What is Christmas?

30 ธันวาคม 2559 อ่านหนังสือออนไลน์ https://freekidsbooks.org ป้าโอ้ทจมูกบี้ตอนอ่านหนังสือทุกทีซิน่า ขอบคุณทุกคนที่มาอุดหนุนนะคะ ^_^

cook soup

Dec 29, 2016 ... I am not good at cooking but I must cook every day especially Thai dishes. Let look what did I cook today? Thank you for watching. ^_^

Read : Coyote and the River

Read : What Shall I Wear Today

28 ธ.ค2559 เรื่องที่อ่านอยู่ที่นี่  click to read the story

ขอบคุณที่มาอุดหนุนช่องป้าโอ้ท ^_^

ประธานบุรุษที่สาม

26 ธ.ค2559 ภาษาอังกฤษเล็ก ๆ น้อย ๆ แบบป้าโอ้ท ค่อย ๆ ทำความเข้าใจ และจำที่ละนิด ขอบคุณที่มาอุดหนุนช่องป้าโอ้ท ^_^

ประธานในภาษาอังกฤษ

25 ธ.ค2559 ภาษาอังกฤษเล็ก ๆ น้อย ๆ แบบป้าโอ้ท ค่อย ๆ ทำความเข้าใจ และจำที่ละนิด ขอบคุณที่มา

อุดหนุนช่องป้าโอ้ท ^_^

I can help

เ25 ธ.ค2559  นิทานเด็กวันนี้ ปลูกฟังการช่วยเหลือให้กับเด็ก แต่เด็กเล็ก ต้องทำสิ่งเล็กๆ ก่อนนะคะ ไม่เช่นนั้นจากการช่วยจะกลายเป็นปัญหาจ้า

ขอบคุณที่มาอุดหนุนช่องป้าโอ้ท ^_^ นิทานออนไลน์จากที่นี่ 

Little Ant's Big Plan

22 ธ.ค2559 ป้าโอ้ทอ่านนิทานออนไลน์ จากเวบนี้ 

ป้าโอ้ทสอนภาษาอังกฤษเพื่อนๆ

20 ธันวาคม 2559

 วันนี้สมาชิกใหม่คุยกับป้าโอ้ทวันแรก สมาชิกเก่าหนึ่งคน ป้าโอ้ทก็ไม่แข็งแรง แต่พยายามดันเพื่อน ๆ เต็มที่ หนึ่งชั่วโมงกว่า นะคะคลิปนี้

ป้าโอ้ทสอนภาษาอังกฤษหลาน 2/2

16 ธันวาคม 2559 วันนี้ป้าโอ้ทไม่ดุหลานเหมือนเมื่อวาน เพราะรู้ว่าเมื่อวานตัวเองพูดไม่รู้เรื่องทำให้หลาน งง วันนี้อีกสองชั่วโมง ใครสนใจฟังเชิญนะคะ เตรียมน้ำ ขนม มานั่งกินไปด้วย ^_^

ป้าโอ้ทสอนภาษาอังกฤษหลาน 1/2

15 ธันวาคม 2559 ป้าโอ้ทฟังคลิปนี้ตอนตัดต่อแล้วขำตัวเอง เพราะดุมาก แล้วพูดไม่รู้เรื่อง ทำให้หลาน งง แล้วยังดุหลานอีก ^_^ ยังไงป้าโอ้ทคิดว่าน่าจะเป็นประโยชน์กับหลายๆ คนที่ภาษาอังกฤษไม่แข็งแรงนะคะ ป้าโอ้ทก็ไม่แข็งแรงมาก แกรมม่าไม่แม่น พูดมั่วทุกวัน แต่พยายามให้ถูกเท่าที่ทำได้ วิดิโอยาวเกือบสองชั่วโมง ขอบคุณนะคะที่เข้ามาฟัง

ปล.ถ้าใครสนใจเรียนกับป้าโอ้ท รับสไตล์ป้าโอ้ทได้แบบดุ แล้วไม่เป๊ะมาก บอกป้าโอ้ทนะคะ คุยรายละเอียดกันอีกที

Read: Sleep

19 ธ.ค2559 บทความนี้ป้าโอ้ทอ่านหลายสิบรอบแล้วล่ะ อ่านซ้ำๆ กับน้องๆในกลุ่มอ่านหนังสือ

ภาพสเก็ตเช้านี้ My morning sketch

19 ธันวาคม 2559

เช้านี้เข้าเฟสบุ๊ค เห็นคลิปน่ารักคลิปหนึ่งที่เพื่อนแชร์ มีแรงกระตุ้นในสมอง หยิบสมุด ดินสอ ลากเส้น ขีดๆ ลงไป ได้เจ้านี้มา ป้าโอ้ทเป็นศิลปินมือใหม่หัดวาด หลังจากร่ำเรียนวิชาจากสำนักเดลเทคด้วยพื้นฐานการวาด ทำให้เส้นทางสายนี้ของป้าโอ้ทเปิดกว้างมากขึ้น วาดเป็นร่าง เห็นเป็นตัวชัดเจนกว่าหลายสิบปีที่พยายามวาดเองมาโน่น แต่ก็ไม่เป็นตัว ได้แต่ร่างกลมๆ สี่เหลี่ยม เส้น  ขั้นตอนต่อไป ป้าโอ้ทพยายามฝีกใช้จินตนาการ วาดโดยที่ไม่ดูภาพ  ผลงานเช้านี้เพื่อนๆ น้องๆ เห็นเป็นตัวอะไร แล้วคิดว่าป้าโอ้ทจะวาดตัวอะไร สิ่งที่เห็น กับสิ่งที่คิดเหมือนกันป่าวน๊า?

คิดอะไรได้ วาด สเก็ตไว้ แล้วค่อยวาดดิจิตอลต่อไป (วาดบนคอมพิวเตอร์) ป้าโอ้ทฝีกทั้งวาดบนสมุด และ ใช้โปรแกรมบนคอมพิวเตอร์


Dec 19,2016

This morning I saw a cute video of an animal on FB that inspried me to draw. No need to thing, I grabbed a sketch book and a pencil then draw. Bravo!, just five minutes I got this one. Since I took a drawing1 in school which opened my vision wider and lead me to the direction. I can draw better than just basic shapes, yes, I can draw a figure I want to better than the past. So, now I am working on following my imagination which I do not have much yet. I normally draw from the pictures. Well,  this guy I drew by my imagination, the picture in my head. What do you see? and What do you thing I want to draw? Are they the same? ^_^

I am practicing myself to do what I love to do and want to do well , so what pop up in my head I will sketch on the book and will transfer to digital later.

Read: The Bremen Town Musicians

14 ธันวาคม 2559  อ่าน กัน เยอะๆ นะคะ ฝีกออกเสียง

อ่านนิทานออนไลน์   click to the story

ฟังเสียงฝรั่ง

The Bremen Town Musicians

The Bremen Town Musicians

From “The Fairy Book” by Miss Mulock

There was a man who owned a donkey, which had carried his sacks to the mill industriously for many years, but whose strength had come to an end, so that the poor beast grew more and more unfit for work. The master determined to stop his food, but the donkey, discovering that there was no good intended to him, ran away and took the road to Bremen: “There,” thought he, “I can turn Town Musician.”

When he had gone a little way, he found a hound lying on the road and panting, like one who was tired with running. “Hollo! what are you panting so for, worthy Seize ‘em?” asked the donkey.

“Oh!” said the dog, “just because I am old, and get weaker every day, and cannot go out hunting, my master wanted to kill me, so I have taken leave of him; but how shall I gain my living now?”

“I’ll tell you what,” said the donkey, “I am going to Bremen to be Town Musician; come with me and take to music too. I will play the lute, and you shall beat the drum.”

The dog liked the idea, and they travelled on. It was not long before they saw a cat sitting by the road, making a face like three rainy days.

“Now then, what has gone wrong with you old Whiskers?” said the donkey.

“Who can be merry when his neck is in danger?” answered the cat. “Because I am advanced in years, and my teeth are blunt, and I like sitting before the fire and purring better than chasing the mice about, my mistress wanted to drown me. I have managed to escape, but good advice is scarce; tell me where I shall go to?”

“Come with us two to Bremen; you understand serenading; you also can become a Town Musician.”

The cat thought it a capital idea, and went with them. Soon after the three runaways came to a farmyard, and there sat a cock on the gate, crowing with might and main.

“You crow loud enough to deafen one,” said the donkey; “what is the matter with you?”

“I prophesied fair weather,” said the cock, “because it is our good mistress’s washing-day, and she wants to dry the clothes; but because to-morrow is Sunday, and company is coming, the mistress has no pity on me, and has told the cook to put me into the soup to-morrow, and I must have my head cut off to-night: so now I am crowing with all my might as long as I can.”

“O you old Redhead,” said the donkey, “you had better come with us; we are going to Bremen, where you will certainly find something better than having your head cut off; you have a good voice, and if we all make music together, it will be something striking.”

The cock liked the proposal, and they went on, all four together.

But they could not reach the city of Bremen in one day, and they came in the evening to a wood, where they agreed to spend the night. The donkey and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree, but the cat and the cock went higher – the cock flying up to the topmost branch, where he was safest. Before he went to sleep he looked round towards all the four points of the compass, and he thought he saw a spark shining in the distance. He called to his companions that there must be a house not far off; for he could see a light. The donkey said: “Then we must rise and go to it, for the lodgings here are very bad;” and the dog said, “Yes; a few bones with a little flesh on them would do me good.” So they took the road in the direction where the light was, and soon saw it shine brighter; and it got larger and larger till they came to a brilliantly-illumined robber’s house. The donkey, being the biggest, got up at the window and looked in.

“What do you see, Greybeard?” said the cock.

“What do I see?” answered the donkey: “a table covered with beautiful food and drink, and robbers are sitting round it and enjoying themselves.”

“That would do nicely for us,” said the cock.

“Yes, indeed, if we were only there,” replied the donkey.

The animals then consulted together how they should manage to drive out the robbers, till at last they settled on a plan. Tie donkey was to place himself with his forefeet on the window-sill, the dog to climb on the donkey’s back, and the cat on the dog’s, and, at last, the cock was to fly up and perch himself on the cat’s head. When that was done, at a signal they began their music all together: the donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock crowed; then, with one great smash, they dashed through the window into the room, so that the glass clattered down. The robbers jumped up at this dreadful noise, thinking that nothing less than a ghost was coming in, and ran away into the wood in a great fright. The four companions then sat down at the table, quite content with what was left there, and ate as if they were expecting to fast for a month to come.

When the four musicians had finished, they put out the light, and each one looked out for a suitable and comfortable sleeping-place. The donkey lay down on the dunghill, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth near the warm ashes, and the cock set himself on the hen-roost; and, as they were all tired with their long journey, they soon went to sleep. Soon after midnight, as the robbers in the distance could see that no more lights were burning in the house, and as all seemed quiet, the captain said, “We ought not to have let ourselves be scared so easily,” and sent one of them to examine the house. The messenger found everything quiet, went into the kitchen to light a candle, and, thinking the cat’s shining fiery eyes were live coals, he held a match to them to light it. But the cat did not understand the joke, flew in his face, spat at him, and scratched. He was dreadfully frightened, ran away, and was going out of the back door; when the dog, who was lying there, jumped up and bit him in the leg. As he ran through the yard, past the dunghill, the donkey gave him a good kick with his hind-foot; and the cock being awakened, and made quite lively by the noise, called out from the hen-roost “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The robber ran as hard as he could, back to the captain, and said: “Oh, dear! in the house sits a horrid old witch, who blew at me, and scratched my face with her long fingers; and by the door stands a man with a knife, who stabbed me in the leg; and in the yard lies a black monster, who hit me with a club; and up on the roof there sits the judge, who called out, ‘Bring the rascal up here’ – so I made the best of my way off.”

From that time the robbers never trusted themselves again in the house; but the four musicians liked it so well that they could not make up their minds to leave it, and spent there the remainder of their days, as the last person who told the story is ready to avouch for a fact.

Read: Tiger Son

11 ธันวาคม 2559 มีหลายคำที่ป้าโอ้ทอ่านไม่ออก ก็เดาอ่านไป 😁 ความกตัญญูของเสือ
คลิกอ่านข้อความออนไลน์  click to read an article online

Sep 9, 2023 my reading skill today

อ่านเก่งขึ้นนิดนึง 

แนะนำพูดภาษาอังกฤษแบบป้าโอ้ท ส่ิงรอบตัว...

10 ธันวาคม 2559 สิ่งต่างๆ รอบตัวเรา นึกซิคะว่า ภาษาอังกฤษเรียกว่าอะไรบ้าง เริ่มจากสิ่งใกล้ๆตัว แล้วค่อยๆ หาสิ่งใหม่เพิ่มเติม ขยายความต่อไปค่ะ

แนะนำพูดภาษาอังกฤษแบบป้าโอ้ท ส่ิงรอบตัว...

10 ธันวาคม 2559 สิ่งต่างๆ รอบตัวเรา นึกซิคะว่า ภาษาอังกฤษเรียกว่าอะไรบ้าง เริ่มจากสิ่งใกล้ๆตัว แล้วค่อยๆ หาสิ่งใหม่เพิ่มเติม ขยายความต่อไปค่ะ

แนะนำพูดภาษาอังกฤษแบบป้าโอ้ท

9 ธันวาคม 2559 ให้กำลังใจตัวเอง พูดเยอะๆ อย่ากังวล

Speak English do not give up

Dec 7, 2016 I encourage everyone who speaks English as second language

Pround to present my pancake

27 พฤศจิกายน 2559 คลิปนี้เป็นส่วนหนึงของการฝีกพูดของป้าโอ้ทนะคะ พูดผิดบ้างถูกบ้าง ก็พูดไป



 This video is part of my speaking practice

Practice on Skype

2 ธันวาคม 2559 น้องสองคนฝีกคุยกัน ป้าโอ้ทกำหนดเวลาห้านาที

Read: The Little Gingerbread Man

1 ธันวาคม 2559 ป้าโอ้ทอ่านอยู่หลายวันจนจบ สิบหน้า อากาศเย็น อ่านไป จมุกบี้ไป 😀 มีคำอ่านไม่ออกหลายคำ ป้าโอ้ทก็อ่านมั่วไปค่ะ



 Practice my reading and mistakes still.

ป้าโอ้ทเล่าภาษาอังกฤษเพี้ยนวันนี้

30 พฤศจิกายน 2559 เหตุเกิดระหว่างขับรถกลับบ้านจากโรงเรียน คุยกับเพื่อนที่ติดรถมาด้วย

อ่านนิทาน สโนว์ดรอป

19 พฤศจิกายน 2559 ป้าโอ้ทไลพ์อ่านนิทานในเฟสบุ๊ค อ่านผิดหลายคำ อ่านไม่ออกหลายคำ แต่ก็มั่วอ่านไป แปลมั่วจากนิทานที่รู้จัก คลิกอ่านเรื่องออนไลน์

ฝีกออกเสียงคำกับป้าโอ้ท

22 พฤศจิกายน 2559 ป้าโอ้ทกับน้องๆในกลุ่มอ่านนิทานภาษาอังกฤษด้วยกัน มีคำมาฝีกออกเสียงจากนิทานเล็กน้อยค่ะ

เสียงจากกลุ่มอ่านหนังสือ

17  พฤศจิกายน 2559  วันนี้ป้าโอ้ทมีกิจกรรมประจำวันสัปดาห์หลังเลิกเรียนคือเข้าไปฟังนิทานที่กลุ่มอ่านหนังสือ มีเสียงมาให้ฟังด้วยค่ะ   คลิกดูข้อความที่อ่าน

ป้าโอ้ทพูดน้อยเพราะตั้งใจฟัง และพยายามทำความเข้าใจเรื่อง และที่ทุกคนพูด

ไลฟ์ เม้าท์คนเดียว ^_^

16 พฤศจิกายน 2559 เที่ยงนี้ป้าโอ้ทไลฟ์พูดคนเดียว อ่านภาษาอังกฤษด้วย ระหว่างรอเรียนตอนบ่าย

Doors did not open

15 พฤศจิกายน 2559 เหตุเพิ่งเกิดสดๆ ป้าโอ้ทนึกถึงเพื่อนๆ ที่ฝีกภาษาอังกฤษด้วยกัน จัดไลฟ์เฟสบุ๊คทันที :)

Sharing story "the door"

Nov 15, 2016

ฝึกพูดภาษาอังกฤษด้วยการเล่าเรื่อง ป้าโอ้ทพูดผิดหลายคำ ใครจับคำผิดอะไรได้บ้างคะ ^_^

อ่านนิทาน

14 พฤศจิกายน 2559 วันนี้อ่านนิทานกันหนึ่งหน้านะคะ

อ่าน Read articles from class

13 พฤศจิกายน 2559 ป้าโอ้ทอ่านบทความจากการบ้านวิชาจิตวิทยา จมูกบี้แต่อยากอ่าน พยายามอ่านจนจบ ขอบคุณทุกคนที่อดทนฟังนะคะ

ข้อความที่อ่าน อยู่นี่ค่ะ I am reading this article and also I speak bilingul in this video, Thai and English. http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pls/products/coco/intro_psychology/1256897191/assignments/pdfs/intro_to_psych_handout_lesson_03.pdf

กลุ่มภาษาอังกฤษทางสไกพ์

11  พฤศจิกายน 2559 ป้าโอ้ทมีคลิปเสียงเมื่อเช้านี้เวลาบ้านป้าโอ้ท (กลางคืนไทย) มาให้ฟังค่ะ น้องๆ ที่ฝีกภาษาอังกฤษด้วยกัน จะไม่ได้ยินเสียงน้องชัด แต่ได้ยินเสียงป้าโอ้ทชัดมาก ^_^

ฝีกอ่าน Read

6  พฤศจิกายน 2559  เพื่อนในกลุ่มภาษาอังกฤษคนหนึ่งเป็นคุณครูสอน กศน ทำวิดิโอการสอนวิชาภาษาาอังกฤษเกียวกับงานเลี้ยง (party พาร์ตี้) ป้าโอ้ทหยิบประโยคเหล่านั้นมาอ่าน และชวนเพื่อนๆทำคลิปอ่านด้วยกันค่ะ

I love practicing reading and pronounciation. In this video, I grabbed sentences from a friend. She is an adult education teacher in Thailand who created a video for her class.

ว่าง ไลฟ์ พูดคนเดียว Just talk ^_^ bilingual

5 พฤศจิกายน   2559  ป้าโอ้ทไลฟ์หนุกๆ ตะกี้นี้ พูดสองภาษา เร่เข้ามาค่ะ เร่เข้ามา จะให้ดีนะคะ ทุกคนทำคลิปพูดมาโพสในกลุ่มกันเยอะๆนะคะ เราจะได้พูดกันเก่งๆ ผิดๆ ถูกๆ พูดมาค่ะ ป้าโอ้ทเองก็พูดผิดเยอะ แต่ชอบพูด   

อ่าน Read : Buttony

4 พฤศจิกายน 2559  วันนี้ป้าอ้ทอ่านสดทางเฟสบุ๊ค เรื่องที่อ่านอยู่ที่นี่  http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/07/buttony

Read : Beauty and The Beast

15 ตุลาคม 2559    ฝีกอ่าน อ่านผิด อ่านไม่ออก หลายคำ เรื่องนี้ยาวที่สุดเท่าที่ป้าโอ้ทเคยอ่าน จนถึงวันนี้ There are many words I did not know.

Beauty and The Beast

Beauty And The Beast (Walter Crane)

From “The Fairy Book” by Miss Mulock

Illustrations by Walter Crane

There was once a very rich merchant, who had six children, three boys and three girls. As he was himself a man of great sense, he spared no expense for their education. The three daughters were all handsome, but particularly the youngest; indeed, she was so very beautiful, that in her childhood every one called her the Little Beauty; and being equally lovely when she was grown up, nobody called her by any other name, which made her sisters very jealous of her. This youngest daughter was not only more handsome than her sisters, but also was better tempered. The two eldest were vain of their wealth and position. They gave themselves a thousand airs, and refused to visit other merchants’ daughters; nor would they condescend to be seen except with persons of quality. They went every day to balls, plays, and public walks, and always made game of their youngest sister for spending her time in reading or other useful employments. As it was well known that these young ladies would have large fortunes, many great merchants wished to get them for wives; but the two eldest always answered, that, for their parts, they had no thoughts of marrying any one below a duke or an earl at least. Beauty had quite as many offers as her sisters, but she always answered, with the greatest civility, that though she was much obliged to her lovers, she would rather live some years longer with her father, as she thought herself too young to marry.

It happened that, by some unlucky accident, the merchant suddenly lost all his fortune, and had nothing left but a small cottage in the country. Upon this he said to his daughters, while the tears ran down his cheeks, “My children, we must now go and dwell in the cottage, and try to get a living by labour, for we have no other means of support.” The two eldest replied that they did not know how to work, and would not leave town; for they had lovers enough who would be glad to marry them, though they had no longer any fortune. But in this they were mistaken; for when the lovers heard what had happened, they said, “The girls were so proud and ill-tempered, that all we wanted was their fortune: we are not sorry at all to see their pride brought down: let them show off their airs to their cows and sheep.” But everybody pitied poor Beauty, because she was so sweet-tempered and kind to all, and several gentlemen offered to marry her, though she had not a penny; but Beauty still refused, and said she could not think of leaving her poor father in this trouble. At first Beauty could not help sometimes crying in secret for the hardships she was now obliged to suffer; but in a very short time she said to herself, “All the crying in the world will do me no good, so I will try to be happy without a fortune.”

When they had removed to their cottage, the merchant and his three sons employed themselves in ploughing and sowing the fields, and working in the garden. Beauty also did her part, for she rose by four o’clock every morning, lighted the fires, cleaned the house, and got ready the breakfast for the whole family. At first she found all this very hard; but she soon grew quite used to it, and thought it no hardship; indeed, the work greatly benefited her health. When she had done, she used to amuse herself with reading, playing her music, or singing while she spun. But her two sisters were at a loss what to do to pass the time away: they had their breakfast in bed, and did not rise till ten o’clock. Then they commonly walked out, but always found themselves very soon tired; when they would often sit down under a shady tree, and grieve for the loss of their carriage and fine clothes, and say to each other, “What a mean-spirited poor stupid creature our young sister is, to be so content with this low way of life!” But their father thought differently: and loved and admired his youngest child more than ever.

After they had lived in this manner about a year, the merchant received a letter, which informed him that one of his richest ships, which he thought was lost, had just come into port. This news made the two eldest sisters almost mad with joy; for they thought they should now leave the cottage, and have all their finery again. When they found that their father must take a journey to the ship, the two eldest begged he would not fail to bring them back some new gowns, caps, rings, and all sorts of trinkets. But Beauty asked for nothing; for she thought in herself that all the ship was worth would hardly buy everything her sisters wished for. “Beauty,” said the merchant, “how comes it that you ask for nothing: what can I bring you, my child?”

“Since you are so kind as to think of me, dear father,” she answered, “I should be glad if you would bring me a rose, for we have none in our garden.” Now Beauty did not indeed wish for a rose, nor anything else, but she only said this that she might not affront her sisters; otherwise they would have said she wanted her father to praise her for desiring nothing. The merchant took his leave of them, and set out on his journey; but when he got to the ship, some persons went to law with him about the cargo, and after a deal of trouble he came back to his cottage as poor as he had left it. When he was within thirty miles of his home, and thinking of the joy of again meeting his children, he lost his way in the midst of a dense forest. It rained and snowed very hard, and, besides, the wind was so high as to throw him twice from his horse. Night came on, and he feared he should die of cold and hunger, or be torn to pieces by the wolves that he heard howling round him. All at once, he cast his eyes towards a long avenue, and saw at the end a light, but it seemed a great way off. He made the best of his way towards it, and found that it came from a splendid palace, the windows of which were all blazing with light. It had great bronze gates, standing wide open, and fine court-yards, through which the merchant passed; but not a living soul was to be seen. There were stables too, which his poor, starved horse, less scrupulous than himself, entered at once, and took a good meal of oats and hay. His master then tied him up, and walked towards the entrance hall, but still without seeing a single creature. He went on to a large dining-parlour, where he found a good fire, and a table covered with some very nice dishes, but only one plate with a knife and fork. As the snow and rain had wetted him to the skin, he went up to the fire to dry himself. “I hope,” said he, “the master of the house or his servants will excuse me, for it surely will not be long now before I see them.” He waited some time, but still nobody came: at last the clock struck eleven, and the merchant, being quite faint for the want of food, helped himself to a chicken, and to a few glasses of wine, yet all the time trembling with fear. He sat till the clock struck twelve, and then, taking courage, began to think he might as well look about him: so he opened a door at the end of the hall, and went through it into a very grand room, in which there was a fine bed; and as he was feeling very weary, he shut the door, took off his clothes, and got into it.

It was ten o’clock in the morning before he awoke, when he was amazed to see a handsome new suit of clothes laid ready for him, instead of his own, which were all torn and spoiled. “To be sure,” said he to himself, “this place belongs to some good fairy, who has taken pity on my ill luck.” He looked out of the window, and instead of the snow-covered wood, where he had lost himself the previous night, he saw the most charming arbours covered with all kinds of flowers. Returning to the hall where he had supped, he found a breakfast table, ready prepared. “Indeed, my good fairy,” said the merchant aloud, “I am vastly obliged to you for your kind care of me.” He then made a hearty breakfast, took his hat, and was going to the stable to pay his horse a visit; but as he passed under one of the arbours, which was loaded with roses, he thought of what Beauty had asked him to bring back to her, and so he took a bunch of roses to carry home. At the same moment he heard a loud noise, and saw coming towards him a beast, so frightful to look at that he was ready to faint with fear. “Ungrateful man!” said the beast in a terrible voice, “I have saved your life by admitting you into my palace, and in return you steal my roses, which I value more than anything I possess. But you shall atone for your fault: you shall die in a quarter of an hour.”

The merchant fell on his knees, and clasping his hands, said, “Sir, I humbly beg your pardon: I did not think it would offend you to gather a rose for one of my daughters, who had entreated me to bring her one home. Do not kill me, my lord!”

“I am not a lord, but a beast,” replied the monster; “I hate false compliments: so do not fancy that you can coax me by any such ways. You tell me that you have daughters; now I suffer you to escape, if one of them will come and die in your stead. If not, promise that you will yourself return in three months, to be dealt with as I may choose.”

The tender-hearted merchant had no thoughts of letting any one of his daughters die for his sake; but he knew that if he seemed to accept the beast’s terms, he should at least have the pleasure of seeing them once again. So he gave his promise, and was told he might then set off as soon as he liked. “But,” said the beast, “I do not wish you to go back empty-handed. Go to the room you slept in, and you will find a chest there; fill it with whatsoever you like best, and I will have it taken to your own house for you.”

When the beast had said this, he went away. The good merchant, left to himself, began to consider that as he must die–for he had no thought of breaking a promise, made even to a beast–he might as well have the comfort of leaving his children provided for. He returned to the room he had slept in, and found there heaps of gold pieces lying about. He filled the chest with them to the very brim, locked it, and, mounting his horse, left the palace as sorrowful as he had been glad when he first beheld it. The horse took a path across the forest of his own accord, and in a few hours they reached the merchant’s house. His children came running round him, but, instead of kissing them with joy, he could not help weeping as he looked at them. He held in his hand the bunch of roses, which he gave to Beauty saying, “Take these roses, Beauty; but little do you think how dear they have cost your poor father;” and then he gave them an account of all that he had seen or heard in the palace of the beast.

The two eldest sisters now began to shed tears, and to lay the blame upon Beauty, who, they said, would be the cause of her father’s death. “See,” said they, “what happens from the pride of the little wretch; why did not she ask for such things as we did? But, to be sure, Miss must not be like other people; and though she will be the cause of her father’s death, yet she does not shed a tear.”

“It would be useless,” replied Beauty, “for my father shall not die. As the beast will accept of one of his daughters, I will give myself up, and be only too happy to prove my love for the best of fathers.”

“No, sister,” said the three brothers with one voice, “that cannot be; we will go in search of this monster, and either he or we will perish.”

“Do not hope to kill him,” said the merchant, “his power is far too great. But Beauty’s young life shall not be sacrificed: I am old, and cannot expect to live much longer; so I shall but give up a few years of my life, and shall only grieve for the sake of my children.”

“Never, father!” cried Beauty: “If you go back to the palace, you cannot hinder my going after you; though young, I am not over-fond of life; and I would much rather be eaten up by the monster, than die of grief for your loss.”

The merchant in vain tried to reason with Beauty, who still obstinately kept to her purpose; which, in truth, made her two sisters glad, for they were jealous of her, because everybody loved her.

The merchant was so grieved at the thoughts of losing his child, that he never once thought of the chest filled with gold, but at night, to his great surprise, he found it standing by his bedside. He said nothing about his riches to his eldest daughters, for he knew very well it would at once make them want to return to town; but he told Beauty his secret, and she then said, that while he was away, two gentlemen had been on a visit at their cottage, who had fallen in love with her two sisters. She entreated her father to marry them without delay, for she was so sweet-natured, she only wished them to be happy.

Three months went by, only too fast, and then the merchant and Beauty got ready to set out for the palace of the beast. Upon this, the two sisters rubbed their eyes with an onion, to make believe they were crying; both the merchant and his sons cried in earnest. Only Beauty shed no tears. They reached the palace in a very few hours, and the horse, without bidding, went into the same stable as before. The merchant and Beauty walked towards the large hall, where they found a table covered with every dainty, and two plates laid ready. The merchant had very little appetite; but Beauty, that she might the better hide her grief, placed herself at the table, and helped her father; she then began to eat herself, and thought all the time that, to be sure, the beast had a mind to fatten her before he ate her up, since he had provided such good cheer for her. When they had done their supper, they heard a great noise, and the good old man began to bid his poor child farewell, for he knew it was the beast coming to them. When Beauty first saw that frightful form, she was very much terrified, but tried to hide her fear. The creature walked up to her, and eyed her all over–then asked her in a dreadful voice if she had come quite of her own accord.

“Yes,” said Beauty.

“Then you are a good girl, and I am very much obliged to you.”

This was such an astonishingly civil answer that Beauty’s courage rose: but it sank again when the beast, addressing the merchant, desired him to leave the palace next morning, and never return to it again. “And so good night, merchant. And good night, Beauty.”

“Good night, beast,” she answered, as the monster shuffled out of the room.

“Ah! my dear child,” said the merchant, kissing his daughter, “I am half dead already, at the thought of leaving you with this dreadful beast; you shall go back and let me stay in your place.”

“No,” said Beauty, boldly, “I will never agree to that; you must go home to-morrow morning.”

They then wished each other good night, and went to bed, both of them thinking they should not be able to close their eyes; but as soon as ever they had lain down, they fell into a deep sleep, and did not awake till morning. Beauty dreamed that a lady came up to her, who said, “I am very much pleased, Beauty, with the goodness you have shown, in being willing to give your life to save that of your father. Do not be afraid of anything; you shall not go without a reward.”

As soon as Beauty awoke, she told her father this dream; but though it gave him some comfort, he was a long time before he could be persuaded to leave the palace. At last Beauty succeeded in getting him safely away.

When her father was out of sight, poor Beauty began to weep sorely; still, having naturally a courageous spirit, she soon resolved not to make her sad case still worse by sorrow, which she knew was vain, but to wait and be patient. She walked about to take a view of all the palace, and the elegance of every part of it much charmed her.

But what was her surprise, when she came to a door on which was written, BEAUTY’S ROOM! She opened it in haste, and her eyes were dazzled by the splendour and taste of the apartment. What made her wonder more than all the rest, was a large library filled with books, a harpsichord, and many pieces of music. “The beast surely does not mean to eat me up immediately,” said she, “since he takes care I shall not be at a loss how to amuse myself.” She opened the library and saw these verses written in letters of gold on the back of one of the books:

“Beauteous lady, dry your tears,
Here’s no cause for sighs or fears.
Command as freely as you may, For you command and I obey.”

“Alas!” said she, sighing; “I wish I could only command a sight of my poor father, and to know what he is doing at this moment.” Just then, by chance, she cast her eyes on a looking-glass that stood near her, and in it she saw a picture of her old home, and her father riding mournfully up to the door. Her sisters came out to meet him, and although they tried to look sorry, it was easy to see that in their hearts they were very glad. In a short time all this picture disappeared, but it caused Beauty to think that the beast, besides being very powerful, was also very kind. About the middle of the day she found a table laid ready for her, and a sweet concert of music played all the time she was dining, without her seeing anybody. But at supper, when she was going to seat herself at table, she heard the noise of the beast, and could not help trembling with fear.

“Beauty,” said he, “will you give me leave to see you sup?”

“That is as you please,” answered she, very much afraid.

“Not in the least,” said the beast; “you alone command in this place. If you should not like my company, you need only say so, and I will leave you that moment. But tell me, Beauty, do you not think me very ugly?”

“Why, yes,” said she, “for I cannot tell a falsehood; but then I think you are very good.”

“Am I?” sadly replied the beast; “yet, besides being ugly, I am also very stupid: I know well enough that I am but a beast.”

“Very stupid people,” said Beauty, “are never aware of it themselves.”

At which kindly speech the beast looked pleased, and replied, not without an awkward sort of politeness, “Pray do not let me detain you from supper, and be sure that you are well served. All you see is your own, and I should be deeply grieved if you wanted for any thing.”

“You are very kind–so kind that I almost forgot you are so ugly,” said Beauty, earnestly.

“Ah! yes,” answered the beast, with a great sigh; “I hope I am good-tempered, but still I am only a monster.”

“There is many a monster who wears the form of a man; it is better of the two to have the heart of a man and the form of a monster.”

“I would thank you, Beauty, for this speech, but I am too senseless to say anything that would please you,” returned the beast in a melancholy voice; and altogether he seemed so gentle and so unhappy, that Beauty, who had the tenderest heart in the world, felt her fear of him gradually vanish.

She ate her supper with a good appetite, and conversed in her own sensible and charming way, till at last, when the beast rose to depart, he terrified her more than ever by saying abruptly, in his gruff voice, “Beauty, will you marry me!”

Now Beauty, frightened as she was, would speak only the exact truth; besides, her father had told her that the beast liked only to have the truth spoken to him. So she answered, in a very firm tone, “No, beast.”

He did not go into a passion, or do anything but sigh deeply, and depart.

When Beauty found herself alone, she began to feel pity for the poor beast. “Oh!” said she, “what a sad thing it is that he should be so very frightful, since he is so good-tempered!”

Beauty lived three months in this palace very well pleased. The beast came to see her every night, and talked with her while she supped; and though what he said was not very clever, yet, as she saw in him every day some new goodness, instead of dreading the time of his coming, she soon began continually looking at her watch, to see if it were nine o’clock; for that was the hour when he never failed to visit her. One thing only vexed her, which was that every night before he went away, he always made it a rule to ask her if she would be his wife, and seemed very much grieved at her steadfastly replying “No.” At last, one night, she said to him, “You wound me greatly, beast, by forcing me to refuse you so often; I wish I could take such a liking to you as to agree to marry you: but I must tell you plainly, that I do not think it will ever happen. I shall always be your friend; so try to let that content you.”

“I must,” sighed the beast, “for I know well enough how frightful I am; but I love you better than myself. Yet I think I am very lucky in your being pleased to stay with me: now promise me, Beauty, that you will never leave me.”

Beauty would almost have agreed to this, so sorry was she for him, but she had that day seen in her magic glass, which she looked at constantly, that her father was dying of grief for her sake.

“Alas!” she said, “I long so much to see my father, that if you do not give me leave to visit him, I shall break my heart.”

“I would rather break mine, Beauty,” answered the beast; “I will send you to your father’s cottage: you shall stay there, and your poor beast shall die of sorrow.”

“No,” said Beauty, crying, “I love you too well to be the cause of your death; I promise to return in a week. You have shown me that my sisters are married, and my brothers are gone for soldiers, so that my father is left all alone. Let me stay a week with him.”

“You shall find yourself with him to-morrow morning,” replied the beast; “but mind, do not forget your promise. When you wish to return, you have nothing to do but to put your ring on a table when you go to bed. Good-bye, Beauty!” The beast sighed as he said these words, and Beauty went to bed very sorry to see him so much grieved. When she awoke in the morning, she found herself in her father’s cottage. She rang a bell that was at her bedside, and a servant entered; but as soon as she saw Beauty, the woman gave a loud shriek; upon which the merchant ran upstairs, and when he beheld his daughter he ran to her, and kissed her a hundred times. At last Beauty began to remember that she had brought no clothes with her to put on; but the servant told her she had just found in the next room a large chest full of dresses, trimmed all over with gold, and adorned with pearls and diamonds.

Beauty, in her own mind, thanked the beast for his kindness, and put on the plainest gown she could find among them all. She then desired the servant to lay the rest aside, for she intended to give them to her sisters; but, as soon as she had spoken these words, the chest was gone out of sight in a moment. Her father then suggested, perhaps the beast chose for her to keep them all for herself: and as soon as he had said this, they saw the chest standing again in the same place. While Beauty was dressing herself, a servant brought word to her that her sisters were come with their husbands to pay her a visit. They both lived unhappily with the gentlemen they had married. The husband of the eldest was very handsome, but was so proud of this, that he thought of nothing else from morning till night, and did not care a pin for the beauty of his wife. The second had married a man of great learning; but he made no use of it, except to torment and affront all his friends, and his wife more than any of them. The two sisters were ready to burst with spite when they saw Beauty dressed like a princess, and looking so very charming. All the kindness that she showed them was of no use; for they were vexed more than ever when she told them how happy she lived at the palace of the beast. The spiteful creatures went by themselves into the garden, where they cried to think of her good fortune.

“Why should the little wretch be better off than we?” said they. “We are much handsomer than she is.”

“Sister!” said the eldest, “a thought has just come into my head: let us try to keep her here longer than the week for which the beast gave her leave; and then he will be so angry, that perhaps when she goes back to him he will eat her up in a moment.”

“That is well thought of,” answered the other, “but to do this, we must pretend to be very kind.”

They then went to join her in the cottage, where they showed her so much false love, that Beauty could not help crying for joy.

When the week was ended, the two sisters began to pretend such grief at the thought of her leaving them, that she agreed to stay a week more: but all that time Beauty could not help fretting for the sorrow that she knew her absence would give her poor beast; for she tenderly loved him, and much wished for his company again. Among all the grand and clever people she saw, she found nobody who was half so sensible, so affectionate, so thoughtful, or so kind. The tenth night of her being at the cottage, she dreamed she was in the garden of the palace, that the beast lay dying on a grass-plot, and with his last breath put her in mind of her promise, and laid his death to her forsaking him. Beauty awoke in a great fright, and burst into tears. “Am not I wicked,” said she, “to behave so ill to a beast who has shown me so much kindness? Why will not I marry him? I am sure I should be more happy with him than my sisters are with their husbands. He shall not be wretched any longer on my account; for I should do nothing but blame myself all the rest of my life.”

She then rose, put her ring on the table, got into bed again, and soon fell asleep. In the morning she with joy found herself in the palace of the beast. She dressed herself very carefully, that she might please him the better, and thought she had never known a day pass away so slowly. At last the clock struck nine, but the beast did not come. Beauty, dreading lest she might truly have caused his death, ran from room to room, calling out, “Beast, dear beast;” but there was no answer. At last she remembered her dream, rushed to the grass-plot, and there saw him lying apparently dead beside the fountain. Forgetting all his ugliness, she threw herself upon his body, and, finding his heart still beat, she fetched some water and sprinkled it over him, weeping and sobbing the while.

The beast opened his eyes: “You forgot your promise, Beauty, and so I determined to die; for I could not live without you. I have starved myself to death, but I shall die content since I have seen your face once more.”

“No, dear beast,” cried Beauty, passionately, “you shall not die; you shall live to be my husband. I thought it was only friendship I felt for you, but now I know it was love.”

The moment Beauty had spoken these words, the palace was suddenly lighted up, and all kinds of rejoicings were heard around them, none which she noticed, but hung over her dear beast with the utmost tenderness. At last, unable to restrain herself, she dropped her head over her hands, covered her eyes, and cried for joy; and, when she looked up again, the beast was gone. In his stead she saw at her feet a handsome, graceful young prince, who thanked her with the tenderest expressions for having freed him from enchantment.

“But where is my poor beast? I only want him and nobody else,” sobbed Beauty.

“I am he,” replied the Prince. “A wicked fairy condemned me to this form, and forbade me to show that I had any wit or sense, till a beautiful lady should consent to marry me. You alone, dearest Beauty, judged me neither by my looks nor by my talents, but by my heart alone. Take it then, and all that I have besides, for all is yours.”

Beauty, full of surprise, but very happy, suffered the prince to lead her to his palace, where she found her father and sisters, who had been brought there by the fairy-lady whom she had seen in a dream the first night she came.

“Beauty,” said the fairy, “you have chosen well, and you have your reward, for a true heart is better than either good looks or clever brains. As for you, ladies,” and she turned to the two elder sisters, “I know all your ill deeds, but I have no worse punishment for you than to see your sister happy. You shall stand as statues at the door of her palace, and when you repent of and have amended your faults, you shall become women again. But, to tell you the truth, I very much fear you will remain statues for ever.”

Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots (Gustave Dore)

From “The Fairy Book” by Miss Mulock

Illustrations by Gustave Dore

A Miller, dying, divided all his property between his three children. This was a very simple matter, as he had nothing to leave but his mill, his ass, and his cat; so he made no will, and called in no lawyer, who would, probably, have taken a large slice out of these poor possessions. The eldest son took the mill, the second the ass, while the third was obliged to content himself with the cat, at which he grumbled very much. “My brothers,” said he, “by putting their property together, may gain an honest livelihood, but there is nothing left for me except to die of hunger; unless, indeed, I were to kill my cat and eat him, and make a coat out of his skin, which would be very scanty clothing.”

The cat, who heard the young man talking to himself, sat up on his four paws, and looking at him with a grave and wise air, said, “Master, I think you had better not kill me; I shall be much more useful to you alive.”
“How so?” asked his master.
“You have but to give me a sack, and a pair of boots such as gentlemen wear when they go shooting, and you will find you are not so ill off as you suppose.”

Now, though the young miller did not much depend upon the cat’s words, still he thought it rather surprising that a cat should speak at all. And he had before now seen him show so much adroitness and cleverness in catching rats and mice, that it seemed advisable to trust him a little farther, especially as, poor young fellow! he had nobody else to trust.

When the cat got his boots, he drew them on with a grand air, and slinging his sack over his shoulder, and drawing the cords of it round his neck, he marched bravely to a rabbit-warren hard by, with which he was well acquainted. Then, putting some bran and lettuces into his bag, and stretching himself out beside it as if he were dead, he waited till some fine fat young rabbit, ignorant of the wickedness and deceit of the world, should peer into the sack to eat the food that was inside. This happened very shortly, for there are plenty of foolish young rabbits in every warren; and when one of them, who really was a splendid fat fellow, put his head inside, Master Puss drew the cords immediately, and took him and killed him without mercy. Then, very proud of his prey, he marched direct up to the palace, and begged to speak with the king. He was desired to ascend to the apartments of his majesty, where, making a low bow, he said,
“Sire, here is a magnificent rabbit, killed in the warren which belongs to my lord the Marquis of Carabas, and which he has desired me to offer humbly to your majesty.”

“Tell your master,” replied the king, politely, “that I accept his present, and am very much obliged to him.”

Another time, Puss went and hid himself and his sack in a wheat-field, and there caught two splendid fat partridges in the same manner as he had done the rabbit. When he presented them to the king, with a similar message as before, his majesty was so pleased that he ordered the cat to be taken down into the kitchen and given something to eat and drink; where, while enjoying himself, the faithful animal did not cease to talk in the most cunning way of the large preserves and abundant game which belonged to my lord the Marquis of Carabas.

One day, hearing that the king was intending to take a drive along the river-side with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world, Puss said to his master, “Sir, if you would only follow my advice, your fortune is made.”

“Be it so,” said the miller’s son, who was growing very disconsolate, and cared little what he did: “Say your say, cat.”

“It is but little,” replied Puss, looking wise, as cats can. “You have only to go and bathe in the river, at a place which I shall show you, and leave all the rest to me. Only remember that you are no longer yourself, but my lord the Marquis of Carabas.”

“Just so,” said the miller’s son; “it’s all the same to me;” but he did as the cat told him.

While he was bathing, the king and all the court passed by, and were startled to hear loud cries of “Help, help! my lord the Marquis of Carabas is drowning.” The king put his head out of the carriage, and saw nobody but the cat, who had, at different times, brought him so many presents of game; however, he ordered his guards to fly quickly to the succour of my lord the Marquis of Carabas. While they were pulling the unfortunate marquis out of the water, the cat came up, bowing, to the side of the king’s carriage, and told a long and pitiful story about some thieves, who, while his master was bathing, had come and carried away all his clothes, so that it would be impossible for him to appear before his majesty and the illustrious princess.

“Oh, we will soon remedy that,” answered the king, kindly; and immediately ordered one of the first officers of the household to ride back to the palace with all speed, and bring back the most elegant supply of clothes for the young gentleman, who kept in the background until they arrived. Then, being handsome and well-made, his new clothes became him so well, that he looked as if he had been a marquis all his days, and advanced with an air of respectful ease to offer his thanks to his majesty.

The king received him courteously, and the princess admired him very much. Indeed, so charming did he appear to her, that she hinted to her father to invite him into the carriage with them, which, you may be sure, the young man did not refuse. The cat, delighted at the success of his scheme, went away as fast as he could, and ran so swiftly that he kept a long way ahead of the royal carriage. He went on and on, till he came to some peasants who were mowing in a meadow. “Good people,” said he, in a very firm voice, “the king is coming past here shortly, and if you do not say that the field you are mowing belongs to my lord the Marquis of Carabas, you shall all be chopped as small as mince-meat.”
So when the king drove by, and asked whose meadow it was where there was such a splendid crop of hay, the mowers all answered, trembling, that it belonged to my lord the Marquis of Carabas.

“You have very fine land, Marquis,” said his majesty to the miller’s son; who bowed, and answered “that it was not a bad meadow, take it altogether.”

Then the cat came to a wheat-field, where the reapers were reaping with all their might. He bounded in upon them: “The king is coming past to-day, and if you do not tell him that this wheat belongs to my lord the Marquis of Carabas, I will have you every one chopped as small as mince-meat.” The reapers, very much alarmed, did as they were bid, and the king congratulated the Marquis upon possessing such beautiful fields, laden with such an abundant harvest.

They drove on – the cat always running before and saying the same thing to everybody he met, that they were to declare the whole country belonged to his master; so that even the king was astonished at the vast estate of my lord the Marquis of Carabas.

But now the cat arrived at a great castle where dwelt an Ogre, to whom belonged all the land through which the royal equipage had been driving. He was a cruel tyrant, and his tenants and servants were terribly afraid of him, which accounted for their being so ready to say whatever they were told to say by the cat, who had taken pains to inform himself of all about the Ogre. So, putting on the boldest face he could assume, Puss marched up to the castle with his boots on, and asked to see the owner of it, saying that he was on his travels, but did not wish to pass so near the castle of such a noble gentleman without paying his respects to him. When the Ogre heard this message, he went to the door, received the cat as civilly as an Ogre can, and begged him to walk in and repose himself.

“Thank you, sir,” said the cat; “but first I hope you will satisfy a traveller’s curiosity. I have heard in far countries of your many remarkable qualities, and especially how you have the power to change yourself into any sort of beast you choose – a lion for instance, or an elephant.”
“That is quite true,” replied the Ogre; “and lest you should doubt it, I will immediately become a lion.”

He did so; and the cat was so frightened that he sprang up to the roof of the castle and hid himself in the gutter – a proceeding rather inconvenient on account of his boots, which were not exactly fitted to walk with upon tiles. At length, perceiving that the Ogre had resumed his original form, he came down again stealthily, and confessed that he had been very much frightened.

“But, sir,” said he, “it may be easy enough for such a big gentleman as you to change himself into a large animal: I do not suppose you can become a small one – a rat or mouse for instance. I have heard that you can; still, for my part, I consider it quite impossible.”
“Impossible!” cried the other, indignantly. “You shall see!” and immediately the cat saw the Ogre no longer, but a little mouse running along on the floor.
This was exactly what he wanted; and he did the very best a cat could do, and the most natural under the circumstances – he sprang upon the mouse and gobbled it up in a trice. So there was an end of the Ogre.

By this time the king had arrived opposite the castle, and was seized with a strong desire to enter it. The cat, hearing the noise of the carriage-wheels, ran forward in a great hurry, and standing at the gate, said in a loud voice, “Welcome, sire, to the castle of my lord the Marquis of Carabas.”

“What!” cried his majesty, very much surprised, “does the castle also belong to you? Truly, Marquis, you have kept your secret well up to the last minute. I have never seen anything finer than this courtyard and these battlements. Indeed, I have nothing like them in the whole of my dominions.”

The Marquis, without speaking, offered his hand to the princess to assist her to descend, and, standing aside that the king might enter first – for he had already acquired all the manners of a court – followed his majesty to the great hall, where a magnificent collation was laid out, and where, without more delay, they all sat down to feast.

Before the banquet was over, the king, charmed with the good qualities of the Marquis of Carabas – and likewise with his wine, of which he had drunk six or seven cups – said, bowing across the table at which the princess and the miller’s son were talking very confidentially together, “It rests with you, Marquis, whether you will not become my son-in-law.”

“I shall be only too happy,” said the complaisant Marquis, and the princess’s cast-down eyes declared the same.

So they were married the very next day, and took possession of the Ogre’s castle, and of everything that had belonged to him.

As for the cat, he became at once a grand personage, and had never more any need to run after mice, except for his own diversion.

Practice speaking

Read: The Diamond and the Dewdrop

The Diamond and the Dewdrop

A costly Diamond, that had once sparkled in a lady’s ring, lay in a field amid tall grasses and oxeye daisies.

Just above it, was a big Dewdrop that clung timidly to a nodding grass-blade.

Overhead, the blazing sun shone in all his noonday glory.

Ever since the first pink blush of dawn, the modest Dewdrop had gazed fixedly down upon the rich gem, but feared to address a person of such exalted consequence.

At last, a large Beetle, during his rambles, chanced to espy the Diamond, and he also recognised him to be some one of great rank and importance.

“Sire,” he said, making a low bow, “permit your humble servant to offer you greeting.”

“Tha—nks,” responded the Diamond in languid tones of affectation.

As the Beetle raised his head from his profound bow, his gaze happened to alight upon the Dewdrop.

“A relative of yours, I presume, Sire?” he remarked affably, waving one of his feelers in the direction of the Dewdrop.

The Diamond burst into a rude, contemptuous laugh.

“Quite too absurd, I declare!” he exclaimed loftily. “But there, what can you expect from a low, grovelling beetle? Away, sir, pass on! Your very presence is distasteful to me. The idea of placing ME upon the same level—in the same family, as a low-born, mean, insignificant, utterly valueless——” Here the Diamond fairly choked for breath.

“But has he not beauty exactly like your own, Sire?” the Beetle ventured to interpose, though with a very timid air.

“BEAU—TY!” flashed the Diamond, with fine disdain—”the impudent fellow merely apes and imitates ME. However, it is some small consolation to remember that ‘Imitation is the sincerest flattery.’ But, even allowing him to possess it, mere beauty without rank is ridiculous and worthless. A Boat without water—a Carriage, but no horses—a Well, but never a winch: such is beauty without rank and wealth! There is no real worth apart from rank and wealth. Combine Beauty, Rank, and Wealth, and you have the whole world at your feet. Now you know the secret of the world worshipping ME.”

And the Diamond sparkled and gleamed with vivid, violet flashes, so that the Beetle was glad to shade his eyes.

The poor Dewdrop had listened silently to all that had passed, and felt so wounded, that at last he wished he never had been born. Slowly a bright tear fell and splashed the dust.

Just then, a Skylark fluttered to the ground and eagerly darted his beak at the Diamond.

“Alas!” he piped, with a great sob of disappointment. “What I thought to be a precious dewdrop is only a worthless diamond. My throat is parched for want of water. I must die of thirst!”

“Really? The world will never get over your loss,” cruelly sneered the Diamond.

But a sudden and noble resolve came to the Dewdrop. Deeply did he repent his foolish wish. He could now lay down his life that the life of another might be saved!

“May I help you, please?” he gently asked.

The Lark raised his drooping head.

“Oh, my precious, precious friend, if you will, you can save my life!”

“Open your mouth then.”

And the Dewdrop slid from the blade of grass, tumbled into the parched beak, and was eagerly swallowed.

“Ah—well, well!” pondered the Beetle as he continued his homeward way. “I’ve been taught a lesson that I shall not easily forget. Yes, yes! Simple worth is far better than rank or wealth without modesty and unselfishness—and there is no true beauty where these virtues are absent!”

Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales

 This part of our site is dedicated solely to fairy tales; click on any of the story titles here and you and your children will find yourselves enthralled and intrigued by tales of witches, magic spells, princesses and princes, enchanted trees and much more besides. 

Many of these fairy tales for kids were written centuries ago, and yet, they still manage to engage both adults and children in a way that contemporary authors can only dream of. These are the kinds of stories which can be told over and over again, without ever becoming boring. Our collection of long and short fairy tales includes a number of world-famous stories, as well as several lesser known ones; from the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood to Rumpelstilzchen and the Enchanted Elm, to Beauty and the Beast and Lazy Jack, there’s an abundance of wonderful stories for you to choose from. 

Fairytales Although at first glance, fairy tales for kids may seem light-hearted and fantastical, they can serve as a great opportunity to teach children how to deal with problems – without even realising it, your little ones will absorb the moral lessons provided by each fairy tale, and will learn to emulate the positive actions of the characters. Each of the fairy tales found on this site encourages a positive outlook; whilst witches and other villains have to be battled with, ultimately, the hero or heroine triumphs, and all is right with the world once more. As children grow, they need to learn how to face the challenges they are presented with – reading these short fairly tales is an incredibly effective, yet gentle way to show them how their favorite characters overcame problems, and how they can do the same. 

One of the key lessons which many parents want to share with their children is to be more accepting and kind towards others; there’s no better way to do this than by reading stories such as Beauty and the Beast, in which it is shown that external appearances are not as important as what is inside. Rumpelstilzchen is another story which imparts some important wisdom; namely, that honesty is always the best policy. Likewise, Snow White and Rose Red is a fairy tale which encourages children to behave respectfully and kindly towards their parents and others, as the two girls are both considerate and compassionate throughout the story. 

Not only this, but fairy tales are wonderful for developing your child’s imagination; nothing encourages creativity and abstract thinking like a tale filled with magic, adventure, and enchantment. As your little ones listen or read along with you, they’ll be conjuring up their own images of Clever Alice, Lazy Jack or the Queen of Lantern Land. Using their imaginations like this each night before bed will spur on their inventiveness, and they may even begin to make up their very own fairy tales! Browse through our collection of fairy tales for kids and discover the bonding and fun that reading them before bed can bring to your family’s evening routine.

quotes # 13

" Waiting dog"

4 ตุลาคม  2559    Practice reading

It is sad :(

There are few words I read incorrectly!

 

1 ตุลาคม 2559 นิทานก่อนนอน อ่านผิดหลายคำ Practice reading "Bed time story"

Cat and Mouse in Partnership

By the Grimm Brothers

A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. ’But we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger,’ said the cat; ’and you, little mouse, cannot venture everywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.’

The good advice was followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know where to put it. At length, after much consideration, the cat said: ’I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church, for no one dares take anything away from there. We will set it beneath the altar, and not touch it until we are really in need of it.’ So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: ’I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the font at the christening. Let me go out today, and you look after the house by yourself.’ ’Yes, yes,’ answered the mouse, ’by all means go, and if you get anything very good to eat, think of me. I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself.’ All this, however, was untrue; the cat had no cousin and had not been asked to be godmother. She went straight to the church, stole to the pot of fat, began to lick at it, and licked the top of the fat off. Then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then stretched herself in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat, and not until it was evening did she return home. ’Well, here you are again,’ said the mouse, ’no doubt you have had a merry day.’ ’All went off well,’ answered the cat. ’What name did they give the child?’ ’Top off!’ said the cat quite coolly. ’Top off!’ cried the mouse, ’that is a very odd and uncommon name, is it a usual one in your family?’ ’What does that matter,’ said the cat, ’it is no worse than Crumb-stealer, as your godchildren are called.’

Before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning. She said to the mouse: ’You must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for a day alone. I am again asked to be godmother, and, as the child has a white ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.’ The good mouse consented, but the cat crept behind the town walls to the church and devoured half the pot of fat. ’Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to oneself,’ said she, and was quite satisfied with her day’s work. When she went home the mouse inquired: ’And what was the child christened?’ ’Half-done,’ answered the cat. ’Half-done! What are you saying? I never heard the name in my life, I’ll wager anything it is not in the calendar!’ The cat’s mouth soon began to water for some more licking. ’All good things go in threes,’ said she, ’I am asked to stand godmother again. The child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that exception, it has not a single white hair on its whole body; this only happens once every few years, you will let me go, won’t you?’ ’Top- off! Half-done!’ answered the mouse, ’they are such odd names, they make me very thoughtful.’ ’You sit at home,’ said the cat, ’in your dark-grey fur coat and long tail, and are filled with fancies, that’s because you do not go out in the daytime.’ During the cat’s absence the mouse cleaned the house and put it in order, but the greedy cat entirely emptied the pot of fat. ’When everything is eaten up one has some peace,’ said she to herself, and well filled and fat she did not return home till night. The mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child. ’It will not please you more than the others,’ said the cat. ’He is called All-gone.’ ’All-gone,’ cried the mouse ’that is the most suspicious name of all! I have never seen it in print. All-gone; what can that mean?’ and she shook her head, curled herself up, and lay down to sleep.

From this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother, but when the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside, the mouse thought of their provision, and said: ’Come, cat, we will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves–we shall enjoy that.’ ’Yes,’ answered the cat, ’you will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window.’ They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of fat certainly was still in its place, but it was empty. ’Alas!’ said the mouse, ’now I see what has happened, now it comes to light! You a true friend! You have devoured all when you were standing godmother. First, top off, then half-done, then–’ ’Will you hold your tongue,’ cried the cat, ’one word more, and I will eat you too.’ ’All-gone’ was already on the poor mouse’s lips; scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her, seized her, and swallowed her down. Verily, that is the way of the world.