asked
her to dance, he said as before, "This lady is dancing with me." When
night came she wanted to go home; and the king's son followed her as
before, that he might see into what house she went; but she sprang
away from him, all at once, into the garden behind her father's house.
In this garden stood a fine large pear tree full of ripe fruit; and
Cinderella, not knowing where to hide herself, jumped up into it
without being seen. Then the king's son could not find out where she
was gone, but waited till her father came home, and said to him, "The
unknown lady who danced with me has slipped away, and I think she must
have sprung into the pear tree." The father thought to himself, "Can
it be Cinderella?" So he ordered an axe to be brought; and they cut
down the tree, but found no one upon it. And when they came back into
the kitchen, there lay Cinderella in the ashes as usual; for she had
slipped down on the other side of the tree, and carried her beautiful
clothes back to the bird at the hazel tree, and then put on her little
old frock.

The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone she
went again into the garden, and said---

"Shake, shake, hazel tree,
Gold and silver over me!"

Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the
former ones, and slippers which were all of gold; so that when she
came to the feast no one knew what to say for wonder at her beauty;
and the king's son danced with her alone; and when any one else asked
her to dance he said, "This lady is my partner." Now when night came
she wanted to go home; and the king's son would go with her, and said
to himself, "I will not lose her this time;" but, however, she managed
to slip away from him, though in such a hurry that she dropped her
left golden slipper upon the stairs.

[Illustration: "SHE SPRANG AWAY FROM HIM, ALL AT ONCE, INTO THE GARDEN
BEHIND HER FATHER'S HOUSE."]

So the prince took the shoe, and went the next day to the king his
father, and said, "I will take for my wife the lady that this golden
shoe fits." Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear this; for
they had beautiful feet, and had no doubt that they could wear the
golden slipper. The eldest went first into the room where the slipper
was, and wanted to try it on, and the mother stood by. But her great
toe could not go into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small
for her. Then the mother gave her a knife, and said, "Never