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University of California • Berkeley

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anO«oO>er« stories

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The little man dashed his right foot so
deep into the floor that he was forced
to lay hold of it with both hands to
pull it out.

SEE PAGE 274.

stories

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HANSEL AND GRETEL

— B —
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

Hansel and Gretel ....

The Six Swans .....

Little Brother and Little Sister .

The Fisherman and His Wife

The Drummer .....

Rosebud ......

The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle
Snowdrop .....

Jorinde and Joringel ....

The Goose Girl ....

Clever Alice .....

Cherry, or the Frog Bride .

PAGE
15

31

43

57
69

87

97
107

121

129

Vll

CONTENTS

PAGE

The Three Little Men in the Wood . . -165
The Valiant Little Tailor . . . . .175

Roland ........ 103

The Juniper Tree . . . . . -203

Rapunzel ....... 219

The Three Magic Gifts . . . . .229

Catskin ........ 249

The Golden Goose • • • • . -261

Rumpelstiltskin . . . . . -271

The Two Brothers . . . . . .277

Vlll

ILLUSTRATIONS

Rumpelstiltskin

The little man dashed his right foot so deep into the
floor that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands
to pull it out Frontispiece

Hansel and Gretel

They saw that the cottage was made of bread and cakes

The Six Swans

When she had concluded, the King was overcome with
joy •

Little Brother and Little Sister

"Be still, little Fawn, and I will never forsake you"

The Fisherman and His Wife

Then the fisherman went home and found his wife sit-
ting upon a throne, and she had three great crowns upon

her head

PAGE

21

37

45

iz

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Drummer PAGE

The Drummer began to play his drum from sheer joy . 73

Rosebud

Rosebud looked so beautiful he stooped down and gave

her a kiss 89

The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle

"What do I see?" cried the Prince. "This spindle wants

to conduct me somewhere" 99

Snowdrop

They wrote her name upon it, in golden letters, and that

she was a king's daughter 115

Jorinde and Joringel

At once Jorinde stood before him as beautiful as ever . 123

The Goose Girl

"Blow, breezes, blowl
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!" . . . 133

Clever Alice

The bells jingled at every step she took .... 147

Cherry, or the Frog Bride

Within sat his old friend the frog 159

The Three Little Men in the Wood

"And what do you think she found there? Actually, ripe
strawberries!" . . .169

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Valiant Little Tailor PACE

The unicorn, rushing against the tree, fixed its horn so
fast in the trunk that it could not draw it out . . .185

Roland

From that day everything prospered in the shepherd's
house 197

The Juniper Tree

A kind of cloud came from the tree, and in the middle
was a burning fire and out of the fire came a pretty bird 207

Rapunzel

Snip, snap, she cut off all her beautiful tresses . . 223

The Three Magic Gifts

The host screamed for mercy, but all the lustier was the
cudgel in beating time on his back 241

Catskin

She managed to slip out so slyly that the King did not

see where she was gone 255

The Golden Goose

As soon as she saw the seven all hanging together, she
could not help bursting into a long and loud laugh . 263

The Two Brothers

Then the dragon made a dart at the hunter, but he swung

his sword round and cut off three of the beast's heads . 287

•

XI

HANSEL AND GRETEL

HANSEL AND GRETEL

NCE upon a time there dwelt near
a large wood a poor woodcutter
with his wife and two children by
his former marriage, a little boy
called Hansel, and a girl named
Gretel. He had little enough to
break or bite; and once, when
there was a great famine in the land,
he could not procure even his daily bread; and as he lay
thinking in his bed one evening, rolling about for trouble,
he sighed, and said to his wife, " What will become of
us? How can we feed our children, when we have no
more than we can eat ourselves? "

" Know then, my husband," answered she, " we will
lead them away, quite early in the morning, into the
thickest part of the wood, and there make them a fire,
and give them each a little piece of bread; then we will
go to our work, and leave them alone, so they will not
find the way home again, and we shall be freed from
them." " No, wife," replied he, " that I can never do ;
how can you bring your heart to leave my children all
alone in the wood; for the wild beasts will soon come
and tear them to pieces? "

HANSEL AND GRETEL

" Oh, you simpleton ! '" said she, " then we must all
four die of hunger; you had better plane the coffins for
us." But she left him no peace till he consented, saying,
" Ah, but I shall regret the poor children."

The two children, however, had not gone to sleep
for very hunger, and so they overheard what the step-
mother said to their father. Gretel wept bitterly, and
said to Hansel, " What will become of us? " " Be quiet,
Gretel," said he; "do not cry — I will soon help you."
And as soon as their parents had fallen asleep, he got up,
put on his coat, and, unbarring the back door, slipped
out. The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles
which lay before the door seemed like silver pieces, they
glittered so brightly. Hansel stooped down, and put as
many into his pocket as it would hold; and then going
back he said to Gretel, " Be comforted, dear sister, and
sleep in peace; God will not forsake us." And so saying,
he went to bed again.

The next morning, before the sun arose, the wife went
and awoke the two children. " Get up, you lazy things;
we are going into the forest to chop wood." Then she
gave them each a piece of bread, saying, " There is some-
thing for your dinner; do not eat it before the time, for
you will get nothing else." Gretel took the bread in her
apron, for Hansel's pocket was full of pebbles; and so
they all set out upon their way. When they had gone
a little distance, Hansel stood still, and peeped back at

16

HANSEL AND GRETEL

the house; and this he repeated several times, till his
father said, " Hansel, what are you peeping at, and why
do you lag behind? Take care, and remember your legs."

" Ah, father," said Hansel, " I am looking at my
white cat sitting upon the roof of the house, and trying
to say good-bye." " You simpleton ! " said the wife,
"that is not a cat; it is only the sun shining on the
white chimney." But in reality Hansel was not looking
at a cat; but every time he stopped, he dropped a pebble
out of his pocket upon the path.

When they came to the middle of the wood the father
told the children to collect wood, and he would make
them a fire, so that they should not be cold. So Hansel
and Gretel gathered together quite a little mountain of
twigs. Then they set fire to them; and as the flame
burnt up high, the wife said, "Now, you children, lie
down near the fire, and rest yourselves, whilst we go into
the forest and chop wood; when we are ready I will
come and call you."

Hansel and Gretel sat down by the fire, and when it
was noon, each ate the piece of bread; and because they
could hear the blows of an axe they thought their father
was near: but it was not an axe, but a branch which he
had bound to a withered tree so as to be blown to and
fro by the wind. They waited so long that at last their
eyes closed from weariness, and they fell fast asleep.
When they awoke, it was quite dark, and Gretel began to

HANSEL AND GRETEL

cry, " How shall we get out of the wood? " But Hansel
tried to comfort her by saying, " Wait a little while till
the moon rises, and then we will quickly find the way."
The moon soon shone forth, and Hansel, taking his
sister's hand, followed the pebbles, which glittered like
new-coined silver pieces, and showed them the path. All
night long they walked on, and as day broke they came
to their father's house. They knocked at the door, and
when the wife opened it, and saw Hansel and Gretel, she
exclaimed, "You wicked children! why did you sleep
so long in the wood? We thought you were never
coming home again." But their father was very glad, for
it had grieved his heart to leave them all alone.

Not long afterwards there was again great scarcity in
every corner of the land ; and one night the children over-
heard their mother saying to their father, "Everything is
again consumed; we have only half a loaf left, and then
the song is ended: the children must be sent away. We
will take them deeper into the wood, so that they may not
find the way out again; it is the only means of escape
for us."

But her husband felt heavy at heart, and thought, " It
were better to share the last crust with the children."
His wife, however, would listen to nothing that he said,
and scolded and reproached him without end.

He who says A must say B too; and he who consents
the first time must also the second.

18

HANSEL AND GRETEL

The children, however, had heard the conversation
as they lay awake, and as soon as the old people went to
sleep Hansel got up, intending to pick up some pebbles
as before; but the wife had locked the door, so that he
could not get out. Nevertheless, he comforted Gretel,
saying, " Do not cry; sleep in quiet; the good God will
not forsake us."

Early in the morning the stepmother came and pulled
them out of bed, and gave them each a slice of bread,
which was still smaller than the former piece. On the
way, Hansel broke his in his pocket, and, stooping every
now and then, dropped a crumb upon the path. " Hansel,
why do you stop and look about? " said the father, " keep
in the path." " I am looking at my little dove," answered
Hansel, " nodding a good-bye to me." " Simpleton ! "
said the wife, " that is no dove, but only the sun shining
on the chimney." But Hansel kept still dropping crumbs
as he went along.

The mother led the children deep into the wood,
where they had never been before, and there making an
immense fire, she said to them, " Sit down here and rest,
and when you feel tired you can sleep for a little while.
We are going into the forest to hew wood, and in the
evening, when we are ready, we will come and fetch you."

When noon came Gretel shared her bread with
Hansel, who had strewn his on the path. Then they
went to sleep; but the evening arrived and no one came

19

HANSEL AND G RET EL

to visit the poor children, and in the dark night they
awoke, and Hansel comforted his sister by saying, " Only
wait, Gretel, till the moon comes out, then we shall see
the crumbs of bread which I have dropped, and they will
show us the way home." The moon shone and they got
up, but they could not see any crumbs, for the thousands
of birds which had been flying about in the woods and
fields had picked them all up. Hansel kept saying to
Gretel, " We will soon find the way " ; but they did not,
and they walked the whole night long and the next day,
but still they did not come out of the wood; and they
got so hungry, for they had nothing to eat but the berries
which they found upon the bushes. Soon they got so
tired that they could not drag themselves along, so they
lay down under a tree and went to sleep.

It was now the third morning since they had left
their father's house, and they still walked on; but they
only got deeper and deeper into the wood, and Hansel
saw that if help did not come very soon they would die
of hunger. As soon as it was noon they saw a beautiful
snow-white bird sitting upon a bough, which sang so
sweetly that they stood still and listened to it. It soon left
off, and spreading its wings flew off; and they followed
it until it arrived at a cottage, upon the roof of which it
perched; and when they went close up to it they saw
that the cottage was made of bread and cakes, and the
window-panes were of clear sugar.

20

They saw that the cottage was made of
bread and cakes.

SEE PAGE 20.

HANSEL AND GRETEL

" We will go in here," said Hansel, " and have a
glorious feast. I will eat a piece of the roof, and you
can eat the window. Will they not be sweet? " So
Hansel reached up and broke a piece off the roof, in
order to see how it tasted; while Gretel stepped up to
the window and began to bite it. Then a sweet voice
called out in the room, " Tip-tap, tip-tap, who raps at
my door? " and the children answered, " The wind, the
wind, the child of heaven ! " and they went on eating
without interruption. Hansel thought the roof tasted
very nice, and so he tore off a great piece; while Gretel
broke a large round pane out of the window, and sat down
quite contentedly. Just then the door opened, and a very
old woman, walking upon crutches, came out. Hansel
and Gretel were so frightened that they let fall what
they had in their hands; but the old woman, nodding
her head, said, " Ah, you dear children, what has brought
you here? Come in and stop with me, and no harm shall
befall you ! " and so saying she took them both by the
hand, and led them into her cottage. A good meal of
milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts, was
spread on the table, and in the back room were two nice
little beds, covered with white, where Hansel and Gretel
laid themselves down, and thought themselves in heaven.
The old woman behaved very kindly to them, but in
reality she was a wicked witch who waylaid children,
and built the breadhouse in order to entice them in; but

23

HANSEL AND GRETEL

as soon as they were in her power she killed them,
cooked and ate them, and made a great festival of the
day. Witches have red eyes and cannot see very far;
but they have a fine sense of smelling, like wild beasts,
so that they know when children approach them. When
Hansel and Gretel came near the witch's house she
laughed wickedly, saying, " Here come two who shall
not escape me." And early in the morning, before they
awoke, she went up to them, and saw how lovingly they
lay sleeping, with their chubby red cheeks; and she
mumbled to herself, " That will be a good bite." Then
she took up Hansel with her rough hand, and shut him
up in a little cage with a lattice-door; and although he
screamed loudly it was of no use. Gretel came next,
and, shaking her till she awoke, she said, " Get up, you
lazy thing, and fetch some water to cook something good
for your brother, who must remain in that stall and get
fat; when he is fat enough I shall eat him." Gretel
began to cry, but it was all useless, for the old witch
made her do as she wished. So a nice meal was cooked
for Hansel, but Gretel got nothing else but a crab's
claw.

Every morning the old witch came to the cage and
said, " Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel
whether you are getting fat." But Hansel used to stretch
out a bone, and the old woman, having very bad sight,
thought it was his finger, and wondered very much that

24

HANSEL AND GRETEL

he did not get more fat. When four weeks had passed,
and Hansel still kept quite lean, she lost all her patience,
and would not wait any longer. " Gretel," she called
out in a passion, "get some water quickly; be Hansel
fat or lean, this morning I will kill and cook him." Oh,
how the poor little sister grieved, as she was forced to
fetch the water, and fast the tears ran down her cheeks!
" Dear good God, help us now ! " she exclaimed. " Had
we only been eaten by the wild beasts in the wood, then
we should have died together." But the old witch called
out, " Leave off that noise ; it will not help you a bit."

So early in the morning Gretel was forced to go
out and fill the kettle, and make a fire. " First, we will
bake, however," said the old woman; " I have already
heated the oven and kneaded the dough " ; and so saying,
she pushed poor Gretel up to the oven, out of which
the flames were burning fiercely. " Creep in," said the
witch, " and see if it is hot enough, and then we will
put in the bread"; but she intended when Gretel got in
to shut up the oven and let her bake, so that she might
eat her as well as Hansel. Gretel perceived what her
thoughts were, and said, " I do not know how to do it;
how shall I get in? " " You stupid goose," said she,
" the opening is big enough. See, I could even get in
myself! " and she got up, and put her head into the oven.
Then Gretel gave her a push, so that she fell right in,
and then shutting the iron door she bolted it. Oh! how

25

HANSEL AND GRETEL

horribly she howled; but Gretel ran away and left the
ungodly witch to burn to ashes.

Now she ran to Hansel, and, opening his door, called
out, "Hansel, we are saved; the old witch is dead!"
So he sprang out, like a bird out of his cage when the
door is opened; and they were so glad that they fell
upon each other's neck, and kissed each other over and
over again. And now, as there was nothing to fear, they
went into the witch's house, where in every corner were
caskets full of pearls and precious stones. " These are
better than pebbles," said Hansel, putting as many into
his pocket as it would hold; while Gretel thought, "I
will take some home too," and filled her apron full.
" We must be off now," said Hansel, " and get out of this
enchanted forest"; but when they had walked for two
hours they came to a large piece of water. " We cannot
get over," said Hansel ; " I can see no bridge at all."
" And there is no boat either," said Gretel ; " but there
swims a white duck, I will ask her to help us over " ;
and she sang:

" Little Duck, good little Duck,

Gretel and Hansel, here we stand ;
There is neither stile nor bridge,
Take us on your back to land."

SQ the duck came to them, and Hansel sat himself on,
and bade his sister sit behind him. " No," answered
Gretel, " that will be too much for the duck, she shall

26

HANSEL AND GRETEL

take us over one at a time." This the good little bird
did, and when both were happily arrived on the other
side, and had gone a little way, they came to a well-
known wood, which they knew the better every step
they went, and at last they perceived their father's house.
Then they began to run, and, bursting into the house,
they fell on their father's neck. He had not had one
happy hour since he had left the children in the forest:
and his wife was dead. Gretel shook her apron, and
the pearls and precious stones rolled out upon the floor,
and Hansel threw down one handful after the other out
of his pocket. Then all their sorrows were ended, and
they lived together in great happiness.

THE SIX SWANS

THE SIX SWANS

KING was once hunting in a large
wood, and pursued his game so
hotly that none of his courtiers could
follow him. But when evening ap-
proached he stopped, and looking
around him perceived that he had
lost himself. He sought a path out
of the forest, but could not find
one, and presently he saw an old woman with a nodding
head, who came up to him. " My good woman," said
he to her, " can you not show me the way out of the
forest? "

"Oh, yes, my lord King," she replied; "I can do
that very well, but upon one condition, which if you do
not fulfil, you will never again get out of the wood, but
will die of hunger."

" What, then, is this condition? " asked the King.
" I have a daughter," said the old woman, " who is as
beautiful as any one you can find in the whole world,
and well deserves to be your bride. Now, if you will
make her your Queen, I will show you your way out of
the wood." In the anxiety of his heart, the King con-
sented, and the old woman led him to her cottage, where

THE SIX SWANS

the daughter was sitting by the fire. She received the
King as if she had expected him, and he saw at once that
she was very beautiful, but yet she did not quite please
him, for he could not look at her without a secret shud-
dering. However, after all he took the maiden upon his
horse, and the old woman showed him the way, and the
King arrived safely at his palace, where the wedding was
to be celebrated.

The King had been married once before, and had
seven children by his first wife, six boys and a girl, whom
he loved above everything else in the world. He became
afraid, soon, that the stepmother might not treat them
very well, and might even do them some great injury, so
he took them away to a lonely castle which stood in the
midst of a forest. This castle was so hidden, and the way
to it so difficult to discover, that he himself could not
have found it if a wise woman had not given him a ball
of cotton which had the wonderful property, when he
threw it before him, of unrolling itself and showing him
the right path. The King went, however, so often to see
his dear children, that the Queen noticed his absence,
became inquisitive, and wished to know what he went to
fetch out of the forest. So she gave his servants a great
quantity of money, and they disclosed to her the secret,
and also told her of the ball of cotton which alone could
show her the way. She had now no peace until she dis-
covered where this ball was concealed, and then she made

32

THE SIX SWANS

some fine silken shirts, and, as she had learnt of her mother,
she sewed within each one a charm. One day soon after,
when the King was gone out hunting, she took the little
shirts and went into the forest, and the cotton showed her
the path. The children, seeing some one coming in the
distance, thought it was their dear father, and ran out
towards her full of joy. Then she threw over each of
them a shirt, which, as it touched their bodies, changed
them into swans, which flew away over the forest. The
Queen then went home quite contented and thought she
was free of her stepchildren; but the little girl had not
met her with the brothers, and the Queen did not know
of her.

The following day the King went to visit his chil-
dren, but he found only the maiden. " Where are your
brothers? " asked he. " Ah, dear father," she replied,
"they are gone away and have left me alone"; and she
told him how she had looked out of the window and seen
them changed into swans, which had flown over the forest ;
and then she showed him the feathers which they had
dropped in the courtyard, and which she had collected
together. The King was much grieved, but he did not
think that his wife could have done this wicked deed, and,
as he feared the girl might also be stolen away, he took
her with him. She was, however, so much afraid of the
stepmother, that she begged him not to stop more than
one night in the castle.

33

THE SIX SWANS

The poor maiden thought to herself, " This is no longer
my place, I will go and seek my brothers " ; and when
night came she escaped and went quite deep into the
wood. She walked all night long and great part of the
next day, until she could go no further from weariness.
Just then she saw a rude hut, and walking in she found a
room with six little beds, but she dared not get into one,
but crept under, and, laying herself upon the hard earth,
prepared to pass the night there. Just as the sun was set-
ting, she heard a rustling, and saw six white swans come
flying in at the window. They settled on the ground
and began blowing one another until they had blown all
their feathers off, and their swan's down stripped off like
a shirt. Then the maiden knew them at once for her
brothers, and gladly crept out from under the bed, and
the brothers were not less glad to see their sister, but their
joy was of short duration. " Here you must not stay,"
said they to her; "this is a robbers' hiding-place; if
they should return and find you here, they will murder
you." " Can you not protect me, then? " inquired the
sister.

"No," they replied; "for we can only lay aside our
swan's feathers for a quarter of an hour each evening, and
for that time we regain our human form, but afterwards
we resume our changed appearance."

Their sister then asked them with tears, " Can you
not be restored again? "

34

THE SIX SWANS

" Oh, no," replied they, " the conditions are too
difficult. For six long years you must neither speak nor
laugh, and during that time you must sew together for us
six little shirts of star-flowers, and should there fall a single
word from your lips, then all your labour will be vain."
Just as the brother finished speaking, the quarter of an
hour elapsed, and they all flew out of the window again
like swans.

The little sister, however, made a solemn resolution
to rescue her brothers, or die in the attempt; and she left
the cottage, and, penetrating deep into the forest, passed
the night amid the branches of a tree. The next morning
she went out and collected the star-flowers to sew to-
gether. She had no one to converse with, and for laughing
she had no spirits, so there up in the tree she sat, intent
upon her work. After she had passed some time there
it happened that the King of that country was hunting in
the forest, and his huntsmen came beneath the tree on
which the maiden sat. They called to her and asked,
" Who art thou? " But she gave no answer. " Come
down to us," continued they : " we will do thee no harm."
She simply shook her head, and, when they pressed her
further with questions, she threw down to them her gold
necklace, hoping therewith to satisfy them. They did not,
however, leave her, and she threw down her girdle, but
in vain; and even her rich dress did not make them
desist. At last the hunter himself climbed the tree and

35

THE SIX SWANS

brought down the maiden, and took her before the King.
The King asked her, " Who art thou? What dost thou
upon that tree?" But she did not answer; and then he
asked her in all the languages that he knew, but she re-
mained dumb to all as a fish. Since, however, she was so
beautiful, the King's heart was touched, and he conceived
for her a strong affection. Then he put around her his
cloak, and, placing her before him on his horse, took her
to his castle. There he ordered rich clothing to be made
for her, and, although her beauty shone as the sunbeams,
not a word escaped her. The King placed her by his side
at table, and there her dignified mien and manners so
won upon him, that he said, " This maiden will I marry,
and no other in the world " ; and after some days he was
united to her.

Now, the King had a wicked stepmother, who was dis-
contented with his marriage, and spoke evil of the young
Queen. " Who knows whence the wench comes? " said
she. " She who cannot speak is not worthy of a King."
A year after, when the Queen brought her first-born into
the world, the old woman took him away. Then she
went to the King and complained that the Queen was a
murderess. The King, however, would not believe it,
and suffered no one to do any injury to his wife, who sat
composedly sewing at her shirts and paying attention to
nothing else. When a second child was born, the false
stepmother used the same deceit, but the King again would

36

When she had concluded, the King
•was overcome 'with joy.

SEE PAGE 40.

THE SIX SWANS

not listen to her words, but said, " She is too pious and
good to act so: could she but speak and defend herself,
her innocence would come to light." But when again,
the third time, the old woman stole away the child, and
then accused the Queen, who answered not a word to
the accusation, the King was obliged to give her up to
be tried, and she was condemned to suffer death by
fire.

When the time had elapsed, and the sentence was to
be carried out, it happened that the very day had come
round when her dear brothers should be made free; the
six shirts were also ready, all but the last, which yet
wanted the left sleeve. As she was led to the scaffold,
she placed the shirts upon her arm, and just as she had
mounted it, and the fire was about to be kindled, she
looked round, and saw six swans come flying through
the air. Her heart leapt for joy as she perceived her
deliverers approaching, and soon the swans, flying to-
wards her, alighted so near that she was enabled to throw
over them the shirts, and as soon as she had so done their
feathers fell off and the brothers stood up alive and well;
but the youngest wanted his left arm, instead of which he
had a swan's wing. They embraced and kissed each other,
and the Queen, going to the King, who was thunder-
struck, began to say, " Now may I speak, my dear hus-
band, and prove to you that I am innocent and falsely
accused"; and then she told him how the wicked woman

39

THE SIX SWANS

had stolen away and hidden her three children. When
she had concluded, the King was overcome with joy, and
the wicked stepmother was led to the scaffold and bound
to the stake and burnt to ashes.

The King and the Queen for ever after lived in peace
and prosperity with their six brothers.

40

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

HERE was once a little brother who
took his sister by the hand, and said,
" Since our own dear mother's death
we have not had one happy hour;
our stepmother beats us every day,
and, if we come near her, kicks us
away with her feet. Our food is the
hard crusts of bread which are left,
and even the dog under the table fares better than we, for
he often gets a nice morsel. Come, let us wander forth
into the wide world." So all day long they travelled
over meadows, fields, and stony roads, and when it rained
the sister said, " It is heaven crying in sympathy." By
the evening they came into a large forest, and were so
wearied with grief, hunger and their long walk, that they
laid themselves down in a hollow tree, and went to sleep.
When they awoke the next morning the sun had already
risen high in the heavens, and its beams made the tree
so hot that the little boy said to his sister, " I am so
thirsty, if I knew where there was a brook I would go
and drink. Ah ! I think I hear one running " ; and so
saying, he got up, and taking his sister's hand, they went
in search of the brook.

43

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

The wicked stepmother, however, was a witch, and
had witnessed the departure of the two children; so,
sneaking after them secretly, as is the habit of witches,
she had enchanted all the springs in the forest.

Presently they found a brook, which ran trippingly
over the pebbles, and the brother would have drunk out
of it, but the sister heard how it said as it ran along,
" Who drinks of me will become a tiger 1 " So the sister
exclaimed, " I pray you, brother, drink not, or you will
become a tiger, and tear me to pieces I " So the brother
did not drink, although his thirst was so great, and he
said, " I will wait till the next brook." As they came to
the second, the sister heard it say, " Who drinks of me
becomes a wolf!" The sister ran up crying, "Brother,
do not, pray do not drink, or you will become a wolf
and eat me up ! " Then the brother did not drink, say-
ing, " I will wait until we come to the next spring, but
then I must drink, you may say what you will; my thirst
is much too great." Just as they reached the third brook,
the sister heard the voice saying, " Who drinks of me
will become a fawn — who drinks of me will become a
fawn ! " So the sister said, " Oh, my brother ! do not
drink, or you will be changed to a fawn, and run away
from me ! " But he had already kneeled down, and drunk
of the water, and, as the first drops passed his lips, his
shape became that of a fawn.

At first the sister cried over her little changed brother,

44

The maiden said, "Be still, dear little
fawn , and I will never forsake you"

SEE PAGE 47

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

and he wept too, and knelt by her very sorrowful; but
at last the maiden said, " Be still, dear little fawn, and I
will never forsake you " ; and, undoing her golden garter,
she put it round his neck, and weaving rushes made a
white girdle to lead him with. This she tied to him,
and taking the other end in her hand, she led him away,
and they travelled deeper and deeper into the forest.
After they had walked a long distance they came to a
little hut, and the maiden, peeping in, found it empty,
and thought, " Here we can stay and dwell." Then she
looked for leaves and moss to make a soft couch for the
fawn, and every morning she went out and collected
roots and berries and nuts for herself, and tender grass
for the fawn, which he ate out of her hand, and played
happily around her. In the evening when the sister was
tired, and had said her prayers, she laid her head upon
the back of the fawn, which served for a pillow, on
which she slept soundly. Had but the brother regained
his own proper form, their life would have been happy
indeed.

Thus they dwelt in this wilderness, and some time had
elapsed when it happened that the King of the country
held a great hunt in the forest; and now resounded
through the trees the blowing of horns, the barking of
dogs, and the lusty cries of the hunters, so that the little
fawn heard them, and wanted very much to join. " Ah ! "
said he to his sister, " let me go to the hunt, I cannot

47

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

restrain myself any longer "; and he begged so hard that
at last she consented. " But," said she to him, " return
again in the evening, for I shall shut my door against
the wild huntsmen, and, that I may know you, do you
knock, and say, ' Sister, let me in,' and if you do not
speak I shall not open the door." As soon as she had
said this, the little fawn sprang off quite glad and merry
in the fresh breeze. The King and his huntsmen per-
ceived the beautiful animal, and pursued him; but they
could not catch him, and when they thought they had
him for certain, he sprang away over the bushes and got
out of sight. Just as it was getting dark, he ran up to
the hut, and, knocking, said, " Sister mine, let me in."
Then she undid the little door, and he went in, and
rested all night long upon his soft couch. The next
morning the hunt was commenced again, and as soon as
the little fawn heard the horns and the tally-ho of the
sportsmen he could not rest, and said, " Sister, dear, open
the door, I must be off." The sister opened it, saying,
" Return at evening, mind, and say the words as before."
When the King and his huntsmen saw again the fawn
with the golden necklace, they followed him close, but
he was too nimble and quick for them. The whole day
long they kept up with him, but towards evening the
huntsmen made a circle round him, and one wounded
him slightly in the foot behind, so that he could only
run slowly. Then one of them slipped after him to the

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

little hut, and heard him say, " Sister, dear, open the
door," and saw that the door was opened and immediately
shut behind. The huntsman, having observed all this,
went and told the King what he had seen and heard, and
he said, " On the morrow I will once more pursue him."

The sister, however, was terribly frightened when
she saw that her fawn was wounded, and, washing off
the blood, she put herbs upon the foot, and said, " Go
and rest upon your bed, dear fawn, that the wound may
heal." It was so slight, that the next morning he felt
nothing of it, and when he heard the hunting cries out-
side, he exclaimed, " I cannot stop away — I must be
there, and none shall catch me so easily again ! " The
sister wept very much, and told him, " Soon they will
kill you, and I shall be here all alone in this forest, for-
saken by all the world: I cannot let you go."

" I shall die here in vexation," answered the fawn,
" if you do not, for when I hear the horn I think I shall
jump out of my skin." The sister, rinding she could not
prevent him, opened the door with a heavy heart, and
the fawn jumped out, quite delighted, into the forest.
As soon as the King perceived him, he said to his hunts-
men, " Follow him all day long to the evening, but let
no one do him an injury." When the sun had set, the
King asked his huntsmen to show him the hut; and as
they came to it, he knocked at the door, and said, " Let
me in, dear sister." Then the door was opened, and

49

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

stepping in, the King saw a maiden more beautiful than
he had ever before seen. She was frightened when she
saw not her fawn, but a man step in, who had a golden
crown upon his head. But the King, looking at her with
a friendly glance, reached her his hand, saying, " Will
you go with me to my castle, and be my dear wife? "
" Oh, yes," replied the maiden ; " but the fawn must
go too: him I will never forsake." The King replied,
"He shall remain with you as long as you live, and shall
want for nothing." In the meantime the fawn had come
in, and the sister, binding the girdle to him, again took
it in her hand, and led him away with her out of the hut.
The King took the beautiful maiden upon his horse,
and rode to his castle, where the wedding was celebrated
with great splendour, and she became Queen, and they
lived together a long time; while the fawn was taken
care of and lived well, playing about the castle garden.
The wicked stepmother, however, on whose account the
children had wandered forth into the world, supposed
that long ago the sister had been torn in pieces by the
wild beasts, and the little brother hunted to death in his
fawn's shape by the hunters. As soon, therefore, as she
heard how happy they had become, and how everything
prospered with them, envy and jealousy were roused in
her heart, and left her no peace; and she was always
thinking in what way she could work misfortune to them.
Her own daughter, who was as ugly as night, and had

50

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

but one eye, for which she was continually reproached,
said, " The luck of being a Queen has never yet happened
to me." " Be quiet now," said the old woman, " and
make yourself contented: when the time comes, I shall
be at hand." As soon, then, as the time came when the
Queen brought into the world a beautiful little boy, which
happened when the King was out hunting, the old witch
took the form of a chambermaid, and got into the room
where the Queen was lying, and said to her, " The bath is
ready, which will restore you and give you fresh strength ;
be quick, before it gets cold." Her daughter being at
hand, they carried the weak Queen between them into
the room, and laid her in the bath, and then, shutting the
door to, they ran off; but first they made up an immense
fire in the stove, which must soon suffocate the young
Queen.

When this was done, the old woman took her
daughter, and, putting a cap on her, laid her in the bed
in the Queen's place. She gave her, too, the form and
appearance of the real Queen, as far as she could ; but she
could not restore the lost eye, and, so that the King might
not notice it, she turned upon that side where there was
no eye. When he came home at evening, and heard that
a son was born to him, he was much delighted, and pre-
pared to go to his wife's bedside, to see how she did. So
the old woman called out in a great hurry, " For your
life, do not undraw the curtains; the Queen must not

51

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

yet see the light, and must be kept quiet." So the King
went away, and did not discover that a false Queen was
laid in the bed.

When midnight came, and every one was asleep, the
nurse, who sat by herself wide awake, near the cradle, in
the nursery, saw the door open and the true Queen come
in. She took the child in her arms, and rocked it a while,
and then, shaking up its pillow, laid it down, in its cradle,
and covered it over again. She did not forget the fawn
either, but, going to the corner where he was, stroked
his back, and then went silently out of the door. The
nurse asked in the morning of the guards if any one had
passed into the castle during the night; but they answered,
" No, we have seen nobody." For many nights after-
wards she came constantly, and never spoke a word; and
the nurse saw her always but she would not trust herself
to speak about it to any one.

When some time had passed away, the Queen one
night began to speak, and said :

" How fares my child, how fares my fawn?
Twice more will I come, but never again."

The nurse made no reply; but, when she had disappeared,
went to the King, and told him all. The King exclaimed,
" Oh, heavens ! what does this mean? — the next night I
will watch myself by the child." In the evening he went
into the nursery and about midnight the Queen appeared,
and said:

52

LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER

" How fares my child, how fares my fawn?
Once more will I come, but never again."

And she nursed the child, as she was used to do, and then
disappeared. The King dared not speak; but he watched
the following night, and this time she said:

" How fares my child, how fares my fawn?
This time have I come, but never again."

At these words the King could hold back no longer,
but sprang up and said, " You can be no other than my
dear wife ! " Then she answered, " Yes, I am your dear
wife "; and at that moment her life was restored by God's
mercy, and she was again as beautiful and charming as
ever. She told the King the fraud which the witch and
her daughter had practised upon him, and he had them
both tried and sentence pronounced against them. The
daughter was taken into the forest, where the wild beasts
tore her in pieces, but the old witch was led to the fire
and miserably burnt. As soon as she was reduced to ashes
the little fawn was unbewitched, and received again his
human form; and the brother and sister lived happily
together to the end of their days.

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

HERE was once a fisherman who
lived with his wife in a ditch, close
by the seaside. The fisherman
used to go out all day long a-fish-
ing; and one day, as he sat on the
shore with his rod, looking at the
shining water and watching his line,
all on a sudden his float was dragged
away deep under the sea: and in drawing it up he pulled
a great fish out of the water. The fish said to him, " Pray
let me live: I am not a real fish, I am an enchanted
Prince ; put me in the water again, and let me go." " Oh ! "
said the man, " you need not make so many words about
the matter; I wish to have nothing to do with a fish that
can talk; so swim away as soon as you please." Then he
put him back into the water, and the fish darted straight
down to the bottom, and left a long streak of blood
behind him.

When the fisherman went home to his wife in the
ditch, he told her how he had caught a great fish, and
how it had told him it was an enchanted Prince, and that
on hearing it speak he had let it go again. " Did you
not ask it for anything? " said the wife. " No," said the

57

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

man, "what should I ask for?" "Ah!" said the wife,
" we live very wretchedly here in this nasty stinking ditch;
do go back, and tell the fish we want a little cottage."

The fisherman did not much like the business: how-
ever, he went to the sea, and when he came there the
water looked all yellow and green. And he stood at the
water's edge, and said:

" Oman of the sea!

Come listen to me,

For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee! "

Then the fish came swimming to him, and said,
" Well, what does she want? " " Ah ! " answered the
fisherman, " my wife says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I let you
go again ; she does not like living any longer in the ditch,
and wants a little cottage." " Go home, then," said the
fish, " she is in the cottage already." So the man went
home, and saw his wife standing at the door of a cottage.
" Come in, come in," said she; "is not this much better
than the ditch? " And there was a parlour, and a bed-
chamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage there
was a little garden with all sorts of flowers and fruits, and
a courtyard full of ducks and chickens. " Ah I " said the
fisherman, "how happily we shall live!" "We will try
to do so, at least," said his wife.

58

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

Everything went right for a week or two, and then
Dame Alice said, " Husband, there is not room enough
in this cottage, the courtyard and garden are a great deal
too small; I should like to have a large stone castle to
live in; so go to the fish again, and tell him to give us
a castle." " Wife," said the fisherman, " I don't like
to go to him again, for perhaps he will be angry; we
ought to be content with the cottage." " Nonsense ! "
said the wife; "he will do it very willingly; go along,
and try."

The fisherman went; but his heart was very heavy:
and when he came to the sea, it looked blue and gloomy,
though it was quite calm. And he went close to it, and

said:

" Oman of the sea!

Come listen to me,

For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of theel "

" Well, what does she want now? " said the fish.
" Ah ! " said the man very sorrowfully, " my wife wants
to live in a stone castle." " Go home, then," said the fish,
" she is standing at the door of it already." So away went
the fisherman, and found his wife standing before a great
castle. " See," said she, "is not this grand? " With that
they went into the castle together, and found a great many
servants there, and the rooms all richly furnished and full
of golden chairs and tables; and behind the castle was a

59

THE FISHERMAN. AND HIS WIFE

garden, and a wood half a mile long, full of sheep, and
goats, and hares, and deer; and in the courtyard were
stables and cow-houses. " Well," said the man, " now will
we live contented and happy in this beautiful castle for
the rest of our lives." " Perhaps we may," said the wife;
" but let us consider and sleep upon it before we make
up our minds": so they went to bed.

The next morning, when Dame Alice awoke, it was
broad daylight, and she jogged the fisherman with her
elbow, and said, " Get up, husband, and bestir yourself,
for we must be king of all the land." " Wife, wife," said
the man, " why should we wish to be king? I will not be
king." "Then I will," said Alice. "But, wife,"
answered the fisherman, " how can you be king? the fish
cannot make you a king." " Husband," said she, " say
no more about it, but go and try; I will be king!" So
the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that his wife
should want to be king. The sea looked a dark grey
colour, and was covered with foam as he cried out:

" Oman of the sea!

Come listen to me,

For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee! "

" Well, what would she have now? " said the fish.
" Alas ! " said the man, " my wife wants to be king."
" Go home," said the fish ; " she is king already."

60

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

Then the fisherman went home; and as he came close
to the palace, he saw a troop of soldiers, and heard the
sound of drums and trumpets; and when he entered in,
he saw his wife sitting on a high throne of gold and
diamonds, with a golden crown upon her head; and on
each side of her stood six beautiful maidens, each a head
taller than the other. " Well, wife," said the fisherman,
" are you king? " " Yes," said she, " I am king." And
when he had looked at her for a long time, he said,
"Ah, wife! what a fine thing it is to be king I now
we shall never have anything more to wish for." " I
don't know how that may be," said she; "never is a long
time. I am king, 'tis true, but I begin to be tired of it,
and I think I should like to be emperor." " Alas, wife !
why should you wish to be emperor?" said the fisherman.
" Husband," said she, " go to the fish ; I say I will be
emperor." " Ah, wife ! " replied the fisherman, " the
fish cannot make an emperor, and I should not like to
ask for such a thing." " I am king," said Alice, " and
you are my slave, so go directly 1 " So the fisherman
was obliged to go; and he muttered as he went along,
"This will come to no good, it is too much to ask; the
fish will be tired at last, and then we shall repent of
what we have done." He soon arrived at the sea, and
the water was quite black and muddy, and a mighty
whirlwind blew over it; but he went to the shore, and
said:

61

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

" Oman of the seal »

Come listen to me,

For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee ! "

" What would she have now? " said the fish. " Ah! "
said the fisherman, " she wants to be emperor." " Go
home," said the fish; " she is emperor already."

So he went home again; and as he came near he saw
his wife sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
with a great crown on her head full two yards high, and
on each side of her stood her guards and attendants in
a row, each one smaller than the other, from the tallest
giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger.
And before her stood princes, and dukes, and earls: and
the fisherman went up to her and said, " Wife, are you
emperor? " " Yes," said she, " I am emperor." " Ah! "
said the man as he gazed upon her, " what a fine thing
it is to be emperor ! " " Husband," said she, " why should
we stay at being emperor ; I will be pope next." " O
wife, wife ! " said he, " how can you be pope? there is
but one pope at a time in Christendom." " Husband,"
said she, " I will be pope this very day." " But," replied
the husband, " the fish cannot make you pope." " What
nonsense ! " said she, " if he can make an emperor, he can
make a pope; go and try him." So the fisherman went.
But when he came to the shore the wind was raging, and
the sea was tossed up and down like boiling water, and

62

Then the fisherman went home and
found his wife sitting upon a throne,
and she had three great crowns upon
her head.

SEE PAGE 65.

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

the ships were in the greatest distress and danced upon
the waves most fearfully; in the middle of the sky there
was a little blue, but towards the south it was all red as
if a dreadful storm was rising. At this the fisherman
was terribly frightened, and trembled, so that his knees
knocked together: but he went to the shore and said:

" O man of the sea!

Come listen to me,

For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of theel "

" What does she want now? " said the fish. " Ah ! "
said the fisherman, " my wife wants to be pope." " Go
home," said the fish, " she is pope already."

Then the fisherman went home, and found his wife
sitting on a throne that was two miles high; and she had
three great crowns on her head, and around stood all the
pomp and power of the Church; and on each side were
two rows of burning lights, of all sizes, the greatest as
large as the highest and biggest tower in the world, and
the least no larger than a small rushlight. ' Wife," said
the fisherman as he looked at all this grandeur, " are you
pope? " " Yes," said she, " I am pope." " Well, wife,"
replied he, " it is a grand thing to be pope; and now you
must be content, for you can be nothing greater." ' I
will consider of that," said the wife. Then they went to
bed: but Dame Alice could not sleep all night for think-

65

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

ing what she should be next. At last morning came, and
the sun rose. " Ha ! " thought she as she looked at it
through the window, " cannot I prevent the sun rising? "
At this she was very angry, and she wakened her husband,
and said, " Husband, go to the fish and tell him I want
to be lord of the sun and moon." The fisherman was
half asleep, but the thought frightened him so much, that
he started and fell out of bed. " Alas, wife ! " said he,
" cannot you be content to be pope? " " No," said she,
" I am very uneasy, and cannot bear to see the sun and
moon rise without my leave. Go to the fish directly."

Then the man went trembling for fear; and as he
was going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose, so
that the trees and the rocks shook; and the heavens
became black, and the lightning played, and the thunder
rolled; and you might have seen in the sea great black
waves like mountains with a white crown of foam upon
them; and the fisherman said:

" O man of the sea!

Come listen to me,

For Alice my wife,

The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee! "

" What does she want now? " said the fish. " Ah ! "
said he, " she wants to be lord of the sun and moon."
" Go home," said the fish, " to your ditch again ! " And
there they live to this very day.

66

THE DRUMMER

THE DRUMMER

NE evening a young Drummer was
walking by himself in the fields.
He came to a lake, where he found
on the bank three little bits of
white linen. " This is very fine
linen," he said, and put a bit in his
pocket. He then went home, and
without thinking any more about
his find, lay down in bed.

Just as he was composing himself to sleep he fancied
some one called his name. He listened, and then a low
voice fell distinctly on his ear.

" Drummer, drummer, wake up ! " it said.
The night was so dark that he could see no one, but
he felt as if a figure were floating up and down at the
bottom of his bed. " What do you want? " he asked.

" Give me back my garment that you took away last
night from the shore."

" You shall have it," answered the Drummer, " if you
tell me who you are."

"Ah!" said the voice, "I am the daughter of a
mighty King, but I am in the power of a witch, and I
am banished to the glass mountain. Every day I have

69

THE DRUMMER

to bathe in the lake with my two sisters, but without my
garment I can't fly away again. My sisters have flown
off long ago, but I am obliged to stay behind. I implore
you to give it back to me."

" Be calm, child," said the Drummer. "I will give
it to you, of course."

He went and took the linen out of his pocket and
handed it to her. She seized it eagerly, and turned
to go.

" Wait a minute," said he, " perhaps I can help you."

" You can only help me," she replied, " by mount-
ing the glass mountain and delivering me out of the
hands of the witch. But you couldn't possibly do it;
even if you were quite close to the mountain you couldn't
climb it."

" Where there is a will, there's a way," said the
Drummer. " I pity you, and fear nothing. But I don't
know the way to the glass mountain."

" The path lies through a forest inhabited by can-
nibals; that is all I may tell you," she answered. And
then he heard her flit away.

At daybreak the Drummer got up, slung on his drum,
and went fearlessly into the cannibal forest. After he
had gone a little distance he looked round, but saw no
giants. He thought, " I must wake up the sluggards,"
and he beat a tattoo on his drum which frightened the
birds.

70

THE DRUMMER

In a few minutes a giant who had been lying in the
grass reared his huge form, and stood there as tall as a
pine-tree. " You rascal ! " he exclaimed, " what do you
mean by beating your drum and waking me out of my
beauty sleep? "

" I am beating the drum," he answered, " because a
thousand men are coming behind who want to know
the way."

" What are they doing in my forest? " asked the giant.

" They intend, for one thing, to kill you, and cleanse
the forest from all such monsters."

" Oh, indeed," said the giant. " I'll trample them
dead like so many ants."

" Do you think you could catch them? " said the
Drummer, with a sneer. " If you stooped to pick up
one he would be off like a shot and hide himself, and if
you lay down to sleep hundreds would creep out of the
bushes and climb on your body; and as they are all
armed with steel hammers they would make short work
of beating in your skull."

The giant grew sad, and thought : " It is difficult to
know how to deal with these small, cunning folk. With
wolves and bears I am at home, but I am at a loss what
to do with earth-worms."

" Look here," he said aloud, " if you, little fellow,
will go away now, I promise I will never molest you and
your comrades in future, and if you have any particular

THE DRUMMER

wish that I can fulfil, tell me, and I will see what I can
do for you."

" You have long legs," said the Drummer, " and can
run faster than I. Carry me to the glass mountain, and
I will signal to my men to retreat and leave you in peace."

" Come here then, little worm," said the giant, " seat
yourself on my shoulder, and I will carry you wherever
you want to go."

The giant lifted him, and the Drummer began to
play his drum from sheer joy. The giant thought this
was the signal for the others to withdraw.

After a time a second giant stood in the path, who
took the Drummer away from the first giant and put
him in his button-hole. The Drummer held on to the
button, which was as big as a dish, and still felt in quite
good spirits.

Then they came to a third giant, who took the
Drummer out of the other's button-hole, and put him
on the brim of his hat. The Drummer walked up and
down, and could see away over the tree-tops. Catching
sight of a mountain in the blue distance, he thought to
himself, " That is the glass mountain for certain," and
it was. The giant had only to take a few strides to get
to the foot of it.

When the giant put him down, the Drummer desired
him to carry him to the top, but the giant muttered
something in his beard, and went back to the forest.

72

The Drummer began to play his drum
from sheer joy.

SEE PAGE 72.

THE DRUMMER

There stood the poor Drummer in front of the mountain
that was so high; it was like three ordinary mountains,
one on top of the other, and as transparent and smooth,
besides, as a mirror. He did not know what to do. He
tried to climb, but in vain, for he always tumbled back.

As he stood there, not knowing how he should act,
he caught sight of two men fighting. He went up to
them, and saw that the bone of contention was a saddle
lying on the ground.

" What fools you are,'* he said, " to quarrel about a
saddle when you have no horse to put it on."

" The saddle is worth quarrelling about," replied one
of the men. " If any one sits on it, and wishes himself
somewhere, even at the end of the world, he'll be there
in a jiffy. The saddle is our joint property. It is my
turn to ride on it, but he will not let me."

" I will settle the dispute," said the Drummer. He
went a few paces off and stuck a white pole into the
ground. Then he came back, and said, " Now then,
run to the pole, and who reaches it first will have first
right to the saddle."

Both started, but they had not run many steps before
the Drummer swung himself into the saddle and wished
himself at the top of the glass mountain. In a twinkling
he was there.

An old stone house stood on the very top, in front
of which was a large fishpond, and beneath it a dense,

75

THE DRUMMER

dark wood. He did not see a sign of man or beast.
All was silent except for the rustling of the trees. The
clouds seemed very close over his head.

He knocked at the door of the house, but not till
he had knocked three times did an old woman with a
brown face and pink eyes open it. She had spectacles
on her long nose, and scanned him sharply. Then she
asked what his business was, and he asked for board
and lodging. ' You shall have it," replied the old lady,
" if you work for it. I will set you three tasks."

" Why not? " said the Drummer. " I don't shirk
work, and I don't care how hard it is."

The old woman then admitted him, giving him a
good supper and a comfortable bed.

In the morning she took a thimble from her shrivelled
finger, and, handing it to the Drummer, said: "Take
this thimble and with it bale out the water in the pond
till there isn't a drop left. The work must be completed
by night, and all the fish arranged according to their
kind and size on the bank."

" A curious task," thought the Drummer. He went
to the pond and began to bale. He worked hard the
whole morning, but what was the good of trying to
empty a great sheet of water with a thimble? It would
take a thousand years at least. At dinner-time he gave
it up as a bad job, saying to himself, " It is all the same
whether I work or not."

76

THE DRUMMER

Then a maiden came out of the house and placed a
basket of food before him. " How sad you seem! " she
said. " Is anything the matter? "

He looked at her and saw she was very beautiful.
"Alas!" he exclaimed, "I cannot perform the first task
she has given me. How shall I ever be able to perform
the other two? I came here to seek a Princess, but I
have not seen her yet."

"Wait here," said the girl; "I will help you. You
are tired; lay your head in my lap and sleep, and when
you wake the thing will be done."

The Drummer was only too charmed to obey.

Directly his eyes closed the girl twisted a wishing-
ring, and exclaimed, " Water, come up. Fish, come out."

The water immediately rose like a white mist and
mingled with the other clouds, and the fish jumped on
to the bank and arranged themselves in order of size
and colour.

When the Drummer awoke he saw with amazement
what had happened.

The girl said, " One of the fish is not lying by his
fellows, but is quite alone. If the old woman comes
this evening to see if all has been done as she ordered,
she will at once say, ' What is this fish doing here? '
Then throw the fish in her face, and say, ' It is for you,
old witch.' "

At evening, when the old woman came and asked

77

THE DRUMMER

the question, he threw the fish in her face. She stood
as if she did not notice the insult and said nothing, but
her eyes blinked wickedly.

The next morning she remarked, " Yesterday you
had too easy a time; I must give you harder work.
To-day you must cut down the whole wood, cut up
the timber, arrange it into faggots, and everything must
be ready by the evening." She gave him an axe, a
hatchet, and two saws, but they were all made of lead.

He did not know what to do, but the maiden arrived
at dinner-time with his food, and said, " Lay your head
in my lap, go to sleep, and when you wake the work
will be finished."

She twisted her wish-ring on her finger, and the
whole wood collapsed with one fearful crackle, as if
invisible giants had been felling it.

He awoke, and the girl said, " Look! the timber is
all severed and arranged in faggots. Only one branch
lies apart; when the old woman comes to-night, take it
and give her a blow with it, and say, ' That's for you,
old witch.' '

The old woman came. " You see," she said, " how
very easy is the work I give you. But what is that branch
doing there? "

He took it up and gave her a bang with it, saying,
" That's for you, old witch." But she appeared not to
feel it, and only laughed mockingly.

78

THE DRUMMER

" To-morrow," she said, " you shall collect all the
faggots, pile them up, and set fire to them."

He rose at dawn and began to collect the wood, but
how was it possible for a single man to gather a whole
forest? He made no progress. Well for him that the
girl did not leave him in the lurch I She brought his
dinner, and when he had eaten it he put his head in her
lap and went to sleep. On waking, the whole vast
mass of timber was alight, the flames reaching to the
sky.

" Listen," said the girl, " when the witch comes she
will impose on you again. Do what she asks you with-
out fear, so that you give her no cause for complaint.
If you are the least bit afraid, she will seize you and
pitch you into the furnace. When you have done as
she bids you, you can end by catching hold of her and
throwing her on the flames."

The girl departed, and the old witch came. " Fire !
I am freezing!" she exclaimed, "but that nice fire will
warm my old bones. But look, there's a log that won't
burn; fetch it out. If you can do that, you are free to
wander where you please, so jump in gaily."

The Drummer did not hesitate a moment and sprang
into the flames; they did not even singe his hair. He
dragged out the log and laid it down. Hardly had it
touched the earth than it changed into the charming
girl who had helped him out of his difficulties, and by

79

THE DRUMMER

the golden draperies she now wore he knew she was the
Princess.

The old woman laughed. " You think," she jeered,
" that you've got her, but I tell you, you haven't yet."

She was in the act of rushing at the girl to take her
away, when the Drummer seized the old woman with
both hands and flung her into the fire.

The Princess then looked critically at the Drummer,
and having duly considered that he was certainly a hand-
some youth who had risked his life for her sake, she held
out her hand, and said, " You have dared everything for
me. Promise to be my true love, and I will marry you."

She led him into the house and showed him great
chests and cupboards, filled with the treasures the witch
had accumulated. They left all the gold and silver and
only took the precious stones.

As they did not wish to linger on the glass mountain
any longer, she said to him, " I have only to turn my
wishing-ring and we shall be at home."

" All right," said the Drummer, " wish us in front
of the city gates."

In a second they were there, and the Drummer said,
" First I will go to my parents and tell them the news.
Wait for me here in this field and I will soon be back."

" Ah ! " cried the Princess, " I implore you to be
careful. On no account kiss your parents on the right
cheek, else you will forget everything."

80

THE DRUMMER

" How could I possibly forget you? " he said, and gave
her his right hand and promised that he would soon return.

When he entered his old home no one knew him,
he was so altered, for the three days he had spent on the
glass mountain had really been three years.

Then he revealed who he was, and his parents in
their delight fell on his neck, and he was so touched that
he kissed them on both cheeks, forgetting the maiden's
injunction. Directly he had kissed the right cheeks of
his parents all thought of the Princess left him. He
emptied his pockets, and laid handfuls of pearls and
diamonds on the table. The parents did not know what
to do with all this wealth.

At last the father built a superb castle, surrounded
by gardens, fields and woods, fit for a prince to live in.
And when it was ready the mother said to the Drummer,
" I have chosen a bride for you, and we will fix the wedding
for this day week." The son expressed himself content.

The poor Princess meanwhile had waited a long time
in the field before the city gates. When evening came,
and he did not return, she felt convinced that he had
kissed his parents on the right cheek and forgotten all
about her. Her heart was heavy, and she wished herself
in a lonely forest house and not at her father's court.
Every evening she walked into the town and passed the
Drummer's house; many times the youth saw her with-
out knowing her again. At last she heard people saying,

81

THE DRUMMER

" To-morrow he is to be married." And she thought,
" I will make an effort to win him back."

On the first day of the wedding festivities she twirled
her ring, and said, " I want a dress that shines like the
sun." At once the garment lay before her, and looked
as if it had been woven out of sunbeams.

When the guests were assembled she entered the
hall. Every one was struck by the beauty of her dress,
especially the bride herself, who had a passion for fine
clothes. She went up to the stranger and asked if she
would sell her gown.

" Not for money," was the answer, " but if I may
linger all night beside the door of the room in which
the bridegroom is going to sleep, I will give you the dress
with pleasure."

The bride could not resist the offer, and consented
to the arrangement, but first she mixed the bridegroom
a sleeping-draught with his wine, which sent him into
a deep slumber.

When the house was quiet the Princess crouched
before the door of the sleeping apartment, opened it a
little, and called:

" Drummer, drummer, listen to me.
Have you forgotten me quite?
Did you not sit beside me on the mountain height?
Did I not save you from the witch's wiles?
And you plighted your troth with smiles?
Drummer, drummer, listen to me."

82

THE DRUMMER

But it was no use; the Drummer did not wake, and
when morning dawned the Princess was obliged to own
herself unsuccessful and go away.

The second evening she turned her ring, and said,
" I want a dress as silver as the moon."

When she appeared in draperies as soft and filmy as
moonbeams, she again excited the envy of the bride, who
accepted the dress as a present and granted the wearer
permission to spend another night outside the bride-
groom's door.

In the stillness of the night she called again to the
Drummer, but as he was stupefied by the sleeping-draught
he did not waken, and in the morning the Princess went
sorrowfully back to her forest house.

But some of the servants in the house had heard the
strange girl's sad lament and told the bridegroom about
it; they told him that he must have heard it if he had
not been drugged with the sleeping-draught that had been
mixed with his night-cap.

The third evening the Princess turned her ring, and
said, " I want a dress that flashes like the stars."

When she appeared at the ball the bride was in
ecstasies over the new dress, and said, " I must and will
have it," and the owner consented to give it to her on
the same condition.

This time the bridegroom did not drink the
wine on retiring to rest, but poured it under the bed.

83

THE DRUMMER

When all the house was still he heard a soft voice
saying :

" Drummer, drummer, listen to me.
Have you forgotten me quite? "

Suddenly his memory returned. " Ah," he cried,
" how faithless and cruel I have been I But the kiss
which in the joy of my heart I pressed on my parents'
right cheek is really to blame." He jumped up, took
the Princess by the hand, and led her to his parents'
bedside. " Here is my true bride," he said; " if I marry
the other I shall do her a great wrong."

The wedding festivities began over again, and the
first bride was allowed to keep the three lovely dresses
as compensation, and expressed herself satisfied.

84

ROSEBUD

ROSEBUD

NCE upon a time there lived a
King and Queen who had no chil-
dren; and this they lamented very
much. But one day as the Queen
was walking by the side of the river,
a little fish lifted its head out of the
water, and said, " Your wish shall
be fulfilled, and you shall soon have
a daughter." What the little fish had foretold soon came
to pass; and the Queen had a little girl that was so very
beautiful that the King could not cease looking on her for
joy, and determined to hold a great feast. So he invited
not only his relations, 'friends, and neighbours, but also
all the fairies, that they might be kind and good to his
little daughter. Now there were thirteen fairies in his
kingdom, and he had only twelve golden dishes for them
to eat out of, so that he was obliged to leave one of the
fairies without an invitation. The rest came, and after the
feast was over they gave all their best gifts to the little
Princess: one gave her virtue, another beauty, another
riches, and so on till she had all that was excellent in
the world. When eleven had done blessing her, the
thirteenth, who had not been invited, and was very angry

87

ROSEBUD

on that account, came in, and determined to take her
revenge. So she cried out, " The King's daughter shall
in her fifteenth year be wounded by a spindle, and fall
down dead." Then the twelfth, who had not yet given her
gift, came forward and said, that the bad wish must
be fulfilled, but that she could soften it, and that the
King's daughter should not die, but fall asleep for a
hundred years.

But the King hoped to save his dear child from the
threatened evil, and ordered that all the spindles in the
kingdom should be bought up and destroyed. All the
fairies' gifts were in the meantime fulfilled; for the Prin-
cess was so beautiful, and well-behaved, and amiable, and
wise, that every one who knew her loved her. Now it
happened that on the very day she was fifteen years old the
King and Queen were not at home, and she was left alone
in the palace. So she roved about by herself, and looked
at all the rooms and chambers, till at last she came to an
old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase ending
with a little door. In the door there was a golden key,
and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there
sat an old lady spinning away very busily. " Why, how
now, good mother," said the Princess, " what are you
doing there? " " Spinning," said the old lady, and
nodded her head. " How prettily that little thing turns
round ! " said the Princess, and took the spindle and
began to spin. But scarcely had she touched it, before

Rosebud looked so beautiful he stooped
down and gave her a kiss.

SEE PAGE 92.

ROSEBUD

the prophecy was fulfilled, and she fell down lifeless on
the ground.

However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a
deep sleep; and the King and the Queen, who just then
came home, and all their court, fell asleep too; and the
horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in the court,
the pigeons on the house-top and the flies on the walls.
Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing, and went to
sleep ; and the meat that was roasting stood still ; and the
cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy
by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he
had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep; and so
everything stood still, and slept soundly.

A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace,
and every year it became higher and thicker, till at last
the whole palace was surrounded and hid, so that not
even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But there
went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleep-
ing Rosebud (for so was the King's daughter called);
so that from time to time several kings' sons came, and
tried to break through the thicket into the palace. This
they could never do; for the thorns and bushes laid hold
of them as it were with hands, and there they stuck fast
and died miserably.

After many many years there came a king's son into
that land, and an old man told him the story of the
thicket of thorns, and how a beautiful palace stood

ROSEBUD

behind it, in which was a wondrous Princess, called Rose-
bud, asleep with all her court. He told too, how he
had heard from his grandfather that many many princes
had come, and had tried to break through the thicket,
but had stuck fast and died. Then the young Prince
said, " All this shall not frighten me, I will go and see
Rosebud." The old man tried to dissuade him, but he
persisted in going.

Now that very day were the hundred years com-
pleted; and as the Prince came to the thicket, he saw
nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs, through which
he passed with ease, and they closed after him as firm as
ever. Then he came at last to the palace, and there in
the court lay the dogs asleep, and the horses in the stables,
and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep with their
heads under their wings; and when he came into the
palace, the flies slept on the walls, and the cook in the
kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she would
beat the boy, and the maid sat with a black fowl in her
hand ready to be plucked.

Then he went on still further, and all was so still
that he could hear every breath he drew; till at last he
came to the old tower and opened the door of the little
room in which Rosebud was, and there she lay fast asleep,
and looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes
off her, and he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But the
moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke,

92

ROSEBUD

and smiled upon him. Then they went out together,
and presently the King and Queen also awoke, and all the
court, and they gazed on each other with great wonder.
And the horses got up and shook themselves, and the
dogs jumped about and barked; the pigeons took their
heads from under their wings, and looked about and flew
into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed away; the
fire in the kitchen blazed up and cooked the dinner, and
the roast meat turned round again; the cook gave the
boy the box on his ear so that he cried out, and the maid
went on plucking the fowl. And then was the wedding
of the Prince and Rosebud celebrated, and they lived
happily together all their lives long.

93

THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE

THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE

YOUNG girl had lost her parents
when she was very young. She had
a godmother, who lived all alone in
a little cottage at the end of the
village, and lived on what she earned
by her needle, her spindle, and her
shuttle. This good woman had
taken the orphan home, and had
taught her to work, and brought her up in piety and the
fear of God.

When the young girl was fifteen years old her god-
mother fell sick. She called the child to her bedside and
said, " Dear child, I feel that my end is near. I leave
you my cottage, it will protect you against wind and
rain. I also give you my spindle, my shuttle, and my
needle, which will enable you to earn your living."

Then placing her hand upon the girl's head she blessed
her, and said, " Keep your heart pure and honest, and
happiness will come to you." Then her eyes closed; the
poor girl went weeping beside her godmother's coffin to
the graveside.

After this she lived all alone, working bravely at
weaving, spinning, and sewing; and the blessing of the

97

THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE

good old woman kept her from harm. One would have
thought that her stock of flax would never run out, and
as soon as she had woven a piece of stuff, or made a shirt,
a purchaser was sure to come and pay well for it; so that
not only was she free from want, but had even something
to give to the poor.

About this time the King's son came roaming through
the country in search of a wife. He could not choose a
poor one, and he did not like a rich one. So he said he
would choose the girl who was at the same time the
poorest and the richest. On coming to the village where
our young girl lived, he asked, according to his wont, to
be shown the poorest and the richest girl in the place.
The richest was quickly found; as for the poorest, they
told him it must be the young girl who lived in the lonely
cottage at the end of the hamlet.

When the Prince passed by the rich girl was sitting
dressed in her best in front of her door ; she rose and went
towards him with a profound curtsy. But he looked at
her, and without a word passed on. He then came to
the cottage of the poor girl; she was not at the door, but
shut up in her room. He stopped and looked through
the window into the room, which a ray of the sun lighted
up. She was sitting at her spinning-wheel, working in-
dustriously. On her part she secretly observed the Prince
looking at her; but she blushed scarlet, and continued
spinning with her eyes cast down; only I won't warrant

98

'What do I see?" cried the Prince.
"This spindle wants to conduct me
somewhere."

SEE PAGE 101.

THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE

that her thread was quite even. She went on spinning
until the Prince was gone. So soon as she had lost sight
of him, she ran to open the window, saying, " It's so hot
here ! " and she followed him with her eyes as long as she
could perceive the plume on his hat.

At last she sat down again and resumed her spinning.
But a rhyme she had often heard her old godmother sing
came into her mind, and she sang :

" Run without stopping, spindle dear;
See that thou bring my true love herel "

And what happened? The spindle sprang suddenly
from her hands and rushed out at the door. She followed
it with her eyes, quite stupefied with wonder. It ran
and danced across the fields, leaving a thread of gold
behind it. In a little while it had gone too far for her
to see. Having no spindle, she took her shuttle, and
began to weave.

The spindle ran on and on, and by the time its thread
was all unwound it had overtaken the Prince. " What
do I see? " he cried. " This spindle wants to conduct
me somewhere." Turning his horse, he galloped back,
guided by the golden thread. The young girl continued
working, singing the while :

" Run out to meet him, shuttle dear;
See thou guide my bridegroom here."

Then the shuttle sprang from her hands and hopped
out at the door. But, arrived on the threshold, it began

lor

THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE

to weave the most splendid carpet ever seen. On each
side were garlands of roses and lilies, and in the centre
green vines grew out of a golden ground. Hares and
rabbits were represented jumping in the leaves, and stags
and squirrels looked out from among them. On the
branches were perched birds of a thousand hues, who only
wanted voice to make them perfect. The shuttle went on
running, and the carpet-weaving advanced marvellously.
As she had lost her shuttle, the young girl took her
needle, and began singing:

" He's coming, he's coming, my needle dear;
See thou that all things are ready here."

The needle jumped from her fingers and began run-
ning round the room as quick as lightning. It was as if
little invisible spirits had taken up the matter; the tables
and benches covered themselves with green tapestry, the
chairs were dressed in velvet, and silken hangings appeared
on the walls.

Scarcely had the needle pierced its last stitch when
the girl saw the white plume of the Prince's hat pass the
window. He had been brought back by the golden thread.
He entered the room, stepping over the carpet, and there
he saw the young girl still dressed in her poor clothes,
but shining among all this sudden splendour like a wild
rose on a bush.

" Thou art at once the poorest and the richest," he
cried. " Come, thou shalt be my wife."

1 02

THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE

She held out her hand to him without replying. He
gave her a kiss, lifted her on his horse, and carried her
off to the court, where their wedding was celebrated with
great rejoicings.

As for the spindle, the shuttle, and the needle, they
were carefully preserved in the royal treasury.

103

SNOWDROP

SNOWDROP

T was in the middle of winter, when
the broad flakes of snow were fall-
ing around, that a certain Queen
sat working at a window, the frame
of which was made of fine black
ebony; and as she was looking out
upon the snow, she pricked her
finger, and three drops of blood fell
upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red
drops which sprinkled the white snow, and said, " Would
that my little daughter may be as white as that snow,
as red as the blood, and as black as the ebony window-
frame ! " And so the little girl grew up : her skin was
as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as the blood, and her
hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snowdrop.

But this Queen died; and the King soon married
another wife, who was very beautiful, but so proud that
she could not bear to think that any one could surpass
her. She had a magical looking-glass, to which she used
to go and gaze upon herself in it, and say :

" Tell me, glass, tell me true!

Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is the fairest? tell me who? "

107

SNOWDROP

And the glass answered:

" Thou, Queen, art fairest in the land."

But Snowdrop grew more and more beautiful; and
when she was seven years old she was as bright as the
day, and fairer than the Queen herself. Then the glass
one day answered the Queen, when she went to consult
it as usual:

" Thou, Queen, may'st fair and beauteous be,
But Snowdrop is lovelier far than theel "

When she heard this, she turned pale with rage and envy;
and called to one of her servants and said, " Take Snow-
drop away into the wide wood, that I may never see her
more." Then the servant led her away; but his heart
melted when she begged him to spare her life, and he
said, " I will not hurt thee, thou pretty child." So he
left her by herself; and though he thought it most likely
that the wild beasts would tear her in pieces, he felt as if
a great weight were taken off his heart when he had made
up his mind not to kill her, but leave her to her fate.

Then poor Snowdrop wandered along through the
wood in great fear; and the wild beasts roared about
her, but none did her any harm. In the evening she
came to a little cottage, and went in there to rest her-
self, for her little feet would carry her no further. Every-
thing was spruce and neat in the cottage: on the table
was spread a white cloth, and there were seven little plates

108

SNOWDROP

with seven little loaves, and seven little glasses with wine
in them; and knives and forks laid in order; and by
the wall stood seven little beds. Then, as she was very
hungry, she picked a little piece off each loaf, and drank
a very little wine out of each glass; and after that she
thought she would lie down and rest. So she tried all
the little beds; and one was too long, and another was
too short, till at last the seventh suited her; and there
she laid herself down, and went to sleep.

Presently in came the masters of the cottage, who
were seven little dwarfs that lived among the mountains,
and dug and searched about for gold. They lighted up
their seven lamps, and saw directly that all was not right.
The first said, " Who has been sitting on my stool? "
The second, " Who has been eating off my plate? "
The third, " Who has been picking my bread? " The
fourth, " Who has been meddling with my spoon? "
The fifth, "Who has been handling my fork?" The
sixth, " Who has been cutting with my knife? " The
seventh, " Who has been drinking my wine? " Then
the first looked round and said, " Who has been lying
on my bed? " And the rest came running to him, and
every one cried out that somebody had been upon his
bed. But the seventh saw Snowdrop, and called all his
brethren to come and see her; and they cried out with
wonder and astonishment, and brought their lamps to
look at her, and said, " Good heavens ! what a lovely

109

SNOWDROP

child she is ! " And they were delighted to see her, and
took care not to wake her; and the seventh dwarf slept
an hour with each of the other dwarfs in turn, till the
night was gone.

In the morning Snowdrop told them all her story;
and they pitied her, and said if she would keep all things
in order, and cook and wash, and knit and spin for them,
she might stay where she was, and they would take good
care of her. Then they went out all day long to their
work, seeking for gold and silver in the mountains; and
Snowdrop remained at home: and they warned her,
and said, " The Queen will soon find out where you are,
so take care and let no one in."

But the Queen, now that she thought Snowdrop was
dead, believed that she was certainly the handsomest
lady in the land; and she went to her glass and said:

"Tell me, glass, tell me true!

Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is the fairest? tell me who? "

And the glass answered:

" Thou, Queen, art the fairest in all this land ;
But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,
There Snowdrop is hiding her head, and she
Is lovelier far, O Queen 1 than thee."

Then the Queen was very much alarmed ; for she knew
that the glass always spoke the truth, and was sure that the
servant had betrayed her. And she could not bear to think

'1 10

SNOWDROP

that any one lived who was more beautiful than she was ; so
she disguised herself as an old pedlar, and went her way
over the hills to the place where the dwarfs dwelt. Then
she knocked at the door, and cried, " Fine wares to sell 1 "
Snowdrop looked out at the window, and said, " Good-
day, good woman; what have you to sell?" "Good
wares, fine wares," said she; "laces and bobbins of all
colours." "I will let the old lady in; she seems to be
a very good sort of body," thought Snowdrop; so she
ran down, and unbolted the door. " Bless me! " said the
old woman, "how badly your stays are laced! Let me
lace them up with one of my nice new laces." Snow-
drop did not dream of any mischief; so she stood up
before the old woman; but she set to work so nimbly, and
pulled the lace so tight, that Snowdrop lost her breath,
and fell down as if she were dead. " There's an end of all
thy beauty," said the spiteful Queen, and went away home.

In the evening the seven dwarfs returned, and I need
not say how grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-
drop stretched upon the ground motionless, as if she were
quite dead. However, they lifted her up, and when they
found what was the matter, they cut the lace; and in a
little time she began to breathe, and soon came to life
again. Then they said, " The old woman was the Queen
herself; take care another time, and let no one in when
we are away."

When the Queen got home, she went straight to her

in

SNOWDROP

glass, and spoke to it as usual; but to her great surprise
it still said:

" Thou, Queen, art the fairest in all this land ;
But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,
There Snowdrop is hiding her head, and she
Is lovelier far, O Queen 1 than thee."

Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and
malice to see that Snowdrop still lived; and she dressed
herself up again in a disguise, but very different from the
one she wore before, and took with her a poisoned comb.
When she reached the dwarfs' cottage, she knocked at
the door, and cried, " Fine wares to sell I " But Snow-
drop said, " I dare not let any one in." Then the Queen
said, " Only look at my beautiful combs"; and gave her
the poisoned one. And it looked so pretty that she took
it up and put it into her hair to try it; but the moment
it touched her head the poison was so powerful that she
fell down senseless. " There you may lie," said the
Queen, and went her way. But by good luck the dwarfs
returned very early that evening; and when they saw
Snowdrop lying on the ground, they thought what had
happened, and soon found the poisoned comb. And
when they took it away, she recovered, and told them
all that had passed; and they warned her once more not
to open the door to any one.

Meantime the Queen went home to her glass, and
trembled with rage when she received exactly the same

112

SNOWDROP

answer as before; and she said, " Snowdrop shall die,
if it costs me my life." So she went secretly into a
chamber, and prepared a poisoned apple: the outside
looked very rosy and tempting, but whoever tasted it
was sure to die. Then she dressed herself up as a peasant's
wife, and travelled over the hills to the dwarfs' cottage,
and knocked at the door; but Snowdrop put her head
out of the window and said, " I dare not let any one in,
for the dwarfs have told me not to." " Do as you please,"
said the old woman, " but at any rate take this pretty
apple; I will make you a present of it." "No," said
Snowdrop, " I dare not take it." " You silly girl ! "
answered the other, " what are you afraid of? do you
think it is poisoned? Come! do you eat one part, and
I will eat the other." Now the apple was so prepared
that one side was good, though the other side was poisoned.
Then Snowdrop was very much tempted to taste, for
the apple looked exceedingly nice; and when she saw
the old woman eat, she could refrain no longer. But she
had scarcely put the piece into her mouth, when she fell
down dead upon the ground. "This time nothing will
save thee," said the Queen; and she went home to her
glass, and at last it said :

" Thou, Queen, art the fairest of all the fair."

And then her envious heart was glad, and as happy as
such a heart could be.

"3

SNOWDROP

When evening came, and the dwarfs returned home,
they found Snowdrop lying on the ground: no breath
passed her lips, and they were afraid that she was quite
dead. They lifted her up, and combed her hair, and
washed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain,
for the little girl seemed quite dead. So they laid her
down upon a bier, and all seven watched and bewailed
her three whole days; and then they proposed to bury
her: but her cheeks were still rosy, and her face looked
just as it did while she was alive ; so they said, " We will
never bury her in the cold ground." And they made a
coffin of glass, so that they might still look at her, and
wrote her name upon it, in golden letters, and that she
was a king's daughter. And the coffin was placed upon
the hill, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched.
And the birds of the air came, too, and bemoaned Snow-
drop: first of all came an owl, and then a raven, but at
last came a dove.

And thus Snowdrop lay for a long long time, and
still only looked as though she were asleep; for she was
even now as white as snow, and as red as blood, and as
black as ebony. At last a Prince came and called at the
dwarfs' house; and he saw Snowdrop, and read what
was written in golden letters. Then he offered the
dwarfs money, and earnestly prayed them to let him take
her away ; but they said, " We will not part with her for
all the gold in the world." At last, however, they had pity

114

They wrote her name upon it, in
golden letters, and that she was a
king's daughter.

SEE PAGE 114.

SNOWDROP

on him, and gave him the coffin: but the moment he
lifted it up to carry it home with him, the piece of apple
fell from between her lips, and Snowdrop awoke, and
said, " Where am I? " And the Prince answered, " Thou
art safe with me." Then he told her all that had hap-
pened, and said, " I love you better than all the world:
come with me to my father's palace, and you shall be my
wife." And Snowdrop consented, and went home with
the Prince; and everything was prepared with great pomp
and splendour for their wedding.

To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snowdrop's
old enemy the Queen; and as she was dressing herself in
fine rich clothes, she looked in the glass, and said:

" Tell me, glass, tell me true !

Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is the fairest? tell me who? "

And the glass answered :

" Thou, lady, art loveliest here, I ween ;
But lovelier far is the new-made Queen."

When she heard this she started with rage; but her
envy and curiosity were so great, that she could not help
setting out to see the bride. And when she arrived and
saw that it was no other than Snowdrop, who, as she
thought, had been dead a long while, she choked with
passion, and fell ill and died; but Snowdrop and the
Prince lived and reigned happily over that land many
many years.

117

JORINDE AND JORINGEL

JORINDE AND JORINGEL

NCE upon a time, in a castle in the
midst of a large thick wood, there
lived an old witch all by herself.
By day she changed herself into a
cat or an owl; but in the evening
she resumed her right form. She
was able also to allure to her the
wild animals and birds, whom she
killed, cooked, and ate, for whoever ventured within a
hundred steps of her castle was obliged to stand still,
and could not stir from the spot until she allowed it;
but if a pretty maiden came into the circle the witch
changed her into a bird, and then put her into a basket,
which she carried into one of the rooms in the castle ; and
in this room were already many thousand such baskets
of rare birds.

Now there was a young maiden called Jorinde, who
was exceedingly pretty, and she was betrothed to a youth
named Joringel, and just at the time that the events
which I am about to relate happened, they were passing
the days together in a round of pleasure. One day they
went into the forest for a walk, and Joringel said, " Take
care that you do not go too near the castle." It was a

121

JORINDE AND JORINGEL

beautiful evening, the sun shining between the stems of
the trees, and brightening up the dark green leaves, and
the turtle-doves cooing softly upon the may-bushes.
Jorinde began to cry, and sat down in the sunshine with
Joringel, who cried too, for they were quite frightened,
and thought they should die, when they looked round
and saw how far they had wandered, and that there was
no house in sight. The sun was yet half above the hills
and half below, and Joringel, looking through the brush-
wood, saw the old walls of the castle close by them,
which frightened him terribly, so that he fell off his seat.
Then Jorinde sang:

" My little bird, with his ring so red,
Sings sorrow, and sorrow and woe;
For he sings that the turtle-dove soon will be dead,
Oh, sorrow, and sorrow — jug, jug, jug."

Joringel lifted up his head, and saw Jorinde was changed
into a nightingale, which was singing, " Jug, jug, jug,"
and presently an owl flew round thrice, with his eyes
glistening, and crying, " Tu wit, tu woo." Joringel
could not stir; there he stood like a stone, and could
not weep, nor speak, nor move hand or foot. Mean-
while the sun set, and, the owl flying into a bush, out
came an ugly old woman, thin and yellow, with great
red eyes, and a crooked nose which reached down to her
chin. She muttered and seized the nightingale, and
carried it away in her hand, while Joringel remained

122

At once Jorinde stood before him as
beautiful as ever.

SEE PAGE 126.

JORINDE AND JORINGEL

there incapable of moving or speaking. At last the
witch returned, and said, with a hollow voice, " Greet
you, Zachiel! if the moon shines on your side, release
this one at once." Then Joringel became free, and fell
down on his knees before the witch, and begged her to
give him back Jorinde; but she refused, and said he
should never again have her, and went away. He cried,
and wept, and groaned after her, but all to no purpose;
at length he rose and went into a strange village, where
for some time he tended sheep. He often went round
about the enchanted castle, but never too near, and one
night after so walking, he dreamt that he found a blood-
red flower, in the middle of which lay a fine pearl.
This flower, he thought, he broke off, and, going there-
with to the castle, all he touched with it was free from
enchantment, and thus he regained his Jorinde.

When he awoke next morning He began his search
over hill and valley to find such a flower, but nine days
had passed away. At length, early one morning, he
discovered it, and in its middle was a large dewdrop,
like a beautiful pearl. Then he carried the flower day
and night, till he came to the castle; and, although he
ventured within the enchanted circle, he was not stopped,
but walked on quite to the door. Joringel was now in
high spirits, and touching the door with his flower it
flew open. He entered, and passed through the hall,
listening for the sound of the birds, which at last he

125

JORINDE AND JORINGEL

heard. He found the room, and went in, and there was
the enchantress feeding the birds in the seven thousand
baskets. As soon as she saw Joringel she became fright-
fully enraged, and spat out poison and gall at him, but
she dared not come too close. He would not turn back
for her, but looked at the baskets of birds; but, alas!
there were many hundreds of nightingales, and how was
he to know his Jorinde? While he was examining them
he perceived the old woman secretly taking away one of
the baskets, and slipping out of the door. Joringel flew
after her, and touched the basket with his flower, and
also the old woman, so that she could no longer bewitch;
and at once Jorinde stood before him, and fell upon his
neck, as beautiful as she ever was. Afterwards he dis-
enchanted all the other birds, and then returned home
with his Jorinde, and for many years they lived together
happily and contentedly.

126

THE GOOSE GIRL

THE GOOSE GIRL

N old Queen, wKose husband had
been dead some years, had a beauti-
ful daughter. When she grew up,
she was betrothed to a Prince who
lived a great way off; and as the
time drew near for her to be married,
she got ready to set off on her jour-
ney to his country. Then the Queen
her mother packed up a great many costly things; jewels,
and gold, and silver; trinkets, fine dresses, and in short
everything that became a royal bride; for she loved her
child very dearly: and she gave her a waiting-maid to
ride with her, and give her into the bridegroom's hands;
and each had a horse for the journey. Now the Princess's
horse was called Falada, and could speak.

When the time came for them to set out, the old
Queen went into her bedchamber, and took a little knife,
and cut off a lock of her hair, and gave it to her daughter,
and said, "Take care of it, dear child; for it is a charm
that may be of use to you on the road." Then they took
a sorrowful leave of each other, and the Princess put the
lock of her mother's hair into her bosom, got upon her
horse, and set off on her journey to her bridegroom's

129

THE GOOSE GIRL

kingdom. One day, as they were riding along by the
side of a brook, the Princess began to feel very thirsty,
and said to her maid, " Pray get down and fetch me
some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook, for
I want to drink." " Nay," said the maid, " if you are
thirsty, get down yourself, and lie down by the water
and drink; I shall not be your waiting-maid any longer."
Then she was so thirsty that she got down, and knelt
over the little brook, and drank, for she was frightened,
and dared not bring out her golden cup; and then she
wept, and said, "Alas! what will become of me? " And
the lock of hair answered her, and said :

" Alas ! alas ! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it."

But the Princess was very humble and meek, so she said
nothing to her maid's ill behaviour, but got upon her
horse again.

Then all rode further on their journey, till the day
grew so warm, and the sun so scorching, that the bride
began to feel very thirsty again; and at last when they
came to a river she forgot her maid's rude speech, and
said, " Pray get down and fetch me some water to drink
in my golden cup." But the maid answered her, and
even spoke more haughtily than before, " Drink if you
will, but I shall not be your waiting-maid." Then the
Princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse, and lay
down, and held her head over the running stream, and

130

THE GOOSE GIRL

cried, and said, " What will become of me? " And the
lock of hair answered her again :

" Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it."

And as she leaned down to drink, the lock of hair fell
from her bosom, and floated away with the water, with-
out her seeing it, she was so frightened. But her maid
saw it, and was very glad, for she knew the charm, and
saw that the poor bride would be in her power, now that
she had lost the hair. So when the bride had done, and
would have got upon Falada again, the maid said, " I
shall ride upon Falada, and you may have my horse
instead " : so she was forced to give up her horse, and
soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes, and put on
her maid's shabby ones.

At last, as they drew near the end of their journey,
this treacherous servant threatened to kill her mistress if
she ever told any one what had happened. But Falada
saw it all, and marked it well. Then the waiting-maid
got upon Falada, and the real bride was set upon the
other horse, and they went on in this way till at last they
came to the royal court. There was great joy at their
coming, and the Prince flew to meet them, and lifted the
maid from her horse, thinking she was the one who was
to be his wife; and she was led up stairs to the royal
chamber, but the true Princess was told to stay in the
court below.

THE GOOSE GIRL

But the old King happened to be looking out of the
window, and saw her in the yard below; and as she
looked very pretty, and too delicate for a waiting-maid,
he went into the royal chamber to ask the bride who it
was she had brought with her, that was thus left standing
in the court below. " I brought her with me for the
sake of her company on the road," said she; "pray give
the girl some work to do, that she may not be idle."
The old King could not for some time think of any work
for her to do ; but at last he said, " I have a lad who takes
care of my geese; she may go and help him." Now the
name of this lad, that the real bride was to help in watch-
ing the King's geese, was Curdken.

Soon after, the false bride said to the Prince, " Dear
husband, pray do me one piece of kindness." " That I
will," said the Prince. " Then tell one of your slaughterers
to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon, for it was
very unruly, and plagued me sadly on the road " : but
the truth was, she was very much afraid lest Falada should
speak, and tell all she had done to the Princess. She
carried her point, and the faithful Falada was killed: but
when the true Princess heard of it, she wept, and begged
the man to nail up Falada's head against a large dark gate
of the city, through which she had to pass every morning
and evening, that there she might still see him sometimes.
Then the slaughterer said he would do as she wished;
and cut off the head, and nailed it fast under the dark gate.

132

Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go! "

SEE PAGE 135.

THE GOOSE GIRL

Early the next morning, as she and Curdken went out
through the gate, she said sorrowfully:

" Falada, Falada, there thou art hanging!"
and the head answered :

" Bride, bride, there thou art ganging!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it."

Then they went out of the city, and drove the geese
on. And when she came to the meadow, she sat down
upon a bank there, and let down her waving locks of hair,
which were all of pure silver; and when Curdken saw it
glitter in the sun, he ran up, and would have pulled some
of the locks out; but she cried:

" Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be it whirl'd,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb'd and curl'd!"

Then there came a wind, so strong that it blew off
Curdken's hat; and away it flew over the hills, and he
after it; till, by the time he came back, she had done
combing and curling her hair, and put it up again safe.
Then he was very angry and sulky, and would not speak
to her at all; but they watched the geese until it grew
dark in the evening, and then drove them homewards.

THE GOOSE GIRL

The next morning, as they were going through the
dark gate, the poor girl looked up at Falada's head, and
cried :

" Falada, Falada, there thou art hanging! "
and it answered:

" Bride, bride, there thou art ganging!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it."

Then she drove on the geese, and sat down again in
the meadow, and began to comb out her hair as before;
and Curdken ran up to her, and wanted to take hold of
it; but she cried out quickly:

" Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be it whirl'd,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb'd and curl'd!"

Then the wind came and blew his hat, and off it flew
a great way, over the hills and far away, so that he had
to run after it; and when he came back, she had done up
her hair again, and all "was safe. So they watched the
geese till it grew dark.

In the evening, after they came home, Curdken went
to the old King, and said, " I cannot have that strange
girl to help me to keep the geese any longer." " Why? "

136

THE GOOSE GIRL

said the King. " Because she does nothing but tease me
all day long." Then the King made him tell him all that
had passed. And Curdken said, " When we go in the
morning through the dark gate with our flock of geese,
she weeps, and talks with the head of a horse that hangs
upon the wall, and says:

' Falada, Falada, there thou art hanging! '
and the head answers :

' Bride, bride, there thou art ganging!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it.' "

And Curdken went on telling the King what had happened
upon the meadow where the geese fed; and how his hat
was blown away, and he was forced to run after it, and
leave his flock. But the old King told him to go out
again as usual the next day: and when morning came,
he placed himself behind the dark gate, and heard how
she spoke to Falada, and how Falada answered; and then
he went into the field, and hid himself in a bush by the
meadow's side, and soon saw with his own eyes how they
drove the flock of geese, and how, after a little time, she
let down her hair that glittered in the sun; and then he
heard her say :

" Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!

137

THE GOOSE GIRL

O'er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be it whirl'd,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb'd and curl'd!"

And soon came a gale of wind, and carried away Curdken's
hat, while the girl went on combing and curling her hair.
All this the old King saw : so he went home without being
seen; and when the little goose girl came back in the
evening, he called her aside, and asked her why she did
so : but she burst into tears, and said, " That I must not
tell you or any man, or I shall lose my life."

But the old King begged so hard, that she had no peace
till she had told him all, word for word: and it was very
lucky for her that she did so, for the King ordered royal
clothes to be put upon her, and gazed on her with wonder,
she was so beautiful. Then he called his son, and told
him, that he had only the false bride, for that she was
merely a waiting-maid, while the true one stood by. And
the young King rejoiced when he saw her beauty, and
heard how meek and patient she had been; and, with-
out saying anything, ordered a great feast to be got ready
for all his court. The bridegroom sat at the top, with
the false Princess on one side, and the true one on the
other; but nobody knew her, for she was quite dazzling
to their eyes, and was not at all like the little goose girl,
now that she had her brilliant dress.

When they had eaten and drunk, and were very merry,

138

THE GOOSE GIRL

the old King told all the story, as one that he had once
heard of, and asked the true waiting-maid what she
thought ought to be done to any one who would behave
thus. " Nothing better," said this false bride, " than that
she should be thrown into a cask stuck round with sharp
nails, and that two white horses should be put to it, and
should drag it from street to street till she is dead.''
" Thou art she! " said the old King, " and since thou hast
judged thyself, it shall be so done to thee." And the
young King was married to his true wife, and they reigned
over the kingdom in peace and happiness all their lives.

139

CLEVER ALICE

CLEVER ALICE

NCE upon a time there was a man
who had a daughter, who was called
" Clever Alice" ; and when she was
grown up, her father said, " We must
see about her marrying." " Yes,"
replied her mother, " when one
comes who shall be worthy of her."
At last a certain youth, by name
Hans, came from a distance to make a proposal for her,
but he put in one condition, that Clever Alice should
also be very prudent. " Oh," said her father, " she has
got a head full of brains"; and the mother added, "Ah,
she can hear the wind blow up the street, and hear the
flies cough ! "

"Very well," replied Hans, "but if she is not very
prudent, I will not have her." Soon afterwards they sat
down to dinner, and her mother said, " Alice, go down
into the cellar and draw some beer."

So Clever Alice took the jug down from the wall and
went into the cellar, jerking the lid up and down on her
way to pass away the time. As soon as she got downstairs
she drew a stool and placed it before the cask, in order
that she might not have to stoop, whereby she might do

'H3

CLEVER ALICE

some injury to her back, and give it an undesirable bend.
Then she placed the can before her and turned the tap,
and while the beer was running, as she did not .wish her
eyes to be idle, she looked about upon the wall above and
below, and presently perceived, after much peeping into
this and that corner, a hatchet, which the bricklayers had
left behind, sticking out of the ceiling right above her.
At the sight of this the Clever Alice began to cry, saying,
" Oh, if I marry Hans, and we have a child, and he grow
up, and we send him into the cellar to draw beer, the
hatchet will fall upon his head and kill him ! " and so say-
ing, she sat there weeping with all her might over the
impending misfortune.

Meanwhile the good folks upstairs were waiting for
the beer, but as Clever Alice did not come, her mother
told the maid to go and see what she was stopping for.
The maid went down into the cellar and found Alice
sitting before the cask crying heartily, and she asked,
" Alice, what are you weeping about? " " Ah," she re-
plied, " have I not cause? If I marry Hans, and we have
a child, and he grow up, and we send him here to draw
beer, that hatchet will fall upon his head and kill him."

" Oh," said the maid, " what a Clever Alice we have ! '
And, sitting down, she began to weep, too, for the mis-
fortune that was to happen.

After a while, and the maid did not return, the good
folks above began to feel very thirsty; so the husband told

144

CLEVER ALICE

the boy to go down into the cellar, and see what had
become of Alice and the maid. The boy went down,
and there sat Clever Alice and the maid both crying, so
he asked the reason; and Alice told him the same tale
of the hatchet that was to fall on her child, as she had
told the maid. When she had finished, the boy exclaimed,
" What a Clever Alice we have I " and fell weeping and
howling with the others.

Upstairs they were still waiting, and the husband said,
when the boy did not return, " Do you go down, wife,
into the cellar and see why Alice stops." So she went
down, and finding all three sitting there crying, asked the
reason, and Alice told her about the hatchet which must
inevitably fall upon the head of her son. Then the mother
likewise exclaimed, " Oh, what a Clever Alice we have ! "
and, sitting down, began to weep with the others. Mean-
while the husband waited for his wife's return; but at last
he felt so very thirsty that he said, " I must go myself down
into the cellar and see what Alice stops for.'' As soon as
he entered the cellar, there he found the four sitting and
crying together, and when he heard the reason, he also
exclaimed, " Oh, what a Clever Alice we have ! " and sat
down to cry with the others. All this time the bridegroom
above sat waiting, but when nobody returned he thought
they must be waiting for him, and so he went down to see
what was the matter. When he entered, there sat the five
crying and groaning, each one in a louder key than his

CLEVER ALICE

neighbour. " What misfortune has happened? " he asked.
" Ah, dear Hans! " cried Alice, " if we should marry one
another, and have a child, and he grow up, and we, per-
haps, send him down here to tap the beer, the hatchet
which has been left sticking there may fall on his head,
and so kill him; and do you not think that enough to
weep about? "

" Now," said Hans, " more prudence than this is not
necessary for my housekeeping; because you are such a
Clever Alice I will have you for my wife." And, taking
her hand, he led her home, and celebrated the wedding
directly.

After they had been married a little while, Hans said
one morning, " Wife, I will go out to work and earn
some money; do you go into the field and gather some
corn wherewith to make bread."

" Yes," she answered, " I will do so, dear Hans." And
when he was gone, she cooked herself a nice mess of pottage
to take with her. As she came to the field, she said to her-
self, " What shall I do? Shall I cut first, or eat first? Ay,
I will eat first ! " Then she ate up the contents of her pot,
and when it was finished, she thought to herself, " Now,
shall I reap first or sleep first? Well, I think I will have a
nap ! " and so she laid herself down amongst the corn, and
went to sleep. Meanwhile Hans returned home, but Alice
did not come, and so he said, " Oh, what a prudent Alice
I have; she is so industrious that she does not even come

146

The bells jingled at every step she
took.

SEE PAGE 149.

CLEVER ALICE

home to eat anything." By and by, however, evening
came on, and still she did not return; so Hans went out
to see how much she had reaped; but, behold, nothing
at all, and there lay Alice fast asleep among the corn ! So
home he ran very fast, and brought a net with little bells
hanging on it, which he threw over her head while she
still slept on. When he had done this, he went back again
and shut to the house door, and, seating himself on his stool,
began working very industriously.

At last, when it was quite dark, Clever Alice awoke,
and as soon as she stood up, the net fell all over her hair,
and the bells jingled at every step she took. This quite
frightened her, and she began to doubt whether she were
really Clever Alice, and said to herself, " Am I she, or am
I not? " This question she could not answer, and she
stood still a long while considering. At last she thought
she would go home and ask whether she were really
herself — supposing they would be able to tell. When
she came to the house door it was shut; so she tapped at
the window, and asked, " Hans, is Alice within? " " Yes,"
he replied, " she is." Now she was really terrified, and
exclaiming, " Ah, heaven, then I am not Alice ! " she ran
up to another house ; but as soon as the folks within heard
the jingling of the bells they would not open their doors,
and so nobody would receive her. Then she ran straight
away from the village, and no one has ever seen her since.

149

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

HERE was once a King who had
three sons. Not far from his king-
dom lived an old woman who had
an only daughter called Cherry.
The King sent his sons out to see
the world, that they might learn
the ways of foreign lands, and get
wisdom and skill in ruling the king-
dom that they were one day to have for their own. But
the old woman lived at peace at home with her daughter,
who was called Cherry, because she liked cherries better
than any other kind of food, and would eat scarcely any-
thing else. Now her poor old mother had no garden,
and no money to buy cherries every day for her daughter ;
and at last there was no other plan left but to go to a
neighbouring nunnery-garden and beg the finest she
could get of the nuns; for she dared not let her daughter
go out by herself, as she was very pretty, and she feared
some mischance might befall her. Cherry's taste was,
however, very well known; and as it happened that the
Abbess was as fond of cherries as she was, it was soon found
out where all the best fruit went; and the Holy Mother

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

was not a little angry at missing some of her stock and
finding whither it had gone.

The Princes while wandering on came one day to the
town where Cherry and her mother lived; and as they
passed along the street they saw the fair maiden standing at
the window, combing her long and beautiful locks of hair.
Then each of the three fell deeply in love with her, and
began to say how much he longed to have her for his
wife! Scarcely had the wish been spoken, when all drew
their swords, and a dreadful battle began; the fight lasted
long, and their rage grew hotter and hotter, when at last
the Abbess hearing the uproar came to the gate. Finding
that her neighbour was the cause, her old spite against
her broke forth at once, and in her rage she wished Cherry
turned into an ugly frog, and sitting in the water under
the bridge at the world's end. No sooner said than done;
and poor Cherry became a frog, and vanished out of their
sight. The Princes had now nothing to fight for; so
sheathing their swords again, they shook hands as brothers,
and went on towards their father's home.

The old King meanwhile found that he grew weak
and ill-fitted for the business of reigning: so he thought
of giving up his kingdom; but to whom should it be?
This was a point that his fatherly heart could not settle;
for he loved all his sons alike. " My dear children," said
he, " I grow old and weak, and should like to give up my
kingdom; but I cannot make up my mind which of you

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

to choose for my heir, for I love you all three; and be-
sides, I should wish to give my people the cleverest and
best of you for their King. However, I will give you three
trials, and the one who wins the prize shall have the
kingdom. The first is to seek me out one hundred ells
of cloth, so fine that I can draw it through my golden
ring." The sons said they would do their best, and set
out on the search.

The two eldest brothers took with them many fol-
lowers, and coaches and horses of all sorts, to bring home
all the beautiful cloths which they should find; but the
youngest went alone by himself. They soon came to where
the roads branched off into several ways ; two ran through
smiling meadows, with smooth paths and shady groves, but
the third looked dreary and dirty, and went over barren
wastes. The two eldest chose the pleasant ways; and the
youngest took his leave and whistled along over the dreary
road. Whenever fine linen was to be seen, the two elder
brothers bought it, and bought so much that their coaches
and horses bent under their burden. The youngest, on
the other hand, journeyed on many a weary day, and found
not a place where he could buy even one piece of cloth
that was at all fine and good. His heart sank within
him, and every mile he grew more and more heavy and
sorrowful. At last he came to a bridge over a stream, and
there he sat himself down to rest and sigh over his bad
luck, when an ugly-looking frog popped its head out of

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

the water, and asked, with a voice that had not at all a
harsh sound to his ears, what was the matter. The Prince
said in a pet, " Silly frog ! thou canst not help me." " Who
told you so?" said the frog; "tell me what ails you."
After a while the Prince opened the whole story, and told
why his father had sent him out. " I will help you," said
the frog ; so it jumped back into the stream and soon came
back dragging a small piece of linen not bigger than one's
hand, and by no means the cleanest in the world in its
look. However, there it was, and the Prince was told to
take it away with him. He had no great liking for such
a dirty rag; but still there was something in the frog's
speech that pleased him much, and he thought to him-
self, " It can do no harm, it is better than nothing " ;
so he picked it up, put it in his pocket, and thanked the
frog, who dived down again, panting and quite tired, as it
seemed, with its work. The further he went the heavier
he found to his great joy the pocket grow, and so he
turned himself homewards, trusting greatly in his good
luck.

He reached home nearly about the same time that his
brothers came up, with their horses and coaches all heavily
laden. Then the old King was very glad to see his children
again, and pulled the ring off his finger to try who had
done the best; but in all the stock which the two eldest
had brought there was not one piece a tenth part of which
would go through the ring. At this they were greatly

156

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

abashed; for they had made a laugh of their brother, who
came home, as they thought, empty-handed. But how ,
great was their anger when they saw him pull from his
pocket a piece that for softness, beauty, and whiteness,
was a thousand times better than anything that was ever
before seen ! It was so fine that it passed with ease through
the ring; indeed, two such pieces would readily have gone
in together. The father embraced the lucky youth, told
his servants to throw the coarse linen into the sea, and
said to his children, " Now you must set about the second
task which I am to set you: bring me home a little dog,
so small that it will lie in a nutshell."

His sons were not a little frightened at such a task;
but they all longed for the crown, and made up their
minds to go and try their hands, and so after a few days
they set out once more on their travels. At the cross-
ways they parted as before, and the youngest chose his
old dreary rugged road with all the bright hopes that his
former good luck gave him. Scarcely had he sat himself
down again at the bridge foot, when his old friend the frog
jumped out, set itself beside him, and as before opened its
big wide mouth, and croaked out, " What is the matter? "
The Prince had this time no doubt of the frog's power,
and therefore told what he wanted. " It shall be done
for you," said the frog; and springing into the stream it
soon brought up a hazel-nut, laid it at his feet, and told
him to take it home to his father, and crack it gently, and

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

then see what would happen. The Prince went his way
very well pleased, and the frog, tired with its task, jumped
back into the water.

His brothers had reached home first, and brought
with them a great many very pretty little dogs. The old
King, willing to help them all he could, sent for a large
walnut-shell and tried it with every one of the little dogs;
but one stuck fast with the hind-foot out, and another
with the head, and a third with the fore-foot, and a fourth
with its tail — in short, some one way and some another;
but none were at all likely to sit easily in this new kind
of kennel. When all had been tried, the youngest made
his father a dutiful bow, and gave him the hazel-nut, beg-
ging him to crack it very carefully: the moment this was
done out ran a beautiful little white dog upon the King's
hand, wagged its tail, fondled his new master, and soon
turned about and barked at the other little beasts in the
most graceful manner, to the delight of the whole court.
The joy of every one was great; the old King again em-
braced his lucky son, told his people to drown all the other
dogs in the sea, and said to his children, " Dear sons !
your weightiest tasks are now over; listen to my last wish:
whoever brings home the fairest lady shall be at once the
heir to my crown."

The prize was so tempting and the chance so fair for
all, that none made any doubts about setting to work,
each in his own way, to try and be the winner. The

158

Within sat his old friend the frog.

SEE PAGE 161.

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

youngest was not in such good spirits as he was the last
time; he thought to himself, "The old frog has been
able to do a great deal for me; but all its power must
be nothing to me now, for where should it find me a fair
maiden, still less a fairer maiden than was ever seen at
my father's court? The swamps where it lives have no
living things in them, but toads, snakes, and such vermin."
Meantime he went on, and sighed as he sat down again
with a heavy heart by the bridge. " Ah, Frog ! " said he,
" this time thou canst do me no good." " Never mind,"
croaked the frog; "only tell me what is the matter
now." Then the Prince told his old friend what trouble
had now come upon him. " Go thy ways home," said
the frog; "the fair maiden will follow hard after; but
take care and do not laugh at whatever may happen!"
This said, it sprang as before into the water and was soon
out of sight. The Prince still sighed on, for he trusted
very little this time to the frog's word; but he had not
set many steps towards home before he heard a noise
behind him, and looking round saw six large water-rats
dragging along a large pumpkin like a coach, full trot.
On the box sat an old fat toad as coachman, and behind
stood two little frogs as footmen, and two fine mice with
stately whiskers ran before as outriders; within sat his
old friend the frog, rather misshapen and unseemly to
be sure, but still with somewhat of a graceful air as it
bowed to him in passing. Much too deeply wrapt in

161

CHERRY, OR THE FROG BRIDE

thought as to his chance of finding the fair lady whom
he was seeking to take any heed of the strange scene
before him, the Prince scarcely looked at it, and had still
less mind to laugh. The coach passed on a little way,
and soon turned a corner that hid it from his sight; but
how astonished was he, on turning the corner himself,
to find a handsome coach and six black horses standing
there, with a coachman in gay livery, and within, the
most beautiful lady he had ever seen, whom he soon knew
to be the fair Cherry, for whom his heart had so long
ago panted! As he came up, the servants opened the
coach door, and he was allowed to seat himself by the
beautiful lady.

They soon came to his father's city, where his brothers
also came, with trains of fair ladies ; but as soon as Cherry
was seen, all the court gave her with one voice the crown
of beauty. The delighted father embraced his son, and
named him the heir to his crown, and ordered all the
other ladies to be thrown, like the little dogs, into the sea
and drowned. Then the Prince married Cherry, and
lived long and happily with her, and indeed lives with
her still — if he be not dead.

162

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN. THE WOOD

NCE upon a time there lived a man,
whose wife had died; and a woman,
also, who had lost her husband : and
this man and this woman had each a
daughter. These two maidens were
friendly with each other, and used
to walk together, and one day they
came by the widow's house. Then
the widow said to the man's daughter, " Do you hear, tell
your father I wish to marry him, and you shall every morn-
ing wash in milk and drink wine, but my daughter shall
wash in water and drink water." So the girl went home
and told her father what the woman had said, and he re-
plied, " What shall I do? Marriage is a comfort, but it
is also a torment." At last, as he could come to no con-
clusion, he drew off his boot, and said : " Take this boot,
which has a hole in the sole, and go with it out of doors
and hang it on the great nail, and then pour water into
it. If it holds the water, I will again take a wife; but if
it runs through, I will not have her." The girl did as he
bid her, but the water drew the hole together and the boot
became full to overflowing. So she told her father how
it had happened, and he, getting up, saw it was quite true;

165

THE THREE LITTLE MEN. IN THE WOOD

and going to the widow he settled the matter, and the
wedding was celebrated.

The next morning, when the two girls arose, milk to
wash in and wine to drink were set for the man's daughter,
but only water, both for washing and drinking, for the
woman's daughter. The second morning, water for wash-
ing and drinking stood before both the man's daughter
and the woman's; and on the third morning, water to
wash in and water to drink were set before the man's
daughter, and milk to wash in and wine to drink before
the woman's daughter, and so it continued.

Soon the woman conceived a deadly hatred for her
stepdaughter, and knew not how to behave badly enough
to her from day to day. She was envious, too, because
her stepdaughter was beautiful and lovely, and her own
daughter was ugly and hateful.

Once, in the winter time, when the river was frozen
as hard as a stone, and hill and valley were covered with
snow, the woman made a cloak of paper, and called the
maiden to her and said, " Put on this cloak, and go away
into the wood to fetch me a little basketful of strawberries,
for I have a wish for some."

" Mercy on us ! '" said the maiden, " in winter there
are no strawberries growing; the ground is frozen, and
the snow, too, has covered everything. And why must
I go in that paper cloak? It is so cold out of doors
that it freezes one's breath even, and if the wind does

1 66

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN. THE WOOD.

not blow off this cloak the thorns will tear it from my
body."

" Will you dare to contradict me? " said the step-
mother. " Make haste off, and let me not see you again
until you have found me a basket of strawberries." Then
she gave her a small piece of dry bread, saying, " On that
you must subsist the whole day." But she thought — out
of doors she will be frozen and starved, so that my eyes
will never see her again !

So the girl did as she was told, and put on the paper
cloak, and went away with the basket. Far and near
there was nothing but snow, and not a green blade was
to be seen. When she came to the forest she discovered
a little cottage, out of which three little dwarfs were peep-
ing. The girl wished them good morning, and knocked
gently at the door. They called her in, and entering the
room, she sat down on a bench by the fire to warm her-
self and eat her breakfast. The dwarfs called out, " Give
us some of it!" "Willingly," she replied, and, dividing
her bread in two, she gave them half. They asked, " What
do you here in the forest, in the winter time, in this thin
cloak? "

" Ah ! '" she answered, " I must seek a basketful of
strawberries, and I dare not return home until I can take
them with me." When she had eaten her bread, they
gave her a broom, saying, " Sweep away the snow with
this from the back door." But when she was gone out of

167

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN. THE WOOD

doors the three dwarfs said one to another, " What shall
we give her, because she is so gentle and good, and has
shared her bread with us? " Then said the first, " I grant
to her that she shall become more beautiful every day."
The second said, " I grant that a piece of gold shall fall
out of her mouth for every word she speaks." The third
said, " I grant that a king shall come and make her his
bride."

Meanwhile, the girl had done as the dwarfs had bidden
her, and had swept away the snow from behind the house.
And what do you think she found there? Actually, ripe
strawberries! which came quite red and sweet up under
the snow. So filling her basket in great glee, she thanked
the little men and gave them each her hand, and then ran
home to take her stepmother what she wished for. As
she went in and said, " Good evening," a piece of gold fell
from her mouth. Thereupon she related what had hap-
pened to her in the forest; but at every word she spoke
a piece of gold fell, so that the whole floor was covered.

" Just see her arrogance," said the stepsister, " to
throw away money in that way ! " but in her heart she was
jealous, and wished to go into the forest too, to seek straw-
berries. Her mother said, "No, my dear daughter; it is
too cold, you will be frozen ! " but as her girl let her have
no peace, she at last consented, and made her a beautiful
fur cloak to put on; she also gave her buttered bread and
cooked meat to eat on her way.

1 68

And what do you think she found
there? Actually, ripe strawberries!

SEE PAGE 168.

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD

The girl went into the forest and came straight to the
little cottage. The three dwarfs were peeping out again,
but she did not greet them; and, stumbling on without
looking at them or speaking, she entered the room, and,
seating herself by the fire, began to eat the bread and
butter and meat. " Give us some of that," exclaimed the
dwarfs; but she answered, " I have not got enough for
myself, so how can I give any away? " When she had
finished they said, " You have a broom there; go and sweep
the back door clean." " Oh, sweep it yourself," she re-
plied; " I am not your servant." When she saw that they
would not give her anything she went out at the door,
and the three dwarfs said to each other, " What shall we
give her? she is so ill-behaved, and has such a bad and
envious disposition, that nobody can wish well to her."
The first said, " I grant that she becomes more ugly every
day." The second said, " I grant that at every word she
speaks a toad shall spring out of her mouth." The third
said, " I grant that she shall die a miserable death." Mean-
while the girl had been looking for strawberries out of
doors, but as she could find none she went home very
peevish. When she opened her mouth to tell her mother
what had happened to her in the forest, a toad jumped
out of her mouth at each word, so that every one fled away
from her in horror.

The step-mother was now still more vexed, and was
always thinking how she could do the most harm to her

.171

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD

husband's daughter, who every day became more beauti-
ful. At last she took a kettle, set it on the fire, and boiled
a net therein. When it was sodden she hung it on the
shoulder of the poor girl, and gave her an axe, that she
might go upon the frozen pond and cut a hole in the ice
to drag the net. She obeyed, and went away and cut an
ice hole; and while she was cutting, an elegant carriage
came by, in which the King sat. The carriage stopped,
and the King asked, " My child, who are you? and what
do you here? " " I am a poor girl, and am dragging a
net," said she. Then the King pitied her, and saw how
beautiful she was, and said, " Will you go with me? "
" Yes, indeed, with all my heart," she replied, for she was
glad to get out of the sight of her mother and sister.

So she was handed into the carriage, and driven away
with the King; and as soon as they arrived at his castle
the wedding was celebrated with great splendour, as the
dwarfs had granted to the maiden.

172

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

ggg NE summer's morning a tailor was
JH sitting on his bench by the window
^ in very good spirits, sewing away
« with all his might, and presently up
* the street came a peasant woman,
^ crying, " Good preserves for sale !
Good preserves for sale ! " This cry
sounded nice in the tailor's ears, and,
sticking his diminutive head out of the window, he
called out, " Here, my good woman, just bring your
wares here ! " The woman mounted the three steps up
to the tailor's house with her heavy basket, and began
to unpack all the pots together before him. He looked
at them all, held them up to the light, put his nose to
them, and at last said, " These preserves appear to me to
be very nice, so you may weigh me out four half-ounces,
my good woman; I don't mind even if you make it a
quarter of a pound." The woman, who expected to have
met with a good customer, gave him what he wished,
and went away grumbling, very much dissatisfied.

" Now ! " exclaimed the tailor, " Heaven will send
me a blessing on this preserve, and give me fresh strength
and vigour"; and, taking the bread out of the cupboard,

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

he cut himself a slice the size of the whole loaf, and
spread the preserve upon it. " That will taste by no
means badly," said he ; " but, before I have a bite, I
will just get this waistcoat finished." So he laid the
bread down near him and stitched away, making larger
and larger stitches every time for joy. Meanwhile the
smell of the preserve mounted to the ceiling, where flies
were sitting in great numbers, and enticed them down,
so that soon a regular swarm of them had settled on the
bread. "Holloa! who invited you?" exclaimed the
tailor, hunting away the unbidden guests; but the flies,
not understanding his language, would not be driven off,
and came again in greater numbers than before. This
put the little man in a boiling passion, and, snatching
up in his rage a bag of cloth, he brought it down with-
an unmerciful swoop upon them. When he raised it
again he counted no less than seven lying dead before
him with outstretched legs. " What a fellow you are ! "
said he to himself, wondering at his own bravery. " The
whole town shall know of this." In great haste he cut
himself out a band, hemmed it, and then put on it in
large characters, "SEVEN AT ONE BLOW!" "Ah," said
he, " not one city alone, the whole world shall know
it! " and his heart fluttered with joy, like a lambkin's
tail.

The little tailor bound the belt round his body, and
prepared to travel forth into the wide world, thinking

176

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

the workshop too small for his valiant deeds. Before he
set out, however, he looked round his house to see if
there was anything he could take with him; but he found
only an old cheese, which he pocketed, and remarking
a bird before the door which was entangled in the bushes,
he caught it, and put that in his pocket also. Directly
after he set out bravely on his travels; and, as he was
light and active, he felt no weariness. His road led him
up a hill, and when he reached the highest point of it
he found a great giant sitting there, who was looking
about him very composedly.

The little tailor, however, went boldly up, and said,
" Good day, comrade ; in faith you sit there and see the
whole world stretched below you. I am also on my
road thither to try my luck. Have you a mind to go
with me? "

The giant looked contemptuously at the little tailor,
and said, " You vagabond; you miserable fellow! "

" That may be," replied the tailor ; " but here you
may read what sort of a man I am"; and, unbuttoning
his coat, he showed the giant his belt. The giant read,
"Seven at one blow"; and thinking they were men
whom the tailor had slain, he conceived a little respect
for him. Still he wished to prove him first; so taking
up a stone, he squeezed it in his hand, so that water
dropped out of it. " Do that after me," said he to the
other, " if you have any strength."

177

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

" If it be nothing worse than that," said the tailor,
"that's play to me." And, diving into his pocket, he
brought out the cheese, and squeezed it till the whey
ran out of it, and said, "Now, I think, that's a little
better."

The giant did not know what to say, and could not
believe it of the little man ; so, taking up another stone, he
threw it so high that one could scarcely see it with the eye,
saying, " There, you manikin, do that after me."

"Well done," said the tailor; "but your stone must
fall down again to the ground. I will throw one up
which shall not come back " ; and, dipping into his
pocket, he took out the bird and threw it into the air.
The bird, rejoicing in its freedom, flew straight up, and
then far away, and did not return. " How does that
little affair please you, comrade? " asked the tailor.

"You can throw well, certainly," replied the giant;
" now let us see if you are in trim to carry something
out of the common." So saying, he led him to a huge
oak tree, which lay upon the ground, and said, " If you
are strong enough, just help me to carry this tree out of
the forest."

"With all my heart," replied the tailor; "do you
take the trunk upon your shoulder, and I will raise the
boughs and branches which are the heaviest, and carry
them."

[The giant took the trunk upon his shoulder, but the

178

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

tailor placed himself on the branch, so that the giant,
who was not able to look round, was forced to carry the
whole tree and the tailor besides. He, being behind,
was very merry, and chuckled at the trick, and presently
began to whistle the song, " There rode three tailors out
at the gate," as if the carrying of trees were child's play.
The giant, after he had staggered along a short distance
with his heavy burden, could go no further, and shouted
out, " Do you hear? I must let the tree fall." The
tailor, springing down, quickly embraced the tree with
both arms, as if he had been carrying it, and said to the
giant, " Are you such a big fellow, and yet cannot you
carry this tree by yourself? "

Then they journeyed on further, and as they came
to a cherry tree, the giant seized the top of the tree
where the ripest fruits hung, and, bending it down, gave
it to the tailor to hold, bidding him eat. But the tailor
was much too weak to hold the tree down, and when
the giant let go, the tree flew up into the air, and the
tailor was carried with it. He came down on the other
side, however, without injury, and the giant said, " What
does that mean? Have you not strength enough to hold
that twig? " " My strength did not fail me," replied the
tailor; " do you suppose that that was any hard thing for
one who has killed seven at one blow? I have sprung
over the tree because the hunters were shooting below
there in the thicket. Spring after me if you can." The

179

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

giant made the attempt, but could not clear the tree, and
stuck fast in the branches; so that in this affair, too, the
tailor was the better man.

After this the giant said, " Since you are such a
valiant fellow, come with me to our house, and stop a
night with us." The tailor consented, and followed
him; and when they entered the cave, there sat by the
fire two other giants, each having a roast sheep in his
hand, of which he was eating. The tailor sat down
thinking, " Ah, this is much more like the world than
is my workshop." And soon the giant showed him a
bed where he might lie down and go to sleep. The bed,
however, was too big for him, so he slipped out of it,
and crept into a corner. When midnight came, and the
giant thought the tailor would be in a deep sleep, he
got up, and, taking a great iron bar, beat the bed right
through at one stroke, and supposed he had thereby
given the tailor his death-blow. At the earliest dawn
of morning the giants went forth into the forest, quite
forgetting the tailor, when presently up he came, quite
merry, and showed himself before them. The giants
were terrified, and, fearing he would kill them all, they
ran away in great haste.

The tailor journeyed on, always following his nose,
and after he had wandered some long distance, he came
into the courtyard of a royal palace ; and as he felt rather
tired he laid himself down on the grass and went to

1 80

THE VALIANT, LITTLE TAILOR

sleep. Whilst he lay there the people came and viewed
him on all sides, and read upon his belt, " Seven at one
blow." " Ah," said they, " what does this great warrior
here in time of peace? This must be some mighty
hero? " So they went and told the King, thinking that,
should war break out, here was an important and useful
man, whom one ought not to part with at any price.
The King took counsel, and sent one of his courtiers to
the tailor to ask for his fighting services, if he should be
awake. The messenger stopped at the sleeper's side, and
waited till he stretched out his limbs and opened his
eyes, and then he laid before him his message. " Solely
on that account did I come here," was the reply; " I
am quite ready to enter into the King's service." Then
he was conducted away with great honour, and a fine
house was appointed him to dwell in.

The courtiers, however, became jealous of the tailor,
and wished he were a thousand miles away. " What
will happen? " said they to one another. " If we go to
battle with him, when he strikes out seven will fall at
one blow, and nothing will be left for us to do." In
their rage they came to the resolution to resign, and they
went all together to the King, and asked his permission,
saying, " We are not prepared to keep company with a
man who kills seven at one blow." The King was
grieved to lose all his faithful servants for the sake of
one, and wished that he had never seen the tailor, and

181

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

would willingly have now been rid of him. He dared
not, however, dismiss him, because he feared the tailor
would kill him and all his subjects, and place himself
upon the throne. For a long time he deliberated, till
at last he came to a decision; and, sending for the
tailor, he told him that, seeing he was so great a hero,
he wished to ask a favour of him. " In a certain forest
in my kingdom," said the King, " there live two giants,
who, by murder, rapine, fire and robbery, have com-
mitted great havoc, and no one dares to approach them
without perilling his own life. If you overcome and kill
both these giants, I will give you my only daughter in
marriage, and the half of my kingdom for a dowry; a
hundred knights shall accompany you, too, in order to
render you assistance."

" Ah, that is something for such a man as I," thought
the tailor to himself; "a beautiful Princess and half a
kingdom are not offered to one every day." " Oh, yes,"
he replied, " I will soon manage these two giants, and a
hundred horsemen are not necessary for that purpose;
he who kills seven at one blow need not fear two."

Thus talking, the little tailor set out, followed by
the hundred knights, to whom he said, as soon as they
came to the borders of the forest, "Do you stay here;
I would rather meet these giants alone." Then he sprang
off into the forest, peering about him right and left; and
after a while he saw the two giants lying asleep under a

182

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

tree, snoring so loudly that the branches above them
shook violently. The tailor, full of courage, filled both
his pockets with stones and clambered up the tree.
When he got to the middle of it he crept along a
bough, so that he sat just above the sleepers, and then he
let fall one stone after another upon the breast of one of
them. For some time the giant did not stir, until, at
last awaking, he pushed his companion, and said, " Why
are you beating me? "

"You are dreaming," he replied; "I never hit you."
They laid themselves down again to sleep, and presently
the tailor threw a stone down upon the other. " What
is that? " he exclaimed. " What are you knocking
me for? "

" I did not touch you ; you must dream," replied
the first. So they wrangled for a few minutes; but,
being both very tired with their day's work, they soon
fell asleep again. Then the tailor began his sport again,
and, picking out the biggest stone, threw it with all his
force upon the breast of the first giant. " That is too
bad! " he exclaimed; and, springing up like a madman,
he fell upon his companion, who, feeling himself equally
aggrieved, they set to in such good earnest, that they
rooted up trees and beat one another about until they
both fell dead upon the ground. Now the tailor jumped
down, saying, " What a piece of luck they did not up-
root the tree on which I sat, or else I must have jumped

183

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

on another like a squirrel, for I am not given to flying."
Then he drew his sword, and, cutting a deep wound in
the breast of each, he went to the horsemen, and said,
"The deed is done; I have given each his death-
stroke; but it was a hard job, for in their necessity they
uprooted trees to defend themselves with; still, all that
is of no use when such an one as I come, who killed
seven at one stroke."

" Are you not wounded, then? " asked they.

"That is not to be expected; they have not touched
a hair of my head," replied the little man. The knights
could scarcely believe him, till, riding away into the
forest, they found the giants lying in their blood and
the uprooted trees around them.

Now the tailor demanded his promised reward of
the King; but he repented of his promise, and began to
think of some new scheme to get rid of the hero. " Be-
fore you receive my daughter and the half of my
kingdom," said he to him, "you must perform one
other heroic deed. In the forest there runs wild a
unicorn, which commits great havoc, and which you
must first of all catch."

" I fear still less for a unicorn than I do for two
giants! Seven at one blow! that is my motto," said the
tailor. Then he took with him a rope and an axe and
went away to the forest, bidding those who were ordered
to accompany him to wait on the outskirts. He had

184

&

'

- ' '?

J I **t *

unicorn, rushing against the tree,
fixed its horn so fast in the trunk that
it could not draw it out.

SEE PAGE 187.

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

not to search long, for presently the unicorn came near
and prepared to rush at him as if it would pierce him on
the spot. "Softly, softly!" he exclaimed; "that is not
done so easily"; and, waiting till the animal was close
upon him, he sprang nimbly behind a tree. The unicorn,
rushing with all its force against the tree, fixed its horn
so fast in the trunk, that it could not draw it out again,
and so it was made prisoner. " Now I have got my
bird," said the tailor; and, coming from behind the tree,
he first bound the rope around its neck, and then, cutting
the horn out of the tree with his axe, he put all in order,
and, leading the animal, brought it before the King.

The King, however, would not yet deliver up the
promised reward, and made a third request, that, before
the wedding, the tailor should catch a wild boar which
did much injury, and he should have the huntsmen to
help him. " With pleasure," was the reply, " it is mere
child's play." The huntsmen, however, he left behind,
to their entire content, for this wild boar had already so
often hunted them that they had no pleasure in hunting
it. As soon as the boar perceived the tailor, it ran at
him with gaping mouth and glistening teeth, and tried
to throw him on the ground; but our flying hero sprang
into a little chapel which was near, and out again at a
window on the other side in a trice. The boar ran after
him, but he, skipping round, shut the door behind it,
and there the raging beast was caught, for it was much

187

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

too unwieldy and heavy to jump out of the window.
The tailor now called the huntsmen up, that they might
see his prisoner with their own eyes; but our hero pre-
sented himself before the King, who was compelled
now, whether he would or no, to keep his promise, and
surrender his daughter and the half of his kingdom.

Had he known that it was no warrior, but only a
tailor, who stood before him, it would have gone to his
heart still more !

So the wedding was celebrated with great splendour,
though with little rejoicing, and out of a tailor was made
a King.

Some little while afterwards the young Queen heard
her husband talking in his sleep, and saying, " Boy, make
me a waistcoat, and stitch up these trousers, or I will lay
the yard measure over your ears ! " Then she remarked
of what condition her lord was, and complained in the
morning to her father, and begged he would deliver her
from her husband, who was nothing else than a tailor.
The King comforted her by saying, " This night leave
your chamber door open; my servants shall stand with-
out, and when he is asleep they shall enter, bind him,
and bear him away to a ship, which shall carry him forth
into the wide world." The wife was contented with his
proposal; but the King's armour bearer, who had over-
heard all, went to the young King and disclosed the
whole plot. " I will shoot a bolt upon this affair," said

188

THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR

the brave tailor. In the evening at their usual time they
went to bed, and when his wife believed he slept she got
up, opened the door, and laid herself down again. The
tailor, however, only feigned to be asleep, and began to
exclaim in a loud voice, " Boy, make me this waistcoat
and stitch up these trousers, or I will beat the yard
measure about your ears! Seven have I killed with one
blow, two giants have I slain, a unicorn have I led
captive, and a wild boar have I caught, and shall I
be afraid of those who stand without my chamber? "
When the men heard these words spoken by the tailor,
a great fear overcame them, and they ran away as if
the wild huntsmen were behind them; neither after-
wards durst any man venture to oppose him. Thus
became the tailor a King, and so he remained the rest
of his days.

189

ROLAND

ROLAND

NCE upon a time there lived a real
old witch who had two daughters,
one ugly and wicked, whom she
loved very much, because she was
her own child; and the other fair
and good, whom she hated, because
she was her stepdaughter. One
day the stepchild wore a very pretty
apron, which so pleased the other that she turned jealous,
and told her mother she must and would have the apron.
" Be quiet, my child," said she, "you shall have it; your
sister has long deserved death. To-night, when she is
asleep, I will come and cut off her head; but take care
that you lie nearest the wall, and push her quite to the
side of the bed."

Luckily the poor maiden, hid in a corner, heard this
speech, or she would have been murdered; but all day
long she dared not go out of doors, and when bedtime
came she was forced to lie in the place fixed for her:
but happily the other sister soon went to sleep, and then
she contrived to change places and get quite close to the
wall. At midnight the old witch sneaked in, holding in
her right hand an axe, while with her left she felt for her

ROLAND

intended victim; and then raising the axe in both her
hands, she chopped off the head of her own daughter.

As soon as she went away, the maiden got up and
went to her sweetheart, who was called Roland, and
knocked at his door. When he came out she said to him,
" Dearest Roland, we must flee at once; my stepmother
would have killed me, but in the dark she has murdered
her own child; if day comes, and she discovers what she
has done, we are lost ! "

" But I advise you," said Roland, " first to take away
her magic wand, or we cannot save ourselves if she should
follow and catch us."

So the maiden stole away the wand, and taking up
the head dropped three drops of blood upon the ground:
one before the bed, one in the kitchen, and one upon the
step; this done, she replaced the head and hurried away
with her lover.

When the morning came and the old witch had
dressed herself, she called to her daughter and would
have given her the apron, but no one came. ' Where
are you? " she called. " Here upon the step," answered
one of the drops of blood. The old woman went out,
but seeing nobody on the step, she called a second time,
"Where are you?" "Hi, hi, here, in the kitchen; I
am warming myself," replied the second drop of blood.
She went into the kitchen, but could see nobody; and
once again she cried, " Where are you? "

194

ROLAND

"Ah! here I sleep in the bed," said the third drop;
and she entered the room, but what a sight met her eyes!
There lay her own child covered with blood, for she
herself had cut off her head.

The old witch flew into a terrible passion, sprang
out of the window, and looking far and near, presently
spied out her stepdaughter, who was hurrying away with
Roland. "That won't help you!" she shouted; "were
you twice as far, you should not escape me." So say-
ing, she drew on her boots, in which she went an hour's
walk with every stride, and before long she overtook the
fugitives. But the maiden, as soon as she saw the witch
in sight, changed her dear Roland into a lake with the
magic wand, and herself into a duck who could swim
upon its surface. When the old witch arrived at the
shore, she threw in bread crumbs, and tried all sorts of
means to entice the duck; but it was all of no use, and
she was obliged to go away at evening without accom-
plishing her ends. When she was gone the maiden took
her natural form, and Roland also, and all night long
till daybreak they travelled onwards. Then the maiden
changed herself into a rose, which grew amid a very
thorny hedge, and Roland became a fiddler. Soon after
up came the old witch, and said to him, " Good player,
may I break off your flower?" "Oh! yes," he replied,
" and I will accompany you with a tune." In great
haste she climbed up the bank to reach the flower, and

ROLAND

as soon as she was in the hedge he began to play, and,
whether she liked it or not, she was obliged to dance to
the music, for it was a bewitched tune. The quicker
he played, the higher was she obliged to jump, till the
thorns tore all the clothes off her body, and scratched and
wounded her so much that at last she fell down dead.

Then Roland, when he saw they were saved,
said, " Now. I will go to my father, and arrange the
wedding."

" Yes," said the maiden, " and meanwhile I will rest
here, and wait for your return, and, that no one may
know me, I will change myself into a red stone."

Roland went away and left her there, but when he
reached home he fell into the snares laid for him by
another maiden, and forgot his true love, who for a long
time waited his coming; but at last, in sorrow and
despair of ever seeing him again, she changed herself
into a beautiful flower, and thought that perhaps some
one might pluck her and carry her to his home.

A day or two after a shepherd, who was tending his
flock in the field, chanced to see the enchanted flower;
and because it was so very beautiful he broke it off, took
it with him, and laid it by in his chest. From that
day everything prospered in the shepherd's house, and
marvellous things happened. When he arose in the
morning he found all the work already done; the room
was swept, the chairs and tables dusted, the fire lighted

196

Bff

From that day everything prospered
In the shepherd's house.

SEE PAGE 196.

ROLAND

upon the hearth, and the water fetched; when he came
home at noonday the table was laid, and a good meal
prepared for him. He could not imagine how it was all
done, for he could find nobody ever in his house when
he returned, and there was no place for any one to con-
ceal himself. The good arrangements certainly pleased
him well enough, but he became so anxious at last to
know who it was, that he went and asked the advice
of a wise woman. The woman said, " There is some
witchery in the business; listen one morning if you can
hear anything moving in the room, and if you do and
can see anything, be it what it will, throw a white napkin
over it, and the charm will be dispelled."

The shepherd did as he was bid, and the next morn-
ing, just as day broke, he saw his chest open and the
flower come out of it. He instantly sprang up and threw
a white napkin over it, and immediately the spell was
broken, and a beautiful maiden stood before him, who
acknowledged that she was the handmaid who, as a
flower, had put his house in order. She told him her
tale, and she pleased the shepherd so much, that he asked
her if she would marry him, but she said, " No," for she
would still keep true to her dear Roland, although he
had left her; nevertheless, she promised still to remain
with the shepherd, and see after his cottage.

Meanwhile, the time had arrived for the celebration
of Roland's wedding, and, according to the old custom,

199

ROLAND

it was proclaimed through all the country round, that
every maiden might assemble to sing in honour of the
bridal pair. When the poor girl heard this, she was so
grieved that it seemed as if her heart would break, and
she would not have gone to the wedding if others had
not come and taken her with them.

When it came to her turn to sing, she stepped back
till she was quite by herself, and as soon as she began,
Roland jumped up, exclaiming, " I know the voice ! that
is my true bride ! no other will I have ! " All that he
had hitherto forgotten and neglected to think of was
suddenly brought back to his heart's remembrance, and
he would not again let her go.

And now the wedding of the faithful maiden to her
dear Roland was celebrated with great magnificence;
and their sorrows and troubles being over, happiness
became their lot.

200

THE JUNIPER TREE

THE JUNIPER TREE

LONG while ago, perhaps as much
as two thousand years, there was a
rich man who had a wife of whom
he was very fond; but they had no
children. Now in the garden, be-
fore the house where they lived,
there stood a juniper tree; and one
winter's day as the lady was stand-
ing under the juniper tree, paring an apple, she cut her
finger, and the drops of blood trickled down upon the
snow. " Ah ! " said she, sighing deeply and looking down
upon the blood, " how happy should I be if I had a little
child as white as snow and as red as blood ! " And as she
was saying this, she grew quite cheerful, and was sure
her wish would be fulfilled. And after a little time the
snow went away, and soon afterwards the fields began
to look green. Next the spring came, and the meadows
were dressed with flowers; the trees put forth their green
leaves; the young branches shed their blossoms upon the
ground; and the little birds sang through the groves.
And then came summer, and the sweet-smelling flowers
of the juniper tree began to unfold; and the lady's heart
leaped within her, and she fell on her knees for joy.

203

THE JUNIPER TREE

But when autumn drew near, the fruit was thick upon
the trees. Then the lady plucked the red berries from
the juniper tree, and looked sad and sorrowful; and she
called her husband to her, and said, " If I die, bury me
under the juniper tree." Not long after this a pretty
little child was born; it was, as the lady wished, as red
as blood, and as white as snow; and as soon as she had
looked upon it, her joy overcame her, and she fainted
away and died.

Then her husband buried her under the juniper tree,
and wept and mourned over her; but after a little while
he grew better, and at length dried up his tears, and
married another wife.

Time passed on, and he had a daughter born; but
the child of his first wife, that was as red as blood, and
as white as snow, was a little boy. The mother loved
her daughter very much, but hated the little boy, and
bethought herself how she might get all her husband's
money for her own child; so she used the poor fellow
very harshly, and was always pushing him about from
one corner of the house to another, and thumping him
one while and pinching him another, so that he was for
ever in fear of her, and when he came home from
school could never find a place in the house to play in.

Now it happened that once when the mother was
going into her storeroom, the little girl came up to
her, and said, " Mother, may I have an apple? " " Yes,

204

THE JUNIPER TREE

my dear," said she, and gave her a nice rosy apple out
of the chest. Now you must know that this chest had
a very thick heavy lid, with a great sharp iron lock upon
it. " Mother," said the little girl, " pray give me one
for my little brother too." Her mother did not much
like this; however, she said, "Yes, my child; when he
comes from school, he shall have one too." As she was
speaking, she looked out of the window and saw the
little boy coming; so she took the apple from her
daughter, and threw it back into the chest and shut the
lid, telling her that she should have it again when her
brother came home. When the little boy came to the
door, this wicked woman said to him with a kind voice,
" Come in, my dear, and I will give you an apple."
"How kind you are, mother!'1' said the little boy; "I
should like to have an apple very much." " Well, come
with me then," said she. So she took him into the store-
room and lifted up the cover of the chest, and said,
"There, take one out yourself"; and then, as the little
boy stooped down to reach one of the apples out of the
chest, bang! she let the lid fall, so hard that his head fell
off amongst the apples. When she found what she had
done, she was very much frightened, and did not know
how she should get the blame off her shoulders. How-
ever, she went into her bedroom, and took a white
handkerchief out of a drawer, and then fitted the little
boy's head upon his neck, and tied the handkerchief

205

THE JUNIPER TREE

round it, so that no one could see what had happened,
and seated him on a stool before the door with the apple
in his hand.

Soon afterwards Margery came into the kitchen to
her mother, who was standing by the fire, and stirring
about some hot water in a pot. " Mother," said Margery,
" my brother is sitting before the door with an apple in
his hand; I asked him to give it me, but he did not say
a word, and looked so pale, that I was quite frightened."
"Nonsense!" said her mother; "go back again, and if
he won't answer you, give him a good box on the ear."
Margery went back, and said, " Brother, give me that
apple." But he answered not a word; so she gave him
a box on the ear; and immediately his head fell off.
At this, you may be sure she was sadly frightened, and ran
screaming out to her mother, that she had knocked off
her brother's head, and cried as if her heart would break.
"O Margery!" said her mother, "what have you been
doing? However, what is done cannot be undone; so
we had better put him out of the way, and say nothing
to any one about it."

When the father came home to dinner, he said,
" Where is my little boy? " And his wife said nothing,
but put a large dish of black soup upon the table; and
Margery wept bitterly all the time, and could not hold up
her head. And the father asked after his little boy again.
" Oh! " said his wife, " I should think he is gone to his

206

A kind of cloud came from the tree,
and in the middle was a burning fire,
and out of the fire came a pretty bird.

SEE PAGE 209.

THE JUNIPER TREE

uncle's." " What business could he have to go away
without bidding me good-bye? " said his father. " I
know he wished very much to go," said the woman;
" and begged me to let him stay there some time ; he
will be well taken care of there." " Ah ! " said the father,
"I don't like that; he ought not to have gone away
without wishing me good-bye." And with that he
began to eat; but he seemed still sorrowful about his
son, and said, " Margery, what do you cry so for? your
brother will come back again, I hope." But Margery
by and by slipped out of the room and went to her
drawers and took her best silk handkerchief out of them,
and tying it round her little brother's bones, carried them
out of the house, weeping bitterly all the while, and laid
them under the juniper tree; and as soon as she had
done this, her heart felt lighter, and she left off crying.
Then the juniper tree began to move itself backwards
and forwards, and to stretch its branches out, one from
another, and then bring them together again, just like
a person clapping hands for joy: and after this, a kind
of cloud came from the tree, and in the middle of the
cloud was a burning fire, and out of the fire came a
pretty bird, that flew away into the air, singing merrily.
And as soon as the bird was gone, the handkerchief and
the little boy were gone too, and the tree looked just as
it had done before; but Margery felt quite happy and
joyful within herself, just as if she had known that her

209

THE JUNIPER TREE

brother had been alive again, and went into the house
and ate her dinner.

But the bird flew away, and perched upon the roof
of a goldsmith's house, and sang :

" My mother slew her little son;
My father thought me lost and gone:
But pretty Margery pitied me,
And laid me under the juniper tree;
And now I rove so merrily,
As over the hills and dales I fly:
O what a fine bird am I ! "

The goldsmith was sitting in his shop finishing a
gold chain; and when he heard the bird singing on the
house-top, he started up so suddenly that one of his
shoes slipped off; however, without stopping to put it
on again, he ran out into the street with his apron on,
holding his pincers in one hand, and the gold chain in
the other. And when he saw the bird sitting on the
roof with the sun shining on its bright feathers, he said,
" How sweetly you sing, my pretty bird ! pray sing that
song again." " No," said the bird, " I can't sing twice
for nothing; if you will give me that gold chain, I'll
try what I can do." "There," said the goldsmith,
" take the chain, only pray sing that song again." So
the bird flew down, and taking the chain in his right
claw, perched a little nearer to the goldsmith, and sang:

" My mother slew her little son ;
My father thought me lost and gone:

210

THE JUNIPER TREE

But pretty Margery pitied me,
And laid me under the juniper tree;
And now I rove so merrily,
As over the hills and dales I fly:
O what a fine bird am I ! "

After that the bird flew away to a shoemaker's, and
sitting upon the roof of the house, sang the same song
as it had done before.

When the shoemaker heard the song, he ran to the
door without his coat, and looked up to the top of the
house; but he was obliged to hold his hand before his
eyes, because the sun shone so brightly. " Bird," said
he, " how sweetly you sing ! " Then he called into the
house, " Wife ! wife ! come out here, and see what a
pretty bird is singing on the top of our house ! " And
he called out his children and workmen; and they all
ran out and stood gazing at the bird, with its beautiful
red and green feathers, and the bright golden ring about
its neck, and eyes which glittered like the stars. " O
bird ! " said the shoemaker, " pray sing that song again."
"No," said the bird, "I cannot sing twice for nothing;
you must give me something if I do." " Wife," said the
shoemaker, " run upstairs into the workshop, and bring
me down the best pair of new red shoes you can find."
So his wife ran and fetched them. " Here, my pretty bird,"
said the shoemaker, " take these shoes ; but pray sing that
song again." The bird came down, and taking the shoes
in his left claw, flew up again to the house-top, and sang:

211

THE JUNIPER TREE

" My mother slew her little son ;
My father thought me lost and gone:
But pretty Margery pitied me,
And laid me under the juniper tree;
And now I rove so merrily,
As over the hills and dales I fly:
O what a fine bird am I ! "

And when he had done singing, he flew away,
holding the shoes in one claw and the chain in the
other. And he flew a long, long way off, till at last
he came to a mill. The mill was going clipper ! clapper !
clipper! clapper! and in the mill were twenty millers,
who were all hard at work hewing a millstone; and the
millers hewed, hick! hack! hick! hack! and the mill
went on, clipper ! clapper ! clipper ! clapper !

So the bird perched upon a linden tree close by the
mill, and began its song :

" My mother slew her little son ; 6

My father thought me lost and gone : "

here two of the millers left off their work and listened:

" But pretty Margery pitied me,
And laid me under the juniper tree;"

now all the millers but one looked up and left their
work:

" And now I rove so merrily,
As over the hills and dales I fly:
O what a fine bird am I ! "

Just as the song was ended, the last miller heard it,
and started up, and said, " O bird ! how sweetly you

212

THE JUNIPER TREE

sing! do let me hear the whole of that song; pray, sing
it again ! " " No," said the bird, " I cannot sing twice for
nothing; give me that millstone, and I'll sing again."
" Why," said the man, " the millstone does not belong
to me; if it was all mine, you should have it and wel-
come." " Come," said the other millers, " if he will
only sing that song again, he shall have the millstone."
Then the bird came down from the tree: and the
twenty millers fetched long poles and worked, and
worked, heave, ho! heave, ho! till at last they raised
the millstone on its side; and then the bird put its head
through the hole in the middle of it, and flew away to the
linden tree, and sang the same song as it had done before.

And when he had done, he spread his wings, and
with the chain in one claw, and the shoes in the other,
and the millstone about his neck, he flew away to his
father's house.

Now it happened that his father and mother and
Margery were sitting together at dinner. His father
was saying, " How light and cheerful I am ! " But his
mother said, " Oh, I am so heavy and so sad, I feel just
as if a great storm were coming on." And Margery said
nothing, but sat and cried. Just then the bird came
flying along, and perched upon the top of the house.
"Bless me!" said the father, "how cheerful I am; I
feel as if I was about to see an old friend again."
" Alas ! " said the mother, " I am so sad, and my teeth

213

THE JUNIPER TREE

chatter so, and yet it seems as if my blood was all on
fire in my veins ! " and she tore open her gown to cool
herself. And Margery sat by herself in a corner, with
her plate on her lap before her, and wept so bitterly
that she cried her plate quite full of tears.

And the bird flew to the top of the juniper tree and
sang:

" My mother slew her little son ; — "

Then the mother held her ears with her hands, and
shut her eyes close, that she might neither see nor hear;
but there was a sound in her ears like a frightful storm,
and her eyes burned and glared like lightning.

" My father thought me lost and gone : — "

" O wife ! " said the father, " what a beautiful bird that
is, and how finely he sings; and his feathers glitter in
the sun like so many spangles ! "

" But pretty Margery pitied me,
And laid me under the juniper tree; — "

At this Margery lifted up her head and sobbed sadly,
and her father said, " I must go out, and look at that
bird a little nearer." " Oh ! don't leave me alone," said
his wife ; " I feel just as if the house were burning."
However, he would go out to look at the bird; and it
went on singing:

" But now I rove so merrily,
As over the hills and dales I fly:
O what a fine bird am I ! "

214

THE JUNIPER TREE

As soon as the bird had done singing, he let fall the
gold chain upon his father's neck, and it fitted so nicely
that he went back into the house and said, " Look here,
what a beautiful chain the bird has given me; only see
how grand it is ! " But his wife was so frightened that
she fell all along on the floor, so that her cap flew off,
and she lay as if she were dead. And when the bird
began singing again, Margery said, " I must go out and
see whether the bird has not something to give me."
And just as she was going out of the door, the bird let
fall the red shoes before her; and when she had put on
the shoes, she all at once became quite light and happy,
and jumped into the house and said, " I was so heavy
and sad when I went out, and now I'm so happy! see
what fine shoes the bird has given me ! " Then the
mother said, " Well, if the world should fall to pieces,
I must go out and try whether I shall not be better in
the air." And as she was going out, the bird let fall
the millstone upon her head and crushed her to pieces.

The father and Margery, hearing the noise, ran out,
and saw nothing but smoke and fire and flame rising up
from the place; and when this was passed and gone,
there stood the little boy beside them; and he took his
father and Margery by the hand, and they went into the
house, and ate their dinner together very happily.

215

RAPUNZEL

RAPUNZEL

NCE upon a time there lived a man
and his wife, who much wished to
have a child, but for a long time
in vain. These people had a little
window in the back part of their
house, out of which one could see
into a beautiful garden which was
full of fine flowers and vegetables;
but it was surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared
to go in, because it belonged to a witch who possessed
great power, and who was feared by the whole world.
One day the woman stood at this window looking into
the garden, and there she saw a bed which was filled
with the most beautiful radishes, and which seemed so
fresh and green that she felt quite glad, and a great
desire seized her to eat of these radishes. This wish
tormented her daily, and as she knew that she could
not have them she fell ill, and looked very pale and
miserable. This frightened her husband, who asked
her, " What ails you, my dear wife? "

"Ah!"' she replied, "if I cannot get any of those
radishes to eat out of the garden behind the house I shall
die 1 " The husband, loving her very much, thought,

219

RAPUNZEL

" Rather than let my wife die, I must fetch her some
radishes, cost what they may." So, in the gloom of the
evening, he climbed the wall of the witch's garden, and,
snatching a handful of radishes in great haste, brought
them to his wife, who made herself a salad with them,
which she relished extremely. However, they were so
nice and so well-flavoured that the next day after she felt
the same desire for the third time, and could not get any
rest, so that her husband was obliged to promise her some
more. So, in the evening, he made himself ready, and
began clambering up the wall; but, oh! how terribly
frightened he was, for there he saw the old witch stand-
ing before him. " How dare you," she began, looking
at him with a frightful scowl, " how dare you climb
over into my garden to take away my radishes like a
thief? Evil shall happen to you for this."

" Ah ! " replied he, " let pardon be granted before
justice; I have only done this from a great necessity;
my wife saw your radishes from her window, and took
such a fancy to them that she would have died if she had
not eaten of them." Then the witch ran after him in
a passion, saying, " If she behave as you say, I will let
you take away all the radishes you please, but I make one
condition; you must give me the child which your wife
will bring into the world. All shall go well with it, and
I will care for it like a mother." In his anxiety the
man consented, and when the child was born the witch

220

RAPUNZEL

appeared at the same time, gave the child the name
" Rapunzel," and took it away with her.

Rapunzel grew to be the most beautiful child under
the sun, and when she was twelve years old the witch
shut her up in a tower, which stood in a forest, and had
neither stairs nor door, and only one little window just
at the top. When the witch wished to enter, she stood
beneath, and called out:

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel!
Let down your hair."

For Rapunzel had long and beautiful hair, as fine as spun
gold; and as soon as she heard the witch's voice she
unbound her tresses, opened the window, and then the
hair fell down twenty ells, and the witch mounted up
by it.

After a couple of years had passed away it happened
that the King's son was riding through the wood, and
came by the tower. There he heard a song so beautiful
that he stood still and listened. It was Rapunzel, who,
to pass the time of her loneliness away, was exercising
her sweet voice. The King's son wished to ascend to
her, and looked for a door in the tower, but he could not
find one. So he rode home, but the song had touched
his heart so much that he went every day to the forest
and listened to it; and as he thus stood one day behind
a tree, he saw the witch come up and heard her call
out:

221

RAPUNZEL

"Rapunzel! Rapunzell
Let down your hair."

Then Rapunzel let down her tresses, and the witch
mounted up. " Is that the ladder on which one must
climb? Then I will try my luck too," said the Prince;
and the following day, as he felt quite lonely, he went
to the tower, and said:

"Rapunzell Rapunzell
Let down your hair."

Then the tresses fell down, and he climbed up. Rapun-
zel was much frightened at first when a man came in,
for she had never seen one before; but the King's son
talked in a loving way to her, and told how his heart
had been so moved by her singing that he had no
peace until he had seen her himself. So Rapunzel lost
her terror, and when he asked her if she would have him
for a husband, and she saw that he was young and hand-
some, she thought, " Any one may have me rather than
the old woman." So, saying " Yes," she put her hand
within his: "I will willingly go with you, but I know
not how I am to descend. When you come, bring with
you a skein of silk each time, out of which I will weave
a ladder, and when it is ready I will come down by it,
and you must take me upon your horse." Then they
agreed that they should never meet till the evening, as
the witch came in the daytime. The old woman re-
marked nothing about it, until one day Rapunzel

222

Snip, snap, she cut off all her beauti-
ful tresses.

SEE PAGE 225.

RAPUNZEL

innocently said, " Tell me, mother, how it happens you
find it more difficult to come up to me than the young
King's son, who is with me in a moment! "

" Oh, you wicked child ! " exclaimed the witch,
" what do I hear? I thought I had separated you from
all the world, and yet you have deceived me." And,
seizing Rapunzel's beautiful hair in a fury, she gave her
a couple of blows with her left hand, and, taking a pair
of scissors in her right, snip, snap, she cut off all her
beautiful tresses, and they fell upon the ground. Then
she was so hard-hearted that she took the poor maiden
into a great desert, and left her to die in great misery
and grief.

But the same day when the old witch had carried
Rapunzel off, in the evening she made the tresses fast
above to the window-latch, and when the King's son
came, and called out:

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel!
Let down your hair,"

she let them down. The Prince mounted; but when he
got to the top he found, not his dear Rapunzel, but the
witch, who looked at him with furious and wicked eyes.
"Aha!" she exclaimed, scornfully, "you would fetch
your dear wife; but the beautiful bird sits no longer in
her nest, singing; the cat has taken her away, and will
now scratch out your eyes. To you Rapunzel is lost;
you will never see her again."

22.5

RAPUNZEL

The Prince lost his senses with grief at these words,
and sprang out of the window of the tower in his be-
wilderment. His life he escaped with, but the thorns
into which he fell put out his eyes. So he wandered
blind, in the forest, eating nothing but roots and berries,
and doing nothing but weep and lament for the loss of
his dear wife. He wandered about thus, in great misery,
for some few years, and at last arrived at the desert where
Rapunzel, with her twins, a boy and a girl, which had
been born, lived in great sorrow. Hearing a voice which
he thought he knew he followed in its direction, and, as
he approached, Rapunzel recognised him and fell upon
his neck and wept. Two of her tears moistened his eyes,
and they became clear again, so that he could see as well
as formerly.

Then he led her away to his kingdom, where he was
received with great demonstrations of joy, and where they
lived long, contented and happy.

What became of the old witch no one ever knew.

226

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

LONG time ago, there lived a tailor
who had three sons and one goat.
As the goat had to feed them all
with its milk, it was necessary that
it should have good fodder and be
taken out to the meadow to graze
every day. The sons took it in
turns to go with the goat. Once
the eldest led it to the churchyard, where the best herbs
grew, and let it graze and jump about there. In the
evening, when it was time to come home, he asked,
" Are you satisfied, goat? "
The goat answered :

" I am so full,

Another leaf I could not eat.
Bleat 1 bleat!"

"So come home," said the boy; and he put a cord
round his neck and led him away and tied him up in the
stable.

" Did the goat have its right fodder, and enough? "
asked the tailor.

" Oh, yes," answered the son. " She is so full she
couldn't eat another leaf."

229

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

The father, however, wanted to convince himself, so
he went to the stable, stroked his pet, and asked, " Goat,
are you full? "

The goat replied:

" How should I be full?
Grazing on the graves,
With not a leaf to eat?
Bleat! bleat!"

"What do I hear?" cried the tailor; and he ran out
and said to the boy, "You wicked boy! you said the
goat was full, and instead you have let her starve."
And in his wrath he took the yard measure, and with
a shower of blows drove him out.

The next day it was the second son's turn to take
the goat out. He sought a place in the garden hedge
where there were some tasty herbs and weeds; the goat
stripped the hedge, and when it was evening and time to
go home, he asked, " Goat, are you full? "

The goat answered:

" I am so full,

Another leaf I could not eat.
Bleat! bleat!"

" So come home, then," said the boy. He led him
away, and tied him up in the stable.

" Now, then," asked the old tailor, " has the goat had
its proper food? "

" Oh," answered the son, " she is so full she couldn't
eat another leaf."

230

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

But the tailor wasn't satisfied, and he went into the
stable and asked, " Goat, are you full? "
The goat replied:

" How should I be full?
Grazing on the graves,
yVith not a leaf to eat?
Bleat! bleatl"

" The wicked rascal," cried the tailor, " to let a good
animal like this starve!'1 And with the yard measure
he struck his son and drove him off.

It was the third son's turn the next day, and to be
quite sure the goat should have good food, he selected a
beautiful shrub and let the goat eat the leaves. When
evening came and it was time to go home, he asked,
" Goat, are you full? "

The goat answered:

" I am so full,

Another leaf I could not eat.
Bleat! bleat!"

" Then come home," said the boy. He led the goat
into the stable and tied it up.

" Now, then," said the tailor, " has the goat had its
proper food? "

" Oh, yes," answered the son. " She is so full she
hasn't room for another leaf."

The tailor didn't trust his word, and went again to
the goat and asked, " Goat, are you really full? "

The wicked animal answered :

231

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

" How should I be full?
Grazing on the graves,
With not a leaf to eat?
Bleat! bleatl "

" Oh, you scamp 1 " exclaimed the tailor, " as bad
and undutiful as your brothers. You shan't make a fool
of me any longer " ; and quite beside himself with anger,
he thrashed the poor boy with the yard measure so
terribly that he ran away.

The old tailor was now left alone with the goat.
The next morning he went to the stable, caressed the
goat, and said, " Now, my pretty animal, I will myself
take you out to graze." He put the cord round its
neck, and led it to a hedge where there were nettles and
other things goats like. " Eat to your heart's content,"
he said, and he let her graze till evening. Then he
asked, " Goat, are you full? "

And she answered :

" I am so full,

Another leaf I could not eat.
Bleatl bleat!"

" Then come home," said the tailor, and led her
into the stable and tied her up. As he was going away
he turned round and said, " For once you are full."

But the goat called out as usual :

"How should I be full?
Grazing on the graves,
With not a leaf to eat?
Bleat! bleatl"

232

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

On hearing this the tailor knew the truth, and how
he had turned out his three sons without just cause.
" Wait a minute," he cried. " You ungrateful brute ! to
chase you away is not sufficient punishment; I will
brand you first, so that you'll be ashamed to show your-
self among honest tailors." He ran and fetched his
razor, soaped the goat's head, then shaved it as smooth
as his hand. And because the yard measure seemed too
honourable a weapon, he seized the whip instead, and
lashed the goat till she bounded off in terror.

The tailor, all alone in his house, moped and fell
into a melancholy condition. Gladly would he have had
his sons back, but he had no idea what had become
of them.

The eldest became apprenticed to a carpenter; he
served his time diligently, and when his time was up, his
master made him a present of a little table, which was
made of ordinary wood, but had one peculiarity. If you
put it down anywhere and said, " Little table, lay your-
self," the good little table was at once covered with a
clean cloth, a plate, knife and fork, dishes with boiled
and roast meat, and a big bumper of red wine that did
your heart good to look at, it sparkled so. The young
fellow thought, " With this you will live in plenty all
your life," and went to see the world, never troubling
about whether an inn were good or bad. If it did not
please him he didn't go in, but took his table into a wood

233

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

or a meadow, or to any spot he fancied. Directly he
put it down and said, " Lay yourself," everything was on
it that his heart could desire.

At last it occurred to him to go back to his father,
whose wrath by this time was sure to have died down,
and who would welcome him if he came with the
wonderful little table on his back.

It happened that while he was on the way he came
to an inn that was filled with guests; they bade him
welcome, and invited him to sit down with them to
dinner, otherwise he would stand a poor chance of
getting anything, as the inn was full.

" No," answered the carpenter, " I will not rob
you of a mouthful; on the contrary, I should like to
entertain you as my guests."

They laughed, and thought he was joking.

He, however, put down his wooden table in the
middle of the room, and said, " Little table, lay your-
self." Immediately it was covered with good things to
eat, far better than anything the host could supply,
and the smell of which seemed very appetising to the
guests.

" Set to work, dear friends," said the carpenter; and
the guests, when they saw he really meant it, did not
wait to be asked again, but came to the table and plied
their knives and forks with a will.

The host stood in a corner and looked on; he

234

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

didn't know at all what to make of it, but thought such
a cook would be useful in his household.

The carpenter and the company he entertained were
lively till midnight; then they went to bed, and the
young apprentice placed his table against the wall before
he lay down to sleep. The host's thoughts were busy
meanwhile, and he could not rest for thinking of an old
table in the lumber room that looked very much the
same as this magic one. At last he went and brought
it, and changed it with the carpenter's.

The next morning the carpenter paid his bill, packed
up his dear table, little dreaming it was the wrong one,
and went his way.

About midday he arrived at his father's, who received
him with joyous greetings.

" My dear son, tell me what you've been doing,"
he said.

" Father, I have become a carpenter."

" A good trade ; but what have you brought away
as a specimen of your craft? "

" Father, the best thing I could bring was this table."

The tailor examined the table in every part, then
said, "I can't say it is a masterpiece; it strikes me as
being a very old and a badly made table."

"But," said the son, "it is a table that lays itself; I
have only to place it somewhere and to tell it to lay
itself, and it produces on the instant dainty dishes and

235

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

delicious wine. Just invite all your friends and relatives
to come and regale themselves; the table will send them
away well filled and happy."

When the company arrived, he placed the small table
in the middle of the room and said, " Little table, lay
yourself," but the table did not stir, and remained as
empty as any other table which did not understand
language. Then the poor fellow discovered that the
table had been changed, and hung his head in shame.
The relatives laughed and made game of him, and they
were obliged to take their way home unfed and without
drinking anything. His father brought out his work
again, and tailored away, and the poor son went to find
employment in the service of a new master.

The second son meanwhile had gone as apprentice
to a miller. When his year was up his master said,
" You have worked and behaved so well, that I will give
you a present of a donkey of a peculiar kind; he cannot
draw a cart or carry any sacks."

" What use is he, then? " asked the young apprentice.

" He spits gold," answered the miller. " If you put
him on a cloth and say, ' Bricklebrit/ the good animal
will spit out gold coins before and behind."

" Good business," said the apprentice, thanked his
master, and went out into the world. When he wanted
money he had only to remark " Bricklebrit " to his
donkey, and there was a shower of gold coins; so that

236

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

he had no need to work for a living. Wherever he went
he drew the line at nothing. The dearer things were
the better, because his purse was always full.

After wandering for some time seeing the world, he
thought at last, " It's time you looked up your father
again. If you return home with the gold donkey he will
forget his anger and welcome you home."

Now it happened that on the way he put up at the
same inn where his brother's table had been changed.
He led his donkey by the hand, and his host wanted to
take it from him and tie it up, but the young apprentice
said, " Don't trouble, please; I will take my grey steed
myself into the stable and fasten him up, so that I shall
know exactly where he is."

The host thought this curious, and was of opinion
that a man who insisted on stabling his own donkey
probably hadn't much to spend. However, when his
guest put his hand^in his pocket and, drawing forth two
sovereigns, asked him to bring in a supply of good fare,
he opened his eyes with surprise, then ran and procured
the best that was to be had.

After the meal the stranger asked how much he had
still to pay, and the host, to make as much out of him
as possible, said, " Two sovereigns more."

The apprentice put his hand in his pocket, but found
his supply of gold had run out. " Wait a minute, land-
lord," he said, " I will go and fetch more money," and

237

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

he took the tablecloth with him. The host's curiosity
was aroused, and he followed on tiptoe. The guest
bolted the stable door behind him, but the spy looked
through the keyhole and saw him spread the cloth under
the donkey. Directly he had exclaimed, " Bricklebrit,"
the animal begun to spit gold from every part, till the
ground was covered.

" Ah ! " said the host, " in that way sovereigns are
quickly coined ! I wouldn't mind possessing such a mint."

The guest paid his bill and retired to bed.

In the night the host sneaked out to his stable,
removed the money-making donkey, and put an ordinary
donkey in its place.

Early the following morning the apprentice set off
with the animal, which he thought was his gold donkey,
arriving at noon at his father's house. He received a
warm welcome.

" What have you been doing all this time, son? "
asked the old man.

" I have learnt to be a miller," he answered.

" And what have you brought as a specimen of your
labours? "

" Nothing but a donkey."

" Donkeys are common enough here," said his father.
" I would rather it had been a good goat."

" Yes," answered the son, " but this is no common
donkey; you have only to say, * Bricklebrit,' and the

238

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

animal will spit out for you a cloth full of sovereigns.
Invite all the relatives we have to come and make their
fortunes."

'That will be greatly to my mind," said the tailor,
" and I needn't slave at my needle any longer."

So when all the relatives had come the young miller
told them to sit down, and he spread out the cloth and
brought the donkey into the room. "Now look out,"
he said, and shouted, " Bricklebrit," but no gold coins
appeared, and it was evident the donkey had no notion
of the art of producing them. Not every donkey is so
clever.

The poor miller pulled a long face and begged the
relatives' pardon. They had to go home as poor as they
came; and the poor old man was obliged to drudge with
his needle as he had always done, while the youth took
a place under another miller.

The third brother had gone to a turner's to learn the
trade, and because turning is an artistic calling his was
the longest apprenticeship. His brothers wrote and told
him the misfortunes which had befallen them, and how
the host of the inn at which they had put up had stolen
their valuable magic gifts.

Now when the turner had learnt all there was to
learn of the business, and was going to travel, his master
presented him with a sack, and remarked, " There is a
cudgel inside."

239

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

" The sack I can rest on ; but what good is the
cudgel? It will only make the sack heavy."

" Listen," said the master. " If any one threatens
you, all you've to say is, * Cudgel, jump out of the sack,'
and the cudgel will jump out, and will dance on the
backs of people so effectively that they will have to lie
still and not move for ten days afterwards."

The apprentice thanked him, slung the sack over his
shoulder, and whenever anybody came too near, or was
in any way offensive, he merely said, " Cudgel, jump out
of the sack," and the cudgel came out and laid about
with a will on the backs of the rascals.

The young turner came one evening to the same inn
where his brothers had been swindled. He laid his wares
on the table, and began to relate stories of the wonderful
things he had seen on his travels. " Yes," he said, " it's
all very well to talk about tables that cover themselves, and
donkeys that coin sovereigns, but I have a treasure in
my sack compared with which these things are nothing
at all."

The host pricked up his ears and thought, " The sack
is full of precious stones, I'll be bound. I'll get it
cheaply; all good things come in threes."

When it was time to retire the turner stretched him-
self on a form, using the sack as a pillow. The host,
thinking the guest was in a deep slumber, crept up
and began looking at the sack to see if he could pull

240

The host screamed for mercy, but all
the lustier was the cudgel in beating
time on his back.

SEE PAGE 243.

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

it from under the sleeper's head and exchange it for
another.

The turner, however, had long been on the look-
out, and just as the host had made up his mind to give
him a shove and take the sack, he cried, " Cudgel, come
out! " Immediately the cudgel jumped forth on to the
host's body, which he first scraped, according to a little
custom of his, and then began to flog.

The host screamed for mercy, but all the lustier was
the cudgel in beating time on his back, till at last the
victim fell exhausted on the floor.

The turner then said, " If you will not restore to
me the magic table and the gold donkey of which
you robbed my brothers, the dance shall begin all over
again."

" Ah, no, please," cried the host in a faint voice.
" I will restore everything if you will only tell this
wretched thing to get back in the sack."

" I will be gracious and show mercy, now justice has
been done," said the turner, " but take care what you do
next." He then called out, " Cudgel, jump into the
sack, and let the host alone."

The next morning the turner set out, taking with
him the magic table and the gold donkey. When he
arrived at his father's the old tailor was delighted to see
him, and asked what he had learnt while he had been
out in the world.

243

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

" Dear father," he answered, " I have learnt to be a
turner."

" A very artistic trade," remarked the father. " And
what have you to show? "

"A most costly article, dear father," replied the son,
" a cudgel in a sack."

"What!" exclaimed his father, "a cudgel! You
can cut one from any tree you come to."

" But not one like this, dear father. If I say,
' Cudgel, jump out of the sack,' the cudgel jumps out,
and leads any one who is not friendly to me a dance,
beating him till he lies on the ground crying for mercy.
Look, with this cudgel I have got back the table that
spread itself, and a gold donkey, which a rascally cheat-
ing landlord stole from my brothers. Now summon all
our relatives and friends, and let them eat and drink, and
fill their pockets with gold sovereigns."

The old tailor looked rather unbelieving, but sent
for the relatives.

Then the turner fetched a cloth and led in the gold
donkey. He said to his brother, " Now, my dear boy,
speak to him."

The miller said, " Bricklebrit," and on the instant
gold coins rained into the cloth, and the donkey did not
stop till every one had picked up more than he could
carry. Next the turner fetched the table and said to the
other brother, " Speak to it, dear brother." Scarcely

244

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

had the carpenter cried, " Little table, spread yourself,"
than it was covered with the most delicious things to
eat. A meal was eaten the like of which had never
been known in the tailor's house before, and the relatives
remained till late, and were all merry and contented.

The tailor for the future locked up his needle and
thread, his yard measure, and his iron, in a cupboard,
and lived at his ease with his three sons in comfort and
plenty.

245

CATSKIN

CATSKIN

HERE was once a King, whose
Queen had hair of the purest gold,
and was so beautiful that her match
was not to be met with on the
whole face of the earth. But this
beautiful Queen fell ill, and when
she felt that her end drew near, she
called the King to her and said,
" Vow to me that you will never marry again, unless
you meet with a wife who is as beautiful as I am,
and who has golden hair like mine." Then when the
King in his grief had vowed all she asked, she shut her
eyes and died. But the King was not to be comforted,
and for a long time never thought of taking another
wife. At last, however, his counsellors said, " This will
not do; the King must marry again, that we may have
a Queen." So messengers were sent far and wide, to
seek for a bride who was as beautiful as the late Queen.
But there was no Princess in the world so beautiful; and
if there had been, still there was not one to be found
who had such golden hair. So the messengers came
home, and had done all their work for nothing.

Now the King had a daughter who was just as teauti-

249

CATSKIN

ful as her mother, and had the same golden hair. And
when she was grown up, the King looked at her and saw
that she was just like his late Queen; then he said to his
courtiers, " May I not marry my daughter? she is the
very image of my dead wife: unless I have her, I shall
not find any bride upon the whole earth, and you say
there must be a Queen." When the courtiers heard this,
they were shocked, and said, " Heaven forbid that a father
should marry his daughter! out of so great a sin no good
can come." And his daughter was also shocked, but
hoped the King would soon give up such thoughts; so
she said to him, " Before I marry any one I must have
three dresses: one must be of gold like the sun, another
must be of shining silver like the moon, and a third must
be dazzling as the stars; besides this, I want a mantle of
a thousand different kinds of fur put together, to which
every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin."
And thus she thought he would think of the matter no
more. But the King made the most skilful workmen in
his kingdom weave the three dresses, one as golden as the
sun, another as silvery as the moon, and a third shining
like the stars; and his hunters were told to hunt out
all the beasts in his kingdom and take the finest furs out
of their skins: and so a mantle of a thousand furs was
made.

When all was ready, the King sent them to her; but
she got up in the night when all were asleep, and took

250

CATSKIN

three of her trinkets, a golden ring, a golden necklace,
and a golden brooch; and packed the three dresses of
the sun, moon, and stars up in a nutshell, and wrapped
herself up in the mantle of all sorts of fur, and besmeared
her face and hands with soot. Then she threw herself
upon heaven for help in her need, and went away and
journeyed on the whole night, till at last she came to a
large wood. As she was very tired, she sat herself down
in the hollow of a tree and soon fell asleep; and there
she slept on till it was midday; and it happened, that
as the King to whom the wood belonged was hunting in
it, his dogs came to the tree, and began to snuff about
and run round and round, and then to bark. " Look
sharp," said the King to the huntsmen, " and see what
sort of game lies there." And the huntsmen went up to
the tree, and when they came back again said, " In the
hollow tree there lies a most wonderful beast, such as we
never saw before; its skin seems of a thousand kinds of
fur, but there it lies fast asleep." " See," said the King,
" if you can catch it alive, and we will take it with us."
So the huntsmen took it up, and the maiden awoke and
was greatly frightened, and said, " I am a poor child
that has neither father nor mother left; have pity on me
and take me with you." Then they said, "Yes, Miss
Catskin, you will do for the kitchen; you can sweep
up the ashes and do things of that sort." So they put
her in the coach and took her home to the King's palace.

251

CATSKIN

Then they showed her a little corner under the staircase
where no light of day ever peeped in, and said, " Cat-
skin, you may lie and sleep there." And she was sent
into the kitchen, and made to fetch wood and water, to
blow the fire, pluck the poultry, pick the herbs, sift the
ashes, and do all the dirty work.

Thus Catskin lived for a long time very sorrowfully.
" Ah ! pretty Princess ! " thought she, " what will now
become of thee ! " But it happened one day that a feast
was to be held in the King's castle; so she said to the
cook, " May I go up a little while and see what is going
on? I will take care and stand behind the door." And
the cook said, " Yes, you may go, but be back again in
half an hour's time to rake out the ashes." Then she
took her little lamp, and went into her cabin, and took
off the fur skin, and washed the soot from off her face
and hands, so that her beauty shone forth like the sun
from behind the clouds. She next opened her nutshell,
and brought out of it the dress that shone like the sun,
and so went to the feast. Every one made way for her,
for nobody knew her, and they thought she could be
no less than a King's daughter. But the King came up
to her and held out his hand and danced with her, and
he thought in his heart, " I never saw any one half so
beautiful."

When the dance was at an end, she curtsied; and
when the King looked round for her she was gone, no

252

CAT SKIN

one knew whither. The guards who stood at the castle
gate were called in; but they had seen no one. The
truth was, that she had run into her little cabin, pulled
off her dress, blacked her face and hands, put on the fur-
skin cloak, and was Catskin again. When she went
into the kitchen to her work, and began to rake the
ashes, the cook said, " Let that alone till the morning,
and heat the King's soup; I should like to run up
now and give a peep; but take care you don't let a
hair fall into it, or you will run a chance of never eating
again."

As soon as the cook went away, Catskin heated the
King's soup and toasted up a slice of bread as nicely as
ever she could; and when it was ready, she went and
looked in the cabin for her little golden ring, and put it
into the dish in which the soup was. When the dance
was over, the King ordered his soup to be brought in,
and it pleased him so well that he thought he had never
tasted any so good before. At the bottom he saw a gold
ring lying, and as he could not make out how it had got
there, he ordered the cook to be sent for. The cook was
frightened when she heard the order, and said to Cat-
skin, " You must have let a hair fall into the soup ; if it
be so, you will have a good beating." Then she went
before the King, and he asked her who had cooked the
soup. " I did," answered she. But the King said, " That
is not true; it was better done than you could do it."

253

CATSKIN

Then she answered, " To tell the truth, I did not cook
it, but Catskin did." " Then let Catskin come up," said
the King ; and when she came, he said to her, " Who are
you?" " I am a poor child," said she, "who has lost
both father and mother." " How came you in my
palace? " asked he. " I am good for nothing," said she,
" but to be scullion girl, and to have boots and shoes
thrown at my head." " But how did you get the ring
that was in the soup? " asked the King. But she would
not own that she knew anything about the ring; so the
King sent her away again about her business.

After a time there was another feast, and Catskin
asked the cook to let her go up and see it as before.
' Yes," said she, " but come back again in half an hour,
and cook the King the soup that he likes so much."
Then she ran to her little cabin, washed herself quickly,
and took the dress out which was silvery as the moon,
and put it on; and when she went in looking like a
King's daughter, the King went up to her and rejoiced
at seeing her again, and when the dance began he
danced with her. After the dance was at an end, she
managed to slip out so slyly that the King did not see
where she was gone; but she sprang into her little
cabin and made herself into Catskin again, and went
into the kitchen to cook the soup. Whilst the cook
was above, she got the golden necklace, and dropped it
into the soup; then it was brought to the King, who

254.

She managed to slip out so slyly that
the King did not see "where she was
gone.

SEE PAGE 254.

CATSKIN

ate it, and it pleased him as well as before; so he sent
for the cook, who was again forced to tell him that
Catskin had cooked it. Catskin was brought again
before the King; but she still told him that she was
only fit to have the boots and shoes thrown at her
head.

But when the King had ordered a feast to be got
ready for the third time, it happened just the same as
before. "You must be a witch, Catskin," said the
cook; "for you always put something into the soup,
so that it pleases the King better than mine." How-
ever, she let her go up as before. Then she put on the
dress which sparkled like the stars, and went into the
ballroom in it; and the King danced with her again,
and thought she had never looked so beautiful as she
did then: so whilst he was dancing with her, he put
a gold ring on her finger without her seeing it, and
ordered that the dance should be kept up a long time.
When it was at an end, he would have held her fast by
the hand; but she slipped away and sprang so quickly
through the crowd that he lost sight of her; and she
ran as fast as she could into her little cabin under the
stairs. But this time she kept away too long, and stayed
beyond the half hour; so she had not time to take off
her fine dress, but threw her fur mantle over it, and in
her haste did not soot herself all over, but left one finger
white.

257

CATSKIN

Then she ran into the kitchen, and cooked the King's
soup; and as soon as the cook was gone, she put the
golden brooch into the dish. When the King got to
the bottom, he ordered Catskin to be called once more,
and soon saw the white ringer and the ring that he had
put on it whilst they were dancing; so he seized her
hand, and kept fast hold of it, and when she wanted to
loose herself and spring away, the fur cloak fell off a
little on one side, and the starry dress sparkled under-
neath it. Then he got hold of the fur and tore it off,
and her golden hair and beautiful form were seen, and
she could no longer hide herself; so she washed the
soot and ashes from off her face, and showed herself to
be the most beautiful Princess upon the face of the earth.
But the King said, " You are my beloved bride, and we
will never more be parted from each other." And the
wedding feast was held, and a merry day it was.

258

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

HERE was a man who had three
sons. The youngest was called
Dummling, and was on all occa-
sions despised and ill-treated by the
whole family. It happened that the
eldest took it into his head one day
to go into the wood to cut fuel;
and his mother gave him a delicious
pasty and a bottle of wine to take with him, that he
might refresh himself at his work. As he went into
the wood, a little old man bid him good day, and
said, " Give me a little piece of meat from your plate,
and a little wine out of your bottle; I am very hungry
and thirsty." But this clever young man said, " Give
you my meat and wine! No, I thank you; I should
not have enough left for myself " : and away he went.
He soon began to cut down a tree; but he had not
worked long before he missed his stroke, and cut him-
self, and was obliged to go home to have the wound
dressed. Now it was the little old man that caused him
this mischief.

Next went out the second son to work; and his

261

THE GOLDEN. GOOSE

mother gave him too a pasty and a bottle of wine. And
the same little old man met him also, and asked him for
something to eat and drink. But he too thought him-
self vastly clever, and said, " Whatever you get, I shall
lose; so go your way!'1 The little man took care that
he should have his reward; and the second stroke that
he aimed against a tree, hit him on the leg; so that he
too was forced to go home.

Then Dummling said, " Father, I should like to go
and cut wood too." But his father answered, " Your
brothers have both lamed themselves; you had better
stay at home, for you know nothing of the business."
But Dummling was very pressing; and at last his father
said, " Go your way; you will be wiser when you have
suffered for your folly." And his mother gave him only
some dry bread, and a bottle of sour beer; but when he
went into the wood, he met the little old man, who said,
" Give me some meat and drink, for I am very hungry
and thirsty." Dummling said, " I have only dry bread
and sour beer; if that will suit you, we will sit down
and eat it together." So they sat down; and when the
lad pulled out his bread, behold, it was turned into a
capital pasty, and his sour beer became delightful wine.
They ate and drank heartily; and when they had done,
the little man said, " As you have a kind heart, and have
been willing to share everything with me, I will send a
blessing upon you. There stands an old tree; cut it

262

As soon as she saw the seven all hang-
ing together, she could not help burst"
ing into a long and loud laugh.

SEE PAGE 267.

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

down, and you will find something at the root." Then
he took his leave, and went his way.

Dummling set to work, and cut down the tree; and
when it fell, he found in a hollow under the roots a
goose with feathers of pure gold. He took it up, and
went on to an inn, where he proposed to sleep for the
night. The landlord had three daughters; and when
they saw the goose they were very curious to examine
what this wonderful bird could be, and wished very
much to pluck one of the feathers out of its tail. At
last the eldest said, " I must and will have a feather."
So she waited till his back was turned, and then seized
the goose by the wing; but to her great surprise there
she stuck, for neither hand nor finger could she get
away again. Presently in came the second sister, and
thought to have a feather too; but the moment she
touched her sister, there she too hung fast. At last
came the third, and wanted a feather; but the other two
cried out, " Keep away ! for heaven's sake, keep away ! "
However, she did not understand what they meant. " If
they are there," thought she, " I may as well be there
too." So she went up to them; but the moment she
touched her sisters she stuck fast, and hung to the goose
as they did. And so they kept company with the goose
all night.

The next morning Dummling carried off the goose
under his arm; and took no notice of the three girls,

265

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

but went out with them sticking fast behind; and wher-
ever he travelled they too were obliged to follow,
whether they would or no, as fast as their legs could
carry them.

In the middle of a field the parson met them; and
when he saw the train, he said, "Are you not ashamed
of yourselves, you bold girls, to run after the young man
in that way over the fields? is that proper behaviour? "
Then he took the youngest by the hand to lead her
away; but the moment he touched her he too hung
fast, and followed in the train. Presently up came the
clerk; and when he saw his master the parson running
after the three girls, he wondered greatly, and said,
" Hollo ! hollo ! your reverence ! whither so fast? there
is a christening to-day." Then he ran up, and took him
by the gown, and in a moment he was fast too. As the
five were thus trudging along, one behind another, they
met two labourers with their mattocks coming from
work; and the parson cried out to them to set him free.
But scarcely had they touched him, when they too fell
into the ranks, and so made seven, all running after
Dummling and his goose.

At last they arrived at a city, where reigned a King
who had an only daughter. The Princess was of so
thoughtful and serious a turn of mind that no one could
make her laugh; and the King had proclaimed to all
the world, that whoever could make her laugh should

266

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

have her for his wife. When the young man heard this,
he went to her with his goose and all its train; and as
soon as she saw the seven all hanging together, and
running about, treading on each other's heels, she could
not help bursting into a long and loud laugh. Then
Dummling claimed her for his wife; the wedding was
celebrated, and he was heir to the kingdom, and lived
long and happily with his wife.

267

R UMPELSTILTSKIN

R UMPELSTILTSKIN

N a certain kingdom once lived a
poor miller who had a very beautiful
daughter. She was moreover ex-
ceedingly shrewd and clever; and
the miller was so vain and proud of
her, that he one day told the King
of the land that his daughter could
spin gold out of straw. Now this
King was very fond of money; and when he heard the
miller's boast, his avarice was excited, and he ordered
the girl to be brought before him. Then he led her
to a chamber where there was a great quantity of straw,
gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, "All this must be
spun into gold before morning, as you value your life."
It was in vain that the poor maiden declared that she
could do no such thing; the chamber was locked and
she remained alone.

She sat down in one corner of the room and began
to lament over her hard fate, when on a sudden the door
opened, and a droll-looking little man hobbled in, and
said, " Good morrow to you, my good lass, what are you
weeping for? " " Alas ! " answered she, " I must spin
this straw into gold, and I know not how." " What will

271

R UMPELSTIL TSKIN

you give me," said the little man, " to do it for you? "
" My necklace," replied the maiden. He took her at her
word, and sat himself down to the wheel; round about
it went merrily, and presently the work was done and the
gold all spun.

When the King came and saw this, he was greatly
astonished and pleased; but his heart grew still more
greedy of gain, and he shut up the poor miller's daughter
again with a fresh task. Then she knew not what to do,
and sat down once more to weep; but the little man
presently opened the door, and said, " What will you give
me to do your task? " " The ring on my finger," re-
plied she. So her little friend took the ring, and began
to work at the wheel, till by the morning all was finished
again.

The King was vastly delighted to see all this glitter-
ing treasure; but still he was not satisfied, and took the
miller's daughter into a yet larger room, and said, " All
this must be spun to-night; and if you succeed, you shall
be my Queen." As soon as she was alone the dwarf came
in, and said, " What will you give me to spin gold for
you this third time? " " I have nothing left," said she.
" Then promise me," said the little man, " your first little
child when you are Queen." " That may never be,"
thought the miller's daughter; and as she knew no other
way to get her task done, she promised him what he asked,
and he spun once more the whole heap of gold. The

272

R UMPELSTILTSKIN

King came in the morning, and finding all he wanted,
married her, and so the miller's daughter really became
Queen.

At the birth of her first little child the Queen rejoiced
very much, and forgot the little man and her promise;
but one day he came into her chamber and reminded
her of it. Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune, and
offered him all the treasures of the kingdom in exchange;
but in vain, till at last her tears softened him, and he said,
" I will give you three days' grace, and if during that time
you tell me my name, you shall keep your child."

Now the Queen lay awake all night, thinking of all
the odd names that she had ever heard, and despatched
messengers all over the land to inquire after new ones.
The next day the little man came, and she began with
Timothy, Benjamin, Jeremiah, and all the names she
could remember ; but to all of them he said, " That's not
my name."

The second day she began with all the comical names
she could hear of, Bandy-legs, Hunch-back, Crook-
shanks, and so on, but the little gentleman still said to
every one of them, " That's not my name."

The third day came back one of the messengers, and
said, " I can hear of no one other name ; but yesterday,
as I was climbing a high hill among the trees of the forest
where the fox and the hare bid each other good night,
I saw a little hut, and before the hut burnt a fire, and

273

R UMPELSTIL TSKIN

round about the fire danced a funny little man upon one
leg, and sung :

" Merrily the feast I'll make,
To-day I'll brew, to-morrow bake;
Merrily I'll dance and sing,
For next day will a stranger bring:
Little does my lady dream
Rumpelstiltskin is my name! "

When the Queen heard this, she jumped for joy, and as
soon as her little visitor came, and said, " Now, lady,
what is my name? " " Is it John? " asked she. " No! "
"Is it Tom?" "No!"

"Can your name be Rumpelstiltskin?"

" Some witch told you that! Some witch told you that! "
cried the little man, and dashed his right foot in a rage
so deep into the floor, that he was forced to lay hold of
it with both hands to pull it out. Then he made the
best of his way off, while everybody laughed at him for
having had all his trouble for nothing.

274

THE TWO BROTHERS

THE TWO BROTHERS

NCE upon a time there were two
brothers, the one rich and the other
poor. The rich man was a gold-
smith, and of an evil disposition;
but the poor brother maintained
himself by mending brooms, and
withal was honest and pious. He
had two children — twins, as like
one another as two drops of water — who used often to
go into their rich uncle's house and receive a meal off
the fragments which he left. One day it happened when
the poor man had gone into the wood for twigs that he
saw a bird, which was of gold, and more beautiful than
he had ever before set eyes on. He picked up a stone
and flung it at the bird, and luckily hit it, but so slightly
that only a single feather dropped off. This feather he
took to his brother, who looked at it and said, " It is of
pure gold! " and gave him a good sum of money for it.
The next day he climbed up a birch tree to lop off a
bough or two, when the same bird flew out of the
branches, and as he looked round he found a nest which
contained an egg, also of gold. This he took home as
before to his brother, who said it was of pure gold, and

277

THE TWO BROTHERS

gave him what it was worth, but said that he must have
the bird itself. For the third time now the brother went
into the forest, and saw the golden bird sitting again
upon the tree, and taking up a stone he threw it at it,
and, securing it, took it to his brother, who gave him
for it a large pile of gold. With this the man thought
he might return, and went home light-hearted.

But the goldsmith was crafty and bold, knowing
very well what sort of a bird it was. He called his wife
and said to her, " Roast this bird for me, and take care
of whatever falls from it, for I have a mind to eat it
by myself." Now, the bird was not an ordinary one,
certainly, for it possessed this wonderful power, that
whoever should eat its heart and liver would find hence-
forth every morning a gold piece under his pillow. The
wife made the bird ready, and putting it on a spit, set
it down to roast. Now it happened that while it was
at the fire, and the woman had gone out of the kitchen
on some other necessary work, the two children of the
poor broom-mender ran in, and began to turn the spit
round at the fire for amusement. Presently two little
titbits fell down into the pan out of the bird, and one of
the boys said, " Let us eat these two little pieces, I am so
hungry, and nobody will find if out." So they quickly
despatched the two morsels, and presently the woman
came back, and, seeing at once they had eaten some-
thing, asked them what it was. " Two little bits which

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THE TWO BROTHERS

fell down out of the bird," was the reply. " They were
the heart and liver ! " exclaimed the woman, quite
frightened; and, in order that her husband might not
miss them and be in a passion, she quickly killed a little
chicken, and, taking out its liver and heart, put it inside
the golden bird. As soon as it was done enough she
carried it to the goldsmith, who devoured it quite alone,
and left nothing at all on the plate. The next morning,
however, when he looked under his pillow, expecting
to find the gold pieces, there was not the smallest one
possible to be seen.

The two children did not know what good luck had
fallen upon them, and, when they got up the next morn-
ing, something fell ringing upon the ground, and as they
picked it up they found it was two gold pieces. They
took them to their father, who wondered very much,
and considered what he should do with them; but as
the next morning the same thing happened, and so on
every day, he went to his brother, and narrated to him
the whole story. The goldsmith perceived at once what
had happened, that the children had eaten the heart
and the liver of his bird; and in order to revenge himself,
and because he was so covetous and hard-hearted, he
persuaded the father that his children were in league
with the devil, and warned him not to take the gold,
but to turn them out of the house, for the Evil One
had them in his power, and would make them do

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some mischief. Their father feared the Evil One, and,
although it cost him a severe pang, he led his children
out in the forest and left them there with a sad heart.

Now, the two children ran about the wood, seeking
the road home, but could not find it, so that they only
wandered further away. At last they met a huntsman,
who asked to whom they belonged. " We are the
children of the poor broom-mender," they replied, and
told him that their father could no longer keep them
at home, because a gold piece lay under their pillows
every morning. " Well," replied the huntsman, " That
does not seem right, if you are honest and not idle."
And the good man, having no children of his own, took
home with him the twins, because they pleased him,
and told them he would be their father and bring them
up. With him they learned all kinds of hunting, and the
gold pieces, which each one found at his uprising, they
laid aside against a rainy day.

When now they became quite young men the
huntsman took them into the forest, and said, " To-
day you must perform your shooting trial, that I may
make you free huntsmen like myself." So they went
with him, and waited a long time, but no wild beast
approached, and the huntsman, looking up, saw a flock
of wild geese, flying over in the form of a triangle.
" Shoot one from each corner," said he to the twins, and
when they had done this, another flock came flying

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over in the form of a figure of two, and from these they
were also bid to shoot one at each corner. When they
had likewise performed this deed successfully their foster-
father said, " I now make you free ; for you are capital
marksmen."

Thereupon the two brothers went together into the
forest, laying plans and consulting with each other; and,
when at evening-time they sat down to their meal, they
said to their foster-father, " We shall not touch the least
morsel of food till you have granted our request."
He asked them what it was, and they replied :
"We have now learned everything; let us go into
the world, and see what we can do there, and let us set

out at once."

" You have spoken like brave huntsmen," cried the
old man, overjoyed; "What you have asked is just what
I wished; you can set out as soon as you like, for you
will be prosperous."

Then they ate and drank together once more in
great joy and hilarity.

When the appointed day arrived, the old huntsman
gave to each youth a good rifle and a dog, and let them
take from the gold pieces as many as they liked. Then
he accompanied them a part of their way, and at leaving
gave them a bare knife, saying, " If you should separate,
stick this knife in a tree by the roadside, and then, if
one returns to the same point, he can tell how his absent

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brother fares; for the side upon which there is a mark
will, if he die, rust; but as long as he lives it will be as
bright as ever."

The two brothers now journeyed on till they came
to a forest so large that they could not possibly get out
of it in one day, so there they passed the night, and ate
what they had in their hunters' pockets. The second
day they still walked on, but came to no opening, and
having nothing to eat, one said, " We must shoot some-
thing, or we shall die of hunger " ; and he loaded his
gun and looked around. Just then an old hare came
running up, at which he aimed, but it cried out:

" Dear huntsman, pray now let me live,
And I will two young lev'rets give."

So saying, it ran back into the brushwood and
brought out two hares, but they played about so prettily
and actively that the hunters could not make up their
mind to kill them. So they took them with them, and
the two leverets followed in their footsteps. Presently
a fox came up with them, and, as they were about to
shoot it, it cried out:

" Dear hunters, pray now let me live,
And I will two young foxes give."

These it brought; and the brothers, instead of killing them,
put them with the young hares, and all four followed. In
a little while a wolf came out of the brushwood, whom
the hunters also aimed at, but he cried out as the others:

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" Dear hunters, pray now let me live,
Two young ones, in return, I'll give."

The hunters placed the two wolves with the other
animals, who still followed them; and soon they met a
bear, who also begged for his life, saying :

" Dear hunters, pray now let me live,
Two young ones, in return, I'll give."

These two bears were added to the others: they
made eight; and now who came last? A lion, shaking
his mane. The two brothers were not frightened, but
aimed at him, and he cried :

" Dear hunters, pray now let me live,
Two young ones, in return, I'll give."

The lion then fetched his two young cubs, and now the
huntsmen had two lions, two bears, two wolves, two
foxes, and two hares following and waiting upon them.
Meanwhile their hunger had received no satisfaction,
and they said to the foxes, " Here, you slinks, get us
something to eat, for you are both sly and crafty."

The foxes replied, " Not far from here lies a village,
where we can procure many fowls, and thither we will
show you the way."

So they went into the village, and bought something
to eat for themselves and their animals, and then went
on further, for the foxes were well acquainted with the
country where the hen-roosts were, and so could direct
the huntsmen well.

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For some little way they walked on without finding
any situations where they could live together; so they
said to one another, " It cannot be otherwise, we must
separate." Then the two brothers divided the beasts, so
that each one had a lion, a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a
hare; and then they took leave of each other, promising
to love one another till death; and the knife which their
foster-father gave them they stuck in a tree, so that one
side pointed to the east, and the other to the west.

The younger brother came afterwards with his animals
to a town which was completely hung with black crape.
He went into an inn and inquired if he could lodge his
beasts, and the landlord gave him a stable, and in the
wall was a hole through which the hare crept and seized
upon a cabbage; the fox fetched himself a hen, and when
he had eaten it he stole the cock also; but the lion, the
bear, and the wolf, being too big for the hole, could get
nothing. The master, therefore, made the host fetch an
ox for them, on which they regaled themselves merrily,
and so, having seen after his beasts, he asked the land-
lord why the town was all hung in mourning. The
landlord replied, it was because the next day the King's
only daughter was to die. " Is she then sick unto
death? " inquired the huntsman.

"No," replied the other, "she is well enough; but
still she must die."

" How is that? " asked the huntsman.

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" Out there before the town," said the landlord, " is
a high mountain on which lives a dragon, who must
every year have a pure maiden, or he would lay waste
all the country. Now, all the maidens have been given
up, and there is but one left, the King's daughter, who
must also be given up, for there is no other escape, and
to-morrow morning it is to happen."

The huntsman asked, " Why is the dragon not
killed? "

" Ah ! " replied the landlord, " many knights have
tried, but every one has lost his life; and the King
has promised his own daughter to him who conquers
the dragon, and after his death the inheritance of his
kingdom."

The huntsman said nothing further at that time, but
the next morning, taking with him his beasts, he climbed
the dragon's mountain. A little way up stood a chapel,
and upon an altar therein were three cups, and by them
was written, " Whoever drinks the contents of these cups
will be the strongest man on earth, and may take the
sword which lies buried beneath the threshold." With-
out drinking, the huntsman sought and found the sword
in the ground, but he could not move it from its place;
so he entered, and drank out of the cups, and then he
easily pulled out the sword, and was so strong that he
waved it about like a feather.

When the hour arrived that the maiden should be

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delivered over to the dragon, the King and his Marshal
accompanied her with all the court. From a distance
they perceived the huntsman upon the mountain, and
took him for the dragon waiting for them, and so would
not ascend; but at last, because the whole city must
otherwise have been sacrificed, the Princess was forced
to make the dreadful ascent. The King and his courtiers
returned home full of grief, but the Marshal had to stop
and watch it all from a distance.

As the King's daughter reached the top of the hill she
found there not the dragon, but the young hunter, who
comforted her, saying he would save her, and, leading
her into the chapel, shut her up therein. In a short
time the seven-headed dragon came roaring up with a
tremendous noise, and, as soon as he perceived the
hunter, he was amazed, and asked, " What do you here
on my mountain? "

The hunter replied that he came to fight him, and
the dragon said, breathing out fire as he spoke from his
seven jaws, " Many a knight has already left his life
behind him, and you I will soon kill as dead as they."
The fire from his throat set the grass in a blaze, and
would have suffocated the hunter with the smoke had
not his beasts come running up and stamped it out.
Then the dragon made a dart at the hunter, but he
swung his sword round so that it whistled in the air,
and cut off three of the beast's heads. The dragon now

286

Then the dragon made a dart at the
hunter, but he swung his sword round
and cut off three of the beast's heads.

SEE PAGE 296.

THE TWO BROTHERS

became furious and raised himself in the air, spitting out
fire over his enemy, and trying to overthrow him; but
the hunter, springing on one side, raised his sword again,
and cut off three more of his heads. The beast was half
killed with this, and sank down, but tried once more to
catch the hunter, but he beat him off, and, with his last
strength, cut off his tail; and then, being unable to fight
longer, he called his beasts, who came and tore the
dragon in pieces.

As soon as the battle was over he went to the chapel
and unlocked the door, and found the Princess lying on
the floor; for, from anguish and terror, she had fainted
away while the contest was going on. The hunter
carried her out, and when she came "to herself and
opened her eyes, he showed her the dragon torn to
pieces, and said she was now safe for ever. The sight
made her quite happy, and she said, " Now you will be
my husband, for my father has promised me to him who
should kill the dragon." So saying, she took off her
necklace of coral, and divided it among the beasts for a
reward, the lion receiving the gold snap for his share.
But her handkerchief, on which her name was marked,
she presented to the huntsman, who went and cut out
the tongues of the dragon's seven mouths, and, wrapping
them in the handkerchief, preserved them carefully.

All this being done, the poor fellow felt so weary
with the battle with the dragon and the fire, that he said

THE TWO BROTHERS

to the Princess, " Since we are both so tired, let us sleep
awhile." She consented, and they lay down on the
ground, and the hunter bid the lion watch that nobody
surprised them. Soon they began to snore, and the lion
sat down near them to watch: but he was also weary
with fighting, and he said to the bear, " Do you lie down
near me, for I must sleep a bit; but wake me up if any
one comes." So the bear did as he was bid; but soon
getting tired, he asked the wolf to watch for him. The
wolf consented, but before long he called the fox, and
said, " Do watch for me a little while, I want to have
a nap, and you can wake me if any one comes." The
fox lay down by his side, but soon felt so tired himself
that he called the hare, and asked him to take his place
and watch while he slept a little. The hare came, and
lying down too, soon felt very sleepy; but he had no
one to call in his place, so by degrees he dropped off
himself, and began to snore. Here, then, were sleep-
ing the Princess, the huntsman, the lion, the bear, the
wolf, the fox, and the hare; and all were very sound
asleep.

Meanwhile the Marshal, who had been set to watch
below, not seeing the dragon fly away with the Princess,
and all appearing very quiet, took heart, and climbed up
the mountain. There lay the dragon, dead and torn
to pieces on the ground, and not far off the King's
daughter and a huntsman with his beasts, all reposing

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in a deep sleep. Now, the Marshal was very wickedly
disposed, and, taking his sword, he cut off the head of
the huntsman, and then, taking the maiden under his
arm, carried her down the mountain. At this she awoke,
terrified, and the Marshal cried to her, " You are in my
hands; you must say that it was I who have killed the
dragon."

" That I cannot," she replied, " for a hunter and his
animals did it." Then he drew his sword, and threatened
her with death if she did not obey, till at last she was
forced to consent. Thereupon he brought her before
the King, who went almost beside himself with joy at
seeing again his dear daughter, whom he supposed had
been torn in pieces by the monster. The Marshal told
the King that he had killed the dragon, and freed the
Princess and the whole kingdom, and therefore he
demanded her for a wife, as it had been promised.
The King inquired of his daughter if it were true?
" Ah, yes," she replied, " it must be so ; but I make a
condition, that the wedding shall not take place for
a year and a day"; for she thought to herself that
perhaps in that time she might hear some news of her
dear huntsman.

But up the dragon's mountain the animals still lay
asleep beside their dead master, when presently a great
bee came and settled on the hare's nose, but he lifted his
paw and brushed it off. The bee came a second time,

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but the hare brushed it off again, and went to sleep.
For the third time the bee settled, and stung the hare's
nose so that he woke quite up. As soon as he had risen
and shaken himself, he awoke the fox, and the fox awoke
the wolf, the wolf awoke the bear, and the bear awoke
the lion. As soon as the lion got up and saw that the
maiden was gone and his dear master dead, he began to
roar fearfully, and asked, " Who has done this? Bear,
why did you not wake me? " The bear asked the wolf,
" Why did you not wake me? " The wolf asked the
fox, " Why did you not wake me? " and the fox asked
the hare, " Why did you not wake me? " The poor
hare alone had nothing to answer, and the blame was
attached to him, and the others would have fallen upon
him, but he begged for his life, saying, " Do not kill
me, and I will restore our dear master to life. I know
a hill where grows a root, and he who puts it in his
mouth is healed immediately from all diseases or wounds;
but this mountain lies two hundred hours' journey from
hence."

The lion said, " In four-and-twenty hours you must
go and return here, bringing the root with you."

The hare immediately ran off, and in four-and-
twenty hours returned with the root in his mouth.
Now the lion put the huntsman's head again to his
body while the hare applied the root to the wound, and
immediately the huntsman began to revive, and his heart

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beat and life returned. The huntsman now awoke, and
was frightened to see the maiden no longer with him,
and he thought to himself, " Perhaps she ran away while
I slept, to get rid of me." But, in his haste, the lion had
unluckily set his master's head on the wrong way, but
the hunter did not find it out till midday, when he
wanted to eat, being so occupied with thinking about
the Princess. Then, when he wished to help himself,
he discovered his head was turned to his back, and,
unable to imagine the cause, he asked the animals what
had happened to him in his sleep. The lion told him
that from weariness they had all gone to sleep, and, on
awaking, they had found him dead, with his head cut
off; that the hare had fetched the life-root, but in his
great haste he had turned his head the wrong way, but
that he would make it all right again in no time. So
saying, he cut off the huntsman's head and turned
it round, while the hare healed the wound with the
root.

After this the hunter became very mopish, and went
about from place to place letting his animals dance to
the people for show. It chanced, after a year's time,
that he came again into the same town where he had
rescued the Princess from the dragon; and this time it
was hung all over with scarlet cloth. He asked the
landlord of the inn, " What means this? a year ago the
city was hung with black crape, and to-day it is all in

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red!" The landlord replied, "A year ago our King's
daughter was delivered to the dragon, but our Marshal
fought with it and slew it, and this day their marriage is
to be celebrated; before the town was hung with crape
in token of grief and lamentation, but to-day with scarlet
cloth, to show our joy."

The next day, when the wedding was to take place,
the huntsman said to the landlord, " Believe it or not,
mine host, but to-day I will eat bread from the table of
the King!"

" Well," said he, " I will wager you a hundred
pieces that that doesn't come true."

The huntsman took the bet, and laid down his
money; and then, calling the hare, he said, " Go, dear
Jumper, and fetch me a bit of bread such as the King

eats."

Now, the hare was the smallest, and therefore could
not entrust his business to any one else, but was obliged
to make himself ready to go. " Oh ! '" thought he, " if
I jump along the streets alone, the butchers' dogs will
come out after me."

While he stood considering, it happened as he
thought; for the dogs came behind and were about to
seize him for a choice morsel, but he made a spring (had
you but seen it!), and escaped into a sentry-box without
the soldier knowing it. The dogs came and tried to
hunt him out, but the soldier, not understanding their

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sport, beat them off with a club, so that they ran howl-
ing and barking away. As soon as the hare saw the
coast was clear, he ran up to the castle and into the room
where the Princess was, and, getting under her stool,
began to scratch her foot. The Princess said, " Will
you be quiet? " thinking it was her dog. Then the
hare scratched her foot a second time, and she said
again, " Will you be quiet? " But the hare would not
leave off, and a third time scratched her foot; and now
she peeped down and recognised the hare by his neck-
lace. She took him up in her arms, and carried him into
her chamber. " Dear hare, what do you want? " The
hare replied, " My master who killed the dragon is here,
and sent me; I am come for a piece of bread such as
the King eats."

At these words she became very glad, and bade her
servant bring her a piece of bread such as the King was
accustomed to have. When it was brought, the hare
said, " The baker must carry it for me, or the butchers'
dogs will seize it." So the baker carried it to the door
of the inn, where the hare got upon his hind legs,
and, taking the bread in his forepaws, carried it to his
master. Then the huntsman said, " See here, my host;
the hundred gold pieces are mine."

The landlord wondered very much, but the hunts-
man said further, " Yes, I have got the King's bread,
and now I will have some of his meat." To this the

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landlord demurred, but would not bet again; and his
guest, calling the fox, said, " My dear fox, go and
fetch me some of the meat which the King is to eat
to-day."

The fox was more cunning than the hare, and went
through the lanes and alleys, without seeing a dog,
straight to the royal palace, and into the room of the
Princess, under whose stool he crept. Presently he
scratched her foot, and the Princess, looking down,
recognised the fox with her necklace, and, taking him
into her room, she asked, " What do you want, dear
fox? " He replied, " My master who killed the dragon
is here, and sent me to beg a piece of the meat such as
the King will eat to-day."

The Princess summoned the cook, and made her
prepare a dish of meat like the King's; and, when it
was ready, carry it for the fox to the door of the inn.
Then the fox took the dish himself; and, first driving
the flies away with a whisk of his tail, carried it in to
the hunter.

"See here, Master Landlord," said he; "here are
the bread and meat: now I will have the same vegetables
as the King eats."

He called the wolf, and said, " Dear wolf, go and
fetch me some vegetables the same as the King eats
to-day."

The wolf went straight to the castle like a person who

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feared nobody, and, when he came into the Princess's
chamber, he plucked at her clothes behind so that she
looked round. The maiden knew the wolf by his neck-
lace, and took him with her into her room, and said,
" Dear wolf, what do you want? "

The beast replied, " My master who killed the dragon
is here, and has sent me for some vegetables like those
the King eats to-day."

Then she bade the cook prepare a dish of vegetables
the same as the King's, and carry it to the inn door for
the wolf, who took it of her and bore it in to his master.
The hunter said, " See here, my host : now I have bread,
meat and vegetables the same as the King's; but I will
also have the same sweetmeats." Then he called to the
bear, " Dear bear, go and fetch me some sweetmeats like
those the King has for his dinner to-day, for you like
sweet things." The bear rolled along up to the castle,
while every one got out of his way; but, when he came
to the guard, he pointed his gun at him, and would
not let him pass into the royal apartments. The bear,
however, got up on his hind legs, and gave the guard
right and left a box on the ears with his paw, which
knocked him down; and thereupon he went straight
to the room of the Princess, and, getting behind her,
growled slightly. She looked round, and perceived the
bear, whom she took into her own chamber, and asked
him what he came for. " My master who slew the

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dragon is here," said he, " and has sent me for some
sweetmeats such as the King eats." The Princess let
the sugar-baker be called, and bade him prepare sweet-
meats like those the King had, and carry them for the
bear to the inn. There the bear took charge of them;
and, first licking off the sugar which had boiled over, he
took them in to his master.

"See here, friend landlord," said the huntsman;
" now I have bread, meat, vegetables and sweetmeats
from the table of the King; but I mean also to drink
his wine."

He called the lion, and said, " Dear lion, I should
be glad to have a draught; go and fetch me some wine
like that the King drinks."

The lion strode through the town, where all the
people made way for him, and soon came to the castle,
where the watchmen attempted to stop him at the gates;
but, just giving a little bit of a roar, they were so
frightened that they all ran away. He walked on to
the royal apartments, and knocked with his tail at the
door; and, when the Princess opened it, she was at
first frightened to see a lion; but, soon recognising him
by the gold snap of her necklace which he wore, she
took him into her room, and asked, " Dear lion, what do
you wish? "

The lion replied, " My master who killed the dragon
is here, and has sent me to fetch him wine like that the

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King drinks at his own table." The Princess summoned
the butler, and told him to give the lion wine such as the
King drank. But the lion said, " I will go down with
you and see that I have the right." So he went with
the butler; and, as they were come below, he was about
to draw the ordinary wine, such as was drunk by the
King's servants, but the lion cried, " Hold! I will first
taste the wine " ; and, drawing for himself half a cupful,
he drank it, and said, " No ! that is not the real wine."
The butler looked at him askance, and went to draw
from another cask which was made for the King's
Marshal. Then the lion cried, " Hold ! first I must
taste " ; and, drawing half a flagonful, he drank it off,
and said, "This is better; but still not the right wine."
At these words the butler put himself in a passion, and
said, " What does such a stupid calf as you know about
wine? " The lion gave him a blow behind the ear, so
that he fell down upon the ground; and as soon as he
came to himself he led the lion quite submissively into
a peculiar little cellar where the King's wine was kept,
of which no one ever dared to taste. But the lion, first
drawing for himself half a cupful, tried the wine, and
saying, " This must be the real stuff," bade the butler
fill six bottles with it. When this was done they
mounted the steps again, and as the lion came out of
the cellar into the fresh air he reeled about, being a little
elevated; so that the butler had to carry the wine basket

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for him to the inn, where the lion, taking it again in his
mouth, carried it in to his master. The hunter called
the landlord, and said, " See here; now I have bread,
meat, vegetables, sweetmeats and wine, the very same as
the King will himself eat to-day, and so I will make my
dinner with my animals." They sat down and ate and
drank away, for he gave the hare, the fox, the wolf, the
bear and the lion their share of the good things, and was
very happy, for he felt the King's daughter still loved
him. When he had finished his meal he said to the
landlord, " Now, as I have eaten and drunk the same
things as the King, I will even go to the royal palace
and marry the Princess."

The landlord said, " How can that be, for she is
already betrothed, and to-day the wedding is to be
celebrated!"

Then the hunter drew out the handkerchief which
the King's daughter had given him on the dragon's
mountain, and wherein the seven tongues of the
dragon's seven heads were wrapped, and said, " This
shall help me to do it."

The landlord looked at the handkerchief and said,
" If I believe all that has been done, still I cannot believe
that, and will wager my house and garden upon it."

Thereupon the huntsman took out a purse with a
thousand gold pieces in it, and said, " I will bet you
that against your house and garden."

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Meantime the King asked his daughter, " What do
all these wild beasts mean who have come to you to-day,
and passed and repassed in and out of my castle? "

She replied, " I dare not tell you, but send and let
the master of these beasts be fetched, and you will do
well."

The King sent a servant to the inn to invite the
strange man to come, and arrived just as the hunter had
concluded his wager with the landlord. So he said,
" See, mine host, the King even sends a servant to invite
me to come, but I do not go yet." And to the servant
he said, " I beg that the King will send me royal clothes,
and a carriage with six horses, and servants to wait on

me."

When the King heard this answer, he said to his
daughter, " What shall I do? " " Do as he desires, and
you will do well," she replied. So the King sent a suit
of royal clothes, a carriage with six horses, and some
servants to wait upon the man. As the hunter saw them
coming, he said to the landlord, " See here, I am fetched
just as I desired," and, putting on the royal clothes, he
took the handkerchief with him and drove to the King.
When the King saw him coming, he asked his daughter
how he should receive him, and she said, " Go out to
meet him, and you will do well." So the King met him
and led him into the palace, the animals following. The
King showed him a seat near himself and his daughter,

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THE TWO BROTHERS

and the Marshal sat upon the other side as the bridegroom.
Now, against the walls was the seven-headed dragon
placed, stuffed as if it were yet alive; and the King said,
" The seven heads of that dragon were cut off by our
Marshal, to whom this day I give my daughter in
marriage."

Then the hunter rose up, and, opening the seven
jaws of the dragon, asked where were the seven tongues.
This frightened the Marshal, and he turned pale as death,
but at last, not knowing what else to say, he stammered
out, " Dragons have no tongues."

The hunter replied, " Liars should have none, but
the dragon's tongues are the trophies of the dragon
slayer " ; and so saying, he unwrapped the handkerchief,
and there lay all seven, and he put one into each mouth
of the monster, and they fitted exactly. Then he took
the handkerchief upon which her name was marked and
showed it to the maiden, and asked her to whom she
had given it, and she replied, " To him who slew the
dragon." Then he called his beasts, and taking from
each the necklace, and from the lion the golden snap,
he put them together, and showing them to the Princess
too, asked to whom they belonged. The Princess said,
" The necklace and the snap were mine, and I shared it
among the animals who helped to conquer the dragon."
Then the huntsman said, " When I was weary and rested
after the fight, the Marshal came and cut off my head,

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THE TWO BROTHERS

and then took away the Princess, and gave out that it
was he who had conquered the dragon. Now that he
has lied, I show these tongues, this necklace and this
handkerchief for proofs." And then he related how the
beasts had cured him with a wonderful root, and that for
a year he had wandered, and at last had come hither
again, where he had discovered the deceit of the Marshal
through the innkeeper's tale. Then the King asked
his daughter, :< Is it true that this man killed the
dragon? "

"Yes," she replied, "it is true; for I dared not dis-
close the treachery of the Marshal, because he threatened
me with instant death. But now it is known without my
mention, and for this reason have I delayed the wedding
a year and a day."

After these words the King ordered twelve coun-
cillors to be summoned who should judge the Marshal,
and these condemned him to be torn in pieces by four
oxen. So the Marshal was executed, and the King gave
his daughter to the huntsman, and named him Stadtholder
over all his kingdom. The wedding was celebrated with
great joy, and the young King caused his father and
foster-father to be brought to him, and loaded them
with presents. He did not forget either the landlord,
but bade him welcome, and said to him, " See you here,
my host; I have married the daughter of the King, and
thy house and garden are mine." The landlord said

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THE TWO BROTHERS

that was according to right; but the young King said,
"It shall be according to mercy"; and he gave him
back not only his house and garden, but also presented
him with the thousand gold pieces he had wagered.

Now the young King and Queen were very happy,
and lived together in contentment. He often went out
hunting, because he delighted in it; and the faithful
animals always accompanied him.

In the neighbourhood there was a forest which it
was said was haunted, and that if one entered it he did
not easily get out again. The young King, however,
took a great fancy to hunt in it, and he let the old King
have no peace till he consented to let him. Away then
he rode with a great company; and, as he approached
the forest, he saw a snow-white hind going into it; so
telling his companions to await his return, he rode off
among the trees, and only his faithful beasts accompanied
him. The courtiers waited and waited till evening, but
he did not return; so they rode home and told the
young Queen that her husband had ridden into the forest
after a white doe, and had not again come out. The
news made her very anxious about him. He, however,
had ridden farther and farther into the wood after the
beautiful animal without catching it; and, when he
thought it was within range of his gun, with one spring
it got away, till at last it disappeared altogether. Then
he remarked for the first time how deeply he had

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THE TWO BROTHERS

plunged into the thickets; and, taking his horn, he gave
a blast, but there was no answer, for his people could
not hear it. Presently night began to close in; and
perceiving that he could not get home that day, he
dismounted, and, making a fire, prepared to pass the
night. While he sat by the fire, with his beasts lying
near all around him, he thought he heard a human
voice, but, on looking round, he could see nobody.
Soon after he heard again a groan, as if from a box;
and, looking up, he saw an old woman sitting upon
the tree, who was groaning and crying, " Oh, oh, oh,
how I do freeze ! " He called out, " Come down and
warm yourself if you freeze." But she said, "No; your
beasts will bite me." He replied, "They will not harm
you, my good lady, if you like to come down." But she
was a witch, and said, " I will throw you down a twig,
which if you beat upon their backs they will then do
nothing to me." He did as was requested; and im-
mediately they lay down quietly enough, for they were
changed into stones. Now, when the old woman was
safe from the animals, she sprang down, and, touching
the King too with a twig, converted him also into a
stone. Thereupon she laughed to herself, and buried
him and his beasts in a grave where already were many
more stones.

Meantime the young Queen was becoming more and
more anxious and sad when her husband did not return;

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THE TWO BROTHERS

and just then it happened that the other brother, who
had travelled towards the east when they separated, came
into the territory. He had been seeking and had found
no service to enter, and was, therefore, travelling through
the country, and making his animals dance for a living.
Once he thought he would go and look at the knife
which they had stuck in a tree at their separation, in
order to see how his brother fared. When he looked
at it, lo! his brother's side was half rusty and half bright!
At this he was frightened, and thought his brother had
fallen into some great misfortune; but he hoped yet to
save him, for one half of the knife was bright. He
therefore went with his beasts towards the west ; and, as he
came to the capital city, the watch went out to him, and
asked if he should mention his arrival to his bride, for
the young Queen had for two days been in great sorrow
and distress at his absence, and feared he had been killed
in the enchanted wood. The watchman thought cer-
tainly he was no one else than the young King, for he
was so much like him, and had also the same wild
beasts returning after him. The huntsman perceived he
was speaking of his brother, and thought it was all for
the best that he should give himself out as his brother,
for so, perhaps, he might more easily save him. So he
let himself be conducted by the watchman into the
castle, and was there received with great joy, for the
young Queen took him for her husband also, and asked

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THE TWO BROTHERS

him where he had stopped so long. He told her he had
lost his way in a wood, and could not find his way out
earlier.

For a couple of days he rested at home, but was
always asking about the enchanted wood; and at last he
said, " I must hunt there once more." The King and
the young Queen tried to dissuade him, but he was re-
solved and went out with a great number of attendants.
As soon as he got into the wood, it happened to him as
to his brother: he saw a white hind, and told his people
to wait his return where they were, while he hunted the
wild animal, and immediately rode off, his beasts follow-
ing his footsteps. But he could not catch the hind any
more than his brother; and he went so deep into the
wood that he had to pass the night there. As soon as
he had made a fire, he heard some one groaning above
him, and saying, " Oh, oh, oh, how I do freeze ! " Then
he looked up and there sat the same old witch in the
tree, and he said to her, " If you freeze, old woman, why
don't you come down and warm yourself? " She replied,
" No, your beasts would bite me ; but if you would beat
them with a twig which I will throw down to you, they
can do me no harm." When the hunter heard this, he
doubted the old woman, and said to her, " I do not beat
my beasts; so come down, or I will fetch you." But
she called out, " What are you thinking of, you can do
nothing to me? " He answered, " Come down, or I

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will shoot you." The old woman laughed, and said,
" Shoot away! I am not afraid of your bullets! "

He knelt down and shot, but she was bullet proof;
and, laughing till she yelled, called out, " You cannot
catch me." However, the hunter knew a trick or two,
and tearing three silver buttons from his coat, he loaded
his gun with them; and, while he was ramming them
down, the old witch threw herself from the tree with a
loud shriek, for she was not proof against such shot.
He placed his foot upon her neck, and said, " Old witch,
if you do not tell me quickly where my brother is, I
will tie your hands together, and throw you into the
fire!"

She was in great anguish, begged for mercy, and
said, " He lies with his beasts in a grave, turned into
stone." Then he forced her to go with him, threatening
her, and saying, 'You old cat! now turn my brother
and all the creatures which lie here into their proper
forms, or I will throw you into the fire ! "

The old witch took a twig, and changed the stones
back to what they were; and immediately his brother
and the beasts stood before the huntsman, as well as
many merchants, workpeople, and shepherds who, de-
lighted with their freedom, returned home; but the
twin brothers, when they saw each other again, kissed
and embraced, and were very glad. They seized the
old witch, bound her, and laid her on the fire; and,

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THE TWO BROTHERS

when she was consumed, the forest itself disappeared, and
all was clear and free from trees, so that one could see
the royal palace three miles off.

Now the two brothers went together home; and on
the way told each other their adventures. And when
the younger one said he was lord over the whole land
in place of the King, the other one said, " All that I was
well aware of, for when I went into the city I was taken
for you. And all kingly honour was paid to me, the
young Queen even mistaking me for her true husband,
and making me sit at her table, and sleep in her room."
When the first one heard this, he became very angry,
and so jealous and passionate that, drawing his sword,
he cut off the head of his brother. But as soon as he
had done so, and saw the red blood flowing from the
dead body, he repented sorely, and said, " My brother
has saved me, and I have killed him for so doing " ; and
he groaned pitifully. Just then the hare came, and
offered to fetch the healing root, and then, running off,
brought it just at the right time, so that the dead man
was restored to life again, and not even the mark of the
wound was to be seen.

After this adventure they went on, and the younger
brother said, " You see that we have both got on royal
robes, and have both the same beasts following us; we
will, therefore, enter the city at opposite gates, and arrive
from the two quarters the same time before the King."

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THE TWO BROTHERS

So they separated; and at the same moment the
watchman from each gate came to the King, and in-
formed him that the young Prince with the beasts had
returned from the hunt. The King said, " It is not
possible, for your two gates are a mile asunder ! " But
in the meantime the two brothers had arrived in the
castle yard, and began to mount the stairs. When they
entered, the King said to his daughter, "Tell me which
is your husband, for one appears to me the same as the
other, and I cannot tell." The Princess was in great
trouble, and could not tell which was which: but at
last she bethought herself of the necklace which she had
given to the beasts, and she looked and found on one
of the lions her golden snap, and then she cried exult-
ingly, " He to whom this lion belongs is my rightful
husband." Then the young King laughed and said,
" Yes, that is right " ; and they sat down together at
table, and ate and drank and were merry. At night
when the young King went to bed, his wife asked him
why he had placed on the two previous nights a sword
in the bed, for she thought it was to kill her. Then the
young King knew how faithful his brother had been.

THE END

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