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7

Archivio, ii, pp. 54-58. (A Cinderella Story from Camerino, by Caterina Pigorini-Beri.)

"LA CENERENTOLA."

ABSTRACT

Ill-treated heroine (by mother)--Hearth abode--Gifts from father: heroine chooses gold tree, gold pot, gold spade; plants and tends tree which gives Magic dresses--Meeting-place (ball)--Three-fold flight--Trap--Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--When prince returns to fetch bride, mother has hidden heroine in tub and dressed sister in her rags--Animal witness (cock)--Prince puts sister in tub and rides off with heroine--Happy marriage-- Mother boils sister by mistake: props up corpse on stairs. Father returns; getting no answer from corpse, knocks it downstairs.

TABULATION

(1) A rich merchant and his wife have two daughters one they love much and call their lovely daughter, the other they love but little, and call the ugly Cinderella, because she is always made to stay by the fire.-- (2) When he goes from home the merchant asks what present he shall bring daughters. The elder always chooses fine clothes, such as never were seen before; Cinderella pretends always not to want anything. But just as father is starting she runs after him, so that mother and sister shall not know, and one day asks him for a golden apple tree; another time for a little gold pot, and on a third occasion for a little gold spade. Site plants the gold tree where mother and sister shall not see it.-- (3) It is carnival time, and there is a ball at king's palace, to which mother and sister are invited. Sister taunts heroine, and says she must stay by the hearth while they go to ball. She goes in one f her fine dresses, and then Cinderella runs to apple tree, and says--

"Little golden apple-tree,
With my vase of gold have I watered thee,
With my spade of gold have I digged thy mould.
Give me your lovely clothes I pray,
And take my ugly rags away."

So she gets a beautiful dress and goes to the ball. Prince falls in love with her, but cannot learn who she is nor whence she comes. She escapes without anyone seeing. Sister returns and tells her of lovely stranger.-- (4) All happens the same a second time. Prince sets guards at the door, and not knowing how to escape, heroine pretends she has lost one of the gold rings with which her dress is trimmed. Whilst everyone is searching for it she slips away.-- (5) Prince sets a trap for her at third ball, and when she is escaping, one of her shoes remains behind.-- (6) Prince will wed whomsoever shoe fits. He comes after a time to merchant's house. Sister cannot wear shoe; seeing Cinderella prince says, "Let that girl come and try." Mother says no, she is ashamed of her. Prince insists, and the shoe fits her. Prince says he will return for her when he has told his father, and make her his bride. -- (7) Then mother undresses Cinderella and puts her in a tub, and dresses other daughter in her clothes. She makes a big fire meaning to boil tub. Prince returns and recognises that it is not Cinderella, and asks, "Where is she who is to be my bride?" Sister says it is herself, but cock flies on to the tub, singing--

"Cock-a-doodle-doo,
Cinderella it is who wore the shoe,
Look under the tub if you would see her,
Listen to me if you would free her."

Sister tries to drive cock away. Prince asks what is the matter, and cock begins crowing again. Prince says he means to listen, and cock points him to the tub.-- (8) He takes out Cinderella and puts in sister; then rides off with his bride.-- (9) Mother comes in and makes water boil ready for tub, and sings--

My lovely daughter will be his bride,
She journeys away at the prince's side.
In the tub my ugly daughter,
Is done to death in boiling water."

Girl calls out from the tub, but mother will not heed, and goes on singing. When the boiling is over she finds her mistake, and fears to meet her husband.-- (10) So at night-fall she props up the corpse on the landing at the head of the stairs, lights the lamp, and then goes off. Husband returns and says to corpse, "Where's your mother?" Getting no answer he asks again, and, angered by her silence, he gives body a blow, which knocks it downstairs. So mother escapes blame.

Cox, Marian Roalfe. Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap O' Rushes, abstracted and tabulated. London: David Nutt for the Folklore Society, 1893.

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