IN THE WOOD
By Charles Perrault
THERE was once in a distant country a King and Queenwhose only sorrow was that they had no children. At last theQueen gave birth to a little daughter and the King showed hisjoy by giving a christening feast so grand that the like of it wasnever known. He asked all the fairies in the land-there wereseven found in the kingdom-to stand godmothers to the littlePrincess； hoping that each might bestow on her some goodgift.
After the christening all the guests returned to the palace，where there was placed before each fairy godmother amagnificent covered dish， and a knife， fork， and spoon of puregold， set with precious stones. But， as they all were sittingdown at table there entered an old fairy who had not beeninvited， because it was more than fifty years since she hadgone out of a certain tower， and she was thought to be dead orenchanted. The King ordered a cover to be placed for her， butit was of common earthenware， for he had ordered from hisjeweler only seven gold dishes， for the seven fairies aforesaid.
The old fairy thought herself neglected， and muttered angrythreats， which were overheard by one of the younger fairies，who chanced to sit beside her. This good godmother， afraid ofharm to the pretty baby， hastened to hide herself behind thehangings in the hall. She did this because she wished to speaklast and repair any evil the old fairy might intend.
The fairies now offered their good wishes， which， unlikemost wishes， were sure to come true. The first wished thatthe little Princess should grow up the fairest woman in theworld； the second， that she should have wit like an angel； thethird， that she should be perfectly graceful； the fourth， thatshe should sing like a nightingale； the fifth， that she shoulddance perfectly well； the sixth， that she should play all kindsof music perfectly. Then the old fairy’s turn came.Shaking herhead spitefully， she uttered the wish that when the baby grewup into a young lady， and learned to spin， she might prick herfinger with a spindle and die of the wound.
This terrible prophecy made all the company tremble；and every one fell to crying. Upon which the wise youngfairy appeared from behind the curtains and said： “Assureyourselves O King and Queen； the Princess shall not die. Ihave no power to undo what my elder has done. The Princessmust pierce her finger with a spindle and she shall then sink，not into the sleep of death， but into a sleep that will last ahundred years. After that time is ended， the son of a King shallcome and awake her.”
Then all the fairies vanished.
The King， in the hope of avoiding his daughter’s doom，issued an edict forbidding all persons to spin， and even to havespinning wheels in their houses， on pain of instant death. Butit was in vain. One day when she was just fifteen years of age，the King and Queen left their daughter alone in one of theircastles， where， wandering about at her will， she came to a littleroom in the top of a tower， and there found a very old woman，who had not heard of the King’s edict， busy with her spinningwheel.
“What are you doing， good old woman？” said the Princess.
“I’m spinning my pretty child.”
“Ah， how charming！ Let me try if I can spin also.”
She had no sooner taken up the spindle than， being hastyand unhandy， she pierced her finger with the point. Though itwas so small a wound， she fainted away at once and droppedon the floor. The poor old woman called for help； shortly camethe ladies-in-waiting， who tried every means to restore theiryoung mistress； but all in vain. She lay， beautiful as an angel，the color still lingering in her lips and cheeks， her fair bosomsoftly stirred with her breath； only her eyes were fast closed.
When the King， her father， and the Queen， her mother， beheldher thus， they knew that all had happened as the cruel fairymeant， and that their daughter would sleep for one hundredyears. They sent away all the physicians and attendants，and themselves sorrowing laid her upon a bed in the finestapartment in the palace. There she slept and looked like asleeping angel still.
