IV.
THE BEAUTY IN THE MIST.
There lived far away to the westward a king and queen, who had sevendaughters. Six of them were the most charming princesses in the world,but the seventh and youngest was so very plain, that her friends wereashamed of her, and kept her always out of sight. The poor thing, incomparison with her beautiful sisters, seemed almost hideous, which shereally was not. However, her skin was red and very coarse, her largegray eyes were lustreless and dull, and there was no such thing astraining her harsh black hair in curls, or parting it smoothly on herforehead. Kluma, for that was her name, would not have cared so much forher lack of beauty, if it had not been the cause of her sister’streating her very ill; and it really was hard that they would not evenallow her to play with them, when by themselves, or to remain in theircompany, because she did not look as well as they--a misfortune that wasnone of her fault, and which she would have been far more rejoiced thanthey to have remedied, if she could have done so. Her father and mother,too, were so affected by her want of beauty, in their feelings andconduct toward her, as to be cold and neglectful of _her_ who neverdisobeyed their commands, and who was ever ready to do a kindness tothem, or to the sisters, who so heartily despised her; but the king andqueen were weak and silly people, who thought of little else than makinga show in the world, and above all things they desired that theirdaughters might make splendid matches, and gain by their good looks,husbands among the wealthy princes of the neighboring states, and thusincrease their own power and importance, as well as establish theirchildren according to their liking. As Kluma grew older, she madeherself friends of the inferiors in her father’s palace, by beinggenerous and forbearing toward them. The very animals loved her, andshe spent her life happily enough, when she was not in the way of herparents and sisters, who never thought of her, except as of a vexationthat they could not well rid themselves of, so would try to keep her outof their minds as much as possible.
Once, as the older sisters were all at play in the park, and Kluma washidden among the bushes, as usual, looking at them, a little old lady,very meanly dressed, came by that way. She was ill-formed, and so lame,she was forced to go upon crutches. She came hobbling along up the path,and stumbling, dropped first one crutch, then the other. One of theprincesses darted forward, and caught up the crutches, which the poorold thing supposed she was going to present to her; but instead, theill-mannered child ran off with them, and began mimicking the old lady,by limping and hobbling around, to the great amusement of the othersisters, who followed her, shrieking with laughter, over a hill, out ofsight. The old woman called after them in piteous tones, but they heededher not in the least, only mocking her cry; when Kluma, stealing forthfrom her hiding-place, and coming to her, said, “Do not cry; I will findyour crutches for you;” and before the old woman could speak, dartedoff, soon returning with the crutches in her hand, having found themjust beyond the hill, where her unfeeling sister had tossed them. Klumathen assisted the old woman to rise and walk; the poor creature all thewhile thanking her; and when they reached the road together, and Klumawas going back, she turned and said, “Little lady, although you are nothandsome, you are very good; I shall never forget your kindness to methis day, and though I now look so poor, I may yet be able to do you agreat service, in return for the good you have done me. Remember.”
She then went on, leaving poor Kluma half laughing at the thought ofsuch a miserable old woman as that ever having it in her power tobenefit a king’s daughter. As Kluma grew older, her sisters’ill-treatment of her became more marked; they made her perform the mostmenial offices for them, and then ridiculed her awkwardness and herblunders, not heeding the pains that she took to please them. One afteranother they were sought in marriage by grand princes, and left theirfather’s kingdom for that of their husbands, till at last five of themhad gone, and only one, the next older than Kluma, named Cerulia, themost beautiful of all, was left at home. This did not render Kluma’sposition any the less trying. Cerulia was the most lovely, it is true,but also the most ill-natured and exacting of the sisters, and being somuch by herself, she had no other means of passing away her leisure thanby plaguing and tormenting poor Kluma almost out of her life; so that,at the last (and no wonder,) Kluma’s patience was so severely tried,that she sometimes retorted in anger, and became in danger of adding adisagreeable temper to a forbidding countenance.
As the parents of Kluma had married their five eldest daughters so muchto their satisfaction, and had no hope of being able to dispose of Klumaat all, they determined that their sixth and last marriageable daughter,the Princess Cerulia, as she surpassed the rest in the elegance of herperson, should as far outshine them in the magnificence of hersettlement. Therefore, they refused the offers made by persons of wealthand high station near home, and the father himself commissioned one ofhis ministers to go to a country far to the east, where dwelt an opulentking called Hayda, who had an only son, Prince Talyon, who was heir tothe finest kingdom in the world, and to make proposals to the king, tothe effect that his son, Prince Talyon, should wed the Princess Cerulia.He went, and returned in due time, bringing the consent of King Hayda,and wonderful accounts of his riches, and of the generosity of the youngPrince.
One night, shortly after this, a fearful storm arose. The castle stoodon an eminence, commanding a view of the sea, and amid the lightningsand tempest, a ship was seen tossing to and fro, till at last it wasdashed in pieces on the rocks. Then the shrieks and cries of the victimswere most terrible. Kluma could not endure the sight, but ran with acrowd of domestics to the strand, where the dead bodies were constantlybeing washed on shore. Among the rest was a youth meanly clad, but of anoble form and countenance, who seemed to Kluma to show still some signsof life. She caused the men, therefore, to bear him to the castle, wherethey tried to restore him to consciousness. The domestics took off hiswet garments, and wrapped him in warm dry flannels, and after a longtime he breathed once more, and was able presently to take food, andeven to walk about; but he could see nothing, a blindness having fallenupon him. The whole charge of nursing him devolved upon Kluma and herservants, for, as he was found in such mean attire, her parents thoughthim a person of low degree, and therefore cared little what became ofhim; and as they cared as little for Kluma and her occupation, she wasleft to spend her time with the stranger, to whom she became muchattached; and as he could not see, she used to lead him about the parksand grounds for air. He seemed to be very much pleased with her, andnever liked her to be away from him.
One day, while walking about, she encountered the minister who had beensent with the commission to the kingdom of Hayda. How great was hisastonishment at recognizing in the poor blind youth that Kluma wasleading about, the rich Prince Talyon! He went directly and reported hisdiscovery to the King and Queen, who were taken by surprise, and wereperfectly shocked to think that he had been so neglected by all butKluma. But they determined now to make amends. Immediately a magnificentpalace was prepared for him, costly robes put upon him, and servantskept constantly in waiting. As for Kluma, she was sent out of the way,although he was ever asking for her, and supposed that she was thePrincess to whom he was betrothed, not knowing that the King had anotherdaughter. He presently confessed his rank, and that he came in disguiseto see for himself his future bride. Being in the hands of a skillfulphysician, his sight was soon restored, and when he asked to see her whohad saved his life, and who had nursed him so long and faithfully, theybrought before him the Princess Cerulia. He was charmed when he firstcast his eyes upon her beauty, but when she spoke to him, the smile ofjoy left his lips, and he prayed of them not to deceive him; and whenthey still strove to convince him that it was she, he cried, “Would thatI might be again blind, if her voice would have the music that it had inmy past hours of darkness!”
Poor Kluma was very much grieved when she learned who the youth reallywas, that she had been the means of restoring to life, and though sheknew of his asking for her, she never once thought of presenting herselfto hi
m, for she was sure he only needed to see her coarse features, todespise and hate her. Nevertheless she could not keep herself fromthinking of him, and every day saw her sadder, and more troubled, tillat last, more miserable than ever, she wandered far away from home, andsat herself down to bewail her sad lot. While she was weeping, she hearda step beside her, and a rustling, and on looking up, saw a little lady,dressed in a robe of spangled silk, all glittering with diamonds. Klumacould not at first remember, that she had seen her before, but shespoke and said, “Young Princess, why do you weep; have you forgotten thepoor old lady to whom, years ago, you restored the crutches, that yournaughty sisters willfully threw away from her? She then told you thatperhaps one day it would be in her power to requite you; she hasremembered it if you have not; and now tell me, for I am the sameperson, what you need, and why you weep so bitterly? and I, who am anenchantress of great power, can perhaps fulfill your wishes.”
“Oh!” said Kluma eagerly, “can you take away this red skin, thesecolorless eyes, this coarse black hair, and give me instead fairness,like my sisters?”
“I fear not,” said the Enchantress.
“Then,” said Kluma, “all that you can do for me will be in vain; I shallyet be hated for my ugliness,” and wept more bitterly than ever.
But the Enchantress was so anxious to console poor Kluma, that she kepton urging her, till Kluma finally told her everything about her sisters’ill-treatment, of the young prince that she had saved, and of her greatattachment to him, and of her grief on learning who he was; also, thatshe had been forbidden to see him, or to speak to him, and that ifpermitted, she never should dare to do so, for fear that he would scornher.
The Enchantress mused for a while, then suddenly recollecting herself,drew from her bosom a small box, formed of diamonds, which she held upbefore Kluma, while she said, “I think I can dispel your grief, though Icannot change your countenance. In this box there is a mist, formed ofthe purest dew by morning’s earliest beam; it is so light andtransparent that it can scarce be seen, and yet it forms a medium ofsuch intensity and power, the very ugliest features seen through itbecome softened and harmonized. But listen! only around the face andform of the most patient and amiable, can it be held; the very slightestbreath of anger, or malicious passion, will blow it away, never more toreturn.” So saying, she opened the box, and out flew a light cloud, thatfloated over the countenance and form of Kluma, and the Enchantressholding up a mirror before her, revealed to her her face, shiningresplendent through the diamond fleece. She saw the mild light beamingfrom her eyes, the lips around which played a heavenly smile, and thehair, meekly parted from the brow, “pure as an angel’s.” Kluma wasalmost transported, and turned to thank the Enchantress, for so longremembering, and so generously rewarding, a simple act of kindness. Thelittle lady smiled on her, and said, “Go back to your home, but do notforget the conditions on which you keep your charms. Be patient andobedient, and all will yet prosper with you.” And before Kluma couldthank her again, she vanished.
Kluma reached her home at night, where she was told that her parents hadgiven their commands that she should remain constantly in her room, andnever expose herself to the risk of being seen by the Prince, who was asyet ignorant of her assistance. This was sad news to poor Kluma, and shebegan to despair of ever seeing the Prince again, as now matters were inprogress for the marriage, which was soon to be celebrated between hersister and the prince, and they would probably depart ere she would bereleased. But she made no resistance, only followed the attendant whowas instructed to lead her to imprisonment. As she passed through thehall, the servants were struck with wonder at the amazing change whichhad taken place in Kluma, and that she had become the most beautiful ofthe princesses. Day by day, as they attended her, they became accustomedto the change, and spoke of her among themselves, as if she had alwaysbeen, as now, pre-eminent.
All this long time, for a month at least, Kluma had not seen her parentsand sister (who only wished her to keep out of sight, and beyond this,cared very little what became of her), nor even had she caught a passingglimpse of the Prince, from whom they concealed all knowledge of herexistence. The pains they took to accomplish their wishes, in thisrespect, was the very cause of bringing Kluma to his notice. One of theservants, in waiting on him, who, like all the rest, was attached toKluma, and indignant at her being deprived of her liberty, let fallsome hints one day that awakened the curiosity of the Prince, about thebeautiful daughter of the King, who was confined in the palace, and,being urged, told the whole story of her wrongs, that it was Kluma andnot Cerulia who had saved his life, and whose voice he so loved to hear.The Prince, enraged at the deceit that had been practised upon him,immediately sent for the King and Queen, and demanded that they shouldproduce their other daughter, who was a prisoner in the palace, or hewould leave their kingdom at once, and return home alone. They were verymuch alarmed, and tried to appease his wrath, by making a confession ofthe fraud that they had practised on him, but represented that it was onaccount of the perfect hideousness of Kluma, and that she was not evenfit to be presented to him; but, as they had already deceived him, andthe servant had expatiated largely on her great attractions, hepersisted in his desire to see her. The Princess Cerulia, in a rage atthe implied slight to herself, and thinking to mortify the Prince andKluma at the same time, proposed that she should be sent for, and theKing, thinking it the best mode of ending this importunity of thePrince, and of convincing him of the truth, consented to its being done.She was accordingly conducted, trembling and agitated, into theirpresence. The Princess Cerulia haughtily and triumphantly turned hereyes, first upon the Prince, then upon Kluma, when lo! she stood glowingbefore them, in unsurpassed loveliness. The King and Queen were no lessamazed, not knowing how this wonderful change had been wrought. As forthe Prince, he needed no second look to know that to this Princess hisheart should be given. He thanked her for his life, which she had savedto him, and when she answered he knew the voice he had so longed to hearagain. The King, seeing that there was still a hope of his claiming thePrince for his son-in-law, came forward, and tendered the hand of Kluma,which the Prince graciously accepted, as by this time he was completelycaptivated.
Words cannot describe the rage of the Princess Cerulia when she sawKluma thus openly preferred to herself, and her mortification knew nobounds, when, after an imposing pageant, and bridal ceremony (at whichshe was forced to appear as chief bridesmaid), she saw Kluma depart, asthe bride of the Prince Talyon, to the kingdom of his father, to whichhe was heir, and where they lived in happiness many long years; andKluma still grew more lovely in the eyes of her husband, for the mistwas never dissipated as long as she lived, by the rude breath of angeror malice.