Once upon a time there was a Queen who had a son, so ugly and
misshapen, that it was doubted for a long time whether his form
was really human. A fairy, who was present at his birth, affirmed,
nevertheless, that he would be worthy to be loved, as he would have
an excellent wit; she added, moreover, that by virtue of the gift she
had bestowed upon him, he would be able to impart equal intelligence
to the one whom he loved best. All this was some consolation to the
poor Queen, who was much distressed at having brought so ugly a little
monkey into the world. It is true that the child was no sooner able
to speak than he said a thousand pretty things, and that in all his
ways there was a certain air of intelligence, with which everyone was
charmed. I had forgotten to say that he was born with a little tuft of
hair on his head, and so he came to be called Riquet with the Tuft; for
Riquet was the family name.
About seven or eight years later, the Queen of a neighbouring kingdom
had two daughters. The elder was fairer than the day, and the Queen
was so delighted, that it was feared some harm might come to her from
her great joy. The same fairy who had assisted at the birth of little
Riquet, was present upon this occasion, and in order to moderate the
joy of the Queen, she told her that this little Princess would have
no gifts of mind at all, and that she would be as stupid as she was
beautiful. The Queen was greatly mortified on hearing this, but,
shortly after, she was even more annoyed, when her second little
daughter was born and proved to be extremely ugly. “Do not distress
yourself, madam,” said the fairy to her, “your daughter will find
compensation, for she will have so much intelligence, that her lack of
beauty will scarcely be perceived.”
“Heaven send it may be so,” replied the Queen; “but are there no means
whereby a little more understanding might be given to the elder, who
is so lovely?” “I can do nothing for her in the way of intelligence,
madam,” said the fairy, “but everything in the way of beauty; as,
however, there is nothing in my power I would not do to give you
comfort, I will bestow on her the power of conferring beauty on any man
or woman who shall please her.” As these two Princesses grew up, their
endowments also became more perfect, and nothing was talked of anywhere
but the beauty of the elder, and the intelligence of the younger. It
is true that their defects also greatly increased with their years.
The younger became uglier every moment, and the elder more stupid
every day. She either made no answer when she was spoken to, or else
said something foolish. With this she was so clumsy, that she could
not even place four pieces of china on a mantelshelf, without breaking
one of them, or drink a glass of water, without spilling half of it on
her dress. Notwithstanding the attraction of beauty, the younger, in
whatever society they might be, nearly always bore away the palm from
her sister. At first everyone went up to the more beautiful, to gaze at
and admire her; but they soon left her for the cleverer one, to listen
to her many pleasant and amusing sayings; and people were astonished to
find that in less than a quarter of an hour, the elder had not a soul
near her, while all the company had gathered round the younger. The
elder, though very stupid, noticed this, and would have given, without
regret, all her beauty, for half the sense of her sister. Discreet
as she was, the Queen could not help often reproaching her with her
stupidity, which made the poor Princess ready to die of grief.
One day, when she had gone by herself into a wood, to weep over her
misfortune, she saw approaching her, a little man of very ugly and
unpleasant appearance, but magnificently dressed. It was the young
Prince Riquet with the Tuft, who, having fallen in love with her from
seeing her portraits, which were sent all over the world, had left his
father’s kingdom that he might have the pleasure of beholding her and
speaking to her. Enchanted at meeting her thus alone, he addressed
her with all the respect and politeness imaginable. Having remarked,
after paying her the usual compliments, that she was very melancholy,
he said to her, “I cannot understand, madam, how a person so beautiful
as you are can be so unhappy as you appear; for, although I can boast
of having seen an infinite number of beautiful people, I can say with
truth that I have never seen one whose beauty could be compared with
yours.”
“You are pleased to say so, sir,” replied the Princess, and there she
stopped.
“Beauty,” continued Riquet, “is so great an advantage, that it ought to
take the place of every other, and, possessed of it, I see nothing that
can have power to afflict one.”
“I would rather,” said the Princess, “be as ugly as you are, and have
intelligence, than possess the beauty I do, and be so stupid as I am.”
“There is no greater proof of intelligence, madam, than the belief that
we have it not; it is the nature of that gift, that the more we have,
the more we believe ourselves to be without it.”
“I do not know how that may be,” said the Princess, “but I know well
enough that I am very stupid, and that is the cause of the grief that
is killing me.”
“If that is all that troubles you, madam, I can easily put an end to
your sorrow.”
“And how would you do that?” said the Princess.
“I have the power, madam,” said Riquet with the Tuft, “to give as
much intelligence as it is possible to possess, to the person whom I
love best; as you, madam, are that person, it will depend entirely
upon yourself, whether or not you become gifted with this amount of
intelligence, provided that you are willing to marry me.”
The Princess was struck dumb with astonishment, and replied not a word.
“I see,” said Riquet with the Tuft, “that this proposal troubles you,
and I am not surprised, but I will give you a full year to consider it.”
The Princess had so little sense, and at the same time was so anxious
to have a great deal, that she thought the end of that year would never
come; so she at once accepted the offer that was made her. She had no
sooner promised Riquet with the Tuft that she would marry him that day
twelve months, than she felt herself quite another person.
She found she was able to say whatever she pleased, with a readiness
past belief, and of saying it in a clever, but easy and natural manner.
She immediately began a sprightly and well-sustained conversation with
Riquet with the Tuft, and was so brilliant in her talk, that Riquet
with the Tuft began to think he had given her more wit than he had
reserved for himself. On her return to the palace, the whole Court was
puzzled to account for a change so sudden and extraordinary; for the
number of foolish things which they had been accustomed to hear from
her, she now made as many sensible and exceedingly witty remarks. All
the Court was in a state of joy not to be described. The younger sister
alone was not altogether pleased, for, having lost her superiority over
her sister in the way of intelligence, she now only appeared by her
side as a very unpleasing-looking person.
The King now began to be guided by his elder daughter’s advice, and
at times even held his Council in her apartments. The news of the
change of affairs was spread abroad, and all the young princes of the
neighbouring kingdoms exerted themselves to gain her affection, and
nearly all of them asked her hand in marriage. She found none of them,
however, intelligent enough to please her, and she listened to all of
them, without engaging herself to one.
At length arrived a Prince, so rich and powerful, so clever and so
handsome, that she could not help listening willingly to his addresses.
Her father, having perceived this, told her that he left her at perfect
liberty to choose a husband for herself, and that she had only to make
known her decision. As the more intelligence we possess, the more
difficulty we find in making up our mind on such a matter as this, she
begged her father, after having thanked him, to allow her time to think
about it.
She went, by chance, to walk in the same wood in which she had met
Riquet with the Tuft, in order to meditate more uninterruptedly over
what she had to do. While she was walking, deep in thought, she heard
a dull sound beneath her feet, as of many persons running to and fro,
and busily occupied. Having listened more attentively, she heard one
say, “Bring me that saucepan;” another, “Give me that kettle;” another,
“Put some wood on the fire.” At the same moment the ground opened, and
she saw beneath her what appeared to be a large kitchen, full of cooks,
scullions, and all sorts of servants necessary for the preparation of
a magnificent banquet. There came forth a band of about twenty to
thirty cooks, who went and established themselves in an avenue of the
wood, at a very long table, and who, each with the larding-pin in his
hand and the tail of his fur cap over his ear, set to work, keeping
time to a harmonious song.
[Illustration: There came forth a band of cooks]
The Princess, astonished at this sight, asked the men for whom they
were working.
“Madam,” replied the chief among them, “for Prince Riquet with the
Tuft, whose marriage will take place to-morrow.” The Princess, still
more surprised than she was before, and suddenly recollecting that it
was just a twelvemonth from the day on which she had promised to marry
Prince Riquet with the Tuft, was overcome with trouble and amazement.
The reason of her not having remembered her promise was, that when she
made it she had been a very foolish person, and when she became gifted
with the new mind that the Prince had given her, she had forgotten all
her follies.
She had not taken another thirty steps, when Riquet with the Tuft
presented himself before her, gaily and splendidly attired, like a
Prince about to be married. “You see, madam,” said he, “I keep my word
punctually, and I doubt not that you have come thither to keep yours,
and to make me, by the giving of your hand, the happiest of men.”
“I confess to you, frankly,” answered the Princess, “that I have not
yet made up my mind on that matter, and that I do not think I shall
ever be able to do so in the way you wish.” “You astonish me, madam,”
said Riquet with the Tuft. “I have no doubt I do,” said the Princess;
“and assuredly, had I to deal with a stupid person, with a man without
intelligence, I should feel greatly perplexed. ‘A Princess is bound
by her word,’ he would say to me, ‘and you must marry me, as you have
promised to do so.’ But as the person to whom I speak is, of all men in
the world, the one of greatest sense and understanding, I am certain
he will listen to reason. You know that, when I was no better than a
fool, I nevertheless could not decide to marry you--how can you expect,
now that I have the mind which you have given me, and which renders me
much more difficult to please than before, that I should take to-day a
resolution which I could not then? If you seriously thought of marrying
me, you did very wrong to take away my stupidity, and so enable me to
see more clearly than I saw then.” “If a man without intelligence,”
replied Riquet with the Tuft, “who reproached you with your breach of
promise, might have a right, as you have just intimated, to be treated
with indulgence, why would you, madam, that I should receive less
consideration in a matter which affects the entire happiness of my
life? Is it reasonable that persons of intellect should be in a worse
position than those that have none? Can you assert this--you who have
so much, and who so earnestly desired to possess it? But let us come to
the point, if you please. Setting aside my ugliness, is there anything
in me that displeases you? Are you dissatisfied with my birth, my
understanding, my temper, or my manners?”
“Not in the least,” replied the Princess; “I admire in you everything
you have mentioned.”
“If that is so,” rejoined Riquet with the Tuft, “I shall soon be happy,
as you have it in your power to make me the most pleasing looking of
men.”
“How can that be done?” asked the Princess.
“It can be done,” said Riquet with the Tuft, “if you love me
sufficiently to wish that it should be. And, in order, madam, that you
should have no doubt about it, know that the same fairy, who, on the
day I was born, endowed me with the power to give intelligence to the
person I chose, gave you also the power to render handsome the man you
should love, and on whom you should wish to bestow this favour.”
“If such be the fact,” said the Princess, “I wish, with all my heart,
that you should become the handsomest and most lovable Prince in the
world, and I bestow the gift on you to the fullest extent in my power.”
The Princess had no sooner pronounced these words than Riquet with the
Tuft appeared to her eyes, of all men in the world, the handsomest,
the best made, and most attractive she had ever seen. There are some
who assert that it was not the spell of the fairy, but love alone that
caused the metamorphosis. They say that the Princess, having reflected
on the perseverance of her lover, on his prudence, and on all the
good qualities of his heart and mind, no longer saw the deformity of
his body, or the ugliness of his features; that his hump appeared to
her nothing more than a good-natured shrug of his shoulders, and that
instead of noticing, as she had done, how badly he limped, she saw
in him only a certain lounging air, which charmed her. They say also
that his eyes, which squinted, only seemed to her the more brilliant
for this; and that the crookedness of his glance was to her merely
expressive of his great love; and, finally, that his great red nose had
in it, to her mind, something martial and heroic. However this may be,
the Princess promised on the spot to marry him, provided he obtained
the consent of the King, her father. The King, having learned that his
daughter entertained a great regard for Riquet with the Tuft, whom
he knew also to be a very clever and wise Prince, received him with
pleasure as his son-in-law. The wedding took place the next morning, as
Riquet with the Tuft had foreseen, and according to the orders which he
had given a long time before.
[Illustration: Tailpiece]
No beauty, no talent, has power above
Some indefinite charm discern’d only by love.
* * * * *
“That is delightful, but it is _much_ too short,” said Titania
smilingly.
“It is better too short than too long,” answered Oberon, “but perhaps
the pretty little story-teller has another one for us?”
“If your Majesties wish it,” replied the dainty creature.
“Let it be a longer one this time,” said Titania, “and let it be
another tale of true love, _please_.”
The French Fay considered for a moment, and then said, as if to
herself, “I _do_ know another story of true love rewarded after strange
adventures, but I’m afraid it will be too long for his Majesty’s taste.”
“This one is for _me_,” said Titania, turning smilingly to the King,
“and my Oberon need not listen if he does not wish to.”
“Be it as my Queen wishes,” said Oberon, who was really excited by the
promise of hearing of strange adventures.
Then there was a sort of dainty rustling as of the breeze toying with
the summer leaves while all the fairies about the circle settled
comfortably down to listen to the long story which the French Fay named
[Illustration: The French Fay]
[Illustration: The cap of roses]