"Oh, I did so want to go," she sighed as she sat down by the fire.
"What’s to stop you?" asked a voice.
"Who’s that?" asked Cinderella, looking around.
"I’m here by the door." A strange woman walked up to Cinderella. "I heard you the other day, wishing you could go to the ball. Well, the ball is this evening, and you’re going."
"But how?" asked Cinderella. "What can you do?"
"Anything I want to," said the woman. "I’m your fairy godmother, and I’m here to send you to the ball.
She sat down.
"Come now," she said. "Dry those tears. We have work to do. I need a large pumpkin, two rats, two mice and a frog. Can you find these?"
"Yes," said Cinderella, mystified by the request.
"Off you go, then."
When Cinderella found all the things, her fairy godmother took them all outside.
"Now for the magic," she said. She waved her hands and the air began to twinkle and sparkle. The pumpkin began to grow and change, until standing there was a glittering coach.
the mice changed into two fine footmen, the frog into the driver, and the rats into two beautiful horses to pull the coach.
Cinderella clapped her hands. "It’s beautiful!" she cried.
"In you get," said her fairy godmother.
"But I can’t go like this," said Cinderella.
"Like what?" asked the fairy godmother. "You look lovely to me."
Cinderella looked at herself. While the magic had been working on the pumpkin, it had also been working on her. Instead of her ragged dress she wore a beautiful ball gown, with glass slippers on her feet.
"Oh, fairy godmother," said Cinderella. "It’s lovely. How can I thank you?"
"By going to the ball," said the fairy godmother. "Off you go, but remember, the magic stops working at midnight. Everything will change back then. Now go and enjoy yourself."
"Good-bye, fairy godmother," called Cinderella, as the coach swept off.
Cinderella arrived at the palace and walked into the ballroom. Everyone stopped and stared.
"Who is she?" people asked, including her stepmother and stepsisters.
the Prince saw her, and had eyes for no one else for the rest of the evening. Cinderella danced only with the Prince, and as the evening passed, he fell in love with her.
A clock chiming reminded Cinderella of her fairy godmother’s warning. ’It must be eleven o’clock,’ she thought, but she asked the Prince. "What time is it?"
"Almost midnight," he answered.
"Oh, no!" cried Cinderella. "I must go!"
"You can’t. Not now," said the Prince.
"I must." And Cinderella swept out of the room, and ran out of the palace. As she ran, the clock finished chiming. Cinderella’s clothes changed back into rags, and the coach and horses were nowhere to be seen.
the Prince tried to follow, but he couldn’t catch up. When he reached the door, all he found was one glass slipper. He ran to the main gate.
"Was a beautiful girl just driven out of here?" he asked the guard.
"No, your Highness. I’ve only seen a scruffy servant girl," the guard answered.
"I’ve lost her," said the Prince, and he returned sadly to the palace.
译文：
现在，家里的人都走了，只留下灰姑娘孤伶伶地一个人悲伤地坐在榛树下哭泣："榛树啊！请你帮帮我，请你摇一摇，为我抖落金银礼服一整套。”
她的朋友小鸟从树上飞出来，为她带了一套金银制成的礼服和一双光亮的丝制舞鞋。收拾打扮、穿上礼服之后，灰姑娘在她两个姐妹之后来到了舞厅。穿上豪华的礼服之后，她看起来是如此高雅、漂亮、美丽动人极了。她们都认不出她，以为她一定是一位陌生的公主，根本就没有想到她就是灰姑娘，她们以为灰姑娘仍老老实实地待在家中的灰堆里呢。
王子看到她，很快向她走来，伸出手挽着她，请她跳起舞来。他再也不和其他姑娘跳舞了，他的手始终不肯放开她。每当有人来请她跳舞时，王子总是说：“这位女士在与我跳舞。”他们一起跳到很晚，她才想起要回家去了。王子想知道这位美丽的姑娘到底住在哪里，所以说道：“我送你回家去吧。”灰姑娘表面上同意了，但却趁他不注意时，悄悄地溜走，拔腿向家里跑去。王子在后面紧追不舍，她只好跳进鸽子房并把门关上。王子等在外面不肯离去，一直到她父亲回家时，王子才上前告诉他，说那位他在舞会上遇到的不知道姓名的姑娘藏进了这间鸽子房。当他们砸开鸽子房门时，里面却已空无一人，他只好失望地回宫去了。父母进屋子时，灰姑娘已经身穿邋遢的衣服躺在灰堆边上了，就像她一直躺在那儿似地，昏暗的小油灯在烟囱柱上的墙洞里摇晃着。实际上，灰姑娘刚才很快穿过鸽子房来到榛树前脱下了漂亮的礼服，将它们放回树上，让小鸟把它们带走，自己则回到屋里坐到了灰堆上，穿上了她那灰色的外套。
第二天，当舞会又要开始时，她的爸爸、继母和两个姐妹都去了。灰姑娘来到树下说："榛树啊！请你帮帮我，请你摇一摇，为我抖落金银礼服一整套。”
那只小鸟来了，它带来了一套比她前一天穿的那套更加漂亮的礼服。当她来到舞会大厅时，她的美丽使所有的人惊讶不已。一直在等待她到来的王子立即上前挽着她的手，请她跳起舞来。每当有人要请她跳舞时，他总是和前一天一样说：“这位女士在与我跳舞。”到了半夜她要回家去的时候，王子也和前一天一样跟着她，以为这样可以看到她进了哪一幢房子。但她还是甩掉了他，并立即跳进了她父亲房子后面的花园里。花园里有一棵很漂亮的大梨树，树上结满了成熟的梨。灰姑娘不知道自己该藏在什么地方，只好爬到了树上。王子没有看到她，他不知道她去了哪儿，只好又一直等到她父亲回来，才走上前对他说：“那个与我跳舞的不知姓名的姑娘溜走了，我认为她肯定是跳上梨树去了。”父亲暗想：“难道是灰姑娘吗？”于是，他要人去拿来一柄斧子，把树砍倒了一看，树上根本没有人。当父亲和继母到厨房来看时，灰姑娘和平时一样正躺在灰烬里。原来她跳上梨树后，又从树的另一边溜下来，脱下漂亮的礼服，让榛树上的小鸟带了回去，然后又穿上了她自己的灰色小外套。
第三天，当她父亲、继母和两个姐妹走了以后，她又来到花园里说道："榛树啊！请你帮帮我，请你摇一摇，为我抖落金银礼服一整套。”
她善良的朋友又带来了一套比第二天那套更加漂亮的礼服和一双纯金编制的舞鞋。当她赶到舞会现场时，大家都被她那无法用语言表达的美给惊呆了。王子只与她一个人跳舞，每当有其他人请她跳舞时，他总是说：“这位女士是我的舞伴。”当午夜快要来临时，她要回家了，王子又要送她回去，并暗暗说道：“这次我可不能让她跑掉了。”然而，灰姑娘还是设法从他身边溜走了。由于走得过于匆忙，她竟把左脚的金舞鞋失落在楼梯上了。
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