Page:History of the sleeping beauty in the wood.pdf/4

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than half so magnificent as those of her sister-fairies thought that the king had slighted her, and muttered between her teeth that she would be revenged.

One of the young fairies who sat next her, and caught, the sounds that fell from her, fearing that she might bestow on the infant princess some unlucky gift, on leaving tho table, went and hid herself behind the window-curtains, so that she might speak last, and thus, repair as much as possible tho injury intended by the old fairy.

In the meantime, tho fairies began to make their donations to tho young princess. The first gave her for a gift, that she should be the most beautiful lady in all the world,-the next that she should have tho wit of an angel,-the third, that sho should do every thing she undertook with the most enchanting graco,-the fourth, that she should dance so as to delight every beholder,-tho fifth, that she should sing like a nightingalo,—the sixth, that she should play perfectly well on all sorts of musical instruments.

It being tho old fairy’s turn to speak next, she came forward shaking with spite, and said,—“Tho gift I bestow on tho princess shall be, that she shall pierce her hand with a spindle, and die of tho wound.”

This terrible gift made the whole assembly tremble, and every one but the old fairy fell to crying violently. Just at this instant, the young fairy camo out from behind the window-curtains, and in a distinct voice