ONCE upon a time
there lived in the village of Montignies-sur- Roc a little cow-boy, without
either father or mother. His real name was Michael, but he was always called
the Star Gazer, because when he drove his cows over the commons to seek
for pasture, he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing.
As he had a white
skin, blue eyes, and hair that curled all over his head, the village girls
used to cry after him, 'Well, Star Gazer, what are you doing?' and Michael
would answer, 'Oh, nothing,' and go on his way without even turning to
look at them.
The fact was he
thought them very ugly, with their sun-burnt necks, their great red hands,
their coarse petticoats and their wooden shoes. He had heard that somewhere
in the world there were girls whose necks were white and whose hands were
small, who were always dressed in the finest silks and laces, and were
called princesses, and while his companions round the fire saw nothing
in the flames but common everyday fancies, he dreamed that he had the happiness
to marry a princess.
One morning about
the middle of August, just at mid-day when the sun was hottest, Michael
ate his dinner of a piece of dry bread, and went to sleep under an oak.
And while he slept he dreamt that there appeared before him a beautiful
lady, dressed in a robe of cloth of gold, who said to him: 'Go to the castle
of Beloeil, and there you shall marry a princess.'
That evening the
little cow-boy, who had been thinking a great deal about the advice of
the lady in the golden dress, told his dream to the farm people. But, as
was natural, they only laughed at the Star Gazer.
The next day at
the same hour he went to sleep again under the same tree. The lady appeared
to him a second time, and said: 'Go to the castle of Beloeil, and you shall
marry a princess.'
In the evening
Michael told his friends that he had dreamed the same dream again, but
they only laughed at him more than before. 'Never mind,' he thought to
himself; 'if the lady appears to me a third time, I will do as she tells
me.'
The following
day, to the great astonishment of all the village, about two o'clock in
the afternoon a voice was heard singing:
'Raleô, raleô, How the cattle go!'
It was the little
cow-boy driving his herd back to the byre.
The farmer began
to scold him furiously, but he answered quietly, 'I am going away,' made
his clothes into a bundle, said good-bye to all his friends, and boldly
set out to seek his fortunes.
There was great
excitement through all the village, and on the top of the hill the people
stood holding their sides with laughing, as they watched the Star Gazer
trudging bravely along the valley with his bundle at the end of his stick.
It was enough to make anyone laugh, certainly.
It was well known
for full twenty miles round that there lived in the castle of Beloeil twelve
princesses of wonderful beauty, and as proud as they were beautiful, and
who were besides so very sensitive and of such truly royal blood, that
they would have felt at once the presence of a pea in their beds, even
if the mattresses had been laid over it.
It was whispered
about that they led exactly the lives that princesses ought to lead, sleeping
far into the morning, and never getting up till mid-day. They had twelve
beds all in the same room, but what was very extraordinary was the fact
that though they were locked in by triple bolts, every morning their satin
shoes were found worn into holes.
When they were
asked what they had been doing all night, they always answered that they
had been asleep; and, indeed, no noise was ever heard in the room, yet
the shoes could not wear themselves out alone!
At last the Duke
of Beloeil ordered the trumpet to be sounded, and a proclamation to be
made that whoever could discover how his daughters wore out their shoes
should choose one of them for his wife.
On hearing the
proclamation a number of princes arrived at the castle to try their luck.
They watched all night behind the open door of the princesses, but when
the morning came they had all disappeared, and no one could tell what had
become of them.
When he reached
the castle, Michael went straight to the gardener and offered his services.
Now it happened that the garden boy had just been sent away, and though
the Star Gazer did not look very sturdy, the gardener agreed to take him,
as he thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please the princesses.
The first thing
he was told was that when the princesses got up he was to present each
one with a bouquet, and Michael thought that if he had nothing more unpleasant
to do than that he should get on very well.
Accordingly he
placed himself behind the door of the princesses' room, with the twelve
bouquets in a basket. He gave one to each of the sisters, and they took
them without even deigning to look at the lad, except Lina the youngest,
who fixed her large black eyes as soft as velvet on him, and exclaimed,
'Oh, how pretty he is -- our new flower boy!' The rest all burst out laughing,
and the eldest pointed out that a princess ought never to lower herself
by looking at a garden boy.
Now Michael knew
quite well what had happened to all the princes, but notwithstanding, the
beautiful eyes of the Princess Lina inspired him with a violent longing
to try his fate. Unhappily he did not dare to come forward, being afraid
that he should only be jeered at, or even turned away from the castle on
account of his impudence.
Nevertheless,
the Star Gazer had another dream. The lady in the golden dress appeared
to him once more, holding in one hand two young laurel trees, a cherry
laurel and a rose laurel, and in the other hand a little golden rake, a
little golden bucket, and a silken towel. She thus addressed him: 'Plant
these two laurels in two large pots, rake them over with the rake, water
them with the bucket, and wipe them with the towel. When they have grown
as tall as a girl of fifteen, say to each of them, "My beautiful laurel,
with the golden rake I have raked you, with the golden bucket I have watered
you, with the silken towel I have wiped you." Then after that ask anything
you choose, and the laurels will give it to you.'
Michael thanked
the lady in the golden dress, and when he woke he found the two laurel
bushes beside him. So he carefully obeyed the orders he had been given
by the lady.
The trees grew
very fast, and when they were as tall as a girl of fifteen he said to the
cherry laurel, 'My lovely cherry laurel, with the golden rake I have raked
thee, with the golden bucket I have watered thee, with the silken towel
I have wiped thee. Teach me how to become invisible.' Then there instantly
appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower, which Michael gathered and
stuck into his button-hole.
That evening,
when the princesses went upstairs to bed, he followed them barefoot, so
that he might make no noise, and hid himself under one of the twelve beds,
so as not to take up much room.
The princesses
began at once to open their wardrobes and boxes. They took out of them
the most magnificent dresses, which they put on before their mirrors, and
when they had finished, turned themselves all round to admire their appearances.
Michael could
see nothing from his hiding-place, but he could hear everything, and he
listened to the princesses laughing and jumping with pleasure. At last
the eldest said, 'Be quick, my sisters, our partners will be impatient.'
At the end of an hour, when the Star Gazer heard no more noise, he peeped
out and saw the twelve sisters in splendid garments, with their satin shoes
on their feet, and in their hands the bouquets he had brought them.
'Are you ready?'
asked the eldest.
'Yes,' replied
the other eleven in chorus, and they took their places one by one behind
her.
Then the eldest
Princess clapped her hands three times and a trap door opened. All the
princesses disappeared down a secret staircase, and Michael hastily followed
them.
As he was following
on the steps of the Princess Lina, he carelessly trod on her dress.
'There is somebody
behind me,' cried the Princess; 'they are holding my dress.'
'You foolish thing,'
said her eldest sister, 'you are always afraid of something. It is only
a nail which caught you.'
They went down,
down, down, till at last they came to a passage with a door at one end,
which was only fastened with a latch. The eldest Princess opened it, and
they found themselves immediately in a lovely little wood, where the leaves
were spangled with drops of silver which shone in the brilliant light of
the moon.
They next crossed
another wood where the leaves were sprinkled with gold, and after that
another still, where the leaves glittered with diamonds.
At last the Star
Gazer perceived a large lake, and on the shores of the lake twelve little
boats with awnings, in which were seated twelve princes, who, grasping
their oars, awaited the princesses.
Each princess
entered one of the boats, and Michael slipped into that which held the
youngest. The boats glided along rapidly, but Lina's, from being heavier,
was always behind the rest. 'We never went so slowly before,' said the
Princess; 'what can be the reason?'
'I don't know,'
answered the Prince. 'I assure you I am rowing as hard as I can.'On the
other side of the lake the garden boy saw a beautiful castle splendidly
illuminated, whence came the lively music of fiddles, kettle-drums, and
trumpets.
In a moment they
touched land, and the company jumped out of the boats; and the princes,
after having securely fastened their barques, gave their arms to the princesses
and conducted them to the castle.
Michael followed,
and entered the ball-room in their train. Everywhere were mirrors, lights,
flowers, and damask hangings. The Star Gazer was quite bewildered at the
magnificence of the sight.
He placed himself
out of the way in a corner, admiring the grace and beauty of the princesses.
Their loveliness was of every kind. Some were fair and some were dark;
some had chestnut hair, or curls darker still, and some had golden locks.
Never were so many beautiful princesses seen together at one time, but
the one whom the cow-boy thought the most beautiful and the most fascinating
was the little Princess with the velvet eyes.
With what eagerness
she danced! leaning on her partner's shoulder she swept by like a whirlwind.
Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkled, and it was plain that she loved
dancing better than anything else.
The poor boy envied
those handsome young men with whom she danced so gracefully, but he did
not know how little reason he had to be jealous of them. The young men
were really the princes who, to the number of fifty at least, had tried
to steal the princesses' secret. The princesses had made them drink something
of a philtre, which froze the heart and left nothing but the love of dancing.
They danced on
till the shoes of the princesses were worn into holes. When the cock crowed
the third time the fiddles stopped, and a delicious supper was served by
negro boys, consisting of sugared orange flowers, crystallised rose leaves,
powdered violets, cracknels, wafers, and other dishes, which are, as everyone
knows, the favourite food of princesses.
After supper,
the dancers all went back to their boats, and this time the Star Gazer
entered that of the eldest Princess. They crossed again the wood with the
diamond-spangled leaves, the wood with gold-sprinkled leaves, and the wood
whose leaves glittered with drops of silver, and as a proof of what he
had seen, the boy broke a small branch from a tree in the last wood. Lina
turned as she heard the noise made by the breaking of the branch.
'What was that
noise?' she said.
'It was nothing,'
replied her eldest sister; 'it was only the screech of the barn-owl that
roosts in one of the turrets of the castle.'
While she was
speaking Michael managed to slip in front, and running up the staircase,
he reached the princesses' room first. He flung open the window, and sliding
down the vine which climbed up the wall, found himself in the garden just
as the sun was beginning to rise, and it was time for him to set to his
work.
That day, when
he made up the bouquets, Michael hid the branch with the silver drops in
the nosegay intended for the youngest Princess.
When Lina discovered
it she was much surprised. However, she said nothing to her sisters, but
as she met the boy by accident while she was walking under the shade of
the elms, she suddenly stopped as if to speak to him; then, altering her
mind, went on her way.
The same evening
the twelve sisters went again to the ball, and the Star Gazer again followed
them and crossed the lake in Lina's boat. This time it was the Prince who
complained that the boat seemed very heavy.
'It is the heat,'
replied the Princess. 'I, too, have been feeling very warm.'
During the ball
she looked everywhere for the gardener's boy, but she never saw him.
As they came back,
Michael gathered a branch from the wood with the gold-spangled leaves,
and now it was the eldest Princess who heard the noise that it made in
breaking.
'It is nothing,'
said Lina; 'only the cry of the owl which roosts in the turrets of the
castle.'
As soon as she
got up she found the branch in her bouquet. When the sisters went down
she stayed a little behind and said to the cow-boy: 'Where does this branch
come from?'
'Your Royal Highness
knows well enough,' answered Michael.
'So you have followed
us?'
'Yes, Princess.'
'How did you manage
it? we never saw you.'
'I hid myself,'
replied the Star Gazer quietly.
The Princess was
silent a moment, and then said:
'You know our
secret! -- keep it. Here is the reward of your discretion.' And she flung
the boy a purse of gold.
'I do not sell
my silence,' answered Michael, and he went away without picking up the
purse.
For three nights
Lina neither saw nor heard anything extraordinary; on the fourth she heard
a rustling among the diamond- spangled leaves of the wood. That day there
was a branch of the trees in her bouquet.
She took the Star
Gazer aside, and said to him in a harsh voice:
'You know what
price my father has promised to pay for our secret?'
'I know, Princess,'
answered Michael.
'Don't you mean
to tell him?' 'That is not my intention.'
'Are you afraid?'
'No, Princess.'
'What makes you
so discreet, then?' But Michael was silent.
Lina's sisters
had seen her talking to the little garden boy, and jeered at her for it.'What
prevents your marrying him?' asked the eldest, 'you would become a gardener
too; it is a charming profession. You could live in a cottage at the end
of the park, and help your husband to draw up water from the well, and
when we get up you could bring us our bouquets.'
The Princess Lina
was very angry, and when the Star Gazer presented her bouquet, she received
it in a disdainful manner.
Michael behaved
most respectfully. He never raised his eyes to her, but nearly all day
she felt him at her side without ever seeing him.
One day she made
up her mind to tell everything to her eldest sister.
'What!' said she,
'this rogue knows our secret, and you never told me! I must lose no time
in getting rid of him.'
'But how?'
'Why, by having
him taken to the tower with the dungeons, of course.' For this was the
way that in old times beautiful princesses got rid of people who knew too
much. But the astonishing part of it was that the youngest sister did not
seem at all to relish this method of stopping the mouth of the gardener's
boy, who, after all, had said nothing to their father.
It was agreed
that the question should be submitted to the other ten sisters. All were
on the side of the eldest. Then the youngest sister declared that if they
laid a finger on the little garden boy, she would herself go and tell their
father the secret of the holes in their shoes.
At last it was
decided that Michael should be put to the test; that they would take him
to the ball, and at the end of supper would give him the philtre which
was to enchant him like the rest.
They sent for
the Star Gazer, and asked him how he had contrived to learn their secret;
but still he remained silent.
Then, in commanding
tones, the eldest sister gave him the order they had agreed upon. He only
answered: 'I will obey.'
He had really
been present, invisible, at the council of princesses, and had heard all;
but he had made up his mind to drink of the philtre, and sacrifice himself
to the happiness of her he loved.
Not wishing, however,
to cut a poor figure at the ball by the side of the other dancers, he went
at once to the laurels, and said: 'My lovely rose laurel, with the golden
rake I have raked thee, with the golden bucket I have watered thee, with
a silken towel I have dried thee. Dress me like a prince.'
A beautiful pink
flower appeared. Michael gathered it, and found himself in a moment clothed
in velvet, which was as black as the eyes of the little Princess, with
a cap to match, a diamond aigrette, and a blossom of the rose laurel in
his button-hole.
Thus dressed,
he presented himself that evening before the Duke of Beloeil, and obtained
leave to try and discover his daughters' secret. He looked so distinguished
that hardly anyone would have known who he was.
The twelve princesses
went upstairs to bed. Michael followed them, and waited behind the open
door till they gave the signal for departure.
This time he did
not cross in Lina's boat. He gave his arm to the eldest sister, danced
with each in turn, and was so graceful that everyone was delighted with
him. At last the time came for him to dance with the little Princess. She
found him the best partner in the world, but he did not dare to speak a
single word to her.
When he was taking
her back to her place she said to him in a mocking voice: 'Here you are
at the summit of your wishes: you are being treated like a prince.'
'Don't be afraid,'
replied the Star Gazer gently. 'You shall never be a gardener's wife.'The
little Princess stared at him with a frightened face, and he left her without
waiting for an answer.
When the satin
slippers were worn through the fiddles stopped, and the negro boys set
the table. Michael was placed next to the eldest sister, and opposite to
the youngest.
They gave him
the most exquisite dishes to eat, and the most delicate wines to drink;
and in order to turn his head more completely, compliments and flattery
were heaped on him from every side. But he took care not to be intoxicated,
either by the wine or the compliments.
At last the eldest
sister made a sign, and one of the black pages brought in a large golden
cup.'The enchanted castle has no more secrets for you,' she said to the
Star Gazer. 'Let us drink to your triumph.'
He cast a lingering
glance at the little Princess, and without hesitation lifted the cup.'Don't
drink!' suddenly cried out the little Princess; 'I would rather marry a
gardener.' And she burst into tears.
Michael flung
the contents of the cup behind him, sprang over the table, and fell at
Lina's feet. The rest of the princes fell likewise at the knees of the
princesses, each of whom chose a husband and raised him to her side. The
charm was broken.
The twelve couples
embarked in the boats, which crossed back many times in order to carry
over the other princes. Then they all went through the three woods, and
when they had passed the door of the underground passage a great noise
was heard, as if the enchanted castle was crumbling to the earth.
They went straight
to the room of the Duke of Beloeil, who had just awoke. Michael held in
his hand the golden cup, and he revealed the secret of the holes in the
shoes.
'Choose, then,'
said the Duke, 'whichever you prefer.'
'My choice is
already made,' replied the garden boy, and he offered his hand to the youngest
Princess, who blushed and lowered her eyes.
The Princess Lina
did not become a gardener's wife; on the contrary, it was the Star Gazer
who became a Prince: but before the marriage ceremony the Princess insisted
that her lover should tell her how he came to discover the secret.
So he showed her
the two laurels which had helped him, and she, like a prudent girl, thinking
they gave him too much advantage over his wife, cut them off at the root
and threw them in the fire. And this is why the country girls go about
singing:
Nous n'irons plus au bois, Les lauriers sont coupés,'
and dancing in summer by the light of the moon. |