home and carry back a large jug filled to

the brim.
THERE was once awidow who had One day when she had just filled the
two daughters. The elder was s«/ hke jug at this spring, a poor old woman came
her mother, in face and disposition, chat up to her and asked the girl to give her
to have seen one was to have seen the some water to drink.
other. They were both so disagreeable "With all my heart," replied the lovely
that was impossible to live with them.
it girl. Glad to show a kindness to one who
The younger, who was the exact image was old and weak, she held the jug while
of her dead father, was as beautiful a gi the woman quenched her thirst.
as one could see, and she was as kind an a Now, the old woman was not really a
sweet-natured as she was pretty. trembling old peasant, as she appeared to
The widow doted on the daughter who be, but a fairy who rewarded good deeds.
was so like herself, but had no love for the "Your face is pretty and your heart is

other, whom she compelled to work hard gentle," said she. "For your kindness to a
allday and to live on what her elder sister poor old woman, I will make you a gift.

had left over. With every word you speak, either a

Among her other hard tasks, the poor flower or a precious stone will fall from
girl was forced to go twice a day to fetch your mouth."
water from a place more than a mile from The girl had no sooner reached home
147
than her mother began scolding her for chon," she said. "See what falls from your
coming back so late. "I am sorry, sister's mouth when she speaks! Wouldn't
Mother," she said gently, "that I was you hke to receive such a gift, too? All
you have to do is to go and fetch water
'^V. from the spring and if an old woman asks
/^tfes^
^<i-.- you for some to drink, give it to her
nicely and politely."
"I'd like to see myself going to the
spring," answered the girl crossly.
on your going," the mother
"I insist
went "and at once!"
on,
The elder girl went off, still grumbling
and sullen, taking with her the hand-
somest silver tankard she could find.
She had no sooner arrived at the spring
than she saw a handsomely dressed lady
walking towards her from the wood. She
asked for some water to drink.
It was the same fairy who had appeared
to the sister, but she had now put on the
airs and garments of a princess, in order
to see how far her rudeness would go.
"Do you think I came here just to draw
away so long," and as she spoke, there ^^'ater you?" answered the unman-
for
dropped from her mouth six roses, two nerly girl. "But if you want some take
and two large diamonds.
pearls, the pitcher and help yourself. I'd have
"What is this I see!" exclaimed the you know I am as good as you are!"
astonished widow. "Pearls and diamonds "You are scarcely polite," said the
seem to be dropping from your mouth! fairy, without losing her temper, "and to
How is this, my daughter?" It was the equal your discourtesy and ill-breeding, I

first time she had called her daughter. will make you a gift. \Vith every word
The poor girl was so happy to be called you speak, a snake or a toad shall fall from
daughter by her mother that she eagerly your mouth."
related her experience with the old The girl ran home to her mother, who
woman at the spring, and while she spoke, met her at the door. "Well, daughter,"
precious stones and roses continued to she said, impatient to hear her speak.
drop from her lips. "Well, my mother!" replied the ill-
The widow immediately called her tempered girl, spitting out as she spoke
favorite daughter to her. "Look, Fan- two snakes and a toad.

48
 "Alas!" cried the horrified mother. diamonds and roses kept dripping from
"This is the fault of your wretched her lips. Enraptured, he took her to the
sister.'-' She ran toward the poor younger King, who gave his consent to their im-
daughter intending to beat her. The un- mediate marriage.
happy girl fled from the house to a neigh- As for her sister, she made herself so

boring forest to escape the cruel blows,
and threw herself upon the green
weeping bitterly.
The King's son, who was returning
from a hunting trip, found her, and seeing
hateful and disagreeable that even her
grass, o\\n mother turned against her and drove
her from the house. The miserable girl,
after finding that no one would take her
in, crept into the woods and died.

how beautiful she was, asked her what she

was doing there all alone, and why she
was crying.
"My mother has driven me to run
away from home," she told him sadly.
The girl was so lovely that the King's
son fell in love with her at once, and
begged her to tell him more. She then re-
lated the whole story, while pearls and

149
 The Selfish Giant
By Oscar Wilde

EVERY afternoon, as they were coming

from school, the children used to go
and play in the Giant's garden.
It was a large, lovely garden, with soft
green grass. Here and there over the grass

stood beautiful flower-Hke stars; and there

were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-
time broke out into delicate blossoms of
pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore
rich fruit. Th-e birds sat on the trees and
sang so sweetly that the children used to
stop their games in order to listen to them.
"How happy we are here!" they cried to
each other.
One day the Giant came back. He had
been to visit his friend the Cornish Ogre,
and had stayed with him for seven years.
After the seven years were over he had
said all he had to say, and he determined
to return to his own castle. When he
arrived, he saw the children playing in

the garden.
"What are you doing there?" he cried
gruffly, and the children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden,"
said the Giant. "I will allow nobody to
play in it but mvself." So he built a high
wall all around it, and put up a notice:

TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED

He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children now had nowhere
to play. They tried the road, but the road

150
was dusty and full of stones. They used summer. The autumn gave golden fruit to

to wander round the high wall when their every garden, but to the Giant's garden
lessons were over, and talk about the she gave none. So it was always winter

beautiful garden inside. "How happy we there,and the north wind, and the hail,
were there," they said to one another. and the frost, and the snow danced about
Then the spring came, and all over the through the trees,
country there were little blossoms and One morning the Giant was lying
little birds. Only in the garden of the awake in bed when he heard some lovely
selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds music. sounded so sweet to his ears that
It

did not care to sing in it, as there were he thought it must be the King's musi-
no children; and the trees forgot to bios- cians passing by. It was really only a little
som. Once a beautiful flower put its head linnet singing outside his window, but it

out from the grass, but when it saw the was so long since he had heard a bird sing
notice board was so sorry for the chil-
it in his garden that it seemed to him to be
dren that it ground
slipped back into the the most beautiful music in the world,
again, and went off to sleep. "Spring has Then the hail stopped dancing over his
forgotten this garden," cried the snow and head, and the north wind ceased roaring,
the frost, "so we will live here all year." and a delicious perfume came to him
The snow covered up the grass with through the open casement,
her great white cloak, and the frost "I believe the spring has come at last,"
painted all the trees silver. Then they in- said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed
vited theNorth Wind to stay with them, and looked out.
and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and He saw a most wonderful sight.
he roared day about the garden, and Through a little hole in the wall the chil-
all

blew the chimney-pots down. dren had crept in and they were sitting in
"This is a delightful spot," he said, "we the branches of trees. And the trees were
must ask the hail on a visit." so glad to have the children back again
So the hail came. Every day for three that they had covered themselves with
hours he rattled on the roof of the castle blossoms and were waving their arms
till he broke most of the slates, and then gently above the children's heads. The
he ran round the garden as fast as he could birds were flying about and twittering
go. He was dressed in gray, and his breath with delight, and the flowers were look-
was like ice. ing up through the grass and laughing.
"I cannot understand why the spring It was a lovely scene; only in one cor-

is so late in coming," said the selfish Giant, ner it was still winter. It was the farthest
as he sat at the window and looked out corner of the garden, and in it was stand-
at his cold white garden; "I hope there ing a little boy. He was so small that he
will be a change in the weather." could not reach up to the branches of the
But the spring never came, nor the tree, and he was wandering all around it,
151
crv'ing bitterly. The poor tree was still All day long they played, and in the
quite covered with frost and snow, and evening they came to the Giant to bid
the north wind was blowing and roaring him good-by.
above it. "Climb up, little boy," said the "But where is your little companion,"
tree, and it bent its branches down as low he said, boy I put
"the into the tree?"
as it could; but the boy was too tiny. The Giant loved him the best because he
The Giant's heart melted as he looked had kissed him.
out. "How selfish I have been!" he said; "We don't know," answered the chil-
"now I know why the spring would not dren. "He has gone away."
come here. I will put that poor little boy "You must tell him to be sure and come
on the top of the tree, and then I will here tomorrow," said the Giant. But the
knock down the wall, and my garden children said they did not know where he
shall be the children's playground for ever lived and had never seen him before; and
and ever." He was really very sorry for the Giant felt very sad.
what he had done. Every afternoon, when school was
So he crept downstairs and opened the over, the childrencame and played with
front door quite softly, and went out into the Giant. But the little boy whom the
the garden. But when the children saw Giant loved stayed away. The Giant was
him they all ran away. Only the little boy very kind to all the children, yet he
did not run, for his eyes were so full of longed for his first little friend, and often
tears that he did not see the Giant coming. spoke of him.
And the Giant stole up behind him and Years went by, and the Giant grew
took hin^ gently and put him
in his hand, very old and feeble. He could not play
up into the tree. And the tree broke at about any more, so he sat in a huge arm-

once into blossom, and the birds came chair, and watched the children at their
and sang on it, and the little boy stretched games, and admired his garden. "I have
out his two arms and flung them round many beautiful flowers," he said, "but the
the Giant's neck, and kissed him. children are the most beautiful of all."

The other children, when they saw One winter morning he looked out of
that the Giant was not wicked any longer, his window as he was dressing. He did
came running back, and with them came not hate the winter now, for he knew
the spring. that was merely the spring asleep, and
it

"It your garden now, little children,"

is that the pretty flowerswere resting.
said the Giant, and he took a great ax and Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder,
knocked down the \\'all. And when the and looked and looked. It certainly was
people went to market at twelve o'clock a marvelous sight. In the farthest corner
they found the Giant playing with the of the garden was a tree covered with
children in the most beautiful garden lovely white blossoms. Its branches were
they had ever seen. all golden, and silver fruit hung from

152