Pagina 335 di 626

Then Ashputtel brought the dish to her mother, overjoyed at the

thought that now she should go to the ball. But the mother said,

'No, no! you slut, you have no clothes, and cannot dance; you

shall not go.' And when Ashputtel begged very hard to go, she

said, 'If you can in one hour's time pick two of those dishes of

peas out of the ashes, you shall go too.' And thus she thought

she should at least get rid of her. So she shook two dishes of

peas into the ashes.

But the little maiden went out into the garden at the back of the

house, and cried out as before:

'Hither, hither, through the sky, Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!

Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay, Hither, hither, haste away!

One and all come help me, quick! Haste ye, haste ye!--pick, pick,

pick!'