down dead!’ At this the king and queen were’ T
grieved beyond measure; but the twelfth fairy, SLEEPING
who had not yet bestowed her gift, stepped forward BEAUTY
and spoke; she could not indeed, she said, prevent
what her sister had determined, but she could
mitigate it. ‘The king’s daughter,’ she continued,
‘shall not die, but she shall fall into a deep sleep,
which shall last a hundred years; at the end of
which time a king’s son shall awaken her: and
when she falls asleep the whole palace will sleep
with her.’
The king, who was very anxious, if possible, to
ward off this misfortune from his dear child, made
a proclamation that every spindle should be sent
out of the kingdom, and that none should be seen
all over the land until the princess had passed her
fifteenth year. In the meantime the wishes of the
fairies came to pass, for the maiden grew up so
beautiful, so modest, so amiable, and so intelligent,
that no one who saw her could help immediately
loving her. Now it happened one day, when she
was nearly fifteen years old, that the king and
queen went from home, and the young princess
was left quite alone in the palace. She walked
about through all the rooms and passages, and
wandered hither and thither as her fancy led her,
till at last she came to an old tower. Here she
saw a narrow staircase, which she mounted, and
then she came to a little door. Inthe lock of the
door there was a rusty key, and when she turned
it round the door sprang open, and there she saw,
sitting in the corner of a little room, a very old.
woman, who was busily employed with her spin-
ning-wheel. ‘Ah! old granny,’ said the king’s
daughter, ‘what are you about there?’—‘I am
spinning,’ answered the old woman, and nodded
her head to the princess. ‘How merrily that thing
goes round,’ spoke the maiden,—taking the spindle
in her hand at the same time,—‘let me try if I can
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