The young Princess threw herself at the feet of the King her father and conjured him not to constrain her to consent to his unnatural desire.
‘I know nothing about forgiveness,’ replied the witch. ‘You have eaten my parsley, and must take the consequences; and the consequences are these: I must be godmother to your first child; be it boy or girl, it must belong to me.’
‘Get up, wise man!’ repeated the chancellor in French. ‘Do you mean me?’ exclaimed Pinchauvas. And with one bound he stood up.
The moment the farmer’s wife's lips touched the flower, the bud opened with a pop! and inside it she found the smallest little maiden ever seen—scarcely half a thumb’s length; so she called her Little Totty.
He was born with a little tuft of hair upon his head, which made them call him Riquet with the Tuft, for Riquet was the family name.
The King took another wife, a beautiful woman, but proud and overbearing, and she could not bear to be surpassed in beauty by any one.
The Hoopoes decided the other birds were jealous and, rather flattered, gathered round the pools so that they could admire themselves in the water.
Cinder-Maid shook the tree and the first nut that fell she took up and opened, and what do you think she saw?—a beautiful silk dress blue as the heavens, all embroidered with stars.
‘If you are thirsty,’ said the waiting-maid, ‘get off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink out of the water, I don't choose to be your servant.’
The Hind instantly fled, but as she was crossing a path, Prince Guerrier lodged an arrow in her leg, when her strength failed her, and she fell.
‘Perhaps I can help thee, if thou wilt promise to give me the first thing that rubs itself against thy leg when thou art at home again, and to bring it here in twelve years' time, thou shalt have as much money as thou wilt.’
‘I know what you want,’ said the sea witch. ‘It is stupid of you, for it will get you in trouble, my little princess. You want to get rid of your fishtail.’
The wizard flew into a rage, and said, ‘Chop her hands off, otherwise I cannot touch her.’ The miller was terrified, and exclaimed, ‘How can I cut off the hands of my own child?’
The young Prince continued to fall and fall for ever so long until instead of descending with a bump at the bottom, he stepped gently onto dry land, and found himself in what the Macedonians call the Nether World.
Karen looked first at the red shoes, then at the black ones, then at the red again, and put them on.
The Snow Queen kissed Kay again, and then he forgot all about little Gerda, Grandmother, and all the others at home.