fairies. The old fairy fancied she was slighted, and muttered threats
between her teeth. One of the young fairies who sat near heard her, and,
judging that she might give the little Princess some unlucky gift, hid
herself behind the curtains as soon as they left the table. She hoped
that she might speak last and undo as much as she could the evil which
the old fairy might do.

In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the
Princess. The youngest gave her for her gift that she should be the most
beautiful person in the world; the next, that she should have the wit of
an angel; the third, that she should be able to do everything she did
gracefully; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly; the fifth, that
she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play
all kinds of musical instruments to the fullest perfection.

The old fairy's turn coming next, her head shaking more with spite than
with age, she said that the Princess should pierce her hand with a
spindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company
tremble, and everybody fell a-crying.

At this very instant the young fairy came from behind the curtains and
said these words in a loud voice:--

"Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die
of this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo entirely what my
elder has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce her hand with a
spindle; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a deep sleep,
which shall last a hundred years, at the end of which a king's son shall
come and awake her."