that palace is poisoned: you shall not touch a morsel."
And at the same time the voice in the air repeated again, "Good
actions never go unrewarded;" and Cherry found himself changed into a
beautiful little white pigeon. He remembered with joy that white was
the colour of the Fairy Candide, and began to hope that she was
taking him into favour again.
So he stretched his wings, delighted that he might now have a chance
of approaching his fair Zelia. He flew up to the palace-windows, and,
finding one of them open, entered and sought everywhere, but he could
not find Zelia. Then, in despair, he flew out again, resolved to go
over the world until he beheld her once more.
He took flight at once, and traversed many countries, swiftly as a
bird can, but found no trace of his beloved. At length in a desert,
sitting beside an old hermit in his cave, and partaking with him his
frugal repast, Cherry saw a poor peasant-girl, and recognised Zelia.
Transported with joy, he flew in, perched on her shoulder, and
expressed his delight and affection by a thousand caresses.
She, charmed with the pretty little pigeon, caressed it in her turn,
and promised it that, if it would stay with her, she would love it
always.
"What have you done, Zelia?" said the hermit, smiling; and while he
spoke the white pigeon vanished, and there stood Prince Cherry in his
own natural form. "Your enchantment ended, prince, when Zelia promised
to love you. Indeed, she has loved you always, but your many faults
constrained her to hide her love. These are now amended, and you may
both live happy if you will, because your union is founded upon mutual
esteem."
Cherry and Zelia threw themselves at the feet of the hermit, whose
form also began to change His soiled garments became of dazzling
whiteness, and his long beard and withered face grew into the flowing
hair and lovely countenance of the Fairy Candide.
"Rise up, my children," said she; "I must now transport you to your
palace, and restore to Prince Cherry his father's crown, of which he
is now worthy."
She had scarcely ceased speaking when they found themselves in the
chamber of Suliman, who, delighted to find again his beloved pupil and
master, willingly resigned the throne, and became the most faithful of
his subjects.
King Cherry and Queen Zelia reigned together for many years, and it is
said that the former was so blameless and strict in all his duties,
that though he constantly wore the ring which Candide had restored to
him, it never once pricked his finger enough to make it bleed.
LITTLE SNOWDROP.
Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, when the flakes of snow
fell like feathers from the sky, a queen sat at a window set in an
ebony frame, and sewed. While she was sewing and watching the snow
fall, she pricked her finger with her needle, and three drops of blood
dropped on the snow. And because the crimson looked so beautiful on
the white snow, she thought, "Oh that I had a child as white as snow,
as red as blood, and as black as the wood of this ebony frame!"
Soon afterwards she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow,
as red as blood, and had hair as black as ebony. And when the child
was born, the queen died.
After a year had gone by, the king took another wife. She was a
handsome lady, but proud and haughty, and could not endure that any
one should surpass her in beauty. She had a wonderful mirror, and
whenever she walked up to it, and looked at herself in it, she said:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
Then the mirror replied:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Thou art the fairest of them all."
And she was satisfied, for she knew the mirror always told the truth.
But Snowdrop grew ever taller and fairer, and at seven years old was
beautiful as the day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. So
once, when the queen asked of her mirror:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
it answered:
"Lady queen, you are grand and tall,
But Snowdrop is fairest of you all."
Then the queen was startled, and turned yellow and green with envy.
From that hour she so hated Snowdrop, that she burned with secret
wrath whenever she saw the maiden. Pride and envy grew apace like
weeds in her heart, till she had no rest day or night. So she called a
huntsman and said, "Take the child out in the forest, for I will
endure her no longer in my sight. Kill her, and bring me her lungs and
liver as tokens that you have done it."
The huntsman obeyed, and led the child away; but when he had drawn his
hunting-knife, and was about to pierce Snowdrop's innocent heart, she
began to weep, and said, "Ah! dear huntsman, spare my life, and I will
run deep into the wild forest, and never more come home."
The huntsman took pity on her, because she looked so lovely, and said,
"Run away then, poor child!"--"The wild beasts will soon make an end
of thee," he thought; but it seemed as if a stone had been rolled from
his heart, because he had avoided taking her life; and as a little
bear came by just then, he killed it, took out its liver and lungs,
and carried them as tokens to the queen. She made the cook dress them
with salt, and then the wicked woman ate them, and thought she had
eaten Snowdrop's lungs and liver. The poor child was now all alone in
the great forest, and she felt frightened as she looked at all the
leafy trees, and knew not what to do. So she began to run, and ran
over the sharp stones, and through the thorns; and the wild beasts
passed close to her, but did her no harm. She ran as long as her feet
could carry her, and when evening closed in, she saw a little house,
and went into it to rest herself. Everything in the house was very
small, but I cannot tell you how pretty and clean it was.
There stood a little table, covered with a white tablecloth, on which
were seven little plates (each little plate with its own little
spoon)--also seven little knives and forks, and seven little cups.
Round the walls stood seven little beds close together, with sheets as
white as snow. Snowdrop being so hungry and thirsty, ate a little of
the vegetables and bread on each plate, and drank a drop of wine from
every cup, for she did not like to empty one entirely.
Then, being very tired, she laid herself down in one of the beds, but
could not make herself comfortable, for one was too long, and another
too short. The seventh, luckily, was just right; so there she stayed,
said her prayers, and fell asleep.
When it was grown quite dark, home came the masters of the house,
seven dwarfs, who delved and mined for iron among the mountains. They
lighted their seven candles, and as soon as there was a light in the
kitchen, they saw that some one had been there, for it was not quite
so orderly as they had left it.
The first said, "Who has been sitting on my stool?"
The second, "Who has eaten off my plate?"
The third, "Who has taken part of my loaf?"
The fourth, "Who has touched my vegetables?"
The fifth, "Who has used my fork?"
The sixth, "Who has cut with my knife?"
The seventh, "Who has drunk out of my little cup?"
Then the first dwarf looked about, and saw that there was a slight
hollow in his bed, so he asked, "Who has been lying in my little bed?"
The others came running, and each called out, "Some one has also been
lying in my bed."
But the seventh, when he looked in his bed, saw Snowdrop there, fast
asleep. He called the others, who flocked round with cries of
surprise, fetched their seven candles, and cast the light on Snowdrop.
"Oh, heaven!" they cried, "what a lovely child!" and were so pleased
that they would not wake her, but let her sleep on in the little bed.
The seventh dwarf slept with all his companions in turn, an hour with
each, and so they spent the night. When it was morning, Snowdrop woke
up, and was frightened when she saw the seven dwarfs. They were very
friendly, however, and inquired her name.
"Snowdrop," answered she.
"How have you found your way to our house?" further asked the dwarfs.
So she told them how her stepmother had tried to kill her, how the
huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run the whole day
through, till at last she had found their little house.
Then the dwarfs said, "If thou wilt keep our house, cook, make the
beds, wash, sew and knit, and make all neat and clean, thou canst stay
with us, and shalt want for nothing."
"I will, right willingly," said Snowdrop. So she dwelt with them, and
kept their house in order. Every morning they went out among the
mountains, to seek iron and gold, and came home ready for supper in
the evening.
The maiden being left alone all day long, the good dwarfs warned her,
saying, "Beware of thy wicked stepmother, who will soon find out that
thou art here; take care that thou lettest nobody in."
The queen, however, after having, as she thought, eaten Snowdrop's
lungs and liver, had no doubt that she was again the first and fairest
woman in the world; so she walked up to her mirror, and said:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
The mirror replied:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Here, you are fairest of them all:
But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old,
Lives Snowdrop, fairer a hundredfold."
She trembled, knowing the mirror never told a falsehood; she felt sure
that the huntsman had deceived her, and that Snowdrop was still alive.
She pondered once more, late and early, early and late, how best to
kill Snowdrop; for envy gave her no rest, day or night, while she
herself was not the fairest lady in the land. When she had planned
what to do, she painted her face, dressed herself like an old
pedlar-woman, and altered her appearance so much, that no one could
have known her. In this disguise she went over the seven hills, to
where the seven dwarfs dwelt, knocked at the door, and cried, "Good
wares, cheap! very cheap!"
Snowdrop looked out of the window and cried, "Good morning, good
woman: what have you to sell?"
"Good wares, smart wares," answered the queen--"bodice laces of all
colours;" and drew out one which was woven of coloured silk.
"I may surely let this honest dame in!" thought Snowdrop; so she
unfastened the door, and bought for herself the pretty lace.
"Child," said the old woman, "what a figure thou art! Let me lace thee
for once properly." Snowdrop feared no harm, so stepped in front of
her, and allowed her bodice to be fastened up with the new lace.
But the old woman laced so quick and laced so tight, that Snowdrop's
breath was stopped, and she fell down as if dead. "Now I am fairest at
last," said the old woman to herself, and sped away.
The seven dwarfs came home soon after, at eventide, but how alarmed
were they to find their poor Snowdrop lifeless on the ground! They
lifted her up, and, seeing that she was laced too tightly, cut the
lace of her bodice; she began to breathe faintly, and slowly returned
to life. When the dwarfs heard what had happened, they said, "The old
pedlar-woman was none other than the wicked queen. Be careful of
thyself, and open the door to no one if we are not at home."
The cruel stepmother walked up to her mirror when she reached home,
and said:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
To which it answered, as usual:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Here, you are fairest of them all;
But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old,
Lives Snowdrop, fairer a hundredfold."
When she heard this, she was so alarmed that all the blood rushed to
her heart, for she saw plainly that Snowdrop was still alive.
"This time," said she, "I will think of some means that shall destroy
her utterly;" and with the help of witchcraft, in which she was
skilful, she made a poisoned comb. Then she changed her dress and took
the shape of another old woman.
Again she crossed the seven hills to the home of the seven dwarfs,
knocked at the door, and cried, "Good wares, very cheap!"
Snowdrop looked out and said, "Go away--I dare let no one in."
"You may surely be allowed to look!" answered the old woman, and she
drew out the poisoned comb and held it up. The girl was so pleased
with it that she let herself be cajoled, and opened the door.
When the bargain was struck, the dame said, "Now let me dress your
hair properly for once." Poor Snowdrop took no heed, and let the old
woman begin; but the comb had scarcely touched her hair before the
poison worked, and she fell down senseless.
"Paragon of beauty!" said the wicked woman, "all is over with thee
now," and went away.
Luckily, it was near evening, and the seven dwarfs soon came home.
When they found Snowdrop lifeless on the ground, they at once
distrusted her stepmother. They searched, and found the poisoned comb;
and as soon as they had drawn it out, Snowdrop came to herself, and
told them what had happened. Again they warned her to be careful, and
open the door to no one.
The queen placed herself before the mirror at home and said:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
But it again answered:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Here you are fairest of them all;
But over the hills, with the seven dwarfs old,
Lives Snowdrop, fairer a thousandfold."
When she heard the mirror speak thus, she quivered with rage.
"Snowdrop shall die," she cried, "if it costs my own life!"
Then she went to a secret and lonely chamber, where no one ever
disturbed her, and compounded an apple of deadly poison. Ripe and rosy
cheeked, it was so beautiful to look upon, that all who saw it longed
for it; but it brought death to any who should eat it. When the apple
was ready, she painted her face, disguised herself as a peasant-woman,
and journeyed over the seven hills to where the seven dwarfs dwelt. At
the sound of the knock, Snowdrop put her head out of the window, and
said, "I cannot open the door to anybody, for the seven dwarfs have
forbidden me to do so."
"Very well," replied the peasant-woman; "I only want to be rid of my
apples. Here, I will give you one of them!"
"No!" said Snowdrop, "I dare not take it."
"Art thou afraid of being poisoned?" asked the old woman. "Look here;
I will cut the apple in two, and you shall eat the rosy side, and I
the white."
Now the fruit was so cunningly made, that only the rosy side was
poisoned. Snowdrop longed for the pretty apple; and when she saw the
peasant-woman eating it, she could resist no longer, but stretched out
her hand and took the poisoned half. She had scarcely tasted it, when
she fell lifeless to the ground.
The queen, laughing loudly, watched her with a barbarous look, and
cried, "O thou who art white as snow, red as blood, and black as
ebony, the seven dwarfs cannot awaken thee this time!"
And when she asked the mirror at home,
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
the mirror at last replied,
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
You are the fairest of them all."
So her envious heart had as much repose as an envious heart can ever
know.
When the dwarfs came home in the evening, they found Snowdrop lying
breathless and motionless on the ground. They lifted her up, searched
whether she had anything poisonous about her, unlaced her, combed her
hair, washed her with water and with wine; but all was useless, for
they could not bring the darling back to life. They laid her on a
bier, and all the seven placed themselves round it, and mourned for
her three long days. Then they would have buried her, but that she
still looked so fresh and life-like, and had such lovely rosy cheeks.
"We cannot lower her into the dark earth," said they; and caused a
transparent coffin of glass to be made, so that she could be seen on
all sides, and laid her in it, writing her name outside in letters of
gold, which told that she was the daughter of a king. Then they placed
the coffin on the mountain above, and one of them always stayed by it
and guarded it. But there was little need to guard it, for even the
wild animals came and mourned for Snowdrop: the birds likewise--first
an owl, and then a raven, and afterwards a dove.
Long, long years, did Snowdrop lie in her coffin unchanged, looking as
though asleep, for she was still white as snow, red as blood, and her
hair was black as ebony. At last the son of a king chanced to wander
into the forest, and came to the dwarf's house for a night's shelter.
He saw the coffin on the mountain with the beautiful Snowdrop in it,
and read what was written there in letters of gold. Then he said to
the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin! I will give you whatever you like
to ask for it."
But the dwarfs answered, "We would not part with it for all the gold
in the world."
He said again, "Yet give it me; for I cannot live without seeing
Snowdrop, and though she is dead, I will prize and honour her as my
beloved."
Then the good dwarfs took pity on him, and gave him the coffin. The
prince had it borne away by his servants. They happened to stumble
over a bush, and the shock forced the bit of poisoned apple which
Snowdrop had tasted out of her throat. Immediately she opened her
eyes, raised the coffin-lid, and sat up alive once more. "Oh, heaven!"
cried she, "where am I?"
The prince answered joyfully, "Thou art with me," and told her what
had happened, saying, "I love thee more dearly than anything else in
the world. Come with me to my father's castle, and be my wife."
Snowdrop, well pleased, went with him, and they were married with much
state and grandeur.
The wicked stepmother was invited to the feast. Richly dressed, she
stood before the mirror, and asked of it:
"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?"
The mirror answered:
"Lady queen, so grand and tall,
Here, you are fairest among them all;
But the young queen over the mountains old,
Is fairer than you a thousandfold."
The evil-hearted woman uttered a curse, and could scarcely endure her
anguish. She first resolved not to attend the wedding, but curiosity
would not allow her to rest. She determined to travel, and see who
that young queen could be, who was the most beautiful in all the
world. When she came, and found that it was Snowdrop alive again, she
stood petrified with terror and despair. Then two iron shoes, heated
burning hot, were drawn out of the fire with a pair of tongs, and laid
before her feet. She was forced to put them on, and to go and dance at
Snowdrop's wedding--dancing, dancing on these red hot shoes till she
fell down dead.
THE BLUE BIRD.
A powerful and wealthy king, having lost his wife, was so
inconsolable, that he shut himself up for eight entire days, in a
little cabinet, where he spent his time in knocking his head against
the wall, until the courtiers were afraid he would kill himself! They
accordingly placed stuffed mattresses over every wall, and allowed all
his subjects, who desired, to pay him a visit, trusting that something
would be said to alleviate his grief. But neither grave nor lively
discourse made any impression upon him; he scarcely heard what was
spoken. At last there presented herself before him a lady, covered
from head to foot in a long crape veil, who wept and sobbed so much
that the king noticed her. She told him that she did not come, like
the rest, to console him, but rather to encourage his grief. She
herself had lost the best of husbands, and here she began to weep so
profusely, that it was a wonder her eyes were not melted out of her
head. The king began to weep in company, and to talk to her of his
dear wife--she did the same of her dear husband: in fact they talked
so much, that they talked their sorrow quite away. Then, lifting up
her veil, she showed lovely blue eyes and dark eyelashes. The king
noticed her more and more--he spoke less and less of the departed
queen; by and by he ceased to speak of her at all. The end was, that
he courted the inconsolable lady in the black veil, and married her.
By his first marriage he had one daughter, called Florina, or the
little Flora, because she was so fresh and lovely; at the time of his
second marriage she was quite fifteen years old. The new queen also
had a daughter, who was being brought up by her godmother, the fairy
Soussio--her name was Troutina, because her complexion was all spotted
like a trout's back. Indeed, she was altogether ugly and disagreeable;
and when contrasted with Florina, the difference between the two made
the mother so envious, that she and Troutina spared no pains to make
the princess's life unhappy, and to speak ill of her to her father.
One day the king observed that both girls were now old enough to be
married, and that he intended to choose for one of them the first
prince who visited his court.
"Be it so," said the queen; "and as my daughter is older, handsomer,
and more amiable than yours, she shall have the first choice." The
king disputed nothing; indeed, he never did--the queen ruled him in
all things.
Some time after, news came that King Charming would shortly arrive,
and that he was as charming as his name. When the queen heard this
news, she sent for milliners, dressmakers, jewellers, and decked
Troutina from head to foot; but to Florina she allowed not a single
new frock The poor princess had to put on her old one, which was very
old and shabby indeed, she was so much ashamed of it, that she hid
herself in a corner of the saloon, lest King Charming should see her.
But he did not, being overwhelmed with the ceremonious reception given
him by the queen, who presented to him Troutina, all blazing with
jewels, yet so ugly that King Charming involuntarily turned away his
eyes.
"But, madam, is there not another princess called Florina?"
They pointed to the corner where Florina was hidden, and she came out,
blushing so much, that the young king was dazzled with her beauty, in
spite of her shabby gown. He rose, and made her a profound reverence,
paying her besides so many elegant compliments, that the queen became
very much displeased. King Charming took no heed, but conversed with
Florina for three hours without stopping. Indeed, his admiration of
her was so plain, that the queen and Troutina begged of the king that
she might be shut up in a tower during the whole time of his visit;
so, as soon as she had returned to her apartment, four men in masks
entered, and carried her off, leaving her in a dark cell, and in the
utmost desolation.
Meantime King Charming eagerly awaited her re-appearance, but he saw
her no more; and by the queen's orders, every one about him spoke all
the evil they could of poor Florina, but he refused to believe one
word. "No," said he, "nature could not have united a base nature to
such a sweet innocent face. I will rather suppose that she is
maligned by her stepmother and by Troutina, who is so ugly herself
that no wonder she bears envy towards the fairest woman in the world."
Meanwhile Florina, shut up in her tower, lamented bitterly. "Ah, would
I had been sent here before I saw this amiable prince, who was so kind
to me! It is to prevent my meeting him again, that the queen treats me
so cruelly. Alas! the little beauty I have has cost me sore!"
The queen, to win King Charming for her daughter, made him many
presents; among the rest an order of knighthood, a golden heart,
enamelled in flame-colour, surrounded with many arrows, but pierced by
one only, the motto being, "_She alone_." The heart was made of a
single ruby, as big as an ostrich's egg. Each arrow was a diamond, a
finger's length, and the chain was of pearls, each weighing a pound.
When the young king received this very handsome present, he was much
perplexed, until they told him it came from the princess whom he had
lately seen, and who requested him to be her knight.
"Florina!" cried he, enchanted.
"No, Troutina."
"Then I am sorry I cannot accept the honour," replied King Charming.
"A monarch is surely at liberty to form his own engagements. I know
what is a knight's duty to his lady, and should wish to fulfil it; as
I cannot fulfil it to Troutina, I would rather decline the favour she
offers me than become unworthy of it."
Civil as this answer was, it irritated the queen and her daughter
exceedingly; and when, since in all his audiences with their majesties
he never saw Florina, he at last inquired where the younger princess
was, the queen answered fiercely, that she was shut up in prison, and
would remain there till Troutina was married.
"And for what reason?" asked King Charming.
"I do not know; and if I did, I would not tell you," replied the
queen, more angrily than ever; so that King Charming quitted her
presence as soon as ever he could.