|I was placed in a cradle of mother-of-pearl, and carried to the palace
by the garden where my mother had eaten the fruit. The dragon at once
disappeared, and all went well in my father’s kingdom.
“The fairies gave me a room in a tower, and I had everything I could
ask. Here I grew up. I knew nothing of my father or mother. The fairies
came to see me, but they rode the dragon, and flew in at the window. You
must know there was no door to the tower. There were windows, high up
from the ground, and there was a garden upon the top of the tower.
“The fairies were very kind to me, and all went well. I played in the
garden on the tower, and I had my birds and flowers. But one day I
was sitting at one of the windows talking with my parrot, when I saw a
fine-looking man below. He stood listening to the parrot and me.
“I never had seen a man except in pictures, and I was very glad to see
this one. We spoke to each other through the window, and so it went on
day after day. At last I thought I could not bear to live alone in the
tower, and I planned to escape.
“I begged the fairies to bring me some cord and needles, to make a net
with. There were birds flying about, and if I had a net I could catch
one. They gave me these things, and I made a ladder which reached from
my window to the ground.
“I meant to climb down the ladder, but before I could do so my lover had
climbed up. He leaped in at my window. At first I was frightened, but
then I was glad to have him with me. He gave me a picture of himself,
but while we were talking the fairy Violent flew in at the window on the
back of the dragon. She was in a great rage, and bade the dragon at once
devour my lover.
“I tried to cast myself into the mouth of the dragon, for I no longer
cared to live. But the fairy held me back, and said she had another
punishment for me. She touched me with her wand, and I became at once a
White Cat.
“She brought me to this palace, and gave me a troop of cats to wait on
me. They were lords and ladies who had been turned into cats. The Hands
were the hands of servants who could not be seen. Here I was to stay a
cat until a prince should come who looked exactly like my lover, and who
should cut off my head and my tail.
“My Prince, look at this picture. It is your exact image. You have saved
me from the fairies, and I love you with all my heart.”
The Prince was overjoyed. He made haste to set out for his father’s
palace with the beautiful princess. Again the brothers stood before the
King, each with a beautiful princess. The King was now at his wit’s
end, but the princess, who had lately been a White Cat, came forward and
said:--
“O King, it is a thousand pities that you should give up your kingdom.
You are not old. You are very wise, and ought to reign many years. I
have six kingdoms. Let me give one to each of your two eldest sons. Then
the youngest son and I will still have four kingdoms. More than all, you
will not have to decide which of us three princesses is the most
beautiful.” Everybody set up a shout. The three weddings took place at
once, and the kingdoms were divided among the princes.