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THE FROG PRINCE. |
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you have—my dresses, my pearls and jewels, or the golden crown I wear sometimes ?"
"Neither," answered the frog. "Your clothes, your pearls and your jewels, or even your golden crown, are nothing to me. I want you to love me, and let me be your companion and playfellow. I should like to sit at your table, eat from your golden plate, and drink out of your cup, and sleep in your nice little bed. If you will promise me all this, then I will dive down into the water and bring up your pretty golden ball."
" Oh ! yes," she replied. " I will promise you anything you like if you will only bring up my ball again."
But she thought to herself that a silly, chattering frog as he was, living in the water with others like himself, and croaking, could not be fit to associate with mankind.
The frog, who believed in the promise of the king's daughter, dipped his head under the water, and sank down to the bottom, where he quickly found the ball, and seizing it in his mouth, carried it to the surface and threw it on the grass. When the king's daughter saw the beautiful plaything, she was full of joy, and, catching it up, ran away as fast as she could run.
" Wait, wait," cried the frog, " take me with you, I cannot run so fast as you can." But the young Princess would not listen to the frog's croaking, she got to the house as fast as she could, and soon forgot the poor frog, who was obliged to return to the fountain, and remain there.
The next day, however, while the Princess was sitting with the King and his courtiers, and eating out of her own little golden plate, she heard a strange noise on the marble steps outside, splish, splash, splish, splash, and presently came a knock at the door, and a voice cried, " Lovely Princess, open the door for me." So she rose and went to see who could be outside; but when she caught sight of the frog, she closed the door hastily and seated herself again at the table, looking quite pale The King seeing that his daughter was alarmed, said to her, " My child, what is there at the door, is it a giant come to carry you away?"
M Oh ! no, my father," she replied, "it is no giant, only a great ugly frog."
" A frog ! What can he want with you, my daughter ?"
4t Ah» my dear father, I will tell you all about it. Yesterday |
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