"Alas!" said she, "you only jeer me. It is not for such as I am
to go thither."
"Thou art in the right of it," replied they. "It would make the
people laugh to see a cinder wench at a ball."
Any one but Cinderella would have dressed their heads awry, but
she was very good and dressed them perfectly well. They were
almost two days without eating, so much they were transported
with joy. They broke above a dozen of laces in trying to be laced
up close, that they might have a fine, slender shape, and they
were continually at their looking-glass. At last the happy day
came. They went to Court, and Cinderella followed them with her
eyes as long as she could, and when she had lost sight of them
she fell a-crying.
Her Godmother, who saw her all in tears, asked her what was the
matter.
"I wish I could--I wish I could--"
She was not able to speak the rest being interrupted by her tears
and sobbing.
This Godmother of hers, who was a fairy, said to her: "Thou
wishest thou could'st go to the ball. Is it not so?"
"Y--es," cried Cinderella, with a great sigh.
"Well," said her Godmother, "be but a good girl, and I will
contrive that thou shalt go." Then she took her into her chamber
and said to her: "Run into the garden and bring me a pumpkin."
Cinderella went immediately to gather the finest she could get
and brought it to her Godmother, not being able to imagine how
this pumpkin could make her go to the ball. Her Godmother scooped
out all the inside of it, having left nothing but the rind; which
done, she struck it with her wand, and the pumpkin was instantly
turned into a fine coach, gilded all over with gold.
She then went to look into her mousetrap, where she found six
mice all alive, and ordered Cinderella to lift up a little the
trapdoor, when, giving each mouse as it went out a little tap
with her wand, the mouse was that moment turned into a fine
horse, which altogether made a very fine set of six horses of a
beautiful mouse-colored dapple-gray. Being at a loss for a
coachman, Cinderella said:
"I will go and see if there is never a rat in the rattrap--we may
make a coachman of him."
"Thou art in the right," replied her Godmother. "Go and look."
Cinderella brought the trap to her, and in it there were three
huge rats. The fairy made choice of one of the three which had
the largest beard, and having touched him with her wand he was
turned into a fat, jolly coachman, who had the smartest whiskers
eyes ever beheld. After that she said to her:
"Go again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind
the watering-pot. Bring them to me."