The Dirty Shepherdess

THE DIRTY SHEPHERDESS

Once upon a time there lived a King who had two daughters, and he loved

them with all his heart. When they grew up, he was suddenly seized with

a wish to know if they, on their part, truly loved him, and he made up

his mind that he would give his kingdom to whichever best proved her

devotion.

So he called the elder Princess and said to her, 'How much do you love

me?'

'As the apple of my eye!' answered she.

'Ah!' exclaimed the King, kissing her tenderly as he spoke, 'you are

indeed a good daughter.'

Then he sent for the younger, and asked her how much she loved him.

'I look upon you, my father,' she answered, 'as I look upon salt in my

food.'

But the King did not like her words, and ordered her to quit the Court,

and never again to appear before him. The poor Princess went sadly up to

her room and began to cry, but when she was reminded of her father's

commands, she dried her eyes, and made a bundle of her jewels and her

best dresses and hurriedly left the castle where she was born.

She walked straight along the road in front of her, without knowing very

well where she was going or what was to become of her, for she had never

been shown how to work, and all she had learnt consisted of a few

household rules, and receipts of dishes which her mother had taught her

long ago. And as she was afraid that no housewife would want to engage a

girl with such a pretty face, she determined to make herself as ugly as

she could.

She therefore took off the dress that she was wearing and put on some

horrible old rags belonging to a beggar, all torn and covered with mud.

After that she smeared mud all over her hands and face, and shook her

hair into a great tangle. Having thus changed her appearance, she went

about offering herself as a goose-girl or shepherdess. But the farmers'

wives would have nothing to say to such a dirty maiden, and sent her

away with a morsel of bread for charity's sake.

After walking for a great many days without being able to find any work,

she came to a large farm where they were in want of a shepherdess, and

engaged her gladly.

One day when she was keeping her sheep in a lonely tract of land, she

suddenly felt a wish to dress herself in her robes of splendour. She

washed herself carefully in the stream, and as she always carried her

bundle with her, it was easy to shake off her rags, and transform

herself in a few moments into a great lady.

The King's son, who had lost his way out hunting, perceived this lovely

damsel a long way off, and wished to look at her closer. But as soon as

the girl saw what he was at, she fled into the wood as swiftly as a

bird. The Prince ran after her, but as he was running he caught his foot

in the root of a tree and fell, and when he got up again, she was

nowhere to be seen.

When she was quite safe, she put on her rags again, and smeared over her

face and hands. However the young Prince, who was both hot and thirsty,

found his way to the farm, to ask for a drink of cider, and he inquired

the name of the beautiful lady that kept the sheep. At this everyone

began to laugh, for they said that the shepherdess was one of the

ugliest and dirtiest creatures under the sun.

The Prince thought some witchcraft must be at work, and he hastened away

before the return of the shepherdess, who became that evening the butt

of everybody's jests.

But the King's son thought often of the lovely maiden whom he had only

seen for a moment, though she seemed to him much more fascinating than

any lady of the Court. At last he dreamed of nothing else, and grew

thinner day by day till his parents inquired what was the matter,

promising to do all they could to make him as happy as he once was. He

dared not tell them the truth, lest they should laugh at him, so he only

said that he should like some bread baked by the kitchen girl in the

distant farm.

Although the wish appeared rather odd, they hastened to fulfil it, and

the farmer was told the request of the King's son. The maiden showed no

surprise at receiving such an order, but merely asked for some flour,

salt, and water, and also that she might be left alone in a little room

adjoining the oven, where the kneading-trough stood. Before beginning

her work she washed herself carefully, and even put on her rings; but,

while she was baking, one of her rings slid into the dough. When she

had finished she dirtied herself again, and let lumps of the dough

stick to her fingers, so that she became as ugly as before.

The loaf, which was a very little one, was brought to the King's son,

who ate it with pleasure. But in cutting it he found the ring of the

Princess, and declared to his parents that he would marry the girl whom

that ring fitted.

So the King made a proclamation through his whole kingdom, and ladies

came from afar to lay claim to the honour. But the ring was so tiny that

even those who had the smallest hands could only get it on their little

fingers. In a short time all the maidens of the kingdom, including the

peasant girls, had tried on the ring, and the King was just about to

announce that their efforts had been in vain, when the Prince observed

that he had not yet seen the shepherdess.

They sent to fetch her, and she arrived covered with rags, but with her

hands cleaner than usual, so that she could easily slip on the ring. The

King's son declared that he would fulfil his promise, and when his

parents mildly remarked that the girl was only a keeper of sheep, and a

very ugly one too, the maiden boldly said that she was born a princess,

and that, if they would only give her some water and leave her alone in

a room for a few minutes, she would show that she could look as well as

anyone in fine clothes.

They did what she asked, and when she entered in a magnificent dress,

she looked so beautiful that all saw she must be a princess in disguise.

The King's son recognised the charming damsel of whom he had once caught

a glimpse, and, flinging himself at her feet, asked if she would marry

him. The Princess then told her story, and said that it would be

necessary to send an ambassador to her father to ask his consent and to

invite him to the wedding.

The Princess's father, who had never ceased to repent his harshness

towards his daughter, had sought her through the land, but as no one

could tell him anything of her, he supposed her dead. Therefore it was

with great joy he heard that she was living and that a king's son asked

her in marriage, and he quitted his kingdom with his elder daughter so

as to be present at the ceremony.

By the orders of the bride, they only served her father at the wedding

breakfast bread without salt, and meat without seasoning. Seeing him

make faces, and eat very little, his daughter, who sat beside him,

inquired if his dinner was not to his taste.

[Illustration]

'No,' he replied, 'the dishes are carefully cooked and sent up, but they

are all so dreadfully tasteless.'

'Did not I tell you, my father, that salt was the best thing in life?

And yet, when I compared you to salt, to show how much I loved you, you

thought slightingly of me and you chased me from your presence.'

The King embraced his daughter, and allowed that he had been wrong to

misinterpret her words. Then, for the rest of the wedding feast they

gave him bread made with salt, and dishes with seasoning, and he said

they were the very best he had ever eaten.

Sebillot.