to
them. So when at length it pleased Heaven to send them a daughter, there
was no end to the rejoicings that were made all over the kingdom, nor
was there ever so grand a christening seen before. All the fairies in
the land were invited to stand godmothers to the little princess, in the
hope that each would endow her with some gift, as was customary in those
days; by which means she would be adorned with every perfection and
accomplishment that could be devised.

When the christening was over, the company returned to the king's
palace, where a banquet was prepared for the fairies, seven in number,
who had graced the ceremony with their presence. Before each fairy was
laid a splendid cover, with a case of massive gold containing a knife, a
fork, and a spoon of the purest gold, ornamented with diamonds and
rubies. Just as they were going to sit down, in came an aged fairy who
had not been invited, because, having remained shut up in a tower for
more than fifty years, she was supposed to be either dead or under the
influence of some spell. The king immediately ordered a cover to be laid
for her, but he could not give her a golden case like the others, as
only seven had been made, for the seven fairies. The old crone
consequently thought herself treated with disrespect, and muttered
sundry threats betwixt her teeth, which happened to be overheard by one
of the young fairies, who, fearing she might bestow some fatal gift on
the baby princess, had no sooner risen from table than she went and
concealed herself behind the tapestry-hangings, in order that she might
speak the last, and be able to neutralize, if possible, any mischief the
ill-natured hag might intend doing.

The fairies now began to bestow their gifts. The youngest endowed her
with surpassing beauty; another gave her wit; a third imparted grace; a
fourth promised that she should dance to perfection; a fifth, that she
should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play on
all sorts of instruments in the most exquisite manner. It was now the
old fairy's turn to speak; when, coming forward, with her head shaking
from spite still more than from age, she declared the princess would
prick her hand with a spindle, and die of the wound.

[Illustration]

This terrible sentence fell like a damp upon all the company, and there
was no one present but what shed tears. But just then the young fairy
came out from behind the tapestry-hangings, and said aloud: