第十章英语（382字）

Chapter 10: The Midnight Chime

1. As the clock struck a second and third time,

2. Cinderella suddenly realized that it was already midnight.

3. 'Oh no! It's twelve o'clock!' Cinderella gasped in shock and quickly let go of the Prince's hand.

4. Without time to explain, she said hurriedly to the Prince, 'I'm sorry, please forgive me, but I must leave at once!'

5. Before the Prince could respond, Cinderella had already lifted her skirt and turned to dash out of the ballroom.

6. The Prince immediately ran after her, following close behind.

7. Cinderella ran as fast as she could. As she ran down the palace steps, one of her glass slippers fell off her foot.

8. She glanced back at the lost slipper, but there was no time to retrieve it; she continued running out of the palace.

9. Cinderella leapt into the pumpkin carriage waiting outside the palace and shouted, 'Go, go!' The carriage immediately sped off.

10. The Prince and the palace guards reached the palace gates only to see a carriage disappearing into the night,

11. with the lost glass slipper gleaming on the steps in the moonlight.

12. The carriage raced through the dark night, but the clock kept tolling,

13. each chime making Cinderella's heart pound harder.

14. Finally, as the last stroke marked twelve, the time of the magic came to an end.

15. In an instant, the carriage turned back into an ordinary giant pumpkin,

16. the white horses turned back into little mice, and Bruno turned back into a dog, all coming to a halt by the roadside.

17. Cinderella's splendid gown also changed back into her old tattered dress,

18. but her hair remained neatly up, but now she had only one glass slipper left on her foot.

19. Even though everything was as it was before, Cinderella held tightly to the one remaining glass slipper,

20. her heart filled with gratitude and sweet memories.

21. She knew she had just experienced the most magical night of her life,

22. and that she and the Prince had met and fallen in love — it all felt like a beautiful dream.

23. Holding that glass slipper, Cinderella smiled,

24. and then quietly made her way back home with her precious memories.