oranges the prince had peeled for her, and talked CINDER.
to them most sweetly. They were lost in as- ELLA
tonishment, and never for an instant recognised

er.
Presently Cinderella heard the clock strike a
quarter to twelve. Then she rose, made a grace-
ful courtesy to the king and queen and to the com-
pany, and hastened away. On her return home
she found her godmother in the chimney corner.
She thanked the fairy for the favour granted
her, and begged that she might be allowed to go
to the ball at the palace on the following night, as
the prince had expressly invited her.

Whilst she was thus talking, she heard the
coach drive up that conveyed home her sisters and
their mother. She hastened to the door, opened
for them, yawned and rubbed her eyes, and said:
‘How late you are! It must be past one o’clock.’
‘Ah, ha!’ exclaimed her eldest sister, ‘you have
missed something. There has been not only a
most splendid entertainment, but there arrived
at it a most illustrious princess, so beautiful, that
she nearly came up to me.’

‘And to me,’ said the second.

‘And she was most superbly dressed—her taste
was almost equal to mine.’

‘And to mine,’ said the second.

‘She was very civil to us, and gave us some
of her. oranges. Indeed—for ease and graceful
courtesy, I should say she came almost up to me.’
‘And to me,’ said the second.

Cinderella listened to all that was said with
great interest ; she asked the name of the princess.
But that—said her sisters—‘is not known; the
king’s.son did his utmost to find it out and failed.
He says he would give a great deal to know
it.’

*O dear, dear!’ said Cinderella, ‘I should like to
see her; do, dear sisters, let me go with you to-
29