re will be
room for you, too." "I don't want to go; you go; I don't want to."
"But," said their father, "let us go, let us go! Dress and come along;
let her stay." When they had gone, she went to the bird and said: "O
Bird Verdelio, make me more beautiful than I am!" She became clothed in
a sea-green dress, with so many diamonds that it blinded you to behold
her. The bird made ready two purses of money, and said to her: "Take
these two purses, enter your carriage, and away!" She set out for the
ball, and left the bird Verdelio at home. She entered the ball-room.
Scarcely had the gentlemen seen this beautiful lady (she dazzled them on
all sides), when the king, just think of it, began to dance with her the
whole evening. After he had danced with her all the evening, his Majesty
stopped, and she stood by her sisters. While she was at her sisters'
side, she drew out her handkerchief, and a bracelet fell out. "Oh,
Signora," said the eldest sister, "you have dropped this." "Keep it for
yourself," she said. "Oh, if Cinderella were only here, who knows what
might not have happened to her?" The king had given orders that when
this lady went away they should find out where she lived. After she had
remained a little, she left the ball. You can imagine whether the
servants were on the lookout! She entered her carriage and away! She
perceives that she is followed, takes the money and begins to throw it
out of the window of the carriage. The greedy servants, I tell you,
seeing all that money, thought no more of her, but stopped to pick up
the money. She returned home and went up-stairs. "O Bird Verdelio, make
me homelier than I am!" You ought to see how ugly, how horrid, she
became, all ashes. When the sisters returned, they cried:
"Cin-der-ella!" "Oh, leave her alone," said her father; "she is asleep
now, leave her alone!" But they went up and showed her the large and
beautiful bracelet. "Do you see, you simpleton? You might have had it."
"It matters nothing to me." Their father said: "Let us go to supper, you
little geese."

Let us return to the king, who was awaiting his servants, who had not
the courage to appear, but kept away. He calls them. "How did the matter
go?" They fall at his feet. "Thus and thus! She threw out so much
money!" "Wretches, you are nothing else," he said, "were you afraid of
not being rewarded? Well! to-morrow evening, attention, under pain of
death." The next evening the usual ball. The sisters say: "Will