As she walked slowly up
the richly-carpeted staircase, there was a murmur of admiration, and
the King's son hastened to meet her. "Never," said he to himself,
"have I seen anyone so lovely!" He led her into the ball-room, where
the King, who was much taken with her sweet face and pretty, modest
manners, whispered to the Queen that she must surely be a foreign
Princess.
The evening passed away in a dream of delight, Cinderella dancing with
no one but the handsome young Prince, and being waited on by his own
hands at supper-time. The two sisters could not recognize their ragged
little sister in the beautiful and graceful lady to whom the Prince
paid so much attention, and felt quite pleased and flattered when she
addressed a few words to them.
Presently a clock chimed the three quarters past eleven, and,
remembering her Godmother's warning, Cinderella at once took leave of
the Prince, and, jumping into her coach, was driven rapidly home. Here
she found her Godmother waiting to hear all about the ball. "It was
_lovely_," said Cinderella; "and oh! Godmother, there is to be another
to-morrow night, and I _should_ so much like to go to it!"
"Then you shall," replied the kind fairy, and, kissing her godchild
tenderly, she vanished.
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