 The Water Lily, The Gold Spinners of the Blue Fairy Book. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. That's L-I-B-R-I-V-O-X-dot-O-R-G. Recording by Kristi Noak. The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. The Water Lily, The Gold Spinners. Once upon a time in a large forest, there lived an old woman in three maidens. They were all three beautiful, but the youngest was the fairest. Their hut was quite hidden by trees, and none saw their beauty but the sun by day and the moon by night and the eyes of the stars. The old woman kept the girls' heart at work from morning till night, spinning gold flax into yarn, and when one distaff was empty, another was given them, so they had no rest. The thread had to be fine and even, and when done was locked up in a secret chamber by the old woman, who twice or thrice every summer went on a journey. Before she went, she gave out work for each day of her absence, and always returned in the night so that the girls never saw what she brought back with her. Neither would she tell them whence the gold flax came, nor what it was to be used for. Now, when the time came round for the old woman to set out on one of these journeys, she gave each maiden work for six days, with the usual warning. Children, don't let your eyes wander, and on no account speak to a man, for if you do, your thread will lose its brightness and misfortunes of all kinds will follow. They laughed at this oft-repeated caution, saying to each other, How can our gold thread lose its brightness, and have we any chance of speaking to a man? On the third day after the old woman's departure, a young prince, hunting in the forest, separated from his companions, and completely lost. Weary of seeking his way, he flung himself down under a tree, leaving his horse to browse at will, and fell asleep. The sun had set when he awoke, and began once more to try and find his way out of the forest. At last he perceived a narrow footpath, which he eagerly followed, and found that it led him to a small hut. The maidens, who were sitting at the door of their hut for coolness, saw him approaching, and the two elder ones were much alarmed, as they remembered the old woman's warning. But the youngest said, Never before have I seen anyone like him. Let me have one look. They entreated her to come in, but, seeing that she would not left her, and the prince, coming up, courteously greeted the maiden, and told her he had lost his way in the forest, and was both hungry and weary. She set food before him, and was so delighted with his conversation that she forgot the old woman's caution, and lingered for hours. In the meantime, the prince's companion sought him far and wide, but to no purpose. So they sent two messengers to tell the sad news to the king, who immediately ordered a regiment of cavalry and one of infantry to go and look for him. After three days' search they found the hut. The prince was still sitting by the door, and had been so happy in the maiden's company that the time had seemed like a single hour. Before leaving he promised to return and fetch her to his father's court, where he would make her his bride. When he had gone she sat down to her wheel to make up for lost time, but was dismayed to find that her thread had lost all its brightness. Her heart beat fast, and she wept bitterly, for she remembered the old woman's warning and knew not what misfortune might now befall her. The old woman returned in the night, and knew by the tarnished thread what had happened in her absence. She was furiously angry, and told the young maiden she had brought down misery, both on herself and on the prince. The maiden could not rest for thinking of this. At last she could bear it no longer and resolve to seek help from the prince. As a child she had learned to understand the speech of birds, and this was now of great use to her. For, seeing a raven pluming itself on a pine-bow, she cried softly to it, Dear bird, cleverest of all birds, as well as swiftest unwing, wilt thou help me? How can I help thee? asked the raven. She answered, Fly away until thou comest to the splendid town where stands a king's palace, seek out the king's son, and tell him that a great misfortune has befallen me. Then she told the raven how her thread had lost its brightness, how terribly angry the old woman was, and how she feared some great disaster. The raven promised faithfully to do her bidding, and spreading its wings flew away. The maiden now went home and worked hard all day at winding up the yarn her elder sisters had spun, for the old woman would let her spin no longer. Toward evening she heard the raven's CRA-CRA from the pine tree and eagerly hastened thither to hear the answer. By great good fortune the raven had found a wind-wizard son in the palace garden who understood the speech of birds, and to him he had entrusted the message. When the prince heard it he was very sorrowful and took counsel with his friends how to free the maiden. Then he said to the wind-wizard son, Beg the raven to fly quickly back to the maiden and tell her to be ready on the ninth night, for then will I come and fetch her away. The wind-wizard son did this, and the raven flew so swiftly that it reached the hut that same evening. The maiden thanked the bird heartily and went home, telling no one what she had heard. As the ninth night drew near she became very unhappy, for she feared lest some terrible mischance should arise and ruin all. On this night she crept quietly out of the house and waited trembling at some little distance from the hut. Presently she heard the muffled tramp of horses, and soon the armed troop appeared, led by the prince, who had prudently marked all the trees beforehand in order to know the way. When he saw the maiden he sprang from his horse, lifted her into the saddle, and then, mounting behind, rode homeward. The moon shone so brightly that they had no difficulty in seeing the marked trees. By and by the coming of dawn loosened the tongues of all the birds, and, had the prince only known what they were saying, or the maiden been listening, they might have been spared much sorrow, but they were thinking only of each other, and when they came out of the forest the sun was high in the heavens. Next morning, when the youngest girl did not come to her work, the old woman asked where she was. The sisters pretended not to know, but the old woman easily guessed what had happened, and, as she was in reality, a wicked witch determined to punish the fugitives. Accordingly she collected nine different kinds of enchanter's nightshade, added some salt which she first bewitched, and, doing all up in a cloth into the shape of a fluffy ball, sent it after them on the wings of the wind, saying, Whirlwind, mother of the wind, lend thy aid against her who sinned, carry with thee this magic ball, cast her from his arms for ever, bury her in the rippling river. At midday the prince and his men came to a deep river, spanned by so narrow a bridge that only one rider could cross at a time. The horse on which the prince and the maiden were riding had just reached the middle when the magic ball flew by. The horse in its fright suddenly reared, and before anyone could stop it, flung the maiden into the swift current below. The prince tried to jump in after her, but his men held him back, and in spite of his struggles led him home, where, for six weeks he shut himself up in a secret chamber, and would neither eat nor drink so great was his grief. At last he became so ill his life was disparate of, and in great alarm the king caused all the wizards of his country to be summoned, but none could cure him. At last the wind-wizard's son said to the king, Send for the old wizard from Finland, he knows more than all the wizards of your kingdom put together. A messenger was at once sent to Finland, and a week later the old wizard himself arrived on the wings of the wind. Honoured king, said the wizard, The wind has blown this illness upon your son, and a magic ball has snatched away his beloved. This it is, which makes him grieve so constantly. Let the wind blow upon him that it may blow away his sorrow. Then the king made his son go out into the wind, and he gradually recovered and told his father all. Forget the maiden, said the king, and take another bride. But the prince said he could never love another. A year afterward he came suddenly upon the bridge where his beloved met her death. As he recalled the misfortune he wept bitterly and would have given all he possessed to have her once more alive. In the midst of his grief he thought he heard a voice singing, and looked round but could see no one. Then he heard the voice again and it said, Alas! bewitched and all forsaken, Tis I must lie for ever here my beloved no thought has taken to free his bride that was so dear. He was greatly astonished, sprang from his horse, and looked everywhere to see if no one were hidden under the bridge. But no one was there. Then he noticed a yellow water lily floating on the surface of the water, half hidden by its broad leaves. But flowers do not sing, and in great surprise he waited hoping to hear more. Then again the voice sang, Alas! bewitched and all forsaken, Tis I must lie for ever here my beloved no thought has taken to free his bride that was so dear. The Prince suddenly remembered the gold spinners and said to himself, If I ride thither, who knows but that they could explain this to me? He at once rode to the hut and found the two maidens at the fountain. He told him what had befallen their sister the year before and how he had twice heard a strange song but yet could see no singer. They said that the yellow water lily could be none other than their sister, who was not dead but transformed by the magic ball. Before he went to bed the eldest made a cake of magic herbs which she gave him to eat. In the night he dreamed that he was living in the forest and could understand all that the birds said to each other. Next morning he told this to the maidens and they said that the charmed cake had caused it and advised him to listen well to the birds and see what they could tell him. And when he had recovered his bride they begged him to return and deliver them from their wretched bondage. Having promised this he joyfully returned home and as he was riding through the forest he could perfectly understand all that the birds said. He heard a thrush say to a magpie, How stupid men are! They cannot understand the simplest thing. It is now quite a year since the maiden was transformed into a water lily and though she sings so sadly that anyone going over the bridge must hear her yet no one comes to her aid. Her former bridegroom rode over it a few days ago and heard her singing but was no wiser than the rest. And he is to blame for all her misfortunes added the magpie. If he heeds only the words of men she will remain a flower forever. She were soon delivered were the matter only laid before the old Wizard of Finland. After hearing this the prince wondered how he could get a message conveyed to Finland. He heard one swallow say to another Come let us fly to Finland we can build better nests there. Stop kind friends! cried the prince. Will you do something for me? The birds consented and he said Take a thousand greetings from me to the Wizard of Finland and ask him how I may restore a maiden transformed into a flower to her own form. The swallows flew away and the prince rode on to the bridge there he waited hoping to hear the song but he heard nothing but the rushing of the water and the moaning of the wind and disappointed rode home. Shortly after he was sitting in the garden thinking that the swallows must have forgotten his message when he saw an eagle fly above him the bird gradually descended until it perched on a tree close to the prince and said The Wizard of Finland greets thee and bids me say that thou mayst free the maiden thus go to the river and smear thyself all over with mud then say From a man into a crab and thou will become a crab. Plunge boldly into the water swim as close as thou canst to the water lilies roots and loosen them from the mud and reeds this done fasten thy claws and drift with the current until thou comes to a mountain ash tree on the left bank there is near it a large stone stop there and say From a crab into a man from a water lily into a maiden and ye both will be restored to your own forms full of doubt and fear the prince let some time pass before he was bold enough to attempt to rescue the maiden when a crow said to him Why dost thou hesitate the old wizard has not told thee wrong the birds deceived thee hasten and dry the maiden's tears Nothing worse than death can befall me thought the prince and death is better than endless sorrow so he mounted his horse and went to the bridge again he heard the water lilies in the ment and hesitating no longer smear thyself all over with mud and saying From a man into a crab plunged into the river for one moment the water hissed in his ears and then all was silent he swam up to the plant and began to loosen its roots but so firmly were they fixed in the mud and reads that this took him a long time he then grasped for them and rose to the surface letting the water flow over the flower the current carried them down the stream but nowhere could he see the mountain ash at last he saw it and close by the large stone here he stopped and said From a crab into a man from a water lily into a maiden and to his delight found himself once more a prince and the maiden was by his side she was ten times more beautiful than before and wore a magnificent pale yellow robe sparkling with jewels she thanked him for having freed her from the cruel witches power and willingly consented to marry him but when they came to the bridge where he had left his horse it was nowhere to be seen for though the prince thought he had been a crab only a few hours he had in reality been under the water more than ten days while they were wondering how they should reach his father's court they saw a splendid coach driven by six gaily capricent horses coming along the bank in this they drove to the palace the king and queen were at church weeping for their son whom they had long mourned for dead great was their delight and astonishment when the prince entered leading the beautiful maiden by the hand the wedding was at once celebrated and there was feasting and merrymaking throughout the kingdom for six weeks some time afterward the prince and his bride were sitting in the garden when a crow said to them ungrateful creatures have you forgotten the two poor maidens who helped you in your distress must they spin gold flags forever have no pity on the old witch the three maidens are princesses whom she stole away when they were children together with all the silver utensils which she turned into gold flags poison were her fittest punishment the prince was ashamed for having forgotten his promise and set out at once and by great good fortune reached the hut when the old woman was away the maidens had dreamed that he was coming and were ready to go with him but first they made a cake in which they put poison and left it on the table where the old woman was likely to see it when she returned she did see it and thought it looked so tempting that she greedily ate it up and at once died in the secret chamber were found fifty wagon loads of gold flags and as much more was discovered buried the hut was raised to the ground and the prince and his bride and her two sisters lived happily ever after and of the water lily the gold spinners the terrible head of the blue fairy book 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 Scott Robbins the terrible head once upon a time there was a king whose only child was a girl now the king had been very anxious to have a son or at least a grandson to come after him but he was told by a prophet whom he consulted that his own daughter's son should kill him this news terrified him so much that he determined never to let his daughter be married for he thought it was better to have no grandson at all than to be killed by his grandson he therefore called his workmen together and made them dig a deep round hole in the earth and then he had a prison of brass built in the hole and then when it was finished he locked up his daughter no man ever saw her and she never even saw the fields and the sea but only the sky and the sun for there was a wide open window in the roof of the house of brass so the princess would sit looking up at the sky watching the clouds float across whether she should ever get out of her prison now one day it seemed to her that the sky opened above her and a great shower of shining gold fell through the window in the roof and lay glittering in her room not very long after the princess had a baby a little boy but when the king her father heard of it he was very angry and afraid for now the child was born that should be his death yet cowardly as he was not quite the heart to kill the princess and her baby outright but he had them put in a huge brass bound chest and thrust out to sea that they might either be drowned or starved or perhaps come to a country where they would be out of his way so the princess and the baby floated and drifted in the chest on the sea all day and night but the baby was not afraid of the waves nor of the wind for he did not know that they could hurt him and he slept quite soundly and the princess sang a song over him and this was her song child my child how sound you sleep though your mother's care is deep you can lie with heart at rest in the narrow brass bound chest in the starless night and rear you can sleep and never hear billows breaking and the cry of the night wind wandering by in soft purple mantles sleeping with your little face on mine hearing not your mother weeping and the breaking of the brine well the daylight came at last and the great chest was driven by the waves against the shore of an island there the brass bound chest lay the princess and her baby in it till a man of that country came past and saw it and dragged it on to the beach and when he had broken it open behold there was a beautiful lady and a little boy so he took them home and was very kind to them and brought up the boy till he was a young man now when the boy had come to his full strength the king of that country fell in love with his mother and wanted to marry her but he knew that she would never part from her boy so he thought of a plan to get rid of the boy and this was his plan a great queen of a country not far off was going to be married and this king said that all his subjects must bring him wedding presents to give her and he made a feast to which he invited them all and they all brought their presents some brought gold cups and some brought necklaces of gold and amber and some brought beautiful horses but the boy had nothing though he was the son of a princess for his mother had nothing to give him then the rest of the company began to laugh at him and the king said if you have nothing else to give at least you might go and fetch the terrible head the boy was proud and spoke without thinking then I swear that I will bring the terrible head if it may be brought by a living man but of what head you speak I know not then they told him that somewhere a long way off there dwelt three dreadful sisters monstrous ogreish women with golden wings and claws of brass and with serpents growing on their heads instead of hair now these women were so awful to look on that whoever saw them was turned at once into stone and two of them could not be put to death but the youngest whose face was very beautiful could be killed but the boy had promised to bring you may imagine it was no easy adventure when he heard all this he was perhaps sorry that he had been sworn when he heard all this he was perhaps sorry that he had sworn to bring the terrible head but he was determined to keep his oath so he went out from the feast where they all sat drinking and making merry and he walked alone by the sea in the dusk of the evening at the place where the great chest and his mother in it had been cast ashore there he went and sat down on a rock looking toward the sea and wondering how he should begin to fulfill his vow then he felt someone touch him on the shoulder and he turned and saw a young man like a king's son having with him a tall and beautiful lady whose blue eyes shone like stars they were taller than mortal men and the young man had a staff in his hand with golden wings on it and two golden serpents twisted round it and he had wings on his cap and on his shoes he spoke to the boy and asked him why he was so unhappy and the boy told him how he had sworn to bring the terrible head and knew not how to begin to set about the adventure then the beautiful lady also spoke and said that it was a foolish oath and a hasty but it might be kept if a brave man had sworn it then the boy answered that he was not afraid if only he knew the way then the lady said that to kill the dreadful woman with the golden wings and the brass claws and to cut off her head he needed three things first a cap of darkness which would make him invisible when he wore it next a sword of sharpness which would cleave iron at one blow and last the shoes of swiftness would fly in the air the boy answered that he knew not where such things were to be procured and that wanting them he could only try and fail then the young man taking off his own shoes said first you shall use these shoes till you have taken the terrible head and then you must give them back to me and with these shoes you will fly as fleet as a bird or a thought over the land or over the waves of the sea and the shoes know the way but there are ways which they do not know roads beyond the borders of the world and these roads have you to travel now first you must go to the three gray sisters who live far off in the north and are so very cold that they have only one eye and one tooth among the three you must creep up close to them and as one of them passes the eye to the other you must seize it they have told you the way to the three fairies of the garden and they will give you the cap of darkness and the sword of sharpness and show you how to wing beyond this world to the land of the terrible head then the beautiful lady said go forth at once and do not return to say goodbye to your mother for these things must be done quickly and the shoes of swiftness themselves will carry you to the land of the three gray sisters and show you the measure of that way so the boy thanked her and he fastened on the shoes of swiftness and turned to say goodbye to the young man and the lady but behold they had vanished he knew not how or where then he leaped in the air to try the shoes of swiftness and they carried him more swiftly than the wind over the warm blue sea over the happy lands of the south over the northern peoples who drank mares milk and white wagons wandering after their flocks across the wide rivers where the wild fowl rose and fled before him and over the plains and the cold north sea he went over the fields of snow and the hills of ice to a place where the world ends and all water is frozen and there are no men nor beasts nor any green grass there in a blue cave of the ice was one of the sisters the oldest of living things their hair was as white as the snow and their flesh of an icy blue and they mumbled and knotted in a kind of dream and their frozen breath hung round them like a cloud now the opening of the cave in the ice was narrow and it was not easy to pass in without touching one of the gray sisters but floating on the shoes of swiftness the boy just managed to steal in and waited till one of the sisters said to another who had their one eye sister what do you see do you see old times coming back no sister then give me the eye for perhaps I can see farther than you then the first sister passed the eye to the second but as the second groped for it the boy caught it cleverly out of her hand where is the eye sister said the second gray woman you have taken it yourself sister said the first gray woman have you lost the eye sister have you lost the eye said the third gray woman shall we never find it again and see old times coming back then the boy slipped from behind them out of the cold cave into the air and he laughed aloud when the gray women heard that laugh they began to weep for now they knew that a stranger had robbed them and that they could not help themselves and their tears froze as they fell from the hollows where no eyes were and rattled on the icy ground of the cave then they began to implore the boy to give them their eye back again and he could not help being sorry for them they were so pitiful but he said he would never give them the eye till they told him the way to the fairies of the garden then they rung their hands miserably for they guessed why he had come and how he was going to try to win the terrible head now the dreadful women were akin to the three gray sisters and it was hard for them to tell the boy the way but at last they told him to keep always self and with the land on his left and the sea on his right till he reached the island of the fairies of the garden then he gave them back the eye and they began to look out once more for the old times coming back again but the boy flew south between sea and land keeping the land always on his left hand till he saw a beautiful island crowned with flowering trees there he alighted and there he found the three fairies of the garden they were like three very beautiful young women dressed one in green one in white and one in red and they were dancing and singing round an apple tree with apples of gold and this was their song the song of the western fairies round and round the apples of gold round and round dance we thus do we dance from the days of old bow the enchanted tree round and round and round we go while the spring is green or the stream shall flow or the wind shall stir the sea there is none may taste of the golden fruit till the golden new time come many a tree shall spring from shoot many a blossom be withered at root many a song be dumb broken and still shall be many a loot or ever the new times come round and round the tree of gold round and round dance we so doth the great world spin from a volt summer and winter and fire and cold song that is sung and tale that is told even as we dance that fold and unfold round the stem of the fairy tree these grave dancing fairies were very unlike the grey women and they were glad to see the boy and treated him kindly then they asked him why he had come and he told them how he was sent to find the darkness and the cap of darkness and the fairies gave him these and a wallet and a shield and belted the sword which had a diamond blade round his waist and the cap they set on his head and told him that now even they could not see him though they were fairies then he took it off and they each kissed him and wished him good fortune and then they began again their eternal dance round the golden tree for it is their business to guard it until the world's ending so the boy put the cap on his head and hung the wallet round his waist and the shining shield on his shoulders and flew beyond the great river that lies coiled like a serpent round the whole world and by the banks of that river there he found the three terrible women all asleep beneath a poplar tree and the dead poplar leaves lay all about them their golden wings were folded and their brass claws were crossed and two of them slept with their hideous heads beneath their wings like birds and the serpents in their hair writhed out from under the feathers of gold but the youngest slept between her two sisters and she lay on her back with her beautiful sad face turned to the sky and though she slept her eyes were wide open if the boy had seen her he would have been changed into stone by the terror and the pity of it she was so awful but he had thought of a plan for killing her without looking on her face as soon as he caught sight of the three from far off he took his shining shield from his shoulders and held it up like a mirror so that he saw the dreadful women reflected in it and did not see the terrible head itself then he came nearer and nearer till he reckoned that he was within a sword stroke of the youngest and he guessed where he should strike a back blow behind him then he drew the sword of sharpness and struck once and the terrible head was cut from the shoulders of the creature and the blood leaped out and struck him like a blow but he thrust the terrible head into his wallet and flew away without looking behind then the two dreadful sisters who were left wakened and rose in the air like great birds and though they could not see him because of his cap of darkness they flew after him up the wind following by the scent through the clouds like hounds hunting in a wood they came so close that he could hear the clatter of their golden wings and their shrieks to each other here here no there this way he went as they chased him but the shoes of swiftness flew too fast for them and at last their cries in the rattle of their wings died away as he crossed the great river that runs round the world now when the horrible creatures were far in the distance and the boy found himself on the right side of the river he flew straight eastward trying to seek his own country but as he looked down from the air he saw a very strange sight a beautiful girl chained to a stake at the high water mark of the sea the girl was so frightened or so tired that she was only prevented from falling by the iron chain about her waist and there she hung as if she were dead the boy was very sorry for her and flew down and stood beside her when he spoke she raised her head and looked round but his voice only seemed to frighten her then he remembered that he was wearing the cap of darkness and that she could only hear him not see him so he took it off and there he stood before her the handsomest young man she had ever seen in all her life with short curly yellow hair and blue eyes and a laughing face and he thought her the most beautiful girl in the world so first with one blow of the sword of sharpness he cut the iron chain that bound her and then he asked her what she did there and why men treated her so cruelly and she told him that she was the daughter of the king of that country and that she was tied there to be eaten by a monstrous beast out of the sea for the beast came and devoured a girl every day now the lot had fallen on her and as she was just saying this a long fierce head of a cruel sea creature rose out of the waves and snapped at the girl but the beast had been too greedy and too hurried so he missed his aim the first time before he could rise and bite again the boy had whipped the terrible head out of his wallet and held it up and when the sea beast leaped out once more the eyes fell on the head and instantly it was turned into a stone and the stone beast is there on the sea coast to this day then the boy and the girl went to the palace of the king her father where everyone was weeping for her death and they could hardly believe their eyes when they saw her come back well and the king and queen made much of the boy and could not contain themselves for delight when they found he wanted to marry their daughter the two were married with the most splendid rejoicings and when they passed some time at court they went home in a ship to the boy's own country for he could not carry his bride through the air so he took the shoes of swiftness and the cap of darkness and the sword of sharpness up to a lonely place in the hills there he left them and there they were found by the man and woman who had met him at home beside the sea and had helped him to start on his journey and this had been done the boy and his bride set forth for home and landed at the harbour of his native land but whom should he meet in the very street of the town but his own mother flying for her life from the wicked king who now wished to kill her because he found that she would never marry him for if she had liked the king ill before she liked him far worse now that he had caused her son to disappear so suddenly she did not know of course where the boy had gone but thought the king had slain him secretly so now she was running for her very life and the wicked king was following her with a sword in his hand then behold she ran into her son's very arms but he had only time to kiss her and step in front of her when the king struck at him with his sword the boy cut the blow on his shield and cried to the king I swore to bring you the terrible head and see how I keep my oath then he drew forth the head from his wallet and when the king's eyes fell on it instantly he was turned into stone just as he stood there with his sword lifted now all the people rejoiced because the wicked king should rule them no longer and they asked the boy to be their king but he said no he must take his mother home to her father's house so the people chose for king the man who had been kind to his mother when first she was cast on the island in the great chest presently the boy and his mother and his wife set sail for his mother's own country and from which she had been driven so unkindly but on the way they stayed at the court of a king and it happened that he was holding games and giving prizes to the best runners, boxers and quite-throwers then the boy would try his strength with the rest but he threw the quite so far that it went beyond what had ever been thrown before and fell in the crowd striking a man so that he died now this man was no other than the father of the boy's mother who had fled away from his own kingdom for fear his grandson should find him and kill him after all thus he was destroyed by his own cowardice and by chance and thus the prophecy was fulfilled but the boy and his wife and his mother went back to the kingdom that was theirs and lived long and happily after all their troubles End of The Terrible Head Recording by Scott Robbins The Story of Pretty Goldilocks from The Blue Fairy Book 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 Jeanette Selig The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang The Story of Pretty Goldilocks Once upon a time there was a princess who was the prettiest creature in the world and because she was so beautiful and because her hair was like the finest gold and waved and rippled nearly to the ground she was called Pretty Goldilocks She always wore a crown of flowers and her dresses were embroidered with diamonds and pearls and everybody who saw her fell in love with her Now one of her neighbors was a young king who was not married He was very rich and handsome and when he had heard all that was said about Pretty Goldilocks though he had never seen her he fell so deeply in love with her that he could neither eat nor drink So he resolved to send an ambassador to ask her in marriage He had a splendid carriage made for his ambassador and gave him more than a hundred horses and a hundred servants and told him to be sure and bring the princess back with him After he had started nothing else was talked of at court and the king felt so sure that the princess would consent that he set his people to work at pretty dresses and splendid furniture that they might be ready by the time she came Meanwhile the ambassador arrived at the princess's palace and delivered his little message but whether she happened to be cross that day or whether the compliment did not please her is not known She only answered that she was very much obliged to the king but she had no wish to be married The ambassador set off sadly on his homeward way bringing all the king's presence back with him for the princess was too well brought up to accept the pearls and diamonds when she would not accept the king so she had only kept 25 English pins that he might not be vexed When the ambassador reached the city where the king was waiting impatiently everybody was very much annoyed with him for not bringing the princess and the king cried like a baby and nobody could console him Now there was at the court a young man who was more clever and handsome than anyone else He was called Charming and everyone loved him accepting a few envious people who were angry at his being the king's favorite and knowing all the state secrets He happened to one day be with some people who were speaking of the ambassador's return and saying that his going to the princess had not done much good when Charming said, Rachele If the king had sent me to the princess Goldilocks I am sure she would have come back with me His enemies at once went to the king and said you will hardly believe Sire what Charming has the audacity to say that if he had been sent to the princess Goldilocks she would certainly have come back with him He seems to think that he is so much handsomer than you that the princess would have fallen in love with him and followed him willingly The king was very angry when he heard this Ha ha! said he Does he laugh at my unhappiness and think himself more fascinating than I am? Go and let him be shut up in my great tower to die of hunger So the king's guards went to fetch Charming who had thought no more of his rash speech and carried him off to prison with great cruelty The poor prisoner had only a little straw for his bed and but for a little stream of water which flowed through the tower he would have died of thirst One day when he was in despair he said to himself Alcani have offended the king I am his most faithful subject and have done nothing against him The king chanced to be passing the tower and recognized the voice of his former favorite He stopped to listen in spite of Charming's enemies who tried to persuade him to have nothing more to do with the traitor But the king said Be quiet, I wish to hear what he says and then he opened the tower door and called to Charming who came very sadly and kissed the king's hand saying What have I done sire to deserve this cruel treatment? You mocked me and my ambassador said the king and you said that if I had sent you for the princess Goldilocks you would certainly have brought her back It is quite true sire replied Charming I should have drawn such a picture of you and represented your good qualities in such a way that I am certain the princess would have found you irresistible but I cannot see what there is in that to make you angry The king could not see any cause for anger either when the matter was presented to him in this light and he began to frown very fiercely at the courtiers who had so misrepresented his favorite So he took Charming back to the palace with him and after seeing that he had a very good supper he said to him You know that I love pretty Goldilocks as much as ever Her refusal has not made any difference to me but I don't know how to make her change her mind I really should like to send you to see if you can persuade her to marry me Charming replied that he was perfectly willing to go and would set out the very next day But you must wait till I can get a grand escort for you said the king But Charming said that he only wanted a good horse to ride and the king, who was delighted at his being ready to start so promptly gave him letters to the princess and bade him good speed It was on a Monday morning that he set out all alone upon his errand thinking of nothing but how he could persuade the princess Goldilocks to marry the king He had a writing book in his pocket and whenever any happy thought struck him he dismounted from his horse and sat down under the trees to put it into the harangue which he was preparing for the princess before he forgot it One day when he had started at the very earliest dawn and was riding over a great meadow he suddenly had a capital idea and springing from his horse he sat down under a willow tree which grew by a little river When he had written it down he was looking round him pleased to find himself in such a pretty place When all at once he saw a great golden carp lying gasping and exhausted upon the grass In leaping after little flies she had thrown herself high upon the bank where she had lain till she was nearly dead Charming had pity upon her and though he couldn't help thinking that she would have been very nice for dinner he picked her up gently and put her back into the water As soon as Dame Carp felt the refreshing coolness of the water she sank down joyfully to the bottom of the river Then swimming up to the bank quite boldly she said I thank you Charming for the kindness you have done me You saved my life One day I will repay you So saying she sank down into the water again leaving Charming greatly astonished at her politeness Another day as he journeyed on he saw a raven in great distress The poor bird was closely pursued by an eagle which would have soon eaten it up had not Charming quickly fitted an arrow to his bow and shot the eagle dead The raven perched upon a tree very joyfully Charming said he It was very generous of you to rescue a poor raven I am not ungrateful Someday I will repay you Charming thought it was very nice of the raven to say so and went on his way Before the sun rose he found himself in a thick wood where it was too dark for him to see his path and here he heard an owl crying as if it were in despair Hark said he That must be an owl in great trouble I am sure it has gone into a snare and he began to hunt about and presently found a great net which some bird catchers had spread the night before What a pity it is that men do nothing but torment and persecute poor creatures which never do them any harm said he Knock out his knife and cut the cords of the net and the owl flitted away into the darkness but then turning with one flicker of her wings she came back to Charming and said It does not need many words to tell you how great a service you have done me I was caught In a few minutes the Fowlers would have been here Without your help I should have been killed I am grateful Today I will repay you These three adventures were the only ones of any consequence that befell Charming upon his journey and he made all the haste he could to reach the palace of the Princess Goldilocks When he arrived he thought everything he saw delightful and magnificent diamonds were as plentiful as pebbles and the gold and silver, the beautiful dresses the sweet meats and pretty things that were everywhere quite amazed him but to himself, if the Princess consents to leave all this and come with me to marry the King he may think himself lucky Then he dressed himself carefully in rich brocade with scarlet and white plumes and threw a splendid embroidered scarf over his shoulder and looking as gay and as graceful as possible he presented himself at the door of the palace carrying in his arm a tiny pretty dog which he had bought on the way The guards saluted him respectfully and a messenger was sent to the Princess to announce the arrival of Charming as ambassador of her neighbour the King Charming said the Princess The name promises well I have no doubt that he is good looking and fascinates everybody Indeed he does madam said all her maids of honour in one breath We saw him from the window of the garret and we were spinning flaxs and we could do nothing but look at him as long as he was in sight Well to be sure said the Princess that's how you amuse yourselves is it looking at strangers out of the window be quick and give me my blue satin embroidered dress and comb out my golden hair let somebody make me fresh garlands of flowers and give me my high healed shoes and my fan and tell them to sweep my great hall and my throne for I want everyone to say I am really pretty Goldilocks You can imagine how all her maids scurried this way and that to make the Princess ready and how in their haste they knocked their heads together and hindered each other till she thought they would never have done However at last they led her into the gallery of mirrors that she might assure herself that nothing was lacking in her appearance and then she mounted her throne of gold ebony and ivory while her ladies took their guitars and began to sing softly then charming was led in and was so struck with astonishment and admiration that at first not a word could he say but presently he took courage and delivered his harangue bravely ending by begging the Princess to spare him the disappointment of going back without her Sir Charming answered she all the reasons you have given me are very good ones and I assure you that I should have more pleasure in obliging you than anyone else but you must know that a month ago as I was walking by the river with my ladies I took off my glove and as I did so a ring that I was wearing slipped off my finger and rolled into the water as I valued it more than my kingdom you may imagine how vexed I was at losing it and I vowed never listen to any proposal of marriage unless the Ambassador first brought me back my ring so now you know what is expected of you for if you talked for fifteen days and fifteen nights you could not make me change my mind Charming was very much surprised by this answer but he bowed low to the Princess and begged her to accept the embroidered scarf and the tiny dog he had brought with him but she answered that she did not want any presents and that he was to remember what she had just told him when he got back to his lodge and he went to bed without eating any supper and his little dog who was called Frisk couldn't eat any either but came and lay down close to him all night Charming sighed and lamented I'll might have find a ring that fell into the river a month ago said he it is useless to try and the Princess must have told me to do it on purpose knowing it was impossible and then he sighed again Frisk heard him and said my dear master don't despair the luck may change you are too good not to be happy let us go down to the river as soon as it is light but Charming only gave him two little pats and said nothing and very soon he fell asleep at the first glimmer of dawn and when he had waked Charming they went out together first into the garden and then down to the river's brink where they wandered up and down Charming was thinking sadly of having to go back unsuccessful when he heard someone calling Charming, Charming he looked all about him and thought he must be dreaming as he could not see anybody then he walked on and the voice called again Charming, Charming who calls me, said he Frisk who was very small and could look closely into the water cried out I see a golden carp coming and sure enough there was the great carp who said to Charming you saved my life in the meadow by the willow tree and I promised that I would repay you take this it is Princess Goldilocks ring Charming took the ring out of Dame Carp's mouth thanking her a thousand times and he and Tiny Frisk went straight to the palace where someone told the Princess that he was asking to see her ah poor fellow said she he must have come to say goodbye finding it impossible to do as I asked so in came Charming who presented her with the ring and said Madam I have done your bidding will it please you to marry my master when the Princess saw her ring brought back to her unhurt she was so astonished that she thought she must be dreaming truly Charming said she you must be the favorite of some farrier you could never have found it Madam answered he I was helped by nothing but my desire to obey your wishes since you are so kind said she perhaps you will do me another service for till it is done I will never be married there is a prince not far from here whose name is Galifron who once wanted to marry me but when I refused he uttered the most terrible threats against me and vowed that he would lay waste my country but what could I do I could not marry a frightful giant as tall as a tower who eats up people as a monkey eats chestnuts and who talks so loud that anybody who has to listen to him becomes quite deaf nevertheless he does not cease to persecute me and to kill my subjects so before I can listen to your proposal you must kill him and bring me his head Charming was rather dismayed at this command but he answered very well princess I will fight this Galifron I believe that he will kill me but at any rate I shall die in your defense then the princess was frightened and said everything she could think of to prevent Charming from fighting the giant but it was of no use and he went out to arm himself suitably and then taking little Frisk with him he mounted his horse and set out for Galifron's country everyone he met told him what a terrible giant Galifron was and that nobody dared go near him and the more he heard the more frightened he grew Frisk tried to encourage him by saying while you are fighting the giant dear master I will go and bite his heels and when he stoops down to look at me you can kill him Charming praised his little dog's plan but knew that this help would not do much good at last he drew near the giant's castle and saw to his horror that every path that led to it was strewn with bones before long he saw Galifron coming his head was higher than the tallest trees and he sang in a terrible voice bring out your little boys and girls pray do not stay to do their curls for I shall eat so very many I shall not know if they have any there upon Charming sang out as loud as he could to the same tune come out and meet the valiant Charming who finds you not at all alarming although he is not very tall he's big enough to make you fall the rhymes were not very correct but you see he had made them up so quickly that it is a miracle that they were not worse especially as he was horribly frightened all the time when Galifron heard these words he looked all about him and saw Charming standing sword in hand this put the giant into a terrible rage and he aimed a blow at Charming with his huge iron club which would certainly have killed him if it had reached him but at that instant a raven perched upon the giant's head and pecking with its strong beak and beating with its great wings so confused and blinded him that all his blows fell harmlessly upon the air and Charming rushing in gave him several strokes with his sharp sword so that he fell to the ground where upon Charming cut off his head before he knew anything about it and the raven from a tree close by croaked out you see I have not forgotten the good turn you did me in killing the eagle today I think I have fulfilled my promise of repaying you indeed I owe you more gratitude than you ever owed me replied Charming and then he mounted his horse and rode off with Galifron's head when he reached the city the people ran after him in crowds crying behold the brave Charming who has killed the giant and their shouts reached the princess's ear but she dared not ask what was happening for fear she should hear that Charming had been killed but very soon he arrived at the palace with the giant's head of which she was still terrified though it could no longer do her any harm Princess said Charming I have killed your enemy I hope you will now consent to marry the king my master oh dear no said the princess not until you have brought me some water from the gloomy cavern not far from here there is a deep cave the entrance to which is guarded by two dragons with fiery eyes who will not allow anyone to pass them when you get into the cavern you will find an immense hole which you must go down and it is full of toads and snakes at the bottom of this hole there is another little cave in which rises the fountain of health and beauty it is some of this water that I really must have everything it touches becomes wonderful the beautiful things will always remain beautiful and the ugly things become lovely if one is young one never grows old and if one is old one becomes young you see Charming I could not leave my kingdom without taking some of it with me Princess said he you at least can never need this water but I am an unhappy ambassador whose death you desire where you send me I will go though I know I shall never return and as the princess Goldilocks showed no sign of relenting he started with his little dog for the gloomy cavern everyone he met on the way said what a pity that a handsome young man should throw away his life so carelessly he's going to the cavern alone although if he had a hundred men with him he could not succeed why does the princess ask impossibilities Charming said nothing but he was very sad when he was near the top of a hill he dismounted to let his horse graze while Frisk amused himself by chasing flies Charming knew he could not be far from the gloomy cavern and on looking about him he saw a black hideous rock from which came a thick smoke followed in a moment by one of the dragons with fire blazing from his mouth and eyes his body was yellow and green and his claws scarlet and his tail was so long that it lay in a hundred coils Frisk was so terrified at the sight of it that he did not know where to hide Charming quite determined to get the water or die now drew his sword and taking the crystal flask which pretty Goldilocks had given him to fill said to Frisk I feel sure that I shall never come back from this expedition when I am dead go to the princess and tell her that her errand has cost me my life then find the king my master and relate all my adventures to him as he spoke he heard a voice calling Charming Charming who calls me said he then he saw an owl sitting in a hollow tree who said to him you saved my life when I was caught in the net now I can repay you trust me with the flask for I know all the ways of the gloomy cavern and can fill it from the fountain of beauty Charming was only too glad to give her the flask and she flitted into the cavern quite unnoticed by the dragon and after some time returned with the flask filled to the very brim with sparkling water Charming thanked her with all his heart and joyfully hastened back to the town he went straight to the palace and gave the flask to the princess who had no further objection to make she thanked Charming and ordered the preparation should be made for her departure and they soon set out together the princess found Charming such an agreeable companion that she sometimes said to him why didn't we stay where we were I could have made you king and we should have been so happy but Charming only answered I could not have done anything that would have vexed my master so much even for a kingdom or to please you though I think you are as beautiful as the sun at last they reached the king's great city and he came out to meet the princess bringing magnificent presents and the marriage was celebrated with great rejoicings but Goldilocks was so fond of Charming that she could not be happy unless he was near her and she was always singing his praises if it hadn't been for Charming, she said to the king I should never have come here to be very much obliged to him for he did the most impossible things and got me water from the fountain of beauty so I can never grow old and shall get prettier every year then Charming's enemies said to the king it is a wonder that you are not jealous the queen thinks there is nobody in the world like Charming as if anybody you had sent could not have done just as much it is quite true now I come to think of it said the king let him be chained hand and foot and thrown into the tower so they took Charming and as a reward for having served the king so faithfully he was shot up in the tower where he saw only the jailer who brought him a piece of black bread and a pitcher of water every day however little Frisk came to console him and told him all the news when pretty Goldilocks heard what had happened she threw herself at the king's feet and begged him to set Charming free but the more she cried the more angry he was and at last she saw that it was useless to say any more but it made her very sad then the king took it into his head that perhaps he was not handsome enough to please the princess Goldilocks and he thought he would bathe his face with the water from the fountain of beauty which was in the flask on a shelf in the princess's room where she had placed it that she might see it often now it happened that one of the princess's ladies in chasing a spider had knocked the flask off the shelf and broken it and every drop of the water had been spilled not knowing what to do she had hastily swept away the pieces of crystal and then remembered that in the king's room she had seen a flask of exactly the same shape also filled with sparkling water so without saying a word she fetched it and stood it upon the queen's shelf now the water in this flask was what was used in the kingdom for getting rid of troublesome people instead of having their heads cut off in the usual way their faces were bathed with the water and they instantly fell asleep and never woke up anymore so when the king thinking to improve his beauty took the flask and sprinkled the water upon his face he fell asleep and nobody could wake him little Frisk was the first to hear the news and he ran to tell Charming who sent him to beg the princess not to forget the poor prisoner all the palace was in confusion on account of the king's death but tiny Frisk made his way through the crowd to the princess's side and said, Madam, do not forget poor Charming then she remembered all he had done for her and without saying a word to anyone went straight to the tower and with her own hands took off Charming's chains then putting a golden crown upon his head and the royal mantle upon his shoulder she said come faithful Charming, I make you king and will take you for my husband Charming once more free and happy fell at her feet and thanked her for her gracious words everybody was delighted that he should be king and the wedding which took place at once was the prettiest that can be imagined and Prince Charming and Princess Goldilocks lived happily ever after Madame Donnoy End of the story of pretty Goldilocks Recording by Jeanette Selig The History of Whittington of the Blue Fairy Book This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang The History of Whittington Dick Whittington was a very little boy when his father and mother died so little indeed that he never knew them nor the place where he was born he strolled about the country as ragged as a colt till he met with a wagoner who was going to London and who gave him leave to walk all the way by the side of his wagon without paying anything for his passage this pleased little Whittington very much as he wanted to see London sadly for he had heard that the streets were paved with gold and he was willing to get a bushel of it but how great was his disappointment poor boy when he saw the streets covered with dirt instead of gold and found himself in a strange place without a friend without food and without money though the wagoner was so charitable as to let him walk up by the side of the wagon for nothing he took care not to know him when he came to town and the poor boy was in a little time so cold and hungry that he wished himself in a good kitchen and by a warm fire in the country in his distress he asked charity of several people and one of them bid him go work for an idle rogue that I will said Whittington with all my heart I will work for you if you will let me the man who thought this savoured of wit and impertinence though the poor lad intended only to show his readiness to work gave him a blow with a stick which broke his head so that the blood ran down in this situation and fainting for want of food he laid himself down at the door of one Mr. Fitzwarren the merchant where the cook saw him and, being an ill-natured hussy ordered him to go about his business or she would scald him at this time Mr. Fitzwarren came from the exchange and began also to scold at the poor boy bidding him to go to work Whittington answered that he should be glad to work if anybody would employ him and that he should be able if he could get some victuals to eat for he had had nothing for three days he was a poor country boy and knew nobody and nobody would employ him he then endeavored to get up but he was so very weak that he fell down again which excited so much compassion in the merchant that he ordered the servants to take him in and give him some meat and drink and let him help the cook to do any dirty work that she had to set him about people are too apt to approach those who beg with being idle but give themselves no concern to put them in the way of getting business to do or considering whether they are able to do it which is not charity but we return to Whittington who could have lived happily in this worthy family had he not been bumped about by the cross cook who must be always roasting and basting or when the spit was idle employed her hands upon poor Whittington at last Miss Alice, his master's daughter, was informed of it and then she took compassion on the poor boy and made the servants treat him kindly besides the crossness of the cook Whittington had another difficulty to get over before he could be happy he had by order of his master a flock bed placed for him in a garret where there was a number of rats and mice that often ran over the poor boy's nose and disturbed him in his sleep after some time however a gentleman who came to his master's house gave Whittington a penny for brushing his shoes this he put into his pocket being determined to lay it out to the best advantage and the next day seeing a woman in the street with a cat under her arm he ran up to know the price of it the woman, as the cat was a good mouser asked a deal of money for it but on Whittington's telling her he had but a penny in the world and that he wanted a cat sadly she let him have it this cat Whittington concealed in the garret for fear she should be beat about by his mortal enemy the cook and here she soon killed a frightened away the rats and mice so that the poor boy could now sleep his sound as a top soon after this the merchant who had a ship ready to sail called for his servants, as his custom was in order that each of them might venture something to try their luck and whatever they sent was to pay neither freight nor custom for he thought justly that God Almighty would bless him the more for his readiness to let the poor partake of his fortune all the servants appeared but poor Whittington who, having neither money nor goods could not think of sending anything to try his luck but his good friend Miss Alice thinking his poverty kept him away ordered him to be called she then offered to lay down something for him but the merchant told his daughter that would not do it must be something of his own upon which poor Whittington said he had nothing but a cat which he bought for a penny that was given him fetch thy cat boy said the merchant and send her Whittington brought poor Puss and delivered her to the captain with tears in his eyes for he said he should now be disturbed by the rats and mice as much as ever all the company laughed at the adventure but Miss Alice who pitied the poor boy and gave him something to buy another cat while Puss was beating the billows at sea poor Whittington was severely beaten at home by his tyrannical mistress the cook who used him so cruelly and made such game of him for sending his cat to sea that at last the poor boy determined to run away from his place and having packed up the few things he had he set out very early in the morning on all Hollow's day he traveled as far as Holloway and there sat down on a stone to consider what course he should take but while he was thus ruminating bow bells of which there were only six began to ring he thought their sounds addressed him in this manner turn again Whittington thrice Lord Mayor of London Lord Mayor of London said he to himself what would not one endure to be Lord Mayor of London and ride in such a fine coach well I'll go back again and bear all the pummeling and ill usage of Sicily rather than miss the opportunity of being Lord Mayor so home he went and happily got into the house and about his business before Mrs. Sicily made her appearance we must now follow Miss Puss to the coast of Africa how perilous our voyage is at sea how uncertain the winds and the waves and how many accidents attend a naval life the ship that had the cat on board was long beaten at sea and at last by contrary winds driven on a part of the coast of Barbary which was inhabited by boars and unknown to the English these people received our countrymen with civility and therefore the captain in order to trade with them showed them the patterns of the goods he had on board and sent some of them to the king of the country who was so well pleased that he sent for the captain and the factor to come to his palace which was about a mile from the sea here they were placed according to the custom of the country which carpets flowered with gold and silver and the king and queen being seated at the upper end of the room dinner was brought in which consisted of many dishes but no sooner where the dishes put down but an amazing number of rats and mice came from all quarters and devoured all the meat in an instant the factor in surprise turned round to the nobles and asked if these vermin were not offensive oh yes said they very offensive and the king would give half his treasure to be freed of them for they not only destroy his dinner as you see but they assault him in his chamber and even in beds so that he is obliged to be watched while he is sleeping for fear of them the factor jumped for joy he remembered poor Whittington and his cat and told the king he had a creature on board the ship that would dispatch all these vermin immediately the king's heart heaved so high at the joy which this news gave him that his turban dropped off his head bring this creature to me he said vermin are dreadful in a court and if she will perform what you say I will load your ship with gold and jewels in exchange for her the factor who knew his business took this opportunity to set forth the merits of Miss Puss he told his majesty that it would be inconvenient to part with her as when she was gone the rats and mice might destroy the goods in the ship but to oblige his majesty he would fetch her run run said the queen I am impatient to see the dear creature away flew the factor while another dinner was providing and returned with a cat just as the rats and mice were devouring that also he immediately put down Miss Puss who killed a great number of them the king rejoiced greatly to see his old enemies destroyed by so small a creature and the queen was highly pleased and desired the cat might be brought near that she might look at her upon which the factor called pussy pussy pussy and she came to him he then presented her to the queen who started back and was afraid to touch a creature who had made such havoc among the rats and mice however when the factor stroke the cat and called pussy pussy the queen also touched her and cried putty putty for she had not learned English he then put her down on the queen's lap where she purring played with her majesty's hand and then sang herself to sleep the king having seen the exploits of Miss Puss and being informed that her kittens would stalk the whole country bargained with the captain and factor for the whole ship's cargo and then gave them ten times as much for the cat as all the rest amounted to on which taking leave of their majesty's and other great personages at court they sailed with a fair wind for England whither we must now attend them the morn had scarce dawned when Mr. Fitzwarren arose to count over the cash and settle the business for that day he had just entered the counting-house and seated himself at the desk when somebody came tap tap at the door who's there? said Mr. Fitzwarren a friend answered the other what friend can come at this unseasonable time a real friend is never unseasonable answered the other I come to bring you good news of your ship Unicorn the merchant bustled up in such a hurry that he forgot his gout instantly opened the door and who should be seen waiting but the captain and factor with a cabinet of jewels and a bill of landing for which the merchant lifted up his eyes and thanked heaven for sending him such a prosperous voyage then they told him the adventures of the cat and showed him the cabinet of jewels which they had brought for Mr. Whittington upon which he cried out with great earnestness but not in the most poetical manner go send him in and tell him of his fame and call him Mr. Whittington by name it is not our business to animadvert upon these lines we are not critics but historians it is sufficient for us that they are the words of Mr. Fitzwarren and though it is beside our purpose and perhaps not in our power to prove him a good poet we shall soon convince the reader that he was a good man which was a much better character for when some who were present told him that this treasure was too much for such a poor boy as Whittington he said God forbid that I should deprive him of a penny it is his own and he shall have it to a farthing he then ordered Mr. Whittington in who was at this time cleaning the kitchen and would have excused himself from going into the counting-house saying the room was swept and his shoes were dirty and full of hobnails the merchant however made him come in and ordered a chair to be set for him upon which thinking they intended to make sport for him as had been too often the case in the kitchen he besought his master not to mock a poor simple fellow who intended them no harm but let him go about his business the merchant taking him by the hand said indeed Mr. Whittington I am in earnest with you and send for you to congratulate you on your great success your cat has procured you more money than I am worth in the world and may you long enjoy it and be happy at length being shown the treasure and convinced by them that all of it belonged to him he fell upon his knees and thanked the Almighty for his providential care of such a poor and miserable creature he then laid all the treasure at his master's feet who refused to take any part of it but told him he hardly rejoiced at his prosperity and hoped the wealth he had acquired would be a comfort to him and would make him happy he then applied to his mistress and to his good friend Miss Alice who refused to take any part of the money but told him she hardly rejoiced at his good success and wished him all imaginable felicity he then gratified the captain factor and the ship's crew for the care they had taken of his cargo he likewise distributed presents to all the servants in the house not forgetting even his old enemy the cook though she little deserved it after this Mr. Fritz Warren advised Mr. Whittington to send for the necessary people and dress himself like a gentleman and made him the offer of his house to live in till he could provide himself with a better now it came to pass when Mr. Whittington's face was washed his hair curled and he dressed in a rich suit of clothes that he turned out a gentile young fellow and as wealth contributes much to give a man confidence he in a little time dropped that sheepish behavior which was principally occasioned by a depression of spirits and soon grew a sprightly and good companion in so much that Miss Alice, who had formerly pitied him now fell in love with him when her father perceived they had this good liking for each other he proposed a match between them to which both parties cheerfully consented and the Lord Mayor, court of alderman, sheriffs, the company of stationers, the Royal Academy of Arts and a number of eminent merchants attended the ceremony and were elegantly treated at an entertainment made for that purpose history further relates that they lived very happy had several children and died at a good age Mr. Whittington served as sheriff of London and was three times Lord Mayor in the last year of his mayoralty he entertained King Henry V. and his Queen after his conquest of France upon which occasion the king in consideration of Whittington's merit said Never had Prince such a subject which being told to Whittington at the table he replied Never had subjects such as a king His Majesty, out of respect to his good character conferred the honour of knighthood on him soon after Sir Richard, many years before his death constantly fed a great number of poor citizens built a church and a college to it with the yearly allowance for poor scholars and near it erected a hospital he also built Newgate for criminals and gave liberally to St. Bartholomew's hospital and other public charities End of the History of Whittington Recording by Scott Robbins The Wonderful Sheep of the Blue Fairy Book This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org That's L-I-B-R-I-V-O-X-dot-O-R-G Recording by Christy Nowak The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang The Wonderful Sheep Once upon a time, in the days when fairies lived there was a king who had three daughters who were all young and clever and beautiful but the youngest of the three, who was called Miranda was the prettiest and most beloved The king, her father, gave her more dresses and jewels in a month than he gave the others in a year but she was so generous that she shared everything with her sisters and they were all as happy and as fond of one another as they could be Now, the king had some quarrelsome neighbors who, tired of leaving him in peace began to make war upon him so fiercely that he feared he would be altogether beaten if he did not make an effort to defend himself So he collected a great army and set off to fight them leaving the princesses with their governess in a castle where news of the war was brought every day sometimes that the king had taken a town or won a battle and, at last, that he had altogether overcome his enemies and chased them out of his kingdom and was coming back to the castle as quickly as possible to see his dear little Miranda whom he loved so much The three princesses put on dresses of satin which they had made on purpose for this great occasion one green, one blue, and the third white Their jewels were the same colors The eldest wore emeralds the second turquoises and the youngest diamonds and thus adorned they went to meet the king singing verses which they had composed about his victories When he saw them all so beautiful and so gay he embraced them tenderly but gave Miranda more kisses than either of the others Presently a splendid banquet was served and the king and his daughters sat down to it and as he always thought there was some special meaning in everything, he said to the eldest Tell me why you have chosen a green dress Sire, she answered, having heard of your victories I thought that green would signify my joy and the hope of your speedy return That is a very good answer, said the king and you, my daughter, he continued Why did you take a blue dress? Sire, said the princess to show that we constantly hoped for your success and that the sight of you is as welcome to me as the sky with its most beautiful stars Why, said the king, your wise answers astonish me and you, Miranda, what made you dress yourself all in white? Because, Sire, she answered, white suits me better than anything else What? said the king angrily Was that all you thought of, vain child? I thought you would be pleased with me, said the princess That was all The king, who loved her, was satisfied with this and even pretended to be pleased that she had not told him all her reasons at first And now, he said, as I have supped well and it is not time yet to go to bed tell me what you dreamed last night The eldest said she had dreamed that he brought her a dress and the precious stones and golden broidery on it were brighter than the sun The dream of the second was that the king had brought her a spinning wheel and a disc staff that she might spin him some shirts but the youngest said I dreamed that my second sister was to be married and on her wedding day, you, father, held a golden ure and said, come, Miranda, and I will hold the water that you may dip your hands in it The king was very angry indeed when he heard this dream and frowned horribly Indeed, he made such an ugly face that everyone knew how angry he was and he got up and went off to bed in a great hurry but he could not forget his daughter's dream Does the proud girl wish to make me her slave? I am not surprised at her choosing to dress herself in white satin without a thought of me She does not think me worthy of her consideration but I will soon put an end to her pretensions He rose in a fury and although it was not yet daylight he sent for the captain of his bodyguard and said to him You have heard the princess Miranda's dream I consider that it means strange things against me therefore I order you to take her away into the forest and kill her and that I may be sure it is done you must bring me her heart and her tongue If you attempt to deceive me you shall be put to death The captain of the guard was very much astonished when he heard this barbarous order but he did not dare to contradict the king for fear of making him still more angry or causing him to send someone else so he answered that he would fetch the princess and do as the king had said When he went to her room they would hardly let him in it was so early but he said that the king had sent for Miranda and she got up quickly and came out A little black girl called Patti Pada held up her train and her pet monkey and her little dog ran after her The monkey was called Grebudian and the little dog Tin Tin The captain of the guard begged Miranda to come down into the garden where the king was enjoying the fresh air and when they got there he pretended to search for him but as he was not to be found he said No doubt his majesty has strolled into the forest and he opened the little door that led to it and they went through By this time the daylight had begun to appear and the princess, looking at her conductor shed tears in his eyes and seemed too sad to speak What is the matter? she said in the kindest way You seem very sorrowful Alas princess, he answered Who would not be sorrowful who was ordered to do such a terrible thing as I am The king has commanded me to kill you here and carry your heart and tongue to him and if I disobey I shall lose my life The poor princess was terrified She grew very pale and began to cry softly Looking up at the captain of the guard Beautiful eyes, she said gently Will you really have the heart to kill me? I have never done you any harm and have always spoken well of you to the king If I had deserved my father's anger I would suffer without a murmur but alas he is unjust to complain of me when I have always treated him with love and respect Fear nothing princess said the captain of the guard I would far rather die myself than hurt you but even if I am killed you will not be safe we must find some way of making the king believe that you are dead What can we do? said Miranda unless you take him my heart and my tongue he will never believe you The princess and the captain of the guard were talking so earnestly that they did not think of patty patta but she had overheard all they said and now came and threw herself at Miranda's feet Madam, she said I offer you my life, let me be killed I shall only be too happy to die for such a kind mistress Why patty patta? cried the princess kissing her That would never do your life is as precious to me as my own especially after such a proof of your affection as you have just given me You are right princess said Grabogean coming forward to love such a faithful slave as patty patta she is of more use to you than I am I offer you my tongue and my heart most willingly especially as I wish to make a great name for myself in goblin land Oh no my little Grabogean replied Miranda I cannot bear the thought of taking your life Such a good little dog as I am cried Tintin could not think of letting either of you die for his mistress if anyone is to die for her it must be me and then began a great dispute between patty patta Grabogean and Tintin and they came to high words until at last Grabogean who was quicker than the others ran up to the very top of the nearest tree and let herself fall head first to the ground and there she lay, quite dead the princess was very sorry but as Grabogean was really dead she allowed the captain of the guard to take her tongue but alas it was such a little one not bigger than the princess's thumb that they decided sorrowfully that it was of no use at all the king would not have been taken in by it for a moment alas my little monkey cried the princess I have lost you and yet I am no better off than I was before the honor of saving your life is to be mine interrupted patty patta and before they could prevent her she had picked up a knife and cut her head off in an instant but when the captain of the guard would have taken her tongue it turned out to be quite black so that would not have deceived the king either am I not unlucky? cried the poor princess I lose everything I love and am none the better for it if you had accepted my offer said Tintin you would only have had me to regret and I should have had all your gratitude Miranda kissed her little dog crying so bitterly that at last she could bear it no longer and turned away into the forest when she looked back the captain of the guard was gone and she was alone except for patty patta grabudian and Tintin who lay upon the ground she could not leave the place until she had buried them in a pretty little mossy grave at the foot of a tree and she wrote their names upon the bark of the tree and how they had all died to save her life and then she began to think where she could go for safety for this forest was so close to her father's castle that she might be seen and recognized by the first passerby and besides that it was full of lions and wolves she snapped up a princess just as soon as a straight chicken so she began to walk as fast as she could but the forest was so large and the sun was so hot that she nearly died of heat and terror and fatigue look which way she would there seemed to be no end to the forest and she was so frightened that she fancied every minute that she heard the king running after her to kill her you may imagine how miserable she was and how she cried as she went on not knowing which path to follow and with the thorny bushes scratching her dreadfully she was wearing her pretty frock to pieces at last she heard the bleeding of a sheep and said to herself no doubt there are shepherds here with their flocks they will show me the way to some village where I can live disguised as a peasant girl alas it is not always kings and princes who are the happiest people in the world who could have believed that I should ever be obliged to run away and hide because the king for no reason at all wishes to kill me so saying she advanced toward the place where she heard the bleeding but what was her surprise when a lovely little glade quite surrounded by trees she saw a large sheep its wool was as white as snow and its horns shone like gold it had a garland of flowers around its neck and strings of great pearls around its legs and a collar of diamonds it lay upon a bank of orange flowers under a canopy of cloth of gold which protected it from the heat of the sun nearly a hundred other sheep were scattered about not eating the grass but some drinking coffee, lemonade or sherbet others eating ice strawberries and cream or sweet meats while others again were playing games many of them were golden collars with jewels, flowers and ribbons Miranda stopped short in amazement at this unexpected sight and was looking in all directions for the shepherd of this surprising flock when the beautiful sheep came bounding toward her approach lovely princess he cried have no fear of such gentle and peaceable animals as we are the marvel! cried the princess starting back a little here is a sheep that can talk your monkey and your dog could talk madame said he are you more astonished at us than at them a fairy gave them the power to speak replied Miranda so I was used to them perhaps the same thing has happened to us he said smiling sheepishly but princess what can have led you here a thousand misfortunes sir sheep she answered I am the happiest princess in the world and I am seeking a shelter against my father's anger come with me madame said the sheep I offer you a hiding place which you only will know of and where you will be mistress of everything you see I really cannot follow you said Miranda for I am too tired to walk another step the sheep with the golden horns ordered that his chariot should be fetched and a moment after appeared six goats harnessed to a pumpkin which was so big that two people could quite well sit in it and was all lined with cushions of velvet and down the princess stepped into it much amused at such a new kind of carriage and the king of the sheep took his place beside her and the goats ran away with them at full speed and only stopped when they reached a cavern the entrance to which was blocked by a great stone this the king touched with his foot and immediately it fell down and he invited the princess to enter without fear now if she had not been so alarmed by everything that had happened nothing could have induced her to go into this frightful cave but she was so afraid of what might be behind her that she would have thrown herself even down a well at this moment so without hesitation she followed the sheep who went before her down, down, down until she thought they must come out at the other side of the world indeed she was not sure that he wasn't leading her into fairy land at last she saw before her a great plain quite covered with all sorts of flowers the scent of which seemed to her nicer than anything she had ever smelled before a broad river of orange flower water flowed round it and fountains of wine of every kind ran in all directions and made the prettiest little cascades and brooks the plain was covered with the strangest trees there were whole avenues where partridges ready roasted hung from every branch or if you preferred pheasants quails, turkeys or rabbits you had only to turn to the right hand or to the left and you were sure to find them in places the air was darkened by showers of lobster patties white puddings, sausages, tarts and all sorts of sweetmeats or with pieces of gold and silver diamonds and pearls this unusual kind of rain and the pleasantness of the whole place would no doubt have attracted numbers of people to it if the king of the sheep had been of a more sociable disposition but from all accounts it is evident that he was as grave as a judge as it was quite the nicest time of the year when Miranda arrived in this delightful land the only palace she saw was a long row of orange trees jasmine, honeysuckles and musk roses and their interlacing branches made the prettiest rooms possible which were hung with gold and silver gauze and had great mirrors and candlesticks and most beautiful pictures the wonderful sheep begged that the princess would consider herself queen over all that she saw and assured her that though for some years he had been very sad and in great trouble she had it in her power to make him forgetful of all his grief all kind and generous noble sheep said the princess that I cannot thank you enough but I must confess that all I see here seems to me so extraordinary that I don't know what to think of it as she spoke a band of lovely fairies came up and offered her amber baskets full of fruit but when she held out her hands to them they glided away and she could feel nothing when she tried to touch them oh, she cried what can they be? whom am I with? and she began to cry at this instant the king of the sheep came back to her and was so distracted to find her in tears that he could have torn his wool what is the matter lovely princess? he cried has anyone failed to treat you with due respect? oh, no, said Miranda oh, nay, I am not used to living with sprites and with sheep that talk and everything here frightens me it was very kind of you to bring me to this place but I shall be even more grateful to you if you will take me up into the world again do not be afraid you are the wonderful sheep I entreat you to have patience and listen to the story of my misfortunes I was once a king and my kingdom was the most splendid in the world my subjects loved me my neighbors envied and feared me I was respected by everyone and it was said that no king ever deserved it more I was very fond of hunting and one day while chasing a stag I left my attendance far behind suddenly I saw the animal leap into a pool of water and I rashly urged my horse to follow it before we had gone many steps I felt an extraordinary heat instead of the coolness of the water the pond dried up a great gulf opened before me out of which flames of fire shot up and I fell helplessly to the bottom of a precipice I gave myself up for lost but presently a voice said ungrateful prince even this fire is hardly enough to warm your cold heart who complains of my coldness in this dismal place? I cried replied the voice and at the same moment the flames began to flicker and cease to burn and I saw a fairy whom I had known as long as I could remember and whose ugliness had always horrified me she was leaning upon the arm of a most beautiful young girl who wore chains of gold on her wrists and was evidently her slave why ragot I said for that was the fairy's name what is the meaning of all this is it by your orders that I am here and whose fault is it she answered that you have never understood me until now must a powerful fairy like myself condescend to explain her doings to you who are no better than an ant by comparison though you think yourself a great king call me what you like I said impatiently but what is it that you want my crown or my cities or my treasures treasures said the fairy disdainfully if I choose I could make any one of my skullions richer and more powerful than you I do not want your treasures but she added softly you will give me your heart if you will marry me I will add twenty kingdoms to the one you have already you shall have a hundred castles full of gold and five hundred full of silver and in short anything you like to ask me for madame ragot I said when one is at the bottom of a pit where one has fully expected to be roasted alive it is impossible to think of asking such a charming person as you are to marry one I beg that you will set me at liberty and then I shall hope to answer you fittingly ah she said if you really loved me you would not care where you were a cave, a wood, a foxhole, a desert would please you equally well do not think that you can deceive me you fancy you are going to escape but I assure you that you are going to stay here and the first thing I shall give you to do will be to keep my sheep they are very good company and speak quite as well as you do as she spoke she advanced and led me to this plane where we now stand and showed me her flock of attention to it or to her to tell the truth I was so lost in admiration of her beautiful slave that I forgot everything else and the cruel ragot perceiving this turned upon her so furious and terrible a look that she fell lifeless to the ground at this dreadful sight I drew my sword and rushed at ragot and should certainly have cut off her head had she not by her magic arts chained me to the spot on which I stood all my efforts to move were useless and at last when I threw myself down on the ground in the despair she said to me with a scornful smile I intend to make you feel my power it seems that you are a lion at present I mean you to be a sheep so saying she touched me with her wand and I became what you see I did not lose the power of speech or of feeling the misery of my present state for five years she said you shall be a sheep and lord of this pleasant land while I no longer able to see your face which I loved so much shall be better able to hate you as you deserve to be hated she disappeared as she finished speaking and if I had not been too unhappy to care about anything I should have been glad that she was gone the talking sheep received me as their king and told me that they too were unfortunate princes who had in different ways offended the revengeful fairy and had been added to her flock for a certain number of years some more some less from time to time indeed one regains his own proper form and goes back again to his place in the upper world but the other beings whom you saw are the rivals or the enemies of Regot whom she has imprisoned for a hundred years or so even though they will go back at last the young slave of whom I told you about is one of these I have seen her often and it has been a great pleasure to me she never speaks to me and if I were nearer to her I know I should find her only a shadow which would be very annoying however I noticed that one of my companions in Miss Fortune was also very attentive to this little sprite and I found out that he had been her lover and the cruel Regot had taken away from her long before since then I have cared for and thought of nothing but how I might regain my freedom I have often been in the forest that is where I have seen you lovely princess sometimes driving your chariot which you did with all the grace and skill in the world sometimes riding to the chase and so spirited a horse that it seemed as if no one but yourself could have managed it and sometimes running races on the plane with the princesses of your court running so lightly that it was you always who won the prize oh princess I have loved you so long and yet how dare I tell you of my love what hope can there be for an unhappy sheep like myself Miranda was so surprised and confused by all that she had heard that she hardly knew what answer to give to the king of the sheep but she managed to make some kind of little speech which certainly did not forbid him to hope and said that she should not be afraid of the shadows now she knew that they would someday come to life again alas she continued Harry Potter, my dear Grabogean and pretty little Tintin who all died for my sake were equally well off I should have nothing left to wish for here prisoner though he was the king of the sheep had still some powers and privileges go said he to his master of the horse go and seek the shadows of the little black girl the monkey and the dog they will amuse our princess and an instant afterward Miranda saw them coming toward her and their presence gave her the greatest pleasure to touch them the king of the sheep was so kind and amusing and loved Miranda so dearly that at last she began to love him too such a handsome sheep who was so polite and considerate could hardly fail to please especially if one knew that he was really a king and that his strange imprisonment would soon come to an end so the princesses days passed very gaily while she waited for the happy time to come the king of the sheep with the help of all the flock got up balls, concerts and hunting parties the shadows joined in all the fun and came making believe to be their own real selves one evening when the couriers arrived for the king sent most carefully for news and they always brought the very best kinds it was announced that the sister of the princess Miranda was going to be married to a great prince and nothing could be more splendid than all the preparations for the wedding ah! cried the young princess how unlucky I am to miss the sight of so many pretty things here am I imprisoned under the earth with no company the sheep and shadows while my sister is to be adorned like a queen and surrounded by all who love and admire her and everyone but myself can go to wish her joy why do you complain princess said the king of the sheep did I say that you were not to go to the wedding set out as soon as you please only promise me that you will come back for I love you too much to be able to live without you Miranda was very grateful to him and promised faithfully that nothing in the world should keep her from coming back to the court suitable to her rank to be got ready for her and she dressed herself splendidly not forgetting anything that could make her more beautiful her chariot was of mother of pearl drawn by six done colored griffins just brought from the other side of the world and she was attended by a number of guards and splendid uniforms who were all at least eight feet high and had come from far and near to ride in the princess's train Miranda reached her father's palace just as the wedding ceremony began and everyone as soon as she came in was struck with surprise at her beauty and the splendor of her