Laboulaye - Fairy Tales

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NV PUBLIC LIBRARY THEBRANCHLIBRARIES

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Fairs

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FAIRY

TALES

BY

EDOUARD

LABOULAYE

WITH

TWO

HUNDRED AND

FIFTY-ONE

ILLUSTRATIONS

Erti AT)fi

L

P:H

L^

DAVID

M

cI.C,'

4

1

1,! !;

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1^

B'

L

IS

H

E

R

,

YORK

PUBLIC

LIBRARY

.: .

.*.

. . .. t (11 i (i tit , , ' -. .

CONTENTS.

Thumbkin.

A

Finnish Tale. . .

The Good

Woman.

A

_Norwegian

_Story.

ICELANDIC

TALES

:

The

_Story of Briam, the _King's

FooL

The

Little

_{Gray Man.}

The

Fleece of Gold.

A

_{Servian Story.} . ,

Zerbino, the Bear.

A

Neapolitan Tale. .

Fragolette.

...

Yvon

and

Finette. ,

Piff-Paff; or, the

Art

of

Government.

. .

The

_{Mysterious Garden.}

....

BOHEMIAN

STORIES

:

A

Frenchman's

Visit to _Prague. ., _,,

O JO03

~

i fI ' . '.

'

Are

You

Not

Satisfied? or,

The

Tale of the Noses.

The

Golden

Loaf.

The

Hussar's _Song.

PAGE. 9 31 52 62 75 87 112 121 158 195

2O

I 208 212 21$

Contents.

BOHEMIAN

STORIES:

The

_Story of

Sswanda

the _Piper.

The

Twelve

Months. .

The

_Story ofthe

_King

of _Ethiopia .

The

Three Lemons.

A

Neapolitan Tale. Captain John's Travels.

Perlino.

A

_{Neapolitan Story.}

The

_Shepherd

Pashaw.

A

Turkish _Story.

The

Castle of Life.

PAUK 220 225 232 234 252 290 320 335 */'*' .' ' ' f ' t ' ,

FAIRY

TALES

THUMBKIN.

A

FINNISH

TALE

CHAPTER

I.

ONCE

_John.

upon

Peteratime

was

there_big,

was

red-cheeked,a peasant

and

who

stupid

had

three sons;

and

Paul

was

Peter, Paul,thin, sallow,

and

and

envious; whilst

John was

brimful of fun

and

asfair asa

woman,

but such a

tiny fellow that he could easilyhave hidden himself in his father's bigboots; so

he was

nick-named

Thumbkin.

_{All the peasant's} wealth consisted of his sons,

he had

_nothing else _besides,

and

it

was

a _grand

_day

in _{the cottage}

when

a

halfpenny

was

to be seen there.

Rye

was

dear,

and

life _{very hard} to these_poor

folk.

From

the time the three children could

_{do any}

_work, their father

was

always urging

them

to leave the hut

where

they were born,

and

go forth into the

world to seek their fortune.

He

used to _say, "It

_may

not _{be always easy} to earn one's _living

_away

from

home,

but

_any

how

there is a chance _{of earning} it ; whilst here, the only thing

one

can look forward to is to die of _hunger."

About

a _league from the hut stood _{the palace} of the _king, a _magnificent

building all of

_wood,

with _beautifully carved balconies

and

_glazed windows.

Lo

and

behold! one fine

summer

_{night, just} in front of thewindows,a great oak-tree

sprangup, with such thick branches

and

foliage that it almost hid the _palace.

To

cut

down

this _giant tree

was

not an _easy matter; there

was

not an

ax

that

did notblunt itself _{against the trunk,}

and

for _{every branch} or root that

was

cut

10

_Laboulaycs

_Fairy

Talcs.

to the

man who

would

rid

him

of this inconvenient _neighbor. Tired of the

fruitless _struggle, the _king at last

was

obliged to resign himself to having all

the _lamps in his _palace lit in broad _daylight.

That was

not all; in this country streams issued out of the very stones,

and

yet there

was

no water to be

had

on the royal domain. In the

summer

the

Court

was

_obliged to

wash

their hands with beer,

and

their faces with

mead.

It

was

_{a crying}

shame

;

and

the king had promised lands

and money,

with the

title of _marquis, to

_any

one

who

would

_{dig a well} in _{the courtyard} of the castle

deep enough

to get water all the _year round.

But no

one

was

able to earn the reward, for _{the palace stood} on a _hill,

and

a foot belowthe surface

was

a

bed

of

granite.

The

_kingcould think

of _nothingelse,

and

was

determined not to be

beaten, for

_though

his

kingdom was

verysmall

he

was

as obstinate as

the

_Emperor

of China.

To

attain his _object he

had

_{great placards}

em-blazoned with _{the royal}

arms

_posted

_up

all over

his _dominions,

_by

which

he

offered

no

less than the

hand

of _{the princess}

and

the half of his

king-dom

to

whoever

should

cut

down

the

oak and

_{dig the} well.

The

_princess

was

as beautiful as _{the day,}

and

half the

_{kingdom was}

not tobe _despised ; so here

was

a bait rich

enough

to

tempt more

than one ambitious soul,

and

from

Sweden

and

Norway, Denmark,

Russia, the continent,

and

the adjacent islands,

came

a

crowd

of stout

workmen,

armed

with axes

and

mattocks.

But

in vain _they cut and hacked

and

_chipped

and

_dug, it

was

all labor lost.

At

_every

blow

the

oak became

harder,

and

the granite

no

softer, so that the strongest

had

at last _give to

_up

in _despair.

Thumb

kin. II

CHAPTER

II.

ONE

day, after the king's proclamation,

which

_{completely turned} every body's head,

had

been a great deal underdiscussion,

the three brothers asked themselves

_why

_they should not try their luck, if their father

would

givehis consent.

They

never

dreamed

of

suc-cess,

and

did not aspire either to the

hand

of

the princess or to the half of the _{kingdom, but}

they thought they might find

_{employment and}

a kind masterat theCourtor elsewhere. Their

father_approvedof _{their project,} so _theystarted

off for the _{king's palace.}

As

_{theyjourneyed}

Thumbkin

ran _alongthe

side of the road with the swiftness of _a

grey-hound, watching every thing, studying every

thing,

and

ferreting about everywhere. Insects,

wild flowers,

and

pebbles all attracted his

atten-tion.

He

was

_{constantlystopping} his brothers

to ask

them

the

_why

and

the wherefore of

every thing;

why

the bees entered the calyxes

of flowers,

why

theswallows

skimmed

_alongthe streams,

why

the butterflies flew to

and

fro in

zigzags. Peter burst out laughing at all these questions,

and

Paul shruggedhisshoulders,

and

told

Thumbkin

to be silent, calling

him

a

con-ceited

and

_{inquisitive fellow.}

On

their

_way

_{theyentered a great pine-wood,}

which

covered a

mountain

side,

and

in the

dis-tance above

them

_{they heard} the

sound

of an

ax,

and

the crash of falling branches.

"

It _surprises

me

that _{people should} cut

down

trees on the

summit

of a

moun-tain," said

Thumbkin.

"

I should _{be very}

much

_surprised if

_you

were not _{surprised," replied} Paul

12

_Laboulayes

_Fairy

Talcs.

"What

a

_baby!

One

would

think that

_{you had}

never _{seen a wood-cutter,'}

added

Peter, patting hislittle brother

on

the cheek.

"_{All the}

same," said

_Thumbkin,

" I

am

curious to see

what

is_{going on}

_up

there."

"Go

and

see," rejoined Paul,

"and

tire _yourself out. It will be a lesson

to _you, conceited

_boy

;

you

always

want

to

know

more

than your elder

brothers."

Thumbkin,

without heeding this remark, set off to climb in the direction

whence

came

the

sound

of the ax.

When

he reached the _top of the _mountain,

what

_{do you}

think he found ?

An

enchanted

ax which by

itself

was hewing

down

a tall

and

noble _pine-tree.

"

_Good

morning,

Madam

Ax,"

said

Thumbkin.

"

Does

it not tire

_you

to

hack

_away

all

_by

_yourself at that old

tree?"

"

I have been waiting for

_you

_many

years,

my

son,

"

answered the ax.

"All _right, here I _{am," rejoined}

Thumbkin, and

he _coolly took the _ax,

and

_putting it into his _big leathern

wallet, lightly descended the mountain.

"

_And

_what

marvel did our

_young

master,

who

is so _{easily astonished, see}

up

there ?

"

inquired Paul, looking con,

temptuously at

Thumbkin.

"_It

_was

an

ax

that

we

heard," answered the lad. "

Itold

_you

_{so," said Peter,} " so _yourtrouble

was

useless,

and you would

have

done

better to _stay with us."

A

little further on the road _{lay through masses} of rock, and in the distance thev heard above--

them

a hard sound,/ like iron_{ringing against}O O O stone.

"

I

am

_surprised that _{people should} be striking the rock

up

there," said

Thumbkin.

"

Really," said Paul," the chicken is_{only just hatched,} so he has never heard a

_woodpecker

_pecking at the old trunk of atree before!

"

"That's

what

it _is," said _{Peter laughing,} "it is a _{woodpecker. Stay with} us youngster."

"

All the _{same," replied}

_Thumbkin,

"I

am

curious to see

what

is _{going on}

up

there."

Thumb

kin.

And

he

climbed

_up

the face of the rock on his

hands and

knees, whilst Peter

and

_{Paul laughed} at

him

for his _pains.

When

he reached the top,

what

do

you

think he found?

An

enchanted _pickax,

which

all

_by

itself

was

_piercing

the rockas _{easily as} if it

had

been soft earth.

At

each stroke it

went more

than a foot into the _ground.

"

_Good

day,

Madam

Pickax," said

Thumbkin.

"

Does

it not tire

_you

to be digging

away

all

_by

_yourself at that old

rock?"

"

I have

been

_waiting for

_you

a _long time,

my

son," returned the

pickax.

"All

_right, here I

am," replied

Thumb-kin,

and

without

more

ado

he tookthe

pick-ax, undid the handle,

and

_putting the

two

pieces into his big

leathern _{bag, quickly}

descended the

moun-tain.

"

Pray

what

miracle did his _{lordship see}

_up

there?

"

asked _Paul, in_{a sneering}

tone.

"

It

was

a _pickax that

we

heard,"answered the boy,

and

he walked

on

without saying

any

thing more.

A

little further

on

_they

came

to a stream.

The

water

was

cool,

and

as clear

as _crystal,

and

our travelers _{being thirsty,} each

commenced

to drink out of

his hand.

"

I

am

_surprised there should be so

much

water in a _valley like

this," said

Thumbkin.

"

I should like to

know

where

this stream

comes

from."

"

_So

the youngster does not

know

that streams issue out of the _ground,"

sneered Paul.

"_{All the}

same," replied

Thumbkin,

"

I

am

curious to see

whence

thiswater comes."

And

he

set off to find the source of _{the stream,} in _spite of the _jeers

and

remonstrances of his brothers.

On

and on he

went, whilst the water

_grew

less

and

less.

When

he reachedthe

end

of thevalley, he saw, to hisastonishment, the

Laboulaye's

Fairy

Talcs.

"

_Good

morrow,

Madam

Spring," cried

Thumbkin.

"

Docs

itnottire

_you

to _spout

away

there all

_by

_yourself in that little

corner?'

"

I have been _waiting for

_you

for

many

years,

my

son," replied the

walnut-shell.

'

" _All

right ; hereIam,"said

Thumbkin

;

and, taking the nut-shell, he stuffed itwith

moss, so that thewater could _{not escape};

then_putting it _{into his wallet,} he _quickly rejoined hisbrothers.

"

Have

_you

discoveredthe source of the stream

now?"

cried Peter, as soon as

he

caught sight of him.

"

Yes, brother," said

Thumbkin

;

"

it

comes up

out of alittle hole."

"

The

child istoo clever

_by

half," said

Paul;

"

_we

shall never be able to rear

him."

"

I have seen all I

wanted

to see,

and

have learned all I

wanted

to

know, and

that is

_enough

forme,"

murmured

Thumb-kin, rubbing his hands.

A

CHAPTER

III.

T

last _{they reached} the king's palace.

The

oak

was

_bigger

and

more

um-brageous than ever: there

was no

well in _{the courtyard} of the castle,

and

at

the palace-gate there

hung

as usual _{the great placard} which promised the

hand

of _{the princess}

and

half the

_kingdom

to the

man

were he _{noble, peasant, or}

trader

who

should achieve the

two

things on which the king

had

set his

heart.

_However,

since the _king

was

wearied with so

_many

fruitless efforts,

Thumbkin.

the larger one,

and on

it

was

written in red lettersthe _following

_announcement

:

"Be

it

known

that his _majestythe _king, in his _{exceedinggoodness, has}

deigned

toproclaim that

whoever

shall _{unsuccessfully attempt}

to cut

down

the

oak

_{or diga well, shall} have his ears

cut off to teach

him

to

know

himself,

which

isthe first

step towards

wisdom."

And

in order that _every

_{body might}

_profit

_by

this

prudentadvice, acouple of dozen ears

had

been nailed

up

round the placard for the

_{encouragement}

of those

who

_{were wanting} in _humility.

When

Peter

had

read

the _proclamation he burst out _laughing, twirled his

mustaches,

and

looked complacently at his _arms,

on

which

_{the swelling veins stood out} like thick cords ;

he

then twice flourished his

woodman's ax

round his

head,

and

at a

blow

cut off one of the thickest'branches

of the enchanted tree.

In a

moment

two

others _sprouted in its _place, each thicker

and

sturdierthanthefirst ;

whereupon

the king's

guardsseized the unfortunate

woodman,

and

then

and

there cut off his ears.

"

You

are_{only a blunderer,"}said Paulto his brother;

and

_{taking the} hatchet in his turn,

he

walked _slowly

round the _tree,

and

_{seeing a root}

which

showed

above

the _ground, he cut it off at a _single blow. In an

instant

two

enormous

roots _appeared in its _place,

and

a_{vigorous shoot sprang}

_up

from each. "

Seize the fool!

"

cried the _{enraged king};

"

_and

as

he

did not _profit

_by

his brother's _example, cut off

both his ears close to his cheek."

This

was no

sooner said than

done

; butthis double

family misfortune did not

seem

to daunt

Thumbkin.

He

_{approached with} a firm _step to _tryhis luck.

"

Send

thatlittle _shrimp

_away

!

"

exclaimedthe_king;

"

_and

if he

makes any

resistance, cut off his ears.

He

will learn a lesson,

and

we

shall be _{spared the consequences} of his

folly."

"

_Pardon

me,

your

majesty," returned

Thumbkin

;

"

a _king

must

abide

by

his _word,

and

I have the _right to

make

_{the attempt.}

There

will be time

i6

_{Laboulayes 2}

:

_airy

Talcs.

"

Away

with _you, then !

"

said the _{king, sighing};

"

but take care that I

do

nothave

_your

nose off into _{the bargain."}

From

the _depths of his leathern wallet

Thumbkin

drew

out the enchanted

ax

; it

was

almost as big as himself,

and

he

had

some

difficulty in setting it

on end

with the handle _resting

on

the _ground.

"

_Hew

Thumbkin.

little

husband

who

seemed

in

and

who

was

so unlike the tall

and

_gallant

knight she

had

seen in herdreams.

Thumbkin

_quietly

drew

the enchanted

pick-ax

out of his _{wallet, and, fixing} it

on

the handle, placed it on the

_ground

at _{the spot}

in-dicated. " _Pick

away

! _pick

away

!

"

he cried.

Immediately

the _pickax

made

_{the granite fly}

in all directions,

and

in less than _{a quarter of} an hourit

had

_dug

a well

more

than a

hundred

feet _deep. "

Does your

majesty," said

Thumbkin,

"con-siderthe well _deep

_enough

?

"

"Yes, certainly," answered the king;

"but

there is

no

water

_yet"

Instantly the

ax

chopped

and

hewed

right

and

left: _trunk, branches

and

roots were all reduced to little bits in _{a quarter}

of an hour;

and

there

was

so

much

wood

that the

whole

Court

was

_supplied with

firing for a twelvemonth.

When

the tree

was

cut

down,

Thumbkin

approached the _{king, at}

whose

side sat the

princess,and,

making

them

both _{a graceful} bow, said :

"

Is

_your

_majesty satisfied with

his faithful _subject?"

"

Yes," replied theking;

"

but I

want

_my

well,so take care of

your

ears." "

If _{your majesty} will have the kindness

to _{point out}

_{where you}

wish it _{to be," said}

Thumbkin,

" I will _try once

more

to _give

you

satisfaction."

Every

body

repaired to the courtyard of the_palace,

where

the_{king took}his_seat,with the _princess at his side,,

The

latter

_began

to _{regard rather anxiously} the _{insignificant}

i8

_Laboulayds

_Fairy

Tales.

"If _{your majesty} will _grant

me

one _{minute," replied}

Thumbkin,

"your

just impatience shall be satisfied."

Whereupon

he took the walnut-shell

_wrapped

in

moss

out of his wallet,

and

placed it in a _great stone basin,

where, forlack of _{water, flowers} had

been _planted.

_Having

fixed the

nut-shell _firmlyin the earth, "

Spout

away

!

spout

away!

"

he

cried.

Immediately

thewater gushed

up

out of the midst of the flowerswith

a gentle

murmur, and

fell_again in a

sparkling shower, spreading such

coolness

around

that the courtiers

almost caught cold; and it flowed

in such _great

abundance

that in a

quarter of an

hour

the well

was

filled,

and

it

was

_necessaryto _{dig a}

conduit in _great haste to _carry off

the threatening overflow. "

Sire," said

_Thumbkin,

as

he

knelt

on one

knee _{before the royal}

foot-stool, "does

your

majesty

con-sider that I have fulfilled

_your

con-ditions?

"

"

Yes, Marquis," replied the king;

"_I

_am

ready to give

you

half

_my

kingdom,

or to

_pay

_you

the_equivalent in

_money

_by

means

of a _tax, to

which

_my

faithful _subjects will _{only be} too

happy

to submit; but to give

you

my

daughter,

and

to call

you

son-in-law, isanothermatter for that does not

_depend

upon

myself alone."

"

What

must

I

do

?"

demanded

_Thumbkin,

_proudly, with

his

arms

_akimbo, as

he

_gazed at the_princess.

"You

shall

know

_{to-morrow," answered the king;} "inthe

meantime you

are

_my

_guest,

and

the finest

chamber

in the palacewill _{be prepared}for_you."

The

_king retired,

and

Thumbkin

hastenedto his

two

brothers,

who,

withtheir

Thumb

kin.

19

"

Oh,

brothers!

"

he

exclaimed, "

you

see I

was

_right to be _surprised at every-thing,

and

to seek to find out the reason of it all."

"

It

was

all _{luck," replied Paul, coldly}

;

" _fortune

is_blind,

and

does not _always

favorthe

most

worthy."

"You

have

done

_verywell,

my

boy," said Peter.

"With

or without ears, I

2O

_Laboulayes

_Fairy

Tales.

Thumbkin

carried his

two

brothers off _{with him,}

and

as he

was

in favor at

court a chamberlain found

_employment

for

them

at once in the castle.

CHAPTER

IV.

WHEN

the king returned to his_{apartments he}could not_sleep.

A

son-in-law

like

Thumbkin

was

not at all to his_taste,

and

he tried to think

how

he

could avoid _keeping

his _promise

and

_yet

not _appear to break

his word.

For

an

honest _person this

would

havebeen

diffi-cult to

_manage,

but

a

knave

neverhesitates

to sacrifice his

honor

ratherthan his

inter-est

when

both are at

stake.

In his trouble the

king sent for Peter

and Paul, for _they

alone could tell

him

the parentage,

char-acter,

and

habits of

Thumbkin.

Peter praised hislittle _brother, which fact did not

much

_please his _{majesty; but Paul put} the_king in a better

humor

_by

_proving; to

him

that

Thumbkin

was

_{only an adventurer,}

and

that it

was

ridiculous for

a

great kingto consider himself under

any

obligation to a peasant.

"

_The

boy

is _vain,"

added

thewickedbrother. "

He

thinks himself big

_enough

to face a _giant.

Now

there lives a troll' near here

who

is the terror of the

neighborhood,

and

who

carries off the cattle for _{ten leagues} round ;

Thumbkin

has often said that if he chose

he

could

make

this monster hisservant."

1

Amongst the Scandinavians trolls are _giants inhabiting the lakesandforests. Probably ourword "

droll"isderivedfrom "troll,"theoriginalmeaningof thewordhavinggradually alteredin the course

Thumbkin.

21

"

_That

_we

shall see," said the _king; and, dismissing the

two

brothers, he _slept

peacefully.

The

next _day, in _{the presence} of all his court, he sent for

_Thumbkin,

who

came

looking as fair as alily,as fresh as a rose,

and

as smiling as the morn.

"

My

son-in-law," said the king,lingering on the words, "a fine fellow like

you

cannot

wed

the _princess without _{giving her a}

house

_worthy

of her.

Now

in these

woods

livesa troll

who

is

_twenty

feet _high, it is _said,

and

who

eats an

ox

_every

_morning

for his

breakfast.

With

a laced _coat, athree-cornered

hat, gold epaulettes,

and

a halberd of fifteen

feet _high, he

would

make

a _porter fit for a

king's palace.

My

daughter begs

you

to

make

her this little _present, after

which

she will see about _giving

_you

herhand."

"

It is not an easy thing

you

ask of _me," said

Thumbkin;

" but _{to please}

_your

_majesty I will

do

_my

best."

He

went

down

to _{the buttery,}

where

_{he put}

the enchanted ax, togetherwith a loaf, a piece

of _cheese,

and

a _knife, into his _{big leathern}

wallet; then throwing it over his shoulder he

started for thewoods. Peter_wept,whilst Paul

smiled

and

_{congratulated} himself that once

away

his brother

would

never return.

When

Thumbkin

entered theforest

he

looked to _right

and

_left, but _{the grassesprevented} his

seeing

any

thing; then

he began

to sing at the top of his voice.

"

Here

I

am

!

"

cried the _giant, with aterrible _growl. "

Here

I

am

!

Wait

a

bit; I shall eat

you up

ata mouthful."

"

_Do

not hurry yourself, old fellow," answered

Thumbkin

in his little _sharp

voice;

"

I can spare

you

an hour."

When

thetroll reached

Thumbkin

he turned his

head

_{on every side,}

and

was

much

astonished not to see

_any

one; at last, casting

down

his eyes, he espied a

_boy

seated

on

a felled _{tree, holdinga big leathern wallet}

between

hisknees.

"

_Was

it

_you

that

waked

me

out of

_my

_nap,

_you

_young

rascal?

"

said he, rolling his_flamingeyes.

22

_LaboufayJs

_Fairy

Tales. "

_Even

so,

my

fine fellow," replied

Thumbkin.

"I

am

come

to _engage

_you

as

my

servant."

"

_Ha!

_ha!"

roared the _giant,

who

was

as _stupid as he

was

tall.

"You

make

me

_laugh. I

am

_going to toss

_you

into a crow's nest that I see

_up

there,

and

that will teach

_you

not to _{ramble through}

_my

forest."

"Your

forest!"

re-plied the lad;

"

it is

more

mine

than

yours. If

_you

_say a

word, I will fell itto

the

_ground

in a

mo-ment."

"Ha!

ha! "said the

giant, "I should like

to see

_{you do}

it,

my

prettyfellow."

Thumbkin

placed the

ax on

the

_ground

and

_cried, "

Hew

away

!

hew away

!

"

Immediatelythe

ax

cut

and

_lopped

and

hewed

_away, felling

down

the trees _right

and

_left, whilst the branchesrattled

down

_upon

the troll's

head

as thickas hailstones.

"

Enough

!

enough

!

"

said the _giant,

who

was

_beginning to be _frightened. "

_Do

_not

destroy

my

forest.

Who

are

_you

?

"

"

I

am

the

famous

_magician,

_{Thumbkin, and}

if I _{only say} the

word

_my

ax

will

cut off

_your

head.

You

do

_{not yet}

know

the

man

with

whom

_you

haveto deal.

Remain

_{where you}

are."

The

_{giant stopped} short,

much

perplexed

by

what

he

had

seen.

_Thumbkin,

who

was

_hungry,

_opened

his leathern wallet

and

took out his bread

and

cheese.

'

What

isthatwhitestuff?"_{inquired the troll,}

who

had

neverseen cheesebefore.

"

Itis _stone,"

replied

Thumbkin, showing

all his teeth ashe bit it."

"

_Can

you

eatstone?

"

Thumbkin.

"

Yes, it is

my

usual food,

and

that is

_why

I

do

not

_grow

as

_you

do

who

eat

oxen

; but, small as I am, I

am

ten times stronger than

you

are.

Lead

me

to

your

house."

The

troll

was

_conquered.

He

walked

in front of

Thumbkin

like a _big

_dog

before a_child,

and

_brought

him

to his

immense

hut.

Laboulayes

Fairy

Tales.

other the servant.

Let

us

make

_{a bargain.} If I cannot

do

_{what you}

_can, I will

be your

slave ; and if

you

cannot

do what

I can,

you

shall be mine."

"

Agreed," said the troll. "I should like to havea cleverlittle fellowlike

_you

for

_my

servant.

_Thinking

tires me,

and you

are far _sharper than I am.

To

begin with, here are

my

two

buckets,

go and

fetch

some

water forthe broth."

Thumbkin

raised his head

and

lookedat the buckets ; they

were

two

enormous

tuns, each ten feet _high

and

_{six feet across,}

which

he

was

more

likely to

drown

himselfinthanto

move.

"

_Ha

! ha !

"

roared _{the giant};

"

you

are_already in a fix.

My

_son,

do

as I

do,

and go and

fetch the water."

"

_What

is the

_good?

" said

Thumb-kin. "I can run

and

fetch _{the spring}

itself

and

throwit into the _pot, which

will take less time."

"

No,

no," exclaimed the troll;

"

you

have_{already spoiled}

_my

forest, I

will not let

_you

take

_away

_my

_spring.

Make

_up

the firewhilst I

_{go and}

fetch

the water."

As

soon as the _pot

was

_hung

_up, the _giant threw into it an

ox

cut

_up

in_pieces,

and

acart-load of _cabbages

and

carrots.

He

skimmed

the broth with _{a frying}

_{pan and}

tasted it

more

thanonce. "

_Now

to table," he said;

"

_we

shall see if

_you

can

do

as I do.

For

_my

part,

I feel in the

humor

to eat an

ox

whole,

and you

into the _bargain.

You

will

do

for

_my

dessert." "

_To

table, then," said

Thumbkin

; but before sitting

down

he slipped under

his doublethis_{great leathern} wallet,

which

reached from his neck to his feet.

"

_At

dinner the troll _{ate voraciously,}

and

Thumbkin

did not

do

_badlyeither;

but it

was

into his

_bag

that

he

_{kept ladling the}

meat and

_cabbages

and

carrots. "

Ugh

!

"

said the _giant, "I cannot eat

any

more. I

am

_going to

undo

a

Thumb

kin. "

_You

_{are not}

eating

much,"

cried

_Thumbkin,

_{stuffing half a cabbage undet} his chin.

"

Ugh

!

"

said the _giant, " I

must

undo

another button.

You

must

have the digestion of anostrich,

my

son. I can_{easily see}

_you

are

accustomed

to eat stones."

"You

do

not half _{eat, lazybones!}" cried

_Thumbkin,

_{stuffinga great piece} of

beef

under

his chin.

"

Ugh

!

"

groaned the giant, "I

must undo

a third button. I feel suffocated*

How

are

_you

_getting on, magician?

"

"

_Pooh

!

"

replied

Thumbkin,

" nothing easier than to _get a little air."

And

takinghis knife he _ripped

_up

his doublet

and

his

wallet. "

_Now

it is _yourturn," he said;

"do

as I do."

"_I

_am

your humble

servant,"answeredthetroll.

"I

_prefer to submit to

_your

orders, for I cannot digest cold steel."

Forthwith _{the giant kissed}

Thumbkin's hand

in

token

of _{submission; then lifting}hislittlemaster

on

one

shoulder

and

_{a big sack of gold}

on

the

other, he

marched

off to the _palace.

CHAPTER

V.

fTlHERE

was

a _{banquet taking place} at the

-*-castle,

and

nobody

was

thinking of

Thumbkin

any

more

than if the _giant

had

eaten

him

_up

a

week

before,

when

suddenly a _frightful noise

was

lieard outside

and

the castle

shook

to its

founda-tions. It

was

the troll,

who

finding the great

.gate toolow forhim,

had

kicked it

down.

Every

body

ran to the

_window,

the_king

_among

the rest,

and

there they

saw

Thumbkin

_{quietly seated}

on

the shoulder of his terrible servant.

Our

hero stepped

upon

the first-floor_balcony,

and

_{bending on one knee} before

hisbetrothed, said

"

Princess,

you

wished forone slave,

and

here are two."

26

Laboulaycs

Fairy

Tales.

the

moment

when

it

was

uttered it rather embarrassed the _king.

He

did not

know

what

to answer,

and

drawing the princessaside, he said

"

My

daughter, there is no _longer

_any

reason

_why

I should refuse _your

hand

to

this valiant

_young

man

; sacrifice yourself

for

_my

sake. Princesses

do

not

_marry

to please themselves."

"

Permit

me

to say,

my

father," returned

the_princess,

_making

_{a courtesy,}"_that,

prin-cess or not, every girl likes to

marry

ac-cording to her

own

_fancy. Let

me

defend

my

rights

my

own

way.

Thumbkin,"

she added, raising her voice,

"you

are brave

and

_lucky, but that aloneis not sufficient

to win a _{lady'sregard."}

"

I

know

_it,"answered

Thumbkin,

"for

over

and

above that, one

must obey

her

slightest wish

and

humor

all hercaprices." "

_You

_have

plentyof wit," replied the

princess, "

and

since

_you

are so

_good

at

guessing riddles, I _propose a final _trial,

which you

ought not to fear, as

_you

will

only have

me

for an _antagonist.

Let

us

enter the lists to see

who

is the cleverer.

My

hand

shall be the _prize in the

con-L '

test.

Thumbkin made

a _{profound bow,}

and

all _{the court repaired} to the _throne-room, where, to _{the general alarm, they}

found

the troll seated

on

the _ground.

The

throne-room

was

_only fifteen feet _high, so the _poorgiant could not stand _upright,

butat _{a sign} from his

_young

master

he

came

on

his hands

and

knees to _{his side,}

proud and happy

to

obey

him.

"

_Let

us begin," saidthe _princess, "with a_{game. Peoplesay that}

women

are not afraid of _tellinglies.

Let

us see

which

of us

two

can tell the better _lies, butthe first

who

_says '

Thumb

kin.

"

_Whether

_to

tell fibs in _fun, or to _speak the truth in _earnest," answered

Thumbkin,

"I

am

_always at the orders of

_your

_{royal highness."}

"

I

am

sure,"

began

the princess, "

that

_you

havenot such a fine _largefarm as

we

have.

When

two

_shepherds

blow

their horns at the _opposite ends of our

fields _{they cannot hear each} other."

"What

of that?" said

_Thumbkin,

_"my

father's estate is such a sizethat if a

heifer of

two months

old _goes in at one entrance,

though

she walks _straight

on

without_{stopping, she goes} out at theother a full

_grown

milch cow."

"

_That

does not surprise me," replied the princess;

"

but your bull is not so

big as ours. If a

man

sits

_upon

each of his _{horns, the}

two

men

cannot touch each otherwith a

_{goad twenty}

feet _long."

"

_What

of that," said

Thumbkin,

"

my

father's bull has such a large head that afarm-servant seated

on

one

of his horns cannot

even see a servant

perched

on

theother."

"

_That

does not

sur-prise me,"saidthe

prin-cess ;

"

but

_you

have

notas

much

milk as

we

have, for _every

_day

we

fill

_twenty

_great tuns

which

are each a hun-dred_{feet high,}

and

_every

week

we make

a

moun-tain of cheese

which

is _everybit as_high as _{the great Egyptian pyramid."}

"

_What

of that?

"

returned

Thumbkin

;

"

in

_my

father's _{dairy they}

make

such

large cheeses that our

mare

havingfallen into the _press,

we

did not find her_again

until aftera

_voyage

of _{seven days};

and

the poor animal

had

broken its back: in

ordertobe able to use it _still, I

was

_obliged to_replaceits

backbone

_by

_{a great pine}

trunk,

which

answered the _{purpose capitally.}

One

fine

_morning

a branch

sprouted out of _{the pine tree,}

_{and grew}

to such a _height, that in _climbing

_up

it

I reached the_sky.

There

I

saw

a_ladyin_white,

who

was

_{spinning the}

foam

ofthe

sea to

make

acobweb. I wished to_layhold of _it,

when

_snap it

went

; thethread

broke,

and

I fell into a mouse'shole.

Who

should I see there but

_your

father

and

_my

_mother,

who

were each _twirling distaffs,

and

as

your

father

was

_clumsy,

Laboulayds

Fairy

Tales. "

_That

istoo bad,* exclaimedthe princess in a _passion. "

_My

fatherhas never subjected himself to such an indignity."

"

She

has said '

That

is too

bad/

master,'

"

exclaimed the _giant, "_{the princess}

is ours.

CHAPTER

VI.

"XT

OT

_yet," said _{the princess blushing.} "

_Thumbkin,

I

have

three riddles

IN

to ask

_you

; guess them,

and

I shall

have

nothingto

do

but

obey

my

father. Tell

me

what

is_{always falling}

and

_yet is never broken ?"

"Ah!"

said

_Thumbkin,

_"my

mother

_taught

me

that _{long ago.} It is a

waterfall." "

That

is _{very good,"} cried_{the giant} ;

"who

could have guessed that?"

"

Tell_{me," continued} the _{princess, in} a voice

broken with emotion,

"

what

is that

which

every

day

makes

the

same

_journey

and

_yet

never

retraces

his

steps?"

"Ah!"

_replied

Thumb-kin, " I learned that in _{the nursery;} it is the sun.' "

Very

good," said the princess, pale withanger.

"

I have one

more

question

to ask you.

What

is that that I

do

not think

_{and you do}

?

What

is the thing

we

both of us think,

and what

isthe _thing that neither of us think?"

Thumbkin

looked

down

and

reflected about his answer.

He

was

_puzzled at

last.

"

Master," said the _troll, "if _{the thing}is too difficult,

do

not rack

your

brains;

only give

me

asign,

and

I will _carryoff _{the princess}in a minute." "

_Be

silent, slave," returned

Thumbkin

;

"

strength can

do

nothing,

my

poor

friend;

you ought

to

know

that

by

this time.

Leave

me

to tryanother way.

Madam,"

said he, breaking aprofound silence, "I _hardlydare _guess,

and

_yet in thisriddle I _fancy I

have

_{a glimpse} of

_my

_happiness. I

had

daredto think that

your words would be

allcleartome, but

you

were right in thinking the contrary.

Thumbkin.

₂₉

" _I to

bold

_enough

to thinkso. _Finally," he added,smiling, "

what

we

both

think is, that there are

more

_{stupid people} in the world than

we

are,

and

what

we

neither

of us think is that the _king,

_your

_august father,

and

thistroll

have

as

much

"

"

Silence," said the princess, "_here

is

_my

hand."

"

_What

_was

it

_you

thought about

me?"

cried the _king,

should

be

_glad

know."

"

_Dear

father,"

an-swered the

_princess,

throwing

her

arms

round

his _neck, "

we

think that

_you

are the wisest of _kings

and

the best of

men."

"

Well, I

knew

that

before," said the king. "

Meanwhile something

must

be

done

for

_my

faithful subjects.

Thumbkin,

I _present

you

with a

dukedom."

"

Long

live

Duke

Thumbkin!

_Long

live

my

master!"

cried the giant in such a voice,

that it

was

as if a

thunderbolt

had

fallen

on

the house.

_Happily

there

was no

harm

done

beyond

the _fright,

and

the_breakageofadozen panes of _glass.

30

Laboulayes

Fairy

Tales.

CHAPTER

VII.

IT

is _unnecessary to describe the

_wedding

of _{the princess}

_{and Thumbkin,}

fof

all

_weddings

are

much

alike. Nevertheless it

_may

be

mentioned

that the

presence of the troll

added

much

to the festivities.

Thus

on _returning from

church, in theexuberance of _{his joy,}the faithful _{giant could}

do

_nothing better to express his feelingsthan to _put the

_wedding

coach

_upon

his _head,

and

so_convey

the _{newly-married couple} to the _palace,

which

was

rather _alarming forthe bride,

and

a _sight not tobe seen_{every day.}

In the_evening there were universal _{rejoicings. Banquets, epithalamiums,}

illu-minations,

and

fireworks _{gave vent} to _{the public enthusiasm.}

In thecastle _every

one

_{laughed, sang,danced,}

and

_{enjoyed themselves with}

one

exception,

and

that

was

Paul,

who

hid himself in a corner

and

_kept aloof from the

_happy

crowd.

He

_thought himself _lucky in _having

had

his ears cut off so that he could not hear his brother's _praises,

and he

_{only wished he}

were

also blind, so as not to see the

_happy

faces of the bride

and

_bridegroom.

At

last

he

rushed off to the

woods

and

was

eaten

_by

bears;

which

is the fate I should like

to befall all envious _people.

Thumbkin

was

so small that it

was

_verydifficultto treat

him

with

much

respect,

but he

was

so affable

and

_{gentle that} he soon

won

his wife's love,

and

the

affec-tion of the entire _people. After the death of his father-in-law _{he occupied} the

throne for _{fifty-two years,} beloved

and

adored

_by

_{his grateful subjects,}

whose

happiness

and

well-being were the object of his life. _Historytells us that he

was

soclever that _{he always guessed}

how

best toassist _{or please} each one of his

subjects besides,

he

was

so kind-hearted that the pleasure of others

was

his

greatest happiness.

But

_why

_{praise his goodness?} Is it not the distinguishing trait of sensible

people.

Whatever

some

may

say,there are

no good

fools here below;

when

people are fools,they are not good,

and

when

people are

good

they are

no

fools,

take

_my

word

forit. If all foolsarenot wicked

which

I doubt all thewicked

are_fools,

and

this is the moral of

_my

_story,

and

it is a

more

_worthy

moral than

THE

GOOD

WOMAN.

A NORWEGIAN

STORY.

BEING

unable

to _sleep the other_night, I took

_up

_Montaigne,

who

is

_my

usual

companion on

wakeful nights,

and

the only moralist that one reads with

pleasure

when

past forty.

Opening

the Essays at _random, for _{every page} is

interesting

and

full of food for_thought, Ichanced to_light

_upon

a_chapter

headed

''Concerning

Three

Good

Women."

It

_began

thus:

_"They

are not to be

counted

_by

dozens,as _{every one knows,}

and

_theyare_{especially rare} in the married

state, for _marriage is so _thorny a_path that is difficult fora

woman

to follow it

long withsuccess." "

Montaigne

is absurd !

"

I _{cried, shutting}

_up

the book.

"What

! this student

of the classics this master of the _workingsof the

human

heart has _only

been

able to discover three

_good

_women,

_only three devoted _wives, in all the annals

of Greece

and

Rome.

This is ill-natured sarcasm.

Goodness

is the attribute of

womankind, and

every married

woman

is _good, or is _supposed to be so.

One

knows, too, the legal

maxim

that the presumption of the law is _always in favor

of the accused."

Whereupon

I fetched from

_my

library a

handsome

old book,

bound

in red

morocco,

and

entitled

The

Dream

_of

_Vergier, a

book

brimful of _wisdom, written

by

some

venerable scholar in _{the reign} of Charles

V.

of France. I searched

through it for_{a passage}

which

had

_{formerly struck}me,but, alas! as

we

grow

old,

memory

plays us strange tricks. Instead of _finding, as I _expected, in this

respectable old folio a _{deserved eulogium}

on

the _goodness of

_woman,

to

_my

great surprise I only found a violent satire, full _{of quotations}

borrowed

from St.

Laboulayes

Fairy

Tales.

worthy

of the

exordium

:

"

I

do

_{not say there} are

_{no good}

women,

but theyare

few

and

far between,

and

therefore the law should not trouble itself _{about them,}

for '

laws should be framed to

meet

circumstances that are likely to occur,' as is

laid

down

in _{the Digest."}

These

_{legalepigrams, these cold-blooded} jests in a serious book, shocked

me

even

more

thanthe sneers of the

Gascon

_philosopher. "

Good

women,"

thought

I, "are to be

met

with every where. In history?

No;

history is written

by

men who

only admire

and

love heroes, that is to say, those

who

plunder

and

kill

or

make

slaves of their fellow-men. In theological

works?

_No;

_theologians

have never forgiven Eve's daughters for the sin

which

caused the Fall,

and

which

still _clings to them.

In law

books?

No;

it is

men who

make

laws.

_By

them

women

aretreated as minors,

and are declared

in-capable of acting for

themselves,

and

still

less of _ruling others.

Heaven knows

what

a

differencethereishere

(as inevery thingelse)

between

the fact

and

the law. In _plays,

ro-mances

and

novels?

No;

for theirconstant

theme

is the wickedness of

women.

Where,

then, shall

we

search for

_good

women?

Fiction, the realm of _fancy,

and

the ideal v._orld, are the _{only places}

where

merit is _rewarded,

and where

virtue receives its true reward.

Where

do

we

find the tenderness of Baucis

and

the _{long fidelity} of _Penelope? In fable.

Where,

too, the endurance of 'Patient Grissel'? In order to find the

women

that

we

seek

we

must knock

at _{the ivorygates."}

I havere-readall

manner

of _{poular tales,} forin

them

we

often find the

wisdom

and

_experience of a _people

most

_vividly

and

_naivelyset forth. I have

interro-gated all sorts of _{story-tellers Indian, Persian, Arabian, Turkish,}

_Hebrew,

Spanish, French,

German,

English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish,

and

The

Good

Woman.

₃₃

I confessit? I havenot been even so successful as _Montaigne, forI

have

_only

brought to the surface a _single

_good

woman

!

and

her I discovered under the

snow and

ice of a northern _country,

_among

coarse

and

uncivilized _people.

From

Cadiz to _{Stockholm, from}

London

to Cairo

and

Delhi, from Paris to

Teheran

and Samarcand, if

we

_may

believe the tales that are told, there are plenty of

artful _girls

_{and scheming}

matrons ; but

where

does the

good

woman

hide herself,

and

_why

is she never heard of? This is _{a puzzle}

which

I

_beg

to _{point out} to the

learned, but which, nevertheless,

emboldens

me

to relate

_my

_story. It is _simple,

and

not _{very probable}; perhaps, too, delicate readers will declare it to

be

ridiculous. _{Nevertheless,} it has one incontestable _merit, it is _unique,

and

it isthe fashion

_nowadays

to _{value things chiefly for their rarity.}

Here

isthe talealmost _exactlyas itistold

_by

Messrs.

Asbjornsen

and

Moe

in theircuriouscollection of

Nor-wegian

Tales. '

CHAPTER

I.

A

GOOD WOMAN.

ONCE

brand,

upon

who

a timelived inthere_{a lonely}

was

afarmer_farmhouse,

named

situated

Gud-on

a hill; so he

went by

the

name

of

"

Gudbrand

of

the Hill."

Now

this farmer

had

an excellent wife, as

often _happens, but,

what

is _{very unusual,}

Gudbrand

knew

the value of such a treasure. _Accordingly, the

couple lived in _perfect

_harmony,

_rejoicing in their

mutual

_happiness,

and

_{without anxiety about} the future.

Whatever

Gudbrand

did, his wife

had

_thought of

and

wished for _beforehand, so

much

so that her

husband

could

do

_{nothing without} his _{partner thanking}

him

for _havingdivined

and

forestalled herwishes.

Theirlifebesides

was

_{an easy}

one

; the farm

was

their own,

and

they

had

a

hundred

crowns in the _dresser,

and two

fine

cows

in _{the byre.}

_They

wanted

for

nothing,

and

could

grow

old _{peacefully,without needing} assistance from

_any

one.

1_These

tales have been translated into _{English by} Dasent: _Papula* Tales_from theNorse.

34

_Laboulayes

_Fairy

7\ilcs.

One

_evening as_{they were}

conversing togetherabout their

work and

_{their prof,}

ects, the wife said to her

husband

'

My

love, I think

_you

_ought to take one of the

cows and

sell it in the town.

The

one

we

_keepwill

give ussufficientmilk and butter, and

why

need

we

wish for

more

?

We

have

no

children.

Had

we

not better spare

our-selves all extra

work

now we

are

_growing

old?

You

will

al-ways

find _plenty of

furniture

and

toolsto

repair,

and

I shall

have

more

timetosit

beside

_you

with

_my

distaff."

Gudbrand

_agreed

with his _{wife, as} he

always did,

and

the

very next

day

he

went

to the

town

with the

cow

he

in-tended to sell; but it

was

not a

market

day,

and

he found

no

_purchaser.

"Never

mind

!

"

said Gudbrand, "at

the worstI shallhave

nothing to

do

but

take

_my

cow

home

again. I

have enough

hay and

litter forthe beast,and the road is

no

_longerone

_way

than the other.