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CINDERELLA
Adapted From Perrault
Once upon a time there was a gentleman who married
for his second wife, the proudest, vainest, and most
selfish woman that ever was seen. She had two
daughters, who were exactly like her in all things.
The gentleman had also a daughter, but she was a
young girl of the rarest sweetness and goodness.
The mother could not bear the goodness of this young
girl because it made the pride and ill-temper of her
own daughters appear all the more ugly, so she gave her
the hardest work in the house to do, in order that none
of their visitors might notice her. She had to scour
the dishes, scrub the floors, and clean the whole house
from top to bottom. She had to sleep in the attic,
upon a wretched bed of straw, while her sisters lay in
fine rooms, on the very softest beds.
The young girl bore all this patiently, nor would she
make her father unhappy by complaining to him of
her lot. When she had done her work, she used to
go into the chimney corner, and sit down among
the cinders; hence, though her name was Ella, she was
called by her sisters, Cinderella. Cinderella had only
the poorest rags for clothes, but the sweetness and
goodness that shone in her face, made her a hundred
times more beautiful than her sisters, however richly
they might be dressed.
It once happened that the King’s son gave a very
grand ball, to which all the great people of the king-
dom were invited. Our young misses were highly
delighted to receive an invitation. At once they began
to busy themselves in choosing the gowns, petticoats
and head-dresses which they should wear. Poor little
Cinderella was not invited; yet, as she worked to get her
sisters ready to go, they talked the whole day long
of nothing but what they should do at the ball.
‘Tor my part,” said the elder, *’I shall wear my red
velvet suit with French trimmings.”
‘And I,” said the younger, ”shall wear my old skirt,
but then to make up for that, I shall put on my gold-
flowered mantle and my splendid diamond stomacher.”
At last the happy day came. Though Cinderella
was sad to think she must stay at home, she offered
very sweetly to dress her sisters’ hair. There was no
one who could do it so well, and they gladly consented.
Yet, even as she worked, they said unkind things to her.
“Cinderella, don’t you wish you could go to the
ball? But people would surely laugh to see a cinder-
girl at a ball!”
Cinderella made no answer. She went on arranging
their hair. So at last she had them looking as well as
two young misses could, whose faces expressed nothing
but pride and ill-temper. They paraded up and down
before the long mirrors in their rooms, and then they
got into the family coach and drove away to court.
Cinderella looked after them until they were far
out of sight; then she crept into her corner by the
chimney and fell softly a-crying. But Cinderella, like
all good girls, was watched over by a fairy godmother,
and as she sat there in tears, her good fairy appeared
before her.
”My dear, dear child,” said the queer little old
lady, “why are you crying?”
*’I wish — I wish I could — ,” Cinderella could not
finish for sobbing.
”You wish,” said the fairy, “that you could go
to the ball. Is not that so?”
“Yes! O yes!” answered Cinderella, sighing.
‘Well’ said the Fairy, ”be but a good girl, and I
will see that you go.’* Then she commanded the dear
child to run into the garden and bring her a pumpkin.
Cinderella went obediently and gathered the finest
she could find, though she hadn’t the smallest idea
how a pumpkin could help her get to the ball. Her
fairy godmother scooped out all the inside, leaving
nothing but the rind; then she struck it with her
wand and behold! the pumpkin became a splendid
gilded coach!
Next, the fairy godmother went to look into the
mouse-trap, where she found six mice. She ordered
Cinderella to lift the trap door, and, as each mouse
ran out, she gave it a tap with her wand. At once the
mouse was changed into a horse, till before them
stood six fine horses of a beautiful, mouse-colored
gray. Then she had Cinderella bring her the rat-trap.
In that was a very large rat with splendid whiskers and
she turned him into a coachman. Last of all, she said:
*’Go into the garden, Cinderella, and bring me the
six lizards you will find behind the watering pot.”
No sooner had Cinderella done as she was com-
manded, than the lizards became six footmen in gold
embroidered coats. They skipped up at once behind
the coach and sat there as grandly as though they
had done nothing all their lives but serve in such a
position.
The fairy then said to Cinderella, “Now you see a
carriage fit to take you to the ball. Are you not pleased
with it?”
‘Oh, yes’ cried Cinderella, ”but must I go as I
am in these rags?”
Her godmother simply touched her with her wand,
and, at that same moment, her clothes were turned
into cloth of gold and silver, all decked with jewels.
Then the fairy gave her a pair of the prettiest glass
slippers in the world, and said, as she stepped joyously
into the carriage:
”This one command only you must obey. Do not
on any account stay at the ball after midnight. If
you do, your coach will become a pumpkin again, your
horses mice, your coachman a rat, yoUr footmen
lizards, and your clothes the same rags you wore before.”
Cinderella promised to obey and then she drove
away. The King’s son, being told that a great princess
whom nobody knew was come to the ball, ran out
to receive her. He gave her his hand as she alighted
from the coach, and led her into the hall where the
company was gathered. At once when she appeared,
there fell over all a deep silence; every one left off
dancing and the violins ceased to play. On all sides
ladies and gentlemen whispered, “How beautiful she is!”
The King’s son conducted her to the seat of honor,
and afterwards led her out to dance. She danced so
gracefully that all admired her. She was kind and
courteous, too, even to her ill-tempered step-sisters,
who did not for a moment recognize in this lovely
princess their little cinder-girl. At last a splendid
feast was served, but in the midst of it all, Cinderella
heard the clock strike the quarter before twelve. She
rose and said farewell. Then she hastened away as
fast as she could.
When she got back home, she found her godmother
waiting. Gratefully she thanked the little old lady
for what she had done. But as she was telling her
all that had happened, her two sisters knocked at the
door. Then the fairy changed Cinderella’s brocaded
gown to rags again and disappeared in a twinkling.
In her poor old clothes Cinderella opened the door.
**If you had been at the ball,” said one of her sisters,
“you would have seen the finest, most beautiful princess
that ever your eyes looked on. She was very kind to
us, too, and showed us much attention. But a little
cinder-girl like you could never even dream of such
loveliness!”
Cinderella asked if they knew the name of the
princess.
**No,” the step-sisters answered, *’no one knows
her name, but the King’s son would give all the world to
learn who she is!”
The next night the Prince asked everyone again to
a ball that he might once more see the beautiful
Princess. Cinderella’s two sisters went, and when
they were gone and the house was still, her godmother
came as before ana made Cinderella ready. The dress
she wore on the second night was even more lovely
than the one she had had at first. The King’s son
welcomed her with beaming eyes and was . always by
her side. They danced with the same grace and
beauty to the same lovely music. And they feasted
as before. But when the clock struck a quarter to
twelve Cinderella remembered her godmother’s words
and went obediently home.
The third night the King’s son gave still another
ball; once again the two sisters went and after them,
Cinderella. Not a thing was less fine and splendid,
not a person less kind and courteous than on the two
nights preceding. Indeed the music was so beautiful;
the movements of the dance were such wonders of
harmony and grace; the room was so bright, and
everything was so full of joy, that Cinderella never
once thought how time was flying.
Suddenly the great clock of the palace began to
strike twelve. One! Two! Three! Four! When she
heard, Cinderella fled. Nimbly as a deer she ran.
Five! Six! Seven! Eight! She was on the broad
steps outside the palace. Nine ! Ten ! One little glass
slipper fell from her foot, but she dared not stop to
pick it up. Eleven! Twelve! Her clothes all turned
to rags ! Her coach disappeared ! Mice, lizards and rat
scampered off in the darkness.
As fast as she could, Cinderella ran home. All she
had left of her finery was one little glass slipper, the
mate to the one she had lost.
In great dismay, the Prince ran out from the palace
after her. Not a sign of her was anywhere to be seen.
The guards at the gate said no splendid Princess had
passed them. They had seen nobody but a poorly-
dressed country girl, who ran as if for her life.
The Prince was very sorrowful and he had a search
made everywhere. But all he could find of the beau-
tiful Princess was the one little glass slipper she had
dropped. For days and days he searched; then at
last he had his servitors march up and down through
the length and breadth of his kingdom, giving notice
with sound of trumpet that every lady in the land
should try on the little glass slipper. So small it
was, he knew that none but the rightful princess could
wear it. Hence he gave orders that whoever could get
her foot into it, should come to the palace and be
his bride.
They began by trying the slipper on the princesses,
then on the duchesses, and then on the other ladies
of the court; not one of them did it fit. At last it
was brought to Cinderella’s two proud sisters, who
each did all she could to squeeze in her foot; they
pinched up their heels and drew in their toes, but
in vain. Cinderella meantime stood by and watched
what was going on. She knew her slipper and when
her sisters had failed, she said to them modestly:
*’Let me see if it will not fit me.**
The sisters burst out a-laughing. **Could a cinder-
girl wear such a slipper?’* they cried. But the mes-
senger who was sent out on the search, looked earnestly
at Cinderella, and, finding her very beautiful, he said
it was but fair she should try it.
So Cinderella sat down
and the gentleman put
the slipper to her foot.
Behold ! it went on easily
and fitted her like wax.
The two sisters were dumb
with amazement, but their
amazement was greater
still when Cinderella pulled
out of her pocket the
mate to that beautiful slipper. Thereupon, in came her
good fairy, who touched the girrs clothes with her wand,
and lo! they became more magnificent than any she
had worn before.
And now her two sisters found her to be that
beautiful lady who had been so kind to them at the
ball. They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon
for all their ill treatment of her. Cinderella lifted
them up, kissed them, and said she forgave them
with all her heart.
She was conducted to the young prince, dressed as
she was. He thought her more charming than ever,
and a few days later, led her, as his bride, to live with
him at the palace. Cinderella, who was as good as
she was beautiful, gave her two sisters a home at
court. Her goodness made them ashamed of them-
selves, so they tried to conquer their pride and ill-
temper, and grow to be better young misses.
