ey loved each other dearly, and
they would have been happy but for one thing--they had no children.

At last there came a day of joy--a day that brought a little princess
to the palace. The baby girl grew strong and rosy and the time for her
christening drew near. Then came twelve good fairy godmothers to eat
from the king's twelve golden plates, to drink from his twelve golden
goblets and to bring twelve good wishes to his little daughter.

Now thirteen fairies lived in the kingdom; but, as the king had only
twelve golden plates and twelve golden goblets, the thirteenth fairy
was not invited. This made her very angry and she cried, "I will go to
the christening! I will see the king's daughter and the king shall rue
the day on which he dared to slight me!"

They named the little princess Briar Rose. The first fairy godmother
gave her beauty. The second gave happiness. "Wisdom is my gift," said
number three. "Grace shall be hers," cried four. "I give her wit,"
said five. The sixth godmother gave sympathy. The seventh gave
wealth. The eighth said, "The princess shall have courage and shall be
strong and brave." Number nine cried, "Health is hers as long as ever
she may live." The tenth gave youth. "The Briar Rose shall love her
people and she shall rule gently and where she goes joy shall go too,"
said number eleven. The twelfth fairy opened her lips to wish long
life, when, just at that moment, the thirteenth fairy, who had not been
invited, burst into the room. She pushed the good fairy aside and,
before anyone could stop her, she cried out in a loud angry voice, "The
princess shall prick her finger with a spindle, on her fifteenth
birthday, and shall die!" In a moment all was excitement. The jealous
old fairy rushed from the palace, but the people dashed after her.
"Drive the wicked witch from the kingdom! Burn every spindle in the
land!" they cried.

The twelfth fairy could not take away the bad wish, she could only
soften it. "The princess shall not die," she said, "but she shall fall
into a deep sleep that shall last for a hundred years."

The jealous old fairy was driven far, far away. The king ordered that
every spindle in the whole land be burned. Then every one was happy
once more, for now all thought that no harm could come near the little
Briar Rose.

Day by day the princess grew more gentle and more beautiful and all who
saw her loved her. Years flew by, the bad wish of the jealo