THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK BY ANDREW LANG WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HENRY JUSTICE FORD, 1st Part

 Henry Justice Ford (1860–1941) was a prolific and successful English artist and illustrator, active from 1886 through to the late 1920s.

THE BLUE BIRD

...hut he did not care a bit for all his riches, because the Queen, his wife, was dead. He shut himself up in a little room and knocked his head against the walls for grief, until his courtiers were really afraid that he would hurt himself. So they hung feather-beds between the tapestry and the walls, and then he could go on knoc^iing his head as long as it was any consolation to him without coming to much harm.

‘ Sire,’ answered the Princess, ‘ I assure you that I am not in the habit of wearing dresses as crumpled and untidy as this one, so I should have been better pleased if you had not seen me at all.’

‘ Impossible ! ’ cried King Charming. ‘ Wherever such a marvellously beautiful Princess appears I can look at nothing else.’

By the time he got back, Fiordelisa was sitting waiting for him by the open window, and when he gave her the ring, she scolded him gently for having run such a risk to get it for her.

At the very moment when the King gave himself up to despair, he was passing through the wood for the eighth time, and called, as he had done all over the world :

‘ Charming ! King Charming ! Are you here ?

The King at once recognised his friend’s voice, and answered very faintly :

‘ I am here.’

The Enchanter looked all round him, but could see nothing, and then the King said again :

‘ I am a Blue Bird.’

...and indeed the whole valley, was one polished mirror, in which thousands and thousands of people were admir¬ ing their reflections. For this was a magic mirror, in which people saw themselves just as they wished to appear, and pilgrims came to it from the four corners of the world.

‘ Little kitchen-maid, little kitchen-maid, w’hat w’ill you take for your mouse-carriage ? ’

There, upon a heap of soft cushions, sat his lovely Princess. She had laid aside all her ugly disguises and wore a white silken robe, and her golden hair shone in the soft lamp-light.

THE HALF -CHIC

And he swirled Medio Pollito over the roofs of the houses till they reached the highest church in the town, and there he left him fastened to the top of the steeple.

THE STORY OF CALIPH STORK

The Caliph, who liked to have old manuscripts in his library. even though he could not read them, purchased the scroll and the box, and dismissed the pedlar.

Thereupon the young stork began to move about with the most wonderful steps. The Caliph and Mansor looked on in surprise for some time ; but when at last she balanced herself in a picturesque attitude on one leg, and flapped her wings gracefully up and down, they could hold out no longer ;

In the middle of the hall stood a round table covered with a variety of dishes, and about the table was a divan on which eight men were seated. In one of these bad men the two recognised the pedlar who had sold the magic powder. 

THE ENCHANTED WATCH

The king wall ask what you would like in return, and be sure you beg for the watch which hangs on the wall. It has all sorts of wonderful properties, you only need to rub it to get whatever you like.’

ROSANELLA

‘ I thought,’ said she, ‘ that my little daugliter had changed into a bouquet of roses, and that as I held it in my hand a bird swooped down suddenly and snatched it from me and carried it away.’

SYLVAIN AND JOCOSA

Day after day they fed their flocks of sheep together, and spent the long sunshiny hours in playing, or resting upon some shady bank. It happened one day that the Fairy of the Meadows passed by and saw them, and was so much attracted by their pretty faces and gentle manners that she took them under her protection, and the older they grew the dearer they became to her.

The Yellow Bird

The Fowler thought that this would be a favourable opportunity for offering him the marvellous bird, which he felt certain he w^ould buy the instant he saw it. And he was not mistaken, for when Badi-al-Zaman took the lovely prisoner into his own hands, he saw written under its right wing the words, ‘ He who eats my head will become a king,’ and under its left wing, ‘ He who eats my heart will find a hun¬ dred gold pieces under his pillow every morning.

FAIRY GIFTS

So one day her chariot, drawn by butterflies, was made ready, and the Fairy said : ‘ Sylvia, I am going to send you to the court of Iris ; she will receive you with pleasure for my sake as well as for your own. In two months you may come back to me again, and I shall expect you to tell me what you think of her.’

PRINCE NARCISSUS AND THE PRINCESS POTENTILLA

... for indeed it would have been hard to find anyone prettier than Potentilla, as she sat by the brook, weaving a garland of blue forget-me-nots to crown her waving golden locks, or to imagine an^dhing more gentle than the way she tended all the birds and beasts who inhabited her small kingdom, and who all loved and followed her.

But, in spite of Potentilla’s efforts to behave politely to the tiresome old Enchanter, whom she detested, he could not help seeing that he failed to please her, and then he began to suspect very strongly that she must love someone else, and that somebody besides Melinette was responsible for all the festivities he had witnessed. So after much consideration he devised a plan for finding out the truth.

The Enchanter’s first thought was to defend himself when he saw Melinette appear, but she slipped round to his blind side, and catching him by tJie eyelashes dragged him off to the ceiling of the hall, where she held him kicking for a while just to give him a lesson, and then touching him with her wand she imprisoned him for a thousand years in a crystal ball which hung from the roof.

PRINCE FEATHERHEAD AND THE PRINCESS CELANDINE

Now the King had always loved fishing, and never went anywhere without a fish-hook or two in his pocket, so he drew one out hastily, and the Queen lent him her girdle to fasten it to, and it had hardly touched the water before it caught a big fish, which made them an excellent meal — and not before they needed it, for they had found nothing until then but a few wild berries and roots.

However, I thought she deserved a little lesson, so to begin with I have whisked her off into the desert, and there left her ! ’

But one day the Princess, wandering sadly by the river, spied Prince Featherhead fast asleep in the shade of a tree, and stole nearer to enjoy the delight of gazing at his dear face unobserved.

If I keep you, will you give me your clothes and wear some that I will provide you with ? It is true that I am getting old and may want someone to take care of me some day.’

‘ Oh ! for pity’s sake, do what you please with my clothes,’ cried poor Celandine miserably.

 However, the good Fairy of the Beech- Woods did not want her to be starved, so she sent her an unlooked-for relief in the shape of a beautiful white cow, which followed her back to the tiny house. When the old woman saw it her joy knew no bounds.

THE TIIREE LITTLE PIGS

There was once upon a time a pig who lived with her three children on a large, comfortable, old-fashioned farmyard.

Blacky was a good, nice little pig, neither dirty nor greedy. Ho had nice dainty ways (for a pig), and his skin was always as smooth and shining as black satin.

But it was too late now, and in another minute the fox had eaten his way through the cabbage walls, and had caught the trembling, shivering Whitey, and carried her off to his den.

As soon as he was sure that their wicked enemy was really dead, and could do them no further harm. Blacky started off to rescue Browny and Whitey. As he approached the den he heard piteous grunts and squeals from his poor little brother and sister who lived in constant terror of the fox killing and eating them. But when they saw Blacky appear at the entrance to the den their joy knew no bounds. He quickly fomid a sharp stone and cut the cords by which they were tied to a stake in the ground, and then

all three started off together for Blacky’s house, where they lived happily ever after ; and Browny quite gave up rolling in the mud, and Whitey ceased to be greedy, for they never forgot how nearly these faults had brought them to an untimely end.

HEART OF ICE

But now about your son : I have saved him from a great many disagreeable things, but you must let me take him away and take care of him, and you will not see him again until he is all covered with fur ! ’

At these mysterious words the King and Queen burst into tears, for they lived in such a hot climate themselves that how or why the Prince should come to be covered with fur they could not imagine, and thought it must portend some great misfortune to him.

However, Genesta told them not to disquiet themselves.

,,, So saying, she opened the window, and catching up the little Prince, cradle and all, she glided away in the air as if she were skating upon ice, leaving the King and Queen in the greatest affliction.

But while he hesitated the old man, with many respectful ceremonies, unveiled a portrait of the lovely Sabella, which was carried by some of the attendants, and after one glance at it the Prince delayed no longer, but, rushing forward, demanded permission to add his name to the list. AA^hen they saw his tiny stature and simple attire the strangers looked at each other doubtfully, not knowing whether to accept or refuse him.

,,, when he questioned them about the extra¬ ordinary thing that had happened to them and to their ship, they could in no way explain it, excei)t that they said that, as they were passing along a thickly wooded coast, a sudden gust of wind had reached them from the land and enveloped them in a dense cloud of dust, after which everything in the boat that was not metal had sprouted and blossomed, as the Prince had seen, and that they themselves had grown gradually numb and heavy, ...

Gorgonzola flies off on her dragon.

Thereupon the eldest Fairy consulted her Book of Magic, which she always carried about with her, hung to her girdle by a thick silver chain, and there she found out at once that it was Gorgonzola who bad stolen the Princess’s heart, and also discovered what the wicked old Fairy had done with it.

The contrast between the two champions was so great that there was a shout of laughter from the whole assembly ; but when at the sounding of a trumpet the combatants rushed upon each other, and Mannikin, eluding the blow aimed at him, succeeded in thrusting Prince Fadasse from his horse and pinning him to the sand with his spear, it changed to a murmur of admiration.

In tlie last of these sat the Ambassador with the haughty and scornful air which he considered becoming in the represen¬ tative of so powerful a monarch : for this was the crowning point of the absurdity of the whole procession, that all who took part in it wore the expression of vanity and self-satisfaction and pride in their own appearance and all their surroundings which they believed their splendour amply justified.

But no sooner had he given the order to charge than the Spaniels, who had mingled with his troops unperceived, leaped each upon the horse nearest to him, and not only threw the whole squadron into confusion by the terror they caused, but, springing at the throats of the riders, unhorsed many of them by the suddenness of their attack ; then turning the horses to the rear, they spread consternation everywhere, and made it easy for Prince Mannikin to gain a complete victory.

... but cautiously and quickly they traversed courtyards and halls, until they found themselves at the foot of a vast throne, where, upon a cushion of snow, lay an enormous and brilliantly sparkling diamond, which contained the heart of the lovely Princess Sabella.

ONCE ON A TIME by A.A. Milne decorated by CHARLES ROBINSON

 Charles Robinson (1870–1937) was a prolific British book illustrator.