The Blue Fairy Book
seems to me that a pretty, lively, faithful little dog would be very
good company for me; so, without any regard for your ages, I promise
that the one who brings me the most beautiful little dog shall succeed
me at once.”
The three Princes were greatly surprised by their father’s sudden fancy
for a little dog, but as it gave the two younger ones a chance they
would not otherwise have had of being king, and as the eldest was
too polite to make any objection, they accepted the commission with
pleasure. They bade farewell to the King, who gave them presents of
silver and precious stones, and appointed to meet them at the same hour,
in the same place, after a year had passed, to see the little dogs they
had brought for him.
Then they went together to a castle which was about a league from the
city, accompanied by all their particular friends, to whom they gave a
grand banquet, and the three brothers promised to be friends always,
to share whatever good fortune befell them, and not to be parted by
any envy or jealousy; and so they set out, agreeing to meet at the same
castle at the appointed time, to present themselves before the King
together. Each one took a different road, and the two eldest met with
many adventures; but it is about the youngest that you are going to
hear. He was young, and gay, and handsome, and knew everything that a
prince ought to know; and as for his courage, there was simply no end to
it.
Hardly a day passed without his buying several dogs--big and little,
greyhounds, mastiffs, spaniels, and lapdogs. As soon as he had bought a
pretty one he was sure to see a still prettier, and then he had to get
rid of all the others and buy that one, as, being alone, he found it
impossible to take thirty or forty thousand dogs about with him. He
journeyed from day to day, not knowing where he was going, until at
last, just at nightfall, he reached a great, gloomy forest. He did not
know his way, and, to make matters worse, it began to thunder, and
the rain poured down. He took the first path he could find, and after
walking for a long time he fancied he saw a faint light, and began to
hope that he was coming to some cottage where he might find shelter for
the night. At length, guided by the light, he reached the door of the
most splendid castle he could have imagined. This door was of gold
covered with carbuncles, and it was the pure red light which shone from
them that had shown him the way through the forest. The walls were of
the finest porcelain in all the most delicate colors, and the Prince saw
that all the stories he had ever read were pictured upon them; but as he
was terribly wet, and the rain still fell in torrents, he could not stay
to look about any more, but came back to the golden door. There he saw
a deer’s foot hanging by a chain of diamonds, and he began to wonder who
could live in this magnificent castle.
“They must feel very secure against robbers,” he said to himself. “What
is to hinder anyone from cutting off that chain and digging out those
carbuncles, and making himself rich for life?”
He pulled the deer’s foot, and immediately a silver bell sounded and the
door flew open, but the Prince could see nothing but numbers of hands
in the air, each holding a torch. He was so much surprised that he stood
quite still, until he felt himself pushed forward by other hands, so
that, though he was somewhat uneasy, he could not help going on. With
his hand on his sword, to be prepared for whatever might happen, he
entered a hall paved with lapis-lazuli, while two lovely voices sang:
“The hands you see floating above
Will swiftly your bidding obey;
If your heart dreads not conquering Love,
In this place you may fearlessly stay.”
The Prince could not believe that any danger threatened him when he was
welcomed in this way, so, guided by the mysterious hands, he went toward
a door of coral, which opened of its own accord, and he found himself
in a vast hall of mother-of-pearl, out of which opened a number of other
rooms, glittering with thousands of lights, and full of such beautiful
pictures and precious things that the Prince felt quite bewildered.
After passing through sixty rooms the hands that conducted him stopped,
and the Prince saw a most comfortable-looking arm-chair drawn up close
to the chimney-corner; at the same moment the fire lighted itself, and
the pretty, soft, clever hands took off the Prince’s wet, muddy clothes,
and presented him with fresh ones made of the richest stuffs, all
embroidered with gold and emeralds. He could not help admiring
everything he saw, and the deft way in which the hands waited on him,
though they sometimes appeared so suddenly that they made him jump.
When he was quite ready--and I can assure you that he looked very
different from the wet and weary Prince who had stood outside in the
rain, and pulled the deer’s foot--the hands led him to a splendid room,
upon the walls of which were painted the histories of Puss in Boots and
a number of other famous cats. The table was laid for supper with
two golden plates, and golden spoons and forks, and the sideboard was
covered with dishes and glasses of crystal set with precious stones. The
Prince was wondering who the second place could be for, when suddenly
in came about a dozen cats carrying guitars and rolls of music, who took
their places at one end of the room, and under the direction of a cat
who beat time with a roll of paper began to mew in every imaginable key,
and to draw their claws across the strings of the guitars, making the
strangest kind of music that could be heard. The Prince hastily stopped
up his ears, but even then the sight of these comical musicians sent him
into fits of laughter.
“What funny thing shall I see next?” he said to himself, and instantly
the door opened, and in came a tiny figure covered by a long black veil.
It was conducted by two cats wearing black mantles and carrying swords,
and a large party of cats followed, who brought in cages full of rats
and mice.
The Prince was so much astonished that he thought he must be dreaming,
but the little figure came up to him and threw back its veil, and he saw
that it was the loveliest little white cat it is possible to imagine.
She looked very young and very sad, and in a sweet little voice that
went straight to his heart she said to the Prince:
“King’s son, you are welcome; the Queen of the Cats is glad to see you.”
“Lady Cat,” replied the Prince, “I thank you for receiving me so kindly,
but surely you are no ordinary pussy-cat? Indeed, the way you speak and
the magnificence of your castle prove it plainly.”
“King’s son,” said the White Cat, “I beg you to spare me these
compliments, for I am not used to them. But now,” she added, “let supper
be served, and let the musicians be silent, as the Prince does not
understand what they are saying.”
So the mysterious hands began to bring in the supper, and first they put
on the table two dishes, one containing stewed pigeons and the other a
fricassee of fat mice. The sight of the latter made the Prince feel as
if he could not enjoy his supper at all; but the White Cat, seeing this,
assured him that the dishes intended for him were prepared in a separate
kitchen, and he might be quite certain that they contained neither rats
nor mice; and the Prince felt so sure that she would not deceive him
that he had no more hesitation in beginning. Presently he noticed
that on the little paw that was next him the White Cat wore a bracelet
containing a portrait, and he begged to be allowed to look at it. To his
great surprise he found it represented an extremely handsome young man,
who was so like himself that it might have been his own portrait! The
White Cat sighed as he looked at it, and seemed sadder than ever, and
the Prince dared not ask any questions for fear of displeasing her; so
he began to talk about other things, and found that she was interested
in all the subjects he cared for himself, and seemed to know quite well
what was going on in the world. After supper they went into another
room, which was fitted up as a theatre, and the cats acted and danced
for their amusement, and then the White Cat said good-night to him, and
the hands conducted him into a room he had not seen before, hung with
tapestry worked with butterflies’ wings of every color; there were
mirrors that reached from the ceiling to the floor, and a little white
bed with curtains of gauze tied up with ribbons. The Prince went to bed
in silence, as he did not quite know how to begin a conversation with
the hands that waited on him, and in the morning he was awakened by
a noise and confusion outside of his window, and the hands came and
quickly dressed him in hunting costume. When he looked out all the cats
were assembled in the courtyard, some leading greyhounds, some blowing
horns, for the White Cat was going out hunting. The hands led a wooden
horse up to the Prince, and seemed to expect him to mount it, at which
he was very indignant; but it was no use for him to object, for he
speedily found himself upon its back, and it pranced gaily off with him.
The White Cat herself was riding a monkey, which climbed even up to
the eagles’ nests when she had a fancy for the young eaglets. Never was
there a pleasanter hunting party, and when they returned to the castle
the Prince and the White Cat supped together as before, but when they
had finished she offered him a crystal goblet, which must have contained
a magic draught, for, as soon as he had swallowed its contents, he
forgot everything, even the little dog that he was seeking for the King,
and only thought how happy he was to be with the White Cat! And so the
days passed, in every kind of amusement, until the year was nearly gone.
The Prince had forgotten all about meeting his brothers: he did not even
know what country he belonged to; but the White Cat knew when he ought
to go back, and one day she said to him:
“Do you know that you have only three days left to look for the little
dog for your father, and your brothers have found lovely ones?”
Then the Prince suddenly recovered his memory, and cried:
“What can have made me forget such an important thing? My whole fortune
depends upon it; and even if I could in such a short time find a dog
pretty enough to gain me a kingdom, where should I find a horse who
would carry me all that way in three days?” And he began to be very
vexed. But the White Cat said to him: “King’s son, do not trouble
yourself; I am your friend, and will make everything easy for you. You
can still stay here for a day, as the good wooden horse can take you to
your country in twelve hours.”
“I thank you, beautiful Cat,” said the Prince; “but what good will it do
me to get back if I have not a dog to take to my father?”
“See here,” answered the White Cat, holding up an acorn; “there is a
prettier one in this than in the Dogstar!”
“Oh! White Cat dear,” said the Prince, “how unkind you are to laugh at
me now!”
“Only listen,” she said, holding the acorn to his ear.
And inside it he distinctly heard a tiny voice say: “Bow-wow!”
The Prince was delighted, for a dog that can be shut up in an acorn must
be very small indeed. He wanted to take it out and look at it, but the
White Cat said it would be better not to open the acorn till he was
before the King, in case the tiny dog should be cold on the journey. He
thanked her a thousand times, and said good-by quite sadly when the time
came for him to set out.
“The days have passed so quickly with you,” he said, “I only wish I
could take you with me now.”
But the White Cat shook her head and sighed deeply in answer.
After all the Prince was the first to arrive at the castle where he had