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diff --git a/32389.txt b/32389.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aba92c9 --- /dev/null +++ b/32389.txt @@ -0,0 +1,6405 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Favorite Fairy Tales + The Childhood Choice of Representative Men and Women + +Author: Various + +Illustrator: Peter Newell + +Release Date: May 15, 2010 [EBook #32389] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FAVORITE FAIRY TALES *** + + + + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sam W. and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + + + + + FAVORITE + FAIRY TALES + + THE CHILDHOOD CHOICE + OF REPRESENTATIVE + MEN AND WOMEN + + + ILLUSTRATED + BY + PETER NEWELL + + + [Illustration] + + + NEW YORK AND LONDON + HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS + MCMVII + + + + + Copyright, 1907, by Harper & Brothers. + + _All rights reserved._ + Published October, 1907. + + + + + [Illustration: "Can't you render me some assistance?" + See p. 209] + + + + +CONTENTS + + + JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. Charles Perrault + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Arthur Twining Hadley + President of Yale University + Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler + President of Columbia University + Dr. Henry M. Alden + Editor of _Harper's Magazine_ + J. F. Hosic + Professor of English, The Chicago Normal School + J. M. Pereles + Chairman of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission + + + CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER. Charles Perrault + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Thomas R. Lounsbury + Professor of English Yale University + Dr. J. H. Canfield + Librarian of Columbia University + The Honorable John Bigelow + Author and Publicist + J. M. Pereles + And the Children of The Honorable Grover Cleveland + + + JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK. Charles Perrault + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler + Dr. Hamilton Wright Mabie + President of the New York Free Kindergarten + Association. Associate Editor of _The Outlook_ + + + THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD. Charles Perrault + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Shailer Mathews + Professor of Systematic Theology in the University + of Chicago. Editor of _The World To-day_ + Dr. Hamilton Wright Mabie + Dr. Henry Van Dyke + Author. Professor of English Literature in + Princeton University + + + LITTLE RED-RIDING-HOOD. Charles Perrault + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Henry M. Alden + + + THE UGLY DUCKLING. Hans Christian Andersen + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + The Honorable William J. Bryan + Publicist and Editor + Miss Jane Addams + Head Resident of Hull House, Chicago + + + HOP-O'-MY-THUMB. + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Henry James + Author + + + BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. From the French of Madame Gabrielle de + Villeneuve + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Mrs. Julia Ward Howe + Author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" + + + LITTLE SNOWDROP. + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Howard Pyle + Artist and Author + + + THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS. Robert Southey + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + F. A. Kendall + Secretary of the Illinois Pupils' Reading Circle + + + SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED. Grimm + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Frederick Dielman + President of the National Academy of Design + + + THE WILD SWANS. Hans Christian Andersen + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Henry Van Dyke + Mrs. Alice Meynell + Poet and Essayist + + + ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP. + "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Charles William Eliot + President of Harvard University + Dr. Henry Van Dyke + J. M. Pereles + Dr. Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) + Author + + + ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES. + "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Samuel L. Clemens + Dr. Charles William Eliot + Dr. Lyman Abbott + Editor of _The Outlook_ + + + THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR. + "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. Lyman Abbott + + + THE HISTORY OF ALI COGIA, A MERCHANT OF BAGDAD. + "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" + + _This Story is the Choice of:_ + Dr. William Dean Howells + Author + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + + "CAN'T YOU RENDER ME SOME ASSISTANCE?" _Frontispiece_ + + "I WILL BROIL YOU FOR MY BREAKFAST" _Facing p._ 2 + + THE SLIPPER FITTED EXACTLY " 48 + + JUST AS HE LAID HIS HAND UPON ONE OF THEM, + THE LITTLE DOG BARKED MOST FURIOUSLY " 66 + + A YOUNG GIRL OF WONDERFUL BEAUTY LAY ASLEEP + ON AN EMBROIDERED BED " 82 + + HE ASKED HER POLITELY WHERE SHE WAS GOING " 88 + + SOME LITTLE CHILDREN THREW PIECES OF BREAD + INTO THE WATER " 114 + + THE CHILDREN BEGAN TO CRY AS LOUD AS THEY COULD " 120 + + SHE SAW AT HER FEET A HANDSOME, GRACEFUL YOUNG + PRINCE " 170 + + "OH, HEAVEN," THEY CRIED, "WHAT A LOVELY CHILD!" " 180 + + THE VOICE OF THE LITTLE, SMALL, WEE BEAR + AWAKENED HER AT ONCE " 200 + + ELISE SAW AN ICE PALACE, WITH ONE BOLD COLONNADE + BUILT ABOVE ANOTHER " 238 + + "I AM THE SLAVE OF THE RING, AND WILL OBEY THEE + IN ALL THINGS" " 260 + + CASSIM FORGETS THE MAGIC WORD " 294 + + THE MERCHANTS BEGAN THEIR SHOUTING TO FRIGHTEN + THE EAGLES " 318 + + THE CALIPH LISTENING TO THE CHILDREN'S COURT " 342 + + + _Decorative borders by + Francis I. Bennett_ + + + + +INTRODUCTION + + +What are the best fairy stories? Are they not those which have lived +most vividly in active minds? The ripeness of after life works its +changes; but we are not dealing with literary judgments--rather with +the choice of childhood which fortunately lingers in memory, whatever +store of wisdom may come in later years. There is here no question of +the new or unusual. On the contrary, it is the ideas or visions handed +down for generations or centuries and set in final form that remain +with us as types of fancy or wisdom. Of these there are so many that a +selection is essential. No one book can be a complete treasure-house +of all the imagination, humor, and sentiment of the fairy tale. But it +has been possible to obtain a representative judgment for this volume +which we believe to be of peculiar worth. + +This book gives us the favorite fairy tales of men and women who have +gained eminence in American life. It is a book, therefore, based upon +an original plan, which stands by itself. Any collection formed by one +person must reflect personal preferences. It must have obvious +limitations, however excellent--as in the case of Miss Mulock or +Laboulaye--the choice of the single editor may be. But to a large +extent such a collection as this represents that consensus of opinion +which invests a given work with the rank of a classic. The desire of +the publishers has been to determine the youthful preferences of those +whose opinions carry weight and to present their selections among the +wealth of fairy tales which the world cherishes from one generation +to another. Such a thing as a collection of _all_ good fairy tales +would be unthinkably cumbersome. We need guidance and selection. For +the expressions of personal choice afforded in the interests of this +book, the publishers desire to offer their grateful acknowledgments. + +It has happened naturally that more than one vote has been cast for +the same story. For example, the president of Yale, in his selection +of "Jack the Giant-killer," had the companionship of the president of +Columbia and of the editor of _Harper's Magazine_, who are really +represented, therefore, by a second choice. The three stories +preferred by the chairman of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission had +all been preferred by others. + +But "Cinderella" is evidently quite the equal of "Jack the +Giant-killer" in the affections of readers, and the choice of this +well-loved tale has been accompanied by some charming letters from +which it is impossible not to quote. + +Thus the Hon. John Bigelow writes: "Perrault's story of Cinderella +made the deepest impression upon me. It is the only one from which I +can now remember to have received a distinct and permanent ethical +impression." + +"I am not really conscious of any special preference for one fairy +story over another," wrote Professor Lounsbury, "but as somebody, it +seems to me, ought to stand up for sentiment, I am going to vote for +'Cinderella.' I hesitated a moment about 'The Sleeping Beauty,' but I +leave that for one younger." + +In a letter rich in personal quality, the Hon. Grover Cleveland wrote: +"My youthful days are so far away, and fairy stories had so little to +do with their enjoyment, that I do not feel that I ought to venture an +opinion on such an important subject as that to which you refer. For +want of a better thing to do, I have submitted the question to my +children, and so far as I am able to determine, the canvass of their +votes is in favor of 'Cinderella.' It is only fair to say that two of +the three to whom the question was submitted are little girls." + +Another glimpse of domestic sympathy comes in the choice of the Hon. +William J. Bryan, editor and author, as well as publicist, who says: +"My wife assures me that I shall make no mistake if I commend the +tales of Hans Christian Andersen, notably that of 'The Ugly +Duckling.'" + +It is a change from public life to the world of letters to find Dr. +Van Dyke and Dr. Mabie in agreement with Dr. Shailer Mathews regarding +the rank of "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood." But it is not to this +that Dr. Van Dyke gives precedence. "If my memory serves me right," he +says, "the first fairy story which made a strong impression on my +mind in boyhood was that of 'Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp.' Next +after that in time, and, I think, a little beyond it in interest, came +the story of the 'Seven Wild Swans,' and next to that the story of +'The Sleeping Beauty.'" + +As to "Hop o' My Thumb" we may be pardoned for quoting the close of a +singularly delightful letter from Mr. Henry James, who says: "It is +the vague memory of this sense of him, as some small, precious object, +like a lost gem or a rare and beautiful insect on which one might +inadvertently tread, or might find under the sofa or behind the +window-cushion, that leads me to think of 'Hop o' My Thumb' as my +earliest and sweetest and most repeated cupful at the fount of +fiction." + +Quite literally a world removed from this was the answer of the modest +Japanese conqueror, General Kuroki, who laughed at first and +disclaimed Japan's possession of fairy tales as we understand them. "I +always tried to forget fairy tales," he said; "but of nursery stories +I think the most popular and the most widely known in Japan is the +story of Momotaro." But this tale of the "son of a peach," which +relates the conquest of a stronghold of devils, and the rescue of two +daughters of daimios does not come within the scope of this volume. + +A broader choice than those which have been quoted is afforded by Mrs. +Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, who writes: "As a child I was a great +reader and lover (and a small creator) of fairy tales. But of them all +the only ones which come readily to my mind are Hans Christian +Andersen's." Equally comprehensive is the answer of Mrs. Georgia A. +Kendrick, the lady principal of Vassar College: "Grimm's tales stand +to me for the best of that kind of lore." + +An even more catholic liking breathes in the answer of President +Woodrow Wilson, who declares: "The truth is that I was so voracious of +fairy tales when I was a small boy, that I loved them all almost +equally well, and cannot now say that I had any favorite. All was +grist that came to my mill. I am very much interested in the +undertaking, and wish it all success." + +In some cases, much to the regret of the publishers, it has not been +possible to include a choice. Thus Dr. John S. Billings, librarian of +the New York Public Library, tells us that the story which made the +most impression upon him was the "Nibelungenlied" as presented by +Carlyle in the _Westminster Review_ for July, 1831, of which an odd +number came in his way when he was a boy. "I did not understand one +quarter of it," Dr. Billings writes, "but what I did impressed me +greatly. If I had to select from Perrault's fairy tales, I should +probably agree with Dr. Hadley"--another tribute to the perennial +charm of "Jack the Giant-killer." + +The interest of these personal literary experiences justify a +quotation from Dr. E. G. Cooley, superintendent of the Chicago +schools: "I was pretty well grown," he writes, "before any of this +literature reached me. My people were not believers in fairy stories, +and circumstances did not put them in my way. My boyhood hero was +Eumenes, as described in the second volume of Rollin's _Ancient +History_." Unfortunately the scope of the present volume has not +permitted the inclusion of Carlyle's version of the "Nibelungenlied" +or of Rollin's tale of Eumenes, or of the old ballad of "The Children +in the Wood," which was the choice of Dr. W. H. Maxwell, City +Superintendent of Schools in New York. + +While the reply of that sincere nature-lover, John Burroughs, +represents a gospel of negation, yet there is a vivid suggestiveness +in the later interest of the man--one whose sympathies and perception +have remained fresh and wholly sincere. "The truth is," he writes, "I +knew no fairy stories in my youth. That kind of literature did not +come within my reach. Our school library held no novels or fairy +books. An old woman who visited our house used to tell us youngsters +the story of 'Jack and the Bean-stalk,' and 'Jack the Giant-killer,' +'Bluebeard,' etc. When I had a boy of my own, I used to read Hans +Christian Andersen to him, and get quite as much interested as he did. +I do not recall that I ever read any fairy tales before Andersen's, +and did not read these till past middle life." + +It may be said again that while this book lays no claim to +comprehensiveness, we believe that its personal guidance represents a +high value which is fitly reinforced by the distinctive imagination +of Mr. Peter Newell. In the light of his quaint fancy, unexpected +humor, and sympathetic insight, these classic tales reveal a new store +of riches, and are clothed with a charm which even those of us who +love them had not foreseen. + +In the majority of cases these stories reproduce the excellent +versions given in Miss Mulock's _Fairy Book_ (Harper & Brothers). But +the publishers desire to acknowledge the courtesy of Messrs. Longmans, +Green & Co., for their permission to reproduce the admirable versions +of "Aladdin," the "Forty Thieves," and the "Story of the Three Bears" +from their _Blue and Green Fairy Books_, edited by Mr. Andrew Lang. +The "Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor" is from the series edited by +Mr. W. T. Stead, entitled, _Books for the Bairns_. + + + + +FAVORITE FAIRY TALES + + + + +JACK THE GIANT-KILLER + + +In the reign of the famous King Arthur, there lived, near the Land's +End of England, in the county of Cornwall, a worthy farmer who had an +only son named Jack. Jack was a boy of a bold temper; he took pleasure +in hearing or reading stories of wizards, conjurors, giants, and +fairies, and used to listen eagerly while his father talked of the +great deeds of the brave knights of King Arthur's Round Table. When +Jack was sent to take care of the sheep and oxen in the fields, he +used to to amuse himself with planning battles, sieges, and the means +to conquer or surprise a foe. He was above the common sports of +children, but hardly any one could equal him at wrestling; or, if he +met with a match for himself in strength, his skill and address always +made him the victor. + +In those days there lived on St. Michael's Mount, of Cornwall, which +rises out of the sea at some distance from the main-land, a huge +giant. He was eighteen feet high and three yards round, and his fierce +and savage looks were the terror of all his neighbors. He dwelt in a +gloomy cavern on the very top of the mountain, and used to wade over +to the main-land in search of his prey. When he came near, the people +left their houses; and after he had glutted his appetite upon their +cattle he would throw half a dozen oxen upon his back, and tie three +times as many sheep and hogs round his waist, and so march back to his +own abode. + + [Illustration: "I will broil you for my breakfast"] + +The giant had done this for many years, and the coast of Cornwall was +greatly hurt by his thefts, when Jack boldly resolved to destroy him. +He therefore took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a dark lantern, and +early in a long winter's evening he swam to the Mount. There he fell +to work at once, and before morning he had dug a pit twenty-two feet +deep and almost as many broad. He covered it over with sticks and +straw, and strewed some of the earth over them, to make it look just +like solid ground. He then put his horn to his mouth, and blew such a +loud and long tantivy that the giant awoke and came towards Jack, +roaring like thunder: "You saucy villain, you shall pay dearly for +breaking my rest; I will broil you for my breakfast." He had scarcely +spoken these words when he came advancing one step farther; but then +he tumbled headlong into the pit, and his fall shook the very +mountain. + +"Oho, Mr. Giant!" said Jack, looking into the pit, "have you found +your way so soon to the bottom? How is your appetite now? Will nothing +serve you for breakfast this cold morning but broiling poor Jack?" + +The giant now tried to rise, but Jack struck him a blow on the crown +of the head with his pickaxe, which killed him at once. Jack then made +haste back to rejoice his friends with the news of the giant's death. +When the justices of Cornwall heard of this valiant action, they sent +for Jack, and declared that he should always be called Jack the +Giant-killer; and they also gave him a sword and belt, upon which was +written, in letters of gold: + + "This is the valiant Cornishman + Who slew the giant Cormoran." + +The news of Jack's exploits soon spread over the western parts of +England; and another giant, called Old Blunderbore, vowed to have +revenge on Jack if it should ever be his fortune to get him into his +power. The giant kept an enchanted castle in the midst of a lonely +wood. About four months after the death of Cormoran, as Jack was +taking a journey into Wales, he passed through this wood, and as he +was very weary he sat down to rest by the side of a pleasant fountain, +and there he fell into a deep sleep. The giant came to the fountain +for water just at this time and found Jack there; and as the lines on +Jack's belt showed who he was, the giant lifted him up and laid him +gently upon his shoulder to carry him to his castle; but as he passed +through the thicket the rustling of the leaves waked Jack, and he was +sadly afraid when he found himself in the clutches of Blunderbore. + +Yet this was nothing to his fright soon after; for when they reached +the castle he beheld the floor covered all over with the skulls and +bones of men and women. The giant took him into a large room, where +lay the hearts and limbs of persons who had been lately killed; and he +told Jack, with a horrid grin, that men's hearts, eaten with pepper +and vinegar, were his nicest food, and, also, that he thought he +should make a dainty meal on his heart. When he had said this he +locked Jack up in that room, while he went to fetch another giant, who +lived in the same wood, to enjoy a dinner off Jack's flesh with him. +While he was away, Jack heard dreadful shrieks, groans, and cries from +many parts of the castle; and soon after he heard a mournful voice +repeat these lines: + + "Haste, valiant stranger, haste away, + Lest you become the giant's prey. + On his return he'll bring another, + Still more savage than his brother; + A horrid, cruel monster who, + Before he kills, will torture you. + Oh, valiant stranger! haste away, + Or you'll become these giants' prey." + +This warning was so shocking to poor Jack that he was ready to go +mad. He ran to the window and saw the two giants coming along arm in +arm. This window was right over the gates of the castle. "Now," +thought Jack, "either my death or freedom is at hand." + +There were two strong cords in the room. Jack made a large noose with +a slip-knot at the ends of both these, and, as the giants were coming +through the gates, he threw the ropes over their heads. He then made +the other ends fast to a beam in the ceiling, and pulled with all his +might, till he had almost strangled them. When he saw that they were +both black in the face, and had not the least strength left, he drew +his sword and slid down the ropes; he then killed the giants, and thus +saved himself from a cruel death. Jack next took a great bunch of keys +from the pocket of Blunderbore, and went into the castle again. He +made a strict search through all the rooms, and in them found three +ladies tied up by the hair of their heads, and almost starved to +death. They told him that their husbands had been killed by the +giants, who had then condemned them to be starved to death, because +they would not eat the flesh of their own dead husbands. + +"Ladies," said Jack, "I have put an end to the monster and his wicked +brother; and I give you this castle and all the riches it contains, to +make you some amends for the dreadful pains you have felt." He then +very politely gave them the keys of the castle, and went farther on +his journey to Wales. + +As Jack had not taken any of the giant's riches for himself, and had +very little money of his own, he thought it best to travel as fast as +he could. At length he lost his way, and when night came on he was in +a lonely valley between two lofty mountains. There he walked about for +some hours, without seeing any dwelling-place, so he thought himself +very lucky at last in finding a large and handsome house. He went up +to it boldly, and knocked loudly at the gate; when, to his great +terror and surprise, there came forth a monstrous giant with two +heads. He spoke to Jack very civilly, for he was a Welsh giant, and +all the mischief he did was by private and secret malice, under the +show of friendship and kindness. + +Jack told him that he was a traveller who had lost his way, on which +the huge monster made him welcome, and led him into a room where there +was a good bed in which to pass the night. Jack took off his clothes +quickly; but though he was so 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." 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 hid himself in a +dark corner of the room. In the middle of the night the giant came +with his great club, and struck many heavy blows on the bed, in the +very place where Jack had laid the billet, and then he went back to +his own room, thinking he had broken all his bones. Early in the +morning Jack put a bold face upon the matter, and walked into the +giant's room to thank him for his lodging. + +The giant started when he saw him, and he began to stammer out: "Oh, +dear me! is it you? Pray how did you sleep last night? Did you hear or +see 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 his 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, and went to bring two great bowls of hasty-pudding for their +breakfast. + +Jack wished to make the giant believe that he could eat as much as +himself, so he contrived to button a leathern bag inside his coat, and +slipped the hasty-pudding into this bag, while he seemed to put it +into his mouth. When breakfast was over, he said to the giant, "Now I +will show you a fine trick; I can cure all wounds with a touch; I +could cut off my head one minute, and the next put it sound again on +my shoulders; you shall see an example." He then took hold of the +knife, ripped up the leathern bag, and all the hasty-pudding tumbled +out upon the floor. + +"Ods splutter hur nails," cried the Welsh giant, who was ashamed to +be outdone by such a little fellow as Jack; "hur can do that +hurself." So he snatched up the knife, plunged it into his stomach, +and in a moment dropped down dead. + +As soon as Jack had thus tricked the Welsh monster, he went farther on +his journey; and a few days after he met with King Arthur's only son, +who had got his father's leave to travel into Wales, to deliver a +beautiful lady from the power of a wicked magician, by whom she was +held in enchantment. When Jack found that the young prince had no +servants with him, he begged leave to attend him; and the prince at +once agreed to this, and gave Jack many thanks for his kindness. + +King Arthur's son was a handsome, polite, and brave knight, and so +good-natured that he gave money to everybody he met. At length he gave +his last penny to an old woman, and then turned to Jack. "How shall we +be able to get food for ourselves the rest of our journey?" + +"Leave that to me, sir," replied Jack; "I will provide for my prince." + +Night now came on, and the prince began to grow uneasy at thinking +where they should lodge. + +"Sir," said Jack, "be of good heart; two miles farther lives a large +giant, whom I know well; he has three heads, and will fight five +hundred men, and make them fly before him." + +"Alas!" cried the king's son, "we had better never have been born than +meet with such a monster." + +"My lord, leave me to manage him, and wait here in quiet till I +return." + +The prince now stayed behind, while Jack rode on at full speed; and +when he came to the gates of the castle he gave a loud knock. The +giant, with a voice like thunder, roared out, "Who is there?" + +Jack made answer, and said, "No one but your poor cousin Jack." + +"Well," said the giant, "what news, Cousin Jack?" + +"Dear uncle," said Jack, "I have heavy news." + +"Pooh!" said the giant, "what heavy news can come to me? I am a giant +with three heads, and can fight five hundred men, and make them fly +before me." + +"Alas!" said Jack, "here's the king's son coming with two thousand men +to kill you, and to destroy the castle and all that you have." + +"Oh, Cousin Jack," said the giant, "this is heavy news indeed! But I +have a large cellar underground, where I will hide myself, and you +shall lock, bolt, and bar me in, and keep the keys till the king's son +is gone." + +Now, when Jack had barred the giant fast in the vault, he went back +and fetched the prince to the castle; they both made themselves merry +with the wine and other dainties that were in the house. So that +night they rested very pleasantly while the poor giant lay trembling +and shaking with fear in the cellar underground. Early in the morning +Jack gave the king's son gold and silver out of the giant's treasure, +and accompanied him three miles forward on his journey. The prince +then sent Jack to let his uncle out of the hole, who asked him what he +should give him as a reward for saving his castle. + +"Why, good uncle," said Jack, "I desire nothing but the old coat and +cap, with the old rusty sword and slippers, which are hanging at your +bed's head." + +"Then," said the giant, "you shall have them; and pray keep them for +my sake, for they are things of great use. The coat will keep you +invisible, the cap will give you knowledge, the sword will cut through +anything, and the shoes are of vast swiftness; they may be useful to +you in all times of danger, so take them with all my heart." + +Jack gave many thanks to the giant, and then set off to the prince. +When he had come up to the king's son, they soon arrived at the +dwelling of the beautiful lady, who was under the power of a wicked +magician. She received the prince very politely and made a noble feast +for him; when it was ended, she rose, and, wiping her mouth with a +fine handkerchief, said, "My lord, you must submit to the custom of my +palace; to-morrow morning I command you to tell me on whom I bestow +this handkerchief, or lose your head." She then left the room. + +The young prince went to bed very mournful, but Jack put on his cap of +knowledge, which told him that the lady was forced, by the power of +enchantment, to meet the wicked magician every night in the middle of +the forest. Jack now put on his coat of darkness and his shoes of +swiftness and was there before her. When the lady came she gave the +handkerchief to the magician. Jack, with his sword of sharpness, at +one blow cut off his head; the enchantment was then ended in a moment, +and the lady was restored to her former virtue and goodness. She was +married to the prince on the next day, and soon after went back, with +her royal husband and a great company, to the court of King Arthur, +where they were received with loud and joyful welcomes; and the +valiant hero Jack, for the many great exploits he had done for the +good of his country, was made one of the Knights of the Round Table. + +As Jack had been so lucky in all his adventures, he resolved not to be +idle for the future, but still to do what services he could for the +honor of the king and the nation. He therefore humbly begged his +majesty to furnish him with a horse and money, that he might travel in +search of new and strange exploits. "For," said he to the king, "there +are many giants yet living in the remote parts of Wales, to the great +terror and distress of your majesty's subjects; therefore, if it +please you, sire, to favor me in my design, I will soon rid your +kingdom of these giants and monsters in human shape." + +Now when the king heard this offer, and began to think of the cruel +deeds of these blood-thirsty giants and savage monsters, he gave Jack +everything proper for such a journey. After this, Jack took leave of +the king, the prince, and all the knights, and set off, taking with +him his cap of knowledge, his sword of sharpness, his shoes of +swiftness, and his invisible coat, the better to perform the great +exploits that might fall in his way. He went along over hills and +mountains, and on the third day he came to a wide forest. He had +hardly entered it when on a sudden he heard dreadful shrieks and +cries, and, forcing his way through the trees, saw a monstrous giant +dragging along by the hair of their heads a handsome knight and a +beautiful lady. Their tears and cries melted the heart of honest Jack; +he alighted from his horse, and, tying him to an oak-tree, put on his +invisible coat, under which he carried his sword of sharpness. + +When he came up to the giant he made several strokes at him, but could +not reach his body on account of the enormous height of the terrible +creature; but he wounded his thighs in several places, and at length, +putting both hands to his sword, and aiming with all his might, he cut +off both the giant's legs just below the garter; and the trunk of his +body, tumbling to the ground, made not only the trees shake, but the +earth itself tremble with the force of his fall. Then Jack, setting +his foot upon his neck, exclaimed, "Thou barbarous and savage wretch, +behold, I come to execute upon thee the just reward for all thy +crimes," and instantly plunged his sword into the giant's body. The +huge monster gave a groan, and yielded up his life into the hands of +the victorious Jack the Giant-killer, while the noble knight and the +virtuous lady were both joyful spectators of his sudden death. They +not only returned Jack hearty thanks for their deliverance, but also +invited him to their house, to refresh himself after his dreadful +encounter, as likewise to receive a reward for his good services. + +"No," said Jack, "I cannot be at ease till I find out the den that was +the monster's habitation." + +The knight, on hearing this, grew very sorrowful, and replied: "Noble +stranger, it is too much to run a second hazard; this monster lived in +a den under yonder mountain, with a brother of his, more fierce and +cruel than himself; therefore, if you should go thither, and perish in +the attempt, it would be a heart-breaking thing to me and my lady; so +let me persuade you to go back with us, and desist from any further +pursuit." + +"Nay," answered Jack, "if there be another, even if there were twenty, +I would shed the last drop of blood in my body before one of them +should escape. When I have finished this task, I will come and pay my +respects to you." + +So when they had told him where to find them again, he got on his +horse and went after the dead giant's brother. + +Jack had not ridden a mile and a half before he came in sight of the +mouth of the cavern, and nigh the entrance of it he saw the other +giant sitting on a huge block of timber, with a knotted iron club +lying by his side, waiting for his brother. His eyes looked like +flames of fire, his face was grim and ugly, and his cheeks were like +two flitches of bacon; the bristles of his beard seemed to be thick +rods of iron wire, and his long locks of hair hung down upon his +broad shoulders like curling snakes. Jack got down from his horse and +turned him into a thicket; then he put on his coat of darkness and +drew a little nearer to behold this figure, and said, softly, "Oh, +monster! are you there? It will not be long before I shall take you +fast by the beard." + +The giant all this while could not see him, by reason of his invisible +coat, so Jack came quite close to him, and struck a blow at his head +with his sword of sharpness; but he missed his aim, and only cut off +his nose, which made him roar like loud claps of thunder. He rolled +his glaring eyes round on every side, but could not see who had given +him the blow; so he took up his iron club, and began to lay about him +like one that was mad with pain and fury. + +"Nay," said Jack, "if this be the case, I will kill you at once." So +saying, he slipped nimbly behind him, and jumping upon the block of +timber, as the giant rose from it, he stabbed him in the back, when, +after a few howls, he dropped down dead. Jack cut off his head and +sent it, with the head of his brother, to King Arthur by a wagon which +he had hired for that purpose. When Jack had thus killed these two +monsters, he went into their cave in search of their treasure. He +passed through many turnings and windings, which led him to a room +paved with freestone; at the end of it was a boiling caldron, and on +the right hand stood a large table, where the giants used to dine. He +then came to a window that was secured with iron bars, through which +he saw a number of wretched captives, who cried out when they saw +Jack, "Alas! alas! young man, you are come to be one among us in this +horrid den." + +"I hope," said Jack, "you will not stay here long; but pray tell me +what is the meaning of your being here at all?" + +"Alas!" said one poor old man, "I will tell you, sir. We are persons +that have been taken by the giants who hold this cave, and are kept +till they choose to have a feast; then one of us is to be killed, and +cooked to please their taste. It is not long since they took three for +the same purpose." + +"Well," said Jack, "I have given them such a dinner that it will be +long enough before they have any more." + +The captives were amazed at his words. + +"You may believe me," said Jack, "for I have killed them both with the +edge of this sword, and have sent their large heads to the court of +King Arthur, as marks of my great success." + +To show that what he said was true, he unlocked the gate and set the +captives all free. Then he led them to the great room, placed them +round the table, and placed before them two quarters of beef, with +bread and wine, upon which they feasted their fill. When supper was +over they searched the giant's coffers, and Jack divided among them +all the treasures. The next morning they set off to their homes, and +Jack to the knight's house, whom he had left with his lady not long +before. + +He was received with the greatest joy by the thankful knight and his +lady, who, in honor of Jack's exploits, gave a grand feast, to which +all the nobles and gentry were invited. When the company were +assembled, the knight declared to them the great actions of Jack, and +gave him, as a mark of respect, a fine ring, on which was engraved the +picture of the giant dragging the knight and the lady by the hair, +with this motto round it: + + "Behold in dire distress were we, + Under a giant's fierce command; + But gained our lives and liberty + From valiant Jack's victorious hand." + +Among the guests then present were five aged gentlemen, who were +fathers to some of those captives who had been freed by Jack from the +dungeon of the giants. As soon as they heard that he was the person +who had done such wonders, they pressed round him with tears of joy, +to return him thanks for the happiness he had caused them. After this +the bowl went round, and every one drank the health and long life of +the gallant hero. Mirth increased, and the hall was filled with peals +of laughter. + +But, on a sudden, a herald, pale and breathless, rushed into the midst +of the company, and told them that Thundel, a savage giant with two +heads, had heard of the death of his two kinsmen, and was come to take +his revenge on Jack, and that he was now within a mile of the house, +the people flying before him like chaff before the wind. At this news +the very boldest of the guests trembled; but Jack drew his sword, and +said: "Let him come; I have a rod for him also. Pray, ladies and +gentlemen, do me the favor to walk into the garden, and you shall soon +behold the giant's defeat and death." + +To this they all agreed, and heartily wished him success in his +dangerous attempt. + +The knight's house stood in the middle of a moat, thirty feet deep and +twenty wide, over which lay a drawbridge. Jack set men to work to cut +the bridge on both sides, almost to the middle, and then dressed +himself in his coat of darkness and went against the giant with his +sword of sharpness. As he came close to him, though the giant could +not see him for his invisible coat, yet he found some danger was near, +which made him cry out: + + "Fa, fe, fi, fo, fum, + I smell the blood of an Englishman; + Let him be alive, or let him be dead, + I'll grind his bones to make me bread." + +"Say you so, my friend?" said Jack; "you are a monstrous miller, +indeed!" + +"Art thou," cried the giant, "the villain that killed my kinsmen? Then +I will tear thee with my teeth and grind thy bones to powder." + +"You must catch me first," said Jack; and throwing off his coat of +darkness, and putting on his shoes of swiftness he began to run, the +giant following him like a walking castle, making the earth shake at +every step. + +Jack led him round and round the walls of the house, that the company +might see the monster; then, to finish the work, he ran over the +drawbridge, the giant going after him with his club; but when he came +to the middle, where the bridge had been cut on both sides, the great +weight of his body made it break, and he tumbled into the water, where +he rolled about like a large whale. Jack now stood by the side of the +moat, and laughed and jeered at him, saying, "I think you told me you +would grind my bones to powder; when will you begin?" + +The giant foamed at both his horrid mouths with fury, and plunged from +side to side of the moat; but he could not get out to have revenge on +his little foe. At last Jack ordered a cart-rope to be brought to him: +he then drew it over the giant's two heads, and, by the help of a team +of horses, dragged him to the edge of the moat, where he cut off his +heads; and before he either ate or drank, sent them both to the court +of King Arthur. He then went back to the table with the company, and +the rest of the day was spent in mirth and good cheer. + +After staying with the knight for some time, Jack grew weary of such +an idle life, and set out again in search of new adventures. He went +over hills and dales without meeting any, till he came to the foot of +a very high mountain. Here he knocked at the door of a small and +lonely house, and an old man, with a head as white as snow, let him +in. + +"Good father," said Jack, "can you lodge a traveller who has lost his +way?" + +"Yes," said the hermit, "I can, if you will accept such fare as my +poor house affords." + +Jack entered, and the old man set before him some bread and fruit for +his supper. When Jack had eaten as much as he chose, the hermit said: +"My son, I know you are the famous conqueror of giants; now, at the +top of this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by a giant named +Galligantus, who, by the help of a vile magician, gets many knights +into his castle, where he changes them into the shape of beasts. Above +all, I lament the hard fate of a duke's daughter, whom they seized as +she was walking in her father's garden, and brought hither through the +air in a chariot drawn by two fiery dragons, and turned her into the +shape of a deer. Many knights have tried to destroy the enchantment +and deliver her, yet none have been able to do it, by reason of two +fiery griffins, who guard the gate of the castle, and destroy all who +come nigh; but as you, my son, have an invisible coat, you may pass by +them without being seen; and on the gates of the castle you will find +engraved by what means the enchantment may be broken." + +Jack promised that in the morning, at the risk of his life, he would +break the enchantment; and after a sound sleep he arose early, put on +his invisible coat, and got ready for the attempt. When he had climbed +to the top of the mountain he saw the two fiery griffins; but he +passed between them without the least fear of danger, for they could +not see him because of his invisible coat. On the castle gate he found +a golden trumpet, under which were written these lines: + + "Whoever can this trumpet blow, + Shall cause the giant's overthrow." + +As soon as Jack had read this he seized the trumpet and blew a shrill +blast, which made the gates fly open and the very castle itself +tremble. The giant and the conjuror 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. All the knights and +beautiful ladies, who had been changed into birds and beasts, returned +to their proper shapes. The castle vanished away like smoke, and the +head of the giant Galligantus was sent to King Arthur. The knights and +ladies rested that night at the old man's hermitage, and the next day +they set out for the court. Jack then went up to the king, and gave +his majesty an account of all his fierce battles. Jack's fame had +spread through the whole country, and at the king's desire the duke +gave him his daughter in marriage, to the joy of all the kingdom. +After this the king gave him a large estate, on which he and his lady +lived the rest of their days in joy and content. + + + + +CINDERELLA + +OR + +THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER + + +There was once an honest gentleman who took for his second wife a +lady, the proudest and most disagreeable in the whole country. She had +two daughters exactly like herself in all things. He also had one +little girl, who resembled her dead mother, the best woman in all the +world. Scarcely had the second marriage taken place than the +stepmother became jealous of the good qualities of the little girl, +who was so great a contrast to her own two daughters. She gave her all +the menial occupations of the house: compelled her to wash the floors +and staircases, to dust the bedrooms, and clean the grates; and while +her sisters occupied carpeted chambers hung with mirrors, where they +could see themselves from head to foot, this poor little damsel was +sent to sleep in an attic, on an old straw mattress, with only one +chair and not a looking-glass in the room. + +She suffered all in silence, not daring to complain to her father, who +was entirely ruled by his new wife. When her daily work was done she +used to sit down in the chimney-corner among the ashes, from which the +two sisters gave her the nickname of "Cinderella." But Cinderella, +however shabbily clad, was handsomer than they were with all their +fine clothes. + +It happened that the king's son gave a series of balls, to which were +invited all the rank and fashion of the city, and among the rest the +two elder sisters. They were very proud and happy, and occupied their +whole time in deciding what they should wear, a source of new trouble +to Cinderella, whose duty it was to get up their fine linen and laces, +and who never could please them however much she tried. They talked of +nothing but their clothes. + +"I," said the elder, "shall wear my velvet gown and my trimmings of +English lace." + +"And I," added the younger, "will have but my ordinary silk petticoat, +but I shall adorn it with an upper skirt of flowered brocade, and +shall put on my diamond tiara, which is a great deal finer than +anything of yours." + +Here the elder sister grew angry, and dispute began to run so high +that Cinderella, who was known to have excellent taste, was called +upon to decide between them. She gave them the best advice she could, +and gently and submissively offered to dress them herself, and +especially to arrange their hair, an accomplishment in which she +excelled many a noted coiffeur. The important evening came, and she +exercised all her skill to adorn the two young ladies. While she was +combing out the elder's hair, this ill-natured girl said, sharply, +"Cinderella, do you not wish you were going to the ball?" + +"Ah, madam" (they obliged her always to say madam), "you are only +mocking me; it is not my fortune to have any such pleasure." + +"You are right; people would only laugh to see a little cinder-wench +at a ball." + +Any other than Cinderella would have dressed the hair all awry, but +she was good, and dressed it perfectly even and smooth, and as +prettily as she could. + +The sisters had scarcely eaten for two days, and had broken a dozen +stay-laces a day, in trying to make themselves slender; but to-night +they broke a dozen more, and lost their tempers over and over again +before they had completed their toilet. When at last the happy moment +arrived, Cinderella followed them to the coach; after it had whirled +them away, she sat down by the kitchen fire and cried. + +Immediately her godmother, who was a fairy, appeared beside her. "What +are you crying for, my little maid?" + +"Oh, I wish--I wish--" Her sobs stopped her. + +"You wish to go to the ball; isn't it so?" + +Cinderella nodded. + +"Well, then, be a good girl and you shall go. First run into the +garden and fetch me the largest pumpkin you can find." + +Cinderella did not comprehend what this had to do with her going to +the ball, but, being obedient and obliging, she went. Her godmother +took the pumpkin, and, having scooped out all its inside, struck it +with her wand; it became a splendid gilt coach lined with rose-colored +satin. + +"Now fetch me the mouse-trap out of the pantry, my dear." + +Cinderella brought it; it contained six of the fattest, sleekest mice. +The fairy lifted up the wire door, and as each mouse ran out she +struck it and changed it into a beautiful black horse. + +"But what shall I do for your coachman, Cinderella?" + +Cinderella suggested that she had seen a large black rat in the +rat-trap, and he might do for want of better. + +"You are right; go and look again for him." + +He was found, and the fairy made him into a most respectable coachman, +with the finest whiskers imaginable. She afterwards took six lizards +from behind the pumpkin frame and changed them into six footmen, all +in splendid livery, who immediately jumped up behind the carriage, as +if they had been footmen all their days. "Well, Cinderella, now you +can go to the ball." + +"What, in these clothes?" said Cinderella piteously, looking down on +her ragged frock. + +Her godmother laughed, and touched her also with the wand, at which +her wretched, threadbare jacket became stiff with gold and sparkling +with jewels; her woollen petticoat lengthened into a gown of sweeping +satin, from underneath which peeped out her little feet, no longer +bare, but covered with silk stockings and the prettiest glass slippers +in the world. "Now, Cinderella, depart; but remember, if you stay one +instant after midnight, your carriage will become a pumpkin, your +coachman a rat, your horses mice, and your footmen lizards; while you +yourself will be the little cinder-wench you were an hour ago." + +Cinderella promised without fear, her heart was so full of joy. + +Arrived at the palace, the king's son, whom some one, probably the +fairy, had told to await the coming of an uninvited princess whom +nobody knew, was standing at the entrance ready to receive her. He +offered her his hand, and led her with the utmost courtesy through the +assembled guests, who stood aside to let her pass, whispering to one +another, "Oh, how beautiful she is!" It might have turned the head of +any one but poor Cinderella, who was so used to be despised that she +took it all as if it were something happening in a dream. + +Her triumph was complete; even the old king said to the queen, that +never since her majesty's young days had he seen so charming and +elegant a person. All the court ladies scanned her eagerly, clothes +and all, determining to have theirs made next day of exactly the same +pattern. The king's son himself led her out to dance, and she danced +so gracefully that he admired her more and more. Indeed, at supper, +which was fortunately early, his admiration quite took away his +appetite. For Cinderella herself, with an involuntary shyness she +sought out her sisters, placed herself beside them, and offered them +all sorts of civil attentions, which, coming as they supposed from a +stranger, and so magnificent a lady, almost overwhelmed them with +delight. + +While she was talking with them she heard the clock strike a quarter +to twelve, and making a courteous adieu to the royal family, she +re-entered her carriage, escorted tenderly by the king's son, and +arrived in safety at her own door. There she found her godmother, who +smiled approval, and of whom she begged permission to go to a second +ball, the following night, to which the queen had earnestly invited +her. + +While she was talking the two sisters were heard knocking at the +gate, and the fairy godmother vanished, leaving Cinderella sitting in +the chimney-corner, rubbing her eyes and pretending to be very sleepy. + +"Ah," cried the eldest sister, maliciously, "it has been the most +delightful ball, and there was present the most beautiful princess I +ever saw, who was so exceedingly polite to us both." + +"Was she?" said Cinderella, indifferently; "and who might she be?" + +"Nobody knows, though everybody would give their eyes to know, +especially the king's son." + +"Indeed!" replied Cinderella, a little more interested. "I should like +to see her. Miss Javotte"--that was the elder sister's name--"will you +not let me go to-morrow, and lend me your yellow gown that you wear on +Sundays?" + +"What, lend my yellow gown to a cinder-wench! I am not so mad as +that." At which refusal Cinderella did not complain, for if her sister +really had lent her the gown she would have been considerably +embarrassed. + +The next night came, and the two young ladies, richly dressed in +different toilets, went to the ball. Cinderella, more splendidly +attired and beautiful than ever, followed them shortly after. "Now +remember twelve o'clock," was her godmother's parting speech, and she +thought she certainly should. But the prince's attentions to her were +greater even than the first evening, and, in the delight of listening +to his pleasant conversation, time slipped by unperceived. While she +was sitting beside him in a lovely alcove, and looking at the moon +from under a bower of orange blossoms, she heard a clock strike the +first stroke of twelve. She started up, and fled away as lightly as a +deer. + +Amazed, the prince followed, but could not catch her. Indeed, he +missed his lovely princess altogether, and only saw running out of +the palace doors a little dirty lass whom he had never beheld before, +and of whom he certainly would never have taken the least notice. +Cinderella arrived at home breathless and weary, ragged and cold, +without carriage or footmen or coachman, the only remnant of her past +magnificence being one of her little glass slippers--the other she had +dropped in the ballroom as she ran away. + +When the two sisters returned they were full of this strange +adventure: how the beautiful lady had appeared at the ball more +beautiful than ever, and enchanted every one who looked at her; and +how as the clock was striking twelve she had suddenly risen up and +fled through the ballroom, disappearing no one knew how or where, and +dropping one of her glass slippers behind her in her flight. How the +king's son had remained inconsolable until he chanced to pick up the +little glass slipper, which he carried away in his pocket, and was +seen to take it out continually, and look at it affectionately, with +the air of a man very much in love; in fact, from his behavior during +the remainder of the evening, all the court and royal family were +convinced that he had become desperately enamoured of the wearer of +the little glass slipper. + +Cinderella listened in silence, turning her face to the kitchen fire, +and perhaps it was that which made her look so rosy, but nobody ever +noticed or admired her at home, so it did not signify, and next +morning she went to her weary work again just as before. + +A few days after, the whole city was attracted by the sight of a +herald going round with a little glass slipper in his hand, +publishing, with a flourish of trumpets, that the king's son ordered +this to be fitted on the foot of every lady in the kingdom, and that +he wished to marry the lady whom it fitted best, or to whom it and +the fellow-slipper belonged. Princesses, duchesses, countesses, and +simple gentlewomen all tried it on, but, being a fairy slipper, it +fitted nobody; and, besides, nobody could produce its fellow-slipper, +which lay all the time safely in the pocket of Cinderella's old linsey +gown. + +At last the herald came to the house of the two sisters, and though +they well knew neither of themselves was the beautiful lady, they made +every attempt to get their clumsy feet into the glass slipper, but in +vain. + +"Let me try it on," said Cinderella, from the chimney-corner. + +"What, you?" cried the others, bursting into shouts of laughter; but +Cinderella only smiled and held out her hand. + +Her sisters could not prevent her, since the command was that every +young maiden in the city should try on the slipper, in order that no +chance might be left untried, for the prince was nearly breaking his +heart; and his father and mother were afraid that, though a prince, he +would actually die for love of the beautiful unknown lady. + +So the herald bade Cinderella sit down on a three-legged stool in the +kitchen, and himself put the slipper on her pretty little foot, which +it fitted exactly. She then drew from her pocket the fellow-slipper, +which she also put on, and stood up--for with the touch of the magic +shoes all her dress was changed likewise--no longer the poor, despised +cinder-wench, but the beautiful lady whom the king's son loved. + +Her sisters recognized her at once. Filled with astonishment, mingled +with no little alarm, they threw themselves at her feet, begging her +pardon for all their former unkindness. She raised and embraced them, +told them she forgave them with all her heart, and only hoped they +would love her always. Then she departed with the herald to the king's +palace, and told her whole story to his majesty and the royal family, +who were not in the least surprised, for everybody believed in +fairies, and everybody longed to have a fairy godmother. + + [Illustration: The slipper fitted exactly] + +For the young prince, he found her more lovely and lovable than ever, +and insisted upon marrying her immediately. Cinderella never went home +again, but she sent for her two sisters to the palace, and with the +consent of all parties married them shortly after to two rich +gentlemen of the court. + + + + +JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK + + +In the days of King Alfred there lived a poor woman whose cottage was +in a remote country village many miles from London. She had been a +widow some years, and had an only child named Jack, whom she indulged +so much that he never paid the least attention to anything she said, +but was indolent, careless, and extravagant. His follies were not +owing to a bad disposition, but to his mother's foolish partiality. By +degrees he spent all that she had--scarcely anything remained but a +cow. + +One day, for the first time in her life, she reproached him: "Cruel, +cruel boy! you have at last brought me to beggary. I have not money +enough to purchase even a bit of bread; nothing now remains to sell +but my poor cow! I am sorry to part with her; it grieves me sadly, but +we cannot starve." For a few minutes Jack felt remorse, but it was +soon over; and he began asking his mother to let him sell the cow at +the next village, teasing her so much that she at last consented. + +As he was going along he met a butcher, who inquired why he was +driving the cow from home? Jack replied he was going to sell it. The +butcher held some curious beans in his hat; they were of various +colors and attracted Jack's attention. This did not pass unnoticed by +the man, who, knowing Jack's easy temper, thought now was the time to +take an advantage of it, and, determined not to let slip so good an +opportunity, asked what was the price of the cow, offering at the same +time all the beans in his hat for her. The silly boy could not +conceal the pleasure he felt at what he supposed so great an offer; +the bargain was struck instantly, and the cow exchanged for a few +paltry beans. Jack made the best of his way home, calling aloud to his +mother before he reached the door, thinking to surprise her. + +When she saw the beans and heard Jack's account, her patience quite +forsook her; she tossed the beans out of the window, where they fell +on the garden-bed below. Then she threw her apron over her head and +cried bitterly. Jack attempted to console her, but in vain, and, not +having anything to eat, they both went supperless to bed. Jack awoke +early in the morning, and, seeing something uncommon darkening the +window of his bedchamber, ran down-stairs into the garden, where he +found some of the beans had taken root and sprung up surprisingly; the +stalks were of an immense thickness, and had twined together until +they formed a ladder like a chain, and so high that the top appeared +to be lost in the clouds. Jack was an adventurous lad; he determined +to climb up to the top, and ran to tell his mother, not doubting but +that she would be as much pleased as he was. She declared he should +not go, said it would break her heart if he did--entreated and +threatened, but all in vain. Jack set out, and after climbing for some +hours reached the top of the bean-stalk quite exhausted. Looking +around, he found himself in a strange country; it appeared to be a +barren desert--not a tree, shrub, house, or living creature was to be +seen; here and there were scattered fragments of stone; and at unequal +distances small heaps of earth were loosely thrown together. + +Jack seated himself pensively upon a block of stone and thought of his +mother; he reflected with sorrow upon his disobedience in climbing +the bean-stalk against her will, and concluded that he must die of +hunger. However, he walked on, hoping to see a house where he might +beg something to eat and drink. He did not find it; but he saw at a +distance a beautiful lady, walking all alone. She was elegantly clad +and carried a white wand, at the top of which sat a peacock of pure +gold. + +Jack, who was a gallant fellow, went straight up to her, when, with a +bewitching smile, she asked him how he came there. He told her all +about the bean-stalk. The lady answered him by a question, "Do you +remember your father, young man?" + +"No, madam; but I am sure there is some mystery about him, for when I +name him to my mother she always begins to weep, and will tell me +nothing." + +"She dare not," replied the lady, "but I can and will. For know, +young man, that I am a fairy and was your father's guardian. But +fairies are bound by laws as well as mortals, and by an error of mine +I lost my power for a term of years, so that I was unable to succour +your father when he most needed it, and he died." Here the fairy +looked so sorrowful that Jack's heart warmed to her, and he begged her +earnestly to tell him more. + +"I will; only you must promise to obey me in everything, or you will +perish yourself." + +Jack was brave, and, besides, his fortunes were so bad they could not +well be worse, so he promised. + +The fairy continued: "Your father, Jack, was a most excellent, +amiable, generous man. He had a good wife, faithful servants, plenty +of money; but he had one misfortune--a false friend. This was a giant, +whom he had succoured in misfortune, and who returned his kindness by +murdering him, and seizing on all his property; also making your +mother take a solemn oath that she would never tell you anything about +your father, or he would murder both her and you. Then he turned her +off with you in her arms, to wander about the wide world as she might. +I could not help her, as my power only returned on the day you went to +sell your cow. + +"It was I," added the fairy, "who impelled you to take the beans, who +made the bean-stalk grow, and inspired you with the desire to climb up +it to this strange country; for it is here the wicked giant lives who +was your father's destroyer. It is you who must avenge him, and rid +the world of a monster who never will do anything but evil. I will +assist you. You may lawfully take possession of his house and all his +riches, for everything he has belonged to your father, and is +therefore yours. Now farewell! Do not let your mother know you are +acquainted with your father's history. This is my command, and if you +disobey me you will suffer for it. Now go." + +Jack asked where he was to go. + +"Along the direct road till you see the house where the giant lives. +You must then act according to your own just judgment, and I will +guide you if any difficulty arises. Farewell!" + +She bestowed on the youth a benignant smile, and vanished. + +Jack pursued his journey. He walked on till after sunset, when to his +great joy, he espied a large mansion. A plain-looking woman was at the +door; he accosted her, begging she would give him a morsel of bread +and a night's lodging. She expressed the greatest surprise, and said +it was quite uncommon to see a human being near their house; for it +was well known that her husband was a powerful giant, who would never +eat anything but human flesh, if he could possibly get it; that he +would walk fifty miles to procure it, usually being out the whole day +for that purpose. + +This account greatly terrified Jack, but still he hoped to elude the +giant, and therefore he again entreated the woman to take him in for +one night only, and hide him where she thought proper. She at last +suffered herself to be persuaded, for she was of a compassionate and +generous disposition, and took him into the house. First they entered +a fine large hall magnificently furnished; they then passed through +several spacious rooms in the same style of grandeur; but all appeared +forsaken and desolate. A long gallery came next; it was very +dark--just light enough to show that, instead of a wall on one side, +there was a grating of iron which parted off a dismal dungeon, from +whence issued the groans of those victims whom the cruel giant +reserved in confinement for his own voracious appetite. + +Poor Jack was half dead with fear, and would have given the world to +have been with his mother again, for he now began to doubt if he +should ever see her more; he even mistrusted the good woman, and +thought she had let him into the house for no other purpose than to +lock him up among the unfortunate people in the dungeon. However, she +bade Jack sit down, and gave him plenty to eat and drink; and he, not +seeing anything to make him uncomfortable, soon forgot his fear and +was just beginning to enjoy himself, when he was startled by a loud +knocking at the outer door, which made the whole house shake. + +"Ah! that's the giant; and if he sees you he will kill you and me, +too," cried the poor woman, trembling all over. "What shall I do?" + +"Hide me in the oven," cried Jack, now as bold as a lion at the +thought of being face to face with his father's cruel murderer. So he +crept into the oven--for there was no fire near it--and listened to +the giant's loud voice and heavy step as he went up and down the +kitchen scolding his wife. At last he seated himself at table, and +Jack, peeping through a crevice in the oven, was amazed to see what a +quantity of food he devoured. It seemed as if he never would have done +eating and drinking; but he did at last, and, leaning back, called to +his wife in a voice like thunder: + +"Bring me my hen!" + +She obeyed, and placed upon the table a very beautiful live hen. + +"Lay!" roared the giant, and the hen laid immediately an egg of solid +gold. + +"Lay another!" and every time the giant said this the hen laid a +larger egg than before. + +He amused himself a long time with his hen, and then sent his wife to +bed, while he fell asleep by the fireside and snored like the roaring +of cannon. + +As soon as he was asleep Jack crept out of the oven, seized the hen, +and ran off with her. He got safely out of the house, and, finding his +way along the road he came, reached the top of the bean-stalk, which +he descended in safety. + +His mother was overjoyed to see him. She thought he had come to some +ill end. + +"Not a bit of it, mother. Look here!" and he showed her the hen. "Now +lay," and the hen obeyed him as readily as the giant, and laid as many +golden eggs as he desired. + +These eggs being sold, Jack and his mother got plenty of money, and +for some months lived very happily together, till Jack got another +great longing to climb the bean-stalk and carry away some more of the +giant's riches. He had told his mother of his adventure, but had been +very careful not to say a word about his father. He thought of his +journey again and again, but still he could not summon resolution +enough to break it to his mother, being well assured that she would +endeavor to prevent his going. However, one day he told her boldly +that he must take another journey up the bean-stalk. She begged and +prayed him not to think of it, and tried all in her power to dissuade +him; she told him that the giant's wife would certainly know him +again, and that the giant would desire nothing better than to get him +into his power, that he might put him to a cruel death, in order to be +revenged for the loss of his hen. Jack, finding that all his arguments +were useless, ceased speaking, though resolved to go at all events. He +had a dress prepared which would disguise him, and something to color +his skin; he thought it impossible for any one to recollect him in +this dress. + +A few mornings after he rose very early, and, unperceived by any one, +climbed the bean-stalk a second time. He was greatly fatigued when he +reached the top, and very hungry. Having rested some time on one of +the stones, he pursued his journey to the giant's mansion, which he +reached late in the evening. The woman was at the door as before. Jack +addressed her, at the same time telling her a pitiful tale, and +requesting that she would give him some victuals and drink, and also a +night's lodging. + +She told him (what he knew before very well) about her husband's being +a powerful and cruel giant, and also that she had one night admitted a +poor, hungry, friendless boy; that the little ungrateful fellow had +stolen one of the giant's treasures, and ever since that her husband +had been worse than before, using her very cruelly, and continually +upbraiding her with being the cause of his misfortune. Jack felt +sorry for her, but confessed nothing, and did his best to persuade +her to admit him, but found it a very hard task. At last she +consented, and as she led the way, Jack observed that everything was +just as he had found it before. She took him into the kitchen, and +after he had done eating and drinking, she hid him in an old +lumber-closet. The giant returned at the usual time, and walked in so +heavily that the house was shaken to its foundation. He seated himself +by the fire, and soon after exclaimed, "Wife, I smell fresh meat!" + +The wife replied it was the crows which had brought a piece of raw +meat and left it at the top of the house. While supper was preparing, +the giant was very ill-tempered and impatient, frequently lifting up +his hand to strike his wife for not being quick enough. He was also +continually upbraiding her with the loss of his wonderful hen. + +At last, having ended his supper, he cried, "Give me something to +amuse me--my harp or my money-bags." + +"Which will you have, my dear?" said the wife, humbly. + +"My money-bags, because they are the heaviest to carry," thundered he. + +She brought them, staggering under the weight--two bags, one filled +with new guineas and the other with new shillings. She emptied them +out on the table, and the giant began counting them in great glee. +"Now you may go to bed, you old fool." So the wife crept away. + +Jack from his hiding-place watched the counting of the money, which he +knew was his poor father's, and wished it was his own; it would give +him much less trouble than going about selling the golden eggs. The +giant, little thinking he was so narrowly observed, reckoned it all +up, and then replaced it in the two bags, which he tied up very +carefully and put beside his chair, with his little dog to guard them. + +At last he fell asleep as before, and snored so loud that Jack +compared his noise to the roaring of the sea in a high wind, when the +tide is coming in. At last Jack, concluding all secure, stole out, in +order to carry off the two bags of money; but just as he laid his hand +upon one of them, the little dog, which he had not perceived before, +started from under the giant's chair and barked most furiously. +Instead of endeavoring to escape, Jack stood still, though expecting +his enemy to awake every instant. + +Contrary, however, to his expectation, the giant continued in a sound +sleep, and Jack, seeing a piece of meat, threw it to the dog, who at +once ceased barking and began to devour it. So Jack carried off the +bags, one on each shoulder, but they were so heavy that it took him +two whole days to descend the bean-stalk and get back to his mother's +door. + + [Illustration: Just as he laid his hand upon one of them, the + little dog barked most furiously] + +When he came he found the cottage deserted. He ran from one room to +another without being able to find any one; he then hastened into the +village, hoping to see some of the neighbors, who could inform him +where he could find his mother. An old woman at last directed him to a +neighboring house, where she was ill of a fever. He was greatly +shocked at finding her apparently dying, and blamed himself bitterly +as the cause of it all. However, at sight of her dear son, the poor +woman revived and slowly recovered her health. Jack gave her his two +money-bags. They had the cottage rebuilt and well furnished, and lived +happier than they had ever done before. + +For three years Jack heard no more of the bean-stalk, but he could not +forget it, though he feared making his mother unhappy. It was in vain +endeavoring to amuse himself; he became thoughtful, and would arise at +the first dawn of day, and sit looking at the bean-stalk for hours +together. His mother saw that something preyed upon his mind, and +endeavored to discover the cause; but Jack knew too well what the +consequence would be should she succeed. He did his utmost, therefore, +to conquer the great desire he had for another journey up the +bean-stalk. Finding, however, that his inclination grew too powerful +for him, he began to make secret preparations for his journey. He +prepared a new disguise, better and more complete than the former, and +when summer came, on the longest day he awoke as soon as it was light, +and, without telling his mother, ascended the bean-stalk. He found the +road, journey, etc., much as it was on the two former times. He +arrived at the giant's mansion in the evening, and found the wife +standing, as usual, at the door. Jack had disguised himself so +completely that she did not appear to have the least recollection of +him; however, when he pleaded hunger and poverty, in order to gain +admittance, he found it very difficult indeed to persuade her. At last +he prevailed, and was concealed in the copper. When the giant returned +he said, furiously, "I smell fresh meat!" But Jack felt quite +composed, since the giant had said this before and had been soon +satisfied. However, the giant started up suddenly, and, +notwithstanding all his wife could say, he searched all round the +room. While this was going forward Jack was exceedingly terrified, +wishing himself at home a thousand times; but when the giant +approached the copper and put his hand upon the lid, Jack thought his +death was certain. + +But nothing happened; for the giant did not take the trouble to lift +up the lid, but sat down shortly by the fireside and began to eat his +enormous supper. When he had finished he commanded his wife to fetch +down his harp. Jack peeped under the copper-lid and saw a most +beautiful harp. The giant placed it on the table, said "Play!" and it +played of its own accord, without anybody touching it, the most +exquisite music imaginable. Jack, who was a very good musician, was +delighted, and more anxious to get this than any other of his enemy's +treasures. But the giant not being particularly fond of music, the +harp had only the effect of lulling him to sleep earlier than usual. +As for the wife, she had gone to bed as soon as ever she could. + +As soon as he thought all was safe, Jack got out of the copper, and, +seizing the harp, was eagerly running off with it. But the harp was +enchanted by a fairy, and as soon as it found itself in strange hands +it called out loudly, just as if it had been alive, "Master! Master!" + +The giant awoke, started up, and saw Jack scampering away as fast as +his legs could carry him. + +"Oh, you villain! it is you who have robbed me of my hen and my +money-bags, and now you are stealing my harp also. Wait till I catch +you and I'll eat you up alive!" + +"Very well: try!" shouted Jack, who was not a bit afraid, for he saw +the giant was so tipsy he could hardly stand, much less run; and he +himself had young legs and a clear conscience, which carry a man a +long way. So, after leading the giant a considerable race, he +contrived to be first at the top of the bean-stalk, and then scrambled +down it as fast as he could, the harp playing all the while the most +melancholy music till he said "Stop," and it stopped. + +Arrived at the bottom, he found his mother sitting at her cottage door +weeping silently. + +"Here, mother, don't cry; just give me a hatchet--make haste." For he +knew there was not a moment to spare; he saw the giant beginning to +descend the bean-stalk. + +But the monster was too late--his ill deeds had come to an end. Jack +with his hatchet cut the bean-stalk close off at the root. The giant +fell headlong into the garden, and was killed on the spot. + +Instantly the fairy appeared and explained everything to Jack's +mother, begging her to forgive Jack, who was his father's own son for +bravery and generosity, and who would be sure to make her happy for +the rest of her days. + +So all ended well, and nothing was ever more heard or seen of the +wonderful bean-stalk. + + + + +THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD + + +Once there was a royal couple who grieved excessively because they had +no children. When at last, after long waiting, the queen presented her +husband with a little daughter, his majesty showed his joy by giving a +christening feast so grand that the like of it was never known. He +invited all the fairies in the land--there were seven altogether--to +stand godmothers to the little princess, hoping that each might bestow +on her some good gift, as was the custom of good fairies in those +days. + +After the ceremony all the guests returned to the palace, where there +was set before each fairy-godmother a magnificent covered dish, with +an embroidered table-napkin, and a knife and fork of pure gold studded +with diamonds and rubies. But alas! as they placed themselves at table +there entered an old fairy who had never been invited, because more +than fifty years since she had left the king's dominion on a tour of +pleasure and had not been heard of until this day. His majesty, much +troubled, desired a cover to be placed for her, but it was of common +delf, for he had ordered from his jeweller only seven gold dishes for +the seven fairies aforesaid. The elderly fairy thought herself +neglected, and muttered angry menaces, which were overheard by one of +the younger fairies, who chanced to sit beside her. This good +godmother, afraid of harm to the pretty baby, hastened to hide herself +behind the tapestry in the hall. She did this because she wished all +the others to speak first--so that if any ill gift were bestowed on +the child she might be able to counteract it. + +The six now offered their good wishes--which, unlike most wishes, were +sure to come true. The fortunate little princess was to grow up the +fairest woman in the world; to have a temper sweet as an angel; to be +perfectly graceful and gracious; to sing like a nightingale; to dance +like a leaf on a tree; and to possess every accomplishment under the +sun. Then the old fairy's turn came. Shaking her head spitefully, she +uttered the wish that when the baby grew up into a young lady, and +learned to spin, she might prick her finger with the spindle and die +of the wound. + +At this terrible prophecy all the guests shuddered, and some of the +more tender-hearted began to weep. The lately happy parents were +almost out of their wits with grief. Upon which the wise young fairy +appeared from behind the tapestry, saying cheerfully; "Your majesties +may comfort yourselves; the princess shall not die. I have no power to +alter the ill-fortune just wished her by my ancient sister--her finger +must be pierced, and she shall then sink, not into the sleep of death, +but into a sleep that will last a hundred years. After that time is +ended the son of a king will find her, awaken her, and marry her." + +Immediately all the fairies vanished. + +The king, in the hope of avoiding his daughter's doom, issued an edict +forbidding all persons to spin, and even to have spinning-wheels in +their houses, on pain of instant death. But it was in vain. One day, +when she was just fifteen years of age, the king and queen left their +daughter alone in one of their castles, when, wandering about at her +will, she came to an ancient dungeon tower, climbed to the top of it, +and there found a very old woman--so old and deaf that she had never +heard of the king's edict--busy with her wheel. + +"What are you doing, good old woman?" said the princess. + +"I'm spinning, my pretty child." + +"Ah, how charming! Let me try if I can spin also." + +She had no sooner taken up the spindle than, being lively and +obstinate, she handled it so awkwardly and carelessly that the point +pierced her finger. Though it was so small a wound, she fainted away +at once, and dropped silently down on the floor. The poor, frightened +old woman called for help; shortly came the ladies in waiting, who +tried every means to restore their young mistress, but all their care +was useless. She lay, beautiful as an angel, the color still lingering +in her lips and cheeks; her fair bosom softly stirred with her breath; +only her eyes were fast closed. When the king, her father, and the +queen, her mother, beheld her thus, they knew regret was idle--all had +happened as the cruel fairy meant. But they also knew that their +daughter would not sleep forever, though after one hundred years it +was not likely they would either of them behold her awakening. Until +that happy hour should arrive, they determined to leave her in repose. +They sent away all the physicians and attendants, and themselves +sorrowfully laid her upon a bed of embroidery, in the most elegant +apartment of the palace. There she slept and looked like a sleeping +angel still. + +When this misfortune happened, the kindly young fairy who had saved +the princess by changing her sleep of death into this sleep of a +hundred years was twelve thousand leagues away in the kingdom of +Mataquin. But being informed of everything, she arrived speedily in a +chariot of fire drawn by dragons. The king was somewhat startled by +the sight, but nevertheless went to the door of his palace, and, with +a mournful countenance, presented her his hand to descend. + +The fairy condoled with his majesty, and approved of all he had done. +Then, being a fairy of great common-sense and foresight, she suggested +that the princess, awakening after a hundred years in this ancient +castle, might be a good deal embarrassed, especially with a young +prince by her side, to find herself alone. Accordingly, without asking +any one's leave, she touched with her magic wand the entire population +of the palace, except the king and queen--governesses, ladies of +honor, waiting-maids, gentlemen ushers, cooks, kitchen-girls, pages, +footmen, down to the horses that were in the stables and the grooms +that attended them--she touched each and all. Nay, with kind +consideration for the feelings of the princess, she even touched the +little fat lapdog Puffy, who had laid himself down beside his +mistress on her splendid bed. He, like all the rest, fell fast asleep +in a moment. The very spits that were before the kitchen fire ceased +turning, and the fire itself went out, and everything became as silent +as if it were the middle of the night, or as if the palace were a +palace of the dead. + +The king and queen--having kissed their daughter and wept over her a +little, but not much, she looked so sweet and content--departed from +the castle, giving orders that it was to be approached no more. The +command was unnecessary; for in one quarter of an hour there sprung up +around it a wood so thick and thorny that neither beasts nor men could +attempt to penetrate there. Above this dense mass of forest could only +be perceived the top of the high tower where the lovely princess +slept. + +A great many changes happen in a hundred years. The king, who never +had a second child, died, and his throne passed into another royal +family. So entirely was the story of the poor princess forgotten, that +when the reigning king's son, being one day out hunting and stopped in +the chase by this formidable wood, inquired what wood it was, and what +were those towers which he saw appearing out of the midst of it, no +one could answer him. At length an old peasant was found who +remembered having heard his grandfather say to his father, that in +this tower was a princess, beautiful as the day, who was doomed to +sleep there for one hundred years, until awakened by a king's son, her +destined bridegroom. + +At this the young prince, who had the spirit of a hero, determined to +find out the truth for himself. Spurred on by both generosity and +curiosity, he leaped from his horse and began to force his way through +the thick wood. To his amazement the stiff branches all gave way, and +the ugly thorns sheathed themselves of their own accord, and the +brambles buried themselves in the earth to let him pass. This done, +they closed behind him, allowing none of his suite to follow: but, +ardent and young, he went boldly on alone. The first thing he saw was +enough to smite him with fear. Bodies of men and horses lay extended +on the ground; but the men had faces, not death-white, but red as +peonies, and beside them were glasses half filled with wine, showing +that they had gone to sleep drinking. Next he entered a large court +paved with marble, where stood rows of guards presenting arms, but +motionless as if cut out of stone; then he passed through many +chambers where gentlemen and ladies, all in the costume of the past +century, slept at their ease, some standing, some sitting. The pages +were lurking in corners, the ladies of honor were stooping over +their embroidery frames, or listening apparently with polite attention +to the gentlemen of the court, but all were as silent as statues and +as immovable. Their clothes, strange to say, were fresh and new as +ever; and not a particle of dust or spider-web had gathered over the +furniture, though it had not known a broom for a hundred years. +Finally the astonished prince came to an inner chamber, where was the +fairest sight his eyes had ever beheld. + + [Illustration: A young girl of wonderful beauty lay asleep on an + embroidered bed] + +A young girl of wonderful beauty lay asleep on an embroidered bed, and +she looked as if she had only just closed her eyes. Trembling, the +prince approached and knelt beside her. Some say he kissed her, but as +nobody saw it, and she never told, we cannot be quite sure of the +fact. However, as the end of the enchantment had come, the princess +awakened at once, and, looking at him with eyes of the tenderest +regard, said, drowsily: "Is it you, my prince? I have waited for you +very long." + +Charmed with these words, and still more with the tone in which they +were uttered, the prince assured her that he loved her more than his +life. Nevertheless, he was the most embarrassed of the two; for, +thanks to the kind fairy, the princess had plenty of time to dream of +him during her century of slumber, while he had never even heard of +her till an hour before. For a long time did they sit conversing, and +yet had not said half enough. Their only interruption was the little +dog Puffy, who had awakened with his mistress, and now began to be +exceedingly jealous that the princess did not notice him as much as +she was wont to do. + +Meantime all the attendants, whose enchantment was also broken, not +being in love, were ready to die of hunger after their fast of a +hundred years. A lady of honor ventured to intimate that dinner was +served; whereupon the prince handed his beloved princess at once to +the great hall. She did not wait to dress for dinner, being already +perfectly and magnificently attired, though in a fashion somewhat out +of date. However, her lover had the politeness not to notice this, nor +to remind her that she was dressed exactly like her royal grandmother, +whose portrait still hung on the palace walls. + +During the banquet a concert took place by the attendant musicians, +and considering they had not touched their instruments for a century, +they played extremely well. They ended with a wedding march; for that +very evening the marriage of the prince and princess was celebrated, +and though the bride was nearly one hundred years older than the +bridegroom, it is remarkable that the fact would never had been +discovered by any one unacquainted therewith. + +After a few days they went together out of the castle and enchanted +wood, both of which immediately vanished, and were never more beheld +by mortal eyes. The princess was restored to her ancestral kingdom, +but it was not generally declared who she was, as during a hundred +years people had grown so very much cleverer that nobody then living +would ever have believed the story. So nothing was explained, and +nobody presumed to ask any questions about her, for ought not a prince +be able to marry whomsoever he pleases? + +Nor--whether or not the day of fairies was over--did the princess ever +see anything further of her seven godmothers. She lived a long and +happy life, like any other ordinary woman, and died at length, +beloved, regretted, but, the prince being already no more, perfectly +contented. + + + + +LITTLE RED-RIDING-HOOD + + +Once there was a little village maiden, the prettiest ever seen. Her +mother was foolishly fond of her, and her grandmother likewise. The +old woman made for her a little hood, which became the damsel so well +that ever after she went by the name of Little Red-Riding-Hood. One +day, when her mother was making cakes, she said, "My child, you shall +go and see your grandmother, for I hear she is not well; and you shall +take her some of these cakes and a pot of butter." + +Little Red-Riding-Hood was delighted to go, though it was a long walk; +but she was a good child, and fond of her kind grandmother. Passing +through a wood, she met a great wolf, who was most eager to eat her +up, but dared not, because of a woodcutter who was busy hard by. So he +only came and asked her politely where she was going. The poor child, +who did not know how dangerous it is to stop and speak to wolves, +replied, "I am going to see my grandmother, and to take her a cake and +a pot of butter, which my mother has sent her." + +"Is it very far from hence?" asked the wolf. + +"Oh yes; it is just above the mill which you may see up there--the +first house you come to in the village." + +"Well," said the wolf, "I will go there also, to inquire after your +excellent grandmother; I will go one way, and you the other, and we +will see who can be there first." + +So he ran as fast as ever he could, taking the shortest road, but the +little maiden took the longest; for she stopped to pluck roses in +the wood, to chase butterflies, and gather nosegays of the prettiest +flowers she could find--she was such a happy and innocent little soul. + + [Illustration: He asked her politely where she was going] + +The wolf was not long in reaching the grandmother's door. He knocked, +Toc--toc, and the grandmother said, "Who is there?" + +"It is your child, Little Red-Riding-Hood," replied the wicked beast, +imitating the girl's voice; "I bring you a cake and a pot of butter, +which my mother has sent you." + +The grandmother, who was ill in her bed, said, "Very well, my dear, +pull the string and the latch will open." The wolf pulled the +string--the door flew open; he leaped in, fell upon the poor old +woman, and ate her up in less than no time, tough as she was, for he +had not tasted anything for more than three days. Then he carefully +shut the door, and laying himself down snugly in the bed, waited for +Little Red-Riding-Hood, who was not long before she came and knocked, +Toc--toc, at the door. + +"Who is there?" said the wolf; and the little maiden, hearing his +gruff voice, felt sure that her poor grandmother must have caught a +bad cold and be very ill indeed. + +So she answered, cheerfully, "It is your child, Little +Red-Riding-Hood, who brings you a cake and a pot of butter that my +mother has sent you." + +Then the wolf, softening his voice as much as he could, said, "Pull +the string, and the latch will open." + +So Little Red-Riding-Hood pulled the string and the door opened. The +wolf, seeing her enter, hid himself as much as he could under the +coverlid of the bed, and said in a whisper, "Put the cake and the pot +of butter on the shelf, and then make haste and come to bed, for it is +very late." + +Little Red-Riding-Hood did not think so; but, to please her +grandmother, she undressed herself and began to get ready for bed, +when she was very much astonished to find how different the old woman +looked from ordinary. + +"Grandmother, what great arms you have!" + +"That is to hug you the better, my dear." + +"Grandmother, what great ears you have!" + +"That is to hear you the better, my dear." + +"Grandmother, what great eyes you have!" + +"That is to see you the better, my dear." + +"Grandmother, what a great mouth you have!" + +"That is to eat you up!" cried the wicked wolf; and immediately he +fell upon poor Little Red-Riding-Hood, and ate her up in a moment. + + + + +THE UGLY DUCKLING + + +The country was lovely just then; it was summer! The wheat was golden +and the oats still green; the hay was stacked in the rich, low-lying +meadows, where the stork was marching about on his long red legs, +chattering Egyptian, the language his mother had taught him. + +Round about field and meadow lay great woods, in the midst of which +were deep lakes. Yes, the country certainly was delicious. In the +sunniest spot stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat, and +great dock leaves grew from the walls of the house right down to the +water's edge, some of them were so tall that a small child could +stand upright under them. In among the leaves it was as secluded as in +the depths of a forest, and there a duck was sitting on her nest. Her +little ducklings were just about to be hatched, but she was nearly +tired of sitting, for it had lasted such a long time. Moreover, she +had very few visitors, as the other ducks liked swimming about in the +moat better than waddling up to sit under the dock leaves and gossip +with her. + +At last one egg after another began to crack. "Cheep, cheep!" they +said. All the chicks had come to life, and were poking their heads +out. + +"Quack! quack!" said the duck; and then they all quacked their +hardest, and looked about them on all sides among the green leaves; +their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked, for green is +good for the eyes. + +"How big the world is to be sure!" said all the young ones; for they +certainly had ever so much more room to move about than when they were +inside the egg-shell. + +"Do you imagine this is the whole world?" said the mother. "It +stretches a long way on the other side of the garden, right into the +parson's field; but I have never been as far as that! I suppose you +are all here now?" and she got up. "No! I declare I have not got you +all yet! The biggest egg is still there; how long is it going to +last?" and then she settled herself on the nest again. + +"Well, how are you getting on?" said an old duck who had come to pay +her a visit. + +"This one egg is taking such a long time," answered the sitting duck, +"the shell will not crack; but now you must look at the others; they +are the finest ducklings I have ever seen! they are all exactly like +their father, the rascal! he never comes to see me." + +"Let me look at the egg which won't crack," said the old duck. "You +may be sure that it is a turkey's egg! I have been cheated like that +once, and I had no end of trouble and worry with the creatures, for I +may tell you that they are afraid of the water. I could not get them +into it; I quacked and snapped at them, but it was no good. Let me see +the egg! Yes, it is a turkey's egg! You just leave it alone and teach +the other children to swim." + +"I will sit on it a little longer; I have sat so long already that I +may as well go on till the Midsummer Fair comes round." + +"Please yourself," said the old duck, and she went away. + +At last the big egg cracked. "Cheep, cheep!" said the young one and +tumbled out; how big and ugly he was! The duck looked at him. + +"That is a monstrous big duckling," she said; "none of the others +looked like that; can he be a turkey chick? well, we shall soon find +that out; into the water he shall go, if I have to kick him in +myself." + +Next day was gloriously fine, and the sun shone on all the green dock +leaves. The mother duck with her whole family went down to the moat. + +Splash, into the water she sprang. "Quack, quack!" she said, and one +duckling plumped in after the other. The water dashed over their +heads, but they came up again and floated beautifully; their legs went +of themselves, and they were all there, even the big ugly gray one +swam about with them. + +"No, that is no turkey," she said; "see how beautifully he uses his +legs and how erect he holds himself; he is my own chick! after all, he +is not so bad when you come to look at him properly. Quack, quack! Now +come with me and I will take you into the world, and introduce you to +the duckyard; but keep close to me all the time, so that no one may +tread upon you, and beware of the cat!" + +Then they went into the duckyard. There was a fearful uproar going on, +for two broods were fighting for the head of an eel, and in the end +the cat captured it. + +"That's how things go in this world," said the mother duck; and she +licked her bill, for she wanted the eel's head for herself. + +"Use your legs," said she; "mind you quack properly, and bend your +necks to the old duck over there! She is the grandest of them all; she +has Spanish blood in her veins and that accounts for her size, and, do +you see? she has a red rag round her leg; that is a wonderfully fine +thing, and the most extraordinary mark of distinction any duck can +have. It shows clearly that she is not to be parted with, and that she +is worthy of recognition both by beasts and men! Quack now! don't +turn your toes in, a well brought up duckling keeps his legs wide +apart just like father and mother; that's it, now bend your necks, and +say quack!" + +They did as they were bid, but the other ducks round about looked at +them and said, quite loud: "Just look there! now we are to have that +tribe! just as if there were not enough of us already, and, oh dear! +how ugly that duckling is, we won't stand him!" and a duck flew at him +at once and bit him in the neck. + +"Let him be," said the mother; "he is doing no harm." + +"Very likely not, but he is so ungainly and queer," said the biter, +"he must be whacked." + +"They are handsome children mother has," said the old duck with the +rag round her leg; "all good looking except this one, and he is not a +good specimen; it's a pity you can't make him over again." + +"That can't be done, your grace," said the mother duck; "he is not +handsome, but he is a thorough good creature, and he swims as +beautifully as any of the others; nay, I think I might venture even to +add that I think he will improve as he goes on, or perhaps in time he +may grow smaller! he was too long in the egg, and so he has not come +out with a very good figure." And then she patted his neck and stroked +him down. "Besides, he is a drake," said she; "so it does not matter +so much. I believe he will be very strong, and I don't doubt but he +will make his way in the world." + +"The other ducklings are very pretty," said the old duck. "Now make +yourselves quite at home, and if you find the head of an eel you may +bring it to me!" + +After that they felt quite at home. But the poor duckling which had +been the last to come out of the shell, and who was so ugly, was +bitten, pushed about, and made fun of both by the ducks and the hens. +"He is too big," they all said; and the turkey-cock, who was born with +his spurs on, and therefore thought himself quite an emperor, puffed +himself up like a vessel in full sail, made for him, and gobbled and +gobbled till he became quite red in the face. The poor duckling was at +his wit's end, and did not know which way to turn; he was in despair +because he was so ugly and the butt of the whole duckyard. + +So the first day passed, and afterwards matters grew worse and worse. +The poor duckling was chased and hustled by all of them; even his +brothers and sisters ill-used him, and they were always saying, "If +only the cat would get hold of you, you hideous object!" Even his +mother said, "I wish to goodness you were miles away." The ducks bit +him, the hens pecked him, and the girl who fed them kicked him aside. + +Then he ran off and flew right over the hedge, where the little birds +flew up into the air in a fright. + +"That is because I am so ugly," thought the poor duckling, shutting +his eyes, but he ran on all the same. Then he came to a great marsh +where the wild ducks lived; he was so tired and miserable that he +stayed there the whole night. + +In the morning the wild ducks flew up to inspect their new comrade. + +"What sort of a creature are you?" they inquired, as the duckling +turned from side to side and greeted them as well as he could. "You +are frightfully ugly," said the wild ducks; "but that does not matter +to us, so long as you do not marry into our family!" Poor fellow! he +had no thought of marriage; all he wanted was permission to lie among +the rushes, and to drink a little of the marsh water. + +He stayed there two whole days; then two wild geese came, or, rather, +two wild ganders; they were not long out of the shell, and therefore +rather pert. + +"I say, comrade," they said, "you are so ugly that we have taken quite +a fancy to you; will you join us and be a bird of passage? There is +another marsh close by, and there are some charming wild geese there; +all sweet young ladies, who can say quack! You are ugly enough to make +your fortune among them." Just at that moment, bang! bang! was heard +up above, and both the wild geese fell dead among the reeds, and the +water turned blood red. Bang! bang! went the guns, and whole flocks of +wild geese flew up from the rushes and the shot peppered among them +again. + +There was a grand shooting-party, and the sportsmen lay hidden round +the marsh; some even sat on the branches of the trees which overhung +the water; the blue smoke rose like clouds among the dark trees and +swept over the pool. + +The water-dogs wandered about in the swamp--splash! splash! The rushes +and reeds bent beneath their tread on all sides. It was terribly +alarming to the poor duckling. He twisted his head round to get it +under his wing, and just at that moment a frightful big dog appeared +close beside him; his tongue hung right out of his mouth and his eyes +glared wickedly. He opened his great chasm of a mouth close to the +duckling, showed his sharp teeth, and--splash!--went on without +touching him. + +"Oh, thank Heaven!" sighed the duckling, "I am so ugly that even the +dog won't bite me!" + +Then he lay quite still while the shot whistled among the bushes, and +bang after bang rent the air. It only became quiet late in the day, +but even then the poor duckling did not dare to get up; he waited +several hours more before he looked about, and then he hurried away +from the marsh as fast as he could. He ran across fields and meadows, +and there was such a wind that he had hard work to make his way. + +Towards night he reached a poor little cottage; it was such a +miserable hovel that it could not make up its mind which way to fall +even, and so it remained standing. The wind whistled so fiercely round +the duckling that he had to sit on his tail to resist it, and it blew +harder and harder; then he saw that the door had fallen off one hinge +and hung so crookedly that he could creep into the house through the +crack, and by this means he made his way into the room. An old woman +lived there with her cat and her hen. The cat, which she called +"Sonnie," could arch his back, purr, and give off electric +sparks--that is to say, if you stroked his fur the wrong way. The hen +had quite tiny short legs, and so she was called "Chuckie-low-legs." +She laid good eggs, and the old woman was as fond of her as if she had +been her own child. + +In the morning the strange duckling was discovered immediately, and +the cat began to purr and the hen to cluck. + +"What on earth is that!" said the old woman, looking round; but her +sight was not good, and she thought the duckling was a fat duck which +had escaped. "This is a capital find," said she; "now I shall have +duck's eggs if only it is not a drake. We must find out about that!" + +So she took the duckling on trial for three weeks, but no eggs made +their appearance. The cat was the master of the house and the hen the +mistress, and they always spoke of "we and the world," for they +thought that they represented the half of the world, and that quite +the better half. + +The duckling thought there might be two opinions on the subject, but +the cat would not hear of it. + +"Can you lay eggs?" she asked. + +"No!" + +"Will you have the goodness to hold your tongue, then!" + +And the cat said, "Can you arch your back, purr, or give off sparks?" + +"No." + +"Then you had better keep your opinions to yourself when people of +sense are speaking!" + +The duckling sat in the corner nursing his ill-humor; then he began to +think of the fresh air and the sunshine, an uncontrollable longing +seized him to float on the water, and at last he could not help +telling the hen about it. + +"What on earth possesses you?" she asked. "You have nothing to do; +that is why you get these freaks into your head. Lay some eggs or take +to purring, and you will get over it." + +"But it is so delicious to float, on the water," said the duckling; +"so delicious to feel it rushing over your head when you dive to the +bottom." + +"That would be a fine amusement," said the hen. "I think you have gone +mad. Ask the cat about it, he is the wisest creature I know; ask him +if he is fond of floating on the water or diving under it. I say +nothing about myself. Ask our mistress yourself, the old woman; there +is no one in the world cleverer than she is. Do you suppose she has +any desire to float on the water or to duck underneath it?" + +"You do not understand me," said the duckling. + +"Well, if we don't understand you, who should? I suppose you don't +consider yourself cleverer than the cat or the old woman, not to +mention me. Don't make a fool of yourself, child, and thank your stars +for all the good we have done you! Have you not lived in this warm +room, and in such society that you might have learned something? But +you are an idiot, and there is no pleasure in associating with you. +You may believe me I mean you well, I tell you home truths, and there +is no surer way than that of knowing who are one's friends. You just +see about laying some eggs, or learn to purr, or to emit sparks." + +"I think I will go out into the wide world," said the duckling. + +"Oh, do so by all means!" said the hen. + +So away went the duckling; he floated on the water and ducked +underneath it, but he was looked askance at by every living creature +for his ugliness. Now the autumn came on, the leaves in the woods +turned yellow and brown; the wind took hold of them, and they danced +about. The sky looked very cold, and the clouds hung heavy with snow +and hail. A raven stood on the fence and croaked Caw! Caw! from sheer +cold; it made one shiver only to think of it. The poor duckling +certainly was in a bad case. + +One evening the sun was just setting in wintry splendor when a flock +of beautiful large birds appeared out of the bushes. The duckling had +never seen anything so beautiful. They were dazzlingly white with long +waving necks; they were swans; and, uttering a peculiar cry, they +spread out their magnificent broad wings, and flew away from the cold +regions to warmer lands and open seas. They mounted so high, so very +high, and the ugly little duckling became strangely uneasy; he circled +round and round in the water like a wheel, craning his neck up into +the air after them. Then he uttered a shriek so piercing and so +strange that he was quite frightened by it himself. Oh, he could not +forget those beautiful birds, those happy birds! And as soon as they +were out of sight he ducked right down to the bottom, and when he came +up again he was quite beside himself. He did not know what the birds +were or whither they flew, but all the same he was more drawn towards +them than he had ever been by any creatures before. He did not even +envy them in the least. How could it occur to him even to wish to be +such a marvel of beauty; he would have been thankful if only the ducks +would have tolerated him among them--the poor ugly creature! + +The winter was so bitterly cold that the duckling was obliged to swim +about in the water to keep it from freezing, but every night the hole +in which he swam got smaller and smaller. Then it froze so hard that +the surface ice cracked, and the duckling had to use his legs all the +time, so that the ice should not close in round him; at last he was so +weary that he could move no more, and he was frozen fast into the ice. + +Early in the morning a peasant came along and saw him; he went out +onto the ice and hammered a hole in it with his heavy wooden shoe, and +carried the duckling home to his wife. There it soon revived. The +children wanted to play with it, but the duckling thought they were +going to ill-use him, and rushed in his fright into the milk pan, and +the milk spurted out all over the room. The woman shrieked and threw +up her hands; then it flew into the butter cask, and down into the +meal tub and out again. Just imagine what it looked like by this time! +The woman screamed and tried to hit it with the tongs, and the +children tumbled over one another in trying to catch it, and they +screamed with laughter. By good luck the door stood open, and the +duckling flew out among the bushes and the new fallen snow, and it lay +there thoroughly exhausted. + +But it would be too sad to mention all the privation and misery it +had to go through during that hard winter. When the sun began to shine +warmly again the duckling was in the marsh, lying among the rushes; +the larks were singing, and the beautiful spring had come. + +Then all at once it raised its wings, and they flapped with much +greater strength than before and bore him off vigorously. Before he +knew where he was he found himself in a large garden where the +apple-trees were in a full blossom, and the air was scented with +lilacs, the long branches of which overhung the indented shores of the +lake. Oh! the spring freshness was so delicious! + +Just in front of him he saw three beautiful white swans advancing +towards him from a thicket; with rustling feathers they swam lightly +over the water. The duckling recognized the majestic birds, and he was +overcome by a strange melancholy. + +"I will fly to them, the royal birds, and they will hack me to +pieces, because I, who am so ugly, venture to approach them! But it +won't matter; better be killed by them than be snapped at by the +ducks, pecked by the hens, or spurned by the henwife, or suffer so +much misery in the winter." + +So he flew into the water, and swam towards the stately swans; they +saw him, and darted towards him with ruffled feathers. + +"Kill me, oh, kill me!" said the poor creature, and bowing his head +towards the water he awaited his death. But what did he see reflected +in the transparent water? + +He saw below him his own image; but he was no longer a clumsy, dark, +gray bird, ugly and ungainly. He was himself a swan! It does not +matter in the least having been born in a duckyard if only you come +out of a swan's egg! + +He felt quite glad of all the misery and tribulation he had gone +through; he was the better able to appreciate his good-fortune now, +and all the beauty which greeted him. The big swans swam round and +round him, and stroked him with their bills. + +Some little children came into the garden with corn and pieces of +bread, which they threw into the water; and the smallest one cried +out: "There is a new one!" The other children shouted with joy: "Yes, +a new one has come!" And they clapped their hands and danced about, +running after their father and mother. They threw the bread into the +water, and one and all said that "the new one was the prettiest; he +was so young and handsome." And the old swans bent their heads and did +homage before him. + + [Illustration: Some little children threw pieces of bread into the + water] + +He felt quite shy, and hid his head under his wing; he did not know +what to think; he was so very happy, but not at all proud; a good +heart never becomes proud. He thought of how he had been pursued and +scorned, and now he heard them all say that he was the most beautiful +of all beautiful birds. The lilacs bent their boughs right down into +the water before him, and the bright sun was warm and cheering, and he +rustled his feathers and raised his slender neck aloft, saying, with +exultation in his heart: "I never dreamed of so much happiness when I +was the Ugly Duckling!" + + + + +HOP-O'-MY-THUMB + + +There once lived in a village a fagot-maker and his wife who had seven +children--all boys; the eldest was no more than ten years old, and the +youngest was only seven. It was odd enough, to be sure, that they +should have so many children in such a short time; but the truth is, +the wife always brought him two and once three at a time. This made +him very poor, for not one of these boys was old enough to get a +living; and what was still worse, the youngest was a puny little +fellow who hardly ever spoke a word. Now this, indeed, was a mark of +his good sense, but it made his father and mother suppose him to be +silly, and they thought that at last he would turn out quite a fool. +This boy was the least size ever seen; for when he was born he was no +bigger than a man's thumb, which made him be christened by the name of +Hop-o'-my-Thumb. The poor child was the drudge of the whole house, and +always bore the blame of everything that was done wrong. For all this, +Hop-o'-my-Thumb was far more clever than any of his brothers; and +though he spoke but little he heard and knew more than people thought. +It happened just at this time that for want of rain the fields had +grown but half as much corn and potatoes as they used to grow; so that +the fagot-maker and his wife could not give the boys the food they had +before, which was always either bread or potatoes. + +After the father and mother had grieved some time, they thought that +as they could contrive no other way to live they must somehow get rid +of their children. One night when the boys were gone to bed, and the +fagot-maker and his wife were sitting over a few lighted sticks, to +warm themselves, the husband sighed deeply, and said: "You see, my +dear, we cannot maintain our children any longer, and to see them die +of hunger before my eyes is what I could never bear. I will, +therefore, to-morrow morning take them to the forest, and leave them +in the thickest part of it, so that they will not be able to find +their way back: this will be very easy; for while they amuse +themselves with tying up the fagots, we need only slip away when they +are looking some other way." + +"Ah, husband!" cried the poor wife, "you cannot, no, you never can +consent to be the death of your own children." + +The husband in vain told her to think how very poor they were. + +The wife replied "that this was true, to be sure; but if she was +poor, she was still their mother"; and then she cried as if her heart +would break. At last she thought how shocking it would be to see them +starved to death before their eyes, so she agreed to what her husband +had said, and then went sobbing to bed. + +Hop-o'-my-Thumb had been awake all the time; and when he heard his +father talk very seriously, he slipped away from his brothers' side, +and crept under his father's bed, to hear all that was said without +being seen. + +When his father and mother had left off talking, he got back to his +own place, and passed the night in thinking what he should do the next +morning. + +He rose early, and ran to the river's side, where he filled his +pockets with small white pebbles, and then went back home. In the +morning they all set out, as their father and mother had agreed on; +and Hop-o'-my-Thumb did not say a word to any of his brothers about +what he had heard. They came to a forest that was so very thick that +they could not see each other a few yards off. The fagot-maker set to +work cutting down wood; and the children began to gather the twigs, to +make fagots of them. + +When the father and mother saw that the young ones were all very busy, +they slipped away without being seen. The children soon found +themselves alone, and began to cry as loud as they could. +Hop-o'-my-Thumb let them cry on, for he knew well enough how to lead +them safe home, as he had taken care to drop the white pebbles he had +in his pocket along all the way he had come. He only said to them, +"Never mind it, my lads; father and mother have left us here by +ourselves, but only take care to follow me, and I will lead you back +again." + + [Illustration: The children began to cry as loud as they could] + +When they heard this they left off crying, and followed +Hop-o'-my-Thumb, who soon brought them to their father's house by +the very same path which they had come along. At first they had not +the courage to go in, but stood at the door to hear what their parents +were talking about. Just as the fagot-maker and his wife had come home +without their children a great gentleman of the village sent to pay +them two guineas for work they had done for him, which he had owed +them so long that they never thought of getting a farthing of it. This +money made them quite happy; for the poor creatures were very hungry, +and had no other way of getting anything to eat. + +The fagot-maker sent his wife out immediately to buy some meat; and as +it was a long time since she had made a hearty meal, she bought as +much meat as would have been enough for six or eight persons. The +truth was, when she was thinking what would be enough for dinner, she +forgot that her children were not at home; but as soon as she and her +husband had done eating, she cried out: "Alas! where are our poor +children? How they would feast on what we have left! It was all your +fault, husband! I told you we should repent leaving them to starve in +the forest! Oh, mercy! perhaps they have already been eaten by the +hungry wolves!" The poor woman shed plenty of tears. "Alas! alas!" +said she, over and over again, "what is become of my dear children?" + +The children, who were all at the door, cried out together, "Here we +are, mother, here we are!" + +She flew like lightning to let them in, and kissed every one of them. + +The fagot-maker and his wife were charmed at having their children +once more with them, and their joy for this lasted till their money +was all spent; but then they found themselves quite as ill off as +before. So by degrees they again thought of leaving them in the +forest: and that the young ones might not come back a second time, +they said they would take them a great deal farther than they did at +first. They could not talk about this matter so slyly but that +Hop-o'-my-Thumb found means to hear all that passed between them; but +he cared very little about it, for he thought it would be easy for him +to do just the same as he had done before. But although he got up very +early the next morning to go to the river's side to get the pebbles, a +thing which he had not thought of hindered him; for he found that the +house door was double locked. Hop-o'-my-Thumb was now quite at a loss +what to do; but soon after this his mother gave each of the children a +piece of bread for breakfast and then it came into his head that he +could make his share do as well as the pebbles by dropping crumbs of +it all the way as he went. So he did not eat his piece, but put it +into his pocket. + +It was not long before they all set out, and their parents took care +to lead them into the very thickest and darkest part of the forest. +They then slipped away by a by-path as before, and left the children +by themselves again. All this did not give Hop-o'-my-Thumb any +concern, for he thought himself quite sure of getting back by means of +the crumbs that he had dropped by the way; but when he came to look +for them he found that not a crumb was left, for the birds had eaten +them all up. + +The poor children were now sadly off, for the farther they went the +harder it was for them to get out of the forest. At last night came +on, and the noise of the wind among the trees seemed to them like the +howling of wolves, so that every moment they thought they should be +eaten up. They hardly dared to speak a word, or to move a limb, for +fear. Soon after there came a heavy rain which wetted them to the very +skin, and made the ground so slippery that they fell down at almost +every step and got dirty all over. + +Before it was quite dark Hop-o'-my-Thumb climbed up to the top of a +tree, and looked round on all sides to see if he could find any way of +getting help. He saw a small light, like that of a candle, but it was +a very great way off, and beyond the forest. He then came down from +the tree, to try to find the way to it; but he could not see it when +he was on the ground, and he was in the utmost trouble what to do +next. They walked on towards the place where he had seen the light, +and at last reached the end of the forest, and got sight of it again. +They now walked faster; and after being much tired and vexed (for +every time they got into lower ground they lost sight of the light), +came to the house it was in. They knocked at the door, which was +opened by a very poor-natured-looking lady, who asked what brought +them there. Hop-o'-my-Thumb told her that they were poor children who +had lost their way in the forest, and begged that she would give them +a bed till morning. When the lady saw that they had such pretty faces +she began to shed tears, and said: "Ah, my poor children, you do not +know what place you are come to. This is the house of an Ogre, who +eats up little boys and girls." + +"Alas! madam," replied Hop-o'-my-Thumb, who trembled from head to +foot, "what shall we do? If we go back to the forest we are sure of +being torn to pieces by the wolves; we would rather, therefore, be +eaten by the gentleman. Besides, when he sees us, perhaps he may take +pity on us and spare our lives." + +The Ogre's wife thought she could contrive to hide them from her +husband till morning; so she let them go in and warm themselves by a +good fire, before which there was a whole sheep roasting for the +Ogre's supper. When they had stood a short time by the fire there came +a loud knocking at the door: this was the Ogre come home. His wife +hurried the children under the bed and told them to lie still, and she +then let her husband in. + +The Ogre asked if supper were ready, and if the wine were fetched from +the cellar; and then he sat down at the table. The sheep was not quite +done, but he liked it much better half raw. In a minute or two the +Ogre began to snuff to his right and left, and said he smelt child's +flesh. + +"It must be this calf, which has just been killed," said his wife. + +"I smell child's flesh, I tell thee once more!" cried the Ogre, +looking all about the room--"I smell child's flesh; there is +something going on that I do not know of." + +As soon as he had spoken these words he rose from his chair and went +towards the bed. + +"Ah! madam," said he, "you thought to cheat me, did you? Wretch! thou +art old and tough thyself, or else I would eat thee up too! But come, +come, this is lucky enough; for the brats will make a nice dish for +three Ogres, who are my particular friends, and who are to dine with +me to-morrow." + +He then drew them out one by one from under the bed. The poor children +fell on their knees and begged his pardon as humbly as they could; but +this Ogre was the most cruel of all Ogres, and instead of feeling any +pity, he only began to think how sweet and tender their flesh would +be; so he told his wife they would be nice morsels if she served them +up with plenty of sauce. He then fetched a large knife, and began to +sharpen it on a long whetstone that he held in his left hand; and all +the while he came nearer and nearer to the bed. The Ogre took up one +of the children, and was going to set about cutting him to pieces; but +his wife said to him: "What in the world makes you take the trouble of +killing them to-night? Will it not be time enough to-morrow morning?" + +"Hold your prating," replied the Ogre; "they will grow tender by being +kept a little while after they are killed." + +"But," said this wife, "you have got so much meat in the house +already; here is a calf, two sheep, and half a pig." + +"True," said the Ogre, "so give them all a good supper, that they may +not get lean, and then send them to bed." + +The good creature was quite glad at this. She gave them plenty for +their supper, but the poor children were so terrified that they could +not eat a bit. + +The Ogre sat down to his wine, very much pleased with the thought of +giving his friends such a dainty dish: this made him drink rather more +than common, and he was soon obliged to go to bed himself. Now the +Ogre had seven daughters, who were all very young like Hop-o'-my-Thumb +and his brothers. These young Ogresses had fair skins, because they +fed on raw meat like their father; but they had small gray eyes, quite +round, and sunk in their heads, hooked noses, wide mouths, and very +long, sharp teeth, standing a great way off each other. They were too +young as yet to do much mischief; but they showed that if they lived +to be as old as their father they would grow quite as cruel as he was, +for they took pleasure already in biting young children and sucking +their blood. The Ogresses had been put to bed very early that night; +they were all in one bed, which was very large, and every one of them +had a crown of gold on her head. There was another bed of the same +size in the room, and in this the Ogre's wife put the seven little +boys, and then went to bed herself along with her husband. + +Now Hop-o'-my-Thumb was afraid that the Ogre would wake in the night, +and kill him and his brothers while they were asleep. So he got out of +bed in the middle of the night as softly as he could, took off all his +brothers' nightcaps and his own, and crept with them to the bed that +the Ogre's daughters were in; he then took off their crowns, and put +the nightcaps on their heads instead; next he put the crowns on his +brothers' heads and his own, and got into bed again; expecting, after +this, that, if the Ogre should come, he would take him and his +brothers for his own children. Everything turned out as he wished. The +Ogre waked soon after midnight, and began to be very sorry that he had +put off killing the boys till the morning; so he jumped out of bed, +and took hold of his large knife. "Let us see," said he, "what the +young rogues are about, and do the business at once!" He then walked +softly to the room where they all slept, and went up to the bed the +boys were in, who were all asleep except Hop-o'-my-Thumb. He touched +their heads one at a time, and feeling the crowns of gold, said to +himself: "Oh, oh! I had like to have made such a mistake! I must have +drunk too much wine last night." + +He went next to the bed that his own little Ogresses were in, and when +he felt the nightcaps, he said, "Ah! here you are, my lads"; and so in +a moment he cut the throats of all his daughters. + +He was very much pleased when he had done this, and then went back to +his own bed. As soon as Hop-o'-my-Thumb heard him snore he awoke his +brothers, and told them to put on their clothes quickly, and follow +him. They stole down softly into the garden, and then jumped from the +wall into the road; they ran as fast as their legs could carry them, +but were so much afraid all the while that they hardly knew which way +to take. When the Ogre waked in the morning he said to his wife, +grinning: "My dear, go and dress the young rogues I saw last night." + +The wife was quite surprised at hearing her husband speak so kindly, +and did not dream of the real meaning of his words. She supposed he +wanted her to help them to put on their clothes; so she went +up-stairs, and the first thing she saw was her seven daughters with +their throats cut and all over blood. This threw her into a fainting +fit. The Ogre was afraid his wife might be too long in doing what he +had set her about, so he went himself to help her; but he was as much +shocked as she had been at the dreadful sight of his bleeding +children. "Ah! what have I done?" he cried. "But the little rascals +shall pay for it, I warrant them." + +He first threw some water on his wife's face; and, as soon as she came +to herself, he said to her: "Bring me quickly my seven-league boots, +that I may go and catch the little vipers." + +The Ogre then put on these boots, and set out with all speed. He +strided over many parts of the country, and at last turned into the +very road in which the poor children were. For they had set off +towards the fagot-maker's cottage, which they had almost reached. They +watched the Ogre stepping from mountain to mountain at one step, and +crossing rivers as if they had been tiny brooks. At this +Hop-o'-my-Thumb thought a little what was to be done; and spying a +hollow place under a large rock, he made his brothers get into it. He +then crept in himself, but kept his eye fixed on the Ogre, to see what +he would do next. + +The Ogre found himself quite weary with the journey he had gone, for +seven-league boots are very tiresome to the person who wears them; so +he now began to think of resting, and happened to sit down on the very +rock where the poor children were hid. As he was so tired, and it was +a hot day, he fell fast asleep, and soon began to snore so loud that +the little fellows were terrified. + +When Hop-o'-my-Thumb saw this he said to his brothers, "Courage, my +lads! never fear! you have nothing to do but to steal away and get +home while the Ogre is fast asleep, and leave me to shift for myself." + +The brothers now were very glad to do whatever he told them, and so +they soon came to their father's house. In the mean time +Hop-o'-my-Thumb went up to the Ogre softly, pulled off his +seven-league boots very gently, and put them on his own legs; for +though the boots were very large, yet being fairy-boots, they could +make themselves small enough to fit any leg they pleased. + +As soon as ever Hop-o'-my-Thumb had made sure of the Ogre's +seven-league boots, he went at once to the palace, and offered his +services to carry orders from the King to his army, which was a great +way off, and to bring back the quickest accounts of the battle they +were just at that time fighting with the enemy. In short, he thought +he could be of more use to the King than all his mail-coaches, and so +should make his fortune in this manner. He succeeded so well that in a +short time he made money enough to keep himself, his father, mother, +and six brothers, without the trouble of working, for the rest of +their lives. Having done this, he went back to his father's cottage, +where all the family were delighted to see him again. As the great +fame of his boots had been talked of at court in this time the King +sent for him, and indeed employed him very often in the greatest +affairs of the state, so that he became one of the richest men in the +kingdom. + +And now let us see what became of the wicked Ogre. He slept so soundly +that he never discovered the loss of his boots; but having an evil +conscience and bad dreams, he fell in his sleep from the corner of the +rock where Hop-o'-my-Thumb and his brothers had left him, and bruised +himself so much from head to foot that he could not stir; so he was +forced to stretch himself out at full length, and wait for some one to +come and help him. + +Now a good many fagot-makers passed near the place where the Ogre lay, +and when they heard him groan they went up to ask him what was the +matter. But the Ogre had eaten such a great number of children in his +lifetime that he had grown so very big and fat that these men could +not even have carried one of his legs, so they were forced to leave +him there. At last night came on, and then a large serpent came out of +a wood just by and stung him, so that he died in great pain. + +By and by, Hop-o'-my-Thumb, who had become the King's first favorite, +heard of the Ogre's death; and the first thing he did was to tell his +Majesty all that the good-natured Ogress had done to save the lives of +himself and brothers. The King was so much pleased at what he heard +that he asked Hop-o'-my-Thumb if there was any favor he could bestow +upon her. Hop-o'-my-Thumb thanked the King, and desired that the +Ogress might have the noble title of Duchess of Draggletail given to +her, which was no sooner asked than granted. The Ogress then came to +court, and lived very happily for many years, enjoying the vast +fortune she had found in the Ogre's chests. As for Hop-o'-my-Thumb, +he every day grew more witty and brave; till at last the King made him +the greatest lord in the kingdom, and set him over all his affairs. + + + + +BEAUTY AND THE BEAST + + +There was once a very rich merchant who had six children--three boys +and three girls. As he was himself a man of great sense, he spared no +expense for their education. The three daughters were all handsome, +but particularly the youngest; indeed, she was so very beautiful that +in her childhood every one called her the Little Beauty; and being +equally lovely when she was grown up, nobody called her by any other +name, which made her sisters very jealous of her. This youngest +daughter was not only more handsome than her sisters, but also was +better tempered. The two eldest were vain of their wealth and +position. They gave themselves a thousand airs, and refused to visit +other merchants' daughters; nor would they condescend to be seen +except with persons of quality. They went every day to balls, plays, +and public walks, and always made game of their youngest sister for +spending her time in reading or other useful employments. As it was +well known that these young ladies would have large fortunes, many +great merchants wished to get them for wives; but the two eldest +always answered that, for their parts, they had no thoughts of +marrying any one below a duke or an earl at least. Beauty had quite as +many offers as her sisters, but she always answered, with the greatest +civility, that though she was much obliged to her lovers, she would +rather live some years longer with her father, as she thought herself +too young to marry. + +It happened that, by some unlucky accident, the merchant suddenly +lost all his fortune, and had nothing left but a small cottage in the +country. Upon this he said to his daughters, while the tears ran down +his cheeks, "My children, we must now go and dwell in the cottage, and +try to get a living by labor, for we have no other means of support." +The two eldest replied that they did not know how to work, and would +not leave town; for they had lovers enough who would be glad to marry +them, though they had no longer any fortune. But in this they were +mistaken; for when the lovers heard what had happened, they said, "The +girls were so proud and ill-tempered that all we wanted was their +fortune; we are not sorry at all to see their pride brought down; let +them show off their airs to their cows and sheep." But everybody +pitied poor Beauty, because she was so sweet-tempered and kind to all, +and several gentlemen offered to marry her, though she had not a +penny; but Beauty still refused, and said she could not think of +leaving her poor father in his trouble. At first Beauty could not help +sometimes crying in secret for the hardships she was now obliged to +suffer; but in a very short time she said to herself, "All the crying +in the world will do me no good, so I will try to be happy without a +fortune." + +When they had removed to their cottage the merchant and his three sons +employed themselves in ploughing and sowing the fields, and working in +the garden. Beauty also did her part, for she rose by four o'clock +every morning, lighted the fires, cleaned the house, and got ready the +breakfast for the whole family. At first she found all this very hard; +but she soon grew quite used to it, and thought it no hardship; +indeed, the work greatly benefited her health. When she had done she +used to amuse herself with reading, playing her music, or singing +while she spun. But her two sisters were at a loss what to do to pass +the time away: they had their breakfast in bed, and did not rise till +ten o'clock. Then they commonly walked out, but always found +themselves very soon tired, when they would often sit down under a +shady tree, and grieve for the loss of their carriage and fine +clothes, and say to each other, "What a mean-spirited, poor, stupid +creature our young sister is, to be so content with this low way of +life!" But their father thought differently, and loved and admired his +youngest child more than ever. + +After they had lived in this manner about a year the merchant received +a letter, which informed him that one of his richest ships, which he +thought was lost, had just come into port. This news made the two +eldest sisters almost mad with joy, for they thought they should now +leave the cottage, and have all their finery again. When they found +that their father must take a journey to the ship, the two eldest +begged he would not fail to bring them back some new gowns, caps, +rings, and all sorts of trinkets. But Beauty asked for nothing; for +she thought in herself that all the ship was worth would hardly buy +everything her sisters wished for. "Beauty," said the merchant, "how +comes it that you ask for nothing? What can I bring you, my child?" + +"Since you are so kind as to think of me, dear father," she answered, +"I should be glad if you would bring me a rose, for we have none in +our garden." Now Beauty did not indeed wish for a rose, nor anything +else, but she only said this that she might not affront her sisters; +otherwise they would have said she wanted her father to praise her for +desiring nothing. The merchant took his leave of them, and set out on +his journey; but when he got to the ship some persons went to law with +him about the cargo, and after a deal of trouble he came back to his +cottage as poor as he had left it. When he was within thirty miles of +his home, and thinking of the joy of again meeting his children, he +lost his way in the midst of a dense forest. It rained and snowed very +hard, and, besides, the wind was so high as to throw him twice from +his horse. Night came on, and he feared he should die of cold and +hunger, or be torn to pieces by the wolves that he heard howling round +him. All at once he cast his eyes towards a long avenue, and saw at +the end a light, but it seemed a great way off. He made the best of +his way towards it, and found that it came from a splendid palace, the +windows of which were all blazing with light. It had great bronze +gates, standing wide open, and fine court-yards, through which the +merchant passed; but not a living soul was to be seen. There were +stables too, which his poor, starved horse, less scrupulous than +himself, entered at once, and took a good meal of oats and hay. His +master then tied him up, and walked towards the entrance-hall, but +still without seeing a single creature. He went on to a large +dining-parlor, where he found a good fire, and a table covered with +some very nice dishes, but only one plate with a knife and fork. As +the snow and rain had wetted him to the skin, he went up to the fire +to dry himself. "I hope," said he, "the master of the house or his +servants will excuse me, for it surely will not be long now before I +see them." He waited some time, but still nobody came; at last the +clock struck eleven, and the merchant, being quite faint for the want +of food, helped himself to a chicken, and to a few glasses of wine, +yet all the time trembling with fear. He sat till the clock struck +twelve, and then, taking courage, began to think he might as well look +about him; so he opened a door at the end of the hall, and went +through it into a very grand room, in which there was a fine bed; and +as he was feeling very weary, he shut the door, took off his clothes, +and got into it. + +It was ten o'clock in the morning before he awoke, when he was amazed +to see a handsome new suit of clothes laid ready for him, instead of +his own, which were all torn and spoiled. "To be sure," said he to +himself, "this place belongs to some good fairy, who has taken pity on +my ill luck." He looked out of the window, and instead of the +snow-covered wood, where he had lost himself the previous night, he +saw the most charming arbors covered with all kinds of flowers. +Returning to the hall where he had supped, he found a breakfast-table, +ready prepared. "Indeed, my good fairy," said the merchant aloud, "I +am vastly obliged to you for your kind care of me." He then made a +hearty breakfast, took his hat, and was going to the stable to pay +his horse a visit; but as he passed under one of the arbors, which was +loaded with roses, he thought of what Beauty had asked him to bring +back to her, and so he took a bunch of roses to carry home. At the +same moment he heard a loud noise, and saw coming towards him a beast, +so frightful to look at that he was ready to faint with fear. +"Ungrateful man!" said the beast, in a terrible voice, "I have saved +your life by admitting you into my palace, and in return you steal my +roses, which I value more than anything I possess. But you shall atone +for your fault: you shall die in a quarter of an hour." + +The merchant fell on his knees, and, clasping his hands, said, "Sir, I +humbly beg your pardon. I did not think it would offend you to gather +a rose for one of my daughters, who had entreated me to bring her one +home. Do not kill me, my lord!" + +"I am not a lord, but a beast," replied the monster; "I hate false +compliments, so do not fancy that you can coax me by any such ways. +You tell me that you have daughters; now I will suffer you to escape +if one of them will come and die in your stead. If not, promise that +you will yourself return in three months, to be dealt with as I may +choose." + +The tender-hearted merchant had no thoughts of letting any one of his +daughters die for his sake; but he knew that if he seemed to accept +the beast's terms, he should at least have the pleasure of seeing them +once again. So he gave his promise, and was told he might set off as +soon as he liked. "But," said the beast, "I do not wish you to go back +empty-handed. Go to the room you slept in, and you will find a chest +there; fill it with whatsoever you like best, and I will have it taken +to your own house for you." + +When the beast had said this he went away. The good merchant, left to +himself, began to consider that as he must die--for he had no thought +of breaking a promise, made even to a beast--he might as well have the +comfort of leaving his children provided for. He returned to the room +he had slept in, and found there heaps of gold pieces lying about. He +filled the chest with them to the very brim, locked it, and, mounting +his horse, left the palace as sorrowful as he had been glad when he +first beheld it. The horse took a path across the forest of his own +accord, and in a few hours they reached the merchant's house. His +children came running round him, but, instead of kissing them with +joy, he could not help weeping as he looked at them. He held in his +hand the bunch of roses, which he gave to Beauty, saying, "Take these +roses, Beauty; but little do you think how dear they have cost your +poor father." And then he gave them an account of all that he had +seen or heard in the palace of the beast. + +The two eldest sisters now began to shed tears, and to lay the blame +upon Beauty, who, they said, would be the cause of her father's death. +"See," said they, "what happens from the pride of the little wretch; +why did not she ask for such things as we did? But, to be sure, miss +must not be like other people; and though she will be the cause of her +father's death, yet she does not shed a tear." + +"It would be useless," replied Beauty; "for father shall not die. As +the beast will accept of one of his daughters, I will give myself up, +and be only too happy to prove my love for the best of fathers." + +"No, sister," said the three brothers, with one voice, "that cannot +be; we will go in search of this monster, and either he or we will +perish." + +"Do not hope to kill him," said the merchant; "his power is far too +great. But Beauty's young life shall not be sacrificed; I am old, and +cannot expect to live much longer; so I shall but give up a few years +of my life, and shall only grieve for the sake of my children." + +"Never, father!" cried Beauty; "if you go back to the palace, you +cannot hinder my going after you; though young, I am not over-fond of +life; and I would much rather be eaten up by the monster than die of +grief for your loss." + +The merchant in vain tried to reason with Beauty, who still +obstinately kept to her purpose; which, in truth, made her two sisters +glad, for they were jealous of her, because everybody loved her. + +The merchant was so grieved at the thoughts of losing his child that +he never once thought of the chest filled with gold, but at night, to +his great surprise, he found it standing by his bedside. He said +nothing about his riches to his eldest daughters, for he knew very +well it would at once make them want to return to town; but he told +Beauty his secret, and she then said that while he was away two +gentlemen had been on a visit at their cottage who had fallen in love +with her two sisters. She entreated her father to marry them without +delay, for she was so sweet-natured she only wished them to be happy. + +Three months went by only too fast, and then the merchant and Beauty +got ready to set out for the palace of the beast. Upon this the two +sisters rubbed their eyes with an onion to make believe they were +crying; both the merchant and his sons cried in earnest. Only Beauty +shed no tears. They reached the palace in a very few hours, and the +horse, without bidding, went into the same stable as before. The +merchant and Beauty walked towards the large hall, where they found a +table covered with every dainty, and two plates laid ready. The +merchant had very little appetite; but Beauty, that she might the +better hide her grief, placed herself at the table, and helped her +father; she then began to eat herself, and thought all the time that, +to be sure, the beast had a mind to fatten her before he ate her up, +since he had provided such good cheer for her. When they had done +their supper they heard a great noise, and the good old man began to +bid his poor child farewell, for he knew it was the beast coming to +them. When Beauty first saw that frightful form she was very much +terrified, but tried to hide her fear. The creature walked up to her +and eyed her all over; then asked her, in a dreadful voice, if she had +come quite of her own accord. + +"Yes," said Beauty. + +"Then you are a good girl, and I am very much obliged to you." + +This was such an astonishingly civil answer that Beauty's courage +rose; but it sank again when the beast, addressing the merchant, +desired him to leave the palace next morning, and never return to it +again. "And so good-night, merchant. And good-night, Beauty." + +"Good-night, beast," she answered, as the monster shuffled out of the +room. + +"Ah! my dear child," said the merchant, kissing his daughter, "I am +half dead already, at the thought of leaving you with this dreadful +beast; you shall go back and let me stay in your place." + +"No," said Beauty, boldly, "I will never agree to that; you must go +home to-morrow morning." + +Then they wished each other good-night and went to bed, both of them +thinking they should not be able to close their eyes; but as soon as +ever they had lain down they fell into a deep sleep, and did not awake +till morning. Beauty dreamed that a lady came up to her, who said: "I +am very much pleased, Beauty, with the goodness you have shown, in +being willing to give your life to save that of your father. Do not be +afraid of anything; you shall not go without a reward." + +As soon as Beauty awoke she told her father this dream; but though it +gave him some comfort, he was a long time before he could be persuaded +to leave the palace. At last Beauty succeeded in getting him safely +away. + +When her father was out of sight poor Beauty began to weep sorely; +still, having naturally a courageous spirit, she soon resolved not to +make her sad case still worse by sorrow, which she knew was vain, but +to wait and be patient. She walked about to take a view of all the +palace, and the elegance of every part of it much charmed her. + +But what was her surprise when she came to a door on which was written +BEAUTY'S ROOM! She opened it in haste, and her eyes were dazzled by +the splendor and taste of the apartment. What made her wonder more +than all the rest was a large library filled with books, a +harpsichord, and many pieces of music. "The beast surely does not mean +to eat me up immediately," said she, "since he takes care I shall not +be at a loss how to amuse myself." She opened the library, and saw +these verses written in letters of gold on the back of one of the +books: + + "Beauteous lady, dry your tears, + Here's no cause for sighs or fears. + Command as freely as you may, + For you command and I obey." + +"Alas!" said she, sighing, "I wish I could only command a sight of my +poor father, and to know what he is doing at this moment." Just then, +by chance, she cast her eyes on a looking-glass that stood near her, +and in it she saw a picture of her old home, and her father riding +mournfully up to the door. Her sisters came out to meet him, and +although they tried to look sorry, it was easy to see that in their +hearts they were very glad. In a short time all this picture +disappeared, but it caused Beauty to think that the beast, besides +being very powerful, was also very kind. About the middle of the day +she found a table laid ready for her, and a sweet concert of music +played all the time she was dining, without her seeing anybody. But at +supper, when she was going to seat herself at table, she heard the +noise of the beast, and could not help trembling with fear. + +"Beauty," said he, "will you give me leave to see you sup?" + +"That is as you please," answered she, very much afraid. + +"Not in the least," said the beast; "you alone command in this place. +If you should not like my company you need only say so, and I will +leave you that moment. But tell me, Beauty, do you not think me very +ugly?" + +"Why, yes," said she, "for I cannot tell a falsehood; but then I +think you are very good." + +"Am I?" sadly replied the beast; "yet, besides being ugly, I am also +very stupid: I know well enough that I am but a beast." + +"Very stupid people," said Beauty, "are never aware of it themselves." + +At which kindly speech the beast looked pleased, and replied, not +without an awkward sort of politeness, "Pray do not let me detain you +from supper, and be sure that you are well served. All you see is your +own, and I should be deeply grieved if you wanted for anything." + +"You are very kind--so kind that I almost forgot you are so ugly," +said Beauty, earnestly. + +"Ah! yes," answered the beast, with a great sigh; "I hope I am +good-tempered, but still I am only a monster." + +"There is many a monster who wears the form of a man; it is better of +the two to have the heart of a man and the form of a monster." + +"I would thank you, Beauty, for this speech, but I am too senseless to +say anything that would please you," returned the beast, in a +melancholy voice; and altogether he seemed so gentle and so unhappy +that Beauty, who had the tenderest heart in the world, felt her fear +of him gradually vanish. + +She ate her supper with a good appetite, and conversed in her own +sensible and charming way, till at last, when the beast rose to +depart, he terrified her more than ever by saying, abruptly, in his +gruff voice, "Beauty, will you marry me?" + +Now Beauty, frightened as she was, would speak only the exact truth; +besides, her father had told her that the beast liked only to have the +truth spoken to him. So she answered, in a very firm tone, "No, +beast." + +He did not go into a passion, or do anything but sigh deeply, and +depart. + +When Beauty found herself alone she began to feel pity for the poor +beast. "Oh!" said she, "what a sad thing it is that he should be so +very frightful, since he is so good-tempered!" + +Beauty lived three months in this palace very well pleased. The beast +came to see her every night, and talked with her while she supped; and +though what he said was not very clever, yet, as she saw in him every +day some new goodness, instead of dreading the time of his coming, she +soon began continually looking at her watch, to see if it were nine +o'clock; for that was the hour when he never failed to visit her. One +thing only vexed her, which was that every night before he went away +he always made it a rule to ask her if she would be his wife, and +seemed very much grieved at her steadfastly replying "No." At last, +one night, she said to him, "You wound me greatly, beast, by forcing +me to refuse you so often; I wish I could take such a liking to you as +to agree to marry you, but I must tell you plainly that I do not think +it will ever happen. I shall always be your friend, so try to let that +content you." + +"I must," sighed the beast, "for I know well enough how frightful I +am; but I love you better than myself. Yet I think I am very lucky in +your being pleased to stay with me; now promise me, Beauty, that you +will never leave me." + +Beauty would almost have agreed to this, so sorry was she for him, but +she had that day seen in her magic glass, which she looked at +constantly, that her father was dying of grief for her sake. + +"Alas!" she said, "I long so much to see my father that if you do not +give me leave to visit him I shall break my heart." + +"I would rather break mine, Beauty," answered the beast; "I will send +you to your father's cottage, you shall stay there, and your poor +beast shall die of sorrow." + +"No," said Beauty, crying, "I love you too well to be the cause of +your death; I promise to return in a week. You have shown me that my +sisters are married, and my brothers are gone for soldiers, so that my +father is left all alone. Let me stay a week with him." + +"You shall find yourself with him to-morrow morning," replied the +beast; "but mind, do not forget your promise. When you wish to return +you have nothing to do but to put your ring on a table when you go to +bed. Good-bye, Beauty!" The beast sighed as he said these words, and +Beauty went to bed very sorry to see him so much grieved. When she +awoke in the morning she found herself in her father's cottage. She +rang a bell that was at her bedside, and a servant entered; but as +soon as she saw Beauty the woman gave a loud shriek; upon which the +merchant ran up-stairs, and when he beheld his daughter he ran to her +and kissed her a hundred times. At last Beauty began to remember that +she had brought no clothes with her to put on; but the servant told +her she had just found in the next room a large chest full of dresses, +trimmed all over with gold, and adorned with pearls and diamonds. + +Beauty, in her own mind, thanked the beast for his kindness, and put +on the plainest gown she could find among them all. She then desired +the servant to lay the rest aside, for she intended to give them to +her sisters; but, as soon as she had spoken these words, the chest was +gone out of sight in a moment. Her father then suggested perhaps the +beast chose for her to keep them all for herself; and as soon as he +had said this, they saw the chest standing again in the same place. +While Beauty was dressing herself a servant brought word to her that +her sisters were come with their husbands to pay her a visit. They +both lived unhappily with the gentlemen they had married. The husband +of the eldest was very handsome, but was so proud of this that he +thought of nothing else from morning till night, and did not care a +pin for the beauty of his wife. The second had married a man of great +learning; but he made no use of it, except to torment and affront all +his friends, and his wife more than any of them. The two sisters were +ready to burst with spite when they saw Beauty dressed like a +princess, and looking so very charming. All the kindness that she +showed them was of no use; for they were vexed more than ever when she +told them how happy she lived at the palace of the beast. The spiteful +creatures went by themselves into the garden, where they cried to +think of her good-fortune. + +"Why should the little wretch be better off than we?" said they. "We +are much handsomer than she is." + +"Sister," said the eldest, "a thought has just come into my head: Let +us try to keep her here longer than the week for which the beast gave +her leave, and then he will be so angry that perhaps when she goes +back to him he will eat her up in a moment." + +"That is well thought of," answered the other, "but to do this we must +pretend to be very kind." + +They then went to join her in the cottage, where they showed her so +much false love that Beauty could not help crying for joy. + +When the week was ended the two sisters began to pretend such grief at +the thought of her leaving them that she agreed to stay a week more; +but all that time Beauty could not help fretting for the sorrow that +she knew her absence would give her poor beast; for she tenderly +loved him, and much wished for his company again. Among all the grand +and clever people she saw she found nobody who was half so sensible, +so affectionate, so thoughtful, or so kind. The tenth night of her +being at the cottage she dreamed she was in the garden of the palace, +that the beast lay dying on a grass-plot, and with his last breath put +her in mind of her promise, and laid his death to her forsaking him. +Beauty awoke in a great fright, and burst into tears. "Am not I +wicked," said she, "to behave so ill to a beast who has shown me so +much kindness? Why will not I marry him? I am sure I should be more +happy with him than my sisters are with their husbands. He shall not +be wretched any longer on my account; for I should do nothing but +blame myself all the rest of my life." + +She then rose, put her ring on the table, got into bed again, and soon +fell asleep. In the morning she with joy found herself in the palace +of the beast. She dressed herself very carefully, that she might +please him the better, and thought she had never known a day pass away +so slowly. At last the clock struck nine, but the beast did not come. +Beauty, dreading lest she might truly have caused his death, ran from +room to room, calling out, "Beast, dear beast!" but there was no +answer. At last she remembered her dream, rushed to the grass-plot, +and there saw him lying apparently dead beside the fountain. +Forgetting all his ugliness, she threw herself upon his body, and, +finding his heart still beat, she fetched some water and sprinkled it +over him, weeping and sobbing the while. + +The beast opened his eyes. "You forgot your promise, Beauty, and so I +determined to die; for I could not live without you. I have starved +myself to death, but I shall die content since I have seen your face +once more." + +"No, dear beast," cried Beauty, passionately, "you shall not die; you +shall live to be my husband! I thought it was only friendship I felt +for you, but now I know it was love." + +The moment Beauty had spoken these words the palace was suddenly +lighted up, and all kinds of rejoicings were heard around them, none +of which she noticed, but hung over her dear beast with the utmost +tenderness. At last, unable to restrain herself, she dropped her head +over her hands, covered her eyes, and cried for joy; and, when she +looked up again, the beast was gone. In his stead she saw at her feet +a handsome, graceful young prince, who thanked her with the tenderest +expressions for having freed him from enchantment. + +"But where is my poor beast? I only want him and nobody else," sobbed +Beauty. + + [Illustration: She saw at her feet a handsome, graceful young + prince] + +"I am he," replied the prince. "A wicked fairy condemned me to this +form, and forbade me to show that I had any wit or sense till a +beautiful lady should consent to marry me. You alone, dearest Beauty, +judged me neither by my looks nor by my talents, but by my heart +alone. Take it, then, and all that I have besides, for all is yours." + +Beauty, full of surprise, but very happy, suffered the prince to lead +her to his palace, where she found her father and sisters, who had +been brought there by the fairy-lady whom she had seen in a dream the +first night she came. + +"Beauty," said the fairy, "you have chosen well, and you have your +reward, for a true heart is better than either good looks or clever +brains. As for you, ladies," and she turned to the two elder sisters, +"I know all your ill deeds, but I have no worse punishment for you +than to see your sister happy. You shall stand as statues at the door +of her palace, and when you repent of and have amended your faults, +you shall become women again. But, to tell you the truth, I very much +fear you will remain statues forever." + + + + +LITTLE SNOWDROP + + +Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, when the flakes of snow +fell like feathers from the sky, a queen sat at a window set in an +ebony frame, and sewed. While she was sewing and watching the snow +fall, she pricked her finger with her needle, and three drops of blood +dropped on the snow. And because the crimson looked so beautiful on +the white snow, she thought: "Oh that I had a child as white as snow, +as red as blood, and as black as the wood of this ebony frame!" + +Soon afterwards she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow, +as red as blood, and had hair as black as ebony. And when the child +was born the queen died. + +After a year had gone by the king took another wife. She was a +handsome lady, but proud and haughty, and could not endure that any +one should surpass her in beauty. She had a wonderful mirror, and +whenever she walked up to it, and looked at herself in it, she said: + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +Then the mirror replied: + + "Lady queen, so grand and tall, + Thou art the fairest of them all." + +And she was satisfied, for she knew the mirror always told the truth. +But Snowdrop grew ever taller and fairer, and at seven years old was +beautiful as the day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. So +once, when the queen asked of her mirror: + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +it answered: + + "Lady queen, you are grand and tall, + But Snowdrop is fairest of you all." + +Then the queen was startled, and turned yellow and green with envy. +From that hour she so hated Snowdrop, that she burned with secret +wrath whenever she saw the maiden. Pride and envy grew apace like +weeds in her heart, till she had no rest day or night. So she called a +huntsman and said: "Take the child out in the forest, for I will +endure her no longer in my sight. Kill her, and bring me her lungs and +liver as tokens that you have done it." + +The huntsman obeyed, and led the child away; but when he had drawn his +hunting-knife, and was about to pierce Snowdrop's innocent heart, she +began to weep, and said: "Ah! dear huntsman, spare my life, and I +will run deep into the wild forest, and never more come home." + +The huntsman took pity on her, because she looked so lovely, and said, +"Run away then, poor child!" ("The wild beasts will soon make an end +of thee," he thought.) But it seemed as if a stone had been rolled +from his heart because he had avoided taking her life; and as a little +bear came by just then, he killed it, took out its liver and lungs, +and carried them as tokens to the queen. She made the cook dress them +with salt, and then the wicked woman ate them, and thought she had +eaten Snowdrop's lungs and liver. The poor child was now all alone in +the great forest, and she felt frightened as she looked at all the +leafy trees, and knew not what to do. So she began to run, and ran +over the sharp stones, and through the thorns; and the wild beasts +passed close to her, but did her no harm. She ran as long as her feet +could carry her, and when evening closed in, she saw a little house, +and went into it to rest herself. Everything in the house was very +small, but I cannot tell you how pretty and clean it was. + +There stood a little table, covered with a white tablecloth, on which +were seven little plates (each little plate with its own little +spoon)--also seven little knives and forks, and seven little cups. +Round the walls stood seven little beds close together, with sheets as +white as snow. Snowdrop being so hungry and thirsty, ate a little of +the vegetables and bread on each plate, and drank a drop of wine from +every cup, for she did not like to empty one entirely. + +Then, being very tired, she laid herself down in one of the beds, but +could not make herself comfortable, for one was too long, and another +too short. The seventh, luckily, was just right; so there she stayed, +said her prayers, and fell asleep. + +When it was grown quite dark, home came the masters of the house, +seven dwarfs, who delved and mined for iron among the mountains. They +lighted their seven candles, and as soon as there was a light in the +kitchen, they saw that some one had been there, for it was not quite +so orderly as they had left it. + +The first said, "Who has been sitting on my stool?" + +The second, "Who has eaten off my plate?" + +The third, "Who has taken part of my loaf?" + +The fourth, "Who has touched my vegetables?" + +The fifth, "Who has used my fork?" + +The sixth, "Who has cut with my knife?" + +The seventh, "Who has drunk out of my little cup?" + +Then the first dwarf looked about, and saw that there was a slight +hollow in his bed, so he asked, "Who has been lying in my little bed?" + +The others came running, and each called out, "Some one has also been +lying in my bed." + +But the seventh, when he looked in his bed, saw Snowdrop there, fast +asleep. He called the others, who flocked round with cries of +surprise, fetched their seven candles, and cast the light on Snowdrop. + +"Oh, Heaven," they cried, "what a lovely child!" and were so pleased +that they would not wake her, but let her sleep on in the little bed. +The seventh dwarf slept with all his companions in turn, an hour with +each, and so they spent the night. When it was morning Snowdrop woke +up, and was frightened when she saw the seven dwarfs. They were very +friendly, however, and inquired her name. + +"Snowdrop," answered she. + +"How have you found your way to our house?" further asked the dwarfs. + +So she told them how her stepmother had tried to kill her, how the +huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run the whole day +through, till at last she had found their little house. + +Then the dwarfs said, "If thou wilt keep our house, cook, make the +beds, wash, sew and knit, and make all neat and clean, thou canst stay +with us and shalt want for nothing." + +"I will, right willingly," said Snowdrop. So she dwelt with them, and +kept their house in order. Every morning they went out among the +mountains, to seek iron and gold, and came home ready for supper in +the evening. + +The maiden being left alone all day long, the good dwarfs warned her, +saying, "Beware of thy wicked stepmother, who will soon find out that +thou art here; take care that thou lettest nobody in." + + [Illustration: "Oh, Heaven," they cried, "what a lovely child!"] + +The queen, however, after having, as she thought, eaten Snowdrop's +lungs and liver, had no doubt that she was again the first and fairest +woman in the world; so she walked up to her mirror, and said: + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +The mirror replied: + + "Lady queen, so grand and tall, + Here you are fairest of them all; + But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old, + Lives Snowdrop, fairer a hundredfold." + +She trembled, knowing that the mirror never told a falsehood; she felt +sure that the huntsman had deceived her, and that Snowdrop was still +alive. She pondered once more, late and early, early and late, how +best to kill Snowdrop; for envy gave her no rest, day or night, while +she herself was not the fairest lady in the land. When she had planned +what to do she painted her face, dressed herself like an old +pedler-woman, and altered her appearance so much that no one could +have known her. In this disguise she went over the seven hills to +where the seven dwarfs dwelt, knocked at the door, and cried, "Good +wares, cheap!--very cheap!" + +Snowdrop looked out of the window and cried, "Good-morning, good +woman. What have you to sell?" + +"Good wares, smart wares," answered the queen--"bodice laces of all +colors;" and drew out one which was woven of colored silk. + +"I may surely let this honest dame in!" thought Snowdrop; so she +unfastened the door, and bought for herself the pretty lace. + +"Child," said the old woman, "what a figure thou art! Let me lace thee +for once properly." Snowdrop feared no harm, so stepped in front of +her, and allowed her bodice to be fastened up with the new lace. + +But the old woman laced so quick and laced so tight that Snowdrop's +breath was stopped, and she fell down as if dead. "Now I am fairest at +last," said the old woman to herself, and sped away. + +The seven dwarfs came home soon after, at eventide, but how alarmed +were they to find their poor Snowdrop lifeless on the ground! They +lifted her up, and, seeing that she was laced too tightly, cut the +lace of her bodice; she began to breathe faintly, and slowly returned +to life. When the dwarfs heard what had happened, they said, "The old +pedler-woman was none other than the wicked queen. Be careful of +thyself, and open the door to no one if we are not at home." + +The cruel stepmother walked up to her mirror when she reached home, +and said: + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +To which it answered, as usual: + + "Lady queen, so grand and tall, + Here you are fairest of them all; + But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old, + Lives Snowdrop, fairer a hundredfold." + +When she heard this she was so alarmed that all the blood rushed to +her heart, for she saw plainly that Snowdrop was still alive. + +"This time," said she, "I will think of some means that shall destroy +her utterly;" and with the help of witchcraft, in which she was +skilful, she made a poisoned comb. Then she changed her dress and took +the shape of another old woman. + +Again she crossed the seven hills to the home of the seven dwarfs, +knocked at the door, and cried, "Good wares, very cheap!" + +Snowdrop looked out and said, "Go away--I dare let no one in." + +"You may surely be allowed to look!" answered the old woman, and she +drew out the poisoned comb and held it up. The girl was so pleased +with it that she let herself be cajoled, and opened the door. + +When the bargain was struck the dame said, "Now let me dress your hair +properly for once." Poor Snowdrop took no heed, and let the old woman +begin; but the comb had scarcely touched her hair before the poison +worked, and she fell down senseless. + +"Paragon of beauty!" said the wicked woman, "all is over with thee +now," and went away. + +Luckily it was near evening, and the seven dwarfs soon came home. When +they found Snowdrop lifeless on the ground they at once distrusted her +stepmother. They searched, and found the poisoned comb; and as soon as +they had drawn it out, Snowdrop came to herself, and told them what +had happened. Again they warned her to be careful, and open the door +to no one. + +The queen placed herself before the mirror at home and said: + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +But it again answered: + + "Lady queen, so grand and tall, + Here, you are fairest of them all; + But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old, + Lives Snowdrop, fairer a thousandfold." + +When she heard the mirror speak thus she quivered with rage. "Snowdrop +shall die," she cried, "if it costs my own life!" + +Then she went to a secret and lonely chamber, where no one ever +disturbed her, and compounded an apple of deadly poison. Ripe and rosy +cheeked, it was so beautiful to look upon that all who saw it longed +for it; but it brought death to any who should eat it. When the apple +was ready she painted her face, disguised herself as a peasant-woman, +and journeyed over the seven hills to where the seven dwarfs dwelt. At +the sound of the knock Snowdrop put her head out of the window, and +said, "I cannot open the door to anybody, for the seven dwarfs have +forbidden me to do so." + +"Very well," replied the peasant-woman; "I only want to be rid of my +apples. Here, I will give you one of them!" + +"No," said Snowdrop, "I dare not take it." + +"Art thou afraid of being poisoned?" asked the old woman. "Look here; +I will cut the apple in two, and you shall eat the rosy side, and I +the white." + +Now the fruit was so cunningly made that only the rosy side was +poisoned. Snowdrop longed for the pretty apple; and when she saw the +peasant-woman eating it she could resist no longer, but stretched out +her hand and took the poisoned half. She had scarcely tasted it when +she fell lifeless to the ground. + +The queen, laughing loudly, watched her with a barbarous look, and +cried: "Oh, thou who art white as snow, red as blood, and black as +ebony, the seven dwarfs cannot awaken thee this time!" + +And when she asked the mirror at home, + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +the mirror at last replied, + + "Lady queen, so grand and tall. + You are the fairest of them all." + +So her envious heart had as much repose as an envious heart can ever +know. + +When the dwarfs came home in the evening they found Snowdrop lying +breathless and motionless on the ground. They lifted her up, searched +whether she had anything poisonous about her, unlaced her, combed her +hair, washed her with water and with wine; but all was useless, for +they could not bring the darling back to life. They laid her on a +bier, and all the seven placed themselves round it, and mourned for +her three long days. Then they would have buried her, but that she +still looked so fresh and lifelike, and had such lovely rosy cheeks. +"We cannot lower her into the dark earth," said they; and caused a +transparent coffin of glass to be made, so that she could be seen on +all sides, and laid her in it, writing her name outside in letters of +gold, which told that she was the daughter of a king. Then they placed +the coffin on the mountain above, and one of them always stayed by it +and guarded it. But there was little need to guard it, for even the +wild animals came and mourned for Snowdrop: the birds likewise--first +an owl, and then a raven, and afterwards a dove. + +Long, long years did Snowdrop lay in her coffin unchanged, looking as +though asleep, for she was still white as snow, red as blood, and her +hair was as black as ebony. At last the son of a king chanced to +wander into the forest, and came to the dwarf's house for a night's +shelter. He saw the coffin on the mountain with the beautiful Snowdrop +in it, and read what was written there in letters of gold. Then he +said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin! I will give you whatever +you like to ask for it." + +But the dwarfs answered, "We would not part with it for all the gold +in the world." + +He said again, "Yet give it me; for I cannot live without seeing +Snowdrop, and though she is dead, I will prize and honor her as my +beloved." + +Then the good dwarfs took pity on him, and gave him the coffin. The +prince had it borne away by his servants. They happened to stumble +over a bush, and the shock forced the bit of poisoned apple which +Snowdrop had tasted out of her throat. Immediately she opened her +eyes, raised the coffin-lid, and sat up alive once more. "Oh, heaven!" +cried she, "where am I?" + +The prince answered, joyfully. "Thou art with me," and told her what +had happened, saying, "I love thee more dearly than anything else in +the world. Come with me to my father's castle, and be my wife." + +Snowdrop, well pleased, went with him, and they were married with much +state and grandeur. + +The wicked stepmother was invited to the feast. Richly dressed, she +stood before the mirror, and asked of it: + + "Little glass upon the wall, + Who is fairest among us all?" + +The mirror answered: + + "Lady queen, so grand and tall, + Here, you are fairest among them all; + But the young queen over the mountains old + Is fairer than you a thousandfold." + +The evil-hearted woman uttered a curse, and could scarcely endure her +anguish. She first resolved not to attend the wedding, but curiosity +would not allow her to rest. She determined to travel, and see who +that young queen could be, who was the most beautiful in all the +world. When she came, and found that it was Snowdrop alive again, she +stood petrified with terror and despair. Then two iron shoes, heated +burning hot, were drawn out of the fire with a pair of tongs, and laid +before her feet. She was forced to put them on, and to go and dance at +Snowdrop's wedding--dancing, dancing on these red hot shoes till she +fell down dead. + + + + +THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS + + +Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house +of their own in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and +one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. +They had each a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, +Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear; and a +great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit +in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized +chair for the Middle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. +And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, +Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a +great bed for the Great, Huge Bear. + +One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and +poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the wood +while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths +by beginning too soon to eat it. And while they were walking a little +old woman came to the house. She could not have been a good, honest +old woman; for, first, she looked in at the window, and then she +peeped in at the key-hole; and, seeing nobody in the house, she lifted +the latch. The door was not fastened, because the bears were good +bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would +harm them. So the little old woman opened the door and went in, and +well pleased she was when she saw the porridge on the table. If she +had been a good little old woman she would have waited till the bears +came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; +for they were good bears--a little rough or so, as the manner of bears +is, but for all that very good-natured and hospitable. But she was an +impudent, bad old woman, and set about helping herself. + +So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was +too hot for her; and she said a bad word about that. And then she +tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her; +and she said a bad word about that, too. And then she went to the +porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that, and that was +neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well +that she ate it all up; but the naughty old woman said a bad word +about the little porridge-pot, because it did not hold enough for her. + +Then the little old woman sate down in the chair of the Great, Huge +Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sate down in the +chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she +sate down in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was +neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself +in it, and there she sate till the bottom of the chair came out, and +down came she, plump upon the ground. And the naughty old woman said a +wicked word about that, too. + +Then the little old woman went up-stairs into the bedchamber in which +the three bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the +Great, Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for her. And next +she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear; and that was too high at +the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, +Small, Wee Bear; and that was neither too high at the head nor at the +foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay +there till she fell fast asleep. + +By this time the three bears thought their porridge would be cool +enough, so they came home to breakfast. Now the little old woman had +left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear standing in his porridge. + + "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!" + +said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And when +the Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in +it, too. They were wooden spoons; if they had been silver ones the +naughty old woman would have put them in her pocket. + + "Somebody Has Been At My Porridge!" + +said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. + +Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the +spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone. + + "_Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all + up!_" + +said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. + +Upon this the three bears, seeing that some one had entered their +house, and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear's breakfast, began to +look about them. Now the little old woman had not put the hard cushion +straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear. + + "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!" + +said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. + +And the little old woman had squatted down the soft cushion of the +Middle Bear. + + "Somebody Has Been Sitting In My Chair!" + +said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. + +And you know what the little old woman had done to the third chair. + + "_Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has sate + the bottom of it out!_" + +said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. + +Then the three bears thought it necessary that they should make +further search, so they went up-stairs into their bedchamber. Now the +little old woman had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear out of +its place. + + "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!" + +said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. + +And the little old woman had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear +out of its place. + + "Somebody Has Been Lying in My Bed!" + +said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. + +And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there +was the bolster in its place, and the pillow in its place upon the +bolster, and upon the pillow was the little old woman's ugly, dirty +head--which was not in its place, for she had no business there. + + "_Somebody has been lying in my bed--and here she is!_" + +said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. + + [Illustration: The voice of the little, small, wee bear awakened + her at once] + +The little old woman had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff +voice of the Great, Huge Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was +no more to her than the roaring of wind or the rumbling of thunder. +And she had heard the middle voice of the Middle Bear, but it was +only as if she had heard some one speaking in a dream. But when she +heard the little, small, wee voice of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it +was so sharp and so shrill that it awakened her at once. Up she +started; and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed she +tumbled herself out at the other and ran to the window. Now the window +was open, because the bears, like good, tidy bears as they were, +always opened their bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. +Out the little old woman jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the +fall, or ran into the wood and was lost there, or found her way out of +the wood and was taken up by the constable and sent to the House of +Correction for a vagrant as she was, I cannot tell. But the Three +Bears never saw anything more of her. + + From "The Green Fairy Book," edited by Andrew Lang, by + the courtesy of Longmans, Green & Co. + + + + +SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED + + +A poor widow lived alone in a little cottage, in front of which was a +garden, where stood two little rose-trees: one bore white roses, the +other red. The widow had two children who resembled the two +rose-trees: one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red. They +were two of the best children that ever lived; but Snow-white was +quieter and more gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked best to jump +about in the meadows, to look for flowers and catch butterflies; but +Snow-white sat at home with her mother, helped her in the house, or +read to her when there was nothing else to do. The two children loved +one another so much that they always walked hand in hand; and when +Snow-white said, "We will not forsake one another," Rose-red answered, +"Never, as long as we live;" and the mother added, "Yes, my children, +whatever one has, let her divide with the other." They often ran about +in solitary places, and gathered red berries; and the wild creatures +of the wood never hurt them, but came confidingly up to them. The +little hare ate cabbage-leaves out of their hands, the doe grazed at +their side, the stag sprang merrily past them, and the birds remained +sitting on the boughs, and never ceased their songs. They met with no +accident if they loitered in the wood and night came on; they lay down +together on the moss, and slept till morning; and the mother knew +this, and was in no anxiety about them. Once, when they had spent the +night in the wood, and the red morning awoke them, they saw a +beautiful child, in a shining white dress, sitting by the place where +they had slept, who, arising, and looking at them kindly, said +nothing, but went into the wood. And when they looked round they found +out that they had been sleeping close to a precipice, and would +certainly have fallen down it if they had gone a few steps farther in +the dark. Their mother told them it must have been the angel that +takes care of good children who had sat by them all night long. + +Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother's cottage so clean that it +was a pleasure to look into it. In the summer Rose-red managed the +house, and every morning she gathered a nosegay in which was a rose +off each tree, and set it by her mother's bed before she awoke. In +winter Snow-white lighted the fire, and hung the kettle on the hook; +and though it was only copper it shone like gold, it was rubbed so +clean. In the evening, when the snow fell, the mother said, "Go, +Snow-white, and bolt the door;" and then they seated themselves on the +hearth, and the mother took her spectacles, and read aloud out of a +great book, and the two girls listened, and sat and span. Near them +lay a lamb on the floor, and behind them, on a perch, sat a white +dove, with its head under its wing. + +One evening, as they were thus happy together, some one knocked to be +let in. The mother said, "Quick, Rose-red, open the door; perhaps it +is a traveller who seeks shelter." Rose-red went and pushed the bolt +back, and thought it was a poor man; but a bear stretched his thick +black head into the door. Rose-red screamed and sprang back, the +little lamb bleated, the little dove fluttered about, and Snow-white +hid herself behind her mother's bed. However, the bear began to speak, +and said, "Do not be frightened, I will do you no harm; I am half +frozen, and only want to warm myself a little." + +"You poor bear," said the mother, "lay yourself down before the fire, +only take care your fur does not burn." Then she called out: +"Snow-white and Rose-red, come out; the bear will not hurt you--he +means honestly by us." Then they both came out, and, by degrees, the +lamb and the dove also approached, and ceased to be afraid. The bear +said, "Children, knock the snow a little out of my fur;" and they +fetched a broom, and swept the bear's skin clean; and he stretched +himself before the fire and growled softly, like a bear that was quite +happy and comfortable. In a short time they all became quite friendly +together, and the children played tricks with the awkward guest. They +pulled his hair, set their feet on his back, and rolled him here and +there; or took a hazel rod and beat him, and when he growled they +laughed. The bear was very much pleased with this frolic, only, when +they became too mischievous, he called out: "Children, leave me alone. + + "Little Snow-white and Rose-red, + You will strike your lover dead." + +When bedtime came, and the others went to sleep, the mother said to +the bear: "You can lie there on the hearth, and then you will be +sheltered from the cold and the bad weather." At daybreak the two +children let him out, and he trotted over the snow into the wood. +Henceforward the bear came every evening at the same hour, laid +himself on the hearth, and allowed the children to play with him as +much as they liked; and they became so used to him that the door was +never bolted until their black companion had arrived. When spring +came, and everything was green out-of-doors, the bear said one morning +to Snow-white: "Now I must go away, and may not come again the whole +summer." + +"Where are you going, dear Bear?" asked Snow-white. + +"I must go into the wood, and guard my treasures from the bad dwarfs; +in winter, when the ground is frozen hard, they have to stay +underneath, and cannot work their way through, but now that the sun +has thawed and warmed the earth, they break through, come up, seek, +and steal; what is once in their hands, and lies in their caverns, +does not come so easily into daylight again." Snow-white was quite +sorrowful at parting, and as she unbolted the door for him, and the +bear ran out, the hook of the door caught him, and a piece of his skin +tore off; it seemed to Snow-white as if she had seen gold shining +through, but she was not sure. But the bear ran quickly away, and soon +disappeared behind the trees. + +After some time, their mother sent the children into the wood to +collect fagots. They found there a large tree, which had been cut down +and lay on the ground, and by the trunk something was jumping up and +down, but they could not tell what it was. As they came nearer they +saw that it was a dwarf with an old withered face, and a snow-white +beard a yard long. The end of the beard was stuck fast in a cleft in +the tree, and the little fellow jumped about like a dog on a rope, and +did not know how to help himself. He stared at the girls with his +fiery red eyes, and screamed out: "Why do you stand there? Can't you +come and render me some assistance?" + +"What is the matter with you, little man?" asked Rose-red. + +"Stupid little goose!" answered the dwarf; "I wanted to chop the tree, +so as to have some small pieces of wood for the kitchen; we only want +little bits; with thick logs the small quantity of food that we cook +for ourselves--we are not, like you, great greedy people--burns +directly. I had driven the wedge well in, and it was all going on +right, but the detestable wood was too smooth, and sprang out +unexpectedly; and the tree closed up so quickly that I could not pull +my beautiful white beard out; now it is sticking there, and I can't +get away. There, you foolish, soft, milk-faces, you are laughing and +crying out: 'How ugly you are! how ugly you are!'" + +The children took a great deal of trouble, but they could not pull the +beard out; it stuck too fast. + +"I will run and fetch somebody," said Rose-red. + +"You great ninny!" snarled the dwarf, "to want to call more people; +you are too many for me now. Can't you think of anything better?" + +"Only don't be impatient," said Snow-white. "I have thought of +something;" and she took her little scissors out of her pocket, and +cut the end of the beard off. + +As soon as the dwarf felt himself free he seized a sack filled with +gold that was sticking between the roots of the tree; pulling it out, +he growled to himself: "You rude people, to cut off a piece of my +beautiful beard! May evil reward you!" Then he threw his sack over his +shoulders, and walked away without once looking at the children. + +Some time afterwards Snow-white and Rose-red wished to catch some fish +for dinner. As they came near to the stream they saw that something +like a grasshopper was jumping towards the water, as if it were going +to spring in. They ran on and recognized the dwarf. + +"Where are you going?" asked Rose-red. "You don't want to go into the +water?" + +"I am not such a fool as that," cried the dwarf. "Don't you see the +detestable fish wants to pull me in?" + +The little fellow had been sitting there fishing, and, unluckily, the +wind had entangled his beard with the line. When directly afterwards a +great fish bit at his hook the weak creature could not pull him out, +so the fish was pulling the dwarf into the water. It is true he caught +hold of all the reeds and rushes, but that did not help him much; he +had to follow all the movements of the fish, and was in imminent +danger of being drowned. The girls, coming at the right time, held him +fast and tried to get the beard loose from the line, but in +vain--beard and line were entangled fast together. There was nothing +to do but to pull out the scissors and to cut off the beard, in doing +which a little piece of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that, he cried +out: "Is that manners, you goose! to disfigure one's face so? Is it +not enough that you once cut my beard shorter? But now you have cut +the best part of it off, I dare not be seen by my people. I wish you +had had to run, and had lost the soles of your shoes!" Then he fetched +a sack of pearls that lay among the rushes, and, without saying a word +more, he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone. + +Soon after the mother sent the two girls to the town to buy cotton, +needles, cord, and tape. The road led them by a heath, scattered over +which lay great masses of rock. There they saw a large bird hovering +in the air; it flew round and round just above them, always sinking +lower and lower, and at last it settled down by a rock not far +distant. Directly after they heard a piercing, wailing cry. They ran +up, and saw with horror that the eagle had seized their old +acquaintance, the dwarf, and was going to carry him off. The +compassionate children instantly seized hold of the little man, held +him fast, and struggled so long that the eagle let his prey go. + +When the dwarf had recovered from his first fright, he called out, in +his shrill voice: "Could not you deal rather more gently with me? You +have torn my thin coat all in tatters, awkward, clumsy creatures that +you are!" Then he took a sack of precious stones, and slipped behind +the rock again into his den. The girls, who were used to his +ingratitude, went on their way, and completed their business in the +town. As they were coming home again over the heath they surprised the +dwarf, who had emptied his sack of precious stones on a little clean +place, and had not thought that any one would come by there so late. +The evening sun shone on the glittering stones, which looked so +beautiful in all their colors that the children could not help +standing still to gaze. + +"Why do you stand there gaping?" cried the dwarf, his ash-colored +face turning vermilion with anger. + +With these cross words he was going away when he heard a loud roaring, +and a black bear trotted out of the woods towards them. The dwarf +sprang up terrified, but he could not get to his lurking-hole +again--the bear was already close upon him. Then he called out in +anguish: + +"Dear Mr. Bear, spare me, and you shall have all my treasures; look at +the beautiful precious stones that lie there. Give me my life; for +what do you want with a poor thin little fellow like me? You would +scarcely feel me between your teeth. Rather seize those two wicked +girls; they will be tender morsels for you, as fat as young quails; +pray, eat them at once." + +The bear, without troubling himself to answer, gave the malicious +creature one single stroke with his paw, and he did not move again. +The girls had run away, but the bear called after them: "Snow-white +and Rose-red, do not be frightened; wait, I will go with you." +Recognizing the voice of their old friend, they stood still, and when +the bear came up to them his skin suddenly fell off; and behold he was +not a bear, but a handsome young man dressed all in gold. + +"I am a king's son," said he; "I was changed by the wicked dwarf, who +had stolen all my treasures, into a wild bear, and obliged to run +about in the wood until I should be freed by his death. Now he has +received his well-deserved punishment." + +So they all went home together to the widow's cottage, and Snow-white +was married to the prince and Rose-red to his brother. They divided +between them the great treasures which the dwarf had amassed. The old +mother lived many quiet and happy years with her children; but when +she left her cottage for the palace she took the two rose-trees with +her, and they stood before her window and bore every year the most +beautiful roses--one white and the other red. + + + + +THE WILD SWANS + + +Far away, where the swallows take refuge in winter, lived a king who +had eleven sons and one daughter, Elise. The eleven brothers--they +were all princes--used to go to school with stars on their breasts and +swords at their sides. They wrote upon golden slates with diamond +pencils, and could read just as well without a book as with one, so +there was no mistake about their being real princes. Their sister +Elise sat upon a little footstool of looking-glass, and she had a +picture-book which had cost the half of a kingdom. Oh, these children +were very happy; but it was not to last thus forever. + +Their father, who was king over all the land, married a wicked queen +who was not at all kind to the poor children; they found that out on +the first day. All was festive at the castle, but when the children +wanted to play at having company, instead of having as many cakes and +baked apples as ever they wanted, she would only let them have some +sand in a tea-cup, and said they must make-believe. + +In the following week she sent little Elise into the country to board +with some peasants, and it did not take her long to make the king +believe so many bad things about the boys that he cared no more about +them. + +"Fly out into the world and look after yourselves," said the wicked +queen; "you shall fly about like birds without voices." + +But she could not make things as bad for them as she would have liked; +they turned into eleven beautiful wild swans. They flew out of the +palace window with a weird scream, right across the park and the +woods. + +It was very early in the morning when they came to the place where +their sister Elise was sleeping in the peasant's house. They hovered +over the roof of the house, turning and twisting their long necks, and +flapping their wings; but no one either heard or saw them. They had to +fly away again, and they soared up towards the clouds, far out into +the wide world, and they settled in a big, dark wood, which stretched +right down to the shore. + +Poor little Elise stood in the peasant's room, playing with a green +leaf, for she had no other toys. She made a little hole in it, which +she looked through at the sun, and it seemed to her as if she saw her +brothers' bright eyes. Every time the warm sunbeams shone upon her +cheek it reminded her of their kisses. One day passed just like +another. When the wind whistled through the rose-hedges outside the +house, it whispered to the roses: "Who can be prettier than you are?" +But the roses shook their heads and answered: "Elise!" And when the +old woman sat in the doorway reading her Psalms the wind turned over +the leaves and said to the book: "Who can be more pious than you?" +"Elise!" answered the book. Both the roses and the book of Psalms only +spoke the truth. + +She was to go home when she was fifteen, but when the queen saw how +pretty she was she got very angry, and her heart was filled with +hatred. She would willingly have turned her into a wild swan too, like +her brothers, but she did not dare to do it at once, for the king +wanted to see his daughter. The queen always went to the bath in the +early morning. It was built of marble, and adorned with soft cushions +and beautiful carpets. + +She took three toads, kissed them, and said to the first: "Sit upon +Elise's head when she comes to the bath, so that she may become +sluggish like yourself." "Sit upon her forehead," she said to the +second, "that she may become ugly like you, and then her father won't +know her! Rest upon her heart," she whispered to the third. "Let an +evil spirit come over her, which may be a burden to her." Then she put +the toads into the clean water, and a green tinge immediately came +over it. She called Elise, undressed her, and made her go into the +bath; when she ducked under the water, one of the toads got among her +hair, the other got onto her forehead, and the third onto her bosom. +But when she stood up three scarlet poppies floated on the water; had +not the creatures been poisonous, and kissed by the sorceress, they +would have been changed into crimson roses, but yet they became +flowers from merely having rested a moment on her head and her heart. +She was far too good and innocent for the sorcery to have any power +over her. When the wicked queen saw this she rubbed her over with +walnut juice, and smeared her face with some evil-smelling salve. She +also matted up her beautiful hair; it would have been impossible to +recognize pretty Elise. When her father saw her, he was quite +horrified, and said that she could not be his daughter. Nobody would +have anything to say to her, except the yard dog and the swallows, and +they were only poor dumb animals whose opinion went for nothing. + +Poor Elise wept, and thought of her eleven brothers who were all lost. +She crept sadly out of the palace and wandered about all day, over +meadows and marshes, and into a big forest. She did not know in the +least where she wanted to go, but she felt very sad, and longed for +her brothers, who, no doubt, like herself had been driven out of the +palace. She made up her mind to go and look for them, but she had only +been in the wood for a short time when night fell. She had quite lost +her way, so she lay down upon the soft moss, said her evening prayer, +and rested her head on a little hillock. It was very still and the air +was mild; hundreds of glow-worms shone around her on the grass and in +the marsh like green fire. When she gently moved one of the branches +over her head the little shining insects fell over her like a shower +of stars. She dreamed about her brothers all night long. Again they +were children playing together: they wrote upon the golden slates with +their diamond pencils, and she looked at the picture-book which had +cost half a kingdom. But they no longer wrote strokes and noughts upon +their slates as they used to do; no, they wrote down all their boldest +exploits, and everything that they had seen and experienced. +Everything in the picture-book was alive, the birds sang, and the +people walked out of the book, and spoke to Elise and her brothers. +When she turned over a page they skipped back into their places again, +so that there should be no confusion among the pictures. + +When she woke the sun was already high; it is true she could not see +it very well through the thick branches of the lofty forest trees, but +the sunbeams cast a golden shimmer around beyond the forest. There was +a fresh, delicious scent of grass and herbs in the air, and the birds +were almost ready to perch upon her shoulders. She could hear the +splashing of water, for there were many springs around, which all +flowed into a pond with a lovely sandy bottom. It was surrounded with +thick bushes, but there was one place which the stags had trampled +down, and Elise passed through the opening to the water side. It was +so transparent that had not the branches been moved by the breeze she +must have thought that they were painted on the bottom, so plainly was +every leaf reflected, both those on which the sun played, and those +which were in shade. + +When she saw her own face she was quite frightened, it was so brown +and ugly; but when she wet her little hand and rubbed her eyes and +forehead her white skin shone through again. Then she took off all her +clothes and went into the fresh water. A more beautiful royal child +than she could not be found in all the world. + +When she had put on her clothes again and plaited her long hair she +went to a sparkling spring, and drank some of the water out of the +hollow of her hand. Then she wandered farther into the wood, though +where she was going she had not the least idea. She thought of her +brothers, and she thought of a merciful God who would not forsake +her. He let the wild crab-apples grow to feed the hungry. He showed +her a tree, the branches of which were bending beneath their weight of +fruit. Here she made her midday meal, and, having put props under the +branches, she walked on into the thickest part of the forest. It was +so quiet that she heard her own footsteps; she heard every little +withered leaf which bent under her feet. Not a bird was to be seen, +not a ray of sunlight pierced the leafy branches, and the tall trunks +were so close together that when she looked before her it seemed as if +a thick fence of heavy beams hemmed her in on every side. The solitude +was such as she had never known before. + +It was a very dark night, not a single glow-worm sparkled in the +marsh; sadly she lay down to sleep, and it seemed to her as if the +branches above her parted asunder, and the Saviour looked down upon +her with His loving eyes, and little angels' heads peeped out above +His head and under His arms. + +When she woke in the morning she was not sure if she had dreamed this, +or whether it was really true. + +She walked a little farther, when she met an old woman with a basket +full of berries, of which she gave her some. Elise asked if she had +seen eleven princes ride through the wood. "No," said the old woman, +"but yesterday I saw eleven swans, with golden crowns upon their +heads, swimming in the stream close by here." + +She led Elise a little farther to a slope, at the foot of which the +stream meandered. The trees on either bank stretched out their rich, +leafy branches towards each other, and where, from their natural +growth, they could not reach each other, they had torn their roots out +of the ground, and leaned over the water so as to interlace their +branches. + +Elise said good-bye to the old woman and walked along by the river +till it flowed out into the great open sea. + +The beautiful open sea lay before the maiden, but not a sail was to be +seen on it--not a single boat. How was she ever to get any farther? +She looked at the numberless little pebbles on the beach; they were +all worn quite round by the water. Glass, iron, stone, whatever was +washed up, had taken their shapes from the water, which yet was much +softer than her little hand. "With all its rolling, it is untiring, +and everything hard is smoothed down. I will be just as untiring! +Thank you for your lesson, you clear rolling waves! Some time, so my +poor heart tells me, you will bear me to my beloved brothers!" + +Eleven white swans' feathers were lying on the sea-weed; she picked +them up and made a bunch of them. There were still drops of water on +them. Whether these were dew or tears no one could tell. It was very +lonely there by the shore, but she did not feel it, for the sea was +ever changing. There were more changes on it in the course of a few +hours than could be seen on an inland fresh-water lake in a year. If a +big black cloud arose it was just as if the sea wanted to say, "I can +look black too," and then the wind blew up and the waves showed their +white crests. But if the clouds were red and the wind dropped, the sea +looked like a rose-leaf, now white, now green. But, however still it +was, there was always a little gentle motion just by the shore; the +water rose and fell softly, like the bosom of a sleeping child. + +When the sun was just about to go down, Elise saw eleven wild swans +with golden crowns upon their heads flying towards the shore. They +flew in a swaying line, one behind the other, like a white ribbon +streamer. Elise climbed up onto the bank and hid behind a bush; the +swans settled close by her and flapped their great white wings. + +As soon as the sun had sunk beneath the water the swans shed their +feathers and became eleven handsome princes; they were Elise's +brothers. Although they had altered a good deal, she knew them at +once; she felt that they must be her brothers, and she sprang into +their arms, calling them by name. They were delighted when they +recognized their little sister who had grown so big and beautiful. +They laughed and cried, and told each other how wickedly their +stepmother had treated them all. + +"We brothers," said the eldest, "have to fly about in the guise of +swans, as long as the sun is above the horizon. When it goes down we +regain our human shapes. So we always have to look out for a +resting-place near sunset, for should we happen to be flying up among +the clouds when the sun goes down we should be hurled to the depths +below. We do not live here; there is another land, just as beautiful +as this, beyond the sea; but the way to it is very long, and we have +to cross the mighty ocean to get to it. There is not a single island +on the way where we can spend the night; only one solitary little rock +juts up above the water midway. It is only just big enough for us to +stand upon close together, and if there is a heavy sea the water +splashes over us, yet we thank our God for it. We stay there over +night in our human forms, and without it we could never revisit our +beloved Fatherland, for our flight takes two of the longest days in +the year. We are only permitted to visit the home of our fathers once +a year, and we dare only stay for eleven days. We hover over this big +forest from whence we catch a glimpse of the palace where we were +born, and where our father lives; beyond it we can see the high +church towers where our mother is buried. We fancy that the trees and +bushes here are related to us; and the wild horses gallop over the +moors, as we used to see them in our childhood. The charcoal burners +still sing the old songs we used to dance to when we were children. +This is our Fatherland, we are drawn towards it, and here we have +found you again, dear little sister! We may stay here two days longer, +and then we must fly away again across the ocean to a lovely country +indeed, but it is not our own dear Fatherland. How shall we ever take +you with us! We have neither ship nor boat!" + +"How can I deliver you!" said their sister, and they went on talking +to each other nearly all night; they only dozed for a few hours. + +Elise was awakened in the morning by the rustling of the swans' wings +above her; her brothers were again transformed, and were wheeling +round in great circles till she lost sight of them in the distance. +One of them, the youngest, stayed behind. He laid his head against her +bosom, and she caressed it with her fingers. They remained together +all day. Towards evening the others came back, and as soon as the sun +went down they took their natural forms. + +"To-morrow we must fly away, and we dare not come back for a whole +year, but we can't leave you like this! Have you courage to go with +us? My arm is strong enough to carry you over the forest, so surely +our united strength ought to be sufficient to bear you across the +ocean." + +"Oh yes; take me with you," said Elise. + +They spent the whole night in weaving a kind of net of the elastic +bark of the willow bound together with tough rushes; they made it both +large and strong. Elise lay down upon it, and when the sun rose and +the brothers became swans again they took up the net in their bills +and flew high up among the clouds with their precious sister, who was +fast asleep. The sunbeams fell straight onto her face, so one of the +swans flew over her head so that its broad wings should shade her. + +They were far from land when Elise woke; she thought she must still be +dreaming, it seemed so strange to be carried through the air so high +up above the sea. By her side lay a branch of beautiful ripe berries +and a bundle of savory roots which her youngest brother had collected +for her, and for which she gave him a grateful smile. She knew it was +he who flew above her head shading her from the sun. They were so high +up that the first ship they saw looked like a gull floating on the +water. A great cloud came up behind them like a mountain, and Elise +saw the shadow of herself on it, and those of the eleven swans +looking like giants. It was a more beautiful picture than any she had +ever seen before, but as the sun rose higher, the cloud fell behind, +and the shadow picture disappeared. + +They flew on and on all day like an arrow whizzing through the air, +but they went slower than usual, for now they had their sister to +carry. A storm came up, and night was drawing on; Elise saw the sun +sinking with terror in her heart, for the solitary rock was nowhere to +be seen. The swans seemed to be taking stronger strokes than ever; +alas! she was the cause of their not being able to get on faster; as +soon as the sun went down they would become men, and they would all be +hurled into the sea and drowned. She prayed to God from the bottom of +her heart, but still no rock was to be seen! Black clouds gathered, +and strong gusts of wind announced a storm; the clouds looked like a +great threatening leaden wave, and the flashes of lightning followed +each other rapidly. + +The sun was now at the edge of the sea. Elise's heart quaked, when +suddenly the swans shot downward so suddenly that she thought they +were falling then they hovered again. Half of the sun was below the +horizon, and there for the first time she saw the little rock below, +which did not look bigger than the head of a seal above the water. The +sun sank very quickly, it was no bigger than a star, but her foot +touched solid earth. The sun went out like the last sparks of a bit of +burning paper; she saw her brothers stand arm in arm around her, but +there was only just room enough for them. The waves beat upon the rock +and washed over them like drenching rain. The heavens shone with +continuous fire, and the thunder rolled, peal upon peal. But the +sister and brothers held one another's hands and sang a psalm which +gave them comfort and courage. + +The air was pure and still at dawn. As soon as the sun rose the swans +flew off with Elise, away from the islet. The sea still ran high; it +looked from where they were as if the white foam on the dark green +water were millions of swans floating on the waves. + + [Illustration: Elise saw an ice palace, with one bold colonnade + built above another] + +When the sun rose higher Elise saw before her, half floating in the +air, great masses of ice, with shining glaciers on the heights. A +palace was perched midway a mile in length, with one bold colonnade +built above another. Beneath them swayed palm-trees and gorgeous +blossoms as big as mill wheels. She asked if this was the land to +which she was going, but the swans shook their heads, because what she +saw was a mirage--the beautiful and ever-changing palace of Fata +Morgana. No mortal dared enter it. Elise gazed at it; but as she gazed +the palace, gardens, and mountains melted away, and in their place +stood twenty proud churches with their high towers and pointed +windows. She seemed to hear the notes of the organ, but it was the sea +she heard. When she got close to the seeming churches they changed to +a great navy sailing beneath her; but it was only a sea mist passing +before her eyes, and now she saw the real land she was bound to. +Beautiful blue mountains rose before her with their cedar woods and +palaces. Long before the sun went down she sat among the hills in +front of a big cave covered with delicate green creepers. It looked +like a piece of embroidery. + +"Now we shall see what you will dream here to-night," said the +youngest brother, as he showed her where she was to sleep. + +"If only I might dream how I could deliver you," she said, and this +thought filled her mind entirely. She prayed earnestly to God for His +help, and even in her sleep she continued her prayer. It seemed to her +that she was flying up to Fata Morgana in her castle in the air. The +fairy came towards her; she was charming and brilliant, and yet she +was very like the old woman who gave her the berries in the wood and +told her about the swans with the golden crowns. + +"Your brothers can be delivered," she said; "but have you courage and +endurance enough for it? The sea is indeed softer than your hands, and +it molds the hardest stones; but it does not feel the pain your +fingers will feel. It has no heart, and does not suffer the pain and +anguish you must feel. Do you see this stinging nettle I hold in my +hand? Many of this kind grow round the cave where you sleep; only +these and the ones which grow in the church-yards may be used. Mark +that! Those you may pluck, although they will burn and blister your +hands. Crush the nettles with your feet and you will have flax, and of +this you must weave eleven coats of mail with long sleeves. Throw +these over the eleven wild swans and the charm is broken! But remember +that from the moment you begin this work till it is finished, even if +it takes years, you must not utter a word! The first word you say will +fall like a murderer's dagger into the hearts of your brothers. Their +lives hang on your tongue. Mark this well!" + +She touched her hand at the same moment--it was like burning fire--and +woke Elise. It was bright daylight, and close to where she slept lay a +nettle like those in her dream. She fell upon her knees with thanks to +God, and left the cave to begin her work. + +She seized the horrid nettles with her delicate hands, and they burnt +like fire; great blisters rose on her hands and arms, but she +suffered it willingly if only it would deliver her beloved brothers. +She crushed every nettle with her bare feet, and twisted it into green +flax. + +When the sun went down and the brothers came back they were alarmed at +finding her mute; they thought it was some new witchcraft exercised by +their wicked stepmother. But when they saw her hands they understood +that it was for their sakes; the youngest brother wept, and wherever +his tears fell she felt no more pain and the blisters disappeared. + +She spent the whole night at her work, for she could not rest till she +had delivered her dear brothers. All the following day while her +brothers were away she sat solitary, but never had the time flown so +fast. One coat of mail was finished, and she began the next. Then a +hunting-horn sounded among the mountains; she was much frightened; +the sound came nearer, and she heard dogs barking. In terror she +rushed into the cave, and tied the nettles she had collected and woven +into a bundle, upon which she sat. + +At this moment a big dog bounded forward from the thicket, and another +and another; they barked loudly, and ran backward and forward. In a +few minutes all the huntsmen were standing outside the cave, and the +handsomest of them was the king of the country. He stepped up to +Elise; never had he seen so lovely a girl. + +"How came you here, beautiful child?" he said. + +Elise shook her head; she dared not speak; the salvation and the lives +of her brothers depended upon her silence. She hid her hands under her +apron, so that the king should not see what she suffered. + +"Come with me," he said; "you cannot stay here. If you are as good as +you are beautiful I will dress you in silks and velvets, put a golden +crown upon your head, and you shall live with me and have your home in +my richest palace!" Then he lifted her upon his horse: she wept and +wrung her hands, but the king said: "I only think of your happiness; +you will thank me one day for what I am doing!" Then he darted off +across the mountains, holding her before him on his horse, and the +huntsmen followed. + +When the sun went down the royal city with churches and cupolas lay +before them, and the king led her into the palace, where great +fountains played in the marble halls, and where walls and ceilings +were adorned with paintings; but she had no eyes for them, she only +wept and sorrowed. Passively she allowed the women to dress her in +royal robes, to twist pearls into her hair, and to draw gloves onto +her blistered hands. + +She was dazzlingly lovely as she stood there in all her magnificence; +the courtiers bent low before her, and the king wooed her as his +bride, although the archbishop shook his head, and whispered that he +feared the beautiful wood maiden was a witch who had dazzled their +eyes and infatuated the king. + +The king refused to listen to him; he ordered the music to play, the +richest food to be brought, and the loveliest girls to dance before +her. She was led through scented gardens into gorgeous apartments, but +nothing brought a smile to her lips or into her eyes; sorrow sat there +like a heritage and a possession for all time. Last of all, the king +opened the door of a little chamber close by the room where she was to +sleep. It was adorned with costly green carpets, and made to exactly +resemble the cave where he found her. On the floor lay the bundle of +flax she had spun from the nettles, and from the ceiling hung the +shirt of mail which was already finished. One of the huntsmen had +brought all these things away as curiosities. + +"Here you may dream that you are back in your former home!" said the +king. "Here is the work upon which you were engaged; in the midst of +your splendor, it may amuse you to think of those times." + +When Elise saw all those things so dear to her heart, a smile for the +first time played about her lips, and the blood rushed back to her +cheeks. She thought of the deliverance of her brothers, and she kissed +the king's hand; he pressed her to his heart, and ordered all the +church bells to ring marriage peals. The lovely dumb girl from the +woods was to be queen of the country. + +The archbishop whispered evil words into the ear of the king, but they +did not reach his heart. The wedding was to take place, and the +archbishop himself had to put the crown upon her head. In his anger +he pressed the golden circlet so tightly upon her head as to give her +pain. But a heavier circlet pressed upon her heart--her grief for her +brothers; so she thought nothing of the bodily pain. Her lips were +sealed, a single word from her mouth would cost her brothers their +lives, but her eyes were full of love for the good and handsome king, +who did everything he could to please her. Every day she grew more and +more attached to him, and longed to confide in him, tell him her +sufferings; but dumb she must remain, and in silence must bring her +labor to completion. Therefore at night she stole away from his side +into her secret chamber, which was decorated like a cave, and here she +knitted one shirt after another. When she came to the seventh all her +flax was worked up; she knew that these nettles which she was to use +grew in the church-yard, but she had to pluck them herself. How was +she to get there? "Oh, what is the pain of my fingers compared with +the anguish of my heart?" she thought. "I must venture out; the good +God will not desert me!" With as much terror in her heart as if she +were doing some evil deed she stole down one night into the moonlit +garden, and through the long alleys out into the silent streets to the +church-yard. There she saw, sitting on a gravestone, a group of +hideous ghouls, who took off their tattered garments, as if they were +about to bathe, and then they dug down into the freshly made graves +with their skinny fingers, and tore the flesh from the bodies and +devoured it. Elise had to pass close by them, and they fixed their +evil eyes upon her; but she said a prayer as she passed, picked the +stinging nettles, and hurried back to the palace with them. + +Only one person saw her, but that was the archbishop, who watched +while others slept. Surely now all his bad opinions of the queen were +justified; all was not as it should be with her; she must be a witch, +and therefore she had bewitched the king and all the people. + +He told the king in the confessional what he had seen and what he +feared. When those bad words passed his lips the pictures of the +saints shook their heads as if to say: It is not so; Elise is +innocent. The archbishop, however, took it differently, and thought +that they were bearing witness against her, and shaking their heads at +her sin. Two big tears rolled down the king's cheeks, and he went home +with doubt in his heart. He pretended to sleep at night, but no quiet +sleep came to his eyes. He perceived how Elise got up and went to her +private closet. Day by day his face grew darker; Elise saw it, but +could not imagine what was the cause of it. It alarmed her, and what +was she not already suffering in her heart because of her brothers? +Her salt tears ran down upon the royal purple velvet, they lay upon +it like sparkling diamonds, and all who saw their splendor wished to +be queen. + +She had, however, almost reached the end of her labors, only one shirt +of mail was wanting; but again she had no more flax, and not a single +nettle was left. Once more, for the last time, she must go to the +church-yard to pluck a few handfuls. She thought with dread of the +solitary walk and the horrible ghouls, but her will was as strong as +her trust in God. + +Elise went, but the king and the archbishop followed her; they saw her +disappear within the grated gateway of the church-yard. When they +followed they saw the ghouls sitting on the gravestone as Elise had +see them before; and the king turned away his head because he thought +she was among them--she, whose head this very evening had rested on +his breast. + +"The people must judge her," he groaned, and the people judged. "Let +her be consumed in the glowing flames!" + +She was led away from her beautiful royal apartments to a dark, damp +dungeon, where the wind whistled through the grated window. Instead of +velvet and silk, they gave her the bundle of nettles she had gathered +to lay her head upon. The hard, burning shirts of mail were to be her +covering, but they could have given her nothing more precious. + +She set to work again, with many prayers to God. Outside her prison +the street boys sang derisive songs about her, and not a soul +comforted her with a kind word. + +Towards evening she heard the rustle of swans' wings close to her +window; it was her youngest brother; at last he had found her. He +sobbed aloud with joy, although he knew that the coming night might be +her last; but then her work was almost done, and her brothers were +there. + +The archbishop came to spend his last hours with her, as he had +promised the king. She shook her head at him, and by looks and +gestures begged him to leave her. She had only this night in which to +finish her work, or else all would be wasted, all--her pain, tears, +and sleepless nights. The archbishop went away with bitter words +against her, but poor Elise knew that she was innocent, and she went +on with her work. + +The little mice ran about the floor bringing nettles to her feet, so +as to give what help they could, and a thrush sat on the grating of +the window where he sang all night as merrily as he could to keep up +her courage. + +It was still only dawn and the sun would not rise for an hour when the +eleven brothers stood at the gate of the palace, begging to be taken +to the king. This could not be done was the answer, for it was still +night; the king was asleep, and no one dared wake him. All their +entreaties and threats were useless; the watch turned out, and even +the king himself came to see what was the matter; but just then the +sun rose, and no more brothers were to be seen--only eleven wild swans +hovering over the palace. + +The whole populace streamed out of the town gates; they were all +anxious to see the witch burned. A miserable horse drew the cart in +which Elise was seated. They had put upon her a smock of green +sacking, and all her beautiful long hair hung loose from the lovely +head. Her cheeks were deathly pale, and her lips moved softly, while +her fingers unceasingly twisted the green yarn. Even on the way to her +death she could not abandon her unfinished work. Ten shirts lay +completed at her feet; she labored away at the eleventh amid the +scoffing insults of the populace. + +"Look at the witch; how she mutters! She has never a book of psalms +in her hands; no, there she sits with her loathsome sorcery. Tear it +away from her into a thousand bits!" + +The crowd pressed around her to destroy her work, but just then eleven +white swans flew down and perched upon the cart flapping their wings. +The crowd gave way before them in terror. + +"It is a sign from Heaven! She is innocent!" they whispered, but they +dared not say it aloud. + +The executioner seized her by the hand. But she hastily threw the +eleven shirts over the swans, who were immediately transformed to +eleven handsome princes; but the youngest had a swan's wing in place +of an arm, for one sleeve was wanting to his shirt of mail; she had +not been able to finish it. + +"Now I may speak! I am innocent." + +The populace who saw what had happened bowed down before her as if +she had been a saint, but she sank lifeless in her brother's arms, so +great had been the strain, the terror, and the suffering she had +endured. + +"Yes, innocent she is indeed," said the eldest brother, and he told +them all that had happened. + +While he spoke a wonderful fragrance spread around as of millions of +roses. Every fagot in the pile had taken root and shot out branches, +and a great high hedge of red roses had arisen. At the very top was +one pure white blossom; it shone like a star, and the king broke it +off and laid it on Elise's bosom, and she woke with joy and peace in +her heart. + +All the church bells began to ring of their own accord, and the +singing birds flocked around them. Surely such a bridal procession +went back to the palace as no king had ever seen before! + + + + +ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP + + +There once lived a poor tailor who had a son called Aladdin, a +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 onward 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 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 trembled 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 "treasure" +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 his 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 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 onto the fire, he said something, and the stone rolled back +into its place. + +The magician left Persia forever, 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. + + [Illustration: "I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obey thee in + all things"] + +For two days Aladdin remained in the dark, crying and lamenting. At +last he clasped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring, +which the magician had forgotten to take from him. Immediately an +enormous and frightful genie rose out of the earth, saying: "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 himself 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, snatching 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 many years. + +One day Aladdin heard an order from the Sultan proclaimed that every +one 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. +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: +"Rise, 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 broken 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 bridegroom." "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 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 remembered 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 promises, 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 every one crowded to see +them and the 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 presented 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 a large hall with a dome, its four +walls of massy gold and silver, each side having six windows, whose +lattices, all except one which is to be 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 herself 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 honor. 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. + +Next day Aladdin invited the Sultan to see the palace. On entering the +hall with the four-and-twenty windows, with their rubies, diamonds, +and emeralds, he cried: "It's 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 cannot 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 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 honor 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 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 court-yard 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 every one 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 Ring; 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 dressing, 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, +Princess, in God's name, before 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 forever 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 carefully to Aladdin, +and when he left her arrayed herself gayly 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' feast 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, colored 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 +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, whereupon 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 ill humor. +He begged to know what was amiss, and she told him that all her +pleasure in the hall was spoiled 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. + + From "The Blue Fairy Book," edited by Andrew Lang, by + permission of Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co. + + + + +ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES + + +In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, 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 neighboring 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!"[1] 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 returned as they came. + + [1] Sesame is a kind of grain. + +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 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 some one +while you dig the hole." So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed +a measure. Knowing Ali 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 sticking 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 +their 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 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 Cassim's mules +roving about with great chests on their backs. This gave them the +alarm; they drew their sabres, and went to the door, which opened on +their Captain's saying: "Open, Sesame!" Cassim, 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 any one had got in without knowing their secret. They cut +Cassim's body into four quarters, and nailed them up inside the cave, +in order to frighten any one who should venture in, and went away in +search of more treasure. + + [Illustration: Cassim forgets the magic word] + +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 sleep, 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 every one that Cassim 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 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 +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 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 +overjoyed 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 was 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 +neighboring 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 distance to sell at to-morrow's market, +but it is now so late that I know not where to pass the night, unless +you will do me the favor to take me in." Though Ali Baba had seen the +Captain of the robbers in the forest, he did not recognize 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 led 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 instead 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 smelled 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 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 success, 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. Morgiana bade him +look in the first jar and see if there was any oil. Seeing 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 somewhat from +his astonishment, asked what had become of the merchant. "Merchant!" +said she, "he is no more a merchant 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 do 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 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, in such haste? Will you not stay and sup with me?" The +merchant refused, saying that he had a reason; and on Ali Baba's +asking 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 Morgiana, +who was much surprised. "Who is this man," she said, "who eats no salt +with his meat?" "He is an honest man, Morgiana," 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 garment. "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 housekeeper." 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 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! Remember, 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 splendor. 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. + + By the courtesy of Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co., + publishers of "The Blue Fairy Book," edited by Andrew + Lang. + + + + +THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR + + +I designed, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days at +Bagdad, but it was not long ere I grew weary of an indolent life, and +I put to sea a second time, with merchants of known probity. We +embarked on board a good ship, and after recommending ourselves to +God, set sail. We traded from island to island, and exchanged +commodities with great profit. One day we landed on an island covered +with several sorts of fruit trees, but we could see neither man nor +animal. We walked in the meadows, along the streams that watered them. +Whilst some diverted themselves with gathering flowers, and others +fruits, I took my wine and provisions, and sat down near a stream +betwixt two high trees, which formed a thick shade. I made a good +meal, and afterwards fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but +when I awoke the ship was gone. + +In this sad condition, I was ready to die with grief. I cried out in +agony, beat my head and breast, and threw myself upon the ground, +where I lay some time in despair. I upbraided myself a hundred times +for not being content with the produce of my first voyage, that might +have sufficed me all my life. But all this was in vain, and my +repentance came too late. At last I resigned myself to the will of +God. Not knowing what to do, I climbed up to the top of a lofty tree, +from whence I looked about on all sides, to see if I could discover +anything that could give me hopes. When I gazed towards the sea I +could see nothing but sky and water; but looking over the land I +beheld something white; and coming down, I took what provision I had +left, and went towards it, the distance being so great that I could +not distinguish what it was. + +As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, of a prodigious +height and extent; and when I came up to it, I touched it, and found +it to be very smooth. I went round to see if it was open on any side, +but saw it was not, and that there was no climbing up to the top, as +it was so smooth. It was at least fifty paces round. + +By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a sudden the sky +became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud. I was +much astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when I found it +occasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, that came flying towards me. +I remembered that I had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous +bird called the roc, and conceived that the great dome which I so much +admired must be its egg. In short, the bird alighted, and sat over the +egg. As I perceived her coming I crept close to the egg, so that I had +before me one of the legs of the bird, which was as big as the trunk +of a tree. I tied myself strongly to it with my turban, in hopes that +the roc next morning would carry me with her out of this desert +island. After having passed the night in this condition, the bird flew +away as soon as it was daylight, and carried me so high that I could +not discern the earth; she afterwards descended with so much rapidity +that I lost my senses. But when I found myself on the ground I +speedily untied the knot, and had scarcely done so when the roc, +having taken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, flew +away. + +The spot where it left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains +that seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that there was no +possibility of getting out of the valley. This was a new perplexity; +so that when I compared this place with the desert island from which +the roc had brought me, I found that I had gained nothing by the +change. + +As I walked through this valley I perceived it was strewed with +diamonds, some of which were of a surprising bigness. I took pleasure +in looking upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such objects as +greatly diminished my satisfaction, and which I could not view without +terror--namely, a great number of serpents, so monstrous that the +least of them was capable of swallowing an elephant. They retired in +the daytime to their dens, where they hid themselves from the roc, +their enemy, and came out only in the night. + +I spent the day in walking about in the valley, resting myself at +times in such places as I thought most convenient. When night came on +I went into a cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. I +secured the entrance, which was low and narrow, with a great stone, to +preserve me from the serpents, but not so far as to exclude the light. +I supped on part of my provisions, but the serpents, which began +hissing round me, put me into such extreme fear that I did not sleep. +When day appeared the serpents retired, and I came out of the cave +trembling. I can justly say that I walked upon diamonds without +feeling any inclination to touch them. At last I sat down, and +notwithstanding my apprehensions, not having closed my eyes during the +night, fell asleep, after having eaten a little more of my provisions. +But I had scarcely shut my eyes when something that fell by me with a +great noise awaked me. This was a large piece of raw meat; and at the +same time I saw several others fall down from the rocks in different +places. + +I had always regarded as fabulous what I had heard sailors and others +relate of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems employed by +merchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I found that they had +stated nothing but the truth. For the fact is that the merchants come +to the neighborhood of this valley, when the eagles have young ones, +and throwing great joints of meat into the valley, the diamonds, upon +whose points they fall, stick to them; the eagles, which are stronger +in this country than anywhere else, pounce with great force upon those +pieces of meat, and carry them to their nests on the precipices of the +rocks to feed their young; the merchants at this time run to their +nests, disturb and drive off the eagles by their shouts, and take away +the diamonds that stick to the meat. + +I perceived in this device the means of my deliverance. + +Having collected together the largest diamonds I could find, and put +them into the leather bag in which I used to carry my provisions, I +took the largest of the pieces of meat, tied it close round me with +the cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the ground with my +face downward, the bag of diamonds being made fast to my girdle. + +I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when one of the eagles, +having taken me up with the piece of meat to which I was fastened, +carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain. The merchants +immediately began their shouting to frighten the eagles; and when they +had obliged them to quit their prey, one of them came to the nest +where I was. He was much alarmed when he saw me; but, recovering +himself, instead of inquiring how I came thither, began to quarrel +with me, and asked why I stole his goods. "You will treat me," +replied I, "with more civility when you know me better. Do not be +uneasy; I have diamonds enough for you and myself--more than all the +other merchants together. Whatever they have they owe to chance; but I +selected for myself, in the bottom of the valley, those which you see +in this bag." I had scarcely done speaking when the other merchants +came crowding about us, much astonished to see me; but they were much +more surprised when I told them my story. + + [Illustration: The merchants began their shouting to frighten the + eagles] + +They conducted me to their encampment, and there, having opened my +bag, they were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and +confessed that they had never seen any of such size and perfection. I +prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which I had been carried +(for every merchant had his own) to take as many for his share as he +pleased. He contented himself with one, and that, too, the least of +them; and when I pressed him to take more, without fear of doing me +any injury, "No," said he, "I am very well satisfied with this, which +is valuable enough to save me the trouble of making any more voyages, +and will raise as great a fortune as I desire." + +I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my story a +second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it. I +could not moderate my joy when I found myself delivered from the +danger I have mentioned. I thought myself in a dream, and could +scarcely believe myself out of danger. + +The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for +several days, and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that +had fallen to his lot, we left the place the next morning, and +travelled near high mountains, where there were serpents of a +prodigious length, which we had the good-fortune to escape. We took +shipping at the first port we reached, and touched at the isle of +Roha, where the trees grow that yield camphor. The tree is so large, +and its branches so thick, that one hundred men may easily sit under +its shade. The juice, of which the camphor is made, exudes from a hole +bored in the upper part of the tree, is received in a vessel, where it +thickens to a consistency, and becomes what we call camphor. After the +juice is thus drawn out, the tree withers and dies. + +In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an animal less than the +elephant, but larger than the buffalo. It has a horn upon its nose, +which is solid, and cleft through the middle. The rhinoceros fights +with the elephant, runs his horn into his belly, and carries him off +upon his head; but the blood and the fat of the elephant running into +his eyes and making him blind, he falls to the ground, and then, +strange to relate, the roc comes and carries them both away in her +claws, for food for her young ones. + +Here I exchanged some of my diamonds for merchandise. From hence we +went to other islands, and at last, having touched at several trading +towns of the continent, we landed at Bussorah, from whence I proceeded +to Bagdad. There I immediately gave large presents to the poor, and +lived honorably upon the vast riches I had brought, and gained with so +much fatigue. + + + + +THE HISTORY OF ALI COGIA, A MERCHANT OF BAGDAD + + +In the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid there lived at Bagdad a +merchant named Ali Cogia, who was neither of the richest nor yet of +the lowest order. He dwelt in his paternal house without either wife +or children. He lived contented with what his business produced, and +was as free in his actions as in his will. During this period he had +for three successive nights a dream, in which an old man appeared to +him, with a venerable aspect but a severe countenance, who reprimanded +him for not having yet performed a pilgrimage to Mecca. + +This dream troubled Ali Cogia very much. As a good Mussulman, he was +aware of the necessity for this pilgrimage; but as he was encumbered +with a house and furniture, and a shop, he had always considered these +as excuses, and he endeavored to make up for the neglect by charitable +deeds. But since he had these dreams his conscience disturbed him, and +he was so fearful of some misfortune that he resolved no longer to +defer this act of duty. + +To enable himself to perform this in the following year, Ali Cogia +began to sell his furniture; he then disposed of his shop, together +with the greatest part of the merchandise, reserving only such as +might be salable at Mecca; and he found a tenant for his house. + +Having thus arranged everything, he was ready to set out at the time +that the caravan for Mecca was to take its departure. The only thing +which remained to be done was to find some secure place in which he +could leave the sum of a thousand pieces of gold, which remained over +and above the money he had set apart for his pilgrimage. + +Ali Cogia chose a jar of a proper size, and put the thousand pieces of +gold into it, and then filled it up with olives. After having closed +the jar tightly, he took it to a merchant who was his friend. +"Brother," said he to him, "you are not unacquainted with my intention +of setting out on a pilgrimage to Mecca with the caravan which goes in +a few days; I beg the favor of you to take charge of this jar of +olives till my return." The merchant instantly replied: "Here, this is +the key of my warehouse; take the jar there yourself, and place it +where you think fit. I promise you that you shall find it in the same +place when you come for it again." + +The day for departure arriving, Ali Cogia joined the caravan with a +camel laden with the merchandise he had made choice of, which also +served him as a sort of saddle to ride on, and he arrived in perfect +safety at Mecca. He, together with the other pilgrims, visited the +temple--that edifice, so celebrated and so frequented every year by +all the Mussulman nations, who repair thither from all parts of the +globe, to observe the religious ceremonies which are required of them. +When he had acquitted himself of the duties of his pilgrimage, he +exposed the merchandise he had brought with him for sale. + +Two merchants, who were passing that way, and saw the goods of Ali +Cogia, found them so beautiful that they stopped to look at them, +although they did not want to purchase them. When they had satisfied +their curiosity, one said to the other as he was walking away: "If +this merchant knew the profit he could make of his goods at Cairo, he +would take them there in preference to selling them here, where they +are not of so much value." + +This speech did not escape Ali Cogia, and as he had often heard of the +beauties of Egypt, he instantly resolved to travel to that country. +Having, therefore, packed up his bales, he joined the caravan that was +going to Cairo. When he arrived he found it so much to his advantage, +that in a few days he had disposed of all his merchandise with much +greater profit than he could possibly have expected. He then purchased +other goods, intending to go to Damascus, and while he was waiting for +the convenience of a caravan, which was to go in six weeks, he not +only visited everything that was worthy of his curiosity in Cairo, but +also went to view the pyramids, extended his journey to some distance +up the Nile, and inspected the most celebrated cities that are +situated on its banks. + +As the caravan was passing through Jerusalem, Ali Cogia took the +opportunity to visit the temple, which is considered by all Mussulmans +as the most sacred after that of Mecca, and from which the place +itself has obtained the title of the Holy City. Ali Cogia found the +city of Damascus so delicious a spot, from the abundance of its +streams, its meadows, and enchanting gardens, that everything he had +read of its delights, in different accounts of the place, appeared to +be far below the truth, and he was tempted to prolong his stay. As, +however, he did not forget that he had to return to Bagdad, he at +length took his departure and went to Aleppo, where he also passed +some time, and from thence, after having crossed the Euphrates, he +took the road to Moussoul, intending to shorten his journey by going +down the Tigris. + +But when Ali Cogia had reached Moussoul, the Persian merchants with +whom he had travelled from Aleppo, and had formed an intimacy, gained +so great an ascendancy over his mind by their obliging manners and +agreeable conversation, that they had no difficulty in persuading him +to accompany them to Shiraz, from whence it would be easy for him to +return to Bagdad, and with considerable profit. They took him through +the cities of Sultania, Rei, Coam, Kaschan, Ispahan, and then to +Shiraz, where he was induced to go with them to India, and then return +again to Shiraz. + +In this way, reckoning also the time Ali Cogia resided in each city, +it was now nearly seven years since he had quitted Bagdad, and he +determined to return. Till this period the friend to whom he had +intrusted the jar of olives before he left that city had never thought +more of him or his jar. At the very time that Ali Cogia was on his +return with a caravan from Shiraz, one evening as his friend the +merchant was at supper with his family, the conversation by accident +turned upon olives, and his wife expressed a desire of eating some, +adding that it was a long time since any had been produced in her +house. + +"Now you speak of olives," said the merchant, "you remind me that Ali +Cogia, when he went to Mecca seven years since, left me a jar of them, +which he himself placed in my warehouse, that he might find them there +on his return. But I know not what is become of Ali Cogia. Some one, +it is true, on the return of the caravan, told me that he was gone +into Egypt. He must have died there, as he has never returned in the +course of so many years; we may surely eat the olives if they are +still good. Give me a dish and a light, and I will go and get some, +that we may taste them." + +"In the name of God," replied the wife, "do not, my dear husband, +commit so disgraceful an action; you well know that nothing is so +sacred as a trust of this kind. You say that it is seven years since +Ali Cogia went to Mecca, and he has never returned; but you were +informed he was gone into Egypt, and how can you ascertain that he has +not gone still farther? It is enough that you have received no +intelligence of his death; he may return to-morrow or the day after +to-morrow. Consider how infamous it would be for you, as well as your +family, if he were to return, and you could not restore the jar into +his hands in the same state as when he intrusted it to your care. For +my part, I declare that I neither wish for any of these olives, nor +will eat any of them. What I said was merely by way of conversation. +Besides, do you suppose that, after so long a time, the olives can be +good? They must be spoiled. And if Ali Cogia returns, as I have a +foreboding that he will, and he perceives that you have opened the +jar, what opinion will he form of your friendship and integrity? I +conjure you to abandon your design." + +This good woman argued at length, because she saw, by her husband's +countenance, that he was resolved to have his own way. In fact, he got +up, and, taking a light and a dish, went to his warehouse. "Remember +at least," said the wife, "that I have no share in what you are going +to do; so do not attribute any fault to me if you have hereafter to +repent of the action." + +The merchant still persisted in his purpose. When he had entered the +warehouse he opened the jar, and found the olives all spoiled; but to +see whether those that were underneath were as bad as the upper ones +he poured some out into the dish, and as he shook the jar to make them +fall out the easier some pieces of gold fell out also. At the sight of +this money the merchant, who was naturally avaricious, looked into +the jar, and perceived that he had emptied almost all the olives into +the dish, and that what remained was money in pieces of gold. He put +the olives again into the jar, and, covering it, left the warehouse. + +"You spoke the truth, wife," said he, when he returned. "The olives +are all spoiled, and I have stopped up the jar again, so that if Ali +Cogia ever comes back he will not discover that I have touched it." +"You would have done better to take my advice," returned the wife, +"not to have meddled with it. God grant that no evil may come of it." +The merchant paid as little attention to these last words of his wife +as he had done to her former remonstrance. He passed almost the whole +night in devising means to take possession of Ali Cogia's money in +such a way that he might enjoy it in security should the owner ever +return and claim the jar. The next morning, very early, he went out +to buy some olives of that year's growth. He threw away those which +had been in Ali Cogia's jar, and, taking out the gold, he put it in a +place of safety; then filling the jar with the fresh olives he had +just bought he put on the same cover, and placed it in the same spot +where Ali Cogia had left it. + +About a month after the merchant had committed this treacherous act +Ali Cogia arrived at Bagdad, after his long absence from that city. As +he had leased his house before his departure he alighted at a khan, +where he took a lodging until he had informed his tenant of his +return, that the latter might procure himself another residence. + +The next day Ali Cogia went to see his friend the merchant, who +received him with open arms, testifying the utmost joy at seeing him +again, after an absence of so many years, which he said almost made +him despair of ever beholding him any more. + +After the usual compliments, Ali Cogia begged the merchant to return +him the jar of olives which he had left in his care, at the same time +apologizing for having troubled him. "My dear friend," replied the +merchant, "do not think of making excuses; your jar has been no +encumbrance to me, and I should have done the same with you had I been +situated as you were. Here is the key of my warehouse, go and take it; +you will find it where you put it yourself." + +Ali Cogia went to the warehouse and took out the jar, and having given +the key to the merchant, he thanked him for the favor he had done him, +and returned to the khan where he lodged. He opened the jar, and, +thrusting his hand to the depth where he supposed the thousand pieces +of gold might be, he was extremely surprised at not feeling them. He +thought he must be deceived, and to relieve his doubts he took some of +the dishes and other utensils of his travelling kitchen and emptied +out all the olives without finding one single piece of money. He was +motionless with astonishment, and raising his eyes and hands towards +heaven, "Is it possible," he at length exclaimed, "that a man whom I +considered as my friend could be capable of so flagrant a breach of +trust?" + +Ali Cogia, exceedingly alarmed at the idea of so considerable a loss, +returned to the merchant. "My good friend," said he, "do not be +surprised that I should return to you so quickly; I confess that I +knew the jar of olives which I just now took out of your warehouse to +be mine; but I had put a thousand pieces of gold in it with the +olives, and these I cannot find; perhaps you have wanted them in your +trade, and have made use of them. If that be the case, they are much +at your service; I only beg of you to relieve my fears, and give me +some acknowledgment for them; after this you will return them to me +whenever it may be most convenient." + +The merchant, who expected Ali Cogia to return to him, had prepared an +answer. "My friend," replied he, "when you brought me the jar of +olives, did I touch it? Did I not give you the key of my wareroom? Did +you not deposit it there yourself? and did you not find it in the same +place where you put it, exactly in the same state, and covered in the +same manner? If you put money in it, there you must find it. You told +me it contained olives, and I believed you. This is all I know about +the matter; you may believe me or not as you please, but I assure you +I have not touched it." + +Ali Cogia used the gentlest means to enable the merchant to justify +himself. "I love peaceable measures," said he, "and I should be sorry +to proceed to extremities, which would not be very creditable to you +in the eyes of the world. Consider that merchants, such as we are, +should abandon all private interests to preserve their reputation. +Once more I tell you that I should be sorry if your obstinacy compels +me to apply to the forms allowed by justice, for I have always +preferred losing something of my right to having recourse to those +means." + +"Ali Cogia," resumed the merchant, "you confess that you have +deposited a jar of olives with me, that you took possession of it +again, and that you carried it away; and now you come to demand of me +a thousand pieces of gold. Did you tell me they were contained in the +jar? I am even ignorant that there were olives in it; you did not show +them to me! I am surprised that you did not require pearls and +diamonds rather than money. Take my advice: go home, and do not +assemble a crowd about my door." + +Some people had already stopped before his shop; and these last +words, pronounced in an angry voice, not only collected a larger +number, but made the neighboring merchants come out of their shops to +inquire the reason of the dispute. When Ali Cogia had explained to +them the subject, the most earnest in the cause asked the merchant +what reply he had to make. + +The merchant owned that he had kept the jar belonging to Ali Cogia in +his warehouse, but he denied having touched it, and made oath that he +only knew that it contained olives because Ali Cogia had told him so, +and that he considered them all as witnesses of the insulting affront +which had been offered to him in his own house. + +"You have drawn the affront on yourself," said Ali Cogia, taking him +by the arm; "but since you behave so wickedly, I cite you by the law +of God. Let us see if you will have the face to say the same before +the cadi." + +At this summons, which every true Mussulman must obey, unless he +rebels against his religion, the merchant had not the courage to offer +any resistance. "Come," said he, "that is the very thing I wish; we +shall see who is wrong, you or I." + +Ali Cogia conducted the merchant before the tribunal of the cadi, +where he accused him of having stolen a thousand pieces of gold which +were deposited in his care, relating the fact as it took place. The +cadi inquired if he had any witnesses. He replied that he had not +taken this precaution, because he supposed the person to whom he had +intrusted his money to be his friend, and till now an honest man. + +The merchant urged nothing more in his defence than what he had +already said to Ali Cogia in the presence of his neighbors, and he +concluded by offering to take his oath not only that it was false that +he had taken the thousand pieces of gold, but even that he had any +knowledge of their being in his possession. The cadi accepted the +oath, after which he was dismissed as innocent. + +Ali Cogia, extremely mortified to find himself condemned to suffer so +considerable a loss, protested against the sentence, and declared to +the cadi that he would lay his complaint before the Caliph +Haroun-al-Raschid, who would do him justice; but the cadi did not +regard this threat, and he considered it merely as the effect of the +resentment natural to all who lose their cause, and he thought he had +performed his duty by acquitting one who was accused without any +witnesses to prove the fact. + +While the merchant was triumphing in his success over Ali Cogia, and +indulging his joy at having made so good a bargain of the thousand +pieces of gold, Ali Cogia went to draw up a petition. And the next +day, having chosen the time when the caliph should return from midday +prayers, he placed himself in a street which led to the mosque, and +when he passed, held out his hand with the petition. An officer to +whom this function belongs, who was walking before the caliph, +instantly left his place and came to take it, that he might present it +to his master. + +As Ali Cogia knew that it was the usual custom of the Caliph +Haroun-al-Raschid, when he returned to his palace, to examine with his +own eyes all the petitions that were presented to him in this way, he +therefore followed the procession, went into the palace, and waited +till the officer who had taken the petition should come out of the +apartment of the caliph. When he made his appearance he told Ali Cogia +that the caliph had read his petition, and appointed the following day +to give him an audience; and having inquired of him where the +merchant lived, he sent to give him notice to attend the next day +at the same time. + + [Illustration: The caliph listening to the children's court] + +On the evening of the same day, the caliph, with the grand vizier +Giafar and Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, all three disguised in +the same manner, went to make his usual excursion into the city, as it +was his custom frequently to do. In passing through a street the +caliph heard a noise. He hastened his pace, and came to a door which +opened into a court, where ten or twelve children, who had not gone to +rest, were playing by moonlight, as he perceived by looking through a +crevice. + +The caliph, feeling some curiosity to know what these children were +playing at, sat down on a stone bench, which was placed very +conveniently near the door; and as he was looking at them through the +crevice he heard one of the most lively and intelligent among them say +to the others: "Let us play at the cadi. I am the cadi. Bring before +me Ali Cogia and the merchant who stole the thousand pieces of gold +from him." + +These words of the child reminded the caliph of the petition which had +been presented to him that day, and which he had read; he therefore +redoubled his attention to hear the result of the trial. + +As the affair between Ali Cogia and the merchant was a new thing, and +much talked of in the city of Bagdad, even among children, the rest of +this youthful party fully agreed to the proposal, and each chose the +character he would perform. No one disputed the part of the cadi with +him who had made choice of it; and when he had taken his seat with all +the pomp and gravity of a cadi, another, personating the officer who +attends the tribunal, presented two others to him, one of whom he +called Ali Cogia, and the next the merchant against whom Ali Cogia +preferred his complaint. + +The pretended cadi then addressed the feigned Ali Cogia. "Ali Cogia," +said he, "what do you require of this merchant?" He who personated +this character then made a low bow, and informed the cadi of the +facts, and concluded by beseeching him to be pleased to interpose his +authority to prevent his sustaining so considerable a loss. The +feigned cadi, after having listened to Ali Cogia, turned to the +merchant, and asked him why he did not return to Ali Cogia the sum he +demanded of him. This young merchant made use of the same arguments +which the real one had alleged before the cadi of Bagdad, and also in +the same manner asked him to suffer him to swear that what he said was +the truth. + +"Not so fast," replied the pretended cadi; "before we come to swearing +I should like to see the jar of olives. Ali Cogia," said he, +addressing the boy who acted this part, "have you brought the jar +with you?" As the latter replied that he had not, he desired him to go +and fetch it. + +Ali Cogia disappeared for a few minutes, and then returning, pretended +to bring a jar to the cadi, which he said was the same that had been +deposited with the merchant, and was now returned to him. Not to omit +any of the usual forms, the cadi asked the merchant if he owned it to +be the same jar, and the merchant proving by his silence that he could +not deny it, he ordered it to be opened. The feigned Ali Cogia then +made a motion as if he were taking off the cover, and the cadi that of +looking into the jar. "These are fine olives; let me taste," said he. +Then, pretending to take one to taste, he added: "They are excellent. +But," continued he, "I think that olives which have been kept seven +years would not be so good. Order some olive merchants to be called, +and let them give their opinion." Two boys were then presented to +him. "Are you olive merchants?" he inquired; to which they having +replied in the affirmative, he added: "Tell me, then, if you know how +long olives, that are prepared by people who make it their business, +can be preserved good to eat?" + +"Sir," replied the feigned merchants, "whatever care may be taken to +preserve them, they are worth nothing after the third year; they lose +both their flavor and color, and are only fit to be thrown away." "If +that be the case," resumed the young cadi, "look at this jar, and tell +me how long the olives have been kept that are in it." + +The feigned merchants then pretended to examine and taste the olives, +and told the cadi that they were fresh and good. "You are mistaken," +replied the cadi; "here is Ali Cogia, who says that he put them into +the jar seven years ago." "Sir," said the merchants, "we can assure +you that these olives are of this year's growth, and we will maintain +that there is not a single merchant in Bagdad who will not be of the +same way of thinking." The accused merchant was going to protest +against this testimony of the others, but the cadi did not allow him +time. "Silence!" said he; "thou art a thief, and shalt be hanged." The +children then clapped their hands, showed great marks of joy, and +finished their game by seizing the supposed criminal, and carrying him +off as if to execution. + +It is impossible to express how much the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid +admired the wisdom and acuteness of the boy, who had pronounced so +just a sentence on the very case which was to be pleaded before him on +the morrow. Taking his eyes from the crevice, he rose, and asked the +grand vizier, who had been attending to all that passed, if he had +heard the sentence given by the boy, and what he thought of it. +"Commander of the Faithful," replied Giafar, "I am astonished at the +wisdom evinced by this boy at so early an age." + +"But," resumed the caliph, "do you know that to-morrow I am to give my +decision on this very affair, and that the true Ali Cogia has this +morning presented a petition to me on the subject?" + +"So I understand from your majesty," replied the grand vizier. "Do you +think," said the caliph, "that I can give a juster sentence than that +we have now heard?" "If the affair be the same," returned the grand +vizier, "it appears to me that your majesty cannot proceed in a better +manner, nor give any other judgment." "Notice well this house, then," +said the caliph, "and bring me the boy to-morrow, that he may judge +the same cause in my presence. Order the cadi, also, who acquitted the +merchant, to be at the palace, that he may learn his duty from this +child, and correct his deficiencies. I desire, too, that you will tell +Ali Cogia to bring with him his jar of olives, and do you procure two +olive merchants to be present at the audience." The caliph gave this +order as he continued his walk, which he finished without meeting with +anything else that deserved his attention. + +On the morrow the grand vizier repaired to the house where the caliph +had been witness to the game the children had played at, and he asked +to speak to the master of it, but he being gone out, he was introduced +to the mistress. He asked her if she had any children; she replied +that she had three, whom she brought to him. "My children," said he to +them, "which of you acted the cadi last night as you were playing +together?" The eldest replied that it was he; and as he was ignorant +of the reason for this question, he changed color. "My child," said +the grand vizier, "come with me; the Commander of the Faithful wishes +to see you." + +The mother was extremely alarmed when she saw that the vizier was +going to take away her son. "Sir," said she, "is it to take away my +son entirely that the Commander of the Faithful has sent for him?" The +grand vizier quieted her fears by promising that her son should be +sent back again in less than an hour, and that when he returned she +would learn the reason of his being sent for, which would give her +great pleasure. "If that be the case, sir," replied she, "permit me +first to change his dress, that he may be more fit to appear before +the Commander of the Faithful." And she immediately put on her son a +clean suit. + +The grand vizier conducted the boy to the caliph, and presented him at +the time appointed for hearing Ali Cogia and the merchant. + +The caliph, seeing the child rather terrified, and wishing to prepare +him for what he expected him to do, said to him: "Come here, my boy, +draw near. Was it you who yesterday passed sentence on the case of Ali +Cogia and the merchant who robbed him of his gold? I both saw and +heard you, and am very well satisfied with you." The child began to +gain confidence, and modestly answered that it was he. "My child," +resumed the caliph, "you shall see the true Ali Cogia and the merchant +to-day; come and sit down next to me." + +The caliph then took the boy by the hand, and seated himself on his +throne, and having placed him next to him, he inquired for the +parties; they advanced, and the name of each was pronounced as he +touched with his forehead the carpet that covered the throne. When +they had risen, the caliph said to them: "Let each of you plead your +cause; this child will hear and administer justice to you, and if +anything be deficient, I will remedy it." + +Ali Cogia and the merchant each spoke in his turn; and when the +merchant requested to be allowed to take the same oath he had taken on +his first examination, the boy answered that it was not yet time, for +it was first necessary to inspect the jar of olives. At these words +Ali Cogia produced the jar, placed it at the feet of the caliph, and +uncovered it. The caliph looked at the olives, and took one, which he +tasted. The jar was then handed to some skilful merchants who had been +ordered to appear, and they reported it as their opinion that the +olives were good, and of that year's growth. The boy told them Ali +Cogia assured him they had been in the jar seven years, to which the +real merchants returned the same answer which the children as feigned +merchants had made on the preceding evening. + +Although the accused merchant plainly saw that the two olive +merchants had thus pronounced his condemnation, yet he nevertheless +attempted to allege reasons in his justification; the boy, however, +did not venture to pronounce sentence on him and send him to +execution. "Commander of the Faithful," said he, "this is not a game; +it is your majesty alone who can condemn to death seriously, and not +I; I did it yesterday only in play." + +The caliph, fully persuaded of the treachery of the merchant, gave him +up to the ministers of justice to have him hung; and this sentence was +executed after he had confessed where the thousand pieces of gold were +concealed, which were then returned to Ali Cogia. This monarch, in +short, so celebrated for his justice and equity, after having advised +the cadi who had passed the first sentence, and who was present, to +learn from a child to be more exact in the performance of his office, +embraced the boy, and sent him home again with a purse containing a +hundred pieces of gold, which he ordered to be given him as a proof of +his liberality. + + +THE END + + + + +Transcriber's Note + +Minor typographic errors--for example, punctuation errors, omitted or +transposed letters--have been repaired. Archaic spelling is preserved +as printed. + +The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. +Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are +not in the middle of a paragraph. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FAVORITE FAIRY TALES *** + +***** This file should be named 32389.txt or 32389.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/2/3/8/32389/ + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sam W. and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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