Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to
go and play in the Giant's garden.
It was a large, lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there
over the grass stood beautiful flower-like stars; and there were twelve
peach-trees that in the Springtime broke out into delicate blossoms of
pink and pearl, and in the Autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the
trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in
order to listen to them. "How happy we are here!" they cried to each
other.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish
Ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years
were over he had said all that he had to say, and he determined to
return to his own castle. When he arrived, he saw the children playing
in the garden.
"What are you doing there?" he cried in a gruff voice, and the children
ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "anyone can understand
that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." So he built a
high wall all around it, and put up a notice board:
TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the
road, but the road was very dusty, and full of hard stones, and they did
not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when their lessons
were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. "How happy we
were there," they said to one another.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little
blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it
was still Winter. The birds did not care to sing in it, as there were no
children; and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put
its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice board it was so
sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again, and
went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and
the Frost. "Spring has forgotten this garden," they cried "so we will
live here all the year round." The Snow covered up the grass with her
great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they
invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in
furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots
down. "This is a delightful spot," he said, "we must ask the Hail on a
visit." So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the
roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran
round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in gray, and his
breath was like ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming," said the
Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold, white
garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit
to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He is too
selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind,
and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the
trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely
music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the
King's musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing
outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in
his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the
world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind
ceased roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open
casement. "I believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and
he jumped out of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the
children had crept in and they were sitting in the branches of trees. In
every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees
were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered
themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the
children's heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with
delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and
laughing. It was a lovely scene, only in one corner it was still Winter.
It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a
little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches
of the tree, and he was wandering all around it, crying bitterly. The
poor tree was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North
Wind was blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said the
tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy was
too tiny.
And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have
been!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will
put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock
down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's playground for ever
and ever." He was really very sorry for what he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went
out into the garden. But when the children saw him they all ran away.
Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of tears that
he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and
took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree
broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the
little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant's
neck, and kissed him. And the other children, when they saw that the
Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came
the Spring. "It is your garden now, little children," said the Giant,
and he took a great ax and knocked down the wall. And when the people
were going to market at 12 o'clock they found the Giant playing with the
children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.
All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to
bid him good-by.
"But where is your little companion?" he said, "the boy I put into the
tree." The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.
"We don't know," answered the children; "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow," said the Giant.
But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had
never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played with
the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again.
The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first
little friend, and often spoke of him. "How I would like to see him!" he
used to say.
Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not
play about any more, so he sat in a huge, armchair, and watched the
children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many beautiful
flowers," he said, "but the children are the most beautiful of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He
did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring
asleep, and that the pretty flowers were resting.
Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It
certainly was a marvelous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden
was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were
all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it
stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He
hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came
quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said: "Who hath dared
to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of
two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I may
take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he
knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him:
"You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to
my garden, which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon they found the Giant lying
dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: STORIES FROM GREAT BRITAIN]
THE BATTLE OF THE BIRDS,
OR, THE GRATEFUL RAVEN AND THE PRINCE
_A Scotch Tale_
Once upon a time a great contest took place between every wild creature.
The son of the King of Tethertown went to see the battle; but he arrived
late, and saw only one fight. This was between a huge Raven and a Snake.
The King's son ran to aid the Raven, and with one blow took the head off
the Snake. The Raven was very grateful, and said: "Now, I will give thee
a sight; come upon my wings."
They flew over seven mountains, seven glens, and seven moors. That
night, at the Raven's request, the King's son slept in the house of
one of the Raven's sisters. He was to meet the Raven next morning for
another trip; and for three days they journeyed. On the third morning a
handsome boy, who was carrying a bundle, came to meet the King's son.
This boy told how he had been under a spell; and he was at once released
from it by the power of the King's son. In return, he gave him the
bundle which he carried, and cautioned him not to open it until he found
the place where he desired to dwell.
On the homeward trip the bundle became very heavy, and the King's son
stopped in a grove to open it. Immediately a beautiful castle sprang
up before him. He was very sorry, for he wanted to live in the glen
opposite his father's palace. Just then a Giant appeared and offered to
put the castle back in the bundle on condition that the Prince give him
his first son when he was seven years old. The Prince promised, and soon
he had his castle in the right place. At the palace door there was a
beautiful maiden, who asked him to marry her. The wedding took place at
once, and all were happy.
Before many years they had a son; and then the Prince, who was now King,
remembered his promise to the Giant. When the boy was seven years old
the Giant came to claim him. The Queen said she would save her child.
She dressed the cook's son in fine clothes, and gave him to the Giant.
But the Giant feared some treachery, and said to the boy: "If thy father
had a rod what would he do with it?"
"He would beat the dogs if they went near the King's meat," answered the
boy.
Then the Giant knew he had been deceived, and he went again to the
palace. Again the Queen tried to trick him by giving him the butler's
son. When the Giant found he had been fooled a second time, he stalked
back to the castle, and made a terrible scene. The castle shook under
the soles of his feet as he cried: "Out here with thy son, or the stone
that is highest in thy dwelling shall be the lowest." So, in great fear,
the Queen gave her son to the Giant.
The lad lived many years in the Giant's home. On a certain holiday, when
the Giant was away, the boy heard sweet music. Looking up the stairs he
saw a beautiful little maiden. She beckoned to him to come to her, then
said: "To-morrow you may choose between my two sisters for your bride;
but, I pray you, say you will take only me. My father is forcing me to
marry a Prince whom I hate."
On the morrow the Giant said: "Now, Prince, you may go home to-morrow,
and take with you either of my two eldest daughters as your wife."
The Giant was very angry when the Prince said: "I want only the pretty
little one."
The Giant in a great rage imposed three tasks upon the King's son. He
had to clean a byre, or cow-shed, which had not been cleaned for seven
years. Secondly, he was to thatch the byre with bird's down; and lastly,
he must climb a tall fir-tree and bring five eggs, unbroken, from the
magpie's nest for the Giant's breakfast. These tasks were too great for
any mortal to accomplish, but the youth was willing to try.
He worked all morning on the dirty byre, and accomplished practically
nothing. At noon, while he was resting under a tree, the Giant's
daughter came and talked to him. In utter dejection he showed her
the impossibility of completing the task by nightfall. With words of
sympathy and encouragement, she left him and went on her way. After she
had gone, the Prince in great weariness fell asleep under the tree.
It was evening before he awoke. His first thought was of the unfinished
task, and he jumped to his feet, though only half awake. He looked at
the byre, and then he rubbed his eyes; and then he looked at the byre
again, for, lo! it was clean. Some one had come to his aid while he
slept. When the Giant came home, he knew the King's son had not cleaned
the byre, but he could not prove it, so he had to keep his word.
The second and third tasks were done in much the same way. The Prince
would try very hard to do the work alone, and when he was just about to
fail the Giant's daughter would come and encourage the youth.
In getting the eggs from the magpie's nest, the Giant's daughter was in
a great hurry, because she felt her father's breath on the back of her
neck. In her haste she left her little finger in the magpie's nest, but
there was no time to go back and get it.
When the third task was finished, the Giant ordered them to get ready
for the wedding.
The Giant tried to deceive the King's son at the very last. The three
daughters were dressed alike, and brought before him, and he was to
choose which one was his promised bride. But the Prince knew her by the
hand on which the little finger was missing; so all was well.
After the wedding the bride and bridegroom went to their chamber. The
Giant's daughter said: "Quick! quick! We must fly. My father plans to
kill you."
Then she took an apple and cut it into four parts, two of which she put
on the bed; one piece was placed by the door, and the other outside.
After that was done, they hurried out to the stables, mounted the
blue-gray filly, and were off.
In the meantime the Giant was waiting for them to go to sleep. At last
he could wait no longer, so he called out: "Are you asleep yet?" And the
apple at the head of the bed answered: "No, we are not asleep." He
called out the same thing three more times, and the three other pieces
of apple answered him the same way. When the piece outside the door
replied, the Giant knew he had been fooled, and that the couple had
fled. He started after them in hot pursuit.
Just at dawn the Giant's daughter said: "My father is close behind us,
because his breath is burning my neck. Put thy hand in the filly's ear
and throw behind thee whatever thou findest."
The Prince did so, and at once a thick forest of blackthorn sprang up
behind them.
At noon the Giant's daughter again said: "I feel my father's breath on
my neck." So the Prince reached into the filly's ear and took a piece of
stone, which he threw behind him. At once a huge rock was between them
and the Giant.
By evening the Giant was close upon them for the third time. Out of the
filly's ear the King's son took a bladder of water, and threw it behind
him. A fresh-water lake then stretched twenty miles behind them. By this
time the Giant was coming so fast that he could not stop, but plunged
headlong into the lake and was drowned.
When they approached the Prince's home, the maiden said she would wait
for him by the well. "Go thou and greet thy father, then come back for
me. But let neither man nor creature kiss thee, or thou wilt forget me."
The youth was welcomed by all his family, but he kissed none of them. As
misfortune would have it, however, an old grayhound jumped upon him and
licked his face, and then he did not remember the Giant's daughter.
She waited a long time for his return. After a while she wandered to an
old Shoemaker's cottage and asked him to take her to the palace, that
she might see the newly returned Prince. The Shoemaker, greatly awed by
her unusual beauty, said: "Come with me. I am well acquainted with the
servants at the castle, and will arrange for you to see the company."
The pretty woman attracted much attention at the feast. The gentlefolk
took her to the banquet hall and gave her a glass of cordial. Just as
she was going to drink, a flame appeared in the glass, and a golden
pigeon and a silver pigeon sprang out of the flame. At the same time,
three grains of barley fell upon the floor.
The two pigeons flew down and ate the barley grains. As they ate, the
golden pigeon said: "Do you remember how I cleaned the byre?" Three more
grains of barley fell to the ground, and the golden pigeon again spoke:
"Do you remember how I thatched the byre?" Still three more grains fell
to the ground, and the golden pigeon once more spoke: "Do you remember
how I robbed the magpie's nest? I lost my little finger, and I lack it
still."
Then the King's son remembered, and he sprang and claimed the Giant's
little daughter as his bride.