Cinderilla: or, the Little Glass Slipper

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

very grand figure among the quality. They were mightily delighted at

this invitation, and wonderfully busy in chusing out such gowns,

petticoats, and head-clothes as might best become them. This was a new

trouble to Cinderilla; for it was she who ironed her sisters' linen,

and plaited their ruffles; they talked all day long of nothing but how

they should be dressed. "For my part," said the eldest, "I will wear

my red velvet suit, with French trimming." "And I," said the youngest,

"shall only have my usual petticoat; but then, to make amends for

that, I will put on my gold-flowered manteau, and my diamond

stomacher, which is far from being the most ordinary one in the

world." They sent for the best tire-woman they could get, to make up

their head-dresses, and adjust their double-pinners,[3] and they had

their red brushes, and patches from the fashionable maker.

[Footnote 3: 'Pinners' were coifs with two long side-flaps pinned on.

'Double-pinners'--with two side-flaps on each side--accurately

translates the French cornettes à deux rangs.]

[Illustration: "ANY ONE BUT CINDERILLA WOULD HAVE DRESSED THEIR HEADS

AWRY"]

Cinderilla was likewise called up to them to be consulted in all these

matters, for she had excellent notions, and advised them always for

the best, nay and offered her service to dress their heads, which they

were very willing she should do. As she was doing this, they said to

her:

"Cinderilla, would you not be glad to go to the ball?"

"Ah!" said she, "you only jeer at me; it is not for such as I am to go

thither."

"Thou art in the right of it," replied they, "it would make the people

laugh to see a Cinder-breech at a ball."

Any one but Cinderilla would have dressed their heads awry, but she

was very good, and dressed them perfectly well. They were almost two

days without eating, so much they were transported with joy; they

broke above a dozen of laces in trying to be laced up close, that they

might have a fine slender shape, and they were continually at their

looking-glass. At last the happy day came; they went to Court, and

Cinderilla followed them with her eyes as long as she could, and when

she had lost sight of them she fell a-crying.

Her godmother, who saw her all in tears, asked her what was the

matter.

"I wish I could----, I wish I could--;" she was not able to speak the

rest, being interrupted by her tears and sobbing.

This godmother of hers, who was a Fairy, said to her:

"Thou wishest thou couldest go to the ball, is it not so?"

"Y--es," cried Cinderilla, with a great sigh.

"Well," said her godmother, "be but a good girl, and I will contrive

that thou shalt go." Then she took her into her chamber, and said to

her:

"Run into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin."

Cinderilla went immediately to gather the finest she could get, and

brought it to her godmother, not being able to imagine how this

pumpkin could make her go to the ball. Her godmother scooped out all

the inside of it, leaving nothing but the rind; which done, she struck

it with her wand, and the pumpkin was instantly turned into a fine

coach, gilded all over with gold.

She then went to look into her mouse-trap, where she found six mice

all alive, and ordered Cinderilla to lift up a little the trap-door,

when giving each mouse, as it went out, a little tap with her wand,

the mouse was at that moment turned into a fair horse, which

altogether made a very fine set of six horses of a beautiful

mouse-coloured dapple-grey.

Being at a loss for a coachman, "I will go and see," says Cinderilla,

"if there be never a rat in the rat-trap, that we may make a coachman

of him."

"Thou art in the right," replied her godmother; "go and look."

Cinderilla brought the trap to her, and in it there were three huge

rats. The Fairy made choice of one of the three, which had the largest

beard, and, having touched him with her wand, he was turned into a fat

jolly coachman, who had the smartest whiskers eyes ever beheld.

After that, she said to her:

"Go again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the

watering pot; bring them to me."

She had no sooner done so, but her godmother turned them into six

footmen, who skipped up immediately behind the coach, with their

liveries all bedaubed with gold and silver, and clung as close behind

it, as if they had done nothing else their whole lives. The Fairy then

said to Cinderilla:

"Well, you see here an equipage fit to go to the ball with; are you

not pleased with it?"

"O yes," cried she, "but must I go thither as I am, in these poison

nasty rags?"

Her godmother only just touched her with her wand, and, at the same

instant, her clothes were turned into cloth of gold and silver, all

beset with jewels. This done she gave her a pair of glass-slippers,[4]

the prettiest in the whole world.

[Footnote 4: In Perrault's tale: pantoufles de verre. There is no

doubt that in the medieval versions of this ancient tale Cinderilla

was given pantoufles de vair--i.e., of a grey, or grey and white,

fur, the exact nature of which has been a matter of controversy, but

which was probably a grey squirrel. Long before the seventeenth

century the word vair had passed out of use, except as a heraldic

term, and had ceased to convey any meaning to the people. Thus the

pantoufles de vair of the fairy tale became, in the oral tradition,

the homonymous pantoufles de verre, or glass slippers, a delightful

improvement on the earlier version.]

Being thus decked out, she got up into her coach; but her godmother,

above all things, commanded her not to stay till after midnight,

telling her, at the same time, that if she stayed at the ball one

moment longer, her coach would be a pumpkin again, her horses mice,

her coachman a rat, her footmen lizards, and her clothes become just

as they were before.

She promised her godmother, she would not fail of leaving the ball

before midnight; and then away she drove, scarce able to contain

herself for joy. The King's son, who was told that a great Princess,

whom nobody knew, was come, ran out to receive her; he gave her his

hand as she alighted out of the coach, and led her into the hall,

among all the company. There was immediately a profound silence, they

left off dancing, and the violins ceased to play, so attentive was

every one to contemplate the singular beauty of this unknown new

comer. Nothing was then heard but a confused noise of,

"Ha! how handsome she is! Ha! how handsome she is!"

The King himself, old as he was, could not help ogling her, and

telling the Queen softly, "that it was a long time since he had seen

so beautiful and lovely a creature." All the ladies were busied in

considering her clothes and head-dress, that they might have some made

next day after the same pattern, provided they could meet with such

fine materials, and as able hands to make them.

The King's son conducted her to the most honourable seat, and

afterwards took her out to dance with him: she danced so very

gracefully, that they all more and more admired her. A fine collation

was served up, whereof the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently

was he busied in gazing on her. She went and sat down by her sisters,

shewing them a thousand civilities, giving them part of the oranges

and citrons which the Prince had presented her with; which very much

surprised them, for they did not know her.

While Cinderilla was thus amusing her sisters, she heard the clock

strike eleven and three quarters, whereupon she immediately made a

curtesy to the company, and hasted away as fast as she could.

Being got home, she ran to seek out her godmother, and after having

thanked her, she said, "she could not but heartily wish she might go

next day to the ball, because the King's son had desired her." As she

was eagerly telling her godmother whatever had passed at the ball, her

two sisters knocked at the door which Cinderilla ran and opened.

"How long you have stayed," cried she, gaping, rubbing her eyes, and

stretching herself as if she had been just awaked out of her sleep;

she had not, however, any manner of inclination to sleep since they

went from home.

"If thou hadst been at the ball," said one of her sisters, "thou

wouldst not have been tired with it; there came thither the finest

Princess, the most beautiful ever was seen with mortal eyes; she

shewed us a thousand civilities, and gave us oranges and citrons."

Cinderilla was transported with joy; she asked them the name of that

Princess; but they told her they did not know it; and that the King's

son was very anxious to learn it, and would give all the world to know

who she was. At this Cinderilla, smiling, replied:

"She must then be very beautiful indeed; Lord! how happy have you

been; could not I see her? Ah! dear Miss Charlotte, do lend me your

yellow suit of cloaths which you wear every day!"

"Ay, to be sure!" cried Miss Charlotte, "lend my cloaths to such a

dirty Cinder-breech as thou art; who's the fool then?"

Cinderilla, indeed, expected some such answer, and was very glad of

the refusal; for she would have been sadly put to it, if her sister

had lent her what she asked for jestingly.

The next day the two sisters were at the ball, and so was Cinderilla,

but dressed more magnificently than before. The King's son was always

by her, and never ceased his compliments and amorous speeches to her;

to whom all this was so far from being tiresome, that she quite forgot

what her godmother had recommended to her, so that she, at last,

counted the clock striking twelve, when she took it to be no more than

eleven; she then rose up, and fled as nimble as a deer.

The Prince followed, but could not overtake her. She left behind one

of her glass slippers, which the Prince took up most carefully. She

got home, but quite out of breath, without coach or footmen, and in

her nasty old cloaths, having nothing left her of all her finery, but

one of the little slippers, fellow to that she dropped. The guards at

the palace gate were asked if they had not seen a Princess go out; who

said, they had seen nobody go out, but a young girl, very meanly

dressed, and who had more the air of a poor country wench, than a

gentle-woman.

[Illustration: "SHE LEFT BEHIND ONE OF HER GLASS SLIPPERS, WHICH THE

PRINCE TOOK UP MOST CAREFULLY"]

When the two sisters returned from the ball, Cinderilla asked them if

they had been well diverted, and if the fine lady had been there. They

told her, Yes, but that she hurried away immediately when it struck

twelve, and with so much haste, that she dropped one of her little

glass slippers, the prettiest in the world, and which the King's son

had taken up; that he had done nothing but look at it during all the

latter part of the ball, and that most certainly he was very much in

love with the beautiful person who owned the little slipper.

What they said was very true; for a few days after, the King's son

caused it to be proclaimed by sound of trumpet, that he would marry

her whose foot this slipper would just fit. They whom he employed

began to try it on upon the Princesses, then the duchesses, and all

the Court, but in vain. It was brought to the two sisters, who did all

they possibly could to thrust their feet into the slipper, but they

could not effect it.

Cinderilla, who saw all this, and knew her slipper, said to them

laughing:

"Let me see if it will not fit me?"

Her sisters burst out a-laughing, and began to banter her. The

gentleman who was sent to try the slipper, looked earnestly at

Cinderilla, and finding her very handsome, said it was but just that

she should try, and that he had orders to let every one make tryal. He

invited Cinderilla to sit down, and putting the slipper to her foot,

he found it went on very easily, and fitted her, as if it had been

made of wax. The astonishment her two sisters were in was excessively

great, but still abundantly greater, when Cinderilla pulled out of her

pocket the other slipper, and put it on her foot. Thereupon, in came

her godmother, who having touched, with her wand, Cinderilla's

cloaths, made them richer and more magnificent than any of those she

had before.

And now her two sisters found her to be that fine beautiful lady whom

they had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet, to beg

pardon for all the ill treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderilla

took them up, and as she embraced them, cried that she forgave them

with all her heart, and desired them always to love her.

She was conducted to the young Prince, dressed as she was; he thought

her more charming than ever, and, a few days after, married her.

Cinderilla, who was no less good than beautiful, gave her two sisters

lodgings in the palace, and that very same day matched them with two

great lords of the court.

[Illustration]

The Moral

_Beauty's to the sex a treasure,

Still admir'd beyond all measure,

And never yet was any known,

By still admiring, weary grown.

But that rare quality call'd grace,

Exceeds, by far, a handsome face;

Its lasting charms surpass the other,

And this rich gift her kind godmother

Bestow'd on Cinderilla fair,

Whom she instructed with such care.

She gave to her such graceful mien,

That she, thereby, became a queen.

For thus (may ever truth prevail)

We draw our moral from this tale.

This quality, fair ladies, know

Prevails much more (you'll find it so)

T'ingage and captivate a heart,

Than a fine head dress'd up with art.

The fairies' gift of greatest worth

Is grace of bearing, not high birth;

Without this gift we'll miss the prize;

Possession gives us wings to rise._

Another

_A great advantage 'tis, no doubt, to man,

To have wit, courage, birth, good sense, and brain,

And other such-like qualities, which we

Receiv'd from heaven's kind hand, and destiny.

But none of these rich graces from above,

To your advancement in the world will prove

If godmothers and sires you disobey,

Or 'gainst their strict advice too long you stay._

[Illustration]

Riquet with the Tuft

[Illustration]