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CINDERELLA. |
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" Shake and rustle, little tree, Throw gold and silver over me."
Then the bird threw down a most magnificent dress, more glittering and elegant than ever, and the brightest pair of gilded slippers.
When she appeared at the fete in this dress, every one was astonished at her beauty. The prince danced only with her, and to every other proposal replied, "This is my partner." When the time came to leave, Cinderella wanted to go, and the prince wished to accompany her, but she darted away from him and vanished so quickly that he could not follow her.
Now the king's son had had recourse to stratagem in the hope of discovering the home of the lovely princess. He had oidered the steps of the castle to be strewed with pitch, so that as Cinderella hurried away her left slipper stuck to the steps, and she was obliged to leave it behind. The prince himself picked it up; it was very small and elegant, and covered with gold.
The next morning he sent for one of his servants and said to him, " None other shall be my bride but the lady to whom that slipper belongs, and whose foot it shall fit."
When the step-sisters heard of this proclamation from the prince they were delighted, for they both had small feet. The messenger went with the slipper from house to house, and the young ladies who had been present at the ball tried to put it on, but it would fit none of them, and at last he came to the two sisters. The eldest tried it on first in another room, and her mother stood by. She could have worn it if her great toe had not been so large, so her mother offered her a knife and told her to cut it off"; "When you are queen," she said, " you will not want to use your feet much."
The maiden cut the toe off and forced on the slipper in spite of the pain, and the messenger led her to the prince. But on their road they had to pass the grave of Cinderella's mother, and on the hazel tree sat two doves, who cried—
" That is not the right bride, The slipper is much too small, Blood is flowing inside, The shoe does not fit her at all."
Then the messenger examined the slipper and found it full of blood. So he led her back and told the next sister to try. She |
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