Once
there was a gentleman who married for his second wife the proudest and
most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had by a former husband two
daughters of her own humor, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all
things. He had likewise, by another wife, a young daughter, but of
unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her
mother, who was the best creature in the world.
No sooner were the
ceremonies of the wedding over but the mother-in-law began to show
herself in her true colors. She could not bear the good qualities of
this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own daughters
appear the more odious. She employed her in meanest work of the house:
she scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and scrubbed madam's chamber and
those of misses, her daughters; she lay up in a sorry garret, upon a
wretched straw bed, while her sisters lay in fine rooms, with floors all
inlaid, upon beds of the very newest fashion, and where they had
looking-glasses so large that they might see themselves at their full
length from head to foot.
The poor girl bore all
patiently and dared not tell her father, who would have rattled her off;
for his wife governed him entirely. When she had done her work she used
to go into the chimney-corner and sit down among cinders and ashes,
which made her commonly be called a cinder maid; but the youngest, who
was not so rude and uncivil as the eldest, called her Cinderella.
However, Cinderella, notwithstanding her mean apparel, was a hundred
times handsomer than her sisters, though they were always dressed very
richly.
It happened that the
King's son gave a ball and invited all persons, of fashion to it. Our
young misses were also invited, for they cut a very grand figure among
the quality. They were mightily delighted at this invitation, and
wonderfully busy in choosing out such gowns, petticoats, and
head-clothes as might become them. This was a new trouble to Cinderella,
for it was she who ironed her sisters' linen and plaited their ruffles.
They talked all day long of nothing but how they should be dressed.
"For my part," said the eldest, "I will wear my red velvet suit with French trimming."
"And I," said the
youngest, "shall have my usual petticoat; but then, to make amends for
that, I will put on my gold-flowered manteau and my diamond stomacher,
which is far from being the most ordinary one in the world."
They sent for the best
tire-woman they could get to make up their headdresses and adjust their
double pinners, and they had their red brushes and patches from
Mademoiselle de la Poche.
Cinderella was likewise
called up to them to be consulted in all these matters, for she had
excellent notions and advised them always for the best, nay, and offered
her services to dress their heads, which they were very willing she
should do. As she was doing this they said to her:
"Cinderella, would you not be glad to go to the ball?"
"Alas!" said she, "you only jeer me. It is not for such as I am to go thither."
"Thou art in the right of it," replied they. "It would make the people laugh to see a cinder wench at a ball."
Any one but Cinderella
would have dressed their heads awry, but she was very good and dressed
them perfectly well. They were almost two days without eating, so much
they were transported with joy. They broke above a dozen of laces in
trying to be laced up close, that they might have a fine, slender shape,
and they were continually at their looking-glass. At last the happy day
came. They went to Court, and Cinderella followed them with her eyes as
long as she could, and when she had lost sight of them she fell
a-crying.
Her Godmother, who saw her all in tears, asked her what was the matter.
"I wish I could--I wish I could--"
She was not able to speak
the rest being interrupted by her tears and sobbing. This Godmother of
hers, who was a fairy, said to her: "Thou wishest thou could'st go to
the ball. Is it not so?"
"Y--es," cried Cinderella, with a great sigh.
"Well," said her
Godmother, "be but a good girl, and I will contrive that thou shalt go."
Then she took her into her chamber and said to her: "Run into the
garden and bring me a pumpkin."
Cinderella went
immediately to gather the finest she could get and brought it to her
Godmother, not being able to imagine how this pumpkin could make her go
to the ball. Her Godmother scooped out all the inside of it, having left
nothing but the rind; which done, she struck it with her wand, and the
pumpkin was instantly turned into a fine coach, gilded all over with
gold.
She then went to look into
her mousetrap, where she found six mice all alive, and ordered
Cinderella to lift up a little the trapdoor, when, giving each mouse as
it went out a little tap with her wand, the mouse was that moment turned
into a fine horse, which altogether made a very fine set of six horses
of a beautiful mouse-colored dapple-gray. Being at a loss for a
coachman, Cinderella said:
"I will go and see if there is never a rat in the rattrap--we may make a coachman of him."
"Thou art in the right," replied her Godmother. "Go and look."
Cinderella brought the
trap to her, and in it there were three huge rats. The fairy made choice
of one of the three which had the largest beard, and having touched him
with her wand he was turned into a fat, jolly coachman, who had the
smartest whiskers eyes ever beheld. After that she said to her:
"Go again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the watering-pot. Bring them to me."
She had no sooner done so
but her Godmother turned them into six footmen,who skipped up
immediately behind the coach, with their liveries all bedaubed with gold
and silver, and clung as close behind each other as if they had done
nothing else their whole lives. The fairy then said to Cinderella:
"Well, you see here an equipage fit to go to the ball with. Are you not pleased with it?"
"Oh! yes," cried she; "but must I go thither as I am, in these dirty rags?"
Her Godmother only just
touched her with her wand, and at the same instant her clothes were
turned into cloth-of-gold and silver, all beset with jewels. Ah! who can
describe a robe made by the fairies? It was white as snow, and as
dazzling; round the hem hung a fringe of diamonds, sparkling like
dewdrops in the sunshine. The lace about the throat and arms could only
have been spun by fairy spiders. Surely it was a dream! Cinderella put
her daintily gloved hand to her throat, and softly touched the pearls
that encircled her neck.
"Come, child," said the Godmother, "or you will be late."
As Cinderella moved, the firelight shone upon her dainty shoes.
"They are of diamonds," she said.
"No," answered her
Godmother, smiling; "they are better than that--they are of glass, made
by the fairies. And now, child, go, and enjoy yourself to your heart's
content."
But her Godmother, above
all things, commanded her not to stay till after midnight, telling her
at the same time that if she stayed one moment longer the coach would be
a pumpkin again, her horses mice, her coachman a rat, her footmen
lizards, and her clothes become just as they were before.
She promised her Godmother
she would not fail of leaving the ball before midnight, and then away
she drives, scarce able to contain herself for joy. The King's son, who
was told that a great Princess, whom nobody knew, was come, ran out to
receive her. He gave her his hand as she alighted out of the coach; and
led her into the hall among all the company. There was immediately a
profound silence, they left off dancing, and the violins ceased to play,
so attentive was every one to contemplate the singular beauties of the
unknown newcomer. Nothing was then heard but a confused noise of "Ha!
how handsome she is! Ha! how handsome she is!"
The King himself, old as
he was, could not help watching her and telling the Queen softly that it
was a long time since he had seen so beautiful and lovely a creature.
All the ladies were busied
in considering her clothes and headdress, that they might have some
made next day after the same pattern, provided they could meet with such
fine materials and as able hands to make them.
The King's son conducted
her to the most honorable seat and afterward took her out to dance with
him. She danced so very gracefully that they all more and more admired
her. A fine collation was served up, whereof the young Prince ate not a
morsel, so intently was he busied in gazing on her.
She went and sat down by
her sisters, showing them a thousand civilities, giving them part of the
oranges and citrons which the Prince had presented her with, which very
much surprised them, for they did not know her. While Cinderella was
thus amusing her sisters, she heard the clock strike eleven and
three-quarters, whereupon she immediately made a courtesy to the company
and hastened away as fast as she could.
Being got home, she ran to
seek out her Godmother, and after having thanked her she said she could
not but heartily wish she might go next day to the ball, because the
King's son had desired her.
As she was eagerly telling
her Godmother what had passed at the ball her two sisters knocked at
the door, which Cinderella ran and opened.
"How long you have
stayed!" cried she, gaping, rubbing her eyes, and stretching herself as
if she had been just waked out of her sleep. She had not, however, had
any manner of inclination to sleep since they went from home.
"If thou hadst been at the
ball," said one of her sisters, "thou would'st not have been tired
with it. There came thither the finest Princess, the most beautiful ever
was seen with mortal eyes. She showed us a thousand civilities and gave
us oranges and citrons."
Cinderella seemed very
indifferent in the matter. Indeed, she asked them the name of that
Princess, but they told her they did not know it, and that the King's
son was very uneasy on her account, and would give all the world to know
who she was. At this Cinderella, smiling, replied:
"She must, then, be very
beautiful indeed. How happy you have been! Could not I see her? Ah!
dear Miss Charlotte, do lend me your yellow suit of clothes which you
wear every day."
"Ay, to be sure," cried Miss Charlotte; "lend my clothes to such it dirty cinder maid as thou art! I should be a fool."
Cinderella expected well
such answer and was very glad of the refusal, for she would have been
sadly put to it if her sister had lent her what she asked for jestingly.
The next day the two
sisters were at the ball, and so was Cinderella, but dressed more
magnificently than before. The King's son was always by her, and never
ceased his compliments and kind speeches to her, to whom all this was so
far from being tiresome that she quite forgot what her Godmother had
recommended to her, so that she at last counted the clock striking
twelve when she took it to be no more than eleven. She then rose up and
fled as nimble as a deer. The Prince followed, but could not overtake
her. She left behind one of her glass slippers, which the Prince took up
most carefully. She got home, but quite out of breath, and in her old
clothes, having nothing left her of all her finery but one of the little
slippers, fellow to that she dropped. The guards at the palace gate
were asked if they had not seen a Prinecess go out.
They said they had seen
nobody go out but a young girl, very meanly dressed, and who had more of
the air of a poor country girl than a gentlewoman.
When the two sisters
returned from the ball Cinderella asked them if they had been well
diverted and if the beautiful Princess had been there.
They told her yes, but
that she hurried away immediately when the clock struck twelve, and with
so much haste that she dropped one of her little glass slippers, the
prettiest in the world, which the King's son had taken up; that he had
done nothing but look at her all the time at the ball, and that most
certainly he was very much in love with the beautiful person who owned
the glass slipper.
What they said was very
true, for a few days after the King's son caused it to be proclaimed, by
sound of trumpet, that he would marry her whose foot this slipper would
just fit. They whom he employed began to try it upon the Princesses,
then the Duchesses and all the Court, but in vain. It was brought to the
two sisters, who did all they possibly could to thrust their feet into
the slipper, but they could not effect it.
On the following morning
there was a great noise of trumpets and drums, and a procession passed
through the town, at the head of which rode the King's son. Behind him
came a herald, bearing a velvet cushion, upon which rested a little
glass slipper. The herald blew a blast upon the trumpet, and then read a
proclamation saying that the King's son would wed any lady in the land
who could fit the slipper upon her foot, if she could produce another to
match it.
Of course, the sisters
tried to squeeze their feet into the slipper, but it was of no use--they
were much too large. Then Cinderella shyly begged that she might try.
How the sisters laughed with scorn when the Prince knelt to fit the
slipper on the cinder maid's foot; but what was their surprise when it
slipped on with the greatest ease, and the next moment Cinderella
produced the other from her pocket! Once more she stood in the slippers,
and once more the sisters saw before them the lovely Princess who was
to be the Prince's bride. For at the touch of the magic shoes the little
gray frock disappeared forever, and in place of it she wore the
beautiful robe the fairy Godmother had given to her.
The sisters hung their
heads with sorrow and vexation; but kind little Cinderella put her arms
round their necks, kissed them, and forgave them for all their
unkindness, so that they could not help but love her.
The Prince could not bear
to part from his little love again, so he carried her back to the palace
in his grand coach, and they were married that very day. Cinderella's
stepsisters were present at the feast, but in the place of honor sat the
fairy Godmother.
So the poor little cinder maid married the Prince, and in time they came to be King and Queen, and lived happily ever after.
