Chapter IV: Part 4

At that moment he felt a cat’s claw on his hand, which scratched him so sharply that he bled. He hoped this was to encourage him, and opened the millet seed. Then, to the astonishment of every one, he drew forth a piece of linen four hundred ells long. Into it were woven all the kinds of birds and beasts and fishes in the world; the sun, moon, and stars; every sort of plant and tree that grows; and pictures of all the Kings and Queens in the world, and all their children. When the needle was brought the linen went through the eye six times with ease. The King and the two elder brothers sat still and did not say a word, for no one could help seeing that this linen was so beautiful and rare that nothing in the world could be compared to it.

Presently the King turned to his sons and said with a deep sigh: “Nothing consoles me more in my old age than to see your deference to my wishes. I desire to put you to further proof. Go once more and travel for a year, and at the end of that time he who brings back the most beautiful girl shall marry her and be crowned King on his wedding day. It is necessary that my successor should marry. I promise that I will not then put off the reward.”

So they set out again, and our Prince returned in his splendid carriage to his dear White Cat. This time she knew the day and hour of his arrival, and had the road strewn with flowers and grand preparations made to celebrate his return. Seated in a gallery from which she could see him coming, the White Cat awaited him.

“Well, King’s Son,” she said, “you have again returned without a crown.”

“Madam,” he replied, “your kindness has earned me one twice over, but I am persuaded that my father is unwilling to part with it himself.”

“No matter,” she said; “you must not give up trying to deserve it. As you must take back a lovely maiden next time, I will find you one that will gain you the prize. Now let us take no more care about the matter.”

Nothing passes more quickly than days spent without trouble or care. If the White Cat had not taken pains to remember the time when he must return to the court, the Prince would have surely forgotten it. But one evening she told him that it depended on himself alone whether he would take to the court one of the most beautiful Princesses in the world.

“To do this,” she said, “you must take your sword and cut off my head and tail and throw them quickly into the fire.”

“I!” he exclaimed; “I cut off your head and tail! My dear White Cat, my love, am I to do such a cruel deed? Ah! perhaps you are testing my affections, but you need not doubt me.”

But she begged and begged, telling him that he must trust her and do as she said. The tears came into his eyes at the thought of killing his dear White Cat, and he begged her to spare him. But she was determined, and at last with a trembling hand he drew his sword, cut off her head and tail, and threw them in the fire. Immediately the most charming change imaginable took place. The body of the White Cat grew tall and became that of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

The Prince was so overwhelmed with astonishment and delight that he could not speak. As he stood gazing at her, the door opened and a long train of lords and ladies entered the room, each with a cat’s skin thrown over the shoulder. They bowed low before the Queen and showed their great joy at seeing her once more restored to her natural state. She received them graciously, but after a few moments dismissed them, saying that she wished to be alone with the Prince. To him she explained that she was a Princess who had been turned into a cat by some angry fairies. All her lords and ladies had been turned into cats, too, and her servants had been made invisible, all but their hands. To free them from this enchantment a handsome young Prince must come and love her well enough to do her bidding.

Together they set out for the King’s court. Their chariot was more magnificent than any the Prince had ever seen. Even the horses’ shoes were of emerald with diamond nails. Since the Princess was as lovely as she appeared, the Prince loved her more dearly than ever, and they had a most delightful journey together.

When they came near the palace the Princess stepped into a chair made of crystal, carried by her guards, and drew the silken curtains about her so that she could not be seen. The Prince remained in the chariot and soon met his brothers walking in the palace grounds with two very beautiful Princesses. They asked him if he, too, had found a Princess. He said that the most beautiful thing he had seen was a little white cat, and her he had brought. They laughed at his simplicity.

“A cat!” they said. “Are you afraid that our palace will be eaten up by mice?”

The elder brothers and their Princesses got into carriages of gold and azure; the horses were decked with plumes, and nothing could have been more brilliant than the cavalcade. Our young Prince followed, and then came the crystal chair at which every one looked with admiration. The courtiers hastened to tell the King that the three Princes had arrived.

“Do they bring beautiful women with them?” asked the King.

“It is impossible that they should be surpassed,” was the reply, which did not seem to please the King.

The elder brothers entered first. The King received them kindly but could not choose between them. He turned to the youngest and said, “This time you come alone.”

“Your Majesty,” said the Prince, “will find in the crystal chair a little white cat which mews so prettily and has such soft paws that I am sure you will be charmed with her.”

The King smiled and went to draw back the curtains, but the Princess, by touching a spring, shattered the crystal and stood forth like the sun appearing from behind a cloud. Her fair hair floated over her shoulders; her soft white robe was lined with pink. She bowed gracefully before the King, who exclaimed, “This is the matchless woman who deserves my crown!”

“Sire,” she said, “I am not come to deprive you of a crown you fill so worthily. I have by inheritance six kingdoms; permit me to offer one to you and give one to each of your sons. I ask no other return but your friendship and your consent to my marriage with your youngest son. We shall have quite enough with three kingdoms.”

The King and all the court were carried away with joy and astonishment. The three weddings took place at once. Many months were spent in festivities. Then each King and Queen went to rule their own kingdom, and all lived happily ever after.

NOTES

Page 1. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. Source: “Contes de Ma Mère l’Oye,” by Charles Perrault (1628–1703). Parallel: Grimm’s “Little Briar Rose.” The Perrault conclusion, describing at length the later adventures of the characters, we follow Grimm’s example in omitting.

Page 16. The Emperor’s New Clothes. Source: “Wonder Stories Told for Children,” by Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875).

Page 27. The Golden Goose. Source: “Kinder- und Hausmärchen,” by Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859). Three folklore motifs are united,—that of simple kindness rewarded, of the magic touch, which here creates an amusing situation, and of the unconscious success of a simpleton in making a royal personage laugh.

Page 34. The Elves and the Shoemaker. Source: Grimm. Parallels: Beside a wealth of tales in which elves or pixies help mortals, this very incident of their being kindly provided with clothes and refusing thereafter to work appears in several Scottish and English versions,—notably in “The Cauld Lad of Hilton.” Elves always disappear when clothed.

Page 38. The King of the Cats. Source: The Folk-Lore Journal, II, 22. The best of five English variants of this tale.

Page 41. The Fir Tree. Source: Andersen.

Page 62. Pleiades. Source: “Fairy Tales from Afar, Translated from the Danish Popular Tales of Svend Grundtvig,” by Jane Mulley. A good presentation of coöperation.

Page 67. Bluebeard. Source: Perrault. Parallels: Several, three in Grimm. Mr. Lang says, “Perrault’s tale has a great advantage over its popular rivals. It is at once more sober and more terrible, and possesses an epical unity of idea and action. The leading idea, of curiosity punished, of the box or door which may not be opened, and of the prohibition infringed with evil results, is of world-wide distribution.”

Page 79. Thumbelina. Source: Andersen. In the tales of Hans Andersen we see the difference between the unconscious art of traditional folklore and the introspective, studied productions of a writer for children.

Page 105. Clever Alice. Source: Grimm. The first part is a typical satire on cleverness; the second recalls the old woman of the nursery rhyme who depended for identity on her little dog at home. One of a succession of Hans and Alice stories.

Page 114. Riquet with the Tuft. Source: Perrault. “The touch of the traditional and popular manner in the story is the love of a woman redeeming the ugliness of a man.”

Page 130. Snowdrop. Source: Grimm. Parallels: A characteristic German tale with many variants. The symbolism of color, the wicked stepmother, the dwarfs in their little house, the child in the forest, and most of all the atmosphere and style make this a typical German story.

Page 152. The White Cat. Source: Madame D’Aulnoy. French text in “Cabinet des Fées,” Vol. 3; English translation in “Novels and Tales of the Fairies, London, 1749.” Parallel: Grimm’s “The Three Feathers.” Our version is much abridged. The delicacy and charm of Madame D’Aulnoy’s style can be best appreciated in the descriptions of life in the enchanted palace and of the graceful little White Cat. The rude details of other stories, in which the older princes bring home farmer lasses who try to jump through a ring and break their arms and legs in the attempt, are here omitted. With characteristic refinement the story-teller allows no one to be discomfited; all live happily ever after, as the heroes and heroines of real fairy tales should.