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Andersen's Fairy Tales

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THE REAL PRINCESS



There was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a

real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a

lady; but there was always something wrong. Princesses he found in plenty; but

whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now

one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies. At

last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to

have a real Princess for his wife.



One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain

poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch. All at

once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the

Prince's father, went out himself to open it.



It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and

the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair,

and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess.



"Ah! we shall soon see that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said

not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom,

took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas on the

bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three

peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.



Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.



The next morning she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly indeed!" she

replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not

know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over

black and blue. It has hurt me so much!"



Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been

able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty

feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of

feeling.



The Prince accordingly made her his wife; being now convinced that he had

found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of

curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost.



Wasn't this a lady of real delicacy?

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