these words she was restored to life, and became once more fresh and
blooming.
Then she related to the king the crime committed on her by the old
witch and her ugly daughter, whom he at once commanded to be brought
to judgment, and had sentence passed upon them. The daughter was taken
forth into the woods, where the wild beasts tore her in pieces, and
the witch was burnt. And behold! as soon as there was nothing left of
her but ashes, the white roe became changed again and resumed his
human form; so they all lived happily together till the end of their
lives.
LITTLE RED-RIDING-HOOD.
Once there was a little village maiden, the prettiest ever seen. Her
mother was foolishly fond of her, and her grandmother likewise. The
old woman made for her a little hood, which became the damsel so well,
that ever after she went by the name of Little Red-Riding-Hood. One
day, when her mother was making cakes, she said, "My child, you shall
go and see your grandmother, for I hear she is not well; and you shall
take her some of these cakes, and a pot of butter."
Little Red-Riding-Hood was delighted to go, though it was a long walk;
but she was a good child, and fond of her kind grandmother. Passing
through a wood, she met a great wolf, who was most eager to eat her
up, but dared not, because of a woodcutter who was busy hard by. So he
only came and asked her politely where she was going. The poor child,
who did not know how dangerous it is to stop and speak to wolves,
replied, "I am going to see my grandmother, and to take her a cake and
a pot of butter, which my mother has sent her."
"Is it very far from hence?" asked the wolf.
"Oh yes, it is just above the mill which you may see up there--the
first house you come to in the village."
"Well," said the wolf, "I will go there also, to inquire after your
excellent grandmother; I will go one way, and you the other, and we
will see who can be there first."
So he ran as fast as ever he could, taking the shortest road, but the
little maiden took the longest; for she stopped to pluck roses in the
wood, to chase butterflies, and gather nosegays of the prettiest
flowers she could find--she was such a happy and innocent little soul.
The wolf was not long in reaching the grand-mother's door. He knocked,
Toc--toc, and the grandmother said, "Who is there?"
"It is your child, Little Red-Riding-Hood," replied the wicked beast,
imitating the girl's voice; "I bring you a cake and a pot of butter,
which my mother has sent you."
The grandmother, who was ill in her bed, said, "Very well, my dear,
pull the string and the latch will open." The wolf pulled the
string--the door flew open; he leaped in, fell upon the poor old
woman, and ate her up in less than no time, tough as she was, for he
had not tasted anything for more than three days. Then he carefully
shut the door, and laying himself down snugly in the bed, waited for
Little Red-Riding-Hood, who was not long before she came and knocked,
Toc--toc, at the door.
"Who is there?" said the wolf; and the little maiden, hearing his
gruff voice, felt sure that her poor grandmother must have caught a
bad cold and be very ill indeed.
So she answered cheerfully, "It is your child, Little
Red-Riding-Hood, who brings you a cake and a pot of butter that my
mother has sent you."
Then the wolf, softening his voice as much as he could, said, "Pull
the string, and the latch will open."
So Little Red-Riding-Hood pulled the string and the door opened. The
wolf, seeing her enter, hid himself as much as he could under the
cover-lid of the bed, and said in a whisper, "Put the cake and the pot
of butter on the shelf, and then make haste and come to bed, for it is
very late."
Little Red-Riding-Hood did not think so; but, to please her
grandmother, she undressed herself and began to get ready for bed,
when she was very much astonished to find how different the old woman
looked from ordinary.
"Grandmother, what great arms you have!"
"That is to hug you the better, my dear."
"Grandmother, what great ears you have!"
"That is to hear you the better, my dear."
"Grandmother, what great eyes you have!"
"That is to see you the better, my dear."
"Grandmother, what a great mouth you have!"
"That is to eat you up," cried the wicked wolf; and immediately he
fell upon poor Little Red-Riding-Hood, and ate her up in a moment.
PUSS IN BOOTS.
A Miller, dying, divided all his property between his three children.
This was a very simple matter, as he had nothing to leave but his
mill, his ass, and his cat; so he made no will, and called in no
lawyer, who would, probably, have taken a large slice out of these
poor possessions. The eldest son took the mill, the second the ass,
while the third was obliged to content himself with the cat, at which
he grumbled very much. "My brothers," said he, "by putting their
property together, may gain an honest livelihood, but there is nothing
left for me except to die of hunger; unless, indeed, I were to kill my
cat and eat him, and make a coat out of his skin, which would be very
scanty clothing."
The cat, who heard the young man talking to himself, sat up on his
four paws, and looking at him with a grave and wise air, said,
"Master, I think you had better not kill me; I shall be much more
useful to you alive."
"How so?" asked his master.
"You have but to give me a sack, and a pair of boots such as gentlemen
wear when they go shooting, and you will find you are not so ill off
as you suppose."
Now, though the young miller did not much depend upon the cat's words,
still he thought it rather surprising that a cat should speak at all.
And he had before now seen him show so much adroitness and cleverness
in catching rats and mice, that it seemed advisable to trust him a
little farther, especially as, poor young fellow! he had nobody else
to trust.
When the cat got his boots, he drew them on with a grand air, and
slinging his sack over his shoulder, and drawing the cords of it round
his neck, he marched bravely to a rabbit-warren hard by, with which he
was well acquainted. Then, putting some bran and lettuces into his
bag, and stretching himself out beside it as if he were dead, he
waited till some fine fat young rabbit, ignorant of the wickedness and
deceit of the world, should peer into the sack to eat the food that
was inside. This happened very shortly, for there are plenty of
foolish young rabbits in every warren; and when one of them, who
really was a splendid fat fellow, put his head inside, Master Puss
drew the cords immediately, and took him and killed him without mercy.
Then, very proud of his prey, he marched direct up to the palace, and
begged to speak with the king. He was desired to ascend to the
apartments of his majesty, where, making a low bow, he said,
"Sire, here is a magnificent rabbit, killed in the warren which
belongs to my lord the Marquis of Carabas, and which he has desired me
to offer humbly to your majesty."
"Tell your master," replied the king, politely, "that I accept his
present, and am very much obliged to him."
Another time, Puss went and hid himself and his sack in a wheat-field,
and there caught two splendid fat partridges in the same manner as he
had done the rabbit. When he presented them to the king, with a
similar message as before, his majesty was so pleased that he ordered
the cat to be taken down into the kitchen and given something to eat
and drink; where, while enjoying himself, the faithful animal did not
cease to talk in the most cunning way of the large preserves and
abundant game which belonged to my lord the Marquis of Carabas.
One day, hearing that the king was intending to take a drive along the
river-side with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the
world, Puss said to his master, "Sir, if you would only follow my
advice, your fortune is made."
"Be it so," said the miller's son, who was growing very disconsolate,
and cared little what he did: "Say your say, cat."
"It is but little," replied Puss, looking wise, as cats can. "You have
only to go and bathe in the river, at a place which I shall show you,
and leave all the rest to me. Only remember that you are no longer
yourself, but my lord the Marquis of Carabas."
"Just so," said the miller's son; "it's all the same to me;" but he
did as the cat told him.
While he was bathing, the king and all the court passed by, and were
startled to hear loud cries of "Help, help! my lord the Marquis of
Carabas is drowning." The king put his head out of the carriage, and
saw nobody but the cat, who had, at different times, brought him so
many presents of game; however, he ordered his guards to fly quickly
to the succour of my lord the Marquis of Carabas. While they were
pulling the unfortunate marquis out of the water, the cat came up,
bowing, to the side of the king's carriage, and told a long and
pitiful story about some thieves, who, while his master was bathing,
had come and carried away all his clothes, so that it would be
impossible for him to appear before his majesty and the illustrious
princess.
"Oh, we will soon remedy that," answered the king, kindly; and
immediately ordered one of the first officers of the household to ride
back to the palace with all speed, and bring back the most elegant
supply of clothes for the young gentleman, who kept in the background
until they arrived. Then, being handsome and well-made, his new
clothes became him so well, that he looked as if he had been a marquis
all his days, and advanced with an air of respectful ease to offer his
thanks to his majesty.
The king received him courteously, and the princess admired him very
much. Indeed, so charming did he appear to her, that she hinted to her
father to invite him into the carriage with them, which, you may be
sure, the young man did not refuse. The cat, delighted at the success
of his scheme, went away as fast as he could, and ran so swiftly that
he kept a long way ahead of the royal carriage. He went on and on,
till he came to some peasants who were mowing in a meadow. "Good
people," said he, in a very firm voice, "the king is coming past here
shortly, and if you do not say that the field you are mowing belongs
to my lord the Marquis of Carabas, you shall all be chopped as small
as mince-meat."
So when the king drove by, and asked whose meadow it was where there
was such a splendid crop of hay, the mowers all answered, trembling,
that it belonged to my lord the Marquis of Carabas.
"You have very fine land, Marquis," said his majesty to the miller's
son; who bowed, and answered "that it was not a bad meadow, take it
altogether."
Then the cat came to a wheat-field, where the reapers were reaping
with all their might. He bounded in upon them: "The king is coming
past to-day, and if you do not tell him that this wheat belongs to my
lord the Marquis of Carabas, I will have you every one chopped as
small as mince-meat." The reapers, very much alarmed, did as they were
bid, and the king congratulated the Marquis upon possessing such
beautiful fields, laden with such an abundant harvest.
They drove on--the cat always running before and saying the same thing
to everybody he met, that they were to declare the whole country
belonged to his master; so that even the king was astonished at the
vast estate of my lord the Marquis of Carabas.
But now the cat arrived at a great castle where dwelt an Ogre, to whom
belonged all the land through which the royal equipage had been
driving. He was a cruel tyrant, and his tenants and servants were
terribly afraid of him, which accounted for their being so ready to
say whatever they were told to say by the cat, who had taken pains to
inform himself of all about the Ogre. So, putting on the boldest face
he could assume, Puss marched up to the castle with his boots on, and
asked to see the owner of it, saying that he was on his travels, but
did not wish to pass so near the castle of such a noble gentleman
without paying his respects to him. When the Ogre heard this message,
he went to the door, received the cat as civilly as an Ogre can, and
begged him to walk in and repose himself.
"Thank you, sir," said the cat; "but first I hope you will satisfy a
traveller's curiosity. I have heard in far countries of your many
remarkable qualities, and especially how you have the power to change
yourself into any sort of beast you choose--a lion for instance, or an
elephant."
"That is quite true," replied the Ogre; "and lest you should doubt it,
I will immediately become a lion."
He did so; and the cat was so frightened that he sprang up to the roof
of the castle and hid himself in the gutter--a proceeding rather
inconvenient on account of his boots, which were not exactly fitted to
walk with upon tiles. At length, perceiving that the Ogre had resumed
his original form, he came down again stealthily, and confessed that
he had been very much frightened.
"But, sir," said he, "it may be easy enough for such a big gentleman
as you to change himself into a large animal: I do not suppose you
can become a small one--a rat or mouse for instance. I have heard
that you can; still, for my part, I consider it quite impossible."
"Impossible!" cried the other, indignantly. "You shall see!" and
immediately the cat saw the Ogre no longer, but a little mouse running
along on the floor.
This was exactly what he wanted; and he did the very best a cat could
do, and the most natural under the circumstances--he sprang upon the
mouse and gobbled it up in a trice. So there was an end of the Ogre.
By this time the king had arrived opposite the castle, and was seized
with a strong desire to enter it. The cat, hearing the noise of the
carriage-wheels, ran forward in a great hurry, and standing at the
gate, said in a loud voice, "Welcome, sire, to the castle of my lord
the Marquis of Carabas."
"What!" cried his majesty, very much surprised, "does the castle also
belong to you? Truly, Marquis, you have kept your secret well up to
the last minute. I have never seen anything finer than this courtyard
and these battlements. Indeed, I have nothing like them in the whole
of my dominions."
The Marquis, without speaking, offered his hand to the princess to
assist her to descend, and, standing aside that the king might enter
first--for he had already acquired all the manners of a
court--followed his majesty to the great hall, where a magnificent
collation was laid out, and where, without more delay, they all sat
down to feast.
Before the banquet was over, the king, charmed with the good qualities
of the Marquis of Carabas--and likewise with his wine, of which he had
drunk six or seven cups--said, bowing across the table at which the
princess and the miller's son were talking very confidentially
together, "It rests with you, Marquis, whether you will not become my
son-in-law."
"I shall be only too happy," said the complaisant Marquis, and the
princess's cast-down eyes declared the same.
So they were married the very next day, and took possession of the
Ogre's castle, and of everything that had belonged to him.
As for the cat, he became at once a grand personage, and had never
more any need to run after mice, except for his own diversion.
THE WOLF
AND
The Seven Young Goslings.
There was once an old goose who had seven young goslings, and loved
them as only a mother can love her children. One day she was going
into the wood to seek for provender, and before setting off she called
all seven to her and said, "Dear children, I am obliged to go into the
wood, so be on your guard against the wolf; for if he gets in here he
will eat you up, feathers, skin, and all. The villain often disguises
himself, but you can easily recognise him by his rough voice and black
paws."
The children answered, "Dear mother, we will take great care; you may
go without any anxiety." So the old lady was comforted, and set off
cheerfully for the wood.
Before long, some one knocked at the door, and cried, "Open, open, my
dear children; your mother is here, and has brought something for each
of you."
But the goslings soon perceived, by the rough voice, that it was the
wolf. "We will not open," said they; "you are not our mother, for she
has a sweet and lovely voice; but your voice is rough--you are the
wolf."
Thereupon the wolf set off to a merchant and bought a large lump of
chalk; he ate it, and it made his voice sweet. Back he came, knocked
at the door, and cried, "Open, open, my dear children; your mother is
here, and has brought something for each of you."
But the wolf had laid his black paw on the window-sill, and when the
children saw it, they cried, "We will not open; our mother has not
black feet like you--you are the wolf."
So the wolf ran off to the baker, and said, "I have hurt my foot, put
some dough on it." And when the baker had plastered it with dough, the
wolf went to the miller and cried, "Strew some meal on my paws." But
the miller thought to himself, "The wolf wants to deceive some one,"
and he hesitated to do it; till the wolf said, "If you don't do it at
once, I will eat you up." So the miller was afraid and made his paws
white. Such is the way of the world!
Now came the rogue back for the third time, knocked and said, "Open
the door, dear children; your mother has come home, and has brought
something for each of you out of the wood."
The little goslings cried, "Show us your paws first, that we may see
whether you are indeed our mother." So he laid his paws on the
window-sill, and when the goslings saw that they were white, they
believed it was all right, and opened the door; and who should come in
but the wolf!
They screamed out and tried to hide themselves; one jumped under the
table, another into the bed, the third into the oven; the fourth ran
into the kitchen, the fifth hopped into a chest, the sixth under the
wash-tub, and the seventh got into the clock-case. But the wolf seized
them, and stood on no ceremony with them; one after another he gobbled
them all up, except the youngest, who being in the clock-case he
couldn't find. When the wolf had eaten his fill, he strolled forth,
laid himself down in the green meadow under a tree, and went fast
asleep.
Not long after, back came the old goose home from the wood; but what,
alas! did she see? The house-door stood wide open; table, chairs,
benches, were all overthrown; the wash-tub lay in the ashes; blankets
and pillows were torn off the bed. She looked for her children, but
nowhere could she find them; she called them each by name, but nobody
answered. At last, when she came to the youngest, a little squeaking
voice answered, "Dear mother, I am in the clock-case." She pulled him
out, and he told her how the wolf had come and had eaten up all the
others. You may think how she wept for her dear children.
At last, in her grief, she went out, and the youngest gosling ran
beside her. And when she came to the meadow there lay the wolf under
the tree, snoring till the boughs shook. She walked round and examined
him on all sides, till she perceived that something was moving and
kicking about inside him.
"Can it be," thought she, "that my poor children whom he has swallowed
for his supper are yet alive?" So she sent the little gosling back to
the house for scissors, needle, and thread, and began to slit up the
monster's stomach. Scarcely had she given one snip, when out came the
head of a gosling, and when she had cut a little further, the six
jumped out one after another, not having taken the least hurt, because
the greedy monster had swallowed them down whole. That was a joy! They
embraced their mother tenderly, and skipped about as lively as a
tailor at his wedding.
But the old goose said, "Now go and find me six large stones, which we
will put inside the greedy beast while he is still asleep." So the
goslings got the stones in all haste, and they put them inside the
wolf; and the old goose sewed him up again in a great hurry, while he
never once moved nor took any notice.
Now when the wolf at last woke up and got upon his legs, he found he
was very thirsty, and wished to go to the spring to drink. But as soon
as he began to move the stones began to shake and rattle inside him,
till he cried,--
"What's this rumbling and tumbling,
What's this rattling like bones?
I thought I had eaten six little geese,
But they've turned out only stones."
And when he came to the spring and bent down his head to drink, the
heavy stones overbalanced him, and in he went head over heels. Now
when the seven goslings saw this, they came running up, crying
loudly, "The wolf is dead, the wolf is dead!" and danced for joy all
round the spring, and their mother with them.
THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOCKS.
There was once a king's daughter so beautiful that they named her the
Fair One with Golden Locks. These golden locks were the most
remarkable in the world, soft and fine, and falling in long waves down
to her very feet. She wore them always thus, loose and flowing,
surmounted with a wreath of flowers; and though such long hair was
sometimes rather inconvenient, it was so exceedingly beautiful,
shining in the sun like ripples of molten gold, that everybody agreed
she fully deserved her name.
Now there was a young king of a neighbouring country, very handsome,
very rich, and wanting nothing but a wife to make him happy. He heard
so much of the various perfections of the Fair One with Golden Locks,
that at last, without even seeing her, he fell in love with her so
desperately that he could neither eat nor drink, and resolved to send
an ambassador at once to demand her in marriage. So he ordered a
magnificent equipage--more than a hundred horses and a hundred
footmen--in order to bring back to him the Fair One with Golden Locks,
who, he never doubted, would be only too happy to become his queen.
Indeed, he felt so sure of her that he refurnished the whole palace,
and had made, by all the dressmakers of the city, dresses enough to
last a lady for a lifetime. But, alas! when the ambassador arrived and
delivered his message, either the princess was in a bad humor, or the
offer did not appear to be to her taste; for she returned her best
thanks to his majesty, but said she had not the slightest wish or
intention to be married. She also, being a prudent damsel, declined
receiving any of the presents which the king had sent her; except
that, not quite to offend his majesty, she retained a box of English
pins, which were in that country of considerable value.
When the ambassador returned, alone and unsuccessful, all the court
was very much affected, and the king himself began to weep with all
his might. Now, there was in the palace household a young gentleman
named Avenant, beautiful as the sun, besides being at once so amiable
and so wise that the king confided to him all his affairs; and every
one loved him, except those people--to be found in all courts--who
were envious of his good fortune. These malicious folk hearing him say
gaily, "If the king had sent me to fetch the Fair One with Golden
Locks, I know she would have come back with me," repeated the saying
in such a manner, that it appeared as if Avenant thought so much of
himself and his beauty, and felt sure the princess would have followed
him all over the world; which when it came to the ears of the king, as
it was meant to do, irritated him so much that he commanded Avenant to
be imprisoned in a high tower, and left to die there of hunger. The
guards accordingly carried off the young man, who had quite forgotten
his idle speech, and had not the least idea what fault he had
committed. They ill-treated him very much, and then left him, with
nothing to eat and only water to drink. This, however, kept him alive
for a few days, during which he did not cease to complain aloud, and
to call upon the king, saying, "O king, what harm have I done? You
have no subject more faithful than I. Never have I had a thought which
could offend you."
And it so befell that the king, coming by chance, or else with a sort
of remorse, past the tower, was touched by the voice of the young
Avenant, whom he had once so much regarded. In spite of all the
courtiers could do to prevent him, he stopped to listen, and overheard
these words. The tears rushed into his eyes; he opened the door of the
tower, and called, "Avenant!" Avenant came, creeping feebly along,
fell at the king's knees, and kissed his feet:
"O sire, what have I done that you should treat me so cruelly?"
"You have mocked me and my ambassador; for you said, if I had sent you
to fetch the Fair One with Golden Locks, you would have been
successful and brought her back."