The Princess On The Pea
There was once a Prince who wanted to be married, but no one
quite suited him. You see he wanted a real Princess, not just one who was a King's
daughter. He wished her to be a Princess through and through, and it was just
as hard to find one then as it is now.
He went all over the world, and he saw many, many a
Princess, but there was something wrong about each one. At last he went home
quite sad because he thought there were no more real Princesses.
One night when he and his father and mother sat in their
castle a great storm came up. The wind blew, the rain fell in torrents and the
old castle shook and swayed. All at F once there was a loud knock on the door,
and the old King went and opened it himself. And there upon the steps stood a
Princess!
The King knew her to be one at once. She was wet and tired
and looked forlorn, I can tell you. She said that she was a real Princess and
so the Queen said she might come in out of the storm.
"We shall see if she is a real Princess," said the Queen. "I have a sure way of finding out."
While the others were at supper she went to make the bed
where the Princess was to sleep.
Now, first she put three little hard peas on the bed spring.
She then laid twenty mattresses on and twenty feather beds on top of all.
And that was the bed for the Princess.
The next morning when they were all at breakfast the Queen
said, ''Well, my dear, did you sleep well last night?"
"Oh, no!" replied the Princess. "I did not
sleep at all. I do not know what was in my bed, but it was something so hard
that my body is all black and blue. It has hurt me very much."
Now the Queen was sure that here was a real Princess at
last. If she could feel those peas through all those mattresses there could be
no mis- take. So the Prince married her and they had a fine wedding and were
happy as could be.
The three peas were put where all the people could see them,
and they may be there now if they are not lost!
