Sleeping Beauty
There once lived a king and queen who were sad because they had no children. They did all they could. They bathed in holy water. They made vows. They went on pilgrimages to holy shrins. All seemed lost until at last theirn luck changed and they had a baby girl. The christening was magenificent, as you may well imagins. The king sent out to look for all the faries in the land. Seven were found and each became a godmother to the young princess.
There will be a great feast, the king announced.
He ordered for each fairy a superb casket made oof gold, with a spoon, a knife and fork, all of gold, each set with diamonds and rubies, to be laid before their places at the banquet table.
Trumpets sounded and the guess prepared to eat.
At that moment there came into the hall, through the great oak door, an old, old fairy, which no one had seen for fifty years. All thought she was long dead or enchanted.
She glowered at the guests.
'Let a place be laid for her,' said the king but, much to his embarrassment, there was nno casket left to give her.
'They will remember me in future,' the old fairy muttered angrily, but only the youngest fairy heard her.
When the time came for each godmother, from the youngest to nthe oldest, to give her present to the young privcess, the youngest fairy hid behind a curtain. She meant to give her gift last, in case the old fairy put a caurse on the child.
The first godmother promised the princess that she would be the most beautiful woman in the world, The next promised that she would have the wit of an angel.
The third gave her absolute gracefulness. The fourth said that she would dancewithout fault. The fifth promised that she would sing like a nightingale and the sixth gave her the gift to make music of all kinds.
