“One little moment more,” exclaimed his wife.
Once more she cried:
“Anne, Sister Anne, do you see nothing coming?”
“I see,” replied her sister, “two horsemen who come this way, but they are as yet a long way off.... Heaven be praised,” she exclaimed a moment later, “they are my brothers.... I am signaling to them all I can to hasten.”
Blue Beard let forth so mighty a shout that the whole house shook. The poor wife went down and cast herself at his feet, all disheveled and in tears.
“That avails you nothing,” said Blue Beard; “you must die.”
They plunged their swords through his body
Seizing her by the hair with one hand, and with the other brandishing the cutlass aloft, he made as if to cut off her head.
The poor woman, turning towards him and fixing a dying gaze upon him, begged for a brief moment in which to collect her thoughts.
“No! no!” he cried; “commend your soul to Heaven.” And raising his arm——
At this very moment there came so loud a knocking at the gate that Blue Beard stopped short. The gate was opened, and two horsemen dashed in, who drew their swords and rode straight at Blue Beard. The latter recognized them as the brothers of his wife—one of them a dragoon, and the other a musketeer—and fled instantly in an effort to escape. But the two brothers were so close upon him that they caught him ere he could gain the first flight of steps. They plunged their swords through his body and left him dead. The poor woman was nearly as dead as her husband, and had not the strength to rise and embrace her brothers.
It was found that Blue Beard had no heirs, and that consequently his wife became mistress of all his wealth. She devoted a portion to arranging a marriage between her sister Anne and a young gentleman with whom the latter had been for some time in love, while another portion purchased a captain’s commission for each of her brothers. The rest formed a dowry for her own marriage with a very worthy man, who banished from her mind all memory of the evil days she had spent with Blue Beard.
Moral
Ladies, you should never pry,—
You’ll repent it by and by!
‘Tis the silliest of sins;
Trouble in a trice begins.
There are, surely—more’s the woe!—
Lots of things you need not know.
Come, forswear it now and here—
Joy so brief, that costs so dear!
Another Moral
You can tell this tale is old
By the very way it’s told.
Those were days of derring-do;
Man was lord, and master too.
Then the husband ruled as king.
Now it’s quite a different thing;
Be his beard what hue it may—
Madam has a word to say!
THE MASTER CAT or PUSS IN BOOTS
A certain miller had three sons, and when he died the sole worldly goods which he bequeathed to them were his mill, his ass, and his cat. This little legacy was very quickly divided up, and you may be quite sure that neither notary nor attorney were called in to help, for they would speedily have grabbed it all for themselves.
The eldest son took the mill, and the second son took the ass. Consequently all that remained for the youngest son was the cat, and he was not a little disappointed at receiving such a miserable portion.
“My brothers,” said he, “will be able to get a decent living by joining forces, but for my part, as soon as I have eaten my cat and made a muff out of his skin, I am bound to die of hunger.”
These remarks were overheard by Puss, who pretended not to have been listening, and said very soberly and seriously:
“There is not the least need for you to worry, Master. All you have to do is to give me a pouch, and get a pair of boots made for me so that I can walk in the woods. You will find then that your share is not so bad after all.”
Now this cat had often shown himself capable of performing cunning tricks. When catching rats and mice, for example, he would hide himself amongst the meal and hang downwards by the feet as though he were dead. His master, therefore, though he did not build too much on what the cat had said, felt some hope of being assisted in his miserable plight.
“Help! the marquis of Carabas is drowning!”
On receiving the boots which he had asked for, Puss gaily pulled them on. Then he hung the pouch round his neck, and holding the cords which tied it in front of him with his paws, he sallied forth to a warren where rabbits abounded. Placing some bran and lettuce in the pouch, he stretched himself out and lay as if dead. His plan was to wait until some young rabbit, unlearned in worldly wisdom, should come and rummage in the pouch for the eatables which he had placed there.
Hardly had he laid himself down when things fell out as he wished. A stupid young rabbit went into the pouch, and Master Puss, pulling the cords tight, killed him on the instant.
Well satisfied with his capture, Puss departed to the king’s palace. There he demanded an audience, and was ushered upstairs. He entered the royal apartment, and bowed profoundly to the king.
“I bring you, Sire,” said he, “a rabbit from the warren of the marquis of Carabas” (such was the title he invented for his master), “which I am bidden to present to you on his behalf.”
“Tell your master,” replied the king, “that I thank him, and am pleased by his attention.”
Another time the cat hid himself in a wheat field, keeping the mouth of his bag wide open. Two partridges ventured in, and by pulling the cords tight he captured both of them. Off he went and presented them to the king, just as he had done with the rabbit from the warren. His Majesty was not less gratified by the brace of partridges, and handed the cat a present for himself.
For two or three months Puss went on in this way, every now and again taking to the king, as a present from his master, some game which he had caught. There came a day when he learned that the king intended to take his daughter, who was the most beautiful princess in the world, for an excursion along the river bank.
“If you will do as I tell you,” said Puss to his master, “your fortune is made. You have only to go and bathe in the river at the spot which I shall point out to you. Leave the rest to me.”
The marquis of Carabas had no idea what plan was afoot, but did as the cat had directed.
While he was bathing the king drew near, and Puss at once began to cry out at the top of his voice:
“Help! help! the marquis of Carabas is drowning!”
At these shouts the king put his head out of the carriage window. He recognized the cat who had so often brought him game, and bade his escort go speedily to the help of the marquis of Carabas.
While they were pulling the poor marquis out of the river, Puss approached the carriage and explained to the king that while his master was bathing robbers had come and taken away his clothes, though he had cried “Stop, thief!” at the top of his voice. As a matter of fact, the rascal had hidden them under a big stone. The king at once commanded the keepers of his wardrobe to go and select a suit of his finest clothes for the marquis of Carabas.
The king received the marquis with many compliments, and as the fine clothes which the latter had just put on set off his good looks (for he was handsome and comely in appearance), the king’s daughter found him very much to her liking. Indeed, the marquis of Carabas had not bestowed more than two or three respectful but sentimental glances upon her when she fell madly in love with him. The king invited him to enter the coach and join the party.
Delighted to see his plan so successfully launched, the cat went on ahead, and presently came upon some peasants who were mowing a field.
“Listen, my good fellows,” said he, “if you do not tell the king that the field which you are mowing belongs to the marquis of Carabas, you will all be chopped up into little pieces like mincemeat.”
In due course the king asked the mowers to whom the field on which they were at work belonged.
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p; “It is the property of the marquis of Carabas,” they all cried with one voice, for the threat from Puss had frightened them.
“You have inherited a fine estate,” the king remarked to Carabas.
“As you see for yourself, Sire,” replied the marquis; “this is a meadow which never fails to yield an abundant crop each year.”
Still traveling ahead, the cat came upon some harvesters.
“Listen, my good fellows,” said he, “if you do not declare that every one of these fields belongs to the marquis of Carabas, you will all be chopped up into little bits like mincemeat.”
“You will all be chopped into little bits like mincemeat”
The king came by a moment later, and wished to know who was the owner of the fields in sight.
“It is the marquis of Carabas,” cried the harvesters.
At this the king was more pleased than ever with the marquis.
Preceding the coach on its journey, the cat made the same threat to all whom he met, and the king grew astonished at the great wealth of the marquis of Carabas.
Finally Master Puss reached a splendid castle, which belonged to an ogre. He was the richest ogre that had ever been known, for all the lands through which the king had passed were part of the castle domain.
The cat had taken care to find out who this ogre was, and what powers he possessed. He now asked for an interview, declaring that he was unwilling to pass so close to the castle without having the honor of paying his respects to the owner.
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre can, and bade him sit down.
“I have been told,” said Puss, “that you have the power to change yourself into any kind of animal—for example, that you can transform yourself into a lion or an elephant.”
“That is perfectly true,” said the ogre, curtly, “and just to prove it you shall see me turn into a lion.”
Puss was so frightened on seeing a lion before him that he sprang onto the roof—not without difficulty and danger, for his boots were not meant for walking on the tiles.
Perceiving presently that the ogre had abandoned his transformation, Puss descended, and owned to having been thoroughly frightened.
The cat had taken care to find out who this ogre was
“I have also been told,” he added, “but I can scarcely believe it, that you have the further power to take the shape of the smallest animals—for example, that you can change yourself into a rat or a mouse. I confess that to me it seems quite impossible.”
“Impossible?” cried the ogre; “you shall see!” And in the same moment he changed himself into a mouse, which began to run about the floor. No sooner did Puss see it than he pounced on it and ate it.
Presently the king came along, and noticing the ogre’s beautiful mansion desired to visit it. The cat heard the rumble of the coach as it crossed the castle drawbridge, and running out to the courtyard cried to the king:
“Welcome, your Majesty, to the castle of the marquis of Carabas! ”
“What’s that?” cried the king. “Is this castle also yours, marquis? Nothing could be finer than this courtyard and the buildings which I see all about. With your permission we will go inside and look round.”
The marquis gave his hand to the young princess, and followed the king as he led the way up the staircase. Entering a great hall they found there a magnificent collation. This had been prepared by the ogre for some friends who were to pay him a visit that very day. The latter had not dared to enter when they learned that the king was there.
The king was now quite as charmed with the excellent qualities of the marquis of Carabas as his daughter. The latter was completely captivated by him. Noting the great wealth of which the marquis was evidently possessed, and having quaffed several cups of wine, he turned to his host, saying:
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre can
“It rests with you, marquis, whether you will be my son-in-law.”
The marquis, bowing very low, accepted the honor which the king bestowed upon him. The very same day he married the princess.
Puss became a personage of great importance, and gave up hunting mice, except for amusement.
Moral
It’s a pleasant thing, I’m told,
To be left a pile of gold.
But there’s something better still,
Never yet bequeathed by will.
Leave a lad a stock of sense—
Though with neither pounds nor pence—
And he’ll finish, as a rule,
Richer than the gilded fool.
Another Moral
Can the heart of a Princess
Yield so soon to borrowed dress?
So it seems—but wait a while—
’Tis not all a tale of guile.
He was young and straight of limb;
She was just the girl for him.
He was brave, and she was fair.
Tell me, when the right man’s there—
Be he but a miller’s son—
What Princess will not be won?
THE FAIRIES
Once upon a time there lived a widow with two daughters. The elder was often mistaken for her mother, so like her was she both in nature and in looks; parent and child being so disagreeable and arrogant that no one could live with them.
The younger girl, who took after her father in the gentleness and sweetness of her disposition, was also one of the prettiest girls imaginable. The mother doted on the elder daughter—naturally enough, since she resembled her so closely—and disliked the younger one as intensely. She made the latter live in the kitchen and work hard from morning till night.
One of the poor child’s many duties was to go twice a day and draw water from a spring a good half-mile away, bringing it back in a large pitcher. One day when she was at the spring an old woman came up and begged for a drink.
“Why, certainly, good mother,” the pretty lass replied. Rinsing her pitcher, she drew some water from the cleanest part of the spring and handed it to the dame, lifting up the jug so that she might drink the more easily.
Now this old woman was a fairy, who had taken the form of a poor village dame to see just how far the girl’s good nature would go. “You are so pretty,” she said, when she had finished drinking, “and so polite, that I am determined to bestow a gift upon you. This is the boon I grant you: with every word that you utter there shall fall from your mouth either a flower or a precious stone.”
One day an old woman came and begged for a drink
When the girl reached home she was scolded by her mother for being so long in coming back from the spring.
“I am sorry to have been so long, mother,” said the poor child.
As she spoke these words there fell from her mouth three roses, three pearls, and three diamonds.
“What’s this?” cried her mother; “did I see pearls and diamonds dropping out of your mouth? What does this mean, dear daughter?” (This was the first time she had ever addressed her daughter affectionately.)
The poor child told a simple tale of what had happened, and in speaking scattered diamonds right and left.
“Really,” said her mother, “I must send my own child there. Come here, Fanchon; look what comes out of your sister’s mouth whenever she speaks! Wouldn’t you like to be able to do the same? All you have to do is to go and draw some water at the spring, and when a poor woman asks you for a drink, give it her very nicely.”
“ Oh, indeed!” replied the ill-mannered girl; “don’t you wish you may see me going there!”
“ I tell you that you are to go,” said her mother, “and to go this instant.”
Very sulkily the girl went off, taking with her the best silver flagon in the house. No sooner had she reached the spring than she saw a lady, magnificently attired, who came towards her from the forest, and asked for a drink. This was the same fairy who had appeared to her sister, masquerading now as a princess in order to see how far this girl’s ill-nature would carry her.
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“Do you think I have come here just to get you a drink?” said the loutish damsel, arrogantly. “ I suppose you think I brought a silver flagon here specially for that purpose—It’s so likely, isn’t it? Drink from the spring, if you want to! ”
“You are not very polite,” said the fairy, displaying no sign of anger. “Well, in return for your lack of courtesy I decree that for every word you utter a snake or a toad shall drop out of your mouth.”
The moment her mother caught sight of her coming back she cried out, “Well, daughter?”
“Well, mother?” replied the rude girl. As she spoke a viper and a toad were spat out of her mouth.
“Gracious heavens!” cried her mother; “what do I see? Her sister is the cause of this, and I will make her pay for it!”
Off she ran to thrash the poor child, but the latter fled away and hid in the forest nearby. The king’s son met her on his way home from hunting, and noticing how pretty she was inquired what she was doing all alone, and what she was weeping about.
“Alas, sir,” she cried; “my mother has driven me from home! ”
As she spoke the prince saw four or five pearls and as many diamonds fall from her mouth. He begged her to tell him how this came about, and she told him the whole story.
The king’s son fell in love with her, and reflecting that such a gift as had been bestowed upon her was worth more than any dowry which another maiden might bring him, he took her to the palace of his royal father, and there married her.
As for the sister, she made herself so hateful that even her mother drove her out of the house. Nowhere could the wretched girl find anyone who would take her in, and at last she lay down in the forest and died.
Moral
Diamonds and rubies may
Perrault's Fairy Tales (Dover Children's Classics) Page 3
