of gold that was hidden among the tree roots, and, lifting it up,
grumbled out, "Clumsy creatures, to cut off a bit of my beautiful
beard, of which I am so proud! I leave the cuckoos to pay you for what
you did." Saying this, he swung the sack across his shoulder and went
off without even casting a glance at the children.
Not long afterwards the two sisters went to angle in the brook,
meaning to catch fish for dinner. As they were drawing near the water
they perceived something, looking like a large grasshopper, springing
towards the stream, as if it were going in. They hurried up to see
what it might be, and found that it was the dwarf. "Where are you
going?" said Rose-Red. "Surely you will not jump into the water?"
"I'm not such a simpleton as that!" yelled the little man. "Don't you
see that a wretch of a fish is pulling me in?"
The dwarf had been sitting angling from the side of the stream when,
by ill-luck, the wind had entangled his beard in his line, and just
afterwards a big fish taking the bait, the unamiable little fellow had
not sufficient strength to pull it out; so the fish had the advantage,
and was dragging the dwarf after it. Certainly he caught at every
stalk and spray near him, but that did not assist him greatly; he was
forced to follow all the twistings of the fish, and was perpetually in
danger of being drawn into the brook.
The girls arrived just in time. They caught hold of him firmly, and
endeavoured to untwist his beard from the line, but in vain; it was
too tightly entangled. There was nothing left but again to make use of
the scissors; so they were taken out, and the tangled portion was cut
off.
When the dwarf noticed what they were about, he exclaimed, in a great
rage, "Is this how you damage my beard? Not content with making it
shorter before, you are now making it still smaller, and completely
spoiling it. I shall not ever dare to show my face to my friends.
I wish you had missed your way before you took this road." Then he
fetched a sack of pearls that lay among the rushes, and saying not
another word, hobbled off and disappeared behind a large stone.
Soon after this it chanced that the poor widow sent her children to
the town to purchase cotton, needles, ribbon and tape. The way to the
town ran over a common on which in every direction large masses
of rocks were scattered about. The children's attention was soon
attracted to a big bird that hovered in the air. They remarked that
after circling slowly for a time, and gradually getting nearer to
the ground, it all of a sudden pounced down amongst a mass of rock.
Instantly a heart-rending cry reached their ears, and, running quickly
to the place, they saw, with horror, that the eagle had seized their
former acquaintance, the dwarf, and was just about to carry him off.
The kind children did not hesitate for an instant. They took a firm
hold of the little man, they strove so stoutly with the eagle for
possession of his contemplated prey, that, after much rough treatment
on both sides, the dwarf was left in the hands of his brave little
friends, and the eagle took to flight.
As soon as the little man had in some measure recovered from his
alarm, his small, squeaky, cracked voice was heard saying, "Couldn't
you have held me more gently? See my little coat; you have rent and
damaged it in a fine manner, you clumsy, officious things!" Then he
picked up a sack of jewels, and slipped out of sight behind a piece of
rock.
The maidens by this time were quite used to his ungrateful, ungracious
ways; so they took no notice of it, but went on their way, made their
purchases, and then were ready to return to their happy home.
[Illustration: _Painted by Jennie Harbour_
SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED]
On their way back, suddenly, once more they ran across their dwarf
friend.
Upon a clear space he had turned out his sack of jewels, so that he
could count and admire them, for he had not imagined that anybody
would at so late an hour be coming across the common. The setting sun
was shining upon the brilliant stones, and their changing hues and
sparkling rays caused the children to pause to admire them also.
"What are you gazing at?" cried the dwarf, at the same time becoming
red with rage; "and what are you standing there for, making ugly
faces?"
It is probable that he might have proceeded in the same complimentary
manner, but suddenly a great growl was heard near by them, and a big
bear joined the party. Up jumped the dwarf in extremest terror, but
could not get to his hiding-place, the bear was too close to him; so
he cried out in very evident anguish--
"Dear Mr. Bear, forgive me, I pray! I will render to you all my
treasure. Just see those precious stones lying there! Grant me my
life! What would you do with such an insignificant little fellow?
You would not notice me between your teeth. See, though, those
two children, they would be delicate morsels, and are as plump as
partridges; I beg of you to take them, good Mr. Bear, and let me go."
But the bear would not be moved by his speeches. He gave the
ill-disposed creature a blow with his paw, and he lay lifeless on the
ground. Meanwhile, the maidens were running away, making off for home
as well as they could; but all of a sudden they were stopped by a
well-known voice that called out, "Snow-White, Rose-Red, stay! Do not
fear. I will accompany you."
The bear quickly came towards them, but as he reached their side,
suddenly the bear-skin slipped to the ground, and there before them
was standing a handsome man, completely garmented in gold, who said,
"I am a king's son, who was enchanted by the wicked dwarf lying
over there. He stole my treasure, and compelled me to roam the woods
transformed into a big bear until his death should set me free.
Therefore he has only received a well-deserved punishment."
[Illustration: "THE BEARSKIN SLIPPED TO THE GROUND."]
Then Rose-Red and Snow-White and the Prince all went back to the
cottage, and some time afterwards Snow-White married the Prince, and
Rose-Red, his brother, who shared between them the enormous treasure
which the dwarf had collected in his cave.
The old mother spent many happy years with her children. The two
rose-trees she took with her when she left the cottage, and they grew
in front of her window, where they continued to bear each year the
most beautiful roses, red and white.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who had no children; and
this they lamented very much. But one day, as the queen was walking by
the side of the river, a little fish lifted its head out of the water,
and said, "Your wish shall be fulfilled, and you shall soon have a
daughter."
What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass; and the Queen had
a little girl who was so very beautiful that the king could not cease
looking on her for joy, and determined to hold a great feast. So he
invited not only his relations, friends, and neighbours, but also all
the fairies, that they might be kind and good to his little daughter.
Now there were thirteen fairies in his kingdom, and he had only twelve
golden dishes for them to eat out of, so that he was obliged to leave
one of the fairies without an invitation. The rest came, and after the
feast was over they gave all their best gifts to the little princess;
one gave her virtue, another beauty, another riches, and so on till
she had all that was excellent in the world. When eleven had done
blessing her, the thirteenth, who had not been invited, and was very
angry on that account, came in, and determined to take her revenge.
So she cried out, "The King's daughter shall in her fifteenth year be
wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead." Then the twelfth, who had
not yet given her gift, came forward and said that the bad wish
must be fulfilled, but that she could soften it, and that the king's
daughter should not die, but fall asleep for a hundred years.
[Illustration]
But the king hoped to save his dear child from the threatened evil,
and ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up
and destroyed. All the fairies' gifts were in the meantime fulfilled;
for the princess was so beautiful, and well-behaved, and amiable, and
wise, that everyone who knew her loved her. Now it happened that on
the very day she was fifteen years old the king and queen were not
at home, and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about by
herself, and poked at all the rooms and chambers, till at last she
came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase ending
with a little door. In the door there was a golden key, and when she
turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning
away very busily.
"Why, how now, good mother," said the princess, "what are you doing
there?"
"Spinning," said the old lady, and nodded her head.
"How prettily that little thing turns round!" said the princess, and
took the spindle and began to spin. But scarcely had she touched it
before the prophecy was fulfilled, and she fell down, as if lifeless,
on the ground.
However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and
the king and queen, who just then came home, and all their court, fell
asleep too, and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in the
court, the pigeons on the house-top, and the flies on the walls. Even
the fire on the hearth left off blazing, and went to sleep; and the
meat that was roasting stood still; and the cook, who was at that
moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box on the
ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep;
and so everything stood still, and slept soundly.
[Illustration]
A large hedge of thorns soon grew around the palace, and every year it
became higher and thicker, till at last the whole place was surrounded
and hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen.
But there went a report, through all the land, of the beautiful
sleeping Briar Rose (for so was the king's daughter called) so that
from time to time several kings' sons came, and tried to break through
the thicket into the palace. This they could never do; for the thorns
and bushes laid hold of them as it were with hands, and there they
stuck fast and died miserably.
[Illustration: "ALL WAS SO QUIET THAT HE COULD HEAR EVERY BREATH HE
DREW."]
After many years came yet another king's son into that land, and
an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns, and how a
beautiful palace stood behind it, in which was a wondrous princess,
called Briar Rose, asleep with all her court. He told, too, how he had
heard from his grandfather that many, many princes had come, and had
tried to break through the thicket, but had stuck fast and died.
Then the young prince said, "All this shall not frighten me; I will
go and see Briar Rose." The old man tried to dissuade him, but he
persisted in going.
Now that very day were the hundred years completed; and as the prince
came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs,
through which he passed with ease, and they closed after him, as firm
as ever. Then he came at last to the palace, and there in the court
lay the dogs asleep, and the horses in the stables, and on the roof
sat the pigeons fast asleep with their heads under their wings; and
when he came into the palace, the flies slept on the walls, and the
cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she would beat
the boy, and the maid with her pail in her hand was going a-milking.
Then he went on still further, and all was so quiet that he could hear
every breath he drew; till at last he came to the old tower and opened
the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was, and there she lay
fast asleep, and looked so beautiful that he could not turn his eyes
away, and he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But the moment he
kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled upon him. For the
spell was broken.
Then they went out together, and presently the king and queen also
awoke, and all the court, and they gazed on each other with great
wonder. And the horses got up and shook themselves, and the dogs
jumped about and barked; the pigeons took their heads from under their
wings, and looked around and flew into the fields; the flies on the
walls buzzed; the fire in the kitchen blazed up and cooked the dinner,
and the roast meat turned round again; the cook gave the boy the box
on his ear so that he cried out, and the maid went to milk the cows.
And then was the wedding of the prince and Briar Rose celebrated, and
they lived happily together all their lives long.
[Illustration: _Painted by Jennie Harbour_
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY]
[Illustration:
More close and close his footsteps wind:
The Magic Music in his heart
Beats quick and quicker, till he find
The quiet chamber far apart.
Tennyson]
PRINCE CHÉRI
There was once a king who was such an honourable man that his subjects
called him "The Good King."
One day while he was out hunting, a little rabbit that his dogs were
about to kill, threw itself into his arms. The King caressed the
little creature, and said:
"As you have put yourself under my protection nobody shall harm you,"
and he carried the rabbit to his palace, and ordered a pretty little
hutch to be made for it.
That night when he was alone in his room, there appeared a lovely
lady. She wore a robe as white as snow, and a wreath of white roses on
her head. She addressed him thus:
"I am the Fairy Candide; I wished to see if you were as good as
everybody declares you are, and for this reason I changed myself into
the little rabbit, and ran to you in my distress, for I know that
those who have pity for dumb creatures have still more pity for
mankind. I have come to thank you for what you did and to say that I
shall always be your friend, and will grant any request you would now
like to make."
[Illustration]
"Madam," replied the King, "I have one only son whom I love devotedly;
he is named Prince Chéri; if you have any good will for me, be a
friend to my son."
[Illustration]
"Willingly," responded the Fairy, "I will make your son the most
handsome prince in the world, or the richest, or the most powerful;
choose which you will for him."
"I desire none of these things," replied the King, "but I shall be
very much obliged if you will make him the best of all princes, for
what good would it do to him to be handsome, rich, or powerful if he
were wicked? You know he would be unhappy, for it is only goodness
which brings content."
"You are right," answered the Fairy, "but that I cannot do; Prince
Chéri must himself strive to become good. All that I can promise is
that I will give him good advice, and punish him for his faults, if he
will not himself correct them."
And with this the father had to rest content.
Not long afterwards the good King died, and two days later the Fairy
appeared to Prince Chéri.
"I promised your father to be your friend," she told him; "here is a
little gold ring, take care of it, for it is worth more than diamonds.
Every time that you are about to do any wrong action it will prick
you. If, in spite of the pricks, you continue your bad actions, you
will lose my friendship and I shall become your enemy."
Saying this the Fairy vanished, leaving the Prince very much
astonished.
For some time Chéri behaved so well that the ring did not prick
at all, but one day when he returned from the chase, having caught
nothing, he felt so ill-humoured, that when his dog Bibi came fawning
upon him, he kicked the poor, faithful creature from him. At that
moment the ring pricked like a pin running into his finger.
"What is this?" he exclaimed: "the Fairy must be mocking me, surely
I've done no great harm in kicking an animal that annoyed me. What's
the use of being ruler of a great empire if I may not treat my dog as
I will?"
"I am not mocking you," he heard in reply to his thoughts; "you have
been bad tempered, and you have behaved unkindly to a poor animal who
did not deserve such treatment. I know you are higher than a dog, but
the advantage of being ruler of a great empire is not in doing all the
harm one wishes, but in doing all the good one can."
Chéri promised to be better, but he did not keep his word, and so the
ring often pricked him, sometimes until his finger bled, and at last,
in anger, he threw it away.
Now he thought he would be truly happy, and he gave way to any foolish
fancies and wrong wishes that came into his head, until he really
became very wicked and was disliked by everyone.
One day when he was out walking he saw a girl named Zélie, who was so
beautiful that he resolved to marry her.
But Zélie was as good as she was beautiful, and said to him:
"Sir, I am only a shepherdess and have no fortune, but, in spite of
that, I will never marry you, for although I should be a Queen, and
you are handsome and rich, your evil behaviour would make me hate
you."
Upon this, Chéri flew into a passion, and ordered his officers to
carry Zélie to the Palace, but she was not used unkindly there, for
the Prince loved her.
However, after a while, urged by his foster-brother, a bad man who
encouraged Chéri in his wickedness, the young man rushed in a rage to
the room in which Zélie was confined, determined that, if she still
refused to marry him, the very next day she should be sold as a slave.
Great was his surprise, on entering the apartment, to find the captive
had disappeared, for he carried the key of the door in his pocket.
[Illustration: _Painted by Jennie Harbour_
ZÉLIE AND THE FAIRY CANDIDE "PRINCE CHÉRI"]
Amongst those at the Royal Court was a Councillor named Suliman, a man
of a noble mind, who had often dared to tell the Prince of his faults,
and had at first been thanked for this, but later on Chéri grew angry
that anyone should presume to blame him while all others at the Court
were full of flattery and praise, but in his heart of hearts the
Prince respected this good man, and this the wicked flatterers knew
full well, and therefore feared lest he should come into the Prince's
favour.
So now they falsely said, that it was Suliman who had helped Zélie
to escape, and beyond himself with fury, Chéri commanded his
foster-brother to send soldiers to bring Suliman to him in chains,
like a criminal.
After giving these orders Chéri retired to his chamber, but scarcely
had he entered, when the earth trembled, there came a great clap of
thunder, and the Fairy Candide appeared before him.
"I promised your father," said she in a stern voice, "to give you
good advice, and to punish you if you refused to follow it. You
have despised my counsels and your crimes have converted you into a
monster, the horror of heaven and earth. Now it is time to fulfill my
promise of punishment. I condemn you to take the resemblance of the
beasts you are like in disposition--A lion, because of your fury--a
wolf, on account of your greediness--a serpent, for destroying him who
has been your second father--a bull, by reason of your brutality."
[Illustration]
Hardly had the Fairy pronounced these words, when Chéri perceived with
horror that his body had been transformed.
He had a lion's head, a bull's horns, the feet of a wolf, and the
tail of a viper. At the same moment he found himself in a forest, and
there, after roaming about miserably for some time, he fell into a
pit dug by hunters. He was captured and led into the capital of his
Kingdom.
On the way thither instead of acknowledging that he had brought this
evil plight upon himself, he bit at his chains, and cursed the Fairy.
As he was nearing the city great rejoicings were seen on every side,
and, on the hunters enquiring the reason, they were told that Prince
Chéri, whose only pleasure it was to torment his people, had been
crushed to death in his chamber by a thunder-bolt, a just punishment
for his offences. Four of his wicked companions had tried to partition
the Kingdom between them, but the people would have none such to rule,
and they had offered the crown to the good and wise Suliman. Chéri
panted with rage on hearing this, and in the Palace Square he saw
Suliman on a superb throne, and all the people who shouted with joy,
and wished him a long life to repair the evil brought about by their
former sovereign. "I accept the throne," said Suliman, "but it is to
preserve it for Prince Chéri. A fairy has revealed to me that he
is not dead, and possibly will return to you as virtuous as in his
earliest years. Alas!" cried Suliman, bursting into tears, "his
flatterers have ruined him, I know that at heart he is good." These
words moved Chéri to sorrow for his crimes, and he felt that he had
not been punished as severely as he deserved, and he now resolved to
amend his faults.
[Illustration]
Therefore he obeyed the man who had charge over him, and who
constantly cruelly beat him, and one day when this keeper lay asleep,
and a tiger who had broken loose was about to devour him, Chéri fought
the fierce beast, and saved the man's life.
Then a voice was heard saying, "a good action shall be rewarded!" and,
to Chéri's joy he was instantaneously transformed into a pretty little
dog which the keeper carried to the Queen.
The Queen was delighted with him, but, for fear he should grow bigger,
she gave him only small pieces of bread to eat, so that poor Chéri
nearly died of hunger.
One day he carried his little piece of bread into the garden to eat it
there, but wandering with it in his mouth, still further on, he saw a
young girl pale and thin, and almost fainting for want of food.
"I am hungry," thought Chéri, "but if I give my breakfast to this
poor thing, perhaps I shall save her life." He placed his bread in the
girl's hand, and she ate it hungrily. Just then he heard loud cries,
and saw that it was the beautiful Zélie struggling to free herself
from four men who were carrying her into a house near by.
Chéri, longing to help her, followed them barking, and although the
men kicked him savagely, he would not leave the place. Presently from
a window was thrown a plateful of tempting-looking food. Chéri was
just about to devour it, when the girl to whom he had given the bread,
rushed forward and throwing her arms around him cried,
[Illustration: "COME, MY CHILDREN, I AM GOING TO TRANSPORT YOU TO YOUR
PALACE."]
"Poor little dog, do not touch that food, it is poisoned." Just then
a voice was heard saying, "You see that a good action meets with
reward," and at the same time Chéri was changed into a pretty white
pigeon. For several days he flew around hoping to catch sight of
Zélie, and at last, seated by a hermit, outside a cave, he found
her. Fluttering down he alighted upon her shoulder. Zélie stroked his
feathers whispering that she now accepted his gift and would love
him always, and at that moment Chéri regained his natural figure,
and Fairy Candide appeared in place of the hermit whose form she had
taken. "Come, my children," said she, "I am going to transport you
to your Palace, that Chéri may receive his crown of which he has now
become worthy," and hardly had she ceased speaking, when they found
themselves in Suliman's presence. The worthy Governor was delighted to
behold his dear master, and gladly resigned the throne to him. Chéri
and Zélie reigned long and happily, and we are told that the ring,
which the Prince now wore again, never once severely pricked him.
[Illustration]
THE WHITE CAT
There was once a King who had three sons, all handsome and brave, but
it came to his ears that they wished to reign now instead of waiting
until he died, he therefore determined to divert their minds by making
promises the fulfilment of which he would always be able to evade. So
he called them to his room and spoke: "You must agree with me, my
dear children, that at my great age I cannot manage the business of
my kingdom as I used to do, and as I am intending retiring into the
country, it seems to me that a clever, faithful dog would be very good
company, and I promise you that whichever brings me the most beautiful
little dog at once succeeds to the kingdom."
The Princes were much surprised to hear their father's wish for a
little dog, but agreed with pleasure to go in search of one. They said
goodbye to the King, who gave them money and jewels, announcing that
in a year he should expect them to return, all on the same day and at
the same hour, bringing to him their little dogs.
[Illustration: "ON A CERTAIN NIGHT, DURING A STORM OF THUNDER AND
RAIN, HE LOST HIS WAY."]
Then the Princes set out, each by a different road, agreeing in a
year's time to meet at a certain place a short distance from their
home.
The two elder met with many adventures, but it is only the youngest
that we shall follow.