 Story 19. The Little Good Mouse Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who loved each other so much that they were never happy unless it was together. Day after day they went out hunting or fishing. Night after night they went to balls or to the opera. They sang and danced and ate sugar-plums and were the gaze of the gay, and all their subjects followed their example so that the kingdom was called the joyous land. Now in the next kingdom everything was as different as it could possibly be. The king was sulky and savage and never enjoyed himself at all. He looked so ugly and cross that all his subjects feared him, and he hated the very side of a cheerful face. So if he ever caught any one smiling he had his head cut off that very minute. This kingdom was very appropriately called the land of tears. Now when this wicked king heard of the happiness of the jolly king he was so jealous that he collected a great army and set out to fight him, and the news of his approach was soon brought to the king and queen. The queen, when she heard of it, was frightened out of her wits and began to cry bitterly. Sire, she said, let us collect all our ridges and run away as far as ever we can to the other side of the world. But the king answered, Fie, madam, I am far too brave of that. It is better to die than to be coward. Then he assembled all his armed men, and after bidding the queen a tender farewell he mounted his splendid horse and rode away. When he was lost to his side the queen could do nothing but weep and wring her hands in cry. And thus what will become of me and of my little daughter? And she was so sorrowful that she could neither eat nor sleep. The king sent her a letter every day, but at last one morning as she looked out of the palace window she saw a messenger approaching in hot haste. What news, Corée? What news? cried the queen, and he answered. The battle is lost and the king is dead, and in another moment the enemy will be here. The poor queen felt back insensible, and all her ladies carried her to her bed and stood round her weeping and wailing. Then began a tremendous noise and confusion, and they knew that the enemy had arrived, and very soon they heard the king himself stamping about the place, seeking the queen. Then her ladies put the little printers into her arms, and covered her up, head and all in the bed-clothes, and ran for their lives. And the poor queen lay there shaking and hoping she would not be found. But very soon the wicked king clattered into the room, and in a fury, because the queen would not answer when he called to her, he tore back her silken coverings, and tweaked off a lace cap, and when all her lovely hair came tumbling down over her shoulders, he wound it three times round his hand, and threw her over his shoulder, where he carried her like a sack of flour. The poor queen held her little daughter safe into her arms, and shrieked for mercy, but the wicked king only mocked her, and begged her to go on shrieking, as it amused him, and so mounted his great black horse, and rode back to his own country. When he got there, he declared that he would have the queen and the little princess hanged on the nearest tree, but his courteous said that seemed to pity, for when the baby grew up she would be a very nice wife for the king's only son. The king was rather pleased with this idea, and shut the queen up in the highest room of tall tower, which was very tiny, and miserably furnished with a table and a very hard bed upon the floor. Then he sent for a fairy who lived near his kingdom, and after receiving her with more politeness, than he generally showed, and entertaining her at a sumptuous feast, he took her up to see the queen. The fairy was so touched by the sight of her misery, that when she kissed her hands, she whispered, Courage, madam, I think I see a way to help you. The queen, a little comforted by these words, received her graciously, and begged her to take pity upon the poor little princess, who had met with such a sudden reverse of fortune. But the king got very cross when he saw them whispering together, and cried harshly, making and that these fine speeches, madam, I brought you here to tell me if the child will grow up pretty unfortunate. Then the fairy answered that a princess would be as pretty, and clever, and well brought up as it was possible to be, and the old king growled to the queen, that it was lucky for her that it was so, as if they would certainly have been hanged if it were otherwise. Then he stamped off, taking the fairy with him, and leaving the poor queen and tears. How can I wish my little daughter to grow up pretty, if she is to be married to that horrid little dwarf, the king's son, she said to herself, and yet, if she is ugly, we shall both be killed. I could only hide her away somewhere, so that a cruel king could never find her. As the days went on, the queen and the little princess grew thinner and thinner, for their hard-hearted jailer gave them every day only three boiled peas, and a tiny morsel of black bread, so that they were always terribly hungry. At last one evening, as the queen said at a spinning wheel, for the king was so avaricious that she was made to work day and night, she saw a tiny pretty little mouse creep out of her home, and said to it, Alas, little creature, what are you coming to look for here? I only have three peas for my day's provision, so unless you wish to fast, you must go elsewhere. But the mouse ran ahead around Thiddo, and danced in capid so prettily, that at last the queen gave it her last pee, which was keeping for her supper, saying, here, little one, eat it up. I have nothing better to offer you, but I give this willingly in return for the amusement I have had from you. She had hardly spoken when she saw upon the table a delicious little roast-pardridge, and two dishes of preserved fruit. Truly, said she, a kind action never goes unrewarded. And she and the little princess ate their supper with great satisfaction, and then the queen gave what was left to the little mouse, who danced better than ever afterwards. The next morning came the jailer with the queen's allowance of three peas, which he brought in upon a large dish to make them look smaller. But as soon as he set it down, the little mouse came, and ate up all three, so that when the queen wanted a dinner, there was nothing left for her. Then she was quite provoked, and said, what a bad little beast that mouse must be. If it goes on like this, I shall be starved. But when she glance at the dish again, it was covered with all sorts of nice things to eat, and the queen made a very good dinner, and was gay of the usual over it. But afterwards, as she sat at her spinning-wheel, she began to consider what would happen if the little princess did not grow up pretty enough to please the king, and she said to herself, oh, if I could only think of some way of escaping. As she spoke, she saw the little mouse playing in a corner with some long straws. The queen took them and began to play them, saying, If only I had straws enough, I would make a basket with them, and let my baby down in it from the window to any kind passer-by who would take care of her. By the time the straws were all plated, the little mouse had dragged in more and more, until the queen had plenty to make her basket, and she worked at it day and night, while the little mouse danced for her amusement. And at dinner, at supper-time, the queen gave it the three peas and the bit of black bread, and always found something good in the dish in their place. She really could not imagine where all the nice things came from. At last one day, when the basket was finished, the queen was looking out of the window to see how long a court she must make to lower it to the bottom of the tower, when she noticed a little old woman who was leaning upon her stick and looking up at her. Presently she said, I know your trouble, madam. If you like, I will help you. I am my dear friend, said the queen. If you really wish to be of use to me, you will come at the time that I will appoint, and I will let down my poor little baby in a basket. If you will take her and bring her up for me, when I am rich I will reward you splendidly." I didn't care about the reward, said the old woman. There is one thing I should like. You must know that I am very particular about what I eat, and if there is one thing that I fancy above all others, it is a plump, tender little mouse. If there is such a thing in your garret, just throw it down to me, and a returner will promise that your little daughter shall be well taken care of. The queen, when she heard this, began to cry, but made no answer, and the old woman, after waiting a few minutes, asked her what was the matter. Why, said the queen, there is only one mouse in this garret, and there is such a dear pretty little thing that I cannot bear to think of it as being killed. What! cried the old woman in a rage, do you care more for a miserable mouse than for your own baby? Good-bye, madam. I leave you to enjoy its company, and for my own part I think my stars that I can get plenty of mice without troubling you to give them to me. And she hobbled off, grumbling and growling. As to the queen, she was so disappointed that, in spite of finding a better dinner than usual, and seeing the little mouse dancing in its merriest mood, she could do nothing but cry. That night, when her baby was fast asleep, she packed it into the basket, and wrote on a slip of paper, this unhappy little girl is called Delicia. Then she pinned to its robe, and then very sadly she was shutting the basket, when in sprang the little mouse and set on the baby's pillow. Ah, little one, said the queen, it cost me dear to save your life. How shall I know now whether my Delicia is being taken care of or not? Anyone else would have let a greedy old woman have you and eat you up, but I could not bear to do it. Rapunther mouse answered, Believe me, madam, you will never repent of your kindness. The queen was immensely astonished when the mouse began to speak, and still more so, when she saw its little sharp nose turned to a beautiful face, and its paws to hands and feet. Then it suddenly grew tall, and the queen recognized the fairy who had come with the wicked king to visit her. The fairy smiled at her astonished look, and said, I wanted to see if you were faithful and capable of feeling a real friendship for me, for you see we fairies are rich in everything but friends, and those are hard to find. It is not possible that you should want for friends you charming creature, said the queen kissing her. Indeed it is so, the fairy said, for those who are only friendly with me for their own advantage, I do not count at all. But when you cared for the poor little mouse, you could not have known there was anything to be gained by it, and to try you further I took the form of the old woman who you talked to from the window, and then I was convinced that you really loved me. Then turning to the little princess, she kissed her rosy lips three times, saying, Dear little one, I promise that you shall be richer than your father, and shall live a hundred years, always pretty and happy, without fear of old age and wrinkles. The queen, quite delighted, thanked the fairy gratefully, and begged her to take charge of the little delicia, and bring her up as her own daughter. This she agreed to do, and then they shut the basket and blow at it carefully, baby and all, to the ground at the foot of the tower. The fairy then changed herself back into the form of a mouse, and this delayed her a few seconds, after which she ran nimbly down the straw rope, but only to find when she got to the bottom, that the baby had disappeared. In the greatest terror she ran up again to the queen crying, All is lost! My enemy, Cansalyn, has stolen the princess away! You must know that she is a cruel fairy who hates me, and that she is older than I am, and has more power. I can do nothing against her. I know no way of rescuing delicia from her clutches. When the queen heard this terrible news, she was heartbroken, and begged the fairy to do all she could to get the poor little princess back again. At this moment in came the jailer, and when he missed the little princess, he had once told the king, who came in a great fury asking what a queen had done with her. She answered that a fairy, whose name she did not know, had come and carried her off by force. Upon this the king stamped upon the ground and cried in a terrible force, You shall be hung! I always told you, You shoot! And without another word, he dragged the unlucky queen out into the nearest wood, and climbed up into a tree to look for a branch to which he could hang her. But when he was quite high up, the fairy, who had made herself invisible, and followed them, gave him a sudden push, which made him lose his footing and fall to the ground with a crash, and break full of his teeth. And while he was trying to mend some, the fairy carried the queen off in a flying chariot to a beautiful castle, where she was so kind to her, that but for the loss of delicia the queen would have been perfectly happy. But though the good little mouse did her very utmost, they could not find out where Cankeline had hidden the little princess. As fifteen years went by, and the queen had somewhat recovered from her grief, and the news reached her that the son of the wicked king wished to marry the little maiden who kept the turkeys, and that she had refused him. The wedding-dressers had been made, nevertheless, and the festivities were to be splendid, that all the people for leagues round were flocking in to be present at them. The queen felt quite curious about a little turkey maiden who did not wish to be a queen, so the little mouse conveyed herself to the porter-yard to find out what she was like. She found the turkey maiden sitting upon a big stone, barefooted, and miserably dressed in an old, coarse line and gown and cap. The ground her to feed was all strewn with robes of gold and silver, ribbons and lasers, diamonds and pearls over which the turkeys were stalking to and through. Now the king's ugly, disagreeable son stood opposite her, declaring angrily that if she would not marry him she should be killed. The turkey maiden answered proudly, I never will marry you. You are too ugly and too much like your cruel father. Leave me in peace with my turkeys, which I like far better than all your fine gifts. The little mouse watched her with the greatest admiration, for she was as beautiful as the spring, and as soon as a wicked prince was gone she took the form of an old peasant woman and said to her, Good day, my pretty one, you have a fine flock of turkeys there. The young turkey maiden turned to gentle eyes upon the old woman and answered, yet they wished me to leave them to become a miserable queen. What is your advice upon the matter? My child, sapped the fairy, a crown is a very pretty thing, but you know neither the price nor the weight of it. I know so well that I have refused to wear one, such a little maiden, though I don't know who was my father or who was my mother, and I have not a friend in the world. You have goodness and beauty, which are of more value than ten kingdoms, but tell me, child, how came you here, and how is it you have neither father nor mother nor friend? A fairy called Cankeline is a cause of my being here, answered she. For while I lived with her I got nothing but blows and heart words, until at last I could bear it no longer, and ran away from her without knowing where I was going. And as I came through a wood the wicked prince met me and offered to give me charge of the poultry-yard. I accepted gladly, not knowing that I should have to see him day by day, and now he wants to marry me, but that I will never consent to. Upon hearing this, the fairy became convinced that a little turkey maiden was none other than the princess Delicia. What is your name, my little one? said she. I am called Delicia, if it please you, she answered. Then the fairy threw her arms round the princess's neck, and nearly smothered her with kisses, saying, Ah, Delicia, I am a very old friend of yours, and I am truly glad to find you at last, but you might look nicer than you do in that old gown, which is only fit for a kitchen-maid. Take this pretty dress, and let us see the difference it will make. So Delicia took off the ugly cap, and shook out all her fair shining hair, and bathed at her hands and phasing clear water, from the nearest ring till her cheeks were like roses. And when she was adorned with the diamonds, and the splendid robe the fairy had given her, she looked the most beautiful princess in the world, and the fairy with great delight cried, Now you look at your to look, Delicia, what do you think about it yourself? And Delicia answered, I feel as if I were the daughter of some great king. And would you be glad, if you were, asked the fairy, Indeed I should, answered she. Now well, said the fairy, to-morrow I may have some pleasant news for you. So she hurried back to her castle, while the queen sat busy with her embroidery, and cried, While, madam, were you wicked, your symbol and your golden needle, that I am bringing you the best news you could possibly hear? Alas! said the queen, since to death of the jolly king and the loss of my Delicia, all the news in the world is not worse a pin to me. There, there, don't be melancholy, said the fairy, I assure you the princess is quite well, and I have never seen her equal for beauty, she might be queen to-morrow, if she chose. And then she told all that had happened, and the queen first rejoiced over the sort of delicious beauty, and then weft at the idea of her being a turkey-maiden. I will not hear of her being made to marry the wicked king's son, she said, had to go at once and bring her here. In the meantime, the wicked prince, who was very angry with Delicia, had set himself down under a tree, and cried and howled with rage and spite, until the king heard him and cried out from the window, what is the matter with you, that you are making all this disturbance? The prince replied, It is all because our turkey-maiden will not love me. Won't love you? said the king, and will very soon see about that. So he called his guards, and told them to go and fetch Delicia. See if I don't make a change of mind pretty soon, said the wicked king with a chuckle. Then the guards began to search the pauldry-yard, and could find nobody there but Delicia, who, with a splendid dress and her crown of diamonds, looked such a lovely princess, that they hardly dared to speak to her, but she said to them very politely, Bray, tell me, what are you looking for here? Madam, they answered, we are sent for an insignificant little person called Delicia. Alas! said she, that is my name, what can you want with me? So the guards tied her hands and feet with sick robes, for fear she might run away, and brought her to the king who was waiting with his son. When he saw her, he was very much astonished at her beauty, which would have made any one less heart-hearted. Sorry for her! But the wicked king only laughed, and mocked at her, and cried, Well, little fright, little toad, why don't you love my son, who is far too handsome and too good for you? Make haste and begin to love him this instant, or he shall be tarred and feathered. And the poor little princess, shaking with terror, went down on her knees, crying, Oh, don't tar and feather me, please! It would be so uncomfortable, let me have two or three days to make up my mind, and then you shall do as you like with me. The wicked prince would have liked very much to see her tarred and feathered, but the king ordered that she should be shut up in a dark dungeon. It was just at this moment that a queen and the fairy arrived in the flying chariot, and the queen was dredgefully distressed at the turn affairs had taken, and said miserably that she was destined to be unfortunate all her days, but the fairy baited take courage. I'll pay them out yet," said she, nodding her head with an air of great determination. That fairy's same night, as soon as a wicked king had gone to bed, the fairy changed herself into his little mouse, and creeping up onto his pillow, nibbled his ear, so that he squealed out quite loudly, and turned over on his other side. That did no good, for the little mouse only set to work and gnawed away at the second ear until it heard more than the first one. Then the king cried, Murder, and Thieves, and all his guards then ran to see what was the matter, but they could find nothing and nobody, for the little mouse had run off to the prince's room, and were serving him in exactly the same way. All night long she ran from one to the other, until at last, driven quite frantic by terror and want to sleep, the king rushed out of the palace, crying, Help, help, I'm pursued by rats! The prince, when he heard this, got up also, and ran after the king, and they had not gone far, when they both fell into the river, and were never heard of again. Then the good fairy ran to tell the queen, and they went together to the black dungeon, where Delicia was imprisoned. The fairy touched each door with a wand, and it sprang open instantly, but they had to go through forty, before they came to the prince's, who was sitting on the floor, looking very dejected. But when the queen rushed in, and kissed her twenty times in a minute, and laughed, and cried, and told her all her history, the prince's was wild with delight. Then the fairy showed her all the wonderful dresses and jewels she had brought for her, and said, Don't let us waste time, we must go and harangue the people. So she walked first, looking very serious and dignified, and wearing a dress the drain of which was at least ten ls long. Behind her came the queen, wearing a blue velvet robe, and braided with gold, and a diamond crown, that was brighter than the sun itself. Last of all walked Delicia, who was so beautiful, that it was nothing short of marvellous. They proceeded through the streets, returning the salutations of all they met, great or small, and all the people turned and followed them, wondering who these noble ladies could be. When the audience hall was quite full, the fairy said to the subjects of the wicked king, that if they would accept Delicia, who was the daughter of the jolly king as their queen, she would undertake to find a suitable husband for her, and would promise that during their reign there should be nothing but rejoicing and marrymaking, and all dismal things should be entirely banished. Upon this the people cried with one accord, We will, we will, we have been gloomy and miserable too long already. And they all took hands, and danced round the queen and Delicia, and the good fairy singing, Yes, yes, we will, we will. Then there were feasts and fireworks in every street in the town, and early the next morning the fairy, who had been all over the world in the night, brought back with her in her flying chariot, the most handsome and good tempered prince she could find anywhere. He was so charming, that Delicia loved him from the moment their eyes met, and as for him, of course he could not help thinking himself the luckiest prince in the world. The queen felt that she had rarely come to the end of her misfortunes at last, and they all lived happily ever after. End of The Little Good Mouse. Story 20 of the Fairy Ring. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org, recording by MCY. The Fairy Ring, edited by Kate Douglas-Wiggin and Nora Archibald-Smith. Story 20. The Story of Blanche and Vermillion. There was once upon a time a widow, a very good kind of woman, who had daughters both very amiable. The elder was called Blanche, and the younger Vermillion. They had received these names, because one of them had the fairest complexion that was ever seen, and the other had cheeks and lips as red as coral. One day, as a good woman was seated near the door of a cottage, spinning, she perceived a poor old woman who could hardly hobble along with assistance of a stick. You appear to be very much tired, my good woman, said the widow. Sit down here and rest yourself awhile. And she then desired one of her daughters to fetch her a chair. Both of them immediately rose, but Vermillion outran his sister and brought the chair. Will you please to drink, said a good old dame, to the old woman? With all my heart, answered she, and I feel even as if I could eat a little, if you could give me a bit of something nice. You shall be welcome to anything that I have, said a good widow, but as I am poor, it will be nothing out of the common way. At the same time she desired her daughter to lay the table for the good old dame. We straight away seated herself at it. The widow then told the elder daughter to go and gather some plums from a tree that she had planted herself and was very fond of. Blanche, instead of obeying her mother willingly, murmured and said to herself, so it is for this old gomen dizer that I have been so very careful of my plum tree. She, however, did not refuse to fetch a few plums, but she gave them with much reluctance and very ungraciously. You Vermillion, said a good woman to her younger daughter, have no fruit to give to this good dame, for your grapes are not ripe. That's true, said Vermillion, but I hear my hand cackling, so she must have laid an egg, and if the gentle woman would like a new laid egg, she is very welcome to it. And without waiting for any answer from the old woman, she went off to seek her egg. The moment she presented it, however, the old woman disappeared and was replaced by a beautiful lady who said to the mother, I am about to recompense your two daughters according to their desserts. The elder shall become a great queen and the younger a farmer's wife. With these words she struck the house with her wand. It disappeared, and its place rose a nice, snug-looking farm. That is your portion, she said to Vermillion. I know that I have given each of you what you like best. Having thus said, the fairy departed, and the good woman had two daughters remained in great surprise. They went into the farmhouse and were charmed with the neatness and the furniture. The chairs were only of wood, but they were so bright that one might see one's face in them, as in the looking glass. The bedding was of Irish linen, as white as snow. In the pans were sheep, four oxen, and in the light number of cows were in the cowhouses. In the yard was well stocked with all sorts of domestic animals, as poultry, ducks, pigeons, et cetera. There was also a pretty garden, planted with different kinds of fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Blanche regarded without any feelings of jealousy the fairy's gift to her sister. Her only thoughts were concerning the pleasures she anticipated in being a queen. All at once she heard a huntsman's horn, and going to the door to see the party pass, she appeared so beautiful to the king that he resolved to marry her, and did so accordingly. Blanche, when she was become a queen, said to her sister Vermillion, I do not wish that you should marry a farmer. Come to court with me, sister. I will procure you a great lord for your husband. I am very obliged to you, sister, replied Vermillion, but I am accustomed to a country life, and I do not wish to change it. Queen Blanche then set out, and she was so gratified that she passed several nights without sleeping for joy. The first few months she was so taken up with fine clothes, balls, and plays that she thought of nothing else. But she soon grew used to these things, and nothing now amused her. On the contrary, she was very discontented. All the ladies of the court showed her great respect when they were in her presence, but she knew that they did not like her, and that they said to each other behind her back. See how this peasant girl plays the fine lady? The king must have had very poor taste to take such a personage for his consort. The king heard of these remarks, and they made him reflect on what he had done. He began to think that he had acted wrongly in marrying Blanche, and as his passion for her had curled, he soon neglected her. When the courtiers perceived that the king no longer loved his wife, they paid her little or no attention. She was very unfortunate, for she had not a single friend to whom she could impart her grief. She observed that it was the fashion accord to sacrifice one's friend to one's interests, to smile on one's bitterest enemy, and to tell lies continually. She was obliged to be serious, because she was told that a queen ought always to look grave and majestic. She had several children, and during all this time she was constantly attended by a physician who examined everything that she ate, and ordered everything that she liked to be removed from the table. She was allowed no salt in her soup. She was forbidden to quit the house when she felt inclined to take a walk. In a word, she was contradicted from morning until night. Governors were engaged for her children, who brought them up in direct opposition to her wishes. Yet she was not permitted to find fault. Poor queen Blanche was dying with sorrow, and she grew so thin that it was pitiable to see her. She had not seen her sister once during the three years that she had been a queen, because she thought it would be demeaning her high rank to pay a visit to a farmer's wife. But when she was quite oppressed with melancholy, she came to the resolution of spending a few days in the country to restore herself. Sharks leave her the king to go, who permitted her very willingly, for he thought that he should thus get rid of her for some time. She sat out, and arrived in the dusk of the evening at Vermillion's Farm. As she was drawing near, she observed about the door a company of shepherds and shepherdesses who were dancing and merry-making in high glee. Alas, said the queen's sighing, there was once a time when I could divert myself like these poor people, and no one found fault with me. Directly she came inside. As she surrender to embrace her, she looked so happy, she had grown so plump that the queen could not forbear crying when she looked at her. Vermillion had married a farmer's son, who had no fortune, but he never ceased to remember that his wife had brought him all that he possessed, and he strove by his obligeing disposition to show his gratitude. Vermillion had not many servants, but those that she had were as fond of her as if she had been their mother, because she treated them well. All her neighbors also liked her, and they were all zealous in showing their love. She had not much money, nor had she any occasion for much. For her farm ear did her corn wine and oil. Her herds furnished her with milk, with which she made butter and cheese. She spun the wool supplied by her sheep into the materials of clothes for herself, her husband, and her two children. They all enjoyed excellent health, and in the evening, when the period of work in her past, they diverted themselves with all sorts of pastimes. Alas! cried the queen, the fairy made me a very evil present when she gave me a crown. Contentment is not to be found in magnificent palaces, but only in the innocent employments of a country life. These words had hardly passed her lips when the fairy appeared. It was not my intention when I made the queen to reward, but to punish you, said a fairy to her, for giving me your plums with so much ill will. To be truly contented and happy, you must, like your sister, possess only what is necessary, and wish for nothing more. Ah, madam, thought at blanche, you are sufficiently revenged. I entreat you to put an end to my unhappiness. It is at an end, answered the fairy. The king, who no longer loves you, has just married another wife and his officers will arrive here tomorrow to desire you, in his name, never to return to his court. He came to pay as exactly as the fairy had foretold. Blanche passed the remainder of her days with her sister Vermillion, in all happiness and reasonable pleasure, and she never thought of the court again, except to thank the fairy for having brought her from it to her native village. End of the story of Blanche and Vermillion. Story twenty-one of the Fairy Ring. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Melissa Bassle, Whitchurch, Buckinshire, United Kingdom. The Fairy Ring, edited by Kate Douglas-Wigan and Nora Archibald-Smith. Story twenty-one, Prince Desire and Princess Minionetta. There was once upon a time a king who was passionately fond of a princess, but she could not be married because she was enchanted. He went to consult a fairy, to ascertain what he ought to do to make the princess love him. The fairy said to him, You know that the princess has a large cat, of which she is very fond. Well, she can marry that person only who can succeed in treading on her cat's tail. The king said to himself, That will not be very difficult to accomplish. And he quitted the fairy, determined rather to crush the cat's tail than to fail in treading on it. He hastened to his mistress's palace. Masterpus came to meet him, very consequentially, as was his want. The king lifted up his foot, but when he thought to have put it on the cat's tail, Pus turned round so quickly that he trod on nothing but the floor. He was a weak trying to tread on this fatal tail, which appeared to be full of quick silver, for it was continually moving. But at last the king had the good fortune to surprise Masterpus while he was asleep, and trod upon his tail with all his weight. Pus awakened, mewing horribly, and immediately took the shape of a tall man, who, looking at the king with eyes full of anger, said to him, You may now marry the princess, since you have dissolved the enchantment which prevented you. But I will be revenged. You shall have a son who will always be unfortunate until the time when he shall become aware that his nose is too long. And if you take any umbrage at what I threaten, you shall immediately be put to death. Although the king was frightened at the sight of this tall man, who was an enchanter, he could not help laughing at his threat. If my son's nose should be too long, said he to himself, unless he should be either blind or silly, he will certainly be able to see or feel it. When the enchanter had disappeared, the king went to find the princess, who consented to marry him. However, he did not live long with her, for he died eight months after the wedding. Shortly after his death, the queen gave birth to a young prince who was called Desire. He had the finest large blue eyes in the world, and a pretty little mouth. But his nose was so large that it covered half his face. The queen was inconsolable when she saw this large nose. But the ladies who were with her told her that the nose was not so large as it appeared to her to be, that it was a Roman nose, and that history avert that all heroes had large noses. The queen, who loved her son to excess, was charmed with this discourse. And by continually looking at Desire, his nose no longer appeared to be so very long. The prince was brought up very carefully, and, as soon as he could speak, all kinds of shocking stories were told to him of people who had short noses. No one was allowed to remain near him whose nose did not a little resemble his own, and the courtiers, to show the respect to the queen and her son, pulled their children's noses several times a day, with a view of lengthening them. They had, however, a difficult task, for their sons appeared to have hardly any nose at all compared with Prince Desire's. When he became old enough to understand it, he was instructed in history. And whenever any great prince or handsome princess was mentioned to him, he or she was always spoken of as having a long nose. The room was hung round with pictures in which all the figures had large noses, and Desire grew so accustomed to regard length of noses and ornament that he would not for an empire have parted with an atom of his. When he had reached the age of twenty, it was thought expedient for him to marry, and the portraits of various princesses were submitted to him. He was in raptures with that of Minioneta, the daughter of a great king, and heiress to several kingdoms. Of the kingdoms, however, Desire thought not at all. He was so much struck with her beauty. The Princess Minioneta, although he was thus charmed with her, had a little turned-up nose which harmonized admirably with her other features, but which very much perplexed the courtiers. Desire had acquired such a habit of ridiculing small noses that they sometimes could not forbear laughing at that of the princess. But Desire would not suffer a jest on this subject, and he banished two courtiers from his presence, who dared to make insinuations against Minioneta's nose. The others, warned by their fate, were more cautious, and there was one who said to the prince that, in truth, a man could not be amiable who had not a large nose, but that it was not the same in respect to woman. There a wise man, who spoke Greek, had informed him that he had read in an old manuscript that the fair Cleopatra had the end of her nose turned up. The prince made a magnificent present to the courtier who told him this good news, and dispatched ambassadors to demand Minioneta in marriage. His proposal was accepted, and he was so anxious to see her that he went more than nine miles on the road to meet her. But just as he was stepping forward to kiss her hand, the enchanter appeared and carried off the princess before his face, leaving him quite inconsolable. Desire resolved never to re-enter his kingdom until he had discovered Minioneta. He would not allow any of his courtiers to accompany him, and, mounting a good horse, he laid the bridle on his neck, allowed him to choose his own road. The horse presently came to a large plain, which he traversed the whole day without seeing a single house. Both horse and rider were ready to die with hunger. At last, as night was about to set in, they discovered a cave in which a light was burning. Desire entered, and saw a little old woman, who appeared to be more than a hundred years old. She put on her spectacles to look at the prince, but she was a long time adjusting them for her nose was too short. The prince and the fairy, for it was a fairy, burst out laughing as they looked at each other, exclaiming simultaneously, Oh! what a comical nose! Not so comical as yours, said Desire, but, madam, let us leave our noses as they are, and have the goodness to give me something to eat, for both I and my poor horse are dying with hunger. With all my heart, answered the fairy, although your nose is ridiculous, you are not the less the son of my best friend. I loved the king, your father, like my own brother, but he had a very handsome nose. And what is there wanting in mine, asked Desire? Oh! it wants nothing, answered the fairy. On the contrary, there is far too much of it, but no matter, a man may be very good, and yet have too large a nose. I was saying, then, that I was your father's friend, at that time he frequently came to see me, and you must know that in those days I was very pretty, your father told me so. I must repeat to you a conversation that we had together the last time he saw me. Very well, madam, said Desire, I will listen to you with a great deal of pleasure when I have had my supper. Consider, if you please, that I have eaten nothing to-day. The poor child is right, said the fairy. I did not think of that. I will prepare your supper, and, while you are eating, I will tell you my history in a few words, for I do not like long tails. A long tongue is still more insufferable than a large nose, and I remember, when I was young, that I was admired for not being a great talker. The queen, my mother, used frequently to have it mentioned to her, for such as you see me, I am a great king's daughter. My father—your father ate when he was hungry, said the prince, interrupting her. Yes, he did, doubtless, said the fairy, and you will also have your supper in a moment. I was merely going to tell you that my father, but I will not listen to a word until I have something to eat, said the prince, growing angry. He checked himself, however, for he wanted something of the fairy, and said, I know that the pleasure I should take in listening to you would make me forget my own hunger, but my horse, who will not understand you, is in need of some food. This compliment made the fairy blush prettily. You shall wait no longer, said she, to desire, calling her domestics. You are very polite, and, in spite of the size of your nose, you are very amiable. Plague, take the old woman with my nose, said the prince to himself. One would have sworn that my mother had stolen what is wanting in hers to make mine with. If I were not hungry, I would leave this prey to pace who fancies that she is a little talker. One must be very stupid not to perceive one's own defects. That comes of her being born a princess. Flatters have spoiled her, and persuaded her that she is a little talker. While that was passing in the prince's mind, the servants laid the table, and the prince wondered at the fairy who kept asking them a thousand questions, solely to have the pleasure of talking. He was especially surprised at a waiting woman, who, in everything that she saw, praised her mistress for her discretion. E'gad, thought he, as he was eating. I am delighted to have found my way here. This example demonstrates to me how wisely I have acted in not listening to flatterers, who praise all princes very shamelessly, concealing our defects from us, or representing them to us as perfections, but as for me, I shall never be their dupe. I know my own defects, God be thanked. Poor desire quite thought he was right, and little imagined that those who had praised his nose had ridiculed it in their hearts, as the waiting woman was ridiculing the fairy, for the prince observed that she turned her head aside every now and then to laugh. With regard to himself, he did not say a word, but ate away as fast as he could. Prince said the fairy to him when he began to be satisfied, move a little, I entreat you, your nose makes so large a shadow that it prevents me from seeing what is on my plate. By the way, with regard to your father, I went to his court when he was quite a child, but it is forty years since I first retired into this solitude. Tell me a little how things are going on at court now. Are the ladies still as fond of running about? In my time they used to go on the same day to the promenade, to the assembly, to the theatre, to the ball. But how long your nose is! I cannot grow used to it. In truth, madam, answered desire, do not say any more about my nose. It is as it is, and in what does it concern you? I am contented with it, and do not wish that it was any shorter, every one to his taste. Oh! I perceive now I have hurt your feelings, my poor desire, said the fairy, but I did not intend to do so. On the contrary, I am your friend, and I wish to do you a service. But notwithstanding that, I cannot help being shocked at your nose. I will not, however, mention it to you again. I will even constrain myself to think that you are snub-nosed, though in truth there are materials enough in it to make three reasonable noses. The old fairy, who had finished his supper, grew so tired of the fairy's tedious prattle about his nose, that he sprang on his horse and rode away from the cavern. He continued his journey, and wherever he went he thought that everybody was mad, for everybody talked about his nose. Nevertheless he had been so accustomed to hear it asserted that his nose was handsome, that he could not reconcile to himself the idea that it was too long. The old fairy, who wished to do him a service in spite of himself, determined to shut up Minioneta in a crystal palace, and place this palace in the prince's road. Desire, transported with joy, strove to break it, but he could not succeed. In despair he wished to approach near it, so as at least to speak to the princess, who on her part stretched her hand close to the crystal wall of the palace. He was very anxious to kiss her hand. But turn his head which way he would, he could not place his mouth near it, his nose constantly preventing him. He then perceived for the first time its extraordinary length, and filling all over it with his hand. I must confess, said he, that my nose is too large. At the moment he pronounced those words the crystal palace vanished, and the fairy appeared leading Minioneta by the hand, and saying, Confess that you are greatly obliged to me. I vainly wished to speak to you about your nose, but you would never have acknowledged its defect unless it had become an obstacle to your wishes. In this way self-love conceals from us all the defects of our minds and bodies. In vain reason endeavours to unveil them to us. We can never perceive them until the same self-love that blinds us to them finds them to be opposed to its interests. Desire, whose nose had become an ordinary nose, profited by this lesson. He married Minioneta, and lived very happily with her to a good old age. End of PRINCE DESIRE AND PRINCESS MINIONETTA Story 22 of THE FAIRY RING This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Tisto, T-Y-S-T-O, dot com. The Fairy Ring, edited by Kate Douglas-Wiggin and Nora Archibald-Smith. Story 22 THE YELLOW DWARF There once lived a widowed queen who had one daughter. There had been several other children, you must know, but one by one they had died, until the beautiful Princess Allfaire was the only child left. Time passed on, and every day the maiden grew more and more lovely. And to tell the truth, she not only grew lovelier, she also became very vain indeed. Well, by the time she reached the age of eighteen, Allfaire was so charming that she had won the hearts of twenty noble kings, and they all were courting her at the same time. But never a smile did they get from the fair Princess. There was not a man living, be he king or peasant, who was good enough to become her husband, she said. So when the twenty kings heard this, nineteen of them took their hats at once and set off in a body to search for brides who were a little less charming and a little easier to please. But the twentieth man, the king of the golden minds, was so much in love with Allfaire that he stayed behind in the hope that she would change her mind. "'This will never do,' said the queen one day. "'Here I am getting quite old, and I want to see Allfaire safely married and settled down before I die. I must go and visit the Desert Fairy and see if she will give me some advice as to how I can manage my stubborn daughter. Now you must know that it was a very hard task indeed to reach the Desert Fairy, for she was guarded by two fierce and terrible lions. The only way to get past the animals was to throw them a huge cake made from crocodiles' eggs, millet, and sugar candy. So the queen set to work, and with her own royal hands she prepared one of these cakes. Then she placed it in a basket and set out for the home of the Desert Fairy. Well the day was hot and the cake was heavy, and before long the queen was lying fast asleep under a big tree. Suddenly a terrible roar awakened her, and she looked round for her cake to throw to the angry lions, but to her horror it was gone. What is to become of me? cried the poor queen in terror, and she burst into tears. Cried a small voice, and the queen looked all around her to see who could be speaking. At last she looked upward, and there in the branches of the big orange tree overhead sat a little yellow man. He was just half a yard high, and he was eating oranges as quickly as ever he could. In fact he didn't even stop eating while he spoke to the queen, which of course was very rude. Ah queen, he went on, there is only one way by which you can escape the lions, and that is by letting me marry your daughter. The queen was so surprised that she even stopped crying. The idea of that hideous little creature marrying her beautiful daughter was quite absurd, and she was just about to tell him so when again she heard the dreadful roaring of the lions. Be quick and make up your mind, cried the yellow dwarf. He was called the yellow dwarf, you know, because he lived in the orange tree, and he had eaten so much of the fruit that his skin had become the same color. Just remember, you have no cake to throw to the lions. So to save her life the queen was forced to give her consent to a marriage between the yellow dwarf and her beautiful daughter. No sooner did she agree to the match than she began to feel very drowsy, and the next minute the queen found herself safely back in her own palace. She was so filled with sadness at the thought of her promise to the dwarf that a fit of deep gloom settled upon her, and for weeks she never smiled. The princess was quite at a loss to know what had come over her mother, so in the end she too made up her mind to visit the Desert Fairy in the hope that she would be able to tell what ailed the queen. Then Allfair set to work and made a cake from the crocodiles' eggs, millet, and sugar candy, and when it was ready she started off for the Desert Fairy's grotto. She soon reached the fatal orange tree, and the fruit looked so very tempting that Allfair laid her cake upon the ground and began to pick and eat the ripe oranges. Just then one of the lions gave a terrible roar, and Allfair looked for her cake to throw to them. Alas it was gone, and the maiden began to weep bitterly. Dry your eyes, lovely princess, cried a voice, and looking up Allfair spied the yellow dwarf. You need not trouble to go to the Desert Fairy, went on the dwarf, for I can tell you what ails your mother. I shall be obliged if you will tell me at once, then, replied Allfair. Oh, it is all your fault, said the yellow dwarf. How dare you say such things, cried the princess, it is nothing of the sort. Oh, yes it is, answered the dwarf with a grin. Your mother is sorry now that she promised you to me in marriage. I am sure my mother did not promise me to a fright like you, cried the angry princess, and I will not marry you. Oh, please yourself, answered the yellow dwarf, but if you don't marry me you will make a fine meal for the lions, that is all. Just at that moment the lions began to roar louder than ever. Well, to save my life, cried poor Allfair, I will agree to marry you. I wouldn't have you now, said the dwarf with an air of disdain. Oh, please do, begged Allfair, or I shall be torn to pieces by the lions. I'll marry you out of charity, then, said the yellow dwarf, but don't suppose that I really want a vain creature like you. At that instant the princess found herself growing very drowsy, and the next minute she was back again at the palace, and on her finger was a ring made of a single red hair which she could not take off. After that Allfair grew sad, for she feared that the yellow dwarf might claim her. Of course nobody knew the cause of her sadness, and they all wondered what it could be. So the queen's ministers held a cabinet meaning, and they agreed to ask the princess once more if she would marry, for they thought the excitement of choosing her wedding gown might rouse her from her gloom. To the great surprise of them all, Allfair said she was quite willing to do as they wished. So the king of the golden mines had his reward for waiting so long, so the princess chose him as her husband. He was very rich and powerful, and so gallant that Allfair thought when once she was his wife she would need fear the yellow dwarf no more. The wedding day arrived at last, and as the guests were on their way to the church they saw a big box moving toward them, and on the top sat a very ugly old woman. Stop! she cried with a dreadful frown. Do you remember the promise you made to my friend the yellow dwarf? I am the desert fairy, and if Allfair does not marry the dwarf she will taste my wrath you will find. This speech made the brave king of the golden mines so angry that he drew his sword and shouted loudly, Bigon, or I will take your evil life. As soon as he uttered these words, Allf flew the top of the box and out came the yellow dwarf seated upon a big black Spanish cat. Not so fast, cried the yellow dwarf. I am your rival, so do not vent your wrath upon the desert fairy. I claim the princess for my bride and in token of her promise to me on her finger you will find a ring made of a single red hair. It is false, cried the king of the golden mines, and he made a dash sword in hand for the yellow dwarf. But quick as thought the dwarf drew his sword also and he rode forward on his Spanish cat. Well they fought long and fiercely, but the king was not able to overcome the dwarf because he was protected by two enormous giants who stood one on each side of him. Suddenly the desert fairy stepped forward and on her head was a wreath of big curling snakes. Raising her lance she struck the princess such a blow that Allfair sank fainting into her mother's arms. Rathunge shouted the king of the golden mines and he rushed to the aid of his love as a brave man would, of course. But alas! he was too late, for the dwarf had torn her from her mother's arms, lifted her onto his Spanish cat, and the next minute they were flying through the air beyond his reach. The poor king was so surprised that all he could do was to gaze up towards the clouds and wonder what would happen next. Suddenly a mist gathered before his eyes and he felt himself being carried up into the air also. Now you must know that the ugly old desert fairy had fallen madly in love with the king of the golden mines, and she had made up her mind that he should never marry Allfair, so she carried him off to secure him for herself. Up into the air they went until they reached a gloomy cave. Then the fairy set him down and restored his sight by means of her magic arts. He is sure to fall in love with me, she cried to herself, now that Allfair is safely out of the way. But it was not a bit of use, for she was so ugly that the king only looked the other way the whole time, and this made her very angry indeed. So the fairy tried another plan. She took the form of a beautiful maiden, and placed the king in this blended chariot drawn by two snow-white swans. Then she too stepped in, and together they sailed away through the air. He'll never resist my charms this time, she said to herself. But she found out her mistake very soon, I can tell you. You see, although the fairy could change her form at will, her feet always remained the same, and the king caught sight of the two ugly webbed feet that looked as if they belonged to a griffon. So he was not deceived at all, and he knew her to be the desert fairy in spite of the disguise. On and on they went, and once the king chanced to look downward. There he saw a castle built of bright polished steel, and on the balcony stood all fair, weeping very bitterly. All fair chanced to look upwards, and she spied the chariot drawn by the snow-white swans. Although it passed along very quickly, she could see the king seated inside with a lovely maiden. As she did not know it was the desert fairy, she felt very jealous indeed. Soon the chariot alighted at a lonely palace, shut in by a wall of emeralds on one side and the sea on the other. Well, the king just cast his eyes around the place, and made up his mind not to stay there long. I'll escape somehow, he said to himself, and he did, too, before very long. He pretended to be in love with the desert fairy, and this pleased and flattered her so much that she began to treat him very kindly indeed. She even allowed him to walk alone on the seashore for half an hour each day. One morning, as the king stood upon the beach, he was surprised to see a charming mermaid rise up from the water. King of the golden mines, she said, I know your story, and have the power to set you free. I can also restore your princess all fair to you once more. Now as I am an enemy of the desert fairy, I will do this for you. The king thanked her, of course, and the mermaid bade him set himself upon her tail, and away they sailed at full speed across the blue ocean until they had gone many miles. The princess, you must know, said the mermaid, is being kept a prisoner by the yellow dwarf. She is in a bright steel castle, and in another hour we shall reach the place. Then they went still farther, and at length the mermaid set the king down upon the seashore. The rest of the journey, she said, you must take alone, and you will have many enemies to fight before you reach the princess. But, she added, I will present you with this magic sword, which will overcome everything, so long as you never let it out of your hand. The king took the sword, and thanked the mermaid again and again, and then he set out to seek the steel castle. But before he had gone a hundred yards, four terrible griffins attacked him, and the king stood a good chance of being torn to pieces by their long claws. Just in time, however, he remembered his magic sword, and no sooner did the four griffins behold it than they sank to the ground, blinded by its brightness. After that it was an easy matter to cut off their heads, and the king went on his way again. Soon after he met six big dragons, and each one was covered with scales like cast iron. But by means of his magic sword the king was able to kill them also, and he hoped his troubles were nearly over. Alas! before he had gone many yards, twenty-four nymphs, all lovely as the sun, set themselves right in his path. Our business, they said, is to keep you from reaching the steel castle. If we let you pass, all our lives will be sacrificed. We have done you no harm, so do go back again, that our innocent lives may be spared. Well, the king scarcely knew how to act. It seemed a pity to destroy such lovely creatures, and yet get to the steel castle he must. Strike, strike! cried a voice loudly, or you will lose your princess forever. So his majesty destroyed the whole twenty-four of them, and at that moment the steel castle appeared in sight. On the balcony stood Allfair, just as she had been when he passed through the air in the chariot drawn by swans. Princess! he cried, your faithful lover has returned at last. Faithful indeed! replied Allfair angrily. You were not faithful when I saw you being carried through the air in company with a beautiful maiden. Indeed I was! replied the king of the golden mines. The maiden you saw was the wicked desert fairy. She carried me off to an island, and there I should be now if a kind mermaid had not set me free. Then the king cast himself at her feet, but unfortunately he managed to drop the magic sword over the balcony. Out popped the ugly yellow dwarf from behind a big cabbage, where he was hiding, and he snapped up the sword in a trice. The princess gave a loud shriek when she set eyes on the dwarf, but the little man, who knew well what a treasure the sword was, just uttered two magic words, with the weapon in his hand, and there appeared two terrible giants, who at once bound the king in chains in spite of his struggles. Now, shackled the yellow dwarf, your lover is in my power. If he will consent to your becoming my bride, I will set him free at once. Never!" cried the king of the golden mines. Then take that! replied the yellow dwarf, and he buried the magic sword in the heart of the king. The poor princess was filled with sorrow at the loss of her lover, and she cried loudly. Hidious dwarf! You have gained nothing by slaying my lover, for I will never marry you. Since he is dead, I will die too. Then she seized the sword, and plunged it into her own heart. The good mermaid was very unhappy when she heard what had taken place, but as her only power lay in the magic sword, she could help them no further. So she changed them into two palm trees, growing side by side, and every time the soft breezes blew, their branches caressed and kissed each other. So they were happy together, after all, in spite of the ugly yellow dwarf. End of the Yellow Dwarf