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[Illustration: Decoration]
OLD-TIME STORIES
[Illustration: "THEY REACHED THE HOUSE WHERE THE LIGHT WAS BURNING."]
OLD-TIME STORIES
_told by_
MASTER CHARLES PERRAULT
_translated from
the French by
A.E.Johnson
with illustrations
by_
W.HEATH ROBINSON
[Illustration: Decoration]
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY
_First Published, 1921_
_Printed in Great Britain_
PREFATORY NOTE
Of the eleven tales which the present volume comprises, the first eight
are from the master-hand of Charles Perrault. Charles Perrault
(1628-1703) enjoyed much distinction in his day, and is familiar to
students of French literature for the prominent part that he played in
the famous _Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns_, which so keenly
occupied French men of letters in the latter part of the seventeenth
century. But his fame to-day rests upon his authorship of the
traditional _Tales of Mother Goose; or Stories of Olden Times_, and so
long as there are children to listen spellbound to the adventures of
Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and that arch rogue Puss in Boots, his
memory will endure.
To the eight tales of Perrault three others have been added here.
'Beauty and the Beast,' by Mme Leprince de Beaumont (1711-1781), has a
celebrity which warrants its inclusion, however inferior it may seem, as
an example of the story-teller's art, to the masterpieces of Perrault.
'Princess Rosette' and 'The Friendly Frog' are from the prolific pen of
Mme d'Aulnoy (1650-1705), a contemporary of Perrault, whom she could
sometimes rival in invention, if never in dramatic power.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 1
PUSS IN BOOTS 21
LITTLE TOM THUMB 34
THE FAIRIES 55
RICKY OF THE TUFT 61
CINDERELLA 75
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 92
BLUE BEARD 99
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 113
THE FRIENDLY FROG 138
PRINCESS ROSETTE 174
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
COLOURED PLATES
'They reached the house where the light was burning'
(see page 41) _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
'The most beautiful sight he had ever seen' 16
'All that remained for the youngest was the cat' 21
'"You must die, madam," he said' 99
'Every evening the Beast paid her a visit' 130
'"Could your father but see you, my poor child"' 152
BLACK-AND-WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
'The king ... at once published an edict' 3
'A little dwarf who had a pair of seven-league boots' 7
'The king's son chanced to go a-hunting' 10
'All asleep' 12
'They all fell asleep' 13
'As though he were dead' 23
'The cat went on ahead' 26
Puss in Boots 27
'Puss became a personage of great importance' 31
'A good dame opened the door' 37
'He could smell fresh flesh' 43
'He set off over the countryside' 47
'Laden with all the ogre's wealth' 51
'Lifting up the jug so that she might drink the more easily' 57
'She could not set four china vases on the mantelpiece without
breaking one of them' 63
'Graceful and easy conversation' 65
Ricky of the Tuft 71
'The haughtiest, proudest woman that had ever been seen' 77
'Her godmother found her in tears' 81
'Away she went' 83
'She rose and fled as nimbly as a fawn' 85
'They tried it first on the princesses' 89
Little Red Riding Hood 93
'She met old Father Wolf' 95
'Making nosegays of the wild flowers' 96
'Come up on the bed with me' 97
Blue Beard 101
'She washed it well' 104
Sister Anne 105
'Brandishing the cutlass aloft' 109
'At first she found it very hard' 115
'"Look at our little sister"' 117
'It was snowing horribly' 119
The Beast 122
'"Your doom is to become statues"' 135
'The approach to it was by ten thousand steps' 143
The Friendly Frog 146
'The journey lasted seven years' 155
Princess Rosette 179
The wicked nurse 186
'She was an ugly little fright' 189
'She floated hither and thither' 194
'A kindly old man' 195
[Illustration: Decoration]
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD
Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who were grieved, more
grieved than words can tell, because they had no children. They tried
the waters of every country, made vows and pilgrimages, and did
everything that could be done, but without result. At last, however, the
queen found that her wishes were fulfilled, and in due course she gave
birth to a daughter.
A grand christening was held, and all the fairies that could be found in
the realm (they numbered seven in all) were invited to be godmothers to
the little princess. This was done so that by means of the gifts which
each in turn would bestow upon her (in accordance with the fairy custom
of those days) the princess might be endowed with every imaginable
perfection.
When the christening ceremony was over, all the company returned to the
king's palace, where a great banquet was held in honour of the fairies.
Places were laid for them in magnificent style, and before each was
placed a solid gold casket containing a spoon, fork, and knife of fine
gold, set with diamonds and rubies. But just as all were sitting down to
table an aged fairy was seen to enter, whom no one had thought to
invite--the reason being that for more than fifty years she had never
quitted the tower in which she lived, and people had supposed her to be
dead or bewitched.
By the king's orders a place was laid for her, but it was impossible to
give her a golden casket like the others, for only seven had been made
for the seven fairies. The old creature believed that she was
intentionally slighted, and muttered threats between her teeth.
She was overheard by one of the young fairies, who was seated near by.
The latter, guessing that some mischievous gift might be bestowed upon
the little princess, hid behind the tapestry as soon as the company left
the table. Her intention was to be the last to speak, and so to have the
power of counteracting, as far as possible, any evil which the old fairy
might do.
Presently the fairies began to bestow their gifts upon the princess. The
youngest ordained that she should be the most beautiful person in the
world; the next, that she should have the temper of an angel; the third,
that she should do everything with wonderful grace; the fourth, that she
should dance to perfection; the fifth, that she should sing like a
nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play every kind of music
with the utmost skill.
It was now the turn of the aged fairy. Shaking her head, in token of
spite rather than of infirmity, she declared that the princess should
prick her hand with a spindle, and die of it. A shudder ran through the
company at this terrible gift. All eyes were filled with tears.
But at this moment the young fairy stepped forth from behind the
tapestry.
'Take comfort, your Majesties,' she cried in a loud voice; 'your
daughter shall not die. My power, it is true, is not enough to undo all
that my aged kinswoman has decreed: the princess will indeed prick her
hand with a spindle. But instead of dying she shall merely fall into
a profound slumber that will last a hundred years. At the end of that
time a king's son shall come to awaken her.'
[Illustration: '_The king ... at once published an edict_']
The king, in an attempt to avert the unhappy doom pronounced by the old
fairy, at once published an edict forbidding all persons, under pain of
death, to use a spinning-wheel or keep a spindle in the house.
At the end of fifteen or sixteen years the king and queen happened one
day to be away, on pleasure bent. The princess was running about the
castle, and going upstairs from room to room she came at length to a
garret at the top of a tower, where an old serving-woman sat alone with
her distaff, spinning. This good woman had never heard speak of the
king's proclamation forbidding the use of spinning-wheels.
'What are you doing, my good woman?' asked the princess.
'I am spinning, my pretty child,' replied the dame, not knowing who she
was.
'Oh, what fun!' rejoined the princess; 'how do you do it? Let me try and
see if I can do it equally well.'
Partly because she was too hasty, partly because she was a little
heedless, but also because the fairy decree had ordained it, no sooner
had she seized the spindle than she pricked her hand and fell down in a
swoon.
In great alarm the good dame cried out for help. People came running
from every quarter to the princess. They threw water on her face, chafed
her with their hands, and rubbed her temples with the royal essence of
Hungary. But nothing would restore her.
Then the king, who had been brought upstairs by the commotion,
remembered the fairy prophecy. Feeling certain that what had happened
was inevitable, since the fairies had decreed it, he gave orders that
the princess should be placed in the finest apartment in the palace,
upon a bed embroidered in gold and silver.
You would have thought her an angel, so fair was she to behold. The
trance had not taken away the lovely colour of her complexion. Her
cheeks were delicately flushed, her lips like coral. Her eyes, indeed,
were closed, but her gentle breathing could be heard, and it was
therefore plain that she was not dead. The king commanded that she
should be left to sleep in peace until the hour of her awakening should
come.
When the accident happened to the princess, the good fairy who had saved
her life by condemning her to sleep a hundred years was in the kingdom
of Mataquin, twelve thousand leagues away. She was instantly warned of
it, however, by a little dwarf who had a pair of seven-league boots,
which are boots that enable one to cover seven leagues at a single step.
The fairy set off at once, and within an hour her chariot of fire, drawn
by dragons, was seen approaching.
The king handed her down from her chariot, and she approved of all that
he had done. But being gifted with great powers of foresight, she
bethought herself that when the princess came to be awakened, she would
be much distressed to find herself all alone in the old castle. And this
is what she did.
[Illustration: '_A little dwarf who had a pair of seven-league boots_']
She touched with her wand everybody (except the king and queen) who was
in the castle--governesses, maids of honour, ladies-in-waiting,
gentlemen, officers, stewards, cooks, scullions, errand boys, guards,
porters, pages, footmen. She touched likewise all the horses in the
stables, with their grooms, the big mastiffs in the courtyard, and
little Puff, the pet dog of the princess, who was lying on the bed
beside his mistress. The moment she had touched them they all fell
asleep, to awaken only at the same moment as their mistress. Thus they
would always be ready with their service whenever she should require it.
The very spits before the fire, loaded with partridges and pheasants,
subsided into slumber, and the fire as well. All was done in a moment,
for the fairies do not take long over their work.
Then the king and queen kissed their dear child, without waking her, and
left the castle. Proclamations were issued, forbidding any approach to
it, but these warnings were not needed, for within a quarter of an hour
there grew up all round the park so vast a quantity of trees big and
small, with interlacing brambles and thorns, that neither man nor beast
could penetrate them. The tops alone of the castle towers could be seen,
and these only from a distance. Thus did the fairy's magic contrive that
the princess, during all the time of her slumber, should have nought
whatever to fear from prying eyes.
At the end of a hundred years the throne had passed to another family
from that of the sleeping princess. One day the king's son chanced to go
a-hunting that way, and seeing in the distance some towers in the midst
of a large and dense forest, he asked what they were. His attendants
told him in reply the various stories which they had heard. Some said
there was an old castle haunted by ghosts, others that all the witches
of the neighbourhood held their revels there. The favourite tale was
that in the castle lived an ogre, who carried thither all the children
whom he could catch. There he devoured them at his leisure, and since he
was the only person who could force a passage through the wood nobody
had been able to pursue him.
[Illustration: '_The king's son chanced to go a-hunting_']
While the prince was wondering what to believe, an old peasant took up
the tale.
'Your Highness,' said he, 'more than fifty years ago I heard my father
say that in this castle lies a princess, the most beautiful that has
ever been seen. It is her doom to sleep there for a hundred years, and
then to be awakened by a king's son, for whose coming she waits.'
This story fired the young prince. He jumped immediately to the
conclusion that it was for him to see so gay an adventure through, and
impelled alike by the wish for love and glory, he resolved to set about
it on the spot.
Hardly had he taken a step towards the wood when the tall trees, the
brambles and the thorns, separated of themselves and made a path for
him. He turned in the direction of the castle, and espied it at the end
of a long avenue. This avenue he entered, and was surprised to notice
that the trees closed up again as soon as he had passed, so that none of
his retinue were able to follow him. A young and gallant prince is
always brave, however; so he continued on his way, and presently reached
a large fore-court.
The sight that now met his gaze was enough to fill him with an icy fear.
The silence of the place was dreadful, and death seemed all about him.
The recumbent figures of men and animals had all the appearance of being
lifeless, until he perceived by the pimply noses and ruddy faces of the
porters that they merely slept. It was plain, too, from their glasses,
in which were still some dregs of wine, that they had fallen asleep
while drinking.
The prince made his way into a great courtyard, paved with marble, and
mounting the staircase entered the guardroom. Here the guards were lined
up on either side in two ranks, their muskets on their shoulders,
snoring their hardest. Through several apartments crowded with ladies
and gentlemen in waiting, some seated, some standing, but all asleep, he
pushed on, and so came at last to a chamber which was decked all over
with gold. There he encountered the most beautiful sight he had ever
seen. Reclining upon a bed, the curtains of which on every side were
drawn back, was a princess of seemingly some fifteen or sixteen summers,
whose radiant beauty had an almost unearthly lustre.
[Illustration: '_All asleep_']
Trembling in his admiration he drew near and went on his knees beside
her. At the same moment, the hour of disenchantment having come, the
princess awoke, and bestowed upon him a look more tender than a first
glance might seem to warrant.
'Is it you, dear prince?' she said; 'you have been long in coming!'
Charmed by these words, and especially by the manner in which they were
said, the prince scarcely knew how to express his delight and
gratification. He declared that he loved her better than he loved
himself. His words were faltering, but they pleased the more for that.
The less there is of eloquence, the more there is of love.
Her embarrassment was less than his, and that is not to be wondered at,
since she had had time to think of what she would say to him. It seems
(although the story says nothing about it) that the good fairy had
beguiled her long slumber with pleasant dreams. To be brief, after four
hours of talking they had not succeeded in uttering one half of the
things they had to say to each other.
[Illustration: '_They all fell asleep_']
Now the whole palace had awakened with the princess. Every one went
about his business, and since they were not all in love they presently
began to feel mortally hungry. The lady-in-waiting, who was suffering
like the rest, at length lost patience, and in a loud voice called out
to the princess that supper was served.
The princess was already fully dressed, and in most magnificent style.
As he helped her to rise, the prince refrained from telling her that her
clothes, with the straight collar which she wore, were like those to
which his grandmother had been accustomed. And in truth, they in no way
detracted from her beauty.
They passed into an apartment hung with mirrors, and were there served
with supper by the stewards of the household, while the fiddles and
oboes played some old music--and played it remarkably well, considering
they had not played at all for just upon a hundred years. A little
later, when supper was over, the chaplain married them in the castle
chapel, and in due course, attended by the courtiers in waiting, they
retired to rest.
They slept but little, however. The princess, indeed, had not much need
of sleep, and as soon as morning came the prince took his leave of her.
He returned to the city, and told his father, who was awaiting him with
some anxiety, that he had lost himself while hunting in the forest, but
had obtained some black bread and cheese from a charcoal-burner, in
whose hovel he had passed the night. His royal father, being of an
easy-going nature, believed the tale, but his mother was not so easily
hoodwinked. She noticed that he now went hunting every day, and that he
always had an excuse handy when he had slept two or three nights from
home. She felt certain, therefore, that he had some love affair.
Two whole years passed since the marriage of the prince and princess,
and during that time they had two children. The first, a daughter, was
called 'Dawn,' while the second, a boy, was named 'Day,' because he
seemed even more beautiful than his sister.
Many a time the queen told her son that he ought to settle down in life.
She tried in this way to make him confide in her, but he did not dare to
trust her with his secret. Despite the affection which he bore her, he
was afraid of his mother, for she came of a race of ogres, and the king
had only married her for her wealth.
It was whispered at the Court that she had ogrish instincts, and that
when little children were near her she had the greatest difficulty in
the world to keep herself from pouncing on them.
No wonder the prince was reluctant to say a word.
But at the end of two years the king died, and the prince found himself
on the throne. He then made public announcement of his marriage, and
went in state to fetch his royal consort from her castle. With her two
children beside her she made a triumphal entry into the capital of her
husband's realm.
Some time afterwards the king declared war on his neighbour, the Emperor
Cantalabutte. He appointed the queen-mother as regent in his absence,
and entrusted his wife and children to her care.
[Illustration: "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT HE HAD EVER SEEN."]
He expected to be away at the war for the whole of the summer, and as
soon as he was gone the queen-mother sent her daughter-in-law and the
two children to a country mansion in the forest. This she did that
she might be able the more easily to gratify her horrible longings. A
few days later she went there herself, and in the evening summoned the
chief steward.
'For my dinner to-morrow,' she told him, 'I will eat little Dawn.'
'Oh, Madam!' exclaimed the steward.
'That is my will,' said the queen; and she spoke in the tones of an ogre
who longs for raw meat.
'You will serve her with piquant sauce,' she added.
The poor man, seeing plainly that it was useless to trifle with an
ogress, took his big knife and went up to little Dawn's chamber. She was
at that time four years old, and when she came running with a smile to
greet him, flinging her arms round his neck and coaxing him to give her
some sweets, he burst into tears, and let the knife fall from his hand.
Presently he went down to the yard behind the house, and slaughtered a
young lamb. For this he made so delicious a sauce that his mistress
declared she had never eaten anything so good.
At the same time the steward carried little Dawn to his wife, and bade
the latter hide her in the quarters which they had below the yard.
Eight days later the wicked queen summoned her steward again.
'For my supper,' she announced, 'I will eat little Day.'
The steward made no answer, being determined to trick her as he had done
previously. He went in search of little Day, whom he found with a tiny
foil in his hand, making brave passes--though he was but three years
old--at a big monkey. He carried him off to his wife, who stowed him
away in hiding with little Dawn. To the ogress the steward served up, in
place of Day, a young kid so tender that she found it surpassingly
delicious.
So far, so good. But there came an evening when this evil queen again
addressed the steward.
'I have a mind,' she said, 'to eat the queen with the same sauce as you
served with her children.'
This time the poor steward despaired of being able to practise another
deception. The young queen was twenty years old, without counting the
hundred years she had been asleep. Her skin, though white and beautiful,
had become a little tough, and what animal could he possibly find that
would correspond to her? He made up his mind that if he would save his
own life he must kill the queen, and went upstairs to her apartment
determined to do the deed once and for all. Goading himself into a rage
he drew his knife and entered the young queen's chamber, but a
reluctance to give her no moment of grace made him repeat respectfully
the command which he had received from the queen-mother.
'Do it! do it!' she cried, baring her neck to him; 'carry out the order
you have been given! Then once more I shall see my children, my poor
children that I loved so much!'
Nothing had been said to her when the children were stolen away, and she
believed them to be dead.
The poor steward was overcome by compassion. 'No, no, Madam,' he
declared; 'you shall not die, but you shall certainly see your children
again. That will be in my quarters, where I have hidden them. I shall
make the queen eat a young hind in place of you, and thus trick her
once more.'
Without more ado he led her to his quarters, and leaving her there to
embrace and weep over her children, proceeded to cook a hind with such
art that the queen-mother ate it for her supper with as much appetite as
if it had indeed been the young queen.
The queen-mother felt well satisfied with her cruel deeds, and planned
to tell the king, on his return, that savage wolves had devoured his
consort and his children. It was her habit, however, to prowl often
about the courts and alleys of the mansion, in the hope of scenting raw
meat, and one evening she heard the little boy Day crying in a basement
cellar. The child was weeping because his mother had threatened to whip
him for some naughtiness, and she heard at the same time the voice of
Dawn begging forgiveness for her brother.
The ogress recognised the voices of the queen and her children, and was
enraged to find she had been tricked. The next morning, in tones so
affrighting that all trembled, she ordered a huge vat to be brought into
the middle of the courtyard. This she filled with vipers and toads, with
snakes and serpents of every kind, intending to cast into it the queen
and her children, and the steward with his wife and serving-girl. By her
command these were brought forward, with their hands tied behind their
backs.
There they were, and her minions were making ready to cast them into the
vat, when into the courtyard rode the king! Nobody had expected him so
soon, but he had travelled post-haste. Filled with amazement, he
demanded to know what this horrible spectacle meant. None dared tell
him, and at that moment the ogress, enraged at what confronted her,
threw herself head foremost into the vat, and was devoured on the
instant by the hideous creatures she had placed in it.
The king could not but be sorry, for after all she was his mother; but
it was not long before he found ample consolation in his beautiful wife
and children.
[Illustration: "ALL THAT REMAINED FOR THE YOUNGEST WAS THE CAT."]
PUSS IN BOOTS
A certain miller had three sons, and when he died the sole worldly goods
which he bequeathed to them were his mill, his ass, and his cat. This
little legacy was very quickly divided up, and you may be quite sure
that neither notary nor attorney were called in to help, for they would
speedily have grabbed it all for themselves.
The eldest son took the mill, and the second son took the ass.
Consequently all that remained for the youngest son was the cat, and he
was not a little disappointed at receiving such a miserable portion.
'My brothers,' said he, 'will be able to get a decent living by joining
forces, but for my part, as soon as I have eaten my cat and made a muff
out of his skin, I am bound to die of hunger.'
These remarks were overheard by Puss, who pretended not to have been
listening, and said very soberly and seriously:
'There is not the least need for you to worry, Master. All you have to
do is to give me a pouch, and get a pair of boots made for me so that I
can walk in the woods. You will find then that your share is not so bad
after all.'
Now this cat had often shown himself capable of performing cunning
tricks. When catching rats and mice, for example, he would hide himself
amongst the meal and hang downwards by the feet as though he were dead.
His master, therefore, though he did not build too much on what the cat
had said, felt some hope of being assisted in his miserable plight.
On receiving the boots which he had asked for, Puss gaily pulled them
on. Then he hung the pouch round his neck, and holding the cords which
tied it in front of him with his paws, he sallied forth to a warren
where rabbits abounded. Placing some bran and lettuce in the pouch, he
stretched himself out and lay as if dead. His plan was to wait until
some young rabbit, unlearned in worldly wisdom, should come and rummage
in the pouch for the eatables which he had placed there.
Hardly had he laid himself down when things fell out as he wished. A
stupid young rabbit went into the pouch, and Master Puss, pulling the
cords tight, killed him on the instant.
Well satisfied with his capture, Puss departed to the king's palace.
There he demanded an audience, and was ushered upstairs. He entered the
royal apartment, and bowed profoundly to the king.
'I bring you, Sire,' said he, 'a rabbit from the warren of the marquis
of Carabas (such was the title he invented for his master), which I am
bidden to present to you on his behalf.'
'Tell your master,' replied the king, 'that I thank him, and am pleased
by his attention.'
[Illustration: '_As though he were dead_']
Another time the cat hid himself in a wheatfield, keeping the mouth of
his bag wide open. Two partridges ventured in, and by pulling the cords
tight he captured both of them. Off he went and presented them to the
king, just as he had done with the rabbit from the warren. His
Majesty was not less gratified by the brace of partridges, and handed
the cat a present for himself.
For two or three months Puss went on in this way, every now and again
taking to the king, as a present from his master, some game which he had
caught. There came a day when he learned that the king intended to take
his daughter, who was the most beautiful princess in the world, for an
excursion along the river bank.
'If you will do as I tell you,' said Puss to his master, 'your fortune
is made. You have only to go and bathe in the river at the spot which I
shall point out to you. Leave the rest to me.'
The marquis of Carabas had no idea what plan was afoot, but did as the
cat had directed.
While he was bathing the king drew near, and Puss at once began to cry
out at the top of his voice:
'Help! help! the marquis of Carabas is drowning!'
At these shouts the king put his head out of the carriage window. He
recognised the cat who had so often brought him game, and bade his
escort go speedily to the help of the marquis of Carabas.
While they were pulling the poor marquis out of the river, Puss
approached the carriage and explained to the king that while his master
was bathing robbers had come and taken away his clothes, though he had
cried 'Stop, thief!' at the top of his voice. As a matter of fact, the
rascal had hidden them under a big stone. The king at once commanded the
keepers of his wardrobe to go and select a suit of his finest clothes
for the marquis of Carabas.
The king received the marquis with many compliments, and as the fine
clothes which the latter had just put on set off his good looks (for he
was handsome and comely in appearance), the king's daughter found him
very much to her liking. Indeed, the marquis of Carabas had not bestowed
more than two or three respectful but sentimental glances upon her when
she fell madly in love with him. The king invited him to enter the coach
and join the party.
[Illustration: '_The cat went on ahead_']
Delighted to see his plan so successfully launched, the cat went on
ahead, and presently came upon some peasants who were mowing a field.
'Listen, my good fellows,' said he; 'if you do not tell the king that
the field which you are mowing belongs to the marquis of Carabas, you
will all be chopped up into little pieces like mince-meat.'
[Illustration: _Puss in Boots_]
In due course the king asked the mowers to whom the field on which they
were at work belonged.
'It is the property of the marquis of Carabas,' they all cried with one
voice, for the threat from Puss had frightened them.
'You have inherited a fine estate,' the king remarked to Carabas.
'As you see for yourself, Sire,' replied the marquis; 'this is a meadow
which never fails to yield an abundant crop each year.'
Still travelling ahead, the cat came upon some harvesters.
'Listen, my good fellows,' said he; 'if you do not declare that every
one of these fields belongs to the marquis of Carabas, you will all be
chopped up into little bits like mince-meat.'
The king came by a moment later, and wished to know who was the owner of
the fields in sight.
'It is the marquis of Carabas,' cried the harvesters.
At this the king was more pleased than ever with the marquis.
Preceding the coach on its journey, the cat made the same threat to all
whom he met, and the king grew astonished at the great wealth of the
marquis of Carabas.
Finally Master Puss reached a splendid castle, which belonged to an
ogre. He was the richest ogre that had ever been known, for all the
lands through which the king had passed were part of the castle domain.
The cat had taken care to find out who this ogre was, and what powers he
possessed. He now asked for an interview, declaring that he was
unwilling to pass so close to the castle without having the honour of
paying his respects to the owner.
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre can, and bade him sit down.
'I have been told,' said Puss, 'that you have the power to change
yourself into any kind of animal--for example, that you can transform
yourself into a lion or an elephant.'
'That is perfectly true,' said the ogre, curtly; 'and just to prove it
you shall see me turn into a lion.'
Puss was so frightened on seeing a lion before him that he sprang on to
the roof--not without difficulty and danger, for his boots were not
meant for walking on the tiles.
Perceiving presently that the ogre had abandoned his transformation,
Puss descended, and owned to having been thoroughly frightened.
'I have also been told,' he added, 'but I can scarcely believe it, that
you have the further power to take the shape of the smallest
animals--for example, that you can change yourself into a rat or a
mouse. I confess that to me it seems quite impossible.'
'Impossible?' cried the ogre; 'you shall see!' And in the same moment he
changed himself into a mouse, which began to run about the floor. No
sooner did Puss see it than he pounced on it and ate it.
Presently the king came along, and noticing the ogre's beautiful mansion
desired to visit it. The cat heard the rumble of the coach as it crossed
the castle drawbridge, and running out to the courtyard cried to the
king:
'Welcome, your Majesty, to the castle of the marquis of Carabas!'
[Illustration: '_Puss became a personage of great importance_']
'What's that?' cried the king. 'Is this castle also yours, marquis?
Nothing could be finer than this courtyard and the buildings which I see
all about. With your permission we will go inside and look round.'
The marquis gave his hand to the young princess, and followed the king
as he led the way up the staircase. Entering a great hall they found
there a magnificent collation. This had been prepared by the ogre for
some friends who were to pay him a visit that very day. The latter had
not dared to enter when they learned that the king was there.
The king was now quite as charmed with the excellent qualities of the
marquis of Carabas as his daughter. The latter was completely captivated
by him. Noting the great wealth of which the marquis was evidently
possessed, and having quaffed several cups of wine, he turned to his
host, saying:
'It rests with you, marquis, whether you will be my son-in-law.'
The marquis, bowing very low, accepted the honour which the king
bestowed upon him. The very same day he married the princess.
Puss became a personage of great importance, and gave up hunting mice,
except for amusement.
[Illustration: Decoration]
LITTLE TOM THUMB
Once upon a time there lived a wood-cutter and his wife, who had seven
children, all boys. The eldest was only ten years old, and the youngest
was seven. People were astonished that the wood-cutter had had so many
children in so short a time, but the reason was that his wife delighted
in children, and never had less than two at a time.
They were very poor, and their seven children were a great tax on them,
for none of them was yet able to earn his own living. And they were
troubled also because the youngest was very delicate and could not speak
a word. They mistook for stupidity what was in reality a mark of good
sense.
This youngest boy was very little. At his birth he was scarcely bigger
than a man's thumb, and he was called in consequence 'Little Tom Thumb.'
The poor child was the scapegoat of the family, and got the blame for
everything. All the same, he was the sharpest and shrewdest of the
brothers, and if he spoke but little he listened much.
There came a very bad year, when the famine was so great that these poor
people resolved to get rid of their family. One evening, after the
children had gone to bed, the wood-cutter was sitting in the
chimney-corner with his wife. His heart was heavy with sorrow as he said
to her:
'It must be plain enough to you that we can no longer feed our
children. I cannot see them die of hunger before my eyes, and I have
made up my mind to take them to-morrow to the forest and lose them
there. It will be easy enough to manage, for while they are amusing
themselves by collecting faggots we have only to disappear without their
seeing us.'
'Ah!' cried the wood-cutter's wife, 'do you mean to say you are capable
of letting your own children be lost?'
In vain did her husband remind her of their terrible poverty; she could
not agree. She was poor, but she was their mother. In the end, however,
reflecting what a grief it would be to see them die of hunger, she
consented to the plan, and went weeping to bed.
Little Tom Thumb had heard all that was said. Having discovered, when in
bed, that serious talk was going on, he had got up softly, and had
slipped under his father's stool in order to listen without being seen.
He went back to bed, but did not sleep a wink for the rest of the night,
thinking over what he had better do. In the morning he rose very early
and went to the edge of a brook. There he filled his pockets with little
white pebbles and came quickly home again.
They all set out, and little Tom Thumb said not a word to his brothers
of what he knew.
They went into a forest which was so dense that when only ten paces
apart they could not see each other. The wood-cutter set about his work,
and the children began to collect twigs to make faggots. Presently the
father and mother, seeing them busy at their task, edged gradually away,
and then hurried off in haste along a little narrow footpath.
When the children found they were alone they began to cry and call out
with all their might. Little Tom Thumb let them cry, being confident
that they would get back home again. For on the way he had dropped the
little white stones which he carried in his pocket all along the path.
'Don't be afraid, brothers,' he said presently; 'our parents have left
us here, but I will take you home again. Just follow me.'
They fell in behind him, and he led them straight to their house by the
same path which they had taken to the forest. At first they dared not go
in, but placed themselves against the door, where they could hear
everything their father and mother were saying.
Now the wood-cutter and his wife had no sooner reached home than the
lord of the manor sent them a sum of ten crowns which had been owing
from him for a long time, and of which they had given up hope. This put
new life into them, for the poor creatures were dying of hunger.
The wood-cutter sent his wife off to the butcher at once, and as it was
such a long time since they had had anything to eat, she bought three
times as much meat as a supper for two required.
When they found themselves once more at table, the wood-cutter's wife
began to lament.
'Alas! where are our poor children now?' she said; 'they could make a
good meal off what we have over. Mind you, William, it was you who
wished to lose them: I declared over and over again that we should
repent it. What are they doing now in that forest? Merciful heavens,
perhaps the wolves have already eaten them! A monster you must be to
lose your children in this way!'
[Illustration: '_A good dame opened the door_']
At last the wood-cutter lost patience, for she repeated more than twenty
times that he would repent it, and that she had told him so. He
threatened to beat her if she did not hold her tongue.
It was not that the wood-cutter was less grieved than his wife, but she
browbeat him, and he was of the same opinion as many other people, who
like a woman to have the knack of saying the right thing, but not the
trick of being always in the right.
'Alas!' cried the wood-cutter's wife, bursting into tears, 'where are
now my children, my poor children?'
She said it once so loud that the children at the door heard it plainly.
Together they all called out:
'Here we are! Here we are!'
She rushed to open the door for them, and exclaimed, as she embraced
them:
'How glad I am to see you again, dear children! You must be very tired
and very hungry. And you, Peterkin, how muddy you are--come and let me
wash you!'
This Peterkin was her eldest son. She loved him more than all the others
because he was inclined to be red-headed, and she herself was rather
red.
They sat down at the table and ate with an appetite which it did their
parents good to see. They all talked at once, as they recounted the
fears they had felt in the forest.
The good souls were delighted to have their children with them again,
and the pleasure continued as long as the ten crowns lasted. But when
the money was all spent they relapsed into their former sadness. They
again resolved to lose the children, and to lead them much further away
than they had done the first time, so as to do the job thoroughly. But
though they were careful not to speak openly about it, their
conversation did not escape little Tom Thumb, who made up his mind to
get out of the situation as he had done on the former occasion.
But though he got up early to go and collect his little stones, he found
the door of the house doubly locked, and he could not carry out his
plan.
He could not think what to do until the wood-cutter's wife gave them
each a piece of bread for breakfast. Then it occurred to him to use the
bread in place of the stones, by throwing crumbs along the path which
they took, and he tucked it tight in his pocket.
Their parents led them into the thickest and darkest part of the forest,
and as soon as they were there slipped away by a side-path and left
them. This did not much trouble little Tom Thumb, for he believed he
could easily find the way back by means of the bread which he had
scattered wherever he walked. But to his dismay he could not discover a
single crumb. The birds had come along and eaten it all.
They were in sore trouble now, for with every step they strayed further,
and became more and more entangled in the forest. Night came on and a
terrific wind arose, which filled them with dreadful alarm. On every
side they seemed to hear nothing but the howling of wolves which were
coming to eat them up. They dared not speak or move.
In addition it began to rain so heavily that they were soaked to the
skin. At every step they tripped and fell on the wet ground, getting up
again covered with mud, not knowing what to do with their hands.
Little Tom Thumb climbed to the top of a tree, in an endeavour to see
something. Looking all about him he espied, far away on the other side
of the forest, a little light like that of a candle. He got down from
the tree, and was terribly disappointed to find that when he was on the
ground he could see nothing at all.
After they had walked some distance in the direction of the light,
however, he caught a glimpse of it again as they were nearing the edge
of the forest. At last they reached the house where the light was
burning, but not without much anxiety, for every time they had to go
down into a hollow they lost sight of it.
They knocked at the door, and a good dame opened to them. She asked them
what they wanted.
Little Tom Thumb explained that they were poor children who had lost
their way in the forest, and begged her, for pity's sake, to give them a
night's lodging.
Noticing what bonny children they all were, the woman began to cry.
'Alas, my poor little dears!' she said; 'you do not know the place you
have come to! Have you not heard that this is the house of an ogre who
eats little children?'
'Alas, madam!' answered little Tom Thumb, trembling like all the rest of
his brothers, 'what shall we do? One thing is very certain: if you do
not take us in, the wolves of the forest will devour us this very night,
and that being so we should prefer to be eaten by your husband. Perhaps
he may take pity on us, if you will plead for us.'
The ogre's wife, thinking she might be able to hide them from her
husband till the next morning, allowed them to come in, and put them to
warm near a huge fire, where a whole sheep was cooking on the spit for
the ogre's supper.
Just as they were beginning to get warm they heard two or three great
bangs at the door. The ogre had returned. His wife hid them quickly
under the bed and ran to open the door.
The first thing the ogre did was to ask whether supper was ready and the
wine opened. Then without ado he sat down to table. Blood was still
dripping from the sheep, but it seemed all the better to him for that.
He sniffed to right and left, declaring that he could smell fresh flesh.
'Indeed!' said his wife. 'It must be the calf which I have just dressed
that you smell.'
'_I smell fresh flesh_, I tell you,' shouted the ogre, eyeing his wife
askance; 'and there is something going on here which I do not
understand.'
With these words he got up from the table and went straight to the bed.
'Aha!' said he; 'so this is the way you deceive me, wicked woman that
you are! I have a very great mind to eat you too! It's lucky for you
that you are old and tough! I am expecting three ogre friends of mine to
pay me a visit in the next few days, and here is a tasty dish which will
just come in nicely for them!'
One after another he dragged the children out from under the bed.
[Illustration: '_He could smell fresh flesh_']
The poor things threw themselves on their knees, imploring mercy; but
they had to deal with the most cruel of all ogres. Far from pitying
them, he was already devouring them with his eyes, and repeating to
his wife that when cooked with a good sauce they would make most dainty
morsels.
Off he went to get a large knife, which he sharpened, as he drew near
the poor children, on a long stone in his left hand.
He had already seized one of them when his wife called out to him. 'What
do you want to do it now for?' she said; 'will it not be time enough
to-morrow?'
'Hold your tongue,' replied the ogre; 'they will be all the more
tender.'
'But you have such a lot of meat,' rejoined his wife; 'look, there are a
calf, two sheep, and half a pig.'
'You are right,' said the ogre; 'give them a good supper to fatten them
up, and take them to bed.'
The good woman was overjoyed and brought them a splendid supper; but the
poor little wretches were so cowed with fright that they could not eat.
As for the ogre, he went back to his drinking, very pleased to have such
good entertainment for his friends. He drank a dozen cups more than
usual, and was obliged to go off to bed early, for the wine had gone
somewhat to his head.
Now the ogre had seven daughters who as yet were only children. These
little ogresses all had the most lovely complexions, for, like their
father, they ate fresh meat. But they had little round grey eyes,
crooked noses, and very large mouths, with long and exceedingly sharp
teeth, set far apart. They were not so very wicked at present, but they
showed great promise, for already they were in the habit of killing
little children to suck their blood.
They had gone to bed early, and were all seven in a great bed, each with
a crown of gold upon her head.
In the same room there was another bed, equally large. Into this the
ogre's wife put the seven little boys, and then went to sleep herself
beside her husband.
Little Tom Thumb was fearful lest the ogre should suddenly regret that
he had not cut the throats of himself and his brothers the evening
before. Having noticed that the ogre's daughters all had golden crowns
upon their heads, he got up in the middle of the night and softly placed
his own cap and those of his brothers on their heads. Before doing so,
he carefully removed the crowns of gold, putting them on his own and his
brothers' heads. In this way, if the ogre were to feel like slaughtering
them that night he would mistake the girls for the boys, and _vice
versa_.
Things fell out just as he had anticipated. The ogre, waking up at
midnight, regretted that he had postponed till the morrow what he could
have done overnight. Jumping briskly out of bed, he seized his knife,
crying: 'Now then, let's see how the little rascals are; we won't make
the same mistake twice!'
He groped his way up to his daughters' room, and approached the bed in
which were the seven little boys. All were sleeping, with the exception
of little Tom Thumb, who was numb with fear when he felt the ogre's
hand, as it touched the head of each brother in turn, reach his own.
'Upon my word,' said the ogre, as he felt the golden crowns; 'a nice job
I was going to make of it! It is very evident that I drank a little too
much last night!'
Forthwith he went to the bed where his daughters were, and here he felt
the little boys' caps.
'Aha, here are the little scamps!' he cried; 'now for a smart bit of
work!'
[Illustration: '_He set off over the countryside_']
With these words, and without a moment's hesitation, he cut the throats
of his seven daughters, and well satisfied with his work went back to
bed beside his wife.
No sooner did little Tom Thumb hear him snoring than he woke up his
brothers, bidding them dress quickly and follow him. They crept quietly
down to the garden, and jumped from the wall. All through the night they
ran in haste and terror, without the least idea of where they were
going.
When the ogre woke up he said to his wife:
'Go upstairs and dress those little rascals who were here last night.'
The ogre's wife was astonished at her husband's kindness, never doubting
that he meant her to go and put on their clothes. She went upstairs, and
was horrified to discover her seven daughters bathed in blood, with
their throats cut.
She fell at once into a swoon, which is the way of most women in similar
circumstances.
The ogre, thinking his wife was very long in carrying out his orders,
went up to help her, and was no less astounded than his wife at the
terrible spectacle which confronted him.
'What's this I have done?' he exclaimed. 'I will be revenged on the
wretches, and quickly, too!'
He threw a jugful of water over his wife's face, and having brought her
round ordered her to fetch his seven-league boots, so that he might
overtake the children.
He set off over the countryside, and strode far and wide until he came
to the road along which the poor children were travelling. They were not
more than a few yards from their home when they saw the ogre striding
from hill-top to hill-top, and stepping over rivers as though they were
merely tiny streams.