n in the world; the next, that she should have the wit of
an angel; the third, that she should be able to do everything she did
gracefully; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly; the fifth, that
she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play
all kinds of musical instruments to the fullest perfection.

The old fairy's turn coming next, her head shaking more with spite than
with age, she said that the Princess should pierce her hand with a
spindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company
tremble, and everybody fell a-crying.

At this very instant the young fairy came from behind the curtains and
said these words in a loud voice:--

"Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die
of this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo entirely what my
elder has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce her hand with a
spindle; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a deep sleep,
which shall last a hundred years, at the end of which a king's son shall
come and awake her."

The King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old fairy, issued
orders forbidding any one, on pain of death, to spin with a distaff and
spindle, or to have a spindle in his house. About fifteen or sixteen
years after, the King and Queen being absent at one of their country
villas, the young Princess was one day running up and down the palace;
she went from room to room, and at last she came into a little garret on
the top of the tower, where a good old woman, alone, was spinning with
her spindle. This good woman had never heard of the King's orders
against spindles.

"What are you doing there, my good woman?" said the Princess.

"I am spinning, my pretty child," said the old woman, who did not know
who the Princess was.

"Ha!" said the Princess, "this is very pretty; how do you do it? Give it
to me. Let me see if I can do it."

She had no sooner taken it into her hand than, either because she was
too quick and heedless, or because the decree of the fairy had so
ordained, it ran into her hand, and she fell down in a swoon.

The good old woman, not knowing what to do, cried out for help. People
came in from every quarter; they threw water upon the face of the
Princess, unlaced her, struck her on the palms of her hands, and rubbed
her temples with cologne water; but nothing would bring her to herself.

Then the King, who came up at hearing the noise, remembered wh