THERE was once upon a time a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess, but shemust be a true Princess. So he traveled through the whole world to find one, but therewas always something against each. There were plenty of Princesses, but he couldnot find out if they were true Princesses. In every case there was some little defect,which showed the genuine article was not yet found. So he came home again in verylow spirits, for he had wanted very much to have a true Princess. One night there was adreadful storm; it thundered and lightened and the rain streamed down in torrents. Itwas fearful! There was a knocking heard at the palace gate, and the old King went toopen it.
There stood a Princess outside the gate; but oh, in what a sad plight she was fromthe rain and the storm! The water was running down from her hair and her dress intothe pints of her shoes and out at the heels again. And yet she said she was a truePrincess!
"Well, we shall soon find out!" thought the old Queen. But she said nothing and wentinto the sleeping-room, took off all the bedclothes, and laid a pea on the bottom of thebed. Then she put twenty mattresses on top of the pea and .twenty eider-down quilts onthe top of the mattresses. And this was the bed in which the princess was to sleep.
The next morning she was asked how she had slept.
"Oh, very badly!" said the Princess. "I scarcely closed my eyes all night! I am sure Idon't know what was in the bed. I lay on something so hard that my whole body is blackand blue. It is dreadful!"
Now they perceived that she was a true Princess, because she had felt the peathrough the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down quilts.
No one but a true Princess could be so sensitive.
So the Prince married her, for now he knew that at last he had got hold of a truePrincess. And the pea was put into the Royal Museum, where it is still to be seen if noone has stolen it. Now, this is a true story.
There stood a Princess outside the gate; but oh, in what a sad plight she was fromthe rain and the storm! The water was running down from her hair and her dress intothe pints of her shoes and out at the heels again. And yet she said she was a truePrincess!
"Well, we shall soon find out!" thought the old Queen. But she said nothing and wentinto the sleeping-room, took off all the bedclothes, and laid a pea on the bottom of thebed. Then she put twenty mattresses on top of the pea and .twenty eider-down quilts onthe top of the mattresses. And this was the bed in which the princess was to sleep.
The next morning she was asked how she had slept.
"Oh, very badly!" said the Princess. "I scarcely closed my eyes all night! I am sure Idon't know what was in the bed. I lay on something so hard that my whole body is blackand blue. It is dreadful!"
Now they perceived that she was a true Princess, because she had felt the peathrough the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down quilts.
No one but a true Princess could be so sensitive.
So the Prince married her, for now he knew that at last he had got hold of a truePrincess. And the pea was put into the Royal Museum, where it is still to be seen if noone has stolen it. Now, this is a true story.
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