The Red Fairy Book - Andrew Lang (best novels for beginners TXT) 📗

in the same way, but she never

spoke a word, and the nurse was too frightened to say anything

about her visits.

 

After some little time had elapsed the Queen spoke one night,

and said:

 

`Is my child well? Is my Roe well?

I’ll come back twice and then farewell.’

 

The nurse made no answer, but as soon as the Queen had

disappeared she went to the King and told him all. The King exclaimed,

`Good heavens! what do you say? I will watch myself to-night

by the child’s bed.’

 

When the evening came he went to the nursery, and at midnight

the Queen appeared and said:

 

`Is my child well? Is my Roe well?

I’ll come back once and then farewell.’

 

And she nursed and petted the child as usual before she

disappeared. The King dared not trust himself to speak to her, but

the following night he kept watch again.

 

That night when the Queen came she said:

 

`Is my child well? Is my Roe well?

I’ve come this once, and now farewell.’

 

Then the King could restrain himself no longer, but sprang to

her side and cried, `You can be no one but my dear wife!’

 

`Yes,’ said she, `I am your dear wife!’ and in the same moment

she was restored to life, and was as fresh and well and rosy as ever.

Then she told the King all the cruel things the wicked witch and

her daughter had done. The King had them both arrested at once

and brought to trial, and they were condemned to death. The

daughter was led into the forest, where the wild beasts tore her to

pieces, and the old witch was burnt at the stake.

 

As soon as she reduced to ashes the spell was taken off the

little Roe, and he was restored to his natural shape once more, and

so brother and sister lived happily ever after.[6]

 

[6] Grimm.

PRINCESS ROSETTE

ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had two

beautiful sons and one little daughter, who was so pretty that

no one who saw her could help loving her. When it was time for

the christening of the Princess, the Queen—as she always did—

sent for all the fairies to be present at the ceremony, and afterwards

invited them to a splendid banquet.

 

When it was over, and they were preparing to go away, the

Queen said to them:

 

`Do not forget your usual good custom. Tell me what is going

to happen to Rosette.’

 

For that was the name they had given the Princess.

 

But the fairies said they had left their book of magic at home,

and they would come another day and tell her.

 

`Ah!’ said the Queen, `I know very well what that means—you

have nothing good to say; but at least I beg that you will not hide

anything from me.’

 

So, after a great deal of persuasion, they said:

 

`Madam, we fear that Rosette may be the cause of great

misfortunes to her brothers; they may even meet with their death

through her; that is all we have been able to foresee about your dear

little daughter. We are very sorry to have nothing better to tell you.’

 

Then they went away, leaving the Queen very sad, so sad that

the King noticed it, and asked her what was the matter.

 

The Queen said that she had been sitting too near the fire, and

had burnt all the flax that was upon her distaff.

 

`Oh! is that all?’ said the King, and he went up into the

garret and brought her down more flax than she could spin in a

hundred years. But the Queen still looked sad, and the King

asked her again what was the matter. She answered that she

had been walking by the river and had dropped one of her green

satin slippers into the water.

 

`Oh! if that’s all,’ said the King, and he sent to all the shoemakers in his kingdom, and they very soon made the Queen ten

thousand green satin slippers, but still she looked sad. So the

King asked her again what was the matter, and this time she

answered that in eating her porridge too hastily she had swallowed

her wedding-ring. But it so happened that the King knew better,

for he had the ring himself, and he said:

 

`Oh I you are not telling me the truth, for I have your ring here

in my purse.’

 

Then the Queen was very much ashamed, and she saw that the

King was vexed with her; so she told him all that the fairies had

predicted about Rosette, and begged him to think how the misfortunes

might be prevented.

 

Then it was the King’s turn to look sad, and at last he said:

 

`I see no way of saving our sons except by having Rosette’s

head cut off while she is still little.’

 

But the Queen cried that she would far rather have her own

head cut off, and that he had better think of something else, for she

would never consent to such a thing. So they thought and thought,

but they could not tell what to do, until at last the Queen heard

that in a great forest near the castle there was an old hermit, who

lived in a hollow tree, and that people came from far and near to

consult him; so she said:

 

`I had better go and ask his advice; perhaps he will know what

to do to prevent the misfortunes which the fairies foretold.’

 

She set out very early the next morning, mounted upon a pretty

little white mule, which was shod with solid gold, and two of her

ladies rode behind her on beautiful horses. When they reached

the forest they dismounted, for the trees grew so thickly that the

horses could not pass, and made their way on foot to the hollow

tree where the hermit lived. At first when he saw them coming he

was vexed, for he was not fond of ladies; but when he recognised

the Queen, he said:

 

`You are welcome, Queen. What do you come to ask of me?’

 

Then the Queen told him all the fairies had foreseen for Rosette,

and asked what she should do, and the hermit answered that she

must shut the Princess up in a tower and never let her come out of

it again. The Queen thanked and rewarded him, and hastened

back to the castle to tell the King. When he heard the news he

had a great tower built as quickly as possible, and there the

Princess was shut up, and the King and Queen and her two brothers

went to see her every day that she might not be dull. The eldest

brother was called `the Great Prince,’ and the second `the Little

Prince.’ They loved their sister dearly, for she was the sweetest,

prettiest princess who was ever seen, and the least little smile from

her was worth more than a hundred pieces of gold. When Rosette

was fifteen years old the Great Prince went to the King and asked

if it would not soon be time for her to be married, and the Little

Prince put the same question to the Queen.

 

Their majesties were amused at them for thinking of it, but did

not make any reply, and soon after both the King and the Queen

were taken ill, and died on the same day. Everybody was

sorry, Rosette especially, and all the bells in the kingdom were

tolled.

 

Then all the dukes and counsellors put the Great Prince upon a

golden throne, and crowned him with a diamond crown, and they

all cried, `Long live the King!’ And after that there was nothing

but feasting and rejoicing.

 

The new King and his brother said to one another:

 

`Now that we are the masters, let us take our sister out of that

dull tower which she is so tired of.’

 

They had only to go across the garden to reach the tower, which

was very high, and stood up in a corner. Rosette was busy at her

embroidery, but when she saw her brothers she got up, and taking

the King’s hand cried:

 

`Good morning, dear brother. Now that you are King, please

take me out of this dull tower, for I am so tired of it.’

 

Then she began to cry, but the King kissed her and told her to

dry her tears, as that was just what they had come for, to take her

out of the tower and bring her to their beautiful castle, and the

Prince showed her the pocketful of sugar plums he had brought for

her, and said:

 

`Make haste, and let us get away from this ugly tower, and very

soon the King will arrange a grand marriage for you.’

 

When Rosette saw the beautiful garden, full of fruit and flowers,

with green grass and sparkling fountains, she was so astonished

that not a word could she say, for she had never in her life seen

anything like it before. She looked about her, and ran hither and

thither gathering fruit and flowers, and her little dog Frisk, who

was bright green all over, and had but one ear, danced before her,

crying `Bow-wow-wow,’ and turning head over heels in the most

enchanting way.

 

Everybody was amused at Frisk’s antics, but all of a sudden he

ran away into a little wood, and the Princess was following him,

when, to her great delight, she saw a peacock, who was spreading

his tail in the sunshine. Rosette thought she had never seen

anything so pretty. She could not take her eyes off him, and there she

stood entranced until the King and the Prince came up and asked

what was amusing her so much. She showed them the peacock,

and asked what it was, and they answered that it was a bird which

people sometimes ate.

 

`What!’ said the Princess, `do they dare to kill that beautiful

creature and eat it? I declare that I will never marry any one but

the King of the Peacocks, and when I am Queen I will take very

good care that nobody eats any of my subjects.’

 

At this the King was very much astonished.

 

`But, little sister,’ said he, `where shall we find the King of the

Peacocks?’

 

`Oh! wherever you like, sire,’ she answered, `but I will never

marry any one else.’

 

After this they took Rosette to the beautiful castle, and the

peacock was brought with her, and told to walk about on the terrace

outside her windows, so that she might always see him, and then

the ladies of the court came to see the Princess, and they brought

her beautiful presents—dresses and ribbons and sweetmeats, diamonds

and pearls and dolls and embroidered slippers, and she was

so well brought up, and said, `Thank you!’ so prettily, and was so

gracious, that everyone went away delighted with her.

 

Meanwhile the King and the Prince were considering how they

should find the King of the Peacocks, if there was such a person in

the world. And first of all they had a portrait made of the Princess,

which was so like her that you really would not have been surprised

if it had spoken to you. Then they said to her:

 

`Since you will not marry anyone but the King of the Peacocks,

we are going out together into the wide world to search for him.

If we find him for you we shall be very glad. In the meantime,

mind you take good care of