The Red Fairy Book

Published：2026-07-30 20:54:27 Source: best science kits for 5 year olds under 30 dollars Author: Toys for Toddlers

The
Red Fairy Book

Edited by
Andrew Lang

TO
MASTER BILLY TREMAYNE MILES
A PROFOUND STUDENT
YET
AN AMIABLE CRITIC

Contents

PREFACE

In a second gleaning of the fields of Fairy Land we cannot expect to find asecond Perrault. But there are science kits for 9 year olds under 25 dollarsgood stories enough left, and it is hoped thatsome in the Red Fairy Book may have the attraction of being less familiar thanmany of the old friends. The tales have been translated, or, in the case ofthose from Madame d’Aulnoy’s long stories, adapted, by Mrs. Huntfrom the Norse, by Miss Minnie Wright from Madame d’Aulnoy, by Mrs. Langand Miss Bruce from other French sources, by Miss May Sellar, Miss Farquharson,and Miss Blackley from the German, while the story of ‘Sigurd’ iscondensed by the Editor from Mr. William Morris’s prose version of the‘Volsunga Saga.’ The Editor has to thank his friend, M. CharlesMarelles, for permission to reproduce his versions of the ‘PiedPiper,’ of ‘Drakestail,’ and of ‘Little GoldenHood’ from the French, and M. Henri Carnoy for the same privilege inregard to ‘The Six Sillies’ from La Tradition.

Lady Frances Balfour has kindly copied an old version of ‘Jack and theBeanstalk,’ and Messrs. Smith and Elder have permitted the publication oftwo of Mr. Ralston’s versions from the Russian.

A. L.

THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES

I

Once upon a time there lived in the village of Montignies-sur-Roc a littlecow-boy, without either father or mother. His real name was Michael, but he wasalways called the Star Gazer, because when he drove his cows over the commonsto seek for pasture, he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing.

As he had a white skin, blue eyes, and hair that curled all over his head, thevillage girls used to cry after him, ‘Well, Star Gazer, what are youdoing?’ and Michael would answer, ‘Oh, nothing,’ and go onhis way without even turning to look at them.

The fact was he thought them very ugly, with their sun-burnt necks, their greatred hands, their coarse petticoats and their wooden shoes. He had heard thatsomewhere in the world there were girls whose necks were white and whose handswere small, who were always dressed in the finest silks and laces, and werecalled princesses, and while his companions round the fire saw nothing in theflames but common everyday fancies, he dreamed that he had the happiness tomarry a princess.

II

One morning about the middle of August, just at mid-day when the sun washottest, Michael ate his dinner of a piece of dry bread, and went to sleepunder an oak. And while he slept he dreamt that there appeared before him abeautiful lady, dressed in a robe of cloth of gold, who said to him: ‘Goto the castle of Beloeil, and there you shall marry a princess.’

That evening the little cow-boy, who had been thinking a great deal about theadvice of the lady in the golden dress, told his dream to the farm people. But,as was natural, they only laughed at the Star Gazer.

The next day at the same hour he went to sleep again under the same tree. Thelady appeared to him a second time, and said: ‘Go to the castle ofBeloeil, and you shall marry a princess.’

In the evening Michael told his friends that he had dreamed the same dreamagain, but they only laughed at him more than before. ‘Never mind,’he thought to himself; ‘if the lady appears to me a third time, I will doas she tells me.’

The following day, to the great astonishment of all the village, about twoo’clock in the afternoon a voice was heard singing:

‘Raleô, raleô,
How the cattle go!’

It was the little cow-boy driving his herd back to the byre.

The farmer began to scold him furiously, but he answered quietly, ‘I amgoing away,’ made his clothes into a bundle, said good-bye to all hisfriends, and boldly set out to seek his fortunes.

There was great excitement through all the village, and on the top of the hillthe people stood holding their sides with laughing, as they watched the StarGazer trudging bravely along the valley with his bundle at the end of hisstick.

It was enough to make anyone laugh, certainly.

III

It was well known for full twenty miles round that there lived in the castle ofBeloeil twelve princesses of wonderful beauty, and as proud as they werebeautiful, and who were besides so very sensitive and of such truly royalblood, that they would have felt at once the presence of a pea in their beds,even if the mattresses had been laid over it.

It was whispered about that they led exactly the lives that princesses ought tolead, sleeping far into the morning, and never getting up till mid-day. Theyhad twelve beds all in the same room, but what was very extraordinary was thefact that though they were locked in by triple bolts, every morning their satinshoes were found worn into holes.

When they were asked what they had been doing all night, they always answeredthat they had been asleep; and, indeed, no noise was ever heard in the room,yet the shoes could not wear themselves out alone!

At last the Duke of Beloeil ordered the trumpet to be sounded, and aproclamation to be made that whoever could discover how his daughters wore outtheir shoes should choose one of them for his wife.

On hearing the proclamation a number of princes arrived at the castle to trytheir luck. They watched all night behind the open door of the princesses, butwhen the morning came they had all disappeared, and no one could tell what hadbecome of them.

IV

When he reached the castle, Michael went straight to the gardener and offeredhis services. Now it happened that the garden boy had just been sent away, andthough the Star Gazer did not look very sturdy, the gardener agreed to takehim, as he thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please theprincesses.

The first thing he was told was that when the princesses got up he was topresent each one with a bouquet, and Michael thought that if he had nothingmore unpleasant to do than that he should get on very well.

Accordingly he placed himself behind the door of the princesses’ room,with the twelve bouquets in a basket. He gave one to each of the sisters, andthey took them without even deigning to look at the lad, except Lina theyoungest, who fixed her large black eyes as soft as velvet on him, andexclaimed, ‘Oh, how pretty he is—our new flower boy!’ Therest all burst out laughing, and the eldest pointed out that a princess oughtnever to lower herself by looking at a garden boy.

Now Michael knew quite well what had happened to all the princes, butnotwithstanding, the beautiful eyes of the Princess Lina inspired him with aviolent longing to try his fate. Unhappily he did not dare to come forward,being afraid that he should only be jeered at, or even turned away from thecastle on account of his impudence.

V

Nevertheless, the Star Gazer had another dream. The lady in the golden dressappeared to him once more, holding in one hand two young laurel trees, a cherrylaurel and a rose laurel, and in the other hand a little golden rake, a littlegolden bucket, and a silken towel. She thus addressed him:

‘Plant these two laurels in two large pots, rake them over with the rake,water them with the bucket, and wipe them with the towel. When they have grownas tall as a girl of fifteen, say to each of them, ‘’My beautifullaurel, with the golden rake I have raked you, with the golden bucket I havewatered you, with the silken towel I have wiped you.‘’ Then afterthat ask anything you choose, and the laurels will give it to you.’

Michael thanked the lady in the golden dress, and when he woke he found the twolaurel bushes beside him. So he carefully obeyed the orders he had been givenby the lady.

The trees grew very fast, and when they were as tall as a girl of fifteen hesaid to the cherry laurel, ‘My lovely cherry laurel, with the golden rakeI have raked thee, with the golden bucket I have watered thee, with the silkentowel I have wiped thee. Teach me how to become invisible.’ Then thereinstantly appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower, which Michael gatheredand stuck into his button-hole.

VI

That evening, when the princesses went upstairs to bed, he followed thembarefoot, so that he might make no noise, and hid himself under one of thetwelve beds, so as not to take up much room.

The princesses began at once to open their wardrobes and boxes. They took outof them the most magnificent dresses, which they put on before their mirrors,and when they had finished, turned themselves all round to admire theirappearances.

Michael could see nothing from his hiding-place, but he could hear everything,and he listened to the princesses laughing and jumping with pleasure. At lastthe eldest said, ‘Be quick, my sisters, our partners will beimpatient.’ At the end of an hour, when the Star Gazer heard no morenoise, he peeped out and saw the twelve sisters in splendid garments, withtheir satin shoes on their feet, and in their hands the bouquets he had broughtthem.

‘Are you ready?’ asked the eldest.

‘Yes,’ replied the other eleven in chorus, and they took theirplaces one by one behind her.

Then the eldest Princess clapped her hands three times and a trap door opened.All the princesses disappeared down a secret staircase, and Michael hastilyfollowed them.

As he was following on the steps of the Princess Lina, he carelessly trod onher dress.

‘There is somebody behind me,’ cried the Princess; ‘they areholding my dress.’

‘You foolish thing,’ said her eldest sister, ‘you are alwaysafraid of something. It is only a nail which caught you.’

VII

They went down, down, down, till at last they came to a passage with a door atone end, which was only fastened with a latch. The eldest Princess opened it,and they found themselves immediately in a lovely little wood, where the leaveswere spangled with drops of silver which shone in the brilliant light of themoon.

They next crossed another wood where the leaves were sprinkled with gold, andafter that another still, where the leaves glittered with diamonds.

At last the Star Gazer perceived a large lake, and on the shores of the laketwelve little boats with awnings, in which were seated twelve princes, who,grasping their oars, awaited the princesses.

Each princess entered one of the boats, and Michael slipped into that whichheld the youngest. The boats glided along rapidly, but Lina’s, from beingheavier, was always behind the rest. ‘We never went so slowlybefore,’ said the Princess; ‘what can be the reason?’

‘I don’t know,’ answered the Prince. ‘I assure you I amrowing as hard as I can.’

On the other side of the lake the garden boy saw a beautiful castle splendidlyilluminated, whence came the lively music of fiddles, kettle-drums, andtrumpets.

In a moment they touched land, and the company jumped out of the boats; and theprinces, after having securely fastened their barques, gave their arms to theprincesses and conducted them to the castle.

VIII

Michael followed, and entered the ball-room in their train. Everywhere weremirrors, lights, flowers, and damask hangings.

The Star Gazer was quite bewildered at the magnificence of the sight.

He placed himself out of the way in a corner, admiring the grace and beauty ofthe princesses. Their loveliness was of every kind. Some were fair and somewere dark; some had chestnut hair, or curls darker still, and some had goldenlocks. Never were so many beautiful princesses seen together at one time, butthe one whom the cow-boy thought the most beautiful and the most fascinatingwas the little Princess with the velvet eyes.

With what eagerness she danced! leaning on her partner’s shoulder sheswept by like a whirlwind. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkled, and it wasplain that she loved dancing better than anything else.

The poor boy envied those handsome young men with whom she danced sogracefully, but he did not know how little reason he had to be jealous of them.

The young men were really the princes who, to the number of fifty at least, hadtried to steal the princesses’ secret. The princesses had made them drinksomething of a philtre, which froze the heart and left nothing but the love ofdancing.

IX

They danced on till the shoes of the princesses were worn into holes. When thecock crowed the third time the fiddles stopped, and a delicious supper wasserved by negro boys, consisting of sugared orange flowers, crystallised roseleaves, powdered violets, cracknels, wafers, and other dishes, which are, aseveryone knows, the favourite food of princesses.

After supper, the dancers all went back to their boats, and this time the StarGazer entered that of the eldest Princess. They crossed again the wood with thediamond-spangled leaves, the wood with gold-sprinkled leaves, and the woodwhose leaves glittered with drops of silver, and as a proof of what he hadseen, the boy broke a small branch from a tree in the last wood. Lina turned asshe heard the noise made by the breaking of the branch.

‘What was that noise?’ she said.

‘It was nothing,’ replied her eldest sister; ‘it was only thescreech of the barn-owl that roosts in one of the turrets of the castle.’

While she was speaking Michael managed to slip in front, and running up thestaircase, he reached the princesses’ room first. He flung open thewindow, and sliding down the vine which climbed up the wall, found himself inthe garden just as the sun was beginning to rise, and it was time for him toset to his work.

X

That day, when he made up the bouquets, Michael hid the branch with the silverdrops in the nosegay intended for the youngest Princess.

When Lina discovered it she was much surprised. However, she said nothing toher sisters, but as she met the boy by accident while she was walking under theshade of the elms, she suddenly stopped as if to speak to him; then, alteringher mind, went on her way.

The same evening the twelve sisters went again to the ball, and the Star Gazeragain followed them and crossed the lake in Lina’s boat. This time it wasthe Prince who complained that the boat seemed very heavy.

‘It is the heat,’ replied the Princess. ‘I, too, have beenfeeling very warm.’

During the ball she looked everywhere for the gardener’s boy, but shenever saw him.

As they came back, Michael gathered a branch from the wood with thegold-spangled leaves, and now it was the eldest Princess who heard the noisethat it made in breaking.

‘It is nothing,’ said Lina; ‘only the cry of the owl whichroosts in the turrets of the castle.’

XI

As soon as she got up she found the branch in her bouquet. When the sisterswent down she stayed a little behind and said to the cow-boy: ‘Where doesthis branch come from?’

‘Your Royal Highness knows well enough,’ answered Michael.

‘So you have followed us?’

‘Yes, Princess.’

‘How did you manage it? we never saw you.’

‘I hid myself,’ replied the Star Gazer quietly.

The Princess was silent a moment, and then said:

‘You know our secret!—keep it. Here is the reward of yourdiscretion.’ And she flung the boy a purse of gold.

‘I do not sell my silence,’ answered Michael, and he went awaywithout picking up the purse.

For three nights Lina neither saw nor heard anything extraordinary; on thefourth she heard a rustling among the diamond-spangled leaves of the wood. Thatday there was a branch of the trees in her bouquet.

She took the Star Gazer aside, and said to him in a harsh voice:

‘You know what price my father has promised to pay for our secret?’

‘I know, Princess,’ answered Michael.

‘Don’t you mean to tell him?’

‘That is not my intention.’

‘Are you afraid?’

‘No, Princess.’

‘What makes you so discreet, then?’

But Michael was silent.

XII

Lina’s sisters had seen her talking to the little garden boy, and jeeredat her for it.

‘What prevents your marrying him?’ asked the eldest, ‘youwould become a gardener too; it is a charming profession. You could live in acottage at the end of the park, and help your husband to draw up water from thewell, and when we get up you could bring us our bouquets.’

The Princess Lina was very angry, and when the Star Gazer presented herbouquet, she received it in a disdainful manner.

Michael behaved most respectfully. He never raised his eyes to her, but nearlyall day she felt him at her side without ever seeing him.

One day she made up her mind to tell everything to her eldest sister.

‘What!’ said she, ‘this rogue knows our secret, and you nevertold me! I must lose no time in getting rid of him.’

‘But how?’

‘Why, by having him taken to the tower with the dungeons, ofcourse.’

For this was the way that in old times beautiful princesses got rid of peoplewho knew too much.

But the astonishing part of it was that the youngest sister did not seem at allto relish this method of stopping the mouth of the gardener’s boy, who,after all, had said nothing to their father.

XIII

It was agreed that the question should be submitted to the other ten sisters.All were on the side of the eldest. Then the youngest sister declared that ifthey laid a finger on the little garden boy, she would herself go and telltheir father the secret of the holes in their shoes.

At last it was decided that Michael should be put to the test; that they wouldtake him to the ball, and at the end of supper would give him the philtre whichwas to enchant him like the rest.

They sent for the Star Gazer, and asked him how he had contrived to learn theirsecret; but still he remained silent.

Then, in commanding tones, the eldest sister gave him the order they had agreedupon.

He only answered:

‘I will obey.’

He had really been present, invisible, at the council of princesses, and hadheard all; but he had made up his mind to drink of the philtre, and sacrificehimself to the happiness of her he loved.

Not wishing, however, to cut a poor figure at the ball by the side of the otherdancers, he went at once to the laurels, and said:

‘My lovely rose laurel, with the golden rake I have raked thee, with thegolden bucket I have watered thee, with a silken towel I have dried thee. Dressme like a prince.’

A beautiful pink flower appeared. Michael gathered it, and found himself in amoment clothed in velvet, which was as black as the eyes of the littlePrincess, with a cap to match, a diamond aigrette, and a blossom of the roselaurel in his button-hole.

Thus dressed, he presented himself that evening before the Duke of Beloeil, andobtained leave to try and discover his daughters’ secret. He looked sodistinguished that hardly anyone would have known who he was.

XIV

The twelve princesses went upstairs to bed. Michael followed them, and waitedbehind the open door till they gave the signal for departure.

This time he did not cross in Lina’s boat. He gave his arm to the eldestsister, danced with each in turn, and was so graceful that everyone wasdelighted with him. At last the time came for him to dance with the littlePrincess. She found him the best partner in the world, but he did not dare tospeak a single word to her.

When he was taking her back to her place she said to him in a mocking voice:

‘Here you are at the summit of your wishes: you are being treated like aprince.’

‘Don’t be afraid,’ replied the Star Gazer gently. ‘Youshall never be a gardener’s wife.’

The little Princess stared at him with a frightened face, and he left herwithout waiting for an answer.

When the satin slippers were worn through the fiddles stopped, and the negroboys set the table. Michael was placed next to the eldest sister, and oppositeto the youngest.

They gave him the most exquisite dishes to eat, and the most delicate wines todrink; and in order to turn his head more completely, compliments and flatterywere heaped on him from every side.

But he took care not to be intoxicated, either by the wine or the compliments.

XV

At last the eldest sister made a sign, and one of the black pages brought in alarge golden cup.

‘The enchanted castle has no more secrets for you,’ she said to theStar Gazer. ‘Let us drink to your triumph.’

He cast a lingering glance at the little Princess, and without hesitationlifted the cup.

‘Don’t drink!’ suddenly cried out the little Princess;‘I would rather marry a gardener.’

And she burst into tears.

Michael flung the contents of the cup behind him, sprang over the table, andfell at Lina’s feet. The rest of the princes fell likewise at the kneesof the princesses, each of whom chose a husband and raised him to her side. Thecharm was broken.

The twelve couples embarked in the boats, which crossed back many times inorder to carry over the other princes. Then they all went through the threewoods, and when they had passed the door of the underground passage a greatnoise was heard, as if the enchanted castle was crumbling to the earth.

They went straight to the room of the Duke of Beloeil, who had just awoke.Michael held in his hand the golden cup, and he revealed the secret of theholes in the shoes.

‘Choose, then,’ said the Duke, ‘whichever you prefer.’

‘My choice is already made,’ replied the garden boy, and he offeredhis hand to the youngest Princess, who blushed and lowered her eyes.

XVI

The Princess Lina did not become a gardener’s wife; on the contrary, itwas the Star Gazer who became a Prince: but before the marriage ceremony thePrincess insisted that her lover should tell her how he came to discover thesecret.

So he showed her the two laurels which had helped him, and she, like a prudentgirl, thinking they gave him too much advantage over his wife, cut them off atthe root and threw them in the fire. And this is why the country girls go aboutsinging:

Nous n’irons plus au bois,
Les lauriers sont coupés,

and dancing in summer by the light of the moon.

THE PRINCESS MAYBLOSSOM

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen whose children had all died,first one and then another, until at last only one little daughter remained,and the Queen was at her wits’ end to know where to find a really goodnurse who would take care of her, and bring her up. A herald was sent who blewa trumpet at every street corner, and commanded all the best nurses to appearbefore the Queen, that she might choose one for the little Princess. So on theappointed day the whole palace was crowded with nurses, who came from the fourcorners of the world to offer themselves, until the Queen declared that if shewas ever to see the half of them, they must be brought out to her, one by one,as she sat in a shady wood near the palace.

This was accordingly done, and the nurses, after they had made their curtsey tothe King and Queen, ranged themselves in a line before her that she mightchoose. Most of them were fair and fat and charming, but there was one who wasdark-skinned and ugly, and spoke a strange language which nobody couldunderstand. The Queen wondered how she dared offer herself, and she was told togo away, as she certainly would not do. Upon which she muttered something andpassed on, but hid herself in a hollow tree, from which she could see all thathappened. The Queen, without giving her another thought, chose a prettyrosy-faced nurse, but no sooner was her choice made than a snake, which washidden in the grass, bit that very nurse on her foot, so that she fell down asif dead. The Queen was very much vexed by this accident, but she soon selectedanother, who was just stepping forward when an eagle flew by and dropped alarge tortoise upon her head, which was cracked in pieces like an egg-shell. Atthis the Queen was much horrified; nevertheless, she chose a third time, butwith no better fortune, for the nurse, moving quickly, ran into the branch of atree and blinded herself with a thorn. Then the Queen in dismay cried thatthere must be some malignant influence at work, and that she would choose nomore that day; and she had just risen to return to the palace when she heardpeals of malicious laughter behind her, and turning round saw the ugly strangerwhom she had dismissed, who was making very merry over the disasters andmocking everyone, but especially the Queen. This annoyed Her Majesty very much,and she was about to order that she should be arrested, when thewitch—for she was a witch—with two blows from a wand summoned achariot of fire drawn by winged dragons, and was whirled off through the airuttering threats and cries. When the King saw this he cried:

‘Alas! now we are ruined indeed, for that was no other than the FairyCarabosse, who has had a grudge against me ever since I was a boy and putsulphur into her porridge one day for fun.’

Then the Queen began to cry.

‘If I had only known who it was,’ she said, ‘I would havedone my best to make friends with her; now I suppose all is lost.’

The King was sorry to have frightened her so much, and proposed that theyshould go and hold a council as to what was best to be done to avert themisfortunes which Carabosse certainly meant to bring upon the little Princess.

So all the counsellors were summoned to the palace, and when they had shutevery door and window, and stuffed up every keyhole that they might not beoverheard, they talked the affair over, and decided that every fairy for athousand leagues round should be invited to the christening of the Princess,and that the time of the ceremony should be kept a profound secret, in case theFairy Carabosse should take it into her head to attend it.

The Queen and her ladies set to work to prepare presents for the fairies whowere invited: for each one a blue velvet cloak, a petticoat of apricot satin, apair of high-heeled shoes, some sharp needles, and a pair of golden scissors.Of all the fairies the Queen knew, only five were able to come on the dayappointed, but they began immediately to bestow gifts upon the Princess. Onepromised that she should be perfectly beautiful, the second that she shouldunderstand anything—no matter what—the first time it was explainedto her, the third that she should sing like a nightingale, the fourth that sheshould succeed in everything she undertook, and the fifth was opening her mouthto speak when a tremendous rumbling was heard in the chimney, and Carabosse,all covered with soot, came rolling down, crying:

‘I say that she shall be the unluckiest of the unlucky until she istwenty years old.’

Then the Queen and all the fairies began to beg and beseech her to think betterof it, and not be so unkind to the poor little Princess, who had never done herany harm. But the ugly old Fairy only grunted and made no answer. So the lastFairy, who had not yet given her gift, tried to mend matters by promising thePrincess a long and happy life after the fatal time was over. At this Carabosselaughed maliciously, and climbed away up the chimney, leaving them all in greatconsternation, and especially the Queen. However, she entertained the fairiessplendidly, and gave them beautiful ribbons, of which they are very fond, inaddition to the other presents.

When they were going away the oldest Fairy said that they were of opinion thatit would be best to shut the Princess up in some place, with her waiting-women,so that she might not see anyone else until she was twenty years old. So theKing had a tower built on purpose. It had no windows, so it was lighted withwax candles, and the only way into it was by an underground passage, which hadiron doors only twenty feet apart, and guards were posted everywhere.

The Princess had been named Mayblossom, because she was as fresh and bloomingas Spring itself, and she grew up tall and beautiful, and everything she didand said was charming. Every time the King and Queen came to see her they weremore delighted with her than before, but though she was weary of the tower, andoften begged them to take her away from it, they always refused. ThePrincess’s nurse, who had never left her, sometimes told her about theworld outside the tower, and though the Princess had never seen anything forherself, yet she always understood exactly, thanks to the second Fairy’sgift. Often the King said to the Queen:

‘We were cleverer than Carabosse after all. Our Mayblossom will be happyin spite of her predictions.’

And the Queen laughed until she was tired at the idea of having outwitted theold Fairy. They had caused the Princess’s portrait to be painted and sentto all the neighbouring Courts, for in four days she would have completed hertwentieth year, and it was time to decide whom she should marry. All the townwas rejoicing at the thought of the Princess’s approaching freedom, andwhen the news came that King Merlin was sending his ambassador to ask her inmarriage for his son, they were still more delighted. The nurse, who kept thePrincess informed of everything that went forward in the town, did not fail torepeat the news that so nearly concerned her, and gave such a description ofthe splendour in which the ambassador Fanfaronade would enter the town, thatthe Princess was wild to see the procession for herself.

‘What an unhappy creature I am,’ she cried, ‘to be shut up inthis dismal tower as if I had committed some crime! I have never seen the sun,or the stars, or a horse, or a monkey, or a lion, except in pictures, andthough the King and Queen tell me I am to be set free when I am twenty, Ibelieve they only say it to keep me amused, when they never mean to let me outat all.’

And then she began to cry, and her nurse, and the nurse’s daughter, andthe cradle-rocker, and the nursery-maid, who all loved her dearly, cried toofor company, so that nothing could be heard but sobs and sighs. It was a sceneof woe. When the Princess saw that they all pitied her she made up her mind tohave her own way. So she declared that she would starve herself to death ifthey did not find some means of letting her see Fanfaronade’s grand entryinto the town.

‘If you really love me,’ she said, ‘you will manage it,somehow or other, and the King and Queen need never know anything aboutit.’

Then the nurse and all the others cried harder than ever, and said everythingthey could think of to turn the Princess from her idea. But the more they saidthe more determined she was, and at last they consented to make a tiny hole inthe tower on the side that looked towards the city gates.

After scratching and scraping all day and all night, they presently made a holethrough which they could, with great difficulty, push a very slender needle,and out of this the Princess looked at the daylight for the first time. She wasso dazzled and delighted by what she saw, that there she stayed, never takingher eyes away from the peep-hole for a single minute, until presently theambassador’s procession appeared in sight.

At the head of it rode Fanfaronade himself upon a white horse, which prancedand caracoled to the sound of the trumpets. Nothing could have been moresplendid than the ambassador’s attire. His coat was nearly hidden underan embroidery of pearls and diamonds, his boots were solid gold, and from hishelmet floated scarlet plumes. At the sight of him the Princess lost her witsentirely, and determined that Fanfaronade and nobody else would she marry.

‘It is quite impossible,’ she said, ‘that his master shouldbe half as handsome and delightful. I am not ambitious, and having spent all mylife in this tedious tower, anything—even a house in thecountry—will seem a delightful change. I am sure that bread and watershared with Fanfaronade will please me far better than roast chicken andsweetmeats with anybody else.’

And so she went on talk, talk, talking, until her waiting-women wondered whereshe got it all from. But when they tried to stop her, and represented that herhigh rank made it perfectly impossible that she should do any such thing, shewould not listen, and ordered them to be silent.

As soon as the ambassador arrived at the palace, the Queen started to fetch herdaughter.

All the streets were spread with carpets, and the windows were full of ladieswho were waiting to see the Princess, and carried baskets of flowers andsweetmeats to shower upon her as she passed.

They had hardly begun to get the Princess ready when a dwarf arrived, mountedupon an elephant. He came from the five fairies, and brought for the Princess acrown, a sceptre, and a robe of golden brocade, with a petticoat marvellouslyembroidered with butterflies’ wings. They also sent a casket of jewels,so splendid that no one had ever seen anything like it before, and the Queenwas perfectly dazzled when she opened it. But the Princess scarcely gave aglance to any of these treasures, for she thought of nothing but Fanfaronade.The Dwarf was rewarded with a gold piece, and decorated with so many ribbonsthat it was hardly possible to see him at all. The Princess sent to each of thefairies a new spinning-wheel with a distaff of cedar wood, and the Queen saidshe must look through her treasures and find something very charming to sendthem also.

When the Princess was arrayed in all the gorgeous things the Dwarf had brought,she was more beautiful than ever, and as she walked along the streets thepeople cried: ‘How pretty she is! How pretty she is!’

The procession consisted of the Queen, the Princess, five dozen otherprincesses her cousins, and ten dozen who came from the neighbouring kingdoms;and as they proceeded at a stately pace the sky began to grow dark, thensuddenly the thunder growled, and rain and hail fell in torrents. The Queen puther royal mantle over her head, and all the princesses did the same with theirtrains. Mayblossom was just about to follow their example when a terrificcroaking, as of an immense army of crows, rooks, ravens, screech-owls, and allbirds of ill-omen was heard, and at the same instant a huge owl skimmed up tothe Princess, and threw over her a scarf woven of spiders’ webs andembroidered with bats’ wings. And then peals of mocking laughter rangthrough the air, and they guessed that this was another of the FairyCarabosse’s unpleasant jokes.

The Queen was terrified at such an evil omen, and tried to pull the black scarffrom the Princess’s shoulders, but it really seemed as if it must benailed on, it clung so closely.

‘Ah!’ cried the Queen, ‘can nothing appease this enemy ofours? What good was it that I sent her more than fifty pounds of sweetmeats,and as much again of the best sugar, not to mention two Westphalia hams? She isas angry as ever.’

While she lamented in this way, and everybody was as wet as if they had beendragged through a river, the Princess still thought of nothing but theambassador, and just at this moment he appeared before her, with the King, andthere was a great blowing of trumpets, and all the people shouted louder thanever. Fanfaronade was not generally at a loss for something to say, but when hesaw the Princess, she was so much more beautiful and majestic than he hadexpected that he could only stammer out a few words, and entirely forgot theharangue which he had been learning for months, and knew well enough to haverepeated it in his sleep. To gain time to remember at least part of it, he madeseveral low bows to the Princess, who on her side dropped half-a-dozen curtseyswithout stopping to think, and then said, to relieve his evident embarrassment:

‘Sir Ambassador, I am sure that everything you intend to say is charming,since it is you who mean to say it; but let us make haste into the palace, asit is pouring cats and dogs, and the wicked Fairy Carabosse will be amused tosee us all stand dripping here. When we are once under shelter we can laugh ather.’

Upon this the Ambassador found his tongue, and replied gallantly that the Fairyhad evidently foreseen the flames that would be kindled by the bright eyes ofthe Princess, and had sent this deluge to extinguish them. Then he offered hishand to conduct the Princess, and she said softly:

‘As you could not possibly guess how much I like you, Sir Fanfaronade, Iam obliged to tell you plainly that, since I saw you enter the town on yourbeautiful prancing horse, I have been sorry that you came to speak for anotherinstead of for yourself. So, if you think about it as I do, I will marry youinstead of your master. Of course I know you are not a prince, but I shall bejust as fond of you as if you were, and we can go and live in some cosy littlecorner of the world, and be as happy as the days are long.’

The Ambassador thought he must be dreaming, and could hardly believe what thelovely Princess said. He dared not answer, but only squeezed thePrincess’s hand until he really hurt her little finger, but she did notcry out. When they reached the palace the King kissed his daughter on bothcheeks, and said:

‘My little lambkin, are you willing to marry the great KingMerlin’s son, for this Ambassador has come on his behalf to fetchyou?’

‘If you please, sire,’ said the Princess, dropping a curtsey.

‘I consent also,’ said the Queen; ‘so let the banquet beprepared.’

This was done with all speed, and everybody feasted except Mayblossom andFanfaronade, who looked at one another and forgot everything else.

After the banquet came a ball, and after that again a ballet, and at last theywere all so tired that everyone fell asleep just where he sat. Only the loverswere as wide-awake as mice, and the Princess, seeing that there was nothing tofear, said to Fanfaronade:

‘Let us be quick and run away, for we shall never have a better chancethan this.’

Then she took the King’s dagger, which was in a diamond sheath, and theQueen’s neck-handkerchief, and gave her hand to Fanfaronade, who carrieda lantern, and they ran out together into the muddy street and down to thesea-shore. Here they got into a little boat in which the poor old boatman wassleeping, and when he woke up and saw the lovely Princess, with all herdiamonds and her spiders’—web scarf, he did not know what to think,and obeyed her instantly when she commanded him to set out. They could seeneither moon nor stars, but in the Queen’s neck-handkerchief there was acarbuncle which glowed like fifty torches. Fanfaronade asked the Princess whereshe would like to go, but she only answered that she did not care where shewent as long as he was with her.

‘But, Princess,’ said he, ‘I dare not take you back to KingMerlin’s court. He would think hanging too good for me.’

‘Oh, in that case,’ she answered, ‘we had better go toSquirrel Island; it is lonely enough, and too far off for anyone to follow usthere.’

So she ordered the old boatman to steer for Squirrel Island.

Meanwhile the day was breaking, and the King and Queen and all the courtiersbegan to wake up and rub their eyes, and think it was time to finish thepreparations for the wedding. And the Queen asked for her neck-handkerchief,that she might look smart. Then there was a scurrying hither and thither, and ahunting everywhere: they looked into every place, from the wardrobes to thestoves, and the Queen herself ran about from the garret to the cellar, but thehandkerchief was nowhere to be found.

By this time the King had missed his dagger, and the search began all overagain. They opened boxes and chests of which the keys had been lost for ahundred years, and found numbers of curious things, but not the dagger, and theKing tore his beard, and the Queen tore her hair, for the handkerchief and thedagger were the most valuable things in the kingdom.

When the King saw that the search was hopeless he said:

‘Never mind, let us make haste and get the wedding over before anythingelse is lost.’ And then he asked where the Princess was. Upon this hernurse came forward and said:

‘Sire, I have been seeking her these two hours, but she is nowhere to befound.’ This was more than the Queen could bear. She gave a shriek ofalarm and fainted away, and they had to pour two barrels of eau-de-cologne overher before she recovered. When she came to herself everybody was looking forthe Princess in the greatest terror and confusion, but as she did not appear,the King said to his page:

‘Go and find the Ambassador Fanfaronade, who is doubtless asleep in somecorner, and tell him the sad news.’

So the page hunted hither and thither, but Fanfaronade was no more to be foundthan the Princess, the dagger, or the neck-handkerchief!

Then the King summoned his counsellors and his guards, and, accompanied by theQueen, went into his great hall. As he had not had time to prepare his speechbeforehand, the King ordered that silence should be kept for three hours, andat the end of that time he spoke as follows:

‘Listen, great and small! My dear daughter Mayblossom is lost: whethershe has been stolen away or has simply disappeared I cannot tell. TheQueen’s neck-handkerchief and my sword, which are worth their weight ingold, are also missing, and, what is worst of all, the Ambassador Fanfaronadeis nowhere to be found. I greatly fear that the King, his master, when hereceives no tidings from him, will come to seek him among us, and will accuseus of having made mince-meat of him. Perhaps I could bear even that if I hadany money, but I assure you that the expenses of the wedding have completelyruined me. Advise me, then, my dear subjects, what had I better do to recovermy daughter, Fanfaronade, and the other things.’

This was the most eloquent speech the King had been known to make, and wheneverybody had done admiring it the Prime Minister made answer:

‘Sire, we are all very sorry to see you so sorry. We would giveeverything we value in the world to take away the cause of your sorrow, butthis seems to be another of the tricks of the Fairy Carabosse. ThePrincess’s twenty unlucky years were not quite over, and really, if thetruth must be told, I noticed that Fanfaronade and the Princess appeared toadmire one another greatly. Perhaps this may give some clue to the mystery oftheir disappearance.’

Here the Queen interrupted him, saying, ‘Take care what you say, sir.Believe me, the Princess Mayblossom was far too well brought up to think offalling in love with an Ambassador.’

At this the nurse came forward, and, falling on her knees, confessed how theyhad made the little needle-hole in the tower, and how the Princess had declaredwhen she saw the Ambassador that she would marry him and nobody else. Then theQueen was very angry, and gave the nurse, and the cradle-rocker, and thenursery-maid such a scolding that they shook in their shoes. But the AdmiralCocked-Hat interrupted her, crying:

‘Let us be off after this good-for-nothing Fanfaronade, for with out adoubt he has run away with our Princess.’

Then there was a great clapping of hands, and everybody shouted, ‘By allmeans let us be after him.’

So while some embarked upon the sea, the others ran from kingdom to kingdombeating drums and blowing trumpets, and wherever a crowd collected they cried:

‘Whoever wants a beautiful doll, sweetmeats of all kinds, a little pairof scissors, a golden robe, and a satin cap has only to say where Fanfaronadehas hidden the Princess Mayblossom.’

But the answer everywhere was, ‘You must go farther, we have not seenthem.’

However, those who went by sea were more fortunate, for after sailing about forsome time they noticed a light before them which burned at night like a greatfire. At first they dared not go near it, not knowing what it might be, butby-and-by it remained stationary over Squirrel Island, for, as you have guessedalready, the light was the glowing of the carbuncle. The Princess andFanfaronade on landing upon the island had given the boatman a hundred goldpieces, and made him promise solemnly to tell no one where he had taken them;but the first thing that happened was that, as he rowed away, he got into themidst of the fleet, and before he could escape the Admiral had seen him andsent a boat after him.

When he was searched they found the gold pieces in his pocket, and as they werequite new coins, struck in honour of the Princess’s wedding, the Admiralfelt certain that the boatman must have been paid by the Princess to aid her inher flight. But he would not answer any questions, and pretended to be deaf anddumb.

Then the Admiral said: ‘Oh! deaf and dumb is he? Lash him to the mast andgive him a taste of the cat-o’-nine-tails. I don’t know anythingbetter than that for curing the deaf and dumb!’

And when the old boatman saw that he was in earnest, he told all he knew aboutthe cavalier and the lady whom he had landed upon Squirrel Island, and theAdmiral knew it must be the Princess and Fanfaronade; so he gave the order forthe fleet to surround the island.

Meanwhile the Princess Mayblossom, who was by this time terribly sleepy, hadfound a grassy bank in the shade, and throwing herself down had already falleninto a profound slumber, when Fanfaronade, who happened to be hungry and notsleepy, came and woke her up, saying, very crossly:

‘Pray, madam, how long do you mean to stay here? I see nothing to eat,and though you may be very charming, the sight of you does not prevent me fromfamishing.’

‘What! Fanfaronade,’ said the Princess, sitting up and rubbing hereyes, ‘is it possible that when I am here with you you can want anythingelse? You ought to be thinking all the time how happy you are.’

‘Happy!’ cried he; ‘say rather unhappy. I wish with all myheart that you were back in your dark tower again.’

‘Darling, don’t be cross,’ said the Princess. ‘I willgo and see if I can find some wild fruit for you.’

‘I wish you might find a wolf to eat you up,’ growled Fanfaronade.

The Princess, in great dismay, ran hither and thither all about the wood,tearing her dress, and hurting her pretty white hands with the thorns andbrambles, but she could find nothing good to eat, and at last she had to goback sorrowfully to Fanfaronade. When he saw that she came empty-handed he gotup and left her, grumbling to himself.

The next day they searched again, but with no better success.

‘Alas!’ said the Princess, ‘if only I could find somethingfor you to eat, I should not mind being hungry myself.’

‘No, I should not mind that either,’ answered Fanfaronade.

‘Is it possible,’ said she, ‘that you would not care if Idied of hunger? Oh, Fanfaronade, you said you loved me!’

‘That was when we were in quite another place and I was nothungry,’ said he. ‘It makes a great difference in one’s ideasto be dying of hunger and thirst on a desert island.’

At this the Princess was dreadfully vexed, and she sat down under a white rosebush and began to cry bitterly.

‘Happy roses,’ she thought to herself, ‘they have only toblossom in the sunshine and be admired, and there is nobody to be unkind tothem.’ And the tears ran down her cheeks and splashed on to the rose-treeroots. Presently she was surprised to see the whole bush rustling and shaking,and a soft little voice from the prettiest rosebud said:

‘Poor Princess! look in the trunk of that tree, and you will find ahoneycomb, but don’t be foolish enough to share it withFanfaronade.’

Mayblossom ran to the tree, and sure enough there was the honey. Without losinga moment she ran with it to Fanfaronade, crying gaily:

‘See, here is a honeycomb that I have found. I might have eaten it up allby myself, but I had rather share it with you.’

But without looking at her or thanking her he snatched the honey comb out ofher hands and ate it all up—every bit, without offering her a morsel.Indeed, when she humbly asked for some he said mockingly that it was too sweetfor her, and would spoil her teeth.

Mayblossom, more downcast than ever, went sadly away and sat down under an oaktree, and her tears and sighs were so piteous that the oak fanned her with hisrustling leaves, and said:

‘Take courage, pretty Princess, all is not lost yet. Take this pitcher ofmilk and drink it up, and whatever you do, don’t leave a drop forFanfaronade.’

The Princess, quite astonished, looked round, and saw a big pitcher full ofmilk, but before she could raise it to her lips the thought of how thirstyFanfaronade must be, after eating at least fifteen pounds of honey, made herrun back to him and say:

‘Here is a pitcher of milk; drink some, for you must be thirsty I amsure; but pray save a little for me, as I am dying of hunger and thirst.’

But he seized the pitcher and drank all it contained at a single draught, andthen broke it to atoms on the nearest stone, saying with a malicious smile:‘As you have not eaten anything you cannot be thirsty.’

‘Ah!’ cried the Princess, ‘I am well punished fordisappointing the King and Queen, and running away with this Ambassador aboutwhom I knew nothing.’

And so saying she wandered away into the thickest part of the wood, and satdown under a thorn tree, where a nightingale was singing. Presently she heardhim say: ‘Search under the bush Princess; you will find some sugar,almonds, and some tarts there But don’t be silly enough to offerFanfaronade any.’ And this time the Princess, who was fainting withhunger, took the nightingale’s advice, and ate what she found all byherself. But Fanfaronade, seeing that she had found something good, and was notgoing to share it with him, ran after her in such a fury that she hastily drewout the Queen’s carbuncle, which had the property of rendering peopleinvisible if they were in danger, and when she was safely hidden from him shereproached him gently for his unkindness.

Meanwhile Admiral Cocked-Hat had despatchedJack-the-Chatterer-of-the-Straw-Boots, Courier in Ordinary to the PrimeMinister, to tell the King that the Princess and the Ambassador had landed onSquirrel Island, but that not knowing the country he had not pursued them, forfear of being captured by concealed enemies. Their Majesties were overjoyed atthe news, and the King sent for a great book, each leaf of which was eight ellslong. It was the work of a very clever Fairy, and contained a description ofthe whole earth. He very soon found that Squirrel Island was uninhabited.

‘Go,’ said he, to Jack-the-Chatterer, ‘tell the Admiral fromme to land at once. I am surprised at his not having done so sooner.’ Assoon as this message reached the fleet, every preparation was made for war, andthe noise was so great that it reached the ears of the Princess, who at onceflew to protect her lover. As he was not very brave he accepted her aid gladly.

‘You stand behind me,’ said she, ‘and I will hold thecarbuncle which will make us invisible, and with the King’s dagger I canprotect you from the enemy.’ So when the soldiers landed they could seenothing, but the Princess touched them one after another with the dagger, andthey fell insensible upon the sand, so that at last the Admiral, seeing thatthere was some enchantment, hastily gave orders for a retreat to be sounded,and got his men back into their boats in great confusion.

Fanfaronade, being once more left with the Princess, began to think that if hecould get rid of her, and possess himself of the carbuncle and the dagger, hewould be able to make his escape. So as they walked back over the cliffs hegave the Princess a great push, hoping she would fall into the sea; but shestepped aside so quickly that he only succeeded in overbalancing himself, andover he went, and sank to the bottom of the sea like a lump of lead, and wasnever heard of any more. While the Princess was still looking after him inhorror, her attention was attracted by a rushing noise over her head, andlooking up she saw two chariots approaching rapidly from opposite directions.One was bright and glittering, and drawn by swans and peacocks, while the Fairywho sat in it was beautiful as a sunbeam; but the other was drawn by bats andravens, and contained a frightful little Dwarf, who was dressed in asnake’s skin, and wore a great toad upon her head for a hood. Thechariots met with a frightful crash in mid-air, and the Princess looked on inbreathless anxiety while a furious battle took place between the lovely Fairywith her golden lance, and the hideous little Dwarf and her rusty pike. Butvery soon it was evident that the Beauty had the best of it, and the Dwarfturned her bats’ heads and flickered away in great confusion, while theFairy came down to where the Princess stood, and said, smiling, ‘You seePrincess, I have completely routed that malicious old Carabosse. Will youbelieve it! she actually wanted to claim authority over you for ever, becauseyou came out of the tower four days before the twenty years were ended.However, I think I have settled her pretensions, and I hope you will be veryhappy and enjoy the freedom I have won for you.’

The Princess thanked her heartily, and then the Fairy despatched one of herpeacocks to her palace to bring a gorgeous robe for Mayblossom, who certainlyneeded it, for her own was torn to shreds by the thorns and briars. Anotherpeacock was sent to the Admiral to tell him that he could now land in perfectsafety, which he at once did, bringing all his men with him, even toJack-the-Chatterer, who, happening to pass the spit upon which theAdmiral’s dinner was roasting, snatched it up and brought it with him.

Admiral Cocked-Hat was immensely surprised when he came upon the goldenchariot, and still more so to see two lovely ladies walking under the trees alittle farther away. When he reached them, of course he recognised thePrincess, and he went down on his knees and kissed her hand quite joyfully.Then she presented him to the Fairy, and told him how Carabosse had beenfinally routed, and he thanked and congratulated the Fairy, who was mostgracious to him. While they were talking she cried suddenly:

‘I declare I smell a savoury dinner.’

‘Why yes, Madam, here it is,’ said Jack-the-Chatterer, holding upthe spit, where all the pheasants and partridges were frizzling. ‘Willyour Highness please to taste any of them?’

‘By all means,’ said the Fairy, ‘especially as the Princesswill certainly be glad of a good meal.’

So the Admiral sent back to his ship for everything that was needful, and theyfeasted merrily under the trees. By the time they had finished the peacock hadcome back with a robe for the Princess, in which the Fairy arrayed her. It wasof green and gold brocade, embroidered with pearls and rubies, and her longgolden hair was tied back with strings of diamonds and emeralds, and crownedwith flowers. The Fairy made her mount beside her in the golden chariot, andtook her on board the Admiral’s ship, where she bade her farewell,sending many messages of friendship to the Queen, and bidding the Princess tellher that she was the fifth Fairy who had attended the christening. Then saluteswere fired, the fleet weighed anchor, and very soon they reached the port. Herethe King and Queen were waiting, and they received the Princess with such joyand kindness that she could not get a word in edgewise, to say how sorry shewas for having run away with such a very poor spirited Ambassador. But, afterall, it must have been all Carabosse’s fault. Just at this lucky momentwho should arrive but King Merlin’s son, who had become uneasy at notreceiving any news from his Ambassador, and so had started himself with amagnificent escort of a thousand horsemen, and thirty body-guards in gold andscarlet uniforms, to see what could have happened. As he was a hundred timeshandsomer and braver than the Ambassador, the Princess found she could like himvery much. So the wedding was held at once, with so much splendour andrejoicing that all the previous misfortunes were quite forgotten.^[1]

[1]La Princesse Printanière.Par Mme. d’Aulnoy.

SORIA MORIA CASTLE

There was once upon a time a couple of folks who had a son called Halvor. Eversince he had been a little boy he had been unwilling to do any work, and hadjust sat raking about among the ashes. His parents sent him away to learnseveral things, but Halvor stayed nowhere, for when he had been gone two orthree days he always ran away from his master, hurried off home, and sat downin the chimney corner to grub among the ashes again.

One day, however, a sea captain came and asked Halvor if he hadn’t afancy to come with him and go to sea, and behold foreign lands. And Halvor hada fancy for that, so he was not long in getting ready.

How long they sailed I have no idea, but after a long, long time there was aterrible storm, and when it was over and all had become calm again, they knewnot where they were, for they had been driven away to a strange coast of whichnone of them had any knowledge.

As there was no wind at all they lay there becalmed, and Halvor asked theskipper to give him leave to go on shore to look about him, for he would muchrather do that than lie there and sleep.

‘Dost thou think that thou art fit to go where people can seethee?’ said the skipper; ‘thou hast no clothes but those rags thouart going about in!’

Halvor still begged for leave, and at last got it, but he was to come back atonce if the wind began to rise.

So he went on shore, and it was a delightful country; whithersoever he wentthere were wide plains with fields and meadows, but as for people, there werenone to be seen. The wind began to rise, but Halvor thought that he had notseen enough yet, and that he would like to walk about a little longer, to tryif he could not meet somebody. So after a while he came to a great highway,which was so smooth that an egg might have been rolled along it withoutbreaking. Halvor followed this, and when evening drew near he saw a big castlefar away in the distance, and there were lights in it. So as he had now beenwalking the whole day and had not brought anything to eat away with him, he wasfrightfully hungry. Nevertheless, the nearer he came to the castle the moreafraid he was.

A fire was burning in the castle, and Halvor went into the kitchen, which wasmore magnificent than any kitchen he had ever yet beheld. There were vessels ofgold and silver, but not one human being was to be seen. When Halvor had stoodthere for some time, and no one had come out, he went in and opened a door, andinside a Princess was sitting at her wheel spinning.

‘Nay!’ she cried, ‘can Christian folk dare to come hither?But the best thing that you can do is to go away again, for if not the Trollwill devour you. A Troll with three heads lives here.’

‘I should have been just as well pleased if he had had four heads more,for I should have enjoyed seeing the fellow,’ said the youth; ‘andI won’t go away, for I have done no harm, but you must give me somethingto eat, for I am frightfully hungry.’

When Halvor had eaten his fill, the Princess told him to try if he could wieldthe sword which was hanging on the wall, but he could not wield it, nor couldhe even lift it up.

‘Well, then, you must take a drink out of that bottle which is hanging byits side, for that’s what the Troll does whenever he goes out and wantsto use the sword,’ said the Princess.

Halvor took a draught, and in a moment he was able to swing the sword aboutwith perfect ease. And now he thought it was high time for the Troll to makehis appearance, and at that very moment he came, panting for breath.

Halvor got behind the door.

‘Hutetu!’ said the Troll as he put his head in at the door.‘It smells just as if there were Christian man’s blood here!’

‘Yes, you shall learn that there is!’ said Halvor, and cut off allhis heads.

The Princess was so rejoiced to be free that she danced and sang, but then sheremembered her sisters, and said: ‘If my sisters were but freetoo!’

‘Where are they?’ asked Halvor.

So she told him where they were. One of them had been taken away by a Troll tohis castle, which was six miles off, and the other had been carried off to acastle which was nine miles farther off still.

‘But now,’ said she, ‘you must first help me to get this deadbody away from here.’

Halvor was so strong that he cleared everything away, and made all clean andtidy very quickly. So then they ate and drank, and were happy, and next morninghe set off in the grey light of dawn. He gave himself no rest, but walked orran the livelong day. When he came in sight of the castle he was again just alittle afraid. It was much more splendid than the other, but here too there wasnot a human being to be seen. So Halvor went into the kitchen, and did notlinger there either, but went straight in.

‘Nay! do Christian folk dare to come here?’ cried the secondPrincess. ‘I know not how long it is since I myself came, but during allthat time I have never seen a Christian man. It will be better for you todepart at once, for a Troll lives here who has six heads.’

‘No, I shall not go,’ said Halvor; ‘even if he had six more Iwould not.’

‘He will swallow you up alive,’ said the Princess.

But she spoke to no purpose, for Halvor would not go; he was not afraid of theTroll, but he wanted some meat and drink, for he was hungry after his journey.So she gave him as much as he would have, and then she once more tried to makehim go away.

‘No,’ said Halvor, ‘I will not go, for I have not doneanything wrong, and I have no reason to be afraid.’

‘He won’t ask any questions about that,’ said the Princess,‘for he will take you without leave or right; but as you will not go, tryif you can wield that sword which the Troll uses in battle.’

He could not brandish the sword; so the Princess said that he was to take adraught from the flask which hung by its side, and when he had done that hecould wield the sword.

Soon afterwards the Troll came, and he was so large and stout that he wasforced to go sideways to get through the door. When the Troll got his firsthead in he cried: ‘Hutetu! It smells of a Christian man’s bloodhere!’

With that Halvor cut off the first head, and so on with all the rest. ThePrincess was now exceedingly delighted, but then she remembered her sisters,and wished that they too were free. Halvor thought that might be managed, andwanted to set off immediately; but first he had to help the Princess to removethe Troll’s body, so it was not until morning that he set forth on hisway.

It was a long way to the castle, and he both walked and ran to get there intime. Late in the evening he caught sight of it, and it was very much moremagnificent than either of the others. And this time he was not in the leastafraid, but went into the kitchen, and then straight on inside the castle.There a Princess was sitting, who was so beautiful that there was never anyoneto equal her. She too said what the others had said, that no Christian folk hadever been there since she had come, and entreated him to go away again, or elsethe Troll would swallow him up alive. The Troll had nine heads, she told him.

‘Yes, and if he had nine added to the nine, and then nine more still, Iwould not go away,’ said Halvor, and went and stood by the stove.

The Princess begged him very prettily to go lest the Troll should devour him;but Halvor said, ‘Let him come when he will.’

So she gave him the Troll’s sword, and bade him take a drink from theflask to enable him to wield it.

At that same moment the Troll came, breathing hard, and he was ever so muchbigger and stouter than either of the others, and he too was forced to gosideways to get in through the door.

‘Hutetu! what a smell of Christian blood there is here!’ said he.

Then Halvor cut off the first head, and after that the others, but the last wasthe toughest of them all, and it was the hardest work that Halvor had ever doneto get it off, but he still believed that he would have strength enough to doit.

And now all the Princesses came to the castle, and were together again, andthey were happier than they had ever been in their lives; and they weredelighted with Halvor, and he with them, and he was to choose the one he likedbest; but of the three sisters the youngest loved him best.

But Halvor went about and was so strange and so mournful and quiet that thePrincesses asked what it was that he longed for, and if he did not like to bewith them. He said that he did like to be with them, for they had enough tolive on, and he was very comfortable there; but he longed to go home, for hisfather and mother were alive, and he had a great desire to see them again.

They thought that this might easily be done.

‘You shall go and return in perfect safety if you will follow ouradvice,’ said the Princesses.

So he said that he would do nothing that they did not wish.

Then they dressed him so splendidly that he was like a King’s son; andthey put a ring on his finger, and it was one which would enable him to gothere and back again by wishing, but they told him that he must not throw itaway, or name their names; for if he did, all his magnificence would be at anend, and then he would never see them more.

‘If I were but at home again, or if home were but here!’ saidHalvor, and no sooner had he wished this than it was granted. Halvor wasstanding outside his father and mother’s cottage before he knew what hewas about. The darkness of night was coming on, and when the father and mothersaw such a splendid and stately stranger walk in, they were so startled thatthey both began to bow and curtsey.

Halvor then inquired if he could stay there and have lodging for the night. No,that he certainly could not. ‘We can give you no suchaccommodation,’ they said, ‘for we have none of the things that areneedful when a great lord like you is to be entertained. It will be better foryou to go up to the farm. It is not far off, you can see the chimney-pots fromhere, and there they have plenty of everything.’

Halvor would not hear of that, he was absolutely determined to stay where hewas; but the old folks stuck to what they had said, and told him that he was togo to the farm, where he could get both meat and drink, whereas they themselveshad not even a chair to offer him.

‘No,’ said Halvor, ‘I will not go up there till earlyto-morrow morning; let me stay here to-night. I can sit down on thehearth.’

They could say nothing against that, so Halvor sat down on the hearth, andbegan to rake about among the ashes just as he had done before, when he laythere idling away his time.

They chattered much about many things, and told Halvor of this and of that, andat last he asked them if they had never had any child.

‘Yes,’ they said; they had had a boy who was called Halvor, butthey did not know where he had gone, and they could not even say whether hewere dead or alive.

‘Could I be he?’ said Halvor.

‘I should know him well enough,’ said the old woman rising.‘Our Halvor was so idle and slothful that he never did anything at all,and he was so ragged that one hole ran into another all over his clothes. Sucha fellow as he was could never turn into such a man as you are, sir.’

In a short time the old woman had to go to the fireplace to stir the fire, andwhen the blaze lit up Halvor, as it used to do when he was at home raking upthe ashes, she knew him again.

‘Good Heavens! is that you, Halvor?’ said she, and such greatgladness fell on the old parents that there were no bounds to it. And now hehad to relate everything that had befallen him, and the old woman was sodelighted with him that she would take him up to the farm at once to show himto the girls who had formerly looked down on him so. She went there first, andHalvor followed her. When she got there she told them how Halvor had come homeagain, and now they should just see how magnificent he was. ‘He lookslike a prince,’ she said.

‘We shall see that he is just the same ragamuffin that he wasbefore,’ said the girls, tossing their heads.

At that same moment Halvor entered, and the girls were so astonished that theyleft their kirtles lying in the chimney corner, and ran away in nothing buttheir petticoats. When they came in again they were so shamefaced that theyhardly dared to look at Halvor, towards whom they had always been so proud andhaughty before.

‘Ay, ay! you have always thought that you were so pretty and dainty thatno one was equal to you,’ said Halvor, ‘but you should just see theeldest Princess whom I set free. You look like herds-women compared with her,and the second Princess is also much prettier than you; but the youngest, whois my sweetheart, is more beautiful than either sun or moon. I wish to Heaventhey were here, and then you would see them.’

Scarcely had he said this before they were standing by his side, but then hewas very sorrowful, for the words which they had said to him came to his mind.

Up at the farm a great feast was made ready for the Princesses, and muchrespect paid to them, but they would not stay there.

‘We want to go down to your parents,’ they said to Halvor,‘so we will go out and look about us.’

He followed them out, and they came to a large pond outside the farm-house.Very near the water there was a pretty green bank, and there the Princessessaid they would sit down and while away an hour, for they thought that it wouldbe pleasant to sit and look out over the water, they said.

There they sat down, and when they had sat for a short time the youngestPrincess said, ‘I may as well comb your hair a little, Halvor.’

So Halvor laid his head down on her lap, and she combed it, and it was not longbefore he fell asleep. Then she took her ring from him and put another in itsplace, and then she said to her sisters: ‘Hold me as I am holding you. Iwould that we were at Soria Moria Castle.’

When Halvor awoke he knew that he had lost the Princesses, and began to weepand lament, and was so unhappy that he could not be comforted. In spite of allhis father’s and mother’s entreaties, he would not stay, but badethem farewell, saying that he would never see them more, for if he did not findthe Princess again he did not think it worth while to live.

He again had three hundred dollars, which he put into his pocket and went onhis way. When he had walked some distance he met a man with a tolerably goodhorse. Halvor longed to buy it, and began to bargain with the man.

‘Well, I have not exactly been thinking of selling him,’ said theman, ‘but if we could agree, perhaps——’

Halvor inquired how much he wanted to have for the horse.

‘I did not give much for him, and he is not worth much; he is a capitalhorse to ride, but good for nothing at drawing; but he will always be able tocarry your bag of provisions and you too, if you walk and ride by turns.’At last they agreed about the price, and Halvor laid his bag on the horse, andsometimes he walked and sometimes he rode. In the evening he came to a greenfield, where stood a great tree, under which he seated himself. Then he let thehorse loose and lay down to sleep, but before he did that he took his bag offthe horse. At daybreak he set off again, for he did not feel as if he couldtake any rest. So he walked and rode the whole day, through a great wood wherethere were many green places which gleamed very prettily among the trees. Hedid not know where he was or whither he was going, but he never lingered longerin any place than was enough to let his horse get a little food when they cameto one of these green spots, while he himself took out his bag of provisions.

So he walked and he rode, and it seemed to him that the wood would never cometo an end. But on the evening of the second day he saw a light shining throughthe trees.

‘If only there were some people up there I might warm myself and getsomething to eat,’ thought Halvor.

When he got to the place where the light had come from, he saw a wretchedlittle cottage, and through a small pane of glass he saw a couple of old folksinside. They were very old, and as grey-headed as a pigeon, and the old womanhad such a long nose that she sat in the chimney corner and used it to stir thefire.

‘Good evening! good evening!’ said the old hag; ‘but whaterrand have you that can bring you here? No Christian folk have been here formore than a hundred years.’

So Halvor told her that he wanted to get to Soria Moria Castle, and inquired ifshe knew the way thither.

‘No,’ said the old woman, ‘that I do not, but the Moon willbe here presently, and I will ask her, and she will know. She can easily seeit, for she shines on all things.’

So when the Moon stood clear and bright above the tree-tops the old woman wentout. ‘Moon! Moon!’ she screamed. ‘Canst thou tell me the wayto Soria Moria Castle?’

‘No,’ said the Moon, ‘that I can’t, for when I shonethere, there was a cloud before me.’

‘Wait a little longer,’ said the old woman to Halvor, ‘forthe West Wind will presently be here, and he will know it, for he breathesgently or blows into every corner.’

‘What! have you a horse too?’ she said when she came in again.‘Oh! let the poor creature loose in our bit of fenced-in pasture, anddon’t let it stand there starving at our very door. But won’t youexchange him with me? We have a pair of old boots here with which you can gofifteen quarters of a mile at each step. You shall have them for the horse, andthen you will be able to get sooner to Soria Moria Castle.’

Halvor consented to this at once, and the old woman was so delighted with thehorse that she was ready to dance. ‘For now I, too, shall be able to rideto church,’ she said. Halvor could take no rest, and wanted to set offimmediately; but the old woman said that there was no need to hasten.‘Lie down on the bench and sleep a little, for we have no bed to offeryou,’ said she, ‘and I will watch for the coming of the WestWind.’

Ere long came the West Wind, roaring so loud that the walls creaked.

The old woman went out and cried:

‘West Wind! West Wind! Canst thou tell me the way to Soria Moria Castle?Here is one who would go thither.’

‘Yes, I know it well,’ said the West Wind. ‘I am just on myway there to dry the clothes for the wedding which is to take place. If he isfleet of foot he can go with me.’

Out ran Halvor.

‘You will have to make haste if you mean to go with me,’ said theWest Wind; and away it went over hill and dale, and moor and morass, and Halvorhad enough to do to keep up with it.

‘Well, now I have no time to stay with you any longer,’ said theWest Wind, ‘for I must first go and tear down a bit of spruce fir beforeI go to the bleaching-ground to dry the clothes; but just go along the side ofthe hill, and you will come to some girls who are standing there washingclothes, and then you will not have to walk far before you are at Soria MoriaCastle.’

Shortly afterwards Halvor came to the girls who were standing washing, and theyasked him if he had seen anything of the West Wind, who was to come there todry the clothes for the wedding.

‘Yes,’ said Halvor, ‘he has only gone to break down a bit ofspruce fir. It won’t be long before he is here.’ And then he askedthem the way to Soria Moria Castle. They put him in the right way, and when hecame in front of the castle it was so full of horses and people that it swarmedwith them. But Halvor was so ragged and torn with following the West Windthrough bushes and bogs that he kept on one side, and would not go among thecrowd until the last day, when the feast was to be held at noon.

So when, as was the usage and custom, all were to drink to the bride and theyoung girls who were present, the cup-bearer filled the cup for each in turn,both bride and bridegroom, and knights and servants, and at last, after a verylong time, he came to Halvor. He drank their health, and then slipped the ringwhich the Princess had put on his finger when they were sitting by thewaterside into the glass, and ordered the cup-bearer to carry the glass to thebride from him and greet her.

Then the Princess at once rose up from the table, and said, ‘Who is mostworthy to have one of us—he who has delivered us from the Trolls or hewho is sitting here as bridegroom?’

There could be but one opinion as to that, everyone thought, and when Halvorheard what they said he was not long in flinging off his beggar’s ragsand arraying himself as a bridegroom.

‘Yes, he is the right one,’ cried the youngest Princess when shecaught sight of him; so she flung the other out of the window and held herwedding with Halvor.^[2]

[2]From P. C. Asbjørnsen.

THE DEATH OF KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS

In a certain kingdom there lived a Prince Ivan. He had three sisters. The firstwas the Princess Marya, the second the Princess Olga, the third the PrincessAnna. When their father and mother lay at the point of death, they had thusenjoined their son: ‘Give your sisters in marriage to the very firstsuitors who come to woo them. Don’t go keeping them by you!’

They died, and the Prince buried them, and then, to solace his grief, he wentwith his sisters into the garden green to stroll. Suddenly the sky was coveredby a black cloud; a terrible storm arose.

‘Let us go home, sisters!’ he cried.

Hardly had they got into the palace, when the thunder pealed, the ceiling splitopen, and into the room where they were came flying a falcon bright. The Falconsmote upon the ground, became a brave youth, and said:

‘Hail, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have come as awooer! I wish to propose for your sister, the Princess Marya.’

‘If you find favour in the eyes of my sister, I will not interfere withher wishes. Let her marry you, in God’s name!’

The Princess Marya gave her consent; the Falcon married her and bore her awayinto his own realm.

Days follow days, hours chase hours; a whole year goes by. One day Prince Ivanand his two sisters went out to stroll in the garden green. Again there arose astorm-cloud, with whirlwind and lightning.

‘Let us go home, sisters!’ cries the Prince. Scarcely had theyentered the palace when the thunder crashed, the roof burst into a blaze, theceiling split in twain, and in flew an eagle. The Eagle smote upon the groundand became a brave youth.

‘Hail, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have come as awooer!’

And he asked for the hand of the Princess Olga. Prince Ivan replied:

‘If you find favour in the eyes of the Princess Olga, then let her marryyou. I will not interfere with her liberty of choice.’

The Princess Olga gave her consent and married the Eagle. The Eagle took herand carried her off to his own kingdom.

Another year went by. Prince Ivan said to his youngest sister:

‘Let us go out and stroll in the garden green!’

They strolled about for a time. Again there arose a storm-cloud, with whirlwindand lightning.

‘Let us return home, sister!’ said he.

They returned home, but they hadn’t had time to sit down when the thundercrashed, the ceiling split open, and in flew a raven. The Raven smote upon thefloor and became a brave youth. The former youths had been handsome, but thisone was handsomer still.

‘Well, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have come as awooer! Give me the Princess Anna to wife.’

‘I won’t interfere with my sister’s freedom. If you gain heraffections, let her marry you.’

So the Princess Anna married the Raven, and he bore her away into his ownrealm. Prince Ivan was left alone. A whole year he lived without his sisters;then he grew weary, and said:

‘I will set out in search of my sisters.’

He got ready for the journey, he rode and rode, and one day he saw a whole armylying dead on the plain. He cried aloud, ‘If there be a living man there,let him make answer! Who has slain this mighty host?’

There replied unto him a living man:

‘All this mighty host has been slain by the fair Princess MaryaMorevna.’

Prince Ivan rode further on, and came to a white tent, and forth came to meethim the fair Princess Marya Morevna.

‘Hail, Prince!’ says she; ‘whither does God send you? and isit of your free will or against your will?’

Prince Ivan replied, ‘Not against their will do brave youths ride!’

‘Well, if your business be not pressing, tarry awhile in my tent.’

Thereat was Prince Ivan glad. He spent two nights in the tent, and he foundfavour in the eyes of Marya Morevna, and she married him. The fair Princess,Marya Morevna, carried him off into her own realm.

They spent some time together, and then the Princess took it into her head togo a warring. So she handed over all the house-keeping affairs to Prince Ivan,and gave him these instructions:

‘Go about everywhere, keep watch over everything; only do not venture tolook into that closet there.’

He couldn’t help doing so. The moment Marya Morevna had gone he rushed tothe closet, pulled open the door, and looked in—there hung Koshchei theDeathless, fettered by twelve chains. Then Koshchei entreated Prince Ivan,saying:

‘Have pity upon me and give me to drink! Ten years long have I been herein torment, neither eating nor drinking; my throat is utterly dried up.’

The Prince gave him a bucketful of water; he drank it up and asked for more,saying:

‘A single bucket of water will not quench my thirst; give me more!’

The Prince gave him a second bucketful. Koshchei drank it up and asked for athird, and when he had swallowed the third bucketful, he regained his formerstrength, gave his chains a shake, and broke all twelve at once.

‘Thanks, Prince Ivan!’ cried Koshchei the Deathless, ‘now youwill sooner see your own ears than Marya Morevna!’ and out of the windowhe flew in the shape of a terrible whirlwind. And he came up with the fairPrincess Marya Morevna as she was going her way, laid hold of her and carriedher off home with him. But Prince Ivan wept full sore, and he arrayed himselfand set out a-wandering, saying to himself, ‘Whatever happens, I will goand look for Marya Morevna!’

One day passed, another day passed; at the dawn of the third day he saw awondrous palace, and by the side of the palace stood an oak, and on the oak sata falcon bright. Down flew the Falcon from the oak, smote upon the ground,turned into a brave youth, and cried aloud:

‘Ha, dear brother-in-law! how deals the Lord with you?’

Out came running the Princess Marya, joyfully greeted her brother Ivan, andbegan inquiring after his health, and telling him all about herself. The Princespent three days with them; then he said:

‘I cannot abide with you; I must go in search of my wife, the fairPrincess Marya Morevna.’

‘Hard will it be for you to find her,’ answered the Falcon.‘At all events leave with us your silver spoon. We will look at it andremember you.’ So Prince Ivan left his silver spoon at theFalcon’s, and went on his way again.

On he went one day, on he went another day, and by the dawn of the third day hesaw a palace still grander than the former one and hard by the palace stood anoak, and on the oak sat an eagle. Down flew the Eagle from the oak, smote uponthe ground, turned into a brave youth, and cried aloud:

‘Rise up, Princess Olga! Hither comes our brother dear!’

The Princess Olga immediately ran to meet him, and began kissing him andembracing him, asking after his health, and telling him all about herself. Withthem Prince Ivan stopped three days; then he said:

‘I cannot stay here any longer. I am going to look for my wife, the fairPrincess Marya Morevna.’

‘Hard will it be for you to find her,’ replied the Eagle.‘Leave with us a silver fork. We will look at it and remember you.’

He left a silver fork behind, and went his way. He travelled one day, hetravelled two days; at daybreak on the third day he saw a palace grander thanthe first two, and near the palace stood an oak, and on the oak sat a raven.Down flew the Raven from the oak, smote upon the ground, turned into a braveyouth, and cried aloud:

‘Princess Anna, come forth quickly! our brother is coming.’

Out ran the Princess Anna, greeted him joyfully, and began kissing andembracing him, asking after his health and telling him all about herself.Prince Ivan stayed with them three days; then he said:

‘Farewell! I am going to look for my wife, the fair Princess MaryaMorevna.’

‘Hard will it be for you to find her,’ replied the Raven.‘Anyhow, leave your silver snuff-box with us. We will look at it andremember you.’

The Prince handed over his silver snuff-box, took his leave, and went his way.One day he went, another day he went, and on the third day he came to whereMarya Morevna was. She caught sight of her love, flung her arms around hisneck, burst into tears, and exclaimed:

‘Oh, Prince Ivan! why did you disobey me and go looking into the closetand letting out Koshchei the Deathless?’

‘Forgive me, Marya Morevna! Remember not the past; much better fly withme while Koshchei the Deathless is out of sight. Perhaps he won’t catchus.’

So they got ready and fled. Now Koshchei was out hunting. Towards evening hewas returning home, when his good steed stumbled beneath him.

‘Why stumblest thou, sorry jade? Scentest thou some ill?’ The steedreplied:

‘Prince Ivan has come and carried off Marya Morevna.’

‘Is it possible to catch them?’

‘It is possible to sow wheat, to wait till it grows up, to reap it andthresh it, to grind it to flour, to make five pies of it, to eat those pies,and then to start in pursuit—and even then to be in time.’ Koshcheigalloped off and caught up Prince Ivan.

‘Now,’ says he, ‘this time I will forgive you, in return foryour kindness in giving me water to drink. And a second time I will forgiveyou; but the third time beware! I will cut you to bits.’

Then he took Marya Morevna from him, and carried her off. But Prince Ivan satdown on a stone and burst into tears. He wept and wept—and then returnedback again to Marya Morevna. Now Koshchei the Deathless happened not to be athome.

‘Let us fly, Marya Morevna!’

‘Ah, Prince Ivan! he will catch us.’

‘Suppose he does catch us. At all events we shall have spent an hour ortwo together.’

So they got ready and fled. As Koshchei the Deathless was returning home, hisgood steed stumbled beneath him.

‘Why stumblest thou, sorry jade? Scentest thou some ill?’

‘Prince Ivan has come and carried off Marya Morevna.’

‘Is it possible to catch them?’

‘It is possible to sow barley, to wait till it grows up, to reap it andthresh it, to brew beer, to drink ourselves drunk on it, to sleep our fill, andthen to set off in pursuit—and yet to be in time.’

Koshchei galloped off, caught up Prince Ivan:

‘Didn’t I tell you that you should not see Marya Morevna any morethan your own ears?’

And he took her away and carried her off home with him.

Prince Ivan was left there alone. He wept and wept; then he went back againafter Marya Morevna. Koshchei happened to be away from home at that moment.

‘Let us fly, Marya Morevna!’

‘Ah, Prince Ivan! he is sure to catch us and hew you in pieces.’

‘Let him hew away! I cannot live without you.

So they got ready and fled.

Koshchei the Deathless was returning home when his good steed stumbled beneathhim.

‘Why stumblest thou? Scentest thou any ill?’

‘Prince Ivan has come and has carried off Marya Morevna.’

Koshchei galloped off, caught Prince Ivan, chopped him into little pieces, putthem into a barrel, smeared it with pitch and bound it with iron hoops, andflung it into the blue sea. But Marya Morevna he carried off home.

At that very time the silver articles turned black which Prince Ivan had leftwith his brothers-in-law.

‘Ah!’ said they, ‘the evil is accomplished sureenough!’

Then the Eagle hurried to the blue sea, caught hold of the barrel, and draggedit ashore; the Falcon flew away for the Water of Life, and the Raven for theWater of Death.

Afterwards they all three met, broke open the barrel, took out the remains ofPrince Ivan, washed them, and put them together in fitting order. The Ravensprinkled them with the Water of Death—the pieces joined together, thebody became whole. The Falcon sprinkled it with the Water of Life—PrinceIvan shuddered, stood up, and said:

‘Ah! what a time I’ve been sleeping!’

‘You’d have gone on sleeping a good deal longer if it hadn’tbeen for us,’ replied his brothers-in-law. ‘Now come and pay us avisit.’

‘Not so, brothers; I shall go and look for Marya Morevna.’

And when he had found her, he said to her:

‘Find out from Koshchei the Deathless whence he got so good asteed.’

So Marya Morevna chose a favourable moment, and began asking Koshchei about it.Koshchei replied:

‘Beyond thrice nine lands, in the thirtieth kingdom, on the other side ofthe fiery river, there lives a Baba Yaga. She has so good a mare that she fliesright round the world on it every day. And she has many other splendid mares. Iwatched her herds for three days without losing a single mare, and in returnfor that the Baba Yaga gave me a foal.’

‘But how did you get across the fiery river?’

‘Why, I’ve a handkerchief of this kind—when I wave it thriceon the right hand, there springs up a very lofty bridge, and the fire cannotreach it.’

Marya Morevna listened to all this, and repeated it to Prince Ivan, and shecarried off the handkerchief and gave it to him. So he managed to get acrossthe fiery river, and then went on to the Baba Yaga’s. Long went he onwithout getting anything either to eat or to drink. At last he came across anoutlandish bird and its young ones. Says Prince Ivan:

‘I’ll eat one of these chickens.’

‘Don’t eat it, Prince Ivan!’ begs the outlandish bird;‘some time or other I’ll do you a good turn.’

He went on farther and saw a hive of bees in the forest.

‘I’ll get a bit of honeycomb,’ says he.

‘Don’t disturb my honey, Prince Ivan!’ exclaims thequeen-bee; ‘some time or other I’ll do you a good turn.’

So he didn’t disturb it, but went on. Presently there met him a lionesswith her cub.

‘Anyhow, I’ll eat this lion cub,’ says he; ‘I’mso hungry I feel quite unwell!’

‘Please let us alone, Prince Ivan!’ begs the lioness; ‘sometime or other I’ll do you a good turn.’

‘Very well; have it your own way,’ says he.

Hungry and faint he wandered on, walked farther and farther, and at last cameto where stood the house of the Baba Yaga. Round the house were set twelvepoles in a circle, and on each of eleven of these poles was stuck a human head;the twelfth alone remained unoccupied.

‘Hail, granny!’

‘Hail, Prince Ivan! wherefore have you come? Is it of your own accord, oron compulsion?’

‘I have come to earn from you an heroic steed.’

‘So be it, Prince! You won’t have to serve a year with me, but justthree days. If you take good care of my mares, I’ll give you an heroicsteed. But if you don’t—why, then you mustn’t be annoyed atfinding your head stuck on top of the last pole up there.’

Prince Ivan agreed to these terms. The Baba Yaga gave him food and drink, andbade him set about his business. But the moment he had driven the mares afield,they cocked up their tails, and away they tore across the meadows in alldirections. Before the Prince had time to look round they were all out ofsight. Thereupon he began to weep and to disquiet himself, and then he sat downupon a stone and went to sleep. But when the sun was near its setting theoutlandish bird came flying up to him, and awakened him, saying:

‘Arise, Prince Ivan! The mares are at home now.’

The Prince arose and returned home. There the Baba Yaga was storming and ragingat her mares, and shrieking:

‘Whatever did ye come home for?’

‘How could we help coming home?’ said they. ‘There cameflying birds from every part of the world, and all but pecked our eyesout.’

‘Well, well! to-morrow don’t go galloping over the meadows, butdisperse amid the thick forests.’

Prince Ivan slept all night. In the morning the Baba Yaga says to him:

‘Mind, Prince! if you don’t take good care of the mares, if youlose merely one of them—your bold head will be stuck on that pole!’

He drove the mares afield. Immediately they cocked up their tails and dispersedamong the thick forests. Again did the Prince sit down on the stone, weep andweep, and then go to sleep. The sun went down behind the forest. Up camerunning the lioness.

‘Arise, Prince Ivan! The mares are all collected.’

Prince Ivan arose and went home. More than ever did the Baba Yaga storm at hermares and shriek:

‘Whatever did ye come back home for?’

‘How could we help coming back? Beasts of prey came running at us fromall parts of the world, and all but tore us utterly to pieces.’

‘Well, to-morrow run off into the blue sea.’

Again did Prince Ivan sleep through the night. Next morning the Baba Yaga senthim forth to watch the mares.

‘If you don’t take good care of them,’ says she, ‘yourbold head will be stuck on that pole!’

He drove the mares afield. Immediately they cocked up their tails, disappearedfrom sight, and fled into the blue sea. There they stood, up to their necks inwater. Prince Ivan sat down on the stone, wept, and fell asleep. But when thesun had set behind the forest, up came flying a bee, and said:

‘Arise, Prince! The mares are all collected. But when you get home,don’t let the Baba Yaga set eyes on you, but go into the stable and hidebehind the mangers. There you will find a sorry colt rolling in the muck. Doyou steal it, and at the dead of night ride away from the house.’

Prince Ivan arose, slipped into the stable, and lay down behind the mangers,while the Baba Yaga was storming away at her mares and shrieking:

‘Why did ye come back?’

‘How could we help coming back? There came flying bees in countlessnumbers from all parts of the world, and began stinging us on all sides tillthe blood came!’

The Baba Yaga went to sleep. In the dead of the night Prince Ivan stole thesorry colt, saddled it, jumped on its back, and galloped away to the fieryriver. When he came to that river he waved the handkerchief three times on theright hand, and suddenly, springing goodness knows whence, there hung acrossthe river, high in the air, a splendid bridge. The Prince rode across thebridge and waved the handkerchief twice only on the left hand; there remainedacross the river a thin, ever so thin a bridge!

When the Baba Yaga got up in the morning the sorry colt was not to be seen! Offshe set in pursuit. At full speed did she fly in her iron mortar, urging it onwith the pestle, sweeping away her traces with the broom. She dashed up to thefiery river, gave a glance, and said, ‘A capital bridge!’ She droveon to the bridge, but had only got half-way when the bridge broke in two, andthe Baba Yaga went flop into the river. There truly did she meet with a crueldeath!

Prince Ivan fattened up the colt in the green meadows, and it turned into awondrous steed. Then he rode to where Marya Morevna was. She came running out,and flung herself on his neck, crying:

‘By what means has God brought you back to life?’

‘Thus and thus,’ says he. ‘Now come along with me.’

‘I am afraid, Prince Ivan! If Koshchei catches us you will be cut inpieces again.’

‘No, he won’t catch us! I have a splendid heroic steed now; itflies just like a bird.’ So they got on its back and rode away.

Koshchei the Deathless was returning home when his horse stumbled beneath him.

‘What art thou stumbling for, sorry jade? Dost thou scent any ill?’

‘Prince Ivan has come and carried off Marya Morevna.’

‘Can we catch them?’

‘God knows! Prince Ivan has a horse now which is better than I.’

‘Well, I can’t stand it,’ says Koshchei the Deathless.‘I will pursue.’

After a time he came up with Prince Ivan, lighted on the ground, and was goingto chop him up with his sharp sword. But at that moment Prince Ivan’shorse smote Koshchei the Deathless full swing with its hoof, and cracked hisskull, and the Prince made an end of him with a club. Afterwards the Princeheaped up a pile of wood, set fire to it, burnt Koshchei the Deathless on thepyre, and scattered his ashes to the wind. Then Marya Morevna mountedKoshchei’s horse and Prince Ivan got on his own, and they rode away tovisit first the Raven, and then the Eagle, and then the Falcon. Wherever theywent they met with a joyful greeting.

‘Ah, Prince Ivan! why, we never expected to see you again. Well, itwasn’t for nothing that you gave yourself so much trouble. Such a beautyas Marya Morevna one might search for all the world over—and never findone like her!’

And so they visited, and they feasted; and afterwards they went off to theirown realm.^[3]

[3]Ralston.

THE BLACK THIEF AND KNIGHT OF THE GLEN.

In times of yore there was a King and a Queen in the south of Ireland who hadthree sons, all beautiful children; but the Queen, their mother, sickened untodeath when they were yet very young, which caused great grief throughout theCourt, particularly to the King, her husband, who could in no wise becomforted. Seeing that death was drawing near her, she called the King to herand spoke as follows:

‘I am now going to leave you, and as you are young and in your prime, ofcourse after my death you will marry again. Now all the request I ask of you isthat you will build a tower in an island in the sea, wherein you will keep yourthree sons until they are come of age and fit to do for themselves; so thatthey may not be under the power or jurisdiction of any other woman. Neglect notto give them education suitable to their birth, and let them be trained up toevery exercise and pastime requisite for king’s sons to learn. This isall I have to say, so farewell.’

The King had scarce time, with tears in his eyes, to assure her she should beobeyed in everything, when she, turning herself in her bed, with a smile gaveup the ghost. Never was greater mourning seen than was throughout the Court andthe whole kingdom; for a better woman than the Queen, to rich and poor, was notto be found in the world. She was interred with great pomp and magnificence,and the King, her husband, became in a manner inconsolable for the loss of her.However, he caused the tower to be built and his sons placed in it, underproper guardians, according to his promise.

In process of time the lords and knights of the kingdom counselled the King (ashe was young) to live no longer as he had done, but to take a wife; whichcounsel prevailing, they chose him a rich and beautiful princess to be hisconsort—a neighbouring King’s daughter, of whom he was very fond.Not long after, the Queen had a fine son, which caused great feasting andrejoicing at the Court, insomuch that the late Queen, in a manner, was entirelyforgotten. That fared well, and King and Queen lived happy together for severalyears.

At length the Queen, having some business with the hen-wife, went herself toher, and, after a long conference passed, was taking leave of her, when thehen-wife prayed that if ever she should come back to her again she might breakher neck. The Queen, greatly incensed at such a daring insult from one of hermeanest subjects, demanded immediately the reason, or she would have her put todeath.

‘It was worth your while, madam,’ says the hen-wife, ‘to payme well for it, for the reason I prayed so on you concerns you much.’

‘What must I pay you?’ asked the Queen.

‘You must give me,’ says she, ‘the full of a pack of wool,and I have an ancient crock which you must fill with butter, likewise a barrelwhich you must fill for me full of wheat.’

‘How much wool will it take to the pack?’ says the Queen.

‘It will take seven herds of sheep,’ said she, ‘and theirincrease for seven years.’

‘How much butter will it take to fill your crock?’

‘Seven dairies,’ said she, ‘and their increase for sevenyears.’

‘And how much will it take to fill the barrel you have?’ says theQueen.

‘It will take the increase of seven barrels of wheat for sevenyears.’

‘That is a great quantity,’ says the Queen; ‘but the reasonmust be extraordinary, and before I want it, I will give you all youdemand.’

‘Well,’ says the hen-wife, ‘it is because you are so stupidthat you don’t observe or find out those affairs that are so dangerousand hurtful to yourself and your child.’

‘What is that?’ says the Queen.

‘Why,’ says she, ‘the King your husband has three fine sonshe had by the late Queen, whom he keeps shut up in a tower until they come ofage, intending to divide the kingdom between them, and let your son push hisfortune; now, if you don’t find some means of destroying them; your childand perhaps yourself will be left desolate in the end.’

‘And what would you advise me to do?’ said she; ‘I am whollyat a loss in what manner to act in this affair.’

‘You must make known to the King,’ says the hen-wife, ‘thatyou heard of his sons, and wonder greatly that he concealed them all this timefrom you; tell him you wish to see them, and that it is full time for them tobe liberated, and that you would be desirous he would bring them to the Court.The King will then do so, and there will be a great feast prepared on thataccount, and also diversions of every sort to amuse the people; and in thesesports,’ said she, ‘ask the King’s sons to play a game atcards with you, which they will not refuse. Now,’ says the hen-wife,‘you must make a bargain, that if you win they must do whatever youcommand them, and if they win, that you must do whatever they command you todo; this bargain must be made before the assembly, and here is a pack ofcards,’ says she, ‘that I am thinking you will not lose by.’

The Queen immediately took the cards, and, after returning the hen-wife thanksfor her kind instruction, went back to the palace, where she was quite uneasyuntil she got speaking to the King in regard of his children; at last she brokeit off to him in a very polite and engaging manner, so that he could see nomuster or design in it. He readily consented to her desire, and his sons weresent for to the tower, who gladly came to Court, rejoicing that they were freedfrom such confinement. They were all very handsome, and very expert in all artsand exercises, so that they gained the love and esteem of all that had seenthem.

The Queen, more jealous with them than ever, thought it an age until all thefeasting and rejoicing was over, that she might get making her proposal,depending greatly on the power of the hen-wife’s cards. At length thisroyal assembly began to sport and play at all kinds of diversions, and theQueen very cunningly challenged the three Princes to play at cards with her,making bargain with them as she had been instructed.

They accepted the challenge, and the eldest son and she played the first game,which she won; then the second son played, and she won that game likewise; thethird son and she then played the last game, and he won it, which sorelygrieved her that she had not him in her power as well as the rest, being by farthe handsomest and most beloved of the three.

However, everyone was anxious to hear the Queen’s commands in regard tothe two Princes, not thinking that she had any ill design in her head againstthem. Whether it was the hen-wife instructed her, or whether it was from herown knowledge, I cannot tell; but she gave out they must go and bring her theKnight of the Glen’s wild Steed of Bells, or they should lose theirheads.

The young Princes were not in the least concerned, not knowing what they had todo; but the whole Court was amazed at her demand, knowing very well that it wasimpossible for them ever to get the steed, as all that ever sought him perishedin the attempt. However, they could not retract the bargain, and the youngestPrince was desired to tell what demand he had on the Queen, as he had won hisgame.

‘My brothers,’ says he, ‘are now going to travel, and, as Iunderstand, a perilous journey wherein they know not what road to take or whatmay happen them. I am resolved, therefore, not to stay here, but to go withthem, let what will betide; and I request and command, according to my bargain,that the Queen shall stand on the highest tower of the palace until we comeback (or find out that we are certainly dead), with nothing but sheaf corn forher food and cold water for her drink, if it should be for seven years andlonger.’

All things being now fixed, the three princes departed the Court in search ofthe Knight of the Glen’s palace, and travelling along the road they cameup with a man who was a little lame, and seemed to be somewhat advanced inyears; they soon fell into discourse, and the youngest of the princes asked thestranger his name, or what was the reason he wore so remarkable a black cap ashe saw on him.

‘I am called,’ said he, ‘the Thief of Sloan, and sometimesthe Black Thief from my cap; ‘and so telling the prince the most of hisadventures, he asked him again where they were bound for, or what they wereabout.

The prince, willing to gratify his request, told him their affairs from thebeginning to the end. ‘And now,’ said he, ‘we are travelling,and do not know whether we are on the right road or not.’

‘Ah! my brave fellows,’ says the Black Thief, ‘you littleknow the danger you run. I am after that steed myself these seven years, andcan never steal him on account of a silk covering he has on him in the stable,with sixty bells fixed to it, and whenever you approach the place he quicklyobserves it and shakes himself; which, by the sound of the bells, not onlyalarms the prince and his guards, but the whole country round, so that it isimpossible ever to get him, and those that are so unfortunate as to be taken bythe Knight of the Glen are boiled in a red-hot fiery furnace.’

‘Bless me,’ says the young prince, ‘what will we do? If wereturn without the steed we will lose our heads, so I see we are ill fixed onboth sides.’

‘Well,’ says the Thief of Sloan, ‘if it were my case I wouldrather die by the Knight than by the wicked Queen; besides, I will go with youmyself and show you the road, and whatever fortune you will have, I will takechance of the same.’

They returned him sincere thanks for his kindness, and he, being wellacquainted with the road, in a short time brought them within view of theknight’s castle.

‘Now,’ says he, ‘we must stay here till night comes; for Iknow all the ways of the place, and if there be any chance for it, it is whenthey are all at rest; for the steed is all the watch the knight keepsthere.’

Accordingly, in the dead hour of the night, the King’s three sons and theThief of Sloan attempted the Steed of Bells in order to carry him away, butbefore they could reach the stables the steed neighed most terribly and shookhimself so, and the bells rung with such noise, that the knight and all his menwere up in a moment.

The Black Thief and the King’s sons thought to make their escape, butthey were suddenly surrounded by the knight’s guards and taken prisoners;where they were brought into that dismal part of the palace where the knightkept a furnace always boiling, in which he threw all offenders that ever camein his way, which in a few moments would entirely consume them.

‘Audacious villains!’ says the Knight of the Glen, ‘how dareyou attempt so bold an action as to steal my steed? See, now, the reward ofyour folly; for your greater punishment I will not boil you all together, butone after the other, so that he that survives may witness the dire afflictionsof his unfortunate companions.’

So saying he ordered his servants to stir up the fire: ‘We will boil theeldest-looking of these young men first,’ said he, ‘and so on tothe last, which will be this old champion with the black cap. He seems to bethe captain, and looks as if he had come through many toils.’

‘I was as near death once as the prince is yet,’ says the BlackThief, ‘and escaped; and so will he too.’

‘No, you never were,’ said the knight; ‘for he is within twoor three minutes of his latter end.’

‘But,’ says the Black Thief, ‘I was within one moment of mydeath, and I am here yet.’

‘How was that?’ says the knight; ‘I would be glad to hear it,for it seems impossible.’

‘If you think, sir knight,’ says the Black Thief, ‘that thedanger I was in surpasses that of this young man, will you pardon him hiscrime?’

‘I will,’ says the knight, ‘so go on with your story.’

‘I was, sir,’ says he, ‘a very wild boy in my youth, and camethrough many distresses; once in particular, as I was on my rambling, I wasbenighted and could find no lodging. At length I came to an old kiln, and beingmuch fatigued I went up and lay on the ribs. I had not been long there when Isaw three witches coming in with three bags of gold. Each put their bags ofgold under their heads, as if to sleep. I heard one of them say to the otherthat if the Black Thief came on them while they slept, he would not leave thema penny. I found by their discourse that everybody had got my name into theirmouth, though I kept silent as death during their discourse. At length theyfell fast asleep, and then I stole softly down, and seeing some turfconvenient, I placed one under each of their heads, and off I went, with theirgold, as fast as I could.

‘I had not gone far,’ continued the Thief of Sloan, ‘until Isaw a grey-hound, a hare, and a hawk in pursuit of me, and began to think itmust be the witches that had taken the shapes in order that I might not escapethem unseen either by land or water. Seeing they did not appear in anyformidable shape, I was more than once resolved to attack them, thinking thatwith my broad sword I could easily destroy them. But considering again that itwas perhaps still in their power to become alive again, I gave over the attemptand climbed with difficulty up a tree, bringing my sword in my hand and all thegold along with me. However, when they came to the tree they found what I haddone, and making further use of their hellish art, one of them was changed intoa smith’s anvil and another into a piece of iron, of which the third soonmade a hatchet. Having the hatchet made, she fell to cutting down the tree, andin the course of an hour it began to shake with me. At length it began to bend,and I found that one or two blows at the most would put it down. I then beganto think that my death was inevitable, considering that those who were capableof doing so much would soon end my life; but just as she had the stroke drawnthat would terminate my fate, the cock crew, and the witches disappeared,having resumed their natural shapes for fear of being known, and I got safe offwith my bags of gold.

‘Now, sir,’ says he to the Knight of the Glen, ‘if that benot as great an adventure as ever you heard, to be within one blow of a hatchetof my end, and that blow even drawn, and after all to escape, I leave it toyourself.’

‘Well, I cannot say but it is very extraordinary,’ says the Knightof the Glen, ‘and on that account pardon this young man his crime; sostir up the fire, till I boil this second one.’

‘Indeed,’ says the Black Thief, ‘I would fain think he wouldnot die this time either.’

‘How so?’ says the knight; ‘it is impossible for him toescape.’

‘I escaped death more wonderfully myself,’ says the Thief of Sloan,‘than if you had him ready to throw into the furnace, and I hope it willbe the case with him likewise.’

‘Why, have you been in another great danger?’ says the knight.‘I would be glad to hear the story too, and if it be as wonderful as thelast, I will pardon this young man as I did the other.’

‘My way of living, sir,’ says the Black Thief, ‘was not good,as I told you before; and being at a certain time fairly run out of cash, andmeeting with no enterprise worthy of notice, I was reduced to great straits. Atlength a rich bishop died in the neighbourhood I was then in, and I heard hewas interred with a great deal of jewels and rich robes upon him, all which Iintended in a short time to be master of. Accordingly that very night I setabout it, and coming to the place, I understood he was placed at the furtherend of a long dark vault, which I slowly entered. I had not gone in far until Iheard a foot coming towards me with a quick pace, and although naturally boldand daring, yet, thinking of the deceased bishop and the crime I was engagedin, I lost courage, and ran towards the entrance of the vault. I had retreatedbut a few paces when I observed, between me and the light, the figure of a tallblack man standing in the entrance. Being in great fear and not knowing how topass, I fired a pistol at him, and he immediately fell across the entrance.Perceiving he still retained the figure of a mortal man, I began to imaginethat it could not be the bishop’s ghost; recovering myself therefore fromthe fear I was in, I ventured to the upper end of the vault, where I found alarge bundle, and upon further examination I found that the corpse was alreadyrifled, and that which I had taken to be a ghost was no more than one of hisown clergy. I was then very sorry that I had the misfortune to kill him, but itthen could not be helped. I took up the bundle that contained everythingbelonging to the corpse that was valuable, intending to take my departure fromthis melancholy abode; but just as I came to the mouth of the entrance I sawthe guards of the place coming towards me, and distinctly heard them sayingthat they would look in the vault, for that the Black Thief would think littleof robbing the corpse if he was anywhere in the place. I did not then know inwhat manner to act, for if I was seen I would surely lose my life, as everybodyhad a look-out at that time, and because there was no person bold enough tocome in on me. I knew very well on the first sight of me that could be got, Iwould be shot like a dog. However, I had not time to lose. I took and raised upthe man which I had killed, as if he was standing on his feet, and I, crouchingbehind him, bore him up as well as I could, so that the guards readily saw himas they came up to the vault. Seeing the man in black, one of the men criedthat was the Black Thief, and, presenting his piece, fired at the man, at whichI let him fall, and crept into a little dark corner myself, that was at theentrance of the place. When they saw the man fall, they ran all into the vault,and never stopped until they were at the end of it, for fear, as I thought,that there might be some others along with him that was killed. But while theywere busy inspecting the corpse and the vault to see what they could miss, Islipped out, and, once away, and still away; but they never had the Black Thiefin their power since.’

‘Well, my brave fellow,’ says the Knight of the Glen, ‘I seeyou have come through many dangers: you have freed these two princes by yourstories; but I am sorry myself that this young prince has to suffer for all.Now, if you could tell me something as wonderful as you have told already, Iwould pardon him likewise; I pity this youth and do not want to put him todeath if I could help it.’

‘That happens well,’ says the Thief of Sloan, ‘for I like himbest myself, and have reserved the most curious passage for the last on hisaccount.’

‘Well, then,’ says the knight, ‘let us hear it.’

‘I was one day on my travels,’ says the Black Thief, ‘and Icame into a large forest, where I wandered a long time, and could not get outof it. At length I came to a large castle, and fatigue obliged me to call inthe same, where I found a young woman and a child sitting on her knee, and shecrying. I asked her what made her cry, and where the lord of the castle was,for I wondered greatly that I saw no stir of servants or any person about theplace.

‘“It is well for you,” says the young woman, “that thelord of this castle is not at home at present; for he is a monstrous giant,with but one eye on his forehead, who lives on human flesh. He brought me thischild,” says she, “I do not know where he got it, and ordered me tomake it into a pie, and I cannot help crying at the command.”

‘I told her that if she knew of any place convenient that I could leavethe child safely I would do it, rather than it should be killed by such amonster.

‘She told me of a house a distance off where I would get a woman whowould take care of it. “But what will I do in regard of the pie?”

‘“Cut a finger off it,” said I, “and I will bring youin a young wild pig out of the forest, which you may dress as if it was thechild, and put the finger in a certain place, that if the giant doubts anythingabout it you may know where to turn it over at the first, and when he sees ithe will be fully satisfied that the pie is made of the child.”

‘She agreed to the scheme I proposed, and, cutting off the child’sfinger, by her direction I soon had it at the house she told me of, and broughther the little pig in the place of it. She then made ready the pie, and aftereating and drinking heartily myself, I was just taking my leave of the youngwoman when we observed the giant coming through the castle gates.

‘“Bless me,” said she, “what will you do now? Run awayand lie down among the dead bodies that he has in the room (showing me theplace), and strip off your clothes that he may not know you from the rest if hehas occasion to go that way.”

‘I took her advice, and laid myself down among the rest, as if dead, tosee how he would behave. The first thing I heard was him calling for his pie.When she set it down before him he swore it smelled like swine’s flesh,but knowing where to find the finger, she immediately turned it up, whichfairly convinced him of the contrary. The pie only served to sharpen hisappetite, and I heard him sharpening his knife and saying he must have a collopor two, for he was not near satisfied. But what was my terror when I heard thegiant groping among the bodies, and, fancying myself, cut the half of my hipoff, and took it with him to be roasted. You may be certain I was in greatpain, but the fear of being killed prevented me from making any complaint.However, when he had eaten all he began to drink hot liquors in greatabundance, so that in a short time he could not hold up his head, but threwhimself on a large creel he had made for the purpose, and fell fast asleep.When I heard him snoring, as I was I went up and caused the woman to bind mywound with a handkerchief; and, taking the giant’s spit, reddened it inthe fire, and ran it through the eye, but was not able to kill him.

‘However, I left the spit sticking in his head, and took to my heels; butI soon found he was in pursuit of me, although blind; and having an enchantedring he threw it at me, and it fell on my big toe and remained fastened to it.

‘The giant then called to the ring, where it was, and to my greatsurprise it made him answer on my foot; and he, guided by the same, made a leapat me which I had the good luck to observe, and fortunately escaped the danger.However, I found running was of no use in saving me, as long as I had the ringon my foot; so I took my sword and cut off the toe it was fastened on, andthrew both into a large fish-pond that was convenient. The giant called againto the ring, which by the power of enchantment always made him answer; but he,not knowing what I had done, imagined it was still on some part of me, and madea violent leap to seize me, when he went into the pond, over head and ears, andwas drowned. Now, sir knight,’ says the Thief of Sloan, ‘you seewhat dangers I came through and always escaped; but, indeed, I am lame for thewant of my toe ever since.’

‘My lord and master,’ says an old woman that was listening all thetime, ‘that story is but too true, as I well know, for I am the verywoman that was in the giant’s castle, and you, my lord, the child that Iwas to make into a pie; and this is the very man that saved your life, whichyou may know by the want of your finger that was taken off, as you have heard,to deceive the giant.’

The Knight of the Glen, greatly surprised at what he had heard the old womantell, and knowing he wanted his finger from his childhood, began to understandthat the story was true enough.

‘And is this my deliverer?’ says he. ‘O brave fellow, I notonly pardon you all, but will keep you with myself while you live, where youshall feast like princes, and have every attendance that I have myself.’

They all returned thanks on their knees, and the Black Thief told him thereason they attempted to steal the Steed of Bells, and the necessity they wereunder in going home.

‘Well,’ says the Knight of the Glen, ‘if that’s thecase I bestow you my steed rather than this brave fellow should die; so you maygo when you please, only remember to call and see me betimes, that we may knoweach other well.’

They promised they would, and with great joy they set off for the King theirfather’s palace, and the Black Thief along with them.

The wicked Queen was standing all this time on the tower, and, hearing thebells ringing at a great distance off, knew very well it was the princes cominghome, and the steed with them, and through spite and vexation precipitatedherself from the tower and was shattered to pieces.

The three princes lived happy and well during their father’s reign, andalways keeping the Black Thief along with them; but how they did after the oldKing’s death is not known.^[4]

[4]The Hibernian Tales.

THE MASTER THIEF

There was once upon a time a husbandman who had three sons. He had no propertyto bequeath to them, and no means of putting them in the way of getting aliving, and did not know what to do, so he said that they had his leave to taketo anything they most fancied, and go to any place they best liked. He wouldgladly accompany them for some part of their way, he said, and that he did. Hewent with them till they came to a place where three roads met, and there eachof them took his own way, and the father bade them farewell and returned to hisown home again. What became of the two elder I have never been able todiscover, but the youngest went both far and wide.

It came to pass, one night, as he was going through a great wood, that aterrible storm came on. It blew so hard and rained so heavily that he couldscarcely keep his eyes open, and before he was aware of it he had got quite outof the track, and could neither find road nor path. But he went on, and at lasthe saw a light far away in the wood. Then he thought he must try and get to it,and after a long, long time he did reach it. There was a large house, and thefire was burning so brightly inside that he could tell that the people were notin bed. So he went in, and inside there was an old woman who was busy aboutsome work.

‘Good evening, mother!’ said the youth.

‘Good evening!’ said the old woman.

‘Hutetu! it is terrible weather outside to-night,’ said the youngfellow.

‘Indeed it is,’ said the old woman.

‘Can I sleep here, and have shelter for the night?’ asked theyouth.

‘It wouldn’t be good for you to sleep here,’ said the oldhag, ‘for if the people of the house come home and find you, they willkill both you and me.’

‘What kind of people are they then, who dwell here?’ said theyouth.

‘Oh! robbers, and rabble of that sort,’ said the old woman;‘they stole me away when I was little, and I have had to keep house forthem ever since.’

‘I still think I will go to bed, all the same,’ said the youth.‘No matter what happens, I’ll not go out to-night in such weatheras this.’

‘Well, then, it will be the worse for yourself,’ said the oldwoman.

The young man lay down in a bed which stood near, but he dared not go to sleep:and it was better that he didn’t, for the robbers came, and the old womansaid that a young fellow who was a stranger had come there, and she had notbeen able to get him to go away again.

‘Did you see if he had any money?’ said the robbers.

‘He’s not one to have money, he is a tramp! If he has a few clothesto his back, that is all.’

Then the robbers began to mutter to each other apart about what they should dowith him, whether they should murder him, or what else they should do. In themeantime the boy got up and began to talk to them, and ask them if they did notwant a man-servant, for he could find pleasure enough in serving them.

‘Yes,’ said they, ‘if you have a mind to take to the tradethat we follow, you may have a place here.’

‘It’s all the same to me what trade I follow,’ said theyouth, ‘for when I came away from home my father gave me leave to take toany trade I fancied.’

‘Have you a fancy for stealing, then?’ said the robbers.

‘Yes,’ said the boy, for he thought that was a trade which wouldnot take long to learn.

Not very far off there dwelt a man who had three oxen, one of which he was totake to the town to sell. The robbers had heard of this, so they told the youththat if he were able to steal the ox from him on the way, without his knowing,and without doing him any harm, he should have leave to be their servant-man.So the youth set off, taking with him a pretty shoe with a silver buckle thatwas lying about in the house. He put this in the road by which the man must gowith his ox, and then went into the wood and hid himself under a bush. When theman came up he at once saw the shoe.

‘That’s a brave shoe,’ said he. ‘If I had but thefellow to it, I would carry it home with me, and then I should put my old womaninto a good humour for once.’

For he had a wife who was so cross and ill-tempered that the time between thebeatings she gave him was very short. But then he bethought himself that hecould do nothing with one shoe if he had not the fellow to it, so he journeyedonwards and let it lie where it was. Then the youth picked up the shoe andhurried off away through the wood as fast as he was able, to get in front ofthe man, and then put the shoe in the road before him again.

When the man came with the ox and saw the shoe, he was quite vexed at havingbeen so stupid as to leave the fellow to it lying where it was, instead ofbringing it on with him.

‘I will just run back again and fetch it now,’ he said to himself,‘and then I shall take back a pair of good shoes to the old woman, andshe may perhaps throw a kind word to me for once.’

So he went and searched and searched for the other shoe for a long, long time,but no shoe was to be found, and at last he was forced to go back with the onewhich he had.

In the meantime the youth had taken the ox and gone off with it. When the mangot there and found that his ox was gone, he began to weep and wail, for he wasafraid that when his old woman got to know she would be the death of him. Butall at once it came into his head to go home and get the other ox, and drive itto the town, and take good care that his old wife knew nothing about it. So hedid this; he went home and took the ox without his wife’s knowing aboutit, and went on his way to the town with it. But the robbers they knew it well,because they got out their magic. So they told the youth that if he could takethis ox also without the man knowing anything about it, and without doing himany hurt, he should then be on an equality with them.

‘Well, that will not be a very hard thing to do,’ thought theyouth.

This time he took with him a rope and put it under his arms and tied himself upto a tree, which hung over the road that the man would have to take. So the mancame with his ox, and when he saw the body hanging there he felt a littlequeer.

‘What a hard lot yours must have been to make you hang yourself!’said he. ‘Ah, well! you may hang there for me; I can’t breathe lifeinto you again.’

So on he went with his ox. Then the youth sprang down from the tree, ran by ashort cut and got before him, and once more hung himself up on a tree in theroad before the man.

‘How I should like to know if you really were so sick at heart that youhanged yourself there, or if it is only a hobgoblin that’s beforeme!’ said the man. ‘Ah, well! you may hang there for me, whetheryou are a hobgoblin or not,’ and on he went with his ox.

Once more the youth did just as he had done twice already; jumped down from thetree, ran by a short cut through the wood, and again hanged himself in the verymiddle of the road before him.

But when the man once more saw this he said to himself, ‘What a badbusiness this is! Can they all have been so heavy-hearted that they have allthree hanged themselves? No, I can’t believe that it is anything butwitchcraft! But I will know the truth,’ he said; ‘if the two othersare still hanging there it is true but if they are not it’s nothing elsebut witchcraft.’

So he tied up his ox and ran back to see if they really were hanging there.While he was going, and looking up at every tree as he went, the youth leaptdown and took his ox and went off with it. Any one may easily imagine what afury the man fell into when he came back and saw that his ox was gone. He weptand he raged, but at last he took comfort and told himself that the best thingto do was to go home and take the third ox, without letting his wife knowanything about it, and then try to sell it so well that he got a good sum ofmoney for it. So he went home and took the third ox, and drove it off withouthis wife knowing anything about it. But the robbers knew all about it, and theytold the youth that if he could steal this as he had stolen the two others, heshould be master of the whole troop. So the youth set out and went to the wood,and when the man was coming along with the ox he began to bellow loudly, justlike a great ox somewhere inside the wood. When the man heard that he was rightglad, for he fancied he recognised the voice of his big bullock, and thoughtthat now he should find both of them again. So he tied up the third, and ranaway off the road to look for them in the wood. In the meantime the youth wentaway with the third ox. When the man returned and found that he had lost thattoo, he fell into such a rage that there was no bounds to it. He wept andlamented, and for many days he did not dare to go home again, for he was afraidthat the old woman would slay him outright. The robbers, also, were not verywell pleased at this, for they were forced to own that the youth was at thehead of them all. So one day they made up their minds to set to work to dosomething which it was not in his power to accomplish, and they all took to theroad together, and left him at home alone. When they were well out of thehouse, the first thing that he did was to drive the oxen out on the road,whereupon they all ran home again to the man from whom he had stolen them, andright glad was the husbandman to see them. Then he brought out all the horsesthe robbers had, and loaded them with the most valuable things which he couldfind—vessels of gold and of silver, and clothes and other magnificentthings—and then he told the old woman to greet the robbers from him andthank them from him, and say that he had gone away, and that they would have agreat deal of difficulty in finding him again, and with that he drove thehorses out of the courtyard. After a long, long time he came to the road onwhich he was travelling when he came to the robbers. And when he had got verynear home, and was in sight of the house where his father lived, he put on auniform which he had found among the things he had taken from the robbers, andwhich was made just like a general’s, and drove into the yard just as ifhe were a great man. Then he entered the house and asked if he could find alodging there.

‘No, indeed you can’t!’ said his father. ‘How could Ipossibly be able to lodge such a great gentleman as you? It is all that I cando to find clothes and bedding for myself, and wretched they are.’

‘You were always a hard man,’ said the youth, ‘and hard youare still if you refuse to let your own son come into your house.’

‘Are you my son?’ said the man.

‘Do you not know me again then?’ said the youth.

Then he recognised him and said, ‘But what trade have you taken to thathas made you such a great man in so short a time?’

‘Oh, that I will tell you,’ answered the youth. ‘You saidthat I might take to anything I liked, so I apprenticed myself to some thievesand robbers, and now I have served my time and have become Master Thief.’

Now the Governor of the province lived by his father’s cottage, and thisGovernor had such a large house and so much money that he did not even know howmuch it was, and he had a daughter too who was both pretty and dainty, and goodand wise. So the Master Thief was determined to have her to wife, and told hisfather that he was to go to the Governor, and ask for his daughter for him.‘If he asks what trade I follow, you may say that I am a MasterThief,’ said he.

‘I think you must be crazy,’ said the man, ‘for youcan’t be in your senses if you think of anything so foolish.’

‘You must go to the Governor and beg for his daughter—there is nohelp,’ said the youth.

‘But I dare not go to the Governor and say this. He is so rich and has somuch wealth of all kinds,’ said the man.

‘There is no help for it,’ said the Master Thief; ‘go youmust, whether you like it or not. If I can’t get you to go by using goodwords, I will soon make you go with bad ones.’

But the man was still unwilling, so the Master Thief followed him, threateninghim with a great birch stick, till he went weeping and wailing through the doorto the Governor of the province.

‘Now, my man, and what’s amiss with you?’ said the Governor.

So he told him that he had three sons who had gone away one day, and how he hadgiven them permission to go where they chose, and take to whatsoever work theyfancied. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘the youngest of them has come home,and has threatened me till I have come to you to ask for your daughter for him,and I am to say that he is a Master Thief,’ and again the man fella-weeping and lamenting.

‘Console yourself, my man,’ said the Governor, laughing. ‘Youmay tell him from me that he must first give me some proof of this. If he cansteal the joint off the spit in the kitchen on Sunday, when every one of us iswatching it, he shall have my daughter. Will you tell him that?’

The man did tell him, and the youth thought it would be easy enough to do it.So he set himself to work to catch three hares alive, put them in a bag, cladhimself in some old rags so that he looked so poor and wretched that it wasquite pitiable to see him, and in this guise on Sunday forenoon he sneaked intothe passage with his bag, like any beggar boy. The Governor himself and everyone in the house was in the kitchen, keeping watch over the joint. While theywere doing this the youth let one of the hares slip out of his bag, and off itset and began to run round the yard.

‘Just look at that hare,’ said the people in the kitchen, andwanted to go out and catch it.

The Governor saw it too, but said, ‘Oh, let it go! it’s no use tothink of catching a hare when it’s running away.’

It was not long before the youth let another hare out, and the people in thekitchen saw this too, and thought that it was the same. So again they wanted togo out and catch it, but the Governor again told them that it was of no use totry.

Very soon afterwards, however, the youth let slip the third hare, and it setoff and ran round and round the courtyard. The people in the kitchen saw thistoo, and believed that it was still the same hare that was running about, sothey wanted to go out and catch it.

‘It’s a remarkably fine hare!’ said the Governor. ‘Comeand let us see if we can get hold of it.’ So out he went, and the otherswith him, and away went the hare, and they after it, in real earnest.

In the meantime, however, the Master Thief took the joint and ran off with it,and whether the Governor got any roast meat for his dinner that day I know not,but I know that he had no roast hare, though he chased it till he was both hotand tired. At noon came the Priest, and when the Governor had told him of thetrick played by the Master Thief there was no end to the ridicule he cast onthe Governor.

‘For my part,’ said the Priest, ‘I can’t imagine myselfbeing made a fool of by such a fellow as that!’

‘Well, I advise you to be careful,’ said the Governor, ‘forhe may be with you before you are at all aware.’

But the Priest repeated what he had said, and mocked the Governor for havingallowed himself to be made such a fool of.

Later in the afternoon the Master Thief came and wanted to have theGovernor’s daughter as he had promised.

‘You must first give some more samples of your skill,’ said theGovernor, trying to speak him fair, ‘for what you did to-day was no suchvery great thing after all. Couldn’t you play off a really good trick onthe Priest? for he is sitting inside there and calling me a fool for having letmyself be taken in by such a fellow as you.’

‘Well, it wouldn’t be very hard to do that,’ said the MasterThief. So he dressed himself up like a bird, and threw a great white sheet overhimself; broke off a goose’s wings, and set them on his back; and in thisattire climbed into a great maple tree which stood in the Priest’sgarden. So when the Priest returned home in the evening the youth began to cry,‘Father Lawrence! Father Lawrence! ‘for the Priest was calledFather Lawrence.

‘Who is calling me?’ said the Priest.

‘I am an angel sent to announce to thee that because of thy piety thoushalt be taken away alive into heaven,’ said the Master Thief.‘Wilt thou hold thyself in readiness to travel away next Monday night?for then will I come and fetch thee, and bear thee away with me in a sack, andthou must lay all thy gold and silver, and whatsoever thou may’stpossess of this world’s wealth, in a heap in thy best parlour.’

So Father Lawrence fell down on his knees before the angel and thanked him, andthe following Sunday he preached a farewell sermon, and gave out that an angelhad come down into the large maple tree in his garden, and had announced to himthat, because of his righteousness, he should be taken up alive into heaven,and as he thus preached and told them this everyone in the church, old oryoung, wept.

On Monday night the Master Thief once more came as an angel, and before thePriest was put into the sack he fell on his knees and thanked him; but nosooner was the Priest safely inside it than the Master Thief began to drag himaway over stocks and stones.

‘Oh! oh!’ cried the Priest in the sack. ‘Where are you takingme?’

‘This is the way to heaven. The way to heaven is not an easy one,’said the Master Thief, and dragged him along till he all but killed him.

At last he flung him into the Governor’s goose-house, and the geese beganto hiss and peck at him, till he felt more dead than alive.

‘Oh! oh! oh! Where am I now?’ asked the Priest.

‘Now you are in Purgatory,’ said the Master Thief, and off he wentand took the gold and the silver and all the precious things which the Priesthad laid together in his best parlour.

Next morning, when the goose-girl came to let out the geese, she heard thePriest bemoaning himself as he lay in the sack in the goose-house.

‘Oh, heavens! who is that, and what ails you?’ said she.

‘Oh,’ said the Priest, ‘if you are an angel from heaven dolet me out and let me go back to earth again, for no place was ever so bad asthis—the little fiends nip me so with their tongs.’

‘I am no angel,’ said the girl, and helped the Priest out of thesack. ‘I only look after the Governor’s geese, that’s what Ido, and they are the little fiends which have pinched your reverence.’

‘This is the Master Thief’s doing! Oh, my gold and my silver and mybest clothes!’ shrieked the Priest, and, wild with rage, he ran home sofast that the goose-girl thought he had suddenly gone mad.

When the Governor learnt what had happened to the Priest he laughed till henearly killed himself, but when the Master Thief came and wanted to have hisdaughter according to promise, he once more gave him nothing but fine words,and said, ‘You must give me one more proof of your skill, so that I canreally judge of your worth. I have twelve horses in my stable, and I will puttwelve stable boys in it, one on each horse. If you are clever enough to stealthe horses from under them, I will see what I can do for you.’

‘What you set me to do can be done,’ said the Master Thief,‘but am I certain to get your daughter when it is?’

‘Yes; if you can do that I will do my best for you,’ said theGovernor.

So the Master Thief went to a shop, and bought enough brandy to fill two pocketflasks, and he put a sleeping drink into one of these, but into the other hepoured brandy only. Then he engaged eleven men to lie that night in hidingbehind the Governor’s stable. After this, by fair words and good payment,he borrowed a ragged gown and a jerkin from an aged woman, and then, with astaff in his hand and a poke on his back, he hobbled off as evening came ontowards the Governor’s stable. The stable boys were just watering thehorses for the night, and it was quite as much as they could do to attend tothat.

‘What on earth do you want here?’ said one of them to the oldwoman.

‘Oh dear! oh dear! How cold it is!’ she said, sobbing, andshivering with cold. ‘Oh dear! oh dear! it’s cold enough to freezea poor old body to death!’ and she shivered and shook again, and said,‘For heaven’s sake give me leave to stay here and sit just insidethe stable door.’

‘You will get nothing of the kind! Be off this moment! If the Governorwere to catch sight of you here, he would lead us a pretty dance,’ saidone.

‘Oh! what a poor helpless old creature!’ said another, who feltsorry for her. ‘That poor old woman can do no harm to anyone. She may sitthere and welcome.’

The rest of them thought that she ought not to stay, but while they weredisputing about this and looking after the horses, she crept farther andfarther into the stable, and at last sat down behind the door, and when onceshe was inside no one took any more notice of her.

As the night wore on the stable boys found it rather cold work to sit still onhorseback.

‘Hutetu! But it is fearfully cold!’ said one, and began to beat hisarms backwards and forwards across his breast.

‘Yes, I am so cold that my teeth are chattering,’ said another.

‘If one had but a little tobacco,’ said a third.

Well, one of them had a little, so they shared it among them, though there wasvery little for each man, but they chewed it. This was some help to them, butvery soon they were just as cold as before.

‘Hutetu!’ said one of them, shivering again.

‘Hutetu!’ said the old woman, gnashing her teeth together till theychattered inside her mouth; and then she got out the flask which containednothing but brandy, and her hands trembled so that she shook the bottle about,and when she drank it made a great gulp in her throat.

‘What is that you have in your flask, old woman?’ asked one of thestable boys.

‘Oh, it’s only a little drop of brandy, your honour,’ shesaid.

‘Brandy! What! Let me have a drop! Let me have a drop!’ screamedall the twelve at once.

‘Oh, but what I have is so little,’ whimpered the old woman.‘It will not even wet your mouths.’

But they were determined to have it, and there was nothing to be done but giveit; so she took out the flask with the sleeping drink and put it to the lips ofthe first of them; and now she shook no more, but guided the flask so that eachof them got just as much as he ought, and the twelfth had not done drinkingbefore the first was already sitting snoring. Then the Master Thief flung offhis beggar’s rags, and took one stable boy after the other and gently sethim astride on the partitions which divided the stalls, and then he called hiseleven men who were waiting outside, and they rode off with theGovernor’s horses.

In the morning when the Governor came to look after his stable boys they werejust beginning to come to again. They were driving their spurs into thepartition till the splinters flew about, and some of the boys fell off, andsome still hung on and sat looking like fools. ‘Ah, well,’ said theGovernor, ‘it is easy to see who has been here; but what a worthless setof fellows you must be to sit here and let the Master Thief steal the horsesfrom under you!’ And they all got a beating for not having kept watchbetter.

Later in the day the Master Thief came and related what he had done, and wantedto have the Governor’s daughter as had been promised. But the Governorgave him a hundred dollars, and said that he must do something that was betterstill.

‘Do you think you can steal my horse from under me when I am out ridingon it?’ said he.

‘Well, it might be done,’ said the Master Thief, ‘if I wereabsolutely certain that I should get your daughter.’

So the Governor said that he would see what he could do, and then he said thaton a certain day he would ride out to a great common where they drilled thesoldiers.

So the Master Thief immediately got hold of an old worn-out mare, and sethimself to work to make a collar for it of green withies and branches of broom;bought a shabby old cart and a great cask, and then he told a poor old beggarwoman that he would give her ten dollars if she would get into the cask andkeep her mouth wide-open beneath the tap-hole, into which he was going to stickhis finger. No harm should happen to her, he said; she should only be drivenabout a little, and if he took his finger out more than once, she should haveten dollars more. Then he dressed himself in rags, dyed himself with soot, andput on a wig and a great beard of goat’s hair, so that it was impossibleto recognise him, and went to the parade ground, where the Governor had alreadybeen riding about a long time.

When the Master Thief got there the mare went along so slowly and quietly thatthe cart hardly seemed to move from the spot. The mare pulled it a littleforward, and then a little back, and then it stopped quite short. Then the marepulled a little forward again, and it moved with such difficulty that theGovernor had not the least idea that this was the Master Thief. He rodestraight up to him, and asked if he had seen anyone hiding anywhere about in awood that was close by.

‘No,’ said the man, ‘that have I not.’

‘Hark you,’ said the Governor. ‘If you will ride into thatwood, and search it carefully to see if you can light upon a fellow who ishiding in there, you shall have the loan of my horse and a good present ofmoney for your trouble.’

‘I am not sure that I can do it,’ said the man, ‘for I haveto go to a wedding with this cask of mead which I have been to fetch, and thetap has fallen out on the way, so now I have to keep my finger in the tap-holeas I drive.’

‘Oh, just ride off,’ said the Governor, ‘and I will lookafter the cask and the horse too.’

So the man said that if he would do that he would go, but he begged theGovernor to be very careful to put his finger into the tap-hole the moment hetook his out.

So the Governor said that he would do his very best, and the Master Thief goton the Governor’s horse.

But time passed, and it grew later and later, and still the man did not comeback, and at last the Governor grew so weary of keeping his finger in thetap-hole that he took it out.

‘Now I shall have ten dollars more!’ cried the old woman inside thecask; so he soon saw what kind of mead it was, and set out homewards. When hehad gone a very little way he met his servant bringing him the horse, for theMaster Thief had already taken it home.

The following day he went to the Governor and wanted to have his daughteraccording to promise. But the Governor again put him off with fine words, andonly gave him three hundred dollars, saying that he must do one moremasterpiece of skill, and if he were but able to do that he should have her.

Well, the Master Thief thought he might if he could hear what it was.

‘Do you think you can steal the sheet off our bed, and my wife’snight-gown?’ said the Governor.

‘That is by no means impossible,’ said the Master Thief. ‘Ionly wish I could get your daughter as easily.’

So late at night the Master Thief went and cut down a thief who was hanging onthe gallows, laid him on his own shoulders, and took him away with him. Then hegot hold of a long ladder, set it up against the Governor’s bedroomwindow, and climbed up and moved the dead man’s head up and down, just asif he were some one who was standing outside and peeping in.

‘There’s the Master Thief, mother!’ said the Governor,nudging his wife. ‘Now I’ll just shoot him, that I will!’

So he took up a rifle which he had laid at his bedside.

‘Oh no, you must not do that,’ said his wife; ‘you yourselfarranged that he was to come here.’

‘Yes, mother, I will shoot him,’ said he, and lay there aiming, andthen aiming again, for no sooner was the head up and he caught sight of it thanit was gone again. At last he got a chance and fired, and the dead body fellwith a loud thud to the ground, and down went the Master Thief too, as fast ashe could.

‘Well,’ said the Governor, ‘I certainly am the chief manabout here, but people soon begin to talk, and it would be very unpleasant ifthey were to see this dead body; the best thing that I can do is to go out andbury him.’

‘Just do what you think best, father,’ said his wife.

So the Governor got up and went downstairs, and as soon as he had gone outthrough the door, the Master Thief stole in and went straight upstairs to thewoman.

‘Well, father dear,’ said she, for she thought it was her husband.‘Have you got done already?’

‘Oh yes, I only put him into a hole,’ said he, ‘and raked alittle earth over him; that’s all I have been able to do to-night, for itis fearful weather outside. I will bury him better afterwards, but just let mehave the sheet to wipe myself with, for he was bleeding, and I have got coveredwith blood with carrying him.’

So she gave him the sheet.

‘You will have to let me have your night-gown too,’ he said,‘for I begin to see that the sheet won’t be enough.’

Then she gave him her night-gown, but just then it came into his head that hehad forgotten to lock the door, and he was forced to go downstairs and do itbefore he could lie down in bed again. So off he went with the sheet, and thenight-gown too.

An hour later the real Governor returned.

‘Well, what a time it has taken to lock the house door, father!’said his wife, ‘and what have you done with the sheet and thenight-gown?’

‘What do you mean?’ asked the Governor.

‘Oh, I am asking you what you have done with the night-gown and sheetthat you got to wipe the blood off yourself with,’ said she.

‘Good heavens!’ said the Governor, ‘has he actually got thebetter of me again?’

When day came the Master Thief came too, and wanted to have theGovernor’s daughter as had been promised, and the Governor dared do nootherwise than give her to him, and much money besides, for he feared that ifhe did not the Master Thief might steal the very eyes out of his head, and thathe himself would be ill spoken of by all men. The Master Thief lived well andhappily from that time forth, and whether he ever stole any more or not Icannot tell you, but if he did it was but for pastime.^[5]

[5]From P. C. Asbjørnsen.

BROTHER AND SISTER

Brother took sister by the hand and said: ‘Look here; we haven’thad one single happy hour since our mother died. That stepmother of ours beatsus regularly every day, and if we dare go near her she kicks us away. We neverget anything but hard dry crusts to eat—why, the dog under the table isbetter off than we are. She does throw him a good morsel or two now and then.Oh dear! if our own dear mother only knew all about it! Come along, and let usgo forth into the wide world together.’

So off they started through fields and meadows, over hedges and ditches, andwalked the whole day long, and when it rained sister said:

‘Heaven and our hearts are weeping together.’

Towards evening they came to a large forest, and were so tired out with hungerand their long walk, as well as all their trouble, that they crept into ahollow tree and soon fell fast asleep.

Next morning, when they woke up, the sun was already high in the heavens andwas shining down bright and warm into the tree. Then said brother:

‘I’m so thirsty, sister; if I did but know where to find a littlestream, I’d go and have a drink. I do believe I hear one.’ Hejumped up, took sister by the hand, and they set off to hunt for the brook.

Now their cruel stepmother was in reality a witch, and she knew perfectly wellthat the two children had run away. She had crept secretly after them, and hadcast her spells over all the streams in the forest.

Presently the children found a little brook dancing and glittering over thestones, and brother was eager to drink of it, but as it rushed past sisterheard it murmuring:

‘Who drinks of me will be a tiger! who drinks of me will be atiger!’

So she cried out, ‘Oh! dear brother, pray don’t drink, oryou’ll be turned into a wild beast and tear me to pieces.’

Brother was dreadfully thirsty, but he did not drink.

‘Very well,’ said he, ‘I’ll wait till we come to thenext spring.’

When they came to the second brook, sister heard it repeating too:

‘Who drinks of me will be a wolf! who drinks of me will be a wolf!’

And she cried, ‘Oh! brother, pray don’t drink here either, oryou’ll be turned into a wolf and eat me up.’

Again brother did not drink, but he said:

‘Well, I’ll wait a little longer till we reach the next stream, butthen, whatever you may say, I really must drink, for I can bear this thirst nolonger.’

And when they got to the third brook, sister heard it say as it rushed past:

‘Who drinks of me will be a roe! who drinks of me will be a roe!’

And she begged, ‘Ah! brother, don’t drink yet, or you’llbecome a roe and run away from me.’

But her brother was already kneeling by the brook and bending over it to drink,and, sure enough, no sooner had his lips touched the water than he fell on thegrass transformed into a little Roebuck.

Sister cried bitterly over her poor bewitched brother, and the little Roe wepttoo, and sat sadly by her side. At last the girl said:

‘Never mind, dear little fawn, I will never forsake you,’ and shetook off her golden garter and tied it round the Roe’s neck.

Then she plucked rushes and plaited a soft cord of them, which she fastened tothe collar. When she had done this she led the Roe farther and farther, rightinto the depths of the forest.

After they had gone a long, long way they came to a little house, and when thegirl looked into it she found it was quite empty, and she thought‘perhaps we might stay and live here.’

So she hunted up leaves and moss to make a soft bed for the little Roe, andevery morning and evening she went out and gathered roots, nuts, and berriesfor herself, and tender young grass for the fawn. And he fed from her hand, andplayed round her and seemed quite happy. In the evening, when sister was tired,she said her prayers and then laid her head on the fawn’s back and fellsound asleep with it as a pillow. And if brother had but kept his natural form,really it would have been a most delightful kind of life.

They had been living for some time in the forest in this way, when it came topass that the King of that country had a great hunt through the woods. Then thewhole forest rang with such a blowing of horns, baying of dogs, and joyfulcries of huntsmen, that the little Roe heard it and longed to join in too.

‘Ah!’ said he to sister, ‘do let me go off to the hunt! Ican’t keep still any longer.’

And he begged and prayed till at last she consented.

‘But,’ said she, ‘mind you come back in the evening. I shalllock my door fast for fear of those wild huntsmen; so, to make sure of myknowing you, knock at the door and say, “My sister dear, open; I’mhere.” If you don’t speak I shan’t open the door.’

So off sprang the little Roe, and he felt quite well and happy in the free openair.

The King and his huntsmen soon saw the beautiful creature and started inpursuit, but they could not come up with it, and whenever they thought theywere sure to catch it, it bounded off to one side into the bushes anddisappeared. When night came on it ran home, and knocking at the door of thelittle house cried:

‘My sister dear, open; I’m here.’ The door opened, and he ranin and rested all night on his soft mossy bed.

Next morning the hunt began again, and as soon as the little Roe heard thehorns and the ‘Ho! ho!’ of the huntsmen, he could not rest anothermoment, and said:

‘Sister, open the door, I must get out.’

So sister opened the door and said, ‘Now mind and get back by nightfall,and say your little rhyme.’

As soon as the King and his huntsmen saw the Roe with the golden collar theyall rode off after it, but it was far too quick and nimble for them. This wenton all day, but as evening came on the huntsmen had gradually encircled theRoe, and one of them wounded it slightly in the foot, so that it limped and ranoff slowly.

Then the huntsman stole after it as far as the little house, and heard it callout, ‘My sister dear, open; I’m here,’ and he saw the dooropen and close immediately the fawn had run in.

The huntsman remembered all this carefully, and went off straight to the Kingand told him all he had seen and heard.

‘To-morrow we will hunt again,’ said the King.

Poor sister was terribly frightened when she saw how her little Fawn had beenwounded. She washed off the blood, bound up the injured foot with herbs, andsaid: ‘Now, dear, go and lie down and rest, so that your wound mayheal.’

The wound was really so slight that it was quite well next day, and the littleRoe did not feel it at all. No sooner did it hear the sounds of hunting in theforest than it cried:

‘I can’t stand this, I must be there too; I’ll take care theyshan’t catch me.’

Sister began to cry, and said, ‘They are certain to kill you, and then Ishall be left all alone in the forest and forsaken by everyone. I can’tand won’t let you out.’

‘Then I shall die of grief,’ replied the Roe, ‘for when Ihear that horn I feel as if I must jump right out of my skin.’

So at last, when sister found there was nothing else to be done, she opened thedoor with a heavy heart, and the Roe darted forth full of glee and health intothe forest.

As soon as the King saw the Roe, he said to his huntsman, ‘Now then, givechase to it all day till evening, but mind and be careful not to hurtit.’

When the sun had set the King said to his huntsman, ‘Now come and show methe little house in the wood.’

And when he got to the house he knocked at the door and said, ‘My sisterdear, open; I’m here.’ Then the door opened and the King walked in,and there stood the loveliest maiden he had ever seen.

The girl was much startled when instead of the little Roe she expected she sawa man with a gold crown on his head walk in. But the King looked kindly at her,held out his hand, and said, ‘Will you come with me to my castle and bemy dear wife?’

‘Oh yes!’ replied the maiden, ‘but you must let my Roe cometoo. I could not possibly forsake it.’

‘It shall stay with you as long as you live, and shall want fornothing,’ the King promised.

In the meantime the Roe came bounding in, and sister tied the rush cord oncemore to its collar, took the end in her hand, and so they left the little housein the forest together.

The King lifted the lonely maiden on to his horse, and led her to his castle,where the wedding was celebrated with the greatest splendour. The Roe waspetted and caressed, and ran about at will in the palace gardens.

Now all this time the wicked stepmother, who had been the cause of these poorchildren’s misfortunes and trying adventures, was feeling fully persuadedthat sister had been torn to pieces by wild beasts, and brother shot to deathin the shape of a Roe. When she heard how happy and prosperous they were, herheart was filled with envy and hatred, and she could think of nothing but howto bring some fresh misfortune on them. Her own daughter, who was as hideous asnight and had only one eye, reproached her by saying, ‘It is I who oughtto have had this good luck and been Queen.’

‘Be quiet, will you,’ said the old woman; ‘when the timecomes I shall be at hand.’

Now after some time it happened one day when the King was out hunting that theQueen gave birth to a beautiful little boy. The old witch thought here was agood chance for her; so she took the form of the lady in waiting, and, hurryinginto the room where the Queen lay in her bed, called out, ‘The bath isquite ready; it will help to make you strong again. Come, let us be quick, forfear the water should get cold.’ Her daughter was at hand, too, andbetween them they carried the Queen, who was still very weak, into thebath-room and laid her in the bath; then they locked the door and ran away.

They took care beforehand to make a blazing hot fire under the bath, so thatthe lovely young Queen might be suffocated.

As soon as they were sure this was the case, the old witch tied a cap on herdaughter’s head and laid her in the Queen’s bed. She managed, too,to make her figure and general appearance look like the Queen’s, but evenher power could not restore the eye she had lost; so she made her lie on theside of the missing eye, in order to prevent the King’s noticinganything.

In the evening, when the King came home and heard the news of his son’sbirth, he was full of delight, and insisted on going at once to his dearwife’s bedside to see how she was getting on. But the old witch criedout, ‘Take care and keep the curtains drawn; don’t let the lightget into the Queen’s eyes; she must be kept perfectly quiet.’ Sothe King went away and never knew that it was a false Queen who lay in the bed.

When midnight came and everyone in the palace was sound asleep, the nurse whoalone watched by the baby’s cradle in the nursery saw the door opengently, and who should come in but the real Queen. She lifted the child fromits cradle, laid it on her arm, and nursed it for some time. Then she carefullyshook up the pillows of the little bed, laid the baby down and tucked thecoverlet in all round him. She did not forget the little Roe either, but wentto the corner where it lay, and gently stroked its back. Then she silently leftthe room, and next morning when the nurse asked the sentries if they had seenany one go into the castle that night, they all said, ‘No, we saw no oneat all.’

For many nights the Queen came in the same way, but she never spoke a word, andthe nurse was too frightened to say anything about her visits.

After some little time had elapsed the Queen spoke one night, and said:

‘Is my child well? Is my Roe well?
I’ll come back twice and then farewell.’

The nurse made no answer, but as soon as the Queen had disappeared she went tothe King and told him all. The King exclaimed, ‘Good heavens! what do yousay? I will watch myself to-night by the child’s bed.’

When the evening came he went to the nursery, and at midnight the Queenappeared and said:

‘Is my child well? Is my Roe well?
I’ll come back once and then farewell.’

And she nursed and petted the child as usual before she disappeared. The Kingdared not trust himself to speak to her, but the following night he kept watchagain.

That night when the Queen came she said:

‘Is my child well? Is my Roe well?
I’ve come this once, and now farewell.’

Then the King could restrain himself no longer, but sprang to her side andcried, ‘You can be no one but my dear wife!’

‘Yes,’ said she, ‘I am your dear wife!’ and in the samemoment she was restored to life, and was as fresh and well and rosy as ever.Then she told the King all the cruel things the wicked witch and her daughterhad done. The King had them both arrested at once and brought to trial, andthey were condemned to death. The daughter was led into the forest, where thewild beasts tore her to pieces, and the old witch was burnt at the stake.

As soon as she reduced to ashes the spell was taken off the little Roe, and hewas restored to his natural shape once more, and so brother and sister livedhappily ever after.^[6]

[6]Grimm.

PRINCESS ROSETTE

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had two beautiful sons andone little daughter, who was so pretty that no one who saw her could helploving her. When it was time for the christening of the Princess, theQueen—as she always did—sent for all the fairies to be present atthe ceremony, and afterwards invited them to a splendid banquet.

When it was over, and they were preparing to go away, the Queen said to them:

‘Do not forget your usual good custom. Tell me what is going to happen toRosette.’

For that was the name they had given the Princess.

But the fairies said they had left their book of magic at home, and they wouldcome another day and tell her.

‘Ah!’ said the Queen, ‘I know very well what thatmeans—you have nothing good to say; but at least I beg that you will nothide anything from me.’

So, after a great deal of persuasion, they said:

‘Madam, we fear that Rosette may be the cause of great misfortunes to herbrothers; they may even meet with their death through her; that is all we havebeen able to foresee about your dear little daughter. We are very sorry to havenothing better to tell you.’

Then they went away, leaving the Queen very sad, so sad that the King noticedit, and asked her what was the matter.

The Queen said that she had been sitting too near the fire, and had burnt allthe flax that was upon her distaff.

‘Oh! is that all?’ said the King, and he went up into the garretand brought her down more flax than she could spin in a hundred years. But theQueen still looked sad, and the King asked her again what was the matter. Sheanswered that she had been walking by the river and had dropped one of hergreen satin slippers into the water.

‘Oh! if that’s all,’ said the King, and he sent to all theshoe-makers in his kingdom, and they very soon made the Queen ten thousandgreen satin slippers, but still she looked sad. So the King asked her againwhat was the matter, and this time she answered that in eating her porridge toohastily she had swallowed her wedding-ring. But it so happened that the Kingknew better, for he had the ring himself, and he said:

‘Oh! you are not telling me the truth, for I have your ring here in mypurse.’

Then the Queen was very much ashamed, and she saw that the King was vexed withher; so she told him all that the fairies had predicted about Rosette, andbegged him to think how the misfortunes might be prevented.

Then it was the King’s turn to look sad, and at last he said:

‘I see no way of saving our sons except by having Rosette’s headcut off while she is still little.’

But the Queen cried that she would far rather have her own head cut off, andthat he had better think of something else, for she would never consent to sucha thing. So they thought and thought, but they could not tell what to do, untilat last the Queen heard that in a great forest near the castle there was an oldhermit, who lived in a hollow tree, and that people came from far and near toconsult him; so she said:

‘I had better go and ask his advice; perhaps he will know what to do toprevent the misfortunes which the fairies foretold.’

She set out very early the next morning, mounted upon a pretty little whitemule, which was shod with solid gold, and two of her ladies rode behind her onbeautiful horses. When they reached the forest they dismounted, for the treesgrew so thickly that the horses could not pass, and made their way on foot tothe hollow tree where the hermit lived. At first when he saw them coming he wasvexed, for he was not fond of ladies; but when he recognised the Queen, hesaid:

‘You are welcome, Queen. What do you come to ask of me?’

Then the Queen told him all the fairies had foreseen for Rosette, and askedwhat she should do, and the hermit answered that she must shut the Princess upin a tower and never let her come out of it again. The Queen thanked andrewarded him, and hastened back to the castle to tell the King. When he heardthe news he had a great tower built as quickly as possible, and there thePrincess was shut up, and the King and Queen and her two brothers went to seeher every day that she might not be dull. The eldest brother was called‘the Great Prince,’ and the second ‘the Little Prince.’They loved their sister dearly, for she was the sweetest, prettiest princesswho was ever seen, and the least little smile from her was worth more than ahundred pieces of gold. When Rosette was fifteen years old the Great Princewent to the King and asked if it would not soon be time for her to be married,and the Little Prince put the same question to the Queen.

Their majesties were amused at them for thinking of it, but did not make anyreply, and soon after both the King and the Queen were taken ill, and died onthe same day. Everybody was sorry, Rosette especially, and all the bells in thekingdom were tolled.

Then all the dukes and counsellors put the Great Prince upon a golden throne,and crowned him with a diamond crown, and they all cried, ‘Long live theKing!’ And after that there was nothing but feasting and rejoicing.

The new King and his brother said to one another:

‘Now that we are the masters, let us take our sister out of that dulltower which she is so tired of.’

They had only to go across the garden to reach the tower, which was very high,and stood up in a corner. Rosette was busy at her embroidery, but when she sawher brothers she got up, and taking the King’s hand cried:

‘Good morning, dear brother. Now that you are King, please take me out ofthis dull tower, for I am so tired of it.’

Then she began to cry, but the King kissed her and told her to dry her tears,as that was just what they had come for, to take her out of the tower and bringher to their beautiful castle, and the Prince showed her the pocketful of sugarplums he had brought for her, and said:

‘Make haste, and let us get away from this ugly tower, and very soon theKing will arrange a grand marriage for you.’

When Rosette saw the beautiful garden, full of fruit and flowers, with greengrass and sparkling fountains, she was so astonished that not a word could shesay, for she had never in her life seen anything like it before. She lookedabout her, and ran hither and thither gathering fruit and flowers, and herlittle dog Frisk, who was bright green all over, and had but one ear, dancedbefore her, crying ‘Bow-wow-wow,’ and turning head over heels inthe most enchanting way.

Everybody was amused at Frisk’s antics, but all of a sudden he ran awayinto a little wood, and the Princess was following him, when, to her greatdelight, she saw a peacock, who was spreading his tail in the sunshine. Rosettethought she had never seen anything so pretty. She could not take her eyes offhim, and there she stood entranced until the King and the Prince came up andasked what was amusing her so much. She showed them the peacock, and asked whatit was, and they answered that it was a bird which people sometimes ate.

‘What!’ said the Princess, ‘do they dare to kill thatbeautiful creature and eat it? I declare that I will never marry any one butthe King of the Peacocks, and when I am Queen I will take very good care thatnobody eats any of my subjects.’

At this the King was very much astonished.

‘But, little sister,’ said he, ‘where shall we find the Kingof the Peacocks?’

‘Oh! wherever you like, sire,’ she answered, ‘but I willnever marry any one else.’

After this they took Rosette to the beautiful castle, and the peacock wasbrought with her, and told to walk about on the terrace outside her windows, sothat she might always see him, and then the ladies of the court came to see thePrincess, and they brought her beautiful presents—dresses and ribbons andsweetmeats, diamonds and pearls and dolls and embroidered slippers, and she wasso well brought up, and said, ‘Thank you!’ so prettily, and was sogracious, that everyone went away delighted with her.

Meanwhile the King and the Prince were considering how they should find theKing of the Peacocks, if there was such a person in the world. And first of allthey had a portrait made of the Princess, which was so like her that you reallywould not have been surprised if it had spoken to you. Then they said to her:

‘Since you will not marry anyone but the King of the Peacocks, we aregoing out together into the wide world to search for him. If we find him foryou we shall be very glad. In the meantime, mind you take good care of ourkingdom.’

Rosette thanked them for all the trouble they were taking on her account, andpromised to take great care of the kingdom, and only to amuse herself bylooking at the peacock, and making Frisk dance while they were away.

So they set out, and asked everyone they met—

‘Do you know the King of the Peacocks?’

But the answer was always, ‘No, no.’

Then they went on and on, so far that no one has ever been farther, and at lastthey came to the Kingdom of the Cockchafers.

They had never before seen such a number of cockchafers, and the buzzing was soloud that the King was afraid he should be deafened by it. He asked the mostdistinguished-looking cockchafer they met if he knew where they could find theKing of the Peacocks.

‘Sire,’ replied the cockchafer, ‘his kingdom is thirtythousand leagues from this; you have come the longest way.’

‘And how do you know that?’ said the King.

‘Oh!’ said the cockchafer, ‘we all know you very well, sincewe spend two or three months in your garden every year.’

Thereupon the King and the Prince made great friends with him, and they allwalked arm-in-arm and dined together, and afterwards the cockchafer showed themall the curiosities of his strange country, where the tiniest green leaf costsa gold piece and more. Then they set out again to finish their journey, andthis time, as they knew the way, they were not long upon the road. It was easyto guess that they had come to the right place, for they saw peacocks in everytree, and their cries could be heard a long way off.

When they reached the city they found it full of men and women who were dressedentirely in peacocks’ feathers, which were evidently thought prettierthan anything else.

They soon met the King, who was driving about in a beautiful little goldencarriage which glittered with diamonds, and was drawn at full speed by twelvepeacocks. The King and the Prince were delighted to see that the King of thePeacocks was as handsome as possible. He had curly golden hair and was verypale, and he wore a crown of peacocks’ feathers.

When he saw Rosette’s brothers he knew at once that they were strangers,and stopping his carriage he sent for them to speak to him. When they hadgreeted him they said:

‘Sire, we have come from very far away to show you a beautifulportrait.’

So saying they drew from their travelling bag the picture of Rosette.

The King looked at it in silence a long time, but at last he said:

‘I could not have believed that there was such a beautiful Princess inthe world!’

‘Indeed, she is really a hundred times as pretty as that,’ said herbrothers.

‘I think you must be making fun of me,’ replied the King of thePeacocks.

‘Sire,’ said the Prince, ‘my brother is a King, likeyourself. He is called “the King,” I am called “thePrince,” and that is the portrait of our sister, the Princess Rosette. Wehave come to ask if you would like to marry her. She is as good as she isbeautiful, and we will give her a bushel of gold pieces for her dowry.’

‘Oh! with all my heart,’ replied the King, ‘and I will makeher very happy. She shall have whatever she likes, and I shall love her dearly;only I warn you that if she is not as pretty as you have told me, I will haveyour heads cut off.’

‘Oh! certainly, we quite agree to that,’ said the brothers in onebreath.

‘Very well. Off with you into prison, and stay there until the Princessarrives,’ said the King of the Peacocks.

And the Princes were so sure that Rosette was far prettier than her portraitthat they went without a murmur. They were very kindly treated, and that theymight not feel dull the King came often to see them. As for Rosette’sportrait that was taken up to the palace, and the King did nothing but gaze atit all day and all night.

As the King and the Prince had to stay in prison, they sent a letter to thePrincess telling her to pack up all her treasures as quickly as possible, andcome to them, as the King of the Peacocks was waiting to marry her; but theydid not say that they were in prison, for fear of making her uneasy.

When Rosette received the letter she was so delighted that she ran abouttelling everyone that the King of the Peacocks was found, and she was going tomarry him.

Guns were fired, and fireworks let off. Everyone had as many cakes andsweetmeats as he wanted. And for three days everybody who came to see thePrincess was presented with a slice of bread-and-jam, a nightingale’segg, and some hippocras. After having thus entertained her friends, shedistributed her dolls among them, and left her brother’s kingdom to thecare of the wisest old men of the city, telling them to take charge ofeverything, not to spend any money, but save it all up until the King shouldreturn, and above all, not to forget to feed her peacock. Then she set out,only taking with her her nurse, and the nurse’s daughter, and the littlegreen dog Frisk.

They took a boat and put out to sea, carrying with them the bushel of goldpieces, and enough dresses to last the Princess ten years if she wore two everyday, and they did nothing but laugh and sing. The nurse asked the boatman:

‘Can you take us, can you take us to the kingdom of the peacocks?’

But he answered:

‘Oh no! oh no!’

Then she said:

‘You must take us, you must take us.’

And he answered:

‘Very soon, very soon.’

Then the nurse said:

‘Will you take us? will you take us?’

And the boatman answered:

‘Yes, yes.’

Then she whispered in his ear:

‘Do you want to make your fortune?’

And he said:

‘Certainly I do.’

‘I can tell you how to get a bag of gold,’ said she.

‘I ask nothing better,’ said the boatman.

‘Well,’ said the nurse, ‘to-night, when the Princess isasleep, you must help me to throw her into the sea, and when she is drowned Iwill put her beautiful clothes upon my daughter, and we will take her to theKing of the Peacocks, who will be only too glad to marry her, and as yourreward you shall have your boat full of diamonds.’

The boatman was very much surprised at this proposal, and said:

‘But what a pity to drown such a pretty Princess!’

However, at last the nurse persuaded him to help her, and when the night cameand the Princess was fast asleep as usual, with Frisk curled up on his owncushion at the foot of her bed, the wicked nurse fetched the boatman and herdaughter, and between them they picked up the Princess, feather bed, mattress,pillows, blankets and all, and threw her into the sea, without even waking her.Now, luckily, the Princess’s bed was entirely stuffed with phoenixfeathers, which are very rare, and have the property of always floating uponwater, so Rosette went on swimming about as if she had been in a boat. After alittle while she began to feel very cold, and turned round so often that shewoke Frisk, who started up, and, having a very good nose, smelt the soles andherrings so close to him that he began to bark. He barked so long and so loudthat he woke all the other fish, who came swimming up round thePrincess’s bed, and poking at it with their great heads. As for her, shesaid to herself:

‘How our boat does rock upon the water! I am really glad that I am notoften as uncomfortable as I have been to-night.’

The wicked nurse and the boatman, who were by this time quite a long way off,heard Frisk barking, and said to each other:

‘That horrid little animal and his mistress are drinking our health insea-water now. Let us make haste to land, for we must be quite near the city ofthe King of the Peacocks.’

The King had sent a hundred carriages to meet them, drawn by every kind ofstrange animal. There were lions, bears, wolves, stags, horses, buffaloes,eagles, and peacocks. The carriage intended for the Princess Rosette had sixblue monkeys, which could turn summer-saults, and dance on a tight-rope, and domany other charming tricks. Their harness was all of crimson velvet with goldbuckles, and behind the carriage walked sixty beautiful ladies chosen by theKing to wait upon Rosette and amuse her.

The nurse had taken all the pains imaginable to deck out her daughter. She puton her Rosette’s prettiest frock, and covered her with diamonds from headto foot. But she was so ugly that nothing could make her look nice, and whatwas worse, she was sulky and ill-tempered, and did nothing but grumble all thetime.

When she stepped from the boat and the escort sent by the King of the Peacockscaught sight of her, they were so surprised that they could not say a singleword.

‘Now then, look alive,’ cried the false Princess. ‘If youdon’t bring me something to eat I will have all your heads cutoff!’

Then they whispered one to another:

‘Here’s a pretty state of things! she is as wicked as she is ugly.What a bride for our poor King! She certainly was not worth bringing from theother end of the world!’

But she went on ordering them all about, and for no fault at all would giveslaps and pinches to everyone she could reach.

As the procession was so long it advanced but slowly, and the nurse’sdaughter sat up in her carriage trying to look like a Queen. But the peacocks,who were sitting upon every tree waiting to salute her, and who had made uptheir minds to cry, ‘Long live our beautiful Queen!’ when theycaught sight of the false bride could not help crying instead:

‘Oh! how ugly she is!’

Which offended her so much that she said to the guards:

‘Make haste and kill all these insolent peacocks who have dared to insultme.’

But the peacocks only flew away, laughing at her.

The rogue of a boatman, who noticed all this, said softly to the nurse:

‘This is a bad business for us, gossip; your daughter ought to have beenprettier.’

But she answered:

‘Be quiet, stupid, or you will spoil everything.’

Now they told the King that the Princess was approaching.

‘Well,’ said he, ‘did her brothers tell me truly? Is sheprettier than her portrait?’

‘Sire,’ they answered, ‘if she were as pretty that would dovery well.’

‘That’s true,’ said the King; ‘I for one shall be quitesatisfied if she is. Let us go and meet her.’ For they knew by the uproarthat she had arrived, but they could not tell what all the shouting was about.The King thought he could hear the words:

‘How ugly she is! How ugly she is!’ and he fancied they must referto some dwarf the Princess was bringing with her. It never occurred to him thatthey could apply to the bride herself.

The Princess Rosette’s portrait was carried at the head of theprocession, and after it walked the King surrounded by his courtiers. He wasall impatience to see the lovely Princess, but when he caught sight of thenurse’s daughter he was furiously angry, and would not advance anotherstep. For she was really ugly enough to have frightened anybody.

‘What!’ he cried, ‘have the two rascals who are my prisonersdared to play me such a trick as this? Do they propose that I shall marry thishideous creature? Let her be shut up in my great tower, with her nurse andthose who brought her here; and as for them, I will have their heads cutoff.’

Meanwhile the King and the Prince, who knew that their sister must havearrived, had made themselves smart, and sat expecting every minute to besummoned to greet her. So when the gaoler came with soldiers, and carried themdown into a black dungeon which swarmed with toads and bats, and where theywere up to their necks in water, nobody could have been more surprised anddismayed than they were.

‘This is a dismal kind of wedding,’ they said; ‘what can havehappened that we should be treated like this? They must mean to kill us.’

And this idea annoyed them very much. Three days passed before they heard anynews, and then the King of the Peacocks came and berated them through a hole inthe wall.

‘You have called yourselves King and Prince,’ he cried, ‘totry and make me marry your sister, but you are nothing but beggars, not worththe water you drink. I mean to make short work with you, and the sword is beingsharpened that will cut off your heads!’

‘King of the Peacocks,’ answered the King angrily, ‘you hadbetter take care what you are about. I am as good a King as yourself, and havea splendid kingdom and robes and crowns, and plenty of good red gold to do whatI like with. You are pleased to jest about having our heads cut off; perhapsyou think we have stolen something from you?’

At first the King of the Peacocks was taken aback by this bold speech, and hadhalf a mind to send them all away together; but his Prime Minister declaredthat it would never do to let such a trick as that pass unpunished, everybodywould laugh at him; so the accusation was drawn up against them, that they wereimpostors, and that they had promised the King a beautiful Princess in marriagewho, when she arrived, proved to be an ugly peasant girl.

This accusation was read to the prisoners, who cried out that they had spokenthe truth, that their sister was indeed a Princess more beautiful than the day,and that there was some mystery about all this which they could not fathom.Therefore they demanded seven days in which to prove their innocence. The Kingof the Peacocks was so angry that he would hardly even grant them this favour,but at last he was persuaded to do so.

While all this was going on at court, let us see what had been happening to thereal Princess. When the day broke she and Frisk were equally astonished atfinding themselves alone upon the sea, with no boat and no one to help them.The Princess cried and cried, until even the fishes were sorry for her.

‘Alas!’ she said, ‘the King of the Peacocks must have orderedme to be thrown into the sea because he had changed his mind and did not wantto marry me. But how strange of him, when I should have loved him so much, andwe should have been so happy together!’

And then she cried harder than ever, for she could not help still loving him.So for two days they floated up and down the sea, wet and shivering with thecold, and so hungry that when the Princess saw some oysters she caught them,and she and Frisk both ate some, though they didn’t like them at all.When night came the Princess was so frightened that she said to Frisk:

‘Oh! Do please keep on barking for fear the soles should come and eat usup!’

Now it happened that they had floated close in to the shore, where a poor oldman lived all alone in a little cottage. When he heard Frisk’s barking hethought to himself:

‘There must have been a shipwreck!’ (for no dogs ever passed thatway by any chance), and he went out to see if he could be of any use. He soonsaw the Princess and Frisk floating up and down, and Rosette, stretching outher hands to him, cried:

‘Oh! Good old man, do save me, or I shall die of cold and hunger!’

When he heard her cry out so piteously he was very sorry for her, and ran backinto his house to fetch a long boat-hook. Then he waded into the water up tohis chin, and after being nearly drowned once or twice he at last succeeded ingetting hold of the Princess’s bed and dragging it on shore.

Rosette and Frisk were joyful enough to find themselves once more on dry land,and the Princess thanked the old man heartily; then, wrapping herself up in herblankets, she daintily picked her way up to the cottage on her little barefeet. There the old man lighted a fire of straw, and then drew from an old boxhis wife’s dress and shoes, which the Princess put on, and thus roughlyclad looked as charming as possible, and Frisk danced his very best to amuseher.

The old man saw that Rosette must be some great lady, for her bed coveringswere all of satin and gold. He begged that she would tell him all her history,as she might safely trust him. The Princess told him everything, weepingbitterly again at the thought that it was by the King’s orders that shehad been thrown overboard.

‘And now, my daughter, what is to be done?’ said the old man.‘You are a great Princess, accustomed to fare daintily, and I havenothing to offer you but black bread and radishes, which will not suit you atall. Shall I go and tell the King of the Peacocks that you are here? If he seesyou he will certainly wish to marry you.’

‘Oh no!’ cried Rosette, ‘he must be wicked, since he tried todrown me. Don’t let us tell him, but if you have a little basket give itto me.’

The old man gave her a basket, and tying it round Frisk’s neck she saidto him: ‘Go and find out the best cooking-pot in the town and bring thecontents to me.’

Away went Frisk, and as there was no better dinner cooking in all the town thanthe King’s, he adroitly took the cover off the pot and brought all itcontained to the Princess, who said:

‘Now go back to the pantry, and bring the best of everything you findthere.’

So Frisk went back and filled his basket with white bread, and red wine, andevery kind of sweetmeat, until it was almost too heavy for him to carry.

When the King of the Peacocks wanted his dinner there was nothing in the potand nothing in the pantry. All the courtiers looked at one another in dismay,and the King was terribly cross.

‘Oh well! ‘he said, ‘if there is no dinner I cannot dine, buttake care that plenty of things are roasted for supper.’

When evening came the Princess said to Frisk:

‘Go into the town and find out the best kitchen, and bring me all thenicest morsels that are being roasted upon the spit.’

Frisk did as he was told, and as he knew of no better kitchen than theKing’s, he went in softly, and when the cook’s back was turned tookeverything that was upon the spit, As it happened it was all done to a turn,and looked so good that it made him hungry only to see it. He carried hisbasket to the Princess, who at once sent him back to the pantry to bring allthe tarts and sugar plums that had been prepared for the King’s supper.

The King, as he had had no dinner, was very hungry and wanted his supper early,but when he asked for it, lo and behold it was all gone, and he had to go tobed half-starved and in a terrible temper. The next day the same thinghappened, and the next, so that for three days the King got nothing at all toeat, because just when the dinner or the supper was ready to be served itmysteriously disappeared. At last the Prime Minister began to be afraid thatthe King would be starved to death, so he resolved to hide himself in some darkcorner of the kitchen, and never take his eyes off the cooking-pot. Hissurprise was great when he presently saw a little green dog with one ear slipsoftly into the kitchen, uncover the pot, transfer all its contents to hisbasket, and run off. The Prime Minister followed hastily, and tracked him allthrough the town to the cottage of the good old man; then he ran back to theKing and told him that he had found out where all his dinners and suppers went.The King, who was very much astonished, said he should like to go and see forhimself. So he set out, accompanied by the Prime Minister and a guard ofarchers, and arrived just in time to find the old man and the Princessfinishing his dinner.

The King ordered that they should be seized and bound with ropes, and Friskalso.

When they were brought back to the palace some one told the King, who said:

‘To-day is the last day of the respite granted to those impostors; theyshall have their heads cut off at the same time as these stealers of mydinner.’ Then the old man went down on his knees before the King andbegged for time to tell him everything. While he spoke the King for the firsttime looked attentively at the Princess, because he was sorry to see how shecried, and when he heard the old man saying that her name was Rosette, and thatshe had been treacherously thrown into the sea, he turned head over heels threetimes without stopping, in spite of being quite weak from hunger, and ran toembrace her, and untied the ropes which bound her with his own hands, declaringthat he loved her with all his heart.

Messengers were sent to bring the Princes out of prison, and they came verysadly, believing that they were to be executed at once: the nurse and herdaughter and the boatman were brought also. As soon as they came in Rosette ranto embrace her brothers, while the traitors threw themselves down before herand begged for mercy. The King and the Princess were so happy that they freelyforgave them, and as for the good old man he was splendidly rewarded, and spentthe rest of his days in the palace. The King of the Peacocks made ample amendsto the King and Prince for the way in which they had been treated, and dideverything in his power to show how sorry he was.

The nurse restored to Rosette all her dresses and jewels, and the bushel ofgold pieces; the wedding was held at once, and they all lived happily everafter—even to Frisk, who enjoyed the greatest luxury, and never hadanything worse than the wing of a partridge for dinner all the rest of hislife.^[7]

[7]Madame d’Aulnoy.

THE ENCHANTED PIG

Once upon a time there lived a King who had three daughters. Now it happenedthat he had to go out to battle, so he called his daughters and said to them:

‘My dear children, I am obliged to go to the wars. The enemy isapproaching us with a large army. It is a great grief to me to leave you all.During my absence take care of yourselves and be good girls; behave well andlook after everything in the house. You may walk in the garden, and you may gointo all the rooms in the palace, except the room at the back in the right-handcorner; into that you must not enter, for harm would befall you.’

‘You may keep your mind easy, father,’ they replied. ‘We havenever been disobedient to you. Go in peace, and may heaven give you a gloriousvictory!’

When everything was ready for his departure, the King gave them the keys of allthe rooms and reminded them once more of what he had said. His daughters kissedhis hands with tears in their eyes, and wished him prosperity, and he gave theeldest the keys.

Now when the girls found themselves alone they felt so sad and dull that theydid not know what to do. So, to pass the time, they decided to work for part ofthe day, to read for part of the day, and to enjoy themselves in the garden forpart of the day. As long as they did this all went well with them. But thishappy state of things did not last long. Every day they grew more and morecurious, and you will see what the end of that was.

‘Sisters,’ said the eldest Princess, ‘all day long we sew,spin, and read. We have been several days quite alone, and there is no cornerof the garden that we have not explored. We have been in all the rooms of ourfather’s palace, and have admired the rich and beautiful furniture: whyshould not we go into the room that our father forbad us to enter?’

‘Sister,’ said the youngest, ‘I cannot think how you cantempt us to break our father’s command. When he told us not to go intothat room he must have known what he was saying, and have had a good reason forsaying it.’

‘Surely the sky won’t fall about our heads if we dogoin,’ said the second Princess. ‘Dragons and such like monsters thatwould devour us will not be hidden in the room. And how will our father everfind out that we have gone in?’

While they were speaking thus, encouraging each other, they had reached theroom; the eldest fitted the key into the lock, and snap! the door stood open.

The three girls entered, and what do you think they saw?

The room was quite empty, and without any ornament, but in the middle stood alarge table, with a gorgeous cloth, and on it lay a big open book.

Now the Princesses were curious to know what was written in the book,especially the eldest, and this is what she read:

‘The eldest daughter of this King will marry a prince from theEast.’

Then the second girl stepped forward, and turning over the page she read:

‘The second daughter of this King will marry a prince from theWest.’

The girls were delighted, and laughed and teased each other.

But the youngest Princess did not want to go near the table or to open thebook. Her elder sisters however left her no peace, and will she, nill she, theydragged her up to the table, and in fear and trembling she turned over the pageand read:

‘The youngest daughter of this King will be married to a pig from theNorth.’

Now if a thunderbolt had fallen upon her from heaven it would not havefrightened her more.

She almost died of misery, and if her sisters had not held her up, she wouldhave sunk to the ground and cut her head open.

When she came out of the fainting fit into which she had fallen in her terror,her sisters tried to comfort her, saying:

‘How can you believe such nonsense? When did it ever happen that aking’s daughter married a pig?’

‘What a baby you are!’ said the other sister; ‘has not ourfather enough soldiers to protect you, even if the disgusting creature did cometo woo you?’

The youngest Princess would fain have let herself be convinced by hersisters’ words, and have believed what they said, but her heart washeavy. Her thoughts kept turning to the book, in which stood written that greathappiness waited her sisters, but that a fate was in store for her such as hadnever before been known in the world.

Besides, the thought weighed on her heart that she had been guilty ofdisobeying her father. She began to get quite ill, and in a few days she was sochanged that it was difficult to recognise her; formerly she had been rosy andmerry, now she was pale and nothing gave her any pleasure. She gave up playingwith her sisters in the garden, ceased to gather flowers to put in her hair,and never sang when they sat together at their spinning and sewing.

In the meantime the King won a great victory, and having completely defeatedand driven off the enemy, he hurried home to his daughters, to whom histhoughts had constantly turned. Everyone went out to meet him with cymbals andfifes and drums, and there was great rejoicing over his victorious return. TheKing’s first act on reaching home was to thank Heaven for the victory hehad gained over the enemies who had risen against him. He then entered hispalace, and the three Princesses stepped forward to meet him. His joy was greatwhen he saw that they were all well, for the youngest did her best not toappear sad.

In spite of this, however, it was not long before the King noticed that histhird daughter was getting very thin and sad-looking. And all of a sudden hefelt as if a hot iron were entering his soul, for it flashed through his mindthat she had disobeyed his word. He felt sure he was right; but to be quitecertain he called his daughters to him, questioned them, and ordered them tospeak the truth. They confessed everything, but took good care not to say whichhad led the other two into temptation.

The King was so distressed when he heard it that he was almost overcome bygrief. But he took heart and tried to comfort his daughters, who lookedfrightened to death. He saw that what had happened had happened, and that athousand words would not alter matters by a hair’s-breadth.

Well, these events had almost been forgotten when one fine day a prince fromthe East appeared at the Court and asked the King for the hand of his eldestdaughter. The King gladly gave his consent. A great wedding banquet wasprepared, and after three days of feasting the happy pair were accompanied tothe frontier with much ceremony and rejoicing.

After some time the same thing befell the second daughter, who was wooed andwon by a prince from the West.

Now when the young Princess saw that everything fell out exactly as had beenwritten in the book, she grew very sad. She refused to eat, and would not puton her fine clothes nor go out walking, and declared that she would rather diethan become a laughing-stock to the world. But the King would not allow her todo anything so wrong, and he comforted her in all possible ways.

So the time passed, till lo and behold! one fine day an enormous pig from theNorth walked into the palace, and going straight up to the King said,‘Hail! oh King. May your life be as prosperous and bright as sunrise on aclear day!’

‘I am glad to see you well, friend,’ answered the King, ‘butwhat wind has brought you hither?’

‘I come a-wooing,’ replied the Pig.

Now the King was astonished to hear so fine a speech from a Pig, and at once itoccurred to him that something strange was the matter. He would gladly haveturned the Pig’s thoughts in another direction, as he did not wish togive him the Princess for a wife; but when he heard that the Court and thewhole street were full of all the pigs in the world he saw that there was noescape, and that he must give his consent. The Pig was not satisfied with merepromises, but insisted that the wedding should take place within a week, andwould not go away till the King had sworn a royal oath upon it.

The King then sent for his daughter, and advised her to submit to fate, asthere was nothing else to be done. And he added:

‘My child, the words and whole behaviour of this Pig are quite unlikethose of other pigs. I do not myself believe that he always was a pig. Dependupon it some magic or witchcraft has been at work. Obey him, and do everythingthat he wishes, and I feel sure that Heaven will shortly send yourelease.’

‘If you wish me to do this, dear father, I will do it,’ replied thegirl.

In the meantime the wedding-day drew near. After the marriage, the Pig and hisbride set out for his home in one of the royal carriages. On the way theypassed a great bog, and the Pig ordered the carriage to stop, and got out androlled about in the mire till he was covered with mud from head to foot; thenhe got back into the carriage and told his wife to kiss him. What was the poorgirl to do? She bethought herself of her father’s words, and, pulling outher pocket handkerchief, she gently wiped the Pig’s snout and kissed it.

By the time they reached the Pig’s dwelling, which stood in a thick wood,it was quite dark. They sat down quietly for a little, as they were tired aftertheir drive; then they had supper together, and lay down to rest. During thenight the Princess noticed that the Pig had changed into a man. She was not alittle surprised, but remembering her father’s words, she took courage,determined to wait and see what would happen.

And now she noticed that every night the Pig became a man, and every morning hewas changed into a Pig before she awoke. This happened several nights running,and the Princess could not understand it at all. Clearly her husband must bebewitched. In time she grew quite fond of him, he was so kind and gentle.

One fine day as she was sitting alone she saw an old witch go past. She feltquite excited, as it was so long since she had seen a human being, and shecalled out to the old woman to come and talk to her. Among other things thewitch told her that she understood all magic arts, and that she could foretellthe future, and knew the healing powers of herbs and plants.

‘I shall be grateful to you all my life, old dame,’ said thePrincess, ‘if you will tell me what is the matter with my husband. Why ishe a Pig by day and a human being by night?’

‘I was just going to tell you that one thing, my dear, to show you what agood fortune-teller I am. If you like, I will give you a herb to break thespell.’

‘If you will only give it to me,’ said the Princess, ‘I willgive you anything you choose to ask for, for I cannot bear to see him in thisstate.’

‘Here, then, my dear child,’ said the witch, ‘take thisthread, but do not let him know about it, for if he did it would lose itshealing power. At night, when he is asleep, you must get up very quietly, andfasten the thread round his left foot as firmly as possible; and you will seein the morning he will not have changed back into a Pig, but will still be aman. I do not want any reward. I shall be sufficiently repaid by knowing thatyou are happy. It almost breaks my heart to think of all you have suffered, andI only wish I had known it sooner, as I should have come to your rescue atonce.’

When the old witch had gone away the Princess hid the thread very carefully,and at night she got up quietly, and with a beating heart she bound the threadround her husband’s foot. Just as she was pulling the knot tight therewas a crack, and the thread broke, for it was rotten.

Her husband awoke with a start, and said to her, ‘Unhappy woman, whathave you done? Three days more and this unholy spell would have fallen from me,and now, who knows how long I may have to go about in this disgusting shape? Imust leave you at once, and we shall not meet again until you have worn outthree pairs of iron shoes and blunted a steel staff in your search forme.’ So saying he disappeared.

Now, when the Princess was left alone she began to weep and moan in a way thatwas pitiful to hear; but when she saw that her tears and groans did her nogood, she got up, determined to go wherever fate should lead her.

On reaching a town, the first thing she did was to order three pairs of ironsandals and a steel staff, and having made these preparations for her journey,she set out in search of her husband. On and on she wandered over nine seas andacross nine continents; through forests with trees whose stems were as thick asbeer-barrels; stumbling and knocking herself against the fallen branches, thenpicking herself up and going on; the boughs of the trees hit her face, and theshrubs tore her hands, but on she went, and never looked back. At last, weariedwith her long journey and worn out and overcome with sorrow, but still withhope at her heart, she reached a house.

Now who do you think lived there? The Moon.

The Princess knocked at the door, and begged to be let in that she might rest alittle. The mother of the Moon, when she saw her sad plight, felt a great pityfor her, and took her in and nursed and tended her. And while she was here thePrincess had a little baby.

One day the mother of the Moon asked her:

‘How was it possible for you, a mortal, to get hither to the house of theMoon?’

Then the poor Princess told her all that happened to her, and added ‘Ishall always be thankful to Heaven for leading me hither, and grateful to youthat you took pity on me and on my baby, and did not leave us to die. Now I begone last favour of you; can your daughter, the Moon, tell me where my husbandis?’

‘She cannot tell you that, my child,’ replied the goddess,‘but, if you will travel towards the East until you reach the dwelling ofthe Sun, he may be able to tell you something.’

Then she gave the Princess a roast chicken to eat, and warned her to be verycareful not to lose any of the bones, because they might be of great use toher.

When the Princess had thanked her once more for her hospitality and for hergood advice, and had thrown away one pair of shoes that were worn out, and hadput on a second pair, she tied up the chicken bones in a bundle, and taking herbaby in her arms and her staff in her hand, she set out once more on herwanderings.

On and on and on she went across bare sandy deserts, where the roads were soheavy that for every two steps that she took forwards she fell back one; butshe struggled on till she had passed these dreary plains; next she crossed highrocky mountains, jumping from crag to crag and from peak to peak. Sometimes shewould rest for a little on a mountain, and then start afresh always farther andfarther on. She had to cross swamps and to scale mountain peaks covered withflints, so that her feet and knees and elbows were all torn and bleeding, andsometimes she came to a precipice across which she could not jump, and she hadto crawl round on hands and knees, helping herself along with her staff. Atlength, wearied to death, she reached the palace in which the Sun lived. Sheknocked and begged for admission. The mother of the Sun opened the door, andwas astonished at beholding a mortal from the distant earthly shores, and weptwith pity when she heard of all she had suffered. Then, having promised to askher son about the Princess’s husband, she hid her in the cellar, so thatthe Sun might notice nothing on his return home, for he was always in a badtemper when he came in at night. The next day the Princess feared that thingswould not go well with her, for the Sun had noticed that some one from theother world had been in the palace. But his mother had soothed him with softwords, assuring him that this was not so. So the Princess took heart when shesaw how kindly she was treated, and asked:

‘But how in the world is it possible for the Sun to be angry? He is sobeautiful and so good to mortals.’

‘This is how it happens,’ replied the Sun’s mother. ‘Inthe morning when he stands at the gates of paradise he is happy, and smiles onthe whole world, but during the day he gets cross, because he sees all the evildeeds of men, and that is why his heat becomes so scorching; but in the eveninghe is both sad and angry, for he stands at the gates of death; that is hisusual course. From there he comes back here.’

She then told the Princess that she had asked about her husband, but that herson had replied that he knew nothing about him, and that her only hope was togo and inquire of the Wind.

Before the Princess left the mother of the Sun gave her a roast chicken to eat,and advised her to take great care of the bones, which she did, wrapping themup in a bundle. She then threw away her second pair of shoes, which were quiteworn out, and with her child on her arm and her staff in her hand, she setforth on her way to the Wind.

In these wanderings she met with even greater difficulties than before, for shecame upon one mountain of flints after another, out of which tongues of firewould flame up; she passed through woods which had never been trodden by humanfoot, and had to cross fields of ice and avalanches of snow. The poor womannearly died of these hardships, but she kept a brave heart, and at length shereached an enormous cave in the side of a mountain. This was where the Windlived. There was a little door in the railing in front of the cave, and herethe Princess knocked and begged for admission. The mother of the Wind had pityon her and took her in, that she might rest a little. Here too she was hiddenaway, so that the Wind might not notice her.

The next morning the mother of the Wind told her that her husband was living ina thick wood, so thick that no axe had been able to cut a way through it; herehe had built himself a sort of house by placing trunks of trees together andfastening them with withes and here he lived alone, shunning human kind.

After the mother of the Wind had given the Princess a chicken to eat, and hadwarned her to take care of the bones, she advised her to go by the Milky Way,which at night lies across the sky, and to wander on till she reached her goal.

Having thanked the old woman with tears in her eyes for her hospitality, andfor the good news she had given her, the Princess set out on her journey andrested neither night nor day, so great was her longing to see her husbandagain. On and on she walked until her last pair of shoes fell in pieces. So shethrew them away and went on with bare feet, not heeding the bogs nor the thornsthat wounded her, nor the stones that bruised her. At last she reached abeautiful green meadow on the edge of a wood. Her heart was cheered by thesight of the flowers and the soft cool grass, and she sat down and rested for alittle. But hearing the birds chirping to their mates among the trees made herthink with longing of her husband, and she wept bitterly, and taking her childin her arms, and her bundle of chicken bones on her shoulder, she entered thewood.

For three days and three nights she struggled through it, but could findnothing. She was quite worn out with weariness and hunger, and even her staffwas no further help to her, for in her many wanderings it had become quiteblunted. She almost gave up in despair, but made one last great effort, andsuddenly in a thicket she came upon the sort of house that the mother of theWind had described. It had no windows, and the door was up in the roof. Roundthe house she went, in search of steps, but could find none. What was she todo? How was she to get in? She thought and thought, and tried in vain to climbup to the door. Then suddenly she be-thought her of the chicken bones that shehad dragged all that weary way, and she said to herself: ‘They would notall have told me to take such good care of these bones if they had not had somegood reason for doing so. Perhaps now, in my hour of need, they may be of useto me.’

So she took the bones out of her bundle, and having thought for a moment, sheplaced the two ends together. To her surprise they stuck tight; then she addedthe other bones, till she had two long poles the height of the house; these sheplaced against the wall, at a distance of a yard from one another. Across themshe placed the other bones, piece by piece, like the steps of a ladder. As soonas one step was finished she stood upon it and made the next one, and then thenext, till she was close to the door. But just as she got near the top shenoticed that there were no bones left for the last rung of the ladder. What wasshe to do? Without that last step the whole ladder was useless. She must havelost one of the bones. Then suddenly an idea came to her. Taking a knife shechopped off her little finger, and placing it on the last step, it stuck as thebones had done. The ladder was complete, and with her child on her arm sheentered the door of the house. Here she found everything in perfect order.Having taken some food, she laid the child down to sleep in a trough that wason the floor, and sat down herself to rest.

When her husband, the Pig, came back to his house, he was startled by what hesaw. At first he could not believe his eyes, and stared at the ladder of bones,and at the little finger on the top of it. He felt that some fresh magic mustbe at work, and in his terror he almost turned away from the house; but then abetter idea came to him, and he changed himself into a dove, so that nowitchcraft could have power over him, and flew into the room without touchingthe ladder. Here he found a woman rocking a child. At the sight of her, lookingso changed by all that she had suffered for his sake, his heart was moved bysuch love and longing and by so great a pity that he suddenly became a man.

The Princess stood up when she saw him, and her heart beat with fear, for shedid not know him. But when he had told her who he was, in her great joy sheforgot all her sufferings, and they seemed as nothing to her. He was a veryhandsome man, as straight as a fir tree. They sat down together and she toldhim all her adventures, and he wept with pity at the tale. And then he told herhis own history.

‘I am a King’s son. Once when my father was fighting against somedragons, who were the scourge of our country, I slew the youngest dragon. Hismother, who was a witch, cast a spell over me and changed me into a Pig. It wasshe who in the disguise of an old woman gave you the thread to bind round myfoot. So that instead of the three days that had to run before the spell wasbroken, I was forced to remain a Pig for three more years. Now that we havesuffered for each other, and have found each other again, let us forget thepast.’

And in their joy they kissed one another.

Next morning they set out early to return to his father’s kingdom. Greatwas the rejoicing of all the people when they saw him and his wife; his fatherand his mother embraced them both, and there was feasting in the palace forthree days and three nights.

Then they set out to see her father. The old King nearly went out of his mindwith joy at beholding his daughter again. When she had told him all heradventures, he said to her:

‘Did not I tell you that I was quite sure that that creature who wooedand won you as his wife had not been born a Pig? You see, my child, how wiseyou were in doing what I told you.’

And as the King was old and had no heirs, he put them on the throne in hisplace. And they ruled as only kings rule who have suffered many things. And ifthey are not dead they are still living and ruling happily.^[8]

[8]Rumänische Märchen übersetzt von Nite Kremnitz.

THE NORKA

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen. They had three sons, two of themwith their wits about them, but the third a simpleton. Now the King had a deerpark in which were quantities of wild animals of different kinds. Into thatpark there used to come a huge beast—Norka was its name—and dofearful mischief, devouring some of the animals every night. The King did allhe could, but he was unable to destroy it. So at last he called his sonstogether and said, ‘Whoever will destroy the Norka, to him will I givethe half of my kingdom.’

Well, the eldest son undertook the task. As soon as it was night, he took hisweapons and set out. But before he reached the park, he went into a traktir (ortavern), and there he spent the whole night in revelry. When he came to hissenses it was too late; the day had already dawned. He felt himself disgracedin the eyes of his father, but there was no help for it. The next day thesecond son went, and did just the same. Their father scolded them both soundly,and there was an end of it.

Well, on the third day the youngest son undertook the task. They all laughedhim to scorn, because he was so stupid, feeling sure he wouldn’t doanything. But he took his arms, and went straight into the park, and sat downon the grass in such a position that the moment he went asleep his weaponswould prick him, and he would awake.

Presently the midnight hour sounded. The earth began to shake, and the Norkacame rushing up, and burst right through the fence into the park, so huge wasit. The Prince pulled himself together, leapt to his feet, crossed himself, andwent straight at the beast. It fled back, and the Prince ran after it. But hesoon saw that he couldn’t catch it on foot, so he hastened to the stable,laid his hands on the best horse there, and set off in pursuit. Presently hecame up with the beast, and they began a fight. They fought and fought; thePrince gave the beast three wounds. At last they were both utterly exhausted,so they lay down to take a short rest. But the moment the Prince closed hiseyes, up jumped the beast and took to flight. The Prince’s horse awokehim; up he jumped in a moment, and set off again in pursuit, caught up thebeast, and again began fighting with it. Again the Prince gave the beast threewounds, and then he and the beast lay down again to rest. Thereupon away fledthe beast as before. The Prince caught it up, and again gave it three wounds.But all of a sudden, just as the Prince began chasing it for the fourth time,the beast fled to a great white stone, tilted it up, and escaped into the otherworld, crying out to the Prince: ‘Then only will you overcome me, whenyou enter here.’

The Prince went home, told his father all that had happened, and asked him tohave a leather rope plaited, long enough to reach to the other world. Hisfather ordered this to be done. When the rope was made, the Prince called forhis brothers, and he and they, having taken servants with them, and everythingthat was needed for a whole year, set out for the place where the beast haddisappeared under the stone. When they got there, they built a palace on thespot, and lived in it for some time. But when everything was ready, theyoungest brother said to the others: ‘Now, brothers, who is going to liftthis stone?’

Neither of them could so much as stir it, but as soon as he touched it, away itflew to a distance, though it was ever so big—big as a hill. And when hehad flung the stone aside, he spoke a second time to his brothers, saying:

‘Who is going into the other world, to overcome the Norka?’

Neither of them offered to do so. Then he laughed at them for being suchcowards, and said:

‘Well, brothers, farewell! Lower me into the other world, and don’tgo away from here, but as soon as the cord is jerked, pull it up.’

His brothers lowered him accordingly, and when he had reached the other world,underneath the earth, he went on his way. He walked and walked. Presently heespied a horse with rich trappings, and it said to him:

‘Hail, Prince Ivan! Long have I awaited thee!’

He mounted the horse and rode on—rode and rode, until he saw standingbefore him a palace made of copper. He entered the courtyard, tied up hishorse, and went indoors. In one of the rooms a dinner was laid out. He sat downand dined, and then went into a bedroom. There he found a bed, on which he laydown to rest. Presently there came in a lady, more beautiful than can beimagined anywhere but in a fairy tale, who said:

‘Thou who art in my house, name thyself! If thou art an old man, thoushalt be my father; if a middle-aged man, my brother; but if a young man, thoushalt be my husband dear. And if thou art a woman, and an old one, thou shaltbe my grandmother; if middle-aged, my mother; and if a girl, thou shalt be myown sister.’

Thereupon he came forth. And when she saw him she was delighted with him, andsaid:

‘Wherefore, O Prince Ivan—my husband dear shalt thoube!—wherefore hast thou come hither?’

Then he told her all that had happened, and she said:

‘That beast which thou wishest to overcome is my brother. He is stayingjust now with my second sister, who lives not far from here in a silver palace.I bound up three of the wounds which thou didst give him.’

Well, after this they drank, and enjoyed themselves, and held sweet conversetogether, and then the Prince took leave of her, and went on to the secondsister, the one who lived in the silver palace, and with her also he stayedawhile. She told him that her brother Norka was then at her youngestsister’s. So he went on to the youngest sister, who lived in a goldenpalace. She told him that her brother was at that time asleep on the blue sea,and she gave him a sword of steel and a draught of the Water of Strength, andshe told him to cut off her brother’s head at a single stroke. And whenhe had heard these things, he went his way.

And when the Prince came to the blue sea, he looked—there slept the Norkaon a stone in the middle of the sea; and when it snored, the water was agitatedfor seven miles around. The Prince crossed himself, went up to it, and smote iton the head with his sword. The head jumped off, saying the while, ‘Well,I’m done for now!’ and rolled far away into the sea.

After killing the beast, the Prince went back again, picking up all the threesisters by the way, with the intention of taking them out into the upper world:for they all loved him and would not be separated from him. Each of them turnedher palace into an egg—for they were all enchantresses—and theytaught him how to turn the eggs into palaces, and back again, and they handedover the eggs to him. And then they all went to the place from which they hadto be hoisted into the upper world. And when they came to where the rope was,the Prince took hold of it and made the maidens fast to it. Then he jerked awayat the rope and his brothers began to haul it up. And when they had hauled itup, and had set eyes on the wondrous maidens, they went aside and said:‘Let’s lower the rope, pull our brother part of the way up, andthen cut the rope. Perhaps he’ll be killed; but then if he isn’t,he’ll never give us these beauties as wives.’

So when they had agreed on this, they lowered the rope. But their brother wasno fool; he guessed what they were at, so he fastened the rope to a stone, andthen gave it a pull. His brothers hoisted the stone to a great height, and thencut the rope. Down fell the stone and broke in pieces; the Prince poured forthtears and went away. Well, he walked and walked. Presently a storm arose; thelightning flashed, the thunder roared, the rain fell in torrents. He went up toa tree in order to take shelter under it, and on that tree he saw some youngbirds which were being thoroughly drenched. So he took off his coat and coveredthem over with it, and he himself sat down under the tree. Presently there cameflying a bird—such a big one that the light was blotted out by it. It hadbeen dark there before, but now it became darker still. Now this was the motherof those small birds which the Prince had covered up. And when the bird hadcome flying up, she perceived that her little ones were covered over, and shesaid, ‘Who has wrapped up my nestlings?’ and presently, seeing thePrince, she added: ‘Didst thou do that? Thanks! In return, ask of meanything thou desirest. I will do anything for thee.’

‘Then carry me into the other world,’ he replied.

‘Make me a large vessel with a partition in the middle,’ she said;‘catch all sorts of game, and put them into one half of it, and into theother half pour water; so that there may be meat and drink for me.’

All this the Prince did. Then the bird—having taken the vessel on herback, with the Prince sitting in the middle of it—began to fly. And afterflying some distance she brought him to his journey’s end, took leave ofhim, and flew away back. But he went to the house of a certain tailor, andengaged himself as his servant. So much the worse for wear was he, sothoroughly had he altered in appearance, that nobody would have suspected himof being a Prince.

Having entered into the service of this master, the Prince began to ask whatwas going on in that country. And his master replied: ‘Our twoPrinces—for the third one has disappeared—have brought away bridesfrom the other world, and want to marry them, but those brides refuse. For theyinsist on having all their wedding-clothes made for them first, exactly likethose which they used to have in the other world, and that without beingmeasured for them. The King has called all the workmen together, but not one ofthem will undertake to do it.’

The Prince, having heard all this, said, ‘Go to the King, master, andtell him that you will provide everything that’s in your line.’

‘However can I undertake to make clothes of that sort? I work for quitecommon folks,’ says his master.

‘Go along, master! I will answer for everything,’ says the Prince.

So the tailor went. The King was delighted that at least one good workman hadbeen found, and gave him as much money as ever he wanted. When his tailor hadsettled everything, he went home. And the Prince said to him:

‘Now then, pray to God, and lie down to sleep; to-morrow all will beready.’ And the tailor followed his lad’s advice, and went to bed.

Midnight sounded. The Prince arose, went out of the city into the fields, tookout of his pocket the eggs which the maidens had given him, and, as they hadtaught him, turned them into three palaces. Into each of these he entered, tookthe maidens’ robes, went out again, turned the palaces back into eggs,and went home. And when he got there he hung up the robes on the wall, and laydown to sleep.

Early in the morning his master awoke, and behold! there hung such robes as hehad never seen before, all shining with gold and silver and precious stones. Hewas delighted, and he seized them and carried them off to the King. When thePrincesses saw that the clothes were those which had been theirs in the otherworld, they guessed that Prince Ivan was in this world, so they exchangedglances with each other, but they held their peace. And the master, havinghanded over the clothes, went home, but he no longer found his dear journeymanthere. For the Prince had gone to a shoemaker’s, and him too he sent towork for the King; and in the same way he went the round of all the artificers,and they all proffered him thanks, inasmuch as through him they were enrichedby the King.

By the time the princely workman had gone the round of all the artificers, thePrincesses had received what they had asked for; all their clothes were justlike what they had been in the other world. Then they wept bitterly because thePrince had not come, and it was impossible for them to hold out any longer; itwas necessary that they should be married. But when they were ready for thewedding, the youngest bride said to the King:

‘Allow me, my father, to go and give alms to the beggars.’

He gave her leave, and she went and began bestowing alms upon them, andexamining them closely. And when she had come to one of them, and was going togive him some money, she caught sight of the ring which she had given to thePrince in the other world, and her sisters’ rings too—for it reallywas he. So she seized him by the hand, and brought him into the hall, and saidto the King:

‘Here is he who brought us out of the other world. His brothers forbadeus to say that he was alive, threatening to slay us if we did.’

Then the King was wroth with those sons, and punished them as he thought best.And afterwards three weddings were celebrated.

THE WONDERFUL BIRCH

Once upon a time there were a man and a woman, who had an only daughter. Now ithappened that one of their sheep went astray, and they set out to look for it,and searched and searched, each in a different part of the wood. Then the goodwife met a witch, who said to her:

‘If you spit, you miserable creature, if you spit into the sheath of myknife, or if you run between my legs, I shall change you into a blacksheep.’

The woman neither spat, nor did she run between her legs, but yet the witchchanged her into a sheep. Then she made herself look exactly like the woman,and called out to the good man:

‘Ho, old man, halloa! I have found the sheep already!’

The man thought the witch was really his wife, and he did not know that hiswife was the sheep; so he went home with her, glad at heart because his sheepwas found. When they were safe at home the witch said to the man:

‘Look here, old man, we must really kill that sheep lest it run away tothe wood again.’

The man, who was a peaceable quiet sort of fellow, made no objections, butsimply said:

‘Good, let us do so.’

The daughter, however, had overheard their talk, and she ran to the flock andlamented aloud:

‘Oh, dear little mother, they are going to slaughter you!’

‘Well, then, if they do slaughter me,’ was the black sheep’sanswer, ‘eat you neither the meat nor the broth that is made of me, butgather all my bones, and bury them by the edge of the field.’

Shortly after this they took the black sheep from the flock and slaughtered it.The witch made pease-soup of it, and set it before the daughter. But the girlremembered her mother’s warning. She did not touch the soup, but shecarried the bones to the edge of the field and buried them there; and theresprang up on the spot a birch tree—a very lovely birch tree.

Some time had passed away—who can tell how long they might have beenliving there?—when the witch, to whom a child had been born in themeantime, began to take an ill-will to the man’s daughter, and to tormenther in all sorts of ways.

Now it happened that a great festival was to be held at the palace, and theKing had commanded that all the people should be invited, and that thisproclamation should be made:

        ‘Come, people all!
Poor and wretched, one and all!
Blind and crippled though ye be,
Mount your steeds or come by sea.’

And so they drove into the King’s feast all the outcasts, and the maimed,and the halt, and the blind. In the good man’s house, too, preparationswere made to go to the palace. The witch said to the man:

‘Go you on in front, old man, with our youngest; I will give the eldergirl work to keep her from being dull in our absence.’

So the man took the child and set out. But the witch kindled a fire on thehearth, threw a potful of barleycorns among the cinders, and said to the girl:

‘If you have not picked the barley out of the ashes, and put it all backin the pot before nightfall, I shall eat you up!’

Then she hastened after the others, and the poor girl stayed at home and wept.She tried to be sure to pick up the grains of barley, but she soon saw howuseless her labour was; and so she went in her sore trouble to the birch treeon her mother’s grave, and cried and cried, because her mother lay deadbeneath the sod and could help her no longer. In the midst of her grief shesuddenly heard her mother’s voice speak from the grave, and say to her:

‘Why do you weep, little daughter?’

‘The witch has scattered barleycorns on the hearth, and bid me pick themout of the ashes,’ said the girl; ‘that is why I weep, dear littlemother.’

‘Do not weep,’ said her mother consolingly. ‘Break off one ofmy branches, and strike the hearth with it crosswise, and all will be putright.’ The girl did so. She struck the hearth with the birchen branch,and lo! the barleycorns flew into the pot, and the hearth was clean. Then shewent back to the birch tree and laid the branch upon the grave. Then her motherbade her bathe on one side of the stem, dry herself on another, and dress onthe third. When the girl had done all that, she had grown so lovely that no oneon earth could rival her. Splendid clothing was given to her, and a horse, withhair partly of gold, partly of silver, and partly of something more preciousstill. The girl sprang into the saddle, and rode as swift as an arrow to thepalace. As she turned into the courtyard of the castle the King’s soncame out to meet her, tied her steed to a pillar, and led her in. He never lefther side as they passed through the castle rooms; and all the people gazed ather, and wondered who the lovely maiden was, and from what castle she came; butno one knew her—no one knew anything about her. At the banquet the Princeinvited her to sit next him in the place of honour; but the witch’sdaughter gnawed the bones under the table. The Prince did not see her, andthinking it was a dog, he gave her such a push with his foot that her arm wasbroken. Are you not sorry for the witch’s daughter? It was not her faultthat her mother was a witch.

Towards evening the good man’s daughter thought it was time to go home;but as she went, her ring caught on the latch of the door, for the King’sson had had it smeared with tar. She did not take time to pull it off, but,hastily unfastening her horse from the pillar, she rode away beyond the castlewalls as swift as an arrow. Arrived at home, she took off her clothes by thebirch tree, left her horse standing there, and hastened to her place behind thestove. In a short time the man and the woman came home again too, and the witchsaid to the girl:

‘Ah! you poor thing, there you are to be sure! You don’t know whatfine times we have had at the palace! The King’s son carried my daughterabout, but the poor thing fell and broke her arm.’

The girl knew well how matters really stood, but she pretended to know nothingabout it, and sat dumb behind the stove.

The next day they were invited again to the King’s banquet.

‘Hey! old man,’ said the witch, ‘get on your clothes as quickas you can; we are bidden to the feast. Take you the child; I will give theother one work, lest she weary.’

She kindled the fire, threw a potful of hemp seed among the ashes, and said tothe girl:

‘If you do not get this sorted, and all the seed back into the pot, Ishall kill you!’

The girl wept bitterly; then she went to the birch tree, washed herself on oneside of it and dried herself on the other; and this time still finer clotheswere given to her, and a very beautiful steed. She broke off a branch of thebirch tree, struck the hearth with it, so that the seeds flew into the pot, andthen hastened to the castle.

Again the King’s son came out to meet her, tied her horse to a pillar,and led her into the banqueting hall. At the feast the girl sat next him in theplace of honour, as she had done the day before. But the witch’s daughtergnawed bones under the table, and the Prince gave her a push by mistake, whichbroke her leg—he had never noticed her crawling about among thepeople’s feet. She was veryunlucky!

The good man’s daughter hastened home again betimes, but the King’sson had smeared the door-posts with tar, and the girl’s golden circletstuck to it. She had not time to look for it, but sprang to the saddle and rodelike an arrow to the birch tree. There she left her horse and her fine clothes,and said to her mother:

‘I have lost my circlet at the castle; the door-post was tarred, and itstuck fast.’

‘And even had you lost two of them,’ answered her mother, ‘Iwould give you finer ones.’

Then the girl hastened home, and when her father came home from the feast withthe witch, she was in her usual place behind the stove. Then the witch said toher:

‘You poor thing! what is there to see here compared with what wehave seen at the palace? The King’s son carried my daughter from one roomto another; he let her fall, ‘tis true, and my child’s foot wasbroken.’

The man’s daughter held her peace all the time, and busied herself aboutthe hearth.

The night passed, and when the day began to dawn, the witch awakened herhusband, crying:

‘Hi! get up, old man! We are bidden to the royal banquet.’

So the old man got up. Then the witch gave him the child, saying:

‘Take you the little one; I will give the other girl work to do, else shewill weary at home alone.’

She did as usual. This time it was a dish of milk she poured upon the ashes,saying:

‘If you do not get all the milk into the dish again before I come home,you will suffer for it.’

How frightened the girl was this time! She ran to the birch tree, and by itsmagic power her task was accomplished; and then she rode away to the palace asbefore. When she got to the courtyard she found the Prince waiting for her. Heled her into the hall, where she was highly honoured; but the witch’sdaughter sucked the bones under the table, and crouching at the people’sfeet she got an eye knocked out, poor thing! Now no one knew any more thanbefore about the good man’s daughter, no one knew whence she came; butthe Prince had had the threshold smeared with tar, and as she fled her goldslippers stuck to it. She reached the birch tree, and laying aside her finery,she said:

‘Alas I dear little mother, I have lost my gold slippers!’

‘Let them be,’ was her mother’s reply; ‘if you needthem I shall give you finer ones.’

Scarcely was she in her usual place behind the stove when her father came homewith the witch. Immediately the witch began to mock her, saying:

‘Ah! you poor thing, there is nothing for you to see here, andwe—ah: what great things we have seen at the palace! My littlegirl was carried about again, but had the ill-luck to fall and get her eyeknocked out. You stupid thing, you, what do you know about anything?’

‘Yes, indeed, what can I know?’ replied the girl; ‘I hadenough to do to get the hearth clean.’

Now the Prince had kept all the things the girl had lost, and he soon set aboutfinding the owner of them. For this purpose a great banquet was given on thefourth day, and all the people were invited to the palace. The witch got readyto go too. She tied a wooden beetle on where her child’s foot should havebeen, a log of wood instead of an arm, and stuck a bit of dirt in the emptysocket for an eye, and took the child with her to the castle. When all thepeople were gathered together, the King’s son stepped in among the crowdand cried:

‘The maiden whose finger this ring slips over, whose head this goldenhoop encircles, and whose foot this shoe fits, shall be my bride.’

What a great trying on there was now among them all! The things would fit noone, however.

‘The cinder wench is not here,’ said the Prince at last; ‘goand fetch her, and let her try on the things.’

So the girl was fetched, and the Prince was just going to hand the ornaments toher, when the witch held him back, saying:

‘Don’t give them to her; she soils everything with cinders; givethem to my daughter rather.’

Well, then the Prince gave the witch’s daughter the ring, and the womanfiled and pared away at her daughter’s finger till the ring fitted. Itwas the same with the circlet and the shoes of gold. The witch would not allowthem to be handed to the cinder wench; she worked at her own daughter’shead and feet till she got the things forced on. What was to be done now? ThePrince had to take the witch’s daughter for his bride whether he would orno; he sneaked away to her father’s house with her, however, for he wasashamed to hold the wedding festivities at the palace with so strange a bride.Some days passed, and at last he had to take his bride home to the palace, andhe got ready to do so. Just as they were taking leave, the kitchen wench sprangdown from her place by the stove, on the pretext of fetching something from thecowhouse, and in going by she whispered in the Prince’s ear as he stoodin the yard:

‘Alas! dear Prince, do not rob me of my silver and my gold.’

Thereupon the King’s son recognised the cinder wench; so he took both thegirls with him, and set out. After they had gone some little way they came tothe bank of a river, and the Prince threw the witch’s daughter across toserve as a bridge, and so got over with the cinder wench. There lay thewitch’s daughter then, like a bridge over the river, and could not stir,though her heart was consumed with grief. No help was near, so she cried atlast in her anguish:

‘May there grow a golden hemlock out of my body! perhaps my mother willknow me by that token.’

Scarcely had she spoken when a golden hemlock sprang up from her, and stoodupon the bridge.

Now, as soon as the Prince had got rid of the witch’s daughter he greetedthe cinder wench as his bride, and they wandered together to the birch treewhich grew upon the mother’s grave. There they received all sorts oftreasures and riches, three sacks full of gold, and as much silver, and asplendid steed, which bore them home to the palace. There they lived a longtime together, and the young wife bore a son to the Prince. Immediately wordwas brought to the witch that her daughter had borne a son—for they allbelieved the young King’s wife to be the witch’s daughter.

‘So, so,’ said the witch to herself; ‘I had better away withmy gift for the infant, then.’

And so saying she set out. Thus it happened that she came to the bank of theriver, and there she saw the beautiful golden hemlock growing in the middle ofthe bridge, and when she began to cut it down to take to her grandchild, sheheard a voice moaning:

‘Alas! dear mother, do not cut me so!’

‘Are you here?’ demanded the witch.

‘Indeed I am, dear little mother,’ answered the daughter.‘They threw me across the river to make a bridge of me.’

In a moment the witch had the bridge shivered to atoms, and then she hastenedaway to the palace. Stepping up to the young Queen’s bed, she began totry her magic arts upon her, saying:

‘Spit, you wretch, on the blade of my knife; bewitch my knife’sblade for me, and I shall change you into a reindeer of the forest.’

‘Are you there again to bring trouble upon me?’ said the youngwoman.

She neither spat nor did anything else, but still the witch changed her into areindeer, and smuggled her own daughter into her place as the Prince’swife. But now the child grew restless and cried, because it missed itsmother’s care. They took it to the court, and tried to pacify it in everyconceivable way, but its crying never ceased.

‘What makes the child so restless?’ asked the Prince, and he wentto a wise widow woman to ask her advice.

‘Ay, ay, your own wife is not at home,’ said the widow woman;‘she is living like a reindeer in the wood; you have the witch’sdaughter for a wife now, and the witch herself for a mother-in-law.’

‘Is there any way of getting my own wife back from the wood again?’asked the Prince.

‘Give me the child,’ answered the widow woman. ‘I’lltake it with me to-morrow when I go to drive the cows to the wood. I’llmake a rustling among the birch leaves and a trembling among theaspens—perhaps the boy will grow quiet when he hears it.’

‘Yes, take the child away, take it to the wood with you to quietit,’ said the Prince, and led the widow woman into the castle.

‘How now? you are going to send the child away to the wood?’ saidthe witch in a suspicious tone, and tried to interfere.

But the King’s son stood firm by what he had commanded, and said:

‘Carry the child about the wood; perhaps that will pacify it.’

So the widow woman took the child to the wood. She came to the edge of a marsh,and seeing a herd of reindeer there, she began all at once to sing—

‘Little Bright-eyes, little Redskin,
Come nurse the child you bore!
    That bloodthirsty monster,
    That man-eater grim,
Shall nurse him, shall tend him no more.
    They may threaten and force as they will,
    He turns from her, shrinks from her still,’

and immediately the reindeer drew near, and nursed and tended the child thewhole day long; but at nightfall it had to follow the herd, and said to thewidow woman:

‘Bring me the child to-morrow, and again the following day; after that Imust wander with the herd far away to other lands.’

The following morning the widow woman went back to the castle to fetch thechild. The witch interfered, of course, but the Prince said:

‘Take it, and carry it about in the open air; the boy is quieter atnight, to be sure, when he has been in the wood all day.’

So the widow took the child in her arms, and carried it to the marsh in theforest. There she sang as on the preceding day—

‘Little Bright-eyes, little Redskin,
Come nurse the child you bore!
    That bloodthirsty monster,
    That man-eater grim,
Shall nurse him, shall tend him no more.
    They may threaten and force as they will,
    He turns from her, shrinks from her still,’

and immediately the reindeer left the herd and came to the child, and tended itas on the day before. And so it was that the child throve, till not a finer boywas to be seen anywhere. But the King’s son had been pondering over allthese things, and he said to the widow woman:

‘Is there no way of changing the reindeer into a human beingagain?’

‘I don’t rightly know,’ was her answer. ‘Come to thewood with me, however; when the woman puts off her reindeer skin I shall combher head for her; whilst I am doing so you must burn the skin.’

Thereupon they both went to the wood with the child; scarcely were they therewhen the reindeer appeared and nursed the child as before. Then the widow womansaid to the reindeer:

‘Since you are going far away to-morrow, and I shall not see you again,let me comb your head for the last time, as a remembrance of you.’

Good; the young woman stript off the reindeer skin, and let the widow woman doas she wished. In the meantime the King’s son threw the reindeer skininto the fire unobserved.

‘What smells of singeing here?’ asked the young woman, and lookinground she saw her own husband. ‘Woe is me! you have burnt my skin. Whydid you do that?’

‘To give you back your human form again.’

‘Alack-a-day! I have nothing to cover me now, poor creature that Iam!’ cried the young woman, and transformed herself first into a distaff,then into a wooden beetle, then into a spindle, and into all imaginable shapes.But all these shapes the King’s son went on destroying till she stoodbefore him in human form again.

Alas! wherefore take me home with you again,’ cried the young woman,‘since the witch is sure to eat me up?’

‘She will not eat you up,’ answered her husband; and they startedfor home with the child.

But when the witch wife saw them she ran away with her daughter, and if she hasnot stopped she is running still, though at a great age. And the Prince, andhis wife, and the baby lived happy ever afterwards.^[9]

[9]From the Russo-Karelian.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

JACK SELLS THE COW

Once upon a time there was a poor widow who lived in a little cottage with heronly son Jack.

Jack was a giddy, thoughtless boy, but very kind-hearted and affectionate.There had been a hard winter, and after it the poor woman had suffered fromfever and ague. Jack did no work as yet, and by degrees they grew dreadfullypoor. The widow saw that there was no means of keeping Jack and herself fromstarvation but by selling her cow; so one morning she said to her son, ‘Iam too weak to go myself, Jack, so you must take the cow to market for me, andsell her.’

Jack liked going to market to sell the cow very much; but as he was on the way,he met a butcher who had some beautiful beans in his hand. Jack stopped to lookat them, and the butcher told the boy that they were of great value, andpersuaded the silly lad to sell the cow for these beans.

When he brought them home to his mother instead of the money she expected forher nice cow, she was very vexed and shed many tears, scolding Jack for hisfolly. He was very sorry, and mother and son went to bed very sadly that night;their last hope seemed gone.

At daybreak Jack rose and went out into the garden.

‘At least,’ he thought, ‘I will sow the wonderful beans.Mother says that they are just common scarlet-runners, and nothing else; but Imay as well sow them.’

So he took a piece of stick, and made some holes in the ground, and put in thebeans.

That day they had very little dinner, and went sadly to bed, knowing that forthe next day there would be none and Jack, unable to sleep from grief andvexation, got up at day-dawn and went out into the garden.

What was his amazement to find that the beans had grown up in the night, andclimbed up and up till they covered the high cliff that sheltered the cottage,and disappeared above it! The stalks had twined and twisted themselves togethertill they formed quite a ladder.

‘It would be easy to climb it,’ thought Jack.

And, having thought of the experiment, he at once resolved to carry it out, forJack was a good climber. However, after his late mistake about the cow, hethought he had better consult his mother first.

WONDERFUL GROWTH OF THE BEANSTALK

So Jack called his mother, and they both gazed in silent wonder at theBeanstalk, which was not only of great height, but was thick enough to bearJack’s weight.

‘I wonder where it ends,’ said Jack to his mother; ‘I think Iwill climb up and see.’

His mother wished him not to venture up this strange ladder, but Jack coaxedher to give her consent to the attempt, for he was certain there must besomething wonderful in the Beanstalk; so at last she yielded to his wishes.

Jack instantly began to climb, and went up and up on the ladder-like bean tilleverything he had left behind him—the cottage, the village, and even thetall church tower—looked quite little, and still he could not see the topof the Beanstalk.

Jack felt a little tired, and thought for a moment that he would go back again;but he was a very persevering boy, and he knew that the way to succeed inanything is not to give up. So after resting for a moment he went on.

After climbing higher and higher, till he grew afraid to look down for fear heshould be giddy, Jack at last reached the top of the Beanstalk, and foundhimself in a beautiful country, finely wooded, with beautiful meadows coveredwith sheep. A crystal stream ran through the pastures; not far from the placewhere he had got off the Beanstalk stood a fine, strong castle.

Jack wondered very much that he had never heard of or seen this castle before;but when he reflected on the subject, he saw that it was as much separated fromthe village by the perpendicular rock on which it stood as if it were inanother land.

While Jack was standing looking at the castle, a very strange-looking womancame out of the wood, and advanced towards him.

She wore a pointed cap of quilted red satin turned up with ermine, her hairstreamed loose over her shoulders, and she walked with a staff. Jack took offhis cap and made her a bow.

‘If you please, ma’am,’ said he, ‘is this yourhouse?’

‘No,’ said the old lady. ‘Listen, and I will tell you thestory of that castle.

‘Once upon a time there was a noble knight, who lived in this castle,which is on the borders of Fairyland. He had a fair and beloved wife andseveral lovely children: and as his neighbours, the little people, were veryfriendly towards him, they bestowed on him many excellent and precious gifts.

‘Rumour whispered of these treasures; and a monstrous giant, who lived atno great distance, and who was a very wicked being, resolved to obtainpossession of them.

‘So he bribed a false servant to let him inside the castle, when theknight was in bed and asleep, and he killed him as he lay. Then he went to thepart of the castle which was the nursery, and also killed all the poor littleones he found there.

‘Happily for her, the lady was not to be found. She had gone with herinfant son, who was only two or three months old, to visit her old nurse, wholived in the valley; and she had been detained all night there by a storm.

‘The next morning, as soon as it was light, one of the servants at thecastle, who had managed to escape, came to tell the poor lady of the sad fateof her husband and her pretty babes. She could scarcely believe him at first,and was eager at once to go back and share the fate of her dear ones; but theold nurse, with many tears, besought her to remember that she had still achild, and that it was her duty to preserve her life for the sake of the poorinnocent.

‘The lady yielded to this reasoning, and consented to remain at hernurse’s house as the best place of concealment; for the servant told herthat the giant had vowed, if he could find her, he would kill both her and herbaby. Years rolled on. The old nurse died, leaving her cottage and the fewarticles of furniture it contained to her poor lady, who dwelt in it, workingas a peasant for her daily bread. Her spinning-wheel and the milk of a cow,which she had purchased with the little money she had with her, sufficed forthe scanty subsistence of herself and her little son. There was a nice littlegarden attached to the cottage, in which they cultivated peas, beans, andcabbages, and the lady was not ashamed to go out at harvest time, and glean inthe fields to supply her little son’s wants.

‘Jack, that poor lady is your mother. This castle was once yourfather’s, and must again be yours.’

Jack uttered a cry of surprise.

‘My mother! oh, madam, what ought I to do? My poor father! My dearmother!’

‘Your duty requires you to win it back for your mother. But the task is avery difficult one, and full of peril, Jack. Have you courage to undertakeit?’

‘I fear nothing when I am doing right,’ said Jack.

‘Then,’ said the lady in the red cap, ‘you are one of thosewho slay giants. You must get into the castle, and if possible possess yourselfof a hen that lays golden eggs, and a harp that talks. Remember, all the giantpossesses is really yours.’ As she ceased speaking, the lady of the redhat suddenly disappeared, and of course Jack knew she was a fairy.

Jack determined at once to attempt the adventure; so he advanced, and blew thehorn which hung at the castle portal. The door was opened in a minute or two bya frightful giantess, with one great eye in the middle of her forehead.

As soon as Jack saw her he turned to run away, but she caught him, and draggedhim into the castle.

‘Ho, ho!’ she laughed terribly. ‘You didn’t expect tosee me here, that is clear! No, I shan’t let you go again. I am weary ofmy life. I am so overworked, and I don’t see why I should not have a pageas well as other ladies. And you shall be my boy. You shall clean the knives,and black the boots, and make the fires, and help me generally when the giantis out. When he is at home I must hide you, for he has eaten up all my pageshitherto, and you would be a dainty morsel, my little lad.’

While she spoke she dragged Jack right into the castle. The poor boy was verymuch frightened, as I am sure you and I would have been in his place. But heremembered that fear disgraces a man; so he struggled to be brave and make thebest of things.

‘I am quite ready to help you, and do all I can to serve you,madam,’ he said, ‘only I beg you will be good enough to hide mefrom your husband, for I should not like to be eaten at all.’

‘That’s a good boy,’ said the Giantess, nodding her head;‘it is lucky for you that you did not scream out when you saw me, as theother boys who have been here did, for if you had done so my husband would haveawakened and have eaten you, as he did them, for breakfast. Come here, child;go into my wardrobe: he never ventures to open that;you will be safethere.’

And she opened a huge wardrobe which stood in the great hall, and shut him intoit. But the keyhole was so large that it admitted plenty of air, and he couldsee everything that took place through it. By-and-by he heard a heavy tramp onthe stairs, like the lumbering along of a great cannon, and then a voice likethunder cried out;

‘Fe, fa, fi-fo-fum,
I smell the breath of an Englishman.
Let him be alive or let him be dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’

‘Wife,’ cried the Giant, ‘there is a man in the castle. Letme have him for breakfast.’

‘You are grown old and stupid,’ cried the lady in her loud tones.‘It is only a nice fresh steak off an elephant, that I have cooked foryou, which you smell. There, sit down and make a good breakfast.’

And she placed a huge dish before him of savoury steaming meat, which greatlypleased him, and made him forget his idea of an Englishman being in the castle.When he had breakfasted he went out for a walk; and then the Giantess openedthe door, and made Jack come out to help her. He helped her all day. She fedhim well, and when evening came put him back in the wardrobe.

THE HEN THAT LAYS GOLDEN EGGS.

The Giant came in to supper. Jack watched him through the keyhole, and wasamazed to see him pick a wolf’s bone, and put half a fowl at a time intohis capacious mouth.

When the supper was ended he bade his wife bring him his hen that laid thegolden eggs.

‘It lays as well as it did when it belonged to that paltry knight,’he said; ‘indeed I think the eggs are heavier than ever.’

The Giantess went away, and soon returned with a little brown hen, which sheplaced on the table before her husband. ‘And now, my dear,’ shesaid, ‘I am going for a walk, if you don’t want me anylonger.’

‘Go,’ said the Giant; ‘I shall be glad to have a napby-and-by.’

Then he took up the brown hen and said to her:

‘Lay!’ And she instantly laid a golden egg.

‘Lay!’ said the Giant again. And she laid another.

‘Lay!’ he repeated the third time. And again a golden egg lay onthe table.

Now Jack was sure this hen was that of which the fairy had spoken.

By-and-by the Giant put the hen down on the floor, and soon after went fastasleep, snoring so loud that it sounded like thunder.

Directly Jack perceived that the Giant was fast asleep, he pushed open the doorof the wardrobe and crept out; very softly he stole across the room, and,picking up the hen, made haste to quit the apartment. He knew the way to thekitchen, the door of which he found was left ajar; he opened it, shut andlocked it after him, and flew back to the Beanstalk, which he descended as fastas his feet would move.

When his mother saw him enter the house she wept for joy, for she had fearedthat the fairies had carried him away, or that the Giant had found him. ButJack put the brown hen down before her, and told her how he had been in theGiant’s castle, and all his adventures. She was very glad to see the hen,which would make them rich once more.

THE MONEY BAGS.

Jack made another journey up the Beanstalk to the Giant’s castle one daywhile his mother had gone to market; but first he dyed his hair and disguisedhimself. The old woman did not know him again, and dragged him in as she haddone before, to help her to do the work; but she heard her husband coming, andhid him in the wardrobe, not thinking that it was the same boy who had stolenthe hen. She bade him stay quite still there, or the Giant would eat him.

Then the Giant came in saying:

‘Fe, fa, fi-fo-fum,
I smell the breath of an Englishman.
Let him be alive or let him be dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’

‘Nonsense!’ said the wife, ‘it is only a roasted bullock thatI thought would be a tit-bit for your supper; sit down and I will bring it upat once.’ The Giant sat down, and soon his wife brought up a roastedbullock on a large dish, and they began their supper. Jack was amazed to seethem pick the bones of the bullock as if it had been a lark. As soon as theyhad finished their meal, the Giantess rose and said:

‘Now, my dear, with your leave I am going up to my room to finish thestory I am reading. If you want me call for me.’

‘First,’ answered the Giant, ‘bring me my money bags, that Imay count my golden pieces before I sleep.’ The Giantess obeyed. She wentand soon returned with two large bags over her shoulders, which she put down byher husband.

‘There,’ she said; ‘that is all that is left of theknight’s money. When you have spent it you must go and take anotherbaron’s castle.’

‘That he shan’t, if I can help it,’ thought Jack.

The Giant, when his wife was gone, took out heaps and heaps of golden pieces,and counted them, and put them in piles, till he was tired of the amusement.Then he swept them all back into their bags, and leaning back in his chair fellfast asleep, snoring so loud that no other sound was audible.

Jack stole softly out of the wardrobe, and taking up the bags of money (whichwere his very own, because the Giant had stolen them from his father), he ranoff, and with great difficulty descending the Beanstalk, laid the bags of goldon his mother’s table. She had just returned from town, and was crying atnot finding Jack.

‘There, mother, I have brought you the gold that my father lost.’

‘Oh, Jack! you are a very good boy, but I wish you would not risk yourprecious life in the Giant’s castle. Tell me how you came to go thereagain.’

And Jack told her all about it.

Jack’s mother was very glad to get the money, but she did not like him torun any risk for her.

But after a time Jack made up his mind to go again to the Giant’s castle.

THE TALKING HARP.

So he climbed the Beanstalk once more, and blew the horn at the Giant’sgate. The Giantess soon opened the door; she was very stupid, and did not knowhim again, but she stopped a minute before she took him in. She feared anotherrobbery; but Jack’s fresh face looked so innocent that she could notresist him, and so she bade him come in, and again hid him away in thewardrobe.

By-and-by the Giant came home, and as soon as he had crossed the threshold heroared out:

‘Fe, fa, fi-fo-fum,
I smell the breath of an Englishman.
Let him be alive or let him be dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’

‘You stupid old Giant,’ said his wife, ‘you only smell a nicesheep, which I have grilled for your dinner.’

And the Giant sat down, and his wife brought up a whole sheep for his dinner.When he had eaten it all up, he said:

‘Now bring me my harp, and I will have a little music while you take yourwalk.’

The Giantess obeyed, and returned with a beautiful harp. The framework was allsparkling with diamonds and rubies, and the strings were all of gold.

‘This is one of the nicest things I took from the knight,’ said theGiant. ‘I am very fond of music, and my harp is a faithfulservant.’

So he drew the harp towards him, and said:

‘Play!’

And the harp played a very soft, sad air.

‘Play something merrier!’ said the Giant.

And the harp played a merry tune.

‘Now play me a lullaby,’ roared the Giant; and the harp played asweet lullaby, to the sound of which its master fell asleep.

Then Jack stole softly out of the wardrobe, and went into the huge kitchen tosee if the Giantess had gone out; he found no one there, so he went to the doorand opened it softly, for he thought he could not do so with the harp in hishand.

Then he entered the Giant’s room and seized the harp and ran away withit; but as he jumped over the threshold the harp called out:

‘MASTER! MASTER!’

And the Giant woke up.

With a tremendous roar he sprang from his seat, and in two strides had reachedthe door.

But Jack was very nimble. He fled like lightning with the harp, talking to itas he went (for he saw it was a fairy), and telling it he was the son of itsold master, the knight.

Still the Giant came on so fast that he was quite close to poor Jack, and hadstretched out his great hand to catch him. But, luckily, just at that moment hestepped upon a loose stone, stumbled, and fell flat on the ground, where he layat his full length.

This accident gave Jack time to get on the Beanstalk and hasten down it; butjust as he reached their own garden he beheld the Giant descending after him.

‘Mother! Mother!’ cried Jack, ‘make haste and give me theaxe.’

His mother ran to him with a hatchet in her hand, and Jack with one tremendousblow cut through all the Beanstalks except one.

‘Now, mother, stand out of the way!’ said he.

THE GIANT BREAKS HIS NECK.

Jack’s mother shrank back, and it was well she did so, for just as theGiant took hold of the last branch of the Beanstalk, Jack cut the stem quitethrough and darted from the spot.

Down came the Giant with a terrible crash, and as he fell on his head, he brokehis neck, and lay dead at the feet of the woman he had so much injured.

Before Jack and his mother had recovered from their alarm and agitation, abeautiful lady stood before them.

‘Jack,’ said she, ‘you have acted like a brave knight’sson, and deserve to have your inheritance restored to you. Dig a grave and burythe Giant, and then go and kill the Giantess.’

‘But,’ said Jack, ‘I could not kill anyone unless I werefighting with him; and I could not draw my sword upon a woman. Moreover, theGiantess was very kind to me.’

The Fairy smiled on Jack.

‘I am very much pleased with your generous feeling,’ she said.‘Nevertheless, return to the castle, and act as you will findneedful.’

Jack asked the Fairy if she would show him the way to the castle, as theBeanstalk was now down. She told him that she would drive him there in herchariot, which was drawn by two peacocks. Jack thanked her, and sat down in thechariot with her.

The Fairy drove him a long distance round, till they reached a village whichlay at the bottom of the hill. Here they found a number of miserable-lookingmen assembled. The Fairy stopped her carriage and addressed them:

‘My friends,’ said she, ‘the cruel giant who oppressed youand ate up all your flocks and herds is dead, and this young gentleman was themeans of your being delivered from him, and is the son of your kind old master,the knight.’

The men gave a loud cheer at these words, and pressed forward to say that theywould serve Jack as faithfully as they had served his father. The Fairy badethem follow her to the castle, and they marched thither in a body, and Jackblew the horn and demanded admittance.

The old Giantess saw them coming from the turret loop-hole. She was very muchfrightened, for she guessed that something had happened to her husband; and asshe came downstairs very fast she caught her foot in her dress, and fell fromthe top to the bottom and broke her neck.

When the people outside found that the door was not opened to them, they tookcrowbars and forced the portal. Nobody was to be seen, but on leaving the hallthey found the body of the Giantess at the foot of the stairs.

Thus Jack took possession of the castle. The Fairy went and brought his motherto him, with the hen and the harp. He had the Giantess buried, and endeavouredas much as lay in his power to do right to those whom the Giant had robbed.

Before her departure for fairyland, the Fairy explained to Jack that she hadsent the butcher to meet him with the beans, in order to try what sort of ladhe was.

‘If you had looked at the gigantic Beanstalk and only stupidly wonderedabout it,’ she said, ‘I should have left you where misfortune hadplaced you, only restoring her cow to your mother. But you showed an inquiringmind, and great courage and enterprise, therefore you deserve to rise; and whenyou mounted the Beanstalk you climbed the Ladder of Fortune.’

She then took her leave of Jack and his mother.

THE LITTLE GOOD MOUSE

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who loved each other so much thatthey were never happy unless they were together. Day after day they went outhunting or fishing; night after night they went to balls or to the opera; theysang, and danced, and ate sugar-plums, and were the gayest of the gay, and alltheir subjects followed their example so that the kingdom was called the JoyousLand. Now in the next kingdom everything was as different as it could possiblybe. The King was sulky and savage, and never enjoyed himself at all. He lookedso ugly and cross that all his subjects feared him, and he hated the very sightof a cheerful face; so if he ever caught anyone smiling he had his head cut offthat very minute. This kingdom was very appropriately called the Land of Tears.Now when this wicked King heard of the happiness of the Jolly King, he was sojealous that he collected a great army and set out to fight him, and the newsof his approach was soon brought to the King and Queen. The Queen, when sheheard of it, was frightened out of her wits, and began to cry bitterly.‘Sire,’ she said, ‘let us collect all our riches and run awayas far as ever we can, to the other side of the world.’

But the King answered:

‘Fie, madam! I am far too brave for that. It is better to die than to bea coward.’

Then he assembled all his armed men, and after bidding the Queen a tenderfarewell, he mounted his splendid horse and rode away. When he was lost tosight the Queen could do nothing but weep, and wring her hands, and cry.

‘Alas! If the King is killed, what will become of me and of my littledaughter?’ and she was so sorrowful that she could neither eat nor sleep.

The King sent her a letter every day, but at last, one morning, as she lookedout of the palace window, she saw a messenger approaching in hot haste.

‘What news, courier? What news?’ cried the Queen, and he answered:

‘The battle is lost and the King is dead, and in another moment the enemywill be here.’

The poor Queen fell back insensible, and all her ladies carried her to bed, andstood round her weeping and wailing. Then began a tremendous noise andconfusion, and they knew that the enemy had arrived, and very soon they heardthe King himself stamping about the palace seeking the Queen. Then her ladiesput the little Princess into her arms, and covered her up, head and all, in thebedclothes, and ran for their lives, and the poor Queen lay there shaking, andhoping she would not be found. But very soon the wicked King clattered into theroom, and in a fury because the Queen would not answer when he called to her,he tore back her silken coverings and tweaked off her lace cap, and when allher lovely hair came tumbling down over her shoulders, he wound it three timesround his hand and threw her over his shoulder, where he carried her like asack of flour.

The poor Queen held her little daughter safe in her arms and shrieked formercy, but the wicked King only mocked her, and begged her to go on shrieking,as it amused him, and so mounted his great black horse, and rode back to hisown country. When he got there he declared that he would have the Queen and thelittle Princess hanged on the nearest tree; but his courtiers said that seemeda pity, for when the baby grew up she would be a very nice wife for theKing’s only son.

The King was rather pleased with this idea, and shut the Queen up in thehighest room of a tall tower, which was very tiny, and miserably furnished witha table and a very hard bed upon the floor. Then he sent for a fairy who livednear his kingdom, and after receiving her with more politeness than hegenerally showed, and entertaining her at a sumptuous feast, he took her up tosee the Queen. The fairy was so touched by the sight of her misery that whenshe kissed her hand she whispered:

‘Courage, madam! I think I see a way to help you.’

The Queen, a little comforted by these words, received her graciously, andbegged her to take pity upon the poor little Princess, who had met with such asudden reverse of fortune. But the King got very cross when he saw themwhispering together, and cried harshly:

‘Make an end of these fine speeches, madam. I brought you here to tell meif the child will grow up pretty and fortunate.’

Then the Fairy answered that the Princess would be as pretty, and clever, andwell brought up as it was possible to be, and the old King growled to the Queenthat it was lucky for her that it was so, as they would certainly have beenhanged if it were otherwise. Then he stamped off, taking the Fairy with him,and leaving the poor Queen in tears.

‘How can I wish my little daughter to grow up pretty if she is to bemarried to that horrid little dwarf, the King’s son,’ she said toherself, ‘and yet, if she is ugly we shall both be killed. If I couldonly hide her away somewhere, so that the cruel King could never findher.’

As the days went on, the Queen and the little Princess grew thinner andthinner, for their hard-hearted gaoler gave them every day only three boiledpeas and a tiny morsel of black bread, so they were always terribly hungry. Atlast, one evening, as the Queen sat at her spinning-wheel—for the Kingwas so avaricious that she was made to work day and night—she saw a tiny,pretty little mouse creep out of a hole, and said to it:

‘Alas, little creature! what are you coming to look for here? I only havethree peas for my day’s provision, so unless you wish to fast you must goelsewhere.’

But the mouse ran hither and thither, and danced and capered so prettily, thatat last the Queen gave it her last pea, which she was keeping for her supper,saying: ‘Here, little one, eat it up; I have nothing better to offer you,but I give this willingly in return for the amusement I have had fromyou.’

She had hardly spoken when she saw upon the table a delicious little roastpartridge, and two dishes of preserved fruit. ‘Truly,’ said she,‘a kind action never goes unrewarded; ‘and she and the littlePrincess ate their supper with great satisfaction, and then the Queen gave whatwas left to the little mouse, who danced better than ever afterwards. The nextmorning came the gaoler with the Queen’s allowance of three peas, whichhe brought in upon a large dish to make them look smaller; but as soon as heset it down the little mouse came and ate up all three, so that when the Queenwanted her dinner there was nothing left for her. Then she was quite provoked,and said:

‘What a bad little beast that mouse must be! If it goes on like this Ishall be starved.’ But when she glanced at the dish again it was coveredwith all sorts of nice things to eat, and the Queen made a very good dinner,and was gayer than usual over it. But afterwards as she sat at herspinning-wheel she began to consider what would happen if the little Princessdid not grow up pretty enough to please the King, and she said to herself:

‘Oh! if I could only think of some way of escaping.’

As she spoke she saw the little mouse playing in a corner with some longstraws. The Queen took them and began to plait them, saying:

‘If only I had straws enough I would make a basket with them, and let mybaby down in it from the window to any kind passer-by who would take care ofher.’

By the time the straws were all plaited the little mouse had dragged in moreand more, until the Queen had plenty to make her basket, and she worked at itday and night, while the little mouse danced for her amusement; and at dinnerand supper time the Queen gave it the three peas and the bit of black bread,and always found something good in the dish in their place. She really couldnot imagine where all the nice things came from. At last one day when thebasket was finished, the Queen was looking out of the window to see how long acord she must make to lower it to the bottom of the tower, when she noticed alittle old woman who was leaning upon her stick and looking up at her.Presently she said:

‘I know your trouble, madam. If you like I will help you.’

‘Oh! my dear friend,’ said the Queen. ‘If you really wish tobe of use to me you will come at the time that I will appoint, and I will letdown my poor little baby in a basket. If you will take her, and bring her upfor me, when I am rich I will reward you splendidly.’

‘I don’t care about the reward,’ said the old woman,‘but there is one thing I should like. You must know that I am veryparticular about what I eat, and if there is one thing that I fancy above allothers, it is a plump, tender little mouse. If there is such a thing in yourgarret just throw it down to me, and in return I will promise that your littledaughter shall be well taken care of.’

The Queen when she heard this began to cry, but made no answer, and the oldwoman after waiting a few minutes asked her what was the matter.

‘Why,’ said the Queen, ‘there is only one mouse in thisgarret, and that is such a dear, pretty little thing that I cannot bear tothink of its being killed.’

‘What!’ cried the old woman, in a rage. ‘Do you care more fora miserable mouse than for your own baby? Good-bye, madam! I leave you to enjoyits company, and for my own part I thank my stars that I can get plenty of micewithout troubling you to give them to me.’

And she hobbled off grumbling and growling. As to the Queen, she was sodisappointed that, in spite of finding a better dinner than usual, and seeingthe little mouse dancing in its merriest mood, she could do nothing but cry.That night when her baby was fast asleep she packed it into the basket, andwrote on a slip of paper, ‘This unhappy little girl is calledDelicia!’ This she pinned to its robe, and then very sadly she wasshutting the basket, when in sprang the little mouse and sat on thebaby’s pillow.

‘Ah! little one,’ said the Queen, ‘it cost me dear to saveyour life. How shall I know now whether my Delicia is being taken care of orno? Anyone else would have let the greedy old woman have you, and eat you up,but I could not bear to do it.’ Whereupon the Mouse answered:

‘Believe me, madam, you will never repent of your kindness.’

The Queen was immensely astonished when the Mouse began to speak, and stillmore so when she saw its little sharp nose turn to a beautiful face, and itspaws to hands and feet; then it suddenly grew tall, and the Queen recognisedthe Fairy who had come with the wicked King to visit her.

The Fairy smiled at her astonished look, and said:

‘I wanted to see if you were faithful and capable of feeling a realfriendship for me, for you see we fairies are rich in everything but friends,and those are hard to find.’

‘It is not possible that youshould want for friends, you charmingcreature,’ said the Queen, kissing her.

‘Indeed it is so,’ the Fairy said. ‘For those who are onlyfriendly with me for their own advantage, I do not count at all. But when youcared for the poor little mouse you could not have known there was anything tobe gained by it, and to try you further I took the form of the old woman whomyou talked to from the window, and then I was convinced that you really lovedme.’ Then, turning to the little Princess, she kissed her rosy lips threetimes, saying:

‘Dear little one, I promise that you shall be richer than your father,and shall live a hundred years, always pretty and happy, without fear of oldage and wrinkles.’

The Queen, quite delighted, thanked the Fairy gratefully, and begged her totake charge of the little Delicia and bring her up as her own daughter. Thisshe agreed to do, and then they shut the basket and lowered it carefully, babyand all, to the ground at the foot of the tower. The Fairy then changed herselfback into the form of a mouse, and this delayed her a few seconds, after whichshe ran nimbly down the straw rope, but only to find when she got to the bottomthat the baby had disappeared.

In the greatest terror she ran up again to the Queen, crying:

‘All is lost! my enemy Cancaline has stolen the Princess away. You mustknow that she is a cruel fairy who hates me, and as she is older than I am andhas more power, I can do nothing against her. I know no way of rescuing Deliciafrom her clutches.’

When the Queen heard this terrible news she was heart-broken, and begged theFairy to do all she could to get the poor little Princess back again. At thismoment in came the gaoler, and when he missed the little Princess he at oncetold the King, who came in a great fury asking what the Queen had done withher. She answered that a fairy, whose name she did not know, had come andcarried her off by force. Upon this the King stamped upon the ground, and criedin a terrible voice:

‘You shall be hung! I always told you you should.’ And withoutanother word he dragged the unlucky Queen out into the nearest wood, andclimbed up into a tree to look for a branch to which he could hang her. Butwhen he was quite high up, the Fairy, who had made herself invisible andfollowed them, gave him a sudden push, which made him lose his footing and fallto the ground with a crash and break four of his teeth, and while he was tryingto mend them the fairy carried the Queen off in her flying chariot to abeautiful castle, where she was so kind to her that but for the loss of Deliciathe Queen would have been perfectly happy. But though the good little mouse didher very utmost, they could not find out where Cancaline had hidden the littlePrincess.

Thus fifteen years went by, and the Queen had somewhat recovered from hergrief, when the news reached her that the son of the wicked King wished tomarry the little maiden who kept the turkeys, and that she had refused him; thewedding-dresses had been made, nevertheless, and the festivities were to be sosplendid that all the people for leagues round were flocking in to be presentat them. The Queen felt quite curious about a little turkey-maiden who did notwish to be a Queen, so the little mouse conveyed herself to the poultry-yard tofind out what she was like.

She found the turkey-maiden sitting upon a big stone, barefooted, and miserablydressed in an old, coarse linen gown and cap; the ground at her feet was allstrewn with robes of gold and silver, ribbons and laces, diamonds and pearls,over which the turkeys were stalking to and fro, while the King’s ugly,disagreeable son stood opposite her, declaring angrily that if she would notmarry him she should be killed.

The Turkey-maiden answered proudly:

‘I never will marry you! you are too ugly and too much like your cruelfather. Leave me in peace with my turkeys, which I like far better than allyour fine gifts.’

The little mouse watched her with the greatest admiration, for she was asbeautiful as the spring; and as soon as the wicked Prince was gone, she tookthe form of an old peasant woman and said to her:

‘Good day, my pretty one! you have a fine flock of turkeys there.’

The young Turkey-maiden turned her gentle eyes upon the old woman, andanswered:

‘Yet they wish me to leave them to become a miserable Queen! what is youradvice upon the matter?’

‘My child,’ said the Fairy, ‘a crown is a very pretty thing,but you know neither the price nor the weight of it.’

‘I know so well that I have refused to wear one,’ said the littlemaiden, ‘though I don’t know who was my father, or who was mymother, and I have not a friend in the world.’

‘You have goodness and beauty, which are of more value than tenkingdoms,’ said the wise Fairy. ‘But tell me, child, how came youhere, and how is it you have neither father, nor mother, nor friend?’

‘A Fairy called Cancaline is the cause of my being here,’ answeredshe, ‘for while I lived with her I got nothing but blows and harsh words,until at last I could bear it no longer, and ran away from her without knowingwhere I was going, and as I came through a wood the wicked Prince met me, andoffered to give me charge of the poultry-yard. I accepted gladly, not knowingthat I should have to see him day by day. And now he wants to marry me, butthat I will never consent to.’

Upon hearing this the Fairy became convinced that the little Turkey-maiden wasnone other than the Princess Delicia.

‘What is your name, my little one?’ said she.

‘I am called Delicia, if it please you,’ she answered.

Then the Fairy threw her arms round the Princess’s neck, and nearlysmothered her with kisses, saying:

‘Ah, Delicia! I am a very old friend of yours, and I am truly glad tofind you at last; but you might look nicer than you do in that old gown, whichis only fit for a kitchen-maid. Take this pretty dress and let us see thedifference it will make.’

So Delicia took off the ugly cap, and shook out all her fair shining hair, andbathed her hands and face in clear water from the nearest spring till hercheeks were like roses, and when she was adorned with the diamonds and thesplendid robe the Fairy had given her, she looked the most beautiful Princessin the world, and the Fairy with great delight cried:

‘Now you look as you ought to look, Delicia: what do you think about ityourself?’

And Delicia answered:

‘I feel as if I were the daughter of some great king.’

‘And would you be glad if you were?’ said the Fairy.

‘Indeed I should,’ answered she.

‘Ah, well,’ said the Fairy, ‘to-morrow I may have somepleasant news for you.’

So she hurried back to her castle, where the Queen sat busy with herembroidery, and cried:

‘Well, madam! will you wager your thimble and your golden needle that Iam bringing you the best news you could possibly hear?’

‘Alas!’ sighed the Queen, ‘since the death of the Jolly Kingand the loss of my Delicia, all the news in the world is not worth a pin to me.

‘There, there, don’t be melancholy,’ said the Fairy. ‘Iassure you the Princess is quite well, and I have never seen her equal forbeauty. She might be a Queen to-morrow if she chose;’ and then she toldall that had happened, and the Queen first rejoiced over the thought ofDelicia’s beauty, and then wept at the idea of her being a Turkey-maiden.

‘I will not hear of her being made to marry the wicked King’sson,’ she said. ‘Let us go at once and bring her here.’

In the meantime the wicked Prince, who was very angry with Delicia, had sathimself down under a tree, and cried and howled with rage and spite until theKing heard him, and cried out from the window:

‘What is the matter with you, that you are making all thisdisturbance?’

The Prince replied:

‘It is all because our Turkey-maiden will not love me!’

‘Won’t love you? eh!’ said the King. ‘We’ll verysoon see about that!’ So he called his guards and told them to go andfetch Delicia. ‘See if I don’t make her change her mind prettysoon!’ said the wicked King with a chuckle.

Then the guards began to search the poultry-yard, and could find nobody therebut Delicia, who, with her splendid dress and her crown of diamonds, lookedsuch a lovely Princess that they hardly dared to speak to her. But she said tothem very politely:

‘Pray tell me what you are looking for here?’

‘Madam,’ they answered, ‘we are sent for an insignificantlittle person called Delicia.’

‘Alas!’ said she, ‘that is my name. What can you want withme?’

So the guards tied her hands and feet with thick ropes, for fear she might runaway, and brought her to the King, who was waiting with his son.

When he saw her he was very much astonished at her beauty, which would havemade anyone less hard-hearted sorry for her. But the wicked King only laughedand mocked at her, and cried: ‘Well, little fright, little toad! whydon’t you love my son, who is far too handsome and too good for you? Makehaste and begin to love him this instant, or you shall be tarred andfeathered.’

Then the poor little Princess, shaking with terror, went down on her knees,crying:

‘Oh, don’t tar and feather me, please! It would be souncomfortable. Let me have two or three days to make up my mind, and then youshall do as you like with me.’

The wicked Prince would have liked very much to see her tarred and feathered,but the King ordered that she should be shut up in a dark dungeon. It was justat this moment that the Queen and the Fairy arrived in the flying chariot, andthe Queen was dreadfully distressed at the turn affairs had taken, and saidmiserably that she was destined to be unfortunate all her days. But the Fairybade her take courage.

‘I’ll pay them out yet,’ said she, nodding her head with anair of great determination.

That very same night, as soon as the wicked King had gone to bed, the Fairychanged herself into the little mouse, and creeping up on to his pillow nibbledhis ear, so that he squealed out quite loudly and turned over on his otherside; but that was no good, for the little mouse only set to work and gnawedaway at the second ear until it hurt more than the first one.

Then the King cried ‘Murder!’ and ‘Thieves!’ and allhis guards ran to see what was the matter, but they could find nothing andnobody, for the little mouse had run off to the Prince’s room and wasserving him in exactly the same way. All night long she ran from one to theother, until at last, driven quite frantic by terror and want of sleep, theKing rushed out of the palace crying:

‘Help! help! I am pursued by rats.’

The Prince when he heard this got up also, and ran after the King, and they hadnot gone far when they both fell into the river and were never heard of again.

Then the good Fairy ran to tell the Queen, and they went together to the blackdungeon where Delicia was imprisoned. The Fairy touched each door with herwand, and it sprang open instantly, but they had to go through forty beforethey came to the Princess, who was sitting on the floor looking very dejected.But when the Queen rushed in, and kissed her twenty times in a minute, andlaughed, and cried, and told Delicia all her history, the Princess was wildwith delight. Then the Fairy showed her all the wonderful dresses and jewelsshe had brought for her, and said:

‘Don’t let us waste time; we must go and harangue thepeople.’

So she walked first, looking very serious and dignified, and wearing a dressthe train of which was at least ten ells long. Behind her came the Queenwearing a blue velvet robe embroidered with gold, and a diamond crown that wasbrighter than the sun itself. Last of all walked Delicia, who was so beautifulthat it was nothing short of marvellous.

They proceeded through the streets, returning the salutations of all they met,great or small, and all the people turned and followed them, wondering whothese noble ladies could be.

When the audience hall was quite full, the Fairy said to the subjects of theWicked King that if they would accept Delicia, who was the daughter of theJolly King, as their Queen, she would undertake to find a suitable husband forher, and would promise that during their reign there should be nothing butrejoicing and merry-making, and all dismal things should be entirely banished.Upon this the people cried with one accord, ‘We will, we will! we havebeen gloomy and miserable too long already.’ And they all took hands anddanced round the Queen, and Delicia, and the good Fairy, singing: ‘Yes,yes; we will, we will!’

Then there were feasts and fireworks in every street in the town, and early thenext morning the Fairy, who had been all over the world in the night, broughtback with her, in her flying chariot, the most handsome and good-temperedPrince she could find anywhere. He was so charming that Delicia loved him fromthe moment their eyes met, and as for him, of course he could not help thinkinghimself the luckiest Prince in the world. The Queen felt that she had reallycome to the end of her misfortunes at last, and they all lived happily everafter.^[10]

[10]La bonne petite Souris, par Madame d’Aulnoy.

GRACIOSA AND PERCINET

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had one charming daughter.She was so graceful and pretty and clever that she was called Graciosa, and theQueen was so fond of her that she could think of nothing else.

Every day she gave the Princess a lovely new frock of gold brocade, or satin,or velvet, and when she was hungry she had bowls full of sugar-plums, and atleast twenty pots of jam. Everybody said she was the happiest Princess in theworld. Now there lived at this same court a very rich old duchess whose namewas Grumbly. She was more frightful than tongue can tell; her hair was red asfire, and she had but one eye, and that not a pretty one! Her face was as broadas a full moon, and her mouth was so large that everybody who met her wouldhave been afraid they were going to be eaten up, only she had no teeth. As shewas as cross as she was ugly, she could not bear to hear everyone saying howpretty and how charming Graciosa was; so she presently went away from the courtto her own castle, which was not far off. But if anybody who went to see herhappened to mention the charming Princess, she would cry angrily:

‘It’s not true that she is lovely. I have more beauty in my littlefinger than she has in her whole body.’

Soon after this, to the great grief of the Princess, the Queen was taken illand died, and the King became so melancholy that for a whole year he shuthimself up in his palace. At last his physicians, fearing that he would fallill, ordered that he should go out and amuse himself; so a hunting party wasarranged, but as it was very hot weather the King soon got tired, and said hewould dismount and rest at a castle which they were passing.

This happened to be the Duchess Grumbly’s castle, and when she heard thatthe King was coming she went out to meet him, and said that the cellar was thecoolest place in the whole castle if he would condescend to come down into it.So down they went together, and the King seeing about two hundred great casksranged side by side, asked if it was only for herself that she had this immensestore of wine.

‘Yes, sire,’ answered she, ‘it is for myself alone, but Ishall be most happy to let you taste some of it. Which do you like, canary, St.Julien, champagne, hermitage sack, raisin, or cider?’

‘Well,’ said the King, ‘since you are so kind as to ask me, Iprefer champagne to anything else.’

Then Duchess Grumbly took up a little hammer and tapped upon the cask twice,and out came at least a thousand crowns.

‘What’s the meaning of this?’ said she smiling.

Then she tapped the next cask, and out came a bushel of gold pieces.

‘I don’t understand this at all,’ said the Duchess, smilingmore than before.

Then she went on to the third cask, tap, tap, and out came such a stream ofdiamonds and pearls that the ground was covered with them.

‘Ah!’ she cried, ‘this is altogether beyond my comprehension,sire. Someone must have stolen my good wine and put all this rubbish in itsplace.’

‘Rubbish, do you call it, Madam Grumbly?’ cried the King.‘Rubbish! why there is enough there to buy ten kingdoms.’

‘Well,’ said she, ‘you must know that all those casks arefull of gold and jewels, and if you like to marry me it shall all beyours.’

Now the King loved money more than anything else in the world, so he criedjoyfully:

‘Marry you? why with all my heart! to-morrow if you like.’

‘But I make one condition,’ said the Duchess; ‘I must haveentire control of your daughter to do as I please with her.’

‘Oh certainly, you shall have your own way; let us shake hands upon thebargain,’ said the King.

So they shook hands and went up out of the cellar of treasure together, and theDuchess locked the door and gave the key to the King.

When he got back to his own palace Graciosa ran out to meet him, and asked ifhe had had good sport.

‘I have caught a dove,’ answered he.

‘Oh! do give it to me,’ said the Princess, ‘and I will keepit and take care of it.’

‘I can hardly do that,’ said he, ‘for, to speak more plainly,I mean that I met the Duchess Grumbly, and have promised to marry her.’

‘And you call her a dove?’ cried the Princess. ‘Ishould have called her a screech owl.’

‘Hold your tongue,’ said the King, very crossly. ‘I intendyou to behave prettily to her. So now go and make yourself fit to be seen, as Iam going to take you to visit her.’

So the Princess went very sorrowfully to her own room, and her nurse, seeingher tears, asked what was vexing her.

‘Alas! who would not be vexed?’ answered she, ‘for the Kingintends to marry again, and has chosen for his new bride my enemy, the hideousDuchess Grumbly.’

‘Oh, well!’ answered the nurse, ‘you must remember that youare a Princess, and are expected to set a good example in making the best ofwhatever happens. You must promise me not to let the Duchess see how much youdislike her.’

At first the Princess would not promise, but the nurse showed her so many goodreasons for it that in the end she agreed to be amiable to her step-mother.

Then the nurse dressed her in a robe of pale green and gold brocade, and combedout her long fair hair till it floated round her like a golden mantle, and puton her head a crown of roses and jasmine with emerald leaves.

When she was ready nobody could have been prettier, but she still could nothelp looking sad.

Meanwhile the Duchess Grumbly was also occupied in attiring herself. She hadone of her shoe heels made an inch or so higher than the other, that she mightnot limp so much, and put in a cunningly made glass eye in the place of the oneshe had lost. She dyed her red hair black, and painted her face. Then she puton a gorgeous robe of lilac satin lined with blue, and a yellow petticoattrimmed with violet ribbons, and because she had heard that queens always rodeinto their new dominions, she ordered a horse to be made ready for her to ride.

While Graciosa was waiting until the King should be ready to set out, she wentdown all alone through the garden into a little wood, where she sat down upon amossy bank and began to think. And her thoughts were so doleful that very soonshe began to cry, and she cried, and cried, and forgot all about going back tothe palace, until she suddenly saw a handsome page standing before her. He wasdressed in green, and the cap which he held in his hand was adorned with whiteplumes. When Graciosa looked at him he went down on one knee, and said to her:

‘Princess, the King awaits you.’

The Princess was surprised, and, if the truth must be told, very much delightedat the appearance of this charming page, whom she could not remember to haveseen before. Thinking he might belong to the household of the Duchess, shesaid:

‘How long have you been one of the King’s pages?’

‘I am not in the service of the King, madam,’ answered he,‘but in yours.’

‘In mine?’ said the Princess with great surprise. ‘Then howis it that I have never seen you before?’

‘Ah, Princess!’ said he, ‘I have never before dared topresent myself to you, but now the King’s marriage threatens you with somany dangers that I have resolved to tell you at once how much I love youalready, and I trust that in time I may win your regard. I am Prince Percinet,of whose riches you may have heard, and whose fairy gift will, I hope, be ofuse to you in all your difficulties, if you will permit me to accompany youunder this disguise.’

‘Ah, Percinet!’ cried the Princess, ‘is it really you? I haveso often heard of you and wished to see you. If you will indeed be my friend, Ishall not be afraid of that wicked old Duchess any more.’

So they went back to the palace together, and there Graciosa found a beautifulhorse which Percinet had brought for her to ride. As it was very spirited heled it by the bridle, and this arrangement enabled him to turn and look at thePrincess often, which he did not fail to do. Indeed, she was so pretty that itwas a real pleasure to look at her. When the horse which the Duchess was toride appeared beside Graciosa’s, it looked no better than an old carthorse, and as to their trappings, there was simply no comparison between them,as the Princess’s saddle and bridle were one glittering mass of diamonds.The King had so many other things to think of that he did not notice this, butall his courtiers were entirely taken up with admiring the Princess and hercharming Page in green, who was more handsome and distinguished-looking thanall the rest of the court put together.

When they met the Duchess Grumbly she was seated in an open carriage trying invain to look dignified. The King and the Princess saluted her, and her horsewas brought forward for her to mount. But when she saw Graciosa’s shecried angrily:

‘If that child is to have a better horse than mine, I will go back to myown castle this very minute. What is the good of being a Queen if one is to beslighted like this?’

Upon this the King commanded Graciosa to dismount and to beg the Duchess tohonour her by mounting her horse. The Princess obeyed in silence, and theDuchess, without looking at her or thanking her, scrambled up upon thebeautiful horse, where she sat looking like a bundle of clothes, and eightofficers had to hold her up for fear she should fall off.

Even then she was not satisfied, and was still grumbling and muttering, so theyasked her what was the matter.

‘I wish that Page in green to come and lead the horse, as he did whenGraciosa rode it,’ said she very sharply.

And the King ordered the Page to come and lead the Queen’s horse.Percinet and the Princess looked at one another, but said never a word, andthen he did as the King commanded, and the procession started in great pomp.The Duchess was greatly elated, and as she sat there in state would not havewished to change places even with Graciosa. But at the moment when it was leastexpected the beautiful horse began to plunge and rear and kick, and finally torun away at such a pace that it was impossible to stop him.

At first the Duchess clung to the saddle, but she was very soon thrown off andfell in a heap among the stones and thorns, and there they found her, shaken toa jelly, and collected what was left of her as if she had been a broken glass.Her bonnet was here and her shoes there, her face was scratched, and her fineclothes were covered with mud. Never was a bride seen in such a dismal plight.They carried her back to the palace and put her to bed, but as soon as sherecovered enough to be able to speak, she began to scold and rage, and declaredthat the whole affair was Graciosa’s fault, that she had contrived it onpurpose to try and get rid of her, and that if the King would not have herpunished, she would go back to her castle and enjoy her riches by herself.

At this the King was terribly frightened, for he did not at all want to loseall those barrels of gold and jewels. So he hastened to appease the Duchess,and told her she might punish Graciosa in any way she pleased.

Thereupon she sent for Graciosa, who turned pale and trembled at the summons,for she guessed that it promised nothing agreeable for her. She looked allabout for Percinet, but he was nowhere to be seen; so she had no choice but togo to the Duchess Grumbly’s room. She had hardly got inside the door whenshe was seized by four waiting women, who looked so tall and strong and cruelthat the Princess shuddered at the sight of them, and still more when she sawthem arming themselves with great bundles of rods, and heard the Duchess callout to them from her bed to beat the Princess without mercy. Poor Graciosawished miserably that Percinet could only know what was happening and come torescue her. But no sooner did they begin to beat her than she found, to hergreat relief, that the rods had changed to bundles of peacock’s feathers,and though the Duchess’s women went on till they were so tired that theycould no longer raise their arms from their sides, yet she was not hurt in theleast. However, the Duchess thought she must be black and blue after such abeating; so Graciosa, when she was released, pretended to feel very bad, andwent away into her own room, where she told her nurse all that had happened,and then the nurse left her, and when the Princess turned round there stoodPercinet beside her. She thanked him gratefully for helping her so cleverly,and they laughed and were very merry over the way they had taken in the Duchessand her waiting-maids; but Percinet advised her still to pretend to be ill fora few days, and after promising to come to her aid whenever she needed him, hedisappeared as suddenly as he had come.

The Duchess was so delighted at the idea that Graciosa was really ill, that sheherself recovered twice as fast as she would have done otherwise, and thewedding was held with great magnificence. Now as the King knew that, above allother things, the Queen loved to be told that she was beautiful, he orderedthat her portrait should be painted, and that a tournament should be held, atwhich all the bravest knights of his court should maintain against all comersthat Grumbly was the most beautiful princess in the world.

Numbers of knights came from far and wide to accept the challenge, and thehideous Queen sat in great state in a balcony hung with cloth of gold to watchthe contests, and Graciosa had to stand up behind her, where her loveliness wasso conspicuous that the combatants could not keep their eyes off her. But theQueen was so vain that she thought all their admiring glances were for herself,especially as, in spite of the badness of their cause, the King’s knightswere so brave that they were the victors in every combat.

However, when nearly all the strangers had been defeated, a young unknownknight presented himself. He carried a portrait, enclosed in a bow encrustedwith diamonds, and he declared himself willing to maintain against them allthat the Queen was the ugliest creature in the world, and that the Princesswhose portrait he carried was the most beautiful.

So one by one the knights came out against him, and one by one he vanquishedthem all, and then he opened the box, and said that, to console them, he wouldshow them the portrait of his Queen of Beauty, and when he did so everyonerecognised the Princess Graciosa. The unknown knight then saluted hergracefully and retired, without telling his name to anybody. But Graciosa hadno difficulty in guessing that it was Percinet.

As to the Queen, she was so furiously angry that she could hardly speak; butshe soon recovered her voice, and overwhelmed Graciosa with a torrent ofreproaches.

‘What!’ she said, ‘do you dare to dispute with me for theprize of beauty, and expect me to endure this insult to my knights? But I willnot bear it, proud Princess. I will have my revenge.’

‘I assure you, Madam,’ said the Princess, ‘that I had nothingto do with it and am quite willing that you shall be declared Queen of Beauty

‘Ah! you are pleased to jest, popinjay!’ said the Queen, ‘butit will be my turn soon!’

The King was speedily told what had happened, and how the Princess was interror of the angry Queen, but he only said: ‘The Queen must do as shepleases. Graciosa belongs to her!’

The wicked Queen waited impatiently until night fell, and then she ordered hercarriage to be brought. Graciosa, much against her will, was forced into it,and away they drove, and never stopped until they reached a great forest, ahundred leagues from the palace. This forest was so gloomy, and so full oflions, tigers, bears and wolves, that nobody dared pass through it even bydaylight, and here they set down the unhappy Princess in the middle of theblack night, and left her in spite of all her tears and entreaties. ThePrincess stood quite still at first from sheer bewilderment, but when the lastsound of the retreating carriages died away in the distance she began to runaimlessly hither and thither, sometimes knocking herself against a tree,sometimes tripping over a stone, fearing every minute that she would be eatenup by the lions. Presently she was too tired to advance another step, so shethrew herself down upon the ground and cried miserably:

‘Oh, Percinet! where are you? Have you forgotten me altogether?’

She had hardly spoken when all the forest was lighted up with a sudden glow.Every tree seemed to be sending out a soft radiance, which was clearer thanmoonlight and softer than daylight, and at the end of a long avenue of treesopposite to her the Princess saw a palace of clear crystal which blazed likethe sun. At that moment a slight sound behind her made her start round, andthere stood Percinet himself.

‘Did I frighten you, my Princess?’ said he. ‘I come to bidyou welcome to our fairy palace, in the name of the Queen, my mother, who isprepared to love you as much as I do.’ The Princess joyfully mounted withhim into a little sledge, drawn by two stags, which bounded off and drew themswiftly to the wonderful palace, where the Queen received her with the greatestkindness, and a splendid banquet was served at once. Graciosa was so happy tohave found Percinet, and to have escaped from the gloomy forest and all itsterrors, that she was very hungry and very merry, and they were a gay party.After supper they went into another lovely room, where the crystal walls werecovered with pictures, and the Princess saw with great surprise that her ownhistory was represented, even down to the moment when Percinet found her in theforest.

‘Your painters must indeed be diligent,’ she said, pointing out thelast picture to the Prince.

‘They are obliged to be, for I will not have anything forgotten thathappens to you,’ he answered.

When the Princess grew sleepy, twenty-four charming maidens put her to bed inthe prettiest room she had ever seen, and then sang to her so sweetly thatGraciosa’s dreams were all of mermaids, and cool sea waves, and caverns,in which she wandered with Percinet; but when she woke up again her firstthought was that, delightful as this fairy palace seemed to her, yet she couldnot stay in it, but must go back to her father. When she had been dressed bythe four-and-twenty maidens in a charming robe which the Queen had sent forher, and in which she looked prettier than ever, Prince Percinet came to seeher, and was bitterly disappointed when she told him what she had beenthinking. He begged her to consider again how unhappy the wicked Queen wouldmake her, and how, if she would but marry him, all the fairy palace would behers, and his one thought would be to please her. But, in spite of everythinghe could say, the Princess was quite determined to go back, though he at lastpersuaded her to stay eight days, which were so full of pleasure and amusementthat they passed like a few hours. On the last day, Graciosa, who had oftenfelt anxious to know what was going on in her father’s palace, said toPercinet that she was sure that he could find out for her, if he would, whatreason the Queen had given her father for her sudden disappearance. Percinet atfirst offered to send his courier to find out, but the Princess said:

‘Oh! isn’t there a quicker way of knowing than that?’

‘Very well,’ said Percinet, ‘you shall see foryourself.’

So up they went together to the top of a very high tower, which, like the restof the castle, was built entirely of rock-crystal.

There the Prince held Graciosa’s hand in his, and made her put the tip ofher little finger into her mouth, and look towards the town, and immediatelyshe saw the wicked Queen go to the King, and heard her say to him, ‘Thatmiserable Princess is dead, and no great loss either. I have ordered that sheshall be buried at once.’

And then the Princess saw how she dressed up a log of wood and had it buried,and how the old King cried, and all the people murmured that the Queen hadkilled Graciosa with her cruelties, and that she ought to have her head cutoff. When the Princess saw that the King was so sorry for her pretended deaththat he could neither eat nor drink, she cried:

‘Ah, Percinet! take me back quickly if you love me.’

And so, though he did not want to at all, he was obliged to promise that hewould let her go.

‘You may not regret me, Princess,’ he said sadly, ‘for I fearthat you do not love me well enough; but I foresee that you will more than onceregret that you left this fairy palace where we have been so happy.’

But, in spite of all he could say, she bade farewell to the Queen, his mother,and prepared to set out; so Percinet, very unwillingly, brought the littlesledge with the stags and she mounted beside him. But they had hardly gonetwenty yards when a tremendous noise behind her made Graciosa look back, andshe saw the palace of crystal fly into a million splinters, like the spray of afountain, and vanish.

‘Oh, Percinet!’ she cried, ‘what has happened? The palace isgone.’

‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘my palace is a thing of the past; youwill see it again, but not until after you have been buried.’

‘Now you are angry with me,’ said Graciosa in her most coaxingvoice, ‘though after all I am more to be pitied than you are.’

When they got near the palace the Prince made the sledge and themselvesinvisible, so the Princess got in unobserved, and ran up to the great hallwhere the King was sitting all by himself. At first he was very much startledby Graciosa’s sudden appearance, but she told him how the Queen had lefther out in the forest, and how she had caused a log of wood to be buried. TheKing, who did not know what to think, sent quickly and had it dug up, and sureenough it was as the Princess had said. Then he caressed Graciosa, and made hersit down to supper with him, and they were as happy as possible. But someonehad by this time told the wicked Queen that Graciosa had come back, and was atsupper with the King, and in she flew in a terrible fury. The poor old Kingquite trembled before her, and when she declared that Graciosa was not thePrincess at all, but a wicked impostor, and that if the King did not give herup at once she would go back to her own castle and never see him again, he hadnot a word to say, and really seemed to believe that it was not Graciosa afterall. So the Queen in great triumph sent for her waiting women, who dragged theunhappy Princess away and shut her up in a garret; they took away all herjewels and her pretty dress, and gave her a rough cotton frock, wooden shoes,and a little cloth cap. There was some straw in a corner, which was all she hadfor a bed, and they gave her a very little bit of black bread to eat. In thismiserable plight Graciosa did indeed regret the fairy palace, and she wouldhave called Percinet to her aid, only she felt sure he was still vexed with herfor leaving him, and thought that she could not expect him to come.

Meanwhile the Queen had sent for an old Fairy, as malicious as herself, andsaid to her:

‘You must find me some task for this fine Princess which she cannotpossibly do, for I mean to punish her, and if she does not do what I order, shewill not be able to say that I am unjust.’ So the old Fairy said shewould think it over, and come again the next day. When she returned she broughtwith her a skein of thread, three times as big as herself; it was so fine thata breath of air would break it, and so tangled that it was impossible to seethe beginning or the end of it.

The Queen sent for Graciosa, and said to her:

‘Do you see this skein? Set your clumsy fingers to work upon it, for Imust have it disentangled by sunset, and if you break a single thread it willbe the worse for you.’ So saying she left her, locking the door behindher with three keys.

The Princess stood dismayed at the sight of the terrible skein. If she did butturn it over to see where to begin, she broke a thousand threads, and not onecould she disentangle. At last she threw it into the middle of the floor,crying:

‘Oh, Percinet! this fatal skein will be the death of me if you will notforgive me and help me once more.’

And immediately in came Percinet as easily as if he had all the keys in his ownpossession.

‘Here I am, Princess, as much as ever at your service,’ said he,‘though really you are not very kind to me.’

Then he just stroked the skein with his wand, and all the broken threads joinedthemselves together, and the whole skein wound itself smoothly off in the mostsurprising manner, and the Prince, turning to Graciosa, asked if there wasnothing else that she wished him to do for her, and if the time would nevercome when she would wish for him for his own sake.

‘Don’t be vexed with me, Percinet,’ she said. ‘I amunhappy enough without that.’

‘But why should you be unhappy, my Princess?’ cried he. ‘Onlycome with me and we shall be as happy as the day is long together.’

‘But suppose you get tired of me?’ said Graciosa.

The Prince was so grieved at this want of confidence that he left her withoutanother word.

The wicked Queen was in such a hurry to punish Graciosa that she thought thesun would never set; and indeed it was before the appointed time that she camewith her four Fairies, and as she fitted the three keys into the locks shesaid:

‘I’ll venture to say that the idle minx has not done anything atall—she prefers to sit with her hands before her to keep themwhite.’

But, as soon as she entered, Graciosa presented her with the ball of thread inperfect order, so that she had no fault to find, and could only pretend todiscover that it was soiled, for which imaginary fault she gave Graciosa a blowon each cheek, that made her white and pink skin turn green and yellow. Andthen she sent her back to be locked into the garret once more.

Then the Queen sent for the Fairy again and scolded her furiously.‘Don’t make such a mistake again; find me something that it will bequite impossible for her to do,’ she said.

So the next day the Fairy appeared with a huge barrel full of the feathers ofall sorts of birds. There were nightingales, canaries, goldfinches, linnets,tomtits, parrots, owls, sparrows, doves, ostriches, bustards, peacocks, larks,partridges, and everything else that you can think of. These feathers were allmixed up in such confusion that the birds themselves could not have chosen outtheir own. ‘Here,’ said the Fairy, ‘is a little task which itwill take all your prisoner’s skill and patience to accomplish. Tell herto pick out and lay in a separate heap the feathers of each bird. She wouldneed to be a fairy to do it.’

The Queen was more than delighted at the thought of the despair this task wouldcause the Princess. She sent for her, and with the same threats as beforelocked her up with the three keys, ordering that all the feathers should besorted by sunset. Graciosa set to work at once, but before she had taken out adozen feathers she found that it was perfectly impossible to know one fromanother.

‘Ah! well,’ she sighed, ‘the Queen wishes to kill me, and ifI must die I must. I cannot ask Percinet to help me again, for if he reallyloved me he would not wait till I called him, he would come withoutthat.’

‘I am here, my Graciosa,’ cried Percinet, springing out of thebarrel where he had been hiding. ‘How can you still doubt that I love youwith all my heart?’

Then he gave three strokes of his wand upon the barrel, and all the feathersflew out in a cloud and settled down in neat little separate heaps all roundthe room.

‘What should I do without you, Percinet?’ said Graciosa gratefully.But still she could not quite make up her mind to go with him and leave herfather’s kingdom for ever; so she begged him to give her more time tothink of it, and he had to go away disappointed once more.

When the wicked Queen came at sunset she was amazed and infuriated to find thetask done. However, she complained that the heaps of feathers were badlyarranged, and for that the Princess was beaten and sent back to her garret.Then the Queen sent for the Fairy once more, and scolded her until she wasfairly terrified, and promised to go home and think of another task forGraciosa, worse than either of the others.

At the end of three days she came again, bringing with her a box.

‘Tell your slave,’ said he, ‘to carry this wherever youplease, but on no account to open it. She will not be able to help doing so,and then you will be quite satisfied with the result.’ So the Queen cameto Graciosa, and said:

‘Carry this box to my castle, and place it upon the table in my own room.But I forbid you on pain of death to look at what it contains.’

Graciosa set out, wearing her little cap and wooden shoes and the old cottonfrock, but even in this disguise she was so beautiful that all the passers-bywondered who she could be. She had not gone far before the heat of the sun andthe weight of the box tired her so much that she sat down to rest in the shadeof a little wood which lay on one side of a green meadow. She was carefullyholding the box upon her lap when she suddenly felt the greatest desire to openit.

‘What could possibly happen if I did?’ she said to herself.‘I should not take anything out. I should only just see what wasthere.’

And without farther hesitation she lifted the cover.

Instantly out came swarms of little men and women, no taller than her finger,and scattered themselves all over the meadow, singing and dancing, and playingthe merriest games, so that at first Graciosa was delighted and watched themwith much amusement. But presently, when she was rested and wished to go on herway, she found that, do what she would, she could not get them back into theirbox. If she chased them in the meadow they fled into the wood, and if shepursued them into the wood they dodged round trees and behind sprigs of moss,and with peals of elfin laughter scampered back again into the meadow.

At last, weary and terrified, she sat down and cried.

‘It is my own fault,’ she said sadly. ‘Percinet, if you canstill care for such an imprudent Princess, do come and help me oncemore.’

Immediately Percinet stood before her.

‘Ah, Princess!’ he said, ‘but for the wicked Queen I fear youwould never think of me at all.’

‘Indeed I should,’ said Graciosa; ‘I am not so ungrateful asyou think. Only wait a little and I believe I shall love you quitedearly.’

Percinet was pleased at this, and with one stroke of his wand compelled all thewilful little people to come back to their places in the box, and thenrendering the Princess invisible he took her with him in his chariot to thecastle.

When the Princess presented herself at the door, and said that the Queen hadordered her to place the box in her own room, the governor laughed heartily atthe idea.

‘No, no, my little shepherdess,’ said he, ‘that is not theplace for you. No wooden shoes have ever been over that floor yet.’

Then Graciosa begged him to give her a written message telling the Queen thathe had refused to admit her. This he did, and she went back to Percinet, whowas waiting for her, and they set out together for the palace. You may imaginethat they did not go the shortest way, but the Princess did not find it toolong, and before they parted she had promised that if the Queen was still cruelto her, and tried again to play her any spiteful trick, she would leave her andcome to Percinet for ever.

When the Queen saw her returning she fell upon the Fairy, whom she had keptwith her, and pulled her hair, and scratched her face, and would really havekilled her if a Fairy could be killed. And when the Princess presented theletter and the box she threw them both upon the fire without opening them, andlooked very much as if she would like to throw the Princess after them.However, what she really did do was to have a great hole as deep as a well dugin her garden, and the top of it covered with a flat stone. Then she went andwalked near it, and said to Graciosa and all her ladies who were with her:

‘I am told that a great treasure lies under that stone; let us see if wecan lift it.’

So they all began to push and pull at it, and Graciosa among the others, whichwas just what the Queen wanted; for as soon as the stone was lifted highenough, she gave the Princess a push which sent her down to the bottom of thewell, and then the stone was let fall again, and there she was a prisoner.Graciosa felt that now indeed she was hopelessly lost, surely not even Percinetcould find her in the heart of the earth.

‘This is like being buried alive,’ she said with a shudder.‘Oh, Percinet! if you only knew how I am suffering for my want of trustin you! But how could I be sure that you would not be like other men and tireof me from the moment you were sure I loved you?’

As she spoke she suddenly saw a little door open, and the sunshine blazed intothe dismal well. Graciosa did not hesitate an instant, but passed through intoa charming garden. Flowers and fruit grew on every side, fountains plashed, andbirds sang in the branches overhead, and when she reached a great avenue oftrees and looked up to see where it would lead her, she found herself close tothe palace of crystal. Yes! there was no mistaking it, and the Queen andPercinet were coming to meet her.

‘Ah, Princess!’ said the Queen, ‘don’t keep this poorPercinet in suspense any longer. You little guess the anxiety he has sufferedwhile you were in the power of that miserable Queen.’

The Princess kissed her gratefully, and promised to do as she wished ineverything, and holding out her hand to Percinet, with a smile, she said:

‘Do you remember telling me that I should not see your palace again untilI had been buried? I wonder if you guessed then that, when that happened, Ishould tell you that I love you with all my heart, and will marry you wheneveryou like?’

Prince Percinet joyfully took the hand that was given him, and, for fear thePrincess should change her mind, the wedding was held at once with the greatestsplendour, and Graciosa and Percinet lived happily ever after.^[11]

[11]Gracieuse et Percinet. Mdme. d’Aulnoy.

THE THREE PRINCESSES OF WHITELAND

There was once upon a time a fisherman, who lived hard by a palace and fishedfor the King’s table. One day he was out fishing, but caught nothing atall. Let him do what he might with rod and line, there was never even so muchas a sprat on his hook; but when the day was well nigh over, a head rose up outof the water, and said: ‘If you will give me what your wife shows youwhen you go home, you shall catch fish enough.’

So the man said ‘Yes’ in a moment, and then he caught fish inplenty; but when he got home at night, and his wife showed him a baby which hadjust been born, and fell a-weeping and wailing when he told her of the promisewhich he had given, he was very unhappy.

All this was soon told to the King up at the palace, and when he heard whatsorrow the woman was in, and the reason of it, he said that he himself wouldtake the child and see if he could not save it. The baby was a boy, and theKing took him at once and brought him up as his own son until the lad grew up.Then one day he begged to have leave to go out with his father to fish; he hada strong desire to do this, he said. The King was very unwilling to permit it,but at last the lad got leave. He stayed with his father, and all wentprosperously and well with them the whole day, until they came back to land inthe evening. Then the lad found that he had lost his pocket-handkerchief, andwould go out in the boat after it; but no sooner had he got into the boat thanit began to move off with him so quickly that the water foamed all round about,and all that the lad did to keep the boat back with the oars was done to nopurpose, for it went on and on the whole night through, and at last he came toa white strand that lay far, far away. There he landed, and when he had walkedon for some distance he met an old man with a long white beard.

‘What is the name of this country?’ said the youth.

‘Whiteland,’ answered the man, and then he begged the youth to tellhim whence he came and what he was going to do, and the youth did so.

‘Well, then,’ said the man, ‘if you walk on farther along theseashore here, you will come to three princesses who are standing in the earthso that their heads alone are out of it. Then the first of them will callyou—she is the eldest—and will beg you very prettily to come to herand help her, and the second will do the same, but you must not go near eitherof them. Hurry past, as if you neither saw nor heard them; but you shall go tothe third and do what she bids you; it will bring you good fortune.’

When the youth came to the first princess, she called to him and begged him tocome to her very prettily, but he walked on as if he did not even see her, andhe passed by the second in the same way, but he went up to the third.

‘If thou wilt do what I tell thee, thou shalt choose among usthree,’ said the Princess.

So the lad said that he was most willing, and she told him that three Trollshad planted them all three there in the earth, but that formerly they had dweltin the castle which he could see at some distance in the wood.

‘Now,’ she said, ‘thou shalt go into the castle, and let theTrolls beat thee one night for each of us, and if thou canst but endure that,thou wilt set us free.’

‘Yes,’ answered the lad, ‘I will certainly try to doso.’

‘When thou goest in,’ continued the Princess, ‘two lions willstand by the doorway, but if thou only goest straight between them they will dothee no harm; go straight forward into a small dark chamber; there thou shaltlie down. Then the Troll will come and beat thee, but thou shalt take the flaskwhich is hanging on the wall, and anoint thyself wheresoever he has woundedthee, after which thou shalt be as well as before. Then lay hold of the swordwhich is hanging by the side of the flask, and smite the Troll dead.’

So he did what the Princess had told him. He walked straight in between thelions just as if he did not see them, and then into the small chamber, and laydown on the bed.

The first night a Troll came with three heads and three rods, and beat the ladmost unmercifully; but he held out until the Troll was done with him, and thenhe took the flask and rubbed himself. Having done this, he grasped the swordand smote the Troll dead.

In the morning when he went to the sea-shore the Princesses were out of theearth as far as their waists.

The next night everything happened in the same way, but the Troll who came thenhad six heads and six rods, and he beat him much more severely than the firsthad done but when the lad went out of doors next morning, the Princesses wereout of the earth as far as their knees.

On the third night a Troll came who had nine heads and nine rods, and he struckthe lad and flogged him so long, that at last he swooned away; so the Trolltook him up and flung him against the wall, and this made the flask of ointmentfall down, and it splashed all over him, and he became as strong as ever again.

Then, without loss of time, he grasped the sword and struck the Troll dead, andin the morning when he went out of the castle the Princesses were standingthere entirely out of the earth. So he took the youngest for his Queen, andlived with her very happily for a long time.

At last, however, he took a fancy to go home for a short time to see hisparents. His Queen did not like this, but when his longing grew so great thathe told her he must and would go, she said to him:

‘One thing shalt thou promise me, and that is, to do what thy father bidsthee, but not what thy mother bids thee,’ and this he promised.

So she gave him a ring, which enabled him who wore it to obtain two wishes.

He wished himself at home, and instantly found himself there; but his parentswere so amazed at the splendour of his apparel that their wonder never ceased.

When he had been at home for some days his mother wanted him to go up to thepalace, to show the King what a great man he had become.

The father said, ‘No; he must not do that, for if he does we shall haveno more delight in him this time;’ but he spoke in vain, for the motherbegged and prayed until at last he went.

When he arrived there he was more splendid, both in raiment and in all else,than the other King, who did not like it, and said:

‘Well, you can see what kind of Queen mine is, but I can’t seeyours. I do not believe you have such a pretty Queen as I have.’

‘Would to heaven she were standing here, and then you would be able tosee!’ said the young King, and in an instant she was standing there.

But she was very sorrowful, and said to him, ‘Why didst thou not remembermy words, and listen only to what thy father said? Now must I go home again atonce, and thou hast wasted both thy wishes.’

Then she tied a ring in his hair, which had her name upon it, and wishedherself at home again.

And now the young King was deeply afflicted, and day out and day in went aboutthinking of naught else but how to get back again to his Queen. ‘I willtry to see if there is any place where I can learn how to findWhiteland,’ he thought, and journeyed forth out into the world.

When he had gone some distance he came to a mountain, where he met a man whowas Lord over all the beasts in the forest—for they all came to him whenhe blew a horn which he had. So the King asked where Whiteland was.

‘I do not know that,’ he answered, ‘but I will ask mybeasts.’ Then he blew his horn and inquired whether any of them knewwhere Whiteland lay, but there was not one who knew that.

So the man gave him a pair of snow shoes. ‘When you have these on,’he said, ‘you will come to my brother, who lives hundreds of miles fromhere; he is Lord over all the birds in the air—ask him. When you have gotthere, just turn the shoes so that the toes point this way, and then they willcome home again of their own accord.’

When the King arrived there he turned the shoes as the Lord of the beasts hadbidden him, and they went back.

And now he once more asked after Whiteland, and the man summoned all the birdstogether, and inquired if any of them knew where Whiteland lay. No, none knewthis. Long after the others there came an old eagle. He had been absent tenwhole years, but he too knew no more than the rest.

‘Well, well,’ said the man, ‘then you shall have the loan ofa pair of snow shoes of mine. If you wear them you will get to my brother, wholives hundreds of miles from here. He is Lord of all the fish in thesea—you can ask him. But do not forget to turn the shoes round.’

The King thanked him, put on the shoes, and when he had got to him who was Lordof all the fish in the sea, he turned the snow shoes round, and back they wentjust as the others had gone, and he asked once more where Whiteland was.

The man called the fish together with his horn, but none of them knew anythingabout it. At last came an old, old pike, which he had great difficulty inbringing home to him.

When he asked the pike, it said, ‘Yes, Whiteland is well known to me, forI have been cook there these ten years. To-morrow morning I have to go backthere, for now the Queen, whose King is staying away, is to marry some oneelse.’

‘If that be the case I will give you a piece of advice,’ said theman. ‘Not far from here on a moor stand three brothers, who have stoodthere a hundred years fighting for a hat, a cloak, and a pair of boots; if anyone has these three things he can make himself invisible, and if he desires togo to any place, he has but to wish and he is there. You may tell them that youhave a desire to try these things, and then you will be able to decide which ofthe men is to have them.’

So the King thanked him and went, and did what he had said.

‘What is this that you are standing fighting about for ever andever?’ said he to the brothers; ‘let me make a trial of thesethings, and then I will judge between you.’

They willingly consented to this, but when he had got the hat, the cloak, andthe boots, he said, ‘Next time we meet you shall have my decision,’and hereupon he wished himself away.

While he was going quickly through the air he fell in with the North Wind.

‘And where may you be going?’ said the North Wind.

‘To Whiteland,’ said the King, and then he related what hadhappened to him.

‘Well,’ said the North Wind, ‘you can easily go a littlequicker than I can, for I have to puff and blow into every corner; but when youget there, place yourself on the stairs by the side of the door, and then Iwill come blustering in as if I wanted to blow down the whole castle, and whenthe Prince who is to have your Queen comes out to see what is astir, just takehim by the throat and fling him out, and then I will try to carry him away fromcourt.’

As the North Wind had said, so did the King. He stood on the stairs, and whenthe North Wind came howling and roaring, and caught the roof and walls of thecastle till they shook again, the Prince went out to see what was the matter;but as soon as he came the King took him by the neck and flung him out, andthen the North Wind laid hold of him and carried him off. And when he was ridof him the King went into the castle. At first the Queen did not know him,because he had grown so thin and pale from having travelled so long and sosorrowfully; but when she saw her ring she was heartily glad, and then therightful wedding was held, and held in such a way that it was talked about farand wide.^[12]

[12]From J. Moe.

THE VOICE OF DEATH

Once upon a time there lived a man whose one wish and prayer was to get rich.Day and night he thought of nothing else, and at last his prayers were granted,and he became very wealthy. Now being so rich, and having so much to lose, hefelt that it would be a terrible thing to die and leave all his possessionsbehind; so he made up his mind to set out in search of a land where there wasno death. He got ready for his journey, took leave of his wife, and started.Whenever he came to a new country the first question that he asked was whetherpeople died in that land, and when he heard that they did, he set out again onhis quest. At last he reached a country where he was told that the people didnot even know the meaning of the word death. Our traveller was delighted whenhe heard this, and said:

‘But surely there are great numbers of people in your land, if no oneever dies?’

‘No,’ they replied, ‘there are not great numbers, for you seefrom time to time a voice is heard calling first one and then another, andwhoever hears that voice gets up and goes away, and never comes back.’

‘And do they see the person who calls them,’ he asked, ‘or dothey only hear his voice?’

‘They both see and hear him,’ was the answer.

Well, the man was amazed when he heard that the people were stupid enough tofollow the voice, though they knew that if they went when it called them theywould never return. And he went back to his own home and got all hispossessions together, and, taking his wife and family, he set out resolved togo and live in that country where the people did not die, but where insteadthey heard a voice calling them, which they followed into a land from whichthey never returned. For he had made up his own mind that when he or any of hisfamily heard that voice they would pay no heed to it, however loudly it called.

After he had settled down in his new home, and had got everything in orderabout him, he warned his wife and family that, unless they wanted to die, theymust on no account listen to a voice which they might some day hear callingthem.

For some years everything went well with them, and they lived happily in theirnew home. But one day, while they were all sitting together round the table,his wife suddenly started up, exclaiming in a loud voice:

‘I am coming! I am coming!’

And she began to look round the room for her fur coat, but her husband jumpedup, and taking firm hold of her by the hand, held her fast, and reproached her,saying:

‘Don’t you remember what I told you? Stay where you are unless youwish to die.’

‘But don’t you hear that voice calling me?’ she answered.‘I am merely going to see why I am wanted. I shall come backdirectly.’

So she fought and struggled to get away from her husband, and to go where thevoice summoned. But he would not let her go, and had all the doors of the houseshut and bolted. When she saw that he had done this, she said:

‘Very well, dear husband, I shall do what you wish, and remain where Iam.’

So her husband believed that it was all right, and that she had thought betterof it, and had got over her mad impulse to obey the voice. But a few minuteslater she made a sudden dash for one of the doors, opened it and darted out,followed by her husband. He caught her by the fur coat, and begged and imploredher not to go, for if she did she would certainly never return. She saidnothing, but let her arms fall backwards, and suddenly bending herself forward,she slipped out of the coat, leaving it in her husband’s hands. He, poorman, seemed turned to stone as he gazed after her hurrying away from him, andcalling at the top of her voice, as she ran:

‘I am coming! I am coming!’

When she was quite out of sight her husband recovered his wits and went backinto his house, murmuring:

‘If she is so foolish as to wish to die, I can’t help it. I warnedand implored her to pay no heed to that voice, however loudly it mightcall.’

Well, days and weeks and months and years passed, and nothing happened todisturb the peace of the household. But one day the man was at thebarber’s as usual, being shaved. The shop was full of people, and hischin had just been covered with a lather of soap, when, suddenly starting upfrom the chair, he called out in a loud voice:

‘I won’t come, do you hear? I won’t come!’

The barber and the other people in the shop listened to him with amazement. Butagain looking towards the door, he exclaimed:

‘I tell you, once and for all, I do not mean to come, so go away.’

And a few minutes later he called out again:

‘Go away, I tell you, or it will be the worse for you. You may call asmuch as you like but you will never get me to come.’

And he got so angry that you might have thought that some one was actuallystanding at the door, tormenting him. At last he jumped up, and caught therazor out of the barber’s hand, exclaiming:

‘Give me that razor, and I’ll teach him to let people alone for thefuture.’

And he rushed out of the house as if he were running after some one, whom noone else saw. The barber, determined not to lose his razor, pursued the man,and they both continued running at full speed till they had got well out of thetown, when all of a sudden the man fell head foremost down a precipice, andnever was seen again. So he too, like the others, had been forced against hiswill to follow the voice that called him.

The barber, who went home whistling and congratulating himself on the escape hehad made, described what had happened, and it was noised abroad in the countrythat the people who had gone away, and had never returned, had all fallen intothat pit; for till then they had never known what had happened to those who hadheard the voice and obeyed its call.

But when crowds of people went out from the town to examine the ill-fated pitthat had swallowed up such numbers, and yet never seemed to be full, they coulddiscover nothing. All that they could see was a vast plain, that looked as ifit had been there since the beginning of the world. And from that time thepeople of the country began to die like ordinary mortals all the worldover.^[13]

[13]Roumanian Tales from the German of Mite Thremnitz.

THE SIX SILLIES

Once upon a time there was a young girl who reached the age of thirty-sevenwithout ever having had a lover, for she was so foolish that no one wanted tomarry her.

One day, however, a young man arrived to pay his addresses to her, and hermother, beaming with joy, sent her daughter down to the cellar to draw a jug ofbeer.

As the girl never came back the mother went down to see what had become of her,and found her sitting on the stairs, her head in her hands, while by her sidethe beer was running all over the floor, as she had forgotten to close the tap.‘What are you doing there?’ asked the mother.

‘I was thinking what I shall call my first child after I am married tothat young man. All the names in the calendar are taken already.’

The mother sat down on the staircase beside her daughter and said, ‘Iwill think about it with you, my dear.’

The father who had stayed upstairs with the young man was surprised thatneither his wife nor his daughter came back, and in his turn went down to lookfor them. He found them both sitting on the stairs, while beside them the beerwas running all over the ground from the tap, which was wide open.

‘What are you doing there? The beer is running all over thecellar.’

‘We were thinking what we should call the children that our daughter willhave when she marries that young man. All the names in the calendar are takenalready.’

‘Well,’ said the father, ‘I will think about it withyou.’

As neither mother nor daughter nor father came upstairs again, the lover grewimpatient, and went down into the cellar to see what they could all be doing.He found them all three sitting on the stairs, while beside them the beer wasrunning all over the ground from the tap, which was wide open.

‘What in the world are you all doing that you don’t come upstairs,and that you let the beer run all over the cellar?’

‘Yes, I know, my boy,’ said the father, ‘but if you marry ourdaughter what shall you call your children? All the names in the calendar aretaken.’

When the young man heard this answer he replied:

‘Well! good-bye, I am going away. When I shall have found three peoplesillier than you I will come back and marry your daughter.’

So he continued his journey, and after walking a long way he reached anorchard. Then he saw some people knocking down walnuts, and trying to throwthem into a cart with a fork.

‘What are you doing there?’ he asked.

‘We want to load the cart with our walnuts, but we can’t manage todo it.’

The lover advised them to get a basket and to put the walnuts in it, so as toturn them into the cart.

‘Well,’ he said to himself, ‘I have already found someonemore foolish than those three.’

So he went on his way, and by-and-by he came to a wood. There he saw a man whowanted to give his pig some acorns to eat, and was trying with all his might tomake him climb up the oak-tree.

‘What are you doing, my good man?’ asked he.

‘I want to make my pig eat some acorns, and I can’t get him to goup the tree.’

‘If you were to climb up and shake down the acorns the pig would pickthem up.’

‘Oh, I never thought of that.’

‘Here is the second idiot,’ said the lover to himself.

Some way farther along the road he came upon a man who had never worn anytrousers, and who was trying to put on a pair. So he had fastened them to atree and was jumping with all his might up in the air so that he should hit thetwo legs of the trousers as he came down.

‘It would be much better if you held them in your hands,’ said theyoung man, ‘and then put your legs one after the other in eachhole.’

‘Dear me to be sure! You are sharper than I am, for that never occurredto me.’

And having found three people more foolish than his bride, or her father or hermother, the lover went back to marry the young lady.

And in course of time they had a great many children.

Story from Hainaut.
(M. Lemoine. La Tradition. No, 34,)

KARI WOODENGOWN

There was once upon a time a King who had become a widower. His Queen had leftone daughter behind her, and she was so wise and so pretty that it wasimpossible for any one to be wiser or prettier. For a long time the King wentsorrowing for his wife, for he had loved her exceedingly; but at last he grewtired of living alone, and married a Queen who was a widow, and she also had adaughter, who was just as ill-favoured and wicked as the other was good andbeautiful. The stepmother and her daughter were envious of the King’sdaughter because she was so pretty, but so long as the King was at home theydared do her no harm, because his love for her was so great.

Then there came a time when he made war on another King and went away to fight,and then the new Queen thought that she could do what she liked; so she bothhungered and beat the King’s daughter and chased her about into everycorner. At last she thought that everything was too good for her, and set herto work to look after the cattle. So she went about with the cattle, and herdedthem in the woods and in the fields. Of food she got little or none, and grewpale and thin, and was nearly always weeping and sad. Among the herd there wasa great blue bull, which always kept itself very smart and sleek, and oftencame to the King’s daughter and let her stroke him. So one day, when shewas again sitting crying and sorrowing, the Bull came up to her and asked whyshe was always so full of care? She made no answer, but continued to weep.

‘Well,’ said the Bull, ‘I know what it is, though you willnot tell me; you are weeping because the Queen is unkind to you, and becauseshe wants to starve you to death. But you need be under no concern about food,for in my left ear there lies a cloth, and if you will but take it and spreadit out, you can have as many dishes as you like.’

So she did this, and took the cloth and spread it out upon the grass, and thenit was covered with the daintiest dishes that any one could desire, and therewas wine, and mead, and cake. And now she became brisk and well again, and grewso rosy, and plump, and fair that the Queen and her scraggy daughter turnedblue and white with vexation at it. The Queen could not imagine how herstep-daughter could look so well on such bad food, so she ordered one of herhandmaidens to follow her into the wood and watch her, and see how it was, forshe thought that some of the servants must be giving her food. So the maidfollowed her into the wood and watched, and saw how the step-daughter took thecloth out of the Blue Bull’s ear, and spread it out, and how the clothwas then covered with the most delicate dishes, which the step-daughter ate andregaled herself with. So the waiting-maid went home and told the Queen.

And now the King came home, and he had conquered the other King with whom hehad been at war. So there was great gladness in the palace, but no one was moreglad than the King’s daughter. The Queen, however, pretended to be ill,and gave the doctor much money to say that she would never be well again unlessshe had some of the flesh of the Blue Bull to eat. Both the King’sdaughter and the people in the palace asked the doctor if there were no othermeans of saving her, and begged for the Bull’s life, for they were allfond of him, and they all declared that there was no such Bull in the wholecountry; but it was all in vain, he was to be killed, and should be killed, andnothing else would serve. When the King’s daughter heard it she was fullof sorrow, and went down to the byre to the Bull. He too was standing therehanging his head, and looking so downcast that she fell a-weeping over him.

‘What are you weeping for?’ said the Bull.

So she told him that the King had come home again, and that the Queen hadpretended to be ill, and that she had made the doctor say that she could neverbe well again unless some of the flesh of the Blue Bull was given her to eat,and that now he was to be killed.

‘When once they have taken my life they will soon kill you also,’said the Bull. ‘If you are of the same mind with me, we will take ourdeparture this very night.’

The King’s daughter thought that it was bad to go and leave her father,but that it was worse still to be in the same house with the Queen, so shepromised the Bull that she would come.

At night, when all the others had gone to bed, the King’s daughter stolesoftly down to the byre to the Bull, and he took her on his back and got out ofthe courtyard as quickly as he could. So at cock-crow next morning, when thepeople came to kill the Bull, he was gone, and when the King got up and askedfor his daughter she was gone too. He sent forth messengers to all parts of thekingdom to search for them, and published his loss in all the parish churches,but there was no one who had seen anything of them.

In the meantime the Bull travelled through many lands with the King’sdaughter on his back, and one day they came to a great copper-wood, where thetrees, and the branches, and the leaves, and the flowers, and everything elsewas of copper.

But before they entered the wood the Bull said to the King’s daughter:

‘When we enter into this wood, you must take the greatest care not totouch a leaf of it, or all will be over both with me and with you, for a Trollwith three heads, who is the owner of the wood, lives here.’

So she said she would be on her guard, and not touch anything. And she was verycareful, and bent herself out of the way of the branches, and put them asidewith her hands; but it was so thickly wooded that it was all but impossible toget forward, and do what she might, she somehow or other tore off a leaf whichgot into her hand.

‘Oh! oh! What have you done now?’ said the Bull. ‘It will nowcost us a battle for life or death; but do be careful to keep the leaf.’

Very soon afterwards they came to the end of the wood, and the Troll with threeheads came rushing up to them.

‘Who is that who is touching my wood?’ said the Troll.

‘The wood is just as much mine as yours!’ said the Bull.

‘We shall have a tussle for that!’ shrieked the Troll.

‘That may be,’ said the Bull.

So they rushed on each other and fought, and as for the Bull he butted andkicked with all the strength of his body, but the Troll fought quite as well ashe did, and the whole day went by before the Bull put an end to him, and thenhe himself was so full of wounds and so worn out that he was scarcely able tomove. So they had to wait a day, and the Bull told the King’s daughter totake the horn of ointment which hung at the Troll’s belt, and rub himwith it; then he was himself again, and the next day they set off once more.And now they journeyed on for many, many days, and then after a long, long timethey came to a silver wood. The trees, and the boughs, and the leaves, and theflowers, and everything else was of silver.

Before the Bull went into the wood, he said to the King’s daughter:‘When we enter into this wood you must, for Heaven’s sake, be verycareful not to touch anything at all, and not to pluck off even so much as oneleaf, or else all will be over both with you and with me. A Troll with sixheads lives here, who is the owner of the wood, and I do not think I should beable to overcome him.’

‘Yes,’ said the King’s daughter, ‘I will take good carenot to touch what you do not wish me to touch.’

But when they got into the wood it was so crowded, and the trees so closetogether, that they could scarcely get forward. She was as careful as she couldbe, and bent aside to get out of the way of the branches, and thrust them awayfrom before her with her hands; but every instant a branch struck against hereyes, and in spite of all her care, she happened to pull off one leaf.

‘Oh! oh! What have you done now?’ said the Bull. It will now costus a battle for life or death, for this Troll has six heads and is twice asstrong as the other, but do be careful to keep the leaf.’

Just as he said this came the Troll. ‘Who is that who is touching mywood?’ he said.

‘It is just as much mine as yours!’

‘We shall have a tussle for that!’ screamed the Troll.

‘That may be,’ said the Bull, and rushed at the Troll, and goredout his eyes, and drove his horns right through him so that his entrails gushedout, but the Troll fought just as well as he did, and it was three whole daysbefore the Bull got the life out of him. But the Bull was then so weak and wornout that it was only with pain and effort that he could move, and so coveredwith wounds that the blood streamed from him. So he told the King’sdaughter to take the horn of ointment that was hanging at the Troll’sbelt, and anoint him with it. She did this, and then he came to himself again,but they had to stay there and rest for a week before the Bull was able to goany farther.

At last they set forth on their way again, but the Bull was still weak, and atfirst could not go quickly. The King’s daughter wished to spare him, andsaid that she was so young and light of foot that she would willingly walk, buthe would not give her leave to do that, and she was forced to seat herself onhis back again. So they travelled for a long time, and through many lands, andthe King’s daughter did not at all know where he was taking her, butafter a long, long time they came to a gold wood. It was so golden that thegold dripped off it, and the trees, and the branches, and the flowers, and theleaves were all of pure gold. Here all happened just as it had happened in thecopper wood and silver wood. The Bull told the King’s daughter that on noaccount was she to touch it, for there was a Troll with nine heads who was theowner, and that he was much larger and stronger than both the others puttogether, and that he did not believe that he could overcome him. So she saidthat she would take great care not to touch anything, and he should see thatshe did. But when they got into the wood it was still thicker than the silverwood, and the farther they got into it the worse it grew. The wood becamethicker and thicker, and closer and closer, and at last she thought there wasno way whatsoever by which they could get forward; she was so terrified lestshe should break anything off, that she sat and twisted, and turned herself onthis side and on that, to get out of the way of the branches, and pushed themaway from her with her hands, but every moment they struck against her eyes, sothat she could not see what she was clutching at, and before she knew what shewas doing she had a golden apple in her hands. She was now in such terror thatshe began to cry, and wanted to throw it away, but the Bull said that she wasto keep it, and take the greatest care of it, and comforted her as well as hecould, but he believed that it would be a hard struggle, and he doubted whetherit would go well with him.

Just then the Troll with nine heads came, and he was so frightful that theKing’s daughter scarcely dared to look at him

‘Who is this who is breaking my wood?’ he screamed.

‘It is as much mine as yours!’ said the Bull.

‘We shall have a tussle for that!’ screamed the Troll.

‘That may be,’ said the Bull; so they rushed at each other, andfought, and it was such a dreadful sight that the King’s daughter verynearly swooned. The Bull gored the Troll’s eyes out and ran his hornsright through him, but the Troll fought as well as he did, and when the Bullhad gored one head to death the other heads breathed life into it again, so itwas a whole week before the Bull was able to kill him. But then he himself wasso worn out and weak that he could not move at all. His body was all one wound,and he could not even so much as tell the King’s daughter to take thehorn of ointment out of the Troll’s belt and rub him with it. She didthis without being told; so he came to himself again, but he had to lie therefor three weeks and rest before he was in a state to move.

Then they journeyed onwards by degrees, for the Bull said that they had still alittle farther to go, and in this way they crossed many high hills and thickwoods. This lasted for a while, and then they came upon the fells.

‘Do you see anything?’ asked the Bull.

‘No, I see nothing but the sky above and the wild fell side,’ saidthe King’s daughter.

Then they climbed up higher, and the fell grew more level, so that they couldsee farther around them.

‘Do you see anything now?’ said the Bull.

‘Yes, I see a small castle, far, far away,’ said the Princess.

‘It is not so very little after all,’ said the Bull.

After a long, long time they came to a high hill, where there was a precipitouswall of rock.

‘Do you see nothing now?’ said the Bull.

‘Yes, now I see the castle quite near, and now it is much, muchlarger,’ said the King’s daughter.

‘Thither shall you go,’ said the Bull; ‘immediately below thecastle there is a pig-sty, where you shall dwell. When you get there, you willfind a wooden gown which you are to put on, and then go to the castle and saythat you are called Kari Woodengown, and that you are seeking a place. But nowyou must take out your little knife and cut off my head with it, and then youmust flay me and roll up my hide and put it there under the rock, and beneaththe hide you must lay the copper leaf, and the silver leaf, and the goldenapple. Close beside the rock a stick is standing, and when you want me foranything you have only to knock at the wall of rock with that.’

At first she would not do it, but when the Bull said that this was the onlyreward that he would have for what he had done for her, she could do nootherwise. So though she thought it very cruel, she slaved on and cut at thegreat animal with the knife till she had cut off his head and hide, and thenshe folded up the hide and laid it beneath the mountain wall, and put thecopper leaf, and the silver leaf, and the golden apple inside it.

When she had done that she went away to the pig-sty, but all the way as shewent she wept, and was very sorrowful. Then she put on the wooden gown, andwalked to the King’s palace. When she got there she went into the kitchenand begged for a place, saying that her name was Kari Woodengown.

The cook told her that she might have a place and leave to stay there at onceand wash up, for the girl who had done that before had just gone away.‘And as soon as you get tired of being here you will take yourself offtoo,’ said he.

‘No,’ said she, ‘that I shall certainly not.’

And then she washed up, and did it very tidily.

On Sunday some strangers were coming to the King’s palace, so Kari beggedto have leave to carry up the water for the Prince’s bath, but the otherslaughed at her and said, ‘What do you want there? Do you think the Princewill ever look at such a fright as you?’

She would not give it up, however, but went on begging until at last she gotleave. When she was going upstairs her wooden gown made such a clatter that thePrince came out and said, ‘What sort of a creature may you be?’

‘I was to take this water to you,’ said Kari.

‘Do you suppose that I will have any water that you bring?’ saidthe Prince, and emptied it over her.

She had to bear that, but then she asked permission to go to church. She gotthat, for the church was very near. But first she went to the rock and knockedat it with the stick which was standing there, as the Bull had told her to do.Instantly a man came forth and asked what she wanted. The King’s daughtersaid that she had got leave to go to church and listen to the priest, but thatshe had no clothes to go in. So he brought her a gown that was as bright as thecopper wood, and she got a horse and saddle too from him. When she reached thechurch she was so pretty and so splendidly dressed that every one wondered whoshe could be, and hardly anyone listened to what the priest was saying, forthey were all looking far too much at her, and the Prince himself liked her sowell that he could not take his eyes off her for an instant. As she was walkingout of church the Prince followed her and shut the church door after her, andthus he kept one of her gloves in his hand. Then she went away and mounted herhorse again; the Prince again followed her, and asked her whence she came.

‘Oh! I am from Bathland,’ said Kari. And when the Prince took outthe glove and wanted to give it back to her, she said:

‘Darkness behind me, but light on my way,
That the Prince may not see where I’m going to-day!’

The Prince had never seen the equal of that glove, and he went far and wide,asking after the country which the proud lady, who rode away without her glove,had said that she came from, but there was no one who could tell him where itlay.

Next Sunday some one had to take up a towel to the Prince.

‘Ah! may I have leave to go up with that?’ said Kari.

‘What would be the use of that?’ said the others who were in thekitchen; ‘you saw what happened last time.’

Kari would not give in, but went on begging for leave till she got it, and thenshe ran up the stairs so that her wooden gown clattered again. Out came thePrince, and when he saw that it was Kari, he snatched the towel from her andflung it right in her eyes.

‘Be off at once, you ugly Troll,’ said he; ‘do you think thatI will have a towel that has been touched by your dirty fingers?’

After that the Prince went to church, and Kari also asked leave to go. They allasked how she could want to go to church when she had nothing to wear but thatwooden gown, which was so black and hideous. But Kari said she thought thepriest was such a good man at preaching that she got so much benefit from whathe said, and at last she got leave.

She went to the rock and knocked, whereupon out came the man and gave her agown which was much more magnificent than the first. It was embroidered withsilver all over it, and it shone like the silver wood, and he gave her also amost beautiful horse, with housings embroidered with silver, and a bridle ofsilver too.

When the King’s daughter got to church all the people were standingoutside upon the hillside, and all of them wondered who on earth she could be,and the Prince was on the alert in a moment, and came and wanted to hold herhorse while she alighted. But she jumped off and said that there was no needfor that, for the horse was so well broken in that it stood still when she badeit and came when she called it. So they all went into the church together, butthere was scarcely any one who listened to what the priest was saying, for theywere all looking far too much at her, and the Prince fell much more deeply inlove with her than he had been before.

When the sermon was over and she went out of the church, and was just going tomount her horse, the Prince again came and asked her where she came from.

‘I am from Towelland,’ said the King’s daughter, and as shespoke she dropped her riding-whip, and while the Prince was stooping to pick itup she said:

‘Darkness behind me, but light on my way,
That the Prince may not see where I’m going to-day!’

And she was gone again, neither could the Prince see what had become of her. Hewent far and wide to inquire for that country from whence she had said that shecame, but there was no one who could tell him where it lay, so he was forced tohave patience once more.

Next Sunday some one had to go to the Prince with a comb. Kari begged for leaveto go with it, but the others reminded her of what had happened last time, andscolded her for wanting to let the Prince see her when she was so black and sougly in her wooden gown, but she would not give up asking until they gave herleave to go up to the Prince with the comb. When she went clattering up thestairs again, out came the Prince and took the comb and flung it at her, andordered her to be off as fast as she could. After that the Prince went tochurch, and Kari also begged for leave to go. Again they all asked what shewould do there, she who was so black and ugly, and had no clothes that shecould be seen in by other people. The Prince or some one else might very easilycatch sight of her, they said, and then both she and they would suffer for it;but Kari said that they had something else to do than to look at her, and shenever ceased begging until she got leave to go.

And now all happened just as it had happened twice already. She went away tothe rock and knocked at it with the stick, and then the man came out and gaveher a gown which was very much more magnificent than either of the others. Itwas almost entirely made of pure gold and diamonds, and she also got a noblehorse with housings embroidered with gold, and a golden bridle.

When the King’s daughter came to the church the priest and people wereall standing on the hillside waiting for her, and the Prince ran up and wantedto hold the horse, but she jumped off, saying:

‘No, thank you, there is no need; my horse is so well broken in that itwill stand still when I bid it.’

So they all hastened into the church together and the priest got into thepulpit, but no one listened to what he said, for they were looking far too muchat her and wondering whence she came; and the Prince was far more in love thanhe had been on either of the former occasions, and he was mindful of nothingbut of looking at her.

When the sermon was over and the King’s daughter was about to leave thechurch, the Prince had caused a firkin of tar to be emptied out in the porch inorder that he might go to help her over it; she, however, did not troubleherself in the least about the tar, but set her foot down in the middle of itand jumped over it, and thus one of her gold shoes was left sticking in it.When she had seated herself on the horse the Prince came running out of thechurch and asked her whence she came.

‘From Combland,’ said Kari. But when the Prince wanted to reach herher gold shoe, she said:

‘Darkness behind me, but light on my way,
That the Prince may not see where I’m going to-day!’

The Prince did not know what had become of her, so he travelled for a long andwearisome time all over the world, asking where Combland was; but when no onecould tell him where that country was, he caused it to be made known everywherethat he would marry any woman who could put on the gold shoe. So fair maidensand ugly maidens came thither from all regions, but there was none who had afoot so small that she could put on the gold shoe. After a long, long whilecame Kari Woodengown’s wicked stepmother, with her daughter too, and theshoe fitted her. But she was so ugly and looked so loathsome that the Princewas very unwilling to do what he had promised. Nevertheless all was got readyfor the wedding, and she was decked out as a bride, but as they were riding tochurch a little bird sat upon a tree and sang:

‘A slice off her heel
And a slice off her toes,
Kari Woodengown’s shoe
Fills with blood as she goes!’

And when they looked to it the bird had spoken the truth, for blood wastrickling out of the shoe. So all the waiting-maids, and all the womenkind inthe castle had to come and try on the shoe, but there was not one whom it wouldfit.

‘But where is Kari Woodengown, then?’ asked the Prince, when allthe others had tried on the shoe, for he understood the song of birds and itcame to his mind what the bird had said.

‘Oh! that creature!’ said the others; ‘it’s not theleast use for her to come here, for she has feet like a horse!’

‘That may be,’ said the Prince, ‘but as all the others havetried it, Kari may try it too.’

‘Kari!’ he called out through the door, and Kari came upstairs, andher wooden gown clattered as if a whole regiment of dragoons were coming up.

‘Now, you are to try on the gold shoe and be a Princess,’ said theother servants, and they laughed at her and mocked her. Kari took up the shoe,put her foot into it as easily as possible, and then threw off her wooden gown,and there she stood in the golden gown which flashed like rays of sunshine, andon her other foot she had the fellow to the gold shoe. The Prince knew her in amoment, and was so glad that he ran and took her in his arms and kissed her,and when he heard that she was a King’s daughter he was gladder still,and then they had the wedding.^[14]

[14]From P. C. Asbjørnsen.

DRAKESTAIL

Drakestail was very little, that is why he was called Drakestail; but tiny ashe was he had brains, and he knew what he was about, for having begun withnothing he ended by amassing a hundred crowns. Now the King of the country, whowas very extravagant and never kept any money, having heard that Drakestail hadsome, went one day in his own person to borrow his hoard, and, my word, inthose days Drakestail was not a little proud of having lent money to the King.But after the first and second year, seeing that they never even dreamed ofpaying the interest, he became uneasy, so much so that at last he resolved togo and see His Majesty himself, and get repaid. So one fine morning Drakestail,very spruce and fresh, takes the road, singing: ‘Quack, quack, quack,when shall I get my money back?’

He had not gone far when he met friend Fox, on his rounds that way.

‘Good-morning, neighbour,’ says the friend, ‘where are youoff to so early?’

‘I am going to the King for what he owes me.’

‘Oh! take me with thee!’

Drakestail said to himself: ‘One can’t have too manyfriends.’ ... ‘I will,’ says he, ‘but going onall-fours you will soon be tired. Make yourself quite small, get into mythroat—go into my gizzard and I will carry you.’

‘Happy thought!’ says friend Fox.

He takes bag and baggage, and, presto! is gone like a letter into the post.

And Drakestail is off again, all spruce and fresh, still singing: ‘Quack,quack, quack, when shall I have my money back?’

He had not gone far when he met his lady-friend Ladder, leaning on her wall.

‘Good morning, my duckling,’ says the lady friend, ‘whitheraway so bold?’

‘I am going to the King for what he owes me.’

‘Oh! take me with thee!’

Drakestail said to himself: ‘One can’t have too manyfriends.’ ... ‘I will,’ says he, ‘but with your woodenlegs you will soon be tired. Make yourself quite small, get into mythroat—go into my gizzard and I will carry you.’

‘Happy thought!’ says my friend Ladder, and nimble, bag andbaggage, goes to keep company with friend Fox.

And ‘Quack, quack, quack.’ Drakestail is off again, singing andspruce as before. A little farther he meets his sweetheart, my friend River,wandering quietly in the sunshine.

‘Thou, my cherub,’ says she, ‘whither so lonesome, witharching tail, on this muddy road?’

‘I am going to the King, you know, for what he owes me.’

‘Oh! take me with thee!’

Drakestail said to himself: ‘We can’t be too manyfriends.’... ‘I will,’ says he, ‘but you who sleepwhile you walk will soon be tired. Make yourself quite small, get into mythroat—go into my gizzard and I will carry you.’

‘Ah! happy thought!’ says my friend River.

She takes bag and baggage, and glou, glou, glou, she takes her place betweenfriend Fox and my friend Ladder.

And ‘Quack, quack, quack.’ Drakestail is off again singing.

A little farther on he meets comrade Wasp’s-nest, manoeuvring his wasps.

‘Well, good-morning, friend Drakestail,’ said comradeWasp’s-nest, ‘where are we bound for so spruce and fresh?’

‘I am going to the King for what he owes me.’

‘Oh! take me with thee!’

Drakestail said to himself, ‘One can’t have too manyfriends.’... ‘I will,’ says he, ‘but with yourbattalion to drag along, you will soon be tired. Make yourself quite small, gointo my throat—get into my gizzard and I will carry you.’

‘By Jove! that’s a good idea!’ says comradeWasp’s-nest.

And left file! he takes the same road to join the others with all his party.There was not much more room, but by closing up a bit they managed.... AndDrakestail is off again singing.

He arrived thus at the capital, and threaded his way straight up the HighStreet, still running and singing ‘Quack, quack, quack, when shall I getmy money back?’ to the great astonishment of the good folks, till he cameto the King’s palace.

He strikes with the knocker: ‘Toc! toc!’

‘Who is there?’ asks the porter, putting his head out of thewicket.

‘’Tis I, Drakestail. I wish to speak to the King.’

‘Speak to the King!... That’s easily said. The King is dining, andwill not be disturbed.’

‘Tell him that it is I, and I have come he well knows why.’

The porter shuts his wicket and goes up to say it to the King, who was justsitting down to dinner with a napkin round his neck, and all his ministers.

‘Good, good!’ said the King laughing. ‘I know what it is!Make him come in, and put him with the turkeys and chickens.’

The porter descends.

‘Have the goodness to enter.’

‘Good!’ says Drakestail to himself, ‘I shall now see how theyeat at court.’

‘This way, this way,’ says the porter. ‘One step further....There, there you are.’

‘How? what? in the poultry yard?’

Fancy how vexed Drakestail was!

‘Ah! so that’s it,’ says he. ‘Wait! I will compel youto receive me. Quack, quack, quack, when shall I get my money back?’ Butturkeys and chickens are creatures who don’t like people that are not asthemselves. When they saw the new-comer and how he was made, and when theyheard him crying too, they began to look black at him.

‘What is it? what does he want?’

Finally they rushed at him all together, to overwhelm him with pecks.

‘I am lost!’ said Drakestail to himself, when by good luck heremembers his comrade friend Fox, and he cries:

‘Reynard, Reynard, come out of your earth,
Or Drakestail’s life is of little worth.’

Then friend Fox, who was only waiting for these words, hastens out, throwshimself on the wicked fowls, and quick! quack! he tears them to pieces; so muchso that at the end of five minutes there was not one left alive. AndDrakestail, quite content, began to sing again, ‘Quack, quack, quack,when shall I get my money back?’

When the King who was still at table heard this refrain, and the poultry womancame to tell him what had been going on in the yard, he was terribly annoyed.

He ordered them to throw this tail of a drake into the well, to make an end ofhim.

And it was done as he commanded. Drakestail was in despair of getting himselfout of such a deep hole, when he remembered his lady friend, the Ladder.

‘Ladder, Ladder, come out of thy hold,
Or Drakestail’s days will soon be told.’

My friend Ladder, who was only waiting for these words, hastens out, leans hertwo arms on the edge of the well, then Drakestail climbs nimbly on her back,and hop! he is in the yard, where he begins to sing louder than ever.

When the King, who was still at table and laughing at the good trick he hadplayed his creditor, heard him again reclaiming his money, he became livid withrage.

He commanded that the furnace should be heated, and this tail of a drake throwninto it, because he must be a sorcerer.

The furnace was soon hot, but this time Drakestail was not so afraid; hecounted on his sweetheart, my friend River.

‘River, River, outward flow,
Or to death Drakestail must go.’

My friend River hastens out, and errouf! throws herself into the furnace, whichshe floods, with all the people who had lighted it; after which she flowedgrowling into the hall of the palace to the height of more than four feet.

And Drakestail, quite content, begins to swim, singing deafeningly,‘Quack, quack, quack, when shall I get my money back?’

The King was still at table, and thought himself quite sure of his game; butwhen he heard Drakestail singing again, and when they told him all that hadpassed, he became furious and got up from table brandishing his fists.

‘Bring him here, and I’ll cut his throat! bring him herequick!’ cried he.

And quickly two footmen ran to fetch Drakestail.

‘At last,’ said the poor chap, going up the great stairs,‘they have decided to receive me.’

Imagine his terror when on entering he sees the King as red as a turkey cock,and all his ministers attending him standing sword in hand. He thought thistime it was all up with him. Happily, he remembered that there was still oneremaining friend, and he cried with dying accents:

‘Wasp’s-nest, Wasp’s-nest, make a sally,
Or Drakestail nevermore may rally.’

Hereupon the scene changes.

‘Bs, bs, bayonet them!’ The brave Wasp’s-nest rushes out withall his wasps. They threw themselves on the infuriated King and his ministers,and stung them so fiercely in the face that they lost their heads, and notknowing where to hide themselves they all jumped pell-mell from the window andbroke their necks on the pavement.

Behold Drakestail much astonished, all alone in the big saloon and master ofthe field. He could not get over it.

Nevertheless, he remembered shortly what he had come for to the palace, andimproving the occasion, he set to work to hunt for his dear money. But in vainhe rummaged in all the drawers; he found nothing; all had been spent.

And ferreting thus from room to room he came at last to the one with the thronein it, and feeling fatigued, he sat himself down on it to think over hisadventure. In the meanwhile the people had found their King and his ministerswith their feet in the air on the pavement, and they had gone into the palaceto know how it had occurred. On entering the throne-room, when the crowd sawthat there was already someone on the royal seat, they broke out in cries ofsurprise and joy:

‘The King is dead, long live the King!
Heaven has sent us down this thing.’

Drakestail, who was no longer surprised at anything, received the acclamationsof the people as if he had never done anything else all his life.

A few of them certainly murmured that a Drakestail would make a fine King;those who knew him replied that a knowing Drakestail was a more worthy Kingthan a spendthrift like him who was lying on the pavement. In short, they ranand took the crown off the head of the deceased, and placed it on that ofDrakestail, whom it fitted like wax.

Thus he became King.

‘And now,’ said he after the ceremony, ‘ladies and gentlemen,let’s go to supper. I am so hungry!’^[15]

[15]Contesof Ch. Marelles.

THE RATCATCHER

A very long time ago the town of Hamel in Germany was invaded by bands of rats,the like of which had never been seen before nor will ever be again.

They were great black creatures that ran boldly in broad daylight through thestreets, and swarmed so, all over the houses, that people at last could not puttheir hand or foot down anywhere without touching one. When dressing in themorning they found them in their breeches and petticoats, in their pockets andin their boots; and when they wanted a morsel to eat, the voracious horde hadswept away everything from cellar to garret. The night was even worse. As soonas the lights were out, these untiring nibblers set to work. And everywhere, inthe ceilings, in the floors, in the cupboards, at the doors, there was a chaseand a rummage, and so furious a noise of gimlets, pincers, and saws, that adeaf man could not have rested for one hour together.

Neither cats nor dogs, nor poison nor traps, nor prayers nor candles burnt toall the saints—nothing would do anything. The more they killed the morecame. And the inhabitants of Hamel began to go to the dogs (not thattheywere of much use), when one Friday there arrived in the town a manwith a queer face, who played the bagpipes and sang this refrain:

‘Qui vivra verra:
    Le voilà,
Le preneur des rats.’

He was a great gawky fellow, dry and bronzed, with a crooked nose, a longrat-tail moustache, two great yellow piercing and mocking eyes, under a largefelt hat set off by a scarlet cock’s feather. He was dressed in a greenjacket with a leather belt and red breeches, and on his feet were sandalsfastened by thongs passed round his legs in the gipsy fashion.

That is how he may be seen to this day, painted on a window of the cathedral ofHamel.

He stopped on the great market-place before the town hall, turned his back onthe church and went on with his music, singing:

‘Who lives shall see:
This is he,
The ratcatcher.’

The town council had just assembled to consider once more this plague of Egypt,from which no one could save the town.

The stranger sent word to the counsellors that, if they would make it worth hiswhile, he would rid them of all their rats before night, down to the very last.

‘Then he is a sorcerer!’ cried the citizens with one voice;‘we must beware of him.’

The Town Counsellor, who was considered clever, reassured them.

He said: ‘Sorcerer or no, if this bagpiper speaks the truth, it was hewho sent us this horrible vermin that he wants to rid us of to-day for money.Well, we must learn to catch the devil in his own snares. You leave it tome.’

‘Leave it to the Town Counsellor,’ said the citizens one toanother.

And the stranger was brought before them.

‘Before night,’ said he, ‘I shall have despatched all therats in Hamel if you will but pay me a grosa head.’

‘A grosa head!’ cried the citizens, ‘but that willcome to millions of florins!’

The Town Counsellor simply shrugged his shoulders and said to the stranger:

‘A bargain! To work; the rats will be paid one grosa head as youask.’

The bagpiper announced that he would operate that very evening when the moonrose. He added that the inhabitants should at that hour leave the streets free,and content themselves with looking out of their windows at what was passing,and that it would be a pleasant spectacle. When the people of Hamel heard ofthe bargain, they too exclaimed: ‘A grosa head! but this willcost us a deal of money!’

‘Leave it to the Town Counsellor,’ said the town council with amalicious air. And the good people of Hamel repeated with their counsellors,‘Leave it to the Town Counsellor.’

Towards nine at night the bagpiper re-appeared on the market place. He turned,as at first, his back to the church, and the moment the moon rose on thehorizon, ‘Trarira, trari!’ the bagpipes resounded.

It was first a slow, caressing sound, then more and more lively and urgent, andso sonorous and piercing that it penetrated as far as the farthest alleys andretreats of the town.

Soon from the bottom of the cellars, the top of the garrets, from under all thefurniture, from all the nooks and corners of the houses, out come the rats,search for the door, fling themselves into the street, and trip, trip, trip,begin to run in file towards the front of the town hall, so squeezed togetherthat they covered the pavement like the waves of flooded torrent.

When the square was quite full the bagpiper faced about, and, still playingbriskly, turned towards the river that runs at the foot of the walls of Hamel.

Arrived there he turned round; the rats were following.

‘Hop! hop!’ he cried, pointing with his finger to the middle of thestream, where the water whirled and was drawn down as if through a funnel. Andhop! hop! without hesitating, the rats took the leap, swam straight to thefunnel, plunged in head foremost and disappeared.

The plunging continued thus without ceasing till midnight.

At last, dragging himself with difficulty, came a big rat, white with age, andstopped on the bank.

It was the king of the band.

‘Are they all there, friend Blanchet?’ asked the bagpiper.

‘They are all there,’ replied friend Blanchet.

‘And how many were they?’

‘Nine hundred and ninety thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine.’

‘Well reckoned?’

‘Well reckoned.’

‘Then go and join them, old sire, and au revoir.’

Then the old white rat sprang in his turn into the river, swam to the whirlpooland disappeared.

When the bagpiper had thus concluded his business he went to bed at his inn.And for the first time during three months the people of Hamel slept quietlythrough the night.

The next morning, at nine o’clock, the bagpiper repaired to the townhall, where the town council awaited him.

‘All your rats took a jump into the river yesterday,’ said he tothe counsellors, ‘and I guarantee that not one of them comes back. Theywere nine hundred and ninety thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, at onegrosa head. Reckon!’

‘Let us reckon the heads first. One grosa head is one head thegros. Where are the heads?’

The ratcatcher did not expect this treacherous stroke. He paled with anger andhis eyes flashed fire.

‘The heads!’ cried he, ‘if you care about them, go and findthem in the river.’

‘So,’ replied the Town Counsellor, ‘you refuse to hold to theterms of your agreement? We ourselves could refuse you all payment. But youhave been of use to us, and we will not let you go without a recompense,’and he offered him fifty crowns.

‘Keep your recompense for yourself,’ replied the ratcatcherproudly. ‘If you do not pay me I will be paid by your heirs.’

Thereupon he pulled his hat down over his eyes, went hastily out of the hall,and left the town without speaking to a soul.

When the Hamel people heard how the affair had ended they rubbed their hands,and with no more scruple than their Town Counsellor, they laughed over theratcatcher, who, they said, was caught in his own trap. But what made themlaugh above all was his threat of getting himself paid by their heirs. Ha! theywished that they only had such creditors for the rest of their lives.

Next day, which was a Sunday, they all went gaily to church, thinking thatafter Mass they would at last be able to eat some good thing that the rats hadnot tasted before them.

They never suspected the terrible surprise that awaited them on their returnhome. No children anywhere, they had all disappeared!

‘Our children! where are our poor children?’ was the cry that wassoon heard in all the streets.

Then through the east door of the town came three little boys, who cried andwept, and this is what they told:

While the parents were at church a wonderful music had resounded. Soon all thelittle boys and all the little girls that had been left at home had gone out,attracted by the magic sounds, and had rushed to the great market-place. Therethey found the ratcatcher playing his bagpipes at the same spot as the eveningbefore. Then the stranger had begun to walk quickly, and they had followed,running, singing and dancing to the sound of the music, as far as the foot ofthe mountain which one sees on entering Hamel. At their approach the mountainhad opened a little, and the bagpiper had gone in with them, after which it hadclosed again. Only the three little ones who told the adventure had remainedoutside, as if by a miracle. One was bandy-legged and could not run fastenough; the other, who had left the house in haste, one foot shod the otherbare, had hurt himself against a big stone and could not walk withoutdifficulty; the third had arrived in time, but in harrying to go in with theothers had struck so violently against the wall of the mountain that he fellbackwards at the moment it closed upon his comrades.

At this story the parents redoubled their lamentations. They ran with pikes andmattocks to the mountain, and searched till evening to find the opening bywhich their children had disappeared, without being able to find it. At last,the night falling, they returned desolate to Hamel.

But the most unhappy of all was the Town Counsellor, for he lost three littleboys and two pretty little girls, and to crown all, the people of Hameloverwhelmed him with reproaches, forgetting that the evening before they hadall agreed with him.

What had become of all these unfortunate children?

The parents always hoped they were not dead, and that the rat-catcher, whocertainly must have come out of the mountain, would have taken them with him tohis country. That is why for several years they sent in search of them todifferent countries, but no one ever came on the trace of the poor little ones.

It was not till much later that anything was to be heard of them.

About one hundred and fifty years after the event, when there was no longer oneleft of the fathers, mothers, brothers or sisters of that day, there arrivedone evening in Hamel some merchants of Bremen returning from the East, whoasked to speak with the citizens. They told that they, in crossing Hungary, hadsojourned in a mountainous country called Transylvania, where the inhabitantsonly spoke German, while all around them nothing was spoken but Hungarian.These people also declared that they came from Germany, but they did not knowhow they chanced to be in this strange country. ‘Now,’ said themerchants of Bremen, ‘these Germans cannot be other than the descendantsof the lost children of Hamel.’

The people of Hamel did not doubt it; and since that day they regard it ascertain that the Transylvanians of Hungary are their country folk, whoseancestors, as children, were brought there by the ratcatcher. There are moredifficult things to believe than that.^[16]

[16]Ch. Marelles.

THE TRUE HISTORY OF LITTLE GOLDEN HOOD

You know the tale of poor Little Red Riding-hood, that the Wolf deceived anddevoured, with her cake, her little butter can, and her Grandmother; well, thetrue story happened quite differently, as we know now. And first of all thelittle girl was called and is still called Little Golden-hood; secondly, it wasnot she, nor the good grand-dame, but the wicked Wolf who was, in the end,caught and devoured.

Only listen.

The story begins something like the tale.

There was once a little peasant girl, pretty and nice as a star in its season.Her real name was Blanchette, but she was more often called Little Golden-hood,on account of a wonderful little cloak with a hood, gold- and fire-coloured,which she always had on. This little hood was given her by her Grandmother, whowas so old that she did not know her age; it ought to bring her good luck, forit was made of a ray of sunshine, she said. And as the good old woman wasconsidered something of a witch, everyone thought the little hood ratherbewitched too.

And so it was, as you will see.

One day the mother said to the child: ‘Let us see, my little Golden-hood,if you know now how to find your way by yourself. You shall take this goodpiece of cake to your Grandmother for a Sunday treat to-morrow. You will askher how she is, and come back at once, without stopping to chatter on the waywith people you don’t know. Do you quite understand?’

‘I quite understand,’ replied Blanchette gaily. And off she wentwith the cake, quite proud of her errand.

But the Grandmother lived in another village, and there was a big wood to crossbefore getting there. At a turn of the road under the trees, suddenly‘Who goes there?’

‘Friend Wolf.’

He had seen the child start alone, and the villain was waiting to devour her;when at the same moment he perceived some wood-cutters who might observe him,and he changed his mind. Instead of falling upon Blanchette he came frisking upto her like a good dog.

‘’Tis you! my nice Little Golden-hood,’ said he. So thelittle girl stops to talk with the Wolf, who, for all that, she did not know inthe least.

‘You know me, then!’ said she; ‘what is your name?’

‘My name is friend Wolf. And where are you going thus, my pretty one,with your little basket on your arm?’

‘I am going to my Grandmother, to take her a good piece of cake for herSunday treat to-morrow.’

‘And where does she live, your Grandmother?’

‘She lives at the other side of the wood, in the first house in thevillage, near the windmill, you know.’

‘Ah! yes! I know now,’ said the Wolf. ‘Well, that’sjust where I’m going; I shall get there before you, no doubt, with yourlittle bits of legs, and I’ll tell her you’re coming to see her;then she’ll wait for you.’

Thereupon the Wolf cuts across the wood, and in five minutes arrives at theGrandmother’s house.

He knocks at the door: toc, toc.

No answer.

He knocks louder.

Nobody.

Then he stands up on end, puts his two fore-paws on the latch and the dooropens.

Not a soul in the house.

The old woman had risen early to sell herbs in the town, and she had gone offin such haste that she had left her bed unmade, with her great night-cap on thepillow.

‘Good!’ said the Wolf to himself, ‘I know what I’lldo.’

He shuts the door, pulls on the Grandmother’s night-cap down to his eyes,then he lies down all his length in the bed and draws the curtains.

In the meantime the good Blanchette went quietly on her way, as little girlsdo, amusing herself here and there by picking Easter daisies, watching thelittle birds making their nests, and running after the butterflies whichfluttered in the sunshine.

At last she arrives at the door.

Knock, knock.

‘Who is there?’ says the Wolf, softening his rough voice as best hecan.

‘It’s me, Granny, your little Golden-hood. I’m bringing you abig piece of cake for your Sunday treat to-morrow.’

‘Press your finger on the latch, then push and the door opens.’

‘Why, you’ve got a cold, Granny,’ said she, coming in.

‘Ahem! a little, a little...’ replies the Wolf, pretending tocough. ‘Shut the door well, my little lamb. Put your basket on the table,and then take off your frock and come and lie down by me: you shall rest alittle.’

The good child undresses, but observe this! She kept her little hood upon herhead. When she saw what a figure her Granny cut in bed, the poor little thingwas much surprised.

‘Oh!’ cries she, ‘how like you are to friend Wolf,Grandmother!’

‘That’s on account of my night-cap, child,’ replies the Wolf.

‘Oh! what hairy arms you’ve got, Grandmother!’

‘All the better to hug you, my child.’

‘Oh! what a big tongue you’ve got, Grandmother!’

‘All the better for answering, child.’

‘Oh! what a mouthful of great white teeth you have, Grandmother!’

‘That’s for crunching little children with!’ And the Wolfopened his jaws wide to swallow Blanchette.

But she put down her head crying:

‘Mamma! Mamma!’ and the Wolf only caught her little hood.

Thereupon, oh dear! oh dear! he draws back, crying and shaking his jaw as if hehad swallowed red-hot coals.

It was the little fire-coloured hood that had burnt his tongue right down histhroat.

The little hood, you see, was one of those magic caps that they used to have informer times, in the stories, for making oneself invisible or invulnerable.

So there was the Wolf with his throat burnt, jumping off the bed and trying tofind the door, howling and howling as if all the dogs in the country were athis heels.

Just at this moment the Grandmother arrives, returning from the town with herlong sack empty on her shoulder.

‘Ah, brigand!’ she cries, ‘wait a bit!’ Quickly sheopens her sack wide across the door, and the maddened Wolf springs in headdownwards.

It is he now that is caught, swallowed like a letter in the post.

For the brave old dame shuts her sack, so; and she runs and empties it in thewell, where the vagabond, still howling, tumbles in and is drowned.

‘Ah, scoundrel! you thought you would crunch my little grandchild! Well,to-morrow we will make her a muff of your skin, and you yourself shall becrunched, for we will give your carcass to the dogs.’

Thereupon the Grandmother hastened to dress poor Blanchette, who was stilltrembling with fear in the bed.

‘Well,’ she said to her, ‘without my little hood where wouldyou be now, darling?’ And, to restore heart and legs to the child, shemade her eat a good piece of her cake, and drink a good draught of wine, afterwhich she took her by the hand and led her back to the house.

And then, who was it who scolded her when she knew all that had happened?

It was the mother.

But Blanchette promised over and over again that she would never more stop tolisten to a Wolf, so that at last the mother forgave her.

And Blanchette, the Little Golden-hood, kept her word. And in fine weather shemay still be seen in the fields with her pretty little hood, the colour of thesun.

But to see her you must rise early.^[17]

[17]Ch. Marelles.

THE GOLDEN BRANCH

Once upon a time there was a King who was so morose and disagreeable that hewas feared by all his subjects, and with good reason, as for the most triflingoffences he would have their heads cut off. This King Grumpy, as he was called,had one son, who was as different from his father as he could possibly be. Noprince equalled him in cleverness and kindness of heart, but unfortunately hewas most terribly ugly. He had crooked legs and squinting eyes, a large mouthall on one side, and a hunchback. Never was there a beautiful soul in such afrightful little body, but in spite of his appearance everybody loved him. TheQueen, his mother, called him Curlicue, because it was a name she rather liked,and it seemed to suit him.

King Grumpy, who cared a great deal more for his own grandeur than for hisson’s happiness, wished to betroth the Prince to the daughter of aneighbouring King, whose great estates joined his own, for he thought that thisalliance would make him more powerful than ever, and as for the Princess shewould do very well for Prince Curlicue, for she was as ugly as himself. Indeed,though she was the most amiable creature in the world, there was no concealingthe fact that she was frightful, and so lame that she always went about with acrutch, and people called her Princess Cabbage-Stalk.

The King, having asked for and received a portrait of this Princess, had itplaced in his great hall under a canopy, and sent for Prince Curlicue, to whomhe said that as this was the portrait of his future bride, he hoped the Princefound it charming.

The Prince after one glance at it turned away with a disdainful air, whichgreatly offended his father.

‘Am I to understand that you are not pleased?’ he said verysharply.

‘No, sire,’ replied the Prince. ‘How could I be pleased tomarry an ugly, lame Princess?’

‘Certainly it is becoming in youto object to that,’ saidKing Grumpy, ‘since you are ugly enough to frighten anyoneyourself.’

‘That is the very reason,’ said the Prince, ‘that I wish tomarry someone who is not ugly. I am quite tired enough of seeing myself.’

‘I tell you that you shall marry her,’ cried King Grumpy angrily.

And the Prince, seeing that it was of no use to remonstrate, bowed and retired.

As King Grumpy was not used to being contradicted in anything, he was very muchdispleased with his son, and ordered that he should be imprisoned in the towerthat was kept on purpose for rebellious Princes, but had not been used forabout two hundred years, because there had not been any. The Prince thought allthe rooms looked strangely old-fashioned, with their antique furniture, but asthere was a good library he was pleased, for he was very fond of reading, andhe soon got permission to have as many books as he liked. But when he looked atthem he found that they were written in a forgotten language, and he could notunderstand a single word, though he amused himself with trying.

King Grumpy was so convinced that Prince Curlicue would soon get tired of beingin prison, and so consent to marry the Princess Cabbage-Stalk, that he sentambassadors to her father proposing that she should come and be married to hisson, who would make her perfectly happy.

The King was delighted to receive so good an offer for his unlucky daughter,though, to tell the truth, he found it impossible to admire the Prince’sportrait which had been sent to him. However, he had it placed in as favourablea light as possible, and sent for the Princess, but the moment she caught sightof it she looked the other way and began to cry. The King, who was very muchannoyed to see how greatly she disliked it, took a mirror, and holding it upbefore the unhappy Princess, said:

‘I see you do not think the Prince handsome, but look at yourself, andsee if you have any right to complain about that.’

‘Sire,’ she answered, ‘I do not wish to complain, only I begof you do not make me marry at all. I had rather be the unhappy PrincessCabbage-Stalk all my life than inflict the sight of my ugliness on anyoneelse.’

But the King would not listen to her, and sent her away with the ambassadors.

In the meantime the Prince was kept safely locked up in his tower, and, that hemight be as dull as possible, King Grumpy ordered that no one should speak tohim, and that they should give him next to nothing to eat. But all thePrince’s guards were so fond of him that they did everything they dared,in spite of the King, to make the time pass pleasantly.

One day, as the Prince was walking up and down the great gallery, thinking howmiserable it was to be so ugly, and to be forced to marry an equally frightfulPrincess, he looked up suddenly and noticed that the painted windows wereparticularly bright and beautiful, and for the sake of doing something thatwould change his sad thoughts he began to examine them attentively. He foundthat the pictures seemed to be scenes from the life of a man who appeared inevery window, and the Prince, fancying that he saw in this man some resemblanceto himself, began to be deeply interested. In the first window there was apicture of him in one of the turrets of the tower, farther on he was seekingsomething in a chink in the wall, in the next picture he was opening an oldcabinet with a golden key, and so it went on through numbers of scenes, andpresently the Prince noticed that another figure occupied the most importantplace in each scene, and this time it was a tall handsome young man: poorPrince Curlicue found it a pleasure to look at him, he was so straight andstrong. By this time it had grown dark, and the Prince had to go back to hisown room, and to amuse himself he took up a quaint old book and began to lookat the pictures. But his surprise was great to find that they represented thesame scenes as the windows of the gallery, and what was more, that they seemedto be alive. In looking at pictures of musicians he saw their hands move andheard sweet sounds; there was a picture of a ball, and the Prince could watchthe little dancing people come and go. He turned a page, and there was anexcellent smell of a savoury dinner, and one of the figures who sat at thefeast looked at him and said:

‘We drink your health, Curlicue. Try to give us our Queen again, for ifyou do you will be rewarded; if not, it will be the worse for you.’

At these words the Prince, who had been growing more and more astonished, wasfairly terrified, and dropping the book with a crash he sank back insensible.The noise he made brought his guards to his aid, and as soon as he revived theyasked him what was the matter. He answered that he was so faint and giddy withhunger that he had imagined he saw and heard all sorts of strange things.Thereupon, in spite of the King’s orders, the guards gave him anexcellent supper, and when he had eaten it he again opened his book, but couldsee none of the wonderful pictures, which convinced him that he must have beendreaming before.

However, when he went into he gallery next day and looked at the paintedwindows again, he found that they moved, and the figures came and went as ifthey had been alive, and after watching the one who was like himself find thekey in the crack of the turret wall and open the old cabinet, he determined togo and examine the place himself, and try to find out what the mystery was. Sohe went up into the turret and began to search about and tap upon the walls,and all at once he came upon a place that sounded hollow. Taking a hammer hebroke away a bit of the stone, and found behind it a little golden key. Thenext thing to do was to find the cabinet, and the Prince soon came to it,hidden away in a dark corner, though indeed it was so old and battered-lookingthat he would never have noticed it of his own accord. At first he could notsee any keyhole, but after a careful search he found one hidden in the carving,and the golden key just fitted it; so the Prince gave it a vigorous turn andthe doors flew open.

Ugly and old as the cabinet was outside, nothing could have been more rich andbeautiful than what met the Prince’s astonished eyes. Every drawer wasmade of crystal, of amber, or of some precious stone, and was quite full ofevery kind of treasure. Prince Curlicue was delighted; he opened one afteranother, until at last he came to one tiny drawer which contained only anemerald key.

‘I believe that this must open that little golden door in themiddle,’ said the Prince to himself. And he fitted in the little key andturned it. The tiny door swung back, and a soft crimson light gleamed over thewhole cabinet. The Prince found that it proceeded from an immense glowingcarbuncle, made into a box, which lay before him. He lost no time in openingit, but what was his horror when he found that it contained a man’s hand,which was holding a portrait. His first thought was to put back the terriblebox and fly from the turret; but a voice in his ear said, ‘This handbelonged to one whom you can help and restore. Look at this beautiful portrait,the original of which was the cause of all my misfortunes, and if you wish tohelp me, go without a moment’s delay to the great gallery, notice wherethe sun’s rays fall most brightly, and if you seek there you will find mytreasure.’

The voice ceased, and though the Prince in his bewilderment asked variousquestions, he received no answer. So he put back the box and locked the cabinetup again, and, having replaced the key in the crack in the wall, hastened downto the gallery.

When he entered it all the windows shook and clattered in the strangest way,but the Prince did not heed them; he was looking so carefully for the placewhere the sun shone most brightly, and it seemed to him that it was upon theportrait of a most splendidly handsome young man.

He went up and examined it, and found that it rested against the ebony and goldpanelling, just like any of the other pictures in the gallery. He was puzzled,not knowing what to do next, until it occurred to him to see if the windowswould help him, and, looking at the nearest, he saw a picture of himselflifting the picture from the wall.

The Prince took the hint, and lifting aside the picture without difficulty,found himself in a marble hall adorned with statues; from this he passed onthrough numbers of splendid rooms, until at last he reached one all hung withblue gauze. The walls were of turquoises, and upon a low couch lay a lovelylady, who seemed to be asleep. Her hair, black as ebony, was spread across thepillows, making her face look ivory white, and the Prince noticed that she wasunquiet; and when he softly advanced, fearing to wake her, he could hear hersigh, and murmur to herself:

‘Ah! how dared you think to win my love by separating me from my belovedFlorimond, and in my presence cutting off that dear hand that even you shouldhave feared and honoured?’

And then the tears rolled slowly down the lovely lady’s cheeks, andPrince Curlicue began to comprehend that she was under an enchantment, and thatit was the hand of her lover that he had found.

At this moment a huge Eagle flew into the room, holding in its talons a GoldenBranch, upon which were growing what looked like clusters of cherries, onlyevery cherry was a single glowing ruby.

This he presented to the Prince, who guessed by this time that he was in someway to break the enchantment that surrounded the sleeping lady. Taking thebranch he touched her lightly with it, saying:

‘Fair one, I know not by what enchantment thou art bound, but in the nameof thy beloved Florimond I conjure thee to come back to the life which thouhast lost, but not forgotten.’

Instantly the lady opened her lustrous eyes, and saw the Eagle hovering near.

‘Ah! stay, dear love, stay,’ she cried. But the Eagle, uttering adolorous cry, fluttered his broad wings and disappeared. Then the lady turnedto Prince Curlicue, and said:

‘I know that it is to you I owe my deliverance from an enchantment whichhas held me for two hundred years. If there is anything that I can do for youin return, you have only to tell me, and all my fairy power shall be used tomake you happy.’

‘Madam,’ said Prince Curlicue, ‘I wish to be allowed torestore your beloved Florimond to his natural form, since I cannot forget thetears you shed for him.’

‘That is very amiable of you, dear Prince,’ said the Fairy,‘but it is reserved for another person to do that. I cannot explain moreat present. But is there nothing you wish for yourself?’

‘Madam,’ cried the Prince, flinging himself down at her feet,‘only look at my ugliness. I am called Curlicue, and am an object ofderision; I entreat you to make me less ridiculous.’

‘Rise, Prince,’ said the Fairy, touching him with the GoldenBranch. ‘Be as accomplished as you are handsome, and take the name ofPrince Peerless, since that is the only title which will suit you now.’

Silent from joy, the Prince kissed her hand to express his thanks, and when herose and saw his new reflection in the mirrors which surrounded him, heunderstood that Curlicue was indeed gone for ever.

‘How I wish,’ said the Fairy, ‘that I dared to tell you whatis in store for you, and warn you of the traps which lie in your path, but Imust not. Fly from the tower, Prince, and remember that the Fairy Doucelinewill be your friend always.’

When she had finished speaking, the Prince, to his great astonishment, foundhimself no longer in the tower, but set down in a thick forest at least ahundred leagues away from it. And there we must leave him for the present, andsee what was happening elsewhere.

When the guards found that the Prince did not ask for his supper as usual, theywent into his room, and not finding him there, were very much alarmed, andsearched the tower from turret to dungeon, but without success. Knowing thatthe King would certainly have their heads cut off for allowing the Prince toescape, they then agreed to say that he was ill, and after making the smallestamong them look as much like Prince Curlicue as possible, they put him into hisbed and sent to inform the King.

King Grumpy was quite delighted to hear that his son was ill, for he thoughtthat he would all the sooner be brought to do as he wished, and marry thePrincess. So he sent back to the guards to say that the Prince was to betreated as severely as before, which was just what they had hoped he would say.In the meantime the Princess Cabbage-Stalk had reached the palace, travellingin a litter.

King Grumpy went out to meet her, but when he saw her, with a skin like atortoise’s, her thick eyebrows meeting above her large nose, and hermouth from ear to ear, he could not help crying out:

‘Well, I must say Curlicue is ugly enough, but I don’t thinkyouneed have thought twice before consenting to marry him.’

‘Sire,’ she replied, ‘I know too well what I am like to behurt by what you say, but I assure you that I have no wish to marry your son Ihad rather be called Princess Cabbage-Stalk than Queen Curlicue.’

This made King Grumpy very angry.

‘Your father has sent you here to marry my son,’ he said,‘and you may be sure that I am not going to offend him by altering hisarrangements.’ So the poor Princess was sent away in disgrace to her ownapartments, and the ladies who attended upon her were charged to bring her to abetter mind.

At this juncture the guards, who were in great fear that they would be foundout, sent to tell the King that his son was dead, which annoyed him very much.He at once made up his mind that it was entirely the Princess’s fault,and gave orders that she should be imprisoned in the tower in PrinceCurlicue’s place. The Princess Cabbage-Stalk was immensely astonished atthis unjust proceeding, and sent many messages of remonstrance to King Grumpy,but he was in such a temper that no one dared to deliver them, or to send theletters which the Princess wrote to her father. However, as she did not knowthis, she lived in hope of soon going back to her own country, and tried toamuse herself as well as she could until the time should come. Every day shewalked up and down the long gallery, until she too was attracted and fascinatedby the ever-changing pictures in the windows, and recognised herself in one ofthe figures. ‘They seem to have taken a great delight in painting mesince I came to this country,’ she said to herself. ‘One wouldthink that I and my crutch were put in on purpose to make that slim, charmingyoung shepherdess in the next picture look prettier by contrast. Ah! how niceit would be to be as pretty as that.’ And then she looked at herself in amirror, and turned away quickly with tears in her eyes from the doleful sight.All at once she became aware that she was not alone, for behind her stood atiny old woman in a cap, who was as ugly again as herself and quite as lame.

‘Princess,’ she said, ‘your regrets are so piteous that Ihave come to offer you the choice of goodness or beauty. If you wish to bepretty you shall have your way, but you will also be vain, capricious, andfrivolous. If you remain as you are now, you shall be wise and amiable andmodest.’

‘Alas! madam,’ cried the Princess, ‘is it impossible to beat once wise and beautiful?’

‘No, child,’ answered the old woman, ‘only to you it isdecreed that you must choose between the two. See, I have brought with me mywhite and yellow muff. Breathe upon the yellow side and you will become likethe pretty shepherdess you so much admire, and you will have won the love ofthe handsome shepherd whose picture I have already seen you studying withinterest. Breathe upon the white side and your looks will not alter, but youwill grow better and happier day by day. Now you may choose.’

‘Ah well,’ said the Princess, ‘I suppose one can’t haveeverything, and it’s certainly better to be good than pretty.’

And so she breathed upon the white side of the muff and thanked the old fairy,who immediately disappeared. The Princess Cabbage-Stalk felt very forlorn whenshe was gone, and began to think that it was quite time her father sent an armyto rescue her.

‘If I could but get up into the turret,’ she thought, ‘to seeif any one is coming.’ But to climb up there seemed impossible.Nevertheless she presently hit upon a plan. The great clock was in the turret,as she knew, though the weights hung down into the gallery. Taking one of themoff the rope, she tied herself on in its place, and when the clock was wound,up she went triumphantly into the turret. She looked out over the country thefirst thing, but seeing nothing she sat down to rest a little, and accidentallyleant back against the wall which Curlicue, or rather Prince Peerless, had sohastily mended. Out fell the broken stone, and with it the golden key. Theclatter it made upon the floor attracted the Princess Cabbage-Stalk’sattention.

She picked it up, and after a moment’s consideration decided that it mustbelong to the curious old cabinet in the corner, which had no visible keyhole.And then it was not long before she had it open, and was admiring the treasuresit contained as much as Prince Peerless had done before her, and at last shecame to the carbuncle box. No sooner had she opened it than with a shudder ofhorror she tried to throw it down, but found that some mysterious powercompelled her to hold it against her will. And at this moment a voice in herear said softly:

‘Take courage, Princess; upon this adventure your future happinessdepends.’

‘What am I to do?’ said the Princess trembling.

‘Take the box,’ replied the voice, ‘and hide it under yourpillow, and when you see an Eagle, give it to him without losing amoment.’

Terrified as the Princess was, she did not hesitate to obey, and hastened toput back all the other precious things precisely as she had found them. By thistime her guards were seeking her everywhere, and they were amazed to find herup in the turret, for they said she could only have got there by magic. Forthree days nothing happened, but at last in the night the Princess heardsomething flutter against her window, and drawing back her curtains she saw inthe moonlight that it was an Eagle.

Limping across at her utmost speed she threw the window open, and the greatEagle sailed in beating with his wings for joy. The Princess lost no time inoffering it the carbuncle box, which it grasped in its talons, and instantlydisappeared, leaving in its place the most beautiful Prince she had ever seen,who was splendidly dressed, and wore a diamond crown.

‘Princess,’ said he, ‘for two hundred years has a wickedenchanter kept me here. We both loved the same Fairy, but she preferred me.However, he was more powerful than I, and succeeded, when for a moment I wasoff my guard, in changing me into an Eagle, while my Queen was left in anenchanted sleep. I knew that after two hundred years a Prince would recall herto the light of day, and a Princess, in restoring to me the hand which my enemyhad cut off, would give me back my natural form. The Fairy who watches overyour destiny told me this, and it was she who guided you to the cabinet in theturret, where she had placed my hand. It is she also who permits me to show mygratitude to you by granting whatever favour you may ask of me. Tell me,Princess, what is it that you wish for most? Shall I make you as beautiful asyou deserve to be?’

‘Ah, if you only would!’ cried the Princess, and at the same momentshe heard a crick-cracking in all her bones. She grew tall and straight andpretty, with eyes like shining stars, and a skin as white as milk.

‘Oh, wonderful! can this really be my poor little self?’ sheexclaimed, looking down in amazement at her tiny worn-out crutch as it lay uponthe floor.

‘Indeed, Princess,’ replied Florimond, ‘it is yourself, butyou must have a new name, since the old one does not suit you now. Be calledPrincess Sunbeam, for you are bright and charming enough to deserve thename.’

And so saying he disappeared, and the Princess, without knowing how she gotthere, found herself walking under shady trees by a clear river. Of course, thefirst thing she did was to look at her own reflection in the water, and she wasextremely surprised to find that she was exactly like the shepherdess she hadso much admired, and wore the same white dress and flowery wreath that she hadseen in the painted windows. To complete the resemblance, her flock of sheepappeared, grazing round her, and she found a gay crook adorned with flowersupon the bank of the river. Quite tired out by so many new and wonderfulexperiences, the Princess sat down to rest at the foot of a tree, and there shefell fast asleep. Now it happened that it was in this very country that PrincePeerless had been set down, and while the Princess Sunbeam was still sleepingpeacefully, he came strolling along in search of a shady pasture for his sheep.

The moment he caught sight of the Princess he recognised her as the charmingshepherdess whose picture he had seen so often in the tower, and as she was farprettier than he had remembered her, he was delighted that chance had led himthat way.

He was still watching her admiringly when the Princess opened her eyes, and asshe also recognised him they were soon great friends. The Princess asked PrincePeerless, as he knew the country better than she did, to tell her of somepeasant who would give her a lodging, and he said he knew of an old woman whosecottage would be the very place for her, it was so nice and so pretty. So theywent there together, and the Princess was charmed with the old woman andeverything belonging to her. Supper was soon spread for her under a shady tree,and she invited the Prince to share the cream and brown bread which the oldwoman provided. This he was delighted to do, and having first fetched from hisown garden all the strawberries, cherries, nuts and flowers he could find, theysat down together and were very merry. After this they met every day as theyguarded their flocks, and were so happy that Prince Peerless begged thePrincess to marry him, so that they might never be parted again. Now though thePrincess Sunbeam appeared to be only a poor shepherdess, she never forgot thatshe was a real Princess, and she was not at all sure that she ought to marry ahumble shepherd, though she knew she would like to do so very much.

So she resolved to consult an Enchanter of whom she had heard a great dealsince she had been a shepherdess, and without saying a word to anybody she setout to find the castle in which he lived with his sister, who was a powerfulFairy. The way was long, and lay through a thick wood, where the Princess heardstrange voices calling to her from every side, but she was in such a hurry thatshe stopped for nothing, and at last she came to the courtyard of theEnchanter’s castle.

The grass and briers were growing as high as if it were a hundred years sinceanyone had set foot there, but the Princess got through at last, though shegave herself a good many scratches by the way, and then she went into a dark,gloomy hall, where there was but one tiny hole in the wall through which thedaylight could enter. The hangings were all of bats’ wings, and from theceiling hung twelve cats, who filled the hall with their ear piercing yells.Upon the long table twelve mice were fastened by the tail, and just in front ofeach one’s nose, but quite beyond its reach, lay a tempting morsel of fatbacon. So the cats could always see the mice, but could not touch them, and thehungry mice were tormented by the sight and smell of the delicious morselswhich they could never seize.

The Princess was looking at the poor creatures in dismay, when the Enchantersuddenly entered, wearing a long black robe and with a crocodile upon his head.In his hand he carried a whip made of twenty long snakes, all alive andwrithing, and the Princess was so terrified at the sight that she heartilywished she had never come. Without saying a word she ran to the door, but itwas covered with a thick spider’s web, and when she broke it she foundanother, and another, and another. In fact, there was no end to them; thePrincess’s arms ached with tearing them down, and yet she was no nearerto getting out, and the wicked Enchanter behind her laughed maliciously. Atlast he said:

‘You might spend the rest of your life over that without doing any good,but as you are young, and quite the prettiest creature I have seen for a longtime, I will marry you if you like, and I will give you those cats and micethat you see there for your own. They are princes and princesses who havehappened to offend me. They used to love one another as much as they now hateone another. Aha! It’s a pretty little revenge to keep them likethat.’

‘Oh! If you would only change me into a mouse too,’ cried thePrincess.

‘Oh! so you won’t marry me?’ said he. ‘Littlesimpleton, you should have everything heart can desire.’

‘No, indeed; nothing should make me marry you; in fact, I don’tthink I shall ever love anyone,’ cried the Princess.

‘In that case,’ said the Enchanter, touching her, ‘you hadbetter become a particular kind of creature that is neither fish nor fowl; youshall be light and airy, and as green as the grass you live in. Off with you,Madam Grasshopper.’ And the Princess, rejoicing to find herself free oncemore, skipped out into the garden, the prettiest little green Grasshopper inthe world. But as soon as she was safely out she began to be rather sorry forherself.

‘Ah! Florimond,’ she sighed, ‘is this the end of your gift?Certainly beauty is short-lived, and this funny little face and a green crapedress are a comical end to it. I had better have married my amiable shepherd.It must be for my pride that I am condemned to be a Grasshopper, and sing dayand night in the grass by this brook, when I feel far more inclined tocry.’

In the meantime Prince Peerless had discovered the Princess’s absence,and was lamenting over it by the river’s brim, when he suddenly becameaware of the presence of a little old woman. She was quaintly dressed in a ruffand farthingale, and a velvet hood covered her snow-white hair.

‘You seem sorrowful, my son,’ she said. ‘What is thematter?’

‘Alas! mother,’ answered the Prince, ‘I have lost my sweetshepherdess, but I am determined to find her again, though I should have totraverse the whole world in search of her.’

‘Go that way, my son,’ said the old woman, pointing towards thepath that led to the castle. ‘I have an idea that you will soon overtakeher.’

The Prince thanked her heartily and set out. As he met with no hindrance, hesoon reached the enchanted wood which surrounded the castle, and there hethought he saw the Princess Sunbeam gliding before him among the trees. PrincePeerless hastened after her at the top of his speed, but could not get anynearer; then he called to her:

‘Sunbeam, my darling—only wait for me a moment.’

But the phantom did but fly the faster, and the Prince spent the whole day inthis vain pursuit. When night came he saw the castle before him all lighted up,and as he imagined that the Princess must be in it, he made haste to get theretoo. He entered without difficulty, and in the hall the terrible old Fairy methim. She was so thin that the light shone through her, and her eyes glowed likelamps; her skin was like a shark’s, her arms were thin as laths, and herfingers like spindles. Nevertheless she wore rouge and patches, a mantle ofsilver brocade and a crown of diamonds, and her dress was covered with jewels,and green and pink ribbons.

‘At last you have come to see me, Prince,’ said she.‘Don’t waste another thought upon that little shepherdess, who isunworthy of your notice. I am the Queen of the Comets, and can bring you togreat honour if you will marry me.’

‘Marry you, Madam,’ cried the Prince, in horror. ‘No, I willnever consent to that.’

Thereupon the Fairy, in a rage, gave two strokes of her wand and filled thegallery with horrible goblins, against whom the Prince had to fight for hislife. Though he had only his dagger, he defended himself so well that heescaped without any harm, and presently the old Fairy stopped the fray andasked the Prince if he was still of the same mind. When he answered firmly thathe was, she called up the appearance of the Princess Sunbeam to the other endof the gallery, and said:

‘You see your beloved there? Take care what you are about, for if youagain refuse to marry me she shall be torn in pieces by two tigers.’

The Prince was distracted, for he fancied he heard his dear shepherdess weepingand begging him to save her. In despair he cried:

‘Oh, Fairy Douceline, have you abandoned me after so many promises offriendship? Help, help us now!’

Immediately a soft voice said in his ear:

‘Be firm, happen what may, and seek the Golden Branch.’

Thus encouraged, the Prince persevered in his refusal, and at length the oldFairy in a fury cried:

‘Get out of my sight, obstinate Prince. Become a Cricket!’

And instantly the handsome Prince Peerless became a poor little black Cricket,whose only idea would have been to find himself a cosy cranny behind someblazing hearth, if he had not luckily remembered the Fairy Douceline’sinjunction to seek the Golden Branch.

So he hastened to depart from the fatal castle, and sought shelter in a hollowtree, where he found a forlorn looking little Grasshopper crouching in acorner, too miserable to sing.

Without in the least expecting an answer, the Prince asked it:

‘And where may you be going, Gammer Grasshopper?’

‘Where are you going yourself, Gaffer Cricket?’ replied theGrasshopper.

‘What! can you speak?’ said he.

‘Why should I not speak as well as you? Isn’t a Grasshopper as goodas a Cricket?’ said she.

‘I can talk because I was a Prince,’ said the Cricket.

‘And for that very same reason I ought to be able to talk more than you,for I was a Princess,’ replied the Grasshopper.

‘Then you have met with the same fate as I have,’ said he.‘But where are you going now? Cannot we journey together?’

‘I seemed to hear a voice in the air which said: “Be firm, happenwhat may, and seek the Golden Branch,”’ answered the Grasshopper,‘and I thought the command must be for me, so I started at once, though Idon’t know the way.’

At this moment their conversation was interrupted by two mice, who, breathlessfrom running, flung themselves headlong through the hole into the tree, nearlycrushing the Grasshopper and the Cricket, though they got out of the way asfast as they could and stood up in a dark corner.

‘Ah, Madam,’ said the fatter of the two, ‘I have such a painin my side from running so fast. How does your Highness find yourself?’

‘I have pulled my tail off,’ replied the younger Mouse, ‘butas I should still be on the sorcerer’s table unless I had, I do notregret it. Are we pursued, think you? How lucky we were to escape!’

‘I only trust that we may escape cats and traps, and reach the GoldenBranch soon,’ said the fat Mouse.

‘You know the way then?’ said the other.

‘Oh dear, yes! as well as the way to my own house, Madam. This GoldenBranch is indeed a marvel, a single leaf from it makes one rich for ever. Itbreaks enchantments, and makes all who approach it young and beautiful. We mustset out for it at the break of day.’

‘May we have the honour of travelling with you—this respectableCricket and myself?’ said the Grasshopper, stepping forward. ‘Wealso are on a pilgrimage to the Golden Branch.’

The Mice courteously assented, and after many polite speeches the whole partyfell asleep. With the earliest dawn they were on their way, and though the Micewere in constant fear of being overtaken or trapped, they reached the GoldenBranch in safety.

It grew in the midst of a wonderful garden, all the paths of which were strewnwith pearls as big as peas. The roses were crimson diamonds, with emeraldleaves. The pomegranates were garnets, the marigolds topazes, the daffodilsyellow diamonds, the violets sapphires, the corn-flowers turquoises, the tulipsamethysts, opals and diamonds, so that the garden borders blazed like the sun.The Golden Branch itself had become as tall as a forest tree, and sparkled withruby cherries to its topmost twig. No sooner had the Grasshopper and theCricket touched it than they were restored to their natural forms, and theirsurprise and joy were great when they recognised each other. At this momentFlorimond and the Fairy Douceline appeared in great splendour, and the Fairy,as she descended from her chariot, said with a smile:

‘So you two have found one another again, I see, but I have still asurprise left for you. Don’t hesitate, Princess, to tell your devotedshepherd how dearly you love him, as he is the very Prince your father sent youto marry. So come here both of you and let me crown you, and we will have thewedding at once.’

The Prince and Princess thanked her with all their hearts, and declared that toher they owed all their happiness, and then the two Princesses, who had solately been Mice, came and begged that the Fairy would use her power to releasetheir unhappy friends who were still under the Enchanter’s spell.

‘Really,’ said the Fairy Douceline, ‘on this happy occasion Icannot find it in my heart to refuse you anything.’ And she gave threestrokes of her wand upon the Golden Branch, and immediately all the prisonersin the Enchanter’s castle found themselves free, and came with all speedto the wonderful garden, where one touch of the Golden Branch restored each oneto his natural form, and they greeted one another with many rejoicings. Tocomplete her generous work the Fairy presented them with the wonderful cabinetand all the treasures it contained, which were worth at least ten kingdoms. Butto Prince Peerless and the Princess Sunbeam she gave the palace and garden ofthe Golden Branch, where, immensely rich and greatly beloved by all theirsubjects, they lived happily ever after.^[18]

[18]Le Rameau d’Or. Par Madame d’Aulnoy.

THE THREE DWARFS

There was once upon a time a man who lost his wife, and a woman who lost herhusband; and the man had a daughter and so had the woman. The two girls weregreat friends and used often to play together. One day the woman turned to theman’s daughter and said:

‘Go and tell your father that I will marry him, and then you shall washin milk and drink wine, but my own daughter shall wash in water and drink ittoo.’

The girl went straight home and told her father what the woman had said.

‘What am I to do?’ he answered. ‘Marriage is either a successor it is a failure.’

At last, being of an undecided character and not being able to make up hismind, he took off his boot, and handing it to his daughter, said:

‘Take this boot which has a hole in the sole, hang it up on a nail in thehayloft, and pour water into it. If it holds water I will marry again, but ifit doesn’t I won’t.’ The girl did as she was bid, but thewater drew the hole together and the boot filled up to the very top. So shewent and told her father the result. He got up and went to see for himself, andwhen he saw that it was true and no mistake, he accepted his fate, proposed tothe widow, and they were married at once.

On the morning after the wedding, when the two girls awoke, milk was standingfor the man’s daughter to wash in and wine for her to drink; but for thewoman’s daughter, only water to wash in and only water to drink. On thesecond morning, water to wash in and water to drink was standing for theman’s daughter as well. And on the third morning, water to wash in andwater to drink was standing for the man’s daughter, and milk to wash inand wine to drink for the woman’s daughter; and so it continued everafter. The woman hated her stepdaughter from the bottom of her heart, and didall she could to make her life miserable. She was as jealous as she couldpossibly be, because the girl was so beautiful and charming, while her owndaughter was both ugly and repulsive.

One winter’s day when there was a hard frost, and mountain and valleywere covered with snow, the woman made a dress of paper, and calling the girlto her said:

‘There, put on this dress and go out into the wood and fetch me a basketof strawberries!’

‘Now Heaven help us,’ replied her stepdaughter; ‘strawberriesdon’t grow in winter; the earth is all frozen and the snow has covered upeverything; and why send me in a paper dress? it is so cold outside thatone’s very breath freezes; the wind will whistle through my dress, andthe brambles tear it from my body.’

‘How dare you contradict me!’ said her stepmother; ‘be offwith you at once, and don’t show your face again till you have filled thebasket with strawberries.’

Then she gave her a hard crust of bread, saying:

‘That will be enough for you to-day,’ and she thought to herself:‘The girl will certainly perish of hunger and cold outside, and Ishan’t be bothered with her any more.’

The girl was so obedient that she put on the paper dress and set out with herlittle basket. There was nothing but snow far and near, and not a green bladeof grass to be seen anywhere. When she came to the wood she saw a little house,and out of it peeped three little dwarfs. She wished them good-day, and knockedmodestly at the door. They called out to her to enter, so she stepped in andsat down on a seat by the fire, wishing to warm herself and eat her breakfast.The Dwarfs said at once: ‘Give us some of your food!’

‘Gladly,’ she said, and breaking her crust in two, she gave themthe half.

Then they asked her what she was doing in the depths of winter in her thindress.

‘Oh,’ she answered, ‘I have been sent to get a basketful ofstrawberries, and I daren’t show my face again at home till I bring themwith me.’

When she had finished her bread they gave her a broom and told her to sweepaway the snow from the back door. As soon as she left the room to do so, thethree little men consulted what they should give her as a reward for being sosweet and good, and for sharing her last crust with them.

The first said: ‘Every day she shall grow prettier.’

The second: ‘Every time she opens her mouth a piece of gold shall fallout.’

And the third: ‘A King shall come and marry her.’

The girl in the meantime was doing as the Dwarfs had bidden her, and wassweeping the snow away from the back door, and what do you think she foundthere?—heaps of fine ripe strawberries that showed out dark red againstthe white snow. She joyfully picked enough to fill her basket, thanked thelittle men for their kindness, shook hands with them, and ran home to bring herstepmother what she had asked for. When she walked in and said; Goodevening,’ a piece of gold fell out of her mouth. Then she told what hadhappened to her in the wood, and at every word pieces of gold dropped from hermouth, so that the room was soon covered with them.

‘She’s surely more money than wit to throw gold about likethat,’ said her stepsister, but in her secret heart she was very jealous,and determined that she too would go to the wood and look for strawberries. Buther mother refused to let her go, saying:

‘My dear child, it is far too cold; you might freeze to death.’

The girl however left her no peace, so she was forced at last to give in, butshe insisted on her putting on a beautiful fur cloak, and she gave her breadand butter and cakes to eat on the way.

The girl went straight to the little house in the wood, and as before the threelittle men were looking out of the window. She took no notice of them, andwithout as much as ‘By your leave,’ or ‘With yourleave,’ she flounced into the room, sat herself down at the fire, andbegan to eat her bread and butter and cakes.

‘Give us some,’ cried the Dwarfs.

But she answered: ‘No, I won’t, it’s hardly enough formyself; so catch me giving you any.’

When she had finished eating they said:

‘There’s a broom for you, go and clear up our back door.’

‘I’ll see myself further,’ she answered rudely. ‘Do ityourselves; I’m not your servant.’

When she saw that they did not mean to give her anything, she left the house inno amiable frame of mind. Then the three little men consulted what they shoulddo to her, because she was so bad and had such an evil, covetous heart, thatshe grudged everybody their good fortune.

The first said: ‘She shall grow uglier every day.’

The second: ‘Every time she speaks a toad shall jump out of hermouth.’

And the third: ‘She shall die a most miserable death.’

The girl searched for strawberries, but she found none, and returned home in avery bad temper. When she opened her mouth to tell her mother what had befallenher in the wood, a toad jumped out, so that everyone was quite disgusted withher.

Then the stepmother was more furious than ever, and did nothing but plotmischief against the man’s daughter, who was daily growing more and morebeautiful. At last, one day the wicked woman took a large pot, put it on thefire and boiled some yarn in it. When it was well scalded she hung it round thepoor girl’s shoulder, and giving her an axe, she bade her break a hole inthe frozen river, and rinse the yarn in it. Her stepdaughter obeyed as usual,and went and broke a hole in the ice. When she was in the act of wringing outthe yarn a magnificent carriage passed, and the King sat inside. The carriagestood still, and the King asked her:

‘My child, who are you, and what in the wide world are you doinghere?’

‘I am only a poor girl,’ she answered, ‘and am rinsing out myyarn in the river.’ Then the King was sorry for her, and when he saw howbeautiful she was he said:

‘Will you come away with me?’

‘Most gladly,’ she replied, for she knew how willingly she wouldleave her stepmother and sister, and how glad they would be to be rid of her.

So she stepped into the carriage and drove away with the King, and when theyreached his palace the wedding was celebrated with much splendour. So allturned out just as the three little Dwarfs had said. After a year the Queengave birth to a little son. When her stepmother heard of her good fortune shecame to the palace with her daughter by way of paying a call, and took up herabode there. Now one day, when the King was out and nobody else near, the badwoman took the Queen by her head, and the daughter took her by her heels, andthey dragged her from her bed, and flung her out of the window into the streamwhich flowed beneath it. Then the stepmother laid her ugly daughter in theQueen’s place, and covered her up with the clothes, so that nothing ofher was seen. When the King came home and wished to speak to his wife the womancalled out:

‘Quietly, quietly! this will never do; your wife is very ill, you mustlet her rest all to-day.’ The King suspected no evil, and didn’tcome again till next morning. When he spoke to his wife and she answered him,instead of the usual piece of gold a toad jumped out of her mouth. Then heasked what it meant, and the old woman told him it was nothing but weakness,and that she would soon be all right again.

But that same evening the scullion noticed a duck swimming up the gutter,saying as it passed:

‘What does the King, I pray you tell,
Is he awake or sleeps he well?’

and receiving no reply, it continued:

‘And all my guests, are they asleep?’

and the Scullion answered:

‘Yes, one and all they slumber deep.’

Then the Duck went on:

‘And what about my baby dear?’

and he answered:

‘Oh, it sleeps soundly, never fear.’

Then the Duck assumed the Queen’s shape, went up to the child’sroom, tucked him up comfortably in his cradle, and then swam back down thegutter again, in the likeness of a Duck. This was repeated for two nights, andon the third the Duck said to the Scullion:

‘Go and tell the King to swing his sword three times over me on thethreshold.’

The Scullion did as the creature bade him, and the King came with his sword andswung it three times over the bird, and lo and behold! his wife stood beforehim once more, alive, and as blooming as ever.

The King rejoiced greatly, but he kept the Queen in hiding till the Sunday onwhich the child was to be christened. After the christening he said:

‘What punishment does that person deserve who drags another out of bed,and throws him or her, as the case may be, into the water?’

Then the wicked old stepmother answered:

‘No better fate than to be put into a barrel lined with sharp nails, andto be rolled in it down the hill into the water.’

‘You have pronounced your own doom,’ said the King; and he ordereda barrel to be made lined with sharp nails, and in it he put the bad old womanand her daughter. Then it was fastened down securely, and the barrel was rolleddown the hill till it fell into the river.^[19]

[19]Grimm.

DAPPLEGRIM

There was once upon a time a couple of rich folks who had twelve sons, and whenthe youngest was grown up he would not stay at home any longer, but would goout into the world and seek his fortune. His father and mother said that theythought he was very well off at home, and that he was welcome to stay withthem; but he could not rest, and said that he must and would go, so at lastthey had to give him leave. When he had walked a long way, he came to aKing’s palace. There he asked for a place and got it.

Now the daughter of the King of that country had been carried off into themountains by a Troll, and the King had no other children, and for this causeboth he and all his people were full of sorrow and affliction, and the King hadpromised the Princess and half his kingdom to anyone who could set her free;but there was no one who could do it, though a great number had tried. So whenthe youth had been there for the space of a year or so, he wanted to go homeagain to pay his parents a visit; but when he got there his father and motherwere dead, and his brothers had divided everything that their parents possessedbetween themselves, so that there was nothing at all left for him.

‘Shall I, then, receive nothing at all of my inheritance?’ askedthe youth.

‘Who could know that you were still alive—you who have been awanderer so long?’ answered the brothers. ‘However, there aretwelve mares upon the hills which we have not yet divided among us, and if youwould like to have them for your share, you may take them.’

So the youth, well pleased with this, thanked them, and at once set off to thehill where the twelve mares were at pasture. When he got up there and foundthem, each mare had her foal, and by the side of one of them was a bigdapple-grey foal as well, which was so sleek that it shone again.

‘Well, my little foal, you are a fine fellow!’ said the youth.

‘Yes, but if you will kill all the other little foals so that I can suckall the mares for a year, you shall see how big and handsome I shall bethen!’ said the Foal.

So the youth did this—he killed all the twelve foals, and then went backagain.

Next year, when he came home again to look after his mares and the foal, it wasas fat as it could be, and its coat shone with brightness, and it was so bigthat the lad had the greatest difficulty in getting on its back, and each ofthe mares had another foal.

‘Well, it’s very evident that I have lost nothing by letting yousuck all my mares,’ said the lad to the yearling; ‘but now you arequite big enough, and must come away with me.’

‘No,’ said the Colt, ‘I must stay here another year; kill thetwelve little foals, and then I can suck all the mares this year also, and youshall see how big and handsome I shall be by summer.’

So the youth did it again, and when he went up on the hill next year to lookafter his colt and the mares, each of the mares had her foal again; but thedappled colt was so big that when the lad wanted to feel its neck to see howfat it was, he could not reach up to it, it was so high, and it was so brightthat the light glanced off its coat.

‘Big and handsome you were last year, my colt, but this year you are everso much handsomer,’ said the youth; ‘in all the King’s courtno such horse is to be found. But now you shall come away with me.’

‘No,’ said the dappled Colt once more; ‘here I must stay foranother year. Just kill the twelve little foals again, so that I can suck themares this year also, and then come and look at me in the summer.’

So the youth did it—he killed all the little foals, and then went homeagain.

But next year, when he returned to look after the dappled colt and the mares,he was quite appalled. He had never imagined that any horse could become so bigand overgrown, for the dappled horse had to lie down on all fours before theyouth could get on his back, and it was very hard to do that even when it waslying down, and it was so plump that its coat shone and glistened just as if ithad been a looking-glass. This time the dappled horse was not unwilling to goaway with the youth, so he mounted it, and when he came riding home to hisbrothers they all smote their hands together and crossed themselves, for neverin their lives had they either seen or heard tell of such a horse as that.

‘If you will procure me the best shoes for my horse, and the mostmagnificent saddle and bridle that can be found,’ said the youth,‘you may have all my twelve mares just as they are standing out on thehill, and their twelve foals into the bargain.’ For this year also eachmare had her foal. The brothers were quite willing to do this; so the lad gotsuch shoes for his horse that the sticks and stones flew high up into the airas he rode away over the hills, and such a gold saddle and such a gold bridlethat they could be seen glittering and glancing from afar.

‘And now we will go to the King’s palace,’ saidDapplegrim—that was the horse’s name, ‘but bear in mind thatyou must ask the King for a good stable and excellent fodder for me.’

So the lad promised not to forget to do that. He rode to the palace, and itwill be easily understood that with such a horse as he had he was not long onthe way.

When he arrived there, the King was standing out on the steps, and how he didstare at the man who came riding up!

‘Nay,’ said he, ‘never in my whole life have I seen such aman and such a horse.’

And when the youth inquired if he could have a place in the King’spalace, the King was so delighted that he could have danced on the steps wherehe was standing, and there and then the lad was told that he should have aplace.

‘Yes; but I must have a good stable and most excellent fodder for myhorse,’ said he.

So they told him that he should have sweet hay and oats, and as much of them asthe dappled horse chose to have, and all the other riders had to take theirhorses out of the stable that Dapplegrim might stand alone and really haveplenty of room.

But this did not last long, for the other people in the King’s Courtbecame envious of the lad, and there was no bad thing that they would not havedone to him if they had but dared. At last they bethought themselves of tellingthe King that the youth had said that, if he chose, he was quite able to rescuethe Princess who had been carried off into the mountain a long time ago by theTroll.

The King immediately summoned the lad into his presence, and said that he hadbeen informed that he had said that it was in his power to rescue the Princess,so he was now to do it. If he succeeded in this, he no doubt knew that the Kinghad promised his daughter and half the kingdom to anyone who set her free,which promise should be faithfully and honourably kept, but if he failed heshould be put to death. The youth denied that he had said this, but all to nopurpose, for the King was deaf to all his words; so there was nothing to bedone but say that he would make the attempt.

He went down into the stable, and very sad and full of care he was. ThenDapplegrim inquired why he was so troubled, and the youth told him, and saidthat he did not know what to do, ‘for as to setting the Princess free,that was downright impossible.’

‘Oh, but it might be done,’ said Dapplegrim. ‘I will helpyou; but you must first have me well shod. You must ask for ten pounds of ironand twelve pounds of steel for the shoeing, and one smith to hammer and one tohold.’

So the youth did this, and no one said him nay. He got both the iron and thesteel, and the smiths, and thus was Dapplegrim shod strongly and well, and whenthe youth went out of the King’s palace a cloud of dust rose up behindhim. But when he came to the mountain into which the Princess had been carried,the difficulty was to ascend the precipitous wall of rock by which he was toget on to the mountain beyond, for the rock stood right up on end, as steep asa house side and as smooth as a sheet of glass. The first time the youth rodeat it he got a little way up the precipice, but then both Dapplegrim’sfore legs slipped, and down came horse and rider with a sound like thunderamong the mountains. The next time that he rode at it he got a little fartherup, but then one of Dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down they wentwith the sound of a landslip. But the third time Dapplegrim said: ‘Now wemust show what we can do,’ and went at it once more till the stonessprang up sky high, and thus they got up. Then the lad rode into the mountaincleft at full gallop and caught up the Princess on his saddle-bow, and then outagain before the Troll even had time to stand up, and thus the Princess was setfree.

When the youth returned to the palace the King was both happy and delighted toget his daughter back again, as may easily be believed, but somehow or otherthe people about the Court had so worked on him that he was angry with the ladtoo. ‘Thou shalt have my thanks for setting my Princess free,’ hesaid, when the youth came into the palace with her, and was then about to goaway.

She ought to be just as much my Princess as she is yours now, for you are a manof your word,’ said the youth.

‘Yes, yes,’ said the King. ‘Have her thou shalt, as I havesaid it; but first of all thou must make the sun shine into my palacehere.’

For there was a large and high hill outside the windows which overshadowed thepalace so much that the sun could not shine in.

‘That was no part of our bargain,’ answered the youth. ‘Butas nothing that I can say will move you, I suppose I shall have to try to do mybest, for the Princess I will have.’

So he went down to Dapplegrim again and told him what the King desired, andDapplegrim thought that it might easily be done; but first of all he must havenew shoes, and ten pounds of iron and twelve pounds of steel must go to themaking of them, and two smiths were also necessary, one to hammer and one tohold, and then it would be very easy to make the sun shine into theKing’s palace.

The lad asked for these things and obtained them instantly, for the Kingthought that for very shame he could not refuse to give them, and so Dapplegrimgot new shoes, and they were good ones. The youth seated himself on him, andonce more they went their way, and for each hop that Dapplegrim made, down wentthe hill fifteen ells into the earth, and so they went on until there was nohill left for the King to see.

When the youth came down again to the King’s palace he asked the King ifthe Princess should not at last be his, for now no one could say that the sunwas not shining into the palace. But the other people in the palace had againstirred up the King, and he answered that the youth should have her, and thathe had never intended that he should not; but first of all he must get herquite as good a horse to ride to the wedding on as that which he had himself.The youth said that the King had never told him he was to do that, and itseemed to him that he had now really earned the Princess; but the King stuck towhat he had said, and if the youth were unable to do it he was to lose hislife, the King said. The youth went down to the stable again, and very sad andsorrowful he was, as anyone may well imagine. Then he told Dapplegrim that theKing had now required that he should get the Princess as good a bridal horse asthat which the bridegroom had, or he should lose his life. ‘But that willbe no easy thing to do,’ said he, ‘for your equal is not to befound in all the world.’

‘Oh yes, there is one to match me,’ said Dapplegrim. ‘But itwill not be easy to get him, for he is underground. However, we will try. Nowyou must go up to the King and ask for new shoes for me, and for them we mustagain have ten pounds of iron, twelve pounds of steel, and two smiths, one tohammer and one to hold, but be very particular to see that the hooks are verysharp. And you must also ask for twelve barrels of rye, and twelve slaughteredoxen must we have with us, and all the twelve ox-hides with twelve hundredspikes set in each of them; all these things must we have, likewise a barrel oftar with twelve tons of tar in it. The youth went to the King and asked for allthe things that Dapplegrim had named, and once more, as the King thought thatit would be disgraceful to refuse them to him, he obtained them all.

So he mounted Dapplegrim and rode away from the Court, and when he had riddenfor a long, long time over hills and moors, Dapplegrim asked: ‘Do youhear anything?’

‘Yes; there is such a dreadful whistling up above in the air that I thinkI am growing alarmed,’ said the youth.

‘That is all the wild birds in the forest flying about; they are sent tostop us,’ said Dapplegrim. ‘But just cut a hole in the corn sacks,and then they will be so busy with the corn that they will forget us.’

The youth did it. He cut holes in the corn sacks so that barley and rye ran outon every side, and all the wild birds that were in the forest came in suchnumbers that they darkened the sun. But when they caught sight of the corn theycould not refrain from it, but flew down and began to scratch and pick at thecorn and rye, and at last they began to fight among themselves, and forgot allabout the youth and Dapplegrim, and did them no harm.

And now the youth rode onwards for a long, long time, over hill and dale, overrocky places and morasses, and then Dapplegrim began to listen again, and askedthe youth if he heard anything now.

‘Yes; now I hear such a dreadful crackling and crashing in the forest onevery side that I think I shall be really afraid,’ said the youth.

‘That is all the wild beasts in the forest,’ said Dapplegrim;‘they are sent out to stop us. But just throw out the twelve carcasses ofthe oxen, and they will be so much occupied with them that they will quiteforget us.’ So the youth threw out the carcasses of the oxen, and thenall the wild beasts in the forest, both bears and wolves, and lions, and grimbeasts of all kinds, came. But when they caught sight of the carcasses of theoxen they began to fight for them till the blood flowed, and they entirelyforgot Dapplegrim and the youth.

So the youth rode onwards again, and many and many were the new scenes theysaw, for travelling on Dapplegrim’s back was not travelling slowly, asmay be imagined, and then Dapplegrim neighed.

‘Do you hear anything?’ he said.

‘Yes; I heard something like a foal neighing quite plainly a long, longway off,’ answered the youth.

‘That’s a full-grown colt,’ said Dapplegrim, ‘if youhear it so plainly when it is so far away from us.’

So they travelled onwards a long time, and saw one new scene after another oncemore. Then Dapplegrim neighed again.

‘Do you hear anything now?’ said he.

‘Yes; now I heard it quite distinctly, and it neighed like a full-grownhorse,’ answered the youth.

‘Yes, and you will hear it again very soon,’ said Dapplegrim;‘and then you will hear what a voice it has.’ So they travelled onthrough many more different kinds of country, and then Dapplegrim neighed forthe third time; but before he could ask the youth if he heard anything, therewas such a neighing on the other side of the heath that the youth thought thathills and rocks would be rent in pieces.

‘Now he is here!’ said Dapplegrim. ‘Be quick, and fling overme the ox-hides that have the spikes in them, throw the twelve tons of tar overthe field, and climb up into that great spruce fir tree. When he comes, firewill spurt out of both his nostrils, and then the tar will catch fire. Now markwhat I say—if the flame ascends I conquer, and if it sinks I fail; but ifyou see that I am winning, fling the bridle, which you must take off me, overhis head, and then he will become quite gentle.’

Just as the youth had flung all the hides with the spikes over Dapplegrim, andthe tar over the field, and had got safely up into the spruce fir, a horse camewith flame spouting from his nostrils, and the tar caught fire in a moment; andDapplegrim and the horse began to fight until the stones leapt up to the sky.They bit, and they fought with their fore legs and their hind legs, andsometimes the youth looked at them. And sometimes he looked at the tar, but atlast the flames began to rise, for wheresoever the strange horse bit orwheresoever he kicked he hit upon the spikes in the hides, and at length he hadto yield. When the youth saw that, he was not long in getting down from thetree and flinging the bridle over the horse’s head, and then he became sotame that he might have been led by a thin string.

This horse was dappled too, and so like Dapplegrim that no one coulddistinguish the one from the other. The youth seated himself on the dappledhorse which he had captured, and rode home again to the King’s palace,and Dapplegrim ran loose by his side. When he got there, the King was standingoutside in the courtyard.

‘Can you tell me which is the horse I have caught, and which is the one Ihad before?’ said the youth. ‘If you can’t, I think yourdaughter is mine.’

The King went and looked at both the dappled horses; he looked high and helooked low, he looked before and he looked behind, but there was not ahair’s difference between the two.

‘No,’ said the King; ‘that I cannot tell thee, and as thouhast procured such a splendid bridal horse for my daughter thou shalt have her;but first we must have one more trial, just to see if thou art fated to haveher. She shall hide herself twice, and then thou shalt hide thyself twice. Ifthou canst find her each time that she hides herself, and if she cannot findthee in thy hiding-places, then it is fated, and thou shalt have thePrincess.’

‘That, too, was not in our bargain,’ said the youth. ‘But wewill make this trial since it must be so.’

So the King’s daughter was to hide herself first.

Then she changed herself into a duck, and lay swimming in a lake that was justoutside the palace. But the youth went down into the stable and askedDapplegrim what she had done with herself.

‘Oh, all that you have to do is to take your gun, and go down to thewater and aim at the duck which is swimming about there, and she will soondiscover herself,’ said Dapplegrim.

The youth snatched up his gun and ran to the lake. ‘I will just have ashot at that duck,’ said he, and began to aim at it.

‘Oh, no, dear friend, don’t shoot! It is I,’ said thePrincess. So he had found her once.

The second time the Princess changed herself into a loaf, and laid herself onthe table among four other loaves; and she was so like the other loaves that noone could see any difference between them.

But the youth again went down to the stable to Dapplegrim, and told him thatthe Princess had hidden herself again, and that he had not the least idea whathad become of her.

‘Oh, just take a very large bread-knife, sharpen it, and pretend that youare going to cut straight through the third of the four loaves which are lyingon the kitchen table in the King’s palace—count them from right toleft—and you will soon find her,’ said Dapplegrim.

So the youth went up to the kitchen, and began to sharpen the largestbread-knife that he could find; then he caught hold of the third loaf on theleft-hand side, and put the knife to it as if he meant to cut it straight intwo. ‘I will have a bit of this bread for myself,’ said he.

‘No, dear friend, don’t cut, it is I!’ said the Princessagain; so he had found her the second time.

And now it was his turn to go and hide himself; but Dapplegrim had given himsuch good instructions that it was not easy to find him. First he turnedhimself into a horse-fly, and hid himself in Dapplegrim’s left nostril.The Princess went poking about and searching everywhere, high and low, andwanted to go into Dapplegrim’s stall too, but he began to bite and kickabout so that she was afraid to go there, and could not find the youth.‘Well,’ said she, ‘as I am unable to find you, you must showyourself; ‘whereupon the youth immediately appeared standing there on thestable floor.

Dapplegrim told him what he was to do the second time, and he turned himselfinto a lump of earth, and stuck himself between the hoof and the shoe onDapplegrim’s left fore foot. Once more the King’s daughter went andsought everywhere, inside and outside, until at last she came into the stable,and wanted to go into the stall beside Dapplegrim. So this time he allowed herto go into it, and she peered about high and low, but she could not look underhis hoofs, for he stood much too firmly on his legs for that, and she could notfind the youth.

‘Well, you will just have to show where you are yourself, for Ican’t find you,’ said the Princess, and in an instant the youth wasstanding by her side on the floor of the stable.

‘Now you are mine!’ said he to the Princess.

‘Now you can see that it is fated that she should be mine,’ he saidto the King.

‘Yes, fated it is,’ said the King. ‘So what must be,must.’

Then everything was made ready for the wedding with great splendour andpromptitude, and the youth rode to church on Dapplegrim, and the King’sdaughter on the other horse. So everyone must see that they could not be longon their way thither.^[20]

[20]From J. Moe.

THE ENCHANTED CANARY

I

Once upon a time, in the reign of King Cambrinus, there lived at Avesnes one ofhis lords, who was the finest man—by which I mean the fattest—inthe whole country of Flanders. He ate four meals a day, slept twelve hours outof the twenty-four, and the only thing he ever did was to shoot at small birdswith his bow and arrow.

Still, with all his practice he shot very badly, he was so fat and heavy, andas he grew daily fatter, he was at last obliged to give up walking, and bedragged about in a wheel-chair, and the people made fun of him, and gave himthe name of my Lord Tubby.

Now, the only trouble that Lord Tubby had was about his son, whom he loved verymuch, although they were not in the least alike, for the young Prince was asthin as a cuckoo. And what vexed him more than all was, that though the youngladies throughout all his lands did their best to make the Prince fall in lovewith them, he would have nothing to say to any of them, and told his father hedid not wish to marry.

Instead of chatting with them in the dusk, he wandered about the woods,whispering to the moon. No wonder the young ladies thought him very odd, butthey liked him all the better for that; and as he had received at his birth thename of Désiré, they all called him d’Amour Désiré.

‘What is the matter with you?’ his father often said to him.‘You have everything you can possibly wish for: a good bed, good food,and tuns full of beer. The only thing you want, in order to become as fat as apig, is a wife that can bring you broad, rich lands. So marry, and you will beperfectly happy.’

‘I ask nothing better than to marry,’ replied Désiré, ‘but Ihave never seen a woman that pleases me. All the girls here are pink and white,and I am tired to death of their eternal lilie and roses.

‘My faith!’ cried Tubby; ‘do you want to marry a negress, andgive me grandchildren as ugly as monkeys and as stupid as owls?’

‘No, father, nothing of the sort. But there must be women somewhere inthe world who are neither pink nor white, and I tell you, once for all, that Iwill never marry until I have found one exactly to my taste.’

II

Some time afterwards, it happened that the Prior of the Abbey of Saint Amandsent to the Lord of Avesnes a basket of oranges, with a beautifully-writtenletter saying that these golden fruit, then unknown in Flanders, came straightfrom a land where the sun always shone.

That evening Tubby and his son ate the golden apples at supper, and thoughtthem delicious.

Next morning as the day dawned, Désiré went down to the stable and saddled hispretty white horse. Then he went, all dressed for a journey, to the bedside ofTubby, and found him smoking his first pipe.

‘Father,’ he said gravely, ‘I have come to bid you farewell.Last night I dreamed that I was walking in a wood, where the trees were coveredwith golden apples. I gathered one of them, and when I opened it there came outa lovely princess with a golden skin. That is the wife I want, and I am goingto look for her.’

The Lord of Avesnes was so much astonished that he let his pipe fall to theground; then he became so diverted at the notion of his son marrying a yellowwoman, and a woman shut up inside an orange, that he burst into fits oflaughter.

Désiré waited to bid him good-bye until he was quiet again; but as his fatherwent on laughing and showed no signs of stopping, the young man took his hand,kissed it tenderly, opened the door, and in the twinkling of an eye was atthe bottom of the staircase. He jumped lightly on his horse, and was a milefrom home before Tubby had ceased laughing.

‘A yellow wife! He must be mad! fit for a strait waistcoat!’ criedthe good man, when he was able to speak. ‘Here! quick! bring him back tome.’

The servants mounted their horses and rode after the Prince; but as they didnot know which road he had taken, they went all ways except the right one, andinstead of bringing him back they returned themselves when it grew dark, withtheir horses worn out and covered with dust.

III

When Désiré thought they could no longer catch him, he pulled his horse into awalk, like a prudent man who knows he has far to go. He travelled in this wayfor many weeks, passing by villages, towns, mountains, valleys, and plains, butalways pushing south, where every day the sun seemed hotter and more brilliant.

At last one day at sunset Désiré felt the sun so warm, that he thought he mustnow be near the place of his dream. He was at that moment close to the cornerof a wood where stood a little hut, before the door of which his horse stoppedof his own accord. An old man with a white beard was sitting on the doorstepenjoying the fresh air. The Prince got down from his horse and asked leave torest.

‘Come in, my young friend,’ said the old man; ‘my house isnot large, but it is big enough to hold a stranger.’

The traveller entered, and his host put before him a simple meal. When hishunger was satisfied the old man said to him:

‘If I do not mistake, you come from far. May I ask where you aregoing?’

‘I will tell you,’ answered Désiré, ‘though most likely youwill laugh at me. I dreamed that in the land of the sun there was a wood fullof orange trees, and that in one of the oranges I should find a beautifulprincess who is to be my wife. It is she I am seeking.’

‘Why should I laugh?’ asked the old man. ‘Madness in youth istrue wisdom. Go, young man, follow your dream, and if you do not find thehappiness that you seek, at any rate you will have had the happiness of seekingit.’

IV

The next day the Prince arose early and took leave of his host.

‘The wood that you saw in your dream is not far from here,’ saidthe old man. ‘It is in the depth of the forest, and this road will leadyou there. You will come to a vast park surrounded by high walls. In the middleof the park is a castle, where dwells a horrible witch who allows no livingbeing to enter the doors. Behind the castle is the orange grove. Follow thewall till you come to a heavy iron gate. Don’t try to press it open, butoil the hinges with this,’ and the old man gave him a small bottle.

‘The gate will open of itself,’ he continued, ‘and a huge dogwhich guards the castle will come to you with his mouth wide open, but justthrow him this oat cake. Next, you will see a baking woman leaning over herheated oven. Give her this brush. Lastly, you will find a well on your left; donot forget to take the cord of the bucket and spread it in the sun. When youhave done this, do not enter the castle, but go round it and enter the orangegrove. Then gather three oranges, and get back to the gate as fast as you can.Once out of the gate, leave the forest by the opposite side.

‘Now, attend to this: whatever happens, do not open your oranges till youreach the bank of a river, or a fountain. Out of each orange will come aprincess, and you can choose which you like for your wife. Your choice oncemade, be very careful never to leave your bride for an instant, and rememberthat the danger which is most to be feared is never the danger we are mostafraid of.’

V

Désiré thanked his host warmly, and took the road he pointed out. In less thanan hour he arrived at the wall, which was very high indeed. He sprang to theground, fastened his horse to a tree, and soon found the iron gate. Then hetook out his bottle and oiled the hinges, when the gate opened of itself, andhe saw an old castle standing inside. The Prince entered boldly into thecourtyard.

Suddenly he heard fierce howls, and a dog as tall as a donkey, with eyes likebilliard balls, came towards him, showing his teeth, which were like the prongsof a fork. Désiré flung him the oat cake, which the great dog instantly snappedup, and the young Prince passed quietly on.

A few yards further he saw a huge oven, with a wide, red-hot gaping mouth. Awoman as tall as a giant was leaning over the oven. Désiré gave her the brush,which she took in silence.

Then he went on to the well, drew up the cord, which was half rotten, andstretched it out in the sun.

Lastly he went round the castle, and plunged into the orange grove. There hegathered the three most beautiful oranges he could find, and turned to go backto the gate.

But just at this moment the sun was darkened, the earth trembled, and Désiréheard a voice crying:

‘Baker, baker, take him by his feet, and throw him into the oven!’

‘No,’ replied the baker; ‘a long time has passed since Ifirst began to scour this oven with my own flesh. Younever cared togive me a brush; but he has given me one, and he shall go in peace.’

‘Rope, O rope!’ cried the voice again, ‘twine yourself roundhis neck and strangle him.’

‘No,’ replied the rope; ‘you have left me for many years pastto fall to pieces with the damp. He has stretched me out in the sun. Let him goin peace.’

‘Dog, my good dog,’ cried the voice, more and more angry,‘jump at his throat and eat him up.’

‘No,’ replied the dog; ‘though I have served you long, younever gave me any bread. He has given me as much as I want. Let him go inpeace.’

‘Iron gate, iron gate,’ cried the voice, growling like thunder,‘fall on him and grind him to powder.’

‘No,’ replied the gate; ‘it is a hundred years since you leftme to rust, and he has oiled me. Let him go in peace.’

VI

Once outside, the young adventurer put his oranges into a bag that hung fromhis saddle, mounted his horse, and rode quickly out of the forest.

Now, as he was longing to see the princesses, he was very anxious to come to ariver or a fountain, but, though he rode for hours, a river or fountain wasnowhere to be seen. Still his heart was light, for he felt that he had gotthrough the most difficult part of his task, and the rest was easy.

About mid-day he reached a sandy plain, scorching in the sun. Here he wasseized with dreadful thirst; he took his gourd and raised it to his lips.

But the gourd was empty; in the excitement of his joy he had forgotten to fillit. He rode on, struggling with his sufferings, but at last he could bear it nolonger.

He let himself slide to the earth, and lay down beside his horse, his throatburning, his chest heaving, and his head going round. Already he felt thatdeath was near him, when his eyes fell on the bag where the oranges peeped out.

Poor Désiré, who had braved so many dangers to win the lady of his dreams,would have given at this moment all the princesses in the world, were they pinkor golden, for a single drop of water.

‘Ah!’ he said to himself. ‘If only these oranges were realfruit—fruit as refreshing as what I ate in Flanders! And, after all, whoknows?’

This idea put some life into him. He had the strength to lift himself up andput his hand into his bag. He drew out an orange and opened it with his knife.

Out of it flew the prettiest little female canary that ever was seen.

‘Give me something to drink, I am dying of thirst,’ said the goldenbird.

‘Wait a minute,’ replied Désiré, so much astonished that he forgothis own sufferings; and to satisfy the bird he took a second orange, and openedit without thinking what he was doing. Out of it flew another canary, and shetoo began to cry:

‘I am dying of thirst; give me something to drink.’

Then Tubby’s son saw his folly, and while the two canaries flew away hesank on the ground, where, exhausted by his last effort, he lay unconscious.

VII

When he came to himself, he had a pleasant feeling of freshness all about him.It was night, the sky was sparkling with stars, and the earth was covered witha heavy dew.

The traveller having recovered, mounted his horse, and at the first streak ofdawn he saw a stream dancing in front of him, and stooped down and drank hisfill.

He hardly had courage to open his last orange. Then he remembered that thenight before he had disobeyed the orders of the old man. Perhaps his terriblethirst was a trick of the cunning witch, and suppose, even though he opened theorange on the banks of the stream, that he did not find in it the princess thathe sought?

He took his knife and cut it open. Alas! out of it flew a little canary, justlike the others, who cried:

‘I am thirsty; give me something to drink.’

Great was the disappointment of Désiré. However, he was determined not to letthis bird fly away; so he took up some water in the palm of his hand and heldit to its beak.

Scarcely had the canary drunk when she became a beautiful girl, tall andstraight as a poplar tree, with black eyes and a golden skin. Désiré had neverseen anyone half so lovely, and he stood gazing at her in delight.

On her side she seemed quite bewildered, but she looked about her with happyeyes, and was not at all afraid of her deliverer.

He asked her name. She answered that she was called the Princess Zizi; she wasabout sixteen years old, and for ten years of that time the witch had kept hershut up in an orange, in the shape of a canary.

‘Well, then, my charming Zizi,’ said the young Prince, who waslonging to marry her, ‘let us ride away quickly so as to escape from thewicked witch.’

But Zizi wished to know where he meant to take her.

‘To my father’s castle,’ he said.

He mounted his horse and took her in front of him, and, holding her carefullyin his arms, they began their journey.

VIII

Everything the Princess saw was new to her, and in passing through mountains,valleys, and towns, she asked a thousand questions. Désiré was charmed toanswer them. It is so delightful to teach those one loves!

Once she inquired what the girls in his country were like.

‘They are pink and white,’ he replied, ‘and their eyes areblue.’

‘Do you like blue eyes?’ said the Princess; but Désiré thought itwas a good opportunity to find out what was in her heart, so he did not answer.

‘And no doubt,’ went on the Princess, ‘one of them is yourintended bride?’

Still he was silent, and Zizi drew herself up proudly.

‘No,’ he said at last. ‘None of the girls of my own countryare beautiful in my eyes, and that is why I came to look for a wife in the landof the sun. Was I wrong, my lovely Zizi?’

This time it was Zizi’s turn to be silent.

IX

Talking in this way they drew near to the castle. When they were about fourstone-throws from the gates they dismounted in the forest, by the edge of afountain.

‘My dear Zizi,’ said Tubby’s son, ‘we cannot presentourselves before my father like two common people who have come back from awalk. We must enter the castle with more ceremony. Wait for me here, and in anhour I will return with carriages and horses fit for a princess.’

‘Don’t be long,’ replied Zizi, and she watched him go withwistful eyes.

When she was left by herself the poor girl began to feel afraid. She was alonefor the first time in her life, and in the middle of a thick forest.

Suddenly she heard a noise among the trees. Fearing lest it should be a wolf,she hid herself in the hollow trunk of a willow tree which hung over thefountain. It was big enough to hold her altogether, but she peeped out, and herpretty head was reflected in the clear water.

Then there appeared, not a wolf, but a creature quite as wicked and quite asugly. Let us see who this creature was.

X

Not far from the fountain there lived a family of bricklayers. Now, fifteenyears before this time, the father in walking through the forest found a littlegirl, who had been deserted by the gypsies. He carried her home to his wife,and the good woman was sorry for her, and brought her up with her own sons. Asshe grew older, the little gypsy became much more remarkable for strength andcunning than for sense or beauty. She had a low forehead, a flat nose, thicklips, coarse hair, and a skin not golden like that of Zizi, but the colour ofclay.

As she was always being teased about her complexion, she got as noisy and crossas a titmouse. So they used to call her Titty.

Titty was often sent by the bricklayer to fetch water from the fountain, and asshe was very proud and lazy the gypsy disliked this very much.

It was she who had frightened Zizi by appearing with her pitcher on hershoulder. Just as she was stooping to fill it, she saw reflected in the waterthe lovely image of the Princess.

‘What a pretty face!’ she exclaimed, ‘Why, it must be mine!How in the world can they call me ugly? I am certainly much too pretty to betheir water carrier!’

So saying, she broke her pitcher and went home.

‘Where is your pitcher?’ asked the bricklayer.

‘Well, what do you expect? The pitcher may go many times to thewell....’

‘But at last it is broken. Well, here is a bucket that will notbreak.’

The gypsy returned to the fountain, and addressing once more the image of Zizi,she said:

‘No; I don’t mean to be a beast of burden any longer.’ Andshe flung the bucket so high in the air that it stuck in the branches of anoak.

‘I met a wolf,’ she told the bricklayer, ‘and I broke thebucket across his nose.’

The bricklayer asked her no more questions, but took down a broom and gave hersuch a beating that her pride was humbled a little.

Then he handed to her an old copper milk-can, and said:

‘If you don’t bring it back full, your bones shall suffer forit.’

XI

Titty went off rubbing her sides; but this time she did not dare to disobey,and in a very bad temper stooped down over the well. It was not at all easy tofill the milk-can, which was large and round. It would not go down into thewell, and the gypsy had to try again and again.

At last her arms grew so tired that when she did manage to get the can properlyunder the water she had no strength to pull it up, and it rolled to the bottom.

On seeing the can disappear, she made such a miserable face that Zizi, who hadbeen watching her all this time, burst into fits of laughter.

Titty turned round and perceived the mistake she had made; and she felt soangry that she made up her mind to be revenged at once.

‘What are you doing there, you lovely creature?’ she said to Zizi.

‘I am waiting for my lover,’ Zizi replied; and then, with asimplicity quite natural in a girl who so lately had been a canary, she toldall her story.

The gypsy had often seen the young Prince pass by, with his gun on hisshoulder, when he was going after crows. She was too ugly and ragged for himever to have noticed her, but Titty on her side had admired him, though shethought he might well have been a little fatter.

‘Dear, dear!’ she said to herself. ‘So he likes yellow women!Why, I am yellow too, and if I could only think of a way——’

It was not long before she did think of it.

‘What!’ cried the sly Titty, ‘they are coming with great pompto fetch you, and you are not afraid to show yourself to so many fine lords andladies with your hair down like that? Get down at once, my poor child, and letme dress your hair for you!’

The innocent Zizi came down at once, and stood by Titty. The gypsy began tocomb her long brown locks, when suddenly she drew a pin from her stays, and,just as the titmouse digs its beak into the heads of linnets and larks, Tittydug the pin into the head of Zizi.

No sooner did Zizi feel the prick of the pin than she became a bird again, and,spreading her wings, she flew away.

‘That was neatly done,’ said the gypsy. ‘The Prince will beclever if he finds his bride.’ And, arranging her dress, she seatedherself on the grass to await Désiré.

XII

Meanwhile the Prince was coming as fast as his horse could carry him. He was soimpatient that he was always full fifty yards in front of the lords and ladiessent by Tubby to bring back Zizi.

At the sight of the hideous gypsy he was struck dumb with surprise and horror.

‘Ah me!’ said Titty, ‘so you don’t know your poor Zizi?While you were away the wicked witch came, and turned me into this. But if youonly have the courage to marry me I shall get back my beauty.’ And shebegan to cry bitterly.

Now the good-natured Désiré was as soft-hearted as he was brave.

‘Poor girl,’ he thought to himself. ‘It is not her fault,after all, that she has grown so ugly, it is mine. Oh! why did I not follow theold man’s advice? Why did I leave her alone? And besides, it depends onme to break the spell, and I love her too much to let her remain likethis.’

So he presented the gypsy to the lords and ladies of the Court, explaining tothem the terrible misfortune which had befallen his beautiful bride.

They all pretended to believe it, and the ladies at once put on the falseprincess the rich dresses they had brought for Zizi.

She was then perched on the top of a magnificent ambling palfrey, and they setforth to the castle.

But unluckily the rich dress and jewels only made Titty look uglier still, andDésiré could not help feeling hot and uncomfortable when he made his entry withher into the city.

Bells were pealing, chimes ringing, and the people filling the streets andstanding at their doors to watch the procession go by, and they could hardlybelieve their eyes as they saw what a strange bride their Prince had chosen.

In order to do her more honour, Tubby came to meet her at the foot of the greatmarble staircase. At the sight of the hideous creature he almost fellbackwards.

‘What!’ he cried. ‘Is this the wonderful beauty?’

‘Yes, father, it is she,’ replied Désiré with a sheepish look.‘But she has been bewitched by a wicked sorceress, and will not regainher beauty until she is my wife.’

‘Does she say so? Well, if you believe that, you may drink cold water andthink it bacon,’ the unhappy Tubby answered crossly.

But all the same, as he adored his son, he gave the gypsy his hand and led herto the great hall, where the bridal feast was spread.

XIII

The feast was excellent, but Désiré hardly touched anything. However, to makeup, the other guests ate greedily, and, as for Tubby, nothing ever took awayhis appetite.

When the moment arrived to serve the roast goose, there was a pause, and Tubbytook the opportunity to lay down his knife and fork for a little. But as thegoose gave no sign of appearing, he sent his head carver to find out what wasthe matter in the kitchen.

Now this was what had happened.

While the goose was turning on the spit, a beautiful little canary hopped on tothe sill of the open window.

‘Good-morning, my fine cook,’ she said in a silvery voice to theman who was watching the roast.

‘Good-morning, lovely golden bird,’ replied the chief of thescullions, who had been well brought up.

‘I pray that Heaven may send you to sleep,’ said the golden bird,‘and that the goose may burn, so that there may be none left forTitty.’

And instantly the chief of the scullions fell fast asleep, and the goose wasburnt to a cinder.

When he awoke he was horrified, and gave orders to pluck another goose, tostuff it with chestnuts, and put it on the spit.

While it was browning at the fire, Tubby inquired for his goose a second time.The Master Cook himself mounted to the hall to make his excuses, and to beg hislord to have a little patience. Tubby showed his patience by abusing his son.

‘As if it wasn’t enough,’ he grumbled between his teeth,‘that the boy should pick up a hag without a penny, but the goose must goand burn now. It isn’t a wife he has brought me, it is Famineherself.’

XIV

While the Master Cook was upstairs, the golden bird came again to perch on thewindow-sill, and called in his clear voice to the head scullion, who waswatching the spit:

‘Good-morning, my fine Scullion!’

‘Good-morning, lovely Golden Bird,’ replied the Scullion, whom theMaster Cook had forgotten in his excitement to warn.

‘I pray Heaven,’ went on the Canary, ‘that it will send youto sleep, and that the goose may burn, so that there may be none left forTitty.’

And the Scullion fell fast asleep, and when the Master Cook came back he foundthe goose as black as the chimney.

In a fury he woke the Scullion, who in order to save himself from blame toldthe whole story.

‘That accursed bird,’ said the Cook; ‘it will end by gettingme sent away. Come, some of you, and hide yourselves, and if it comes again,catch it and wring its neck.’

He spitted a third goose, lit a huge fire, and seated himself by it.

The bird appeared a third time, and said: ‘Good-morning, my fineCook.’

‘Good-morning, lovely Golden Bird,’ replied the Cook, as if nothinghad happened, and at the moment that the Canary was beginning, ‘I prayHeaven that it may send,’ a scullion who was hidden outside rushed outand shut the shutters. The bird flew into the kitchen. Then all the cooks andscullions sprang after it, knocking at it with their aprons. At length one ofthem caught it just at the very moment that Tubby entered the kitchen, wavinghis sceptre. He had come to see for himself why the goose had never made itsappearance.

The Scullion stopped at once, just as he was about to wring the Canary’sneck.

XV

‘Will some one be kind enough to tell me the meaning of all this?’cried the Lord of Avesnes.

‘Your Excellency, it is the bird,’ replied the Scullion, and heplaced it in his hand.

‘Nonsense! What a lovely bird!’ said Tubby, and in stroking itshead he touched a pin that was sticking between its feathers. He pulled it out,and lo! the Canary at once became a beautiful girl with a golden skin whojumped lightly to the ground.

‘Gracious! what a pretty girl!’ said Tubby.

‘Father! it is she! it is Zizi!’ exclaimed Désiré, who entered atthis moment.

And he took her in his arms, crying: ‘My darling Zizi, how happy I am tosee you once more!’

‘Well, and the other one?’ asked Tubby.

The other one was stealing quietly to the door.

‘Stop her! called Tubby. ‘We will judge her cause at once.’

And he seated himself solemnly on the oven, and condemned Titty to be burnedalive. After which the lords and cooks formed themselves in lines, and Tubbybetrothed Désiré to Zizi.

XVI

The marriage took place a few days later. All the boys in the country side werethere, armed with wooden swords, and decorated with epaulets made of giltpaper.

Zizi obtained Titty’s pardon, and she was sent back to the brick-fields,followed and hooted at by all the boys. And this is why to-day the country boysalways throw stones at a titmouse.

On the evening of the wedding-day all the larders, cellars, cupboards andtables of the people, whether rich or poor, were loaded as if by enchantmentwith bread, wine, beer, cakes and tarts, roast larks, and even geese, so thatTubby could not complain any more that his son had married Famine.

Since that time there has always been plenty to eat in that country, and sincethat time, too, you see in the midst of the fair-haired blue-eyed women ofFlanders a few beautiful girls, whose eyes are black and whose skins are thecolour of gold. They are the descendants of Zizi.^[21]

[21]Charles Deulin, Contes du Roi Gambrinus.

THE TWELVE BROTHERS

There were once upon a time a King and a Queen who lived happily together, andthey had twelve children, all of whom were boys. One day the King said to hiswife:

‘If our thirteenth child is a girl, all her twelve brothers must die, sothat she may be very rich and the kingdom hers alone.’

Then he ordered twelve coffins to be made, and filled them with shavings, andplaced a little pillow in each. These he put away in an empty room, and, givingthe key to his wife, he bade her tell no one of it.

The Queen grieved over the sad fate of her sons and refused to be comforted, somuch so that the youngest boy, who was always with her, and whom she hadchristened Benjamin, said to her one day:

‘Dear mother, why are you so sad?’

‘My child,’ she answered, ‘I may not tell you thereason.’

But he left her no peace, till she went and unlocked the room and showed himthe twelve coffins filled with shavings, and with the little pillow laid ineach.

Then she said: ‘My dearest Benjamin, your father has had these coffinsmade for you and your eleven brothers, because if I bring a girl into the worldyou are all to be killed and buried in them.’

She wept bitterly as she spoke, but her son comforted her and said:

‘Don’t cry, dear mother; we’ll manage to escape somehow, andwill fly for our lives.’

‘Yes,’ replied his mother, ‘that is what you must do—gowith your eleven brothers out into the wood, and let one of you always sit onthe highest tree you can find, keeping watch on the tower of the castle. If Igive birth to a little son I will wave a white flag, and then you may safelyreturn; but if I give birth to a little daughter I will wave a red flag, whichwill warn you to fly away as quickly as you can, and may the kind Heaven havepity on you. Every night I will get up and pray for you, in winter that you mayalways have a fire to warm yourselves by, and in summer that you may notlanguish in the heat.’

Then she blessed her sons and they set out into the wood. They found a veryhigh oak tree, and there they sat, turn about, keeping their eyes always fixedon the castle tower. On the twelfth day, when the turn came to Benjamin, henoticed a flag waving in the air, but alas! it was not white, but blood red,the sign which told them they must all die. When the brothers heard this theywere very angry, and said:

‘Shall we forsooth suffer death for the sake of a wretched girl? Let usswear vengeance, and vow that wherever and whenever we shall meet one of hersex, she shall die at our hands.’

Then they went their way deeper into the wood, and in the middle of it, whereit was thickest and darkest, they came upon a little enchanted house whichstood empty.

‘Here,’ they said, ‘let us take up our abode, and you,Benjamin, you are the youngest and weakest, you shall stay at home and keephouse for us; we others will go out and fetch food.’ So they went forthinto the wood, and shot hares and roe-deer, birds and wood-pigeons, and anyother game they came across. They always brought their spoils home to Benjamin,who soon learnt to make them into dainty dishes. So they lived for ten years inthis little house, and the time slipped merrily away.

In the meantime their little sister at home was growing up quickly. She waskind-hearted and of a fair countenance, and she had a gold star right in themiddle of her forehead. One day a big washing was going on at the palace, andthe girl looking down from her window saw twelve men’s shirts hanging upto dry, and asked her mother:

‘Who in the world do these shirts belong to? Surely they are far toosmall for my father?’

And the Queen answered sadly: ‘Dear child, they belong to your twelvebrothers.’

‘But where are my twelve brothers?’ said the girl. ‘I havenever even heard of them.’

‘Heaven alone knows in what part of the wide world they arewandering,’ replied her mother.

Then she took the girl and opened the locked-up room; she showed her the twelvecoffins filled with shavings, and with the little pillow laid in each.

‘These coffins,’ she said, ‘were intended for your brothers,but they stole secretly away before you were born.’

Then she proceeded to tell her all that had happened, and when she had finishedher daughter said:

‘Do not cry, dearest mother; I will go and seek my brothers till I findthem.’

So she took the twelve shirts and went on straight into the middle of the bigwood. She walked all day long, and came in the evening to the little enchantedhouse. She stepped in and found a youth who, marvelling at her beauty, at theroyal robes she wore, and at the golden star on her forehead, asked her whereshe came from and whither she was going.

‘I am a Princess,’ she answered, ‘and am seeking for mytwelve brothers. I mean to wander as far as the blue sky stretches over theearth till I find them.’

Then she showed him the twelve shirts which she had taken with her, andBenjamin saw that it must be his sister, and said:

‘I am Benjamin, your youngest brother.’

So they wept for joy, and kissed and hugged each other again and again. After atime Benjamin said:

‘Dear sister, there is still a little difficulty, for we had all agreedthat any girl we met should die at our hands, because it was for the sake of agirl that we had to leave our kingdom.’

‘But,’ she replied, ‘I will gladly die if by that means I canrestore my twelve brothers to their own.’

‘No,’ he answered, ‘there is no need for that; only go andhide under that tub till our eleven brothers come in, and I’ll soon makematters right with them.’

She did as she was bid, and soon the others came home from the chase and satdown to supper.

‘Well, Benjamin, what’s the news?’ they asked. But hereplied, ‘I like that; have you nothing to tell me?’

‘No,’ they answered.

Then he said: ‘Well, now, you’ve been out in the wood all the dayand I’ve stayed quietly at home, and all the same I know more than youdo.’

‘Then tell us,’ they cried.

But he answered: ‘Only on condition that you promise faithfully that thefirst girl we meet shall not be killed.’

‘She shall be spared,’ they promised, ‘only tell us thenews.’

Then Benjamin said: ‘Our sister is here!’ and he lifted up the tuband the Princess stepped forward, with her royal robes and with the golden staron her forehead, looking so lovely and sweet and charming that they all fell inlove with her on the spot.

They arranged that she should stay at home with Benjamin and help him in thehouse work, while the rest of the brothers went out into the wood and shothares and roe-deer, birds and wood-pigeons. And Benjamin and his sister cookedtheir meals for them. She gathered herbs to cook the vegetables in, fetched thewood, and watched the pots on the fire, and always when her eleven brothersreturned she had their supper ready for them. Besides this, she kept the housein order, tidied all the rooms, and made herself so generally useful that herbrothers were delighted, and they all lived happily together.

One day the two at home prepared a fine feast, and when they were all assembledthey sat down and ate and drank and made merry.

Now there was a little garden round the enchanted house, in which grew twelvetall lilies. The girl, wishing to please her brothers, plucked the twelveflowers, meaning to present one to each of them as they sat at supper. Buthardly had she plucked the flowers when her brothers were turned into twelveravens, who flew croaking over the wood, and the house and garden vanishedalso.

So the poor girl found herself left all alone in the wood, and as she lookedround her she noticed an old woman standing close beside her, who said:

‘My child, what have you done? Why didn’t you leave the flowersalone? They were your twelve brothers. Now they are changed for ever intoravens.’

The girl asked, sobbing: ‘Is there no means of setting them free?’

‘No,’ said the old woman, ‘there is only one way in the wholeworld, and that is so difficult that you won’t free them by it, for youwould have to be dumb and not laugh for seven years, and if you spoke a singleword, though but an hour were wanting to the time, your silence would all havebeen in vain, and that one word would slay your brothers.’

Then the girl said to herself: ‘If that is all I am quite sure I can freemy brothers.’ So she searched for a high tree, and when she had found oneshe climbed up it and spun all day long, never laughing or speaking one word.

Now it happened one day that a King who was hunting in the wood had a largegreyhound, who ran sniffing to the tree on which the girl sat, and jumped roundit, yelping and barking furiously. The King’s attention was attracted,and when he looked up and beheld the beautiful Princess with the golden star onher forehead, he was so enchanted by her beauty that he asked her on the spotto be his wife. She gave no answer, but nodded slightly with her head. Then heclimbed up the tree himself, lifted her down, put her on his horse and bore herhome to his palace.

The marriage was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony, but the bride neitherspoke nor laughed.

When they had lived a few years happily together, the King’s mother, whowas a wicked old woman, began to slander the young Queen, and said to the King:

‘She is only a low-born beggar maid that you have married; who knows whatmischief she is up to? If she is deaf and can’t speak, she might at leastlaugh; depend upon it, those who don’t laugh have a badconscience.’ At first the King paid no heed to her words, but the oldwoman harped so long on the subject, and accused the young Queen of so many badthings, that at last he let himself be talked over, and condemned his beautifulwife to death.

So a great fire was lit in the courtyard of the palace, where she was to beburnt, and the King watched the proceedings from an upper window, cryingbitterly the while, for he still loved his wife dearly. But just as she hadbeen bound to the stake, and the flames were licking her garments with theirred tongues, the very last moment of the seven years had come. Then a suddenrushing sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens were seen flyingoverhead. They swooped downwards, and as soon as they touched the ground theyturned into her twelve brothers, and she knew that she had freed them.

They quenched the flames and put out the fire, and, unbinding their dear sisterfrom the stake, they kissed and hugged her again and again. And now that shewas able to open her mouth and speak, she told the King why she had been dumband not able to laugh.

The King rejoiced greatly when he heard she was innocent, and they all livedhappily ever afterwards.^[22]

[22]Grimm.

RAPUNZEL

Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife who were very unhappy becausethey had no children. These good people had a little window at the back oftheir house, which looked into the most lovely garden, full of all manner ofbeautiful flowers and vegetables; but the garden was surrounded by a high wall,and no one dared to enter it, for it belonged to a witch of great power, whowas feared by the whole world. One day the woman stood at the windowoverlooking the garden, and saw there a bed full of the finest rampion: theleaves looked so fresh and green that she longed to eat them. The desire grewday by day, and just because she knew she couldn’t possibly get any, shepined away and became quite pale and wretched. Then her husband grew alarmedand said:

‘What ails you, dear wife?’

‘Oh,’ she answered, ‘if I don’t get some rampion to eatout of the garden behind the house, I know I shall die.’

The man, who loved her dearly, thought to himself, ‘Come! rather than letyour wife die you shall fetch her some rampion, no matter the cost.’ Soat dusk he climbed over the wall into the witch’s garden, and, hastilygathering a handful of rampion leaves, he returned with them to his wife. Shemade them into a salad, which tasted so good that her longing for the forbiddenfood was greater than ever. If she were to know any peace of mind, there wasnothing for it but that her husband should climb over the garden wall again,and fetch her some more. So at dusk over he got, but when he reached the otherside he drew back in terror, for there, standing before him, was the old witch.

‘How dare you,’ she said, with a wrathful glance, ‘climb intomy garden and steal my rampion like a common thief? You shall suffer for yourfoolhardiness.’

‘Oh!’ he implored, ‘pardon my presumption; necessity alonedrove me to the deed. My wife saw your rampion from her window, and conceivedsuch a desire for it that she would certainly have died if her wish had notbeen gratified.’ Then the Witch’s anger was a little appeased, andshe said:

‘If it’s as you say, you may take as much rampion away with you asyou like, but on one condition only—that you give me the child your wifewill shortly bring into the world. All shall go well with it, and I will lookafter it like a mother.’

The man in his terror agreed to everything she asked, and as soon as the childwas born the Witch appeared, and having given it the name of Rapunzel, which isthe same as rampion, she carried it off with her.

Rapunzel was the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve yearsold the Witch shut her up in a tower, in the middle of a great wood, and thetower had neither stairs nor doors, only high up at the very top a smallwindow. When the old Witch wanted to get in she stood underneath and calledout:

‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your golden hair,’

for Rapunzel had wonderful long hair, and it was as fine as spun gold. Whenevershe heard the Witch’s voice she unloosed her plaits, and let her hairfall down out of the window about twenty yards below, and the old Witch climbedup by it.

After they had lived like this for a few years, it happened one day that aPrince was riding through the wood and passed by the tower. As he drew near ithe heard someone singing so sweetly that he stood still spell-bound, andlistened. It was Rapunzel in her loneliness trying to while away the time byletting her sweet voice ring out into the wood. The Prince longed to see theowner of the voice, but he sought in vain for a door in the tower. He rodehome, but he was so haunted by the song he had heard that he returned every dayto the wood and listened. One day, when he was standing thus behind a tree, hesaw the old Witch approach and heard her call out:

‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your golden hair.’

Then Rapunzel let down her plaits, and the Witch climbed up by them.

‘So that’s the staircase, is it?’ said the Prince.‘Then I too will climb it and try my luck.’

So on the following day, at dusk, he went to the foot of the tower and cried:

‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your golden hair,’

and as soon as she had let it down the Prince climbed up.

At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man came in, for she had neverseen one before; but the Prince spoke to her so kindly, and told her at oncethat his heart had been so touched by her singing, that he felt he should knowno peace of mind till he had seen her. Very soon Rapunzel forgot her fear, andwhen he asked her to marry him she consented at once. ‘For,’ shethought, ‘he is young and handsome, and I’ll certainly be happierwith him than with the old Witch.’ So she put her hand in his and said:

‘Yes, I will gladly go with you, only how am I to get down out of thetower? Every time you come to see me you must bring a skein of silk with you,and I will make a ladder of them, and when it is finished I will climb down byit, and you will take me away on your horse.’

They arranged that till the ladder was ready, he was to come to her everyevening, because the old woman was with her during the day. The old Witch, ofcourse, knew nothing of what was going on, till one day Rapunzel, not thinkingof what she was about, turned to the Witch and said:

‘How is it, good mother, that you are so much harder to pull up than theyoung Prince? He is always with me in a moment.’

‘Oh! you wicked child,’ cried the Witch. ‘What is this Ihear? I thought I had hidden you safely from the whole world, and in spite ofit you have managed to deceive me.’

In her wrath she seized Rapunzel’s beautiful hair, wound it round andround her left hand, and then grasping a pair of scissors in her right, snipsnap, off it came, and the beautiful plaits lay on the ground. And, worse thanthis, she was so hard-hearted that she took Rapunzel to a lonely desert place,and there left her to live in loneliness and misery.

But on the evening of the day in which she had driven poor Rapunzel away, theWitch fastened the plaits on to a hook in the window, and when the Prince cameand called out:

‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your golden hair,’

she let them down, and the Prince climbed up as usual, but instead of hisbeloved Rapunzel he found the old Witch, who fixed her evil, glittering eyes onhim, and cried mockingly:

‘Ah, ah! you thought to find your lady love, but the pretty bird hasflown and its song is dumb; the cat caught it, and will scratch out your eyestoo. Rapunzel is lost to you for ever—you will never see her more.’

The Prince was beside himself with grief, and in his despair he jumped rightdown from the tower, and, though he escaped with his life, the thorns amongwhich he fell pierced his eyes out. Then he wandered, blind and miserable,through the wood, eating nothing but roots and berries, and weeping andlamenting the loss of his lovely bride. So he wandered about for some years, aswretched and unhappy as he could well be, and at last he came to the desertplace where Rapunzel was living. Of a sudden he heard a voice which seemedstrangely familiar to him. He walked eagerly in the direction of the sound, andwhen he was quite close, Rapunzel recognised him and fell on his neck and wept.But two of her tears touched his eyes, and in a moment they became quite clearagain, and he saw as well as he had ever done. Then he led her to his kingdom,where they were received and welcomed with great joy, and they lived happilyever after.^[23]

[23]Grimm.

THE NETTLE SPINNER

I

Once upon a time there lived at Quesnoy, in Flanders, a great lord whose namewas Burchard, but whom the country people called Burchard the Wolf. NowBurchard had such a wicked, cruel heart, that it was whispered how he used toharness his peasants to the plough, and force them by blows from his whip totill his land with naked feet.

His wife, on the other hand, was always tender and pitiful to the poor andmiserable.

Every time that she heard of another misdeed of her husband’s shesecretly went to repair the evil, which caused her name to be blessedthroughout the whole country-side. This Countess was adored as much as theCount was hated.

II

One day when he was out hunting the Count passed through a forest, and at thedoor of a lonely cottage he saw a beautiful girl spinning hemp.

‘What is your name?’ he asked her.

‘Renelde, my lord.’

‘You must get tired of staying in such a lonely place?’

‘I am accustomed to it, my lord, and I never get tired of it.’

‘That may be so; but come to the castle, and I will make you lady’smaid to the Countess.’

‘I cannot do that, my lord. I have to look after my grandmother, who isvery helpless.’

‘Come to the castle, I tell you. I shall expect you this evening,’and he went on his way.

But Renelde, who was betrothed to a young wood-cutter called Guilbert, had nointention of obeying the Count, and she had, besides, to take care of hergrandmother.

Three days later the Count again passed by.

‘Why didn’t you come?’ he asked the pretty spinner.

‘I told you, my lord, that I have to look after my grandmother.’

‘Come to-morrow, and I will make you lady-in-waiting to theCountess,’ and he went on his way.

This offer produced no more effect than the other, and Renelde did not go tothe castle.

‘If you will only come,’ said the Count to her when next he rodeby, ‘I will send away the Countess, and will marry you.’

But two years before, when Renelde’s mother was dying of a long illness,the Countess had not forgotten them, but had given help when they sorely neededit. So even if the Count had really wished to marry Renelde, she would alwayshave refused.

III

Some weeks passed before Burchard appeared again.

Renelde hoped she had got rid of him, when one day he stopped at the door, hisduck-gun under his arm and his game-bag on his shoulder. This time Renelde wasspinning not hemp, but flax.

‘What are you spinning?’ he asked in a rough voice.

‘My wedding shift, my lord.’

‘You are going to be married, then?’

‘Yes, my lord, by your leave.’

For at that time no peasant could marry without the leave of his master.

‘I will give you leave on one condition. Do you see those tall nettlesthat grow on the tombs in the churchyard? Go and gather them, and spin theminto two fine shifts. One shall be your bridal shift, and the other shall be myshroud. For you shall be married the day that I am laid in my grave.’ Andthe Count turned away with a mocking laugh.

Renelde trembled. Never in all Locquignol had such a thing been heard of as thespinning of nettles.

And besides, the Count seemed made of iron and was very proud of his strength,often boasting that he should live to be a hundred.

Every evening, when his work was done, Guilbert came to visit his future bride.This evening he came as usual, and Renelde told him what Burchard had said.

‘Would you like me to watch for the Wolf, and split his skull with a blowfrom my axe?’

‘No,’ replied Renelde, ‘there must be no blood on my bridalbouquet. And then we must not hurt the Count. Remember how good the Countesswas to my mother.’

An old, old woman now spoke: she was the mother of Renelde’s grandmother,and was more than ninety years old. All day long she sat in her chair noddingher head and never saying a word.

‘My children,’ she said, ‘all the years that I have lived inthe world, I have never heard of a shift spun from nettles. But what Godcommands, man can do. Why should not Renelde try it?’

IV

Renelde did try, and to her great surprise the nettles when crushed andprepared gave a good thread, soft and light and firm. Very soon she had spunthe first shift, which was for her own wedding. She wove and cut it out atonce, hoping that the Count would not force her to begin the other. Just as shehad finished sewing it, Burchard the Wolf passed by.

‘Well,’ said he, ‘how are the shifts getting on?’

‘Here, my lord, is my wedding garment,’ answered Renelde, showinghim the shift, which was the finest and whitest ever seen.

The Count grew pale, but he replied roughly, ‘Very good. Now begin theother.’

The spinner set to work. As the Count returned to the castle, a cold shiverpassed over him, and he felt, as the saying is, that some one was walking overhis grave. He tried to eat his supper, but could not; he went to bed shakingwith fever. But he did not sleep, and in the morning could not manage to rise.

This sudden illness, which every instant became worse, made him very uneasy. Nodoubt Renelde’s spinning-wheel knew all about it. Was it not necessarythat his body, as well as his shroud, should be ready for the burial?

The first thing Burchard did was to send to Renelde and to stop her wheel.

Renelde obeyed, and that evening Guilbert asked her:

‘Has the Count given his consent to our marriage?’

‘No,’ said Renelde.

‘Continue your work, sweetheart. It is the only way of gaining it. Youknow he told you so himself.’

V

The following morning, as soon as she had put the house in order, the girl satdown to spin. Two hours after there arrived some soldiers, and when they sawher spinning they seized her, tied her arms and legs, and carried her to thebank of the river, which was swollen by the late rains.

When they reached the bank they flung her in, and watched her sink, after whichthey left her. But Renelde rose to the surface, and though she could not swimshe struggled to land.

Directly she got home she sat down and began to spin.

Again came the two soldiers to the cottage and seized the girl, carried her tothe river bank, tied a stone to her neck and flung her into the water.

The moment their backs were turned the stone untied itself. Renelde waded theford, returned to the hut, and sat down to spin.

This time the Count resolved to go to Locquignol himself; but, as he was veryweak and unable to walk, he had himself borne in a litter. And still thespinner spun.

When he saw her he fired a shot at her, as he would have fired at a wild beast.The bullet rebounded without harming the spinner, who still spun on.

Burchard fell into such a violent rage that it nearly killed him. He broke thewheel into a thousand pieces, and then fell fainting on the ground. He wascarried back to the castle, unconscious.

The next day the wheel was mended, and the spinner sat down to spin. Feelingthat while she was spinning he was dying, the Count ordered that her handsshould be tied, and that they should not lose sight of her for one instant.

But the guards fell asleep, the bonds loosed themselves, and the spinner spunon.

Burchard had every nettle rooted up for three leagues round. Scarcely had theybeen torn from the soil when they sowed themselves afresh, and grew as you werelooking at them.

They sprung up even in the well-trodden floor of the cottage, and as fast asthey were uprooted the distaff gathered to itself a supply of nettles, crushed,prepared, and ready for spinning.

And every day Burchard grew worse, and watched his end approaching.

VI

Moved by pity for her husband, the Countess at last found out the cause of hisillness, and entreated him to allow himself to be cured. But the Count in hispride refused more than ever to give his consent to the marriage.

So the lady resolved to go without his knowledge to pray for mercy from thespinner, and in the name of Renelde’s dead mother she besought her tospin no more. Renelde gave her promise, but in the evening Guilbert arrived atthe cottage. Seeing that the cloth was no farther advanced than it was theevening before, he inquired the reason. Renelde confessed that the Countess hadprayed her not to let her husband die.

‘Will he consent to our marriage?’

‘No.’

‘Let him die then.’

‘But what will the Countess say?’

‘The Countess will understand that it is not your fault; the Count aloneis guilty of his own death.’

‘Let us wait a little. Perhaps his heart may be softened.’

So they waited for one month, for two, for six, for a year. The spinner spun nomore. The Count had ceased to persecute her, but he still refused his consentto the marriage. Guilbert became impatient.

The poor girl loved him with her whole soul, and she was more unhappy than shehad been before, when Burchard was only tormenting her body.

‘Let us have done with it,’ said Guilbert.

‘Wait a little still,’ pleaded Renelde.

But the young man grew weary. He came more rarely to Locquignol, and very soonhe did not come at all. Renelde felt as if her heart would break, but she heldfirm.

One day she met the Count. She clasped her hands as if in prayer, and cried:

‘My lord, have mercy!’

Burchard the Wolf turned away his head and passed on.

She might have humbled his pride had she gone to her spinning-wheel again, butshe did nothing of the sort.

Not long after she learnt that Guilbert had left the country. He did not evencome to say good-bye to her, but, all the same, she knew the day and hour ofhis departure, and hid herself on the road to see him once more.

When she came in she put her silent wheel into a corner, and cried for threedays and three nights.

VII

So another year went by. Then the Count fell ill, and the Countess supposedthat Renelde, weary of waiting, had begun her spinning anew; but when she cameto the cottage to see, she found the wheel silent.

However, the Count grew worse and worse till he was given up by the doctors.The passing bell was rung, and he lay expecting Death to come for him. ButDeath was not so near as the doctors thought, and still he lingered.

He seemed in a desperate condition, but he got neither better nor worse. Hecould neither live nor die; he suffered horribly, and called loudly on Death toput an end to his pains.

In this extremity he remembered what he had told the little spinner long ago.If Death was so slow in coming, it was because he was not ready to follow him,having no shroud for his burial.

He sent to fetch Renelde, placed her by his bedside, and ordered her at once togo on spinning his shroud.

Hardly had the spinner begun to work when the Count began to feel his painsgrow less.

Then at last his heart melted; he was sorry for all the evil he had done out ofpride, and implored Renelde to forgive him. So Renelde forgave him, and went onspinning night and day.

When the thread of the nettles was spun she wove it with her shuttle, and thencut the shroud and began to sew it.

And as before, when she sewed the Count felt his pains grow less, and the lifesinking within him, and when the needle made the last stitch he gave his lastsigh.

VIII

At the same hour Guilbert returned to the country, and, as he had never ceasedto love Renelde, he married her eight days later.

He had lost two years of happiness, but comforted himself with thinking thathis wife was a clever spinner, and, what was much more rare, a brave and goodwoman.^[24]

[24]Ch. Deulin.

FARMER WEATHERBEARD

There was once upon a time a man and a woman who had an only son, and he wascalled Jack. The woman thought that it was his duty to go out to service, andtold her husband that he was to take him somewhere.

‘You must get him such a good place that he will become master of allmasters,’ she said, and then she put some food and a roll of tobacco intoa bag for them.

Well, they went to a great many masters, but all said that they could make thelad as good as they were themselves, but better than that they could not makehim. When the man came home to the old woman with this answer, she said,‘I shall be equally well pleased whatever you do with him; but this I dosay, that you are to have him made a master over all masters.’ Then sheonce more put some food and a roll of tobacco into the bag, and the man and hisson had to set out again.

When they had walked some distance they got upon the ice, and there they met aman in a carriage who was driving a black horse.

‘Where are you going?’ he said.

‘I have to go and get my son apprenticed to someone who will be able toteach him a trade, for my old woman comes of such well-to-do folk that sheinsists on his being taught to be master of all masters,’ said the man.

‘We are not ill met, then,’ said the man who was driving,‘for I am the kind of man who can do that, and I am just looking out forsuch an apprentice. Get up behind with you,’ he said to the boy, and offthe horse went with them straight up into the air.

‘No, no, wait a little!’ screamed the father of the boy. ‘Iought to know what your name is and where you live.’

‘Oh, I am at home both in the north and the south and the east and thewest, and I am called Farmer Weatherbeard,’ said the master. ‘Youmay come here again in a year’s time, and then I will tell you if the ladsuits me.’ And then they set off again and were gone.

When the man got home the old woman inquired what had become of the son.

‘Ah! Heaven only knows what has become of him!’ said the man.‘They went up aloft.’ And then he told her what had happened.

But when the woman heard that, and found that the man did not at all knoweither when their son would be out of his apprentice-ship, or where he hadgone, she packed him off again to find out, and gave him a bag of food and aroll of tobacco to take away with him.

When he had walked for some time he came to a great wood, and it stretchedbefore him all day long as he went on, and when night began to fall he saw agreat light, and went towards it. After a long, long time he came to a smallhut at the foot of a rock, outside which an old woman was standing drawingwater up from a well with her nose, it was so long.

‘Good-evening, mother,’ said the man.

‘Good-evening to you too,’ said the old woman. ‘No one hascalled me mother this hundred years.’

‘Can I lodge here to-night?’ said the man.

‘No,’ said the old woman. But the man took out his roll of tobacco,lighted a little of it, and then gave her a whiff. Then she was so delightedthat she began to dance, and thus the man got leave to stay the night there. Itwas not long before he asked about Farmer Weatherbeard.

She said that she knew nothing about him, but that she ruled over all thefour-footed beasts, and some of them might know him. So she gathered them alltogether by blowing a whistle which she had, and questioned them, but there wasnot one of them which knew anything about Farmer Weatherbeard.

‘Well,’ said the old woman, ‘there are three of us sisters;it may be that one of the other two knows where he is to be found. You shallhave the loan of my horse and carriage, and then you will get there by night;but her house is three hundred miles off, go the nearest way you will.’

The man set out and got there at night. When he arrived, this old woman alsowas standing drawing water out of the well with her nose.

‘Good-evening, mother,’ said the man.

‘Good-evening to you,’ said the old woman. ‘No one has evercalled me mother this hundred years.’

‘Can I lodge here to-night?’ said the man.

‘No,’ said the old woman.

Then he took out the roll of tobacco, took a whiff, and gave the old woman somesnuff on the back of her hand. Then she was so delighted that she began todance, and the man got leave to stay all night. It was not long before he beganto ask about Farmer Weatherbeard.

She knew nothing about him, but she ruled over all the fishes, she said, andperhaps some of them might know something. So she gathered them all together byblowing a whistle which she had, and questioned them, but there was not one ofthem which knew anything about Farmer Weatherbeard.

‘Well,’ said the old woman, ‘I have another sister; perhapsshe may know something about him. She lives six hundred miles off, but youshall have my horse and carriage, and then you will get there bynightfall.’

So the man set off and he got there by nightfall. The old woman was standingraking the fire, and she was doing it with her nose, so long it was.

‘Good-evening, mother,’ said the man.

‘Good-evening to you,’ said the old woman. ‘No one has calledme mother this hundred years.’

‘Can I lodge here to-night?’ said the man.

‘No,’ said the old woman. But the man pulled out his roll oftobacco again, and filled his pipe with some of it, and gave the old womanenough snuff to cover the back of her hand. Then she was so delighted that shebegan to dance, and the man got leave to stay in her house. It was not longbefore he asked about Farmer Weatherbeard. She knew nothing at all about him,she said, but she governed all the birds; and she gathered them together withher whistle. When she questioned them all, the eagle was not there, but it camesoon afterwards, and when asked, it said that it had just come from FarmerWeatherbeard’s. Then the old woman said that it was to guide the man tohim. But the eagle would have something to eat first, and then it wanted towait until the next day, for it was so tired with the long journey that it wasscarcely able to rise from the earth.

When the eagle had had plenty of food and rest, the old woman plucked a featherout of its tail, and set the man in the feather’s place, and then thebird flew away with him, but they did not get to Farmer Weatherbeard’sbefore midnight.

When they got there the Eagle said: ‘There are a great many dead bodieslying outside the door, but you must not concern yourself about them. Thepeople who are inside the house are all so sound asleep that it will not beeasy to awake them; but you must go straight to the table-drawer, and take outthree bits of bread, and if you hear anyone snoring, pluck three feathers fromhis head; he will not waken for that.’

The man did this; when he had got the bits of bread he first plucked out onefeather.

‘Oof!’ screamed Farmer Weatherbeard.

So the man plucked out another, and then Farmer Weatherbeard shrieked‘Oof!’ again; but when the man had plucked the third, FarmerWeatherbeard screamed so loudly that the man thought that brick and mortarwould be rent in twain, but for all that he went on sleeping. And now the Eagletold the man what he was to do next, and he did it. He went to the stable door,and there he stumbled against a hard stone, which he picked up, and beneath itlay three splinters of wood, which he also picked up. He knocked at the stabledoor and it opened at once. He threw down the three little bits of bread and ahare came out and ate them. He caught the hare. Then the Eagle told him topluck three feathers out of its tail, and put in the hare, the stone, thesplinters of wood and himself instead of them, and then he would be able tocarry them all home.

When the Eagle had flown a long way it alighted on a stone.

‘Do you see anything?’ it asked.

‘Yes; I see a flock of crows coming flying after us,’ said the man.

‘Then we shall do well to fly on a little farther,’ said the Eagle,and off it set.

In a short time it asked again, ‘Do you see anything now?’

‘Yes; now the crows are close behind us,’ said the man.

‘Then throw down the three feathers which you plucked out of hishead,’ said the Eagle.

So the man did this, and no sooner had he flung them down than the feathersbecame a flock of ravens, which chased the crows home again. Then the Eagleflew on much farther with the man, but at length it alighted on a stone for awhile.

‘Do you see anything?’ it said.

‘I am not quite certain,’ said the man, ‘but I think I seesomething coming in the far distance.’

‘Then we shall do well to fly on a little farther,’ said the Eagle,and away it went.

‘Do you see anything now?’ it said, after some time had gone by.

‘Yes; now they are close behind us,’ said the man.

‘Then throw down the splinters of wood which you took from beneath thegray stone by the stable door,’ said the Eagle. The man did this, and nosooner had he flung them down than they grew up into a great thick wood, andFarmer Weatherbeard had to go home for an axe to cut his way through it. So theEagle flew on a long, long way, but then it grew tired and sat down on a firtree.

‘Do you see anything?’ it asked.

‘Yes; I am not quite certain,’ said the man, ‘but I think Ican catch a glimpse of something far, far away.’

‘Then we shall do well to fly on a little farther,’ said the Eagle,and it set off again.

‘Do you see anything now?’ it said after some time had gone by.

‘Yes; he is close behind us now,’ said the man.

‘Then you must fling down the great stone which you took away from thestable door,’ said the Eagle.

The man did so, and it turned into a great high mountain of stone, which FarmerWeatherbeard had to break his way through before he could follow them. But whenhe had got to the middle of the mountain he broke one of his legs, so he had togo home to get it put right.

While he was doing this the Eagle flew off to the man’s home with him,and with the hare, and when they had got home the man went to the churchyard,and had some Christian earth laid upon the hare, and then it turned into hisson Jack.

When the time came for the fair the youth turned himself into a light-colouredhorse, and bade his father go to the market with him. ‘If anyone shouldcome who wants to buy me,’ said he, ‘you are to tell him that youwant a hundred dollars for me; but you must not forget to take off the halter,for if you do I shall never be able to get away from Farmer Weatherbeard, forhe is the man who will come and bargain for me.’

And thus it happened. A horse-dealer came who had a great fancy to bargain forthe horse, and the man got a hundred dollars for it, but when the bargain wasmade, and Jack’s father had got the money, the horse-dealer wanted tohave the halter.

‘That was no part of our bargain,’ said the man, ‘and thehalter you shall not have, for I have other horses which I shall have tosell.’

So each of them went his way. But the horse dealer had not got very far withJack before he resumed his own form again, and when the man got home he wassitting on the bench by the stove.

The next day he changed himself into a brown horse and told his father that hewas to set off to market with him. ‘If a man should come who wants to buyme,’ said Jack, ‘you are to tell him that you want two hundreddollars, for that he will give, and treat you besides; but whatsoever youdrink, and whatsoever you do, don’t forget to take the halter off me, oryou will never see me more.’

And thus it happened. The man got his two hundred dollars for the horse, andwas treated as well, and when they parted from each other it was just as muchas he could do to remember to take off the halter. But the buyer had not gotfar on his way before the youth took his own form again, and when the manreached home Jack was already sitting on the bench by the stove.

On the third day all happened in the same way. The youth changed himself into agreat black horse, and told his father that if a man came and offered him threehundred dollars, and treated him well and handsomely into the bargain, he wasto sell him, but whatsoever he did, or how much soever he drank, he must notforget to take off the halter, or else he himself would never get away fromFarmer Weatherbeard as long as he lived.

‘No,’ said the man, ‘I will not forget.’

When he got to the market, he received the three hundred dollars, but FarmerWeatherbeard treated him so handsomely that he quite forgot to take off thehalter; so Farmer Weatherbeard went away with the horse.

When he had got some distance he had to go into an inn to get some more brandy;so he set a barrel full of red-hot nails under his horse’s nose, and atrough filled with oats beneath its tail, and then he tied the halter fast to ahook and went away into the inn. So the horse stood there stamping, andkicking, and snorting, and rearing, and out came a girl who thought it a sinand a shame to treat a horse so ill.

‘Ah, poor creature, what a master you must have to treat you thus!’she said, and pushed the halter off the hook so that the horse might turn roundand eat the oats.

‘I am here!’ shrieked Farmer Weatherbeard, rushing out of doors.But the horse had already shaken off the halter and flung himself into agoose-pond, where he changed himself into a little fish. Farmer Weatherbeardwent after him, and changed himself into a great pike. So Jack turned himselfinto a dove, and Farmer Weatherbeard turned himself into a hawk, and flew afterthe dove and struck it. But a Princess was standing at a window in theKing’s palace watching the struggle.

‘If thou didst but know as much as I know, thou wouldst fly in to methrough the window,’ said the Princess to the dove.

So the dove came flying in through the window and changed itself into Jackagain, and told her all as it had happened.

‘Change thyself into a gold ring, and set thyself on my finger,’said the Princess.

‘No, that will not do,’ said Jack, ‘for then FarmerWeatherbeard will make the King fall sick, and there will be no one who canmake him well again before Farmer Weatherbeard comes and cures him, and forthat he will demand the gold ring.’

‘I will say that it was my mother’s, and that I will not part withit,’ said the Princess.

So Jack changed himself into a gold ring, and set himself on thePrincess’s finger, and Farmer Weatherbeard could not get at him there.But then all that the youth had foretold came to pass.

The King became ill, and there was no doctor who could cure him till FarmerWeatherbeard arrived, and he demanded the ring which was on thePrincess’s finger as a reward.

So the King sent a messenger to the Princess for the ring. She, however,refused to part with it, because she had inherited it from her mother. When theKing was informed of this he fell into a rage, and said that he would have thering, let her have inherited it from whom she might.

‘Well, it’s of no use to be angry about it,’ said thePrincess, ‘for I can’t get it off. If you want the ring you willhave to take the finger too!’

‘I will try, and then the ring will very soon come off,’ saidFarmer Weatherbeard.

‘No, thank you, I will try myself,’ said the Princess, and she wentaway to the fireplace and put some ashes on the ring.

So the ring came off and was lost among the ashes.

Farmer Weatherbeard changed himself into a hare, which scratched and scrapedabout in the fireplace after the ring until the ashes were up to its ears. ButJack changed himself into a fox, and bit the hare’s head off, and ifFarmer Weatherbeard was possessed by the evil one all was now over withhim.^[25]

[25]From P. C. Asbjørnsen.

MOTHER HOLLE

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them waspretty and clever, and the other ugly and lazy. But as the ugly one was her owndaughter, she liked her far the best of the two, and the pretty one had to doall the work of the house, and was in fact the regular maid of all work. Everyday she had to sit by a well on the high road, and spin till her fingers wereso sore that they often bled. One day some drops of blood fell on her spindle,so she dipped it into the well meaning to wash it, but, as luck would have it,it dropped from her hand and fell right in. She ran weeping to her stepmother,and told her what had happened, but she scolded her harshly, and was somerciless in her anger that she said:

‘Well, since you’ve dropped the spindle down, you must just goafter it yourself, and don’t let me see your face again until you bringit with you.’

Then the poor girl returned to the well, and not knowing what she was about, inthe despair and misery of her heart she sprang into the well and sank to thebottom. For a time she lost all consciousness, and when she came to herselfagain she was lying in a lovely meadow, with the sun shining brightly overhead,and a thousand flowers blooming at her feet. She rose up and wandered throughthis enchanted place, till she came to a baker’s oven full of bread, andthe bread called out to her as she passed:

‘Oh! take me out, take me out, or I shall be burnt to a cinder. I amquite done enough.’

So she stepped up quickly to the oven and took out all the loaves one after theother. Then she went on a little farther and came to a tree laden withbeautiful rosy-cheeked apples, and as she passed by it called out:

‘Oh! shake me, shake me, my apples are all quite ripe.’

She did as she was asked, and shook the tree till the apples fell like rain andnone were left hanging. When she had gathered them all up into a heap she wenton her way again, and came at length to a little house, at the door of whichsat an old woman. The old dame had such large teeth that the girl feltfrightened and wanted to run away, but the old woman called after her:

‘What are you afraid of, dear child? Stay with me and be my little maid,and if you do your work well I will reward you handsomely; but you must be verycareful how you make my bed—you must shake it well till the feathers fly;then people in the world below say it snows, for I am Mother Holle.’

She spoke so kindly that the girl took heart and agreed readily to enter herservice. She did her best to please the old woman, and shook her bed with sucha will that the feathers flew about like snow-flakes; so she led a very easylife, was never scolded, and lived on the fat of the land. But after she hadbeen some time with Mother Holle she grew sad and depressed, and at first shehardly knew herself what was the matter. At last she discovered that she washomesick, so she went to Mother Holle and said:

‘I know I am a thousand times better off here than I ever was in my lifebefore, but notwithstanding, I have a great longing to go home, in spite of allyour kindness to me. I can remain with you no longer, but must return to my ownpeople.’

‘Your desire to go home pleases me,’ said Mother Holle, ‘andbecause you have served me so faithfully, I will show you the way back into theworld myself.’

So she took her by the hand and led her to an open door, and as the girl passedthrough it there fell a heavy shower of gold all over her, till she was coveredwith it from top to toe.

‘That’s a reward for being such a good little maid,’ saidMother Holle, and she gave her the spindle too that had fallen into the well.Then she shut the door, and the girl found herself back in the world again, notfar from her own house; and when she came to the courtyard the old hen, who saton the top of the wall, called out:

‘Click, clock, clack,
Our golden maid’s come back.’

Then she went in to her stepmother, and as she had returned covered with goldshe was welcomed home.

She proceeded to tell all that had happened to her, and when the mother heardhow she had come by her riches, she was most anxious to secure the same luckfor her own idle, ugly daughter; so she told her to sit at the well and spin.In order to make her spindle bloody, she stuck her hand into a hedge of thornsand pricked her finger. Then she threw the spindle into the well, and jumped inherself after it. Like her sister she came to the beautiful meadow, andfollowed the same path. When she reached the baker’s oven the breadcalled out as before:

‘Oh! take me out, take me out, or I shall be burnt to a cinder. I amquite done enough.’

But the good-for-nothing girl answered:

‘A pretty joke, indeed; just as if I should dirty my hands foryou!’

And on she went. Soon she came to the apple tree, which cried:

‘Oh! shake me, shake me, my apples are all quite ripe.’

‘I’ll see myself farther,’ she replied, ‘one of themmight fall on my head.’

And so she pursued her way. When she came to Mother Holle’s house shewasn’t the least afraid, for she had been warned about her big teeth, andshe readily agreed to become her maid. The first day she worked very hard, anddid all her mistress told her, for she thought of the gold she would give her;but on the second day she began to be lazy, and on the third she wouldn’teven get up in the morning. She didn’t make Mother Holle’s bed asshe ought to have done, and never shook it enough to make the feathers fly. Soher mistress soon grew weary of her, and dismissed her, much to the lazycreature’s delight.

‘For now,’ she thought, ‘the shower of golden rain willcome.’

Mother Holle led her to the same door as she had done her sister, but when shepassed through it, instead of the gold rain a kettle full of pitch cameshowering over her.

‘That’s a reward for your service,’ said Mother Holle, andshe closed the door behind her.

So the lazy girl came home all covered with pitch, and when the old hen on thetop of the wall saw her, it called out:

‘Click, clock, clack,
Our dirty slut’s come back.’

But the pitch remained sticking to her, and never as long as she lived could itbe got off.^[26]

[26]Grimm.

MINNIKIN

There was once upon a time a couple of needy folk who lived in a wretched hut,in which there was nothing but black want; so they had neither food to eat norwood to burn. But if they had next to nothing of all else they had the blessingof God so far as children were concerned, and every year brought them one more.The man was not overpleased at this. He was always going about grumbling andgrowling, and saying that it seemed to him that there might be such a thing ashaving too many of these good gifts; so shortly before another baby was born hewent away into the wood for some firewood, saying that he did not want to seethe new child; he would hear him quite soon enough when he began to squall forsome food.

As soon as this baby was born it began to look about the room. ‘Ah, mydear mother!’ said he, ‘give me some of my brothers’ oldclothes, and food enough for a few days, and I will go out into the world andseek my fortune, for, so far as I can see, you have children enough.’

‘Heaven help thee, my son!’ said the mother, ‘that will neverdo; thou art still far too little.’

But the little creature was determined to do it, and begged and prayed so longthat the mother was forced to let him have some old rags, and tie up a littlefood for him, and then gaily and happily he went out into the world.

But almost before he was out of the house another boy was born, and he toolooked about him, and said, ‘Ah, my dear mother! give me some of mybrothers’ old clothes, and food for some days, and then I will go outinto the world and find my twin brother, for you have children enough.’

‘Heaven help thee, little creature! thou art far too little forthat,’ said the woman; ‘it would never do.’

But she spoke to no purpose, for the boy begged and prayed until he had gotsome old rags and a bundle of provisions, and then he set out manfully into theworld to find his twin brother.

When the younger had walked for some time he caught sight of his brother ashort distance in front of him, and called to him and bade him to stop.

‘Wait a minute,’ he said; ‘you are walking as if for a wager,but you ought to have stayed to see your younger brother before you hurried offinto the world.’

So the elder stood still and looked back, and when the younger had got up tohim, and had told him that he was his brother, he said: ‘But now, let ussit down and see what kind of food our mother has given us,’ and thatthey did.

When they had walked on a little farther they came to a brook which ran througha green meadow, and there the younger said that they ought to christen eachother. ‘As we had to make such haste, and had no time to do it at home,we may as well do it here,’ said he.

‘What will you be called?’ asked the elder.

‘I will be called Minnikin,’ answered the second; ‘and you,what will you be called?’

‘I will be called King Pippin,’ answered the elder.

They christened each other and then went onwards. When they had walked for sometime they came to a crossway, and there they agreed to part, and each take hisown road. This they did, but no sooner had they walked a short distance thanthey met again. So they parted once more, and each took his own road, but in avery short time the same thing happened again—they met each other beforethey were at all aware, and so it happened the third time also. Then theyarranged with each other that each should choose his own quarter, and oneshould go east and the other west.

‘But if ever you fall into any need or trouble,’ said the elder,‘call me thrice, and I will come and help you; only you must not call meuntil you are in the utmost need.’

‘In that case we shall not see each other for some time,’ saidMinnikin; so they bade farewell to each other, and Minnikin went east and KingPippin went west.

When Minnikin had walked a long way alone, he met an old, old crook-backed hag,who had only one eye. Minnikin stole it.

‘Oh! oh!’ cried the old hag, ‘what has become of myeye?’

‘What will you give me to get your eye back?’ said Minnikin.

‘I will give thee a sword which is such a sword that it can conquer awhole army, let it be ever so great,’ replied the woman.

‘Let me have it, then,’ said Minnikin.

The old hag gave him the sword, so she got her eye back. Then Minnikin wentonwards, and when he had wandered on for some time he again met an old, oldcrook-backed hag, who had only one eye. Minnikin stole it before she was aware.

‘Oh! oh! what has become of my eye?’ cried the old hag.

‘What will you give me to get your eye back?’ said Minnikin.

‘I will give thee a ship which can sail over fresh water and salt water,over high hills and deep dales,’ answered the old woman.

‘Let me have it then,’ said Minnikin.

So the old woman gave him a little bit of a ship which was no bigger than hecould put in his pocket, and then she got her eye back, and she went her wayand Minnikin his. When he had walked on for a long time, he met for the thirdtime an old, old crook-backed hag, who had only one eye. This eye also Minnikinstole, and when the woman screamed and lamented, and asked what had become ofher eye, Minnikin said, ‘What will you give me to get your eyeback?’

‘I will give thee the art to brew a hundred lasts of malt in onebrewing.’

So, for teaching that art, the old hag got her eye back, and they both wentaway by different roads.

But when Minnikin had walked a short distance, it seemed to him that it mightbe worth while to see what his ship could do; so he took it out of his pocket,and first he put one foot into it, and then the other, and no sooner had he putone foot into the ship than it became much larger, and when he set the otherfoot into it, it grew as large as ships that sail on the sea.

Then Minnikin said: ‘Now go over fresh water and salt water, over highhills and deep dales, and do not stop until thou comest to the King’spalace.’

And in an instant the ship went away as swiftly as any bird in the air till itgot just below the King’s palace, and there it stood still.

From the windows of the King’s palace many persons had seen Minnikin comesailing thither, and had stood to watch him; and they were all so astoundedthat they ran down to see what manner of man this could be who came sailing ina ship through the air. But while they were running down from the King’spalace, Minnikin had got out of the ship and had put it in his pocket again;for the moment he got out of it, it once more became as small as it had beenwhen he got it from the old woman, and those who came from the King’spalace could see nothing but a ragged little boy who was standing down by thesea-shore. The King asked where he had come from, but the boy said he did notknow, nor yet could he tell them how he had got there, but he begged veryearnestly and prettily for a place in the King’s palace. If there wasnothing else for him to do, he said he would fetch wood and water for thekitchen-maid, and that he obtained leave to do.

When Minnikin went up to the King’s palace he saw that everything therewas hung with black both outside and inside, from the bottom to the top; so heasked the kitchen-maid what that meant.

‘Oh, I will tell you that,’ answered the kitchen-maid. ‘TheKing’s daughter was long ago promised away to three Trolls, and nextThursday evening one of them is to come to fetch her. Ritter Red has said thathe will be able to set her free, but who knows whether he will be able to doit? so you may easily imagine what grief and distress we are in here.’

So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red accompanied the Princess to thesea-shore; for there she was to meet the Troll, and Ritter Red was to stay withher and protect her. He, however, was very unlikely to do the Troll muchinjury, for no sooner had the Princess seated herself by the sea-shore thanRitter Red climbed up into a great tree which was standing there, and hidhimself as well as he could among the branches.

The Princess wept, and begged him most earnestly not to go and leave her; butRitter Red did not concern himself about that. ‘It is better that oneshould die than two,’ said he.

In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily to give himleave to go down to the strand for a short time.

‘Oh, what could you do down at the strand?’ said the kitchen-maid.‘You have nothing to do there.’

‘Oh yes, my dear, just let me go,’ said Minnikin. ‘I shouldso like to go and amuse myself with the other children.’

‘Well, well, go then!’ said the kitchen-maid, ‘butdon’t let me find you staying there over the time when the pan has to beset on the fire for supper, and the roast put on the spit; and mind you bringback a good big armful of wood for the kitchen.’

Minnikin promised this, and ran down to the sea-shore.

Just as he got to the place where the King’s daughter was sitting, theTroll came rushing up with a great whistling and whirring, and he was so bigand stout that he was terrible to see, and he had five heads.

‘Fire!’ screeched the Troll.

‘Fire yourself!’ said Minnikin.

‘Can you fight?’ roared the Troll.

‘If not, I can learn,’ said Minnikin.

So the Troll struck at him with a great thick iron bar which he had in hisfist, till the sods flew five yards up into the air.

‘Fie!’ said Minnikin. ‘That was not much of a blow. Now youshall see one of mine.’

So he grasped the sword which he had got from the old crook-backed woman, andslashed at the Troll so that all five heads went flying away over the sands.

When the Princess saw that she was delivered she was so delighted that she didnot know what she was doing, and skipped and danced.

‘Come and sleep a bit with your head in my lap,’ she said toMinnikin, and as he slept she put a golden dress on him.

But when Ritter Red saw that there was no longer any danger afoot, he lost notime in creeping down from the tree. He then threatened the Princess, until atlength she was forced to promise to say that it was he who had rescued her, forhe told her that if she did not he would kill her. Then he took theTroll’s lungs and tongue and put them in his pocket-handkerchief, and ledthe Princess back to the King’s palace; and whatsoever had been lackingto him in the way of honour before was lacking no longer, for the King did notknow how to exalt him enough, and always set him on his own right hand attable.

As for Minnikin, first he went out on the Troll’s ship and took a greatquantity of gold and silver hoops away with him, and then he trotted back tothe King’s palace.

When the kitchen-maid caught sight of all this gold and silver she was quiteamazed, and said: ‘My dear friend Minnikin, where have you got all thatfrom?’ for she was half afraid that he had not come by it honestly.

‘Oh,’ answered Minnikin, ‘I have been home a while, and thesehoops had fallen off some of our buckets, so I brought them away with me foryou.’

So when the kitchen-maid heard that they were for her, she asked no morequestions about the matter. She thanked Minnikin, and everything was rightagain at once.

Next Thursday evening all went just the same, and everyone was full of griefand affliction, but Ritter Red said that he had been able to deliver theKing’s daughter from one Troll, so that he could very easily deliver herfrom another, and he led her down to the sea-shore. But he did not do much harmto this Troll either, for when the time came when the Troll might be expected,he said as he had said before: ‘It is better that one should die thantwo,’ and then climbed up into the tree again.

Minnikin once more begged the cook’s leave to go down to the sea-shorefor a short time.

‘Oh, what can you do there?’ said the cook.

‘My dear, do let me go!’ said Minnikin; ‘I should so like togo down there and amuse myself a little with the other children.’

So this time also she said that he should have leave to go, but he must firstpromise that he would be back by the time the joint was turned and that hewould bring a great armful of wood with him.

No sooner had Minnikin got down to the strand than the Troll came rushing alongwith a great whistling and whirring, and he was twice as big as the firstTroll, and he had ten heads.

‘Fire!’ shrieked the Troll.

‘Fire yourself!’ said Minnikin.

‘Can you fight?’ roared the Troll.

‘If not, I can learn,’ said Minnikin.

So the Troll struck at him with his iron club—which was still bigger thanthat which the first Troll had had—so that the earth flew ten yards up inthe air.

‘Fie!’ said Minnikin. ‘That was not much of a blow. Now youshall see one of my blows.’

Then he grasped his sword and struck at the Troll, so that all his ten headsdanced away over the sands.

And again the King’s daughter said to him, ‘Sleep a while on mylap,’ and while Minnikin lay there she drew some silver raiment over him.

As soon as Ritter Red saw that there was no longer any danger afoot, he creptdown from the tree and threatened the Princess, until at last she was againforced to promise to say that it was he who had rescued her; after which hetook the tongue and the lungs of the Troll and put them in hispocket-handkerchief, and then he conducted the Princess back to the palace.There was joy and gladness in the palace, as may be imagined, and the King didnot know how to show enough honour and respect to Ritter Red.

Minnikin, however, took home with him an armful of gold and silver hoops fromthe Troll’s ship. When he came back to the King’s palace thekitchen-maid clapped her hands and wondered where he could have got all thatgold and silver; but Minnikin answered that he had been home for a short time,and that it was only the hoops which had fallen off some pails, and that he hadbrought them away for the kitchen-maid.

When the third Thursday evening came, everything happened exactly as it hadhappened on the two former occasions. Everything in the King’s palace washung with black, and everyone was sorrowful and distressed; but Ritter Red saidthat he did not think that they had much reason to be afraid—he haddelivered the King’s daughter from two Trolls, so he could easily deliverher from the third as well.

He led her down to the strand, but when the time drew near for the Troll tocome, he climbed up into the tree again and hid himself.

The Princess wept and entreated him to stay, but all to no purpose. He stuck tohis old speech, ‘It is better that one life should be lost thantwo.’

This evening also, Minnikin begged for leave to go down to the sea-shore.

‘Oh, what can you do there?’ answered the kitchen-maid.

However, he begged until at last he got leave to go, but he was forced topromise that he would be back again in the kitchen when the roast had to beturned.

Almost immediately after he had got down to the sea-shore the Troll came with agreat whizzing and whirring, and he was much, much bigger than either of thetwo former ones, and he had fifteen heads.

‘Fire!’ roared the Troll.

‘Fire yourself!’ said Minnikin.

‘Can you fight?’ screamed the Troll.

‘If not, I can learn,’ said Minnikin.

‘I will teach you,’ yelled the Troll, and struck at him with hisiron club so that the earth flew up fifteen yards high into the air.

‘Fie!’ said Minnikin. ‘That was not much of a blow. Now Iwill let you see one of my blows.’

So saying he grasped his sword, and cut at the Troll in such a way that all hisfifteen heads danced away over the sands.

Then the Princess was delivered, and she thanked Minnikin and blessed him forsaving her.

‘Sleep a while now on my lap,’ said she, and while he lay there sheput a garment of brass upon him.

‘But now, how shall we have it made known that it was you who savedme?’ said the King’s daughter.

‘That I will tell you,’ answered Minnikin. ‘When Ritter Redhas taken you home again, and given out that it was he who rescued you, hewill, as you know, have you to wife, and half the kingdom. But when they askyou on your wedding-day whom you will have to be your cup-bearer, you must say,“I will have the ragged boy who is in the kitchen, and carries wood andwater for the kitchen-maid;” and when I am filling your cups for you, Iwill spill a drop upon his plate but none upon yours, and then he will be angryand strike me, and this will take place thrice. But the third time you mustsay, “Shame on you thus to smite the beloved of mine heart. It is he whodelivered me from the Troll, and he is the one whom I will have.”’

Then Minnikin ran back to the King’s palace as he had done before, butfirst he went on board the Troll’s ship and took a great quantity of goldand silver and other precious things, and out of these he once more gave to thekitchen-maid a whole armful of gold and silver hoops.

No sooner did Ritter Red see that all danger was over than he crept down fromthe tree, and threatened the King’s daughter till he made her promise tosay that he had rescued her. Then he conducted her back to the King’spalace, and if honour enough had not been done him before it was certainly donenow, for the King had no other thought than how to make much of the man who hadsaved his daughter from the three Trolls; and it was settled then that RitterRed should marry her, and receive half the kingdom.

On the wedding-day, however, the Princess begged that she might have the littleboy who was in the kitchen, and carried wood and water for the kitchen-maid, tofill the wine-cups at the wedding feast.

‘Oh, what can you want with that dirty, ragged boy, in here?’ saidRitter Red, but the Princess said that she insisted on having him as cup-bearerand would have no one else; and at last she got leave, and then everything wasdone as had been agreed on between the Princess and Minnikin. He spilt a dropon Ritter Red’s plate but none upon hers, and each time that he did itRitter Red fell into a rage and struck him. At the first blow all the raggedgarments which he had worn in the kitchen fell from off Minnikin, at the secondblow the brass garments fell off, and at the third the silver raiment, andthere he stood in the golden raiment, which was so bright and splendid thatlight flashed from it.

Then the King’s daughter said: ‘Shame on you thus to smite thebeloved of my heart. It is he who delivered me from the Troll, and he is theone whom I will have.’

Ritter Red swore that he was the man who had saved her, but the King said:‘He who delivered my daughter must have some token in proof of it.’

So Ritter Red ran off at once for his handkerchief with the lungs and tongue,and Minnikin went and brought all the gold and silver and precious things whichhe had taken out of the Trolls’ ships; and they each of them laid thesetokens before the King.

‘He who has such precious things in gold and silver and diamonds,’said the King, ‘must be the one who killed the Troll, for such things arenot to be had anywhere else.’ So Ritter Red was thrown into thesnake-pit, and Minnikin was to have the Princess, and half the kingdom.

One day the King went out walking with Minnikin, and Minnikin asked him if hehad never had any other children.

‘Yes,’ said the King, ‘I had another daughter, but the Trollcarried her away because there was no one who could deliver her. You are goingto have one daughter of mine, but if you can set free the other, who has beentaken by the Troll, you shall willingly have her too, and the other half of thekingdom as well.’

‘I may as well make the attempt,’ said Minnikin, ‘but I musthave an iron rope which is five hundred ells long, and then I must have fivehundred men with me, and provisions for five weeks, for I have a long voyagebefore me.’

So the King said he should have these things, but the King was afraid that hehad no ship large enough to carry them all.

‘But I have a ship of my own,’ said Minnikin, and he took the onewhich the old woman had given him out of his pocket. The King laughed at himand thought that it was only one of his jokes, but Minnikin begged him just togive him what he had asked for, and then he should see something. Then all thatMinnikin had asked for was brought; and first he ordered them to lay the cablein the ship, but there was no one who was able to lift it, and there was onlyroom for one or two men at a time in the little bit of a ship. Then Minnikinhimself took hold of the cable, and laid one or two links of it into the ship,and as he threw the links into it the ship grew bigger and bigger, and at lastit was so large that the cable, and the five hundred men, and provisions, andMinnikin himself, had room enough.

‘Now go over fresh water and salt water, over hill and dale, and do notstop until thou comest to where the King’s daughter is,’ saidMinnikin to the ship, and off it went in a moment over land and water till thewind whistled and moaned all round about it.

When they had sailed thus a long, long way, the ship stopped short in themiddle of the sea.

‘Ah, now we have got there,’ said Minnikin, ‘but how we areto get back again is a very different thing.’

Then he took the cable and tied one end of it round his body. ‘Now I mustgo to the bottom,’ he said, ‘but when I give a good jerk to thecable and want to come up again, you must all pull like one man, or there willbe an end of all life both for you and for me.’ So saying he sprang intothe water, and yellow bubbles rose up all around him. He sank lower and lower,and at last he came to the bottom. There he saw a large hill with a door in it,and in he went. When he had got inside he found the other Princess sittingsewing, but when she saw Minnikin she clapped her hands.

‘Ah, heaven be praised!’ she cried, ‘I have not seen aChristian man since I came here.’

‘I have come for you,’ said Minnikin.

‘Alas! you will not be able to get me,’ said the King’sdaughter. ‘It is no use even to think of that; if the Troll catches sightof you he will take your life.’

‘You had better tell me about him,’ said Minnikin. ‘Where ishe gone? It would be amusing to see him.’

So the King’s daughter told Minnikin that the Troll was out trying to gethold of someone who could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one brewing, forthere was to be a feast at the Troll’s, at which less than that would notbe drunk.

‘I can do that,’ said Minnikin.

‘Ah! if only the Troll were not so quick-tempered I might have told himthat,’ answered the Princess, ‘but he is so ill-natured that hewill tear you to pieces, I fear, as soon as he comes in. But I will try to findsome way of doing it. Can you hide yourself here in the cupboard? and then wewill see what happens.’

Minnikin did this, and almost before he had crept into the cupboard and hiddenhimself, came the Troll.

‘Huf! What a smell of Christian man’s blood!’ said the Troll.

‘Yes, a bird flew over the roof with a Christian man’s bone in hisbill, and let it fall down our chimney,’ answered the Princess. ‘Imade haste enough to get it away again, but it must be that which smells so,notwithstanding.’

‘Yes, it must be that,’ said the Troll.

Then the Princess asked if he had got hold of anyone who could brew a hundredlasts of malt at one brewing.

‘No, there is no one who can do it,’ said the Troll.

‘A short time since there was a man here who said he could do it,’said the King’s daughter.

‘How clever you always are!’ said the Troll. ‘How could youlet him go away? You must have known that I was just wanting a man of thatkind.’

‘Well, but I didn’t let him go, after all,’ said thePrincess; ‘but father is so quick-tempered, so I hid him in the cupboard,but if father has not found any one then the man is still here.’

‘Let him come in,’ said the Troll.

When Minnikin came, the Troll asked if it were true that he could brew ahundred lasts of malt at one brewing.

‘Yes,’ said Minnikin, ‘it is.’

‘It is well then that I have lighted on thee,’ said the Troll.‘Fall to work this very minute, but Heaven help thee if thou dost notbrew the ale strong.’

‘Oh, it shall taste well,’ said Minnikin, and at once set himselfto work to brew.

‘But I must have more trolls to help to carry what is wanted,’ saidMinnikin; ‘these that I have are good for nothing.’

So he got more and so many that there was a swarm of them, and then the brewingwent on. When the sweet-wort was ready they were all, as a matter of course,anxious to taste it, first the Troll himself and then the others; but Minnikinhad brewed the wort so strong that they all fell down dead like so many fliesas soon as they had drunk any of it. At last there was no one left but onewretched old hag who was lying behind the stove.

‘Oh, poor old creature!’ said Minnikin, ‘you shall have ataste of the wort too like the rest.’ So he went away and scooped up alittle from the bottom of the brewing vat in a milk pan, and gave it to her,and then he was quit of the whole of them.

While Minnikin was now standing there looking about him, he cast his eye on alarge chest. This he took and filled it with gold and silver, and then he tiedthe cable round himself and the Princess and the chest, and tugged at the ropewith all his might, whereupon his men drew them up safe and sound.

As soon as Minnikin had got safely on his ship again, he said: ‘Now goover salt water and fresh water, over hill and dale, and do not stop until thoucomest unto the King’s palace.’ And in a moment the ship went offso fast that the yellow foam rose up all round about it.

When those who were in the King’s palace saw the ship, they lost no timein going to meet him with song and music, and thus they marched up towardsMinnikin with great rejoicings; but the gladdest of all was the King, for nowhe had got his other daughter back again.

But now Minnikin was not happy, for both the Princesses wanted to have him, andhe wanted to have none other than the one whom he had first saved, and she wasthe younger. For this cause he was continually walking backwards and forwards,thinking how he could contrive to get her, and yet do nothing that was unkindto her sister. One day when he was walking about and thinking of this, it cameinto his mind that if he only had his brother, King Pippin, with him, who wasso like himself that no one could distinguish the one from the other, he couldlet him have the elder Princess and half the kingdom; as for himself, hethought, the other half was quite enough. As soon as this thought occurred tohim he went outside the palace and called for King Pippin, but no one came. Sohe called a second time, and a little louder, but no! still no one came. SoMinnikin called for the third time, and with all his might, and there stood hisbrother by his side.

‘I told you that you were not to call me unless you were in the utmostneed,’ he said to Minnikin, ‘and there is not even so much as amidge here who can do you any harm!’ and with that he gave Minnikin sucha blow that he rolled over on the grass.

‘Shame on you to strike me!’ said Minnikin. ‘First have I wonone Princess and half the kingdom, and then the other Princess and the otherhalf of the kingdom; and now, when I was just thinking that I would give youone of the Princesses and one of the halves of the kingdom, do you think youhave any reason to give me such a blow?’

When King Pippin heard that he begged his brother’s pardon, and they werereconciled at once and became good friends.

‘Now, as you know,’ said Minnikin, ‘we are so like each otherthat no one can tell one of us from the other; so just change clothes with meand go up to the palace, and then the Princesses will think that I am comingin, and the one who kisses you first shall be yours, and I will have theother.’ For he knew that the elder Princess was the stronger, so he couldvery well guess how things would go.

King Pippin at once agreed to this. He changed clothes with his brother, andwent into the palace. When he entered the Princess’s apartments theybelieved that he was Minnikin, and both of them ran up to him at once; but theelder, who was bigger and stronger, pushed her sister aside, and threw her armsround King Pippin’s neck and kissed him; so he got her to wife, andMinnikin the younger sister. It will be easy to understand that two weddingstook place, and they were so magnificent that they were heard of and talkedabout all over seven kingdoms.^[27]

[27]From J. Moe.

BUSHY BRIDE

There was once on a time a widower who had a son and a daughter by his firstwife. They were both good children, and loved each other with all their hearts.After some time had gone by the man married again, and he chose a widow withone daughter who was ugly and wicked, and her mother was ugly and wicked too.From the very day that the new wife came into the house there was no peace forthe man’s children, and not a corner to be found where they could get anyrest; so the boy thought that the best thing he could do was to go out into theworld and try to earn his own bread.

When he had roamed about for some time he came to the King’s palace,where he obtained a place under the coachman; and very brisk and active he was,and the horses that he looked after were so fat and sleek, that they shoneagain.

But his sister, who was still at home, fared worse and worse. Both herstep-mother and her step-sister were always finding fault with her, whatsoevershe did and whithersoever she went, and they scolded her and abused her so thatshe never had an hour’s peace. They made her do all the hard work, andhard words fell to her lot early and late, but little enough food accompaniedthem.

One day they sent her to the brook to fetch some water home, and an ugly andhorrible head rose up out of the water, and said, ‘Wash me, girl!’

‘Yes, I will wash you with pleasure,’ said the girl, and began towash and scrub the ugly face, but she couldn’t help thinking that it wasa very unpleasant piece of work. When she had done it, and done it well,another head rose up out of the water, and this one was uglier still.

‘Brush me, girl!’ said the head.

‘Yes, I will brush you with pleasure,’ said the girl, and set towork with the tangled hair, and, as may be easily imagined, this too was by nomeans pleasant work.

When she had got it done, another and a much more ugly and horrible-lookinghead rose up out of the water.

‘Kiss me, girl!’ said the head.

‘Yes, I will kiss you,’ said the man’s daughter, and she didit, but she thought it was the worst bit of work that she had ever had to do inher life.

So the heads all began to talk to each other, and to ask what they should dofor this girl who was so full of kindliness.

‘She shall be the prettiest girl that ever was, and fair and bright asthe day,’ said the first head.

‘Gold shall drop from her hair whenever she brushes it,’ said thesecond.

‘Gold shall drop from her mouth whenever she speaks,’ said thethird head.

So when the man’s daughter went home, looking as beautiful and bright asday, the step-mother and her daughter grew much more ill-tempered, and it wasworse still when she began to talk, and they saw that golden coins dropped fromher mouth. The step-mother fell into such a towering passion that she drove theman’s daughter into the pig-stye—she might stay there with her fineshow of gold, the step-mother said, but she should not be permitted to set footin the house.

It was not long before the mother wanted her own daughter to go to the streamto fetch some water.

When she got there with her pails, the first head rose up out of the waterclose to the bank. ‘Wash me, girl!’ it said.

‘Wash yourself!’ answered the woman’s daughter.

Then the second head appeared.

‘Brush me, girl!’ said the head.

‘Brush yourself!’ said the woman’s daughter.

So down it went to the bottom, and the third head came up.

‘Kiss me, girl!’ said the head.

‘As if I would kiss your ugly mouth!’ said the girl.

So again the heads talked together about what they should do for this girl whowas so ill-tempered and full of her own importance, and they agreed that sheshould have a nose that was four ells long, and a jaw that was three ells, anda fir bush in the middle of her forehead, and every time she spoke ashes shouldfall from her mouth.

When she came back to the cottage door with her pails, she called to her motherwho was inside, ‘Open the door!’

‘Open the door yourself, my own dear child!’ said the mother.

‘I can’t get near, because of my nose,’ said the daughter.

When the mother came and saw her you may imagine what a state of mind she wasin, and how she screamed and lamented, but neither the nose nor the jaw grewany the less for that.

Now the brother, who was in service in the King’s palace, had taken aportrait of his sister, and he had carried the picture away with him, and everymorning and evening he knelt down before it and prayed for his sister, sodearly did he love her.

The other stable-boys had heard him doing this, so they peeped through thekey-hole into his room, and saw that he was kneeling there before a picture; sothey told everyone that every morning and evening the youth knelt down andprayed to an idol which he had; and at last they went to the King himself, andbegged that he too would peep through the key-hole, and see for himself whatthe youth did. At first the King would not believe this, but after a long, longtime, they prevailed with him, and he crept on tip-toe to the door, peepedthrough, and saw the youth on his knees, with his hands clasped together beforea picture which was hanging on the wall.

‘Open the door!’ cried the King, but the youth did not hear.

So the King called to him again, but the youth was praying so fervently that hedid not hear him this time either.

‘Open the door, I say!’ cried the King again. ‘It is I! Iwant to come in.’

So the youth sprang to the door and unlocked it, but in his haste he forgot tohide the picture.

When the King entered and saw it, he stood still as if he were in fetters, andcould not stir from the spot, for the picture seemed to him so beautiful.

‘There is nowhere on earth so beautiful a woman as this!’ said theKing.

But the youth told him that she was his sister, and that he had painted her,and that if she was not prettier than the picture she was at all events notuglier.

‘Well, if she is as beautiful as that, I will have her for myQueen,’ said the King, and he commanded the youth to go home and fetchher without a moment’s delay, and to lose no time in coming back. Theyouth promised to make all the haste he could, and set forth from theKing’s palace.

When the brother arrived at home to fetch his sister, her stepmother andstep-sister would go too. So they all set out together, and the man’sdaughter took with her a casket in which she kept her gold, and a dog which wascalled Little Snow. These two things were all that she had inherited from hermother. When they had travelled for some time they had to cross the sea, andthe brother sat down at the helm, and the mother and the two half-sisters wentto the fore-part of the vessel, and they sailed a long, long way. At last theycame in sight of land.

‘Look at that white strand there; that is where we shall land,’said the brother, pointing across the sea.

‘What is my brother saying?’ inquired the man’s daughter.

‘He says that you are to throw your casket out into the sea,’answered the step-mother.

‘Well, if my brother says so, I must do it,’ said the man’sdaughter, and she flung her casket into the sea.

When they had sailed for some time longer, the brother once more pointed overthe sea. ‘There you may see the palace to which we are bound,’ saidhe.

‘What is my brother saying?’ asked the man’s daughter.

‘Now he says that you are to throw your dog into the sea,’ answeredthe step-mother.

The man’s daughter wept, and was sorely troubled, for Little Snow was thedearest thing she had on earth, but at last she threw him overboard.

‘If my brother says that, I must do it, but Heaven knows how unwilling Iam to throw thee out, Little Snow!’ said she.

So they sailed onwards a long way farther.

‘There may’st thou see the King coming out to meet thee,’said the brother, pointing to the sea-shore.

‘What is my brother saying?’ asked his sister again.

‘Now he says that you are to make haste and throw yourselfoverboard,’ answered the step-mother.

She wept and she wailed, but as her brother had said that, she thought she mustdo it; so she leaped into the sea.

But when they arrived at the palace, and the King beheld the ugly bride with anose that was four ells long, a jaw that was three ells, and a forehead thathad a bush in the middle of it, he was quite terrified; but the wedding feastwas all prepared, as regarded brewing and baking, and all the wedding guestswere sitting waiting, so, ugly as she was, the King was forced to take her.

But he was very wroth, and none can blame him for that; so he caused thebrother to be thrown into a pit full of snakes.

On the first Thursday night after this, a beautiful maiden came into thekitchen of the palace, and begged the kitchen-maid, who slept there, to lendher a brush. She begged very prettily, and got it, and then she brushed herhair, and the gold dropped from it.

A little dog was with her, and she said to it, ‘Go out, Little Snow, andsee if it will soon be day!’

This she said thrice, and the third time that she sent out the dog to see, itwas very near dawn. Then she was forced to depart, but as she went she said:

‘Out on thee, ugly Bushy Bride,
Sleeping so soft by the young King’s side,
On sand and stones my bed I make,
And my brother sleeps with the cold snake,
        Unpitied and unwept.’

I shall come twice more, and then never again,’ said she.

In the morning the kitchen-maid related what she had seen and heard, and theKing said that next Thursday night he himself would watch in the kitchen andsee if this were true, and when it had begun to grow dark he went out into thekitchen to the girl. But though he rubbed his eyes and did everything he couldto keep himself awake it was all in vain, for the Bushy Bride crooned and sangtill his eyes were fast closed, and when the beautiful young maiden came he wassound asleep and snoring.

This time also, as before, she borrowed a brush and brushed her hair with it,and the gold dropped down as she did it; and again she sent the dog out threetimes, and when day dawned she departed, but as she was going she said as shehad said before, ‘I shall come once more, and then never again.’

On the third Thursday night the King once more insisted on keeping watch. Thenhe set two men to hold him; each of them was to take an arm, and shake him andjerk him by the arm whenever he seemed to be going to fall asleep; and he settwo men to watch his Bushy Bride. But as the night wore on the Bushy Brideagain began to croon and to sing, so that his eyes began to close and his headto droop on one side. Then came the lovely maiden, and got the brush andbrushed her hair till the gold dropped from it, and then she sent her LittleSnow out to see if it would soon be day, and this she did three times. Thethird time it was just beginning to grow light, and then she said:

‘Out on thee, ugly Bushy Bride,
Sleeping so soft by the young King’s side,
On sand and stones my bed I make,
And my brother sleeps with the cold snake,
        Unpitied and unwept.’

‘Now I shall never come again,’ she said, and then she turned togo. But the two men who were holding the King by the arms seized his hands andforced a knife into his grasp, and then made him cut her little finger justenough to make it bleed.

Thus the true bride was freed. The King then awoke, and she told him all thathad taken place, and how her step-mother and step-sister had betrayed her. Thenthe brother was at once taken out of the snake-pit—the snakes had nevertouched him—and the step-mother and step-sister were flung down into itinstead of him.

No one can tell how delighted the King was to get rid of that hideous BushyBride, and get a Queen who was bright and beautiful as day itself.

And now the real wedding was held, and held in such a way that it was heard ofand spoken about all over seven kingdoms. The King and his bride drove tochurch, and Little Snow was in the carriage too. When the blessing was giventhey went home again, and after that I saw no more of them.^[28]

[28]From J. Moe.

SNOWDROP

Once upon a time, in the middle of winter when the snow-flakes were fallinglike feathers on the earth, a Queen sat at a window framed in black ebony andsewed. And as she sewed and gazed out to the white landscape, she pricked herfinger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell on the snow outside, andbecause the red showed out so well against the white she thought to herself:

‘Oh! what wouldn’t I give to have a child as white as snow, as redas blood, and as black as ebony!’

And her wish was granted, for not long after a little daughter was born to her,with a skin as white as snow, lips and cheeks as red as blood, and hair asblack as ebony. They called her Snowdrop, and not long after her birth theQueen died.

After a year the King married again. His new wife was a beautiful woman, but soproud and overbearing that she couldn’t stand any rival to her beauty.She possessed a magic mirror, and when she used to stand before it gazing ather own reflection and ask:

‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’

it always replied:

‘You are most fair, my Lady Queen,
None fairer in the land, I ween.’

Then she was quite happy, for she knew the mirror always spoke the truth.

But Snowdrop was growing prettier and prettier every day, and when she wasseven years old she was as beautiful as she could be, and fairer even than theQueen herself. One day when the latter asked her mirror the usual question, itreplied:

‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.’

Then the Queen flew into the most awful passion, and turned every shade ofgreen in her jealousy. From this hour she hated poor Snowdrop like poison, andevery day her envy, hatred, and malice grew, for envy and jealousy are likeevil weeds which spring up and choke the heart. At last she could endureSnowdrop’s presence no longer, and, calling a huntsman to her, she said:

‘Take the child out into the wood, and never let me see her face again.You must kill her, and bring me back her lungs and liver, that I may know forcertain she is dead.’

The Huntsman did as he was told and led Snowdrop out into the wood, but as hewas in the act of drawing out his knife to slay her, she began to cry, andsaid:

‘Oh, dear Huntsman, spare my life, and I will promise to fly forth intothe wide wood and never to return home again.’

And because she was so young and pretty the Huntsman had pity on her, and said:

‘Well, run along, poor child.’ For he thought to himself:‘The wild beasts will soon eat her up.’

And his heart felt lighter because he hadn’t had to do the deed himself.And as he turned away a young boar came running past, so he shot it, andbrought its lungs and liver home to the Queen as a proof that Snowdrop wasreally dead. And the wicked woman had them stewed in salt, and ate them up,thinking she had made an end of Snowdrop for ever.

Now when the poor child found herself alone in the big wood the very treesaround her seemed to assume strange shapes, and she felt so frightened shedidn’t know what to do. Then she began to run over the sharp stones, andthrough the bramble bushes, and the wild beasts ran past her, but they did herno harm. She ran as far as her legs would carry her, and as evening approachedshe saw a little house, and she stepped inside to rest. Everything was verysmall in the little house, but cleaner and neater than anything you canimagine. In the middle of the room there stood a little table, covered with awhite tablecloth, and seven little plates and forks and spoons and knives andtumblers. Side by side against the wall there were seven little beds, coveredwith snow-white counterpanes. Snowdrop felt so hungry and so thirsty that sheate a bit of bread and a little porridge from each plate, and drank a drop ofwine out of each tumbler. Then feeling tired and sleepy she lay down on one ofthe beds, but it wasn’t comfortable; then she tried all the others inturn, but one was too long, and another too short, and it was only when she gotto the seventh that she found one to suit her exactly. So she lay down upon it,said her prayers like a good child, and fell fast asleep.

When it got quite dark the masters of the little house returned. They wereseven dwarfs who worked in the mines, right down deep in the heart of themountain. They lighted their seven little lamps, and as soon as their eyes gotaccustomed to the glare they saw that someone had been in the room, for all wasnot in the same order as they had left it.

The first said:

‘Who’s been sitting on my little chair?’

The second said:

‘Who’s been eating my little loaf?’

The third said:

‘Who’s been tasting my porridge?’

The fourth said:

‘Who’s been eating out of my little plate?’

The fifth said:

‘Who’s been using my little fork?’

The sixth said:

‘Who’s been cutting with my little knife?’

The seventh said:

‘Who’s been drinking out of my little tumbler?’

Then the first Dwarf looked round and saw a little hollow in his bed, and heasked again:

‘Who’s been lying on my bed?’

The others came running round, and cried when they saw their beds:

‘Somebody has lain on ours too.’

But when the seventh came to his bed, he started back in amazement, for therehe beheld Snowdrop fast asleep. Then he called the others, who turned theirlittle lamps full on the bed, and when they saw Snowdrop lying there theynearly fell down with surprise.

‘Goodness gracious!’ they cried, ‘what a beautifulchild!’

And they were so enchanted by her beauty that they did not wake her, but lether sleep on in the little bed. But the seventh Dwarf slept with his companionsone hour in each bed, and in this way he managed to pass the night.

In the morning Snowdrop awoke, but when she saw the seven little Dwarfs shefelt very frightened. But they were so friendly and asked her what her name wasin such a kind way, that she replied:

‘I am Snowdrop.’

‘Why did you come to our house?’ continued the Dwarfs.

Then she told them how her stepmother had wished her put to death, and how theHuntsman had spared her life, and how she had run the whole day till she hadcome to their little house. The Dwarfs, when they had heard her sad story,asked her:

‘Will you stay and keep house for us, cook, make the beds, the washing,sew and knit? and if you give satisfaction and keep everything neat and clean,you shall want for nothing.’

‘Yes,’ answered Snowdrop, ‘I will gladly do all youask.’

And so she took up her abode with them. Every morning the Dwarfs went into themountain to dig for gold, and in the evening, when they returned home, Snowdropalways had their supper ready for them. But during the day the girl was leftquite alone, so the good Dwarfs warned her, saying:

‘Beware of your step-mother. She will soon find out you are here, andwhatever you do don’t let anyone into the house.’

Now the Queen, after she thought she had eaten Snowdrop’s lungs andliver, never dreamed but that she was once more the most beautiful woman in theworld; so stepping before her mirror one day she said:

‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’

and the mirror replied:

‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.
Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.’

When the Queen heard these words she was nearly struck dumb with horror, forthe mirror always spoke the truth, and she knew now that the Huntsman must havedeceived her, and that Snowdrop was still alive. She pondered day and night howshe might destroy her, for as long as she felt she had a rival in the land herjealous heart left her no rest. At last she hit upon a plan. She stained herface and dressed herself up as an old peddler wife, so that she was quiteunrecognisable. In this guise she went over the seven hills till she came tothe house of the seven Dwarfs. There she knocked at the door, calling out atthe same time:

‘Fine wares to sell, fine wares to sell!’

Snowdrop peeped out of the window, and called out:

‘Good-day, mother, what have you to sell?’

‘Good wares, fine wares,’ she answered; ‘laces of every shadeand description,’ and she held one up that was made of some gay colouredsilk.

‘Surely I can let the honest woman in,’ thought Snowdrop; so sheunbarred the door and bought the pretty lace.

‘Good gracious! child,’ said the old woman, ‘what a figureyou’ve got. Come! I’ll lace you up properly for once.’

Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, stood before her and let her lace her bodice up,but the old woman laced her so quickly and so tightly that it tookSnowdrop’s breath away, and she fell down dead.

‘Now you are no longer the fairest,’ said the wicked old woman, andthen she hastened away.

In the evening the seven Dwarfs came home, and you may think what a fright theygot when they saw their dear Snowdrop lying on the floor, as still andmotionless as a dead person. They lifted her up tenderly, and when they saw howtightly laced she was they cut the lace in two, and she began to breathe alittle and gradually came back to life. When the Dwarfs heard what hadhappened, they said:

‘Depend upon it, the old peddler wife was none other than the old Queen.In future you must be sure to let no one in, if we are not at home.’

As soon as the wicked old Queen got home she went straight to her mirror, andsaid:

‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’

and the mirror answered as before:

‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.
Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.’

When she heard this she became as pale as death, because she saw at once thatSnowdrop must be alive again.

‘This time,’ she said to herself, ‘I will think of somethingthat will make an end of her once and for all.’

And by the witchcraft which she understood so well she made a poisonous comb;then she dressed herself up and assumed the form of another old woman. So shewent over the seven hills till she reached the house of the seven Dwarfs, andknocking at the door she called out:

‘Fine wares for sale.’

Snowdrop looked out of the window and said:

‘You must go away, for I may not let anyone in.’

‘But surely you are not forbidden to look out?’ said the old woman,and she held up the poisonous comb for her to see.

It pleased the girl so much that she let herself be taken in, and opened thedoor. When they had settled their bargain the old woman said:

‘Now I’ll comb your hair properly for you, for once in theway.’

Poor Snowdrop thought no evil, but hardly had the comb touched her hair thanthe poison worked and she fell down unconscious.

‘Now, my fine lady, you’re really done for this time,’ saidthe wicked woman, and she made her way home as fast as she could.

Fortunately it was now near evening, and the seven Dwarfs returned home. Whenthey saw Snowdrop lying dead on the ground, they at once suspected that herwicked step-mother had been at work again; so they searched till they found thepoisonous comb, and the moment they pulled it out of her head Snowdrop came toherself again, and told them what had happened. Then they warned her once moreto be on her guard, and to open the door to no one.

As soon as the Queen got home she went straight to her mirror, and asked:

‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’

and it replied as before:

‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.
Snowdrop, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.’

When she heard these words she literally trembled and shook with rage.

‘Snowdrop shall die,’ she cried; ‘yes, though it cost me myown life.’

Then she went to a little secret chamber, which no one knew of but herself, andthere she made a poisonous apple. Outwardly it looked beautiful, white with redcheeks, so that everyone who saw it longed to eat it, but anyone who might doso would certainly die on the spot. When the apple was quite finished shestained her face and dressed herself up as a peasant, and so she went over theseven hills to the seven Dwarfs’. She knocked at the door, as usual, butSnowdrop put her head out of the window and called out:

‘I may not let anyone in, the seven Dwarfs have forbidden me to doso.’

‘Are you afraid of being poisoned?’ asked the old woman.‘See, I will cut this apple in half. I’ll eat the white cheek andyou can eat the red.’

But the apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisonous.Snowdrop longed to eat the tempting fruit, and when she saw that the peasantwoman was eating it herself, she couldn’t resist the temptation anylonger, and stretching out her hand she took the poisonous half. But hardly hadthe first bite passed her lips than she fell down dead on the ground. Then theeyes of the cruel Queen sparkled with glee, and laughing aloud she cried:

‘As white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony, this time theDwarfs won’t be able to bring you back to life.’

When she got home she asked the mirror:

‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’

and this time it replied:

‘You are most fair, my Lady Queen,
None fairer in the land, I ween.’

Then her jealous heart was at rest—at least, as much at rest as a jealousheart can ever be.

When the little Dwarfs came home in the evening they found Snowdrop lying onthe ground, and she neither breathed nor stirred. They lifted her up, andlooked round everywhere to see if they could find anything poisonous about.They unlaced her bodice, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, butall in vain; the child was dead and remained dead. Then they placed her on abier, and all the seven Dwarfs sat round it, weeping and sobbing for threewhole days. At last they made up their minds to bury her, but she looked asblooming as a living being, and her cheeks were still such a lovely colour,that they said:

‘We can’t hide her away in the black ground.’

So they had a coffin made of transparent glass, and they laid her in it, andwrote on the lid in golden letters that she was a royal Princess. Then they putthe coffin on the top of the mountain, and one of the Dwarfs always remainedbeside it and kept watch over it. And the very birds of the air came andbewailed Snowdrop’s death, first an owl, and then a raven, and last ofall a little dove.

Snowdrop lay a long time in the coffin, and she always looked the same, just asif she were fast asleep, and she remained as white as snow, as red as blood,and her hair as black as ebony.

Now it happened one day that a Prince came to the wood and passed by theDwarfs’ house. He saw the coffin on the hill, with the beautiful Snowdropinside it, and when he had read what was written on it in golden letters, hesaid to the Dwarf:

‘Give me the coffin. I’ll give you whatever you like for it.’

But the Dwarf said: ‘No; we wouldn’t part with it for all the goldin the world.’

‘Well, then,’ he replied, ‘give it to me, because Ican’t live without Snowdrop. I will cherish and love it as my dearestpossession.’

He spoke so sadly that the good Dwarfs had pity on him, and gave him thecoffin, and the Prince made his servants bear it away on their shoulders. Nowit happened that as they were going down the hill they stumbled over a bush,and jolted the coffin so violently that the poisonous bit of apple Snowdrop hadswallowed fell out of her throat. She gradually opened her eyes, lifted up thelid of the coffin, and sat up alive and well.

‘Oh! dear me, where am I?’ she cried.

The Prince answered joyfully, ‘You are with me,’ and he told herall that had happened, adding, ‘I love you better than anyone in thewhole wide world. Will you come with me to my father’s palace and be mywife?’

Snowdrop consented, and went with him, and the marriage was celebrated withgreat pomp and splendour.

Now Snowdrop’s wicked step-mother was one of the guests invited to thewedding feast. When she had dressed herself very gorgeously for the occasion,she went to the mirror, and said:

‘Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land’s most fair?’

and the mirror answered:

‘My Lady Queen, you are fair, ‘tis true,
But Snowdrop is fairer far than you.’

When the wicked woman heard these words she uttered a curse, and was besideherself with rage and mortification. At first she didn’t want to go tothe wedding at all, but at the same time she felt she would never be happy tillshe had seen the young Queen. As she entered Snowdrop recognised her, andnearly fainted with fear; but red-hot iron shoes had been prepared for thewicked old Queen, and she was made to get into them and dance till she felldown dead.^[29]

[29]Grimm.

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

There was once a man who had three sons. The youngest of them was calledDullhead, and was sneered and jeered at and snubbed on every possibleopportunity.

One day it happened that the eldest son wished to go into the forest to cutwood, and before he started his mother gave him a fine rich cake and a bottleof wine, so that he might be sure not to suffer from hunger or thirst.

When he reached the forest he met a little old grey man who wished him‘Good-morning,’ and said: ‘Do give me a piece of that cakeyou have got in your pocket, and let me have a draught of your wine—I amso hungry and thirsty.’

But this clever son replied: ‘If I give you my cake and wine I shall havenone left for myself; you just go your own way;’ and he left the littleman standing there and went further on into the forest. There he began to cutdown a tree, but before long he made a false stroke with his axe, and cut hisown arm so badly that he was obliged to go home and have it bound up.

Then the second son went to the forest, and his mother gave him a good cake anda bottle of wine as she had to his elder brother. He too met the little oldgrey man, who begged him for a morsel of cake and a draught of wine.

But the second son spoke most sensibly too, and said: ‘Whatever I give toyou I deprive myself of. Just go your own way, will you?’ Not long afterhis punishment overtook him, for no sooner had he struck a couple of blows on atree with his axe, than he cut his leg so badly that he had to be carried home.

So then Dullhead said: ‘Father, let me go out and cut wood.’

But his father answered: ‘Both your brothers have injured themselves. Youhad better leave it alone; you know nothing about it.’

But Dullhead begged so hard to be allowed to go that at last his father said:‘Very well, then—go. Perhaps when you have hurt yourself, you maylearn to know better.’ His mother only gave him a very plain cake madewith water and baked in the cinders, and a bottle of sour beer.

When he got to the forest, he too met the little grey old man, who greeted himand said: ‘Give me a piece of your cake and a draught from your bottle; Iam so hungry and thirsty.’

And Dullhead replied: ‘I’ve only got a cinder-cake and some sourbeer, but if you care to have that, let us sit down and eat.’

So they sat down, and when Dullhead brought out his cake he found it had turnedinto a fine rich cake, and the sour beer into excellent wine. Then they ate anddrank, and when they had finished the little man said: ‘Now I will bringyou luck, because you have a kind heart and are willing to share what you havewith others. There stands an old tree; cut it down, and amongst its rootsyou’ll find something.’ With that the little man took leave.

Then Dullhead fell to at once to hew down the tree, and when it fell he foundamongst its roots a goose, whose feathers were all of pure gold. He lifted itout, carried it off, and took it with him to an inn where he meant to spend thenight.

Now the landlord of the inn had three daughters, and when they saw the goosethey were filled with curiosity as to what this wonderful bird could be, andeach longed to have one of its golden feathers.

The eldest thought to herself: ‘No doubt I shall soon find a goodopportunity to pluck out one of its feathers,’ and the first timeDullhead happened to leave the room she caught hold of the goose by its wing.But, lo and behold! her fingers seemed to stick fast to the goose, and shecould not take her hand away.

Soon after the second daughter came in, and thought to pluck a golden featherfor herself too; but hardly had she touched her sister than she stuck fast aswell. At last the third sister came with the same intentions, but the other twocried out: ‘Keep off! for Heaven’s sake, keep off!’

The younger sister could not imagine why she was to keep off, and thought toherself: ‘If they are both there, why should not I be there too?’

So she sprang to them; but no sooner had she touched one of them than she stuckfast to her. So they all three had to spend the night with the goose.

Next morning Dullhead tucked the goose under his arm and went off, without inthe least troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to it.They just had to run after him right or left as best they could. In the middleof a field they met the parson, and when he saw this procession he cried:‘For shame, you bold girls! What do you mean by running after a youngfellow through the fields like that? Do you call that proper behaviour?’And with that he caught the youngest girl by the hand to try and draw her away.But directly he touched her he hung on himself, and had to run along with therest of them.

Not long after the clerk came that way, and was much surprised to see theparson following the footsteps of three girls. ‘Why, where is yourreverence going so fast?’ cried he; ‘don’t forget there is tobe a christening to-day;’ and he ran after him, caught him by the sleeve,and hung on to it himself: As the five of them trotted along in this fashionone after the other, two peasants were coming from their work with their hoes.On seeing them the parson called out and begged them to come and rescue him andthe clerk. But no sooner did they touch the clerk than they stuck on too, andso there were seven of them running after Dullhead and his goose.

After a time they all came to a town where a King reigned whose daughter was soserious and solemn that no one could ever manage to make her laugh. So the Kinghad decreed that whoever should succeed in making her laugh should marry her.

When Dullhead heard this he marched before the Princess with his goose and itsappendages, and as soon as she saw these seven people continually running aftereach other she burst out laughing, and could not stop herself. Then Dullheadclaimed her as his bride, but the King, who did not much fancy him as ason-in-law, made all sorts of objections, and told him he must first find a manwho could drink up a whole cellarful of wine.

Dullhead bethought him of the little grey man, who could, he felt sure, helphim; so he went off to the forest, and on the very spot where he had cut downthe tree he saw a man sitting with a most dismal expression of face.

Dullhead asked him what he was taking so much to heart, and the man answered:‘I don’t know how I am ever to quench this terrible thirst I amsuffering from. Cold water doesn’t suit me at all. To be sure I’veemptied a whole barrel of wine, but what is one drop on a hot stone?’

‘I think I can help you,’ said Dullhead. ‘Come with me, andyou shall drink to your heart’s content.’ So he took him to theKing’s cellar, and the man sat down before the huge casks and drank anddrank till he drank up the whole contents of the cellar before the day closed.

Then Dullhead asked once more for his bride, but the King felt vexed at theidea of a stupid fellow whom people called ‘Dullhead’ carrying offhis daughter, and he began to make fresh conditions. He required Dullhead tofind a man who could eat a mountain of bread. Dullhead did not wait to considerlong but went straight off to the forest, and there on the same spot sat a manwho was drawing in a strap as tight as he could round his body, and making amost woeful face the while. Said he: ‘I’ve eaten up a whole ovenfull of loaves, but what’s the good of that to anyone who is as hungry asI am? I declare my stomach feels quite empty, and I must draw my belt tight ifI’m not to die of starvation.’

Dullhead was delighted, and said: ‘Get up and come with me, and you shallhave plenty to eat,’ and he brought him to the King’s Court.

Now the King had given orders to have all the flour in his kingdom broughttogether, and to have a huge mountain baked of it. But the man from the woodjust took up his stand before the mountain and began to eat, and in one day ithad all vanished.

For the third time Dullhead asked for his bride, but again the King tried tomake some evasion, and demanded a ship ‘which could sail on land orwater! When you come sailing in such a ship,’ said he, ‘you shallhave my daughter without further delay.’

Again Dullhead started off to the forest, and there he found the little oldgrey man with whom he had shared his cake, and who said: ‘I have eatenand I have drunk for you, and now I will give you the ship. I have done allthis for you because you were kind and merciful to me.’

Then he gave Dullhead a ship which could sail on land or water, and when theKing saw it he felt he could no longer refuse him his daughter.

So they celebrated the wedding with great rejoicings; and after theKing’s death Dullhead succeeded to the kingdom, and lived happily withhis wife for many years after.^[30]

[30]Grimm.

THE SEVEN FOALS

There was once upon a time a couple of poor folks who lived in a wretched hut,far away from everyone else, in a wood. They only just managed to live fromhand to mouth, and had great difficulty in doing even so much as that, but theyhad three sons, and the youngest of them was called Cinderlad, for he didnothing else but lie and poke about among the ashes.

One day the eldest lad said that he would go out to earn his living; he soongot leave to do that, and set out on his way into the world. He walked on andon for the whole day, and when night was beginning to fall he came to a royalpalace. The King was standing outside on the steps, and asked where he wasgoing.

‘Oh, I am going about seeking a place, my father,’ said the youth.

‘Wilt thou serve me, and watch my seven foals?’ asked the King.‘If thou canst watch them for a whole day and tell me at night what theyeat and drink, thou shalt have the Princess and half my kingdom, but if thoucanst not, I will cut three red stripes on thy back.’

The youth thought that it was very easy work to watch the foals, and that hecould do it well enough.

Next morning, when day was beginning to dawn, the King’s Master of theHorse let out the seven foals; and they ran away, and the youth after them justas it chanced, over hill and dale, through woods end bogs. When the youth hadrun thus for a long time he began to be tired, and when he had held on a littlelonger he was heartily weary of watching at all, and at the same moment he cameto a cleft in a rock where an old woman was sitting spinning with her distaffin her hand.

As soon as she caught sight of the youth, who was running after the foals tillthe perspiration streamed down his face, she cried:

‘Come hither, come hither, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair foryou.’

The lad was willing enough, so he sat down in the cleft of the rock beside theold hag, and laid his head on her knees, and she combed his hair all day whilehe lay there and gave himself up to idleness.

When evening was drawing near, the youth wanted to go.

‘I may just as well go straight home again,’ said he, ‘for itis no use to go to the King’s palace.’

‘Wait till it is dusk,’ said the old hag, ‘and then theKing’s foals will pass by this place again, and you can run home withthem; no one will ever know that you have been lying here all day instead ofwatching the foals.’

So when they came she gave the lad a bottle of water and a bit of moss, andtold him to show these to the King and say that this was what his seven foalsate and drank.

‘Hast thou watched faithfully and well the whole day long?’ saidthe King, when the lad came into his presence in the evening.

‘Yes, that I have!’ said the youth.

‘Then you are able to tell me what it is that my seven foals eat anddrink,’ said the King.

So the youth produced the bottle of water and the bit of moss which he had gotfrom the old woman, saying:

‘Here you see their meat, and here you see their drink.’

Then the King knew how his watching had been done, and fell into such a ragethat he ordered his people to chase the youth back to his own home at once; butfirst they were to cut three red stripes in his back, and rub salt into them.

When the youth reached home again, anyone can imagine what a state of mind hewas in. He had gone out once to seek a place, he said, but never would he dosuch a thing again.

Next day the second son said that he would now go out into the world to seekhis fortune. His father and mother said ‘No,’ and bade him look athis brother’s back, but the youth would not give up his design, and stuckto it, and after a long, long time he got leave to go, and set forth on hisway. When he had walked all day he too came to the King’s palace, and theKing was standing outside on the steps, and asked where he was going; and whenthe youth replied that he was going about in search of a place, the King saidthat he might enter into his service and watch his seven foals. Then the Kingpromised him the same punishment and the same reward that he had promised hisbrother.

The youth at once consented to this and entered into the King’s service,for he thought he could easily watch the foals and inform the King what theyate and drank.

In the grey light of dawn the Master of the Horse let out the seven foals, andoff they went again over hill and dale, and off went the lad after them. Butall went with him as it had gone with his brother. When he had run after thefoals for a long, long time and was hot and tired, he passed by a cleft in therock where an old woman was sitting spinning with a distaff, and she called tohim:

‘Come hither, come hither, my handsome son, and let me comb yourhair.’

The youth liked the thought of this, let the foals run where they chose, andseated himself in the cleft of the rock by the side of the old hag. So there hesat with his head on her lap, taking his ease the livelong day.

The foals came back in the evening, and then he too got a bit of moss and abottle of water from the old hag, which things he was to show to the King. Butwhen the King asked the youth: ‘Canst thou tell me what my seven foalseat and drink?’ and the youth showed him the bit of moss and the bottleof water, and said: ‘Yes here may you behold their meat, and here theirdrink,’ the King once more became wroth, and commanded that three redstripes should be cut on the lad’s back, that salt should be strewn uponthem, and that he should then be instantly chased back to his own home. So whenthe youth got home again he too related all that had happened to him, and hetoo said that he had gone out in search of a place once, but that never wouldhe do it again.

On the third day Cinderlad wanted to set out. He had a fancy to try to watchthe seven foals himself, he said.

The two others laughed at him, and mocked him. ‘What! when all went soill with us, do you suppose that you are going to succeed? You look likesucceeding—you who have never done anything else but lie and poke aboutamong the ashes!’ said they.

‘Yes, I will go too,’ said Cinderlad, ‘for I have taken itinto my head.’

The two brothers laughed at him, and his father and mother begged him not togo, but all to no purpose, and Cinderlad set out on his way. So when he hadwalked the whole day, he too came to the King’s palace as darkness beganto fall.

There stood the King outside on the steps, and he asked whither he was bound.

‘I am walking about in search of a place,’ said Cinderlad.

‘From whence do you come, then?’ inquired the King, for by thistime he wanted to know a little more about the men before he took any of theminto his service.

So Cinderlad told him whence he came, and that he was brother to the two whohad watched the seven foals for the King, and then he inquired if he might beallowed to try to watch them on the following day.

‘Oh, shame on them!’ said the King, for it enraged him even tothink of them. ‘If thou art brother to those two, thou too art not goodfor much. I have had enough of such fellows.’

‘Well, but as I have come here, you might just give me leave to make theattempt,’ said Cinderlad.

‘Oh, very well, if thou art absolutely determined to have thy backflayed, thou may’st have thine own way if thou wilt,’ said theKing.

‘I would much rather have the Princess,’ said Cinderlad.

Next morning, in the grey light of dawn, the Master of the Horse let out theseven foals again, and off they set over hill and dale, through woods and bogs,and off went Cinderlad after them. When he had run thus for a long time, he toocame to the cleft in the rock. There the old hag was once more sitting spinningfrom her distaff, and she cried to Cinderlad;

‘Come hither, come hither, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair foryou.’

‘Come to me, then; come to me!’ said Cinderlad, as he passed byjumping and running, and keeping tight hold of one of the foals’ tails.

When he had got safely past the cleft in the rock, the youngest foal said:

‘Get on my back, for we have still a long way to go.’ So the laddid this.

And thus they journeyed onwards a long, long way.

‘Dost thou see anything now?’ said the Foal.

‘No,’ said Cinderlad.

So they journeyed onwards a good bit farther.

‘Dost thou see anything now?’ asked the Foal.

‘Oh, no,’ said the lad.

When they had gone thus for a long, long way, the Foal again asked:

‘Dost thou see anything now?’

‘Yes, now I see something that is white,’ said Cinderlad. ‘Itlooks like the trunk of a great thick birch tree.’

‘Yes, that is where we are to go in,’ said the Foal.

When they got to the trunk, the eldest foal broke it down on one side, and thenthey saw a door where the trunk had been standing, and inside this there was asmall room, and in the room there was scarcely anything but a small fire-placeand a couple of benches, but behind the door hung a great rusty sword and asmall pitcher.

‘Canst thou wield that sword?’ asked the Foal.

Cinderlad tried, but could not do it; so he had to take a draught from thepitcher, and then one more, and after that still another, and then he was ableto wield the sword with perfect ease.

‘Good,’ said the Foal; ‘and now thou must take the sword awaywith thee, and with it shalt thou cut off the heads of all seven of us on thywedding-day, and then we shall become princes again as we were before. For weare brothers of the Princess whom thou art to have when thou canst tell theKing what we eat and drink, but there is a mighty Troll who has cast a spellover us. When thou hast cut off our heads, thou must take the greatest care tolay each head at the tail of the body to which it belonged before, and then thespell which the Troll has cast upon us will lose all its power.’

Cinderlad promised to do this, and then they went on farther.

When they had travelled a long, long way, the Foal said:

‘Dost thou see anything?’

‘No,’ said Cinderlad.

So they went on a great distance farther.

‘And now?’ inquired the Foal, ‘seest thou nothing now?’

‘Alas! no,’ said Cinderlad.

So they travelled onwards again, for many and many a mile, over hill and dale.

‘Now, then,’ said the Foal, ‘dost thou not see anythingnow?’

‘Yes,’ said Cinderlad; ‘now I see something like a bluishstreak, far, far away.’

‘That is a river,’ said the Foal, ‘and we have to crossit.’

There was a long, handsome bridge over the river, and when they had got to theother side of it they again travelled on a long, long way, and then once morethe Foal inquired if Cinderlad saw anything. Yes, this time he saw somethingthat looked black, far, far away, and was rather like a church tower.

‘Yes,’ said the Foal, ‘we shall go into that.’

When the Foals got into the churchyard they turned into men and looked like thesons of a king, and their clothes were so magnificent that they shone withsplendour, and they went into the church and received bread and wine from thepriest, who was standing before the altar, and Cinderlad went in too. But whenthe priest had laid his hands on the princes and read the blessing, they wentout of the church again, and Cinderlad went out too, but he took with him aflask of wine and some consecrated bread. No sooner had the seven princes comeout into the churchyard than they became foals again, and Cinderlad got uponthe back of the youngest, and they returned by the way they had come, only theywent much, much faster.

First they went over the bridge, and then past the trunk of the birch tree, andthen past the old hag who sat in the cleft of the rock spinning, and they wentby so fast that Cinderlad could not hear what the old hag screeched after him,but just heard enough to understand that she was terribly enraged.

It was all but dark when they got back to the King at nightfall, and he himselfwas standing in the courtyard waiting for them.

‘Hast thou watched well and faithfully the whole day?’ said theKing to Cinderlad.

‘I have done my best,’ replied Cinderlad.

‘Then thou canst tell me what my seven foals eat and drink?’ askedthe King.

So Cinderlad pulled out the consecrated bread and the flask of wine, and showedthem to the King. ‘Here may you behold their meat, and here theirdrink,’ said he.

‘Yes, diligently and faithfully hast thou watched,’ said the King,‘and thou shalt have the Princess and half the kingdom.’

So all was made ready for the wedding, and the King said that it was to be sostately and magnificent that everyone should hear of it, and everyone inquireabout it.

But when they sat down to the marriage-feast, the bridegroom arose and wentdown to the stable, for he said that he had forgotten something which he mustgo and look to. When he got there, he did what the foals had bidden him, andcut off the heads of all the seven. First the eldest, and then the second, andso on according to their age, and he was extremely careful to lay each head atthe tail of the foal to which it had belonged, and when that was done, all thefoals became princes again. When he returned to the marriage-feast with theseven princes, the King was so joyful that he both kissed Cinderlad and clappedhim on the back, and his bride was still more delighted with him than she hadbeen before.

‘Half my kingdom is thine already,’ said the King, ‘and theother half shall be thine after my death, for my sons can get countries andkingdoms for themselves now that they have become princes again.’

Therefore, as all may well believe, there was joy and merriment at thatwedding.^[31]

[31]From J. Moe.

THE MARVELLOUS MUSICIAN

There was once upon a time a marvellous musician. One day he was wanderingthrough a wood all by himself, thinking now of one thing, now of another, tillthere was nothing else left to think about. Then he said to himself:

‘Time hangs very heavily on my hands when I’m all alone in thewood. I must try and find a pleasant companion.’

So he took his fiddle out, and fiddled till he woke the echoes round. After atime a wolf came through the thicket and trotted up to the musician.

‘Oh! it’s a Wolf, is it?’ said he. ‘I’ve not thesmallest wish for his society.’

But the Wolf approached him and said:

‘Oh, my dear musician, how beautifully you play! I wish you’d teachme how it’s done.’

‘That’s easily learned,’ answered the fiddler; ‘youmust only do exactly as I tell you.’

‘Of course I will,’ replied the Wolf. ‘I can promise that youwill find me a most apt pupil.’

So they joined company and went on their way together, and after a time theycame to an old oak tree, which was hollow and had a crack in the middle of thetrunk.

‘Now,’ said the Musician, ‘if you want to learn to fiddle,here’s your chance. Lay your front paws in this crack.’

The Wolf did as he was told, and the Musician quickly seized a stone, andwedged both his fore paws so firmly into the crack that he was held there, afast prisoner.

‘Wait there till I return,’ said the Fiddler, and he went on hisway.

After a time he said to himself again:

‘Time hangs very heavily on my hands when I’m all alone in thewood; I must try and find a companion.’

So he drew out his fiddle, and fiddled away lustily. Presently a fox slunkthrough the trees.

‘Aha! what have we here?’ said the Musician. ‘A fox; well, Ihaven’t the smallest desire for his company.’

The Fox came straight up to him and said:

‘My dear friend, how beautifully you play the fiddle; I would like tolearn how you do it.’

‘Nothing easier,’ said the Musician, ‘if you’ll promiseto do exactly as I tell you.’

‘Certainly,’ answered the Fox, ‘you have only to say theword.’

‘Well, then, follow me,’ replied the Fiddler.

When they had gone a bit of the way, they came to a path with high trees oneach side. Here the Musician halted, bent a stout hazel bough down to theground from one side of the path, and put his foot on the end of it to keep itdown. Then he bent a branch down from the other side and said:

‘Give me your left front paw, my little Fox, if you really wish to learnhow it’s done.’

The Fox did as he was told, and the Musician tied his front paw to the end ofone of the branches.

‘Now, my friend,’ he said, ‘give me your right paw.’

This he bound to the other branch, and having carefully seen that his knotswere all secure, he stepped off the ends of the branches, and they sprang back,leaving the poor Fox suspended in mid-air.

‘Just you wait where you are till I return,’ said the Musician, andhe went on his way again.

Once more he said to himself:

‘Time hangs heavily on my hands when I’m all alone in the wood; Imust try and find another companion.’

So he took out his fiddle and played as merrily as before. This time a littlehare came running up at the sound.

‘Oh! here comes a hare,’ said the Musician; ‘I’ve notthe smallest desire for his company.’

‘How beautifully you play, dear Mr. Fiddler,’ said the little Hare.‘I wish I could learn how you do it.’

‘It’s easily learnt,’ answered the Musician; ‘just doexactly as I tell you.’

‘That I will,’ said the Hare, ‘you will find me a mostattentive pupil.’

They went on a bit together, till they came to a thin part of the wood, wherethey found an aspen tree growing. The Musician bound a long cord round thelittle Hare’s neck, the other end of which he fastened to the tree.

‘Now, my merry little friend,’ said the Musician, ‘run twentytimes round the tree.’

The little Hare obeyed, and when it had run twenty times round the tree, thecord had twisted itself twenty times round the trunk, so that the poor littlebeast was held a fast prisoner, and it might bite and tear as much as it liked,it couldn’t free itself, and the cord only cut its tender neck.

‘Wait there till I return,’ said the Musician, and went on his way.

In the meantime the Wolf had pulled and bitten and scratched at the stone, tillat last he succeeded in getting his paws out. Full of anger, he hurried afterthe Musician, determined when he met him to tear him to pieces. When the Foxsaw him running by, he called out as loud as he could:

‘Brother Wolf, come to my rescue, the Musician has deceived metoo.’

The Wolf pulled the branches down, bit the cord in two, and set the Fox free.So they went on their way together, both vowing vengeance on the Musician. Theyfound the poor imprisoned little Hare, and having set him free also, they allset out to look for their enemy.

During this time the Musician had once more played his fiddle, and had beenmore fortunate in the result. The sounds pierced to the ears of a poor woodman,who instantly left his work, and with his hatchet under his arm came to listento the music.

‘At last I’ve got a proper sort of companion,’ said theMusician, ‘for it was a human being I wanted all along, and not a wildanimal.’

And he began playing so enchantingly that the poor man stood there as ifbewitched, and his heart leapt for joy as he listened.

And as he stood thus, the Wolf and Fox and little Hare came up, and the woodmansaw at once that they meant mischief. He lifted his glittering axe and placedhimself in front of the Musician, as much as to say: ‘If you touch a hairof his head, beware, for you will have to answer for it to me.’

Then the beasts were frightened, and they all three ran back into the wood, andthe Musician played the woodman one of his best tunes, by way of thanks, andthen continued his way.^[32]

[32]Grimm.

THE STORY OF SIGURD

(This is a very old story: the Danes who used to fight with the English in KingAlfred’s time knew this story. They have carved on the rocks pictures ofsome of the things that happen in the tale, and those carvings may still beseen. Because it is so old and so beautiful the story is told here again, butit has a sad ending—indeed it is all sad, and all about fighting andkilling, as might be expected from the Danes.)

Once upon a time there was a King in the North who had won many wars, but nowhe was old. Yet he took a new wife, and then another Prince, who wanted to havemarried her, came up against him with a great army. The old King went out andfought bravely, but at last his sword broke, and he was wounded and his menfled. But in the night, when the battle was over, his young wife came out andsearched for him among the slain, and at last she found him, and asked whetherhe might be healed. But he said ‘No,’ his luck was gone, his swordwas broken, and he must die. And he told her that she would have a son, andthat son would be a great warrior, and would avenge him on the other King, hisenemy. And he bade her keep the broken pieces of the sword, to make a new swordfor his son, and that blade should be called Gram.

Then he died. And his wife called her maid to her and said, ‘Let uschange clothes, and you shall be called by my name, and I by yours, lest theenemy finds us.’

So this was done, and they hid in a wood, but there some strangers met them andcarried them off in a ship to Denmark. And when they were brought before theKing, he thought the maid looked like a Queen, and the Queen like a maid. So heasked the Queen, ‘How do you know in the dark of night whether the hoursare wearing to the morning?’

And she said:

‘I know because, when I was younger, I used to have to rise and light thefires, and still I waken at the same time.’

‘A strange Queen to light the fires,’ thought the King.

Then he asked the Queen, who was dressed like a maid, ‘How do you know inthe dark of night whether the hours are wearing near the dawn?’

‘My father gave me a gold ring,’ said she, ‘and always, erethe dawning, it grows cold on my finger.’

‘A rich house where the maids wore gold,’ said the King.‘Truly you are no maid, but a King’s daughter.’

So he treated her royally, and as time went on she had a son called Sigurd, abeautiful boy and very strong. He had a tutor to be with him, and once thetutor bade him go to the King and ask for a horse.

‘Choose a horse for yourself,’ said the King; and Sigurd went tothe wood, and there he met an old man with a white beard, and said,‘Come! help me in horse-choosing.’

Then the old man said, ‘Drive all the horses into the river, and choosethe one that swims across.’

So Sigurd drove them, and only one swam across. Sigurd chose him: his name wasGrani, and he came of Sleipnir’s breed, and was the best horse in theworld. For Sleipnir was the horse of Odin, the God of the North, and was asswift as the wind.

But a day or two later his tutor said to Sigurd, ‘There is a greattreasure of gold hidden not far from here, and it would become you to winit.’

But Sigurd answered, ‘I have heard stories of that treasure, and I knowthat the dragon Fafnir guards it, and he is so huge and wicked that no mandares to go near him.’

‘He is no bigger than other dragons,’ said the tutor, ‘and ifyou were as brave as your father you would not fear him.’

‘I am no coward,’ says Sigurd; ‘why do you want me to fightwith this dragon?’

Then his tutor, whose name was Regin, told him that all this great hoard of redgold had once belonged to his own father. And his father had threesons—the first was Fafnir, the Dragon; the next was Otter, who could puton the shape of an otter when he liked; and the next was himself, Regin, and hewas a great smith and maker of swords.

Now there was at that time a dwarf called Andvari, who lived in a pool beneatha waterfall, and there he had hidden a great hoard of gold. And one day Otterhad been fishing there, and had killed a salmon and eaten it, and was sleeping,like an otter, on a stone. Then someone came by, and threw a stone at the otterand killed it, and flayed off the skin, and took it to the house ofOtter’s father. Then he knew his son was dead, and to punish the personwho had killed him he said he must have the Otter’s skin filled withgold, and covered all over with red gold, or it should go worse with him. Thenthe person who had killed Otter went down and caught the Dwarf who owned allthe treasure and took it from him.

Only one ring was left, which the Dwarf wore, and even that was taken from him.

Then the poor Dwarf was very angry, and he prayed that the gold might neverbring any but bad luck to all the men who might own it, for ever.

Then the otter skin was filled with gold and covered with gold, all but onehair, and that was covered with the poor Dwarf’s last ring.

But it brought good luck to nobody. First Fafnir, the Dragon, killed his ownfather, and then he went and wallowed on the gold, and would let his brotherhave none, and no man dared go near it.

When Sigurd heard the story he said to Regin:

‘Make me a good sword that I may kill this Dragon.’

So Regin made a sword, and Sigurd tried it with a blow on a lump of iron, andthe sword broke.

Another sword he made, and Sigurd broke that too.

Then Sigurd went to his mother, and asked for the broken pieces of hisfather’s blade, and gave them to Regin. And he hammered and wrought theminto a new sword, so sharp that fire seemed to burn along its edges.

Sigurd tried this blade on the lump of iron, and it did not break, but splitthe iron in two. Then he threw a lock of wool into the river, and when itfloated down against the sword it was cut into two pieces. So Sigurd said thatsword would do. But before he went against the Dragon he led an army to fightthe men who had killed his father, and he slew their King, and took all hiswealth, and went home.

When he had been at home a few days, he rode out with Regin one morning to theheath where the Dragon used to lie. Then he saw the track which the Dragon madewhen he went to a cliff to drink, and the track was as if a great river hadrolled along and left a deep valley.

Then Sigurd went down into that deep place, and dug many pits in it, and in oneof the pits he lay hidden with his sword drawn. There he waited, and presentlythe earth began to shake with the weight of the Dragon as he crawled to thewater. And a cloud of venom flew before him as he snorted and roared, so thatit would have been death to stand before him.

But Sigurd waited till half of him had crawled over the pit, and then he thrustthe sword Gram right into his very heart.

Then the Dragon lashed with his tail till stones broke and trees crashed abouthim.

Then he spoke, as he died, and said:

‘Whoever thou art that hast slain me this gold shall be thy ruin, and theruin of all who own it.’

Sigurd said:

‘I would touch none of it if by losing it I should never die. But all mendie, and no brave man lets death frighten him from his desire. Die thou,Fafnir,’ and then Fafnir died.

And after that Sigurd was called Fafnir’s Bane, and Dragonslayer.

Then Sigurd rode back, and met Regin, and Regin asked him to roastFafnir’s heart and let him taste of it.

So Sigurd put the heart of Fafnir on a stake, and roasted it. But it chancedthat he touched it with his finger, and it burned him. Then he put his fingerin his mouth, and so tasted the heart of Fafnir.

Then immediately he understood the language of birds, and he heard theWoodpeckers say:

‘There is Sigurd roasting Fafnir’s heart for another, when heshould taste of it himself and learn all wisdom.’

The next bird said:

‘There lies Regin, ready to betray Sigurd, who trusts him.’

The third bird said:

‘Let him cut off Regin’s head, and keep all the gold tohimself.’

The fourth bird said:

‘That let him do, and then ride over Hindfell, to the place whereBrynhild sleeps.’

When Sigurd heard all this, and how Regin was plotting to betray him, he cutoff Regin’s head with one blow of the sword Gram.

Then all the birds broke out singing:

‘We know a fair maid,
A fair maiden sleeping;
Sigurd, be not afraid,
Sigurd, win thou the maidv Fortune is keeping.

‘High over Hindfell
Red fire is flaming,
There doth the maiden dwell
She that should love thee well,
Meet for thy taming.

‘There must she sleep till thou
Comest for her waking
Rise up and ride, for now
Sure she will swear the vow
Fearless of breaking.’

Then Sigurd remembered how the story went that somewhere, far away, there was abeautiful lady enchanted. She was under a spell, so that she must always sleepin a castle surrounded by flaming fire; there she must sleep for ever tillthere came a knight who would ride through the fire and waken her. There hedetermined to go, but first he rode right down the horrible trail of Fafnir.And Fafnir had lived in a cave with iron doors, a cave dug deep down in theearth, and full of gold bracelets, and crowns, and rings; and there, too,Sigurd found the Helm of Dread, a golden helmet, and whoever wears it isinvisible. All these he piled on the back of the good horse Grani, and then herode south to Hindfell.

Now it was night, and on the crest of the hill Sigurd saw a red fire blazing upinto the sky, and within the flame a castle, and a banner on the topmost tower.Then he set the horse Grani at the fire, and he leaped through it lightly, asif it had been through the heather. So Sigurd went within the castle door, andthere he saw someone sleeping, clad all in armour. Then he took the helmet offthe head of the sleeper, and behold, she was a most beautiful lady. And shewakened and said, ‘Ah! is it Sigurd, Sigmund’s son, who has brokenthe curse, and comes here to waken me at last?’

This curse came upon her when the thorn of the tree of sleep ran into her handlong ago as a punishment because she had displeased Odin the God. Long ago,too, she had vowed never to marry a man who knew fear, and dared not ridethrough the fence of flaming fire. For she was a warrior maid herself, and wentarmed into the battle like a man. But now she and Sigurd loved each other, andpromised to be true to each other, and he gave her a ring, and it was the lastring taken from the dwarf Andvari. Then Sigurd rode away, and he came to thehouse of a King who had a fair daughter. Her name was Gudrun, and her motherwas a witch. Now Gudrun fell in love with Sigurd, but he was always talking ofBrynhild, how beautiful she was and how dear. So one day Gudrun’s witchmother put poppy and forgetful drugs in a magical cup, and bade Sigurd drink toher health, and he drank, and instantly he forgot poor Brynhild and he lovedGudrun, and they were married with great rejoicings.

Now the witch, the mother of Gudrun, wanted her son Gunnar to marry Brynhild,and she bade him ride out with Sigurd and go and woo her. So forth they rode toher father’s house, for Brynhild had quite gone out of Sigurd’smind by reason of the witch’s wine, but she remembered him and loved himstill. Then Brynhild’s father told Gunnar that she would marry none buthim who could ride the flame in front of her enchanted tower, and thither theyrode, and Gunnar set his horse at the flame, but he would not face it. ThenGunnar tried Sigurd’s horse Grani, but he would not move with Gunnar onhis back. Then Gunnar remembered witchcraft that his mother had taught him, andby his magic he made Sigurd look exactly like himself, and he looked exactlylike Gunnar. Then Sigurd, in the shape of Gunnar and in his mail, mounted onGrani, and Grani leaped the fence of fire, and Sigurd went in and foundBrynhild, but he did not remember her yet, because of the forgetful medicine inthe cup of the witch’s wine.

Now Brynhild had no help but to promise she would be his wife, the wife ofGunnar as she supposed, for Sigurd wore Gunnar’s shape, and she had swornto wed whoever should ride the flames. And he gave her a ring, and she gave himback the ring he had given her before in his own shape as Sigurd, and it wasthe last ring of that poor dwarf Andvari. Then he rode out again, and he andGunnar changed shapes, and each was himself again, and they went home to thewitch Queen’s, and Sigurd gave the dwarf’s ring to his wife,Gudrun. And Brynhild went to her father, and said that a King had come calledGunnar, and had ridden the fire, and she must marry him. ‘Yet Ithought,’ she said, ‘that no man could have done this deed butSigurd, Fafnir’s bane, who was my true love. But he has forgotten me, andmy promise I must keep.’

So Gunnar and Brynhild were married, though it was not Gunnar but Sigurd inGunnar’s shape, that had ridden the fire.

And when the wedding was over and all the feast, then the magic of thewitch’s wine went out of Sigurd’s brain, and he remembered all. Heremembered how he had freed Brynhild from the spell, and how she was his owntrue love, and how he had forgotten and had married another woman, and wonBrynhild to be the wife of another man.

But he was brave, and he spoke not a word of it to the others to make themunhappy. Still he could not keep away the curse which was to come on every onewho owned the treasure of the dwarf Andvari, and his fatal golden ring.

And the curse soon came upon all of them. For one day, when Brynhild and Gudrunwere bathing, Brynhild waded farthest out into the river, and said she did thatto show she was Gudrun’s superior. For her husband, she said, had riddenthrough the flame when no other man dared face it.

Then Gudrun was very angry, and said that it was Sigurd, not Gunnar, who hadridden the flame, and had received from Brynhild that fatal ring, the ring ofthe dwarf Andvari.

Then Brynhild saw the ring which Sigurd had given to Gudrun, and she knew itand knew all, and she turned as pale as a dead woman, and went home. All thatevening she never spoke. Next day she told Gunnar, her husband, that he was acoward and a liar, for he had never ridden the flame, but had sent Sigurd to doit for him, and pretended that he had done it himself. And she said he wouldnever see her glad in his hall, never drinking wine, never playing chess, neverembroidering with the golden thread, never speaking words of kindness. Then sherent all her needlework asunder and wept aloud, so that everyone in the househeard her. For her heart was broken, and her pride was broken in the same hour.She had lost her true love, Sigurd, the slayer of Fafnir, and she was marriedto a man who was a liar.

Then Sigurd came and tried to comfort her, but she would not listen, and saidshe wished the sword stood fast in his heart.

‘Not long to wait,’ he said, ‘till the bitter sword standsfast in my heart, and thou will not live long when I am dead. But, dearBrynhild, live and be comforted, and love Gunnar thy husband, and I will givethee all the gold, the treasure of the dragon Fafnir.’

Brynhild said:

‘It is too late.’

Then Sigurd was so grieved and his heart so swelled in his breast that it burstthe steel rings of his shirt of mail.

Sigurd went out and Brynhild determined to slay him. She mixed serpent’svenom and wolf’s flesh, and gave them in one dish to her husband’syounger brother, and when he had tasted them he was mad, and he went intoSigurd’s chamber while he slept and pinned him to the bed with a sword.But Sigurd woke, and caught the sword Gram into his hand, and threw it at theman as he fled, and the sword cut him in twain. Thus died Sigurd,Fafnir’s bane, whom no ten men could have slain in fair fight. ThenGudrun wakened and saw him dead, and she moaned aloud, and Brynhild heard herand laughed; but the kind horse Grani lay down and died of very grief. And thenBrynhild fell a-weeping till her heart broke. So they attired Sigurd in all hisgolden armour, and built a great pile of wood on board his ship, and at nightlaid on it the dead Sigurd and the dead Brynhild, and the good horse, Grani,and set fire to it, and launched the ship. And the wind bore it blazing out tosea, flaming into the dark. So there were Sigurd and Brynhild burned together,and the curse of the dwarf Andvari was fulfilled.^[33]

[33]The Volsunga Saga.

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