|
Citation |
- Permanent Link:
- https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00082983/00001
Material Information
- Title:
- Blue beard and, Puss in boots
- Series Title:
- Banbury Cross series
- Uniform Title:
- Puss in Boots
- Alternate title:
- Puss in boots
- Creator:
- Heighway, Richard ( Illustrator )
Bell, Robert Anning, 1863-1933 ( Engraver )
J. M. Dent & Co ( Publisher )
Turnbull & Spears ( Printer )
- Place of Publication:
- London
- Publisher:
- J.M. Dent & Co.
- Manufacturer:
- Turnbull and Spears
- Publication Date:
- 1895
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- 51, [1] p. : ill. ; 15 cm.
Subjects
- Subjects / Keywords:
- Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh ) Children's stories ( lcsh ) Children's stories -- 1895 ( lcsh ) Fairy tales -- 1895 ( rbgenr ) Bldn -- 1895
- Genre:
- Children's stories
Fairy tales ( rbgenr ) novel ( marcgt )
- Spatial Coverage:
- England -- London
Scotland -- Edinburgh
- Target Audience:
- juvenile ( marctarget )
Notes
- General Note:
- "Banbury cross series. Prepared for children by Grace Rhys"--half title.
- General Note:
- Pictorial endpapers signed R.A.B., i.e. Robert Anning Bell.
- Statement of Responsibility:
- illustrated by R. Heighway.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- University of Florida
- Holding Location:
- University of Florida
- Rights Management:
- This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
- Resource Identifier:
- 026582577 ( ALEPH )
ALG2051 ( NOTIS ) 223243980 ( OCLC )
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Full Text |
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THE
BANBURY GROSS
SERIES
PREPARED FOR CHILDREN BY GRACE Ruys
BLUE BEARD
AND
PUSS IN BOOTS
BLUE BEARD AND
PUSS IN BOOTS
ILLUSTRATED BY
R. HEIGHWAY
zy
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LONDON
PUBLISHED BY
J. M. DENT & CO.
AT ALDINE HOUSE IN
GREAT EASTERN STREET. 1895
To Siegfried,
ee
If the tale of Blue Beard
Should make you afeard,
As the time nears for bed!
“*Puss in Boots†read instead !
Blue Beard.
— We
NCE upon a time there lived a
man, who had beautiful houses
in town and in the country, dishes of
gold and silver, chairs and sofas covered
with flowered satin, and carriages gilt
all over with gold.
But alas! this man’s beard was blue,
which made him so ugly and frightful
that there was not any one who did not
flee from him.
Io BLUE BEARD.
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One of his neighbours, a lady of
quality, had two beautiful daughters.
Blue Beard asked her to give one of
them to him as his wife, leaving to
herself the choice which of the two it
should be. Both the daughters, how-
ever, refused to have him, and each in
turn gave him up to the other, not
being able to make up their minds to
marry a man whose beard was blue.
But what disgusted them still more,
was that he had already had several
wives and no one knew what had be-
come of them,
BLUE BEARD. II
Then t
come to know these sisters, invited them
with their mother and some young
friends, to spend a whole week at one
of his country houses. Nothing was
thought of but parties for hunting and
fishing, feasting, dancing and music.
There was but little sleep to be got,
and at night they played each other
all manner of practical jokes. Indeed,
everything was so agreeable that the
youngest girl began to think her host’s
beard was no longer so very blue, and
that he was a mighty pleasant person.
So as soon as they came back to town
they were married.
12 BLUE BEARD.
[sell
TTL RT AAA
At the end of the month, Blue Beard
said to his wife that he must go upon
a journey which would take him six
weeks at least, as his business was one
of much weight; that he hoped she
would amuse herself finely while he
was gone; that she should invite her
good friends; that she should take
them into the country if she wished, and
that everywhere she should make merry
cheer.
“Here,†said he, ‘“‘ are the keys of
the two great galleries; these are the
keys to lock up the gold and silver
dishes which we only use on feast days;
BLUE BEARD. 13
those open the caskets where my jewels
are kept; and here is the master-key
that opens all the rooms. But look
well at this smallest one, it is the key
of the closet at the end of the long
gallery down - stairs; open everything,
go everywhere, but, as for this little
closet, I forbid you to enter it. And
I forbid you so strictly, that if you
should chance to open it, there is nothing
you may not expect from my anger.â€
She promised faithfully to obey him,
and he, when he had kissed her, got
into his carriage and set off on his
journey.
Her neighbours and friends did not
wait to be fetched before visiting her,
so impatient were they to see all the
splendour of her house; they had not
dared to venture while her husband
was there, because of the blue beard
which frightened them. Behold them
now running to see the rooms, closets,
wardrobes, each one more splendid and
magnificent than the last. From thence
they went up to the galleries, where
BLUE BEARD. 15
they could not cease admiring the number
and the beauty of the tapestries, beds,
sofas, cabinets, sideboards and tables,
and of the mirrors where they could see
themselves from head to foot, and whose
frames, some of glass, and others of silver
and of red gold, were the most beauti-
ful that were ever seen. With one con-
sent they praised and envied the fortune
of their friend, who, indeed, was all
the time far from being amused by the
fine compliments they paid her, so full
of impatience was she to go and open
the secret closet below.
She was so eagerly curious that, with-
out thinking of her rudeness in leaving
her guests, she ran down a concealed
staircase, and that so hurriedly that two
or three times she came near to break-
ing her neck. Having found the closet
door, she stopped a moment or two,
thinking of the charge her husband had
given her, and reflecting that some mis-
fortune might chance to fall on her
should she be disobedient; but the
temptation was too strong for her to
17
BLUE BEARD.
SN!
Ss
18 BLUE BEARD.
get the better of, and trembling, she
opened the closet door.
At first she could see nothing because
the window-shutters were closed. After
a few minutes, she began to discover
that the floor was covered with blood-
stains, in which trailed the feet of many
dead ladies, whose bodies were suspended
round the walls; these were all the
wives whom Blue Beard had married,
and whose throats he had cut, one after
another. She was ready to sink with fear,
and the key of the closet, which she had
drawn from the lock, fell from her hand.
Coming to herself, she picked up the
key, locked the door again, and went
up to her room to recover herself; but
this was not possible, so. full of terror
was she.
Seeing that the key of the closet was
stained with blood, she wiped it two or
three times, but the blood still remained :
in vain she washed it, and even scrubbed
it with sand and brick-dust, the blood
still remained, for the key was enchanted
and could not be made wholly clean.
BLUE BEARD. 19
As soon as ever the stains were washed
away from one side, they appeared again
on the other.
Blue Beard came back from his journey
that very evening, saying that he had
received letters on the road, putting a
fortunate end to his business. His wife,
though in secret she was much afraid,
did all she could to prove to him that
she was delighted at his quick return.
Next day he asked her for the keys,
and she gave them up to him, but with
such a trembling hand that he easily
guessed what had happened. ‘‘ How
comes it,†said he, “that the key of
the closet is not with the rest ?â€â€”<“I
20 BLUE BEARD.
must,†answered she, “have left it on
my table upstairs.†‘‘ Be sure you give
it me by-and-by,†said Blue Beard.
After many delays, at last she needs
must bring it. Blue Beard, having
turned it over, said to his wife: ‘How
came this blood upon the key ?â€â€”« In-
deed I do not know!†cried she, and
her face was white with fear. ‘“ You
don’t know!†answered Blue Beard;
‘but I do, right well. You have been
into my closet. Vastly well, Madam,
then you shall go in again, and take
your place among the ladies you saw
there.â€
BLUE BEARD. 21
She threw herself at her husband’s
feet, weeping and praying his pardon
for her disobedience with every mark
of sorrow for her fault. She would
have softened a stone, so pretty was
she, and so distressed; but Blue Beard’s
heart was harder than stone. ‘‘ You
must die, Madam,†said he, ‘‘and that
at once.â€-—‘*Since I must die,†said
22 BLUE BEARD.
in
(Co
she, looking up at him with streaming
eyes, ‘‘ give me a little time to say my
prayers.â€â€”-“‘I give you ten minutes,â€
answered Blue Beard, ‘‘and not one
moment more.â€
When she found herself alone, she
called her sister, and said, ‘Sister
Anne†(for that was her name), ‘go
up, pray, to the top of the tower, and
see if my brothers are coming; they
had promised to come and see me to-
day, and if they should be in sight,
beckon them to come quickly.†Sister
Anne went up to the tower; and from
time to time her wretched sister called
to her from below: ‘ Anne, Sister
Anne, do you see any one coming?â€
BLUE BEARD. 323
And Sister Anne answered, “I only
see the sun that shines, and the grass
that grows green.â€
Meantime Blue Beard, holding a
mighty scimitar in his hand, cried in
a great voice, ‘Come down, or I shall
go up for you!â€â€”<‘ Yet one little
moment, I pray you!†answered his
wife. And then she called up softly,
«Anne, Sister Anne, do you see any
one coming?†And Sister Anne
answered, ‘I only see the sun that
shines, and the grass that grows
green.â€
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7
26 BLUE BEARD.
“*Come down quickly,†shouted Blue
Beard, ‘‘OrI shall have to fetch you!â€
—<“I am coming,†answered his wife.
And then she cried, ‘‘ Anne, Sister
Anne, do you see any one coming?â€
—‘‘I see,†answered Sister Anne, ‘‘a
great cloud of dust coming this
way.†... “Is it my brothers ?â€â€”
‘¢ Alas, no, sister; it is only a flock
of sheep.â€â€”‘*Come down, come
down!†shouted Blue Beard. ‘Yet
one little moment!†answered his wife.
And then she called: ‘Anne, Sister
Anne, do you see any one coming ?â€â€”
“IT see two horsemen riding towards
me, but they are still a great way
off. . . . Heaven be praised,†cried
she, a moment after, ‘“‘they are my
brothers;. I am beckoning with might
and main for them to hasten.â€
Blue Beard began to shout so loud,
that the house shook. The poor lady
went down and fell on her knees before
him, her face all soiled with tears and
her hair flying loose. ‘‘ No use, Madam,â€
roared Blue Beard, ‘‘you shall die!â€
BLUE BEARD. 27
wT
BD ae
Then, taking hold of her hair with one
hand, and raising his scimitar into the air
with the other, he made ready to cut off
her head. The poor lady, turning
towards him and looking up with eyes
of terror, begged for one little moment
to prepare herself. ‘No, no,†said he,
‘this is your last moment .. .†Then,
raising his arm. ... Suddenly, sucha
loud knocking was heard at the gates
that Blue Beard stopped at once. The
door was opened and in came two knights
who, sword in hand, rushed towards
him .
He saw at once that they were his
td
Pas
rir
BLUE BEARD. 29
wife’s brothers, one a captain of foot and
the other of horse, so he turned and fled;
but the two brothers were hard upon
him and cut him off before he could
reach the steps. They passed their
swords through his body, and left him
for dead. His poor wife was in little
better case, and had no strength left to
rise and greet her brothers.
Soon, however, she was well again,
and as it happened, Blue Beard had no
heirs, so his wife became mistress of all
that he had. Part of her riches she
bestowed on her sister Anne, who
married a youth by whom she had long
been beloved; another part she made
use of to aid her two brothers; and with
the rest she herself married a man whose
kind treatment soon helped her to forget
her unlucky adventure with Blue Beard.
Puss in Boots
ONG ago there died a miller whose
whole property was a mill, an ass,
and a cat. All this had to be divided
between his three sons; and it was
quickly done without the help of either
lawyer or clerk. The eldest took the
mill, the second took the ass, and the
youngest had nothing but the cat.
He, indeed, was greatly cast down at
his poor lot: ‘‘My brothers,†said he,
«will be able to earn their living honestly
by working together; but as for me,
when I have eaten my cat and made a
muff of his skin, I shall have to die of
hunger.â€
The cat who heard all this, but made
believe that he did not, said to his master,
c
PUSS IN BOOTS. 35
“Don’t be down-hearted, master; all you
have to do is to give me a bag, and have
a pair of boots made for me, because of
the brambles which scratch my legs, and
then you will see that your share is not
such a poor one as you think.â€
Although his master put no great
faith in this, yet he had seen his cat do
so many cunning tricks to catch rats and
mice, when he hung himself up by his
feet and lay like dead
in the flour, that he did
not despair of getting
help in his difficulty.
When the cat had
all that he wanted, he | Ae
booted himself bravely, | Ne
and hung the bag about | 4
his neck; then, holding |
the strings in his two 13
front paws, he set off
for a rabbit warren,
where lived great numbers of rabbits.
He put some bran and sow-thistles into
his bag, and stretched himself out as
though he were dead, waiting until some
26 PUSS IN BOOTS.
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young rabbit should be innocent and con-
fiding enough to put his nose into the
bag and eat its contents. .
Hardly had he lain down when all fell
out as he wished; a giddy young rabbit
skipped into his bag and our friend the
cat, when he had pulled the strings, took
him and killed him without pity.
In high delight with his booty, he
went off to the king’s palace and asked
to see him. He was shown up to His
Majesty’s chamber, and when he had
entered he made a deep bow and said,
“Here, Sire, is a rabbit that my lord the
Marquis of Carabas (for this was the
name he had invented for his master)
has desired me to present to you.â€
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38 PUSS IN BOOTS.
—‘‘ Tell your master,†said the king,
“that I thank him for his gift.â€
Another day the cat went and hid him-
self in a wheat-field with his bag gaping
open, and, when two partridges had
walked in, he pulled the strings and
caught them both. Then he went and
presented them to the king, just as he
had done with the rabbit. The king
again graciously received the two par-
tridges, and bade his servants offer food
and drink to the cat.
For two or three months the cat went
on carrying game from his master to the
king. Then one day, when he knew that
the king was to take the air along the
riverside with his daughter, who was
PUSS IN BOOTS. 39
the most beautiful princess in the world,
he said to his master—
“Tf you will but do as I bid you, your
fortune is made: you have only to go and
bathe in the river at the spot which I shall
show you, and leave the rest to me.â€
The Marquis of Carabas did all that
his cat advised, without knowing why or
wherefore. So it fell out that while he
was bathing the king passed by and the
cat began to cry out as loud as he could,
“Help, help! my Lord Marquis of
Carabas is drowning !â€
At this noise the king put his head out
40 PUSS IN BOOTS.
of the coach, and seeing it was the cat
who had so often brought him game, he
ordered his guards to run immediately to
the help of his lordship the Marquis of
Carabas.
While they were pulling the poor
Marquis out of the river, the cat came up
to the coach, and told the king that, while
his master was bathing, there came by
some rogues who had gone off with his
clothes, though he had cried ‘‘Stop, thief!â€
at the top of his voice, the rogues had
hidden them under a great stone. The
king at once ordered the officers of his
wardrobe to run and fetch one of his
best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas.
PUSS IN BOOTS. 4t
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The king paid him a thousand compli-
ments, and as the fine clothes they had
‘brought him set off his good air (for
he was a comely lad), the king’s daughter
fell in love with him on the spot, and
the king would have him come into his
coach.
The cat, who was overjoyed to see his.
plan had begun to succeed, went on in
front ; and meeting with some country-
people who were mowing a meadow, he
said to them, ‘‘ Good mowers, if you do
not tell the king that the meadow you
mow belongs to the Marquis of Carabas,
you shall be chopped as small as mince-
meat.â€
Sure enough the king asked the mowers
to whom the meadow they were mowing
belonged.
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PUSS IN BOOTS. 43
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“To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,â€
answered they all together—for the cat
had frightened them well.
“That is a fine property of yours,â€
said the king to the Marquis of Carabas.
<¢ As you see, your Majesty,†answered
he; ‘it is a meadow that never fails to
yield a plentiful harvest every year.â€
The cat, who still went on before, met
with some reapers, and said to them,
“‘Good reapers, if you do not tell the
king that all this corn belongs to the
Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped
as small as mince-meat.â€
The king, who passed by a moment
after, must needs know to whom all the
corn belonged.
“To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,â€
e
ESN
RDN
PUSS IN BOOTS. 45
replied the reapers; and the king was
very well pleased, and so was the Marquis,
whom he congratulated.
The cat went always before, saying the
same words to all he met; and the king
was astonished at the vast estates of my
Lord Marquis of Carabas. Master Puss
came at last toa stately castle, the lord
of which was an ogre, the richest that
had ever been known, for all the country
through which the king had passed was
his property. The cat who had taken
good care to find out who this ogre was
and what he could do, asked leave to speak
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PUSS IN BOOTS. 47
to him, saying, ‘‘He could not pass so near
his castle, without having the honour of
paying his respects to him.â€
The ogre received him as civilly as an
ogre could do, and bade him sit down.
“‘T have been told,†said the cat, “that
you have the gift of being able to change
yourself into any creature you have a mind
to. You can, for example, turn yourself
into a lion or elephant, and the like?â€
«“That is true,†answered the ogre,
very briskly ; ‘“‘and to convince you, you
shall see me now become a lion.â€
Puss was so sadly terrified to see a lion
so near him, that he immediately climbed
into the gutter, not without great trouble
48 PUSS IN BOOTS.
and danger because of his boots, which
were of no use at all to him in walking
upon the tiles. A little while after, when
Puss saw that the ogre had again taken
his natural form, he came down, and
owned that he had been very much
frightened.
“©T have been told, too,†said the cat,
“but I can scarce believe it, that you can
also turn yourself into one of the smallest
animals—for example, a rat or a mouse ;
but I must own to you I believe this to
be impossible.â€
“‘Impossible!†cried the ogre; “you
shall see !’—and at once he changed him-
self into a mouse, and began to run about
the floor. Puss no sooner saw this than
he pounced upon him and ate him up.
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50 PUSS IN BOOTS.
Meanwhile the king, who saw as he
passed this fine castle of the ogre’s, had
a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard
the noise of his Majesty’s coach wheeling
over the drawbridge, ran out, and said
to the king: ‘‘ Your Majesty is welcome
to this castle of the Marquis of Carabas.â€
‘How! my Lord Marquis,†said the
king, “and does this castle belong to
you? I have seen nothing finer than this
courtyard with all the great buildings
round it; let us go in, if you please!â€
The king went up first, the Marquis
following, handing the Princess. They
went into a great hall, where they found
a splendid feast the ogre had prepared
for his friends, who dared not enter,
knowing the king was there. His
PUSS IN BOOTS. 51
Majesty was delighted with the pleasant
behaviour of the Marquis, and so was his
daughter; so much so, that after having
taken a glass or two of wine, he said
to him, “My Lord Marquis, you only
will be to blame if you are not my
son-in-law.â€
The Marquis, making many low bows,
accepted the honour the king offered
him, and forthwith married the Princess
the very same day.
Puss became a great lord, and never
ran after mice any more except for his
own amusement.
PRINTED BY
TURNBULL AND SPEARS,
EDINBURGH.
Si
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|
Full Text |
ee
‘ le - oe a.
OG on
: i vee
TAS th ent yas ; ;
saved iy avae Sovies
e »
: Zi “tN e
Die
>
q
¢ B KS Hl
i/ V7
‘
})
A)
.
THE
BANBURY GROSS
SERIES
PREPARED FOR CHILDREN BY GRACE Ruys
BLUE BEARD
AND
PUSS IN BOOTS
BLUE BEARD AND
PUSS IN BOOTS
ILLUSTRATED BY
R. HEIGHWAY
zy
se
Z
a7
2
Z
y
Y
Z
y
L
LONDON
PUBLISHED BY
J. M. DENT & CO.
AT ALDINE HOUSE IN
GREAT EASTERN STREET. 1895
To Siegfried,
ee
If the tale of Blue Beard
Should make you afeard,
As the time nears for bed!
“*Puss in Boots†read instead !
Blue Beard.
— We
NCE upon a time there lived a
man, who had beautiful houses
in town and in the country, dishes of
gold and silver, chairs and sofas covered
with flowered satin, and carriages gilt
all over with gold.
But alas! this man’s beard was blue,
which made him so ugly and frightful
that there was not any one who did not
flee from him.
Io BLUE BEARD.
=
AYA)
EX
Z. ‘e 2 7
See EBD
nea
One of his neighbours, a lady of
quality, had two beautiful daughters.
Blue Beard asked her to give one of
them to him as his wife, leaving to
herself the choice which of the two it
should be. Both the daughters, how-
ever, refused to have him, and each in
turn gave him up to the other, not
being able to make up their minds to
marry a man whose beard was blue.
But what disgusted them still more,
was that he had already had several
wives and no one knew what had be-
come of them,
BLUE BEARD. II
Then t
come to know these sisters, invited them
with their mother and some young
friends, to spend a whole week at one
of his country houses. Nothing was
thought of but parties for hunting and
fishing, feasting, dancing and music.
There was but little sleep to be got,
and at night they played each other
all manner of practical jokes. Indeed,
everything was so agreeable that the
youngest girl began to think her host’s
beard was no longer so very blue, and
that he was a mighty pleasant person.
So as soon as they came back to town
they were married.
12 BLUE BEARD.
[sell
TTL RT AAA
At the end of the month, Blue Beard
said to his wife that he must go upon
a journey which would take him six
weeks at least, as his business was one
of much weight; that he hoped she
would amuse herself finely while he
was gone; that she should invite her
good friends; that she should take
them into the country if she wished, and
that everywhere she should make merry
cheer.
“Here,†said he, ‘“‘ are the keys of
the two great galleries; these are the
keys to lock up the gold and silver
dishes which we only use on feast days;
BLUE BEARD. 13
those open the caskets where my jewels
are kept; and here is the master-key
that opens all the rooms. But look
well at this smallest one, it is the key
of the closet at the end of the long
gallery down - stairs; open everything,
go everywhere, but, as for this little
closet, I forbid you to enter it. And
I forbid you so strictly, that if you
should chance to open it, there is nothing
you may not expect from my anger.â€
She promised faithfully to obey him,
and he, when he had kissed her, got
into his carriage and set off on his
journey.
Her neighbours and friends did not
wait to be fetched before visiting her,
so impatient were they to see all the
splendour of her house; they had not
dared to venture while her husband
was there, because of the blue beard
which frightened them. Behold them
now running to see the rooms, closets,
wardrobes, each one more splendid and
magnificent than the last. From thence
they went up to the galleries, where
BLUE BEARD. 15
they could not cease admiring the number
and the beauty of the tapestries, beds,
sofas, cabinets, sideboards and tables,
and of the mirrors where they could see
themselves from head to foot, and whose
frames, some of glass, and others of silver
and of red gold, were the most beauti-
ful that were ever seen. With one con-
sent they praised and envied the fortune
of their friend, who, indeed, was all
the time far from being amused by the
fine compliments they paid her, so full
of impatience was she to go and open
the secret closet below.
She was so eagerly curious that, with-
out thinking of her rudeness in leaving
her guests, she ran down a concealed
staircase, and that so hurriedly that two
or three times she came near to break-
ing her neck. Having found the closet
door, she stopped a moment or two,
thinking of the charge her husband had
given her, and reflecting that some mis-
fortune might chance to fall on her
should she be disobedient; but the
temptation was too strong for her to
17
BLUE BEARD.
SN!
Ss
18 BLUE BEARD.
get the better of, and trembling, she
opened the closet door.
At first she could see nothing because
the window-shutters were closed. After
a few minutes, she began to discover
that the floor was covered with blood-
stains, in which trailed the feet of many
dead ladies, whose bodies were suspended
round the walls; these were all the
wives whom Blue Beard had married,
and whose throats he had cut, one after
another. She was ready to sink with fear,
and the key of the closet, which she had
drawn from the lock, fell from her hand.
Coming to herself, she picked up the
key, locked the door again, and went
up to her room to recover herself; but
this was not possible, so. full of terror
was she.
Seeing that the key of the closet was
stained with blood, she wiped it two or
three times, but the blood still remained :
in vain she washed it, and even scrubbed
it with sand and brick-dust, the blood
still remained, for the key was enchanted
and could not be made wholly clean.
BLUE BEARD. 19
As soon as ever the stains were washed
away from one side, they appeared again
on the other.
Blue Beard came back from his journey
that very evening, saying that he had
received letters on the road, putting a
fortunate end to his business. His wife,
though in secret she was much afraid,
did all she could to prove to him that
she was delighted at his quick return.
Next day he asked her for the keys,
and she gave them up to him, but with
such a trembling hand that he easily
guessed what had happened. ‘‘ How
comes it,†said he, “that the key of
the closet is not with the rest ?â€â€”<“I
20 BLUE BEARD.
must,†answered she, “have left it on
my table upstairs.†‘‘ Be sure you give
it me by-and-by,†said Blue Beard.
After many delays, at last she needs
must bring it. Blue Beard, having
turned it over, said to his wife: ‘How
came this blood upon the key ?â€â€”« In-
deed I do not know!†cried she, and
her face was white with fear. ‘“ You
don’t know!†answered Blue Beard;
‘but I do, right well. You have been
into my closet. Vastly well, Madam,
then you shall go in again, and take
your place among the ladies you saw
there.â€
BLUE BEARD. 21
She threw herself at her husband’s
feet, weeping and praying his pardon
for her disobedience with every mark
of sorrow for her fault. She would
have softened a stone, so pretty was
she, and so distressed; but Blue Beard’s
heart was harder than stone. ‘‘ You
must die, Madam,†said he, ‘‘and that
at once.â€-—‘*Since I must die,†said
22 BLUE BEARD.
in
(Co
she, looking up at him with streaming
eyes, ‘‘ give me a little time to say my
prayers.â€â€”-“‘I give you ten minutes,â€
answered Blue Beard, ‘‘and not one
moment more.â€
When she found herself alone, she
called her sister, and said, ‘Sister
Anne†(for that was her name), ‘go
up, pray, to the top of the tower, and
see if my brothers are coming; they
had promised to come and see me to-
day, and if they should be in sight,
beckon them to come quickly.†Sister
Anne went up to the tower; and from
time to time her wretched sister called
to her from below: ‘ Anne, Sister
Anne, do you see any one coming?â€
BLUE BEARD. 323
And Sister Anne answered, “I only
see the sun that shines, and the grass
that grows green.â€
Meantime Blue Beard, holding a
mighty scimitar in his hand, cried in
a great voice, ‘Come down, or I shall
go up for you!â€â€”<‘ Yet one little
moment, I pray you!†answered his
wife. And then she called up softly,
«Anne, Sister Anne, do you see any
one coming?†And Sister Anne
answered, ‘I only see the sun that
shines, and the grass that grows
green.â€
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26 BLUE BEARD.
“*Come down quickly,†shouted Blue
Beard, ‘‘OrI shall have to fetch you!â€
—<“I am coming,†answered his wife.
And then she cried, ‘‘ Anne, Sister
Anne, do you see any one coming?â€
—‘‘I see,†answered Sister Anne, ‘‘a
great cloud of dust coming this
way.†... “Is it my brothers ?â€â€”
‘¢ Alas, no, sister; it is only a flock
of sheep.â€â€”‘*Come down, come
down!†shouted Blue Beard. ‘Yet
one little moment!†answered his wife.
And then she called: ‘Anne, Sister
Anne, do you see any one coming ?â€â€”
“IT see two horsemen riding towards
me, but they are still a great way
off. . . . Heaven be praised,†cried
she, a moment after, ‘“‘they are my
brothers;. I am beckoning with might
and main for them to hasten.â€
Blue Beard began to shout so loud,
that the house shook. The poor lady
went down and fell on her knees before
him, her face all soiled with tears and
her hair flying loose. ‘‘ No use, Madam,â€
roared Blue Beard, ‘‘you shall die!â€
BLUE BEARD. 27
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BD ae
Then, taking hold of her hair with one
hand, and raising his scimitar into the air
with the other, he made ready to cut off
her head. The poor lady, turning
towards him and looking up with eyes
of terror, begged for one little moment
to prepare herself. ‘No, no,†said he,
‘this is your last moment .. .†Then,
raising his arm. ... Suddenly, sucha
loud knocking was heard at the gates
that Blue Beard stopped at once. The
door was opened and in came two knights
who, sword in hand, rushed towards
him .
He saw at once that they were his
td
Pas
rir
BLUE BEARD. 29
wife’s brothers, one a captain of foot and
the other of horse, so he turned and fled;
but the two brothers were hard upon
him and cut him off before he could
reach the steps. They passed their
swords through his body, and left him
for dead. His poor wife was in little
better case, and had no strength left to
rise and greet her brothers.
Soon, however, she was well again,
and as it happened, Blue Beard had no
heirs, so his wife became mistress of all
that he had. Part of her riches she
bestowed on her sister Anne, who
married a youth by whom she had long
been beloved; another part she made
use of to aid her two brothers; and with
the rest she herself married a man whose
kind treatment soon helped her to forget
her unlucky adventure with Blue Beard.
Puss in Boots
ONG ago there died a miller whose
whole property was a mill, an ass,
and a cat. All this had to be divided
between his three sons; and it was
quickly done without the help of either
lawyer or clerk. The eldest took the
mill, the second took the ass, and the
youngest had nothing but the cat.
He, indeed, was greatly cast down at
his poor lot: ‘‘My brothers,†said he,
«will be able to earn their living honestly
by working together; but as for me,
when I have eaten my cat and made a
muff of his skin, I shall have to die of
hunger.â€
The cat who heard all this, but made
believe that he did not, said to his master,
c
PUSS IN BOOTS. 35
“Don’t be down-hearted, master; all you
have to do is to give me a bag, and have
a pair of boots made for me, because of
the brambles which scratch my legs, and
then you will see that your share is not
such a poor one as you think.â€
Although his master put no great
faith in this, yet he had seen his cat do
so many cunning tricks to catch rats and
mice, when he hung himself up by his
feet and lay like dead
in the flour, that he did
not despair of getting
help in his difficulty.
When the cat had
all that he wanted, he | Ae
booted himself bravely, | Ne
and hung the bag about | 4
his neck; then, holding |
the strings in his two 13
front paws, he set off
for a rabbit warren,
where lived great numbers of rabbits.
He put some bran and sow-thistles into
his bag, and stretched himself out as
though he were dead, waiting until some
26 PUSS IN BOOTS.
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young rabbit should be innocent and con-
fiding enough to put his nose into the
bag and eat its contents. .
Hardly had he lain down when all fell
out as he wished; a giddy young rabbit
skipped into his bag and our friend the
cat, when he had pulled the strings, took
him and killed him without pity.
In high delight with his booty, he
went off to the king’s palace and asked
to see him. He was shown up to His
Majesty’s chamber, and when he had
entered he made a deep bow and said,
“Here, Sire, is a rabbit that my lord the
Marquis of Carabas (for this was the
name he had invented for his master)
has desired me to present to you.â€
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38 PUSS IN BOOTS.
—‘‘ Tell your master,†said the king,
“that I thank him for his gift.â€
Another day the cat went and hid him-
self in a wheat-field with his bag gaping
open, and, when two partridges had
walked in, he pulled the strings and
caught them both. Then he went and
presented them to the king, just as he
had done with the rabbit. The king
again graciously received the two par-
tridges, and bade his servants offer food
and drink to the cat.
For two or three months the cat went
on carrying game from his master to the
king. Then one day, when he knew that
the king was to take the air along the
riverside with his daughter, who was
PUSS IN BOOTS. 39
the most beautiful princess in the world,
he said to his master—
“Tf you will but do as I bid you, your
fortune is made: you have only to go and
bathe in the river at the spot which I shall
show you, and leave the rest to me.â€
The Marquis of Carabas did all that
his cat advised, without knowing why or
wherefore. So it fell out that while he
was bathing the king passed by and the
cat began to cry out as loud as he could,
“Help, help! my Lord Marquis of
Carabas is drowning !â€
At this noise the king put his head out
40 PUSS IN BOOTS.
of the coach, and seeing it was the cat
who had so often brought him game, he
ordered his guards to run immediately to
the help of his lordship the Marquis of
Carabas.
While they were pulling the poor
Marquis out of the river, the cat came up
to the coach, and told the king that, while
his master was bathing, there came by
some rogues who had gone off with his
clothes, though he had cried ‘‘Stop, thief!â€
at the top of his voice, the rogues had
hidden them under a great stone. The
king at once ordered the officers of his
wardrobe to run and fetch one of his
best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas.
PUSS IN BOOTS. 4t
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5 IX
The king paid him a thousand compli-
ments, and as the fine clothes they had
‘brought him set off his good air (for
he was a comely lad), the king’s daughter
fell in love with him on the spot, and
the king would have him come into his
coach.
The cat, who was overjoyed to see his.
plan had begun to succeed, went on in
front ; and meeting with some country-
people who were mowing a meadow, he
said to them, ‘‘ Good mowers, if you do
not tell the king that the meadow you
mow belongs to the Marquis of Carabas,
you shall be chopped as small as mince-
meat.â€
Sure enough the king asked the mowers
to whom the meadow they were mowing
belonged.
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PUSS IN BOOTS. 43
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on
“To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,â€
answered they all together—for the cat
had frightened them well.
“That is a fine property of yours,â€
said the king to the Marquis of Carabas.
<¢ As you see, your Majesty,†answered
he; ‘it is a meadow that never fails to
yield a plentiful harvest every year.â€
The cat, who still went on before, met
with some reapers, and said to them,
“‘Good reapers, if you do not tell the
king that all this corn belongs to the
Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped
as small as mince-meat.â€
The king, who passed by a moment
after, must needs know to whom all the
corn belonged.
“To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,â€
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PUSS IN BOOTS. 45
replied the reapers; and the king was
very well pleased, and so was the Marquis,
whom he congratulated.
The cat went always before, saying the
same words to all he met; and the king
was astonished at the vast estates of my
Lord Marquis of Carabas. Master Puss
came at last toa stately castle, the lord
of which was an ogre, the richest that
had ever been known, for all the country
through which the king had passed was
his property. The cat who had taken
good care to find out who this ogre was
and what he could do, asked leave to speak
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PUSS IN BOOTS. 47
to him, saying, ‘‘He could not pass so near
his castle, without having the honour of
paying his respects to him.â€
The ogre received him as civilly as an
ogre could do, and bade him sit down.
“‘T have been told,†said the cat, “that
you have the gift of being able to change
yourself into any creature you have a mind
to. You can, for example, turn yourself
into a lion or elephant, and the like?â€
«“That is true,†answered the ogre,
very briskly ; ‘“‘and to convince you, you
shall see me now become a lion.â€
Puss was so sadly terrified to see a lion
so near him, that he immediately climbed
into the gutter, not without great trouble
48 PUSS IN BOOTS.
and danger because of his boots, which
were of no use at all to him in walking
upon the tiles. A little while after, when
Puss saw that the ogre had again taken
his natural form, he came down, and
owned that he had been very much
frightened.
“©T have been told, too,†said the cat,
“but I can scarce believe it, that you can
also turn yourself into one of the smallest
animals—for example, a rat or a mouse ;
but I must own to you I believe this to
be impossible.â€
“‘Impossible!†cried the ogre; “you
shall see !’—and at once he changed him-
self into a mouse, and began to run about
the floor. Puss no sooner saw this than
he pounced upon him and ate him up.
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50 PUSS IN BOOTS.
Meanwhile the king, who saw as he
passed this fine castle of the ogre’s, had
a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard
the noise of his Majesty’s coach wheeling
over the drawbridge, ran out, and said
to the king: ‘‘ Your Majesty is welcome
to this castle of the Marquis of Carabas.â€
‘How! my Lord Marquis,†said the
king, “and does this castle belong to
you? I have seen nothing finer than this
courtyard with all the great buildings
round it; let us go in, if you please!â€
The king went up first, the Marquis
following, handing the Princess. They
went into a great hall, where they found
a splendid feast the ogre had prepared
for his friends, who dared not enter,
knowing the king was there. His
PUSS IN BOOTS. 51
Majesty was delighted with the pleasant
behaviour of the Marquis, and so was his
daughter; so much so, that after having
taken a glass or two of wine, he said
to him, “My Lord Marquis, you only
will be to blame if you are not my
son-in-law.â€
The Marquis, making many low bows,
accepted the honour the king offered
him, and forthwith married the Princess
the very same day.
Puss became a great lord, and never
ran after mice any more except for his
own amusement.
PRINTED BY
TURNBULL AND SPEARS,
EDINBURGH.
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