What began as a translation project became a retelling of four classic fairy tales from the Cabinet des Fees, the French collection of over forty volumes. "Certainly the translations, when finished, did not satisfy me, and so I turned back to the beginning and have rewritten the stories in my own way, which (as you may say with the Irish butler) “may not be the best claret, but ’tis the best ye’ve got.” —Preface - Summary by mlcui