When Cinderella left the prince in such a hurry, he thought he would follow her. Although he could not find her, he came across the glass slipper she had lost. He put it in his pocket.
Next day, a youth went through the city crying out that the prince wanted to find the owner of the glass slipper, for he meant to marry her.
All the ladies who had been at the ball tried it on; but the shoe was too small to fit any of them. At last the youth came to the house of Cinderella"s father. Each of the sisters tried very hard to make the slipper fit, but it would not go even half on. Just as the youth was about to leave, Cinderella came in with some of her sister"s clothes, which she had mended.
"Let me try, " she said; "I think it might fit my foot. Ihave a small foot, you know. "
"You! " cried the sisters together; "as if a ragged, dirty creature like you could wear the slipper of a princess! "The youth gave the slipper to Cinderella to try on, and it just fitted her. Then the fairy godmother came in and touched Cinderella with her wand. She became once again the beautiful princess. This time the charm was to stay forever. The prince and Cinderella were married, and went to live in the palace.
The step-sisters were treated very kindly by both Cinderella and her handsome husband, who forgave them everything.
About the Story.-This is one of those very old stories or myths which have been handed down by word of mouth for ages. It is told under various forms in many countries. What kind of a girl was Cinderella? Tell the story as the Fairy Godmother would tell it. Now tell it as if you were the Prince. Make up a play about Cinderella and act it in class.
Lesson 3
THE ROOm WITH THE WALLS OF GLASS
"You did ! " shouted the Prince. "I didn"t ! " cried the little Princess. The Prince doubled his fists, and the Princess stamped her foot. Both of their faces were red and angry.
"Hush, hush! " said the Nurse. "What a noise you are making, and how ugly you look! That"s not the way for a Prince and Princess to behave. ""I don"t care, " said the Prince; " she pulled the mane off my wooden horse. ""I didn"t! " screamed the Princess. "It just came off. But I"ll pull its tail off. ""You won"t !" " shouted the Prince.
"I will, " cried the Princess. And she was just going to give a tug at the horse"s white tail when the nursery door opened.
And there stood the King in his crimson velvet cloak, carrying his hat in his hand. "Dear me, " said the King, still standing at the nursery door, "there"s a great deal of noise. What is the matter, children? ""She did! " shouted the Prince. And his face was still red and angry.
"No, I didn"t, " said the Princess, beginning to cry and rub her eyes with her hands.
"Your Majesty, " said the Nurse, "that is the way their Highnesses go on all day long. Quarrel and scream, scream and quarrel, and nothing that I can say or do will teach them to behave better. ""But they must behave better, " said the King. And he looked sternly at his children. "Be good, children; don"t quarrel; do not scream and shout. Behave as well as a Prince and a Princess should behave. ""I"m sure they will, your Majesty, " said the Nurse. "I"m sure her Highness the Princess did not mean to be unkind to his Highness the Prince. ""Yes, she did! " shouted the Prince, who had suddenly found his tongue again.
"I will be unkind if I choose! " screamed the Princess, who had just found hers, too. And then the Prince and Princess began to hit each other, and they looked two of the ugliest children you could see in a ten-mile walk.
"Ring the bell, " said the King. He pulled his crimson cloak round him and looked very angry. "Fetch the Chief Doctor. Their Highnesses are ill. " And when the Doctorheard that he was wanted in the nursery he shut his book and made haste upstairs.
"The Prince and the Princess are ill, Doctor, " said the King. "They scream and quarrel all day. ""But we are not ill, " said the Prince and the Princess. They were quite quiet now, and rather pale. "I can cure their Highnesses, " said the Chief Doctor, looking at the Prince and the Princess through his spectacles. "But I must take them home with me. ""Do as you like with them, " said the King, "so long as you cure them. " And he picked up his crimson velvet hat and went down to dinner.
So the Doctor"s coach was called, and the Prince and the Princess got in, with the Nurse and the Chief Doctor, and away they drove. The Prince and the Princess went on fighting, but soon the coach reached the Doctor"s house.
"Put their Highnesses in the Round Room, and leave them, and shut the door, " said the Chief Doctor. "They are ill and must be cured quickly. " So the Prince and the Princess, still screaming and struggling, were left alone in the Round Room. The door was shut, and the footmen went downstairs.
The minute the Prince and the Princess were ontheir feet they began to hit each other and cry, "It"s your fault." And the shining glass walls of the Round Room looked at them.
Suddenly the Prince turned his head and saw an angry little boy making ugly faces and hitting a little girl, who was making ugly faces too. Just at the same moment the Princess saw the same thing.
"Why, that"s me, " cried the Princess, staring. "And me, " said the Prince.
"You did look horrid, " said the Princess. "So did you, " said the Prince.
The Prince and the Princess stood looking at the glass walls all round them. Then they both burst out laughing. And the glass walls showed them a handsome little boy and a pretty little girl laughing at them.
"That"s you, " said the Princess. "How nice you look!" "And it"s you, " said the Prince. "I didn"t know youwere as pretty as that. "
Then the Prince and the Princess jumped and danced and laughed again, just for the fun of seeing the happy pair of children in the shining looking- glass walls.
"Hullo, " said the Chief Doctor, opening the door of the Round Room. "You seem very happy in here. ""We are, " cried the Prince and the Princess. "Wethink it"s a lovely room. "