THE PRINCESS MAYBLOSSOM ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen whose children had all died , first one and then another , until at last only one little daughter remained , and the Queen was at her wits ' end to know where to find a really good nurse who would take care of her , and bring her up . A herald was sent who blew a trumpet at every street corner , and commanded all the best nurses to appear before the Queen , that she might choose one for the little Princess . So on the appointed day the whole palace was crowded with nurses , who came from the four corners of the world to offer themselves , until the Queen declared that if she was ever to see the half of them , they must be brought out to her , one by one , as she sat in a shady wood near the palace . This was accordingly done , and the nurses , after they had made their curtsey to the King and Queen , ranged themselves in a line before her that she might choose . Most of them were fair and fat and charming , but there was one who was dark-skinned and ugly , and spoke a strange language which nobody could understand . The Queen wondered how she dared offer herself , and she was told to go away , as she certainly would not do . Upon which she muttered something and passed on , but hid herself in a hollow tree , from which she could see all that happened . The Queen , without giving her another thought , chose a pretty rosy-faced nurse , but no sooner was her choice made than a snake , which was hidden in the grass , bit that very nurse on her foot , so that she fell down as if dead . The Queen was very much vexed by this accident , but she soon selected another , who was just stepping forward when an eagle flew by and dropped a large tortoise upon her head , which was cracked in pieces like an egg-shell . At this the Queen was much horrified ; nevertheless , she chose a third time , but with no better fortune , for the nurse , moving quickly , ran into the branch of a tree and blinded herself with a thorn . Then the Queen in dismay cried that there must be some malignant influence at work , and that she would choose no more that day ; and she had just risen to return to the palace when she heard peals of malicious laughter behind her , and turning round saw the ugly stranger whom she had dismissed , who was making very merry over the disasters and mocking everyone , but especially the Queen . This annoyed Her Majesty very much , and she was about to order that she should be arrested , when the witch -- for she was a witch -- with two blows from a wand summoned a chariot of fire drawn by winged dragons , and was whirled off through the air uttering threats and cries . When the King saw this he cried : ` Alas ! now we are ruined indeed , for that was no other than the Fairy Carabosse , who has had a grudge against me ever since I was a boy and put sulphur into her porridge one day for fun . ' Then the Queen began to cry . ` If I had only known who it was , ' she said , ' I would have done my best to make friends with her ; now I suppose all is lost . ' The King was sorry to have frightened her so much , and proposed that they should go and hold a council as to what was best to be done to avert the misfortunes which Carabosse certainly meant to bring upon the little Princess . So all the counsellors were summoned to the palace , and when they had shut every door and window , and stuffed up every keyhole that they might not be overheard , they talked the affair over , and decided that every fairy for a thousand leagues round should be invited to the christening of the Princess , and that the time of the ceremony should be kept a profound secret , in case the Fairy Carabosse should take it into her head to attend it . The Queen and her ladies set to work to prepare presents for the fairies who were invited : for each one a blue velvet cloak , a petticoat of apricot satin , a pair of high-heeled shoes , some sharp needles , and a pair of golden scissors . Of all the fairies the Queen knew , only five were able to come on the day appointed , but they began immediately to bestow gifts upon the Princess .
One promised XXXXX she should be perfectly beautiful , the second that she should understand anything -- no matter what -- the first time it was explained to her , the third that she should sing like a nightingale , the fourth that she should succeed in everything she undertook , and the fifth was opening her mouth to speak when a tremendous rumbling was heard in the chimney , and Carabosse , all covered with soot , came rolling down , crying : ' I say that she shall be the unluckiest of the unlucky until she is twenty years old . '
Of So as by into over since that upon without