{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_2591/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_2591","id":"gutenberg_2591","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2591","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: German Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Fairy tales -- Germany"],"text":"Grimms\u2019 Fairy Tales\n\nBy Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm\n\n\n\nPREPARER\u2019S NOTE\n\n     The text is based on translations from\n     the Grimms\u2019 Kinder und Hausm\u00e4rchen by\n     Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS:\n\n     THE GOLDEN BIRD\n     HANS IN LUCK\n     JORINDA AND JORINDEL\n     THE TRAVELLING MUSICIANS\n     OLD SULTAN\n     THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN\n     BRIAR ROSE\n     THE DOG AND THE SPARROW\n     THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES\n     THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE\n     THE WILLOW-WREN AND THE BEAR\n     THE FROG-PRINCE\n     CAT AND MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP\n     THE GOOSE-GIRL\n     THE ADVENTURES OF CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET\n       1. HOW THEY WENT TO THE MOUNTAINS TO EAT NUTS\n       2. HOW CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET WENT TO VISIT MR KORBES\n     RAPUNZEL\n     FUNDEVOGEL\n     THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR\n     HANSEL AND GRETEL\n     THE MOUSE, THE BIRD, AND THE SAUSAGE\n     MOTHER HOLLE\n     LITTLE RED-CAP [LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD]\n     THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM\n     TOM THUMB\n     RUMPELSTILTSKIN\n     CLEVER GRETEL\n     THE OLD MAN AND HIS GRANDSON\n     THE LITTLE PEASANT\n     FREDERICK AND CATHERINE\n     SWEETHEART ROLAND\n     SNOWDROP\n     THE PINK\n     CLEVER ELSIE\n     THE MISER IN THE BUSH\n     ASHPUTTEL\n     THE WHITE SNAKE\n     THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE KIDS\n     THE QUEEN BEE\n     THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER\n     THE JUNIPER-TREE\n     the juniper-tree.\n     THE TURNIP\n     CLEVER HANS\n     THE THREE LANGUAGES\n     THE FOX AND THE CAT\n     THE FOUR CLEVER BROTHERS\n     LILY AND THE LION\n     THE FOX AND THE HORSE\n     THE BLUE LIGHT\n     THE RAVEN\n     THE GOLDEN GOOSE\n     THE WATER OF LIFE\n     THE TWELVE HUNTSMEN\n     THE KING OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN\n     DOCTOR KNOWALL\n     THE SEVEN RAVENS\n     THE WEDDING OF MRS FOX\n     FIRST STORY\n     SECOND STORY\n     THE SALAD\n     THE STORY OF THE YOUTH WHO WENT FORTH TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS\n     KING GRISLY-BEARD\n     IRON HANS\n     CAT-SKIN\n     SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED\n\n\n\n\nTHE BROTHERS GRIMM FAIRY TALES\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN BIRD\n\n\nA certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree\nwhich bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about\nthe time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one\nof them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the\ngardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his\neldest son to watch; but about twelve o\u2019clock he fell asleep, and in\nthe morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was\nordered to watch; and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning\nanother apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch; but\nthe gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come\nto him: however, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself\nunder the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling\nnoise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as\nit was snapping at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener\u2019s son\njumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm;\nonly it dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away.\nThe golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the\ncouncil was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth more than\nall the wealth of the kingdom: but the king said, \u2018One feather is of no\nuse to me, I must have the whole bird.\u2019\n\nThen the gardener\u2019s eldest son set out and thought to find the golden\nbird very easily; and when he had gone but a little way, he came to a\nwood, and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting; so he took his\nbow and made ready to shoot at it. Then the fox said, \u2018Do not shoot me,\nfor I will give you good counsel; I know what your business is, and\nthat you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a village in the\nevening; and when you get there, you will see two inns opposite to each\nother, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at: go not in\nthere, but rest for the night in the other, though it may appear to you\nto be very poor and mean.\u2019 But the son thought to himself, \u2018What can\nsuch a beast as this know about the matter?\u2019 So he shot his arrow at\nthe fox; but he missed it, and it set up its tail above its back and\nran into the wood. Then he went his way, and in the evening came to\nthe village where the two inns were; and in one of these were people\nsinging, and dancing, and feasting; but the other looked very dirty,\nand poor. \u2018I should be very silly,\u2019 said he, \u2018if I went to that shabby\nhouse, and left this charming place\u2019; so he went into the smart house,\nand ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird, and his country too.\n\nTime passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back, and no tidings\nwere heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened\nto him. He met the fox, who gave him the good advice: but when he came\nto the two inns, his eldest brother was standing at the window where\nthe merrymaking was, and called to him to come in; and he could not\nwithstand the temptation, but went in, and forgot the golden bird and\nhis country in the same manner.\n\nTime passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set out into\nthe wide world to seek for the golden bird; but his father would not\nlisten to it for a long while, for he was very fond of his son, and\nwas afraid that some ill luck might happen to him also, and prevent his\ncoming back. However, at last it was agreed he should go, for he would\nnot rest at home; and as he came to the wood, he met the fox, and heard\nthe same good counsel. But he was thankful to the fox, and did not\nattempt his life as his brothers had done; so the fox said, \u2018Sit upon my\ntail, and you will travel faster.\u2019 So he sat down, and the fox began to\nrun, and away they went over stock and stone so quick that their hair\nwhistled in the wind.\n\nWhen they came to the village, the son followed the fox\u2019s counsel, and\nwithout looking about him went to the shabby inn and rested there all\nnight at his ease. In the morning came the fox again and met him as he\nwas beginning his journey, and said, \u2018Go straight forward, till you come\nto a castle, before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep and\nsnoring: take no notice of them, but go into the castle and pass on and\non till you come to a room, where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage;\nclose by it stands a beautiful golden cage; but do not try to take the\nbird out of the shabby cage and put it into the handsome one, otherwise\nyou will repent it.\u2019 Then the fox stretched out his tail again, and the\nyoung man sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till\ntheir hair whistled in the wind.\n\nBefore the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so the son went in\nand found the chamber where the golden bird hung in a wooden cage, and\nbelow stood the golden cage, and the three golden apples that had been\nlost were lying close by it. Then thought he to himself, \u2018It will be a\nvery droll thing to bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage\u2019; so\nhe opened the door and took hold of it and put it into the golden cage.\nBut the bird set up such a loud scream that all the soldiers awoke, and\nthey took him prisoner and carried him before the king. The next morning\nthe court sat to judge him; and when all was heard, it sentenced him to\ndie, unless he should bring the king the golden horse which could run as\nswiftly as the wind; and if he did this, he was to have the golden bird\ngiven him for his own.\n\nSo he set out once more on his journey, sighing, and in great despair,\nwhen on a sudden his friend the fox met him, and said, \u2018You see now\nwhat has happened on account of your not listening to my counsel. I will\nstill, however, tell you how to find the golden horse, if you will do as\nI bid you. You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the\nhorse stands in his stall: by his side will lie the groom fast asleep\nand snoring: take away the horse quietly, but be sure to put the old\nleathern saddle upon him, and not the golden one that is close by it.\u2019\nThen the son sat down on the fox\u2019s tail, and away they went over stock\nand stone till their hair whistled in the wind.\n\nAll went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the golden\nsaddle. But when the son looked at the horse, he thought it a great pity\nto put the leathern saddle upon it. \u2018I will give him the good one,\u2019\nsaid he; \u2018I am sure he deserves it.\u2019 As he took up the golden saddle the\ngroom awoke and cried out so loud, that all the guards ran in and took\nhim prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought before the court\nto be judged, and was sentenced to die. But it was agreed, that, if he\ncould bring thither the beautiful princess, he should live, and have the\nbird and the horse given him for his own.\n\nThen he went his way very sorrowful; but the old fox came and said, \u2018Why\ndid not you listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away\nboth the bird and the horse; yet will I once more give you counsel. Go\nstraight on, and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve\no\u2019clock at night the princess goes to the bathing-house: go up to her\nand give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but take care\nyou do not suffer her to go and take leave of her father and mother.\u2019\nThen the fox stretched out his tail, and so away they went over stock\nand stone till their hair whistled again.\n\nAs they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said, and at twelve\no\u2019clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her the\nkiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears\nthat he would let her take leave of her father. At first he refused,\nbut she wept still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last\nhe consented; but the moment she came to her father\u2019s house the guards\nawoke and he was taken prisoner again.\n\nThen he was brought before the king, and the king said, \u2018You shall never\nhave my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops\nthe view from my window.\u2019 Now this hill was so big that the whole world\ncould not take it away: and when he had worked for seven days, and had\ndone very little, the fox came and said. \u2018Lie down and go to sleep; I\nwill work for you.\u2019 And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone;\nso he went merrily to the king, and told him that now that it was\nremoved he must give him the princess.\n\nThen the king was obliged to keep his word, and away went the young man\nand the princess; and the fox came and said to him, \u2018We will have all\nthree, the princess, the horse, and the bird.\u2019 \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the young man,\n\u2018that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it?\u2019\n\n\u2018If you will only listen,\u2019 said the fox, \u2018it can be done. When you come\nto the king, and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, \u201cHere\nshe is!\u201d Then he will be very joyful; and you will mount the golden\nhorse that they are to give you, and put out your hand to take leave of\nthem; but shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly on\nto the horse behind you; clap your spurs to his side, and gallop away as\nfast as you can.\u2019\n\nAll went right: then the fox said, \u2018When you come to the castle where\nthe bird is, I will stay with the princess at the door, and you will\nride in and speak to the king; and when he sees that it is the right\nhorse, he will bring out the bird; but you must sit still, and say that\nyou want to look at it, to see whether it is the true golden bird; and\nwhen you get it into your hand, ride away.\u2019\n\nThis, too, happened as the fox said; they carried off the bird, the\nprincess mounted again, and they rode on to a great wood. Then the fox\ncame, and said, \u2018Pray kill me, and cut off my head and my feet.\u2019 But the\nyoung man refused to do it: so the fox said, \u2018I will at any rate give\nyou good counsel: beware of two things; ransom no one from the gallows,\nand sit down by the side of no river.\u2019 Then away he went. \u2018Well,\u2019\nthought the young man, \u2018it is no hard matter to keep that advice.\u2019\n\nHe rode on with the princess, till at last he came to the village where\nhe had left his two brothers. And there he heard a great noise and\nuproar; and when he asked what was the matter, the people said, \u2018Two men\nare going to be hanged.\u2019 As he came nearer, he saw that the two men were\nhis brothers, who had turned robbers; so he said, \u2018Cannot they in any\nway be saved?\u2019 But the people said \u2018No,\u2019 unless he would bestow all his\nmoney upon the rascals and buy their liberty. Then he did not stay to\nthink about the matter, but paid what was asked, and his brothers were\ngiven up, and went on with him towards their home.\n\nAnd as they came to the wood where the fox first met them, it was so\ncool and pleasant that the two brothers said, \u2018Let us sit down by the\nside of the river, and rest a while, to eat and drink.\u2019 So he said,\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 and forgot the fox\u2019s counsel, and sat down on the side of the\nriver; and while he suspected nothing, they came behind, and threw him\ndown the bank, and took the princess, the horse, and the bird, and went\nhome to the king their master, and said. \u2018All this have we won by our\nlabour.\u2019 Then there was great rejoicing made; but the horse would not\neat, the bird would not sing, and the princess wept.\n\nThe youngest son fell to the bottom of the river\u2019s bed: luckily it was\nnearly dry, but his bones were almost broken, and the bank was so steep\nthat he could find no way to get out. Then the old fox came once more,\nand scolded him for not following his advice; otherwise no evil would\nhave befallen him: \u2018Yet,\u2019 said he, \u2018I cannot leave you here, so lay hold\nof my tail and hold fast.\u2019 Then he pulled him out of the river, and said\nto him, as he got upon the bank, \u2018Your brothers have set watch to kill\nyou, if they find you in the kingdom.\u2019 So he dressed himself as a poor\nman, and came secretly to the king\u2019s court, and was scarcely within the\ndoors when the horse began to eat, and the bird to sing, and the princess\nleft off weeping. Then he went to the king, and told him all his\nbrothers\u2019 roguery; and they were seized and punished, and he had the\nprincess given to him again; and after the king\u2019s death he was heir to\nhis kingdom.\n\nA long while after, he went to walk one day in the wood, and the old fox\nmet him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and cut\noff his head and feet. And at last he did so, and in a moment the\nfox was changed into a man, and turned out to be the brother of the\nprincess, who had been lost a great many many years.\n\n\n\n\nHANS IN LUCK\n\n\nSome men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes\nright--all that falls to them is so much gain--all their geese are\nswans--all their cards are trumps--toss them which way you will, they\nwill always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so\nmuch the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them as\nthey think of themselves, but what care they for the world? what can it\nknow about the matter?\n\nOne of these lucky beings was neighbour Hans. Seven long years he had\nworked hard for his master. At last he said, \u2018Master, my time is up; I\nmust go home and see my poor mother once more: so pray pay me my wages\nand let me go.\u2019 And the master said, \u2018You have been a faithful and good\nservant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome.\u2019 Then he gave him a lump\nof silver as big as his head.\n\nHans took out his pocket-handkerchief, put the piece of silver into it,\nthrew it over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards. As he\nwent lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight,\ntrotting gaily along on a capital horse. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said Hans aloud, \u2018what a\nfine thing it is to ride on horseback! There he sits as easy and happy\nas if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside; he trips against no\nstones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how.\u2019 Hans did\nnot speak so softly but the horseman heard it all, and said, \u2018Well,\nfriend, why do you go on foot then?\u2019 \u2018Ah!\u2019 said he, \u2018I have this load to\ncarry: to be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can\u2019t hold up\nmy head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly.\u2019 \u2018What do you say\nof making an exchange?\u2019 said the horseman. \u2018I will give you my horse,\nand you shall give me the silver; which will save you a great deal of\ntrouble in carrying such a heavy load about with you.\u2019 \u2018With all my\nheart,\u2019 said Hans: \u2018but as you are so kind to me, I must tell you one\nthing--you will have a weary task to draw that silver about with you.\u2019\nHowever, the horseman got off, took the silver, helped Hans up, gave him\nthe bridle into one hand and the whip into the other, and said, \u2018When\nyou want to go very fast, smack your lips loudly together, and cry\n\u201cJip!\u201d\u2019\n\nHans was delighted as he sat on the horse, drew himself up, squared his\nelbows, turned out his toes, cracked his whip, and rode merrily off, one\nminute whistling a merry tune, and another singing,\n\n \u2018No care and no sorrow,\n  A fig for the morrow!\n  We\u2019ll laugh and be merry,\n  Sing neigh down derry!\u2019\n\nAfter a time he thought he should like to go a little faster, so he\nsmacked his lips and cried \u2018Jip!\u2019 Away went the horse full gallop; and\nbefore Hans knew what he was about, he was thrown off, and lay on his\nback by the road-side. His horse would have ran off, if a shepherd who\nwas coming by, driving a cow, had not stopped it. Hans soon came to\nhimself, and got upon his legs again, sadly vexed, and said to the\nshepherd, \u2018This riding is no joke, when a man has the luck to get upon\na beast like this that stumbles and flings him off as if it would break\nhis neck. However, I\u2019m off now once for all: I like your cow now a great\ndeal better than this smart beast that played me this trick, and has\nspoiled my best coat, you see, in this puddle; which, by the by, smells\nnot very like a nosegay. One can walk along at one\u2019s leisure behind that\ncow--keep good company, and have milk, butter, and cheese, every day,\ninto the bargain. What would I give to have such a prize!\u2019 \u2018Well,\u2019 said\nthe shepherd, \u2018if you are so fond of her, I will change my cow for your\nhorse; I like to do good to my neighbours, even though I lose by it\nmyself.\u2019 \u2018Done!\u2019 said Hans, merrily. \u2018What a noble heart that good man\nhas!\u2019 thought he. Then the shepherd jumped upon the horse, wished Hans\nand the cow good morning, and away he rode.\n\nHans brushed his coat, wiped his face and hands, rested a while, and\nthen drove off his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very lucky\none. \u2018If I have only a piece of bread (and I certainly shall always be\nable to get that), I can, whenever I like, eat my butter and cheese with\nit; and when I am thirsty I can milk my cow and drink the milk: and what\ncan I wish for more?\u2019 When he came to an inn, he halted, ate up all his\nbread, and gave away his last penny for a glass of beer. When he had\nrested himself he set off again, driving his cow towards his mother\u2019s\nvillage. But the heat grew greater as soon as noon came on, till at\nlast, as he found himself on a wide heath that would take him more than\nan hour to cross, he began to be so hot and parched that his tongue\nclave to the roof of his mouth. \u2018I can find a cure for this,\u2019 thought\nhe; \u2018now I will milk my cow and quench my thirst\u2019: so he tied her to the\nstump of a tree, and held his leathern cap to milk into; but not a drop\nwas to be had. Who would have thought that this cow, which was to bring\nhim milk and butter and cheese, was all that time utterly dry? Hans had\nnot thought of looking to that.\n\nWhile he was trying his luck in milking, and managing the matter very\nclumsily, the uneasy beast began to think him very troublesome; and at\nlast gave him such a kick on the head as knocked him down; and there he\nlay a long while senseless. Luckily a butcher soon came by, driving a\npig in a wheelbarrow. \u2018What is the matter with you, my man?\u2019 said the\nbutcher, as he helped him up. Hans told him what had happened, how he\nwas dry, and wanted to milk his cow, but found the cow was dry too. Then\nthe butcher gave him a flask of ale, saying, \u2018There, drink and refresh\nyourself; your cow will give you no milk: don\u2019t you see she is an old\nbeast, good for nothing but the slaughter-house?\u2019 \u2018Alas, alas!\u2019 said\nHans, \u2018who would have thought it? What a shame to take my horse, and\ngive me only a dry cow! If I kill her, what will she be good for? I hate\ncow-beef; it is not tender enough for me. If it were a pig now--like\nthat fat gentleman you are driving along at his ease--one could do\nsomething with it; it would at any rate make sausages.\u2019 \u2018Well,\u2019 said\nthe butcher, \u2018I don\u2019t like to say no, when one is asked to do a kind,\nneighbourly thing. To please you I will change, and give you my fine fat\npig for the cow.\u2019 \u2018Heaven reward you for your kindness and self-denial!\u2019\nsaid Hans, as he gave the butcher the cow; and taking the pig off the\nwheel-barrow, drove it away, holding it by the string that was tied to\nits leg.\n\nSo on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him: he had met\nwith some misfortunes, to be sure; but he was now well repaid for all.\nHow could it be otherwise with such a travelling companion as he had at\nlast got?\n\nThe next man he met was a countryman carrying a fine white goose. The\ncountryman stopped to ask what was o\u2019clock; this led to further chat;\nand Hans told him all his luck, how he had so many good bargains, and\nhow all the world went gay and smiling with him. The countryman then\nbegan to tell his tale, and said he was going to take the goose to a\nchristening. \u2018Feel,\u2019 said he, \u2018how heavy it is, and yet it is only eight\nweeks old. Whoever roasts and eats it will find plenty of fat upon it,\nit has lived so well!\u2019 \u2018You\u2019re right,\u2019 said Hans, as he weighed it in\nhis hand; \u2018but if you talk of fat, my pig is no trifle.\u2019 Meantime the\ncountryman began to look grave, and shook his head. \u2018Hark ye!\u2019 said he,\n\u2018my worthy friend, you seem a good sort of fellow, so I can\u2019t help doing\nyou a kind turn. Your pig may get you into a scrape. In the village I\njust came from, the squire has had a pig stolen out of his sty. I was\ndreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire\u2019s pig. If\nyou have, and they catch you, it will be a bad job for you. The least\nthey will do will be to throw you into the horse-pond. Can you swim?\u2019\n\nPoor Hans was sadly frightened. \u2018Good man,\u2019 cried he, \u2018pray get me out\nof this scrape. I know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born;\nbut he may have been the squire\u2019s for aught I can tell: you know this\ncountry better than I do, take my pig and give me the goose.\u2019 \u2018I ought\nto have something into the bargain,\u2019 said the countryman; \u2018give a fat\ngoose for a pig, indeed! \u2018Tis not everyone would do so much for you as\nthat. However, I will not be hard upon you, as you are in trouble.\u2019 Then\nhe took the string in his hand, and drove off the pig by a side path;\nwhile Hans went on the way homewards free from care. \u2018After all,\u2019\nthought he, \u2018that chap is pretty well taken in. I don\u2019t care whose pig\nit is, but wherever it came from it has been a very good friend to me. I\nhave much the best of the bargain. First there will be a capital roast;\nthen the fat will find me in goose-grease for six months; and then there\nare all the beautiful white feathers. I will put them into my pillow,\nand then I am sure I shall sleep soundly without rocking. How happy my\nmother will be! Talk of a pig, indeed! Give me a fine fat goose.\u2019\n\nAs he came to the next village, he saw a scissor-grinder with his wheel,\nworking and singing,\n\n \u2018O\u2019er hill and o\u2019er dale\n  So happy I roam,\n  Work light and live well,\n  All the world is my home;\n  Then who so blythe, so merry as I?\u2019\n\nHans stood looking on for a while, and at last said, \u2018You must be well\noff, master grinder! you seem so happy at your work.\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said the\nother, \u2018mine is a golden trade; a good grinder never puts his hand\ninto his pocket without finding money in it--but where did you get that\nbeautiful goose?\u2019 \u2018I did not buy it, I gave a pig for it.\u2019 \u2018And where\ndid you get the pig?\u2019 \u2018I gave a cow for it.\u2019 \u2018And the cow?\u2019 \u2018I gave a\nhorse for it.\u2019 \u2018And the horse?\u2019 \u2018I gave a lump of silver as big as my\nhead for it.\u2019 \u2018And the silver?\u2019 \u2018Oh! I worked hard for that seven long\nyears.\u2019 \u2018You have thriven well in the world hitherto,\u2019 said the grinder,\n\u2018now if you could find money in your pocket whenever you put your hand\nin it, your fortune would be made.\u2019 \u2018Very true: but how is that to be\nmanaged?\u2019 \u2018How? Why, you must turn grinder like myself,\u2019 said the other;\n\u2018you only want a grindstone; the rest will come of itself. Here is one\nthat is but little the worse for wear: I would not ask more than the\nvalue of your goose for it--will you buy?\u2019 \u2018How can you ask?\u2019 said\nHans; \u2018I should be the happiest man in the world, if I could have money\nwhenever I put my hand in my pocket: what could I want more? there\u2019s\nthe goose.\u2019 \u2018Now,\u2019 said the grinder, as he gave him a common rough stone\nthat lay by his side, \u2018this is a most capital stone; do but work it well\nenough, and you can make an old nail cut with it.\u2019\n\nHans took the stone, and went his way with a light heart: his eyes\nsparkled for joy, and he said to himself, \u2018Surely I must have been born\nin a lucky hour; everything I could want or wish for comes of itself.\nPeople are so kind; they seem really to think I do them a favour in\nletting them make me rich, and giving me good bargains.\u2019\n\nMeantime he began to be tired, and hungry too, for he had given away his\nlast penny in his joy at getting the cow.\n\nAt last he could go no farther, for the stone tired him sadly: and he\ndragged himself to the side of a river, that he might take a drink of\nwater, and rest a while. So he laid the stone carefully by his side on\nthe bank: but, as he stooped down to drink, he forgot it, pushed it a\nlittle, and down it rolled, plump into the stream.\n\nFor a while he watched it sinking in the deep clear water; then sprang\nup and danced for joy, and again fell upon his knees and thanked Heaven,\nwith tears in his eyes, for its kindness in taking away his only plague,\nthe ugly heavy stone.\n\n\u2018How happy am I!\u2019 cried he; \u2018nobody was ever so lucky as I.\u2019 Then up he\ngot with a light heart, free from all his troubles, and walked on till\nhe reached his mother\u2019s house, and told her how very easy the road to\ngood luck was.\n\n\n\n\nJORINDA AND JORINDEL\n\n\nThere was once an old castle, that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy\nwood, and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take\nany shape she pleased. All the day long she flew about in the form of\nan owl, or crept about the country like a cat; but at night she always\nbecame an old woman again. When any young man came within a hundred\npaces of her castle, he became quite fixed, and could not move a step\ntill she came and set him free; which she would not do till he had given\nher his word never to come there again: but when any pretty maiden came\nwithin that space she was changed into a bird, and the fairy put her\ninto a cage, and hung her up in a chamber in the castle. There were\nseven hundred of these cages hanging in the castle, and all with\nbeautiful birds in them.\n\nNow there was once a maiden whose name was Jorinda. She was prettier\nthan all the pretty girls that ever were seen before, and a shepherd\nlad, whose name was Jorindel, was very fond of her, and they were soon\nto be married. One day they went to walk in the wood, that they might be\nalone; and Jorindel said, \u2018We must take care that we don\u2019t go too near\nto the fairy\u2019s castle.\u2019 It was a beautiful evening; the last rays of the\nsetting sun shone bright through the long stems of the trees upon\nthe green underwood beneath, and the turtle-doves sang from the tall\nbirches.\n\nJorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun; Jorindel sat by her side; and\nboth felt sad, they knew not why; but it seemed as if they were to be\nparted from one another for ever. They had wandered a long way; and when\nthey looked to see which way they should go home, they found themselves\nat a loss to know what path to take.\n\nThe sun was setting fast, and already half of its circle had sunk behind\nthe hill: Jorindel on a sudden looked behind him, and saw through the\nbushes that they had, without knowing it, sat down close under the old\nwalls of the castle. Then he shrank for fear, turned pale, and trembled.\nJorinda was just singing,\n\n \u2018The ring-dove sang from the willow spray,\n  Well-a-day! Well-a-day!\n  He mourn\u2019d for the fate of his darling mate,\n  Well-a-day!\u2019\n\nwhen her song stopped suddenly. Jorindel turned to see the reason, and\nbeheld his Jorinda changed into a nightingale, so that her song ended\nwith a mournful _jug, jug_. An owl with fiery eyes flew three times\nround them, and three times screamed:\n\n \u2018Tu whu! Tu whu! Tu whu!\u2019\n\nJorindel could not move; he stood fixed as a stone, and could neither\nweep, nor speak, nor stir hand or foot. And now the sun went quite down;\nthe gloomy night came; the owl flew into a bush; and a moment after the\nold fairy came forth pale and meagre, with staring eyes, and a nose and\nchin that almost met one another.\n\nShe mumbled something to herself, seized the nightingale, and went away\nwith it in her hand. Poor Jorindel saw the nightingale was gone--but\nwhat could he do? He could not speak, he could not move from the spot\nwhere he stood. At last the fairy came back and sang with a hoarse\nvoice:\n\n \u2018Till the prisoner is fast,\n  And her doom is cast,\n  There stay! Oh, stay!\n  When the charm is around her,\n  And the spell has bound her,\n  Hie away! away!\u2019\n\nOn a sudden Jorindel found himself free. Then he fell on his knees\nbefore the fairy, and prayed her to give him back his dear Jorinda: but\nshe laughed at him, and said he should never see her again; then she\nwent her way.\n\nHe prayed, he wept, he sorrowed, but all in vain. \u2018Alas!\u2019 he said, \u2018what\nwill become of me?\u2019 He could not go back to his own home, so he went to\na strange village, and employed himself in keeping sheep. Many a time\ndid he walk round and round as near to the hated castle as he dared go,\nbut all in vain; he heard or saw nothing of Jorinda.\n\nAt last he dreamt one night that he found a beautiful purple flower,\nand that in the middle of it lay a costly pearl; and he dreamt that he\nplucked the flower, and went with it in his hand into the castle, and\nthat everything he touched with it was disenchanted, and that there he\nfound his Jorinda again.\n\nIn the morning when he awoke, he began to search over hill and dale for\nthis pretty flower; and eight long days he sought for it in vain: but\non the ninth day, early in the morning, he found the beautiful purple\nflower; and in the middle of it was a large dewdrop, as big as a costly\npearl. Then he plucked the flower, and set out and travelled day and\nnight, till he came again to the castle.\n\nHe walked nearer than a hundred paces to it, and yet he did not become\nfixed as before, but found that he could go quite close up to the door.\nJorindel was very glad indeed to see this. Then he touched the door with\nthe flower, and it sprang open; so that he went in through the court,\nand listened when he heard so many birds singing. At last he came to the\nchamber where the fairy sat, with the seven hundred birds singing in\nthe seven hundred cages. When she saw Jorindel she was very angry, and\nscreamed with rage; but she could not come within two yards of him, for\nthe flower he held in his hand was his safeguard. He looked around at\nthe birds, but alas! there were many, many nightingales, and how then\nshould he find out which was his Jorinda? While he was thinking what to\ndo, he saw the fairy had taken down one of the cages, and was making the\nbest of her way off through the door. He ran or flew after her, touched\nthe cage with the flower, and Jorinda stood before him, and threw her\narms round his neck looking as beautiful as ever, as beautiful as when\nthey walked together in the wood.\n\nThen he touched all the other birds with the flower, so that they all\ntook their old forms again; and he took Jorinda home, where they were\nmarried, and lived happily together many years: and so did a good many\nother lads, whose maidens had been forced to sing in the old fairy\u2019s\ncages by themselves, much longer than they liked.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRAVELLING MUSICIANS\n\n\nAn honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him\na great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more\nunfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and\nbegan to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that some\nmischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey\ntowards the great city, \u2018For there,\u2019 thought he, \u2018I may turn musician.\u2019\n\nAfter he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the\nroadside and panting as if he were tired. \u2018What makes you pant so, my\nfriend?\u2019 said the ass. \u2018Alas!\u2019 said the dog, \u2018my master was going to\nknock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer make\nmyself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do to\nearn my livelihood?\u2019 \u2018Hark ye!\u2019 said the ass, \u2018I am going to the great\ncity to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you can\ndo in the same way?\u2019 The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on\ntogether.\n\nThey had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the\nroad and making a most rueful face. \u2018Pray, my good lady,\u2019 said the ass,\n\u2018what\u2019s the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!\u2019 \u2018Ah, me!\u2019\nsaid the cat, \u2018how can one be in good spirits when one\u2019s life is in\ndanger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my\nease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress\nlaid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been lucky\nenough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon.\u2019\n\u2018Oh,\u2019 said the ass, \u2018by all means go with us to the great city; you are\na good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.\u2019 The cat\nwas pleased with the thought, and joined the party.\n\nSoon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock\nperched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main.\n\u2018Bravo!\u2019 said the ass; \u2018upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what\nis all this about?\u2019 \u2018Why,\u2019 said the cock, \u2018I was just now saying that\nwe should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and\nthe cook don\u2019t thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off my\nhead tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming\non Sunday!\u2019 \u2018Heaven forbid!\u2019 said the ass, \u2018come with us Master\nChanticleer; it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have\nyour head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we\nmay get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us.\u2019 \u2018With all my\nheart,\u2019 said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.\n\nThey could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when\nnight came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laid\nthemselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into the\nbranches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he\nshould be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to\nhis custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to\nsee that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off something\nbright and shining and calling to his companions said, \u2018There must be a\nhouse no great way off, for I see a light.\u2019 \u2018If that be the case,\u2019 said\nthe ass, \u2018we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the\nbest in the world!\u2019 \u2018Besides,\u2019 added the dog, \u2018I should not be the\nworse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat.\u2019 So they walked off together\ntowards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew\nnear it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to a\nhouse in which a gang of robbers lived.\n\nThe ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and\npeeped in. \u2018Well, Donkey,\u2019 said Chanticleer, \u2018what do you see?\u2019 \u2018What\ndo I see?\u2019 replied the ass. \u2018Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of\ngood things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.\u2019 \u2018That would\nbe a noble lodging for us,\u2019 said the cock. \u2018Yes,\u2019 said the ass, \u2018if we\ncould only get in\u2019; so they consulted together how they should contrive\nto get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan. The ass placed\nhimself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the\nwindow; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog\u2019s\nshoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat\u2019s head. When\nall was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass\nbrayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then\nthey all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into\nthe room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter! The\nrobbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert,\nhad now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them,\nand scampered away as fast as they could.\n\nThe coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what\nthe robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected\nto eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they\nput out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to\nhis own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in\nthe yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, the\ncat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and the\ncock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all\nrather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.\n\nBut about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were\nout and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in\ntoo great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than\nthe rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he\nmarched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in\norder to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of\nthe cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to\nlight it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face,\nand spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away\nhe ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the\nleg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the\ncock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. At\nthis the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told\nthe captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at\nhim and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a\nknife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him\nin the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a\nclub, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out,\n\u2018Throw the rascal up here!\u2019 After this the robbers never dared to go\nback to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters\nthat they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at\nthis very day.\n\n\n\n\nOLD SULTAN\n\n\nA shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old,\nand had lost all his teeth. And one day when the shepherd and his wife\nwere standing together before the house the shepherd said, \u2018I will shoot\nold Sultan tomorrow morning, for he is of no use now.\u2019 But his wife\nsaid, \u2018Pray let the poor faithful creature live; he has served us well a\ngreat many years, and we ought to give him a livelihood for the rest of\nhis days.\u2019 \u2018But what can we do with him?\u2019 said the shepherd, \u2018he has not\na tooth in his head, and the thieves don\u2019t care for him at all; to\nbe sure he has served us, but then he did it to earn his livelihood;\ntomorrow shall be his last day, depend upon it.\u2019\n\nPoor Sultan, who was lying close by them, heard all that the shepherd\nand his wife said to one another, and was very much frightened to think\ntomorrow would be his last day; so in the evening he went to his good\nfriend the wolf, who lived in the wood, and told him all his sorrows,\nand how his master meant to kill him in the morning. \u2018Make yourself\neasy,\u2019 said the wolf, \u2018I will give you some good advice. Your master,\nyou know, goes out every morning very early with his wife into the\nfield; and they take their little child with them, and lay it down\nbehind the hedge in the shade while they are at work. Now do you lie\ndown close by the child, and pretend to be watching it, and I will come\nout of the wood and run away with it; you must run after me as fast as\nyou can, and I will let it drop; then you may carry it back, and they\nwill think you have saved their child, and will be so thankful to you\nthat they will take care of you as long as you live.\u2019 The dog liked this\nplan very well; and accordingly so it was managed. The wolf ran with the\nchild a little way; the shepherd and his wife screamed out; but Sultan\nsoon overtook him, and carried the poor little thing back to his master\nand mistress. Then the shepherd patted him on the head, and said, \u2018Old\nSultan has saved our child from the wolf, and therefore he shall live\nand be well taken care of, and have plenty to eat. Wife, go home, and\ngive him a good dinner, and let him have my old cushion to sleep on\nas long as he lives.\u2019 So from this time forward Sultan had all that he\ncould wish for.\n\nSoon afterwards the wolf came and wished him joy, and said, \u2018Now, my\ngood fellow, you must tell no tales, but turn your head the other way\nwhen I want to taste one of the old shepherd\u2019s fine fat sheep.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019\nsaid the Sultan; \u2018I will be true to my master.\u2019 However, the wolf\nthought he was in joke, and came one night to get a dainty morsel. But\nSultan had told his master what the wolf meant to do; so he laid wait\nfor him behind the barn door, and when the wolf was busy looking out for\na good fat sheep, he had a stout cudgel laid about his back, that combed\nhis locks for him finely.\n\nThen the wolf was very angry, and called Sultan \u2018an old rogue,\u2019 and\nswore he would have his revenge. So the next morning the wolf sent the\nboar to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the matter. Now\nSultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd\u2019s old\nthree-legged cat; so he took her with him, and as the poor thing limped\nalong with some trouble, she stuck up her tail straight in the air.\n\nThe wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground; and when they\nespied their enemies coming, and saw the cat\u2019s long tail standing\nstraight in the air, they thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to\nfight with; and every time she limped, they thought she was picking up\na stone to throw at them; so they said they should not like this way of\nfighting, and the boar lay down behind a bush, and the wolf jumped\nup into a tree. Sultan and the cat soon came up, and looked about and\nwondered that no one was there. The boar, however, had not quite hidden\nhimself, for his ears stuck out of the bush; and when he shook one of\nthem a little, the cat, seeing something move, and thinking it was a\nmouse, sprang upon it, and bit and scratched it, so that the boar jumped\nup and grunted, and ran away, roaring out, \u2018Look up in the tree, there\nsits the one who is to blame.\u2019 So they looked up, and espied the wolf\nsitting amongst the branches; and they called him a cowardly rascal,\nand would not suffer him to come down till he was heartily ashamed of\nhimself, and had promised to be good friends again with old Sultan.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN\n\n\nIn a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish\nof beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth, and\nthat it might burn the quicker, she lighted it with a handful of straw.\nWhen she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped without her\nobserving it, and lay on the ground beside a straw, and soon afterwards\na burning coal from the fire leapt down to the two. Then the straw\nbegan and said: \u2018Dear friends, from whence do you come here?\u2019 The coal\nreplied: \u2018I fortunately sprang out of the fire, and if I had not escaped\nby sheer force, my death would have been certain,--I should have been\nburnt to ashes.\u2019 The bean said: \u2018I too have escaped with a whole skin,\nbut if the old woman had got me into the pan, I should have been made\ninto broth without any mercy, like my comrades.\u2019 \u2018And would a better\nfate have fallen to my lot?\u2019 said the straw. \u2018The old woman has\ndestroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke; she seized sixty of them at\nonce, and took their lives. I luckily slipped through her fingers.\u2019\n\n\u2018But what are we to do now?\u2019 said the coal.\n\n\u2018I think,\u2019 answered the bean, \u2018that as we have so fortunately escaped\ndeath, we should keep together like good companions, and lest a new\nmischance should overtake us here, we should go away together, and\nrepair to a foreign country.\u2019\n\nThe proposition pleased the two others, and they set out on their way\ntogether. Soon, however, they came to a little brook, and as there was\nno bridge or foot-plank, they did not know how they were to get over\nit. The straw hit on a good idea, and said: \u2018I will lay myself straight\nacross, and then you can walk over on me as on a bridge.\u2019 The straw\ntherefore stretched itself from one bank to the other, and the coal,\nwho was of an impetuous disposition, tripped quite boldly on to the\nnewly-built bridge. But when she had reached the middle, and heard the\nwater rushing beneath her, she was after all, afraid, and stood still,\nand ventured no farther. The straw, however, began to burn, broke in\ntwo pieces, and fell into the stream. The coal slipped after her, hissed\nwhen she got into the water, and breathed her last. The bean, who had\nprudently stayed behind on the shore, could not but laugh at the event,\nwas unable to stop, and laughed so heartily that she burst. It would\nhave been all over with her, likewise, if, by good fortune, a tailor who\nwas travelling in search of work, had not sat down to rest by the brook.\nAs he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread,\nand sewed her together. The bean thanked him most prettily, but as the\ntailor used black thread, all beans since then have a black seam.\n\n\n\n\nBRIAR ROSE\n\n\nA king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off,\nwhere there were in those days fairies. Now this king and queen had\nplenty of money, and plenty of fine clothes to wear, and plenty of\ngood things to eat and drink, and a coach to ride out in every day: but\nthough they had been married many years they had no children, and this\ngrieved them very much indeed. But one day as the queen was walking\nby the side of the river, at the bottom of the garden, she saw a poor\nlittle fish, that had thrown itself out of the water, and lay gasping\nand nearly dead on the bank. Then the queen took pity on the little\nfish, and threw it back again into the river; and before it swam away\nit lifted its head out of the water and said, \u2018I know what your wish is,\nand it shall be fulfilled, in return for your kindness to me--you will\nsoon have a daughter.\u2019 What the little fish had foretold soon came to\npass; and the queen had a little girl, so very beautiful that the king\ncould not cease looking on it for joy, and said he would hold a great\nfeast and make merry, and show the child to all the land. So he asked\nhis kinsmen, and nobles, and friends, and neighbours. But the queen\nsaid, \u2018I will have the fairies also, that they might be kind and good\nto our little daughter.\u2019 Now there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom;\nbut as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat\nout of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her.\nSo twelve fairies came, each with a high red cap on her head, and red\nshoes with high heels on her feet, and a long white wand in her hand:\nand after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all\ntheir best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness, another\nbeauty, another riches, and so on till she had all that was good in the\nworld.\n\nJust as eleven of them had done blessing her, a great noise was heard in\nthe courtyard, and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was\ncome, with a black cap on her head, and black shoes on her feet, and a\nbroomstick in her hand: and presently up she came into the dining-hall.\nNow, as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry, and\nscolded the king and queen very much, and set to work to take her\nrevenge. So she cried out, \u2018The king\u2019s daughter shall, in her fifteenth\nyear, be wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead.\u2019 Then the twelfth of\nthe friendly fairies, who had not yet given her gift, came forward, and\nsaid that the evil wish must be fulfilled, but that she could soften its\nmischief; so her gift was, that the king\u2019s daughter, when the spindle\nwounded her, should not really die, but should only fall asleep for a\nhundred years.\n\nHowever, the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from\nthe threatened evil; so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom\nshould be bought up and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven\nfairies were in the meantime fulfilled; for the princess was so\nbeautiful, and well behaved, and good, and wise, that everyone who knew\nher loved her.\n\nIt happened that, on the very day she was fifteen years old, the king\nand queen were not at home, and she was left alone in the palace. So she\nroved about by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers, till\nat last she came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase\nending with a little door. In the door there was a golden key, and when\nshe turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning\naway very busily. \u2018Why, how now, good mother,\u2019 said the princess; \u2018what\nare you doing there?\u2019 \u2018Spinning,\u2019 said the old lady, and nodded her\nhead, humming a tune, while buzz! went the wheel. \u2018How prettily that\nlittle thing turns round!\u2019 said the princess, and took the spindle\nand began to try and spin. But scarcely had she touched it, before the\nfairy\u2019s prophecy was fulfilled; the spindle wounded her, and she fell\ndown lifeless on the ground.\n\nHowever, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and\nthe king and the queen, who had just come home, and all their court,\nfell asleep too; and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in\nthe court, the pigeons on the house-top, and the very flies slept upon\nthe walls. Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing, and went to\nsleep; the jack stopped, and the spit that was turning about with a\ngoose upon it for the king\u2019s dinner stood still; and the cook, who was\nat that moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box\non the ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell\nasleep; the butler, who was slyly tasting the ale, fell asleep with the\njug at his lips: and thus everything stood still, and slept soundly.\n\nA large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace, and every year it\nbecame higher and thicker; till at last the old palace was surrounded\nand hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But\nthere went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar\nRose (for so the king\u2019s daughter was called): so that, from time to\ntime, several kings\u2019 sons came, and tried to break through the thicket\ninto the palace. This, however, none of them could ever do; for the\nthorns and bushes laid hold of them, as it were with hands; and there\nthey stuck fast, and died wretchedly.\n\nAfter many, many years there came a king\u2019s son into that land: and an\nold man told him the story of the thicket of thorns; and how a beautiful\npalace stood behind it, and how a wonderful princess, called Briar Rose,\nlay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too, how he had heard\nfrom his grandfather that many, many princes had come, and had tried to\nbreak through the thicket, but that they had all stuck fast in it, and\ndied. Then the young prince said, \u2018All this shall not frighten me; I\nwill go and see this Briar Rose.\u2019 The old man tried to hinder him, but\nhe was bent upon going.\n\nNow that very day the hundred years were ended; and as the prince came\nto the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs, through\nwhich he went with ease, and they shut in after him as thick as ever.\nThen he came at last to the palace, and there in the court lay the dogs\nasleep; and the horses were standing in the stables; and on the roof sat\nthe pigeons fast asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when he\ncame into the palace, the flies were sleeping on the walls; the spit\nwas standing still; the butler had the jug of ale at his lips, going\nto drink a draught; the maid sat with a fowl in her lap ready to be\nplucked; and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand, as\nif she was going to beat the boy.\n\nThen he went on still farther, and all was so still that he could hear\nevery breath he drew; till at last he came to the old tower, and opened\nthe door of the little room in which Briar Rose was; and there she lay,\nfast asleep on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that he\ncould not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down and gave her a kiss.\nBut the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled\nupon him; and they went out together; and soon the king and queen also\nawoke, and all the court, and gazed on each other with great wonder.\nAnd the horses shook themselves, and the dogs jumped up and barked; the\npigeons took their heads from under their wings, and looked about and\nflew into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed again; the fire in\nthe kitchen blazed up; round went the jack, and round went the spit,\nwith the goose for the king\u2019s dinner upon it; the butler finished his\ndraught of ale; the maid went on plucking the fowl; and the cook gave\nthe boy the box on his ear.\n\nAnd then the prince and Briar Rose were married, and the wedding feast\nwas given; and they lived happily together all their lives long.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND THE SPARROW\n\n\nA shepherd\u2019s dog had a master who took no care of him, but often let him\nsuffer the greatest hunger. At last he could bear it no longer; so he\ntook to his heels, and off he ran in a very sad and sorrowful mood.\nOn the road he met a sparrow that said to him, \u2018Why are you so sad,\nmy friend?\u2019 \u2018Because,\u2019 said the dog, \u2018I am very very hungry, and have\nnothing to eat.\u2019 \u2018If that be all,\u2019 answered the sparrow, \u2018come with me\ninto the next town, and I will soon find you plenty of food.\u2019 So on they\nwent together into the town: and as they passed by a butcher\u2019s shop,\nthe sparrow said to the dog, \u2018Stand there a little while till I peck you\ndown a piece of meat.\u2019 So the sparrow perched upon the shelf: and having\nfirst looked carefully about her to see if anyone was watching her, she\npecked and scratched at a steak that lay upon the edge of the shelf,\ntill at last down it fell. Then the dog snapped it up, and scrambled\naway with it into a corner, where he soon ate it all up. \u2018Well,\u2019 said\nthe sparrow, \u2018you shall have some more if you will; so come with me to\nthe next shop, and I will peck you down another steak.\u2019 When the dog had\neaten this too, the sparrow said to him, \u2018Well, my good friend, have you\nhad enough now?\u2019 \u2018I have had plenty of meat,\u2019 answered he, \u2018but I should\nlike to have a piece of bread to eat after it.\u2019 \u2018Come with me then,\u2019\nsaid the sparrow, \u2018and you shall soon have that too.\u2019 So she took him\nto a baker\u2019s shop, and pecked at two rolls that lay in the window, till\nthey fell down: and as the dog still wished for more, she took him to\nanother shop and pecked down some more for him. When that was eaten, the\nsparrow asked him whether he had had enough now. \u2018Yes,\u2019 said he; \u2018and\nnow let us take a walk a little way out of the town.\u2019 So they both went\nout upon the high road; but as the weather was warm, they had not gone\nfar before the dog said, \u2018I am very much tired--I should like to take a\nnap.\u2019 \u2018Very well,\u2019 answered the sparrow, \u2018do so, and in the meantime\nI will perch upon that bush.\u2019 So the dog stretched himself out on the\nroad, and fell fast asleep. Whilst he slept, there came by a carter with\na cart drawn by three horses, and loaded with two casks of wine. The\nsparrow, seeing that the carter did not turn out of the way, but would\ngo on in the track in which the dog lay, so as to drive over him, called\nout, \u2018Stop! stop! Mr Carter, or it shall be the worse for you.\u2019 But the\ncarter, grumbling to himself, \u2018You make it the worse for me, indeed!\nwhat can you do?\u2019 cracked his whip, and drove his cart over the poor\ndog, so that the wheels crushed him to death. \u2018There,\u2019 cried the\nsparrow, \u2018thou cruel villain, thou hast killed my friend the dog. Now\nmind what I say. This deed of thine shall cost thee all thou art worth.\u2019\n\u2018Do your worst, and welcome,\u2019 said the brute, \u2018what harm can you do me?\u2019\nand passed on. But the sparrow crept under the tilt of the cart, and\npecked at the bung of one of the casks till she loosened it; and then\nall the wine ran out, without the carter seeing it. At last he looked\nround, and saw that the cart was dripping, and the cask quite empty.\n\u2018What an unlucky wretch I am!\u2019 cried he. \u2018Not wretch enough yet!\u2019 said\nthe sparrow, as she alighted upon the head of one of the horses, and\npecked at him till he reared up and kicked. When the carter saw this,\nhe drew out his hatchet and aimed a blow at the sparrow, meaning to kill\nher; but she flew away, and the blow fell upon the poor horse\u2019s head\nwith such force, that he fell down dead. \u2018Unlucky wretch that I am!\u2019\ncried he. \u2018Not wretch enough yet!\u2019 said the sparrow. And as the carter\nwent on with the other two horses, she again crept under the tilt of the\ncart, and pecked out the bung of the second cask, so that all the wine\nran out. When the carter saw this, he again cried out, \u2018Miserable wretch\nthat I am!\u2019 But the sparrow answered, \u2018Not wretch enough yet!\u2019 and\nperched on the head of the second horse, and pecked at him too. The\ncarter ran up and struck at her again with his hatchet; but away she\nflew, and the blow fell upon the second horse and killed him on the\nspot. \u2018Unlucky wretch that I am!\u2019 said he. \u2018Not wretch enough yet!\u2019 said\nthe sparrow; and perching upon the third horse, she began to peck him\ntoo. The carter was mad with fury; and without looking about him, or\ncaring what he was about, struck again at the sparrow; but killed his\nthird horse as he done the other two. \u2018Alas! miserable wretch that I\nam!\u2019 cried he. \u2018Not wretch enough yet!\u2019 answered the sparrow as she flew\naway; \u2018now will I plague and punish thee at thy own house.\u2019 The\ncarter was forced at last to leave his cart behind him, and to go home\noverflowing with rage and vexation. \u2018Alas!\u2019 said he to his wife, \u2018what\nill luck has befallen me!--my wine is all spilt, and my horses all three\ndead.\u2019 \u2018Alas! husband,\u2019 replied she, \u2018and a wicked bird has come into\nthe house, and has brought with her all the birds in the world, I am\nsure, and they have fallen upon our corn in the loft, and are eating it\nup at such a rate!\u2019 Away ran the husband upstairs, and saw thousands of\nbirds sitting upon the floor eating up his corn, with the sparrow in the\nmidst of them. \u2018Unlucky wretch that I am!\u2019 cried the carter; for he saw\nthat the corn was almost all gone. \u2018Not wretch enough yet!\u2019 said the\nsparrow; \u2018thy cruelty shall cost thee thy life yet!\u2019 and away she flew.\n\nThe carter seeing that he had thus lost all that he had, went down\ninto his kitchen; and was still not sorry for what he had done, but sat\nhimself angrily and sulkily in the chimney corner. But the sparrow sat\non the outside of the window, and cried \u2018Carter! thy cruelty shall cost\nthee thy life!\u2019 With that he jumped up in a rage, seized his hatchet,\nand threw it at the sparrow; but it missed her, and only broke the\nwindow. The sparrow now hopped in, perched upon the window-seat, and\ncried, \u2018Carter! it shall cost thee thy life!\u2019 Then he became mad and\nblind with rage, and struck the window-seat with such force that he\ncleft it in two: and as the sparrow flew from place to place, the carter\nand his wife were so furious, that they broke all their furniture,\nglasses, chairs, benches, the table, and at last the walls, without\ntouching the bird at all. In the end, however, they caught her: and the\nwife said, \u2018Shall I kill her at once?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 cried he, \u2018that is letting\nher off too easily: she shall die a much more cruel death; I will eat\nher.\u2019 But the sparrow began to flutter about, and stretch out her neck\nand cried, \u2018Carter! it shall cost thee thy life yet!\u2019 With that he\ncould wait no longer: so he gave his wife the hatchet, and cried, \u2018Wife,\nstrike at the bird and kill her in my hand.\u2019 And the wife struck; but\nshe missed her aim, and hit her husband on the head so that he fell down\ndead, and the sparrow flew quietly home to her nest.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES\n\n\nThere was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in\ntwelve beds all in one room; and when they went to bed, the doors were\nshut and locked up; but every morning their shoes were found to be quite\nworn through as if they had been danced in all night; and yet nobody\ncould find out how it happened, or where they had been.\n\nThen the king made it known to all the land, that if any person could\ndiscover the secret, and find out where it was that the princesses\ndanced in the night, he should have the one he liked best for his\nwife, and should be king after his death; but whoever tried and did not\nsucceed, after three days and nights, should be put to death.\n\nA king\u2019s son soon came. He was well entertained, and in the evening was\ntaken to the chamber next to the one where the princesses lay in their\ntwelve beds. There he was to sit and watch where they went to dance;\nand, in order that nothing might pass without his hearing it, the door\nof his chamber was left open. But the king\u2019s son soon fell asleep; and\nwhen he awoke in the morning he found that the princesses had all been\ndancing, for the soles of their shoes were full of holes. The same thing\nhappened the second and third night: so the king ordered his head to be\ncut off. After him came several others; but they had all the same luck,\nand all lost their lives in the same manner.\n\nNow it chanced that an old soldier, who had been wounded in battle\nand could fight no longer, passed through the country where this king\nreigned: and as he was travelling through a wood, he met an old woman,\nwho asked him where he was going. \u2018I hardly know where I am going, or\nwhat I had better do,\u2019 said the soldier; \u2018but I think I should like very\nwell to find out where it is that the princesses dance, and then in time\nI might be a king.\u2019 \u2018Well,\u2019 said the old dame, \u2018that is no very hard\ntask: only take care not to drink any of the wine which one of the\nprincesses will bring to you in the evening; and as soon as she leaves\nyou pretend to be fast asleep.\u2019\n\nThen she gave him a cloak, and said, \u2018As soon as you put that on\nyou will become invisible, and you will then be able to follow the\nprincesses wherever they go.\u2019 When the soldier heard all this good\ncounsel, he determined to try his luck: so he went to the king, and said\nhe was willing to undertake the task.\n\nHe was as well received as the others had been, and the king ordered\nfine royal robes to be given him; and when the evening came he was led\nto the outer chamber. Just as he was going to lie down, the eldest of\nthe princesses brought him a cup of wine; but the soldier threw it all\naway secretly, taking care not to drink a drop. Then he laid himself\ndown on his bed, and in a little while began to snore very loud as if\nhe was fast asleep. When the twelve princesses heard this they laughed\nheartily; and the eldest said, \u2018This fellow too might have done a wiser\nthing than lose his life in this way!\u2019 Then they rose up and opened\ntheir drawers and boxes, and took out all their fine clothes, and\ndressed themselves at the glass, and skipped about as if they were eager\nto begin dancing. But the youngest said, \u2018I don\u2019t know how it is, while\nyou are so happy I feel very uneasy; I am sure some mischance will\nbefall us.\u2019 \u2018You simpleton,\u2019 said the eldest, \u2018you are always afraid;\nhave you forgotten how many kings\u2019 sons have already watched in vain?\nAnd as for this soldier, even if I had not given him his sleeping\ndraught, he would have slept soundly enough.\u2019\n\nWhen they were all ready, they went and looked at the soldier; but he\nsnored on, and did not stir hand or foot: so they thought they were\nquite safe; and the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands,\nand the bed sank into the floor and a trap-door flew open. The soldier\nsaw them going down through the trap-door one after another, the eldest\nleading the way; and thinking he had no time to lose, he jumped up, put\non the cloak which the old woman had given him, and followed them;\nbut in the middle of the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest\nprincess, and she cried out to her sisters, \u2018All is not right; someone\ntook hold of my gown.\u2019 \u2018You silly creature!\u2019 said the eldest, \u2018it is\nnothing but a nail in the wall.\u2019 Then down they all went, and at the\nbottom they found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees; and\nthe leaves were all of silver, and glittered and sparkled beautifully.\nThe soldier wished to take away some token of the place; so he broke\noff a little branch, and there came a loud noise from the tree. Then the\nyoungest daughter said again, \u2018I am sure all is not right--did not you\nhear that noise? That never happened before.\u2019 But the eldest said, \u2018It\nis only our princes, who are shouting for joy at our approach.\u2019\n\nThen they came to another grove of trees, where all the leaves were of\ngold; and afterwards to a third, where the leaves were all glittering\ndiamonds. And the soldier broke a branch from each; and every time there\nwas a loud noise, which made the youngest sister tremble with fear; but\nthe eldest still said, it was only the princes, who were crying for joy.\nSo they went on till they came to a great lake; and at the side of the\nlake there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them,\nwho seemed to be waiting there for the princesses.\n\nOne of the princesses went into each boat, and the soldier stepped into\nthe same boat with the youngest. As they were rowing over the lake, the\nprince who was in the boat with the youngest princess and the soldier\nsaid, \u2018I do not know why it is, but though I am rowing with all my might\nwe do not get on so fast as usual, and I am quite tired: the boat\nseems very heavy today.\u2019 \u2018It is only the heat of the weather,\u2019 said the\nprincess: \u2018I feel it very warm too.\u2019\n\nOn the other side of the lake stood a fine illuminated castle, from\nwhich came the merry music of horns and trumpets. There they all landed,\nand went into the castle, and each prince danced with his princess; and\nthe soldier, who was all the time invisible, danced with them too; and\nwhen any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her, he drank it\nall up, so that when she put the cup to her mouth it was empty. At this,\ntoo, the youngest sister was terribly frightened, but the eldest always\nsilenced her. They danced on till three o\u2019clock in the morning, and then\nall their shoes were worn out, so that they were obliged to leave off.\nThe princes rowed them back again over the lake (but this time the\nsoldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess); and on the\nopposite shore they took leave of each other, the princesses promising\nto come again the next night.\n\nWhen they came to the stairs, the soldier ran on before the princesses,\nand laid himself down; and as the twelve sisters slowly came up very\nmuch tired, they heard him snoring in his bed; so they said, \u2018Now all\nis quite safe\u2019; then they undressed themselves, put away their fine\nclothes, pulled off their shoes, and went to bed. In the morning the\nsoldier said nothing about what had happened, but determined to see more\nof this strange adventure, and went again the second and third night;\nand every thing happened just as before; the princesses danced each time\ntill their shoes were worn to pieces, and then returned home. However,\non the third night the soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a\ntoken of where he had been.\n\nAs soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret, he was taken\nbefore the king with the three branches and the golden cup; and the\ntwelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would\nsay. And when the king asked him. \u2018Where do my twelve daughters dance at\nnight?\u2019 he answered, \u2018With twelve princes in a castle under ground.\u2019 And\nthen he told the king all that had happened, and showed him the three\nbranches and the golden cup which he had brought with him. Then the king\ncalled for the princesses, and asked them whether what the soldier said\nwas true: and when they saw that they were discovered, and that it was\nof no use to deny what had happened, they confessed it all. And the king\nasked the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife; and he\nanswered, \u2018I am not very young, so I will have the eldest.\u2019--And they\nwere married that very day, and the soldier was chosen to be the king\u2019s\nheir.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE\n\n\nThere was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty, close\nby the seaside. The fisherman used to go out all day long a-fishing; and\none day, as he sat on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling\nwaves and watching his line, all on a sudden his float was dragged away\ndeep into the water: and in drawing it up he pulled out a great fish.\nBut the fish said, \u2018Pray let me live! I am not a real fish; I am an\nenchanted prince: put me in the water again, and let me go!\u2019 \u2018Oh, ho!\u2019\nsaid the man, \u2018you need not make so many words about the matter; I will\nhave nothing to do with a fish that can talk: so swim away, sir, as soon\nas you please!\u2019 Then he put him back into the water, and the fish darted\nstraight down to the bottom, and left a long streak of blood behind him\non the wave.\n\nWhen the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty, he told her how\nhe had caught a great fish, and how it had told him it was an enchanted\nprince, and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it go again. \u2018Did not\nyou ask it for anything?\u2019 said the wife, \u2018we live very wretchedly here,\nin this nasty dirty pigsty; do go back and tell the fish we want a snug\nlittle cottage.\u2019\n\nThe fisherman did not much like the business: however, he went to the\nseashore; and when he came back there the water looked all yellow and\ngreen. And he stood at the water\u2019s edge, and said:\n\n \u2018O man of the sea!\n  Hearken to me!\n  My wife Ilsabill\n  Will have her own will,\n  And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!\u2019\n\nThen the fish came swimming to him, and said, \u2018Well, what is her will?\nWhat does your wife want?\u2019 \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the fisherman, \u2018she says that when\nI had caught you, I ought to have asked you for something before I let\nyou go; she does not like living any longer in the pigsty, and wants\na snug little cottage.\u2019 \u2018Go home, then,\u2019 said the fish; \u2018she is in the\ncottage already!\u2019 So the man went home, and saw his wife standing at the\ndoor of a nice trim little cottage. \u2018Come in, come in!\u2019 said she; \u2018is\nnot this much better than the filthy pigsty we had?\u2019 And there was a\nparlour, and a bedchamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage there\nwas a little garden, planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits; and\nthere was a courtyard behind, full of ducks and chickens. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the\nfisherman, \u2018how happily we shall live now!\u2019 \u2018We will try to do so, at\nleast,\u2019 said his wife.\n\nEverything went right for a week or two, and then Dame Ilsabill said,\n\u2018Husband, there is not near room enough for us in this cottage; the\ncourtyard and the garden are a great deal too small; I should like to\nhave a large stone castle to live in: go to the fish again and tell him\nto give us a castle.\u2019 \u2018Wife,\u2019 said the fisherman, \u2018I don\u2019t like to go to\nhim again, for perhaps he will be angry; we ought to be easy with this\npretty cottage to live in.\u2019 \u2018Nonsense!\u2019 said the wife; \u2018he will do it\nvery willingly, I know; go along and try!\u2019\n\nThe fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy: and when he came to\nthe sea, it looked blue and gloomy, though it was very calm; and he went\nclose to the edge of the waves, and said:\n\n \u2018O man of the sea!\n  Hearken to me!\n  My wife Ilsabill\n  Will have her own will,\n  And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, what does she want now?\u2019 said the fish. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the man,\ndolefully, \u2018my wife wants to live in a stone castle.\u2019 \u2018Go home, then,\u2019\nsaid the fish; \u2018she is standing at the gate of it already.\u2019 So away went\nthe fisherman, and found his wife standing before the gate of a great\ncastle. \u2018See,\u2019 said she, \u2018is not this grand?\u2019 With that they went into\nthe castle together, and found a great many servants there, and the\nrooms all richly furnished, and full of golden chairs and tables; and\nbehind the castle was a garden, and around it was a park half a\nmile long, full of sheep, and goats, and hares, and deer; and in the\ncourtyard were stables and cow-houses. \u2018Well,\u2019 said the man, \u2018now we\nwill live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest of\nour lives.\u2019 \u2018Perhaps we may,\u2019 said the wife; \u2018but let us sleep upon it,\nbefore we make up our minds to that.\u2019 So they went to bed.\n\nThe next morning when Dame Ilsabill awoke it was broad daylight, and\nshe jogged the fisherman with her elbow, and said, \u2018Get up, husband,\nand bestir yourself, for we must be king of all the land.\u2019 \u2018Wife, wife,\u2019\nsaid the man, \u2018why should we wish to be the king? I will not be king.\u2019\n\u2018Then I will,\u2019 said she. \u2018But, wife,\u2019 said the fisherman, \u2018how can you\nbe king--the fish cannot make you a king?\u2019 \u2018Husband,\u2019 said she, \u2018say\nno more about it, but go and try! I will be king.\u2019 So the man went away\nquite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be king. This time\nthe sea looked a dark grey colour, and was overspread with curling waves\nand the ridges of foam as he cried out:\n\n \u2018O man of the sea!\n  Hearken to me!\n  My wife Ilsabill\n  Will have her own will,\n  And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, what would she have now?\u2019 said the fish. \u2018Alas!\u2019 said the poor\nman, \u2018my wife wants to be king.\u2019 \u2018Go home,\u2019 said the fish; \u2018she is king\nalready.\u2019\n\nThen the fisherman went home; and as he came close to the palace he saw\na troop of soldiers, and heard the sound of drums and trumpets. And when\nhe went in he saw his wife sitting on a throne of gold and diamonds,\nwith a golden crown upon her head; and on each side of her stood six\nfair maidens, each a head taller than the other. \u2018Well, wife,\u2019 said the\nfisherman, \u2018are you king?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said she, \u2018I am king.\u2019 And when he had\nlooked at her for a long time, he said, \u2018Ah, wife! what a fine thing it\nis to be king! Now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long\nas we live.\u2019 \u2018I don\u2019t know how that may be,\u2019 said she; \u2018never is a long\ntime. I am king, it is true; but I begin to be tired of that, and I\nthink I should like to be emperor.\u2019 \u2018Alas, wife! why should you wish to\nbe emperor?\u2019 said the fisherman. \u2018Husband,\u2019 said she, \u2018go to the fish!\nI say I will be emperor.\u2019 \u2018Ah, wife!\u2019 replied the fisherman, \u2018the fish\ncannot make an emperor, I am sure, and I should not like to ask him for\nsuch a thing.\u2019 \u2018I am king,\u2019 said Ilsabill, \u2018and you are my slave; so go\nat once!\u2019\n\nSo the fisherman was forced to go; and he muttered as he went along,\n\u2018This will come to no good, it is too much to ask; the fish will be\ntired at last, and then we shall be sorry for what we have done.\u2019 He\nsoon came to the seashore; and the water was quite black and muddy, and\na mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled them about, but he\nwent as near as he could to the water\u2019s brink, and said:\n\n \u2018O man of the sea!\n  Hearken to me!\n  My wife Ilsabill\n  Will have her own will,\n  And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!\u2019\n\n\u2018What would she have now?\u2019 said the fish. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the fisherman,\n\u2018she wants to be emperor.\u2019 \u2018Go home,\u2019 said the fish; \u2018she is emperor\nalready.\u2019\n\nSo he went home again; and as he came near he saw his wife Ilsabill\nsitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold, with a great crown on\nher head full two yards high; and on each side of her stood her guards\nand attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other, from the\ntallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger. And\nbefore her stood princes, and dukes, and earls: and the fisherman went\nup to her and said, \u2018Wife, are you emperor?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said she, \u2018I am\nemperor.\u2019 \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the man, as he gazed upon her, \u2018what a fine thing\nit is to be emperor!\u2019 \u2018Husband,\u2019 said she, \u2018why should we stop at being\nemperor? I will be pope next.\u2019 \u2018O wife, wife!\u2019 said he, \u2018how can you be\npope? there is but one pope at a time in Christendom.\u2019 \u2018Husband,\u2019 said\nshe, \u2018I will be pope this very day.\u2019 \u2018But,\u2019 replied the husband, \u2018the\nfish cannot make you pope.\u2019 \u2018What nonsense!\u2019 said she; \u2018if he can make\nan emperor, he can make a pope: go and try him.\u2019\n\nSo the fisherman went. But when he came to the shore the wind was raging\nand the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and the ships were\nin trouble, and rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows. In the\nmiddle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky, but towards\nthe south all was red, as if a dreadful storm was rising. At this sight\nthe fisherman was dreadfully frightened, and he trembled so that his\nknees knocked together: but still he went down near to the shore, and\nsaid:\n\n \u2018O man of the sea!\n  Hearken to me!\n  My wife Ilsabill\n  Will have her own will,\n  And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!\u2019\n\n\u2018What does she want now?\u2019 said the fish. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the fisherman, \u2018my\nwife wants to be pope.\u2019 \u2018Go home,\u2019 said the fish; \u2018she is pope already.\u2019\n\nThen the fisherman went home, and found Ilsabill sitting on a throne\nthat was two miles high. And she had three great crowns on her head, and\naround her stood all the pomp and power of the Church. And on each side\nof her were two rows of burning lights, of all sizes, the greatest as\nlarge as the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the least no\nlarger than a small rushlight. \u2018Wife,\u2019 said the fisherman, as he looked\nat all this greatness, \u2018are you pope?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said she, \u2018I am pope.\u2019\n\u2018Well, wife,\u2019 replied he, \u2018it is a grand thing to be pope; and now\nyou must be easy, for you can be nothing greater.\u2019 \u2018I will think about\nthat,\u2019 said the wife. Then they went to bed: but Dame Ilsabill could not\nsleep all night for thinking what she should be next. At last, as she\nwas dropping asleep, morning broke, and the sun rose. \u2018Ha!\u2019 thought she,\nas she woke up and looked at it through the window, \u2018after all I cannot\nprevent the sun rising.\u2019 At this thought she was very angry, and wakened\nher husband, and said, \u2018Husband, go to the fish and tell him I must\nbe lord of the sun and moon.\u2019 The fisherman was half asleep, but the\nthought frightened him so much that he started and fell out of bed.\n\u2018Alas, wife!\u2019 said he, \u2018cannot you be easy with being pope?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019\nsaid she, \u2018I am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon rise without my\nleave. Go to the fish at once!\u2019\n\nThen the man went shivering with fear; and as he was going down to\nthe shore a dreadful storm arose, so that the trees and the very rocks\nshook. And all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the\nlightnings played, and the thunders rolled; and you might have seen in\nthe sea great black waves, swelling up like mountains with crowns of\nwhite foam upon their heads. And the fisherman crept towards the sea,\nand cried out, as well as he could:\n\n \u2018O man of the sea!\n  Hearken to me!\n  My wife Ilsabill\n  Will have her own will,\n  And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!\u2019\n\n\u2018What does she want now?\u2019 said the fish. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said he, \u2018she wants to\nbe lord of the sun and moon.\u2019 \u2018Go home,\u2019 said the fish, \u2018to your pigsty\nagain.\u2019\n\nAnd there they live to this very day.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WILLOW-WREN AND THE BEAR\n\n\nOnce in summer-time the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest,\nand the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he said: \u2018Brother\nwolf, what bird is it that sings so well?\u2019 \u2018That is the King of birds,\u2019\nsaid the wolf, \u2018before whom we must bow down.\u2019 In reality the bird was\nthe willow-wren. \u2018IF that\u2019s the case,\u2019 said the bear, \u2018I should very\nmuch like to see his royal palace; come, take me thither.\u2019 \u2018That is not\ndone quite as you seem to think,\u2019 said the wolf; \u2018you must wait until\nthe Queen comes,\u2019 Soon afterwards, the Queen arrived with some food in\nher beak, and the lord King came too, and they began to feed their young\nones. The bear would have liked to go at once, but the wolf held him\nback by the sleeve, and said: \u2018No, you must wait until the lord and lady\nQueen have gone away again.\u2019 So they took stock of the hole where the\nnest lay, and trotted away. The bear, however, could not rest until he\nhad seen the royal palace, and when a short time had passed, went to it\nagain. The King and Queen had just flown out, so he peeped in and saw\nfive or six young ones lying there. \u2018Is that the royal palace?\u2019 cried\nthe bear; \u2018it is a wretched palace, and you are not King\u2019s children, you\nare disreputable children!\u2019 When the young wrens heard that, they were\nfrightfully angry, and screamed: \u2018No, that we are not! Our parents are\nhonest people! Bear, you will have to pay for that!\u2019\n\nThe bear and the wolf grew uneasy, and turned back and went into their\nholes. The young willow-wrens, however, continued to cry and scream, and\nwhen their parents again brought food they said: \u2018We will not so much as\ntouch one fly\u2019s leg, no, not if we were dying of hunger, until you have\nsettled whether we are respectable children or not; the bear has been\nhere and has insulted us!\u2019 Then the old King said: \u2018Be easy, he shall\nbe punished,\u2019 and he at once flew with the Queen to the bear\u2019s cave, and\ncalled in: \u2018Old Growler, why have you insulted my children? You shall\nsuffer for it--we will punish you by a bloody war.\u2019 Thus war was\nannounced to the Bear, and all four-footed animals were summoned to take\npart in it, oxen, asses, cows, deer, and every other animal the earth\ncontained. And the willow-wren summoned everything which flew in the\nair, not only birds, large and small, but midges, and hornets, bees and\nflies had to come.\n\nWhen the time came for the war to begin, the willow-wren sent out spies\nto discover who was the enemy\u2019s commander-in-chief. The gnat, who was\nthe most crafty, flew into the forest where the enemy was assembled,\nand hid herself beneath a leaf of the tree where the password was to be\nannounced. There stood the bear, and he called the fox before him\nand said: \u2018Fox, you are the most cunning of all animals, you shall be\ngeneral and lead us.\u2019 \u2018Good,\u2019 said the fox, \u2018but what signal shall we\nagree upon?\u2019 No one knew that, so the fox said: \u2018I have a fine long\nbushy tail, which almost looks like a plume of red feathers. When I lift\nmy tail up quite high, all is going well, and you must charge; but if I\nlet it hang down, run away as fast as you can.\u2019 When the gnat had heard\nthat, she flew away again, and revealed everything, down to the minutest\ndetail, to the willow-wren. When day broke, and the battle was to begin,\nall the four-footed animals came running up with such a noise that the\nearth trembled. The willow-wren with his army also came flying through\nthe air with such a humming, and whirring, and swarming that every one\nwas uneasy and afraid, and on both sides they advanced against each\nother. But the willow-wren sent down the hornet, with orders to settle\nbeneath the fox\u2019s tail, and sting with all his might. When the fox felt\nthe first string, he started so that he lifted one leg, from pain, but\nhe bore it, and still kept his tail high in the air; at the second\nsting, he was forced to put it down for a moment; at the third, he could\nhold out no longer, screamed, and put his tail between his legs. When\nthe animals saw that, they thought all was lost, and began to flee, each\ninto his hole, and the birds had won the battle.\n\nThen the King and Queen flew home to their children and cried:\n\u2018Children, rejoice, eat and drink to your heart\u2019s content, we have won\nthe battle!\u2019 But the young wrens said: \u2018We will not eat yet, the bear\nmust come to the nest, and beg for pardon and say that we are honourable\nchildren, before we will do that.\u2019 Then the willow-wren flew to the\nbear\u2019s hole and cried: \u2018Growler, you are to come to the nest to my\nchildren, and beg their pardon, or else every rib of your body shall\nbe broken.\u2019 So the bear crept thither in the greatest fear, and begged\ntheir pardon. And now at last the young wrens were satisfied, and sat\ndown together and ate and drank, and made merry till quite late into the\nnight.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FROG-PRINCE\n\n\nOne fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went\nout to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool\nspring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself down\nto rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her\nfavourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, and\ncatching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high that\nshe missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded away, and rolled\nalong upon the ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. The\nprincess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was very deep, so\ndeep that she could not see the bottom of it. Then she began to bewail\nher loss, and said, \u2018Alas! if I could only get my ball again, I would\ngive all my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the\nworld.\u2019\n\nWhilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, and said,\n\u2018Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?\u2019 \u2018Alas!\u2019 said she, \u2018what can you\ndo for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.\u2019\nThe frog said, \u2018I want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes;\nbut if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off\nyour golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring you your ball\nagain.\u2019 \u2018What nonsense,\u2019 thought the princess, \u2018this silly frog is\ntalking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me, though\nhe may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he\nshall have what he asks.\u2019 So she said to the frog, \u2018Well, if you will\nbring me my ball, I will do all you ask.\u2019 Then the frog put his head\ndown, and dived deep under the water; and after a little while he came\nup again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the edge of the\nspring. As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick\nit up; and she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that she\nnever thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could.\nThe frog called after her, \u2018Stay, princess, and take me with you as you\nsaid,\u2019 But she did not stop to hear a word.\n\nThe next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a\nstrange noise--tap, tap--plash, plash--as if something was coming up the\nmarble staircase: and soon afterwards there was a gentle knock at the\ndoor, and a little voice cried out and said:\n\n \u2018Open the door, my princess dear,\n  Open the door to thy true love here!\n  And mind the words that thou and I said\n  By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.\u2019\n\nThen the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she saw\nthe frog, whom she had quite forgotten. At this sight she was sadly\nfrightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could came back to her\nseat. The king, her father, seeing that something had frightened her,\nasked her what was the matter. \u2018There is a nasty frog,\u2019 said she, \u2018at\nthe door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning: I\ntold him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could never\nget out of the spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to come\nin.\u2019\n\nWhile she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:\n\n \u2018Open the door, my princess dear,\n  Open the door to thy true love here!\n  And mind the words that thou and I said\n  By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.\u2019\n\nThen the king said to the young princess, \u2018As you have given your word\nyou must keep it; so go and let him in.\u2019 She did so, and the frog hopped\ninto the room, and then straight on--tap, tap--plash, plash--from the\nbottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to the table where\nthe princess sat. \u2018Pray lift me upon chair,\u2019 said he to the princess,\n\u2018and let me sit next to you.\u2019 As soon as she had done this, the frog\nsaid, \u2018Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat out of it.\u2019 This\nshe did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said, \u2018Now I am\ntired; carry me upstairs, and put me into your bed.\u2019 And the princess,\nthough very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put him upon the\npillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long. As soon as it was\nlight he jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went out of the house.\n\u2018Now, then,\u2019 thought the princess, \u2018at last he is gone, and I shall be\ntroubled with him no more.\u2019\n\nBut she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the same\ntapping at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:\n\n \u2018Open the door, my princess dear,\n  Open the door to thy true love here!\n  And mind the words that thou and I said\n  By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.\u2019\n\nAnd when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept upon\nher pillow as before, till the morning broke. And the third night he did\nthe same. But when the princess awoke on the following morning she was\nastonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince, gazing on her\nwith the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, and standing at the head\nof her bed.\n\nHe told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy, who had\nchanged him into a frog; and that he had been fated so to abide till\nsome princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat from\nher plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights. \u2018You,\u2019 said the\nprince, \u2018have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish for\nbut that you should go with me into my father\u2019s kingdom, where I will\nmarry you, and love you as long as you live.\u2019\n\nThe young princess, you may be sure, was not long in saying \u2018Yes\u2019 to\nall this; and as they spoke a gay coach drove up, with eight beautiful\nhorses, decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness; and behind\nthe coach rode the prince\u2019s servant, faithful Heinrich, who had bewailed\nthe misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and so\nbitterly, that his heart had well-nigh burst.\n\nThey then took leave of the king, and got into the coach with eight\nhorses, and all set out, full of joy and merriment, for the prince\u2019s\nkingdom, which they reached safely; and there they lived happily a great\nmany years.\n\n\n\n\nCAT AND MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP\n\n\nA certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much\nto her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at\nlength the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together.\n\u2018But we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall suffer\nfrom hunger,\u2019 said the cat; \u2018and you, little mouse, cannot venture\neverywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.\u2019 The good advice\nwas followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know where\nto put it. At length, after much consideration, the cat said: \u2018I know no\nplace where it will be better stored up than in the church, for no one\ndares take anything away from there. We will set it beneath the altar,\nand not touch it until we are really in need of it.\u2019 So the pot was\nplaced in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great\nyearning for it, and said to the mouse: \u2018I want to tell you something,\nlittle mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has\nasked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold\nhim over the font at the christening. Let me go out today, and you look\nafter the house by yourself.\u2019 \u2018Yes, yes,\u2019 answered the mouse, \u2018by all\nmeans go, and if you get anything very good to eat, think of me. I\nshould like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself.\u2019 All this,\nhowever, was untrue; the cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to\nbe godmother. She went straight to the church, stole to the pot of fat,\nbegan to lick at it, and licked the top of the fat off. Then she took a\nwalk upon the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then\nstretched herself in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought\nof the pot of fat, and not until it was evening did she return home.\n\u2018Well, here you are again,\u2019 said the mouse, \u2018no doubt you have had a\nmerry day.\u2019 \u2018All went off well,\u2019 answered the cat. \u2018What name did they\ngive the child?\u2019 \u2018Top off!\u2019 said the cat quite coolly. \u2018Top off!\u2019 cried\nthe mouse, \u2018that is a very odd and uncommon name, is it a usual one in\nyour family?\u2019 \u2018What does that matter,\u2019 said the cat, \u2018it is no worse\nthan Crumb-stealer, as your godchildren are called.\u2019\n\nBefore long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning. She said to\nthe mouse: \u2018You must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for\na day alone. I am again asked to be godmother, and, as the child has a\nwhite ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.\u2019 The good mouse consented,\nbut the cat crept behind the town walls to the church, and devoured\nhalf the pot of fat. \u2018Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to\noneself,\u2019 said she, and was quite satisfied with her day\u2019s work. When\nshe went home the mouse inquired: \u2018And what was the child christened?\u2019\n\u2018Half-done,\u2019 answered the cat. \u2018Half-done! What are you saying? I\nnever heard the name in my life, I\u2019ll wager anything it is not in the\ncalendar!\u2019\n\nThe cat\u2019s mouth soon began to water for some more licking. \u2018All good\nthings go in threes,\u2019 said she, \u2018I am asked to stand godmother again.\nThe child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that\nexception, it has not a single white hair on its whole body; this only\nhappens once every few years, you will let me go, won\u2019t you?\u2019 \u2018Top-off!\nHalf-done!\u2019 answered the mouse, \u2018they are such odd names, they make me\nvery thoughtful.\u2019 \u2018You sit at home,\u2019 said the cat, \u2018in your dark-grey\nfur coat and long tail, and are filled with fancies, that\u2019s because\nyou do not go out in the daytime.\u2019 During the cat\u2019s absence the mouse\ncleaned the house, and put it in order, but the greedy cat entirely\nemptied the pot of fat. \u2018When everything is eaten up one has some\npeace,\u2019 said she to herself, and well filled and fat she did not return\nhome till night. The mouse at once asked what name had been given to\nthe third child. \u2018It will not please you more than the others,\u2019 said the\ncat. \u2018He is called All-gone.\u2019 \u2018All-gone,\u2019 cried the mouse \u2018that is the\nmost suspicious name of all! I have never seen it in print. All-gone;\nwhat can that mean?\u2019 and she shook her head, curled herself up, and lay\ndown to sleep.\n\nFrom this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother, but\nwhen the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found\noutside, the mouse thought of their provision, and said: \u2018Come, cat,\nwe will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves--we\nshall enjoy that.\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 answered the cat, \u2018you will enjoy it as much\nas you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the\nwindow.\u2019 They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of\nfat certainly was still in its place, but it was empty. \u2018Alas!\u2019 said the\nmouse, \u2018now I see what has happened, now it comes to light! You are a true\nfriend! You have devoured all when you were standing godmother. First\ntop off, then half-done, then--\u2019 \u2018Will you hold your tongue,\u2019 cried the\ncat, \u2018one word more, and I will eat you too.\u2019 \u2018All-gone\u2019 was already on\nthe poor mouse\u2019s lips; scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang\non her, seized her, and swallowed her down. Verily, that is the way of\nthe world.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOOSE-GIRL\n\n\nThe king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of their\nonly child. This child was a daughter, who was very beautiful; and her\nmother loved her dearly, and was very kind to her. And there was a good\nfairy too, who was fond of the princess, and helped her mother to watch\nover her. When she grew up, she was betrothed to a prince who lived a\ngreat way off; and as the time drew near for her to be married, she\ngot ready to set off on her journey to his country. Then the queen her\nmother, packed up a great many costly things; jewels, and gold, and\nsilver; trinkets, fine dresses, and in short everything that became a\nroyal bride. And she gave her a waiting-maid to ride with her, and give\nher into the bridegroom\u2019s hands; and each had a horse for the journey.\nNow the princess\u2019s horse was the fairy\u2019s gift, and it was called Falada,\nand could speak.\n\nWhen the time came for them to set out, the fairy went into her\nbed-chamber, and took a little knife, and cut off a lock of her hair,\nand gave it to the princess, and said, \u2018Take care of it, dear child; for\nit is a charm that may be of use to you on the road.\u2019 Then they all took\na sorrowful leave of the princess; and she put the lock of hair into\nher bosom, got upon her horse, and set off on her journey to her\nbridegroom\u2019s kingdom.\n\nOne day, as they were riding along by a brook, the princess began to\nfeel very thirsty: and she said to her maid, \u2018Pray get down, and fetch\nme some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook, for I want to\ndrink.\u2019 \u2018Nay,\u2019 said the maid, \u2018if you are thirsty, get off yourself, and\nstoop down by the water and drink; I shall not be your waiting-maid any\nlonger.\u2019 Then she was so thirsty that she got down, and knelt over the\nlittle brook, and drank; for she was frightened, and dared not bring out\nher golden cup; and she wept and said, \u2018Alas! what will become of me?\u2019\nAnd the lock answered her, and said:\n\n \u2018Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,\n  Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.\u2019\n\nBut the princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing to her\nmaid\u2019s ill behaviour, but got upon her horse again.\n\nThen all rode farther on their journey, till the day grew so warm, and\nthe sun so scorching, that the bride began to feel very thirsty again;\nand at last, when they came to a river, she forgot her maid\u2019s rude\nspeech, and said, \u2018Pray get down, and fetch me some water to drink in\nmy golden cup.\u2019 But the maid answered her, and even spoke more haughtily\nthan before: \u2018Drink if you will, but I shall not be your waiting-maid.\u2019\nThen the princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse, and lay\ndown, and held her head over the running stream, and cried and said,\n\u2018What will become of me?\u2019 And the lock of hair answered her again:\n\n \u2018Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,\n  Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.\u2019\n\nAnd as she leaned down to drink, the lock of hair fell from her bosom,\nand floated away with the water. Now she was so frightened that she did\nnot see it; but her maid saw it, and was very glad, for she knew the\ncharm; and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power, now that\nshe had lost the hair. So when the bride had done drinking, and would\nhave got upon Falada again, the maid said, \u2018I shall ride upon Falada,\nand you may have my horse instead\u2019; so she was forced to give up her\nhorse, and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and put on her\nmaid\u2019s shabby ones.\n\nAt last, as they drew near the end of their journey, this treacherous\nservant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what had\nhappened. But Falada saw it all, and marked it well.\n\nThen the waiting-maid got upon Falada, and the real bride rode upon the\nother horse, and they went on in this way till at last they came to the\nroyal court. There was great joy at their coming, and the prince flew to\nmeet them, and lifted the maid from her horse, thinking she was the one\nwho was to be his wife; and she was led upstairs to the royal chamber;\nbut the true princess was told to stay in the court below.\n\nNow the old king happened just then to have nothing else to do; so he\namused himself by sitting at his kitchen window, looking at what was\ngoing on; and he saw her in the courtyard. As she looked very pretty,\nand too delicate for a waiting-maid, he went up into the royal chamber\nto ask the bride who it was she had brought with her, that was thus left\nstanding in the court below. \u2018I brought her with me for the sake of her\ncompany on the road,\u2019 said she; \u2018pray give the girl some work to do,\nthat she may not be idle.\u2019 The old king could not for some time think\nof any work for her to do; but at last he said, \u2018I have a lad who takes\ncare of my geese; she may go and help him.\u2019 Now the name of this lad,\nthat the real bride was to help in watching the king\u2019s geese, was\nCurdken.\n\nBut the false bride said to the prince, \u2018Dear husband, pray do me one\npiece of kindness.\u2019 \u2018That I will,\u2019 said the prince. \u2018Then tell one of\nyour slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon, for it\nwas very unruly, and plagued me sadly on the road\u2019; but the truth was,\nshe was very much afraid lest Falada should some day or other speak, and\ntell all she had done to the princess. She carried her point, and the\nfaithful Falada was killed; but when the true princess heard of it, she\nwept, and begged the man to nail up Falada\u2019s head against a large\ndark gate of the city, through which she had to pass every morning\nand evening, that there she might still see him sometimes. Then the\nslaughterer said he would do as she wished; and cut off the head, and\nnailed it up under the dark gate.\n\nEarly the next morning, as she and Curdken went out through the gate,\nshe said sorrowfully:\n\n \u2018Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!\u2019\n\nand the head answered:\n\n \u2018Bride, bride, there thou gangest!\n  Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,\n  Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.\u2019\n\nThen they went out of the city, and drove the geese on. And when she\ncame to the meadow, she sat down upon a bank there, and let down her\nwaving locks of hair, which were all of pure silver; and when Curdken\nsaw it glitter in the sun, he ran up, and would have pulled some of the\nlocks out, but she cried:\n\n \u2018Blow, breezes, blow!\n  Let Curdken\u2019s hat go!\n  Blow, breezes, blow!\n  Let him after it go!\n  O\u2019er hills, dales, and rocks,\n  Away be it whirl\u2019d\n  Till the silvery locks\n  Are all comb\u2019d and curl\u2019d!\n\nThen there came a wind, so strong that it blew off Curdken\u2019s hat; and\naway it flew over the hills: and he was forced to turn and run after\nit; till, by the time he came back, she had done combing and curling her\nhair, and had put it up again safe. Then he was very angry and sulky,\nand would not speak to her at all; but they watched the geese until it\ngrew dark in the evening, and then drove them homewards.\n\nThe next morning, as they were going through the dark gate, the poor\ngirl looked up at Falada\u2019s head, and cried:\n\n \u2018Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!\u2019\n\nand the head answered:\n\n \u2018Bride, bride, there thou gangest!\n  Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,\n  Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.\u2019\n\nThen she drove on the geese, and sat down again in the meadow, and began\nto comb out her hair as before; and Curdken ran up to her, and wanted to\ntake hold of it; but she cried out quickly:\n\n \u2018Blow, breezes, blow!\n  Let Curdken\u2019s hat go!\n  Blow, breezes, blow!\n  Let him after it go!\n  O\u2019er hills, dales, and rocks,\n  Away be it whirl\u2019d\n  Till the silvery locks\n  Are all comb\u2019d and curl\u2019d!\n\nThen the wind came and blew away his hat; and off it flew a great way,\nover the hills and far away, so that he had to run after it; and when\nhe came back she had bound up her hair again, and all was safe. So they\nwatched the geese till it grew dark.\n\nIn the evening, after they came home, Curdken went to the old king, and\nsaid, \u2018I cannot have that strange girl to help me to keep the geese any\nlonger.\u2019 \u2018Why?\u2019 said the king. \u2018Because, instead of doing any good, she\ndoes nothing but tease me all day long.\u2019 Then the king made him tell him\nwhat had happened. And Curdken said, \u2018When we go in the morning through\nthe dark gate with our flock of geese, she cries and talks with the head\nof a horse that hangs upon the wall, and says:\n\n \u2018Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!\u2019\n\nand the head answers:\n\n \u2018Bride, bride, there thou gangest!\n  Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,\n  Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.\u2019\n\nAnd Curdken went on telling the king what had happened upon the meadow\nwhere the geese fed; how his hat was blown away; and how he was forced\nto run after it, and to leave his flock of geese to themselves. But the\nold king told the boy to go out again the next day: and when morning\ncame, he placed himself behind the dark gate, and heard how she spoke\nto Falada, and how Falada answered. Then he went into the field, and\nhid himself in a bush by the meadow\u2019s side; and he soon saw with his own\neyes how they drove the flock of geese; and how, after a little time,\nshe let down her hair that glittered in the sun. And then he heard her\nsay:\n\n \u2018Blow, breezes, blow!\n  Let Curdken\u2019s hat go!\n  Blow, breezes, blow!\n  Let him after it go!\n  O\u2019er hills, dales, and rocks,\n  Away be it whirl\u2019d\n  Till the silvery locks\n  Are all comb\u2019d and curl\u2019d!\n\nAnd soon came a gale of wind, and carried away Curdken\u2019s hat, and away\nwent Curdken after it, while the girl went on combing and curling her\nhair. All this the old king saw: so he went home without being seen; and\nwhen the little goose-girl came back in the evening he called her aside,\nand asked her why she did so: but she burst into tears, and said, \u2018That\nI must not tell you or any man, or I shall lose my life.\u2019\n\nBut the old king begged so hard, that she had no peace till she had told\nhim all the tale, from beginning to end, word for word. And it was very\nlucky for her that she did so, for when she had done the king ordered\nroyal clothes to be put upon her, and gazed on her with wonder, she was\nso beautiful. Then he called his son and told him that he had only a\nfalse bride; for that she was merely a waiting-maid, while the true\nbride stood by. And the young king rejoiced when he saw her beauty, and\nheard how meek and patient she had been; and without saying anything to\nthe false bride, the king ordered a great feast to be got ready for all\nhis court. The bridegroom sat at the top, with the false princess on one\nside, and the true one on the other; but nobody knew her again, for her\nbeauty was quite dazzling to their eyes; and she did not seem at all\nlike the little goose-girl, now that she had her brilliant dress on.\n\nWhen they had eaten and drank, and were very merry, the old king said\nhe would tell them a tale. So he began, and told all the story of the\nprincess, as if it was one that he had once heard; and he asked the\ntrue waiting-maid what she thought ought to be done to anyone who would\nbehave thus. \u2018Nothing better,\u2019 said this false bride, \u2018than that she\nshould be thrown into a cask stuck round with sharp nails, and that\ntwo white horses should be put to it, and should drag it from street to\nstreet till she was dead.\u2019 \u2018Thou art she!\u2019 said the old king; \u2018and as\nthou has judged thyself, so shall it be done to thee.\u2019 And the young\nking was then married to his true wife, and they reigned over the\nkingdom in peace and happiness all their lives; and the good fairy came\nto see them, and restored the faithful Falada to life again.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ADVENTURES OF CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET\n\n\n1. HOW THEY WENT TO THE MOUNTAINS TO EAT NUTS\n\n\u2018The nuts are quite ripe now,\u2019 said Chanticleer to his wife Partlet,\n\u2018suppose we go together to the mountains, and eat as many as we can,\nbefore the squirrel takes them all away.\u2019 \u2018With all my heart,\u2019 said\nPartlet, \u2018let us go and make a holiday of it together.\u2019\n\nSo they went to the mountains; and as it was a lovely day, they stayed\nthere till the evening. Now, whether it was that they had eaten so many\nnuts that they could not walk, or whether they were lazy and would not,\nI do not know: however, they took it into their heads that it did not\nbecome them to go home on foot. So Chanticleer began to build a little\ncarriage of nutshells: and when it was finished, Partlet jumped into\nit and sat down, and bid Chanticleer harness himself to it and draw her\nhome. \u2018That\u2019s a good joke!\u2019 said Chanticleer; \u2018no, that will never do;\nI had rather by half walk home; I\u2019ll sit on the box and be coachman,\nif you like, but I\u2019ll not draw.\u2019 While this was passing, a duck came\nquacking up and cried out, \u2018You thieving vagabonds, what business have\nyou in my grounds? I\u2019ll give it you well for your insolence!\u2019 and upon\nthat she fell upon Chanticleer most lustily. But Chanticleer was no\ncoward, and returned the duck\u2019s blows with his sharp spurs so fiercely\nthat she soon began to cry out for mercy; which was only granted her\nupon condition that she would draw the carriage home for them. This she\nagreed to do; and Chanticleer got upon the box, and drove, crying, \u2018Now,\nduck, get on as fast as you can.\u2019 And away they went at a pretty good\npace.\n\nAfter they had travelled along a little way, they met a needle and a pin\nwalking together along the road: and the needle cried out, \u2018Stop, stop!\u2019\nand said it was so dark that they could hardly find their way, and such\ndirty walking they could not get on at all: he told them that he and his\nfriend, the pin, had been at a public-house a few miles off, and had sat\ndrinking till they had forgotten how late it was; he begged therefore\nthat the travellers would be so kind as to give them a lift in their\ncarriage. Chanticleer observing that they were but thin fellows, and not\nlikely to take up much room, told them they might ride, but made them\npromise not to dirty the wheels of the carriage in getting in, nor to\ntread on Partlet\u2019s toes.\n\nLate at night they arrived at an inn; and as it was bad travelling in\nthe dark, and the duck seemed much tired, and waddled about a good\ndeal from one side to the other, they made up their minds to fix their\nquarters there: but the landlord at first was unwilling, and said his\nhouse was full, thinking they might not be very respectable company:\nhowever, they spoke civilly to him, and gave him the egg which Partlet\nhad laid by the way, and said they would give him the duck, who was in\nthe habit of laying one every day: so at last he let them come in, and\nthey bespoke a handsome supper, and spent the evening very jollily.\n\nEarly in the morning, before it was quite light, and when nobody was\nstirring in the inn, Chanticleer awakened his wife, and, fetching the\negg, they pecked a hole in it, ate it up, and threw the shells into the\nfireplace: they then went to the pin and needle, who were fast asleep,\nand seizing them by the heads, stuck one into the landlord\u2019s easy chair\nand the other into his handkerchief; and, having done this, they crept\naway as softly as possible. However, the duck, who slept in the open\nair in the yard, heard them coming, and jumping into the brook which ran\nclose by the inn, soon swam out of their reach.\n\nAn hour or two afterwards the landlord got up, and took his handkerchief\nto wipe his face, but the pin ran into him and pricked him: then he\nwalked into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire, but when he\nstirred it up the eggshells flew into his eyes, and almost blinded him.\n\u2018Bless me!\u2019 said he, \u2018all the world seems to have a design against my\nhead this morning\u2019: and so saying, he threw himself sulkily into his\neasy chair; but, oh dear! the needle ran into him; and this time the\npain was not in his head. He now flew into a very great passion, and,\nsuspecting the company who had come in the night before, he went to look\nafter them, but they were all off; so he swore that he never again\nwould take in such a troop of vagabonds, who ate a great deal, paid no\nreckoning, and gave him nothing for his trouble but their apish tricks.\n\n\n2. HOW CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET WENT TO VISIT MR KORBES\n\nAnother day, Chanticleer and Partlet wished to ride out together;\nso Chanticleer built a handsome carriage with four red wheels, and\nharnessed six mice to it; and then he and Partlet got into the carriage,\nand away they drove. Soon afterwards a cat met them, and said, \u2018Where\nare you going?\u2019 And Chanticleer replied,\n\n \u2018All on our way\n  A visit to pay\n  To Mr Korbes, the fox, today.\u2019\n\nThen the cat said, \u2018Take me with you,\u2019 Chanticleer said, \u2018With all my\nheart: get up behind, and be sure you do not fall off.\u2019\n\n \u2018Take care of this handsome coach of mine,\n  Nor dirty my pretty red wheels so fine!\n  Now, mice, be ready,\n  And, wheels, run steady!\n  For we are going a visit to pay\n  To Mr Korbes, the fox, today.\u2019\n\nSoon after came up a millstone, an egg, a duck, and a pin; and\nChanticleer gave them all leave to get into the carriage and go with\nthem.\n\nWhen they arrived at Mr Korbes\u2019s house, he was not at home; so the mice\ndrew the carriage into the coach-house, Chanticleer and Partlet flew\nupon a beam, the cat sat down in the fireplace, the duck got into\nthe washing cistern, the pin stuck himself into the bed pillow, the\nmillstone laid himself over the house door, and the egg rolled himself\nup in the towel.\n\nWhen Mr Korbes came home, he went to the fireplace to make a fire; but\nthe cat threw all the ashes in his eyes: so he ran to the kitchen to\nwash himself; but there the duck splashed all the water in his face; and\nwhen he tried to wipe himself, the egg broke to pieces in the towel all\nover his face and eyes. Then he was very angry, and went without his\nsupper to bed; but when he laid his head on the pillow, the pin ran into\nhis cheek: at this he became quite furious, and, jumping up, would have\nrun out of the house; but when he came to the door, the millstone fell\ndown on his head, and killed him on the spot.\n\n\n3. HOW PARTLET DIED AND WAS BURIED, AND HOW CHANTICLEER DIED OF GRIEF\n\nAnother day Chanticleer and Partlet agreed to go again to the mountains\nto eat nuts; and it was settled that all the nuts which they found\nshould be shared equally between them. Now Partlet found a very large\nnut; but she said nothing about it to Chanticleer, and kept it all to\nherself: however, it was so big that she could not swallow it, and it\nstuck in her throat. Then she was in a great fright, and cried out to\nChanticleer, \u2018Pray run as fast as you can, and fetch me some water, or I\nshall be choked.\u2019 Chanticleer ran as fast as he could to the river, and\nsaid, \u2018River, give me some water, for Partlet lies in the mountain, and\nwill be choked by a great nut.\u2019 The river said, \u2018Run first to the bride,\nand ask her for a silken cord to draw up the water.\u2019 Chanticleer ran to\nthe bride, and said, \u2018Bride, you must give me a silken cord, for then\nthe river will give me water, and the water I will carry to Partlet, who\nlies on the mountain, and will be choked by a great nut.\u2019 But the bride\nsaid, \u2018Run first, and bring me my garland that is hanging on a willow\nin the garden.\u2019 Then Chanticleer ran to the garden, and took the garland\nfrom the bough where it hung, and brought it to the bride; and then\nthe bride gave him the silken cord, and he took the silken cord to\nthe river, and the river gave him water, and he carried the water to\nPartlet; but in the meantime she was choked by the great nut, and lay\nquite dead, and never moved any more.\n\nThen Chanticleer was very sorry, and cried bitterly; and all the beasts\ncame and wept with him over poor Partlet. And six mice built a little\nhearse to carry her to her grave; and when it was ready they harnessed\nthemselves before it, and Chanticleer drove them. On the way they\nmet the fox. \u2018Where are you going, Chanticleer?\u2019 said he. \u2018To bury my\nPartlet,\u2019 said the other. \u2018May I go with you?\u2019 said the fox. \u2018Yes; but\nyou must get up behind, or my horses will not be able to draw you.\u2019 Then\nthe fox got up behind; and presently the wolf, the bear, the goat, and\nall the beasts of the wood, came and climbed upon the hearse.\n\nSo on they went till they came to a rapid stream. \u2018How shall we get\nover?\u2019 said Chanticleer. Then said a straw, \u2018I will lay myself across,\nand you may pass over upon me.\u2019 But as the mice were going over, the\nstraw slipped away and fell into the water, and the six mice all fell in\nand were drowned. What was to be done? Then a large log of wood came\nand said, \u2018I am big enough; I will lay myself across the stream, and you\nshall pass over upon me.\u2019 So he laid himself down; but they managed\nso clumsily, that the log of wood fell in and was carried away by the\nstream. Then a stone, who saw what had happened, came up and kindly\noffered to help poor Chanticleer by laying himself across the stream;\nand this time he got safely to the other side with the hearse, and\nmanaged to get Partlet out of it; but the fox and the other mourners,\nwho were sitting behind, were too heavy, and fell back into the water\nand were all carried away by the stream and drowned.\n\nThus Chanticleer was left alone with his dead Partlet; and having dug\na grave for her, he laid her in it, and made a little hillock over her.\nThen he sat down by the grave, and wept and mourned, till at last he\ndied too; and so all were dead.\n\n\n\n\nRAPUNZEL\n\n\nThere were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a\nchild. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire.\nThese people had a little window at the back of their house from which\na splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful\nflowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no\none dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had\ngreat power and was dreaded by all the world. One day the woman was\nstanding by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a\nbed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion (rapunzel), and it\nlooked so fresh and green that she longed for it, she quite pined away,\nand began to look pale and miserable. Then her husband was alarmed, and\nasked: \u2018What ails you, dear wife?\u2019 \u2018Ah,\u2019 she replied, \u2018if I can\u2019t eat\nsome of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall\ndie.\u2019 The man, who loved her, thought: \u2018Sooner than let your wife die,\nbring her some of the rampion yourself, let it cost what it will.\u2019\nAt twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the\nenchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it to his\nwife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it greedily. It\ntasted so good to her--so very good, that the next day she longed for it\nthree times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband\nmust once more descend into the garden. In the gloom of evening\ntherefore, he let himself down again; but when he had clambered down the\nwall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before\nhim. \u2018How can you dare,\u2019 said she with angry look, \u2018descend into my\ngarden and steal my rampion like a thief? You shall suffer for it!\u2019\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 answered he, \u2018let mercy take the place of justice, I only made\nup my mind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rampion from the\nwindow, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she\nhad not got some to eat.\u2019 Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be\nsoftened, and said to him: \u2018If the case be as you say, I will allow\nyou to take away with you as much rampion as you will, only I make one\ncondition, you must give me the child which your wife will bring into\nthe world; it shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a\nmother.\u2019 The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the\nwoman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the\nchild the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.\n\nRapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was\ntwelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in\na forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a\nlittle window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself\nbeneath it and cried:\n\n \u2018Rapunzel, Rapunzel,\n  Let down your hair to me.\u2019\n\nRapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she\nheard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses,\nwound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair\nfell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.\n\nAfter a year or two, it came to pass that the king\u2019s son rode through\nthe forest and passed by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so\ncharming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who in her\nsolitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king\u2019s\nson wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower,\nbut none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply\ntouched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and\nlistened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw\nthat an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried:\n\n \u2018Rapunzel, Rapunzel,\n  Let down your hair to me.\u2019\n\nThen Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress\nclimbed up to her. \u2018If that is the ladder by which one mounts, I too\nwill try my fortune,\u2019 said he, and the next day when it began to grow\ndark, he went to the tower and cried:\n\n \u2018Rapunzel, Rapunzel,\n  Let down your hair to me.\u2019\n\nImmediately the hair fell down and the king\u2019s son climbed up.\n\nAt first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes\nhad never yet beheld, came to her; but the king\u2019s son began to talk to\nher quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred\nthat it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her.\nThen Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take\nhim for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she\nthought: \u2018He will love me more than old Dame Gothel does\u2019; and she said\nyes, and laid her hand in his. She said: \u2018I will willingly go away with\nyou, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk\nevery time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when\nthat is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse.\u2019 They\nagreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the\nold woman came by day. The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until\nonce Rapunzel said to her: \u2018Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that\nyou are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king\u2019s son--he\nis with me in a moment.\u2019 \u2018Ah! you wicked child,\u2019 cried the enchantress.\n\u2018What do I hear you say! I thought I had separated you from all\nthe world, and yet you have deceived me!\u2019 In her anger she clutched\nRapunzel\u2019s beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand,\nseized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut\noff, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless\nthat she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great\ngrief and misery.\n\nOn the same day that she cast out Rapunzel, however, the enchantress\nfastened the braids of hair, which she had cut off, to the hook of the\nwindow, and when the king\u2019s son came and cried:\n\n \u2018Rapunzel, Rapunzel,\n  Let down your hair to me.\u2019\n\nshe let the hair down. The king\u2019s son ascended, but instead of finding\nhis dearest Rapunzel, he found the enchantress, who gazed at him with\nwicked and venomous looks. \u2018Aha!\u2019 she cried mockingly, \u2018you would fetch\nyour dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest;\nthe cat has got it, and will scratch out your eyes as well. Rapunzel is\nlost to you; you will never see her again.\u2019 The king\u2019s son was beside\nhimself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He\nescaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his\neyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but\nroots and berries, and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of\nhis dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at\nlength came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she\nhad given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard a\nvoice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and\nwhen he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two\nof her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could\nsee with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was\njoyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and\ncontented.\n\n\n\n\nFUNDEVOGEL\n\n\nThere was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as\nhe entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were\nthere. He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at\nthe top of this a little child was sitting, for the mother had fallen\nasleep under the tree with the child, and a bird of prey had seen it in\nher arms, had flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high tree.\n\nThe forester climbed up, brought the child down, and thought to himself:\n\u2018You will take him home with you, and bring him up with your Lina.\u2019 He\ntook it home, therefore, and the two children grew up together. And the\none, which he had found on a tree was called Fundevogel, because a bird\nhad carried it away. Fundevogel and Lina loved each other so dearly that\nwhen they did not see each other they were sad.\n\nNow the forester had an old cook, who one evening took two pails and\nbegan to fetch water, and did not go once only, but many times, out\nto the spring. Lina saw this and said, \u2018Listen, old Sanna, why are you\nfetching so much water?\u2019 \u2018If you will never repeat it to anyone, I will\ntell you why.\u2019 So Lina said, no, she would never repeat it to anyone,\nand then the cook said: \u2018Early tomorrow morning, when the forester\nis out hunting, I will heat the water, and when it is boiling in the\nkettle, I will throw in Fundevogel, and will boil him in it.\u2019\n\nEarly next morning the forester got up and went out hunting, and when he\nwas gone the children were still in bed. Then Lina said to Fundevogel:\n\u2018If you will never leave me, I too will never leave you.\u2019 Fundevogel\nsaid: \u2018Neither now, nor ever will I leave you.\u2019 Then said Lina: \u2018Then\nwill I tell you. Last night, old Sanna carried so many buckets of water\ninto the house that I asked her why she was doing that, and she said\nthat if I would promise not to tell anyone, and she said that early\ntomorrow morning when father was out hunting, she would set the kettle\nfull of water, throw you into it and boil you; but we will get up\nquickly, dress ourselves, and go away together.\u2019\n\nThe two children therefore got up, dressed themselves quickly, and went\naway. When the water in the kettle was boiling, the cook went into the\nbedroom to fetch Fundevogel and throw him into it. But when she came in,\nand went to the beds, both the children were gone. Then she was terribly\nalarmed, and she said to herself: \u2018What shall I say now when the\nforester comes home and sees that the children are gone? They must be\nfollowed instantly to get them back again.\u2019\n\nThen the cook sent three servants after them, who were to run and\novertake the children. The children, however, were sitting outside the\nforest, and when they saw from afar the three servants running, Lina\nsaid to Fundevogel: \u2018Never leave me, and I will never leave you.\u2019\nFundevogel said: \u2018Neither now, nor ever.\u2019 Then said Lina: \u2018Do you become\na rose-tree, and I the rose upon it.\u2019 When the three servants came to\nthe forest, nothing was there but a rose-tree and one rose on it, but\nthe children were nowhere. Then said they: \u2018There is nothing to be done\nhere,\u2019 and they went home and told the cook that they had seen nothing\nin the forest but a little rose-bush with one rose on it. Then the\nold cook scolded and said: \u2018You simpletons, you should have cut the\nrose-bush in two, and have broken off the rose and brought it home with\nyou; go, and do it at once.\u2019 They had therefore to go out and look for\nthe second time. The children, however, saw them coming from a distance.\nThen Lina said: \u2018Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave\nyou.\u2019 Fundevogel said: \u2018Neither now; nor ever.\u2019 Said Lina: \u2018Then do you\nbecome a church, and I\u2019ll be the chandelier in it.\u2019 So when the three\nservants came, nothing was there but a church, with a chandelier in\nit. They said therefore to each other: \u2018What can we do here, let us go\nhome.\u2019 When they got home, the cook asked if they had not found them;\nso they said no, they had found nothing but a church, and there was a\nchandelier in it. And the cook scolded them and said: \u2018You fools! why\ndid you not pull the church to pieces, and bring the chandelier home\nwith you?\u2019 And now the old cook herself got on her legs, and went with\nthe three servants in pursuit of the children. The children, however,\nsaw from afar that the three servants were coming, and the cook waddling\nafter them. Then said Lina: \u2018Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will\nnever leave you.\u2019 Then said Fundevogel: \u2018Neither now, nor ever.\u2019\nSaid Lina: \u2018Be a fishpond, and I will be the duck upon it.\u2019 The cook,\nhowever, came up to them, and when she saw the pond she lay down by it,\nand was about to drink it up. But the duck swam quickly to her, seized\nher head in its beak and drew her into the water, and there the old\nwitch had to drown. Then the children went home together, and were\nheartily delighted, and if they have not died, they are living still.\n\n\n\n\nTHE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR\n\n\nOne summer\u2019s morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the\nwindow; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came\na peasant woman down the street crying: \u2018Good jams, cheap! Good jams,\ncheap!\u2019 This rang pleasantly in the tailor\u2019s ears; he stretched his\ndelicate head out of the window, and called: \u2018Come up here, dear woman;\nhere you will get rid of your goods.\u2019 The woman came up the three steps\nto the tailor with her heavy basket, and he made her unpack all the pots\nfor him. He inspected each one, lifted it up, put his nose to it, and\nat length said: \u2018The jam seems to me to be good, so weigh me out four\nounces, dear woman, and if it is a quarter of a pound that is of no\nconsequence.\u2019 The woman who had hoped to find a good sale, gave him\nwhat he desired, but went away quite angry and grumbling. \u2018Now, this jam\nshall be blessed by God,\u2019 cried the little tailor, \u2018and give me health\nand strength\u2019; so he brought the bread out of the cupboard, cut himself\na piece right across the loaf and spread the jam over it. \u2018This won\u2019t\ntaste bitter,\u2019 said he, \u2018but I will just finish the jacket before I\ntake a bite.\u2019 He laid the bread near him, sewed on, and in his joy, made\nbigger and bigger stitches. In the meantime the smell of the sweet jam\nrose to where the flies were sitting in great numbers, and they were\nattracted and descended on it in hosts. \u2018Hi! who invited you?\u2019 said the\nlittle tailor, and drove the unbidden guests away. The flies, however,\nwho understood no German, would not be turned away, but came back\nagain in ever-increasing companies. The little tailor at last lost all\npatience, and drew a piece of cloth from the hole under his work-table,\nand saying: \u2018Wait, and I will give it to you,\u2019 struck it mercilessly on\nthem. When he drew it away and counted, there lay before him no fewer\nthan seven, dead and with legs stretched out. \u2018Are you a fellow of that\nsort?\u2019 said he, and could not help admiring his own bravery. \u2018The whole\ntown shall know of this!\u2019 And the little tailor hastened to cut himself\na girdle, stitched it, and embroidered on it in large letters: \u2018Seven at\none stroke!\u2019 \u2018What, the town!\u2019 he continued, \u2018the whole world shall hear\nof it!\u2019 and his heart wagged with joy like a lamb\u2019s tail. The tailor\nput on the girdle, and resolved to go forth into the world, because he\nthought his workshop was too small for his valour. Before he went away,\nhe sought about in the house to see if there was anything which he could\ntake with him; however, he found nothing but an old cheese, and that\nhe put in his pocket. In front of the door he observed a bird which\nhad caught itself in the thicket. It had to go into his pocket with the\ncheese. Now he took to the road boldly, and as he was light and nimble,\nhe felt no fatigue. The road led him up a mountain, and when he had\nreached the highest point of it, there sat a powerful giant looking\npeacefully about him. The little tailor went bravely up, spoke to him,\nand said: \u2018Good day, comrade, so you are sitting there overlooking the\nwide-spread world! I am just on my way thither, and want to try my luck.\nHave you any inclination to go with me?\u2019 The giant looked contemptuously\nat the tailor, and said: \u2018You ragamuffin! You miserable creature!\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, indeed?\u2019 answered the little tailor, and unbuttoned his coat, and\nshowed the giant the girdle, \u2018there may you read what kind of a man I\nam!\u2019 The giant read: \u2018Seven at one stroke,\u2019 and thought that they had\nbeen men whom the tailor had killed, and began to feel a little respect\nfor the tiny fellow. Nevertheless, he wished to try him first, and took\na stone in his hand and squeezed it together so that water dropped out\nof it. \u2018Do that likewise,\u2019 said the giant, \u2018if you have strength.\u2019 \u2018Is\nthat all?\u2019 said the tailor, \u2018that is child\u2019s play with us!\u2019 and put his\nhand into his pocket, brought out the soft cheese, and pressed it until\nthe liquid ran out of it. \u2018Faith,\u2019 said he, \u2018that was a little better,\nwasn\u2019t it?\u2019 The giant did not know what to say, and could not believe it\nof the little man. Then the giant picked up a stone and threw it so high\nthat the eye could scarcely follow it. \u2018Now, little mite of a man, do\nthat likewise,\u2019 \u2018Well thrown,\u2019 said the tailor, \u2018but after all the stone\ncame down to earth again; I will throw you one which shall never come\nback at all,\u2019 and he put his hand into his pocket, took out the bird,\nand threw it into the air. The bird, delighted with its liberty,\nrose, flew away and did not come back. \u2018How does that shot please you,\ncomrade?\u2019 asked the tailor. \u2018You can certainly throw,\u2019 said the giant,\n\u2018but now we will see if you are able to carry anything properly.\u2019 He\ntook the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which lay there felled on\nthe ground, and said: \u2018If you are strong enough, help me to carry the\ntree out of the forest.\u2019 \u2018Readily,\u2019 answered the little man; \u2018take you\nthe trunk on your shoulders, and I will raise up the branches and twigs;\nafter all, they are the heaviest.\u2019 The giant took the trunk on his\nshoulder, but the tailor seated himself on a branch, and the giant, who\ncould not look round, had to carry away the whole tree, and the little\ntailor into the bargain: he behind, was quite merry and happy, and\nwhistled the song: \u2018Three tailors rode forth from the gate,\u2019 as if\ncarrying the tree were child\u2019s play. The giant, after he had dragged the\nheavy burden part of the way, could go no further, and cried: \u2018Hark\nyou, I shall have to let the tree fall!\u2019 The tailor sprang nimbly down,\nseized the tree with both arms as if he had been carrying it, and said\nto the giant: \u2018You are such a great fellow, and yet cannot even carry\nthe tree!\u2019\n\nThey went on together, and as they passed a cherry-tree, the giant laid\nhold of the top of the tree where the ripest fruit was hanging, bent it\ndown, gave it into the tailor\u2019s hand, and bade him eat. But the little\ntailor was much too weak to hold the tree, and when the giant let it go,\nit sprang back again, and the tailor was tossed into the air with it.\nWhen he had fallen down again without injury, the giant said: \u2018What is\nthis? Have you not strength enough to hold the weak twig?\u2019 \u2018There is no\nlack of strength,\u2019 answered the little tailor. \u2018Do you think that could\nbe anything to a man who has struck down seven at one blow? I leapt over\nthe tree because the huntsmen are shooting down there in the thicket.\nJump as I did, if you can do it.\u2019 The giant made the attempt but he\ncould not get over the tree, and remained hanging in the branches, so\nthat in this also the tailor kept the upper hand.\n\nThe giant said: \u2018If you are such a valiant fellow, come with me into our\ncavern and spend the night with us.\u2019 The little tailor was willing, and\nfollowed him. When they went into the cave, other giants were sitting\nthere by the fire, and each of them had a roasted sheep in his hand and\nwas eating it. The little tailor looked round and thought: \u2018It is much\nmore spacious here than in my workshop.\u2019 The giant showed him a bed, and\nsaid he was to lie down in it and sleep. The bed, however, was too\nbig for the little tailor; he did not lie down in it, but crept into\na corner. When it was midnight, and the giant thought that the little\ntailor was lying in a sound sleep, he got up, took a great iron bar,\ncut through the bed with one blow, and thought he had finished off the\ngrasshopper for good. With the earliest dawn the giants went into the\nforest, and had quite forgotten the little tailor, when all at once he\nwalked up to them quite merrily and boldly. The giants were terrified,\nthey were afraid that he would strike them all dead, and ran away in a\ngreat hurry.\n\nThe little tailor went onwards, always following his own pointed nose.\nAfter he had walked for a long time, he came to the courtyard of a royal\npalace, and as he felt weary, he lay down on the grass and fell asleep.\nWhilst he lay there, the people came and inspected him on all sides, and\nread on his girdle: \u2018Seven at one stroke.\u2019 \u2018Ah!\u2019 said they, \u2018what does\nthe great warrior want here in the midst of peace? He must be a mighty\nlord.\u2019 They went and announced him to the king, and gave it as their\nopinion that if war should break out, this would be a weighty and useful\nman who ought on no account to be allowed to depart. The counsel pleased\nthe king, and he sent one of his courtiers to the little tailor to offer\nhim military service when he awoke. The ambassador remained standing by\nthe sleeper, waited until he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes,\nand then conveyed to him this proposal. \u2018For this very reason have\nI come here,\u2019 the tailor replied, \u2018I am ready to enter the king\u2019s\nservice.\u2019 He was therefore honourably received, and a special dwelling\nwas assigned him.\n\nThe soldiers, however, were set against the little tailor, and wished\nhim a thousand miles away. \u2018What is to be the end of this?\u2019 they said\namong themselves. \u2018If we quarrel with him, and he strikes about him,\nseven of us will fall at every blow; not one of us can stand against\nhim.\u2019 They came therefore to a decision, betook themselves in a body to\nthe king, and begged for their dismissal. \u2018We are not prepared,\u2019 said\nthey, \u2018to stay with a man who kills seven at one stroke.\u2019 The king was\nsorry that for the sake of one he should lose all his faithful servants,\nwished that he had never set eyes on the tailor, and would willingly\nhave been rid of him again. But he did not venture to give him his\ndismissal, for he dreaded lest he should strike him and all his people\ndead, and place himself on the royal throne. He thought about it for a\nlong time, and at last found good counsel. He sent to the little tailor\nand caused him to be informed that as he was a great warrior, he had one\nrequest to make to him. In a forest of his country lived two giants,\nwho caused great mischief with their robbing, murdering, ravaging,\nand burning, and no one could approach them without putting himself in\ndanger of death. If the tailor conquered and killed these two giants, he\nwould give him his only daughter to wife, and half of his kingdom as a\ndowry, likewise one hundred horsemen should go with him to assist him.\n\u2018That would indeed be a fine thing for a man like me!\u2019 thought the\nlittle tailor. \u2018One is not offered a beautiful princess and half a\nkingdom every day of one\u2019s life!\u2019 \u2018Oh, yes,\u2019 he replied, \u2018I will soon\nsubdue the giants, and do not require the help of the hundred horsemen\nto do it; he who can hit seven with one blow has no need to be afraid of\ntwo.\u2019\n\nThe little tailor went forth, and the hundred horsemen followed him.\nWhen he came to the outskirts of the forest, he said to his followers:\n\u2018Just stay waiting here, I alone will soon finish off the giants.\u2019 Then\nhe bounded into the forest and looked about right and left. After a\nwhile he perceived both giants. They lay sleeping under a tree, and\nsnored so that the branches waved up and down. The little tailor, not\nidle, gathered two pocketsful of stones, and with these climbed up the\ntree. When he was halfway up, he slipped down by a branch, until he sat\njust above the sleepers, and then let one stone after another fall on\nthe breast of one of the giants. For a long time the giant felt nothing,\nbut at last he awoke, pushed his comrade, and said: \u2018Why are you\nknocking me?\u2019 \u2018You must be dreaming,\u2019 said the other, \u2018I am not knocking\nyou.\u2019 They laid themselves down to sleep again, and then the tailor\nthrew a stone down on the second. \u2018What is the meaning of this?\u2019 cried\nthe other \u2018Why are you pelting me?\u2019 \u2018I am not pelting you,\u2019 answered\nthe first, growling. They disputed about it for a time, but as they were\nweary they let the matter rest, and their eyes closed once more. The\nlittle tailor began his game again, picked out the biggest stone, and\nthrew it with all his might on the breast of the first giant. \u2018That\nis too bad!\u2019 cried he, and sprang up like a madman, and pushed his\ncompanion against the tree until it shook. The other paid him back in\nthe same coin, and they got into such a rage that they tore up trees and\nbelaboured each other so long, that at last they both fell down dead on\nthe ground at the same time. Then the little tailor leapt down. \u2018It is\na lucky thing,\u2019 said he, \u2018that they did not tear up the tree on which\nI was sitting, or I should have had to sprint on to another like a\nsquirrel; but we tailors are nimble.\u2019 He drew out his sword and gave\neach of them a couple of thrusts in the breast, and then went out to the\nhorsemen and said: \u2018The work is done; I have finished both of them\noff, but it was hard work! They tore up trees in their sore need, and\ndefended themselves with them, but all that is to no purpose when a man\nlike myself comes, who can kill seven at one blow.\u2019 \u2018But are you not\nwounded?\u2019 asked the horsemen. \u2018You need not concern yourself about\nthat,\u2019 answered the tailor, \u2018they have not bent one hair of mine.\u2019 The\nhorsemen would not believe him, and rode into the forest; there they\nfound the giants swimming in their blood, and all round about lay the\ntorn-up trees.\n\nThe little tailor demanded of the king the promised reward; he, however,\nrepented of his promise, and again bethought himself how he could get\nrid of the hero. \u2018Before you receive my daughter, and the half of my\nkingdom,\u2019 said he to him, \u2018you must perform one more heroic deed. In\nthe forest roams a unicorn which does great harm, and you must catch\nit first.\u2019 \u2018I fear one unicorn still less than two giants. Seven at one\nblow, is my kind of affair.\u2019 He took a rope and an axe with him, went\nforth into the forest, and again bade those who were sent with him to\nwait outside. He had not long to seek. The unicorn soon came towards\nhim, and rushed directly on the tailor, as if it would gore him with its\nhorn without more ado. \u2018Softly, softly; it can\u2019t be done as quickly as\nthat,\u2019 said he, and stood still and waited until the animal was quite\nclose, and then sprang nimbly behind the tree. The unicorn ran against\nthe tree with all its strength, and stuck its horn so fast in the trunk\nthat it had not the strength enough to draw it out again, and thus it\nwas caught. \u2018Now, I have got the bird,\u2019 said the tailor, and came out\nfrom behind the tree and put the rope round its neck, and then with his\naxe he hewed the horn out of the tree, and when all was ready he led the\nbeast away and took it to the king.\n\nThe king still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third\ndemand. Before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar that\nmade great havoc in the forest, and the huntsmen should give him their\nhelp. \u2018Willingly,\u2019 said the tailor, \u2018that is child\u2019s play!\u2019 He did not\ntake the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased\nthat he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in\nsuch a manner that they had no inclination to lie in wait for him. When\nthe boar perceived the tailor, it ran on him with foaming mouth and\nwhetted tusks, and was about to throw him to the ground, but the hero\nfled and sprang into a chapel which was near and up to the window at\nonce, and in one bound out again. The boar ran after him, but the tailor\nran round outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging\nbeast, which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window,\nwas caught. The little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they\nmight see the prisoner with their own eyes. The hero, however, went to\nthe king, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his\npromise, and gave his daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he known\nthat it was no warlike hero, but a little tailor who was standing before\nhim, it would have gone to his heart still more than it did. The wedding\nwas held with great magnificence and small joy, and out of a tailor a\nking was made.\n\nAfter some time the young queen heard her husband say in his dreams at\nnight: \u2018Boy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I\nwill rap the yard-measure over your ears.\u2019 Then she discovered in what\nstate of life the young lord had been born, and next morning complained\nof her wrongs to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of\nher husband, who was nothing else but a tailor. The king comforted her\nand said: \u2018Leave your bedroom door open this night, and my servants\nshall stand outside, and when he has fallen asleep shall go in, bind\nhim, and take him on board a ship which shall carry him into the wide\nworld.\u2019 The woman was satisfied with this; but the king\u2019s armour-bearer,\nwho had heard all, was friendly with the young lord, and informed him of\nthe whole plot. \u2018I\u2019ll put a screw into that business,\u2019 said the little\ntailor. At night he went to bed with his wife at the usual time, and\nwhen she thought that he had fallen asleep, she got up, opened the door,\nand then lay down again. The little tailor, who was only pretending to\nbe asleep, began to cry out in a clear voice: \u2018Boy, make me the doublet\nand patch me the pantaloons, or I will rap the yard-measure over your\nears. I smote seven at one blow. I killed two giants, I brought away one\nunicorn, and caught a wild boar, and am I to fear those who are standing\noutside the room.\u2019 When these men heard the tailor speaking thus, they\nwere overcome by a great dread, and ran as if the wild huntsman were\nbehind them, and none of them would venture anything further against\nhim. So the little tailor was and remained a king to the end of his\nlife.\n\n\n\n\nHANSEL AND GRETEL\n\n\nHard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his\ntwo children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had\nlittle to bite and to break, and once when great dearth fell on the\nland, he could no longer procure even daily bread. Now when he thought\nover this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he\ngroaned and said to his wife: \u2018What is to become of us? How are we\nto feed our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for\nourselves?\u2019 \u2018I\u2019ll tell you what, husband,\u2019 answered the woman, \u2018early\ntomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where\nit is the thickest; there we will light a fire for them, and give each\nof them one more piece of bread, and then we will go to our work and\nleave them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be\nrid of them.\u2019 \u2018No, wife,\u2019 said the man, \u2018I will not do that; how can I\nbear to leave my children alone in the forest?--the wild animals would\nsoon come and tear them to pieces.\u2019 \u2018O, you fool!\u2019 said she, \u2018then we\nmust all four die of hunger, you may as well plane the planks for our\ncoffins,\u2019 and she left him no peace until he consented. \u2018But I feel very\nsorry for the poor children, all the same,\u2019 said the man.\n\nThe two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had\nheard what their stepmother had said to their father. Gretel wept\nbitter tears, and said to Hansel: \u2018Now all is over with us.\u2019 \u2018Be quiet,\nGretel,\u2019 said Hansel, \u2018do not distress yourself, I will soon find a way\nto help us.\u2019 And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put\non his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside. The moon\nshone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house\nglittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the\nlittle pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in. Then he went\nback and said to Gretel: \u2018Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep in\npeace, God will not forsake us,\u2019 and he lay down again in his bed. When\nday dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the\ntwo children, saying: \u2018Get up, you sluggards! we are going into the\nforest to fetch wood.\u2019 She gave each a little piece of bread, and said:\n\u2018There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then,\nfor you will get nothing else.\u2019 Gretel took the bread under her apron,\nas Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set out together\non the way to the forest. When they had walked a short time, Hansel\nstood still and peeped back at the house, and did so again and again.\nHis father said: \u2018Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying\nbehind for? Pay attention, and do not forget how to use your legs.\u2019 \u2018Ah,\nfather,\u2019 said Hansel, \u2018I am looking at my little white cat, which is\nsitting up on the roof, and wants to say goodbye to me.\u2019 The wife said:\n\u2018Fool, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun which is\nshining on the chimneys.\u2019 Hansel, however, had not been looking back at\nthe cat, but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble-stones\nout of his pocket on the road.\n\nWhen they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said: \u2018Now,\nchildren, pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may not\nbe cold.\u2019 Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a\nlittle hill. The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burning\nvery high, the woman said: \u2018Now, children, lay yourselves down by the\nfire and rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we\nhave done, we will come back and fetch you away.\u2019\n\nHansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little\npiece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they\nbelieved that their father was near. It was not the axe, however, but\na branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was\nblowing backwards and forwards. And as they had been sitting such a long\ntime, their eyes closed with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When\nat last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and\nsaid: \u2018How are we to get out of the forest now?\u2019 But Hansel comforted\nher and said: \u2018Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then we\nwill soon find the way.\u2019 And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took\nhis little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone like\nnewly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.\n\nThey walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more\nto their father\u2019s house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman\nopened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said: \u2018You naughty\nchildren, why have you slept so long in the forest?--we thought you were\nnever coming back at all!\u2019 The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut\nhim to the heart to leave them behind alone.\n\nNot long afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the\nland, and the children heard their mother saying at night to their\nfather: \u2018Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that\nis the end. The children must go, we will take them farther into the\nwood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no other\nmeans of saving ourselves!\u2019 The man\u2019s heart was heavy, and he thought:\n\u2018It would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your\nchildren.\u2019 The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to\nsay, but scolded and reproached him. He who says A must say B, likewise,\nand as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second time\nalso.\n\nThe children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation.\nWhen the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go\nout and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked\nthe door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his\nlittle sister, and said: \u2018Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the\ngood God will help us.\u2019\n\nEarly in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their\nbeds. Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller\nthan the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his\nin his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.\n\u2018Hansel, why do you stop and look round?\u2019 said the father, \u2018go on.\u2019 \u2018I\nam looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and\nwants to say goodbye to me,\u2019 answered Hansel. \u2018Fool!\u2019 said the woman,\n\u2018that is not your little pigeon, that is the morning sun that is shining\non the chimney.\u2019 Hansel, however little by little, threw all the crumbs\non the path.\n\nThe woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had\nnever in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and\nthe mother said: \u2018Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired\nyou may sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in\nthe evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.\u2019 When\nit was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had\nscattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but\nno one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark\nnight, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said: \u2018Just wait,\nGretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread\nwhich I have strewn about, they will show us our way home again.\u2019 When\nthe moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many\nthousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked\nthem all up. Hansel said to Gretel: \u2018We shall soon find the way,\u2019 but\nthey did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day\ntoo from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest,\nand were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three\nberries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their\nlegs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell\nasleep.\n\nIt was now three mornings since they had left their father\u2019s house. They\nbegan to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if\nhelp did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it\nwas mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough,\nwhich sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And\nwhen its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away before them,\nand they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of\nwhich it alighted; and when they approached the little house they saw\nthat it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows\nwere of clear sugar. \u2018We will set to work on that,\u2019 said Hansel, \u2018and\nhave a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat\nsome of the window, it will taste sweet.\u2019 Hansel reached up above, and\nbroke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant\nagainst the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried\nfrom the parlour:\n\n \u2018Nibble, nibble, gnaw,\n  Who is nibbling at my little house?\u2019\n\nThe children answered:\n\n \u2018The wind, the wind,\n  The heaven-born wind,\u2019\n\nand went on eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who liked the\ntaste of the roof, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out\nthe whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with\nit. Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who\nsupported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were\nso terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their\nhands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said: \u2018Oh, you dear\nchildren, who has brought you here? do come in, and stay with me. No\nharm shall happen to you.\u2019 She took them both by the hand, and led them\ninto her little house. Then good food was set before them, milk and\npancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little\nbeds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down\nin them, and thought they were in heaven.\n\nThe old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality\na wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the\nlittle house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell\ninto her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast\nday with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have\na keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near.\nWhen Hansel and Gretel came into her neighbourhood, she laughed with\nmalice, and said mockingly: \u2018I have them, they shall not escape me\nagain!\u2019 Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was\nalready up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so\npretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks she muttered to herself: \u2018That\nwill be a dainty mouthful!\u2019 Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled\nhand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a\ngrated door. Scream as he might, it would not help him. Then she went to\nGretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried: \u2018Get up, lazy thing, fetch\nsome water, and cook something good for your brother, he is in the\nstable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him.\u2019\nGretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was\nforced to do what the wicked witch commanded.\n\nAnd now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing\nbut crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and\ncried: \u2018Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon\nbe fat.\u2019 Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and\nthe old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was\nHansel\u2019s finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fattening\nhim. When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she\nwas seized with impatience and would not wait any longer. \u2018Now, then,\nGretel,\u2019 she cried to the girl, \u2018stir yourself, and bring some water.\nLet Hansel be fat or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him.\u2019 Ah,\nhow the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water,\nand how her tears did flow down her cheeks! \u2018Dear God, do help us,\u2019 she\ncried. \u2018If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should\nat any rate have died together.\u2019 \u2018Just keep your noise to yourself,\u2019\nsaid the old woman, \u2018it won\u2019t help you at all.\u2019\n\nEarly in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with\nthe water, and light the fire. \u2018We will bake first,\u2019 said the old woman,\n\u2018I have already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough.\u2019 She pushed poor\nGretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were already darting.\n\u2018Creep in,\u2019 said the witch, \u2018and see if it is properly heated, so that\nwe can put the bread in.\u2019 And once Gretel was inside, she intended to\nshut the oven and let her bake in it, and then she would eat her, too.\nBut Gretel saw what she had in mind, and said: \u2018I do not know how I am\nto do it; how do I get in?\u2019 \u2018Silly goose,\u2019 said the old woman. \u2018The door\nis big enough; just look, I can get in myself!\u2019 and she crept up and\nthrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel gave her a push that drove\nher far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh! then\nshe began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away and the godless\nwitch was miserably burnt to death.\n\nGretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable,\nand cried: \u2018Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!\u2019 Then Hansel\nsprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did\nrejoice and embrace each other, and dance about and kiss each other! And\nas they had no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch\u2019s\nhouse, and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels.\n\u2018These are far better than pebbles!\u2019 said Hansel, and thrust into his\npockets whatever could be got in, and Gretel said: \u2018I, too, will take\nsomething home with me,\u2019 and filled her pinafore full. \u2018But now we must\nbe off,\u2019 said Hansel, \u2018that we may get out of the witch\u2019s forest.\u2019\n\nWhen they had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of\nwater. \u2018We cannot cross,\u2019 said Hansel, \u2018I see no foot-plank, and no\nbridge.\u2019 \u2018And there is also no ferry,\u2019 answered Gretel, \u2018but a white\nduck is swimming there: if I ask her, she will help us over.\u2019 Then she\ncried:\n\n \u2018Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,\n  Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?\n  There\u2019s never a plank, or bridge in sight,\n  Take us across on thy back so white.\u2019\n\nThe duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told\nhis sister to sit by him. \u2018No,\u2019 replied Gretel, \u2018that will be too heavy\nfor the little duck; she shall take us across, one after the other.\u2019 The\ngood little duck did so, and when they were once safely across and had\nwalked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar\nto them, and at length they saw from afar their father\u2019s house. Then\nthey began to run, rushed into the parlour, and threw themselves round\ntheir father\u2019s neck. The man had not known one happy hour since he had\nleft the children in the forest; the woman, however, was dead. Gretel\nemptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the\nroom, and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to\nadd to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together\nin perfect happiness. My tale is done, there runs a mouse; whosoever\ncatches it, may make himself a big fur cap out of it.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOUSE, THE BIRD, AND THE SAUSAGE\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into\npartnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well;\nthey lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to add\nconsiderably to their stores. The bird\u2019s duty was to fly daily into the\nwood and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw\nto the cooking.\n\nWhen people are too well off they always begin to long for something\nnew. And so it came to pass, that the bird, while out one day, met a\nfellow bird, to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his\nhousehold arrangements. But the other bird sneered at him for being a\npoor simpleton, who did all the hard work, while the other two stayed\nat home and had a good time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire\nand fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest\nuntil it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the\npot to see that the food was properly cooked, and when it was near\ndinner-time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in and out\namong the vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered,\nand salted, and ready to be served. Then, when the bird came home and\nhad laid aside his burden, they sat down to table, and when they had\nfinished their meal, they could sleep their fill till the following\nmorning: and that was really a very delightful life.\n\nInfluenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in\nthe wood, telling the others that he had been their servant long enough,\nand had been a fool into the bargain, and that it was now time to make a\nchange, and to try some other way of arranging the work. Beg and pray\nas the mouse and the sausage might, it was of no use; the bird remained\nmaster of the situation, and the venture had to be made. They therefore\ndrew lots, and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the mouse\nto cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.\n\nAnd now what happened? The sausage started in search of wood, the bird\nmade the fire, and the mouse put on the pot, and then these two waited\ntill the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day. But the\nsausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird\nflew out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across\na dog who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate\nbooty, and so seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the dog\nof this bare-faced robbery, but nothing he said was of any avail, for\nthe dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage, and\nthat was the reason his life had been forfeited.\n\nHe picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he\nhad seen and heard. They were both very unhappy, but agreed to make the\nbest of things and to remain with one another.\n\nSo now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked after the food and,\nwishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage, by rolling in and\nout among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the\npot; but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having\nalready parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.\n\nPresently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he\ncould nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood\nhere and there about the floor, called and searched, but no cook was to\nbe found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down,\ncaught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water,\nbut his pail fell into the well, and he after it, and as he was unable\nto recover himself, he was drowned.\n\n\n\n\nMOTHER HOLLE\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them\nwas beautiful and industrious, the other ugly and lazy. The mother,\nhowever, loved the ugly and lazy one best, because she was her own\ndaughter, and so the other, who was only her stepdaughter, was made\nto do all the work of the house, and was quite the Cinderella of the\nfamily. Her stepmother sent her out every day to sit by the well in\nthe high road, there to spin until she made her fingers bleed. Now it\nchanced one day that some blood fell on to the spindle, and as the girl\nstopped over the well to wash it off, the spindle suddenly sprang out\nof her hand and fell into the well. She ran home crying to tell of her\nmisfortune, but her stepmother spoke harshly to her, and after giving\nher a violent scolding, said unkindly, \u2018As you have let the spindle fall\ninto the well you may go yourself and fetch it out.\u2019\n\nThe girl went back to the well not knowing what to do, and at last in\nher distress she jumped into the water after the spindle.\n\nShe remembered nothing more until she awoke and found herself in a\nbeautiful meadow, full of sunshine, and with countless flowers blooming\nin every direction.\n\nShe walked over the meadow, and presently she came upon a baker\u2019s oven\nfull of bread, and the loaves cried out to her, \u2018Take us out, take us\nout, or alas! we shall be burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long\nago.\u2019 So she took the bread-shovel and drew them all out.\n\nShe went on a little farther, till she came to a tree full of apples.\n\u2018Shake me, shake me, I pray,\u2019 cried the tree; \u2018my apples, one and all,\nare ripe.\u2019 So she shook the tree, and the apples came falling down upon\nher like rain; but she continued shaking until there was not a single\napple left upon it. Then she carefully gathered the apples together in a\nheap and walked on again.\n\nThe next thing she came to was a little house, and there she saw an old\nwoman looking out, with such large teeth, that she was terrified, and\nturned to run away. But the old woman called after her, \u2018What are you\nafraid of, dear child? Stay with me; if you will do the work of my house\nproperly for me, I will make you very happy. You must be very careful,\nhowever, to make my bed in the right way, for I wish you always to shake\nit thoroughly, so that the feathers fly about; then they say, down there\nin the world, that it is snowing; for I am Mother Holle.\u2019 The old woman\nspoke so kindly, that the girl summoned up courage and agreed to enter\ninto her service.\n\nShe took care to do everything according to the old woman\u2019s bidding and\nevery time she made the bed she shook it with all her might, so that the\nfeathers flew about like so many snowflakes. The old woman was as good\nas her word: she never spoke angrily to her, and gave her roast and\nboiled meats every day.\n\nSo she stayed on with Mother Holle for some time, and then she began\nto grow unhappy. She could not at first tell why she felt sad, but she\nbecame conscious at last of great longing to go home; then she knew she\nwas homesick, although she was a thousand times better off with Mother\nHolle than with her mother and sister. After waiting awhile, she went\nto Mother Holle and said, \u2018I am so homesick, that I cannot stay with\nyou any longer, for although I am so happy here, I must return to my own\npeople.\u2019\n\nThen Mother Holle said, \u2018I am pleased that you should want to go back\nto your own people, and as you have served me so well and faithfully, I\nwill take you home myself.\u2019\n\nThereupon she led the girl by the hand up to a broad gateway. The gate\nwas opened, and as the girl passed through, a shower of gold fell upon\nher, and the gold clung to her, so that she was covered with it from\nhead to foot.\n\n\u2018That is a reward for your industry,\u2019 said Mother Holle, and as she\nspoke she handed her the spindle which she had dropped into the well.\n\nThe gate was then closed, and the girl found herself back in the old\nworld close to her mother\u2019s house. As she entered the courtyard, the\ncock who was perched on the well, called out:\n\n \u2018Cock-a-doodle-doo!\n  Your golden daughter\u2019s come back to you.\u2019\n\nThen she went in to her mother and sister, and as she was so richly\ncovered with gold, they gave her a warm welcome. She related to them\nall that had happened, and when the mother heard how she had come by her\ngreat riches, she thought she should like her ugly, lazy daughter to go\nand try her fortune. So she made the sister go and sit by the well\nand spin, and the girl pricked her finger and thrust her hand into a\nthorn-bush, so that she might drop some blood on to the spindle; then\nshe threw it into the well, and jumped in herself.\n\nLike her sister she awoke in the beautiful meadow, and walked over it\ntill she came to the oven. \u2018Take us out, take us out, or alas! we shall\nbe burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long ago,\u2019 cried the loaves\nas before. But the lazy girl answered, \u2018Do you think I am going to dirty\nmy hands for you?\u2019 and walked on.\n\nPresently she came to the apple-tree. \u2018Shake me, shake me, I pray; my\napples, one and all, are ripe,\u2019 it cried. But she only answered, \u2018A nice\nthing to ask me to do, one of the apples might fall on my head,\u2019 and\npassed on.\n\nAt last she came to Mother Holle\u2019s house, and as she had heard all about\nthe large teeth from her sister, she was not afraid of them, and engaged\nherself without delay to the old woman.\n\nThe first day she was very obedient and industrious, and exerted herself\nto please Mother Holle, for she thought of the gold she should get in\nreturn. The next day, however, she began to dawdle over her work, and\nthe third day she was more idle still; then she began to lie in bed in\nthe mornings and refused to get up. Worse still, she neglected to\nmake the old woman\u2019s bed properly, and forgot to shake it so that the\nfeathers might fly about. So Mother Holle very soon got tired of her,\nand told her she might go. The lazy girl was delighted at this, and\nthought to herself, \u2018The gold will soon be mine.\u2019 Mother Holle led her,\nas she had led her sister, to the broad gateway; but as she was passing\nthrough, instead of the shower of gold, a great bucketful of pitch came\npouring over her.\n\n\u2018That is in return for your services,\u2019 said the old woman, and she shut\nthe gate.\n\nSo the lazy girl had to go home covered with pitch, and the cock on the\nwell called out as she saw her:\n\n \u2018Cock-a-doodle-doo!\n  Your dirty daughter\u2019s come back to you.\u2019\n\nBut, try what she would, she could not get the pitch off and it stuck to\nher as long as she lived.\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE RED-CAP [LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD]\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone\nwho looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was\nnothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a\nlittle cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never\nwear anything else; so she was always called \u2018Little Red-Cap.\u2019\n\nOne day her mother said to her: \u2018Come, Little Red-Cap, here is a piece\nof cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill\nand weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and\nwhen you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path,\nor you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will\nget nothing; and when you go into her room, don\u2019t forget to say, \u201cGood\nmorning\u201d, and don\u2019t peep into every corner before you do it.\u2019\n\n\u2018I will take great care,\u2019 said Little Red-Cap to her mother, and gave\nher hand on it.\n\nThe grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village,\nand just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red-Cap\ndid not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of\nhim.\n\n\u2018Good day, Little Red-Cap,\u2019 said he.\n\n\u2018Thank you kindly, wolf.\u2019\n\n\u2018Whither away so early, Little Red-Cap?\u2019\n\n\u2018To my grandmother\u2019s.\u2019\n\n\u2018What have you got in your apron?\u2019\n\n\u2018Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to\nhave something good, to make her stronger.\u2019\n\n\u2018Where does your grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?\u2019\n\n\u2018A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands\nunder the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you\nsurely must know it,\u2019 replied Little Red-Cap.\n\nThe wolf thought to himself: \u2018What a tender young creature! what a nice\nplump mouthful--she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must\nact craftily, so as to catch both.\u2019 So he walked for a short time by\nthe side of Little Red-Cap, and then he said: \u2018See, Little Red-Cap, how\npretty the flowers are about here--why do you not look round? I believe,\ntoo, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you\nwalk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else\nout here in the wood is merry.\u2019\n\nLittle Red-Cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing\nhere and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere,\nshe thought: \u2018Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would\nplease her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there\nin good time\u2019; and so she ran from the path into the wood to look for\nflowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a\nstill prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and\ndeeper into the wood.\n\nMeanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother\u2019s house and knocked\nat the door.\n\n\u2018Who is there?\u2019\n\n\u2018Little Red-Cap,\u2019 replied the wolf. \u2018She is bringing cake and wine; open\nthe door.\u2019\n\n\u2018Lift the latch,\u2019 called out the grandmother, \u2018I am too weak, and cannot\nget up.\u2019\n\nThe wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a\nword he went straight to the grandmother\u2019s bed, and devoured her. Then\nhe put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap laid himself in bed\nand drew the curtains.\n\nLittle Red-Cap, however, had been running about picking flowers,\nand when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she\nremembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.\n\nShe was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she\nwent into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to\nherself: \u2018Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like\nbeing with grandmother so much.\u2019 She called out: \u2018Good morning,\u2019 but\nreceived no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains.\nThere lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and\nlooking very strange.\n\n\u2018Oh! grandmother,\u2019 she said, \u2018what big ears you have!\u2019\n\n\u2018The better to hear you with, my child,\u2019 was the reply.\n\n\u2018But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!\u2019 she said.\n\n\u2018The better to see you with, my dear.\u2019\n\n\u2018But, grandmother, what large hands you have!\u2019\n\n\u2018The better to hug you with.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!\u2019\n\n\u2018The better to eat you with!\u2019\n\nAnd scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of\nbed and swallowed up Red-Cap.\n\nWhen the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed,\nfell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passing\nthe house, and thought to himself: \u2018How the old woman is snoring! I must\njust see if she wants anything.\u2019 So he went into the room, and when he\ncame to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. \u2018Do I find you\nhere, you old sinner!\u2019 said he. \u2018I have long sought you!\u2019 Then just as\nhe was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have\ndevoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did\nnot fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomach\nof the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips, he saw the little\nRed-Cap shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl\nsprang out, crying: \u2018Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was\ninside the wolf\u2019; and after that the aged grandmother came out alive\nalso, but scarcely able to breathe. Red-Cap, however, quickly fetched\ngreat stones with which they filled the wolf\u2019s belly, and when he awoke,\nhe wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at\nonce, and fell dead.\n\nThen all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf\u2019s skin and\nwent home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which\nRed-Cap had brought, and revived, but Red-Cap thought to herself: \u2018As\nlong as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the\nwood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.\u2019\n\n\nIt also related that once when Red-Cap was again taking cakes to the old\ngrandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from the\npath. Red-Cap, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward on\nher way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that he\nhad said \u2018good morning\u2019 to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes,\nthat if they had not been on the public road she was certain he would\nhave eaten her up. \u2018Well,\u2019 said the grandmother, \u2018we will shut the door,\nthat he may not come in.\u2019 Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried:\n\u2018Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red-Cap, and am bringing you\nsome cakes.\u2019 But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard\nstole twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof,\nintending to wait until Red-Cap went home in the evening, and then to\nsteal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother\nsaw what was in his thoughts. In front of the house was a great stone\ntrough, so she said to the child: \u2018Take the pail, Red-Cap; I made some\nsausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to the\ntrough.\u2019 Red-Cap carried until the great trough was quite full. Then the\nsmell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down,\nand at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep\nhis footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straight\ninto the great trough, and was drowned. But Red-Cap went joyously home,\nand no one ever did anything to harm her again.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM\n\n\nThere was once a miller who had one beautiful daughter, and as she was\ngrown up, he was anxious that she should be well married and provided\nfor. He said to himself, \u2018I will give her to the first suitable man who\ncomes and asks for her hand.\u2019 Not long after a suitor appeared, and as\nhe appeared to be very rich and the miller could see nothing in him with\nwhich to find fault, he betrothed his daughter to him. But the girl did\nnot care for the man as a girl ought to care for her betrothed husband.\nShe did not feel that she could trust him, and she could not look at him\nnor think of him without an inward shudder. One day he said to her, \u2018You\nhave not yet paid me a visit, although we have been betrothed for some\ntime.\u2019 \u2018I do not know where your house is,\u2019 she answered. \u2018My house is\nout there in the dark forest,\u2019 he said. She tried to excuse herself by\nsaying that she would not be able to find the way thither. Her betrothed\nonly replied, \u2018You must come and see me next Sunday; I have already\ninvited guests for that day, and that you may not mistake the way, I\nwill strew ashes along the path.\u2019\n\nWhen Sunday came, and it was time for the girl to start, a feeling of\ndread came over her which she could not explain, and that she might\nbe able to find her path again, she filled her pockets with peas and\nlentils to sprinkle on the ground as she went along. On reaching the\nentrance to the forest she found the path strewed with ashes, and these\nshe followed, throwing down some peas on either side of her at every\nstep she took. She walked the whole day until she came to the deepest,\ndarkest part of the forest. There she saw a lonely house, looking so\ngrim and mysterious, that it did not please her at all. She stepped\ninside, but not a soul was to be seen, and a great silence reigned\nthroughout. Suddenly a voice cried:\n\n \u2018Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair,\n  Linger not in this murderers\u2019 lair.\u2019\n\nThe girl looked up and saw that the voice came from a bird hanging in a\ncage on the wall. Again it cried:\n\n \u2018Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair,\n  Linger not in this murderers\u2019 lair.\u2019\n\nThe girl passed on, going from room to room of the house, but they were\nall empty, and still she saw no one. At last she came to the cellar,\nand there sat a very, very old woman, who could not keep her head from\nshaking. \u2018Can you tell me,\u2019 asked the girl, \u2018if my betrothed husband\nlives here?\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, you poor child,\u2019 answered the old woman, \u2018what a place for you to\ncome to! This is a murderers\u2019 den. You think yourself a promised bride,\nand that your marriage will soon take place, but it is with death that\nyou will keep your marriage feast. Look, do you see that large cauldron\nof water which I am obliged to keep on the fire! As soon as they have\nyou in their power they will kill you without mercy, and cook and eat\nyou, for they are eaters of men. If I did not take pity on you and save\nyou, you would be lost.\u2019\n\nThereupon the old woman led her behind a large cask, which quite hid her\nfrom view. \u2018Keep as still as a mouse,\u2019 she said; \u2018do not move or speak,\nor it will be all over with you. Tonight, when the robbers are\nall asleep, we will flee together. I have long been waiting for an\nopportunity to escape.\u2019\n\nThe words were hardly out of her mouth when the godless crew returned,\ndragging another young girl along with them. They were all drunk, and\npaid no heed to her cries and lamentations. They gave her wine to drink,\nthree glasses full, one of white wine, one of red, and one of yellow,\nand with that her heart gave way and she died. Then they tore off her\ndainty clothing, laid her on a table, and cut her beautiful body into\npieces, and sprinkled salt upon it.\n\nThe poor betrothed girl crouched trembling and shuddering behind the\ncask, for she saw what a terrible fate had been intended for her by\nthe robbers. One of them now noticed a gold ring still remaining on\nthe little finger of the murdered girl, and as he could not draw it off\neasily, he took a hatchet and cut off the finger; but the finger sprang\ninto the air, and fell behind the cask into the lap of the girl who was\nhiding there. The robber took a light and began looking for it, but he\ncould not find it. \u2018Have you looked behind the large cask?\u2019 said one of\nthe others. But the old woman called out, \u2018Come and eat your suppers,\nand let the thing be till tomorrow; the finger won\u2019t run away.\u2019\n\n\u2018The old woman is right,\u2019 said the robbers, and they ceased looking for\nthe finger and sat down.\n\nThe old woman then mixed a sleeping draught with their wine, and before\nlong they were all lying on the floor of the cellar, fast asleep and\nsnoring. As soon as the girl was assured of this, she came from behind\nthe cask. She was obliged to step over the bodies of the sleepers, who\nwere lying close together, and every moment she was filled with renewed\ndread lest she should awaken them. But God helped her, so that she\npassed safely over them, and then she and the old woman went upstairs,\nopened the door, and hastened as fast as they could from the murderers\u2019\nden. They found the ashes scattered by the wind, but the peas and\nlentils had sprouted, and grown sufficiently above the ground, to guide\nthem in the moonlight along the path. All night long they walked, and it\nwas morning before they reached the mill. Then the girl told her father\nall that had happened.\n\nThe day came that had been fixed for the marriage. The bridegroom\narrived and also a large company of guests, for the miller had taken\ncare to invite all his friends and relations. As they sat at the feast,\neach guest in turn was asked to tell a tale; the bride sat still and did\nnot say a word.\n\n\u2018And you, my love,\u2019 said the bridegroom, turning to her, \u2018is there no\ntale you know? Tell us something.\u2019\n\n\u2018I will tell you a dream, then,\u2019 said the bride. \u2018I went alone through a\nforest and came at last to a house; not a soul could I find within, but\na bird that was hanging in a cage on the wall cried:\n\n \u2018Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair,\n  Linger not in this murderers\u2019 lair.\u2019\n\nand again a second time it said these words.\u2019\n\n\u2018My darling, this is only a dream.\u2019\n\n\u2018I went on through the house from room to room, but they were all empty,\nand everything was so grim and mysterious. At last I went down to the\ncellar, and there sat a very, very old woman, who could not keep her\nhead still. I asked her if my betrothed lived here, and she answered,\n\u201cAh, you poor child, you are come to a murderers\u2019 den; your betrothed\ndoes indeed live here, but he will kill you without mercy and afterwards\ncook and eat you.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018My darling, this is only a dream.\u2019\n\n\u2018The old woman hid me behind a large cask, and scarcely had she done\nthis when the robbers returned home, dragging a young girl along with\nthem. They gave her three kinds of wine to drink, white, red, and\nyellow, and with that she died.\u2019\n\n\u2018My darling, this is only a dream.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then they tore off her dainty clothing, and cut her beautiful body into\npieces and sprinkled salt upon it.\u2019\n\n\u2018My darling, this is only a dream.\u2019\n\n\u2018And one of the robbers saw that there was a gold ring still left on her\nfinger, and as it was difficult to draw off, he took a hatchet and cut\noff her finger; but the finger sprang into the air and fell behind the\ngreat cask into my lap. And here is the finger with the ring.\u2019 And\nwith these words the bride drew forth the finger and shewed it to the\nassembled guests.\n\nThe bridegroom, who during this recital had grown deadly pale, up and\ntried to escape, but the guests seized him and held him fast. They\ndelivered him up to justice, and he and all his murderous band were\ncondemned to death for their wicked deeds.\n\n\n\n\nTOM THUMB\n\n\nA poor woodman sat in his cottage one night, smoking his pipe by the\nfireside, while his wife sat by his side spinning. \u2018How lonely it is,\nwife,\u2019 said he, as he puffed out a long curl of smoke, \u2018for you and me\nto sit here by ourselves, without any children to play about and amuse\nus while other people seem so happy and merry with their children!\u2019\n\u2018What you say is very true,\u2019 said the wife, sighing, and turning round\nher wheel; \u2018how happy should I be if I had but one child! If it were\never so small--nay, if it were no bigger than my thumb--I should be very\nhappy, and love it dearly.\u2019 Now--odd as you may think it--it came to\npass that this good woman\u2019s wish was fulfilled, just in the very way she\nhad wished it; for, not long afterwards, she had a little boy, who was\nquite healthy and strong, but was not much bigger than my thumb. So\nthey said, \u2018Well, we cannot say we have not got what we wished for, and,\nlittle as he is, we will love him dearly.\u2019 And they called him Thomas\nThumb.\n\nThey gave him plenty of food, yet for all they could do he never grew\nbigger, but kept just the same size as he had been when he was born.\nStill, his eyes were sharp and sparkling, and he soon showed himself to\nbe a clever little fellow, who always knew well what he was about.\n\nOne day, as the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut\nfuel, he said, \u2018I wish I had someone to bring the cart after me, for I\nwant to make haste.\u2019 \u2018Oh, father,\u2019 cried Tom, \u2018I will take care of that;\nthe cart shall be in the wood by the time you want it.\u2019 Then the woodman\nlaughed, and said, \u2018How can that be? you cannot reach up to the horse\u2019s\nbridle.\u2019 \u2018Never mind that, father,\u2019 said Tom; \u2018if my mother will only\nharness the horse, I will get into his ear and tell him which way to\ngo.\u2019 \u2018Well,\u2019 said the father, \u2018we will try for once.\u2019\n\nWhen the time came the mother harnessed the horse to the cart, and put\nTom into his ear; and as he sat there the little man told the beast how\nto go, crying out, \u2018Go on!\u2019 and \u2018Stop!\u2019 as he wanted: and thus the horse\nwent on just as well as if the woodman had driven it himself into the\nwood. It happened that as the horse was going a little too fast, and Tom\nwas calling out, \u2018Gently! gently!\u2019 two strangers came up. \u2018What an odd\nthing that is!\u2019 said one: \u2018there is a cart going along, and I hear a\ncarter talking to the horse, but yet I can see no one.\u2019 \u2018That is queer,\nindeed,\u2019 said the other; \u2018let us follow the cart, and see where it\ngoes.\u2019 So they went on into the wood, till at last they came to the\nplace where the woodman was. Then Tom Thumb, seeing his father, cried\nout, \u2018See, father, here I am with the cart, all right and safe! now take\nme down!\u2019 So his father took hold of the horse with one hand, and with\nthe other took his son out of the horse\u2019s ear, and put him down upon a\nstraw, where he sat as merry as you please.\n\nThe two strangers were all this time looking on, and did not know what\nto say for wonder. At last one took the other aside, and said, \u2018That\nlittle urchin will make our fortune, if we can get him, and carry him\nabout from town to town as a show; we must buy him.\u2019 So they went up to\nthe woodman, and asked him what he would take for the little man. \u2018He\nwill be better off,\u2019 said they, \u2018with us than with you.\u2019 \u2018I won\u2019t sell\nhim at all,\u2019 said the father; \u2018my own flesh and blood is dearer to me\nthan all the silver and gold in the world.\u2019 But Tom, hearing of the\nbargain they wanted to make, crept up his father\u2019s coat to his shoulder\nand whispered in his ear, \u2018Take the money, father, and let them have me;\nI\u2019ll soon come back to you.\u2019\n\nSo the woodman at last said he would sell Tom to the strangers for a\nlarge piece of gold, and they paid the price. \u2018Where would you like to\nsit?\u2019 said one of them. \u2018Oh, put me on the rim of your hat; that will be\na nice gallery for me; I can walk about there and see the country as we\ngo along.\u2019 So they did as he wished; and when Tom had taken leave of his\nfather they took him away with them.\n\nThey journeyed on till it began to be dusky, and then the little man\nsaid, \u2018Let me get down, I\u2019m tired.\u2019 So the man took off his hat, and\nput him down on a clod of earth, in a ploughed field by the side of the\nroad. But Tom ran about amongst the furrows, and at last slipped into\nan old mouse-hole. \u2018Good night, my masters!\u2019 said he, \u2018I\u2019m off! mind and\nlook sharp after me the next time.\u2019 Then they ran at once to the place,\nand poked the ends of their sticks into the mouse-hole, but all in vain;\nTom only crawled farther and farther in; and at last it became quite\ndark, so that they were forced to go their way without their prize, as\nsulky as could be.\n\nWhen Tom found they were gone, he came out of his hiding-place. \u2018What\ndangerous walking it is,\u2019 said he, \u2018in this ploughed field! If I were to\nfall from one of these great clods, I should undoubtedly break my neck.\u2019\nAt last, by good luck, he found a large empty snail-shell. \u2018This is\nlucky,\u2019 said he, \u2018I can sleep here very well\u2019; and in he crept.\n\nJust as he was falling asleep, he heard two men passing by, chatting\ntogether; and one said to the other, \u2018How can we rob that rich parson\u2019s\nhouse of his silver and gold?\u2019 \u2018I\u2019ll tell you!\u2019 cried Tom. \u2018What noise\nwas that?\u2019 said the thief, frightened; \u2018I\u2019m sure I heard someone speak.\u2019\nThey stood still listening, and Tom said, \u2018Take me with you, and I\u2019ll\nsoon show you how to get the parson\u2019s money.\u2019 \u2018But where are you?\u2019 said\nthey. \u2018Look about on the ground,\u2019 answered he, \u2018and listen where the\nsound comes from.\u2019 At last the thieves found him out, and lifted him\nup in their hands. \u2018You little urchin!\u2019 they said, \u2018what can you do for\nus?\u2019 \u2018Why, I can get between the iron window-bars of the parson\u2019s house,\nand throw you out whatever you want.\u2019 \u2018That\u2019s a good thought,\u2019 said the\nthieves; \u2018come along, we shall see what you can do.\u2019\n\nWhen they came to the parson\u2019s house, Tom slipped through the\nwindow-bars into the room, and then called out as loud as he could bawl,\n\u2018Will you have all that is here?\u2019 At this the thieves were frightened,\nand said, \u2018Softly, softly! Speak low, that you may not awaken anybody.\u2019\nBut Tom seemed as if he did not understand them, and bawled out again,\n\u2018How much will you have? Shall I throw it all out?\u2019 Now the cook lay in\nthe next room; and hearing a noise she raised herself up in her bed and\nlistened. Meantime the thieves were frightened, and ran off a little\nway; but at last they plucked up their hearts, and said, \u2018The little\nurchin is only trying to make fools of us.\u2019 So they came back and\nwhispered softly to him, saying, \u2018Now let us have no more of your\nroguish jokes; but throw us out some of the money.\u2019 Then Tom called out\nas loud as he could, \u2018Very well! hold your hands! here it comes.\u2019\n\nThe cook heard this quite plain, so she sprang out of bed, and ran to\nopen the door. The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails: and\nthe maid, having groped about and found nothing, went away for a light.\nBy the time she came back, Tom had slipped off into the barn; and when\nshe had looked about and searched every hole and corner, and found\nnobody, she went to bed, thinking she must have been dreaming with her\neyes open.\n\nThe little man crawled about in the hay-loft, and at last found a snug\nplace to finish his night\u2019s rest in; so he laid himself down, meaning\nto sleep till daylight, and then find his way home to his father and\nmother. But alas! how woefully he was undone! what crosses and sorrows\nhappen to us all in this world! The cook got up early, before daybreak,\nto feed the cows; and going straight to the hay-loft, carried away\na large bundle of hay, with the little man in the middle of it, fast\nasleep. He still, however, slept on, and did not awake till he found\nhimself in the mouth of the cow; for the cook had put the hay into the\ncow\u2019s rick, and the cow had taken Tom up in a mouthful of it. \u2018Good\nlack-a-day!\u2019 said he, \u2018how came I to tumble into the mill?\u2019 But he soon\nfound out where he really was; and was forced to have all his wits about\nhim, that he might not get between the cow\u2019s teeth, and so be crushed to\ndeath. At last down he went into her stomach. \u2018It is rather dark,\u2019 said\nhe; \u2018they forgot to build windows in this room to let the sun in; a\ncandle would be no bad thing.\u2019\n\nThough he made the best of his bad luck, he did not like his quarters at\nall; and the worst of it was, that more and more hay was always coming\ndown, and the space left for him became smaller and smaller. At last he\ncried out as loud as he could, \u2018Don\u2019t bring me any more hay! Don\u2019t bring\nme any more hay!\u2019\n\nThe maid happened to be just then milking the cow; and hearing someone\nspeak, but seeing nobody, and yet being quite sure it was the same voice\nthat she had heard in the night, she was so frightened that she fell off\nher stool, and overset the milk-pail. As soon as she could pick herself\nup out of the dirt, she ran off as fast as she could to her master the\nparson, and said, \u2018Sir, sir, the cow is talking!\u2019 But the parson\nsaid, \u2018Woman, thou art surely mad!\u2019 However, he went with her into the\ncow-house, to try and see what was the matter.\n\nScarcely had they set foot on the threshold, when Tom called out, \u2018Don\u2019t\nbring me any more hay!\u2019 Then the parson himself was frightened; and\nthinking the cow was surely bewitched, told his man to kill her on the\nspot. So the cow was killed, and cut up; and the stomach, in which Tom\nlay, was thrown out upon a dunghill.\n\nTom soon set himself to work to get out, which was not a very easy\ntask; but at last, just as he had made room to get his head out, fresh\nill-luck befell him. A hungry wolf sprang out, and swallowed up the\nwhole stomach, with Tom in it, at one gulp, and ran away.\n\nTom, however, was still not disheartened; and thinking the wolf would\nnot dislike having some chat with him as he was going along, he called\nout, \u2018My good friend, I can show you a famous treat.\u2019 \u2018Where\u2019s that?\u2019\nsaid the wolf. \u2018In such and such a house,\u2019 said Tom, describing his own\nfather\u2019s house. \u2018You can crawl through the drain into the kitchen and\nthen into the pantry, and there you will find cakes, ham, beef, cold\nchicken, roast pig, apple-dumplings, and everything that your heart can\nwish.\u2019\n\nThe wolf did not want to be asked twice; so that very night he went to\nthe house and crawled through the drain into the kitchen, and then into\nthe pantry, and ate and drank there to his heart\u2019s content. As soon as\nhe had had enough he wanted to get away; but he had eaten so much that\nhe could not go out by the same way he came in.\n\nThis was just what Tom had reckoned upon; and now he began to set up a\ngreat shout, making all the noise he could. \u2018Will you be easy?\u2019 said the\nwolf; \u2018you\u2019ll awaken everybody in the house if you make such a clatter.\u2019\n\u2018What\u2019s that to me?\u2019 said the little man; \u2018you have had your frolic, now\nI\u2019ve a mind to be merry myself\u2019; and he began, singing and shouting as\nloud as he could.\n\nThe woodman and his wife, being awakened by the noise, peeped through\na crack in the door; but when they saw a wolf was there, you may well\nsuppose that they were sadly frightened; and the woodman ran for his\naxe, and gave his wife a scythe. \u2018Do you stay behind,\u2019 said the woodman,\n\u2018and when I have knocked him on the head you must rip him up with the\nscythe.\u2019 Tom heard all this, and cried out, \u2018Father, father! I am here,\nthe wolf has swallowed me.\u2019 And his father said, \u2018Heaven be praised! we\nhave found our dear child again\u2019; and he told his wife not to use the\nscythe for fear she should hurt him. Then he aimed a great blow, and\nstruck the wolf on the head, and killed him on the spot! and when he was\ndead they cut open his body, and set Tommy free. \u2018Ah!\u2019 said the father,\n\u2018what fears we have had for you!\u2019 \u2018Yes, father,\u2019 answered he; \u2018I have\ntravelled all over the world, I think, in one way or other, since we\nparted; and now I am very glad to come home and get fresh air again.\u2019\n\u2018Why, where have you been?\u2019 said his father. \u2018I have been in a\nmouse-hole--and in a snail-shell--and down a cow\u2019s throat--and in the\nwolf\u2019s belly; and yet here I am again, safe and sound.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well,\u2019 said they, \u2018you are come back, and we will not sell you again\nfor all the riches in the world.\u2019\n\nThen they hugged and kissed their dear little son, and gave him plenty\nto eat and drink, for he was very hungry; and then they fetched new\nclothes for him, for his old ones had been quite spoiled on his journey.\nSo Master Thumb stayed at home with his father and mother, in peace; for\nthough he had been so great a traveller, and had done and seen so many\nfine things, and was fond enough of telling the whole story, he always\nagreed that, after all, there\u2019s no place like HOME!\n\n\n\n\nRUMPELSTILTSKIN\n\n\nBy the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream\nof water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller\u2019s house was\nclose by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter.\nShe was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud\nof her, that he one day told the king of the land, who used to come and\nhunt in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now\nthis king was very fond of money; and when he heard the miller\u2019s boast\nhis greediness was raised, and he sent for the girl to be brought before\nhim. Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great\nheap of straw, and gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, \u2018All this must\nbe spun into gold before morning, as you love your life.\u2019 It was in vain\nthat the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father,\nfor that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold: the chamber\ndoor was locked, and she was left alone.\n\nShe sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard\nfate; when on a sudden the door opened, and a droll-looking little man\nhobbled in, and said, \u2018Good morrow to you, my good lass; what are you\nweeping for?\u2019 \u2018Alas!\u2019 said she, \u2018I must spin this straw into gold, and\nI know not how.\u2019 \u2018What will you give me,\u2019 said the hobgoblin, \u2018to do it\nfor you?\u2019 \u2018My necklace,\u2019 replied the maiden. He took her at her word,\nand sat himself down to the wheel, and whistled and sang:\n\n \u2018Round about, round about,\n    Lo and behold!\n  Reel away, reel away,\n    Straw into gold!\u2019\n\nAnd round about the wheel went merrily; the work was quickly done, and\nthe straw was all spun into gold.\n\nWhen the king came and saw this, he was greatly astonished and pleased;\nbut his heart grew still more greedy of gain, and he shut up the poor\nmiller\u2019s daughter again with a fresh task. Then she knew not what to do,\nand sat down once more to weep; but the dwarf soon opened the door, and\nsaid, \u2018What will you give me to do your task?\u2019 \u2018The ring on my finger,\u2019\nsaid she. So her little friend took the ring, and began to work at the\nwheel again, and whistled and sang:\n\n \u2018Round about, round about,\n    Lo and behold!\n  Reel away, reel away,\n    Straw into gold!\u2019\n\ntill, long before morning, all was done again.\n\nThe king was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure;\nbut still he had not enough: so he took the miller\u2019s daughter to a yet\nlarger heap, and said, \u2018All this must be spun tonight; and if it is,\nyou shall be my queen.\u2019 As soon as she was alone that dwarf came in, and\nsaid, \u2018What will you give me to spin gold for you this third time?\u2019\n\u2018I have nothing left,\u2019 said she. \u2018Then say you will give me,\u2019 said\nthe little man, \u2018the first little child that you may have when you are\nqueen.\u2019 \u2018That may never be,\u2019 thought the miller\u2019s daughter: and as she\nknew no other way to get her task done, she said she would do what he\nasked. Round went the wheel again to the old song, and the manikin once\nmore spun the heap into gold. The king came in the morning, and, finding\nall he wanted, was forced to keep his word; so he married the miller\u2019s\ndaughter, and she really became queen.\n\nAt the birth of her first little child she was very glad, and forgot the\ndwarf, and what she had said. But one day he came into her room, where\nshe was sitting playing with her baby, and put her in mind of it. Then\nshe grieved sorely at her misfortune, and said she would give him all\nthe wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off, but in vain; till at\nlast her tears softened him, and he said, \u2018I will give you three days\u2019\ngrace, and if during that time you tell me my name, you shall keep your\nchild.\u2019\n\nNow the queen lay awake all night, thinking of all the odd names that\nshe had ever heard; and she sent messengers all over the land to find\nout new ones. The next day the little man came, and she began with\nTIMOTHY, ICHABOD, BENJAMIN, JEREMIAH, and all the names she could\nremember; but to all and each of them he said, \u2018Madam, that is not my\nname.\u2019\n\nThe second day she began with all the comical names she could hear of,\nBANDY-LEGS, HUNCHBACK, CROOK-SHANKS, and so on; but the little gentleman\nstill said to every one of them, \u2018Madam, that is not my name.\u2019\n\nThe third day one of the messengers came back, and said, \u2018I have\ntravelled two days without hearing of any other names; but yesterday, as\nI was climbing a high hill, among the trees of the forest where the fox\nand the hare bid each other good night, I saw a little hut; and before\nthe hut burnt a fire; and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was\ndancing upon one leg, and singing:\n\n \u201cMerrily the feast I\u2019ll make.\n  Today I\u2019ll brew, tomorrow bake;\n  Merrily I\u2019ll dance and sing,\n  For next day will a stranger bring.\n  Little does my lady dream\n  Rumpelstiltskin is my name!\u201d\n\nWhen the queen heard this she jumped for joy, and as soon as her little\nfriend came she sat down upon her throne, and called all her court round\nto enjoy the fun; and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her\narms, as if it was quite ready to be given up. Then the little man began\nto chuckle at the thought of having the poor child, to take home with\nhim to his hut in the woods; and he cried out, \u2018Now, lady, what is my\nname?\u2019 \u2018Is it JOHN?\u2019 asked she. \u2018No, madam!\u2019 \u2018Is it TOM?\u2019 \u2018No, madam!\u2019\n\u2018Is it JEMMY?\u2019 \u2018It is not.\u2019 \u2018Can your name be RUMPELSTILTSKIN?\u2019 said the\nlady slyly. \u2018Some witch told you that!--some witch told you that!\u2019 cried\nthe little man, and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the\nfloor, that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it\nout.\n\nThen he made the best of his way off, while the nurse laughed and the\nbaby crowed; and all the court jeered at him for having had so much\ntrouble for nothing, and said, \u2018We wish you a very good morning, and a\nmerry feast, Mr RUMPLESTILTSKIN!\u2019\n\n\n\n\nCLEVER GRETEL\n\n\nThere was once a cook named Gretel, who wore shoes with red heels, and\nwhen she walked out with them on, she turned herself this way and that,\nwas quite happy and thought: \u2018You certainly are a pretty girl!\u2019 And when\nshe came home she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draught of wine,\nand as wine excites a desire to eat, she tasted the best of whatever she\nwas cooking until she was satisfied, and said: \u2018The cook must know what\nthe food is like.\u2019\n\nIt came to pass that the master one day said to her: \u2018Gretel, there is a\nguest coming this evening; prepare me two fowls very daintily.\u2019 \u2018I will\nsee to it, master,\u2019 answered Gretel. She killed two fowls, scalded them,\nplucked them, put them on the spit, and towards evening set them before\nthe fire, that they might roast. The fowls began to turn brown, and were\nnearly ready, but the guest had not yet arrived. Then Gretel called out\nto her master: \u2018If the guest does not come, I must take the fowls away\nfrom the fire, but it will be a sin and a shame if they are not eaten\nthe moment they are at their juiciest.\u2019 The master said: \u2018I will run\nmyself, and fetch the guest.\u2019 When the master had turned his back,\nGretel laid the spit with the fowls on one side, and thought: \u2018Standing\nso long by the fire there, makes one sweat and thirsty; who knows\nwhen they will come? Meanwhile, I will run into the cellar, and take a\ndrink.\u2019 She ran down, set a jug, said: \u2018God bless it for you, Gretel,\u2019\nand took a good drink, and thought that wine should flow on, and should\nnot be interrupted, and took yet another hearty draught.\n\nThen she went and put the fowls down again to the fire, basted them,\nand drove the spit merrily round. But as the roast meat smelt so good,\nGretel thought: \u2018Something might be wrong, it ought to be tasted!\u2019\nShe touched it with her finger, and said: \u2018Ah! how good fowls are! It\ncertainly is a sin and a shame that they are not eaten at the right\ntime!\u2019 She ran to the window, to see if the master was not coming with\nhis guest, but she saw no one, and went back to the fowls and thought:\n\u2018One of the wings is burning! I had better take it off and eat it.\u2019\nSo she cut it off, ate it, and enjoyed it, and when she had done, she\nthought: \u2018The other must go down too, or else master will observe that\nsomething is missing.\u2019 When the two wings were eaten, she went and\nlooked for her master, and did not see him. It suddenly occurred to\nher: \u2018Who knows? They are perhaps not coming at all, and have turned in\nsomewhere.\u2019 Then she said: \u2018Well, Gretel, enjoy yourself, one fowl has\nbeen cut into, take another drink, and eat it up entirely; when it is\neaten you will have some peace, why should God\u2019s good gifts be spoilt?\u2019\nSo she ran into the cellar again, took an enormous drink and ate up the\none chicken in great glee. When one of the chickens was swallowed down,\nand still her master did not come, Gretel looked at the other and said:\n\u2018What one is, the other should be likewise, the two go together; what\u2019s\nright for the one is right for the other; I think if I were to take\nanother draught it would do me no harm.\u2019 So she took another hearty\ndrink, and let the second chicken follow the first.\n\nWhile she was making the most of it, her master came and cried: \u2018Hurry\nup, Gretel, the guest is coming directly after me!\u2019 \u2018Yes, sir, I will\nsoon serve up,\u2019 answered Gretel. Meantime the master looked to see that\nthe table was properly laid, and took the great knife, wherewith he was\ngoing to carve the chickens, and sharpened it on the steps. Presently\nthe guest came, and knocked politely and courteously at the house-door.\nGretel ran, and looked to see who was there, and when she saw the guest,\nshe put her finger to her lips and said: \u2018Hush! hush! go away as quickly\nas you can, if my master catches you it will be the worse for you; he\ncertainly did ask you to supper, but his intention is to cut off your\ntwo ears. Just listen how he is sharpening the knife for it!\u2019 The guest\nheard the sharpening, and hurried down the steps again as fast as he\ncould. Gretel was not idle; she ran screaming to her master, and cried:\n\u2018You have invited a fine guest!\u2019 \u2018Why, Gretel? What do you mean by\nthat?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said she, \u2018he has taken the chickens which I was just\ngoing to serve up, off the dish, and has run away with them!\u2019 \u2018That\u2019s a\nnice trick!\u2019 said her master, and lamented the fine chickens. \u2018If he had\nbut left me one, so that something remained for me to eat.\u2019 He called to\nhim to stop, but the guest pretended not to hear. Then he ran after him\nwith the knife still in his hand, crying: \u2018Just one, just one,\u2019 meaning\nthat the guest should leave him just one chicken, and not take both. The\nguest, however, thought no otherwise than that he was to give up one of\nhis ears, and ran as if fire were burning under him, in order to take\nthem both with him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD MAN AND HIS GRANDSON\n\n\nThere was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull\nof hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly\nhold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run\nout of his mouth. His son and his son\u2019s wife were disgusted at this, so\nthe old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove,\nand they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough\nof it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of\ntears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it\nfell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he said\nnothing and only sighed. Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few\nhalf-pence, out of which he had to eat.\n\nThey were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old\nbegan to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. \u2018What are\nyou doing there?\u2019 asked the father. \u2018I am making a little trough,\u2019\nanswered the child, \u2018for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.\u2019\n\nThe man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently\nbegan to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and\nhenceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he\ndid spill a little of anything.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LITTLE PEASANT\n\n\nThere was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich\npeasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He\nhad not even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and\nyet he and his wife did so wish to have one. One day he said to her:\n\u2018Listen, I have a good idea, there is our gossip the carpenter, he shall\nmake us a wooden calf, and paint it brown, so that it looks like any\nother, and in time it will certainly get big and be a cow.\u2019 the woman\nalso liked the idea, and their gossip the carpenter cut and planed\nthe calf, and painted it as it ought to be, and made it with its head\nhanging down as if it were eating.\n\nNext morning when the cows were being driven out, the little peasant\ncalled the cow-herd in and said: \u2018Look, I have a little calf there,\nbut it is still small and has to be carried.\u2019 The cow-herd said: \u2018All\nright,\u2019 and took it in his arms and carried it to the pasture, and set\nit among the grass. The little calf always remained standing like one\nwhich was eating, and the cow-herd said: \u2018It will soon run by itself,\njust look how it eats already!\u2019 At night when he was going to drive the\nherd home again, he said to the calf: \u2018If you can stand there and eat\nyour fill, you can also go on your four legs; I don\u2019t care to drag you\nhome again in my arms.\u2019 But the little peasant stood at his door, and\nwaited for his little calf, and when the cow-herd drove the cows through\nthe village, and the calf was missing, he inquired where it was. The\ncow-herd answered: \u2018It is still standing out there eating. It would not\nstop and come with us.\u2019 But the little peasant said: \u2018Oh, but I must\nhave my beast back again.\u2019 Then they went back to the meadow together,\nbut someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone. The cow-herd said: \u2018It\nmust have run away.\u2019 The peasant, however, said: \u2018Don\u2019t tell me\nthat,\u2019 and led the cow-herd before the mayor, who for his carelessness\ncondemned him to give the peasant a cow for the calf which had run away.\n\nAnd now the little peasant and his wife had the cow for which they had\nso long wished, and they were heartily glad, but they had no food for\nit, and could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be killed. They\nsalted the flesh, and the peasant went into the town and wanted to sell\nthe skin there, so that he might buy a new calf with the proceeds. On\nthe way he passed by a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings,\nand out of pity he took him and wrapped him in the skin. But as the\nweather grew so bad and there was a storm of rain and wind, he could\ngo no farther, and turned back to the mill and begged for shelter. The\nmiller\u2019s wife was alone in the house, and said to the peasant: \u2018Lay\nyourself on the straw there,\u2019 and gave him a slice of bread and cheese.\nThe peasant ate it, and lay down with his skin beside him, and the woman\nthought: \u2018He is tired and has gone to sleep.\u2019 In the meantime came the\nparson; the miller\u2019s wife received him well, and said: \u2018My husband is\nout, so we will have a feast.\u2019 The peasant listened, and when he heard\nthem talk about feasting he was vexed that he had been forced to make\nshift with a slice of bread and cheese. Then the woman served up four\ndifferent things, roast meat, salad, cakes, and wine.\n\nJust as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a knocking\noutside. The woman said: \u2018Oh, heavens! It is my husband!\u2019 she quickly\nhid the roast meat inside the tiled stove, the wine under the pillow,\nthe salad on the bed, the cakes under it, and the parson in the closet\non the porch. Then she opened the door for her husband, and said: \u2018Thank\nheaven, you are back again! There is such a storm, it looks as if the\nworld were coming to an end.\u2019 The miller saw the peasant lying on the\nstraw, and asked, \u2018What is that fellow doing there?\u2019 \u2018Ah,\u2019 said the\nwife, \u2018the poor knave came in the storm and rain, and begged for\nshelter, so I gave him a bit of bread and cheese, and showed him where\nthe straw was.\u2019 The man said: \u2018I have no objection, but be quick and get\nme something to eat.\u2019 The woman said: \u2018But I have nothing but bread and\ncheese.\u2019 \u2018I am contented with anything,\u2019 replied the husband, \u2018so far as\nI am concerned, bread and cheese will do,\u2019 and looked at the peasant and\nsaid: \u2018Come and eat some more with me.\u2019 The peasant did not require to\nbe invited twice, but got up and ate. After this the miller saw the skin\nin which the raven was, lying on the ground, and asked: \u2018What have you\nthere?\u2019 The peasant answered: \u2018I have a soothsayer inside it.\u2019 \u2018Can\nhe foretell anything to me?\u2019 said the miller. \u2018Why not?\u2019 answered\nthe peasant: \u2018but he only says four things, and the fifth he keeps to\nhimself.\u2019 The miller was curious, and said: \u2018Let him foretell something\nfor once.\u2019 Then the peasant pinched the raven\u2019s head, so that he croaked\nand made a noise like krr, krr. The miller said: \u2018What did he say?\u2019 The\npeasant answered: \u2018In the first place, he says that there is some wine\nhidden under the pillow.\u2019 \u2018Bless me!\u2019 cried the miller, and went there\nand found the wine. \u2018Now go on,\u2019 said he. The peasant made the raven\ncroak again, and said: \u2018In the second place, he says that there is some\nroast meat in the tiled stove.\u2019 \u2018Upon my word!\u2019 cried the miller, and\nwent thither, and found the roast meat. The peasant made the raven\nprophesy still more, and said: \u2018Thirdly, he says that there is some\nsalad on the bed.\u2019 \u2018That would be a fine thing!\u2019 cried the miller, and\nwent there and found the salad. At last the peasant pinched the raven\nonce more till he croaked, and said: \u2018Fourthly, he says that there\nare some cakes under the bed.\u2019 \u2018That would be a fine thing!\u2019 cried the\nmiller, and looked there, and found the cakes.\n\nAnd now the two sat down to the table together, but the miller\u2019s wife\nwas frightened to death, and went to bed and took all the keys with\nher. The miller would have liked much to know the fifth, but the little\npeasant said: \u2018First, we will quickly eat the four things, for the fifth\nis something bad.\u2019 So they ate, and after that they bargained how much\nthe miller was to give for the fifth prophecy, until they agreed on\nthree hundred talers. Then the peasant once more pinched the raven\u2019s\nhead till he croaked loudly. The miller asked: \u2018What did he say?\u2019 The\npeasant replied: \u2018He says that the Devil is hiding outside there in\nthe closet on the porch.\u2019 The miller said: \u2018The Devil must go out,\u2019 and\nopened the house-door; then the woman was forced to give up the keys,\nand the peasant unlocked the closet. The parson ran out as fast as he\ncould, and the miller said: \u2018It was true; I saw the black rascal with my\nown eyes.\u2019 The peasant, however, made off next morning by daybreak with\nthe three hundred talers.\n\nAt home the small peasant gradually launched out; he built a beautiful\nhouse, and the peasants said: \u2018The small peasant has certainly been to\nthe place where golden snow falls, and people carry the gold home in\nshovels.\u2019 Then the small peasant was brought before the mayor, and\nbidden to say from whence his wealth came. He answered: \u2018I sold my cow\u2019s\nskin in the town, for three hundred talers.\u2019 When the peasants heard\nthat, they too wished to enjoy this great profit, and ran home, killed\nall their cows, and stripped off their skins in order to sell them in\nthe town to the greatest advantage. The mayor, however, said: \u2018But my\nservant must go first.\u2019 When she came to the merchant in the town, he\ndid not give her more than two talers for a skin, and when the others\ncame, he did not give them so much, and said: \u2018What can I do with all\nthese skins?\u2019\n\nThen the peasants were vexed that the small peasant should have thus\noutwitted them, wanted to take vengeance on him, and accused him of this\ntreachery before the mayor. The innocent little peasant was unanimously\nsentenced to death, and was to be rolled into the water, in a barrel\npierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was brought who\nwas to say a mass for his soul. The others were all obliged to retire to\na distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the\nman who had been with the miller\u2019s wife. He said to him: \u2018I set you free\nfrom the closet, set me free from the barrel.\u2019 At this same moment up\ncame, with a flock of sheep, the very shepherd whom the peasant knew had\nlong been wishing to be mayor, so he cried with all his might: \u2018No, I\nwill not do it; if the whole world insists on it, I will not do it!\u2019 The\nshepherd hearing that, came up to him, and asked: \u2018What are you about?\nWhat is it that you will not do?\u2019 The peasant said: \u2018They want to make\nme mayor, if I will but put myself in the barrel, but I will not do it.\u2019\nThe shepherd said: \u2018If nothing more than that is needful in order to be\nmayor, I would get into the barrel at once.\u2019 The peasant said: \u2018If you\nwill get in, you will be mayor.\u2019 The shepherd was willing, and got in,\nand the peasant shut the top down on him; then he took the shepherd\u2019s\nflock for himself, and drove it away. The parson went to the crowd,\nand declared that the mass had been said. Then they came and rolled the\nbarrel towards the water. When the barrel began to roll, the shepherd\ncried: \u2018I am quite willing to be mayor.\u2019 They believed no otherwise than\nthat it was the peasant who was saying this, and answered: \u2018That is\nwhat we intend, but first you shall look about you a little down below\nthere,\u2019 and they rolled the barrel down into the water.\n\nAfter that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the\nvillage, the small peasant also came quietly in, driving a flock of\nsheep and looking quite contented. Then the peasants were astonished,\nand said: \u2018Peasant, from whence do you come? Have you come out of the\nwater?\u2019 \u2018Yes, truly,\u2019 replied the peasant, \u2018I sank deep, deep down,\nuntil at last I got to the bottom; I pushed the bottom out of the\nbarrel, and crept out, and there were pretty meadows on which a number\nof lambs were feeding, and from thence I brought this flock away with\nme.\u2019 Said the peasants: \u2018Are there any more there?\u2019 \u2018Oh, yes,\u2019 said he,\n\u2018more than I could want.\u2019 Then the peasants made up their minds that\nthey too would fetch some sheep for themselves, a flock apiece, but the\nmayor said: \u2018I come first.\u2019 So they went to the water together, and just\nthen there were some of the small fleecy clouds in the blue sky, which\nare called little lambs, and they were reflected in the water, whereupon\nthe peasants cried: \u2018We already see the sheep down below!\u2019 The mayor\npressed forward and said: \u2018I will go down first, and look about me, and\nif things promise well I\u2019ll call you.\u2019 So he jumped in; splash! went\nthe water; it sounded as if he were calling them, and the whole crowd\nplunged in after him as one man. Then the entire village was dead, and\nthe small peasant, as sole heir, became a rich man.\n\n\n\n\nFREDERICK AND CATHERINE\n\n\nThere was once a man called Frederick: he had a wife whose name was\nCatherine, and they had not long been married. One day Frederick said.\n\u2018Kate! I am going to work in the fields; when I come back I shall be\nhungry so let me have something nice cooked, and a good draught of ale.\u2019\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 said she, \u2018it shall all be ready.\u2019 When dinner-time drew\nnigh, Catherine took a nice steak, which was all the meat she had, and\nput it on the fire to fry. The steak soon began to look brown, and to\ncrackle in the pan; and Catherine stood by with a fork and turned it:\nthen she said to herself, \u2018The steak is almost ready, I may as well go\nto the cellar for the ale.\u2019 So she left the pan on the fire and took a\nlarge jug and went into the cellar and tapped the ale cask. The beer ran\ninto the jug and Catherine stood looking on. At last it popped into her\nhead, \u2018The dog is not shut up--he may be running away with the steak;\nthat\u2019s well thought of.\u2019 So up she ran from the cellar; and sure enough\nthe rascally cur had got the steak in his mouth, and was making off with\nit.\n\nAway ran Catherine, and away ran the dog across the field: but he ran\nfaster than she, and stuck close to the steak. \u2018It\u2019s all gone, and \u201cwhat\ncan\u2019t be cured must be endured\u201d,\u2019 said Catherine. So she turned round;\nand as she had run a good way and was tired, she walked home leisurely\nto cool herself.\n\nNow all this time the ale was running too, for Catherine had not turned\nthe cock; and when the jug was full the liquor ran upon the floor till\nthe cask was empty. When she got to the cellar stairs she saw what had\nhappened. \u2018My stars!\u2019 said she, \u2018what shall I do to keep Frederick from\nseeing all this slopping about?\u2019 So she thought a while; and at last\nremembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at the last fair,\nand that if she sprinkled this over the floor it would suck up the ale\nnicely. \u2018What a lucky thing,\u2019 said she, \u2018that we kept that meal! we have\nnow a good use for it.\u2019 So away she went for it: but she managed to set\nit down just upon the great jug full of beer, and upset it; and thus\nall the ale that had been saved was set swimming on the floor also. \u2018Ah!\nwell,\u2019 said she, \u2018when one goes another may as well follow.\u2019 Then she\nstrewed the meal all about the cellar, and was quite pleased with her\ncleverness, and said, \u2018How very neat and clean it looks!\u2019\n\nAt noon Frederick came home. \u2018Now, wife,\u2019 cried he, \u2018what have you for\ndinner?\u2019 \u2018O Frederick!\u2019 answered she, \u2018I was cooking you a steak; but\nwhile I went down to draw the ale, the dog ran away with it; and while\nI ran after him, the ale ran out; and when I went to dry up the ale\nwith the sack of meal that we got at the fair, I upset the jug: but the\ncellar is now quite dry, and looks so clean!\u2019 \u2018Kate, Kate,\u2019 said he,\n\u2018how could you do all this?\u2019 Why did you leave the steak to fry, and the\nale to run, and then spoil all the meal?\u2019 \u2018Why, Frederick,\u2019 said she, \u2018I\ndid not know I was doing wrong; you should have told me before.\u2019\n\nThe husband thought to himself, \u2018If my wife manages matters thus, I must\nlook sharp myself.\u2019 Now he had a good deal of gold in the house: so he\nsaid to Catherine, \u2018What pretty yellow buttons these are! I shall put\nthem into a box and bury them in the garden; but take care that you\nnever go near or meddle with them.\u2019 \u2018No, Frederick,\u2019 said she, \u2018that\nI never will.\u2019 As soon as he was gone, there came by some pedlars with\nearthenware plates and dishes, and they asked her whether she would buy.\n\u2018Oh dear me, I should like to buy very much, but I have no money: if\nyou had any use for yellow buttons, I might deal with you.\u2019 \u2018Yellow\nbuttons!\u2019 said they: \u2018let us have a look at them.\u2019 \u2018Go into the garden\nand dig where I tell you, and you will find the yellow buttons: I dare\nnot go myself.\u2019 So the rogues went: and when they found what these\nyellow buttons were, they took them all away, and left her plenty of\nplates and dishes. Then she set them all about the house for a show:\nand when Frederick came back, he cried out, \u2018Kate, what have you been\ndoing?\u2019 \u2018See,\u2019 said she, \u2018I have bought all these with your yellow\nbuttons: but I did not touch them myself; the pedlars went themselves\nand dug them up.\u2019 \u2018Wife, wife,\u2019 said Frederick, \u2018what a pretty piece of\nwork you have made! those yellow buttons were all my money: how came you\nto do such a thing?\u2019 \u2018Why,\u2019 answered she, \u2018I did not know there was any\nharm in it; you should have told me.\u2019\n\nCatherine stood musing for a while, and at last said to her husband,\n\u2018Hark ye, Frederick, we will soon get the gold back: let us run after\nthe thieves.\u2019 \u2018Well, we will try,\u2019 answered he; \u2018but take some butter\nand cheese with you, that we may have something to eat by the way.\u2019\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 said she; and they set out: and as Frederick walked the\nfastest, he left his wife some way behind. \u2018It does not matter,\u2019 thought\nshe: \u2018when we turn back, I shall be so much nearer home than he.\u2019\n\nPresently she came to the top of a hill, down the side of which there\nwas a road so narrow that the cart wheels always chafed the trees\non each side as they passed. \u2018Ah, see now,\u2019 said she, \u2018how they have\nbruised and wounded those poor trees; they will never get well.\u2019 So she\ntook pity on them, and made use of the butter to grease them all, so\nthat the wheels might not hurt them so much. While she was doing this\nkind office one of her cheeses fell out of the basket, and rolled down\nthe hill. Catherine looked, but could not see where it had gone; so she\nsaid, \u2018Well, I suppose the other will go the same way and find you; he\nhas younger legs than I have.\u2019 Then she rolled the other cheese after\nit; and away it went, nobody knows where, down the hill. But she said\nshe supposed that they knew the road, and would follow her, and she\ncould not stay there all day waiting for them.\n\nAt last she overtook Frederick, who desired her to give him something to\neat. Then she gave him the dry bread. \u2018Where are the butter and cheese?\u2019\nsaid he. \u2018Oh!\u2019 answered she, \u2018I used the butter to grease those poor\ntrees that the wheels chafed so: and one of the cheeses ran away so I\nsent the other after it to find it, and I suppose they are both on\nthe road together somewhere.\u2019 \u2018What a goose you are to do such silly\nthings!\u2019 said the husband. \u2018How can you say so?\u2019 said she; \u2018I am sure\nyou never told me not.\u2019\n\nThey ate the dry bread together; and Frederick said, \u2018Kate, I hope you\nlocked the door safe when you came away.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 answered she, \u2018you did\nnot tell me.\u2019 \u2018Then go home, and do it now before we go any farther,\u2019\nsaid Frederick, \u2018and bring with you something to eat.\u2019\n\nCatherine did as he told her, and thought to herself by the way,\n\u2018Frederick wants something to eat; but I don\u2019t think he is very fond of\nbutter and cheese: I\u2019ll bring him a bag of fine nuts, and the vinegar,\nfor I have often seen him take some.\u2019\n\nWhen she reached home, she bolted the back door, but the front door she\ntook off the hinges, and said, \u2018Frederick told me to lock the door, but\nsurely it can nowhere be so safe if I take it with me.\u2019 So she took\nher time by the way; and when she overtook her husband she cried\nout, \u2018There, Frederick, there is the door itself, you may watch it as\ncarefully as you please.\u2019 \u2018Alas! alas!\u2019 said he, \u2018what a clever wife I\nhave! I sent you to make the house fast, and you take the door away, so\nthat everybody may go in and out as they please--however, as you have\nbrought the door, you shall carry it about with you for your pains.\u2019\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 answered she, \u2018I\u2019ll carry the door; but I\u2019ll not carry the\nnuts and vinegar bottle also--that would be too much of a load; so if\nyou please, I\u2019ll fasten them to the door.\u2019\n\nFrederick of course made no objection to that plan, and they set off\ninto the wood to look for the thieves; but they could not find them: and\nwhen it grew dark, they climbed up into a tree to spend the night there.\nScarcely were they up, than who should come by but the very rogues they\nwere looking for. They were in truth great rascals, and belonged to that\nclass of people who find things before they are lost; they were tired;\nso they sat down and made a fire under the very tree where Frederick and\nCatherine were. Frederick slipped down on the other side, and picked up\nsome stones. Then he climbed up again, and tried to hit the thieves on\nthe head with them: but they only said, \u2018It must be near morning, for\nthe wind shakes the fir-apples down.\u2019\n\nCatherine, who had the door on her shoulder, began to be very tired;\nbut she thought it was the nuts upon it that were so heavy: so she said\nsoftly, \u2018Frederick, I must let the nuts go.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 answered he, \u2018not\nnow, they will discover us.\u2019 \u2018I can\u2019t help that: they must go.\u2019 \u2018Well,\nthen, make haste and throw them down, if you will.\u2019 Then away rattled\nthe nuts down among the boughs and one of the thieves cried, \u2018Bless me,\nit is hailing.\u2019\n\nA little while after, Catherine thought the door was still very heavy:\nso she whispered to Frederick, \u2018I must throw the vinegar down.\u2019 \u2018Pray\ndon\u2019t,\u2019 answered he, \u2018it will discover us.\u2019 \u2018I can\u2019t help that,\u2019 said\nshe, \u2018go it must.\u2019 So she poured all the vinegar down; and the thieves\nsaid, \u2018What a heavy dew there is!\u2019\n\nAt last it popped into Catherine\u2019s head that it was the door itself that\nwas so heavy all the time: so she whispered, \u2018Frederick, I must throw\nthe door down soon.\u2019 But he begged and prayed her not to do so, for he\nwas sure it would betray them. \u2018Here goes, however,\u2019 said she: and down\nwent the door with such a clatter upon the thieves, that they cried\nout \u2018Murder!\u2019 and not knowing what was coming, ran away as fast as they\ncould, and left all the gold. So when Frederick and Catherine came down,\nthere they found all their money safe and sound.\n\n\n\n\nSWEETHEART ROLAND\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two\ndaughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was\nher own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated,\nbecause she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter once had a pretty\napron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and\ntold her mother that she must and would have that apron. \u2018Be quiet, my\nchild,\u2019 said the old woman, \u2018and you shall have it. Your stepsister has\nlong deserved death; tonight when she is asleep I will come and cut her\nhead off. Only be careful that you are at the far side of the bed, and\npush her well to the front.\u2019 It would have been all over with the poor\ngirl if she had not just then been standing in a corner, and heard\neverything. All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when bedtime\nhad come, the witch\u2019s daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at the\nfar side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the\nfront, and took for herself the place at the back, close by the wall. In\nthe night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in her right\nhand, and felt with her left to see if anyone were lying at the outside,\nand then she grasped the axe with both hands, and cut her own child\u2019s\nhead off.\n\nWhen she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, who\nwas called Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said\nto him: \u2018Listen, dearest Roland, we must fly in all haste; my stepmother\nwanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. When daylight comes,\nand she sees what she has done, we shall be lost.\u2019 \u2018But,\u2019 said Roland,\n\u2018I counsel you first to take away her magic wand, or we cannot escape\nif she pursues us.\u2019 The maiden fetched the magic wand, and she took the\ndead girl\u2019s head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground, one in\nfront of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the stairs. Then she\nhurried away with her lover.\n\nWhen the old witch got up next morning, she called her daughter, and\nwanted to give her the apron, but she did not come. Then the witch\ncried: \u2018Where are you?\u2019 \u2018Here, on the stairs, I am sweeping,\u2019 answered\nthe first drop of blood. The old woman went out, but saw no one on the\nstairs, and cried again: \u2018Where are you?\u2019 \u2018Here in the kitchen, I am\nwarming myself,\u2019 cried the second drop of blood. She went into the\nkitchen, but found no one. Then she cried again: \u2018Where are you?\u2019 \u2018Ah,\nhere in the bed, I am sleeping,\u2019 cried the third drop of blood. She went\ninto the room to the bed. What did she see there? Her own child,\nwhose head she had cut off, bathed in her blood. The witch fell into\na passion, sprang to the window, and as she could look forth quite far\ninto the world, she perceived her stepdaughter hurrying away with her\nsweetheart Roland. \u2018That shall not help you,\u2019 cried she, \u2018even if you\nhave got a long way off, you shall still not escape me.\u2019 She put on her\nmany-league boots, in which she covered an hour\u2019s walk at every step,\nand it was not long before she overtook them. The girl, however, when\nshe saw the old woman striding towards her, changed, with her magic\nwand, her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck\nswimming in the middle of it. The witch placed herself on the shore,\nthrew breadcrumbs in, and went to endless trouble to entice the duck;\nbut the duck did not let herself be enticed, and the old woman had to\ngo home at night as she had come. At this the girl and her sweetheart\nRoland resumed their natural shapes again, and they walked on the whole\nnight until daybreak. Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful\nflower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart\nRoland into a fiddler. It was not long before the witch came striding up\ntowards them, and said to the musician: \u2018Dear musician, may I pluck that\nbeautiful flower for myself?\u2019 \u2018Oh, yes,\u2019 he replied, \u2018I will play to\nyou while you do it.\u2019 As she was hastily creeping into the hedge and was\njust going to pluck the flower, knowing perfectly well who the flower\nwas, he began to play, and whether she would or not, she was forced\nto dance, for it was a magical dance. The faster he played, the more\nviolent springs was she forced to make, and the thorns tore her clothes\nfrom her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled, and as he\ndid not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.\n\nAs they were now set free, Roland said: \u2018Now I will go to my father and\narrange for the wedding.\u2019 \u2018Then in the meantime I will stay here and\nwait for you,\u2019 said the girl, \u2018and that no one may recognize me, I will\nchange myself into a red stone landmark.\u2019 Then Roland went away, and the\ngirl stood like a red landmark in the field and waited for her beloved.\nBut when Roland got home, he fell into the snares of another, who so\nfascinated him that he forgot the maiden. The poor girl remained there a\nlong time, but at length, as he did not return at all, she was sad, and\nchanged herself into a flower, and thought: \u2018Someone will surely come\nthis way, and trample me down.\u2019\n\nIt befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field and saw\nthe flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it with him, and\nlaid it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things happened\nin the shepherd\u2019s house. When he arose in the morning, all the work was\nalready done, the room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the\nfire in the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon,\nwhen he came home, the table was laid, and a good dinner served. He\ncould not conceive how this came to pass, for he never saw a human being\nin his house, and no one could have concealed himself in it. He was\ncertainly pleased with this good attendance, but still at last he was so\nafraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice. The wise\nwoman said: \u2018There is some enchantment behind it, listen very early some\nmorning if anything is moving in the room, and if you see anything, no\nmatter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will\nbe stopped.\u2019\n\nThe shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned,\nhe saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he\nsprang towards it, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the\ntransformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him,\nwho admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that up to this\ntime she had attended to his house-keeping. She told him her story,\nand as she pleased him he asked her if she would marry him, but she\nanswered: \u2018No,\u2019 for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart\nRoland, although he had deserted her. Nevertheless, she promised not to\ngo away, but to continue keeping house for the shepherd.\n\nAnd now the time drew near when Roland\u2019s wedding was to be celebrated,\nand then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announced\nthat all the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of the\nbridal pair. When the faithful maiden heard of this, she grew so sad\nthat she thought her heart would break, and she would not go thither,\nbut the other girls came and took her. When it came to her turn to sing,\nshe stepped back, until at last she was the only one left, and then she\ncould not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached Roland\u2019s\nears, he sprang up and cried: \u2018I know the voice, that is the true\nbride, I will have no other!\u2019 Everything he had forgotten, and which had\nvanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart. Then\nthe faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart Roland, and\ngrief came to an end and joy began.\n\n\n\n\nSNOWDROP\n\n\nIt was the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow were falling\naround, that the queen of a country many thousand miles off sat working\nat her window. The frame of the window was made of fine black ebony, and\nas she sat looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and three\ndrops of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red\ndrops that sprinkled the white snow, and said, \u2018Would that my little\ndaughter may be as white as that snow, as red as that blood, and as\nblack as this ebony windowframe!\u2019 And so the little girl really did grow\nup; her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as the blood, and\nher hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snowdrop.\n\nBut this queen died; and the king soon married another wife, who became\nqueen, and was very beautiful, but so vain that she could not bear\nto think that anyone could be handsomer than she was. She had a fairy\nlooking-glass, to which she used to go, and then she would gaze upon\nherself in it, and say:\n\n \u2018Tell me, glass, tell me true!\n  Of all the ladies in the land,\n  Who is fairest, tell me, who?\u2019\n\nAnd the glass had always answered:\n\n \u2018Thou, queen, art the fairest in all the land.\u2019\n\nBut Snowdrop grew more and more beautiful; and when she was seven years\nold she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the queen herself.\nThen the glass one day answered the queen, when she went to look in it\nas usual:\n\n \u2018Thou, queen, art fair, and beauteous to see,\n  But Snowdrop is lovelier far than thee!\u2019\n\nWhen she heard this she turned pale with rage and envy, and called to\none of her servants, and said, \u2018Take Snowdrop away into the wide wood,\nthat I may never see her any more.\u2019 Then the servant led her away; but\nhis heart melted when Snowdrop begged him to spare her life, and he\nsaid, \u2018I will not hurt you, thou pretty child.\u2019 So he left her by\nherself; and though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would\ntear her in pieces, he felt as if a great weight were taken off his\nheart when he had made up his mind not to kill her but to leave her to\nher fate, with the chance of someone finding and saving her.\n\nThen poor Snowdrop wandered along through the wood in great fear; and\nthe wild beasts roared about her, but none did her any harm. In the\nevening she came to a cottage among the hills, and went in to rest, for\nher little feet would carry her no further. Everything was spruce and\nneat in the cottage: on the table was spread a white cloth, and there\nwere seven little plates, seven little loaves, and seven little glasses\nwith wine in them; and seven knives and forks laid in order; and by\nthe wall stood seven little beds. As she was very hungry, she picked\na little piece of each loaf and drank a very little wine out of each\nglass; and after that she thought she would lie down and rest. So she\ntried all the little beds; but one was too long, and another was too\nshort, till at last the seventh suited her: and there she laid herself\ndown and went to sleep.\n\nBy and by in came the masters of the cottage. Now they were seven little\ndwarfs, that lived among the mountains, and dug and searched for gold.\nThey lighted up their seven lamps, and saw at once that all was not\nright. The first said, \u2018Who has been sitting on my stool?\u2019 The second,\n\u2018Who has been eating off my plate?\u2019 The third, \u2018Who has been picking my\nbread?\u2019 The fourth, \u2018Who has been meddling with my spoon?\u2019 The fifth,\n\u2018Who has been handling my fork?\u2019 The sixth, \u2018Who has been cutting with\nmy knife?\u2019 The seventh, \u2018Who has been drinking my wine?\u2019 Then the first\nlooked round and said, \u2018Who has been lying on my bed?\u2019 And the rest came\nrunning to him, and everyone cried out that somebody had been upon his\nbed. But the seventh saw Snowdrop, and called all his brethren to come\nand see her; and they cried out with wonder and astonishment and brought\ntheir lamps to look at her, and said, \u2018Good heavens! what a lovely child\nshe is!\u2019 And they were very glad to see her, and took care not to wake\nher; and the seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs\nin turn, till the night was gone.\n\nIn the morning Snowdrop told them all her story; and they pitied her,\nand said if she would keep all things in order, and cook and wash and\nknit and spin for them, she might stay where she was, and they would\ntake good care of her. Then they went out all day long to their work,\nseeking for gold and silver in the mountains: but Snowdrop was left at\nhome; and they warned her, and said, \u2018The queen will soon find out where\nyou are, so take care and let no one in.\u2019\n\nBut the queen, now that she thought Snowdrop was dead, believed that she\nmust be the handsomest lady in the land; and she went to her glass and\nsaid:\n\n \u2018Tell me, glass, tell me true!\n  Of all the ladies in the land,\n  Who is fairest, tell me, who?\u2019\n\nAnd the glass answered:\n\n \u2018Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land:\n  But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,\n  Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,\n  There Snowdrop is hiding her head; and she\n  Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee.\u2019\n\nThen the queen was very much frightened; for she knew that the glass\nalways spoke the truth, and was sure that the servant had betrayed her.\nAnd she could not bear to think that anyone lived who was more beautiful\nthan she was; so she dressed herself up as an old pedlar, and went\nher way over the hills, to the place where the dwarfs dwelt. Then she\nknocked at the door, and cried, \u2018Fine wares to sell!\u2019 Snowdrop looked\nout at the window, and said, \u2018Good day, good woman! what have you to\nsell?\u2019 \u2018Good wares, fine wares,\u2019 said she; \u2018laces and bobbins of all\ncolours.\u2019 \u2018I will let the old lady in; she seems to be a very good\nsort of body,\u2019 thought Snowdrop, as she ran down and unbolted the door.\n\u2018Bless me!\u2019 said the old woman, \u2018how badly your stays are laced! Let me\nlace them up with one of my nice new laces.\u2019 Snowdrop did not dream of\nany mischief; so she stood before the old woman; but she set to work\nso nimbly, and pulled the lace so tight, that Snowdrop\u2019s breath was\nstopped, and she fell down as if she were dead. \u2018There\u2019s an end to all\nthy beauty,\u2019 said the spiteful queen, and went away home.\n\nIn the evening the seven dwarfs came home; and I need not say how\ngrieved they were to see their faithful Snowdrop stretched out upon the\nground, as if she was quite dead. However, they lifted her up, and when\nthey found what ailed her, they cut the lace; and in a little time she\nbegan to breathe, and very soon came to life again. Then they said, \u2018The\nold woman was the queen herself; take care another time, and let no one\nin when we are away.\u2019\n\nWhen the queen got home, she went straight to her glass, and spoke to it\nas before; but to her great grief it still said:\n\n \u2018Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land:\n  But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,\n  Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,\n  There Snowdrop is hiding her head; and she\n  Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee.\u2019\n\nThen the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice, to see that\nSnowdrop still lived; and she dressed herself up again, but in quite\nanother dress from the one she wore before, and took with her a poisoned\ncomb. When she reached the dwarfs\u2019 cottage, she knocked at the door, and\ncried, \u2018Fine wares to sell!\u2019 But Snowdrop said, \u2018I dare not let anyone\nin.\u2019 Then the queen said, \u2018Only look at my beautiful combs!\u2019 and gave\nher the poisoned one. And it looked so pretty, that she took it up and\nput it into her hair to try it; but the moment it touched her head,\nthe poison was so powerful that she fell down senseless. \u2018There you may\nlie,\u2019 said the queen, and went her way. But by good luck the dwarfs\ncame in very early that evening; and when they saw Snowdrop lying on\nthe ground, they thought what had happened, and soon found the poisoned\ncomb. And when they took it away she got well, and told them all that\nhad passed; and they warned her once more not to open the door to\nanyone.\n\nMeantime the queen went home to her glass, and shook with rage when she\nread the very same answer as before; and she said, \u2018Snowdrop shall die,\nif it cost me my life.\u2019 So she went by herself into her chamber, and got\nready a poisoned apple: the outside looked very rosy and tempting, but\nwhoever tasted it was sure to die. Then she dressed herself up as a\npeasant\u2019s wife, and travelled over the hills to the dwarfs\u2019 cottage,\nand knocked at the door; but Snowdrop put her head out of the window and\nsaid, \u2018I dare not let anyone in, for the dwarfs have told me not.\u2019 \u2018Do\nas you please,\u2019 said the old woman, \u2018but at any rate take this pretty\napple; I will give it you.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 said Snowdrop, \u2018I dare not take it.\u2019\n\u2018You silly girl!\u2019 answered the other, \u2018what are you afraid of? Do you\nthink it is poisoned? Come! do you eat one part, and I will eat the\nother.\u2019 Now the apple was so made up that one side was good, though the\nother side was poisoned. Then Snowdrop was much tempted to taste, for\nthe apple looked so very nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she\ncould wait no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth,\nwhen she fell down dead upon the ground. \u2018This time nothing will save\nthee,\u2019 said the queen; and she went home to her glass, and at last it\nsaid:\n\n \u2018Thou, queen, art the fairest of all the fair.\u2019\n\nAnd then her wicked heart was glad, and as happy as such a heart could\nbe.\n\nWhen evening came, and the dwarfs had gone home, they found Snowdrop\nlying on the ground: no breath came from her lips, and they were afraid\nthat she was quite dead. They lifted her up, and combed her hair, and\nwashed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain, for the little\ngirl seemed quite dead. So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven\nwatched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they thought they\nwould bury her: but her cheeks were still rosy; and her face looked just\nas it did while she was alive; so they said, \u2018We will never bury her in\nthe cold ground.\u2019 And they made a coffin of glass, so that they might\nstill look at her, and wrote upon it in golden letters what her name\nwas, and that she was a king\u2019s daughter. And the coffin was set among\nthe hills, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched. And the\nbirds of the air came too, and bemoaned Snowdrop; and first of all came\nan owl, and then a raven, and at last a dove, and sat by her side.\n\nAnd thus Snowdrop lay for a long, long time, and still only looked as\nthough she was asleep; for she was even now as white as snow, and as red\nas blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince came and called at the\ndwarfs\u2019 house; and he saw Snowdrop, and read what was written in golden\nletters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and prayed and besought them\nto let him take her away; but they said, \u2018We will not part with her for\nall the gold in the world.\u2019 At last, however, they had pity on him, and\ngave him the coffin; but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home\nwith him, the piece of apple fell from between her lips, and Snowdrop\nawoke, and said, \u2018Where am I?\u2019 And the prince said, \u2018Thou art quite safe\nwith me.\u2019\n\nThen he told her all that had happened, and said, \u2018I love you far better\nthan all the world; so come with me to my father\u2019s palace, and you shall\nbe my wife.\u2019 And Snowdrop consented, and went home with the prince;\nand everything was got ready with great pomp and splendour for their\nwedding.\n\nTo the feast was asked, among the rest, Snowdrop\u2019s old enemy the queen;\nand as she was dressing herself in fine rich clothes, she looked in the\nglass and said:\n\n \u2018Tell me, glass, tell me true!\n  Of all the ladies in the land,\n  Who is fairest, tell me, who?\u2019\n\nAnd the glass answered:\n\n \u2018Thou, lady, art loveliest here, I ween;\n  But lovelier far is the new-made queen.\u2019\n\nWhen she heard this she started with rage; but her envy and curiosity\nwere so great, that she could not help setting out to see the bride. And\nwhen she got there, and saw that it was no other than Snowdrop, who, as\nshe thought, had been dead a long while, she choked with rage, and fell\ndown and died: but Snowdrop and the prince lived and reigned happily\nover that land many, many years; and sometimes they went up into the\nmountains, and paid a visit to the little dwarfs, who had been so kind\nto Snowdrop in her time of need.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PINK\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a queen to whom God had given no children.\nEvery morning she went into the garden and prayed to God in heaven to\nbestow on her a son or a daughter. Then an angel from heaven came to her\nand said: \u2018Be at rest, you shall have a son with the power of wishing,\nso that whatsoever in the world he wishes for, that shall he have.\u2019 Then\nshe went to the king, and told him the joyful tidings, and when the time\nwas come she gave birth to a son, and the king was filled with gladness.\n\nEvery morning she went with the child to the garden where the wild\nbeasts were kept, and washed herself there in a clear stream. It\nhappened once when the child was a little older, that it was lying in\nher arms and she fell asleep. Then came the old cook, who knew that the\nchild had the power of wishing, and stole it away, and he took a hen,\nand cut it in pieces, and dropped some of its blood on the queen\u2019s apron\nand on her dress. Then he carried the child away to a secret place,\nwhere a nurse was obliged to suckle it, and he ran to the king and\naccused the queen of having allowed her child to be taken from her by\nthe wild beasts. When the king saw the blood on her apron, he believed\nthis, fell into such a passion that he ordered a high tower to be built,\nin which neither sun nor moon could be seen and had his wife put into\nit, and walled up. Here she was to stay for seven years without meat\nor drink, and die of hunger. But God sent two angels from heaven in the\nshape of white doves, which flew to her twice a day, and carried her\nfood until the seven years were over.\n\nThe cook, however, thought to himself: \u2018If the child has the power of\nwishing, and I am here, he might very easily get me into trouble.\u2019 So\nhe left the palace and went to the boy, who was already big enough to\nspeak, and said to him: \u2018Wish for a beautiful palace for yourself with\na garden, and all else that pertains to it.\u2019 Scarcely were the words out\nof the boy\u2019s mouth, when everything was there that he had wished for.\nAfter a while the cook said to him: \u2018It is not well for you to be so\nalone, wish for a pretty girl as a companion.\u2019 Then the king\u2019s son\nwished for one, and she immediately stood before him, and was more\nbeautiful than any painter could have painted her. The two played\ntogether, and loved each other with all their hearts, and the old cook\nwent out hunting like a nobleman. The thought occurred to him, however,\nthat the king\u2019s son might some day wish to be with his father, and thus\nbring him into great peril. So he went out and took the maiden aside,\nand said: \u2018Tonight when the boy is asleep, go to his bed and plunge this\nknife into his heart, and bring me his heart and tongue, and if you do\nnot do it, you shall lose your life.\u2019 Thereupon he went away, and when\nhe returned next day she had not done it, and said: \u2018Why should I shed\nthe blood of an innocent boy who has never harmed anyone?\u2019 The cook once\nmore said: \u2018If you do not do it, it shall cost you your own life.\u2019 When\nhe had gone away, she had a little hind brought to her, and ordered her\nto be killed, and took her heart and tongue, and laid them on a plate,\nand when she saw the old man coming, she said to the boy: \u2018Lie down in\nyour bed, and draw the clothes over you.\u2019 Then the wicked wretch came in\nand said: \u2018Where are the boy\u2019s heart and tongue?\u2019 The girl reached the\nplate to him, but the king\u2019s son threw off the quilt, and said: \u2018You old\nsinner, why did you want to kill me? Now will I pronounce thy sentence.\nYou shall become a black poodle and have a gold collar round your neck,\nand shall eat burning coals, till the flames burst forth from your\nthroat.\u2019 And when he had spoken these words, the old man was changed\ninto a poodle dog, and had a gold collar round his neck, and the cooks\nwere ordered to bring up some live coals, and these he ate, until the\nflames broke forth from his throat. The king\u2019s son remained there a\nshort while longer, and he thought of his mother, and wondered if she\nwere still alive. At length he said to the maiden: \u2018I will go home to my\nown country; if you will go with me, I will provide for you.\u2019 \u2018Ah,\u2019\nshe replied, \u2018the way is so long, and what shall I do in a strange land\nwhere I am unknown?\u2019 As she did not seem quite willing, and as they\ncould not be parted from each other, he wished that she might be changed\ninto a beautiful pink, and took her with him. Then he went away to his\nown country, and the poodle had to run after him. He went to the tower\nin which his mother was confined, and as it was so high, he wished for\na ladder which would reach up to the very top. Then he mounted up and\nlooked inside, and cried: \u2018Beloved mother, Lady Queen, are you still\nalive, or are you dead?\u2019 She answered: \u2018I have just eaten, and am still\nsatisfied,\u2019 for she thought the angels were there. Said he: \u2018I am your\ndear son, whom the wild beasts were said to have torn from your arms;\nbut I am alive still, and will soon set you free.\u2019 Then he descended\nagain, and went to his father, and caused himself to be announced as a\nstrange huntsman, and asked if he could offer him service. The king said\nyes, if he was skilful and could get game for him, he should come to\nhim, but that deer had never taken up their quarters in any part of the\ndistrict or country. Then the huntsman promised to procure as much game\nfor him as he could possibly use at the royal table. So he summoned all\nthe huntsmen together, and bade them go out into the forest with him.\nAnd he went with them and made them form a great circle, open at one end\nwhere he stationed himself, and began to wish. Two hundred deer and more\ncame running inside the circle at once, and the huntsmen shot them.\nThen they were all placed on sixty country carts, and driven home to the\nking, and for once he was able to deck his table with game, after having\nhad none at all for years.\n\nNow the king felt great joy at this, and commanded that his entire\nhousehold should eat with him next day, and made a great feast. When\nthey were all assembled together, he said to the huntsman: \u2018As you are\nso clever, you shall sit by me.\u2019 He replied: \u2018Lord King, your majesty\nmust excuse me, I am a poor huntsman.\u2019 But the king insisted on it,\nand said: \u2018You shall sit by me,\u2019 until he did it. Whilst he was sitting\nthere, he thought of his dearest mother, and wished that one of the\nking\u2019s principal servants would begin to speak of her, and would ask how\nit was faring with the queen in the tower, and if she were alive still,\nor had perished. Hardly had he formed the wish than the marshal began,\nand said: \u2018Your majesty, we live joyously here, but how is the queen\nliving in the tower? Is she still alive, or has she died?\u2019 But the king\nreplied: \u2018She let my dear son be torn to pieces by wild beasts; I will\nnot have her named.\u2019 Then the huntsman arose and said: \u2018Gracious lord\nfather she is alive still, and I am her son, and I was not carried away\nby wild beasts, but by that wretch the old cook, who tore me from her\narms when she was asleep, and sprinkled her apron with the blood of a\nchicken.\u2019 Thereupon he took the dog with the golden collar, and said:\n\u2018That is the wretch!\u2019 and caused live coals to be brought, and these the\ndog was compelled to devour before the sight of all, until flames burst\nforth from its throat. On this the huntsman asked the king if he would\nlike to see the dog in his true shape, and wished him back into the form\nof the cook, in which he stood immediately, with his white apron,\nand his knife by his side. When the king saw him he fell into a passion,\nand ordered him to be cast into the deepest dungeon. Then the huntsman\nspoke further and said: \u2018Father, will you see the maiden who brought me\nup so tenderly and who was afterwards to murder me, but did not do it,\nthough her own life depended on it?\u2019 The king replied: \u2018Yes, I would\nlike to see her.\u2019 The son said: \u2018Most gracious father, I will show her\nto you in the form of a beautiful flower,\u2019 and he thrust his hand into\nhis pocket and brought forth the pink, and placed it on the royal table,\nand it was so beautiful that the king had never seen one to equal it.\nThen the son said: \u2018Now will I show her to you in her own form,\u2019 and\nwished that she might become a maiden, and she stood there looking so\nbeautiful that no painter could have made her look more so.\n\nAnd the king sent two waiting-maids and two attendants into the tower,\nto fetch the queen and bring her to the royal table. But when she was\nled in she ate nothing, and said: \u2018The gracious and merciful God who has\nsupported me in the tower, will soon set me free.\u2019 She lived three days\nmore, and then died happily, and when she was buried, the two white\ndoves which had brought her food to the tower, and were angels of\nheaven, followed her body and seated themselves on her grave. The aged\nking ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces, but grief consumed the\nking\u2019s own heart, and he soon died. His son married the beautiful maiden\nwhom he had brought with him as a flower in his pocket, and whether they\nare still alive or not, is known to God.\n\n\n\n\nCLEVER ELSIE\n\n\nThere was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie. And\nwhen she had grown up her father said: \u2018We will get her married.\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019\nsaid the mother, \u2018if only someone would come who would have her.\u2019 At\nlength a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was called Hans;\nbut he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really smart. \u2018Oh,\u2019 said\nthe father, \u2018she has plenty of good sense\u2019; and the mother said: \u2018Oh,\nshe can see the wind coming up the street, and hear the flies coughing.\u2019\n\u2018Well,\u2019 said Hans, \u2018if she is not really smart, I won\u2019t have her.\u2019 When\nthey were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said: \u2018Elsie, go\ninto the cellar and fetch some beer.\u2019 Then Clever Elsie took the pitcher\nfrom the wall, went into the cellar, and tapped the lid briskly as she\nwent, so that the time might not appear long. When she was below she\nfetched herself a chair, and set it before the barrel so that she had\nno need to stoop, and did not hurt her back or do herself any unexpected\ninjury. Then she placed the can before her, and turned the tap, and\nwhile the beer was running she would not let her eyes be idle, but\nlooked up at the wall, and after much peering here and there, saw a\npick-axe exactly above her, which the masons had accidentally left\nthere.\n\nThen Clever Elsie began to weep and said: \u2018If I get Hans, and we have\na child, and he grows big, and we send him into the cellar here to draw\nbeer, then the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.\u2019 Then she\nsat and wept and screamed with all the strength of her body, over the\nmisfortune which lay before her. Those upstairs waited for the drink,\nbut Clever Elsie still did not come. Then the woman said to the servant:\n\u2018Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is.\u2019 The maid went and\nfound her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming loudly. \u2018Elsie why\ndo you weep?\u2019 asked the maid. \u2018Ah,\u2019 she answered, \u2018have I not reason to\nweep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and has to\ndraw beer here, the pick-axe will perhaps fall on his head, and kill\nhim.\u2019 Then said the maid: \u2018What a clever Elsie we have!\u2019 and sat down\nbeside her and began loudly to weep over the misfortune. After a while,\nas the maid did not come back, and those upstairs were thirsty for the\nbeer, the man said to the boy: \u2018Just go down into the cellar and see\nwhere Elsie and the girl are.\u2019 The boy went down, and there sat Clever\nElsie and the girl both weeping together. Then he asked: \u2018Why are you\nweeping?\u2019 \u2018Ah,\u2019 said Elsie, \u2018have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans,\nand we have a child, and he grows big, and has to draw beer here, the\npick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.\u2019 Then said the boy: \u2018What\na clever Elsie we have!\u2019 and sat down by her, and likewise began to\nhowl loudly. Upstairs they waited for the boy, but as he still did not\nreturn, the man said to the woman: \u2018Just go down into the cellar and see\nwhere Elsie is!\u2019 The woman went down, and found all three in the midst\nof their lamentations, and inquired what was the cause; then Elsie told\nher also that her future child was to be killed by the pick-axe, when it\ngrew big and had to draw beer, and the pick-axe fell down. Then said the\nmother likewise: \u2018What a clever Elsie we have!\u2019 and sat down and wept\nwith them. The man upstairs waited a short time, but as his wife did not\ncome back and his thirst grew ever greater, he said: \u2018I must go into the\ncellar myself and see where Elsie is.\u2019 But when he got into the cellar,\nand they were all sitting together crying, and he heard the reason, and\nthat Elsie\u2019s child was the cause, and the Elsie might perhaps bring one\ninto the world some day, and that he might be killed by the pick-axe, if\nhe should happen to be sitting beneath it, drawing beer just at the very\ntime when it fell down, he cried: \u2018Oh, what a clever Elsie!\u2019 and sat\ndown, and likewise wept with them. The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone\nfor a long time; then as no one would come back he thought: \u2018They must be\nwaiting for me below: I too must go there and see what they are about.\u2019\nWhen he got down, the five of them were sitting screaming and lamenting\nquite piteously, each out-doing the other. \u2018What misfortune has happened\nthen?\u2019 asked he. \u2018Ah, dear Hans,\u2019 said Elsie, \u2018if we marry each other\nand have a child, and he is big, and we perhaps send him here to draw\nsomething to drink, then the pick-axe which has been left up there might\ndash his brains out if it were to fall down, so have we not reason to\nweep?\u2019 \u2018Come,\u2019 said Hans, \u2018more understanding than that is not needed\nfor my household, as you are such a clever Elsie, I will have you,\u2019 and\nseized her hand, took her upstairs with him, and married her.\n\nAfter Hans had had her some time, he said: \u2018Wife, I am going out to work\nand earn some money for us; go into the field and cut the corn that we\nmay have some bread.\u2019 \u2018Yes, dear Hans, I will do that.\u2019 After Hans had\ngone away, she cooked herself some good broth and took it into the field\nwith her. When she came to the field she said to herself: \u2018What shall I\ndo; shall I cut first, or shall I eat first? Oh, I will eat first.\u2019 Then\nshe drank her cup of broth and when she was fully satisfied, she once\nmore said: \u2018What shall I do? Shall I cut first, or shall I sleep first?\nI will sleep first.\u2019 Then she lay down among the corn and fell asleep.\nHans had been at home for a long time, but Elsie did not come; then said\nhe: \u2018What a clever Elsie I have; she is so industrious that she does not\neven come home to eat.\u2019 But when evening came and she still stayed away,\nHans went out to see what she had cut, but nothing was cut, and she\nwas lying among the corn asleep. Then Hans hastened home and brought\na fowler\u2019s net with little bells and hung it round about her, and she\nstill went on sleeping. Then he ran home, shut the house-door, and sat\ndown in his chair and worked. At length, when it was quite dark, Clever\nElsie awoke and when she got up there was a jingling all round about\nher, and the bells rang at each step which she took. Then she was\nalarmed, and became uncertain whether she really was Clever Elsie or\nnot, and said: \u2018Is it I, or is it not I?\u2019 But she knew not what answer\nto make to this, and stood for a time in doubt; at length she thought:\n\u2018I will go home and ask if it be I, or if it be not I, they will be sure\nto know.\u2019 She ran to the door of her own house, but it was shut; then\nshe knocked at the window and cried: \u2018Hans, is Elsie within?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019\nanswered Hans, \u2018she is within.\u2019 Hereupon she was terrified, and said:\n\u2018Ah, heavens! Then it is not I,\u2019 and went to another door; but when the\npeople heard the jingling of the bells they would not open it, and she\ncould get in nowhere. Then she ran out of the village, and no one has\nseen her since.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MISER IN THE BUSH\n\n\nA farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for\nhim three years, without having been paid any wages. At last it came\ninto the man\u2019s head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer;\nso he went to his master, and said, \u2018I have worked hard for you a long\ntime, I will trust to you to give me what I deserve to have for my\ntrouble.\u2019 The farmer was a sad miser, and knew that his man was very\nsimple-hearted; so he took out threepence, and gave him for every year\u2019s\nservice a penny. The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to\nhave, and said to himself, \u2018Why should I work hard, and live here on bad\nfare any longer? I can now travel into the wide world, and make myself\nmerry.\u2019 With that he put his money into his purse, and set out, roaming\nover hill and valley.\n\nAs he jogged along over the fields, singing and dancing, a little dwarf\nmet him, and asked him what made him so merry. \u2018Why, what should make\nme down-hearted?\u2019 said he; \u2018I am sound in health and rich in purse, what\nshould I care for? I have saved up my three years\u2019 earnings and have it\nall safe in my pocket.\u2019 \u2018How much may it come to?\u2019 said the little man.\n\u2018Full threepence,\u2019 replied the countryman. \u2018I wish you would give them\nto me,\u2019 said the other; \u2018I am very poor.\u2019 Then the man pitied him, and\ngave him all he had; and the little dwarf said in return, \u2018As you have\nsuch a kind honest heart, I will grant you three wishes--one for every\npenny; so choose whatever you like.\u2019 Then the countryman rejoiced at\nhis good luck, and said, \u2018I like many things better than money: first, I\nwill have a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at; secondly,\na fiddle that will set everyone dancing that hears me play upon it; and\nthirdly, I should like that everyone should grant what I ask.\u2019 The dwarf\nsaid he should have his three wishes; so he gave him the bow and fiddle,\nand went his way.\n\nOur honest friend journeyed on his way too; and if he was merry before,\nhe was now ten times more so. He had not gone far before he met an old\nmiser: close by them stood a tree, and on the topmost twig sat a thrush\nsinging away most joyfully. \u2018Oh, what a pretty bird!\u2019 said the miser; \u2018I\nwould give a great deal of money to have such a one.\u2019 \u2018If that\u2019s all,\u2019\nsaid the countryman, \u2018I will soon bring it down.\u2019 Then he took up his\nbow, and down fell the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree.\nThe miser crept into the bush to find it; but directly he had got into\nthe middle, his companion took up his fiddle and played away, and the\nmiser began to dance and spring about, capering higher and higher in\nthe air. The thorns soon began to tear his clothes till they all hung\nin rags about him, and he himself was all scratched and wounded, so that\nthe blood ran down. \u2018Oh, for heaven\u2019s sake!\u2019 cried the miser, \u2018Master!\nmaster! pray let the fiddle alone. What have I done to deserve this?\u2019\n\u2018Thou hast shaved many a poor soul close enough,\u2019 said the other; \u2018thou\nart only meeting thy reward\u2019: so he played up another tune. Then the\nmiser began to beg and promise, and offered money for his liberty; but\nhe did not come up to the musician\u2019s price for some time, and he danced\nhim along brisker and brisker, and the miser bid higher and higher, till\nat last he offered a round hundred of florins that he had in his purse,\nand had just gained by cheating some poor fellow. When the countryman\nsaw so much money, he said, \u2018I will agree to your proposal.\u2019 So he took\nthe purse, put up his fiddle, and travelled on very pleased with his\nbargain.\n\nMeanwhile the miser crept out of the bush half-naked and in a piteous\nplight, and began to ponder how he should take his revenge, and serve\nhis late companion some trick. At last he went to the judge, and\ncomplained that a rascal had robbed him of his money, and beaten him\ninto the bargain; and that the fellow who did it carried a bow at his\nback and a fiddle hung round his neck. Then the judge sent out his\nofficers to bring up the accused wherever they should find him; and he\nwas soon caught and brought up to be tried.\n\nThe miser began to tell his tale, and said he had been robbed of\nhis money. \u2018No, you gave it me for playing a tune to you.\u2019 said the\ncountryman; but the judge told him that was not likely, and cut the\nmatter short by ordering him off to the gallows.\n\nSo away he was taken; but as he stood on the steps he said, \u2018My Lord\nJudge, grant me one last request.\u2019 \u2018Anything but thy life,\u2019 replied the\nother. \u2018No,\u2019 said he, \u2018I do not ask my life; only to let me play upon\nmy fiddle for the last time.\u2019 The miser cried out, \u2018Oh, no! no! for\nheaven\u2019s sake don\u2019t listen to him! don\u2019t listen to him!\u2019 But the judge\nsaid, \u2018It is only this once, he will soon have done.\u2019 The fact was, he\ncould not refuse the request, on account of the dwarf\u2019s third gift.\n\nThen the miser said, \u2018Bind me fast, bind me fast, for pity\u2019s sake.\u2019 But\nthe countryman seized his fiddle, and struck up a tune, and at the first\nnote judge, clerks, and jailer were in motion; all began capering, and\nno one could hold the miser. At the second note the hangman let his\nprisoner go, and danced also, and by the time he had played the first\nbar of the tune, all were dancing together--judge, court, and miser, and\nall the people who had followed to look on. At first the thing was merry\nand pleasant enough; but when it had gone on a while, and there seemed\nto be no end of playing or dancing, they began to cry out, and beg him\nto leave off; but he stopped not a whit the more for their entreaties,\ntill the judge not only gave him his life, but promised to return him\nthe hundred florins.\n\nThen he called to the miser, and said, \u2018Tell us now, you vagabond, where\nyou got that gold, or I shall play on for your amusement only,\u2019 \u2018I stole\nit,\u2019 said the miser in the presence of all the people; \u2018I acknowledge\nthat I stole it, and that you earned it fairly.\u2019 Then the countryman\nstopped his fiddle, and left the miser to take his place at the gallows.\n\n\n\n\nASHPUTTEL\n\n\nThe wife of a rich man fell sick; and when she felt that her end drew\nnigh, she called her only daughter to her bed-side, and said, \u2018Always be\na good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you.\u2019 Soon\nafterwards she shut her eyes and died, and was buried in the garden;\nand the little girl went every day to her grave and wept, and was always\ngood and kind to all about her. And the snow fell and spread a beautiful\nwhite covering over the grave; but by the time the spring came, and the\nsun had melted it away again, her father had married another wife. This\nnew wife had two daughters of her own, that she brought home with her;\nthey were fair in face but foul at heart, and it was now a sorry time\nfor the poor little girl. \u2018What does the good-for-nothing want in the\nparlour?\u2019 said they; \u2018they who would eat bread should first earn it;\naway with the kitchen-maid!\u2019 Then they took away her fine clothes, and\ngave her an old grey frock to put on, and laughed at her, and turned her\ninto the kitchen.\n\nThere she was forced to do hard work; to rise early before daylight, to\nbring the water, to make the fire, to cook and to wash. Besides that,\nthe sisters plagued her in all sorts of ways, and laughed at her. In the\nevening when she was tired, she had no bed to lie down on, but was made\nto lie by the hearth among the ashes; and as this, of course, made her\nalways dusty and dirty, they called her Ashputtel.\n\nIt happened once that the father was going to the fair, and asked his\nwife\u2019s daughters what he should bring them. \u2018Fine clothes,\u2019 said the\nfirst; \u2018Pearls and diamonds,\u2019 cried the second. \u2018Now, child,\u2019 said he\nto his own daughter, \u2018what will you have?\u2019 \u2018The first twig, dear\nfather, that brushes against your hat when you turn your face to come\nhomewards,\u2019 said she. Then he bought for the first two the fine clothes\nand pearls and diamonds they had asked for: and on his way home, as he\nrode through a green copse, a hazel twig brushed against him, and almost\npushed off his hat: so he broke it off and brought it away; and when he\ngot home he gave it to his daughter. Then she took it, and went to\nher mother\u2019s grave and planted it there; and cried so much that it was\nwatered with her tears; and there it grew and became a fine tree. Three\ntimes every day she went to it and cried; and soon a little bird came\nand built its nest upon the tree, and talked with her, and watched over\nher, and brought her whatever she wished for.\n\nNow it happened that the king of that land held a feast, which was to\nlast three days; and out of those who came to it his son was to choose\na bride for himself. Ashputtel\u2019s two sisters were asked to come; so they\ncalled her up, and said, \u2018Now, comb our hair, brush our shoes, and tie\nour sashes for us, for we are going to dance at the king\u2019s feast.\u2019\nThen she did as she was told; but when all was done she could not help\ncrying, for she thought to herself, she should so have liked to have\ngone with them to the ball; and at last she begged her mother very hard\nto let her go. \u2018You, Ashputtel!\u2019 said she; \u2018you who have nothing to\nwear, no clothes at all, and who cannot even dance--you want to go to\nthe ball? And when she kept on begging, she said at last, to get rid of\nher, \u2018I will throw this dishful of peas into the ash-heap, and if in\ntwo hours\u2019 time you have picked them all out, you shall go to the feast\ntoo.\u2019\n\nThen she threw the peas down among the ashes, but the little maiden ran\nout at the back door into the garden, and cried out:\n\n \u2018Hither, hither, through the sky,\n  Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!\n  Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay,\n  Hither, hither, haste away!\n  One and all come help me, quick!\n  Haste ye, haste ye!--pick, pick, pick!\u2019\n\nThen first came two white doves, flying in at the kitchen window; next\ncame two turtle-doves; and after them came all the little birds under\nheaven, chirping and fluttering in: and they flew down into the ashes.\nAnd the little doves stooped their heads down and set to work, pick,\npick, pick; and then the others began to pick, pick, pick: and among\nthem all they soon picked out all the good grain, and put it into a dish\nbut left the ashes. Long before the end of the hour the work was quite\ndone, and all flew out again at the windows.\n\nThen Ashputtel brought the dish to her mother, overjoyed at the thought\nthat now she should go to the ball. But the mother said, \u2018No, no! you\nslut, you have no clothes, and cannot dance; you shall not go.\u2019 And when\nAshputtel begged very hard to go, she said, \u2018If you can in one hour\u2019s\ntime pick two of those dishes of peas out of the ashes, you shall go\ntoo.\u2019 And thus she thought she should at least get rid of her. So she\nshook two dishes of peas into the ashes.\n\nBut the little maiden went out into the garden at the back of the house,\nand cried out as before:\n\n \u2018Hither, hither, through the sky,\n  Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!\n  Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay,\n  Hither, hither, haste away!\n  One and all come help me, quick!\n  Haste ye, haste ye!--pick, pick, pick!\u2019\n\nThen first came two white doves in at the kitchen window; next came two\nturtle-doves; and after them came all the little birds under heaven,\nchirping and hopping about. And they flew down into the ashes; and the\nlittle doves put their heads down and set to work, pick, pick, pick; and\nthen the others began pick, pick, pick; and they put all the good grain\ninto the dishes, and left all the ashes. Before half an hour\u2019s time all\nwas done, and out they flew again. And then Ashputtel took the dishes to\nher mother, rejoicing to think that she should now go to the ball.\nBut her mother said, \u2018It is all of no use, you cannot go; you have no\nclothes, and cannot dance, and you would only put us to shame\u2019: and off\nshe went with her two daughters to the ball.\n\nNow when all were gone, and nobody left at home, Ashputtel went\nsorrowfully and sat down under the hazel-tree, and cried out:\n\n \u2018Shake, shake, hazel-tree,\n  Gold and silver over me!\u2019\n\nThen her friend the bird flew out of the tree, and brought a gold and\nsilver dress for her, and slippers of spangled silk; and she put them\non, and followed her sisters to the feast. But they did not know her,\nand thought it must be some strange princess, she looked so fine and\nbeautiful in her rich clothes; and they never once thought of Ashputtel,\ntaking it for granted that she was safe at home in the dirt.\n\nThe king\u2019s son soon came up to her, and took her by the hand and danced\nwith her, and no one else: and he never left her hand; but when anyone\nelse came to ask her to dance, he said, \u2018This lady is dancing with me.\u2019\n\nThus they danced till a late hour of the night; and then she wanted to\ngo home: and the king\u2019s son said, \u2018I shall go and take care of you to\nyour home\u2019; for he wanted to see where the beautiful maiden lived. But\nshe slipped away from him, unawares, and ran off towards home; and as\nthe prince followed her, she jumped up into the pigeon-house and shut\nthe door. Then he waited till her father came home, and told him that\nthe unknown maiden, who had been at the feast, had hid herself in the\npigeon-house. But when they had broken open the door they found no one\nwithin; and as they came back into the house, Ashputtel was lying, as\nshe always did, in her dirty frock by the ashes, and her dim little\nlamp was burning in the chimney. For she had run as quickly as she could\nthrough the pigeon-house and on to the hazel-tree, and had there taken\noff her beautiful clothes, and put them beneath the tree, that the bird\nmight carry them away, and had lain down again amid the ashes in her\nlittle grey frock.\n\nThe next day when the feast was again held, and her father, mother, and\nsisters were gone, Ashputtel went to the hazel-tree, and said:\n\n \u2018Shake, shake, hazel-tree,\n  Gold and silver over me!\u2019\n\nAnd the bird came and brought a still finer dress than the one she\nhad worn the day before. And when she came in it to the ball, everyone\nwondered at her beauty: but the king\u2019s son, who was waiting for her,\ntook her by the hand, and danced with her; and when anyone asked her to\ndance, he said as before, \u2018This lady is dancing with me.\u2019\n\nWhen night came she wanted to go home; and the king\u2019s son followed here\nas before, that he might see into what house she went: but she sprang\naway from him all at once into the garden behind her father\u2019s house.\nIn this garden stood a fine large pear-tree full of ripe fruit; and\nAshputtel, not knowing where to hide herself, jumped up into it without\nbeing seen. Then the king\u2019s son lost sight of her, and could not find\nout where she was gone, but waited till her father came home, and said\nto him, \u2018The unknown lady who danced with me has slipped away, and I\nthink she must have sprung into the pear-tree.\u2019 The father thought to\nhimself, \u2018Can it be Ashputtel?\u2019 So he had an axe brought; and they cut\ndown the tree, but found no one upon it. And when they came back into\nthe kitchen, there lay Ashputtel among the ashes; for she had slipped\ndown on the other side of the tree, and carried her beautiful clothes\nback to the bird at the hazel-tree, and then put on her little grey\nfrock.\n\nThe third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone, she\nwent again into the garden, and said:\n\n \u2018Shake, shake, hazel-tree,\n  Gold and silver over me!\u2019\n\nThen her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the\nformer one, and slippers which were all of gold: so that when she came\nto the feast no one knew what to say, for wonder at her beauty: and the\nking\u2019s son danced with nobody but her; and when anyone else asked her to\ndance, he said, \u2018This lady is _my_ partner, sir.\u2019\n\nWhen night came she wanted to go home; and the king\u2019s son would go with\nher, and said to himself, \u2018I will not lose her this time\u2019; but, however,\nshe again slipped away from him, though in such a hurry that she dropped\nher left golden slipper upon the stairs.\n\nThe prince took the shoe, and went the next day to the king his father,\nand said, \u2018I will take for my wife the lady that this golden slipper\nfits.\u2019 Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear it; for they\nhad beautiful feet, and had no doubt that they could wear the golden\nslipper. The eldest went first into the room where the slipper was, and\nwanted to try it on, and the mother stood by. But her great toe could\nnot go into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small for her. Then\nthe mother gave her a knife, and said, \u2018Never mind, cut it off; when you\nare queen you will not care about toes; you will not want to walk.\u2019 So\nthe silly girl cut off her great toe, and thus squeezed on the shoe,\nand went to the king\u2019s son. Then he took her for his bride, and set her\nbeside him on his horse, and rode away with her homewards.\n\nBut on their way home they had to pass by the hazel-tree that Ashputtel\nhad planted; and on the branch sat a little dove singing:\n\n \u2018Back again! back again! look to the shoe!\n  The shoe is too small, and not made for you!\n  Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,\n  For she\u2019s not the true one that sits by thy side.\u2019\n\nThen the prince got down and looked at her foot; and he saw, by the\nblood that streamed from it, what a trick she had played him. So he\nturned his horse round, and brought the false bride back to her home,\nand said, \u2018This is not the right bride; let the other sister try and put\non the slipper.\u2019 Then she went into the room and got her foot into the\nshoe, all but the heel, which was too large. But her mother squeezed it\nin till the blood came, and took her to the king\u2019s son: and he set her\nas his bride by his side on his horse, and rode away with her.\n\nBut when they came to the hazel-tree the little dove sat there still,\nand sang:\n\n \u2018Back again! back again! look to the shoe!\n  The shoe is too small, and not made for you!\n  Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,\n  For she\u2019s not the true one that sits by thy side.\u2019\n\nThen he looked down, and saw that the blood streamed so much from the\nshoe, that her white stockings were quite red. So he turned his horse\nand brought her also back again. \u2018This is not the true bride,\u2019 said he\nto the father; \u2018have you no other daughters?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 said he; \u2018there is\nonly a little dirty Ashputtel here, the child of my first wife; I am\nsure she cannot be the bride.\u2019 The prince told him to send her. But the\nmother said, \u2018No, no, she is much too dirty; she will not dare to show\nherself.\u2019 However, the prince would have her come; and she first washed\nher face and hands, and then went in and curtsied to him, and he reached\nher the golden slipper. Then she took her clumsy shoe off her left foot,\nand put on the golden slipper; and it fitted her as if it had been made\nfor her. And when he drew near and looked at her face he knew her, and\nsaid, \u2018This is the right bride.\u2019 But the mother and both the sisters\nwere frightened, and turned pale with anger as he took Ashputtel on his\nhorse, and rode away with her. And when they came to the hazel-tree, the\nwhite dove sang:\n\n \u2018Home! home! look at the shoe!\n  Princess! the shoe was made for you!\n  Prince! prince! take home thy bride,\n  For she is the true one that sits by thy side!\u2019\n\nAnd when the dove had done its song, it came flying, and perched upon\nher right shoulder, and so went home with her.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WHITE SNAKE\n\n\nA long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through\nall the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of\nthe most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had a\nstrange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared,\nand no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more\ndish. It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what\nwas in it, neither did anyone know, for the king never took off the\ncover to eat of it until he was quite alone.\n\nThis had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took\naway the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help\ncarrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door,\nhe lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But\nwhen he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it,\nso he cut of a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it\ntouched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices\noutside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was\nthe sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of\nall kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eating\nthe snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.\n\nNow it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most\nbeautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty\nservant, who was allowed to go everywhere. The king ordered the man to\nbe brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he\ncould before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked\nupon as guilty and executed. In vain he declared his innocence; he was\ndismissed with no better answer.\n\nIn his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took thought\nhow to help himself out of his trouble. Now some ducks were sitting\ntogether quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilst they\nwere making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a\nconfidential conversation together. The servant stood by and listened.\nThey were telling one another of all the places where they had been\nwaddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found; and\none said in a pitiful tone: \u2018Something lies heavy on my stomach; as\nI was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the queen\u2019s\nwindow.\u2019 The servant at once seized her by the neck, carried her to the\nkitchen, and said to the cook: \u2018Here is a fine duck; pray, kill her.\u2019\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; \u2018she has spared\nno trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long\nenough.\u2019 So he cut off her head, and as she was being dressed for the\nspit, the queen\u2019s ring was found inside her.\n\nThe servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the king, to make\namends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favour, and promised him\nthe best place in the court that he could wish for. The servant refused\neverything, and only asked for a horse and some money for travelling, as\nhe had a mind to see the world and go about a little. When his request\nwas granted he set out on his way, and one day came to a pond, where he\nsaw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though\nit is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them lamenting that they must\nperish so miserably, and, as he had a kind heart, he got off his\nhorse and put the three prisoners back into the water. They leapt with\ndelight, put out their heads, and cried to him: \u2018We will remember you\nand repay you for saving us!\u2019\n\nHe rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in\nthe sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king complain: \u2018Why\ncannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That stupid\nhorse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people without\nmercy!\u2019 So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried out to\nhim: \u2018We will remember you--one good turn deserves another!\u2019\n\nThe path led him into a wood, and there he saw two old ravens standing\nby their nest, and throwing out their young ones. \u2018Out with you, you\nidle, good-for-nothing creatures!\u2019 cried they; \u2018we cannot find food for\nyou any longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.\u2019\nBut the poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings, and\ncrying: \u2018Oh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for ourselves,\nand yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?\u2019 So the\ngood young fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword, and gave\nit to them for food. Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their\nhunger, and cried: \u2018We will remember you--one good turn deserves\nanother!\u2019\n\nAnd now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long\nway, he came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in\nthe streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud: \u2018The king\u2019s\ndaughter wants a husband; but whoever seeks her hand must perform a hard\ntask, and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.\u2019 Many had\nalready made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth\nsaw the king\u2019s daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he\nforgot all danger, went before the king, and declared himself a suitor.\n\nSo he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, before\nhis eyes; then the king ordered him to fetch this ring up from the\nbottom of the sea, and added: \u2018If you come up again without it you will\nbe thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves.\u2019 All the\npeople grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him\nalone by the sea.\n\nHe stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly\nhe saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very\nfishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel in\nits mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth\u2019s feet, and when he\nhad taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell.\nFull of joy he took it to the king and expected that he would grant him\nthe promised reward.\n\nBut when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in\nbirth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another\ntask. She went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten\nsacksful of millet-seed on the grass; then she said: \u2018Tomorrow morning\nbefore sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be\nwanting.\u2019\n\nThe youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possible\nto perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there he sat\nsorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death.\nBut as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw\nall the ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single\ngrain was missing. The ant-king had come in the night with thousands\nand thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry\npicked up all the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.\n\nPresently the king\u2019s daughter herself came down into the garden, and was\namazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given him.\nBut she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said: \u2018Although he\nhas performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he had\nbrought me an apple from the Tree of Life.\u2019 The youth did not know where\nthe Tree of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on for ever,\nas long as his legs would carry him, though he had no hope of finding\nit. After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to\na wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep. But he heard a rustling in\nthe branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand. At the same time\nthree ravens flew down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and\nsaid: \u2018We are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving; when\nwe had grown big, and heard that you were seeking the Golden Apple,\nwe flew over the sea to the end of the world, where the Tree of Life\nstands, and have brought you the apple.\u2019 The youth, full of joy, set out\nhomewards, and took the Golden Apple to the king\u2019s beautiful daughter,\nwho had now no more excuses left to make. They cut the Apple of Life in\ntwo and ate it together; and then her heart became full of love for him,\nand they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE KIDS\n\n\nThere was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids, and\nloved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day she\nwanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all\nseven to her and said: \u2018Dear children, I have to go into the forest,\nbe on your guard against the wolf; if he comes in, he will devour you\nall--skin, hair, and everything. The wretch often disguises himself, but\nyou will know him at once by his rough voice and his black feet.\u2019 The\nkids said: \u2018Dear mother, we will take good care of ourselves; you may go\naway without any anxiety.\u2019 Then the old one bleated, and went on her way\nwith an easy mind.\n\nIt was not long before someone knocked at the house-door and called:\n\u2018Open the door, dear children; your mother is here, and has brought\nsomething back with her for each of you.\u2019 But the little kids knew that\nit was the wolf, by the rough voice. \u2018We will not open the door,\u2019 cried\nthey, \u2018you are not our mother. She has a soft, pleasant voice, but\nyour voice is rough; you are the wolf!\u2019 Then the wolf went away to a\nshopkeeper and bought himself a great lump of chalk, ate this and made\nhis voice soft with it. Then he came back, knocked at the door of the\nhouse, and called: \u2018Open the door, dear children, your mother is here\nand has brought something back with her for each of you.\u2019 But the wolf\nhad laid his black paws against the window, and the children saw them\nand cried: \u2018We will not open the door, our mother has not black feet\nlike you: you are the wolf!\u2019 Then the wolf ran to a baker and said: \u2018I\nhave hurt my feet, rub some dough over them for me.\u2019 And when the baker\nhad rubbed his feet over, he ran to the miller and said: \u2018Strew some\nwhite meal over my feet for me.\u2019 The miller thought to himself: \u2018The\nwolf wants to deceive someone,\u2019 and refused; but the wolf said: \u2018If you\nwill not do it, I will devour you.\u2019 Then the miller was afraid, and made\nhis paws white for him. Truly, this is the way of mankind.\n\nSo now the wretch went for the third time to the house-door, knocked at\nit and said: \u2018Open the door for me, children, your dear little mother\nhas come home, and has brought every one of you something back from the\nforest with her.\u2019 The little kids cried: \u2018First show us your paws that\nwe may know if you are our dear little mother.\u2019 Then he put his paws\nin through the window and when the kids saw that they were white, they\nbelieved that all he said was true, and opened the door. But who should\ncome in but the wolf! They were terrified and wanted to hide themselves.\nOne sprang under the table, the second into the bed, the third into the\nstove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into the cupboard, the\nsixth under the washing-bowl, and the seventh into the clock-case. But\nthe wolf found them all, and used no great ceremony; one after the\nother he swallowed them down his throat. The youngest, who was in\nthe clock-case, was the only one he did not find. When the wolf had\nsatisfied his appetite he took himself off, laid himself down under a\ntree in the green meadow outside, and began to sleep. Soon afterwards\nthe old goat came home again from the forest. Ah! what a sight she saw\nthere! The house-door stood wide open. The table, chairs, and benches\nwere thrown down, the washing-bowl lay broken to pieces, and the quilts\nand pillows were pulled off the bed. She sought her children, but they\nwere nowhere to be found. She called them one after another by name, but\nno one answered. At last, when she came to the youngest, a soft voice\ncried: \u2018Dear mother, I am in the clock-case.\u2019 She took the kid out, and\nit told her that the wolf had come and had eaten all the others. Then\nyou may imagine how she wept over her poor children.\n\nAt length in her grief she went out, and the youngest kid ran with her.\nWhen they came to the meadow, there lay the wolf by the tree and snored\nso loud that the branches shook. She looked at him on every side and\nsaw that something was moving and struggling in his gorged belly. \u2018Ah,\nheavens,\u2019 she said, \u2018is it possible that my poor children whom he has\nswallowed down for his supper, can be still alive?\u2019 Then the kid had to\nrun home and fetch scissors, and a needle and thread, and the goat cut\nopen the monster\u2019s stomach, and hardly had she made one cut, than one\nlittle kid thrust its head out, and when she had cut farther, all six\nsprang out one after another, and were all still alive, and had suffered\nno injury whatever, for in his greediness the monster had swallowed them\ndown whole. What rejoicing there was! They embraced their dear mother,\nand jumped like a tailor at his wedding. The mother, however, said: \u2018Now\ngo and look for some big stones, and we will fill the wicked beast\u2019s\nstomach with them while he is still asleep.\u2019 Then the seven kids dragged\nthe stones thither with all speed, and put as many of them into this\nstomach as they could get in; and the mother sewed him up again in the\ngreatest haste, so that he was not aware of anything and never once\nstirred.\n\nWhen the wolf at length had had his fill of sleep, he got on his legs,\nand as the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty, he wanted to\ngo to a well to drink. But when he began to walk and to move about, the\nstones in his stomach knocked against each other and rattled. Then cried\nhe:\n\n \u2018What rumbles and tumbles\n  Against my poor bones?\n  I thought \u2018twas six kids,\n  But it feels like big stones.\u2019\n\nAnd when he got to the well and stooped over the water to drink, the\nheavy stones made him fall in, and he drowned miserably. When the seven\nkids saw that, they came running to the spot and cried aloud: \u2018The wolf\nis dead! The wolf is dead!\u2019 and danced for joy round about the well with\ntheir mother.\n\n\n\n\nTHE QUEEN BEE\n\n\nTwo kings\u2019 sons once upon a time went into the world to seek their\nfortunes; but they soon fell into a wasteful foolish way of living, so\nthat they could not return home again. Then their brother, who was a\nlittle insignificant dwarf, went out to seek for his brothers: but when\nhe had found them they only laughed at him, to think that he, who was so\nyoung and simple, should try to travel through the world, when they, who\nwere so much wiser, had been unable to get on. However, they all set\nout on their journey together, and came at last to an ant-hill. The two\nelder brothers would have pulled it down, in order to see how the poor\nants in their fright would run about and carry off their eggs. But the\nlittle dwarf said, \u2018Let the poor things enjoy themselves, I will not\nsuffer you to trouble them.\u2019\n\nSo on they went, and came to a lake where many many ducks were swimming\nabout. The two brothers wanted to catch two, and roast them. But the\ndwarf said, \u2018Let the poor things enjoy themselves, you shall not kill\nthem.\u2019 Next they came to a bees\u2019-nest in a hollow tree, and there was\nso much honey that it ran down the trunk; and the two brothers wanted to\nlight a fire under the tree and kill the bees, so as to get their honey.\nBut the dwarf held them back, and said, \u2018Let the pretty insects enjoy\nthemselves, I cannot let you burn them.\u2019\n\nAt length the three brothers came to a castle: and as they passed by the\nstables they saw fine horses standing there, but all were of marble, and\nno man was to be seen. Then they went through all the rooms, till they\ncame to a door on which were three locks: but in the middle of the door\nwas a wicket, so that they could look into the next room. There they saw\na little grey old man sitting at a table; and they called to him once or\ntwice, but he did not hear: however, they called a third time, and then\nhe rose and came out to them.\n\nHe said nothing, but took hold of them and led them to a beautiful\ntable covered with all sorts of good things: and when they had eaten and\ndrunk, he showed each of them to a bed-chamber.\n\nThe next morning he came to the eldest and took him to a marble table,\nwhere there were three tablets, containing an account of the means by\nwhich the castle might be disenchanted. The first tablet said: \u2018In the\nwood, under the moss, lie the thousand pearls belonging to the king\u2019s\ndaughter; they must all be found: and if one be missing by set of sun,\nhe who seeks them will be turned into marble.\u2019\n\nThe eldest brother set out, and sought for the pearls the whole day:\nbut the evening came, and he had not found the first hundred: so he was\nturned into stone as the tablet had foretold.\n\nThe next day the second brother undertook the task; but he succeeded no\nbetter than the first; for he could only find the second hundred of the\npearls; and therefore he too was turned into stone.\n\nAt last came the little dwarf\u2019s turn; and he looked in the moss; but it\nwas so hard to find the pearls, and the job was so tiresome!--so he sat\ndown upon a stone and cried. And as he sat there, the king of the ants\n(whose life he had saved) came to help him, with five thousand ants; and\nit was not long before they had found all the pearls and laid them in a\nheap.\n\nThe second tablet said: \u2018The key of the princess\u2019s bed-chamber must be\nfished up out of the lake.\u2019 And as the dwarf came to the brink of it,\nhe saw the two ducks whose lives he had saved swimming about; and they\ndived down and soon brought in the key from the bottom.\n\nThe third task was the hardest. It was to choose out the youngest and\nthe best of the king\u2019s three daughters. Now they were all beautiful, and\nall exactly alike: but he was told that the eldest had eaten a piece of\nsugar, the next some sweet syrup, and the youngest a spoonful of honey;\nso he was to guess which it was that had eaten the honey.\n\nThen came the queen of the bees, who had been saved by the little dwarf\nfrom the fire, and she tried the lips of all three; but at last she sat\nupon the lips of the one that had eaten the honey: and so the dwarf knew\nwhich was the youngest. Thus the spell was broken, and all who had been\nturned into stones awoke, and took their proper forms. And the dwarf\nmarried the youngest and the best of the princesses, and was king after\nher father\u2019s death; but his two brothers married the other two sisters.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER\n\n\nThere was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest:\nbut still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he\nhad in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of\nshoes.\n\nThen he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning\nto rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and\nhis heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed,\nleft all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after\nhe had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his\ngreat wonder, there stood the shoes all ready made, upon the table. The\ngood man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening.\nHe looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the\nwhole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece.\n\nThe same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that\nhe willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor\nshoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs more.\nIn the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he might\nget up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for\nwhen he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand. Soon\nin came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought\nleather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight\nand found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some\ntime: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and\nthe good man soon became thriving and well off again.\n\nOne evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting over\nthe fire chatting together, he said to her, \u2018I should like to sit up and\nwatch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for\nme.\u2019 The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning, and hid\nthemselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up\nthere, and watched what would happen.\n\nAs soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and\nthey sat themselves upon the shoemaker\u2019s bench, took up all the work\nthat was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching\nand rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all\nwonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the\njob was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table.\nThis was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as\nlightning.\n\nThe next day the wife said to the shoemaker. \u2018These little wights have\nmade us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good\nturn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and\nindeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to\nkeep off the cold. I\u2019ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt,\nand a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and\ndo you make each of them a little pair of shoes.\u2019\n\nThe thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when\nall the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the\nwork that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to\nwatch what the little elves would do.\n\nAbout midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the\nroom, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they\nsaw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed\nmightily delighted.\n\nThen they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and\ncapered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced\nout at the door, and away over the green.\n\nThe good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them\nfrom that time forward, as long as they lived.\n\n\n\n\nTHE JUNIPER-TREE\n\n\nLong, long ago, some two thousand years or so, there lived a rich\nman with a good and beautiful wife. They loved each other dearly, but\nsorrowed much that they had no children. So greatly did they desire\nto have one, that the wife prayed for it day and night, but still they\nremained childless.\n\nIn front of the house there was a court, in which grew a juniper-tree.\nOne winter\u2019s day the wife stood under the tree to peel some apples, and\nas she was peeling them, she cut her finger, and the blood fell on the\nsnow. \u2018Ah,\u2019 sighed the woman heavily, \u2018if I had but a child, as red as\nblood and as white as snow,\u2019 and as she spoke the words, her heart grew\nlight within her, and it seemed to her that her wish was granted, and\nshe returned to the house feeling glad and comforted. A month passed,\nand the snow had all disappeared; then another month went by, and all\nthe earth was green. So the months followed one another, and first the\ntrees budded in the woods, and soon the green branches grew thickly\nintertwined, and then the blossoms began to fall. Once again the wife\nstood under the juniper-tree, and it was so full of sweet scent that her\nheart leaped for joy, and she was so overcome with her happiness, that\nshe fell on her knees. Presently the fruit became round and firm, and\nshe was glad and at peace; but when they were fully ripe she picked the\nberries and ate eagerly of them, and then she grew sad and ill. A little\nwhile later she called her husband, and said to him, weeping. \u2018If I\ndie, bury me under the juniper-tree.\u2019 Then she felt comforted and happy\nagain, and before another month had passed she had a little child, and\nwhen she saw that it was as white as snow and as red as blood, her joy\nwas so great that she died.\n\nHer husband buried her under the juniper-tree, and wept bitterly for\nher. By degrees, however, his sorrow grew less, and although at times he\nstill grieved over his loss, he was able to go about as usual, and later\non he married again.\n\nHe now had a little daughter born to him; the child of his first wife\nwas a boy, who was as red as blood and as white as snow. The mother\nloved her daughter very much, and when she looked at her and then looked\nat the boy, it pierced her heart to think that he would always stand in\nthe way of her own child, and she was continually thinking how she could\nget the whole of the property for her. This evil thought took possession\nof her more and more, and made her behave very unkindly to the boy. She\ndrove him from place to place with cuffings and buffetings, so that the\npoor child went about in fear, and had no peace from the time he left\nschool to the time he went back.\n\nOne day the little daughter came running to her mother in the\nstore-room, and said, \u2018Mother, give me an apple.\u2019 \u2018Yes, my child,\u2019 said\nthe wife, and she gave her a beautiful apple out of the chest; the chest\nhad a very heavy lid and a large iron lock.\n\n\u2018Mother,\u2019 said the little daughter again, \u2018may not brother have one\ntoo?\u2019 The mother was angry at this, but she answered, \u2018Yes, when he\ncomes out of school.\u2019\n\nJust then she looked out of the window and saw him coming, and it seemed\nas if an evil spirit entered into her, for she snatched the apple out\nof her little daughter\u2019s hand, and said, \u2018You shall not have one before\nyour brother.\u2019 She threw the apple into the chest and shut it to. The\nlittle boy now came in, and the evil spirit in the wife made her say\nkindly to him, \u2018My son, will you have an apple?\u2019 but she gave him a\nwicked look. \u2018Mother,\u2019 said the boy, \u2018how dreadful you look! Yes, give\nme an apple.\u2019 The thought came to her that she would kill him. \u2018Come\nwith me,\u2019 she said, and she lifted up the lid of the chest; \u2018take one\nout for yourself.\u2019 And as he bent over to do so, the evil spirit urged\nher, and crash! down went the lid, and off went the little boy\u2019s head.\nThen she was overwhelmed with fear at the thought of what she had done.\n\u2018If only I can prevent anyone knowing that I did it,\u2019 she thought. So\nshe went upstairs to her room, and took a white handkerchief out of\nher top drawer; then she set the boy\u2019s head again on his shoulders, and\nbound it with the handkerchief so that nothing could be seen, and placed\nhim on a chair by the door with an apple in his hand.\n\nSoon after this, little Marleen came up to her mother who was stirring\na pot of boiling water over the fire, and said, \u2018Mother, brother is\nsitting by the door with an apple in his hand, and he looks so pale;\nand when I asked him to give me the apple, he did not answer, and that\nfrightened me.\u2019\n\n\u2018Go to him again,\u2019 said her mother, \u2018and if he does not answer, give him\na box on the ear.\u2019 So little Marleen went, and said, \u2018Brother, give me\nthat apple,\u2019 but he did not say a word; then she gave him a box on the\near, and his head rolled off. She was so terrified at this, that she ran\ncrying and screaming to her mother. \u2018Oh!\u2019 she said, \u2018I have knocked off\nbrother\u2019s head,\u2019 and then she wept and wept, and nothing would stop her.\n\n\u2018What have you done!\u2019 said her mother, \u2018but no one must know about it,\nso you must keep silence; what is done can\u2019t be undone; we will make\nhim into puddings.\u2019 And she took the little boy and cut him up, made him\ninto puddings, and put him in the pot. But Marleen stood looking on,\nand wept and wept, and her tears fell into the pot, so that there was no\nneed of salt.\n\nPresently the father came home and sat down to his dinner; he asked,\n\u2018Where is my son?\u2019 The mother said nothing, but gave him a large dish of\nblack pudding, and Marleen still wept without ceasing.\n\nThe father again asked, \u2018Where is my son?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh,\u2019 answered the wife, \u2018he is gone into the country to his mother\u2019s\ngreat uncle; he is going to stay there some time.\u2019\n\n\u2018What has he gone there for, and he never even said goodbye to me!\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, he likes being there, and he told me he should be away quite six\nweeks; he is well looked after there.\u2019\n\n\u2018I feel very unhappy about it,\u2019 said the husband, \u2018in case it should not\nbe all right, and he ought to have said goodbye to me.\u2019\n\nWith this he went on with his dinner, and said, \u2018Little Marleen, why do\nyou weep? Brother will soon be back.\u2019 Then he asked his wife for more\npudding, and as he ate, he threw the bones under the table.\n\nLittle Marleen went upstairs and took her best silk handkerchief out of\nher bottom drawer, and in it she wrapped all the bones from under the\ntable and carried them outside, and all the time she did nothing but\nweep. Then she laid them in the green grass under the juniper-tree, and\nshe had no sooner done so, then all her sadness seemed to leave her,\nand she wept no more. And now the juniper-tree began to move, and the\nbranches waved backwards and forwards, first away from one another, and\nthen together again, as it might be someone clapping their hands for\njoy. After this a mist came round the tree, and in the midst of it there\nwas a burning as of fire, and out of the fire there flew a beautiful\nbird, that rose high into the air, singing magnificently, and when it\ncould no more be seen, the juniper-tree stood there as before, and the\nsilk handkerchief and the bones were gone.\n\nLittle Marleen now felt as lighthearted and happy as if her brother were\nstill alive, and she went back to the house and sat down cheerfully to\nthe table and ate.\n\nThe bird flew away and alighted on the house of a goldsmith and began to\nsing:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n  Underneath the juniper-tree\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nThe goldsmith was in his workshop making a gold chain, when he heard the\nsong of the bird on his roof. He thought it so beautiful that he got\nup and ran out, and as he crossed the threshold he lost one of his\nslippers. But he ran on into the middle of the street, with a slipper on\none foot and a sock on the other; he still had on his apron, and still\nheld the gold chain and the pincers in his hands, and so he stood gazing\nup at the bird, while the sun came shining brightly down on the street.\n\n\u2018Bird,\u2019 he said, \u2018how beautifully you sing! Sing me that song again.\u2019\n\n\u2018Nay,\u2019 said the bird, \u2018I do not sing twice for nothing. Give that gold\nchain, and I will sing it you again.\u2019\n\n\u2018Here is the chain, take it,\u2019 said the goldsmith. \u2018Only sing me that\nagain.\u2019\n\nThe bird flew down and took the gold chain in his right claw, and then\nhe alighted again in front of the goldsmith and sang:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n  Underneath the juniper-tree\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nThen he flew away, and settled on the roof of a shoemaker\u2019s house and\nsang:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n  Underneath the juniper-tree\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nThe shoemaker heard him, and he jumped up and ran out in his\nshirt-sleeves, and stood looking up at the bird on the roof with his\nhand over his eyes to keep himself from being blinded by the sun.\n\n\u2018Bird,\u2019 he said, \u2018how beautifully you sing!\u2019 Then he called through the\ndoor to his wife: \u2018Wife, come out; here is a bird, come and look at it\nand hear how beautifully it sings.\u2019 Then he called his daughter and the\nchildren, then the apprentices, girls and boys, and they all ran up the\nstreet to look at the bird, and saw how splendid it was with its red\nand green feathers, and its neck like burnished gold, and eyes like two\nbright stars in its head.\n\n\u2018Bird,\u2019 said the shoemaker, \u2018sing me that song again.\u2019\n\n\u2018Nay,\u2019 answered the bird, \u2018I do not sing twice for nothing; you must\ngive me something.\u2019\n\n\u2018Wife,\u2019 said the man, \u2018go into the garret; on the upper shelf you will\nsee a pair of red shoes; bring them to me.\u2019 The wife went in and fetched\nthe shoes.\n\n\u2018There, bird,\u2019 said the shoemaker, \u2018now sing me that song again.\u2019\n\nThe bird flew down and took the red shoes in his left claw, and then he\nwent back to the roof and sang:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n  Underneath the juniper-tree\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nWhen he had finished, he flew away. He had the chain in his right claw\nand the shoes in his left, and he flew right away to a mill, and the\nmill went \u2018Click clack, click clack, click clack.\u2019 Inside the mill were\ntwenty of the miller\u2019s men hewing a stone, and as they went \u2018Hick hack,\nhick hack, hick hack,\u2019 the mill went \u2018Click clack, click clack, click\nclack.\u2019\n\nThe bird settled on a lime-tree in front of the mill and sang:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n\nthen one of the men left off,\n\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n\ntwo more men left off and listened,\n\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n\nthen four more left off,\n\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n\nnow there were only eight at work,\n\n  Underneath\n\nAnd now only five,\n\n  the juniper-tree.\n\nAnd now only one,\n\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nthen he looked up and the last one had left off work.\n\n\u2018Bird,\u2019 he said, \u2018what a beautiful song that is you sing! Let me hear it\ntoo; sing it again.\u2019\n\n\u2018Nay,\u2019 answered the bird, \u2018I do not sing twice for nothing; give me that\nmillstone, and I will sing it again.\u2019\n\n\u2018If it belonged to me alone,\u2019 said the man, \u2018you should have it.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, yes,\u2019 said the others: \u2018if he will sing again, he can have it.\u2019\n\nThe bird came down, and all the twenty millers set to and lifted up the\nstone with a beam; then the bird put his head through the hole and took\nthe stone round his neck like a collar, and flew back with it to the\ntree and sang--\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n  Underneath the juniper-tree\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nAnd when he had finished his song, he spread his wings, and with the\nchain in his right claw, the shoes in his left, and the millstone round\nhis neck, he flew right away to his father\u2019s house.\n\nThe father, the mother, and little Marleen were having their dinner.\n\n\u2018How lighthearted I feel,\u2019 said the father, \u2018so pleased and cheerful.\u2019\n\n\u2018And I,\u2019 said the mother, \u2018I feel so uneasy, as if a heavy thunderstorm\nwere coming.\u2019\n\nBut little Marleen sat and wept and wept.\n\nThen the bird came flying towards the house and settled on the roof.\n\n\u2018I do feel so happy,\u2019 said the father, \u2018and how beautifully the sun\nshines; I feel just as if I were going to see an old friend again.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah!\u2019 said the wife, \u2018and I am so full of distress and uneasiness that\nmy teeth chatter, and I feel as if there were a fire in my veins,\u2019 and\nshe tore open her dress; and all the while little Marleen sat in the\ncorner and wept, and the plate on her knees was wet with her tears.\n\nThe bird now flew to the juniper-tree and began singing:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n\nthe mother shut her eyes and her ears, that she might see and hear\nnothing, but there was a roaring sound in her ears like that of a\nviolent storm, and in her eyes a burning and flashing like lightning:\n\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n\n\u2018Look, mother,\u2019 said the man, \u2018at the beautiful bird that is singing so\nmagnificently; and how warm and bright the sun is, and what a delicious\nscent of spice in the air!\u2019\n\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n\nthen little Marleen laid her head down on her knees and sobbed.\n\n\u2018I must go outside and see the bird nearer,\u2019 said the man.\n\n\u2018Ah, do not go!\u2019 cried the wife. \u2018I feel as if the whole house were in\nflames!\u2019\n\nBut the man went out and looked at the bird.\n\n She laid her kerchief over me,\n And took my bones that they might lie\n Underneath the juniper-tree\n Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nWith that the bird let fall the gold chain, and it fell just round the\nman\u2019s neck, so that it fitted him exactly.\n\nHe went inside, and said, \u2018See, what a splendid bird that is; he has\ngiven me this beautiful gold chain, and looks so beautiful himself.\u2019\n\nBut the wife was in such fear and trouble, that she fell on the floor,\nand her cap fell from her head.\n\nThen the bird began again:\n\n \u2018My mother killed her little son;\n\n\u2018Ah me!\u2019 cried the wife, \u2018if I were but a thousand feet beneath the\nearth, that I might not hear that song.\u2019\n\n  My father grieved when I was gone;\n\nthen the woman fell down again as if dead.\n\n  My sister loved me best of all;\n\n\u2018Well,\u2019 said little Marleen, \u2018I will go out too and see if the bird will\ngive me anything.\u2019\n\nSo she went out.\n\n  She laid her kerchief over me,\n  And took my bones that they might lie\n\nand he threw down the shoes to her,\n\n  Underneath the juniper-tree\n  Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u2019\n\nAnd she now felt quite happy and lighthearted; she put on the shoes and\ndanced and jumped about in them. \u2018I was so miserable,\u2019 she said, \u2018when I\ncame out, but that has all passed away; that is indeed a splendid bird,\nand he has given me a pair of red shoes.\u2019\n\nThe wife sprang up, with her hair standing out from her head like flames\nof fire. \u2018Then I will go out too,\u2019 she said, \u2018and see if it will lighten\nmy misery, for I feel as if the world were coming to an end.\u2019\n\nBut as she crossed the threshold, crash! the bird threw the millstone\ndown on her head, and she was crushed to death.\n\nThe father and little Marleen heard the sound and ran out, but they only\nsaw mist and flame and fire rising from the spot, and when these had\npassed, there stood the little brother, and he took the father and\nlittle Marleen by the hand; then they all three rejoiced, and went\ninside together and sat down to their dinners and ate.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TURNIP\n\n\nThere were two brothers who were both soldiers; the one was rich and\nthe other poor. The poor man thought he would try to better himself; so,\npulling off his red coat, he became a gardener, and dug his ground well,\nand sowed turnips.\n\nWhen the seed came up, there was one plant bigger than all the rest; and\nit kept getting larger and larger, and seemed as if it would never cease\ngrowing; so that it might have been called the prince of turnips for\nthere never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it\nwas so big that it filled a cart, and two oxen could hardly draw it; and\nthe gardener knew not what in the world to do with it, nor whether it\nwould be a blessing or a curse to him. One day he said to himself, \u2018What\nshall I do with it? if I sell it, it will bring no more than another;\nand for eating, the little turnips are better than this; the best thing\nperhaps is to carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect.\u2019\n\nThen he yoked his oxen, and drew the turnip to the court, and gave it\nto the king. \u2018What a wonderful thing!\u2019 said the king; \u2018I have seen many\nstrange things, but such a monster as this I never saw. Where did you\nget the seed? or is it only your good luck? If so, you are a true child\nof fortune.\u2019 \u2018Ah, no!\u2019 answered the gardener, \u2018I am no child of fortune;\nI am a poor soldier, who never could get enough to live upon; so I\nlaid aside my red coat, and set to work, tilling the ground. I have a\nbrother, who is rich, and your majesty knows him well, and all the world\nknows him; but because I am poor, everybody forgets me.\u2019\n\nThe king then took pity on him, and said, \u2018You shall be poor no\nlonger. I will give you so much that you shall be even richer than your\nbrother.\u2019 Then he gave him gold and lands and flocks, and made him so\nrich that his brother\u2019s fortune could not at all be compared with his.\n\nWhen the brother heard of all this, and how a turnip had made the\ngardener so rich, he envied him sorely, and bethought himself how he\ncould contrive to get the same good fortune for himself. However, he\ndetermined to manage more cleverly than his brother, and got together a\nrich present of gold and fine horses for the king; and thought he must\nhave a much larger gift in return; for if his brother had received so\nmuch for only a turnip, what must his present be worth?\n\nThe king took the gift very graciously, and said he knew not what to\ngive in return more valuable and wonderful than the great turnip; so\nthe soldier was forced to put it into a cart, and drag it home with him.\nWhen he reached home, he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite;\nand at length wicked thoughts came into his head, and he resolved to\nkill his brother.\n\nSo he hired some villains to murder him; and having shown them where to\nlie in ambush, he went to his brother, and said, \u2018Dear brother, I have\nfound a hidden treasure; let us go and dig it up, and share it between\nus.\u2019 The other had no suspicions of his roguery: so they went out\ntogether, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out\nupon him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.\n\nBut whilst they were getting all ready, they heard the trampling of a\nhorse at a distance, which so frightened them that they pushed their\nprisoner neck and shoulders together into a sack, and swung him up by a\ncord to the tree, where they left him dangling, and ran away. Meantime\nhe worked and worked away, till he made a hole large enough to put out\nhis head.\n\nWhen the horseman came up, he proved to be a student, a merry fellow,\nwho was journeying along on his nag, and singing as he went. As soon as\nthe man in the sack saw him passing under the tree, he cried out, \u2018Good\nmorning! good morning to thee, my friend!\u2019 The student looked about\neverywhere; and seeing no one, and not knowing where the voice came\nfrom, cried out, \u2018Who calls me?\u2019\n\nThen the man in the tree answered, \u2018Lift up thine eyes, for behold here\nI sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great\nand wondrous things. Compared to this seat, all the learning of the\nschools is as empty air. A little longer, and I shall know all that man\ncan know, and shall come forth wiser than the wisest of mankind. Here\nI discern the signs and motions of the heavens and the stars; the laws\nthat control the winds; the number of the sands on the seashore; the\nhealing of the sick; the virtues of all simples, of birds, and of\nprecious stones. Wert thou but once here, my friend, though wouldst feel\nand own the power of knowledge.\n\nThe student listened to all this and wondered much; at last he said,\n\u2018Blessed be the day and hour when I found you; cannot you contrive to\nlet me into the sack for a little while?\u2019 Then the other answered, as if\nvery unwillingly, \u2018A little space I may allow thee to sit here, if thou\nwilt reward me well and entreat me kindly; but thou must tarry yet an\nhour below, till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown\nto me.\u2019\n\nSo the student sat himself down and waited a while; but the time hung\nheavy upon him, and he begged earnestly that he might ascend forthwith,\nfor his thirst for knowledge was great. Then the other pretended to give\nway, and said, \u2018Thou must let the sack of wisdom descend, by untying\nyonder cord, and then thou shalt enter.\u2019 So the student let him down,\nopened the sack, and set him free. \u2018Now then,\u2019 cried he, \u2018let me ascend\nquickly.\u2019 As he began to put himself into the sack heels first, \u2018Wait a\nwhile,\u2019 said the gardener, \u2018that is not the way.\u2019 Then he pushed him\nin head first, tied up the sack, and soon swung up the searcher after\nwisdom dangling in the air. \u2018How is it with thee, friend?\u2019 said he,\n\u2018dost thou not feel that wisdom comes unto thee? Rest there in peace,\ntill thou art a wiser man than thou wert.\u2019\n\nSo saying, he trotted off on the student\u2019s nag, and left the poor fellow\nto gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him down.\n\n\n\n\nCLEVER HANS\n\n\nThe mother of Hans said: \u2018Whither away, Hans?\u2019 Hans answered: \u2018To\nGretel.\u2019 \u2018Behave well, Hans.\u2019 \u2018Oh, I\u2019ll behave well. Goodbye, mother.\u2019\n\u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans comes to Gretel. \u2018Good day, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Good day,\nHans. What do you bring that is good?\u2019 \u2018I bring nothing, I want to have\nsomething given me.\u2019 Gretel presents Hans with a needle, Hans says:\n\u2018Goodbye, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019\n\nHans takes the needle, sticks it into a hay-cart, and follows the cart\nhome. \u2018Good evening, mother.\u2019 \u2018Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u2019\n\u2018With Gretel.\u2019 \u2018What did you take her?\u2019 \u2018Took nothing; had something\ngiven me.\u2019 \u2018What did Gretel give you?\u2019 \u2018Gave me a needle.\u2019 \u2018Where is the\nneedle, Hans?\u2019 \u2018Stuck in the hay-cart.\u2019 \u2018That was ill done, Hans. You\nshould have stuck the needle in your sleeve.\u2019 \u2018Never mind, I\u2019ll do\nbetter next time.\u2019\n\n\u2018Whither away, Hans?\u2019 \u2018To Gretel, mother.\u2019 \u2018Behave well, Hans.\u2019 \u2018Oh,\nI\u2019ll behave well. Goodbye, mother.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans comes to\nGretel. \u2018Good day, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Good day, Hans. What do you bring that is\ngood?\u2019 \u2018I bring nothing. I want to have something given to me.\u2019 Gretel\npresents Hans with a knife. \u2018Goodbye, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans\ntakes the knife, sticks it in his sleeve, and goes home. \u2018Good evening,\nmother.\u2019 \u2018Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u2019 \u2018With Gretel.\u2019 What\ndid you take her?\u2019 \u2018Took her nothing, she gave me something.\u2019 \u2018What did\nGretel give you?\u2019 \u2018Gave me a knife.\u2019 \u2018Where is the knife, Hans?\u2019 \u2018Stuck\nin my sleeve.\u2019 \u2018That\u2019s ill done, Hans, you should have put the knife in\nyour pocket.\u2019 \u2018Never mind, will do better next time.\u2019\n\n\u2018Whither away, Hans?\u2019 \u2018To Gretel, mother.\u2019 \u2018Behave well, Hans.\u2019 \u2018Oh,\nI\u2019ll behave well. Goodbye, mother.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans comes to\nGretel. \u2018Good day, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Good day, Hans. What good thing do you\nbring?\u2019 \u2018I bring nothing, I want something given me.\u2019 Gretel presents\nHans with a young goat. \u2018Goodbye, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans takes\nthe goat, ties its legs, and puts it in his pocket. When he gets home it\nis suffocated. \u2018Good evening, mother.\u2019 \u2018Good evening, Hans. Where have\nyou been?\u2019 \u2018With Gretel.\u2019 \u2018What did you take her?\u2019 \u2018Took nothing, she\ngave me something.\u2019 \u2018What did Gretel give you?\u2019 \u2018She gave me a goat.\u2019\n\u2018Where is the goat, Hans?\u2019 \u2018Put it in my pocket.\u2019 \u2018That was ill done,\nHans, you should have put a rope round the goat\u2019s neck.\u2019 \u2018Never mind,\nwill do better next time.\u2019\n\n\u2018Whither away, Hans?\u2019 \u2018To Gretel, mother.\u2019 \u2018Behave well, Hans.\u2019 \u2018Oh,\nI\u2019ll behave well. Goodbye, mother.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans comes to\nGretel. \u2018Good day, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Good day, Hans. What good thing do you\nbring?\u2019 \u2018I bring nothing, I want something given me.\u2019 Gretel presents\nHans with a piece of bacon. \u2018Goodbye, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019\n\nHans takes the bacon, ties it to a rope, and drags it away behind him.\nThe dogs come and devour the bacon. When he gets home, he has the rope\nin his hand, and there is no longer anything hanging on to it. \u2018Good\nevening, mother.\u2019 \u2018Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u2019 \u2018With\nGretel.\u2019 \u2018What did you take her?\u2019 \u2018I took her nothing, she gave me\nsomething.\u2019 \u2018What did Gretel give you?\u2019 \u2018Gave me a bit of bacon.\u2019 \u2018Where\nis the bacon, Hans?\u2019 \u2018I tied it to a rope, brought it home, dogs took\nit.\u2019 \u2018That was ill done, Hans, you should have carried the bacon on your\nhead.\u2019 \u2018Never mind, will do better next time.\u2019\n\n\u2018Whither away, Hans?\u2019 \u2018To Gretel, mother.\u2019 \u2018Behave well, Hans.\u2019 \u2018I\u2019ll\nbehave well. Goodbye, mother.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019 Hans comes to Gretel.\n\u2018Good day, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Good day, Hans, What good thing do you bring?\u2019 \u2018I\nbring nothing, but would have something given.\u2019 Gretel presents Hans\nwith a calf. \u2018Goodbye, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019\n\nHans takes the calf, puts it on his head, and the calf kicks his face.\n\u2018Good evening, mother.\u2019 \u2018Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?\u2019 \u2018With\nGretel.\u2019 \u2018What did you take her?\u2019 \u2018I took nothing, but had something\ngiven me.\u2019 \u2018What did Gretel give you?\u2019 \u2018A calf.\u2019 \u2018Where have you the\ncalf, Hans?\u2019 \u2018I set it on my head and it kicked my face.\u2019 \u2018That was\nill done, Hans, you should have led the calf, and put it in the stall.\u2019\n\u2018Never mind, will do better next time.\u2019\n\n\u2018Whither away, Hans?\u2019 \u2018To Gretel, mother.\u2019 \u2018Behave well, Hans.\u2019 \u2018I\u2019ll\nbehave well. Goodbye, mother.\u2019 \u2018Goodbye, Hans.\u2019\n\nHans comes to Gretel. \u2018Good day, Gretel.\u2019 \u2018Good day, Hans. What good\nthing do you bring?\u2019 \u2018I bring nothing, but would have something given.\u2019\nGretel says to Hans: \u2018I will go with you.\u2019\n\nHans takes Gretel, ties her to a rope, leads her to the rack, and binds\nher fast. Then Hans goes to his mother. \u2018Good evening, mother.\u2019 \u2018Good\nevening, Hans. Where have you been?\u2019 \u2018With Gretel.\u2019 \u2018What did you take\nher?\u2019 \u2018I took her nothing.\u2019 \u2018What did Gretel give you?\u2019 \u2018She gave me\nnothing, she came with me.\u2019 \u2018Where have you left Gretel?\u2019 \u2018I led her by\nthe rope, tied her to the rack, and scattered some grass for her.\u2019 \u2018That\nwas ill done, Hans, you should have cast friendly eyes on her.\u2019 \u2018Never\nmind, will do better.\u2019\n\nHans went into the stable, cut out all the calves\u2019 and sheep\u2019s eyes,\nand threw them in Gretel\u2019s face. Then Gretel became angry, tore herself\nloose and ran away, and was no longer the bride of Hans.\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE LANGUAGES\n\n\nAn aged count once lived in Switzerland, who had an only son, but he\nwas stupid, and could learn nothing. Then said the father: \u2018Hark you,\nmy son, try as I will I can get nothing into your head. You must go from\nhence, I will give you into the care of a celebrated master, who shall\nsee what he can do with you.\u2019 The youth was sent into a strange town,\nand remained a whole year with the master. At the end of this time,\nhe came home again, and his father asked: \u2018Now, my son, what have you\nlearnt?\u2019 \u2018Father, I have learnt what the dogs say when they bark.\u2019 \u2018Lord\nhave mercy on us!\u2019 cried the father; \u2018is that all you have learnt? I\nwill send you into another town, to another master.\u2019 The youth was taken\nthither, and stayed a year with this master likewise. When he came back\nthe father again asked: \u2018My son, what have you learnt?\u2019 He answered:\n\u2018Father, I have learnt what the birds say.\u2019 Then the father fell into a\nrage and said: \u2018Oh, you lost man, you have spent the precious time and\nlearnt nothing; are you not ashamed to appear before my eyes? I will\nsend you to a third master, but if you learn nothing this time also, I\nwill no longer be your father.\u2019 The youth remained a whole year with the\nthird master also, and when he came home again, and his father inquired:\n\u2018My son, what have you learnt?\u2019 he answered: \u2018Dear father, I have this\nyear learnt what the frogs croak.\u2019 Then the father fell into the most\nfurious anger, sprang up, called his people thither, and said: \u2018This man\nis no longer my son, I drive him forth, and command you to take him\nout into the forest, and kill him.\u2019 They took him forth, but when they\nshould have killed him, they could not do it for pity, and let him go,\nand they cut the eyes and tongue out of a deer that they might carry\nthem to the old man as a token.\n\nThe youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress where he\nbegged for a night\u2019s lodging. \u2018Yes,\u2019 said the lord of the castle, \u2018if\nyou will pass the night down there in the old tower, go thither; but I\nwarn you, it is at the peril of your life, for it is full of wild dogs,\nwhich bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to\nbe given to them, whom they at once devour.\u2019 The whole district was in\nsorrow and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to\nstop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said: \u2018Just let me\ngo down to the barking dogs, and give me something that I can throw to\nthem; they will do nothing to harm me.\u2019 As he himself would have it so,\nthey gave him some food for the wild animals, and led him down to the\ntower. When he went inside, the dogs did not bark at him, but wagged\ntheir tails quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and\ndid not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment of\neveryone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of\nthe castle: \u2018The dogs have revealed to me, in their own language, why\nthey dwell there, and bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and\nare obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower,\nand they can have no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise\nlearnt, from their discourse, how that is to be done.\u2019 Then all who\nheard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him\nas a son if he accomplished it successfully. He went down again, and\nas he knew what he had to do, he did it thoroughly, and brought a chest\nfull of gold out with him. The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth\nheard no more; they had disappeared, and the country was freed from the\ntrouble.\n\nAfter some time he took it in his head that he would travel to Rome. On\nthe way he passed by a marsh, in which a number of frogs were sitting\ncroaking. He listened to them, and when he became aware of what they\nwere saying, he grew very thoughtful and sad. At last he arrived in\nRome, where the Pope had just died, and there was great doubt among\nthe cardinals as to whom they should appoint as his successor. They at\nlength agreed that the person should be chosen as pope who should be\ndistinguished by some divine and miraculous token. And just as that was\ndecided on, the young count entered into the church, and suddenly two\nsnow-white doves flew on his shoulders and remained sitting there. The\necclesiastics recognized therein the token from above, and asked him on\nthe spot if he would be pope. He was undecided, and knew not if he were\nworthy of this, but the doves counselled him to do it, and at length he\nsaid yes. Then was he anointed and consecrated, and thus was fulfilled\nwhat he had heard from the frogs on his way, which had so affected him,\nthat he was to be his Holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing a mass, and\ndid not know one word of it, but the two doves sat continually on his\nshoulders, and said it all in his ear.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE CAT\n\n\nIt happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to\nherself: \u2018He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the\nworld,\u2019 she spoke to him in a friendly way. \u2018Good day, dear Mr Fox,\nhow are you? How is all with you? How are you getting on in these hard\ntimes?\u2019 The fox, full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat from\nhead to foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would give\nany answer or not. At last he said: \u2018Oh, you wretched beard-cleaner, you\npiebald fool, you hungry mouse-hunter, what can you be thinking of? Have\nyou the cheek to ask how I am getting on? What have you learnt? How\nmany arts do you understand?\u2019 \u2018I understand but one,\u2019 replied the\ncat, modestly. \u2018What art is that?\u2019 asked the fox. \u2018When the hounds are\nfollowing me, I can spring into a tree and save myself.\u2019 \u2018Is that all?\u2019\nsaid the fox. \u2018I am master of a hundred arts, and have into the bargain\na sackful of cunning. You make me sorry for you; come with me, I will\nteach you how people get away from the hounds.\u2019 Just then came a hunter\nwith four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly up a tree, and sat down at the top\nof it, where the branches and foliage quite concealed her. \u2018Open your\nsack, Mr Fox, open your sack,\u2019 cried the cat to him, but the dogs had\nalready seized him, and were holding him fast. \u2018Ah, Mr Fox,\u2019 cried the\ncat. \u2018You with your hundred arts are left in the lurch! Had you been\nable to climb like me, you would not have lost your life.\u2019\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOUR CLEVER BROTHERS\n\n\n\u2018Dear children,\u2019 said a poor man to his four sons, \u2018I have nothing to\ngive you; you must go out into the wide world and try your luck. Begin\nby learning some craft or another, and see how you can get on.\u2019 So the\nfour brothers took their walking-sticks in their hands, and their little\nbundles on their shoulders, and after bidding their father goodbye, went\nall out at the gate together. When they had got on some way they came\nto four crossways, each leading to a different country. Then the eldest\nsaid, \u2018Here we must part; but this day four years we will come back\nto this spot, and in the meantime each must try what he can do for\nhimself.\u2019\n\nSo each brother went his way; and as the eldest was hastening on a man\nmet him, and asked him where he was going, and what he wanted. \u2018I am\ngoing to try my luck in the world, and should like to begin by learning\nsome art or trade,\u2019 answered he. \u2018Then,\u2019 said the man, \u2018go with me, and\nI will teach you to become the cunningest thief that ever was.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019\nsaid the other, \u2018that is not an honest calling, and what can one look\nto earn by it in the end but the gallows?\u2019 \u2018Oh!\u2019 said the man, \u2018you need\nnot fear the gallows; for I will only teach you to steal what will be\nfair game: I meddle with nothing but what no one else can get or care\nanything about, and where no one can find you out.\u2019 So the young man\nagreed to follow his trade, and he soon showed himself so clever, that\nnothing could escape him that he had once set his mind upon.\n\nThe second brother also met a man, who, when he found out what he was\nsetting out upon, asked him what craft he meant to follow. \u2018I do not\nknow yet,\u2019 said he. \u2018Then come with me, and be a star-gazer. It is a\nnoble art, for nothing can be hidden from you, when once you understand\nthe stars.\u2019 The plan pleased him much, and he soon became such a skilful\nstar-gazer, that when he had served out his time, and wanted to leave\nhis master, he gave him a glass, and said, \u2018With this you can see all\nthat is passing in the sky and on earth, and nothing can be hidden from\nyou.\u2019\n\nThe third brother met a huntsman, who took him with him, and taught him\nso well all that belonged to hunting, that he became very clever in the\ncraft of the woods; and when he left his master he gave him a bow, and\nsaid, \u2018Whatever you shoot at with this bow you will be sure to hit.\u2019\n\nThe youngest brother likewise met a man who asked him what he wished to\ndo. \u2018Would not you like,\u2019 said he, \u2018to be a tailor?\u2019 \u2018Oh, no!\u2019 said\nthe young man; \u2018sitting cross-legged from morning to night, working\nbackwards and forwards with a needle and goose, will never suit me.\u2019\n\u2018Oh!\u2019 answered the man, \u2018that is not my sort of tailoring; come with me,\nand you will learn quite another kind of craft from that.\u2019 Not knowing\nwhat better to do, he came into the plan, and learnt tailoring from the\nbeginning; and when he left his master, he gave him a needle, and said,\n\u2018You can sew anything with this, be it as soft as an egg or as hard as\nsteel; and the joint will be so fine that no seam will be seen.\u2019\n\nAfter the space of four years, at the time agreed upon, the four\nbrothers met at the four cross-roads; and having welcomed each other,\nset off towards their father\u2019s home, where they told him all that had\nhappened to them, and how each had learned some craft.\n\nThen, one day, as they were sitting before the house under a very high\ntree, the father said, \u2018I should like to try what each of you can do in\nthis way.\u2019 So he looked up, and said to the second son, \u2018At the top of\nthis tree there is a chaffinch\u2019s nest; tell me how many eggs there are\nin it.\u2019 The star-gazer took his glass, looked up, and said, \u2018Five.\u2019\n\u2018Now,\u2019 said the father to the eldest son, \u2018take away the eggs without\nletting the bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know\nanything of what you are doing.\u2019 So the cunning thief climbed up the\ntree, and brought away to his father the five eggs from under the bird;\nand it never saw or felt what he was doing, but kept sitting on at its\nease. Then the father took the eggs, and put one on each corner of the\ntable, and the fifth in the middle, and said to the huntsman, \u2018Cut all\nthe eggs in two pieces at one shot.\u2019 The huntsman took up his bow, and\nat one shot struck all the five eggs as his father wished.\n\n\u2018Now comes your turn,\u2019 said he to the young tailor; \u2018sew the eggs and\nthe young birds in them together again, so neatly that the shot shall\nhave done them no harm.\u2019 Then the tailor took his needle, and sewed the\neggs as he was told; and when he had done, the thief was sent to take\nthem back to the nest, and put them under the bird without its knowing\nit. Then she went on sitting, and hatched them: and in a few days they\ncrawled out, and had only a little red streak across their necks, where\nthe tailor had sewn them together.\n\n\u2018Well done, sons!\u2019 said the old man; \u2018you have made good use of your\ntime, and learnt something worth the knowing; but I am sure I do not\nknow which ought to have the prize. Oh, that a time might soon come for\nyou to turn your skill to some account!\u2019\n\nNot long after this there was a great bustle in the country; for the\nking\u2019s daughter had been carried off by a mighty dragon, and the king\nmourned over his loss day and night, and made it known that whoever\nbrought her back to him should have her for a wife. Then the four\nbrothers said to each other, \u2018Here is a chance for us; let us try\nwhat we can do.\u2019 And they agreed to see whether they could not set the\nprincess free. \u2018I will soon find out where she is, however,\u2019 said the\nstar-gazer, as he looked through his glass; and he soon cried out, \u2018I\nsee her afar off, sitting upon a rock in the sea, and I can spy the\ndragon close by, guarding her.\u2019 Then he went to the king, and asked for\na ship for himself and his brothers; and they sailed together over the\nsea, till they came to the right place. There they found the princess\nsitting, as the star-gazer had said, on the rock; and the dragon was\nlying asleep, with his head upon her lap. \u2018I dare not shoot at him,\u2019\nsaid the huntsman, \u2018for I should kill the beautiful young lady also.\u2019\n\u2018Then I will try my skill,\u2019 said the thief, and went and stole her away\nfrom under the dragon, so quietly and gently that the beast did not know\nit, but went on snoring.\n\nThen away they hastened with her full of joy in their boat towards the\nship; but soon came the dragon roaring behind them through the air; for\nhe awoke and missed the princess. But when he got over the boat, and\nwanted to pounce upon them and carry off the princess, the huntsman took\nup his bow and shot him straight through the heart so that he fell down\ndead. They were still not safe; for he was such a great beast that in\nhis fall he overset the boat, and they had to swim in the open sea\nupon a few planks. So the tailor took his needle, and with a few large\nstitches put some of the planks together; and he sat down upon these,\nand sailed about and gathered up all pieces of the boat; and then tacked\nthem together so quickly that the boat was soon ready, and they then\nreached the ship and got home safe.\n\nWhen they had brought home the princess to her father, there was great\nrejoicing; and he said to the four brothers, \u2018One of you shall marry\nher, but you must settle amongst yourselves which it is to be.\u2019 Then\nthere arose a quarrel between them; and the star-gazer said, \u2018If I had\nnot found the princess out, all your skill would have been of no use;\ntherefore she ought to be mine.\u2019 \u2018Your seeing her would have been of\nno use,\u2019 said the thief, \u2018if I had not taken her away from the dragon;\ntherefore she ought to be mine.\u2019 \u2018No, she is mine,\u2019 said the huntsman;\n\u2018for if I had not killed the dragon, he would, after all, have torn you\nand the princess into pieces.\u2019 \u2018And if I had not sewn the boat together\nagain,\u2019 said the tailor, \u2018you would all have been drowned, therefore she\nis mine.\u2019 Then the king put in a word, and said, \u2018Each of you is right;\nand as all cannot have the young lady, the best way is for neither of\nyou to have her: for the truth is, there is somebody she likes a great\ndeal better. But to make up for your loss, I will give each of you, as a\nreward for his skill, half a kingdom.\u2019 So the brothers agreed that this\nplan would be much better than either quarrelling or marrying a lady who\nhad no mind to have them. And the king then gave to each half a kingdom,\nas he had said; and they lived very happily the rest of their days, and\ntook good care of their father; and somebody took better care of the\nyoung lady, than to let either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have\nher again.\n\n\n\n\nLILY AND THE LION\n\n\nA merchant, who had three daughters, was once setting out upon a\njourney; but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should\nbring back for her. The eldest wished for pearls; the second for jewels;\nbut the third, who was called Lily, said, \u2018Dear father, bring me a\nrose.\u2019 Now it was no easy task to find a rose, for it was the middle\nof winter; yet as she was his prettiest daughter, and was very fond of\nflowers, her father said he would try what he could do. So he kissed all\nthree, and bid them goodbye.\n\nAnd when the time came for him to go home, he had bought pearls and\njewels for the two eldest, but he had sought everywhere in vain for the\nrose; and when he went into any garden and asked for such a thing, the\npeople laughed at him, and asked him whether he thought roses grew in\nsnow. This grieved him very much, for Lily was his dearest child; and as\nhe was journeying home, thinking what he should bring her, he came to a\nfine castle; and around the castle was a garden, in one half of which it\nseemed to be summer-time and in the other half winter. On one side the\nfinest flowers were in full bloom, and on the other everything looked\ndreary and buried in the snow. \u2018A lucky hit!\u2019 said he, as he called to\nhis servant, and told him to go to a beautiful bed of roses that was\nthere, and bring him away one of the finest flowers.\n\nThis done, they were riding away well pleased, when up sprang a fierce\nlion, and roared out, \u2018Whoever has stolen my roses shall be eaten up\nalive!\u2019 Then the man said, \u2018I knew not that the garden belonged to you;\ncan nothing save my life?\u2019 \u2018No!\u2019 said the lion, \u2018nothing, unless you\nundertake to give me whatever meets you on your return home; if you\nagree to this, I will give you your life, and the rose too for your\ndaughter.\u2019 But the man was unwilling to do so and said, \u2018It may be my\nyoungest daughter, who loves me most, and always runs to meet me when\nI go home.\u2019 Then the servant was greatly frightened, and said, \u2018It may\nperhaps be only a cat or a dog.\u2019 And at last the man yielded with a\nheavy heart, and took the rose; and said he would give the lion whatever\nshould meet him first on his return.\n\nAnd as he came near home, it was Lily, his youngest and dearest\ndaughter, that met him; she came running, and kissed him, and welcomed\nhim home; and when she saw that he had brought her the rose, she was\nstill more glad. But her father began to be very sorrowful, and to weep,\nsaying, \u2018Alas, my dearest child! I have bought this flower at a high\nprice, for I have said I would give you to a wild lion; and when he has\nyou, he will tear you in pieces, and eat you.\u2019 Then he told her all that\nhad happened, and said she should not go, let what would happen.\n\nBut she comforted him, and said, \u2018Dear father, the word you have given\nmust be kept; I will go to the lion, and soothe him: perhaps he will let\nme come safe home again.\u2019\n\nThe next morning she asked the way she was to go, and took leave of her\nfather, and went forth with a bold heart into the wood. But the lion was\nan enchanted prince. By day he and all his court were lions, but in the\nevening they took their right forms again. And when Lily came to the\ncastle, he welcomed her so courteously that she agreed to marry him. The\nwedding-feast was held, and they lived happily together a long time. The\nprince was only to be seen as soon as evening came, and then he held his\ncourt; but every morning he left his bride, and went away by himself,\nshe knew not whither, till the night came again.\n\nAfter some time he said to her, \u2018Tomorrow there will be a great feast in\nyour father\u2019s house, for your eldest sister is to be married; and if\nyou wish to go and visit her my lions shall lead you thither.\u2019 Then she\nrejoiced much at the thoughts of seeing her father once more, and set\nout with the lions; and everyone was overjoyed to see her, for they had\nthought her dead long since. But she told them how happy she was, and\nstayed till the feast was over, and then went back to the wood.\n\nHer second sister was soon after married, and when Lily was asked to\ngo to the wedding, she said to the prince, \u2018I will not go alone this\ntime--you must go with me.\u2019 But he would not, and said that it would be\na very hazardous thing; for if the least ray of the torch-light should\nfall upon him his enchantment would become still worse, for he should be\nchanged into a dove, and be forced to wander about the world for seven\nlong years. However, she gave him no rest, and said she would take care\nno light should fall upon him. So at last they set out together, and\ntook with them their little child; and she chose a large hall with thick\nwalls for him to sit in while the wedding-torches were lighted; but,\nunluckily, no one saw that there was a crack in the door. Then the\nwedding was held with great pomp, but as the train came from the church,\nand passed with the torches before the hall, a very small ray of light\nfell upon the prince. In a moment he disappeared, and when his wife came\nin and looked for him, she found only a white dove; and it said to her,\n\u2018Seven years must I fly up and down over the face of the earth, but\nevery now and then I will let fall a white feather, that will show you\nthe way I am going; follow it, and at last you may overtake and set me\nfree.\u2019\n\nThis said, he flew out at the door, and poor Lily followed; and every\nnow and then a white feather fell, and showed her the way she was to\njourney. Thus she went roving on through the wide world, and looked\nneither to the right hand nor to the left, nor took any rest, for seven\nyears. Then she began to be glad, and thought to herself that the time\nwas fast coming when all her troubles should end; yet repose was still\nfar off, for one day as she was travelling on she missed the white\nfeather, and when she lifted up her eyes she could nowhere see the dove.\n\u2018Now,\u2019 thought she to herself, \u2018no aid of man can be of use to me.\u2019 So\nshe went to the sun and said, \u2018Thou shinest everywhere, on the hill\u2019s\ntop and the valley\u2019s depth--hast thou anywhere seen my white dove?\u2019\n\u2018No,\u2019 said the sun, \u2018I have not seen it; but I will give thee a\ncasket--open it when thy hour of need comes.\u2019\n\nSo she thanked the sun, and went on her way till eventide; and when\nthe moon arose, she cried unto it, and said, \u2018Thou shinest through the\nnight, over field and grove--hast thou nowhere seen my white dove?\u2019\n\u2018No,\u2019 said the moon, \u2018I cannot help thee but I will give thee an\negg--break it when need comes.\u2019\n\nThen she thanked the moon, and went on till the night-wind blew; and she\nraised up her voice to it, and said, \u2018Thou blowest through every tree\nand under every leaf--hast thou not seen my white dove?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 said the\nnight-wind, \u2018but I will ask three other winds; perhaps they have seen\nit.\u2019 Then the east wind and the west wind came, and said they too had\nnot seen it, but the south wind said, \u2018I have seen the white dove--he\nhas fled to the Red Sea, and is changed once more into a lion, for the\nseven years are passed away, and there he is fighting with a dragon;\nand the dragon is an enchanted princess, who seeks to separate him from\nyou.\u2019 Then the night-wind said, \u2018I will give thee counsel. Go to the\nRed Sea; on the right shore stand many rods--count them, and when thou\ncomest to the eleventh, break it off, and smite the dragon with it; and\nso the lion will have the victory, and both of them will appear to you\nin their own forms. Then look round and thou wilt see a griffin, winged\nlike bird, sitting by the Red Sea; jump on to his back with thy beloved\none as quickly as possible, and he will carry you over the waters to\nyour home. I will also give thee this nut,\u2019 continued the night-wind.\n\u2018When you are half-way over, throw it down, and out of the waters will\nimmediately spring up a high nut-tree on which the griffin will be able\nto rest, otherwise he would not have the strength to bear you the whole\nway; if, therefore, thou dost forget to throw down the nut, he will let\nyou both fall into the sea.\u2019\n\nSo our poor wanderer went forth, and found all as the night-wind had\nsaid; and she plucked the eleventh rod, and smote the dragon, and the\nlion forthwith became a prince, and the dragon a princess again. But\nno sooner was the princess released from the spell, than she seized\nthe prince by the arm and sprang on to the griffin\u2019s back, and went off\ncarrying the prince away with her.\n\nThus the unhappy traveller was again forsaken and forlorn; but she\ntook heart and said, \u2018As far as the wind blows, and so long as the cock\ncrows, I will journey on, till I find him once again.\u2019 She went on for\na long, long way, till at length she came to the castle whither the\nprincess had carried the prince; and there was a feast got ready, and\nshe heard that the wedding was about to be held. \u2018Heaven aid me now!\u2019\nsaid she; and she took the casket that the sun had given her, and found\nthat within it lay a dress as dazzling as the sun itself. So she put it\non, and went into the palace, and all the people gazed upon her; and\nthe dress pleased the bride so much that she asked whether it was to be\nsold. \u2018Not for gold and silver.\u2019 said she, \u2018but for flesh and blood.\u2019\nThe princess asked what she meant, and she said, \u2018Let me speak with the\nbridegroom this night in his chamber, and I will give thee the dress.\u2019\nAt last the princess agreed, but she told her chamberlain to give the\nprince a sleeping draught, that he might not hear or see her. When\nevening came, and the prince had fallen asleep, she was led into\nhis chamber, and she sat herself down at his feet, and said: \u2018I have\nfollowed thee seven years. I have been to the sun, the moon, and the\nnight-wind, to seek thee, and at last I have helped thee to overcome\nthe dragon. Wilt thou then forget me quite?\u2019 But the prince all the time\nslept so soundly, that her voice only passed over him, and seemed like\nthe whistling of the wind among the fir-trees.\n\nThen poor Lily was led away, and forced to give up the golden dress; and\nwhen she saw that there was no help for her, she went out into a meadow,\nand sat herself down and wept. But as she sat she bethought herself of\nthe egg that the moon had given her; and when she broke it, there ran\nout a hen and twelve chickens of pure gold, that played about, and then\nnestled under the old one\u2019s wings, so as to form the most beautiful\nsight in the world. And she rose up and drove them before her, till the\nbride saw them from her window, and was so pleased that she came forth\nand asked her if she would sell the brood. \u2018Not for gold or silver, but\nfor flesh and blood: let me again this evening speak with the bridegroom\nin his chamber, and I will give thee the whole brood.\u2019\n\nThen the princess thought to betray her as before, and agreed to\nwhat she asked: but when the prince went to his chamber he asked\nthe chamberlain why the wind had whistled so in the night. And the\nchamberlain told him all--how he had given him a sleeping draught, and\nhow a poor maiden had come and spoken to him in his chamber, and was\nto come again that night. Then the prince took care to throw away the\nsleeping draught; and when Lily came and began again to tell him what\nwoes had befallen her, and how faithful and true to him she had been,\nhe knew his beloved wife\u2019s voice, and sprang up, and said, \u2018You have\nawakened me as from a dream, for the strange princess had thrown a spell\naround me, so that I had altogether forgotten you; but Heaven hath sent\nyou to me in a lucky hour.\u2019\n\nAnd they stole away out of the palace by night unawares, and seated\nthemselves on the griffin, who flew back with them over the Red Sea.\nWhen they were half-way across Lily let the nut fall into the water,\nand immediately a large nut-tree arose from the sea, whereon the griffin\nrested for a while, and then carried them safely home. There they found\ntheir child, now grown up to be comely and fair; and after all their\ntroubles they lived happily together to the end of their days.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE HORSE\n\n\nA farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant to\nhim: but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give him\nnothing more to eat, and said, \u2018I want you no longer, so take yourself\noff out of my stable; I shall not take you back again until you are\nstronger than a lion.\u2019 Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.\n\nThe poor horse was very melancholy, and wandered up and down in the\nwood, seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain. Presently\na fox met him: \u2018What\u2019s the matter, my friend?\u2019 said he, \u2018why do you hang\ndown your head and look so lonely and woe-begone?\u2019 \u2018Ah!\u2019 replied the\nhorse, \u2018justice and avarice never dwell in one house; my master has\nforgotten all that I have done for him so many years, and because I\ncan no longer work he has turned me adrift, and says unless I become\nstronger than a lion he will not take me back again; what chance can I\nhave of that? he knows I have none, or he would not talk so.\u2019\n\nHowever, the fox bid him be of good cheer, and said, \u2018I will help you;\nlie down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff, and pretend to be\ndead.\u2019 The horse did as he was told, and the fox went straight to the\nlion who lived in a cave close by, and said to him, \u2018A little way off\nlies a dead horse; come with me and you may make an excellent meal of\nhis carcase.\u2019 The lion was greatly pleased, and set off immediately; and\nwhen they came to the horse, the fox said, \u2018You will not be able to eat\nhim comfortably here; I\u2019ll tell you what--I will tie you fast to\nhis tail, and then you can draw him to your den, and eat him at your\nleisure.\u2019\n\nThis advice pleased the lion, so he laid himself down quietly for the\nfox to make him fast to the horse. But the fox managed to tie his legs\ntogether and bound all so hard and fast that with all his strength he\ncould not set himself free. When the work was done, the fox clapped the\nhorse on the shoulder, and said, \u2018Jip! Dobbin! Jip!\u2019 Then up he sprang,\nand moved off, dragging the lion behind him. The beast began to roar\nand bellow, till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright; but the\nhorse let him sing on, and made his way quietly over the fields to his\nmaster\u2019s house.\n\n\u2018Here he is, master,\u2019 said he, \u2018I have got the better of him\u2019: and when\nthe farmer saw his old servant, his heart relented, and he said. \u2018Thou\nshalt stay in thy stable and be well taken care of.\u2019 And so the poor old\nhorse had plenty to eat, and lived--till he died.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BLUE LIGHT\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a soldier who for many years had served the\nking faithfully, but when the war came to an end could serve no longer\nbecause of the many wounds which he had received. The king said to him:\n\u2018You may return to your home, I need you no longer, and you will not\nreceive any more money, for he only receives wages who renders me\nservice for them.\u2019 Then the soldier did not know how to earn a living,\nwent away greatly troubled, and walked the whole day, until in the\nevening he entered a forest. When darkness came on, he saw a light,\nwhich he went up to, and came to a house wherein lived a witch. \u2018Do give\nme one night\u2019s lodging, and a little to eat and drink,\u2019 said he to\nher, \u2018or I shall starve.\u2019 \u2018Oho!\u2019 she answered, \u2018who gives anything to a\nrun-away soldier? Yet will I be compassionate, and take you in, if you\nwill do what I wish.\u2019 \u2018What do you wish?\u2019 said the soldier. \u2018That you\nshould dig all round my garden for me, tomorrow.\u2019 The soldier consented,\nand next day laboured with all his strength, but could not finish it by\nthe evening. \u2018I see well enough,\u2019 said the witch, \u2018that you can do no\nmore today, but I will keep you yet another night, in payment for\nwhich you must tomorrow chop me a load of wood, and chop it small.\u2019 The\nsoldier spent the whole day in doing it, and in the evening the witch\nproposed that he should stay one night more. \u2018Tomorrow, you shall only\ndo me a very trifling piece of work. Behind my house, there is an old\ndry well, into which my light has fallen, it burns blue, and never goes\nout, and you shall bring it up again.\u2019 Next day the old woman took him\nto the well, and let him down in a basket. He found the blue light, and\nmade her a signal to draw him up again. She did draw him up, but when he\ncame near the edge, she stretched down her hand and wanted to take the\nblue light away from him. \u2018No,\u2019 said he, perceiving her evil intention,\n\u2018I will not give you the light until I am standing with both feet upon\nthe ground.\u2019 The witch fell into a passion, let him fall again into the\nwell, and went away.\n\nThe poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground, and the blue\nlight went on burning, but of what use was that to him? He saw very well\nthat he could not escape death. He sat for a while very sorrowfully,\nthen suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco pipe, which\nwas still half full. \u2018This shall be my last pleasure,\u2019 thought he,\npulled it out, lit it at the blue light and began to smoke. When the\nsmoke had circled about the cavern, suddenly a little black dwarf stood\nbefore him, and said: \u2018Lord, what are your commands?\u2019 \u2018What my commands\nare?\u2019 replied the soldier, quite astonished. \u2018I must do everything you\nbid me,\u2019 said the little man. \u2018Good,\u2019 said the soldier; \u2018then in the\nfirst place help me out of this well.\u2019 The little man took him by the\nhand, and led him through an underground passage, but he did not forget\nto take the blue light with him. On the way the dwarf showed him the\ntreasures which the witch had collected and hidden there, and the\nsoldier took as much gold as he could carry. When he was above, he said\nto the little man: \u2018Now go and bind the old witch, and carry her before\nthe judge.\u2019 In a short time she came by like the wind, riding on a wild\ntom-cat and screaming frightfully. Nor was it long before the little man\nreappeared. \u2018It is all done,\u2019 said he, \u2018and the witch is already hanging\non the gallows. What further commands has my lord?\u2019 inquired the dwarf.\n\u2018At this moment, none,\u2019 answered the soldier; \u2018you can return home, only\nbe at hand immediately, if I summon you.\u2019 \u2018Nothing more is needed than\nthat you should light your pipe at the blue light, and I will appear\nbefore you at once.\u2019 Thereupon he vanished from his sight.\n\nThe soldier returned to the town from which he came. He went to the\nbest inn, ordered himself handsome clothes, and then bade the landlord\nfurnish him a room as handsome as possible. When it was ready and the\nsoldier had taken possession of it, he summoned the little black manikin\nand said: \u2018I have served the king faithfully, but he has dismissed me,\nand left me to hunger, and now I want to take my revenge.\u2019 \u2018What am I to\ndo?\u2019 asked the little man. \u2018Late at night, when the king\u2019s daughter is\nin bed, bring her here in her sleep, she shall do servant\u2019s work for\nme.\u2019 The manikin said: \u2018That is an easy thing for me to do, but a very\ndangerous thing for you, for if it is discovered, you will fare ill.\u2019\nWhen twelve o\u2019clock had struck, the door sprang open, and the manikin\ncarried in the princess. \u2018Aha! are you there?\u2019 cried the soldier, \u2018get\nto your work at once! Fetch the broom and sweep the chamber.\u2019 When\nshe had done this, he ordered her to come to his chair, and then he\nstretched out his feet and said: \u2018Pull off my boots,\u2019 and then he\nthrew them in her face, and made her pick them up again, and clean\nand brighten them. She, however, did everything he bade her, without\nopposition, silently and with half-shut eyes. When the first cock\ncrowed, the manikin carried her back to the royal palace, and laid her\nin her bed.\n\nNext morning when the princess arose she went to her father, and told\nhim that she had had a very strange dream. \u2018I was carried through the\nstreets with the rapidity of lightning,\u2019 said she, \u2018and taken into a\nsoldier\u2019s room, and I had to wait upon him like a servant, sweep his\nroom, clean his boots, and do all kinds of menial work. It was only a\ndream, and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything.\u2019\n\u2018The dream may have been true,\u2019 said the king. \u2018I will give you a piece\nof advice. Fill your pocket full of peas, and make a small hole in the\npocket, and then if you are carried away again, they will fall out and\nleave a track in the streets.\u2019 But unseen by the king, the manikin was\nstanding beside him when he said that, and heard all. At night when\nthe sleeping princess was again carried through the streets, some peas\ncertainly did fall out of her pocket, but they made no track, for the\ncrafty manikin had just before scattered peas in every street there\nwas. And again the princess was compelled to do servant\u2019s work until\ncock-crow.\n\nNext morning the king sent his people out to seek the track, but it was\nall in vain, for in every street poor children were sitting, picking up\npeas, and saying: \u2018It must have rained peas, last night.\u2019 \u2018We must think\nof something else,\u2019 said the king; \u2018keep your shoes on when you go to\nbed, and before you come back from the place where you are taken, hide\none of them there, I will soon contrive to find it.\u2019 The black manikin\nheard this plot, and at night when the soldier again ordered him to\nbring the princess, revealed it to him, and told him that he knew of no\nexpedient to counteract this stratagem, and that if the shoe were found\nin the soldier\u2019s house it would go badly with him. \u2018Do what I bid you,\u2019\nreplied the soldier, and again this third night the princess was obliged\nto work like a servant, but before she went away, she hid her shoe under\nthe bed.\n\nNext morning the king had the entire town searched for his daughter\u2019s\nshoe. It was found at the soldier\u2019s, and the soldier himself, who at the\nentreaty of the dwarf had gone outside the gate, was soon brought back,\nand thrown into prison. In his flight he had forgotten the most valuable\nthings he had, the blue light and the gold, and had only one ducat in\nhis pocket. And now loaded with chains, he was standing at the window of\nhis dungeon, when he chanced to see one of his comrades passing by. The\nsoldier tapped at the pane of glass, and when this man came up, said to\nhim: \u2018Be so kind as to fetch me the small bundle I have left lying in\nthe inn, and I will give you a ducat for doing it.\u2019 His comrade ran\nthither and brought him what he wanted. As soon as the soldier was alone\nagain, he lighted his pipe and summoned the black manikin. \u2018Have no\nfear,\u2019 said the latter to his master. \u2018Go wheresoever they take you, and\nlet them do what they will, only take the blue light with you.\u2019 Next day\nthe soldier was tried, and though he had done nothing wicked, the judge\ncondemned him to death. When he was led forth to die, he begged a last\nfavour of the king. \u2018What is it?\u2019 asked the king. \u2018That I may smoke one\nmore pipe on my way.\u2019 \u2018You may smoke three,\u2019 answered the king, \u2018but do\nnot imagine that I will spare your life.\u2019 Then the soldier pulled out\nhis pipe and lighted it at the blue light, and as soon as a few wreaths\nof smoke had ascended, the manikin was there with a small cudgel in his\nhand, and said: \u2018What does my lord command?\u2019 \u2018Strike down to earth that\nfalse judge there, and his constable, and spare not the king who has\ntreated me so ill.\u2019 Then the manikin fell on them like lightning,\ndarting this way and that way, and whosoever was so much as touched by\nhis cudgel fell to earth, and did not venture to stir again. The king\nwas terrified; he threw himself on the soldier\u2019s mercy, and merely to\nbe allowed to live at all, gave him his kingdom for his own, and his\ndaughter to wife.\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAVEN\n\n\nThere was once a queen who had a little daughter, still too young to run\nalone. One day the child was very troublesome, and the mother could not\nquiet it, do what she would. She grew impatient, and seeing the ravens\nflying round the castle, she opened the window, and said: \u2018I wish you\nwere a raven and would fly away, then I should have a little peace.\u2019\nScarcely were the words out of her mouth, when the child in her arms was\nturned into a raven, and flew away from her through the open window. The\nbird took its flight to a dark wood and remained there for a long time,\nand meanwhile the parents could hear nothing of their child.\n\nLong after this, a man was making his way through the wood when he heard\na raven calling, and he followed the sound of the voice. As he drew\nnear, the raven said, \u2018I am by birth a king\u2019s daughter, but am now under\nthe spell of some enchantment; you can, however, set me free.\u2019 \u2018What\nam I to do?\u2019 he asked. She replied, \u2018Go farther into the wood until you\ncome to a house, wherein lives an old woman; she will offer you food and\ndrink, but you must not take of either; if you do, you will fall into\na deep sleep, and will not be able to help me. In the garden behind the\nhouse is a large tan-heap, and on that you must stand and watch for me.\nI shall drive there in my carriage at two o\u2019clock in the afternoon for\nthree successive days; the first day it will be drawn by four white, the\nsecond by four chestnut, and the last by four black horses; but if you\nfail to keep awake and I find you sleeping, I shall not be set free.\u2019\n\nThe man promised to do all that she wished, but the raven said, \u2018Alas! I\nknow even now that you will take something from the woman and be unable\nto save me.\u2019 The man assured her again that he would on no account touch\na thing to eat or drink.\n\nWhen he came to the house and went inside, the old woman met him, and\nsaid, \u2018Poor man! how tired you are! Come in and rest and let me give you\nsomething to eat and drink.\u2019\n\n\u2018No,\u2019 answered the man, \u2018I will neither eat not drink.\u2019\n\nBut she would not leave him alone, and urged him saying, \u2018If you will\nnot eat anything, at least you might take a draught of wine; one drink\ncounts for nothing,\u2019 and at last he allowed himself to be persuaded, and\ndrank.\n\nAs it drew towards the appointed hour, he went outside into the garden\nand mounted the tan-heap to await the raven. Suddenly a feeling of\nfatigue came over him, and unable to resist it, he lay down for a little\nwhile, fully determined, however, to keep awake; but in another minute\nhis eyes closed of their own accord, and he fell into such a deep sleep,\nthat all the noises in the world would not have awakened him. At two\no\u2019clock the raven came driving along, drawn by her four white horses;\nbut even before she reached the spot, she said to herself, sighing, \u2018I\nknow he has fallen asleep.\u2019 When she entered the garden, there she found\nhim as she had feared, lying on the tan-heap, fast asleep. She got out\nof her carriage and went to him; she called him and shook him, but it\nwas all in vain, he still continued sleeping.\n\nThe next day at noon, the old woman came to him again with food and\ndrink which he at first refused. At last, overcome by her persistent\nentreaties that he would take something, he lifted the glass and drank\nagain.\n\nTowards two o\u2019clock he went into the garden and on to the tan-heap to\nwatch for the raven. He had not been there long before he began to feel\nso tired that his limbs seemed hardly able to support him, and he could\nnot stand upright any longer; so again he lay down and fell fast asleep.\nAs the raven drove along her four chestnut horses, she said sorrowfully\nto herself, \u2018I know he has fallen asleep.\u2019 She went as before to look\nfor him, but he slept, and it was impossible to awaken him.\n\nThe following day the old woman said to him, \u2018What is this? You are not\neating or drinking anything, do you want to kill yourself?\u2019\n\nHe answered, \u2018I may not and will not either eat or drink.\u2019\n\nBut she put down the dish of food and the glass of wine in front of him,\nand when he smelt the wine, he was unable to resist the temptation, and\ntook a deep draught.\n\nWhen the hour came round again he went as usual on to the tan-heap in\nthe garden to await the king\u2019s daughter, but he felt even more overcome\nwith weariness than on the two previous days, and throwing himself down,\nhe slept like a log. At two o\u2019clock the raven could be seen approaching,\nand this time her coachman and everything about her, as well as her\nhorses, were black.\n\nShe was sadder than ever as she drove along, and said mournfully, \u2018I\nknow he has fallen asleep, and will not be able to set me free.\u2019 She\nfound him sleeping heavily, and all her efforts to awaken him were of no\navail. Then she placed beside him a loaf, and some meat, and a flask\nof wine, of such a kind, that however much he took of them, they would\nnever grow less. After that she drew a gold ring, on which her name was\nengraved, off her finger, and put it upon one of his. Finally, she laid\na letter near him, in which, after giving him particulars of the food\nand drink she had left for him, she finished with the following words:\n\u2018I see that as long as you remain here you will never be able to set me\nfree; if, however, you still wish to do so, come to the golden castle\nof Stromberg; this is well within your power to accomplish.\u2019 She then\nreturned to her carriage and drove to the golden castle of Stromberg.\n\nWhen the man awoke and found that he had been sleeping, he was grieved\nat heart, and said, \u2018She has no doubt been here and driven away again,\nand it is now too late for me to save her.\u2019 Then his eyes fell on the\nthings which were lying beside him; he read the letter, and knew from it\nall that had happened. He rose up without delay, eager to start on his\nway and to reach the castle of Stromberg, but he had no idea in which\ndirection he ought to go. He travelled about a long time in search of it\nand came at last to a dark forest, through which he went on walking for\nfourteen days and still could not find a way out. Once more the night\ncame on, and worn out he lay down under a bush and fell asleep. Again\nthe next day he pursued his way through the forest, and that evening,\nthinking to rest again, he lay down as before, but he heard such a\nhowling and wailing that he found it impossible to sleep. He waited till\nit was darker and people had begun to light up their houses, and then\nseeing a little glimmer ahead of him, he went towards it.\n\nHe found that the light came from a house which looked smaller than\nit really was, from the contrast of its height with that of an immense\ngiant who stood in front of it. He thought to himself, \u2018If the giant\nsees me going in, my life will not be worth much.\u2019 However, after a\nwhile he summoned up courage and went forward. When the giant saw him,\nhe called out, \u2018It is lucky for that you have come, for I have not had\nanything to eat for a long time. I can have you now for my supper.\u2019 \u2018I\nwould rather you let that alone,\u2019 said the man, \u2018for I do not willingly\ngive myself up to be eaten; if you are wanting food I have enough to\nsatisfy your hunger.\u2019 \u2018If that is so,\u2019 replied the giant, \u2018I will leave\nyou in peace; I only thought of eating you because I had nothing else.\u2019\n\nSo they went indoors together and sat down, and the man brought out the\nbread, meat, and wine, which although he had eaten and drunk of them,\nwere still unconsumed. The giant was pleased with the good cheer, and\nate and drank to his heart\u2019s content. When he had finished his supper\nthe man asked him if he could direct him to the castle of Stromberg.\nThe giant said, \u2018I will look on my map; on it are marked all the towns,\nvillages, and houses.\u2019 So he fetched his map, and looked for the castle,\nbut could not find it. \u2018Never mind,\u2019 he said, \u2018I have larger maps\nupstairs in the cupboard, we will look on those,\u2019 but they searched in\nvain, for the castle was not marked even on these. The man now thought\nhe should like to continue his journey, but the giant begged him to\nremain for a day or two longer until the return of his brother, who was\naway in search of provisions. When the brother came home, they asked him\nabout the castle of Stromberg, and he told them he would look on his own\nmaps as soon as he had eaten and appeased his hunger. Accordingly, when\nhe had finished his supper, they all went up together to his room and\nlooked through his maps, but the castle was not to be found. Then he\nfetched other older maps, and they went on looking for the castle until\nat last they found it, but it was many thousand miles away. \u2018How shall I\nbe able to get there?\u2019 asked the man. \u2018I have two hours to spare,\u2019 said\nthe giant, \u2018and I will carry you into the neighbourhood of the castle; I\nmust then return to look after the child who is in our care.\u2019\n\nThe giant, thereupon, carried the man to within about a hundred leagues\nof the castle, where he left him, saying, \u2018You will be able to walk the\nremainder of the way yourself.\u2019 The man journeyed on day and night\ntill he reached the golden castle of Stromberg. He found it situated,\nhowever, on a glass mountain, and looking up from the foot he saw the\nenchanted maiden drive round her castle and then go inside. He was\noverjoyed to see her, and longed to get to the top of the mountain, but\nthe sides were so slippery that every time he attempted to climb he\nfell back again. When he saw that it was impossible to reach her, he was\ngreatly grieved, and said to himself, \u2018I will remain here and wait for\nher,\u2019 so he built himself a little hut, and there he sat and watched for\na whole year, and every day he saw the king\u2019s daughter driving round her\ncastle, but still was unable to get nearer to her.\n\nLooking out from his hut one day he saw three robbers fighting and he\ncalled out to them, \u2018God be with you.\u2019 They stopped when they heard the\ncall, but looking round and seeing nobody, they went on again with their\nfighting, which now became more furious. \u2018God be with you,\u2019 he cried\nagain, and again they paused and looked about, but seeing no one went\nback to their fighting. A third time he called out, \u2018God be with you,\u2019\nand then thinking he should like to know the cause of dispute between\nthe three men, he went out and asked them why they were fighting so\nangrily with one another. One of them said that he had found a stick,\nand that he had but to strike it against any door through which he\nwished to pass, and it immediately flew open. Another told him that he\nhad found a cloak which rendered its wearer invisible; and the third had\ncaught a horse which would carry its rider over any obstacle, and even\nup the glass mountain. They had been unable to decide whether they\nwould keep together and have the things in common, or whether they would\nseparate. On hearing this, the man said, \u2018I will give you something in\nexchange for those three things; not money, for that I have not got,\nbut something that is of far more value. I must first, however, prove\nwhether all you have told me about your three things is true.\u2019 The\nrobbers, therefore, made him get on the horse, and handed him the stick\nand the cloak, and when he had put this round him he was no longer\nvisible. Then he fell upon them with the stick and beat them one after\nanother, crying, \u2018There, you idle vagabonds, you have got what you\ndeserve; are you satisfied now!\u2019\n\nAfter this he rode up the glass mountain. When he reached the gate of\nthe castle, he found it closed, but he gave it a blow with his stick,\nand it flew wide open at once and he passed through. He mounted the\nsteps and entered the room where the maiden was sitting, with a golden\ngoblet full of wine in front of her. She could not see him for he still\nwore his cloak. He took the ring which she had given him off his finger,\nand threw it into the goblet, so that it rang as it touched the bottom.\n\u2018That is my own ring,\u2019 she exclaimed, \u2018and if that is so the man must\nalso be here who is coming to set me free.\u2019\n\nShe sought for him about the castle, but could find him nowhere.\nMeanwhile he had gone outside again and mounted his horse and thrown off\nthe cloak. When therefore she came to the castle gate she saw him, and\ncried aloud for joy. Then he dismounted and took her in his arms; and\nshe kissed him, and said, \u2018Now you have indeed set me free, and tomorrow\nwe will celebrate our marriage.\u2019\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN GOOSE\n\n\nThere was a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called\nDummling,[*] and was despised, mocked, and sneered at on every occasion.\n\n     [*] Simpleton\n\nIt happened that the eldest wanted to go into the forest to hew wood,\nand before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a\nbottle of wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.\n\nWhen he entered the forest he met a little grey-haired old man who bade\nhim good day, and said: \u2018Do give me a piece of cake out of your pocket,\nand let me have a draught of your wine; I am so hungry and thirsty.\u2019 But\nthe clever son answered: \u2018If I give you my cake and wine, I shall have\nnone for myself; be off with you,\u2019 and he left the little man standing\nand went on.\n\nBut when he began to hew down a tree, it was not long before he made a\nfalse stroke, and the axe cut him in the arm, so that he had to go home\nand have it bound up. And this was the little grey man\u2019s doing.\n\nAfter this the second son went into the forest, and his mother gave him,\nlike the eldest, a cake and a bottle of wine. The little old grey man\nmet him likewise, and asked him for a piece of cake and a drink of wine.\nBut the second son, too, said sensibly enough: \u2018What I give you will be\ntaken away from myself; be off!\u2019 and he left the little man standing and\nwent on. His punishment, however, was not delayed; when he had made a\nfew blows at the tree he struck himself in the leg, so that he had to be\ncarried home.\n\nThen Dummling said: \u2018Father, do let me go and cut wood.\u2019 The father\nanswered: \u2018Your brothers have hurt themselves with it, leave it alone,\nyou do not understand anything about it.\u2019 But Dummling begged so long\nthat at last he said: \u2018Just go then, you will get wiser by hurting\nyourself.\u2019 His mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the\ncinders, and with it a bottle of sour beer.\n\nWhen he came to the forest the little old grey man met him likewise,\nand greeting him, said: \u2018Give me a piece of your cake and a drink out\nof your bottle; I am so hungry and thirsty.\u2019 Dummling answered: \u2018I have\nonly cinder-cake and sour beer; if that pleases you, we will sit\ndown and eat.\u2019 So they sat down, and when Dummling pulled out his\ncinder-cake, it was a fine sweet cake, and the sour beer had become good\nwine. So they ate and drank, and after that the little man said: \u2018Since\nyou have a good heart, and are willing to divide what you have, I will\ngive you good luck. There stands an old tree, cut it down, and you will\nfind something at the roots.\u2019 Then the little man took leave of him.\n\nDummling went and cut down the tree, and when it fell there was a goose\nsitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold. He lifted her up, and\ntaking her with him, went to an inn where he thought he would stay the\nnight. Now the host had three daughters, who saw the goose and were\ncurious to know what such a wonderful bird might be, and would have\nliked to have one of its golden feathers.\n\nThe eldest thought: \u2018I shall soon find an opportunity of pulling out a\nfeather,\u2019 and as soon as Dummling had gone out she seized the goose by\nthe wing, but her finger and hand remained sticking fast to it.\n\nThe second came soon afterwards, thinking only of how she might get a\nfeather for herself, but she had scarcely touched her sister than she\nwas held fast.\n\nAt last the third also came with the like intent, and the others\nscreamed out: \u2018Keep away; for goodness\u2019 sake keep away!\u2019 But she did\nnot understand why she was to keep away. \u2018The others are there,\u2019 she\nthought, \u2018I may as well be there too,\u2019 and ran to them; but as soon as\nshe had touched her sister, she remained sticking fast to her. So they\nhad to spend the night with the goose.\n\nThe next morning Dummling took the goose under his arm and set out,\nwithout troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to\nit. They were obliged to run after him continually, now left, now right,\nwherever his legs took him.\n\nIn the middle of the fields the parson met them, and when he saw the\nprocession he said: \u2018For shame, you good-for-nothing girls, why are you\nrunning across the fields after this young man? Is that seemly?\u2019 At the\nsame time he seized the youngest by the hand in order to pull her away,\nbut as soon as he touched her he likewise stuck fast, and was himself\nobliged to run behind.\n\nBefore long the sexton came by and saw his master, the parson, running\nbehind three girls. He was astonished at this and called out: \u2018Hi!\nyour reverence, whither away so quickly? Do not forget that we have a\nchristening today!\u2019 and running after him he took him by the sleeve, but\nwas also held fast to it.\n\nWhilst the five were trotting thus one behind the other, two labourers\ncame with their hoes from the fields; the parson called out to them\nand begged that they would set him and the sexton free. But they had\nscarcely touched the sexton when they were held fast, and now there were\nseven of them running behind Dummling and the goose.\n\nSoon afterwards he came to a city, where a king ruled who had a daughter\nwho was so serious that no one could make her laugh. So he had put forth\na decree that whosoever should be able to make her laugh should marry\nher. When Dummling heard this, he went with his goose and all her train\nbefore the king\u2019s daughter, and as soon as she saw the seven people\nrunning on and on, one behind the other, she began to laugh quite\nloudly, and as if she would never stop. Thereupon Dummling asked to have\nher for his wife; but the king did not like the son-in-law, and made all\nmanner of excuses and said he must first produce a man who could drink\na cellarful of wine. Dummling thought of the little grey man, who could\ncertainly help him; so he went into the forest, and in the same place\nwhere he had felled the tree, he saw a man sitting, who had a very\nsorrowful face. Dummling asked him what he was taking to heart so\nsorely, and he answered: \u2018I have such a great thirst and cannot quench\nit; cold water I cannot stand, a barrel of wine I have just emptied, but\nthat to me is like a drop on a hot stone!\u2019\n\n\u2018There, I can help you,\u2019 said Dummling, \u2018just come with me and you shall\nbe satisfied.\u2019\n\nHe led him into the king\u2019s cellar, and the man bent over the huge\nbarrels, and drank and drank till his loins hurt, and before the day was\nout he had emptied all the barrels. Then Dummling asked once more\nfor his bride, but the king was vexed that such an ugly fellow, whom\neveryone called Dummling, should take away his daughter, and he made a\nnew condition; he must first find a man who could eat a whole mountain\nof bread. Dummling did not think long, but went straight into the\nforest, where in the same place there sat a man who was tying up his\nbody with a strap, and making an awful face, and saying: \u2018I have eaten a\nwhole ovenful of rolls, but what good is that when one has such a hunger\nas I? My stomach remains empty, and I must tie myself up if I am not to\ndie of hunger.\u2019\n\nAt this Dummling was glad, and said: \u2018Get up and come with me; you shall\neat yourself full.\u2019 He led him to the king\u2019s palace where all the\nflour in the whole Kingdom was collected, and from it he caused a huge\nmountain of bread to be baked. The man from the forest stood before it,\nbegan to eat, and by the end of one day the whole mountain had vanished.\nThen Dummling for the third time asked for his bride; but the king again\nsought a way out, and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on\nwater. \u2018As soon as you come sailing back in it,\u2019 said he, \u2018you shall\nhave my daughter for wife.\u2019\n\nDummling went straight into the forest, and there sat the little grey\nman to whom he had given his cake. When he heard what Dummling wanted,\nhe said: \u2018Since you have given me to eat and to drink, I will give you\nthe ship; and I do all this because you once were kind to me.\u2019 Then he\ngave him the ship which could sail on land and water, and when the king\nsaw that, he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter. The\nwedding was celebrated, and after the king\u2019s death, Dummling inherited\nhis kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WATER OF LIFE\n\n\nLong before you or I were born, there reigned, in a country a great way\noff, a king who had three sons. This king once fell very ill--so ill\nthat nobody thought he could live. His sons were very much grieved\nat their father\u2019s sickness; and as they were walking together very\nmournfully in the garden of the palace, a little old man met them and\nasked what was the matter. They told him that their father was very ill,\nand that they were afraid nothing could save him. \u2018I know what would,\u2019\nsaid the little old man; \u2018it is the Water of Life. If he could have a\ndraught of it he would be well again; but it is very hard to get.\u2019 Then\nthe eldest son said, \u2018I will soon find it\u2019: and he went to the sick\nking, and begged that he might go in search of the Water of Life, as\nit was the only thing that could save him. \u2018No,\u2019 said the king. \u2018I had\nrather die than place you in such great danger as you must meet with in\nyour journey.\u2019 But he begged so hard that the king let him go; and the\nprince thought to himself, \u2018If I bring my father this water, he will\nmake me sole heir to his kingdom.\u2019\n\nThen he set out: and when he had gone on his way some time he came to a\ndeep valley, overhung with rocks and woods; and as he looked around, he\nsaw standing above him on one of the rocks a little ugly dwarf, with a\nsugarloaf cap and a scarlet cloak; and the dwarf called to him and said,\n\u2018Prince, whither so fast?\u2019 \u2018What is that to thee, you ugly imp?\u2019 said\nthe prince haughtily, and rode on.\n\nBut the dwarf was enraged at his behaviour, and laid a fairy spell\nof ill-luck upon him; so that as he rode on the mountain pass became\nnarrower and narrower, and at last the way was so straitened that he\ncould not go to step forward: and when he thought to have turned his\nhorse round and go back the way he came, he heard a loud laugh ringing\nround him, and found that the path was closed behind him, so that he was\nshut in all round. He next tried to get off his horse and make his way\non foot, but again the laugh rang in his ears, and he found himself\nunable to move a step, and thus he was forced to abide spellbound.\n\nMeantime the old king was lingering on in daily hope of his son\u2019s\nreturn, till at last the second son said, \u2018Father, I will go in search\nof the Water of Life.\u2019 For he thought to himself, \u2018My brother is surely\ndead, and the kingdom will fall to me if I find the water.\u2019 The king was\nat first very unwilling to let him go, but at last yielded to his wish.\nSo he set out and followed the same road which his brother had done,\nand met with the same elf, who stopped him at the same spot in the\nmountains, saying, as before, \u2018Prince, prince, whither so fast?\u2019 \u2018Mind\nyour own affairs, busybody!\u2019 said the prince scornfully, and rode on.\n\nBut the dwarf put the same spell upon him as he put on his elder\nbrother, and he, too, was at last obliged to take up his abode in the\nheart of the mountains. Thus it is with proud silly people, who think\nthemselves above everyone else, and are too proud to ask or take advice.\n\nWhen the second prince had thus been gone a long time, the youngest son\nsaid he would go and search for the Water of Life, and trusted he should\nsoon be able to make his father well again. So he set out, and the dwarf\nmet him too at the same spot in the valley, among the mountains, and\nsaid, \u2018Prince, whither so fast?\u2019 And the prince said, \u2018I am going in\nsearch of the Water of Life, because my father is ill, and like to die:\ncan you help me? Pray be kind, and aid me if you can!\u2019 \u2018Do you know\nwhere it is to be found?\u2019 asked the dwarf. \u2018No,\u2019 said the prince, \u2018I do\nnot. Pray tell me if you know.\u2019 \u2018Then as you have spoken to me kindly,\nand are wise enough to seek for advice, I will tell you how and where to\ngo. The water you seek springs from a well in an enchanted castle; and,\nthat you may be able to reach it in safety, I will give you an iron wand\nand two little loaves of bread; strike the iron door of the castle three\ntimes with the wand, and it will open: two hungry lions will be lying\ndown inside gaping for their prey, but if you throw them the bread they\nwill let you pass; then hasten on to the well, and take some of the\nWater of Life before the clock strikes twelve; for if you tarry longer\nthe door will shut upon you for ever.\u2019\n\nThen the prince thanked his little friend with the scarlet cloak for his\nfriendly aid, and took the wand and the bread, and went travelling on\nand on, over sea and over land, till he came to his journey\u2019s end, and\nfound everything to be as the dwarf had told him. The door flew open at\nthe third stroke of the wand, and when the lions were quieted he went on\nthrough the castle and came at length to a beautiful hall. Around it he\nsaw several knights sitting in a trance; then he pulled off their rings\nand put them on his own fingers. In another room he saw on a table a\nsword and a loaf of bread, which he also took. Further on he came to a\nroom where a beautiful young lady sat upon a couch; and she welcomed him\njoyfully, and said, if he would set her free from the spell that bound\nher, the kingdom should be his, if he would come back in a year and\nmarry her. Then she told him that the well that held the Water of Life\nwas in the palace gardens; and bade him make haste, and draw what he\nwanted before the clock struck twelve.\n\nHe walked on; and as he walked through beautiful gardens he came to a\ndelightful shady spot in which stood a couch; and he thought to himself,\nas he felt tired, that he would rest himself for a while, and gaze on\nthe lovely scenes around him. So he laid himself down, and sleep\nfell upon him unawares, so that he did not wake up till the clock was\nstriking a quarter to twelve. Then he sprang from the couch dreadfully\nfrightened, ran to the well, filled a cup that was standing by him full\nof water, and hastened to get away in time. Just as he was going out of\nthe iron door it struck twelve, and the door fell so quickly upon him\nthat it snapped off a piece of his heel.\n\nWhen he found himself safe, he was overjoyed to think that he had got\nthe Water of Life; and as he was going on his way homewards, he passed\nby the little dwarf, who, when he saw the sword and the loaf, said, \u2018You\nhave made a noble prize; with the sword you can at a blow slay whole\narmies, and the bread will never fail you.\u2019 Then the prince thought\nto himself, \u2018I cannot go home to my father without my brothers\u2019; so he\nsaid, \u2018My dear friend, cannot you tell me where my two brothers are, who\nset out in search of the Water of Life before me, and never came back?\u2019\n\u2018I have shut them up by a charm between two mountains,\u2019 said the dwarf,\n\u2018because they were proud and ill-behaved, and scorned to ask advice.\u2019\nThe prince begged so hard for his brothers, that the dwarf at last set\nthem free, though unwillingly, saying, \u2018Beware of them, for they have\nbad hearts.\u2019 Their brother, however, was greatly rejoiced to see them,\nand told them all that had happened to him; how he had found the Water\nof Life, and had taken a cup full of it; and how he had set a beautiful\nprincess free from a spell that bound her; and how she had engaged to\nwait a whole year, and then to marry him, and to give him the kingdom.\n\nThen they all three rode on together, and on their way home came to a\ncountry that was laid waste by war and a dreadful famine, so that it was\nfeared all must die for want. But the prince gave the king of the land\nthe bread, and all his kingdom ate of it. And he lent the king the\nwonderful sword, and he slew the enemy\u2019s army with it; and thus the\nkingdom was once more in peace and plenty. In the same manner he\nbefriended two other countries through which they passed on their way.\n\nWhen they came to the sea, they got into a ship and during their voyage\nthe two eldest said to themselves, \u2018Our brother has got the water which\nwe could not find, therefore our father will forsake us and give him the\nkingdom, which is our right\u2019; so they were full of envy and revenge, and\nagreed together how they could ruin him. Then they waited till he was\nfast asleep, and poured the Water of Life out of the cup, and took it\nfor themselves, giving him bitter sea-water instead.\n\nWhen they came to their journey\u2019s end, the youngest son brought his cup\nto the sick king, that he might drink and be healed. Scarcely, however,\nhad he tasted the bitter sea-water when he became worse even than he was\nbefore; and then both the elder sons came in, and blamed the youngest\nfor what they had done; and said that he wanted to poison their father,\nbut that they had found the Water of Life, and had brought it with them.\nHe no sooner began to drink of what they brought him, than he felt his\nsickness leave him, and was as strong and well as in his younger days.\nThen they went to their brother, and laughed at him, and said, \u2018Well,\nbrother, you found the Water of Life, did you? You have had the trouble\nand we shall have the reward. Pray, with all your cleverness, why did\nnot you manage to keep your eyes open? Next year one of us will take\naway your beautiful princess, if you do not take care. You had better\nsay nothing about this to our father, for he does not believe a word you\nsay; and if you tell tales, you shall lose your life into the bargain:\nbut be quiet, and we will let you off.\u2019\n\nThe old king was still very angry with his youngest son, and thought\nthat he really meant to have taken away his life; so he called his court\ntogether, and asked what should be done, and all agreed that he ought to\nbe put to death. The prince knew nothing of what was going on, till one\nday, when the king\u2019s chief huntsmen went a-hunting with him, and they\nwere alone in the wood together, the huntsman looked so sorrowful that\nthe prince said, \u2018My friend, what is the matter with you?\u2019 \u2018I cannot and\ndare not tell you,\u2019 said he. But the prince begged very hard, and said,\n\u2018Only tell me what it is, and do not think I shall be angry, for I will\nforgive you.\u2019 \u2018Alas!\u2019 said the huntsman; \u2018the king has ordered me to\nshoot you.\u2019 The prince started at this, and said, \u2018Let me live, and I\nwill change dresses with you; you shall take my royal coat to show to my\nfather, and do you give me your shabby one.\u2019 \u2018With all my heart,\u2019 said\nthe huntsman; \u2018I am sure I shall be glad to save you, for I could not\nhave shot you.\u2019 Then he took the prince\u2019s coat, and gave him the shabby\none, and went away through the wood.\n\nSome time after, three grand embassies came to the old king\u2019s court,\nwith rich gifts of gold and precious stones for his youngest son; now\nall these were sent from the three kings to whom he had lent his sword\nand loaf of bread, in order to rid them of their enemy and feed their\npeople. This touched the old king\u2019s heart, and he thought his son might\nstill be guiltless, and said to his court, \u2018O that my son were still\nalive! how it grieves me that I had him killed!\u2019 \u2018He is still alive,\u2019\nsaid the huntsman; \u2018and I am glad that I had pity on him, but let him\ngo in peace, and brought home his royal coat.\u2019 At this the king was\noverwhelmed with joy, and made it known throughout all his kingdom, that\nif his son would come back to his court he would forgive him.\n\nMeanwhile the princess was eagerly waiting till her deliverer should\ncome back; and had a road made leading up to her palace all of shining\ngold; and told her courtiers that whoever came on horseback, and rode\nstraight up to the gate upon it, was her true lover; and that they must\nlet him in: but whoever rode on one side of it, they must be sure was\nnot the right one; and that they must send him away at once.\n\nThe time soon came, when the eldest brother thought that he would make\nhaste to go to the princess, and say that he was the one who had set\nher free, and that he should have her for his wife, and the kingdom with\nher. As he came before the palace and saw the golden road, he stopped to\nlook at it, and he thought to himself, \u2018It is a pity to ride upon this\nbeautiful road\u2019; so he turned aside and rode on the right-hand side of\nit. But when he came to the gate, the guards, who had seen the road\nhe took, said to him, he could not be what he said he was, and must go\nabout his business.\n\nThe second prince set out soon afterwards on the same errand; and when\nhe came to the golden road, and his horse had set one foot upon it,\nhe stopped to look at it, and thought it very beautiful, and said to\nhimself, \u2018What a pity it is that anything should tread here!\u2019 Then he\ntoo turned aside and rode on the left side of it. But when he came to\nthe gate the guards said he was not the true prince, and that he too\nmust go away about his business; and away he went.\n\nNow when the full year was come round, the third brother left the forest\nin which he had lain hid for fear of his father\u2019s anger, and set out in\nsearch of his betrothed bride. So he journeyed on, thinking of her all\nthe way, and rode so quickly that he did not even see what the road was\nmade of, but went with his horse straight over it; and as he came to the\ngate it flew open, and the princess welcomed him with joy, and said\nhe was her deliverer, and should now be her husband and lord of the\nkingdom. When the first joy at their meeting was over, the princess told\nhim she had heard of his father having forgiven him, and of his wish to\nhave him home again: so, before his wedding with the princess, he went\nto visit his father, taking her with him. Then he told him everything;\nhow his brothers had cheated and robbed him, and yet that he had borne\nall those wrongs for the love of his father. And the old king was very\nangry, and wanted to punish his wicked sons; but they made their escape,\nand got into a ship and sailed away over the wide sea, and where they\nwent to nobody knew and nobody cared.\n\nAnd now the old king gathered together his court, and asked all his\nkingdom to come and celebrate the wedding of his son and the princess.\nAnd young and old, noble and squire, gentle and simple, came at once\non the summons; and among the rest came the friendly dwarf, with the\nsugarloaf hat, and a new scarlet cloak.\n\n  And the wedding was held, and the merry bells run.\n  And all the good people they danced and they sung,\n  And feasted and frolick\u2019d I can\u2019t tell how long.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWELVE HUNTSMEN\n\n\nThere was once a king\u2019s son who had a bride whom he loved very much. And\nwhen he was sitting beside her and very happy, news came that his father\nlay sick unto death, and desired to see him once again before his end.\nThen he said to his beloved: \u2018I must now go and leave you, I give you\na ring as a remembrance of me. When I am king, I will return and fetch\nyou.\u2019 So he rode away, and when he reached his father, the latter was\ndangerously ill, and near his death. He said to him: \u2018Dear son, I wished\nto see you once again before my end, promise me to marry as I wish,\u2019 and\nhe named a certain king\u2019s daughter who was to be his wife. The son was\nin such trouble that he did not think what he was doing, and said: \u2018Yes,\ndear father, your will shall be done,\u2019 and thereupon the king shut his\neyes, and died.\n\nWhen therefore the son had been proclaimed king, and the time of\nmourning was over, he was forced to keep the promise which he had given\nhis father, and caused the king\u2019s daughter to be asked in marriage, and\nshe was promised to him. His first betrothed heard of this, and fretted\nso much about his faithfulness that she nearly died. Then her father\nsaid to her: \u2018Dearest child, why are you so sad? You shall have\nwhatsoever you will.\u2019 She thought for a moment and said: \u2018Dear father,\nI wish for eleven girls exactly like myself in face, figure, and size.\u2019\nThe father said: \u2018If it be possible, your desire shall be fulfilled,\u2019\nand he caused a search to be made in his whole kingdom, until eleven\nyoung maidens were found who exactly resembled his daughter in face,\nfigure, and size.\n\nWhen they came to the king\u2019s daughter, she had twelve suits of\nhuntsmen\u2019s clothes made, all alike, and the eleven maidens had to put\non the huntsmen\u2019s clothes, and she herself put on the twelfth suit.\nThereupon she took her leave of her father, and rode away with them,\nand rode to the court of her former betrothed, whom she loved so dearly.\nThen she asked if he required any huntsmen, and if he would take all of\nthem into his service. The king looked at her and did not know her, but\nas they were such handsome fellows, he said: \u2018Yes,\u2019 and that he would\nwillingly take them, and now they were the king\u2019s twelve huntsmen.\n\nThe king, however, had a lion which was a wondrous animal, for he knew\nall concealed and secret things. It came to pass that one evening he\nsaid to the king: \u2018You think you have twelve huntsmen?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said the\nking, \u2018they are twelve huntsmen.\u2019 The lion continued: \u2018You are mistaken,\nthey are twelve girls.\u2019 The king said: \u2018That cannot be true! How\nwill you prove that to me?\u2019 \u2018Oh, just let some peas be strewn in the\nante-chamber,\u2019 answered the lion, \u2018and then you will soon see. Men have\na firm step, and when they walk over peas none of them stir, but girls\ntrip and skip, and drag their feet, and the peas roll about.\u2019 The king\nwas well pleased with the counsel, and caused the peas to be strewn.\n\nThere was, however, a servant of the king\u2019s who favoured the huntsmen,\nand when he heard that they were going to be put to this test he went to\nthem and repeated everything, and said: \u2018The lion wants to make the king\nbelieve that you are girls.\u2019 Then the king\u2019s daughter thanked him, and\nsaid to her maidens: \u2018Show some strength, and step firmly on the peas.\u2019\nSo next morning when the king had the twelve huntsmen called before\nhim, and they came into the ante-chamber where the peas were lying, they\nstepped so firmly on them, and had such a strong, sure walk, that not\none of the peas either rolled or stirred. Then they went away again,\nand the king said to the lion: \u2018You have lied to me, they walk just like\nmen.\u2019 The lion said: \u2018They have been informed that they were going to\nbe put to the test, and have assumed some strength. Just let twelve\nspinning-wheels be brought into the ante-chamber, and they will go to\nthem and be pleased with them, and that is what no man would do.\u2019\nThe king liked the advice, and had the spinning-wheels placed in the\nante-chamber.\n\nBut the servant, who was well disposed to the huntsmen, went to them,\nand disclosed the project. So when they were alone the king\u2019s daughter\nsaid to her eleven girls: \u2018Show some constraint, and do not look round\nat the spinning-wheels.\u2019 And next morning when the king had his twelve\nhuntsmen summoned, they went through the ante-chamber, and never once\nlooked at the spinning-wheels. Then the king again said to the lion:\n\u2018You have deceived me, they are men, for they have not looked at the\nspinning-wheels.\u2019 The lion replied: \u2018They have restrained themselves.\u2019\nThe king, however, would no longer believe the lion.\n\nThe twelve huntsmen always followed the king to the chase, and his\nliking for them continually increased. Now it came to pass that\nonce when they were out hunting, news came that the king\u2019s bride was\napproaching. When the true bride heard that, it hurt her so much that\nher heart was almost broken, and she fell fainting to the ground. The\nking thought something had happened to his dear huntsman, ran up to him,\nwanted to help him, and drew his glove off. Then he saw the ring which\nhe had given to his first bride, and when he looked in her face he\nrecognized her. Then his heart was so touched that he kissed her, and\nwhen she opened her eyes he said: \u2018You are mine, and I am yours, and\nno one in the world can alter that.\u2019 He sent a messenger to the other\nbride, and entreated her to return to her own kingdom, for he had a wife\nalready, and someone who had just found an old key did not require a new\none. Thereupon the wedding was celebrated, and the lion was again taken\ninto favour, because, after all, he had told the truth.\n\n\n\n\nTHE KING OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN\n\n\nThere was once a merchant who had only one child, a son, that was very\nyoung, and barely able to run alone. He had two richly laden ships then\nmaking a voyage upon the seas, in which he had embarked all his wealth,\nin the hope of making great gains, when the news came that both were\nlost. Thus from being a rich man he became all at once so very poor that\nnothing was left to him but one small plot of land; and there he often\nwent in an evening to take his walk, and ease his mind of a little of\nhis trouble.\n\nOne day, as he was roaming along in a brown study, thinking with no\ngreat comfort on what he had been and what he now was, and was like\nto be, all on a sudden there stood before him a little, rough-looking,\nblack dwarf. \u2018Prithee, friend, why so sorrowful?\u2019 said he to the\nmerchant; \u2018what is it you take so deeply to heart?\u2019 \u2018If you would do me\nany good I would willingly tell you,\u2019 said the merchant. \u2018Who knows but\nI may?\u2019 said the little man: \u2018tell me what ails you, and perhaps you\nwill find I may be of some use.\u2019 Then the merchant told him how all his\nwealth was gone to the bottom of the sea, and how he had nothing left\nbut that little plot of land. \u2018Oh, trouble not yourself about that,\u2019\nsaid the dwarf; \u2018only undertake to bring me here, twelve years hence,\nwhatever meets you first on your going home, and I will give you as much\nas you please.\u2019 The merchant thought this was no great thing to ask;\nthat it would most likely be his dog or his cat, or something of that\nsort, but forgot his little boy Heinel; so he agreed to the bargain, and\nsigned and sealed the bond to do what was asked of him.\n\nBut as he drew near home, his little boy was so glad to see him that he\ncrept behind him, and laid fast hold of his legs, and looked up in\nhis face and laughed. Then the father started, trembling with fear and\nhorror, and saw what it was that he had bound himself to do; but as no\ngold was come, he made himself easy by thinking that it was only a joke\nthat the dwarf was playing him, and that, at any rate, when the money\ncame, he should see the bearer, and would not take it in.\n\nAbout a month afterwards he went upstairs into a lumber-room to look\nfor some old iron, that he might sell it and raise a little money; and\nthere, instead of his iron, he saw a large pile of gold lying on the\nfloor. At the sight of this he was overjoyed, and forgetting all about\nhis son, went into trade again, and became a richer merchant than\nbefore.\n\nMeantime little Heinel grew up, and as the end of the twelve years drew\nnear the merchant began to call to mind his bond, and became very sad\nand thoughtful; so that care and sorrow were written upon his face. The\nboy one day asked what was the matter, but his father would not tell for\nsome time; at last, however, he said that he had, without knowing it,\nsold him for gold to a little, ugly-looking, black dwarf, and that the\ntwelve years were coming round when he must keep his word. Then Heinel\nsaid, \u2018Father, give yourself very little trouble about that; I shall be\ntoo much for the little man.\u2019\n\nWhen the time came, the father and son went out together to the place\nagreed upon: and the son drew a circle on the ground, and set himself\nand his father in the middle of it. The little black dwarf soon came,\nand walked round and round about the circle, but could not find any way\nto get into it, and he either could not, or dared not, jump over it. At\nlast the boy said to him. \u2018Have you anything to say to us, my friend, or\nwhat do you want?\u2019 Now Heinel had found a friend in a good fairy, that\nwas fond of him, and had told him what to do; for this fairy knew what\ngood luck was in store for him. \u2018Have you brought me what you said you\nwould?\u2019 said the dwarf to the merchant. The old man held his tongue, but\nHeinel said again, \u2018What do you want here?\u2019 The dwarf said, \u2018I come to\ntalk with your father, not with you.\u2019 \u2018You have cheated and taken in my\nfather,\u2019 said the son; \u2018pray give him up his bond at once.\u2019 \u2018Fair and\nsoftly,\u2019 said the little old man; \u2018right is right; I have paid my money,\nand your father has had it, and spent it; so be so good as to let me\nhave what I paid it for.\u2019 \u2018You must have my consent to that first,\u2019 said\nHeinel, \u2018so please to step in here, and let us talk it over.\u2019 The old\nman grinned, and showed his teeth, as if he should have been very glad\nto get into the circle if he could. Then at last, after a long talk,\nthey came to terms. Heinel agreed that his father must give him up, and\nthat so far the dwarf should have his way: but, on the other hand, the\nfairy had told Heinel what fortune was in store for him, if he followed\nhis own course; and he did not choose to be given up to his hump-backed\nfriend, who seemed so anxious for his company.\n\nSo, to make a sort of drawn battle of the matter, it was settled that\nHeinel should be put into an open boat, that lay on the sea-shore hard\nby; that the father should push him off with his own hand, and that he\nshould thus be set adrift, and left to the bad or good luck of wind and\nweather. Then he took leave of his father, and set himself in the boat,\nbut before it got far off a wave struck it, and it fell with one side\nlow in the water, so the merchant thought that poor Heinel was lost, and\nwent home very sorrowful, while the dwarf went his way, thinking that at\nany rate he had had his revenge.\n\nThe boat, however, did not sink, for the good fairy took care of her\nfriend, and soon raised the boat up again, and it went safely on. The\nyoung man sat safe within, till at length it ran ashore upon an unknown\nland. As he jumped upon the shore he saw before him a beautiful castle\nbut empty and dreary within, for it was enchanted. \u2018Here,\u2019 said he to\nhimself, \u2018must I find the prize the good fairy told me of.\u2019 So he once\nmore searched the whole palace through, till at last he found a white\nsnake, lying coiled up on a cushion in one of the chambers.\n\nNow the white snake was an enchanted princess; and she was very glad\nto see him, and said, \u2018Are you at last come to set me free? Twelve\nlong years have I waited here for the fairy to bring you hither as she\npromised, for you alone can save me. This night twelve men will come:\ntheir faces will be black, and they will be dressed in chain armour.\nThey will ask what you do here, but give no answer; and let them do\nwhat they will--beat, whip, pinch, prick, or torment you--bear all; only\nspeak not a word, and at twelve o\u2019clock they must go away. The second\nnight twelve others will come: and the third night twenty-four, who\nwill even cut off your head; but at the twelfth hour of that night their\npower is gone, and I shall be free, and will come and bring you the\nWater of Life, and will wash you with it, and bring you back to life\nand health.\u2019 And all came to pass as she had said; Heinel bore all, and\nspoke not a word; and the third night the princess came, and fell on his\nneck and kissed him. Joy and gladness burst forth throughout the castle,\nthe wedding was celebrated, and he was crowned king of the Golden\nMountain.\n\nThey lived together very happily, and the queen had a son. And thus\neight years had passed over their heads, when the king thought of his\nfather; and he began to long to see him once again. But the queen was\nagainst his going, and said, \u2018I know well that misfortunes will come\nupon us if you go.\u2019 However, he gave her no rest till she agreed. At his\ngoing away she gave him a wishing-ring, and said, \u2018Take this ring, and\nput it on your finger; whatever you wish it will bring you; only promise\nnever to make use of it to bring me hence to your father\u2019s house.\u2019 Then\nhe said he would do what she asked, and put the ring on his finger, and\nwished himself near the town where his father lived.\n\nHeinel found himself at the gates in a moment; but the guards would\nnot let him go in, because he was so strangely clad. So he went up to a\nneighbouring hill, where a shepherd dwelt, and borrowed his old frock,\nand thus passed unknown into the town. When he came to his father\u2019s\nhouse, he said he was his son; but the merchant would not believe him,\nand said he had had but one son, his poor Heinel, who he knew was long\nsince dead: and as he was only dressed like a poor shepherd, he would\nnot even give him anything to eat. The king, however, still vowed that\nhe was his son, and said, \u2018Is there no mark by which you would know me\nif I am really your son?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said his mother, \u2018our Heinel had a mark\nlike a raspberry on his right arm.\u2019 Then he showed them the mark, and\nthey knew that what he had said was true.\n\nHe next told them how he was king of the Golden Mountain, and was\nmarried to a princess, and had a son seven years old. But the merchant\nsaid, \u2018that can never be true; he must be a fine king truly who travels\nabout in a shepherd\u2019s frock!\u2019 At this the son was vexed; and forgetting\nhis word, turned his ring, and wished for his queen and son. In an\ninstant they stood before him; but the queen wept, and said he had\nbroken his word, and bad luck would follow. He did all he could to\nsoothe her, and she at last seemed to be appeased; but she was not so in\ntruth, and was only thinking how she should punish him.\n\nOne day he took her to walk with him out of the town, and showed her\nthe spot where the boat was set adrift upon the wide waters. Then he sat\nhimself down, and said, \u2018I am very much tired; sit by me, I will rest my\nhead in your lap, and sleep a while.\u2019 As soon as he had fallen asleep,\nhowever, she drew the ring from his finger, and crept softly away, and\nwished herself and her son at home in their kingdom. And when he awoke\nhe found himself alone, and saw that the ring was gone from his finger.\n\u2018I can never go back to my father\u2019s house,\u2019 said he; \u2018they would say I\nam a sorcerer: I will journey forth into the world, till I come again to\nmy kingdom.\u2019\n\nSo saying he set out and travelled till he came to a hill, where three\ngiants were sharing their father\u2019s goods; and as they saw him pass they\ncried out and said, \u2018Little men have sharp wits; he shall part the goods\nbetween us.\u2019 Now there was a sword that cut off an enemy\u2019s head whenever\nthe wearer gave the words, \u2018Heads off!\u2019; a cloak that made the owner\ninvisible, or gave him any form he pleased; and a pair of boots that\ncarried the wearer wherever he wished. Heinel said they must first let\nhim try these wonderful things, then he might know how to set a value\nupon them. Then they gave him the cloak, and he wished himself a fly,\nand in a moment he was a fly. \u2018The cloak is very well,\u2019 said he: \u2018now\ngive me the sword.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 said they; \u2018not unless you undertake not to\nsay, \u201cHeads off!\u201d for if you do we are all dead men.\u2019 So they gave it\nhim, charging him to try it on a tree. He next asked for the boots also;\nand the moment he had all three in his power, he wished himself at\nthe Golden Mountain; and there he was at once. So the giants were left\nbehind with no goods to share or quarrel about.\n\nAs Heinel came near his castle he heard the sound of merry music; and\nthe people around told him that his queen was about to marry another\nhusband. Then he threw his cloak around him, and passed through the\ncastle hall, and placed himself by the side of the queen, where no one\nsaw him. But when anything to eat was put upon her plate, he took it\naway and ate it himself; and when a glass of wine was handed to her, he\ntook it and drank it; and thus, though they kept on giving her meat and\ndrink, her plate and cup were always empty.\n\nUpon this, fear and remorse came over her, and she went into her chamber\nalone, and sat there weeping; and he followed her there. \u2018Alas!\u2019 said\nshe to herself, \u2018was I not once set free? Why then does this enchantment\nstill seem to bind me?\u2019\n\n\u2018False and fickle one!\u2019 said he. \u2018One indeed came who set thee free, and\nhe is now near thee again; but how have you used him? Ought he to\nhave had such treatment from thee?\u2019 Then he went out and sent away the\ncompany, and said the wedding was at an end, for that he was come back\nto the kingdom. But the princes, peers, and great men mocked at him.\nHowever, he would enter into no parley with them, but only asked them\nif they would go in peace or not. Then they turned upon him and tried\nto seize him; but he drew his sword. \u2018Heads Off!\u2019 cried he; and with the\nword the traitors\u2019 heads fell before him, and Heinel was once more king\nof the Golden Mountain.\n\n\n\n\nDOCTOR KNOWALL\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with\ntwo oxen a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two\ntalers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened that\nthe doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how well he\nate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and would willingly\nhave been a doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and at length\ninquired if he too could not be a doctor. \u2018Oh, yes,\u2019 said the doctor,\n\u2018that is soon managed.\u2019 \u2018What must I do?\u2019 asked the peasant. \u2018In the\nfirst place buy yourself an A B C book of the kind which has a cock on\nthe frontispiece; in the second, turn your cart and your two oxen into\nmoney, and get yourself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains to\nmedicine; thirdly, have a sign painted for yourself with the words: \u201cI\nam Doctor Knowall,\u201d and have that nailed up above your house-door.\u2019 The\npeasant did everything that he had been told to do. When he had doctored\npeople awhile, but not long, a rich and great lord had some money\nstolen. Then he was told about Doctor Knowall who lived in such and such\na village, and must know what had become of the money. So the lord had\nthe horses harnessed to his carriage, drove out to the village, and\nasked Crabb if he were Doctor Knowall. Yes, he was, he said. Then he was\nto go with him and bring back the stolen money. \u2018Oh, yes, but Grete, my\nwife, must go too.\u2019 The lord was willing, and let both of them have a\nseat in the carriage, and they all drove away together. When they came\nto the nobleman\u2019s castle, the table was spread, and Crabb was told to\nsit down and eat. \u2018Yes, but my wife, Grete, too,\u2019 said he, and he seated\nhimself with her at the table. And when the first servant came with a\ndish of delicate fare, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: \u2018Grete,\nthat was the first,\u2019 meaning that was the servant who brought the first\ndish. The servant, however, thought he intended by that to say: \u2018That is\nthe first thief,\u2019 and as he actually was so, he was terrified, and said\nto his comrade outside: \u2018The doctor knows all: we shall fare ill, he\nsaid I was the first.\u2019 The second did not want to go in at all, but was\nforced. So when he went in with his dish, the peasant nudged his wife,\nand said: \u2018Grete, that is the second.\u2019 This servant was equally alarmed,\nand he got out as fast as he could. The third fared no better, for the\npeasant again said: \u2018Grete, that is the third.\u2019 The fourth had to carry\nin a dish that was covered, and the lord told the doctor that he was to\nshow his skill, and guess what was beneath the cover. Actually, there\nwere crabs. The doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to say, and\ncried: \u2018Ah, poor Crabb.\u2019 When the lord heard that, he cried: \u2018There! he\nknows it; he must also know who has the money!\u2019\n\nOn this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the\ndoctor that they wished him to step outside for a moment. When therefore\nhe went out, all four of them confessed to him that they had stolen\nthe money, and said that they would willingly restore it and give him a\nheavy sum into the bargain, if he would not denounce them, for if he\ndid they would be hanged. They led him to the spot where the money was\nconcealed. With this the doctor was satisfied, and returned to the hall,\nsat down to the table, and said: \u2018My lord, now will I search in my book\nwhere the gold is hidden.\u2019 The fifth servant, however, crept into the\nstove to hear if the doctor knew still more. But the doctor sat still\nand opened his A B C book, turned the pages backwards and forwards, and\nlooked for the cock. As he could not find it immediately he said: \u2018I\nknow you are there, so you had better come out!\u2019 Then the fellow in the\nstove thought that the doctor meant him, and full of terror, sprang out,\ncrying: \u2018That man knows everything!\u2019 Then Doctor Knowall showed the lord\nwhere the money was, but did not say who had stolen it, and received\nfrom both sides much money in reward, and became a renowned man.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SEVEN RAVENS\n\n\nThere was once a man who had seven sons, and last of all one daughter.\nAlthough the little girl was very pretty, she was so weak and small that\nthey thought she could not live; but they said she should at once be\nchristened.\n\nSo the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some\nwater, but the other six ran with him. Each wanted to be first at\ndrawing the water, and so they were in such a hurry that all let their\npitchers fall into the well, and they stood very foolishly looking at\none another, and did not know what to do, for none dared go home. In the\nmeantime the father was uneasy, and could not tell what made the\nyoung men stay so long. \u2018Surely,\u2019 said he, \u2018the whole seven must have\nforgotten themselves over some game of play\u2019; and when he had waited\nstill longer and they yet did not come, he flew into a rage and wished\nthem all turned into ravens. Scarcely had he spoken these words when he\nheard a croaking over his head, and looked up and saw seven ravens as\nblack as coal flying round and round. Sorry as he was to see his wish\nso fulfilled, he did not know how what was done could be undone, and\ncomforted himself as well as he could for the loss of his seven sons\nwith his dear little daughter, who soon became stronger and every day\nmore beautiful.\n\nFor a long time she did not know that she had ever had any brothers; for\nher father and mother took care not to speak of them before her: but one\nday by chance she heard the people about her speak of them. \u2018Yes,\u2019 said\nthey, \u2018she is beautiful indeed, but still \u2018tis a pity that her brothers\nshould have been lost for her sake.\u2019 Then she was much grieved, and went\nto her father and mother, and asked if she had any brothers, and what\nhad become of them. So they dared no longer hide the truth from her, but\nsaid it was the will of Heaven, and that her birth was only the innocent\ncause of it; but the little girl mourned sadly about it every day, and\nthought herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back;\nand she had neither rest nor ease, till at length one day she stole\naway, and set out into the wide world to find her brothers, wherever\nthey might be, and free them, whatever it might cost her.\n\nShe took nothing with her but a little ring which her father and mother\nhad given her, a loaf of bread in case she should be hungry, a little\npitcher of water in case she should be thirsty, and a little stool\nto rest upon when she should be weary. Thus she went on and on, and\njourneyed till she came to the world\u2019s end; then she came to the sun,\nbut the sun looked much too hot and fiery; so she ran away quickly to\nthe moon, but the moon was cold and chilly, and said, \u2018I smell flesh\nand blood this way!\u2019 so she took herself away in a hurry and came to the\nstars, and the stars were friendly and kind to her, and each star sat\nupon his own little stool; but the morning star rose up and gave her a\nlittle piece of wood, and said, \u2018If you have not this little piece of\nwood, you cannot unlock the castle that stands on the glass-mountain,\nand there your brothers live.\u2019 The little girl took the piece of wood,\nrolled it up in a little cloth, and went on again until she came to the\nglass-mountain, and found the door shut. Then she felt for the little\npiece of wood; but when she unwrapped the cloth it was not there, and\nshe saw she had lost the gift of the good stars. What was to be done?\nShe wanted to save her brothers, and had no key of the castle of the\nglass-mountain; so this faithful little sister took a knife out of her\npocket and cut off her little finger, that was just the size of the\npiece of wood she had lost, and put it in the door and opened it.\n\nAs she went in, a little dwarf came up to her, and said, \u2018What are you\nseeking for?\u2019 \u2018I seek for my brothers, the seven ravens,\u2019 answered she.\nThen the dwarf said, \u2018My masters are not at home; but if you will wait\ntill they come, pray step in.\u2019 Now the little dwarf was getting their\ndinner ready, and he brought their food upon seven little plates, and\ntheir drink in seven little glasses, and set them upon the table, and\nout of each little plate their sister ate a small piece, and out of each\nlittle glass she drank a small drop; but she let the ring that she had\nbrought with her fall into the last glass.\n\nOn a sudden she heard a fluttering and croaking in the air, and the\ndwarf said, \u2018Here come my masters.\u2019 When they came in, they wanted to\neat and drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said\none after the other,\n\n\u2018Who has eaten from my little plate? And who has been drinking out of my\nlittle glass?\u2019\n\n \u2018Caw! Caw! well I ween\n  Mortal lips have this way been.\u2019\n\nWhen the seventh came to the bottom of his glass, and found there the\nring, he looked at it, and knew that it was his father\u2019s and mother\u2019s,\nand said, \u2018O that our little sister would but come! then we should be\nfree.\u2019 When the little girl heard this (for she stood behind the door\nall the time and listened), she ran forward, and in an instant all\nthe ravens took their right form again; and all hugged and kissed each\nother, and went merrily home.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WEDDING OF MRS FOX\n\n\nFIRST STORY\n\nThere was once upon a time an old fox with nine tails, who believed that\nhis wife was not faithful to him, and wished to put her to the test. He\nstretched himself out under the bench, did not move a limb, and behaved\nas if he were stone dead. Mrs Fox went up to her room, shut herself in,\nand her maid, Miss Cat, sat by the fire, and did the cooking. When it\nbecame known that the old fox was dead, suitors presented themselves.\nThe maid heard someone standing at the house-door, knocking. She went\nand opened it, and it was a young fox, who said:\n\n \u2018What may you be about, Miss Cat?\n  Do you sleep or do you wake?\u2019\n\nShe answered:\n\n \u2018I am not sleeping, I am waking,\n  Would you know what I am making?\n  I am boiling warm beer with butter,\n  Will you be my guest for supper?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, thank you, miss,\u2019 said the fox, \u2018what is Mrs Fox doing?\u2019 The maid\nreplied:\n\n \u2018She is sitting in her room,\n  Moaning in her gloom,\n  Weeping her little eyes quite red,\n  Because old Mr Fox is dead.\u2019\n\n\u2018Do just tell her, miss, that a young fox is here, who would like to woo\nher.\u2019 \u2018Certainly, young sir.\u2019\n\n  The cat goes up the stairs trip, trap,\n  The door she knocks at tap, tap, tap,\n \u2018Mistress Fox, are you inside?\u2019\n \u2018Oh, yes, my little cat,\u2019 she cried.\n \u2018A wooer he stands at the door out there.\u2019\n \u2018What does he look like, my dear?\u2019\n\n\u2018Has he nine as beautiful tails as the late Mr Fox?\u2019 \u2018Oh, no,\u2019 answered\nthe cat, \u2018he has only one.\u2019 \u2018Then I will not have him.\u2019\n\nMiss Cat went downstairs and sent the wooer away. Soon afterwards there\nwas another knock, and another fox was at the door who wished to woo Mrs\nFox. He had two tails, but he did not fare better than the first. After\nthis still more came, each with one tail more than the other, but they\nwere all turned away, until at last one came who had nine tails, like\nold Mr Fox. When the widow heard that, she said joyfully to the cat:\n\n \u2018Now open the gates and doors all wide,\n  And carry old Mr Fox outside.\u2019\n\nBut just as the wedding was going to be solemnized, old Mr Fox stirred\nunder the bench, and cudgelled all the rabble, and drove them and Mrs\nFox out of the house.\n\n\nSECOND STORY\n\nWhen old Mr Fox was dead, the wolf came as a suitor, and knocked at the\ndoor, and the cat who was servant to Mrs Fox, opened it for him. The\nwolf greeted her, and said:\n\n \u2018Good day, Mrs Cat of Kehrewit,\n  How comes it that alone you sit?\n  What are you making good?\u2019\n\nThe cat replied:\n\n \u2018In milk I\u2019m breaking bread so sweet,\n  Will you be my guest, and eat?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, thank you, Mrs Cat,\u2019 answered the wolf. \u2018Is Mrs Fox not at home?\u2019\n\nThe cat said:\n\n \u2018She sits upstairs in her room,\n  Bewailing her sorrowful doom,\n  Bewailing her trouble so sore,\n  For old Mr Fox is no more.\u2019\n\nThe wolf answered:\n\n \u2018If she\u2019s in want of a husband now,\n  Then will it please her to step below?\u2019\n  The cat runs quickly up the stair,\n  And lets her tail fly here and there,\n  Until she comes to the parlour door.\n  With her five gold rings at the door she knocks:\n \u2018Are you within, good Mistress Fox?\n  If you\u2019re in want of a husband now,\n  Then will it please you to step below?\n\nMrs Fox asked: \u2018Has the gentleman red stockings on, and has he a pointed\nmouth?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 answered the cat. \u2018Then he won\u2019t do for me.\u2019\n\nWhen the wolf was gone, came a dog, a stag, a hare, a bear, a lion, and\nall the beasts of the forest, one after the other. But one of the good\nqualities which old Mr Fox had possessed, was always lacking, and the\ncat had continually to send the suitors away. At length came a young\nfox. Then Mrs Fox said: \u2018Has the gentleman red stockings on, and has a\nlittle pointed mouth?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 said the cat, \u2018he has.\u2019 \u2018Then let him come\nupstairs,\u2019 said Mrs Fox, and ordered the servant to prepare the wedding\nfeast.\n\n \u2018Sweep me the room as clean as you can,\n  Up with the window, fling out my old man!\n  For many a fine fat mouse he brought,\n  Yet of his wife he never thought,\n  But ate up every one he caught.\u2019\n\nThen the wedding was solemnized with young Mr Fox, and there was much\nrejoicing and dancing; and if they have not left off, they are dancing\nstill.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SALAD\n\n\nAs a merry young huntsman was once going briskly along through a wood,\nthere came up a little old woman, and said to him, \u2018Good day, good day;\nyou seem merry enough, but I am hungry and thirsty; do pray give me\nsomething to eat.\u2019 The huntsman took pity on her, and put his hand in\nhis pocket and gave her what he had. Then he wanted to go his way; but\nshe took hold of him, and said, \u2018Listen, my friend, to what I am going\nto tell you; I will reward you for your kindness; go your way, and after\na little time you will come to a tree where you will see nine birds\nsitting on a cloak. Shoot into the midst of them, and one will fall down\ndead: the cloak will fall too; take it, it is a wishing-cloak, and when\nyou wear it you will find yourself at any place where you may wish to\nbe. Cut open the dead bird, take out its heart and keep it, and you will\nfind a piece of gold under your pillow every morning when you rise. It\nis the bird\u2019s heart that will bring you this good luck.\u2019\n\nThe huntsman thanked her, and thought to himself, \u2018If all this does\nhappen, it will be a fine thing for me.\u2019 When he had gone a hundred\nsteps or so, he heard a screaming and chirping in the branches over him,\nand looked up and saw a flock of birds pulling a cloak with their bills\nand feet; screaming, fighting, and tugging at each other as if\neach wished to have it himself. \u2018Well,\u2019 said the huntsman, \u2018this is\nwonderful; this happens just as the old woman said\u2019; then he shot into\nthe midst of them so that their feathers flew all about. Off went the\nflock chattering away; but one fell down dead, and the cloak with it.\nThen the huntsman did as the old woman told him, cut open the bird, took\nout the heart, and carried the cloak home with him.\n\nThe next morning when he awoke he lifted up his pillow, and there lay\nthe piece of gold glittering underneath; the same happened next day, and\nindeed every day when he arose. He heaped up a great deal of gold, and\nat last thought to himself, \u2018Of what use is this gold to me whilst I am\nat home? I will go out into the world and look about me.\u2019\n\nThen he took leave of his friends, and hung his bag and bow about his\nneck, and went his way. It so happened that his road one day led through\na thick wood, at the end of which was a large castle in a green meadow,\nand at one of the windows stood an old woman with a very beautiful young\nlady by her side looking about them. Now the old woman was a witch, and\nsaid to the young lady, \u2018There is a young man coming out of the wood who\ncarries a wonderful prize; we must get it away from him, my dear child,\nfor it is more fit for us than for him. He has a bird\u2019s heart that\nbrings a piece of gold under his pillow every morning.\u2019 Meantime the\nhuntsman came nearer and looked at the lady, and said to himself, \u2018I\nhave been travelling so long that I should like to go into this castle\nand rest myself, for I have money enough to pay for anything I want\u2019;\nbut the real reason was, that he wanted to see more of the beautiful\nlady. Then he went into the house, and was welcomed kindly; and it was\nnot long before he was so much in love that he thought of nothing else\nbut looking at the lady\u2019s eyes, and doing everything that she wished.\nThen the old woman said, \u2018Now is the time for getting the bird\u2019s heart.\u2019\nSo the lady stole it away, and he never found any more gold under his\npillow, for it lay now under the young lady\u2019s, and the old woman took it\naway every morning; but he was so much in love that he never missed his\nprize.\n\n\u2018Well,\u2019 said the old witch, \u2018we have got the bird\u2019s heart, but not the\nwishing-cloak yet, and that we must also get.\u2019 \u2018Let us leave him that,\u2019\nsaid the young lady; \u2018he has already lost his wealth.\u2019 Then the witch\nwas very angry, and said, \u2018Such a cloak is a very rare and wonderful\nthing, and I must and will have it.\u2019 So she did as the old woman told\nher, and set herself at the window, and looked about the country and\nseemed very sorrowful; then the huntsman said, \u2018What makes you so sad?\u2019\n\u2018Alas! dear sir,\u2019 said she, \u2018yonder lies the granite rock where all the\ncostly diamonds grow, and I want so much to go there, that whenever I\nthink of it I cannot help being sorrowful, for who can reach it? only\nthe birds and the flies--man cannot.\u2019 \u2018If that\u2019s all your grief,\u2019 said\nthe huntsman, \u2018I\u2019ll take you there with all my heart\u2019; so he drew her under\nhis cloak, and the moment he wished to be on the granite mountain they\nwere both there. The diamonds glittered so on all sides that they were\ndelighted with the sight and picked up the finest. But the old witch\nmade a deep sleep come upon him, and he said to the young lady, \u2018Let us\nsit down and rest ourselves a little, I am so tired that I cannot stand\nany longer.\u2019 So they sat down, and he laid his head in her lap and\nfell asleep; and whilst he was sleeping on she took the cloak from\nhis shoulders, hung it on her own, picked up the diamonds, and wished\nherself home again.\n\nWhen he awoke and found that his lady had tricked him, and left him\nalone on the wild rock, he said, \u2018Alas! what roguery there is in the\nworld!\u2019 and there he sat in great grief and fear, not knowing what to\ndo. Now this rock belonged to fierce giants who lived upon it; and as\nhe saw three of them striding about, he thought to himself, \u2018I can only\nsave myself by feigning to be asleep\u2019; so he laid himself down as if he\nwere in a sound sleep. When the giants came up to him, the first pushed\nhim with his foot, and said, \u2018What worm is this that lies here curled\nup?\u2019 \u2018Tread upon him and kill him,\u2019 said the second. \u2018It\u2019s not worth the\ntrouble,\u2019 said the third; \u2018let him live, he\u2019ll go climbing higher up the\nmountain, and some cloud will come rolling and carry him away.\u2019 And they\npassed on. But the huntsman had heard all they said; and as soon as they\nwere gone, he climbed to the top of the mountain, and when he had sat\nthere a short time a cloud came rolling around him, and caught him in a\nwhirlwind and bore him along for some time, till it settled in a garden,\nand he fell quite gently to the ground amongst the greens and cabbages.\n\nThen he looked around him, and said, \u2018I wish I had something to eat, if\nnot I shall be worse off than before; for here I see neither apples\nnor pears, nor any kind of fruits, nothing but vegetables.\u2019 At last he\nthought to himself, \u2018I can eat salad, it will refresh and strengthen\nme.\u2019 So he picked out a fine head and ate of it; but scarcely had he\nswallowed two bites when he felt himself quite changed, and saw with\nhorror that he was turned into an ass. However, he still felt very\nhungry, and the salad tasted very nice; so he ate on till he came\nto another kind of salad, and scarcely had he tasted it when he felt\nanother change come over him, and soon saw that he was lucky enough to\nhave found his old shape again.\n\nThen he laid himself down and slept off a little of his weariness; and\nwhen he awoke the next morning he broke off a head both of the good and\nthe bad salad, and thought to himself, \u2018This will help me to my fortune\nagain, and enable me to pay off some folks for their treachery.\u2019 So he\nwent away to try and find the castle of his friends; and after wandering\nabout a few days he luckily found it. Then he stained his face all over\nbrown, so that even his mother would not have known him, and went into\nthe castle and asked for a lodging; \u2018I am so tired,\u2019 said he, \u2018that I\ncan go no farther.\u2019 \u2018Countryman,\u2019 said the witch, \u2018who are you? and what\nis your business?\u2019 \u2018I am,\u2019 said he, \u2018a messenger sent by the king to\nfind the finest salad that grows under the sun. I have been lucky\nenough to find it, and have brought it with me; but the heat of the sun\nscorches so that it begins to wither, and I don\u2019t know that I can carry\nit farther.\u2019\n\nWhen the witch and the young lady heard of his beautiful salad, they\nlonged to taste it, and said, \u2018Dear countryman, let us just taste it.\u2019\n\u2018To be sure,\u2019 answered he; \u2018I have two heads of it with me, and will\ngive you one\u2019; so he opened his bag and gave them the bad. Then the\nwitch herself took it into the kitchen to be dressed; and when it was\nready she could not wait till it was carried up, but took a few leaves\nimmediately and put them in her mouth, and scarcely were they swallowed\nwhen she lost her own form and ran braying down into the court in the\nform of an ass. Now the servant-maid came into the kitchen, and seeing\nthe salad ready, was going to carry it up; but on the way she too felt a\nwish to taste it as the old woman had done, and ate some leaves; so she\nalso was turned into an ass and ran after the other, letting the dish\nwith the salad fall on the ground. The messenger sat all this time with\nthe beautiful young lady, and as nobody came with the salad and she\nlonged to taste it, she said, \u2018I don\u2019t know where the salad can be.\u2019\nThen he thought something must have happened, and said, \u2018I will go\ninto the kitchen and see.\u2019 And as he went he saw two asses in the court\nrunning about, and the salad lying on the ground. \u2018All right!\u2019 said\nhe; \u2018those two have had their share.\u2019 Then he took up the rest of\nthe leaves, laid them on the dish and brought them to the young lady,\nsaying, \u2018I bring you the dish myself that you may not wait any longer.\u2019\nSo she ate of it, and like the others ran off into the court braying\naway.\n\nThen the huntsman washed his face and went into the court that they\nmight know him. \u2018Now you shall be paid for your roguery,\u2019 said he; and\ntied them all three to a rope and took them along with him till he\ncame to a mill and knocked at the window. \u2018What\u2019s the matter?\u2019 said the\nmiller. \u2018I have three tiresome beasts here,\u2019 said the other; \u2018if you\nwill take them, give them food and room, and treat them as I tell you,\nI will pay you whatever you ask.\u2019 \u2018With all my heart,\u2019 said the miller;\n\u2018but how shall I treat them?\u2019 Then the huntsman said, \u2018Give the old\none stripes three times a day and hay once; give the next (who was\nthe servant-maid) stripes once a day and hay three times; and give\nthe youngest (who was the beautiful lady) hay three times a day and\nno stripes\u2019: for he could not find it in his heart to have her beaten.\nAfter this he went back to the castle, where he found everything he\nwanted.\n\nSome days after, the miller came to him and told him that the old ass\nwas dead; \u2018The other two,\u2019 said he, \u2018are alive and eat, but are so\nsorrowful that they cannot last long.\u2019 Then the huntsman pitied them,\nand told the miller to drive them back to him, and when they came, he\ngave them some of the good salad to eat. And the beautiful young lady\nfell upon her knees before him, and said, \u2018O dearest huntsman! forgive\nme all the ill I have done you; my mother forced me to it, it was\nagainst my will, for I always loved you very much. Your wishing-cloak\nhangs up in the closet, and as for the bird\u2019s heart, I will give it you\ntoo.\u2019 But he said, \u2018Keep it, it will be just the same thing, for I mean\nto make you my wife.\u2019 So they were married, and lived together very\nhappily till they died.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE YOUTH WHO WENT FORTH TO LEARN WHAT FEAR WAS\n\n\nA certain father had two sons, the elder of who was smart and sensible,\nand could do everything, but the younger was stupid and could neither\nlearn nor understand anything, and when people saw him they said:\n\u2018There\u2019s a fellow who will give his father some trouble!\u2019 When anything\nhad to be done, it was always the elder who was forced to do it; but\nif his father bade him fetch anything when it was late, or in the\nnight-time, and the way led through the churchyard, or any other dismal\nplace, he answered: \u2018Oh, no father, I\u2019ll not go there, it makes me\nshudder!\u2019 for he was afraid. Or when stories were told by the fire at\nnight which made the flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said: \u2018Oh,\nit makes us shudder!\u2019 The younger sat in a corner and listened with\nthe rest of them, and could not imagine what they could mean. \u2018They are\nalways saying: \u201cIt makes me shudder, it makes me shudder!\u201d It does not\nmake me shudder,\u2019 thought he. \u2018That, too, must be an art of which I\nunderstand nothing!\u2019\n\nNow it came to pass that his father said to him one day: \u2018Hearken to me,\nyou fellow in the corner there, you are growing tall and strong, and you\ntoo must learn something by which you can earn your bread. Look how your\nbrother works, but you do not even earn your salt.\u2019 \u2018Well, father,\u2019 he\nreplied, \u2018I am quite willing to learn something--indeed, if it could but\nbe managed, I should like to learn how to shudder. I don\u2019t understand\nthat at all yet.\u2019 The elder brother smiled when he heard that, and\nthought to himself: \u2018Goodness, what a blockhead that brother of mine is!\nHe will never be good for anything as long as he lives! He who wants to\nbe a sickle must bend himself betimes.\u2019\n\nThe father sighed, and answered him: \u2018You shall soon learn what it is to\nshudder, but you will not earn your bread by that.\u2019\n\nSoon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit, and the father\nbewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was so backward\nin every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing. \u2018Just think,\u2019\nsaid he, \u2018when I asked him how he was going to earn his bread, he\nactually wanted to learn to shudder.\u2019 \u2018If that be all,\u2019 replied the\nsexton, \u2018he can learn that with me. Send him to me, and I will soon\npolish him.\u2019 The father was glad to do it, for he thought: \u2018It will\ntrain the boy a little.\u2019 The sexton therefore took him into his house,\nand he had to ring the church bell. After a day or two, the sexton awoke\nhim at midnight, and bade him arise and go up into the church tower and\nring the bell. \u2018You shall soon learn what shuddering is,\u2019 thought he,\nand secretly went there before him; and when the boy was at the top of\nthe tower and turned round, and was just going to take hold of the bell\nrope, he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the sounding\nhole. \u2018Who is there?\u2019 cried he, but the figure made no reply, and did\nnot move or stir. \u2018Give an answer,\u2019 cried the boy, \u2018or take yourself\noff, you have no business here at night.\u2019\n\nThe sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might\nthink he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time: \u2018What do you want\nhere?--speak if you are an honest fellow, or I will throw you down the\nsteps!\u2019 The sexton thought: \u2018He can\u2019t mean to be as bad as his words,\u2019\nuttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then the boy\ncalled to him for the third time, and as that was also to no purpose,\nhe ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so that it fell\ndown the ten steps and remained lying there in a corner. Thereupon he\nrang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went to bed, and\nfell asleep. The sexton\u2019s wife waited a long time for her husband, but\nhe did not come back. At length she became uneasy, and wakened the boy,\nand asked: \u2018Do you know where my husband is? He climbed up the tower\nbefore you did.\u2019 \u2018No, I don\u2019t know,\u2019 replied the boy, \u2018but someone was\nstanding by the sounding hole on the other side of the steps, and as he\nwould neither give an answer nor go away, I took him for a scoundrel,\nand threw him downstairs. Just go there and you will see if it was he.\nI should be sorry if it were.\u2019 The woman ran away and found her husband,\nwho was lying moaning in the corner, and had broken his leg.\n\nShe carried him down, and then with loud screams she hastened to the\nboy\u2019s father, \u2018Your boy,\u2019 cried she, \u2018has been the cause of a great\nmisfortune! He has thrown my husband down the steps so that he broke his\nleg. Take the good-for-nothing fellow out of our house.\u2019 The father was\nterrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy. \u2018What wicked tricks\nare these?\u2019 said he. \u2018The devil must have put them into your head.\u2019\n\u2018Father,\u2019 he replied, \u2018do listen to me. I am quite innocent. He was\nstanding there by night like one intent on doing evil. I did not know\nwho it was, and I entreated him three times either to speak or to go\naway.\u2019 \u2018Ah,\u2019 said the father, \u2018I have nothing but unhappiness with you.\nGo out of my sight. I will see you no more.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, father, right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will I\ngo forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,\nunderstand one art which will support me.\u2019 \u2018Learn what you will,\u2019 spoke\nthe father, \u2018it is all the same to me. Here are fifty talers for you.\nTake these and go into the wide world, and tell no one from whence you\ncome, and who is your father, for I have reason to be ashamed of you.\u2019\n\u2018Yes, father, it shall be as you will. If you desire nothing more than\nthat, I can easily keep it in mind.\u2019\n\nWhen the day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty talers into his\npocket, and went forth on the great highway, and continually said to\nhimself: \u2018If I could but shudder! If I could but shudder!\u2019 Then a man\napproached who heard this conversation which the youth was holding with\nhimself, and when they had walked a little farther to where they could\nsee the gallows, the man said to him: \u2018Look, there is the tree where\nseven men have married the ropemaker\u2019s daughter, and are now learning\nhow to fly. Sit down beneath it, and wait till night comes, and you will\nsoon learn how to shudder.\u2019 \u2018If that is all that is wanted,\u2019 answered\nthe youth, \u2018it is easily done; but if I learn how to shudder as fast as\nthat, you shall have my fifty talers. Just come back to me early in the\nmorning.\u2019 Then the youth went to the gallows, sat down beneath it, and\nwaited till evening came. And as he was cold, he lighted himself a fire,\nbut at midnight the wind blew so sharply that in spite of his fire, he\ncould not get warm. And as the wind knocked the hanged men against each\nother, and they moved backwards and forwards, he thought to himself:\n\u2018If you shiver below by the fire, how those up above must freeze and\nsuffer!\u2019 And as he felt pity for them, he raised the ladder, and climbed\nup, unbound one of them after the other, and brought down all seven.\nThen he stoked the fire, blew it, and set them all round it to warm\nthemselves. But they sat there and did not stir, and the fire caught\ntheir clothes. So he said: \u2018Take care, or I will hang you up again.\u2019 The\ndead men, however, did not hear, but were quite silent, and let their\nrags go on burning. At this he grew angry, and said: \u2018If you will not\ntake care, I cannot help you, I will not be burnt with you,\u2019 and he hung\nthem up again each in his turn. Then he sat down by his fire and fell\nasleep, and the next morning the man came to him and wanted to have\nthe fifty talers, and said: \u2018Well do you know how to shudder?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019\nanswered he, \u2018how should I know? Those fellows up there did not open\ntheir mouths, and were so stupid that they let the few old rags which\nthey had on their bodies get burnt.\u2019 Then the man saw that he would not\nget the fifty talers that day, and went away saying: \u2018Such a youth has\nnever come my way before.\u2019\n\nThe youth likewise went his way, and once more began to mutter to\nhimself: \u2018Ah, if I could but shudder! Ah, if I could but shudder!\u2019 A\nwaggoner who was striding behind him heard this and asked: \u2018Who are\nyou?\u2019 \u2018I don\u2019t know,\u2019 answered the youth. Then the waggoner asked: \u2018From\nwhence do you come?\u2019 \u2018I know not.\u2019 \u2018Who is your father?\u2019 \u2018That I may\nnot tell you.\u2019 \u2018What is it that you are always muttering between your\nteeth?\u2019 \u2018Ah,\u2019 replied the youth, \u2018I do so wish I could shudder, but\nno one can teach me how.\u2019 \u2018Enough of your foolish chatter,\u2019 said the\nwaggoner. \u2018Come, go with me, I will see about a place for you.\u2019 The\nyouth went with the waggoner, and in the evening they arrived at an inn\nwhere they wished to pass the night. Then at the entrance of the parlour\nthe youth again said quite loudly: \u2018If I could but shudder! If I could\nbut shudder!\u2019 The host who heard this, laughed and said: \u2018If that is\nyour desire, there ought to be a good opportunity for you here.\u2019 \u2018Ah,\nbe silent,\u2019 said the hostess, \u2018so many prying persons have already lost\ntheir lives, it would be a pity and a shame if such beautiful eyes as\nthese should never see the daylight again.\u2019\n\nBut the youth said: \u2018However difficult it may be, I will learn it. For\nthis purpose indeed have I journeyed forth.\u2019 He let the host have\nno rest, until the latter told him, that not far from thence stood a\nhaunted castle where anyone could very easily learn what shuddering was,\nif he would but watch in it for three nights. The king had promised that\nhe who would venture should have his daughter to wife, and she was the\nmost beautiful maiden the sun shone on. Likewise in the castle lay great\ntreasures, which were guarded by evil spirits, and these treasures would\nthen be freed, and would make a poor man rich enough. Already many men\nhad gone into the castle, but as yet none had come out again. Then the\nyouth went next morning to the king, and said: \u2018If it be allowed, I will\nwillingly watch three nights in the haunted castle.\u2019\n\nThe king looked at him, and as the youth pleased him, he said: \u2018You may\nask for three things to take into the castle with you, but they must\nbe things without life.\u2019 Then he answered: \u2018Then I ask for a fire, a\nturning lathe, and a cutting-board with the knife.\u2019\n\nThe king had these things carried into the castle for him during the\nday. When night was drawing near, the youth went up and made himself\na bright fire in one of the rooms, placed the cutting-board and knife\nbeside it, and seated himself by the turning-lathe. \u2018Ah, if I could\nbut shudder!\u2019 said he, \u2018but I shall not learn it here either.\u2019 Towards\nmidnight he was about to poke his fire, and as he was blowing it,\nsomething cried suddenly from one corner: \u2018Au, miau! how cold we are!\u2019\n\u2018You fools!\u2019 cried he, \u2018what are you crying about? If you are cold, come\nand take a seat by the fire and warm yourselves.\u2019 And when he had said\nthat, two great black cats came with one tremendous leap and sat down\non each side of him, and looked savagely at him with their fiery\neyes. After a short time, when they had warmed themselves, they said:\n\u2018Comrade, shall we have a game of cards?\u2019 \u2018Why not?\u2019 he replied, \u2018but\njust show me your paws.\u2019 Then they stretched out their claws. \u2018Oh,\u2019 said\nhe, \u2018what long nails you have! Wait, I must first cut them for you.\u2019\nThereupon he seized them by the throats, put them on the cutting-board\nand screwed their feet fast. \u2018I have looked at your fingers,\u2019 said he,\n\u2018and my fancy for card-playing has gone,\u2019 and he struck them dead and\nthrew them out into the water. But when he had made away with these two,\nand was about to sit down again by his fire, out from every hole and\ncorner came black cats and black dogs with red-hot chains, and more\nand more of them came until he could no longer move, and they yelled\nhorribly, and got on his fire, pulled it to pieces, and tried to put\nit out. He watched them for a while quietly, but at last when they were\ngoing too far, he seized his cutting-knife, and cried: \u2018Away with you,\nvermin,\u2019 and began to cut them down. Some of them ran away, the others\nhe killed, and threw out into the fish-pond. When he came back he fanned\nthe embers of his fire again and warmed himself. And as he thus sat, his\neyes would keep open no longer, and he felt a desire to sleep. Then he\nlooked round and saw a great bed in the corner. \u2018That is the very thing\nfor me,\u2019 said he, and got into it. When he was just going to shut his\neyes, however, the bed began to move of its own accord, and went over\nthe whole of the castle. \u2018That\u2019s right,\u2019 said he, \u2018but go faster.\u2019 Then\nthe bed rolled on as if six horses were harnessed to it, up and down,\nover thresholds and stairs, but suddenly hop, hop, it turned over upside\ndown, and lay on him like a mountain. But he threw quilts and pillows up\nin the air, got out and said: \u2018Now anyone who likes, may drive,\u2019 and\nlay down by his fire, and slept till it was day. In the morning the king\ncame, and when he saw him lying there on the ground, he thought the evil\nspirits had killed him and he was dead. Then said he: \u2018After all it is a\npity,--for so handsome a man.\u2019 The youth heard it, got up, and said: \u2018It\nhas not come to that yet.\u2019 Then the king was astonished, but very glad,\nand asked how he had fared. \u2018Very well indeed,\u2019 answered he; \u2018one\nnight is past, the two others will pass likewise.\u2019 Then he went to the\ninnkeeper, who opened his eyes very wide, and said: \u2018I never expected to\nsee you alive again! Have you learnt how to shudder yet?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 said he,\n\u2018it is all in vain. If someone would but tell me!\u2019\n\nThe second night he again went up into the old castle, sat down by the\nfire, and once more began his old song: \u2018If I could but shudder!\u2019 When\nmidnight came, an uproar and noise of tumbling about was heard; at\nfirst it was low, but it grew louder and louder. Then it was quiet for\na while, and at length with a loud scream, half a man came down the\nchimney and fell before him. \u2018Hullo!\u2019 cried he, \u2018another half belongs\nto this. This is not enough!\u2019 Then the uproar began again, there was a\nroaring and howling, and the other half fell down likewise. \u2018Wait,\u2019 said\nhe, \u2018I will just stoke up the fire a little for you.\u2019 When he had done\nthat and looked round again, the two pieces were joined together, and a\nhideous man was sitting in his place. \u2018That is no part of our bargain,\u2019\nsaid the youth, \u2018the bench is mine.\u2019 The man wanted to push him away;\nthe youth, however, would not allow that, but thrust him off with all\nhis strength, and seated himself again in his own place. Then still more\nmen fell down, one after the other; they brought nine dead men\u2019s legs\nand two skulls, and set them up and played at nine-pins with them. The\nyouth also wanted to play and said: \u2018Listen you, can I join you?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\nif you have any money.\u2019 \u2018Money enough,\u2019 replied he, \u2018but your balls are\nnot quite round.\u2019 Then he took the skulls and put them in the lathe and\nturned them till they were round. \u2018There, now they will roll better!\u2019\nsaid he. \u2018Hurrah! now we\u2019ll have fun!\u2019 He played with them and lost some\nof his money, but when it struck twelve, everything vanished from his\nsight. He lay down and quietly fell asleep. Next morning the king came\nto inquire after him. \u2018How has it fared with you this time?\u2019 asked he.\n\u2018I have been playing at nine-pins,\u2019 he answered, \u2018and have lost a couple\nof farthings.\u2019 \u2018Have you not shuddered then?\u2019 \u2018What?\u2019 said he, \u2018I have\nhad a wonderful time! If I did but know what it was to shudder!\u2019\n\nThe third night he sat down again on his bench and said quite sadly:\n\u2018If I could but shudder.\u2019 When it grew late, six tall men came in and\nbrought a coffin. Then he said: \u2018Ha, ha, that is certainly my little\ncousin, who died only a few days ago,\u2019 and he beckoned with his finger,\nand cried: \u2018Come, little cousin, come.\u2019 They placed the coffin on the\nground, but he went to it and took the lid off, and a dead man lay\ntherein. He felt his face, but it was cold as ice. \u2018Wait,\u2019 said he, \u2018I\nwill warm you a little,\u2019 and went to the fire and warmed his hand and\nlaid it on the dead man\u2019s face, but he remained cold. Then he took him\nout, and sat down by the fire and laid him on his breast and rubbed his\narms that the blood might circulate again. As this also did no good, he\nthought to himself: \u2018When two people lie in bed together, they warm each\nother,\u2019 and carried him to the bed, covered him over and lay down by\nhim. After a short time the dead man became warm too, and began to move.\nThen said the youth, \u2018See, little cousin, have I not warmed you?\u2019 The\ndead man, however, got up and cried: \u2018Now will I strangle you.\u2019\n\n\u2018What!\u2019 said he, \u2018is that the way you thank me? You shall at once go\ninto your coffin again,\u2019 and he took him up, threw him into it, and shut\nthe lid. Then came the six men and carried him away again. \u2018I cannot\nmanage to shudder,\u2019 said he. \u2018I shall never learn it here as long as I\nlive.\u2019\n\nThen a man entered who was taller than all others, and looked terrible.\nHe was old, however, and had a long white beard. \u2018You wretch,\u2019 cried he,\n\u2018you shall soon learn what it is to shudder, for you shall die.\u2019 \u2018Not so\nfast,\u2019 replied the youth. \u2018If I am to die, I shall have to have a say\nin it.\u2019 \u2018I will soon seize you,\u2019 said the fiend. \u2018Softly, softly, do not\ntalk so big. I am as strong as you are, and perhaps even stronger.\u2019\n\u2018We shall see,\u2019 said the old man. \u2018If you are stronger, I will let you\ngo--come, we will try.\u2019 Then he led him by dark passages to a smith\u2019s\nforge, took an axe, and with one blow struck an anvil into the ground.\n\u2018I can do better than that,\u2019 said the youth, and went to the other\nanvil. The old man placed himself near and wanted to look on, and his\nwhite beard hung down. Then the youth seized the axe, split the anvil\nwith one blow, and in it caught the old man\u2019s beard. \u2018Now I have you,\u2019\nsaid the youth. \u2018Now it is your turn to die.\u2019 Then he seized an iron bar\nand beat the old man till he moaned and entreated him to stop, when he\nwould give him great riches. The youth drew out the axe and let him go.\nThe old man led him back into the castle, and in a cellar showed him\nthree chests full of gold. \u2018Of these,\u2019 said he, \u2018one part is for the\npoor, the other for the king, the third yours.\u2019 In the meantime it\nstruck twelve, and the spirit disappeared, so that the youth stood in\ndarkness. \u2018I shall still be able to find my way out,\u2019 said he, and felt\nabout, found the way into the room, and slept there by his fire.\nNext morning the king came and said: \u2018Now you must have learnt what\nshuddering is?\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 he answered; \u2018what can it be? My dead cousin was\nhere, and a bearded man came and showed me a great deal of money down\nbelow, but no one told me what it was to shudder.\u2019 \u2018Then,\u2019 said the\nking, \u2018you have saved the castle, and shall marry my daughter.\u2019 \u2018That\nis all very well,\u2019 said he, \u2018but still I do not know what it is to\nshudder!\u2019\n\nThen the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated; but howsoever\nmuch the young king loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still\nsaid always: \u2018If I could but shudder--if I could but shudder.\u2019 And this\nat last angered her. Her waiting-maid said: \u2018I will find a cure for him;\nhe shall soon learn what it is to shudder.\u2019 She went out to the stream\nwhich flowed through the garden, and had a whole bucketful of gudgeons\nbrought to her. At night when the young king was sleeping, his wife was\nto draw the clothes off him and empty the bucket full of cold water\nwith the gudgeons in it over him, so that the little fishes would\nsprawl about him. Then he woke up and cried: \u2018Oh, what makes me shudder\nso?--what makes me shudder so, dear wife? Ah! now I know what it is to\nshudder!\u2019\n\n\n\n\nKING GRISLY-BEARD\n\n\nA great king of a land far away in the East had a daughter who was very\nbeautiful, but so proud, and haughty, and conceited, that none of the\nprinces who came to ask her in marriage was good enough for her, and she\nonly made sport of them.\n\nOnce upon a time the king held a great feast, and asked thither all\nher suitors; and they all sat in a row, ranged according to their\nrank--kings, and princes, and dukes, and earls, and counts, and barons,\nand knights. Then the princess came in, and as she passed by them she\nhad something spiteful to say to every one. The first was too fat: \u2018He\u2019s\nas round as a tub,\u2019 said she. The next was too tall: \u2018What a maypole!\u2019\nsaid she. The next was too short: \u2018What a dumpling!\u2019 said she. The\nfourth was too pale, and she called him \u2018Wallface.\u2019 The fifth was too\nred, so she called him \u2018Coxcomb.\u2019 The sixth was not straight enough;\nso she said he was like a green stick, that had been laid to dry over\na baker\u2019s oven. And thus she had some joke to crack upon every one: but\nshe laughed more than all at a good king who was there. \u2018Look at\nhim,\u2019 said she; \u2018his beard is like an old mop; he shall be called\nGrisly-beard.\u2019 So the king got the nickname of Grisly-beard.\n\nBut the old king was very angry when he saw how his daughter behaved,\nand how she ill-treated all his guests; and he vowed that, willing or\nunwilling, she should marry the first man, be he prince or beggar, that\ncame to the door.\n\nTwo days after there came by a travelling fiddler, who began to play\nunder the window and beg alms; and when the king heard him, he said,\n\u2018Let him come in.\u2019 So they brought in a dirty-looking fellow; and when\nhe had sung before the king and the princess, he begged a boon. Then the\nking said, \u2018You have sung so well, that I will give you my daughter for\nyour wife.\u2019 The princess begged and prayed; but the king said, \u2018I have\nsworn to give you to the first comer, and I will keep my word.\u2019 So words\nand tears were of no avail; the parson was sent for, and she was married\nto the fiddler. When this was over the king said, \u2018Now get ready to\ngo--you must not stay here--you must travel on with your husband.\u2019\n\nThen the fiddler went his way, and took her with him, and they soon came\nto a great wood. \u2018Pray,\u2019 said she, \u2018whose is this wood?\u2019 \u2018It belongs\nto King Grisly-beard,\u2019 answered he; \u2018hadst thou taken him, all had been\nthine.\u2019 \u2018Ah! unlucky wretch that I am!\u2019 sighed she; \u2018would that I had\nmarried King Grisly-beard!\u2019 Next they came to some fine meadows. \u2018Whose\nare these beautiful green meadows?\u2019 said she. \u2018They belong to King\nGrisly-beard, hadst thou taken him, they had all been thine.\u2019 \u2018Ah!\nunlucky wretch that I am!\u2019 said she; \u2018would that I had married King\nGrisly-beard!\u2019\n\nThen they came to a great city. \u2018Whose is this noble city?\u2019 said she.\n\u2018It belongs to King Grisly-beard; hadst thou taken him, it had all been\nthine.\u2019 \u2018Ah! wretch that I am!\u2019 sighed she; \u2018why did I not marry King\nGrisly-beard?\u2019 \u2018That is no business of mine,\u2019 said the fiddler: \u2018why\nshould you wish for another husband? Am not I good enough for you?\u2019\n\nAt last they came to a small cottage. \u2018What a paltry place!\u2019 said she;\n\u2018to whom does that little dirty hole belong?\u2019 Then the fiddler said,\n\u2018That is your and my house, where we are to live.\u2019 \u2018Where are your\nservants?\u2019 cried she. \u2018What do we want with servants?\u2019 said he; \u2018you\nmust do for yourself whatever is to be done. Now make the fire, and put\non water and cook my supper, for I am very tired.\u2019 But the princess knew\nnothing of making fires and cooking, and the fiddler was forced to help\nher. When they had eaten a very scanty meal they went to bed; but the\nfiddler called her up very early in the morning to clean the house. Thus\nthey lived for two days: and when they had eaten up all there was in the\ncottage, the man said, \u2018Wife, we can\u2019t go on thus, spending money and\nearning nothing. You must learn to weave baskets.\u2019 Then he went out and\ncut willows, and brought them home, and she began to weave; but it made\nher fingers very sore. \u2018I see this work won\u2019t do,\u2019 said he: \u2018try and\nspin; perhaps you will do that better.\u2019 So she sat down and tried to\nspin; but the threads cut her tender fingers till the blood ran. \u2018See\nnow,\u2019 said the fiddler, \u2018you are good for nothing; you can do no work:\nwhat a bargain I have got! However, I\u2019ll try and set up a trade in pots\nand pans, and you shall stand in the market and sell them.\u2019 \u2018Alas!\u2019\nsighed she, \u2018if any of my father\u2019s court should pass by and see me\nstanding in the market, how they will laugh at me!\u2019\n\nBut her husband did not care for that, and said she must work, if she\ndid not wish to die of hunger. At first the trade went well; for many\npeople, seeing such a beautiful woman, went to buy her wares, and paid\ntheir money without thinking of taking away the goods. They lived on\nthis as long as it lasted; and then her husband bought a fresh lot of\nware, and she sat herself down with it in the corner of the market; but\na drunken soldier soon came by, and rode his horse against her stall,\nand broke all her goods into a thousand pieces. Then she began to cry,\nand knew not what to do. \u2018Ah! what will become of me?\u2019 said she; \u2018what\nwill my husband say?\u2019 So she ran home and told him all. \u2018Who would\nhave thought you would have been so silly,\u2019 said he, \u2018as to put an\nearthenware stall in the corner of the market, where everybody passes?\nbut let us have no more crying; I see you are not fit for this sort of\nwork, so I have been to the king\u2019s palace, and asked if they did not\nwant a kitchen-maid; and they say they will take you, and there you will\nhave plenty to eat.\u2019\n\nThus the princess became a kitchen-maid, and helped the cook to do all\nthe dirtiest work; but she was allowed to carry home some of the meat\nthat was left, and on this they lived.\n\nShe had not been there long before she heard that the king\u2019s eldest son\nwas passing by, going to be married; and she went to one of the windows\nand looked out. Everything was ready, and all the pomp and brightness of\nthe court was there. Then she bitterly grieved for the pride and folly\nwhich had brought her so low. And the servants gave her some of the rich\nmeats, which she put into her basket to take home.\n\nAll on a sudden, as she was going out, in came the king\u2019s son in golden\nclothes; and when he saw a beautiful woman at the door, he took her\nby the hand, and said she should be his partner in the dance; but she\ntrembled for fear, for she saw that it was King Grisly-beard, who was\nmaking sport of her. However, he kept fast hold, and led her in; and the\ncover of the basket came off, so that the meats in it fell about. Then\neverybody laughed and jeered at her; and she was so abashed, that she\nwished herself a thousand feet deep in the earth. She sprang to the\ndoor to run away; but on the steps King Grisly-beard overtook her, and\nbrought her back and said, \u2018Fear me not! I am the fiddler who has lived\nwith you in the hut. I brought you there because I really loved you. I\nam also the soldier that overset your stall. I have done all this only\nto cure you of your silly pride, and to show you the folly of your\nill-treatment of me. Now all is over: you have learnt wisdom, and it is\ntime to hold our marriage feast.\u2019\n\nThen the chamberlains came and brought her the most beautiful robes; and\nher father and his whole court were there already, and welcomed her home\non her marriage. Joy was in every face and every heart. The feast was\ngrand; they danced and sang; all were merry; and I only wish that you\nand I had been of the party.\n\n\n\n\nIRON HANS\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a king who had a great forest near his\npalace, full of all kinds of wild animals. One day he sent out a\nhuntsman to shoot him a roe, but he did not come back. \u2018Perhaps some\naccident has befallen him,\u2019 said the king, and the next day he sent out\ntwo more huntsmen who were to search for him, but they too stayed away.\nThen on the third day, he sent for all his huntsmen, and said: \u2018Scour\nthe whole forest through, and do not give up until you have found all\nthree.\u2019 But of these also, none came home again, none were seen again.\nFrom that time forth, no one would any longer venture into the forest,\nand it lay there in deep stillness and solitude, and nothing was seen\nof it, but sometimes an eagle or a hawk flying over it. This lasted for\nmany years, when an unknown huntsman announced himself to the king as\nseeking a situation, and offered to go into the dangerous forest. The\nking, however, would not give his consent, and said: \u2018It is not safe in\nthere; I fear it would fare with you no better than with the others,\nand you would never come out again.\u2019 The huntsman replied: \u2018Lord, I will\nventure it at my own risk, of fear I know nothing.\u2019\n\nThe huntsman therefore betook himself with his dog to the forest. It was\nnot long before the dog fell in with some game on the way, and wanted to\npursue it; but hardly had the dog run two steps when it stood before a\ndeep pool, could go no farther, and a naked arm stretched itself out of\nthe water, seized it, and drew it under. When the huntsman saw that, he\nwent back and fetched three men to come with buckets and bale out the\nwater. When they could see to the bottom there lay a wild man whose body\nwas brown like rusty iron, and whose hair hung over his face down to his\nknees. They bound him with cords, and led him away to the castle. There\nwas great astonishment over the wild man; the king, however, had him put\nin an iron cage in his courtyard, and forbade the door to be opened\non pain of death, and the queen herself was to take the key into her\nkeeping. And from this time forth everyone could again go into the\nforest with safety.\n\nThe king had a son of eight years, who was once playing in the\ncourtyard, and while he was playing, his golden ball fell into the cage.\nThe boy ran thither and said: \u2018Give me my ball out.\u2019 \u2018Not till you have\nopened the door for me,\u2019 answered the man. \u2018No,\u2019 said the boy, \u2018I will\nnot do that; the king has forbidden it,\u2019 and ran away. The next day he\nagain went and asked for his ball; the wild man said: \u2018Open my door,\u2019\nbut the boy would not. On the third day the king had ridden out hunting,\nand the boy went once more and said: \u2018I cannot open the door even if I\nwished, for I have not the key.\u2019 Then the wild man said: \u2018It lies under\nyour mother\u2019s pillow, you can get it there.\u2019 The boy, who wanted to have\nhis ball back, cast all thought to the winds, and brought the key. The\ndoor opened with difficulty, and the boy pinched his fingers. When it\nwas open the wild man stepped out, gave him the golden ball, and hurried\naway. The boy had become afraid; he called and cried after him: \u2018Oh,\nwild man, do not go away, or I shall be beaten!\u2019 The wild man turned\nback, took him up, set him on his shoulder, and went with hasty steps\ninto the forest. When the king came home, he observed the empty cage,\nand asked the queen how that had happened. She knew nothing about it,\nand sought the key, but it was gone. She called the boy, but no one\nanswered. The king sent out people to seek for him in the fields, but\nthey did not find him. Then he could easily guess what had happened, and\nmuch grief reigned in the royal court.\n\nWhen the wild man had once more reached the dark forest, he took the boy\ndown from his shoulder, and said to him: \u2018You will never see your father\nand mother again, but I will keep you with me, for you have set me free,\nand I have compassion on you. If you do all I bid you, you shall fare\nwell. Of treasure and gold have I enough, and more than anyone in the\nworld.\u2019 He made a bed of moss for the boy on which he slept, and the\nnext morning the man took him to a well, and said: \u2018Behold, the gold\nwell is as bright and clear as crystal, you shall sit beside it, and\ntake care that nothing falls into it, or it will be polluted. I will\ncome every evening to see if you have obeyed my order.\u2019 The boy placed\nhimself by the brink of the well, and often saw a golden fish or a\ngolden snake show itself therein, and took care that nothing fell in.\nAs he was thus sitting, his finger hurt him so violently that he\ninvoluntarily put it in the water. He drew it quickly out again, but saw\nthat it was quite gilded, and whatsoever pains he took to wash the gold\noff again, all was to no purpose. In the evening Iron Hans came back,\nlooked at the boy, and said: \u2018What has happened to the well?\u2019 \u2018Nothing\nnothing,\u2019 he answered, and held his finger behind his back, that the\nman might not see it. But he said: \u2018You have dipped your finger into\nthe water, this time it may pass, but take care you do not again let\nanything go in.\u2019 By daybreak the boy was already sitting by the well and\nwatching it. His finger hurt him again and he passed it over his head,\nand then unhappily a hair fell down into the well. He took it quickly\nout, but it was already quite gilded. Iron Hans came, and already knew\nwhat had happened. \u2018You have let a hair fall into the well,\u2019 said he.\n\u2018I will allow you to watch by it once more, but if this happens for the\nthird time then the well is polluted and you can no longer remain with\nme.\u2019\n\nOn the third day, the boy sat by the well, and did not stir his finger,\nhowever much it hurt him. But the time was long to him, and he looked at\nthe reflection of his face on the surface of the water. And as he\nstill bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look\nstraight into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into\nthe water. He raised himself up quickly, but the whole of the hair of\nhis head was already golden and shone like the sun. You can imagine how\nterrified the poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it\nround his head, in order that the man might not see it. When he came he\nalready knew everything, and said: \u2018Take the handkerchief off.\u2019 Then the\ngolden hair streamed forth, and let the boy excuse himself as he might,\nit was of no use. \u2018You have not stood the trial and can stay here no\nlonger. Go forth into the world, there you will learn what poverty is.\nBut as you have not a bad heart, and as I mean well by you, there is\none thing I will grant you; if you fall into any difficulty, come to the\nforest and cry: \u201cIron Hans,\u201d and then I will come and help you. My\npower is great, greater than you think, and I have gold and silver in\nabundance.\u2019\n\nThen the king\u2019s son left the forest, and walked by beaten and unbeaten\npaths ever onwards until at length he reached a great city. There he\nlooked for work, but could find none, and he learnt nothing by which he\ncould help himself. At length he went to the palace, and asked if they\nwould take him in. The people about court did not at all know what use\nthey could make of him, but they liked him, and told him to stay. At\nlength the cook took him into his service, and said he might carry wood\nand water, and rake the cinders together. Once when it so happened that\nno one else was at hand, the cook ordered him to carry the food to the\nroyal table, but as he did not like to let his golden hair be seen, he\nkept his little cap on. Such a thing as that had never yet come under\nthe king\u2019s notice, and he said: \u2018When you come to the royal table you\nmust take your hat off.\u2019 He answered: \u2018Ah, Lord, I cannot; I have a bad\nsore place on my head.\u2019 Then the king had the cook called before him\nand scolded him, and asked how he could take such a boy as that into his\nservice; and that he was to send him away at once. The cook, however,\nhad pity on him, and exchanged him for the gardener\u2019s boy.\n\nAnd now the boy had to plant and water the garden, hoe and dig, and bear\nthe wind and bad weather. Once in summer when he was working alone in\nthe garden, the day was so warm he took his little cap off that the air\nmight cool him. As the sun shone on his hair it glittered and flashed so\nthat the rays fell into the bedroom of the king\u2019s daughter, and up she\nsprang to see what that could be. Then she saw the boy, and cried to\nhim: \u2018Boy, bring me a wreath of flowers.\u2019 He put his cap on with all\nhaste, and gathered wild field-flowers and bound them together. When he\nwas ascending the stairs with them, the gardener met him, and said: \u2018How\ncan you take the king\u2019s daughter a garland of such common flowers? Go\nquickly, and get another, and seek out the prettiest and rarest.\u2019 \u2018Oh,\nno,\u2019 replied the boy, \u2018the wild ones have more scent, and will please\nher better.\u2019 When he got into the room, the king\u2019s daughter said: \u2018Take\nyour cap off, it is not seemly to keep it on in my presence.\u2019 He again\nsaid: \u2018I may not, I have a sore head.\u2019 She, however, caught at his\ncap and pulled it off, and then his golden hair rolled down on his\nshoulders, and it was splendid to behold. He wanted to run out, but she\nheld him by the arm, and gave him a handful of ducats. With these he\ndeparted, but he cared nothing for the gold pieces. He took them to the\ngardener, and said: \u2018I present them to your children, they can play with\nthem.\u2019 The following day the king\u2019s daughter again called to him that he\nwas to bring her a wreath of field-flowers, and then he went in with it,\nshe instantly snatched at his cap, and wanted to take it away from him,\nbut he held it fast with both hands. She again gave him a handful of\nducats, but he would not keep them, and gave them to the gardener for\nplaythings for his children. On the third day things went just the\nsame; she could not get his cap away from him, and he would not have her\nmoney.\n\nNot long afterwards, the country was overrun by war. The king gathered\ntogether his people, and did not know whether or not he could offer any\nopposition to the enemy, who was superior in strength and had a mighty\narmy. Then said the gardener\u2019s boy: \u2018I am grown up, and will go to the\nwars also, only give me a horse.\u2019 The others laughed, and said: \u2018Seek\none for yourself when we are gone, we will leave one behind us in the\nstable for you.\u2019 When they had gone forth, he went into the stable, and\nled the horse out; it was lame of one foot, and limped hobblety jib,\nhobblety jib; nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away to the dark\nforest. When he came to the outskirts, he called \u2018Iron Hans\u2019 three\ntimes so loudly that it echoed through the trees. Thereupon the wild man\nappeared immediately, and said: \u2018What do you desire?\u2019 \u2018I want a strong\nsteed, for I am going to the wars.\u2019 \u2018That you shall have, and still more\nthan you ask for.\u2019 Then the wild man went back into the forest, and it\nwas not long before a stable-boy came out of it, who led a horse that\nsnorted with its nostrils, and could hardly be restrained, and behind\nthem followed a great troop of warriors entirely equipped in iron, and\ntheir swords flashed in the sun. The youth made over his three-legged\nhorse to the stable-boy, mounted the other, and rode at the head of the\nsoldiers. When he got near the battlefield a great part of the king\u2019s\nmen had already fallen, and little was wanting to make the rest give\nway. Then the youth galloped thither with his iron soldiers, broke like\na hurricane over the enemy, and beat down all who opposed him. They\nbegan to flee, but the youth pursued, and never stopped, until there\nwas not a single man left. Instead of returning to the king, however, he\nconducted his troop by byways back to the forest, and called forth Iron\nHans. \u2018What do you desire?\u2019 asked the wild man. \u2018Take back your horse\nand your troops, and give me my three-legged horse again.\u2019 All that he\nasked was done, and soon he was riding on his three-legged horse. When\nthe king returned to his palace, his daughter went to meet him, and\nwished him joy of his victory. \u2018I am not the one who carried away the\nvictory,\u2019 said he, \u2018but a strange knight who came to my assistance with\nhis soldiers.\u2019 The daughter wanted to hear who the strange knight was,\nbut the king did not know, and said: \u2018He followed the enemy, and I did\nnot see him again.\u2019 She inquired of the gardener where his boy was, but\nhe smiled, and said: \u2018He has just come home on his three-legged horse,\nand the others have been mocking him, and crying: \u201cHere comes our\nhobblety jib back again!\u201d They asked, too: \u201cUnder what hedge have you\nbeen lying sleeping all the time?\u201d So he said: \u201cI did the best of all,\nand it would have gone badly without me.\u201d And then he was still more\nridiculed.\u2019\n\nThe king said to his daughter: \u2018I will proclaim a great feast that shall\nlast for three days, and you shall throw a golden apple. Perhaps the\nunknown man will show himself.\u2019 When the feast was announced, the youth\nwent out to the forest, and called Iron Hans. \u2018What do you desire?\u2019\nasked he. \u2018That I may catch the king\u2019s daughter\u2019s golden apple.\u2019 \u2018It is\nas safe as if you had it already,\u2019 said Iron Hans. \u2018You shall likewise\nhave a suit of red armour for the occasion, and ride on a spirited\nchestnut-horse.\u2019 When the day came, the youth galloped to the spot, took\nhis place amongst the knights, and was recognized by no one. The king\u2019s\ndaughter came forward, and threw a golden apple to the knights, but none\nof them caught it but he, only as soon as he had it he galloped away.\n\nOn the second day Iron Hans equipped him as a white knight, and gave him\na white horse. Again he was the only one who caught the apple, and\nhe did not linger an instant, but galloped off with it. The king grew\nangry, and said: \u2018That is not allowed; he must appear before me and tell\nhis name.\u2019 He gave the order that if the knight who caught the apple,\nshould go away again they should pursue him, and if he would not come\nback willingly, they were to cut him down and stab him.\n\nOn the third day, he received from Iron Hans a suit of black armour and\na black horse, and again he caught the apple. But when he was riding off\nwith it, the king\u2019s attendants pursued him, and one of them got so near\nhim that he wounded the youth\u2019s leg with the point of his sword. The\nyouth nevertheless escaped from them, but his horse leapt so violently\nthat the helmet fell from the youth\u2019s head, and they could see that he\nhad golden hair. They rode back and announced this to the king.\n\nThe following day the king\u2019s daughter asked the gardener about his\nboy. \u2018He is at work in the garden; the queer creature has been at the\nfestival too, and only came home yesterday evening; he has likewise\nshown my children three golden apples which he has won.\u2019\n\nThe king had him summoned into his presence, and he came and again had\nhis little cap on his head. But the king\u2019s daughter went up to him and\ntook it off, and then his golden hair fell down over his shoulders, and\nhe was so handsome that all were amazed. \u2018Are you the knight who came\nevery day to the festival, always in different colours, and who caught\nthe three golden apples?\u2019 asked the king. \u2018Yes,\u2019 answered he, \u2018and here\nthe apples are,\u2019 and he took them out of his pocket, and returned them\nto the king. \u2018If you desire further proof, you may see the wound which\nyour people gave me when they followed me. But I am likewise the knight\nwho helped you to your victory over your enemies.\u2019 \u2018If you can perform\nsuch deeds as that, you are no gardener\u2019s boy; tell me, who is your\nfather?\u2019 \u2018My father is a mighty king, and gold have I in plenty as great\nas I require.\u2019 \u2018I well see,\u2019 said the king, \u2018that I owe my thanks to\nyou; can I do anything to please you?\u2019 \u2018Yes,\u2019 answered he, \u2018that indeed\nyou can. Give me your daughter to wife.\u2019 The maiden laughed, and said:\n\u2018He does not stand much on ceremony, but I have already seen by his\ngolden hair that he was no gardener\u2019s boy,\u2019 and then she went and\nkissed him. His father and mother came to the wedding, and were in great\ndelight, for they had given up all hope of ever seeing their dear\nson again. And as they were sitting at the marriage-feast, the music\nsuddenly stopped, the doors opened, and a stately king came in with a\ngreat retinue. He went up to the youth, embraced him and said: \u2018I am\nIron Hans, and was by enchantment a wild man, but you have set me free;\nall the treasures which I possess, shall be your property.\u2019\n\n\n\n\nCAT-SKIN\n\n\nThere was once a king, whose queen had hair of the purest gold, and was\nso beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole face of\nthe earth. But this beautiful queen fell ill, and when she felt that her\nend drew near she called the king to her and said, \u2018Promise me that you\nwill never marry again, unless you meet with a wife who is as beautiful\nas I am, and who has golden hair like mine.\u2019 Then when the king in his\ngrief promised all she asked, she shut her eyes and died. But the king\nwas not to be comforted, and for a long time never thought of taking\nanother wife. At last, however, his wise men said, \u2018this will not do;\nthe king must marry again, that we may have a queen.\u2019 So messengers were\nsent far and wide, to seek for a bride as beautiful as the late queen.\nBut there was no princess in the world so beautiful; and if there had\nbeen, still there was not one to be found who had golden hair. So the\nmessengers came home, and had had all their trouble for nothing.\n\nNow the king had a daughter, who was just as beautiful as her mother,\nand had the same golden hair. And when she was grown up, the king looked\nat her and saw that she was just like this late queen: then he said to\nhis courtiers, \u2018May I not marry my daughter? She is the very image of my\ndead wife: unless I have her, I shall not find any bride upon the whole\nearth, and you say there must be a queen.\u2019 When the courtiers heard this\nthey were shocked, and said, \u2018Heaven forbid that a father should marry\nhis daughter! Out of so great a sin no good can come.\u2019 And his daughter\nwas also shocked, but hoped the king would soon give up such thoughts;\nso she said to him, \u2018Before I marry anyone I must have three dresses:\none must be of gold, like the sun; another must be of shining silver,\nlike the moon; and a third must be dazzling as the stars: besides this,\nI want a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur put together, to\nwhich every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin.\u2019 And thus\nshe thought he would think of the matter no more. But the king made the\nmost skilful workmen in his kingdom weave the three dresses: one golden,\nlike the sun; another silvery, like the moon; and a third sparkling,\nlike the stars: and his hunters were told to hunt out all the beasts in\nhis kingdom, and to take the finest fur out of their skins: and thus a\nmantle of a thousand furs was made.\n\nWhen all were ready, the king sent them to her; but she got up in the\nnight when all were asleep, and took three of her trinkets, a golden\nring, a golden necklace, and a golden brooch, and packed the three\ndresses--of the sun, the moon, and the stars--up in a nutshell, and\nwrapped herself up in the mantle made of all sorts of fur, and besmeared\nher face and hands with soot. Then she threw herself upon Heaven for\nhelp in her need, and went away, and journeyed on the whole night, till\nat last she came to a large wood. As she was very tired, she sat herself\ndown in the hollow of a tree and soon fell asleep: and there she slept\non till it was midday.\n\nNow as the king to whom the wood belonged was hunting in it, his dogs\ncame to the tree, and began to snuff about, and run round and round, and\nbark. \u2018Look sharp!\u2019 said the king to the huntsmen, \u2018and see what sort\nof game lies there.\u2019 And the huntsmen went up to the tree, and when they\ncame back again said, \u2018In the hollow tree there lies a most wonderful\nbeast, such as we never saw before; its skin seems to be of a thousand\nkinds of fur, but there it lies fast asleep.\u2019 \u2018See,\u2019 said the king, \u2018if\nyou can catch it alive, and we will take it with us.\u2019 So the huntsmen\ntook it up, and the maiden awoke and was greatly frightened, and said,\n\u2018I am a poor child that has neither father nor mother left; have pity on\nme and take me with you.\u2019 Then they said, \u2018Yes, Miss Cat-skin, you will\ndo for the kitchen; you can sweep up the ashes, and do things of that\nsort.\u2019 So they put her into the coach, and took her home to the king\u2019s\npalace. Then they showed her a little corner under the staircase, where\nno light of day ever peeped in, and said, \u2018Cat-skin, you may lie and\nsleep there.\u2019 And she was sent into the kitchen, and made to fetch wood\nand water, to blow the fire, pluck the poultry, pick the herbs, sift the\nashes, and do all the dirty work.\n\nThus Cat-skin lived for a long time very sorrowfully. \u2018Ah! pretty\nprincess!\u2019 thought she, \u2018what will now become of thee?\u2019 But it happened\none day that a feast was to be held in the king\u2019s castle, so she said to\nthe cook, \u2018May I go up a little while and see what is going on? I will\ntake care and stand behind the door.\u2019 And the cook said, \u2018Yes, you may\ngo, but be back again in half an hour\u2019s time, to rake out the ashes.\u2019\nThen she took her little lamp, and went into her cabin, and took off the\nfur skin, and washed the soot from off her face and hands, so that her\nbeauty shone forth like the sun from behind the clouds. She next opened\nher nutshell, and brought out of it the dress that shone like the sun,\nand so went to the feast. Everyone made way for her, for nobody knew\nher, and they thought she could be no less than a king\u2019s daughter. But\nthe king came up to her, and held out his hand and danced with her; and\nhe thought in his heart, \u2018I never saw any one half so beautiful.\u2019\n\nWhen the dance was at an end she curtsied; and when the king looked\nround for her, she was gone, no one knew wither. The guards that stood\nat the castle gate were called in: but they had seen no one. The truth\nwas, that she had run into her little cabin, pulled off her dress,\nblackened her face and hands, put on the fur-skin cloak, and was\nCat-skin again. When she went into the kitchen to her work, and began\nto rake the ashes, the cook said, \u2018Let that alone till the morning, and\nheat the king\u2019s soup; I should like to run up now and give a peep: but\ntake care you don\u2019t let a hair fall into it, or you will run a chance of\nnever eating again.\u2019\n\nAs soon as the cook went away, Cat-skin heated the king\u2019s soup, and\ntoasted a slice of bread first, as nicely as ever she could; and when it\nwas ready, she went and looked in the cabin for her little golden ring,\nand put it into the dish in which the soup was. When the dance was over,\nthe king ordered his soup to be brought in; and it pleased him so well,\nthat he thought he had never tasted any so good before. At the bottom\nhe saw a gold ring lying; and as he could not make out how it had got\nthere, he ordered the cook to be sent for. The cook was frightened when\nhe heard the order, and said to Cat-skin, \u2018You must have let a hair fall\ninto the soup; if it be so, you will have a good beating.\u2019 Then he went\nbefore the king, and he asked him who had cooked the soup. \u2018I did,\u2019\nanswered the cook. But the king said, \u2018That is not true; it was better\ndone than you could do it.\u2019 Then he answered, \u2018To tell the truth I did\nnot cook it, but Cat-skin did.\u2019 \u2018Then let Cat-skin come up,\u2019 said the\nking: and when she came he said to her, \u2018Who are you?\u2019 \u2018I am a poor\nchild,\u2019 said she, \u2018that has lost both father and mother.\u2019 \u2018How came you\nin my palace?\u2019 asked he. \u2018I am good for nothing,\u2019 said she, \u2018but to be\nscullion-girl, and to have boots and shoes thrown at my head.\u2019 \u2018But how\ndid you get the ring that was in the soup?\u2019 asked the king. Then she\nwould not own that she knew anything about the ring; so the king sent\nher away again about her business.\n\nAfter a time there was another feast, and Cat-skin asked the cook to let\nher go up and see it as before. \u2018Yes,\u2019 said he, \u2018but come again in half\nan hour, and cook the king the soup that he likes so much.\u2019 Then she\nran to her little cabin, washed herself quickly, and took her dress\nout which was silvery as the moon, and put it on; and when she went in,\nlooking like a king\u2019s daughter, the king went up to her, and rejoiced at\nseeing her again, and when the dance began he danced with her. After the\ndance was at an end she managed to slip out, so slyly that the king did\nnot see where she was gone; but she sprang into her little cabin, and\nmade herself into Cat-skin again, and went into the kitchen to cook the\nsoup. Whilst the cook was above stairs, she got the golden necklace and\ndropped it into the soup; then it was brought to the king, who ate it,\nand it pleased him as well as before; so he sent for the cook, who\nwas again forced to tell him that Cat-skin had cooked it. Cat-skin was\nbrought again before the king, but she still told him that she was only\nfit to have boots and shoes thrown at her head.\n\nBut when the king had ordered a feast to be got ready for the third\ntime, it happened just the same as before. \u2018You must be a witch,\nCat-skin,\u2019 said the cook; \u2018for you always put something into your soup,\nso that it pleases the king better than mine.\u2019 However, he let her go up\nas before. Then she put on her dress which sparkled like the stars, and\nwent into the ball-room in it; and the king danced with her again, and\nthought she had never looked so beautiful as she did then. So whilst\nhe was dancing with her, he put a gold ring on her finger without her\nseeing it, and ordered that the dance should be kept up a long time.\nWhen it was at an end, he would have held her fast by the hand, but she\nslipped away, and sprang so quickly through the crowd that he lost sight\nof her: and she ran as fast as she could into her little cabin under\nthe stairs. But this time she kept away too long, and stayed beyond the\nhalf-hour; so she had not time to take off her fine dress, and threw her\nfur mantle over it, and in her haste did not blacken herself all over\nwith soot, but left one of her fingers white.\n\nThen she ran into the kitchen, and cooked the king\u2019s soup; and as soon\nas the cook was gone, she put the golden brooch into the dish. When the\nking got to the bottom, he ordered Cat-skin to be called once more, and\nsoon saw the white finger, and the ring that he had put on it whilst\nthey were dancing: so he seized her hand, and kept fast hold of it, and\nwhen she wanted to loose herself and spring away, the fur cloak fell off\na little on one side, and the starry dress sparkled underneath it.\n\nThen he got hold of the fur and tore it off, and her golden hair and\nbeautiful form were seen, and she could no longer hide herself: so she\nwashed the soot and ashes from her face, and showed herself to be the\nmost beautiful princess upon the face of the earth. But the king said,\n\u2018You are my beloved bride, and we will never more be parted from each\nother.\u2019 And the wedding feast was held, and a merry day it was, as ever\nwas heard of or seen in that country, or indeed in any other.\n\n\n\n\nSNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED\n\n\nThere was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of\nthe cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore\nwhite and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the\ntwo rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red.\nThey were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children\nin the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than\nRose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields\nseeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home\nwith her mother, and helped her with her housework, or read to her when\nthere was nothing to do.\n\nThe two children were so fond of one another that they always held each\nother by the hand when they went out together, and when Snow-white said:\n\u2018We will not leave each other,\u2019 Rose-red answered: \u2018Never so long as we\nlive,\u2019 and their mother would add: \u2018What one has she must share with the\nother.\u2019\n\nThey often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no\nbeasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully. The little\nhare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by\ntheir side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still upon\nthe boughs, and sang whatever they knew.\n\nNo mishap overtook them; if they had stayed too late in the forest, and\nnight came on, they laid themselves down near one another upon the moss,\nand slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and did not\nworry on their account.\n\nOnce when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused\nthem, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near\ntheir bed. He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said nothing\nand went into the forest. And when they looked round they found that\nthey had been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and would certainly\nhave fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a few paces\nfurther. And their mother told them that it must have been the angel who\nwatches over good children.\n\nSnow-white and Rose-red kept their mother\u2019s little cottage so neat that\nit was a pleasure to look inside it. In the summer Rose-red took care\nof the house, and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her mother\u2019s\nbed before she awoke, in which was a rose from each tree. In the winter\nSnow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the hob. The kettle\nwas of brass and shone like gold, so brightly was it polished. In the\nevening, when the snowflakes fell, the mother said: \u2018Go, Snow-white, and\nbolt the door,\u2019 and then they sat round the hearth, and the mother took\nher spectacles and read aloud out of a large book, and the two girls\nlistened as they sat and spun. And close by them lay a lamb upon the\nfloor, and behind them upon a perch sat a white dove with its head\nhidden beneath its wings.\n\nOne evening, as they were thus sitting comfortably together, someone\nknocked at the door as if he wished to be let in. The mother said:\n\u2018Quick, Rose-red, open the door, it must be a traveller who is seeking\nshelter.\u2019 Rose-red went and pushed back the bolt, thinking that it was a\npoor man, but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his broad, black\nhead within the door.\n\nRose-red screamed and sprang back, the lamb bleated, the dove fluttered,\nand Snow-white hid herself behind her mother\u2019s bed. But the bear began\nto speak and said: \u2018Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm! I am\nhalf-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little beside you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Poor bear,\u2019 said the mother, \u2018lie down by the fire, only take care that\nyou do not burn your coat.\u2019 Then she cried: \u2018Snow-white, Rose-red, come\nout, the bear will do you no harm, he means well.\u2019 So they both came\nout, and by-and-by the lamb and dove came nearer, and were not afraid\nof him. The bear said: \u2018Here, children, knock the snow out of my coat a\nlittle\u2019; so they brought the broom and swept the bear\u2019s hide clean;\nand he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and\ncomfortably. It was not long before they grew quite at home, and played\ntricks with their clumsy guest. They tugged his hair with their hands,\nput their feet upon his back and rolled him about, or they took a\nhazel-switch and beat him, and when he growled they laughed. But the\nbear took it all in good part, only when they were too rough he called\nout: \u2018Leave me alive, children,\n\n  Snow-white, Rose-red,\n  Will you beat your wooer dead?\u2019\n\nWhen it was bed-time, and the others went to bed, the mother said to the\nbear: \u2018You can lie there by the hearth, and then you will be safe from\nthe cold and the bad weather.\u2019 As soon as day dawned the two children\nlet him out, and he trotted across the snow into the forest.\n\nHenceforth the bear came every evening at the same time, laid himself\ndown by the hearth, and let the children amuse themselves with him as\nmuch as they liked; and they got so used to him that the doors were\nnever fastened until their black friend had arrived.\n\nWhen spring had come and all outside was green, the bear said one\nmorning to Snow-white: \u2018Now I must go away, and cannot come back for the\nwhole summer.\u2019 \u2018Where are you going, then, dear bear?\u2019 asked Snow-white.\n\u2018I must go into the forest and guard my treasures from the wicked\ndwarfs. In the winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are obliged\nto stay below and cannot work their way through; but now, when the sun\nhas thawed and warmed the earth, they break through it, and come out to\npry and steal; and what once gets into their hands, and in their caves,\ndoes not easily see daylight again.\u2019\n\nSnow-white was quite sorry at his departure, and as she unbolted the\ndoor for him, and the bear was hurrying out, he caught against the bolt\nand a piece of his hairy coat was torn off, and it seemed to Snow-white\nas if she had seen gold shining through it, but she was not sure about\nit. The bear ran away quickly, and was soon out of sight behind the\ntrees.\n\nA short time afterwards the mother sent her children into the forest\nto get firewood. There they found a big tree which lay felled on the\nground, and close by the trunk something was jumping backwards and\nforwards in the grass, but they could not make out what it was. When\nthey came nearer they saw a dwarf with an old withered face and a\nsnow-white beard a yard long. The end of the beard was caught in a\ncrevice of the tree, and the little fellow was jumping about like a dog\ntied to a rope, and did not know what to do.\n\nHe glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried: \u2018Why do you\nstand there? Can you not come here and help me?\u2019 \u2018What are you up to,\nlittle man?\u2019 asked Rose-red. \u2018You stupid, prying goose!\u2019 answered the\ndwarf: \u2018I was going to split the tree to get a little wood for cooking.\nThe little bit of food that we people get is immediately burnt up with\nheavy logs; we do not swallow so much as you coarse, greedy folk. I had\njust driven the wedge safely in, and everything was going as I wished;\nbut the cursed wedge was too smooth and suddenly sprang out, and the\ntree closed so quickly that I could not pull out my beautiful white\nbeard; so now it is tight and I cannot get away, and the silly, sleek,\nmilk-faced things laugh! Ugh! how odious you are!\u2019\n\nThe children tried very hard, but they could not pull the beard out, it\nwas caught too fast. \u2018I will run and fetch someone,\u2019 said Rose-red. \u2018You\nsenseless goose!\u2019 snarled the dwarf; \u2018why should you fetch someone? You\nare already two too many for me; can you not think of something better?\u2019\n\u2018Don\u2019t be impatient,\u2019 said Snow-white, \u2018I will help you,\u2019 and she pulled\nher scissors out of her pocket, and cut off the end of the beard.\n\nAs soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a bag which lay\namongst the roots of the tree, and which was full of gold, and lifted it\nup, grumbling to himself: \u2018Uncouth people, to cut off a piece of my fine\nbeard. Bad luck to you!\u2019 and then he swung the bag upon his back, and\nwent off without even once looking at the children.\n\nSome time afterwards Snow-white and Rose-red went to catch a dish\nof fish. As they came near the brook they saw something like a large\ngrasshopper jumping towards the water, as if it were going to leap in.\nThey ran to it and found it was the dwarf. \u2018Where are you going?\u2019 said\nRose-red; \u2018you surely don\u2019t want to go into the water?\u2019 \u2018I am not such\na fool!\u2019 cried the dwarf; \u2018don\u2019t you see that the accursed fish wants\nto pull me in?\u2019 The little man had been sitting there fishing, and\nunluckily the wind had tangled up his beard with the fishing-line; a\nmoment later a big fish made a bite and the feeble creature had not\nstrength to pull it out; the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the\ndwarf towards him. He held on to all the reeds and rushes, but it was of\nlittle good, for he was forced to follow the movements of the fish, and\nwas in urgent danger of being dragged into the water.\n\nThe girls came just in time; they held him fast and tried to free his\nbeard from the line, but all in vain, beard and line were entangled fast\ntogether. There was nothing to do but to bring out the scissors and cut\nthe beard, whereby a small part of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that\nhe screamed out: \u2018Is that civil, you toadstool, to disfigure a man\u2019s\nface? Was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard? Now you have\ncut off the best part of it. I cannot let myself be seen by my people.\nI wish you had been made to run the soles off your shoes!\u2019 Then he took\nout a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes, and without another word\nhe dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.\n\nIt happened that soon afterwards the mother sent the two children to the\ntown to buy needles and thread, and laces and ribbons. The road led them\nacross a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about. There\nthey noticed a large bird hovering in the air, flying slowly round and\nround above them; it sank lower and lower, and at last settled near a\nrock not far away. Immediately they heard a loud, piteous cry. They ran\nup and saw with horror that the eagle had seized their old acquaintance\nthe dwarf, and was going to carry him off.\n\nThe children, full of pity, at once took tight hold of the little man,\nand pulled against the eagle so long that at last he let his booty go.\nAs soon as the dwarf had recovered from his first fright he cried\nwith his shrill voice: \u2018Could you not have done it more carefully! You\ndragged at my brown coat so that it is all torn and full of holes, you\nclumsy creatures!\u2019 Then he took up a sack full of precious stones, and\nslipped away again under the rock into his hole. The girls, who by\nthis time were used to his ingratitude, went on their way and did their\nbusiness in town.\n\nAs they crossed the heath again on their way home they surprised the\ndwarf, who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot,\nand had not thought that anyone would come there so late. The evening\nsun shone upon the brilliant stones; they glittered and sparkled with\nall colours so beautifully that the children stood still and stared\nat them. \u2018Why do you stand gaping there?\u2019 cried the dwarf, and his\nashen-grey face became copper-red with rage. He was still cursing when a\nloud growling was heard, and a black bear came trotting towards them out\nof the forest. The dwarf sprang up in a fright, but he could not reach\nhis cave, for the bear was already close. Then in the dread of his heart\nhe cried: \u2018Dear Mr Bear, spare me, I will give you all my treasures;\nlook, the beautiful jewels lying there! Grant me my life; what do you\nwant with such a slender little fellow as I? you would not feel me\nbetween your teeth. Come, take these two wicked girls, they are tender\nmorsels for you, fat as young quails; for mercy\u2019s sake eat them!\u2019 The\nbear took no heed of his words, but gave the wicked creature a single\nblow with his paw, and he did not move again.\n\nThe girls had run away, but the bear called to them: \u2018Snow-white and\nRose-red, do not be afraid; wait, I will come with you.\u2019 Then they\nrecognized his voice and waited, and when he came up to them suddenly\nhis bearskin fell off, and he stood there a handsome man, clothed all in\ngold. \u2018I am a king\u2019s son,\u2019 he said, \u2018and I was bewitched by that wicked\ndwarf, who had stolen my treasures; I have had to run about the forest\nas a savage bear until I was freed by his death. Now he has got his\nwell-deserved punishment.\n\nSnow-white was married to him, and Rose-red to his brother, and they\ndivided between them the great treasure which the dwarf had gathered\ntogether in his cave. The old mother lived peacefully and happily with\nher children for many years. She took the two rose-trees with her, and\nthey stood before her window, and every year bore the most beautiful\nroses, white and red.\n\n\n*****\n\n\nThe Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859), were born\nin Hanau, near Frankfurt, in the German state of Hesse. Throughout\ntheir lives they remained close friends, and both studied law at Marburg\nUniversity. Jacob was a pioneer in the study of German philology,\nand although Wilhelm\u2019s work was hampered by poor health the brothers\ncollaborated in the creation of a German dictionary, not completed until\na century after their deaths. But they were best (and universally) known\nfor the collection of over two hundred folk tales they made from oral\nsources and published in two volumes of \u2018Nursery and Household Tales\u2019 in\n1812 and 1814. Although their intention was to preserve such material as\npart of German cultural and literary history, and their collection was\nfirst published with scholarly notes and no illustration, the tales soon\ncame into the possession of young readers. This was in part due to Edgar\nTaylor, who made the first English translation in 1823, selecting about\nfifty stories \u2018with the amusement of some young friends principally in\nview.\u2019 They have been an essential ingredient of children\u2019s reading ever\nsince.","title":"Grimms' Fairy Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":101111}