The Velveteen Rabbit & Other Stories - Margery Williams [7]
But the mouse danced and twirled so prettily that the queen clapped and laughed and gave the mouse her last pea, which she was keeping for her supper.
Suddenly, a delicious meal appeared on the table. The queen was amazed! Quickly she fed her baby and herself and gave the mouse its own share.
The next day, and every day after that, the queen gave the mouse all of the peas, and instantly the empty dish was filled with all sorts of wonderful things to eat. But the queen still worried about the fate of her daughter. The queen despaired and said, “If only I could think of some way of saving her from marrying the horrible prince!”
As she spoke, she noticed the little mouse playing in a corner with some long straws. The queen began to braid the straws, thinking, If I had enough straws, I could make a basket to lower my baby down from the window. A kind passerby might take care of her and raise her in freedom.
As she sat braiding, the little mouse dragged in more and more straw, until the queen had plenty to weave her basket. At last, the basket was finished. The queen went to the window to see how long a cord she must make and noticed an old woman far below, looking up at her. The old woman called to the queen, “I know your trouble, Madam. If you like, I will help you.”
The queen was overjoyed and told the old woman that she would be rewarded for her kindness.
“I don’t care about any reward,” the old woman replied. ‘“But there is one thing I should like. I am very particular about what I eat, and I fancy above all else a plump, tender little mouse. If there happens to be any mouse in your garret, just throw it down to me. That’s all I ask.”
The queen began to cry. “There is only one mouse in this garret,” said the queen, “but I cannot bear to think of its being killed.”
“What!” cried the old woman, in a rage. “You care more for a miserable mouse than for your very own baby? Good-bye, Madam! I leave you and your poor daughter to enjoy its company!”
That night, the queen sadly placed the baby in the basket and prepared to lower it into the street. Just then, in sprang the little mouse.
“Oh, little mouse!” said the queen. “It cost me dear to save your life.”
Suddenly, the mouse answered, “Believe me, Madam, you will never regret your kindness.”
The queen was astonished when the mouse began to speak, and still more so when the mouse suddenly grew into a tall, fair lady. The queen recognized the fairy who had come up to her tower room with the wicked king.
The fairy smiled at her astonished look and said, “I wanted to see if you were faithful and capable of real friendship before I helped you. You see, we fairies are rich in everything but friends, and those are hard to find. I was the little mouse whom you fed when there was nothing to be gained by it. I was the old woman whom you talked to from the window. You are indeed capable of true friendship.” Turning to the princess, she said, “Dear little one, I promise you and your mother will be safe under my care. Let us live happily together in my castle, far from here.”
The fairy then cast a spell, and all three vanished from the prison room, never to see the wicked king again.
Princess Cat
In ancient China, there lived an emperor with three sons. The emperor was old but did not want to give up his throne, although his sons were old enough to rule. He decided to keep them too busy to think of succeeding him.
The king called his three sons together and told them that he would give up his crown to the son who found him the smallest dog. He gave each of his sons plenty of gold and told them to return in one year. The eldest prince was disappointed, since the crown would traditionally be passed down to him without competition from his brothers, but he was too polite to argue