Cinderella

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 the 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

Cinderwench; 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 head-dresses 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 Cinderwench at a ball."

Anyone 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 were they transported with joy. They broke above

a dozen 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 couldst 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 mouse-trap, 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,

"I will go and see," says Cinderella, "if there is never

a rat in the rat-trap--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 nasty 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. This done,

she gave her a pair of glass slippers, the prettiest in the

whole world. Being thus decked out, she got up into her

coach; 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 ball,

among all the company. There was immediately a profound

silence, they left off dancing, and the violins ceased

to play, so attentive was everyone to contemplate the

singular beauties of the unknown new-comer. 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 material 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 hasted

away as fast as she could.

When she 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 whatever 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, any manner

of inclination to sleep since they went from home.

"If thou hadst been at the ball," said one of her sisters,

"thou wouldst 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 a dirty Cinderwench as thou art! I

should be a fool."

Cinderella, indeed, 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 nasty 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 princess go out.

Who said: They had seen nobody go out but a young

girl, very meanly dressed, and who had more the air of a

poor country wench than a gentlewoman.

When the two sisters returned from the ball Cinderella

asked them: If they had been well diverted, and if the

fine lady had been there.

They told her: Yes, but that she hurried away

immediately when it 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 the 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 foot into the slipper, but

they could not effect it. Cinderella, who saw all this, and

knew her slipper, said to them, laughing:

"Let me see if it will not fit me."

Her sisters burst out a-laughing, and began to banter

her. The gentleman who was sent to try the slipper looked

earnestly at Cinderella, and, finding her very handsome,

said:

It was but just that she should try, and that he had

orders to let everyone make trial.

He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the

slipper to her foot, he found it went on very easily, and

fitted her as if it had been made of wax. The astonishment

her two sisters were in was excessively great, but

still abundantly greater when Cinderella pulled out of her

pocket the other slipper, and put it on her foot. Thereupon,

in came her godmother, who, having touched with

her wand Cinderella's clothes, made them richer and

more magnificent than any of those she had before.

And now her two sisters found her to be that fine,

beautiful lady whom they had seen at the ball. They

threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all the

ill-treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella took

them up, and, as she embraced them, cried:

That she forgave them with all her heart, and desired

them always to love her.

She was conducted to the young prince, dressed as she

was; he thought her more charming than ever, and, a few

days after, married her. Cinderella, who was no less good

than beautiful, gave her two sisters lodgings in the palace,

and that very same day matched them with two great

lords of the Court.