Tattercoats

Once upon a time, an old lord lived in a big castle by the sea. Long ago, he had lost his dearest daughter, and he was so sad that he sat by the window all day. He never smiled, and he would not even look at his little granddaughter. So the girl grew up with no one to brush her hair or sew her any new clothes. Her dress was so torn and patched that everyone called her Tattercoats.

But Tattercoats was not alone. Her best friend was the gooseherd, a boy who looked after the geese in the fields. He played a little pipe, and when he played, Tattercoats forgot all her troubles. The geese waddled along behind them, honking, wherever they went.

One day, news came that the King was giving a grand ball, and the Prince would choose a bride. The old lord put on his finest clothes and rode off to the King’s city. “May I go too?” asked Tattercoats, but no one listened. “Never mind,” said the gooseherd. “We will walk to the city together, and the geese can come too.”

On the way, a young man on a fine horse stopped to ask them the road. He walked beside them, and the gooseherd played a soft tune on his pipe. As the young man listened, he looked at Tattercoats, and he thought she was the loveliest girl he had ever seen. “Will you come to the ball tonight?” he asked her. “In these rags?” laughed Tattercoats. “Come just as you are, with your friend and your geese,” he said, “and I will wait for you.”

That night, Tattercoats walked into the shining ballroom in her patched dress. Behind her came the gooseherd, and behind him came the geese, waddling and honking. Everyone stared, and some people giggled. But the young man hurried down from the King’s side, for he was the Prince himself! He took her hand and said, “This is the bride I have chosen.”

Then the gooseherd lifted his pipe and played a sweet, magical tune. At once, Tattercoats’ rags turned into a gown that shimmered like moonlight on the sea. The geese turned into smart little pages in velvet, who carried the end of her gown. Everyone cheered, and the Prince and Tattercoats danced all night long. And from that day on, she always had someone to brush her hair and hold her hand.