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We The People An Introduction To American Politics Fourteenth Essentials Edition Benjamin Ginsberg Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
We The People An Introduction To American Politics Fourteenth Essentials Edition Benjamin Ginsberg Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
We The People An Introduction To American Politics Fourteenth Essentials Edition Benjamin Ginsberg Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
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1
Essentials
EDITION
14
We the People
An Introduction to American Politics
2
Essentials
EDITION
14
We the People
An Introduction to American Politics
BENJAMIN GINSBERG
THEODORE J. LOWI
MARGARET WEIR
BROWN UNIVERSITY
CAROLINE J. TOLBERT
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
ANDREA L. CAMPBELL
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
ROBERT J. SPITZER
SUNY CORTLAND
3
4
W. W. Norton & Company has been independent since its founding in
1923, when William Warder Norton and Mary D. Herter Norton first
published lectures delivered at the People’s Institute, the adult education
division of New York City’s Cooper Union. The firm soon expanded its
program beyond the Institute, publishing books by celebrated academics
from America and abroad. By midcentury, the two major pillars of
Norton’s publishing program—trade books and college texts—were
firmly established. In the 1950s, the Norton family transferred control of
the company to its employees, and today—with a staff of five hundred
and hundreds of trade, college, and professional titles published each
year—W. W. Norton & Company stands as the largest and oldest
publishing house owned wholly by its employees.
Copyright © 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007,
2005, 2003, 2001, 1999, 1997 by
5
Marketing Manager: Ashley Sherwood
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y.
10110
www.wwnorton.com
6
To:
7
Brief Contents
PART I Foundations
1 Americans and Their Political Values 2
2 The Founding and the Constitution 30
3 Federalism 64
4 Civil Liberties 92
5 Civil Rights 124
PART II POLITICS
6 Public Opinion 160
7 The Media and Political Information 190
8 Political Parties and Interest Groups 222
9 Participation, Campaigns, and Elections 262
PART III INSTITUTIONS
10 Congress 302
11 The Presidency 342
12 The Bureaucracy 372
13 The Federal Courts 402
PART IV POLICY
14 Domestic Policy 438
15 Foreign Policy 472
8
Contents
Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxix
About the Authors xxxv
PART I Foundations
1 Americans and Their Political Values 2
Government 5
Is Government Needed? 5
Different Forms of Government 5
Limiting Government 7
Democracy in the United States 8
Participation in Government Is How People Have a
Say in What Happens 8
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Forms of Government
9
Citizenship Is Based on Participation, Knowledge,
and Efficacy 11
Who Are Americans? 13
Immigration Has Changed American Identity 13
Who Are Americans in the Twenty-First Century? 14
WHO ARE AMERICANS? An Increasingly
Diverse Nation 15
Liberty, Equality, and Justice Are American Political
Values 20
Liberty Means Freedom 20
Equality Means Treating People Fairly 21
Justice Is an Unfinished Project 23
HOW TO Debate Respectfully 24
What Americans Think about Government 27
Trust in Government Has Declined 27
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Americans and Their
Political Values 29
2 The Founding and the Constitution30
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts 33
Native Nations and Colonial Life 33
British Taxes and Colonial Interests 34
Political Strife Radicalized the Colonists 34
9
Enslaved Africans and the Colonial Economy 35
The Declaration of Independence Explained Why the
Colonists Wanted to Break with Great Britain 36
The European Enlightenment Influenced the
Founders 37
The Articles of Confederation Created America’s
First National Government 38
The Failure of the Articles of Confederation Made
the “Second Founding” Necessary 39
Shays’ Rebellion 40
The Constitutional Convention and the Great
Compromise 41
The Constitution and Slavery 42
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Were the Framers
of the Constitution? 43
The Constitution Created Both Bold Powers and
Sharp Limits on Power 47
The Legislative Branch Was Designed to Be the
Most Powerful 49
The Executive Branch Created a Brand-New Office
50
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Democratic Systems
51
The Judicial Branch Was a Check on Too Much
Democracy 52
National Unity and Power Set the New Constitution
Apart from the Old Articles 52
The Constitution Establishes the Process for
Amendment and Ratification 53
Constitutional Limits on the National Government’s
Power 56
Ratification of the Constitution Was Difficult 59
Federalists and Antifederalists Fought Bitterly over
the Wisdom of the New Constitution 59
Compromise Contributed to the Success of the New
System 61
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Constitution 62
3 Federalism 64
Federalism Is Established by the Constitution 67
Political Ramifications of Federalism 68
10
The Powers of the National Government 69
The Powers of State Government 69
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Federal and Unitary
Countries 70
States’ Obligations to One Another 72
Local Government and the Constitution 73
HOW TO Make Your Voice Heard at a Local
Meeting 74
National and State Powers Have Shifted over Time
76
Restraining National Power with Dual Federalism 76
How the Supreme Court Responded to Demands for
a Larger Federal Role 77
The New Deal: New Roles for Government 79
Cooperative Federalism and the Use of Categorical
Grants 79
Regulated Federalism and the Rise of National
Standards 81
Federalism Today Is as Important as Ever 83
States’ Rights 83
State Control over National Policies 84
Federal–State Tensions in Two Issue Areas 86
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Benefits from
Federal Spending? 87
State–Local Tensions 89
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Federalism 91
4 Civil Liberties 92
The Bill of Rights Originated with Opponents of the
Constitution 95
The Fourteenth Amendment Nationalized the Bill of
Rights through Incorporation 96
The First Amendment Guarantees Freedom of
Religion 100
Separation between Church and State 100
Free Exercise of Religion 101
The First Amendment’s Freedom of Speech and of
the Press Ensure the Free Exchange of Ideas 103
Political Speech 103
Fighting Words and Hate Speech 104
11
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Civil Liberties in
Global Perspective 105
Student Speech 106
Commercial Speech 107
Symbolic Speech, Speech Plus, and the Rights of
Assembly and Petition 107
Freedom of the Press 108
The Second Amendment Protects the Right to Bear
Arms 110
Rights of the Criminally Accused Are Based on Due
Process of Law 113
The Fourth Amendment and Searches and Seizures
114
The Fifth Amendment 114
The Sixth Amendment and the Right to Counsel 116
The Eighth Amendment and Cruel and Unusual
Punishment 117
The Right to Privacy Means the Right to Be Left
Alone 119
Eminent Domain 119
Birth Control 119
Abortion 119
Sexual Orientation 120
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Abortion Rights after
Dobbs121
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Civil Liberties 123
5 Civil Rights 124
What Are Civil Rights, and How Are They
Achieved? 127
Defining Civil Rights 127
Achieving Civil Rights 127
Strategies Used by Social Movements 128
The Civil Rights Movement, 1600s–1960s 131
Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement 131
The Civil War Amendments and Their Aftermath
132
Organizing against Racial Violence 134
The Fight for Education Equality and the Weakening
of Jim Crow 134
The Civil Rights Movement after Brown 136
12
The Civil Rights Acts 137
Civil Rights Have Been Extended to Other Groups
142
The Women’s Rights Movement 142
Latinos 144
Asian Americans 144
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Global Economic
Gender Equality 145
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are America’s
Immigrants? 147
Native Americans 148
Disabled Americans 149
LGBTQ Americans 150
Civil Rights Today 152
Affirmative Action 152
Immigration 153
Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim Americans 155
The Criminal Justice System 156
The Racial Justice Movement 156
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Civil Rights 159
PART II Politics
6 Public Opinion 160
Public Opinion Is Defined by Basic Values and
Beliefs 163
Political Values 164
Political Ideology 164
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are
Conservatives? Who Are Liberals? 167
How We Form Political Opinions 170
Political Socialization 170
Social Groups and Public Opinion 172
Political Leaders 176
Political Knowledge 176
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Comparative Trust in
Government 177
Public Opinion Can Shape Government Policy 179
Government Responsiveness to Public Opinion 180
Does Everyone’s Opinion Count Equally? 181
Measuring Public Opinion Is Crucial to
Understanding It 182
13
Measuring Public Opinion from Surveys 182
When Polls Are Wrong 184
HOW TO Evaluate a Poll 186
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Public Opinion 189
7 The Media and Political Information190
The Media Are Indispensable to American
Democracy 193
Key Roles of the Media 193
Journalism 194
The Profit Motive 197
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Global Freedom of the
Press 199
How the Media Shape News and Information 201
There Are Many Sources of Political News 204
Sources of Political News 204
How the News Is Delivered 205
The Rise of Media Technology Companies 210
WHO ARE AMERICANS? How Do Americans
Get Their Political News? 211
The Quality of Political News 213
What Americans Think of the Media 214
Polarized Information Environments and Media Bias
214
Misinformation 216
HOW TO Evaluate a News Source 218
Government Regulation of the Media 219
Effects on Knowledge and Tolerance 219
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Media 221
8 Political Parties and Interest Groups 222
What Are Political Parties? 225
Parties and Democracy 226
How Political Parties Form and Change 227
Party Polarization of Congress 232
Parties in Elections and Government 234
Recruiting Candidates 234
Party Rules and Organizations Define How Parties
Operate 234
Parties Seek to Control Government 235
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Comparing Party
Systems 236
14
Party Identification and Polarization Guide Voters
238
Party Identification Today 239
Who Are Republicans and Democrats? 240
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Identifies with
Which Party? 241
Affective Polarization 243
Minor Parties 244
There Are Many Types of Interest Groups 245
Types of Interest Groups 246
Why Do Interest Groups Form? 248
HOW TO Start an Advocacy Group 250
What Interests Are Not Represented? 252
What Do Interest Groups Do? 253
Interest Groups Influence Congress through
Lobbying 254
Using the Courts 257
How Influential Are Interest Groups? 258
Measuring Interest Group Influence 259
Regulating Lobbying 259
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Political Parties and
Interest Groups 260
9 Participation, Campaigns, and Elections 262
Who Participates and How? 265
Riots and Protests 265
Political Participation in Elections 266
Online Political Participation 268
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Voter Turnout in
Comparison 269
Socioeconomic Status 270
Age 270
Race and Ethnicity 270
Gender 272
Religion 272
State Electoral Laws Regulate Most Voting 273
Registration Requirements 276
Voter Identification Requirements 277
The Ballot 277
HOW TO Register . . . and Vote 278
Presidential Elections 280
15
Election Campaigns 282
Campaign Consultants and Volunteers 283
Fundraising 283
Campaign Strategy 284
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Are Presidential
Battleground States Representative of the Country?
289
How Voters Decide 291
Partisan Loyalty 291
Issues and Policy Preferences 291
Candidate Characteristics 292
The 2022 National Elections: A Contest between
Two Candidates Not on the Ballot? 292
The Backdrop: A Divided Nation 293
The Campaign 296
The Issues 297
The Results 298
The 2022 Elections and the Future of American
Politics 299
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Participation,
Campaigns, and Elections 301
PART III Institutions
10 Congress 302
Congress Represents the American People 305
House and Senate: Differences in Representation 305
Trustee versus Delegate Representation 306
Descriptive versus Substantive Representation 307
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are the Members
of Congress? 309
Congressional Elections 311
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Women’s Legislative
Representation 313
HOW TO Contact Your Member of Congress 316
Congressional Organization Determines Power 318
Party Leadership 318
The Committee System 319
The Staff System 322
How a Bill Becomes a Law 323
Regular Order 325
Unorthodox Lawmaking 330
16
Who Influences Congressional Decision-Making?
333
Constituency 334
Interest Groups 334
Party 335
When Congress Has Trouble Deciding 336
Congress Does More Than Make Laws 338
Oversight 338
Advice and Consent: Special Senate Powers 339
Impeachment 339
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Congress 341
11 The Presidency 342
Presidential Power Is Rooted in the Constitution 345
Expressed Powers 346
Implied Powers 352
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Comparative
Constitutional Executive Authority 353
Delegated Powers 354
Inherent Powers 355
Presidents Claim Many Institutional Powers 357
The Cabinet 358
The White House Staff 358
The Executive Office of the President 358
The Vice Presidency 359
The President’s Party 360
The First Spouse 360
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are America’s
Presidents? 361
Presidential Power Grew in the Twentieth Century
363
Going Public 363
The Administrative Strategy 365
The Limits of Presidential Power: Checks and
Balances 369
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Presidency 371
12 The Bureaucracy 372
What Is the Federal Bureaucracy? 375
What Bureaucrats Do 375
How the Bureaucracy Is Organized 379
17
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Bureaucracy in
Comparison 380
HOW TO Apply for a Federal Job 384
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are Bureaucrats?
387
Who Are Federal Bureaucrats? 388
Populating the Bureaucracy 389
Size of the Bureaucracy 390
Private Contracting 391
Managing the Bureaucracy 392
The President as Chief Executive 393
Congressional Control 395
Presidential–Congressional Struggle for Bureaucratic
Control: A Case Study 397
Judicial Oversight 398
Whistleblowing 398
Citizen Oversight 399
The Difficulties of Bureaucratic Control 399
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Bureaucracy 401
13 The Federal Courts 402
The Legal System Settles Disputes 405
Cases and the Law 405
Types of Courts 406
Federal Courts Hear a Small Percentage of All Cases
411
Federal Trial Courts 411
Federal Appellate Courts 412
The Supreme Court 412
Traditional Limitations on the Federal Courts 413
Federal Court Expansion 413
How Judges Are Appointed 414
Democracy and Supreme Court Appointments 417
The Power of the Supreme Court Is Judicial Review
418
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are Federal
Judges? 419
Judicial Review of Acts of Congress 420
Judicial Review of State Actions 420
Judicial Review of Federal Agency Actions 422
Judicial Review and Presidential Power 422
18
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Courts in Comparison
423
Most Cases Reach the Supreme Court by Appeal 424
Accessing the Court 424
Beyond the Judges: Key Players in the Federal Court
Process 427
Lobbying for Access: Interests and the Court 427
The Supreme Court’s Procedures 428
Supreme Court Decisions Are Influenced by
Activism and Ideology 432
Influences on Supreme Court Decision-Making 432
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Federal Courts 437
PART IV Policy
14 Domestic Policy 438
The Government Shapes Economic Policy with
Three Tools 441
Fiscal Policies 441
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Global Tax Rates 444
Monetary Policies 445
Regulation and Antitrust Policy 447
Economic Policy Is Inherently Political 449
How Much Should the Government Intervene in the
Economy? 449
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Pays the Most in
Taxes? 451
The Welfare State Was Created to Address Insecurity
453
Foundations of the Welfare State 454
Social Policies Open Opportunity 458
Education Policies 459
Health Policies 460
Housing Policies 464
Who Gets What from Social Policy? 465
Elderly People 465
The Middle and Upper Classes 466
The Working Poor 466
The Nonworking Poor 468
Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Women, and Children
468
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Domestic Policy 470
19
15 Foreign Policy 472
The Goals of Foreign Policy 475
Security 475
Economic Prosperity 480
Promoting U.S. Ideals Overseas 481
American Foreign Policy Is Shaped by Government
and Nongovernment Actors 483
The President and the Executive Branch 483
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Foreign Aid in
Comparison 485
Congress 488
Interest Groups 490
Tools of American Foreign Policy: Diplomacy,
Money, and Force 491
Diplomacy 491
The United Nations 492
The International Monetary Structure 492
Economic Aid and Sanctions 493
Collective Security 494
Military Force 494
Soft Power 495
Arbitration 496
Daunting Foreign Policy Issues Face the United
States 497
A Powerful China and a Resurgent Russia 497
Nuclear Proliferation in Iran and North Korea 498
Trade Policy 499
Global Environmental Policy 500
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Benefits from
International Trade? 501
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Foreign Policy 503
Appendix
The Declaration of Independence A1
The Articles of Confederation A5
The Constitution of the United States of America A11
Amendments to the Constitution A21
The Federalist Papers A31
The Anti-Federalist Papers A39
Presidents and Vice Presidents A45
Endnotes A49
20
Credits A89
Glossary/Index A93
21
Preface
When we wrote the First Edition of this book, our concern was to explain
to students why they should be interested in government and politics. But
today our pedagogical priorities are different. After two years in which
our nation has been confronted with a terrible pandemic, severe racial
strife, an attack on the Capitol, allegations of stolen elections, and
nuclear threats from Russia’s leader, many, if not most, students know
that politics can have a direct impact upon their lives. Indeed, they see
every day that politics can be a matter of life and death, and that
democracy itself may be in peril. Today’s students are eager to learn
what they need to know about politics and how they can affect the
political world. In this book we endeavor to provide students with a core
of political knowledge and to show them how they can apply that
knowledge as participants in the political process.
As events from the past several years have reminded us, “what
government does” inevitably raises questions about political
participation and political equality. The size and composition of the
electorate, for example, affect who is elected to public office and what
policy directions the government will pursue. Challenges to election
administration, from the reliability of voting machines to the ability of
local officials to handle the many complications of running a voting
operation during a global pandemic, became important in the 2020
election. Many questions arose about the integrity of the voting process,
from fears of foreign attacks to concerns that there was not enough mail-
in voting—or too much. Fierce debates about the policies of the Trump
and Biden administrations have heightened students’ interest in politics.
Other recent events have underscored how Americans from different
backgrounds experience politics. Arguments about immigration became
contentious as the nation once again debated the question of who is an
American and who should have a voice in determining what the
government does. Debates about who benefited from pandemic relief
legislation—and who slipped through the cracks—raised questions about
which interests have effective voices in government policy. And
concerns that the police sometimes use excessive force against members
of minority groups have raised questions about whether the government
treats all Americans fairly. Reflecting all of these trends, this new
22
Fourteenth Edition shows more than any other book on the market (1)
how students are connected to government, (2) why students should
think critically about government and politics, and (3) how Americans
from different backgrounds experience and shape politics.
23
candidates (Chapter 8), to a whistleblower calling out Facebook for what
she saw as harmful algorithms and business practices (Chapter 10), to
people fighting groundwater contamination from “forever chemicals”
around local military bases (Chapter 12).
Several other elements of the book also help show students why politics
and government should matter to them. These include:
24
importance of election administration—wait times, availability of
polling places, polling place staff, invalidated votes, and more.
For Critical Analysis questions are incorporated throughout the
text. These questions in the margins of every chapter prompt
students’ own critical thinking about the material in the chapter,
encouraging them to engage with the topic.
What Do You Think? chapter conclusions ask students to relate
the chapter content and the personal profiles that begin each chapter
to fundamental questions about the American political system and
to reflect on the significance of government to the lives of
individuals.
This Fourteenth Edition is accompanied by a Norton Illumine
Ebook that encourages students to check their understanding of
each section and provides a richer, more immersive reading and
learning experience through embedded animated infographics and
interactive data exercises.
InQuizitive, Norton’s award-winning formative, adaptive online
quizzing program, accompanies this Fourteenth Edition. The
InQuizitive course for We the People guides students through
questions organized around the text’s chapter learning objectives to
ensure mastery of the core information and to help with assessment.
Additional information and a demonstration are available at
digital.wwnorton.com/wethepeople14ess.
Benjamin Ginsberg
Caroline J. Tolbert
Andrea L. Campbell
October 2022
25
A Note from New Author Megan
Ming Francis
To my colleagues:
26
The changes I focused on spring from my research and my teaching at
Pepperdine University and the University of Washington. In my own
course, students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds often come
to my office hours and ask why they could only see themselves reflected
in the chapter on civil rights. And my research in American politics has
taught me that race has played a central role in the development of this
nation—from the Founding to the present. A major goal of this edition
was to integrate scholarship from the subfield of race, ethnicity, and
politics into the textbook in a more consistent way. While you will see
substantial changes in the chapters I took the lead on—1: Americans and
Their Political Values; 2: The Founding and the Constitution; 5: Civil
Rights; and 13: The Federal Courts—there is more on race throughout
the book, at key moments.
One of the keys to the success of We the People has been the sustained
interaction and feedback between instructors, authors, publishers, and
students. I hope that when you see the Fourteenth Edition, you share
your thoughts and experiences with me. A great textbook, like American
democracy, is always unfinished, always in the process of being
perfected.
27
University of Washington
meganmf@uw.edu
28
Acknowledgments
We are pleased to acknowledge the many colleagues who had an active
role in criticism and preparation of the manuscript. Our thanks go to:
29
Joan Babcock, Northwest Vista College
30
Paul Blakelock, Lone Star College–Kingwood
31
Ed Chervenak, University of New Orleans
32
Christopher Cronin, Methodist University
33
Doug Dow, University of Texas at Dallas
34
Del Fields, St. Petersburg College
35
Donna Godwin, Trinity Valley Community College
36
Rick Henderson, Texas State University–San Marcos
37
Loch Johnson, University of Georgia
38
Rick Kurtz, Central Michigan University
39
William Lyons, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
40
Eric Miller, Blinn College
41
Anthony Nownes, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
42
Michael A. Powell, Frederick Community College
43
Ryan Rynbrandt, Collin College
44
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
put s’empêcher de monter dans la royale voiture ; en même temps,
elle avait le cœur bien gros en songeant à l’ange gardien qui se
mourait dans la chaumière, qui était peut-être mort, maintenant.
Elle fut reine, elle eut des palais merveilleux, et la joie des fêtes,
et la gloire d’être la plus illustre avec l’orgueil d’être la plus belle.
Mais ce qui la ravissait surtout, ce n’étaient pas les louanges des
chambellans et des ambassadeurs, ce n’était pas de marcher sur
des tapis de soie et d’or, de porter des robes fleuries de toutes les
roses et constellées de tous les diamants, non, c’était l’amour
toujours vivant, toujours grandissant, qui brûlait pour le roi, dans son
cœur, qui brûlait, dans le cœur du roi, pour elle. Ils éprouvaient l’un
pour l’autre une tendresse non pareille. Dans tout le vaste monde, ils
ne voyaient qu’eux seuls. Les affaires de l’État étaient le moindre de
leurs soucis ; qu’on leur permît de s’adorer en paix, ils n’avaient pas
d’autre désir ; et, sous leur règne, on ne fit point la guerre, tant ils
s’occupaient à faire l’amour. Au milieu d’une telle joie, Martine
songeait-elle au céleste messager qui avait pris sa place, par charité
pure ? Rarement. Son bonheur ne lui laissait pas le temps de ce
chagrin. Que si, — parfois, — un remords lui venait de n’avoir pas
accompli sa promesse, elle s’en délivrait en se disant que Martine,
dans la chaumière, n’était peut-être pas aussi malade qu’il
paraissait, et que l’ange avait dû guérir. D’ailleurs, elle ne s’inquiétait
guère de ce passé si obscur, si lointain, et elle ne pouvait pas avoir
de tristesse puisqu’elle s’endormait tous les soirs, la tête sur l’épaule
de son royal époux. Mais il advint une chose terrible : le roi disparut
un jour, pour ne plus reparaître, et personne ne put savoir ce qu’il
était devenu.
VI
La voix reprit :
— Je suis votre ange gardien, et tout est bien puisque vous voilà.
Hâtez-vous de vous coucher sous cette pierre, et j’emporterai votre
âme au paradis, afin de l’y épouser.
— Hélas ! mon bon ange, combien vous avez dû souffrir, par ma
faute, en mourant, et combien vous avez dû vous ennuyer, seul si
longtemps, dans cette tombe !
— Bon ! dit-il, je m’étais bien douté que vous ne reviendriez pas
de sitôt, et j’avais pris mes précautions en conséquence. Une vaine
forme abusa vos parents, sous le drap, sur l’oreiller ; je vous ai suivie
à travers les branches ; et, pendant le temps où j’aurais dû dormir à
votre place dans la fosse, sous les hautes herbes fleuries…
— Oh ! pendant ce temps, en quel lieu étiez-vous, mon ange ?
— J’étais dans notre royal palais, ma reine, où vous m’aimiez
presque autant que vous m’aimerez tout à l’heure au Paradis !
LA DERNIÈRE FÉE
— C’est une belle promesse que vous me faites là, dit la jeune
fille étonnée.
— Je la tiendrai, je vous assure.
— Mais que me demanderez-vous en échange d’un tel service ?
— Oh ! presque rien ! dit la fée ; vous me laisserez me blottir, —
je me ferai plus petite encore que je ne suis, pour ne pas vous
gêner, — dans l’une des fossettes que le sourire met aux coins de
votre bouche.
— Comme il vous plaira ! c’est marché conclu. »
La jeune fille avait à peine achevé qu’Oriane, pas plus grosse
qu’une perle presque invisible, était déjà nichée dans le joli nid rose.
Ah ! comme elle s’y trouvait bien ! Comme elle y serait bien,
toujours ! Maintenant, elle ne regrettait plus que les hommes eussent
saccagé la forêt de Brocéliande, et tout de suite, — car elle était trop
contente pour négliger de tenir sa parole, — elle fit venir du pays
lointain le jeune homme plus beau que le jour. Il parut dans la
chambre, couronné de boucles d’or, et s’agenouilla devant sa bien-
aimée, ayant dans le cœur d’infinis trésors de tendresse. Mais, à ce
moment, survint un fort laid personnage, vieillissant, l’œil chassieux,
la lèvre fanée ; il portait, dans un coffret ouvert, tout un million de
pierreries. La jeune fille courut à lui, l’embrassa, et le baisa sur la
bouche d’un si passionné baiser que la pauvre petite Oriane mourut
étouffée dans la fossette du sourire.
TABLE DES MATIÈRES
Pages
Le Soir d’une fleur 1
La Belle du monde 13
La Bonne Trouvaille 31
La Belle au bois rêvant 41
Le Vœu maladroit 53
Isoline-Isolin 65
Le Miroir 79
La Princesse Oiselle 97
Le Chemin du Paradis 113
Les Baisers d’or 123
Les Accordailles 137
Le Mauvais Convive 151
La Tire-lire 161
La Bonne Récompense 173
Les Mots perdus 185
La Mémoire du cœur 197
Les Trois Bonnes Fées 209
Le Ramasseur de bonnets 219
Les Trois Semeurs 231
La Belle au cœur de neige 243
Les Deux Marguerites 257
L’Ange boiteux 271
Les Traîtrises de Puck 283
Les Larmes sur l’épée 299
La Petite Flamme bleue 311
Martine et son Ange 325
La Dernière Fée 343
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