The passage is about Cinderella and her experience at the royal ball. It discusses how Cinderella had to dedicate most of her time to menial tasks at home, but her fairy godmother enabled her to attend the ball. At the ball, Cinderella did not divulge her identity to anyone, and her appearance seemed to denote royalty. The charming prince fell in love with Cinderella, who suddenly disappeared when the clock struck midnight. The prince's love for Cinderella did not diminish, and it was impossible to mitigate or lessen his grief after she disappeared.