The Little Green Frog

: The Yellow Fairy Book

Cabinet des Fees.



In a part of the world whose name I forget lived once upon a time

two kings, called Peridor and Diamantino. They were cousins as

well as neighbours, and both were under the protection of the

fairies; though it is only fair to say that the fairies did not

love them half so well as their wives did.



Now it often happens that as princes can generally manage to get

their own way it is harder for them to be good than it is for

common people. So it was with Peridor and Diamantino; but of the

two, the fairies declared that Diamantino was much the worst;

indeed, he behaved so badly to his wife Aglantino, that the

fairies would not allow him to live any longer; and he died,

leaving behind him a little daughter. As she was an only child,

of course this little girl was the heiress of the kingdom, but,

being still only a baby, her mother, the widow of Diamantino, was

proclaimed regent. The Queen-dowager was wise and good, and

tried her best to make her people happy. The only thing she had

to vex her was the absence of her daughter; for the fairies, for

reasons of their own, determined to bring up the little Princess

Serpentine among themselves.



As to the other King, he was really fond of his wife, Queen

Constance, but he often grieved her by his thoughtless ways, and

in order to punish him for his carelessness, the fairies caused

her to die quite suddenly. When she was gone the King felt how

much he had loved her, and his grief was so great (though he

never neglected his duties) that his subjects called him Peridor

the Sorrowful. It seems hardly possible that any man should live

like Peridor for fifteen years plunged in such depth of grief,

and most likely he would have died too if it had not been for the

fairies.



The one comfort the poor King had was his son, Prince Saphir, who

was only three years old at the time of his mother's death, and

great care was given to his education. By the time he was

fifteen Saphir had learnt everything that a prince should know,

and he was, besides, charming and agreeable.



It was about this time that the fairies suddenly took fright lest

his love for his father should interfere with the plans they had

made for the young prince. So, to prevent this, they placed in a

pretty little room of which Saphir was very fond a little mirror

in a black frame, such as were often brought from Venice. The

Prince did not notice for some days that there was anything new

in the room, but at last he perceived it, and went up to look at

it more closely. What was his surprise to see reflected in the

mirror, not his own face, but that of a young girl as lovely as

the morning! And, better still, every movement of the girl, just

growing out of childhood, was also reflected in the wonderful

glass.



As might have been expected, the young Prince lost his heart

completely to the beautiful image, and it was impossible to get

him out of the room, so busy was he in watching the lovely

unknown. Certainly it was very delightful to be able to see her

whom he loved at any moment he chose, but his spirits sometimes

sank when he wondered what was to be the end of this adventure.



The magic mirror had been for about a year in the Prince's

possession, when one day a new subject of disquiet seized upon

him. As usual, he was engaged in looking at the girl, when

suddenly he thought he saw a second mirror reflected in the

first, exactly like his own, and with the same power. And in

this he was perfectly right. The young girl had only possessed

it for a short time, and neglected all her duties for the sake of

the mirror. Now it was not difficult for Saphir to guess the

reason of the change in her, nor why the new mirror was consulted

so often; but try as he would he could never see the face of the

person who was reflected in it, for the young girl's figure

always came between. All he knew was that the face was that of a

man, and this was quite enough to make him madly jealous. This

was the doing of the fairies, and we must suppose that they had

their reasons for acting as they did.



When these things happened Saphir was about eighteen years old,

and fifteen years had passed away since the death of his mother.

King Peridor had grown more and more unhappy as time went on, and

at last he fell so ill that it seemed as if his days were

numbered. He was so much beloved by his subjects that this sad

news was heard with despair by the nation, and more than all by

the Prince.



During his whole illness the King never spoke of anything but the

Queen, his sorrow at having grieved her, and his hope of one day

seeing her again. All the doctors and all the water-cures in the

kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good. At

last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where

no one came to trouble him.



Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his

chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe. So he

commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he

might get more air. One day, when he had been left alone for a

few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered

round the window, and finally rested on the sill. His feathers

were sky-blue and gold, his feet and his beak of such glittering

rubies that no one could bear to look at them, his eyes made the

brightest diamonds look dull, and on his head he wore a crown. I

cannot tell you what the crown was made of, but I am quite

certain that it was still more splendid than all the rest. As to

his voice I can say nothing about that, for the bird never sang

at all. In fact, he did nothing but gaze steadily at the King,

and as he gazed, the King felt his strength come back to him. In

a little while the bird flew into the room, still with his eyes

fixed on the King, and at every glance the strength of the sick

man became greater, till he was once more as well as he used to

be before the Queen died. Filled with joy at his cure, he tried

to seize the bird to whom he owed it all, but, swifter than a

swallow, it managed to avoid him. In vain he described the bird

to his attendants, who rushed at his first call; in vain they

sought the wonderful creature both on horse and foot, and

summoned the fowlers to their aid: the bird could nowhere be

found. The love the people bore King Peridor was so strong, and

the reward he promised was so large, that in the twinkling of an

eye every man, woman, and child had fled into the fields, and the

towns were quite empty.



All this bustle, however, ended in nothing but confusion, and,

what was worse, the King soon fell back into the same condition

as he was in before. Prince Saphir, who loved his father very

dearly, was so unhappy at this that he persuaded himself that he

might succeed where the others had failed, and at once prepared

himself for a more distant search. In spite of the opposition he

met with, he rode away, followed by his household, trusting to

chance to help him. He had formed no plan, and there was no

reason that he should choose one path more than another. His

only idea was to make straight for those spots which were the

favourite haunts of birds. But in vain he examined all the

hedges and all the thickets; in vain he questioned everyone he

met along the road. The more he sought the less he found.



At last he came to one of the largest forests in all the world,

composed entirely of cedars. But in spite of the deep shadows

cast by the wide-spreading branches of the trees, the grass

underneath was soft and green, and covered with the rarest

flowers. It seemed to Saphir that this was exactly the place

where the birds would choose to live, and he determined not to

quit the wood until he had examined it from end to end. And he

did more. He ordered some nets to be prepared and painted of the

same colours as the bird's plumage, thinking that we are all

easily caught by what is like ourselves. In this he had to help

him not only the fowlers by profession, but also his attendants,

who excelled in this art. For a man is not a courtier unless he

can do everything.



After searching as usual for nearly a whole day Prince Saphir

began to feel overcome with thirst. He was too tired to go any

farther, when happily he discovered a little way off a bubbling

fountain of the clearest water. Being an experienced traveller,

he drew from his pocket a little cup (without which no one should

ever take a journey), and was just about to dip it in the water,

when a lovely little green frog, much prettier than frogs

generally are, jumped into the cup. Far from admiring its

beauty, Saphir shook it impatiently off; but it was no good, for

quick as lightning the frog jumped back again. Saphir, who was

raging with thirst, was just about to shake it off anew, when the

little creature fixed upon him the most beautiful eyes in the

world, and said, 'I am a friend of the bird you are seeking, and

when you have quenched your thirst listen to me.'



So the Prince drank his fill, and then, by the command of the

Little Green Frog, he lay down on the grass to rest himself.



'Now,' she began, 'be sure you do exactly in every respect what I

tell you. First you must call together your attendants, and

order them to remain in a little hamlet close by until you want

them. Then go, quite alone, down a road that you will find on

your right hand, looking southwards. This road is planted all

the way with cedars of Lebanon; and after going down it a long

way you will come at last to a magnificent castle. And now,' she

went on, 'attend carefully to what I am going to say. Take this

tiny grain of sand, and put it into the ground as close as you

can to the gate of the castle. It has the virtue both of opening

the gate and also of sending to sleep all the inhabitants. Then

go at once to the stable, and pay no heed to anything except what

I tell you. Choose the handsomest of all the horses, leap

quickly on its back, and come to me as fast as you can.

Farewell, Prince; I wish you good luck,' and with these words the

Little Frog plunged into the water and disappeared.



The Prince, who felt more hopeful than he had done since he left

home, did precisely as he had been ordered. He left his

attendants in the hamlet, found the road the frog had described

to him, and followed it all alone, and at last he arrived at the

gate of the castle, which was even more splendid than he had

expected, for it was built of crystal, and all its ornaments were

of massive gold. However, he had no thoughts to spare for its

beauty, and quickly buried his grain of sand in the earth. In

one instant the gates flew open, and all the dwellers inside fell

sound asleep. Saphir flew straight to the stable, and already

had his hand on the finest horse it contained, when his eye was

caught by a suit of magnificent harness hanging up close by. It

occurred to him directly that the harness belonged to the horse,

and without ever thinking of harm (for indeed he who steals a

horse can hardly be blamed for taking his saddle), he hastily

placed it on the animal's back. Suddenly the people in the

castle became broad awake, and rushed to the stable. They flung

themselves on the Prince, seized him, and dragged him before

their lord; but, luckily for the Prince, who could only find very

lame excuses for his conduct, the lord of the castle took a fancy

to his face, and let him depart without further questions.



Very sad, and very much ashamed of himself poor Saphir crept back

to the fountain, where the Frog was awaiting him with a good

scolding.



'Whom do you take me for?' she exclaimed angrily. 'Do you really

believe that it was just for the pleasure of talking that I gave

you the advice you have neglected so abominably?'



But the Prince was so deeply grieved, and apologised so very

humbly, that after some time the heart of the good little Frog

was softened, and she gave him another tiny little grain, but

instead of being sand it was now a grain of gold. She directed

him to do just as he had done before, with only this difference,

that instead of going to the stable which had been the ruin of

his hopes, he was to enter right into the castle itself, and to

glide as fast as he could down the passages till he came to a

room filled with perfume, where he would find a beautiful maiden

asleep on a bed. He was to wake the maiden instantly and carry

her off, and to be sure not to pay any heed to whatever

resistance she might make.



The Prince obeyed the Frog's orders one by one, and all went well

for this second time also. The gate opened, the inhabitants fell

sound asleep, and he walked down the passage till he found the

girl on her bed, exactly as he had been told he would. He woke

her, and begged her firmly, but politely, to follow him quickly.

After a little persuasion the maiden consented, but only on

condition that she was allowed first to put on her dress. This

sounded so reasonable and natural that it did not enter the

Prince's head to refuse her request.



But the maiden's hand had hardly touched the dress when the

palace suddenly awoke from its sleep, and the Prince was seized

and bound. He was so vexed with his own folly, and so taken

aback at the disaster, that he did not attempt to explain his

conduct, and things would have gone badly with him if his friends

the fairies had not softened the hearts of his captors, so that

they once more allowed him to leave quietly. However, what

troubled him most was the idea of having to meet the Frog who had

been his benefactress. How was he ever to appear before her with

this tale? Still, after a long struggle with himself, he made up

his mind that there was nothing else to be done, and that he

deserved whatever she might say to him. And she said a great

deal, for she had worked herself into a terrible passion; but the

Prince humbly implored her pardon, and ventured to point out that

it would have been very hard to refuse the young lady's

reasonable request. 'You must learn to do as you are told,' was

all the Frog would reply.



But poor Saphir was so unhappy, and begged so hard for

forgiveness, that at last the Frog's anger gave way, and she held

up to him a tiny diamond stone. 'Go back,' she said, 'to the

castle, and bury this little diamond close to the door. But be

careful not to return to the stable or to the bedroom; they have

proved too fatal to you. Walk straight to the garden and enter

through a portico, into a small green wood, in the midst of which

is a tree with a trunk of gold and leaves of emeralds. Perched

on this tree you will see the beautiful bird you have been

seeking so long. You must cut the branch on which it is sitting,

and bring it back to me without delay. But I warn you solemnly

that if you disobey my directions, as you have done twice before,

you have nothing more to expect either of me or anyone else.'



With these words she jumped into the water, and the Prince, who

had taken her threats much to heart, took his departure, firmly

resolved not to deserve them. He found it all just as he had

been told: the portico, the wood, the magnificent tree, and the

beautiful bird, which was sleeping soundly on one of the

branches. He speedily lopped off the branch, and though he

noticed a splendid golden cage hanging close by, which would have

been very useful for the bird to travel in, he left it alone, and

came back to the fountain, holding his breath and walking on

tip-toe all the way, for fear lest he should awake his prize.

But what was his surprise, when instead of finding the fountain

in the spot where he had left it, he saw in its place a little

rustic palace built in the best taste, and standing in the

doorway a charming maiden, at whose sight his mind seemed to give

way.



'What! Madam!' he cried, hardly knowing what he said. 'What!

Is it you?'



The maiden blushed and answered: 'Ah, my lord, it is long since I

first beheld your face, but I did not think you had ever seen

mine.'



'Oh, madam,' replied he, 'you can never guess the days and the

hours I have passed lost in admiration of you.' And after these

words they each related all the strange things that had happened,

and the more they talked the more they felt convinced of the

truth of the images they had seen in their mirrors. After some

time spent in the most tender conversation, the Prince could not

restrain himself from asking the lovely unknown by what lucky

chance she was wandering in the forest; where the fountain had

gone; and if she knew anything of the Frog to whom he owed all

his happiness, and to whom he must give up the bird, which,

somehow or other, was still sound asleep.



'Ah, my lord,' she replied, with rather an awkward air, 'as to

the Frog, she stands before you. Let me tell you my story; it is

not a long one. I know neither my country nor my parents, and

the only thing I can say for certain is that I am called

Serpentine. The fairies, who have taken care of me ever since I

was born, wished me to be in ignorance as to my family, but they

have looked after my education, and have bestowed on me endless

kindness. I have always lived in seclusion, and for the last two

years I have wished for nothing better. I had a mirror'--here

shyness and embarrassment choked her words--but regaining her

self-control, she added, 'You know that fairies insist on being

obeyed without questioning. It was they who changed the little

house you saw before you into the fountain for which you are now

asking, and, having turned me into a frog, they ordered me to say

to the first person who came to the fountain exactly what I

repeated to you. But, my lord, when you stood before me, it was

agony to my heart, filled as it was with thoughts of you, to

appear to your eyes under so monstrous a form. However, there

was no help for it, and, painful as it was, I had to submit. I

desired your success with all my soul, not only for your own

sake, but also for my own, because I could not get back my proper

shape till you had become master of the beautiful bird, though I

am quite ignorant as to your reason for seeking it.'



On this Saphir explained about the state of his father's health,

and all that has been told before.



On hearing this story Serpentine grew very sad, and her lovely

eyes filled with tears.



'Ah, my lord,' she said, 'you know nothing of me but what you

have seen in the mirror; and I, who cannot even name my parents,

learn that you are a king's son.'



In vain Saphir declared that love made them equal; Serpentine

would only reply: 'I love you too much to allow you to marry

beneath your rank. I shall be very unhappy, of course, but I

shall never alter my mind. If I do not find from the fairies

that my birth is worthy of you, then, whatever be my feelings, I

will never accept your hand.'



The conversation was at this point, and bid fair to last some

time longer, when one of the fairies appeared in her ivory car,

accompanied by a beautiful woman past her early youth. At this

moment the bird suddenly awakened, and, flying on to Saphir's

shoulder (which it never afterwards left), began fondling him as

well as a bird can do. The fairy told Serpentine that she was

quite satisfied with her conduct, and made herself very agreeable

to Saphir, whom she presented to the lady she had brought with

her, explaining that the lady was no other than his Aunt

Aglantine, widow of Diamantino.



Then they all fell into each other's arms, till the fairy mounted

her chariot, placed Aglantine by her side, and Saphir and

Serpentine on the front seat. She also sent a message to the

Prince's attendants that they might travel slowly back to the

Court of King Peridor, and that the beautiful bird had really

been found. This matter being comfortably arranged, she started

off her chariot. But in spite of the swiftness with which they

flew through the air, the time passed even quicker for Saphir and

Serpentine, who had so much to think about.



They were still quite confused with the pleasure of seeing each

other, when the chariot arrived at King Peridor's palace. He had

had himself carried to a room on the roof, where his nurses

thought that he would die at any moment. Directly the chariot

drew within sight of the castle the beautiful bird took flight,

and, making straight for the dying King, at once cured him of his

sickness. Then she resumed her natural shape, and he found that

the bird was no other than the Queen Constance, whom he had long

believed to be dead. Peridor was rejoiced to embrace his wife

and his son once more, and with the help of the fairies began to

make preparations for the marriage of Saphir and Serpentine, who

turned out to be the daughter of Aglantine and Diamantino, and as

much a princess as he was a prince. The people of the kingdom

were delighted, and everybody lived happy and contented to the

end of their lives.