and taking it from her foot she put it carefully into the pocket of her
ragged dress, and walked barefoot all the way home alone in the
darkness.

Time passed, the poor Prince could not sleep by night and could not
rest by day for he had lost his beautiful lady. He had her little
slipper and that was his only comfort. At last he said, "Whoever can
wear this slipper shall be my queen and queen of all my people."

He took the precious slipper and he traveled far and near through all
the land. He stopped at every cottage and he stopped at every castle
and he begged every maiden whom he met to try it on. But, alas! he
found no one with foot small enough to wear it. At last, one day, he
stopped before the only house that, in all his kingdom, he had not
visited. Cinderella's sisters hurried to meet him for it was at their
door he stood. They tried and tried to crowd their great feet into the
tiny slipper, but it was of no use. The Prince was turning sadly away
thinking, "I shall never see my beautiful lady again," when he caught
sight of a face at the kitchen window. "Who is that?" he cried. "Oh,
it is only Cinderella! a poor kitchen maid," said the sisters. "Let
her be brought! She too shall try the slipper!" said the Prince. "No!
no! She is too ragged and dirty to be seen. Do you think that a
cinder-maid can wear your shoe when we cannot get it on?" But the
Prince would have his way.

When Cinderella was brought, her dainty little foot slid into the glass
shoe as easily as though she had worn it all her life. She smiled and
took its mate from the pocket of her ragged dress. The Prince smiled
too and, looking into Cinderella's face, he saw his long lost lady of
the party. With a cry of joy he lifted her, all ragged as she was,