Introduction
An unhappy young woman treated as a serving-maid by her step-sisters is magically transformed into the belle of the ball. But the prince whose heart she has captured is not content with a lover who vanishes at midnight.
ONCE upon a time, a widowed nobleman remarried so that his only daughter might have a mother and the company of sisters. But they sent her away to sweep out the ash from the fireplaces, and dubbed her ‘Cinderella’, maid-of-ashes.
One day, the Prince announced a sumptuous ball in the hope of finding himself a princess. So mother and daughters put on their best gowns, and left strict instructions with Cinderella to ready the fires for their return.
When they were gone, Cinderella sang a sad little rhyme by the tree that marked her mother’s grave; and as she did, a nut fell at her feet.
She opened the nut, and a magnificent gown tumbled out; then the tree-trunk split wide, and a coach-and-four sprang out.
So Cinderella did go to the ball. She danced with the prince until midnight, and then slipped away, knowing that at that hour the magical gown and coach would vanish.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Why was the nobleman’s daughter called ‘Cinderella’ by her step-sisters?
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
A nobleman remarried. His wife had two daughters. She treated his daughter like a servant.