[Illustration: '_She rose and fled as nimbly as a fawn_']

'If you had been at the ball,' said one of the sisters, 'you would not
be feeling weary. There came a most beautiful princess, the most
beautiful that has ever been seen, and she bestowed numberless
attentions upon us, and gave us her oranges and lemons.' Cinderella was overjoyed. She asked them the name of the princess, but
they replied that no one knew it, and that the king's son was so
distressed that he would give anything in the world to know who she was. Cinderella smiled, and said she must have been beautiful indeed. 'Oh, how lucky you are. Could I not manage to see her? Oh, please,
Javotte, lend me the yellow dress which you wear every day.' 'Indeed!' said Javotte, 'that is a fine idea. Lend my dress to a grubby
cinder-slut like you--you must think me mad!' Cinderella had expected this refusal. She was in no way upset, for she
would have been very greatly embarrassed had her sister been willing to
lend the dress. The next day the two sisters went to the ball, and so did Cinderella,
even more splendidly attired than the first time. The king's son was always at her elbow, and paid her endless
compliments. The young girl enjoyed herself so much that she forgot her godmother's
bidding completely, and when the first stroke of midnight fell upon her
ears, she thought it was no more than eleven o'clock. She rose and fled as nimbly as a fawn. The prince followed her, but
could not catch her. She let fall one of her glass slippers, however,
and this the prince picked up with tender care. When Cinderella reached home she was out of breath, without coach,
without lackeys, and in her shabby clothes. Nothing remained of all her
splendid clothes save one of the little slippers, the fellow to the one
which she had let fall. Inquiries were made of the palace doorkeepers as to whether they had
seen a princess go out, but they declared they had seen no one leave
except a young girl, very ill-clad, who looked more like a peasant than
a young lady. When her two sisters returned from the ball, Cinderella asked them if
they had again enjoyed themselves, and if the beautiful lady had been
there. They told her that she was present, but had fled away when
midnight sounded, and in such haste that she had let fall one of her
little glass slippers, the prettiest thing in the world. They added that
the king's son, who picked it up, had done nothing but gaze at it for
the rest of the ball, from which it was plain that he was deeply in love
with its beautiful owner. They spoke the truth. A few days later, the king's son caused a
proclamation to be made by trumpeters, that he would take for wife the
owner of the foot which the slipper would fit. They tried it first on the princesses, then on the duchesses and the
whole of the Court, but in vain. Presently they brought it to the home
of the two sisters, who did all they could to squeeze a foot into the
slipper. This, however, they could not manage. Cinderella was looking on and recognised her slipper:

'Let me see,' she cried, laughingly, 'if it will not fit me.' [Illustration: '_They tried it first on the princesses_']

Her sisters burst out laughing, and began to gibe at her, but the
equerry who was trying on the slipper looked closely at Cinderella. Observing that she was very beautiful he declared that the claim was
quite a fair one, and that his orders were to try the slipper on every
maiden. He bade Cinderella sit down, and on putting the slipper to her
little foot he perceived that the latter slid in without trouble, and
was moulded to its shape like wax. Great was the astonishment of the two sisters at this, and greater still
when Cinderella drew from her pocket the other little slipper. This she
likewise drew on. At that very moment her godmother appeared on the scene. She gave a tap
with her wand to Cinderella's clothes, and transformed them into a dress
even more magnificent than her previous ones. The two sisters recognised her for the beautiful person whom they had
seen at the ball, and threw themselves at her feet, begging her pardon
for all the ill-treatment she had suffered at their hands. Cinderella raised them, and declaring as she embraced them that she
pardoned them with all her heart, bade them to love her well in future. She was taken to the palace of the young prince in all her new array. He
found her more beautiful than ever, and was married to her a few days
afterwards. Cinderella was as good as she was beautiful. She set aside apartments in
the palace for her two sisters, and married them the very same day to
two gentlemen of high rank about the Court. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD


Once upon a time there was a little village girl, the prettiest that had
ever been seen. Her mother doted on her. Her grandmother was even
fonder, and made her a little red hood, which became her so well that
everywhere she went by the name of Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother, who had just made and baked some cakes, said to her:

'Go and see how your grandmother is, for I have been told that she is
ill. Take her a cake and this little pot of butter.' Little Red Riding Hood set off at once for the house of her grandmother,
who lived in another village. On her way through a wood she met old Father Wolf. He would have very
much liked to eat her, but dared not do so on account of some
wood-cutters who were in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, not knowing that it was dangerous to stop and listen to
a wolf, said:

'I am going to see my grandmother, and am taking her a cake and a pot of
butter which my mother has sent to her.' 'Does she live far away?' asked the Wolf. 'Oh yes,' replied Little Red Riding Hood; 'it is yonder by the mill
which you can see right below there, and it is the first house in the
village.' [Illustration: _Little Red Riding Hood_]

'Well now,' said the Wolf, 'I think I shall go and see her too. I will
go by this path, and you by that path, and we will see who gets there
first.' [Illustration: '_She met old Father Wolf_']

The Wolf set off running with all his might by the shorter road, and the
little girl continued on her way by the longer road. As she went she
amused herself by gathering nuts, running after the butterflies, and
making nosegays of the wild flowers which she found. The Wolf was not long in reaching the grandmother's house. He knocked. _Toc Toc._

'Who is there?' 'It is your little daughter, Red Riding Hood,' said the Wolf, disguising
his voice, 'and I bring you a cake and a little pot of butter as a
present from my mother.' [Illustration: '_Making nosegays of the wild flowers_']

The worthy grandmother was in bed, not being very well, and cried out to
him:

'Pull out the peg and the latch will fall.' The Wolf drew out the peg and the door flew open. Then he sprang upon
the poor old lady and ate her up in less than no time, for he had been
more than three days without food.