Chapter 156 183. Two Cousins

It is said that once upon a time there were two sisters, one was the Marchioness, and the other had a tragic fate.The Marchioness had one ugly daughter, and the other had three daughters, all of whom were self-sufficient.One day, they had no money to pay their rent, so they were all thrown into the street.A manservant of the Marchioness passed by and told the matter to the master, and after much intercession the poor fellow persuaded the Marchioness to take them up in the garret above the main entrance.In the evening, the girls worked by the light of a lantern to save their lamp oil. But in the opinion of their domineering aunt, the Marchioness, it was also a waste, and the lanterns were put out, so that the girls could only spin in the moonlight.One night, the youngest sister decided to work until the moon went down.The moon was setting, and she walked behind as she spun.She walked and spun like this, and when there was a heavy rain, she hid in a dilapidated monastery.

In the monastery, she met twelve monks. "Why are you here, child?" they asked her, and she told her story. One of the oldest monks said: "You will become more beautiful." The second said: "Pearls and diamonds fall out of your hair when you comb it." A third said, "When you wash your hands, you wash out small fish and eels." A fourth said, "When you speak, roses and jasmine fall from your mouth." The fifth said, "Your cheeks will turn into red apples." The sixth said, "When you work, the moment you start, the work is done."

They showed her the way and told her to turn around halfway.As soon as she turned around, she became as bright as a star.When she got home, the first thing she did was to take a small basin and soak her hands in the water.So a few eels appeared, bouncing around as if they had just landed.The mother and sister were so astonished that she told her all; they combed her hair, and collected the pearls that fell, and sent them to the aunt who was the Marchioness. The Marchioness immediately asked what was going on, and then thought of sending her daughter, because this daughter really needed to be more beautiful.She let her daughter sit on the balcony all night, and when the moon went down, she ordered her to follow behind.

The girl found the monastery and its twelve monks, who immediately recognized her as the countess' daughter.The oldest monk said to her: "You will become uglier." The second said, "When you comb your hair, many snakes fall out of it." A third said, "Green lizards jump out when you wash your hands." A fourth said, "When you talk, you give off a foul stench." Then, they chased her away. The Marchioness, who was waiting anxiously for her, almost fainted when she saw that she was even uglier than before.She asked her daughter to tell what had happened, and when she spoke there was a stench, and the lady almost died.

Meanwhile, the pretty cousin was sitting at the door, and a king happened to pass by.Seeing her, he immediately fell in love with her and proposed to her.The aunt who was the Marchioness agreed.She set out for the king's country, accompanied by the marquise as the most honored relation.Arriving at a place, the king went ahead in order to prepare for the meeting in the palace.As soon as he was gone, the Marchioness seized the bride, took her eyes, and locked her in a cave, while her own daughter got into the carriage. The king was startled when he saw his ugly cousin, in her bridal gown, get out of the carriage. "What does that mean?" he asked softly.The girl wanted to answer, but he smelled a foul odor that made him sick.The Marchioness began to explain that the bride had been bewitched and disfigured on the way; but the King would not believe a word of it, and he put them both in prison.

As for the poor blind girl, she began to cry for help in the cave, and a kind old man passed by and heard her voice.When the old man saw how miserable she was, he took her home to his own house, and filled a basket with pearls, diamonds, roses, eels, and jasmine.He took these things to the king's balcony. "Tell him," the girl had told him, "to sell him these things, but for an eye." The Marchioness immediately called to the old man, and gave him an eye which she had taken from her niece, and took all the beautiful roses, that the King might believe that her daughter had vomited them up.The old man brought the eye to the girl, and the girl put it back on.

The next day the old man returned with two other big baskets: the Marchioness, trying to convince the king that her daughter was still making eels and molly, immediately paid for another eye.But the king did not allow anyone to deceive him, because whenever he approached the girl, he smelled the same stench. Now, the beautiful cousin has regained her eyesight and can embroider again.She embroidered a piece of woolen satin with her own portrait on it.She asked the old man to hang the silk and satin on the square where the king's palace is located, as if to sell.The king passed by and was surprised when he saw the portrait embroidered on it, and asked the old man who had embroidered it.The old man told him everything, and the king sent for the girl to the palace, where he heated a cauldron and put the marquise and her daughter in it.Afterwards, he lived a happy life with the queen.

(Ragusa Province)