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\begin{english}
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\LARGE\strut{{\noindent}Grimms’ Fairy Tales}
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\noindent
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the \hyperlink{project-gutenberg-license}{Project Gutenberg License}
included with this eBook or online at
{http://www.gutenberg.org/license}.
\par

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\noindent
Title: Fairy Tales
\par

\noindent
Author: The Brothers Grimm
\par

\noindent
Release Date: December 14, 2008 {[}EBook \#2591{]}
\par

\noindent
Language: English
\par

\noindent
Character set encoding: UTF-8
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*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRIMMS’ FAIRY TALES ***
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\noindent
{\noindent}Produced by Emma Dudding, John Bickers, Dagny, and David Widger.
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\begin{quotation}
\textbf{{\noindent}Project Gutenberg Note}\par

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The text is based on translations from the Grimms’ {\itshape{Kinder und
Hausmärchen}} by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes.\par
\end{quotation}
\bigskip


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{\LARGE\strut{Fairy Tales
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{\LARGE\strut{By The Brothers Grimm
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\chapter*{{\noindent}Contents}


\begin{itemize}
\item[] \hyperlink{the-golden-bird}{The Golden Bird}

\item[] \hyperlink{hans-in-luck}{Hans in Luck}

\item[] \hyperlink{jorinda-and-jorindel}{Jorinda And Jorindel}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-travelling-musicians}{The Travelling Musicians}

\item[] \hyperlink{old-sultan}{Old Sultan}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-straw-the-coal-and-the-bean}{The Straw, The Coal, And The Bean}

\item[] \hyperlink{briar-rose}{Briar Rose}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-dog-and-the-sparrow}{The Dog And The Sparrow}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-twelve-dancing-princesses}{The Twelve Dancing Princesses}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-fisherman-and-his-wife}{The Fisherman And His Wife}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-willow-wren-and-the-bear}{The Willow-Wren And The Bear}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-frog-prince}{The Frog-Prince}

\item[] \hyperlink{cat-and-mouse-in-partnership}{Cat And Mouse In Partnership}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-goose-girl}{The Goose-Girl}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-adventures-of-chanticleer-and-partlet}{The Adventures Of Chanticleer And Partlet}

\item[] \hyperlink{rapunzel}{Rapunzel}

\item[] \hyperlink{fundevogel}{Fundevogel}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-valiant-little-tailor}{The Valiant Little Tailor}

\item[] \hyperlink{hansel-and-gretel}{Hansel And Gretel}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-mouse-the-bird-and-the-sausage}{The Mouse, The Bird, And The Sausage}

\item[] \hyperlink{mother-holle}{Mother Holle}

\item[] \hyperlink{little-red-cap-little-red-riding-hood}{Little Red-Cap {[}Little Red Riding Hood{]}}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-robber-bridegroom}{The Robber Bridegroom}

\item[] \hyperlink{tom-thumb}{Tom Thumb}

\item[] \hyperlink{rumpelstiltskin}{Rumpelstiltskin}

\item[] \hyperlink{clever-gretel}{Clever Gretel}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-old-man-and-his-grandson}{The Old Man And His Grandson}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-little-peasant}{The Little Peasant}

\item[] \hyperlink{frederick-and-catherine}{Frederick And Catherine}

\item[] \hyperlink{sweetheart-roland}{Sweetheart Roland}

\item[] \hyperlink{snowdrop}{Snowdrop}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-pink}{The Pink}

\item[] \hyperlink{clever-elsie}{Clever Elsie}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-miser-in-the-bush}{The Miser In The Bush}

\item[] \hyperlink{ashputtel}{Ashputtel}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-white-snake}{The White Snake}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-wolf-and-the-seven-little-kids}{The Wolf And The Seven Little Kids}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-queen-bee}{The Queen Bee}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-elves-and-the-shoemaker}{The Elves And The Shoemaker}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-juniper-tree}{The Juniper-Tree}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-turnip}{The Turnip}

\item[] \hyperlink{clever-hans}{Clever Hans}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-three-languages}{The Three Languages}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-fox-and-the-cat}{The Fox And The Cat}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-four-clever-brothers}{The Four Clever Brothers}

\item[] \hyperlink{lily-and-the-lion}{Lily And The Lion}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-fox-and-the-horse}{The Fox And The Horse}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-blue-light}{The Blue Light}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-raven}{The Raven}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-golden-goose}{The Golden Goose}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-water-of-life}{The Water Of Life}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-twelve-huntsmen}{The Twelve Huntsmen}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-king-of-the-golden-mountain}{The King Of The Golden Mountain}

\item[] \hyperlink{doctor-knowall}{Doctor Knowall}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-seven-ravens}{The Seven Ravens}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-wedding-of-mrs-fox}{The Wedding Of Mrs Fox}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-salad}{The Salad}

\item[] \hyperlink{the-story-of-the-youth-who-went-forth-to-learn-what-fear-was}{The Story Of The Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was}

\item[] \hyperlink{king-grisly-beard}{King Grisly-Beard}

\item[] \hyperlink{iron-hans}{Iron Hans}

\item[] \hyperlink{cat-skin}{Cat-Skin}

\item[] \hyperlink{snow-white-and-rose-red}{Snow-White And Rose-Red}
\end{itemize}
\end{contents_env}

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{\LARGE\strut{The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
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\chapter*{{\noindent}The Golden Bird}


A certain king  had a beautiful  garden, and  in the garden  stood a  tree
which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about  the
time when they began  to grow ripe  it was found that  every night one  of
them was  gone.  The king  became  very angry  at  this, and  ordered  the
gardener to keep  watch all  night under the  tree. The  gardener set  his
eldest son to watch; but about twelve  o’clock he fell asleep, and in  the
morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered
to watch; and at midnight he too  fell asleep, and in the morning  another
apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch; but the gardener
at first  would not  let  him, for  fear some  harm  should come  to  him:
however, at last he  consented, and the young  man laid himself under  the
tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the
air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as it was  snapping
at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener’s son jumped up and  shot
an arrow at  it. But the  arrow did the  bird no harm;  only it dropped  a
golden feather from its tail, and  then flew away. The golden feather  was
brought to  the  king in  the  morning, and  all  the council  was  called
together. Everyone agreed that  it was worth more  than all the wealth  of
the kingdom: but the king  said, ‘One feather is of  no use to me, I  must
have the whole bird.’\par

Then the gardener’s eldest son set out and thought to find the golden bird
very easily; and when he had gone but a little way, he came to a wood, and
by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting; so he took his bow and  made
ready to shoot at it. Then the fox said, ‘Do not shoot me, for I will give
you good counsel; I know what your business is, and that you want to  find
the golden bird. You will reach a village in the evening; and when you get
there, you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is  very
pleasant and beautiful to look at: go not in there, but rest for the night
in the other, though it may appear to  you to be very poor and mean.’  But
the son thought to himself, ‘What can such a beast as this know about  the
matter?’ So he shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set  up
its tail above its back and ran into  the wood. Then he went his way,  and
in the evening came to the village where the two inns were; and in one  of
these were people singing, and dancing, and feasting; but the other looked
very dirty, and poor.  ‘I should be  very silly,’ said he,  ‘if I went  to
that shabby house,  and left  this charming place’;  so he  went into  the
smart house, and ate and drank at  his ease, and forgot the bird, and  his
country too.\par

Time passed on; and as  the eldest son did not  come back, and no  tidings
were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened  to
him. He met the fox, who gave him the good advice: but when he came to the
two inns,  his  eldest  brother  was standing  at  the  window  where  the
merrymaking was, and called to him to come in; and he could not  withstand
the temptation, but went in, and forgot the golden bird and his country in
the same manner.\par

Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set out into  the
wide world to seek for the golden bird; but his father would not listen to
it for a long while, for he was very fond of his son, and was afraid  that
some ill  luck might  happen to  him also,  and prevent  his coming  back.
However, at last  it was agreed  he should go,  for he would  not rest  at
home; and as he came to the wood, he met the fox, and heard the same  good
counsel. But he was thankful to the  fox, and did not attempt his life  as
his brothers had done; so  the fox said, ‘Sit upon  my tail, and you  will
travel faster.’ So he sat  down, and the fox began  to run, and away  they
went over stock and stone so quick that their hair whistled in the wind.\par

When they came  to the village,  the son followed  the fox’s counsel,  and
without looking about  him went  to the shabby  inn and  rested there  all
night at his ease. In the morning came the fox again and met him as he was
beginning his journey, and said, ‘Go straight forward, till you come to  a
castle, before  which  lie a  whole  troop  of soldiers  fast  asleep  and
snoring: take no notice of them, but go into the castle and pass on and on
till you come  to a room,  where the golden  bird sits in  a wooden  cage;
close by it stands  a beautiful golden  cage; but do not  try to take  the
bird out of the shabby  cage and put it  into the handsome one,  otherwise
you will repent it.’ Then  the fox stretched out  his tail again, and  the
young man sat himself down, and away  they went over stock and stone  till
their hair whistled in the wind.\par

Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so the son went in and
found the chamber where the golden bird  hung in a wooden cage, and  below
stood the golden cage, and the three golden apples that had been lost were
lying close by it. Then  thought he to himself, ‘It  will be a very  droll
thing to bring away such  a fine bird in this  shabby cage’; so he  opened
the door and took hold of it and put it into the golden cage. But the bird
set up such a loud scream that  all the soldiers awoke, and they took  him
prisoner and carried him before the  king. The next morning the court  sat
to judge him; and when all was  heard, it sentenced him to die, unless  he
should bring the king the golden horse  which could run as swiftly as  the
wind; and if he did this, he was to have the golden bird given him for his
own.\par

So he set out  once more on  his journey, sighing,  and in great  despair,
when on a sudden his friend the fox  met him, and said, ‘You see now  what
has happened on account of your not listening to my counsel. I will still,
however, tell you how to  find the golden horse, if  you will do as I  bid
you. You must go straight on till  you come to the castle where the  horse
stands in  his stall:  by his  side will  lie the  groom fast  asleep  and
snoring: take away the horse quietly, but be sure to put the old  leathern
saddle upon him, and not the golden one that is close by it.’ Then the son
sat down on the fox’s tail, and  away they went over stock and stone  till
their hair whistled in the wind.\par

All went right, and the  groom lay snoring with  his hand upon the  golden
saddle. But when the son looked at  the horse, he thought it a great  pity
to put the leathern saddle upon it.  ‘I will give him the good one,’  said
he; ‘I am sure he deserves it.’ As he took up the golden saddle the  groom
awoke and cried  out so  loud, that  all the guards  ran in  and took  him
prisoner, and in the morning he was  again brought before the court to  be
judged, and was sentenced  to die. But  it was agreed,  that, if he  could
bring thither the beautiful  princess, he should live,  and have the  bird
and the horse given him for his own.\par

Then he went his way very sorrowful;  but the old fox came and said,  ‘Why
did not you listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away both the
bird and the horse; yet will I once more give you counsel. Go straight on,
and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o’clock at night
the princess goes to the bathing-house: go up to her and give her a  kiss,
and she will let you lead her away; but take care you do not suffer her to
go and take leave of  her father and mother.’  Then the fox stretched  out
his tail, and  so away  they went  over stock  and stone  till their  hair
whistled again.\par

As they came to  the castle, all was  as the fox had  said, and at  twelve
o’clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her  the
kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears that
he would let her take  leave of her father. At  first he refused, but  she
wept still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last he consented;
but the moment she came to her father’s house the guards awoke and he  was
taken prisoner again.\par

Then he was brought before the king,  and the king said, ‘You shall  never
have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the
view from my window.’ Now this hill was so big that the whole world  could
not take it away: and when he had worked for seven days, and had done very
little, the fox came and said. ‘Lie down and go to sleep; I will work  for
you.’ And  in the  morning he  awoke and  the hill  was gone;  so he  went
merrily to the king,  and told him  that now that it  was removed he  must
give him the princess.\par

Then the king was obliged  to keep his word, and  away went the young  man
and the princess;  and the fox  came and said  to him, ‘We  will have  all
three, the princess, the horse, and  the bird.’ ‘Ah!’ said the young  man,
‘that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it?’\par

‘If you will only listen,’ said the fox, ‘it can be done. When you come to
the king, and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, “Here  she
is!” Then he will be very joyful; and you will mount the golden horse that
they are to give  you, and put out  your hand to take  leave of them;  but
shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly on to the  horse
behind you; clap your spurs  to his side, and gallop  away as fast as  you
can.’\par

All went right: then the fox said, ‘When you come to the castle where  the
bird is, I will stay with the princess  at the door, and you will ride  in
and speak to the  king; and when he  sees that it is  the right horse,  he
will bring out the bird; but you must sit still, and say that you want  to
look at it, to see whether it is the true golden bird; and when you get it
into your hand, ride away.’\par

This, too,  happened as  the fox  said;  they carried  off the  bird,  the
princess mounted again, and  they rode on  to a great  wood. Then the  fox
came, and said, ‘Pray kill me, and cut  off my head and my feet.’ But  the
young man refused to do it: so the fox said, ‘I will at any rate give  you
good counsel: beware of  two things; ransom no  one from the gallows,  and
sit down by the side of no river.’ Then away he went. ‘Well,’ thought  the
young man, ‘it is no hard matter to keep that advice.’\par

He rode on with the princess, till at last he came to the village where he
had left his two brothers.  And there he heard  a great noise and  uproar;
and when he asked what was the matter, the people said, ‘Two men are going
to be  hanged.’ As  he came  nearer,  he saw  that the  two men  were  his
brothers, who had turned robbers; so he  said, ‘Cannot they in any way  be
saved?’ But the  people said ‘No,’  unless he would  bestow all his  money
upon the rascals  and buy their  liberty. Then  he did not  stay to  think
about the matter, but paid what was asked, and his brothers were given up,
and went on with him towards their home.\par

And as they came to the wood where the fox first met them, it was so  cool
and pleasant that the two brothers said,  ‘Let us sit down by the side  of
the river, and rest  a while, to  eat and drink.’ So  he said, ‘Yes,’  and
forgot the fox’s counsel, and sat down on the side of the river; and while
he suspected nothing, they came behind,  and threw him down the bank,  and
took the princess,  the horse, and  the bird,  and went home  to the  king
their master, and said. ‘All this have  we won by our labour.’ Then  there
was great rejoicing made; but the horse would not eat, the bird would  not
sing, and the princess wept.\par

The youngest son fell  to the bottom  of the river’s  bed: luckily it  was
nearly dry, but his bones  were almost broken, and  the bank was so  steep
that he could find no way to get out. Then the old fox came once more, and
scolded him for  not following his  advice; otherwise no  evil would  have
befallen him: ‘Yet,’ said he, ‘I cannot leave you here, so lay hold of  my
tail and hold fast.’ Then he pulled him out of the river, and said to him,
as he got upon  the bank, ‘Your  brothers have set watch  to kill you,  if
they find you in the  kingdom.’ So he dressed himself  as a poor man,  and
came secretly to the king’s court, and was scarcely within the doors  when
the horse  began to  eat, and  the bird  to sing,  and princess  left  off
weeping. Then he went to the king, and told him all his brothers’ roguery;
and they were seized and  punished, and he had  the princess given to  him
again; and after the king’s death he was heir to his kingdom.\par

A long while after, he went to walk  one day in the wood, and the old  fox
met him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and cut  off
his head and feet.  And at last  he did so,  and in a  moment the fox  was
changed into a man, and turned out to be the brother of the princess,  who
had been lost a great many many years.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{hans-in-luck}%
\hypertarget{hans-in-luck}{}%
%
\chapter*{Hans in Luck}


Some men are born to good luck: all  they do or try to do comes  right—all
that falls to  them is so  much gain—all their  geese are swans—all  their
cards are trumps—toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor
puss, alight upon their  legs, and only  move on so  much the faster.  The
world may  very  likely  not  always  think  of  them  as  they  think  of
themselves, but what care they for the  world? what can it know about  the
matter?\par

One of these  lucky beings  was neighbour Hans.  Seven long  years he  had
worked hard for his  master. At last  he said, ‘Master, my  time is up;  I
must go home and see my poor mother once more: so pray pay me my wages and
let me  go.’ And  the master  said, ‘You  have been  a faithful  and  good
servant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome.’ Then he gave him a lump  of
silver as big as his head.\par

Hans took out his  pocket-handkerchief, put the piece  of silver into  it,
threw it over his shoulder,  and jogged off on  his road homewards. As  he
went lazily on,  dragging one  foot after another,  a man  came in  sight,
trotting gaily along on  a capital horse. ‘Ah!’  said Hans aloud, ‘what  a
fine thing it is to ride on horseback! There he sits as easy and happy  as
if he was  at home,  in the  chair by his  fireside; he  trips against  no
stones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how.’ Hans did not
speak so softly but  the horseman heard it  all, and said, ‘Well,  friend,
why do you go on foot then?’ ‘Ah!’ said he, ‘I have this load to carry: to
be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can’t hold up my head, and
you must know it hurts my shoulder  sadly.’ ‘What do you say of making  an
exchange?’ said the  horseman. ‘I will  give you my  horse, and you  shall
give me  the silver;  which  will save  you a  great  deal of  trouble  in
carrying such a  heavy load  about with you.’  ‘With all  my heart,’  said
Hans: ‘but as you are  so kind to me, I  must tell you one thing—you  will
have a  weary task  to draw  that  silver about  with you.’  However,  the
horseman got off,  took the silver,  helped Hans up,  gave him the  bridle
into one hand and the whip into the other, and said, ‘When you want to  go
very fast, smack your lips loudly together, and cry “Jip!”’\par

Hans was delighted as he  sat on the horse,  drew himself up, squared  his
elbows, turned out his toes, cracked  his whip, and rode merrily off,  one
minute whistling a merry tune, and another singing,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘No care and no sorrow, \\
A fig for the morrow! \\
We’ll laugh and be merry, \\
Sing neigh down derry!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

After a  time he  thought he  should like  to go  a little  faster, so  he
smacked his lips  and cried ‘Jip!’  Away went the  horse full gallop;  and
before Hans knew what he was about, he was thrown off, and lay on his back
by the road-side.  His horse would  have ran  off, if a  shepherd who  was
coming by, driving a cow, had not  stopped it. Hans soon came to  himself,
and got upon his legs again, sadly vexed, and said to the shepherd,  ‘This
riding is no joke, when a man has  the luck to get upon a beast like  this
that stumbles and flings him off as  if it would break his neck.  However,
I’m off now once  for all: I like  your cow now a  great deal better  than
this smart beast that played me this trick, and has spoiled my best  coat,
you see, in this puddle; which, by the by, smells not very like a nosegay.
One can walk along at one’s leisure behind that cow—keep good company, and
have milk, butter, and cheese, every  day, into the bargain. What would  I
give to have such a prize!’ ‘Well,’ said the shepherd, ‘if you are so fond
of her, I  will change my  cow for  your horse; I  like to do  good to  my
neighbours, even though I lose by it myself.’ ‘Done!’ said Hans,  merrily.
‘What a noble  heart that  good man has!’  thought he.  Then the  shepherd
jumped upon the horse, wished Hans and  the cow good morning, and away  he
rode.\par

Hans brushed his coat, wiped his face and hands, rested a while, and  then
drove off his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very lucky one. ‘If I
have only a piece of  bread (and I certainly shall  always be able to  get
that), I can, whenever I like, eat my butter and cheese with it; and  when
I am thirsty I can milk my cow and drink the milk: and what can I wish for
more?’ When he came to an inn, he  halted, ate up all his bread, and  gave
away his last penny for a glass of beer. When he had rested himself he set
off again, driving his cow towards his mother’s village. But the heat grew
greater as soon as noon  came on, till at last,  as he found himself on  a
wide heath that would take him more than an hour to cross, he began to  be
so hot and parched that his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth. ‘I  can
find a cure for this,’ thought he; ‘now  I will milk my cow and quench  my
thirst’: so he tied her to the stump of a tree, and held his leathern  cap
to milk into; but not  a drop was to be  had. Who would have thought  that
this cow, which was to bring him milk and butter and cheese, was all  that
time utterly dry? Hans had not thought of looking to that.\par

While he was  trying his  luck in milking,  and managing  the matter  very
clumsily, the uneasy  beast began to  think him very  troublesome; and  at
last gave him such a  kick on the head as  knocked him down; and there  he
lay a long while senseless. Luckily a butcher soon came by, driving a  pig
in a wheelbarrow. ‘What is the matter with you, my man?’ said the butcher,
as he helped him up. Hans told him what had happened, how he was dry,  and
wanted to milk his cow,  but found the cow was  dry too. Then the  butcher
gave him a flask of ale, saying, ‘There, drink and refresh yourself;  your
cow will give you  no milk: don’t you  see she is an  old beast, good  for
nothing but the slaughter-house?’ ‘Alas, alas!’ said Hans, ‘who would have
thought it? What a shame to take my horse, and give me only a dry cow!  If
I kill her, what will she be good  for? I hate cow-beef; it is not  tender
enough for  me. If  it were  a pig  now—like that  fat gentleman  you  are
driving along at his ease—one could do something with it; it would at  any
rate make sausages.’ ‘Well,’  said the butcher, ‘I  don’t like to say  no,
when one is asked to  do a kind, neighbourly thing.  To please you I  will
change, and give you my fine fat pig for the cow.’ ‘Heaven reward you  for
your kindness and self-denial!’ said Hans, as he gave the butcher the cow;
and taking the pig off the wheel-barrow, drove it away, holding it by  the
string that was tied to its leg.\par

So on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him: he had met  with
some misfortunes, to  be sure; but  he was  now well repaid  for all.  How
could it be otherwise with such a  travelling companion as he had at  last
got?\par

The next man  he met was  a countryman  carrying a fine  white goose.  The
countryman stopped to ask what was o’clock; this led to further chat;  and
Hans told him all his luck, how he had so many good bargains, and how  all
the world went gay and smiling with him. The countryman than began to tell
his tale,  and said  he was  going to  take the  goose to  a  christening.
‘Feel,’ said he, ‘how  heavy it is,  and yet it is  only eight weeks  old.
Whoever roasts and eats it will find  plenty of fat upon it, it has  lived
so well!’ ‘You’re right,’ said Hans, as he weighed it in his hand; ‘but if
you talk of fat, my  pig is no trifle.’  Meantime the countryman began  to
look grave, and shook his head. ‘Hark ye!’ said he, ‘my worthy friend, you
seem a good sort of  fellow, so I can’t help  doing you a kind turn.  Your
pig may get you into a scrape. In the village I just came from, the squire
has had a pig stolen  out of his sty. I  was dreadfully afraid when I  saw
you that you had got the squire’s pig. If you have, and they catch you, it
will be a bad  job for you. The  least they will do  will be to throw  you
into the horse-pond. Can you swim?’\par

Poor Hans was sadly frightened. ‘Good man,’ cried he, ‘pray get me out  of
this scrape. I know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born;  but
he may have been the squire’s for aught I can tell: you know this  country
better than I do,  take my pig and  give me the goose.’  ‘I ought to  have
something into the bargain,’ said the countryman; ‘give a fat goose for  a
pig, indeed! ’Tis not everyone would do so much for you as that.  However,
I will not  be hard upon  you, as you  are in trouble.’  Then he took  the
string in his hand, and drove off the pig by a side path; while Hans  went
on the way homewards free from  care. ‘After all,’ thought he, ‘that  chap
is pretty well taken  in. I don’t  care whose pig it  is, but wherever  it
came from it has been a  very good friend to me.  I have much the best  of
the bargain. First there will be a  capital roast; then the fat will  find
me in goose-grease for  six months; and then  there are all the  beautiful
white feathers. I will put them into my pillow, and then I am sure I shall
sleep soundly without rocking. How happy my mother will be! Talk of a pig,
indeed! Give me a fine fat goose.’\par

As he came to the next village,  he saw a scissor-grinder with his  wheel,
working and singing,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O’er hill and o’er dale \\
So happy I roam, \\
Work light and live well, \\
All the world is my home; \\
Then who so blythe, so merry as I?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Hans stood looking on  for a while,  and at last said,  ‘You must be  well
off, master grinder!  you seem  so happy at  your work.’  ‘Yes,’ said  the
other, ‘mine is a golden  trade; a good grinder  never puts his hand  into
his pocket  without  finding  money  in it—but  where  did  you  get  that
beautiful goose?’ ‘I did not buy it, I gave a pig for it.’ ‘And where  did
you get the pig?’ ‘I gave  a cow for it.’ ‘And  the cow?’ ‘I gave a  horse
for it.’ ‘And the horse?’ ‘I gave a  lump of silver as big as my head  for
it.’ ‘And the silver?’ ‘Oh! I worked hard for that seven long years.’ ‘You
have thriven well in  the world hitherto,’ said  the grinder, ‘now if  you
could find money in  your pocket whenever  you put your  hand in it,  your
fortune would be made.’ ‘Very true: but how is that to be managed?’  ‘How?
Why, you must turn grinder like myself,’ said the other; ‘you only want  a
grindstone; the rest will come of itself.  Here is one that is but  little
the worse for wear: I would not ask more than the value of your goose  for
it—will you buy?’ ‘How can you ask?’ said Hans; ‘I should be the  happiest
man in the  world, if  I could have  money whenever  I put my  hand in  my
pocket: what  could I  want  more? there’s  the  goose.’ ‘Now,’  said  the
grinder, as he gave him a common  rough stone that lay by his side,  ‘this
is a most capital stone; do but work  it well enough, and you can make  an
old nail cut with it.’\par

Hans took  the stone,  and  went his  way with  a  light heart:  his  eyes
sparkled for joy, and he said to himself, ‘Surely I must have been born in
a lucky hour; everything I could want or wish for comes of itself.  People
are so kind; they seem really to think I do them a favour in letting  them
make me rich, and giving me good bargains.’\par

Meantime he began to be tired, and  hungry too, for he had given away  his
last penny in his joy at getting the cow.\par

At last he  could go no  farther, for the  stone tired him  sadly: and  he
dragged himself to  the side of  a river, that  he might take  a drink  of
water, and rest a while. So he laid the stone carefully by his side on the
bank: but, as he stooped down to drink, he forgot it, pushed it a  little,
and down it rolled, plump into the stream.\par

For a while he watched it sinking in the deep clear water; then sprang  up
and danced for joy, and again fell upon his knees and thanked Heaven, with
tears in his eyes, for  its kindness in taking  away his only plague,  the
ugly heavy stone.\par

‘How happy am I!’ cried  he; ‘nobody was ever so  lucky as I.’ Then up  he
got with a light heart, free from all his troubles, and walked on till  he
reached his mother’s house, and  told her how very  easy the road to  good
luck was.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{jorinda-and-jorindel}%
\hypertarget{jorinda-and-jorindel}{}%
%
\chapter*{Jorinda And Jorindel}


There was once an old  castle, that stood in the  middle of a deep  gloomy
wood, and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take  any
shape she pleased. All the day long she flew about in the form of an  owl,
or crept about the country like a  cat; but at night she always became  an
old woman again. When  any young man  came within a  hundred paces of  her
castle, he became quite fixed, and could not move a step till she came and
set him free; which she would not do till he had given her his word  never
to come there again: but when any pretty maiden came within that space she
was changed into a bird, and the fairy  put her into a cage, and hung  her
up in a chamber  in the castle.  There were seven  hundred of these  cages
hanging in the castle, and all with beautiful birds in them.\par

Now there was once a maiden whose name was Jorinda. She was prettier  than
all the pretty girls that ever were seen before, and a shepherd lad, whose
name was Jorindel, was very fond of her, and they were soon to be married.
One day they  went to  walk in  the wood, that  they might  be alone;  and
Jorindel said, ‘We must take care that we don’t go too near to the fairy’s
castle.’ It was  a beautiful  evening; the last  rays of  the setting  sun
shone bright through the long stems of the trees upon the green  underwood
beneath, and the turtle-doves sang from the tall birches.\par

Jorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun; Jorindel sat by her side; and  both
felt sad, they knew not  why; but it seemed as  if they were to be  parted
from one another for  ever. They had  wandered a long  way; and when  they
looked to see which way  they should go home,  they found themselves at  a
loss to know what path to take.\par

The sun was setting fast, and already  half of its circle had sunk  behind
the hill: Jorindel  on a  sudden looked behind  him, and  saw through  the
bushes that they  had, without knowing  it, sat down  close under the  old
walls of the castle. Then he  shrank for fear, turned pale, and  trembled.
Jorinda was just singing,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘The ring-dove sang from the willow spray, \\
Well-a-day! Well-a-day! \\
He mourn’d for the fate of his darling mate, \\
Well-a-day!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

when her song  stopped suddenly. Jorindel  turned to see  the reason,  and
beheld his Jorinda changed into a nightingale, so that her song ended with
a mournful {\itshape{jug, jug.}} An owl with  fiery eyes flew three times round  them,
and three times screamed:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Tu whu! Tu whu! Tu whu!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Jorindel could not  move; he  stood fixed as  a stone,  and could  neither
weep, nor speak, nor stir hand or  foot. And now the sun went quite  down;
the gloomy night came; the  owl flew into a bush;  and a moment after  the
old fairy came forth pale  and meagre, with staring  eyes, and a nose  and
chin that almost met one another.\par

She mumbled something to  herself, seized the  nightingale, and went  away
with it in her hand. Poor  Jorindel saw the nightingale was gone—but  what
could he do? He could not speak, he could not move from the spot where  he
stood. At last the fairy came back and sang with a hoarse voice:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Till the prisoner is fast, \\
And her doom is cast, \\
There stay! Oh, stay! \\
When the charm is around her, \\
And the spell has bound her, \\
Hie away! away!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

On a sudden Jorindel found himself free. Then he fell on his knees  before
the fairy, and  prayed her  to give  him back  his dear  Jorinda: but  she
laughed at him, and said he should never see her again; then she went  her
way.\par

He prayed, he wept, he sorrowed, but  all in vain. ‘Alas!’ he said,  ‘what
will become of me?’ He could not go back to his own home, so he went to  a
strange village, and employed himself in keeping sheep. Many a time did he
walk round and round as near to the  hated castle as he dared go, but  all
in vain; he heard or saw nothing of Jorinda.\par

At last he dreamt one night that  he found a beautiful purple flower,  and
that in the middle of it lay a costly pearl; and he dreamt that he plucked
the flower,  and went  with  it in  his hand  into  the castle,  and  that
everything he touched with  it was disenchanted, and  that there he  found
his Jorinda again.\par

In the morning when he  awoke, he began to search  over hill and dale  for
this pretty flower; and eight long days  he sought for it in vain: but  on
the ninth day, early in the morning, he found the beautiful purple flower;
and in the middle  of it was a  large dewdrop, as big  as a costly  pearl.
Then he plucked the flower, and set out and travelled day and night,  till
he came again to the castle.\par

He walked nearer than  a hundred paces  to it, and yet  he did not  become
fixed as before, but found  that he could go quite  close up to the  door.
Jorindel was very glad indeed to see  this. Then he touched the door  with
the flower, and it sprang open; so that he went in through the court,  and
listened when he  heard so  many birds  singing. At  last he  came to  the
chamber where the fairy sat, with  the seven hundred birds singing in  the
seven hundred  cages.  When she  saw  Jorindel  she was  very  angry,  and
screamed with rage; but she  could not come within  two yards of him,  for
the flower he held in his hand was his safeguard. He looked around at  the
birds, but alas! there were many,  many nightingales, and how then  should
he find out which was  his Jorinda? While he was  thinking what to do,  he
saw the fairy had taken down one of the cages, and was making the best  of
her way off through the door. He  ran or flew after her, touched the  cage
with the flower, and  Jorinda stood before him,  and threw her arms  round
his neck looking as  beautiful as ever, as  beautiful as when they  walked
together in the wood.\par

Then he touched all the other birds with the flower, so that they all took
their old forms again; and he took Jorinda home, where they were  married,
and lived happily together many years: and so did a good many other  lads,
whose maidens  had  been  forced to  sing  in  the old  fairy’s  cages  by
themselves, much longer than they liked.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-travelling-musicians}%
\hypertarget{the-travelling-musicians}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Travelling Musicians}


An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a
great many years,  but was now  growing old  and every day  more and  more
unfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to
think of putting an end  to him; but the ass,  who saw that some  mischief
was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the
great city, ‘For there,’ thought he, ‘I may turn musician.’\par

After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the  roadside
and panting as if he were tired. ‘What makes you pant so, my friend?’ said
the ass. ‘Alas!’ said  the dog, ‘my  master was going to  knock me on  the
head, because I am old and weak,  and can no longer make myself useful  to
him in hunting; so I ran away; but  what can I do to earn my  livelihood?’
‘Hark ye!’ said the ass, ‘I am  going to the great city to turn  musician:
suppose you go with me, and try what you can do in the same way?’ The  dog
said he was willing, and they jogged on together.\par

They had not gone far before they saw  a cat sitting in the middle of  the
road and making a most  rueful face. ‘Pray, my  good lady,’ said the  ass,
‘what’s the matter  with you? You  look quite out  of spirits!’ ‘Ah,  me!’
said the  cat, ‘how  can one  be in  good spirits  when one’s  life is  in
danger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my  ease
by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress laid hold
of me, and was going to drown me;  and though I have been lucky enough  to
get away from her, I do not know  what I am to live upon.’ ‘Oh,’ said  the
ass, ‘by all  means go with  us to the  great city; you  are a good  night
singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.’ The cat was pleased with
the thought, and joined the party.\par

Soon afterwards,  as they  were passing  by a  farmyard, they  saw a  cock
perched upon  a gate,  and screaming  out  with all  his might  and  main.
‘Bravo!’ said the ass; ‘upon my word,  you make a famous noise; pray  what
is all this about?’ ‘Why,’ said the  cock, ‘I was just now saying that  we
should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and  the
cook don’t  thank  me for  my  pains, but  threaten  to cut  off  my  head
tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming on  Sunday!’
‘Heaven forbid!’ said the ass, ‘come  with us Master Chanticleer; it  will
be better, at  any rate,  than staying  here to  have your  head cut  off!
Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of
a concert; so come along with us.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said the cock:  so
they all four went on jollily together.\par

They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night
came on,  they went  into  a wood  to  sleep. The  ass  and the  dog  laid
themselves down  under a  great tree,  and  the cat  climbed up  into  the
branches; while the  cock, thinking that  the higher he  sat the safer  he
should be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to his
custom, before he went  to sleep, looked  out on all sides  of him to  see
that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off something  bright
and shining and calling to his companions said, ‘There must be a house  no
great way off, for I  see a light.’ ‘If that  be the case,’ said the  ass,
‘we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the best in the
world!’ ‘Besides,’ added the dog, ‘I should not be the worse for a bone or
two, or a bit of meat.’ So they walked off together towards the spot where
Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became larger and
brighter, till they  at last  came close  to a house  in which  a gang  of
robbers lived.\par

The ass, being the tallest  of the company, marched  up to the window  and
peeped in. ‘Well, Donkey,’ said Chanticleer, ‘what do you see?’ ‘What do I
see?’ replied the ass. ‘Why, I see  a table spread with all kinds of  good
things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.’ ‘That would be a noble
lodging for us,’ said the cock. ‘Yes,’ said the ass, ‘if we could only get
in’; so  they consulted  together  how they  should  contrive to  get  the
robbers out; and  at last they  hit upon  a plan. The  ass placed  himself
upright on his hind  legs, with his forefeet  resting against the  window;
the dog got upon his  back; the cat scrambled  up to the dog’s  shoulders,
and the cock flew  up and sat upon  the cat’s head. When  all was ready  a
signal was given,  and they  began their music.  The ass  brayed, the  dog
barked, the cat  mewed, and  the cock screamed;  and then  they all  broke
through the window at once, and  came tumbling into the room, amongst  the
broken glass, with a most hideous clatter! The robbers, who had been not a
little frightened  by the  opening concert,  had now  no doubt  that  some
frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as
they could.\par

The coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what the
robbers had left, with as  much eagerness as if  they had not expected  to
eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they  put
out the lights, and each once more  sought out a resting-place to his  own
liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the
dog stretched himself upon a mat  behind the door, the cat rolled  herself
up on the hearth before the warm  ashes, and the cock perched upon a  beam
on the top of  the house; and,  as they were all  rather tired with  their
journey, they soon fell asleep.\par

But about midnight, when  the robbers saw from  afar that the lights  were
out and that all seemed quiet, they  began to think that they had been  in
too great a hurry to  run away; and one of  them, who was bolder than  the
rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he  marched
into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light
a candle;  and then,  espying the  glittering fiery  eyes of  the cat,  he
mistook them for live coals, and held  the match to them to light it.  But
the cat, not understanding  this joke, sprang at  his face, and spat,  and
scratched at him. This frightened him  dreadfully, and away he ran to  the
back door; but there the dog jumped up  and bit him in the leg; and as  he
was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the cock, who had  been
awakened by the noise, crowed with all  his might. At this the robber  ran
back as fast  as he  could to  his comrades, and  told the  captain how  a
horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him and scratched his
face with her long bony  fingers; how a man with  a knife in his hand  had
hidden himself behind the door,  and stabbed him in  the leg; how a  black
monster stood in the yard  and struck him with a  club, and how the  devil
had sat upon  the top of  the house and  cried out, ‘Throw  the rascal  up
here!’ After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the
musicians were so  pleased with  their quarters  that they  took up  their
abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{old-sultan}%
\hypertarget{old-sultan}{}%
%
\chapter*{Old Sultan}


A shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old,  and
had lost all his teeth.  And one day when the  shepherd and his wife  were
standing together before the  house the shepherd said,  ‘I will shoot  old
Sultan tomorrow morning,  for he is  of no  use now.’ But  his wife  said,
‘Pray let the poor faithful creature live;  he has served us well a  great
many years, and  we ought to  give him a  livelihood for the  rest of  his
days.’ ‘But what can  we do with  him?’ said the shepherd,  ‘he has not  a
tooth in his head, and the thieves don’t  care for him at all; to be  sure
he has served  us, but then  he did  it to earn  his livelihood;  tomorrow
shall be his last day, depend upon it.’\par

Poor Sultan, who was lying close by them, heard all that the shepherd  and
his wife  said to  one another,  and  was very  much frightened  to  think
tomorrow would be  his last day;  so in the  evening he went  to his  good
friend the wolf, who lived in the wood, and told him all his sorrows,  and
how his master  meant to kill  him in the  morning. ‘Make yourself  easy,’
said the wolf, ‘I will give you  some good advice. Your master, you  know,
goes out every morning very early with  his wife into the field; and  they
take their little child with them, and lay it down behind the hedge in the
shade while they are at work. Now do you lie down close by the child,  and
pretend to be watching it,  and I will come out  of the wood and run  away
with it; you must run after me as fast as you can, and I will let it drop;
then you may  carry it  back, and  they will  think you  have saved  their
child, and will be so thankful to you  that they will take care of you  as
long as you live.’ The dog liked  this plan very well; and accordingly  so
it was managed. The wolf ran with the child a little way; the shepherd and
his wife screamed out; but Sultan soon overtook him, and carried the  poor
little thing back to his master and mistress. Then the shepherd patted him
on the head, and said, ‘Old Sultan has saved our child from the wolf,  and
therefore he shall live and be well taken care of, and have plenty to eat.
Wife, go home, and give him a good dinner, and let him have my old cushion
to sleep on as long as he lives.’ So from this time forward Sultan had all
that he could wish for.\par

Soon afterwards the wolf came and wished him joy, and said, ‘Now, my  good
fellow, you must tell no  tales, but turn your head  the other way when  I
want to taste one of  the old shepherd’s fine  fat sheep.’ ‘No,’ said  the
Sultan; ‘I will be true to my master.’ However, the wolf thought he was in
joke, and came one night to get  a dainty morsel. But Sultan had told  his
master what the wolf meant to do; so he laid wait for him behind the  barn
door, and when the wolf was busy looking out for a good fat sheep, he  had
a stout cudgel laid about his back, that combed his locks for him finely.\par

Then the wolf was very angry, and called Sultan ‘an old rogue,’ and  swore
he would have his revenge. So the  next morning the wolf sent the boar  to
challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the matter. Now Sultan had
nobody he could ask to be  his second but the shepherd’s old  three-legged
cat; so he took her with him, and as the poor thing limped along with some
trouble, she stuck up her tail straight in the air.\par

The wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground; and when they  espied
their enemies coming, and saw the cat’s long tail standing straight in the
air, they thought she was carrying a  sword for Sultan to fight with;  and
every time she limped, they thought she was picking up a stone to throw at
them; so they said they should not like this way of fighting, and the boar
lay down behind a bush, and the wolf jumped up into a tree. Sultan and the
cat soon came up, and looked about and wondered that no one was there. The
boar, however, had not quite hidden himself, for his ears stuck out of the
bush; and when he shook  one of them a  little, the cat, seeing  something
move, and thinking it was a mouse,  sprang upon it, and bit and  scratched
it, so that the  boar jumped up  and grunted, and  ran away, roaring  out,
‘Look up in the tree, there sits the one who is to blame.’ So they  looked
up, and espied the wolf sitting amongst the branches; and they called  him
a cowardly rascal,  and would  not suffer  him to  come down  till he  was
heartily ashamed of  himself, and had  promised to be  good friends  again
with old Sultan.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-straw-the-coal-and-the-bean}%
\hypertarget{the-straw-the-coal-and-the-bean}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Straw, The Coal, And The Bean}


In a village dwelt a poor old  woman, who had gathered together a dish  of
beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth, and  that
it might burn the quicker,  she lighted it with  a handful of straw.  When
she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped without her observing
it, and lay on the  ground beside a straw,  and soon afterwards a  burning
coal from the fire leapt down to  the two. Then the straw began and  said:
‘Dear friends,  from  whence do  you  come  here?’ The  coal  replied:  ‘I
fortunately sprang out  of the fire,  and if  I had not  escaped by  sheer
force, my  death would  have been  certain,—I should  have been  burnt  to
ashes.’ The bean said: ‘I too have  escaped with a whole skin, but if  the
old woman had  got me into  the pan, I  should have been  made into  broth
without any mercy, like my comrades.’ ‘And would a better fate have fallen
to my lot?’ said the straw. ‘The  old woman has destroyed all my  brethren
in fire and smoke; she seized sixty of them at once, and took their lives.
I luckily slipped through her fingers.’\par

‘But what are we to do now?’ said the coal.\par

‘I think,’ answered  the bean,  ‘that as  we have  so fortunately  escaped
death, we  should keep  together  like good  companions,  and lest  a  new
mischance should overtake us here, we should go away together, and  repair
to a foreign country.’\par

The proposition pleased  the two  others, and they  set out  on their  way
together. Soon, however, they came to a little brook, and as there was  no
bridge or foot-plank, they did not know how they were to get over it.  The
straw hit on a good  idea, and said: ‘I  will lay myself straight  across,
and then you  can walk over  on me as  on a bridge.’  The straw  therefore
stretched itself from one bank to the  other, and the coal, who was of  an
impetuous disposition, tripped quite boldly on to the newly-built  bridge.
But when she had reached the  middle, and heard the water rushing  beneath
her, she was after all, afraid, and stood still, and ventured no  farther.
The straw, however, began to burn, broke in two pieces, and fell into  the
stream. The coal slipped  after her, hissed when  she got into the  water,
and breathed her last.  The bean, who had  prudently stayed behind on  the
shore, could not but laugh at the  event, was unable to stop, and  laughed
so heartily  that  she  burst. It  would  have  been all  over  with  her,
likewise, if, by good  fortune, a tailor who  was travelling in search  of
work, had not sat  down to rest  by the brook. As  he had a  compassionate
heart he pulled  out his needle  and thread, and  sewed her together.  The
bean thanked him most prettily, but  as the tailor used black thread,  all
beans since then have a black seam.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{briar-rose}%
\hypertarget{briar-rose}{}%
%
\chapter*{Briar Rose}


A king and queen once  upon a time reigned in  a country a great way  off,
where there were in those days fairies. Now this king and queen had plenty
of money, and plenty of fine clothes to wear, and plenty of good things to
eat and drink, and a coach to ride  out in every day: but though they  had
been married many years they had  no children, and this grieved them  very
much indeed. But  one day  as the  queen was walking  by the  side of  the
river, at the bottom of the garden,  she saw a poor little fish, that  had
thrown itself out of  the water, and  lay gasping and  nearly dead on  the
bank. Then the queen took pity on the little fish, and threw it back again
into the river;  and before it  swam away it  lifted its head  out of  the
water and said, ‘I know what your  wish is, and it shall be fulfilled,  in
return for your kindness  to me—you will soon  have a daughter.’ What  the
little fish had foretold  soon came to  pass; and the  queen had a  little
girl, so very beautiful that  the king could not  cease looking on it  for
joy, and said he  would hold a  great feast and make  merry, and show  the
child to all the land. So he  asked his kinsmen, and nobles, and  friends,
and neighbours. But the  queen said, ‘I will  have the fairies also,  that
they might  be kind  and good  to  our little  daughter.’ Now  there  were
thirteen fairies in the kingdom; but as the king and queen had only twelve
golden dishes for them to eat out of, they were forced to leave one of the
fairies without asking her. So twelve  fairies came, each with a high  red
cap on her head,  and red shoes with  high heels on her  feet, and a  long
white wand in her hand: and after  the feast was over they gathered  round
in a ring and gave all their  best gifts to the little princess. One  gave
her goodness, another beauty, another riches,  and so on till she had  all
that was good in the world.\par

Just as eleven of them had done  blessing her, a great noise was heard  in
the courtyard, and word  was brought that the  thirteenth fairy was  come,
with a  black  cap on  her  head,  and black  shoes  on her  feet,  and  a
broomstick in her hand:  and presently up she  came into the  dining-hall.
Now, as  she had  not been  asked to  the feast  she was  very angry,  and
scolded the king and queen very much, and set to work to take her revenge.
So she cried out,  ‘The king’s daughter shall,  in her fifteenth year,  be
wounded by  a  spindle, and  fall  down dead.’  Then  the twelfth  of  the
friendly fairies, who had not yet  given her gift, came forward, and  said
that the  evil wish  must be  fulfilled,  but that  she could  soften  its
mischief; so her  gift was,  that the  king’s daughter,  when the  spindle
wounded her, should  not really  die, but should  only fall  asleep for  a
hundred years.\par

However, the king hoped still to  save his dear child altogether from  the
threatened evil; so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should
be bought up and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven fairies were
in the meantime  fulfilled; for the  princess was so  beautiful, and  well
behaved, and good, and wise, that everyone who knew her loved her.\par

It happened that, on the very day she was fifteen years old, the king  and
queen were not at home, and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved
about by herself, and looked at all  the rooms and chambers, till at  last
she came to an  old tower, to  which there was  a narrow staircase  ending
with a little  door. In  the door  there was a  golden key,  and when  she
turned it the door sprang  open, and there sat  an old lady spinning  away
very busily. ‘Why, how now, good mother,’ said the princess; ‘what are you
doing there?’ ‘Spinning,’ said the old lady, and nodded her head,  humming
a tune, while buzz! went the wheel. ‘How prettily that little thing  turns
round!’ said the princess, and took the spindle and began to try and spin.
But  scarcely  had  she  touched  it,  before  the  fairy’s  prophecy  was
fulfilled; the spindle  wounded her,  and she  fell down  lifeless on  the
ground.\par

However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and  the
king and the  queen, who had  just come  home, and all  their court,  fell
asleep too; and  the horses  slept in  the stables,  and the  dogs in  the
court, the pigeons  on the house-top,  and the very  flies slept upon  the
walls. Even the fire on  the hearth left off  blazing, and went to  sleep;
the jack stopped, and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it
for the king’s dinner stood  still; and the cook,  who was at that  moment
pulling the kitchen-boy  by the  hair to  give him a  box on  the ear  for
something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep; the butler,
who was slyly tasting the ale, fell  asleep with the jug at his lips:  and
thus everything stood still, and slept soundly.\par

A large hedge  of thorns soon  grew round  the palace, and  every year  it
became higher and thicker; till at last the old palace was surrounded  and
hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But there
went a report through  all the land of  the beautiful sleeping Briar  Rose
(for so  the king’s  daughter was  called): so  that, from  time to  time,
several kings’ sons came, and tried to break through the thicket into  the
palace. This, however,  none of  them could ever  do; for  the thorns  and
bushes laid hold  of them, as  it were  with hands; and  there they  stuck
fast, and died wretchedly.\par

After many, many years there came a king’s son into that land: and an  old
man told him  the story  of the  thicket of  thorns; and  how a  beautiful
palace stood behind it, and how  a wonderful princess, called Briar  Rose,
lay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too, how he had heard  from
his grandfather that many, many princes  had come, and had tried to  break
through the thicket, but  that they had  all stuck fast  in it, and  died.
Then the young prince said, ‘All this shall not frighten me; I will go and
see this Briar Rose.’  The old man  tried to hinder him,  but he was  bent
upon going.\par

Now that very day the hundred years were ended; and as the prince came  to
the thicket he saw nothing  but beautiful flowering shrubs, through  which
he went with ease, and  they shut in after him  as thick as ever. Then  he
came at last to the  palace, and there in the  court lay the dogs  asleep;
and the horses  were standing  in the  stables; and  on the  roof sat  the
pigeons fast asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when he  came
into the  palace, the  flies were  sleeping  on the  walls; the  spit  was
standing still; the butler had the jug of ale at his lips, going to  drink
a draught; the maid sat  with a fowl in her  lap ready to be plucked;  and
the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand, as if she was going
to beat the boy.\par

Then he went on  still farther, and  all was so still  that he could  hear
every breath he drew; till  at last he came to  the old tower, and  opened
the door of the little  room in which Briar Rose  was; and there she  lay,
fast asleep on  a couch by  the window.  She looked so  beautiful that  he
could not take his eyes off her, so  he stooped down and gave her a  kiss.
But the moment he  kissed her she  opened her eyes  and awoke, and  smiled
upon him; and they  went out together;  and soon the  king and queen  also
awoke, and all the court, and gazed  on each other with great wonder.  And
the horses  shook themselves,  and  the dogs  jumped  up and  barked;  the
pigeons took their heads from under their wings, and looked about and flew
into the fields;  the flies on  the walls  buzzed again; the  fire in  the
kitchen blazed up; round went the jack, and round went the spit, with  the
goose for the king’s  dinner upon it; the  butler finished his draught  of
ale; the maid went on plucking the fowl; and the cook gave the boy the box
on his ear.\par

And then the prince and Briar Rose were married, and the wedding feast was
given; and they lived happily together all their lives long.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-dog-and-the-sparrow}%
\hypertarget{the-dog-and-the-sparrow}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Dog And The Sparrow}


A shepherd’s dog had a master who took  no care of him, but often let  him
suffer the greatest hunger. At last he could bear it no longer; so he took
to his heels, and off he ran in a very sad and sorrowful mood. On the road
he met  a sparrow  that said  to him,  ‘Why are  you so  sad, my  friend?’
‘Because,’ said the dog, ‘I am very very hungry, and have nothing to eat.’
‘If that be all,’ answered the sparrow, ‘come with me into the next  town,
and I will soon find  you plenty of food.’ So  on they went together  into
the town: and as they passed by a butcher’s shop, the sparrow said to  the
dog, ‘Stand there a little while till I peck you down a piece of meat.’ So
the sparrow  perched upon  the shelf:  and having  first looked  carefully
about her to see if anyone was watching her, she pecked and scratched at a
steak that lay upon the edge of the shelf, till at last down it fell. Then
the dog snapped it up, and scrambled away with it into a corner, where  he
soon ate it all up. ‘Well,’ said the sparrow, ‘you shall have some more if
you will; so  come with  me to the  next shop,  and I will  peck you  down
another steak.’ When the dog had eaten this too, the sparrow said to  him,
‘Well, my good friend,  have you had  enough now?’ ‘I  have had plenty  of
meat,’ answered he, ‘but  I should like  to have a piece  of bread to  eat
after it.’ ‘Come with me then,’ said the sparrow, ‘and you shall soon have
that too.’ So she took him to a baker’s shop, and pecked at two rolls that
lay in the window, till  they fell down: and as  the dog still wished  for
more, she took him to another shop and pecked down some more for him. When
that was  eaten, the  sparrow asked  him whether  he had  had enough  now.
‘Yes,’ said he; ‘and now let us take a walk a little way out of the town.’
So they both went  out upon the  high road; but as  the weather was  warm,
they had not gone far before the dog said, ‘I am very much tired—I  should
like to take a nap.’ ‘Very well,’ answered the sparrow, ‘do so, and in the
meantime I will perch upon that bush.’ So the dog stretched himself out on
the road, and fell fast  asleep. Whilst he slept,  there came by a  carter
with a cart drawn by three horses, and loaded with two casks of wine.  The
sparrow, seeing that the carter did not turn out of the way, but would  go
on in the track in which the dog lay, so as to drive over him, called out,
‘Stop! stop! Mr Carter, or it shall be the worse for you.’ But the carter,
grumbling to himself, ‘You make it the worse for me, indeed! what can  you
do?’ cracked his whip, and drove his  cart over the poor dog, so that  the
wheels crushed  him to  death.  ‘There,’ cried  the sparrow,  ‘thou  cruel
villain, thou hast killed  my friend the  dog. Now mind  what I say.  This
deed of thine shall  cost thee all  thou art worth.’  ‘Do your worst,  and
welcome,’ said the brute, ‘what  harm can you do  me?’ and passed on.  But
the sparrow crept under the  tilt of the cart, and  pecked at the bung  of
one of the  casks till she  loosened it; and  than all the  wine ran  out,
without the carter seeing it.  At last he looked  round, and saw that  the
cart was dripping,  and the cask  quite empty. ‘What  an unlucky wretch  I
am!’ cried he. ‘Not wretch enough yet!’ said the sparrow, as she  alighted
upon the head of one  of the horses, and pecked  at him till he reared  up
and kicked. When the carter saw this, he drew out his hatchet and aimed  a
blow at the sparrow, meaning to kill her; but she flew away, and the  blow
fell upon the poor horse’s head with  such force, that he fell down  dead.
‘Unlucky wretch that I  am!’ cried he. ‘Not  wretch enough yet!’ said  the
sparrow. And as the carter  went on with the  other two horses, she  again
crept under the tilt of  the cart, and pecked out  the bung of the  second
cask, so that all  the wine ran  out. When the carter  saw this, he  again
cried out, ‘Miserable wretch  that I am!’ But  the sparrow answered,  ‘Not
wretch enough  yet!’ and  perched on  the head  of the  second horse,  and
pecked at him  too. The carter  ran up and  struck at her  again with  his
hatchet; but away she flew,  and the blow fell  upon the second horse  and
killed him on the spot. ‘Unlucky wretch  that I am!’ said he. ‘Not  wretch
enough yet!’ said  the sparrow;  and perching  upon the  third horse,  she
began to peck him too. The carter  was mad with fury; and without  looking
about him, or caring what he was  about, struck again at the sparrow;  but
killed his third horse as he  done the other two. ‘Alas! miserable  wretch
that I am!’ cried he. ‘Not wretch enough yet!’ answered the sparrow as she
flew away; ‘now  will I  plague and  punish thee  at thy  own house.’  The
carter was forced at  last to leave  his cart behind him,  and to go  home
overflowing with rage and vexation. ‘Alas!’ said he to his wife, ‘what ill
luck has befallen me!—my wine is all spilt, and my horses all three dead.’
‘Alas! husband,’ replied she, ‘and a wicked bird has come into the  house,
and has brought with her all the birds  in the world, I am sure, and  they
have fallen upon  our corn in  the loft, and  are eating it  up at such  a
rate!’ Away ran the husband upstairs,  and saw thousands of birds  sitting
upon the floor eating up his corn, with the sparrow in the midst of  them.
‘Unlucky wretch that I am!’ cried the carter; for he saw that the corn was
almost all gone. ‘Not wretch enough  yet!’ said the sparrow; ‘thy  cruelty
shall cost thee they life yet!’ and away she flew.\par

The carter seeing that he  had thus lost all that  he had, went down  into
his kitchen; and was still not sorry for what he had done, but sat himself
angrily and sulkily  in the  chimney corner. But  the sparrow  sat on  the
outside of the window, and cried ‘Carter! thy cruelty shall cost thee  thy
life!’ With that he jumped up in a rage, seized his hatchet, and threw  it
at the sparrow; but it missed her, and only broke the window. The  sparrow
now hopped in, perched upon the window-seat, and cried, ‘Carter! it  shall
cost thee thy life!’ Then  he became mad and  blind with rage, and  struck
the window-seat  with such  force that  he cleft  it in  two: and  as  the
sparrow flew from place to place, the carter and his wife were so furious,
that they broke all their furniture, glasses, chairs, benches, the  table,
and at last  the walls,  without touching  the bird  at all.  In the  end,
however, they caught her: and the wife  said, ‘Shall I kill her at  once?’
‘No,’ cried he, ‘that is letting her off too easily: she shall die a  much
more cruel death; I will eat her.’ But the sparrow began to flutter about,
and stretch out her neck and cried,  ‘Carter! it shall cost thee thy  life
yet!’ With that he could wait no longer: so he gave his wife the  hatchet,
and cried, ‘Wife, strike  at the bird  and kill her in  my hand.’ And  the
wife struck; but she missed  her aim, and hit her  husband on the head  so
that he fell down dead, and the sparrow flew quietly home to her nest.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-twelve-dancing-princesses}%
\hypertarget{the-twelve-dancing-princesses}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Twelve Dancing Princesses}


There was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in  twelve
beds all in one room; and when they  went to bed, the doors were shut  and
locked up;  but every  morning their  shoes were  found to  be quite  worn
through as if they had been danced in all night; and yet nobody could find
out how it happened, or where they had been.\par

Then the king  made it known  to all the  land, that if  any person  could
discover the secret, and find out where it was that the princesses  danced
in the night,  he should  have the  one he liked  best for  his wife,  and
should be king  after his death;  but whoever tried  and did not  succeed,
after three days and nights, should be put to death.\par

A king’s son soon came.  He was well entertained,  and in the evening  was
taken to the chamber  next to the  one where the  princesses lay in  their
twelve beds. There he was to sit and watch where they went to dance;  and,
in order that nothing might pass without  his hearing it, the door of  his
chamber was left open. But  the king’s son soon  fell asleep; and when  he
awoke in the morning  he found that the  princesses had all been  dancing,
for the soles of their shoes were  full of holes. The same thing  happened
the second and third night:  so the king ordered his  head to be cut  off.
After him came several  others; but they  had all the  same luck, and  all
lost their lives in the same manner.\par

Now it chanced that  an old soldier,  who had been  wounded in battle  and
could fight no longer, passed through the country where this king reigned:
and as he was travelling  through a wood, he met  an old woman, who  asked
him where he was  going. ‘I hardly know  where I am going,  or what I  had
better do,’ said the soldier; ‘but I think I should like very well to find
out where it is that the princesses dance,  and then in time I might be  a
king.’ ‘Well,’ said the old  dame, ‘that is no  very hard task: only  take
care not to drink any of the  wine which one of the princesses will  bring
to you in the evening;  and as soon as she  leaves you pretend to be  fast
asleep.’\par

Then she gave him a cloak, and said, ‘As soon as you put that on you  will
become invisible,  and you  will then  be able  to follow  the  princesses
wherever they  go.’ When  the  soldier heard  all  this good  counsel,  he
determined to  try his  luck: so  he went  to the  king, and  said he  was
willing to undertake the task.\par

He was as well received as the others had been, and the king ordered  fine
royal robes to be given him; and when  the evening came he was led to  the
outer chamber.  Just as  he  was going  to lie  down,  the eldest  of  the
princesses brought him a cup  of wine; but the  soldier threw it all  away
secretly, taking care not to  drink a drop. Then  he laid himself down  on
his bed, and in a little while began to snore very loud as if he was  fast
asleep. When the twelve princesses  heard this they laughed heartily;  and
the eldest said, ‘This fellow too might have done a wiser thing than  lose
his life in  this way!’ Then  they rose  up and opened  their drawers  and
boxes, and took out all their fine clothes, and dressed themselves at  the
glass, and skipped about as if they  were eager to begin dancing. But  the
youngest said, ‘I don’t know how it is, while you are so happy I feel very
uneasy; I am sure  some mischance will befall  us.’ ‘You simpleton,’  said
the eldest, ‘you  are always afraid;  have you forgotten  how many  kings’
sons have already watched in vain? And as for this soldier, even if I  had
not given him his sleeping draught, he would have slept soundly enough.’\par

When they were  all ready, they  went and  looked at the  soldier; but  he
snored on, and did not stir hand or foot: so they thought they were  quite
safe; and the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands, and the
bed sank into the floor  and a trap-door flew  open. The soldier saw  them
going down through the trap-door one after another, the eldest leading the
way; and thinking he had no time to  lose, he jumped up, put on the  cloak
which the old woman had given him, and followed them; but in the middle of
the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest princess, and she cried out
to her sisters, ‘All  is not right;  someone took hold  of my gown.’  ‘You
silly creature!’ said the eldest, ‘it is nothing but a nail in the  wall.’
Then down they all went, and at the bottom they found themselves in a most
delightful grove  of  trees;  and  the leaves  were  all  of  silver,  and
glittered and sparkled beautifully. The  soldier wished to take away  some
token of the place; so he broke off a little branch, and there came a loud
noise from the tree. Then the youngest daughter said again, ‘I am sure all
is not right—did not you hear that noise? That never happened before.’ But
the eldest said, ‘It is only our princes, who are shouting for joy at  our
approach.’\par

Then they came to  another grove of  trees, where all  the leaves were  of
gold; and afterwards  to a  third, where  the leaves  were all  glittering
diamonds. And the soldier broke a  branch from each; and every time  there
was a loud noise,  which made the youngest  sister tremble with fear;  but
the eldest still said, it was only  the princes, who were crying for  joy.
So they went on  till they came to  a great lake; and  at the side of  the
lake there lay twelve little boats  with twelve handsome princes in  them,
who seemed to be waiting there for the princesses.\par

One of the princesses  went into each boat,  and the soldier stepped  into
the same boat with the  youngest. As they were  rowing over the lake,  the
prince who was  in the  boat with the  youngest princess  and the  soldier
said, ‘I do not know why it is,  but though I am rowing with all my  might
we do not get on so  fast as usual, and I  am quite tired: the boat  seems
very heavy  today.’  ‘It  is only  the  heat  of the  weather,’  said  the
princess: ‘I feel it very warm too.’\par

On the other side of the lake stood a fine illuminated castle, from  which
came the merry  music of horns  and trumpets. There  they all landed,  and
went into the castle,  and each prince danced  with his princess; and  the
soldier, who was all  the time invisible, danced  with them too; and  when
any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her, he drank it all up, so
that when she put  the cup to her  mouth it was empty.  At this, too,  the
youngest sister was  terribly frightened, but  the eldest always  silenced
her. They danced on till three o’clock in the morning, and then all  their
shoes were worn out, so that they  were obliged to leave off. The  princes
rowed them back  again over  the lake (but  this time  the soldier  placed
himself in the boat with the  eldest princess); and on the opposite  shore
they took leave of each other, the princesses promising to come again  the
next night.\par

When they came to  the stairs, the soldier  ran on before the  princesses,
and laid himself down; and as the twelve sisters slowly came up very  much
tired, they heard him snoring in his bed; so they said, ‘Now all is  quite
safe’; then they undressed themselves, put away their fine clothes, pulled
off their shoes, and went to bed. In the morning the soldier said  nothing
about what  had happened,  but  determined to  see  more of  this  strange
adventure, and went  again the  second and  third night;  and every  thing
happened just as before; the princesses danced each time till their  shoes
were worn to pieces, and then  returned home. However, on the third  night
the soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a token of where he had
been.\par

As soon as the time came when he  was to declare the secret, he was  taken
before the king with the three branches and the golden cup; and the twelve
princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say.  And
when the king asked him. ‘Where do my twelve daughters dance at night?’ he
answered, ‘With twelve princes in a castle under ground.’ And then he told
the king all that had happened, and showed him the three branches and  the
golden cup which he  had brought with  him. Then the  king called for  the
princesses, and asked  them whether what  the soldier said  was true:  and
when they saw that they were discovered, and that it was of no use to deny
what had happened, they confessed it  all. And the king asked the  soldier
which of them he  would choose for  his wife; and he  answered, ‘I am  not
very young, so I  will have the eldest.’—And  they were married that  very
day, and the soldier was chosen to be the king’s heir.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-fisherman-and-his-wife}%
\hypertarget{the-fisherman-and-his-wife}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Fisherman And His Wife}


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

When the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty, he told her how he
had caught a  great fish,  and how  it had told  him it  was an  enchanted
prince, and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it go again. ‘Did not you
ask it for  anything?’ said the  wife, ‘we live  very wretchedly here,  in
this nasty dirty  pigsty; do  go back  and tell the  fish we  want a  snug
little cottage.’\par

The fisherman did  not much  like the business:  however, he  went to  the
seashore; and when  he came  back there the  water looked  all yellow  and
green. And he stood at the water’s edge, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O man of the sea! \\
Hearken to me! \\
My wife Ilsabill \\
Will have her own will, \\
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

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

The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy: and when he came to  the
sea, it looked blue and gloomy, though it was very calm; and he went close
to the edge of the waves, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O man of the sea! \\
Hearken to me! \\
My wife Ilsabill \\
Will have her own will, \\
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘Well, what  does  she want  now?’  said the  fish.  ‘Ah!’ said  the  man,
dolefully, ‘my wife  wants to live  in a stone  castle.’ ‘Go home,  then,’
said the fish; ‘she is standing at  the gate of it already.’ So away  went
the fisherman, and  found his  wife standing before  the gate  of a  great
castle. ‘See,’ said she, ‘is not this grand?’ With that they went into the
castle together, and found a great many servants there, and the rooms  all
richly furnished, and  full of golden  chairs and tables;  and behind  the
castle was a garden, and  around it was a park  half a mile long, full  of
sheep, and goats, and hares, and  deer; and in the courtyard were  stables
and cow-houses. ‘Well,’ said the man, ‘now we will live cheerful and happy
in this beautiful  castle for the  rest of our  lives.’ ‘Perhaps we  may,’
said the wife; ‘but let us sleep upon  it, before we make up our minds  to
that.’ So they went to bed.\par

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O man of the sea! \\
Hearken to me! \\
My wife Ilsabill \\
Will have her own will, \\
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

Then the fisherman went home; and as he came close to the palace he saw  a
troop of soldiers, and heard the sound of drums and trumpets. And when  he
went in he saw his wife sitting on  a throne of gold and diamonds, with  a
golden crown  upon her  head;  and on  each side  of  her stood  six  fair
maidens, each  a  head taller  than  the  other. ‘Well,  wife,’  said  the
fisherman, ‘are you king?’ ‘Yes,’ said she,  ‘I am king.’ And when he  had
looked at her for a long time, he said, ‘Ah, wife! what a fine thing it is
to be king! Now we shall never have  anything more to wish for as long  as
we live.’ ‘I don’t know how that may be,’ said she; ‘never is a long time.
I am king, it  is true; but  I begin to be  tired of that,  and I think  I
should like  to  be emperor.’  ‘Alas,  wife! why  should  you wish  to  be
emperor?’ said the fisherman. ‘Husband,’ said she, ‘go to the fish! I  say
I will be emperor.’  ‘Ah, wife!’ replied the  fisherman, ‘the fish  cannot
make an emperor, I am sure,  and I should not like  to ask him for such  a
thing.’ ‘I am king,’ said Ilsabill, ‘and you are my slave; so go at once!’\par

So the fisherman was forced to go; and he muttered as he went along, ‘This
will come to no  good, it is too  much to ask; the  fish will be tired  at
last, and then we shall be sorry for  what we have done.’ He soon came  to
the seashore;  and the  water was  quite  black and  muddy, and  a  mighty
whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled  them about, but he went as  near
as he could to the water’s brink, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O man of the sea! \\
Hearken to me! \\
My wife Ilsabill \\
Will have her own will, \\
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

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

So the fisherman went. But when he  came to the shore the wind was  raging
and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and the ships were in
trouble, and rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows. In the  middle
of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky, but towards the south
all was  red,  as if  a  dreadful storm  was  rising. At  this  sight  the
fisherman was dreadfully  frightened, and  he trembled so  that his  knees
knocked together: but still he went down near to the shore, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O man of the sea! \\
Hearken to me! \\
My wife Ilsabill \\
Will have her own will, \\
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

Then the fisherman went home, and found Ilsabill sitting on a throne  that
was two miles high. And she had three great crowns on her head, and around
her stood all the pomp  and power of the Church.  And on each side of  her
were two rows of burning  lights, of all sizes,  the greatest as large  as
the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the least no larger than a
small rushlight. ‘Wife,’  said the  fisherman, as  he looked  at all  this
greatness, ‘are you  pope?’ ‘Yes,’ said  she, ‘I am  pope.’ ‘Well,  wife,’
replied he, ‘it is a grand thing to be pope; and now you must be easy, for
you can be  nothing greater.’ ‘I  will think about  that,’ said the  wife.
Then they went to  bed: but Dame  Ilsabill could not  sleep all night  for
thinking what she  should be next.  At last, as  she was dropping  asleep,
morning broke, and the  sun rose. ‘Ha!’  thought she, as  she woke up  and
looked at  it through  the window,  ‘after all  I cannot  prevent the  sun
rising.’ At this thought she was very angry, and wakened her husband,  and
said, ‘Husband, go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun  and
moon.’ The fisherman was  half asleep, but the  thought frightened him  so
much that he started and fell out  of bed. ‘Alas, wife!’ said he,  ‘cannot
you be easy with being pope?’ ‘No,’ said she, ‘I am very uneasy as long as
the sun and moon rise without my leave. Go to the fish at once!’\par

Then the man went  shivering with fear;  and as he was  going down to  the
shore a dreadful storm arose, so that the trees and the very rocks  shook.
And all the heavens  became black with stormy  clouds, and the  lightnings
played, and the thunders rolled; and you might have seen in the sea  great
black waves, swelling  up like mountains  with crowns of  white foam  upon
their heads. And the  fisherman crept towards the  sea, and cried out,  as
well as he could:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘O man of the sea! \\
Hearken to me! \\
My wife Ilsabill \\
Will have her own will, \\
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘What does she want now?’ said the  fish. ‘Ah!’ said he, ‘she wants to  be
lord of the  sun and  moon.’ ‘Go  home,’ said  the fish,  ‘to your  pigsty
again.’\par

And there they live to this very day.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-willow-wren-and-the-bear}%
\hypertarget{the-willow-wren-and-the-bear}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Willow-Wren And The Bear}


Once in summer-time the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest,  and
the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he said: ‘Brother  wolf,
what bird is it that sings so well?’ ‘That is the King of birds,’ said the
wolf, ‘before  whom  we  must bow  down.’  In  reality the  bird  was  the
willow-wren. ‘If that’s the case,’ said the bear, ‘I should very much like
to see his royal palace; come, take  me thither.’ ‘That is not done  quite
as you seem  to think,’  said the  wolf; ‘you  must wait  until the  Queen
comes,’ Soon afterwards, the Queen arrived with some food in her beak, and
the lord King came too, and they began to feed their young ones. The  bear
would have liked to go at once, but the wolf held him back by the  sleeve,
and said: ‘No, you must wait until the lord and lady Queen have gone  away
again.’ So they took  stock of the  hole where the  nest lay, and  trotted
away. The  bear, however,  could not  rest  until he  had seen  the  royal
palace, and when a short time had  passed, went to it again. The King  and
Queen had just flown out, so he peeped  in and saw five or six young  ones
lying there. ‘Is that the royal palace?’ cried the bear; ‘it is a wretched
palace, and you are not  King’s children, you are disreputable  children!’
When the  young  wrens  heard  that,  they  were  frightfully  angry,  and
screamed: ‘No, that we are not!  Our parents are honest people! Bear,  you
will have to pay for that!’\par

The bear and the  wolf grew uneasy,  and turned back  and went into  their
holes. The young willow-wrens, however,  continued to cry and scream,  and
when their parents again brought food they  said: ‘We will not so much  as
touch one fly’s leg, no,  not if we were dying  of hunger, until you  have
settled whether we are respectable children or not; the bear has been here
and has  insulted us!’  Then the  old King  said: ‘Be  easy, he  shall  be
punished,’ and he  at once flew  with the  Queen to the  bear’s cave,  and
called in: ‘Old  Growler, why  have you  insulted my  children? You  shall
suffer for it—we will punish you by a bloody war.’ Thus war was  announced
to the Bear, and all four-footed animals were summoned to take part in it,
oxen, asses, cows, deer, and every  other animal the earth contained.  And
the willow-wren summoned everything which flew in the air, not only birds,
large and small, but midges, and hornets, bees and flies had to come.\par

When the time came for the war to begin, the willow-wren sent out spies to
discover who was  the enemy’s  commander-in-chief. The gnat,  who was  the
most crafty, flew into the forest  where the enemy was assembled, and  hid
herself beneath a leaf of the tree where the password was to be announced.
There stood the bear, and he called the fox before him and said: ‘Fox, you
are the most cunning of  all animals, you shall  be general and lead  us.’
‘Good,’ said the fox, ‘but what signal  shall we agree upon?’ No one  knew
that, so the fox said: ‘I have a fine long bushy tail, which almost  looks
like a plume of red  feathers. When I lift my  tail up quite high, all  is
going well, and you must  charge; but if I let  it hang down, run away  as
fast as you can.’ When the gnat  had heard that, she flew away again,  and
revealed everything, down to the minutest detail, to the willow-wren. When
day broke, and the battle was  to begin, all the four-footed animals  came
running up with such a noise that the earth trembled. The willow-wren with
his army  also  came flying  through  the air  with  such a  humming,  and
whirring, and swarming that every one  was uneasy and afraid, and on  both
sides they advanced against each other. But the willow-wren sent down  the
hornet, with orders to settle beneath  the fox’s tail, and sting with  all
his might. When  the fox  felt the  first string,  he started  so that  he
lifted one leg, from pain, but he bore it, and still kept his tail high in
the air; at the second sting, he was  forced to put it down for a  moment;
at the third,  he could hold  out no  longer, screamed, and  put his  tail
between his legs. When  the animals saw that,  they thought all was  lost,
and began to flee, each into his hole, and the birds had won the battle.\par

Then the King and Queen flew home to their children and cried:  ‘Children,
rejoice, eat and drink to your  heart’s content, we have won the  battle!’
But the young wrens said: ‘We will not eat yet, the bear must come to  the
nest, and beg for pardon and  say that we are honourable children,  before
we will do that.’ Then the willow-wren flew to the bear’s hole and  cried:
‘Growler, you  are to  come to  the nest  to my  children, and  beg  their
pardon, or else every rib of your body shall be broken.’ So the bear crept
thither in the greatest fear, and begged their pardon. And now at last the
young wrens were satisfied, and sat  down together and ate and drank,  and
made merry till quite late into the night.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-frog-prince}%
\hypertarget{the-frog-prince}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Frog-Prince}


One fine evening a young  princess put on her  bonnet and clogs, and  went
out to take  a walk by  herself in  a wood; and  when she came  to a  cool
spring of water, that  rose in the  midst of it, she  sat herself down  to
rest a  while. Now  she had  a  golden ball  in her  hand, which  was  her
favourite plaything; and she  was always tossing it  up into the air,  and
catching it again as it  fell. After a time she  threw it up so high  that
she missed catching it as it fell;  and the ball bounded away, and  rolled
along upon the  ground, till at  last it  fell down into  the spring.  The
princess looked into the spring after her  ball, but it was very deep,  so
deep that she could not see the bottom of it. Then she began to bewail her
loss, and said, ‘Alas! if I could only get my ball again, I would give all
my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the world.’\par

Whilst she was speaking, a frog put  its head out of the water, and  said,
‘Princess, why do you weep so  bitterly?’ ‘Alas!’ said she, ‘what can  you
do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.’ The
frog said, ‘I want not your pearls,  and jewels, and fine clothes; but  if
you will love me, and  let me live with you  and eat from off your  golden
plate, and sleep upon your bed, I  will bring you your ball again.’  ‘What
nonsense,’ thought the princess, ‘this silly frog is talking! He can never
even get out of the spring  to visit me, though he  may be able to get  my
ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks.’ So
she said to the frog, ‘Well, if you  will bring me my ball, I will do  all
you ask.’ Then the frog put his head down, and dived deep under the water;
and after a little while he came up again, with the ball in his mouth, and
threw it on the edge of the spring. As soon as the young princess saw  her
ball, she ran to pick it  up; and she was so  overjoyed to have it in  her
hand again, that she never  thought of the frog, but  ran home with it  as
fast as she could. The frog called after her, ‘Stay, princess, and take me
with you as you said,’ But she did not stop to hear a word.\par

The next day, just  as the princess  had sat down to  dinner, she heard  a
strange noise—tap,  tap—plash, plash—as  if something  was coming  up  the
marble staircase: and  soon afterwards  there was  a gentle  knock at  the
door, and a little voice cried out and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Open the door, my princess dear, \\
Open the door to thy true love here! \\
And mind the words that thou and I said \\
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then the princess ran  to the door  and opened it, and  there she saw  the
frog,  whom  she  had  quite  forgotten.  At  this  sight  she  was  sadly
frightened, and shutting the door  as fast as she  could came back to  her
seat. The  king, her  father, seeing  that something  had frightened  her,
asked her what was the matter. ‘There is a nasty frog,’ said she, ‘at  the
door, that lifted my ball  for me out of the  spring this morning: I  told
him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could never get out
of the spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.’\par

While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Open the door, my princess dear, \\
Open the door to thy true love here! \\
And mind the words that thou and I said \\
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then the king said to the young princess, ‘As you have given your word you
must keep it; so go and let him in.’ She did so, and the frog hopped  into
the room, and then  straight on—tap, tap—plash,  plash—from the bottom  of
the room to the top, till he came up close to the table where the princess
sat. ‘Pray lift me upon chair,’ said  he to the princess, ‘and let me  sit
next to you.’ As soon as she had done this, the frog said, ‘Put your plate
nearer to me, that  I may eat out  of it.’ This she  did, and when he  had
eaten as much as he  could, he said, ‘Now I  am tired; carry me  upstairs,
and put me into your bed.’  And the princess, though very unwilling,  took
him up in her hand, and put him  upon the pillow of her own bed, where  he
slept all  night long.  As  soon as  it was  light  he jumped  up,  hopped
downstairs, and went out of the house. ‘Now, then,’ thought the  princess,
‘at last he is gone, and I shall be troubled with him no more.’\par

But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the same tapping
at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Open the door, my princess dear, \\
Open the door to thy true love here! \\
And mind the words that thou and I said \\
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept upon her
pillow as before, till the morning broke.  And the third night he did  the
same. But  when  the princess  awoke  on  the following  morning  she  was
astonished to see, instead of the  frog, a handsome prince, gazing on  her
with the most beautiful eyes she had  ever seen, and standing at the  head
of her bed.\par

He told  her that  he had  been enchanted  by a  spiteful fairy,  who  had
changed him into a frog; and that he had been fated so to abide till  some
princess should take  him out  of the  spring, and  let him  eat from  her
plate, and sleep upon  her bed for three  nights. ‘You,’ said the  prince,
‘have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish for but  that
you should go with me  into my father’s kingdom,  where I will marry  you,
and love you as long as you live.’\par

The young princess, you may be sure,  was not long in saying ‘Yes’ to  all
this; and as they spoke a gay coach drove up, with eight beautiful horses,
decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness; and behind the  coach
rode the  prince’s  servant,  faithful  Heinrich,  who  had  bewailed  the
misfortunes of  his dear  master during  his enchantment  so long  and  so
bitterly, that his heart had well-nigh burst.\par

They then  took leave  of the  king, and  got into  the coach  with  eight
horses, and  all set  out, full  of joy  and merriment,  for the  prince’s
kingdom, which they reached safely; and  there they lived happily a  great
many years.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{cat-and-mouse-in-partnership}%
\hypertarget{cat-and-mouse-in-partnership}{}%
%
\chapter*{Cat And Mouse In Partnership}


A certain cat had made the acquaintance  of a mouse, and had said so  much
to her about  the great  love and  friendship she  felt for  her, that  at
length the mouse  agreed that they  should live and  keep house  together.
‘But we must make  a provision for  winter, or else  we shall suffer  from
hunger,’ said the cat; ‘and you, little mouse, cannot venture  everywhere,
or you will be caught in a  trap some day.’ The good advice was  followed,
and a pot of  fat was bought, but  they did not know  where to put it.  At
length, after much consideration, the cat said: ‘I know no place where  it
will be  better stored  up  than in  the church,  for  no one  dares  take
anything away from there. We will set it beneath the altar, and not  touch
it until we are really  in need of it.’ So  the pot was placed in  safety,
but it was not long before the cat  had a great yearning for it, and  said
to the mouse: ‘I want to tell  you something, little mouse; my cousin  has
brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother;  he
is white with  brown spots,  and I am  to hold  him over the  font at  the
christening. Let  me  go  out today,  and  you  look after  the  house  by
yourself.’ ‘Yes, yes,’ answered  the mouse, ‘by all  means go, and if  you
get anything very good to eat, think of me. I should like a drop of  sweet
red christening wine myself.’ All this,  however, was untrue; the cat  had
no cousin, and had not  been asked to be  godmother. She went straight  to
the church, stole to the pot of fat,  began to lick at it, and licked  the
top of the  fat off.  Then she took  a walk  upon the roofs  of the  town,
looked out for opportunities, and then  stretched herself in the sun,  and
licked her lips whenever she thought of  the pot of fat, and not until  it
was evening did  she return  home. ‘Well, here  you are  again,’ said  the
mouse, ‘no doubt you have had a merry day.’ ‘All went off well,’  answered
the cat. ‘What  name did they  give the  child?’ ‘Top off!’  said the  cat
quite coolly. ‘Top off!’ cried the mouse, ‘that is a very odd and uncommon
name, is it a usual one in your family?’ ‘What does that matter,’ said the
cat, ‘it is no worse than Crumb-stealer, as your godchildren are called.’\par

Before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning. She said to the
mouse: ‘You must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for a  day
alone. I am again  asked to be  godmother, and, as the  child has a  white
ring round its neck, I cannot  refuse.’ The good mouse consented, but  the
cat crept behind the town walls to  the church, and devoured half the  pot
of fat. ‘Nothing ever seems  so good as what  one keeps to oneself,’  said
she, and was quite satisfied with her  day’s work. When she went home  the
mouse inquired: ‘And what was the child christened?’ ‘Half-done,’ answered
the cat. ‘Half-done! What  are you saying?  I never heard  the name in  my
life, I’ll wager anything it is not in the calendar!’\par

The cat’s  mouth soon  began to  water for  some more  licking. ‘All  good
things go in threes,’ said she, ‘I am asked to stand godmother again.  The
child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that exception,  it
has not a  single white hair  on its  whole body; this  only happens  once
every few years,  you will let  me go, won’t  you?’ ‘Top-off!  Half-done!’
answered  the  mouse,  ‘they  are  such  odd  names,  they  make  me  very
thoughtful.’ ‘You sit at home,’ said the cat, ‘in your dark-grey fur  coat
and long tail, and are filled with  fancies, that’s because you do not  go
out in the daytime.’ During the cat’s absence the mouse cleaned the house,
and put it in order, but the  greedy cat entirely emptied the pot of  fat.
‘When everything is eaten up one has some peace,’ said she to herself, and
well filled and fat she did not return home till night. The mouse at  once
asked what name had been given to the third child. ‘It will not please you
more than the others,’ said the cat. ‘He is called All-gone.’  ‘All-gone,’
cried the mouse ‘that  is the most  suspicious name of  all! I have  never
seen it in print. All-gone; what can  that mean?’ and she shook her  head,
curled herself up, and lay down to sleep.\par

From this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother, but when  the
winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside,  the
mouse thought of their provision, and said: ‘Come, cat, we will go to  our
pot of fat  which we have  stored up for  ourselves—we shall enjoy  that.’
‘Yes,’ answered the cat,  ‘you will enjoy  it as much  as you would  enjoy
sticking that dainty tongue of yours out  of the window.’ They set out  on
their way, but when they  arrived, the pot of  fat certainly was still  in
its place, but it was empty. ‘Alas!’  said the mouse, ‘now I see what  has
happened, now it comes to light! You a true friend! You have devoured  all
when you were standing  godmother. First top  off, then half-done,  then—’
‘Will you hold your tongue,’ cried the cat, ‘one word more, and I will eat
you too.’ ‘All-gone’ was  already on the poor  mouse’s lips; scarcely  had
she spoken it before the cat sprang on her, seized her, and swallowed  her
down. Verily, that is the way of the world.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-goose-girl}%
\hypertarget{the-goose-girl}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Goose-Girl}


The king of a great  land died, and left his  queen to take care of  their
only child. This  child was a  daughter, who was  very beautiful; and  her
mother loved her dearly, and  was very kind to her.  And there was a  good
fairy too, who was fond  of the princess, and  helped her mother to  watch
over her. When  she grew up,  she was betrothed  to a prince  who lived  a
great way off; and as  the time drew near for  her to be married, she  got
ready to set off on her journey to his country. Then the queen her mother,
packed up  a great  many  costly things;  jewels,  and gold,  and  silver;
trinkets, fine dresses, and in short everything that became a royal bride.
And she gave her a  waiting-maid to ride with her,  and give her into  the
bridegroom’s hands;  and  each  had  a horse  for  the  journey.  Now  the
princess’s horse was the fairy’s gift, and it was called Falada, and could
speak.\par

When the  time  came  for  them  to set  out,  the  fairy  went  into  her
bed-chamber, and took a little knife, and cut off a lock of her hair,  and
gave it to the princess, and said, ‘Take care of it, dear child; for it is
a charm that  may be of  use to  you on the  road.’ Then they  all took  a
sorrowful leave of the  princess; and she  put the lock  of hair into  her
bosom, got upon her horse, and set off on her journey to her  bridegroom’s
kingdom.\par

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, \\
Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

But the princess  was very gentle  and meek,  so she said  nothing to  her
maid’s ill behaviour, but got upon her horse again.\par

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, \\
Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And as she leaned down to drink, the lock of hair fell from her bosom, and
floated away with the water.  Now she was so  frightened that she did  not
see it; but her maid  saw it, and was very  glad, for she knew the  charm;
and she saw that the  poor bride would be in  her power, now that she  had
lost the hair. So  when the bride  had done drinking,  and would have  got
upon Falada again, the maid said, ‘I  shall ride upon Falada, and you  may
have my horse instead’; so she was  forced to give up her horse, and  soon
afterwards to take  off her  royal clothes and  put on  her maid’s  shabby
ones.\par

At last, as  they drew  near the end  of their  journey, this  treacherous
servant threatened to kill her mistress  if she ever told anyone what  had
happened. But Falada saw it all, and marked it well.\par

Then the waiting-maid got  upon Falada, and the  real bride rode upon  the
other horse, and they went  on in this way till  at last they came to  the
royal court. There was great joy at  their coming, and the prince flew  to
meet them, and lifted the  maid from her horse,  thinking she was the  one
who was to be his wife; and she was led upstairs to the royal chamber; but
the true princess was told to stay in the court below.\par

Now the old  king happened just  then to have  nothing else to  do; so  he
amused himself by sitting at his kitchen window, looking at what was going
on; and he saw her  in the courtyard. As she  looked very pretty, and  too
delicate for a waiting-maid, he went up into the royal chamber to ask  the
bride who it was she had brought with her, that was thus left standing  in
the court below. ‘I brought her with me for the sake of her company on the
road,’ said she; ‘pray give the girl some work to do, that she may not  be
idle.’ The old king could not for some  time think of any work for her  to
do; but at last he said, ‘I have a lad who takes care of my geese; she may
go and help him.’  Now the name of  this lad, that the  real bride was  to
help in watching the king’s geese, was Curdken.\par

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

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and the head answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Bride, bride, there thou gangest! \\
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, \\
Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Blow, breezes, blow! \\
Let Curdken’s hat go! \\
Blow, breezes, blow! \\
Let him after it go! \\
O’er hills, dales, and rocks, \\
Away be it whirl’d \\
Till the silvery locks \\
Are all comb’d and curl’d!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and the head answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Bride, bride, there thou gangest! \\
Alas! alas! if they mother knew it, \\
Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Blow, breezes, blow! \\
Let Curdken’s hat go! \\
Blow, breezes, blow! \\
Let him after it go! \\
O’er hills, dales, and rocks, \\
Away be it whirl’d \\
Till the silvery locks \\
Are all comb’d and curl’d!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

In the evening, after they  came home, Curdken went  to the old king,  and
said, ‘I cannot have that  strange girl to help me  to keep the geese  any
longer.’ ‘Why?’ said the  king. ‘Because, instead of  doing any good,  she
does nothing but tease me all day  long.’ Then the king made him tell  him
what had happened. And  Curdken said, ‘When we  go in the morning  through
the dark gate with our flock of  geese, she cries and talks with the  head
of a horse that hangs upon the wall, and says:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
“Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!” \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and the head answers:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
“Bride, bride, there thou gangest! \\
Alas! alas! if they mother knew it, \\
Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.”’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Blow, breezes, blow! \\
Let Curdken’s hat go! \\
Blow, breezes, blow! \\
Let him after it go! \\
O’er hills, dales, and rocks, \\
Away be it whirl’d \\
Till the silvery locks \\
Are all comb’d and curl’d!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

But the old king begged so hard, that  she had no peace till she had  told
him all the tale, from  beginning to end, word for  word. And it was  very
lucky for her  that she did  so, for when  she had done  the king  ordered
royal clothes to be put upon her, and gazed on her with wonder, she was so
beautiful. Then he called his  son and told him that  he had only a  false
bride; for that she was merely a waiting-maid, while the true bride  stood
by. And the young king rejoiced when he saw her beauty, and heard how meek
and patient she had been; and without saying anything to the false  bride,
the king ordered  a great feast  to be got  ready for all  his court.  The
bridegroom sat at the top,  with the false princess  on one side, and  the
true one on the other; but nobody knew her again, for her beauty was quite
dazzling to  their eyes;  and she  did not  seem at  all like  the  little
goose-girl, now that she had her brilliant dress on.\par

When they had eaten and drank, and  were very merry, the old king said  he
would tell  them a  tale. So  he  began, and  told all  the story  of  the
princess, as if it was one that he  had once heard; and he asked the  true
waiting-maid what she thought ought to be done to anyone who would  behave
thus. ‘Nothing better,’ said  this false bride, ‘than  that she should  be
thrown into a cask stuck round with sharp nails, and that two white horses
should be put to it, and should drag it from street to street till she was
dead.’ ‘Thou art she!’ said the old king; ‘and as thou has judged thyself,
so shall it be done to thee.’ And  the young king was then married to  his
true wife, and they  reigned over the kingdom  in peace and happiness  all
their lives;  and  the good  fairy  came to  see  them, and  restored  the
faithful Falada to life again.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-adventures-of-chanticleer-and-partlet}%
\hypertarget{the-adventures-of-chanticleer-and-partlet}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Adventures Of Chanticleer And Partlet}


\penalty-300%
\label{how-they-went-to-the-mountains-to-eat-nuts}%
\hypertarget{how-they-went-to-the-mountains-to-eat-nuts}{}%
%
\section*{1. How They Went To The Mountains To Eat Nuts}


‘The nuts  are quite  ripe now,’  said Chanticleer  to his  wife  Partlet,
‘suppose we go  together to  the mountains,  and eat  as many  as we  can,
before the  squirrel takes  them  all away.’  ‘With  all my  heart,’  said
Partlet, ‘let us go and make a holiday of it together.’\par

So they went to  the mountains; and  as it was a  lovely day, they  stayed
there till the evening. Now,  whether it was that  they had eaten so  many
nuts that they could not walk, or whether they were lazy and would not,  I
do not know: however, they took it into their heads that it did not become
them to go home on foot. So  Chanticleer began to build a little  carriage
of nutshells: and  when it was  finished, Partlet jumped  into it and  sat
down, and bid Chanticleer harness himself to it and draw her home. ‘That’s
a good joke!’ said Chanticleer; ‘no, that  will never do; I had rather  by
half walk home; I’ll sit on the box and be coachman, if you like, but I’ll
not draw.’ While this was passing, a duck came quacking up and cried  out,
‘You thieving vagabonds, what business have  you in my grounds? I’ll  give
it you well for your insolence!’  and upon that she fell upon  Chanticleer
most lustily. But Chanticleer was no coward, and returned the duck’s blows
with his sharp spurs so fiercely that she soon began to cry out for mercy;
which was only granted her upon condition that she would draw the carriage
home for them. This she  agreed to do; and  Chanticleer got upon the  box,
and drove, crying, ‘Now, duck, get on  as fast as you can.’ And away  they
went at a pretty good pace.\par

After they had travelled along a little  way, they met a needle and a  pin
walking together along the road: and  the needle cried out, ‘Stop,  stop!’
and said it was so  dark that they could hardly  find their way, and  such
dirty walking they could not get on at  all: he told them that he and  his
friend, the pin, had been at a  public-house a few miles off, and had  sat
drinking till they had forgotten how late it was; he begged therefore that
the travellers would be so kind as to give them a lift in their  carriage.
Chanticleer observing that they were but  thin fellows, and not likely  to
take up much room, told them they might ride, but made them promise not to
dirty the wheels of the carriage in getting in, nor to tread on  Partlet’s
toes.\par

Late at night they arrived at an inn; and as it was bad travelling in  the
dark, and the duck seemed much tired,  and waddled about a good deal  from
one side to  the other, they  made up  their minds to  fix their  quarters
there: but the  landlord at first  was unwilling, and  said his house  was
full, thinking they might not  be very respectable company: however,  they
spoke civilly to him, and gave him  the egg which Partlet had laid by  the
way, and said they would give him the duck, who was in the habit of laying
one every day: so at last he let them come in, and they bespoke a handsome
supper, and spent the evening very jollily.\par

Early in  the morning,  before it  was quite  light, and  when nobody  was
stirring in the inn, Chanticleer awakened his wife, and, fetching the egg,
they pecked  a hole  in it,  ate  it up,  and threw  the shells  into  the
fireplace: they then went to the pin and needle, who were fast asleep, and
seizing them by the  heads, stuck one into  the landlord’s easy chair  and
the other into his handkerchief; and, having done this, they crept away as
softly as possible. However, the  duck, who slept in  the open air in  the
yard, heard them coming, and jumping into the brook which ran close by the
inn, soon swam out of their reach.\par

An hour or two afterwards the  landlord got up, and took his  handkerchief
to wipe his face, but the pin ran into him and pricked him: then he walked
into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire, but when he stirred it  up
the eggshells flew into his eyes, and almost blinded him. ‘Bless me!’ said
he, ‘all the world seems to have  a design against my head this  morning’:
and so saying, he threw himself sulkily into his easy chair; but, oh dear!
the needle ran into him;  and this time the pain  was not in his head.  He
now flew into a  very great passion, and,  suspecting the company who  had
come in the night before,  he went to look after  them, but they were  all
off; so  he swore  that he  never  again would  take in  such a  troop  of
vagabonds, who ate a great deal,  paid no reckoning, and gave him  nothing
for his trouble but their apish tricks.\par

\penalty-300%
\label{how-chanticleer-and-partlet-went-to-vist-mr-korbes}%
\hypertarget{how-chanticleer-and-partlet-went-to-vist-mr-korbes}{}%
%
\section*{2. How Chanticleer And Partlet Went To Vist Mr Korbes}


Another day,  Chanticleer and  Partlet  wished to  ride out  together;  so
Chanticleer built a handsome carriage with four red wheels, and  harnessed
six mice to it; and  then he and Partlet got  into the carriage, and  away
they drove.  Soon afterwards  a cat  met them,  and said,  ‘Where are  you
going?’ And Chanticleer replied,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘All on our way \\
A visit to pay \\
To Mr Korbes, the fox, today.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then the cat  said, ‘Take  me with you,’  Chanticleer said,  ‘With all  my
heart: get up behind, and be sure you do not fall off.’\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Take care of this handsome coach of mine, \\
Nor dirty my pretty red wheels so fine! \\
Now, mice, be ready, \\
And, wheels, run steady! \\
For we are going a visit to pay \\
To Mr Korbes, the fox, today.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Soon after came up a millstone, an egg, a duck, and a pin; and Chanticleer
gave them all leave to get into the carriage and go with them.\par

When they arrived at Mr  Korbes’s house, he was not  at home; so the  mice
drew the carriage into the coach-house, Chanticleer and Partlet flew  upon
a beam, the cat sat down in  the fireplace, the duck got into the  washing
cistern, the pin  stuck himself into  the bed pillow,  the millstone  laid
himself over the house door, and the egg rolled himself up in the towel.\par

When Mr Korbes came home, he went to the fireplace to make a fire; but the
cat threw all  the ashes in  his eyes: so  he ran to  the kitchen to  wash
himself; but there the duck splashed all  the water in his face; and  when
he tried to wipe himself,  the egg broke to pieces  in the towel all  over
his face and eyes. Then he was very angry, and went without his supper  to
bed; but when he laid his head on the pillow, the pin ran into his  cheek:
at this he became quite  furious, and, jumping up,  would have run out  of
the house; but when he  came to the door, the  millstone fell down on  his
head, and killed him on the spot.\par

\penalty-300%
\label{how-partlet-died-and-was-buried-and-how-chanticleer-died-of-grief}%
\hypertarget{how-partlet-died-and-was-buried-and-how-chanticleer-died-of-grief}{}%
%
\section*{3. How Partlet Died And Was Buried, And How Chanticleer Died Of Grief}


Another day Chanticleer and Partlet agreed to go again to the mountains to
eat nuts; and it was settled that all the nuts which they found should  be
shared equally between them. Now Partlet  found a very large nut; but  she
said nothing about it to Chanticleer, and kept it all to herself: however,
it was so big that she could not  swallow it, and it stuck in her  throat.
Then she was in a great fright, and cried out to Chanticleer, ‘Pray run as
fast as  you  can,  and fetch  me  some  water, or  I  shall  be  choked.’
Chanticleer ran as fast as he could  to the river, and said, ‘River,  give
me some water, for Partlet lies in  the mountain, and will be choked by  a
great nut.’ The river  said, ‘Run first  to the bride, and  ask her for  a
silken cord to draw up the water.’ Chanticleer ran to the bride, and said,
‘Bride, you must give me  a silken cord, for then  the river will give  me
water, and the water I  will carry to Partlet,  who lies on the  mountain,
and will be choked by  a great nut.’ But the  bride said, ‘Run first,  and
bring me my  garland that  is hanging  on a  willow in  the garden.’  Then
Chanticleer ran to the garden, and  took the garland from the bough  where
it hung, and  brought it to  the bride; and  then the bride  gave him  the
silken cord, and he took the silken cord to the river, and the river  gave
him water, and he carried  the water to Partlet;  but in the meantime  she
was choked by the great nut, and lay quite dead, and never moved any more.\par

Then Chanticleer was very  sorry, and cried bitterly;  and all the  beasts
came and wept  with him over  poor Partlet.  And six mice  built a  little
hearse to carry her  to her grave;  and when it  was ready they  harnessed
themselves before it, and Chanticleer drove them. On the way they met  the
fox. ‘Where are you  going, Chanticleer?’ said he.  ‘To bury my  Partlet,’
said the other. ‘May I go with you?’ said the fox. ‘Yes; but you must  get
up behind, or my horses will not be able to draw you.’ Then the fox got up
behind; and presently the wolf, the bear, the goat, and all the beasts  of
the wood, came and climbed upon the hearse.\par

So on they went till they came to a rapid stream. ‘How shall we get over?’
said Chanticleer. Then said  a straw, ‘I will  lay myself across, and  you
may pass over upon me.’ But as the mice were going over, the straw slipped
away and  fell into  the water,  and the  six mice  all fell  in and  were
drowned. What was to be done? Then a  large log of wood came and said,  ‘I
am big enough; I  will lay myself  across the stream,  and you shall  pass
over upon me.’ So he laid himself down; but they managed so clumsily, that
the log of wood fell in and was carried away by the stream. Then a  stone,
who saw  what  had happened,  came  up and  kindly  offered to  help  poor
Chanticleer by laying  himself across  the stream;  and this  time he  got
safely to the other side with the  hearse, and managed to get Partlet  out
of it; but the fox and the  other mourners, who were sitting behind,  were
too heavy, and fell back into the  water and were all carried away by  the
stream and drowned.\par

Thus Chanticleer was left  alone with his dead  Partlet; and having dug  a
grave for her, he laid her in it, and made a little hillock over her. Then
he sat down by the grave, and wept and mourned, till at last he died  too;
and so all were dead.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{rapunzel}%
\hypertarget{rapunzel}{}%
%
\chapter*{Rapunzel}


There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child.
At length the woman hoped  that God was about  to grant her desire.  These
people had  a little  window  at the  back of  their  house from  which  a
splendid garden  could be  seen,  which was  full  of the  most  beautiful
flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no  one
dared to go into it because it  belonged to an enchantress, who had  great
power and was dreaded by all the world. One day the woman was standing  by
this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was
planted with the most beautiful rampion (rapunzel), and it looked so fresh
and green that she longed for it, she quite pined away, and began to  look
pale and miserable. Then  her husband was alarmed,  and asked: ‘What  ails
you, dear wife?’ ‘Ah,’ she replied, ‘if  I can’t eat some of the  rampion,
which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die.’ The man, who  loved
her, thought:  ‘Sooner than  let your  wife  die, bring  her some  of  the
rampion yourself, let  it cost what  it will.’ At  twilight, he  clambered
down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched  a
handful of rampion, and took  it to his wife. She  at once made herself  a
salad of it, and ate it greedily.  It tasted so good to her—so very  good,
that the next day she longed for it  three times as much as before. If  he
was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the  garden.
In the gloom of evening therefore, he let himself down again; but when  he
had clambered  down  the wall  he  was terribly  afraid,  for he  saw  the
enchantress standing before him. ‘How can  you dare,’ said she with  angry
look, ‘descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief? You shall
suffer for it!’ ‘Ah,’ answered he, ‘let mercy take the place of justice, I
only made up my mind to do it  out of necessity. My wife saw your  rampion
from the window, and felt such a  longing for it that she would have  died
if she had not got some to eat.’ Then the enchantress allowed her anger to
be softened, and said to him: ‘If the case be as you say, I will allow you
to take  away with  you as  much  rampion as  you will,  only I  make  one
condition, you must give me the child which your wife will bring into  the
world; it shall be well  treated, and I will care  for it like a  mother.’
The man in  his terror  consented to everything,  and when  the woman  was
brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the child the  name
of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.\par

Rapunzel grew into the  most beautiful child under  the sun. When she  was
twelve years old, the enchantress  shut her into a  tower, which lay in  a
forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a little
window. When the enchantress wanted to  go in, she placed herself  beneath
it and cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, \\
Let down your hair to me.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she  heard
the voice of  the enchantress  she unfastened her  braided tresses,  wound
them round one of the  hooks of the window above,  and then the hair  fell
twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.\par

After a year or two, it came to pass that the king’s son rode through  the
forest and  passed by  the  tower. Then  he heard  a  song, which  was  so
charming that he stood still and  listened. This was Rapunzel, who in  her
solitude passed her time  in letting her sweet  voice resound. The  king’s
son wanted to climb up to her, and  looked for the door of the tower,  but
none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply  touched
his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to  it.
Once when he was thus standing behind  a tree, he saw that an  enchantress
came there, and he heard how she cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, \\
Let down your hair to me.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress climbed
up to her. ‘If that is the ladder  by which one mounts, I too will try  my
fortune,’ said he, and the next day when it began to grow dark, he went to
the tower and cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, \\
Let down your hair to me.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Immediately the hair fell down and the king’s son climbed up.\par

At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had
never yet beheld, came  to her; but  the king’s son began  to talk to  her
quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred  that
it had let  him have  no rest, and  he had  been forced to  see her.  Then
Rapunzel lost her fear, and  when he asked her if  she would take him  for
her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought:  ‘He
will love me more than old Dame  Gothel does’; and she said yes, and  laid
her hand in his. She  said: ‘I will willingly go  away with you, but I  do
not know how to get down. Bring with  you a skein of silk every time  that
you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when that is ready I will
descend, and you will take me on your horse.’ They agreed that until  that
time he should come to her every  evening, for the old woman came by  day.
The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her:
‘Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for  me
to draw up than the young king’s son—he is with me in a moment.’ ‘Ah!  you
wicked child,’ cried the enchantress. ‘What do I hear you say! I thought I
had separated you from all  the world, and yet  you have deceived me!’  In
her anger she  clutched Rapunzel’s beautiful  tresses, wrapped them  twice
round her left hand, seized a pair  of scissors with the right, and  snip,
snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And  she
was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to
live in great grief and misery.\par

On the  same day  that she  cast out  Rapunzel, however,  the  enchantress
fastened the braids of  hair, which she  had cut off, to  the hook of  the
window, and when the king’s son came and cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, \\
Let down your hair to me.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

she let the hair down. The king’s son ascended, but instead of finding his
dearest Rapunzel, he found the enchantress,  who gazed at him with  wicked
and venomous  looks. ‘Aha!’  she cried  mockingly, ‘you  would fetch  your
dearest, but the beautiful  bird sits no longer  singing in the nest;  the
cat has got it, and will scratch  out your eyes as well. Rapunzel is  lost
to you; you will never see her  again.’ The king’s son was beside  himself
with pain, and in  his despair he  leapt down from  the tower. He  escaped
with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. Then he
wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and  berries,
and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife. Thus
he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert
where Rapunzel, with the twins to which  she had given birth, a boy and  a
girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard  a voice, and it seemed so  familiar
to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew  him
and fell on his neck and wept. Two  of her tears wetted his eyes and  they
grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to  his
kingdom where he  was joyfully received,  and they lived  for a long  time
afterwards, happy and contented.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{fundevogel}%
\hypertarget{fundevogel}{}%
%
\chapter*{Fundevogel}


There was once  a forester who  went into the  forest to hunt,  and as  he
entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were  there.
He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at the top  of
this a little child  was sitting, for the  mother had fallen asleep  under
the tree with the child, and a bird  of prey had seen it in her arms,  had
flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high tree.\par

The forester climbed up, brought the  child down, and thought to  himself:
‘You will take him  home with you,  and bring him up  with your Lina.’  He
took it home, therefore,  and the two children  grew up together. And  the
one, which he had found  on a tree was  called Fundevogel, because a  bird
had carried it away. Fundevogel and  Lina loved each other so dearly  that
when they did not see each other they were sad.\par

Now the forester had an old cook, who one evening took two pails and began
to fetch water,  and did  not go  once only, but  many times,  out to  the
spring. Lina saw this and said,  ‘Listen, old Sanna, why are you  fetching
so much water?’ ‘If you  will never repeat it to  anyone, I will tell  you
why.’ So Lina said, no, she would never repeat it to anyone, and then  the
cook said: ‘Early tomorrow  morning, when the forester  is out hunting,  I
will heat the water, and when it is boiling in the kettle, I will throw in
Fundevogel, and will boil him in it.’\par

Early next morning the forester got up  and went out hunting, and when  he
was gone the children were still in bed. Then Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘If
you will never  leave me, I  too will never  leave you.’ Fundevogel  said:
‘Neither now, nor ever  will I leave  you.’ Then said  Lina: ‘Then will  I
tell you. Last night, old Sanna carried so many buckets of water into  the
house that I  asked her why  she was doing  that, and she  said that if  I
would promise not to tell anyone, and she said that early tomorrow morning
when father was out hunting, she would set the kettle full of water, throw
you into it and boil you; but we will get up quickly, dress ourselves, and
go away together.’\par

The two children therefore  got up, dressed  themselves quickly, and  went
away. When the water  in the kettle  was boiling, the  cook went into  the
bedroom to fetch Fundevogel and throw him  into it. But when she came  in,
and went to the beds, both the  children were gone. Then she was  terribly
alarmed, and she said to herself: ‘What shall I say now when the  forester
comes home and  sees that  the children are  gone? They  must be  followed
instantly to get them back again.’\par

Then the cook sent three servants after them, who were to run and overtake
the children. The children, however, were sitting outside the forest,  and
when they  saw  from  afar  the  three  servants  running,  Lina  said  to
Fundevogel: ‘Never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said:
‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Then said Lina: ‘Do you become a rose-tree, and I
the rose upon it.’ When the three servants came to the forest, nothing was
there but a rose-tree and one rose  on it, but the children were  nowhere.
Then said they: ‘There is nothing to be done here,’ and they went home and
told the  cook that  they had  seen nothing  in the  forest but  a  little
rose-bush with one rose on  it. Then the old  cook scolded and said:  ‘You
simpletons, you should have cut the rose-bush in two, and have broken  off
the rose and brought it  home with you; go, and  do it at once.’ They  had
therefore to go out and look  for the second time. The children,  however,
saw them coming from a distance. Then Lina said: ‘Fundevogel, never  leave
me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now; nor ever.’
Said Lina: ‘Then do  you become a  church, and I’ll  be the chandelier  in
it.’ So when the three servants came, nothing was there but a church, with
a chandelier in it.  They said therefore  to each other:  ‘What can we  do
here, let us go home.’ When they got home, the cook asked if they had  not
found them; so  they said no,  they had  found nothing but  a church,  and
there was a chandelier  in it. And  the cook scolded  them and said:  ‘You
fools! why did you not pull the church to pieces, and bring the chandelier
home with you?’ And  now the old  cook herself got on  her legs, and  went
with the three servants in pursuit of the children. The children, however,
saw from afar that the three  servants were coming, and the cook  waddling
after them. Then said Lina: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will  never
leave you.’ Then said Fundevogel: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Said Lina:  ‘Be
a fishpond, and I will be the duck upon it.’ The cook, however, came up to
them, and when she saw the pond she lay down by it, and was about to drink
it up. But the duck swam quickly to  her, seized her head in its beak  and
drew her into the water,  and there the old witch  had to drown. Then  the
children went home together, and were heartily delighted, and if they have
not died, they are living still.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-valiant-little-tailor}%
\hypertarget{the-valiant-little-tailor}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Valiant Little Tailor}


One summer’s  morning a  little tailor  was sitting  on his  table by  the
window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came  a
peasant woman  down  the street  crying:  ‘Good jams,  cheap!  Good  jams,
cheap!’ This  rang  pleasantly in  the  tailor’s ears;  he  stretched  his
delicate head out of  the window, and called:  ‘Come up here, dear  woman;
here you will get rid of your goods.’ The woman came up the three steps to
the tailor with her heavy basket, and he made her unpack all the pots  for
him. He inspected  each one,  lifted it  up, put his  nose to  it, and  at
length said: ‘The jam seems to me to be good, so weigh me out four ounces,
dear woman, and if it is a quarter of a pound that is of no  consequence.’
The woman who had hoped to find a good sale, gave him what he desired, but
went away quite angry  and grumbling. ‘Now, this  jam shall be blessed  by
God,’ cried the little  tailor, ‘and give me  health and strength’; so  he
brought the bread out  of the cupboard, cut  himself a piece right  across
the loaf and spread the jam over  it. ‘This won’t taste bitter,’ said  he,
‘but I will  just finish the  jacket before I  take a bite.’  He laid  the
bread near him, sewed on, and in his joy, made bigger and bigger stitches.
In the meantime the smell  of the sweet jam rose  to where the flies  were
sitting in great numbers, and they  were attracted and descended on it  in
hosts. ‘Hi!  who invited  you?’  said the  little  tailor, and  drove  the
unbidden guests away. The flies, however, who understood no German,  would
not be turned away, but came back again in ever-increasing companies.  The
little tailor at last lost  all patience, and drew  a piece of cloth  from
the hole under his work-table,  and saying: ‘Wait, and  I will give it  to
you,’ struck it  mercilessly on them.  When he drew  it away and  counted,
there lay before  him no fewer  than seven, dead  and with legs  stretched
out. ‘Are you a fellow of that sort?’ said he, and could not help admiring
his own  bravery. ‘The  whole town  shall know  of this!’  And the  little
tailor hastened to cut himself a  girdle, stitched it, and embroidered  on
it in  large  letters:  ‘Seven  at  one  stroke!’  ‘What,  the  town!’  he
continued, ‘the whole world shall hear  of it!’ and his heart wagged  with
joy like a lamb’s tail. The tailor  put on the girdle, and resolved to  go
forth into the world,  because he thought his  workshop was too small  for
his valour. Before he went  away, he sought about in  the house to see  if
there was anything which he could take with him; however, he found nothing
but an old cheese, and that he put in his pocket. In front of the door  he
observed a bird which had caught itself in the thicket. It had to go  into
his pocket with the cheese. Now he took to the road boldly, and as he  was
light and nimble, he felt no fatigue. The road led him up a mountain,  and
when he had reached the  highest point of it,  there sat a powerful  giant
looking peacefully about him. The little tailor went bravely up, spoke  to
him, and said: ‘Good  day, comrade, so you  are sitting there  overlooking
the wide-spread world! I  am just on  my way thither, and  want to try  my
luck.  Have  you  any  inclination  to  go  with  me?’  The  giant  looked
contemptuously at the  tailor, and  said: ‘You  ragamuffin! You  miserable
creature!’\par

‘Oh, indeed?’ answered  the little  tailor, and unbuttoned  his coat,  and
showed the giant the girdle, ‘there may you read what kind of a man I am!’
The giant read: ‘Seven at one stroke,’ and thought that they had been  men
whom the tailor had  killed, and began  to feel a  little respect for  the
tiny fellow. Nevertheless, he wished to try him first, and took a stone in
his hand and squeezed  it together so  that water dropped  out of it.  ‘Do
that likewise,’ said  the giant, ‘if  you have strength.’  ‘Is that  all?’
said the tailor, ‘that is child’s play with us!’ and put his hand into his
pocket, brought out the soft cheese,  and pressed it until the liquid  ran
out of it. ‘Faith,’ said  he, ‘that was a  little better, wasn’t it?’  The
giant did not know  what to say,  and could not believe  it of the  little
man. Then the giant picked  up a stone and threw  it so high that the  eye
could scarcely follow it. ‘Now, little  mite of a man, do that  likewise,’
‘Well thrown,’ said  the tailor,  ‘but after all  the stone  came down  to
earth again; I will throw you one which shall never come back at all,’ and
he put his hand into his pocket, took out the bird, and threw it into  the
air. The bird,  delighted with its  liberty, rose, flew  away and did  not
come back. ‘How  does that shot  please you, comrade?’  asked the  tailor.
‘You can certainly throw,’ said the giant, ‘but now we will see if you are
able to carry anything  properly.’ He took the  little tailor to a  mighty
oak tree which  lay there  felled on  the ground,  and said:  ‘If you  are
strong enough, help me  to carry the tree  out of the forest.’  ‘Readily,’
answered the little man; ‘take you the trunk on your shoulders, and I will
raise up the branches  and twigs; after all,  they are the heaviest.’  The
giant took the trunk on his shoulder,  but the tailor seated himself on  a
branch, and the giant,  who could not  look round, had  to carry away  the
whole tree, and the little tailor  into the bargain: he behind, was  quite
merry and happy, and whistled the song: ‘Three tailors rode forth from the
gate,’ as if carrying the tree were child’s play. The giant, after he  had
dragged the heavy burden part of the way, could go no further, and  cried:
‘Hark you, I shall have  to let the tree  fall!’ The tailor sprang  nimbly
down, seized the tree with  both arms as if he  had been carrying it,  and
said to the giant: ‘You are such a great fellow, and yet cannot even carry
the tree!’\par

They went on together,  and as they passed  a cherry-tree, the giant  laid
hold of the top of  the tree where the ripest  fruit was hanging, bent  it
down, gave it into  the tailor’s hand,  and bade him  eat. But the  little
tailor was much too weak to hold the  tree, and when the giant let it  go,
it sprang back again, and the tailor was tossed into the air with it. When
he had fallen down  again without injury, the  giant said: ‘What is  this?
Have you not strength enough to hold the weak twig?’ ‘There is no lack  of
strength,’ answered  the  little  tailor.  ‘Do you  think  that  could  be
anything to a man who has struck down seven at one blow? I leapt over  the
tree because the huntsmen are shooting down there in the thicket. Jump  as
I did, if you can do it.’ The giant made the attempt but he could not  get
over the tree, and remained hanging in the branches, so that in this  also
the tailor kept the upper hand.\par

The giant said: ‘If you are such  a valiant fellow, come with me into  our
cavern and spend the  night with us.’ The  little tailor was willing,  and
followed him. When  they went  into the  cave, other  giants were  sitting
there by the fire, and  each of them had a  roasted sheep in his hand  and
was eating it.  The little tailor  looked round and  thought: ‘It is  much
more spacious here than in my workshop.’  The giant showed him a bed,  and
said he was to lie down in it and sleep. The bed, however, was too big for
the little tailor; he  did not lie  down in it, but  crept into a  corner.
When it was  midnight, and the  giant thought that  the little tailor  was
lying in a sound sleep, he got up, took a great iron bar, cut through  the
bed with one  blow, and thought  he had finished  off the grasshopper  for
good. With the  earliest dawn  the giants went  into the  forest, and  had
quite forgotten the little tailor, when all  at once he walked up to  them
quite merrily and boldly. The giants were terrified, they were afraid that
he would strike them all dead, and ran away in a great hurry.\par

The little tailor  went onwards,  always following his  own pointed  nose.
After he had walked for a long time,  he came to the courtyard of a  royal
palace, and as he felt  weary, he lay down on  the grass and fell  asleep.
Whilst he lay there, the people came  and inspected him on all sides,  and
read on his girdle: ‘Seven at one stroke.’ ‘Ah!’ said they, ‘what does the
great warrior want here in the midst of peace? He must be a mighty  lord.’
They went and announced him to the king, and gave it as their opinion that
if war should break out, this would be a weighty and useful man who  ought
on no account to be allowed to  depart. The counsel pleased the king,  and
he sent one of his  courtiers to the little  tailor to offer him  military
service when he awoke.  The ambassador remained  standing by the  sleeper,
waited until he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes, and then conveyed
to him this proposal. ‘For this very reason have I come here,’ the  tailor
replied, ‘I  am ready  to  enter the  king’s  service.’ He  was  therefore
honourably received, and a special dwelling was assigned him.\par

The soldiers, however, were set against the little tailor, and wished  him
a thousand miles away. ‘What  is to be the end  of this?’ they said  among
themselves. ‘If we quarrel with him, and he strikes about him, seven of us
will fall at every blow; not one  of us can stand against him.’ They  came
therefore to a  decision, betook  themselves in a  body to  the king,  and
begged for their  dismissal. ‘We are  not prepared,’ said  they, ‘to  stay
with a man who kills seven at one stroke.’ The king was sorry that for the
sake of one he should lose all  his faithful servants, wished that he  had
never set eyes on  the tailor, and  would willingly have  been rid of  him
again. But he did not  venture to give him  his dismissal, for he  dreaded
lest he should strike him  and all his people  dead, and place himself  on
the royal throne. He thought about it  for a long time, and at last  found
good counsel. He sent to the little  tailor and caused him to be  informed
that as he was a great  warrior, he had one request  to make to him. In  a
forest of his  country lived two  giants, who caused  great mischief  with
their robbing, murdering, ravaging, and burning, and no one could approach
them without putting himself in danger  of death. If the tailor  conquered
and killed these two giants, he would give him his only daughter to  wife,
and half of his kingdom as  a dowry, likewise one hundred horsemen  should
go with him to assist  him. ‘That would indeed be  a fine thing for a  man
like me!’  thought the  little tailor.  ‘One is  not offered  a  beautiful
princess and  half a  kingdom every  day  of one’s  life!’ ‘Oh,  yes,’  he
replied, ‘I will soon subdue  the giants, and do  not require the help  of
the hundred horsemen to do it; he who  can hit seven with one blow has  no
need to be afraid of two.’\par

The little tailor went forth, and the hundred horsemen followed him.  When
he came to the outskirts  of the forest, he  said to his followers:  ‘Just
stay waiting  here, I  alone will  soon finish  off the  giants.’ Then  he
bounded into the forest and looked about right and left. After a while  he
perceived both giants. They lay sleeping under a tree, and snored so  that
the branches waved up and down. The little tailor, not idle, gathered  two
pocketsful of stones,  and with  these climbed up  the tree.  When he  was
halfway up, he  slipped down  by a  branch, until  he sat  just above  the
sleepers, and then let one stone after  another fall on the breast of  one
of the giants.  For a long  time the giant  felt nothing, but  at last  he
awoke, pushed his comrade, and said: ‘Why are you knocking me?’ ‘You  must
be dreaming,’  said  the  other,  ‘I  am  not  knocking  you.’  They  laid
themselves down to sleep again, and then the tailor threw a stone down  on
the second. ‘What is the  meaning of this?’ cried  the other ‘Why are  you
pelting me?’ ‘I am  not pelting you,’ answered  the first, growling.  They
disputed about it for a time, but  as they were weary they let the  matter
rest, and their eyes  closed once more. The  little tailor began his  game
again, picked out the biggest  stone, and threw it  with all his might  on
the breast of the first giant. ‘That is too bad!’ cried he, and sprang  up
like a madman, and pushed his  companion against the tree until it  shook.
The other paid him back  in the same coin, and  they got into such a  rage
that they tore up trees  and belaboured each other  so long, that at  last
they both fell down dead on the  ground at the same time. Then the  little
tailor leapt down. ‘It is a lucky thing,’ said he, ‘that they did not tear
up the tree on which I was sitting,  or I should have had to sprint on  to
another like a squirrel; but we tailors are nimble.’ He drew out his sword
and gave each of them a couple of thrusts in the breast, and then went out
to the horsemen and said: ‘The work is done; I have finished both of  them
off, but it  was hard work!  They tore up  trees in their  sore need,  and
defended themselves with them, but  all that is to  no purpose when a  man
like myself comes,  who can  kill seven  at one  blow.’ ‘But  are you  not
wounded?’ asked the horsemen. ‘You need not concern yourself about  that,’
answered the tailor, ‘they have not  bent one hair of mine.’ The  horsemen
would not believe  him, and  rode into the  forest; there  they found  the
giants swimming in their blood, and all round about lay the torn-up trees.\par

The little tailor demanded of the  king the promised reward; he,  however,
repented of his promise, and again bethought himself how he could get  rid
of the hero. ‘Before you receive my daughter, and the half of my kingdom,’
said he to  him, ‘you must  perform one  more heroic deed.  In the  forest
roams a unicorn which does  great harm, and you  must catch it first.’  ‘I
fear one unicorn still less than two giants. Seven at one blow, is my kind
of affair.’  He took  a rope  and an  axe with  him, went  forth into  the
forest, and again bade those  who were sent with  him to wait outside.  He
had not  long to  seek. The  unicorn  soon came  towards him,  and  rushed
directly on the tailor, as if it would gore him with its horn without more
ado. ‘Softly, softly; it can’t be done  as quickly as that,’ said he,  and
stood still and waited until the  animal was quite close, and then  sprang
nimbly behind the  tree. The  unicorn ran against  the tree  with all  its
strength, and stuck  its horn so  fast in the  trunk that it  had not  the
strength enough to draw it out again, and thus it was caught. ‘Now, I have
got the bird,’ said the tailor, and came out from behind the tree and  put
the rope round its neck,  and then with his axe  he hewed the horn out  of
the tree, and when all was ready he led the beast away and took it to  the
king.\par

The king still would not  give him the promised  reward, and made a  third
demand. Before the wedding the  tailor was to catch  him a wild boar  that
made great havoc  in the forest,  and the huntsmen  should give him  their
help. ‘Willingly,’ said  the tailor, ‘that  is child’s play!’  He did  not
take the huntsmen  with him into  the forest, and  they were well  pleased
that he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in such
a manner that they  had no inclination  to lie in wait  for him. When  the
boar perceived the tailor,  it ran on him  with foaming mouth and  whetted
tusks, and was about  to throw him  to the ground, but  the hero fled  and
sprang into a chapel which was near and  up to the window at once, and  in
one bound out  again. The boar  ran after  him, but the  tailor ran  round
outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging beast, which  was
much too heavy  and awkward to  leap out  of the window,  was caught.  The
little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they might see the prisoner
with their own eyes.  The hero, however,  went to the  king, who was  now,
whether he liked  it or not,  obliged to  keep his promise,  and gave  his
daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he known that it was no  warlike
hero, but a little tailor who was standing before him, it would have  gone
to his heart  still more  than it  did. The  wedding was  held with  great
magnificence and small joy, and out of a tailor a king was made.\par

After some time the  young queen heard  her husband say  in his dreams  at
night: ‘Boy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I will
rap the yard-measure over your ears.’ Then she discovered in what state of
life the young  lord had  been born, and  next morning  complained of  her
wrongs to  her father,  and begged  him  to help  her to  get rid  of  her
husband, who was  nothing else but  a tailor. The  king comforted her  and
said: ‘Leave your  bedroom door  open this  night, and  my servants  shall
stand outside, and when he  has fallen asleep shall  go in, bind him,  and
take him on board a ship which  shall carry him into the wide world.’  The
woman was satisfied with this; but the king’s armour-bearer, who had heard
all, was friendly with the young lord, and informed him of the whole plot.
‘I’ll put a screw into that business,’ said the little tailor. At night he
went to bed with his wife at the usual time, and when she thought that  he
had fallen asleep, she got up, opened  the door, and then lay down  again.
The little tailor, who was only pretending to be asleep, began to cry  out
in a clear voice: ‘Boy, make me  the doublet and patch me the  pantaloons,
or I will rap the yard-measure over your ears. I smote seven at one  blow.
I killed two giants, I brought away  one unicorn, and caught a wild  boar,
and am I to fear those who are standing outside the room.’ When these  men
heard the tailor speaking thus, they  were overcome by a great dread,  and
ran as if  the wild  huntsman were  behind them,  and none  of them  would
venture anything  further  against  him.  So the  little  tailor  was  and
remained a king to the end of his life.\par

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\label{hansel-and-gretel}%
\hypertarget{hansel-and-gretel}{}%
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\chapter*{Hansel And Gretel}


Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his  two
children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had little  to
bite and to break, and once when  great dearth fell on the land, he  could
no longer procure even daily bread. Now when he thought over this by night
in his bed, and tossed  about in his anxiety, he  groaned and said to  his
wife: ‘What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when
we no  longer have  anything even  for ourselves?’  ‘I’ll tell  you  what,
husband,’ answered the  woman, ‘early  tomorrow morning we  will take  the
children out into the forest  to where it is  the thickest; there we  will
light a fire for them, and give each of them one more piece of bread,  and
then we will go to our work and  leave them alone. They will not find  the
way home again, and we shall be rid of them.’ ‘No, wife,’ said the man, ‘I
will not  do that;  how can  I  bear to  leave my  children alone  in  the
forest?—the wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces.’ ‘O, you
fool!’ said she, ‘then  we must all  four die of hunger,  you may as  well
plane the planks  for our coffins,’  and she  left him no  peace until  he
consented. ‘But I feel  very sorry for the  poor children, all the  same,’
said the man.\par

The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard
what their stepmother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter  tears,
and said to Hansel: ‘Now  all is over with  us.’ ‘Be quiet, Gretel,’  said
Hansel, ‘do not distress yourself, I will soon find a way to help us.’ And
when the old folks had fallen asleep,  he got up, put on his little  coat,
opened the door below, and crept outside. The moon shone brightly, and the
white pebbles which lay in front  of the house glittered like real  silver
pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with  as
many as  he could  get in.  Then  he went  back and  said to  Gretel:  ‘Be
comforted, dear little sister,  and sleep in peace,  God will not  forsake
us,’ and he lay down again in his bed. When day dawned, but before the sun
had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children, saying: ‘Get up, you
sluggards! we are going into  the forest to fetch  wood.’ She gave each  a
little piece of bread, and said: ‘There is something for your dinner,  but
do not eat it up before then, for you will get nothing else.’ Gretel  took
the bread under her apron, as Hansel  had the pebbles in his pocket.  Then
they all set out together on the way to the forest. When they had walked a
short time, Hansel stood still  and peeped back at  the house, and did  so
again and again. His father said:  ‘Hansel, what are you looking at  there
and staying behind for? Pay attention, and  do not forget how to use  your
legs.’ ‘Ah, father,’ said  Hansel, ‘I am looking  at my little white  cat,
which is sitting up on the roof, and wants to say goodbye to me.’ The wife
said: ‘Fool, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun which is
shining on the chimneys.’  Hansel, however, had not  been looking back  at
the cat, but had been constantly  throwing one of the white  pebble-stones
out of his pocket on the road.\par

When they had  reached the middle  of the forest,  the father said:  ‘Now,
children, pile up some wood, and I will  light a fire that you may not  be
cold.’ Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a  little
hill. The brushwood  was lighted, and  when the flames  were burning  very
high, the woman said: ‘Now, children, lay yourselves down by the fire  and
rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we have done,  we
will come back and fetch you away.’\par

Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire,  and when noon came, each ate a  little
piece of  bread,  and as  they  heard the  strokes  of the  wood-axe  they
believed that their father was  near. It was not  the axe, however, but  a
branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing
backwards and forwards.  And as they  had been sitting  such a long  time,
their eyes closed with  fatigue, and they fell  fast asleep. When at  last
they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said:  ‘How
are we to get out of the  forest now?’ But Hansel comforted her and  said:
‘Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then we will soon  find
the way.’ And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little  sister
by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone like newly-coined silver
pieces, and showed them the way.\par

They walked the whole night  long, and by break of  day came once more  to
their father’s house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman  opened
it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said: ‘You naughty children,
why have you slept so long in the forest?—we thought you were never coming
back at all!’ The  father, however, rejoiced,  for it had  cut him to  the
heart to leave them behind alone.\par

Not long afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the land,
and the  children heard  their mother  saying at  night to  their  father:
‘Everything is eaten again, we  have one half loaf  left, and that is  the
end. The children must  go, we will  take them farther  into the wood,  so
that they will not find  their way out again; there  is no other means  of
saving ourselves!’ The man’s heart was heavy, and he thought: ‘It would be
better for you to share the last mouthful with your children.’ The  woman,
however, would  listen to  nothing that  he had  to say,  but scolded  and
reproached him. He who says A must say B, likewise, and as he had  yielded
the first time, he had to do so a second time also.\par

The children, however, were  still awake and  had heard the  conversation.
When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go  out
and pick up pebbles as  he had done before, but  the woman had locked  the
door, and Hansel could not get  out. Nevertheless he comforted his  little
sister, and said: ‘Do not cry, Gretel,  go to sleep quietly, the good  God
will help us.’\par

Early in the morning came  the woman, and took  the children out of  their
beds. Their piece of  bread was given  to them, but  it was still  smaller
than the time before. On  the way into the  forest Hansel crumbled his  in
his pocket,  and often  stood still  and  threw a  morsel on  the  ground.
‘Hansel, why do you stop and look round?’ said the father, ‘go on.’ ‘I  am
looking back at my little pigeon which  is sitting on the roof, and  wants
to say goodbye to me,’ answered  Hansel. ‘Fool!’ said the woman, ‘that  is
not your little pigeon,  that is the  morning sun that  is shining on  the
chimney.’ Hansel, however little  by little, threw all  the crumbs on  the
path.\par

The woman led the  children still deeper into  the forest, where they  had
never in their lives been  before. Then a great  fire was again made,  and
the mother said: ‘Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you
may sleep a little; we are going into  the forest to cut wood, and in  the
evening when we are done,  we will come and fetch  you away.’ When it  was
noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered  his
by the way. Then they fell asleep  and evening passed, but no one came  to
the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night, and  Hansel
comforted his little sister and said:  ‘Just wait, Gretel, until the  moon
rises, and then  we shall  see the  crumbs of  bread which  I have  strewn
about, they will show us our way home again.’ When the moon came they  set
out, but they found no crumbs, for  the many thousands of birds which  fly
about in the  woods and  fields had  picked them  all up.  Hansel said  to
Gretel: ‘We shall  soon find  the way,’  but they  did not  find it.  They
walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening,
but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they had
nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And  as
they were so weary that  their legs would carry  them no longer, they  lay
down beneath a tree and fell asleep.\par

It was now three mornings since  they had left their father’s house.  They
began to walk again, but they always  came deeper into the forest, and  if
help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was
mid-day, they saw a  beautiful snow-white bird sitting  on a bough,  which
sang so delightfully that  they stood still and  listened to it. And  when
its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they
followed it until they  reached a little  house, on the  roof of which  it
alighted; and when they approached the  little house they saw that it  was
built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of  clear
sugar. ‘We will set to work on that,’ said Hansel, ‘and have a good  meal.
I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the  window,
it will taste sweet.’ Hansel reached up  above, and broke off a little  of
the roof to try  how it tasted,  and Gretel leant  against the window  and
nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from the parlour:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Nibble, nibble, gnaw, \\
Who is nibbling at my little house?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The children answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘The wind, the wind, \\
The heaven-born wind,’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and went on eating  without disturbing themselves.  Hansel, who liked  the
taste of the roof, tore  down a great piece of  it, and Gretel pushed  out
the whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it.
Suddenly the door opened, and a woman  as old as the hills, who  supported
herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly
frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman,
however, nodded  her head,  and  said: ‘Oh,  you  dear children,  who  has
brought you here? do come  in, and stay with me.  No harm shall happen  to
you.’ She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little  house.
Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples,
and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean  white
linen, and Hansel and Gretel  lay down in them,  and thought they were  in
heaven.\par

The old woman  had only  pretended to  be so kind;  she was  in reality  a
wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the  little
house of bread in order to entice  them there. When a child fell into  her
power, she killed it,  cooked and ate  it, and that was  a feast day  with
her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent
like the beasts, and  are aware when human  beings draw near. When  Hansel
and Gretel came into her neighbourhood, she laughed with malice, and  said
mockingly: ‘I have  them, they shall  not escape me  again!’ Early in  the
morning before the children were awake,  she was already up, and when  she
saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy
cheeks she muttered to herself: ‘That will be a dainty mouthful!’ Then she
seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a little  stable,
and locked him in behind a grated  door. Scream as he might, it would  not
help him. Then she went  to Gretel, shook her  till she awoke, and  cried:
‘Get up, lazy thing,  fetch some water, and  cook something good for  your
brother, he is in the  stable outside, and is to  be made fat. When he  is
fat, I will eat  him.’ Gretel began  to weep bitterly, but  it was all  in
vain, for she was forced to do what the wicked witch commanded.\par

And now the best food was cooked  for poor Hansel, but Gretel got  nothing
but crab-shells. Every morning the woman  crept to the little stable,  and
cried: ‘Hansel, stretch out your finger that  I may feel if you will  soon
be fat.’ Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the  old
woman, who had dim  eyes, could not  see it, and  thought it was  Hansel’s
finger, and was astonished  that there was no  way of fattening him.  When
four weeks had  gone by, and  Hansel still remained  thin, she was  seized
with impatience and would  not wait any longer.  ‘Now, then, Gretel,’  she
cried to the girl, ‘stir yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat
or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him.’ Ah, how the poor  little
sister did lament when she had to  fetch the water, and how her tears  did
flow down her  cheeks! ‘Dear God,  do help  us,’ she cried.  ‘If the  wild
beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should at any rate have  died
together.’ ‘Just keep  your noise to  yourself,’ said the  old woman,  ‘it
won’t help you at all.’\par

Early in the morning, Gretel had to  go out and hang up the cauldron  with
the water, and light the fire. ‘We  will bake first,’ said the old  woman,
‘I have already heated the oven,  and kneaded the dough.’ She pushed  poor
Gretel out to the  oven, from which flames  of fire were already  darting.
‘Creep in,’ said the witch, ‘and see if it is properly heated, so that  we
can put the bread in.’  And once Gretel was  inside, she intended to  shut
the oven and  let her bake  in it, and  then she would  eat her, too.  But
Gretel saw what she had in mind, and said:  ‘I do not know how I am to  do
it; how do I get in?’ ‘Silly goose,’ said the old woman. ‘The door is  big
enough; just look, I can get in  myself!’ and she crept up and thrust  her
head into the oven. Then  Gretel gave her a push  that drove her far  into
it, and shut the iron door, and  fastened the bolt. Oh! then she began  to
howl quite  horribly,  but Gretel  ran  away  and the  godless  witch  was
miserably burnt to death.\par

Gretel, however, ran like lightning  to Hansel, opened his little  stable,
and cried: ‘Hansel,  we are  saved! The old  witch is  dead!’ Then  Hansel
sprang like a bird  from its cage  when the door is  opened. How they  did
rejoice and embrace each other, and  dance about and kiss each other!  And
as they had no  longer any need  to fear her, they  went into the  witch’s
house, and in every corner there  stood chests full of pearls and  jewels.
‘These are far  better than  pebbles!’ said  Hansel, and  thrust into  his
pockets whatever could  be got  in, and Gretel  said: ‘I,  too, will  take
something home with me,’ and filled her pinafore full. ‘But now we must be
off,’ said Hansel, ‘that we may get out of the witch’s forest.’\par

When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of water.
‘We cannot cross,’ said Hansel, ‘I see no foot-plank, and no bridge.’ ‘And
there is also no  ferry,’ answered Gretel, ‘but  a white duck is  swimming
there: if I ask her, she will help us over.’ Then she cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Little duck, little duck, dost thou see, \\
Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee? \\
There’s never a plank, or bridge in sight, \\
Take us across on thy back so white.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his
sister to sit by him.  ‘No,’ replied Gretel, ‘that  will be too heavy  for
the little duck; she shall take us across, one after the other.’ The  good
little duck did so, and when they  were once safely across and had  walked
for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to  them,
and at length they saw from afar their father’s house. Then they began  to
run, rushed into the  parlour, and threw  themselves round their  father’s
neck. The man had not known one happy hour since he had left the  children
in the forest; the woman, however,  was dead. Gretel emptied her  pinafore
until pearls and precious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw  one
handful after another out of his pocket  to add to them. Then all  anxiety
was at an end, and  they lived together in  perfect happiness. My tale  is
done, there runs a mouse; whosoever catches it, may make himself a big fur
cap out of it.\par

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\hypertarget{the-mouse-the-bird-and-the-sausage}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Mouse, The Bird, And The Sausage}


Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership
and set up house together.  For a long time all  went well; they lived  in
great comfort, and prospered so far as  to be able to add considerably  to
their stores. The bird’s duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring  in
fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw to the cooking.\par

When people are too well off they always begin to long for something  new.
And so it came  to pass, that the  bird, while out one  day, met a  fellow
bird, to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his  household
arrangements. But  the  other  bird  sneered  at  him  for  being  a  poor
simpleton, who did all the hard work,  while the other two stayed at  home
and had a  good time  of it. For,  when the  mouse had made  the fire  and
fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until
it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see
that the food was  properly cooked, and when  it was near dinner-time,  he
just threw  himself  into  the broth,  or  rolled  in and  out  among  the
vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered, and salted,
and ready to be served. Then, when  the bird came home and had laid  aside
his burden, they sat down to table, and when they had finished their meal,
they could  sleep their  fill till  the following  morning: and  that  was
really a very delightful life.\par

Influenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in the
wood, telling the others that he  had been their servant long enough,  and
had been a  fool into  the bargain, and  that it  was now time  to make  a
change, and to try some other way  of arranging the work. Beg and pray  as
the mouse and  the sausage  might, it  was of  no use;  the bird  remained
master of the situation,  and the venture had  to be made. They  therefore
drew lots, and it fell to the sausage  to bring in the wood, to the  mouse
to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.\par

And now what  happened? The sausage  started in search  of wood, the  bird
made the fire, and  the mouse put  on the pot, and  then these two  waited
till the sausage  returned with the  fuel for the  following day. But  the
sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird  flew
out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across a  dog
who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate booty, and
so seized  and swallowed  him. The  bird  complained to  the dog  of  this
bare-faced robbery, but  nothing he  said was of  any avail,  for the  dog
answered that he found false credentials on the sausage, and that was  the
reason his life had been forfeited.\par

He picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he  had
seen and heard. They were both very  unhappy, but agreed to make the  best
of things and to remain with one another.\par

So now the bird set  the table, and the mouse  looked after the food  and,
wishing to prepare it in  the same way as the  sausage, by rolling in  and
out among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot;
but she stopped short long before  she reached the bottom, having  already
parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.\par

Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he could
nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood here  and
there about the floor, called and searched,  but no cook was to be  found.
Then some of the  wood that had been  carelessly thrown down, caught  fire
and began to blaze. The  bird hastened to fetch  some water, but his  pail
fell into the  well, and  he after  it, and as  he was  unable to  recover
himself, he was drowned.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{mother-holle}%
\hypertarget{mother-holle}{}%
%
\chapter*{Mother Holle}


Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them  was
beautiful and industrious, the other  ugly and lazy. The mother,  however,
loved the ugly and lazy one best, because she was her own daughter, and so
the other, who was only her stepdaughter,  was made to do all the work  of
the house, and was quite the Cinderella of the family. Her stepmother sent
her out every day to sit by the well in the high road, there to spin until
she made her fingers bleed. Now it chanced one day that some blood fell on
to the spindle, and as the girl stopped over the well to wash it off,  the
spindle suddenly sprang out of  her hand and fell  into the well. She  ran
home crying to tell of her misfortune, but her stepmother spoke harshly to
her, and after giving her a violent scolding, said unkindly, ‘As you  have
let the spindle fall into the well you may go yourself and fetch it out.’\par

The girl went back to the well not knowing what to do, and at last in  her
distress she jumped into the water after the spindle.\par

She remembered  nothing  more until  she  awoke  and found  herself  in  a
beautiful meadow, full of sunshine, and with countless flowers blooming in
every direction.\par

She walked over  the meadow, and  presently she came  upon a baker’s  oven
full of bread, and the loaves cried out to her, ‘Take us out, take us out,
or alas! we shall be burnt to  a cinder; we were baked through long  ago.’
So she took the bread-shovel and drew them all out.\par

She went on  a little farther,  till she came  to a free  full of  apples.
‘Shake me, shake me, I pray,’ cried the tree; ‘my apples, one and all, are
ripe.’ So she shook the  tree, and the apples  came falling down upon  her
like rain; but she  continued shaking until there  was not a single  apple
left upon it. Then  she carefully gathered the  apples together in a  heap
and walked on again.\par

The next thing she came  to was a little house,  and there she saw an  old
woman looking out,  with such  large teeth,  that she  was terrified,  and
turned to run  away. But the  old woman  called after her,  ‘What are  you
afraid of, dear child? Stay with me; if  you will do the work of my  house
properly for me, I  will make you  very happy. You  must be very  careful,
however, to make my bed in the right  way, for I wish you always to  shake
it thoroughly, so that the feathers  fly about; then they say, down  there
in the world, that it  is snowing; for I am  Mother Holle.’ The old  woman
spoke so kindly,  that the girl  summoned up courage  and agreed to  enter
into her service.\par

She took care to  do everything according to  the old woman’s bidding  and
every time she made the bed she shook  it with all her might, so that  the
feathers flew about like so many snowflakes. The old woman was as good  as
her word: she never spoke  angrily to her, and  gave her roast and  boiled
meats every day.\par

So she stayed on with  Mother Holle for some time,  and then she began  to
grow unhappy. She could not at first tell why she felt sad, but she became
conscious at last  of great  longing to  go home;  then she  knew she  was
homesick, although she was a thousand  times better off with Mother  Holle
than with her mother and sister. After waiting awhile, she went to  Mother
Holle and said, ‘I am so homesick, that I cannot stay with you any longer,
for although I am so happy here, I must return to my own people.’\par

Then Mother Holle said, ‘I am pleased  that you should want to go back  to
your own people, and as you have served me so well and faithfully, I  will
take you home myself.’\par

Thereupon she led the girl by the hand up to a broad gateway. The gate was
opened, and as the girl  passed through, a shower  of gold fell upon  her,
and the gold clung to  her, so that she was  covered with it from head  to
foot.\par

‘That is a reward for your industry,’ said Mother Holle, and as she  spoke
she handed her the spindle which she had dropped into the well.\par

The gate was then closed, and the girl found herself back in the old world
close to her mother’s  house. As she entered  the courtyard, the cock  who
was perched on the well, called out:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Cock-a-doodle-doo! \\
Your golden daughter’s come back to you.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then she  went in  to her  mother and  sister, and  as she  was so  richly
covered with gold, they gave her a  warm welcome. She related to them  all
that had happened, and when the mother heard how she had come by her great
riches, she thought she should like her ugly, lazy daughter to go and  try
her fortune. So she made the sister go  and sit by the well and spin,  and
the girl pricked her finger and thrust her hand into a thorn-bush, so that
she might drop some blood  on to the spindle; then  she threw it into  the
well, and jumped in herself.\par

Like her sister she awoke in the beautiful meadow, and walked over it till
she came to  the oven. ‘Take  us out, take  us out, or  alas! we shall  be
burnt to a cinder; we  were baked through long  ago,’ cried the loaves  as
before. But the lazy girl answered, ‘Do  you think I am going to dirty  my
hands for you?’ and walked on.\par

Presently she came  to the  apple-tree. ‘Shake me,  shake me,  I pray;  my
apples, one and all, are ripe,’ it  cried. But she only answered, ‘A  nice
thing to ask  me to  do, one of  the apples  might fall on  my head,’  and
passed on.\par

At last she came to Mother Holle’s  house, and as she had heard all  about
the large teeth from her sister, she  was not afraid of them, and  engaged
herself without delay to the old woman.\par

The first day she was very  obedient and industrious, and exerted  herself
to please Mother  Holle, for she  thought of  the gold she  should get  in
return. The next day, however, she began to dawdle over her work, and  the
third day she was  more idle still; then  she began to lie  in bed in  the
mornings and refused to get up. Worse still, she neglected to make the old
woman’s bed properly, and  forgot to shake it  so that the feathers  might
fly about. So Mother Holle  very soon got tired of  her, and told her  she
might go. The  lazy girl was  delighted at this,  and thought to  herself,
‘The gold will soon  be mine.’ Mother  Holle led her, as  she had led  her
sister, to the broad gateway; but  as she was passing through, instead  of
the shower of gold, a great bucketful of pitch came pouring over her.\par

‘That is in return for  your services,’ said the  old woman, and she  shut
the gate.\par

So the lazy girl had  to go home covered with  pitch, and the cock on  the
well called out as she saw her:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Cock-a-doodle-doo! \\
Your dirty daughter’s come back to you.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

But, try what she would, she could not  get the pitch off and it stuck  to
her as long as she lived.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{little-red-cap-little-red-riding-hood}%
\hypertarget{little-red-cap-little-red-riding-hood}{}%
%
\chapter*{Little Red-Cap {[}Little Red Riding Hood{]}}


Once upon a time there  was a dear little girl  who was loved by  everyone
who looked at  her, but  most of  all by  her grandmother,  and there  was
nothing that she would not  have given to the child.  Once she gave her  a
little cap of red velvet,  which suited her so  well that she would  never
wear anything else; so she was always called ‘Little Red-Cap.’\par

One day her mother said to her: ‘Come, Little Red-Cap, here is a piece  of
cake and a bottle of wine; take  them to your grandmother, she is ill  and
weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when  you
are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may
fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and
when you go into her room, don’t forget to say, “Good morning”, and  don’t
peep into every corner before you do it.’\par

‘I will take great care,’ said Little Red-Cap to her mother, and gave  her
hand on it.\par

The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and
just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood,  a wolf met her. Red-Cap did  not
know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.\par

‘Good day, Little Red-Cap,’ said he.\par

‘Thank you kindly, wolf.’\par

‘Whither away so early, Little Red-Cap?’\par

‘To my grandmother’s.’\par

‘What have you got in your apron?’\par

‘Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day,  so poor sick grandmother is  to
have something good, to make her stronger.’\par

‘Where does your grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?’\par

‘A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under
the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees  are just below; you surely  must
know it,’ replied Little Red-Cap.\par

The wolf thought to  himself: ‘What a tender  young creature! what a  nice
plump mouthful—she will be better  to eat than the  old woman. I must  act
craftily, so as to catch both.’ So he walked for a short time by the  side
of Little Red-Cap, and then he said: ‘See, Little Red-Cap, how pretty  the
flowers are about here—why do you not look round? I believe, too, that you
do not hear  how sweetly the  little birds are  singing; you walk  gravely
along as if you were  going to school, while  everything else out here  in
the wood is merry.’\par

Little Red-Cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here
and there through the  trees, and pretty  flowers growing everywhere,  she
thought: ‘Suppose I take  grandmother a fresh  nosegay; that would  please
her too. It is so early  in the day that I  shall still get there in  good
time’; and so she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And
whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one
farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood.\par

Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother’s house and knocked  at
the door.\par

‘Who is there?’\par

‘Little Red-Cap,’ replied the wolf. ‘She  is bringing cake and wine;  open
the door.’\par

‘Lift the latch,’ called out the  grandmother, ‘I am too weak, and  cannot
get up.’\par

The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word
he went straight to the grandmother’s  bed, and devoured her. Then he  put
on her clothes, dressed himself  in her cap laid  himself in bed and  drew
the curtains.\par

Little Red-Cap, however, had been running about picking flowers, and  when
she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered  her
grandmother, and set out on the way to her.\par

She was surprised  to find the  cottage-door standing open,  and when  she
went into  the room,  she had  such a  strange feeling  that she  said  to
herself: ‘Oh dear!  how uneasy I  feel today,  and at other  times I  like
being with  grandmother so  much.’  She called  out: ‘Good  morning,’  but
received no answer; so  she went to  the bed and  drew back the  curtains.
There lay  her grandmother  with her  cap pulled  far over  her face,  and
looking very strange.\par

‘Oh! grandmother,’ she said, ‘what big ears you have!’\par

‘The better to hear you with, my child,’ was the reply.\par

‘But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!’ she said.\par

‘The better to see you with, my dear.’\par

‘But, grandmother, what large hands you have!’\par

‘The better to hug you with.’\par

‘Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!’\par

‘The better to eat you with!’\par

And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed
and swallowed up Red-Cap.\par

When the wolf had  appeased his appetite,  he lay down  again in the  bed,
fell asleep and began  to snore very loud.  The huntsman was just  passing
the house, and thought to himself: ‘How  the old woman is snoring! I  must
just see if she  wants anything.’ So  he went into the  room, and when  he
came to the bed,  he saw that  the wolf was  lying in it.  ‘Do I find  you
here, you old sinner!’ said he. ‘I have long sought you!’ Then just as  he
was going to  fire at him,  it occurred to  him that the  wolf might  have
devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not
fire, but took a pair  of scissors, and began to  cut open the stomach  of
the sleeping wolf. When he had made  two snips, he saw the little  Red-Cap
shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl sprang  out,
crying: ‘Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was inside the wolf’;
and after that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able
to breathe. Red-Cap, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they
filled the wolf’s belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the
stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead.\par

Then all three were delighted. The  huntsman drew off the wolf’s skin  and
went home with it; the grandmother ate  the cake and drank the wine  which
Red-Cap had brought, and revived, but Red-Cap thought to herself: ‘As long
as I live, I will  never by myself leave the  path, to run into the  wood,
when my mother has forbidden me to do so.’\par

It also related that once when Red-Cap  was again taking cakes to the  old
grandmother, another wolf spoke to her,  and tried to entice her from  the
path. Red-Cap, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward on her
way, and told her grandmother that she  had met the wolf, and that he  had
said ‘good morning’ to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes,  that
if they had  not been on  the public road  she was certain  he would  have
eaten her up. ‘Well,’ said the  grandmother, ‘we will shut the door,  that
he may not come  in.’ Soon afterwards the  wolf knocked, and cried:  ‘Open
the door,  grandmother, I  am Little  Red-Cap, and  am bringing  you  some
cakes.’ But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard  stole
twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof, intending
to wait until Red-Cap went  home in the evening,  and then to steal  after
her and devour her in  the darkness. But the  grandmother saw what was  in
his thoughts. In front of the house was a great stone trough, so she  said
to the child: ‘Take the pail, Red-Cap; I made some sausages yesterday,  so
carry the water  in which I  boiled them to  the trough.’ Red-Cap  carried
until the great  trough was  quite full. Then  the smell  of the  sausages
reached the wolf, and  he sniffed and peeped  down, and at last  stretched
out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began  to
slip, and slipped down from the  roof straight into the great trough,  and
was drowned. But Red-Cap went joyously home, and no one ever did  anything
to harm her again.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-robber-bridegroom}%
\hypertarget{the-robber-bridegroom}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Robber Bridegroom}


There was once a  miller who had  one beautiful daughter,  and as she  was
grown up, he was anxious that she should be well married and provided for.
He said to himself, ‘I will give  her to the first suitable man who  comes
and asks  for her  hand.’ Not  long after  a suitor  appeared, and  as  he
appeared to be  very rich and  the miller  could see nothing  in him  with
which to find fault, he  betrothed his daughter to  him. But the girl  did
not care for the man  as a girl ought to  care for her betrothed  husband.
She did not feel that she could trust  him, and she could not look at  him
nor think of him without an inward  shudder. One day he said to her,  ‘You
have not yet paid  me a visit,  although we have  been betrothed for  some
time.’ ‘I do not know where your house is,’ she answered. ‘My house is out
there in the dark forest,’ he said. She tried to excuse herself by  saying
that she would not  be able to  find the way  thither. Her betrothed  only
replied, ‘You must  come and see  me next Sunday;  I have already  invited
guests for that day, and  that you may not mistake  the way, I will  strew
ashes along the path.’\par

When Sunday came,  and it was  time for the  girl to start,  a feeling  of
dread came over her  which she could  not explain, and  that she might  be
able to find her path again, she filled her pockets with peas and  lentils
to sprinkle on the ground as she  went along. On reaching the entrance  to
the forest she found the path strewed with ashes, and these she  followed,
throwing down some peas on either side of her at every step she took.  She
walked the whole day until  she came to the  deepest, darkest part of  the
forest. There she saw a lonely house, looking so grim and mysterious, that
it did not please her at all. She stepped inside, but not a soul was to be
seen, and a great silence reigned throughout. Suddenly a voice cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair, \\
Linger not in this murderers’ lair.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The girl looked up and  saw that the voice came  from a bird hanging in  a
cage on the wall. Again it cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair, \\
Linger not in this murderers’ lair.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The girl passed on, going  from room to room of  the house, but they  were
all empty, and still she saw no one.  At last she came to the cellar,  and
there sat  a very,  very  old woman,  who could  not  keep her  head  from
shaking. ‘Can you tell me,’ asked the girl, ‘if my betrothed husband lives
here?’\par

‘Ah, you poor child,’  answered the old  woman, ‘what a  place for you  to
come to! This is  a murderers’ den. You  think yourself a promised  bride,
and that your marriage will soon take place, but it is with death that you
will keep your  marriage feast. Look,  do you see  that large cauldron  of
water which I am obliged to keep on the fire! As soon as they have you  in
their power they will kill  you without mercy, and  cook and eat you,  for
they are eaters of men. If  I did not take pity  on you and save you,  you
would be lost.’\par

Thereupon the old woman led her behind  a large cask, which quite hid  her
from view. ‘Keep as still as a mouse,’ she said; ‘do not move or speak, or
it will be all over with you. Tonight, when the robbers are all asleep, we
will flee  together.  I have  long  been  waiting for  an  opportunity  to
escape.’\par

The words were  hardly out of  her mouth when  the godless crew  returned,
dragging another young girl along with them. They were all drunk, and paid
no heed to her cries and lamentations. They gave her wine to drink,  three
glasses full, one of white wine, one  of red, and one of yellow, and  with
that her  heart gave  way  and she  died. Then  they  tore of  her  dainty
clothing, laid her on a table, and cut her beautiful body into pieces, and
sprinkled salt upon it.\par

The poor betrothed girl crouched trembling and shuddering behind the cask,
for she saw what a terrible fate had been intended for her by the robbers.
One of them now noticed a gold  ring still remaining on the little  finger
of the murdered girl, and  as he could not draw  it off easily, he took  a
hatchet and cut off the  finger; but the finger  sprang into the air,  and
fell behind the cask into  the lap of the girl  who was hiding there.  The
robber took a light and  began looking for it, but  he could not find  it.
‘Have you looked behind the large cask?’  said one of the others. But  the
old woman called out,  ‘Come and eat  your suppers, and  let the thing  be
till tomorrow; the finger won’t run away.’\par

‘The old woman is  right,’ said the robbers,  and they ceased looking  for
the finger and sat down.\par

The old woman then  mixed a sleeping draught  with their wine, and  before
long they were  all lying  on the  floor of  the cellar,  fast asleep  and
snoring. As soon as the girl was assured of this, she came from behind the
cask. She was obliged to  step over the bodies  of the sleepers, who  were
lying close together, and every moment  she was filled with renewed  dread
lest she should awaken them. But God helped her, so that she passed safely
over them, and then she and the old woman went upstairs, opened the  door,
and hastened as fast as they could from the murderers’ den. They found the
ashes scattered by the  wind, but the peas  and lentils had sprouted,  and
grown sufficiently above the ground, to guide them in the moonlight  along
the path.  All night  long they  walked, and  it was  morning before  they
reached the mill. Then the girl told her father all that had happened.\par

The day came that had been fixed for the marriage. The bridegroom  arrived
and also a  large company  of guests,  for the  miller had  taken care  to
invite all his friends and relations. As they sat at the feast, each guest
in turn was asked to tell  a tale; the bride sat  still and did not say  a
word.\par

‘And you, my love,’ said the bridegroom, turning to her, ‘is there no tale
you know? Tell us something.’\par

‘I will tell you a dream, then,’  said the bride. ‘I went alone through  a
forest and came at last to a house; not a soul could I find within, but  a
bird that was hanging in a cage on the wall cried:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
“Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair, \\
Linger not in this murderers’ lair.” \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and again a second time it said these words.’\par

‘My darling, this is only a dream.’\par

‘I went on through the house from  room to room, but they were all  empty,
and everything was  so grim and  mysterious. At  last I went  down to  the
cellar, and there sat a very, very old woman, who could not keep her  head
still. I asked her if my betrothed lived here, and she answered, “Ah,  you
poor child, you are come to  a murderers’ den; your betrothed does  indeed
live here, but he will kill you without mercy and afterwards cook and  eat
you.”’\par

‘My darling, this is only a dream.’\par

‘The old woman hid me behind a large cask, and scarcely had she done  this
when the robbers  returned home, dragging  a young girl  along with  them.
They gave her three kinds  of wine to drink,  white, red, and yellow,  and
with that she died.’\par

‘My darling, this is only a dream.’\par

‘Then they tore off her dainty  clothing, and cut her beautiful body  into
pieces and sprinkled salt upon it.’\par

‘My darling, this is only a dream.’\par

‘And one of the robbers saw that there  was a gold ring still left on  her
finger, and as it was difficult to draw off, he took a hatchet and cut off
her finger; but the finger sprang into  the air and fell behind the  great
cask into my lap. And  here is the finger with  the ring.’ and with  these
words the  bride drew  forth the  finger and  shewed it  to the  assembled
guests.\par

The bridegroom, who  during this  recital had  grown deadly  pale, up  and
tried to  escape,  but the  guests  seized him  and  held him  fast.  They
delivered him  up to  justice, and  he  and all  his murderous  band  were
condemned to death for their wicked deeds.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{tom-thumb}%
\hypertarget{tom-thumb}{}%
%
\chapter*{Tom Thumb}


A poor woodman  sat in  his cottage  one night,  smoking his  pipe by  the
fireside, while his  wife sat  by his side  spinning. ‘How  lonely it  is,
wife,’ said he, as he puffed out a long curl of smoke, ‘for you and me  to
sit here by  ourselves, without any  children to play  about and amuse  us
while other people seem so happy and merry with their children!’ ‘What you
say is very true,’  said the wife, sighing,  and turning round her  wheel;
‘how happy  should I  be  if I  had but  one  child! If  it were  ever  so
small—nay, if it were no bigger than my thumb—I should be very happy,  and
love it dearly.’ Now—odd  as you may  think it—it came  to pass that  this
good woman’s wish was fulfilled, just in  the very way she had wished  it;
for, not long afterwards, she had a little boy, who was quite healthy  and
strong, but was not  much bigger than  my thumb. So  they said, ‘Well,  we
cannot say we have not  got what we wished for,  and, little as he is,  we
will love him dearly.’ And they called him Thomas Thumb.\par

They gave him  plenty of food,  yet for all  they could do  he never  grew
bigger, but kept  just the  same size  as he had  been when  he was  born.
Still, his eyes were sharp and sparkling, and he soon showed himself to be
a clever little fellow, who always knew well what he was about.\par

One day, as the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel,
he said, ‘I wish I had someone to  bring the cart after me, for I want  to
make haste.’ ‘Oh, father,’ cried Tom, ‘I will take care of that; the  cart
shall be in the wood by the  time you want it.’ Then the woodman  laughed,
and said, ‘How can that  be? you cannot reach  up to the horse’s  bridle.’
‘Never mind that, father,’ said Tom;  ‘if my mother will only harness  the
horse, I will get into his ear and tell him which way to go.’ ‘Well,’ said
the father, ‘we will try for once.’\par

When the time came the mother harnessed the horse to the cart, and put Tom
into his ear; and as he sat there the little man told the beast how to go,
crying out, ‘Go on!’ and ‘Stop!’ as he wanted: and thus the horse went  on
just as well as  if the woodman  had driven it himself  into the wood.  It
happened that  as the  horse was  going a  little too  fast, and  Tom  was
calling out, ‘Gently! gently!’ two strangers  came up. ‘What an odd  thing
that is!’ said  one: ‘there is  a cart going  along, and I  hear a  carter
talking to the horse, but yet I can see no one.’ ‘That is queer,  indeed,’
said the other; ‘let us follow the  cart, and see where it goes.’ So  they
went on into  the wood,  till at  last they came  to the  place where  the
woodman was. Then Tom Thumb, seeing  his father, cried out, ‘See,  father,
here I am with  the cart, all right  and safe! now take  me down!’ So  his
father took hold of the horse with  one hand, and with the other took  his
son out of the horse’s ear, and put him down upon a straw, where he sat as
merry as you please.\par

The two strangers were all this time looking on, and did not know what  to
say for wonder. At last one took  the other aside, and said, ‘That  little
urchin will make our fortune, if we can get him, and carry him about  from
town to town as a show; we must buy him.’ So they went up to the  woodman,
and asked him what he  would take for the little  man. ‘He will be  better
off,’ said they, ‘with us than with you.’ ‘I won’t sell him at all,’  said
the father; ‘my own flesh  and blood is dearer to  me than all the  silver
and gold in the  world.’ But Tom,  hearing of the  bargain they wanted  to
make, crept up his father’s coat to his shoulder and whispered in his ear,
‘Take the money,  father, and let  them have  me; I’ll soon  come back  to
you.’\par

So the woodman at last said he would sell Tom to the strangers for a large
piece of gold, and  they paid the  price. ‘Where would  you like to  sit?’
said one of them. ‘Oh, put me on the rim of your hat; that will be a  nice
gallery for  me; I  can walk  about there  and see  the country  as we  go
along.’ So they  did as he  wished; and when  Tom had taken  leave of  his
father they took him away with them.\par

They journeyed on till it began to be dusky, and then the little man said,
‘Let me get down,  I’m tired.’ So the  man took off his  hat, and put  him
down on a clod of earth, in a ploughed field by the side of the road.  But
Tom ran  about  amongst the  furrows,  and at  last  slipped into  an  old
mouse-hole. ‘Good night,  my masters!’ said  he, ‘I’m off!  mind and  look
sharp after me the  next time.’ Then  they ran at once  to the place,  and
poked the ends of their sticks into  the mouse-hole, but all in vain;  Tom
only crawled farther and farther in; and at last it became quite dark,  so
that they were forced  to go their  way without their  prize, as sulky  as
could be.\par

When Tom found  they were  gone, he came  out of  his hiding-place.  ‘What
dangerous walking it is,’ said he, ‘in  this ploughed field! If I were  to
fall from one of these great  clods, I should undoubtedly break my  neck.’
At last,  by good  luck, he  found  a large  empty snail-shell.  ‘This  is
lucky,’ said he, ‘I can sleep here very well’; and in he crept.\par

Just as  he was  falling asleep,  he heard  two men  passing by,  chatting
together; and one said to  the other, ‘How can  we rob that rich  parson’s
house of his silver and gold?’ ‘I’ll tell you!’ cried Tom. ‘What noise was
that?’ said the thief, frightened; ‘I’m sure I heard someone speak.’  They
stood still listening, and Tom said, ‘Take me with you, and I’ll soon show
you how to get the parson’s money.’ ‘But where are you?’ said they.  ‘Look
about on  the ground,’  answered he,  ‘and listen  where the  sound  comes
from.’ At last  the thieves  found him  out, and  lifted him  up in  their
hands. ‘You little urchin!’ they said, ‘what  can you do for us?’ ‘Why,  I
can get between the iron window-bars of the parson’s house, and throw  you
out whatever you want.’ ‘That’s a  good thought,’ said the thieves;  ‘come
along, we shall see what you can do.’\par

When they came to the parson’s house, Tom slipped through the  window-bars
into the room, and  then called out  as loud as he  could bawl, ‘Will  you
have all that  is here?’ At  this the thieves  were frightened, and  said,
‘Softly, softly! Speak  low, that  you may  not awaken  anybody.’ But  Tom
seemed as if he did not understand  them, and bawled out again, ‘How  much
will you have? Shall  I throw it all  out?’ Now the cook  lay in the  next
room; and hearing a noise she raised  herself up in her bed and  listened.
Meantime the thieves  were frightened, and  ran off a  little way; but  at
last they plucked up  their hearts, and said,  ‘The little urchin is  only
trying to make fools  of us.’ So  they came back  and whispered softly  to
him, saying, ‘Now let us have no more of your roguish jokes; but throw  us
out some of the  money.’ Then Tom  called out as loud  as he could,  ‘Very
well! hold your hands! here it comes.’\par

The cook heard this quite plain, so she sprang out of bed, and ran to open
the door. The thieves  ran off as if  a wolf was at  their tails: and  the
maid, having groped about and found nothing, went away for a light. By the
time she came back, Tom  had slipped off into the  barn; and when she  had
looked about and  searched every hole  and corner, and  found nobody,  she
went to bed, thinking she must have been dreaming with her eyes open.\par

The little man crawled  about in the  hay-loft, and at  last found a  snug
place to finish his night’s rest in;  so he laid himself down, meaning  to
sleep till daylight, and then find his way home to his father and  mother.
But alas! how woefully he was  undone! what crosses and sorrows happen  to
us all in this world! The cook got up early, before daybreak, to feed  the
cows; and going straight to the  hay-loft, carried away a large bundle  of
hay, with the  little man  in the  middle of  it, fast  asleep. He  still,
however, slept on, and did not awake till he found himself in the mouth of
the cow; for the cook had put the hay into the cow’s rick, and the cow had
taken Tom up in a mouthful of it. ‘Good lack-a-day!’ said he, ‘how came  I
to tumble into the mill?’ But he  soon found out where he really was;  and
was forced to have all his wits  about him, that he might not get  between
the cow’s teeth, and so be crushed to death. At last down he went into her
stomach. ‘It is rather  dark,’ said he; ‘they  forgot to build windows  in
this room to let the sun in; a candle would be no bad thing.’\par

Though he made the best of his bad  luck, he did not like his quarters  at
all; and the worst  of it was,  that more and more  hay was always  coming
down, and the space left  for him became smaller  and smaller. At last  he
cried out as loud as he could,  ‘Don’t bring me any more hay! Don’t  bring
me any more hay!’\par

The maid happened  to be just  then milking the  cow; and hearing  someone
speak, but seeing nobody, and yet being  quite sure it was the same  voice
that she had heard in the night,  she was so frightened that she fell  off
her stool, and overset the milk-pail. As soon as she could pick herself up
out of the  dirt, she  ran off  as fast  as she  could to  her master  the
parson, and said,  ‘Sir, sir, the  cow is talking!’  But the parson  said,
‘Woman, thou  art  surely  mad!’  However,  he  went  with  her  into  the
cow-house, to try and see what was the matter.\par

Scarcely had they set foot on  the threshold, when Tom called out,  ‘Don’t
bring me  any more  hay!’  Then the  parson  himself was  frightened;  and
thinking the cow was  surely bewitched, told  his man to  kill her on  the
spot. So the cow  was killed, and  cut up; and the  stomach, in which  Tom
lay, was thrown out upon a dunghill.\par

Tom soon set himself to work to get  out, which was not a very easy  task;
but at last, just as he had made room to get his head out, fresh  ill-luck
befell him. A hungry wolf sprang out, and swallowed up the whole  stomach,
with Tom in it, at one gulp, and ran away.\par

Tom, however, was still not disheartened; and thinking the wolf would  not
dislike having some chat with  him as he was  going along, he called  out,
‘My good friend, I can show you a famous treat.’ ‘Where’s that?’ said  the
wolf. ‘In such and  such a house,’ said  Tom, describing his own  father’s
house. ‘You can crawl through the drain into the kitchen and then into the
pantry, and there you will find cakes, ham, beef, cold chicken, roast pig,
apple-dumplings, and everything that your heart can wish.’\par

The wolf did not want to be asked twice; so that very night he went to the
house and crawled through  the drain into the  kitchen, and then into  the
pantry, and ate and drank there to his heart’s content. As soon as he  had
had enough he wanted to get away; but  he had eaten so much that he  could
not go out by the same way he came in.\par

This was just what  Tom had reckoned upon;  and now he began  to set up  a
great shout, making all the noise he  could. ‘Will you be easy?’ said  the
wolf; ‘you’ll awaken everybody in the  house if you make such a  clatter.’
‘What’s that to me?’ said the little  man; ‘you have had your frolic,  now
I’ve a mind to  be merry myself’;  and he began,  singing and shouting  as
loud as he could.\par

The woodman and his  wife, being awakened by  the noise, peeped through  a
crack in  the door;  but when  they saw  a wolf  was there,  you may  well
suppose that they were sadly frightened; and the woodman ran for his  axe,
and gave his wife a scythe. ‘Do  you stay behind,’ said the woodman,  ‘and
when I have knocked him on the head you must rip him up with the  scythe.’
Tom heard all this, and  cried out, ‘Father, father!  I am here, the  wolf
has swallowed me.’ And his father said, ‘Heaven be praised! we have  found
our dear child again’; and he told his wife not to use the scythe for fear
she should hurt him. Then  he aimed a great blow,  and struck the wolf  on
the head, and killed him on the spot!  and when he was dead they cut  open
his body, and set Tommy free. ‘Ah!’  said the father, ‘what fears we  have
had for you!’ ‘Yes, father,’ answered  he; ‘I have travelled all over  the
world, I think, in one  way or other, since we  parted; and now I am  very
glad to come home and  get fresh air again.’  ‘Why, where have you  been?’
said his father.  ‘I have been  in a mouse-hole—and  in a  snail-shell—and
down a cow’s throat—and in the wolf’s belly; and yet here I am again, safe
and sound.’\par

‘Well,’ said they, ‘you are come back, and we will not sell you again  for
all the riches in the world.’\par

Then they hugged and kissed their dear little son, and gave him plenty  to
eat and drink, for he was very  hungry; and then they fetched new  clothes
for him, for his old ones had been quite spoiled on his journey. So Master
Thumb stayed at home with his father  and mother, in peace; for though  he
had been so great a traveller, and had done and seen so many fine  things,
and was fond  enough of telling  the whole story,  he always agreed  that,
after all, there’s no place like {\itshape{home!}}\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{rumpelstiltskin}%
\hypertarget{rumpelstiltskin}{}%
%
\chapter*{Rumpelstiltskin}


By the side of a wood, in a country  a long way off, ran a fine stream  of
water; and upon  the stream  there stood a  mill. The  miller’s house  was
close by, and the  miller, you must know,  had a very beautiful  daughter.
She was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud  of
her, that he one day told the king of the land, who used to come and  hunt
in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now this king
was very  fond  of  money;  and  when he  heard  the  miller’s  boast  his
greediness was raised, and he sent for the girl to be brought before  him.
Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of
straw, and gave  her a spinning-wheel,  and said, ‘All  this must be  spun
into gold before morning, as you love your life.’ It was in vain that  the
poor maiden said that it  was only a silly boast  of her father, for  that
she could do no such thing as  spin straw into gold: the chamber door  was
locked, and she was left alone.\par

She sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard fate;
when on a sudden the door  opened, and a droll-looking little man  hobbled
in, and said,  ‘Good morrow to  you, my  good lass; what  are you  weeping
for?’ ‘Alas!’ said she, ‘I must spin this straw into gold, and I know  not
how.’ ‘What will you give me,’ said the hobgoblin, ‘to do it for you?’ ‘My
necklace,’ replied the maiden.  He took her at  her word, and sat  himself
down to the wheel, and whistled and sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Round about, round about, \\
{\advance\leftskip2em{}
Lo and behold! \\}

Reel away, reel away, \\
{\advance\leftskip2em{}
Straw into gold!’ \\}
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And round about the wheel went merrily; the work was quickly done, and the
straw was all spun into gold.\par

When the king came  and saw this, he  was greatly astonished and  pleased;
but his heart  grew still more  greedy of gain,  and he shut  up the  poor
miller’s daughter again with a fresh task.  Then she knew not what to  do,
and sat down once more  to weep; but the dwarf  soon opened the door,  and
said, ‘What will you give  me to do your task?’  ‘The ring on my  finger,’
said she. So her  little friend took  the ring, and began  to work at  the
wheel again, and whistled and sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Round about, round about, \\
{\advance\leftskip2em{}
Lo and behold! \\}

Reel away, reel away, \\
{\advance\leftskip2em{}
Straw into gold!’ \\}
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

till, long before morning, all was done again.\par

The king was greatly  delighted to see all  this glittering treasure;  but
still he had not enough: so he took the miller’s daughter to a yet  larger
heap, and said, ‘All this must be spun tonight; and if it is, you shall be
my queen.’ As soon as  she was alone that dwarf  came in, and said,  ‘What
will you give me to  spin gold for you this  third time?’ ‘I have  nothing
left,’ said she. ‘Then say  you will give me,’  said the little man,  ‘the
first little child that you may have when you are queen.’ ‘That may  never
be,’ thought the miller’s daughter:  and as she knew  no other way to  get
her task done, she said she would  do what he asked. Round went the  wheel
again to the old song, and the manikin once more spun the heap into  gold.
The king came in the  morning, and, finding all  he wanted, was forced  to
keep his word; so he married the miller’s daughter, and she really  became
queen.\par

At the birth of her first little  child she was very glad, and forgot  the
dwarf, and what she had said. But one day he came into her room, where she
was sitting playing with  her baby, and  put her in mind  of it. Then  she
grieved sorely at  her misfortune,  and said she  would give  him all  the
wealth of the kingdom if he would let  her off, but in vain; till at  last
her tears softened him, and he said,  ‘I will give you three days’  grace,
and if during that time you tell me my name, you shall keep your child.’\par

Now the queen lay awake all night, thinking of all the odd names that  she
had ever heard; and she sent messengers all over the land to find out  new
ones. The  next day  the little  man  came, and  she began  with  {\itshape{Timothy,
Ichabod, Benjamin, Jeremiah,}} and all the names she could remember; but  to
all and each of them he said, ‘Madam, that is not my name.’\par

The second day she  began with all  the comical names  she could hear  of,
{\itshape{Bandy-Legs, Hunchback, Crook-Shanks,}} and so  on; but the little  gentleman
still said to every one of them, ‘Madam, that is not my name.’\par

The third day one of the messengers came back, and said, ‘I have travelled
two days  without hearing  of any  other names;  but yesterday,  as I  was
climbing a high hill, among the trees of the forest where the fox and  the
hare bid each other  good night, I  saw a little hut;  and before the  hut
burnt a fire; and round  about the fire a  funny little dwarf was  dancing
upon one leg, and singing:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
“Merrily the feast I’ll make. \\
Today I’ll brew, tomorrow bake; \\
Merrily I’ll dance and sing, \\
For next day will a stranger bring. \\
Little does my lady dream \\
Rumpelstiltskin is my name!”’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

When the queen heard this  she jumped for joy, and  as soon as her  little
friend came she sat down upon her  throne, and called all her court  round
to enjoy the fun;  and the nurse stood  by her side with  the baby in  her
arms, as if it was quite ready to  be given up. Then the little man  began
to chuckle at the thought of having the poor child, to take home with  him
to his hut in the woods; and he  cried out, ‘Now, lady, what is my  name?’
‘Is it {\itshape{John?}}’ asked  she. ‘No, madam!’  ‘Is it {\itshape{Tom?}}’  ‘No, madam!’ ‘Is  it
{\itshape{Jemmy?}}’ ‘It is  not.’ ‘Can your  name be {\itshape{Rumpelstiltskin?}}’  said the  lady
slyly. ‘Some witch  told you that!—some  witch told you  that!’ cried  the
little man, and dashed his  right foot in a rage  so deep into the  floor,
that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out.\par

Then he made the best of his way off, while the nurse laughed and the baby
crowed; and all the court jeered at him for having had so much trouble for
nothing, and said, ‘We wish you a very good morning, and a merry feast,
Mr {\itshape{Rumpelstiltskin!}}’\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{clever-gretel}%
\hypertarget{clever-gretel}{}%
%
\chapter*{Clever Gretel}


There was once a  cook named Gretel,  who wore shoes  with red heels,  and
when she walked out with  them on, she turned  herself this way and  that,
was quite happy and thought: ‘You  certainly are a pretty girl!’ And  when
she came home she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draught of wine,  and
as wine excites a desire to eat,  she tasted the best of whatever she  was
cooking until she was  satisfied, and said: ‘The  cook must know what  the
food is like.’\par

It came to pass that the master one  day said to her: ‘Gretel, there is  a
guest coming this evening;  prepare me two fowls  very daintily.’ ‘I  will
see to it, master,’ answered Gretel.  She killed two fowls, scalded  them,
plucked them, put them  on the spit, and  towards evening set them  before
the fire, that they might roast. The  fowls began to turn brown, and  were
nearly ready, but the guest had not yet arrived. Then Gretel called out to
her master: ‘If the guest does not  come, I must take the fowls away  from
the fire, but  it will be  a sin  and a shame  if they are  not eaten  the
moment they are at their juiciest.’  The master said: ‘I will run  myself,
and fetch the guest.’ When the master had turned his back, Gretel laid the
spit with the fowls  on one side,  and thought: ‘Standing  so long by  the
fire there, makes one  sweat and thirsty; who  knows when they will  come?
Meanwhile, I will run into  the cellar, and take  a drink.’ She ran  down,
set a jug, said: ‘God  bless it for you, Gretel,’  and took a good  drink,
and thought that wine should flow  on, and should not be interrupted,  and
took yet another hearty draught.\par

Then she went and put the fowls  down again to the fire, basted them,  and
drove the spit merrily round. But as the roast meat smelt so good,  Gretel
thought: ‘Something might be wrong, it ought to be tasted!’ She touched it
with her finger, and said: ‘Ah! how good fowls are! It certainly is a  sin
and a shame that  they are not eaten  at the right time!’  She ran to  the
window, to see if the master was not coming with his guest, but she saw no
one, and went back to the fowls and thought: ‘One of the wings is burning!
I had better  take it off  and eat  it.’ So she  cut it off,  ate it,  and
enjoyed it, and when she  had done, she thought:  ‘The other must go  down
too, or else master will observe that something is missing.’ When the  two
wings were eaten, she went and looked for her master, and did not see him.
It suddenly occurred to  her: ‘Who knows? They  are perhaps not coming  at
all, and have turned  in somewhere.’ Then she  said: ‘Well, Gretel,  enjoy
yourself, one fowl has been  cut into, take another  drink, and eat it  up
entirely; when it is eaten you will have some peace, why should God’s good
gifts be spoilt?’ So she ran into the cellar again, took an enormous drink
and ate up the  one chicken in  great glee. When one  of the chickens  was
swallowed down, and still  her master did not  come, Gretel looked at  the
other and said: ‘What  one is, the  other should be  likewise, the two  go
together; what’s right for the  one is right for the  other; I think if  I
were to take another draught it would do me no harm.’ So she took  another
hearty drink, and let the second chicken follow the first.\par

While she was making the most of it, her master came and cried: ‘Hurry up,
Gretel, the guest  is coming directly  after me!’ ‘Yes,  sir, I will  soon
serve up,’ answered  Gretel. Meantime the  master looked to  see what  the
table was properly laid, and took the great knife, wherewith he was  going
to carve the chickens, and sharpened it on the steps. Presently the  guest
came, and knocked politely and courteously at the house-door. Gretel  ran,
and looked to see who was there, and  when she saw the guest, she put  her
finger to her lips and said: ‘Hush!  hush! go away as quickly as you  can,
if my master catches you  it will be the worse  for you; he certainly  did
ask you to supper,  but his intention  is to cut off  your two ears.  Just
listen how  he  is sharpening  the  knife for  it!’  The guest  heard  the
sharpening, and hurried down the steps  again as fast as he could.  Gretel
was not  idle; she  ran screaming  to  her master,  and cried:  ‘You  have
invited a fine  guest!’ ‘Why, Gretel?  What do you  mean by that?’  ‘Yes,’
said she, ‘he has taken the chickens  which I was just going to serve  up,
off the dish, and has run away with them!’ ‘That’s a nice trick!’ said her
master, and lamented the  fine chickens. ‘If  he had but  left me one,  so
that something remained for me to eat.’ He called to him to stop, but  the
guest pretended not to hear. Then he ran after him with the knife still in
his hand, crying:  ‘Just one,  just one,’  meaning that  the guest  should
leave him just one chicken, and not take both. The guest, however, thought
no otherwise than that he was  to give up one of  his ears, and ran as  if
fire were burning under him, in order to take them both with him.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-old-man-and-his-grandson}%
\hypertarget{the-old-man-and-his-grandson}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Old Man And His Grandson}


There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of
hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold
the spoon, and spilt the broth upon  the table-cloth or let it run out  of
his mouth. His son and his son’s  wife were disgusted at this, so the  old
grandfather at last had to  sit in the corner  behind the stove, and  they
gave him his food in an earthenware  bowl, and not even enough of it.  And
he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears. Once,  too,
his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it fell to the ground and
broke. The young wife  scolded him, but he  said nothing and only  sighed.
Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few half-pence, out of which  he
had to eat.\par

They were once  sitting thus when  the little grandson  of four years  old
began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. ‘What are  you
doing there?’ asked the  father. ‘I am making  a little trough,’  answered
the child, ‘for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.’\par

The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began
to cry. Then they  took the old grandfather  to the table, and  henceforth
always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he did spill  a
little of anything.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-little-peasant}%
\hypertarget{the-little-peasant}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Little Peasant}


There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants,
and just one poor  one, whom they  called the little  peasant. He had  not
even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and yet he and his
wife did so wish to have  one. One day he said  to her: ‘Listen, I have  a
good idea, there is our  gossip the carpenter, he  shall make us a  wooden
calf, and paint it brown, so that it looks like any other, and in time  it
will certainly get big and be a  cow.’ the woman also liked the idea,  and
their gossip the carpenter cut and planed  the calf, and painted it as  it
ought to be, and made it with its head hanging down as if it were eating.\par

Next morning  when the  cows were  being driven  out, the  little  peasant
called the cow-herd in and said: ‘Look, I have a little calf there, but it
is still small and has to be carried.’ The cow-herd said: ‘All right,’ and
took it in his arms  and carried it to the  pasture, and set it among  the
grass. The little calf always remained standing like one which was eating,
and the cow-herd said: ‘It will soon run by itself, just look how it  eats
already!’ At night when he was going to drive the herd home again, he said
to the calf: ‘If you can stand there and eat your fill, you can also go on
your four legs; I don’t care to drag  you home again in my arms.’ But  the
little peasant stood at his door, and waited for his little calf, and when
the cow-herd drove the cows through the village, and the calf was missing,
he inquired where it was. The cow-herd answered: ‘It is still standing out
there eating. It would not stop and come with us.’ But the little  peasant
said: ‘Oh, but I must  have my beast back again.’  Then they went back  to
the meadow together, but someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone. The
cow-herd said: ‘It must have run away.’ The peasant, however, said: ‘Don’t
tell me  that,’  and  led the  cow-herd  before  the mayor,  who  for  his
carelessness condemned him to  give the peasant a  cow for the calf  which
had run away.\par

And now the little peasant and his wife had the cow for which they had  so
long wished, and they were heartily glad, but they had no food for it, and
could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be killed. They salted the
flesh, and the  peasant went into  the town  and wanted to  sell the  skin
there, so that he might  buy a new calf with  the proceeds. On the way  he
passed by a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings, and out of pity
he took him and wrapped  him in the skin. But  as the weather grew so  bad
and there was a storm of rain and wind, he could go no farther, and turned
back to the mill and  begged for shelter. The  miller’s wife was alone  in
the house, and said to the peasant: ‘Lay yourself on the straw there,’ and
gave him a slice  of bread and  cheese. The peasant ate  it, and lay  down
with his skin beside him, and the woman thought: ‘He is tired and has gone
to sleep.’ In the meantime came the parson; the miller’s wife received him
well, and said: ‘My husband is out, so we will have a feast.’ The  peasant
listened, and when he heard them talk about feasting he was vexed that  he
had been forced to make shift with  a slice of bread and cheese. Then  the
woman served up four different things, roast meat, salad, cakes, and wine.\par

Just as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a knocking outside.
The woman said: ‘Oh, heavens! It is my husband!’ she quickly hid the roast
meat inside the tiled stove, the wine  under the pillow, the salad on  the
bed, the cakes under it, and the  parson in the closet on the porch.  Then
she opened the door for her husband, and said: ‘Thank heaven, you are back
again! There is such a storm, it looks  as if the world were coming to  an
end.’ The miller saw the peasant lying  on the straw, and asked, ‘What  is
that fellow doing there?’ ‘Ah,’ said the wife, ‘the poor knave came in the
storm and rain, and begged for shelter, so  I gave him a bit of bread  and
cheese, and showed  him where the  straw was.’  The man said:  ‘I have  no
objection, but be quick and get me something to eat.’ The woman said: ‘But
I have nothing  but bread  and cheese.’  ‘I am  contented with  anything,’
replied the husband, ‘so far as I am concerned, bread and cheese will do,’
and looked at the peasant and said: ‘Come and eat some more with me.’  The
peasant did not require  to be invited  twice, but got  up and ate.  After
this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was, lying on the  ground,
and asked:  ‘What  have  you  there?’ The  peasant  answered:  ‘I  have  a
soothsayer inside it.’ ‘Can he foretell anything to me?’ said the  miller.
‘Why not?’ answered the  peasant: ‘but he only  says four things, and  the
fifth he keeps  to himself.’ The  miller was curious,  and said: ‘Let  him
foretell something for once.’ Then  the peasant pinched the raven’s  head,
so that he croaked and made a noise like krr, krr. The miller said:  ‘What
did he say?’ The peasant answered: ‘In the first place, he says that there
is some wine hidden under the  pillow.’ ‘Bless me!’ cried the miller,  and
went there and found the wine. ‘Now go on,’ said he. The peasant made  the
raven croak again, and said: ‘In the  second place, he says that there  is
some roast meat in the tiled stove.’ ‘Upon my word!’ cried the miller, and
went thither,  and  found the  roast  meat.  The peasant  made  the  raven
prophesy still more, and said: ‘Thirdly, he says that there is some  salad
on the bed.’  ‘That would be  a fine  thing!’ cried the  miller, and  went
there and found the salad. At last the peasant pinched the raven once more
till he croaked, and  said: ‘Fourthly, he says  that there are some  cakes
under the bed.’ ‘That would be a fine thing!’ cried the miller, and looked
there, and found the cakes.\par

And now the two sat down to the table together, but the miller’s wife  was
frightened to death, and went to bed  and took all the keys with her.  The
miller would have  liked much to  know the fifth,  but the little  peasant
said: ‘First,  we will  quickly eat  the  four things,  for the  fifth  is
something bad.’ So they  ate, and after that  they bargained how much  the
miller was to  give for  the fifth prophecy,  until they  agreed on  three
hundred talers. Then the peasant once  more pinched the raven’s head  till
he croaked  loudly. The  miller  asked: ‘What  did  he say?’  The  peasant
replied: ‘He says that the Devil is hiding outside there in the closet  on
the porch.’  The miller  said: ‘The  Devil must  go out,’  and opened  the
house-door; then the woman was forced to give up the keys, and the peasant
unlocked the closet.  The parson  ran out  as fast  as he  could, and  the
miller said: ‘It was true; I saw  the black rascal with my own eyes.’  The
peasant, however, made off next morning by daybreak with the three hundred
talers.\par

At home the  small peasant gradually  launched out; he  built a  beautiful
house, and the peasants said: ‘The small peasant has certainly been to the
place where golden snow falls, and people carry the gold home in shovels.’
Then the small  peasant was brought  before the mayor,  and bidden to  say
from whence his wealth  came. He answered:  ‘I sold my  cow’s skin in  the
town, for three hundred  talers.’ When the peasants  heard that, they  too
wished to enjoy this  great profit, and ran  home, killed all their  cows,
and stripped off  their skins in  order to sell  them in the  town to  the
greatest advantage.  The mayor,  however, said:  ‘But my  servant must  go
first.’ When she came  to the merchant  in the town, he  did not give  her
more than two talers for a skin, and when the others came, he did not give
them so much, and said: ‘What can I do with all these skins?’\par

Then the  peasants were  vexed that  the small  peasant should  have  thus
outwitted them, wanted to take vengeance  on him, and accused him of  this
treachery before the  major. The innocent  little peasant was  unanimously
sentenced to death,  and was  to be  rolled into  the water,  in a  barrel
pierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was brought who  was
to say a mass  for his soul. The  others were all obliged  to retire to  a
distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the man
who had been with the miller’s wife. He said to him: ‘I set you free  from
the closet, set me  free from the  barrel.’ At this  same moment up  came,
with a flock of sheep,  the very shepherd whom  the peasant knew had  long
been wishing to be mayor, so he cried with all his might: ‘No, I will  not
do it; if the whole world insists on  it, I will not do it!’ The  shepherd
hearing that, came up to him, and  asked: ‘What are you about? What is  it
that you will not do?’ The peasant said: ‘They want to make me mayor, if I
will but put myself  in the barrel,  but I will not  do it.’ The  shepherd
said: ‘If nothing more than that is needful in order to be mayor, I  would
get into the barrel at once.’ The  peasant said: ‘If you will get in,  you
will be mayor.’ The shepherd was willing, and got in, and the peasant shut
the top down on him;  then he took the  shepherd’s flock for himself,  and
drove it away. The parson  went to the crowd,  and declared that the  mass
had been said.  Then they came  and rolled the  barrel towards the  water.
When the barrel began to roll, the shepherd cried: ‘I am quite willing  to
be mayor.’ They believed no otherwise than that it was the peasant who was
saying this, and answered:  ‘That is what we  intend, but first you  shall
look about you a little down below there,’ and they rolled the barrel down
into the water.\par

After that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the  village,
the small  peasant also  came quietly  in, driving  a flock  of sheep  and
looking quite  contented. Then  the peasants  were astonished,  and  said:
‘Peasant, from whence do you come? Have you come out of the water?’  ‘Yes,
truly,’ replied the peasant, ‘I sank deep, deep down, until at last I  got
to the bottom; I pushed the bottom  out of the barrel, and crept out,  and
there were pretty  meadows on which  a number of  lambs were feeding,  and
from thence I brought  this flock away with  me.’ Said the peasants:  ‘Are
there any more there?’ ‘Oh, yes,’ said he, ‘more than I could want.’  Then
the peasants made up their minds that they too would fetch some sheep  for
themselves, a flock apiece,  but the mayor said:  ‘I come first.’ So  they
went to the water  together, and just  then there were  some of the  small
fleecy clouds in  the blue sky,  which are called  little lambs, and  they
were reflected in the water, whereupon the peasants cried: ‘We already see
the sheep down below!’ The mayor pressed forward and said: ‘I will go down
first, and look about me, and if things promise well I’ll call you.’ So he
jumped in; splash! went the water; it sounded as if he were calling  them,
and the whole  crowd plunged  in after  him as  one man.  Then the  entire
village was dead, and the small peasant, as sole heir, became a rich man.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{frederick-and-catherine}%
\hypertarget{frederick-and-catherine}{}%
%
\chapter*{Frederick And Catherine}


There was  once a  man called  Frederick: he  had a  wife whose  name  was
Catherine, and they  had not long  been married. One  day Frederick  said.
‘Kate! I am  going to  work in the  fields; when  I come back  I shall  be
hungry so let me have something nice  cooked, and a good draught of  ale.’
‘Very well,’ said  she, ‘it  shall all  be ready.’  When dinner-time  drew
nigh, Catherine took a nice steak, which was all the meat she had, and put
it on the fire to fry. The steak soon began to look brown, and to  crackle
in the pan; and  Catherine stood by  with a fork and  turned it: then  she
said to herself,  ‘The steak  is almost  ready, I may  as well  go to  the
cellar for the ale.’ So she left the pan on the fire and took a large  jug
and went into the cellar  and tapped the ale cask.  The beer ran into  the
jug and Catherine stood looking on. At last it popped into her head,  ‘The
dog is not  shut up—he may  be running  away with the  steak; that’s  well
thought of.’ So up she ran from  the cellar; and sure enough the  rascally
cur had got the steak in his mouth, and was making off with it.\par

Away ran Catherine,  and away ran  the dog  across the field:  but he  ran
faster than she, and stuck close to  the steak. ‘It’s all gone, and  “what
can’t be cured must be endured”,’ said Catherine. So she turned round; and
as she had run a good way and was tired, she walked home leisurely to cool
herself.\par

Now all this time the  ale was running too,  for Catherine had not  turned
the cock; and when the jug was full the liquor ran upon the floor till the
cask was  empty. When  she  got to  the cellar  stairs  she saw  what  had
happened. ‘My stars!’ said  she, ‘what shall I  do to keep Frederick  from
seeing all  this slopping  about?’ So  she thought  a while;  and at  last
remembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at the last fair, and
that if she sprinkled this over the floor it would suck up the ale nicely.
‘What a lucky thing,’  said she, ‘that  we kept that meal!  we have now  a
good use for it.’ So away she went for it: but she managed to set it  down
just upon the great jug full of beer,  and upset it; and thus all the  ale
that had been saved was set swimming  on the floor also. ‘Ah! well,’  said
she, ‘when one goes another may as well follow.’ Then she strewed the meal
all about the cellar, and was quite pleased with her cleverness, and said,
‘How very neat and clean it looks!’\par

At noon Frederick  came home. ‘Now,  wife,’ cried he,  ‘what have you  for
dinner?’ ‘O Frederick!’  answered she,  ‘I was  cooking you  a steak;  but
while I went down to draw the ale,  the dog ran away with it; and while  I
ran after him, the ale ran out; and when I went to dry up the ale with the
sack of meal that we got at the  fair, I upset the jug: but the cellar  is
now quite dry, and looks so clean!’ ‘Kate, Kate,’ said he, ‘how could  you
do all this? Why did you leave the steak to fry, and the ale to run,  and
then spoil all the meal?’  ‘Why, Frederick,’ said she,  ‘I did not know  I
was doing wrong; you should have told me before.’\par

The husband thought to himself, ‘If  my wife manages matters thus, I  must
look sharp myself.’ Now  he had a good  deal of gold in  the house: so  he
said to Catherine, ‘What pretty yellow buttons these are! I shall put them
into a box and bury  them in the garden; but  take care that you never  go
near or meddle with them.’ ‘No, Frederick,’ said she, ‘that I never will.’
As soon as he was gone, there came by some pedlars with earthenware plates
and dishes, and  they asked  her whether  she would  buy. ‘Oh  dear me,  I
should like to buy very much, but I have no money: if you had any use  for
yellow buttons, I might deal with you.’ ‘Yellow buttons!’ said they:  ‘let
us have a look at them.’ ‘Go into the garden and dig where I tell you, and
you will find the  yellow buttons: I  dare not go  myself.’ So the  rogues
went: and when they found what  these yellow buttons were, they took  them
all away, and left her plenty of plates and dishes. Then she set them  all
about the house for a  show: and when Frederick  came back, he cried  out,
‘Kate, what have  you been  doing?’ ‘See,’ said  she, ‘I  have bought  all
these with  your yellow  buttons: but  I did  not touch  them myself;  the
pedlars went themselves and  dug them up.’  ‘Wife, wife,’ said  Frederick,
‘what a pretty piece of work you have made! those yellow buttons were  all
my money: how came you  to do such a thing?’  ‘Why,’ answered she, ‘I  did
not know there was any harm in it; you should have told me.’\par

Catherine stood musing for a while, and at last said to her husband, ‘Hark
ye, Frederick,  we will  soon get  the gold  back: let  us run  after  the
thieves.’ ‘Well, we  will try,’  answered he;  ‘but take  some butter  and
cheese with you,  that we may  have something  to eat by  the way.’  ‘Very
well,’ said she; and they set out: and as Frederick walked the fastest, he
left his wife some way behind. ‘It does not matter,’ thought she: ‘when we
turn back, I shall be so much nearer home than he.’\par

Presently she came to the top of a hill, down the side of which there  was
a road so narrow that the cart wheels always chafed the trees on each side
as they  passed. ‘Ah,  see now,’  said  she, ‘how  they have  bruised  and
wounded those poor trees; they will never  get well.’ So she took pity  on
them, and made use of  the butter to grease them  all, so that the  wheels
might not hurt them so much. While  she was doing this kind office one  of
her cheeses fell out  of the basket, and  rolled down the hill.  Catherine
looked, but could not see where it had gone; so she said, ‘Well, I suppose
the other will go the  same way and find you;  he has younger legs than  I
have.’ Then she rolled the other cheese after it; and away it went, nobody
knows where, down the hill. But she  said she supposed that they knew  the
road, and would follow her, and she  could not stay there all day  waiting
for them.\par

At last she overtook Frederick, who  desired her to give him something  to
eat. Then she gave him the dry  bread. ‘Where are the butter and  cheese?’
said he. ‘Oh!’ answered she, ‘I used the butter to grease those poor trees
that the wheels chafed so: and one of  the cheeses ran away so I sent  the
other after  it to  find it,  and  I suppose  they are  both on  the  road
together somewhere.’ ‘What a goose you are to do such silly things!’  said
the husband. ‘How can you say so?’ said she; ‘I am sure you never told  me
not.’\par

They ate the  dry bread together;  and Frederick said,  ‘Kate, I hope  you
locked the door safe when you came away.’ ‘No,’ answered she, ‘you did not
tell me.’ ‘Then go  home, and do  it now before we  go any farther,’  said
Frederick, ‘and bring with you something to eat.’\par

Catherine did  as  he  told  her,  and thought  to  herself  by  the  way,
‘Frederick wants something to eat;  but I don’t think  he is very fond  of
butter and cheese: I’ll bring him a bag of fine nuts, and the vinegar, for
I have often seen him take some.’\par

When she reached home, she  bolted the back door,  but the front door  she
took off the hinges, and  said, ‘Frederick told me  to lock the door,  but
surely it can nowhere be so  safe if I take it  with me.’ So she took  her
time by the way; and when she overtook her husband she cried out,  ‘There,
Frederick, there is the door itself, you may watch it as carefully as  you
please.’ ‘Alas! alas!’ said he, ‘what a clever wife I have! I sent you  to
make the house fast, and you take the door away, so that everybody may  go
in and out as they please—however, as you have brought the door, you shall
carry it about with you for your pains.’ ‘Very well,’ answered she,  ‘I’ll
carry the door; but I’ll not  carry the nuts and vinegar bottle  also—that
would be too much  of a load; so  if you please, I’ll  fasten them to  the
door.’\par

Frederick of course made no objection to that plan, and they set off  into
the wood to look for the thieves;  but they could not find them: and  when
it grew  dark, they  climbed up  into a  tree to  spend the  night  there.
Scarcely were they up, than  who should come by  but the very rogues  they
were looking for. They were in  truth great rascals, and belonged to  that
class of people who find things before they are lost; they were tired;  so
they sat down  and made a  fire under  the very tree  where Frederick  and
Catherine were. Frederick slipped  down on the other  side, and picked  up
some stones. Then he climbed up again, and tried to hit the thieves on the
head with them: but they only said, ‘It must be near morning, for the wind
shakes the fir-apples down.’\par

Catherine, who had the door on her  shoulder, began to be very tired;  but
she thought  it was  the nuts  upon it  that were  so heavy:  so she  said
softly, ‘Frederick, I must let the nuts go.’ ‘No,’ answered he, ‘not  now,
they will discover us.’  ‘I can’t help that:  they must go.’ ‘Well,  then,
make haste and throw them down, if  you will.’ Then away rattled the  nuts
down among the  boughs and  one of  the thieves  cried, ‘Bless  me, it  is
hailing.’\par

A little while after, Catherine thought the door was still very heavy:  so
she whispered to Frederick, ‘I must throw the vinegar down.’ ‘Pray don’t,’
answered he, ‘it will discover us.’ ‘I can’t help that,’ said she, ‘go  it
must.’ So she poured all the vinegar  down; and the thieves said, ‘What  a
heavy dew there is!’\par

At last it popped into Catherine’s head  that it was the door itself  that
was so heavy all the time: so she whispered, ‘Frederick, I must throw  the
door down soon.’ But  he begged and prayed  her not to do  so, for he  was
sure it would betray them. ‘Here  goes, however,’ said she: and down  went
the door  with  such a  clatter  upon the  thieves,  that they  cried  out
‘Murder!’ and not knowing what was coming, ran away as fast as they could,
and left all the  gold. So when Frederick  and Catherine came down,  there
they found all their money safe and sound.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{sweetheart-roland}%
\hypertarget{sweetheart-roland}{}%
%
\chapter*{Sweetheart Roland}


There was once  upon a  time a  woman who  was a  real witch  and had  two
daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her
own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated,  because
she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter once had a pretty apron,  which
the other fancied  so much that  she became envious,  and told her  mother
that she must and would  have that apron. ‘Be  quiet, my child,’ said  the
old woman,  ‘and you  shall have  it. Your  stepsister has  long  deserved
death; tonight when she is asleep I  will come and cut her head off.  Only
be careful that you are at the far  side of the bed, and push her well  to
the front.’ It would have been all over with the poor girl if she had  not
just then been standing  in a corner, and  heard everything. All day  long
she dared not  go out of  doors, and  when bedtime had  come, the  witch’s
daughter got into bed first,  so as to lie at  the far side, but when  she
was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the front, and took for herself
the place at the back, close by the wall. In the night, the old woman came
creeping in, she held an axe in her right hand, and felt with her left  to
see if anyone were lying at the outside, and then she grasped the axe with
both hands, and cut her own child’s head off.\par

When she had gone away,  the girl got up and  went to her sweetheart,  who
was called Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said  to
him: ‘Listen, dearest  Roland, we  must fly  in all  haste; my  stepmother
wanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. When daylight comes,  and
she sees what  she has done,  we shall  be lost.’ ‘But,’  said Roland,  ‘I
counsel you first to take away her magic wand, or we cannot escape if  she
pursues us.’ The  maiden fetched  the magic wand,  and she  took the  dead
girl’s head and dropped three drops of  blood on the ground, one in  front
of the bed, one in  the kitchen, and one on  the stairs. Then she  hurried
away with her lover.\par

When the  old witch  got up  next morning,  she called  her daughter,  and
wanted to give her the apron, but she did not come. Then the witch  cried:
‘Where are you?’ ‘Here, on the stairs, I am sweeping,’ answered the  first
drop of blood. The old woman went out,  but saw no one on the stairs,  and
cried again: ‘Where are you?’ ‘Here in the kitchen, I am warming  myself,’
cried the second drop of  blood. She went into  the kitchen, but found  no
one. Then she cried  again: ‘Where are  you?’ ‘Ah, here in  the bed, I  am
sleeping,’ cried the third drop  of blood. She went  into the room to  the
bed. What did she see  there? Her own child, whose  head she had cut  off,
bathed in her blood. The witch fell into a passion, sprang to the  window,
and as she could look  forth quite far into  the world, she perceived  her
stepdaughter hurrying away  with her  sweetheart Roland.  ‘That shall  not
help you,’ cried  she, ‘even if  you have got  a long way  off, you  shall
still not  escape me.’  She put  on her  many-league boots,  in which  she
covered an hour’s  walk at  every step,  and it  was not  long before  she
overtook them. The  girl, however,  when she  saw the  old woman  striding
towards her, changed, with  her magic wand, her  sweetheart Roland into  a
lake, and herself  into a duck  swimming in  the middle of  it. The  witch
placed herself on  the shore, threw  breadcrumbs in, and  went to  endless
trouble to entice the duck; but the  duck did not let herself be  enticed,
and the old woman  had to go home  at night as she  had come. At this  the
girl and her  sweetheart Roland  resumed their natural  shapes again,  and
they walked on  the whole night  until daybreak. Then  the maiden  changed
herself into a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge,
and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler. It was not long before the witch
came striding up towards them, and  said to the musician: ‘Dear  musician,
may I pluck that beautiful flower  for myself?’ ‘Oh, yes,’ he replied,  ‘I
will play to you while  you do it.’ As she  was hastily creeping into  the
hedge and was just going to  pluck the flower, knowing perfectly well  who
the flower was, he began  to play, and whether she  would or not, she  was
forced to dance, for  it was a  magical dance. The  faster he played,  the
more violent  springs was  she forced  to make,  and the  thorns tore  her
clothes from her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled,  and
as he did not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.\par

As they were now set  free, Roland said: ‘Now I  will go to my father  and
arrange for the wedding.’ ‘Then in the meantime I will stay here and  wait
for you,’ said the girl, ‘and that no one may recognize me, I will  change
myself into a  red stone landmark.’  Then Roland went  away, and the  girl
stood like a red  landmark in the  field and waited  for her beloved.  But
when Roland  got  home,  he  fell  into the  snares  of  another,  who  so
fascinated him that he forgot the  maiden. The poor girl remained there  a
long time, but at length,  as he did not return  at all, she was sad,  and
changed herself into a flower, and thought: ‘Someone will surely come this
way, and trample me down.’\par

It befell, however, that a  shepherd kept his sheep  in the field and  saw
the flower, and as  it was so  pretty, plucked it, took  it with him,  and
laid it away in his chest.  From that time forth, strange things  happened
in the shepherd’s house. When  he arose in the  morning, all the work  was
already done, the room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the  fire
in the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he
came home, the  table was laid,  and a  good dinner served.  He could  not
conceive how this  came to pass,  for he never  saw a human  being in  his
house, and no  one could have  concealed himself in  it. He was  certainly
pleased with this good attendance, but still at last he was so afraid that
he went to a  wise woman and  asked for her advice.  The wise woman  said:
‘There is some enchantment  behind it, listen very  early some morning  if
anything is moving in the room, and if you see anything, no matter what it
is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped.’\par

The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned,  he
saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he sprang towards it,
and threw a white cloth over  it. Instantly the transformation came to  an
end, and a beautiful girl stood before  him, who admitted to him that  she
had been the  flower, and that  up to this  time she had  attended to  his
house-keeping. She told him her story, and as she pleased him he asked her
if she would marry him, but she  answered: ‘No,’ for she wanted to  remain
faithful  to  her  sweetheart  Roland,  although  he  had  deserted   her.
Nevertheless, she promised not to go  away, but to continue keeping  house
for the shepherd.\par

And now the time drew near when Roland’s wedding was to be celebrated, and
then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announced that all
the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of the bridal pair.
When the faithful maiden heard of this,  she grew so sad that she  thought
her heart would break, and she would  not go thither, but the other  girls
came and took her.  When it came  to her turn to  sing, she stepped  back,
until at last she was  the only one left, and  then she could not  refuse.
But when she began her  song, and it reached  Roland’s ears, he sprang  up
and cried: ‘I  know the  voice, that  is the true  bride, I  will have  no
other!’ Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind,
had suddenly come home again to  his heart. Then the faithful maiden  held
her wedding with her sweetheart Roland, and  grief came to an end and  joy
began.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{snowdrop}%
\hypertarget{snowdrop}{}%
%
\chapter*{Snowdrop}


It was the middle of  winter, when the broad  flakes of snow were  falling
around, that the queen of a country many thousand miles off sat working at
her window. The frame of the window  was made of fine black ebony, and  as
she sat looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and three drops
of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red drops that
sprinkled the white snow, and said, ‘Would that my little daughter may  be
as white as that snow,  as red as that blood,  and as black as this  ebony
windowframe!’ And so the little girl really  did grow up; her skin was  as
white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as  the blood, and her hair as black  as
ebony; and she was called Snowdrop.\par

But this queen died;  and the king soon  married another wife, who  became
queen, and was  very beautiful, but  so vain  that she could  not bear  to
think that  anyone  could be  handsomer  than she  was.  She had  a  fairy
looking-glass, to  which she  used to  go, and  then she  would gaze  upon
herself in it, and say:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! \\
Of all the ladies in the land, \\
Who is fairest, tell me, who?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And the glass had always answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all the land.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Thou, queen, art fair, and beauteous to see, \\
But Snowdrop is lovelier far than thee!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

Then poor Snowdrop wandered along through the wood in great fear; and  the
wild beasts roared about her,  but none did her  any harm. In the  evening
she came to a cottage among the hills, and went in to rest, for her little
feet would carry  her no further.  Everything was spruce  and neat in  the
cottage: on  the table  was spread  a white  cloth, and  there were  seven
little plates, seven little loaves, and seven little glasses with wine  in
them; and seven  knives and forks  laid in  order; and by  the wall  stood
seven little beds. As she  was very hungry, she  picked a little piece  of
each loaf and drank a very little  wine out of each glass; and after  that
she thought she would lie down and rest. So she tried all the little beds;
but one was too long, and another was too short, till at last the  seventh
suited her: and there she laid herself down and went to sleep.\par

By and by in came the masters  of the cottage. Now they were seven  little
dwarfs, that lived  among the mountains,  and dug and  searched for  gold.
They lighted up their seven lamps, and saw at once that all was not right.
The first said, ‘Who has been sitting  on my stool?’ The second, ‘Who  has
been eating off my plate?’ The third, ‘Who has been picking my bread?’ The
fourth, ‘Who has been  meddling with my spoon?’  The fifth, ‘Who has  been
handling my fork?’ The  sixth, ‘Who has been  cutting with my knife?’  The
seventh, ‘Who has been drinking my wine?’ Then the first looked round  and
said, ‘Who has been lying  on my bed?’ And the  rest came running to  him,
and everyone  cried out  that somebody  had  been upon  his bed.  But  the
seventh saw Snowdrop, and called all his brethren to come and see her; and
they cried out  with wonder and  astonishment and brought  their lamps  to
look at her, and  said, ‘Good heavens!  what a lovely  child she is!’  And
they were very glad  to see her, and  took care not to  wake her; and  the
seventh dwarf slept an hour  with each of the  other dwarfs in turn,  till
the night was gone.\par

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

But the queen, now that she  thought Snowdrop was dead, believed that  she
must be the handsomest  lady in the  land; and she went  to her glass  and
said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! \\
Of all the ladies in the land, \\
Who is fairest, tell me, who?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And the glass answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land: \\
But over the hills, in the greenwood shade, \\
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made, \\
There Snowdrop is hiding her head; and she \\
Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then the  queen was  very much  frightened; for  she knew  that the  glass
always spoke the truth,  and was sure that  the servant had betrayed  her.
And she could not bear to think  that anyone lived who was more  beautiful
than she was; so she dressed herself up as an old pedlar, and went her way
over the hills, to the place where  the dwarfs dwelt. Then she knocked  at
the door, and  cried, ‘Fine  wares to sell!’  Snowdrop looked  out at  the
window, and said,  ‘Good day, good  woman! what have  you to sell?’  ‘Good
wares, fine wares,’ said she; ‘laces and bobbins of all colours.’ ‘I  will
let the old lady in;  she seems to be a  very good sort of body,’  thought
Snowdrop, as she ran down and unbolted the door. ‘Bless me!’ said the  old
woman, ‘how badly your stays are laced! Let me lace them up with one of my
nice new laces.’  Snowdrop did  not dream of  any mischief;  so she  stood
before the old woman; but she set  to work so nimbly, and pulled the  lace
so tight, that Snowdrop’s breath was stopped, and she fell down as if  she
were dead. ‘There’s an  end to all thy  beauty,’ said the spiteful  queen,
and went away home.\par

In the evening the seven dwarfs came home; and I need not say how  grieved
they were to see their faithful Snowdrop stretched out upon the ground, as
if she was quite dead.  However, they lifted her  up, and when they  found
what ailed her,  they cut  the lace;  and in a  little time  she began  to
breathe, and very soon came to life again. Then they said, ‘The old  woman
was the queen herself; take care another  time, and let no one in when  we
are away.’\par

When the queen got home, she went  straight to her glass, and spoke to  it
as before; but to her great grief it still said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land: \\
But over the hills, in the greenwood shade, \\
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made, \\
There Snowdrop is hiding her head; and she \\
Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

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

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

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest of all the fair.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And then her wicked heart was glad, and as happy as such a heart could be.\par

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

And thus Snowdrop  lay for a  long, long  time, and still  only looked  as
though she was asleep; for she was even  now as white as snow, and as  red
as blood, and as black as ebony. At  last a prince came and called at  the
dwarfs’ house; and he  saw Snowdrop, and read  what was written in  golden
letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and prayed and besought them to
let him take her away; but they said,  ‘We will not part with her for  all
the gold in the world.’ At last,  however, they had pity on him, and  gave
him the coffin; but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with  him,
the piece of  apple fell from  between her lips,  and Snowdrop awoke,  and
said, ‘Where am I?’ And the prince said, ‘Thou art quite safe with me.’\par

Then he told her all that had  happened, and said, ‘I love you far  better
than all the world; so come with  me to my father’s palace, and you  shall
be my wife.’ And  Snowdrop consented, and went  home with the prince;  and
everything was got ready with great pomp and splendour for their wedding.\par

To the feast was  asked, among the rest,  Snowdrop’s old enemy the  queen;
and as she was dressing  herself in fine rich  clothes, she looked in  the
glass and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! \\
Of all the ladies in the land, \\
Who is fairest, tell me, who?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And the glass answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Thou, lady, art loveliest here, I ween; \\
But lovelier far is the new-made queen.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

When she heard this she started with rage; but her envy and curiosity were
so great, that she could not help  setting out to see the bride. And  when
she got there, and  saw that it  was no other than  Snowdrop, who, as  she
thought, had been dead a long while,  she choked with rage, and fell  down
and died: but Snowdrop and the prince lived and reigned happily over  that
land many, many years; and sometimes they went up into the mountains,  and
paid a visit to the little dwarfs, who had been so kind to Snowdrop in her
time of need.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-pink}%
\hypertarget{the-pink}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Pink}


There was once  upon a time  a queen to  whom God had  given no  children.
Every morning she  went into the  garden and  prayed to God  in heaven  to
bestow on her a son or a daughter.  Then an angel from heaven came to  her
and said: ‘Be at rest, you shall have a son with the power of wishing,  so
that whatsoever in the world he wishes for, that shall he have.’ Then  she
went to the king, and told him  the joyful tidings, and when the time  was
come she gave birth to a son, and the king was filled with gladness.\par

Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wild  beasts
were kept, and washed  herself there in a  clear stream. It happened  once
when the child was a little older, that  it was lying in her arms and  she
fell asleep. Then came the old cook, who knew that the child had the power
of wishing, and stole it  away, and he took a  hen, and cut it in  pieces,
and dropped some of its blood on the queen’s apron and on her dress.  Then
he carried the child away to a secret place, where a nurse was obliged  to
suckle it, and he ran to the king and accused the queen of having  allowed
her child to be taken from her by  the wild beasts. When the king saw  the
blood on her apron,  he believed this,  fell into such  a passion that  he
ordered a high tower to be built,  in which neither sun nor moon could  be
seen and had his wife put into it, and walled up. Here she was to stay for
seven years without meat  or drink, and  die of hunger.  But God sent  two
angels from heaven in the shape of white doves, which flew to her twice  a
day, and carried her food until the seven years were over.\par

The cook, however,  thought to  himself: ‘If the  child has  the power  of
wishing, and I am here, he might  very easily get me into trouble.’ So  he
left the palace and went to the boy, who was already big enough to  speak,
and said to him: ‘Wish for a beautiful palace for yourself with a  garden,
and all else  that pertains to  it.’ Scarcely  were the words  out of  the
boy’s mouth, when  everything was there  that he had  wished for. After  a
while the cook said to him: ‘It is  not well for you to be so alone,  wish
for a pretty girl as a companion.’ Then the king’s son wished for one, and
she immediately stood before him, and was more beautiful than any  painter
could have painted her. The two played together, and loved each other with
all their hearts, and the old cook  went out hunting like a nobleman.  The
thought occurred to him, however, that the king’s son might some day  wish
to be with his father, and thus bring him into great peril. So he went out
and took the maiden aside, and said:  ‘Tonight when the boy is asleep,  go
to his bed and plunge  this knife into his heart,  and bring me his  heart
and tongue, and if you do not do it, you shall lose your life.’  Thereupon
he went away, and when he returned next day she had not done it, and said:
‘Why should I  shed the  blood of  an innocent  boy who  has never  harmed
anyone?’ The cook once more said: ‘If you do not do it, it shall cost  you
your own life.’ When he  had gone away, she had  a little hind brought  to
her, and ordered her to be killed, and took her heart and tongue, and laid
them on a plate, and when she saw the old man coming, she said to the boy:
‘Lie down in your  bed, and draw  the clothes over  you.’ Then the  wicked
wretch came in and said: ‘Where are the boy’s heart and tongue?’ The  girl
reached the plate  to him, but  the king’s  son threw off  the quilt,  and
said: ‘You old sinner, why did you  want to kill me? Now will I  pronounce
thy sentence. You shall become a black poodle and have a gold collar round
your neck, and shall eat burning  coals, till the flames burst forth  from
your throat.’ And when he had spoken these words, the old man was  changed
into a poodle dog,  and had a  gold collar round his  neck, and the  cooks
were ordered to  bring up some  live coals,  and these he  ate, until  the
flames broke forth from his throat. The king’s son remained there a  short
while longer, and he thought of his mother, and wondered if she were still
alive. At length he said to the maiden: ‘I will go home to my own country;
if you will go with me, I  will provide for you.’ ‘Ah,’ she replied,  ‘the
way is so long, and what shall I do in a strange land where I am unknown?’
As she did not seem  quite willing, and as they  could not be parted  from
each other, he wished that she might be changed into a beautiful pink, and
took her with him. Then  he went away to his  own country, and the  poodle
had to  run after  him. He  went  to the  tower in  which his  mother  was
confined, and as it was so high, he wished for a ladder which would  reach
up to the  very top.  Then he  mounted up  and looked  inside, and  cried:
‘Beloved mother, Lady Queen,  are you still alive,  or are you dead?’  She
answered: ‘I have just eaten, and am still satisfied,’ for she thought the
angels were there. Said he: ‘I am your dear son, whom the wild beasts were
said to have torn from your arms; but I am alive still, and will soon  set
you free.’ Then  he descended again,  and went to  his father, and  caused
himself to be announced as a strange huntsman, and asked if he could offer
him service. The king said yes, if  he was skilful and could get game  for
him, he  should come  to  him, but  that deer  had  never taken  up  their
quarters in  any  part of  the  district  or country.  Then  the  huntsman
promised to procure as much game for  him as he could possibly use at  the
royal table. So he  summoned all the huntsmen  together, and bade them  go
out into the forest with him. And he  went with them and made them form  a
great circle, open  at one end  where he stationed  himself, and began  to
wish. Two hundred deer  and more came running  inside the circle at  once,
and the huntsmen  shot them. Then  they were all  placed on sixty  country
carts, and driven home to the king, and  for once he was able to deck  his
table with game, after having had none at all for years.\par

Now the  king  felt great  joy  at this,  and  commanded that  his  entire
household should eat with him next day, and made a great feast. When  they
were all  assembled together,  he said  to the  huntsman: ‘As  you are  so
clever, you shall sit  by me.’ He replied:  ‘Lord King, your majesty  must
excuse me, I am a poor huntsman.’  But the king insisted on it, and  said:
‘You shall sit by me,’  until he did it. Whilst  he was sitting there,  he
thought of his dearest mother, and wished that one of the king’s principal
servants would begin to speak of her, and would ask how it was faring with
the queen in  the tower, and  if she  were alive still,  or had  perished.
Hardly had he  formed the  wish than the  marshal began,  and said:  ‘Your
majesty, we live joyously here, but how is the queen living in the  tower?
Is she still alive, or  has she died?’ But the  king replied: ‘She let  my
dear son be torn  to pieces by  wild beasts; I will  not have her  named.’
Then the  huntsman arose  and said:  ‘Gracious lord  father she  is  alive
still, and I am her son, and I was not carried away by wild beasts, but by
that wretch the old cook, who tore  me from her arms when she was  asleep,
and sprinkled her apron  with the blood of  a chicken.’ Thereupon he  took
the dog with the golden collar, and said: ‘That is the wretch!’ and caused
live coals to be brought, and these the dog was compelled to devour before
the sight of all, until  flames burst forth from  its throat. On this  the
huntsman asked the king if he would like to see the dog in his true shape,
and wished him  back into  the form  of the cook,  in the  which he  stood
immediately, with his  white apron, and  his knife by  his side. When  the
king saw him he fell into a passion,  and ordered him to be cast into  the
deepest dungeon. Then the huntsman  spoke further and said: ‘Father,  will
you see the maiden who brought me up so tenderly and who was afterwards to
murder me, but did  not do it,  though her own life  depended on it?’  The
king replied: ‘Yes, I would like to see her.’ The son said: ‘Most gracious
father, I will show her to you in the form of a beautiful flower,’ and  he
thrust his hand into his pocket and brought forth the pink, and placed  it
on the royal table, and it was  so beautiful that the king had never  seen
one to equal it. Then the son said: ‘Now will I show her to you in her own
form,’ and wished  that she  might become a  maiden, and  she stood  there
looking so beautiful that no painter could have made her look more so.\par

And the king sent two waiting-maids and two attendants into the tower,  to
fetch the queen and bring her to the royal table. But when she was led  in
she ate  nothing,  and  said:  ‘The gracious  and  merciful  God  who  has
supported me in the tower,  will soon set me  free.’ She lived three  days
more, and then died happily, and when she was buried, the two white  doves
which had  brought her  food to  the  tower, and  were angels  of  heaven,
followed her  body and  seated  themselves on  her  grave. The  aged  king
ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces, but grief consumed the  king’s
own heart, and he soon died. His son married the beautiful maiden whom  he
had brought with him as a flower in his pocket, and whether they are still
alive or not, is known to God.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{clever-elsie}%
\hypertarget{clever-elsie}{}%
%
\chapter*{Clever Elsie}


There was once a man who had  a daughter who was called Clever Elsie.  And
when she had grown up her father  said: ‘We will get her married.’  ‘Yes,’
said the  mother, ‘if  only someone  would come  who would  have her.’  At
length a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was called Hans;  but
he stipulated that  Clever Elsie should  be really smart.  ‘Oh,’ said  the
father, ‘she has plenty of good sense’; and the mother said: ‘Oh, she  can
see the wind coming up the  street, and hear the flies coughing.’  ‘Well,’
said Hans, ‘if she is not really smart, I won’t have her.’ When they  were
sitting at dinner  and had  eaten, the mother  said: ‘Elsie,  go into  the
cellar and fetch some beer.’ Then  Clever Elsie took the pitcher from  the
wall, went into the  cellar, and tapped  the lid briskly  as she went,  so
that the  time might  not appear  long.  When she  was below  she  fetched
herself a chair, and set it before the  barrel so that she had no need  to
stoop, and did not hurt her back or do herself any unexpected injury. Then
she placed the can before her, and turned the tap, and while the beer  was
running she would not let her eyes be idle, but looked up at the wall, and
after much peering here and there, saw a pick-axe exactly above her, which
the masons had accidentally left there.\par

Then Clever Elsie began to  weep and said: ‘If I  get Hans, and we have  a
child, and he  grows big, and  we send him  into the cellar  here to  draw
beer, then the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.’ Then she  sat
and wept  and  screamed  with all  the  strength  of her  body,  over  the
misfortune which lay before her. Those upstairs waited for the drink,  but
Clever Elsie still did not come. Then the woman said to the servant: ‘Just
go down into the cellar and see  where Elsie is.’ The maid went and  found
her sitting in front  of the barrel, screaming  loudly. ‘Elsie why do  you
weep?’ asked the maid. ‘Ah,’ she answered, ‘have I not reason to weep?  If
I get Hans, and we have  a child, and he grows  big, and has to draw  beer
here, the pick-axe will perhaps fall on his head, and kill him.’ Then said
the maid: ‘What a clever Elsie we have!’ and sat down beside her and began
loudly to weep over  the misfortune. After  a while, as  the maid did  not
come back, and those upstairs were thirsty  for the beer, the man said  to
the boy: ‘Just go down  into the cellar and see  where Elsie and the  girl
are.’ The boy  went down, and  there sat  Clever Elsie and  the girl  both
weeping together. Then he asked: ‘Why are you weeping?’ ‘Ah,’ said  Elsie,
‘have I not reason  to weep? If I  get Hans, and we  have a child, and  he
grows big, and has to draw beer  here, the pick-axe will fall on his  head
and kill him.’ Then said the boy:  ‘What a clever Elsie we have!’ and  sat
down by her, and likewise began  to howl loudly. Upstairs they waited  for
the boy, but as he still did not return, the man said to the woman:  ‘Just
go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is!’ The woman went down,  and
found all three in the midst of their lamentations, and inquired what  was
the cause; then Elsie told her also that her future child was to be killed
by the pick-axe, when it grew big  and had to draw beer, and the  pick-axe
fell down. Then said the mother  likewise: ‘What a clever Elsie we  have!’
and sat down and wept with them. The man upstairs waited a short time, but
as his wife did not come back  and his thirst grew ever greater, he  said:
‘I must go into the cellar myself and see where Elsie is.’ But when he got
into the cellar, and they were  all sitting together crying, and he  heard
the reason, and  that Elsie’s  child was the  cause, and  the Elsie  might
perhaps bring one into the world some day, and that he might be killed  by
the pick-axe, if he should happen  to be sitting beneath it, drawing  beer
just at the  very time when  it fell down,  he cried: ‘Oh,  what a  clever
Elsie!’ and sat down, and likewise  wept with them. The bridegroom  stayed
upstairs alone for along time; then as no one would come back he  thought:
‘They must be waiting for me below: I too must go there and see what  they
are about.’ When he got down, the five of them were sitting screaming  and
lamenting quite piteously, each out-doing the other. ‘What misfortune  has
happened then?’ asked he. ‘Ah, dear  Hans,’ said Elsie, ‘if we marry  each
other and have a  child, and he is  big, and we perhaps  send him here  to
draw something to drink,  then the pick-axe which  has been left up  there
might dash his brains out if it were  to fall down, so have we not  reason
to weep?’ ‘Come,’ said Hans, ‘more  understanding than that is not  needed
for my household, as you  are such a clever Elsie,  I will have you,’  and
seized her hand, took her upstairs with him, and married her.\par

After Hans had had her some time, he  said: ‘Wife, I am going out to  work
and earn some money for us; go into the field and cut the corn that we may
have some bread.’ ‘Yes, dear  Hans, I will do  that.’ After Hans had  gone
away, she cooked herself some good broth  and took it into the field  with
her. When she came  to the field  she said to herself:  ‘What shall I  do;
shall I cut first, or shall I eat  first? Oh, I will eat first.’ Then  she
drank her cup of  broth and when  she was fully  satisfied, she once  more
said: ‘What shall I do? Shall I cut first, or shall I sleep first? I  will
sleep first.’ Then she lay down among  the corn and fell asleep. Hans  had
been at home for a long time, but Elsie did not come; then said he:  ‘What
a clever Elsie I have; she is  so industrious that she does not even  come
home to eat.’ But when evening came  and she still stayed away, Hans  went
out to see what she had cut, but nothing was cut, and she was lying  among
the corn asleep. Then Hans hastened  home and brought a fowler’s net  with
little bells and hung it round about her, and she still went on  sleeping.
Then he ran  home, shut  the house-door,  and sat  down in  his chair  and
worked. At length, when it was quite dark, Clever Elsie awoke and when she
got up there was  a jingling all  round about her, and  the bells rang  at
each step  which she  took. Then  she was  alarmed, and  became  uncertain
whether she really was Clever Elsie or not,  and said: ‘Is it I, or is  it
not I?’ But she knew not what answer to make to this, and stood for a time
in doubt; at length she thought: ‘I will go home and ask if it be I, or if
it be not I, they will  be sure to know.’ She ran  to the door of her  own
house, but it was shut; then she  knocked at the window and cried:  ‘Hans,
is Elsie within?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Hans, ‘she is within.’ Hereupon she  was
terrified, and said: ‘Ah, heavens! Then it is not I,’ and went to  another
door; but when the people heard the  jingling of the bells they would  not
open it, and she could  get in nowhere. Then she  ran out of the  village,
and no one has seen her since.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-miser-in-the-bush}%
\hypertarget{the-miser-in-the-bush}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Miser In The Bush}


A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for  him
three years, without having been paid any wages. At last it came into  the
man’s head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer; so he went
to his master, and said, ‘I have worked  hard for you a long time, I  will
trust to you to give me what I deserve to have for my trouble.’ The farmer
was a sad miser, and knew that his man was very simple-hearted; so he took
out threepence, and gave  him for every year’s  service a penny. The  poor
fellow thought it was a great deal of money to have, and said to  himself,
‘Why should I work hard, and live here  on bad fare any longer? I can  now
travel into the wide world, and make  myself merry.’ With that he put  his
money into his purse, and set out, roaming over hill and valley.\par

As he jogged along  over the fields, singing  and dancing, a little  dwarf
met him, and asked him what made  him so merry. ‘Why, what should make  me
down-hearted?’ said he;  ‘I am  sound in health  and rich  in purse,  what
should I care for? I  have saved up my three  years’ earnings and have  it
all safe in my pocket.’  ‘How much may it come  to?’ said the little  man.
‘Full threepence,’ replied the countryman. ‘I wish you would give them  to
me,’ said the other; ‘I am very  poor.’ Then the man pitied him, and  gave
him all he had; and the little dwarf  said in return, ‘As you have such  a
kind honest heart, I will grant  you three wishes—one for every penny;  so
choose whatever you like.’ Then the countryman rejoiced at his good  luck,
and said, ‘I like many things better than money: first, I will have a  bow
that will bring down everything I  shoot at; secondly, a fiddle that  will
set everyone dancing  that hears me  play upon it;  and thirdly, I  should
like that everyone should grant what I ask.’ The dwarf said he should have
his three wishes; so he gave him the bow and fiddle, and went his way.\par

Our honest friend journeyed on his way too; and if he was merry before, he
was now ten times more so. He had not gone far before he met an old miser:
close by them stood a tree, and  on the topmost twig sat a thrush  singing
away most joyfully.  ‘Oh, what a  pretty bird!’ said  the miser; ‘I  would
give a great deal of money to have such a one.’ ‘If that’s all,’ said  the
countryman, ‘I will soon bring it down.’ Then he took up his bow, and down
fell the thrush into the bushes at  the foot of the tree. The miser  crept
into the bush to  find it; but  directly he had got  into the middle,  his
companion took up his fiddle and played away, and the miser began to dance
and spring about, capering higher and  higher in the air. The thorns  soon
began to tear his  clothes till they  all hung in rags  about him, and  he
himself was all scratched  and wounded, so that  the blood ran down.  ‘Oh,
for heaven’s sake!’ cried the miser, ‘Master! master! pray let the  fiddle
alone. What have I done  to deserve this?’ ‘Thou  hast shaved many a  poor
soul close enough,’ said the other; ‘thou art only meeting thy reward’: so
he played up another tune.  Then the miser began  to beg and promise,  and
offered money for his liberty;  but he did not  come up to the  musician’s
price for some time, and he danced him along brisker and brisker, and  the
miser bid higher and higher,  till at last he  offered a round hundred  of
florins that he had  in his purse,  and had just  gained by cheating  some
poor fellow. When the countryman saw so much money, he said, ‘I will agree
to your proposal.’ So he took the purse, put up his fiddle, and  travelled
on very pleased with his bargain.\par

Meanwhile the miser  crept out  of the bush  half-naked and  in a  piteous
plight, and began to ponder how he should take his revenge, and serve  his
late companion some trick.  At last he went  to the judge, and  complained
that a  rascal had  robbed  him of  his money,  and  beaten him  into  the
bargain; and that the fellow  who did it carried a  bow at his back and  a
fiddle hung round his neck. Then the judge sent out his officers to  bring
up the accused wherever they should find  him; and he was soon caught  and
brought up to be tried.\par

The miser began  to tell  his tale,  and said he  had been  robbed of  his
money. ‘No,  you  gave  it  me  for playing  a  tune  to  you.’  said  the
countryman; but the judge told him that was not likely, and cut the matter
short by ordering him off to the gallows.\par

So away he  was taken;  but as he  stood on  the steps he  said, ‘My  Lord
Judge, grant me one  last request.’ ‘Anything but  thy life,’ replied  the
other. ‘No,’ said he, ‘I do not ask  my life; only to let me play upon  my
fiddle for the last time.’ The miser cried out, ‘Oh, no! no! for  heaven’s
sake don’t listen to him! don’t listen to him!’ But the judge said, ‘It is
only this once, he will soon have done.’ The fact was, he could not refuse
the request, on account of the dwarf’s third gift.\par

Then the miser said, ‘Bind  me fast, bind me  fast, for pity’s sake.’  But
the countryman seized his fiddle, and struck  up a tune, and at the  first
note judge, clerks, and jailer were in motion; all began capering, and  no
one could hold the miser. At the second note the hangman let his  prisoner
go, and danced also, and  by the time he had  played the first bar of  the
tune, all  were dancing  together—judge,  court, and  miser, and  all  the
people who had  followed to  look on.  At first  the thing  was merry  and
pleasant enough; but when it had gone  on a while, and there seemed to  be
no end of playing or dancing, they began to cry out, and beg him to  leave
off; but he stopped  not a whit  the more for  their entreaties, till  the
judge not only gave him his life,  but promised to return him the  hundred
florins.\par

Then he called to the miser, and  said, ‘Tell us now, you vagabond,  where
you got that gold, or I shall  play on for your amusement only,’ ‘I  stole
it,’ said the miser in the presence of all the people; ‘I acknowledge that
I stole it, and  that you earned it  fairly.’ Then the countryman  stopped
his fiddle, and left the miser to take his place at the gallows.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{ashputtel}%
\hypertarget{ashputtel}{}%
%
\chapter*{Ashputtel}


The wife of  a rich man  fell sick; and  when she felt  that her end  drew
nigh, she called her only daughter to her bed-side, and said, ‘Always be a
good girl, and  I will look  down from  heaven and watch  over you.’  Soon
afterwards she shut her eyes and died,  and was buried in the garden;  and
the little girl went every day to her grave and wept, and was always  good
and kind to all about her. And the snow fell and spread a beautiful  white
covering over the grave; but by the time the spring came, and the sun  had
melted it away again, her father  had married another wife. This new  wife
had two daughters of her  own, that she brought  home with her; they  were
fair in face but foul at heart, and  it was now a sorry time for the  poor
little girl. ‘What does  the good-for-nothing want  in the parlour?’  said
they; ‘they  who would  eat bread  should  first earn  it; away  with  the
kitchen-maid!’ Then they took away her  fine clothes, and gave her an  old
grey frock to put on, and laughed at her, and turned her into the kitchen.\par

There she was forced to  do hard work; to  rise early before daylight,  to
bring the water, to make the fire, to cook and to wash. Besides that,  the
sisters plagued her  in all  sorts of  ways, and  laughed at  her. In  the
evening when she was tired, she had no bed to lie down on, but was made to
lie by the hearth among the ashes; and as this, of course, made her always
dusty and dirty, they called her Ashputtel.\par

It happened once  that the father  was going  to the fair,  and asked  his
wife’s daughters  what he  should  bring them.  ‘Fine clothes,’  said  the
first; ‘Pearls and diamonds,’ cried the  second. ‘Now, child,’ said he  to
his own daughter, ‘what will you have?’ ‘The first twig, dear father, that
brushes against your hat when you turn your face to come homewards,’  said
she. Then he  bought for the  first two  the fine clothes  and pearls  and
diamonds they had asked  for: and on  his way home, as  he rode through  a
green copse, a hazel twig brushed  against him, and almost pushed off  his
hat: so he broke it off and brought it away; and when he got home he  gave
it to his daughter. Then she took  it, and went to her mother’s grave  and
planted it there; and cried  so much that it  was watered with her  tears;
and there it grew and became a  fine tree. Three times every day she  went
to it and cried; and soon a little  bird came and built its nest upon  the
tree, and talked with her, and watched over her, and brought her  whatever
she wished for.\par

Now it happened that the king of that land held a feast, which was to last
three days; and out of those who came to it his son was to choose a  bride
for himself. Ashputtel’s two  sisters were asked to  come; so they  called
her up, and said, ‘Now, comb our hair, brush our shoes, and tie our sashes
for us, for we are  going to dance at the  king’s feast.’ Then she did  as
she was told; but  when all was  done she could not  help crying, for  she
thought to herself, she should so have liked to have gone with them to the
ball; and at last  she begged her  mother very hard to  let her go.  ‘You,
Ashputtel!’ said she; ‘you  who have nothing to  wear, no clothes at  all,
and who cannot even dance—you want to go to the ball?’ And when she kept on
begging, she said at last, to get  rid of her, ‘I will throw this  dishful
of peas into the ash-heap, and if in two hours’ time you have picked  them
all out, you shall go to the feast too.’\par

Then she threw the peas  down among the ashes,  but the little maiden  ran
out at the back door into the garden, and cried out:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Hither, hither, through the sky, \\
Turtle-doves and linnets, fly! \\
Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay, \\
Hither, hither, haste away! \\
One and all come help me, quick! \\
Haste ye, haste ye!—pick, pick, pick!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then first came  two white doves,  flying in at  the kitchen window;  next
came two turtle-doves;  and after  them came  all the  little birds  under
heaven, chirping and fluttering in: and they flew down into the ashes. And
the little doves  stooped their heads  down and set  to work, pick,  pick,
pick; and then the others  began to pick, pick,  pick: and among them  all
they soon picked out all the good grain,  and put it into a dish but  left
the ashes. Long before the  end of the hour the  work was quite done,  and
all flew out again at the windows.\par

Then Ashputtel brought the  dish to her mother,  overjoyed at the  thought
that now she  should go to  the ball. But  the mother said,  ‘No, no!  you
slut, you have no clothes, and cannot  dance; you shall not go.’ And  when
Ashputtel begged very hard to go, she said, ‘If you can in one hour’s time
pick two of those dishes of peas out of the ashes, you shall go too.’  And
thus she thought  she should at  least get rid  of her. So  she shook  two
dishes of peas into the ashes.\par

But the little maiden went out into  the garden at the back of the  house,
and cried out as before:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Hither, hither, through the sky, \\
Turtle-doves and linnets, fly! \\
Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay, \\
Hither, hither, haste away! \\
One and all come help me, quick! \\
Haste ye, haste ye!—pick, pick, pick!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then first came two white  doves in at the  kitchen window; next came  two
turtle-doves; and  after them  came  all the  little birds  under  heaven,
chirping and hopping  about. And they  flew down into  the ashes; and  the
little doves put their heads down and  set to work, pick, pick, pick;  and
then the others began pick,  pick, pick; and they  put all the good  grain
into the dishes, and left  all the ashes. Before  half an hour’s time  all
was done, and out they flew again.  And then Ashputtel took the dishes  to
her mother, rejoicing to think that she should now go to the ball. But her
mother said, ‘It is all of no use, you cannot go; you have no clothes, and
cannot dance, and you would only put  us to shame’: and off she went  with
her two daughters to the ball.\par

Now  when  all  were  gone,  and  nobody  left  at  home,  Ashputtel  went
sorrowfully and sat down under the hazel-tree, and cried out:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Shake, shake, hazel-tree, \\
Gold and silver over me!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then her friend  the bird flew  out of the  tree, and brought  a gold  and
silver dress for her, and slippers of spangled silk; and she put them  on,
and followed her  sisters to the  feast. But  they did not  know her,  and
thought it must be some strange princess, she looked so fine and beautiful
in her rich clothes; and they  never once thought of Ashputtel, taking  it
for granted that she was safe at home in the dirt.\par

The king’s son soon came  up to her, and took  her by the hand and  danced
with her, and no  one else: and  he never left her  hand; but when  anyone
else came to ask her to dance, he said, ‘This lady is dancing with me.’\par

Thus they danced till a late hour of the night; and then she wanted to  go
home: and the king’s son  said, ‘I shall go and  take care of you to  your
home’; for he  wanted to  see where the  beautiful maiden  lived. But  she
slipped away from  him, unawares,  and ran off  towards home;  and as  the
prince followed her,  she jumped  up into  the pigeon-house  and shut  the
door. Then he  waited till her  father came  home, and told  him that  the
unknown maiden,  who  had  been at  the  feast,  had hid  herself  in  the
pigeon-house. But when  they had broken  open the door  they found no  one
within; and as they came back into the house, Ashputtel was lying, as  she
always did, in her dirty frock by  the ashes, and her dim little lamp  was
burning in the chimney. For  she had run as  quickly as she could  through
the pigeon-house and  on to the  hazel-tree, and had  there taken off  her
beautiful clothes, and  put them  beneath the  tree, that  the bird  might
carry them away, and had lain down again amid the ashes in her little grey
frock.\par

The next day when the  feast was again held,  and her father, mother,  and
sisters were gone, Ashputtel went to the hazel-tree, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Shake, shake, hazel-tree, \\
Gold and silver over me!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And the bird came  and brought a  still finer dress than  the one she  had
worn the  day before.  And  when she  came in  it  to the  ball,  everyone
wondered at her beauty: but the king’s son, who was waiting for her,  took
her by the hand, and danced with her; and when anyone asked her to  dance,
he said as before, ‘This lady is dancing with me.’\par

When night came she wanted to go home; and the king’s son followed here as
before, that he might see  into what house she  went: but she sprang  away
from him all at once  into the garden behind  her father’s house. In  this
garden stood a fine large pear-tree full of ripe fruit; and Ashputtel, not
knowing where to hide herself, jumped up into it without being seen.  Then
the king’s son lost  sight of her,  and could not find  out where she  was
gone, but waited till her father came home, and said to him, ‘The  unknown
lady who danced with me has slipped away, and I think she must have sprung
into the pear-tree.’ The father thought to himself, ‘Can it be Ashputtel?’
So he had an  axe brought; and they  cut down the tree,  but found no  one
upon it. And  when they came  back into the  kitchen, there lay  Ashputtel
among the ashes; for she had slipped  down on the other side of the  tree,
and carried her beautiful clothes back to the bird at the hazel-tree,  and
then put on her little grey frock.\par

The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone, she  went
again into the garden, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Shake, shake, hazel-tree, \\
Gold and silver over me!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the  former
one, and slippers which  were all of  gold: so that when  she came to  the
feast no one knew what  to say, for wonder at  her beauty: and the  king’s
son danced with nobody but her; and  when anyone else asked her to  dance,
he said, ‘This lady is {\itshape{my}} partner, sir.’\par

When night came she wanted  to go home; and the  king’s son would go  with
her, and said to himself, ‘I will  not lose her this time’; but,  however,
she again slipped away from him, though  in such a hurry that she  dropped
her left golden slipper upon the stairs.\par

The prince took the shoe,  and went the next day  to the king his  father,
and said, ‘I  will take  for my  wife the  lady that  this golden  slipper
fits.’ Then  both the  sisters were  overjoyed to  hear it;  for they  had
beautiful feet, and had no doubt that they could wear the golden  slipper.
The eldest went first into the room  where the slipper was, and wanted  to
try it on, and the  mother stood by. But her  great toe could not go  into
it, and the shoe was  altogether much too small  for her. Then the  mother
gave her a knife, and  said, ‘Never mind, cut it  off; when you are  queen
you will not care  about toes; you  will not want to  walk.’ So the  silly
girl cut off her great toe, and thus squeezed on the shoe, and went to the
king’s son. Then he took her for his bride, and set her beside him on  his
horse, and rode away with her homewards.\par

But on their way home  they had to pass  by the hazel-tree that  Ashputtel
had planted; and on the branch sat a little dove singing:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Back again! back again! look to the shoe! \\
The shoe is too small, and not made for you! \\
Prince! prince! look again for thy bride, \\
For she’s not the true one that sits by thy side.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then the prince got down and looked at her foot; and he saw, by the  blood
that streamed from it, what a trick  she had played him. So he turned  his
horse round, and brought the false bride back to her home, and said, ‘This
is not the right bride; let the other sister try and put on the  slipper.’
Then she went into the  room and got her foot  into the shoe, all but  the
heel, which was too large.  But her mother squeezed  it in till the  blood
came, and took her to the king’s son:  and he set her as his bride by  his
side on his horse, and rode away with her.\par

But when they came to the hazel-tree the little dove sat there still,  and
sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Back again! back again! look to the shoe! \\
The shoe is too small, and not made for you! \\
Prince! prince! look again for thy bride, \\
For she’s not the true one that sits by thy side.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then he looked  down, and saw  that the  blood streamed so  much from  the
shoe, that her white stockings were quite red. So he turned his horse  and
brought her also back again. ‘This is not the true bride,’ said he to  the
father; ‘have you  no other daughters?’  ‘No,’ said he;  ‘there is only  a
little dirty Ashputtel here,  the child of  my first wife;  I am sure  she
cannot be the  bride.’ The prince  told him  to send her.  But the  mother
said, ‘No, no, she is much too dirty; she will not dare to show  herself.’
However, the prince would have her come; and she first washed her face and
hands, and then went in and curtsied to him, and he reached her the golden
slipper. Then she took her clumsy shoe  off her left foot, and put on  the
golden slipper; and it fitted her as if it had been made for her. And when
he drew near and looked  at her face he knew  her, and said, ‘This is  the
right bride.’ But  the mother and  both the sisters  were frightened,  and
turned pale with anger as  he took Ashputtel on  his horse, and rode  away
with her. And when they came to the hazel-tree, the white dove sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Home! home! look at the shoe! \\
Princess! the shoe was made for you! \\
Prince! prince! take home thy bride, \\
For she is the true one that sits by thy side!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And when the dove had done its song, it came flying, and perched upon  her
right shoulder, and so went home with her.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-white-snake}%
\hypertarget{the-white-snake}{}%
%
\chapter*{The White Snake}


A long time ago there  lived a king who was  famed for his wisdom  through
all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the
most secret  things was  brought to  him through  the air.  But he  had  a
strange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no
one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish.  It
was covered, however, and even  the servant did not  know what was in  it,
neither did anyone know, for the king  never took off the cover to eat  of
it until he was quite alone.\par

This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took  away
the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying
the dish into his room. When he  had carefully locked the door, he  lifted
up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But when he saw  it
he could not  deny himself  the pleasure  of tasting it,  so he  cut of  a
little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it touched his  tongue
than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window. He
went and listened,  and then  noticed that it  was the  sparrows who  were
chattering together, and telling one another of all kinds of things  which
they had seen  in the fields  and woods.  Eating the snake  had given  him
power of understanding the language of animals.\par

Now it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most beautiful
ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant, who
was allowed  to go  everywhere. The  king ordered  the man  to be  brought
before him, and threatened  with angry words that  unless he could  before
the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty
and executed. In vain he declared his innocence; he was dismissed with  no
better answer.\par

In his trouble and fear he went  down into the courtyard and took  thought
how to  help himself  out of  his  trouble. Now  some ducks  were  sitting
together quietly by a brook and  taking their rest; and, whilst they  were
making their  feathers  smooth  with  their  bills,  they  were  having  a
confidential conversation  together. The  servant stood  by and  listened.
They were  telling one  another of  all  the places  where they  had  been
waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found; and one
said in a  pitiful tone: ‘Something  lies heavy  on my stomach;  as I  was
eating in haste I  swallowed a ring which  lay under the queen’s  window.’
The servant at once seized  her by the neck,  carried her to the  kitchen,
and said to the cook: ‘Here is  a fine duck; pray, kill her.’ ‘Yes,’  said
the cook, and  weighed her  in his  hand; ‘she  has spared  no trouble  to
fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long enough.’ So he cut
off her head, and as she was being dressed for the spit, the queen’s  ring
was found inside her.\par

The servant could now  easily prove his innocence;  and the king, to  make
amends for the wrong, allowed  him to ask a  favour, and promised him  the
best place  in the  court that  he  could wish  for. The  servant  refused
everything, and only asked for a  horse and some money for travelling,  as
he had a mind to see the world and go about a little. When his request was
granted he set out on his  way, and one day came  to a pond, where he  saw
three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though it  is
said that fishes are dumb, he  heard them lamenting that they must  perish
so miserably, and, as he  had a kind heart, he  got off his horse and  put
the three prisoners back into the water. They leapt with delight, put  out
their heads, and cried  to him: ‘We  will remember you  and repay you  for
saving us!’\par

He rode on, and after a  while it seemed to him  that he heard a voice  in
the sand at his  feet. He listened, and  heard an ant-king complain:  ‘Why
cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts,  keep off our bodies? That  stupid
horse, with his  heavy hoofs,  has been  treading down  my people  without
mercy!’ So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried out to  him:
‘We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!’\par

The path led him into a wood, and there he saw two old ravens standing  by
their nest, and throwing  out their young ones.  ‘Out with you, you  idle,
good-for-nothing creatures!’ cried they; ‘we cannot find food for you  any
longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.’ But the  poor
young ravens lay upon the ground,  flapping their wings, and crying:  ‘Oh,
what helpless  chicks we  are! We  must shift  for ourselves,  and yet  we
cannot fly! What can we  do, but lie here and  starve?’ So the good  young
fellow alighted and killed his horse with  his sword, and gave it to  them
for food. Then  they came hopping  up to it,  satisfied their hunger,  and
cried: ‘We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!’\par

And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long way,  he
came to a large city.  There was a great noise  and crowd in the  streets,
and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud: ‘The king’s daughter wants a
husband; but whoever seeks her  hand must perform a  hard task, and if  he
does not succeed  he will  forfeit his life.’  Many had  already made  the
attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth saw the king’s  daughter
he was so overcome  by her great  beauty that he  forgot all danger,  went
before the king, and declared himself a suitor.\par

So he was led out to the sea,  and a gold ring was thrown into it,  before
his eyes; then the king ordered him to fetch this ring up from the  bottom
of the sea, and added: ‘If you come up again without it you will be thrown
in again  and again  until you  perish  amid the  waves.’ All  the  people
grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him alone  by
the sea.\par

He stood on the shore and considered  what he should do, when suddenly  he
saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very  fishes
whose lives he  had saved.  The one  in the middle  held a  mussel in  its
mouth, which it laid  on the shore  at the youth’s feet,  and when he  had
taken it up and opened it, there lay  the gold ring in the shell. Full  of
joy he  took it  to the  king and  expected that  he would  grant him  the
promised reward.\par

But when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in  birth,
she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. She  went
down into  the garden  and strewed  with  her own  hands ten  sacksful  of
millet-seed on the grass; then she said: ‘Tomorrow morning before  sunrise
these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting.’\par

The youth sat down in the garden  and considered how it might be  possible
to perform this  task, but he  could think  of nothing, and  there he  sat
sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. But
as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all  the
ten sacks standing side by  side, quite full, and  not a single grain  was
missing. The ant-king had come in  the night with thousands and  thousands
of ants, and the  grateful creatures had by  great industry picked up  all
the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.\par

Presently the king’s daughter herself came  down into the garden, and  was
amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given him.  But
she could not  yet conquer  her proud heart,  and said:  ‘Although he  has
performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he had  brought
me an apple from the Tree of Life.’ The youth did not know where the  Tree
of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on for ever, as long as
his legs would carry him,  though he had no hope  of finding it. After  he
had wandered through three  kingdoms, he came one  evening to a wood,  and
lay down under a tree to sleep.  But he heard a rustling in the  branches,
and a golden apple fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens  flew
down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said: ‘We are the three
young ravens whom  you saved  from starving; when  we had  grown big,  and
heard that you were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to  the
end of the world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you  the
apple.’ The youth,  full of joy,  set out homewards,  and took the  Golden
Apple to the king’s beautiful daughter,  who had now no more excuses  left
to make. They cut the Apple of Life  in two and ate it together; and  then
her heart  became full  of love  for him,  and they  lived in  undisturbed
happiness to a great age.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-wolf-and-the-seven-little-kids}%
\hypertarget{the-wolf-and-the-seven-little-kids}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Wolf And The Seven Little Kids}


There was once  upon a time  an old goat  who had seven  little kids,  and
loved them with all  the love of  a mother for her  children. One day  she
wanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all  seven
to her and said: ‘Dear children, I have to go into the forest, be on  your
guard against the wolf; if he comes in, he will devour you all—skin, hair,
and everything. The wretch often disguises himself, but you will know  him
at once by  his rough  voice and  his black  feet.’ The  kids said:  ‘Dear
mother, we will take good care of  ourselves; you may go away without  any
anxiety.’ Then the old one bleated, and went on her way with an easy mind.\par

It was not long before someone knocked at the house-door and called: ‘Open
the door, dear children;  your mother is here,  and has brought  something
back with her for each of you.’ But  the little kids knew that it was  the
wolf, by the rough voice.  ‘We will not open  the door,’ cried they,  ‘you
are not our  mother. She has  a soft,  pleasant voice, but  your voice  is
rough; you are  the wolf!’ Then  the wolf  went away to  a shopkeeper  and
bought himself a great  lump of chalk,  ate this and  made his voice  soft
with it. Then he came back, knocked at the door of the house, and  called:
‘Open the  door,  dear children,  your  mother  is here  and  has  brought
something back with her for each of you.’ But the wolf had laid his  black
paws against the window, and the children saw them and cried: ‘We will not
open the door, our mother has not black feet like you: you are the  wolf!’
Then the wolf  ran to a  baker and said:  ‘I have hurt  my feet, rub  some
dough over them for me.’ And when  the baker had rubbed his feet over,  he
ran to the miller and said: ‘Strew  some white meal over my feet for  me.’
The miller thought to  himself: ‘The wolf wants  to deceive someone,’  and
refused; but the wolf said:  ‘If you will not do  it, I will devour  you.’
Then the miller was afraid, and made  his paws white for him. Truly,  this
is the way of mankind.\par

So now the wretch went for the third time to the house-door, knocked at it
and said: ‘Open  the door for  me, children, your  dear little mother  has
come home, and has brought every one of you something back from the forest
with her.’ The little  kids cried: ‘First  show us your  paws that we  may
know if you are our dear little  mother.’ Then he put his paws in  through
the window and when the kids saw that they were white, they believed  that
all he said was true, and opened the door. But who should come in but  the
wolf! They were terrified and wanted to hide themselves. One sprang  under
the table, the second into the bed,  the third into the stove, the  fourth
into the  kitchen,  the fifth  into  the  cupboard, the  sixth  under  the
washing-bowl, and the seventh into the clock-case. But the wolf found them
all, and used  no great ceremony;  one after the  other he swallowed  them
down his throat. The youngest, who was in the clock-case, was the only one
he did not find. When the wolf had satisfied his appetite he took  himself
off, laid himself down under a tree in the green meadow outside, and began
to sleep. Soon afterwards  the old goat came  home again from the  forest.
Ah! what a sight she saw there! The house-door stood wide open. The table,
chairs, and  benches were  thrown  down, the  washing-bowl lay  broken  to
pieces, and the quilts and pillows were pulled off the bed. She sought her
children, but they  were nowhere to  be found. She  called them one  after
another by  name, but  no one  answered. At  last, when  she came  to  the
youngest, a soft voice cried: ‘Dear  mother, I am in the clock-case.’  She
took the kid out, and it told her that the wolf had come and had eaten all
the others. Then you may imagine how she wept over her poor children.\par

At length in her grief  she went out, and the  youngest kid ran with  her.
When they came to the meadow, there lay the wolf by the tree and snored so
loud that the branches shook. She looked at him on every side and saw that
something was moving and  struggling in his  gorged belly. ‘Ah,  heavens,’
she said, ‘is it possible that my poor children whom he has swallowed down
for his supper,  can be still  alive?’ Then the  kid had to  run home  and
fetch scissors,  and  a needle  and  thread, and  the  goat cut  open  the
monster’s stomach, and hardly  had she made one  cut, than one little  kid
thrust its head out, and when she had cut farther, all six sprang out  one
after another,  and were  all  still alive,  and  had suffered  no  injury
whatever, for in his greediness the monster had swallowed them down whole.
What rejoicing there was! They embraced their dear mother, and jumped like
a tailor at his wedding. The mother,  however, said: ‘Now go and look  for
some big stones,  and we will  fill the wicked  beast’s stomach with  them
while he is still asleep.’ Then the seven kids dragged the stones  thither
with all speed, and put  as many of them into  this stomach as they  could
get in; and the mother sewed him  up again in the greatest haste, so  that
he was not aware of anything and never once stirred.\par

When the wolf at length had had his fill of sleep, he got on his legs, and
as the stones in his stomach made him  very thirsty, he wanted to go to  a
well to drink. But when he began to walk and to move about, the stones  in
his stomach knocked against each other and rattled. Then cried he:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘What rumbles and tumbles \\
Against my poor bones? \\
I thought ’twas six kids, \\
But it feels like big stones.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And when he got to the well and stooped over the water to drink, the heavy
stones made him fall in, and he drowned miserably. When the seven kids saw
that, they came running to  the spot and cried  aloud: ‘The wolf is  dead!
The wolf is  dead!’ and danced  for joy  round about the  well with  their
mother.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-queen-bee}%
\hypertarget{the-queen-bee}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Queen Bee}


Two kings’  sons once  upon  a time  went into  the  world to  seek  their
fortunes; but they  soon fell into  a wasteful foolish  way of living,  so
that they  could not  return home  again. Then  their brother,  who was  a
little insignificant dwarf, went out to seek for his brothers: but when he
had found them  they only laughed  at him, to  think that he,  who was  so
young and simple, should try to  travel through the world, when they,  who
were so much wiser, had been unable  to get on. However, they all set  out
on their journey together, and came at last to an ant-hill. The two  elder
brothers would have pulled it down, in  order to see how the poor ants  in
their fright would  run about  and carry off  their eggs.  But the  little
dwarf said, ‘Let the poor things  enjoy themselves, I will not suffer  you
to trouble them.’\par

So on they went, and  came to a lake where  many many ducks were  swimming
about. The two brothers wanted to catch two, and roast them. But the dwarf
said, ‘Let the  poor things enjoy  themselves, you shall  not kill  them.’
Next they came to  a bees’-nest in  a hollow tree, and  there was so  much
honey that it ran down the trunk;  and the two brothers wanted to light  a
fire under the tree and kill the bees,  so as to get their honey. But  the
dwarf held them back, and said, ‘Let the pretty insects enjoy  themselves,
I cannot let you burn them.’\par

At length the three brothers came to  a castle: and as they passed by  the
stables they saw fine horses standing  there, but all were of marble,  and
no man was to  be seen. Then  they went through all  the rooms, till  they
came to a door on  which were three locks: but  in the middle of the  door
was a wicket, so that they could look into the next room. There they saw a
little grey old man  sitting at a  table; and they called  to him once  or
twice, but he did not hear: however, they called a third time, and then he
rose and came out to them.\par

He said nothing, but took hold of  them and led them to a beautiful  table
covered with all sorts of good things: and when they had eaten and  drunk,
he showed each of them to a bed-chamber.\par

The next morning he  came to the  eldest and took him  to a marble  table,
where there were  three tablets,  containing an  account of  the means  by
which the castle  might be disenchanted.  The first tablet  said: ‘In  the
wood, under the  moss, lie  the thousand  pearls belonging  to the  king’s
daughter; they must all be found: and if one be missing by set of sun,  he
who seeks them will be turned into marble.’\par

The eldest brother set out, and sought  for the pearls the whole day:  but
the evening came, and he had not found the first hundred: so he was turned
into stone as the tablet had foretold.\par

The next day the  second brother undertook the  task; but he succeeded  no
better than the first; for  he could only find  the second hundred of  the
pearls; and therefore he too was turned into stone.\par

At last came the little  dwarf’s turn; and he looked  in the moss; but  it
was so hard to  find the pearls,  and the job was  so tiresome!—so he  sat
down upon a stone  and cried. And as  he sat there, the  king of the  ants
(whose life he had saved) came to  help him, with five thousand ants;  and
it was not long before  they had found all the  pearls and laid them in  a
heap.\par

The second tablet  said: ‘The key  of the princess’s  bed-chamber must  be
fished up out of the lake.’ And as  the dwarf came to the brink of it,  he
saw the two ducks whose lives he had saved swimming about; and they  dived
down and soon brought in the key from the bottom.\par

The third task was the hardest. It was to choose out the youngest and  the
best of the king’s three daughters.  Now they were all beautiful, and  all
exactly alike: but he was told that the eldest had eaten a piece of sugar,
the next some sweet syrup, and the youngest a spoonful of honey; so he was
to guess which it was that had eaten the honey.\par

Then came the queen of  the bees, who had been  saved by the little  dwarf
from the fire, and she  tried the lips of all  three; but at last she  sat
upon the lips of the one that had  eaten the honey: and so the dwarf  knew
which was the youngest. Thus  the spell was broken,  and all who had  been
turned into  stones awoke,  and took  their proper  forms. And  the  dwarf
married the youngest and  the best of the  princesses, and was king  after
her father’s death; but his two brothers married the other two sisters.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-elves-and-the-shoemaker}%
\hypertarget{the-elves-and-the-shoemaker}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Elves And The Shoemaker}


There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest:  but
still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the
world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.\par

Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning to
rise early in the morning  to his work. His  conscience was clear and  his
heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all
his cares to Heaven,  and soon fell  asleep. In the  morning after he  had
said his prayers,  he sat himself  down to  his work; when,  to his  great
wonder, there stood the shoes all ready made, upon the table. The good man
knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening. He looked at
the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all  was
so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece.\par

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that  he
willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor shoemaker,
with the  money, bought  leather enough  to make  two pairs  more. In  the
evening he cut out the work, and went  to bed early, that he might get  up
and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for when  he
got up in the morning  the work was done ready  to his hand. Soon in  came
buyers, who paid him handsomely for  his goods, so that he bought  leather
enough for four pair more. He cut  out the work again overnight and  found
it done in the morning, as before; and  so it went on for some time:  what
was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man
soon became thriving and well off again.\par

One evening, about Christmas-time,  as he and his  wife were sitting  over
the fire chatting together, he said to  her, ‘I should like to sit up  and
watch tonight, that we may see who it  is that comes and does my work  for
me.’ The wife liked  the thought; so  they left a  light burning, and  hid
themselves in a  corner of the  room, behind  a curtain that  was hung  up
there, and watched what would happen.\par

As soon as it  was midnight, there  came in two  little naked dwarfs;  and
they sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work  that
was cut out,  and began to  ply with their  little fingers, stitching  and
rapping and  tapping away  at such  a  rate, that  the shoemaker  was  all
wonder, and could not take his eyes  off them. And on they went, till  the
job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. This
was long  before  daybreak;  and  then  they  bustled  away  as  quick  as
lightning.\par

The next day  the wife said  to the shoemaker.  ‘These little wights  have
made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn
if we can. I am quite sorry to  see them run about as they do; and  indeed
it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep  off
the cold. I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat
and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and do you  make
each of them a little pair of shoes.’\par

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when  all
the things were ready, they  laid them on the  table, instead of the  work
that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what
the little elves would do.\par

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the  room,
and then went to sit  down to their work as  usual; but when they saw  the
clothes lying for  them, they  laughed and chuckled,  and seemed  mightily
delighted.\par

Then they dressed themselves  in the twinkling of  an eye, and danced  and
capered and sprang about, as merry as  could be; till at last they  danced
out at the door, and away over the green.\par

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them  from
that time forward, as long as they lived.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-juniper-tree}%
\hypertarget{the-juniper-tree}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Juniper-Tree}


Long, long ago, some two thousand years or so, there lived a rich man with
a good and beautiful wife. They loved each other dearly, but sorrowed much
that they had no children.  So greatly did they  desire to have one,  that
the wife prayed for it day and night, but still they remained childless.\par

In front of the house there was a court, in which grew a juniper-tree. One
winter’s day the wife stood under the tree to peel some apples, and as she
was peeling them,  she cut her  finger, and  the blood fell  on the  snow.
‘Ah,’ sighed the woman heavily, ‘if I had but a child, as red as blood and
as white as snow,’ and as she spoke the words, her heart grew light within
her, and it seemed to her that  her wish was granted, and she returned  to
the house feeling glad and comforted. A month passed, and the snow had all
disappeared; then another month went by,  and all the earth was green.  So
the months followed one another, and first the trees budded in the  woods,
and soon  the  green  branches  grew thickly  intertwined,  and  then  the
blossoms began to fall. Once again the wife stood under the  juniper-tree,
and it was so full of sweet scent  that her heart leaped for joy, and  she
was so overcome with her happiness, that she fell on her knees.  Presently
the fruit became round and firm, and  she was glad and at peace; but  when
they were fully ripe she picked the  berries and ate eagerly of them,  and
then she grew sad and  ill. A little while  later she called her  husband,
and said to him, weeping. ‘If I die, bury me under the juniper-tree.’ Then
she felt comforted and  happy again, and before  another month had  passed
she had a little child, and when she saw that it was as white as snow  and
as red as blood, her joy was so great that she died.\par

Her husband buried her under the juniper-tree, and wept bitterly for  her.
By degrees, however, his sorrow grew less, and although at times he  still
grieved over his loss, he was able to  go about as usual, and later on  he
married again.\par

He now had a little daughter born to him; the child of his first wife  was
a boy, who was as red as blood and as white as snow. The mother loved  her
daughter very much, and when she looked at her and then looked at the boy,
it pierced her heart to think that he would always stand in the way of her
own child, and she was continually thinking how she could get the whole of
the property for her.  This evil thought took  possession of her more  and
more, and made her  behave very unkindly  to the boy.  She drove him  from
place to place with cuffings and  buffetings, so that the poor child  went
about in fear, and had no peace from  the time he left school to the  time
he went back.\par

One day the little daughter came running to her mother in the  store-room,
and said, ‘Mother, give me an apple.’ ‘Yes, my child,’ said the wife,  and
she gave her  a beautiful apple  out of the  chest; the chest  had a  very
heavy lid and a large iron lock.\par

‘Mother,’ said the little daughter again, ‘may not brother have one  too?’
The mother was angry at this, but she answered, ‘Yes, when he comes out of
school.’\par

Just then she looked out of the  window and saw him coming, and it  seemed
as if an evil spirit entered into  her, for she snatched the apple out  of
her little daughter’s hand, and said, ‘You shall not have one before  your
brother.’ She threw the apple  into the chest and  shut it to. The  little
boy now came in, and  the evil spirit in the  wife made her say kindly  to
him, ‘My son, will  you have an  apple?’ but she gave  him a wicked  look.
‘Mother,’ said the boy,  ‘how dreadful you look!  Yes, give me an  apple.’
The thought came to her that she would kill him. ‘Come with me,’ she said,
and she lifted up the lid of  the chest; ‘take one out for yourself.’  And
as he bent over to do so, the evil spirit urged her, and crash! down  went
the lid, and off went the little boy’s head. Then she was overwhelmed with
fear at the thought of  what she had done. ‘If  only I can prevent  anyone
knowing that I did it,’ she thought. So she went upstairs to her room, and
took a white handkerchief out  of her top drawer;  then she set the  boy’s
head again on his  shoulders, and bound it  with the handkerchief so  that
nothing could be seen, and placed him on a chair by the door with an apple
in his hand.\par

Soon after this, little Marleen came up  to her mother who was stirring  a
pot of boiling water over the fire, and said, ‘Mother, brother is  sitting
by the door with an apple  in his hand, and he  looks so pale; and when  I
asked him to give  me the apple,  he did not  answer, and that  frightened
me.’\par

‘Go to him again,’ said her mother, ‘and if he does not answer, give him a
box on the ear.’ So little Marleen went, and said, ‘Brother, give me  that
apple,’ but he did not say a word; then she gave him a box on the ear, and
his head rolled off. She was so terrified at this, that she ran crying and
screaming to her  mother. ‘Oh!’ she  said, ‘I have  knocked off  brother’s
head,’ and then she wept and wept, and nothing would stop her.\par

‘What have you done!’ said her mother, ‘but no one must know about it,  so
you must keep silence; what is done can’t be undone; we will make him into
puddings.’ And she  took the  little boy  and cut  him up,  made him  into
puddings, and put him in the pot.  But Marleen stood looking on, and  wept
and wept, and her tears  fell into the pot, so  that there was no need  of
salt.\par

Presently the  father came  home and  sat down  to his  dinner; he  asked,
‘Where is my son?’ The mother said  nothing, but gave him a large dish  of
black pudding, and Marleen still wept without ceasing.\par

The father again asked, ‘Where is my son?’\par

‘Oh,’ answered the  wife, ‘he  is gone into  the country  to his  mother’s
great uncle; he is going to stay there some time.’\par

‘What has he gone there for, and he never even said goodbye to me!’\par

‘Well, he likes being there,  and he told me he  should be away quite  six
weeks; he is well looked after there.’\par

‘I feel very unhappy about it,’ said  the husband, ‘in case it should  not
be all right, and he ought to have said goodbye to me.’\par

With this he went on  with his dinner, and  said, ‘Little Marleen, why  do
you weep? Brother  will soon be  back.’ Then  he asked his  wife for  more
pudding, and as he ate, he threw the bones under the table.\par

Little Marleen went upstairs  and took her best  silk handkerchief out  of
her bottom drawer,  and in it  she wrapped  all the bones  from under  the
table and carried them outside, and all the time she did nothing but weep.
Then she laid them in the green grass under the juniper-tree, and she  had
no sooner done so, then all her sadness seemed to leave her, and she  wept
no more. And now  the juniper-tree began to  move, and the branches  waved
backwards and forwards,  first away  from one another,  and then  together
again, as it might be someone clapping  their hands for joy. After this  a
mist came round the tree, and in the midst of it there was a burning as of
fire, and out of the fire there flew a beautiful bird, that rose high into
the air, singing  magnificently, and when  it could no  more be seen,  the
juniper-tree stood  there as  before, and  the silk  handkerchief and  the
bones were gone.\par

Little Marleen now felt as lighthearted  and happy as if her brother  were
still alive, and she went back to the house and sat down cheerfully to the
table and ate.\par

The bird flew away and alighted on  the house of a goldsmith and began  to
sing:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
My sister loved me best of all; \\
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The goldsmith was in his workshop making  a gold chain, when he heard  the
song of the bird on  his roof. He thought it  so beautiful that he got  up
and ran out, and as he crossed the threshold he lost one of his  slippers.
But he ran on into  the middle of the street,  with a slipper on one  foot
and a sock on  the other; he still  had on his apron,  and still held  the
gold chain and the pincers in his hands, and so he stood gazing up at  the
bird, while the sun came shining brightly down on the street.\par

‘Bird,’ he said, ‘how beautifully you sing! Sing me that song again.’\par

‘Nay,’ said the bird,  ‘I do not  sing twice for  nothing. Give that  gold
chain, and I will sing it you again.’\par

‘Here is  the chain,  take it,’  said the  goldsmith. ‘Only  sing me  that
again.’\par

The bird flew down and took the gold chain in his right claw, and then  he
alighted again in front of the goldsmith and sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
My sister loved me best of all; \\
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then he flew  away, and settled  on the  roof of a  shoemaker’s house  and
sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
My sister loved me best of all; \\
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The  shoemaker  heard  him,  and  he   jumped  up  and  ran  out  in   his
shirt-sleeves, and stood looking up at the bird on the roof with his  hand
over his eyes to keep himself from being blinded by the sun.\par

‘Bird,’ he said, ‘how  beautifully you sing!’ Then  he called through  the
door to his wife: ‘Wife, come out; here is a bird, come and look at it and
hear how  beautifully it  sings.’  Then he  called  his daughter  and  the
children, then the apprentices,  girls and boys, and  they all ran up  the
street to look at the bird, and saw  how splendid it was with its red  and
green feathers, and its neck like burnished gold, and eyes like two bright
stars in its head.\par

‘Bird,’ said the shoemaker, ‘sing me that song again.’\par

‘Nay,’ answered the bird, ‘I do not sing twice for nothing; you must  give
me something.’\par

‘Wife,’ said the man, ‘go into the garret; on the upper shelf you will see
a pair of red shoes; bring them to  me.’ The wife went in and fetched  the
shoes.\par

‘There, bird,’ said the shoemaker, ‘now sing me that song again.’\par

The bird flew down and  took the red shoes in  his left claw, and then  he
went back to the roof and sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
My sister loved me best of all; \\
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

When he had finished, he flew away. He had the chain in his right claw and
the shoes in his left, and he flew right away to a mill, and the mill went
‘Click clack, click clack,  click clack.’ Inside the  mill were twenty  of
the miller’s men hewing a stone, and  as they went ‘Hick hack, hick  hack,
hick hack,’ the mill went ‘Click clack, click clack, click clack.’\par

The bird settled on a lime-tree in front of the mill and sang:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

then one of the men left off,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

two more men left off and listened,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
My sister loved me best of all; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

then four more left off,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

now there were only eight at work,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
Underneath \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And now only five,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
the juniper-tree. \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and now only one,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

then he looked up and the last one had left off work.\par

‘Bird,’ he said, ‘what a beautiful song  that is you sing! Let me hear  it
too; sing it again.’\par

‘Nay,’ answered the bird, ‘I do not  sing twice for nothing; give me  that
millstone, and I will sing it again.’\par

‘If it belonged to me alone,’ said the man, ‘you should have it.’\par

‘Yes, yes,’ said the others: ‘if he will sing again, he can have it.’\par

The bird came down, and  all the twenty millers set  to and lifted up  the
stone with a beam; then  the bird put his head  through the hole and  took
the stone round his neck like a collar, and flew back with it to the  tree
and sang—\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
My sister loved me best of all; \\
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And when he had finished his song, he spread his wings, and with the chain
in his right  claw, the shoes  in his  left, and the  millstone round  his
neck, he flew right away to his father’s house.\par

The father, the mother, and little Marleen were having their dinner.\par

‘How lighthearted I feel,’ said the father, ‘so pleased and cheerful.’\par

‘And I,’ said the mother,  ‘I feel so uneasy,  as if a heavy  thunderstorm
were coming.’\par

But little Marleen sat and wept and wept.\par

Then the bird came flying towards the house and settled on the roof.\par

‘I do  feel so  happy,’ said  the  father, ‘and  how beautifully  the  sun
shines; I feel just as if I were going to see an old friend again.’\par

‘Ah!’ said the wife, ‘and I am so full of distress and uneasiness that  my
teeth chatter, and I feel  as if there were a  fire in my veins,’ and  she
tore open her dress; and  all the while little  Marleen sat in the  corner
and wept, and the plate on her knees was wet with her tears.\par

The bird now flew to the juniper-tree and began singing:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

the mother  shut her  eyes  and her  ears, that  she  might see  and  hear
nothing, but there was a roaring sound in her ears like that of a  violent
storm, and in her eyes a burning and flashing like lightning:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘Look, mother,’ said the  man, ‘at the beautiful  bird that is singing  so
magnificently; and how warm  and bright the sun  is, and what a  delicious
scent of spice in the air!’\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
My sister loved me best of all; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

then little Marleen laid her head down on her knees and sobbed.\par

‘I must go outside and see the bird nearer,’ said the man.\par

‘Ah, do not go!’  cried the wife. ‘I  feel as if the  whole house were  in
flames!’\par

But the man went out and looked at the bird.\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

With that the bird  let fall the  gold chain, and it  fell just round  the
man’s neck, so that it fitted him exactly.\par

He went inside, and said, ‘See, what a splendid bird that is; he has given
me this beautiful gold chain, and looks so beautiful himself.’\par

But the wife was in such fear and trouble, that she fell on the floor, and
her cap fell from her head.\par

Then the bird began again:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘My mother killed her little son; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘Ah me!’ cried the wife, ‘if I were but a thousand feet beneath the earth,
that I might not hear that song.’\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
My father grieved when I was gone; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

then the woman fell down again as if dead.\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
My sister loved me best of all; \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘Well,’ said little Marleen, ‘I will go  out too and see if the bird  will
give me anything.’\par

So she went out.\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
She laid her kerchief over me, \\
And took my bones that they might lie \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

and he threw down the shoes to her,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
Underneath the juniper-tree \\
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

And she now felt quite  happy and lighthearted; she  put on the shoes  and
danced and jumped about in them. ‘I  was so miserable,’ she said, ‘when  I
came out, but that has  all passed away; that  is indeed a splendid  bird,
and he has given me a pair of red shoes.’\par

The wife sprang up, with her hair  standing out from her head like  flames
of fire. ‘Then I will go out too,’  she said, ‘and see if it will  lighten
my misery, for I feel as if the world were coming to an end.’\par

But as she crossed the threshold, crash! the bird threw the millstone down
on her head, and she was crushed to death.\par

The father and little Marleen heard the  sound and ran out, but they  only
saw mist and  flame and  fire rising  from the  spot, and  when these  had
passed, there stood the little brother, and he took the father and  little
Marleen by  the  hand; then  they  all  three rejoiced,  and  went  inside
together and sat down to their dinners and ate.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-turnip}%
\hypertarget{the-turnip}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Turnip}


There were two brothers who were both  soldiers; the one was rich and  the
other poor.  The poor  man thought  he would  try to  better himself;  so,
pulling off his red coat, he became  a gardener, and dug his ground  well,
and sowed turnips.\par

When the seed came up, there was  one plant bigger than all the rest;  and
it kept getting larger and larger, and  seemed as if it would never  cease
growing; so that it might have been called the prince of turnips for there
never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it was  so
big that it  filled a cart,  and two oxen  could hardly draw  it; and  the
gardener knew not what in the world to do with it, nor whether it would be
a blessing or a curse to him. One day he said to himself, ‘What shall I do
with it? if I sell it, it will bring no more than another; and for eating,
the little turnips  are better  than this; the  best thing  perhaps is  to
carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect.’\par

Then he yoked his oxen, and drew the  turnip to the court, and gave it  to
the king.  ‘What a  wonderful thing!’  said the  king; ‘I  have seen  many
strange things, but such a monster as this I never saw. Where did you  get
the seed? or is  it only your good  luck? If so, you  are a true child  of
fortune.’ ‘Ah, no!’ answered the gardener, ‘I am no child of fortune; I am
a poor soldier, who never could get  enough to live upon; so I laid  aside
my red coat, and set to work, tilling the ground. I have a brother, who is
rich, and your majesty knows  him well, and all  the world knows him;  but
because I am poor, everybody forgets me.’\par

The king then took pity on him, and said, ‘You shall be poor no longer.  I
will give you so much  that you shall be  even richer than your  brother.’
Then he gave him gold and lands and flocks, and made him so rich that  his
brother’s fortune could not at all be compared with his.\par

When the brother heard of all this, and how a turnip had made the gardener
so rich, he envied him sorely, and bethought himself how he could contrive
to get the same good fortune for himself. However, he determined to manage
more cleverly than his  brother, and got together  a rich present of  gold
and fine horses for the king; and thought he must have a much larger  gift
in return; for if his brother had received so much for only a turnip, what
must his present be wroth?\par

The king took the gift very graciously, and said he knew not what to  give
in return  more valuable  and  wonderful than  the  great turnip;  so  the
soldier was forced to put it into a cart, and drag it home with him.  When
he reached home, he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite; and  at
length wicked thoughts  came into his  head, and he  resolved to kill  his
brother.\par

So he hired some villains  to murder him; and  having shown them where  to
lie in ambush, he  went to his  brother, and said,  ‘Dear brother, I  have
found a hidden treasure;  let us go  and dig it up,  and share it  between
us.’ The  other  had  no suspicions  of  his  roguery: so  they  went  out
together, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out upon
him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.\par

But whilst they  were getting  all ready, they  heard the  trampling of  a
horse at  a distance,  which so  frightened them  that they  pushed  their
prisoner neck and shoulders together  into a sack, and  swung him up by  a
cord to the tree, where they left him dangling, and ran away. Meantime  he
worked and worked away, till  he made a hole large  enough to put out  his
head.\par

When the horseman came up, he proved to be a student, a merry fellow,  who
was journeying along on his  nag, and singing as he  went. As soon as  the
man in  the sack  saw him  passing under  the tree,  he cried  out,  ‘Good
morning! good  morning  to thee,  my  friend!’ The  student  looked  about
everywhere; and seeing no one, and not knowing where the voice came  from,
cried out, ‘Who calls me?’\par

Then the man in the tree answered, ‘Lift up thine eyes, for behold here  I
sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great and
wondrous things. Compared to this seat, all the learning of the schools is
as empty air. A little longer, and I shall know all that man can know, and
shall come forth  wiser than  the wisest of  mankind. Here  I discern  the
signs and motions of the heavens and the stars; the laws that control  the
winds; the number of the sands on  the seashore; the healing of the  sick;
the virtues of all  simples, of birds, and  of precious stones. Wert  thou
but once  here,  my friend,  though  wouldst feel  and  own the  power  of
knowledge.’\par

The student  listened to  all this  and wondered  much; at  last he  said,
‘Blessed be the day and hour when I found you; cannot you contrive to  let
me into the sack for a little while?’ Then the other answered, as if  very
unwillingly, ‘A little space I  may allow thee to  sit here, if thou  wilt
reward me well  and entreat me  kindly; but  thou must tarry  yet an  hour
below, till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown to me.’\par

So the student  sat himself down  and waited  a while; but  the time  hung
heavy upon him, and  he begged earnestly that  he might ascend  forthwith,
for his thirst for knowledge was  great. Then the other pretended to  give
way, and  said, ‘Thou  must let  the sack  of wisdom  descend, by  untying
yonder cord, and  then thou  shalt enter.’ So  the student  let him  down,
opened the sack, and set  him free. ‘Now then,’  cried he, ‘let me  ascend
quickly.’ As he began to  put himself into the  sack heels first, ‘Wait  a
while,’ said the gardener, ‘that  is not the way.’  Then he pushed him  in
head first, tied up the sack, and soon swung up the searcher after  wisdom
dangling in the air. ‘How  is it with thee,  friend?’ said he, ‘dost  thou
not feel that wisdom comes unto thee? Rest there in peace, till thou art a
wiser man than thou wert.’\par

So saying, he trotted off on the  student’s nag, and left the poor  fellow
to gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him down.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{clever-hans}%
\hypertarget{clever-hans}{}%
%
\chapter*{Clever Hans}


The mother of Hans said: ‘Whither away, Hans?’ Hans answered: ‘To Gretel.’
‘Behave well, Hans.’  ‘Oh, I’ll behave  well. Goodbye, mother.’  ‘Goodbye,
Hans.’ Hans comes to Gretel. ‘Good day, Gretel.’ ‘Good day, Hans. What  do
you bring that is good?’ ‘I bring nothing, I want to have something  given
me.’ Gretel presents  Hans with  a needle, Hans  says: ‘Goodbye,  Gretel.’
‘Goodbye, Hans.’\par

Hans takes the  needle, sticks it  into a hay-cart,  and follows the  cart
home. ‘Good evening, mother.’ ‘Good  evening, Hans. Where have you  been?’
‘With Gretel.’ ‘What did you take her?’ ‘Took nothing; had something given
me.’ ‘What did Gretel give you?’ ‘Gave me a needle.’ ‘Where is the needle,
Hans?’ ‘Stuck in the hay-cart.’ ‘That was ill done, Hans. You should  have
stuck the needle in your sleeve.’ ‘Never mind, I’ll do better next time.’\par

‘Whither away, Hans?’ ‘To Gretel, mother.’ ‘Behave well, Hans.’ ‘Oh,  I’ll
behave well.  Goodbye, mother.’  ‘Goodbye, Hans.’  Hans comes  to  Gretel.
‘Good day, Gretel.’ ‘Good day, Hans. What  do you bring that is good?’  ‘I
bring nothing. I want to have something given to me.’ Gretel presents Hans
with a knife. ‘Goodbye,  Gretel.’ ‘Goodbye, Hans.’  Hans takes the  knife,
sticks it in  his sleeve,  and goes  home. ‘Good  evening, mother.’  ‘Good
evening, Hans. Where  have you  been?’ ‘With  Gretel.’ ‘What  did you  take
her?’ ‘Took her  nothing, she gave  me something.’ ‘What  did Gretel  give
you?’ ‘Gave me a knife.’ ‘Where is the knife, Hans?’ ‘Stuck in my sleeve.’
‘That’s ill done,  Hans, you should  have put the  knife in your  pocket.’
‘Never mind, will do better next time.’\par

‘Whither away, Hans?’ ‘To Gretel, mother.’ ‘Behave well, Hans.’ ‘Oh,  I’ll
behave well.  Goodbye, mother.’  ‘Goodbye, Hans.’  Hans comes  to  Gretel.
‘Good day, Gretel.’  ‘Good day, Hans.  What good thing  do you bring?’  ‘I
bring nothing, I  want something given  me.’ Gretel presents  Hans with  a
young goat. ‘Goodbye, Gretel.’ ‘Goodbye, Hans.’ Hans takes the goat,  ties
its legs, and puts it in his  pocket. When he gets home it is  suffocated.
‘Good evening, mother.’ ‘Good evening,  Hans. Where have you been?’  ‘With
Gretel.’ ‘What did you take her?’  ‘Took nothing, she gave me  something.’
‘What did Gretel  give you?’ ‘She  gave me  a goat.’ ‘Where  is the  goat,
Hans?’ ‘Put it in my  pocket.’ ‘That was ill  done, Hans, you should  have
put a rope round the goat’s neck.’ ‘Never mind, will do better next time.’\par

‘Whither away, Hans?’ ‘To Gretel, mother.’ ‘Behave well, Hans.’ ‘Oh,  I’ll
behave well.  Goodbye, mother.’  ‘Goodbye, Hans.’  Hans comes  to  Gretel.
‘Good day, Gretel.’  ‘Good day, Hans.  What good thing  do you bring?’  ‘I
bring nothing, I  want something given  me.’ Gretel presents  Hans with  a
piece of bacon. ‘Goodbye, Gretel.’ ‘Goodbye, Hans.’\par

Hans takes the bacon, ties it to a rope, and drags it away behind him. The
dogs come and devour the bacon. When he gets home, he has the rope in  his
hand, and there  is no longer  anything hanging on  to it. ‘Good  evening,
mother.’ ‘Good evening, Hans. Where  have you been?’ ‘With Gretel.’  ‘What
did you take her?’ ‘I took her nothing, she gave me something.’ ‘What  did
Gretel give you?’ ‘Gave me a bit of bacon.’ ‘Where is the bacon, Hans?’ ‘I
tied it to a  rope, brought it  home, dogs took it.’  ‘That was ill  done,
Hans, you should have carried the  bacon on your head.’ ‘Never mind,  will
do better next time.’\par

‘Whither away,  Hans?’ ‘To  Gretel, mother.’  ‘Behave well,  Hans.’  ‘I’ll
behave well.  Goodbye, mother.’  ‘Goodbye, Hans.’  Hans comes  to  Gretel.
‘Good day, Gretel.’  ‘Good day, Hans,  What good thing  do you bring?’  ‘I
bring nothing, but would have something given.’ Gretel presents Hans  with
a calf. ‘Goodbye, Gretel.’ ‘Goodbye, Hans.’\par

Hans takes the calf,  puts it on  his head, and the  calf kicks his  face.
‘Good evening, mother.’ ‘Good evening,  Hans. Where have you been?’  ‘With
Gretel.’ ‘What did you take her?’ ‘I took nothing, but had something given
me.’ ‘What  did Gretel  give you?’  ‘A calf.’  ‘Where have  you the  calf,
Hans?’ ‘I set it on  my head and it kicked  my face.’ ‘That was ill  done,
Hans, you should have led the calf, and put it in the stall.’ ‘Never mind,
will do better next time.’\par

‘Whither away,  Hans?’ ‘To  Gretel, mother.’  ‘Behave well,  Hans.’  ‘I’ll
behave well. Goodbye, mother.’ ‘Goodbye, Hans.’\par

Hans comes to Gretel. ‘Good day, Gretel.’ ‘Good day, Hans. What good thing
do you bring?’ ‘I bring nothing,  but would have something given.’  Gretel
says to Hans: ‘I will go with you.’\par

Hans takes Gretel, ties her  to a rope, leads her  to the rack, and  binds
her fast. Then  Hans goes  to his  mother. ‘Good  evening, mother.’  ‘Good
evening, Hans. Where  have you been?’  ‘With Gretel.’ ‘What  did you  take
her?’ ‘I  took her  nothing.’ ‘What  did Gretel  give you?’  ‘She gave  me
nothing, she came with me.’  ‘Where have you left  Gretel?’ ‘I led her  by
the rope, tied her to the rack,  and scattered some grass for her.’  ‘That
was ill done,  Hans, you should  have cast friendly  eyes on her.’  ‘Never
mind, will do better.’\par

Hans went into the stable, cut out  all the calves’ and sheep’s eyes,  and
threw them in Gretel’s face. Then Gretel became angry, tore herself  loose
and ran away, and was no longer the bride of Hans.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-three-languages}%
\hypertarget{the-three-languages}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Three Languages}


An aged count once lived in Switzerland,  who had an only son, but he  was
stupid, and could learn nothing. Then said the father: ‘Hark you, my  son,
try as I will I can get nothing into your head. You must go from hence,  I
will give you into the care of a celebrated master, who shall see what  he
can do with you.’ The youth was  sent into a strange town, and remained  a
whole year with the master. At the  end of this time, he came home  again,
and his father asked: ‘Now, my son, what have you learnt?’ ‘Father, I have
learnt what the dogs say when they  bark.’ ‘Lord have mercy on us!’  cried
the father; ‘is that  all you have  learnt? I will  send you into  another
town, to another master.’ The youth  was taken thither, and stayed a  year
with this master likewise. When he  came back the father again asked:  ‘My
son, what have you learnt?’ He  answered: ‘Father, I have learnt what  the
birds say.’ Then the father fell into a rage and said: ‘Oh, you lost  man,
you have spent the precious time  and learnt nothing; are you not  ashamed
to appear before my eyes?  I will send you to  a third master, but if  you
learn nothing this time also, I will no longer be your father.’ The  youth
remained a whole year with  the third master also,  and when he came  home
again, and  his  father inquired:  ‘My  son,  what have  you  learnt?’  he
answered: ‘Dear father,  I have this  year learnt what  the frogs  croak.’
Then the father fell  into the most furious  anger, sprang up, called  his
people thither, and  said: ‘This  man is  no longer  my son,  I drive  him
forth, and command you  to take him  out into the  forest, and kill  him.’
They took him forth, but when they should have killed him, they could  not
do it for pity, and let him go, and they cut the eyes and tongue out of  a
deer that they might carry them to the old man as a token.\par

The youth wandered on,  and after some  time came to  a fortress where  he
begged for a night’s lodging. ‘Yes,’ said the lord of the castle, ‘if  you
will pass the night down  there in the old tower,  go thither; but I  warn
you, it is at the peril of your  life, for it is full of wild dogs,  which
bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to be given
to them, whom they at once devour.’  The whole district was in sorrow  and
dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to stop this. The
youth, however, was without fear,  and said: ‘Just let  me go down to  the
barking dogs, and give me something that I can throw to them; they will do
nothing to harm me.’ As  he himself would have it  so, they gave him  some
food for the wild  animals, and led  him down to the  tower. When he  went
inside, the  dogs  did not  bark  at him,  but  wagged their  tails  quite
amicably around him, ate  what he set  before them, and  did not hurt  one
hair of his head. Next morning,  to the astonishment of everyone, he  came
out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of the castle: ‘The dogs
have revealed to  me, in  their own language,  why they  dwell there,  and
bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and are obliged to watch  over
a great treasure which is  below in the tower, and  they can have no  rest
until it is taken away, and I have likewise learnt, from their  discourse,
how that is to be done.’ Then all who heard this rejoiced, and the lord of
the castle  said  he would  adopt  him as  a  son if  he  accomplished  it
successfully. He went down again, and as he knew what he had to do, he did
it thoroughly, and brought a chest full of gold out with him. The  howling
of the wild dogs was henceforth  heard no more; they had disappeared,  and
the country was freed from the trouble.\par

After some time he took  it in his head that  he would travel to Rome.  On
the way he  passed by a  marsh, in which  a number of  frogs were  sitting
croaking. He listened to them, and when he became aware of what they  were
saying, he grew very thoughtful and sad. At last he arrived in Rome, where
the Pope had just died, and there  was great doubt among the cardinals  as
to whom they should appoint as  his successor. They at length agreed  that
the person should be  chosen as pope who  should be distinguished by  some
divine and miraculous token.  And just as that  was decided on, the  young
count entered into the church, and  suddenly two snow-white doves flew  on
his shoulders  and remained  sitting there.  The ecclesiastics  recognized
therein the token from  above, and asked  him on the spot  if he would  be
pope. He was undecided, and  knew not if he were  worthy of this, but  the
doves counselled him  to do it,  and at length  he said yes.  Then was  he
anointed and consecrated, and  thus was fulfilled what  he had heard  from
the frogs on his  way, which had so  affected him, that he  was to be  his
Holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing  a mass, and did not know one  word
of it, but the two doves sat continually on his shoulders, and said it all
in his ear.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-fox-and-the-cat}%
\hypertarget{the-fox-and-the-cat}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Fox And The Cat}


It happened that the cat  met the fox in a  forest, and as she thought  to
herself: ‘He is clever  and full of experience,  and much esteemed in  the
world,’ she spoke to him  in a friendly way. ‘Good  day, dear Mr Fox,  how
are you? How is all with you? How are you getting on in these hard times?’
The fox, full of all  kinds of arrogance, looked at  the cat from head  to
foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would give any answer or
not. At last he said: ‘Oh,  you wretched beard-cleaner, you piebald  fool,
you hungry mouse-hunter, what can you  be thinking of? Have you the  cheek
to ask how I  am getting on? What  have you learnt? How  many arts do  you
understand?’ ‘I understand but one,’ replied the cat, modestly. ‘What  art
is that?’ asked the fox. ‘When the  hounds are following me, I can  spring
into a tree and save myself.’ ‘Is that all?’ said the fox. ‘I am master of
a hundred arts, and have into the  bargain a sackful of cunning. You  make
me sorry for you; come with me, I will teach you how people get away  from
the hounds.’ Just then came a hunter with four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly
up a tree, and sat down at the  top of it, where the branches and  foliage
quite concealed her. ‘Open your sack,  Mr Fox, open your sack,’ cried  the
cat to him,  but the dogs  had already  seized him, and  were holding  him
fast. ‘Ah, Mr Fox,’ cried the cat. ‘You with your hundred arts are left in
the lurch! Had you  been able to  climb like me, you  would not have  lost
your life.’\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-four-clever-brothers}%
\hypertarget{the-four-clever-brothers}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Four Clever Brothers}


‘Dear children,’ said a poor man to his four sons, ‘I have nothing to give
you; you must  go out  into the  wide world and  try your  luck. Begin  by
learning some craft or another, and see  how you can get on.’ So the  four
brothers took  their  walking-sticks  in their  hands,  and  their  little
bundles on their shoulders, and  after bidding their father goodbye,  went
all out at the gate together. When they  had got on some way they came  to
four crossways, each leading to a different country. Then the eldest said,
‘Here we must  part; but this  day four years  we will come  back to  this
spot, and in the meantime each must try what he can do for himself.’\par

So each brother went his way; and as the eldest was hastening on a man met
him, and asked him where he was going, and what he wanted. ‘I am going  to
try my luck in the world, and should like to begin by learning some art or
trade,’ answered he. ‘Then,’ said the man,  ‘go with me, and I will  teach
you to become the cunningest thief  that ever was.’ ‘No,’ said the  other,
‘that is not an honest calling, and what can one look to earn by it in the
end but the gallows?’ ‘Oh!’ said the man, ‘you need not fear the  gallows;
for I will only teach you to steal  what will be fair game: I meddle  with
nothing but what no one else can get or care anything about, and where  no
one can find you out.’ So the young man agreed to follow his trade, and he
soon showed himself so clever, that  nothing could escape him that he  had
once set his mind upon.\par

The second brother  also met a  man, who, when  he found out  what he  was
setting out upon, asked him what craft he meant to follow. ‘I do not  know
yet,’ said he. ‘Then come with me, and be a star-gazer. It is a noble art,
for nothing can be hidden from  you, when once you understand the  stars.’
The plan pleased him much, and  he soon became such a skilful  star-gazer,
that when he had served out his  time, and wanted to leave his master,  he
gave him a glass, and said, ‘With this you can see all that is passing  in
the sky and on earth, and nothing can be hidden from you.’\par

The third brother met a huntsman, who took him with him, and taught him so
well all that belonged to hunting, that he became very clever in the craft
of the woods; and  when he left his  master he gave him  a bow, and  said,
‘Whatever you shoot at with this bow you will be sure to hit.’\par

The youngest brother likewise met  a man who asked  him what he wished  to
do. ‘Would not you like,’  said he, ‘to be a  tailor?’ ‘Oh, no!’ said  the
young man; ‘sitting cross-legged from morning to night, working  backwards
and forwards with a needle and goose, will never suit me.’ ‘Oh!’  answered
the man, ‘that is  not my sort  of tailoring; come with  me, and you  will
learn quite another kind of craft  from that.’ Not knowing what better  to
do, he came into  the plan, and learnt  tailoring from the beginning;  and
when he left  his master, he  gave him a  needle, and said,  ‘You can  sew
anything with this, be it as soft as  an egg or as hard as steel; and  the
joint will be so fine that no seam will be seen.’\par

After the space of four years, at the time agreed upon, the four  brothers
met at  the four  cross-roads; and  having welcomed  each other,  set  off
towards their father’s home, where they told him all that had happened  to
them, and how each had learned some craft.\par

Then, one day, as  they were sitting  before the house  under a very  high
tree, the father said, ‘I  should like to try what  each of you can do  in
this way.’ So he  looked up, and said  to the second son,  ‘At the top  of
this tree there is a chaffinch’s nest; tell me how many eggs there are  in
it.’ The star-gazer took  his glass, looked up,  and said, ‘Five.’  ‘Now,’
said the father to the eldest son, ‘take away the eggs without letting the
bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know anything of what you
are doing.’ So the cunning thief climbed up the tree, and brought away  to
his father the five  eggs from under  the bird; and it  never saw or  felt
what he was doing, but kept sitting  on at its ease. Then the father  took
the eggs, and put one  on each corner of the  table, and the fifth in  the
middle, and said to the huntsman, ‘Cut  all the eggs in two pieces at  one
shot.’ The huntsman took up his bow,  and at one shot struck all the  five
eggs as his father wished.\par

‘Now comes your turn,’ said he to the young tailor; ‘sew the eggs and  the
young birds in  them together again,  so neatly that  the shot shall  have
done them no harm.’ Then the tailor took his needle, and sewed the eggs as
he was told; and when he had done, the thief was sent to take them back to
the nest, and put  them under the  bird without its  knowing it. Then  she
went on sitting, and hatched them: and in a few days they crawled out, and
had only a little red streak across their necks, where the tailor had sewn
them together.\par

‘Well done, sons!’ said the old man; ‘you have made good use of your time,
and learnt something worth the knowing; but I am sure I do not know  which
ought to have the prize. Oh, that a  time might soon come for you to  turn
your skill to some account!’\par

Not long after  this there  was a  great bustle  in the  country; for  the
king’s daughter had  been carried  off by a  mighty dragon,  and the  king
mourned over  his loss  day and  night,  and made  it known  that  whoever
brought her back to him should have her for a wife. Then the four brothers
said to each other, ‘Here is a chance for us; let us try what we can  do.’
And they agreed to see  whether they could not  set the princess free.  ‘I
will soon find  out where  she is, however,’  said the  star-gazer, as  he
looked through his  glass; and he  soon cried  out, ‘I see  her afar  off,
sitting upon  a rock  in the  sea,  and I  can spy  the dragon  close  by,
guarding her.’ Then he went to the king, and asked for a ship for  himself
and his brothers; and they sailed together over the sea, till they came to
the right place. There they found the princess sitting, as the  star-gazer
had said, on the rock; and the dragon was lying asleep, with his head upon
her lap. ‘I dare not shoot at him,’ said the huntsman, ‘for I should  kill
the beautiful  young lady  also.’ ‘Then  I will  try my  skill,’ said  the
thief, and went and stole her away  from under the dragon, so quietly  and
gently that the beast did not know it, but went on snoring.\par

Then away they hastened  with her full  of joy in  their boat towards  the
ship; but soon came the dragon roaring behind them through the air; for he
awoke and missed the princess. But when  he got over the boat, and  wanted
to pounce upon them and carry off  the princess, the huntsman took up  his
bow and shot him  straight through the  heart so that  he fell down  dead.
They were still not safe; for he was  such a great beast that in his  fall
he overset the  boat, and  they had to  swim in  the open sea  upon a  few
planks. So the tailor took his needle,  and with a few large stitches  put
some of the planks together; and he sat down upon these, and sailed  about
and gathered up all pieces of the  boat; and then tacked them together  so
quickly that the boat was soon ready,  and they then reached the ship  and
got home safe.\par

When they had  brought home the  princess to her  father, there was  great
rejoicing; and he said to the four brothers, ‘One of you shall marry  her,
but you must  settle amongst  yourselves which it  is to  be.’ Then  there
arose a quarrel between them; and the star-gazer said, ‘If I had not found
the princess out, all your skill would have been of no use; therefore  she
ought to be mine.’ ‘Your seeing her  would have been of no use,’ said  the
thief, ‘if I had not taken her  away from the dragon; therefore she  ought
to be mine.’  ‘No, she  is mine,’  said the huntsman;  ‘for if  I had  not
killed the dragon,  he would, after  all, have torn  you and the  princess
into pieces.’ ‘And if I  had not sewn the  boat together again,’ said  the
tailor, ‘you would all have been drowned, therefore she is mine.’ Then the
king put in a  word, and said, ‘Each  of you is right;  and as all  cannot
have the young lady, the best way is  for neither of you to have her:  for
the truth is, there is somebody she likes a great deal better. But to make
up for your loss, I will give each of you, as a reward for his skill, half
a kingdom.’ So  the brothers agreed  that this plan  would be much  better
than either quarrelling or marrying a lady  who had no mind to have  them.
And the king then gave  to each half a kingdom,  as he had said; and  they
lived very happily the  rest of their  days, and took  good care of  their
father; and  somebody took  better care  of the  young lady,  than to  let
either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have her again.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{lily-and-the-lion}%
\hypertarget{lily-and-the-lion}{}%
%
\chapter*{Lily And The Lion}


A merchant, who had three daughters, was once setting out upon a  journey;
but before he went he asked each  daughter what gift he should bring  back
for her. The  eldest wished  for pearls; the  second for  jewels; but  the
third, who was called Lily, said, ‘Dear  father, bring me a rose.’ Now  it
was no easy task to find a rose,  for it was the middle of winter; yet  as
she was his prettiest daughter, and  was very fond of flowers, her  father
said he would try what he could do.  So he kissed all three, and bid  them
goodbye.\par

And when the time came for him to go home, he had bought pearls and jewels
for the two eldest, but he had sought everywhere in vain for the rose; and
when he  went into  any garden  and asked  for such  a thing,  the  people
laughed at him, and asked him whether he thought roses grew in snow.  This
grieved him very  much, for  Lily was  his dearest  child; and  as he  was
journeying home, thinking  what he  should bring her,  he came  to a  fine
castle; and around the castle was a garden, in one half of which it seemed
to be summer-time and  in the other  half winter. On  one side the  finest
flowers were in full bloom, and on the other everything looked dreary  and
buried in the snow. ‘A lucky hit!’  said he, as he called to his  servant,
and told him to go to a beautiful  bed of roses that was there, and  bring
him away one of the finest flowers.\par

This done, they  were riding away  well pleased, when  up sprang a  fierce
lion, and  roared out,  ‘Whoever has  stolen my  roses shall  be eaten  up
alive!’ Then the man said,  ‘I knew not that  the garden belonged to  you;
can nothing  save my  life?’ ‘No!’  said the  lion, ‘nothing,  unless  you
undertake to give me whatever meets you on your return home; if you  agree
to this, I will give you your  life, and the rose too for your  daughter.’
But the  man was  unwilling to  do so  and said,  ‘It may  be my  youngest
daughter, who loves me most, and always  runs to meet me when I go  home.’
Then the servant was greatly frightened, and said, ‘It may perhaps be only
a cat or a dog.’ And at last the man yielded with a heavy heart, and  took
the rose; and said he would give  the lion whatever should meet him  first
on his return.\par

And as he came near home, it was Lily, his youngest and dearest  daughter,
that met him; she came running, and kissed him, and welcomed him home; and
when she saw that he  had brought her the rose,  she was still more  glad.
But her father began to be very sorrowful, and to weep, saying, ‘Alas,  my
dearest child! I have bought this flower at a high price, for I have  said
I would give you to a wild lion; and when he has you, he will tear you  in
pieces, and eat you.’ Then he told her all that had happened, and said she
should not go, let what would happen.\par

But she comforted  him, and said,  ‘Dear father, the  word you have  given
must be kept; I will go to the  lion, and soothe him: perhaps he will  let
me come safe home again.’\par

The next morning she asked  the way she was to  go, and took leave of  her
father, and went forth with a bold  heart into the wood. But the lion  was
an enchanted prince. By day  he and all his court  were lions, but in  the
evening they  took their  right forms  again. And  when Lily  came to  the
castle, he welcomed her so courteously  that she agreed to marry him.  The
wedding-feast was held, and they lived  happily together a long time.  The
prince was only to be seen as soon  as evening came, and then he held  his
court; but every morning he left his bride, and went away by himself,  she
knew not whither, till the night came again.\par

After some time he said to her,  ‘Tomorrow there will be a great feast  in
your father’s house, for your eldest sister  is to be married; and if  you
wish to  go and  visit her  my lions  shall lead  you thither.’  Then  she
rejoiced much at the thoughts of seeing her father once more, and set  out
with the  lions; and  everyone was  overjoyed  to see  her, for  they  had
thought her dead  long since. But  she told  them how happy  she was,  and
stayed till the feast was over, and then went back to the wood.\par

Her second sister was soon after married, and when Lily was asked to go to
the wedding, she said to  the prince, ‘I will  not go alone this  time—you
must go with  me.’ But  he would not,  and said  that it would  be a  very
hazardous thing; for if the least ray of the torch-light should fall  upon
him his enchantment  would become still  worse, for he  should be  changed
into a dove, and be forced to wander about the world for seven long years.
However, she gave  him no  rest, and  said she  would take  care no  light
should fall upon him. So at last they set out together, and took with them
their little child; and she chose a large hall with thick walls for him to
sit in while the wedding-torches were lighted; but, unluckily, no one  saw
that there was a crack in the  door. Then the wedding was held with  great
pomp, but as the train came from  the church, and passed with the  torches
before the hall,  a very small  ray of light  fell upon the  prince. In  a
moment he disappeared, and when his wife  came in and looked for him,  she
found only a white dove;  and it said to her,  ‘Seven years must I fly  up
and down over the  face of the earth,  but every now and  then I will  let
fall a white feather, that  will show you the way  I am going; follow  it,
and at last you may overtake and set me free.’\par

This said, he flew out at the door, and poor Lily followed; and every  now
and then a white feather fell, and showed her the way she was to  journey.
Thus she went roving on through the wide world, and looked neither to  the
right hand nor to the left, nor  took any rest, for seven years. Then  she
began to be glad,  and thought to  herself that the  time was fast  coming
when all her troubles should  end; yet repose was  still far off, for  one
day as she was travelling  on she missed the  white feather, and when  she
lifted up her eyes she could nowhere  see the dove. ‘Now,’ thought she  to
herself, ‘no aid of man can be of use  to me.’ So she went to the sun  and
said, ‘Thou  shinest  everywhere,  on  the hill’s  top  and  the  valley’s
depth—hast thou anywhere seen my white dove?’ ‘No,’ said the sun, ‘I  have
not seen it; but I will give thee  a casket—open it when thy hour of  need
comes.’\par

So she thanked the sun,  and went on her way  till eventide; and when  the
moon arose, she cried unto it, and said, ‘Thou shinest through the  night,
over field and grove—hast thou nowhere seen my white dove?’ ‘No,’ said the
moon, ‘I cannot help thee but I  will give thee an egg—break it when  need
comes.’\par

Then she thanked the moon, and went  on till the night-wind blew; and  she
raised up her voice to it, and said, ‘Thou blowest through every tree  and
under every  leaf—hast  thou not  seen  my  white dove?’  ‘No,’  said  the
night-wind, ‘but I will ask three other winds; perhaps they have seen it.’
Then the east wind and the west wind came, and said they too had not  seen
it, but the south wind  said, ‘I have seen the  white dove—he has fled  to
the Red Sea, and is changed once more into a lion, for the seven years are
passed away, and there he is fighting with a dragon; and the dragon is  an
enchanted princess,  who  seeks  to  separate  him  from  you.’  Then  the
night-wind said, ‘I  will give thee  counsel. Go  to the Red  Sea; on  the
right shore  stand many  rods—count  them, and  when  thou comest  to  the
eleventh, break it off, and smite the dragon with it; and so the lion will
have the victory, and both of them will appear to you in their own  forms.
Then look round and thou wilt see a griffin, winged like bird, sitting  by
the Red  Sea; jump  on to  his back  with thy  beloved one  as quickly  as
possible, and he will carry you over the waters to your home. I will  also
give thee  this nut,’  continued the  night-wind. ‘When  you are  half-way
over, throw it down, and  out of the waters  will immediately spring up  a
high nut-tree on  which the  griffin will be  able to  rest, otherwise  he
would not have the strength to bear you the whole way; if, therefore, thou
dost forget to  throw down the  nut, he will  let you both  fall into  the
sea.’\par

So our poor wanderer went forth, and found all as the night-wind had said;
and she  plucked the  eleventh rod,  and smote  the dragon,  and the  lion
forthwith became a prince, and the dragon a princess again. But no  sooner
was the princess released  from the spell, than  she seized the prince  by
the arm and sprang  on to the  griffin’s back, and  went off carrying  the
prince away with her.\par

Thus the unhappy traveller  was again forsaken and  forlorn; but she  took
heart and said, ‘As far as the wind blows, and so long as the cock  crows,
I will journey on, till  I find him once again.’  She went on for a  long,
long way, till at length she came  to the castle whither the princess  had
carried the prince; and there  was a feast got  ready, and she heard  that
the wedding was about to be held.  ‘Heaven aid me now!’ said she; and  she
took the casket that the sun had given her, and found that within it lay a
dress as dazzling as the sun itself. So  she put it on, and went into  the
palace, and all the people gazed upon her; and the dress pleased the bride
so much  that she  asked whether  it was  to be  sold. ‘Not  for gold  and
silver.’ said she, ‘but for flesh and blood.’ The princess asked what  she
meant, and she said, ‘Let me speak  with the bridegroom this night in  his
chamber, and I will give thee the dress.’ At last the princess agreed, but
she told her chamberlain  to give the prince  a sleeping draught, that  he
might not hear or see  her. When evening came,  and the prince had  fallen
asleep, she was  led into his  chamber, and  she sat herself  down at  his
feet, and said: ‘I have followed thee seven years. I have been to the sun,
the moon, and the night-wind, to seek thee, and at last I have helped thee
to overcome the dragon.  Wilt thou then forget  me quite?’ But the  prince
all the time slept so  soundly, that her voice  only passed over him,  and
seemed like the whistling of the wind among the fir-trees.\par

Then poor Lily was led away, and  forced to give up the golden dress;  and
when she saw that there was no help  for her, she went out into a  meadow,
and sat herself down and wept. But as she sat she bethought herself of the
egg that the moon had  given her; and when she  broke it, there ran out  a
hen and twelve chickens of pure gold, that played about, and then  nestled
under the old one’s wings, so as  to form the most beautiful sight in  the
world. And she rose up and drove them before her, till the bride saw  them
from her window, and was so pleased  that she came forth and asked her  if
she would sell  the brood.  ‘Not for  gold or  silver, but  for flesh  and
blood: let me again this evening speak with the bridegroom in his chamber,
and I will give thee the whole brood.’\par

Then the princess thought to betray her as before, and agreed to what  she
asked: but when the  prince went to his  chamber he asked the  chamberlain
why the wind had whistled  so in the night.  And the chamberlain told  him
all—how he had given  him a sleeping  draught, and how  a poor maiden  had
come and spoken to him in his  chamber, and was to come again that  night.
Then the prince  took care to  throw away the  sleeping draught; and  when
Lily came and began again to tell him what woes had befallen her, and  how
faithful and true to him she had  been, he knew his beloved wife’s  voice,
and sprang up, and said,  ‘You have awakened me as  from a dream, for  the
strange princess had thrown  a spell around me,  so that I had  altogether
forgotten you; but Heaven hath sent you to me in a lucky hour.’\par

And they  stole away  out of  the  palace by  night unawares,  and  seated
themselves on the griffin, who flew back with them over the Red Sea.  When
they were  half-way across  Lily let  the  nut fall  into the  water,  and
immediately a  large nut-tree  arose  from the  sea, whereon  the  griffin
rested for a while,  and then carried them  safely home. There they  found
their child, now  grown up  to be  comely and  fair; and  after all  their
troubles they lived happily together to the end of their days.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-fox-and-the-horse}%
\hypertarget{the-fox-and-the-horse}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Fox And The Horse}


A farmer had a horse that had  been an excellent faithful servant to  him:
but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give him nothing
more to eat, and said, ‘I want you no longer, so take yourself off out  of
my stable; I shall not take you  back again until you are stronger than  a
lion.’ Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.\par

The poor horse was very melancholy, and wandered up and down in the  wood,
seeking some little shelter from the  cold wind and rain. Presently a  fox
met him: ‘What’s the matter,  my friend?’ said he,  ‘why do you hang  down
your head and  look so lonely  and woe-begone?’ ‘Ah!’  replied the  horse,
‘justice and avarice never dwell in one house; my master has forgotten all
that I have done for him so many  years, and because I can no longer  work
he has turned me adrift, and says unless I become stronger than a lion  he
will not take me back  again; what chance can I  have of that? he knows  I
have none, or he would not talk so.’\par

However, the fox bid him be of good cheer, and said, ‘I will help you; lie
down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff, and pretend to be dead.’ The
horse did as he was told, and the fox went straight to the lion who  lived
in a cave close by, and said to him, ‘A little way off lies a dead  horse;
come with me and you may make an excellent meal of his carcase.’ The  lion
was greatly pleased, and  set off immediately; and  when they came to  the
horse, the fox said, ‘You  will not be able  to eat him comfortably  here;
I’ll tell you what—I will tie you fast to his tail, and then you can  draw
him to your den, and eat him at your leisure.’\par

This advice pleased the lion, so he laid himself down quietly for the  fox
to make  him fast  to the  horse.  But the  fox managed  to tie  his  legs
together and bound  all so hard  and fast  that with all  his strength  he
could not set himself free.  When the work was  done, the fox clapped  the
horse on the shoulder,  and said, ‘Jip! Dobbin!  Jip!’ Then up he  sprang,
and moved off, dragging the lion behind  him. The beast began to roar  and
bellow, till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright; but the horse
let him sing on, and made his way quietly over the fields to his  master’s
house.\par

‘Here he is, master,’ said  he, ‘I have got the  better of him’: and  when
the farmer saw  his old servant,  his heart relented,  and he said.  ‘Thou
shalt stay in thy stable and be well  taken care of.’ And so the poor  old
horse had plenty to eat, and lived—till he died.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-blue-light}%
\hypertarget{the-blue-light}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Blue Light}


There was once upon  a time a  soldier who for many  years had served  the
king faithfully, but when  the war came  to an end  could serve no  longer
because of the many wounds  which he had received.  The king said to  him:
‘You may return  to your  home, I  need you no  longer, and  you will  not
receive any more money, for he only receives wages who renders me  service
for them.’ Then the soldier did not  know how to earn a living, went  away
greatly troubled,  and walked  the  whole day,  until  in the  evening  he
entered a forest. When darkness came on, he saw a light, which he went  up
to, and came to  a house wherein  lived a witch. ‘Do  give me one  night’s
lodging, and a  little to  eat and  drink,’ said he  to her,  ‘or I  shall
starve.’ ‘Oho!’ she answered, ‘who  gives anything to a run-away  soldier?
Yet will I be compassionate, and take you in, if you will do what I wish.’
‘What do you wish?’ said  the soldier. ‘That you  should dig all round  my
garden for me,  tomorrow.’ The  soldier consented, and  next day  laboured
with all his strength, but could not finish it by the evening. ‘I see well
enough,’ said the witch, ‘that you can  do no more today, but I will  keep
you yet another night, in  payment for which you  must tomorrow chop me  a
load of wood, and chop it small.’ The soldier spent the whole day in doing
it, and in the evening  the witch proposed that  he should stay one  night
more. ‘Tomorrow,  you shall  only do  me a  very trifling  piece of  work.
Behind my house, there is an old dry well, into which my light has fallen,
it burns blue, and never goes out, and you shall bring it up again.’  Next
day the old woman took him to the  well, and let him down in a basket.  He
found the blue light, and made her a signal to draw him up again. She  did
draw him up, but when he came  near the edge, she stretched down her  hand
and wanted to take the blue light away from him. ‘No,’ said he, perceiving
her evil intention, ‘I  will not give  you the light  until I am  standing
with both feet upon the  ground.’ The witch fell  into a passion, let  him
fall again into the well, and went away.\par

The poor soldier  fell without injury  on the moist  ground, and the  blue
light went on burning, but of what use  was that to him? He saw very  well
that he could not escape death. He sat for a while very sorrowfully,  then
suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco pipe, which was still
half full. ‘This shall  be my last pleasure,’  thought he, pulled it  out,
lit it at the blue  light and began to smoke.  When the smoke had  circled
about the cavern,  suddenly a  little black  dwarf stood  before him,  and
said: ‘Lord, what are your commands?’ ‘What my commands are?’ replied  the
soldier, quite astonished.  ‘I must do  everything you bid  me,’ said  the
little man. ‘Good,’ said the soldier; ‘then in the first place help me out
of this well.’ The little man took him by the hand, and led him through an
underground passage, but  he did not  forget to take  the blue light  with
him. On the way  the dwarf showed  him the treasures  which the witch  had
collected and hidden there, and the soldier took as much gold as he  could
carry. When he was above, he said to the little man: ‘Now go and bind  the
old witch, and carry her  before the judge.’ In a  short time she came  by
like the wind, riding on a wild tom-cat and screaming frightfully. Nor was
it long before the little man reappeared. ‘It is all done,’ said he,  ‘and
the witch is already hanging on the gallows. What further commands has  my
lord?’ inquired the dwarf. ‘At  this moment, none,’ answered the  soldier;
‘you can  return home,  only be  at hand  immediately, if  I summon  you.’
‘Nothing more is needed than that you  should light your pipe at the  blue
light, and I will appear before  you at once.’ Thereupon he vanished  from
his sight.\par

The soldier returned to the town from  which he came. He went to the  best
inn, ordered himself handsome clothes, and then bade the landlord  furnish
him a room as handsome as possible. When it was ready and the soldier  had
taken possession of it, he summoned the little black manikin and said:  ‘I
have served the king faithfully, but he  has dismissed me, and left me  to
hunger, and now I want to take my  revenge.’ ‘What am I to do?’ asked  the
little man. ‘Late at night, when the king’s daughter is in bed, bring  her
here in her sleep, she shall do servant’s work for me.’ The manikin  said:
‘That is an easy thing for me to  do, but a very dangerous thing for  you,
for if  it is  discovered, you  will fare  ill.’ When  twelve o’clock  had
struck, the door  sprang open, and  the manikin carried  in the  princess.
‘Aha! are you there?’ cried the soldier, ‘get to your work at once!  Fetch
the broom and sweep the chamber.’ When  she had done this, he ordered  her
to come to his chair, and then  he stretched out his feet and said:  ‘Pull
off my boots,’ and then he threw them in her face, and made her pick  them
up again, and  clean and brighten  them. She, however,  did everything  he
bade her, without opposition, silently  and with half-shut eyes. When  the
first cock crowed, the manikin carried  her back to the royal palace,  and
laid her in her bed.\par

Next morning when the princess arose she went to her father, and told  him
that she had had a very strange dream. ‘I was carried through the  streets
with the rapidity  of lightning,’ said  she, ‘and taken  into a  soldier’s
room, and I had to wait upon him like a servant, sweep his room, clean his
boots, and do all kinds of menial work. It was only a dream, and yet I  am
just as tired as  if I really  had done everything.’  ‘The dream may  have
been true,’ said the king. ‘I will  give you a piece of advice. Fill  your
pocket full of peas, and make a small hole in the pocket, and then if  you
are carried  away again,  they will  fall out  and leave  a track  in  the
streets.’ But unseen by the king, the manikin was standing beside him when
he said that, and heard all. At night when the sleeping princess was again
carried through  the streets,  some peas  certainly did  fall out  of  her
pocket, but they  made no track,  for the crafty  manikin had just  before
scattered peas  in every  street there  was. And  again the  princess  was
compelled to do servant’s work until cock-crow.\par

Next morning the king sent  his people out to seek  the track, but it  was
all in vain, for  in every street poor  children were sitting, picking  up
peas, and saying: ‘It must have  rained peas, last night.’ ‘We must  think
of something else,’ said the king; ‘keep your shoes on when you go to bed,
and before you come back from the  place where you are taken, hide one  of
them there, I will soon contrive to find it.’ The black manikin heard this
plot, and  at  night when  the  soldier again  ordered  him to  bring  the
princess, revealed it to him, and told him that he knew of no expedient to
counteract this  stratagem,  and  that  if the  shoe  were  found  in  the
soldier’s house it would go badly with  him. ‘Do what I bid you,’  replied
the soldier, and again this third  night the princess was obliged to  work
like a servant, but before she went away, she hid her shoe under the bed.\par

Next morning the  king had  the entire  town searched  for his  daughter’s
shoe. It was found at the soldier’s,  and the soldier himself, who at  the
entreaty of the dwarf  had gone outside the  gate, was soon brought  back,
and thrown into prison. In his  flight he had forgotten the most  valuable
things he had, the blue light and the gold, and had only one ducat in  his
pocket. And now loaded with chains, he  was standing at the window of  his
dungeon, when  he chanced  to see  one  of his  comrades passing  by.  The
soldier tapped at the pane  of glass, and when this  man came up, said  to
him: ‘Be so kind as to fetch me the small bundle I have left lying in  the
inn, and I will give  you a ducat for doing  it.’ His comrade ran  thither
and brought him what he wanted. As soon as the soldier was alone again, he
lighted his pipe and summoned the black manikin. ‘Have no fear,’ said  the
latter to his master. ‘Go wheresoever they take you, and let them do  what
they will, only take the  blue light with you.’  Next day the soldier  was
tried, and though he had done  nothing wicked, the judge condemned him  to
death. When he was led forth to die, he begged a last favour of the  king.
‘What is it?’ asked the king. ‘That I may smoke one more pipe on my  way.’
‘You may smoke three,’ answered the king, ‘but do not imagine that I  will
spare your life.’ Then the soldier pulled  out his pipe and lighted it  at
the blue light, and as  soon as a few wreaths  of smoke had ascended,  the
manikin was there with a small cudgel in his hand, and said: ‘What does my
lord command?’  ‘Strike down  to earth  that false  judge there,  and  his
constable, and spare not  the king who  has treated me  so ill.’ Then  the
manikin fell on them  like lightning, darting this  way and that way,  and
whosoever was so much as touched by his cudgel fell to earth, and did  not
venture to stir  again. The king  was terrified; he  threw himself on  the
soldier’s mercy, and merely  to be allowed  to live at  all, gave him  his
kingdom for his own, and his daughter to wife.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-raven}%
\hypertarget{the-raven}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Raven}


There was once a queen who had  a little daughter, still too young to  run
alone. One day the  child was very troublesome,  and the mother could  not
quiet it, do  what she would.  She grew impatient,  and seeing the  ravens
flying round the castle, she opened the window, and said: ‘I wish you were
a raven and would fly away, then  I should have a little peace.’  Scarcely
were the words out  of her mouth,  when the child in  her arms was  turned
into a raven, and  flew away from  her through the  open window. The  bird
took its flight to  a dark wood  and remained there for  a long time,  and
meanwhile the parents could hear nothing of their child.\par

Long after this, a man was making his way through the wood when he heard a
raven calling, and he followed  the sound of the  voice. As he drew  near,
the raven said, ‘I  am by birth  a king’s daughter, but  am now under  the
spell of some enchantment; you can, however,  set me free.’ ‘What am I  to
do?’ he asked. She replied, ‘Go farther into the wood until you come to  a
house, wherein lives an old woman; she will offer you food and drink,  but
you must not take of either; if you  do, you will fall into a deep  sleep,
and will not be able to help me. In the garden behind the house is a large
tan-heap, and on that you must stand and watch for me. I shall drive there
in my carriage at two o’clock in the afternoon for three successive  days;
the first day it will be drawn by four white, the second by four chestnut,
and the last by  four black horses; but  if you fail to  keep awake and  I
find you sleeping, I shall not be set free.’\par

The man promised to do all that  she wished, but the raven said, ‘Alas!  I
know even now that you will take something from the woman and be unable to
save me.’ The man assured  her again that he would  on no account touch  a
thing to eat or drink.\par

When he came  to the house  and went inside,  the old woman  met him,  and
said, ‘Poor man! how tired you are! Come  in and rest and let me give  you
something to eat and drink.’\par

‘No,’ answered the man, ‘I will neither eat not drink.’\par

But she would not leave him alone, and urged him saying, ‘If you will  not
eat anything, at least you might take a draught of wine; one drink  counts
for nothing,’ and at last he allowed himself to be persuaded, and drank.\par

As it drew towards the appointed hour, he went outside into the garden and
mounted the tan-heap  to await the  raven. Suddenly a  feeling of  fatigue
came over him, and unable  to resist it, he lay  down for a little  while,
fully determined, however, to keep awake;  but in another minute his  eyes
closed of their own accord, and he  fell into such a deep sleep, that  all
the noises in the world  would not have awakened  him. At two o’clock  the
raven came driving along, drawn by her four white horses; but even  before
she reached the spot, she said to herself, sighing, ‘I know he has  fallen
asleep.’ When  she entered  the garden,  there she  found him  as she  had
feared, lying on the  tan-heap, fast asleep. She  got out of her  carriage
and went to him; she called him and shook him, but it was all in vain,  he
still continued sleeping.\par

The next day at noon, the old woman came to him again with food and  drink
which he at first refused. At last, overcome by her persistent  entreaties
that he would take something, he lifted the glass and drank again.\par

Towards two o’clock  he went into  the garden  and on to  the tan-heap  to
watch for the raven. He had not been there long before he began to feel so
tired that his limbs seemed hardly able  to support him, and he could  not
stand upright any longer; so  again he lay down  and fell fast asleep.  As
the raven drove along  her four chestnut horses,  she said sorrowfully  to
herself, ‘I know he  has fallen asleep.’  She went as  before to look  for
him, but he slept, and it was impossible to awaken him.\par

The following day the old  woman said to him, ‘What  is this? You are  not
eating or drinking anything, do you want to kill yourself?’\par

He answered, ‘I may not and will not either eat or drink.’\par

But she put down the dish of food  and the glass of wine in front of  him,
and when he smelt the  wine, he was unable  to resist the temptation,  and
took a deep draught.\par

When the hour came round again he went as usual on to the tan-heap in  the
garden to await the king’s daughter,  but he felt even more overcome  with
weariness than on  the two previous  days, and throwing  himself down,  he
slept like a log. At two o’clock the raven could be seen approaching,  and
this time her coachman  and everything about her,  as well as her  horses,
were black.\par

She was sadder than ever as she drove along, and said mournfully, ‘I  know
he has fallen asleep, and will not be able to set me free.’ She found  him
sleeping heavily, and all her efforts to awaken him were of no avail. Then
she placed beside him a loaf, and some meat, and a flask of wine, of  such
a kind, that however  much he took  of them, they  would never grow  less.
After that she drew a gold ring,  on which her name was engraved, off  her
finger, and put it upon one of  his. Finally, she laid a letter near  him,
in which, after giving him particulars of the food and drink she had  left
for him, she finished with the following words: ‘I see that as long as you
remain here you will never be able to set me free; if, however, you  still
wish to do so, come to the golden castle of Stromberg; this is well within
your power to accomplish.’ She then returned to her carriage and drove  to
the golden castle of Stromberg.\par

When the man awoke and found that he had been sleeping, he was grieved  at
heart, and said, ‘She has no doubt been here and driven away again, and it
is now too  late for me  to save her.’  Then his eyes  fell on the  things
which were lying beside him; he read the letter, and knew from it all that
had happened. He rose up without delay,  eager to start on his way and  to
reach the castle of Stromberg,  but he had no  idea in which direction  he
ought to go. He travelled  about a long time in  search of it and came  at
last to a dark forest, through which he went on walking for fourteen  days
and still could not find a way out. Once more the night came on, and  worn
out he  lay down  under a  bush and  fell asleep.  Again the  next day  he
pursued his way  through the forest,  and that evening,  thinking to  rest
again, he lay down as before, but he heard such a howling and wailing that
he found it impossible to sleep. He  waited till it was darker and  people
had begun to light up their houses, and then seeing a little glimmer ahead
of him, he went towards it.\par

He found that the  light came from  a house which  looked smaller than  it
really was, from the contrast of its height with that of an immense  giant
who stood in front  of it. He  thought to himself, ‘If  the giant sees  me
going in, my  life will  not be  worth much.’  However, after  a while  he
summoned up courage and  went forward. When the  giant saw him, he  called
out, ‘It is lucky for that you have  come, for I have not had anything  to
eat for a long time.  I can have you now  for my supper.’ ‘I would  rather
you let that alone,’ said the man, ‘for I do not willingly give myself  up
to be  eaten; if  you  are wanting  food I  have  enough to  satisfy  your
hunger.’ ‘If that is so,’ replied the giant, ‘I will leave you in peace; I
only thought of eating you because I had nothing else.’\par

So they went indoors together  and sat down, and  the man brought out  the
bread, meat, and wine, which although he had eaten and drunk of them, were
still unconsumed. The giant was pleased  with the good cheer, and ate  and
drank to his  heart’s content.  When he had  finished his  supper the  man
asked him if he  could direct him  to the castle  of Stromberg. The  giant
said, ‘I will look on  my map; on it are  marked all the towns,  villages,
and houses.’ So he fetched his map,  and looked for the castle, but  could
not find it. ‘Never mind,’  he said, ‘I have  larger maps upstairs in  the
cupboard, we  will look  on those,’  but they  searched in  vain, for  the
castle was not marked even on these. The man now thought he should like to
continue his journey, but the giant begged him to remain for a day or  two
longer until  the  return  of his  brother,  who  was away  in  search  of
provisions. When the brother came home, they asked him about the castle of
Stromberg, and he told them  he would look on his  own maps as soon as  he
had eaten and appeased his hunger.  Accordingly, when he had finished  his
supper, they all went up together to his room and looked through his maps,
but the castle was not to be found. Then he fetched other older maps,  and
they went on looking for  the castle until at last  they found it, but  it
was many thousand miles away.  ‘How shall I be  able to get there?’  asked
the man. ‘I have two  hours to spare,’ said the  giant, ‘and I will  carry
you into the neighbourhood of the castle; I must then return to look after
the child who is in our care.’\par

The giant, thereupon, carried the man to within about a hundred leagues of
the castle, where  he left  him, saying,  ‘You will  be able  to walk  the
remainder of the way yourself.’ The man journeyed on day and night till he
reached the golden castle of Stromberg. He found it situated, however,  on
a glass mountain, and looking up from the foot he saw the enchanted maiden
drive round her castle and  then go inside. He  was overjoyed to see  her,
and longed  to get  to the  top of  the mountain,  but the  sides were  so
slippery that every time he attempted to climb he fell back again. When he
saw that it was impossible to reach her, he was greatly grieved, and  said
to himself, ‘I will remain here and  wait for her,’ so he built himself  a
little hut, and there he sat and  watched for a whole year, and every  day
he saw the king’s daughter driving round her castle, but still was  unable
to get nearer to her.\par

Looking out from  his hut one  day he  saw three robbers  fighting and  he
called out to them, ‘God  be with you.’ They  stopped when they heard  the
call, but looking round and seeing  nobody, they went on again with  their
fighting, which  now became  more furious.  ‘God be  with you,’  he  cried
again, and again they paused and looked about, but seeing no one went back
to their fighting. A third time he called out, ‘God be with you,’ and then
thinking he should  like to know  the cause of  dispute between the  three
men, he went out and asked them why they were fighting so angrily with one
another. One of them said that he had  found a stick, and that he had  but
to strike it  against any door  through which  he wished to  pass, and  it
immediately flew open. Another  told him that he  had found a cloak  which
rendered its wearer  invisible; and  the third  had caught  a horse  which
would carry its rider over any  obstacle, and even up the glass  mountain.
They had been unable to decide  whether they would keep together and  have
the things in common, or whether they would separate. On hearing this, the
man said, ‘I will give you  something in exchange for those three  things;
not money, for  that I have  not got, but  something that is  of far  more
value. I must  first, however, prove  whether all you  have told me  about
your three things is  true.’ The robbers, therefore,  made him get on  the
horse, and handed him the  stick and the cloak, and  when he had put  this
round him he was no longer visible. Then he fell upon them with the  stick
and beat them one after another,  crying, ‘There, you idle vagabonds,  you
have got what you deserve; are you satisfied now!’\par

After this he rode up the glass mountain. When he reached the gate of  the
castle, he found it closed, but he gave  it a blow with his stick, and  it
flew wide open at  once and he  passed through. He  mounted the steps  and
entered the room where the maiden  was sitting, with a golden goblet  full
of wine in  front of  her. She could  not see  him for he  still wore  his
cloak. He took the ring which she had given him off his finger, and  threw
it into the goblet, so that it rang as it touched the bottom. ‘That is  my
own ring,’ she exclaimed, ‘and if that is so the man must also be here who
is coming to set me free.’\par

She sought for him about the castle, but could find him nowhere. Meanwhile
he had gone outside again and mounted his horse and thrown off the  cloak.
When therefore she came to  the castle gate she  saw him, and cried  aloud
for joy. Then he dismounted and took her in his arms; and she kissed  him,
and said, ‘Now you have indeed set me free, and tomorrow we will celebrate
our marriage.’\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-golden-goose}%
\hypertarget{the-golden-goose}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Golden Goose}


There was  a man  who had  three sons,  the youngest  of whom  was  called
Dummling,%
\footnotemark[*]\footnotetext[*]{
Simpleton
} and was despised, mocked, and sneered at on every occasion.\par

It happened that the eldest wanted to go into the forest to hew wood,  and
before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a bottle  of
wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.\par

When he entered the forest  he met a little  grey-haired old man who  bade
him good day, and said:  ‘Do give me a piece  of cake out of your  pocket,
and let me have a draught of your  wine; I am so hungry and thirsty.’  But
the clever son answered:  ‘If I give  you my cake and  wine, I shall  have
none for myself; be off with you,’ and he left the little man standing and
went on.\par

But when he began  to hew down a  tree, it was not  long before he made  a
false stroke, and the axe cut  him in the arm, so  that he had to go  home
and have it bound up. And this was the little grey man’s doing.\par

After this the second son went into  the forest, and his mother gave  him,
like the eldest, a cake and a bottle of wine. The little old grey man  met
him likewise, and asked him for a piece  of cake and a drink of wine.  But
the second son, too, said sensibly enough: ‘What I give you will be  taken
away from myself; be off!’  and he left the  little man standing and  went
on. His punishment, however, was not delayed; when he had made a few blows
at the tree he  struck himself in the  leg, so that he  had to be  carried
home.\par

Then Dummling  said: ‘Father,  do let  me  go and  cut wood.’  The  father
answered: ‘Your brothers have hurt themselves with it, leave it alone, you
do not understand anything about it.’ But Dummling begged so long that  at
last he said: ‘Just go then, you will get wiser by hurting yourself.’  His
mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the cinders, and  with
it a bottle of sour beer.\par

When he came to the forest the  little old grey man met him likewise,  and
greeting him, said: ‘Give me a piece of your cake and a drink out of  your
bottle; I  am so  hungry and  thirsty.’ Dummling  answered: ‘I  have  only
cinder-cake and sour beer; if that pleases you, we will sit down and eat.’
So they sat down, and when Dummling  pulled out his cinder-cake, it was  a
fine sweet cake, and the sour beer  had become good wine. So they ate  and
drank, and after that the little man  said: ‘Since you have a good  heart,
and are willing to divide what you have, I will give you good luck.  There
stands an  old tree,  cut it  down, and  you will  find something  at  the
roots.’ Then the little man took leave of him.\par

Dummling went and cut down  the tree, and when it  fell there was a  goose
sitting in the roots  with feathers of  pure gold. He  lifted her up,  and
taking her with him,  went to an  inn where he thought  he would stay  the
night. Now  the host  had three  daughters,  who saw  the goose  and  were
curious to know what such a wonderful bird might be, and would have  liked
to have one of its golden feathers.\par

The eldest thought:  ‘I shall soon  find an opportunity  of pulling out  a
feather,’ and as soon as Dummling had gone out she seized the goose by the
wing, but her finger and hand remained sticking fast to it.\par

The second came  soon afterwards,  thinking only of  how she  might get  a
feather for herself, but she had scarcely touched her sister than she  was
held fast.\par

At last the third also came with the like intent, and the others  screamed
out: ‘Keep away; for goodness’ sake keep away!’ But she did not understand
why she was to keep away. ‘The  others are there,’ she thought, ‘I may  as
well be there too,’ and  ran to them; but as  soon as she had touched  her
sister, she remained sticking fast to her. So they had to spend the  night
with the goose.\par

The next  morning Dummling  took the  goose  under his  arm and  set  out,
without troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to it.
They were  obliged to  run after  him continually,  now left,  now  right,
wherever his legs took him.\par

In the middle  of the  fields the  parson met them,  and when  he saw  the
procession he said: ‘For  shame, you good-for-nothing  girls, why are  you
running across the fields  after this young man?  Is that seemly?’ At  the
same time he seized the  youngest by the hand in  order to pull her  away,
but as soon  as he touched  her he  likewise stuck fast,  and was  himself
obliged to run behind.\par

Before long the  sexton came by  and saw his  master, the parson,  running
behind three girls. He  was astonished at this  and called out: ‘Hi!  your
reverence, whither  away  so  quickly?  Do  not  forget  that  we  have  a
christening today!’ and running after him  he took him by the sleeve,  but
was also held fast to it.\par

Whilst the five  were trotting thus  one behind the  other, two  labourers
came with their hoes from  the fields; the parson  called out to them  and
begged that they would set him and the sexton free. But they had  scarcely
touched the sexton when they were held  fast, and now there were seven  of
them running behind Dummling and the goose.\par

Soon afterwards he came to a city,  where a king ruled who had a  daughter
who was so serious that no one could make her laugh. So he had put forth a
decree that whosoever should be able  to make her laugh should marry  her.
When Dummling heard this, he went with his goose and all her train  before
the king’s daughter, and as  soon as she saw  the seven people running  on
and on, one behind the other, she  began to laugh quite loudly, and as  if
she would never stop. Thereupon Dummling  asked to have her for his  wife;
but the king did not like the  son-in-law, and made all manner of  excuses
and said he must first produce a man who could drink a cellarful of  wine.
Dummling thought of the little grey man, who could certainly help him;  so
he went into the  forest, and in  the same place where  he had felled  the
tree, he saw a man sitting, who had a very sorrowful face. Dummling  asked
him what he was taking to heart so sorely, and he answered: ‘I have such a
great thirst and cannot quench it; cold water I cannot stand, a barrel  of
wine I have just emptied, but that to me is like a drop on a hot stone!’\par

‘There, I can help you,’ said Dummling,  ‘just come with me and you  shall
be satisfied.’\par

He led him into the king’s cellar, and the man bent over the huge barrels,
and drank and drank till his loins hurt, and before the day was out he had
emptied all the barrels. Then Dummling asked once more for his bride,  but
the king  was  vexed  that  such an  ugly  fellow,  whom  everyone  called
Dummling, should take away his daughter,  and he made a new condition;  he
must first find a man  who could eat a  whole mountain of bread.  Dummling
did not think long, but went straight  into the forest, where in the  same
place there sat a man who was tying  up his body with a strap, and  making
an awful face, and  saying: ‘I have  eaten a whole  ovenful of rolls,  but
what good is  that when one  has such a  hunger as I?  My stomach  remains
empty, and I must tie myself up if I am not to die of hunger.’\par

At this Dummling was glad, and said:  ‘Get up and come with me; you  shall
eat yourself full.’ He led him to the king’s palace where all the flour in
the whole Kingdom was collected, and from it he caused a huge mountain  of
bread to be baked. The man from the forest stood before it, began to  eat,
and by the end of one day  the whole mountain had vanished. Then  Dummling
for the third time asked  for his bride; but the  king again sought a  way
out, and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on water. ‘As soon as
you come sailing back  in it,’ said  he, ‘you shall  have my daughter  for
wife.’\par

Dummling went straight into the forest, and there sat the little grey  man
to whom he  had given his  cake. When  he heard what  Dummling wanted,  he
said: ‘Since you have given  me to eat and to  drink, I will give you  the
ship; and I do all  this because you once were  kind to me.’ Then he  gave
him the ship which  could sail on  land and water, and  when the king  saw
that, he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter. The wedding
was celebrated, and after the king’s death, Dummling inherited his kingdom
and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-water-of-life}%
\hypertarget{the-water-of-life}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Water Of Life}


Long before you or I  were born, there reigned, in  a country a great  way
off, a king who had three sons.  This king once fell very ill—so ill  that
nobody thought he  could live. His  sons were very  much grieved at  their
father’s sickness; and as  they were walking  together very mournfully  in
the garden of the palace, a little old man met them and asked what was the
matter. They told him that their father  was very ill, and that they  were
afraid nothing could save  him. ‘I know what  would,’ said the little  old
man; ‘it is the Water of Life. If  he could have a draught of it he  would
be well again; but it is very hard  to get.’ Then the eldest son said,  ‘I
will soon find it’: and he went to the sick king, and begged that he might
go in search of  the Water of Life,  as it was the  only thing that  could
save him. ‘No,’ said the  king. ‘I had rather die  than place you in  such
great danger as you must meet with in your journey.’ But he begged so hard
that the king let him go; and  the prince thought to himself, ‘If I  bring
my father this water, he will make me sole heir to his kingdom.’\par

Then he set out: and when  he had gone on his way  some time he came to  a
deep valley, overhung with  rocks and woods; and  as he looked around,  he
saw standing above him  on one of  the rocks a little  ugly dwarf, with  a
sugarloaf cap and a scarlet cloak; and  the dwarf called to him and  said,
‘Prince, whither so fast?’ ‘What is that to thee, you ugly imp?’ said  the
prince haughtily, and rode on.\par

But the dwarf  was enraged at  his behaviour,  and laid a  fairy spell  of
ill-luck upon him; so that as he rode on the mountain pass became narrower
and narrower, and at last the way  was so straitened that he could not  go
to step forward: and when he thought to have turned his horse round and go
back the way he came, he heard  a loud laugh ringing round him, and  found
that the path was closed behind him, so that he was shut in all round.  He
next tried to get off  his horse and make his  way on foot, but again  the
laugh rang in his ears,  and he found himself unable  to move a step,  and
thus he was forced to abide spellbound.\par

Meantime the old king was lingering on in daily hope of his son’s  return,
till at last  the second son  said, ‘Father, I  will go in  search of  the
Water of Life.’ For he thought to himself, ‘My brother is surely dead, and
the kingdom will fall to  me if I find the  water.’ The king was at  first
very unwilling to let him go, but at  last yielded to his wish. So he  set
out and followed the same  road which his brother  had done, and met  with
the same elf, who stopped him at  the same spot in the mountains,  saying,
as before,  ‘Prince, prince,  whither so  fast?’ ‘Mind  your own  affairs,
busybody!’ said the prince scornfully, and rode on.\par

But the dwarf put the same spell upon him as he put on his elder  brother,
and he, too, was at last obliged to take up his abode in the heart of  the
mountains. Thus it is with proud silly people, who think themselves  above
everyone else, and are too proud to ask or take advice.\par

When the second prince had  thus been gone a  long time, the youngest  son
said he would go and search for  the Water of Life, and trusted he  should
soon be able to make his father well  again. So he set out, and the  dwarf
met him too at the same spot in the valley, among the mountains, and said,
‘Prince, whither so fast?’ And the prince  said, ‘I am going in search  of
the Water of Life, because my father is ill, and like to die: can you help
me? Pray be kind, and aid me if you  can!’ ‘Do you know where it is to  be
found?’ asked the dwarf. ‘No,’ said the prince, ‘I do not. Pray tell me if
you know.’ ‘Then as you have spoken  to me kindly, and are wise enough  to
seek for advice, I will tell you how  and where to go. The water you  seek
springs from a well in an enchanted  castle; and, that you may be able  to
reach it in safety, I will give you an iron wand and two little loaves  of
bread; strike the iron door of the  castle three times with the wand,  and
it will open: two hungry lions will be lying down inside gaping for  their
prey, but if you throw them the bread they will let you pass; then  hasten
on to  the well,  and take  some of  the Water  of Life  before the  clock
strikes twelve; for if you  tarry longer the door  will shut upon you  for
ever.’\par

Then the prince thanked his little  friend with the scarlet cloak for  his
friendly aid, and took the wand and the bread, and went travelling on  and
on, over sea and over land, till  he came to his journey’s end, and  found
everything to be  as the dwarf  had told him.  The door flew  open at  the
third stroke of  the wand,  and when  the lions  were quieted  he went  on
through the castle and came  at length to a  beautiful hall. Around it  he
saw several knights sitting  in a trance; then  he pulled off their  rings
and put them on his own fingers. In another room he saw on a table a sword
and a loaf  of bread, which  he also took.  Further on he  came to a  room
where a  beautiful young  lady sat  upon  a couch;  and she  welcomed  him
joyfully, and said, if  he would set  her free from  the spell that  bound
her, the kingdom should be his, if he would come back in a year and  marry
her. Then she told him  that the well that held  the Water of Life was  in
the palace  gardens; and  bade him  make haste,  and draw  what he  wanted
before the clock struck twelve.\par

He walked on;  and as he  walked through  beautiful gardens he  came to  a
delightful shady spot in which stood  a couch; and he thought to  himself,
as he felt tired, that he would rest himself for a while, and gaze on  the
lovely scenes around him. So he laid himself down, and sleep fell upon him
unawares, so that he did not wake up till the clock was striking a quarter
to twelve. Then he sprang from the couch dreadfully frightened, ran to the
well, filled a cup that was standing by him full of water, and hastened to
get away in  time. Just as  he was going  out of the  iron door it  struck
twelve, and the door fell so quickly upon him that it snapped off a  piece
of his heel.\par

When he found himself safe, he was overjoyed to think that he had got  the
Water of Life; and as he was going on his way homewards, he passed by  the
little dwarf, who, when  he saw the  sword and the  loaf, said, ‘You  have
made a noble prize; with  the sword you can at  a blow slay whole  armies,
and the bread will never fail you.’ Then the prince thought to himself, ‘I
cannot go home to  my father without  my brothers’; so  he said, ‘My  dear
friend, cannot you  tell me  where my  two brothers  are, who  set out  in
search of the Water of Life before me, and never came back?’ ‘I have  shut
them up by a charm between  two mountains,’ said the dwarf, ‘because  they
were proud and ill-behaved, and scorned to ask advice.’ The prince  begged
so hard for his  brothers, that the  dwarf at last  set them free,  though
unwillingly, saying, ‘Beware  of them,  for they have  bad hearts.’  Their
brother, however, was greatly rejoiced to see them, and told them all that
had happened to him; how he had found  the Water of Life, and had taken  a
cup full of it; and how he had set a beautiful princess free from a  spell
that bound her; and how she had engaged to wait a whole year, and then  to
marry him, and to give him the kingdom.\par

Then they all  three rode on  together, and on  their way home  came to  a
country that was laid waste by war  and a dreadful famine, so that it  was
feared all must die for want. But the prince gave the king of the land the
bread, and all his kingdom ate of  it. And he lent the king the  wonderful
sword, and he slew the enemy’s army with it; and thus the kingdom was once
more in  peace and  plenty. In  the same  manner he  befriended two  other
countries through which they passed on their way.\par

When they came to the  sea, they got into a  ship and during their  voyage
the two eldest said to themselves, ‘Our brother has got the water which we
could not find,  therefore our  father will forsake  us and  give him  the
kingdom, which is our right’; so they  were full of envy and revenge,  and
agreed together how they could ruin him. Then they waited till he was fast
asleep, and poured  the Water  of Life  out of the  cup, and  took it  for
themselves, giving him bitter sea-water instead.\par

When they came to their journey’s end, the youngest son brought his cup to
the sick king, that he might  drink and be healed. Scarcely, however,  had
he tasted  the bitter  sea-water when  he became  worse even  than he  was
before; and then both the elder sons came in, and blamed the youngest  for
what they had done; and  said that he wanted  to poison their father,  but
that they had found the Water of Life, and had brought it with them. He no
sooner began to drink of what they brought him, than he felt his  sickness
leave him, and was as  strong and well as in  his younger days. Then  they
went to their brother, and laughed  at him, and said, ‘Well, brother,  you
found the Water of Life,  did you? You have had  the trouble and we  shall
have the reward. Pray, with all your cleverness, why did not you manage to
keep your eyes open?  Next year one  of us will  take away your  beautiful
princess, if you do not take care.  You had better say nothing about  this
to our father, for  he does not believe  a word you say;  and if you  tell
tales, you shall lose  your life into  the bargain: but  be quiet, and  we
will let you off.’\par

The old king was still very angry with his youngest son, and thought  that
he really  meant to  have taken  away his  life; so  he called  his  court
together, and asked what should be done,  and all agreed that he ought  to
be put to death. The  prince knew nothing of what  was going on, till  one
day, when the king’s chief huntsmen went a-hunting with him, and they were
alone in the  wood together,  the huntsman  looked so  sorrowful that  the
prince said, ‘My friend, what is the matter with you?’ ‘I cannot and  dare
not tell you,’ said he. But the  prince begged very hard, and said,  ‘Only
tell me what it is, and do not think I shall be angry, for I will  forgive
you.’ ‘Alas!’ said the huntsman; ‘the  king has ordered me to shoot  you.’
The prince started  at this, and  said, ‘Let  me live, and  I will  change
dresses with you; you shall take my  royal coat to show to my father,  and
do you give me your shabby one.’  ‘With all my heart,’ said the  huntsman;
‘I am sure I shall be  glad to save you, for  I could not have shot  you.’
Then he took the prince’s coat, and gave him the shabby one, and went away
through the wood.\par

Some time after, three grand embassies came to the old king’s court,  with
rich gifts of gold and precious stones for his youngest son; now all these
were sent from the three kings to whom  he had lent his sword and loaf  of
bread, in order to  rid them of  their enemy and  feed their people.  This
touched the  old king’s  heart, and  he  thought his  son might  still  be
guiltless, and said to his court, ‘O that my son were still alive! how  it
grieves me that I had him killed!’ ‘He is still alive,’ said the huntsman;
‘and I am  glad that  I had  pity on him,  but let  him go  in peace,  and
brought home his royal coat.’ At  this the king was overwhelmed with  joy,
and made it known thoughout  all his kingdom, that  if his son would  come
back to his court he would forgive him.\par

Meanwhile the princess was eagerly waiting till her deliverer should  come
back; and had a road  made leading up to her  palace all of shining  gold;
and told her courtiers that whoever  came on horseback, and rode  straight
up to the gate upon it, was her true lover; and that they must let him in:
but whoever rode on one  side of it, they must  be sure was not the  right
one; and that they must send him away at once.\par

The time soon  came, when the  eldest brother thought  that he would  make
haste to go to the princess, and say  that he was the one who had set  her
free, and that he should have her for his wife, and the kingdom with  her.
As he came before the palace and  saw the golden road, he stopped to  look
at it,  and he  thought  to himself,  ‘It  is a  pity  to ride  upon  this
beautiful road’; so he turned aside and rode on the right-hand side of it.
But when he came to the gate, the  guards, who had seen the road he  took,
said to him, he could not  be what he said he  was, and must go about  his
business.\par

The second prince set out soon afterwards on the same errand; and when  he
came to  the golden  road, and  his horse  had set  one foot  upon it,  he
stopped to look at it, and thought it very beautiful, and said to himself,
‘What a pity it is  that anything should tread  here!’ Then he too  turned
aside and rode on the left  side of it. But when  he came to the gate  the
guards said he was not the true prince, and that he too must go away about
his business; and away he went.\par

Now when the full year was come  round, the third brother left the  forest
in which he had lain  hid for fear of his  father’s anger, and set out  in
search of his betrothed bride. So he journeyed on, thinking of her all the
way, and rode so quickly that he did  not even see what the road was  made
of, but went with his horse straight over  it; and as he came to the  gate
it flew open, and the princess welcomed him with joy, and said he was  her
deliverer, and should now be her husband and lord of the kingdom. When the
first joy at their meeting was over,  the princess told him she had  heard
of his father having forgiven him, and of his wish to have him home again:
so, before his  wedding with the  princess, he went  to visit his  father,
taking her with  him. Then he  told him everything;  how his brothers  had
cheated and robbed him, and yet that he had borne all those wrongs for the
love of his father. And the old king was very angry, and wanted to  punish
his wicked sons;  but they  made their  escape, and  got into  a ship  and
sailed away over  the wide sea,  and where  they went to  nobody knew  and
nobody cared.\par

And now  the old  king gathered  together  his court,  and asked  all  his
kingdom to come and celebrate the wedding of his son and the princess. And
young and old, noble and  squire, gentle and simple,  came at once on  the
summons; and among the  rest came the friendly  dwarf, with the  sugarloaf
hat, and a new scarlet cloak.\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
And the wedding was held, and the merry bells run. \\
And all the good people they danced and they sung, \\
And feasted and frolick’d I can’t tell how long. \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-twelve-huntsmen}%
\hypertarget{the-twelve-huntsmen}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Twelve Huntsmen}


There was once a king’s son who had  a bride whom he loved very much.  And
when he was sitting beside her and  very happy, news came that his  father
lay sick unto death,  and desired to  see him once  again before his  end.
Then he said to his beloved:  ‘I must now go and  leave you, I give you  a
ring as a remembrance of me. When I am king, I will return and fetch you.’
So he  rode  away,  and  when  he  reached  his  father,  the  latter  was
dangerously ill, and near his death. He  said to him: ‘Dear son, I  wished
to see you once again before my end,  promise me to marry as I wish,’  and
he named a certain king’s daughter who was to be his wife. The son was  in
such trouble that he did not think what he was doing, and said: ‘Yes, dear
father, your will shall  be done,’ and thereupon  the king shut his  eyes,
and died.\par

When therefore the son had been proclaimed king, and the time of  mourning
was over, he was forced to keep the promise which he had given his father,
and caused  the king’s  daughter to  be  asked in  marriage, and  she  was
promised to him. His  first betrothed heard of  this, and fretted so  much
about his faithfulness that she nearly died. Then her father said to  her:
‘Dearest child, why are you so  sad? You shall have whatsoever you  will.’
She thought for a moment and said:  ‘Dear father, I wish for eleven  girls
exactly like myself in face, figure, and size.’ The father said: ‘If it be
possible, your desire shall  be fulfilled,’ and he  caused a search to  be
made in  his whole  kingdom, until  eleven young  maidens were  found  who
exactly resembled his daughter in face, figure, and size.\par

When they came to the king’s daughter, she had twelve suits of  huntsmen’s
clothes made,  all  alike,  and the  eleven  maidens  had to  put  on  the
huntsmen’s clothes, and she herself put on the twelfth suit. Thereupon she
took her leave of  her father, and  rode away with them,  and rode to  the
court of her former betrothed, whom she loved so dearly. Then she asked if
he required  any huntsmen,  and if  he would  take all  of them  into  his
service. The king looked  at her and  did not know her,  but as they  were
such handsome fellows, he  said: ‘Yes,’ and that  he would willingly  take
them, and now they were the king’s twelve huntsmen.\par

The king, however, had a lion which was a wondrous animal, for he knew all
concealed and secret things. It came to  pass that one evening he said  to
the king: ‘You  think you  have twelve  huntsmen?’ ‘Yes,’  said the  king,
‘they are twelve huntsmen.’  The lion continued:  ‘You are mistaken,  they
are twelve girls.’ The king said: ‘That cannot be true! How will you prove
that to  me?’ ‘Oh,  just let  some peas  be strewn  in the  ante-chamber,’
answered the lion, ‘and then you will soon see. Men have a firm step,  and
when they walk over peas none of  them stir, but girls trip and skip,  and
drag their feet, and the peas roll about.’ The king was well pleased  with
the counsel, and caused the peas to be strewn.\par

There was, however, a servant of the king’s who favoured the huntsmen, and
when he heard that they were going to be put to this test he went to  them
and repeated  everything, and  said:  ‘The lion  wants  to make  the  king
believe that you  are girls.’ Then  the king’s daughter  thanked him,  and
said to her maidens: ‘Show some strength, and step firmly on the peas.’ So
next morning when the king had the twelve huntsmen called before him,  and
they came into the ante-chamber where the peas were lying, they stepped so
firmly on them, and had such a strong, sure walk, that not one of the peas
either rolled or stirred. Then they went away again, and the king said  to
the lion: ‘You have lied to me,  they walk just like men.’ The lion  said:
‘They have been informed that they were  going to be put to the test,  and
have assumed some  strength. Just  let twelve  spinning-wheels be  brought
into the ante-chamber, and they will go to them and be pleased with  them,
and that is what no man would do.’ The king liked the advice, and had  the
spinning-wheels placed in the ante-chamber.\par

But the servant, who was well disposed to the huntsmen, went to them,  and
disclosed the project. So when they were alone the king’s daughter said to
her eleven girls:  ‘Show some  constraint, and do  not look  round at  the
spinning-wheels.’ And next morning when  the king had his twelve  huntsmen
summoned, they went through the ante-chamber, and never once looked at the
spinning-wheels. Then the king again said to the lion: ‘You have  deceived
me, they are men,  for they have not  looked at the spinning-wheels.’  The
lion replied: ‘They have restrained themselves.’ The king, however,  would
no longer believe the lion.\par

The twelve huntsmen always followed the king to the chase, and his  liking
for them continually increased.  Now it came to  pass that once when  they
were out hunting, news  came that the king’s  bride was approaching.  When
the true bride heard that, it hurt  her so much that her heart was  almost
broken, and she fell  fainting to the ground.  The king thought  something
had happened to his dear huntsman, ran up to him, wanted to help him,  and
drew his glove off. Then he saw the  ring which he had given to his  first
bride, and when he looked  in her face he  recognized her. Then his  heart
was so touched that he kissed her,  and when she opened her eyes he  said:
‘You are mine, and I am yours, and no one in the world can alter that.’ He
sent a messenger to the  other bride, and entreated  her to return to  her
own kingdom, for he had a wife already, and someone who had just found  an
old key did not require a  new one. Thereupon the wedding was  celebrated,
and the lion was again taken into favour, because, after all, he had  told
the truth.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-king-of-the-golden-mountain}%
\hypertarget{the-king-of-the-golden-mountain}{}%
%
\chapter*{The King Of The Golden Mountain}


There was once a  merchant who had  only one child, a  son, that was  very
young, and barely able to  run alone. He had  two richly laden ships  then
making a voyage upon the seas, in which he had embarked all his wealth, in
the hope of making great  gains, when the news  came that both were  lost.
Thus from being a rich man he became all at once so very poor that nothing
was left to him but one small plot of land; and there he often went in  an
evening to take his walk, and ease his mind of a little of his trouble.\par

One day, as he was roaming along in a brown study, thinking with no  great
comfort on what he had been and what  he now was, and was like to be,  all
on a sudden there stood before  him a little, rough-looking, black  dwarf.
‘Prithee, friend, why so sorrowful?’ said he to the merchant; ‘what is  it
you take  so deeply  to heart?’  ‘If  you would  do me  any good  I  would
willingly tell you,’ said  the merchant. ‘Who knows  but I may?’ said  the
little man: ‘tell me what ails you, and perhaps you will find I may be  of
some use.’ Then the merchant told him  how all his wealth was gone to  the
bottom of the sea,  and how he  had nothing left but  that little plot  of
land. ‘Oh,  trouble  not  yourself  about that,’  said  the  dwarf;  ‘only
undertake to bring me here, twelve  years hence, whatever meets you  first
on your  going home,  and I  will give  you as  much as  you please.’  The
merchant thought this was no great thing to ask; that it would most likely
be his dog or his  cat, or something of that  sort, but forgot his  little
boy Heinel; so he agreed to the bargain, and signed and sealed the bond to
do what was asked of him.\par

But as he drew near home,  his little boy was so  glad to see him that  he
crept behind him, and  laid fast hold  of his legs, and  looked up in  his
face and laughed. Then the father started, trembling with fear and horror,
and saw what it was that  he had bound himself to  do; but as no gold  was
come, he made himself easy  by thinking that it was  only a joke that  the
dwarf was playing  him, and that,  at any  rate, when the  money came,  he
should see the bearer, and would not take it in.\par

About a month afterwards he went  upstairs into a lumber-room to look  for
some old iron, that he might sell it and raise a little money; and  there,
instead of his iron, he  saw a large pile of  gold lying on the floor.  At
the sight of this he was overjoyed, and forgetting all about his son, went
into trade again, and became a richer merchant than before.\par

Meantime little Heinel grew up,  and as the end  of the twelve years  drew
near the merchant began to call to mind his bond, and became very sad  and
thoughtful; so that care  and sorrow were written  upon his face. The  boy
one day asked what was the matter, but his father would not tell for  some
time; at last, however, he said that he had, without knowing it, sold  him
for gold to a little, ugly-looking, black dwarf, and that the twelve years
were coming round when he must  keep his word. Then Heinel said,  ‘Father,
give yourself very little trouble about that; I shall be too much for  the
little man.’\par

When the time  came, the father  and son  went out together  to the  place
agreed upon: and the son drew a circle on the ground, and set himself  and
his father in  the middle of  it. The  little black dwarf  soon came,  and
walked round and round about the circle, but could not find any way to get
into it, and he either could not, or dared not, jump over it. At last  the
boy said to him. ‘Have  you anything to say to  us, my friend, or what  do
you want?’ Now Heinel had found a friend in a good fairy, that was fond of
him, and had told him what to do;  for this fairy knew what good luck  was
in store for him. ‘Have you brought me what you said you would?’ said  the
dwarf to the merchant. The old man held his tongue, but Heinel said again,
‘What do you want here?’ The dwarf said, ‘I come to talk with your father,
not with you.’ ‘You have  cheated and taken in  my father,’ said the  son;
‘pray give him up his  bond at once.’ ‘Fair  and softly,’ said the  little
old man; ‘right is right;  I have paid my money,  and your father has  had
it, and spent it; so  be so good as  to let me have  what I paid it  for.’
‘You must have my consent to that first,’ said Heinel, ‘so please to  step
in here, and let  us talk it  over.’ The old man  grinned, and showed  his
teeth, as if he should  have been very glad to  get into the circle if  he
could. Then at last, after a long talk, they came to terms. Heinel  agreed
that his father must give  him up, and that so  far the dwarf should  have
his way: but, on the  other hand, the fairy  had told Heinel what  fortune
was in store for him, if he followed his own course; and he did not choose
to be given up to  his hump-backed friend, who  seemed so anxious for  his
company.\par

So, to make  a sort of  drawn battle of  the matter, it  was settled  that
Heinel should be put into an open boat, that lay on the sea-shore hard by;
that the father should push him off with his own hand, and that he  should
thus be set adrift, and left to the bad or good luck of wind and  weather.
Then he took leave of his father, and set himself in the boat, but  before
it got far off  a wave struck  it, and it  fell with one  side low in  the
water, so the merchant  thought that poor Heinel  was lost, and went  home
very sorrowful, while the dwarf went his way, thinking that at any rate he
had had his revenge.\par

The boat, however,  did not  sink, for  the good  fairy took  care of  her
friend, and soon  raised the boat  up again,  and it went  safely on.  The
young man sat safe within,  till at length it  ran ashore upon an  unknown
land. As he jumped upon the shore he saw before him a beautiful castle but
empty and dreary within, for it was enchanted. ‘Here,’ said he to himself,
‘must I  find the  prize the  good  fairy told  me of.’  So he  once  more
searched the whole palace  through, till at last  he found a white  snake,
lying coiled up on a cushion in one of the chambers.\par

Now the white snake was  an enchanted princess; and  she was very glad  to
see him, and said, ‘Are you at last come to set me free? Twelve long years
have I waited here for the fairy to bring you hither as she promised,  for
you alone can save me. This night  twelve men will come: their faces  will
be black, and they will be dressed in chain armour. They will ask what you
do here, but give no  answer; and let them  do what they will—beat,  whip,
pinch, prick,  or torment  you—bear all;  only speak  not a  word, and  at
twelve o’clock they  must go  away. The  second night  twelve others  will
come: and the third  night twenty-four, who will  even cut off your  head;
but at the twelfth hour of that night their power is gone, and I shall  be
free, and will come  and bring you  the Water of Life,  and will wash  you
with it, and bring you back to life  and health.’ And all came to pass  as
she had said; Heinel bore all, and  spoke not a word; and the third  night
the princess came, and fell on his  neck and kissed him. Joy and  gladness
burst forth throughout the castle, the wedding was celebrated, and he  was
crowned king of the Golden Mountain.\par

They lived together very happily, and the queen had a son. And thus  eight
years had passed over  their heads, when the  king thought of his  father;
and he began to long to see him once again. But the queen was against  his
going, and said, ‘I know  well that misfortunes will  come upon us if  you
go.’ However, he gave her no rest  till she agreed. At his going away  she
gave him a wishing-ring,  and said, ‘Take  this ring, and  put it on  your
finger; whatever you wish  it will bring you;  only promise never to  make
use of it to bring me hence to your father’s house.’ Then he said he would
do what she asked, and put the ring on his finger, and wished himself near
the town where his father lived.\par

Heinel found himself at the  gates in a moment;  but the guards would  not
let him go  in, because  he was  so strangely  clad. So  he went  up to  a
neighbouring hill, where a shepherd dwelt, and borrowed his old frock, and
thus passed unknown into the town. When he came to his father’s house,  he
said he was his son; but the  merchant would not believe him, and said  he
had had but one son, his poor Heinel, who he knew was long since dead: and
as he was only dressed  like a poor shepherd, he  would not even give  him
anything to eat. The king, however, still  vowed that he was his son,  and
said, ‘Is there no  mark by which you  would know me if  I am really  your
son?’ ‘Yes,’ said his mother, ‘our Heinel  had a mark like a raspberry  on
his right arm.’ Then he showed them  the mark, and they knew that what  he
had said was true.\par

He next told them how he was king of the Golden Mountain, and was  married
to a princess, and had a son seven years old. But the merchant said, ‘that
can never be true;  he must be a  fine king truly who  travels about in  a
shepherd’s frock!’ At  this the son  was vexed; and  forgetting his  word,
turned his ring,  and wished for  his queen  and son. In  an instant  they
stood before him; but the queen wept, and said he had broken his word, and
bad luck would follow. He did all he could to soothe her, and she at  last
seemed to be appeased; but she was not so in truth, and was only  thinking
how she should punish him.\par

One day he took her to walk with  him out of the town, and showed her  the
spot where the  boat was  set adrift  upon the  wide waters.  Then he  sat
himself down, and said, ‘I am very much  tired; sit by me, I will rest  my
head in your lap,  and sleep a  while.’ As soon as  he had fallen  asleep,
however, she drew  the ring from  his finger, and  crept softly away,  and
wished herself and her son at home in their kingdom. And when he awoke  he
found himself alone, and saw  that the ring was  gone from his finger.  ‘I
can never go back to my father’s house,’  said he; ‘they would say I am  a
sorcerer: I will journey  forth into the  world, till I  come again to  my
kingdom.’\par

So saying he set  out and travelled  till he came to  a hill, where  three
giants were sharing their  father’s goods; and as  they saw him pass  they
cried out and said, ‘Little men have  sharp wits; he shall part the  goods
between us.’ Now there was a sword  that cut off an enemy’s head  whenever
the wearer  gave the  words, ‘Heads  off!’; a  cloak that  made the  owner
invisible, or gave  him any  form he  pleased; and  a pair  of boots  that
carried the wearer wherever he wished. Heinel said they must first let him
try these wonderful things,  then he might  know how to  set a value  upon
them. Then they gave him the cloak, and he wished himself a fly, and in  a
moment he was a fly. ‘The cloak is  very well,’ said he: ‘now give me  the
sword.’ ‘No,’ said  they; ‘not  unless you  undertake not  to say,  “Heads
off!” for if you do  we are all dead men.’  So they gave it him,  charging
him to try it on a tree. He next asked for the boots also; and the  moment
he had all three in his power,  he wished himself at the Golden  Mountain;
and there he was at once. So the giants were left behind with no goods  to
share or quarrel about.\par

As Heinel came near his castle he heard the sound of merry music; and  the
people around told him that his queen was about to marry another  husband.
Then he threw his  cloak around him, and  passed through the castle  hall,
and placed himself by  the side of  the queen, where no  one saw him.  But
when anything to eat was  put upon her plate, he  took it away and ate  it
himself; and when a glass of wine was handed to her, he took it and  drank
it; and thus, though they kept on giving her meat and drink, her plate and
cup were always empty.\par

Upon this, fear and remorse came over  her, and she went into her  chamber
alone, and sat there weeping; and he followed her there. ‘Alas!’ said  she
to herself, ‘was I not once set free? Why then does this enchantment still
seem to bind me?’\par

‘False and fickle one!’ said he. ‘One  indeed came who set thee free,  and
he is now near thee again; but how have you used him? Ought he to have had
such treatment from thee?’ Then he went out and sent away the company, and
said the wedding was at an end, for that he was come back to the  kingdom.
But the princes,  peers, and great  men mocked at  him. However, he  would
enter into no parley with  them, but only asked them  if they would go  in
peace or not. Then  they turned upon  him and tried to  seize him; but  he
drew his sword.  ‘Heads Off!’ cried  he; and with  the word the  traitors’
heads fell  before  him, and  Heinel  was once  more  king of  the  Golden
Mountain.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{doctor-knowall}%
\hypertarget{doctor-knowall}{}%
%
\chapter*{Doctor Knowall}


There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two
oxen a load of wood to the town,  and sold it to a doctor for two  talers.
When the money  was being  counted out  to him,  it so  happened that  the
doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how well he ate  and
drank, his heart  desired what  he saw, and  would willingly  have been  a
doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and at length inquired if  he
too could not  be a  doctor. ‘Oh,  yes,’ said  the doctor,  ‘that is  soon
managed.’ ‘What must  I do?’ asked  the peasant. ‘In  the first place  buy
yourself an A B C book of the  kind which has a cock on the  frontispiece;
in the  second, turn  your cart  and your  two oxen  into money,  and  get
yourself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains to medicine;  thirdly,
have a sign painted  for yourself with the  words: “I am Doctor  Knowall,”
and have that nailed up above your house-door.’ The peasant did everything
that he had been told to do.  When he had doctored people awhile, but  not
long, a rich and great lord had some money stolen. Then he was told  about
Doctor Knowall who lived in  such and such a  village, and must know  what
had become of  the money.  So the  lord had  the horses  harnessed to  his
carriage, drove out  to the  village, and asked  Crabb if  he were  Doctor
Knowall. Yes, he was, he said. Then he  was to go with him and bring  back
the stolen money. ‘Oh, yes, but Grete, my wife, must go too.’ The lord was
willing, and let both of  them have a seat in  the carriage, and they  all
drove away together. When  they came to the  nobleman’s castle, the  table
was spread, and Crabb  was told to  sit down and eat.  ‘Yes, but my  wife,
Grete, too,’ said he,  and he seated  himself with her  at the table.  And
when the first  servant came  with a dish  of delicate  fare, the  peasant
nudged his wife, and said: ‘Grete,  that was the first,’ meaning that  was
the servant who brought the first  dish. The servant, however, thought  he
intended by that to say: ‘That is the first thief,’ and as he actually was
so, he was terrified, and said  to his comrade outside: ‘The doctor  knows
all: we shall fare ill, he said I was the first.’ The second did not  want
to go in at  all, but was forced.  So when he went  in with his dish,  the
peasant nudged  his wife,  and said:  ‘Grete, that  is the  second.’  This
servant was equally alarmed, and he got out as fast as he could. The third
fared no better, for the peasant  again said: ‘Grete, that is the  third.’
The fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered, and the lord told  the
doctor that he  was to  show his  skill, and  guess what  was beneath  the
cover. Actually, there were crabs. The  doctor looked at the dish, had  no
idea what to say, and cried: ‘Ah,  poor Crabb.’ When the lord heard  that,
he cried: ‘There! he knows it; he must also know who has the money!’\par

On this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the doctor
that they wished him to step outside for a moment. When therefore he  went
out, all four of them confessed to him that they had stolen the money, and
said that they would willingly  restore it and give  him a heavy sum  into
the bargain, if he would  not denounce them, for if  he did they would  be
hanged. They led him to the spot where the money was concealed. With  this
the doctor was satisfied, and returned to the hall, sat down to the table,
and said:  ‘My lord,  now will  I  search in  my book  where the  gold  is
hidden.’ The fifth servant, however, crept  into the stove to hear if  the
doctor knew still  more. But the  doctor sat still  and opened his  A B  C
book, turned the pages backwards and forwards, and looked for the cock. As
he could not find it  immediately he said: ‘I know  you are there, so  you
had better come out!’ Then the fellow in the stove thought that the doctor
meant him,  and  full of  terror,  sprang  out, crying:  ‘That  man  knows
everything!’ Then Doctor Knowall showed the lord where the money was,  but
did not say who had stolen it, and received from both sides much money  in
reward, and became a renowned man.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-seven-ravens}%
\hypertarget{the-seven-ravens}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Seven Ravens}


There was once a  man who had  seven sons, and last  of all one  daughter.
Although the little girl was very pretty,  she was so weak and small  that
they thought she  could not  live; but  they said  she should  at once  be
christened.\par

So the father  sent one of  his sons in  haste to the  spring to get  some
water, but the other six ran with him. Each wanted to be first at  drawing
the water, and so they  were in such a hurry  that all let their  pitchers
fall into the well, and they stood very foolishly looking at one  another,
and did not know what to do, for  none dared go home. In the meantime  the
father was uneasy,  and could not  tell what  made the young  men stay  so
long. ‘Surely,’ said he, ‘the  whole seven must have forgotten  themselves
over some game of play’; and when he had waited still longer and they  yet
did not come, he flew into a rage and wished them all turned into  ravens.
Scarcely had he spoken these words when he heard a croaking over his head,
and looked up  and saw  seven ravens  as black  as coal  flying round  and
round. Sorry as he was to see his  wish so fulfilled, he did not know  how
what was done could be undone, and  comforted himself as well as he  could
for the loss of  his seven sons  with his dear  little daughter, who  soon
became stronger and every day more beautiful.\par

For a long time she did not know  that she had ever had any brothers;  for
her father and mother took care not  to speak of them before her: but  one
day by chance she heard  the people about her  speak of them. ‘Yes,’  said
they, ‘she is beautiful  indeed, but still ’tis  a pity that her  brothers
should have been lost for her sake.’  Then she was much grieved, and  went
to her father and mother, and asked if she had any brothers, and what  had
become of them. So they dared no longer hide the truth from her, but  said
it was the will of Heaven, and that her birth was only the innocent  cause
of it; but the little girl mourned  sadly about it every day, and  thought
herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back; and she  had
neither rest nor ease, till at length one day she stole away, and set  out
into the wide world to find her brothers, wherever they might be, and free
them, whatever it might cost her.\par

She took nothing with her  but a little ring  which her father and  mother
had given her,  a loaf of  bread in case  she should be  hungry, a  little
pitcher of water in case she should be thirsty, and a little stool to rest
upon when she should be weary. Thus she went on and on, and journeyed till
she came to the world’s end; then she came to the sun, but the sun  looked
much too hot and fiery; so she ran away quickly to the moon, but the  moon
was cold and chilly, and said, ‘I smell flesh and blood this way!’ so  she
took herself away in  a hurry and  came to the stars,  and the stars  were
friendly and kind to her, and each star sat upon his own little stool; but
the morning star rose up  and gave her a little  piece of wood, and  said,
‘If you have not this little piece  of wood, you cannot unlock the  castle
that stands  on the  glass-mountain, and  there your  brothers live.’  The
little girl took the piece  of wood, rolled it up  in a little cloth,  and
went on again  until she came  to the glass-mountain,  and found the  door
shut. Then she felt for the little  piece of wood; but when she  unwrapped
the cloth it was not there, and she saw she had lost the gift of the  good
stars. What was to be  done? She wanted to save  her brothers, and had  no
key of the castle  of the glass-mountain; so  this faithful little  sister
took a knife out  of her pocket  and cut off her  little finger, that  was
just the size of the piece  of wood she had lost,  and put it in the  door
and opened it.\par

As she went in,  a little dwarf came  up to her, and  said, ‘What are  you
seeking for?’ ‘I seek  for my brothers, the  seven ravens,’ answered  she.
Then the dwarf said,  ‘My masters are  not at home; but  if you will  wait
till they come,  pray step  in.’ Now the  little dwarf  was getting  their
dinner ready, and  he brought  their food  upon seven  little plates,  and
their drink in seven little glasses, and set them upon the table, and  out
of each little  plate their  sister ate  a small  piece, and  out of  each
little glass she drank  a small drop;  but she let the  ring that she  had
brought with her fall into the last glass.\par

On a sudden she heard a fluttering and croaking in the air, and the  dwarf
said, ‘Here come my masters.’  When they came in,  they wanted to eat  and
drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said one after
the other,\par

‘Who has eaten from my little plate?  And who has been drinking out of  my
little glass?’\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Caw! Caw! well I ween \\
Mortal lips have this way been.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

When the seventh  came to the  bottom of  his glass, and  found there  the
ring, he looked at it, and knew that it was his father’s and mother’s, and
said, ‘O that our little sister would  but come! then we should be  free.’
When the little girl  heard this (for  she stood behind  the door all  the
time and listened), she ran forward, and in an instant all the ravens took
their right form  again; and all  hugged and kissed  each other, and  went
merrily home.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-wedding-of-mrs-fox}%
\hypertarget{the-wedding-of-mrs-fox}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Wedding Of Mrs Fox}


\penalty-300%
\label{first-story}%
\hypertarget{first-story}{}%
%
\section*{First Story}


There was once upon a time an  old fox with nine tails, who believed  that
his wife was not faithful  to him, and wished to  put her to the test.  He
stretched himself out under the bench, did not move a limb, and behaved as
if he were stone dead. Mrs Fox went  up to her room, shut herself in,  and
her maid, Miss Cat, sat by the  fire, and did the cooking. When it  became
known that the old  fox was dead, suitors  presented themselves. The  maid
heard someone standing at  the house-door, knocking.  She went and  opened
it, and it was a young fox, who said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘What may you be about, Miss Cat? \\
Do you sleep or do you wake?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

She answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘I am not sleeping, I am waking, \\
Would you know what I am making? \\
I am boiling warm beer with butter, \\
Will you be my guest for supper?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘No, thank you, miss,’  said the fox,  ‘what is Mrs  Fox doing?’ The  maid
replied:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘She is sitting in her room, \\
Moaning in her gloom, \\
Weeping her little eyes quite red, \\
Because old Mr Fox is dead.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘Do just tell her, miss, that a young  fox is here, who would like to  woo
her.’ ‘Certainly, young sir.’\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
The cat goes up the stairs trip, trap, \\
The door she knocks at tap, tap, tap, \\
‘Mistress Fox, are you inside?’ \\
‘Oh, yes, my little cat,’ she cried. \\
‘A wooer he stands at the door out there.’ \\
‘What does he look like, my dear?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘Has he nine as beautiful  tails as the late  Mr Fox?’ ‘Oh, no,’  answered
the cat, ‘he has only one.’ ‘Then I will not have him.’\par

Miss Cat went downstairs  and sent the wooer  away. Soon afterwards  there
was another knock, and another fox was  at the door who wished to woo  Mrs
Fox. He had two tails,  but he did not fare  better than the first.  After
this still more came,  each with one  tail more than  the other, but  they
were all turned away, until at last one came who had nine tails, like  old
Mr Fox. When the widow heard that, she said joyfully to the cat:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Now open the gates and doors all wide, \\
And carry old Mr Fox outside.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

But just as the  wedding was going  to be solemnized,  old Mr Fox  stirred
under the bench, and cudgelled all the rabble, and drove them and Mrs  Fox
out of the house.\par

\penalty-300%
\label{second-story}%
\hypertarget{second-story}{}%
%
\section*{Second Story}


When old Mr Fox was  dead, the wolf came as  a suitor, and knocked at  the
door, and the cat who was servant to Mrs Fox, opened it for him. The  wolf
greeted her, and said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Good day, Mrs Cat of Kehrewit, \\
How comes it that alone you sit? \\
What are you making good?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The cat replied:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘In milk I’m breaking bread so sweet, \\
Will you be my guest, and eat?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

‘No, thank you, Mrs Cat,’ answered the wolf. ‘Is Mrs Fox not at home?’\par

The cat said:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘She sits upstairs in her room, \\
Bewailing her sorrowful doom, \\
Bewailing her trouble so sore, \\
For old Mr Fox is no more.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

The wolf answered:\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘If she’s in want of a husband now, \\
Then will it please her to step below?’ \\
The cat runs quickly up the stair, \\
And lets her tail fly here and there, \\
Until she comes to the parlour door. \\
With her five gold rings at the door she knocks: \\
‘Are you within, good Mistress Fox? \\
If you’re in want of a husband now, \\
Then will it please you to step below?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Mrs Fox asked: ‘Has the gentleman red  stockings on, and has he a  pointed
mouth?’ ‘No,’ answered the cat. ‘Then he won’t do for me.’\par

When the wolf was gone, came  a dog, a stag, a  hare, a bear, a lion,  and
all the beasts of  the forest, one  after the other. But  one of the  good
qualities which old Mr Fox had possessed, was always lacking, and the  cat
had continually to send the suitors away. At length came a young fox. Then
Mrs Fox  said: ‘Has  the gentleman  red  stockings on,  and has  a  little
pointed mouth?’  ‘Yes,’  said  the  cat, ‘he  has.’  ‘Then  let  him  come
upstairs,’ said Mrs Fox,  and ordered the servant  to prepare the  wedding
feast.\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
‘Sweep me the room as clean as you can, \\
Up with the window, fling out my old man! \\
For many a fine fat mouse he brought, \\
Yet of his wife he never thought, \\
But ate up every one he caught.’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

Then the wedding  was solemnized  with young Mr  Fox, and  there was  much
rejoicing and dancing;  and if they  have not left  off, they are  dancing
still.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-salad}%
\hypertarget{the-salad}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Salad}


As a merry  young huntsman was  once going briskly  along through a  wood,
there came up a little  old woman, and said to  him, ‘Good day, good  day;
you seem  merry enough,  but I  am hungry  and thirsty;  do pray  give  me
something to eat.’ The huntsman took pity on her, and put his hand in  his
pocket and gave her  what he had. Then  he wanted to go  his way; but  she
took hold of him, and said, ‘Listen, my friend, to what I am going to tell
you; I will reward you for your kindness; go your way, and after a  little
time you will come to  a tree where you will  see nine birds sitting on  a
cloak. Shoot into  the midst of  them, and  one will fall  down dead:  the
cloak will fall too; take it, it is a wishing-cloak, and when you wear  it
you will find yourself at any place where you may wish to be. Cut open the
dead bird, take out its  heart and keep it, and  you will find a piece  of
gold under your pillow every morning when you rise. It is the bird’s heart
that will bring you this good luck.’\par

The huntsman  thanked her,  and  thought to  himself,  ‘If all  this  does
happen, it will be a fine thing for me.’ When he had gone a hundred  steps
or so, he heard  a screaming and  chirping in the  branches over him,  and
looked up and saw a  flock of birds pulling a  cloak with their bills  and
feet; screaming, fighting, and tugging at each other as if each wished  to
have it  himself. ‘Well,’  said  the huntsman,  ‘this is  wonderful;  this
happens just as the old woman said’;  then he shot into the midst of  them
so that their feathers flew all about. Off went the flock chattering away;
but one fell down dead,  and the cloak with it.  Then the huntsman did  as
the old woman told him, cut open the bird, took out the heart, and carried
the cloak home with him.\par

The next morning when he awoke he lifted up his pillow, and there lay  the
piece of  gold glittering  underneath;  the same  happened next  day,  and
indeed every day when he arose. He heaped up a great deal of gold, and  at
last thought to himself, ‘Of  what use is this gold  to me whilst I am  at
home? I will go out into the world and look about me.’\par

Then he took  leave of his  friends, and hung  his bag and  bow about  his
neck, and went his way. It so happened that his road one day led through a
thick wood, at the end of which was a large castle in a green meadow,  and
at one of the windows stood an old woman with a very beautiful young  lady
by her side looking about them. Now the old woman was a witch, and said to
the young lady, ‘There is a young man coming out of the wood who carries a
wonderful prize; we must get  it away from him, my  dear child, for it  is
more fit for us than for him. He has a bird’s heart that brings a piece of
gold under his pillow  every morning.’ Meantime  the huntsman came  nearer
and looked at the lady,  and said to himself,  ‘I have been travelling  so
long that I should like to go into this castle and rest myself, for I have
money enough to pay for anything I want’; but the real reason was, that he
wanted to see more of the beautiful lady. Then he went into the house, and
was welcomed kindly; and  it was not  long before he was  so much in  love
that he thought of nothing else but looking at the lady’s eyes, and  doing
everything that she wished. Then the old woman said, ‘Now is the time  for
getting the bird’s heart.’ So the lady  stole it away, and he never  found
any more gold under his pillow, for it lay now under the young lady’s, and
the old woman took it away every morning; but he was so much in love  that
he never missed his prize.\par

‘Well,’ said the old  witch, ‘we have  got the bird’s  heart, but not  the
wishing-cloak yet, and that  we must also get.’  ‘Let us leave him  that,’
said the young lady; ‘he has already lost his wealth.’ Then the witch  was
very angry, and said, ‘Such  a cloak is a  very rare and wonderful  thing,
and I must and will have  it.’ So she did as  the old woman told her,  and
set herself at the  window, and looked about  the country and seemed  very
sorrowful; then the huntsman  said, ‘What makes you  so sad?’ ‘Alas!  dear
sir,’ said  she,  ‘yonder lies  the  granite  rock where  all  the  costly
diamonds grow, and I want so much to go there, that whenever I think of it
I cannot help being sorrowful,  for who can reach  it? only the birds  and
the flies—man  cannot.’ ‘If  that’s all  your grief,’  said the  huntsman,
‘I’ll take there with all my heart’;  so he drew her under his cloak,  and
the moment he wished to be on  the granite mountain they were both  there.
The diamonds glittered so on all  sides that they were delighted with  the
sight and picked up the finest. But  the old witch made a deep sleep  come
upon him,  and he  said to  the  young lady,  ‘Let us  sit down  and  rest
ourselves a little, I am so tired that I cannot stand any longer.’ So they
sat down, and he laid his head in  her lap and fell asleep; and whilst  he
was sleeping on she took the cloak from his shoulders, hung it on her own,
picked up the diamonds, and wished herself home again.\par

When he awoke and found that his lady had tricked him, and left him  alone
on the wild rock, he said, ‘Alas! what roguery there is in the world!’ and
there he sat in  great grief and  fear, not knowing what  to do. Now  this
rock belonged to fierce giants who lived  upon it; and as he saw three  of
them striding about,  he thought to  himself, ‘I can  only save myself  by
feigning to be asleep’; so he laid himself  down as if he were in a  sound
sleep. When the giants came up to him, the first pushed him with his foot,
and said, ‘What worm is  this that lies here  curled up?’ ‘Tread upon  him
and kill him,’  said the second.  ‘It’s not worth  the trouble,’ said  the
third; ‘let him live, he’ll go  climbing higher up the mountain, and  some
cloud will come rolling and carry him  away.’ And they passed on. But  the
huntsman had  heard all  they said;  and as  soon as  they were  gone,  he
climbed to the top of the mountain, and when he had sat there a short time
a cloud came rolling around  him, and caught him  in a whirlwind and  bore
him along for some time,  till it settled in a  garden, and he fell  quite
gently to the ground amongst the greens and cabbages.\par

Then he looked around him,  and said, ‘I wish I  had something to eat,  if
not I shall be worse  off than before; for here  I see neither apples  nor
pears, nor any kind of fruits, nothing but vegetables.’ At last he thought
to himself, ‘I can eat  salad, it will refresh  and strengthen me.’ So  he
picked out a fine head  and ate of it; but  scarcely had he swallowed  two
bites when he felt himself quite changed, and saw with horror that he  was
turned into an  ass. However,  he still felt  very hungry,  and the  salad
tasted very nice; so he ate on till he came to another kind of salad,  and
scarcely had he tasted it when he  felt another change come over him,  and
soon saw that he was lucky enough to have found his old shape again.\par

Then he laid himself  down and slept  off a little  of his weariness;  and
when he awoke the next  morning he broke off a  head both of the good  and
the bad salad, and thought  to himself, ‘This will  help me to my  fortune
again, and enable me  to pay off  some folks for  their treachery.’ So  he
went away to try and find the  castle of his friends; and after  wandering
about a few days he  luckily found it. Then he  stained his face all  over
brown, so that even his mother would not have known him, and went into the
castle and asked for a lodging; ‘I am  so tired,’ said he, ‘that I can  go
no farther.’ ‘Countryman,’ said the witch, ‘who are you? and what is  your
business?’ ‘I am,’  said he, ‘a  messenger sent  by the king  to find  the
finest salad that grows under  the sun. I have  been lucky enough to  find
it, and have brought it with me; but the heat of the sun scorches so  that
it begins to wither, and I don’t know that I can carry it farther.’\par

When the  witch and  the young  lady heard  of his  beautiful salad,  they
longed to taste it, and said, ‘Dear countryman, let us just taste it.’ ‘To
be sure,’ answered he; ‘I have two heads of it with me, and will give  you
one’; so he opened his bag and  gave them the bad. Then the witch  herself
took it into the kitchen  to be dressed; and when  it was ready she  could
not wait till it was carried up, but took a few leaves immediately and put
them in her mouth, and scarcely were they swallowed when she lost her  own
form and ran braying down  into the court in the  form of an ass. Now  the
servant-maid came into the kitchen, and seeing the salad ready, was  going
to carry it up; but on the way she too felt a wish to taste it as the  old
woman had done, and ate  some leaves; so she also  was turned into an  ass
and ran after  the other,  letting the  dish with  the salad  fall on  the
ground. The messenger sat all this time with the beautiful young lady, and
as nobody came with  the salad and  she longed to taste  it, she said,  ‘I
don’t know where the  salad can be.’ Then  he thought something must  have
happened, and said, ‘I will go into  the kitchen and see.’ And as he  went
he saw two asses in  the court running about, and  the salad lying on  the
ground. ‘All right!’ said  he; ‘those two have  had their share.’ Then  he
took up the rest of the leaves, laid them on the dish and brought them  to
the young lady, saying, ‘I bring you the dish myself that you may not wait
any longer.’ So she ate of it, and like the others ran off into the  court
braying away.\par

Then the huntsman washed his face and went into the court that they  might
know him. ‘Now you shall be paid for your roguery,’ said he; and tied them
all three to a rope and  took them along with him  till he came to a  mill
and knocked at the window. ‘What’s  the matter?’ said the miller. ‘I  have
three tiresome beasts here,’ said the other; ‘if you will take them,  give
them food and room, and treat them as I tell you, I will pay you  whatever
you ask.’ ‘With all  my heart,’ said  the miller; ‘but  how shall I  treat
them?’ Then the huntsman said, ‘Give the old one stripes three times a day
and hay once; give the next (who was the servant-maid) stripes once a  day
and hay three times;  and give the youngest  (who was the beautiful  lady)
hay three times a  day and no stripes’:  for he could not  find it in  his
heart to have her beaten. After this he went back to the castle, where  he
found everything he wanted.\par

Some days after, the miller came to him and told him that the old ass  was
dead; ‘The other two,’ said he, ‘are  alive and eat, but are so  sorrowful
that they cannot last long.’ Then  the huntsman pitied them, and told  the
miller to drive them back to him, and when they came, he gave them some of
the good salad to eat.  And the beautiful young  lady fell upon her  knees
before him, and said, ‘O dearest huntsman!  forgive me all the ill I  have
done you; my mother forced me to it, it was against my will, for I  always
loved you very much. Your wishing-cloak hangs up in the closet, and as for
the bird’s heart, I will give it you too.’ But he said, ‘Keep it, it  will
be just the  same thing, for  I mean to  make you my  wife.’ So they  were
married, and lived together very happily till they died.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{the-story-of-the-youth-who-went-forth-to-learn-what-fear-was}%
\hypertarget{the-story-of-the-youth-who-went-forth-to-learn-what-fear-was}{}%
%
\chapter*{The Story Of The Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was}


A certain father had two  sons, the elder of  who was smart and  sensible,
and could do  everything, but  the younger  was stupid  and could  neither
learn nor understand anything, and when people saw him they said: ‘There’s
a fellow who will give his father  some trouble!’ When anything had to  be
done, it was always the elder who was  forced to do it; but if his  father
bade him fetch anything when  it was late, or  in the night-time, and  the
way led through the  churchyard, or any other  dismal place, he  answered:
‘Oh, no  father, I’ll  not go  there, it  makes me  shudder!’ for  he  was
afraid. Or when  stories were told  by the  fire at night  which made  the
flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said: ‘Oh, it makes us shudder!’  The
younger sat in a corner and listened with the rest of them, and could  not
imagine what  they could  mean.  ‘They are  always  saying: “It  makes  me
shudder, it makes me shudder!” It  does not make me shudder,’ thought  he.
‘That, too, must be an art of which I understand nothing!’\par

Now it came to pass that his father  said to him one day: ‘Hearken to  me,
you fellow in the corner there, you  are growing tall and strong, and  you
too must learn something by which you  can earn your bread. Look how  your
brother works, but  you do not  even earn your  salt.’ ‘Well, father,’  he
replied, ‘I am quite willing to learn something—indeed, if it could but be
managed, I should like to learn how to shudder. I don’t understand that at
all yet.’ The  elder brother  smiled when he  heard that,  and thought  to
himself: ‘Goodness, what  a blockhead  that brother  of mine  is! He  will
never be good  for anything  as long as  he lives!  He who wants  to be  a
sickle must bend himself betimes.’\par

The father sighed, and answered him: ‘You  shall soon learn what it is  to
shudder, but you will not earn your bread by that.’\par

Soon after this the sexton  came to the house on  a visit, and the  father
bewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was so backward  in
every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing. ‘Just think,’  said
he, ‘when I  asked him how  he was going  to earn his  bread, he  actually
wanted to learn to shudder.’ ‘If that be all,’ replied the sexton, ‘he can
learn that with  me. Send  him to  me, and I  will soon  polish him.’  The
father was  glad to  do it,  for  he thought:  ‘It will  train the  boy  a
little.’ The sexton therefore took him into his house, and he had to  ring
the church bell. After a day or two, the sexton awoke him at midnight, and
bade him arise and  go up into  the church tower and  ring the bell.  ‘You
shall soon learn what shuddering is,’ thought he, and secretly went  there
before him; and when the boy was at the top of the tower and turned round,
and was just going to  take hold of the bell  rope, he saw a white  figure
standing on the stairs opposite the  sounding hole. ‘Who is there?’  cried
he, but the  figure made  no reply,  and did not  move or  stir. ‘Give  an
answer,’ cried the boy, ‘or take  yourself off, you have no business  here
at night.’\par

The sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might think
he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time: ‘What do you want here?—speak
if you are  an honest fellow,  or I will  throw you down  the steps!’  The
sexton thought: ‘He  can’t mean to  be as  bad as his  words,’ uttered  no
sound and stood as if  he were made of stone.  Then the boy called to  him
for the third time, and as that was also to no purpose, he ran against him
and pushed the ghost down the stairs,  so that it fell down the ten  steps
and remained lying  there in a  corner. Thereupon he  rang the bell,  went
home, and without saying a word went to bed, and fell asleep. The sexton’s
wife waited a  long time for  her husband, but  he did not  come back.  At
length she became  uneasy, and wakened  the boy, and  asked: ‘Do you  know
where my husband is? He climbed up the tower before you did.’ ‘No, I don’t
know,’ replied the boy, ‘but someone was standing by the sounding hole  on
the other side of the steps, and as he would neither gave an answer nor go
away, I took him for a scoundrel, and threw him downstairs. Just go  there
and you will see if it  was he. I should be  sorry if it were.’ The  woman
ran away and found her husband, who  was lying moaning in the corner,  and
had broken his leg.\par

She carried him down, and then with loud screams she hastened to the boy’s
father, ‘Your boy,’ cried she, ‘has been the cause of a great  misfortune!
He has thrown my husband down the steps so that he broke his leg. Take the
good-for-nothing fellow out of our  house.’ The father was terrified,  and
ran thither and scolded the boy. ‘What wicked tricks are these?’ said  he.
‘The devil must have put them  into your head.’ ‘Father,’ he replied,  ‘do
listen to me. I am quite innocent. He was standing there by night like one
intent on doing evil. I did not know who it was, and I entreated him three
times either to  speak or  to go  away.’ ‘Ah,’  said the  father, ‘I  have
nothing but unhappiness with you.  Go out of my sight.  I will see you  no
more.’\par

‘Yes, father, right willingly, wait only until  it is day. Then will I  go
forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,  understand
one art which will support me.’  ‘Learn what you will,’ spoke the  father,
‘it is all the same to me. Here  are fifty talers for you. Take these  and
go into the wide world, and tell no  one from whence you come, and who  is
your father, for I  have reason to  be ashamed of  you.’ ‘Yes, father,  it
shall be as you will. If you  desire nothing more than that, I can  easily
keep it in mind.’\par

When the day  dawned, therefore,  the boy put  his fifty  talers into  his
pocket, and  went forth  on the  great highway,  and continually  said  to
himself: ‘If I  could but shudder!  If I  could but shudder!’  Then a  man
approached who heard this  conversation which the  youth was holding  with
himself, and when they had walked a little farther to where they could see
the gallows, the man said to him: ‘Look, there is the tree where seven men
have married the ropemaker’s  daughter, and are now  learning how to  fly.
Sit down beneath it, and  wait till night comes,  and you will soon  learn
how to shudder.’ ‘If that is all that is wanted,’ answered the youth,  ‘it
is easily done; but if I learn how  to shudder as fast as that, you  shall
have my fifty talers. Just come back to me early in the morning.’ Then the
youth went to the  gallows, sat down beneath  it, and waited till  evening
came. And as he was cold, he  lighted himself a fire, but at midnight  the
wind blew so sharply that in spite of his fire, he could not get warm. And
as the wind  knocked the  hanged men against  each other,  and they  moved
backwards and forwards, he thought to himself: ‘If you shiver below by the
fire, how those up above must freeze and suffer!’ And as he felt pity  for
them, he raised the ladder, and climbed up, unbound one of them after  the
other, and brought down all seven. Then  he stoked the fire, blew it,  and
set them all round it to warm  themselves. But they sat there and did  not
stir, and the fire caught their clothes. So he said: ‘Take care, or I will
hang you up again.’ The  dead men, however, did  not hear, but were  quite
silent, and let their rags go on burning. At this he grew angry, and said:
‘If you will not take  care, I cannot help you,  I will not be burnt  with
you,’ and he hung them up again each in his turn. Then he sat down by  his
fire and fell asleep, and the next morning the man came to him and  wanted
to have the fifty  talers, and said:  ‘Well do you  know how to  shudder?’
‘No,’ answered he, ‘how should I know? Those fellows up there did not open
their mouths, and were so stupid that they let the few old rags which they
had on their bodies get burnt.’ Then the man saw that he would not get the
fifty talers that day, and went away saying: ‘Such a youth has never  come
my way before.’\par

The youth likewise went his way, and once more began to mutter to himself:
‘Ah, if I could but shudder! Ah,  if I could but shudder!’ A waggoner  who
was striding behind  him heard  this and asked:  ‘Who are  you?’ ‘I  don’t
know,’ answered the youth.  Then the waggoner asked:  ‘From whence do  you
come?’ ‘I know  not.’ ‘Who is  your father?’  ‘That I may  not tell  you.’
‘What is  it that  you are  always muttering  between your  teeth?’  ‘Ah,’
replied the youth, ‘I do so wish I could shudder, but no one can teach  me
how.’ ‘Enough of your foolish chatter,’ said the waggoner. ‘Come, go  with
me, I will see about a place  for you.’ The youth went with the  waggoner,
and in the evening they  arrived at an inn where  they wished to pass  the
night. Then at  the entrance  of the parlour  the youth  again said  quite
loudly: ‘If I could  but shudder! If  I could but  shudder!’ The host  who
heard this, laughed and said: ‘If that is your desire, there ought to be a
good opportunity for  you here.’ ‘Ah,  be silent,’ said  the hostess,  ‘so
many prying persons have already lost their lives, it would be a pity  and
a shame if  such beautiful  eyes as these  should never  see the  daylight
again.’\par

But the youth said:  ‘However difficult it  may be, I  will learn it.  For
this purpose indeed have I journeyed forth.’ He let the host have no rest,
until the latter told him, that not far from thence stood a haunted castle
where anyone could very easily learn what shuddering was, if he would  but
watch in it  for three nights.  The king  had promised that  he who  would
venture should have his daughter to  wife, and she was the most  beautiful
maiden the sun shone on. Likewise in the castle lay great treasures, which
were guarded by evil spirits, and these treasures would then be freed, and
would make a  poor man rich  enough. Already  many men had  gone into  the
castle, but as  yet none  had come  out again.  Then the  youth went  next
morning to the king, and said: ‘If  it be allowed, I will willingly  watch
three nights in the haunted castle.’\par

The king looked at him,  and as the youth pleased  him, he said: ‘You  may
ask for three things to  take into the castle with  you, but they must  be
things without life.’ Then he answered: ‘Then I ask for a fire, a  turning
lathe, and a cutting-board with the knife.’\par

The king had these things carried into the castle for him during the  day.
When night was drawing near, the youth  went up and made himself a  bright
fire in one of  the rooms, placed the  cutting-board and knife beside  it,
and seated himself  by the turning-lathe.  ‘Ah, if I  could but  shudder!’
said he, ‘but I shall not learn  it here either.’ Towards midnight he  was
about to poke his fire, and as he was blowing it, something cried suddenly
from one corner: ‘Au, miau! how cold we are!’ ‘You fools!’ cried he, ‘what
are you crying about? If  you are cold, come and  take a seat by the  fire
and warm yourselves.’ And when he had said that, two great black cats came
with one tremendous  leap and sat  down on  each side of  him, and  looked
savagely at him with their fiery eyes.  After a short time, when they  had
warmed themselves, they said:  ‘Comrade, shall we have  a game of  cards?’
‘Why not?’ he replied, ‘but just  show me your paws.’ Then they  stretched
out their claws. ‘Oh,’ said  he, ‘what long nails  you have! Wait, I  must
first cut them for you.’ Thereupon he seized them by the throats, put them
on the cutting-board and screwed their  feet fast. ‘I have looked at  your
fingers,’ said he, ‘and my fancy for card-playing has gone,’ and he struck
them dead and threw  them out into  the water. But when  he had made  away
with these two,  and was about  to sit down  again by his  fire, out  from
every hole and corner came black cats and black dogs with red-hot  chains,
and more and more  of them came  until he could no  longer move, and  they
yelled horribly, and got on  his fire, pulled it  to pieces, and tried  to
put it out. He  watched them for  a while quietly, but  at last when  they
were going too  far, he seized  his cutting-knife, and  cried: ‘Away  with
you, vermin,’ and  began to  cut them  down. Some  of them  ran away,  the
others he killed, and threw out into  the fish-pond. When he came back  he
fanned the embers of  his fire again  and warmed himself.  And as he  thus
sat, his eyes would keep  open no longer, and he  felt a desire to  sleep.
Then he looked round and saw a great bed in the corner. ‘That is the  very
thing for me,’ said he,  and got into it. When  he was just going to  shut
his eyes, however, the bed began to move of its own accord, and went  over
the whole of the  castle. ‘That’s right,’ said  he, ‘but go faster.’  Then
the bed rolled on as if six horses were harnessed to it, up and down, over
thresholds and stairs, but suddenly hop, hop, it turned over upside  down,
and lay on him like a mountain. But he threw quilts and pillows up in  the
air, got out and said: ‘Now anyone who likes, may drive,’ and lay down  by
his fire, and slept  till it was  day. In the morning  the king came,  and
when he saw him lying there on the ground, he thought the evil spirits had
killed him and he was dead. Then said he: ‘After all it is a pity,—for  so
handsome a man.’ The youth heard it, got up, and said: ‘It has not come to
that yet.’ Then the king was astonished,  but very glad, and asked how  he
had fared. ‘Very well  indeed,’ answered he; ‘one  night is past, the  two
others will pass likewise.’ Then he went to the innkeeper, who opened  his
eyes very wide, and said: ‘I never  expected to see you alive again!  Have
you learnt how  to shudder yet?’  ‘No,’ said he,  ‘it is all  in vain.  If
someone would but tell me!’\par

The second night he  again went up  into the old castle,  sat down by  the
fire, and once more  began his old  song: ‘If I  could but shudder!’  When
midnight came, an uproar and noise  of tumbling about was heard; at  first
it was low, but it grew louder and louder. Then it was quiet for a  while,
and at length with  a loud scream,  half a man came  down the chimney  and
fell before him. ‘Hullo!’ cried he, ‘another half belongs to this. This is
not enough!’ Then the uproar began again, there was a roaring and howling,
and the other half fell down likewise. ‘Wait,’ said he, ‘I will just stoke
up the fire  a little for  you.’ When he  had done that  and looked  round
again, the two pieces were joined together, and a hideous man was  sitting
in his place. ‘That is no part of our bargain,’ said the youth, ‘the bench
is mine.’ The man wanted to push  him away; the youth, however, would  not
allow that, but thrust him off  with all his strength, and seated  himself
again in his  own place.  Then still  more men  fell down,  one after  the
other; they brought nine dead men’s legs  and two skulls, and set them  up
and played at nine-pins with them. The youth also wanted to play and said:
‘Listen you,  can  I join  you?’  ‘Yes, if  you  have any  money.’  ‘Money
enough,’ replied he, ‘but  your balls are not  quite round.’ Then he  took
the skulls and put them in the lathe and turned them till they were round.
‘There, now they will roll better!’ said he. ‘Hurrah! now we’ll have fun!’
He played with them and lost some of his money, but when it struck twelve,
everything vanished from his sight. He  lay down and quietly fell  asleep.
Next morning the king came  to inquire after him.  ‘How has it fared  with
you this time?’ asked he. ‘I have been playing at nine-pins,’ he answered,
‘and have lost  a couple  of farthings.’  ‘Have you  not shuddered  then?’
‘What?’ said he, ‘I have had a wonderful  time! If I did but know what  it
was to shudder!’\par

The third night he sat down again on his bench and said quite sadly: ‘If I
could but shudder.’ When it grew late, six tall men came in and brought  a
coffin. Then he  said: ‘Ha, ha,  that is certainly  my little cousin,  who
died only a few  days ago,’ and  he beckoned with  his finger, and  cried:
‘Come, little cousin, come.’ They placed the coffin on the ground, but  he
went to it and took the lid off,  and a dead man lay therein. He felt  his
face, but it was cold as ice. ‘Wait,’ said he, ‘I will warm you a little,’
and went to the  fire and warmed his  hand and laid it  on the dead  man’s
face, but he remained cold. Then he took him out, and sat down by the fire
and laid  him on  his breast  and rubbed  his arms  that the  blood  might
circulate again. As this  also did no good,  he thought to himself:  ‘When
two people lie in bed together, they warm each other,’ and carried him  to
the bed, covered him over and lay down by him. After a short time the dead
man became warm too, and began to move. Then said the youth, ‘See,  little
cousin, have I not warmed you?’ The  dead man, however, got up and  cried:
‘Now will I strangle you.’\par

‘What!’ said he, ‘is that the way you thank me? You shall at once go  into
your coffin again,’ and he  took him up, threw him  into it, and shut  the
lid. Then came the six men and carried him away again. ‘I cannot manage to
shudder,’ said he. ‘I shall never learn it here as long as I live.’\par

Then a man entered who was taller than all others, and looked terrible. He
was old, however, and had a long white beard. ‘You wretch,’ cried he, ‘you
shall soon learn what it is to shudder, for you shall die.’ ‘Not so fast,’
replied the youth. ‘If I am to die, I shall have to have a say in it.’  ‘I
will soon seize you,’ said the fiend. ‘Softly, softly, do not talk so big.
I am as strong  as you are,  and perhaps even  stronger.’ ‘We shall  see,’
said the old man. ‘If  you are stronger, I will  let you go—come, we  will
try.’ Then he led him  by dark passages to a  smith’s forge, took an  axe,
and with one blow struck an anvil  into the ground. ‘I can do better  than
that,’ said the youth,  and went to  the other anvil.  The old man  placed
himself near and wanted to  look on, and his  white beard hung down.  Then
the youth seized the axe, split the anvil with one blow, and in it  caught
the old man’s beard.  ‘Now I have  you,’ said the youth.  ‘Now it is  your
turn to die.’  Then he seized  an iron bar  and beat the  old man till  he
moaned and entreated him to stop, when he would give him great riches. The
youth drew out the axe and let him  go. The old man led him back into  the
castle, and in a cellar showed him three chests full of gold. ‘Of  these,’
said he, ‘one  part is for  the poor, the  other for the  king, the  third
yours.’ In the meantime it struck  twelve, and the spirit disappeared,  so
that the youth stood in  darkness. ‘I shall still be  able to find my  way
out,’ said he,  and felt about,  found the  way into the  room, and  slept
there by his fire. Next morning the king came and said: ‘Now you must have
learnt what shuddering is?’  ‘No,’ he answered; ‘what  can it be? My  dead
cousin was here,  and a bearded  man came and  showed me a  great deal  of
money down below, but no one told me what it was to shudder.’ ‘Then,’ said
the king, ‘you have saved the castle, and shall marry my daughter.’  ‘That
is all  very well,’  said he,  ‘but still  I do  not know  what it  is  to
shudder!’\par

Then the gold  was brought up  and the wedding  celebrated; but  howsoever
much the young king  loved his wife,  and however happy  he was, he  still
said always: ‘If I could but shudder—if I could but shudder.’ And this  at
last angered her. Her waiting-maid said: ‘I  will find a cure for him;  he
shall soon learn what it is to shudder.’ She went out to the stream  which
flowed through the garden, and had  a whole bucketful of gudgeons  brought
to her. At night when  the young king was sleeping,  his wife was to  draw
the clothes off  him and  empty the  bucket full  of cold  water with  the
gudgeons in it over him, so that the little fishes would sprawl about him.
Then he woke up and  cried: ‘Oh, what makes  me shudder so?—what makes  me
shudder so, dear wife? Ah! now I know what it is to shudder!’\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{king-grisly-beard}%
\hypertarget{king-grisly-beard}{}%
%
\chapter*{King Grisly-Beard}


A great king of a land  far away in the East  had a daughter who was  very
beautiful, but so  proud, and  haughty, and  conceited, that  none of  the
princes who came to ask her in  marriage was good enough for her, and  she
only made sport of them.\par

Once upon a time the  king held a great feast,  and asked thither all  her
suitors; and they all sat in a row, ranged according to their  rank—kings,
and princes, and dukes,  and earls, and counts,  and barons, and  knights.
Then the princess came  in, and as  she passed by  them she had  something
spiteful to say to every one. The first  was too fat: ‘He’s as round as  a
tub,’ said she. The  next was too  tall: ‘What a  maypole!’ said she.  The
next was too short: ‘What a dumpling!’ said she. The fourth was too  pale,
and she called him ‘Wallface.’  The fifth was too  red, so she called  him
‘Coxcomb.’ The sixth was not  straight enough; so she  said he was like  a
green stick, that had been laid to  dry over a baker’s oven. And thus  she
had some joke to crack upon every one: but she laughed more than all at  a
good king who was there.  ‘Look at him,’ said she;  ‘his beard is like  an
old mop; he shall be called Grisly-beard.’ So the king got the nickname of
Grisly-beard.\par

But the old king was very angry when he saw how his daughter behaved,  and
how she  ill-treated  all  his  guests; and  he  vowed  that,  willing  or
unwilling, she should marry  the first man, be  he prince or beggar,  that
came to the door.\par

Two days after there came by a travelling fiddler, who began to play under
the window and beg alms;  and when the king heard  him, he said, ‘Let  him
come in.’ So they brought in a dirty-looking fellow; and when he had  sung
before the king and the  princess, he begged a  boon. Then the king  said,
‘You have sung so well, that I  will give you my daughter for your  wife.’
The princess begged and prayed; but the  king said, ‘I have sworn to  give
you to the first comer, and I will keep my word.’ So words and tears  were
of no avail; the parson was sent for, and she was married to the  fiddler.
When this was over the king said,  ‘Now get ready to go—you must not  stay
here—you must travel on with your husband.’\par

Then the fiddler went his way, and  took her with him, and they soon  came
to a great wood. ‘Pray,’  said she, ‘whose is  this wood?’ ‘It belongs  to
King Grisly-beard,’  answered he;  ‘hadst  thou taken  him, all  had  been
thine.’ ‘Ah! unlucky  wretch that  I am!’ sighed  she; ‘would  that I  had
married King Grisly-beard!’ Next  they came to  some fine meadows.  ‘Whose
are these  beautiful  green  meadows?’  said she.  ‘They  belong  to  King
Grisly-beard, hadst thou taken him, they had all been thine.’ ‘Ah! unlucky
wretch that I am!’ said she; ‘would that I had married King Grisly-beard!’\par

Then they came to a great city. ‘Whose is this noble city?’ said she.  ‘It
belongs to  King Grisly-beard;  hadst  thou taken  him,  it had  all  been
thine.’ ‘Ah! wretch  that I am!’  sighed she;  ‘why did I  not marry  King
Grisly-beard?’ ‘That  is no  business  of mine,’  said the  fiddler:  ‘why
should you wish for another husband? Am not I good enough for you?’\par

At last they came to a small cottage. ‘What a paltry place!’ said she; ‘to
whom does that little dirty hole belong?’ Then the fiddler said, ‘That  is
your and my house, where we are to live.’ ‘Where are your servants?’ cried
she. ‘What do we want with servants?’  said he; ‘you must do for  yourself
whatever is to be done.  Now make the fire, and  put on water and cook  my
supper, for I  am very  tired.’ But the  princess knew  nothing of  making
fires and cooking, and the fiddler was  forced to help her. When they  had
eaten a very scanty meal they went  to bed; but the fiddler called her  up
very early in  the morning to  clean the  house. Thus they  lived for  two
days: and when they  had eaten up  all there was in  the cottage, the  man
said, ‘Wife, we can’t go on thus, spending money and earning nothing.  You
must learn  to weave  baskets.’ Then  he  went out  and cut  willows,  and
brought them home, and she  began to weave; but  it made her fingers  very
sore. ‘I see this work won’t do,’ said he: ‘try and spin; perhaps you will
do that better.’ So she  sat down and tried to  spin; but the threads  cut
her tender fingers till the blood  ran. ‘See now,’ said the fiddler,  ‘you
are good for  nothing; you  can do  no work: what  a bargain  I have  got!
However, I’ll try and set up a trade in pots and pans, and you shall stand
in the market and sell them.’ ‘Alas!’  sighed she, ‘if any of my  father’s
court should pass  by and see  me standing  in the market,  how they  will
laugh at me!’\par

But her husband did not care for that, and said she must work, if she  did
not wish to die of hunger. At first the trade went well; for many  people,
seeing such a beautiful woman, went to buy her wares, and paid their money
without thinking of taking away the goods.  They lived on this as long  as
it lasted; and then her  husband bought a fresh lot  of ware, and she  sat
herself down with it in  the corner of the  market; but a drunken  soldier
soon came by,  and rode his  horse against  her stall, and  broke all  her
goods into a thousand pieces. Then she began to cry, and knew not what  to
do. ‘Ah! what will become of me?’ said she; ‘what will my husband say?’ So
she ran home and told him all. ‘Who would have thought you would have been
so silly,’ said he, ‘as to put  an earthenware stall in the corner of  the
market, where everybody passes? but let us have no more crying; I see  you
are not fit for this  sort of work, so I  have been to the king’s  palace,
and asked if they did not want a kitchen-maid; and they say they will take
you, and there you will have plenty to eat.’\par

Thus the princess became a kitchen-maid, and helped the cook to do all the
dirtiest work; but she was allowed to carry home some of the meat that was
left, and on this they lived.\par

She had not been there  long before she heard  that the king’s eldest  son
was passing by, going to  be married; and she went  to one of the  windows
and looked out. Everything was ready,  and all the pomp and brightness  of
the court was  there. Then she  bitterly grieved for  the pride and  folly
which had brought her so low. And  the servants gave her some of the  rich
meats, which she put into her basket to take home.\par

All on a sudden, as  she was going out, in  came the king’s son in  golden
clothes; and when he saw a beautiful woman at the door, he took her by the
hand, and said she should  be his partner in  the dance; but she  trembled
for fear, for she saw that it was King Grisly-beard, who was making  sport
of her. However, he kept fast hold, and  led her in; and the cover of  the
basket came  off, so  that the  meats  in it  fell about.  Then  everybody
laughed and jeered at her; and she was so abashed, that she wished herself
a thousand feet deep in the earth. She sprang to the door to run away; but
on the steps  King Grisly-beard  overtook her,  and brought  her back  and
said, ‘Fear me not! I am the fiddler who has lived with you in the hut.  I
brought you there because I really loved  you. I am also the soldier  that
overset your stall. I have  done all this only to  cure you of your  silly
pride, and to show you the folly  of your ill-treatment of me. Now all  is
over: you have learnt wisdom, and it is time to hold our marriage feast.’\par

Then the chamberlains came and brought  her the most beautiful robes;  and
her father and his whole court  were there already, and welcomed her  home
on her marriage.  Joy was in  every face  and every heart.  The feast  was
grand; they danced and sang; all were merry; and I only wish that you  and
I had been of the party.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{iron-hans}%
\hypertarget{iron-hans}{}%
%
\chapter*{Iron Hans}


There was once upon a time a king who had a great forest near his  palace,
full of all kinds of wild animals. One day he sent out a huntsman to shoot
him a roe, but he did not  come back. ‘Perhaps some accident has  befallen
him,’ said the king, and  the next day he sent  out two more huntsmen  who
were to search for him, but they  too stayed away. Then on the third  day,
he sent for all his huntsmen,  and said: ‘Scour the whole forest  through,
and do not give  up until you  have found all three.’  But of these  also,
none came home again, none were seen  again. From that time forth, no  one
would any  longer  venture into  the  forest, and  it  lay there  in  deep
stillness and solitude, and nothing was seen of it, but sometimes an eagle
or a hawk  flying over it.  This lasted  for many years,  when an  unknown
huntsman announced himself to the king as seeking a situation, and offered
to go into  the dangerous forest.  The king, however,  would not give  his
consent, and said: ‘It is not safe in there; I fear it would fare with you
no better than with the others, and  you would never come out again.’  The
huntsman replied: ‘Lord, I will venture it at my own risk, of fear I  know
nothing.’\par

The huntsman therefore betook himself with  his dog to the forest. It  was
not long before the dog fell in with  some game on the way, and wanted  to
pursue it; but hardly  had the dog  run two steps when  it stood before  a
deep pool, could go no  farther, and a naked  arm stretched itself out  of
the water, seized it, and  drew it under. When  the huntsman saw that,  he
went back and  fetched three men  to come  with buckets and  bale out  the
water. When they could see to the  bottom there lay a wild man whose  body
was brown like rusty iron, and whose  hair hung over his face down to  his
knees. They bound him with  cords, and led him  away to the castle.  There
was great astonishment over the wild  man; the king, however, had him  put
in an iron cage  in his courtyard,  and forbade the door  to be opened  on
pain of death, and the queen herself was to take the key into her keeping.
And from this  time forth  everyone could again  go into  the forest  with
safety.\par

The king had a son of eight years, who was once playing in the  courtyard,
and while he was playing, his golden ball fell into the cage. The boy  ran
thither and said: ‘Give  me my ball  out.’ ‘Not till  you have opened  the
door for me,’ answered the man. ‘No,’  said the boy, ‘I will not do  that;
the king has forbidden it,’ and ran  away. The next day he again went  and
asked for his ball; the wild man  said: ‘Open my door,’ but the boy  would
not. On the third day  the king had ridden out  hunting, and the boy  went
once more and said: ‘I cannot open the  door even if I wished, for I  have
not the key.’ Then the wild man said: ‘It lies under your mother’s pillow,
you can get it there.’ The boy, who wanted to have his ball back, cast all
thought  to  the  winds,  and  brought  the  key.  The  door  opened  with
difficulty, and the boy pinched his fingers. When it was open the wild man
stepped out,  gave him  the golden  ball, and  hurried away.  The boy  had
become afraid; he called  and cried after  him: ‘Oh, wild  man, do not  go
away, or I shall be  beaten!’ The wild man turned  back, took him up,  set
him on his shoulder, and went with  hasty steps into the forest. When  the
king came home, he observed the empty  cage, and asked the queen how  that
had happened. She knew nothing  about it, and sought  the key, but it  was
gone. She called the boy, but no one answered. The king sent out people to
seek for him  in the  fields, but  they did not  find him.  Then he  could
easily guess what had happened, and much grief reigned in the royal court.\par

When the wild man had once more  reached the dark forest, he took the  boy
down from his shoulder, and said to  him: ‘You will never see your  father
and mother again, but I will keep you  with me, for you have set me  free,
and I have  compassion on you.  If you do  all I bid  you, you shall  fare
well. Of treasure  and gold have  I enough,  and more than  anyone in  the
world.’ He made a bed of moss for the boy on which he slept, and the  next
morning the man took him to a well, and said: ‘Behold, the gold well is as
bright and clear as crystal, you shall  sit beside it, and take care  that
nothing falls into it, or it will  be polluted. I will come every  evening
to see if you have obeyed my  order.’ The boy placed himself by the  brink
of the well, and  often saw a  golden fish or a  golden snake show  itself
therein, and took care that nothing fell  in. As he was thus sitting,  his
finger hurt him so violently that he involuntarily put it in the water. He
drew it  quickly  out  again,  but  saw that  it  was  quite  gilded,  and
whatsoever pains  he took  to  wash the  gold off  again,  all was  to  no
purpose. In the evening Iron Hans came back, looked at the boy, and  said:
‘What has happened to the well?’ ‘Nothing nothing,’ he answered, and  held
his finger behind his back,  that the man might not  see it. But he  said:
‘You have dipped your finger  into the water, this  time it may pass,  but
take care you do not  again let anything go in.’  By daybreak the boy  was
already sitting by the well and watching it. His finger hurt him again and
he passed it over his head, and  then unhappily a hair fell down into  the
well. He took it quickly out, but  it was already quite gilded. Iron  Hans
came, and already knew what had happened.  ‘You have let a hair fall  into
the well,’ said he.  ‘I will allow you  to watch by it  once more, but  if
this happens for the third time then  the well is polluted and you can  no
longer remain with me.’\par

On the third day, the  boy sat by the well,  and did not stir his  finger,
however much it hurt him. But the time  was long to him, and he looked  at
the reflection of his face  on the surface of the  water. And as he  still
bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look straight
into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into the  water.
He raised himself up quickly,  but the whole of the  hair of his head  was
already golden and shone like the  sun. You can imagine how terrified  the
poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it round his  head,
in order that  the man  might not  see it. When  he came  he already  knew
everything, and said: ‘Take  the handkerchief off.’  Then the golden  hair
streamed forth, and let the boy excuse  himself as he might, it was of  no
use. ‘You have not stood the trial  and can stay here no longer. Go  forth
into the world, there you will learn what poverty is. But as you have  not
a bad heart, and as I  mean well by you, there  is one thing I will  grant
you; if you fall into  any difficulty, come to  the forest and cry:  “Iron
Hans,” and then I will come and help you. My power is great, greater  than
you think, and I have gold and silver in abundance.’\par

Then the king’s  son left the  forest, and walked  by beaten and  unbeaten
paths ever  onwards until  at length  he reached  a great  city. There  he
looked for work, but could  find none, and he  learnt nothing by which  he
could help himself. At  length he went  to the palace,  and asked if  they
would take him in.  The people about  court did not at  all know what  use
they could make  of him,  but they  liked him, and  told him  to stay.  At
length the cook took him  into his service, and  said he might carry  wood
and water, and rake the cinders together. Once when it so happened that no
one else was at hand, the cook ordered him to carry the food to the  royal
table, but as he did not like to let his golden hair be seen, he kept  his
little cap on. Such a  thing as that had never  yet come under the  king’s
notice, and he said: ‘When you come to the royal table you must take  your
hat off.’ He answered: ‘Ah, Lord, I cannot; I have a bad sore place on  my
head.’ Then the king had the cook  called before him and scolded him,  and
asked how he could take such a boy  as that into his service; and that  he
was to send  him away at  once. The cook,  however, had pity  on him,  and
exchanged him for the gardener’s boy.\par

And now the boy had to plant and  water the garden, hoe and dig, and  bear
the wind and bad weather. Once in summer when he was working alone in  the
garden, the day was so warm he took his little cap off that the air  might
cool him. As the sun  shone on his hair it  glittered and flashed so  that
the rays fell into the bedroom of  the king’s daughter, and up she  sprang
to see what that could be. Then she  saw the boy, and cried to him:  ‘Boy,
bring me a  wreath of  flowers.’ He  put his cap  on with  all haste,  and
gathered wild field-flowers and bound them together. When he was ascending
the stairs with them, the  gardener met him, and  said: ‘How can you  take
the king’s daughter a garland of such common flowers? Go quickly, and  get
another, and seek  out the prettiest  and rarest.’ ‘Oh,  no,’ replied  the
boy, ‘the wild ones have more scent, and will please her better.’ When  he
got into the room, the king’s daughter said: ‘Take your cap off, it is not
seemly to keep it on in my presence.’ He again said: ‘I may not, I have  a
sore head.’ She, however, caught  at his cap and  pulled it off, and  then
his golden  hair rolled  down on  his shoulders,  and it  was splendid  to
behold. He wanted to run out, but she held him by the arm, and gave him  a
handful of ducats. With  these he departed, but  he cared nothing for  the
gold pieces. He took them  to the gardener, and  said: ‘I present them  to
your children, they  can play  with them.’  The following  day the  king’s
daughter again  called  to him  that  he was  to  bring her  a  wreath  of
field-flowers, and then he went in with it, she instantly snatched at  his
cap, and wanted to take  it away from him, but  he held it fast with  both
hands. She again gave him a handful of ducats, but he would not keep them,
and gave them  to the  gardener for playthings  for his  children. On  the
third day things went just the same;  she could not get his cap away  from
him, and he would not have her money.\par

Not long afterwards,  the country was  overrun by war.  The king  gathered
together his people, and did  not know whether or  not he could offer  any
opposition to the  enemy, who was  superior in strength  and had a  mighty
army. Then said the  gardener’s boy: ‘I  am grown up, and  will go to  the
wars also, only give me a horse.’ The others laughed, and said: ‘Seek  one
for yourself when we are gone, we  will leave one behind us in the  stable
for you.’ When they had gone forth,  he went into the stable, and led  the
horse out; it was lame of one foot, and limped hobblety jib, hobblety jib;
nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away to the dark forest. When he came
to the outskirts,  he called  ‘Iron Hans’ three  times so  loudly that  it
echoed through the trees. Thereupon the wild man appeared immediately, and
said: ‘What do you desire?’ ‘I want a strong steed, for I am going to  the
wars.’ ‘That you shall have,  and still more than  you ask for.’ Then  the
wild man  went  back  into the  forest,  and  it was  not  long  before  a
stable-boy came out of it, who led a horse that snorted with its nostrils,
and could hardly be restrained, and behind them followed a great troop  of
warriors entirely equipped in iron, and  their swords flashed in the  sun.
The youth made over his three-legged horse to the stable-boy, mounted  the
other, and  rode  at the  head  of the  soldiers.  When he  got  near  the
battlefield a great part of the king’s men had already fallen, and  little
was wanting to  make the rest  give way. Then  the youth galloped  thither
with his iron soldiers,  broke like a hurricane  over the enemy, and  beat
down all who opposed him. They began  to flee, but the youth pursued,  and
never stopped, until there was not a single man left. Instead of returning
to the king, however, he conducted his troop by byways back to the forest,
and called forth  Iron Hans.  ‘What do you  desire?’ asked  the wild  man.
‘Take back your horse and your  troops, and give me my three-legged  horse
again.’ All  that  he asked  was  done, and  soon  he was  riding  on  his
three-legged horse. When  the king  returned to his  palace, his  daughter
went to meet him, and wished him joy of his victory. ‘I am not the one who
carried away the victory,’ said he, ‘but  a strange knight who came to  my
assistance with his soldiers.’ The daughter wanted to hear who the strange
knight was, but the king did not  know, and said: ‘He followed the  enemy,
and I did not see him again.’  She inquired of the gardener where his  boy
was, but he smiled, and said: ‘He  has just come home on his  three-legged
horse, and the others have been  mocking him, and crying: “Here comes  our
hobblety jib back again!” They asked, too: “Under what hedge have you been
lying sleeping all the time?” So he said:  “I did the best of all, and  it
would have gone badly without me.” And then he was still more ridiculed.’\par

The king said to his daughter: ‘I  will proclaim a great feast that  shall
last for  three days,  and you  shall throw  a golden  apple. Perhaps  the
unknown man will show  himself.’ When the feast  was announced, the  youth
went out to the forest, and called Iron Hans. ‘What do you desire?’  asked
he. ‘That I may catch the king’s daughter’s golden apple.’ ‘It is as  safe
as if you had it already,’ said Iron Hans. ‘You shall likewise have a suit
of red armour for  the occasion, and ride  on a spirited  chestnut-horse.’
When the day came, the youth galloped to the spot, took his place  amongst
the knights,  and was  recognized  by no  one.  The king’s  daughter  came
forward, and threw a golden apple to the knights, but none of them  caught
it but he, only as soon as he had it he galloped away.\par

On the second day Iron Hans equipped him as a white knight, and gave him a
white horse. Again he was  the only one who caught  the apple, and he  did
not linger an instant, but galloped off with it. The king grew angry,  and
said: ‘That is not allowed; he must  appear before me and tell his  name.’
He gave the order that if the knight who caught the apple, should go  away
again they should  pursue him, and  if he would  not come back  willingly,
they were to cut him down and stab him.\par

On the third day, he received from Iron Hans a suit of black armour and  a
black horse, and again  he caught the  apple. But when  he was riding  off
with it, the king’s attendants  pursued him, and one  of them got so  near
him that he wounded the youth’s leg with the point of his sword. The youth
nevertheless escaped from them, but his horse leapt so violently that  the
helmet fell from the youth’s head, and  they could see that he had  golden
hair. They rode back and announced this to the king.\par

The following day the  king’s daughter asked the  gardener about his  boy.
‘He is at work in the garden; the queer creature has been at the  festival
too, and  only came  home  yesterday evening;  he  has likewise  shown  my
children three golden apples which he has won.’\par

The king had him summoned into his presence, and he came and again had his
little cap on his head. But the king’s daughter went up to him and took it
off, and then his golden hair fell down over his shoulders, and he was  so
handsome that all were amazed. ‘Are you  the knight who came every day  to
the festival, always in different colours, and who caught the three golden
apples?’ asked the king.  ‘Yes,’ answered he, ‘and  here the apples  are,’
and he took them out of his pocket, and returned them to the king. ‘If you
desire further proof, you may see the wound which your people gave me when
they followed me.  But I am  likewise the  knight who helped  you to  your
victory over your enemies.’  ‘If you can perform  such deeds as that,  you
are no gardener’s  boy; tell  me, who  is your  father?’ ‘My  father is  a
mighty king, and gold  have I in  plenty as great as  I require.’ ‘I  well
see,’ said the king, ‘that  I owe my thanks to  you; can I do anything  to
please you?’  ‘Yes,’ answered  he,  ‘that indeed  you  can. Give  me  your
daughter to wife.’ The maiden laughed,  and said: ‘He does not stand  much
on ceremony, but I  have already seen  by his golden hair  that he was  no
gardener’s boy,’ and then she went  and kissed him. His father and  mother
came to the wedding, and were in great delight, for they had given up  all
hope of ever seeing their dear son again. And as they were sitting at  the
marriage-feast, the  music  suddenly  stopped, the  doors  opened,  and  a
stately king  came in  with a  great retinue.  He went  up to  the  youth,
embraced him and said: ‘I am Iron Hans, and was by enchantment a wild man,
but you have set me free; all the treasures which I possess, shall be your
property.’\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{cat-skin}%
\hypertarget{cat-skin}{}%
%
\chapter*{Cat-Skin}


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

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

When all were  ready, the king  sent them to  her; but she  got up in  the
night when all were asleep, and took three of her trinkets, a golden ring,
a golden necklace, and  a golden brooch, and  packed the three  dresses—of
the sun, the moon, and the stars—up in a nutshell, and wrapped herself  up
in the mantle made of all sorts  of fur, and besmeared her face and  hands
with soot. Then she threw  herself upon Heaven for  help in her need,  and
went away, and journeyed on  the whole night, till at  last she came to  a
large wood. As she was very tired, she sat herself down in the hollow of a
tree and soon fell asleep: and there she slept on till it was midday.\par

Now as the king to whom the wood belonged was hunting in it, his dogs came
to the tree, and began to snuff about, and run round and round, and  bark.
‘Look sharp!’ said the king  to the huntsmen, ‘and  see what sort of  game
lies there.’ And the huntsmen went up to the tree, and when they came back
again said, ‘In the hollow tree there lies a most wonderful beast, such as
we never saw before; its skin seems to be of a thousand kinds of fur,  but
there it lies fast  asleep.’ ‘See,’ said  the king, ‘if  you can catch  it
alive, and we will take it with us.’  So the huntsmen took it up, and  the
maiden awoke and was greatly frightened, and said, ‘I am a poor child that
has neither father nor mother left; have pity on me and take me with you.’
Then they said, ‘Yes, Miss Cat-skin, you will do for the kitchen; you  can
sweep up the ashes, and do things of that sort.’ So they put her into  the
coach, and took  her home to  the king’s  palace. Then they  showed her  a
little corner under the staircase, where  no light of day ever peeped  in,
and said, ‘Cat-skin, you may lie and  sleep there.’ And she was sent  into
the kitchen, and made to fetch wood and water, to blow the fire, pluck the
poultry, pick the herbs, sift the ashes, and do all the dirty work.\par

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

When the dance was at an end she curtsied; and when the king looked  round
for her, she was gone,  no one knew wither. The  guards that stood at  the
castle gate were called in: but they had seen no one. The truth was,  that
she had run  into her little  cabin, pulled off  her dress, blackened  her
face and hands, put  on the fur-skin cloak,  and was Cat-skin again.  When
she went into the kitchen  to her work, and began  to rake the ashes,  the
cook said, ‘Let that alone till the  morning, and heat the king’s soup;  I
should like to run up now and give  a peep: but take care you don’t let  a
hair fall into it, or you will run a chance of never eating again.’\par

As soon  as the  cook went  away,  Cat-skin heated  the king’s  soup,  and
toasted a slice of bread first, as  nicely as ever she could; and when  it
was ready, she went and  looked in the cabin  for her little golden  ring,
and put it into the dish in which  the soup was. When the dance was  over,
the king ordered his soup  to be brought in; and  it pleased him so  well,
that he thought he had never tasted  any so good before. At the bottom  he
saw a gold ring lying; and as he could not make out how it had got  there,
he ordered the cook to be sent for. The cook was frightened when he  heard
the order, and said to Cat-skin, ‘You  must have let a hair fall into  the
soup; if it be so, you will have a good beating.’ Then he went before  the
king, and he  asked him who  had cooked  the soup. ‘I  did,’ answered  the
cook. But the king said,  ‘That is not true; it  was better done than  you
could do it.’ Then he answered, ‘To tell the truth I did not cook it,  but
Cat-skin did.’ ‘Then let  Cat-skin come up,’ said  the king: and when  she
came he said to her, ‘Who are you?’  ‘I am a poor child,’ said she,  ‘that
has lost both father and mother.’ ‘How  came you in my palace?’ asked  he.
‘I am good for nothing,’ said she,  ‘but to be scullion-girl, and to  have
boots and shoes thrown at my head.’ ‘But how did you get the ring that was
in the  soup?’ asked  the  king. Then  she would  not  own that  she  knew
anything about  the  ring; so  the  king sent  her  away again  about  her
business.\par

After a time there was another feast,  and Cat-skin asked the cook to  let
her go up and see it as before. ‘Yes,’ said he, ‘but come again in half an
hour, and cook the king the soup that  he likes so much.’ Then she ran  to
her little cabin, washed herself quickly, and took her dress out which was
silvery as the moon, and put it on;  and when she went in, looking like  a
king’s daughter,  the king  went up  to her,  and rejoiced  at seeing  her
again, and when the dance began he danced with her. After the dance was at
an end she managed to slip out, so  slyly that the king did not see  where
she was gone; but she sprang into her little cabin, and made herself  into
Cat-skin again, and  went into the  kitchen to cook  the soup. Whilst  the
cook was above stairs, she got the golden necklace and dropped it into the
soup; then it was brought to the king,  who ate it, and it pleased him  as
well as before; so he sent for the cook, who was again forced to tell  him
that Cat-skin had cooked it. Cat-skin  was brought again before the  king,
but she still  told him  that she  was only fit  to have  boots and  shoes
thrown at her head.\par

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

Then she ran into the kitchen, and cooked the king’s soup; and as soon  as
the cook was gone, she put the golden brooch into the dish. When the  king
got to the bottom, he  ordered Cat-skin to be  called once more, and  soon
saw the white finger, and the ring that he had put on it whilst they  were
dancing: so he seized  her hand, and  kept fast hold of  it, and when  she
wanted to loose herself and spring away,  the fur cloak fell off a  little
on one side, and the starry dress sparkled underneath it.\par

Then he got  hold of  the fur and  tore it  off, and her  golden hair  and
beautiful form were  seen, and she  could no longer  hide herself: so  she
washed the soot and ashes from her face, and showed herself to be the most
beautiful princess upon the face of the earth. But the king said, ‘You are
my beloved bride, and we will never  more be parted from each other.’  And
the wedding feast was held, and a merry  day it was, as ever was heard  of
or seen in that country, or indeed in any other.\par

\cleardoublepage
\label{snow-white-and-rose-red}%
\hypertarget{snow-white-and-rose-red}{}%
%
\chapter*{Snow-White And Rose-Red}


There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the
cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white
and the  other red  roses. She  had two  children who  were like  the  two
rose-trees, and one was  called Snow-white, and  the other Rose-red.  They
were as good and happy, as busy  and cheerful as ever two children in  the
world were,  only Snow-white  was  more quiet  and gentle  than  Rose-red.
Rose-red liked  better to  run about  in the  meadows and  fields  seeking
flowers and  catching butterflies;  but Snow-white  sat at  home with  her
mother, and helped her with her housework,  or read to her when there  was
nothing to do.\par

The two children were so  fond of one another  that they always held  each
other by the hand when they  went out together, and when Snow-white  said:
‘We will not leave  each other,’ Rose-red answered:  ‘Never so long as  we
live,’ and their mother would add: ‘What  one has she must share with  the
other.’\par

They often ran  about the forest  alone and gathered  red berries, and  no
beasts did them any  harm, but came close  to them trustfully. The  little
hare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by  their
side, the stag leapt  merrily by them,  and the birds  sat still upon  the
boughs, and sang whatever they knew.\par

No mishap overtook them; if  they had stayed too  late in the forest,  and
night came on, they laid themselves  down near one another upon the  moss,
and slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and did not worry
on their account.\par

Once when they had  spent the night  in the wood and  the dawn had  roused
them, they saw  a beautiful child  in a shining  white dress sitting  near
their bed. He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said nothing and
went into the forest. And when they looked round they found that they  had
been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and would certainly have  fallen
into it in the  darkness if they  had gone only a  few paces further.  And
their mother told them that it must  have been the angel who watches  over
good children.\par

Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother’s little cottage so neat that it
was a pleasure to look inside it. In the summer Rose-red took care of  the
house, and every  morning laid  a wreath of  flowers by  her mother’s  bed
before she  awoke, in  which was  a rose  from each  tree. In  the  winter
Snow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the hob. The kettle was  of
brass and shone like  gold, so brightly was  it polished. In the  evening,
when the snowflakes fell, the mother  said: ‘Go, Snow-white, and bolt  the
door,’ and  then  they sat  round  the hearth,  and  the mother  took  her
spectacles and read aloud out of a large book, and the two girls  listened
as they sat and  spun. And close by  them lay a lamb  upon the floor,  and
behind them upon a perch sat a white dove with its head hidden beneath its
wings.\par

One evening,  as  they were  thus  sitting comfortably  together,  someone
knocked at the door as if he wished to be let in. The mother said: ‘Quick,
Rose-red, open the door, it must  be a traveller who is seeking  shelter.’
Rose-red went and pushed back the bolt,  thinking that it was a poor  man,
but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his broad, black head  within
the door.\par

Rose-red screamed and sprang back,  the lamb bleated, the dove  fluttered,
and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother’s bed. But the bear began  to
speak and  said:  ‘Do  not  be  afraid,  I will  do  you  no  harm!  I  am
half-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little beside you.’\par

‘Poor bear,’ said the mother, ‘lie down  by the fire, only take care  that
you do not burn  your coat.’ Then she  cried: ‘Snow-white, Rose-red,  come
out, the bear will do you no harm, he means well.’ So they both came  out,
and by-and-by the lamb and dove came  nearer, and were not afraid of  him.
The bear said: ‘Here, children, knock the  snow out of my coat a  little’;
so they  brought  the  broom and  swept  the  bear’s hide  clean;  and  he
stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably.  It
was not long before they grew quite at home, and played tricks with  their
clumsy guest. They tugged his hair  with their hands, put their feet  upon
his back and rolled him about, or  they took a hazel-switch and beat  him,
and when he growled they laughed. But  the bear took it all in good  part,
only when they were too rough he called out: ‘Leave me alive, children,\par

\begin{quotation}
\begin{verse}
Snow-white, Rose-red, \\
Will you beat your wooer dead?’ \\
\end{verse}
\end{quotation}

When it was bed-time, and the others  went to bed, the mother said to  the
bear: ‘You can lie there by the hearth, and then you will be safe from the
cold and the bad weather.’ As soon as day dawned the two children let  him
out, and he trotted across the snow into the forest.\par

Henceforth the bear came every evening at the same time, laid himself down
by the hearth, and let the children  amuse themselves with him as much  as
they liked; and they got so used to him that the doors were never fastened
until their black friend had arrived.\par

When spring had come and all outside was green, the bear said one  morning
to Snow-white: ‘Now I  must go away,  and cannot come  back for the  whole
summer.’ ‘Where are you going, then, dear bear?’ asked Snow-white. ‘I must
go into the forest and guard my  treasures from the wicked dwarfs. In  the
winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are obliged to stay below  and
cannot work their way through; but now, when the sun has thawed and warmed
the earth, they break through it, and come out to pry and steal; and  what
once gets  into their  hands, and  in  their caves,  does not  easily  see
daylight again.’\par

Snow-white was quite sorry at his departure, and as she unbolted the  door
for him, and the bear was hurrying  out, he caught against the bolt and  a
piece of his hairy coat  was torn off, and it  seemed to Snow-white as  if
she had seen gold shining through it,  but she was not sure about it.  The
bear ran away quickly, and was soon out of sight behind the trees.\par

A short time afterwards  the mother sent her  children into the forest  to
get firewood. There they found a big tree which lay felled on the  ground,
and close by the trunk something was jumping backwards and forwards in the
grass, but they could not make out what it was. When they came nearer they
saw a dwarf with an old withered face and a snow-white beard a yard  long.
The end of the beard was caught in  a crevice of the tree, and the  little
fellow was jumping about like a dog tied to a rope, and did not know  what
to do.\par

He glared at  the girls with  his fiery red  eyes and cried:  ‘Why do  you
stand there? Can  you not come  here and help  me?’ ‘What are  you up  to,
little man?’  asked Rose-red.  ‘You stupid,  prying goose!’  answered  the
dwarf: ‘I was going to  split the tree to get  a little wood for  cooking.
The little bit of  food that we  people get is  immediately burnt up  with
heavy logs; we do not  swallow so much as you  coarse, greedy folk. I  had
just driven the wedge safely in, and everything was going as I wished; but
the cursed wedge  was too  smooth and suddenly  sprang out,  and the  tree
closed so quickly that I could not  pull out my beautiful white beard;  so
now it is tight and  I cannot get away,  and the silly, sleek,  milk-faced
things laugh! Ugh! how odious you are!’\par

The children tried very hard,  but they could not  pull the beard out,  it
was caught too fast. ‘I will  run and fetch someone,’ said Rose-red.  ‘You
senseless goose!’ snarled the  dwarf; ‘why should  you fetch someone?  You
are already two too many for me;  can you not think of something  better?’
‘Don’t be impatient,’ said Snow-white, ‘I  will help you,’ and she  pulled
her scissors out of her pocket, and cut off the end of the beard.\par

As soon as the  dwarf felt himself free  he laid hold of  a bag which  lay
amongst the roots of the tree, and  which was full of gold, and lifted  it
up, grumbling to himself: ‘Uncouth people, to  cut off a piece of my  fine
beard. Bad luck to you!’ and then he swung the bag upon his back, and went
off without even once looking at the children.\par

Some time afterwards Snow-white and Rose-red went to catch a dish of fish.
As they came near  the brook they saw  something like a large  grasshopper
jumping towards the water, as if it were going to leap in. They ran to  it
and found it  was the dwarf.  ‘Where are you  going?’ said Rose-red;  ‘you
surely don’t want to go into the water?’ ‘I am not such a fool!’ cried the
dwarf; ‘don’t you see  that the accursed  fish wants to  pull me in?’  The
little man had  been sitting  there fishing,  and unluckily  the wind  had
tangled up his beard with the fishing-line; a moment later a big fish made
a bite and the feeble creature had  not strength to pull it out; the  fish
kept the upper hand and  pulled the dwarf towards him.  He held on to  all
the reeds and  rushes, but it  was of little  good, for he  was forced  to
follow the  movements of  the fish,  and  was in  urgent danger  of  being
dragged into the water.\par

The girls came  just in time;  they held him  fast and tried  to free  his
beard from the line, but all in  vain, beard and line were entangled  fast
together. There was nothing to  do but to bring  out the scissors and  cut
the beard, whereby a small part of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that he
screamed out: ‘Is that  civil, you toadstool, to  disfigure a man’s  face?
Was it not enough to clip  off the end of my  beard? Now you have cut  off
the best part of it. I cannot let myself be seen by my people. I wish  you
had been made to run the soles off your shoes!’ Then he took out a sack of
pearls which lay  in the rushes,  and without another  word he dragged  it
away and disappeared behind a stone.\par

It happened that soon afterwards the  mother sent the two children to  the
town to buy needles and thread, and  laces and ribbons. The road led  them
across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about. There they
noticed a large bird  hovering in the air,  flying slowly round and  round
above them; it sank lower and lower,  and at last settled near a rock  not
far away. Immediately they heard a loud, piteous cry. They ran up and  saw
with horror that the  eagle had seized their  old acquaintance the  dwarf,
and was going to carry him off.\par

The children, full of pity, at once took tight hold of the little man, and
pulled against the eagle so long that at last he let his booty go. As soon
as the dwarf had recovered from his first fright he cried with his  shrill
voice: ‘Could you not have done it more carefully! You dragged at my brown
coat so that it is all torn and full of holes, you clumsy creatures!’ Then
he took up a sack  full of precious stones,  and slipped away again  under
the rock into  his hole.  The girls,  who by this  time were  used to  his
ingratitude, went on their way and did their business in town.\par

As they  crossed the  heath again  on their  way home  they surprised  the
dwarf, who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot, and
had not thought  that anyone  would come there  so late.  The evening  sun
shone upon  the brilliant  stones; they  glittered and  sparkled with  all
colours so beautifully that the children  stood still and stared at  them.
‘Why do you stand gaping there?’ cried the dwarf, and his ashen-grey  face
became copper-red with rage. He was still cursing when a loud growling was
heard, and a black bear came trotting towards them out of the forest.  The
dwarf sprang up in a fright, but he could not reach his cave, for the bear
was already close. Then in the dread of his heart he cried: ‘Dear Mr Bear,
spare me, I  will give you  all my treasures;  look, the beautiful  jewels
lying there! Grant me my life; what do you want with such a slender little
fellow as I? you would  not feel me between  your teeth. Come, take  these
two wicked girls, they  are tender morsels for  you, fat as young  quails;
for mercy’s sake eat them!’ The bear  took no heed of his words, but  gave
the wicked creature a single blow with his paw, and he did not move again.\par

The girls  had run  away, but  the bear  called to  them: ‘Snow-white  and
Rose-red, do  not  be afraid;  wait,  I will  come  with you.’  Then  they
recognized his voice and waited, and when he came up to them suddenly  his
bearskin fell off, and he stood there a handsome man, clothed all in gold.
‘I am a king’s son,’ he said,  ‘and I was bewitched by that wicked  dwarf,
who had stolen  my treasures;  I have  had to run  about the  forest as  a
savage bear  until  I  was  freed  by  his  death.  Now  he  has  got  his
well-deserved punishment.’\par

Snow-white was  married to  him, and  Rose-red to  his brother,  and  they
divided between  them the  great  treasure which  the dwarf  had  gathered
together in his cave. The old mother lived peacefully and happily with her
children for many years.  She took the two  rose-trees with her, and  they
stood before her  window, and every  year bore the  most beautiful  roses,
white and red.\par

\bigskip

\begin{quotation}
\textbf{{\noindent}Project Gutenberg Note}\par

\nopagebreak\vspace{1em}\nopagebreak


The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863)  and Wilhelm (1786-1859), were  born
in Hanau, near Frankfurt, in the  German state of Hesse. Throughout  their
lives they  remained  close  friends,  and both  studied  law  at  Marburg
University. Jacob was  a pioneer  in the  study of  German philology,  and
although  Wilhelm’s  work  was  hampered  by  poor  health  the   brothers
collaborated in the creation of a German dictionary, not completed until a
century after their deaths. But they were best (and universally) known for
the collection of over two hundred folk tales they made from oral  sources
and published in two volumes of ‘Nursery and Household Tales’ in 1812  and
1814. Although their intention  was to preserve such  material as part  of
German cultural  and  literary history,  and  their collection  was  first
published with scholarly notes  and no illustration,  the tales soon  came
into the  possession of  young readers.  This  was in  part due  to  Edgar
Taylor, who made the  first English translation  in 1823, selecting  about
fifty stories ‘with  the amusement  of some young  friends principally  in
view.’ They have been an  essential ingredient of children’s reading  ever
since.\par
\end{quotation}
\bigskip


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*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRIMMS’ FAIRY TALES ***\par

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\bookmark[level=1,dest=id1]{Contents}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-golden-bird]{The Golden Bird}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=hans-in-luck]{Hans in Luck}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=jorinda-and-jorindel]{Jorinda And Jorindel}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-travelling-musicians]{The Travelling Musicians}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=old-sultan]{Old Sultan}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-straw-the-coal-and-the-bean]{The Straw, The Coal, And The Bean}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=briar-rose]{Briar Rose}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-dog-and-the-sparrow]{The Dog And The Sparrow}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-twelve-dancing-princesses]{The Twelve Dancing Princesses}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-fisherman-and-his-wife]{The Fisherman And His Wife}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-willow-wren-and-the-bear]{The Willow-Wren And The Bear}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-frog-prince]{The Frog-Prince}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=cat-and-mouse-in-partnership]{Cat And Mouse In Partnership}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-goose-girl]{The Goose-Girl}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-adventures-of-chanticleer-and-partlet]{The Adventures Of Chanticleer And Partlet}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=rapunzel]{Rapunzel}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=fundevogel]{Fundevogel}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-valiant-little-tailor]{The Valiant Little Tailor}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=hansel-and-gretel]{Hansel And Gretel}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-mouse-the-bird-and-the-sausage]{The Mouse, The Bird, And The Sausage}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=mother-holle]{Mother Holle}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=little-red-cap-little-red-riding-hood]{Little Red-Cap {[}Little Red Riding Hood{]}}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-robber-bridegroom]{The Robber Bridegroom}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=tom-thumb]{Tom Thumb}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=rumpelstiltskin]{Rumpelstiltskin}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=clever-gretel]{Clever Gretel}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-old-man-and-his-grandson]{The Old Man And His Grandson}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-little-peasant]{The Little Peasant}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=frederick-and-catherine]{Frederick And Catherine}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=sweetheart-roland]{Sweetheart Roland}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=snowdrop]{Snowdrop}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-pink]{The Pink}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=clever-elsie]{Clever Elsie}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-miser-in-the-bush]{The Miser In The Bush}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=ashputtel]{Ashputtel}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-white-snake]{The White Snake}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-wolf-and-the-seven-little-kids]{The Wolf And The Seven Little Kids}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-queen-bee]{The Queen Bee}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-elves-and-the-shoemaker]{The Elves And The Shoemaker}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-juniper-tree]{The Juniper-Tree}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-turnip]{The Turnip}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=clever-hans]{Clever Hans}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-three-languages]{The Three Languages}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-fox-and-the-cat]{The Fox And The Cat}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-four-clever-brothers]{The Four Clever Brothers}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=lily-and-the-lion]{Lily And The Lion}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-fox-and-the-horse]{The Fox And The Horse}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-blue-light]{The Blue Light}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-raven]{The Raven}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-golden-goose]{The Golden Goose}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-water-of-life]{The Water Of Life}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-twelve-huntsmen]{The Twelve Huntsmen}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-king-of-the-golden-mountain]{The King Of The Golden Mountain}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=doctor-knowall]{Doctor Knowall}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-seven-ravens]{The Seven Ravens}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-wedding-of-mrs-fox]{The Wedding Of Mrs Fox}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-salad]{The Salad}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=the-story-of-the-youth-who-went-forth-to-learn-what-fear-was]{The Story Of The Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=king-grisly-beard]{King Grisly-Beard}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=iron-hans]{Iron Hans}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=cat-skin]{Cat-Skin}
\bookmark[level=2,dest=snow-white-and-rose-red]{Snow-White And Rose-Red}
\hbox{}
\end{english}

\end{document}

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