In former times, a rich man and his wife were the parents of a beautiful little daughter; but before she had arrived at womanhood, her dear mother fell sick and died to the grief of her husband and daughter.
After a time, the little girl’s father married another lady. Now this lady was proud and haughty, and had two grown-up daughters as disagreeable as herself. She could not endure her step-daughter and she gave her the most degrading occupations, and compelled her to wash the dishes and clean the stairs. When the poor girl had finished her work, she used to sit in the chimney-corner amongst the cinders, which made her sisters give her the name of “Cinderella.” However, in her shabby clothes Cinderella was ten times handsomer than her sisters.
