"Go into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the
watering-pot; bring them to me."
She had no sooner done so than her godmother turned them into six
footmen, who skipped up immediately behind the coach, with their
liveries all trimmed with gold and silver, and they held on as if they
had done nothing else their whole lives.
The fairy then said to Cinderella, "Well, you see here a carriage fit to
go to the ball in; are you not pleased with it?"
"Oh, yes!" she cried; "but must I go as I am in these rags?"
Her godmother simply touched her with her wand, and, at the same moment,
her clothes were turned into cloth of gold and silver, all decked with
jewels. This done, she gave her a pair of the prettiest glass slippers
in the whole world. Being thus attired, she got into the carriage, her
godmother commanding her, above all things, not to stay till after
midnight, and telling her, at the same time, that if she stayed one
moment longer, the coach would be a pumpkin again, her horses mice, her
coachman a rat, her footmen lizards, and her clothes would become just
as they were before.
She promised her godmother she would not fail to leave the ball before
midnight. She drove away, scarce able to contain herself for joy. The
King's son, who was told that a great princess, whom nobody knew, was
come, ran out to receive her. He gave her his hand as she alighted from
the coach, and led her into the hall where the company were assembled.
There was at once a profound silence; every one left off dancing, and
the violins ceased to play, so attracted was every one by the singular
beauties of the unknown newcomer. Nothing was then heard but a confused
sound of voices saying:--
"Ha! how beautiful she is! Ha! how beautiful she is!"
The King himself, old as he was, could not keep his eyes off her, and he
told the Queen under his breath that it was a long time since he had
seen so beautiful and lovely a creature.
All the ladies were busy studying her clothes and head-dress, so that
they might have theirs made next day after the same pattern, provided
they could meet with such fine materials and able hands to make them.
The King's son conducted her to the seat of honor, and afterwards took
her out to dance with him. She danced so very gracefully that they all
admired her more and more. A fine collation was served, but the young
Prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he occupied with her.
She went and sat down beside her sisters, showing them a thousand
civilities, and giving them among other things part of the oranges and
citrons with which the Prince had regaled her. This very much surprised
them, for they had not been presented to her.
Cinderella heard the clock strike a quarter to twelve. She at once made
her adieus to the company and hastened away as fast as she could.
As soon as she got home, she ran to find her godmother, and, after
having thanked her, she said she much wished she might go to the ball
the next day, because the King's son had asked her to do so. As she was
eagerly telling her godmother all that happened at the ball, her two
sisters knocked at the door; Cinderella opened it. "How long you have
stayed!" said she, yawning, rubbing her eyes, and stretching herself as
if she had been just awakened. She had not, however, had any desire to
sleep since they went from home.
"If you had been at the ball," said one of her sisters, "you would not
have been tired with it. There came thither the finest princess, the
most beautiful ever was seen with mortal eyes. She showed us a thousand
civilities, and gave us oranges and citrons."
Cinderella did not show any pleasure at this. Indeed, she asked them the
name of the princess; but they told her they did not know it, and that
the King's son was very much concerned, and would give all the world to
know who she was. At this Cinderella, smiling, replied:--
"Was she then so very beautiful? How fortunate you have been! Could I
not see her? Ah! dear Miss Charlotte, do lend me your yellow suit of
clothes which you wear every day."
"Ay, to be sure!" cried Miss Charlotte; "lend my clothes to such a dirty
Cinderwench as thou art! I should be out of my mind to do so."
Cinderella, indeed, expected such an answer and was very glad of the
refusal; for she would have been sadly troubled if her sister had lent
her what she jestingly asked for. The next day the two sisters went to
the ball, and so did Cinderella, but dressed more magnificently than
before. The King's son was always by her side, and his pretty speeches
to her never ceased. These by no means annoyed the young lady. Indeed,
she quite forgot her godmother's orders to her, so that she heard the
clock begin to strike twelve when she thought it could not be more than
eleven. She then rose up and fled, as nimble as a deer. The Prince
followed, but could not overtake her. She left behind one of her glass
slippers, which the Prince took up most carefully. She got home, but
quite out of breath, without her carriage, and in her old clothes,
having nothing left her of all her finery but one of the little
slippers, fellow to the one she had dropped. The guards at the palace
gate were asked if they had not seen a princess go out, and they replied
they had seen nobody go out but a young girl, very meanly dressed, and
who had more the air of a poor country girl than of a young lady.
When the two sisters returned from the ball, Cinderella asked them if
they had had a pleasant time, and if the fine lady had been there. They
told her, yes; but that she hurried away the moment it struck twelve,
and with so much haste that she dropped one of her little glass
slippers, the prettiest in the world, which the King's son had taken up.
They said, further, that he had done nothing but look at her all the
time, and that most certainly he was very much in love with the
beautiful owner of the glass slipper.
What they said was true; for a few days after the King's son caused it
to be proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that he would marry her whose
foot this slipper would fit exactly. They began to try it on the
princesses, then on the duchesses, and then on all the ladies of the
Court; but in vain. It was brought to the two sisters, who did all they
possibly could to thrust a foot into the slipper, but they could not
succeed. Cinderella, who saw this, and knew her slipper, said to them,
laughing:--
"Let me see if it will not fit me."
Her sisters burst out a-laughing, and began to banter her. The gentleman
who was sent to try the slipper looked earnestly at Cinderella, and,
finding her very handsome, said it was but just that she should try, and
that he had orders to let every lady try it on.
He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her
little foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it
had been made of wax. The astonishment of her two sisters was great, but
it was still greater when Cinderella pulled out of her pocket the other
slipper and put it on her foot. Thereupon, in came her godmother, who,
having touched Cinderella's clothes with her wand, made them more
magnificent than those she had worn before.
[Illustration: "IT WENT ON VERY EASILY." p. 10.]
And now her two sisters found her to be that beautiful lady they had
seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for
all their ill treatment of her. Cinderella took them up, and, as she
embraced them, said that she forgave them with all her heart, and begged
them to love her always.
She was conducted to the young Prince, dressed as she was. He thought
her more charming than ever, and, a few days after, married her.
Cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her two sisters a
home in the palace, and that very same day married them to two great
lords of the Court.