Main Text
When Cinderella’s wealthy, widowed father married again, he soon found that he had made a grave mistake. No one felt it more keenly than his daughter, who acquired not only a waspish stepmother but two snobbish stepsisters — they were the ones who gave her that nickname, after banishing her to a dirty corner beside the fireplace. One day, the family received invitations to a ball at Court, and the household was thrown into joyous confusion.
Précis
Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters are in a flutter, because the family has been invited to a ball at the Palace. No one thinks that Cinderella is included in the invitation, not even Cinderella, who is left to weep alone. But her godmother gets the story out of her, and sets to work. She tells Cinderella to fetch a pumpkin, six mice, and three rats, and makes of them a glorious horse-drawn carriage and coachmen. Cinderella suggested lizards for some footmen. Soon all was ready, but her godmother warned that Cinderella must be home by midnight, for on the hour everything would vanish away.
They could eat nothing for nearly two days, so transported were they with joy. More than a dozen laces were broken in making their waists as small as possible, and they were always before their looking-glasses. At last the happy day arrived. They set off, and Cinderella followed them with her eyes as long as she could. When they were out of sight, she began to cry. Her godmother, who saw her all in tears, inquired what ailed her. I should so like — I should so like —
she sobbed so much that she could not finish the sentence. Thou wouldst so like to go to the ball — Is not that it?
Alas! yes,
said Cinderella, sighing. Well, if thou wilt be a good girl, I will take care thou shalt go.
She led her into her chamber, and said to her, Go into the garden and bring me a pumpkin.
Cinderella went immediately, gathered the finest she could find, and brought it to her godmother, unable to guess how the pumpkin could enable her to go to the ball. Her godmother scooped it out; and, having left nothing but the rind, struck it with her wand, and the pumpkin was immediately changed into a beautiful coach gilt all over. She then went and looked into the mouse-trap, where she found six mice, all alive. She told Cinderella to lift the door of the mouse-trap a little, and to each mouse, as it ran out, she gave a tap with her wand, and the mouse was immediately changed into a fine horse, thereby producing a handsome team of six horses, of a beautiful dappled mouse-grey colour. As she was in some difficulty as to what she should make a coachman of, Cinderella said, I will go and see if there be not a rat in the rat-trap; we will make a coachman of him.
Thou art right,
said her godmother. Go and see.
Cinderella brought her the rat-trap, in which there were three great rats. The Fairy selected one from the three, on account of its ample beard, and having touched it, it was changed into a fat coachman, who had the finest moustaches that ever were seen.
She then said, Go into the garden, thou wilt find there, behind the watering-pot, six lizards, bring them to me.
She had no sooner brought them than the godmother transformed them into six footmen, who immediately jumped up behind the coach, with their liveries all covered with lace, and hung on to it as if they had done nothing else all their lives. The Fairy then said to Cinderella, Well, there is something to go to the ball in. Art thou not well pleased?
Yes; but am I to go in these dirty clothes?
Her godmother only touched her with her wand, and in the same instant her dress was changed to cloth of gold and silver, covered with jewels. She then gave her a pair of glass slippers, the prettiest in the world. When she was thus attired, she got into the coach; but her godmother advised her, above all things, not to stay out past midnight — warning her, that if she remained at the ball one minute longer, her coach would again become a pumpkin; her horses, mice; her footmen, lizards; and her clothes resume their old appearance. She promised her godmother she would not fail to leave the ball before midnight, and departed, out of her senses with joy.
