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027 - Toads and Diamonds · Blue Fairy Book

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  Speaker 1: Toads and Diamonds of The Blue Fairy Book. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang Toads and Diamonds.
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  Speaker 1: There was once upon a time a widow who had
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  Speaker 1: two daughters. The eldest was so much like her in
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  Speaker 1: the face and humor, that whoever looked upon the daughter
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  Speaker 1: saw the mother. They are both so disagreeable and so proud,
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  Speaker 1: that there was no living with them. The youngest, who
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  Speaker 1: was the very picture of her father for courtesy and
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  Speaker 1: sweetness of temper, was with all one of the most
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  Speaker 1: beautiful girls ever seen. As people naturally love their own likeness,
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  Speaker 1: this mother even doated on her eldest daughter, and at
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  Speaker 1: the same time had a horrible aversion for the youngest.
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  Speaker 1: She made her eat in the kitchen and work continually.
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  Speaker 1: Among other things, this poor child was forced twice a
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  Speaker 1: day to draw water above a mile and a half
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  Speaker 1: off the house and bring home a pitcher full of it.
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  Speaker 1: One day, as she was at this fountain, there came
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  Speaker 1: to her a poor woman who begged of her to
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  Speaker 1: let her drink. Oh ay, with all my heart good,
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  Speaker 1: he said this pretty little girl, and rinsing immediately the pitcher.
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  Speaker 1: She took up some water from the clearest place of
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  Speaker 1: the fountain and gave it to her, holding up the
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  Speaker 1: pitcher all the while that she might drink the easier.
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  Speaker 1: The good woman, having drunk, said to her, you are
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  Speaker 1: so very pretty, my dear, so good and so mannerly,
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  Speaker 1: that I cannot help giving you a gift. For this
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  Speaker 1: was a fairy who had taken the form of a
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  Speaker 1: poor countrywoman to see how far the civility and good
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  Speaker 1: manners of this pretty girl would go. I will give
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  Speaker 1: you for a gift, continued the fairy, that at every
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  Speaker 1: word you speak, there shall come out of your mouth
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  Speaker 1: either a flower or a jewel. When this pretty girl
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  Speaker 1: came home, her mother scolded her for staying so long
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  Speaker 1: at the fountain. I beg your pardon, ma'am, said the
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  Speaker 1: poor girl, for not making more haste. And in speaking
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  Speaker 1: these words, there came out of her mouth two roses,
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  Speaker 1: two pearls, and two diamonds. What is it I see there,
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  Speaker 1: said the mother, quite astonished. I think I see pearls
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  Speaker 1: and diamonds come out of the girl's mouth. How happens
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  Speaker 1: this child? This was the first time she had ever
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  Speaker 1: called her child. The poor creature told her frankly all
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  Speaker 1: the matter, not without dropping out infinite numbers of diamonds.
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  Speaker 1: In good faith, cried the mother, I must send my
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  Speaker 1: child thither. Come hither, family, Look what comes out of
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  Speaker 1: thy sister's mouth when she speaks. Wouldst not thou be glad,
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  Speaker 1: my dear, to have the same gift given to thee
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  Speaker 1: Thou hast nothing else to do but to go and
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  Speaker 1: draw water out of the fountain. And when a certain
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  Speaker 1: poor woman asks you to let her drink, to give
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  Speaker 1: it to her very civilly. It will be a very
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  Speaker 1: fine sight, indeed, said this ill bred minx, to see
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  Speaker 1: me go draw water. You shall go, hussy, said the mother,
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  Speaker 1: And this minute so away she went, but grumbling all
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  Speaker 1: the way, taking with her the best silver tankard in
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  Speaker 1: the house. She was no sooner at the fountain than
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  Speaker 1: she saw coming out of the wood a lady most
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  Speaker 1: gloriously dressed, who came up to her and asked to drink.
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  Speaker 1: This was, you must know, the very fairy who appeared
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  Speaker 1: to her sister. But now had taken the air and
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  Speaker 1: dress a princess to see how far this girl's rudeness
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  Speaker 1: would go. Am, I come hither, said the proud saucy one,
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  Speaker 1: to serve you with water, prey. I suppose the silver
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  Speaker 1: tankard was brought purely for your ladyship, was it? However,
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  Speaker 1: you may drink out of it if you have a fancy.
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  Speaker 1: You are not over and above mannerly, answered the fairy,
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  Speaker 1: without putting herself in a passion. Well, then, since you
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  Speaker 1: have so little breeding, and are also so disobliging, I
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  Speaker 1: give for you a gift that at every word you speak,
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  Speaker 1: there shall come out of your mouth a snake or
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  Speaker 1: a toad. So soon, and as her mother saw her coming,
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  Speaker 1: she cried out, well daughter, Well, mother, answered the pertassie,
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  Speaker 1: throwing out of her mouth two vipers and two toads.
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  Speaker 1: Oh mercy, cried the mother, what is it I see? Oh,
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  Speaker 1: it is that wretch her sister, who has occasioned all this.
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  Speaker 1: But she shall pay for it, And immediately she ran
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  Speaker 1: to beat her. The poor child fled away from her
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  Speaker 1: and went to hide herself in the forest, but not
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  Speaker 1: far from thence the king's son, then, on his return
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  Speaker 1: from hunting, met her, and, seeing her so very pretty,
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  Speaker 1: asked her what she did there alone, and why she
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  Speaker 1: cried alas, sir, my mom has turned me out of doors.
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  Speaker 1: The king's son, who saw five or six pearls and
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  Speaker 1: as many diamonds come out of her mouth, desired her
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  Speaker 1: to tell him how that happened. She thereupon told him
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  Speaker 1: the whole story, and so the king's son fell in
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  Speaker 1: love with her, and, considering himself that such a gift
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  Speaker 1: was worth more than any marriage portion, conducted her to
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  Speaker 1: the palace of the king his father, and there married her.
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  Speaker 1: As for the sister, she made herself so much hated
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  Speaker 1: that her own mother turned her off, and the miserable wretch,
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  Speaker 1: having wandered about a good while without finding anybody to
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  Speaker 1: take her in, went to a corner of the wood,
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  Speaker 1: and there died. Footnote written by Charles Perrau.