The Grey Fairy Book | Page 6

their caresses so bewildering, that the princess hardly knew
how to find words to reply, when the ceiling of the hall opened, and the
fairy godmother appeared, seated in a car made entirely of white lilac.

In a few words she explained the history of the princess, and how she
came to be there, and, without losing a moment, preparations of the
most magnificent kind were made for the wedding.
The kings of every country in the earth were invited, including, of
course, the princess's adopted father (who by this time had married a
widow), and not one refused.
But what a strange assembly it was! Each monarch travelled in the way
he thought most impressive; and some came borne in litters, others had
carriages of every shape and kind, while the rest were mounted on
elephants, tigers, and even upon eagles. So splendid a wedding had
never been seen before; and when it was over the king announced that
it was to be followed by a coronation, for he and the queen were tired
of reigning, and the young couple must take their place. The rejoicings
lasted for three whole months, then the new sovereigns settled down to
govern their kingdom, and made themselves so much beloved by their
subjects, that when they died, a hundred years later, each man mourned
them as his own father and mother.
[From le Cabinet de Fees.]

The Goblin Pony

‘Don't stir from the fireplace to-night,' said old Peggy, ‘for the wind is
blowing so violently that the house shakes; besides, this is Hallow-e'en,
when the witches are abroad, and the goblins, who are their servants,
are wandering about in all sorts of disguises, doing harm to the children
of men.'
‘Why should I stay here?' said the eldest of the young people. ‘No, I
must go and see what the daughter of old Jacob, the rope- maker, is
doing. She wouldn't close her blue eyes all night if I didn't visit her
father before the moon had gone down.'
‘I must go and catch lobsters and crabs' said the second, ‘and not all the
witches and goblins in the world shall hinder me.'
So they all determined to go on their business or pleasure, and scorned
the wise advice of old Peggy. Only the youngest child hesitated a
minute, when she said to him, ‘You stay here, my little Richard, and I
will tell you beautiful stories.'
But he wanted to pick a bunch of wild thyme and some blackberries by

moonlight, and ran out after the others. When they got outside the
house they said: ‘The old woman talks of wind and storm, but never
was the weather finer or the sky more clear; see how majestically the
moon stalks through the transparent clouds!'
Then all of a sudden they noticed a little black pony close beside them.
‘Oh, ho!' they said, ‘that is old Valentine's pony; it must have escaped
from its stable, and is going down to drink at the horse- pond.'
‘My pretty little pony,' said the eldest, patting the creature with his
hand, ‘you mustn't run too far; I'll take you to the pond myself.'
With these words he jumped on the pony's back and was quickly
followed by his second brother, then by the third, and so on, till at last
they were all astride the little beast, down to the small Richard, who
didn't like to be left behind.
On the way to the pond they met several of their companions, and they
invited them all to mount the pony, which they did, and the little
creature did not seem to mind the extra weight, but trotted merrily
along.
The quicker it trotted the more the young people enjoyed the fun; they
dug their heels into the pony's sides and called out, ‘Gallop, little horse,
you have never had such brave riders on your back before!'
In the meantime the wind had risen again, and the waves began to howl;
but the pony did not seem to mind the noise, and instead of going to the
pond, cantered gaily towards the sea-shore.
Richard began to regret his thyme and blackberries, and the eldest
brother seized the pony by the mane and tried to make it turn round, for
he remembered the blue eyes of Jacob the rope- maker's daughter. But
he tugged and pulled in vain, for the pony galloped straight on into the
sea, till the waves met its forefeet. As soon as it felt the water it
neighed lustily and capered about with glee, advancing quickly into the
foaming billows. When the waves had covered the children's legs they
repented their careless behaviour, and cried out: ‘The cursed little black
pony is bewitched. If we had only listened to old Peggy's advice we