The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella Page #5

every maiden effervesces

giving her best

gving her all

dancing, glancing,

laughing, teasing

whirling, swirling

touching, squeezing

there's no affair

to ever compare

or thrill or enthrall

like a bride-finding ball

Your majesty.

Well, what is it?

I bring grave tidings.

Carolsfeld has mobilized.

There is talk of war.

War?!

War?!

War.

War.

As your majesty's

senior minister of state,

it is my solemn duty to advise you

that the situation is critical.

The news that his royal

highness saw fit to decline

the hand of the

princess selina in marriage,

was ill-received.

True.

True.

Edward, m'! Sou...

I beseech you not as a

father but as your monarch.

Reconsider before

it's too late.

Put aside your

personal feelings.

The whole country looks to

you to form an alliance

through

the marriage bed.

And do as I did when

I took your mother.

I closed my eyes and

thought of euphrania.

Bratislava!

Wildenstein!

Neuburg !

Oh!

Oh!

Aah!

Uhh!

How many

does that make?

Well, your majesty, of the

couriers who returned,

6 have reported

acceptances.

In additioh, there

were 5 refusals.

One of them couched in

the most obscene terms.

Two of those

invited were dead,

and the remaining 3

could not be traced.

That makes 6 out of 16.

Well, I think that's

a fair average, don't you?

Yes, indeed, sire.

Perhaps not quite

the breadth of choice

we at first envisaged.

Well, invite all local

nobility as well.

We don't want

the place half empty.

We can always raise

the taxes to pay for it.

In fact, I'll invent a new tax,

a tax on snobbery.

They'll all pay that.

Brilliant, your majesty!

Brilliant!

Don't over do it.

Don't over do it.

You'll be paying it, too.

Girls! Girls!

Isobella! Palatine!

Right here, mama!

Come quickly!

What is it, mama?

Wonderful news.

We have received a royal

invitation to a ball

in honor of his royal

highness, the prince!

Oh, mama, but--

now, now, now,

careful, careful.

You might tear it,

and I want

to have it framed.

Oh, I think

it's so exciting,

I shall have the vapors!

How shall I have

my hair?

Oh, what shall I wear?

There is work

to be done.

We have not

a moment to lose.

What can we wear?!

We'll have to have

something new.

Yes. I mean, none of my

things are possible.

Let us go and see.

Oh! Can you never do

a job properly, girl?

Look at all that dirty water.

You had better do

the whole staircase again!

Come, girls!

Mama I think palatine

should wear a brown dress.

You spiteful creature!

You should wear green

to match your complexion.

Oh, mama!

But the prestige, your royal

highness, the prestige!

It will put

euphrania on the map.

Uh, pin there, idiot.

Not there, there.

Excuse me,

your royal highness.

Fine, fine, fine.

Enough's enough.

I'm delighted.

You've done very well.

Now leave us, please.

Oh, John!

What have

I let myself in for?

A little more

pomp and circumstance.

And who knows?

Perhaps there will be one to

whom you can give your heart.

Will you dance

with your lady Caroline?

Alas, not done, sir.

Oh, yes, how stupid of me.

I was forgetting.

Not in 20 years!

We're sold out!

My choicest brocades!

Sold out?

What do you mean,

you ridiculous man?

How can you be sold out

when we have not

purchased anything?

The ball, gracious lady.

I'd scarcely opened me doors this

morning when they descended!

Who? Who descended?

Everybody, mi lady !

They came like

the heron to the pool,

taking everything I had.

I have never heard

of such a thing.

You, my good man, should

learn to distinguish

between riffraff and people

of consequence, like us.

What shall we do?

Coachman, drive us home.

Girls, do stop pulling

those dreadful faces.

I'm in a bad enough

mood as it is.

Idiot!

Oh, mama,

she's so beastly to me!

Cinderella!

Cinderella! Where is

that wretched girl?

Why do you not come

when I call you?

Come over here. I have

a job for you to do.

Take these, unpick them, and make 3

splendid new dresses out of them.

Oh, mama, you're so clever.

Make sure they fit

to perfection.

Now start immediately.

There's not a moment

to lose.

Be sure your hands are clean

before you start sewing.

And we're to look

as pretty as possible.

Ah, well, as pretty

as we are!

We must all be

utterly splendid.

So run along, child.

Start at once!

Yes...

Utterly... splendid!

But already,

his heart was--

oh, henrietta,

no stop grumbling.

His heart was

burning with... love

as if it had been laid

on red hot goals!

You like that?

So do I.

Sit down, dear.

Don't do that.

At this point, scheherazade

saw the approach of morning

and fell silent.

As well she might.

Now look what you've done,

set your friends off.

I suppose you want feeding.

No rest, no peace.

Well... see if you like this.

You'll fall.

Hansel, gretel...

Is that

the wrong way round?

Who's that?

Oh, it's you, is it?

Oh, don't wipe

your paws, will you!

I've got nobody to help

me clean, you know.

I have to do all myself.

Do you realize that tiresome scheherazade

is barely halfway through her 1,001 nights?

I have to think of another

496 tales before she's safe.

And m'! Diary is chock-a-block.

Look! Wednesday, a sea journey to

take care of a little mermaid.

Friday... oh, the ugly

duckling's due to hatch.

Well, I have to be

back for that.

Oh, do be quiet, henrietta.

I can't think!

Now, what's that?

Ah! A new key cut

for pandora' s box.

Well, it's all very well

for hans Christian andersen

to say his life

is a fairy story.

Mine isn't.

Nothing! One long slog!

I can do all manner of things

for other people,

but never anything for myself.

Watch! You'd like a bone.

Simple. There you are.

Let me try it for myself.

Would I like a cup of tea?

Yes, I would.

Thank you very much.

Now watch this.

Kettle, boil.

See? Disaster.

Now, what's happened

to cinderella?

How funny.

I was just wishing--

yes. I know.

Do you mind if I make

a very rude comment?

These are hopeless.

They're worse

than hopeless.

I've ruined them.

I'm going to get

into such trouble.

Now, we don't want

any of that.

Dry your tears

and have something to eat.

Hmm. You look

half-starved and worn out.

I'm afraid there isn't

anything to eat.

I was too busy doing

those to cook anything.

What's that, then?

Where did that

come from?

And where did

you come from?

I don' t understand.

No. Well, very few people do.

You're not meant

to understand it.

You're meant

to accept it graciously.

Now, look.

I'm a very busy woman,

and I sometimes--

sometimes lack tact.

The first thing you must learn in

life is never to go by appearances.

Things are never quite

what you think they are.

Do eat up; That's

one of my best recipes.

Take me, for example.

I'm not what I seem.

Mind you, I don't

dress the part

and for very good reason.

Human nature--oh, well,

we won't go into what

I think of human nature,

but if I were to go about my

business all sparkle and glitter,

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