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Little Snow White

The Original 1812 Grimm Fairy Tale
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Once upon a time in mid-winter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a beautiful queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood. As she sewed, she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with her needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red on the white looked so beautiful, that she thought, “If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as this frame.” Soon afterward she had a little daughter that was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood, and therefore they called her Little Snow White.

Now the queen was the most beautiful woman in all the land, and very proud of her beauty. She had a mirror, which she stood in front of every morning, and asked:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, 

Who in this land is fairest of all?

And the mirror always said:

You, my queen, are fairest of all.

And then she knew for certain that no one in the world was more beautiful than she.

 

Now Snow White grew up and when she was eight years old, she was so beautiful that she surpassed even the queen herself. Now when the queen asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror said:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Little Snow White is still a 

thousand times fairer than you.

When the queen heard the mirror say this, she became pale with envy, and from that hour on, she hated Snow White. Whenever she looked at her, she thought that Snow White was to blame that she was no longer the most beautiful woman in the world. This turned her heart around. Her jealousy gave her no peace. Finally, she summoned a huntsman and said to him, “Take Snow White out into the woods to a remote spot and stab her to death. As proof that she is dead bring her lungs and her liver back to me. I shall cook them with salt and eat them.”

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The huntsman took Snow White into the woods. When he took out his hunting knife to stab her, she began to cry and begged fervently that he might spare her life, promising to run away into the woods and never return. The huntsman took pity on her because she was so beautiful, and he thought, “The wild animals will soon devour her anyway. I’m glad that I don’t have to kill her.” Just then a young boar came running by. He killed it, cut out its lungs and liver, and took them back to the queen as proof of Snow White’s death. She cooked them with salt and ate them, supposing that she had eaten Snow White’s lungs and liver.

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Snow White was now all alone in the great forest. She was terribly afraid and began to run. She ran over sharp stones and through thorns the entire day. Finally, just as the sun was about to set, she came to a little house. The house belonged to seven dwarfs. They were working in a mine and not at home. Snow White went inside and found everything to be small, but neat and orderly. There was a little table with seven little plates, seven little spoons, seven little knives and forks, seven little mugs, and against the wall there were seven little beds, all freshly made.

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Snow White was hungry and thirsty, so she ate a few vegetables and a little bread from each little plate, and from each little glass she drank a drop of wine. Because she was so tired, she wanted to lie down and go to sleep. She tried each of the seven little beds, one after the other, but none felt right until she came to the seventh one and she lay down in it and fell asleep.

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When night came the seven dwarfs returned home from the work. They lit their seven little candles and saw that someone had been in their house.

The first one said, “Who has been sitting in my chair?”

The second one, “Who has been eating from my plate?”

The third one, “Who has been eating my bread?”

The fourth one, “Who has been eating my vegetables?”

The fifth one, “Who has been sticking with my fork?”

The sixth one, “Who has been cutting with my knife?”

The seventh one, “Who has been drinking from my mug?”

Then the first one said, “Who stepped on my bed?”

The second one, “And someone has been lying in my bed.”

And so forth until the seventh one, and when he looked at his bed, he found Snow White lying there, fast asleep. The seven dwarfs all came running and they cried out with amazement. They fetched their seven candles and looked at Snow White. “Good heaven! Good heaven!” they cried. “She is so beautiful!” They liked her very much. They did not wake her up but let her lie there in the bed. The seventh dwarf had to sleep with his companions, one hour with each one, and then the night was done.

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When Snow White woke up, they asked her who she was and how she had found her way to their house. She told them how her mother had tried to kill her, how the huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run the entire day, finally coming to their house. The dwarfs pitied her and said, “If you will keep house for us, and cook, sew, make beds, wash, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay here, and you’ll have everything that you want. We come home in the evening, and supper must be ready by then, but we spend the days digging for gold in the mine. You will be alone then. Watch out for the queen, and do not let anyone in.”

The queen thought that she was again the most beautiful woman in the land, and the next morning she stepped before the mirror and asked:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered once again:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Little Snow White beyond 

the seven mountains is a thousand 

times fairer than you.

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It startled the queen to hear this, and she knew that she had been deceived, that the huntsman had not killed Snow White. Because only the seven dwarfs lived in the seven mountains, she knew at once that they must have rescued her. She began to plan immediately how she might kill her because she would have no peace until the mirror once again said that she was the most beautiful woman in the land. At last, she thought of something to do. She disguised herself as an old peddler woman and colored her face, so that no one would recognize her, and went to the dwarfs’ house. Knocking on the door she called out, “Open up. Open up. I’m the old peddler woman with good wares for sale.”

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Snow White peered out the window, “What do you have?”

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“Bodice laces, dear child,” said the old woman, and held one up. It was braided from yellow, red, and blue silk. “Would you like this one?”

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“Oh, yes,” said Snow White, thinking, “I can let the old woman come in. She means well.” She unbolted the door and bargained for the bodice laces.

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“You are not laced up properly,” said the old woman. “Come here, I’ll do it better.” Snow White stood before her, and she took hold of the laces and pulled them so tight that Snow White could not breathe, and she fell down as if she were dead. Then the old woman was satisfied and she went away.

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Nightfall soon came and the seven dwarfs returned home. They were horrified to find their dear Snow White lying on the ground as if she were dead. They lifted her up and saw that she was laced up too tightly. They cut the bodice laces in two, and then she could breathe, and she came back to life. “It must have been the queen who tried to kill you,” they said. “Take care and do not let anyone in again.”

The queen asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered once again:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Little Snow White with the seven 

dwarfs is a thousand times fairer 

than you.

 

She was so horrified that the blood all ran to her heart because she knew that Snow White had come back to life. Then for an entire day and a night she planned how she might catch her. She made a poisoned comb, disguised herself differently, and went out again. She knocked on the door, but Snow-White called out, “I am not allowed to let anyone in.”

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Then she pulled out the comb, and when Snow White saw how it glistened, and noted that the woman was a complete stranger, she opened the door and bought the comb from her. “Come, let me comb your hair,” said the peddler woman. She had barely stuck the comb into Snow White’s hair, before the girl fell down and was dead. “That will keep you lying there,” said the queen. And she went home with a light heart.

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The dwarfs came home just in time. They saw what had happened and pulled the poisoned comb from her hair. Snow White opened her eyes and came back to life. She promised the dwarfs not to let anyone in again.

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The queen stepped before her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Little Snow White with the seven 

dwarfs is a thousand times fairer 

than you.

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When the queen heard this, she shook and trembled with anger, “Snow White will die, if it costs me my life!” Then she went into her most secret room -- no one else was allowed inside -- and she made a poisoned apple. From the outside it was red and beautiful, and anyone who saw it would want it. Then she disguised herself as a peasant woman, went to the dwarfs’ house and knocked on the door.

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Snow White peeped out and said, “I’m not allowed to let anyone in. The dwarfs have forbidden it most severely.”

“If you don’t want to, I can’t force you,” said the peasant woman. “I am selling these apples and I will give you one to taste.”

“No, I can’t accept anything. The dwarfs don’t want me to.”

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“If you are afraid, then I will cut the apple in two and eat half of it. Here, you eat the half with the beautiful red cheek!” Now the apple had been so artfully made that only the red half was poisoned. When Snow White saw that the peasant woman was eating part of the apple her desire for it grew stronger, so she finally let the woman hand her the other half through the window. She bit into it, but she barely had the bite in her mouth when she fell to the ground dead.

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The queen was happy, went home, and asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

And it answered:

You, my queen, are fairest of all.

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“Now I’ll have some peace,” she said, “because once again I’m the most beautiful woman in the land. Snow White will remain dead this time.”

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That evening the dwarfs returned home from the mines. Snow White was lying on the floor, and she was dead. They loosened her laces and looked in her hair for something poisonous, but nothing helped. They could not bring her back to life. They laid her on a bier and all seven sat next to her and cried and cried for three days. They were going to bury her, but they saw that she remained fresh. She did not look at all like a dead person, and she still had beautiful red cheeks. They had a glass coffin made for her and laid her inside so that she could be seen easily. They wrote her name and her ancestry on it in gold letters, and one of them always stayed at home and kept watch over her.

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Snow White lay there in the coffin a long, long time, and she did not decay. She was still as white as snow and as red as blood, and if she had been able to open her eyes they still would have been as black as ebony wood. She lay there as if she were asleep.

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One day a young prince came to the dwarfs’ house and wanted shelter for the night. When he came into their parlor and saw Snow White lying there in a glass coffin, illuminated so beautifully by seven little candles, he could not get enough of her beauty. He read the golden inscription and saw that she was the daughter of a king. He asked the dwarfs to sell him the coffin with the dead Snow White, but they would not do this for any amount of gold. Then he asked them to give her to him, for he could not live without being able to see her, and he would keep her and honor her as his most cherished thing on earth. Then the dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin.

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The Prince had it carried to his castle and had it placed in a room where he sat by it the whole day, never taking his eyes from it. Whenever he had to go out and was unable to see Snow White, he became sad. And he could not eat a bite unless the coffin was standing next to him. Now the servants who always had to carry the coffin to and fro became angry about this. One time one of them opened the coffin, lifted Snow White upright, and said, “We are plagued the whole day long just because of such a dead girl,” and he hit her in the back with his hand. Then the terrible piece of apple that she had bitten off came out of her throat, and Snow White came back to life. 

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She walked up to the Prince who was beside himself with joy to see his beloved Snow White alive. They sat down together at the table and ate with joy.

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Their wedding was set for the next day, and Snow White’s godless mother was invited as well. That morning she stepped before the mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But the young queen is a thousand 

times fairer than you.

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She was horrified to hear this, and so overtaken with fear that she could not say anything. Still, her jealousy drove her to go to the wedding and see the young queen. When she arrived, she saw that it was Snow White. Then they put a pair of iron shoes into the fire until they glowed, and she had to put them on and dance in them. Her feet were terribly burned, and she could not stop until she had danced herself to death.

 

THE END 

 

 

Cinderella

The Original 1812 Grimm Fairy Tale

 

THERE WAS once a rich man whose wife lay sick, and when she felt her end drawing near she called to her only daughter to come near her bed, and said,“Dear child, be good and pious, and God will always take care of you, and I will look down upon you from heaven, and will be with you.” 

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And then she closed her eyes and died. The maiden went every day to her mother’s grave and wept, and was always pious and good. When the winter came the snow covered the grave with a white covering, and when the sun came in the early spring and melted it away, the man took to himself another wife. 

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The new wife brought two daughters home with her, and they were beautiful and fair in appearance, but at heart were black and ugly. And then began very evil times for the poor step-daughter. 

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“Is the stupid creature to sit in the same room with us?” said they; “those who eat food must earn it. She is nothing but a kitchen- maid!” They took away her pretty dresses, and put on her an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes to wear. 

“Just look now at the proud princess, how she is decked out!” They shouted and laughed, and then they sent her into the kitchen. There she was obliged to do heavy work from morning to night, get up early in the morning, draw water, make the fires, cook, and wash.

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Besides that, the sisters did their utmost to torment her- mocking her, and strewing peas and lentils among the ashes, and setting her to pick them up. In the evenings, when she was quite tired out with her hard day’s work, she had no bed to lie on, but was obliged to rest on the hearth among the cinders. And because she always looked dusty and dirty, as if she had slept in the cinders, they named her Cinderella.

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It happened one day that the father went to the fair, and he asked his two stepdaughters what he should bring back for them. “Fine clothes!” said one. “Pearls and jewels!” said the other. “But what will you have, Cinderella?” said he. “The first twig, father, that strikes against your hat on the way home; that is what I should like you to bring me.” So he bought for the two step-daughters fine clothes, pearls, and jewels, and on his way back, as he rode through a green lane, a hazel twig struck against his hat; and he broke it off and carried it home with him. And when he reached home he gave to the step-daughters what they had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the hazel twig. She thanked him, and went to her mother’s grave, and planted this twig there, weeping so bitterly that the tears fell upon it and watered it, and it flourished and became a fine tree. Cinderella went to see it three times a day, and wept and prayed, and each time a white bird rose up from the tree, and if she uttered any wish the bird brought her whatever she had wished for. 

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Now it came to pass that the King ordained a festival that should last for three days, and to which all the beautiful young women of that country were bidden, so that the King’s son might choose a bride from among them. When the two stepdaughters heard that they too were bidden to appear, they felt very pleased, and they called Cinderella and said, “Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and make our buckles fast, we are going to the wedding feast at the King’s castle.” When she heard this, Cinderella could not help crying, for she too would have liked to go to the dance, and she begged her step-mother to allow her. 

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“What! You Cinderella!” said she, “in all your dust and dirt, you want to go to the festival! You that have no dress and no shoes! You want to dance!” But as she persisted in asking, at last the step-mother said, “I have strewed a dish full of lentils in the ashes, and if you can pick them all up again in two hours you may go with us.” 

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Then the maiden went to the back-door that led into the garden, and called out, “O gentle doves, O turtle-doves, And all the birds that be, The lentils that in ashes lie Come and pick up for me! The good must be put in the dish, The bad you may eat if you wish.” Then there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and after them some turtle-doves, and at last a crowd of all the birds under heaven, chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes; and the doves nodded with their heads, and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the good grains into the dish. Before an hour was over all was done, and they flew away. 

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Then the maiden brought the dish to her step-mother, feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go to the feast; but the step-mother said, “No, Cinderella, you have no proper clothes, and you do not know how to dance, and you would be laughed at!” And when Cinderella cried for disappointment, she added, “If you can pick two dishes full of lentils out of the ashes, nice and clean, you shall go with us,” thinking to herself, “for that is not possible.” When she had strewed two dishes full of lentils among the ashes the maiden went through the back-door into the garden, and cried,“O gentle doves, O turtle-doves, And all the birds that be, The lentils that in ashes lie Come and pick up for me! The good must be put in the dish, The bad you may eat if you wish.” 

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So there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and then some turtledoves, and at last a crowd of all the other birds under heaven, chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes, and the doves nodded with their heads and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the good grains into the dish. And before half-an- hour was over it was all done, and they flew away. Then the maiden took the dishes to the step-mother, feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go with them to the feast; but she said, “All this is of no good to you; you cannot come with us, for you have no proper clothes, and cannot dance; you would put us to shame.” Then she turned her back on poor Cinderella and made haste to set out with her two proud daughters. 

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And as there was no one left in the house, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave, under the hazel bush, and cried, “Little tree, little tree, shake over me, That silver and gold may come down and cover me.” 

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Then the bird threw down a dress of gold and silver, and a pair of slippers embroidered with silk and silver. And in all haste she put on the dress and went to the festival. But her step-mother and sisters did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign Princess, she looked so beautiful in her golden dress. Of Cinderella they never thought at all, and supposed that she was sitting at home, and picking the lentils out of the ashes. The King’s son came to meet her, and took her by the hand and danced with her, and he refused to stand up with any one else, so that he might not be obliged to let go her hand; and when any one came to claim it he answered, “She is my partner.” And when the evening came she wanted to go home, but the Prince said he would go with her to take care of her, for he wanted to see where the beautiful maiden lived. But she escaped him, and jumped up into the pigeon-house. Then the Prince waited until the father came, and told him the strange maiden had jumped into the pigeon-house. The father thought to himself, “It surely cannot be Cinderella,” and called for axes and hatchets, and had the pigeon-house cut down, but there was no one in it. And when they entered the house there sat Cinderella in her dirty clothes among the cinders, and a little oil-lamp burnt dimly in the chimney; for Cinderella had been very quick, and had jumped out of the pigeon-house again, and had run to the hazel bush; and there she had taken off her beautiful dress and had laid it on the grave, and the bird had carried it away again, and then she had put on her little gray smock again, and had sat down in the kitchen among the cinders.

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The next day, when the festival began anew, and the parents and stepsisters had gone to it, Cinderella went to the hazel bush and cried, “Little tree, little tree, shake over me, That silver and gold may come down and cover me.” 

Then the bird cast down a still more splendid dress than on the day before. 

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And when she appeared in it among the guests every one was astonished at her beauty. The Prince had been waiting until she came, and he took her hand and danced with her alone. And when any one else came to invite her he said, “She is my partner.” And when the evening came she wanted to go home, and the Prince followed her, for he wanted to see to what house she belonged; but she broke away from him, and ran into the garden at the back of the house. There stood a fine large tree, bearing splendid pears; she leapt as lightly as a squirrel among the branches, and the Prince did not know what had become of her. So he waited until the father came, and then he told him that the strange maiden had rushed from him, and that he thought she had gone up into the pear tree. The father thought to himself, “It surely cannot be Cinderella,” and called for an axe, and felled the tree, but there was no one in it. And when they went into the kitchen there sat Cinderella among the cinders, as usual, for she had got down the other side of the tree, and had taken back her beautiful clothes to the bird on the hazel bush, and had put on her old gray smock again. 

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On the third day, when the parents and the step-children had set off, Cinderella went again to her mother’s grave, and said to the tree, “Little tree, little tree, shake over me, That silver and gold may come down and cover me.” Then the bird cast down a dress, the like of which had never been seen for splendor and brilliancy, and slippers that were of gold. 

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And when she appeared in this dress at the feast nobody knew what to say for wonderment. The Prince danced with her alone, and if any one else asked her he answered, “She is my partner.” And when it was evening Cinderella wanted to go home, and the Prince was about to go with her, when she ran past him so quickly that he could not follow her. But he had laid a plan, and had caused all the steps to be spread with pitch, so that as she rushed down them the left shoe of the maiden remained sticking in it. The Prince picked it up, and saw that it was of gold, and very small and slender. The next morning he went to the father and told him that none should be his bride save the one whose foot the golden shoe should fit. 

Then the two sisters were very glad, because they had pretty feet. The eldest went to her room to try on the shoe, and her mother stood by. But she could not get her great toe into it, for the shoe was too small; then her mother handed her a knife, and said, “Cut the toe off, for when you are Queen you will never have to go on foot.” So the girl cut her toe off, squeezed her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the Prince. Then he took her with him on his horse as his bride, and rode off. They had to pass by the grave, and there sat the two pigeons on the hazel bush, and cried, “There they go, there they go! There is blood on her shoe; The shoe is too small, not the right bride at all!”

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Then the Prince looked at her shoe, and saw the blood flowing. And he turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, saying she was not the right one, and that the other sister must try on the shoe. So she went into her room to do so, and got her toes comfortably in, but her heel was too large. Then her mother handed her the knife, saying, “Cut a piece off your heel; when you are Queen you will never have to go on foot.” So she cut a piece off her heel, and thrust her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the Prince, who took his bride before him on his horse and rode off. When they passed by the hazel bush the two pigeons sat there and cried, “There they go, there they go! There is blood on her shoe; The shoe is too small, -Not the right bride at all!” 

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Then the Prince looked at her foot, and saw how the blood was flowing from the shoe, and staining the white stocking. And he turned his horse round and brought the false bride home again. “This is not the right one,” said he, “have you no other daughter?” 

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“No,” said the man, “only my dead wife left behind her a little stunted Cinderella; it is impossible that she can be the bride.” But the King’s son ordered her to be sent for, but the mother said, “Oh no! she is much too dirty, I could not let her be seen.” But he would have her fetched, and so Cinderella had to appear. 

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First she washed her face and hands quite clean, and went in and curtseyed to the Prince, who held out to her the golden shoe. Then she sat down on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and slipped it into the golden one, which fitted it perfectly. And when she stood up, and the Prince looked in her face, he knew again the beautiful maiden that had danced with him, and he cried, “This is the right bride!” The step-mother and the two sisters were thunderstruck, and grew pale with anger; but he put Cinderella before him on his horse and rode off. And as they passed the hazel bush, the two white pigeons cried, “There they go, there they go! No blood on her shoe; The shoe’s not too small, The right bride is she after all.” 

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And when they had thus cried, they came flying after and perched on Cinderella’s shoulders, one on the right, the other on the left, and so remained. 

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And when her wedding with the Prince was appointed to be held the false sisters came, hoping to curry favor, and to take part in the festivities. So as the bridal procession went to the church, the eldest walked on the right side and the younger on the left, and the pigeons picked out an eye of each of them. And as they returned the elder was on the left side and the younger on the right, and the pigeons picked out the other eye of each of them. And so they were condemned to go blind for the rest of their days because of their wickedness and falsehood. 

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THE END 

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