THE MAGIC RING AND OTHER STORIES




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Title: The Magic Ring and Other Stories
       From the Yellow and Crimson Fairy Books
Author: Various
Release Date: January 19, 2015 [EBook #48032]
Language: English
Character set encoding: US-ASCII


*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MAGIC RING AND OTHER
STORIES ***




Produced by Al Haines.





[Illustration: ILONKA LEFT WITH THE SWINEHERD]




                            *THE MAGIC RING*

                          *AND OTHER STORIES*

               *FROM THE YELLOW AND CRIMSON FAIRY BOOKS*


                               EDITED BY

                              ANDREW LANG



                    WITH A COLOURED FRONTISPIECE AND
                       NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY
                             HENRY J. FORD



                            _NEW IMPRESSION_



                        LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
                       39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
                          NEW YORK AND BOMBAY
                                  1906

                         _All rights reserved_




                               *CONTENTS*

The Magic Ring
The White Duck
Lovely Ilonka
Clever Maria
The Language of Beasts
The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership
The Six Swans
The Story of the Emperor's New Clothes
The Golden Crab
The Iron Stove
The Dragon and his Grandmother
The Donkey Cabbage
Lucky Luck
To Your Good Health!




                            *ILLUSTRATIONS*

                             COLOURED PLATE

Ilonka left with the Swineherd . . . . . . _Frontispiece_


                            FULL-PAGE PLATES

Martin extinguishes the Flames
The Witch persuades the Queen to bathe
The First Bulrush Maiden flies away
Clever Maria.
Maria and the King
The Shepherd comes to the Arch of Snakes
The Six Brothers changed into Swans by their Stepmother
The Prince throws the Apple to the Princess
The Iron Stove.
The Faithful Servant and the Three Eagles
The Faithful Servant turns into Stone
The Complaint of the Three Maidens
Staring-Eyes in the White Bear's Pit


                              IN THE TEXT

The Princess summons the Twelve Young Men
Schurka upsets the Baker
The Mouse steals the Ring from the Princess
The King catches the White Duck
The Partnership
At Home in the Church
Protestation
The Way of the World
And then her Dress
The Emperor comes to see his New Clothes
Let down, let down thy Petticoat
The Fisherman brings the Crab on the Golden Cushion
Then She reached the three Cutting Swords
The Dragon carries off the Three Soldiers
The Fiend defeated
The Maiden obtains the Bird-Heart
The Hunter is transformed into a Donkey
The Young Man gives the Donkeys to the Miller




                            *THE MAGIC RING*


Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had one son called
Martin.  Now when the old man's time had come, he stretched himself out
on his bed and died.  Though all his life long he had toiled and moiled,
he only left his widow and son two hundred florins.  The old woman
determined to put by the money for a rainy day; but alas! the rainy day
was close at hand, for their meal was all consumed, and who is prepared
to face starvation with two hundred florins at their disposal?  So the
old woman counted out a hundred of her florins, and giving them to
Martin told him to go into the town and lay in a store of meal for a
year.

So Martin started off for the town.  When he reached the meat-market he
found the whole place in turmoil, and a great noise of angry voices and
barking of dogs.  Mixing in the crowd, he noticed a stag-hound which the
butchers had caught and tied to a post, and which was being flogged in a
merciless manner. Overcome with pity, Martin spoke to the butchers,
saying:

'Friends, why are you beating the poor dog so cruelly?'

'We have every right to beat him,' they replied; 'he has just devoured a
newly-killed pig.'

'Leave off beating him,' said Martin, 'and sell him to me instead.'

'If you choose to buy him,' answered the butchers derisively; 'but for
such a treasure we won't take a penny less than a hundred florins.'

'A hundred!' exclaimed Martin.  'Well, so be it, if you will not take
less'; and, taking the money out of his pocket, he handed it over in
exchange for the dog, whose name was Schurka.

When Martin got home, his mother met him with the question:

'Well, what have you bought?

'Schurka, the dog,' replied Martin, pointing to his new possession.
Whereupon his mother became very angry, and abused him roundly. He ought
to be ashamed of himself, when there was scarcely a handful of meal in
the house, to have spent the money on a useless brute like that.  On the
following day she sent him back to the town, saying, 'Here, take our
last hundred florins, and buy provisions with them.  I have just emptied
the last grains of meal out of the chest, and baked a bannock; but it
won't last over to-morrow.'

Just as Martin was entering the town he met a rough-looking peasant who
was dragging a cat after him by a string which was fastened round the
poor beast's neck.

'Stop,' cried Martin; 'where are you dragging that poor cat?'

'I mean to drown him,' was the answer.

'What harm has the poor beast done?' said Martin.

'It has just killed a goose,' replied the peasant.

'Don't drown him, sell him to me instead,' begged Martin.

'Not for a hundred florins,' was the answer.

'Surely for a hundred florins you'll sell it?' said Martin, 'See! here
is the money'; and, so saying, he handed him the hundred florins, which
the peasant pocketed, and Martin took possession of the cat, which was
called Waska.

When he reached his home his mother greeted him with the question:

'Well, what have you brought back?'

'I have brought this cat, Waska,' answered Martin.

'And what besides?'

'I had no money over to buy anything else with,' replied Martin.

'You useless ne'er-do-weel!' exclaimed his mother in a great passion.
'Leave the house at once, and go and beg your bread among strangers';
and as Martin did not dare contradict her, he called Schurka and Waska
and started off with them to the nearest village in search of work.  On
the way he met a rich peasant who asked him where he was going.

'I want to get work as a day labourer,' he answered.

'Come along with me, then.  But I must tell you I engage my labourers
without wages.  If you serve me faithfully for a year, I promise you it
shall be for your advantage.'

So Martin consented, and for a year he worked diligently, and served his
master faithfully, not sparing himself in any way.  When the day of
reckoning had come the peasant led him into a barn, and pointing to two
full sacks, said: 'Take whichever of these you choose.'

Martin examined the contents of the sacks, and seeing that one was full
of silver and the other of sand, he said to himself:

'There must be some trick about this; I had better take the sand.'  And
throwing the sack over his shoulders he started out into the world, in
search of fresh work.  On and on he walked, and at last he reached a
great gloomy wood.  In the middle of the wood he came upon a meadow,
where a fire was burning, and in the midst of the fire, surrounded by
flames, was a lovely damsel, more beautiful than anything that Martin
had ever seen, and when she saw him she called to him:

'Martin, if you would win happiness, save my life.  Extinguish the
flames with the sand that you earned in payment of your faithful
service.'

'Truly,' thought Martin to himself, 'it would be more sensible to save a
fellow-being's life with this sand than to drag it about on one's back,
seeing what a weight it is.'  And forthwith he lowered the sack from his
shoulders and emptied its contents on the flames, and instantly the fire
was extinguished; but at the same moment lo! and behold the lovely
damsel turned into a Serpent, and, darting upon him, coiled itself round
his neck, and whispered lovingly in his ear:

'Do not be afraid of me, Martin; I love you, and will go with you
through the world.  But first you must follow me boldly into my Father's
Kingdom, underneath the earth; and when we get there, remember this--he
will offer you gold and silver, and dazzling gems, but do not touch
them.  Ask him, instead, for the ring which he wears on his little
finger, for in that ring lies a magic power; you have only to throw it
from one hand to the other, and at once twelve young men will appear,
who will do your bidding, no matter how difficult, in a single night.'

[Illustration: Martin extinguishes the flames.]

So they started on their way, and after much wandering they reached a
spot where a great rock rose straight up in the middle of the road.
Instantly the Serpent uncoiled itself from his neck, and, as it touched
the damp earth, it resumed the shape of the lovely damsel.  Pointing to
the rock, she showed him an opening just big enough for a man to wriggle
through.  Passing into it, they entered a long underground passage,
which led out on to a wide field, above which spread a blue sky.  In the
middle of the field stood a magnificent castle, built out of porphyry,
with a roof of gold and with glittering battlements.  And his beautiful
guide told him that this was the palace in which her father lived and
reigned over his kingdom in the Underworld.

Together they entered the palace, and were received by the King with
great kindness. Turning to his daughter, he said:

'My child, I had almost given up the hope of ever seeing you again.
Where have you been all these years?'

'My father,' she replied, 'I owe my life to this youth, who saved me
from a terrible death.'

Upon which the King turned to Martin with a gracious smile, saying: 'I
will reward your courage by granting you whatever your heart desires.
Take as much gold, silver, and precious stones as you choose.'

'I thank you, mighty King, for your gracious offer,' answered Martin,
'but I do not covet either gold, silver, or precious stones; yet if you
will grant me a favour, give me, I beg, the ring from off the little
finger of your royal hand. Every time my eye falls on it I shall think
of your gracious Majesty, and when I marry I shall present it to my
bride.'

So the King took the ring from his finger and gave it to Martin, saying:
'Take it, good youth; but with it I make one condition--you are never to
confide to anyone that this is a magic ring. If you do, you will
straightway bring misfortune on yourself.'

Martin took the ring, and, having thanked the King, he set out on the
same road by which he had come down into the Under-world. When he had
regained the upper air he started for his old home, and having found his
mother still living in the old house where he had left her, they settled
down together very happily. So uneventful was their life that it almost
seemed as if it would go on in this way always, without let or
hindrance.  But one day it suddenly came into his mind that he would
like to get married, and, moreover, that he would choose a very grand
wife--a King's daughter, in short.  But as he did not trust himself as a
wooer, he determined to send his old mother on the mission.

'You must go to the King,' he said to her, 'and demand the hand of his
lovely daughter in marriage for me.'

'What are you thinking of, my son?' answered the old woman, aghast at
the idea.  'Why cannot you marry someone in your own rank? That would be
far more fitting than to send a poor old woman like me a-wooing to the
King's Court for the hand of a Princess.  Why, it is as much as our
heads are worth.  Neither my life nor yours would be worth anything if I
went on such a fool's errand.'

'Never fear, little mother,' answered Martin. 'Trust me; all will be
well.  But see that you do not come back without an answer of some
kind.'

And so, obedient to her son's behest, the old woman hobbled off to the
palace, and, without being hindered, reached the courtyard, and began to
mount the flight of steps leading to the royal presence chamber.  At the
head of the landing rows of courtiers were collected in magnificent
attire, who stared at the queer old figure, and called to her, and
explained to her, with every kind of sign, that it was strictly
forbidden to mount those steps.  But their stern words and forbidding
gestures made no impression whatever on the old woman, and, she
resolutely continued to climb the stairs, bent on carrying out her son's
orders.  Upon this some of the courtiers seized her by the arms, and
held her back by sheer force, at which she set up such a yell that the
King himself heard it, and stepped out on to the balcony to see what was
the matter.  When he beheld the old woman flinging her arms wildly
about, and heard her scream that she would not leave the place till she
had laid her case before the King, he ordered that she should be brought
into his presence.  And forthwith she was conducted into the golden
presence chamber, where, leaning back amongst cushions of royal purple,
the King sat, surrounded by his counsellors and courtiers.  Courtesying
low, the old woman stood silent before him.  'Well, my good old dame,
what can I do for you?' asked the King.

'I have come,' replied Martin's mother--'and your Majesty must not be
angry with me--I have come a-wooing.'

'Is the woman out of her mind?' said the King, with an angry frown.

But Martin's mother answered boldly: 'If the King will only listen
patiently to me, and give me a straightforward answer, he will see that
I am not out of my mind.  You, O King, have a lovely daughter to give in
marriage.  I have a son--a wooer--as clever a youth and as good a
son-in-law as you will find in your whole kingdom.  There is nothing
that he cannot do.  Now tell me, O King, plump and plain, will you give
your daughter to my son as wife?'  The King listened to the end of the
old woman's strange request, but every moment his face grew blacker, and
his features sterner; till all at once he thought to himself, 'Is it
worth while that I, the King, should be angry with this poor old fool?'
And all the courtiers and counsellors were amazed when they saw the hard
lines round his mouth and the frown on his brow grow smooth, and heard
the mild but mocking tones in which he answered the old woman, saying:

'If your son is as wonderfully clever as you say, and if there is
nothing in the world that he cannot do, let him build a magnificent
castle, just opposite my palace windows, in four and twenty hours.  The
palace must be joined together by a bridge of pure crystal.  On each
side of the bridge there must be growing trees, having golden and silver
apples, and with birds of paradise among the branches.  At the right of
the bridge there must be a church, with five golden cupolas; in this
church your son shall be wedded to my daughter, and we will keep the
wedding festivities in the new castle.  But if he fails to execute this
my royal command, then, as a just but mild monarch, I shall give orders
that you and he are taken, and first dipped in tar and then in feathers,
and you shall be executed in the market-place for the entertainment of
my courtiers.'

And a smile played round the King's lips as he finished speaking, and
his courtiers and counsellors shook with laughter when they thought of
the old woman's folly, and praised the King's wise device, and said to
each other, 'What a joke it will be when we see the pair of them tarred
and feathered!  The son is just as able to grow a beard on the palm of
his hand as to execute such a task in twenty-four hours.'

Now the poor old woman was mortally afraid, and in a trembling voice she
asked:

'Is that really your royal will, O King?  Must I take this order to my
poor son?'

'Yes, old dame; such is my command.  If your son carries out my order,
he shall be rewarded with my daughter; but if he fails, away to the
tar-barrel and the stake with you both!'

On her way home the poor old woman shed bitter tears, and when she saw
Martin she told him what the King had said, and sobbed out:

'Didn't I tell you, my son, that you should marry someone of your own
rank?  It would have been better for us this day if you had.  As I told
you, my going to Court has been as much as our lives are worth, and now
we will both be tarred and feathered, and burnt in the public
market-place.  It is terrible!' and she moaned and cried.

'Never fear, little mother,' answered Martin; 'trust me, and you will
see all will be well.  You may go to sleep with a quiet mind.'

And, stepping to the front of the hut, Martin threw his ring from the
palm of one hand into the other, upon which twelve youths instantly
appeared, and demanded what he wanted them to do.  Then he told them the
King's commands, and they answered that by the next morning all should
be accomplished exactly as the King had ordered.

Next morning when the King awoke, and looked out of his window, to his
amazement he beheld a magnificent castle, just opposite his own palace,
and joined to it a bridge of pure crystal.

At each side of the bridge trees were growing, from whose branches hung
golden and silver apples, among which birds of paradise perched. At the
right, gleaming in the sun, were the five golden cupolas of a splendid
church, whose bells rang out, as if they would summon people from all
corners of the earth to come and behold the wonder.  Now, though the
King would much rather have seen his future son-in-law tarred,
feathered, and burnt at the stake, he remembered his royal oath, and had
to make the best of a bad business.  So he took heart of grace, and made
Martin a Duke, and gave his daughter a rich dowry, and prepared the
grandest wedding-feast that had ever been seen, so that to this day the
old people in the country still talk of it.

After the wedding Martin and his royal bride went to dwell in the
magnificent new palace, and here Martin lived in the greatest comfort
and luxury, such luxury as he had never imagined. But though he was as
happy as the day was long, and as merry as a grig, the King's daughter
fretted all day, thinking of the indignity that had been done her in
making her marry Martin, the poor widow's son, instead of a rich young
Prince from a foreign country.  So unhappy was she that she spent all
her time wondering how she should get rid of her undesirable husband.
And first she determined to learn the secret of his power, and, with
flattering, caressing words, she tried to coax him to tell her how he
was so clever that there was nothing in the world that he could not do.
At first he would tell her nothing; but once, when he was in a yielding
mood, she approached him with a winning smile on her lovely face, and,
speaking flattering words to him, she gave him a potion to drink, with a
sweet, strong taste.  And when he had drunk it Martin's lips were
unsealed, and he told her that all his power lay in the magic ring that
he wore on his finger, and he described to her how to use it, and, still
speaking, he fell into a deep sleep.  And when she saw that the potion
had worked, and that he was sound asleep, the Princess took the magic
ring from his finger, and, going into the courtyard, she threw it from
the palm of one hand into the other.  On the instant the twelve youths
appeared, and asked her what she commanded them to do.  Then she told
them that by the next morning they were to do away with the castle, and
the bridge, and the church, and put in their stead the humble hut in
which Martin used to live with his mother, and that while he slept her
husband was to be carried to his old lowly room; and that they were to
bear her away to the utmost ends of the earth, where an old King lived
who would make her welcome in his palace, and surround her with the
state that befitted a royal Princess.

[Illustration: The Princess summons the Twelve Young Men]

'You shall be obeyed,' answered the twelve youths at the same moment.
And lo and behold! the following morning, when the King awoke and looked
out of his window, he beheld to his amazement that the palace, bridge,
church, and trees had all vanished, and there was nothing in their place
but a bare, miserable-looking hut.

Immediately the King sent for his son-in-law, and commanded him to
explain what had happened.  But Martin looked at his royal
father-in-law, and answered never a word.  Then the King was very angry,
and, calling a council together, he charged Martin with having been
guilty of witchcraft, and of having deceived the King, and having made
away with the Princess; and he was condemned to imprisonment in a high
stone tower, with neither meat nor drink, till he should die of
starvation.

[Illustration: Schurka upsets the baker.]

Then, in the hour of his dire necessity, his old friends Schurka (the
dog) and Waska (the cat) remembered how Martin had once saved them from
a cruel death; and they took counsel together as to how they should help
him.  And Schurka growled, and was of opinion that he would like to tear
everyone in pieces; but Waska purred meditatively, and scratched the
back of her ear with a velvet paw, and remained lost in thought.  At the
end of a few minutes she had made up her mind, and, turning to Schurka,
said: 'Let us go together into the town, and the moment we meet a baker
you must make a rush between his legs and upset the tray from off his
head; I will lay hold of the rolls, and will carry them off to our
master.'  No sooner said than done.  Together the two faithful creatures
trotted off into the town, and very soon they met a baker bearing a tray
on his head, and looking round on all sides, while he cried:

    'Fresh rolls, sweet cake,
      Fancy bread of every kind.
    Come and buy, come and take.
      Sure you'll find it to your mind.'

At that moment Schurka made a rush between his legs--the baker stumbled,
the tray was upset, the rolls fell to the ground, and, while the man
angrily pursued Schurka, Waska managed to drag the rolls out of sight
behind a bush. And when a moment later Schurka joined her, they set off
at full tilt to the stone tower where Martin was a prisoner, taking the
rolls with them.

Waska, being very agile, climbed up by the outside to the grated window,
and called in an anxious voice:

'Are you alive, master?'

'Scarcely alive--almost starved to death,' answered Martin in a weak
voice.  'I little thought it would come to this, that I should die of
hunger.'

'Never fear, dear master.  Schurka and I will look after you,' said
Waska.  And in another moment she had climbed down and brought him back
a roll, and then another, and another, till she had brought him the
whole tray-load.  Upon which she said: 'Dear master, Schurka and I are
going off to a distant kingdom at the utmost ends of the earth to fetch
you back your magic ring.  You must be careful that the rolls last till
our return.'

And Waska took leave of her beloved master, and set off with Schurka on
their journey. On and on they travelled, looking always to right and
left for traces of the Princess, following up every track, making
inquiries of every cat and dog they met, listening to the talk of every
wayfarer they passed; and at last they heard that the kingdom at the
utmost ends of the earth where the twelve youths had borne the Princess
was not very far off.  And at last one day they reached that distant
kingdom, and, going at once to the palace, they began to make friends
with all the dogs and cats in the place, and to question them about the
Princess and the magic ring; but no one could tell them much about
either.  Now one day it chanced that Waska had gone down to the palace
cellar to hunt for mice and rats, and seeing an especially fat, well-fed
mouse, she pounced upon it, buried her claws in its soft fur, and was
just going to gobble it up, when she was stopped by the pleading tones
of the little creature, saying, 'If you will only spare my life I may be
of great service to you.  I will do everything in my power for you; for
I am the King of the Mice, and if I perish the whole race will die out.'

'So be it,' said Waska.  'I will spare your life; but in return you must
do something for me.  In this castle there lives a Princess, the wicked
wife of my dear master.  She has stolen away his magic ring.  You must
get it away from her at whatever cost; do you hear?  Till you have done
this I won't take my claws out of your fur.'

'Good!' replied the mouse; 'I will do what you ask.'  And, so saying, he
summoned all the mice in his kingdom together.  A countless number of
mice, small and big, brown and grey, assembled, and formed a circle
round their king, who was a prisoner under Waska's claws. Turning to
them he said: 'Dear and faithful subjects, whoever among you will steal
the magic ring from the strange Princess will release me from a cruel
death; and I shall honour him above all the other mice in the kingdom.'

Instantly a tiny mouse stepped forward and said: 'I often creep about
the Princess's bedroom at night, and I have noticed that she has a ring
which she treasures as the apple of her eye. All day she wears it on her
finger, and at night she keeps it in her mouth.  I will undertake, sire,
to steal away the ring for you.'

[Illustration: The Mouse steals the Ring from the Princess]

And the tiny mouse tripped away into the bedroom of the Princess, and
waited for night-fall; then, when the Princess had fallen asleep, it
crept up on to her bed, and gnawed a hole in the pillow, through which
it dragged one by one little down feathers, and threw them under the
Princess's nose.  And the fluff flew into the Princess's nose, and into
her mouth, and starting up she sneezed and coughed, and the ring fell
out of her mouth on to the coverlet.  In a flash the tiny mouse had
seized it and brought it to Waska as a ransom for the King of the Mice.
Thereupon Waska and Schurka started off, and travelled night and day
till they reached the stone tower where Martin was imprisoned; and the
cat climbed up the window, and called out to him:

'Martin, dear master, are you still alive?'

'Ah!  Waska, my faithful little cat, is that you?' replied a weak voice.
'I am dying of hunger.  For three days I have not tasted food.'

'Be of good heart, dear master,' replied Waska; 'from this day forth you
will know nothing but happiness and prosperity.  If this were a moment
to trouble you with riddles, I would make you guess what Schurka and I
have brought you back.  Only think, we have got you your ring!'

At these words Martin's joy knew no bounds, and he stroked her fondly,
and she rubbed up against him and purred happily, while below Schurka
bounded in the air, and barked joyfully. Then Martin took the ring, and
threw it from one hand into the other, and instantly the twelve youths
appeared and asked what they were to do.

'Fetch me first something to eat and drink, as quickly as possible; and
after that bring musicians hither, and let us have music all day long.'

Now when the people in the town and palace heard music coming from the
tower they were filled with amazement, and came to the King with the
news that witchcraft must be going on in Martin's Tower, for, instead of
dying of starvation, he was seemingly making merry to the sound of
music, and to the clatter of plates, and glass, and knives and forks;
and the music was so enchantingly sweet that all the passers-by stood
still to listen to it.  On this the King sent at once a messenger to the
Starvation Tower, and he was so astonished with what he saw that he
remained rooted to the spot.  Then the King sent his chief counsellors,
and they too were transfixed with wonder.  At last the King came
himself, and he likewise was spellbound by the beauty of the music.

Then Martin summoned the twelve youths, spoke to them, saying, 'Build up
my castle again, and join it to the King's palace with a crystal bridge;
do not forget the trees with the golden and silver apples, and with the
birds of paradise in the branches; and put back the church with the five
cupolas, and let the bells ring out, summoning the people from the four
corners of the kingdom.  And one thing more: bring back my faithless
wife, and lead her into the women's chamber.'

And it was all done as he commanded, and, leaving the Starvation Tower,
he took the King, his father-in-law, by the arm, and led him into the
new palace, where the Princess sat in fear and trembling, awaiting her
death.  And Martin spoke to the King, saying, 'King and royal father, I
have suffered much at the hands of your daughter.  What punishment shall
be dealt to her?'

Then the mild King answered: 'Beloved Prince and son-in-law, if you love
me, let your anger be turned to grace--forgive my daughter, and restore
her to your heart and favour.'

And Martin's heart was softened and he forgave his wife, and they lived
happily together ever after.  And his old mother came and lived with
him, and he never parted with Schurka and Waska; and I need hardly tell
you that he never again let the ring out of his possession.




                            *THE WHITE DUCK*


Once upon a time a great and powerful King married a lovely Princess.
No couple were ever so happy; but before their honeymoon was over they
were forced to part, for the King had to go on a warlike expedition to a
far country, and leave his young wife alone at home.  Bitter were the
tears she shed, while her husband sought in vain to soothe her with
words of comfort and counsel, warning her, above all things, never to
leave the castle, to hold no intercourse with strangers, to beware of
evil counsellors, and especially to be on her guard against strange
women.  And the Queen promised faithfully to obey her royal lord and
master in these four matters.

[Illustration: The witch persuades the Queen to bathe.]

So when the King set out on his expedition she shut herself up with her
ladies in her own apartments, and spent her time in spinning and
weaving, and in thinking of her royal husband. Often she was very sad
and lonely, and it happened that one day while she was seated at the
window, letting salt tears drop on her work, an old woman, a kind,
homely-looking old body, stepped up to the window, and, leaning upon her
crutch, addressed the Queen in friendly, flattering tones, saying:

'Why are you sad and cast down, fair Queen? You should not mope all day
in your rooms, but should come out into the green garden, and hear the
birds sing with joy among the trees, and see the butterflies fluttering
above the flowers, and hear the bees and insects hum, and watch the
sunbeams chase the dew-drops through the rose-leaves and in the
lily-cups.  All the brightness outside would help to drive away your
cares, O Queen.'

For long the Queen resisted her coaxing words, remembering the promise
she had given the King, her husband; but at last she thought to herself:
After all, what harm would it do if I were to go into the garden for a
short time and enjoy myself among the trees and flowers, and the singing
birds and fluttering butterflies and humming insects, and look at the
dew-drops hiding from the sunbeams in the hearts of the roses and
lilies, and wander about in the sunshine instead of remaining all day in
this room? For she had no idea that the kind-looking old woman leaning
on her crutch was in reality a wicked witch, who envied the Queen her
good fortune, and was determined to ruin her. And so, in all ignorance,
the Queen followed her out into the garden and listened to her smooth,
flattering words.  Now, in the middle of the garden there was a pond of
water, clear as crystal, and the old woman said to the Queen:

'The day is so warm, and the sun's rays so scorching, that the water in
the pond looks very cool and inviting.  Would you not like to bathe in
it, fair Queen?'

'No, I think not,' answered the Queen; but the next moment she regretted
her words, and thought to herself: Why shouldn't I bathe in that cool,
fresh water?  No harm could come of it.  And, so saying, she slipped off
her robes and stepped into the water.  But scarcely had her tender feet
touched the cool ripples when she felt a great shove on her shoulders,
and the wicked witch had pushed her into the deep water, exclaiming:

'Swim henceforth, White Duck!'

And the witch herself assumed the form of the Queen, and decked herself
out in the royal robes, and sat among the Court ladies, awaiting the
King's return.  And suddenly the tramp of horses' hoofs was heard, and
the barking of dogs, and the witch hastened forward to meet the royal
carriages, and throwing her arms round the King's neck, kissed him.  And
in his great joy the King did not know that the woman he held in his
arms was not his own dear wife, but a wicked witch.

In the meantime, outside the palace walls, the poor White Duck swam up
and down the pond; and near it laid three eggs, out of which there came
one morning two little fluffy ducklings and a little ugly drake.  And
the White Duck brought the little creatures up, and they paddled after
her in the pond, and caught gold-fish, and hopped upon the bank and
waddled about, ruffling their feathers and saying 'Quack, quack' as they
strutted about on the green banks of the pond. But their mother used to
warn them not to stray too far, telling them that a wicked witch lived
in the castle beyond the garden, adding, 'She has ruined me, and she
will do her best to ruin you.'  But the young ones did not listen to
their mother, and playing about the garden one day, they strayed close
up to the castle windows.  The witch at once recognised them by their
smell, and ground her teeth with anger; but she hid her feelings, and,
pretending to be very kind, she called them to her and joked with them,
and led them into a beautiful room, where she gave them food to eat, and
showed them a soft cushion on which they might sleep.  Then she left
them and went down into the palace kitchens, where she told the servants
to sharpen the knives, and to make a great fire ready, and hang a large
kettleful of water over it.

In the meantime the two little ducklings had fallen asleep, and the
little drake lay between them, covered up by their wings, to be kept
warm under their feathers.  But the little drake could not go to sleep,
and as he lay there wide awake in the night he heard the witch come to
the door and say:

'Little ones, are you asleep?'

And the little drake answered for the other two:

    'We cannot sleep, we wake and weep.
    Sharp is the knife, to take our life;
    The fire is hot, now boils the pot,
    And so we wake, and lie and quake.'

'They are not asleep yet,' muttered the witch to herself; and she walked
up and down in the passage, and then came back to the door, and said:

'Little ones, are you asleep?'

And again the little drake answered for his sisters:

    'We cannot sleep, we wake and weep,
    Sharp is the knife, to take our life;
    The fire is hot, now boils the pot,
    And so we wake, and lie and quake.'

'Just the same answer,' muttered the witch; 'I think I'll go in and
see.'  So she opened the door gently, and seeing the two little
ducklings sound asleep, she there and then killed them.

The next morning the White Duck wandered round the pond in a distracted
manner, looking for her little ones; she called and she searched, but
could find no trace of them.  And in her heart she had a foreboding that
evil had befallen them, and she fluttered up out of the water and flew
to the palace.  And there, laid out on the marble floor of the court,
dead and stone cold, were her three children.  The White Duck threw
herself upon them, and, covering up their little bodies with her wings,
she cried:

    'Quack, quack--my little loves!
    Quack, quack--my turtle doves!
    I brought you up with grief and pain,
    And now before my eyes you're slain.
    I gave you always of the best;
    I kept you warm in my soft nest.
    I loved and watched you day and night--
    You were my joy, my one delight.'

The King heard the sad complaint of the White Duck, and called to the
witch: 'Wife, what a wonder is this?  Listen to that White Duck.'

But the witch answered, 'My dear husband, what do you mean?  There is
nothing wonderful in a duck's quacking.  Here, servants!  Chase that
duck out of the courtyard.'  But though the servants chased and chevied,
they could not get rid of the duck; for she circled round and round, and
always came back to the spot where her children lay, crying:

    'Quack, quack--my little loves!
    Quack, quack--my turtle-doves!
    The wicked witch your lives did take--
    The wicked witch, the cunning snake.
    First she stole my King away,
    Then my children did she slay.
    Changed me, from a happy wife,
    To a duck for all my life.
    Would I were the Queen again;
    Would that you had ne'er been slain.'

And as the King heard her words he began to suspect that he had been
deceived, and he called out to the servants, 'Catch that duck, and bring
it here.'  But, though they ran to and fro, the duck always fled past
them, and would not let herself be caught.  So the King himself stepped
down amongst them, and instantly the duck fluttered down into his hands.
And as he stroked her wings she was changed into a beautiful woman, and
he recognised his dear wife.  And she told him that a bottle would be
found in her nest in the garden, containing some drops from the spring
of healing.  And it was brought to her; and the ducklings and little
drake were sprinkled with the water, and from the little dead bodies
three lovely children arose. And the King and Queen were overjoyed when
they saw the children, and they all lived happily together in the
beautiful palace.  But the wicked witch was taken by the King's command,
and she came to no good end.

[Illustration: The King catches the White Duck.]




                            *LOVELY ILONKA*


There was once a King's son who told his father that he wished to marry.

'No, no!' said the King; 'you must not be in such a hurry.  Wait till
you have done some great deed.  My father did not let me marry till I
had won the golden sword you see me wear.'

The Prince was much disappointed, but he never dreamed of disobeying his
father, and he began to think with all his might what he could do.  It
was no use staying at home, so one day he wandered out into the world to
try his luck, and as he walked along he came to a little hut in which he
found an old woman crouching over the fire.

'Good evening, mother.  I see you have lived long in this world; do you
know anything about the three bulrushes?'

'Yes, indeed, I've lived long and been much about in the world, but I
have never seen or heard anything of what you ask.  Still, if you will
wait till to-morrow I may be able to tell you something.'

Well, he waited till the morning, and quite early the old woman appeared
and took out a little pipe and blew in it, and in a moment all the crows
in the world were flying about her.  Not one was missing.  Then she
asked if they knew anything about the three bulrushes, but not one of
them did.

The Prince went on his way, and a little further on he found another hut
in which lived an old man.  On being questioned the old man said he knew
nothing, but begged the Prince to stay overnight, and the next morning
the old man called all the ravens together, but they too had nothing to
tell.

The Prince bade him farewell and set out.  He wandered so far that he
crossed seven kingdoms, and at last, one evening, he came to a little
house in which was an old woman.

'Good evening, dear mother,' said he politely.

'Good evening to you, my dear son,' answered the old woman.  'It is
lucky for you that you spoke to me or you would have met with a horrible
death.  But may I ask where are you going?'

'I am seeking the three bulrushes.  Do you know anything about them?'

'I don't know anything myself, but wait till to-morrow.  Perhaps I can
tell you then.'  So the next morning she blew on her pipe, and lo! and
behold every magpie in the world flew up. That is to say, all the
magpies except one who had broken a leg and a wing.  The old woman sent
after it at once, and when she questioned the magpies the crippled one
was the only one who knew where the three bulrushes were.

Then the Prince started off with the lame magpie.  They went on and on
till they reached a great stone wall, many, many feet high.

'Now, Prince,' said the Magpie, 'the three bulrushes are behind that
wall.'

[Illustration: THE FIRST BULRUSH MAIDEN FLIES AWAY]

The Prince wasted no time.  He set his horse at the wall and leaped over
it.  Then he looked about for the three bulrushes, pulled them up and
set off with them on his way home.  As he rode along one of the
bulrushes happened to knock against something.  It split open and, only
think! out sprang a lovely girl, who said: 'My heart's love, you are
mine and I am yours; do give me a glass of water.'

But how could the Prince give it her when there was no water at hand?
So the lovely maiden flew away.  He split the second bulrush as an
experiment and just the same thing happened.

How careful he was of the third bulrush!  He waited till he came to a
well, and there he split it open, and out sprang a maiden seven times
lovelier than either of the others, and she too said: 'My heart's love,
I am yours and you are mine; do give me a glass of water.'

This time the water was ready and the girl did not fly away, but she and
the Prince promised to love each other always.  Then they set out for
home.

They soon reached the Prince's country, and as he wished to bring his
promised bride back in a fine coach he went on to the town to fetch one.
In the field where the well was, the King's swineherds and cowherds were
feeding their droves, and the Prince left Ilonka (for that was her name)
in their care.

Unluckily the chief swineherd had an ugly old daughter, and whilst the
Prince was away he dressed her up in fine clothes, and threw Ilonka into
the well.

The Prince returned before long, bringing with him his father and mother
and a great train of courtiers to escort Ilonka home.  But how they all
stared when they saw the swineherd's ugly daughter!  However, there was
nothing for it but to take her home; and, two days later, the Prince
married her, and his father gave up the crown to him.

But he had no peace!  He knew very well he had been cheated, though he
could not think how.  Once he desired to have some water brought him
from the well into which Ilonka had been thrown.  The coachman went for
it and, in the bucket he pulled up, a pretty little duck was swimming.
He looked wonderingly at it, and all of a sudden it disappeared and he
found a dirty-looking girl standing near him. The girl returned with him
and managed to get a place as housemaid in the palace.

Of course she was very busy all day long, but whenever she had a little
spare time she sat down to spin.  Her distaff turned of itself and her
spindle span by itself and the flax wound itself off; and however much
she might use there was always plenty left.

When the Queen--or, rather, the swineherd's daughter--heard of this, she
very much wished to have the distaff, but the girl flatly refused to
give it to her.  However, at last she consented on condition that she
might sleep one night in the King's room.  The Queen was very angry, and
scolded her well; but as she longed to have the distaff she consented,
though she gave the King a sleeping draught at supper.

Then the girl went to the King's room looking seven times lovelier than
ever.  She bent over the sleeper and said: 'My heart's love, I am yours
and you are mine.  Speak to me but once; I am your Ilonka.'  But the
King was so sound asleep he neither heard nor spoke, and Ilonka left the
room, sadly thinking he was ashamed to own her.

Soon after the Queen again sent to say that she wanted to buy the
spindle.  The girl agreed to let her have it on the same conditions as
before; but this time, also, the Queen took care to give the King a
sleeping draught.  And once more Ilonka went to the King's room and
spoke to him; whisper as sweetly as she might she could get no answer.

Now some of the King's servants had taken note of the matter, and warned
their master not to eat and drink anything that the Queen offered him,
as for two nights running she had given him a sleeping draught.  The
Queen had no idea that her doings had been discovered; and when, a few
days later, she wanted the flax, and had to pay the same price for it,
she felt no fears at all.

At supper that night the Queen offered the King all sorts of nice things
to eat and drink, but he declared he was not hungry, and went early to
bed.

The Queen repented bitterly her promise to the girl, but it was too late
to recall it; for Ilonka had already entered the King's room, where he
lay anxiously waiting for something, he knew not what.  All of a sudden
he saw a lovely maiden who bent over him and said: 'My dearest love, I
am yours and you are mine. Speak to me, for I am your Ilonka.'

At these words the King's heart bounded within him.  He sprang up and
embraced and kissed her, and she told him all her adventures since the
moment he had left her.  And when he heard all that Ilonka had suffered,
and how he had been deceived, he vowed he would be revenged; so he gave
orders that the swineherd, his wife and daughter should all be hanged;
and so they were.

The next day the King was married, with great rejoicings, to the fair
Ilonka; and if they are not yet dead--why, they are still living.




                             *CLEVER MARIA*


There was once a merchant who lived close to the royal palace, and had
three daughters.  They were all pretty, but Maria, the youngest, was the
prettiest of the three.  One day the King sent for the merchant, who was
a widower, to give him directions about a journey he wished the good man
to take.  The merchant would rather not have gone, as he did not like
leaving his daughters at home, but he could not refuse to obey the
King's commands, and with a heavy heart he returned home to say farewell
to them. Before he left, he took three pots of basil, and gave one to
each girl, saying, 'I am going a journey, but I leave these pots.  You
must let nobody into the house.  When I come back, they will tell me
what has happened.'  'Nothing will have happened,' said the girls.

[Illustration: CLEVER MARIA]

The father went away, and the following day the King, accompanied by two
friends, paid a visit to the three girls, who were sitting at supper.
When they saw who was there, Maria said, 'Let us go and get a bottle of
wine from the cellar.  I will carry the key, my eldest sister can take
the light, while the other brings the bottle.'  But the King replied,
'Oh, do not trouble; we are not thirsty.'  'Very well, we will not go,'
answered the two elder girls; but Maria merely said, 'I shall go,
anyhow.'  She left the room, and went to the hall where she put out the
light, and putting down the key and the bottle, ran to the house of a
neighbour, and knocked at the door.  'Who is there so late?' asked the
old woman, thrusting her head out of the window.

'Oh, let me in,' answered Maria.  'I have quarrelled with my eldest
sister, and as I do not want to fight any more, I have come to beg you
to allow me to sleep with you.'

So the old woman opened the door and Maria slept in her house.  The King
was very angry at her for playing truant, but when she returned home the
next day, she found the plants of her sisters withered away, because
they had disobeyed their father.  Now the window in the room of the
eldest overlooked the gardens of the King, and when she saw how fine and
ripe the medlars were on the trees, she longed to eat some, and begged
Maria to scramble down by a rope and pick her a few, and she would draw
her up again.  Maria, who was good-natured, swung herself into the
garden by the rope, and got the medlars, and was just making the rope
fast under her arms so as to be hauled up, when her sister cried: 'Oh,
there are such delicious lemons a little farther on.  You might bring me
one or two.'  Maria turned round to pluck them, and found herself face
to face with the gardener, who caught hold of her, exclaiming, 'What are
you doing here, you little thief?'  'Don't call me names,' she said, 'or
you will get the worst of it,' giving him as she spoke such a violent
push that he fell panting into the lemon bushes.  Then she seized the
cord and clambered up to the window.

The next day the second sister had a fancy for bananas and begged so
hard, that, though Maria had declared she would never do such a thing
again, at last she consented, and went down the rope into the King's
garden.  This time she met the King, who said to her, 'Ah, here you are
again, cunning one!  Now you shall pay for your misdeeds.'

And he began to cross-question her about what she had done.  Maria
denied nothing, and when she had finished, the King said again, 'Follow
me to the house, and there you shall pay the penalty.'  As he spoke, he
started for the house, looking back from time to time to make sure that
Maria had not run away.  All of a sudden, when he glanced round, he
found she had vanished completely, without leaving a trace of where she
had gone.  Search was made all through the town, and there was not a
hole or corner which was not ransacked, but there was no sign of her
anywhere.  This so enraged the King that he became quite ill, and for
many months his life was despaired of.

Meanwhile the two elder sisters had married the two friends of the King,
and were the mothers of little daughters.  Now one day Maria stole
secretly to the house where her elder sister lived, and snatching up the
children put them into a beautiful basket she had with her, covered with
flowers inside and out, so that no one would ever guess it held two
babies. Then she dressed herself as a boy, and placing the basket on her
head she walked slowly past the palace, crying as she went:

'Who will carry these flowers to the King, who lies sick of love?'

And the King in his bed heard what she said, and ordered one of his
attendants to go out and buy the basket.  It was brought to his bedside,
and as he raised the lid cries were heard, and peeping in he saw two
little children.  He was furious at this new trick which he felt had
been played on him by Maria, and was still looking at them, wondering
how he should pay her out, when he was told that the merchant, Maria's
father, had finished the business on which he had been sent and returned
home.  Then the King remembered how Maria had refused to receive his
visit, and how she had stolen his fruit, and he determined to be
revenged on her.  So he sent a message by one of his pages that the
merchant was to come to see him the next day, and bring with him a coat
made of stone, or else he would be punished.  Now the poor man had been
very sad since he got home the evening before, for though his daughters
had promised that nothing should happen while he was away, he had found
the two elder ones married without asking his leave.  And now there was
this fresh misfortune, for how was he to make a coat of stone?  He wrung
his hands and declared that the King would be the ruin of him, when
Maria suddenly entered.  'Do not grieve about the coat of stone, dear
father; but take this bit of chalk, and go to the palace and say you
have come to measure the King.'  The old man did not see the use of
this, but Maria had so often helped him before that he had confidence in
her, so he put the chalk in his pocket and went to the palace.

'That is no good,' said the King when the merchant had told him what he
had come for.

'Well, I can't make the coat you want,' replied he.

'Then if you would save your head, hand over to me your daughter Maria.'

The merchant did not reply, but went sorrowfully back to his house,
where Maria sat waiting for him.

'Oh, my dear child, why was I born?  The King says that, instead of the
coat, I must deliver you up to him.'

'Do not be unhappy, dear father, but get a doll made, exactly like me,
with a string attached to its head, which I can pull for "Yes" and
"No."'

So the old man went out at once to see about it.

The King remained patiently in his palace, feeling sure that this time
Maria could not escape him; and he said to his pages, 'If a gentleman
should come here with his daughter and ask to be allowed to speak with
me, put the young lady in my room and see she does not leave it.'

When the door was shut on Maria, who had concealed the doll under her
cloak, she hid herself under the couch, keeping fast hold of the string
which was fastened to its head.

[Illustration: MARIA & THE KING]

'Senhora Maria, I hope you are well,' said the King when he entered the
room.  The doll nodded.  'Now we will reckon up accounts,' continued he,
and he began at the beginning, and ended up with the flower-basket, and
at each fresh misdeed Maria pulled the string, so that the doll's head
nodded assent.  'Whoso mocks at me merits death,' declared the King when
he had ended, and drawing his sword, cut off the doll's head.  It fell
towards him, and as he felt the touch of a kiss, he exclaimed, 'Ah,
Maria, Maria, so sweet in death, so hard to me in life! The man who
could kill you deserves to die!'  And he was about to turn his sword on
himself, when the true Maria sprang out from under the bed, and flung
herself into his arms.  And the next day they were married and lived
happily for many years.




                        *THE LANGUAGE OF BEASTS*


Once upon a time a man had a shepherd who served him many years
faithfully and honestly. One day, whilst herding his flock, this
shepherd heard a hissing sound, coming out of a forest near by, which he
could not account for.  So he went into the wood in the direction of the
noise to try to discover the cause.  When he approached the place he
found that the dry grass and leaves were on fire, and on a tree,
surrounded by flames, a snake was coiled, hissing with terror.

The shepherd stood wondering how the poor snake could escape, for the
wind was blowing the flames that way, and soon that tree would be
burning like the rest.  Suddenly the snake cried: 'O shepherd! for the
love of heaven save me from this fire!'

[Illustration: THE SHEPHERD COMES TO THE ARCH OF SNAKES]

Then the shepherd stretched his staff out over the flames and the snake
wound itself round the staff and up to his hand, and from his hand it
crept up his arm, and twined itself about his neck.  The shepherd
trembled with fright, expecting every instant to be stung to death, and
said: 'What an unlucky man I am!  Did I rescue you only to be destroyed
myself?'  But the snake answered: 'Have no fear; only carry me home to
my father who is the King of the Snakes.'  The shepherd, however, was
much too frightened to listen, and said that he could not go away and
leave his flock alone; but the snake said: 'You need not be afraid to
leave your flock, no evil shall befall them; but make all the haste you
can.'

So he set off through the wood carrying the snake, and after a time he
came to a great gateway, made entirely of snakes intertwined one with
another.  The shepherd stood still with surprise, but the snake round
his neck whistled, and immediately all the arch unwound itself.

'When we are come to my father's house,' said his own snake to him, 'he
will reward you with anything you like to ask--silver, gold, jewels, or
whatever on this earth is most precious: but take none of all these
things, ask rather to understand the language of beasts.  He will refuse
it to you a long time, but in the end he will grant it to you.'

Soon after that they arrived at the house of the King of the Snakes, who
burst into tears of joy at the sight of his daughter, as he had given
her up for dead.  'Where have you been all this time?' he asked,
directly he could speak, and she told him that she had been caught in a
forest fire, and had been rescued from the flames by the shepherd.  The
King of the Snakes, then turning to the shepherd, said to him: 'What
reward will you choose for saving my child?'

'Make me to know the language of beasts,' answered the shepherd, 'that
is all I desire.'

The king replied: 'Such knowledge would be of no benefit to you, for if
I granted it to you and you told anyone of it, you would immediately
die; ask me rather for whatever else you would most like to possess, and
it shall be yours.'

But the shepherd answered him: 'Sir, if you wish to reward me for saving
your daughter, grant me, I pray you, to know the language of beasts.  I
desire nothing else'; and he turned as if to depart.

Then the king called him back, saying: 'If nothing else will satisfy
you, open your mouth.'  The man obeyed, and the king spat into it, and
said: 'Now spit into my mouth.'  The shepherd did as he was told, then
the King of the Snakes spat again into the shepherd's mouth.  When they
had spat into each other's mouths three times, the king said:

'Now you know the language of beasts, go in peace; but, if you value
your life, beware lest you tell anyone of it, else you will immediately
die.'

So the shepherd set out for home, and on his way through the wood he
heard and understood all that was said by the birds, and by every living
creature.  When he got back to his sheep he found the flock grazing
peacefully, and as he was very tired he laid himself down by them to
rest a little.  Hardly had he done so when two ravens flew down and
perched on a tree near by, and began to talk to each other in their own
language: 'If that shepherd only knew that there is a vault full of gold
and silver beneath where that lamb is lying, what would he not do?'
When the shepherd heard these words he went straight to his master and
told him, and the master at once took a waggon, and broke open the door
of the vault, and they carried off the treasure.  But instead of keeping
it for himself, the master, who was an honourable man, gave it all up to
the shepherd, saying: 'Take it, it is yours.  The gods have given it to
you.'  So the shepherd took the treasure and built himself a house.  He
married a wife, and they lived in great peace and happiness, and he was
acknowledged to be the richest man, not only of his native village, but
of all the country-side. He had flocks of sheep, and cattle, and horses
without end, as well as beautiful clothes and jewels.

One day, just before Christmas, he said to his wife: 'Prepare everything
for a great feast, to-morrow we will take things with us to the farm
that the shepherds there may make merry.'  The wife obeyed, and all was
prepared as he desired.  Next day they both went to the farm, and in the
evening the master said to the shepherds: 'Now come, all of you, eat,
drink, and make merry.  I will watch the flocks myself to-night in your
stead.'  Then he went out to spend the night with the flocks.

When midnight struck the wolves howled and the dogs barked, and the
wolves spoke in their own tongue, saying:

'Shall we come in and work havoc, and you too shall eat flesh?'  And the
dogs answered in their tongue: 'Come in, and for once we shall have
enough to eat.'

Now amongst the dogs there was one so old that he had only two teeth
left in his head, and he spoke to the wolves, saying: 'So long as I have
my two teeth still in my head, I will let no harm be done to my master.'

All this the master heard and understood, and as soon as morning dawned
he ordered all the dogs to be killed excepting the old dog.  The farm
servants wondered at this order, and exclaimed: 'But surely, sir, that
would be a pity.'

The master answered: 'Do as I bid you'; and made ready to return home
with his wife, and they mounted their horses, her steed being a mare.
As they went on their way, it happened that the husband rode on ahead,
while the wife was a little way behind.  The husband's horse, seeing
this, neighed, and said to the mare: 'Come along, make haste; why are
you so slow?'  And the mare answered: 'It is very easy for you, you
carry only your master, who is a thin man, but I carry my mistress, who
is so fat that she weighs as much as three.'  When the husband heard
that he looked back and laughed, which the wife perceiving, she urged on
the mare till she caught up with her husband, and asked him why he
laughed.  'For nothing at all,' he answered; 'just because it came into
my head.'  She would not be satisfied with this answer, and urged him
more and more to tell her why he had laughed.  But he controlled himself
and said: 'Let me be, wife; what ails you?  I do not know myself why I
laughed.'  But the more he put her off, the more she tormented him to
tell her the cause of his laughter.  At length he said to her: 'Know,
then, that if I tell it you I shall immediately and surely die.'  But
even this did not quiet her; she only besought him the more to tell her.
Meanwhile they had reached home, and before getting down from his horse
the man called for a coffin to be brought; and when it was there he
placed it in front of the house, and said to his wife:

'See, I will lay myself down in this coffin, and will then tell you why
I laughed, for as soon as I have told you I shall surely die.'  So he
lay down in the coffin, and while he took a last look around him, his
old dog came out from the farm and sat down by him, and whined.  When
the master saw this, he called to his wife: 'Bring a piece of bread to
give to the dog.'  The wife brought some bread and threw it to the dog,
but he would not look at it.  Then the farm cock came and pecked at the
bread; but the dog said to it: 'Wretched glutton, you can eat like that
when you see that your master is dying?'  The cock answered: 'Let him
die, if he is so stupid. I have a hundred wives, which I call together
when I find a grain of corn, and as soon as they are there I swallow it
myself; should one of them dare to be angry, I would give her a lesson
with my beak.  He has only one wife, and he cannot keep her in order.'

As soon as the man understood this, he got up out of the coffin, seized
a stick, and called his wife into the room, saying: 'Come, and I will
tell you what you so much want to know'; and then he began to beat her
with the stick, saying with each blow: 'It is that, wife, it is that!'
And in this way he taught her never again to ask why he had laughed.




                 *THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP*


[Illustration: THE PARTNERSHIP]

A cat had made acquaintance with a Mouse, and had spoken so much of the
great love and friendship she felt for her, that at last the Mouse
consented to live in the same house with her, and to go shares in the
housekeeping.  'But we must provide for the winter or else we shall
suffer hunger,' said the Cat.  'You, little Mouse, cannot venture
everywhere in case you run at last into a trap.'  This good counsel was
followed, and a little pot of fat was bought.  But they did not know
where to put it.  At length, after long consultation, the Cat said, 'I
know of no place where it could be better put than in the church.  No
one will trouble to take it away from there.  We will hide it in a
corner, and we won't touch it till we are in want.'  So the little pot
was placed in safety; but it was not long before the Cat had a great
longing for it, and said to the Mouse, 'I wanted to tell you, little
Mouse, that my cousin has a little son, white with brown spots, and she
wants me to be godmother to it.  Let me go out to-day, and do you take
care of the house alone.'

[Illustration: AT HOME IN THE CHURCH]

'Yes, go, certainly,' replied the Mouse, 'and when you eat anything
good, think of me; I should very much like a drop of the red christening
wine.'

But it was all untrue.  The Cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to
be godmother.  She went straight to the church, slunk to the little pot
of fat, began to lick it, and licked the top off.  Then she took a walk
on the roofs of the town, looked at the view, stretched herself out in
the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought of the little pot of
fat.  As soon as it was evening she went home again.

'Ah, here you are again!' said the Mouse; 'you must certainly have had
an enjoyable day.'

'It went off very well,' answered the Cat.

'What was the child's name?' asked the Mouse.

'Top Off,' said the Cat drily.

'Topoff!' echoed the Mouse; 'it is indeed a wonderful and curious name.
Is it in your family?'

'What is there odd about it?' said the Cat. 'It is not worse than
Breadthief, as your god-child is called.'

Not long after this another great longing came over the Cat.  She said
to the Mouse, 'You must again be kind enough to look after the house
alone, for I have been asked a second time to stand godmother, and as
this child has a white ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.'

The kind Mouse agreed, but the Cat slunk under the town wall to the
church, and ate up half of the pot of fat.  'Nothing tastes better,'
said she, 'than what one eats by oneself,' and she was very much pleased
with her day's work. When she came home the Mouse asked, 'What was this
child called?'

'Half Gone,' answered the Cat.

'Halfgone! what a name!  I have never heard it in my life.  I don't
believe it is in the calendar.'

Soon the Cat's mouth began to water once more after her licking
business.  'All good things in threes,' she said to the Mouse; 'I have
again to stand godmother.  The child is quite black, and has very white
paws, but not a single white hair on its body.  This only happens once
in two years, so you will let me go out!'

'Topoff!  Halfgone!' repeated the Mouse; 'they are such curious names;
they make me very thoughtful.'

'Oh, you sit at home in your dark grey coat and your long tail,' said
the Cat, 'and you get fanciful.  That comes of not going out in the
day.'

The Mouse had a good cleaning out while the Cat was gone, and made the
house tidy; but the greedy Cat ate the fat every bit up.  'When it is
all gone one can be at rest,' she said to herself, and at night she came
home sleek and satisfied. The Mouse asked at once after the third
child's name.

'It won't please you any better,' said the Cat; 'he was called Clean
Gone.'

'Cleangone!' repeated the Mouse.  'I do not believe that name has been
printed any more than the others.  Cleangone!  What can it mean?'  She
shook her head, curled herself up, and went to sleep.

From this time on no one asked the Cat to stand godmother; but when the
winter came and there was nothing to be got outside, the Mouse
remembered their provision and said: 'Come, Cat, we will go to our pot
of fat which we have stored away; it will taste very good.'

'Yes, indeed,' answered the Cat; 'it will taste as good to you as if you
stretched your thin tongue out of the window.'

They started off, and when they reached it they found the pot in its
place, but quite empty!

'Ah,' said the Mouse, 'now I know what has happened!  It has all come
out!  You are a true friend to me!  You have eaten it all when you stood
godmother; first the top off, then half of it gone, then----'

[Illustration: PROTESTATION.  The Way of the World]

'Will you be quiet?' screamed the Cat. 'Another word and I will eat you
up.'

'Cleangone' was already on the poor Mouse's tongue, and scarcely was it
out than the Cat made a spring at her, seized and swallowed her.

You see that is the way of the world.




                            *THE SIX SWANS*


A king was once hunting in a great wood, and he hunted the game so
eagerly that none of his courtiers could follow him.  When evening came
on he stood still and looked round him, and he saw that he had quite
lost himself. He sought a way out, but could find none. Then he saw an
old woman with a shaking head coming towards him; but she was a witch.

'Good woman,' he said to her, 'can you not show me the way out of the
wood?'

'Oh, certainly, Sir King,' she replied, 'I can quite well do that, but
on one condition, which if you do not fulfil you will never get out of
the wood, and will die of hunger.'

'What is the condition?' asked the King.

'I have a daughter,' said the old woman, 'who is so beautiful that she
has not her equal in the world, and is well fitted to be your wife; if
you will make her lady-queen I will show you the way out of the wood.'

The King in his anguish of mind consented, and the old woman led him to
her little house where her daughter was sitting by the fire.  She
received the King as if she were expecting him, and he saw that she was
certainly very beautiful; but she did not please him, and he could not
look at her without a secret feeling of horror. As soon as he had lifted
the maiden on to his horse the old woman showed him the way, and the
King reached his palace, where the wedding was celebrated.

The King had already been married once, and had by his first wife seven
children, six boys and one girl, whom he loved more than anything in the
world.  And now, because he was afraid that their stepmother might not
treat them well and might do them harm, he put them in a lonely castle
that stood in the middle of a wood.  It lay so hidden, and the way to it
was so hard to find, that he himself could not have found it out had not
a wise-woman given him a reel of thread which possessed a marvellous
property: when he threw it before him it unwound itself and showed him
the way.  But the King went so often to his dear children that the Queen
was offended at his absence.  She grew curious, and wanted to know what
he had to do quite alone in the wood.  She gave his servants a great
deal of money, and they betrayed the secret to her, and also told her of
the reel which alone could point out the way.  She had no rest now till
she had found out where the King guarded the reel, and then she made
some little white shirts, and, as she had learnt from her witch-mother,
sewed an enchantment in each of them.

And when the King had ridden off she took the little shirts and went
into the wood, and the reel showed her the way.  The children, who saw
someone coming in the distance, thought it was their dear father coming
to them, and sprang to meet him very joyfully.  Then she threw over each
one a little shirt, which when it had touched their bodies changed them
into swans, and they flew away over the forest.  The Queen went home
quite satisfied, and thought she had got rid of her step-children; but
the girl had not run to meet her with her brothers, and she knew nothing
of her.

The next day the King came to visit his children, but he found no one
but the girl.

[Illustration: The Six Brothers Changed Into Swans by Their Stepmother]

'Where are your brothers?' asked the King.

'Alas! dear father,' she answered, 'they have gone away and left me all
alone.'  And she told him that looking out of her little window she had
seen her brothers flying over the wood in the shape of swans, and she
showed him the feathers which they had let fall in the yard, and which
she had collected.  The King mourned, but he did not think that the
Queen had done the wicked deed, and as he was afraid the maiden would
also be taken from him, he wanted to take her with him.  But she was
afraid of the stepmother, and begged the King to let her stay just one
night more in the castle in the wood.  The poor maiden thought, 'My home
is no longer here; I will go and seek my brothers.'  And when night came
she fled away into the forest. She ran all through the night and the
next day, till she could go no farther for weariness.  Then she saw a
little hut, went in, and found a room with six little beds.  She was
afraid to lie down on one, so she crept under one of them, lay on the
hard floor, and was going to spend the night there.  But when the sun
had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their
feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.  Then the
maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under
the bed.  Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their
little sister again, but their joy did not last long.

'You cannot stay here,' they said to her. 'This is a den of robbers; if
they were to come here and find you they would kill you.'

Could you not protect me?' asked the little sister.

'No,' they answered, 'for we can only lay aside our swan-skins for a
quarter of an hour every evening.  For this time we regain our human
forms, but then we are changed into swans again.'

Then the little sister cried and said, 'Can you not be freed?'

'Oh, no,' they said, 'the conditions are too hard.  You must not speak
or laugh for six years, and must make in that time six shirts for us out
of star-flowers.  If a single word comes out of your mouth, all your
labour is vain.'  And when the brothers had said this the quarter of an
hour came to an end, and they flew away out of the window as swans.

But the maiden had determined to free her brothers even if it should
cost her her life.  She left the hut, went into the forest, climbed a
tree, and spent the night there.  The next morning she went out,
collected star-flowers, and began to sew.  She could speak to no one,
and she had no wish to laugh, so she sat there, looking only at her
work.

When she had lived there some time, it happened that the King of that
country was hunting in the forest, and his hunters came to the tree on
which the maiden sat.  They called to her and said, 'Who are you?'

But she gave no answer.

'Come down to us,' they said, 'we will do you no harm.'

But she shook her head silently.  As they pressed her further with
questions, she threw them the golden chain from her neck.  But they did
not leave off, and she threw them her girdle, and when this was no use,
her garters, and then her dress.  The huntsmen would not leave her
alone, but climbed the tree, lifted the maiden down, and led her to the
King.  The King asked, 'Who are you?  What are you doing up that tree?'

[Illustration: 'And then her dress.']

But she answered nothing.

He asked her in all the languages he knew, but she remained as dumb as a
fish.  Because she was so beautiful, however, the King's heart was
touched, and he was seized with a great love for her.  He wrapped her up
in his cloak, placed her before him on his horse, and brought her to his
castle.  There he had her dressed in rich clothes, and her beauty shone
out as bright as day, but not a word could be drawn from her. He set her
at table by his side, and her modest ways and behaviour pleased him so
much that he said, 'I will marry this maiden and none other in the
world,' and after some days he married her. But the King had a wicked
mother who was displeased with the marriage, and said wicked things of
the young Queen.  'Who knows who this girl is?' she said; 'she cannot
speak, and is not worthy of a king.'

After a year, when the Queen had her first child, the old mother took it
away from her. Then she went to the King and said that the Queen had
killed it.  The King would not believe it, and would not allow any harm
to be done her.  But she sat quietly sewing at the shirts and troubling
herself about nothing.  The next time she had a child the wicked mother
did the same thing, but the King could not make up his mind to believe
her.  He said, 'She is too sweet and good to do such a thing as that.
If she were not dumb and could defend herself, her innocence would be
proved.'  But when the third child was taken away, and the Queen was
again accused, and could not utter a word in her own defence, the King
was obliged to give her over to the law, which decreed that she must be
burnt to death.  When the day came on which the sentence was to be
executed, it was the last day of the six years in which she must not
speak or laugh, and now she had freed her dear brothers from the power
of the enchantment. The six shirts were done; there was only the left
sleeve wanting to the last.

When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as
she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked
around her and saw six swans flying through the air.  Then she knew that
her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.  The swans
fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts
over them.  When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her
brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.  Only the youngest
had a swan's wing instead of his left arm.  They embraced and kissed
each other, and the Queen went to the King, who was standing by in great
astonishment, and began to speak to him saying, 'Dearest husband, now I
can speak and tell you openly that I am innocent and have been falsely
accused.'

She told him of the old woman's deceit, and how she had taken the three
children away and hidden them.  Then they were fetched, to the great joy
of the King, and the wicked mother came to no good end.

But the King and the Queen with their six brothers lived many years in
happiness and peace.




                  *STORY OF THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES*


Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so fond of new clothes
that he spent all his money on them in order to be beautifully dressed.
He did not care about his soldiers, he did not care about the theatre;
he only liked to go out walking to show off his new clothes.  He had a
coat for every hour of the day; and just as they say of a king, 'He is
in the council-chamber,' they always said here, 'The Emperor is in the
wardrobe.'

In the great city in which he lived there was always something going on;
every day many strangers came there.  One day two impostors arrived who
gave themselves out as weavers, and said that they knew how to
manufacture the most beautiful cloth imaginable.  Not only were the
texture and pattern uncommonly beautiful, but clothes which were made of
the stuff possessed this wonderful property that they were invisible to
anyone who was not fit for his office, or who was unpardonably stupid.

'Those must indeed be splendid clothes,' thought the Emperor.  'If I had
them on I could find out which men in my kingdom are unfit for the
offices they hold; I could distinguish the wise from the stupid!  Yes,
this cloth must be woven for me at once.'  And he gave both the
impostors much money, so that they might begin their work.

They placed two weaving-looms, and began to do as if they were working,
but they had not the least thing on the looms.  They also demanded the
finest silk and the best gold, which they put in their pockets, and
worked at the empty looms till late into the night.

'I should like very much to know how far they have got on with the
cloth,' thought the Emperor.  But he remembered when he thought about it
that whoever was stupid or not fit for his office would not be able to
see it.  Now he certainly believed that he had nothing to fear for
himself, but he wanted first to send somebody else in order to see how
he stood with regard to his office.  Everybody in the whole town knew
what a wonderful power the cloth had, and they were all curious to see
how bad or how stupid their neighbour was.

'I will send my old and honoured minister to the weavers,' thought the
Emperor.  'He can judge best what the cloth is like, for he has
intellect, and no one understands his office better than he.'

Now the good old minister went into the hall where the two impostors sat
working at the empty weaving-looms.  'Dear me!' thought the old
minister, opening his eyes wide, 'I can see nothing!'  But he did not
say so.

Both the impostors begged him to be so kind as to step closer, and asked
him if it were not a beautiful texture and lovely colours.  They pointed
to the empty loom, and the poor old minister went forward rubbing his
eyes; but he could see nothing, for there was nothing there.

'Dear, dear!' thought he, 'can I be stupid? I have never thought that,
and nobody must know it!  Can I be not fit for my office?  No, I must
certainly not say that I cannot see the cloth!'

'Have you nothing to say about it?' asked one of the men who was
weaving.

'Oh, it is lovely, most lovely!' answered the old minister, looking
through his spectacles. 'What a texture!  What colours!  Yes, I will
tell the Emperor that it pleases me very much.'

'Now we are delighted at that,' said both the weavers, and thereupon
they named the colours and explained the make of the texture.

The old minister paid great attention, so that he could tell the same to
the Emperor when he came back to him, which he did.

The impostors now wanted more money, more silk, and more gold to use in
their weaving. They put it all in their own pockets, and there came no
threads on the loom, but they went on as they had done before, working
at the empty loom.  The Emperor soon sent another worthy statesman to
see how the weaving was getting on, and whether the cloth would soon be
finished.  It was the same with him as the first one; he looked and
looked, but because there was nothing on the empty loom he could see
nothing.

'Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?' asked the two impostors, and
they pointed to and described the splendid material which was not there.

'Stupid I am not!' thought the man, 'so it must be my good office for
which I am not fitted. It is strange, certainly, but no one must be
allowed to notice it.'  And so he praised the cloth which he did not
see, and expressed to them his delight at the beautiful colours and the
splendid texture.  'Yes, it is quite beautiful,' he said to the Emperor.

Everybody in the town was talking of the magnificent cloth.

Now the Emperor wanted to see it himself while it was still on the loom.
With a great crowd of select followers, amongst whom were both the
worthy statesmen who had already been there before, he went to the
cunning impostors, who were now weaving with all their might, but
without fibre or thread.

'Is it not splendid!' said both the old statesmen who had already been
there.  'See, your Majesty, what a texture!  What colours!'  And then
they pointed to the empty loom, for they believed that the others could
see the cloth quite well.

'What!' thought the Emperor.  'I can see nothing!  This is indeed
horrible!  Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor?  That were the most
dreadful thing that could happen to me. Oh, it is very beautiful,' he
said.  'It has my gracious approval.'  And then he nodded pleasantly,
and examined the empty loom, for he would not say that he could see
nothing.

His whole Court round him looked and looked, and saw no more than the
others; but they said like the Emperor, 'Oh! it is beautiful!'  And they
advised him to wear these new and magnificent clothes for the first time
at the great procession which was soon to take place.  'Splendid!
Lovely!  Most beautiful!' went from mouth to mouth; everyone seemed
delighted over them, and the Emperor gave to the impostors the title of
Court weavers to the Emperor.

Throughout the whole of the night before the morning on which the
procession was to take place, the impostors were up and were working by
the light of over sixteen candles.  The people could see that they were
very busy making the Emperor's new clothes ready.  They pretended they
were taking the cloth from the loom, cut with huge scissors in the air,
sewed with needles without thread, and then said at last, 'Now the
clothes are finished!'

The Emperor came himself with his most distinguished knights, and each
impostor held up his arm just as if he were holding something, and said,
'See! here are the breeches!  Here is the coat!  Here the cloak!' and so
on.

'Spun clothes are so comfortable that one would imagine one had nothing
on at all; but that is the beauty of it!'

'Yes,' said all the knights, but they could see nothing, for there was
nothing there.

'Will it please your Majesty graciously to take off your clothes,' said
the impostors, 'then we will put on the new clothes, here before the
mirror.'

The Emperor took off all his clothes, and the impostors placed
themselves before him as if they were putting on each part of his new
clothes which was ready, and the Emperor turned and bent himself in
front of the mirror.

'How beautifully they fit!  How well they sit!' said everybody.  'What
material!  What colours!  It is a gorgeous suit!'

[Illustration: The Emperor comes to see his new clothes.]

'They are waiting outside with the canopy which your Majesty is wont to
have borne over you in the procession,' announced the Master of the
Ceremonies.

'Look, I am ready,' said the Emperor. 'Doesn't it sit well!'  And he
turned himself again to the mirror to see if his finery was on all
right.

The chamberlains who were used to carry the train put their hands near
the floor as if they were lifting up the train; then they did as if they
were holding something in the air.  They would not have it noticed that
they could see nothing.

So the Emperor went along in the procession under the splendid canopy,
and all the people in the streets and at the windows said, 'How
matchless are the Emperor's new clothes!  That train fastened to his
dress, how beautifully it hangs!'

No one wished it to be noticed that he could see nothing, for then he
would have been unfit for his office, or else very stupid.  None of the
Emperor's clothes had met with such approval as these had.

'But he has nothing on!' said a little child at last.

'Just listen to the innocent child!' said the father, and each one
whispered to his neighbour what the child had said.

'But he has nothing on!' the whole of the people called out at last.

This struck the Emperor, for it seemed to him as if they were right; but
he thought to himself, 'I must go on with the procession now.'  And the
chamberlains walked along still more uprightly, holding up the train
which was not there at all.




                           *THE GOLDEN CRAB*


Once upon a time there was a fisherman who had a wife and three
children.  Every morning he used to go out fishing, and whatever fish he
caught he sold to the King.  One day, among the other fishes, he caught
a golden crab.  When he came home he put all the fishes together into a
great dish, but he kept the Crab separate because it shone so
beautifully, and placed it upon a high shelf in the cupboard.  Now while
the old woman, his wife, was cleaning the fish, and had tucked up her
gown so that her feet were visible, she suddenly heard a voice, which
said:

    'Let down, let down thy petticoat
      That lets thy feet be seen.'

She turned round in surprise, and then she saw the little creature, the
Golden Crab.

[Illustration: "Let down thy petticoat that lets thy feet be seen"]

'What! You can speak, can you, you ridiculous crab?' she said, for she
was not quite pleased at the Crab's remarks.  Then she took him up and
placed him on a dish.

When her husband came home and they sat down to dinner, they presently
heard the Crab's little voice saying, 'Give me some too.'  They were all
very much surprised, but they gave him something to eat.  When the old
man came to take away the plate which had contained the Crab's dinner,
he found it full of gold, and as the same thing happened every day he
soon became very fond of the Crab.

One day the Crab said to the fisherman's wife, 'Go to the King and tell
him I wish to marry his younger daughter.'

The old woman went accordingly, and laid the matter before the King, who
laughed a little at the notion of his daughter marrying a crab, but did
not decline the proposal altogether, because he was a prudent monarch,
and knew that the Crab was likely to be a prince in disguise.  He said,
therefore, to the fisherman's wife, 'Go, old woman, and tell the Crab I
will give him my daughter if by to-morrow morning he can build a wall in
front of my castle much higher than my tower, upon which all the flowers
of the world must grow and bloom.'

The fisherman's wife went home and gave this message.

Then the Crab gave her a golden rod, and said, 'Go and strike with this
rod three times upon the ground on the place which the King showed you,
and to-morrow morning the wall will be there.'

The old woman did so and went away again.

The next morning, when the King awoke, what do you think he saw?  The
wall stood there before his eyes, exactly as he had bespoken it!

Then the old woman went back to the King and said to him, 'Your
Majesty's orders have been fulfilled.'

'That is all very well,' said the King, 'but I cannot give away my
daughter until there stands in front of my palace a garden in which
there are three fountains, of which the first must play gold, the second
diamonds, and the third brilliants.'

So the old woman had to strike again three times upon the ground with
the rod, and the next morning the garden was there.  The King now gave
his consent, and the wedding was fixed for the very next day.

Then the Crab said to the old fisherman, 'Now take this rod; go and
knock with it on a certain mountain; then a black man will come out and
ask you what you wish for.  Answer him thus: "Your master, the King, has
sent me to tell you that you must send him his golden garment that is
like the sun."  Make him give you, besides, the queenly robes of gold
and precious stones which are like the flowery meadows and bring them
both to me.  And bring me also the golden cushion.'

[Illustration: The fisherman brings the crab on the golden cushion.]

The old man went and did his errand.  When he had brought the precious
robes, the Crab put on the golden garment and then crept upon the golden
cushion, and in this way the fisherman carried him to the castle, where
the Crab presented the other garment to his bride.  Now the ceremony
took place, and when the married pair were alone together the Crab made
himself known to his young wife, and told her how he was the son of the
greatest king in the world, and how he was enchanted, so that he became
a crab by day and was a man only at night; and he could also change
himself into an eagle as often as he wished.  No sooner had he said this
than he shook himself, and immediately became a handsome youth, but the
next morning he was forced to creep back again into his crab-shell. And
the same thing happened every day.  But the Princess's affection for the
Crab, and the polite attention with which she behaved to him, surprised
the royal family very much.  They suspected some secret, but though they
spied and spied, they could not discover it.  Thus a year passed away,
and the Princess had a son, whom she called Benjamin.  But her mother
still thought the whole matter very strange. At last she said to the
King that he ought to ask his daughter whether she would not like to
have another husband instead of the Crab. But when the daughter was
questioned she only answered:

'I am married to the Crab, and him only will I have.'

Then the King said to her, 'I will appoint a tournament in your honour,
and I will invite all the princes in the world to it, and if any one of
them pleases you, you shall marry him.'

In the evening the Princess told this to the Crab, who said to her,
'Take this rod, go to the garden gate and knock with it, then a black
man will come out and say to you, "Why have you called me, and what do
you require of me?"  Answer him thus: "Your master the King has sent me
hither to tell you to send him his golden armour and his steed and the
silver apple."  And bring them to me.'

The Princess did so, and brought him what he desired.

The following evening the Prince dressed himself for the tournament.
Before he went he said to his wife, 'Now mind you do not say when you
see me that I am the Crab.  For if you do this evil will come of it.
Place yourself at the window with your sisters; I will ride by and throw
you the silver apple.  Take it in your hand, but if they ask you who I
am, say that you do not know.'  So saying, he kissed her, repeated his
warning once more, and went away.

The Princess went with her sisters to the window and looked on at the
tournament. Presently her husband rode by and threw the apple up to her.
She caught it in her hand and went with it to her room, and by-and-by
her husband came back to her.  But her father was much surprised that
she did not seem to care about any of the princes; he therefore
appointed a second tournament.

The Crab then gave his wife the same directions as before, only this
time the apple which she received from the black man was of gold. But
before the Prince went to the tournament he said to his wife, 'Now I
know you will betray me to-day.'

But she swore to him that she would not tell who he was.  He then
repeated his warning and went away.

[Illustration: The Prince throws the apple to the Princess]

In the evening, while the Princess, with her mother and sisters, was
standing at the window, the Prince suddenly galloped past on his steed
and threw her the golden apple.

Then her mother flew into a passion, gave her a box on the ear, and
cried out, 'Does not even that prince please you, you fool?'

The Princess in her fright exclaimed, 'That is the Crab himself!'

Her mother was still more angry because she had not been told sooner,
ran into her daughter's room where the crab-shell was still lying, took
it up and threw it into the fire.  Then the poor Princess cried
bitterly, but it was of no use; her husband did not come back.

Now we must leave the Princess and turn to the other persons in the
story.  One day an old man went to a stream to dip in a crust of bread
which he was going to eat, when a dog came out of the water, snatched
the bread from his hand, and ran away.  The old man ran after him, but
the dog reached a door, pushed it open, and ran in, the old man
following him.  He did not overtake the dog, but found himself above a
staircase, which he descended.  Then he saw before him a stately palace,
and, entering, he found in a large hall a table set for twelve persons.
He hid himself in the hall behind a great picture, that he might see
what would happen.  At noon he heard a great noise, so that he trembled
with fear.  When he took courage to look out from behind the picture, he
saw twelve eagles flying in.  At this sight his fear became still
greater.  The eagles flew to the basin of a fountain that was there and
bathed themselves, when suddenly they were changed into twelve handsome
youths.  Now they seated themselves at the table, and one of them took
up a goblet filled with wine, and said, 'A health to my father!'  And
another said, 'A health to my mother!' and so the healths went round.
Then one of them said:

    'A health to my dearest lady,
      Long may she live and well!
    But a curse on the cruel mother
      That burnt my golden shell!'

And so saying he wept bitterly.  Then the youths rose from the table,
went back to the great stone fountain, turned themselves into eagles
again, and flew away.

Then the old man went away too, returned to the light of day, and went
home.  Soon after he heard that the Princess was ill, and that the only
thing that did her good was having stories told to her.  He therefore
went to the royal castle, obtained an audience of the Princess, and told
her about the strange things he had seen in the underground palace.  No
sooner had he finished than the Princess asked him whether he could find
the way to that palace.

'Yes,' he answered, 'certainly.'

And now she desired him to guide her thither at once.  The old man did
so, and when they came to the palace he hid her behind the great picture
and advised her to keep quite still, and he placed himself behind the
picture also. Presently the eagles came flying in, and changed
themselves into young men, and in a moment the Princess recognised her
husband amongst them all, and tried to come out of her hiding-place; but
the old man held her back.  The youths seated themselves at the table;
and now the Prince said again, while he took up the cup of wine:

    'A health to my dearest lady,
      Long may she live and well!
    But a curse on the cruel mother
      That burnt my golden shell!'

Then the Princess could restrain herself no longer, but ran forward and
threw her arms round her husband.  And immediately he knew her again,
and said:

'Do you remember how I told you that day that you would betray me?  Now
you see that I spoke the truth.  But all that bad time is past. Now
listen to me: I must still remain enchanted for three months.  Will you
stay here with me till that time is over?'

So the Princess stayed with him, and said to the old man, 'Go back to
the castle and tell my parents that I am staying here.'

Her parents were very much vexed when the old man came back and told
them this, but as soon as the three months of the Prince's enchantment
were over, he ceased to be an eagle and became once more a man, and they
returned home together.  And then they lived happily, and we who hear
the story are happier still.




                            *THE IRON STOVE*


Once upon a time when wishes came true there was a King's son who was
enchanted by an old witch, so that he was obliged to sit in a large iron
stove in a wood.  There he lived for many years, and no one could free
him.  At last a King's daughter came into the wood; she had lost her
way, and could not find her father's kingdom again.  She had been
wandering round and round for nine days, and came at last to the iron
case.  A voice came from within and asked her, 'Where do you come from,
and where do you want to go?'  She answered, 'I have lost my way to my
father's kingdom, and I shall never get home again.'  Then the voice
from the iron stove said, 'I will help you to find your home again, and
that in a very short time, if you will promise to do what I ask you.  I
am a greater prince than you are a princess, and I will marry you.'
Then she grew frightened, and thought, 'What can a young lassie do with
an iron stove?'  But as she wanted very much to go home to her father,
she promised to do what he wished.  He said, 'You must come again, and
bring a knife with you to scrape a hole in the iron.'

Then he gave her someone for a guide, who walked near her and said
nothing, but he brought her in two hours to her house.  There was great
joy in the castle when the Princess came back, and the old King fell on
her neck and kissed her.  But she was very much troubled, and said,
'Dear father, listen to what has befallen me!  I should never have come
home again out of the great wild wood if I had not come to an iron
stove, to whom I have had to promise that I will go back to free him and
marry him!'  The old King was so frightened that he nearly fainted, for
she was his only daughter.  So they consulted together, and determined
that the miller's daughter, who was very beautiful, should take her
place.  They took her there, gave her a knife, and said she must scrape
at the iron stove.  She scraped for twenty-four hours, but did not make
the least impression.  When the day broke, a voice called from the iron
stove, 'It seems to me that it is day outside.'  Then she answered, 'It
seems so to me; I think I hear my father's mill rattling.'

'So you are a miller's daughter!  Then go away at once, and tell the
King's daughter to come.'

[Illustration: The iron stove]

Then she went away, and told the old King that the thing inside the iron
stove would not have her, but wanted the Princess.  The old King was
frightened, and his daughter wept.  But they had a swineherd's daughter
who was even more beautiful than the miller's daughter, and they gave
her a piece of gold to go to the iron stove instead of the Princess.
Then she was taken out, and had to scrape for four-and-twenty hours, but
she could make no impression.  As soon as the day broke the voice from
the stove called out 'It seems to be daylight outside.'  Then she
answered, 'It seems so to me too; I think I hear my father blowing his
horn.'  'So you are a swineherd's daughter!  Go away at once, and let
the King's daughter come.  And say to her that what I foretell shall
come to pass, and if she does not come everything in the kingdom shall
fall into ruin, and not one stone shall be left upon another.'  When the
Princess heard this she began to cry, but it was no good; she had to
keep her word.  She took leave of her father, put a knife in her belt,
and went to the iron stove in the wood.  As soon as she reached it she
began to scrape, and the iron gave way and before two hours had passed
she had made a little hole.  Then she peeped in and saw such a beautiful
youth all shining with gold and precious stones that she fell in love
with him on the spot. So she scraped away harder than ever, and made the
hole so large that he could get out.  Then he said, 'You are mine, and I
am thine; you are my bride and have set me free!'  He wanted to take her
with him to his kingdom, but she begged him just to let her go once more
to her father; and the Prince let her go, but told her not to say more
than three words to her father, then to come back again.  So she went
home, but alas! she said _more than three words_; and immediately the
iron stove vanished and went away over a mountain of glass and sharp
swords.  But the Prince was free, and was no longer shut up in it. Then
she said good-bye to her father, and took a little money with her, and
went again into the great wood to look for the iron stove; but she could
not find it.  She sought it for nine days, and then her hunger became so
great that she did not know how she could live any longer. And when it
was evening she climbed a little tree and wished that the night would
not come, because she was afraid of the wild beasts.  When midnight came
she saw afar off a little light, and thought, 'Ah! if only I could reach
that!'  Then she got down from the tree and went towards the light.  She
came to a little old house with a great deal of grass growing round, and
stood in front of a little heap of wood.  She thought, 'Alas! what am I
coming to?' and peeped through the window; but she saw nothing inside
except big and little toads, and a table beautifully spread with roast
meats and wine, and all the dishes and drinking-cups were of silver.
Then she took heart and knocked.  Then a fat toad called out:

    'Little green toad with leg like crook,
    Open wide the door, and look
    Who it was the latch that shook.'

And a little toad came forward and let her in. When she entered they all
bid her welcome, and made her sit down.  They asked her how she came
there and what she wanted.  Then she told everything that had happened
to her, and how, because she had exceeded her permission only to speak
three words, the stove had disappeared with the Prince; and how she had
searched a very long time, and must wander over mountain and valley till
she found him.

Then the old toad said:

    'Little green toad whose leg doth twist,
    Go to the corner of which you wist,
    And bring to me the large old kist.'

And the little toad went and brought out a great chest.  Then they gave
her food and drink, and led her to a beautifully made bed of silk and
samite, on which she lay down and slept soundly. When the day dawned she
arose, and the old toad gave her three things out of the huge chest to
take with her.  She would have need of them, for she had to cross a high
glass mountain, three cutting swords, and a great lake.  When she had
passed these she would find her lover again.  So she was given three
large needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts, which she was to take
great care of.  She set out with these things, and when she came to the
glass mountain which was so slippery she stuck the three needles behind
her feet and then in front, and so got over it, and when she was on the
other side put them carefully away.

Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on her plough-wheel
and rolled over them.  At last she came to a great lake, and, when she
had crossed that, arrived at a beautiful castle.  She went in and gave
herself out as a servant, a poor maid who would gladly be engaged.  But
she knew that the Prince whom she had freed from the iron stove in the
great wood was in the castle.  So she was taken on as kitchen-maid for
very small wages.  Now the Prince was about to marry another princess,
for he thought she was dead long ago.

In the evening, when she had washed up and was ready, she felt in her
pocket and found the three nuts which the old toad had given her. She
cracked one and was going to eat the kernel, when behold! there was a
beautiful royal dress inside it!  When the bride heard of this, she came
and begged for the dress, and wanted to buy it, saying it was not a
dress for a serving-maid. Then she said she would not sell it unless she
was granted one favour--namely, to sleep by the Prince's door.  The
bride granted her this, because the dress was so beautiful and she had
so few like it.  When it was evening she said to her bridegroom, 'That
stupid maid wants to sleep by your door.'

[Illustration: 'Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on
her plough-wheel and rolled over them.']

'If you are contented, I am,' he said.  But she gave him a glass of wine
in which she had poured a sleeping-draught.  Then they both went into
his room, but he slept so soundly that she could not wake him.  The maid
wept all night long, and said, 'I freed you in the wild wood out of the
iron stove; I have sought you, and have crossed a glassy mountain, three
sharp swords, and a great lake before I found you, and will you not hear
me now?'  The servants outside heard how she cried the whole night, and
they told their master in the morning.

When she had washed up the next evening she bit the second nut, and
there was a still more beautiful dress inside.  When the bride saw it
she wanted to buy it also.  But the maid did not want money, and asked
that she should sleep again by the Prince's door.  The bride, however,
gave him a sleeping-draught, and he slept so soundly that he heard
nothing.  But the kitchen-maid wept the whole night long, and said, 'I
have freed you in a wood and from an iron stove; I sought you and have
crossed a glassy mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake to find
you, and now you will not hear me!'  The servants outside heard how she
cried the whole night, and in the morning they told their master.  And
when she had washed up on the third night she bit the third nut, and
there was a still more beautiful dress inside that was made of pure
gold.  When the bride saw it she wanted to have it, but the maid would
only give it her on condition that she should sleep for the third time
by the Prince's door.  But the Prince took care not to drink the
sleeping-draught.  When she began to weep and to say, 'Dearest
sweetheart, I freed you in the horrible wild wood, and from an iron
stove,' he jumped up and said, 'You are right.  You are mine, and I am
thine.'  Though it was still night, he got into a carriage with her and
they took the false bride's clothes away, so that she could not follow
them.  When they came to the great lake they rowed across, and when they
reached the three sharp swords they sat on the plough-wheel, and on the
glassy mountain they stuck the three needles in.  So they arrived at
last at the little old house, but when they stepped inside it turned
into a large castle.  The toads were all freed, and were beautiful
King's children, running about for joy.  There they were married, and
they remained in the castle, which was much larger than that of the
Princess's father.  But because the old man did not like being left
alone, they went and fetched him.  So they had two kingdoms and lived in
great wealth.

    A mouse has run,
    My story's done.




                    *THE DRAGON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER*


There was once a great war, and the King had a great many soldiers, but
he gave them so little pay that they could not live upon it.  Then three
of them took counsel together and determined to desert.

One of them said to the others, 'If we are caught, we shall be hanged on
the gallows; how shall we set about it?'  The other said, 'Do you see
that large cornfield there?  If we were to hide ourselves in that, no
one could find us.  The army cannot come into it, and to-morrow it is to
march on.'

They crept into the corn, but the army did not march on, but remained
encamped close around them.  They sat for two days and two nights in the
corn, and grew so hungry that they nearly died; but if they were to
venture out, it was certain death.

They said at last, 'What use was it our deserting?  We must perish here
miserably.'

Whilst they were speaking a fiery dragon came flying through the air.
It hovered near them, and asked why they were hidden there.  They
answered, 'We are three soldiers, and have deserted because our pay was
so small.  Now if we remain here we shall die of hunger, and if we move
out we shall be strung up on the gallows.'  'If you will serve me for
seven years,' said the Dragon, 'I will lead you through the midst of the
army so that no one shall catch you.'  'We have no choice, and must take
your offer,' said they.  Then the dragon seized them in his claws, took
them through the air over the army, and set them down on the earth a
long way from it.

He gave them a little whip, saying, 'Whip and slash with this, and as
much money as you want will jump up before you.  You can then live as
great lords, keep horses, and drive about in carriages.  But after seven
years you are mine.'  Then he put a book before them, which he made all
three of them sign.  'I will then give you a riddle,' he said; 'if you
guess it, you shall be free and out of my power.'  The Dragon then flew
away, and they journeyed on with their little whip.  They had as much
money as they wanted, wore grand clothes, and made their way into the
world.  Wherever they went they lived in merrymaking and splendour,
drove about with horses and carriages, ate and drank, but did nothing
wrong.

[Illustration: The Dragon carries off the three soldiers.]

The time passed quickly away, and when the seven years were nearly ended
two of them grew terribly anxious and frightened, but the third made
light of it, saying, 'Don't be afraid, brothers, I wasn't born
yesterday; I will guess the riddle.'

They went into a field, sat down, and the two pulled long faces.  An old
woman passed by, and asked them why they were so sad.  'Alas! what have
you to do with it?  You cannot help us.'  'Who knows?' she answered.
'Only confide your trouble in me.'

Then they told her that they had become the servants of the Dragon for
seven long years, and how he had given them money as plentifully as
blackberries; but as they had signed their names they were his, unless
when the seven years had passed they could guess a riddle.  The old
woman said, 'If you would help yourselves, one of you must go into the
wood, and there he will come upon a tumble-down building of rocks which
looks like a little house.  He must go in, and there he will find help.'

The two melancholy ones thought, 'That won't save us!' and they remained
where they were.  But the third and merry one jumped up and went into
the wood till he found the rock hut.  In the hut sat a very old woman,
who was the Dragon's grandmother.  She asked him how he came, and what
was his business there.  He told her all that had happened, and because
she was pleased with him she took compassion on him, and said she would
help him.

She lifted up a large stone which lay over the cellar, saying, 'Hide
yourself there; you can hear all that is spoken in this room.  Only sit
still and don't stir.  When the dragon comes, I will ask him what the
riddle is, for he tells me everything; then listen carefully what he
answers.'

At midnight the Dragon flew in, and asked for his supper.  His
grandmother laid the table, and brought out food and drink till he was
satisfied, and they ate and drank together.  Then in the course of the
conversation she asked him what he had done in the day, and how many
souls he had conquered.

'I haven't had much luck to-day,' he said, 'but I have a tight hold on
three soldiers.'

'Indeed! three soldiers!' said she.  'Who cannot escape you?'

'They are mine,' answered the Dragon scornfully, 'for I shall only give
them one riddle which they will never be able to guess.'

'What sort of a riddle is it?' she asked.

'I will tell you this.  In the North Sea lies a dead sea-cat--that shall
be their roast meat; and the rib of a whale--that shall be their silver
spoon; and the hollow foot of a dead horse--that shall be their
wineglass.'

When the Dragon had gone to bed, his old grandmother pulled up the stone
and let out the soldier.

'Did you pay attention to everything?'

'Yes,' he replied, 'I know enough, and can help myself splendidly.'

Then he went by another way through the window secretly, and in all
haste back to his comrades.  He told them how the Dragon had been
outwitted by his grandmother, and how he had heard from his own lips the
answer to the riddle.

Then they were all delighted and in high spirits, took out their whip,
and cracked so much money that it came jumping up from the ground. When
the seven years had quite gone, the Fiend came with his book, and,
pointing at the signatures, said, 'I will take you underground with me;
you shall have a meal there.  If you can tell me what you will get for
your roast meat, you shall be free, and shall also keep the whip.'

Then said the first soldier, 'In the North Sea lies a dead sea-cat; that
shall be the roast meat.'

[Illustration: The Fiend defeated.]

The Dragon was much annoyed, and hummed and hawed a good deal, and asked
the second, 'But what shall be your spoon?'

'The rib of a whale shall be our silver spoon.'

The Dragon made a face, and growled again three times, 'Hum, hum, hum,'
and said to the third, 'Do you know what your wineglass shall be?'

'An old horse's hoof shall be our wineglass.'

Then the Dragon flew away with a loud shriek, and had no more power over
them.  But the three soldiers took the little whip, whipped as much
money as they wanted, and lived happily to their lives' end.




                          *THE DONKEY CABBAGE*


There was once a young Hunter who went boldly into the forest.  He had a
merry and light heart, and as he went whistling along there came an ugly
old woman, who said to him, 'Good-day, dear hunter!  You are very merry
and contented, but I suffer hunger and thirst, so give me a trifle.'
The Hunter was sorry for the poor old woman, and he felt in his pocket
and gave her all he could spare.  He was going on then, but the old
woman stopped him and said, 'Listen, dear hunter, to what I say.
Because of your kind heart I will make you a present.  Go on your way,
and in a short time you will come to a tree on which sit nine birds who
have a cloak in their claws and are quarrelling over it.  Then take aim
with your gun and shoot in the middle of them; they will let the cloak
fall, but one of the birds will be hit and will drop down dead. Take the
cloak with you; it is a wishing-cloak, and when you throw it on your
shoulders you have only to wish yourself at a certain place, and in the
twinkling of an eye you are there.  Take the heart out of the dead bird
and swallow it whole, and early every morning when you get up you will
find a gold piece under your pillow.'

The Hunter thanked the wise woman, and thought to himself, 'These are
splendid things she has promised me, if only they come to pass!'  So he
walked on about a hundred yards, and then he heard above him in the
branches such a screaming and chirping that he looked up, and there he
saw a heap of birds tearing a cloth with their beaks and feet,
shrieking, tugging, and fighting, as if each wanted it for himself.
'Well,' said the Hunter, 'this is wonderful!  It is just as the old
woman said'; and he took his gun on his shoulder, pulled the trigger,
and shot into the midst of them, so that their feathers flew about. Then
the flock took flight with much screaming, but one fell dead, and the
cloak fluttered down. Then the Hunter did as the old woman had told him:
he cut open the bird, found its heart, swallowed it, and took the cloak
home with him. The next morning when he awoke he remembered the promise,
and wanted to see if it had come true.  But when he lifted up his
pillow, there sparkled the gold piece, and the next morning he found
another, and so on every time he got up. He collected a heap of gold,
but at last he thought to himself, 'What good is all my gold to me if I
stay at home?  I will travel and look a bit about me in the world.'  So
he took leave of his parents, slung his hunting knapsack and his gun
round him, and journeyed into the world.

It happened that one day he went through a thick wood, and when he came
to the end of it there lay in the plain before him a large castle. At
one of the windows in it stood an old woman with a most beautiful maiden
by her side, looking out.  But the old woman was a witch, and she said
to the girl, 'There comes one out of the wood who has a wonderful
treasure in his body which we must manage to possess ourselves of,
darling daughter; we have more right to it than he.  He has a bird's
heart in him, and so every morning there lies a gold piece under his
pillow.'

She told her how they could get hold of it, and how she was to coax it
from him, and at last threatened her angrily, saying, 'And if you do not
obey me, you shall repent it!'

When the Hunter came nearer he saw the maiden, and said to himself, 'I
have travelled so far now that I will rest, and turn into this beautiful
castle; money I have in plenty.'  But the real reason was that he had
caught sight of the lovely face.

He went into the house, and was kindly received and hospitably
entertained.  It was not long before he was so much in love with the
witch-maiden that he thought of nothing else, and only looked in her
eyes, and whatever she wanted, that he gladly did.  Then the old witch
said, 'Now we must have the bird-heart; he will not feel when it is
gone.'  She prepared a drink, and when it was ready she poured it in a
goblet and gave it to the maiden, who had to hand it to the Hunter.

'Drink to me now, my dearest,' she said. Then he took the goblet, and
when he had swallowed the drink the bird-heart came out of his mouth.
The maiden had to get hold of it secretly and then swallow it herself,
for the old witch wanted to have it.  Thenceforward he found no more
gold under his pillow, and it lay under the maiden's; but he was so much
in love and so much bewitched that he thought of nothing except spending
all his time with the maiden.

[Illustration: THE MAIDEN OBTAINS THE BIRD-HEART]

Then the old witch said, 'We have the bird-heart, but we must also get
the wishing-cloak from him.'

The maiden answered, 'We will leave him that; he has already lost his
wealth!'

The old witch grew angry, and said, 'Such a cloak is a wonderful thing,
it is seldom to be had in the world, and have it I must and will.'  She
beat the maiden, and said that if she did not obey it would go ill with
her.

So she did her mother's bidding, and, standing one day by the window,
she looked away into the far distance as if she were very sad.

'Why are you standing there looking so sad?' asked the Hunter.

'Alas, my love,' she replied, 'over there lies the granite mountain
where the costly precious stones grow.  I have a great longing to go
there, so that when I think of it I am very sad.  For who can fetch
them?  Only the birds who fly; a man, never.'

'If you have no other trouble,' said the Hunter, 'that one I can easily
remove from your heart.'

So he wrapped her round in his cloak and wished themselves to the
granite mountain, and in an instant there they were, sitting on it! The
precious stones sparkled so brightly on all sides that it was a pleasure
to see them, and they collected the most beautiful and costly together.
But now the old witch had through her witchcraft caused the Hunter's
eyes to become heavy.

He said to the maiden, 'We will sit down for a little while and rest; I
am so tired that I can hardly stand on my feet.'

So they sat down, and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep.  As
soon as he was sound asleep she unfastened the cloak from his shoulders,
threw it on her own, left the granite and stones, and wished herself
home again.

But when the Hunter had finished his sleep and awoke, he found that his
love had betrayed him and left him alone on the wild mountain. 'Oh,'
said he, 'why is faithlessness so great in the world?' and he sat down
in sorrow and trouble, not knowing what to do.

But the mountain belonged to fierce and huge giants, who lived on it and
traded there, and he had not sat long before he saw three of them
striding towards him.  So he lay down as if he had fallen into a deep
sleep.

The giants came up, and the first pushed him with his foot, and said,
'What sort of an earthworm is that?'

The second said, 'Crush him dead.'

But the third said contemptuously, 'It is not worth the trouble!  Let
him live; he cannot remain here, and if he goes higher up the mountain
the clouds will take him and carry him off.'

Talking thus they went away.  But the Hunter had listened to their talk,
and as soon as they had gone he rose and climbed to the summit.  When he
had sat there a little while a cloud swept by, and, seizing him, carried
him away.  It travelled for a time in the sky.  and then it sank down
and hovered over a large vegetable garden surrounded by walls, so that
he came safely to the ground amidst cabbage and vegetables.  The Hunter
then looked about him, saying, 'If only I had something to eat! I am so
hungry, and it will go badly with me in the future, for I see here not
an apple or pear or fruit of any kind--nothing but vegetables
everywhere.'  At last he thought, 'At a pinch I can eat a salad; it does
not taste particularly nice, but it will refresh me.'  So he looked
about for a good head and ate it, but no sooner had he swallowed a
couple of mouthfuls than he felt very strange, and found himself
wonderfully changed.  Four legs began to grow on him, a thick head, and
two long ears, and he saw with horror that he had changed into a donkey.
But as he was still very hungry and this juicy salad tasted very good to
his present nature, he went on eating with a still greater appetite.  At
last he got hold of another kind of cabbage, but scarcely had swallowed
it when he felt another change, and he once more regained his human
form.

[Illustration: The hunter is transformed into a donkey.]

The Hunter now lay down and slept off his weariness.  When he awoke the
next morning he broke off a head of the bad and a head of the good
cabbage, thinking, 'This will help me to regain my own, and to punish
faithlessness.'  Then he put the heads in his pockets, climbed the wall,
and started off to seek the castle of his love.  When he had wandered
about for a couple of days he found it quite easily.  He then browned
his face quickly, so that his own mother would not have known him, and
went into the castle, where he begged for a lodging.

'I am so tired,' he said, 'I can go no farther.'

The witch asked, 'Countryman, who are you, and what is your business?'

He answered, 'I am a messenger of the King, and have been sent to seek
the finest salad that grows under the sun.  I have been so lucky as to
find it, and am bringing it with me; but the heat of the sun is so great
that the tender cabbage threatens to grow soft, and I do not know if I
shall be able to bring it any farther.'

When the old witch heard of the fine salad she wanted to eat it, and
said, 'Dear countryman, just let me taste the wonderful salad.'

'Why not?' he answered; 'I have brought two heads with me, and will give
you one.'

So saying, he opened his sack and gave her the bad one.  The witch
suspected no evil, and her mouth watered to taste the new dish, so that
she went into the kitchen to prepare it herself. When it was ready she
could not wait till it was served at the table, but she immediately took
a couple of leaves and put them in her mouth. No sooner, however, had
she swallowed them than she lost human form, and ran into the courtyard
in the shape of a donkey.

Now the servant came into the kitchen, and when she saw the salad
standing there ready cooked she was about to carry it up, but on the
way, according to her old habit, she tasted it and ate a couple of
leaves.  Immediately the charm worked, and she became a donkey, and ran
out to join the old witch, and the dish with the salad in it fell to the
ground.  In the meantime, the messenger was sitting with the lovely
maiden, and as no one came with the salad, and she wanted very much to
taste it, she said, 'I don't know where the salad is.'

Then thought the Hunter, 'The cabbage must have already begun to work.'
And he said, 'I will go to the kitchen and fetch it myself.'

When he came there he saw the two donkeys running about in the
courtyard, but the salad was lying on the ground.

'That's all right,' said he; 'two have had their share!'  And lifting
the remaining leaves up, he laid them on the dish and brought them to
the maiden.

'I am bringing you the delicious food my own self,' he said, 'so that
you need not wait any longer.'

Then she ate, and as the others had done, she at once lost her human
form, and ran as a donkey into the yard.

When the Hunter had washed his face, so that the changed ones might know
him, he went into the yard saying, 'Now you shall receive a reward for
your faithlessness.'

He tied them all three with a rope, and drove them away till he came to
a mill.  He knocked at the window, and the miller put his head out and
asked what he wanted.

'I have three tiresome animals,' he answered, 'which I don't want to
keep any longer.  If you will take them, give them food and stabling,
and do as I tell you with them, I will pay you as much as you want.'

The miller replied, 'Why not?  What shall I do with them?'

[Illustration: THE YOUNG MAN GIVES THE DONKEYS TO THE MILLER]

Then the Hunter said that to the old donkey which was the witch, three
beatings and one meal; to the younger one, which was the servant, one
beating and three meals; and to the youngest one, which was the maiden,
no beating and three meals; for he could not find it in his heart to let
the maiden be beaten.

Then he went back into the castle, and he found there all that he
wanted.  After a couple of days the miller came and said that he must
tell him that the old donkey which was to have three beatings and only
one meal had died. 'The two others,' he added, 'are certainly not dead,
and get their three meals every day, but they are so sad that they
cannot last much longer.'

Then the Hunter took pity on them, laid aside his anger, and told the
miller to drive them back again.  And when they came he gave them some
of the good cabbage to eat, so that they became human again.  Then the
beautiful maiden fell on her knees before him saying, 'Oh, my dearest,
forgive me the ill I have done you! My mother compelled me to do it; it
was against my will, for I love you dearly.  Your wishing-cloak is
hanging in a cupboard, and as for the bird-heart I will make a drink and
give it back to you.'

But he changed his mind, and said, 'Keep it; it makes no difference, for
I will take you to be my own dear true wife.'

And the wedding was celebrated, and they lived happy together till
death.




                              *LUCKY LUCK*


Once upon a time there was a King who had an only son.  When the lad was
about eighteen years old his father had to go to fight in a war against
a neighbouring country, and the king led his troops in person.  He bade
his son act as Regent in his absence, but ordered him on no account to
marry till his return.

Time went by.  The Prince ruled the country and never even thought of
marrying.  But when he reached his twenty-fifth birthday he began to
think that it might be rather nice to have a wife, and he thought so
much that at last he got quite eager about it.  He remembered, however,
what his father had said, and waited some time longer, till at last it
was ten years since the King went out to war.  Then the Prince called
his courtiers about him and set off with a great retinue to seek a
bride.  He hardly knew which way to go, so he wandered about for twenty
days, when, suddenly, he found himself in his father's camp.

The King was delighted to see his son, and had a great many questions to
ask and answer; but when he heard that instead of quietly waiting for
him at home the Prince was starting off to seek a wife he was very
angry, and said: 'You may go where you please, but I will not leave any
of my people with you.'

Only one faithful servant stayed with the Prince and refused to part
from him.  They journeyed over hill and dale till they came to a place
called Goldtown.  The King of Goldtown had a lovely daughter, and the
Prince, who soon heard about her beauty, could not rest till he saw her.

[Illustration: THE FAITHFUL SERVANT & THE THREE EAGLES]

He was very kindly received, for he was extremely good-looking and had
charming manners, so he lost no time in asking for her hand and her
parents gave her to him with joy.  The wedding took place at once, and
the feasting and rejoicings went on for a whole month.  At the end of
the month they set off for home, but as the journey was a long one they
spent the first evening at an inn.  Everyone in the house slept, and
only the faithful servant kept watch.  About midnight he heard three
crows, who had flown to the roof, talking together.

'That's a handsome couple which arrived here to-night.  It seems quite a
pity they should lose their lives so soon.'

'Truly,' said the second crow; 'for to-morrow, when midday strikes, the
bridge over the Gold Stream will break just as they are driving over it.
But, listen! whoever overhears and tells what we have said will be
turned to stone up to his knees.'

The crows had hardly done speaking when away they flew.  And close upon
them followed three pigeons.

'Even if the Prince and Princess get safe over the bridge they will
perish,' said they; 'for the King is going to send a carriage to meet
them which looks as new as paint.  But when they are seated in it a
raging wind will rise and whirl the carriage away into the clouds.  Then
it will fall suddenly to earth, and they will be killed. But anyone who
hears and betrays what we have said will be turned to stone up to his
waist.'

With that the pigeons flew off and three eagles took their places, and
this is what they said:

'If the young couple does manage to escape the dangers of the bridge and
the carriage, the King means to send them each a splendid
gold-embroidered robe.  When they put these on they will be burnt up at
once.  But whoever hears and repeats this will turn to stone from head
to foot.'

Early next morning the travellers got up and breakfasted.  They began to
tell each other their dreams.  At last the servant said:

'Gracious Prince, I dreamt that if your Royal Highness would grant all I
asked we should get home safe and sound; but if you did not we should
certainly be lost.  My dreams never deceive me, so I entreat you to
follow my advice during the rest of the journey.'

'Don't make such a fuss about a dream,' said the Prince; 'dreams are but
clouds.  Still, to prevent your being anxious I will promise to do as
you wish.'

With that they set out on their journey.

At midday they reached the Gold Stream. When they got to the bridge the
servant said: 'Let us leave the carriage here, my Prince, and walk a
little way.  The town is not far off and we can easily get another
carriage there, for the wheels of this one are bad and will not hold out
much longer.'

The Prince looked well at the carriage.  He did not think it looked so
unsafe as his servant said; but he had given his word and he held to it.

They got down and loaded the horses with the luggage.  The Prince and
his bride walked over the bridge, but the servant said he would ride the
horses through the stream so as to water and bathe them.

They reached the other side without harm, and bought a new carriage in
the town, which was quite near, and set off once more on their travels;
but they had not gone far when they met a messenger from the King, who
said to the Prince: 'His Majesty has sent your Royal Highness this
beautiful carriage, so that you may make a fitting entry into your own
country and amongst your own people.'

The Prince was so delighted that he could not speak.  But the servant
said: 'My lord, let me examine this carriage first and then you can get
in if I find it is all right; otherwise we had better stay in our own.'

The Prince made no objections, and after looking the carriage well over
the servant said: 'It is as bad as it is smart'; and with that he
knocked it all to pieces, and they went on in the one that they had
bought.

At last they reached the frontier; there another messenger was waiting
for them, who said that the King had sent two splendid robes for the
Prince and his bride, and begged that they would wear them for their
state entry.  But the servant implored the Prince to have nothing to do
with them, and never gave him any peace till he had obtained leave to
destroy the robes.

[Illustration: THE FAITHFUL SERVANT TURNS INTO STONE]

The old King was furious when he found that all his arts had failed;
that his son still lived and that he would have to give up the crown to
him now he was married, for that was the law of the land.  He longed to
know how the Prince had escaped, and said: 'My dear son, I do indeed
rejoice to have you safely back, but I cannot imagine why the beautiful
carriage and the splendid robes I sent did not please you; why you had
them destroyed.'

'Indeed, sire,' said the Prince, 'I was myself much annoyed at their
destruction; but my servant had begged to direct everything on the
journey and I had promised him that he should do so.  He declared that
we could not possibly get home safely unless I did as he told me.'

The old King fell into a tremendous rage.  He called his Council
together and condemned the servant to death.

The gallows was put up in the square in front of the palace.  The
servant was led out and his sentence read to him.

The rope was being placed round his neck, when he begged to be allowed a
few last words. 'On our journey home,' he said, 'we spent the first
night at an inn.  I did not sleep, but kept watch all night.'  And then
he went on to tell what the crows had said, and as he spoke he turned to
stone up to his knees.  The Prince called to him to say no more as he
had proved his innocence.  But the servant paid no heed to him, and by
the time his story was done he had turned to stone from head to foot.

Oh! how grieved the Prince was to lose his faithful servant!  And what
pained him most was the thought that he was lost through his very
faithfulness, and he determined to travel all over the world and never
rest till he found some means of restoring him to life.

Now there lived at Court an old woman who had been the Prince's nurse.
To her he confided all his plans, and left his wife, the Princess, in
her care.  'You have a long way before you, my son,' said the old woman;
'you must never return till you have met with Lucky Luck.  If he cannot
help you no one on earth can.'

So the Prince set off to try to find Lucky Luck.  He walked and walked
till he got beyond his own country, and he wandered through a wood for
three days, but did not meet a living being in it.  At the end of the
third day he came to a river near which stood a large mill. Here he
spent the night.  When he was leaving next morning the miller asked him:
'My gracious lord, where are you going all alone?'

And the Prince told him.

'Then I beg your Highness to ask Lucky Luck this question: Why is it
that though I have an excellent mill, with all its machinery complete,
and get plenty of grain to grind, I am so poor that I hardly know how to
live from one day to another?'

The Prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.  He wandered about
for three days more, and at the end of the third day saw a little town.
It was quite late when he reached it, but he could discover no light
anywhere, and walked almost right through it without finding a house
where he could turn in.  But far away at the end of the town he saw a
light in a window.  He went straight to it and in the house were three
girls playing a game together. The Prince asked for a night's lodging
and they took him in, gave him some supper and got a room ready for him,
where he slept.

Next morning when he was leaving they asked where he was going and he
told them his story. 'Gracious Prince,' said the maidens, 'do ask Lucky
Luck how it happens that here we are over thirty years old and no lover
has come to woo us, though we are good, pretty, and very industrious.'

The Prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.

Then he came to a great forest and wandered about in it from morning to
night and from night to morning before he got near the other end.  Here
he found a pretty stream which was different from other streams as,
instead of flowing, it stood still and began to talk: 'Sir Prince, tell
me what brings you into these wilds.  I must have been flowing here a
hundred years and more and no one has ever yet come by.'

'I will tell you,' answered the Prince, 'if you will divide yourself so
that I may walk through.'

The stream parted at once, and the Prince walked through without wetting
his feet; and directly he got to the other side he told his story as he
had promised.

'Oh, do ask Lucky Luck,' cried the brook, 'why, though I am such a
clear, bright, rapid stream, I never have a fish or any other living
creature in my waters.'

The Prince said he would do so, and continued his journey.

When he got quite clear of the forest he walked on through a lovely
valley till he reached a little house thatched with rushes, and he went
in to rest, for he was very tired.

[Illustration: THE COMPLAINT OF THE THREE MAIDENS]

Everything in the house was beautifully clean and tidy, and a cheerful
honest-looking old woman was sitting by the fire.

'Good morning, mother,' said the Prince.

'May Luck be with you, my son.  What brings you into these parts?'

'I am looking for Lucky Luck,' replied the Prince.

'Then you have come to the right place, my son, for I am his mother.  He
is not at home just now, he is out digging in the vineyard.  Do you go
too.  Here are two spades.  When you find him begin to dig, but don't
speak a word to him.  It is now eleven o'clock.  When he sits down to
eat his dinner sit beside him and eat with him.  After dinner he will
question you, and then tell him all your troubles freely.  He will
answer whatever you may ask.'

With that she showed him the way, and the Prince went and did just as
she had told him. After dinner they lay down to rest.

All of a sudden Lucky Luck began to speak and said: 'Tell me, what sort
of a man are you? for since you came here you have not spoken a word.'

'I am not dumb,' replied the young man, 'but I am that unhappy prince
whose faithful servant has been turned to stone, and I want to know how
to help him.'

'And you do well, for he deserves everything. Go back, and when you get
home your wife will just have had a little boy.  Take three drops of
blood from the child's little finger, rub them on your servant's wrists
with a blade of grass and he will return to life.'

'I have another thing to ask,' said the Prince, when he had thanked him.
'In the forest near here is a fine stream, but not a fish or other
living creature in it.  Why is this?'

'Because no one has ever been drowned in the stream.  But take care, in
crossing, to get as near the other side as you can before you say so, or
you may be the first victim yourself.'

'Another question, please, before I go.  On my way here I lodged one
night in the house of three maidens.  All were well-mannered,
hard-working, and pretty, and yet none has had a wooer.  Why was this?'

'Because they always throw out their sweepings in the face of the sun.'

'And why is it that a miller, who has a large mill with all the best
machinery and gets plenty of corn to grind is so poor that he can hardly
live from day to day?'

'Because the miller keeps everything for himself, and does not give to
those who need it.'

The Prince wrote down the answers to his questions, took a friendly
leave of Lucky Luck, and set off for home.

When he reached the stream it asked if he brought it any good news.
'When I get across I will tell you,' said he.  So the stream parted; he
walked through and on to the highest part of the bank.  He stopped and
shouted out:

'Listen, oh stream!  Lucky Luck says you will never have any living
creature in your waters until someone is drowned in you.'

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the stream swelled and
overflowed till it reached the rock up which he had climbed, and dashed
so far up it that the spray flew over him.  But he clung on tight, and
after failing to reach him three times the stream returned to its proper
course.  Then the Prince climbed down, dried himself in the sun, and set
out on his march home.

He spent the night once more at the mill and gave the miller his answer,
and by-and-by he told the three sisters not to throw out all their
sweepings in the face of the sun.

The Prince had hardly arrived at home when some thieves tried to ford
the stream with a fine horse they had stolen.  When they were half-way
across, the stream rose so suddenly that it swept them all away.  From
that time it became the best fishing stream in the countryside.

The miller, too, began to give alms and became a very good man, and in
time grew so rich that he hardly knew how much he had.

And the three sisters, now that they no longer insulted the sun, had
each a wooer within a week.

When the Prince got home he found that his wife had just got a fine
little boy.  He did not lose a moment in pricking the baby's finger till
the blood ran, and he brushed it on the wrists of the stone figure,
which shuddered all over and split with a loud noise in seven parts and
there was the faithful servant alive and well.

When the old King saw this he foamed with rage, stared wildly about,
flung himself on the ground and died.

The servant stayed on with his royal master and served him faithfully
all the rest of his life; and, if neither of them is dead, he is serving
him still.




                         *TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!*


Long, long ago there lived a King who was such a mighty monarch that
whenever he sneezed everyone in the whole country had to say 'To your
good health!'  Everyone said it except the shepherd with the staring
eyes, and he would not say it.

The King heard of this and was very angry, and sent for the shepherd to
appear before him.

The shepherd came and stood before the throne, where the King sat
looking very grand and powerful.  But however grand or powerful he might
be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.

'Say at once: "To my good health!"' cried the King.

'To my good health!' replied the shepherd.

'To mine--to _mine_, you rascal, you vagabond!' stormed the King.

'To mine, to _mine_, your Majesty,' was the answer.

'But to mine--to my own,' roared the King, and beat on his breast in a
rage.

'Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my own,' cried the shepherd, and
gently tapped his breast.

The King was beside himself with fury and did not know what to do, when
the Lord Chamberlain interfered:

'Say at once--say this very moment: "To your health, your Majesty"; for
if you don't say it you'll lose your life,' whispered he.

'No, I won't say it till I get the Princess for my wife,' was the
shepherd's answer.  Now the Princess was sitting on a little throne
beside the King, her father, and she looked as sweet and lovely as a
little golden dove.  When she heard what the shepherd said she could not
help laughing, for there is no denying the fact that this young shepherd
with the staring eyes pleased her very much; indeed he pleased her
better than any king's son she had yet seen.

But the King was not as pleasant as his daughter, and he gave orders to
throw the shepherd into the white bear's pit.

The guards led him away and thrust him into the pit with the white bear,
who had had nothing to eat for two days and was very hungry.  The door
of the pit was hardly closed when the bear rushed at the shepherd; but
when it saw his eyes it was so frightened that it was ready to eat
itself.  It shrank away into a corner and gazed at him from there, and,
in spite of being so famished, did not dare to touch him, but sucked its
own paws from sheer hunger.  The shepherd felt that if he once removed
his eyes off the beast he was a dead man, and in order to keep himself
awake he made songs and sang them, and so the night went by.

Next morning the Lord Chamberlain came to see the shepherd's bones, and
was amazed to find him alive and well.  He led him to the King, who fell
into a furious passion, and said: 'Well, you have learned what it is to
be very near death, and _now_ will you say: "To my good health"?'

But the shepherd answered: 'I am not afraid of ten deaths!  I will only
say it if I may have the Princess for my wife.'

[Illustration: STARING-EYES IN THE WHITE BEAR'S PIT]

'Then go to your death,' cried the King; and ordered him to be thrown
into the den with the wild boars.  The wild boars had not been fed for a
week, and when the shepherd was thrust into their den they rushed at him
to tear him to pieces.  But the shepherd took a little flute out of the
sleeve of his jacket and began to play a merry tune, on which the wild
boars first of all shrank shyly away, and then got up on their hind legs
and danced gaily.  The shepherd would have given anything to be able to
laugh, they looked so funny; but he dared not stop playing, for he knew
well enough that the moment he stopped they would fall upon him and tear
him to pieces.  His eyes were of no use to him here, for he could not
have stared ten wild boars in the face at once; so he kept on playing
and the wild boars danced very slowly, as if in a minuet, then by
degrees he played faster and faster till they could hardly twist and
turn quickly enough and ended by all falling over each other in a heap,
quite exhausted and out of breath.

Then the shepherd ventured to laugh at last; and he laughed so long and
so loud that when the Lord Chamberlain came early in the morning,
expecting to find only his bones, the tears were still running down his
cheeks from laughter.

As soon as the King was dressed the shepherd was again brought before
him; but he was more angry than ever to think the wild boars had not
torn the man to bits, and he said: 'Well, you have learned what it feels
to be near ten deaths, now say: "To my good health!"

But the shepherd broke in with, 'I do not fear a hundred deaths, and I
will only say it if I may have the Princess for my wife.'

'Then go to a hundred deaths!' roared the King, and ordered the shepherd
to be thrown down the deep vault of scythes.

The guards dragged him away to a dark dungeon, in the middle of which
was a deep well with sharp scythes all round it.  At the bottom of the
well was a little light by which one could see if anyone was thrown in
whether he had fallen to the bottom.

When the shepherd was dragged to the dungeon he begged the guards to
leave him alone a little while that he might look down in the pit of
scythes; perhaps he might after all make up his mind to say 'To your
good health' to the King.  So the guards left him alone and he stuck up
his long stick near the well, hung his cloak round the stick and put his
hat on the top.  He also hung his knapsack up inside the cloak so that
it might seem to have somebody within it. When this was done he called
out to the guards and said that he had considered the matter, but after
all he could not make up his mind to say what the King wished.  The
guards came in, threw the hat and cloak, knapsack and stick all down the
well together, watched to see how they put out the light at the bottom
and came away, thinking that now there really was an end of the
shepherd.  But he had hidden in a dark corner and was laughing to
himself all the time.

Quite early next morning came the Lord Chamberlain, carrying a lamp, and
he nearly fell backwards with surprise when he saw the shepherd alive
and well.  He brought him to the King, whose fury was greater than ever,
but who cried:

'Well, now you have been near a hundred deaths; will you say: "To your
good health"?'

But the shepherd only gave the same answer:

'I won't say it till the Princess is my wife.'

'Perhaps after all you may do it for less,' said the King, who saw that
there was no chance of making away with the shepherd; and he ordered the
state coach to be got ready, then he made the shepherd get in with him
and sit beside him, and ordered the coachman to drive to the silver
wood.  When they reached it he said: 'Do you see this silver wood?
Well, if you will say, "To your good health," I will give it to you.'

The shepherd turned hot and cold by turns, but he still persisted:

'I will not say it till the Princess is my wife.'

The King was much vexed; he drove further on till they came to a
splendid castle, all of gold, and then he said:

'Do you see this golden castle?  Well, I will give you that too, the
silver wood and the golden castle, if only you will say that one thing
to me: "To your good health."'

The shepherd gaped and wondered and was quite dazzled, but he still
said:

'No; I will _not_ say it till I have the Princess for my wife.'

This time the King was overwhelmed with grief, and gave orders to drive
on to the diamond pond, and there he tried once more.

'Do you see this diamond pond?  I will give you that too, the silver
wood and the golden castle and the diamond pond.  You shall have them
all--all--if you will but say: "To your good health!"'

The shepherd had to shut his staring eyes tight not to be dazzled with
the brilliant pond, but still he said:

'No, no; I will not say it till I have the Princess for my wife.'

Then the King saw that all his efforts were useless, and that he might
as well give in, so he said:

'Well, well, it's all the same to me--I will give you my daughter to
wife; but, then, you really and truly must say to me: "To your good
health."'

'Of course I'll say it; why should I not say it?  It stands to reason
that I shall say it then.'

At this the King was more delighted than anyone could have believed.  He
made it known all through the country that there were to be great
rejoicings, as the Princess was going to be married. And everyone
rejoiced to think that the Princess, who had refused so many royal
suitors, should have ended by falling in love with the staring-eyed
shepherd.

There was such a wedding as had never been seen.  Everyone ate and drank
and danced. Even the sick were feasted, and quite tiny new-born children
had presents given them.

But the greatest merry-making was in the King's palace; there the best
bands played and the best food was cooked; a crowd of people sat down to
table, and all was fun and merrymaking.

And when the groomsman, according to custom, brought in the great boar's
head on a big dish and placed it before the King so that he might carve
it and give everyone a share, the savoury smell was so strong that the
King began to sneeze with all his might.

'To your very good health!' cried the shepherd before anyone else, and
the King was so delighted that he did not regret having given him his
daughter.

In time, when the old King died, the shepherd succeeded him.  He made a
very good king and never expected his people to wish him well against
their wills; but, all the same, everyone did wish him well, for they all
loved him.




                 W. BRENDON AND SON, LIMITED, PLYMOUTH




[Illustration: End paper]






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