Лучшие сказки мира на английском языке. Уровень 1 / The Best Fairy Tales of the World

Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I lay on something hard, so that I am black and blue[55 - black and blue – в синяках] all over my body. It's horrible!'

Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be, if no one has stolen it.

There, that is a true story.

The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. 'Pardon, my King,' cried the little Mouse:'forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn[56 - to do a turn – вернуть долг, оказать ответную услугу] some of these days?' The Lion was so tickled at[57 - to be tickled at smth – по душе] the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.

Some time after the Lion got into a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse passed by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away[58 - to gnaw away – прогрызать] the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts.

The Small Red Feather

There once lived a man with his wife. They were very poor and always hungry. The man often went to the forest, but he was a bad hunter and sometimes brought home only a small bird.

One day he went to the forest again. But it was a very bad day for him: he did not find even a small bird. He was tired[59 - to be tired – устать] and sad.

He looked up and saw a very small bird whose feathers were red. The bird said, 'I see that you are poor and hungry. I want to help you. I'll give you one of my feathers. Take it home and cook it. You will have a good dinner. Come back tomorrow, and I'll give you another feather.'

He thanked the bird and went home. He put the feather into a pot and told everything to his wife.