Thou hast no clothes and shoes, and yet wouldst dance!” As,
however, Cinderella went on asking, the step-mother at last said, “I
have emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes for thee, if thou hast
picked them out again in two hours, thou shalt go with us.” The maiden
went through the back-door into the garden, and called, “You tame
pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and
help me to pick

“The good into the pot,
The bad into the crop.”


Then two white pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards
the turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came
whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the
pigeons nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and
the rest began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good
grains into the dish. Hardly had one hour passed before they had
finished, and all flew out again. Then the girl took the dish to her
step-mother, and was glad, and believed that now she would be allowed
to go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, “No,
Cinderella, thou hast no clothes and thou canst not dance; thou wouldst
only be laughed at.” And as Cinderella wept at this, the step-mother
said, “If thou canst pick two dishes of lentils out of the ashes for me
in one hour, thou shalt go with us.” And she thought to herself, “That
she most certainly cannot do.” When the step-mother had emptied the two
dishes of lentils amongst the ashes, the maiden went through the
back-door into the garden and cried, You tame pigeons, you
turtle-doves, and all you birds under heaven, come and help me to pick

“The good into the pot,
The bad into the crop.”


Then two white pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards
the turtle-doves, and at length all the birds beneath the sky, came
whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the doves
nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and the
others began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good
seeds into the dishes, and before half an hour was over they had
already finished, and all flew out again. Then the maiden carried the
dishes to the step-mother and was delighted, and believed that she
might now go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, “All
this will not help thee; thou goest not with us, for thou hast no
clothes and canst not dance; we should be ashamed of thee!” On this she
turned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud
daughters. As no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave
beneath the hazel-tree, and cried,

“Shiver and quiver, little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”


Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers
embroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with all speed,
and went to the festival. Her step-sisters and the step-mother however
did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, for she
looked so beautiful in the golden dress. They never once thought of
Cinderella, and believed that she was sitting at home in the dirt,
picking lentils out of the ashes. The prince went to meet her, took her
by the hand and danced with her. He would dance with no other maiden,
and never left loose of her hand, and if any one else came to invite
her, he said, “This is my partner.”

She danced till it was evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the
King’s son said, “I will go with thee and bear thee company,” for he
wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged. She escaped from
him, however, and sprang into the pigeon-house. The King’s son waited
until her father came, and then he told him that the stranger maiden
had leapt into the pigeon-house. The old man thought, “Can it be
Cinderella?” and they had to bring him an axe and a pickaxe that he
might hew the pigeon-house to pieces, but no one was inside it. And
when they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes,
and a dim little oil-lamp was burning on the mantle-piece, for
Cinderella had jumped quickly down from the back of the pigeon-house
and had run to the little hazel-tree, and there she had taken off her
beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the bird had taken
them away again, and then she had placed herself in the kitchen amongst
the ashes in her grey gown. Next day when the festival began afresh, and her parents and the
step-sisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree and
said—

“Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”


Then the bird threw down a much more beautiful dress than on the
preceding day. And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this
dress, every one was astonished at her beauty. The King’s son had
waited until she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced
with no one but her. When others came and invited her, he said, “She is
my partner.” When evening came she wished to leave, and the King’s son
followed her and wanted to see into which house she went. But she
sprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. Therein
stood a beautiful tall tree on which hung the most magnificent pears. She clambered so nimbly between the branches like a squirrel that the
King’s son did not know where she was gone. He waited until her father
came, and said to him, “The stranger-maiden has escaped from me, and I
believe she has climbed up the pear-tree.” The father thought, “Can it
be Cinderella?” and had an axe brought and cut the tree down, but no
one was on it. And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there
amongst the ashes, as usual, for she had jumped down on the other side
of the tree, had taken the beautiful dress to the bird on the little
hazel-tree, and put on her grey gown. On the third day, when the parents and sisters had gone away,
Cinderella went once more to her mother’s grave and said to the little
tree—

“Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”


And now the bird threw down to her a dress which was more splendid and
magnificent than any she had yet had, and the slippers were golden. And
when she went to the festival in the dress, no one knew how to speak
for astonishment. The King’s son danced with her only, and if any one
invited her to dance, he said, “She is my partner.”

When evening came, Cinderella wished to leave, and the King’s son was
anxious to go with her, but she escaped from him so quickly that he
could not follow her. The King’s son had, however, used a strategem,
and had caused the whole staircase to be smeared with pitch, and there,
when she ran down, had the maiden’s left slipper remained sticking. The
King’s son picked it up, and it was small and dainty, and all golden. Next morning, he went with it to the father, and said to him, “No one
shall be my wife but she whose foot this golden slipper fits.” Then
were the two sisters glad, for they had pretty feet.