A gang of
some twenty or thirty spit-turners emerged and took up their positions
round a very long table in a path in the wood. They all wore their
cook's caps on one side, and with their basting implements in their
hands they kept time together as they worked, to the lilt of a melodious
song. The princess was astonished by this spectacle, and asked for whom their
work was being done. 'For Prince Ricky of the Tuft, madam,' said the foreman of the gang;
'his wedding is to-morrow.' At this the princess was more surprised than ever. In a flash she
remembered that it was a year to the very day since she had promised to
marry Prince Ricky of the Tuft, and was taken aback by the recollection. The reason she had forgotten was that when she made the promise she was
still without sense, and with the acquisition of that intelligence which
the prince had bestowed upon her, all memory of her former stupidities
had been blotted out. She had not gone another thirty paces when Ricky of the Tuft appeared
before her, gallant and resplendent, like a prince upon his wedding day. 'As you see, madam,' he said, 'I keep my word to the minute. I do not
doubt that you have come to keep yours, and by giving me your hand to
make me the happiest of men.' 'I will be frank with you,' replied the princess. 'I have not yet made
up my mind on the point, and I am afraid I shall never be able to take
the decision you desire.' 'You astonish me, madam,' said Ricky of the Tuft. 'I can well believe it,' said the princess, 'and undoubtedly, if I had
to deal with a clown, or a man who lacked good sense, I should feel
myself very awkwardly situated. "A princess must keep her word," he
would say, "and you must marry me because you promised to!" But I am
speaking to a man of the world, of the greatest good sense, and I am
sure that he will listen to reason. As you are aware, I could not make
up my mind to marry you even when I was entirely without sense; how can
you expect that to-day, possessing the intelligence you bestowed on me,
which makes me still more difficult to please than formerly, I should
take a decision which I could not take then? If you wished so much to
marry me, you were very wrong to relieve me of my stupidity, and to let
me see more clearly than I did.' 'If a man who lacked good sense,' replied Ricky of the Tuft, 'would be
justified, as you have just said, in reproaching you for breaking your
word, why do you expect, madam, that I should act differently where the
happiness of my whole life is at stake? Is it reasonable that people who
have sense should be treated worse than those who have none? Would you
maintain that for a moment--you, who so markedly have sense, and desired
so ardently to have it? But, pardon me, let us get to the facts. With
the exception of my ugliness, is there anything about me which
displeases you? Are you dissatisfied with my breeding, my brains, my
disposition, or my manners?' 'In no way,' replied the princess; 'I like exceedingly all that you have
displayed of the qualities you mention.' 'In that case,' said Ricky of the Tuft, 'happiness will be mine, for it
lies in your power to make me the most attractive of men.' 'How can that be done?' asked the princess. [Illustration: _Ricky of the Tuft_]

'It will happen of itself,' replied Ricky of the Tuft, 'if you love me
well enough to wish that it be so. To remove your doubts, madam, let me
tell you that the same fairy who on the day of my birth bestowed upon
me the power of endowing with intelligence the woman of my choice, gave
to you also the power of endowing with beauty the man whom you should
love, and on whom you should wish to confer this favour.' 'If that is so,' said the princess, 'I wish with all my heart that you
may become the handsomest and most attractive prince in the world, and I
give you without reserve the boon which it is mine to bestow.' No sooner had the princess uttered these words than Ricky of the Tuft
appeared before her eyes as the handsomest, most graceful and attractive
man that she had ever set eyes on. Some people assert that this was not the work of fairy enchantment, but
that love alone brought about the transformation. They say that the
princess, as she mused upon her lover's constancy, upon his good sense,
and his many admirable qualities of heart and head, grew blind to the
deformity of his body and the ugliness of his face; that his hump back
seemed no more than was natural in a man who could make the courtliest
of bows, and that the dreadful limp which had formerly distressed her
now betokened nothing more than a certain diffidence and charming
deference of manner. They say further that she found his eyes shine all
the brighter for their squint, and that this defect in them was to her
but a sign of passionate love; while his great red nose she found nought
but martial and heroic. However that may be, the princess promised to marry him on the spot,
provided only that he could obtain the consent of her royal father. The king knew Ricky of the Tuft to be a prince both wise and witty, and
on learning of his daughter's regard for him, he accepted him with
pleasure as a son-in-law. The wedding took place upon the morrow, just as Ricky of the Tuft had
foreseen, and in accordance with the arrangements he had long ago put in
train. CINDERELLA


Once upon a time there was a worthy man who married for his second wife
the haughtiest, proudest woman that had ever been seen. She had two
daughters, who possessed their mother's temper and resembled her in
everything. Her husband, on the other hand, had a young daughter, who
was of an exceptionally sweet and gentle nature. She got this from her
mother, who had been the nicest person in the world. The wedding was no sooner over than the stepmother began to display her
bad temper. She could not endure the excellent qualities of this young
girl, for they made her own daughters appear more hateful than ever. She
thrust upon her all the meanest tasks about the house. It was she who
had to clean the plates and the stairs, and sweep out the rooms of the
mistress of the house and her daughters. She slept on a wretched
mattress in a garret at the top of the house, while the sisters had
rooms with parquet flooring, and beds of the most fashionable style,
with mirrors in which they could see themselves from top to toe. The poor girl endured everything patiently, not daring to complain to
her father. The latter would have scolded her, because he was entirely
ruled by his wife. When she had finished her work she used to sit
amongst the cinders in the corner of the chimney, and it was from this
habit that she came to be commonly known as Cinder-slut. The younger of
the two sisters, who was not quite so spiteful as the elder, called her
Cinderella. But her wretched clothes did not prevent Cinderella from
being a hundred times more beautiful than her sisters, for all their
resplendent garments.