The Fairy Book
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THE FAIRY BOOK.
THE BEST POPULAR STORIES SELECTED
AND RENDERED ANEW.
BY
MISS MULOCK
THE AUTHOR OF
"JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN."
NEW YORK AND LONDON:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS.
* * * * *
DEDICATED
TO
LITTLE OLIVE.
* * * * *
PREFACE.
A preface is usually an excrescence on a good book, and a vain apology
for a worthless one; but, in the present instance, a few explanatory
words seem necessary.
This is meant to be the best collection attainable of that delight of
all children, and of many grown people who retain the child-heart
still--the old-fashioned, time-honored classic Fairy-tale. It has been
compiled from all sources--far-off and familiar; when familiar, the
stories have been traced with care to their original form, which, if
foreign, has been retranslated, condensed, and in any other needful
way made suitable for modern British children. Perrault, Madame
d'Aulnois, and Grimm have thus been laid under contribution. Where it
was not possible to get at the original of a tale, its various
versions have been collated, compared, and combined; and in some
instances, when this proved still unsatisfactory, the whole story has
been written afresh. The few English fairy tales extant, such as _Jack
the Giant Killer, Tom Thumb_, etc., whose authorship is lost in
obscurity, but whose charming Saxon simplicity of style, and intense
realism of narration, make for them an ever-green immortality--these
have been left intact, for no later touch would improve them. All
modern stories have been excluded.
Of course, in fairy tales, instruction is not expected; we find in
them only the rude moral of virtue rewarded and vice punished. But
children will soon discover for themselves that in real life all
beautiful people are not good, nor all ugly ones wicked; that every
elder sister is not ungenerous, nor every stepmother cruel. And the
tender baby-heart is often reached quite as soon by the fancy as by
the reason. Nevertheless, without any direct appeal to conscience or
morality, the Editor of this collection has been especially careful
that there should be nothing in it which could really harm a child.
She trusts that, whatever its defects, the Fairy Book will not deserve
one criticism, almost the sharpest that can be given to any
work--"that it would have been better if the author had taken more
pains."
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD
HOP-O'-MY-THUMB
CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER
ADVENTURES OF JOHN DIETRICH
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
LITTLE ONE EYE, LITTLE TWO EYES, AND LITTLE THREE EYES
JACK THE GIANT KILLER
TOM THUMB
RUMPELSTILZCHEN
FORTUNATUS
THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS
RIQUET WITH THE TUFT
HOUSE ISLAND
SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE RED
JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK
GRACIOSA AND PERCINET
THE IRON STOVE
THE INVISIBLE PRINCE
THE WOODCUTTER'S DAUGHTER
BROTHER AND SISTER
LITTLE RED-RIDING-HOOD
PUSS IN BOOTS
THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG GOSLINGS
THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOOKS
THE BUTTERFLY
THE FROG-PRINCE
THE WHITE CAT
PRINCE CHERRY
LITTLE SNOWDROP
THE BLUE BIRD
THE YELLOW DWARF
THE SIX SWANS
THE PRINCE WITH THE NOSE
THE HIND OF THE FOREST
THE JUNIPER TREE
CLEVER ALICE
* * * * *
THE
SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD.
Once there was a royal couple who grieved excessively because they had
no children. When at last, after long waiting, the queen presented her
husband with a little daughter, his majesty showed his joy by giving a
christening feast, so grand that the like of it was never known. He
invited all the fairies in the land--there were seven altogether--to
stand godmothers to the little princess; hoping that each might bestow
on her some good gift, as was the custom of good fairies in those
days.
After the ceremony, all the guests returned to the palace, where there
was set before each fairy-godmother a magnificent covered dish, with
an embroidered table-napkin, and a knife and fork of pure gold,
studded with diamonds and rubies. But alas! as they placed themselves
at table, there entered an old fairy who had never been invited,
because more than fifty years since she had left the king's dominion
on a tour of pleasure, and had not been heard of until this day. His
majesty, much troubled, desired a cover to be placed for her, but it
was of common delf, for he had ordered from his jeweller only seven
gold dishes for the seven fairies aforesaid. The elderly fairy thought
herself neglected, and muttered angry menaces, which were overheard by
one of the younger fairies, who chanced to sit beside her. This good
godmother, afraid of harm to the pretty baby, hastened to hide herself
behind the tapestry in the hall. She did this, because she wished all
the others to speak first--so that if any ill gift were bestowed on
the child, she might be able to counteract it.
The six now offered their good wishes--which, unlike most wishes, were
sure to come true. The fortunate little princess was to grow up the
fairest woman in the world; to have a temper sweet as an angel; to be
perfectly graceful and gracious; to sing like a nightingale; to dance
like a leaf on a tree; and to possess every accomplishment under the
sun. Then the old fairy's turn came. Shaking her head spitefully, she
uttered the wish that when the baby grew up into a young lady, and
learned to spin, she might prick her finger with the spindle and die
of the wound.
At this terrible prophecy all the guests shuddered; and some of the
more tender-hearted began to weep. The lately happy parents were
almost out of their wits with grief. Upon which the wise young fairy
appeared from behind the tapestry, saying cheerfully "Your majesties
may comfort yourselves; the princess shall not die. I have no power
to alter the ill-fortune just wished her by my ancient sister--her
finger must be pierced; and she shall then sink, not into the sleep of
death, but into a sleep that will last a hundred years. After that
time is ended, the son of a king will find her, awaken her, and marry
her."
Immediately all the fairies vanished.
The king, in the hope of avoiding his daughter's doom, issued an
edict, forbidding all persons to spin, and even to have
spinning-wheels in their houses, on pain of instant death. But it was
in vain. One day, when she was just fifteen years of age, the king and
queen left their daughter alone in one of their castles, when,
wandering about at her will, she came to an ancient donjon tower,
climbed to the top of it, and there found a very old woman--so old and
deaf that she had never heard of the king's edict--busy with her
wheel.
"What are you doing, good old woman?" said the princess.
"I'm spinning, my pretty child."
"Ah, how charming! Let me try if I can spin also."
She had no sooner taken up the spindle than, being lively and
obstinate, she handled it so awkwardly and carelessly that the point
pierced her finger. Though it was so small a wound, she fainted away
at once, and dropped silently down on the floor. The poor frightened
old woman called for help; shortly came the ladies in waiting, who
tried every means to restore their young mistress, but all their care
was useless. She lay, beautiful as an angel, the colour still
lingering in her lips and cheeks; her fair bosom softly stirred with
her breath: only her eyes were fast closed. When the king her father
and the queen her mother beheld her thus, they knew regret was
idle--all had happened as the cruel fairy meant. But they also knew
that their daughter would not sleep for ever, though after one hundred
years it was not likely they would either of them behold her
awakening. Until that happy hour should arrive, they determined to
leave her in repose. They sent away all the physicians and attendants,
and themselves sorrowfully laid her upon a bed of embroidery, in the
most elegant apartment of the palace. There she slept and looked like
a sleeping angel still.
When this misfortune happened, the kindly young fairy who had saved
the princess by changing her sleep of death into this sleep of a
hundred years, was twelve thousand leagues away in the kingdom of
Mataquin. But being informed of everything, she arrived speedily, in a
chariot of fire drawn by dragons. The king was somewhat startled by
the sight, but nevertheless went to the door of his palace, and, with
a mournful countenance, presented her his hand to descend.
The fairy condoled with his majesty, and approved of all he had done.
Then, being a fairy of great common sense and foresight, she suggested
that the princess, awakening after a hundred years in this ancient
castle, might be a good deal embarrassed, especially with a young
prince by her side, to find herself alone. Accordingly, without asking
any one's leave, she touched with her magic wand the entire population
of the palace--except the king and queen; governesses, ladies of
honour, waiting-maids, gentlemen ushers, cooks, kitchen-girls, pages,
footmen--down to the horses that were in the stables, and the grooms
that attended them, she touched each and all. Nay, with kind
consideration for the feelings of the princess, she even touched the
little fat lap-dog, Puffy, who had laid himself down beside his
mistress on her splendid bed. He, like all the rest, fell fast asleep
in a moment. The very spits that were before the kitchen-fire ceased
turning, and the fire itself went out, and everything became as silent
as if it were the middle of the night, or as if the palace were a
palace of the dead.
The king and queen--having kissed their daughter and wept over her a
little, but not much, she looked so sweet and content--departed from
the castle, giving orders that it was to be approached no more. The
command was unnecessary; for in one quarter of an hour there sprung up
around it a wood so thick and thorny that neither beasts nor men could
attempt to penetrate there. Above this dense mass of forest could only
be perceived the top of the high tower where the lovely princess
slept.
A great many changes happen in a hundred years. The king, who never
had a second child, died, and his throne passed into another royal
family. So entirely was the story of the poor princess forgotten, that
when the reigning king's son, being one day out hunting and stopped in
the chase by this formidable wood, inquired what wood it was and what
were those towers which he saw appearing out of the midst of it, no
one could answer him. At length an old peasant was found who
remembered having heard his grandfather say to his father, that in
this tower was a princess, beautiful as the day, who was doomed to
sleep there for one hundred years, until awakened by a king's son, her
destined bridegroom.
At this, the young prince, who had the spirit of a hero, determined to
find out the truth for himself. Spurred on by both generosity and
curiosity, he leaped from his horse and began to force his way through
the thick wood. To his amazement the stiff branches all gave way, and
the ugly thorns sheathed themselves of their own accord, and the
brambles buried themselves in the earth to let him pass. This done,
they closed behind him, allowing none of his suite to follow: but,
ardent and young, he went boldly on alone. The first thing he saw was
enough to smite him with fear. Bodies of men and horses lay extended
on the ground; but the men had faces, not death-white, but red as
peonies, and beside them were glasses half filled with wine, showing
that they had gone to sleep drinking. Next he entered a large court,
paved with marble, where stood rows of guards presenting arms, but
motionless as if cut out of stone; then he passed through many
chambers where gentlemen and ladies, all in the costume of the past
century, slept at their ease, some standing, some sitting. The pages
were lurking in corners, the ladies of honour were stooping over their
embroidery frames, or listening apparently with polite attention to
the gentlemen of the court, but all were as silent as statues and as
immoveable. Their clothes, strange to say, were fresh and new as ever:
and not a particle of dust or spider-web had gathered over the
furniture, though it had not known a broom for a hundred years.
Finally the astonished prince came to an inner chamber, where was the
fairest sight his eyes had ever beheld.
A young girl of wonderful beauty lay asleep on an embroidered bed, and
she looked as if she had only just closed her eyes. Trembling, the
prince approached and knelt beside her. Some say he kissed her, but as
nobody saw it, and she never told, we cannot be quite sure of the
fact. However, as the end of the enchantment had come, the princess
awakened at once, and looking at him with eyes of the tenderest
regard, said drowsily, "Is it you, my prince? I have waited for you
very long."
Charmed with these words, and still more with the tone in which they
were uttered, the prince assured her that he loved her more than his
life. Nevertheless, he was the most embarrassed of the two; for,
thanks to the kind fairy, the princess had plenty of time to dream of
him during her century of slumber, while he had never even heard of
her till an hour before. For a long time did they sit conversing, and
yet had not said half enough. Their only interruption was the little
dog Puffy, who had awakened with his mistress, and now began to be
exceedingly jealous that the princess did not notice him as much as
she was wont to do.
Meantime all the attendants, whose enchantment was also broken, not
being in love, were ready to die of hunger after their fast of a
hundred years. A lady of honour ventured to intimate that dinner was
served; whereupon the prince handed his beloved princess at once to
the great hall. She did not wait to dress for dinner, being already
perfectly and magnificently attired, though in a fashion somewhat out
of date. However, her lover had the politeness not to notice this, nor
to remind her that she was dressed exactly like her royal grandmother,
whose portrait still hung on the palace walls.
During the banquet a concert took place by the attendant musicians,
and considering they had not touched their instruments for a century
they played extremely well. They ended with a wedding march: for that
very evening the marriage of the prince and princess was celebrated,
and though the bride was nearly one hundred years older than the
bridegroom, it is remarkable that the fact would never have been
discovered by any one unacquainted therewith.
After a few days they went together out of the castle and enchanted
wood, both of which immediately vanished, and were never more beheld
by mortal eyes. The princess was restored to her ancestral kingdom,
but it was not generally declared who she was, as during a hundred
years people had grown so very much cleverer that nobody then living
would ever have believed the story. So nothing was explained, and
nobody presumed to ask any questions about her, for ought not a prince
be able to marry whomsoever he pleases?
Nor--whether or not the day of fairies was over--did the princess ever
see anything further of her seven godmothers. She lived a long and
happy life, like any other ordinary woman, and died at length,
beloved, regretted, but, the prince being already no more, perfectly
contented.
HOP-O'-MY-THUMB.
There once lived in a village a faggot-maker and his wife, who had
seven children, all boys; the eldest was no more than ten years old,
and the youngest was only seven.
It was odd enough, to be sure, that they should have so many children
in such a short time; but the truth is, the wife always brought him
two and once three at a time. This made him very poor, for not one of
these boys was old enough to get a living, and what was still worse,
the youngest was a puny little fellow who hardly ever spoke a word.
Now this, indeed, was a mark of his good sense, but it made his father
and mother suppose him to be silly, and they thought that at last he
would turn out quite a fool. This boy was the least size ever seen;
for when he was born he was no bigger than a man's thumb, which made
him be christened by the name of Hop-o'-my-thumb. The poor child was
the drudge of the whole house and always bore the blame of everything
that was done wrong. For all this, Hop-o'-my-thumb was far more clever
than any of his brothers; and though he spoke but little, he heard and
knew more than people thought. It happened just at this time, that for
want of rain the fields had grown but half as much corn and potatoes
as they used to grow; so that the faggot-maker and his wife could not
give the boys the food they had before, which was always either bread
or potatoes.
After the father and mother had grieved some time, they thought that
as they could contrive no other way to live, they must somehow get rid
of their children. One night when the boys were gone to bed, and the
faggot-maker and his wife were sitting over a few lighted sticks, to
warm themselves, the husband sighed deeply, and said, "You see, my
dear, we cannot maintain our children any longer, and to see them die
of hunger before my eyes is what I could never bear. I will,
therefore, to-morrow morning take them to the forest, and leave them
in the thickest part of it, so that they will not be able to find
their way back: this will be very easy; for while they amuse
themselves with tying up the faggots, we need only slip away when they
are looking some other way."
"Ah! husband," cried the poor wife, "you cannot, no, you never can
consent to be the death of your own children."
The husband in vain told her to think how very poor they were.
The wife replied "that this was true, to be sure; but if she was poor,
she was still their mother;" and then she cried as if her heart would
break. At last she thought how shocking it would be to see them
starved to death before their eyes; so she agreed to what her husband
had said, and then went sobbing to bed.
Hop-o'-my-thumb had been awake all the time; and when he heard his
father talk very seriously, he slipped away from his brothers' side,
and crept under his father's bed, to hear all that was said without
being seen.
When his father and mother had left off talking, he got back to his
own place, and passed the night in thinking what he should do the next
morning.
He rose early, and ran to the river's side, where he filled his
pockets with small white pebbles, and then went back home. In the
morning they all set out, as their father and mother had agreed on;
and Hop-o'-my-thumb did not say a word to any of his brothers about
what he had heard. They came to a forest that was so very thick that
they could not see each other a few yards off. The faggot-maker set to
work cutting down wood; and the children began to gather the twigs, to
make faggots of them.
When the father and mother saw that the young ones were all very busy,
they slipped away without being seen. The children soon found
themselves alone, and began to cry as loud as they could.
Hop-o'-my-thumb let them cry on, for he knew well enough how to lead
them safe home, an he had taken care to drop the white pebbles he had
in his pocket along all the way he had come. He only said to them,
"Never mind it, my lads: father and mother have left us here by
ourselves, but only take care to follow me, and I will lead you back
again."
When they heard this they left off crying, and followed
Hop-o'-my-thumb, who soon brought them to their father's house by the
very same path which they had come along. At first they had not the
courage to go in; but stood at the door to hear what their parents
were talking about. Just as the faggot-maker and his wife had come
home without their children, a great gentleman of the village sent to
pay them two guineas, for work they had done for him, which he had
owed them so long that they never thought of getting a farthing of it.
This money made them quite happy; for the poor creatures were very
hungry, and had no other way of getting anything to eat.
The faggot-maker sent his wife out immediately to buy some meat; and
as it was a long time since she had made a hearty meal, she bought as
much meat as would have been enough for six or eight persons. The
truth was, when she was thinking what would be enough for dinner, she
forgot that her children were not at home; but as soon as she and her
husband had done eating, she cried out, "Alas! where are our poor
children? how they would feast on what we have left! It was all your
fault, husband! I told you we should repent leaving them to starve in
the forest!--Oh mercy! perhaps they have already been eaten by the
hungry wolves!" The poor woman shed plenty of tears: "Alas! alas!"
said she, over and over again, "what is become of my dear children?"
The children, who were all at the door, cried out together, "Here we
are, mother, here we are!"
She flew like lightning to let them in, and kissed every one of them.
The faggot-maker and his wife were charmed at having their children
once more with them, and their joy for this lasted till their money
was all spent; but then they found themselves quite as ill off as
before. So by degrees they again thought of leaving them in the
forest: and that the young ones might not come back a second time,
they said they would take them a great deal farther than they did at
first. They could not talk about this matter so slily but that
Hop-o'-my-thumb found means to hear all that passed between them; but
he cared very little about it, for he thought it would be easy for him
to do just the same as he had done before. But though he got up very
early the next morning to go to the river's side to get the pebbles, a
thing which he had not thought of hindered him; for he found that the
house-door was double-locked. Hop-o'-my-thumb was now quite at a loss
what to do; but soon after this, his mother gave each of the children
a piece of bread for breakfast, and then it came into his head that he
could make his share do as well as the pebbles, by dropping crumbs of
it all the way as he went. So he did not eat his piece, but put it
into his pocket.
It was not long before they all set out, and their parents took care
to lead them into the very thickest and darkest part of the forest.
They then slipped away by a by-path as before, and left the children
by themselves again. All this did not give Hop-o'-my-thumb any
concern, for he thought himself quite sure of getting back by means
of the crumbs that he had dropped by the way; but when he came to look
for them he found that not a crumb was left, for the birds had eaten
them all up.
The poor children were now sadly off, for the further they went the
harder it was for them to get out of the forest. At last night came
on, and the noise of the wind among the trees seemed to them like the
howling of wolves, so that every moment they thought they should be
eaten up. They hardly dared to speak a word, or to move a limb, for
fear. Soon after there came a heavy rain, which wetted them to the
very skin, and made the ground so slippery, that they fell down almost
at every step, and got dirty all over.
Before it was quite dark, Hop-o'-my-thumb climbed up to the top of a
tree, and looked round on all sides to see if he could find any way of
getting help. He saw a small light, like that of a candle, but it was
a very great way off, and beyond the forest. He then came down from
the tree, to try to find the way to it; but he could not see it when
he was on the ground, and he was in the utmost trouble what to do
next. They walked on towards the place where he had seen the light,
and at last reached the end of the forest, and got sight of it again.
They now walked faster; and after being much tired and vexed (for
every time they got into lower ground they lost sight of the light),
came to the house it was in. They knocked at the door, which was
opened by a very good-natured-looking lady, who asked what brought
them there. Hop-o'-my-thumb told her that they were poor children, who
had lost their way in the forest, and begged that she would give them
a bed till morning. When the lady saw that they had such pretty faces,
she began to shed tears and said, "Ah! my poor children, you do not
know what place you are come to. This is the house of an Ogre, who
eats up little boys and girls."
"Alas! madam," replied Hop-o'-my-thumb, who trembled from head to
foot, "what shall we do? If we go back to the forest, we are sure of
being torn to pieces by the wolves; we would rather, therefore, be
eaten by the gentleman: besides, when he sees us, perhaps he may take
pity on us and spare our lives."
The Ogre's wife thought she could contrive to hide them from her
husband till morning; so she let them go in and warm themselves by a
good fire, before which there was a whole sheep roasting for the
Ogre's supper. When they had stood a short time by the fire, there
came a loud knocking at the door: this was the Ogre come home. His
wife hurried the children under the bed, and told them to lie still,
and she then let her husband in.