The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault 8

The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault 8

While he was washing, the King passed by, and the Cat began to cry

out, as loud as he could:

 

"Help, help, my lord Marquis of Carabas is drowning."

 

At this noise the King put his head out of his coach-window, and

finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good game, he

commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of his

lordship the Marquis of Carabas.

 

While they were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat

came up to the coach, and told the King that while his master was

washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes,

tho' he had cried out "Thieves, thieves," several times, as loud as he

could. This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone. The King

immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch

one of his best suits for the lord Marquis of Carabas.

 

The King received him with great kindness, and as the fine clothes he

had given him extremely set off his good mien (for he was well made,

and very handsome in his person), the King's daughter took a secret

inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast two

or three respectful and somewhat tender glances, but she fell in love

with him to distraction. The King would needs have him come into his

coach, and take part of the airing. The Cat, quite overjoyed to see

his project begin to succeed, marched on before, and meeting with some

countrymen, who were mowing a meadow, he said to them:

 

"Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King, that

the meadow you mow belongs to my lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall be

chopped as small as mince-meat."

 

The King did not fail asking of the mowers, to whom the meadow they

were mowing belonged.

 

"To my lord Marquis of Carabas," answered they all together; for the

Cat's threats had made them terribly afraid.

 

"Truly a fine estate," said the King to the Marquis of Carabas.

 

"You see, sir," said the Marquis, "this is a meadow which never fails

to yield a plentiful harvest every year."

 

The Master Cat, who still went on before, met with some reapers, and

said to them:

 

"Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King that

all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped

as small as mince-meat."

 

The King, who passed by a moment after, would needs know to whom all

that corn, which he then saw, did belong. "To my lord Marquis of

Carabas," replied the reapers; and the King again congratulated the

Marquis.

 

The Master Cat, who went always before, said the same words to all he

met; and the King was astonished at the vast estates of my lord

Marquis of Carabas.

 

Monsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle, the master of which

was an Ogre, the richest had ever been known; for all the lands which

the King had then gone over belonged to this castle. The Cat, who had

taken care to inform himself who this Ogre was, and what he could do,

asked to speak with him, saying, he could not pass so near his castle,

without having the honour of paying his respects to him.

 

The Ogre received him as civilly as an Ogre could do, and made him sit

down.

 

"I have been assured," said the Cat, "that you have the gift of being

able to change yourself into all sorts of creatures you have a mind

to; you can, for example, transform yourself into a lion, or elephant,

and the like."

 

"This is true," answered the Ogre very briskly, "and to convince you,

you shall see me now become a lion."

 

Puss was so sadly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him, that

he immediately got into the gutter, not without abundance of trouble

and danger, because of his boots, which were ill-suited for walking

upon the tiles. A little while after, when Puss saw that the Ogre had

resumed his natural form, he came down, and owned he had been very

much frightened.

 

"I have been moreover informed," said the Cat, "but I know not how to

believe it, that you have also the power to take on you the shape of

the smallest animals; for example, to change yourself into a rat or a

mouse; but I must own to you, I take this to be impossible."

 

"Impossible?" cried the Ogre, "you shall see that presently," and at

the same time changed into a mouse, and began to run about the floor.

 

Puss no sooner perceived this, but he fell upon him, and ate him up.

 

Meanwhile the King, who saw, as he passed, this fine castle of the

Ogre's, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise of his

Majesty's coach running over the drawbridge, ran out and said to the

King:

 

"Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my lord Marquis of

Carabas."

 

"What! my lord Marquis?" cried the King, "and does this castle also

belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court, and all the

stately buildings which surround it; let us go into it, if you

please."

 

[Illustration: "THE MARQUIS GAVE HIS HAND TO THE PRINCESS, AND

FOLLOWED THE KING, WHO WENT UP FIRST"]

 

The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King,

who went up first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they found

a magnificent collation which the Ogre had prepared for his friends,

who were that very day to visit him, but dared not to enter knowing

the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly charmed with the good

qualities of my lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter who was

fallen violently in love with him; and seeing the vast estate he

possessed, said to him, after having drank five or six glasses:

 

"It will be owing to yourself only, my lord Marquis, if you are not my

son-in-law."

 

The Marquis making several low bows, accepted the honour which his

Majesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very same day, married

the Princess.

 

Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more, but only

for his diversion.

 

[Illustration]

 

 

_The Moral_

 

_How advantageous it may be,

By long descent of pedigree,

T'enjoy a great estate,

Yet knowledge how to act, we see,

Join'd with consummate industry,

(Nor wonder ye thereat)

Doth often prove a greater boon,

As should be to young people known._

 

 

_Another_

 

_If the son of a miller so soon gains the heart

Of a beautiful princess, and makes her impart

Sweet languishing glances, eyes melting for love,

It must be remark'd of fine clothes how they move,

And that youth, a good face, a good air, with good mien,

Are not always indifferent mediums to win

The love of the fair, and gently inspire

The flames of sweet passion, and tender desire._

 

 

 

 

_Cinderilla; or, The Little Glass Slipper_

 

[Illustration]

 

[Illustration: "AWAY SHE DROVE, SCARCE ABLE TO CONTAIN HERSELF FOR

JOY" (_page_ 84)]

 

 

Cinderilla or The Little Glass Slipper

 

 

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 humour and they 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 stepmother

began to shew herself in her colours. 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, &c. and rubbed 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 intirely. 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

Cinder-breech; but the youngest, who was not so rude and uncivil as

the eldest, called her Cinderilla. However, Cinderilla,

notwithstanding her mean apparel, was a hundred times handsomer than

her sisters, tho' 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