Encyclopedia of fairy-tale heroes: "Rike with a tuft". Children's fairy tales online

Rike's Tale - Tuft. Written by Charles Perrault. This is a fairy tale for children, which you can read online right on this page of our website. The famous French storyteller Charles Perrault opened the doors to great literature for fairy tales. Magic fairy tale Ch. Perrault "Riquet with a tuft". The storyteller Perrault openly declared the instructive, educational meaning of his fairy tales, pursued useful and ingenuous educational goals, while he was concerned that children do not grow up to be hypocrites and hypocrites. His tales are not only entertaining, they have a moral purpose, but they do not teach so directly and obviously, but invite reflection. They play the role of paint used by Perrault in his fairy tales. In Rick the Tuft, a sober discussion about the princess's changed view of the freak Rick, as it were, cancels the magical transformation - here a slight mockery of the fairy tale itself.
Charles Perrault was afraid to admit the authorship of his fairy tales, and they brought him a stunning success among his contemporaries and glorified his name among posterity. Read online for free and without registration the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, presented on our website: "", "", "". We offer you to read Charles Perrault's fairy tale "Riquet the tuft" online.

Ricky with a crest (Crochet)

Charles Perrault

Fairy tales for children

Many years ago there lived a king and a queen. They had such an ugly child that everyone who saw the newborn doubted for a long time whether it was a person. The Queen Mother was very distressed by the deformity of her son and often wept when she looked at him.

Once, when she was sitting near his cradle, a kind sorceress appeared in the room. She looked at the little freak and said:

Do not grieve so much queen. The boy is really very ugly, but this does not prevent him from being kind and attractive, in addition, he will be smarter than all the people in the kingdom and can make smart the one he loves the most.

Everyone was very pleased with the prophecy of the good sorceress, but the queen was most pleased. She wanted to thank the sorceress, but she disappeared as unnoticed as she appeared.

The witch's prediction came true. As soon as the child learned to pronounce the first words, he began to speak so intelligently and smoothly that everyone was delighted and exclaimed:

Oh, how smart the little prince is!

I forgot to say that the prince was born with a tuft on his head. Therefore, he was nicknamed so - Rike Tufted.

Illustrator Gordeev Denis, fairy tale Rike Khokholok

At the same time, a daughter was born to a neighboring queen. She was as beautiful as a summer day. The queen almost went crazy with joy when she saw how beautiful her daughter was. But the same sorceress who was at the birth of little Rike said to her:

Don't rejoice like that, queen: the little princess will be as stupid as she is beautiful.

This prediction greatly upset the queen. She began to cry and began to ask the sorceress to give at least a little mind to her little daughter.

That I cannot do, said the sorceress, but I can make the one whom the princess loves become as handsome as she is.

Saying this, the sorceress disappeared.

The princess grew up and every year she became more and more beautiful. But along with her beauty, her stupidity increased.

She did not answer anything when asked, or answered so stupidly that everyone covered their ears. In addition, she was such a slob that she could not put a cup on the table without breaking it, and when she drank water, she spilled half of it on her dress. And so, despite all her beauty, no one liked her.

When guests gathered in the palace, everyone first approached the beauty to look at her, to admire her; but soon they left her, having heard her stupid speeches. This made the poor princess very sad. Without regret, she would be ready to give all her beauty for the smallest drop of intelligence. The queen, no matter how much she loved her daughter, still could not resist reproaching her with stupidity. This made the princess suffer even more.

One day she went into the forest to mourn her misfortune. Walking through the forest, she saw a little hunchbacked man, very ugly, but luxuriously dressed. The man walked straight towards her. It was the young prince Rike Tufted. He saw a portrait of a beautiful princess and fell in love with her. After leaving his kingdom, he came here to ask the princess to be his wife. Riquet was very happy to meet the beauty. He greeted her, and noticing that the princess was very sad, he said to her:

Why are you, princess, so sad? After all, you are so young and beautiful! I have seen many beautiful princesses, but I have never met such a beauty.

You are very kind, prince, - the beauty answered him, and stopped there, because, due to her stupidity, she could not add anything more.

Is it possible to be sad for someone who is so beautiful? Ricky Tufted continued.

I would rather agree, said the princess, to be as ugly as you, than to be so beautiful and so stupid.

You are not so stupid, princess, if you think you are stupid. Those who are truly stupid will never admit it.

I don’t know that,” said the princess, “I only know that I am very stupid, that’s why I am so sad.

Well, if you're so sad just because of this, I can help you in your grief.

How will you do it? the princess asked.

I can, - said Rika Tufted, - make smart the girl I love the most. And since I love you more than anyone in the world, I can give you as much intelligence as you want, if only you agree to marry me.

The princess was embarrassed and did not answer.

I see that my proposal has upset you,” Tufted said to Rika, “but I am not surprised at this. I give you a whole year to think about it. I'll be back in a year for an answer.

The princess imagined that the year would drag on without end, and agreed.

And as soon as she promised Rika Tufted to marry him, she immediately felt completely different. At that very moment she began to talk fluently and well with Rike Tufted and spoke so reasonably that Rike Tufted thought: perhaps he had transferred more intelligence to her than he had left to himself.

When the princess returned to the palace, the courtiers did not know what to think of the miraculous and quick change that had taken place in her. The princess went into the forest completely stupid, and returned unusually smart and reasonable. The king began to turn to the princess for advice and sometimes even decided important state affairs in her room. The news of this extraordinary change spread far and wide. From all the neighboring kingdoms, young princes began to arrive. Everyone tried to please the princess and asked her to marry him. But the princess found them not smart enough and did not agree to marry any of them.

Illustrator Gordeev Denis, fairy tale Rike Khokholok

Finally, one day a very rich, very intelligent and very slender prince appeared. The princess immediately took a liking to him.

The king noticed this and said that she could marry this prince if she wanted to. Wishing to think better about what to do, the princess went for a walk and, quite by chance, wandered into the forest where a year ago she met Rike Tusk.

Walking through the forest and thinking, the princess heard some noise underground. It seemed that there were people running back and forth and fussing.

The princess stopped and, listening more attentively, heard cries:

Give me a cauldron!

Throw wood on the fire!

At the same moment the earth parted, and the princess saw at her feet a large underground kitchen full of cooks, cooks and all sorts of servants. A whole crowd of cooks in white caps and aprons, with huge knives in their hands, came out of this underground kitchen. They went to one of the forest clearings, sat down around a long table and began to chop meat, while singing cheerful songs.

The surprised princess asked them for whom they were preparing such a rich feast.

For Prince Rike Tufted, the fattest cook answered her. He is celebrating his wedding tomorrow.

Then the princess remembered that exactly a year ago, on the same day, she promised to marry a little freak, and almost fainted.

Having recovered from her excitement, the princess went on, but before she had taken even thirty steps, Rika Tuft appeared before her, cheerful, healthy; superbly dressed, as befits a groom.

You see, princess, I am true to my word,” he said, “I think that you have come here to keep your word and make me the happiest person in the world.

No, answered the princess, I have not yet made up my mind, and probably never will make up my mind to marry you.

Once, when she was sitting near his cradle, a kind sorceress appeared in the room. She looked at the little freak and said:

“Don’t be so sad queen. The boy is really very ugly, but this does not prevent him from being kind and attractive, in addition, he will be smarter than all the people in the kingdom and can make smart the one he loves the most.

Everyone was very pleased with the prophecy of the good sorceress, but the queen was most pleased. She wanted to thank the sorceress, but she disappeared as unnoticed as she appeared.

The witch's prediction came true. As soon as the child learned to pronounce the first words, he began to speak so intelligently and smoothly that everyone was delighted and exclaimed:

“Oh, how smart the little prince is!

I forgot to say that the prince was born with a tuft on his head. Therefore, he was nicknamed so - Rike Tufted.

“Don't rejoice like that, queen: the little princess will be as stupid as she is beautiful.

This prediction greatly upset the queen. She began to cry and began to ask the sorceress to give at least a little mind to her little daughter.

“That I cannot do,” said the sorceress, “but I can make the one whom the princess loves become as handsome as she is.”

Saying this, the sorceress disappeared.

The princess grew up and every year she became more and more beautiful. But along with her beauty, her stupidity increased.

Why are you so sad princess? After all, you are so young and beautiful! I have seen many beautiful princesses, but I have never met such a beauty.

“You are very kind, prince,” the beauty answered him, and stopped there, because, due to her stupidity, she could not add anything more.

Is it possible to be sad for someone who is so beautiful? Ricky Tufted continued.

“I would rather agree,” said the princess, “to be as ugly as you, than to be so beautiful and so stupid.”

“You are not so stupid, princess, if you think you are stupid. Those who are truly stupid will never admit it.

“I don’t know that,” said the princess, “I only know that I am very stupid, that’s why I am so sad.

“Well, if you're so sad just because of this, I can help you in your grief.

— How will you do it? the princess asked.

“I can,” Tufted said to Rika, “make smart the girl I love the most.” And since I love you more than anyone in the world, I can give you as much intelligence as you want, if only you agree to marry me.

The princess was embarrassed and did not answer.

“I see that my proposal has upset you,” Tufted said to Rika, “but I am not surprised at this. I give you a whole year to think about it. I'll be back in a year for an answer.

The princess imagined that the year would drag on without end, and agreed.

Finally, one day a very rich, very intelligent and very slender prince appeared. The princess immediately took a liking to him.

Walking through the forest and thinking, the princess heard some noise underground. It seemed that there were people running back and forth and fussing.

The princess stopped and, listening more attentively, heard cries:

- Give me the pot!

Throw wood on the fire!

The surprised princess asked them for whom they were preparing such a rich feast.

“For Prince Rike Tusk,” answered the fattest cook. He is celebrating his wedding tomorrow.

Then the princess remembered that exactly a year ago, on the same day, she promised to marry a little freak, and almost fainted.

Having recovered from her excitement, the princess went on, but before she had taken even thirty steps, Rika Tuft appeared before her, cheerful, healthy; superbly dressed, as befits a groom.

“You see, princess, I am true to my word,” he said, “I think that you have come here to keep your word and make me the happiest person in the world.

“No,” answered the princess, I have not yet made up my mind, and, probably, I will never make up my mind to marry you.

"But why?" asked Ricky Hairlock. "Don't you want to marry me because of my disgrace?" Maybe you don't like my mind or my character?

“No,” answered the princess, “I like both your mind and your character ...

“So it’s only my ugliness that scares you?” - said Rika Tufted. “But this is a fixable matter, because you can make me a very beautiful person!”

— How to do it? the princess asked.

"Very simple," answered Rika Tufted. “If you love me and want me to become beautiful, I will become beautiful. The sorceress gave me intelligence and the ability to make smart the girl I love. And the same sorceress gave you the ability to make the one you love beautiful.

“If this is so,” said the princess, then I want with all my heart that you become the most beautiful in the world!

And before the princess had time to utter these words, Rika Tuft seemed to her the most beautiful and most slender man she had ever seen.

They say that sorceresses and their magic have nothing to do with it. It’s just that the princess, having fallen in love with Rike Tusk, stopped noticing his ugliness. What had previously seemed ugly in him began to seem beautiful and attractive. One way or another, but the princess immediately agreed to marry him, and the next day they celebrated the wedding.

Once upon a time there was a queen, and she gave birth to a son, such a freak that for a long time they doubted, but that's enough, is this a man? The sorceress who was present at his birth assured him that he would be very intelligent. She even added that, by the power of her sorcery, he would communicate his mind to anyone whom he deeply loved.

All this somewhat comforted the poor queen, who was very upset that she had given birth to such an ugly child.

But as soon as this child began to babble, he began to say extremely intelligent things, and in everything that he did, there was so much intelligence that everyone came to admire him.

I forgot to say that the child was born with a small tuft of hair on his head, which is why he was nicknamed Hohlik.

About seven or eight years later, the queen of the neighboring kingdom gave birth to two daughters.

The first to come into the world was as beautiful as day; the queen was so delighted at this that she almost became ill.

The same sorceress who was present at the birth of little Hohlik was present here, and, in order to moderate the queen's joy, she announced that God had not given the newborn princess reason and that she would be as stupid as good.

This greatly touched the queen; but a few minutes later an even greater grief happened to her: she gave birth to a second daughter, a terrible freak.

Do not grieve, madam, - the sorceress told her, - your daughter will be awarded other virtues: she will be so smart that almost no one will notice her lack of beauty.

God bless! the queen replied. - But is it possible to provide a little intelligence to the eldest, who is so beautiful?

From the side of the mind, madam, I can do nothing, - answered the sorceress, - but I can do everything from the side of beauty, and as I am ready to do everything for you, I give her a gift that she will communicate her beauty to anyone whom she loves dearly .

As the princesses grew up, their perfections increased. Everywhere there were only speeches about the beauty of the older one and the mind of the younger one.

It is true that their shortcomings also increased with age: the younger one grew uglier every minute, and the older one became more and more stupid every hour. Besides, she was such a slut that she could not put a cup on the table without breaking off the ear, and when she drank water, she knocked over half the glass on her dress.

Although the beauty and great dignity in the young lady, the guests almost always liked the younger one more than the older one.

First, the guests sat down to the beauty, to look at her, to admire; but then they went to the wise woman, to listen to her pleasant speeches, and, to the amazement of the whole company, after ten minutes there was no one left near the eldest and the guests crowded around the youngest.

The eldest, although she was stupid as a cork, however, noticed this, and without regret she would give all the beauty for half her sister's mind.

The queen, in spite of all her prudence, could not help reproaching her daughter for her stupidity. From this, the poor princess almost died of grief.

Once she went into the woods to cry about her misfortune, she only sees a young man coming up to her, very ugly and very unpleasant, but in a luxurious dress.

It was the young Prince Hohlik, who fell in love with her from portraits distributed throughout the world, and left his kingdom to have the pleasure of seeing her and talking to her.

Rejoicing that he had met the princess alone, Hohlik approached her as respectfully and politely as possible. After a proper greeting, he noticed that the princess was sad, and said:

I do not understand, madam, how such a beautiful person can be so thoughtful, for although I can boast that I have seen many beautiful people, I must say that I have never seen such beauty as yours.

What a compliment you are, sir! - answered the princess, and stopped there.

Beauty,” Khokhlik continued, “is such a great virtue that it should replace everything, and whoever has beauty cannot, in my opinion, grieve over anything.

I would rather be, - says the princess, - as ugly as you, but have a mind, than with my beauty and be such a fool.

Nothing, madam, so proves the mind as the conviction of its absence. The mind is by nature such an asset that the more you have it, the more you believe in its lack.

I don’t know that,” says the princess, “but I know that I am very stupid, and that’s why I grieve to death.

Only something, ma'am! I can put an end to your sadness.

How so? the princess asked.

I can, madam, communicate my mind to that person whom I love dearly; and since you, madam, are this very person, it depends on you yourself to become as smart as possible, if only you would agree to marry me.

The princess was embarrassed and did not answer.

I see,” Khokhlik continued, “that this proposal is not to your liking, and I am not surprised, but I am giving you a whole year of time: think it over and make up your mind.

The princess was so stupid and at the same time she wanted to become wiser so much that, thinking that another year would pass, she agreed to the proposal. As soon as she promised Khokhlik to marry him exactly one year later, day after day, she now felt completely different: she found in herself an incredible ability to say whatever she wanted, and to speak in a subtle, natural and pleasant manner. At that very moment she had a lively and gallant conversation with Khokhlik, in which she distinguished herself so much that Khokhlik wondered if he had given her more intelligence than he had left himself.

When the princess returned to the palace, the courtiers did not know how to explain such a sudden and unusual transformation, for how many stupid things had escaped her before, so many sensible and intelligent speeches were now heard from her.

The whole court came to an unimaginable joy, only one younger sister was not entirely pleased, because, having lost her former advantage over her sister, she now seemed nothing more than an ugly monkey in comparison with her.

The king began to turn to the princess for advice and sometimes even decided state affairs in her room.

Word of this change spread everywhere. From all the neighboring kingdoms, young princes began to gather, trying to please the princess and seeking her hand, but she did not find them smart enough and listened to proposals without giving anyone a word.

At last a suitor appeared, so powerful, so rich, so clever, and so slender, that the princess felt an inclination towards him.

Noticing this, the king said that he left the choice of a spouse to her will, and that, as she decided, so be it.

It is known that the smarter a person is, the more difficult it is for him to make any decision in these marriage matters. Therefore, the princess, thanking her father, asked him to give her time to think.

Then she went for a walk, and, accidentally ending up in the very woods where she had made her acquaintance with Khokhlik, she began to think freely about what she should do.

She walks, thinks her thoughts ... only suddenly she hears a dull noise under her feet, as if walking underground, running, doing some business.

She listened more attentively and hears, one shouts: "Give me a cauldron", and the other: "Put firewood on the fire" ...

At that very moment the earth opened up, and she saw under her feet what seemed to be a large kitchen, full of cooks, cooks, and all the people needed to prepare a sumptuous feast. A crowd of twenty or thirty people jumped out of there, went into one of the nearest alleys, sat down around a long table and, with kitchen knives in their hands, with chef's hats on their sides, let's chop meat in time, singing a cheerful song.

The princess, surprised by this sight, asked them for whom they raised such a fuss?

For Prince Hohlik.

The princess was even more surprised and, suddenly remembering that exactly a year ago, to the day, she promised to marry Hohlik, she almost fell off her feet. And she forgot about all this because when she made a promise, then she was a fool, but having received intelligence from the prince, she forgot all her stupidities.

She had not gone even thirty steps, continuing her walk, when Khokhlik himself appeared in the front hall, cheerful and dashing, dressed up as a groom should.

You will see, madam, he said, that I faithfully keep my word. I have no doubt that you, too, have come here to restrain your own and, by giving me your hand, make me the happiest of mortals.

To tell you frankly, - answered the princess, - I have not yet made any decision on this matter, and, it seems, I will never make such a decision as you would like.

You surprise me, sir! - Hohlik exclaimed.

I believe, - answered the princess, - and, no doubt, had I dealt with an impudent or fool, I would have been in a very difficult position. He would have told me that the princess must keep her word, and that since I gave my word, I must marry him. But as I speak to the smartest man in the world, I am sure that he will accept my reasons. You know that I did not dare to marry you even when I was a complete fool. How do you want me to, having received from you a mind that has made me even more discriminating than before, now make a decision that I avoided before? If you value this marriage so much, you have in vain saved me from stupidity and opened my eyes.

Even if it were permissible for a fool, as you have now deigned to note, to reproach you with treason, madam, how would you like me to refrain from reproaches when it comes to the happiness of all life? Is it fair to demand that smart people tolerate more fools? Can you confirm this, you, an intelligent person and so eager to become wiser? But let's get down to business, if you will. Besides my disgrace, do you have anything else against my person? Do you find my race bad, or my mind, or my temper, or my manners do not satisfy you?

Not at all, - answered the princess - on the contrary, I like everything about you that you just counted.

If so, - continued Hohlik, - I will be happy, for you can make me the most beautiful of mortals.

In what way? the princess asked.

It’s very simple,” Khokhlik replied. - It will come true, you just have to love me and wish it to come true. And so that you, madam, do not doubt my words, know that the same sorceress who on the day of my birth allowed me to communicate my mind to the one whom I deeply love, this same sorceress also allowed you to communicate your beauty to the one whom you deeply love. love and to whom you wish to show such mercy.

If so, said the princess, I wish with all my heart that you be the most handsome and most amiable prince in the world, and I communicate my beauty to you, as far as it depends on me.

The princess had not yet finished her words, when Hohlik seemed to her the most handsome, the most slender and the most amiable person in the world.

Other historians argue that it was not the sorcery of the sorceress, but love that produced this transformation. They say that when the princess thought about the constancy of her fiancé, about his modesty and about all his qualities of soul and body, the ugliness of his face and the ugliness of his body hid from her eyes. The hump seemed to her the posture of an important person, she found lameness a pleasant gait, slanting eyes turned into expressive eyes, a bewildered look went for a sign of strong love passion, and even a big red nose appeared to her in a warlike, heroic form ..

One way or another, but the princess immediately promised him her hand, if only he received the consent of the king.

The king, having learned that his daughter respects Hohlik very much, and knowing the prince well, agreed with pleasure to make him his son-in-law.

The very next day they celebrated the wedding, as Khokhlik foresaw it, and with a ceremony that had long been prepared on his orders.

There was once a queen who had a son so ugly and so badly built that for a long time it was doubted whether he was a man. Enchantress,...

There was once a queen who had a son so ugly and so badly built that for a long time it was doubted whether he was a man. The sorceress, who was present at his birth, assured that he would still be rewarded, as he would be very smart; she further added that thanks to the special gift he received from her, he would be able to endow with all his mind the person whom he loved more than anything in the world.

This somewhat comforted the poor queen, who was very upset that she had given birth to such an ugly baby. True, as soon as this child learned to babble, he immediately began to say very cute things, and in all his actions there was so much intelligence that it was impossible not to admire. I forgot to say that he was born with a small tuft on his head, and therefore he was nicknamed: Rike with a tuft. Rick was the name of his entire family.

Seven or eight years later, two daughters were born to a queen in one of the neighboring countries. The one that first came into the world was as beautiful as day; the queen was so pleased that those around her feared that she might become ill from too much joy. The same sorceress who was present at the birth of Rike with a tuft was also with her, and in order to weaken her joy, she announced that the little princess would not have a mind at all and that, as beautiful as she was, she would be so stupid. This greatly upset the queen, but a few minutes later she was even more upset: she gave birth to a second daughter, and she turned out to be extremely ugly. “Don’t kill yourself like that, madam,” the sorceress told her, “your daughter will be rewarded with other qualities, and she will have so much intelligence that people will not notice a lack of beauty in her.” - “God forbid,” the queen replied, “but is it possible to make the eldest, so beautiful, become a little smarter?” - “As for the mind, madam, I can do nothing for her,” said the sorceress, “but I can do everything when it comes to beauty, and since there is no such thing that I would not do for you, then she will receive It is a gift from me to bestow beauty on one or another who pleases her.”

As both princesses grew up, their perfection became more and more, and everywhere there was only talk about the beauty of the older one and the intelligence of the younger one. It is also true that over the years their shortcomings have also increased greatly. The younger one was becoming stupefied right before her eyes, and the older one was becoming more and more stupid every day. She either did not answer when she was asked about something, or she said nonsense. In addition, she was so awkward that if she rearranged some porcelain things on the fireplace, she would certainly break one of them, and when she drank water, she always poured half a glass on her dress.

Although beauty is a great virtue in a young lady, yet the youngest daughter has always been more successful than the eldest. At first, everyone rushed to the beauty in order to look at her, to admire her; but soon everyone was going to the one who was smart, because it was pleasant to listen to her; one had to be surprised when, after a quarter of an hour, even earlier, there was no one left near the eldest, and all the guests surrounded the youngest. The eldest, though very stupid, noticed this and would not regret giving up all her beauty, if only to be half as smart as her sister. The queen, no matter how reasonable she was, still sometimes could not resist reproaching her daughter for her stupidity, and the poor princess almost died of grief from this.

Once in the forest, where she went to cry about her misfortune, a little man of a very ugly and unpleasant appearance, dressed, however, very magnificently, approached her. It was the young Prince Rike with the crest: having fallen in love with her from the portraits that were distributed all over the world, he left his father's kingdom for the pleasure of seeing her and talking with her. Delighted to meet her here alone, he approached her as respectfully and courteously as he could. He greeted her properly, and then, noticing that the princess was very sad, he said to her: “I don’t understand, madam, why this person as beautiful as you can be so sad; although I can boast that I have seen many beautiful persons, yet I must say that I have not seen a single one whose beauty would resemble yours.

“You are so kind, sir,” the princess answered him, and could think of nothing more. “Beauty,” Riquet continued with a tuft, “is such a great virtue that it can replace everything else for us, and when you possess it, then, it seems to me, nothing can especially sadden us.” "I would rather," said the princess, "be as ugly as you, but have intelligence, than be so beautiful, but so stupid." “Nothing, madam, is such a sure sign of the mind as the thought of its absence, and such is its nature that the more you have it, the more it is lacking.”

“I don’t know,” said the princess, “I only know that I am very stupid, that’s why sadness kills me.” - "If only it upsets you, madam, I can easily put an end to your sadness." - "And how will you do it?" - said the princess. “It is in my power, madam,” said Riquet with a tuft, “to endow with all my mind that person whom I love more than anything in the world; and since this person is you, madam, it now depends on you alone to become as smart as you can become, if only you would agree to marry me.

The princess was completely puzzled and did not answer. “I see,” said Rike with a tuft, “that this proposal upsets you, and I am not surprised; but I give you a whole year so that you can decide. The princess was so lacking in intelligence, and at the same time she longed for it so much, that she imagined that this year would never end; and so she accepted the offer made to her. Before she had time to promise Rika that she would marry him exactly in a year, she felt completely different than before; now she could say whatever she wanted with amazing ease, and speak intelligently, naturally, and naturally. At the same moment, she began an amiable and smooth conversation with Prince Riquet and showed her intelligence in it with such brilliance that Riquet thought with a tuft: did he not give her more intelligence than he left to himself.

When she returned to the palace, the whole court did not know what to think of such a sudden and extraordinary transformation; just as everyone was accustomed to hearing nothing but nonsense from her before, so now they were surprised at her sensible and infinitely witty speeches. The whole court was so delighted that it is impossible to imagine; only the younger sister was not very pleased, because, now no longer differing in intelligence from her sister, next to her she seemed just a disgusting freak.

The king began to listen to her advice and often conferred about business in her chambers. As word of this change spread far and wide, young princes from all the neighboring kingdoms began to try to win her love, and almost all asked for her hand in marriage; but none of them seemed intelligent enough to her, and she listened to them without promising anything to anyone. But then a prince so powerful, so rich, so intelligent and so handsome appeared to her that the princess could not help feeling affection for him. Her father, noticing this, told her that he left her to choose a groom and that the decision depended only on her. The smarter the person, the more difficult it is to make a decision in such a case, and therefore, thanking her father, she asked him to give her time to think.

By chance, she went for a walk in the same forest where she met Prince Riquet, so that she could think freely about what she should do. Walking there in deep thought, she suddenly heard a dull noise under her feet, as if some people were walking, running, fussing. Listening carefully, she made out the words; someone said: "Bring me that pot", and someone else: "Give me this pot", and the third: "Put wood on the fire." At the same moment the earth opened up, and under her feet the princess saw a large kitchen filled with cooks, cooks and all kinds of people needed to prepare a sumptuous feast. A crowd of twenty or thirty people separated from them; they were idlers, they went to one of the alleys, settled there around a long table and, with lard needles in their hands, in hats with fox tails on their heads, set to work in unison, singing a harmonious song. The princess, surprised by this sight, asked them for whom they were working. “This, madam,” answered the most prominent of them, “this is for Prince Rike, tomorrow is his wedding.” The princess, surprised even more and suddenly remembering that today was a year since the day she promised to marry Prince Rika, almost fell over. She did not remember this because, while making a promise, she was still a fool, and having received from the prince the mind that he gave her, she forgot all her nonsense.

Before she had gone more than thirty steps, continuing her walk, Riquet with a tuft stood in front of her, full of courage and splendor, in fact, like a prince preparing for a wedding.

“You see, madam,” he said, “I sacredly kept my word and I have no doubt that you also came here to fulfill your promise and make me the happiest among people by giving me your hand.” “I confess to you frankly,” answered the princess, “I have not yet made a decision and I do not think that I will ever make the decision that you would like.” - "You surprise me, ma'am," Riquet with a crest told her. “I believe,” answered the princess, “and, of course, if I were dealing with a rude or stupid person, I would be in great difficulty. The word of the princess is holy, he would tell me, and you must marry me, since you promised me; but I am talking to the most intelligent man in the whole world, and therefore I am sure that you will be able to be convinced.

You know that when I was still a fool, even then I still did not dare to marry you - so how do you want that now, having the mind that you gave me and from which I became even more picky than was before, I made a decision that I could not make even at that time? If you really were going to marry me, then in vain you saved me from my stupidity and taught me to understand everything.

“If a stupid person,” objected Riquet with a crest, “would be allowed, as you just said, to reproach you for betraying your word, then why don’t you allow me, madam, to do the same, although it’s a matter of the happiness of my life? What is the point of having intelligent people in a worse position than those who have no intelligence at all? Are you saying that, you, who has so much intelligence and who so wanted to become wiser? But let's get back to business. Other than my ugliness, what don't you like about me? Are you dissatisfied with my family, my mind, my temper, my behavior? “Not at all,” answered the princess, “I like everything about you that you have listed now.” - "If so," said Rike with a tuft, "I will be happy, because you can make me the most pleasant of mortals." - "How can this be?" - said the princess. “It will be,” replied Prince Riquet, “if you love me so much that you wish it, and so that you, madam, do not doubt, know: from the same sorceress who on my birthday awarded me with a magical gift and allowed me to give the mind to another the person I please, you also received a gift - you can make handsome the one you love and whom you want to honor with this grace.

“If so,” said the princess, “I sincerely wish that you become the most beautiful and most amiable prince in all the earth, and as far as it is in my power, I bring you a gift of beauty.”

Before the princess had time to utter these words, Prince Rike had already turned into the most beautiful, most slender and most amiable man she had ever seen. Others claim that the charms of the sorceress had nothing to do with it, that only love produced this transformation. They say that the princess, thinking about the constancy of her admirer, about his modesty and about all the beautiful properties of his mind and his soul, stopped noticing how ugly his body was, how ugly his face; that his hump now began to seem to her nothing more than the posture of a man of self-importance, that in his terrible limp she now began to see only a manner of bearing a little crookedly, and this manner delighted her. They also say that his eyes seemed to her even more brilliant because they had braids, as if she saw in them an expression of passionate love, and that his big red nose had for her some kind of warlike, heroic character.

Be that as it may, the princess promised him to marry him immediately, if only he would receive the consent of her father. The king, having learned how high his daughter placed Prince Rike, who, moreover, was known to him as a very cautious and wise prince, was glad to see his son-in-law in him. The wedding was celebrated the next day, as Riquet with the tuft had foreseen, and in accordance with his orders, which he had already given long before.

MORALITY
One follows from the tale,
But rather the most faithful were:
Everything that we have loved
For us it is beautiful and smart.

ANOTHER MORAL
In another subject, nature itself
Infused grace and brilliance of this kind,
How can art compete with her?
But all this cannot ignite the heart,
Until love quietly helps
With its invisible beauty.

listen to a fairy tale Riquet with a tuft online:

Once, when she was sitting near his cradle, a kind sorceress appeared in the room. She looked at the little freak and said:

Everyone was very pleased with the prophecy of the good sorceress, but the queen was most pleased. She wanted to thank the sorceress, but she disappeared as unnoticed as she appeared.

The witch's prediction came true. As soon as the child learned to pronounce the first words, he began to speak so intelligently and smoothly that everyone was delighted and exclaimed:

Oh, how smart the little prince is!

I forgot to say that the prince was born with a tuft on his head. Therefore, he was nicknamed so - Rike Tufted.

Don't rejoice like that, queen: the little princess will be as stupid as she is beautiful.

This prediction greatly upset the queen. She began to cry and began to ask the sorceress to give at least a little mind to her little daughter.

This I cannot do, - said the sorceress, - but I can make the one whom the princess loves become as beautiful as she is.

Saying this, the sorceress disappeared.

The princess grew up and every year she became more and more beautiful. But along with her beauty, her stupidity increased.

Why are you, princess, so sad? After all, you are so young and beautiful! I have seen many beautiful princesses, but I have never met such a beauty.

You are very kind, prince, - the beauty answered him, and stopped there, because, due to her stupidity, she could not add anything more.

Is it possible to be sad for someone who is so beautiful? - continued Rike Tufted.

I would rather agree, - said the princess, - to be as ugly as you, than to be so beautiful and so stupid.

You are not so stupid, princess, if you think you are stupid. Those who are truly stupid will never admit it.

I don’t know that,” said the princess, “I only know that I am very stupid, that’s why I am so sad.

Well, if you're so sad just because of this, I can help you in your grief.

How will you do it? the princess asked.

I can, - said Rika Tufted, - make smart the girl I love the most. And since I love you more than anyone in the world, I can give you as much intelligence as you want, if only you agree to marry me.

The princess was embarrassed and did not answer.

I see that my proposal upset you, - said Rika Tufted, - but I am not surprised by this. I give you a whole year to think about it. I'll be back in a year for an answer.

The princess imagined that the year would drag on without end, and agreed.

Finally, one day a very rich, very intelligent and very slender prince appeared. The princess immediately took a liking to him.

Walking through the forest and thinking, the princess heard some noise underground. It seemed that there were people running back and forth and fussing.

The princess stopped and, listening more attentively, heard cries:

Give me a cauldron!

Throw wood on the fire!

The surprised princess asked them for whom they were preparing such a rich feast.

For Prince Rike Tufted, the fattest cook answered her. He is celebrating his wedding tomorrow.

Then the princess remembered that exactly a year ago, on the same day, she promised to marry a little freak, and almost fainted.

Having recovered from her excitement, the princess went on, but before she had taken even thirty steps, Rika Tuft appeared before her, cheerful, healthy; superbly dressed, as befits a groom.

You see, princess, I am true to my word, - he said, - I think that you have come here to keep your word and make me the happiest person in the world.

No, - answered the princess, I have not yet decided, yes, probably I will never decide to marry you.

But why? - asked Ricky Tufted. - Don't you want to marry me because of my disgrace? Maybe you don't like my mind or my character?

No, - answered the princess, - I like both your mind and your character ...

So it's only my ugliness that scares you? - said Rika Tufted. - But this is a fixable matter, because you can make me a very beautiful person!

How to do it? the princess asked.

It's very simple, - answered Rika Tufted. - If you love me and want me to become beautiful, I will become beautiful. The sorceress gave me intelligence and the ability to make smart the girl I love. And the same sorceress gave you the ability to make the one you love beautiful.

If so, said the princess, then with all my heart I want you to become the most beautiful in the world!

And before the princess had time to utter these words, Rika Tuft seemed to her the most beautiful and most slender man she had ever seen.