# Cat Skin An English Fairytale Live Reading Public Domain Books at the Toddle Poddle Library

An episode of [Toddle Poddle](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1710389589), 11 Jul 2026, 9:08.

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## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen of English Fairy Tales. This is a LibriVox recording.
[0:07] Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
[0:10] Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
[0:16] Speaker 1: by Alison Virginia We Are Fearfully and Wonderfully made dot
[0:20] Speaker 1: tumbler dot com. English Fairy Tales by Flora Annie Steele,
[0:26] Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen, Catskin. Once upon a time there lived a
[0:32] Speaker 1: gentleman who owned fine lands and houses, and he very
[0:36] Speaker 1: much wanted to have a son to be heir to them.
[0:39] Speaker 1: So when his wife brought him a daughter, though she
[0:41] Speaker 1: was bonnie as bonnie could be, he cared not for
[0:44] Speaker 1: her and said, let me never see her face. So
[0:49] Speaker 1: she grew up to be a beautiful maiden, though her
[0:51] Speaker 1: father never set eyes on her till she was fifteen
[0:54] Speaker 1: years old and was ready to be married. Then her
[0:57] Speaker 1: father said roughly, she shall marry the first that comes
[1:00] Speaker 1: for her. Now, when this became known, who should come
[1:04] Speaker 1: along and be first? But a nasty, horrid old man.
[1:08] Speaker 1: So she didn't know what to do, and went to
[1:10] Speaker 1: the hen wife and asked her advice. And the hen
[1:14] Speaker 1: wife said, say, you will not take him unless they
[1:17] Speaker 1: give you a coat of silver cloth. Well, they gave
[1:21] Speaker 1: her a coat of silver cloth. But she wouldn't take
[1:23] Speaker 1: him for all that, but went again to the hen wife,
[1:25] Speaker 1: who said, say you will not take him unless they
[1:28] Speaker 1: give you a coat of beaten gold. Well they gave
[1:31] Speaker 1: her a coat of beaten gold. But still she would
[1:33] Speaker 1: not take the old man, but went again to the
[1:35] Speaker 1: hen wife, who said, say you will not take him
[1:39] Speaker 1: unless they gave you a coat made of the feathers
[1:41] Speaker 1: of all the birds of the air. So they sent
[1:44] Speaker 1: out a man with a great heap of peas, and
[1:46] Speaker 1: the man cried, to all the birds of the air,
[1:49] Speaker 1: each bird, take a pea and put down a feather.
[1:52] Speaker 1: So each bird took a pea and put down one
[1:54] Speaker 1: of its feathers. And they took all the feathers and
[1:57] Speaker 1: made a coat of them and gave it to her.
[2:00] Speaker 1: But still she would not take the nasty, horrid old man,
[2:03] Speaker 1: but asked the hen wife once again what she was
[2:05] Speaker 1: to do, And the hen wife said, say, they must
[2:08] Speaker 1: first make you a coat of catskin. Then they made
[2:12] Speaker 1: her a coat of catskin, and she put it on
[2:14] Speaker 1: and tied up her other coats into a bundle. And
[2:17] Speaker 1: when it was night time, ran away with it into
[2:19] Speaker 1: the woods. Now she went along, and went along, and
[2:23] Speaker 1: went along, so at the end of the wood she
[2:25] Speaker 1: saw a fine castle. Then she hid her fine dresses
[2:29] Speaker 1: by a crystal waterfall and went up to the castle
[2:32] Speaker 1: gates and asked for work. The lady of the castle
[2:35] Speaker 1: saw her and told her, I'm sorry, I have no
[2:38] Speaker 1: better place, but if you like, you may be our scullion.
[2:41] Speaker 1: So down she went into the kitchen, and they called
[2:44] Speaker 1: her cat skin because of her dress. But the cook
[2:47] Speaker 1: was very cruel to her and led her a sad life. Well.
[2:51] Speaker 1: Soon after that it happened that the young lord of
[2:53] Speaker 1: the castle came home, and there was to be a
[2:55] Speaker 1: grand ball in honor of the occasion. And when they
[2:58] Speaker 1: were speaking about it among the servants, dear me, missus,
[3:01] Speaker 1: cook said Katskin, how much I should like to go?
[3:05] Speaker 1: What you dirty, impudent slut? Said the cook, You go
[3:09] Speaker 1: among all the fine lords and ladies with your filthy
[3:12] Speaker 1: catskin A fine figure you'd cut. And with that she
[3:16] Speaker 1: took a basin of water and dashed it into Katskin's face.
[3:19] Speaker 1: But Katskin only shook her ears and said nothing. Now,
[3:23] Speaker 1: when the day of the ball arrived, Katskin slipped out
[3:26] Speaker 1: of the house and went to the edge of the
[3:28] Speaker 1: forest where she had hidden her dresses. Then she bathed
[3:31] Speaker 1: herself in a crystal waterfall and put on her coat
[3:33] Speaker 1: of silver cloth, and hastened away to the ball. As
[3:37] Speaker 1: soon as she entered, all were overcome by her beauty
[3:39] Speaker 1: and grace. While the young lord at once lost his
[3:42] Speaker 1: heart to her. He asked her to be his partner
[3:44] Speaker 1: for the first dance, and he would dance with none
[3:46] Speaker 1: other the livelong night. When it came to parting time,
[3:50] Speaker 1: the young lord said, pray, tell me, fair maid, where
[3:53] Speaker 1: you live. But Katskin curtseyed and said, kind sir, if
[3:57] Speaker 1: the truth I must tell at the sign of the
[3:59] Speaker 1: basil of water, I dwell. Then she flew from the
[4:03] Speaker 1: castle and donned her catskin robe again and slipped into
[4:06] Speaker 1: the scullery, unbeknown to the cook. The young lord went
[4:10] Speaker 1: the very next day and searched for the sign of
[4:12] Speaker 1: the basin of water, but he could not find it.
[4:15] Speaker 1: So he went to his mother, the lady of the castle,
[4:18] Speaker 1: and declared he would wed none other but the Lady
[4:20] Speaker 1: of the Silver Dress, and would never rest till he
[4:23] Speaker 1: had found her, so another ball was soon arranged in
[4:26] Speaker 1: hopes that the beautiful maid would appear again. So Katskin
[4:30] Speaker 1: said to the cook, oh, how I should like to go,
[4:33] Speaker 1: whereupon the cook screamed out in rage, what you you dirty,
[4:38] Speaker 1: impudent slut. You would cut a fine figure among all
[4:41] Speaker 1: the fine lords and ladies. And with that she up
[4:44] Speaker 1: with a ladle and broken across Catskin's back. But Katskin
[4:47] Speaker 1: only shook her ears and ran off to the forest,
[4:50] Speaker 1: where first of all she bathed, and then she put
[4:52] Speaker 1: on her coat of beaten gold, and off she went
[4:55] Speaker 1: to the ball room. As soon as she entered, all
[4:58] Speaker 1: eyes were upon her, and the young lord at once
[5:00] Speaker 1: recognized her as the lady of the Basin of Water,
[5:03] Speaker 1: claimed her hand for the first dance, and did not
[5:05] Speaker 1: leave her to the last. When that came, he again
[5:09] Speaker 1: asked her where she lived, But all that she would
[5:11] Speaker 1: say was, kind, sir, if the truth I must tell
[5:14] Speaker 1: at the sign of the broken ladle, I dwell. And
[5:18] Speaker 1: with that she curtsied and flew from the ball, off
[5:20] Speaker 1: with her golden robe, on with her catskin, and into
[5:23] Speaker 1: the scullery without the cook's knowing. Next day, when the
[5:27] Speaker 1: young lord could not find where the sign of the
[5:29] Speaker 1: broken ladle was. He begged his mother to have another
[5:32] Speaker 1: grand ball so that he might meet the beautiful maid
[5:34] Speaker 1: once more. Then Catskin said to the cook, oh, how
[5:38] Speaker 1: I wish I could go to the ball, whereupon the
[5:40] Speaker 1: cook called out, a fine figure you'd cut, and broke
[5:44] Speaker 1: the skimmer across her head. But Katskin only shook her
[5:47] Speaker 1: ears and went off to the forest, where she first
[5:49] Speaker 1: bathed in the crystal spring, and then donned her coat
[5:52] Speaker 1: of feathers, and so off to the ball room. When
[5:55] Speaker 1: she entered, every one was surprised at so beautiful a
[5:58] Speaker 1: face and form, dressed in so rich and rare address.
[6:01] Speaker 1: But the young lord at once recognized his beautiful sweetheart
[6:04] Speaker 1: and would dance with none but her the whole evening.
[6:07] Speaker 1: When the ball came to an end, he pressed her
[6:10] Speaker 1: to tell him where she lived, but all she would
[6:12] Speaker 1: answer was, kind sir, if the truth I must tell
[6:15] Speaker 1: at the sign of the broken skimmer, I dwell. And
[6:18] Speaker 1: with that she curtseyed and was off to the forest.
[6:21] Speaker 1: But this time the young lord followed her and watched
[6:24] Speaker 1: her change her fine dress of feathers for her catskin dress,
[6:27] Speaker 1: and then he knew her for his own scullery maid.
[6:31] Speaker 1: Next day he went to his mother and told her
[6:33] Speaker 1: that he wished to marry the scullery maid. Catskin never said,
[6:36] Speaker 1: the Lady of the castle, never, so long as I
[6:39] Speaker 1: live well. The young lord was so grieved that he
[6:43] Speaker 1: took to his bed and was very ill. Indeed, the
[6:45] Speaker 1: doctor tried to cure him, but he would not take
[6:47] Speaker 1: any medicine unless from the hands of Catskin. At last,
[6:51] Speaker 1: the doctor went to the mother and said that her
[6:53] Speaker 1: son would die if she did not consent to his
[6:55] Speaker 1: marriage with Catskin, so she had to give way. Then
[6:59] Speaker 1: she summoned Catskin to her, and Katskin put on her
[7:01] Speaker 1: coat of beaten gold before she went to see the lady,
[7:04] Speaker 1: and she, of course was overcome at once and was
[7:07] Speaker 1: only too glad to wed her son to so beautiful
[7:09] Speaker 1: a maid. So they were married, and after a time
[7:12] Speaker 1: a little son was born to them and grew up
[7:14] Speaker 1: a fine little lad. Now, one day, when he was
[7:17] Speaker 1: about four years old, a beggar woman came to the door,
[7:21] Speaker 1: and Lady Katskin gave some money to the little lord
[7:23] Speaker 1: and told him to go and give it to the
[7:25] Speaker 1: beggar woman. So he went and gave it, putting it
[7:28] Speaker 1: into the hand of the woman's baby child, and the
[7:31] Speaker 1: child leaned forward and kissed the little lord. Now the
[7:35] Speaker 1: wicked old cook, who had never been sent away because
[7:38] Speaker 1: Katskin was too kind hearted, was looking on, and she said,
[7:42] Speaker 1: see how beggar's brats take to one another. This insult
[7:45] Speaker 1: hurt Katskin dreadfully, and she went to her husband, the
[7:48] Speaker 1: young Lord, and told him all about her father, and
[7:51] Speaker 1: begged he would go and find out what had become
[7:53] Speaker 1: of her parents. So they set out in the lord's
[7:55] Speaker 1: grand coach and traveled through the forest till they came
[7:58] Speaker 1: to the house of Katskin's father. Then they put up
[8:01] Speaker 1: at an inn near and Katskin stopped there while her
[8:03] Speaker 1: husband went to see if her father would own she
[8:06] Speaker 1: was his daughter. Now, our father had never had any
[8:09] Speaker 1: other child, and his wife had died, so he was
[8:12] Speaker 1: all alone in the world, and saint moping and miserable.
[8:16] Speaker 1: When the young Lord came in, he hardly looked up,
[8:18] Speaker 1: he was so miserable. Then Katskin's husband drew a chair
[8:21] Speaker 1: close up to him and asked him, pray, sir, had
[8:25] Speaker 1: you not once a young daughter whom you would never
[8:27] Speaker 1: see or own. And the miserable man said, with tears,
[8:31] Speaker 1: it is true I am a hardened sinner, but I
[8:34] Speaker 1: would give all my worldly goods if I could but
[8:36] Speaker 1: see her once before I die. Then the young lord
[8:40] Speaker 1: told him what had happened to Katskin, and took him
[8:43] Speaker 1: to the Inn, and afterwards brought his father in law
[8:45] Speaker 1: to his own castle, where they lived happy ever afterwards.
[8:52] Speaker 1: End of Chapter seventeen Katskin recording by Alice in Virginia.
[8:57] Speaker 1: We are fearfully and wonderfully made Dot tumbler A come

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