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015 - Felicia and the Pot Pinks · Blue Fairy Book

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  Speaker 1: Felicia and the Pot of Pinks of the Blue Fairy Book.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Scott Mather The Blue
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  Speaker 1: Fairy Book by Andrew Lang Felicia and the Pot of Pinks.
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  Speaker 1: Once upon a time there was a poor laborer who,
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  Speaker 1: feeling that he had not much longer to live, wished
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  Speaker 1: to divide his possessions between his son and daughter, whom
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  Speaker 1: he loved dearly. So he called them to him and said,
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  Speaker 1: your mother brought me as her dowry two stools and
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  Speaker 1: a straw bed. I have besides a hen, a pot
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  Speaker 1: of pinks, and a silver ring, which were given me
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  Speaker 1: by a noble lady who once lodged in my poor cottage.
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  Speaker 1: When she went away, she said to me, be careful
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  Speaker 1: of my gifts, good man, See that you do not
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  Speaker 1: lose the ring or forget to water the pinks. As
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  Speaker 1: for your daughter, I promise you that she shall be
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  Speaker 1: more beautiful than any one you ever saw in your life.
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  Speaker 1: Call her Felicia, and when she grows up, give her
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  Speaker 1: the ring and the pot of pinks to console her
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  Speaker 1: for her poverty. Take them both, then, my dear child,
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  Speaker 1: he added, and your brother shall have everything else. The
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  Speaker 1: two children seemed quite contented, and when their father died,
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  Speaker 1: they wept for him and divided his possessions as he
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  Speaker 1: had told them. Felicia believed that her brother loved her,
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  Speaker 1: but when she sat down upon one of the stools,
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  Speaker 1: he said, angrily, keep your pot of pinks in your ring,
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  Speaker 1: but let my things alone. I like order in my house. Felicia,
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  Speaker 1: who was very gentle, said nothing, but stood up crying quietly,
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  Speaker 1: while Bruno, for that was her brother's name, sat comfortable
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  Speaker 1: by the fire. Presently. When supper time came, Bruno had
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  Speaker 1: a delicious egg, and he threw the shell to Felicia, saying,
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  Speaker 1: there that is all I can give you. If you
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  Speaker 1: don't like it, go out and catch frogs. There are
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  Speaker 1: plenty of them in the marsh close by. Felicia did
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  Speaker 1: not answer, but she cried more bitterly than ever, and
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  Speaker 1: went away to her own little room. She found it
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  Speaker 1: filled with the sweet scent of the pinks, and going
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  Speaker 1: up to them, she said, sadly, beautiful pinks, you are
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  Speaker 1: so sweet and so pretty. You are the only comfort
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  Speaker 1: I have left. Be very sure that I will take
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  Speaker 1: care of you and water you well, and never allow
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  Speaker 1: any cruel hand to tear you from your stems. As
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  Speaker 1: she leaned over them, she noticed that they were very dry,
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  Speaker 1: so taking her pitcher, she ran off in the clear
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  Speaker 1: moonlight to the fountain, which was at some distance. When
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  Speaker 1: she reached it, she sat down upon the brink to rest,
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  Speaker 1: But she had hardly done so when she saw a
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  Speaker 1: stately lady coming toward her, surrounded by numbers of attendants.
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  Speaker 1: Six maids of honor carried her train, and she leaned
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  Speaker 1: upon the arm of another. When they came near the fountain,
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  Speaker 1: a canopy was spread for her, under which was placed
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  Speaker 1: a sofa of cloth of gold, and presently a dainty
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  Speaker 1: supper was served upon a table covered with dishes of
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  Speaker 1: gold and crystal. While the wind in the trees and
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  Speaker 1: the falling water of the fountain murmured the softest music.
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  Speaker 1: Felicia was hidden in the shade. Too much astonished by all,
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  Speaker 1: she sough to venture to move, But in a few
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  Speaker 1: moments the queen said, I fancy I see a shepherdess
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  Speaker 1: near that tree. Bid her come hither, so Felicia came
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  Speaker 1: forward and saluted the queen timidly, but with so much
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  Speaker 1: grace that all were surprised. What are you doing here,
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  Speaker 1: my pretty child, asked the queen. Are you not afraid
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  Speaker 1: of robbers? Ah, Madam, said Felicia. A poor shepherdess who
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  Speaker 1: has nothing to lose does not fear robbers. You are
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  Speaker 1: not very rich, then, said the queen, smiling. I am
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  Speaker 1: so poor, answered Felicia that a pot of pinks and
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  Speaker 1: a silver ring are my only possessions in the world.
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  Speaker 1: But you have a heart, said the queen. What should
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  Speaker 1: you say if anybody wanted to steal that? I do
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  Speaker 1: not know what it is like to lose one's heart, madam,
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  Speaker 1: she replied, But I have always heard that without a
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  Speaker 1: heart one cannot live, and if it is broken, one
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  Speaker 1: must die. And in spite of my poverty, I should
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  Speaker 1: be sorry not to live. You are quite right to
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  Speaker 1: take care of your heart, pretty one, said the queen.
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  Speaker 1: But tell me have you supped No, madam, answered Felicia.
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  Speaker 1: My brother ate all the supper there was. Then the
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  Speaker 1: Queen ordered that a place should be made for her
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  Speaker 1: at the table, and herself loaded Felicia's plate with good things,
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  Speaker 1: but she was too much astonished to be hungry. I
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  Speaker 1: want to know what you were doing at the fountain
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  Speaker 1: so late, said the queen. Presently I came to fetch
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  Speaker 1: a pitcher of water for my pinks, Madam, she answered,
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  Speaker 1: stooping to pick up the pitcher which stood beside her.
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  Speaker 1: But when she showed it to the Queen, she was
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  Speaker 1: amazed to see that it had turned to gold, all
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  Speaker 1: sparkling with great diamonds, and the water of which it
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  Speaker 1: was full was more fragrant than the sweetest roses. She
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  Speaker 1: was afraid to take it until the Queen said, it
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  Speaker 1: is yours, Felicia, go and water your pinks with it,
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  Speaker 1: and let it remind you that the Queen of the
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  Speaker 1: Woods is your friend. The shepherdess threw herself at the
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  Speaker 1: Queen's feet and thanked her humbly for her gracious words.
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  Speaker 1: Oh Madam, she cried, if I might beg you to
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  Speaker 1: stay here a moment, I would run and fetch my
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  Speaker 1: pot of pinks for you. They could not fall into
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  Speaker 1: better hands. Go, Felicia, said the queen, stroking her cheeks softly.
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  Speaker 1: I will wait here until you come back. So Felicia
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  Speaker 1: took up her pitcher and ran to her little room.
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  Speaker 1: But while she had been away, Bruno had gone in
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  Speaker 1: and taken the pot of pinks, leaving a great cabbage
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  Speaker 1: in its place. When she saw the unlucky cabbage, Felicia
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  Speaker 1: was much distressed and did not know what to do.
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  Speaker 1: But at last she ran back to the fountain and,
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  Speaker 1: kneeling before the queen, said, Madam, Bruno has stolen my
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  Speaker 1: pot of pinks. So I have nothing but my silver ring.
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  Speaker 1: But I beg you to accept it as a proof
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  Speaker 1: of my gratitude. But if I take your ring, my
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  Speaker 1: pretty shepherdess, said the queen, you will have nothing left.
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  Speaker 1: And what will you do then, oh madam, she answered, simply,
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  Speaker 1: if I have your friendship, I shall do very well.
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  Speaker 1: So the queen took the ring and put it on
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  Speaker 1: her finger and mounted her cherry, which was made of
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  Speaker 1: coral studded with emeralds, and drawn by six milk white horses,
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  Speaker 1: and Felicia looked after her until the winding of the
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  Speaker 1: forest path hid her from her sight, and then she
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  Speaker 1: went back to the cottage, thinking over all the wonderful
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  Speaker 1: things that had happened. The first thing she did when
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  Speaker 1: she reached her room was to throw the cabbage out
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  Speaker 1: of the window, but she was very much surprised to
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  Speaker 1: hear an odd little voice cry out, oh, I'm half killed,
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  Speaker 1: and could not think where it came from, because cabbages
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  Speaker 1: do not generally speak. As soon as it was light, Felicia,
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  Speaker 1: who was very unhappy about her pot of pinks, went
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  Speaker 1: out to look for it, and the first thing she
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  Speaker 1: found was the unfortunate cabbage. She gave it a push
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  Speaker 1: with her foot, saying, what are you doing here? And
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  Speaker 1: how dared you put yourself in the place of my
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  Speaker 1: pot of pinks? If I hadn't been carried, replied the cabbage,
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  Speaker 1: you may be very sure that I shouldn't have thought
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  Speaker 1: of going there. It made her shiver with fright to
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  Speaker 1: hear the cabbage talk, but he went on, if you
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  Speaker 1: will be good enough to plant me by my comrades again,
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  Speaker 1: I can tell you where your pinks are at this moment,
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  Speaker 1: hidden in Bruno's bed. Felicia was in despair when she
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  Speaker 1: heard this, not knowing how she was to get them back,
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  Speaker 1: but she replanted the cabbage very kindly in his old place,
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  Speaker 1: and as she finished doing it, she saw Bruno's hen
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  Speaker 1: and said, catching hold of it. Come here, poor little creature,
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  Speaker 1: you shall suffer for all the unkind things my brother
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  Speaker 1: has done to me. Ah, shepherdess said the hen, don't
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  Speaker 1: kill me. I am rather a gossip and I can
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  Speaker 1: tell you some surprising things that you will like to hear.
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  Speaker 1: Don't imagine that you are the daughter of the poor
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  Speaker 1: laborer who brought you up. Your mother was a queen
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  Speaker 1: who had six girls already, and the king threatened that
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  Speaker 1: unless she had a son who could inherit his kingdom,
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  Speaker 1: she should have her head cut off. So when the
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  Speaker 1: queen had another little daughter, she was quite frightened and
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  Speaker 1: agreed with her sister, who was a fairy, to exchange
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  Speaker 1: her for the fairy's little son. Now the queen had
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  Speaker 1: been shut up in a gray tower by the king's orders,
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  Speaker 1: and when a great many days went by and still
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  Speaker 1: she heard nothing from the fairy, she made her escape
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  Speaker 1: from the window by means of a rope ladder, taking
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  Speaker 1: her little baby with her. After wandering about until she
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  Speaker 1: was half dead with cold and fatigue, she reached this cottage.
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  Speaker 1: I was the laborer's wife and was a good nurse,
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  Speaker 1: And the queen gave you into my charge and told
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  Speaker 1: me all her misfortunes, and then died before she had
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  Speaker 1: time to say what was to become of you? As
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  Speaker 1: I never in all my life could keep a secret,
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  Speaker 1: I could not help telling this strange tale to my neighbors.
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  Speaker 1: And one day a beautiful lady came here and I
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  Speaker 1: told it to her. Also. When I had finished, she
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  Speaker 1: touched me with a wand she held in her hand,
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  Speaker 1: and instantly I became a hen, and there was an
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  Speaker 1: end of my talking. I was very sad, and my husband,
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  Speaker 1: who was out when it happened, never knew what had
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  Speaker 1: become of me. After seeking me everywhere, he believed that
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  Speaker 1: I must have been drowned or eaten up by wild
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  Speaker 1: beasts in the forest. That same lady came here once
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  Speaker 1: more and commanded that you should be called Felicia, and
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  Speaker 1: left the ring and the pot of pinks to be
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  Speaker 1: given to you. And while she was in the house,
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  Speaker 1: twenty five of the king's guards came to search for you,
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  Speaker 1: doubtless meaning to kill you. But she muttered a few
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  Speaker 1: words and immediately they all turned into cabbages. It was
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  Speaker 1: one of them whom you threw out of your window yesterday.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know how it was that he could speak.
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  Speaker 1: I have never heard either of them so a word before,
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  Speaker 1: nor have I been able to do it myself until now.
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  Speaker 1: The princess was greatly astonished at the hen story, and
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  Speaker 1: said kindly, I am truly sorry for you, my poor nurse,
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  Speaker 1: and wish it was in my power to restore you
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  Speaker 1: to your real form. But we must not despair. It
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  Speaker 1: seems to me, after what you have told me, that
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  Speaker 1: something must be going to happen soon. Just now, however,
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  Speaker 1: I must go and look for my pinks, which I
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  Speaker 1: love better than anything in the world. Bruno had gone
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  Speaker 1: out into the forest, never thinking that Felicia would search
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  Speaker 1: in his room for the pinks, and she was delighted
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  Speaker 1: by his unexpected absence and thought to get them back
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  Speaker 1: without further trouble. But as soon as she entered the room,
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  Speaker 1: she saw a terrible army of rats who were guarding
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  Speaker 1: the straw bed, and when she attempted to approach it,
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  Speaker 1: they sprang at her, biting and scratching furiously. Quite terrified,
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  Speaker 1: she drew back, crying out, oh, my dear pinks, how
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  Speaker 1: can you stay here and see such bad company? Then
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  Speaker 1: she suddenly bethought herself of the pitcher of water, and
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  Speaker 1: hoping that it might have some magic power, she ran
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  Speaker 1: to fetch it and sprinkled a few drops over the
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  Speaker 1: fierce looking swarm of rats. In a moment, not a
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  Speaker 1: tail or a whisker was to be seen. Each one
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  Speaker 1: of them had made for his hole as fast as
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  Speaker 1: his legs could carry him, so that the princess could
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  Speaker 1: safely take her pot of pinks. She found them nearly
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  Speaker 1: dying for want of water, and hastily poured all that
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  Speaker 1: was left in the pitcher upon them. As she bent
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  Speaker 1: over them, enjoying their delicious scent, a soft voice that
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  Speaker 1: seemed to rustle among the leaves, said, lovely, Felicia, the
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  Speaker 1: day has come at last when I may have the
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  Speaker 1: happiness of telling you how even the flowers love you
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  Speaker 1: and rejoice in your beauty. The princess, quite overcome by
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  Speaker 1: the strangeness of hearing a cabbage, a hen, and a
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  Speaker 1: pink speak, and by the terrible sight of an army
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  Speaker 1: of rats, suddenly became very pale and fainted away. At
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  Speaker 1: this moment in came Bruno, working hard in the heat
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  Speaker 1: had not improved his temper, and when he saw that
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  Speaker 1: Felicia had succeeded in finding her pinks. He was so
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  Speaker 1: angry that he dragged her out into the garden and
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  Speaker 1: shut the door upon her. The fresh air soon made
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  Speaker 1: her open her pretty eyes, and there before her stood
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  Speaker 1: the Queen of the Woods, looking charming as ever. You
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  Speaker 1: have a bad brother, she said, I saw he turned
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  Speaker 1: you out. Shall I punish him for it? Oh? No, madam,
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  Speaker 1: she said, I'm not angry with him. But supposing he
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  Speaker 1: was not your brother after all, what would you say, then,
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  Speaker 1: asked the Queen. Oh but I think he must be,
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  Speaker 1: said Felicia, What said the Queen? Have you not heard
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  Speaker 1: that you are a princess? I was told so a
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  Speaker 1: little while ago, madam. But how could I believe it
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  Speaker 1: without a single proof? Oh, dear child, said the queen.
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  Speaker 1: The way you speak assures me that, in spite of
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  Speaker 1: your humble upbringing, you are indeed a real princess, and
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  Speaker 1: I can save you from being treated in such a
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  Speaker 1: way again. She was interrupted at this moment by the
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  Speaker 1: arrival of a very handsome young man. He wore a
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  Speaker 1: coat of green velvet fastened with emerald clasps, and had
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  Speaker 1: a crown of pinks on his head. He knelt upon
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  Speaker 1: one knee and kissed the Queen's hand. Ah, she cried,
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  Speaker 1: my Pink, my dear son, what a happiness to see
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  Speaker 1: you restore to your natural shape by Felicia's aid, and
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  Speaker 1: she embraced him joyfully. Then, turning to Felicia, she said,
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  Speaker 1: charming Princess, I know all the hen told you, but
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  Speaker 1: you cannot have heard that the zephyrs, to whom was
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  Speaker 1: entrusted the task of carrying my son to the tower
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  Speaker 1: where the Queen your mother so anxiously waited for him,
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  Speaker 1: left him instead in a garden of flowers while they
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  Speaker 1: flew off to tell your mother, whereupon a fairy with
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  Speaker 1: whom I had quarreled changed him into a pink, and
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  Speaker 1: I could do nothing to prevent it. Well, you can
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  Speaker 1: imagine how angry I was, and how I tried to
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  Speaker 1: find some means of undoing the mischief she had done,
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  Speaker 1: but there was no help for it. I could only
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  Speaker 1: bring Prince Pink to the place where you were being
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  Speaker 1: brought up, hoping that when you grew up he might
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  Speaker 1: love you and by your care be restored to his
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  Speaker 1: natural form. And you see, everything has come right as
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  Speaker 1: I hoped it would. Your giving me the silver ring
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  Speaker 1: was the sign that the power of the charm was
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  Speaker 1: nearly over, and my enemy's last chance was to frighten
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  Speaker 1: you with her army of rats, that she did not
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  Speaker 1: succeed in doing so. Now, my dear Felicia, if you
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  Speaker 1: will be married to my son with this silver ring,
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  Speaker 1: your future happiness is certain. Do you think him handsome
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  Speaker 1: and amiable enough to be willing to marry him? Madam
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  Speaker 1: replied Felicia, blushing. You overwhelm me with your kindness. I
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  Speaker 1: know that you are my mother's sister, and that by
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  Speaker 1: your art you turned the soldiers who were sent to
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  Speaker 1: kill me into cabbages and my nurse into a hen,
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  Speaker 1: and that you do me only too much honor in
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  Speaker 1: proposing that I shall marry your son. How can I
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  Speaker 1: explain to you the cause of my hesitation. I feel,
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  Speaker 1: for the first time in my life how happy it
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  Speaker 1: would make me to be beloved. Can you indeed give
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  Speaker 1: me the Prince's heart? It is yours already, lovely Princess,
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  Speaker 1: he cried, taking her hand in his. But for the
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  Speaker 1: horrible enchantment which kept me silent, I should have told
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  Speaker 1: you long ago how dearly I love you. This made
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  Speaker 1: the princess very happy and the Queen, who could not
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  Speaker 1: bear to see her dress like a poor shepherdess, touched
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  Speaker 1: her with her wand saying, I wish you to be
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  Speaker 1: attired as befits your rank and beauty. And immediately the
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  Speaker 1: princess's cotton dress became a magnificent robe of silver brocade
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  Speaker 1: embroidered with carbuncles, and her soft dark hair was encircled
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  Speaker 1: by a crown of diamonds, from which floated a clear
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  Speaker 1: white veil. With her bright eyes and the charming color
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  Speaker 1: in her cheeks, she was altogether such a dazzling sight
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  Speaker 1: that the prince could hardly bear it. How pretty you are, Felicia,
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  Speaker 1: he cried, don't keep me in suspense. I entreat you.
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  Speaker 1: Say that you will marry me. Ah said the Queen, smiling.
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  Speaker 1: I think she will not refuse now. Just then, Bruno,
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  Speaker 1: who was going back to his work, came out of
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  Speaker 1: the cottage and thought he must be dreaming when he
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  Speaker 1: saw Felicia. But she called him very kindly and begged
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  Speaker 1: the Queen to take pity on him. What she said
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  Speaker 1: when he was so unkind to you, ah Madam, said
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  Speaker 1: the princess. I am so happy that I should like
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  Speaker 1: everybody else to be happy too. The queen kissed her
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  Speaker 1: and said, well, to please you, let me see what
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  Speaker 1: I can do for this cross Bruno. And with the
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  Speaker 1: wave of her wand she turned the poor little cottage
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  Speaker 1: into a splendid palace full of treasures. Only the two
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  Speaker 1: stools in the straw bed remained just as they were,
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  Speaker 1: to remind him of his former poverty. Then the queen
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  Speaker 1: touched Bruno himself and made him gentle and polite and grateful,
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  Speaker 1: and he thanked her and the princess a thousand times. Lastly,
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  Speaker 1: the queen restored the hen and the cabbages to their
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  Speaker 1: natural forms, and left them all very contented. The prince
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  Speaker 1: and princess were married as soon as possible, with great splendor,
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  Speaker 1: and lived happily ever after. End of Felicia and the
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  Speaker 1: Pot of Pinks