die,' said the poor Queen. ' Alas ! 
 I should not care so much if only my dear daughter were 
 married.' 
 
 ' Oh ! you have a daughter,' cried the Yellow Dwarf (who was 
 so called because he was a dwarf and had such a yellow face, and 
 lived in the orange tree). ' I'm really glad to hear that, for I've 
 been looking for a wife all over the world. Now, if you will 
 promise that she shall marry me, not one of the lions, tigers, or 
 bears shall touch you.' 
 
 The Queen looked at him and was almost as much afraid of his 
 ugly little face as she had been of the lions before, so that she could 
 not speak a word. 
 
 ' What ! you hesitate, madam,' cried the Dwarf. ' You must be 
 very fond of being eaten up alive.' 
 
 And, as he spoke, the Queen saw the lions, which were running 
 down a hill towards them. 
 
 Each one had two heads, eight feet, and four rows of teeth, and 
 their skins were as hard as turtle shells, and were bright red. 
 
 At this dreadful sight, the poor Queen, who was trembling like 
 a dove when it sees a hawk, cried out as loud as she could, ' Oh ! 
 dear Mr. Dwarf, Bellissima shall marry you.' 
 
 ' Oh, indeed ! ' said he disdainfully. ' Bellissima is pretty enough, 
 but I don't particularly want to marry her you can keep her.' 
 
 ' Oh ! noble sir,' said the Queen in great distress, ' do not refuse 
 her. She is the most charming Princess in the world.' 
 
 ' Oh ! well,' he replied, ' out of charity I will take her ; but be 
 sure you don't forget that she is mine.' 
 
 As he spoke a little door opened in the trunk of the orange tree, 
 in rushed the Queen, only just in time, and the door shut with a 
 bang in the faces of the lions. 
 
 The Queen was so confused that at first she did not notice 
 another little door in the orange tree, but presently it opened and 
 she found herself in a field of thistles and nettles. It was encircled 
 by a muddy ditch, and a little further on was a tiny thatched 
 cottage, out of which came the Yellow Dwarf with a very jaunty 
 air. He wore wooden shoes and a little yellow coat, and as he had no 
 hair and very long ears he looked altogether a shocking little object. 
 
 1 1 am delighted,' said he to the Queen, ' that, as you are to be 
 my mother-in-law, you should see the little house in which your 
 
 D
 
 34 THE YELLOW DWARF 
 
 Bellissima will live with me. With these thistles and nettles she 
 can feed a donkey which she can ride whenever she likes ; under 
 this humble roof no weather can hurt her ; she will drink the water 
 of this brook, and eat frogs which grow very fat about here ; and 
 then she will have me always with her, handsome, agreeable, and 
 gay as you see me now. For if her shadow stays by her more 
 closely than I do I shall be surprised.' 
 
 The unhappy Queen, seeing all at once what a miserable life her 
 daughter would have with this Dwarf, could not bear the idea, and 
 fell down insensible without saying a word 
 
 When she revived she found to her great surprise that she was 
 lying in her own bed at home, and, what was more, that she had 
 on the loveliest lace nightcap that she had ever seen in her life. At 
 first she thought that all her adventures, the terrible lions, and her 
 promise to the Yellow Dwarf that he should marry Bellissima 
 must have been a dream, but there was the new cap with its 
 beautiful ribbon and lace to remind her that it was all true, which 
 made her so unhappy that she could neither 
 eat, drink, nor sleep for thinking of it. 
 
 The Princess, who, in spite of her wilful- 
 ness, really loved her mother with all her 
 heart, was much grieved when she saw her 
 looking so sad, and often asked her what was 
 the matter ; but the Queen, who didn't want 
 her to find out the truth, only said that she 
 was ill, or that one of her neighbours was 
 threatening to make war against her. Bellis- 
 sima knew quite well that something was 
 being hidden from her and that neither of 
 these was the real reason of the Queen's 
 uneasiness. So she made up her mind that 
 she would go and consult the Fairy of the 
 Desert about it, especially as she had often 
 heard how wise she was, and she thought 
 that at the same time she might ask her 
 advice as to whether it would be as well to be married, or not. 
 
 So, with great care, she made some of the proper cake to pacify 
 the lions, and one night went up to her room very early, pretending 
 that she was going to bed ; but, instead of that, she wrapped herself 
 up in a long white veil, and went down a secret staircase, and set 
 off, all by herself, to find the Witch.
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 35 
 
 But when she got as far as the same fatal orange tree, and saw 
 it covered with flowers and fruit, she stopped and began to gather 
 some of the oranges and then, putting down her basket, she sat 
 down to eat them. But when it was time to go on again the basket 
 had disappeared, and, though she looked everywhere, not a trace of 
 it could she find. The more she hunted for it the more frightened 
 she got, and at last she began to cry. Then all at once she saw 
 before her the Yellow Dwarf. 
 
 ' What's the matter with you, my pretty one ? ' said he. ' What 
 are you crying about ? ' 
 
 ' Alas ! ' she answered ; ' no wonder that I am crying, seeing 
 that I have lost the basket of cake that was to help me to get safely 
 to the cave of the Fairy of the Desert.' 
 
 ' And what do you want with her, pretty one ? ' said the little 
 monster, ' for I am a friend of hers, and, for the matter of that, I am 
 quite as clever as she is.' 
 
 ' The Queen, my mother,' replied the Princess, ' has lately fallen 
 into such deep sadness that I fear that she will die ; and I am afraid 
 that perhaps I am the cause of it, for she very much wishes me to 
 be married, and I must tell you truly that as yet I have not found 
 anyone I consider worthy to be my husband. So for all these 
 reasons I wished to talk to the Fairy.' 
 
 ' Do not give yourself any further trouble, Princess,' answered the 
 Dwarf. ' I can tell you all you want to know better than she could. 
 The Queen, your mother, has promised you in marriage 
 
 ' Has promised me \ ' interrupted the Princess. ' Oh ! no. I'm 
 sure she has not. She would have told me if she had. I am too 
 much interested in the matter for her to promise anything without 
 my consent you must be mistaken.' 
 
 ' Beautiful Princess,' cried the Dwarf suddenly, throwing him- 
 self on his knees before her, ' I flatter myself that you will not be 
 displeased at her choice when I tell you that it is to me she has 
 promised the happiness of marrying you.' 
 
 ' You ! ' cried Bellissima, starting back. ' My mother wishes me 
 to marry you ! How can you be so silly as to think of such a 
 thing ? ' 
 
 ' Oh ! it isn't that I care much to have that honour,' cried the 
 Dwarf angrily ; ' but here are the lions coming ; they'll eat you up 
 in three mouthfuls, and there will be an end of you and your pride.' 
 
 And, indeed, at that moment the poor Princess heard their 
 dreadful howls coming nearer and nearer. 
 
 '
 
 36 THE YELLOW DWARF, 
 
 ' What shall I do ? ' she cried. ' Must all my happy days come 
 to an end like this ? ' 
 
 The malicious Dwarf looked at her and began to laugh spite- 
 fully. ' At least,' said he, ' you have the satisfaction of dying 
 unmarried. A lovely princess like you must surely prefer to die 
 rather than be the wife of a poor little dwarf like myself.' 
 
 ' Oh ! don't be angry with me,' cried the Princess, clasping her 
 hands. ' I'd rather marry all the dwarfs in the world than die in 
 this horrible way.' 
 
 ' Look at me well, Princess, before you give me your word,' said 
 he. ' I don't want you to promise me in a hurry.' 
 
 ' Oh ! ' cried she, ' the lions are coming. I have looked at you 
 enough. I am so frightened. Save me this minute, or I shall die 
 of terror.' 
 
 Indeed, as she spoke she fell down insensible, and when she 
 recovered she found herself in her own little bed at home ; how 
 she got there she could not tell, but she was dressed in the most 
 beautiful lace and ribbons, and on her finger was a little ring, made 
 of a single red hair, which fitted so tightly that, try as she might, 
 she could not get it off. 
 
 When the Princess saw all these things, and remembered what 
 had happened, she, too, fell into the deepest sadness, which surprised 
 and alarmed the whole Court, and the Queen more than anyone 
 else. A hundred times she asked Bellissima if anything was the 
 matter with her ; but she always said that there was nothing. 
 
 At last the chief men of the kingdom, anxious to see their 
 Princess married, sent to the Queen to beg her to choose a husband 
 for her as soon as possible. She replied that nothing would please 
 her better, but that her daughter seemed so unwilling to marry, and 
 she recommended them to go and talk to the Princess about it 
 themselves ; so this they at once did. Now Bellissima was much 
 less proud since her adventure with the Yellow Dwarf, and she 
 could not think of a better way of getting rid of the little monster 
 than to marry some powerful king, therefore she replied to their 
 request much more favourably than .they had hoped, saying that, 
 though she was very happy as she was, still, to please them, she 
 would consent to marry the King of the Gold Mines. Now he was 
 a very handsome and powerful Prince, who had been in love with 
 the Princess for years, but had not thought that she would ever 
 care about him at all. You can easily imagine how delighted he 
 was when he heard the news, and how angry it made all the other
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 
 
 '61 
 
 kings to lose for ever the hope of marrying the Princess ; but after 
 all Bellissima could not have married twenty kings indeed, she 
 had found it quite difficult enough to choose one, for her vanity 
 made her believe that there was nobody in the world who was 
 worthy of her. 
 
 Preparations were begun at once for the grandest wedding that 
 had ever been held at the 
 palace. The King of the 
 Gold Mines sent such im- 
 mense sums of money that 
 the whole sea was covered 
 with the ships that brought 
 it. Messengers were sent 
 to all the gayest and most 
 refined Courts, particularly 
 to the Court of France, to 
 seek out everything rare and 
 precious to adorn the Prin- 
 cess, although her beauty 
 was so perfect that nothing 
 she wore could make her 
 look prettier. At least that 
 is what the King of the Gold 
 Mines thought, and he was 
 never happy unless he was 
 with her. 
 
 As for the Princess, the 
 more she saw of the King 
 the more she liked him ; he 
 was so generous, so hand- 
 some and clever, that at last 
 she was almost as much in 
 love with him as he was 
 with her. How happy they were as they wandered about in the 
 beautiful gardens together, sometimes listening to sweet music ! and 
 the King used to write songs for Bellissima. This is one that she 
 liked very much : 
 
 In the forest all is gay 
 
 When my Princess walks that way. 
 
 All the blossoms then are found 
 
 Downward fluttering to the ground, 
 
 92346
 
 38 THE YELLOW DWAEF 
 
 Hoping she may tread on them. 
 And bright flowers on slender stem 
 Gaze up at her as she passes, 
 Brushing lightly through the grasses. 
 Oh ! my Princess, birds above 
 Echo back our songs of love, 
 As through this enchanted land 
 Blithe we wander, hand in hand. 
 
 They really were as happy as the day was long. All the King's 
 unsuccessful rivals had gone home in despair. They said good-bye 
 to the Princess so sadly that she could not help being sorry for 
 them. 
 
 ' Ah ! madam,' the King of the Gold Mines said to her, ' how is 
 this ? Why do you waste your pity on these princes, who love you 
 so much that all their trouble would he well repaid by a single 
 smile from you ? ' 
 
 ' I should be sorry,' answered Bellissima, ' if you had not noticed 
 how much I pitied these princes who were leaving me for ever ; 
 hut for you, sire, it is very different : you have every reason to be 
 pleased with me, but they are going sorrowfully away, so you must 
 not grudge them my compassion.' 
 
 The King of the Gold Mines was quite overcome by the 
 Princess's good-natured way of taking his interference, and, throw- 
 ing himself at her feet, he kissed her hand a thousand times and 
 begged her to forgive him. 
 
 At last the happy day came. Everything was ready for Bellis- 
 sima's wedding. The trumpets sounded, all the streets of the town 
 were hung with flags and strewn with flowers, and the people ran in 
 crowds to the great square before the palace. The Queen was so 
 over-joyed that she had hardly been able to sleep at all, and she 
 got up before it was light to give the necessary orders and to choose 
 the jewels that the Princess was to wear. These were nothing less 
 than diamonds, even to her shoes, which were covered with them, 
 and her dress of silver brocade was embroidered with a dozen of 
 the sun's rays. You may imagine how much these had cost ; but 
 then nothing could have b3en more brilliant, except the beauty 
 of the Princess ! Upon her head she wore a splendid crown, 
 her lovely hair waved nearly to her feet, and her stately figure 
 could easily be distinguished among all the ladies who attended 
 her. 
 
 The King of the Gold Mines was not less noble and splendid ;
 
 THE YELLOW DWABF 39 
 
 it was easy to see by his face how happy he was, and everyone 
 who went near him returned loaded with presents, for all round the 
 great banqueting hall had been arranged a thousand barrels full 
 of gold, and numberless bags made of velvet embroidered with 
 pearls and filled with money, each one containing at least a hundred 
 thousand gold pieces, which were given away to everyone who liked to 
 hold out his hand, which numbers of people hastened to do, you 
 may be sure indeed, some found this by far the most amusing 
 part of the wedding festivities. 
 
 The Queen and the Princess were just ready to set out with the 
 King when they saw, advancing towards them from the end of the 
 long gallery, two great basilisks, dragging after them a very badly 
 made box ; behind them came a tall old woman, whose ugliness 
 was even more surprising than her extreme old age. She wore 
 a ruff of black taffeta, a red velvet hood, and a farthingale all in 
 rags, and she leaned heavily upon a crutch. This strange old 
 woman, without saying a single word, hobbled three times round 
 the gallery, followed by the basilisks, then stopping in the middle, 
 and brandishing her crutch threateningly, she cried : 
 
 ' Ho, ho, Queen ! Ho, ho, Princess ! Do you think you are going 
 to break with impunity the promise that you made to my friend 
 the Yellow Dwarf? I am the Fairy of the Desert; without the 
 Yellow Dwarf and his orange tree my great lions would soon have 
 eaten you up, I can tell you, and in Fairyland we do not suffer 
 ourselves to be insulted like this. Make up your minds at once 
 what you will do, for I vow that you shall marry the Yellow Dwarf. 
 If you don't, may I burn my crutch ! ' 
 
 ' Ah 1 Princess,' said the Queen, weeping, ' what is this that I 
 hear ? What have you promised ? ' 
 
 'Ah! my mother,' replied Bellissima sadly, 'what did you 
 promise, yourself ? ' 
 
 The King of the Gold Mines, indignant at being kept from his 
 happiness by this wicked old woman, went up to her, and threaten- 
 ing her with his sword, said : 
 
 ' Get away out of nay country at once, and for ever, miserable 
 creature, lest I take your life, and so rid myself of your malice.' 
 
 He had hardly spoken these words when the lid of the box fell 
 back on the floor with a terrible noise, and to their horror out 
 sprang the Yellow Dwarf, mounted upon a great Spanish cat. 
 ' Eash youth ! ' he cried, rushing between the Fairy of the Desert 
 and the King. ' Dare to lay a finger upon this illustrious Fairy !
 
 40 
 
 THE YELLOW DWAEF 
 
 Your quarrel is with me only. I am your enemy and your rival. 
 That faithless Princess who would have married you is promised 
 to me. See if she has not upon her finger a ring made of one of 
 
 my hairs. Just try to 
 take it off, and you will 
 soon find out that I am 
 more powerful than you 
 are!' 
 
 ' Wretched little mon- 
 ster ! ' said the King ; ' do 
 you dare to call yourself 
 the Princess's lover, and 
 to lay claim to such a 
 treasure ? Do you know 
 that you are a dwarf 
 that you are so ugly 
 that one cannot bear to 
 look at you and that I 
 should have killed you 
 myself long before this 
 if you had been worth}' 
 of such a glorious death ? ' 
 The Yellow Dwarf, 
 deeply enraged at these 
 words, set spurs to his 
 cat, which yelled hor- 
 ribly, and leapt hither and thither terrifying everybody except the 
 brave King, who pursued the Dwarf closely, till he, drawing a 
 great knife with which he was armed, challenged the King to 
 meet him in single combat, and rushed down into the courtyard 
 of the palace with a terrible clatter. The King, quite provoked, 
 followed him hastily, but they had hardly taken their places 
 facing one another, and the whole Court had only just had time 
 to rush out upon the balconies to watch what was going on, when 
 suddenly the sun became as red as blood, and it was so dark 
 that they could scarcely see at all. The thunder crashed, and 
 the lightning seemed as if it must burn up everything ; the two 
 basilisks appeared, one on each side of the bad Dwarf, like giants, 
 mountains high, and fire flew from their mouths and ears, until 
 they looked like flaming furnaces. None of these things could terrify 
 the noble young King, and the boldness of his looks and actions
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 41 
 
 reassured those who were looking on, and perhaps even embarrassed 
 the Yellow Dwarf himself ; but even his courage gave way when 
 he saw what was happening to his beloved Princess. For the Fairy 
 of the Desert, looking more terrible than before, mounted upon a 
 winged griffin, and with long snakes coiled round her neck, had 
 given her such a blow with the lance she earned that Bellissima 
 fell into the Queen's arms bleeding and senseless. Her fond mother, 
 feeling as much hurt by the blow as the Princess herself, uttered 
 such piercing cries and lamentations that the King, hearing them, 
 entirely lost his courage and presence of mind. Giving up the 
 combat, he flew towards the Princess, to rescue or to die with her ; 
 but the Yellow Dwarf was too quick for him. Leaping with his 
 Spanish cat upon the balcony, he snatched Bellissima from the 
 Queen's arms, and before any of the ladies of the Court could stop 
 him he had sprung upon the roof of the palace and disappeared with 
 his prize. 
 
 The King, motionless with horror, looked on despairingly at this 
 dreadful occurrence, which he was quite powerless to prevent, and 
 to make matters worse his sight failed him, everything became dark, 
 and he felt himself carried along through the air by a strong hand. 
 
 This new misfortune was the work of the wicked Fairy of the 
 Desert, who had come with the Yellow Dwarf to help him carry 
 off the Princess, and had fallen in love with the handsome young 
 King of the Gold Mines directly she saw him. She thought that 
 if she carried him off to some frightful cavern and chained him to 
 a rock, then the fear of death would make him forget Bellissima 
 and become her slave. So, as soon as they reached the place, she 
 gave him back his sight, but without releasing him from his chains, 
 and by her magic power she appeared before him as a young and 
 beautiful fairy, and pretended to have come there quite by chance. 
 
 ' What do I see ? ' she cried. ' Is it you, dear Prince ? What 
 misfortune has brought you to this dismal place ? * 
 
 The King, who was quite deceived by her altered appearance, 
 replied : 
 
 ' Alas ! beautiful Fairy, the fairy who brought me here first took 
 away my sight, but by her voice I recognised her as the Fairy of 
 the Desert, though what she should have carried me off for I cannot 
 tell you.' 
 
 ' Ah ! ' cried the pretended Fairy, ' if you have fallen into her 
 hands, you won't get away until you have married her. She has 
 carried off more than one Prince like this, and she will certainly
 
 42 THE YELLOW DWAEF 
 
 have anything she takes a fancy to.' While she was thus pre- 
 tending to be sorry for the King, he suddenly noticed her feet, which 
 were like those of a griffin, and knew in a moment that this must 
 be the Fairy of the Desert, for her feet were the one thing she 
 could not change, however pretty she might make her face. 
 
 Without seeming to have noticed anything, he said, in a con- 
 fidential way : 
 
 ' Not that I have any dislike to the Fairy of the Desert, but I 
 really cannot endure the way in which she protects the Yellow 
 Dwarf and keeps me chained here like a criminal. It is true that 
 I love a charming princess, but if the Fairy should set me free my 
 gratitude would oblige me to love her only.' 
 
 ' Do you really mean what you say, Prince ? ' said the Fairy, 
 quite deceived. 
 
 ' Surely,' replied the Prince ; ' how could I deceive you ? You 
 see it is so much more flattering to my vanity to be loved by a 
 fairy than by a simple princess. But, even if I am dying of love 
 for her, I shall pretend to hate her until I am set free.' 
 
 The Fairy of the Desert, quite taken in by these words, resolved 
 at once to transport the Prince to a pleasanter place. So, making 
 him mount her chariot, to which she had harnessed swans instead 
 of the bats which generally drew it, away she flew with him. But 
 imagine the distress of the Prince when, from the giddy height at 
 which they were rushing through the air, he saw his beloved 
 Princess in a castle built of polished steel, the walls of which 
 reflected the sun's rays so hotly that no one could approach it 
 without being burnt to a cinder ! Bellissima was sitting in a 
 little thicket by a brook, leaning her head upon her hand and 
 weeping bitterly, but just as they passed she looked up and saw 
 the King and the Fairy of the Desert. Now, the Fairy was so 
 clever that she could not only seem beautiful to the King, but 
 even the poor Princess thought her the most lovely being she had 
 ever seen. 
 
 ' What ! ' she cried ; ' was I not unhappy enough in this lonely 
 castle to which that frightful Yellow Dwarf brought me ? Must I 
 also be made to know that the King of the Gold Mines ceased to 
 love me as soon as he lost sight of me ? But who can my rival 
 be, whose fatal beauty is greater than mine ? ' 
 
 While she was saying this, the King, who really loved her as 
 much as ever, was feeling terribly sad at being so rapidly torn away 
 from his beloved Princess, but he knew too well how powerful the
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 43 
 
 Fairy was to have any hope of escaping from her except by great 
 patience and cunning. 
 
 The Fairy of the Desert had also seen Bellissima, and she tried 
 to read in the King's eyes the effect that this unexpected sight had 
 had upon him. 
 
 ' No one can tell you what you wish to know better than I can,' 
 said he. ' This chance meeting with an unhappy princess for whom 
 I once had a passing fancy, before I was lucky enough to meet 
 you, has affected me a little, I admit, but you are so much more to 
 me than she is that I would rather die than leave you.' 
 
 ' Ah ! Prince,' she said, ' can I believe that you really love me so 
 much ? ' 
 
 ' Time will show, madam,' replied the King; 'but if you wish 
 to convince me that you have some regard for me, do not, I beg of 
 you, refuse to aid Bellissima.' 
 
 ' Do you know what you are asking ? ' said the Fairy of the 
 Desert, frowning, and looking at him suspiciously. ' Do you want 
 me to employ my art against the Yellow Dwarf, who is my best 
 friend, and take away from him a proud princess whom I can but 
 look upon as my rival ? ' 
 
 The King sighed, but made no answer indeed, what was there 
 to be said to such a clear-sighted person ? At last they reached a 
 vast meadow, gay with all sorts of flowers ; a deep river surrounded 
 it, and many little brooks murmured softly under the shady trees, 
 where it was always cool and fresh. A little way off stood a 
 splendid palace, the walls of which were of transparent emeralds. 
 As soon as the swans which drew the Fairy's chariot had alighted 
 under a porch, which was paved with diamonds and had arches of 
 rubies, they were greeted on all sides by thousands of beautiful 
 beings, who came to meet them joyfully, singing these words: 
 
 When Love within a heart would reign, 
 
 Useless to strive against him 'tis. 
 The proud but feel a sharper pain, 
 
 And make a greater triumph his. 
 
 The Fairy of the Desert was delighted to hear them sing of her 
 triumphs ; she led the King into the most splendid room that can 
 be imagined, and left him alone for a little while, just that he might 
 not feel that he was a prisoner ; but he felt sure that she had not 
 really gone quite away, but was watching him from some hiding- 
 place. So walking up to a great mirror, he said to it, ' Trusty
 
 44 THE YELLOW DWARF 
 
 counsellor, let me see what I can do to make myself agreeable to 
 the charming Fairy of the Desert ; for I can think of nothing but 
 how to please her.' 
 
 And he at once set to work to curl his hair, and, seeing upon a 
 table a grander coat than his own, he put it on carefully. The Fairy 
 came back so delighted that she could not conceal her joy. 
 
 ' I am quite aware of the trouble you have taken to please me,' 
 said she, ' and I must tell you that you have succeeded perfectly 
 already. You see it is not difficult to do if you really care for me.' 
 
 The King, who had his own reasons for wishing to keep the old 
 Fairy in a good humour, did not spare pretty speeches, and after a 
 time he was allowed to walk by himself upon the sea-shore. The 
 Fairy of the Desert had by her enchantments raised such a terrible 
 storm that the boldest pilot would not venture out in it, so she was 
 not afraid of her prisoner's being able to escape ; and he found it 
 some relief to think sadly over his terrible situation without being 
 interrupted by his cruel captor. 
 
 Presently, after walking wildly up and down, he wrote these 
 verses upon the sand with his stick : 
 
 At last may I upon this shore 
 
 lighten my sorrow with soft tears. 
 Alas ! alas ! I see no more 
 
 My Love, who yet my sadness cheers. 
 
 And thou, raging, stormy Sea, 
 
 Stirred by wild winds, from depth to height, 
 
 Thou hold'st my loved one far from me, 
 And I am captive to thy might. 
 
 My heart is still more wild than thine, 
 
 For Fate is cruel unto me. 
 Why must I thus in exile pine ? 
 
 Why is my Princess snatched from me ? 
 
 O ! lovely Nymphs, from ocean caves, 
 Who know how sweet true love may be, 
 
 Come up and calm the furious waves 
 And set a desperate lover free ! 
 
 While he was still writing he heard a voice which attracted his 
 attention in spite of himself. Seeing that the waves were rolling in 
 higher than ever, he looked all roimd him, and presently saw a 
 lovely lady floating gently towards him upon the crest of a huge
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 45 
 
 billow, her long hair spread all about her ; in one hand she held 
 a mirror, and in the other a comb, and instead of feet she had 
 a beautiful tail like a fish, with which she swam. 
 
 The King was struck dumb with astonishment at this unex- 
 pected sight ; but as soon as she came within speaking distance, 
 she said to him, ' I know how sad you are at losing your Princess 
 and being kept a prisoner by the Fairy of the Desert ; if you like 
 1 will help you to escape from this fatal place, where you may 
 otherwise have to drag on a weary existence for thirty years or 
 more.' 
 
 The King of the Gold Mines hardly knew what answer to make 
 to this proposal. Not because he did not wish very much to escape, 
 
 but he was afraid that this might be only another device by which 
 the Fairy of the Desert was trying to deceive him. As he hesitated 
 the Mermaid, who guessed his thoughts, said to him : 
 
 ' You may trust me : I am not trying to entrap you. I am so 
 angry with the Yellow Dwarf and the Fairy of the Desert that ! 
 am not likely to wish to help them, especially since I constantly 
 see your poor Princess, whose beauty and goodness make me pity 
 her so much : and I tell you that if you will have confidence in me 
 I will help you to escape.' 
 
 ' I trust you absolutely,' cried the King, ' and I will do whatever 
 you tell me ; but if you have seen my Princess I beg of you to tell 
 me how she is and what is happening to her.' 
 
 ' We must not waste time in talking,' said she. ' Come with
 
 46 THE YELLOW DWARF 
 
 me and I will carry you to the Castle of Steel, and we will leave 
 upon this shore a figure so like you that even the Fairy herself 
 will be deceived by it.' 
 
 So saying she quickly collected a bundle of sea-weed, and, 
 blowing it three times, she said : 
 
 ' My friendly sea-weeds, I order you to stay here stretched upon 
 the sand until the Fairy of the Desert comes to take you away.' 
 And at once the sea-weeds became like the King, who stood looking 
 at them in great astonishment, for they were even dressed in a coat 
 like his, but they lay there pale and still as the King himself might 
 have lain if one of the great waves had overtaken him and thrown 
 him senseless upon the shore. And then the Mermaid caught up 
 the King, and away they swam joyfully together. 
 
 ' Now,' said she, ' I have time to tell you about the Princess. 
 In spite of the blow which the Fairy of the Desert gave her, the 
 Yellow Dwarf compelled her to mount behind him upon his terrible 
 Spanish cat ; but she soon fainted away with pain and terror, and 
 did not recover till they were within the walls of his frightful Castle 
 of Steel. Here she was received by the prettiest girls it was possible 
 to find, who had been carried there by the Yellow Dwarf, who 
 hastened to wait upon her and showed her every possible attention. 
 She was laid upon a couch covered with cloth of gold, embroidered 
 with pearls as big as nuts.' 
 
 Ah ! ' interrupted the King of the Gold Mines, ' if Bellis- 
 sima forgets me, and consents to marry him, I shall break my 
 heart.' 
 
 'You need not be afraid of that,' answered the Mermaid 'the 
 Princess thinks of no one but you, and the frightful Dwarf cannot 
 persuade her to look at him.' 
 
 ' Pray go on with your story,' said the King. 
 
 ' What more is there to tell you ? ' replied the Mermaid. 
 ' Bellissima was sitting in the wood when you passed, and saw you 
 with the Fairy of the Desert, who was so cleverly disguised that 
 the Princess took her to be prettier than herself; you may imagine 
 her despair, for she thought that you had fallen in love with her.' 
 
 ' She believes that I love her ! ' cried the King. ' What a fatal 
 mistake ! What is to be done to undeceive her ? ' 
 
 ' You know best,' answered the Mermaid, smiling kindly at him. 
 ' When people are as much in love with one another as you two 
 are, they don't need advice from anyone else.' 
 
 As she spoke they reached the Castle of Steel, the side next the
 
 THE YELLOW DWAEF 47 
 
 sea being the only one which the Yellow Dwarf had left unprotected 
 by the dreadful burning walls. 
 
 ' I know quite well,' said the Mermaid, ' that the Princess is 
 sitting by the brook-side, just where you saw her as you passed, 
 but as you will have many enemies to fight with before you can 
 reach her, take this sword ; armed with it you may dare any danger, 
 and overcome the greatest difficulties, only beware of one thing 
 that is, never to let it fall from your hand. Farewell ; now I will 
 wait by that rock, and if you need my help in carrying off your 
 beloved Princess I will not fail you, for the Queen, her mother, is 
 my best friend, and it was for her sake that I went to rescue you.' 
 
 So saying, she gave to the King a sword made from a single 
 diamond, which was more brilliant than the sun. He could not 
 find words to express his gratitude, but he begged her to believe 
 that he fully appreciated the importance of her gift, and would 
 never forget her help and kindness. 
 
 We must now go back to the Fairy of the Desert. "When she 
 found that the King did not return, she hastened out to look for 
 him, and reached the shore, with a hundred of the ladies of her 
 train, loaded with splendid presents for him. Some carried baskets 
 full of diamonds, others golden cups of wonderful workmanship, and 
 amber, coral, and pearls, others, again, balanced upon their heads 
 bales of the richest and most beautiful stuffs, while the rest brought 
 fruit and flowers, and even birds. But what was the horror of the 
 Fairy, who followed this gay troop, when she saw, stretched upon 
 the sands, the image of the King which the Mermaid had made with 
 the sea-weeds. Struck with astonishment and sorrow, she uttered 
 a terrible cry, and threw herself down beside the pretended King, 
 weeping, and howling, and calling upon her eleven sisters, who were 
 also fairies, and who came to her assistance. But they were all 
 taken in by the image of the King, for, clever as they were, the 
 Mermaid was still cleverer, and all they could do was to help the 
 Fairy of the Desert to make a wonderful monument over what they 
 thought was the grave of the King of the Gold Mines. But while 
 they were collecting jasper and porphyry, agate and marble, 
 gold and bronze, statues and devices, to immortalise the King's 
 memory, he was thanking the good Mermaid and begging her 
 still to help him, which she graciously promised to do as she disap- 
 peared ; and then he set out for the Castle of Steel. He walked 
 fast, looking anxiously round him, and longing once more to see 
 his darling Bellissima, but he had not gone far before he was sur-
 
 48 THE YELLOW DWAEF 
 
 rounded by four terrible sphinxes who would very soon have torn 
 him to pieces with their sharp talons if it had not been for the 
 Mermaid's diamond sword. For, no sooner had he flashed it before 
 their eyes than down they fell at his feet quite helpless, and he 
 killed them with one blow. But he had hardly turned to continue 
 his search when he met six dragons covered with scales that were 
 harder than iron. Frightful as this encounter was the King's 
 courage was unshaken, and by the aid of his wonderful sword he 
 cut them in pieces one after the other. Now he hoped his diffi- 
 culties were over, but at the next turning he was met by one which 
 he did not know how to overcome. Four-and-twenty pretty and 
 graceful nymphs advanced towards him, holding garlands of flowers, 
 with which they barred the way. 
 
 ' Where are you going, Prince ? ' they said ; ' it is our duty to 
 guard this place, and if we let you pass great misfortunes will 
 happen to you and to us. We beg you not to insist upon going on. 
 Do you want to kill four-and-twenty girls who have never dis- 
 pleased you in any way ? ' 
 
 The King did not know what to do or to say. It went against 
 all his ideas as a knight to do anything a lady begged him not to 
 do ; but, as he hesitated, a voice in his ear said : 
 
 ' Strike ! strike ! and do not spare, or your Princess is lost for 
 ever ! ' 
 
 So, without replying to the nymphs, he rushed forward instantly, 
 breaking their garlands, and scattering them in all directions ; and 
 then went on without further hindrance to the little wood where he 
 had seen Bellissima. She was seated by the brook looking pale and 
 weary when he reached her, and he would have thrown himself 
 down at her feet, but she drew herself away from him with as 
 much indignation as if he had been the Yellow Dwarf. 
 
 ' Ah ! Princess,' he cried, ' do not be angry with me. Let me 
 explain everything. I am not faithless or to blame for what has 
 happened. I am a miserable wretch who has displeased you 
 without being able to help himself.' 
 
 ' Ah ! ' cried Bellissima, ' did I not see you flying through the 
 air with the loveliest being imaginable ? W T as that against your 
 will?' 
 
 ' Indeed it was, Princess,' he answered ; ' the wicked Fairy of 
 the Desert, not content with chaining me to a rock, carried me off 
 in her chariot to the other end of the earth, where I should even 
 now be a captive but for the unexpected help of a friendly mer-
 
 
 THE KING OF THE GOLD MINES ENCOUNTERS THE FOUR-AND-TWENTY 
 MAIDENS.
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 49 
 
 maid, who brought me here to rescue you, my Princess, from the 
 unworthy hands that hold you. Do not refuse the aid of your 
 most faithful lover.' So saying, he threw himself at her feet and 
 held her by her robe. But, alas ! in so doing he let fall the magic 
 sword, and the Yellow Dwarf, who was crouching behind a lettuce, 
 no sooner saw it than he sprang out and seized it, well knowing its 
 wonderful power. 
 
 The Princess gave a cry of terror on seeing the Dwarf, but this 
 only irritated the little monster; muttering a few magical words 
 he summoned two giants, who bound the King with great chains of 
 iron. 
 
 ' Now,' said the Dwarf, ' I am master of my rival's fate, but I 
 will give him his life and permission to depart unharmed if you, 
 Princess, will consent to marry me.' 
 
 ' Let me die a thousand times rather,' cried the unhappy 
 King. 
 
 ' Alas ! ' cried the Princess, ' must you die ? Could anything be 
 more terrible '? ' 
 
 ' That you should marry that little wretch would be far more 
 terrible,' answered the King. 
 
 ' At least,' continued she, ' let us die together.' 
 
 ' Let rne have the satisfaction of dying for you, my Princess,' 
 said he. 
 
 ' Oh, no, no!' she cried, turning to the Dwarf; 'rather than 
 that I will do as you wish.' 
 
 ' Cruel Princess ! ' said the King, ' would you make my life 
 horrible to me by marrying another before my eyes ? ' 
 
 ' Not so,' replied the Yellow Dwarf; ' you are a rival of whom I 
 am too much afraid : you shall not see our marriage.' So saying, 
 in spite of Bellissima's tears and cries, he stabbed the King to the 
 heart with the diamond sword. 
 
 The poor Princess, seeing her lover lying dead at her feet, could 
 no longer live without him ; she sank down by him and died of a 
 broken heart. 
 
 So ended these unfortunate lovers, whom not even the Mermaid 
 could help, because all the magic power had been lost with the 
 diamond sword. 
 
 As to the wicked Dwarf, he preferred to see the Princess dead 
 rather than married to the King of the Gold Mines ; and the Fairy 
 of the Desert, when she heard of the King's adventures, pulled down 
 the grand monument which she had built, and was so angry at the
 
 r,o 
 
 THE YELLOW DWARF 
 
 trick that had been played her that she hated him as much as she 
 had loved him before. 
 
 The kind Mermaid, grieved at the sad fate of the lovers, caused 
 them to be changed into two tall palm trees, which stand always 
 side by side, whispering together of their faithful love and caressing 
 one another with their interlacing branches. 1 
 1 Madame d'Aulnoy.
 
 LITTLE EED SIDING-HOOD 
 
 ONCE upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country 
 girl, the prettiest creature was ever seen. Her mother was 
 excessively fond of her ; and her grandmother doted on her still 
 more. This good woman got made for her a little red riding-hood ; 
 which became the girl so extremely well that everybody called her 
 Little Bed Riding-Hood. 
 
 One day her mother, having made some custards, said to her : 
 
 ' Go, my dear, and see how thy grandmamma does, for I hear she 
 has been very ill ; carry her a custard, and this little pot of butter.' 
 
 Little Red Riding-Hood set out immediately to go to her 
 grandmother, who lived in another village. 
 
 As she was going through the wood, she met with Gaffer Wolf, 
 who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he durst not, because 
 of some faggot-makers hard by in the forest. He asked her whither 
 she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was 
 dangerous to stay and hear a wolf talk, said to him : 
 
 ' I am going to see my grandmamma and carry her a custard 
 and a little pot of butter from my mamma.' 
 
 ' Does she live far off ? ' said the Wolf. 
 
 ' Oh ! ay,' answered Little Red Riding-Hood ; ' it is beyond that 
 mill you see there, at the first house in the village.' 
 
 ' Well,' said the Wolf, ' and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this 
 way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there soonest.' 
 
 The Wolf began to run as fast as he could, taking the nearest 
 way, and the little girl went by that farthest about, diverting her- 
 self in gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and making nose- 
 gays of such little flowers as she met with. The Wolf was not long 
 before he got to the old woman's house. He knocked at the door 
 tap, tap. 
 
 ' Who's there ? ' 
 
 'Your grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood,' replied the Wolf, 
 
 E2
 
 52 
 
 LITTLE BED RIDING-HOOD 
 
 counterfeiting her voice ; ' who has brought you a custard and a 
 little pot of butter sent you by mamma.' 
 
 The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was some- 
 what ill, cried out : 
 
 ' Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.' 
 
 The Wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then 
 presently he fell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, 
 for it was above three days that he had not touched a bit. He 
 
 then shut the door and went into the grandmother's bed, expecting 
 Little Eed Riding-Hood, who came some time afterwards and 
 knocked at the door tap, tap. 
 
 ' Who's there ? ' 
 
 Little Eed Eiding-Hood, hearing the big voice of the Wolf, was 
 at first afraid ; but believing her grandmother had got a cold and 
 was hoarse, answered : 
 
 ' 'Tis your grandchild, Little Eed Eiding-Hood, who has brought 
 you a custard and a little pot of butter mamma sends you.'
 
 LITTLE EED RIDING-HOOD 53 
 
 The Wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could: 
 
 ' Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.' 
 
 Little Red Riding-Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened. 
 
 The Wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under 
 the bed-clothes : 
 
 ' Put the custard and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and 
 come and lie down with me.' 
 
 Little Red Riding-Hood undressed herself and went into bed, 
 where, being greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked 
 in her night-clothes, she said to her: 
 
 ' Grandmamma, what great arms you have got ! ' 
 
 ' That is the better to hug thee, my dear.' 
 ' Grandmamma, what great legs you have got ! ' 
 ' That is to run the better, 1113' child.' 
 ' Grandmamma, what great ears you have got ! ' 
 ' That is to hear the better, my child.' 
 ' Grandmamma, what great eyes you have got ! ' 
 ' It is to see the better, my child.' 
 ' Grandmamma, what great teeth you have got ! ' 
 ' That is to eat thee up.' 
 
 And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red 
 Riding-Hood, and ate her all up.
 
 THE SLEEPING BE A UTY IN THE WOOD 
 
 HTHEEE were formerly a king and a queen, who were so sorry 
 J- that they had no children ; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. 
 They went to all the waters in the world ; vows, pilgrimages, all 
 ways were tried, and all to no purpose. 
 
 At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very 
 fine christening ; and the Princess had for her god-mothers all the 
 fairies they could find in the whole kingdom (they found seven), 
 that every one of them might give her a gift, as was the ciistom 
 of fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the 
 perfections imaginable. 
 
 After the ceremonies of the christening were over, all the 
 company returned to the King's palace, where was prepared a 
 great feast for the fairies. There was placed before every one of 
 them a magnificent cover with a case of massive gold, wherein 
 were a spoon, knife, and fork, all of pure gold set with diamonds 
 and rubies. But as they were all sitting down at table they saw 
 come into the hall a very old fairy, whom they had not invited, 
 because it was above fifty years since she had been out of a certain 
 tower, and she was believed to be either dead or enchanted. 
 
 The King ordered her a cover, but could not furnish her with a 
 case of gold as the others, because they had seven only made for 
 the seven fairies. The old Fairy fancied she was slighted, and 
 muttered some threats between her teeth. One of the young 
 fairies who sat by her overheard how she grumbled ; and, judging 
 that she might give the little Princess some unlucky gift, went, as 
 soon as they rose from table, and hid herself behind the hangings, 
 that she might speak last, and repair, as much as she could, the 
 evil which the old Fairy might intend. 
 
 In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the 
 Princess. The youngest gave her for gift that she should be the 
 most beautiful person in the world ; the next, that she should have
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 55 
 
 the wit of an angel ; the third, that she shcmld have a wonderful 
 grace in everything she did; the fourth, that she should dance 
 perfectly well ; the fifth, that she should sing like a nightingale ; and 
 the sixth, that she should play all kinds of music to the utmost 
 perfection. 
 
 The old Fairy's turn coming next, with a head shaking more 
 with spite than age, she said that the Princess should have her hand 
 pierced with a spindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift 
 made the whole company tremble, and everybody fell a-crying. 
 
 At this very instant the young Fairy came out from behind the 
 hangings, and spake these words aloud : 
 
 ' Assure yourselves, King and Queen, that your daughter 
 shall not die of this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo 
 entirely what my elder has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce 
 her hand with a spindle ; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall 
 into a profound sleep, which shall last a hundred years, at the 
 expiration of which a king's son shall come and awake her.' 
 
 The King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old Fairy, 
 caused immediately proclamation to be made, whereby everybody 
 was forbidden, on pain of death, to spin with a distaff and spindle, 
 or to have so much as any spindle in their houses. About fifteen or 
 sixteen years after, the King and Queen being gone to one of their
 
 56 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 
 
 houses of pleasure, the young Princess happened one day to divert 
 herself in running up and down the palace ; when going up from one 
 apartment to another, she came into a little room on the top of the 
 tower, where a good old woman, alone, was spinning with her 
 spindle. This good woman had never heard of th3 King's procla- 
 mation against spindles. 
 . ' What are you doing there, goody ? ' said the Princess. 
 
 ' I am spinning, my pretty child,' said the old woman, who did 
 not know who she was. 
 
 ' Ha ! ' said the Princess, ' this is very pretty ; how do you do 
 it ? Give it to me, that I may see if I can do so.' 
 
 She had no sooner taken it into her hand than, whether being 
 very hasty at it, somewhat unhandy, or that the decree of the Fairy 
 had so ordained it, it ran into her hand, and she fell down in a 
 swoon. 
 
 The good old woman, not knowing very well what to do in this 
 affair, cried out for help. People came in from every quarter in 
 great numbers ; they threw water upon the Princess's face, unlaced 
 her, struck her on the palms of her hands, and rubbed her temples 
 with Hungary- water ; but nothing would bring her to herself. 
 
 And now the King, who came up at the noise, bethought himself 
 of the prediction of the fairies, and, judging very well that this 
 must necessarily come to pass, since the fairies had said it, caused 
 the Princess to be carried into the finest apartment in his palace, 
 and to be laid upon a bed all embroidered with gold and silver. 
 
 One would have taken her for a little angel, she was so very 
 beautiful ; for her swooning away had not diminished one bit of her 
 complexion : her cheeks were carnation, and her lips were coral ; 
 indeed her eyes were shut, but she was heard to breathe softly, 
 which satisfied those about her that she was not dead. The King 
 commanded that they should not disturb her, but let her sleep 
 quietly till her hour of awaking was come. 
 
 The good Fairy who had saved her life by condemning her to 
 sleep a hundred years was in the kingdom of Matakin, twelve 
 thousand leagues off, when this accident befell the Princess ; but 
 she was instantly informed of it by a little dwarf, who had boots of 
 seven leagues, that is, boots with which he could tread over seven 
 leagues of ground in one stride. The Fairy came away immediately, 
 and she arrived, about an hour after, in a fiery chariot drawn by 
 dragons. 
 
 The King handed her out of the chariot, and she approved every-
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 57 
 
 thing he had done ; but as she had very great foresight, she thought 
 when the Princess should awake she might not know what to do 
 with herself, being all alone in this old palace ; and this was what 
 she did : she touched with her wand everything in the palace (ex- 
 cept the King and the Queen) governesses, maids of honour, ladies 
 of the bedchamber, gentlemen, officers, stewards, cooks, undercooks, 
 scullions, guards, with their beefeaters, pages, footmen ; she like- 
 wise touched all the horses which were in the stables, as well pads 
 as others, the great dogs in the outward court and pretty little 
 Mopsey too, the Princess's little spaniel, which lay by her on the 
 bed. 
 
 Immediately upon her touching them they all fell asleep* 
 that they might not awake before their mistress, and that they 
 might be ready to wait upon her when she wanted them. The very 
 spits at the fire, as full as they could hold of partridges and phea- 
 sants, did fall asleep also. All this was done in a moment. Fairies 
 are not long in doing their business. 
 
 And now the King and the Queen, having kissed their dear child 
 without waking her, went out of the palace and put forth a procla- 
 mation that nobody should dare to come near it. 
 
 This, however, was not necessary, for in a quarter of an hour's 
 time there grew up all round about the park such a vast number of 
 trees, great and small, bushes and brambles, twining one within 
 another, that neither man nor beast could pass through ; so that 
 nothing could be seen but the very top of the towers of the palace ; 
 and that, too, not unless it was a good way off. Nobody doubted 
 but the Fairy gave herein a very extraordinary sample of her art, 
 that the Princess, while she continued sleeping, might have nothing 
 to fear from any curious people. 
 
 When a hundred years were gone and passed the son of the 
 King then reigning, and who was of another family from that of the 
 sleeping Princess, being gone a-hunting on that side of the country, 
 asked : 
 
 What those towers were which he saw in the middle of a great 
 thick wood ? 
 
 Everyone answered according as they had heard. Some said : 
 
 That it was a ruinous old castle, haunted by spirits ; 
 
 Others, That all the sorcerers and witches of the country kept 
 there their sabbath or night's meeting. 
 
 The common opinion was : That an ogre lived there, and that he 
 carried thither all the little children he could catch, that he might
 
 58 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 
 
 eat them up at his leisure, without anybody being able to follow 
 him, as having himself only the power to pass through the wood. 
 
 The Prince was at a stand, not knowing what to believe, when 
 a very aged countryman spake to him thus : 
 
 ' May it please your royal highness, it is now about fifty years 
 since I heard from my father, who heard my grandfather say, that 
 there was then in this castle a princess, the most beautiful was ever 
 seen ; that she must sleep there a hundred years, and should be 
 waked by a king's son, for whom she was reserved.' 
 
 The young Prince was all on fire at these words, believing, with- 
 out weighing the matter, that he could put an end to this rare 
 adventure; and, pushed on by love and honour, resolved that 
 moment to look into it. 
 
 Scarce had he advanced towards the wood when all the great 
 trees, the bushes, and brambles 
 gave way of themselves to let 
 him pass through ; he walked 
 up to the castle which he saw at 
 the end of a large avenue which 
 he went into ; and what a little 
 surprised him was that he saw 
 none of his people could follow 
 him, because the trees closed 
 again as soon as he had passed 
 through them. However, he did 
 not cease from continuing his 
 way ; a young and amorous 
 prince is always valiant. 
 
 He came into a spacious out- 
 ward court, where everything 
 he saw might have frozen up 
 the most fearless person with 
 horror. There reigned over all 
 a most frightful silence ; the image of death everywhere showed 
 itself, and there was nothing to be seen but stretched-out bodies 
 of men and animals, all seeming to be dead. He, however, very 
 well knew, by the ruby faces and pimpled noses of the beefeaters, 
 that they were only asleep ; and their goblets, wherein still re- 
 mained some drops of wine, showed plainly that they fell asleep 
 in their cups. 
 
 He then crossed a court paved with marble, went up the stairs,
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 59 
 
 ami came into the guard chamber, where guards were standing in 
 their ranks, with their muskets upon their shoulders, and snoring 
 as loud as they could. After that he went through several rooms 
 full of gentlemen and ladies, all asleep, some standing, others sitting. 
 At last he came into a chamber all gilded with gold, where he saw 
 upon a bed, the curtains of which were all open, the finest sight 
 was ever beheld a princess, who appeared to be about fifteen 
 or sixteen years of age, and whose bright and, in a manner, resplen- 
 dent beauty, had somewhat in it divine. He approached with 
 trembling and admiration, and fell down before her upon his 
 knees. 
 
 And now, as the enchantment was at an end, the Princess 
 awaked, and looking on him with eyes more tender than the first 
 view might seem to admit of: 
 
 ' Is it you, my Prince ? ' said she to him. ' You have waited a 
 long while.' 
 
 The Prince, charmed with these words, and much more with the 
 manner in which they were spoken, knew not how to show his joy 
 and gratitude ; he assured her that he loved her better than he did 
 himself; their discourse was not well connected, they did weep 
 more than talk little eloquence, a great deal of love. He was more 
 at a loss than she, and we need not wonder at it : she had time to 
 think on what to say to him ; for it is very probable (though history 
 mentions nothing of it) that the good Fairy, during so long a sleep, 
 had given her very agreeable dreams. In short, they talked four 
 hours together, and yet they said not half what they had to say. 
 
 In the meanwhile all the palace awaked; everyone thought 
 upon their particular business, and as all of them were not in love 
 they were ready to die for hunger. The chief lady of honour, being 
 as sharp set as other folks, grew very impatient, and told the Prin- 
 cess aloud that supper was served up. The Prince helped the 
 Princess to rise ; she was entirely dressed, and very magnificently, 
 but his royal highness took care not to tell her that she was dressed 
 like his great-grandmother, and had a point band peeping over a 
 high collar ; she looked not a bit the less charming and beautiful 
 for all that. 
 
 They went into the great hall of looking-glasses, where they 
 supped, and were served by the Princess's officers ; the violins and 
 hautboys played old tunes, but very excellent, though it was now 
 above a hundred years since they had played ; and after supper, 
 without losing any time, the lord almoner married them in the
 
 60 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 
 
 chapel of the castle, and the chief lady of honour drew the curtains. 
 They had but very little sleep the Princess had no occasion ; and 
 the Prince left her next morning to return into the city, where his 
 father must needs have been in pain for him. The Prince told him : 
 
 That he lost his way in the forest as he was hunting, and that 
 he had lain in the cottage of a charcoal-burner, who gave him cheese 
 and brown bread. 
 
 The King, his father, who was a good man, believed him ; but 
 his mother could not be persuaded it was true ; and seeing that he 
 went almost every day a-hunting, and that he always had some 
 excuse ready for so doing, though he had lain out three or four 
 nights together, she began to suspect that he was married, for he 
 lived with the Princess above two whole years, and had by her 
 two children, the eldest of which, who was a daughter, was named 
 Morning, and the youngest, who was a son, they called Day, be- 
 cause he was a great deal handsomer and more beautiful than his 
 sister. 
 
 The Queen spoke several times to her son, to inform herself after 
 what manner he did pass his tune, and that in this he ought in 
 duty to satisfy her. But he never dared to trust her with his 
 secret ; he feared her, though he loved her, for she was of the race 
 of the Ogres, and the King would never have married her had it 
 not been for her vast riches ; it was even whispered about the 
 Court that she had Ogreish inclinations, and that, whenever she 
 saw little children passing by, she had all the difficulty in the world 
 .to avoid falling upon them. And so the Prince would never tell 
 her one word. 
 
 But when the King was dead, which happened about two years 
 a fterwards, and he saw himself lord and master, he openly declared 
 his marriage ; and he went in great ceremony to conduct his Queen 
 to the palace. They made a magnificent entry into the capital 
 city, she riding between her two children. 
 
 Soon after the King went to make war with the Emperor Con- 
 talabutte, his neighbour. He left the government of the kingdom 
 to the Queen his mother, and earnestly recommended to her care 
 his wife and children. He was obliged to continue his expedition 
 all the summer, and as soon as he departed the Queen-mother sent 
 her daughter-in-law to a country house among the woods, that she 
 might with the more ease gratify her horrible longing. 
 
 Some few days afterwards she went thither herself, and said to 
 her clerk of the kitchen :
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 61 
 
 ' I have a mind to eat little Morning for my dinner to-morrow.' 
 
 ' Ah ! madam,' cried the clerk of the kitchen. 
 
 ' I will have it so,' replied the Queen (and this she spoke in the 
 tone of an Ogress who had a strong desire to eat fresh meat), ' and 
 will eat her with a sauce Robert.' 
 
 The poor man, knowing very well that he must not play tricks 
 with Ogresses, took his great knife and went up into little Morning's 
 chamber. She was then four years old, and came up to him jump- 
 ing and laughing, to take him about the neck, and ask him for some 
 siigar-candy. Upon which he began to weep, the great knife fell 
 out of his hand, and he went into the back yard, and killed a little 
 lamb, and dressed it with such good sauce that his mistress assured 
 
 him she had never eaten anything so good in her life. He had at 
 the same time taken up little Morning, and carried her to his wife, 
 to conceal her in the lodging he had at the bottom of the court- 
 yard. 
 
 About eight days afterwards the wicked Queen said to the clerk 
 of the kitchen, ' 1 will sup upon little Day.' 
 
 He answered not a word, being resolved to cheat her as he had 
 done before. He went to find out little Day, and saw him with a 
 little foil in his hand, with which he was fencing with a great 
 monkey, the child being then only three years of age. He took 
 him up in his arms and carried him to his wife, that she might 
 conceal him in her chamber along with his sister, and in the room
 
 62 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 
 
 of little Day cooked up a young kid, very tender, which the Ogress 
 found to be wonderfully good. 
 
 This was hitherto all mighty well ; but one evening this wicked 
 Queen said to her clerk of the kitchen : 
 
 ' I will eat the Queen with the same sauce I had with her 
 children.' 
 
 It was now that the poor clerk of the kitchen despaired of being 
 able to deceive her. The young Queen was turned of twenty, not 
 reckoning the hundred years she had been asleep ; and how to find 
 in the yard a beast so firm was what puzzled him. He took then 
 a resolution, that he might save his own life, to cut the Queen's 
 throat ; and going up into her chamber, with intent to do it at 
 once, he put himself into as great fury as he could possibly, and 
 came into the young Queen's room with his dagger in his hand. 
 He would not, however, surprise her, but told her, with a great deal 
 of respect, the orders he had received from the Queen-mother. 
 
 ' Do it ; do it ' (said she, stretching out her neck). ' Execute your 
 orders, and then I shall go and see my children, my poor children, 
 whom I so much and so tenderly loved.' 
 
 For she thought them dead ever since they had been taken 
 away without her knowledge. 
 
 ' No, no, madam ' (cried the poor clerk of the kitchen, all in 
 tears) ; ' you shall not die, and yet you shall see your children again 5 
 but then you must go home with me to my lodgings, where I have 
 concealed them, and I shall deceive the Queen once more, by giving 
 her in your stead a young hind.' 
 
 Upon this he forthwith conducted her to his chamber, where, 
 leaving her to embrace her children, and cry along with them, he 
 went and dressed a young hind, which the Queen had for her supper, 
 and devoured it with the same appetite as if it had been the young 
 Queen. Exceedingly was she delighted with her cruelty, and she 
 had invented a story to tell the King, at his return, how the mad 
 wolves had eaten up the Queen his wife and her two children. 
 
 One evening, as she was, according to her custom, rambling 
 round about the courts and yards of the palace to see if she could 
 smell any fresh meat, she heard, in a ground room, little Day cry- 
 ing, for his mamma was going to whip him, because he had been 
 naughty ; and she heard, at the same time, little Morning begging 
 pardon for her brother.. 
 
 The Ogress presently knew the voice of the Queen and her 
 children, and being quite mad that she had been thus deceived, she
 
 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 63 
 
 commanded next morning, by break of day (with a most horrible 
 voice, which made everybody tremble), that they should bring into 
 the middle of the great court a large tub, which she caused to be 
 filled with toads, vipers, snakes, and all sorts of serpents, in order 
 to have thrown into it the Queen and her children, the clerk of the 
 kitchen, his wife and maid ; all whom she had given orders should 
 be brought thither with their hands tied behind them. 
 
 They were brought out accordingly, and the executioners were 
 just going to throw them into the tub, when the King (who was not 
 so soon expected) entered the court on horseback (for he came 
 post) and asked, with the utmost astonishment, what was the 
 meaning of that horrible spectacle. 
 
 No one dared to tell him, when the Ogress, all enraged to see 
 what had happened, threw herself head foremost into the tub, and 
 was instantly devoured bv the ugly creatures she had ordered to be 
 thrown into it for others. The King could not but be very sorry, 
 for she was his mother ; but he soon comforted himself with his 
 beautiful wife and his pretty children.
 
 64 CINDERELLA, OR 
 
 CINDEEELLA 
 OR THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPEE 
 
 ONCE there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, 
 the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. 
 She had, by a former husband, two daughters of her own humour, 
 who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. He had likewise, 
 by another wife, a young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness 
 and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was 
 the best creature in the world. 
 
 No sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over but the 
 mother-in-law began to show herself in her true colours. She could 
 not bear the good qualities of this pretty girl, and the less because 
 they made her own daughters appear the more odious. She 
 employed her in the meanest work of the house : she scoured the 
 dishes, tables, etc., and rubbed madam's chamber, and those of 
 misses, her daughters ; she lay up in a sorry garret, upon a 
 wretched straw bed, while her sisters lay in tine rooms, with floors 
 all inlaid, upon beds of the very newest fashion, and where they 
 had looking-glasses so large that they might see themselves at 
 their full length from head to foot. 
 
 The poor girl bore all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who 
 would have rattled her off; for his wife governed him entirely. When 
 she had done her work, she used to go into the chimney-corner, 
 and sit down among cinders and ashes, which made her commonly 
 be called Cindertvench ; but the youngest, who was not so rude and 
 uncivil as the eldest, called her Cinderella. However, Cinderella, 
 notwithstanding her mean apparel, was a hundred times handsomer 
 than her sisters, though they were always dressed very richly. 
 
 It happened that the King's son gave a ball, and invited all 
 persons of fashion to it. Our young misses were also invited, for 
 they cut a very grand figure among the quality. They were 
 mightily delighted at this invitation, and wonderfully busy in
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER 65 
 
 choosing out such gowns, petticoats, and head-clothes as might 
 become them. This was a new trouble to Cinderella ; for it was 
 she who ironed her sister's linen, and plaited their ruffles; they 
 talked all day long of nothing but how they should be dressed. 
 
 ' For my part,' said the eldest, ' I will wear my red velvet suit 
 with French trimming.' 
 
 ' And I,' said the youngest, ' shall have my usual petticoat ; but 
 then, to make amends for that, I will put on my gold-flowered 
 manteau, and my diamond stomacher, which is far from being 
 the most ordinary one in the world.'
 
 6G CINDERELLA, OE 
 
 They sent for the best tire-woman they could get to make up 
 their head-dresses and adjust their double pinners, and they had 
 their red brushes and patches from Mademoiselle de la Poche. 
 
 Cinderella was likewise called up to them to be consulted in all 
 these matters, for she had excellent notions, and advised them 
 always for the best, nay, and offered her services to dress their 
 heads, which they were very willing she should do. As she was 
 doing this, they said to her : 
 
 ' Cinderella, would you not be glad to go to the ball ? ' 
 
 ' Alas ! ' said she, ' you only jeer me ; it is not for such as I am 
 to go thither.' 
 
 ' Thou art in the right of it,' replied they ; ' it would make the 
 people laugh to see a Cinderwench at a ball.' 
 
 Anyone but Cinderella would have dressed their heads awry, 
 but she was very good, and dressed them perfectly well. They 
 were almost two days without eating, so much they were trans- 
 ported with joy. They broke above a dozen of laces in trying to 
 be laced up close, that they might have a fine slender shape, and 
 they were continually at their looking-glass. At last the happy 
 day came ; they went to Court, and Cinderella followed them with 
 her eyes as long as she could, and when she had lost sight of them, 
 she fell a- crying. 
 
 Her godmother, who saw her all in tears, asked her what was 
 the matter. 
 
 ' I wish I could I wish I could ; ' she was not able to speak 
 the rest, being interrupted by her tears and sobbing. 
 
 This godmother of hers, who was a fairy, said to her, ' Thou 
 wishest thou couldst go to the ball ; is it not so ? ' 
 
 ' Y es/ cried Cinderella, with a great sigh. 
 
 ' Well,' said her godmother, ' be but a good girl, and I will con- 
 trive that thou shalt go.' Then she took her into her chamber, 
 and said to her, ' Run into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin.' 
 
 Cinderella went immediately to gather the finest she could get, 
 and brought it to her godmother, not being able to imagine how 
 this pumpkin could make her go to the ball. Her godmother 
 scooped out all the inside of it, having left nothing but the rind; 
 which done, she struck it with her wand, and the pumpkin was 
 instantly turned into a fine coach, gilded all over with gold. 
 
 She then went to look into her mouse-trap, where she found six 
 mice, all alive, and ordered Cinderella to lift up a little the trap- 
 door, when, giving each mouse, as it went out, a little tap with her
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER 
 
 wand, the mouse was that moment turned into a fine horse, which 
 altogether made a very fine set of six horses of a beautiful mouse- 
 coloured dapple-grey. Being at a loss for a coachman, 
 
 ' I will go and see,' says Cinderella, ' if there is never a rat in 
 the rat-trap we may make a coachman of him.' 
 
 ' Thou art in the right,' replied her godmother ; ' go and look.' 
 Cinderella brought the trap to her, and in it there were three 
 
 huge rats. The fairy made choice of one of the three which had 
 the largest beard, and, having touched him with her wand, he was 
 turned into a fat, jolly coachman, who had the smartest whiskers 
 eyes ever beheld. After that, she said to her : 
 
 ' Go again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind 
 the watering-pot, bring them to me.' 
 
 She had no sooner done so but her godmother turned them into 
 six footmen, who skipped up immediately behind the coach, with 
 
 F2
 
 68 CINDERELLA, OP 
 
 their liveries all bedaubed with gold and silver, and clung as close 
 behind each other as if they had done nothing else their whole 
 lives. The Fairy then said to Cinderella : 
 
 ' Well, you see here an equipage fit to go to the ball with ; are 
 you not pleased with it ? ' 
 
 ' Oh ! yes,' cried she ; ' but must I go thither as I am, in these 
 nasty rags ? ' 
 
 Her godmother only just touched her with her wand, and, at 
 the same instant, her clothes were turned into cloth of gold and 
 silver, all beset with jewels. This done, she gave her a pair of 
 glass slippers, the prettiest in the whole world. Being thus decked 
 out, she got up into her coach ; but her godmother, above all things, 
 commanded her not to stay till after midnight, telling her, at the 
 same time, that if she stayed one moment longer, the coach would 
 be a pumpkin again, her horses mice, her coachman a rat, her foot- 
 men lizards, and her clothes become just as they were before. 
 
 She promised her godmother she would not fail of leaving the 
 ball before midnight ; and then away she drives, scarce able to con- 
 tain herself for joy. The King's son, who was told that a great 
 princess, whom nobody knew, was come, ran out to receive her ; he 
 gave her his hand as she alighted out of the coach, and led her into 
 the hall, among all the company. There was immediately a pro- 
 found silence, they left off dancing, and the violins ceased to play, 
 so attentive was everyone to contemplate the singular beauties of 
 the unknown new-comer. Nothing was then heard but a confused 
 noise of: 
 
 ' Ha ! how handsome she is ! Ha ! how handsome she is ! ' 
 
 The King himself, old as he was, could not help watching her, 
 and telling the Queen softly that it was a long time since he had 
 seen so beautiful and lovely a creature. 
 
 All the ladies were busied in considering her clothes and head- 
 dress, that they might have some made next day after the same 
 pattern, provided they could meet with such fine materials and as 
 able hands to make them. 
 
 The King's son conducted her to the most honourable seat, and 
 afterwards took her out to dance with him ; she danced so very 
 gracefully that they all more and more admired her. A fine colla- 
 tion was served up, whereof the young prince ate not a morsel, so 
 intently was he busied in gazing on her. 
 
 She went and sat down by her sisters, showing them a thousand 
 civilities, giving them part of the oranges and citrons which the
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER 69 
 
 Prince had presented her with, which very much surprised them, 
 for they did not know her. While Cinderella was thus amusing her 
 sisters, she heard the clock strike eleven and three-quarters, where- 
 upon she immediately made a courtesy to the company and hasted 
 away as fast as she could. 
 
 Being got home, she ran to seek out her godmother, and, after 
 having thanked her, she said she could not but heartily wish she 
 might go next day to the ball, because the King's son had desired 
 her. 
 
 As she was eagerly telling her godmother whatever had passed 
 at the ball, her two sisters knocked at the door, which Cinderella 
 ran and opened. 
 
 ' How long you have stayed ! ' cried she, gaping, rubbing her 
 eyes and stretching herself as if she had been just waked out of 
 her sleep ; she had not, however, any manner of inclination to 
 sleep since they went from home. 
 
 ' If thou hadst been at the ball,' says one of her sisters, ' thou 
 wouldst not have been tired with it. There came thither the finest 
 princess, the most beautiful ever was seen with mortal eyes ; she 
 showed us a thousand civilities, and gave us oranges and citrons.' 
 
 Cinderella seemed very indifferent in the matter ; indeed, she 
 asked them the name of that princess ; but they told her they did 
 not know it, and that the King's son was very uneasy on her account 
 and would give all the world to know who she was. At this 
 Cinderella, smiling, replied : 
 
 ' She must, then, be very beautiful indeed ; how happy you have 
 been ! Could noi I see her ? Ah ! dear Miss Charlotte, do lend .me 
 your yellow suit of clothes which you wear every day.' 
 
 ' Ay, to be sure ! ' cried Miss Charlotte ; ' lend my clothes to such 
 a dirty Cinderwench as thou art ! I should be a fool.' 
 
 Cinderella, indeed, expected well such answer, and was very glad 
 of the refusal ; for she would have been sadly put to it if her sister 
 had lent her what she asked for jestingly. 
 
 The next day the two sisters were at the ball, and so was 
 Cinderella, but dressed more magnificently than before. The King's 
 son was always by her, and never ceased his compliments and 
 kind speeches to her ; to whom all this was so far from being 
 tiresome that she quite forgot what her godmother had reco-n- 
 mended to her ; so that she, at last, counted the clock striking 
 twelve when she took it to be no more than eleven ; she then rose 
 up and Hod, as nimble as a deer. The Prince followed, but could
 
 70 CINDERELLA, OR 
 
 not overtake her. She left behind one of her glass slippers, which 
 the Prince took up most carefully. She got home, but quite out of 
 breath, and in her nasty old clothes, having nothing left her of all 
 her finery but one of the little slippers, fellow to that she dropped. 
 The guards at the palace gate were asked : 
 
 If they had not seen a princess go out. 
 
 Who said : They had seen nobody go out but a young girl, very 
 meanly dressed, and who had more the air of a poor country wench 
 than a gentlewoman. 
 
 When the two sisters returned from the ball Cinderella asked 
 them : If they had been well diverted, and if the fine lady had been 
 there. 
 
 They told her: Yes, but that she hurried away immediately 
 when it struck twelve, and with so much haste that she dropped 
 one of her little glass slippers, the prettiest in the world, which 
 the King's son had taken up ; that he had done nothing but look at 
 her all the time at the ball, and that most certainly he was very 
 much in love with the beautiful person who owned the glass slipper. 
 
 What they said was very true ; for a few days after the King's 
 son caused it to be proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that he would 
 marry her whose foot this slipper would just fit. They whom he 
 employed began to try it upon the princesses, then the duchesses 
 and all the Court, but in vain ; it was brought to the two sisters, who 
 did all they possibly could to thrust their foot into the slipper, but 
 they could not effect it. Cinderella, who saw all this, and knew her 
 slipper, said to them, laughing : 
 
 ' Let me see if it will not fit me.' 
 
 Her sisters burst out a-laughing, and began to banter her. The 
 gentleman who was sent to try the slipper looked earnestly at 
 Cinderella, and, finding her very handsome, said : 
 
 It was but just that she should try, and that he had orders to 
 let everyone make trial. 
 
 He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her 
 foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been 
 made of wax. The astonishment her two sisters were in was ex- 
 cessively great, but still abundantly greater when Cinderella pulled 
 out of her pocket the other slipper, and put it on her foot. There- 
 upon, in came her godmother, who, having touched with her wand 
 Cinderella's clothes, made them richer and more magnificent than 
 any of those she had before. 
 
 And now her two sisters found her to be that fine, beautiful lady
 
 CINDERELLA S FLIGHT.
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPEE 71 
 
 whom they had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her 
 feet to beg pardon for all the ill-treatment they had made her 
 undergo. Cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, 
 cried : 
 
 That she forgave them with all her heart, and desired them 
 always to love her. 
 
 She was conducted to the young Prince, dressed as she was ; 
 he thought her more charming than ever, and, a few days after, 
 married her. Cinderella, who was no less good than beautiful, 
 gave her two sisters lodgings in the palace, and that very same day 
 matched them with two great lords of the Court. 1 
 1 Charles Perrau.t.
 
 7-2 
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 rTVHERE once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a 
 -L careless, idle boy who would do nothing but play all day long 
 in the streets with little idle boys like himself. This so grieved the 
 father that he died ; yet, in spite of his mother's tears and prayers, 
 Aladdin did not mend his ways. One day, when he was playing in 
 the streets as usual, a stranger asked him his age, and if he was not 
 the son of Mustapha the tailor. ' I am, sir,' replied Aladdin ; ' but 
 he died a long while ago.' On this the stranger, who was a famous 
 African magician, fell on his neck and kissed him, saying : ' I am 
 your uncle, and knew you from your likeness to my brother. Go 
 to your mother and tell her I am coming.' Aladdin ran home and 
 told his mother of his newly found uncle. ' Indeed, child,' she 
 said, ' your father had a brother, but I always thought he was dead.' 
 However, she prepared supper, and bade Aladdin seek his uncle, 
 who came laden with wine and fruit. He presently fell down and 
 kissed the place where Mustapha used to sit, bidding Aladdin's 
 mother not to be surprised at not having seen him before, as he 
 had been forty years out of the country. He then turned to Aladdin, 
 and asked him his trade, at which the boy hung his head, while his 
 mother burst into tears. On learning that Aladdin was idle and 
 would learn no trade, he offered to take a shop for him and stock 
 it with merchandise. Next day he bought Aladdin a fine suit of 
 clothes and took him all over the city, showing him the sights, and 
 brought him home at nightfall to his mother, who was overjoyed 
 to see her son so fine. 
 
 Next day the magician led Aladdin into some beautiful 
 gardens a long way outside the city gates. They sat down by a 
 fountain and the magician pulled a cake from his girdle, which he 
 divided between them. They then journeyed onwards till they 
 almost reached the mountains. Aladdin was so tired that he begged 
 to go back, but the magician beguiled him with pleasant stories, and
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 led him on in spite of himself. At last they came to two mountains 
 divided by a narrow valley. ' We will go no farther,' said the false 
 uncle. ' I will show you something wonderful ; only do you gather 
 up sticks while I kindle a fire.' When it was lit the magician threw 
 on it a powder he had 
 about him, at the same 
 time saying some magical 
 words. The earth trem- 
 bled a little and opened in 
 front of them, disclosing 
 a square flat stone with a 
 brass ring in the middle 
 to raise it by. Aladdin 
 tried to run away, but the 
 magician caught him and 
 gave him a blow that 
 knocked him down. 'What 
 have I done, uncle ? ' he 
 said piteously ; whereupon 
 the magician said more 
 kindly: ' Fear nothing, but 
 obey me. Beneath this 
 stone lies a treasure which 
 is to be yours, and no one 
 else may touch it, so you 
 must do exactly as I tell 
 you.' At the word trea- 
 sure Aladdin forgot his 
 fears, and grasped the ring 
 
 as he was told, saying the names of his father and grandfather. The 
 stone came up quite easily, and some steps appeared. ' Go down,' 
 said the magician ; ' at the foot of those steps you will find an open 
 door leading into three large halls. Tuck up your gown and go 
 through them without touching anything, or you will die instantly. 
 These halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you 
 come to a niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour 
 out the oil it contains, and bring it me.' He drew a ring from h's 
 finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding him prosper. 
 
 Aladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered 
 some fruit off the trees, and, having got the lamp, arrived at the 
 mouth of the cave. The magician cried out in a great hurry : ' Make
 
 74 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 haste and give me the lamp.' This Aladdin refused to do until he 
 was out of the cave. The magician flew into a terrible passion, and 
 throwing some more powder on to the fire, he said something, and 
 the stone rolled back into its place. 
 
 The magician left Persia for ever, which plainly showed that he 
 was no uncle of Aladdin's, but a cunning magician, who had read in 
 his magic books of a wonderful lamp, which would make him the 
 most powerful man in the world. Though he alone knew where to 
 find it, he could only receive it from the hand of another. He had 
 picked out the foolish Aladdin for this purpose, intending to get the 
 lamp and kill him afterwards. 
 
 For two days Aladdin remained in the dark, crying and lament- 
 ing. At last he clasped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed 
 the ring, which the magician had forgotten to take from him. Im- 
 mediately an enormous and frightful genie rose out of the earth, say- 
 ing : ' What wouldst thou with me ? I am the Slave of the Ring, and 
 will obey thee in all things.' Aladdin fearlessly replied : ' Deliver 
 me from this place ! ' whereupon the earth opened, and he found him- 
 self outside. As soon as his eyes could bear the light he went home, 
 but fainted on the threshold. When he came to himself he told his 
 mother what had passed, and showed her the lamp and the fruits he 
 had gathered in the garden, which were in reality precious stones. 
 He then asked for some food. ' Alas ! child,' she said, ' I have 
 nothing in the house, but I have spun a little cotton and will go and 
 sell it.' Aladdin bade her keep her cotton, for he would sell the 
 lamp instead. As it was very dirty she began to rub it, that it 
 might fetch a higher price. Instantly a hideous genie appeared, and 
 asked what she would have. She fainted away, but Aladdin, snatch- 
 ing the lamp, said boldly : ' Fetch me something to eat ! ' The genie 
 returned with a silver bowl, twelve silver plates containing rich 
 meats, two silver cups, and two bottles of wine. Aladdin's mother, 
 when she came to herself, said : ' Whence comes this splendid feast ? ' 
 ' Ask not, but eat,' replied Aladdin. So they sat at breakfast till 
 it was dinner-time, and Aladdin told his mother about the lamp. 
 She begged him to sell it, and have nothing to do with devils. ' No,' 
 said Aladdin, ' since chance hath made us aware of its virtues, we 
 will use it, and the ring likewise, which I shall always wear on my 
 finger.' When they had eaten all the genie had brought Aladdin 
 sold one of the silver plates, and so on until none were left. He 
 then had recourse to the genie, who gave him another set of plates, 
 and thus they lived for nianj- years.
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 75 
 
 One day Aladdin heard an order from the Sultan proclaimed 
 that everyone was to stay at home and close his shutters while the 
 Princess, his daughter, went to and from the bath. Aladdin was 
 seized by a desire to see her face, which was very difficult, as she 
 always went veiled. He hid himself behind the door of the bath, and 
 peeped through a chink. The Princess lifted her veil as she went 
 in, and looked so beautiful that Aladdin fell in love with her at 
 first sight. He went home so changed that his mother was 
 frightened. He told her he loved the Princess so deeply that he 
 
 could not live without her, and meant to ask her in marriage of her 
 father. His mother, on hearing this, burst out laughing, but Aladdin 
 at last prevailed upon her to go before the Sultan and carry his 
 request. She fetched a napkin and laid in it the magic fruits from 
 the enchanted garden, which sparkled and shone like the most 
 beautiful jewels. She took these with her to please the Sultan, and 
 set out, trusting in the lamp. The Grand Vizier and the lords of 
 council had just gone in as she entered the hall and placed 
 herself in front of the Sultan. He, however, took no notice of her.
 
 76 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 She went every day for a week, and stood in the same place. 
 "When the council broke up on the sixth day the Sultan said to his 
 Vizier : ' I see a certain woman in the audience-chamber every day 
 carrying something in a napkin. Call her next time, that I may 
 find out what she wants.' Next day, at a sign from the Vizier, she 
 went up to the foot of the throne and remained kneeling till the 
 Sultan said to her : ' Eise, good woman, and tell me what you want.' 
 She hesitated, so the Sultan sent away all but the Vizier, and bade 
 her speak freely, promising to forgive her beforehand for anything 
 she might say. She then told him of her son's violent love for the 
 Princess. ' I prayed him to forget her,' she said, ' but in vain ; he 
 threatened to do some desperate deed if I refused to go and ask 
 your Majesty for the hand of the Princess. Now I pray you to 
 forgive not me alone, but my son Aladdin.' The Sultan asked her 
 kindly what she had in the napkin, whereupon she unfolded the 
 jewels and presented them. He was thunderstruck, and turning to 
 the Vizier said : ' What sayest thou ? Ought I not to bestow the 
 Princess on one who values her at such a price ? ' The Vizier, who 
 wanted her for his own son, begged the Sultan to withhold her for 
 three months, in the course of which he hoped his son would contrive 
 to make him a richer present. The Sultan granted this, and told 
 Aladdin's mother that, though he consented to the marriage, she 
 must not appear before him again for three months. 
 
 Aladdin waited patiently for nearly three months, but after two 
 had elapsed his mother, going into the city to buy oil, found every 
 one rejoicing, and asked what was going on. ' Do you not know,' 
 was the answer, ' that the son of the Grand Vizier is to marry the 
 Sultan's daughter to-night ? ' Breathless, she ran and told Aladdin, 
 who was overwhelmed at first, but presently bethought him of the 
 lamp. He rubbed it, and the genie appeared, saying : ' What is thy 
 will ? ' Aladdin replied : ' The Sultan, as thou knowest, has brokien 
 his promise to me, and the Vizier's son is to have the Princess. 
 My command is that to-night you bring hither the bride and bride- 
 groom.' ' Master, I obey,' said the genie. Aladdin then went to 
 his chamber, where, sure enough, at midnight the genie transported 
 the bed containing the Vizier's son and the Princess. ' Take this 
 new-married man,' he said, ' and put him outside in the cold, and 
 return at daybreak.' Whereupon the genie took the Vizier's son 
 out of bed, leaving Aladdin with the Princess. ' Fear nothing,' 
 Aladdin said to her ; ' you are my wife, promised to me by your 
 unjust father, and no harm shall come to you.' The Princess was
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 77 
 
 too frightened to speak, and passed the most miserable night of her 
 life, while Aladdin lay down beside her and slept soundly. At the 
 appointed hour the genie fetched in the shivering bridegroom, 
 laid him in his place, and transported the bed back to the palace. 
 
 Presently the Sultan came to wish his daughter good-morning. 
 The unhappy Vizier's son jumped up and hid himself, while the 
 Princess would not say a word, and was very sorrowful. The 
 Sultan sent her mother to her, who said : ' How comes it, child, 
 that you will not speak to your father ? What has happened ? ' 
 The Princess sighed deeply, and at last told her mother how, 
 during the night, the bed had been carried into some strange 
 house, and what had passed there. Her mother did not believe her 
 in the least, but bade her rise and consider it an idle dream. 
 
 The following night exactly the same thing happened, and next 
 morning, on the Princess's refusing to speak, the Sultan threatened 
 to cut off her head. She then confessed all, bidding him ask the 
 Vizier's son if it were not so. The Sultan told the Vizier to ask 
 his son, who owned the truth, adding that, dearly as he loved the 
 Princess, he had rather die than go through another such fearful 
 night, and wished to be separated from her. His wish was granted, 
 and there was an end of feasting and rejoicing. 
 
 When the three months were over, Aladdin sent his mother to 
 remind the Sultan of his promise. She stood in the same place as 
 before, and the Sultan, who had forgotten Aladdin, at once remem- 
 bered him, and sent for her. On seeing her poverty the Sultan felt 
 less inclined than ever to keep his word, and asked his Vizier's advice, 
 who counselled him to set so high a value on the Princess that no 
 man living could come up to it. The Sultan then turned to Aladdin's 
 mother, saying : ' Good woman, a sultan must remember his pro- 
 mises, and I will remember mine, but your son must first send me 
 forty basins of gold brimful of jewels, carried by forty black slaves, 
 led by as many white ones, splendidly dressed. Tell him that I await 
 his answer.' The mother of Aladdin bowed low and went home, 
 thinking all was lost. She gave Aladdin the message, adding : ' He 
 may wait long enough for your answer ! ' ' Not so long, mother, as 
 you think,' her son replied. ' I would do a great deal more than that 
 for the Princess.' He summoned the genie, and in a few moments 
 the eighty slaves arrived, and filled up the small house and garden. 
 Aladdin made them set out to the palace, two and two, followed 
 by his mother. They were so richly dressed, with such splendid 
 jewels in their girdles, that everyone crowded to see them and the
 
 78 ALADDIN AND THE WONDEBFUL LAMP 
 
 basins of gold they carried on their heads. They entered the palace, 
 and, after kneeling before the Sultan, stood in a half-circle round 
 the throne with their arms crossed, while Aladdin's mother pre- 
 sented them to the Sultan. He hesitated no longer, but said : ' Good 
 woman, return and tell your son that I wait for him with open arms.' 
 She lost no time in telling Aladdin, bidding him make haste. But 
 Aladdin first called the genie. ' I want a scented bath,' he said, ' a 
 richly embroidered habit, a horse surpassing the Sultan's, and 
 twenty slaves to attend me. Besides this, six slaves, beautifully 
 dressed, to wait on my mother ; and lastly, ten thousand pieces of 
 
 gold in ten purses.' No sooner said than done. Aladdin mounted 
 his horse and passed through the streets, the slaves strewing gold 
 as they went. Those who had played with him in his childhood 
 knew him not, he had grown so handsome. When the Sultan saw 
 him he came down from his throne, embraced him, and led him 
 into a hall where a feast was spread, intending to marry him to the 
 Princess that very day. But Aladdin refused, saying, ' I must build a 
 palace fit for her,' and took his leave. Once home, he said to the 
 genie : ' Build me a palace of the finest marble, set with jasper, 
 agate, and other precious stones. In the middle you shall build me
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 79 
 
 a large hall with a dome, its four walls of massy gold and silvers 
 each side having six windows, whose lattices, all except one which 
 is to be left unfinished, must be set with diamonds and rubies. 
 There must be stables and horses and grooms and slaves ; go and 
 see about it ! ' 
 
 The palace was finished by next day, and the genie carried him 
 there and showed him all his orders faithfully carried out, even to 
 the laying of a velvet carpet from Aladdin's palace to the Sultan's. 
 Aladdin's mother then dressed horself carefully, and walked to the 
 palace with her slaves, while he followed her on horseback. The 
 Sultan sent musicians with trumpets and cymbals to meet them, so 
 that the air resounded with music and cheers. She was taken to 
 the Princess, who saluted her and treated her with great honour. 
 At night the Princess said good-bye to her father, and set out on the 
 carpet for Aladdin's palace, with his mother at her side, and followed 
 by the hundred slaves. She was charmed at the sight of Aladdin, 
 who ran to receive her. ' Princess," he said, ' blame your beauty 
 for my boldness if I have displeased you.' She told him that, having 
 seen him, she willingly obeyed her father in this matter. After the 
 wedding had taken place Aladdin led her into the hall, where a 
 feast was spread, and she supped with him, after which they danced 
 till midnight. 
 
 Xext day Aladdin invited the Sultan to see the palace. On 
 enteringthe hall with the four-and-twenty windows, with their rubies, 
 diamonds, and emeralds, he cried : ' It is a world's wonder ! There 
 is only one thing that surprises me. Was it by accident that 
 one window was left unfinished ? ' ' No, sir, by design,' returned 
 Aladdin. ' I wished your Majesty to have the glory of finishing this 
 palace.' The Sultan was pleased, and sent for the best jewellers 
 in the city. He showed them the unfinished window, and bade them 
 fit it up like the others. ' Sir,' replied their spokesman, ' we can- 
 not find jewels enough.' The Sultan had his own fetched, which 
 they soon used, but to no purpose, for in a month's time the work 
 was not half done. Aladdin, knowing that their task was vain, 
 bade them undo their work and carry the jewels back, and the genie 
 finished the window at his command. The Sultan was surprised 
 to receive his jewels again, and visited Aladdin, who showed him 
 the window finished. The Sultan embraced him, the envious 
 Vizier meanwhile hinting that it was the work of enchantment. 
 
 Aladdin had won the hearts of the people by his gentle bearing. 
 He was made captain of the Sultan's armies, and won several
 
 80 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 battles for him, but remained modest and courteous as before, and 
 lived thus in peace and content for several years. 
 
 But far away in Africa the magician remembered Aladdin, and 
 by his magic arts discovered that Aladdin, instead of perishing 
 miserably in the cave, had escaped, and had married a princess, 
 with whom he was living in great honour and wealth. He knew 
 that the poor tailor's son could only have accomplished this by 
 means of the lamp, and travelled night and day till he reached the 
 capital of China, bent on Aladdin's ruin. As he passed through the 
 town he heard people talking everywhere about a marvellous palace. 
 ' Forgive my ignorance,' he asked, ' what is this palace you speak 
 of?' 'Have you not heard of Prince Aladdin's palace,' was the 
 reply, ' the greatest wonder of the world ? I will direct you if you 
 have a mind to see it.' The magician thanked him who spoke, and 
 having seen the palace knew that it had been raised by the Genie 
 of the Lamp, and became half mad with rage. He determined to 
 get hold of the lamp, and again plunge Aladdin into the deepest 
 poverty. 
 
 Unluckily, Aladdin had gone a-hunting for eight days, which 
 gave the magician plenty of time. He bought a dozen copper 
 lamps, put them into a basket, and went to the palace, crying : ' New 
 lamps for old ! ' followed by a jeering crowd. The Princess, 
 sitting in the hall of four-and-twenty windows, sent a slave to find 
 out what the noise was about, who came back laughing, so that the 
 Princess scolded her. ' Madam,' replied the slave, ' who can help 
 laughing to see an old fool offering to exchange fine new lamps for 
 old ones ? ' Another slave, hearing this, said : ' There is an old one 
 on the cornice there which he can have.' Now this was the magic 
 lamp, which Aladdin had left there, as he could not take it out 
 hunting with him. The Princess, not knowing its value, laughingly 
 bade the slave take it and make the exchange. She went and said 
 to the magician : ' Give me a new lamp for this.' He snatched it 
 and bade the slave take her choice, amid the jeers of the crowd. 
 Little he cared, but left off crying his lamps, and went out of the 
 city gates to a lonely place, where he remained till nightfall, when 
 he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it. The genie appeared, and at 
 the magician's command carried him, together with the palace and 
 the Princess in it, to a lonely place in Africa. 
 
 Next morning the Sultan looked out of the window towards 
 Aladdin's palace and rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. He sent for 
 the Vizier and asked what had become of the palace. The Vizier
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 81 
 
 looked out too, and was lost in astonishment. He again put it 
 down to enchantment, and this time the Sultan believed him, and 
 sent thirty men on horseback to fetch Aladdin in chains. They 
 met him riding home, bound him, and forced him to go with them 
 on foot. The people, however, who loved him, followed, armed, to 
 see that he came to no harm. He was carried before the Sultan, 
 who ordered the executioner to cut off his head. The executioner 
 made Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised his 
 scimitar to strike. At that instant the Vizier, who saw that the 
 crowd had forced their way into the courtyard and were scaling the 
 walls to rescue Aladdin, called to the executioner to stay his hand. 
 The people, indeed, looked so threatening that the Sultan gave way 
 and ordered Aladdin to be unbound, and pardoned him in the sight 
 of the crowd. Aladdin now begged to know what he had done. 
 ' False wretch ! ' said the Sultan, ' come hither,' and showed him 
 from the window the place where his palace had stood. Aladdin 
 was so amazed that he could not say a word. ' Where is my palace 
 and my daughter ? ' demanded the Sultan. ' For the first I am not 
 so deeply concerned, but my daughter I must have, and you must 
 find her or lose your head.' Aladdin begged for forty days in which 
 to find her, promising if he failed to return and suffer death at the 
 Sultan's pleasure. His prayer was granted, and he went forth 
 sadly from the Sultan's presence. For three days he wandered 
 about like a madman, asking everyone what had become of his 
 palace, but they only laughed and pitied him. He came to the 
 banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers before throwing 
 himself in. In so doing he rubbed the magic ring he still wore. 
 The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and asked his will. 
 ' Save my life, genie,' said Aladdin, ' and bring my palace back.' 
 ' That is not in my power,' said the genie ; ' I am only the Slave of 
 the King ; you must ask him of the lamp.' 'Even so,' said Aladdin, 
 ' but thou canst take me to the palace, and set me down under my 
 dear wife's window.' He at once found himself in Africa, under the 
 window of the Princess, and fell asleep out of sheer weariness. 
 
 He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was 
 lighter. He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owing to the 
 loss of the lamp, and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it. 
 
 That morning the Princess rose earlier than she had done since 
 she had been carried into Africa by the magician, whose company 
 she was forced to endure once a day. She, however, treated him so 
 harshly that he dared not live there altogether. As she was dress-
 
 82 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 ing, one of her women looked out and saw Aladdin. The Princess 
 ran and opened the window, and at the noise she made Aladdin 
 looked up. She called to him to come to her, and great was the joy 
 
 of these lovers at seeing 
 each other again. After 
 he had kissed her Aladdin 
 said : ' I beg of you, Prin- 
 cess, in God's name, be- 
 fore we speak of anything 
 else, for your own sake 
 and mine, tell me what 
 has become of an old lamp 
 I left on the cornice in the 
 hall of four-and-twenty 
 windows, when I went 
 a -hunting.' ' Alas ! ' she 
 said, ' I am the innocent 
 cause of our sorrows,' and 
 told him of the exchange 
 of the lamp. ' Now I 
 know,' cried Aladdin, ' that 
 we have to thank the 
 African magician for this ! 
 Where is the lamp ? ' ' He 
 carries it about with him,' 
 said the Princess. ' I know, 
 for he pulled it out of his 
 breast to show me. He 
 wishes me to break my faith with you and marry him, saying 
 that you were beheaded by my father's command. He is for 
 ever speaking ill of you, but I only reply by my tears. If I 
 persist, I doubt not but he will use violence.' Aladdin comforted 
 her, and left her for a while. He changed clothes with the first 
 person he met in the town, and having bought a certain powder 
 returned to the Princess, who let him in by a little side door. 
 ' Put on your most beautiful dress,' he said to her, ' and receive 
 the magician with smiles, leading him to believe that you have 
 forgotten me. Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish 
 to taste the wine of his country. He will go for some and 
 while he is gone I will tell you what to do.' She listened care- 
 fully to Aladdin and when he left her arrayed herself gaily
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 83 
 
 for the first time since she left China. She put on a girdle and 
 head-dress of diamonds, and, seeing in a glass that she was more 
 beautiful than ever, received the magician, saying, to his great 
 amazement : ' I have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead, and 
 that all my tears will not bring him back to me, so I am resolved 
 to mourn no more, and have therefore invited you to sup with me ; 
 but I am tired of the wines of China, and would fain taste those of 
 Africa.' The magician flew to his cellar, and the Princess put the 
 powder Aladdin had given her in her cup. "When he returned she 
 asked him to drink her health in the wine of Africa, handing him 
 her cup in exchange for his, as a sign she was reconciled to him. 
 Before drinking the magician made her a speech in praise of her 
 beauty, but the Princess cut him short, saying : ' Let us drink first, 
 and you shall say what you will afterwards.' She set her cup to 
 her lips and kept it there, while the magician drained his to the 
 dregs and fell back lifeless. The Princess then opened the door to 
 Aladdin, and flung her arms round his neck ; but Aladdin put her 
 away, bidding her leave him, as he had more to do. He then went 
 to the dead magician, took the lamp out of his vest, and bade the 
 genie carry the palace and all in it back to China. This was done, 
 and the Princess in her chamber only felt two little shocks, and 
 little thought she was at home again. 
 
 The Sultan, who was sitting in his closet, mourning for his lost 
 daughter, happened to look up, and rubbed his eyes, for there stood 
 the palace as before ! He hastened thither, and Aladdin received 
 him in the hall of the four-and-twenty windows, with the Princess 
 at his side. Aladdin told him what had happened, and showed him 
 the dead body of the magician, that he might believe. A ten days' 
 least was proclaimed, and it seemed as if Aladdin might now live 
 the rest of his life in peace ; but it was not to be. 
 
 The African magician had a younger brother, who was, if 
 possible, more wicked and more cunning than himself. He 
 travelled to China to avenge his brother's death, and went to visit a 
 pious woman called Fatima, thinking she might be of use to him. 
 He entered her cell and clapped a dagger to her breast, telling her 
 to rise and do his bidding on pain of death. He changed clothes 
 with her, coloured his face like hers, put on her veil, and 
 murdered her, that she might tell no tales. Then he went towards 
 the palace of Aladdin, and all the people, thinking he was the holy 
 woman, gathered round him, kissing his hands and begging his 
 blessing. When he got to the palace there was such a noise going 
 
 G 2
 
 84 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 
 
 on round him that the Princess bade her slave look out of the 
 window and ask what was the matter. The slave said it was the 
 holy woman, curing people by her touch of their ailments, where- 
 upon the Princess, who had long desired to see Fatima, sent for her. 
 On coming to the Princess the magician offered up a prayer for her 
 health and prosperity. When he had done the Princess made him 
 sit by her, and begged him to stay with her always. The false 
 Fatima, who wished for nothing better, consented, but kept his veil 
 
 down for fear of discovery. The Princess showed him the hall, and 
 asked him what he thought of it. ' It is truly beautiful,' said the 
 false Fatima. ' In my mind it wants but one thing.' ' And what 
 is that ? ' said the Princess. ' If only a roc's egg,' replied he, 
 ' were hung up from the middle of this dome, it would be the 
 wonder of the world.' 
 
 After this the Princess could think of nothing but the roc's egg, 
 and when Aladdin returned from hunting he found her in a very
 
 ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 85 
 
 ill humour. He begged to know what was amiss, and she told him 
 that all her pleasure in the hall was spoilt for the want of a roc's 
 egg hanging from the dome. ' If that is all,' replied Aladdin, ' you 
 shall soon be happy.' He left her and rubbed the lamp, and when 
 the genie appeared commanded him to bring a roc's egg. The 
 genie gave such a loud and terrible shriek that the hall shook. 
 ' Wretch ! ' he cried, ' is it not enough that I have done everything 
 for you, but you must command me to bring my master and hang 
 him up in the midst of this dome ? You and your wife and your 
 palace deserve to be burnt to ashes, but that this request does not 
 come from you, but from the brother of the African magician, whom 
 you destroyed. He is now in your palace disguised as the holy 
 woman whom he murdered. He it was who put that wish into 
 your wife's head. Take care of yourself, for he means to kill you.' 
 So saying, the genie disappeared. 
 
 Aladdin went back to the Princess, saying his head ached, and 
 requesting that the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands 
 on it. But when the magician came near, Aladdin, seizing his 
 dagger, pierced him to the heart. ' What have you done ? ' cried 
 the Princess. ' You have killed the holy woman ! ' ' Not so,' 
 replied Aladdin, ' but a wicked magician,' and told her of how she 
 had been deceived. 
 
 After this Aladdin and his wife lived in peace. He succeeded 
 the Sultan when he died, and reigned for many years, leaving 
 behind him a long line of kings. 1 
 
 1 Arabian Nights.
 
 86 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO 
 
 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO SET OUT TO 
 LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS 
 
 A FATHER had two sons, of whom the eldest was clever and 
 bright, and always knew what he was about ; but the youngest 
 was stupid, and couldn't learn or understand anything. So much 
 so that those who saw him exclaimed : ' What a burden he'll be to 
 his father ! ' Now when there was anything to be done, the eldest 
 had always to do it ; but if something was required late or in the 
 night-time, and the way led through the churchyard or some such 
 ghostly place, he always replied : ' Oh ! no, father : nothing will 
 induce me to go there, it makes me shudder ! ' for he was afraid. 
 Or, when they sat of an evening round the fire telling stories which 
 made one's flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said : ' Oh ! it makes 
 one shudder,' the youngest sat in a corner, heard the exclamation, 
 and could not understand what it meant. 'They are always saying 
 it makes one shudder ! it makes one shudder ! Nothing makes me 
 shudder. It's probably an art quite beyond me.' 
 
 Now it happened that his father said to him one day : ' Hearken, 
 you there in the corner ; j-ou are growing big and strong, and you 
 must learn to earn your own bread. Look at your brother, what 
 pains he takes ; but all the money I've apent on your education is 
 thrown away.' ' My dear father,' he replied, ' I will gladly learn in 
 fact, if it were possible I should like to learn to shudder ; I don't 
 understand that a bit y et.' The eldest laughed when he heard this, 
 and thought to hims elf: ' Good heavens! what a ninny my brother 
 is ! he'll never come to any good : as the twig is bent, so is the tree 
 inclined.' The father sighed, and answered him : ' You'll soon learn 
 to shudder ; but that won't help you to make a living.' 
 
 Shortly after this, when the sexton came to pay them a visit, the 
 father broke out to him, and told him what a bad hand his young- 
 est son was at everything : he knew nothing and learnt nothing. 
 ' Only think ! when I asked him how he purposed gaining a liveli-
 
 SET OUT TO LEAEN WHAT FEAR WAS 
 
 87 
 
 hood, he actually asked to be taught to shudder.' ' If that's all he 
 wants,' said the sexton, 'I can teach him that ; just you send him 
 to me, I'll soon polish him up.' The father was quite pleased with 
 the proposal, because he thought : ' It will be a good discipline for the 
 youth.' And so the sexton took him into his house, and his duty 
 was to toll the bell. After a few days he woke him at midnight, 
 and bade him rise up and climb into the tower and toll. ' Now, my 
 
 friend, I'll teach you to shudder,' thought he. He stole forth secretly 
 in front, and when the youth was up above, and had turned round 
 to grasp the bell-rope, he saw, standing opposite the hole of the bel- 
 fry, a white figure. ' Clio's there '? ' he called out, but the figure 
 gave no answer, and neither stirred nor moved. ' Answer,' cried 
 the youth, ' or begone ; you have no business here at this hour of the 
 night,' But the sexton remained motionless, so that the youth
 
 88 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO 
 
 might think it was a ghost. The youth called out the second time : 
 ' What do you want here ? Speak if you are an honest fellow, or I'll 
 knock you down the stairs.' The sexton thought: 'He can't mean 
 that in earnest,' so gave forth no sound, and stood as though he were 
 made of stone. Then the youth shouted out to him the third time, 
 and as that too had no effect he made a dash at the spectre and 
 knocked it down the stairs, so that it fell about ten steps and re- 
 mained lying in a corner. Thereupon he tolled the bell, went home 
 to bed without saying a word, and fell asleep. The sexton's wife 
 waited a long time for her husband, but he never appeared. At 
 last she became anxious, and woke the youth, and asked : ' Don't 
 you know where my husband is ? He went up to the tower in front 
 of you.' ' No,' answered the youth ; ' but someone stood on the stairs 
 up there just opposite the trap-door in the belfry, and because he 
 wouldn't answer me, or go away, I took him for a rogue and 
 knocked him down. You'd better go and see if it was he ; I should 
 be much distressed if it were.' The wife ran and found her hus- 
 band, who was lying groaning in a corner, with his leg broken. 
 
 She carried him down, and then hurried with loud protestations 
 to the youth's father. ' Your son has been the cause of a pretty 
 misfortune,' she cried ; ' he threw my husband downstairs so that he 
 broke his leg. Take the good-for-nothing wretch out of our house.' 
 The father was horrified, hurried to the youth, and gave him a 
 scolding. 
 
 ' What unholy pranks are these ? The evil one must have put 
 them into your head.' ' Father,' he replied, ' only listen to me ; I 
 am quite guiltless. He stood there in the night, like one who meant 
 harm. I didn't know who it was, and warned him three times to 
 speak or to begone.' ' Oh ! ' groaned the father, ' you'll bring me 
 nothing but misfortune ; get out of my sight, I won't have anything 
 more to do with you.' ' Yes, father, willingly ; only wait till daylight, 
 then I'll set out and learn to shudder, and in that way I shall be 
 master of an art which will gain me a living.' 'Learn what you 
 will,' said the father, ' it's all one to me. Here are fifty dollars for 
 you, set forth into the wide world with them ; but see and tell no 
 one where you come from or who your father is, for I am ashamed 
 of you.' ' Yes, father, whatever you wish ; and if that's all you ask, 
 I can easily keep it in mind.' 
 
 "When day broke the youth put the fifty dollars into his pocket, 
 set oiit on the hard high road, and kept muttering to himself: ' If I 
 could only shudder ! if I could only shudder ! ' Just at this moment
 
 SET OUT TO LEABN WHAT FEAR WAS 89 
 
 a man came by who heard the youth speaking to himself, and when 
 they had gone on a bit and were in sight of the gallows the man said 
 to him : ' Look ! there is the tree where seven people have been 
 hanged, and are now learning to fly ; sit down under it and wait till 
 nightfall, and then you'll pretty soon learn to shudder.' ' If that's 
 all I have to do,' answered the youth, ' it's easily done ; but if I learn 
 to shudder so quickly, then you shall have my fifty dollars. Just 
 come back to me to-morrow morning early.' Then the youth went 
 to the gallows-tree and sat down underneath it, and waited for the 
 evening ; and because he felt cold he lit himself a fire. But at 
 midnight it got so chill that in spite of the fire he couldn't keep 
 warm. And as the wind blew the corpses one against the other, 
 tossing them to and fro, he thought to himself : ' If you are perishing 
 down here by the fire, how those poor things up there must be 
 shaking and shivering ! ' And because he had a tender heart, he 
 put up a ladder which he climbed, unhooked one body after the 
 other, and took down all the seven. Then he stirred the fire, 
 blew it up, and placed them all round in a circle, that they might 
 warm themselves. But they sat there and did not move, and the 
 fire caught their clothes. Then he spoke : ' Take care, or I'll 
 hang you up again.' But the dead men did not hear, and let 
 their rags go on burning. Then he got angry, and said : ' If you 
 aren't careful yourselves, then I can't help you, and I don't mean 
 to burn with you ; ' and he hung them up again in a row. Then he 
 sat down at his fire and fell asleep. On the following morning the 
 man came to him, and, wishing to get his fifty dollars, said : ' Now 
 you know what it is to shudder.' No,' he answered, 'how should 
 I ? Those fellows up there never opened their mouths, and were so 
 stupid that they let those few old tatters they have on their bodies 
 burn.' Then the man saw he wouldn't get his fifty dollars that 
 day, and went off, saying : ' Well, I'm blessed if I ever met such a 
 person in my life before.' 
 
 The youth too went on his way, and began to murmur to him- 
 self: ' Oh ! if I could only shudder ! if I could only shudder ! ' A 
 carrier who was walking behind him heard these words, and asked 
 him : ' Who are you ? ' 'I don't know,' said the youth. ' Where do 
 you hail from ? ' 'I don't know.' ' Who's your father ? ' 'I mayn't 
 say.' 'What are you constantly muttering to yourself ?' 'Oh!' 
 said the youth, ' I would give worlds to shudder, but no one can 
 teach me.' ' Stuff and nonsense ! ' spoke the carrier ; ' come along 
 with me, and I'll soon put that right.' The youth went with the
 
 90 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO 
 
 carrier, and in the evening they reached an inn, where they were 
 to spend the night. Then, just as he was entering the room, he 
 said again, quite aloud : ' Oh ! if I could only shudder ! if I could only 
 shudder ! ' The landlord, who heard this, laughed and said : ' If 
 that's what you're sighing for, you shall be given every opportunity 
 here.' ' Oh ! hold your tongue ! ' said the landlord's wife ; ' so many 
 people have paid for their curiosity with their lives, it were a 
 thousand pities if those beautiful eyes were never again to behold 
 daylight.' But the youth said : ' No matter how difficult, 1 insist 
 on learning it ; why, that's what I've set out to do.' He left the 
 landlord no peace till he told him that in the neighbourhood stood 
 a haunted castle, where one could easily learn to shudder if one 
 only kept watch in it for three nights. The King had promised the 
 man who dared to do this thing his daughter as wife, and she was 
 the most beautiful maiden under the sun. There was also much 
 treasure hid in the castle, guarded by evil spirits, which would then 
 be free, and was sufficient to make a poor man more than rich. 
 Many had already gone in, but so far none had ever come out 
 again. So the youth went to the King and spoke : ' If I were 
 allowed, I should much like to watch for three nights in the 
 castle.' The King looked at him, and because he pleased him he 
 said : ' You can ask for three things, none of them living, and those 
 you may take with you into the castle.' Then he answered : ' "Well, 
 I shall beg for a fire, a turning lathe, and a carving bench with the 
 knife attached.' 
 
 On the following day the King had everything put into the castle ; 
 and when night drew on the youth took up his position there, lit 
 a bright fire in one of the rooms, placed the carving bench with the 
 knife close to it, and sat himself down on the turning lathe. ' Oh ! 
 if I could only shudder ! ' he said ; ' but I shan't learn it here either.' 
 Towards midnight he wanted to make up the fire, and as he was 
 blowing up a blaze he heard a shriek from a corner. ' Ou, miou ! 
 how cold we are !' 'You fools ! ' he cried; 'why do you scream ? If 
 you are cold, come and sit at the fire and warm yourselves.' And as 
 he spoke two huge black cats sprang fiercely forwards and sat down, 
 one on each side of him, and gazed wildly at him with their fiery eyes. 
 After a time, when they had warmed themselves, they said : ' Friend, 
 shall we play a little game of cards ? ' ' Why not ? ' he replied ; ' but 
 first let me see your paws.' Then they stretched out their claws. 
 ' Ha ! ' said he ; ' what long nails you've got ! Wait a minute : I must 
 first cut them off.' Thereupon he seized them by the scruff of their
 
 SET OUT TO LEAEN WHAT FEAE WAS 
 
 91 
 
 necks, lifted them on to the carving bench, and screwed down their 
 paws firmly. ' After watching you narrowly,' said he, ' I no longer 
 feel any desire to play cards with you ; ' and with these words he 
 struck them dead and threw them out into the water. But when 
 he had thus sent the two of them to their final rest, and was again 
 about to sit down at the fire, out of every nook and corner came 
 forth black cats and black dogs with fiery chains in such swarms 
 that he couldn't possibly get away from them. They yelled in the 
 most ghastly manner, jumped upon his fire, scattered it all, and 
 
 tried to put it out. He looked on quietly for a time, buc when it 
 got beyond a joke he seized his carving-knife and called out : 'Be 
 off, you rabble rout ! ' and let fly at them. Some of them fled away, 
 and the others he struck dead and threw them out into the pond 
 below. When he returned he blew lip the sparks of the fire once 
 more, and warmed himself. And as he sat thus his eyes refused to 
 keep open any longer, and a desire to sleep stole over him. Then 
 he looked around him and beheld in the corner a large bed. ' The 
 very thing,' he said, and laid himself down in it. But when he
 
 92 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO 
 
 wished to close his eyes the bed began to move by itself, and ran 
 all round the castle. ' Capital,' he said, ' only a little quicker.' 
 Then the bed sped on as if drawn by six horses, over thresholds and 
 stairs, up this way and down that. All of a sudden crish, crash ! 
 with a bound it turned over, upside down, and lay like a mountain 
 on the top of him. But he tossed the blankets and pillows in the 
 air, emerged from underneath, and said : ' Now anyone who has the 
 fancy for it niay go a drive,' lay down at his fire, and slept till day- 
 light. In the morning the King came, and when he beheld him 
 lying on the ground he imagined the ghosts had been too much for 
 him, and that he was dead. Then he said : ' What a pity ! and such 
 a fine fellow as he was.' The youth heard this, got up, and said : 
 * It's not come to that yet.' Then the King was astonished, but 
 very glad, and asked how it had fared with him. ' First-rate,' he 
 answered ; ' and now I've survived the one night, I shall get through 
 the other two also.' The landlord, when he went to him, opened 
 his eyes wide, and said : ' Well, I never thought to see you alive 
 again. Have you learnt now what shuddering is '? ' ' No,' he replied, 
 ' it's quite hopeless ; if someone could only tell me how to ! ' 
 
 The second night he went up again to the old castle, sat down 
 at the fire, and began his old refrain : ' If I could only shudder ! ' As 
 midnight approached, a noise and din broke out. at first gentle, but 
 gradually increasing ; then all was quiet for a minute, and at 
 length, with a loud scream, half of a man dropped down the 
 chimney and fell before him. ' Hi, up there ! ' shouted he ; ' there's 
 another half wanted down here, that's not enough ; ' then the din 
 commenced once more, there was a shrieking and a yelling, and 
 then the other half fell down. ' \Vait a bit,' he said ; ' I'll stir up 
 the fire for you.' "When he had done this and again looked round, 
 the two pieces had united, and a horrible-looking man sat on his 
 seat. ' Come,' said the youth, ' I didn't bargain for that, the seat 
 is mine.' The man tried to shove him away, but the youth 
 wouldn't allow it for a moment, and, pushing him off by force, sat 
 down in his place again. Then more men dropped down, one after 
 the other, who, fetching nine skeleton legs and two skulls, put them 
 up and played ninepins with them. The youth thought he would 
 like to play too, and said : ' Look here ; do you mind my joining the 
 game?' 'No, not if you have money.' 'I've money enough,' he 
 replied, 'but your balls aren't very round.' Then he took the 
 skulls, placed them on his lathe, and turned them till they were 
 round. ' Now they'll roll along better,' said he, 'and houp-la ! now
 
 SET OUT TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS 93 
 
 the fun begins.' He played with them and lost some of his money, 
 but when twelve struck everything vanished before his eyes. He 
 lay down and slept peacefully. The next morning the King came, 
 anxious for news. ' How have you got on this time ? ' he asked. 
 ' I played ninepins,' he answered, ' and lost a few pence.' ' Didn't 
 jou shudder then ? ' 'No such luck,' said he ; ' I made myself merry. 
 Oh ! if I only knew what it was to shudder ! ' 
 
 On the third night he sat down again on his bench, and said, in 
 the most desponding way : ' If I could only shudder ! ' When it got 
 late, six big men came in carrying a coffin. Then he cried : ' Ha ! 
 ha ! that's most likely my little cousin who only died a few days 
 ago ; ' and beckoning with his finger he called out: ' Come, my small 
 cousin, come.' They placed the coffin on the ground, and he 
 approached it and took off the cover. In it lay a dead man. He 
 felt his face, and it was cold as ice. ' Wait,' he said, ' I'll heat you 
 up a bit,' went to the fire, wanned his hand, and laid it on the 
 man's face, but the dead remained cold. Then he lifted him out, 
 sat down at the fire, laid him on his knee, and rubbed his arms 
 that the blood should circulate again. W T hen that too had no effect 
 it occurred to him that if two people lay together in bed they 
 warmed each other ; so he put him into the bed, covered him up, and 
 lay down beside him ; after a time the corpse became warm and 
 began to move. Then the youth said : ' Now, my little cousin, what 
 would have happened if I hadn't warmed you ? ' But the dead 
 man rose up and cried out : ' Now I will strangle you.' ' W 7 hat ! ' 
 said he, ' is that aU the thanks I get ? You shall be put straight 
 back into your coffin,' lifted him up, threw him in, and closed the 
 lid. Then the six men came and carried him out again. ' I 
 simply can't shudder,' he said, ' and it's clear I shan't learn it 
 in a lifetime here.' 
 
 Then a man entered, of more than ordinary size and of a very 
 fearful appearance ; but he was old and had a white beard. ' Oh ! 
 you miserable creature, now you will soon know what it is to shud- 
 der,' he cried, ' for you must die.' ' Not so quickly,' answered the 
 youth. ' If I am to die, you must catch me first.' ' I shall soon lay 
 hold of you,' spoke the monster. ' Gently, gently ; don't boast too 
 much, I'm as strong as you, and stronger too.' ' We'll soon see,' 
 said the old man ; ' if you are stronger than I, then I'll let you off ; 
 come, let's have a try.' Then he led him through some dark 
 passages to a forge, and grasping an axe he drove one of the anvils 
 with a blow into the earth. ' I can do better than that,' cried the
 
 94 
 
 THE TALE OF A YOUTH WHO 
 
 youth, and went to the other anvil. The old man drew near him 
 in order to watch closely, and his white beard hung right down. 
 Then the youth seized the axe, cleft the anvil open, and jammed in 
 the old man's beard. Now I have you,' said the youth ; ' this time 
 it's your turn to die.' Then he seized an iron rod and belaboured 
 the old man till he, whimpering, begged him to leave off, and he 
 would give him great riches. The youth drew out the axe and let 
 him go. The old man led him back to the castle and showed him 
 in a cellar three chests of gold. ' One of these,' he said, ' belongs 
 
 to the poor, one to the King, and the third is yours.' At that mo- 
 ment twelve struck, and the spirit vanished, leaving the youth alone 
 in the dark. ' I'll surely be able to find a way out,' said he, and 
 groping about he at length found his way back to the room, and fell 
 asleep at his fire. The next morning the King came, and said : 
 ' Well, now you've surely learnt to shudder ? ' ' No,' he answered ; 
 ' what can it be ? My dead cousin was there, and an old bearded 
 man came, who showed me heaps of money down below there, but 
 what shuddering is no one has told me.' Then the King spoke :
 
 SET OUT TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS 95 
 
 ' You have freed the castle from its curse, and you shall marry my 
 daughter.' ' That's all charming,' he said; 'but I still don't know 
 what it is to shudder.' 
 
 Then the gold was brought up, and the wedding was celebrated, 
 but the young King, though he loved his wife dearly, and though 
 he was very happy, still kept on saying : ' If I could only shudder ! 
 if I could only shudder ! ' At last he reduced her to despair. Then 
 her maid said : ' I'll help you ; we'll soon make him shudder.' So 
 she went out to the stream that flowed through the garden, and had 
 a pail full of little gudgeon brought to her. At night, when the 
 young King was asleep, his wife had to pull the clothes off him, and 
 pour the pail full of little gudgeon over him, so that the little fish 
 swam all about him. Then he awoke and cried out : ' Oh ! how 
 I shudder, how I shudder, dear wife ! Yes, now I know what 
 shuddering is.' l 
 
 1 Grimm,
 
 96 
 
 E UMPELSTILTZKIN 
 
 was once upon a time a poor miller who had a very 
 J- beautiful daughter. Now it happened one day that he had an 
 audience with the King, and in order to appear a person of some 
 importance he told him that he had a daughter who could spin 
 straw into gold. ' Now that's a talent worth having,' said the King 
 to the miller ; ' if your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her 
 to my palace to-morrow, and I'll put her to the test.' When the 
 girl was brought to him he led her into a room full of straw, gave 
 her a spinning-wheel and spindle, and said : ' Now set to work and 
 spin all night till early dawn, and if by that time you haven't spun 
 the straw into gold you shall die.' Then he closed the door behind 
 him and left her alone inside. 
 
 So the poor miller's daughter sat down, and didn't know what 
 in the world she was to do. She hadn't the least idea of how io 
 spin straw into gold, and became at last so miserable that she 
 began to cry. Suddenly the door opened, and in stepped a tiny 
 little man and said : ' Good-evening, Miss Miller-maid ; why are you 
 crying so bitterly ? ' ' Oh 1 ' answered the girl, ' I have to spin straw 
 into gold, arid haven't a notion how it's done.' ' What will you 
 give me if I spin it for you ? ' asked the manikin. ' My necklace,' 
 replied the girl. The little man took the necklace, sat himself down 
 at the wheel, and whir, whir, whir, the wheel went round three 
 times, and the bobbin was full. Then he put on another, and whir, 
 whir, whir, the wheel went round three times, and the second too 
 was full ; and so it went on till the morning, when all the straw 
 was spun away, and all the bobbins were full of gold. As soon as 
 the sun rose the King came, and when he perceived the gold he was 
 astonished and delighted, but his heart only lusted more than ever 
 after the precious metal. He had the miller's daughter put into 
 another room full of straw, much bigger than the first, and bade 
 her, if she valued her life, spin it all into gold before the following
 
 E UMPELSTIL TZKIN 
 
 D7 
 
 morning. The girl didn't know what to do, and began to cry ; then 
 the door opened as before, and the tiny little man appeared and 
 said : ' What'll you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you ? ' 
 
 ' The ring from my finger,' answered the girl. The manikin took 
 the ring, and whir! round went the spinning-wheel again, and 
 when morning broke he had spun all the straw into glittering gold. 
 The King was pleased beyond measure at the sight, but his greed 
 
 u
 
 98 RUMPELSTILTZKIN 
 
 for gold was still not satisfied, and he had the miller's daughter 
 brought into a yet bigger room full of straw, and said : ' You must 
 spin all this away in the night ; but if you succeed this time you 
 shall become my wife.' ' She's only a miller's daughter, it's true,' 
 he thought ; ' but I couldn't find a richer wife if I were to search 
 the whole world over.' When the girl was alone the little man 
 appeared for the third time, and said : ' What'll you give me if I spin 
 the straw for you once again ? ' ' I've nothing more to give,' 
 answered the girl. ' Then promise me when you are Queen to give me 
 your first child.' ' Who knows what mayn't happen before that ? ' 
 thought the miller's daughter ; and besides, she saw no other way 
 out of it, so she promised the manikin what he demanded, and he 
 set to work once more and spun the straw into gold. When the 
 King came in the morning, and found everything as he had desired, 
 he straightway made her his wife, and the miller's daughter became 
 a queen. 
 
 When a year had passed a beautiful son was born to her, and she 
 thought no more of the little man, till all of a sudden one day he 
 stepped into her room and said : ' Now give me what you promised.' 
 The Queen was in a great state, and offered the little man all the 
 riches in her kingdom if he would only leave her the child. But 
 the manikin said : ' No, a living creature is dearer to me than all the 
 treasures in the world.' Then the Queen began to cry and sob so 
 bitterly that the little man was sorry for her, and said : ' I'll give 
 you three days to guess my name, and if you find it out in that 
 time you may keep your child.' 
 
 Then the Queen pondered the whole night over all the names 
 she had ever heard, and sent a messenger to scour the land, and to 
 pick up far and near any names he should come across. When 
 the little man arrived on the following day she began with Kasper, 
 Melchior, Belshazzar, and all the other names she knew, in a 
 string, but at each one the manikin called out : ' That's not my 
 name.' The next day she sent to inquire the names of all the 
 people in the neighbourhood, and had a long list of the most 
 uncommon and extraordinary for the little man when he made his 
 appearance. Is your name, perhaps, Sheepshanks, Cruickshanks, 
 Spindleshanks ? ' but he always replied : ' That's not my name.' 
 On the third day the messenger returned and announced : ' I 
 have not been able to find any new names, but as I came upon 
 a high hill round the corner of the wood, where the foxes and hares 
 bid each other good night, I saw a little house, and in front of the
 
 B UMPEL STIL TZKIN 
 
 yy 
 
 house burned a fire, and round the fire sprang the most grotesque 
 little man, hopping on one leg and crying : 
 
 To-morrow I brew, to-day I bake, 
 
 And then the child away I'll take ; 
 
 For little deems my royal dame 
 
 That Eumpelstiltzkin is my name ! 
 
 You may imagine the Queen's delight at hearing the name, and 
 when the little man stepped in shortly afterwards and asked : ' Now, 
 my lady Queen, what's my name ? ' she asked first : ' Is your 
 name Conrad ? ' ' No.' ' Is your name Harry ? ' ' No.' ' Is 
 your name, perhaps. Eumpelstiltzkin ? ' ' Some demon has told yon 
 that, some demon has told you that,' screamed the little man, and in 
 his rage drove his right foot so far into the ground that it sank in up 
 to his waist ; then in a passion he seized the left foot with both hands 
 and tore himself in two. 1 
 
 1 Grimm.
 
 100 
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 ONCE upon a time, in a very far-off country, there lived a mer- 
 chant who had been so fortunate in all his undertakings that he 
 was enormously rich. As he had, however, six sons and six daughters, 
 he found that his money was not too much to let them all have 
 everything they fancied, as they were accustomed to do. 
 
 But one day a most unexpected misfortune befell them. Their 
 house caught fire and was speedily burnt to the ground, with all the 
 splendid furniture, the books, pictures, gold, silver, and precious 
 goods it contained ; and this was only the beginning of their 
 troubles. Their father, who had until this moment prospered in all 
 ways, suddenly lost every ship he had upon the sea, either by dint 
 of pirates, shipwreck, or fire. Then he heard that his clerks in dis- 
 tant countries, whom he trusted entirely, had proved unfaithful ; 
 and at last from great wealth he fell into the direst poverty. 
 
 All that he had left was a little house in a desolate place at least 
 a hundred leagues from the town in which he had lived, and to this 
 he was forced to retreat with his children, who were in despair at 
 the idea of leading such a different life. Indeed, the daughters at 
 first hoped that their friends, who had been so numerous while they 
 were rich, would insist on their staying in their houses now they 
 no longer possessed one. But they soon found that they were left 
 alone, and that their former friends even attributed their misfor- 
 tunes to their own extravagance, and showed no intention of offer- 
 ing them any help. So nothing was left for them but to take their 
 departure to the cottage, which stood in the midst of a dark forest, 
 /and seemed to be the most dismal place upon the face of the earih. 
 As they were too poor to have any servants, the girls had to work 
 hard, like peasants, and the sons, for their part, cultivated the fields 
 to earn their living. Roughly clothed, and living in the simplest 
 way, the girls regretted unceasingly the luxuries and amusements 
 of their former life ; only the youngest tried to be brave and cheer-
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 101 
 
 fuj. She had been as sad as anyon^when misfortune first overtook 
 her father, but, soon recovering her natural gaiet^/she set to work 
 to make the best of things, to amuse her father and brothers as well 
 as she could, and to try to persuade her sisters to join her in dancing 
 and singing. But they would do nothing of the sort, and, because 
 she was not as doleful as themselves, they declared that this miser- 
 able life was all she was fit for. But she was really far prettier and 
 cleverer than they were ; indeed, she was so lovely that she was 
 always called Beauty. After two years, when they were all begin- 
 ning to get used to their new life, something happened to disturb 
 their tranquillity. Their father received the news that one of his 
 ships, which he had believed to be lost, had come safely into port 
 with a rich cargo. All the sons and daughters at once thought that 
 their poverty was at an end, and wanted to set out directly for the 
 town ; but their father, who was more prudent, begged them to wait 
 a little, and, though it was harvest-time, and he could ill be spared, 
 determined to go himself first, to make inquiries. Only the youngest 
 daughter had any doubt but that they would soon again be as rich 
 as they were before, or at least rich enough to live comfortably 
 in some town where they would find amusement and gay com- 
 panions once more. So they all loaded their father with commis- 
 sions for jewels and dresses which it would have taken a fortune to 
 buy ; only Beauty, feeling sure that it was of no use, did not ask for 
 anything. Her father, noticing her silence, said : ' And what shall I 
 bring for you, Beauty ? ' 
 
 ' The only thing I wish for is to see you come home safely,' she 
 answered. 
 
 But this reply vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blaming 
 them for having asked for such costly things. Her father, however, 
 was pleased, but as he thought that at her age she certainly ought 
 to like pretty presents, he told her to choose something. 
 
 ' "Well, dear father,' she said, ' as you insist upon it, I beg that 
 you will bring me a rose. I have not seen one since we came here, 
 and I love them so much.' 
 
 So the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly as 
 possible, but only to find that his former companions, believing him 
 to be dead, had divided between them the goods which the ship had 
 brought ; and after six months of trouble and expense he found 
 himself as poor as when he started, having been able to recover 
 only just enough to pay the cost of his journey. To make matters 
 worse, he was obliged to leave the town in the most terrible weather,
 
 102 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 so that by the time he was within a few leagues of his nome he was 
 almost exhausted with cold and fatigue. Though he knew it would 
 take some hours to get through the forest, he was so anxious to be at 
 his journey's end that he resolved to go on ; but night overtook 
 him, and the deep snow and bitter frost made it impossible for his 
 horse to carry him any further. Not a house was to be seen ; the 
 only shelter he could get was the hollow trunk of a great tree, and 
 
 there he crouched all the night, which seemed to him the longest 
 he had ever known. In spite of his weariness the howling of the 
 wolves kept him awake, and even when at last the day broke he 
 was not much better off, for the falling snow had covered up every 
 path, and he did not know which way to turn. 
 
 At length he made out some sort of track, and though at the 
 beginning it was so rough and slippery that he fell down more than
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 103 
 
 once, it presently became easier, and led him into an avenue of trees 
 which ended in a splendid castle. It seemed to the merchant very 
 strange that no snow had fallen in the avenue, which was entirely 
 composed of orange trees, covered with flowers and fruit. When 
 he reached the first court of the castle he saw before him a flight of 
 agate steps, and went up them, and passed through several splendidly 
 furnished rooms. The pleasant warmth of the air revived him, 
 and he felt very hungry ; but there seemed to be nobody in all this 
 vast and splendid palace whom he could ask to give him something to 
 eat. Deep silence reigned everywhere, and at last, tired of roaming 
 through empty rooms and galleries, he stopped in a room smaller 
 than the rest, where a clear fire was burning and a couch was 
 drawn up cosily close to it. Thinking that this must be prepared 
 for someone who was expected, he sat down to wait till he should 
 come, and very soon fell into a sweet sleep. 
 
 When his extreme hunger wakened him after several hours, 
 he was still alone ; but a little table, upon which was a good dinner, 
 had been drawn up close to him, and, as he had eaten nothing for 
 twenty-four hours, he lost no time in beginning his meal, hoping 
 that he might soon have an opportunity of thanking his considerate 
 entertainer, whoever it might be. But no one appeared, and even 
 after another long sleep, from which he awoke completely refreshed, 
 there was no sign of anybody, though a fresh meal of dainty cakes 
 and fruit was prepared upon the little table at his elbow. Being 
 naturally timid, the silence began to terrify him, and he resolved 
 to search once more through all the rooms ; but it was of no use. 
 Not even a servant was to be seen ; there was no sign of life in the 
 palace ! He began to wonder what he should do, and to amuse 
 himself by pretending that all the treasures he saw were his own, 
 and considering how he would divide them among his children. 
 Then he went down into the garden, and though it was winter 
 everywhere else, here the sun shone, and the birds sang, and the 
 flowers bloomed, and the air was soft and sweet. The merchant, 
 in ecstacies with all he saw and heard, said to himself : 
 
 ' All this must be meant for me. I will go this minute and bring 
 my children to share all these delights.' 
 
 In spite of being so cold and weary when he reached the castle, 
 he had taken his horse to the stable and fed it. Now he thought 
 he would saddle it for his homeward journey, and he turned down 
 the path which led to the stable. This path had a hedge of roses 
 on each side of it, and the merchant thought he had never seen or
 
 104 
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 smelt such exquisite flowers. They reminded him of his promise 
 to Beauty, and he stopped and had just gathered one to take to her 
 when he was startled by a strange noise behind him. Turning 
 round, he saw a frightful Beast, which seemed to be very angry and 
 said, in a terrible voice : 
 
 ' Who told you that you might gather my roses ? Was it not 
 
 enough that I allowed you to be in my palace and was kind to 
 you ? This is the way you show your gratitude, by stealing my 
 flowers ! But your insolence shall not go unpunished.' The 
 merchant, terrified by these furious words, dropped the fatal rose, 
 and, throwing himself on his knees, cried : ' Pardon me, noble sir. I 
 am truly grateful to you for your hospitality, which was so magni-
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 105 
 
 ficent that I could not imagine that you would be offended by my 
 taking such a little thing as a rose.' But the Beast's anger was 
 not lessened by this speech. 
 
 ' You are very ready with excuses and flattery,' he cried ; ' but 
 that will not save you from the death you deserve.' 
 
 ' Alas ! ' thought the merchant, ' if my daughter Beauty could 
 only know what danger her rose has brought me into ! ' 
 
 And in despair he began to tell the Beast all his misfortunes, 
 and the reason of his journey, not forgetting to mention Beauty's 
 request. 
 
 ' A king's ransom would hardly have procured all that my other 
 daughters asked,' he said ; ' but I thought that I might at least take 
 Beauty her rose. I beg you to forgive me, for you see I meant no 
 harm.' 
 
 The Beast considered for a moment, and then he said, in a less 
 furious tone : 
 
 'I will forgive jxra en one condition that is, that you will 
 give me one of your daughters.' 
 
 ' Ah ! ' cried the merchant, ' if I were cruel enough to buy my 
 own life at the expense of one of my children's, what excuse could 
 I invent to bring her here ? ' 
 
 ' No excuse would be necessary,' answered the Beast. ' If she 
 comes at all she must come willingly. On no other condition will 
 I have her. See if any one of them is courageous enough, and loves 
 you well enough to come and save your Life. You seem to be 
 an honest man, so I will trust you to go home. I give you a month 
 to see if either of your daughters will come back with you and stay 
 here, to let you go free. If neither of them Is willing, you must 
 come alone, after bidding them good-bye for ever, for then you will 
 belong to me. And do not imagine that you can hide from me, for 
 if you fail to keep your word I will come and fetch you ! ' added the 
 Beast grimly. 
 
 The merchant accepted this proposal, though he did not really 
 think any of his daughters would be persuaded to come. He pro- 
 mised to return at the time appointed, and then, anxious to escape 
 from the presence of the Beast, he asked permission to set off at 
 once. But the Beast answered that he could not go until the next 
 day. 
 
 ' Then you will find a horse ready for you,' he said. ' Now go 
 and eat your supper, and await my orders.' 
 
 The poor merchant, more dead than alive, went back to his room,
 
 106 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 where the most delicious supper was already served on the little 
 table which was drawn up before a blazing fire. But he was too 
 terrified to eat, and only tasted a few of the dishes, for fear the 
 Beast should be angry if he did not obey his orders. When he had 
 finished he heard a great noise in the next room, which he knew 
 meant that the Beast was coming. " As he could do nothing to 
 escape his visit, the only thing that remained was to seem as little 
 afraid as possible ; so when the Beast appeared and asked roughly if 
 he had supped well, the merchant answered humbly that he had, 
 thanks to his host's kindness. Then the Beast warned him to re- 
 member their agreement, and to prepare his daughter exactly for 
 what she had to expect. 
 
 ' Do not get up to-morrow,' he added, ' until you see the sun and 
 hear a golden bell ring. Then you will find your breakfast waiting 
 for you here, and the horse you are to ride will be ready in the 
 courtyard. He will also bring you back again when you come 
 with your daughter a month hence. Farewell. Take a rose to 
 Beauty, and remember your promise ! ' 
 
 The merchant was only too glad when the Beast went away, 
 and though he could not sleep for sadness, he lay down until the 
 sun rose. Then, after a hasty breakfast, he went to gather Beauty's 
 rose, and mounted his horse, which carried him off so swiftly that 
 in an instant he had lost sight of the palace, and he was still 
 wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it stopped before the door of the 
 cottage. 
 
 His sons and daughters, who had been very uneasy at his long 
 absence, rushed to meet him, eager to know the result of his jour- 
 ney, which, seeing him mounted upon a splendid horse and 
 wrapped in a rich mantle, they supposed to be favourable. But he 
 hid the truth from them at first, only saying sadly to Beauty as he 
 gave her the rose : 
 
 ' Here is what you asked me to bring you ; you little know what 
 it has cost.' 
 
 But this excited their curiosity so greatly that presently he told 
 them his adventures from beginning to end, and then they were all 
 very unhappy. The girls lamented loudly over their lost hopes, 
 and the sons declared that their father should not return to this 
 terrible castle, and began to make plans for killing the Beast if it 
 should come to fetch him. But he reminded them that he had 
 promised to go back. Then the girls were very angry with Beauty, 
 and said it was all her fault, and that if she had asked for some-
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 107 
 
 thing sensible this would never have happened, and complained 
 bitterly that they should have to suffer for her folly. 
 
 Poor Beauty, much distressed, said to them : 
 
 ' I have indeed caused this misfortune, but I assure you I did 
 it innocently. Who could have guessed that to ask for a rose in 
 the middle of summer would cause so much misery ? But as I 
 did the mischief it is only just that I should suffer for it. I will 
 therefore go back with my father to keep his promise.' 
 
 At first nobody would hear of this arrangement, and her father and 
 brothers, who loved her dearly, declared that nothing should make 
 them let her go ; but Beauty was firm. As the time drew near she 
 divided all her little possessions between her sisters, and said good- 
 bye to everything she loved, and when the fatal day came she encou- 
 raged and cheered her father as they mounted together the horse 
 which had brought him back. It seemed to fly rather than gallop, 
 but so smoothly that Beauty was not frightened ; indeed, she would 
 have enjoyed the journey if she had not feared what might happen 
 to her at the end of it. Her father still tried to persuade her to go 
 , back, but in vain. While they were talking the night fell, and then, 
 to their great surprise, wonderful coloured lights began to shine in 
 all directions, and splendid fireworks blazed out before them ; all 
 the forest was illuminated by them, and even felt pleasantly warm, 
 though it had been bitterly cold before. This lasted until they 
 reached the avenue of orange trees, where were statues holding 
 flaming torches, and when they got nearer to the palace they saw 
 that it was illuminated from the roof to the ground, and music 
 sounded softly from the courtyard. ' The Beast must be very 
 hungry,' said Beauty, trying to laugh, ' if he makes all this rejoicing 
 over the arrival of his prey.' 
 
 But, in spite of her anxiety, she could not help admiring all the 
 wonderful things she saw. 
 
 The horse stopped at the foot of the flight of steps leading to 
 the terrace, and when they had dismounted her father led her to 
 the little room he had been in before, where they found a splendid 
 fire burning, and the table daintily spread with a delicious supper. 
 
 The merchant knew that this was meant for them, and Beauty, 
 who was rather less frightened now that she had passed through so 
 many rooms and seen nothing of the Beast, was quite willing to 
 begin, for her long ride had made her very hungry. But they had 
 hardly finished their meal when the noise of the Beast's footsteps 
 was heard approaching, and Beauty clung to her father in terror,
 
 108 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 which became all the greater when she saw how frightened he was. 
 But when the Beast really appeared, though she trembled at the 
 sight of him, she made a great effort to hide her horror, and saluted 
 him respectfully. 
 
 This evidently pleased the Beast. After looking at her he said, in 
 a tone that might have struck terror into the boldest heart, though 
 he did not seem to be angry : 
 
 ' Good-evening, old man. Good-evening, Beauty.' 
 
 The merchant was too terrified to reply, but Beauty answered 
 sweetly : 
 
 ' Good-evening, Beast.' 
 
 4 Have you come willingly ? ' asked the Beast. ' Will you be 
 content to stay here when your father goes away ? ' 
 
 Beauty answered bravely that she was quite prepared to stay. 
 
 ' I am pleased with you,' said the Beast. ' As you have come of 
 your own accord, you may stay. As for you, old man,' he added, 
 turning to the merchant, ' at sunrise to-morrow you will take yoiir 
 departure. When the bell rings get up quickly and eat your 
 breakfast, and you will find the same horse waiting to take you 
 home ; but remember that you must never expect to see my palace 
 again.' 
 
 Then turning to Beauty, he said : 
 
 ' Take your father into the next room, and help him to choose 
 everything you think your brothers and sisters would like to have. 
 You will find two travelling-trunks there ; fill them as full as you 
 can. It is only just that you should send them something very 
 precious as a remembrance of yourself.' 
 
 Then he went away, after saying, ' Good-bye. Beauty ; good-bye, 
 old man ; ' and though Beauty was beginning to think with great 
 dismay of her father's departure, she was afraid to disobey the 
 Beast's orders; and they went into the next room, which had 
 shelves and cupboards all round it. They were greatly surprised 
 at the riches it contained. There were splendid dresses fit for a 
 queen, with all the ornaments that were to be worn with them ; and 
 when Beauty opened the cupboards she was quite dazzled by the 
 gorgeous jewels that lay in heaps upon every shelf. After choosing 
 a vast quantity, which she divided between her sisters for she had 
 made a heap of the wonderful drc sses for each of them she opened 
 the last chest, which was full of goll. 
 
 ' I think, father,' she said, ' that, as the gold will be more useful 
 to you, we had better take out the other things again, and fill the
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 109 
 
 trunks with it.' So they did this ; but the more they put in, the 
 more room there seemed to be, and at last they put back all the 
 jewels and dresses they had taken out, and Beauty even added as 
 many more of the jewels as she could carry at once ; and then the 
 trunks were not too fall, but they were so heavy that an elephant 
 could not have carried them ! 
 
 ' The Beast was mocking us,' cried the merchant ; ' he must have 
 pretended to give us all these things, knowing that I could not carry 
 them away.' 
 
 ' Let us wait and see,' answered Beauty. ' I cannot believe that 
 he meant to deceive us. All we can do is to fasten them up and 
 leave them ready.' 
 
 So they did this and returned to the little room, where, to their 
 astonishment, they found breakfast ready. The merchant ate his 
 with a good appetite, as the Beast's generosity made him believe 
 that he might perhaps venture to come back soon and see Beauty. 
 But she felt sure that her father was leaving her for ever, so she 
 was very sad when the bell rang sharply for the second time, and 
 warned them that the time was come for them to part. They went 
 down into the courtyard, where two horses were waiting, one loaded 
 with the two trunks, the other for him to ride. They were pawing 
 the ground in their impatience to start, and the merchant was 
 forced to bid Beauty a hasty farewell; and as soon as he was 
 mounted he went off at such a pace that she lost sight of him in 
 an instant. Then Beauty began to cry, and wandered sadly back 
 to her own room. But she soon found that she was very sleepy, and 
 as she had nothing better to do she lay down and instantly fell 
 asleep. And then she dreamed that she was walking by a brook 
 bordered with trees, and lamenting her sad fate, when a young 
 prince, handsomer than anyone she had ever seen, and with a voice 
 that went straight to her heart, came and said to her, ' Ah, Beauty ! 
 you are not so unfortunate as you suppose. Here you will be re- 
 warded for all you have suffered elsewhere. Your every wish shall 
 be gratified. Only try to find me out, no matter how I may be 
 disguised, as I love you dearly, and in making me happy you will 
 find your own happiness. Be as true-hearted as you are beautiful, 
 and we shall have nothing left to wish for.' 
 
 ' What can I do, Prince, to make you happy ? ' said Beauty. 
 
 ' Only be grateful,' he answered, ' and do not trust too much to 
 your eyes. And, above all, do not desert me until you have saved 
 me from my cruel misery.'
 
 110 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 After this she thought she found herself in a room with a stately 
 and beautiful lady, who said to her : 
 
 ' Dear Beauty, try not to regret all you have left behind you, for 
 you are destined to a better fate. Only do not let yourself be 
 deceived by appearances.' 
 
 Beauty found her dreams so interesting that she was in no 
 hurry to awake, but presently the clock roused her by calling her 
 name softly twelve times, and then she got up and found her dress- 
 ing-table set out with everything she could possibly want ; and when 
 her toilet was finished she found dinner was waiting in the room 
 
 next to hers. But dinner does not take very long when you are all 
 by yourself, and very soon she sat down cosily in the corner of a 
 sofa, and began to think about the charming Prince she had seen in 
 her dream. 
 
 ' He said I could make him happy,' said Beauty to herself. 
 
 ' It seems, then, that this horrible Beast keeps him a prisoner. 
 How can I set him free ? I wonder why they both told me not to 
 trust to appearances ? I don't understand it. But, after all, it was 
 only a dream, so why should I trouble myself about it ? I had better 
 go and find something to do to amuse myself.'
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 111 
 
 So she got up and began to explore some of the many rooms of 
 the palace. 
 
 The first she entered was lined with mirrors, and Beauty saw 
 herself reflected on every side, and thought she had never seen such 
 a charming room. Then a bracelet which was hanging from a 
 chandelier caught her eye, and on taking it down she was greatly 
 surprised to find that it held a portrait of her unknown admirer, just 
 as she had seen him in her dream. With great delight she slipped 
 the bracelet on her arm, and went on into a gallery of pictures, 
 where she soon found a portrait of the same handsome Prince, as 
 large as life, and so well painted that as she studied it he seemed to 
 smile kindly at her. Tearing herself away from the portrait at last, 
 she passed through into a room which contained every musical 
 instrument under the sun, and here she amused herself for a long 
 while in trying some of them, and singing until she was tired. The 
 next room was a library, and she saw everything she had ever 
 wanted to read, as well as everything she had read, and it seemed 
 to her that a whole lifetime would not be enough even to read the 
 names of the books, there were so many. By this time it wa,s 
 growing dusk, and wax candles in diamond and ruby candlesticks 
 were beginning to light themselves in every room. 
 
 Beauty found her supper served just at the time she preferred to 
 have it, but she did not see anyone or hear a sound, and, though her 
 father had warned her that she would be alone, she began to find it 
 rather dull. 
 
 But presently she heard the Beast coming, and wondered 
 tremblingly if he meant to eat her up now. 
 
 However, as he did not seem at all ferocious, and only said 
 gruffly: 
 
 ' Good-evening, Beauty,' she answered cheerfully and managed 
 to conceal her terror. Then the Beast asked her how she had been 
 amusing herself, and she told him all the rooms she had seen. 
 
 Then he asked if she thought she could be happy in his palace ; 
 and Beauty answered that everything was so beautiful that she 
 would be very hard to please if she could not be happy. And after 
 about an hour's talk Beauty began to think that the Beast was not 
 nearly so terrible as she had supposed at first. Then he got up to 
 leave her, and said in his gruff voice : 
 
 ' Do you love me, Beauty ? Will you marry me ? ' 
 
 ' Oh ! what shall I say ? ' cried Beauty, for she was afraid to 
 make the Beast angry by refusing.
 
 112 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 ' Say " yes " or " no " without fear,' he replied. 
 
 ' Oh ! no, Beast,' said Beauty hastily. 
 
 ' Since you will not, good-night, Beauty,' he said. And she 
 answered : 
 
 ' Good-night, Beast,' very glad to find that her refusal had not 
 provoked him. And after he was gone she was very soon in bed 
 and asleep, and dreaming of her unknown Prince. She thought he 
 came and said to her : 
 
 ' Ah, Beauty ! why are you so unkind to me ? I fear I am fated 
 to be unhappy for many a long day still.' 
 
 And then her dreams changed, but the charming Prince figured 
 in them all ; and when morning came her first thought was to look 
 at the portrait and see if it was really like him, and she found that 
 it certainly was. 
 
 This morning she decided to amuse herself in the garden, for 
 the sun shone, and all the fountains were playing ; but she was 
 astonished to find that every place was familiar to her, and pre- 
 sently she came to the brook where the myrtle trees were growing 
 where she had first met the Prince in her dream, and that made her 
 think more than ever that he must be kept a prisoner by the Beast. 
 When she was tired she went back to the palace, and found a 
 new room full of materials for every kind of work ribbons to 
 make into bows, and silks to work into flowers. Then there was 
 an aviary full of rare birds, which were so tame that they flew to 
 Beauty as soon as they saw her, and perched upon her shoulders 
 and her head. 
 
 ' Pretty little creatures,' she said, ' how I wish that your cage was 
 nearer to my room, that I might often hear you sing ! ' 
 
 So saying she opened a door, and found to her delight that it led 
 into her own room, though she had thought it was quite the other 
 side of the palace. 
 
 There were more birds in a room farther on, parrots and cock- 
 atoos that could talk, and they greeted Beauty by name ; indeed, 
 she found them so entertaining that she took one or two back to 
 her room, and they talked to her while she was at supper ; after 
 which the Beast paid her his usual visit, and asked the same ques- 
 tions as before, and then with a gruff ' good-night ' he took his 
 departure, and Beauty went to bed to dream of her mysterious 
 Prince. The days passed swiftly in different amusements, and 
 after a while Beauty found out another strange thing in the palace, 
 which often pleased her when she was tired of being alone. There
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 113 
 
 was one room which she had not noticed particularly ; it was 
 empty, except that under each of the windows stood a very comfort- 
 able chair ; and the first time she had looked out of the window it 
 
 had seemed to her that a black curtain prevented her from seeing 
 anything outside. But the second time she went into the room, 
 happening to be tired, she sat down in one of the chairs, when 
 
 i
 
 114 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 instantly the curtain was rolled aside, and a most amusing panto- 
 mime was acted before her ; there were dances, and coloured lights, 
 and music, and pretty dresses, and it was all so gay that Beauty was 
 in ecstacies. After that she tried the other seven windows in turn, 
 and there was some new and surprising entertainment to be seen 
 from each of them, so that Beauty never could feel lonely any 
 more. Every evening after supper the Beast came to see her, and 
 always before saying good-night asked her in his terrible voice : 
 
 ' Beauty, will you marry me ? ' 
 
 And it seemed to Beaiity, now she understood him better, that 
 when she said, ' No, Beast,' he went away quite sad. But her 
 happy dreams of the handsome young Prince soon made her forget 
 the poor Beast, and the only thing that at all disturbed her was to 
 be constantly told to distrust appearances, to let her heart guide her, 
 and not her eyes, and many other equally perplexing things, which, 
 consider as she would, she could not understand. 
 
 So everything went on for a long time, until at last, happy as 
 she was, Beauty began to long for the sight of her father and her 
 brothers and sisters ; and one night, seeing her look very sad, the 
 Beast asked her what was the matter. Beauty had quite ceased to be 
 afraid of him. Now she knew that he was really gentle in spite of 
 his ferocious looks and his dreadful voice. So she answered that 
 she was longing to see her home once more. Upon hearing this 
 the Beast seemed sadly distressed, and cried miserably. 
 
 ' Ah ! Beauty, have you the heart to desert an unhappy Beast 
 like this ? Whai more do you want to make you happy ? Is it 
 because you hate me that you want to escape ? ' 
 
 ' No, dear Beast,' answered Beauty softly, ' I do not hate you, 
 and I should be very sorry never to see you any more, but I long 
 to see my father again. Only let me go for two months, and I 
 promise to come back to you and stay for the rest of my life.' 
 
 The Beast, who had been sighing dolefully while she spoke, now 
 replied : 
 
 ' I cannot refuse you anything you ask, even though it should 
 cost me my life. Take the four boxes you will find in the room 
 next to your own, and fill them with everything you wish to take 
 with you. But remember your promise and come back when the 
 two months are over, or you may have cause to repent it, for if you 
 do not come in good time you will find your faithful Beast dead. 
 You will not need any chariot to bring you back. Only say good- 
 bye to all your brothers and sisters the night before you come away,
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 115 
 
 and when you have gone to bed turn this ring round upon your 
 finger and say firmly : " I wish to go back to my palace and see my 
 Beast again." Good-night, Beauty. Fear nothing, sleep peacefully, 
 and before long you shall see yonr father once more." 
 
 As soon as Beauty was alone she hastened to fill the boxes with 
 all the rare and precious things she saw about her, and only when 
 she was tired of heaping things into them did they seem to be 
 full. 
 
 Then she went to bed, but could hardly sleep for joy. And 
 when at last she did begin to dream of her beloved Prince she was 
 grieved to see him stretched upon a grassy bank sad and weary, 
 and hardly like himself. 
 
 ' What is the matter ? ' she cried. 
 
 But he looked at her reproachfully, and said : 
 
 How can you ask me, cruel one ? Are you not leaving me to 
 my death perhaps ? ' 
 
 ' Ah ! don't be so sorrowful,' cried Beauty ; ' I am only going to 
 assure my father that I am safe and happy. I have promised the 
 Beast faithfully that I will come back, and he would die of grief if 
 I did not keep my word ! ' 
 
 ' What would that matter to you ? ' said the Prince. ' Surely 
 you would not care ? ' 
 
 ' Indeed I should be ungrateful if I did not care for such a kind 
 Beast,' cried Beauty indignantly. ' I would die to save him from 
 pain. I assure you it is not his fault that he is. so ugly.' 
 
 Just then a strange sound woke her someone was speaking 
 not very far away ; and opening her eyes she found herself in a room 
 she had never seen before, which was certainly not nearly so 
 splendid as those she was used to in the Beast's palace. Where 
 could she be ? She got up and dressed hastily, and then saw that 
 the boxes she had packed the night before were all in the room. 
 While she was wondering by what magic the Beast had transported 
 them and herself to this strange place she suddenly heard her 
 father's voice, and rushed out and greeted him joyfully. Her 
 brothers and sisters were all astonished at her appearance, as they 
 had never expected to see her again, and there was no end to the 
 questions they asked her. She had also much to hear about what 
 had happened to them while she was away, and of her father's 
 journey home. But when they heard that she had only come to 
 be with them for a short time, and then must go back to the 
 Beast's palace for ever, they lamented loudly. Then Beauty asked 
 
 i2
 
 116 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 her father what he thought could be the meaning of her strange 
 dreams, and why the Prince constantly begged her not to trust to 
 appearances. After much consideration he answered : ' You tell 
 me yourself that the Beast, frightful as he is, loves you dearly, and 
 deserves your love and gratitude for his gentleness and kindness ; 
 I think the Prince must mean you to understand that you ought to 
 reward him by doing as he wishes you to, in spite of his ugliness.' 
 
 Beauty could not help seeing that this seemed very probable ; 
 still, when she thought of her dear Prince who was so handsome, she 
 did not feel at all inclined to marry the Beast. At any rate, for 
 two months she need not decide, but could enjoy herself with her 
 sisters. But though they were rich now, and lived in a town again, 
 and had plenty of acquaintances, Beauty found that nothing amused 
 her very much ; and she often thought of the palace, where she 
 was so happy, especially as at home she never once dreamed of her 
 dear Prince, and she felt quite sad without him. 
 
 Then her sisters seemed to have got quite used to being with- 
 out her, and even found her rather in the way, so she would not 
 have been sorry when the two months were over but for her 
 father and brothers, who begged her to stay, and seemed so 
 grieved at the thought of her departure that she had not the 
 courage to say good-bye to them. Every day when she got up 
 she meant to say it at night, and when night came she put it off 
 again, until at last she had a dismal dream which helped her to 
 make up her mind. She thought she was wandering in a lonely 
 path in the palace gardens, when she heard groans which seemed 
 to come from some bushes hiding the entrance of a cave, and run- 
 ning quickly to see what could be the matter, she found the Beast 
 stretched out upon his side, apparently dying. He reproached 
 her faintly with being the cause of his distress, and at the same 
 moment a stately lady appeared, and said very gravely : 
 
 ' Ah ! Beauty, you are only just in time to save his life. See 
 what happens when people do not keep then- promises ! If you 
 had delayed one day more, you would have found him dead.' 
 
 Beauty was so terrified by this dream that the next morning 
 she announced her intention of going back at once, and that very 
 night she said good-bye to her father and all her brothers and 
 sisters, and as soon as she was in bed she turned her ring round upon 
 her finger, and said firmly : 
 
 ' I wish to go back to my palace and see my Beast again,' as she 
 had been told to do.
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 
 
 117 
 
 Then she fell asleep instantly, and only woke up to hear the 
 clock saying, ' Beauty, Beauty,' twelve times in its musical voice, 
 which told her at once that she was really in the palace once 
 more. Everything was just as before, and her birds were so glad 
 to see her ! but Beauty thought she had never known such a long 
 day, for she was so anxious to see the Beast again that she felt 
 as if supper-time would never come. 
 
 But when it did come and no Beast appeared she was really 
 frightened ; so, after listening and waiting for a long time, she ran 
 down into the garden to search for him. Up and down the paths 
 and avenues ran poor Beauty, calling him in vain, for no one 
 
 answered, and not a trace of him could she find ; until at last, quite 
 tired, she stopped for a minute's rest, and saw that she was stand- 
 ing opposite the shady path she had seen in her dream. She 
 rushed down it, and, sure enough, there was the cave, and in it lay 
 the Beast asleep, as Beauty thought. Quite glad to have found 
 him, she ran up and stroked his head, but to her horror he did not 
 move or open his eyes. 
 
 ' Oh ! he is dead ; and it is all my fault,' said Beauty, crying 
 bitterly. 
 
 But then, looking at him again, she fancied he still breathed, 
 and, hastily fetching some water from the nearest fountain, she
 
 118 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. 
 
 sprinkled it over his face, and to her great delight he began to 
 revive. 
 
 ' Oh ! Beast, how you frightened me ! ' she cried. ' I never knew 
 how much I loved you until just now, when I feared I was too late 
 to save your life.' 
 
 ' Can you really love such an ugly creature as I am ? ' said the 
 Beast faintly. ' Ah ! Beauty, you only came just in time. I was 
 dying because I thought you had forgotten your promise. But 
 go back now and rest, I shall see you again by-and-by.' 
 
 Beauty, who had half expected that he would be angry with her, 
 was reassured by his gentle voice, and went back to the palace, 
 where supper was awaiting her ; and afterwards the Beast came in 
 as usual, and talked about the time she had spent with her father, 
 asking if she had enjoyed herself, and if they had all been very glad 
 to see her. 
 
 Beauty answered politely, and quite enjoyed telling him all that 
 had happened to her. And when at last the time came for him to 
 go, and he asked, as he had so often asked before : 
 
 ' Beauty, will you marry ine ? ' she answered softly : 
 
 ' Yes, dear Beast.' 
 
 As she spoke a blaze of light sprang up before the windows of 
 the palace ; fireworks crackled and guns banged, and across the 
 avenue of orange trees, in letters all made of fire-flies, was written : 
 'Long live the Prince and his Bride.' 
 
 Turning to ask the Beast what it could all mean, Beauty found 
 that he had disappeared, and in his place stood her long-loved 
 Prince ! At the same moment the wheels of a chariot were heard 
 upon the terrace, and two ladies entered the room. One of them 
 Beauty recognised as the stately lady she had seen in her dreams ; 
 the other was also so grand and queenly that Beauty hardly knew 
 which to greet first. 
 
 But the one she already knew said to her companion : 
 
 ' Well, Queen, this is Beauty, who has had the courage to rescue 
 your son from the terrible enchantment. They love one another, 
 and only your consent to their marriage is wanting to make them 
 perfectly happy.' 
 
 ' I consent with all my heart,' cried the Queen. ' How can I 
 ever thank you enough, charming girl, for having restored my dear 
 son to his natural form ? ' 
 
 And then she tenderly embraced Beauty and the Prince, who had 
 meanwhile been greeting the Fairy and receiving her congratulations.
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 119 
 
 ' Now,' said the Fairy to Beauty, I suppose you would like 
 me to send for all your brothers and sisters to dance at your 
 wedding ? ' 
 
 And so she did, and the marriage was celebrated the very next 
 day with the utmost splendour, and Beauty and the Prince lived 
 happily ever after. 1 
 
 1 La Belle et la Btte. Par Madame do Villeneuve.
 
 120 
 
 THE MASTER-MAID 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a king who had many sons. I do not 
 exactly know "how many there were, but the youngest of them 
 could not stay quietly at home, and was determined to go out into the 
 world and try his luck, and after a long time the King was forced to 
 give him leave to go. When he had travelled about for several 
 days, he came to a giant's house, and hired himself to the giant as 
 a servant. In the morning the giant had to go out to pasture his 
 goats, and as he was leaving the house he told the King's son that 
 he must clean out the stable. ' And after you have done that,' he 
 said, ' you need not do any more work to-day, for you have come to 
 a kind master, and that you shall find. But what I set you to do 
 must be done both well and thoroughly, and you must on no 
 account go into any of the rooms which lead out of the room in 
 which you slept last night. If you do, I will take your life.' 
 
 ' Well to be sure, he is an easy master ! ' said the Prince to 
 himself as he walked up and down the room humming and singing, 
 for he thought there would be plenty of time left to clean out the 
 stable ; ' but it would be amusing to steal a glance into his other 
 rooms as well,' thought the Prince, ' for there must be something that 
 he is afraid of my seeing, as I am not allowed to enter them.' So 
 he went into the first room. A cauldron was hanging from the 
 walls ; it was boiling, but the Prince could see no fire under it. ' I 
 wonder what is inside it,' he thought, and dipped a lock of his hair 
 in, and the hair became just as if it were all made of copper. 
 ' That's a nice kind of soup. If anyone were to taste that his throat 
 would be gilded,' said the youth, and then he went into the next 
 chamber. There, too, a cauldron was hanging from the wall, bub- 
 bling and boiling, but there was no fire under this either. ' I will 
 just try what this is like too,' said the Prince, thrusting another lock 
 of his hair into it, and it came out silvered over. ' Such costly soup 
 is not to be had in my father's palace,' said the Prince ; ' but every-
 
 THE MASTEE-MAID 
 
 121 
 
 thing depends on how it tastes,' and then he went into the third 
 room. There, too, a cauldron was hanging from the wall, boiling, 
 exactly the same as in the two other rooms, and the Prince took 
 pleasure in trying this _ _ t . HIM 
 
 also, so he dipped a lock 
 of hair in, and it came 
 out so brightly gilded that 
 it shone again. ' Some 
 talk about going from bad 
 to worse,' said the Prince ; 
 'but this is better and 
 better. If he boils gold 
 here, what can he boil in 
 there ? ' He was deter- 
 mined to see, and went 
 through the door into the 
 fourth room. No cauldron 
 was to be seen there, but 
 on a bench someone was 
 seated who was like a 
 king s daughter, but, who- 
 soever she was, she was 
 so beautiful that never in 
 the Prince's life had he 
 seen her equal. 
 
 ' Oh ! in heaven's 
 name what are you doing 
 here ? ' said she who sat 
 upon the bench. 
 
 ' I took the place of 
 servant here yesterday,' said the Prince. 
 
 ' May you soon have a better place, if you have come to serve 
 here ! ' said she. 
 
 ' Oh ! but I think I have got a kind master,' said the Prince. ' He 
 has not given me hard work to do to-day. When I have cleaned 
 out the stable I shall be done.' 
 
 ' Yes, but how will you be able to do that ? ' she asked again. 
 ' If you clean it out as other people do, ten pitchforksful will come 
 in for every one you throw out. But I will teach you how to do it : 
 you must turn your pitchfork upside down, and work with the 
 handle, and then all will fly out of its own accord.'
 
 122 THE MASTER-MAID 
 
 ' Yes, I will attend to that,' said the Prince, and stayed sitting 
 where he was the whole day, for it was soon settled between them 
 that they would marry each other, he and the King's daughter ; so 
 the first day of his service with the giant did not seem long to him. 
 But when evening was drawing near she said that it would now he 
 better for him to clean out the stable before the giant came home. 
 "When he got there he had a fancy to try if what she had said were 
 true, so he began to work in the same way that he had seen the 
 stable-boys doing in his father's stables, but he soon saw that he 
 must give up that, for when he had worked a very short time he 
 had scarcely room left to stand. So he did what the Princess had 
 taught him,turned the pitchfork round, and worked with the handle, 
 and in the twinkling of an eye the stable was as clean as if it had 
 been scoured. When he had done that, he went back again into 
 the room in which the giant had given him leave to stay, and there 
 he walked backwards and forwards on the floor, and began to hum 
 and to sing. 
 
 Then came the giant home with the goats. ' Have you cleaned 
 the stable ? ' asked the giant. 
 
 ' Yes, now it is clean and sweet, master,' said the King's son. 
 
 ' I shall see about that,' said the giant, and went round to the 
 stable, but it was just as the Prince had said. 
 
 ' You have certainly been talking to my Master-maid, for you 
 never got that out of your own head,' said the giant. 
 
 ' Master-maid ! What kind of a thing is that, master ? ' said the 
 Prince, making himself look as stupid as an ass ; 'I should like to 
 see that.' 
 
 'Well, you will see her quite soon enough,' said the giant. 
 
 On the second morning the giant had again to go out with his 
 goats, so he told the Prince that on that day he was to fetch home 
 his horse, which was out on the mountain- side, and when he had 
 done that he might rest himself for the remainder of the day, ' for 
 you have come to a kind master, and that you shall find,' said the 
 giant once more. ' But do not go into any of the rooms that I 
 spoke of yesterday, or I will wring your head off,' said he, and then 
 went away with his flock of goats. 
 
 ' Yes, indeed, you are a kind master,' said the Prince ; ' but I will 
 go in and talk to the Master-maid again ; perhaps before long she 
 may like better to be mine than yours.' 
 
 So he went to her. Then she asked him what he had to do 
 that day.
 
 THE MASTER-MAID 123 
 
 ' Oh ! not very dangerous work, I fancy,' said the King's son. ' I 
 have only to go up the mountain-side after his horse.' 
 
 ' Well, how do you mean to set about it ? ' asked the Master- 
 maid. 
 
 ' Oh ! there is no great art in riding a horse home,' said the King's 
 son. ' I think I must have ridden friskier horses before now.' 
 
 ' Yes, but it is not so easy a thing as you think to ride the horse 
 home,' said the Master-maid; 'but I will teach you what to do. 
 When you go near it, fire will burst out of its nostrils like flames 
 from a pine torch : but be very careful, and take the bridle which 
 is hanging by the door there, and fling the bit straight into its jaws, 
 and then it will become so tame that you will be able to do what 
 you like with it.' He said he would bear this in mind, and then he 
 again sat in there the whole day by the Master-maid, and they 
 chatted and talked of one thing and another, but the first thing 
 and the last now was, how happy and delightful it would be if they 
 could but marry each other, and get safely away from the giant ; 
 and the Prince would have forgotten both the mountain-side and 
 the horse if the Master-maid had not reminded him of them as 
 evening drew near, and said that now it would be better if he went 
 to fetch the horse before the giant came. So he did this, and took 
 the bridle which was hanging on a crook, and strode up the moun- 
 tain-side, and it was not long before he met with the horse, and fire 
 and red flames streamed forth out of its nostrils. But the youth 
 carefully watched his opportunity, and just as it was rushing at him 
 with open jaws he threw the bit straight into its mouth, and the 
 horse stood as quiet as a young lamb, and there was no difficulty at 
 all in getting it home to the stable. Then the Prince went back into 
 his room again, and began to hum and to sing. 
 
 Towards evening the giant came home. ' Have you fetched the 
 horse back from the mountain-side ? ' he asked. 
 
 ' That I have, master ; it was an amusing horse to ride, but I rode 
 him straight home, and put him in the stable too,' said the Prince. 
 
 ' I will see about that,' said the giant, and went out to the stable, 
 but the horse was standing there just as the Prince had said. ' You 
 have certainly been talking with my Master-maid, for you never 
 got that out of your own head,' said the giant again. 
 
 ' Yesterday, master, you talked about this Master-maid, and to- 
 day you are talking about her ; ah ! heaven bless you, master, why 
 will you not show me the thing ? for it would be a real pleasure to me 
 to see it,' said the Prince, who again pretended to be silly and stupid.
 
 124 THE MASTER-MAID 
 
 ' Oh! you will see her quite soon enough,' said the giant. 
 
 On the morning of the third day the giant again had to go into 
 the wood with the goats. ' To-day you must go underground and 
 fetch my taxes,' he said to the Prince. ' When 3-011 have done this, 
 you may rest for the remainder of the day, for you shall see what 
 an easy master you have come to,' and then he went away. 
 
 ' Well, however easy a master you may be, you set me very 
 hard work to do,' thought the Prince ; ' but I will see if I cannot 
 find your Master-maid ; you say she is yours, but for all that she 
 may be able to tell me what to do now,' and he went to her. So, 
 when the Master-maid asked him what the giant had set him to do 
 that day, he told her that he was to go underground and get the 
 taxes. 
 
 ' And how will you set about that ? ' said the Master-maid. 
 
 ' Oh ! you must tell me how to do it,' said the Prince, ' for I have 
 never yet been underground, and even if I knew the way I do not 
 know how mxich I am to demand.' 
 
 ' Oh ! yes, I will soon tell you that ; you must go to the rock 
 there under the mountain-ridge, and take the club that is there, 
 and knock on the rocky wall,' said the Master-maid. ' Then some- 
 one will come out who will sparkle with fire : you shall tell him your 
 errand, and when he asks you how much you want to have you 
 are to say : "As much as I can carry." ' 
 
 'Yes, I will keep that in mind,' said he, and then he sat 
 there with the Master-maid the whole day, until night drew near, 
 and he would gladly have stayed there till now if the Master-maid 
 had not reminded him that it was time to be off to fetch the taxes 
 before the giant came. 
 
 So he set out on his way, and did exactly what the Master-maid 
 had told him. He went to the rocky wall, and took the club, and 
 knocked on it. Then came one so full of sparks that they flew 
 both out of his eyes and his nose. ' What do you want ? ' said he. 
 
 ' I was to come here for the giant, and demand the tax for him,' 
 said the King's son. 
 
 ' How much are you to have then ? ' said the other. 
 
 ' I ask for no more than I am able to carry with me,' said the 
 Prince. 
 
 'It is well for you that you have not asked for a horse-load,' 
 said he who had come out of the rock. ' But now come in with 
 me.' 
 
 This the Prince did, and what a quantity of gold and silver he
 
 THE MASTEE-MAID 
 
 125 
 
 saw ! It was lying inside the mountain like heaps of stones in a 
 waste place, and he got a load that was as large as he was able to 
 carry, and with that he went his way. So in the evening, when 
 
 the giant came home with the goats, the Prince went into the 
 chamber and hummed and sang again as he had done on the other 
 two evenings.
 
 126 THE MASTER-MAID 
 
 ' Have you been for the tax ? ' said the giant. 
 
 ' Yes, that I have, master,' said the Prince. 
 
 ' Where have you put it then ? ' said the giant again. 
 
 ' The bag of gold is standing there on the bench,' said the Prince. 
 
 ' I will see about that,' said the giant, and went away to the 
 bench, but the bag was standing there, and it was so full that 
 gold and silver dropped out when the giant untied the string. 
 
 ' You have certainly been talking with my Master-maid ! ' said 
 the giant, ' and if you have I will wring your neck." 
 
 ' Master-maid ? ' said the Prince ; ' yesterday my master talked 
 about this Master-maid, and to-day he is talking about her again, 
 and the first day of all it was talk of the same kind. I do wish I 
 could see the thing myself,' said he. 
 
 ' Yes, yes, wait till to-morrow,' said the giant, ' and then I myself 
 will take you to her.' 
 
 'Ah ! master, I thank you but you are only mocking me,' said 
 the King's son. 
 
 Next day the giant took him to the Master-maid. ' Now you 
 shall kill him, and boil him in the great big cauldron you know ol, and 
 when you have got the broth ready give me a call,' said the giant ; 
 then he lay down on the bench to sleep, and almost immediately 
 began to snore so that it sounded like thunder among the hills. 
 
 So the Master-maid took a knife, and cut the Prince's little 
 fingers, and dropped three drops of blood upon a wooden stool ; then 
 she took all the old rags, and shoe-soles, and all the rubbish she 
 could lay hands on, and put them in the cauldron ; and then she filled 
 a chest with gold dust, and a lump of salt, and a water-flask which 
 was hanging by the door, and she also took with her a golden apple, 
 and two gold chickens ; and then she and the Prince went away with 
 all the speed they could, and when they had gone a little way they 
 came to the sea, and then they sailed, but where they got the ship 
 from I have never been able to learn. 
 
 Now, when the giant had slept a good long time, he began to 
 stretch himsUf on the bench on which he was tying. ' Will it soon 
 boil ? ' said he. 
 
 ' It is just beginning,' said the first drop of blood on the stool. 
 
 So the giant lay down to sleep again, and slept for a long, long 
 time. Then he began to move about a little again. ' Will it soon be 
 ready now ? ' said he, but he did not look up this time any more than 
 he had done the first time, for he was still half asleep. 
 
 ' Half done ! ' said the second drop of blood, and the giant
 
 THE MASTER-MAID 127 
 
 believed it was the Master-maid again, and turned himself on the 
 bench, and lay down to sleep once more. When he had slept again 
 for many hours, he began to move and stretch himself. ' Is it not 
 done yet ? ' said he. 
 
 ' It is quite ready,' said the third drop of blood. Then the giant 
 began to sit up, and rub his eyes, but he could not see who it was 
 who had spoken to him, so he asked for the Master-maid, and called 
 her. But there was no one to give him an answer. 
 
 ' Ah ! well, she has just stolen out for a little,' thought the giant, 
 and he took a spoon, and went ol'f to the cauldron to have a taste ; 
 but there was nothing in it but shoe-soles, and rags, and such 
 trumpery as that, and all was boiled up together, so that he could 
 not tell whether it was porridge or milk pottage. When he saw 
 this, he understood what had happened, and fell into such a rage 
 that he hardly knew what he was doing. Away he went after the 
 prince and the Master-maid, so fast that the wind whistled behind 
 him, and it was not long before he came to the water, but he could 
 not get over it. ' Well, well, I will soon find a cure for that : I have 
 only to call my river-sucker,' said the giant, and he did call him. 
 So his river-sucker came and lay down, and drank one, two, three 
 draughts, and with that the water in the sea fell so low that the 
 giant saw the Master-maid and the Prince out on the sea in their 
 ship. ' Now you must throw out the lump of salt,' said the Master- 
 maid, and the Prince did so, and it grew up into such a great high 
 mountain right across the sea that the giant could not come over 
 it, and the river-sucker could not drink any more water. ' Well, 
 well, I will soon find a cure for that,' said the giant, so he called to 
 his hill -borer to come and bore through the mountain so that the 
 river-sucker might be able to drink up the water again. But just 
 as the hole was made, and the river-sucker was beginning to drink, 
 the Master-maid told the Prince to throw one or two drops out of 
 the flask, and when he did this the sea instantly became full of 
 water again, and before the river-sucker could take one drink they 
 reached the land and were in safety. So they determined to go 
 home to the Prince's father, but the Prince would on no account 
 permit the Mater-maid to walk there, for he thought that it was 
 unbecoming either for her or for him to go on foot. 
 
 ' Wait here the least little bit of time, while I go home for the 
 seven horses which stand in my father's stable,' said he ; 'it is not 
 far off, and I shall not be long away, but I will not let my betrothed 
 bride go on foot to the palace.'
 
 128 THE MASTEE-MAID 
 
 ' Oh ! no, do not go, for if you go home to the King's palace you 
 will forget me, I foresee that.' 
 
 ' How could I forget you ? We have suffered so much evil 
 together, and love each other so much,' said the Prince ; and he 
 insisted on going home for the coach with the seven horses, and 
 she was to wait for him there, by the sea-shore. So at last the 
 Master-maid had to yield, for he was so absolutely determined to 
 do it. 'But when you get there you must not even give yourself 
 time to greet anyone, but go straight into the stable, and take the 
 
 horses, and put them in the coach, and drive back as quickly as you 
 can. For they will all come round about you ; but you must behave 
 just as if you did not see them, and on no account must you taste 
 anything, for if you do it will cause great misery both to you and 
 to me,' said she ; and this he promised. 
 
 But when he got home to the King's palace one of his brothers 
 was just going to be married, and the bride and all her kith and 
 kin had come to the palace ; so they all thronged round him, and 
 questioned him about this and that, and wanted him to go in with 
 them ; but he behaved as if he did not see them, and went straight
 
 THE MASTER-MAID 129 
 
 to the stable, and got out the horses and began to harness them. 
 When they saw that they could not by any means prevail on him 
 to go in with them, they came out to him with meat and drink, 
 and the best of everything that they had prepared for the wedding ; 
 but the Prince refused to touch anything, and would do nothing but 
 put the horses in as quickly as he could. At last, however, the 
 bride's sister rolled an apple across the yard to him, and said : ' As 
 you won't eat anything else, you may like to take a bite of that, 
 for you must be both hungry and thirsty after your long journey.' 
 And he took up the apple and bit a piece out of it. But no sooner 
 had he got the piece of apple in his mouth than he forgot the 
 Master-maid and that he was to go back in the coach to fetch her. 
 
 ' I think I must be mad ! what do I want with this coach and 
 horses ? ' said he ; and then he put the horses back into the stable, 
 and went into the King's palace, and there it was settled that he 
 should marry the bride's sister, who had rolled the apple to 
 him. 
 
 The Master-maid sat by the sea-shore for a long, long time, 
 waiting for the Prince, but no Prince came. So she went away, and 
 when she had walked a short distance she came to a little hut 
 which stood all alone in a small wood, hard by the King's palace. 
 She entered it and asked if she might be allowed to stay there. 
 The hut belonged to an old crone, who was also an ill-tempered 
 and malicious troll. At first she would not let the Master-maid 
 remain with her ; but at last, after a long time, by means of good 
 words and good payment, she obtained leave. But the hut was as 
 dirty and black inside as a pigstye, so the Master-maid said that she 
 would smarten it up a little, that it might look a little more like 
 what other people's houses looked inside. The old crone did not 
 like this either. She scowled, and was very cross, but the Master- 
 maid did not trouble herself about that. She took out her chest of 
 gold, and flung a handful of it or so into the fire, and the gold boiled 
 up and poured out over the whole of the hut, until every part of 
 it both inside and out was gilded. But when the gold began to 
 bubble up the old hag grew so terrified that she fled away as if the 
 Evil One himself were pursuing her, and she did not remember to 
 stoop down as she went through the doorway, and so she split her 
 head and died. Next morning the sheriff came travelling by there. 
 He was greatly astonished when he saw the gold hut shining and 
 glittering there in the copse, and he was still more astonished when 
 he went in and caught sight of the beautiful young maiden who 
 
 K
 
 130 TEE MASTER-MAID 
 
 was sitting there ; he fell in love with her at once, and straightway 
 on the spot he begged her, both prettily and kindly, to marry him. 
 ' Well, but have you a great deal of money ? ' said the Master- 
 maid. 
 
 ' Oh ! yes ; so far as that is concerned, I am not ill off,' said the 
 sheriff. So now he had to go home to get the money, and in the 
 evening he came back, bringing with him a bag with two bushels in 
 it, which he set down on the bench. Well, as he had such a fine 
 lot of money, the Master-maid said she would have him, so they 
 sat down to talk. 
 
 But scarcely had they sat down together before the Master-maid 
 wanted to jump up again. ' I have forgotten to see to the fire,' she 
 said. 
 
 ' Why should you jump up to do that ? ' said the sheriff; 'I will 
 do that ! ' So he jumped up, and went to the chimney in one bound. 
 ' Just tell me when you have got hold of the shovel,' said the 
 Master-maid. 
 
 ' Well, I have hold of it now,' said the sheriff. 
 ' Then may you hold the shovel, and the shovel you, and pour 
 red-hot coals over you, till day dawns,' said the Master-maid. 'So 
 the sheriff had to stand there the whole night and pour red-hot 
 coals over himself, and, no matter how much he cried and begged 
 and entreated, the red-hot coals did not grow the colder for that. 
 When the day began to dawn, and he had power to throw down the 
 shovel, he did not stay long where he was, but ran away as fast as 
 he possibly could ; and everyone who met him stared and looked 
 after him, for he was flying as if he were mad, and he could not 
 have looked worse if he had been both flayed and tanned, and 
 everyone wondered where he had been, but for very shame he 
 would tell nothing. 
 
 The next day the attorney came riding by the place where the 
 Master-maid dwelt. He saw how brightly the hut shone and 
 gleamed through the wood, and he too went into it to see who lived 
 there, and when he entered and saw the beautiful young maiden 
 he fell even more in love with her than the sheriff had done, and began 
 to woo her at once. So the Master-maid asked him, as she had 
 asked the sheriff, if he had a great deal of money, and the attorney 
 said he was not ill off for that, and would at once go home to get 
 it ; and at night he came with a great big sack of money this time 
 it was a four-bushel sack and set it on the bench by the Master- 
 maid. So she promised to have him, and he sat down on the
 
 THE MASTER-MAID 131 
 
 bench by her to arrange about it, but suddenly she said that she 
 had forgotten to lock the door of the porch that night, and must 
 do it. 
 
 ' Why should you do that ? ' said the attorney ; ' sit still, I will 
 do it.' 
 
 So he was on his feet in a moment, and out in the porch. 
 
 ' Tell me when you have got hold of the door-latch,' said the 
 Master-maid. 
 
 ' I have hold of it now,' cried the attorney. 
 
 ' Then may you hold the door, and the door you, and may you 
 go between wall and wall till day dawns.' 
 
 What a dance the attorney had that night ! He had never had 
 such a waltz before, and he never wished to have such a dance 
 again. Sometimes he was in front of the door, and sometimes the 
 door was in front of him, and it went from one side of the porch to 
 the other, till the attorney was well-nigh beaten to death. At first 
 he began to abuse the Master-maid, and then to beg and pray, but 
 the door did not care for anything but keeping him where he was 
 till break of day. 
 
 As soon as the door let go its hold of him, off went the attorney. 
 He forgot who ought to be paid off for what he had suffered, he 
 forgot both his sack of money and his wooing, for he was so afraid 
 lest the house-door should come dancing after him. Everyone who 
 met him stared and looked after him, for he was flying like a mad- 
 man, and he could not have looked worse if a herd of rams had 
 been butting at him all night long. 
 
 On the third day the bailiff came by, and he too saw the gold 
 house in the little wood, and he too felt that he must go and see 
 who lived there ; and when he caught sight of the Master-maid he 
 became so much in love with her that he wooed her almost before 
 he greeted her. 
 
 The Master-maid answered him as she had answered the other two, 
 that if he had a great deal of money she would have him. ' So far as 
 that is concerned, I am not ill off,' said the bailiff ; so he was at once 
 told to go home and fetch it, and this he did. At night he came 
 back, and he had a still larger sack of money with him than the 
 attorney had brought ; it must have been at least six bushels, and 
 he set it down on the bench. So it was settled that he was to have 
 the Master-maid. But hardly had they sat down together before 
 she said that she had forgotten to bring in the calf, and must go out 
 to put it in the byre. 
 
 K2
 
 132 THE MASTER-MAID 
 
 ' No, Indeed, you shall not do that,' said the bailiff ; ' I am the one 
 to do that.' And, big and fat as he was, he went out as briskly as a boy, 
 
 ' Tell me when you have got hold of the calfs tail,' said the 
 Master-maid. 
 
 ' I have hold of it now,' cried the bailiff. 
 
 ' Then may you hold the calfs tail, and the calfs tail hold you, 
 and may you go round the world together till day dawns ! ' said the 
 Master-maid. So the bailiff had to bestir himself, for the calf went 
 over rough and smooth, over hill and dale, and, the more the bailiff 
 cried and screamed, the faster the calf went. When daylight began 
 to appear, the bailiff was half dead ; and so glad was he to leave 
 loose of the calfs tail that he forgot the sack of money and all else. 
 
 He walked now slowly more slowly than the sheriff and the 
 attorney had done, but, the slower he went, the more time had 
 everyone to stare and look at him ; and they used it too, and no one 
 can imagine how tired out and ragged he looked after his dance 
 with the calf. 
 
 On the following day the wedding was to take place in the King's 
 palace, and the elder brother was to drive to church with his bride, 
 and the brother who had been with the giant with her sister. But 
 when they had seated themselves in the coach and were about to 
 drive off from the palace one of the trace-pins broke, and, though 
 they made one, two, and three to put in its place, that did not help 
 them, for each broke in turn, no matter what kind of wood they
 
 THE MASTEE-MAID 133 
 
 used to make them of. This went on for a long time, and they 
 could not get away from the palace, so they were all in great trouble. 
 Then the sheriff said (for he too had been bidden to the wedding 
 at Court) : ' Yonder away in the thicket dwells a maiden, and if 
 you can but get her to lend you the handle of the shovel that she 
 uses to make up her fire I know very well that it will hold fast.' 
 So they sent off a messenger to the thicket, and begged so prettily 
 that they might have the loan of her shovel-handle of which the 
 sheriff had spoken that they were not refused ; so now they had a 
 trace-pin which would not snap in two. 
 
 But all at once, just as they were starting, the bottom of the 
 coach fell in pieces. They made a new bottom as fast as they could, 
 but, no matter how they nailed it together, or what kind of wood 
 they used, no sooner had they got the new bottom into the coach 
 and were about to drive off than it broke again, so that they were 
 still worse off than when they had broken the trace-pin. Then the 
 attorney said, for he too was at the wedding in the palace : ' Away 
 there in the thicket dwells a maiden, and if you could but get her 
 to lend you one-half of her porch-door I am certain that it will 
 hold together.' So they again sent a messenger to the thicket, and 
 begged so prettily for the loan of the gilded porch-door of which 
 the attorney had told them that they got it at once. They were 
 just setting out again, but now the horses were not able to draw the 
 coach. They had six horses already, and now they put in eight, 
 and then ten, and then twelve, but the more they put in, and the 
 more the coachman whipped them, the less good it did ; and the coach 
 never stirred from the spot. It was already beginning to be late in the 
 day, and to church they must and would go, so everyone who was 
 in the palace was in a state of great distress. Then the bailiff spoke 
 up and said : ' Out there in the gilded cottage in the thicket dwells 
 a girl, and if you could but get her to lend you her calf I know it 
 could draw the coach, even if it were as heavy as a mountain.' 
 They all thought that it was ridiculous to be drawn to church by 
 a calf, but there was nothing else for it but to send a messenger 
 once more, and beg as prettily as they could, on behalf of the King, 
 that she would let them have the loan of the calf that the bailiff 
 had told them about. The Master-maid let them have it immedi- 
 ately this time also she would not say ' no.' 
 
 Then they harnessed the calf to see if the coach would move ; 
 and away it went, over rough and smooth, over stock and stone, so 
 that they could scarcely breathe, and sometimes they were on the
 
 134 THE MASTEE-MAID 
 
 ground, and sometimes up in the air ; and when they came to the 
 church the coach began to go round and round like a spinning-wheel, 
 and it was with the utmost difficulty and danger that they were 
 able to get out of the coach and into the church. And when they 
 went back again the coach went quicker still, so that most of them 
 did not know how they got back to the palace at all. 
 
 When they had seated themselves at the table the Prince who 
 had been in service with the giant said that he thought they ought to 
 have invited the maiden who had lent them the shovel-handle, and 
 the porch-door, and the calf up to the palace, ' for,' said he, 'if we 
 had not got these three things, we should never have got away from 
 the palace.' 
 
 The King also thought that this was both just and proper, so he 
 sent five of his best men down to the gilded hut, to greet the maiden 
 courteously from the King, and to beg her to be so good as to come 
 up to the palace to dinner at mid-day. 
 
 ' Greet the King, and tell him that, if he is too good to come to 
 me, I am too good to come to him,' replied the Master-maid. 
 
 So the King had to go himself, and the Master-maid went with 
 him immediately, and, as the King believed that she was more than 
 she appeared to be, he seated her in the place of honour by the 
 youngest bridegroom. When they had sat at table for a short time, 
 the Master -maid took out the cock, and the hen, and the golden apple 
 which she had brought away with her from the giant's house, and
 
 THE MASTER-MAID 135 
 
 set them on the table in front of her, and instantly the cock and the 
 hen began to fight with each other for the golden apple. 
 
 ' Oh ! look how those two there are fighting for the golden apple,' 
 said the King's son. 
 
 ' Yes, and so did we two fight to get out that time when we were 
 in the mountain,' said the Master-maid. 
 
 So the Prince knew her again, and you may imagine how 
 delighted he was. He ordered the troll-witch who had rolled the 
 apple to him to be torn in pieces between four-and-twenty horses, 
 so that not a bit of her was left, and then for the first time they 
 began really to keep the wedding, and, weary as they were, the 
 sheriff, the attorney, and the bailiff kept it up too. 1 
 
 1 Asbjoruseu aud Miie.
 
 136 
 
 WHY THE SEA IS SALT 
 
 ONCE upon a time, long, long ago, there were two brothers, the 
 one rich and the other poor. When Christmas Eve came, the 
 poor one had not a bite in the house, either of meat or bread ; so 
 he went to his brother, and begged him, in God's name, to give him 
 something for Christmas Day. It was by no means the first time 
 that the brother had been forced to give something to him, and he 
 was not better pleased at being asked now than he generally was. 
 
 ' If yoxi will do what I ask you, you shall have a whole ham,' 
 said he. The poor one immediately thanked him, and promised this. 
 ") ' Well, here is the ham, and now you must go straight to Dead 
 Man's Hall,' said the rich brother, throwing the ham to him. 
 
 ' Well, I will do what I have promised,' said the other, and he 
 took the ham and set off. He went on and on for the livelong day, 
 and at nightfall he came to a place where there was a bright light. 
 
 ' I have no doubt this is the place,' thought the man with the 
 ham. 
 
 An old man with a long white beard was standing in the out- 
 house, chopping Yule logs. 
 
 ' Good-evening,' said the man with the ham. 
 
 ' Good-evening to you. Where are you going at this late hour ? ' 
 said the man. 
 
 'I am going to Dead Ma.n's Hall, if only I am in the right 
 track,' answered the poor man. 
 
 gj ' Oh ! yes, you are right enough, for it is here,' said the old man. 
 ' ' When you get inside they will all want to buy your ham, for they 
 don't get much meat to eat there : biit you must not sell it unless 
 you can get the hand-mill which stands behind the door for it. 
 When you come out again I will teach you how to stop the hand- 
 mill, which is useful for almost everything. 
 
 So the man with the ham thanked the other for his good advice, 
 and rapped at the door.
 
 WHY THE SEA IS SALT 
 
 137 
 
 When he got in, everything happened just as the old man had 
 said it would : all the people, great and small, came round him like 
 ants on an ant-hill, and each tried to outbid the other for the ham. 
 
 ' By rights my old woman and I ought to have it for our 
 Christmas dinner, but, since you have set your hearts upon it, I 
 must just give it up to you,' said the man. ' But, if I sell it, I will 
 have the hand-mill which is standing there behind the door.' 
 
 At first they would not hear of this, and haggled and bar- 
 gained with the man, but he stuck to what he had said, and the 
 people were forced to give him the hand-mill. When the man came 
 out again into the yard, he asked the old wood-cutter how he was 
 
 to stop the hand-mill, and when he had learnt that he thanked 
 him and set off home with all the speed he could, but did not get 
 there until after the clock had struck twelve on Christmas Eve. 
 
 ' But where in the world have you been ? ' said the old woman. 
 ' Here I have sat waiting hour after hour, and have not even 
 two sticks to lay across each other under the Christmas porridge- 
 pot.' 
 
 ' Oh ! I could not come before ; I had something of importance 
 to see about, and a long way to go, too ; but now you shall just see ! ' 
 said the man, and then he set the hand-mill on the table, and bade 
 it first grind light, then a table-cloth, and then meat, and beer, and
 
 138 WHY THE SEA IS SALT 
 
 everythuig else that was good for a Christmas Eve's supper ; and 
 the mill ground all that he ordered. ' Bless me ! ' said the old 
 woman as one thing after another appeared ; and she wanted to 
 know where her husband had got the mill from, but he would not 
 tell her that. 
 
 ' Never mind where I got it ; you can see that it is a good one, 
 and the water that turns it will never freeze,' said the man. So he 
 ground meat and drink, and all kinds of good things, to last all 
 Christmas-tide, and on the third day he invited all his friends to 
 come to a feast. 
 
 Now when the rich brother saw all that there was at the banquet 
 and in the house, he was both vexed and angry, for he grudged 
 everything his brother had. ' On Christmas Eve he was so poor 
 that he came to me and begged for a trifle, for God's sake, and now 
 he gives a feast as if he were both a count and a king ! ' thought 
 he. 'But, for heaven's sake, tell me where you got your riches 
 from,' said he to his brother. 
 
 ' From behind the door,' said he who owned the mill, for he did 
 not choose to satisfy his brother on that point ; but later in the 
 evening, when he had taken a drop too much, he could not refrain 
 from telling how he had come by the hand-mill. ' There you see 
 what has brought me all my wealth ! ' said he, and brought out the 
 mill, and made it grind first one thing and then another. When 
 the brother saw that he insisted on having the mill, and after a 
 great deal of persuasion got it ; but he had to give three hundred 
 dollars for it, and the poor brother was to keep it till the haymaking 
 was over, for he thought : ' If I keep it as long as that, I can make 
 it grind meat and drink that will last many a long year.' During- 
 that time you may imagine that the mill did not grow rusty, and 
 when hay-harvest came the rich brother got it, but the other had 
 taken good care not to teach him how to stop it. It was evening 
 when the rich man got the mill home, and in the morning he bade 
 the old woman go out and spread the hay after the mowers, and he 
 would attend to the house himself that day, he said. 
 
 So, when dinner-time drew near, he set the mill on the kitchen - 
 table, and said : ' Grind heirings and milk pottage, and do it both 
 quickly and well.' 
 
 So the mill began to grind herrings and milk pottage, and first 
 all the dishes and tubs were filled, and then it came out all over the 
 kitchen-floor. The man twisted and turned it, and did all he could 
 to make the mill stop, but, howsoever he turned it and screwed it,
 
 WHY THE SEA IS SALT 139 
 
 the mill went on grinding, and in a short time the pottage rose so 
 high that the man was like to be drowned. So he threw open the 
 parlour-door, but it was not long before the mill had ground the 
 parlour full too, and it was with difficulty and danger that the man 
 could go through the stream of pottage and get hold of the door- 
 latch. When he got the door open, he did not stay long in the 
 room, but ran out, and the herrings and pottage came after him, 
 and it streamed out over both farm and field. Now the old woman, 
 who was out spreading the hay, began to think dinner was long in 
 coming, and said to the women and the mowers : ' Though the master 
 does not call us home, we may as well go. It may be that he finds 
 he is not good at making pottage, and I should do well to help him.' 
 So they began to straggle homewards, but when they had got a little 
 way up the hill they met the herrings and pottage and bread, all 
 pouring forth and winding about one over the other, and the man 
 himself in front of the flood. ' Would to heaven that each of you 
 had a hundred stomachs ! Take care that you are not drowned in 
 the pottage ! ' he cried as he went by them as if Mischief were 
 at his heels, down to where his brother dwelt. Then he begged 
 him, for God's sake, to take the mill back again, and that in an 
 instant, for, said he : 'If it grind one hour more the whole district 
 will be destroyed by herrings and pottage.' But the brother woul 
 not take it until the other paid him three hundred dollars, and that 
 he was obliged to do. Now the poor brother had both the money 
 and the mill again. So it was not long before he had a farmhouse 
 much finer than that in which his brother lived, but the mill ground 
 him so much money that he covered it with plates of gold ; and the 
 farmhouse lay close by the sea-shore, so it shone and glittered far 
 out to sea. Everyone who sailed by there now had to put in to 
 visit the rich man in the gold farmhouse, and everyone wanted to 
 see the wonderful mill, for the report of it spread far and wide, and 
 there was no one who had not heard tell of it. 
 
 After a long, long time came also a skipper who wished to see 
 the mill. He asked if it could make salt. ' Yes, it could make salt,' 
 said he who owned it, and when the skipper heard that he wished 
 with all his might and main to have the mill, let it cost what it 
 might, for, he thought, if he had it, he would get off having to 
 sail far away over the perilous sea for freights of salt. At first the 
 man would not hear of parting with it, but the skipper begged and 
 prayed, and at last the man sold it to him, and got many, many 
 thousand dollars for it. When the skipper had got the mill on his
 
 140 WHY THE SEA IS SALT 
 
 back he did not long stay there, for he was so afraid that the man 
 should change his mind, and he had no time to ask how he was to 
 stop it grinding, but got on board his ship as fast as he could. 
 
 When he had gone a little way out to sea he took the mill on 
 deck. ' Grind salt, and grind both quickly and well,' said the skipper. 
 So the mill began to grind salt, till it spouted out like water, and 
 when the skipper had got the ship filled he wanted to stop the mill, 
 but, whichsoever way he turned it, and how much soever he tried, 
 it went on grinding, and the heap of salt grew higher and higher, 
 until at last the ship sank. There lies the mill at the bottom of 
 the sea, and still, day by day, it grinds on : and that is why the sea 
 is salt. 1 
 
 1 Asbjornsen and Mbe.
 
 
 141 
 
 THE MASTER CAT; OB, PUSS IN BOOTS 
 
 mHEEE was a miller who left no more estate to the three sons 
 JL he had than his mill, his ass, and his cat. The partition was 
 soon made. Neither the scrivener nor attorney was sent for. They 
 would soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony. The eldest had 
 the mill, the second the ass, and the youngest nothing but the cat. 
 
 The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor 
 a lot. 
 
 ' My brothers,' said he, ' may get their living handsomely enough 
 by joining their stocks together ; but, for my part, when 1 have 
 eaten up my cat, and made me a inuff of his skin, I must die of 
 hunger.' 
 
 The Cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to 
 him with a grave and serious air : 
 
 ' Do not thus afflict yourself, nay good master ; you have no- 
 thing else to do but to give me a bag, and get a pair of boots made 
 for me, that I may scamper through the dirt and the brambles, and 
 you shall see that you have not so bad a portion of me as you 
 imagine.' 
 
 The Cat's master did not build very much upon what he 
 said ; he had, however, often seen him play a great many cunning 
 tricks to catch rats and mice ; as when he used to hang by the 
 heels, or hide himself in the meal, and make as if he were dead ; 
 so that he did not altogether despair of his affording him some 
 help in his miserable condition. When the Cat had what he asked 
 for, he booted himself very gallantly, and, putting his bag about 
 his neck, he held the strings of it in his two fore paws, and went 
 into a warren where was great abundance of rabbits. He put bran 
 and sow-thistle into his bag, and, stretching out at length, as if he 
 had been dead, he waited for some young rabbits, not yet acquainted 
 with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage his bag for 
 what he had put into it.
 
 142 THE MASTER CAT; OB, PUSS IN BOOTS 
 
 Scarce was he lain down but he had what he wanted : a rash 
 and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, 
 immediately drawing close the strings, took and killed him without 
 pity. Proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace, and asked 
 to speak with his Majesty. He was shown upstairs into the King's 
 apartment, and, making a low reverence, said to him : 
 
 ' I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren, which my noble 
 Lord, the Master of Carabas ' (for that was the title which Puss was 
 
 pleased to give his master) ' has commanded me to present to your 
 Majesty from him.' 
 
 ' Tell thy master,' said the King, ' that I thank him, and that he 
 does me a great deal of pleasure.' 
 
 Another time he went and hid himself among some standing 
 corn, holding still his bag open ; and, when a brace of partridges 
 ran into it, he drew the strings, and so caught them both. He went 
 and made a present of these to the King, as he had done before of 
 the rabbit which he took in the warren. The King, in like manner,
 
 THE MASTER CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS 143 
 
 received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered him some 
 money, to drink. 
 
 The Cat continued for two or three months thus to carry his 
 Majesty, from time to time, game of his master's taking. One day 
 in particular, when he knew for certain that he was to take the air 
 along the river-side, with his daughter, the most beautiful princess 
 in the world, he said to his master : 
 
 ' If you will follow my advice your fortune is made. You have 
 nothing else to do but go and wash yourself in the river, in that 
 part I shall show you, and leave the rest to me.' 
 
 The Marquis of Carabas did what the Cat advised him to, with- 
 out knowing why or wherefore. While he was washing the King 
 passed by, and the Cat began to cry out : 
 
 ' Help ! help ! My Lord Marquis of Caracas is going to be 
 drowned.' 
 
 At this noise the King put his head out of the coach-window, 
 and, finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good 
 game, he commanded his guards to run immediately to the assist- 
 ance of his Lordship the Marquis of Carabas. While they were 
 drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the 
 coach and told the King that, while his master was washing, there 
 came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, though he had 
 cried out : ' Thieves ! thieves ! ' several times, as loud as he could. 
 
 This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone. The 
 King immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run 
 and fetch one of his best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas. 
 
 The King caressed him after a very extraordinary manner, and 
 as the fine clothes he had given him extremely set off his good 
 mien (for he was well made and very handsome in his person), the 
 King's daiighter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis 
 of Carabas had no sooner cast two or three respectful and some- 
 what tender glances but she fell in love with him to distraction. 
 The King would needs have him come into the coach and take part 
 of the airing. The Cat, quite over-joyed to see his project begin 
 to succeed, marched on before, and, meeting with some countrymen, 
 who were mowing a meadow, he said to them : 
 
 ' Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King 
 that the meadow you mow belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, 
 you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot.' 
 
 The King did not fail asking of the mowers to whom the meadow 
 they were mowing belonged.
 
 144 THE MASTER CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS 
 
 * To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,' answered they altogether, 
 for the Cat's threats had made them terribly afraid. 
 
 ' You see, sir,' said the Marquis, ' this is a meadow which never 
 fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year.' 
 
 The Master Cat, who went still on before, met with some reapers, 
 and said to them : 
 
 ' Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King 
 that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be 
 chopped as small as herbs for the pot.' 
 
 The King, who passed by a moment after, would needs know to 
 whom all that corn, which he then saw, did belong. 
 
 ' To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,' replied the reapers, and the 
 
 King was very well pleased with it, as well as the Marquis, whom 
 he congratulated thereupon. The Master Cat, who went always 
 before, said the same words to all he met, and the King was asto- 
 nished at the vast estates of my Lord Marquis of Carabas. 
 
 Monsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle, the master of 
 which was an ogre, the richest had ever been known ; for all the 
 lands which the King had then gone over belonged to this castle. 
 The Cat, who had taken care to inform himself who this ogre was 
 and what he could do, asked to speak with him, saying he could 
 not pass so near his castle without having the honour of paying his 
 respects to him.
 
 THE MASTER CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS 145 
 
 The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could do, and made 
 him sit down. 
 
 ' I have been assured,' said the Cat, ' that you have the gift of 
 being able to change yourself into all sorts of creatures you have a 
 mind to ; you can, for example, transform yourself into a lion, or 
 elephant, and the like.' 
 
 ' That is true,' answered the ogre very briskly ; ' and to convince 
 you, you shall see me now become a lion.' 
 
 Puss was so sadly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him 
 
 that he immediately got into the gutter, not without abundance of 
 trouble and danger, because of his boots, which were of no use at 
 all to him in walking upon the tiles. A little while after, when 
 Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form, he came 
 down, and owned he had been very much frightened. 
 
 ' I have been moreover informed,' said the Cat, ' but I know 
 not how to believe it, that you have also the power to take on 
 you the shape of the smallest animals; for example, to change 
 
 L
 
 146 THE MASTEE CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS 
 
 yourself into a rat or a mouse ; but I must own to you I take this 
 
 to be impossible.' 
 
 ' Impossible ! ' cried the ogre ; ' you shall see that presently.' 
 And at the same time he changed himself into a mouse, and 
 
 began to run about the floor. Puss no sooner perceived this but 
 
 he fell upon him and ate him up. 
 
 Meanwhile the King, who saw, as he passed, this fine castle of 
 
 the ogre's, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise 
 
 of his Majesty's coach running over the draw-bridge, ran out, and 
 
 said to the King : 
 
 ' Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my Lord Marquis of 
 Carabas.' 
 
 ' What ! my Lord Marquis,' cried the King, ' and does this castle 
 also belong to you ? There can be nothing finer than this court 
 and all the stately buildings which surround it ; let us go into it, if 
 you please.' 
 
 The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the 
 King, who went first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they 
 found a magnificent collation, which the ogre had prepared for 
 his friends, who were that very day to visit him, but dared not to 
 enter, knowing the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly
 
 THE MASTER CAT ; OR, PUSS IN SOOTS 147 
 
 charmed with the good qualities of my Lord Marquis of Carabas, 
 as was his daughter, who had fallen violently in love with him, and, 
 seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him, after having drunk 
 five or six glasses : 
 
 ' It will be owing to yourself only, my Lord Marquis, if you are 
 not my son-in-law.' 
 
 The Marquis, making several low bows, accepted the honour 
 which his Majesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very 
 same day, married the Princess. 
 
 Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more 
 but only for his diversion. 1 
 
 1 Charles Perrault.
 
 148 
 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a poor labourer who, feeling that 
 he had not much longer to live, wished to divide his possessions 
 between his son and daughter, whom he loved dearly. 
 
 So he called them to him, and said : ' Your mother brought me 
 as her dowry two stools and a straw bed ; I have, besides, a hen, 
 a pot of pinks, and a silver ring, which were given me by a noble 
 lady who once lodged in my poor cottage. When she went away 
 she said to me : 
 
 '" Be careful of my gifts, good man ; see that you do not lose the 
 ring or forget to water the pinks. As for your daughter, I promise 
 you that she shall be more beautiful than anyone you ever saw in 
 your life ; call her Felicia, and when she grows up give her the ring 
 and the pot of pinks to console her for her poverty." Take them 
 both then, my dear child,' he added, ' and your brother shall have 
 everything else.' 
 
 The two children seemed quite contented, and when their 
 father died they wept for him, and divided his possessions as he had 
 told them. Felicia believed that her brother loved her, but when 
 she sat down upon one of the stools he said angrily : 
 
 ' Keep your pot of pinks and your ring, but let my things alone. 
 I like order in my house.' 
 
 Felicia, who was very gentle, said nothing, but stood up crying 
 quietly ; while Bruno, for that was her brother's name, sat comfort- 
 ably by the fire. Presently, when supper-time came, Bruno had a 
 delicious egg, and he threw the shell to Felicia, saying : 
 
 ' There, that is all I can give you ; if you don't like it, go out and 
 catch frogs ; there are plenty of them in the marsh close by.' 
 Felicia did not answer, but she cried more bitterly than ever, and 
 went away to her own little room. She found it filled with the 
 sweet scent of the pinks, and, going up to them, she said sadly : 
 
 ' Beautiful pinks, you are so sweet and so pretty, you are the
 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 149 
 
 only comfort I have left. Be very sure that I will take care of you, 
 and water you well, and never allow any cruel hand to tear you 
 from your stems.' 
 
 As she leant over them she noticed that they were very dry. 
 So taking her pitcher, she ran 
 off in the clear moonlight to the 
 fountain, which was at some 
 distance. When she reached 
 it she sat down upon the brink 
 to rest, but she had hardly 
 done so when she saw a stately 
 lady coming towards her, sur- 
 rounded by numbers of atten- 
 dants. Six maids of honour 
 carried her train, and she 
 leaned upon the arm of another. 
 
 When they came near the 
 fountain a canopy was spread 
 for her, under which was 
 placed a sofa of cloth-of-gold, 
 and presently a dainty supper 
 was served, upon a table 
 covered with dishes of gold 
 and crystal, while the wind in 
 the trees and the falling water 
 of the fountain murmured the 
 softest music. 
 
 Felicia was hidden in the 
 shade, too much astonished by all she saw to venture to move ; but 
 in a few moments the Queen said : 
 
 'I fancy I see a shepherdess near that tree; bid her come 
 hither.' 
 
 So Felicia came forward and saluted the Queen timidly, but 
 with so much grace that all were surprised. 
 
 ' What are you doing here, my pretty child ? ' asked the Queen. 
 ' Are you not afraid of robbers ? ' 
 
 ' Ah ! madam,' said Felicia, ' a poor shepherdess who has nothing 
 to lose does not fear robbers.' 
 
 ' You are not very rich, then ? ' said the Queen, smiling. 
 
 ' I am so poor,' answered Felicia, ' that a pot of pinKs and a 
 silver ring are my only possessions in the world.'
 
 150 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 ' But you have a heart,' said the Queen. ' "What should you say 
 if anybody wanted to steal that ? ' 
 
 ' I do not know what it is like to lose one's heart, madam,' 
 she replied ; ' but I have always heard that without a heart one 
 cannot live, and if it is broken one must die ; and in spite of my 
 poverty I should be sorry not to live.' 
 
 ' You are quite right to take care of your heart, pretty one,' said 
 the Queen. ' But tell me, have you supped ? ' 
 
 ' No, madam,' answered Felicia ; ' my brother ate all the supper 
 there was.' 
 
 Then the Queen ordered that a place should be made for her at 
 the table, and herself loaded Felicia's plate with good things ; but 
 she was too much astonished to be hungry. 
 
 ' I want to know what you were doing at the fountain so late ? ' 
 said the Queen presently. 
 
 ' I came to fetch a pitcher of water for my pinks, madam,' she 
 answered, stooping tp pick up the pitcher which stood beside her ; 
 but when she showed it to the Queen she was amazed to see that it 
 had turned to gold, all sparkling with great diamonds, and the 
 water, of which it was full, was more fragrant than the sweetest 
 roses. She was afraid to take it until the Queen said : 
 
 ' It is yours, Felicia ; go and water your pinks with it, and let it 
 remind you that the Queen of the Woods is your friend.' 
 
 The shepherdess threw herself at the Queen's feet, and thanked 
 her humbly for her gracious words. 
 
 ' Ah ! madam,' she cried, ' if I might beg you to stay here a 
 moment I would run and fetch my pot of pinks for you they 
 could not fall into better hands.' 
 
 ' Go, Felicia,' said the Queen, stroking her cheek softly ; ' I will 
 wait here until you come back.' 
 
 So Felicia took up her pitcher and ran to her little room, but 
 while she had been away Bruno had gone in and taken the pot of 
 pinks, leaving a great cabbage in its place. When she saw the 
 unlucky cabbage Felicia was much distressed, and did not know 
 what to do ; but at last she ran back to the fountain, and, kneeling 
 before the Queen, said : 
 
 ' Madam, Bruno has stolen my pot of pinks, so I have nothing 
 but my silver ring ; but I beg you to accept it as a proof of my 
 gratitude.' 
 
 'But if I take your ring, my pretty shepherdess,' said the 
 Queen, ' you will have nothing left ; and what will you do then ? '
 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 151 
 
 ' Ah ! madam,' she answered simply, ' if I have your friendship 
 I shall do very well.' 
 
 So the Queen took the ring and put it on her finger, and 
 mounted her chariot, which was made of coral studded with 
 emeralds, and drawn by six milk-white horses. And Felicia looked 
 after her until the winding of the forest path hid her from her sight, 
 and then she went back to the cottage, thinking over all the 
 wonderful things that had happened. 
 
 The first thing she did when she reached her room was to throw 
 the cabbage out of the window. 
 
 But she was very mucli surprised to hear an odd little voice cry 
 out : ' Oh ! I am half killed ! ' and could not tell where it came from, 
 because cabbages do not generally speak. 
 
 As soon as it was light, Felicia, who was very unhappy about 
 her pot of pinks, went out to look for it, and the first thing she 
 found was the unfortunate cabbage. She gave it a push with her 
 foot, saying : ' What are you doing here, and how dared you 
 put yourself in the place of my pot of pinks ? ' 
 
 ' If I hadn't been carried,' replied the cabbage, ' yon may be 
 very sure that I shouldn't have thought of going there.' 
 
 It made her shiver with fright to hear the cabbage talk, but he 
 went on : 
 
 'If you will be good enough to plant me by my comrades again, 
 I can tell you where your pinks are at this moment hidden in 
 Bruno's bed ! ' 
 
 Felicia was in despair when she heard this, not knowing how 
 she was to get them back. But she replanted the cabbage very 
 kindly in his old place, and, as she finished doing it, she saw 
 Bruno's hen, and said, catching hold of it : 
 
 ' Come here, horrid little creature ! you shall suffer for all the 
 unkind things ray brother has done to me.' 
 
 ' All ! shepherdess,' said the hen, ' don't kill me ; I am rather a 
 gossip, and I can tell you some surprising things that you will like 
 to hear. Don't imagine that you are the daughter of the poor 
 labourer who brought you up ; your mother was a queen who had six 
 girls already, and the King threatened that unless she had a son 
 who could inherit his kingdom she should have her head cut off. 
 
 ' So when the Queen had another little daughter she was quite 
 frightened, and agreed with her sister (who was a fairy) to exchange 
 her for the fairy's little son. Now the Queen had been shut up in 
 a great tower by the King's orders, and when a great many days
 
 152 
 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 went by and still she heard nothing from the Fairy she made her 
 escape from the window by means of a rope ladder, taking her 
 little baby with her. After wandering about until she was half 
 
 dead with cold and fatigue 
 she reached this cottage. 
 I was the labourer's wife, 
 and was a good nurse, 
 and the Queen gave you 
 into my charge, and told 
 me all her misfortunes, 
 and then died before she 
 had time to say what was 
 to become of you. 
 
 ' As I never in all my 
 life could keep a secret, I 
 could not help telling this 
 strange tale to my neigh- 
 bours, and one day a beau- 
 tiful lady came hei'e, and 
 I told it to her also. When 
 I had finished she touched 
 me with a wand she held 
 in her hand, and instantly 
 I became a hen, and there 
 was an end of my talking ! 
 I was very sad, and my 
 husband, who was out 
 when it happened, never knew what had become of me. After 
 seeking me everywhere he believed that I must have been drowned, 
 or eaten up by wild beasts in the forest. That same lady came 
 here once more, and commanded that you should be called Felicia, 
 and left the ring and the pot of pinks to be given to you ; and while 
 she was in the house twenty-five of the King's guards came to 
 search for you, doubtless meaning to kill you ; but she muttered a 
 few words, and immediately they all turned into cabbages. It was 
 one of them whom you threw out of your window yesterday. 
 
 'I don't know how it was that he could speak I have never 
 heard either of them say a word before, nor have I been able to 
 do it myself until now.' 
 
 The Princess was greatly astonished at the hen's story, and 
 caid kindly : ' I am truly sorry for you, my poor nurse, and wish it
 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 153 
 
 was in my power to restore you to your real form. But we must 
 not despair ; it seems to me, after what you have told me, that some- 
 thing must be going to happen soon. Just now, however, I must 
 go and look for my pinks, which I love better than anything in the 
 world.' 
 
 Bruno had gone out into the forest, never thinking that Felicia 
 would search in his room for the pinks, and she was delighted by 
 his unexpected absence, and thought to get them back without 
 further trouble. But as soon as she entered the room she saw a 
 terrible army of rats, who were guarding the straw bed ; and when 
 she attempted to approach it they sprang at her, biting and scratch- 
 ing furiously. Quite terrified, she drew back, crying out : ' Oh ! 
 my dear pinks, how can you stay here in such bad company ? ' 
 
 Then she suddenly bethought herself of the pitcher of water, 
 and, hoping that it might have some magic power, she ran to fetch 
 it., and sprinkled a few drops over the fierce -looking swarm of rats. 
 In a moment not a tail or a whisker was to be seen. Each one had 
 made for his hole as fast as his legs could carry him, so that the 
 Princess could safely take her pot of pinks. She found them nearly 
 dying for want of water, and hastily poured all that was left in 
 the pitcher upon them. As she bent over them, enjoying their 
 delicious scent, a soft voice, that seemed to rustle among the 
 leaves, said : 
 
 ' Lovely Felicia, the day has come at last when I may have the 
 happiness of telling you how even the flowers love you and rejoice 
 in your beauty.' 
 
 The Princess, quite overcome by the strangeness of hearing a 
 cabbage, a hen, and a pink speak, and by the terrible sight of an 
 army of rats, suddenly became very pale, and fainted away. 
 
 At this moment in came Bruno. Working hard in the heat 
 had not improved his temper, and when he saw that Felicia had 
 succeeded in finding her pinks he was so angry that he dragged 
 her out into the garden and shut the door upon her. The fresh air 
 soon made her open her pretty eyes, and there before her stood 
 the Queen of the Woods, looking as charming as ever. 
 
 ' You have a bad brother,' she said ; ' I saw how cruelly he turned 
 you out. Shall I punish him for it ? ' 
 
 ' All ! no, madam,' she said : ' I am not angry with him. 
 
 ' But supposing he was not your brother, after all, what would 
 you say then ? ' asked the Queen. 
 
 ' Oh! but I think he must be,' said Felicia.
 
 154 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 ' What ! ' said the Queen, ' have you not heard that you are a 
 princess ? ' 
 
 ' I was told so a little while ago, madam, but how could I believe 
 it without a single proof? ' 
 
 ' Ah ! dear child,' said the Queen, ' the way you speak assures 
 me that, in spite of your humble upbringing, you are indeed a real 
 princess, and I can save you from being treated in such a way again.' 
 
 She was interrupted at this moment by the arrival of a very 
 handsome young man. He wore a coat of green velvet fastened 
 with emerald clasps, and had a crown of pinks on his head. He 
 knelt upon one knee and kissed the Queen's hand. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' she cried, ' my pink, my dear son, what a happiness to 
 see you restored to your natural shape by Felicia's aid ! ' And she 
 embraced him joyfully. Then turning to Felicia she said : 
 
 ' Charming Princess, I know all the hen told you, but you can- 
 not have heard that the zephyrs, to whom was entrusted the task 
 of carrying my son to the tower where the Queen, your mother, so 
 anxiously waited for him, left him instead in a garden of flowers, 
 while they flew off to tell your mother. Whereupon a fairy with 
 whom I had quarrelled changed him into a pink, and I could do 
 nothing to prevent it. 
 
 ' You may imagine how angry I was, and how I tried to find some 
 means of undoing the mischief she had done ; but there was no help 
 for it. I could only bring Prince Pink to the place where you were 
 being brought up, hoping that when you grew up he might love you, 
 and by your care be restored to his natural form. And you see 
 everything has come right, as I hoped it would. Your giving me 
 the silver ring was the sign that the power of the charm was nearlv 
 over, and my enemy's last chance was to frighten you with her 
 army of rats. That she did not succeed in doing ; so now, my dear 
 Felicia, if you will be married to my son with this silver ring your 
 future happiness is certain. Do you think him handsome and 
 amiable enough to be willing to marry him ? ' 
 
 ' Madam,' replied Felicia, blushing, ' you overwhelm me with 
 your kindness. I know that you are my mother's sister, and that 
 by your art you turned the soldiers who were sent to kill me into 
 cabbages, and my nurse into a hen, and that you do me only too 
 much honour in proposing that I shall marry your son. How can 
 I explain to you the cause of my hesitation ? I feel, for the first 
 time in my life, how happy it would make me to be beloved. Can 
 you indeed give me the Prince's heart ? '
 
 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 155 
 
 ' It is yours already, lovely Princess ! ' he cried, taking her hand 
 in his ; ' but for the horrible enchantment which kept me silent I 
 should have told you long ago how dearly I love you.' 
 
 This made the Princess very happy, and the Queen, who could 
 not bear to see her dressed like a poor shepherdess, touched her with 
 her wand, saying : 
 
 ' I wish you to be attired as befits your rank and beauty.' And 
 immediately the Princess's cotton dress became a magnificent robe 
 of silver brocade embroidered with carbuncles, and her soft dark 
 hair was encircled by a crown of diamonds, from which floated a 
 clear white veil. With her bright eyes, and the charming colour 
 in her cheeks, she was altogether such a dazzling sight that the 
 Prince could hardly bear it.
 
 156 FELICIA AND THE POT OF PINKS 
 
 ' How pretty you are. Felicia!' he cried. 'Don't keep me in 
 suspense, I entreat you ; say that you will marry me.' 
 
 ' Ah ! ' said the Queen, smiling, ' I think she will not refuse now.' 
 
 Just then Bruno, who was going back to his work, came out of 
 
 the cottage, and thought he must be dreaming when he saw Felicia ; 
 
 but she called him very kindly, and begged the Queen to take pity 
 
 on him. 
 
 .' What ! ' she said, ' when he was so unkind to you ? ' 
 ' Ah ! madam,' said the Princess, ' I am so happy that I should 
 like everybody else to be happy too.' 
 
 The Queen kissed her, and said: ' Well, to please you, let me see 
 what I can do for this cross Bruno.' And with a wave of her wand 
 she turned the poor little cottage into a splendid palace, full of 
 treasures; only the two stools and the straw bed remained just as 
 they were, to remind him of his former poverty. Then the Queen 
 touched Bruno himself, and made him gentle and polite and 
 grateful, and he thanked her and the Princess a thousand times. 
 Lastly, the Queen restored the hen and the cabbages to their 
 natural forms, and left them all very contented. The Prince and 
 Princess were married as soon as possible with great splendour, 
 and lived happily ever after. 1 
 
 1 FoHunie. Par Madame la Comtesse d'Auluoy.
 
 157 
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a king who had three sons, who 
 were all so clever and brave that he began to be afraid that 
 they would want to reign over the kingdom before he was dead. 
 Now the King, though he felt that he was growing old, did not at 
 all wish to give up the government of his kingdom while he could 
 still manage it very well, so he thought the best way to live in 
 peace would be to divert the minds of his sons by promises which 
 he could always get out of when the time came for keeping them. 
 
 So he sent for them all, and, after speaking to them kindly, he 
 added : 
 
 ' You will quite agree with me, my dear children, that my great 
 age makes it impossible for me to look after my affairs of state as care- 
 fully as I once did. I begin to fear that this may affect the welfare 
 of my subjects, therefore I wish that one of you should succeed to 
 my crown ; but in return for such a gift as this it is only right that 
 you should do something for me. Now, as I think of retiring into 
 the country, it seems to me that a pretty, lively, faithful little dog 
 would be very good company for me ; so, without any regard for 
 your ages, I promise that the one who brings me the most beautiful 
 little dog shall succeed me at once.' 
 
 The three Princes were greatly surprised by their father's sudden 
 fancy for a little dog, but as it gave the two younger ones a chance they 
 would not otherwise have had of being king, and as the eldest was 
 too polite to make any objection, they accepted the commission with 
 pleasure. They bade farewell to the King, who gave them presents 
 of silver and precious stones, and appointed to meet them at the 
 same hour, in the same place, after a year had passed, to see the 
 little dogs they had brought for him. 
 
 Then they went together to a castle which was about a league 
 from the city, accompanied by all their particular friends, to whom 
 they gave a grand banquet, and the three brothers promised to be
 
 158 
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 friends always, to share whatever good fortune befell them, and not 
 to be parted by any envy or jealousy ; and so they set out, agreeing 
 to meet at the same castle at the appointed time, to present them-, 
 selves before the King together. Each one took a different road, 
 and the two eldest met with many adventures; but it is about the 
 youngest that you are going to hear. He was young, and gay, and 
 handsome, and knew everything that a prince ought to know ; and 
 as for his courage, there was simply no end to it. 
 
 Hardly a day passed without his buying several dogs big and 
 
 little, greyhounds, mastiffs, spaniels, and lapdogs. As soon as he 
 had bought a pretty one he was sure to see a still prettier, and then 
 he had to get rid of all the others and buy that one, as, being alone, he 
 found it impossible to take thirty or forty thousand dogs about with 
 him. He journeyed from day to day, not knowing where he was 
 going, until at last, just at nightfall, he reached a great, gloomy forest. 
 He did not know his way, and, to make matters worse, it began to 
 thunder, and the rain poured down. He took the first path he could 
 find, and after walking for a long time he fancied he saw a faint light,
 
 THE WHITE CAT 159 
 
 and began to hope that he was coming to some cottage where he 
 might find shelter for the night. At length, guided by the light, he 
 reached the door of the most splendid castle he could have imagined. 
 This door was of gold covered with carbuncles, and it was the pure 
 red light which shone from them that had shown him the way through 
 the forest. The walls were of the finest porcelain in all the most 
 delicate colours, and the Prince saw that all the stories he had ever 
 read were pictured upon them ; but as he was quite terribly wet, and 
 the rain still fell in torrents, he could not stay to look about any 
 more, but came back to the golden door. There he saw a deer's 
 foot hanging by a chain of diamonds, and he began to wonder who 
 could live in this magnificent castle. 
 
 They must feel very secure against robbers,' he said to him- 
 self. ' ^Tiat is to hinder anyone from cutting off that chain and 
 digging out those carbuncles, and making himself rich for life ? ' 
 
 He pulled the deer's foot, and immediately a silver bell sounded 
 and the door flew open, but the Prince could see nothing but 
 numbers of hands in the air, each holding a torch. He was so 
 much surprised that he stood quite still, until he felt himself 
 pushed forward by other hands, so that, though he was somewhat 
 nneasy, he could not help going on. With his hand on his sword, 
 to bo prepared for whatever might happen, he entered a hall paved 
 with lapis-lazuli, while two lovely voices sang : 
 
 The hands you see floating above 
 
 Will swiftly your bidding obey ; 
 If your heart dreads not conquering Love, 
 
 In this place you may fearlessly stay. 
 
 The Prince could not believe that any danger threatened him 
 when he was welcomed in this way, so, guided by the mysterious 
 hands, he went towards a door of coral, which opened of its own 
 accord, and he found himself in a vast hall of mother-of-pearl, out 
 of which opened a number of other rooms, glittering with thou- 
 sands of lights, and full of such beautiful pictures and precious 
 things that the Prince felt quite bewildered. After passing through 
 sixty rooms the hands that conducted him stopped, and the Prince 
 saw a most comfortable-looking arm-chair drawTi up close to the 
 chimney-corner ; at the same moment the fire lighted itself, and the 
 pretty, soft, clever hands took off the Prince's wet, muddy clothes, 
 and presented him with fresh ones made of the richest stuffs, all 
 embroidered with gold and emeralds. He could not help admiring
 
 160 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 everything he saw, and the deft way in which the hands waited on 
 him, though they sometimes appeared so suddenly that they made 
 him jump. 
 
 When he was quite ready and I can assure you that he looked 
 very different from the wet and weary Prince who had stood out- 
 side in the rain, and pulled the deer's foot the hands led him to 
 a splendid room, upon the walls of which were painted the his- 
 tories of Puss in Boots and a number of other famous cats. The 
 table was laid for supper with two golden plates, and golden spoons 
 and forks, and the sideboard was covered with dishes and glasses 
 of crystal set with precious stones. The Prince was wondering who 
 the second place could be for, when suddenly in came about a dozen 
 cats carrying guitars and rolls of music, who took their places at 
 one end of the room, and under the direction of a cat who beat time 
 with a roll of paper began to mew in every imaginable key, and to 
 draw their claws across the strings of the guitars, making the 
 strangest kind of music that could be heard. The Prince hastily 
 stopped up his ears, but even then the sight of these comical 
 musicians sent him into fits of laughter. 
 
 ' What funny thing shall I see next ? ' he said to himself, and 
 instantly the door opened, and in came a tiny figure covered by a 
 long black veil. It was conducted by two cats wearing black mantles 
 and carrying swords, and a large party of cats followed, who 
 brought in cages full of rats and mice. 
 
 The Prince was so much astonished that he thought he must be 
 dreaming, but the little figure came up to him and threw back its 
 veil, and he saw that it was the loveliest little white cat it is pos- 
 sible to imagine. She looked very young and very sad, and in a 
 sweet little voice that went straight to his heart she said to the 
 Prince : 
 
 ' King's son, you are welcome ; the Queen of the Cats is glad to 
 see you.' 
 
 ' Lady Cat,' replied the Prince, ' I thank you for receiving me 
 so kindly, but surely you are no ordinary pussy-cat ? Indeed, the 
 way you speak and the magnificence of your castle prove it 
 plainly.' 
 
 ' King's son,' said the White Cat, ' I beg you to spare me these 
 compliments, for I am not used to them. But now,' she added, 
 ' let supper be served, and let the musicians be silent, as the Prince 
 does not understand what they are saying.' 
 
 So the mysterious hands began to bring in the supper, and
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 161 
 
 first they put on the table two dishes, one containing stewed 
 pigeons and the other a fricassee of fat mice. The sight of the 
 latter made the Prince feel as if he could not enjoy his supper 
 at all ; but the White Cat seeing this assured him that the dishes 
 intended for him were prepared in a separate kitchen, and he might 
 be quite certain that they contained neither rats nor mice ; and the 
 Prince felt so sure that she would not deceive him that he had no 
 more hesitation in beginning. Presently he noticed that on the 
 little paw that was next him the White Cat wore a bracelet con- 
 
 taining a portrait, and he begged to be allowed to look at it. To his 
 great surprise he found it represented an extremely handsome young 
 man, who was so like himself that it might have been his own por- 
 trait ! The White Cat sighed as he looked at it, and seemed sadder 
 than ever, and the Prince dared not ask any questions for fear of 
 displeasing her ; so he began to talk about other things, and found 
 that she was interested in all the subjects he cared for himself, and 
 seemed to know quite well what was going on in the world. After 
 supper they went into another room, which was fitted up as a 
 theatre, and the cats acted and danced for their amusement, and
 
 162 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 then the White Cat said good-night to him, and the hands conducted 
 him into a room he had not seen before, hung with tapestry worked 
 with butterflies' wings of every colour ; there were mirrors that 
 reached from the ceiling to the floor, and a little white bed with 
 curtains of gauze tied up with ribbons. The Prince went to bed in 
 silence, as he did not quite know how to begin a conversation with 
 the hands that waited on him, and in the morning he was awakened 
 by a noise and confusion outside his window, and the hands came 
 and quickly dressed him in hunting costume. When he looked out 
 all the cats were assembled in the courtyard, some leading grey- 
 hounds, some blowing horns, for the White Cat was going out 
 hunting. The hands led a wooden horse up to the Prince, and 
 seemed to expect him to mount it, at which he was very indignant ; 
 but it was no use for him to object, for he speedily found himself 
 upon its back, and it pranced gaily off with him. 
 
 The White Cat herself was riding a monkey, which climbed even 
 up to the eagles' nests when she had a fancy for the young eaglets. 
 Never was there a pleasanter hunting party, and when they returned 
 to the castle the Prince and the White Cat supped together as be- 
 fore, but when they had finished she offered him a crystal goblet, 
 which must have contained a magic draught, for, as soon as he had 
 swallowed its contents, he forgot everything, even the little dog that 
 he was seeking for the King, and only thought how happy he was 
 to be with the White Cat ! And so the days passed, in every kind 
 of amusement, until the year was nearly gone. The Prince had 
 forgotten all about meeting his brothers : he did not even know 
 what country he belonged to ; but the White Cat knew when he 
 ought to go back, and one day she said to him : 
 
 ' Do you know that you have only three days left to look for the 
 little dog for your father, and your brothers have found lovely 
 ones ? ' 
 
 Then the Prince suddenly recovered his memory, and cried : 
 
 ' What can have made me forget such an important thing ? my 
 whole fortune depends upon it ; and even if I could in such a short 
 time find a dog pretty enough to gain me a kingdom, where should 
 I find a horse who could carry me all that way in three days ? ' 
 And he began to be very vexed. But the White Cat said to him : 
 ' King's son, do not trouble yourself; I am your friend, and will make 
 everything easy for you. You can still stay here for a day, as the 
 good wooden horse can take 3-011 to your country in twelve hours.' 
 
 ' I thank you, beautiiul Cat,' said the Prince ; ' but what good
 
 THE WHITE CAT 163 
 
 will it do me to get back if I have not a dog to take to my 
 father ? ' 
 
 ' See here,' answered the "White Cat, holding up an acorn ; ' there 
 is a prettier one in this than in the Dog-star ! ' 
 
 ' Oh ! White Cat dear,' said the Prince, ' how unkind you are 
 to laugh at me now ! ' 
 
 ' Only listen,' she said, holding the acorn to his ear. 
 
 And inside it he distinctly heard a tiny voice say : ' Bow-wow ! ' 
 
 The Prince was delighted, for a dog that can be shut up in an 
 acorn must be very small indeed. He wanted to take it out and 
 look at it, but the White Cat said it would be better not to open 
 the acorn till he was before the King, in case the tiny dog should be 
 cold on the journey. He thanked her a thousand times, and' said 
 good-bye quite sadly when the time came for him to set out. 
 
 ' The days have passed so quickly with you,' he said, ' I only 
 wish I could take you with me now.' 
 
 But the White Cat shook her head and sighed deeply in answer. 
 
 After all the Prince was the first to arrive at the castle where 
 he had agreed to meet his brothers, but they came soon after, and 
 stared in amazement when they saw the wooden horse in the court- 
 yard jumping like a hunter. 
 
 The Prince met them joyfully, and they began to tell him all 
 their adventures ; but he managed to hide from them what he had 
 been doing, and even led them to think that a turnspit dog which 
 he had with him was the one he was bringing for the King. Fond 
 as they all were of one another, the two eldest could not help being 
 glad to think that their dogs certainly had a better chance. The 
 next morning they started in the same chariot. The elder brothers 
 carried in baskets two such tiny, fragile dogs that they hardly dared 
 to touch them. As for the turnspit, he ran after the chariot, and 
 got so covered with mud that one could hardly see what he was 
 like at all. When they reached the palace everyone crowded round 
 to welcome them as they went into the King's great hall ; and when 
 the two brothers presented their little dogs nobody could decide 
 which was the prettier. They were already arranging between them- 
 selves to share the kingdom equally, when the youngest stepped for- 
 ward, drawing from his pocket the acorn the White Cat had given 
 him. He opened it quickly, and there upon a white cushion they 
 saw a dog so small that it could easily have been put through a ring. 
 The Prince laid it upon the ground, and it got up at once and began 
 to dance. The King did not know what to say, for it was impossible 
 
 ic 2
 
 164 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 that anything could be prettier than this little creature. Neverthe- 
 less, as he was in no hurry to part with his crown, he told his sons 
 that, as they had been so successful the first time, he would ask them 
 to go once again, and seek by land and sea for a piece of muslin so fine 
 that it could be drawn through the eye of a needle. The brothers 
 were not very willing to set out again, but the two eldest consented 
 because it gave them another chance, and they started as before. 
 The youngest again mounted the wooden horse, and rode back at 
 full speed to his beloved White Cat. Every door of the castle 
 
 stood wide open, and every window and turret was illuminated, so 
 it looked more wonderful than before. The hands hastened to meet 
 him, and led the wooden horse off to the stable, while he hurried 
 in to find the White Cat. She was asleep in a little basket on a 
 white satin cushion, but she very soon started up when she heard 
 the Prince, and was over -joyed at seeing him once more. 
 
 ' How could I hope that you would come back to me, King's son ? ' 
 she said. And then he stroked and petted her, and told her of his 
 successful journey, and how he had come back to ask her help, as
 
 THE WHITE CAT 165 
 
 he believed that it was impossible to find what the King demanded. 
 The White Cat looked serious, and said she must think what was 
 to be done, but that, luckily, there were some cats in the castle who 
 could spin very well, and if anybody could manage it they could, 
 and she would set them the task herself. 
 
 And then the hands appeared carrying torches, and conducted 
 the Prince and the White Cat to a long gallery which overlooked 
 the river, from the windows of which they saw a magnificent 
 display of fireworks of all sorts ; after which they had supper, which 
 the Prince liked even better than the fireworks, for it was very late, 
 and he was hungry after his long ride. And so the days passed 
 quickly as before ; it was impossible to feel dull with the W 7 hite 
 Cat, and she had quite a talent for inventing new amusements 
 indeed, she was cleverer than a cat has any right to be. But when 
 the Prince asked her how it was that she was so wise, she only 
 said : 
 
 ' King's son, do not ask me ; guess what you please. I may not 
 tell you anything.' 
 
 The Prince was so happy that he did not trouble himself at all 
 about the time, but presently the White Cat told him that the year 
 was gone, and that he need not be at all anxious about the piece 
 of muslin, as they had made it very well. 
 
 ' This time,' she added, ' I can give you a suitable escort; ' and 
 on looking out into the courtyard the Prince saw a superb chariot 
 of burnished gold, enamelled in flame colour with a thousand 
 different devices. It was drawn by twelve snow-white horses, 
 harnessed four abreast ; their trappings were of flame-coloured 
 velvet, embroidered with diamonds. A hundred chariots followed, 
 each drawn by eight horses, and filled with officers in splendid 
 uniforms, and a thousand guards surrounded the procession. 
 ' Go ! ' said the White Cat, ' and when you appear before the King 
 in such state he surely will not refuse you the crown which you 
 deserve. Take this walnut, but do not open it until you are before 
 him, then you will find in it the piece of stuff you asked me for.' 
 
 ' Lovely Blanchette,' said the Prince, ' how can I thank you 
 properly for all your kindness to me ? Only tell me that you wish 
 it, and I will give up for ever all thought of being king, and will 
 stay here with you always.' 
 
 ' King's son,' she replied, ' it shows the goodness of your heart 
 that you should care so much for a little white cat, who is good for 
 nothing but to catch mice ; but you must not stay.'
 
 166 
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 So the Prince kissed her little paw and set out. You can 
 imagine how fast he travelled when I tell you that they reached 
 the King's palace in just half the time it had taken the wooden 
 horse to get there. This time the Prince was so late that he 
 did not try to meet his brothers at their castle, so they thought 
 he could not be coming, and were rather glad of it, and dis- 
 played their pieces of muslin to the King proudly, feeling sure of 
 success. And indeed the stuff was very fine, and would go through 
 the eye of a very large needle ; but the King, who was only too glad 
 to make a difficulty, sent for a particular needle, which was kept 
 among the Crown jewels, and had such a small eye that everybody 
 
 saw at once that it was impossible that the muslin should pass 
 through it. The Princes were angry, and were beginning to com- 
 plain that it was a trick, when suddenly the trumpets sounded 
 and the youngest Prince came in. His father and brothers were 
 quite astonished at his magnificence, and after he had greeted them 
 he took the walnut from his pocket and opened it, fully expecting 
 to find the piece of muslin, but instead there was only a hazel-nut. 
 He cracked it, and there lay a cherry-stone. Everybody was looking 
 on, and the King was chuckling to himself at the idea of finding the 
 piece of muslin in a nutshell. 
 
 However, the Prince cracked the cherry-stone, but everyone
 
 THE WHITE CAT 1C7 
 
 laughed when ne saw it contained only its own kernel. He 
 opened that and found a grain of wheat, and in that was a millet 
 seed. Then he himself hegan to wonder, and muttered softly : 
 
 ' White Cat, White Cat, are you making fun of me ? ' 
 
 In an instant he felt a cat's claw give his hand quite a sharp 
 scratch, and hoping that it was meant as an encouragement he 
 opened the millet seed, and drew out of it a piece of muslin four 
 hundred ells long, woven with the loveliest colours and most wonder- 
 ful patterns ; and when the needle was broiight it went through the 
 eye six times with the greatest ease ! The King turned pale, and 
 the other Princes stood silent and sorrowful, for nobody could deny 
 that this was the most marvellous piece of muslin that was to be 
 found in the world. 
 
 Presently the King turned to his sons, and said, with a deep 
 sigh : 
 
 ' Nothing could console me more in my old age than to realise 
 your willingness to gratify my wishes. Go then once more, and 
 whoever at the end of a year can bring back the loveliest princess 
 shall be married to her, and shall, without further delay, receive 
 the crown, for my successor must certainly be married.' The 
 Prince considered that he had earned the kingdom fairly twice over, 
 but still he was too well bred to argue about it, so he just went back 
 to his gorgeous chariot, and, surrounded by his escort, returned to 
 the White Cat faster than he had come. This time she was expect- 
 ing him, the path was strewn with flowers, and a thousand braziers 
 were burning scented woods which perfumed the air. Seated in 
 a gallery from which she could see his arrival, the White Cat waited 
 for him. ' Well, King's son,' she said, ' here you are once more, 
 without a crown.' ' Madam,' said he, ' thanks to your generosity 
 I have earned one twice over ; but the fact is that my father is so 
 loth to part with it that it would be no pleasure to me to take it.' 
 
 ' Never mind,' she answered ; ' it's just as well to try and deserve 
 it. As you must take back a lovely princess with you next time I 
 will be on the look-out for one for you. In the meantime let us enjoy 
 ourselves ; to-night I have ordered a battle between my cats and 
 the river rats, on purpose to amuse you.' So this year slipped away 
 even more pleasantly than the preceding ones. Sometimes the 
 Prince could not help asking the White Cat how it was she could 
 talk. 
 
 ' Perhaps you are a fairy,' he said. ' Or has some enchanter 
 changed you into a cat ? '
 
 168 
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 But she only gave him answers that told him nothing. Days 
 go by so quickly when one is very happy that it is certain 
 the Prince would never have thought of its being time to go back, 
 when one evening as they sat together the White Cat said to him 
 that if he wanted to take a lovely princess home with him the next 
 day he must be prepared to do as she told him. 
 
 ' Take this sword,' she said, ' and cut off my head ! ' 
 ' I ! ' cried the Prince, ' I cut off your head ! Blanchette darling, 
 how could I do it ? ' 
 
 ' I entreat you to do as I tell you, King's son,' she replied. 
 
 The tears came into the Prince's eyes as he begged her to ask 
 him anything but that to set him any task she pleased as a proof 
 of his devotion, but to spare him the grief of killing his dear Pussy. 
 But nothing he could say altered her determination, and at last 
 he drew his sword, and desperately, with a trembling hand, cut off 
 the little white head. But imagine his astonishment and delight 
 when suddenly a lovely princess stood before him, and, while he was 
 stih 1 speechless with amazement, the door opened and a goodly 
 company of knights and ladies entered, each carrying a cat's skin !
 
 THE WHITE CAT 169 
 
 They hastened with every sign of joy to the Princess, kissing her 
 hand and congratulating her on being once more restored to her 
 natural shape. She received them graciously, but after a few minutes 
 begged that they would leave her alone with the Prince, to whom 
 she said : 
 
 ' You see, Prince, that you were right in supposing me to be no 
 ordinary cat. My father reigned over six kingdoms. The Queen, my 
 mother, whom he loved deariy, had a passion for travelling and 
 exploring, and when I was only a few weeks old she obtained his 
 permission to visit a certain mountain of which she had heard many 
 marvellous tales, and set out, taking with her a number of her 
 attendants. On the way they had to pass near an old castle belong- 
 ing to the fairies. Nobody had ever been into it, but it was 
 reported to be full of the most wonderful things, and my mother 
 remembered to have heard that the fairies had in their garden 
 such fruits as were to be seen and tasted nowhere else. She began 
 to wish to try them for herself, and turned her steps in the direc- 
 tion of the garden. On arriving at the door, which blazed with gold 
 and jewels, she ordered her servants to knock loudly, but it was 
 useless ; it seemed as if all the inhabitants of the castle must be 
 asleep or dead. Now the more difficult it became to obtain the 
 fruit, the more the Queen was determined that have it she would. 
 So she ordered that they should bring ladders, and get over the 
 wall into the garden ; but though the wall did not look very high, 
 and they tied the ladders together to make them very long, it was 
 quite impossible to get to the top. 
 
 ' The Queen was in despair, but as night was coming on she 
 ordered that they should encamp just where they were, and went 
 to bed herself, feeling quite ill, she was so disappointed. In the 
 middle of the night she was suddenly awakened, and saw to her 
 surprise a tiny, ugly old woman seated by her bedside, who said to 
 her: 
 
 ' " I must say that we consider it somewhat troublesome of your 
 Majesty to insist upon tasting our fruit ; but, to save you any annoy, 
 ance, my sisters and I will consent to give you as much as you 
 can carry away, on one condition that is, that you shall give us 
 your little daughter to bring up as our own." 
 
 '"Ah! my dear madam," cried the Queen, "is there nothing 
 else that you will take for the fruit ? I will give you my kingdoms 
 willingly." 
 
 1 " No," replied the old fairy, " we will have nothing but your little
 
 170 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 daughter. She shall be as happy as the day is TOng, and we will 
 give her everything that is worth having in fairy-land, but you 
 must not see her again until she is married." 
 
 ' " Though it is a hard condition," said the Queen, " I consent, 
 for I shall certainly die if I do not taste the fruit, and so I should 
 lose my little daughter either way." 
 
 ' So the old fairy led her into the castle, and, though it was still 
 the middle of the night, the Queen could see plainly that it was far 
 more beautiful than she had been told, ' which you can easily believe, 
 Prince,' said the White Cat, ' when I tell you that it was this 
 castle that we are now in. " Will you gather the fruit yourself, 
 Queen ? " said the old fairy, " or shall I call it to come to you ? " 
 
 ' " I beg you to let me see it come when it is called," cried the 
 Queen; "that will be something quite new." The old fairy 
 whistled twice, then she cried : 
 
 ' " Apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, plurns, pears, melons, 
 grapes, apples, oranges, lemons, gooseberries, strawberiies, rasp- 
 berries, come ! " 
 
 ' And in an instant they came tumbling in, one over another, and 
 yet they were neither dusty nor spoilt, and the Queen found them 
 quite as good as she had fancied them. You see they grew upon 
 fairy trees. 
 
 ' The old fairy gave her golden baskets in which to take the fruit 
 away, and it was as much as four hundred mules could carry. 
 Then she reminded the Queen of her agreement, and led her back 
 to the camp, and next morning she went back to her kingdom ; but 
 before she had gone very far she began to repent of .her bargain, 
 and when the King came out to meet her she looked so sad that he 
 guessed that something had happened, and asked what was the 
 matter. At first the Qiieen was afraid to tell him, but when, as 
 soon as they reached the palace, five frightful little dwarfs were sent 
 by the fairies to fetch me, she was obliged to confess what she had 
 promised. The King was very angry, and had the Queen and myself 
 shut up in a great tower and safely guarded, and drove the little 
 dwarfs out of his kingdom ; but the fairies sent a great dragon who 
 ate up all the people he met, and whose breath burnt up everything 
 as he passed through the country ; and at last, after trying in vain 
 to rid himself of the monster, the King, to save his subjects, was 
 obliged to consent that I should be given up to the fairies. This 
 time they came themselves to fetch me, in a chariot of pearl drawn 
 by sea-horses, followed by the dragon, who was led with chains of
 
 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 171 
 
 diamonds. My cradle was placed between the old fairies, who loaded 
 me with caresses, and away we whirled through the air to a tower 
 which they had built on purpose for me. There I grew up sur- 
 rounded with everything that was beautiful and rare, and learning 
 everything that is ever taught to a princess, but without any com- 
 panions but a parrot and a little dog, who could both talk ; and re- 
 ceiving every day a visit from one of the old fairies, who came 
 mounted upon the dragon. One day, however, as I sat at my 
 window I saw a handsome young prince, who seemed to have been 
 hunting in the forest which surrounded my prison, and who was 
 
 standing and looking up at me. When he saw that I observed him 
 he saluted me with great deference. You can imagine that I was 
 delighted to have some one new to talk to, and in spite of the height 
 of my window our conversation was prolonged till night fell, then 
 my prince reluctantly bade me farewell. But after that he came 
 again many times, and at last I consented to marry him, but the 
 question was how I was to escape from my tower. The fairies 
 always supplied me with flax for my spinning, and by great dili- 
 gence I made enough cord for a ladder that would reach to the foot 
 of the tower ; but, alas ! just as my prince was helping me to
 
 172 THE WHITE CAT 
 
 descend it, the Grossest and ugliest of the old fairies flew in. Before 
 he had tune to defend himself my unhappy lover was swallowed 
 up by the dragon. As for me, the fairies, furious at having their 
 plans defeated, for they intended me to marry the king of the 
 dwarfs and I utterly refused, changed me into a white cat. When 
 they brought me here I found all the lords and ladies of my father's 
 court awaiting me under the same enchantment, while the people 
 of lesser rank had been made invisible, all but their hands. 
 
 ' As they laid me under the enchantment the fairies told me all 
 my history, for until then I had quite believed that I was their 
 child, and warned me that my only chance of regaining my natural 
 form was to win the love of a prince who resembled in every way 
 my unfortunate lover.' 
 
 ' And you have won it, lovely Princess,' interrupted the Prince. 
 
 ' You are indeed wonderfully like him,' resumed the Princess 
 * in voice, in features, and everything ; and if you really love me all 
 my troubles will be at an end.' 
 
 ' And mine too,' cried the Prince, throwing himself at her feet, 
 ' if you will consent to marry me.' 
 
 ' I love you already better than anyone in the world,' she 
 said ; ' but now it is time to go back to your father, and we shall hear 
 what he says about it.' 
 
 So the Prince gave her his hand and led her out, .and they 
 mounted the chariot together; it was even more splendid than 
 before, and so was the whole company. Even the horses' shoes 
 were of rubies with diamond nails, and I suppose that is the first 
 time such a thing was ever seen. 
 
 As the Princess was as kind and clever as she was beautiful, you 
 may imagine what a delightful journey the Prince found it, for 
 everything the Princess said seemed to him quite charming. 
 
 When they came near the castle where the brothers were to 
 meet, the Princess got into a chair carried by four of the guards ; it 
 was hewn out of one splendid crystal, and had silken curtains, 
 which she drew round her that she might not be seen. 
 
 The Prince saw his brothers walking upon the terrace, each 
 with a lovely princess, and they came to meet him, asking if he 
 had also found a wife. He said that he had found something much 
 rarer a little white cat ! At which they laughed very much, and 
 asked him if he was afraid of being eaten up by mice in the palace. 
 And then they set out together for the town. Each prince and 
 princess rode in a splendid carriage ; the horses were decked with
 
 THE PRINCE'S BRIDE.
 
 THE WHITE CAT 173 
 
 plumes of feathers, and glittered with gold. After them came the 
 youngest prince, and last of all the crystal chair, at which every- 
 body looked with admiration and curiosity. When the courtiers 
 saw them coming they hastened to tell the King. 
 
 ' Are the ladies beautiful ? ' he asked anxiously. 
 
 And when they answered that nobody had ever before seen such 
 lovely princesses he seemed quite annoyed. 
 
 However, he received them graciously, but found it impossible 
 to choose between them. 
 
 Then turning to his youngest son he said : 
 
 ' Have you come back alone, after all ? ' 
 
 ' Your Majesty,' replied the Prince, ' will find in that crystal 
 chair a little white cat, which has such soft paws, and mews so 
 prettily, that I am sure you will be charmed with it.' 
 
 The King smiled, and went to draw back the curtains himself, 
 but at a touch from the Princess the crystal shivered into a thou- 
 sand splinters, and there she stood in all her beauty ; her fair hair 
 floated over her shoulders and was crowned with flowers, and her 
 softly falling robe was of the purest white. She saluted the 
 King gracefully, while a murmur of admiration rose from all 
 around. 
 
 ' Sire,' she said, ' I am not come to deprive you of the throne 
 you fill so worthily. I have already six kingdoms, permit me to 
 bestow one upon you, and upon each of your sons. I ask nothing 
 but your friendship, and your consent to my marriage with your 
 youngest son; we shall still have three kingdoms left for our- 
 selves.' 
 
 The King and all the courtiers could not conceal their joy and 
 astonishment, and the marriage of the three Princes was celebrated 
 at once. The festivities lasted several months, and then each 
 king and queen departed to their own kingdom and lived happily 
 ever after. 1 
 
 1 La Chatte Uunehe. Par iladame la Comtesse d'Aulnoy.
 
 174 
 
 THE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNEBS 
 
 ONCE upon a time, in a large forest, there lived an old woman and 
 three maidens. They were all three beautiful, but the youngest 
 was the fairest. Their hut was quite hidden by trees, and none saw 
 their beauty but the sun by day, the moon by night, and the eyes 
 of the stars. The old woman kept the girls hard at work, from 
 morning till night, spinning gold flax into yarn, and when one 
 distaff was empty another was given them, so they had no rest. 
 The thread had to be fine and even, and when done was locked up 
 in a secret chamber by the old woman, who twice or thrice every 
 summer went a journey. 'Before she went she gave outwork for 
 each day of her absence, and always returned in the night, so that 
 the girls never saw what she brought back with her, neither would 
 she tell them whence the gold flax came, nor what it was to be 
 used for. 
 
 Now, when the time came round for the old woman to set out 
 on one of these journeys, she gave each maiden work for six days, 
 with the usual warning : ' Children, don't let your eyes wander, 
 and on no account speak to a man, for, if you do, your thread will 
 lose its brightness, and misfortunes of all kinds will follow.' They 
 laughed at this oft-repeated caution, saying to each other : ' How 
 can our gold thread lose its brightness, and have we any chance of 
 speaking to a man ? ' 
 
 On the third day after the old woman's departure a young 
 prince, hunting in the forest, got separated from his companions, 
 and completely lost. Weary of seeking his way, he flung him- 
 self down under a tree, leaving his horse to browse at will, and 
 fell asleep. 
 
 The sun had set when he awoke and began once more to try 
 and find his way out of the forest. At last he perceived a narrow 
 foot-path, which he eagerly followed and found that it led him to a 
 small hut. The maidens, who were sitting at the door of their hut
 
 THE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS 175 
 
 for coolness, saw him approaching, and the two elder were much 
 alarmed, for they remembered the eld woman's warning ; but the 
 youngest said : ' Never before have I seen anyone like him ; let me 
 have one look.' They entreated her to come in, but, seeing that 
 she would not, left her, and the Prince, coming up, courteously 
 greeted the maiden, and told her he had lost his way in the forest 
 and was both hungry and weary. She set food before him, and was 
 so delighted with his conversation that she forgot the old woman's 
 caution, and lingered for hours. In the meantime the Prince's 
 companions sought him far and wide, but to no purpose, so they 
 sent two messengers to tell the sad news to the King, who imme- 
 diately ordered a regiment of cavalry and one of infantry to go and 
 look for him. 
 
 After three days' search, they found the hut. The Prince was 
 still sitting by the door and had been so happy in the maiden's 
 company that the time had seemed like a single hour. Before 
 leaving he promised to return and fetch her to his father's court, 
 where he would make her his bride. "When he had gone, she sat 
 down to her wheel to make up for lost time, but was dismayed 
 to find that her thread had lost all its brightness. Her heart 
 beat fast and she wept bitterly, for she remembered the old 
 woman's warning and knew not what misfortune might now befall 
 her. 
 
 The old woman, returned in the night and knew by the tarnished 
 thread what had happened in her absence. She was furiously angry 
 and told the maiden that she had brought down misery both on
 
 176 THE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNEBS 
 
 herself and on the Prince. The maiden could not rest for thinking 
 of this. At last she could bear it no longer, and resolved to seek 
 help from the Prince. 
 
 As a child she had learnt to understand the speech of birds, and 
 this was now of great use to her, for, seeing a raven pluming itself on 
 a pine bough, she cried softly to it : ' Dear bird, cleverest of all birds, 
 as well as swiftest of wing, wilt thou help me ? ' ' How can I 
 help thee ? ' asked the raven. She answered : ' Fly away, until 
 thou comest to a splendid town, where stands a king's palace ; seek 
 out the king's son and tell him that a great misfortune has befallen 
 me.' Then she told the raven how her thread had lost its bright- 
 ness, how terribly angry the old woman was, and how she feared 
 some great disaster. The raven promised faithfully to do her bidding? 
 and, spreading its wings, flew away. The maiden now went home 
 and worked hard all day at winding up the yarn her elder sisters 
 had spun, for the old woman would let her spin no longer. Towards 
 evening she heard the raven's ' craa, craa ' from the pine tree and 
 eagerly hastened thither to hear the answer. 
 
 By great good fortune the raven had found a wind wizard's son 
 in the palace garden, who understood the speech of birds, and to him 
 he had entrusted the message. When the Prince heard it, he was 
 very sorrowful, and took counsel with his friends how to free the 
 maiden. Then he said to the wind wizard's son : ' Beg the raven to 
 fly quickly back to the maiden and tell her to be ready on the ninth 
 night, for then will I come and fetch her away.' The wind wizard's 
 son did this, and the raven flew so swiftly that it reached the hut 
 that same evening. The maiden thanked the bird heartily and 
 went home, telling no one what she had heard. 
 
 As the ninth night drew near she became very unhappy, for she 
 feared lest some terrible mischance should arise and ruin all. On 
 the night she crept quietly out of the house and waited trembling 
 at some little distance from the hut. Presently she heard the 
 muffled tramp of horses, and soon the armed troop appeared, led by 
 the Prince, who had prudently marked all the trees beforehand, in 
 order to know the way. When he saw the maiden he sprang from 
 his horse, lifted her into the saddle, and then, mounting behind, 
 rode homewards. The moon shone so brightly that they had no 
 difficulty in seeing the marked trees. 
 
 By-and-by the coming dawn loosened the tongues of all the 
 birds, and, had the Prince only known what they were saying, or the 
 maiden been listening, they might have been spared much sorrow,
 
 THE WATER-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS 177 
 
 but they were thinking only of each other, and when they came out 
 of the forest the sun was high in the heavens. 
 
 Next morning, when the youngest girl did not come to her work, 
 the old woman asked where she was. The sisters pretended not to 
 know, but the old woman easily guessed what had happened, and, 
 as she was in reality a wicked witch, determined to punish the 
 fugitives. Accordingly, she collected nine different kinds of 
 enchanters' nightshade, added some salt, which she first bewitched, 
 and, doing all up in a cloth into the shape of a fluffy ball, sent it 
 after them on the wings of the wind, saying : 
 
 Whirlwind! mother of the wind ! 
 Lend thy aid 'gainst her who sinned ! 
 Carry with thee this magic ball. 
 Cast her from his arms for ever, 
 Bury her in the rippling river. 
 
 At midday the Prince and his men came to a deep river, spanned 
 by so narrow a bridge that only one rider could cross at a time. 
 The horse on which the Prince and the maiden were riding had 
 just reached the middle when the magic baU flew by. The horse 
 in its fright suddenly reared, and before anyone could stop it flung 
 the maiden into the swift current below. The Prince tried to jump 
 in after her, but his men held him back, and in spite of his struggles 
 led him home, where for six weeks he shut himself up in a secret 
 chamber, and would neither eat nor drink, so great was his grief, 
 At last he became so ill his life was despaired of, and in great alarm 
 the King caused all the wizards of his country to be summoned. 
 But none could cure him. At last the wind wizard's son said to 
 the King : ' Send for the old wizard from Finland, he knows more 
 than all the wizards of your kingdom put together.' A messenger 
 was at once sent to Finland, and a week later the old wizard 
 himself arrived on the wings of the wind. ' Honoured King,' said 
 the wizard, ' the wind has blown this illness upon your son, and a 
 magic ball has snatched away his beloved. This it is which makes 
 him grieve so constantly. Let the wind blow upon him that it may 
 blow away his sorrow.' Then the King made his son go out into 
 the wind, and he gradually recovered and told his father all. 
 ' Forget the maiden,' said the King, ' and take another bride ; ' but 
 the Prince said he could never love another. 
 
 A year afterwards he came suddenly upon the bridge where his 
 beloved had met her death. As he recalled the misfortune he wept
 
 178 THE WATEE-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS 
 
 bitterly, and would have given all he possessed to have her once 
 more alive. In the midst of his grief he thought he heard a voice 
 singing, and looked round, but could see no one. Then he heard 
 the voice again, and it said : 
 
 Alas ! bewitched and all forsaken, 
 
 'Tis I must lie for ever here ! 
 
 My beloved no thought has taken 
 
 To free his bride, that was so dear. 
 
 He was greatly astonished, sprang from his horse, and looked every- 
 where to see if no one were hidden under the bridge ; but no one 
 was there. Then he noticed a yellow water-lily floating on the 
 surface of the water, half hidden by its broad leaves ; but flowers do 
 not sing, and in great surprise he waited, hoping to hear more. 
 Then again the voice sang : 
 
 Alas ! bewitched and all forsaken, 
 'Tis I must lie for ever here ! 
 My beloved no thought has taken 
 To free his bride, that was so dear. 
 
 The Prince suddenly remembered the gold- spinners, and said to 
 himself : ' If I ride thither, who knows but that they could explain 
 this to me ? ' He at once rode to the hut, and found the two 
 maidens at the fountain. He told them what had befallen their 
 sister the year before, and how he had twice heard a strange song, 
 but yet could see no singer. They said that the yellow water-lily 
 could be none other than their sister, who was not dead, but trans- 
 formed by the magic ball. Before he went to bed, the eldest made 
 a cake of magic herbs, which she gave him to eat. In the night he 
 dreamt that he was living in the forest and could understand all 
 that the birds said to each other. Next morning he told this to the 
 maidens, and they said that the charmed cake had caused it, and 
 advised him to listen well to the birds, and see what they could tell 
 him, and when he had recovered his bride they begged him to 
 return and deliver them from their wretched bondage. 
 
 Having promised this, he joyfully returned home, and as he was 
 riding through the forest he could perfectly understand all that the 
 birds said. He heard a thrush say to a magpie : ' How stupid men 
 are ! they cannot understand the simplest thing. It is now quite a 
 year since the maiden was transformed into a water-lily, and, 
 though she sings so sadly that anyone going over the bridge must 
 hear her, yet no one comes to her aid. Her former bridegroom
 
 THE GOLD-Sl'INNF.liS.
 
 THE WATEE-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNEES 179 
 
 rode over it a few days ago and heard her singing, but was no 
 wiser than the rest.' 
 
 ' And he is to blame for all her misfortunes,' added the magpie. 
 ' If he heeds only the words of men she will remain a flower for 
 ever. She were soon delivered were the matter only laid before 
 the old wizard of Finland.' 
 
 After hearing this, the Prince wondered how he could get a 
 message conveyed to Finland. He heard one swallow say to another : 
 ' Come, let us fly to Finland : we can build better nests there.' 
 
 ' Stop, kind friends ! ' cried the Prince. ' Will ye do something 
 for me ? ' The birds consented, and he said : ' Take a thousand 
 greetings from me to the wizard of Finland, and ask him how I 
 may restore a maiden transformed into a flower to her own form.' 
 
 The swallows flew away, and the Prince rode on to the bridge. 
 There he waited, hoping to hear the song. But he heard nothing but 
 the rushing of thd water and the moaning of the wind, and, disap- 
 pointed, rode home. 
 
 Shortly after, he was sitting in the garden, thinking that the 
 swallows must have forgotten his message, when he saw an eagle 
 flying above him. The bird gradually descended until it perched 
 on a tree close to the Prince and said : ' The wizard of Finland 
 greets thee and bids me say that thou mayst free the maiden thus : 
 Go to the river and smear thyself all over with mud ; then say: " From 
 a man into a crab," and thou wilt become a crab. Plunge boldly into 
 the water, swim as close as thou canst to the water- lily's roots, and 
 loosen them from the mud and reeds. This done, fasten thy claws 
 into the roots and rise with them to the surface. Let the water 
 flow all over the flower, and drift with the current until thou 
 comest to a mountain ash tree on the left bank. There is near it 
 a large stone. Stop there and say : " From a crab into a man, from 
 a water-lily into a maiden," and ye will both be restored to your 
 own forms.' 
 
 Full of doubt and fear, the Prince let some time pass before he 
 was bold enough to attempt to rescue the maiden. Then a crow 
 said to him : ' Why dost thou hesitate ? The old wizard has not 
 told thee wrong, neither have the birds deceived thee ; hasten and 
 dry the maiden's tears.' 
 
 ' Nothing worse than death can befall me,' thought the Prince, 
 ' and death is better than endless sorrow.' So he mounted his horse 
 and went to the bridge. Again he heard the water-lily's lament, 
 and, hesitating no longer, smeared himself all over with mud, and,
 
 180 THE WATEB-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS 
 
 saying : ' From a man into a crab,' plunged into the river. For one 
 moment the water hissed in his ears, and then all was silent. He 
 swam up to the plant and began to loosen its roots, but so firmly 
 were they fixed in the mud and reeds that this took him a long 
 time. He then grasped them and rose to the surface, letting the 
 water flow over the flower. The current carried them down the 
 stream, but nowhere could he see the mountain ash. At last he 
 saw it, and close by the large stone. Here he stopped and said : 
 ' From a crab into a man, from a water-lily into a maiden,' and to 
 his delight found himself once more a prince, and the maiden was 
 by his side. She was ten times more beautiful than before, and 
 wore a magnificent pale yellow robe, sparkling with jewels. She 
 
 thanked him for having freed her from the cruel witch's power, 
 and willingly consented to marry him. 
 
 But when they came to the bridge where he had left his horse 
 it was nowhere to be seen, for, though the Prince thought he had 
 been a crab only a few hours, he had in reality been under the 
 water for more than ten days. While they were wondering how 
 they should reach his father's court, they saw a splendid coach 
 driven by six gaily caparisoned horses coming along the bank. In 
 this they drove to the palace. The King and Queen were at church, 
 weeping for their son, whom they had long mourned for dead. 
 Great was their delight and astonishment when the Prince entered, 
 leading the beautiful maiden by the hand. The wedding was at
 
 THE WATEE-LILY. THE GOLD-SPINNERS 181 
 
 once celebrated, and there was feasting and merry-making 
 throughout the kingdom for six weeks. 
 
 Some time afterwards the Prince and his bride were sitting in 
 the garden, when a crow said to them : ' Ungrateful creatures 1 
 Have ye forgotten the two poor maidens who helped ye in your 
 distress ? Must they spin gold flax for ever ? Have no pity on 
 the old witch. The three maidens are princesses, whom she stole 
 away when they were children together, with all the silver utensils, 
 which she turned into gold flax. Poison were her fittest punish- 
 ment.' 
 
 The Prince was ashamed of having forgotten his promise and 
 set out at once, and by great good fortune reached the hut when 
 the old woman was away. The maidens had dreamt that he was 
 coming, and were ready to go with him, but first they made a cake 
 in which they put poison, and left it on a table where the old woman 
 was likely to see it when she returned. She did see it, and thought 
 it looked so tempting that she greedily ate it up and at once 
 died. 
 
 In the secret chamber were found fifty waggon-loads of gold 
 flax, and as much more was discovered buried. The hut was razed 
 to the ground, and the Prince and his bride and her two sisters lived 
 happily ever aftej:.
 
 182 
 
 THE TERRIBLE HEAD 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a king whose only child was a girl. 
 Now the King hail been very anxious to have a son, or at least a 
 grandson, to come after him, but he was told by a prophet whom he 
 consulted that his own daughter's son should kill him. This news 
 terrified him so much that he determined never to let his daughter 
 be married, for he thought it was better to have no grandson at all 
 than to be killed by his grandson. He therefore called his workmen 
 together, and bade them dig a deep round hole in the earth, and 
 then he had a prison of brass built in the hole, and then, when it 
 was finished, he locked up his daughter. No man ever saw her, 
 and she never saw even the fields and the sea, but only the sky and 
 the sun, for there was a wide open window in the roof of the houce 
 of brass. So the Princess would sit looking up at the sky, and 
 watching the clouds float across, and wondering whether she should 
 ever get out of her prison. Now one day it seemed to her that the 
 sky opened above her, and a great shower of shining gold fell 
 through the window in the roof, and lay glittering in her room. 
 Not very long after, the princess had a baby, a little boy, but when 
 the King her father heard of it he was very angry and afraid, for 
 now the child was born that should be his death. Yet, cowardly 
 as he was, he had not quite the heart to kill the Princess and her 
 baby oiitright, but he had them put in a huge brass-bound chest 
 and thrust out to sea, that they might either be drowned or starved, 
 or perhaps come to a country where they would be out of his way. 
 So the Princess and the baby floated and drifted in the chest on 
 the sea all day and all night, but the baby was not afraid of the 
 waves nor of the wind, for he did not know that they could hurt 
 him, and he slept quite soundly. And the Princess sang a song over 
 him, and this was her song : 
 
 Child, my child, how sound you sleep ! 
 Though your mother's care is deep,
 
 THE TERRIBLE HEAD 183 
 
 You can lie with heart at rest 
 In the narrow brass-bound chest ; 
 In the starless night and drear 
 You can sleep, and never hear 
 Billows breaking, and the cry 
 Of the night-wind wandering by ; 
 In soft purple mantle sleeping 
 
 With your little face on mine, 
 Hearing not your mother weeping 
 
 And the breaking of the brine. 
 
 Well, the daylight came at last, and the great chest was driven by 
 the waves against the shore of an island. There the brass-bound 
 chest lay, with the Princess and her baby in it, till a man of that 
 country came past, and saw it, and dragged it on to the beach, and 
 when he had broken it open, behold ! there was a beautiful lady and 
 a little boy. So he took them home, and was very kind to them, 
 and brought up the boy till he was a young man. Now when the 
 boy had come to his full strength the King of that country fell in 
 love with his mother, and wanted to marry her, but he knew that 
 she would never part from her boy. So he thought of a plan to get 
 rid of the boy, and this was his plan. A great queen of a country 
 not far off was going to be married, and this king said that all his 
 subjects must bring him wedding presents to give her. And he 
 made a feast to which he invited them all, and they all brought 
 their presents ; some brought gold cups, and some brought neck- 
 laces of gold and amber, and some brought beautiful horses ; but 
 the boy had nothing, though he was the son of a princess, for his 
 mother had nothing to give him. Then the rest of the company 
 began to laugh at him, and the King said : ' If you have nothing else 
 to give, at least you might go and fetch the Terrible Head.' 
 
 The boy was proud, and spoke without thinking : 
 
 ' Then I swear that I will bring the Terrible Head, if it may be 
 brought by a living man. But of what head you speak I know not.' 
 
 Then they told him that somewhere, a long way off, there 
 dwelt three dreadful sisters, monstrous ogrish women, with golden 
 wings and claws of brass, and with serpents growing on their heads 
 instead of hair. Now these women were so awful to look on that 
 whoever saw them was turned at once into stone. And two of them 
 could not be put to death, but the youngest, whose face was very 
 beautiful, could be killed, and it was her head that the boy had 
 promised to bring. You may imagine it was no easy adventure.
 
 184 
 
 THE TEREIBLE HEAD 
 
 When he heard all this he was perhaps sorry that he had sworn 
 to bring the Terrible Head, but he was determined to keep his oath. 
 So he went out from the feast, where they all sat drinking and 
 making merry, and he walked alone beside the sea in the dusk of 
 the evening, at the place where the great chest, with himself and 
 his mother in it, had been cast ashore. 
 
 There he went and sat down on a rock, looking towards the sea, 
 and wondering how he should begin to fulfil his vow. Then he 
 felt some one touch him on the shoulder ; and he turned, and saw a 
 young man like a king's son, having with him a tall and beautiful
 
 THE TEBRIBLE HEAD 185 
 
 lady, whose blue eyes shone like stars. They were taller than 
 mortal men, and the young man had a staff in his hand with golden 
 wings on it, and two golden serpents twisted round it, and he had 
 wings on his cap and on his shoes. He spoke to the boy, and asked 
 him why he was so unhappy ; and the boy told him how he had 
 sworn to bring the Terrible Head, and knew not how to begin to 
 set about the adventure. 
 
 Then the beautiful lady also spoke, and said that ' it was a foolish 
 oath and a hasty, but it might be kept if a brave man had sworn it.' 
 Then the boy answered that he was not afraid, if only he knew the 
 way. 
 
 Then the lady said that to kill the dreadful woman with the 
 golden wings and the brass claws, and to cut off her head, he 
 needed three things : first, a Cap of Darkness, which would make 
 him invisible when he wore it ; next, a Sword of Sharpness, which 
 would cleave iron at one blow ; and last, the Shoes of Swiftness, 
 with which he might fly in the air. 
 
 The boy answered that he knew not where such things were to 
 be procured, and that, wanting them, he could only try and fail. 
 Then the young man, taking off his own shoes, said: ' First, you shall 
 use these shoes till you have taken the Terrible Head, and then you 
 must give them back to me. And with these shoes you will fly as 
 fleet as a bird, or a thought, over the land or over the waves of the 
 sea, wherever the shoes know the way. But there are ways which 
 they do not know, roads beyond the borders of the world. And 
 these roads have you to travel. Now first you must go to the Three 
 Grey Sisters, who live far off in the north, and are so very old that 
 they have only one eye and one tooth among the three. You must 
 creep up close to them, and as one of them passes the eye to the 
 other you must seize it, and refuse to give it up till they have told 
 you the way to the Three Fairies of the Garden, and they will give 
 you the Cap of Darkness and the Sword of Sharpness, and show you 
 how to wing beyond this world to the land of the Terrible Head.' 
 
 Then the beautiful lady said : ' Go forth at once, and do not 
 return to say good-bye to your mother, for these things must be 
 done quickly, and the Shoes of Swiftness themselves will carry you 
 to the land of the Three Grey Sisters for they know the measure 
 of that way.' 
 
 So the boy thanked her, and he fastened on the Shoes of Swift- 
 ness, and turned to say good-bye to the young man and the lady. 
 But, behold ! they had vanished, he knew not how or where ! Then
 
 186 THE TEEEIBLE HEAD 
 
 he leaped in the air to try the Shoes of Swiftness, and they carried 
 him more swiftly than the wind, over the warm blue sea, over tho 
 happy lands of the south, over the northern peoples who drank 
 mare's milk and lived in great waggons, wandering after their 
 flocks. Across the wide rivers, where the wild fowl rose and fled 
 before him, and over the plains and the cold North Sea he went, 
 over the fields of snow and the hills of ice, to a place where the 
 world ends, and all water is frozen, and there are no men, nor 
 beasts, nor any green grass. There in a blue cave of the ice he 
 found the Three Grey Sisters, the oldest of living things. Their 
 
 hair was as white as the snow, and their flesh of an icy blue, and 
 they mumbled and nodded in a kind of dream, and their frozen 
 breath hung round them like a cloud. Now the opening of the 
 cave in the ice was narrow, and it was not easy to pass in without 
 touching one of the Grey Sisters. But, floating on the Shoes of 
 Swiftness, the boy just managed to steal in, and waited till one of 
 the sisters said to another, who had their one eye : 
 
 ' Sister, what do you see ? do you see old times coming back ? ' 
 
 ' Xo, sister.' 
 
 'Then give me the eye, for perhaps I can see farther than you.' 
 
 Then the first sister passed the eye to the second, but as the 
 second groped for it the boy caught it cleverly out of her hand.
 
 THE TEERIBLE HEAD 187 
 
 ' Where is the eye, sister ? ' said the second grey woman. 
 
 ' You have taken it yourself, sister,' said the first grey 
 woman. 
 
 ' Have you lost the eye, sister ? have you lost the eye ? ' said the 
 third grey woman ; ' shall we never find it again, and see old times 
 coming back ? ' 
 
 Then the boy slipped from behind them out of the cold cave into 
 the air, and he laughed aloud. 
 
 When the grey women heard that laugh they began to weep, for 
 now they know that a stranger had robbed them, and that they 
 could not help themselves, and then- tears froze as they fell from 
 the hollows where no eyes were, and rattled on the icy ground of 
 the cave. Then they began to implore the boy to give them 
 their eye back again, and he could not help being sorry for them, 
 they were so pitiful. But he said he would never give them the 
 eye till they told him the way to the Fairies of the Garden. 
 
 Then they wrung their hands miserably, for they guessed why he 
 had come, and how he was going to try to win the Terrible Head. Now 
 the Dreadful Women were akin to the Three Grey Sisters, and it 
 was hard for them to tell the boy the way. But at last they told 
 him to keep always south, and with the land on his left and the 
 sea on his right, till he reached the Island of the Fairies of the 
 Garden. Then he gave them back the eye, and they began to 
 look out once more for the old times coming back again. But the 
 boy flew south between sea and land, keeping the land always on 
 his left hand, till he saw a beautiful island crowned with flowering 
 trees. There he alighted, and there he found the Three Fairies of 
 the Garden. They were like three very beautiful young women, 
 dressed one in green, one in white, and one in red, and they were 
 dancing and singing round an apple tree with apples of gold, and 
 this was their song : 
 
 THE SONG OF THE WESTERN FAIRIES. 
 
 Round and round the apples of gold, 
 
 Round and round dance we ; 
 Thus do we dance from the days of old 
 
 About the enchanted tree ; 
 Round, and round, and round we go, 
 While the spring is green, or the stream shall flow, 
 
 Or the wind shall stir the sea !
 
 188 THE TERRIBLE HEAD 
 
 There is none may taste of the golden fruit 
 Till the golden new times come ; 
 
 Many a tree shall spring from shoot, 
 
 Many a blossom be withered at root, 
 Many a song be dumb ; 
 
 Broken and still shall be many a lute 
 Or ever the new times come ! 
 
 Eound and round the tree of gold, 
 
 Round and round dance we, 
 So doth the great world spin from of old, 
 Summer and winter, and fire and cold, 
 Song that is sung, and tale that is told, 
 Even as we dance, that fold and unfold 
 
 Eound the stem of the fairy tree !
 
 THE TEEEIBLE HEAD 189 
 
 These grave dancing fairies were very unlike the Grey Women, 
 and they were glad to see the boy, and treated him kindly. Then they 
 asked him why he had come ; and he told them how he was sent to 
 find the Sword of Sharpness and the Cap of Darkness. And the 
 fairies gave him these, and a wallet, and a shield, and belted the 
 sword, which had a diamond blade, round his waist, and the cap 
 they set on his head, and told him that now even they could not 
 see him though they were fairies. Then he took it off, and they 
 each kissed him and wished him good fortune, and then they began 
 again their eternal dance round the golden tree, for it is their 
 business to guard it till the new times come, or till the world's 
 ending. So the boy put the cap on his head, and hung the wallet 
 round his waist, and the shining shield on his shoulders, and flew 
 beyond the great river that lies coiled like a serpent round the whole 
 world. And by the banks of that river, there he found the three 
 Terrible Women all asleep beneath a poplar tree, and the dead 
 poplar leaves lay all about them. Their golden wings were folded 
 and their brass claws were crossed, and two of them slept with 
 their hideous heads beneath their wings like birds, and the 
 serpents in their hair writhed out from under the feathers of gold. 
 But the youngest slept between her two sisters, and she lay on her 
 back, with her beautiful sad face turned to the sky ; and though she 
 slept her eyes were wide open. If the boy had seen her he would 
 have been changed into stone by the terror and the pity of it, she 
 was so awful ; but he had thought of a plan for killing her without 
 looking on her face. As soon as he caught sight of the three from 
 far off he took his shining shield from his shoulders, and held it up 
 like a mirror, so that he saw the Dreadful Women reflected in it, 
 and did not see the Terrible Head itself. Then he came nearer and 
 nearer, till he reckoned that he was within a sword's stroke of the 
 youngest, and he guessed where he should strike a back blow be- 
 hind him. Then he drew the Sword of Sharpness and struck once, 
 and the Terrible Head was cut from the shoulders of the creature, 
 and the blood leaped out and struck him like a blow. But he thrust 
 the Terrible Head into his wallet, and flew away without looking 
 behind. Then the two Dreadful Sisters who were left wakened, 
 and rose in the air like great birds ; and though they could not see 
 him because of his Cap of Darkness, they flew after him up the 
 wind, following by the scent through the clouds, like hounds hunt- 
 ing in a wood. They came so close that he could hear the clatter 
 of their golden wings, and their shrieks to each other : ' Here, here,' 1
 
 190 THE TEREIBLE HEAD 
 
 ' No, there ; this ivay lie went,' as they chased Him. But the Shoes 
 of Swiftness flew too fast for them, and at last their cries and the 
 rattle of their wings died away as he crossed the great river that 
 runs round the world. 
 
 Now when the horrible creatures were far in the distance, and 
 the boy found himself on the right side of the river, he flew straight 
 eastward, trying to seek his own country. But as he looked down 
 from the air he saw a very strange sight a beautiful girl chained to 
 a stake at the high-water mark of the sea. The girl was so fright- 
 ened or so tired that she was only prevented from falling by the 
 iron chain about her waist, and there she hung, as if she were dead. 
 The boy was very sorry for her, and flew down and stood beside her. 
 When he spoke she raised her head and looked round, but his voice 
 only seemed to frighten her. Then he remembered that he was wear- 
 ing the Cap of Darkness, and that she could only hear him, not see him. 
 So he took it off, and there he stood before her, the handsomest young 
 man she had ever seen in all her life, with short curly yellow hair, 
 and blue eyes, and a laughing face. And he thought her the most 
 beautiful girl in the world. So first with one blow of the Sword of 
 Sharpness he cut the iron chain that bound her, and then he asked 
 her hat she did here, and why men treated her so cruelly. And 
 she told him that she was the daughter of the King of that country, 
 and that she was tied there to be eaten by a monstrous beast out of 
 the sea ; for the beast came and devoured a girl every day. Now 
 the lot had fallen on her ; and as she was just saying this a long 
 fierce head of a cruel sea creature rose out of the waves and 
 snapped at the girl. But the beast had been too greedy and too 
 hurried, so he missed his aim the first time. Before he could rise 
 and bite again the boy had whipped the Terrible Head out of his 
 wallet and held it up. And when the sea beast leaped out once 
 more its eyes fell on the head, and instantly it was turned into 
 a stone. And the stone beast is there on the sea-coast to this 
 day. 
 
 Then the boy and the girl went to the palace of the King, her 
 father, where everyone was weeping for her death, and they could 
 hardly believe their eyes when they saw her come back well. And 
 the King and Queen made much of the boy, and could not contain 
 themselves for delight when they found he wanted to marry their 
 daughter. So the two were married with the most splendid re- 
 joicings, and when they had passed some time at court they went
 
 THE TERRIBLE HEAD 191 
 
 home in a ship to the boy's own country. For he could not carry 
 his bride through the air, so he took the Shoes of Swiftness, and the 
 Cap of Darkness, and the Sword of Sharpness up to a lonely place 
 in the hills. There he left them, and there they were found by the 
 man and woman who had met him at home beside the sea, and 
 had helped him to start on his journey. 
 
 When this had been done the boy and his bride set forth for 
 home, and landed at the harbour of his native land. But whom 
 should he meet in the very street of the town but his own mother, 
 flying for her life from the wicked King, who now wished to kill 
 her because he found that she would never marry him ! For if she 
 had liked the King ill before, she liked him far worse now that he 
 had caused her son to disappear so suddenly. She did not know, 
 of course, where the boy had gone, but thought the King had slain 
 hiui secretly. So now she was running for her very life, and the 
 wicked King was following her with a sword in his hand. Then, 
 behold ! she ran into her son's very arms, but he had only time to 
 kiss her and step in front of her, when the King struck at him with 
 his sword. The boy caught the blow on his shield, and cried to the 
 King : 
 
 ' I swore to bring you the Terrible Head, and see how I keep my 
 oath ! ' 
 
 Then he drew forth the head from his wallet, and when the 
 king's eyes fell on it, instantly he was turned into stone, just as he 
 stood there with his sword lifted ! 
 
 Now all the people rejoiced, because the wicked King should rule 
 them no longer. And they asked the boy to be their king, but 
 he said no, he must take his mother home to her father's house. 
 So the people chose for king the man who had been kind to 
 his mother when first she was cast on the island in the great 
 chest. 
 
 Presently the boy and his mother and his wife set sail for his 
 mother's own country, from which she had been driven so unkindly. 
 But on the way they stayed at the court of a king, and it happened 
 that he was holding games, and giving prizes to the best runners, 
 boxers, and quoit-throwers. Then the boy would try his strength 
 with the rest, but he threw the quoit so far that it went beyond 
 what had ever been thrown before, and fell in the crowd, striking a 
 man so that he died. Now this man was no other than the father 
 of the boy's mother, who had fled away from his own kingdom for
 
 192 
 
 THE TERRIBLE HEAD 
 
 fear his grandson should find him and kill him after all. Thus he 
 was destroyed by his own cowardice and by chance, and thus the 
 prophecy was fulfilled. But the boy and his wife and his mother 
 went back to the kingdom that was theirs, and lived long and 
 happily after all their troubles.
 
 193 
 
 THE STOEY OF PEETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a princess who was the prettiest 
 creature in the world. And because she was so beautiful, and 
 because her hair was like the finest gold, and waved and rippled 
 nearly to the ground, she was called Pretty Goldilocks. She always, 
 wore a crown of flowers, and her dresses were embroidered with dia- 
 monds and pearls, and everybody who saw her fell in love with her. 
 Now one of her neighbours was a young king who was not mar- 
 ried. He was very rich and handsome, and when he heard all that 
 was said about Pretty Goldilocks, though he had never seen her, he 
 fell so deeply in love with her that he could neither eat nor drink. 
 So he resolved to send an ambassador to ask her in marriage. He 
 had a splendid carriage made for his ambassador, and gave him 
 more than a hundred horses and a hundred servants, and told him 
 to be sure to bring the Princess back with him. After he had started 
 nothing else was talked of at Court, and the King felt so sure that 
 the Princess would consent that he set his people to work at pretty 
 dresses and splendid furniture, that they might be ready by the time 
 she came. Meanwhile, the ambassador arrived at the Princess's 
 palace and delivered his little message, but whether she happened 
 to be cross that day, or whether the compliment did not please her, 
 is not known. She only answered that she was very much obliged 
 to the King, but she had no wish to be married. The ambassador 
 set off sadly on his homeward way, bringing all the King's presents, 
 back with him, for the Princess ^vas too well brought up to accept 
 the pearls and diamonds when she would not accept the King, so she 
 had only kept twenty-five English pins that he might not be vexed., 
 When the ambassador reached the city, where the King was 
 waiting impatiently, everybody was very much annoyed with him 
 for not bringing the Princess, and the King cried like a baby, and 
 nobody could console him. Now there was at the Court a young 
 man, who was more clever and handsome than anyone else. . He. 
 
 o
 
 194 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 was called Charming, and everyone loved him, excepting a few 
 envious people who were angry at his being the King's favourite 
 and knowing all the State secrets. He happened one day to be with 
 some people who were speaking of the ambassador's return and 
 saying that his going to the Princess had not done much good, when 
 Charming said rashly : 
 
 ' If the King had sent me to the Princess Goldilocks I am sure 
 she would have come back with me.' 
 
 His enemies at once went to the King and said : 
 
 ' You will hardly believe, sire, what Charming has the audacity 
 to say that if he had been sent to the Princess Goldilocks she 
 would certainly have come back with him. He seems to think that 
 he is so much handsomer than you that the Princess would have 
 fallen in love with him and followed him willingly.' The King was 
 very angry when he heard this. 
 
 ' Ha, ha ! ' said he ; ' does he laugh at my unhappiness, and 
 think himself more fascinating than I am ? Go, and let him be 
 shut up in my great tower to die of hunger.' 
 
 So the King's guards went to fetch Charming, who had thought 
 no more of his rash speech, and carried him off to prison with great 
 cruelty. The poor prisoner had only a little straw for his bed, and 
 but for a little stream of water which flowed through the tower he 
 would have died of thirst. 
 
 One day when he was in despair he said to himself' 
 
 ' How can I have offended the King ? I am his most faithful 
 subject, and have done nothing against him.' 
 
 The King chanced to be passing the tower and recognised the 
 voice of his former favourite. He stopped to listen in spite of 
 Charming's enemies, who tried to persuade him to have nothing 
 more to do with the traitor. But the King said : 
 
 ' Be quiet, I wish to hear what he says.' 
 
 And then he opened the tower door and called to Charming, who 
 came very sadly and kissed the King's hand, saying : 
 
 ' What have I done, sire, to deserve this cruel treatment ? ' 
 
 ' You mocked me and my ambassador^' said the King, ' and you 
 said that if I had sent you for the Princess Goldilocks you would 
 certainly ha-;e brought her back.' 
 
 ' It is quite true, sire,' replied Charming ; ' I should have drawn 
 such a picture of you, and represented your good qualities in such a 
 way, that I am certain the Princess would have found you irresist- 
 ible. But I cannot see what there is in that to make you angry.'
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 195 
 
 The King could not see any cause for anger either when the 
 matter was presented to him in this light, and he began to frown 
 very fiercely at the courtiers who had so misrepresented his 
 favourite. 
 
 So he took Charming back to the palace with him, and after 
 seeing that he had a very good supper he said to him : 
 
 ' You know that I love Pretty Goldilocks as much as ever, her 
 refusal has not made any difference to me ; but I don't know how 
 to make her change her mind : I really should like to send you, to 
 see if you can persuade her to marry me.' 
 
 Charming replied that he was perfectly willing to go, and would 
 set out the very next day. 
 
 ' But you must wait till I can get a grand escort for you,' said 
 the King. But Charming said that he only wanted a good horse to 
 ride, and the King, who was delighted at his being ready to start so 
 promptly, gave him letters to the Princess, and bade him good speed. 
 It was on a Monday morning that he set out all alone upon his 
 errand, thinking of nothing but how he could persuade the Princess 
 Goldilocks to marry the King. He had a writing-book in his pocket, 
 and whenever any happy thought struck him he dismounted from 
 his horse and sat down under the trees to put it into the harangue 
 which he was preparing for the Princess, before he forgot it. 
 
 One day when he had started at the very earliest dawn, and was 
 riding over a great meadow, he suddenly had a capital idea, and, 
 springing from his horse, he sat down under a willow tree which 
 
 o2
 
 196 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 grew by a little river. When he had written it down he was look- 
 ing round him, pleased to find himself in such a pretty place, when 
 all at once he saw a great golden carp lying gasping and exhausted 
 upon the grass. In leaping after little flies she had thrown herself 
 high upon the bank, where she had lain till she was nearly dead. 
 Charming had pity upon her, and, though he couldn't help thinking 
 that she would have been very nice for dinner, he picked her up 
 gently and put her back into the water. As soon as Dame Carp 
 felt the refreshing coolness of the water she sank down joyfully to 
 the bottom of the river, then, swimming up to the bank quite boldly, 
 she said : 
 
 ' I thank you, Charming, for the kindness you have done me. 
 You have saved my life ; one day I will repay you.' So saying, 
 she sank down into the water again, leaving Charming greatly 
 astonished at her politeness. 
 
 Another day, as he journeyed on, he saw a raven in great dis- 
 tress. The poor bird was closely pursued by an eagle, which would 
 soon have eaten it up, had not Charming quickly fitted an arrow to 
 his bow and shot the eagle dead. The raven perched upon a tree 
 very joyfully. 
 
 * Charming,' said he, ' it was very generous of you to rescue a 
 poor raven ; I am not ungrateful, some day I will repay you.' 
 
 Charming thought it was very nice of the raven to say so, and 
 went on his way. 
 
 Before the sun rose he found himself in a thick wood where it 
 was too dark for him to see his path, and here he heard an owl 
 crying as if it were in despair. 
 
 ' Hark ! ' said he, ' that must be an owl in great trouble, I 
 am sure it has got into a snare ; ' and he began to hunt about, and 
 presently found a great net which some bird-catchers had spread 
 the night before. 
 
 ' What a pity it is that men do nothing but torment and persecute 
 poor creatures which never do them any harm ! ' said he, and he took 
 out his knife and cut the cords of the net, and the owl flitted away 
 into the darkness, but then turning, with one flicker of her wings, 
 she came back to Charming and said : 
 
 ' It does not need many words to tell you how great a service 
 you have done me. I was caught ; in a few minutes the fowlers 
 would have been here without your help I should have been killed. 
 I am grateful, and one day I will repay you.' 
 
 These three adventures were the only ones of any consequence
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 197 
 
 that befell Charming upon his journey, and he made all the haste 
 he could to reach the palace of the Princess Goldilocks. 
 
 When he arrived he thought everything he saw delightful and 
 magnificent. Diamonds were as plentiful as pebbles, and the gold 
 and silver, the beautiful dresses, the sweetmeats and pretty things 
 that were everywhere quite amazed him ; he thought to himself : ' If 
 the Princess consents to leave all this, and come with me to marry 
 the King, he may think himself lucky ! ' 
 
 Then he dressed himself carefully in rich brocade, with scarlet 
 and white plumes, and threw a splendid embroidered scarf over his 
 shoulder, and, looking as gay and as graceful as possible, he presented 
 himself at the door of the palace, carrying in his arm a tiny pretty 
 dog which he had bought on the way. The guards saluted him 
 respectfully, and a messenger was sent to the Princess to announce 
 the arrival of Charming as ambassador of her neighbour the 
 King. 
 
 ' Charming,' said the Princess, ' the name promises well ; I have 
 no doubt that he is good-looking and fascinates everybody.' 
 
 ' Indeed he does, madam,' said all her maids of honour in one 
 breath. ' We saw him from the window of the garret where we were 
 spinning flax, and we could do nothing but look at him as long as 
 he was in sight.' 
 
 ' Well to be sure ! ' said the Princess, ' that's how you amuse 
 yourselves, is it ? Looking at strangers out of the window ! Be 
 quick and give me my blue satin embroidered dress, and comb out 
 my golden hair. Let somebody make me fresh garlands of 
 flowers, and give me my high-heeled shoes and my fan, and tell 
 them to sweep my great hall and my throne, for I want everyone to 
 say I am really " Pretty Goldilocks." ' 
 
 You can imagine how all her maids scurried this way and that 
 to make the Princess ready, and how in their haste they knocked 
 their heads together and hindered each other, till she thought they 
 would never have done. However, at last they led her into the 
 gallery of mirrors that she might assure herself that nothing was 
 lacking in her appearance, and then she mounted her throne of 
 gold, ebony, and ivory, while her ladies took their guitars and began 
 to sing softly. Then Charming was led in, and was so struck with 
 astonishment and admiration that at first not a word could he say. 
 But presently he took courage and delivered his harangue, bravely 
 ending by begging the Princess to spare him the disappointment of 
 going back without her.
 
 198 THE STORY OF PEETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 ' Sir Charming,' answered she, ' all the reasons you have given 
 me are very good ones, and I assure you that I should have more 
 pleasure in obliging you than anyone else, but you must know that 
 a month ago as I was walking by the river with my ladies I took 
 off my glove, and as I did so a ring that I was wearing slipped off 
 my finger and rolled into the water. As I valued it more than my 
 kingdom, you may imagine how vexed I was at losing it, and I 
 vowed never to listen to any proposal of marriage unless the am- 
 bassador first brought me back my ring. So now you know what 
 is expected of you, for if you talked for fifteen days and fifteen 
 nights you could not make me change my mind.' 
 
 Charming was very much surprised by this answer, but he 
 bowed low to the Princess, and begged her to accept the em- 
 broidered scarf and the tiny dog he had brought with him. But 
 she answered that she did not want any presents, and that he was 
 to remember what she had just told him. When he got back to 
 his lodging he went to bed without eating any supper, and his 
 little dog, who was called Frisk, couldn't eat any either, but came 
 and lay down close to him. All night long Charming sighed and 
 lamented. 
 
 ' How am I to find a ring that fell into the river a month 
 ago ? ' said he. ' It is useless to try ; the Princess must have told
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 199 
 
 me to do it on purpose, knowing it was impossible.' And then he 
 sighed again. 
 
 Frisk heard him and said : 
 
 ' My dear master, don't despair ; the luck may change, you are 
 too good not to be happy. Let us go down to the river as soon as 
 it is light.' 
 
 But Charming only gave him two little pats and said nothing, 
 and very soon he fell asleep. 
 
 At the first glimmer of dawn Frisk began to jump about, and 
 when he had waked Charming they went out together, first into 
 the garden, and then down to the river's brink, where they wan- 
 dered up and down. Charming was thinking sadly of having to 
 go back unsuccessful when he heard someone calling : ' Charming, 
 Charming ! ' He looked all about him and thought he must be 
 dreaming, as he could not see anybody. Then he walked on and 
 the voice called again : ' Charming, Charming ! ' 
 
 ' Who calls me ? ' said he. Frisk, who was very small and 
 could look closely into the water, cried out : 'I see a golden carp 
 coming.' And sure enough there was the great carp, who said to 
 Charming : 
 
 ' You saved my life in the meadow by the willow tree, and I 
 promised that I would repay you. Take this, it is Princess Goldi- 
 lock's ring.' Charming took the ring out of Dame Carp's mouth, 
 thanking her a thousand times, and he and tiny Frisk went straight 
 to the palace, where someone told the Princess that he was asking 
 to see her. 
 
 ' All ! poor fellow,' said she, ' he must have come to say good- 
 bye, finding it impossible to do as I asked.' 
 
 So in came Charming, who presented her with the ring and 
 said: 
 
 ' Madam, I have done your bidding. Will it please you to 
 marry my master ? ' When the Princess saw her ring brought 
 back to her unhurt she was so astonished that she thought she 
 must be dreaming. 
 
 ' Truly, Charming,' said she, ' you must be the favourite of some 
 fairy, or you could never have found it.' 
 
 ' Madam,' answered he, ' I was helped by nothing but my desire 
 to obey your wishes.' 
 
 ' Since you are so kind,' said she, ' perhaps you will do me 
 another service, for till it is done I will never be married. There 
 is a prince not far from here whose name is Galifron, who once
 
 200 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 wanted to marry me, but when I refused lie uttered the most 
 terrible threats against me, and vowed that he would lay waste my 
 country. But what could I do ? I could not marry a frightful 
 giant as tall as a tower, who eats up people as a monkey eats 
 che'stnuts, and who talks so loud that anybody who has to listen to 
 him. becomes quite deaf. Nevertheless, he does not cease to per- 
 secute me and to kill my subjects. So before I can listen to your 
 proposal you must kill him and bring me his head.' 
 
 Charming was rather dismayed at this command, but he an- 
 swered : 
 
 * Very well, Princess, I will fight this Galifron; I believe that 
 he will kill me, but at any rate I shall die in your defence.' 
 
 Then the Princess was frightened and said everything she could 
 think of to prevent Charming from fighting the giant, but it was of 
 no use, and he went out to arm himself suitably, and then, taking 
 little Frisk with him, he mounted his horse and set out for Gahfron's 
 country. Everyone he met told him what a terrible giant Galifron 
 was, and that nobody dared go near him ; and the more he heard 
 the more frightened he grew. Frisk tried to encourage him by 
 saying : 
 
 ' While you are fighting the giant, dear master, I will go and 
 bite his heels, and when he stoops down to look at me you can kill 
 him.' 
 
 Charming praised his little dog's plan, but knew that his help 
 would not do much good. 
 
 At last he drew near the giant's castle, and saw to his horror 
 that every path that led to it was strewn with bones. Before long he 
 saw Galifron coming. His head was higher than the tallest trees, 
 and he sang in a terrible voice : 
 
 ' Bring out your little boys and girls, 
 Pray do not stay to do their curls, 
 For I shall eat so very many, 
 I shall not know if they have any.' 
 
 Thereupon Charming sang out as loud as he could to the same 
 tune: 
 
 ' Come out and meet the valiant Charming, 
 "Who finds you not at all alarming ; 
 Although he is not very tall, 
 He's big enough to make you fall.'
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 201 
 
 The rhymes were not very correct, but you see he had made 
 them up so quickly that it is a miracle that they were not worse ; 
 especially as he was horribly frightened all the time. When 
 Galifron heard these words he looked all about him, and saw 
 Charming standing, sword in hand ; this put the giant into a ter- 
 rible rage, and he aimed a blow at Charming with his huge iron club, 
 which would certainly have killed him if it had reached him, but at 
 that instant a raven perched upon the giant's head, and, pecking 
 with its strong beak and beating with its great wings, so confused 
 and blinded him that all his blows fell harmlessly upon the air, and 
 Charming, rushing in, gave him several strokes with his sharp sword 
 so that he fell to the ground. Whereupon Charming cut off his head 
 before he knew anything about it, and the raven from a tree close 
 by croaked out : 
 
 'You see I have not forgotten the good turn you did me in 
 killing the eagle. To-day I think I have fulfilled my promise 
 of repaying you.' 
 
 ' Indeed, I owe you more gratitude than you ever owed me,' 
 replied Charming. 
 
 And then he mounted his horse and rode off with Galifron's head. 
 
 When he reached the city the people ran after him in crowds, 
 crying : 
 
 ' Behold the brave Charming, who has killed the giant ! ' And 
 their shouts reached the Princess's ear, but she dared not ask what 
 was happening, for fear she should hear that Charming had been 
 killed. But very soon he arrived at the palace with the giant's head, 
 of which she was still terrified, though it could no longer do her 
 any harm. 
 
 'Princess,' said Charming, 'I have killed your enemy; I hope 
 you will now consent to marry the King my master.' 
 
 ' Oh dear ! no,' said the Princess, ' not until you have brought 
 me some water from the Gloomy Cavern. 
 
 * Not far from here there is a deep cave, the entrance to which 
 is guarded by two dragons with fiery eyes, who will not allow any- 
 one to pass them. When you get into the cavern you will find an 
 immense hole, which you must go down, and it is full of toads and 
 snakes ; at the bottom of this hole there is another little cave, in 
 which rises the Fountain of Health and Beauty. It is some of this 
 water that I really must have : everything it touches becomes won- 
 derful. The beautiful things will always remain beautiful, and the 
 ugly things become lovely. If one is yo*ung one never grows old,
 
 202 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 and if one is old one becomes young. You see, Charming, I could 
 not leave my kingdom without taking some of it with me.' 
 
 ' Princess,' said he, ' you at least can never need this water, but 
 I am an unhappy ambassador, whose death you desire. Where you 
 send me I will go, though I know I shall never return.' 
 
 And, as the Princess Goldilocks showed no sign of relenting, he 
 started with his little dog for the Gloomy Cavern. Everyone he 
 met on the way said : 
 
 ' What a pity that a handsome young man should throw away 
 his life so carelessly ! He is going to the cavern alone, though if he 
 had a hundred men with him he could not succeed. Why does the 
 Princess ask impossibilities ? ' 
 
 Charming said nothing, but he was very sad. When he was 
 near the top of a hill he dismounted to let his horse graze, while 
 Frisk amused himself by chasing flies. Charming knew he could 
 not be far from the Gloomy Cavern, and on looking about him he 
 saw a black hideous rock from which came a thick smoke, followed 
 in a moment by one of the dragons with fire blazing from his mouth 
 and eyes. His body was yellow and green, and his claws scarlet, 
 and his tail was so long that it lay in a hundred coils. Frisk was 
 so terrified at the sight of it that he did not know where to hide. 
 Charming, quite determined to get the water or die, now drew his 
 sword, and, taking the crystal flask which Pretty Goldilocks had 
 given him to fill, said to Frisk : 
 
 ' I feel sure that I shall never come back from this expedition ; 
 when I am dead, go to the Princess and tell her that her errand has 
 cost me my life. Then find the King my master, and relate all my 
 adventures to him.' 
 
 As he spoke he heard a voice calling : ' Charming, Charming ! ' 
 
 ' Who calls me ? ' said he ; then he saw an owl sitting in a hollow 
 tree, who said to him : 
 
 ' You saved my life when I was caught in the net, now I can 
 repay you. Trust me with the flask, for 1 know all the ways of the 
 Gloomy Cavern, and can fill it from the Fountain of Beauty.' 
 Charming was only too glad to give her the flask, and she flitted 
 into the cavern quite unnoticed by the dragon, and after some 
 time returned with the flask, filled to the very brim with sparkling 
 water. Charming thanked her with all his heart, and joyfully 
 hastened back to the town. 
 
 He went straight to the palace and gave the flask to the 
 Princess, who had no further objection to make. So she thanked
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 203 
 
 Charming, and ordered that preparations should be made for her de- 
 parture, and they soon set out together. The Princess found Charm- 
 ing such an agreeable companion that she sometimes said to him : 
 
 ' Why didn't we stay where we were ? I could have made you 
 king, and we should have been so happy ! ' 
 But Charming only answered : 
 'I could not have done anything that would have vexed my
 
 204 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 
 
 master so much, even for a kingdom, or to please you, though I 
 think you are as beautiful as the sun.' 
 
 At last they reached the King's great city, and he came out to 
 meet the Princess, bringing magnificent presents, and the marriage 
 was celebrated with great rejoicings. But Goldilocks was so fond 
 of Charming that she could not be happy unless he was near her, 
 and she was always singing his praises. 
 
 ' If it hadn't been for Charming,' she said to the King, ' I should 
 never have come here ; you ought to be very much obliged to him, 
 for he did the most impossible things and got me water from the 
 Fountain of Beauty, so I can never grow old, and shall get prettier 
 every year.' 
 
 Then Charming's enemies said to the King : 
 
 ' It is a wonder that you are not jealous, the Queen thinks there 
 is nobody in the world like Charming. As if anybody you had 
 sent could not have done just as much ! ' 
 
 4 It is quite true, now I come to think of it,' said the King. ' Let 
 him be chained hand and foot, and thrown into the tower.' 
 
 So they took Charming, and as a reward for having served the 
 King so faithfully he was shut up in the tower, where he only saw 
 the gaoler, who brought him a piece of black bread and a pitcher of 
 water every day. 
 
 However, little Frisk came to console him, and told him all the 
 news. 
 
 When Pretty Goldilocks heard what had happened she threw 
 herself at the King's feet and begged him to set Charming free, but 
 the more she cried the more angry he was, and at last she saw that 
 it was useless to say any more ; but it made her very sad. Then 
 the King took it in his head that perhaps he was not handsome 
 enough to please the Princess Goldilocks, and he thought he would 
 bathe his face with the water from the Fountain of Beauty, which 
 was in the flask on a shelf in the Princess's room, where she had 
 placed it that she might see it often. Now it happened that one of 
 the Princess's ladies in chasing a spider had knocked the flask off 
 the shelf and broken it, and every drop of the water had been spilt. 
 Not knowing what to do, she had hastily swept away the pieces of 
 crystal, and then remembered that in the King's room she had seen 
 a flask of exactly the same shape, also filled with sparkling water. 
 So, without saying a word, she fetched it and stood it upon the 
 Queen's shelf. 
 
 Now the water in this flask was what was used in the kingdom
 
 THE STORY OF PRETTY GOLDILOCKS 205 
 
 for getting rid of troublesome people. Instead of having their 
 heads cut off in the usual way, their faces were bathed with the 
 water, and they instantly fell asleep and never woke up any more. 
 So, when the King, thinking to improve his beauty, took the flask 
 and sprinkled the water upon his face, lie fell asleep, and nobody 
 could wake him. 
 
 Little Frisk was the first to hear the news, and he ran to tell 
 Charming, who sent him to beg the Princess not to forget the poor 
 prisoner. All the palace was in confusion on account of the King's 
 death, but tiny Frisk made his way through the crowd to the 
 Princess's side, and said : 
 
 ' Madam, do not forget poor Charming ! ' 
 
 Then she remembered all he had done for her, and without 
 saying a word to anyone went straight to the tower, and with her 
 own hands took off Charming' s chains. Then, putting a golden 
 crown upon his head, and the royal mantle upon his shoulders, she 
 said : 
 
 ' Come, faithful Charming, 1 make you king, and will take you 
 for my husband.' 
 
 Charming, once more free and happy, fell at her feet and 
 thanked her for her gracious words. 
 
 Everybody was delighted that he should be king, and the 
 wedding, which took place at once, was the prettiest that can be 
 imagined, and Prince Charming and Princess Goldilocks lived 
 happily ever after. 1 
 
 1 Madame d'Aulnoy.
 
 206 
 
 THE HISTOBY OF WHITTINGTON 
 
 TkICK WHITTINGTON was a very little boy when his father and 
 -L^ mother died ; so little indeed, that he never knew them, nor 
 the place where he was born. He strolled about the country as 
 ragged as a colt, ' till he met with a waggoner who was going to 
 London, and who gave him leave to walk all the way by the side 
 of his waggon without paying anything for his passage. This pleased 
 little Whittington very much, as he wanted to see London sadly, 
 for he had heard that the streets were paved with gold, and he was 
 willing to get a bushel of it ; but how great was his disappointment, 
 poor boy ! when he saw the streets covered with dirt instead of 
 gold, and found himself in a strange place, without a friend, without 
 food, and without money. 
 
 Though the waggoner was so charitable as to let him walk up 
 by the side of the waggon for nothing, he took care not to know him 
 when he came to town, and the poor boy was, in a little time, so 
 cold and so hungry that he wished himself in a good kitchen and by 
 a warm fire in the country. 
 
 In this distress he asked charity of several people, and one of 
 them bid him ' Go to work for an idle rogue.' ' That I will,' says 
 Whittington, ' with all my heart ; I will work for you if you will 
 let me.' 
 
 The man, who thought this savoured of wit and impertinence 
 (though the poor lad intended only to show his readiness to work), 
 gave him a blow with a stick which broke his head so that the 
 blood ran down. In this situation, and fainting for want of food, 
 he laid himself down at the door of one Mr. Fitzwarren, a merchant, 
 where the cook saw him, and, being an ill-natured hussey, ordered 
 him to go about his business or she would scald him. At this time 
 Mr. Fitzwarren came from the Exchange, and began also to scold 
 at the poor boy, bidding him to go to work. 
 
 Whittington answered that he should be glad to work if any-
 
 THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON 
 
 207 
 
 body would employ him, and that he should be able if he could 
 get some victuals to eat, for he had had nothing for three days, 
 and he was a poor country boy, and knew nobody, and nobody 
 would employ him. 
 
 He then endeavoured to get up, but he was so very weak that 
 he fell down again, which excited so much compassion in the mer- 
 chant that he ordered the servants to take him in and give him 
 some meat and drink, and let him help the cook to do any dirty 
 work that she had to set him about People are too apt to reproach
 
 208 THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON 
 
 those who beg with being idle, but give themselves no concern to 
 put them in the way of getting business to do, or considering 
 whether they are able to do it, which is not charity. 
 
 But we return to Whittington, who would have lived happy in 
 this worthy family had he not been bumped about by the cross 
 cook, who must be always roasting or basting, and when the spit 
 was idle employed her hands upon poor Whittington ! At last Miss 
 Alice, his master's daughter, was informed of it, and then she took 
 compassion on the poor boy, and made the servants treat him kindly. 
 
 Besides the crossness of the cook, "Whittington had another 
 difficulty to get over before he could be happy. He had, by order 
 of his master, a flock-bed placed for him in a garret, where there 
 was a number of rats and mice that often ran over the poor boy's 
 nose and disturbed him in his sleep. After some time, however, 
 a gentleman who came to his master's house gave Whittington 
 a penny for brushing his shoes. This he put into his pocket, 
 being determined to lay it out to the best advantage ; and the next 
 day, seeing a woman in the street with a cat under her arm, he ran 
 up to know the price of it. The woman (as the cat was a good 
 mouser) asked a deal of money for it, but on "Whittington's telling 
 her he had but a penny in the world, and that he wanted a cat 
 sadly, she let him have it. 
 
 This cat Whittington concealed in the garret, for fear she should 
 be beat about by his mortal enemy the cook, and here she soon 
 killed or frightened away the rats and mice, so that the poor boy 
 could now sleep as sound as a top. 
 
 Soon after this the merchant, who had a ship ready to sail, 
 caUed for his servants, as his custom was, in order that each of 
 them might venture something to try their luck ; and whatever 
 they sent was to pay neither freight nor custom, for he thought 
 justly that God Almighty would bless him the more for his readiness 
 to let the poor partake of his fortune. 
 
 All the servants appeared but poor "Whittington, who, having 
 neither money nor goods, could not think of sending anything to 
 try his luck ; but his good friend Miss Alice, thinking his poverty 
 kept him away, ordered him to be called. 
 
 She then offered to lay down something for him, but the mer- 
 chant told his daughter that would not do, it must be something 
 of his own. Upon which poor Whittington said he had nothing but 
 a cat which he bought for a penny that was given him. ' Fetch thy 
 cat, boy,' said the merchant, ' and send her.' Whittington brought
 
 THE HISTOBY OF WHITTINGTON 209 
 
 poor puss and delivered her to the captain, with tears in his eyes, 
 for he said he should now be disturbed by the rats and mice as 
 much as ever. All the company laughed at the adventure but Miss 
 Alice, who pitied the poor boy, and gave him something to buy 
 another cat. 
 
 While puss was beating the billows at sea, poor Whittington 
 was severely beaten at home by his tyrannical mistress the cook, 
 who used him so cruelly, and made such game of him for sending 
 his cat to sea. that at last the poor boy determined to run away 
 from his place, and, having packed up the few things he had, he 
 set out very early in the morning on All-Hallows day. He 
 travelled as far as Holloway, and there sat down on a stone to 
 consider what course he should take ; but while he was thus 
 ruminating, Bow bells, of which there were only six, began to 
 ring ; and he thought their sounds addressed him in this manner : 
 
 ' Turn again, Whittington, 
 Thrice Lord Mayor of London.' 
 
 ' Lord Mayor of London ! ' said he to himself; ' what would not 
 one endure to be Lord Mayor of London, and ride in such a fine 
 coach ? Well, I'll go back again, and bear all the pummelling and 
 ill-usage of Cicely rather than miss the opportunity of being Lord 
 Mayor ! ' So home he went, and happily got into the house and 
 about his business before Mrs. Cicely made her appearance. 
 
 W T e must now follow Miss Puss to the coast of Africa. How 
 perilous are voyages at sea, how uncertain the winds and the 
 waves, and how many accidents attend a naval life ! 
 
 The ship which had the cat on board was long beaten at sea, 
 and at last, by contrary winds, driven on a part of the coast of 
 Barbary which was inhabited by Moors unknown to the English. 
 These people received our countrymen with civility, and therefore 
 the captain, in order to trade with them, showed them the patterns 
 of the goods he had on board, and sent some of them to the King of 
 the country, who was so well pleased that he sent for the captain 
 and the factor to his palace, which was about a mile from the sea. 
 Here they were placed, according to the custom of the country, 
 on rich carpets, flowered with gold and silver ; and the King and 
 Queen being seated at the upper end of the room, dinner was 
 brought in, which consisted of many dishes ; but no sooner were 
 the dishes put down but an amazing number of rats and mice 
 came from all quarters, and devoured all the meat in an instant. 
 
 P
 
 210 THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON 
 
 The factor, in surprise, turned round to the nobles and asked if 
 these vermin were not offensive. ' Oh ! yes,' said they, ' very 
 offensive ; and the King would give half his treasure to be freed of 
 them, for they not only destroy his dinner, as you see, but they 
 assault him in his chamber, and even in bed, so that he is obliged 
 to be watched while he is sleeping, for fear of them.' 
 
 The factor jumped for joy; he remembered poor Whittington 
 and his cat, and told the King he had a creature on board the ship 
 that would despatch all these vermin immediately. The King's 
 heart heaved so high at the joy which this news gave him that his 
 turban dropped off his head. ' Bring this creature to me,' said he ; 
 ' vermin are dreadful in a court, and if she will perform what you 
 say I will load your ship with gold and jewels in exchange for her.' 
 The factor, who knew his business, took this opportunity to set 
 forth the merits of Miss Puss. He told his Majesty that it 
 would be inconvenient to part with her, as, when she was gone, the 
 rats and mice might destroy the goods in the ship but to oblige 
 his Majesty he would fetch her. ' Run, run,' said the Queen ; ' I 
 am impatient to see the dear creature.' 
 
 Away flew the factor, while another dinner was providing, and 
 returned with the cat just as the rats and mice were devouring that 
 also. He immediately put down Miss Puss, who killed a great 
 number of them. 
 
 The King rejoiced greatly to see his old enemies destroyed by 
 so small a creature, and the Queen was highly pleased, and desired 
 the cat might be brought near that she might look at her. Upon 
 which the factor called ' Pussy, pussy, pussy ! ' and she came to 
 him. He then presented her to the Queen, who started back, and 
 was afraid to touch a creature who had made such a havoc among 
 the rats and mice ; however, when the factor stroked the cat and 
 called ' Pussy, pussy ! ' the Queen also touched her and cried ' Putty, 
 putty ! ' for she had not learned English. 
 
 He then put her down on the Queen's lap, where she, purring, 
 played with her Majesty's hand, and then sang herself to sleep. 
 
 The King having seen the exploits of Miss Puss, and being 
 informed that her kittens would stock the whole country, bar- 
 gained with the captain and factor for the whole ship's cargo, 
 and then gave them ten times as much for the cat as all the rest 
 amounted to. On which, taking leave of their Majesties and other 
 great personages at court, they sailed with a fair wind for England, 
 whither we must now attend them.
 
 THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON 
 
 211 
 
 The morn had scarcely dawned" when Mr. Fitzwarren arose to 
 count over the cash and settle the business for that day. He had 
 just entered the counting-house, and seated himself at the desk, 
 when somebody came, tap, tap, at the door. ' Who's there ? ' said 
 Mr. Fitzwarren. ' A friend,' answered the other. ' What friend 
 can come at this unseasonable time ? ' 'A real friend is never 
 unseasonable,' answered the other. 'I come to bring you good 
 news of your ship Unicorn.' The merchant bustled up in such 
 a hurry that he forgot his gout ; instantly opened the door, and 
 
 who should be seen waiting but the captain and factor, with a 
 cabinet of jewels, and a bill of lading, for which the merchant 
 lifted up his eyes and thanked heaven for sending him such a 
 prosperous voyage. Then they told him the adventures of the 
 cat, and showed him the cabinet of jewels which they had brought 
 for Mr. Whittington. Upon which he cried out with great earnest- 
 ness, but not in the most poetical manner : 
 
 ' Go, send him in, and tell him of his fame, 
 And call him Mr. Wbittington by name.'
 
 212 THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON 
 
 It is not our business to animadvert upon these lines ; we are 
 not critics, but historians. It is sufficient for us that they are the 
 words of Mr. Fitzwarren ; and though it is beside our purpose, and 
 perhaps not in our power to prove him a good poet, we shall soon 
 convince the reader that he was a good man, which was a much 
 better character ; for when some who were present told him that 
 this treasure was too much for such a poor boy as Whittington, he 
 said ; ' God forbid that I should deprive him of a penny ; it is his 
 own, and he shall have it to a farthing.' He then ordered Mr. 
 Whittington in, who was at this time cleaning the kitchen and 
 would have excused himself from going into the counting-house, 
 saying the room was swept and his shoes were dirty and full of 
 hob-nails. The merchant, however, made him come in, and 
 ordered a chair to be set for him. Upon which, thinking they 
 intended to make sport of him, as had been too often the case in the 
 kitchen, he besought his master not to mock a poor simple fellow 
 who intended them no harm, but let him go about his business. 
 The merchant, taking him by the hand, said : ' Indeed, Mr. Whit- 
 tington, I am in earnest with you, and sent for you to congratulate 
 you on your great success. Your cat has procured you more money 
 than I am worth in the world, and may you long enjoy it and be 
 happy ! ' 
 
 At length, being shown the treasure, and convinced by them 
 that all of it belonged to him, he fell upon his knees and thanked 
 the Almighty for his providential care of such a poor and miserable 
 creature. He then laid all the treasure at his master's feet, who 
 refused to take any part of it, but told him he heartily rejoiced at 
 his prosperity, and hoped the wealth he had acquired would be a 
 comfort to him, and would make him happy. He then applied to 
 his mistress, and to his good friend Miss Alice, who refused to take 
 any part of the money, but told him she heartily rejoiced at his 
 good success, and wished him all imaginable felicity. He then 
 gratified the captain, factor, and the ship's crew for the care they 
 had taken of his cargo. He likewise distributed presents to all the 
 servants in the house, not forgetting even his old enemy the cook, 
 though she little deserved it. 
 
 After this Mr. Fitzwarren advised Mr. Whittington to send for 
 the necessary people and dress himself like a gentleman, and made 
 him the offer of his house to live in till he could provide himself 
 with a better. 
 
 Now it came to pass when Mr. Whittington' s face was washed,
 
 THE HISTOEY OF WHITTINOTON 213 
 
 his hair curled, and he dressed in a rich suit of clothes, that 
 he turned out a genteel young fellow ; and, as wealth contributes 
 much to give a man confidence, he in a little time dropped that 
 sheepish behaviour which was principally occasioned by a depres- 
 sion of spirits, and soon grew a sprightly and good companion, 
 insomuch that Miss Alice, who had formerly pitied him, now fell in 
 love with him. 
 
 When her father perceived they had this good liking for each 
 other he proposed a match between them, to which both parties 
 cheerfully consented, and the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, 
 Sheriffs, the Company of Stationers, the Royal Academy of Arts, 
 and a number of eminent merchants attended the ceremony, and 
 were elegantly treated at an entertainment made for that purpose. 
 
 History further relates that they lived very happy, had several 
 children, and died at a good old age. Mr. Whittington served 
 Sheriff of London and was three times Lord Mayor. In the last 
 year of his mayoralty he entertained King Henry V. and his 
 Queen, after his conquest of France, upon which occasion the 
 King, in consideration of Whittington's merit, said : ' Never had 
 prince such a subject ; ' which being told to Whittington at the 
 table, he replied : ' Never had subject such a king.' His Majesty, 
 out of respect to his good character, conferred the honour of knight- 
 hood on him soon after. 
 
 Sir Richard many years before his death constantly fed a great 
 number of poor citizens, built a church and a college to it, with a 
 yearly allowance for poor scholars, and near it erected a hospital. 
 
 He also built Newgate for criminals, and gave liberally to St. 
 Bartholomew's Hospital and other public charities.
 
 214 
 
 THE WONDEBFUL SHEEP 
 
 ONCE upon a time in the days when the fairies lived there 
 was a king who had three daughters, who were all young, and 
 clever, and beautiful; but the youngest of the three, who was 
 called Miranda, was the prettiest and the most beloved. 
 
 The King, her father, gave her more dresses and jewels in a 
 month than he gave the others in a year ; but she was so generous 
 that she shared everything with her sisters, and they were all as 
 happy and as fond of one another as they could be. 
 
 Now, the King had some quarrelsome neighbours, who, tired of 
 leaving him in peace, began to make war upon him so fiercely that 
 he feared he would be altogether beaten if he did not make an 
 effort to defend himself. So he collected a great army and set off 
 to fight them, leaving the Princesses with their governess in a 
 castle where news of the war was brought every day sometimes 
 that the King had taken a town, or won a battle, and, at last, that 
 he had altogether overcome his enemies and chased them out of 
 his kingdom, and was coming back to the castle as quickly as pos- 
 sible, to see his dear little Miranda whom he loved so much. 
 
 The three Princesses put on dresses of satin, which they had 
 had made on purpose for this great occasion, one green, one blue, 
 and the third white ; their jewels were the same colours. The eldest 
 wore emeralds, the second turquoises, and the youngest diamonds, 
 and thus adorned they went to meet the King, singing verses which 
 they had composed about his victories. 
 
 When he saw them all so beautiful and so gay he embraced 
 them tenderly, but gave Miranda more kisses than either of the 
 others. 
 
 Presently a splendid banquet was served, and the King and his 
 daughters sat down to it, and as he always thought that there was 
 some special meaning in everything, he said to the eldest : 
 
 ' Tell me why you have chosen a green dress.'
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 215 
 
 ' Sire,' she answei'ed, ' having heard of your victories I thought 
 that green would signify my joy and the hope of your speedy 
 return.' 
 
 ' That is a very good answer,' said the King ; ' and you, my 
 daughter,' he continued, ' why did you take a blue dress ? ' 
 
 ' Sire,' said the Princess, ' to ehow that we constantly hoped 
 for your success, and that the sight of you is as welcome to me as 
 the sky with its most beautiful stars.' 
 
 'Why,' said the King, 'your wise answers astonish me; and 
 you, Miranda. "What made you dress yourself all in white ? ' 
 
 ' Because, sire,' she answered, ' white suits me better than any- 
 thing else.' 
 
 ' What ! ' said the King angrily, ' was that all you thought of, 
 vain child ? ' 
 
 ' I thought you would be pleased with me,' said the Princess ; 
 ' that was all.' 
 
 The King, who loved her, was satisfied with this, and even 
 pretended to be pleased that she had not told him all her reasons at 
 first. 
 
 ' And now,' said he, ' as I have supped well, and it is not time 
 yet to go to bed, tell me what you dreamed last night.' 
 
 The eldest said she had dreamed that he brought her a dress, 
 and the precious stories and gold embroidery on it were brighter 
 than the sun.
 
 216 THE WONDEEFUL SHEEP 
 
 The dream of the second was that the King had brought her a 
 spinning wheel and a distaff, that she might spin him some shirts. 
 
 But the youngest said : ' I dreamed that my second sister was to 
 be married, and on her wedding-day, you, father, held a golden 
 ewer and said : ' ' Come, Miranda, and I will hold the water that you 
 may dip your hands in it." ' 
 
 The King was very angry indeed when he heard this dream, 
 and frowned horribly ; indeed, he made such an ugly face that 
 everyone knew how angry he was, and he got up and went off to 
 bed in a great hurry ; but he could not forget his daughter's dream. 
 ' Does the proud girl wish to make me her slave ? ' he said to him- 
 self. ' I am not surprised at her choosing to dress herself in white 
 satin without a thought of me. She does not think me worthy of 
 her consideration ! But I will soon put an end to her preten- 
 sions ! ' 
 
 He rose in a fury, and although it was not yet daylight, he sent 
 for the Captain of his Bodyguard, and said to him : 
 
 ' You have heard the Princess Miranda's dream ? I consider 
 that it means strange things against me, therefore I order you to 
 take her away into the forest and kill her, and, that I may be sure 
 it is done, you must bring me her heart and her tongue. If you 
 attempt to deceive me you shall be put to death ! ' 
 
 The Captain of the Guard was very much astonished when he 
 heard this barbarous order, but he did not dare to contradict the 
 King for fear of making him still more angry, or causing him to 
 send someone else, so he answered that he would fetch the Princess 
 and do as the King had said. When he went to her room they 
 would hardly let him in, it was still so early, but he said that the 
 King had sent for Miranda, and she got up quickly and came out ; 
 a little black girl called Patypata held up her train, and her pet 
 monkey and her little dog ran after her. The monkey was called 
 Grabugeon, and the little dog Tintin. 
 
 The Captain of the Guard begged Miranda to come down into 
 the garden where the King was enjoying the fresh air, and when 
 they got there, he pretended to search for him, but as he was not 
 to be found, he said : 
 
 ' No doubt his Majesty has strolled into the forest,' and he 
 opened the little door that led to it and they went through. 
 
 By this time the daylight had begun to appear, and the Princess, 
 looking at her conductor, saw that he had tears in his eyes and 
 seemed too sad to speak.
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 217 
 
 ' "What is the matter ? ' she said in the kindest way. ' You seem 
 very sorrowful.' 
 
 ' Alas ! Princess,' he answered, ' who would not he sorrowful 
 who was ordered to do such a terrible thing as I am ? The King 
 has commanded me to kill you here, and carry your heart and 
 your tongue to him, and if I disobey I shall lose my life.' 
 
 The poor Princess was terrified, she grew very pale and began 
 to cry softly. 
 
 Looking up at the Captain of the Guard with her beautiful eyes, 
 she said gently : 
 
 ' Will you really have the heart to kill me ? I have never done 
 
 you any harm, and have always spoken well of you to the King. 
 If I had deserved my father's anger I would suffer without a 
 murmur, but, alas ! he is unjust to complain of me, when I have 
 always treated him with love and respect.' 
 
 ' Fear nothing, Princess,' said the Captain of the Guard. ' I would 
 far rather die myself than hurt you ; but even if I am killed you 
 will not be safe : we must find some way of making the King believe 
 that you are dead.' 
 
 ' What can we do ? ' said Miranda ; ' unless you take him my 
 heart and my tongue he will never believe you.
 
 218 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 The Princess and the Captain of the Guard were talking so 
 earnestly that they did not think of Patypata, but she had overheard 
 all they said, and now caine and threw herself at Miranda's feet. 
 
 ' Madam,' she said, ' I offer you my life ; let me be killed, I 
 shall be only too happy to die for such a kind mistress.' 
 
 ' Why, Patypata,' cried the Princess, kissing her, ' that would 
 never do ; your life is as precious to me as my own, especially after 
 such a proof of your affection as you have just given me.' 
 
 ' You are right, Princess,' said Grabugeon, coming forward, ' to 
 love such a faithful slave as Patypata ; she is of more use to you 
 than I am, I offer you my tongue and my heart most willingly, 
 especially as I wish to make a great name for myself in Goblin 
 Land.' 
 
 ' No, no, my little Grabugeon,' replied Miranda ; ' I cannot bear 
 the thought of taking your life.' 
 
 ' Such a good little dog as I am,' cried Tintin, ' could not think 
 of letting either of you die for his mistress. If anyone is to die for 
 her it must be me.' 
 
 And then began a great dispute between Patypata, Grabugeon, 
 and Tintin. and they came to high words, until at last Grabugeon, 
 who was quicker than the others, ran up to the very top of the 
 nearest tree, and let herself fall, head first, to the ground, and there 
 she lay quite dead ! 
 
 The Princess was very sorry, but as Grabugeon was really dead, 
 she allowed the Captain of the Guard to take her tongue; but, alas! 
 it was such a little one not bigger than the Princess's thumb, that 
 they decided sorrowfully that it was no use at all : the King would 
 not have been taken in by it for a moment ! 
 
 ' Alas ! my little monkey,' cried the Princess, ' I have lost you, 
 and yet I am no better off than I was before.' 
 
 'The honour of saving your life is to be mine,' interrupted 
 Patypata, and, before they could prevent her, she had picked up a 
 knife and cut her head off in an instant. 
 
 But when the Captain of the Guard would have taken her 
 tongue it turned out to be quite black, so that would not have 
 deceived the King either. 
 
 ' Am I not unlucky ? ' cried the poor Princess ; ' I lose everything 
 I love, and am none the better for it.' 
 
 ' If you had accepted my offer,' said Tintin, ' you would only 
 have had me to regret, and I should have had all your gratitude.' 
 
 Miranda kissed her little dog, crying so bitterly, that at last she
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 219 
 
 could bear it no longer, and turned away into the forest. When she 
 looked back the Captain of the Guard was gone, and she was alone, 
 except for Patypata, Grabugeon, and Tintin, who lay upon the 
 ground. She could not leave the place until she had buried them 
 in a pretty little mossy grave at the foot of a tree, and she wrote 
 their names upon the bark of the tree, and how they had all died 
 to save her life. And then she began to think where she could go 
 for safety for this forest was so close to her father's castle that she 
 might be seen and recognised by the first passer-by, and, beside 
 that, it was full of lions and wolves, who would have snapped up a 
 princess just as soon as a stray chicken. So she began to walk as 
 fast as she could, but the forest was so large and the sun was so 
 hot that she nearly died of heat and terror and fatigue ; look which 
 way she would there seemed to be no end to the forest, and she 
 was so frightened that she fancied every minute that she heard the 
 King running after her to kill her. You may imagine how miser- 
 able she was, and how she cried as she went on, not knowing 
 which path to follow, and with the thorny bushes scratching her 
 dreadfully and tearing her pretty frock to pieces. 
 
 At last she heard the bleating of a sheep, and said to herself: 
 
 ' No doubt there are shepherds here with their flocks ; they will 
 show me the way to some village where I can live disguised as a 
 peasant girl. Alas ! it is not always kings and princes who are the 
 happiest people in the world. "Who could have believed that I 
 should ever be obliged to run away and hide because the King, for 
 no reason at all, wishes to kill me ? ' 
 
 So saying she advanced towards the place where she heard the 
 bleating, but what was her surprise when, in a lovely little glade 
 quite surrounded by trees, she saw a large sheep ; its wool was as 
 white as snow, and its horns shone like gold ; it had a garland of 
 flowers round its neck, and strings of great pearls about its legs, and 
 a collar of diamonds ; it lay upon a bank of orange-flowers, under a 
 canopy of cloth of gold which protected it from the heat of the sun. 
 Nearly a hundred other sheep were scattered about, not eating the 
 grass, but some drinking coffee, lemonade, or sherbet, others eating 
 ices, strawberries and cream, or sweetmeats, while others, again, 
 were playing games. Many of them wore golden collars with 
 jewels, flowers, and ribbons. 
 
 Miranda stopped short in amazement at this unexpected sight, 
 and was looking in all directions for the shepherd of this surprising 
 flock, when the beautiful sheep came bounding towards her.
 
 220 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 ' Approach, lovely Princess,' he cried ; ' have no fear of such 
 gentle and peaceable animals as we are.' 
 
 ' "What a marvel ! ' cried the Princess, starting back a little. 
 ' Here is a sheep who can talk.' 
 
 ' Your monkey and your dog could talk, madam,' said he ; 'are 
 you more astonished at us than at them ? ' 
 
 ' A fairy gave them the power to speak,' replied Miranda. ' So 
 1 was used to them.' 
 
 ' Perhaps the same thing has happened to us,' he said, smiling 
 sheepishly. ' But, Princess, what can have led you here ? ' 
 
 ' A thousand misfortunes, Sir Sheep,' she answered. ' I am the 
 unhappiest princess in the world, and I am seeking a shelter against 
 my father's anger.' 
 
 ' Come with me, madam,' said the Sheep ; ' I offer you a hiding- 
 place which you only will know of, and where you will be mistress 
 of everything you see.' 
 
 ' I really cannot follow you,' said Miranda, ' for I am too tired 
 to walk another step.' 
 
 The Sheep with the golden horns ordered that his chariot should
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 221 
 
 be fetched, and a moment after appeared six goats, harnessed to a 
 pumpkin, which was so big that two people could quite well sit in 
 it, and was all lined with cushions of velvet and down. The 
 Princess stepped into it, much amused at such a new kind of 
 carriage, the King of the Sheep took his place beside her, and the 
 goats ran away with them at full speed, and only stopped when 
 they reached a cavern, the entrance to which was blocked by a great 
 stone. This the King touched with his foot, and immediately it fell 
 down, and he invited the Princess to enter without fear. Now, if 
 she had not been so alarmed by everything that had happened, 
 nothing could have induced her to go into this frightful cave, but 
 she was so afraid of what might be behind her that she would have 
 thrown herself even down a well at this moment. So, without 
 hesitation, she followed the Sheep, who went before her, down, down, 
 down, until she thought they must come out at the other side of 
 the world indeed, she was not sure that he wasn't leading her 
 into Fairyland. At last she saw before her a great plain, quite 
 covered with all sorts of flowers, the scent of which seemed to her 
 nicer than anything she had ever smelt before ; a broad river of 
 orange-flower water flowed round it, and fountains of wine of every 
 kind ran in all directions and made the prettiest little cascades and 
 brooks. The plain was covered with the strangest trees, there were 
 whole avenues where partridges, ready roasted, hung from every 
 branch, or, if you prefened pheasants, quails, turkeys, or rabbits, 
 you had only to turn to the right hand or to the left and you 
 were sure to find them. In places the air was darkened by showers 
 of lobster -patties, white puddings, sausages, tarts, and all sorts 
 of sweetmeats, or with pieces of gold and silver, diamonds and 
 pearls. This unusual kind of rain, and the pleasantness of the 
 whole place, would, no doubt, have attracted numbers of people 
 to it, if the King of the Sheep had been of a more sociable disposi- 
 tion, but from all accounts it is evident that he was as grave as a 
 judge. 
 
 As it was quite the nicest time of the year when Miranda 
 arrived in this delightful land the only palace she saw was a long 
 row of orange trees, jasmines, honeysuckles, and musk-roses, and 
 their interlacing branches made the prettiest rooms possible, which 
 were hung with gold and silver gauze, and had great mirrors and 
 candlesticks, and most beautiful pictures. The wonderful Sheep 
 begged that the Princess would consider herself queen over all that 
 she saw, and assured her that, though for some years he had been
 
 222 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 very sad and in great trouble, she had it in her power to make him 
 forget all his grief. 
 
 4 You are so kind and generous, noble Sheep,' said the Princess, 
 ' that I cannot thank you enough, but I must confess that all I see 
 here seems to me so extraordinary that I don't know what to think 
 of it.' 
 
 As she spoke a band of lovely fairies came up and offered her 
 amber baskets full of fruit, but when she held out her hands to 
 them they glided away, and she could feel nothing when she tried 
 to touch them. 
 
 ' Oh ! ' she cried, ' what can they be ? Whom am I with ? ' and 
 she began to cry. 
 
 At this instant the King- of the Sheep came back to her, and 
 was so distracted to find her in tears that he could have torn his 
 wool. 
 
 ' What is the matter, lovely Princess ? ' he cried. ' Has anyone 
 failed to treat you with due respect ? ' 
 
 ' Oh ! no,' said Miranda ; ' only I am not used to living with 
 sprites and with sheep that talk, and everything here frightens me. 
 It was very kind of you to bring me to this place, but I shall be 
 even more grateful to you if you will take me up into the world 
 again.' 
 
 ' Do not be afraid,' said the wonderful Sheep ; ' I entreat you to 
 have patience, and listen to the story of my misfortunes. I was 
 once a king, and my kingdom was the most splendid in the world. 
 My subjects loved me, my neighbours envied and feared me. I was 
 respected by everyone, and it was said that no king ever deserved 
 it more. 
 
 ' I was very fond of hunting, and one day, while chasing a stag, 
 I left my attendants far behind ; suddenly I saw the animal leap 
 into a pool of water, and I rashly urged my horse to follow it, but 
 before we had gone many steps I felt an extraordinary heat, instead 
 of the coolness of the water ; the pond dried up, a great gulf opened 
 before me, out of which flames of fire shot up, and I fell helplessly 
 to the bottom of a precipice. 
 
 ' I gave mj-self up for lost, but presently a voice said : " Ungrate- 
 ful Prince, even this fire is hardly enough to warm your cold 
 heart ! " 
 
 ' " Who complains of my coldness in this dismal place ? " I cried. 
 
 ' " An unhappy being who loves you hopelessly," replied the voice, 
 and at the same moment the flames began to flicker and cease to
 
 THE WONDEEFUL SHEEP 
 
 223 
 
 burn, and I saw a fairy, whom I had known as long as I could 
 remember, and whose ugliness had always horrified me. She was 
 leaning upon the arm of a most beautiful young girl, who wore 
 chains of gold on her 
 wrists and was evidently 
 her slave. 
 
 ' " Why, Ragotte," I 
 said, for that was the 
 fairy's name, " what is the 
 meaning of all this ? Is 
 it by your orders that I 
 am here ? " 
 
 '"And whose fault is 
 it," she answered, "that f 
 you have never under- \ 
 stood me until now ? 
 Must a powerful fairy 
 like myself condescend to 
 explain her doings to you 
 who are no better than an 
 ant by comparison, though 
 you think yourself a great 
 king?" 
 
 ' " Call me what you 
 like," I said impatiently ; 
 "but what is it that you 
 want my crown, or my 
 cities, or my treasures ? " 
 
 ' " Treasures ! " said the fairy, disdainfully. " If I chose I could 
 make any one of my scullicns richer and more powerful than you. I 
 do not want your treasures, but," she added softly, " if you will give 
 me your heart if you will marry me I will add twenty kingdoms to 
 the one you have already ; you shall have a hundred castles full of 
 gold and five hundred full of silver, and, in short, anything you like 
 to ask me for." 
 
 "' Madam Ragotte," said I, " when one is at the bottom of a pit 
 where one has fully expected to be roasted alive, it is impossible to 
 think of asking such a charming person as you are to marry one ! 
 I beg that you will set me at liberty, and then I shall hope to 
 answer you fittingly." 
 
 ' " Ah ! " said she, "if you loved me really you would not care 
 
 <vP-l-M
 
 224 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 where you were a cave, a wood, a fox-hole, a desert, would please 
 ,you equally well. Do not think that you can deceive me ; you 
 fancy you are going to escape, but I assure you that you are going 
 to stay here, and the first thing I shall give you to do will he to 
 keep my sheep they are very good company and speak quite as 
 well as you do." 
 
 ' As she spoke she advanced, and led me to this plain where we 
 now stand, and showed me her flock, but I paid little attention to 
 it, or to her ; to tell the truth I was so lost in admiration of her 
 beautiful slave that I forgot everything else, and the cruel Eagotte, 
 perceiving this, turned upon her so furious and terrible a look that 
 she fell lifeless to the ground. 
 
 ' At this dreadful sight I drew my sword and rushed at Eagotte, 
 and should certainly have cut off her head had she not by her 
 magic arts chained me to the spot on which I stood ; all my efforts 
 to move were useless, and at last, when I threw myself down on 
 the ground in despair, she said to me, with a scornful smile : 
 
 ' " I intend to make you feel my power. It seems that you are 
 a lion at present, I mean you to be a sheep." 
 
 ' So saying, she touched me with her wand, and I became what 
 you see. I did not lose the power of speech, or of feeling the misery 
 of my present state. 
 
 '"For five years," she said, "you shall be a sheep, and lord of 
 this pleasant land, while I, no longer able to see your face, which 
 I loved so much, shall be better able to hate you as you deserve to 
 be hated." 
 
 ' She disappeared as she finished speaking, and if I had not been 
 too unhappy to care about anything I should have been glad that 
 she was gone. 
 
 ' The talking sheep received me as their king, and told me that 
 they, too, were unfortunate princes who had, in different ways, 
 offended the revengeful fairy, and had been added to her flock for 
 a certain number of years ; some more, some less. From time to 
 time, indeed, one regains his own proper form and goes back again 
 to his place in the upper world ; but the other beings whom you 
 saw are the rivals or the enemies of Eagotte, whom she has 
 imprisoned for a hundred years or so ; though even they will go 
 back at last. The young slave of whom I told you is one of these ; 
 I have seen her often, and it has been a great pleasure to me. She 
 never speaks to me, and if I went nearer to her I know I should 
 find her only a shadow, which would be very annoying. However,
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 225 
 
 I noticed that one of my companions in misfortune was also very 
 attentive to this little sprite, and I found out that he had been her 
 lover, whom the cruel Eagotte had taken away from her long 
 before ; since then I have cared for, and thought of, nothing but 
 how I might regain my freedom. I have often been into the 
 forest ; that is where I have seen you, lovely Princess, sometimes 
 driving j-our chariot, which you did with all the grace and skill in 
 the world ; sometimes riding to the chase on so spirited a horse 
 that it seemed as if no one but yourself could have managed it, 
 and sometimes running races on the plain with the Princesses of 
 your Court running so lightly that it was you always who won the 
 prize. Oh ! Princess, I have loved you so long, and yet how dare 
 I tell you of my love ! what hope can there be for an unhappy 
 sheep like myself ? ' 
 
 Miranda was so surprised and confused by all that she had 
 heard that she hardly knew what answer to give to the King of the 
 Sheep, but she managed to make some kind of little speech, 
 which certainly did not forbid him to hope, and said that she should 
 not be afraid of the shadows now she knew that they would some 
 day come to life again. ' Alas ! ' she continued, ' if my poor 
 Patypata, my dear Grabugeon, and pretty little Tintin, who all died 
 for my sake, were equally well off, I should have nothing left to 
 wish for here ! ' 
 
 Prisoner though he was, the King of the Sheep had still some 
 powers and privileges. 
 
 ' Go,' said he to his Master of the Horse, ' go and seek the 
 shadows of the little black girl, the monkey, and the dog : they will 
 amuse our Princess.' 
 
 And an instant afterwards Miranda saw them coming towards 
 her, and their presence gave her the greatest pleasure, though they 
 did not come near enough for her to touch them. 
 
 The King of the Sheep was so kind and amusing, and loved 
 Miranda so dearly, that at last she began to love him too. Such a 
 handsome sheep, who was so polite and considerate, could hardly 
 fail to please, especially if one knew that he was really a king, and 
 that his strange imprisonment would soon come to an end. So 
 the Princess's days passed very gaily while she waited for the happy 
 time to come. The King of the Sheep, with the help of all the 
 flock, got up balls, concerts, and hunting parties, and even the 
 shadows joined in all the fun, and came, making believe to be their 
 own real selves.
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 One evening, when the couriers arrived (for the King sent most 
 carefully for news and they always brought the very best kinds), 
 it was announced that the sister of the Princess Miranda was going 
 to be married to a great prince, and that nothing could be more 
 splendid than all the preparations for the wedding. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' cried the young Princess, ' how unlucky I am to miss 
 the sight of so many pretty things ! Here am I prisoned under the 
 earth, with no company but sheep and shadows, while my sister is 
 to be adorned like a queen and surrounded by all who love and 
 admire her, and everyone but myself can go to wish her joy ! ' 
 
 ' Why do you complain, Princess ? ' said the King of the Sheep. 
 ' Did I say that you were not to go to the wedding ? Set out as 
 soon as you please ; only promise me that you will come back, for 
 I love you too much to be able to live without you.' 
 
 Miranda was very grateful to him, and promised faithfully that 
 nothing in the world should keep her from coming back. The King 
 caused an escort suitable to her rank to be got ready for her, and 
 she dressed herself splendidly, not forgetting anything that could 
 make her more beautiful. Her chariot was of mother-of-pearl, 
 drawn by six dun-coloured griffins just brought from the other side 
 of the world, and she was attended by a number of guards in 
 splendid uniforms, who were all at least eight feet high and had 
 come from far and near to ride in the Princess's train. 
 
 Miranda reached her father's palace just as the wedding cere- 
 mony began, and everyone, as soon as she came in, was struck with 
 surprise at her beauty and the splendour of her jewels. She heard
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 227 
 
 exclamations of admiration on all sides ; and the King her father 
 looked at her so attentively that she was afraid he must recognise 
 her; but he was so sure that she was dead that the idea never 
 occurred to him. 
 
 However, the fear of not getting away made her leave before 
 the marriage was over. She went out hastily, leaving behind her 
 a little coral casket set with emeralds. On it was written in 
 diamond letters : ' Jewels for the Bride,' and when they opened it, 
 which they did as soon as it was found, there seemed to be no end 
 to the pretty things it contained. Tha King, who had hoped to 
 join the unknown Princess and find out who she was, was dread- 
 fully disappointed when she disappeared so suddenly, and gave 
 orders that if she ever came again the doors were to be shut that 
 she might not get away so easily. Short as Miranda's absence had 
 been it had seemed like a hundred years to the King of the Sheep. 
 He was waiting for her by a fountain in the thickest part of the 
 forest, and the ground was strewn with splendid presents which he 
 had prepared for her to show his joy and gratitude at her coming 
 back. 
 
 As soon as she was in sight he rushed to meet her, leaping and 
 bounding like a real sheep. He caressed her tenderly, throwing 
 himself at her feet and kissing her hands, and told her how uneasy 
 he had been in her absence, and how impatient for her return, with 
 an eloquence which charmed her. 
 
 After some time came the news that the King's second daughter 
 was going to be married. When Miranda heard it she begged the 
 King of the Sheep to allow her to go and see the wedding as before. 
 This request made him feel very sad, as if some misfortune must 
 surely come of it, but his love for the Princess being stronger than 
 anything else he did not like to refuse her. 
 
 ' You wish to leave me, Princess,' said he ; 'it is my unhappy 
 fate you are not to blame. I consent to your going, but, be- 
 lieve me, I can give you no stronger proof of my love than by so 
 doing.' 
 
 The Princess assured him that she would only stay a very short 
 time, as she had done before, and begged him not to be uneasy, as 
 she would be quite as much grieved if anything detained her as he 
 could possibly be. 
 
 So, with the same escort, she set out, and reached the palace as 
 the marriage ceremony began. Everybody was delighted to see her ; 
 she was so pretty that they thought she must be some fairy 
 
 Q2
 
 228 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 princess, and the Princes who were there could not take their eyes 
 off her. 
 
 The King was more glad than anyone else that she had come 
 again, and gave orders that the doors should all be shut and bolted 
 that very minute. When the wedding was all but over the Princess 
 got up quickly, hoping to slip away unnoticed among the crowd, 
 but to her great dismay she found every door fastened. 
 
 She felt more at ease when the King came up to her, and with 
 the greatest respect begged her not to run away so soon, but at 
 least to honour him by staying for the splendid feast which was 
 prepared for the Princes and Princesses. He led her into a mag- 
 nificent hall, where all the Court was assembled, and himself taking 
 up the golden bowl full of water, he offered it to her that she might 
 dip her pretty fingers into it. 
 
 At this the Princess could no longer contain herself ; throwing 
 herself at the King's feet, she cried out : 
 
 ' My dream has come true after all you have offered me water 
 to wash my hands on my sister's wedding-day, and it has not vexed 
 you to do it.' 
 
 The King recognised her at once indeed, he had already thought 
 several times how much like his poor little Miranda she was. 
 
 ' Oh! my dear daughter,' he cried, kissing her, ' can you ever' 
 forget my cruelty ? I ordered you to be put to death because I 
 thought your dream portended the loss of my crown. And so it 
 did,' he added, ' for now your sisters are both married and have 
 kingdoms of their own and mine shah 1 be for you.' So saying he 
 put his crown on the Princess's head and cried : 
 
 ' Long live Queen Miranda ! ' 
 
 All the Court cried : ' Long live Queen Miranda ! ' after him, and 
 the young Queen's two sisters came running up, and threw their 
 arms round her neck, and kissed her a thousand times, and then 
 there was such a laughing and crying, talking and kissing, all at 
 once, and Miranda thanked her father, and began to ask after 
 everyone particularly the Captain of the Guard, to whom she owed 
 so much ; but, to her great sorrow, she heard that he was dead. 
 Presently they sat down to the banquet, and the King asked 
 Miranda to tell them all that had happened to her since the 
 terrible morning when he had sent the Captain of the Guard to 
 fetch her. This she did with so much spirit that all the guests 
 listened with breathless interest. But while she was thus enjoying 
 herself with the King and her sisters, the King of the Sheep was
 
 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 229 
 
 waiting impatiently for the time of her return, and when it came 
 and went, and no Princess appeared, his anxiety became so great 
 that he could bear it no longer. 
 
 ' She is not coming back any more,' he cried. ' My miserable 
 sheep's face displeases her, and without Miranda what is left to 
 me, wretched creature that I am ! Oh ! cruel Ragotte ; my punish- 
 ment is complete.' 
 
 For a long time he bewailed his sad fate like this, and then, 
 seeing that it was growing dark, and that still there was no sign of 
 the Princess, he set out as fast as he could in the direction of the 
 town. When he reached the palace he asked for Miranda, but by 
 this time everyone had heard the story of her adventures, and did 
 not want her to go back again to the King of the Sheep, so they 
 refused sternly to let him see her. In vain he begged and prayed 
 
 them to let him in ; though his entreaties might have melted 
 hearts of stone they did not move the guards of the palace, and at 
 last, quite broken-hearted, he fell dead at their feet. 
 
 In the meantime the King, who had not the least idea of the 
 sad thing that was happening outside the gate of his palace, pro- 
 posed to Miranda that she should be driven in her chariot all round 
 the town, which was to be illuminated with thousands and thou- 
 sands of torches, placed in windows and balconies, and in all the 
 grand squares. But what a sight met her eyes at the very entrance 
 of the palace ! There lay her dear, kind Sheep, silent and motion- 
 less, upon the pavement ! 
 
 She threw herself out of the chariot and ran to him, crying 
 bitterly, for she realised that her broken promise had cost him his
 
 230 THE WONDERFUL SHEEP 
 
 life, and for a long, long time she was so unhappy that they thought 
 she would have died too. 
 
 So you see that even a princess is not always happy especially 
 if she forgets to keep her word ; and the greatest misfortunes often 
 happen to people just as they think they have obtained their 
 heart's desires ! l 
 
 1 Madame d'Aulnoy.
 
 231 
 
 LITTLE THUMB 
 
 fFHERE was, once upon a time, a man and his wife, fagot-makers 
 -i- by trade, who had seven children, all boys. The eldest was but 
 ten years old, and the youngest only seven. 
 
 They were very poor, and their seven children incommoded 
 them greatly, because not one of them was able to earn his bread. 
 That which gave them yet 
 more uneasiness was that 
 the youngest was of a very 
 puny constitution, and 
 scarce ever spake a word, 
 which made them take 
 that for stupidity which 
 was a sign of good sense. 
 He was very little, and 
 when born no bigger than 
 one's thumb, which made 
 him be called Little 
 Thumb. 
 
 The poor child bore 
 the blame of whatsoever 
 was done amiss in the 
 house, and, guilty or not, 
 was always in the wrong ; 
 he was, notwithstanding, 
 more cunning and had a 
 far greater share of wisdom 
 than all his brothers put together ; and, if he spake little, he heard 
 and thought the more. 
 
 There happened now to come a very bad year, and the famine 
 was so great that these poor people resolved to rid themselves of 
 their children. One evening, when they were all in bed and the
 
 232 LITTLE THUMB 
 
 fagot-maker was sitting with his wife at the fire, he said to her, 
 with his heart ready to burst with grief : 
 
 ' Thou seest plainly that we are not able to keep our children, 
 and I cannot see them starve to death before my face ; I am 
 resolved to lose them in the wood to-morrow, which may very 
 easily be done ; for, while they are busy in tying up the fagots, 
 we may run away, and leave them, without their taking any 
 notice.' 
 
 ' Ah ! ' cried out his wife ; ' and canst thou thyself have the 
 heart to take thy children out along with thee on purpose to lose 
 them ? ' 
 
 In vain did her husband represent to her their extreme poverty : 
 she would not consent to it ; she was indeed poor, but she was 
 their mother. However, having considered what a grief it would 
 
 be to her to see them perish with hunger, she at last consented, 
 and went to bed all in tears. 
 
 Little Thumb heard every word that had been spoken ; for 
 observing, as he lay in his bed, that they were talking very busily, 
 he got up softly, and hid himself under his father's stool, that he 
 might hear what they said without being seen. He went to bed 
 again, but did not sleep a wink all the rest of the night, thinking 
 on what he had to do. He got up early in the morning, and went 
 to the river-side, where he filled his pockets full of small white 
 pebbles, and then returned home. 
 
 They all went abroad, but Little Thumb never told his brothers 
 one syllable of what he knew. They went into a very thick forest, 
 where they could not see one another at ten paces distance. The
 
 LITTLE THUMB 233 
 
 fagot-maker began to exit wood, and the children to gather up the 
 sticks to make faggots. Their father and mother, seeing them 
 busy at their work, got away from them insensibly, and ran away 
 from them all at once, along a by-way through the winding bushes. 
 
 When the children saw they were left alone, they began to cry 
 as loud as they could. Little Thumb let them cry on, knowing 
 very well how to get home again, for, as he came, he took care to 
 drop all along the way the little white pebbles he had in his pockets. 
 Then he said to them : 
 
 ' Be not afraid, brothers : father and mother have left us here, 
 but I will lead you home again, only follow me.' 
 
 They did so, and he brought them home by the very same way 
 they came into the forest. They dared not go in, but sat them- 
 selves down at the door, listening to what their father and mother 
 were talking. 
 
 The very moment the fagot-maker and his wife were got home 
 the lord of the manor sent them ten crowns, which he had owed 
 them a long while, and which they never expected. This gave 
 them new life, for the poor people were almost famished. The 
 fagot-maker sent his wife immediately to the butcher's. As it 
 was a long while since they had eaten a bit, she bought thrice as
 
 234 
 
 LITTLE THUMB 
 
 much meat as would sup two people. "When they had eaten, the 
 woman said : 
 
 ' Alas ! where are now our poor children ? they would make a 
 good feast of what we have left here ; but it was you, William, who 
 had a rnind to lose them : I told you we should repent of it. What 
 are they now doing in the forest ? Alas ! dear God, the wolves 
 have perhaps already eaten them up : thou art very inhuman thus 
 to have lost thy children.' 
 
 The fagot-maker grew at last quite out of patience, for she 
 repeated it ahove twenty times, that they should repent of it, and 
 that she was in the right of it for so saying. He threatened to beat 
 
 her if she did not hold her tongue. It was not that the fagot- 
 maker was not, perhaps, more vexed than his wife, but that she 
 teased him, and that he was of the humour of a great many others, 
 who love wives who speak well, but think those very importunate who 
 are continually doing so. She was half-drowned in tears, crying 
 out: 
 
 ' Alas ! where are now my children, my poor children ? ' 
 She spake this so very loud that the children, who were at the 
 gate, began to cry out all together : 
 ' Here we are ! Here we are ! ' 
 
 She ran immediately to open the door, and said, hugging them : 
 ' I ana glad to see you, my dear children ; you are very hungry
 
 LITTLE THUMB 235 
 
 and weary ; and my poor Peter, thou art horribly bemired ; come in 
 and let me clean thee.' 
 
 Now, you must know that Peter was her eldest son, whom she 
 loved above all the rest, because he was somewhat carroty, as she 
 herself was. They sat down to supper, and ate with such a good 
 appetite as pleased both father and mother, whom they acquainted 
 how frightened they were in the forest, speaking almost always all 
 together. The good folks were extremely glad to see their children 
 once more at home, and this joy continued while the ten crowns 
 lasted ; but, when the money was all gone, they fell again into their 
 former uneasiness, and resolved to lose them again ; and, that they 
 might be the surer of doing it, to carry them to a much greater 
 distance than before. 
 
 They could not talk of this so secretly but they were over- 
 heard by Little Thumb, who made account to get out of this 
 difficulty as well as the former ; but, though he got up very betimes 
 in the morning to go and pick up some little pebbles, he was 
 disappointed, for he found the house-door double-locked, and was 
 at a stand what to do. When their father had given each of them 
 a piece of bread for their breakfast, he fancied he might make use 
 of this instead of the pebbles, by throwing it in little bits all along 
 the way they should pass ; and so he put it in his pocket. 
 
 Their father and mother brought them into the thickest and 
 most obscure part of the forest, when, stealing away into a by-path, 
 they there left them. Little Thumb was not very uneasy at it, for 
 he thought he could easily find the way again by means of his 
 bread, which he had scattered all along as he came ; but he was 
 very much surprised when he could not find so much as one crumb : 
 the birds had come and had eaten it up, every bit. They were now 
 in great affliction, for the farther they went the more they were out 
 of their way, and were more and more bewildered in the forest. 
 
 Night now came on, and there arose a terrible high wind, which 
 made them dreadfully afraid. They fancied they heard On every 
 side of them the howling of wolves coming to eat them up. They 
 scarce dared to speak or turn their heads. After this, it rained 
 very hard, which wetted them to the skin ; their feet slipped at 
 every step they took, and they fell into the mire, whence they got up 
 in a very dirty pickle ; their hands were quite benumbed. 
 
 Little Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, to see if he could 
 discover an3'thing; and having turned his head about on every 
 side, he saw at last a glimmering light, like that of a candle, but a
 
 236 LITTLE THUMB 
 
 long way from the forest. He came down, and, when upon th 
 ground, he could see it no more, which grieved him sadly. How- 
 ever, having walked for some time with his brothers towards that 
 side on which he had seen the light, he perceived it again as he 
 came out of the wood. 
 
 They came at last to the house where this candle was, not 
 without an abundance of fear : for very often they lost sight of it, 
 which happened every time they came into a bottom. They 
 knocked at the door, and a good woman came and opened it ; she 
 asked them what they would have. 
 
 Little Thumb told her they were poor children who had been 
 lost in the forest, and desired to lodge there for God's sake 
 
 The woman, seeing them so very pretty, began to weep, and said 
 to them : 
 
 ' Alas ! poor babies ; whither are ye come ? Do ye know that 
 this house belongs to a cruel ogre who eats up little children ? ' 
 
 ' Ah ! dear madam,' answered Little Thumb (who trembled every 
 joint of him, as well as his brothers), ' what shall we do ? To be sure 
 the wolves of the forest will devour us to-night if you refuse us to 
 lie here ; and so we would rather the gentleman should eat us ; 
 and perhaps he may take pity upon us, especially if you please to 
 beg it of him.' 
 
 The Ogre's wife, who believed she could conceal them from her 
 husband till morning, let them come in, and broiight them to warm 
 themselves at a very good fire ; for there was a whole sheep upon 
 the spit, roasting for the Ogre's supper. 
 
 As they began to be a little warm they heard three or four great 
 raps at the door ; this was the Ogre, who was come home. Upon 
 this she hid them under the bed and went to open the door. The 
 Ogre presently asked if supper was ready and the wine drawn, and 
 then sat himself down to table. The sheep was as yet all raw and 
 bloody ; but he liked it the better for that. He sniffed about to 
 the right and left, saying : 
 
 ' I smell fresh meat.' 
 
 ' What you smell so,' said his wife, ' must be the calf which I 
 have just now killed and flayed.' 
 
 ' I smell fresh meat, I tell thee once more,' replied the Ogre, 
 looking crossly at his wife ; ' and there is something here which I 
 do not understand.' 
 
 As he spoke these words he got up from the table and went 
 directly to the bed.
 
 LITTLE THUMB 237 
 
 4 Ah, ah ! ' said he ; 'I see then how thou wouldst cheat me, 
 thou cursed woman ; I know not why I do not eat thee up too, 
 but it is well for thee that thou art a tough old carrion. Here is 
 good game, which conies very luckily to entertain three ogres of 
 my acquaintance who are to pay me a visit in a day or two.' 
 
 With that he dragged them out from under the bed, one by 
 
 one. The poor children fell upon their knees, and begged his 
 pardon ; but they had to do with one of the most cruel ogres in 
 the world, who, far from having any pity on them, had already 
 devoured them with his eyes, and told his wife they would be 
 delicate eating when tossed up with good savoury sauce. He then 
 took a great knife, and, coming up to these poor children, whetted 
 it upon a great whet-stone which he held in his left hand. He
 
 238 LITTLE THUMB 
 
 had already taken hold of one of them when his wife said to 
 
 him ; 
 
 ' What need you do it now ? Is it not time enough to-morrow ? ' 
 
 Hold your prating,' said the Ogre ; ' they will eat the tenderer.' 
 
 ' But you have so much meat already,' replied his wife, ' you 
 have no occasion ; here are a calf, two sheep, and half a hog.' 
 
 4 That is true,' said the Ogre ; ' give them their belly full that 
 they may not fall away, and put them to bed.' 
 
 The good woman was over-joyed at this, and gave them a good 
 supper ; but they were so much afraid they could not eat a bit. 
 As for the Ogre, he sat down again to drink, being highly pleased 
 that he had got wherewithal to treat his friends. He drank a 
 dozen glasses more than ordinary, which got up into his head and 
 obliged him to go to bed. 
 
 The Ogre had seven daughters, all little children, and these 
 young ogresses had all of them very fine complexions, because 
 they used to eat fresh meat like their father ; but they had little 
 grey eyes, quite round, hooked noses, and very long sharp teeth, 
 standing at a good distance from each other. They were not as 
 yet over and above mischievous, but they promised very fair for 
 it, for they had already bitten little children, that they might suck 
 their blood. 
 
 They had been put to bed early, with every one a crown of gold 
 upon her head. There was in the same chamber a bed of the like 
 bigness, and it was into this bed the Ogre's wife put the seven little 
 boys, after which she went to bed to her husband. 
 
 Little Thumb, who had observed that the Ogre's daughters had 
 crowns of gold upon their heads, and was afraid lest the Ogre should 
 repent his not killing them, got up about midnight, and, taking his 
 brothers' bonnets and his own, went very softly and put them upon 
 the heads of the seven little ogresses, after having taken off their 
 crowns of gold, which he put upon his own head and his brothers', 
 that the Ogre might take them for his daughters, and his daughters 
 for the little boys whom he wanted to kill. 
 
 All this succeeded according to his desire ; for, the Ogre waking 
 about midnight, and sorry that he deferred to do that till morning 
 which he might have done over-night, threw himself hastily out 
 of bed, and, taking his great knife, 
 
 ' Let us see,' said he, ' how our little rogues do, and not make 
 two jobs of the matter.' 
 
 He then went up, groping all the way, into his daughters'
 
 LITTLE THUMB 239 
 
 chamber, and, coming to the bed where the little boys lay, and who 
 were every soul of them fast asleep, except Little Thumb, who was 
 terribly afraid when he found the Ogre fumbling about his head, 
 as he had done about his brothers', the Ogre, feeling the golden 
 crowns, said : 
 
 ' I should have made a fine piece of work of it, truly ; I find I 
 drank too much last night.' 
 
 Then he went to the bed where the girls lay ; and, having found 
 the boys' little bonnets, 
 
 'Ah! ' said he, 'my merry lads, are you there? Let us work 
 as we ought.' 
 
 And saying these words, without more ado, he cut the throats 
 of all his seven daughters. 
 
 Well pleased with what he had done, he went to bed again to 
 his wife. So soon as Little Thumb heard the Ogre snore, he waked 
 his brothers, and bade them put on their clothes presently and 
 follow him. They stole down softly into the garden, and got over 
 the wall. They kept running about all night, and trembled all the 
 while, without knowing which way they went. 
 
 The Ogre, when he awoke, said to his wife : ' Go upstairs and 
 dress those young rascals who came here last night.' 
 
 The Ogress was very much surprised at this goodness of her 
 husband, not dreaming after what manner she should dress them ; 
 but, thinking that he had ordered her to go and put on their clothes, 
 she went up, and was strangely astonished when she perceived her 
 seven daughters killed, and weltering in their blood. 
 
 She fainted away, for this is the first expedient almost all 
 women find in such cases. The Ogre, fearing his wife would be 
 too long in doing what he had ordered, went up himself to 
 help her. He was no less amazed than his wife at this frightful 
 spectacle. 
 
 ' Ah ! what have I done ? ' cried he. ' The wretches shall pay 
 for it, and that instantly.' 
 
 He threw a pitcher of water upon his wife's face, and, having 
 brought her to herself, 
 
 ' Give me quickly,' cried he, ' my boots of seven leagues, that I 
 may go and catch them.' 
 
 He went out, and, having run over a vast deal of ground, both 
 on this side and that, he came at last into the very road where the 
 poor children were, and not above a hundred paces from their 
 father's house. They espied the Ogre, who went at one step from
 
 240 
 
 LITTLE THUMB 
 
 mountain to mountain, and over rivers as easily as the narrowest 
 kennels. Little Thumb, seeing a hollow rock near the place where 
 they were, made his brothers hide themselves in it, and crowded 
 into it himself, minding always what would become of the Ogre. 
 
 The Ogre, who found himself much tired with his long and 
 fruitless journey (for these boots of seven leagues greatly fatigued 
 the wearer), had a great mind to rest himself, and, by chance, went 
 to sit down upon the rock where the little boys had hid themselves. 
 As it was impossible he could be more weary than he was, he fell 
 asleep, and, after reposing himself some time, began to snore so 
 
 frightfully that the poor children were no less afraid of him than 
 when he held up his great knife and was going to cut their throats. 
 Little Thumb was not so much frightened as his brothers, and told 
 them that they should run away immediately towards home while 
 the Ogre was asleep so soundly, and that they should not be in 
 any pain about him. They took his advice, and got home presently. 
 Little Thumb came up to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently 
 and put them on his own legs. The boots were very long and 
 large, but as they were fairies, they had the gift of becoming big 
 and little, according to the legs of those who wore them ; so that 
 they fitted his feet and legs as well as if they had been made on
 
 LITTLE THUMB 241 
 
 purpose for him. He went immediately to the Ogre's house, where 
 he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss of her murdered daughters. 
 ' Your husband,' said Little Thumb, ' is in very great danger, 
 being taken by a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if 
 he does not give them all his gold and silver. The very moment 
 they held their daggers at his throat he perceived me, and desired 
 me to come and tell you the condition he is in, and that you should 
 give me whatsoever he has of value, without retaining any one 
 thing : for otherwise they will kill him without mercy ; and, as his 
 case is very pressing, he desired me to make use (you see I have 
 them on) of his boots, that I might make the more haste and to 
 show you that I do not impose upon you.' 
 
 The good woman, being sadly frightened, gave him all she had : 
 for this Ogre was a very good husband, though he used to eat up 
 little children. Little Thumb, having thus got all the Ogre's 
 money, came home to his father's house, where he was received 
 with abundance of joy. 
 
 There are many people who do not agree in this circumstance, 
 and pretend that Little Thumb never robbed the Ogre at all, and 
 that he only thought he might very justly, and with a safe con- 
 science, take off his boots of seven leagues, because he made no 
 other use of them but to run after little children. These folks affirm 
 that they are very well assured of this, and the more as having drunk 
 and eaten often at the fagot-maker's house. They aver that when 
 Little Thumb had taken off the Ogre's boots he went to Court, where 
 he was informed that they were very much in pain about a certain 
 army, which was two hundred leagues off, and the success of a 
 battle. He went, say they, to the King, and told him that, if he 
 desired it, he would bring him news from the army before night. 
 
 The King promised him a great sum of money upon that con- 
 dition. Little Thumb was as good as his word, and returned that 
 very same night with the news ; and, this first expedition causing 
 him to be known, he got whatever he pleased, for the King paid 
 him very well for carrying his orders to the army. After having 
 for some time carried on the business of a messenger, and gained 
 thereby great wealth, he went home to his father, where it was im- 
 possible to express the joy they were all in at his return. He made 
 the whole family very easy, bought places for his father and 
 brothers, and, by that means, settled them very handsomely in 
 the world, and, in the meantime, made his court to perfection. 1 
 1 Charles Perrault.
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES 
 
 TN a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, 
 -I- the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived 
 in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by 
 cutting wood in a neighbouring forest and selling it in the town. 
 One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men 
 on horseback, coming towards him in a cloud of dust. He was 
 afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. "When 
 they came up to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them. 
 They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The finest man 
 among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a little 
 way among some bushes, and said: ' Open, Sesame ! ' l so plainly that 
 Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made 
 the troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. 
 They stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might 
 come out and catch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At 
 last the door opened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the 
 Captain went in last he came out first, and made them all pass by 
 him ; he then closed the door, saying: ' Shut, Sesame ! ' Every man 
 bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain put himself at their 
 head, and they retiirned as they came. 
 
 Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed 
 among the bushes, and said : ' Open, Sesame ! ' and it flew open. Ali 
 Baba, who expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to 
 find it large and well lighted, and hollowed by the hand of man in 
 the form of a vault, which received the light from an opening in the 
 ceiling. He saw rich bales of merchandise silk, stuff-brocades 
 all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in 
 leather purses. He went in and the door shut behind him. He did 
 not look at the silver, but brought out as many bags of gold as he 
 thought his asses, which were browsing outside, could carry, loaded 
 
 1 Scjame is a kind of grain.
 
 " OI'EN, SESAME ! "
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES 243 
 
 them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots. Using the words : 
 ' Shut, Sesame ! ' he closed the door and went home. 
 
 Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried 
 the money bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He 
 bade her keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. ' Let 
 me first measure it,' said his wife. ' I will go borrow a measure of 
 someone, while you dig the hole.' So she ran to the wife of Cassim 
 and borrowed a measure. Knowing AH Baba's poverty, the sister 
 was curious to find out what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, 
 and artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba's 
 wife went home and set the measure on the heap of gold, and filled 
 it and emptied it often, to her great content. She then carried it 
 back to her sister, without noticing that a piece of gold was stick- 
 ing to it, which Cassim's wife perceived directly her back was 
 turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim when he came 
 home : ' Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not count 
 his money, he measures it.' He begged her to explain this riddle, 
 which she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him 
 where she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not 
 sleep, and went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. ' Ali 
 Baba,' he said, showing him the gold piece, ' you pretend to be poor 
 and yet you measure gold.' By this Ali Baba perceived that through 
 his wife's folly Cassim and his wife knew then: secret, so he confessed 
 all and offered Cassim a share. ' That I expect,' said Cassim ; ' but 
 I must know where to find the treasure, otherwise I will discover all, 
 and you will lose all.' Ali Baba, more out of kindness than fear, 
 told him of the cave, and the very words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, 
 meaning to be beforehand with him and get the treasure for himself. 
 He rose early next morning, and set out with ten mules loaded with 
 great chests. He soon found the place, and the door in the rock. He 
 said : ' Open, Sesame ! ' and the door opened and shut behind him. 
 He could have feasted his eyes all day on the treasures, but he now 
 hastened to gather together as much of it as possible ; but when he 
 was ready to go he could not remember what to say for thinking of 
 his great riches. Instead of ' Sesame,' he said : ' Open, Barley ! ' and 
 the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of grain, 
 all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so 
 frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten 
 the word as if he had never heard it. 
 
 About noon the robbers returned to their cave, and saw Cassims' 
 mules roving about with great chests on their backs. This gave them
 
 244 THE FORTY THIEVES 
 
 the alarm : they drew their sabres, and went to the door, which 
 opened on their Captain's saying : ' Open, Sesame ! ' Cassiin, who 
 had heard the trampling of their horses' feet, resolved to sell his 
 life dearly, so when the door opened he leaped out and threw the 
 Captain down. In vain, however, for the robbers with their sabres 
 soon killed him. On entering the cave they saw all the bags laid 
 ready, and could not imagine how anyone had got in without know- 
 ing their secret. They cut Cassim's body into four quarters, and 
 nailed them up inside the cave, in order to frighten anyone who 
 should venture in, and went away in search of more treasure. 
 
 As night drew on Cassim's wife grew very uneasy, and ran to her 
 brother-in-law, and told him where her husband had gone. Ali 
 Baba did his best to comfort her, and set out to the forest in search 
 of Cassim. The first thing he saw on entering the cave was his 
 dead brother. Full of horror, he put the body on one of his asses, 
 and bags of gold on the other two, and, covering all with some fagots, 
 returned home. He drove the two asses laden with gold into his own 
 yard, and led the other to Cassim's house. The door was opened by 
 the slave Morgiana, whom he knew to be both brave and cunning. 
 Unloading the ass, he said to her : ' This is the body of your master, 
 who has been murdered, but whom we must bury as though he 
 had died in his bed. I will speak with you again, but now tell your 
 mistress I am come.' The wife of Cassim, on learning the fate of 
 her husband, broke out into cries and tears, but Ali Baba offered 
 to take her to live with him and his wife if she would promise to 
 keep his counsel and leave everything to Morgiana ; whereupon she 
 agreed, and dried her eyes. 
 
 Morgiana, meanwhile, sought an apothecary and asked him for 
 some lozenges. ' My poor master,' she said, ' can neither eat nor 
 speak, and no one knows what his distemper is.' She carried home 
 the lozenges and returned next day weeping, and asked for an essence 
 only given to those just about to die. Thus, in the evening, no one 
 was surprised to hear the wretched shrieks and cries of Cassim's 
 wife and Morgiana, telling everyone that Cassiin was dead. The 
 day after Morgiana went to an old cobbler near the gates of the 
 town who opened his stall early, put a piece of gold in his hand, 
 and bade him follow her with his needle and thread. Having 
 bound his eyes with a handkerchief, she took him to the room 
 where the body lay, pulled off the bandage, and bade him sew the 
 quarters together, after which she covered his eyes again and led 
 him home. Then they buried Cassim, and Morgiana his slave
 
 THE FOETY THIEVES 
 
 245 
 
 followed him to the grave, weeping and tearing her hair, while 
 Cassim's wife stayed at home uttering lamentable cries. Next day 
 she went to live with Ali Baba, who gave Cassim's shop to his eldest 
 son. 
 
 The Forty Thieves, on their return to the cave, were much 
 astonished to find Cassim's body gone and some of their money- 
 bags. ' We are certainly discovered,' said the Captain, ' and shall 
 
 be undone if we cannot find out who it is that knows our secret. 
 Two men must have known it ; we have killed one, we must now find 
 the other. To this end one of you who is bold and artful must go into 
 the city dressed as a traveller, and discover whom we have killed, 
 and whether men talk of the strange manner of his death. If the 
 messenger fails he must lose his life, lest we be betrayed.' One of the 
 thieves started up and offered to do this, and after the rest had highly
 
 246 THE FORTY THIEVES 
 
 commended him for his bravery he disguised himself, and happened 
 to enter the town at daybreak, just by Baba Mustapha's stall. The 
 thief bade him good-day, saying : ' Honest man, how can you possibly 
 see to stitch at your age ? ' ' Old as I am,' replied the cobbler, ' I 
 have very good eyes, and you will believe me when I tell you that I 
 sewed a dead body together in a place where I had less light than 
 I have now.' The robber was over -joyed at his good fortune, 
 and, giving him a piece of gold, desired to be shown the house 
 where he stitched up the dead body. At first Mustapha refused, 
 saying that he had been blindfolded ; but when the robber gave 
 him another piece of gold he began to think he might remember 
 the turnings if blindfolded as before. This means succeeded ; the 
 robber partly led him, and was partly guided by him, right in front 
 of Cassim's house, the door of which the robber marked with a 
 piece of chalk. Then, well pleased, he bade farewell to Baba 
 Mustapha and returned to the forest. By-and-by Morgiana, going 
 out, saw the mark the robber had made, quickly guessed that some 
 mischief was brewing, and fetching a piece of chalk marked two or 
 three doors on each side, without saying anything to her master or 
 mistress. 
 
 The thief, meantime, told his comrades of his discovery. The 
 Captain thanked him, and bade him show him the house he had 
 marked. But when they came to it they saw that five or six of 
 the houses were chalked in the same manner. The guide was so 
 confounded that he knew not what answer to make, and when they 
 returned he was at once beheaded for having failed. Another 
 robber was despatched, and, having won over Baba Mustapha, 
 marked the house in red chalk ; but Morgiana being again too clever 
 for them, the second messenger was put to death also. The Captain 
 now resolved to go himself, but, wiser than the others, he did not 
 mark the house, but looked at it so closely that he could not fail to 
 remember it.. He returned, and ordered his men to go into the 
 neighbouring villages and buy nineteen mules, and thirty-eight 
 leather jars, all empty, except one which was full of oil. The 
 Captain put one of his men, fully armed, into each, rubbing the 
 outside of the jars with oil from the full vessel. Then the nineteen 
 mules were loaded with thirty-seven robbers in jars, and the jar of 
 oil, and reached the town by dusk. The Captain stopped his 
 mules in front of Ali Baba's house, and said to Ali Baba, who was 
 sitting outside for coolness : ' I have brought some oil from a dis- 
 tance to sell at to-morrow's market, but it is now so late that I
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES 247 
 
 know not where to pass the night, unless you will do me the favour 
 to take me in.' Though Ali Baba had seen the Captain of the 
 robbers in the forest, he did not recognise him in the disguise of an 
 oil merchant. He bade him welcome, opened his gates for the 
 mules to enter, and went to Morgiana to bid her prepare a bed and 
 supper for his guest. He brought the stranger into his hall, and 
 after they had supped went again to speak to Morgiana in the 
 kitchen, while the Captain went into the yard under pretence of 
 seeing after his mules, but really to tell his men what to do. 
 Beginning at the first jar and ending at the last, he said to each 
 man : ' As soon as I throw some stones from the window of the 
 chamber where I lie, cut the jars open with your knives and come 
 out, and I will be with you in a trice.' He returned to the house, 
 and Morgiana ^d him to his chamber. She then told Abdallah, her 
 fellow-slave, to set on the pot to make some broth for her master, 
 who had gone to bed. Meanwhile her lamp went out, and she had 
 no more oil in the house. ' Do not be uneasy,' said Abdallah ; ' go 
 into the yard and take some out of one of those jars.' Morgiana 
 thanked him for his advice, took the oil pot, and went into the yard. 
 When she came to the first jar the robber inside said softly : ' Is it 
 time ? ' 
 
 Any other slave but Morgiana, on finding a man in the jar in- 
 stead of the oil she wanted, would have screamed and made a noise ; 
 but she, knowing the danger her master was in, bethought herself 
 of a plan, and answered quietly : ' Not yet, but presently.' She 
 went to all the jars, giving the same answer, till she came to the 
 jar of oil. She now saw that her master, thinking to entertain an 
 oil merchant, had let thirty-eight robbers into his house. She 
 filled her oil pot, went back to the kitchen, and, having lit her lamp, 
 went again to the oil jar and filled a large kettle full of oil. When 
 it boiled she went and poured enough oil into every jar to stifle and 
 kill the robber inside. When this brave deed was done she went 
 back to the kitchen, put out the fire and the lamp, and waited to 
 see what would happen. 
 
 In a quarter of an hour the Captain of the robbers awoke, got 
 up, and opened the window. As all seemed quiet he threw down 
 some little pebbles which hit the jars. He listened, and as none of 
 his men seemed to stir he grew uneasy, and went down into the 
 yard. On going to the first jar and saying : ' Are you asleep ? ' he 
 smelt the hot boiled oil, and knew at once that his plot to murder 
 Ali Baba and his household had been discovered. He found all the
 
 248 
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES 
 
 gang were dead, and, missing the oil out of the last jar, became 
 aware of the manner of their death. He then forced the lock of a 
 door leading into a garden, and climbing over several walls made 
 
 his escape. Morgiana 
 heard and saw all this, 
 and, rejoicing at her suc- 
 cess, went to bed and fell 
 asleep. 
 
 At daybreak Ali Baba 
 arose, and, seeing the oil 
 jars there still, asked why 
 the merchant had not 
 gone with his mules. Mor- 
 giana bade him look in 
 the first jar and see if 
 there was any oil. See- 
 ing a man, he started back 
 in terror. ' Have no fear,' 
 said Morgiana ; ' the man 
 cannot harm you : he is 
 dead.' Ali Baba, when 
 he had recovered some- 
 what from his astonish- 
 ment, asked what had be- 
 come of the merchant. 
 ' Merchant ! ' said she, 
 'he is no more a mer- 
 chant than I am ! ' and 
 she told him the whole story, assuring him that it was a plot of the 
 robbers of the forest, of whom only three were left, and that the 
 white and red chalk marks had something to -lo with it. Ali Baba 
 at once gave Morgiana her freedom, saying that he owed her his 
 life. They then buried the bodies in Ali Baba's garden, while the 
 mules were sold in the market by his slaves. 
 
 The Captain returned to his lonely cave, which seemed frightful 
 to him without his lost companions, and firmly resolved to avenge 
 them by killing Ali Baba. He dressed himself carefully, and went 
 into the town, where he took lodgings in an inn. In the course of 
 a great many journeys to the forest he carried away many rich 
 stuffs and much fine linen, and set up a shop opposite that of Ali 
 Baba's son. He called himself Cogia Hassan, and as he was both
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES 249 
 
 civil and well dressed he soon made friends with Ali Baba's son, 
 and through him with Ali Baba, whom he was continually asking 
 to sup with him. Ali Baba, wishing to return his kindness, invited 
 him into his house and received him smiling, thanking him for 
 his kindness to his son. When the merchant was about to take 
 his leave Ali Baba stopped him, saying : ' Where are you going, sir, 
 111 such haste ? "Will you not stay and sup with me ? ' The mer- 
 chant refused, saying that he had a reason ; and, on Ali Baba's ask- 
 ing him what that was, he replied : ' It is, sir, that I can eat no 
 victuals that have any salt in them.' ' If that is all,' said Ali Baba, 
 ' let me tell you that there shall be no salt in either the meat or the 
 bread that we eat to-night.' He went to give this order to Mor- 
 giana, who was much surprised. ' Who is this man,' she said, 
 ' who eats no salt with his meat ? ' ' He is an honest man, Mor- 
 giana,' returned her master ; ' therefore do as I bid you.' But she 
 could not withstand a desire to see this strange man, so she helped 
 Abdallah to carry up the dishes, and saw in a moment that Cogia 
 Hassan was the robber Captain, and carried a dagger under his gar- 
 ment. ' I am not surprised,' she said to herself, ' that this wicked 
 man, who intends to kill my master, will eat no salt with him ; but 
 I will hinder his plans.' 
 
 She sent up the supper by Abdallah, while she made ready for 
 one of the boldest acts that could be thought on. When the dessert 
 had been served, Cogia Hassan was left alone with Ali Baba and 
 his son, whom he thought to make drunk and then to murder them. 
 Morgiana, meanwhile, put on a head-dress like a dancing-girl's, and 
 clasped a girdle round her waist, from which hung a dagger with a 
 silver hilt, and said to Abdallah : ' Take your tabor, and let us go 
 and divert our master and his guest.' Abdallah took his tabor and 
 played before Morgiana until they came to the door, where Abdallah 
 stopped playing and Morgiana made a low courtesy. ' Come in, 
 Morgiana,' said Ali Baba, ' and let Cogia Hassan see what you can 
 do ; ' and, turning to Cogia Hassan, he said : ' She's my slave and my 
 house~keeper.' Cogia Hassan was by no means pleased, for he feared 
 that his chance of killing Ali Baba was gone for the present ; but he 
 pretended great eagerness to see Morgiana, and Abdallah began to 
 play and Morgiana to dance. After she had performed several 
 dances she drew her dagger and made passes with it, sometimes 
 pointing it at her own breast, sometimes at her master's, as if it 
 were part of the dance. Suddenly, out of breath, she snatched 
 the tabor from Abdallah with her left hand, and, holding the dagger
 
 250 THE FORTY THIEVES 
 
 in her right, held out the tabor to her master. Ali Baba and his 
 son put a piece of gold into it. and Cogia Hassan, seeing that she 
 was coming to him, pulled out his purse to make her a present, but 
 while he was putting his hand into it Morgiana plunged the dagger 
 into his heart. 
 
 ' Unhappy girl ! ' cried Ali Baba and his son, ' what have you 
 done to ruin us ? ' 'It was to preserve you, master, not to ruin 
 you,' answered Morgiana. ' See here,' opening the false merchant's 
 garment and showing the dagger ; ' see what an enemy you have 
 entertained ! Bemember, he would eat no salt with you, and what 
 more would you have ? Look at him ! he is both the false oil 
 merchant and the Captain of the Forty Thieves.' 
 
 Ali Baba was so grateful to Morgiana for thus saving his life 
 that he offered her to his son in marriage, who readily consented, 
 and a few days after the wedding was celebrated with great 
 splendour. At the end of a year Ali Baba, hearing nothing of the 
 two remaining robbers, judged they were dead, and set out to the 
 cave. The door opened on his saying : ' Open, Sesame ! ' He went in, 
 and saw that nobody had been there since the Captain left it. He 
 brought away as much gold as he could carry, and returned to 
 town. He told his son the secret of the cave, which his son 
 handed down in his turn, so the children and grandchildren of Ali 
 Baba were rich to the end of their lives. 1 
 
 * Arabian Nights.
 
 251 
 
 HANSEL AND GEETTEL 
 
 /^iNCE upon a time there dwelt on the outskirts of a large forest a 
 vv poor woodcutter with his wife and two children ; the boy was 
 called Hansel and the girl Grettel. He had always little enough 
 to live on, and once, when there was a great famine in the land, 
 he couldn't even provide them with daily bread. One night, as he 
 was tossing about in bed, full of cares and worry, he sighed and 
 said to his wife : ' What's to become of us ? how are we to support 
 our poor children, now that we have nothing more for ourselves ? ' 
 ' I'll tell you what, husband,' answered the woman ; ' early to- 
 morrow morning we'll take the children out into the thickest part 
 of the wood ; there we shall light a fire for them and give them each 
 a piece of bread ; then we'll go on to our work and leave them 
 alone. They won't be able to find their way home, and we shall 
 thus be rid of them.' ' No, wife,' said her husband, ' that I won't 
 do ; how could I find it in my heart to leave my children alone in 
 the wood ? the wild beasts would soon come and tear them to 
 pieces.' ' Oh ! you fool,' said she, ' then we must all four die of 
 hunger, and you may just as well go and plane the boards for our 
 coffins ; ' and she left him no peace till he consented. ' But I 
 can't help feeling sorry for the poor children,' added the husband. 
 The children, too, had not been able to sleep for hunger, and 
 had heard what their step-mother had said to their father. Grettel 
 wept bitterly and spoke to Hansel : ' Now it's all up with us.' ' No, 
 no, Grettel,' said Hansel, ' don't fret yourself ; I'll be able to find a 
 way of escape, no fear.' And when the old people had fallen 
 asleep he got up, slipped on his little coat, opened the back door 
 and stole out. The moon was shining clearly, and the white 
 pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like bits of silver. 
 Hansel bent down and filled his pocket with as many of them as he 
 could cram in. Then he went back and said to Grettel : ' Be 
 comforted, my dear little sister, and go to sleep : God will not desert 
 us ; ' and he lay down in bed again.
 
 252 HANSEL AND GBETTEL 
 
 At daybreak, even before the sun was up, the woman came and 
 woke the two children : ' Get up, you lie-abeds, we're all going to the 
 forest to fetch wood.' She gave them each a bit of bread and 
 spoke : ' There's something for your luncheon, but don't you eat it 
 up before, for it's all you'll get.' Grettel took the bread under her 
 apron, as Hansel had the stones in his pocket. Then they all set 
 out together on the way to the forest. After they had walked for a 
 little, Hansel stood still and looked back at the house, and this 
 manoeuvre he repeated again and again. His father observed him, 
 and spake : ' Hansel, what are you gazing at there, and why do you 
 always remain behind ? Take care, and don't lose your footing.' 
 ' Oh ! father,' said Hansel, ' I am looking back at my white kitten, 
 which is sitting on the roof, waving me a farewell.' The woman ex- 
 claimed : ' What a donkey you are ! that isn't your kitten, that's the 
 morning sun shining on the chimney.' But Hansel had not looked 
 back at his kitten, but had always dropped one of the white pebbles 
 out of his pocket on to the path. 
 
 "When they had reached the middle of the forest the father said : 
 ' Now, children, go and fetch a lot of wood, and I'll light a fire that 
 you mayn't feel cold.' Hansel and Grettel heaped up brushwood 
 till they had made a pile nearly the size of a small hill. The 
 brushwood was set fire to, and when the flames leaped high the 
 woman said: ' Now lie down at the fire, children, and rest your- 
 selves : we are going into the forest to cut down wood ; when we've 
 finished we'll come back and fetch you.' Hansel and Grettel sat 
 down beside the fire, and at midday ate their little bits of bread. 
 They heard the strokes of the axe, so they thought their father 
 was quite near. But it was no axe they heard, but a bough he had 
 tied on to a dead tree, and that was blown about by the wind. 
 And when they had sat for a long time their eyes closed with 
 fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When they awoke at last it was 
 pitch-dark. Grettel began to cry, and said : ' How are we ever to get 
 out of the wood ? ' But Hansel comforted her. ' Wait a bit,' he said, 
 ' till the moon is up, and then we'll find our way sure enough.' 
 And when the full moon had risen he took his sister by the hand 
 and followed the pebbles, which shone like new threepenny bits, and 
 showed them the path. They walked all through the night, and at 
 daj'break reached their father's house again. They knocked at the 
 door, and when the woman opened it she exclaimed : * You naughty 
 children, what a time you've slept in the wood ! we thought you were 
 never going to come back.' But the father rejoiced, for his con-
 
 HANSEL AND GEE T TEL 
 
 253 
 
 science had reproached him for leaving his children behind by them- 
 selves. 
 
 Not long afterwards there was again great dearth in the land, 
 and the children heard their mother address their father thus in 
 bed one night : ' Everything 
 is eaten up once more ; we 
 have only half a loaf in the 
 house, and when that's done 
 it's all up with us. The 
 children must be got rid of ; 
 we'll lead them deeper into 
 the wood this time, so that 
 they won't be able to find 
 their way out again. There 
 is no other way of saving 
 ourselves.' The man's heart 
 smote him heavily, and he 
 thought : ' Surely it would be 
 better to share the last bite 
 with one's children ! ' But his 
 wife wouldn't listen to his 
 arguments, and did nothing 
 but scold and reproach him. 
 If a man yields once he's 
 done for, and so, because he 
 had given in the first time, 
 he was forced to do so the 
 second. 
 
 But the children were awake, and had heard the conversation. 
 "When the old people were asleep Hansel got up, and wanted to go 
 out and pick up pebbles again, as he had done the first time ; but the 
 woman had barred the door, and Hansel couldn't get out. But he 
 consoled his little sister, and said : ' Don't cry, Grettel, and sleep 
 peacefully, for God is sure to help us.' 
 
 At early dawn the woman came and made the children get up. 
 They received their bit of bread, but it was even smaller than the 
 time before. On the way to the wood Hansel crumbled it in his 
 pocket, and every few minutes he stood still and dropped a crumb 
 on the ground. ' Hansel, what are you stopping and looking about 
 you for ? ' said the father. ' I'm looking back at my little pigeon, 
 which is sitting on the roof waving me a farewell,' answered
 
 254 HANSEL AND GRETTEL 
 
 Hansel. ' Fool ! ' said the wife ; ' that isn't your pigeon, it's the morn- 
 ing sun glittering on the chimney.' But Hansel gradually threw all 
 his crumbs on to the path. The woman led the children still 
 deeper into the forest, farther than they had ever been in their lives 
 before. Then a big fire was lit again, and the mother said : ' Just sit 
 down there, children, and if you're tired you can sleep a bit ; we're 
 going into the forest to cut down wood, and ii> the evening when 
 we're finished we'll come back to fetch you.' At midday Grettel 
 divided her bread with Hansel, for he had strewed his all along 
 their path. Then they fell asleep, and evening passed away, but 
 nobody came to the poor children. They didn't awake till it was 
 pitch-dark, and Hansel comforted his sister, saying : ' Only wait, 
 Grettel, till the moon rises, then we shall see the bread-crumbs I 
 scattered along the path ; they will show us the way back to the 
 house.' When the moon appeared they got up, but they found no 
 crumbs, for the thousands of birds that fly about the woods and 
 fields had picked them all up. ' Never mind,' said Hansel to Grettel ; 
 ' you'll see we'll still find a way out ; ' but all the same they did not. 
 They wandered about the whole night, and the next day, from 
 morning till evening, but they could not find a path out of the wood. 
 They were very hungry, too, for they had nothing to eat but a few 
 berries they found growing on the ground. And at last they were 
 so tired that their legs refused to carry them any longer, so they 
 lay down under a tree and fell fast asleep. 
 
 On the third morning after they had left their father's house 
 they set about their wandering again, but only got deeper and 
 deeper into the wood, and now they felt that if help did not come 
 to them soon they must perish. At midday they saw a beautiful little 
 snow-white bird sitting on a branch, which sang so sweetly that they 
 stopped still and listened to it. And when its song was finished 
 it flapped its wings and flew on in front of them. They followed it 
 and came to a little house, on the roof of which it perched ; and 
 when they came quite near they saw that the cottage was made of 
 bread and roofed with cakes, while the window was made of trans- 
 parent sugar. ' Now we'll set to,' said Hansel, ' and have a regular 
 blow-out. 1 I'll eat a bit of the roof, and you, Grettel, can eat some 
 of the window, which you'll find a sweet morsel.' Hansel stretched 
 up his hand and broke off a little bit of the roof to see what it was 
 like, and Grettel went to the casement and began to nibble at it. 
 Thereupon a shrill voice called out from the room inside : 
 1 ' He was a vulgar boy 1*
 
 HANSEL AND GRETTEL 255 
 
 'Nibble, nibble, little mouse, 
 "Who's nibbling my house ? ' 
 
 The children answered : 
 
 ' Tis Heaven's own child, 
 The tempest wild,' 
 
 and went on eating, without putting themselves about. Hansel, 
 who thoroughly appreciated the roof, tore down a big bit of it, while 
 Grettel pushed out a whole round window-pane, and sat down the 
 
 better to enjoy it. Suddenly the door opened, and an ancient dame 
 leaning on a staff hobbled out. Hansel and Grettel were so terrified 
 that they let what they had in their hands fall. But the old woman 
 shook her head and said : ' Oh, ho ! you dear children, who led you 
 here ? Just come in and stay with me, no ill shall befall you.' She 
 took them both by the hand and led them into the house, and laid 
 a most sumptuous dinner before them milk and sugared pancakes, 
 with apples and nuts. After they had finished, two beautiful little
 
 256 HANSEL AND GRETTEL 
 
 white beds were prepared for them, and when Hansel and Grettel 
 lay down in them they felt as if they had got into heaven. 
 
 The old woman had appeared to be most friendly, but she was 
 really an old witch who had waylaid the children, and had only 
 built the little bread house in order to lure them in. When anyone 
 came into her power she killed, cooked, and ate him, and held a 
 regular feast-day for the occasion. Now witches have red eyes, and 
 cannot see far, but, like beasts, they have a keen sense of smell, and 
 know when human beings pass by. When Hansel and Grettel fell 
 into her hands she laughed maliciously, and said jeeringly : ' I've got 
 them now ; they shan't escape me.' Early in the morning, before the 
 children were awake, she rose up, and when she saw them both 
 sleeping so peacefully, with their round rosy cheeks, she muttered 
 to herself : ' That'll be a dainty bite.' Then she seized Hansel with 
 her bony hand and carried him into a little stable, and barred the 
 door on him ; he might scream as much as he liked, it did him no 
 good. Then she went to Grettel, shook her till she awoke, and 
 cried : ' Get up, you lazy-bones, fetch water and cook something for 
 your brother. When he's fat I'll eat him up.' Grettel began to 
 cry bitterly, ut it was of no use : she had to do what the wicked 
 witch bade her. 
 
 So the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Grettel got 
 nothing but crab-shells. Every morning the old woman hobbled 
 out to the stable and cried : ' Hansel, put out your finger, that I may 
 feel if you are getting fat.' But Hansel always stretched out a bone, 
 and the old dame, whose eyes were dim, couldn't see it, and think- 
 ing always it was Hansel's finger, wondered why he fattened so 
 slowly. When four weeks passed and Hansel still remained thin, 
 she lost patience and determined to wait no longer. ' Hi ! Grettel,' 
 she called to the girl, ' be quick and get some water. Hansel may 
 be fat or thin, I'm going to kill him to-morrow and cook him.' Oh ! 
 how the poor little sister sobbed as she carried the water, and how the 
 tears rolled down her cheeks ! ' Kind heaven help us now ! ' she cried ; 
 ' if only the wild beasts in the wood had eaten us, then at least we 
 should have died together.' ' Just hold your peace,' said the old 
 hag; ' it won't help you.' 
 
 Early in the morning Grettel had to go out and hang up the 
 kettle full of water, and light the fire. ' First we'll bake,' said the 
 old dame ; ' I've heated the oven already and kneaded the dough.' 
 She pushed Grettel out to the oven, from which fiery flames were 
 already issuing. ' Creep in,' said the witch, ' and see if it's properly
 
 HANSEL AND GRETTEL 257 
 
 heated, so that we can shove in the bread.' For when she had 
 got Grettel in she meant to close the oven and let the girl bake, 
 that she might eat her up too. But Grettel perceived her inten- 
 tion, and spoke : ' I don't know how I'm to do it ; how do I get in? ' 
 ' You silly goose ! ' said the hag, ' the opening is big enough ; see, I 
 could get in myself; ' and she crawled towards it, and poked her 
 head into the oven. Then Grettel gave her a shove that sent her 
 right in, shut the iron door, and drew the bolt. Gracious ! how she 
 yelled ! it was quite horrible ; but Grettel fled, and the wretched 
 old woman was left to perish miserably. 
 
 Grettel flew straight to Hansel, opened the little stable-door, 
 and cried : ' Hansel, we are free ; the old witch is dead.' Then 
 Hansel sprang like a bird out of a cage when the door is opened. 
 How they rejoiced, and fell on each other's necks, and jumped for 
 joy, and kissed one another ! And as they had no longer any cause 
 for fear, they went into the old hag's house, and there they found, in 
 every corner of the room, boxes with pearls and precious stones. 
 ' These are even better than pebbles,' said Hansel, and crammed his 
 pockets full of them ; and Grettel said : ' I too will bring something 
 home ; ' and she filled her apron full. ' But now,' said Hansel, 
 ' let's go and get well away from the witches' wood.' When they 
 had wandered about for some hours they came to a big lake. ' We 
 can't get over,' said Hansel ; ' I see no bridge of any sort or kind.' 
 ' Yes, and there's no ferry-boat either,' answered Grettel ; ' but look, 
 there swims a white duck ; if I ask her she'll help us over ; ' and 
 she called out : 
 
 ' Here are two children, mournful very, 
 
 Seeing neither bridge nor ferry ; 
 
 Take us upon your white back, 
 
 And row us over, quack, quack ! ' 
 
 The duck swam towards them, and Hansel got on her back and 
 bade his little sister sit beside him. ' No,' answered Grettel, ' we 
 should be too heavy a load for the duck : she shall carry us across 
 separately.' The good bird did this, and when they were landed 
 safely on the other side, and had gone on for a while, the wood 
 became more and more familiar to them, and at length they saw 
 their father's house in the distance. Then they set off to run, and 
 bounding into the room fell on their father's neck. The man had 
 not passed a happy hour since he left them in the wood, but the 
 woman had died. Grettel shook out her apron so that the pearls
 
 258 HANSEL AND GEETTEL 
 
 and precious stones rolled about the room, and Hansel threw down 
 one handful after the other out of his pocket. Thus all their 
 troubles were ended, and they all lived happily ever afterwards. 
 
 My story is done. See ! there runs a little mouse ; anyone who 
 catches it may make himself a large fur cap out of it. 1
 
 259 
 
 SNOW-WHITE AND EOSE-RED 
 
 A POOE widow once lived in a little cottage with a garden in front 
 -LA- of it, in which grew two rose trees, one bearing white roses and 
 the other red. She had two children, who were just like the two 
 rose trees ; one was called Snow-white and the other Eose-red, 
 and they were the sweetest and best children in the world, always 
 diligent and always cheerful ; but Snow-white was quieter and more 
 gentle than Eose-red. Eose-red loved to run about the fields and 
 meadows, and to pick flowers and catch butterflies ; but Snow-white 
 sat at home with her mother and helped her in the household, or 
 read aloud to her when there was no work to do. The two children 
 loved each other so dearly that they always walked about hand-in- 
 hand whenever they went out together, and wheii Snow-white said : 
 ' \\e will never desert each other,' Eose-red answered : ' Xo. not as 
 longas we live : ' and the mother added : ' What aver one gets she shall 
 share with the 'other.' They often roamed about in the woods 
 gathering berries and no beast oi'fored to hurt them ; on the 
 contrary, they came up to them in the most confiding manner ; the 
 /'little hare would eat a cabbage leaf from their hands, the deer 
 graxed beside them, the sta<r would bound past them merrily, and 
 i the birds remained on the .branches and sang tQ them with all their 
 I /might. Xo evil ever befell them ; if they tarried late in the wood and 
 night overtook them, they lay down toge-fcner on the moss and slept 
 i j till morning, and their mother knew tfee'y were quite safe, and never 
 felt anxious about them. Once, wlien they had slept the night in 
 lithe wood and had been wakened by the morning sun, they per- 
 il jceived a beautiful child ijxa shining white roj^sitting cjose to their 
 resting-place. The figure got up, looke.d at them kindly, but said 
 ;J nothing, and vanished into the wood. 'And when they looked round 
 ! about them tby became aware* that they had slepkouite cL6se to 
 a precipice, over which they would cettainly hayy-ja.lj.en had they 
 gone on a few steps further in the darkness. JfmTwheii they told 
 ' - ' WHH55B5T 1 " 8 ; - s 2
 
 SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE -RED 
 
 their mother of ikeir adventure, she said what they had seen must 
 ,ve been the angel that guards good children.~j 
 
 Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother's cottage so beauti-, 
 fully clean and neat that it was a pleasure to go into it. In sum- 
 mer Rose-red looked after the house, and every morning before her 
 mother awoke she placed a bunch of flowers before the bed, 
 
 In winter Snow-white lit the fire and put on the 
 
 kettle, which was made of brass, but, so beautifully polished that it 
 
 shone like gold. ^.jjf In the evening when the snowflakes fell tReir 
 
 I motlief'said : ' Snow-white, go and close the shutters ; ' and they drew 
 
 round the fire, while the mother put on her spectacles and read 
 
 aloud from a big book, and the -two girls listened and sat and 
 
 span. Beside them on the ground lay a little lamb, and behind 
 
 \ them perched a little white dove with its head tucked under its / 
 
 |\ wings. . y 
 
 One evening as they sat thus cosily together someone knocked 
 at the door as though he desired admittance. The mother said : 
 ' Rose-red, open the door quickly ; it must be some traveller seeking 
 shelter.' Rose-red hastened to unbar the door, and thought she saw a 
 poor man standing in the darkness outside ; but it was no such thing, 
 only a bear, who poked his thick black head through the door. Rose- 
 red screamed aloud and sprang back in terror, the lamb began to-bleat, 
 the dove flapped its wings, and Snow-white ran and hid behind her 
 mother's bed. But the bear began to speak, and said : ' Don't be ^ 
 afraid : I won't hurt you. I am half frozen, and only wish to warm 
 myself a little.' ' My poor bear,' said the mother, ' lie down by the 
 fire, only take care you don't burn your fur.' Then she called out : 
 ' Snow-white and Rose-red, come out ; the bear will do you no harm : 
 he is a good, honest creature.' So they both came out of their hiding- 
 places, and giaulttftlly the lamb and dove drew near too, and they 
 idWorgot their fear. The bear asked the children to beat the snow 
 a little out of his fur, and they fetched a brush and scrubbed him 
 till he was dry. Then the beast stretched himself in front of the 
 fire, and growled quite happily and comfortably. The children 
 soon grew quite at their ease with him, and led their helpless 
 guest a fearful life. They tugged his fur with their hands, put 
 their small feet on his back, and rolled him about here and there, 
 or took a hazel wand and beat him with it ; and if he growled they 
 only laughed. The bear submitted to everything with the best pos- 
 sible good-nature, only when they went too far he cried : ' Oh ! chil- 
 dren, spare my life !
 
 SNOW-WHITE AND EOSE-EED 
 
 261 
 
 Snow-white and Rose-red, 
 
 Don't beat your lover dead.' 
 
 When it was time to retire for the night, and the others went to bed, 
 the mother said to the bear : ' You can lie there on the hearth, in 
 heaven's name ; it will be shelter for you from the cold and wet.' 
 As soon as day dawned the children let him out, and he trotted over 
 the snow into the wood. |From this time on tlie Lear came e\cr\ 
 IB^alrTiie same nour) 
 
 and lay down by the hearth and let the 
 children play what pranks they liked with him ; and they got so 
 accustomed to him that the door was never shut till their black 
 friend had made his appearance. ^-' - 
 
 When spring came, and all outside was green, the bear said one 
 morning to Snow-white : ' Now I must go away, and not return 
 again the whole summer.' ' Where are jwu going to, dear bear c >\ 
 a sked Snow-white.'^nmist go to the wo 
 from tlu; wicked dwarfs. In winter, wTienT(he earth is frozen hard 
 
 they are obliged to remain underground, for\ they can't work their 
 ray through ; but now, when the sun has thWed and warmed the 
 ; ground, they break through and come up abo\*e to spy thajand am 
 | steal what they Can : what once falls into theiAhands and into thei 
 caves is not easily brought back to light.' Srtow-white w*as quit 
 sad over their friendVdeparture, and when she unbarred the doo 
 for him, the bear, stepping- out, caught a piece of his fur in the 'door
 
 / 
 
 . f -..., ,,--^ ^>^^^ > 
 
 knocker^ and Sn0w-white thought she caught sight of glittering gold 
 beneath it, bufsb.e couldn't he certain of it ; and the bear ran hastily \ 
 "Xay, andxsoon disappear^! behincLtke" trees. ,. 
 
 A short time after/mis the, mother seat" the childjerfuito the 
 woo/a to collect fagots. They^came in their wanderings upon a 
 'pee which lav/felled oij.'lhe ground, and on^-ttie trunk amojig^the 
 
 ong grass t^ley notiped something jum^ia^ up and do\m<H5ut what 
 it was tiiey cou}m't distinguish. .When they appwJached nea 
 
 he^perceive^'a d\v?arf with a, Wizened face and' a beard 
 
 The end of the beard was jammed into a cleft of the tree, and J 
 little man sjiranj;- about like a dog on a chain, and didn't seemX^ 
 now wtfat he wag^to do. He^Kured at the^girls with hisj^ry 
 ed eye,'and screamed out : ' What are you standing there for ? can't 
 you como and help me ? ' ' What were you doing, little man ? ' 
 ed Ro&e-red. ' You stupid, inquisitive goose ! ' replied the dwarf ; 
 I wanted to spltyxtfie tree, in^order to get little chips of wood 
 our kitchen fire,-f 'those thicJc'Togs that serjre' to makej 
 gi-eedy people like yoiJJC8elves quite J^Cfn up all 
 
 for
 
 ,1. i 
 
 Ltut. 
 
 
 " 
 
 SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE -RED 
 
 2G3 
 
 need. I had successfully di 
 
 the wedge, and all 
 
 going 
 
 the cursed wood was so slippery that it suddenly sprang 
 out, and the tree closed up so rapidly that I had no time to take 
 my beautiful white beard out, so here I am stuck fast, and I can't 
 get away ; and you silly, smooth-faced, milk-and-water girls just 
 stand and laugh ! Ugh ! what wretches you are ! ' 
 
 The children did all in their power, but they couldn't get the 
 beard out ; it was wedged in far" too firmly. ' I will run and fetch 
 somebody,' said Hose-red. ' Crazy blockheads ! ' snapped the dwarf; 
 ' what's the good of calling anyone else ? you're already two too 
 many for inc. Does nothing better occur to you than that ? ' ' Don't 
 be so impatient,' said Snow-white, ' I'll see you get help; ' and taking 
 her scissors out of her pocket she cut the end off his beard. As 
 soon as the dwarf felt himself free he seized a bag full of gold 
 which was hidden among the roots of the tree, lifted it up, and mut- 
 tered aloud : ' Curse these rude wretches, cutting off a piece of my 
 splendid beard!' With these words he swung the 'bag over his 
 back, and disappeared without as much as looking at the children' 
 
 Shortly after this Snow-white and Eose-red went out to get a 
 dish of fish. As they approached the stream they saw something 
 which looked like an enormous grasshopper, springing towards the 
 water as if it were going to jump in. They ran forward and recog- 
 nised their old friend the dwarf. ' Where are you going to ? ' asked 
 liose-red ; ' you're surely not gomg to jump into the water ? ' ' I'm 
 not such a fool,' screamed the dwarf. ' Don't you see that cursed 
 fish is trying to drag me in ? ' The little man had been sitting on the 
 bank fishing, when unfortunately the wind had entangled his beard 
 in the line ; and when immediately afterwards a big fish bit, the 
 feeble little creature had no strength to pull it out ; the fish had the 
 upper fin, and dragged the dwarf towards him. He clung on with 
 all his might to every rush and blade of grass, but it didn't help him 
 much ; he had to follow every movement of the fish, and was in 
 great danger of being drawn into the water. The girls came up just 
 at the right moment, held him firm, and did all they could to disen- 
 tangle his beard from the line ; but in vain, beard and line were in a 
 hopeless muddle. Nothing remained but to produce the scissors 
 and cut the beard, by which a small part of it was sacrificed. 
 
 When the dwarf perceived what they were about he yelled to 
 them : ' Do you call that manners, you toadstools ! to disfigure a 
 fellow's face ? it wasn't enough that you shortened mv beard before,
 
 264 SNOW-WHITE AND EOSE-EED 
 
 but you must now needs cut off the best bit Of it.") I can't appear 
 like thisTielore my own people. ' I wish you'd been at Jericho first.' 
 Then he fetched a sack of pearls that lay among the rushes, and 
 without saying another word he dragged it away and disappeared 
 behind a stone. 
 
 It happened that soon after this the mother sent the two girls to 
 the town to buy needles, thread, laces, and ribbons. Their road led 
 over a heath where hiige boulders of rock lay scattered here and 
 there. While trudging along they saw a big bird hovering in the air, 
 circling slowly above them, but always descending lower, till at last 
 it settled on a rock not far from them. Immediately afterwards 
 they heard a sharp, piercing cry. They ran forward, and saw with 
 horror that the eagle had pounced on their old friend the dwarf, and 
 was about to carry him off. The tender-hearted children seized a 
 hold of the little man, and struggled so long with the bird that at 
 last he let go his prey. "When the dwarf had recovered from the 
 first shock he screamed in his screeching voice : ' Couldn't you have 
 treated me more carefully ? you have torn my thin little coat all to 
 shreds, useless, awkward hussies that you are ! ' Then he took a 
 bag of precious stones and vanished under the rocks into his cave. 
 The girls were accustomed to his ingratitude, and went on their 
 way and did their business in town. On their way home, as they were 
 again passing the heath, they surprised the dwarf pouring out his 
 precious stones on an open space, for he had thought no one would 
 pass by at so late an hour. The evening sun shone on the glittering 
 stones, and they glanced and gleamed so beautifully that the chil- 
 dren stood still and gazed on them. 'What are you standing there 
 gaping for ? ' screamed the dwarf, and his ashen-grey face became 
 scarlet with rage. He was about to go off with these angry words 
 when a sudden growl was heard, and a black bear trotted out of the 
 wood. The dwarf jumped up in a great fright, but he hadn't time 
 to reach his place of retreat, for the bear was already close to him. 
 Then he cried in terror : ' Dear Mr. Bear, spare me ! I'll give you all 
 my treasure. Look at those beautiful precious stones lying there. 
 Spare my life ! what pleasure would you get from a poor feeble little 
 fellow like me ? You won't feel me between your teeth. There, lay 
 hold of these two wicked girls, they will be a tender morsel for you, as 
 fat as young quails ; eat them up, for heaven's sake.' But the bear, 
 paying no attention to his words, gave the evil little creature one 
 blow with his paw, and he never moved again. 
 
 The girls had run away, but the bear called after them : ' Snow-
 
 SNOW-WHITE AND EOSE-EED 
 
 265 
 
 white and Eose-red, don't be afraid ; wait, and I'll come with you.' 
 Then they recognised his voice and stood still, and when the bear 
 was quite close to them his skin suddenly fell off, and a be'autiful 
 man stood beside them, all dressed in gold. ' I am a king's son,' he 
 said, ' and have been doomed by that unholy little dwarf, who had 
 stolen my treasure, to roam about the woods as a wild bear till his 
 
 death should set me free. Now he has got his well-merited punish- 
 ment.' 
 
 Snow-white married him, and Eose-red his brother, and they 
 divided the great treasure the dwarf had collected in nis cave be- 
 tween them. The old mother lived for many years peacefully with 
 her children ; and she carried the two rose trees with her, and they 
 stood in front of her window, and every year they bore the finest 
 red and white roses. 1 
 
 1 Grimm.
 
 THE GOOSE -GIEL 
 
 ONCE upon a time an old queen, whose husband had been dead for 
 many years, had a beautiful daughter. "SVhen she grew up she 
 was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off. Now, when the 
 time drew near for her to be married and to depart into a foreign 
 kingdom, her old mother gave her much costly baggage, and many 
 ornaments, gold and silver, trinkets and knicknacks, and, in fact, 
 everything that belonged to a royal trousseau, for she loved her 
 daughter very dearly. She gave her a waiting-maid also, who was 
 to ride with her and hand her over to the bridegroom, and she pro- 
 vided each of them with a horse for the journey. Now the Princess's 
 horse was called Falada, and could speak. 
 
 When the hour for departure drew near the old mother went to 
 her bedroom, and taking a small knife she cut her fingers till they 
 bled ; then she held a white rag under them, and letting three drops 
 of blood fall into it, she gave it to her datighter, and said : ' Dear 
 child, take great care of this rag : it may be of use to you on the 
 journey.' 
 
 So they took a sad farewell of each other, and the Princess stuck 
 the rag in front of her dress, mounted her horse, and set forth on 
 the journey to her bridegroom's kingdom. After they had ridden 
 for about an hour the Princess began to feel very thirsty, and said 
 to her waiting-maid : ' Pray get down and fetch me some water in 
 my golden cup out of yonder stream : I would like a drink.' ' If 
 you're thirsty,' said the maid, ' dismount yourself, and lie down by 
 the water and drink ; I don't mean to be your servant any longer.' 
 The Princess was so thirsty that she got down, bent over the stream, 
 and drank, for she wasn't allowed to drink out of the golden goblet. 
 As she drank she murmured : ' Oh ! heaven, what am I to do ? ' and 
 the three drops of blood replied : 
 
 ' If your mother only knew, 
 
 Her heart would surely break in two.'
 
 THE GOOSE-GIBL 
 
 267 
 
 But the Princess was meek, and said nothing about her maid's rude 
 behaviour, and quietly mounted her horse again. They rode on 
 their way for several miles, but the day was hot, and the sun's 
 
 rays smote fiercely on them, so that the Princess was soon overcome 
 by thirst again. And as they passed a brook she called once more 
 to her waiting-maid : ' Pray get down and give me a drink from my 
 golden cup,' for she had long ago forgotten her maid's rude words.
 
 268 THE GOOSE-GIRL 
 
 But the waiting-maid replied, more haughtily even than before : 
 ' If you want a drink, you can dismount and get it ; I don't mean 
 to be your servant." Then the Princess was compelled by her 
 thirst to get down, and bending over the flowing water she cried 
 and said : ' Oh ! heaven, what am I to do ? ' and the three drops of 
 blood replied : 
 
 ' If your mother only knew, 
 
 Her heart would surely break in two.' 
 
 And as she drank thus, and leant right over the water, the rag con- 
 taining the three drops of blood fell from her bosom and floated 
 down the stream, and she in her anxiety never even noticed her 
 loss. But the waiting-maid had observed it with delight, as she 
 knew it gave her power over the bride, for in losing the drops of 
 blood the Princess had become weak and powerless. When she 
 wished to get on her horse Falada again, the waiting-maid called 
 out : ' I mean to ride Falada : you must mount my beast ; ' and this 
 too she had to submit to. Then the waiting-maid commanded her 
 harshly to take off her royal robes, and to put on her common ones, 
 and finally she made her swear by heaven not to say a word about 
 the matter when they reached the palace ; and if she hadn't taken 
 this oath she would have been killed on the spot. But Ealada 
 observed everything, and laid it all to heart. 
 
 The waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the real bride the 
 worse horse, and so they continued their journey till at length 
 they arrived at the palace yard. There was great rejoicing over the 
 arrival, and the Prince sprang forward to meet them, and taking 
 the waiting-maid for his bride, he lifted her down from her horse 
 and led her upstairs to the royal chamber. In the meantime the 
 real Princess was left standing below in the courtyard. The old 
 King, who was looking out of his window, beheld her in this plight, 
 and it struck him how sweet and gentle, even beautiful, she 
 looked. He went at once to the royal chamber, and asked the 
 bride who it was she had brought with her and had left thus stand- 
 ing in the court below. ' Oh ! ' replied the bride, ' I brought her with 
 me to keep me company on the journey ; give the girl something 
 to do, that she mayn't be idle.' But the old King had no work for 
 her, and couldn't think of anything ; so he said, ' I've a small boy 
 who looks after the geese, she'd better help him.' The youth's name 
 was Curdken, and the real bride was made to assist him in herding 
 geese.
 
 THE GOOSE-GIRL 269 
 
 Soon after this the false bride said to the Prince : 'Dearest hus- 
 band, I pray you grant me a favour.' He answered : ' That I will.' 
 ' Then let the slaughterer cut off the head of the horse I rode here 
 upon, because it behaved very badly on the journey.' But the truth 
 was she was afraid lest the horse should speak and tell how she had 
 treated the Princess. She carried her point, and the faithful Falada 
 was doomed to die. "When the news came to the ears of the real 
 Princess she went to the slaughterer, and secretly promised him a 
 piece of gold if he would do something for her. There was in the 
 town a large dark gate, through which she had to pass night and 
 morning with the geese ; would he ' kindly hang up Falada's head 
 there, that she might see it once again ? ' The slaughterer said he 
 would do as she desired, chopped off the head, and nailed it firmly 
 over the gateway. 
 
 Early next morning, as she and Curdken were driving their flock 
 through the gate, she said as she passed under : 
 
 ' Oh ! Falada, 'tis you hang there ; ' 
 and the head replied : 
 
 ' 'Tis you ; pass under, Princess fair : 
 If your mother only knew, 
 Her heart would surely break in two.' 
 
 Then she left the tower and drove the geese into a field. And when 
 thev had reached the common where the geese fed she sat down 
 and unloosed her hair, which was of pure gold. Curdken loved 
 to see it glitter in the sun, and wanted much to pull some hair out. 
 
 Then she spoke : 
 
 ' Wind, wind, gently sway, 
 Blow Curdken's hat away ; 
 Let him chase o'er field and wold 
 Till my locks of ruddy gold, 
 Now astray and hanging down, 
 Be combed and plaited in a crown.' 
 
 Then a gust of wind blew Curdken's hat away, and he had to 
 
 chase it over hill and dale. "When he returned from the pursuit 
 
 she had finished her combing and curling, and his chance of getting 
 
 any hair was gone. Curdken was very angry, and wouldn't speak 
 
 to her. So they herded the geese till evening and then went home. 
 
 The next morning, as they passed under the gate, the girl said : 
 
 ' Oh ! Falada, 'tis you hang there; '
 
 270 
 
 THE GOOSE-GIBL 
 
 and the head replied : 
 
 ' 'Tis you ; pass under, Princess fair 
 
 If your mother only knew, 
 
 Her heart would surely break in two.
 
 THE GOOSE-GIRL 271 
 
 Then she went on her way till she came to the common, where she 
 sat down and began to comb out her hair ; then Curdken ran up to 
 her and wanted to grasp some of the hair from her head, but she 
 called out hastily : 
 
 ' Wind, wind, gently sway, 
 
 Blow Curdken's hat away ; 
 
 Let him chase o'er field and wold 
 
 Till my locks of ruddy gold, 
 
 Now astray and hanging down, 
 
 Be combed and plaited in a crown.' 
 
 Then a puff of wind came and blew Curdken's hat far away, so 
 that he had to run after it ; and when he returned she had long 
 finished putting up her golden locks, and he couldn't get any hair ; 
 so they watched the geese till it was dark. 
 
 But that evening when they got home Curdken went to the old 
 King, and said : ' I refuse to herd geese any longer with that girl.' 
 ' For what reason ? ' asked the old King. ' Because she does nothing 
 but annoy me all day long,' replied Curdken ; and he proceeded to 
 relate all her iniquities, and said : ' Every morning as we drive the 
 flock through the dark gate she says to a horse's head that hangs 
 on the wall : 
 
 ' " Oh ! Falada, 'tis you hang there ; " 
 and the head replies : 
 
 ' " 'Tis you ; pass under, Princess fair : 
 If your mother only knew, 
 Her heart would surely break in two." ' 
 
 And Curdken went on to tell what passed on the common where 
 the geese fed, and how he had always to chase his hat. 
 
 The old King bade him go and drive forth his flock as usual 
 next day ; and when morning came he himself took up his position 
 behind the dark gate, and heard how the goose-girl greeted Falada. 
 Then he followed her through the field, and hid himself behind a 
 bush on the common. He soon saw with his own eyes how the 
 goose-boy and the goose-girl looked after the geese, and how after a 
 time the maiden sat down and loosed her hair, that glittered like 
 gold, and repeated : 
 
 ' Wind, wind, gently sway, 
 Blow Curdken's hat away ; 
 Let him chase o'er field and wold 
 Till my locks of ruddy gold,
 
 272 THE GOOSE-GIRL 
 
 Now astray and hanging down, 
 Be combed and plaited in a crown.' 
 
 Then a gust of wind came and blew Curdken's hat away, so that he 
 had to fly over hill and dale after it, and the girl in the meantime 
 quietly combed and plaited her hair : all this the old King observed, 
 and returned to the palace without any one having noticed him. In 
 the evening when the goose-girl came home he called her aside? 
 and asked her why she behaved as she did. ' I mayn't tell you 
 why ; how dare I confide my woes to anyone ? for I swore not to by 
 heaven, otherwise I should have lost my life.' The old King begged 
 
 her to tell him all, and left her no peace, but he could get nothing 
 out of her. At last he said : ' Well, if you won't tell me, confide your 
 trouble to the iron stove there ; ' and he went away. Then she crept 
 to the stove, and began to sob and cry and to pour out her poor 
 little heart, and said : ' Here I sit, deserted by all the world, I who 
 am a king's daughter, and a false waiting-maid has forced me to 
 take off my own clothes, and has taken my place with my bride- 
 groom, while I have to fulfil the lowly office of goose -girl. 
 1 If my mother only knew, 
 Her heart would surely break in two.'
 
 THE GOOSE-GIBL 273 
 
 But the old King stood outside at the stove chimney, and listened 
 to her words. Then he entered the room again, and bidding her 
 leave the stove, he ordered royal apparel to be put on her. in which 
 she looked amazingly lovely. Then he summoned his son, and 
 revealed to him that he had got the false bride, who was nothing 
 but a waiting-maid, while the real one, in the guise of the ex-goose- 
 girl, was standing at his side. The young King rejoiced from his 
 heart when he saw her beauty and learnt how good she was, and a 
 great banquet was prepared, to which everyone was bidden. The 
 bridegroom sat at the head of the table, the Princess on one side 
 of him and the waiting-maid on the other; but she was so 
 dazzled that she did not recognise the Princess in her glittering 
 garments. Now when they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, 
 the old King asked the waiting-maid to solve a knotty point for him. 
 ' What,' said he, ' should be done to a certain person who has 
 deceived everyone ? ' and he proceeded to relate the whole story, 
 ending up with, ' Now what sentence should be passed '? ' Then 
 the false bride answered : ' She deserves to be put stark naked into 
 a barrel lined with sharp nails, which should be dragged by two 
 white horses up and down the street till she is dead.' 
 
 ' You are the person,' said the King, ' and you have passed 
 sentence on yourself; and even so it shall be done to you.' And 
 when the sentence had been carried out the young King was married 
 to his real bride, and both reigned over the kingdom in peace and 
 happiness. 1
 
 274 
 
 TOADS AND DIAMONDS 
 
 rpHEBE was once upon a time a widow who had two daughters. 
 -L The eldest was so much like her in the face and humour that 
 whoever looked upon the daughter saw the mother. They were both 
 so disagreeable and so proud that there was no living with them. 
 
 The youngest, who was the very picture of her father for 
 courtesy and sweetness of temper, was withal one of the most 
 beautiful girlu ever seen. As people naturally love their own 
 likeness, this mother even doted on her eldest daughter, and at 
 the same time had a horrible aversion for the youngest she made 
 her eat in the kitchen and work continually. 
 
 Among other things, this poor child was forced twice a day 
 to draw water above a mile and a-half off the house, and bring 
 home a pitcher full of it. One day, as she was at this fountain, 
 there came to her a poor woman, who begged of her to let her 
 drink. 
 
 ' Oh ! ay, with all my neart, Goody, said this pretty little girl ; 
 and rinsing immediately the pitcher, she took up some water from 
 the clearest place of the fountain, and gave it to her, holding up 
 the pitcher all the while, that she might drink the easier. 
 
 The good woman having drunk, said to her : 
 
 ' You are so very pretty, my dear, so good and so mannerly, 
 that I cannot help giving you a gift.' For this was a fairy, who 
 had taken the form of a poor country-woman, to see how far the 
 civility and good manners of this pretty girl would go. ' I will give 
 you for gift,' continued the Fairy, ' that, at every word you speak, 
 there shall come out of your mouth either a flower or a jewel.' 
 
 When this pretty girl came home her mother scolded at her 
 for staying so long at the fountain. 
 
 ' I beg your pardon, mamma,' said the poor girl, ' for not making 
 more haste.' 
 
 And in speaking these words there came out of her mouth two 
 roses, two pearls, and two diamonds.
 
 TOADS AND DIAMONDS 
 
 275 
 
 ' What is it I see there ? ' said her mother, quite astonished. ' I 
 think I see pearls and diamonds come out of the girl's mouth ! 
 How happens this, child ? ' 
 
 This was the first time she ever called her child. 
 
 The poor creature told her frankly all the matter, not without 
 dropping out infinite numbers of diamonds. 
 
 ' In good faith,' cried the mother, ' I must send my child thither. 
 Come hither, Fanny ; look what comes out of thy sister's mouth 
 
 when she speaks. "Wotildst not thou be glad, my dear, to have the 
 same gift given to thee ? Thou hast nothing else to do but go and 
 draw water out of the fountain, and when a certain poor woman 
 asks you to let her drink,~to give it her very civilly.' 
 
 ' It would be a very fine sight indeed,' said this ill-bred minx, 
 ' to see me go draw water.' 
 
 4 You shall go, hussey ! ' said the mother ; ' and this minute.' 
 
 T2
 
 276 
 
 TOADS AND DIAMONDS 
 
 So away she went, but grumbling all the way, taking with her 
 the best silver tankard in the house. 
 
 She was no sooner at the fountain than she saw coming out of 
 the wood a lady most gloriously dressed, who came up to her, and 
 asked to drink. This was, you must know, the very fairy who 
 appeared to her sister, but had now taken the air and dress of a 
 princess, to see how far this girl's rudeness would go. 
 
 'Am I come hither,' said the proud, saucy slut, ' to serve you 
 with water, pray ? I suppose the silver tankard was brought 
 
 i 
 
 J%I 
 
 purely for your ladyship, was it ? However, you may drink out of 
 it, if you have a fancy.' 
 
 * You are not over and above mannerly,' answered the Fairy, 
 without putting herself in a passion. ' Well, then, since you have so 
 little breeding, and are so disobliging, I give you for gift that at 
 every word you speak there shall come out of your mouth a snake 
 or a toad.' 
 
 So soon as her mother saw her coming she cried out : 
 
 'Well, daughter?'
 
 TOADS AND DIAMONDS 277 
 
 ' Well, mother ? ' answered the pert hussey, throwing out of her 
 mouth two vipers and two toads. 
 
 ' Oh ! mercy,' cried the mother ; what is it I see ? Oh ! it is that 
 wretch her sister who has occasioned all this ; but she shall pay for 
 it ' ; and immediately she ran to beat her. The poor child fled away 
 from her, and went to hide herself in the forest, not far from thence. 
 
 The King's son, then on his return from hunting, met her, and 
 seeing her so very pretty, asked her what she did there alone and 
 why she cried. 
 
 ' Alas ! sir, rny mamma has turned me out of doors.' 
 
 The King's son, who saw five or six pearls and as many 
 diamonds come out of her mouth, desired her to tell him how that 
 happened. She hereupon told him the whole story; and so the 
 King's son fell in love with her, and, considering with himself that 
 such a gift was worth more than any marriage portion, conducted 
 her to the palace of the King his father, and there married her. 
 
 As for her sister, she made herself so much hated that her own 
 mother turned her off ; and the miserable wretch, having wandered 
 about a good while without finding anybody to take her in, went to 
 a corner of the wood, and there died. 1 
 
 1 Charles Perrault.
 
 278 
 
 PEINCE DAELING 
 
 ONCE upon a time there lived a king who was so just and kind 
 that his subjects called him ' the Good King.' It happened 
 one day, when he was out hunting, that a little white rabbit, which 
 his dogs were chasing, sprang into his arms for shelter. The King 
 stroked it gently, and said to it : 
 
 ' Well, bunny, as you have come to me for protection I will see 
 that nobody hurts you.' 
 
 And he took it home to his palace and had it put in a pretty 
 little house, with all sorts of nice things to eat. 
 
 That night, when he was alone in his room, a beautiful lady 
 suddenly appeared before him ; her long dress was as white as 
 snow, and she had a crown of white roses upon her head. The 
 good King was very much surprised to see her, for he knew his 
 door had been tightly shut, and he could not think how she had got 
 in. But she said to him : 
 
 ' I am the Fairy Truth. I was passing through the wood when 
 you were out hunting, and I wished to find out if you were really 
 good, as everybody said you were, so I took the shape of a little 
 rabbit and came to your arms for shelter, for I know that those who 
 are merciful to animals will be still kinder to their fellow-men. If 
 you had refused to help me I should have been certain that you 
 were wicked. I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, 
 which has made me your friend for ever. You have only to ask 
 me for anything you want and I promise that I will give it to 
 you.' 
 
 ' Madam,' said the good King, ' since you are a fairy, you no 
 doubt know all my wishes. I have but one son, whom I love very 
 dearly, that is why he is called Prince Darling. If you are really 
 good enough to wish to do me a favour, I beg that you will become 
 his friend.' 
 
 'With all my heart,' answered the Fairy. 'I can make your
 
 PRINCE DARLING 
 
 279 
 
 son the handsomest prince in the world, or the richest, or the 
 most powerful ; choose whichever you like for him.' 
 
 ' I do not ask either of these things for my son,' replied the 
 good King ; ' but if you will make him the best of princes, I shall 
 indeed be grateful to you. "What good. would it do him to be rich, 
 or handsome, or to possess all the kingdoms of the world if he were 
 wicked ? You know well he woiild still be unhappy. Only a good 
 man can be really contented.' 
 
 ' You are quite right,' answered the Fairy ; ' but it is not in my 
 power to make Prince Darling a good man unless he will help me ; 
 he must himself try hard to become good ; I can only promise to 
 give him good advice, to scold him for his faiilts, and to punish 
 him if he will not correct 
 and punish himself.' 
 
 The good King was 
 quite satisfied with this 
 promise ; and very soon 
 afterwards he died. 
 
 Prince Darling was 
 very sorry, for he loved 
 his father with all his 
 heart, and he would will- 
 ingly have given all his 
 kingdoms and all his trea- 
 sures of gold and silver if 
 they could have kept the 
 good King with him. Two 
 days afterwards, when 
 the Prince had gone to 
 bed, the Fairy suddenly 
 appeared to him and said : 
 
 ' I promised your 
 father that I would be 
 your friend, and to keep 
 my word I have come to 
 bring you a present.' At the same time she put a little gold ring 
 upon his finger. 
 
 'Take great care of this ring,' she said : 'it is more precious than 
 diamonds ; every time you do a bad deed it will prick your finger, 
 but if, in spite of its pricking, you go on in your own evil way, you 
 will lose my friendship, and I shall become your enemy.'
 
 280 PRINCE DARLING 
 
 So saying, the Fairy disappeared, leaving Prince Darling very 
 much astonished. 
 
 For some time he behaved so well that the ring never pricked 
 him, and that ma;? e him so contented that his subjects called him 
 Prince Darling the Happy. 
 
 One day, however, he went out hunting, but could get no sport, 
 which put him in a very bad temper ; it seemed to him as he rode 
 along that his ring was pressing into his finger, but as it did not 
 prick him he did not heed it. When he got home and went to his 
 own room, his little dog Bibi ran to meet him, jumping round him 
 with pleasure. ' Get away ! ' said the Prince, quite gruffly. ' I don't 
 want you, you are in the way.' 
 
 The poor little dog, who didn't understand this at all, pulled at 
 his coat to make him at least look at her, and this made Prince 
 Darling so cross that he gave her quite a hard kick. 
 
 Instantly his ring pricked him sharply, as if it had been a pin. 
 He was very much surprised, and sat down in a corner of his room 
 feeling quite ashamed of himself. 
 
 ' I believe the Fairy is laughing at me,' he thought. ' Surely I 
 can have done no great wrong in just kicking a tiresome animal ! 
 What is the good of my being ruler of a great kingdom if I am not 
 even allowed to beat my own dog ? ' 
 
 ' I am not making fun of you,' said a voice, answering Prince 
 Darling's thoughts. ' You have committed three faults. First of 
 all, you were out of temper because you could not have what you 
 wanted, and you thought all men and animals were only made to do 
 your pleasure ; then you were really angry, which is very naughty 
 indeed ; and lastly, you were cruel to a poor little animal who did 
 not in the least deserve to be ill-treated. 
 
 ' I know you are far above a little dog, but if it were right and 
 allowable that great people should ill-treat all who are beneath 
 them, I might at this moment beat you, or kill you, for a fairy is 
 greater than a man. The advantage of possessing a great empire 
 is not to be able to do the evil that one desires, but to do all the 
 good that one possibly can.' 
 
 The Prince saw how naughty he had been, and promised to try 
 and do better in future, but he did not keep his word. The fact 
 was that he had been brought up by a foolish nurse, who had spoilt 
 him when he was little. If he wanted anything he only had to cry 
 and fret and stamp his feet and she would give him whatever he 
 asked for, which had made him self-willed ; also she had told him
 
 PEINCE DAELINO 281 
 
 from morning to night that he would one day be a king, and that 
 kings were very happy, because everyone was bound to obey and 
 respect them, and no one could prevent them from doing just as 
 they liked. 
 
 When the Prince grew old enough to understand, he soon learnt 
 that there could be nothing worse than to be proud, obstinate, and 
 conceited, and he had really tried to cure himself of these defects, 
 but by that time his faults had become habits ; and a bad habit is 
 very hard to get rid of. Not that he was naturally of a bad 
 disposition ; he was truly sorry when he had been naughty, and 
 said : 
 
 ' I am very unhappy to have to struggle against my anger and 
 pride every day ; if I had been punished for them when I was little 
 they would not be such a trouble to me now.' 
 
 His ring pricked him very often, and sometimes he left off what 
 he was doing at once ; but at other times he would not attend to it. 
 Strangely enough, it gave him only a slight prick for a trifling fault, 
 but when he was really naughty it made his finger actually bleed. 
 At last he got tired of being constantly reminded, and wanted to be 
 able to do as he liked, so he threw his ring aside, and thought him- 
 self the happiest of men to have got rid of its teasing pricks. He 
 gave himself up to doing every foolish thing that occurred to him, 
 until he became quite wicked and nobody could like him any 
 longer. 
 
 One day, when the Prince was walking about, he saw a young 
 girl, who was so very pretty that he made up his mind at once that 
 he would marry her. Her name was Celia, and she was as good as 
 she was beautiful. 
 
 Prince Darling fancied that Celia would think herself only too 
 happy if he offered to make her a great queen, but she said 
 fearlessly : 
 
 ' Sire, I am only a shepherdess, and a poor girl, but, nevertheless, 
 I will not marry you.' 
 
 ' Do you dislike me ? ' asked the Prince, who was very much 
 vexed at this answer. 
 
 ' No, my Prince,' replied Celia ; ' I cannot help thinking you 
 very handsome ; but what good would riches be to me, and all the 
 grand dresses and splendid carriages that you would give me, if 
 the bad deeds which I should see you do every day made me hate 
 and despise you ? ' 
 
 The Prince was very angry at this speech, and commanded his
 
 282 PRINCE DAELING 
 
 officers to make Celia a prisoner and carry her off to his palace; All 
 day long the remembrance of what she had said annoyed him, but 
 as he loved her he could not make up his mind to have her 
 punished. 
 
 One of the Prince's favourite companions was his foster-brother, 
 whom he trusted entirely ; but he was not at all a good man, and 
 gave Prince Darling very bad advice, and encouraged him in all his 
 evil ways. When he saw the Prince so downcast he asked what 
 was the matter, and when he explained that he could not bear 
 Celia's bad opinion of him, and was resolved to be a better man in 
 order to please her, this evil adviser said to him : 
 
 ' You are very kind to trouble yourself about this little girl ; if I 
 were you I would soon make her obey me. Remember that you 
 are a king, and that it would be laughable to see you trying to 
 please a shepherdess, who ought to be only too glad to be one of 
 your slaves. Keep her in prison, and feed her on bread and water 
 for a little while, and then, if she still says she will not marry you, 
 have her head cut off, to teach other people that you mean to be 
 obeyed. Why, if you cannot make a girl like that do as you wish, 
 your subjects will soon forget that they are only put into the world 
 for our pleasure.' 
 
 ' But,' said Prince Darling, ' would it not be a shame if I had an 
 innocent girl put to death ? For Celia really has done nothing to 
 deserve punishment.' 
 
 ' If people will not do as you tell them they ought to suffer for 
 it,' answered his foster-brother ; ' but even if it were unjust, you had 
 better be accused of that by your subjects than that they should 
 find out that they may insult and thwart you as often as they 
 please.' 
 
 In saying this he was touching a weak point in his brother's 
 character ; for the Prince's fear of losing any of his power made 
 him at once abandon his first idea of trying to be good, and resolve 
 to try and frighten the shepherdess into consenting to marry him. 
 
 His foster-brother, who wanted him to keep this resolution, 
 invited three young courtiers, as wicked as himself, to sup with the 
 Prince, and they persuaded him to drink a great deal of wine, and 
 continued to excite his anger against Celia by telling him that she 
 had laughed at his love for her ; until at last, in quite a furious 
 rage, he rushed oft to find her, declaring that if she still refused to 
 marry him she should be sold as a slave the very next day. 
 
 But when he reached the room in which Celia had been locked
 
 PEINCE DARLING 283 
 
 ;np, he was greatly surprised to find that she was not in it, though 
 he had had the key in his own pocket all the time. His anger was 
 terrible, and he vowed vengeance against whoever had helped her 
 to escape. His bad friends, when they heard him, resolved to turn 
 his wrath upon an old nobleman who had formerly been his tutor ; 
 and who still dared sometimes to tell the Prince of his faults, for 
 he loved him as if he had been his own son. At first Prince Darling 
 had thanked him, but after a time he grew impatient and thought 
 it must be just mere love of fault-finding that made his old tutor 
 blame him when everyone else was praising and flattering him. So 
 he ordered him to retire from his Court, though he still, from time 
 to time, spoke of him as a worthy man whom he respected, even 
 if he no longer loved him. His unworthy friends feared that he 
 might some day take it into his head to recall his old tutor, so they 
 thought they now had a good opportunity of getting him banished 
 for ever. 
 
 They reported to the Prince that Suliman, for that was the 
 tutor's name, had boasted of having helped Celia to escape, and 
 they bribed three men to say that Suliman himself had told them 
 about it. The Prince, in great anger, sent his foster-brother with 
 a number of soldiers to bring his tutor before him, in chains, like a 
 criminal. After giving this order he went to his own room, but he 
 had scarcely got into it when there was a clap of thunder which 
 made the ground shake, and the Fairy Truth appeared suddenly 
 before him. 
 
 ' I promised your father,' said she sternly, ' to give you good 
 advice, and to punish you if you refused to follow it. You have 
 despised my counsel, and have gone your own evil way until you 
 are only outwardly a man ; really you are a monster the horror 
 of everyone who knows you. It is time that I should fulfil my 
 promise, and begin your punishment. I condemn you to resemble 
 the animals whose ways you have imitated. You have made 
 yourself like the lion by your anger, and like the wolf by your 
 greediness. Like a snake, you have ungratefully turned upon one 
 who was a second father to you ; your churlishness has made you 
 like a bull. Therefore, in your new form, take the appearance of 
 all these animals.' 
 
 The Fairy had scarcely finished speaking when Prince Darling 
 saw to his horror that her words were fulfilled. He had a lion's 
 head, a bull's horns, a wolfs feet, and a snake's body. At the 
 same instant he found himself in a great forest, beside a clear lake,
 
 284 PRINCE DARLING 
 
 in which he could see plainly the horrible creature he had become, 
 and a voice said to him : 
 
 'Look carefully at the state to which your wickedness has 
 brought you ; believe me, your soul is a thousand times more hideous 
 than your body.' 
 
 Prince Darling recognised the voice of the Fairy Truth, and 
 turned in a fury to catch her and eat her up if he possibly could ; 
 but he saw no one, and the same voice went on : 
 
 * I laugh at your powerlessness and anger, and I intend to punish 
 your pride by letting you fall into the hands of your own subjects.' 
 
 The Prince began to think that the best thing he could do would 
 be to get as far away from the lake as he could, then at least he 
 would not be continually reminded of his terrible ugliness. So he 
 ran towards the wood, but before he had gone many yards he fell 
 into a deep pit which had been made to trap bears, and the hunters, 
 who were hiding in a tree, leapt down, and secured him with 
 several chains, and led him into the chief city of his own kingdom. 
 
 On the way, instead of recognising that his own faults had 
 brought this punishment upon him, he accused the Fairy of being 
 the cause of all his misfortunes, and bit and tore at his chains 
 furiously. 
 
 As they approached the town he saw that some great rejoicing 
 was being held, and when the hunters asked what had happened 
 they were told that the Prince, whose only pleasure it was to torment 
 his people, had been found in his room, killed by a thunder-bolt 
 (for that was what was supposed to have become of him). Four 
 of his courtiers, those who had encouraged him in his wicked doings, 
 had tried to seize the kingdom and divide it between them, but the 
 people, who knew it was their bad counsels which had so changed 
 the Prince, had cut off their heads, and had offered the crown to 
 Suliman, whom the Prince had left in prison. This noble lord had 
 just been crowned, and the deliverance of the kingdom was the 
 cause of the rejoicing. ' For,' they said, ' he is a good and just 
 man, and we shall once more enjoy peace and prosperity.' 
 
 Prince Darling roared with anger when he heard this ; but it 
 was still worse for him when he reached the great square before his 
 own palace. He saw Suliman seated upon a magnificent throne, 
 and all the people crowded round, wishing him a long life that he 
 might undo all the mischief done by his predecessor. 
 
 Presently Suliman made a sign with his hand that the people 
 should be silent, and said : ' I have accepted the crown you have
 
 PRINCE DARLING 285 
 
 offered me, but only that I may keep it for Prince Darling, who is 
 not dead as you suppose ; the Fairy has assured me that v here is 
 still hope that you may some day see him again, good and vir- 
 tuous as he was when he first came to the throne. Alas ! ' he con- 
 tinued, ' he was led away by flatterers. I knew his heart, and am 
 certain that if it had not been for the bad influence of those who 
 surrounded him he would have been a good king and a father to 
 his people. We may hate his faults, but let us pity him and hope 
 for his restoration. As for me, I would die gladly if that could 
 bring back our Prince to reign justly and worthily once more.' 
 
 These words went to Prince Darling's heart ; he realised the 
 true affection and faithfulness of his old tutor, and for the first time 
 reproached himself for all his evil deeds ; at the same instant he 
 felt all his anger melting away, and he began quietly to think over 
 his past life, and to admit that his punishment was not more than 
 he had deserved. He lett off tearing at the iron bars of the cage in 
 which he was shut up, and became as gentle as a lamb. 
 
 The hunters who had caught him took him to a great men- 
 agerie, where he was chained up among all the other wild beasts, 
 and he determined to show his sorrow for his past bad behaviour 
 by being gentle and obedient to the man who had to take care of 
 him. Unfortunately, this man was very rough and unkind, and 
 though the poor monster was quite quiet, he often beat him without 
 rhyme or reason when he happened to be in a bad temper. One 
 day when this keeper was asleep a tiger broke its chain, and flew 
 at him to eat him up. Prince Darling, who saw what was going 
 on, at first felt quite pleased to think that he should be delivered 
 from his persecutor, but soon he thought better of it and wished 
 that he were free. 
 
 ' I would return good for evil,' he said to himself, ' and save the 
 unhappy man's life.' He had hardly wished this when his iron 
 cage flew open, and he rushed to the side of the keeper, who was awake 
 and was defending himself against the tiger. When he saw the 
 monster had got out he gave himself up for lost, but his fear was 
 soon changed into joy, for the kind monster threw itself upon the 
 tiger and very soon killed it, and then came and crouched at the 
 feet of the man it had saved. 
 
 Overcome with gratitude the keeper stooped to caress the strange 
 creature which had done him such a great service ; but suddenly a 
 voice said in his ear : 
 
 ' A good action should never go unrewarded,' and at the same
 
 286 P3INCE DABLING 
 
 instant the monster disappeared, and he saw at his feet only a 
 pretty little dog ! 
 
 Prince Darling, delighted by the change, frisked about the 
 keeper, showing his joy in every way he could, and the man, 
 taking him up in his arms, carried him to the King, to whom he 
 told the whole story. 
 
 The Queen said she would like to have this wonderful little dog, 
 and the Prince would have been very happy in his new home if he 
 could have forgotten that he was a man and a king. The Queen 
 petted and took care of him, but she was so afraid that he would 
 get too fat that she consulted the court-physician, who said that he 
 w y as to be fed only upon bread, and was not to have much even of 
 that. So poor Prince Darling was terribly hungry all day long, but 
 he was very patient about it. 
 
 One day, when they gave him his little loaf for breakfast, he 
 thought he would like to eat it out in the garden ; so he took it up 
 in his mouth and trotted away towards a brook that he knew of a 
 long way from the palace. But he was surprised to find that the 
 brook was gone, and where it had been stood a great house that 
 seemed to be built of gold and precious stones Numbers of people 
 splendidly dressed were going into it, and sounds of music and 
 dancing and feasting could be heard from the windows. 
 
 But what seemed very strange was that those people who came 
 out of the house were pale and thin, and their clothes were torn, 
 and hanging in rags about them. Some fell down dead as they 
 came out, before they had time to get away others crawled farther 
 with great difficulty, while others again lay on the ground, fainting 
 with hunger, and begged a morsel of bread from those who were 
 going into the house, but they would not so much as look at the 
 poor creatures. 
 
 Prince Darling went up to a young girl who was trying to eat a 
 few blades of grass she was so hungry. Touched with compassion, 
 he said to himself : 
 
 ' I am very hungry, but I shall not die of starvation before I get 
 my dinner ; if I give my breakfast to this poor creature perhaps I 
 may save her life.' 
 
 So he laid his piece of bread in the girl's hand, and saw her eat 
 it up eagerly. 
 
 She soon seemed to be quite well again, and the Prince, delighted 
 to have been able to help her, was thinking of going home to the 
 palace, when he heard a great outcry, and turning round saw
 
 PRINCE DARLING 287 
 
 Celia, who was being carried against her will into the great 
 house. 
 
 For the first time the Prince regretted that he was no longer 
 the monster, then he would have been able to rescue Celia now he 
 could only bark feebly at the people who were carrying her off, and 
 try to follow them, but they chased and kicked him away. 
 
 He determined not to quit the place till he knew what had 
 become of Celia, and blamed himself for what had befallen her. 
 
 ' Alas ! ' he said to himself, ' I am furious with the people who 
 are carrying Celia off, but isn't that exactly what I did myself, and 
 if I had not been prevented did I not intend to be still more cruel 
 to her ? ' 
 
 Here he was interrupted by a noise above his head someone 
 was opening a window, and he saw with delight that it was Celia 
 herself, who came forward and threw out a plate of most delicious- 
 looking food, then the window was shut again, and Prince Darling, 
 who had not had anything to eat all day, thought he might as well
 
 288 PEINCE DARLING 
 
 take the opportunity of getting something. He ran forward to 
 begin, but the young girl to whom he had given his bread gave a 
 cry of terror and took him up in her arms, saying : 
 
 ' Don't touch it, my poor little dog that house is the palace of 
 pleasure, and everything that comes out of it is poisoned ! ' 
 
 At the same moment a voice said : 
 
 'You see a good action always brings its reward,' and the 
 
 Prince found himself changed into a beautiful white dove. He 
 remembered that white was the favourite colour of the Fairy Truth, 
 and began to hope that he might at last win back her favour. But 
 just now his first care was for Celia, and rising into the air he flew 
 round and round the house, unt.il he saw an open window ; but he 
 searched through every room in vain. No trace of Celia was to be 
 seen, and the Prince, in despair, determined to search through the 
 world till he found her. He flew on and on for several days, till
 
 PRINCE DARLING 289 
 
 he came to a great desert, where he saw a cavern- -and to his 
 delight there sat Celia, sharing the simple breakfast of an old 
 hermit. 
 
 Over -joyed to have found her, Prince Darling perched upon her 
 shoulder, trying to express by his caresses how glad he was to see 
 her again, and Celia, surprised and delighted by the tameness of 
 this pretty white dove, stroked it softly, and said, though she 
 never thought of its understanding her : 
 
 ' I accept the gift that you make me of yourself and I will love 
 you always.' 
 
 ' Take care what you are saying, Celia,' said the old hermit j 
 ' are you prepared to keep that promise ? ' 
 
 ' Indeed I hope so, my sweet shepherdess,' cried the Prince, 
 who was at that moment restored to his natural shape. ' You 
 promised to love me always ; tell me that you really mean what 
 you said, or I shall have to ask the Fairy to give me back the form 
 of the dove which pleased you so much.' 
 
 ' You need not be afraid that she will change her mind,' said 
 the Fairy, throwing off the hermit's robe in which she had been 
 disguised, and appearing before them. 
 
 ' Celia has loved you ever since she first saw you, only she 
 would not tell you while you were so obstinate and naughty. Now 
 you have repented and mean to be good you deserve to be happy, 
 and so she may love you as much as she likes.' 
 
 Celia and Prince Darling threw themselves at the Fairy's feet, 
 and the Prince was never tired of thanking her for her kindness. 
 Celia was delighted to hear how sorry he was for all his past follies 
 and misdeeds, and promised to love him as long as she lived. 
 
 ' Rise, my children,' said the Fairy, ' and I will transport you to 
 the palace, and Prince Darling shall have back again the crown 
 he forfeited by his bad behaviour.' 
 
 While she was speaking they found themselves in Suliman's 
 hall, and his delight was great at seeing his dear master once more. 
 He gave up the throne joyfully to the Prince, and remained always 
 the most faithful of his subjects. 
 
 Celia and Prince Darling reigned for many years, but he was 
 so determined to govern worthily and to do his duty that his 
 ring, which he took to wearing again, never once pricked him 
 severely. 1 
 
 1 Cabinet des F6es.
 
 BLUE BEAED 
 
 rFHEKE was a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, 
 J- a deal of silver and gold plate, embroidered furniture, and 
 coaches gilded all over with gold. But this man was so unlucky as 
 to have a blue beard, which made him so frightfully ugly that all 
 the women and girls ran away from him. 
 
 One of his neighbours, a lady of quality, had two daughters who 
 were perfect beauties. He desired of her one of them in marriage, 
 
 /leaving to her choice which of the two she would bestow on him. 
 They would neither of them have him, and sent him backwards 
 and forwards from one another, not being able to bear the thoughts 
 of marrying a man who had a blue beard, and what besides gave 
 them disgust and aversion was his having already been married to 
 several wives, and nobody ever knew what became of them. 
 
 Blue Beard, to engage their affection, took them, with the lady 
 their mother and three or four ladies of their acquaintance, with 
 other young people of the neighbourhood, to one of his country 
 seats, where they stayed a whole week. 
 
 There was nothing then to be seen but parties of pleasure, 
 
 hunting, fishing, dancing, mirth, and feasting. Nobody went to 
 
 V bed, but all passed the night in rallying and joking with each other. 
 
 * In short, every thing succeeded so well that the youngest daughter 
 
 began to think the master of the house not to have a beard so very 
 
 blue, and that he was a mighty civil gentleman. 
 
 As soon as they returned home, the marriage was concluded. 
 About a month afterwards, Blue Beard told his wife that he was 
 obliged to take a country journey for six weeks at least, about 
 affairs of very great consequence, desiring her to divert herself in 
 his absence, to send for her friends and acquaintances, to carry 
 them into the country, if she pleased, and to make good cheer 
 wherever she was. 
 
 ' Here,' said he, ' are the keys of the two great wardrobes,
 
 BLUE BEARD 291 
 
 wherein I have my best furniture ; these are of my silver and gold 
 plate, which is not every day in use ; these open my strong boxes, 
 which hold my money, both gold and silver ; these my caskets of 
 jewels ; and this is the master-key to all my apartments. But for 
 this little one here, it is the key of the closet at the end of the great 
 gallery on the ground floor. Open them ail ; go into all and every 
 one of them, except that little closet, which I forbid you, and forbid 
 it in such a manner that, if you happen to open it, there's nothing 
 but what you may expect from my just anger and resentment.' 
 
 She promised to observe, very exactly, whatever he had ordered ; 
 when he, after having embraced her, got into his coach and pro- 
 ceeded on his journey. 
 
 Her neighbours and good friends did not stay to be sent for by 
 the new married lady, so great was their impatience to see all the 
 rich furniture of her house, not daring to come while her husband 
 was there, because of his blue beard, which frightened them. 
 They ran through all the rooms, closets, and wardrobes, which 
 were all so fine and rich that they seemed to surpass one another. 
 
 After that they went up into the two great rooms, where were 
 the best and richest furniture ; they could not sufficiently admire 
 the number and beauty of the tapestry, beds, couches, cabinets, 
 stands, tables, and looking-glasses, in which you might see yourself 
 from head to foot ; some of them were framed with glass, others 
 with silver, plain and gilded, the finest and most magnificent ever 
 were seen. 
 
 They ceased not to extol and envy the happiness of their friend, 
 who in the meantime in no way diverted herself in looking upon all /}//. 
 these rich things, because of the impatience she had to go and open ^ 
 the closet on the ground floor. She was so much pressed by her A 
 curiosity that, without considering that it was very uncivil to leave / 
 her company, she went down a little back staircase, and with such J^/ 
 excessive haste that she had twice or thrice like to have broken f 
 her neck. 
 
 Being come to the closet-door, she made a stop for some time, 
 thinking upon her husband's orders, and considering what unhappi- 
 ness might attend her if she was disobedient ; but the temptation 
 was so strong she could not overcome it. She then took the little key, 
 and opened it, trembling, but could not at first see anything plainly, 
 because the windows were shut. After some moments she began 
 to perceive that the floor was all covered over with clotted blood, 
 on which lay the bodies of several dead women, ranged against the 
 
 u2
 
 BLUE BEARD 
 
 walls. (These were all the wives whom Blue Beard had married 
 and murdered, one after another.) She thought she should have 
 died for fear, and tne key, which she pulled out of the lock, fell out 
 of her hand. 
 
 After having somewhat recovered her surprise, she took up the 
 key, locked the door, and went 
 upstairs into her chamber to 
 recover herself ; but she could 
 not, so much was she fright- 
 ened. Having observed that 
 the key of the closet was 
 stained with blood, she tried 
 two or three times to wipe it 
 off, but the blood would not 
 come out ; in vain did she 
 wash it, and even rub it with 
 soap and sand, the blood still 
 remained, for the key was 
 magical and she could never 
 make it quite clean; when 
 the blood was gone off from 
 one side, it came again on 
 the other. 
 
 Blue Beard returned from 
 his journey the same even- 
 ing, and said he had received 
 letters upon the road, inform- 
 ing him that the affair he 
 went about was ended to his 
 advantage. His wife did all 
 she could to convince him 
 she was extremely glad of 
 his speedy return. 
 
 Next morning he asked 
 her for the keys, which she 
 gave him, but with such a 
 trembling hand that he 
 easily guessed what had happened. 
 
 ' What ! ' said he, ' is not the key of my closet among the rest ? ' 
 ' I must certainly,' said she, ' have left it above upon the table.' 
 4 Fail not,' said Blue Beard, ' to bring it me presently.'
 
 BLUE BEAED 293 
 
 After several goings backwards and forwards she was forced to 
 bring him the key. Blue Beard, having very attentively considered 
 it, said to his wife, 
 
 ' How comes this blood upon the key ? ' 
 
 ' I do not know,' cried the poor woman, paler than death. 
 
 ' You do not know ! ' replied Blue Beard. ' I very well know. You 
 were resolved to go into the closet, were you not ? Mighty well, 
 madam ; you shall go in, and take your place among the ladies you 
 saw there.' 
 
 Upon this she threw herself at her husband's feet, and begged 
 his pardon with all the signs of a true repentance, vowing that she 
 would never more be disobedient. She would have melted a rock, 
 so beautiful and sorrowful was she ; but Blue Beard had a heart 
 harder than any rock ! 
 
 ' You must die, madam,' said he, ' and that presently.' 
 
 ' Since I must die,' answered she (looking upon him with her 
 eyes all bathed in tears), ' give me some little time to say my 
 prayers.' 
 
 ' I give you,' replied Blue Beard, ' half a quarter of an hour, but 
 not one moment more.' 
 
 AVhen she was alone she called out to her sister, and said to 
 her: 
 
 ' Sister Anne ' (for that was her name), ' go up, I beg you, upon 
 the top of the tower, and look if my brothers are not coming ; they 
 promised me that they would come to-day, and if you see them, 
 give them a sign to make haste.' 
 
 Her sister Anne went up upon the top of the tower, and the 
 poor afflicted wife cried out from time to time : 
 
 ' Anne, sister Anne, do you see anyone coming? ' 
 
 And sister Anne said : 
 
 ' I see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, 
 which looks green.' 
 
 In the meanwhile Blue Beard, holding a great sabre in his 
 hand, cried out as loud as he could bawl to his wife : 
 
 ' Come down instantly, or I shall come up to you.' 
 
 ' One moment longer, if you please,' said his wife ; and then 
 she cried out very softly, ' Anne, sister Anne, dost thou see anybody 
 coming ? ' 
 
 And sister Anne answered : 
 
 ' I see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, 
 which is green.'
 
 294 BLUE BEARD 
 
 ' Comedown quickly,' cried Blue Beard, 'or I will come up to 
 you.' 
 
 ' I am coming,' answered his wife ; and then she cried, ' Anne, 
 sister Anne, dost thou not see anyone coming ? ' 
 
 ' I see,' replied sister Anne, ' a great dust, which comes on this 
 side here.' 
 
 ' Are they my brothers ? ' 
 
 ' Alas ! no, my dear sister, I see a flock of sheep.' 
 
 ' "Will you not come down ? ' cried Blue Beard. 
 
 1 One moment longer,' said his wife, and then she cried out : 
 * Anne, sister Anne, dost thou see nobody coming ? ' 
 
 ' I see,' said she, ' two horsemen, but they are yet a great way 
 off.' 
 
 ' God be praised,' replied the poor wife joyfully : ' they are my 
 brothers ; I will make them a sign, as well as 1 can, for them to 
 make haste.' 
 
 Then Blue Beard bawled out so loud that he made the whole
 
 BLUE BEARD 295 
 
 house tremble. The distressed wife came down, and threw herself 
 at his feet, all in tears, with her hair about her shoulders. 
 
 ' This signifies nothing,' says Blue Beard ; ' you must die ' ; then, 
 taking hold of her hair with one hand, and lifting up the sword 
 with the other, he was going to take off her head. The poor lady, 
 turning about to him, and looking at him with dying eyes, desired 
 him to afford her one little moment to recollect herself. 
 
 ' No, no,' said he, ' recommend thyself to God,' and was just 
 ready to strike . . . 
 
 At this very instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate 
 that Blue Beard made a sudden stop. The gate was opened, and 
 presently entered two horsemen, who, drawing their swords, ran 
 directly to Blue Beard. He knew them to be his wife's brothers, 
 one a dragoon, the other a musketeer ; so that he ran away imme- 
 diately to save himself ; but the two brothers pursued so close that 
 they overtook him before he could get to the steps of the porch, 
 when they ran their swords through his body and left him dead. The 
 poor wife was almost as dead as her husband, and had not strength 
 enough to rise and welcome her brothers. 
 
 Blue Beard had no heirs, and so his wife became mistress of all 
 his estate. She made use of one part of it to marry her sister 
 Anne to a young gentleman who had loved her a long while ; 
 another part to buy captains' commissions for her brothers, and the 
 rest to marry herself to a very worthy gentleman, who made her 
 forget the ill time she had passed with Blue Beard. 1 
 1 Charles Perrault.
 
 TRUSTY JOHN 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was an old king who was so ill that he 
 thought to himself, ' I am most likely on my death-bed. ' Then he 
 said, ' Send Trusty John to me.' Now Trusty John was his favourite 
 servant, and was so called because all his life he had served him so 
 
 faithfully. When he approached the bed the King spake to him. 
 ' Most trusty John, I feel my end is drawing near, and I could face 
 it without a care were it not for my son. He is still too young to 
 decide everything for himself, and unless you promise me to instruct
 
 TRUSTY JOHN 297 
 
 him in all he should know, and to be to him as a father, I shall not 
 close my eyes in peace.' Then Trusty John answered : ' I will never 
 desert him, and will serve him faithfully, even though it should cost 
 me my life.' Then the old King said : ' Now I die comforted and 
 in peace ; ' and then he went on : ' After my death you must show 
 him the whole castle, all the rooms and apartments and vaults, and 
 all the treasures that lie in them ; but you must not show him the 
 last room in the long passage, where the picture of the Princess of 
 the Golden Eoof is hidden. When he beholds that picture he will 
 fall violently in love with it and go off into a dead faint, and for her 
 sake he will encounter many dangers ; you must guard him from 
 this.' And when Trusty John had again given the King his hand upon 
 it the old man became silent, laid his head on the pillow, and died. 
 
 When the old King had been carried to his grave, Trusty John 
 told the young King what he had promised his father on his death- 
 bed, and added : ' And I shall assuredly keep my word, and shall be 
 faithful to you as I have been to him, even though it should cost 
 me my life.' 
 
 Now when the time of mourning was over, Trusty John said to 
 him : ' It is time you should see your inheritance. I will show you 
 your ancestral castle.' So he took him over everything, and let him 
 see all the riches and splendid apartments, only the one room where 
 the picture was he did not open. But the picture was placed so 
 that if the door opened you gazed straight upon it, and it was so 
 beautifully painted that you imagined it lived and moved, and that 
 it was the most lovable and beautiful thing in the whole world. But 
 the young King noticed that Trusty John always missed over one 
 door, and said : ' Why do you never open this one for me ? ' ' There 
 is something inside that would appal you,' he answered. But the King 
 replied : ' I have seen the whole castle, and shall find out what is 
 in there ; ' and with these words he approached the door and wanted 
 to force it open. But Trusty John held him back, and said : ' I 
 promised your father before his death that you shouldn't see what 
 that room contains. It might bring both you and me to great grief.' 
 ' Ah ! no,' answered the young King; ' if I don't get in, it will be my 
 certain destruction ; I should have no peace night or day till I had 
 seen what was in the room with my own eyes. Now I don't budge 
 from the spot till you have opened the door.' 
 
 Then Trusty John saw there was no way out of it, so with a 
 heavy heart and many sighs he took the key from the big bunch. 
 When he had opened the door he stepped in first, and thought to cover
 
 298 TBUSTY JOHN 
 
 the likeness so that the King might not perceive it ; biit it was hope- 
 less : the King stood on tiptoe and looked over his shoulder. And 
 when he saw the picture of the maid, so beautiful and glittering 
 with gold and precious stones, he fell swooning to the ground. 
 Trusty John lifted him up, carried him to bed, and thought sorrow- 
 fully : ' The curse has come upon us ; gracious heaven ! what will be 
 the end of it all ?' Then he poured wine down his throat till he 
 came to himself again. The first words he spoke were : ' Oh ! who 
 is the original of the beautiful picture ? ' ' She is the Princess of 
 the Golden Roof,' answered Trusty John. Then the King continued : 
 ' My love for her is so great that if all the leaves on the trees had 
 tongues they could not express it ; my very life depends on my 
 winning her. You are my most trusty John : you must stand by 
 me.' 
 
 The faithful servant pondered long how they were to set about 
 the matter, for it was said to be difficult even to get into the presence 
 of the Princess. At length he hit upon a plan, and spoke to the 
 King. ' All the things she has about her tables, chairs, dishes, 
 goblets, bowls, and all her household furniture are made of gold. 
 You have in your treasure five tons of gold ; let the goldsmiths of 
 your kingdom manufacture them into all manner of vases and 
 vessels, into all sorts of birds and game and wonderful beasts ; that 
 will please her. "We shall go to her with them and try our luck.' The 
 King summoned all his goldsmiths, and they had to work hard day 
 and night, till at length the most magnificent things were completed. 
 When a ship had been laden with them the faithful John disguised 
 himself as a merchant, and the King had to do the same, so that 
 they should be quite unrecognisable. And so they crossed the seas 
 and journeyed till they reached the town where the Princess of 
 the Golden Roof dwelt. 
 
 Trusty John made the King remain behind on the ship and 
 await his return. ' Perhaps,' he said, ' I may bring the Princess 
 back with me, so see that everything is in order ; let the gold orna- 
 ments be arranged and the whole ship decorated.' Then he took 
 a few of the gold things in his apron, went ashore, and proceeded 
 straight to the palace. When he came to the courtyard he found 
 a beautiful maiden standing at the well, drawing water with two 
 golden pails. And as she was about to carry away the glittering 
 water she turned round and saw the stranger, and asked him who 
 he was. Then he replied : ' I am a merchant ; ' and opening his 
 apron, he let her peep in. ' Oh ! my,' she cried; ' what beautiful gold
 
 T BUSTY JOHN 
 
 wares ! ' she set down her pails, and examined one thing after the 
 other. Then she said : ' The Princess must see this, she has such a 
 fancy for gold things that she will buy up all you have got.' She 
 took him by the hand and let him into the palace, for she was the 
 lady's-maid. 
 
 When the Princess had seen the wares she was quite enchanted, 
 and said : ' They are all so beautifully made that I shall buy every- 
 thing you have.' But Trusty John said : ' I am only the servant of 
 a rich merchant, what I have here is nothing compared to what my 
 master has on his ship ; his merchandise is more artistic and costly 
 than anything that has ever been made in gold before.' She desired 
 to have everything brought up to her, but he said : ' There is such a 
 quantity of things that it would take many days to bring them up, 
 and they would take up so many rooms that you would have no 
 space for them in your house.' Thus her desire and curiosity were 
 excited to such an extent u ^ ^ 
 that at last she said : ' Take 
 me to your ship ; I shall 
 go there myself and view 
 your master's treasures.' 
 
 Then Trusty John was 
 quite delighted, and 
 brought her to the ship; 
 and the King, when he 
 beheld her, saw that she 
 was even more beautiful 
 than her picture, and 
 thought every moment 
 that his heart would burst. 
 She stepped on to the 
 ship, and the King led 
 her inside. But Trusty 
 John remained behind 
 with the steersman, and 
 ordered the ship to push 
 off. ' Spread all sail, that 
 we may fly on the ocean like a bird in the air.' Meanwhile the 
 King showed the Princess inside all his gold wares, every single bit 
 of it dishes, goblets, bowls, the birds and game, and all the wonder- 
 ful beasts. Many hours passed thus, and she was so happy that she 
 did not notice that the ship was sailing away. After she hr.d seen
 
 300 TRUSTY JOHN 
 
 the last thing she thanked the merchant and prepared to go home ; 
 but when she came to the ship's side she saw that they were on the 
 high seas, far from land, and that the ship was speeding on its way 
 under full canvas. ' Oh ! ' she cried in terror, ' I am deceived, 
 carried away and betrayed into the power of a merchant ; I would 
 rather have died ! ' But the King seized her hand and spake : ' I 
 am no merchant, but a king of as high birth as yourself; and it was 
 my great love for you that made me carry you off by stratagem. 
 The first tune I saw your likeness I fell to the ground in a swoon.' 
 When the Princess of the Golden Roof heard this she was com- 
 forted, and her heart went out to him, so that she willingly con- 
 sented to become his wife. 
 
 Now it happened one day, while they were sailing on the high 
 seas, that Trusty John, sitting on the fore part of the ship, fiddling 
 away to himself, observed three ravens in the air flying towards 
 him. He ceased playing, and listened to what they were saying, 
 for he understood their language. The one croaked : ' Ah, ha ! so 
 he's bringing the Princess of the Golden Eoof home.' 'Yes,' 
 answered the second, ' but he's not got her yet.' 'Yes, he has,' 
 spake the third, ' for she's sitting beside him on the ship.' Then 
 number one began again and cried : ' That'll not help him ! When 
 they reach the land a chestnut horse will dash forward to greet 
 them : the King will wish to mount it, and if he does it will gallop 
 away with him, and disappear into the air, and he will never see 
 his bride again.' ' Is there no escape for him ? ' asked number two. 
 ' Oh ! yes, if someone else mounts quickly and shoots the horse 
 dead with the pistol that is sticking in the holster, then the young 
 King is saved. But who's to know that ? and anyone who knows it 
 and tells him will be turned into stone from his feet to his knees.' 
 Then spake number two : ' I know more than that : even if the 
 horse is slain, the young King will still not keep his bride : when 
 they enter the palace together they will find a ready-made wedding 
 shirt in a cupboard, which looks as though it were woven of gold 
 and silver, but is really made of nothing but sulphur and tar: 
 when the King puts it on it will burn him to his marrow and bones.' 
 Number three asked : ' Is there no way of esdape, then ? ' ' Oh 1 
 yes,' answered number two : ' if someone seizes the shirt with 
 gloved hands and throws it into the fire, and lets it burn, then the 
 young King is saved. But what's the good ? anyone knowing this 
 and telling it will have half his body turned into stone, from his 
 knees to his heart.' Then number three spake : ' I know yet
 
 TRUSTY JOHN 301 
 
 more : though the bridal shirt too be burnt, the King hasn't even then 
 secured his bride : when the dance is held after the wedding, and 
 the young Queen is dancing, she will suddenly grow deadly white, 
 and drop down like one dead, and unless some one lifts her up and 
 draws three drops of blood from her right side, and spits them out 
 again, she will die. But if anyone who knows this betrays it, he 
 will be turned into stone from the crown of his head to the soles of 
 his feet.' "When the ravens had thus conversed they fled onwards, 
 but Trusty John had taken it all in, and was sad and depressed 
 from that time forward ; for if he were silent to his master concern- 
 ing what he had heard, he would involve him in misfortune ; but 
 if he took him into his confidence, then he himself would forfeit his 
 life. At last he said : ' I will stand by my master, though it should 
 be ray ruin.' 
 
 Xow when they drew near the land it came to pass just as the 
 ravens had predicted, and a splendid chestnut horse bounded for- 
 ward. ' Capital ! ' said the King ; ' this animal shall cany me to my 
 palace,' and was about to mount, but Trusty John was too sharp for 
 him, and, springing up quickly, seized the pistol out of the holster, 
 and shot the horse dead. Then the other servants of the King, who 
 at no time looked favourably on Trusty John, cried out : ' What a 
 sin to kill the beautiful beast that was to bear the King to his 
 palace ! ' But the King spake : ' Silence ! let him alone ; he is ever my 
 most trusty John. Who knows for what good end he may have done 
 this thing ? ' So they went on their way and entered the palace, 
 and there in the hall stood a cupboard in which lay the ready-made 
 bridal shirt, looking for all the world as though it were made of gold 
 and silver. The young King went towards it and was about to take 
 hold of it, but Trusty John, pushing him aside, seized it with his 
 gloved hands, threw it hastily into the fire, and let it burn. The 
 other servants commenced grumbling again, and said : ' See, he's 
 actually burning the King's bridal shirt.' But the young Kingspoke : 
 ' W T ho knows for what good purpose he does it ? Let bini alone, he 
 is my most trusty John.' Then the wedding was celebrated, the 
 dance began, and the bride joined in, but Trusty John watched her 
 countenance carefully. Of a sudden she grew deadly white, and fell 
 to the ground as if she were dead. He at once sprang hastily 
 towards her, lifted her up, and bore her to a room, where he laid her 
 down, and kneeling beside her he drew three drops of blood from 
 her right side, and spat them out. She soon breathed again and 
 came to herself; but the young King had watched the proceeding,
 
 302 
 
 TRUSTY JOHN 
 
 and not knowing why Trusty John had acted as he did, he flew into 
 a passion, and cried : ' Throw him into prison.' On the following 
 morning sentence was passed on Trusty John, and he was con- 
 demned to be hanged. As he stood on the gallows he said : ' Every 
 one doomed to death has the right to speak once before he dies ; am 
 I to have this privilege ? ' ' Yes,' said the King, ' it shall be granted 
 to you.' So Trusty John spoke : ' I am unjustly condemned, for 
 I have always been faithful to you ; ' and he proceeded to relate 
 how he had heard the ravens' conversation on the sea, and how he 
 
 had to do all he did in order to save his master. Then the King 
 cried : ' Oh ! my most trusty John, pardon ! pardon ! Take him 
 down.' But as he uttered the last word Trusty John had fallen life*- 
 less to the ground, and was a stone. 
 
 The King and Queen were in despair, and the King spake : ' Ah ! 
 how ill have I rewarded such great fidelity ! ' and made them lift up 
 the stone image and place it in his bedroom near his bed. As 
 often as he looked at it he wept and said : ' Oh ! if I could only 
 restore you to life, my most trusty John ! ' After a time the Queen
 
 TRUSTY JOHN 303 
 
 gave birth to twins, two small sons, who throve and grew, and 
 were a constant joy to her. One day when the Queen was at 
 church, and the two children sat and played with their father, 
 he gazed again full of grief on the stone statue, and sighing, wailed : 
 ' Oh ! if I could only restore you to life, my most trusty John ! ' 
 Suddenly the stone began to speak, and said : ' Yes, you can restore 
 me to life again if you are prepared to sacrifice what you hold 
 most dear.' And the King cried out : ' All I have in the world will 
 I give up for your sake.' The stone continued : ' If you cut off with 
 your own hand the heads of your two children, and smear me with 
 their blood, I shall come back to life.' The King was aghast when 
 he heard that he had himself to put his children to death; but 
 when he thought of Trusty John's fidelity, and how he had even 
 died for him, he drew his sword, and with his own hand cut the 
 heads off his children. And when he had smeared the stone with 
 their blood, life came back, and Trusty John stood once more safe 
 and sound before him. He spake to the King : ' Your loyalty shall 
 be rewarded, and taking up the heads of the children, he placed 
 them on their bodies, smeared the wounds with their blood, and in 
 a minute they were all right again and jumping about as if nothing 
 had happened. Then the King was full of joy, and when he saw 
 the Queen coining, he hid Trusty John and the two children in a 
 big cupboard. As she entered he said to her : ' Did you pray in 
 church ? ' ' Yes,' she answered ; ' but my thoughts dwelt constantly 
 on Trusty John, and of what he has suffered for us.' Then he 
 spake : ' Dear wife, we can restore him to life, but the price asked 
 is our two little sons ; we must sacrifice them.' The Queen grew 
 white and her heart sank, but she replied : ' We owe it to him on 
 account of his great fidelity.' Then he rejoiced that she was of the 
 same mind as he had been, and going forward he opened the cup- 
 board, and fetched the two children and Trusty John out, saying : 
 ' God be praised ! Trusty John is free once more, and we have our 
 two small sons again.' Then he related to her all that had passed, 
 and they lived together happily ever afterwards. 1
 
 304 
 
 THE BBAVE LITTLE TAILOR 
 
 ONE summer's day a little tailor sat on his table by the window in 
 the best of spirits, and sewed for dear life. As he was sitting 
 thus a peasant woman came down the street, calling out : ' Good jam 
 to sell, good jam to sell.' This sounded sweetly in the tailor's ears ; 
 he put his frail little head out of the window, and shouted : ' Up here, 
 my good woman, and you'll find a willing customer.' The woman 
 climbed up the three nights of stairs with her heavy basket to the 
 tailor's room, and he made her spread out all the pots in a row 
 before him. He examined them all, lifted them up and smelt them, 
 and said at last : ' This jam seems good, weigh me four ounces of it, 
 my good woman ; and even if it's a quarter of a pound I won't 
 stick at it.' The woman, who had hoped to find a good market, 
 gave him what he wanted, but went away grumbling wrathfully. 
 ' Now heaven shall bless this jam for my use,' cried the little tailor, 
 'and it shall sustain and strengthen me.' He fetched some bread 
 out of a cupboard, cut a round off the loaf, and spread the jam on 
 it. ' That won't taste amiss,' he said ; ' but I'll finish that waistcoat 
 first before I take a bite.' He placed the bread beside him, went 
 on sewing, and out of the lightness of his heart kept on making 
 his stitches bigger and bigger. In the meantime the smell of the 
 sweet jam rose to the ceiling, where heaps of flies were sitting, and 
 attracted them to such an extent that they swarmed on to it in 
 masses. ' Ha ! who invited you ? ' said the tailor, and chased the 
 unwelcome guests away. But the flies, who didn't understand 
 English, refused to let themselves be warned off, and returned 
 again in even greater numbers. At last the little tailor, losing all 
 patience, reached out of his chimney corner for a duster, and ex- 
 claiming : ' Wait, and I'll give it to you,' he beat them mercilessly 
 with it. When he left off he counted the slain, and no fewer than 
 seven lay dead before him with outstretched legs. ' What a des- 
 perate fellow I am ! ' said he, and was filled with admiration at his
 
 THE BEAVE LITTLE TAILOR 
 
 305 
 
 own ccmrage. ' The whole town must know about this ; ' and in great 
 haste the little tailor cut out a girdle, hemmed it, and embroidered 
 on it in big letters, ' Seven at a blow.' ' What did I say, the town ? 
 no, the whole world shall hear of it,' he said ; and his heart beat 
 for joy as a lamb wags his tail. 
 
 The tailor strapped the girdle round his waist and set out into 
 the wide world, for he considered his workroom too small a field 
 for his prowess. Before he set forth he looked round about him, 
 to see if there was anything in the house he could take with him 
 on his journey ; but he found nothing except an old cheese, which 
 he took possession of. In front of the house he observed a bird
 
 306 THE BBAVE LITTLE TAILOR 
 
 that had been caught in some bushes, and this he put into his 
 wallet beside the cheese. Then he went on his way merrily, and 
 being light and agile he never i'elt tired. His way led up a hill, on 
 the top of which sat a powerful giant, who was calmly surveying the 
 landscape. The little tailor went up to him, and greeting him cheer- 
 fully said : ' Good-day, friend ; there you sit at your ease viewing the 
 whole wide world. I'm just on my way there. What do you say 
 to accompanying me ? ' The giant looked contemptuously at the 
 tailor, and said : ' What a poor wretched little creature you are ! ' 
 ' That's a good joke,' answered the little tailor, and unbutton- 
 ing his coat he showed the giant the girdle. ' There now, you 
 can read what sort of a fellow I am.' The giant read : ' Seven at a 
 blow ; ' and thinking they were human beings the tailor had slain, 
 he conceived a certain respect for the little man. But first he 
 thought he'd test him, so taking up a stone in his hand, he squeezed 
 it till some drops of water ran out. ' New you do the same,' said 
 the giant, ' if you really wish to be thought strong.' ' Is that all ? ' 
 said the little tailor ; ' that's child's play to me,' so he dived into 
 his wallet, brought out the cheese, and pressed it till the whey ran 
 out. ' My squeeze was in sooth better than yours,' said he. The 
 giant didn't know what to say, for he couldn't have believed it of 
 the little fellow. To prove him again, the giant lifted a stone and 
 threw it so high that the eye could hardly follow it. ' Now, my 
 little pigmy, let me see you do that.' 'Well thrown,' said the 
 tailor ; ' but, after all, your stone fell to the ground ; I'll throw one 
 that won't come down at all.' He dived into his wallet again, and 
 grasping the bird in his hand, he threw it up into the air. The 
 bird, enchanted to be free, soared up into the sky, and flew away 
 never to return. ' Well, what do you think of that little piece of 
 business, friend ? ' asked the tailor. ' You can certainly throw,' said 
 the giant ; ' but now let's see if you can carry a proper weight.' 
 With these words he led the tailor to a huge oak tree which had 
 been felled to the ground, and said : ' If you are strong enough, help 
 me to carry the tree out of the wood.' ' Most certainly,' said the 
 little tailor: 'just you take the trunk on your shoulder; I'll bear 
 the top and branches, which is certainly the heaviest part.' The 
 giant laid the trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor sat at his ease 
 among the branches ; and the giant, who couldn't see what was 
 gomg on behind him, had to carry the whole tree, and the little 
 tailor into the bargain. There he sat behind in the best of spirits, 
 lustily whistling a tune, as if carrying the tree were mere sport.
 
 THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOE 307 
 
 The giant, after dragging the heavy weight for some time, could get 
 on no further, and shouted out : ' Hi ! I must let the tree fall.' The 
 tailor sprang nimbly down, seized the tree with both hands as if he 
 had carried it the whole way, and said to the giant : ' Fancy a big 
 lout like 3'ou not being able to carry a tree ! ' 
 
 They continued to go on their way together, and as they 
 passed by a cherry tree the giant grasped the top of it, where the 
 ripest fruit hung, gave the branches into the tailor's hand, and 
 bade him eat. But the little tailor was far too weak to hold the 
 tree down, and when the giant let go the tree swung back into the 
 air, bearing the little tailor with it. "When he had fallen to the 
 ground again without hurting himself, the giant said : ' What ! do 
 you mean to tell me you haven't the strength to hold down a feeble 
 twig ? ' 'It wasn't strength that was wanting,' replied the tailor; 
 ' do you think that would have been anything for a man who has 
 killed seven at a blow ? I jumped over the tree because the 
 hunstmen are shooting among the branches near us. Do you do 
 the like if you dare.' The giant made an attempt, but couldn't get 
 over the tree, and stuck fast in the branches, so that here too the 
 little tailor had the better of him. 
 
 ' Well, you're a fine fellow, after all,' said the giant; ' come and 
 spend the night with us in our cave.' The little tailor willingly 
 consented to do this, and following his friend they went on till 
 they reached a cave where several other giants were sitting round 
 a fire, each holding a roast sheep in his hand, of which he was eat- 
 ing. The little tailor looked about him, and thought : ' Yes, there's 
 certainly more room to turn round in here than in my workshop.' 
 The giant showed him a bed, and bade him lie down and have a 
 good sleep. But the bed was too big for the little tailor, so he 
 didn't get into it, but crept away into the corner. At midnight, 
 when the giant thought the little tailor was fast asleep, he rose up, 
 and taking his big iron walking-stick, he broke the bed in two with 
 a blow, and thought he had made an end of the little grasshopper. 
 At early dawn the giants went off to the wood, and quite forgot 
 about the little tailor, till all of a sudden they met him trudging 
 along in the most cheerful mannpr. The giants were terrified at 
 the apparition, and, fearful lest he should slay them, they all took 
 to their heels as fast as they could. 
 
 The little tailor continued to follow his nose, and after he had 
 wandered about for a long time he came to the courtyard of a royal 
 palace, and feeling tired he lay down on the grass and fell asleep. 
 
 x2
 
 308 THE BEAVE LITTLE TAILOR 
 
 While he lay there the people came, and looking him all over read on 
 his girdle : ' Seven at a blow.' * Oh ! ' they said, ' what can this great 
 hero of a hundred fights want in our peaceful land? He must 
 indeed be a mighty man of valour.' They went and told the King 
 about him, and said what a weighty and useful man he'd be in time 
 of war, and that it would be well to secure him at any price. This 
 counsel pleased the King, and he sent one of his courtiers down to 
 the little tailor, to offer him, when he awoke, a commission in their 
 army. The messenger remained standing by the sleeper, and 
 waited till he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes, when he 
 tendered his proposal. * That's the very thing I came here for,' he 
 answered ; ' I am quite ready to enter the King's service.' So he 
 was received with all honour, and given a special house of his own 
 to live in. 
 
 But the other officers resented the success of the little tailor, and 
 wished him a thousand miles away, ' What's to come of it all ? ' 
 they asked each other ; ' if we quarrel with him, he'll let out at us, and 
 at every blow seven will fall. There'll soon be an end of us.' So they 
 resolved to go in a body to the King, and all to send in their papers. 
 ' We are not made,' they said, ' to hold out against a man who 
 kills seven at a blow.' The King was grieved at the thought of los- 
 ing all his faithful servants for the sake of one man, and he wished 
 heartily that he had never set eyes on him, or that he could get rid 
 of him. But he didn't dare to send him away, for he feared he 
 might kill him along with his people, and place himself on the 
 throne. He pondered long and deeply over the matter, and finally 
 came to a conclusion. He sent to the tailor and told him that, see- 
 ing what a great and warlike hero he was, he was about to make 
 him an offer. ' In a certain wood of his kingdom there dwelt two 
 giants who did much harm ; by the way they robbed, murdered, 
 burnt, and plundered everything about them; 'no one could ap- 
 proach them without endangering his life. But if he could over- 
 come and kill these two giants he should have his only daughter 
 for a Avife, and half his kingdom into the bargain ; he might have 
 a hundred horsemen, too, to back him up.' ' That's the very thing 
 for a man like me,' thought the little tailor; 'one doesn't get the 
 offer of a beautiful princess and half a kingdom every day.' ' Done 
 with you,' he answered; ' I'll soon put an end to the giants. But I 
 haven't the smallest need of your hundred horsemen ; a fellow who 
 can slay seven men at a blow need not be afraid of two.' 
 
 The little tailor set out, and the hundred horsemen followed
 
 THE BEAVE LITTLE TAILOR 
 
 him. When he came to the outskirts of the wood he said to his 
 followers : ' You wait here, I'll manage the giants by myself; ' and he 
 went on into the wood, casting his sharp little eyes right and left 
 about him. After a while he spied the two giants lying asleep 
 under a tree, and snoring till the very boughs bent with the breeze. 
 The little tailor lost no tune in filling his wallet with stones, and 
 then climbed up the tree under which they lay. When he got to 
 
 about the middle of it he slipped along a branch till he sat just 
 above the sleepers, when he threw down one stone after the other 
 on the nearest giant. The giant felt nothing for a long time, but 
 at last he woke up, and pinching his companion said : ' What did 
 you strike me for ? ' 'I didn't strike you,' said the other 'you 
 must be dreaming.' They both lay down to sleep again, and the 
 tailor threw down a stone on the second giant, who sprang up and 
 cried : ' What's that for ? Why did you throw something at me ? '
 
 310 THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 
 
 ' I didn't throw anything,' growled the first one. They wrangled 
 on for a time, till, as both were tired, they made up the matter and 
 fell asleep again. The little tailor began his game once more, and 
 flung the largest stone he could find in his wallet with all his force, 
 and hit the first giant on the chest. ' This is too much of a good 
 thing ! ' he yelled, and springing up like a madman, he knocked his 
 companion against the tree till he trembled. He gave, however, as 
 good as he got, and they became so enraged that they tore up trees 
 and beat each other with them, till they both fell dead at once on 
 the ground. Then the little tailor jumped down. ' It's a mercy,' 
 he said, ' that they didn't root up the tree on which I was perched, 
 or I should have had to jump like a squirrel on to another, which, 
 nimble though I am, would have been no easy job.' He drew his 
 sword and gave each of the giants a very fine thrust or two on the 
 breast, and then went to the horsemen and said : ' The deed is done, 
 I've put an end to the two of them ; but I assure you it has been 
 no easy matter, for they even tore up trees in their struggle to de- 
 fend themselves ; but all that's of no use against one who slays 
 seven men at a blow.' ' Weren't you wounded ? ' asked the horse- 
 men. ' No fear,' answered the tailor ; ' they haven't touched a hair 
 of my head.' But the horsemen wouldn't believe him till they 
 rode into the wood and found the giants weltering in their blood, 
 and the trees lying around, torn up by the roots. 
 
 The little tailor now demanded the promised reward from the 
 King, but he repented his promise, and pondered once more how he 
 could rid himself of the hero. ' Before you obtain the hand of my 
 daughter and half my kingdom,' he said to him, ' you must do 
 another deed of valour. A unicorn is running about loose in the 
 wood, and doing much mischief; you must first catch it.' ' I'm even 
 less afraid of one unicorn than of two giants ; seven at a blow, 
 that's my motto." He took a piece of cord and an axe with him, 
 went out to the wood, and again told the men who had been sent 
 with him to remain outside. He hadn't to search long, for the 
 unicorn soon passed by, and, on perceiving the tailor, dashed 
 straight at him as though it were going to spike him on the spot. 
 ' Gently, gently,' said he, ' not so fast, my friend ; ' and standing 
 still he waited till the beast was quite near, when he sprang lightly 
 behind a tree ; the unicorn ran with all its force against the tree, 
 and rammed its horn so firmly into the trunk that it had no 
 strength left to pull it out again, and was thus successfully captured. 
 ' Now I've caught my bird,' said the tailor, and he came out from
 
 THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 311 
 
 behind the tree, placed the cord round its neck first, then struck 
 the horn out of the tree with his axe, and when everything was 
 in order led the beast before the King. 
 
 Still the King didn't want to give him the promised reward, and 
 made a third demand. The tailor was to catch a wild boar for him 
 that did a great deal of harm in the wood ; and he might have the 
 huntsmen to help him. ' Willingly,' said the tailor ; ' that's mere 
 child's play.' But he didn't take the huntsmen into the wood with 
 him, and they were well enough pleased to remain behind, for the 
 wild boar had often received them in a manner which did not make 
 them desire its further acquaintance. As soon as the boar per- 
 ceived the tailor it ran at him with foaming mouth and gleaming 
 teeth, and tried to knock him down ; but our alert little friend ran 
 into a chapel that stood near, and got out of the window again 
 with a jump. The boar pursued him into the church, but the tailor 
 skipped round to the door, and closed it securely. So the raging 
 beast was caught, for it was far too heavy and unwieldy to spring 
 out of the window. The little tailor summoned the huntsmen to- 
 gether, that they might see the prisoner with their own eyes. Then 
 the hero betook himself to the King, who was obliged now, whether 
 he liked it or not, to keep his promise, and hand him over his 
 daughter and half his kingdom. Had he known that no hero- 
 warrior, but only a little tailor stood before him, it would have gone 
 even more to his heart. So the wedding was celebrated with much 
 splendour and little joy, and the tailor became a king. 
 
 After a time the Queen heard her husband saying one night in 
 his sleep : ' My lad, make that waistcoat and patch these trousers, 
 or I'll box your ears.' Thus she learnt in what rank the young 
 gentleman had been born, and next day she poured forth her woes 
 to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of a husband who 
 was nothing more nor less than a tailor. The King comforted her, 
 and said : ' Leave your bedroom door open to-night, my servants 
 shall stand outside, and when your husband is fast asleep they shall 
 enter, bind him fast, and carry him on to a ship, which shall sail 
 away out into the wide ocean.' The Queen was well satisfied with 
 the idea, but the armour-bearer, who had overheard everything, 
 being much attached to his young master, went straight to him and 
 revealed the whole plot. ' I'll soon put a stop to the business,' said 
 the tailor. That night he and his wife went to bed at the usual time ; 
 and when she thought he had fallen asleep she got up, opened the 
 door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who had only
 
 312 
 
 THE BEAVE LITTLE TAILOE 
 
 pretended to be asleep, began to call out in a clear voice : ' My 
 Jad, make that waistcoat and patch those trousers, or I'll box your 
 ears. I have killed seven at a blow, slain two giants, led a unicorn 
 captive, and caught a wild boar, then why should I be afraid of 
 those men standing outside my door ? ' The men, when they heard 
 the tailor saying these words, were so terrified that they fled as if 
 pursued by a wild army, and didn't dare go near him again. So the 
 little tailor was and remained a king all the days of his life.
 
 313 
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MY father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire, and I was the 
 third of four sons. He sent me to Cambridge at fourteen years 
 old, and after studying there three years I was bound apprentice to 
 Mr. Bates, a famous surgeon in London. There, as my father now 
 and then sent me small sums of money, I spent them in learning 
 navigation, and other arts useful to those who travel, as I always 
 believed it would be some time or other my fortune to do. 
 
 Three years after my leaving, him my good master, Mr. Bates, 
 recommended me as ship's surgeon to the ' Swallow,' on which I 
 voyaged three years. When I came back I settled in London, and, 
 having taken part of a small house, I married Miss Mary Bin-ton, 
 daughter of Mr. Edmund Burton, hosier. 
 
 But my good master Bates died two years after ; and as I had 
 few friends my business began to fail, and I determined to go 
 again to sea. After several voyages I accepted an offer from 
 Captain W. Prichard, master of the ' Antelope,' who was making a 
 voyage to the South Sea. We set sail from Bristol, May 4, 1699 ; 
 and our voyage at first was very prosperous. 
 
 But in our passage to the East Indies we were driven by a 
 violent storm to the north-west of Van Diemen's Land. Twelve 
 of our crew died from hard labour and bad food, and the rest were 
 in a very weak condition. On the 5th of November, the weather 
 being very hazy, the seamen spied a rock within 120 yards of the 
 ship ; but the wind was so strong that we were driven straight 
 upon it, and immediately split. Six of the crew, of whom I was 
 one, letting down the boat, got clear of the ship, and we rowed 
 about three leagues, till we could work no longer. We therefore 
 trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves ; and in about half an 
 hour the boat was upset by a sudden squall. What became of my 
 companions in the boat, or those who escaped on the rock or were
 
 314 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 left in the vessel, I cannot tell ; but I conclude they were all lost. 
 For my part, I swam as fortune directed me, and was pushed for- 
 ward by wind and tide ; but when I was able to struggle no longer 
 I found myself within my depth. By this time the storm was 
 much abated. I reached the shore at last, about eight o'clock in 
 the evening, and advanced nearly half a mile inland, but could not 
 discover any sign of inhabitants. I was extremely tired, and with 
 the heat of the weather I found myself much inclined to sleep. I 
 lay down on the grass, which was very short and soft, and slept 
 sounder than ever I did in my life for about nine hours. When I 
 woke, it was just daylight. I attempted to rise, but could not ; 
 for as I happened to be lying on my back, I found my arms and 
 legs were fastened on each side to the ground ; and my hair, which 
 was long and thick, tied down in the same manner. I could only 
 look upwards. The sun began to grow hot, and the light hurt my 
 eyes. I heard a confused noise about me, but could see nothing 
 except the sky. In a little time I felt something alive moving on 
 my left leg, which, advancing gently over my breast, came almost 
 up to my chin, when, bending my eyes downward, I perceived it 
 to be a human creature, not six inches high, with a bow and arrow 
 in his hands, and a quiver at his back. In the meantime I felt at 
 least forty more following the first. I was in the utmost astonish- 
 ment, and roared so loud that they all ran back in a fright ; and 
 some of them were hurt with the falls they got by leaping from my 
 sides upon the ground. However, they soon returned, and one of 
 them, who ventured so far as to get a full sight of my face, lifted 
 up his hands in admiration. I lay all this while in great un- 
 easiness ; but at length, struggling to get loose, I succeeded in 
 breaking the strings that fastened my left arm to the ground; 
 and at the same time, with a violent pull that gave me extreme 
 pain, I a little loosened the strings that tied down my hair, so that 
 I was just able to turn my head about two inches. But the 
 creatures ran off a second time before I could seize them, where- 
 upon there was a great shout, and in an instant I felt above a 
 hundred arrows discharged on my left hand, which pricked me 
 like so many needles. Moreover, they shot another flight into the 
 air, of which some fell on my face, which I immediately covered 
 with my left hand. When this shower of arrows was over I 
 groaned with grief and pain, and then, striving again to get loose, 
 they discharged another flight of arrows larger than the first, and 
 some of them tried to stab me with their spears ; but by good luck
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 315 
 
 I had on a leather jacket, which they could not pierce. By this 
 time I thought it most prudent to lie still till night, when, my left 
 hand being already loose, I could easily free myself; and as for the 
 inhabitants, I thought I might be a match for the greatest army 
 they could bring against me if they were all of the same size with 
 him I saw. When the people observed that I was quiet they dis- 
 charged no more arrows, but by the noise I heard I knew that 
 their number was increased ; and about four yards from me, for 
 more than an hour, there was a knocking, like people at work. 
 Then, turning my head that way as well as the pegs and strings 
 would let me, I saw a stage set up, about a foot and a half from 
 the ground, with two or three ladders to mount it. From this, one 
 of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made me a long 
 
 speech, of which I could not understand a word, though I could tell 
 from his manner that he sometimes threatened me, and sometimes 
 spoke with pity and kindness. I answered in few words, but in 
 the most submissive manner; and, being almost famished with 
 hunger, I could not help showing my impatience by putting my 
 finger frequently to my mouth, to signify that I wanted food. He 
 understood me very well, and, descending from the stage, com- 
 manded that several ladders should be set against my sides, on 
 which more than a hundred of the inhabitants mounted, and 
 walked towards my mouth with baskets full of food, which had 
 been sent by the King's orders when he first received tidings of me. 
 There were legs and shoulders like mutton, but smaller than the 
 wings of a lark. I ate them two or three at a mouthful, and took
 
 316 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 three loaves at a time. They supplied me as fast as they could, 
 with a thousand marks of wonder at my appetite. I then made a 
 sign that I wanted something to drink. They guessed that a small 
 quantity would not suffice me, and, being a most ingenious people, 
 they slung up one of their largest hogsheads, then rolled it towards 
 my hand, and beat out the top. I drank it off at a draught, which 
 I might well do, for it did not hold half a pint. They brought me 
 a second hogshead, which I drank, and made signs for more ; but 
 they had none to give me. However, I could not wonder enough 
 at the daring of these tiny mortals, who ventured to mount and 
 walk upon my body, while one of my hands was free, without 
 trembling at the very sight of so huge a creature as I must have 
 seemed to them. After some time there appeared before me a 
 person of high rank from his Imperial Majesty. His Excellency, 
 having mounted my right leg, advanced to my face, with about a 
 dozen of his retinue, and spoke about ten minutes, often pointing 
 forwards, which, as I afterwards found, was towards the capital 
 city, about half a mile distant, whither it was commanded by his 
 Majesty that I should be conveyed. I made a sign with my hand 
 that was loose, putting it to the other (but over his Excellency's 
 head, for fear of hurting him or his train), to show that I desired 
 my liberty. He seemed to understand me well enough, for he 
 shook his head, though he made other signs to let me know that I 
 should have meat and drink enough, and very good treatment. 
 Then I once more thought of attempting to escape ; but when I 
 felt the smart of their arrows on my face and hands, which were 
 all in blisters, and observed likewise that the number of my ene- 
 mies increased, I gave tokens to let them know that they might 
 do with me what they pleased. Then they daubed my face and 
 hands with a sweet-smelling ointment, which in a few minutes 
 removed all the smart of the arrows. The relief from pain and 
 hunger made me drowsy, and presently I fell asleep. I slept about 
 eight hours, as I was told afterwards ; and it was no wonder, for 
 the physicians, by the Emperor's order, had mingled a sleeping 
 draught in the hogsheads of wine. 
 
 It seems that, when I was discovered sleeping on the ground 
 after my landing, the Emperor had early notice of it, and deter- 
 mined that I should be tied in the manner I have related (which 
 was done in the night, while I slept), that plenty of meat and drink 
 should be sent me, and a machine prepared to carry me to the 
 capital city. Five hundred carpenters and engineers were iinme-
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 317 
 
 diately set to work to prepare the engine. It was a frame of wood, 
 raised three inches from the ground, about seven feet long and four 
 wide, moving upon twenty-two wheels. But the difficulty was to 
 place me on it. Eighty poles were erected for this purpose, and 
 very strong cords fastened to bandages which the workmen had 
 tied round my neck, hands, body, and legs. Nine hundred of the 
 strongest men were employed to draw up these cords by pulleys 
 fastened on the poles, and in less than three hours I was raised 
 and slung into the engine, and there tied fast. Fifteen hundred of 
 the Emperor's largest horses, each about four inches and a half 
 high, were then employed to draw me towards the capital. But 
 while all this was done I still lay in a deep sleep, and I did not 
 wake till four hours after we began our journey. 
 
 The Emperor and all his Court came out to meet us when we 
 reached the capital ; but his great officials would not suffer his 
 Majesty to risk his person by mounting on my body. Where the 
 carriage stopped there stood an ancient temple, supposed to be the 
 largest in the whole kingdom, and here it was determined that I 
 should lodge. Near the great gate, through which I could easily 
 creep, they fixed ninety-one chains, like those which hang to a lady's 
 watch, which were locked to my left leg with thirty- six padlocks ; 
 and when the workmen found it was impossible for me to break 
 loose, they cut all the strings that bound me. Then I rose up, 
 feeling as melancholy as ever I did in my life. But the noise and 
 astonishment of the people on seeing me rise and walk were inex- 
 pressible. The chains that held my left leg were about two yards 
 long, and gave me not only freedom to walk backwards and forwards 
 in a semicircle,' but to creep in and lie at full length inside the 
 temple. 
 
 CHAPTEK II. 
 
 THE Emperor, advancing towards me from among his courtiers, all 
 most magnificently clad, surveyed me with great admiration, but 
 kept beyond the length of my chain. He was taller by about the 
 breadth of my nail than any of his Court, which alone was enough 
 to strike awe into the beholders, and graceful and majestic. The 
 better to behold him, I lay down on my side, so that my face was 
 level with his, and he stood three yards off. However, I have had 
 him since many times in my hand, and therefore cannot be de- 
 ceived. His dress was very simple ; but he wore a light helmet of
 
 318 
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 gold, adorned with jewels and a plume. He held his sword drawn 
 in his hand, to defend himself if I should break loose ; it was 
 almost three inches long, and the hilt was of gold, enriched with 
 diamonds. His voice was shrill, but very clear. His Imperial 
 Majesty spoke often to me, and I answered ; but neither of us could 
 understand a woi'd. 
 
 After about two hours the Court retired, and I was left with a 
 strong guard to keep away the crowd, some of whom had the im- 
 pudence to shoot their arrows at me as I sat by the door of my 
 house. But the colonel ordered six of them to be seized and 
 delivered bound into my hands. I put five of them into my coat 
 pocket ; and as to the sixth, I made a face as if I would eat him
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 319 
 
 alive. The poor man screamed terribly, and the colonel and his 
 officers were much distressed, especially when they saw me take 
 out my penknife. But I soon set them at ease, for, cutting the 
 strings he was bound with, I put him gently on the ground, and 
 away he ran. I treated the rest in the same manner, taking them 
 one by one out of my pocket ; and I saw that both the soldiers and 
 people were highly delighted at this mark of my kindness. 
 
 Towards night I got with some difficulty into my house, where I 
 lay on the ground, as I had to do for a fortnight, till a bed was pre- 
 pared for me out of six hundred beds of the ordinary measure. 
 
 Six hundred servants were appointed me, and three hundred 
 tailors made me a suit of clothes. Moreover, six of his Majesty's 
 
 greatest scholars were employed to teach me their language, so that 
 soon I was able to converse after a fashion with the Emperor, who 
 often honoured me with his visits. The first words I learned were to 
 desire that he would please to give me my liberty, which I every 
 day repeated on my knees ; but he answered that this must be a 
 work of time, and that first I must swear a peace with him and his 
 kingdom. He told me also that by the laws of the nation I must 
 be searched by two of his officers, and that as this could not be done 
 without my help, he trusted them in my hands, and whatever they 
 took from me should be returned when I left the country. I took 
 up the two officers, and put them into my coat pockets. These 
 gentlemen, having pen, ink, and paper about them, made an exact
 
 320 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 list of everything they saw, which I afterwards translated into 
 English, and which ran as follows : 
 
 ' In the right coat pocket of the great Man-Mountain we found 
 only one great piece of coarse cloth, large enough to cover the 
 carpet of your Majesty's chief room of state. In the left pocket 
 we saw a huge silver chest, with a silver cover, which we could not 
 lift. We desired that it should be opened, and one of us stepping 
 into it found himself up to the mid-leg in a sort of dust, some of 
 which flying into our faces sent us both into a fit of sneezing. In 
 his right waistcoat pocket we found a number of white thin sub- 
 stances, folded one over another, about the size of three men, tied 
 with a strong cable, and marked with black figures, which we 
 humbly conceive to be writings. In the left there was a sort of 
 engine, from the back of which extended twenty long poles, with 
 which, we conjecture, the Man-Mountain combs his head. In the 
 smaller pocket on the right side were several round flat pieces of 
 white and red metal, of different sizes. Some of the white, which 
 appeared to be silver, were so large and heavy that my comrade and 
 I could hardly lift them. From another pocket hung a huge silver 
 chain, with a wonderful kind of engine fastened to it, a globe half 
 silver and half of some transparent metal ; for on the transparent 
 side we saw certain strange figures, and thought we could touch 
 them till we found our fingers stopped by the shining substance. 
 This engine made an incessant noise, like a water-mill, and we con- 
 jecture it is either some unknown animal, or the god he worships, 
 but probably the latter, for he told us that he seldom did anything 
 without consulting it. 
 
 ' This is a list of what we found about the body of the Man- 
 Mountain, who treated us with great civility.' 
 
 I had one private pocket which escaped their search, containing 
 a pair of spectacles and a small spy-glass, which, being of no con- 
 sequence to the Emperor, I did not think myself bound in honour 
 to discover. 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 MY gentleness and good behaviour gained so far on the Emperor 
 and his Court, and, indeed, on the people in general, that I began to 
 have hopes of getting my liberty in a short time. The natives came 
 "by degrees to be less fearful of danger from me. I would some- 
 times lie down and let five or six of them dance on my hand ; and
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 321 
 
 at last the boys and girls ventured to come and play at hide-and- 
 seek in my hair. 
 
 The horses of the army and of the royal stables were no longer 
 shy, having been daily led before me ; and one of the Emperor's 
 huntsmen, on a large courser, took my foot, shoe and all, which was 
 indeed a prodigious leap. I amused the Emperor one day in a very 
 extraordinary manner. I took nine sticks, and fixed them firmly 
 in the ground in a square. Then I took four other sticks, and tied 
 them parallel at each corner, about two feet from the ground. I 
 
 fastened my handkerchief to the nine sticks that stood erect, and 
 extended it on all sides till it was as tight as the top of a drum ; 
 and I desired the Emperor to let a troop of his best horse, twenty- 
 four in number, come and exercise upon this plain. His Majesty 
 approved of the proposal, and I took them up one by one, with the 
 proper officers to exercise them. As soon as they got into order 
 they divided into two parties, discharged blunt arrows, drew their 
 swords, fled and pursued, and, in short, showed the best military 
 discipline I ever beheld. The parallel sticks secured them and 
 
 Y
 
 322 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 their horses from falling off the stage, and the Emperor was so much 
 delighted that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several 
 days, and persuaded the Empress herself to let me hold her in her 
 chair within two yards of the stage, whence she could view the 
 whole performance. Fortunately no accident happened, only once 
 a fiery horse, pawing with his hoof, struck a hole in my handker- 
 chief, and overthrew his rider and himself. But I immediately 
 relieved them both, and covering the hole with one hand, I set down 
 the troop with the other as I had taken them up. The horse that 
 fell was strained in the shoulder, but the rider was not hurt, and I 
 repaired my handkerchief as well as I could. However, I would 
 not trust to the strength of it any more in such dangerous enter- 
 prises. 
 
 I had sent so many petitions for my liberty that his Majesty 
 at length mentioned the matter in a full council, where it was 
 opposed by none except Skyresh Bolgolam, admiral of the realm, 
 who was pleased without any provocation to be my mortal enemy. 
 However, he agreed at length, though he succeeded in himself 
 drawing up the conditions on which I should be set free. After 
 they were read I was requested to swear to perform them in the 
 method prescribed by their laws, which was to hold my right foot 
 in my left hand, and to place the middle finger of my right hand 
 on the crown of my head, and my thumb on the top of my right 
 ear. But I have made a translation of the conditions, which I 
 here offer to the public. 
 
 ' Golbaste Momarem Evlame Gurdile Sliefin Mully Ully Gue, 
 Most Mighty Emperor of Lilliput, delight and terror of the universe, 
 whose dominions extend to the ends of the globe, monarch of all 
 monarchs, taller than the sons of men, whose feet press down to 
 the centre, and whose head strikes against the sun, at whose nod the 
 princes of the earth shake their knees, pleasant as the spring, com- 
 fortable as the summer, fruitful as autumn, dreadful as winter : 
 His Most Sublime Majesty proposeth to the Man-Mountain, lately 
 arrived at our celestial dominions, the following articles, which by 
 a solemn oath he shall be obliged to perform : 
 
 ' First. The Man-Mountain shall not depart from our domin- 
 ions without our licence under the great seal. 
 
 ' Second. He shall not presume to come into our metropolis 
 without our express order, at which time the inhabitants shall have 
 two hours' warning to keep within doors. 
 
 ' Third. The said Man-Mountain shall confine his walks to our
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 323 
 
 principal high roads, and not offer to walk or lie down in a mea- 
 dow or field of corn. 
 
 ' Fourth. As he walks the said roads he shall take the utmost 
 care not to trample upon the bodies of any of our loving subjects, 
 their horses or carriages, nor take any of our subjects into his 
 hands without their own consent. 
 
 ' Fifth. If an express requires extraordinary speed the Man- 
 Mountain shall be obliged to carry in his pocket the messenger 
 and horse a six days' journey, and return the said messenger (if 
 so required) safe to our imperial presence. 
 
 ' Sixth. He shall be our ally against our enemies in the island 
 of Blefuscu, and do his utmost to destroy their fleet, which is now 
 preparing to invade us. 
 
 ' Lastly. Upon his solemn oath to observe all the above articles, 
 the said Man-Mountain shall have a daily allowance of meat and 
 drink sufficient for the support of 1,724 of our subjects, with free 
 access to our royal person, and other marks of our favour. Given 
 at our palace at Belfaborac, the twelfth day of the ninety-first moon 
 of our reign.' 
 
 I swore to these articles with great cheerfulness, whereupon my 
 chains were immediately unlocked, and I was at full liberty. 
 
 One morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained my freedom, 
 Reldresal, the Emperor's secretary for private affairs, came to my 
 house, attended only by one servant. He ordered his coach to wait 
 at a distance, and desired that I would give him an hour's audience. 
 I offered to lie down that he might the more conveniently reach my 
 ear ; but he chose rather to let me hold him in my hand during our 
 conversation. He began with compliments on my liberty, but he 
 added that, save for the present state of things at Court, perhaps I 
 might not have obtained it so soon. ' For,' he said, 'however flou- 
 rishing we may seem to foreigners, we are in danger of an invasion 
 from the island of Blefuscu, which is the other great empire of the 
 universe, almost as large and as powerful as this of his Majesty. 
 For as to what we have heard you say, that there are other king- 
 doms in the world, inhabited by human creatures as large as your- 
 self, our philosphers are very doubtful, and rather conjecture that 
 j-ou dropped from the moon, or one of the stars, because a hun- 
 dred mortals of your size would soon destroy all the fruit and cattle 
 of his Majesty's dominions. Besides, our histories of six thousand 
 moons make no mention of any other regions than the two mighty 
 empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu, which, as I was going to tell you, 
 
 12
 
 324 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPVT 
 
 are engaged in a most obstinate war, which began in the follow- 
 ing manner : It is allowed on all hands that the primitive way of 
 breaking eggs was upon the larger end ; but his present Majesty's 
 grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking 
 it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fin- 
 gers. "Whereupon the Emperor, his father, made a law command- 
 ing all his subjects to break the smaller end of their eggs. The 
 people so highly resented this law that there have been six rebel- 
 lions raised on that account, wherein one emperor lost his life, and 
 another his crown. It is calculated that eleven hundred per- 
 sons have at different times suffered death rather than break their 
 eggs at the smaller end. But these rebels, the Bigendians, have 
 found so much encouragement at the Emperor of Blefuscu's 
 Court, to which they always fled for refuge, that a bloody war, as I 
 said, has been carried on between the two empires for six-and- 
 thirty moons ; and now the Blefuscudians have equipped a large 
 fleet, and are preparing to descend upon us. Therefore his Impe- 
 rial Majesty, placing great confidence in your valour and strength, 
 has commanded me to set the case before you.' 
 
 I desired the secretary to present my humble duty to the 
 Emperor, and to let him know that I was ready, at the risk of my 
 life, to defend him against all invaders. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IT was not long before I communicated to his Majesty the plan I 
 formed for seizing the enemy's whole fleet. The Empire of Blefuscu 
 is an island parted from Lilliput only by a channel eight hundred 
 yards wide. I consulted the most experienced seamen on the depth 
 of the channel, and they told me that in the middle, at high water, 
 it was seventy glumgluffs (about six feet of European measure). 
 I walked towards the coast, where, lying down behind a hillock, I 
 took out my spy-glass, and viewed the energy's fleet at anchor 
 about fifty men-of-war, and other vessels. I then came back to my 
 house and gave orders for a great quantity of the strongest cables 
 and bars of iron. The cable was about as thick as packthread, and 
 the bars of the length and size of a knitting-needle. I trebled the 
 cable to make it stronger, and for the same reason twisted three of 
 the iron bars together, bending the ends into a hook. Having thus 
 fixed fifty hooks to as many cables, I went back to the coast, and
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 325 
 
 taking off my coat, shoes, and stockings, walked into the sea in my 
 leather jacket about half an hour before high water. I waded 
 with what haste I could, swimming in the middle about thirty yards, 
 till I felt ground, and thus arrived at the fleet in less than half an 
 hour. The enemy were so frightened when they saw me that they 
 leaped out of their ships and swam ashore, where there could not 
 be fewer than thirty thousand. Then, fastening a hook to the hole 
 at the prow of each ship, 1 tied all the cords together at the end. 
 Meanwhile the enemy discharged several thousand arrows, many 
 of which stuck in my hands and face. My greatest fear was for my 
 eyes, which I should have lost if I had not suddenly thought of the 
 pair of spectacles which had escaped the Emperor's searchers. 
 These I took out and fastened upon my nose, and thus armed 
 went on with my work in spite of the arrows, many of which 
 struck against the glasses of my spectacles, but without any other 
 effect than slightly disturbing them. Then, taking the knot in my 
 hand, I began to pull ; but not a ship would stir, for they were too 
 fast held by their anchors. Thus the boldest part of my enterprise 
 remained. Letting go the cord, I resolutely cut with my knife the 
 cables that fastened the anchors, receiving more than two hundred 
 shots in my face and hands. Then I took up again the knotted end 
 of the cables to which my hooks were tied, and with great ease 
 drew fifty of the enemy's largest men-of-war after me. 
 
 When the Blefuscudians saw the fleet moving in order, and me 
 pulling at the end, they set up a scream of grief and despair that it 
 is impossible to describe. When I had got out of danger I stopped 
 awhile to pick out the arrows that stuck in my hands and face, and 
 rubbed on some of the same ointment that was given me at my 
 arrival. I then took off my spectacles, and after waiting about an 
 hour, till the tide was a little fallen, I waded on to the royal port of 
 Lilliput. 
 
 The Emperor and his whole Court stood on the shore awaiting 
 me. They saw the ships move forward in a large half-moon, but 
 could not discern me, who, in the middle of the channel, was under 
 water up to my neck. The Emperor concluded that I was drowned, 
 and that the enemy's fleet was approaching in a hostile manner. 
 But he was soon set at ease, for, the channel growing shallower 
 every step I made, I came in a short time within hearing, and hold- 
 ing up the end of the cable by which the fleet was fastened, I cried 
 in a loud voice : ' Long live the most puissant Emperor of Lilliput ! ' 
 The Prince received me at my landing with all possible joy, and
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 made me a Nardal on the spot, which is the highest title of honour 
 among them. 
 
 His Majesty desired that I would take some opportunity to bring 
 
 all the rest of his enemy's ships into his ports, and seemed to think 
 of nothing less than conquering the whole Empire of Blefuscu, and 
 becoming the sole monarch of the world. But I plainly protested
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 327 
 
 that I would never be the means of bringing a free and brave people 
 into slavery ; and though the wisest of the Ministers were of my 
 opinion, my open refusal was so opposed to his Majesty's ambition 
 that he could never forgive me. And from this time a plot began 
 between himself and those of his Ministers who were my enemies, 
 that nearly ended in my utter destruction. 
 
 About three weeks after this exploit there arrived an embassy 
 from Blefuscu, with humble offers of peace, which was soon con- 
 cluded, on terms very advantageous to our Emperor. There were 
 six ambassadors, with a train of about five hundred persons, all very 
 magnificent. Having been privately told that I had befriended 
 them, they made me a visit, and paying me many compliments on 
 my valour and generosity, invited me to their kingdom in the 
 Emperor their master's name. I asked them to present my most 
 humble respects to the Emperor their master, whose royal person I 
 resolved to attend before I returned to my own country. Accord- 
 ingly, the next time I had the honour to see our Emperor I desired 
 his general permission to visit the Blefuscudian monarch. This he 
 granted me, but in a very cold manner, of which I afterwards 
 learned the reason. 
 
 When I was just preparing to pay my respects to the Emperor 
 of Blefuscu, a distinguished person at Court, to whom I had once 
 done a great service, came to my house very privately at night, and 
 without sending his name desired admission. I put his lordship 
 into my coat pocket, and, giving orders to a trusty servant to admit 
 no one, I fastened the door, placed my visitor on the table, and sat 
 down by it. His lordship's face was full of trouble ; and he asked 
 me to hear him with patience, in a matter that highly concerned 
 my honour and my life. 
 
 ' You are aware,' he said, ' that Skyresh Bolgolam has been 
 your mortal enemy ever since your arrival, and his hatred is 
 increased since your great success against Blefuscu, by which his 
 glory as admiral is obscured. This lord and others have accused 
 you of treason, and several councils have been called in the most 
 private manner on your account. Out of gratitude for your 
 favours I procured information of the whole proceedings, ventur- 
 ing my head for your service, and this was the charge against 
 you: 
 
 ' First, that you, having brought the imperial fleet of Blefuscu 
 into the royal port, were commanded by his Majesty to seize all the 
 other ships, and to put to death all the Bigendian exiles, and also
 
 323 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 all the people of the empire who would not immediately consent to 
 break their eggs at the smaller end. And that, like a false traitor to 
 his Most Serene Majesty, you excused yourself from the service on 
 pretence of unwillingness to force the consciences and destroy the 
 liberties and lives of an innocent people. 
 
 ' Again, when ambassadors arrived from the Court of Blefuscu, 
 like a false traitor, you aided and entertained them, though jon 
 knew them to be servants of a prince lately in open war against his 
 Imperial Majesty. 
 
 ' Moreover, you are DOW preparing, contrary to the duty of a 
 faithful subject, to voyage to the Court of Blefuscu. 
 
 ' In the debate on this charge,' my friend continued, ' his 
 Majesty often urged the services you had done him, while the 
 admiral and treasurer insisted that you should be put to a shameful 
 death. But Reldresal, secretary for private affairs, who has always 
 proved himself your friend, suggested that if his Majesty would 
 please to spare your life and only give orders to put out both your 
 eyes, justice might in some measure be satisfied. At this 
 Bolgolam rose up in fury, wondering how the secretary dared 
 desire to preserve the life of a traitor ; and the treasurer, pointing 
 out the expense of keeping you, also urged your death. But his 
 Majesty was graciously pleased to say that since the council 
 thought the loss of your eyes too easy a punishment, some other 
 might afterwards be inflicted. And the secretary, humbly desiring 
 to be heard again, said that as to expense your allowance might be 
 gradually lessened, so that, for want of sufficient food you should 
 grow weak and faint, and die in a few months, when his Majesty's 
 subjects might cut your flesh from your bones and bury it, leaving 
 the skeleton for the admiration of posterity. 
 
 ' Thus, through the great friendship of the secretary, the affair 
 was arranged. It was commanded that the plan of starving you by 
 degrees should be kept a secret ; but the sentence of putting out 
 your eyes was entered on the books. In three days your friend the 
 secretary will come to your house and read the accusation before 
 you, and point out the great mercy of his Majesty, that only con- 
 demns you to the loss of your eyes which, he does not doubt, you 
 will submit to humbly and gratefully. Twenty of his Majesty's 
 surgeons will attend, to see the operation well performed, by dis- 
 charging very sharp-pointed arrows into the balls of your eyes as 
 you he on the ground. 
 
 ' I leave you,' said my friend, ' to consider what measures you
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 329 
 
 will take ; and, to escape suspicion, I must immediately return, as 
 secretly as I came.' 
 
 His lordship did so ; and I remained alone, in great perplexity. 
 At first I was bent on resistance ; for while I had liberty I could 
 easily with stones pelt the metropolis to pieces ; but I soon rejected 
 that idea with horror, remembering the oath I had made to the 
 Emperor, and the favours I had received from him. At last, having 
 his Majesty's leave to pay my respects to the Emperor of Blefuscu, 
 I resolved to take this opportunity. Before the three days had 
 passed I wrote a letter to my friend the secretary telling him ol 
 my resolution ; and, without waiting for an answer, went to the 
 coast, and entering the channel, between wading and swimming 
 reached the port of Blefuscu, where the people, who had long ex- 
 pected me, led me to the capital. 
 
 His Majesty, with the royal family and great officers of the 
 Court, came out to receive me, and they entertained me in a 
 manner suited to the generosity of so great a prince. I did not, 
 however, mention my disgrace with the Emperor of Lilliput, since 
 I did not suppose that prince would disclose the secret while I was 
 out of his power. But in this, it soon appeared, I was deceived. 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 THREE days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the north- 
 east coast of the island, I observed at some distance in the sea 
 something that looked like a boat overturned. I pulled off my 
 shoes and stockings, and wading two or three hundred yards, I 
 plainly saw it to be a real boat, which I supposed might by some 
 tempest have been driven from a ship. I returned immediately to 
 the city for help, and after a huge amount of labour I managed to 
 get my boat to the royal port of Blefuscu, where a great crowd of 
 people appeared, full of wonder at the sight of so prodigious a vessel. 
 I told the Emperor that my good fortune had thrown this boat in 
 my way to carry me to some place whence I might return to my 
 native country, and begged his orders for materials to fit it up, and 
 leave to depart which, after many kindly speeches, he was pleased 
 to grant. 
 
 Meanwhile the Emperor of Lilliput, uneasy at my long absence 
 (but never imagining that I had the least notice of his designs) 
 sent a person of rank to inform the Emperor of Blefuscu of my
 
 330 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 
 
 disgrace ; this messenger had orders to represent the great mercy 
 of his master, who was content to punish me with the loss of my 
 eyes, and who expected that his brother of Blefuscu would have 
 me sent back to Lilliput, bound hand and foot, to be punished as 
 a traitor. The Emperor of Blefuscu answered with many civil 
 excuses. He said that as for sending me bound, his brother knew 
 it was impossible. Moreover, though I had taken away his fleet 
 he was grateful to me for many good offices I had done him in 
 making the peace. But that both their Majesties would soon be 
 made easy ; for I had found a prodigious vessel on the shore, able 
 to carry me on the sea, which he had given orders to fit up ; and 
 he hoped in a few weeks both empires would be free from me. 
 
 With this answer the messenger returned to Lilliput; and I 
 
 (though the monarch of Blefuscu secretly offered me his gracious 
 protection if I would continue in his service) hastened my de- 
 parture, resolving never more to put confidence in princes. 
 
 In about a month I was ready to take leave. The Emperor ot 
 Blefuscu, with the Empress and the royal family, came out of the 
 palace ; and I lay down on my face to kiss their hands, which they 
 graciously gave me. His Majesty presented me with fifty purses 
 of sprugs (their greatest gold coin) and his picture at full length, 
 which I put immediately into one of my gloves, to keep it from 
 being hurt. Many other ceremonies took place at my departure. 
 
 I stored the boat with meat and drink, and took six cows and 
 two bulls alive, with as many ewes and rams, intending to carry 
 them into my own country ; and to feed them on board, I had a
 
 A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT 331 
 
 good bundle of hay and a bag of corn. I would gladly have taken 
 a dozen of the natives ; but this was a thing the Emperor would by 
 no means permit, and besides a diligent search into my pockets, 
 his Majesty pledged my honour not to carry away any of his 
 subjects, though with their own consent and desire. 
 
 Having thus prepared all things as well as I was able, I set sail. 
 When I had made twenty-four leagues, by my reckoning, from the 
 island of Blefuscu, I saw a sail steering to the north-east. I hailed 
 her, but could get no answer ; yet I found I gained upon her, for 
 the wind slackened ; and in half an hour she spied me, and dis- 
 charged a gun. I came up with her between five and six in the 
 evening, Sept. 26, 1701 ; but my heart leaped within me to see her 
 English colours. I put niy cows and sheep into my coat pockets, 
 and got on board with all my little cargo. The captain received 
 me with kindness, and asked me to tell him what place I came from 
 last ; but at my answer he thought I was raving. However, I took 
 my black cattle and sheep out of my pocket, which, after great 
 astonishment, clearly convinced him. 
 
 We arrived in England on the 13th of April, 1702. I stayed 
 two months with my wife and family ; but my eager desire to see 
 foreign countries would suffer me to remain no longer. However, 
 while in England I made great profit by showing my cattle to 
 persons of quality and others ; and before I began my second voyage 
 I sold them for 600Z. I left 1,500Z. with my wife, and fixed her in 
 a good house ; then, taking leave of her and my boy and girl, with 
 tears on both sides, I sailed on board the ' Adventure.' 1
 
 832 
 
 THE PBINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 
 
 ONCE upon a time there was a man who had a meadow which 
 lay on the side of a mountain, and in the meadow there was a 
 barn in which he stored hay. But there had not been much hay in 
 the barn for the last two years, for every St. John's eve, when the 
 grass was in the height of its vigour, it was all eaten clean up, just as 
 if a whole flock of sheep had gnawed it down to the ground during 
 the night. This happened once, and it happened twice, but then 
 the man got tired of losing his crop, and said to his sons he had 
 three of them, and the third was called Cinderlad that one of them 
 must go and sleep in the barn on St. John's night, for it was absurd 
 to let the grass be eaten up again, blade and stalk, as it had been 
 the last two years, and the one who went to watch must keep a 
 sharp look-out, the man said. 
 
 The eldest was quite willing to go to the meadow ; he would 
 watch the grass, he said, and he would do it so well that neither 
 man, nor beast, nor even the devil himself should have any of it. 
 So when evening came he went to the barn, and lay down to sleep, 
 but when night was drawing near there was such a rumbling and 
 such an earthquake that the walls and roof shook again, and the lad 
 jumped up and took to his heels as fast as he could, and never even 
 looked back, and the barn remained empty that year just as it had 
 been for the last two. 
 
 Next St. John's eve the man again said that he could not go on 
 in this way, losing all the grass in the outlying field year after 
 year, and that one of his sons must just go there and watch it, and 
 watch well too. So the next oldest son was willing to show what 
 he could do. He went to the barn and lay down to sleep, as his 
 brother had done ; but when night was drawing near there was a 
 great rumbling, and then an earthquake, which was even worse 
 than that on the fonner St. John's night, and when the youth heard 
 it he was terrified, and went off, running as if for a wager.
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 
 
 The year after, it was Cinderlad's turn, but when he made ready 
 to go the others laughed at him, and mocked him. 'Well, you are 
 just the right one to watch the hay, you who have never learnt any- 
 thing but how to sit among the ashes and bake yourself ! ' said they. 
 Cinderlad, however, did not trouble himself about what they said, 
 but when evening drew near rambled away to the outlying field. 
 When he got there he went into the barn and lay down, but in about 
 an hour's time the rumbling and creaking began, and it was fright- 
 ful to hear it. ' Well, if it gets no worse than that, I can manage to 
 stand it,' thought Cinderlad. In a little time the creaking began 
 
 again, and the earth quaked so that all the hay flew about the boy. 
 4 Oh ! if it gets no worse than that I can manage to stand it,' thought 
 Cinderlad. But then came a third rumbling, and a third earth, 
 quake, so violent that the boy thought the walls and roof had fallen 
 down, but when that was over everything suddenly grew as still as 
 death around him. ' I am pretty sure that it will come again,' 
 thought Cinderlad ; but no, it did not. Everything was quiet, and 
 everything stayed quiet, and when he had lain still a short time he 
 heard something that sounded as if a horse were standing chewing 
 just outside the barn door. He stole away to the door, which was 
 ajar, to see what was: there, and a horse was standing eating. It
 
 334 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 
 
 was so big, and fat, and fine a horse that Cinderlad had never seen 
 one like it before, and a saddle and bridle lay upon it, and a com- 
 plete suit of armour for a knight, and everything was of copper, 
 and so bright that it shone again. ' Ha, ha ! it is thou who eatest 
 up our hay then,' thought the boy ; ' but I will stop that.' So he 
 made haste, and took out his steel for striking fire, and threw it over 
 the horse, and then it had no power to stir from the spot, and 
 became so tame that the boy could do what he liked with it. So 
 he mounted it and rode away to a place which no one knew of but 
 himself, and there he tied it up. When he went home again his 
 brothers laughed and asked how he had got on. 
 
 ' You didn't lie long in the barn, if even you have been so far as 
 the field ! ' said they. 
 
 ' I lay in the barn till the sun rose, but I saw nothing and heard 
 nothing, not I,' said the boy. ' God knows what there was to make 
 you two so frightened.' 
 
 ' Well, we shall soon see whether you have watched the meadow 
 or not,' answered the brothers, but when they got there the grass 
 was all standing just as long and as thick as it had been the night 
 before. 
 
 The next St. John's eve it was the same thing once again: 
 neither of the two brothers dared to go to the outlying field to watch 
 the crop, but Cinderlad went, and everything happened exactly the 
 same as on the previous St. John's eve : first there was a rumbling 
 and an earthquake, and then there was another, and then a third ; 
 but all three earthquakes were much, very much more violent than 
 they had been the year before. Then everything became still as 
 death again, and the boy heard something chewing outside the barn 
 door, so he stole as softly as he could to the door, which was slightly 
 ajar, and again there was a horse standing close by the wall of the 
 house, eating and chewing, and it was far larger and fatter than the 
 first horse, and it had a saddle on its back, and a bridle was on it 
 too, and a full suit of armour for a knight, all of bright silver, and as 
 beautiful as anyone could wish to see. ' Ho, ho ! ' thought the boy, 
 ' is it thou who eatest up our hay in the night ? but I will put a stop 
 to that.' So he took out his steel for striking fire, and threw it over 
 the horse's mane, and the beast stood there as quiet as a lamb. 
 Then the boy rode this horse, too, away to the place where he kept 
 the other, and then went home again. 
 
 ' I suppose you will tell us that you have watched well again 
 this time,' said the brothers.
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 835 
 
 ' Well, so I have,' said Cinderlad. So they went there again, 
 and there the grass was, standing as high and as thick as it 
 had been before, but that did not make them any kinder to 
 Cinderlad. 
 
 When the third St. John's night came neither of the two elder 
 brothers dared to lie in the outlying barn to watch the grass, for they 
 had been so heartily frightened the night that they had slept there 
 that they could not get over it, but Cinderlad dared to go, and 
 everything happened just the same as on the two former nights. 
 There were three earthquakes, each worse than the other, and the 
 last flung the boy from one wall of the barn to the other, but then 
 everything suddenly became still as death. When he had lain 
 quietly a short time, he heard something chewing outside the barn 
 door ; then he once more stole to the door, which was slightly ajar, 
 and behold, a horse was standing just outside it, which was much 
 larger and fatter than the two others he had caught. ' Ho, ho ! 
 it is thou, then, who art eating up our hay this time,' thought the 
 boy ; ' but I will put a stop to that.' So he pulled out his steel for 
 striking fire, and threw it over the horse, and it stood as still as if 
 it had been nailed to the field, and the boy could do just what he 
 liked with it. Then he mounted it and rode away to the place 
 where he had the two others, and then he went home again. Then 
 the two brothers mocked him just as they had done before, and told 
 him that they could see that he must have watched the grass very 
 carefully that night, for he looked just as if he were walking in his 
 sleep ; but Cinderlad did not trouble himself about that, but just bade 
 them go to the field and see. They did go, and this time too the 
 grass was standing, looking as fine and as thick as ever. 
 
 The King of the country in which Cinderlad's father dwelt had 
 a daughter whom he would give to no one who could not ride up 
 to the top of the glass hill, for there was a high, high hill of glass, 
 slippery as ice, and it was close to the King's palace. Upon the 
 very top of this the King's daughter was to sit with three gold 
 apples in her lap, and the man who could ride up and take the 
 three golden apples should marry her, and have half the kingdom. 
 The King had this proclaimed in every church in the whole king- 
 dom, and in many other kingdoms too. The Princess was very 
 beautiful, and all who saw her fell violently in love with her, even 
 in spite of themselves. So it is needless to say that all the princes 
 and knights were eager to win her, and half the kingdom besides, 
 and that for this cause they came riding thither from the very end
 
 336 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 
 
 of the world, dressed so splendidly that their raiments gleamed in 
 the sunshine, and riding on horses which seemed to dance as they 
 went, and there was not one of these princss who did not think 
 that he was sure to win the Princess. 
 
 When the day appointed by the King had come, there was such 
 a host of knights and princes under the glass hill that they seemad 
 to swarm, and everyone who could walk or even creep was there 
 too, to see who won the King's daughter. Cinderlad's two brothers 
 were there too, but they would not hear of letting him go with 
 them, for he was so dirty and black with sleeping and grubbing 
 among the ashes that they said everyone would laugh at them if 
 they were seen in the company of such an oaf. 
 
 ' Well, then, I will go all alone by myself,' said Cinderlad. 
 
 When the two brothers got to the glass hill, all the princes and 
 knights were trying to ride up it, and their horses were in a foam ; 
 but it was all in vain, for no sooner did the horses set foot upon 
 the hill than down they slipped, and there was not one which 
 could get even so much as a couple of yards up. Nor was that 
 strange, for the hill was as smooth as glass window-pane, and as 
 steep as the side of a house. But they were all eager to win the 
 King's daughter and half the kingdom, so they rode and they slipped, 
 and thus it went on. At length all the horses were so tired that 
 they could do no more, and so hot that the foam dropped from them 
 and the riders were forced to give up the attempt. The King was 
 just thinking that he would cause it to be proclaimed that the riding 
 should begin afresh on the following day, when perhaps it might go 
 better, when suddenly a knight came riding up on so fine a horse 
 that no one had ever seen the like of it before, and the knight had 
 armour of copper, and his bridle was of copper too, and all his ac- 
 coutrements were so bright that they shone again. The other 
 knights all called out to him that he might just as well spare him- 
 self the trouble of trying to ride up the glass hill, for it was of no 
 use to try ; but he did not heed them, and rode straight off to it, 
 and went up as if it were nothing at all. Thus he rode for a long 
 way it may have been a third part of the way up but when he 
 had got so far he turned his horse round and rode down again. 
 But the Princess thought that she had never yet seen so handsome 
 a knight, and while he was riding up she was sitting thinking : ' Oh ! 
 how I hope he may be able to come up to the top ! ' And when she 
 saw that he was turning his horse back she threw one of the golden 
 apples down after him, and it rolled into his shoe. But when he
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 337 
 
 had come down from off the hill he rode away, and that so fast 
 that no one knew what had become of him. 
 
 So all the princes and knights were bidden to present themselves 
 before the King that night, so that he who had ridden so far up the 
 glass hill might show the golden apple which the King's daughter 
 had thrown down. But no one had anything to show. One knight 
 presented himself after the other, and none could show the apple. 
 
 At night, too, Cinderlad's brothers came home again and had a 
 long story to tell about the riding up the glass hill. At first, they said, 
 there was not one who was able to get even so much as one step up, 
 but then came a knight who had armour of copper, and a bridle of 
 copper, and his armour and trappings were so bright that they 
 shone to a great distance, and it was something like a sight to see 
 him riding. He rode one-third of the way up the glass hill, and 
 he could easily have ridden the whole of it if he had liked ; but he 
 had turned back, for he had made up his mind that that was 
 enough for once. ' Oh ! I should have liked to see him too, that I 
 should,' said Cinderlad, who was as usual sitting by the chimney 
 among the cinders. ' You indeed ! ' said the brothers, ' you look 
 as if you were fit to be among such great lords, nasty beast that 
 you are to sit there ! ' 
 
 Next day the brothers were for setting out again, and this time 
 too Cinderlad begged them to let him go with them and see who 
 rode ; but no, they said he was not fit to do that, for he was much 
 too ugly and dirty. ' Well, well, then I will go all alone by myself,' 
 said Cinderlad. So the brothers went to the glass hill, and all the 
 princes and knights began to ride again, and this time they had 
 taken care to rough the shoes of their horses ; but that did not help 
 them : they rode and they slipped as they had done the day before, 
 and not one of them could even get so far as a yard up the hill. 
 "NVhen they had tired out their horses, so that they could do no 
 more, they again had to stop altogether. But just as the King was 
 thinking that it would be well to proclaim that the riding should 
 take place next day for the last time, so that they might have one 
 more chance, he suddenly bethought himself that it would be well 
 to wait a little longer to see if the knight in copper armour would 
 come on this day too. But nothing was to be seen of him. Just 
 as they were still looking for him, however, came a knight riding 
 on a steed that was much, much finer than that which the knight 
 in copper armour had ridden, and this knight had silver armour 
 and a silver saddle and bridle, and all were so bright that they 
 
 z
 
 338 
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 
 
 shone and glistened when he was a long way off. Again the other 
 knights called to him, and said that he might just as well give up 
 the attempt to ride up the glass hill, for it was useless to try ; but 
 the knight paid no heed to that, but rode straight away to the glass 
 hill, and went still farther up than the knight in copper armour 
 had gone ; but when he had ridden two-thirds of the way up he 
 
 turned his horse round, and rode down again. The Princess liked 
 this knight still better than she had liked the other, and sat longing 
 that he might be able to get up above, and when she saw him turn- 
 ing back she threw the second apple after him, and it rolled into 
 his shoe, and as soon as he had got down the glass hill he rode 
 away so fast that no one could see what had become of him.
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 839 
 
 In the evening, when everyone was to appear before the King 
 and Princess, in order that he who had the golden apple might show 
 it, one knight went in after the other, but none of them had a golden 
 apple to show. 
 
 At night the two brothers went home as they had done the 
 night before, and told how things had gone, and how everyone had 
 ridden, but no one had been able to get up the hill. ' But last of 
 all,' they said, ' came one in silver armour, and he had a silver 
 bridle on his horse, and a silver saddle, and oh, but he could ride ! 
 He took his horse two-thirds of the way up the hill, but then he 
 turned back. He was a fine fellow,' said the brothers, ' and the 
 Princess threw the second golden apple to him ! ' 
 
 ' Oh, how I should have liked to see him too ! ' said Cinderlad. 
 
 ' Oh, indeed ! He was a little brighter than the ashes that you 
 sit grubbing among, you dirty black creature ! ' said the brothers. 
 
 On the third day everything went just as on the former days. 
 Cinderlad wanted to go with them to look at the riding, but the two 
 brothers would not have him in then- company, and when they got 
 to the glass hill there was no one who could ride even so far as a 
 yard up it, and everyone waited for the knight in silver armour, but 
 he was neither to be seen nor heard of. At last, after a long time, 
 came a knight riding upon a horse that was such a fine one, its 
 equal had never yet been seen. The knight had golden armour, 
 and the horse a golden saddle and bridle, and these were all so bright 
 that they shone and dazzled everyone, even while the knight was still 
 at a great distance. The other princes and knights were not able even 
 to call to tell him how useless it was to try to ascend the hill, so 
 amazed were they at the sight of his magnificence. He rode straight 
 away to the glass hill, and galloped up it as if it were no hill at all, 
 so that the Princess had not even time to wish that he might get 
 up the whole way. As soon as he had ridden to the top, he took the 
 third golden apple from the lap of the Princess, and then turned his 
 horse about and rode down again, and vanished from their sight 
 before anyone was able to say a word to him. 
 
 When the two brothers came home again at night, they had 
 much to tell of how the riding had gone off that day, and at last 
 they told about the knight in the golden armour too. ' He was a 
 fine fellow, that was ! Such another splendid knight is not to be 
 found on earth ! ' said the brothers. 
 
 ' Oh, how I should have liked to see him too ! ' said Cinderlad. 
 
 ' Well, he shone nearly as brightly as the coal-heaps that thou 
 
 z2
 
 340 
 
 THE PRINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 
 
 art always lying raking amongst, dirty black creature that thou 
 art ! ' said the brothers. 
 
 Next day all the knights and princes were to appear before the 
 King and the Princess it had been too late for them to do it the 
 night before in order that he who had the golden apple might pro- 
 duce it. They all went in turn, first princes, and then knights, but 
 none of them had a golden apple. 
 
 ' But somebody must have it,' said the King, ' for with our own 
 eyes we all saw a man ride up and take it. So he commanded that 
 everyone in the kingdom should come to the palace, and see if he 
 could show the apple. And one after the other they all came, but 
 no one had the golden apple, and after a long, long time Cinderlad's 
 two brothers came likewise. They were the last of all, so the King 
 inquired of them if there was no one else in the kingdom left to come.
 
 THE PEINCESS ON THE GLASS HILL 341 
 
 ' Oh ! yes, we have a brother,' said the two, ' but he never got the 
 golden apple ! He never left the cinder -heap on any of the three 
 days.' 
 
 ' Never mind that,' said the King ; ' as everyone else has come to 
 the palace, let him come too.' 
 
 So Cinderlad was forced to go to the King's palace. 
 
 ' Hast thou the golden apple ? ' asked the King. 
 
 ' Yes, here is the first, and here is the second, and here is the 
 third, too,' said Cinderlad, and he took all the three apples out of 
 his pocket, and with that threw off his sooty rags, and appeared 
 there before them in his bright golden armour, which gleamed as he 
 stood. 
 
 ' Thou shalt have my daughter, and the half of my kingdom, and 
 thou hast well earned both ! ' said the King. So there was a wed- 
 ding, and Cinderlad got the King's daughter, and everyone made 
 merry at the wedding, for all of them could make merry, though 
 they could not ride up the glass hill, and if they have not left off their 
 merry-making they must be at it still. 1 
 
 1 Asbjornsen and Moe.
 
 842 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 THE STOEY OF PEINCE AHMED AND THE 
 FAIBY PABIBANOU 
 
 THERE was a sultan, who had three sens and a niece. The 
 eldest of the Princes was called Houssain, the second Ali, the 
 youngest Ahmed, and the Princess, his niece, Nouronnihar. 
 
 The Princess Nouronnihar was the daughter of the younger 
 brother of the Sultan, who died, and left the Princess very young. 
 The Sultan took upon himself the care of his daughter's education, 
 and brought her up in his palace with the three Princes, proposing 
 to marry her when she arrived at a proper age, and to contract an 
 alliance with some neighbouring prince by that means. But when 
 he perceived that the three Princes his sons loved her passionately, 
 he thought more seriously on that affair. He was very much con- 
 cerned ; the difficulty he foresaw was to make them agree, and that 
 the two youngest should consent to yield her up to their elder 
 brother. As he found them positively obstinate, he sent for them 
 all together, and said to them : ' Children, since for your good and 
 quiet I have not been able to persuade you no longer to aspire to the 
 Princess, your cousin, I think it wauld not be amiss if every one 
 travelled separately into different ccuntries, so that you might not 
 meet each other. And, as you know I am very curious, and delight 
 in everything that's singular, I promise my niece in marriage to him 
 that shall bring me the most extraordinary rarity ; and for the pur- 
 chase of the rarity you shall go in search after, and the expense of 
 travelling, I will give you every one a sum of money.' 
 
 As the three Princes were always submissive and obedient to the 
 Sultan's will, and each flattered himself fortune might prove favour- 
 able to him, they all consented to it. The Sultan paid them the 
 money he promised them ; and that very day they gave orders for 
 the preparations for their travels, and took their leaves of the Sultan, 
 that they might be the more ready to go the next morning. Ac- 
 cordingly they all set out at the same gate of the city, each dressed
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEISANOU 343 
 
 like a merchant, attended by an officer of confidence dressed like a 
 slave, and all well mounted and equipped. They went the first 
 day's journey together, and lay all at an inn, where the road was 
 divided into three different tracts. At night, when they were at 
 supper together, they all agreed to travel for a year, and to meet 
 at that inn ; and that the first that came should wait for the rest ; 
 that, as they had all three taken their leaves together of the Sultan, 
 they might all return together. The next morning by break of 
 day, after they had embraced and wished each other good success, 
 they mounted their horses and took each a different road. 
 
 Prince Houssain, the eldest brother, arrived at Bisnagar, the 
 capital of the kingdom of that name, and the residence of its king. 
 He went and lodged at a khan appointed for foreign merchants ; 
 and, having learnt that there were four principal divisions where 
 merchants of all sorts sold their commodities, and kept shops, and 
 in the midst of which stood the castle, or rather the King's palace, 
 he went to one of these divisions the next day. 
 
 Prince Houssain could not view this division without admiration. 
 It was large, and divided into several streets, all vaulted and shaded 
 from the sun, and yet very light too. The shops were all of a size, 
 and all that dealt in the same sort of goods lived in one street ; as 
 also the handicrafts-men, who kept their shops in the smaller 
 streets. 
 
 The multitude of shops, stocked with all sorts of merchandises, 
 as the finest linens from several parts of India, some painted in the 
 most lively colours, and representing beasts, trees, and flowers ; 
 silks and brocades from Persia, China, and other places, porcelain 
 both from Japan and China, and tapestries, surprised him so much 
 that he knew not how to believe his own eyes ; but when he came 
 to the goldsmiths and jewellers he was in a kind of ecstacy to 
 behold such prodigious quantities of wrought gold and silver, and 
 was dazzled by the lustre of the pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, 
 and other jewels exposed to sale. 
 
 Another thing Prince Houssain particularly admired was the 
 great number of rose-sellers who crowded the streets ; for the 
 Indians are so great lovers of that flower that not one will stir 
 without a nosegay in his hand or a garland on his head ; and the 
 merchants keep them in pots in their shops, that the air is perfectly 
 perfumed. 
 
 After Prince Houssain had run through that division, street by 
 street, his thoughts fully employed on the riches he had seen, he
 
 344 
 
 THE STOEY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 was very much tired, which a merchant perceiving civilly invited 
 him to sit down in his shop, and he accepted ; but had not been 
 sat down long before he saw a crier pass by with a piece of tapestry 
 on his arm, about six feet square, and cried at thirty purses. The 
 Prince called to the crier, and asked to see the tapestry, which 
 seemed to him to be valued at an exorbitant price, not only for the 
 size of it, but the meanness of the stuff; when he had examined 
 it well, he told the crier that he could not comprehend how so 
 
 small a piece of tapestry, and of so in Jilferent appearance, could be 
 set at so high a price. 
 
 The crier, who took him for a merchant replied : ' If this price 
 seems so extravagant to you, your amazement will be greater when 
 I tell you I have orders to raise it to forty purses, and not to part 
 with it under.' ' Certainly,' answered Prince Houssain, ' it must 
 have something very extraordinary in it, which I know nothing of.' 
 ' You have guessed it, sir,' replied the crier, ' and will own it when 
 you come to know that whoever sits on this piece of tapestry may 
 be transported in an instant wherever he desires to be, without 
 being stopped by any obstacle.'
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAKIBANOU 345 
 
 At this discourse of the crier the Prince of the Indies, considering 
 that the principal motive of his travel was to carry the Sultan, his 
 father, home some singular rarity, thought that he could not meet 
 with any which could give him more satisfaction. ' If the tapestry,' 
 said he to the crier, ' has the virtue you assign it, I shall not think 
 forty purses too much, but shall make you a present besides.' ' Sir,' 
 replied the crier, ' I have told you the truth ; and it is an easy 
 matter to convince you of it, as soon as you have made the bargain 
 for forty purses, on condition I show you the experiment. But, as 
 I suppose you have not so much about you, and to receive them I 
 must go with you to your khan, where you lodge, with the leave 
 of the master of the shop, we will go into the back shop, and I will 
 spread the tapestry ; and when we have both sat down, and you 
 have formed the wish to be transported int > your apartment of the 
 khan, if we are not transported thither it shall be no bargain, and 
 you shall be at your liberty. As to your present, though I am paid 
 for my trouble by the seller, I shall receive it as a favour, and be 
 very much obliged to you, and thankful.' 
 
 On the credit of the crier, the Prince accepted the conditions, 
 and concluded the bargain ; and, having got the master's leave, they 
 went into his back shop ; they both sat down on it, and as soon as 
 the Prince formed his wish to be transported into his apartment at 
 the khan he presently found himself and the crier there ; and, as he 
 wanted not a more sufficient proof of the virtue of the tapestry, he 
 counted the crier out forty purses of gold, and gave him twenty 
 pieces for himself. 
 
 In this manner Prince Houssain became the possessor of the 
 tapestry, and was overjoyed that at his arrival at Bisnagar he had 
 found so rare a piece, which he never disputed would gain him the 
 hand of Nouronnihar. In short, he looked upon it as an impossible 
 thing for the Princes his younger brothers to meet with anything 
 to be compared with it. It was in his power, by sitting on his 
 tapestry, to be at the place of meeting that very day ; but, as he 
 was obliged to stay there for his brothers, as they had agreed, and 
 as he was curious to see the King of Bisnagar and his Court, and to 
 inform himself of the strength, laws, customs, and religion of the 
 kingdom, he chose to make a longer abode there, and to spend some 
 months in satisfying his curiosity. 
 
 Prince Houssain might have made a longer abode in the kingdom 
 and Court of Bisnagar, but he was so eager to be nearer the Princess 
 that, spreading the tapestry, he and the officer he had brought with
 
 346 THE STOEY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 him sat down, and as soon as he had formed his wish were trans- 
 ported to the inn at which he and his brothers were to meet, and 
 where he passed for a merchant till they came. 
 
 Prince Ali, Prince Houssain's second brother, who designed to 
 travel into Persia, took the road, having three days after he parted 
 with his brothers joined a caravan, and after four days' travel 
 arrived at Schiraz, which was the capital of the kingdom of Persia. 
 Here he passed for a jeweller. 
 
 The next morning Prince Ali, who travelled only for his 
 pleasure, and had brought nothing but just necessaries along with 
 him, after he had dressed himself, took a walk into that part of 
 the town which they at Schiraz called the bezestein. 
 
 Among all the criers who passed backwards and forwards with 
 several sorts of goods, offering to sell them, he was not a little 
 surprised to see one who held an ivory telescope in his hand 
 of about a foot in length and the thickness of a man's thumb, and 
 cried it at thirty purses. At first he thought the crier mad, and to 
 inform himself went to a shop, and said to the merchant, who stood 
 at the door : ' Pray, sir, is not that man ' (pointing to the crier who 
 cried the ivory perspective glass at thirty purses) ' mad ? If he is 
 not, I am very much deceived.' ' Indeed, sir,' answered the mer- 
 chant, ' he was in his right senses yesterday ; and I can assure you 
 he is one of the ablest criers we have, and the most employed of 
 any when anything valuable is to be sold. And if he cries the ivory 
 perspective glass at thirty purses it must be worth as much or more, 
 on some account or other. He will come by presently, and we will 
 call him, and you shall be satisfied ; in the meantime sit down on 
 my sofa, and rest yourself.' 
 
 Prince Ali accepted the merchant's obliging offer, and pre- 
 sently afterwards the crier passed by. The merchant called him 
 by his name, and, pointing to the Prince, said to him : ' Tell that gen- 
 tleman, who asked me if you were in your right senses, what you 
 mean by crying that ivory perspective glass, which seems not to be 
 worth much, at thirty purses. I should be very much amazed 
 myself if I did not know you.' The crier, addressing himself to 
 Prince Ali, said : ' Sir, you are not the only person that takes me for 
 a madman on the account of this perspective glass. You shall judge 
 yourself whether I am or no, when I have told you its property : 
 and I hope you will value it at as high a price as those I have 
 showed it to already, who had as bad an opinion of me as you. 
 
 ' First, sir,' pursued the crier, presenting the ivory pipe to the
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 
 
 347 
 
 Prince, ' observe that this pipe is furnished with a glass at both ends ; 
 and consider that by looking through one of them you see whatever 
 object you wish to behold.' ' I am,' said the Prince, 'ready to make 
 you all imaginable reparation for the scandal I have thrown on you if 
 you will make the truth of what you advance appear,' and as he had 
 the ivory pipe in his hand, after he had looked at the two glasses 
 he said : ' Show me at which of these ends I must look that I may 
 be satisfied.' The crier presently showed him, and he looked through, 
 wishing at the same time to see the Sultan his father, whom he 
 
 immediately beheld in perfect health, set on his throne, in the midst 
 of his council. Afterwards, as there was nothing in the world so 
 dear to him, after the Sultan, as the Princess Nouronnihar, he wished 
 to see her ; and saw her at her toilet laughing, and in a pleasant 
 humour, with her women about her. 
 
 Prince Ali wanted no other proof to be persuaded that this per- 
 spective glass was the most valuable thing in the world, and believed 
 that if he should neglect to purchase it he should never meet again 
 with such another raritv. He therefore took the crier with him to
 
 348 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 the khan where he lodged, and told him out the money, and re- 
 ceived the perspective glass. 
 
 Prince Ali was over-joyed at his bargain, and persuaded himself 
 that, as his brothers would not be able to meet with anything so 
 rare and admirable, the Princess Nouronnihar would be the recom- 
 pense of his fatigue and trouble ; that he thought of nothing but 
 visiting the Court of Persia incognito, and seeing whatever was 
 curious in Schiraz and thereabouts, till the caravan with which he 
 came returned back to the Indies. As soon as the caravan was 
 ready to set out, the Prince joined them, and arrived happily with- 
 out any accident or trouble, otherwise than the length of the journey 
 and fatigue of travelling, at the place of rendezvous, where he found 
 Prince Houssain, and both waited for Prince Ahmed. 
 
 Prince Ahmed, who took the road of Samarcand, the next day 
 after his arrival there went, as his brothers had done, into the 
 bezestein, where he had not walked long but heard a crier, who 
 had an artificial apple in his hand, cry it at five and thirty purses ; 
 upon which he stopped the crier, and said to him : ' Let me see that 
 apple, and tell me what virtue and extraordinary properties it has, 
 to be valued at so high a rate.' ' Sir,' said the crier, giving it into 
 his hand, ' if you look at the outside of this apple, it is very worth- 
 less, but if you consider its properties, virtues, and the great use 
 and benefit it is of to mankind, you will say it is no price for it, 
 and that he who possesses it is master of a great treasure. In short, 
 it cures all sick persons of the most mortal diseases ; and if the 
 patient is dying it will recover him immediately and restore him to 
 perfect health; and this is done after the easiest manner in the 
 world, which is by the patient's smelling the apple.' 
 
 ' If I may believe you,' replied Prince Ahmed, ' the virtues of 
 this apple are wonderful, and it is invaluable ; but what ground 
 have I, for all you tell me, to be persuaded of the truth of this 
 matter ? ' ' Sir,' replied the crier, ' the thing is known and averred 
 by the whole city of Samarcand ; but, without going any farther, 
 ask all these merchants you see here, and hear what they say. You 
 will find several of them will tell you they had not been alive this 
 day if they had not made use of this excellent remedy. And, that 
 you may the better comprehend what it is, I must tell you it is 
 the fruit of the study and experiments of a celebrated philosopher 
 of this city, who applied himself all his lifetime to the study and 
 knowledge of the virtues of plants and minerals, and at last attained 
 to this composition, by which he performed such surprising cures
 
 AND THE FAIBY PARIBANOU 349 
 
 in this town as will never be forgot, but died suddenly himself, 
 before he could apply his sovereign remedy, and left his wife and a 
 great many young children behind him, in very indifferent circum- 
 stances, who, to support her family and provide for her children, is 
 resolved to sell it.' 
 
 "While the crier informed Prince Ahmed of the virtues of the 
 artificial apple, a great many persons came about them and con- 
 firmed what he said ; and one among the rest said he had a friend 
 
 dangerously ill, whose life was despaired of : and that was a favour- 
 able opportunity to show Prince Ahmed the experiment. Upon 
 which Prince Ahmed told the crier he would give him forty purses 
 if he cured the sick person. 
 
 The crier, who had orders to sell it at that price, said to Prince 
 Ahmed : ' Come, sir, let us go and make the experiment, and the 
 apple shall be yours ; and I can assure you that it will alwaj's have 
 the desired effect.' In short, the experiment succeeded, and the 
 Prince, after he had counted out to the crier forty purses, and he had
 
 350 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 delivered the apple to him, waited patiently for the first caravan that 
 should return to the Indies, and arrived in perfect health at the 
 inn where the Princes Houssain and Ah' waited for him. 
 
 When the princes met they showed each other their treasures, 
 and immediately saw through the glass that the Princess was dying. 
 They then sat down on the carpet, wished themselves with her, and 
 were there in a moment. 
 
 Prince Ahmed no sooner perceived himself in Nouronnihar's 
 chamber than he rose off the tapestry, as did also the other two 
 Princes, and went to the bedside, and put the apple under her nose ; 
 some moments after the Princess opened her eyes, and turned her 
 head from one side to another, looking at the persons who stood 
 about her ; and then rose up in the bed, and asked to be dressed, 
 just as if she had waked out of a sound sleep. Her women having 
 presently informed her, in a manner that showed their joy, that 
 she was obliged to the three Princes for the sudden recovery of 
 her health, and particularly to Prince Ahmed, she immediately 
 expressed her joy to see them, and thanked them all together, and 
 afterwards Prince Ahmed in particular. 
 
 While the Princess was dressing the Princes went to throw 
 themselves at the Sultan their father's feet, and pay their respects 
 to him. But when they came before him they found he had been 
 informed of their arrival by the chief of the Princess's eunuchs, and 
 by what means the Princess had been perfectly cured. The Sultan 
 received and embraced them with the greatest joy, both for their 
 return and the recovery of the Princess his niece, whom he loved 
 as well as if she had been his own daughter, and who had been given 
 over by the physicians. After the usual ceremonies and compli- 
 ments the Princes presented each his rarity : Prince Houssain his 
 tapestry, which he had taken care not to leave behind him in the 
 Princess's chamber ; Prince Ali his ivory perspective glass, and 
 Prince Ahmed his artificial apple : and after each had commended 
 their present, when they put it into the Sultan's hands, they begged 
 of him to pronounce their fate, and declare to which of them he 
 would give the Princess Nouronnihar for a wife, according to his 
 promise. 
 
 The Sultan of the Indies, having heard, without interrupting 
 them, all that the Princes could represent further about their 
 rarities, and being well informed of what had happened in relation 
 to the Princess Nouronnihar's cure, remained some time silent, as 
 if he were thinking on what answer he should make. At last he
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 351 
 
 broke silence, and said to them : ' I would declare for one of you 
 children with a great deal of pleasure if I could do it with justice : 
 but consider whether I can do it or no. 'Tis true, Prince Ahmed, 
 the Princess my niece is obliged to your artificial apple for her cure ; 
 but I must ask you whether or no you could have been so service- 
 able to her if you had not known by Prince Ali's perspective glass 
 the danger she was in, and if Prince Houssain's tapestry had not 
 brought you so soon. Your perspective glass, Prince Ali, informed 
 you and your brothers that you were like to lose the Princess your 
 cousin, and there you must own a great obligation. 
 
 ' You must also grant that that knowledge would have been of 
 no service without the artificial apple and the tapestry. And lastly, 
 Prince Houssain, the Princess would be very ungrateful if she 
 should not show her acknowledgment of the service of your tapestry, 
 which was so necessary a means towards her cure. But consider, 
 it would have been of little use if you had not been acquainted with 
 the Princess's illness by Prince Ali's glass, and Prince Ahmed had 
 not applied his artificial apple. Therefore, as neither tapestry, ivory 
 perspective glass, nor artificial apple have the least preference one 
 before the other, but, on the contrary, there's a perfect equality, I 
 cannot grant the Princess to any one of you ; and the only fruit you 
 have reaped from your travels is the glory of having equally con- 
 tributed to restore her health. 
 
 ' If all this be true,' added the Sultan, 'you see that I must have 
 recourse to other means to determine certainly in the choice I ought 
 to make among you ; and that, as there is time enough between this 
 and night, I'll do it to-day. Go and get each of you a bow and 
 arrow, and repair to the great plain, where they exercise horses. 
 I'll soon come to you ; and declare I will give the Princess Nou- 
 ronnihar to him that shoots the farthest.' 
 
 The three Princes had nothing to say against the decision of the 
 Sultan. When they were out of his presence they each provided 
 themselves with a bow and arrow, which they delivered to one of 
 their officers, and went to the plain appointed, followed by a great 
 concourse of people. 
 
 The Sultan did not make them wait long for him, and as soon as 
 he arrived Prince Houssain, as the eldest, took his bow and arrow 
 and shot first ; Prince Ali shot next, and much beyond him ; and 
 Prince Ahmed last of all, but it so happened that nobody could see 
 where his arrow fell ; and, nothwithstanding all the diligence that 
 was used by himself and everybody else, it was not to be found far
 
 352 
 
 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 or near. And though it was believed that he shot the farthest, and 
 that he therefore deserved the Princess Nouronnihar, it was, how- 
 ever, necessary that his arrow should be found to make the matter 
 more evident and certain ; and, notwithstanding his remonstrance, 
 the Sultan judged in favour of Prince Ali, and gave orders for pre- 
 parations to be made for the wedding, which was celebrated a few 
 days after with great magnificence. 
 
 Prince Houssain would not honour the feast with his presence. 
 In short, his grief was so violent and insupportable that he left the 
 
 
 Court, and renounced all right of succession to the crown, to turn 
 hermit. 
 
 Prince Ahmed, too, did not come to Prince Ali's and the Princess 
 Nouronnihar's wedding, any more than his brother Houssain, but 
 did not renounce the world as he had done. But, as he could not 
 imagine what had become of his arrow, he stole away from his 
 attendants and resolved to search after it, that he might not have 
 anything to reproach himself with. With this intent he went to 
 the place where the Princes Houssain and Ali's were gathered up, 
 and, going straight forwards from there, looking carefully on both
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 353 
 
 sides of him, he went so far that at last he began to think his 
 labour was all in vain ; but yet could not help going forwards, 
 till he came to some steep craggy rocks, which were bounds to 
 his journey, and were situated in a barren country, about four 
 leagues distant from where he set out. 
 
 II. 
 
 WHEN Prince Ahmed came pretty nigh to these rocks he per- 
 ceived an arrow, which he gathered up, looked earnestly at, and was 
 in the greatest astonishment to find it was the same he shot away. 
 ' Certainly,' said he to himself, ' neither I nor any man living could 
 shoot an arrow so far,' and, finding it laid flat, not sticking into the 
 ground, he judged that it rebounded against the rock. ' There must 
 be some mystery in this,' said he to himself again, ' and it may be 
 advantageous to me. Perhaps fortune, to make me amends for 
 depriving me of what I thought the greatest happiness, may have 
 reserved a greater blessing for my comfort.' 
 
 As these rocks were full of caves and some of those caves 
 were deep, the Prince entered into one, and, looking about, cast his 
 eyes on an iron door, which seemed to have no lock, but he feared 
 it was fastened. However, thrusting against it, it opened, and dis- 
 covered an easy descent, but no steps, which he walked down with 
 his arrow in his hand. At first he thought he was going into a dark, 
 obscure place, but presently a quite different light succeeded that 
 which he came out of, and, entering into a large, spacious place, at 
 about fifty or sixty paces distant, he perceived a magnificent palace, 
 which he had not then time enough to look at. At the same 
 time a lady of majestic port and air advanced as far as the porch, 
 attended by a large troop of ladies, so finely dressed and beautiful 
 that it was difficult to distinguish which was the mistress. 
 
 As soon as Prince Ahmed perceived the lady, he made all ima- 
 ginable haste to go and pay his respects ; and the lady, on her part, 
 seeing him coming, prevented him from addressing his discourse to 
 her first, but said to him : ' Come nearer, Prince Ahmed, you are 
 welcome.' 
 
 It was no small surprise to the Prince to hear himself named in 
 a place he had never heard of, though so nigh to his father's capital, 
 and he could not comprehend how he should be known to a lady 
 who was a stranger to him. At last he returned the lady's compli-
 
 354 THE 8TOEY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 ment by throwing himself at her feet, and, rising up again, said to 
 her : ' Madam, I return you a thousand thanks for the assurance 
 you give me of a welcome to a place where I believed my im- 
 prudent curiosity had made me penetrate too far. But, madam, 
 may I, without being guilty of ill manners, dare to ask you by what 
 adventure you know me ? and how you, who live in the same neigh- 
 bourhood with me, should be so great a stranger to me ? ' ' Prince,' 
 said the lady, ' let us go into the hall, there I will gratify you in 
 your request.' 
 
 After these words the lady led Prince Ahmed into the hall. 
 Then she sat down on a sofa, and when the Prince by her entreaty 
 had done the same she said : ' You are surprised, you say, that I 
 should know you and not be known by you, but you will be no longer 
 surprised when I inform you who I am. You are undoubtedly 
 sensible that your religion teaches you to believe that the world is 
 inhabited by genies as well as men. I am the daughter of one of 
 the most powerful and distinguished genies, and my name is Pari- 
 banou. The only thing that I have to add is, that you seemed to 
 me worthy of a more happy fate than that of possessing the Princess 
 Nouronnihar ; and, that you might attain to it, I was present when 
 you drew your arrow, and foresaw it would not go beyond Prince 
 Houssain's. I took it in the air, and gave it the necessary motion 
 to strike against the rocks near which you found it, and I tell you 
 that it lies in your power to make use of the favourable opportunity 
 which presents itself to make you happy.' 
 
 As the Fairy Paribanou pronounced these last words with a dif- 
 ferent tone, and looked, at the same time, tenderly upon Prince 
 Ahmed, with a modest blush on her cheeks, it was no hard matter 
 for the Prince to comprehend what happiness she meant. He pre- 
 sently considered that the Princess Nouronnihar could never be his, 
 and that the Fairy Paribanou excelled her infinitely in beauty, 
 agreeableness, wit, and, as much as he could conjecture by the 
 magnificence of the palace, in immense riches. He blessed the 
 moment that he thought of seeking after his arrow a second time, 
 and, yielding fco his love : ' Madam,' replied he, ' should I all my 
 life have the happiness of being your slave, and the admirer of 
 the many charms which ravish my soul, I should think myself 
 the most blest of men. Pardon in me the boldness which inspires 
 me to ask this favour, and don't refuse to admit me into your Court, 
 a prince who is entirely devoted to you.' 
 
 ' Prince,' answered the Fairy, ' will you not pledge your faith to
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 
 
 355 
 
 me, as well as I give mine to you ? ' ' Yes, madam,' replied the 
 Prince, in an ecstacy of joy; ' what can I do better, and with greater 
 pleasure ? Yes, my bultaness, my queen, I'll give you my heart 
 without the least reserve.' ' Then,' answered the Fairy, ' you are 
 my husband, and I am your wife. But, as I suppose,' pursued 
 she, ' that you have eaten nothing to-day, a slight repast shall be 
 served up for you, while preparations are making for our wedding 
 feast at night, and then I will show you the apartments of my 
 palace, and you shall judge if this hall is not the meanest part 
 of it.' 
 
 Some of the Fairy's women, who came into the hall with them, 
 and guessed her intentions, went immediately out, and returned 
 presently with some excellent meats and wines. 
 
 When Prince Ahmed had ate and drunk as much as he cared 
 for, the Fairy Paribanou carried him through all the apartments, 
 where he saw diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and all sorts of fine jewels, 
 intermixed with pearls, agate, jasper, porphyry, and all sorts of the 
 most precious marbles. But, not to mention the richness of the 
 furniture, which was inestimable, there was such profuseness 
 
 AA2
 
 356 THE STOEY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 throughout that the Prince, instead of ever having seen anything 
 like it, owned that he could not have imagined that there was any- 
 thing in the world that could come up to it. ' Prince,' said the 
 Fairy, ' if you admire my palace so much, which, indeed, is very 
 beautiful, what would you say to the palaces of the chief of our 
 genies, which are much more beautiful, spacious, and magnificent ? 
 I could also charm you with my gardens, but we will let that alone 
 till another time. Night draws near, and it will be time to go to 
 supper.' 
 
 The next hall which the Fairy led the Prince into, and where 
 the cloth was laid for the feast, was the last apartment the Prince 
 had not seen, and not in the least inferior to the others. At his 
 entrance into it he admired the infinite number of sconces of wax 
 candles perfumed with amber, the multitude of which, instead of 
 being confused, were placed with so just a symmetry as formed an 
 agreeable and pleasant sight. A large side table was set out with 
 all sorts of gold plate, so finely wrought that the workmanship was 
 much more valuable than the weight of the gold. Several choruses 
 of beautiful women richly dressed, and whose voices were ravishing, 
 began a concert, accompanied with all sorts of the most harmonious 
 instruments ; and when they were set down at table the Fahy Pari- 
 banou took care to help Prince Ahmed with the most delicate 
 meats, which she named as she invited him to eat of them, and 
 which the Prince found to be so exquisitely nice that he commended 
 them with exaggeration, and said that the entertainment far sur- 
 passed, those of men. He found also the same excellence in the 
 wines, which neither he nor the Fairy tasted of till the dessert 
 was served up, which consisted of the choicest sweetmeats and 
 fruits. 
 
 The wedding feast was continued the next day, or, rather, the 
 days following the celebration were a continual feast. 
 
 At the end of six months Prince Ahmed, who always loved and 
 honoured the Sultan his father, conceived a great desire to know 
 how he was, and that desire could not be satisfied without his 
 going to see ; he told the Fairy of it, and desired she would give him 
 leave. 
 
 ' Prince,' said she, ' go when you please. But first, don't take it 
 amiss that I give you some advice how you shall behave yourself 
 where you are going. First, I don't think it proper for you to tell 
 the Sultan your father of our marriage, nor of my quality, nor the 
 place where you have been. Beg of him to be satisfied in knowing
 
 AND THE FAIEY PARIBANOU 
 
 357 
 
 you are happy, and desire no more ; and let him know that the 
 sole end of your visit is to make him easy, and inform him of your 
 fate.' 
 
 She appointed twenty gentlemen, well mounted and equipped, 
 to attend him. When all was ready Prince Ahmed took his leave 
 of the Fairy, embraced her, and renewed his promise to return soon. 
 Then his horse, which was most finely caparisoned, and was as 
 beautiful a creature as any in the Sultan of the Indies' stables, was 
 
 led to him, and he mounted him with an extraordinary grace ; and, 
 after he had bid her a last adieu, set forward on his journey. 
 
 As it was not a great way to his father's capital, Prince Ahmed 
 soon arrived there. The people, glad to see him again, received 
 him with acclamations of joy, and followed him in crowds to the 
 Sultan's apartment. The Sultan received and embraced him with 
 great joy, complaining at the same time, with a fatherly tenderness, 
 of the affliction his long absence had been to him, which he said 
 was the more grievous for that, fortune having decided in favour of
 
 358 THE STORY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 Prince Ali his brother, he was afraid he might have committed 
 some rash action. 
 
 The Prince told a story of his adventures without speaking of 
 the Fairy, whom he said that he must not mention, and ended : ' The 
 only favour I ask of your Majesty is to give me leave to come often 
 and pay you my respects, and to know how you do.' 
 
 ' Son,' answered the Sultan of the Indies, ' I cannot refuse you 
 the leave you ask me ; but I should much rather you would resolve 
 to stay with me ; at least tell me where I may send to you if you 
 should fail to come, or when I may think your presence necessary.' 
 ' Sir,' replied Prince Ahmed, ' what your Majesty asks of me is part 
 of the mystery I spoke to your Majesty of. I beg of you to give 
 me leave to remain silent on this head, for I shall come so frequently 
 that I am afraid that I shall sooner be thought troublesome than be 
 accused of negligence in my duty.' 
 
 The Sultan of the Indies pressed Prince Ahmed no more, but 
 said to him : ' Son, I penetrate no farther into your secrets, but leave 
 you at your liberty: but can tell you that you could not do me 
 a greater pleasure than to come, and by your presence restore to me 
 the joy I have not felt this long time, and that you shall always be 
 welcome when you come, without interrupting your business or 
 pleasure.' 
 
 Prince Ahmed stayed but three days at the Sultan his father's 
 Court, and the fourth returned to the Fairy Paribanou, who did not 
 expect him so soon. 
 
 A month after Prince Ahmed's return from paying a visit to his 
 father, as the Fairy Paribanou had observed that the Prince, since 
 the time that he gave her an account of his journey, his discourse 
 with his father, and the leave he asked to go and see him often, had 
 never talked of the Sultan, as if there had been no such person in 
 the world, whereas before he was always speaking of him, she 
 thought he forebore on her account ; therefore she took an oppor- 
 tunity to say to him one day : ' Prince, tell me, have you forgot the 
 Sultan your father ? Don't you remember the promise you made 
 to go and see him often ? For my part, I have not forgot what you 
 told me at your return, and so put you in mind of it, that you may 
 not be long before you acquit yourself of your promise. ' 
 
 So Prince Ahmed went the next morning with the same 
 attendance as before, but much finer, and himself more magni- 
 ficently mounted, equipped, and dressed, and was received by the 
 Sultan with the same joy and satisfaction. For several months
 
 AND THE FAIRY PARIBANOU 859 
 
 he constantly paid his visits, and always in a richer and finer 
 equipage. 
 
 At last some viziers, the Sultan's favourites, who judged of Prince 
 Ahmed's grandeur and power by the figure he cut, made the Sultaii 
 jealous of his son, saying it was to be feared he might inveigle 
 himself into the people's favour and dethrone him. 
 
 The Sultan of the Indies was so far from thinking that Prince 
 Ahmed could be capable of so pernicious a design as his favourites 
 would make him believe that he said to them : ' You are mistaken ; 
 my son loves me, and I am certain of his tenderness and fidelity, 
 as I have given him no reason to be disgusted.' 
 
 But the favourites went on abusing Prince Ahmed till the Sultan 
 said : ' Be it as it will, I don't believe my son Ahmed is so wicked 
 as you would persuade me he is ; however, I am obliged to you 
 for your good advice, and don't dispute but that it proceeds from 
 your good intentions.' 
 
 The Sultan of the Indies said this that his favourites might not 
 know the impressions their discourse had made on his mind ; which 
 had so alarmed him that he resolved to have Prince Ahmed watched 
 unknown to his grand vizier. So he sent for a female magician, 
 who was introduced by a back door into his apartment. 'Go 
 immediately,' he said, ' and follow ray son, and watch him so well 
 as to find out where he retires, and bring me word.' 
 
 The magician left the Sultan, and, knowing the place where 
 Prince Ahmed found his arrow, went immediately thither, and hid 
 herself near the rocks, so that nobody could see her. 
 
 The next morning Prince Ahmed set out by daybreak, without 
 taking leave either of the Sultan or any of his Court, according to 
 custom. The magician, seeing him coming, followed him with her 
 eyes, till on a sudden she lost sight of him and his attendants. 
 
 As the rocks were very steep and craggy, they were an insur- 
 mountable barrier, so that the magician judged that there were but 
 two things for it : either that the Prince retired into some cavern, 
 or an abode of genies or fairies. Thereupon she came out of the 
 place where she was hid, and went directly to the hollow way, which 
 she traced till she came to the farther end, looking carefully about 
 on all sides ; but, notwithstanding all her diligence, could perceive 
 no opening, not so much as the iron gate which Prince Ahmed dis- 
 covered, which was to be seen and opened to none but men, and 
 only to such whose presence was agreeable to the Fairy Paribanou. 
 
 The magician, who saw it was in vain for her to search any
 
 360 THE STOEY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 farther, was obliged to be satisfied with the discovery she had made, 
 and returned to give the Sultan an account. 
 
 The Sultan was very well pleased with the magician's conduct, 
 and said to her : ' Do you as you think fit ; I'll wait patiently the 
 event of your promises ; ' and to encourage her made her a present 
 of a diamond of great value. 
 
 As Prince Ahmed had obtained the Fairy Paribanou's leave to 
 go to the Sultan of the Indies' Court once a month, he never failed, 
 and the magician, knowing the time, went a day or two before to 
 the foot of the rock where she lost sight of the Prince and his 
 attendants, and waited there. 
 
 The next morning Prince Ahmed went out, as usual, at the iron 
 gate, with the same attendants as before, and passed by the 
 magician, whom he knew not to be such, and, seeing her lie with 
 her head against the rock, and complaining as if she were in great 
 pain, he pitied her, turned his horse about, and went to her, and 
 asked her what was the matter with her, and what he could do to 
 ease her. 
 
 The artful sorceress looked at the Prince in a pitiful manner, 
 without ever lifting up her head, and answered in broken words and 
 sighs, as if she could hardly fetch her breath, that she was going to 
 the capital city, but on the way thither she was taken with so violent 
 a fever that her strength failed her, and she was forced to lie down 
 where he saw her, far from any habitation, and without any hopes 
 of assistance. 
 
 ' Good woman,' replied Prince Ahmed, ' you are not so far from 
 help as you imagine. I am ready to assist you, and convey you 
 where you will meet with a speedy cure ; only get up, and let cne 
 of my people take you behind him.' 
 
 At these words the magician, who pretended sickness only to 
 know where the Prince lived and what he did, refused not the 
 charitable offer he made her, and that her actions might correspond 
 with her words she made many pretended vain endeavours to get 
 up. At the same time two of the Prince's attendants, alighting off 
 their horses, helped her up, and set her behind another, and mounted 
 their horses again, and followed the Prince, who turned back to the 
 iron gate, which was opened by one of his retinue who rode before. 
 And when he came into the outward court of the Fairy, without 
 dismounting himself, he sent to tell her he wanted to speak with her. 
 
 The Fairy Paribanou came with all imaginable haste, not know- 
 ing what made Prince Ahmed return so soon ; who, not giving her
 
 AND THE FAIRY PABIBANOU 
 
 361 
 
 time to ask him the reason, said : ' Princess, I desire you would have 
 compassion on this good woman,' pointing to the magician, who was 
 held up by two of his retinue. I found her in the condition you 
 see her in, and promised her the assistance she stands in need of, 
 and am persuaded that you, out of your own goodness, as well as 
 upon my entreaty, will not abandon her.' 
 
 The Fairy Paribanou, who had her eyes fixed upon the pretended 
 sick woman all the time that the Prince was talking to her, ordered 
 two of her women who followed her to take her from the two men 
 
 
 that held her, and carry her. into an apartment of the palace, and 
 take as much care of her as herself. 
 
 "Whilst the two women executed the Fairy's commands, she went 
 up to Prince Ahmed, and, whispering him in the ear, said : ' Prince, 
 this woman is not so sick as she pretends to be ; and I am very 
 much mistaken if she is not an impostor, who will be the cause of 
 a great trouble to you. But don't be concerned, let what will be 
 devised against you ; be persuaded that I will deliver you out of all 
 the snares that shall be laid for you. Go and pursue your journey.' 
 
 This discourse of the Fairy's did not in the least frighten Prince
 
 362 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 Ahmed. ' My Princess,' said he, ' as I do not remember I ever did 
 or designed anybody an injury, I cannot believe anybody can have 
 a thought of doing me one, but if they have I shall not, neverthe- 
 less, forbear doing good whenever I have an opportunity.' Then 
 he went back to his father's palace. 
 
 In the meantime the two women carried the magician into a 
 very fine apartment, richly furnished. First they sat her down upon 
 a sofa, with her back supported with a cushion of gold brocade, 
 while they made a bed on the same sofa before her, the quilt of 
 which was finely embroidered with silk, the sheets of the finest 
 linen, and the coverlet cloth-of-gold. When they had put her into 
 bed (for the old sorceress pretended that her fever was so violent 
 she could not help herself in the least) one of the women went out, 
 and returned soon again with a china dish in her hand, full of a 
 certain liquor, which she presented to the magician, while the other 
 helped her to sit up. ' Drink this liquor,' said she ; ' it is the Water 
 of the Fountain of Lions, and a sovereign remedy against all fevers 
 whatsoever. You will find the effect of it in less than an hour's 
 time.' 
 
 The magician, to dissemble the better, took it after a great deal 
 of entreaty ; but at last she took the china dish, and, holding back 
 her head, swallowed down the liquor. "When she was laid down 
 again the two women covered her up. 'Lie quiet,' said she who 
 brought her the china cup, ' and get a little sleep if you can. We'll 
 leave you, and hope to find you perfectly cured when we come 
 again an hour hence.' 
 
 The two women came again at the time they said they should, 
 and found the magician got up and dressed, and sitting upon the 
 sofa. ' O admirable potion ! ' she said : ' it has wrought its cure much 
 sooner than you told me it would, and I shall be able to prosecute 
 my journey.' 
 
 The two women, who were fairies as well as their mistress, after 
 they had told the magician how glad they were that she was cured 
 so soon, walked before her, and conducted her through several 
 apartments, all more noble than that wherein she lay, into a large 
 hall, the most richly and magnificently furnished of all the palace. 
 
 Paribanou was sat in this hall on a throne of massive gold, 
 enriched with diamonds, rubies, and pearls of an extraordinary size, 
 and attended on each hand by a great number of beautiful fairies, 
 all richly clothed. At the sight of so much majesty, the magician 
 was not only dazzled, but was so amazed that, after she had pro-
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 
 
 363 
 
 strated herself before the throne, she could not open her lips to 
 thank the Fairy as she proposed. However, Paribanou saved her 
 the trouble, and said to her : ' Good woman, I am glad I had an 
 opportunity to oblige yon, and to see you are able to pursue your 
 journey. I won't detain you, but perhaps you may not be displeased 
 to see my palace ; follow my women, and they will show it you.' 
 
 Then the magician went back and related to the Sultan of the 
 Indies all that had happened, and how very rich Prince Ahmed 
 was since his marriage with the Fairy, richer than all the kings in 
 the world, and how there was danger that he should come and take 
 the throne from his father. 
 
 Though the Sultan of the Indies was very well persuaded that 
 Prince Ahmed's natural disposition was good, yet he could not help 
 being concerned at the discourse of the old sorceress, to whom, when 
 she was for taking her leave, he said : ' I thank thee for the pains 
 thou hast taken, and thy wholesome advice. I am so sensible of 
 the great importance it is to me that I shall deliberate upon it in 
 council.' 
 
 Now the favourites advised that the Prince should be killed, but
 
 364 THE STOEY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 the magician advised differently : ' Make him give you all kinds of 
 wonderful things, by the Fairy's help, till she tires of him and 
 sends him away. As, for example, every time your Majesty goes 
 into the field, you are obliged to be at a great expense, not only in 
 pavilions and tents for your army, but likewise in mules and camels 
 to carry their baggage. Now, might not you engage him to tise his 
 interest with the Fairy to procure you a tent which might be carried 
 in a man's hand, and which should be so large as to shelter your 
 whole army against bad weather ? ' 
 
 When the magician had finished her speech, the Sultan asked 
 his favourites if they had anything better to propose ; and, finding 
 them all silent, determined to follow the magician's advice, as the 
 most reasonable and most agreeable to his mild government. 
 
 Next day the Sultan did as the magician had advised him, and 
 asked for the pavilion. 
 
 Prince Ahmed never expected that the Sultan his father would 
 have asked such a thing, which at first appeared so difficult, not to 
 say impossible. Though he knew not absolutely how great the 
 power of genies and fairies was, he doubted whether it extended so 
 far as to compass such a tent as his father desired. At last he 
 replied : ' Though it is with the greatest reluctance imaginable, I will 
 not fail to ask the favour of my wife your Majesty desires, but will 
 not promise you to obtain it ; and if I should not have the honour 
 to come again to pay you my respects that shall be the sign that 
 I have not had success. But, beforehand, I desire you to for- 
 give me, and consider that you yourself have reduced me to this 
 extremity.' 
 
 ' Son,' replied the Sultan of the Indies, ' I should be very sorry 
 if what I ask of you should cause me the displeasure of never seeing 
 you more. I find you don't know the power a husband has over a 
 wife ; and yours would show that her love to you was very indif- 
 ferent if she, with the power she has of a fairy, should refuse you so 
 trifling a request as this I desire you to ask of her for my sake.' 
 
 The Prince went back, and was very sad for fear of offending the 
 Fairy. She kept pressing him to tell her what was the matter, and 
 at last he said : ' Madam, you may have observed that hitherto 
 I have been content with your love, and have never asked you 
 any other favour. Consider then, I conjure you, that it is not 
 I, but the Sultan my father, who indiscreetly, or at least I think 
 so, begs of you a pavilion large enough to shelter him, his Court, 
 and army from the violence of the weather, and which a man may
 
 AND THE FAIRY PARIS ANOU 
 
 365 
 
 carry in his hand. But remember it is the Sultan my father asks 
 this favour.' 
 
 ' Prince,' replied the Fairy, smiling, ' I am sorry that so small a 
 matter should disturb you, and make you so uneasy as you appeared 
 to me.' 
 
 Then the Fairy sent for her treasurer, to whom, when she came, 
 she said : ' Nourgihan ' which was her name ' bring me the largest 
 pavilion in my treasury.' Nourgihan returned presently with the 
 pavilion, which she could not only hold in her hand, but in the palm 
 of her hand when she shut her fingers, and presented it to her 
 mistress, who gave it to Prince Ahmed to look at. 
 
 When Prince Ahmed saw the pavilion which the Fairy called 
 the largest in her treasury, he fancied she had a mind to jest with 
 him, and thereupon the marks of his surprise appeared presently in 
 his countenance ; which Paribanou perceiving burst out a-laughing. 
 ' What ! Prince,' cried she, ' do you think I jest with you ? You'll 
 see presently that I am in earnest. Nourgihan,' said she to her 
 treasurer, taking the tent out of Prince Ahmed's hands, ' go and set 
 it up, that the Prince may judge whether it may be large enough for 
 the Sultan his father.' 
 
 The treasurer went out immediately with it out of the palace,
 
 366 THE STORY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 and carried it a great way off ; and when she had set it wp one end 
 reached to the very palace : at which time the Prince, thinking it 
 small, found it large enough to shelter two greater armies than that 
 of the Sultan his father's, and then said to Paribanou : ' I ask my 
 Princess a thousand pardons for my incredulity ; after what I have 
 seen I believe there is nothing impossible to you.' ' You see,' said 
 the Fairy, ' that the pavilion is larger than what your father may 
 have occasion for ; for you must know that it has one property that 
 it is larger or smaller according to the army it is to cover.' 
 
 The treasurer took down the tent again, and brought it to the 
 Prince, who took it, and, without staying any longer than till the 
 next day, mounted his horse, and went with the same attendants 
 to the Sultan his father. 
 
 The Sultan, who was persuaded that there could not be any such 
 thing as such a tent as he asked for, was in a great surprise at the 
 Prince's diligence. He took the tent, and after he had admired its 
 smallness his amazement was so great that he could not recover him- 
 self. When the tent was set up in the great plain, which we have 
 before mentioned, he found it large enough to shelter an army twice 
 as large as he could bring into the field. 
 
 But the Sultan was not yet satisfied. ' Son,' said he, ' I have 
 already expressed to you how much I am obliged to you for the 
 present of the tent you have procured me : that I look upon it as the 
 most valuable thing in all my treasury. But you must do one thing 
 more for me, which will be every whit as agreeable to me I am 
 informed that the Fairy your spouse makes use of a certain water. 
 called the Water of the Fountain of Lions, which cures all sorts of 
 fevers, even the most dangerous, and, as I am perfectly well per- 
 suaded my health is dear to you, I don't doubt but you will ask her 
 for a bottle of that water for me, and bring it me as a sovereign 
 medicine, which I may make use of when I have occasion. Do me 
 this other important piece of service, and thereby complete the duty 
 of a good son towards a tender father.' 
 
 The Prince returned and told the Fairy what his father had said. 
 ' There's a great deal of wickedness in this demand,' she answered, 
 'as you will understand by what I am going to tell you. The 
 Fountain of Lions is situated in the middle of a court of a great 
 castle, the entrance into which is guarded by four fierce lions, two 
 of which sleep alternately, while the other two are awake. But 
 don't let that frighten you ; I'll give you means to pass by them 
 without any danger.'
 
 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIONS.
 
 AND THE FAIRY PARIS AN OU 307 
 
 The Fairy Paribanou was at that time very hard at work, and, 
 had several clews of thread by her, she took up one, and, pre- 
 senting it to Prince Ahmed, said : ' First take this clew of thread. 
 I'll tell you presently the use of it. In the second place, you must 
 have two horses : one you must ride yourself, and the other you 
 must lead, which must be loaded with a sheep cut into four quarters, 
 that must be killed to-day. In the third place, you must be pro- 
 vided with a bottle, which I will give you, to bring the water in. 
 Set out early to-morrow morning, and when you have passed the 
 iron gate throw the clew of thread before you, which will roll till it 
 comes to the gates of the castle. Follow it, and when it stops, as 
 the gates will be open, you will see the four lions ; the two that 
 are awake will, by their roaring, wake the other two, but don't be 
 frightened, but throw each of them a quarter of mutton, and then 
 clap spurs to your horse and ride to the fountain ; fill your bottle 
 without alighting, and then return with the same expedition. The 
 lions will be so busy eating they will let you pass by them.' 
 
 Prince Ahmed set out the next morning at the time appointed by 
 the Fairy, and followed her directions punctually. When he arrived 
 at the gates of the castle he distributed the quarters of mutton 
 among the four lions, and, passing througn the midst of them 
 bravely, got to the fountain, filled his bottle, and returned back as 
 safe and sound as he went. When he had gone a little distance from 
 the castle gates he turned him about, and, perceiving two of the 
 lions coming after him, he drew his sabre and prepared himself for 
 defence. But as he went forwards he saw one of them turned out 
 of the road at some distance, and showed by his head and tail that 
 he did not come to do him any harm, but only to go before him, and 
 that the other stayed behind to follow ; he put his sword up again 
 in its scabbard. Guarded in this manner, he arrived at the capital 
 of the Indies, but the lions never left him till they had conducted 
 him to the gates of the Sultan's palace ; after which they returned 
 the same way they came, though not without frightening all that 
 saw them, for all they went in a very gentle manner and showed 
 no fierceness. 
 
 A great many officers came to attend the Prince while he dis- 
 mounted his horse, and afterwards conducted him into the Sultan's 
 apartment, who was at that time surrounded with his favourites. 
 He approached towards the throne, laid the bottle at the Sultan's 
 feet, and kissed the rich tapestry which covered his footstool, and 
 then said : ' I have brought you, sir, the healthful water which your
 
 368 THE STOEY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 Majesty desired so much to keep among your other rarities in your 
 treasury, but at the same time wish you such extraordinary health 
 as never to have occasion to make use of it.' 
 
 After the Prince had made an end of his compliment the Sultan 
 placed him on his right hand, and then said to him : ' Son, I am 
 very much obliged to you for this valuable present, as also for the 
 great danger you have exposed yourself to upon my account (which 
 I have been informed of by a magician who knows the Fountain of 
 Lions) ; but do me the pleasure,' continued he, ' to inform me by 
 what address, or, rather, by what incredible power, you have been 
 secured.' 
 
 ' Sir,' replied Prince Ahmed, ' I have no share in the compliment 
 your Majesty is pleased to make me ; all the honour is due to the 
 Fairy my spouse, whose good advice I followed.' Then he informed 
 the Sultan what those directions were, and by the relation of this 
 his expedition let him know how well he had behaved himself. 
 When he had done the Sultan, who showed outwardly all the 
 demonstrations of great joy, but secretly became more jealous, 
 retired into an inward apartment, where he sent for the magician. 
 
 The magician, at her arrival, saved the Sultan the trouble to tell 
 her of the success of Prince Ahmed's journey, which she had heard 
 of before she came, and therefore was prepared with an infallible 
 means, as she pretended. This means she communicated to the 
 Sultan, who declared it the next day to the Prince, in the midst of 
 all his courtiers, in these words : ' Son,' said he, ' I have one thing 
 more to ask of you, after which I shall expect nothing more from 
 your obedience, nor your interest with your wife. This request is, 
 to bring me a man not above a foot and a half high, and whose 
 beard is thirty feet long, who carries a bar of iron upon his 
 shoulders of five hundredweight, which he uses as a quarterstaff.' 
 
 Prince Ahmed, who did not believe that there was such a man 
 in the world as his father described, would gladly have excused 
 himself; but the Sultan persisted in his demand, and told him the 
 Fairy could do more incredible things. 
 
 The next day the Prince returned to his dear Paribanou, to whom 
 he told his father's new demand, which, he said, he looked upon to 
 be a thing more impossible than the two first ; ' for,' added he, ' I 
 cannot imagine there can be such a man in the world ; without 
 doubt, he has a mind to try whether or no I am so silly as to go 
 about it, or he has a design on my ruin. In short, how can he sup- 
 pose that I should lay hold on a man so well armed, though he is
 
 AXD THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 369 
 
 but little ? "\Vhat arms can I make use of to reduce him to my 
 will '? If there are any means, I beg you will tell them, and let me 
 come off with honour this time.' 
 
 ' Don't affright yourself, Prince,' replied the Fairy ; ' you ran a 
 risk in fetching the Water of the Fountain of Lions for your father, 
 but there's no danger in finding out this man, who is my brother 
 Schaibar, but is so far from being like me, though we both had the 
 same father, that he is of so violent a nature that nothing can pre- 
 vent his giving cruel marks of his resentment for a slight offence ; 
 yet, on the other hand, is so good as to oblige anj-one in whatever they 
 desire. He is made exactly as the Sultan your father has described 
 him, and has no other arms than a bar of iron of five hundred 
 pounds weight, without which he never stirs, and which makes him 
 respected. I'll send for him, and you shall judge of the truth of 
 what I tell you; but be sure to prepare yourself against being 
 frightened at his extraordinary figure when you see him.' ' What ! 
 my Queen,' replied Prince Ahmed, ' do you say Schaibar is your 
 brother ? Let him be never so ugly or deformed I shall be so far 
 from being frightened at the sight of him that, as our brother, I shall 
 honour and love him.' 
 
 The Fairy ordered a gold chafing-dish to be set with a fire in it 
 under the porch of her palace, with a box of the same metal, which 
 was a present to her, out of which taking a perfume, and throwing 
 it into the fire, there arose a thick cloud of smoke. 
 
 Some moments after the Fairy said to Prince Ahmed : ' See, there 
 comes my brother.' The Prince immediately perceived Schaibar 
 coming gravely with his heavy bar on his shoulder, his long beard, 
 which he held up before him, and a pair of thick moustachios, which 
 he tucked behind his ears and almost covered his face ; his eyes 
 were very small, and deep-set in his head, which was far from being 
 of the smallest size, and on his head he wore a grenadier's cap : 
 besides all this, he was very much hump-backed. 
 
 If Prince Ahmed had not known that Schaibar was Paribanou's 
 brother, he would not have been able to have looked at him without 
 fear, but, knowing first who he was, he stood by the Fairy without 
 the least concern 
 
 Schaibar, as he came forwards, looked at the Prince earnestly 
 enough to have chilled his blood in his veins, and asked Paribanou, 
 when he first accosted her, who that man was. To which she 
 replied : ' He is my husband, brother. His name is Ahmed ; he is 
 son to the Sultan of the Indies. The reason why I did not invite
 
 370 
 
 THE STORY OF PRINCE AHMED 
 
 you to my wedding was I was unwilling to divert you from an 
 expedition you were engaged in, and from which I heard with 
 pleasure you returned victorious, and so took the liberty now to call 
 for you.' 
 
 At these words Schaibar, looking on Prince Ahmed favourably, 
 said : ' Is there anything, sister, wherein I can serve him ? It is 
 enough for me that he is your husband to engage me to. do for him 
 
 whatever he desires.' ' The Sultan his father,' replied Paribanou, 
 ' has a curiosity to see you, and I desire he may be your guide to 
 the Sultan's Court.' ' He needs but lead me the way, I'll follow 
 him.' ' Brother,' replied Paribanou, ' it is too late to go to-day, 
 therefore stay till to-morrow morning ; and in the meantime I'll 
 inform you of all that has passed between the Sultan of the Indies 
 and Prince Ahmed since our marriage.' 
 
 The next morning, after Schaibar had been informed of the
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOTJ 871 
 
 affair, he and Prince Ahmed set out for the Sultan's Court. When 
 they arrived at the gates of the capital the people no sooner saw 
 Schaibar but they ran and hid themselves ; and some shut up their 
 shops and locked themselves up in their houses, while others flying 
 communicated their fear to all they met, who stayed not to look 
 behind them, but ran too ; insomuch that Schaibar and Prince 
 Ahmed, as they went along, found the streets all desolate till they 
 came to the palace, where the porters, instead of keeping the gates, 
 ran away too, so that the Prince and Schaibar advanced without 
 any obstacle to the council-hall, where the Sultan was seated on his 
 throne, and giving audience. Here likewise the ushers, at the 
 approach of Schaibar, abandoned their posts, and gave them free 
 admittance. 
 
 Schaibar went boldly and fiercely up to the throne, without 
 waiting to be presented by Prince Ahmed, and accosted the Sultan 
 of the Indies in these words : ' Thou hast asked for me,' said he ; 
 ' see, here I am : what wouldst thou have with me ? ' 
 
 The Sultan, instead of answering him, clapped his hands before 
 his eyes, to avoid the sight of so terrible an object ; at which uncivil 
 and rude reception Schaibar was so much provoked, after he had 
 given him the trouble to come so far, that he instantly lifted up his 
 iron bar and killed him, before Prince Ahmed could intercede in his 
 behalf. All that he could do was to prevent his killing the grand 
 vizier, who sat not far from him, representing to him that he had 
 always given the Sultan his father good advice. ' These are they, 
 then,' said Schaibar, ' who gave him bad,' and as he pronounced 
 these words he killed all the other viziers and flattering favourites 
 of the Sultan who were Prince Ahmed's enemies. Every time he 
 struck he killed some one or other, and none escaped but they who 
 were not so frightened as to stand staring and gaping, and who saved 
 themselves by flight. 
 
 When this terrible execution was over Schaibar came out of 
 the council-hall into the midst of the courtyard with the iron bar 
 upon his shoulder, and, looking hard at the grand vizier, who owed 
 his life to Prince Ahmed, he said : ' I know here is a certain magician, 
 who is a greater enemy of my brother-in-law's than all these base 
 favourites I have chastised. Let the magician be brought to me 
 presently.' The grand vizier immediately sent for her, and as soon 
 as she was brought Schaibar said, at the time he fetched a stroke 
 at her with his iron bar : ' Take the reward of thy pernicious counsel, 
 and Isarn to feign sickness again.' 
 
 BB2
 
 372 
 
 TEE STOBY OF PEINCE AHMED 
 
 After this he said : ' This is not yet enough ; I will use the whole 
 town after the same manner if they do not immediately acknow- 
 ledge Prince Ahmed, my brother-in-law, for their Sultan and the 
 Sultan of the Indies.' Then all that were there present made the air 
 echo again with the repeated acclamations of: ' Long life to Sultan 
 Ahmed ' ; and immediately after he was proclaimed through the 
 whole town. Schaibar made him be clothed in the royal vestments, 
 installed him on the throne, and after he had caused all to swear 
 
 homage and fidelity to him went and fetched his sister Paribanou, 
 whom he brought with all the pomp and grandeur imaginable, and 
 made her to be owned Sultaness of the Indies. 
 
 As for Prince Ali and Princess Nouronnihar, as they had no 
 hand in the conspiracy against Prince Ahmed, and knew nothing of 
 any, Prince Ahmed assigned them a considerable province, with its 
 capital, where they spent the rest of their lives. Afterwards he 
 sent an officer to Prince Houssain to acquaint him with the change 
 and make him an offer of which province he liked best ; but that
 
 AND THE FAIRY PAEIBANOU 373 
 
 Prince thought himself so happy in his solitude that he bade the 
 officer return the Sultan his brother thanks for the kindness he 
 designed him, assuring him of his submission ; and that the only 
 favour he desired of him was to give him leave to live retired in 
 the place he had made choice of for his retreat. 1 
 
 1 Arabian Nights.
 
 374 THE HISTORY OF JACK 
 
 THE HIS TOBY OF JACK THE GIANT-KILLER 
 
 IN the reign of the famous King Arthur there lived in Cornwall 
 a lad named Jack^vho was a boy of a hold temper^and took 
 delight in hearing or reading of conjurers, giants, and fairies^ and 
 used to listen eagerly to the deeds of the knights of King Arthur's 
 Bound Table/ 
 
 In those days there lived on St. Michael's Mount, off Cornwall, 
 a huge giant, eighteen feet high and nine feet round/; his fierce 
 and savage looks were the terror of all who beheld him/ 
 
 He dwelt in a gloomy cavern on the top of the mountain,/and 
 used to wade over to the mainland in search of preV; when he 
 would throw half-a-dozen oxen upon his back/ and tie three times 
 as many sheep and hogs round his waistband march back to his 
 own abode. 
 
 The giant had done this for many year/ when Jack resolved to 
 destroy himV 
 
 Jack took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, his armour, and a dark 
 lanternYand one winter's evening he went to the moun/ There he 
 dug a pit twenty-two feet deep and twenty broad/' He covered the 
 top over so as to make it look like solid ground/' He then blew 
 such a tantivy /that the giant awoke and came out of his den, 
 crying out : ' You saucy villain ! you shall pay for this. I'll broil 
 you for my breakfast ! ' 
 
 He had just finished, when, taking one step further, he tumbled 
 headlong into the pit, and Jack struck him a blow on the head with 
 his pickaxe which killed him. Jack then returned home to cheer 
 his friends with the news. 
 
 Another giant, called Blunderbore, vowed to be revenged on 
 Jack if ever he should have him in his power. This giant kept an 
 enchanted castle in the midst of a lonely wood ; and some tune 
 after the death of Cormoran Jack was passing through a wood, and 
 being weary sat down and went to sleep. 
 
 The giant, passing by and seeing Jack, carried him to his castle,
 
 THE GIANT-KILLER 
 
 375 
 
 where he locked him up in a large room, the floor of which was 
 covered with the bodies, skulls, and bones of men and women. 
 
 Soon after the giant went to fetch his brother, who was likewise 
 a giant, to take a meal off his flesh ; and Jack saw with terror 
 through the bars of his prison the two giants approaching. 
 
 Jack, perceiving in one corner of the room a strong cord, took 
 courage, and making a slip-knot at each end, he threw them over 
 their heads, and tied it to the window -bars ; he then pulled till he 
 
 had choked them. When they were black in the face he slid down 
 the rope and stabbed them to the heart. 
 
 Jack next took a great bunch of keys from the pocket of Blun- 
 derbore, and went into the castle again. He make a strict search 
 through all the rooms, and in one of 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.
 
 376 THE HISTORY OF JACK 
 
 ' 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 con* 
 tains, to make 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 but little money, he went on as fast as possible. 
 At length he came to a handsome house. Jack knocked at the door, 
 when there came forth a Welsh giant. Jack said he was a traveller 
 who had lost his way, on which the giant made him welcome, 
 and let him into a room where there there was a good bed to 
 sleep in. 
 
 Jack took off his clothes quickly, but though he was weary he 
 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 cunning as you are. 1 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. 
 
 The giant, about midnight, entered the apartment, and with his 
 bludgeon struck a many blows on the bed, in the very place where 
 Jack had laid the log ; and then he went back to his own room, 
 thinking he had broken all Jack's 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 lodging. The 
 giant started when he saw him, and began to stammer out : ' Oh ! 
 dear me ; is it you ? Pray how did you sleep last night ? Did you 
 hear or see anything in the dead of the night ? ' 
 
 'Nothing worth speaking of,' said Jack carelessly: 'a rat, I 
 believe, gave me three or four slaps with its tail, and disturbed 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 wanted to make the giant believe that 
 he could eat as much as himself, so he contrived to button a leathern 
 bag inside his coat, and slip the hasty -pudding into this bag, while 
 he seemed to put it into his mouth.
 
 THE GIANT-KILLEB 377 
 
 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 in 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 fellow as Jack, ' hur can do 
 that hurself ; ' so he snatched up the knife, plunged it into his own 
 stomach, and in a moment dropped down dead. 
 
 Jack, having hitherto been successful in all his undertakings, 
 resolved not to be idle in future ; he therefore furnished himself 
 with a horse, a cap of knowledge, a sword of sharpness, shoes of 
 swiftness, and an invisible coat, the better to perform the wonder- 
 luii enterprises that lay before him. 
 
 He travelled over high hills, and on the third day he came to a 
 large and spacious forest through which his road lay. Scarcely 
 had he entered the forest w r hen he beheld a monstrous giant drag- 
 ging along by the hair of then: heads a handsome knight and his 
 lady. Jack alighted from his horse, and tying him to an oak tree, 
 put on his invisible coat, under which he carried his sword of sharp- 
 ness. 
 
 When he came up to the giant he made several strokes at him, 
 but could not reach his body, but wounded his thighs in several 
 places ; and at length putting both hands to his sword and aiming 
 with all his might, he cut off both his legs. Then Jack, setting his 
 foot upon his neck, plunged his sword into the giant's body, when 
 the monster gave a groan and expired. 
 
 The knight and his lady thanked Jack for their deliverance, and 
 invited him to their house, to receive a proper reward for his 
 services. ' No,' said Jack, ' I cannot be easy till I find out this 
 monster's habitation.' So taking the knight's directions, he mounted 
 his horse, and soon after came in sight of another giant, who was 
 sitting on a block of timber waiting for his brother's return. 
 
 Jack alighted from his horse, and, putting on his invisible coat, 
 approached and aimed a blow at the giant's head, but missing his 
 aim he only cut off his nose. On this the giant seized his club and 
 laid about him most unmercifully. 
 
 ' Nay,' said Jack, ' if this be the case I'd better dispatch you ! ' 
 so jumping upon the block, he stabbed him in the back, when he 
 dropped down dead.
 
 378 THE HISTORY OF JACK 
 
 Jack then proceeded on his journey, and travelled over hills and 
 dales, till arriving at the foot of a high mountain he knocked at 
 the door of a lonely house, when an old man let him in. 
 
 When Jack was seated the hermit thus addressed him : ' My 
 son, on the top of this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by the 
 giant Galligantus and a vile magician. I lament the fate of a duke's 
 daughter, whom they seized as she was walking in her father's 
 garden, and brought hither transformed into a deer.' 
 
 Jack promised that in. the morning, at the risk of his life, he 
 
 would break the enchantment; and after a sound sleep he rose 
 early, put on his invisible coat, and got ready for the attempt. 
 
 "When he had climbed to the top of the mountain he saw 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.
 
 THE GIANT-KILLER 379 
 
 As soon as Jack had read this he seized the trumpet 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, and 
 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 then sent to 
 King Arthur. 
 
 The knights and ladies rested that night at the old man's her- 
 mitage, 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 now spread through the whole country, and at 
 the King's desire the duke gave him his daughter in marriage, to 
 the joy of all his 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 contentment. 1 
 
 1 Old Chapbook.
 
 380 
 
 THE BLACK BULL OF NOEEOWAY 
 
 And many a hunting song they sung, 
 
 And song of game and glee ; 
 Then tuned to plaintive strains their tongue, 
 
 ' Of Scotland's luve and lee.' 
 To wilder measures next they turn 
 
 ' The Black, Black Bull of Norroway ! ' 
 Sudden the tapers cease to burn, 
 
 The minstrels cease to play. 
 
 ' The Gout of Keeldar,' by J. Leyden. 
 
 IN Norroway, langsyne, there lived a certain lady, and she 
 had three dochters. The auldest o' them said to her mither : 
 ' Mither, bake me a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm gaun 
 awa' to seek my fortune.' Her mither did sae ; and the dochter gaed 
 awa' to an auld witch washerwife and telled her purpose. The auld 
 wife bade her stay that day, and gang and look out o' her back door, 
 and see what she could see. She saw nocht the first day. The 
 second day she did the same, and saw nocht. On the third day she 
 looked again, and saw a coach-and-six coming alang the road. She 
 ran in and telled the auld wife what she saw. ' Aweel,' quo' the 
 auld wife, ' yon's for you.' Sae they took her into the coach, and 
 galloped aff. 
 
 The second dochter next says to her mither : ' Mither, bake me 
 a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm gaun awa' to seek my 
 fortune.' Her mither did sae ; and awa' she gaed to the auld wife, 
 as her sister had dune. On the third day she looked out o' the 
 back door, and saw a coach -and-four coming alang the road. 'Aweel,' 
 quo' the auld wife, ' yon's for you.' Sae they took her in, and aff 
 they set. 
 
 The third dochter says to her mither : ' Mither, bake me a ban- 
 nock, and roast me a collop, for I'm gaun awa' to seek my fortune.' 
 Her mither did sae ; and awa' she gaed to the auld witch-wife.
 
 THE BLACK BULL OF NOEBOWAY 381 
 
 She bade her look out o' her back door, and see what she could see. 
 She did sae ; and when she came back said she saw nocht. The 
 second day she did the same, and saw nocht. The third day she 
 looked again, and on coming back said to the auld wife she saw 
 nocht but a muckle Black Bull coming roaring alang the road. 
 ' Aweel,' quo' the auld wife, ' yon's for you.' On hearing this she 
 was next to distracted wi' grief and terror ; but she was lifted up and 
 set on his back, and awa' they went. 
 
 Aye they travelled, and on they travelled, till the lady grew 
 faint wi' hunger. ' Eat out o' my right lug,' says the Black Bull, 
 ' and drink out o' my left lug, and set by your leavings.' Sae she 
 did as he said, and was wonderfully refreshed. And lang they 
 gaed, and sair they rade, till they came in sight o' a very big and 
 bonny castle. ' Yonder we maun be this night,' quo' the bull ; ' for 
 my auld brither lives yonder ; ' and presently they were at the place. 
 They lifted her aff his back, and took her in, and sent him away 
 to a park for the night. In the morning, when they brought the 
 bull hame, they took the lady into a fine shining parlour, and gave 
 her a beautiful apple, telling her no to break it till she was in the 
 greatest strait ever mortal was in in the world, and that wad bring 
 her out o't. Again she-was lifted on the bull's back, and after she 
 had ridden far, and farer than I can tell, they came in sight o' a far 
 bonnier castle, and far farther awa' than the last. Says the bull 
 till her : ' Yonder we maun be the night, for my second brither lives 
 yonder ; ' and they were at the place directly. They lifted her down 
 and took her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In the 
 morning they took the lady into a fine and rich room, and gave her 
 the finest pear she had ever seen, bidding her no to break it till she 
 was in the greatest strait ever mortal could be in, and that wad get 
 her out o't. Again she was lifted and set on his back, and awa' 
 they went. And lang they gaed, and sair they rade, till they came 
 in sight o' the far biggest castle, and far farthest aff, they had yet 
 seen. * We maun be yonder the night,' says the bull, ' for my young 
 brither lives yonder ; ' and they were there directly. They lifted her 
 down, took her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In 
 the morning they took her into a room, the finest of a', and gied 
 her a plum, telling her no to break it till she was in the greatest 
 strait mortal could be in, and that wad get her out o't. Presently they 
 brought hame the bull, set the lady on his back, and awa' they 
 went. 
 
 And aye they gaed, and on they rade, till they came to a dark
 
 382 THE BLACK BULL OF NOEBOWAY 
 
 and ugsome glen, where they stopped, and the lady lighted down. 
 Says the bull to her : ' Here ye maun stay till I gang and fight the 
 deil. Ye maun seat yoursel' on that stane, and move neither hand 
 nor fit till I come back, else I'll never find ye again. And if every- 
 thing round about ye turns blue I hae beaten the deil ; but should 
 a' things turn red he'll hae conquered me.' She set hersel' down 
 on the stane, and by-and-by a' round her turned blue. O'ercome 
 wi' joy, she lifted the ae fit and crossed it owre the ither, sae glad 
 was she that her companion was victorious. The bull returned and 
 sought for but never could find her. 
 
 Lang she sat, and aye she grat, till she wearied. At last she rase 
 and gaed awa', she kendna whaur till. On she wandered till she 
 came to a great hill o' glass, that she tried a' she could to climb, 
 but wasna able. Bound the bottom o' the hill she gaed, sabbing and 
 seeking a passage owre, till at last she came to a smith's house ; 
 and the smith promised, if she wad serve him seven years, he wad 
 make her iron shoon, wherewi' she could climb owre the glassy hill. 
 At seven years' end she got her iron shoon, clamb the glassy hill, 
 and chanced to come to the au!d washerwife's habitation. There
 
 THE BLACK BULL OF NOREOWAY 383 
 
 she was telled of a gallant young knight that had given in some 
 bluidy sarks to wash, and whaever washed thae sarks was to be his 
 wife. The auld wife had washed till she was tired, and then 
 she set to her dochter, and baith washed, and they washed, and 
 they better washed, in hopes of getting the young knight ; but a* 
 they could do they couldna bring out a stain. At length they set 
 the stranger damosel to wark ; and whenever she began the stains 
 came out pure and clean, but the auld wife made the knight believe 
 it was her dochter had washed the sarks. So the knight and the 
 eldest dochter were to be married, and the stranger damosel was 
 distracted at the thought of it, for she was deeply in love wi' him. 
 So she bethought her of her apple, and breaking it, found it filled 
 with gold and precious jewellery, the richest she had ever seen. 
 ' All these,' she said to the eldest dochter, ' I will give you, on con- 
 dition that you put off your marriage for ae day, and allow me to 
 go into his room alone at night.' So the lady consented ; but mean- 
 while the auld wife had prepared a sleeping-drink, and given it 
 to the knight, wha drank it, and never wakened till next morning. 
 The lee-lang night the damosel sabbed and sang : 
 
 ' Seven lang years I served for thee, 
 
 The glassy hill I clamb for thee, 
 
 The bluidy shirt I wrang for thee ; 
 
 And wilt thou no wauken and turn to me ? ' 
 
 Next day she kentna what to do for grief. She then brak the 
 pear, and found it filled wi' jewellery far richer than the contents 
 o' the apple. Wi' thae jewels she bargained for permission to be a 
 second night in the young knight's chamber ; but the auld wife gied 
 him anither sleeping-drink, and he again sleepit till morning. A' 
 night she kept sighing and singing as before : 
 
 ' Seven lang years I served for thee,' &c. 
 
 Still he sleepit, and she nearly lost hope a'thegither. But that day 
 when he was out at the hunting, somebody asked him what noise 
 and moaning was yon they heard all last night in his bedchamber. 
 He said he heardna ony noise. But they assured him there was 
 sae ; and he resolved to keep waking that night to try what he could 
 hear. That being the third night, and the damosel being between 
 hope and despair, she brak her plum, and it held far the richest 
 jewellery of the three. She bargained as before ; and the auld wife, 
 as before, took in the sleeping-drink to the young knight's chamber ;
 
 384 THE BLACK BULL OF NOBBOWAY 
 
 but he telled her he coiildna drink it that night without sweetening. 
 And when she gaed awa' for some honey to sweeten it wi', he poured 
 out the drink, and sae made the auld wife think he had drunk it. 
 They a' went to bed again, and the damosel began, as before, 
 singing : 
 
 ' Seven lang years I served for thee, 
 
 The glassy hill I clamb for thee, 
 
 The bluidy shirt I wrang for thee ; 
 
 And wilt thou no wauken and turn to me ? ' 
 
 He heard, and turned to her. And she telled him a' that had be- 
 fa'en her, and he telled her a' that had happened to him. And he 
 caused the auld washerwife and her dochter to be burnt. And they 
 were married, and he and she are living happy till this day, for 
 aught I ken. 1 
 
 1 Chambers. Popular Traditions of Scotland.
 
 385 
 
 THE RED ETIN 
 
 rpHERE were ance twa widows that lived on a small bit o' ground, 
 -L which they rented from a farmer. Ane of them had twa sons, 
 and the other had ane ; and by-and-by it was time for the wife 
 that had twa sons to send them away to seeke their fortune. So 
 she told her eldest son ae day to take a can and bring her water 
 from the well, that she might bake a cake for him ; and however 
 much or however little water he might bring, the cake would be 
 
 great or sma' accordingly ; and that cake was to be a' that she could 
 gie him when he went on his travels. 
 
 The lad gaed away wi' the can to the well, and filled it wi' 
 water, and then came away hame again ; but the can being broken 
 the maist part o' the water had run out before he got back. So his 
 cake was very sma' ; yet sma' as it was, his mother asked if he 
 was willing to take the half of it with her blessing, telling him that, 
 if he chose rather to have the hale, he would only get it wi' her 
 curse. The young man, thinking he might hae to travel a far way,
 
 386 THE EED ETIN 
 
 and not knowing when or how he might get other provisions, said 
 he would like to hae the hale cake, come of his mother's malison 
 what like ; so she gave him the hale cake, and her malison alang 
 wi't. Then he took his brither aside, and gave him a knife to keep 
 till he should come back, desiring him to look at it every morning, 
 and as lang as it continued to be clear, then he might be sure that 
 the owner of it was well ; but if it grew dim and rusty, then for 
 certain some ill had befallen him. 
 
 So the young man set out to seek his fortune. And he gaed 
 a' that day, and a' the next day ; and on the third day, in the after- 
 noon, he came up to where a shepherd was sitting with a flock o' 
 sheep. And he gaed up to the shepherd and asked him wha the 
 sheep belanged to ; and the man answered : 
 
 The Red Etin of Ireland 
 
 Ance lived in Bellygan, 
 And stole King Malcolm's daughter, 
 
 The King of fair Scotland. 
 He beats her, he binds her, 
 
 He lays her on a band ; 
 And every day he dings her 
 
 With a bright silver wand. 
 Like Julian the Roman, 
 He's one that fears no man. 
 It's said there's ane predestinate 
 
 To be his mortal foe ; 
 But that man is yet unborn, 
 
 And lang may it be so.' 
 
 The young man then went on his journey ; and he had not gone far 
 when he espied an old man with white locks herding a flock of 
 swine ; and he gaed up to him and asked whose swine these were, 
 when the man answered : 
 
 ' The Red Etin of Ireland ' 
 
 [Repeat tlie verses above.'] 
 
 Then the young man gaed on a bit farther, and came to another 
 very old man herding goats ; and when he asked whose goats they 
 were, the answer was : 
 
 ' The Red Etin of Ireland ' 
 
 [Repeat the verses again.]
 
 THE BED ETIN 387 
 
 This old man also told him to beware o' the next beasts that he 
 should meet, for they were of a very different kind from any he had 
 yet seen. 
 
 So the young man went on, and by-and-by he saw a multitude 
 of very dreadfu' beasts, ilk ane o' them wi' twa heads, and on every 
 head four horns. And he was sore frightened, and ran away from 
 them as fast as he could; and glad was he when he came to a 
 castle that stood on a hillock, wi' the door standing wide to the wa'. 
 And he gaed into the castle for shelter, and there he saw an auld 
 wife sitting beside the kitchen fire. He asked the wife if he might 
 stay there for the night, as he was tired wi' a lang journey ; and the 
 wife said he might, but it was not a good place for him to be in, as 
 it belanged to the Eed Etin, who was a very terrible beast, wi' three 
 heads, that spared no living man he could get hold of. The young 
 man would have gone away, but he was afraid of the beasts on the 
 outside of the castle ; so he beseeched the old woman to conceal 
 him as well as she could, and not tell the Etin that he was there. 
 He thought, if he could put over the night, he might get away in 
 the morning without meeting wi' the beasts, and so escape. But 
 he had not been long in his hidy-hole before the awful Etin came 
 in ; and nae sooner was he in than he was heard crying : 
 ' Snouk but and snouk ben, 
 
 I find the smell of an earthly man ; 
 
 Be he living, or be he dead, 
 
 His heart this night shall kitchen ' my bread.' 
 
 The monster soon found the poor young man, and pulled him from 
 his hole. And when he had got him out he told him that if he 
 could answer him three questions his life should be spared. The 
 first was : Whether Ireland or Scotland was first inhabited ? The 
 second was : Whether man was made for woman, or woman for 
 man ? The third was : Whether men or brutes were made first ? 
 The lad not being able to answer one of these questions, the Eed 
 Etin took a mace and knocked him on the head, and turned him 
 into a pillar of stone. 
 
 On the morning after this happened the younger brither took 
 out the knife to look at it, and he was grieved to find it a' brown 
 wi' rust. He told his mother that the time was now come for him 
 to go away upon his travels also ; so she requested him to take the 
 can to the well for water, that she might bake a cake for him. The 
 'Kitchen,' that is 'season.'
 
 388 THE RED ETIN 
 
 can being broken, he brought hame as little water as the other had 
 done, and the cake was as little. She asked whether he would 
 have the hale cake wi' her malison, or the half wi' her blessing ; 
 and, like his brither, he thought it best to have the hale cake, corne 
 o' the malison what might. So he gaed away ; and everything 
 happened to him that had happened to his brother ! 
 
 The other widow and her son heard of a' that had happened frae 
 a fairy, and the young man determined that he would also go upon 
 his travels, and see if he could do anything to relieve his twa friends. 
 So his mother gave him a can to go to the well and bring home 
 water, that she might bake him a cake for his journey. And he 
 gaed, and as he was bringing hame the water, a raven owre abune 
 his head cried to him to look, and he would see that the water was 
 running out. And he was a young man of sense, and seeing the 
 water running out, he took some clay and patched up the holes, so 
 that he brought home enough of water to bake a large cake. When 
 his mother put it to him to take the half-cake wi' her blessing, he 
 took it in preference to having the hale wi' her malison ; and yet 
 the half was bigger than what the other lads had got a'thegither. 
 
 So he gaed away on his journey ; and after he had travelled a 
 far way he met wi' an auld woman, that asked him if he would 
 give her a bit of his bannock. And he said he would gladly do that, 
 and so he gave her a piece of the bannock ; and for that she gied 
 him a magical wand, that she said might yet be of service to him 
 if he took care to use it rightly. Then the auld woman, wha was a 
 fairy, told him a great deal that would happen to him, and what he 
 ought to do in a' circumstances ; and after that she vanished in an 
 instant out o' his sight. He gaed on a great way farther, and then 
 he came up to the old man herding the sheep ; and when he asked 
 whose sheep these were, the answer was : 
 
 ' The Bed Etin of Ireland 
 
 Ance lived in Bellygan, 
 And stole King Malcolm's daughter, 
 
 The King of fair Scotland. 
 He beats her, he binds her, 
 
 He lays her on a band; 
 And every day he dings her 
 
 With a bright silver wand. 
 Like Julian the Eoman, 
 He's one that fears no man.
 
 THE EED ETIN 389 
 
 But now I fear his end is near. 
 
 And destiny at hand ; 
 And you're to be, I plainly see, 
 
 The heir of all his land.' 
 
 \Repeat the same inquiries to the man attending tJie swine 
 and the man attending the goats, wiili the same answer in 
 each case.] 
 
 When he came to the place where the monstrous beasts were 
 standing, he did . not stop nor run away, but went boldly through 
 
 amongst them. One came up roaring with open mouth to devour 
 him, when he struck it with his wand, and laid it in an instant 
 dead at his feet. He soon came to the Etin's castle, where he 
 knocked, and was admitted. The auld woman that sat by the fire 
 warned him of the terrible Etin, and what had been the fate of the 
 t\va brithers; but he was not to be daunted. The monster soon 
 came in, saying :
 
 390 THE BED ETIN 
 
 1 Snouk but and snouk ben, 
 
 I find the smell of an earthly man ; 
 
 Be he living, or be he dead, 
 
 His heart shall be kitchen to my bread.' 
 
 He quickly espied the young man, and bade him come forth on the 
 floor. And then he put the three questions to him ; but the young 
 man had been told everything by the good fairy, so he was able to 
 answer all the questions. When the Etin found this he knew that 
 his power was gone. The young man then took up an axe and hewed 
 off the monster's three heads. He next asked the old woman to 
 show him where the King's daughter lay ; and the old woman took 
 him upstairs and opened a great many doors, and out of every door 
 came a beautiful lady who had been imprisoned there by the Etin ; 
 and ane o' the ladies was the King's daughter. She also took him 
 down into a low room, and there stood two stone pillars that he 
 had only to touch wi 1 his wand, when his twa friends and neighbours 
 started into life. And the hale o' the prisoners were overjoyed at 
 their deliverance, which they all acknowledged to be owing to the 
 prudent young man. Next day they a' set out for the King's Court, 
 and a gallant company they made. And the King married his 
 daughter to the young man that had delivered her, and gave a 
 noble's daughter to ilk ane o' the other young men ; and so they a' 
 lived happily a' the rest o' their days. 1 
 
 * Chambers. Popular Traditions of Scotland. 
 
 PRINTED BY 
 
 BPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE 
 LONDON
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
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