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CINDERELLA, OR, THE
LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER HERE was once a
very rich gentleman who lost his wife, and having loved her
exceedingly, he was
very sorry when she died. Finding himself quite unhappy for her loss,
he
resolved to marry a second time, thinking by this means he should be as
happy
as before. Unfortunately, however, the lady he chanced to fix upon was
the
proudest and most haughty woman ever known; she was always out of
humour with
every one; nobody could please her, and she returned the civilities of
those
about her with the most affronting disdain. She had two daughters by a former
husband, whom she brought up to be proud and idle: indeed, in temper
and
behaviour they perfectly resembled their mother; they did not love
their books,
and would not learn to work; in short they were disliked by every body.
The
gentleman on his side too had a daughter, who in sweetness of temper
and
carriage was the exact likeness of her own mother, whose death he had
so much
lamented, and whose tender care of the little girl he was in hopes to
see
replaced by that of his new bride. But scarcely was the marriage
ceremony over,
before his wife began to show her real temper: she could not bear the
pretty
little girl, because her sweet obliging manners made those of her own
daughters
appear a thousand times the more odious and disagreeable. She therefore
ordered
her to live in the kitchen; and, if ever she brought any thing into the
parlour, always scolded her till she was out of sight. She made her
work with
the servants in washing the dishes, and rubbing the tables and chairs;
it was
her place to clean madam’s chamber, and that of the misses her
daughters, which
was all inlaid, had beds of the newest fashion, and looking‑glasses so
long and
broad, that they saw themselves from head to foot in them; while the
little
creature herself was forced to sleep up in a sorry garret, upon a
wretched
straw bed, without curtains, or any thing to make her comfortable. The
poor
child bore this with the greatest patience, not daring to complain to
her
father, who, she feared, would only reprove her, for she saw that his
wife
governed him entirely. When she had done all her work she used to sit
in the
chimney-corner among the cinders; so that in the house she went by the
name of
Cinderbreech: the youngest of the two sisters, however, being rather
more civil
than the eldest, called her Cinderella. And Cinderella, dirty and
ragged as she
was, as often happens in such cases, was a thousand times prettier than
her
sisters, drest out in all their splendour. It happened that the king’s
son gave
a ball, to which he invited all the persons of fashion in the country:
our two
misses were of the number; for the king’s son did not know how
disagreeable
they were; but supposed as they were so much indulged, that they were
extremely
amiable. He did not invite Cinderella, for he had never seen or heard
of her.
The
two sisters
began immediately to be very busy in preparing for the happy day:
nothing could
exceed their joy: every moment of their time was spent in fancying such
gowns,
shoes, and head-dresses as would set them off to the greatest
advantage. All
this was new vexation to poor Cinderella, for it was she who ironed and
plaited
her sisters’ linen. They talked of nothing but how they
should be dressed: ‘I,’
said the eldest, ‘will wear my scarlet velvet with French
trimming,’ — ‘And I,’
said the youngest, ‘shall wear the same petticoat I had made
for the last ball:
but then to make amends for that, I shall put on my gold muslin train,
and wear
my diamonds in my hair; with these I must certainly look
well.’ They sent
several miles for the best hair dresser that was to be had, and all
their
ornaments were bought at the most fashionable shops. On the morning of
the
ball, they called up Cinderella to consult with her about their dress,
for they
knew she had a great deal of taste. Cinderella gave them the best
advice she
could, and even offered to assist in adjusting their head-dresses;
which was
exactly what they wanted, and they accordingly accepted her proposal.
While
Cinderella was busily engaged in dressing her sisters, they said to
her,
‘should you not like, Cinderella, to go to the
ball?’ — ‘Ah!’ replied
Cinderella, ‘you are only laughing at me, it is not for such
as I am to think
of going to balls.’ — ‘You are in the
right,’ said they: folks might laugh
indeed, to see a Cinderbreech dancing in a ball room.’ Any
other than
Cinderella would have tried to make the haughty creatures look as ugly
as she
could; but the sweet tempered girl, on the contrary, did every thing
she could
think of to make them look well. The sisters had scarcely eaten any
thing for
two days, so great was their joy as the happy day drew near. More than
a dozen
laces were broken in endeavouring to give them a fine slender shape,
and they
were always before the looking glass. At length the much wished for
moment
arrived; the proud misses stepped into a beautiful carriage, and,
followed by
servants in rich liveries, drove towards the palace. Cinderella
followed them
with her eyes as far as she could; and when they were out of sight, she
sat
down in a corner and began to cry. Her godmother, who saw her in tears,
asked
her what ailed her. ‘I wish I w-i-s-h — ‘
sobbed poor Cinderella, without being
able to say another word. The godmother, who was a fairy, said to her,
‘you
wish to go to the ball, Cinderella, is not this the truth?’
— ‘Alas! yes,’
replied the poor child, sobbing still more than before.
‘Well, well, be a good
girl,’ said the godmother, ‘and you shall
go.’ She then led Cinderella to her
bedchamber, and said to her: ‘run into the garden and bring
me a pumpion.’
Cinderella flew like lightning, and brought the finest she could lay
hold of.
Her godmother scooped out the inside, leaving nothing but the rind; she
then
struck it with her wand, and the pumpion instantly became a fine coach
gilded
all over with gold. She then looked into her mouse-trap, where she
found six
mice all alive and brisk: she told Cinderella to lift up the door of
the trap
very gently; and as the mice passed out, she touched them one by one
with her
wand, and each immediately became a beautiful horse of a fine dapple
gray mouse
color. ‘Here, my child,’ said the godmother,
‘is a coach and horses too, as
handsome as your sisters’: but what shall we do for a
postillion?’ ‘I will
run,’ replied Cinderella, ‘and see if there be not
a rat in the trap: if I find
one, he will do very well for a postillion.’ ‘Well
thought of, my child; ‘said
her godmother: ‘make what haste you can.’ Cinderella brought
the rat trap, which, to her great joy, contained three of the largest
rats ever
seen. The fairy chose the one which had the longest beard; and touching
him
with her wand, he was instantly turned into a handsome postillion, with
the
finest pair of whiskers imaginable. She next said to Cinderella: go
again into
the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the watering-pot;
bring them
hither.’ This was no sooner done, than with a stroke from the fairy’s
wand they
were changed into six footmen, who all jumped up behind the coach in
their
laced liveries, and stood side by side as cleverly as if they had been
used to
nothing else the whole of their lives. The fairy then said to
Cinderella:
‘Well, my dear, is not this such an equipage as you could wish for to
take you
to the ball? Are you not delighted with it? – ‘Y-e-s,’ replied
Cinderella with
hesitation ‘but must I go thither in these filthy rags?’ Her godmother
touched
her with the wand, and her rags instantly became the most magnificent
apparel,
ornamented with the most costly jewels in the whole world. To these she
added a
beautiful pair of glass slippers, and bade her set out for the palace.
The
fairy, however, before she took leave of Cinderella, strictly charged
her on no
account whatever to stay at the ball after the clock had struck twelve,
telling her that, should she stay but a single moment after that time,
her
coach would again become a pumpion, her horses mice, her footmen
lizzards, and
her fine clothes be changed to filthy rags. Cinderella did not fail to
promise
all her godmother desired of her; and almost wild with joy drove away
to the
palace. As soon as she arrived, the king’s son, who had been informed
that a
great princess, whom nobody knew, was come to the ball, presented
himself at
the door of her carriage, helped her out, and conducted her to the
ball-room.
Cinderella no sooner appeared than every one was silent; both the
dancing and
the music stopped, and every body was employed in gazing at the
uncommon beauty
of this unknown stranger; nothing was heard but whispers of ‘How handsome she
is!’ The king himself, old as he was, could not keep his eyes from her,
and
continually repeated to the queen, that it was a longtime since he had
seen so
lovely a creature. The ladies endeavoured to find
out how her clothes were
made, that they might get some of the same pat‑tern for themselves by
the next
day, should they be lucky enough to meet with such handsome materials,
and such
good work‑people to make them. The king’s son conducted her to the most
honourable seat, and soon after took her out to dance with him. She
both moved
and danced so gracefully, that every one admired her still more than
before,
and she was thought the most beautiful and accomplished lady they ever
beheld.
After sometime a delicious collation was served up; but the young
prince was so
busily employed in looking at her, that he did not eat a morsel.
Cinderella
seated herself near her sisters, paid them a thousand attentions, and
offered
them a part of the oranges and sweetmeats with which the prince had
presented
her: while they on their part were quite astonished at these civilities
from a
lady whom they did not know. As they were conversing together,
Cinderella heard
the clock strike eleven and three quarters: she rose from her seat,
curtseyed
to the company, and hastened away as fast as she could. As soon as she
got home
she flew to her godmother, and, after thanking her a thousand times,
told her
she would give the world to be able to go again to the ball the next
day, for
the king’s son had entreated her to be there. While she was telling her
godmother every thing that had happened to her at the ball, the two
sisters
knocked a loud rat-tat-tat at the door; which Cinderella opened. ‘How late you
have staid!’ said she, yawning, rubbing, her eyes, and stretching
herself, as
if just awakened out of her sleep, though she had in truth felt no
desire for
sleep since they left her. ‘If you had been at the ball,’ said one of
her sisters,
let me tell you, you would not have been sleepy: there came thither the
handsomest, yes, the very handsomest princess ever beheld! She paid us
a
thousand attentions, and made us take a part of the oranges and
sweetmeats the
prince had given her. The next day
the
two sisters again appeared at the ball, and so did Cinderella, but
dressed much
more magnificently than the night before. The king’s son was
continually by her
side, and, said the most obliging things to her imaginable. The
charming young
creature was far from being tired of all the agreeable things she met
with: on
the contrary, she was so delighted with them that she entirely forgot
the
charge her godmother had given her. Cinderella at last heard the
striking of a
clock, and counted one, two, three, on till she came to twelve, though
she
thought that it could be but eleven at most. She got up and flew as
nimbly as a
deer out of the ballroom. The prince tried to overtake her; but poor
Cinderella’s fright made her run the faster. This was very true; for a few days after, the prince had it proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that he would marry the lady whose foot should exactly fit the slipper he had found. Accordingly the prince’s messengers took the slipper, and carried it first to all the princesses; then to the duchesses: in short, to all the ladies of the court, but without success. They then brought it to the two sisters, who each tried all she could to squeeze her foot into the slipper, but saw at last that this was quite impossible. Cinderella who was looking at them all the while, and knew her slipper, could not help smiling, and ventured to say, ‘Pray, sir, let me try to get on the slipper.’ The gentleman made her sit down; and putting the slipper to her foot, it instantly slipped in, and he saw that it fitted her like wax. The two sisters were amazed to see that the slipper fitted Cinderella; but how much greater was their astonishment when she drew out of her pocket the other slipper and put it on! Just at this moment the fairy entered the room, and touching Cinderella’s clothes with her wand, made her all at once appear more magnificently dressed than they had ever seen her before. THEY THREW THEMSELVES AT HER FEET AND ASKED HER FORGIVENESS The two
sisters immediately perceived that she was the beautiful princess they
had seen at the ball. |