4. Diamonds and Toads

Once there was a mother who lived with her two daughters in a house in the woods. The elder daughter was very proud and disagreeable; the younger one was kind, sweet-tempered, and beautiful. The mother was very fond of the elder daughter because she was more like herself, and she disliked the younger one and made her work hard all the time in the kitchen and go twice a day to carry water in a pitcher from the spring in the woods two miles from home.

One day, when this younger daughter was at the spring, a poor old woman came to her and asked her for a drink. “Yes,” said the kind, obliging girl, and she gave her a cool, refreshing drink from her pitcher. The woman said: “As you have been kind to me, I will give you this gift. At every word you speak a jewel or a flower shall come from your mouth.” When she reached home her mother scolded her for being gone so long. “I beg your pardon, mother dear,” she said, “for not being quicker.” And as she spoke, out of her mouth dropped two diamonds, two pearls, and six roses. “What do I see?” exclaimed her mother. When the girl told her all, the mother said: “I must send my dearest daughter to receive this gift too. Come, Fanny, see what comes out of your sister’s mouth when she speaks. All you have to do to get the same gift is to go and give the poor old woman a drink from the pitcher.” “I won’t go,” said the ugly-tempered girl; “let sister give me some of her jewels. She does not need them all.” At last her mother persuaded her to go, and she went grumbling all the way. When she reached the spring she saw, not the poor old woman her sister had met, but a beautiful lady, who asked her for a drink. It was the fairy changed from the old woman into a princess. “I did not come out to give you a drink,” said the selfish girl; “you can get water from the spring as well as I.” “You are not very polite,” said the fairy; “since you are so rude and unkind I give you this gift: At every word you speak, toads and snakes shall come out of your mouth.” The girl ran home, and as soon as she spoke to her mother two snakes and two frogs fell from her mouth. “What is this I see?” cried her mother. The girl tried to tell, but at every word toads and snakes dropped from her lips. And so it was forever after—jewels and flowers fell from the kind girl’s mouth, but only toads and snakes fell from the mouth of the girl who was rude and unkind.—Charles Perrault.