from
the basket prevented her from starving, she was glad enough to
take service in a peasant's house till brighter days dawned. At
first the work she had to do seemed very difficult, but either
she was wonderfully quick in learning, or else the basket may
have secretly helped her. Anyhow at the end of three days she
could do everything as well as if she had cleaned pots and swept
rooms all her life.
One morning Dotterine was busy scouring a wooden tub, when a
noble lady happened to pass through the village. The girl's
bright face as she stood in the front of the door with her tub
attracted the lady, and she stopped and called the girl to come
and speak to her.
'Would you not like to come and enter my service?' she asked.
'Very much,' replied Dotterine, 'if my present mistress will
allow me.'
'Oh, I will settle that,' answered the lady; and so she did, and
the same day they set out for the lady's house, Dotterine sitting
beside the coachman.
Six months went by, and then came the joyful news that the king's
son had collected an army and had defeated the usurper who had
taken his father's place, but at the same moment Dotterine
learned that the old king had died in captivity. The girl wept
bitterly for his loss, but in secrecy, as she had told her
mistress nothing about her past life.
At the end of a year of mourning, the young king let it be known
that he intended to marry, and commanded all the maidens in the
kingdom to come to a feast, so that he might choose a wife from
among them. For weeks all the mothers and all the daughters in
the land were busy preparing beautiful dresses and trying new
ways of putting up their hair, and the three lovely daughters of
Dotterine's mistress were as much excited as the rest. The girl
was clever with her fingers, and was occupied all day with
getting ready their smart clothes, but at night when she went to
bed she always dreamed that her godmother bent over her and said,
'Dress your young ladies for the feast, and when they have
started follow them yourself. Nobody will be so fine as you.'
When the great day came, Dotterine could hardly contain herself,
and when she had dressed her young mistresses and seen them
depart with their mother she flung herself on her bed, and burst
into tears. Then she seemed to hear a voice whisper to her,
'Look in your basket, and you will find in it everything that you
need.'
Dotterine did not want to be told twice! Up she jumped, seized
her basket, and repeated the magic words, and behold! there lay
a dress on the bed, shining as a star. She put it on with
fingers that trembled with joy, and, looking in the glass, was
struck dumb at her own beauty. She went downstairs, and in front
of the door stood a fine carriage, into which she stepped and was
driven away like the wind.
The king's palace was a long way off, yet it seemed only a few
minutes before Dotterine drew up at the great gates. She was
just going to alight, when she suddenly remembered she had left
her basket behind her. What was she to do? Go back and fetch
it, lest some ill-fortune should befall her, or enter the palace
and trust to chance that nothing evil would happen? But before
she could decide, a little swallow flew up with the basket in its
beak, and the girl was happy again.
The feast was already at its height, and the hall was brilliant
with youth and beauty, when the door was flung wide and Dotterine
entered, making all the other maidens look pale and dim beside
her. Their hopes faded as they gazed, but their mothers
whispered together, saying, 'Surely this is our lost princess!'
The young king did not know her again, but he never left her side
nor took his eyes from her. And at midnight a strange thing
happened. A thick cloud suddenly filled the hall, so that for a
moment all was dark. Then the mist suddenly grew bright, and
Dotterine's godmother was seen standing there.
'This,' she said, turning to the king, 'is the girl whom you have
always believed to be your sister, and
the basket prevented her from starving, she was glad enough to
take service in a peasant's house till brighter days dawned. At
first the work she had to do seemed very difficult, but either
she was wonderfully quick in learning, or else the basket may
have secretly helped her. Anyhow at the end of three days she
could do everything as well as if she had cleaned pots and swept
rooms all her life.
One morning Dotterine was busy scouring a wooden tub, when a
noble lady happened to pass through the village. The girl's
bright face as she stood in the front of the door with her tub
attracted the lady, and she stopped and called the girl to come
and speak to her.
'Would you not like to come and enter my service?' she asked.
'Very much,' replied Dotterine, 'if my present mistress will
allow me.'
'Oh, I will settle that,' answered the lady; and so she did, and
the same day they set out for the lady's house, Dotterine sitting
beside the coachman.
Six months went by, and then came the joyful news that the king's
son had collected an army and had defeated the usurper who had
taken his father's place, but at the same moment Dotterine
learned that the old king had died in captivity. The girl wept
bitterly for his loss, but in secrecy, as she had told her
mistress nothing about her past life.
At the end of a year of mourning, the young king let it be known
that he intended to marry, and commanded all the maidens in the
kingdom to come to a feast, so that he might choose a wife from
among them. For weeks all the mothers and all the daughters in
the land were busy preparing beautiful dresses and trying new
ways of putting up their hair, and the three lovely daughters of
Dotterine's mistress were as much excited as the rest. The girl
was clever with her fingers, and was occupied all day with
getting ready their smart clothes, but at night when she went to
bed she always dreamed that her godmother bent over her and said,
'Dress your young ladies for the feast, and when they have
started follow them yourself. Nobody will be so fine as you.'
When the great day came, Dotterine could hardly contain herself,
and when she had dressed her young mistresses and seen them
depart with their mother she flung herself on her bed, and burst
into tears. Then she seemed to hear a voice whisper to her,
'Look in your basket, and you will find in it everything that you
need.'
Dotterine did not want to be told twice! Up she jumped, seized
her basket, and repeated the magic words, and behold! there lay
a dress on the bed, shining as a star. She put it on with
fingers that trembled with joy, and, looking in the glass, was
struck dumb at her own beauty. She went downstairs, and in front
of the door stood a fine carriage, into which she stepped and was
driven away like the wind.
The king's palace was a long way off, yet it seemed only a few
minutes before Dotterine drew up at the great gates. She was
just going to alight, when she suddenly remembered she had left
her basket behind her. What was she to do? Go back and fetch
it, lest some ill-fortune should befall her, or enter the palace
and trust to chance that nothing evil would happen? But before
she could decide, a little swallow flew up with the basket in its
beak, and the girl was happy again.
The feast was already at its height, and the hall was brilliant
with youth and beauty, when the door was flung wide and Dotterine
entered, making all the other maidens look pale and dim beside
her. Their hopes faded as they gazed, but their mothers
whispered together, saying, 'Surely this is our lost princess!'
The young king did not know her again, but he never left her side
nor took his eyes from her. And at midnight a strange thing
happened. A thick cloud suddenly filled the hall, so that for a
moment all was dark. Then the mist suddenly grew bright, and
Dotterine's godmother was seen standing there.
'This,' she said, turning to the king, 'is the girl whom you have
always believed to be your sister, and
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