The Iron Stove

iron stove,’ he jumped up and said, ‘You are right. You are mine,

and I am thine.’ Though it was still night, he got into a carriage

with her, and they took the false bride’s clothes away, so that she

could not follow them. When they came to the great lake they rowed

across, and when they reached the three sharp swords they sat on the

plough-wheel, and on the glassy mountain they stuck the three needles

in. So they arrived at last at the little old house, but when they

stepped inside it turned into a large castle. The toads were all

freed, and were beautiful King’s children, running about for joy.

There they were married, and they remained in the castle, which was

much larger than that of the Princess’s father’s. But because the old

man did not like being left alone, they went and fetched him. So they

had two kingdoms and lived in great wealth.

 A mouse has run,

 My story’s done.

THE DRAGON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER

There was once a great war, and the King had a great many soldiers,

but he gave them so little pay that they could not live upon it. Then

three of them took counsel together and determined to desert.

One of them said to the others, ‘If we are caught, we shall be hanged

on the gallows; how shall we set about it?’ The other said, ‘Do you

see that large cornfield there? If we were to hide ourselves in that,

no one could find us. The army cannot come into it, and to-morrow it

is to march on.’

They crept into the corn, but the army did not march on, but remained

encamped close around them. They sat for two days and two nights in

the corn, and grew so hungry that they nearly died; but if they were

to venture out, it was certain death.

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

miserably.’

Whilst they were speaking a fiery dragon came flying through the air.

It hovered near them, and asked why they were hidden there. They

answered, ‘We are three soldiers, and have deserted because our pay

was so small. Now if we remain here we shall die of hunger, and if we

move out we shall be strung up on the gallows.’ ‘If you will serve me

for seven years,’ said the dragon, I will lead you through the midst

of the army so that no one shall catch you.’ ‘We have no choice, and

must take your offer,’ said they. Then the dragon seized them in his

claws, took them through the air over the army, and set them down on

the earth a long way from it.

He gave them a little whip, saying, ‘Whip and slash with this, and as

much money as you want will jump up before you. You can then live as

great lords, keep horses, and drive about in carriages. But after

seven years you are mine.’ Then he put a book before them, which he

made all three of them sign. ‘I will then give you a riddle,’ he said;

‘if you guess it, you shall be free and out of my power.’ The dragon

then flew away, and they journeyed on with their little whip. They had

as much money as they wanted, wore grand clothes, and made their way

into the world. Wherever they went they lived in merrymaking and

splendour, drove about with horses and carriages, ate and drank, but

did nothing wrong.

[Illustration: The Dragon carries off the three soldiers]

The time passed quickly away, and when the seven years were nearly

ended two of them grew terribly anxious and frightened, but the third

made light of it, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, brothers, I wasn’t born

yesterday; I will guess the riddle.’

They went into a field, sat down, and the two pulled long faces. An

old woman passed by, and asked them why they were so sad. ‘Alas! what

have you to do with it? You cannot help us.’ ‘Who knows?’ she

answered. ‘Only confide your trouble in me.’

Then they told her that they had become the servants of the Dragon for

seven long years, and how he had given them money as plentifully as

blackberries; but as they had signed their names they were his, unless

when the seven years had passed they could guess a riddle. The old

woman said, ‘If you would help yourselves, one of you must go into the

wood, and there he will come upon a tumble-down building of rocks

which looks like a little house. He must go in, and there he will find

help.’

The two melancholy ones thought, ‘That won’t save us!’ and they

remained where they were. But the third and merry one jumped up and

went into the wood till he found the rock hut. In the hut sat a very

old woman, who was the Dragon’s grandmother. She asked him how he

came, and what was his business there. He told her all that happened,

and because she was pleased with him she took compassion on him, and

said she would help him.

She lifted up a large stone which lay over the cellar, saying, ‘Hide

yourself there; you can hear all that is spoken in this room. Only sit

still and don’t stir. When the Dragon comes, I will ask him what the

riddle is, for he tells me everything; then listen carefully what he

answers.’

At midnight the Dragon flew in, and asked for his supper. His

grandmother laid the table, and brought out food and drink till he was

satisfied, and they ate and drank together. Then in the course of the

conversation she asked him what he had done in the day, and how many

souls he had conquered.

‘I haven’t had much luck to-day,’ he said, ‘but I have a tight hold on

three soldiers.’

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

‘They are mine,’ answered the Dragon scornfully, ‘for I shall only

give them one riddle which they will never be able to guess.’

‘What sort of a riddle is it?’ she asked.

‘I will tell you this. In the North Sea lies a dead sea-cat—that

shall be their roast meat; and the rib of a whale—that shall be their

silver spoon; and the hollow foot of a dead horse—that shall be their

wineglass.’

When the Dragon had gone to bed, his old grandmother pulled up the

stone and let out the soldier.

‘Did you pay attention to everything?’

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

Then he went by another way through the window secretly, and in all

haste back to his comrades. He told them how the Dragon had been

outwitted by his grandmother, and how he had heard from his own lips

the answer to the riddle.

Then they were all delighted and in high spirits, took out their whip,

and cracked so much money that it came jumping up from the ground.

When the seven years had quite gone, the Fiend came with his book,

and, pointing at the signatures, said, ‘I will take you underground

with me; you shall have a meal there. If you can tell me what you will

get for your roast meat, you shall be free, and shall also keep the

whip.’

Then said the first soldier, ‘In the North Sea lies a dead sea-cat;

that shall be the roast meat.’

The Dragon was much annoyed, and hummed and hawed a good deal, and

asked the second, ‘But what shall be your spoon?’

‘The rib of a whale shall be our silver spoon.’

The Dragon made a face, and growled again three times, ‘Hum, hum,

hum,’ and said to the third, ‘Do you know what your wineglass shall

be?’

‘An old horse’s hoof shall be our wineglass.’

Then the Dragon flew away with a loud shriek, and had no more power

over them. But the three soldiers took the little whip, whipped as

much money as they wanted, and lived happily to their lives’ end.

[Illustration: The Fiend defeated]

THE DONKEY CABBAGE

There was once a young Hunter who went boldly into the forest. He had

a merry and light heart, and as he went whistling along there came an

ugly old woman, who said to him, ‘Good-day, dear hunter! You are very

merry and contented, but I suffer hunger and thirst, so give me a

trifle.’ The Hunter was sorry for the poor old woman, and he felt in

his pocket and gave her all he could spare. He was going on then, but

the old woman stopped him and said, ‘Listen, dear hunter, to what I

say. Because of your kind heart I will make you a present. Go on your

way, and in a short time you will come to a tree on which sit nine

birds who have a cloak in their claws and are quarrelling over it.

Then take aim with your gun and shoot in the middle of them; they will

let the cloak fall, but one of the birds will be hit and will drop

down dead. Take the cloak with you; it is a wishing-cloak, and when

you throw it on your shoulders you have only to wish yourself at a

certain place, and in the twinkling of an eye you are there. Take the

heart out of the dead bird and swallow it whole, and early every

morning when you get up you will find a gold piece under your pillow.’

The Hunter thanked the wise woman, and thought to himself ‘These are

splendid things she has promised me, if only they come to pass!’ So he

walked on about a hundred yards, and then he heard above him in the

branches such a screaming and chirping that he looked up, and there he

saw a heap of birds tearing a cloth with their beaks and feet,

shrieking, tugging, and fighting, as if each wanted it for himself.

‘Well,’ said the Hunter, ‘this is wonderful! It is just as the old

woman said’; and he took his gun on his shoulder, pulled the trigger,

and shot into the midst of them, so that their feathers flew about.

Then the flock took flight with much screaming, but one fell dead, and

the cloak fluttered down. Then the Hunter did as the old woman had

told him: he cut open the bird, found its heart, swallowed it, and

took the cloak home with him. The next morning when he awoke he

remembered the promise, and wanted to see if it had come true. But

when he lifted up his pillow, there sparkled the gold piece, and the

next morning he found another, and so on every time he got up. He

collected a heap of gold, but at last he thought to himself, ‘What

good is all my gold to me if I stay at home? I will travel and look a

bit about me in the world.’ So he took leave of his parents, slung his

hunting knapsack and his gun round him, and journeyed into the world.

It happened that one day he went through a thick wood, and when he

came to the end of it there lay in the plain before him a large

castle. At one of the windows in it stood an old woman with a most

beautiful maiden by her side, looking out. But the old woman was a

witch, and she said to the girl, ‘There comes one out of the wood who

has a wonderful treasure in his body which we must manage to possess

ourselves of, darling daughter; we have more right to it than he. He

has a bird’s heart in him, and so every morning there lies a gold

piece under his pillow.’

She told her how they could get hold of it, and how she was to coax it

from him, and at last threatened her angrily, saying, ‘And if you do

not obey me, you shall repent it!’

When the Hunter came nearer he saw the maiden, and said to himself, ‘I

have travelled so far now that I will rest, and turn into this

beautiful castle; money I have in plenty.’ But the real reason was

that he had caught sight of the lovely face.

He went into the house, and was kindly received and hospitably

entertained. It was not long before he was so much in love with the

witch-maiden that he thought of nothing else, and only looked in her

eyes, and whatever she wanted, that he gladly did. Then the old witch

said, ‘Now we must have the bird-heart; he will not feel when it is

gone.’ She prepared a drink, and when it was ready she poured it in a

goblet and gave it to the maiden, who had to hand it to the hunter.

‘Drink to me now, my dearest,’ she said. Then he took the goblet, and

when he had swallowed the drink the bird-heart came out of his mouth.

The maiden had to get hold of it secretly and then swallow it herself,

for the old witch wanted to have it. Thenceforward he found no more

gold under his pillow, and it lay under the maiden’s; but he was so

much in love and so much bewitched that he thought of nothing except

spending all his time with the maiden.

Then the old witch said, ‘We have the bird-heart, but we must also get

the wishing-cloak from him.’

The maiden answered, ‘We will leave him that; he has already lost his

wealth!’

The old witch grew angry, and said, ‘Such a cloak is a wonderful

thing, it is seldom to be had in the world, and have it I must and

will.’ She beat the maiden, and said that if she did not obey it would

go ill with her.

[Illustration: The Maiden Obtains the Bird-Heart]

So she did her mother’s bidding, and, standing one day by the window,

she looked away into the far distance as if she were very sad.

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

‘Alas, my love,’ she replied, ‘over there lies the granite mountain

where the costly precious stones grow. I have a great longing to go

there, so that when I think of it I am very sad. For who can fetch

them? Only the birds who fly; a man, never.’

‘If you have no other trouble,’ said the Hunter, ‘that one I can

easily remove from your heart.’

So he wrapped her round in his cloak and wished themselves to the

granite mountain, and in an instant there they were, sitting on it!

The precious stones sparkled so brightly on all sides that it was a

pleasure to see them, and they collected the most beautiful and costly

together. But now the old witch had through her witchcraft caused the

Hunter’s eyes to become heavy.

He said to the maiden, ‘We will sit down for a little while and rest;

I am so tired that I can hardly stand on my feet.’

So they sat down, and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. As

soon as he was sound asleep she unfastened the cloak from his

shoulders, threw it on her own, left the granite and stones, and

wished herself home again.

But when the Hunter had finished his sleep and awoke, he found that

his love had betrayed him and left him alone on the wild mountain.

‘Oh,’ said he, ‘why is faithlessness so great in the world?’ and he

sat down in sorrow and trouble, not knowing what to do.

But the mountain belonged to fierce and huge giants, who lived on it

and traded there, and he had not sat long before he saw three of them

striding towards him. So he lay down as if he had fallen into a deep

sleep.

The giants came up, and the first pushed him with his foot, and said,

‘What sort of an earthworm is that?’

The second said, ‘Crush him dead.’

But the third said contemptuously, ‘It is not worth the trouble! Let

him live; he cannot remain here, and if he goes higher up the mountain

the clouds will take him and carry him off.’

Talking thus they went away. But the Hunter had listened to their

talk, and as soon as they had gone he rose and climbed to the summit.

When he had sat there a little while a cloud swept by, and, seizing

him, carried him away. It travelled for a time in the sky, and then it

sank down and hovered over a large vegetable garden surrounded by

walls, so that he came safely to the ground amidst cabbages and

vegetables. The Hunter then looked about him, saying, ‘If only I had

something to eat! I am so hungry, and it will go badly with me in the

future, for I see here not an apple or pear or fruit of any

kind—nothing but vegetables everywhere.’ At last he thought, ‘At a

pinch I can eat a salad; it does not taste particularly nice, but it

will refresh me.’ So he looked about for a good head and ate it, but

no sooner had he swallowed a couple of mouthfuls than he felt very

strange, and found himself wonderfully changed. Four legs began to

grow on him, a thick head, and two long ears, and he saw with horror

that he had changed into a donkey. But as he was still very hungry and

this juicy salad tasted very good to his present nature, he went on

eating with a still greater appetite. At last he got hold of another

kind of cabbage, but scarcely had swallowed it when he felt another

change, and he once more regained his human form.

[Illustration: The hunter is transformed into a donkey]

The Hunter now lay down and slept off his weariness. When he awoke the

next morning he broke off a head of the bad and a head of the good

cabbage, thinking, ‘This will help me to regain my own, and to punish

faithlessness.’ Then he put the heads in his pockets, climbed the

wall, and started off to seek the castle of his love. When he had

wandered about for a couple of days he found it quite easily. He then

browned his face quickly, so that his own mother would not have known

him, and went into the castle, where he begged for a lodging.

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

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

He answered, ‘I am a messenger of the King, and have been sent to seek

the finest salad that grows under the sun. I have been so lucky as to

find it, and am bringing it with me; but the heat of the sun is so

great that the tender cabbage threatens to grow soft, and I do not

know if I shall be able to bring it any farther.’

When the old witch heard of the fine salad she wanted to eat it, and

said, ‘Dear countryman, just let me taste the wonderful salad.’

‘Why not?’ he answered; ‘I have brought two heads with me, and will

give you one.’

So saying, he opened his sack and gave her the bad one. The witch

suspected no evil, and her mouth watered to taste the new dish, so

that she went into the kitchen to prepare it herself. When it was

ready she could not wait till it was served at the table, but she

immediately took a couple of leaves and put them in her mouth. No

sooner, however, had she swallowed them than she lost human form, and

ran into the courtyard in the shape of a donkey.

Now the servant came into the kitchen, and when she saw the salad

standing there ready cooked she was about to carry it up, but on the

way, according to her old habit, she tasted it and ate a couple of

leaves. Immediately the charm worked, and she became a donkey, and ran

out to join the old witch, and the dish with the salad in it fell to

the ground. In the meantime, the messenger was sitting with the lovely

maiden, and as no one came with the salad, and she wanted very much to

taste it, she said, ‘I don’t know where the salad is.’

Then thought the Hunter, ‘The cabbage must have already begun to

work.’ And he said, ‘I will go to the kitchen and fetch it myself.’

When he came there he saw the two donkeys running about in the

courtyard, but the salad was lying on the ground.

‘That’s all right,’ said he; ‘two have had their share!’ And lifting

the remaining leaves up, he laid them on the dish and brought them to

the maiden.

‘I am bringing you the delicious food my own self,’ he said, ‘so that

you need not wait any longer.’

Then she ate, and, as the others had done, she at once lost her human

form, and ran as a donkey into the yard.

When the Hunter had washed his face, so that the changed ones might

know him, he went into the yard, saying, ‘Now you shall receive a

reward for your faithlessness.’

He tied them all three with a rope, and drove them away till he came

to a mill. He knocked at the window, and the miller put his head out

and asked what he wanted.

‘I have three tiresome animals,’ he answered, ‘which I don’t want to

keep any longer. If you will take them, give them food and stabling,

and do as I tell you with them, I will pay you as much as you want.’

[Illustration: The Young Man Gives the Donkeys to the Miller]

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

Then the Hunter said that to the old donkey, which was the witch,

three beatings and one meal; to the younger one, which was the

servant, one beating and three meals; and to the youngest one, which

was the maiden, no beating and three meals; for he could not find it

in his heart to let the maiden be beaten.

Then he went back into the castle, and he found there all that he

wanted. After a couple of days the miller came and said that he must

tell him that the old donkey which was to have three beatings and only

one meal had died. ‘The two others,’ he added, ‘are certainly not

dead, and get their three meals every day, but they are so sad that

they cannot last much longer.’

Then the Hunter took pity on them, laid aside his anger, and told the

miller to drive them back again. And when they came he gave them some

of the good cabbage to eat, so that they became human again. Then the

beautiful maiden fell on her knees before him, saying, ‘Oh, my

dearest, forgive me the ill I have done you! My mother compelled me to

do it; it was against my will, for I love you dearly. Your

wishing-cloak is hanging in a cupboard, and as for the bird-heart I

will make a drink and give it back to you.’

But he changed his mind, and said, ‘Keep it; it makes no difference,

for I will take you to be my own dear true wife.’

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

death.

THE LITTLE GREEN FROG[8]

In a part of the world whose name I forget lived once upon a time two

kings, called Peridor and Diamantino. They were cousins as well as

neighbours, and both were under the protection of the fairies; though

it is only fair to say that the fairies did not love them half so well

as their wives did.

Now it often happens that as princes can generally manage to get their

own way it is harder for them to be good than it is for common people.

So it was with Peridor and Diamantino; but of the two, the fairies

declared that Diamantino was much the worst; indeed, he behaved so

badly to his wife Aglantino, that the fairies would not allow him to

live any longer; and he died, leaving behind him a little daughter. As

she was an only child, of course this little girl was the heiress of

the kingdom, but, being still only a baby, her mother, the widow of

Diamantino, was proclaimed regent. The Queen-dowager was wise and

good, and tried her best to make her people happy. The only thing she

had to vex her was the absence of her daughter; for the fairies, for

reasons of their own, determined to bring up the little Princess

Serpentine among themselves.

As to the other King, he was really fond of his wife, Queen Constance,

but he often grieved her by his thoughtless ways, and in order to

punish him for his carelessness, the fairies caused her to die quite

suddenly. When she was gone the King felt how much he had loved her,

and his grief was so great (though he never neglected his duties) that

his subjects called him Peridor the Sorrowful. It seems hardly

possible that any man should live like Peridor for fifteen years

plunged in such depth of grief, and most likely he would have died too

if it had not been for the fairies.

[Footnote 8: Cabinet des Fées.]

The one comfort the poor King had was his son, Prince Saphir, who was

only three years old at the time of his mother’s death, and great care

was given to his education. By the time he was fifteen Saphir had

learnt everything that a prince should know, and he was, besides,

charming and agreeable.

[Illustration: The prince looks into the magic mirror]

It was about this time that the fairies suddenly took fright lest his

love for his father should interfere with the plans they had made for

the young prince. So, to prevent this, they placed in a pretty little

room of which Saphir was very fond a little mirror in a black frame,

such as were often brought from Venice. The Prince did not notice for

some days that there was anything new in the room, but at last he

perceived it, and went up to look at it more closely. What was his

surprise to see reflected in the mirror, not his own face, but that of

a young girl as lovely as the morning! And, better still, every

movement of the girl, just growing out of childhood, was also

reflected in the wonderful glass.

As might have been expected, the young Prince lost his heart

completely to the beautiful image, and it was impossible to get him

out of the room, so busy was he in watching the lovely unknown.

Certainly it was very delightful to be able to see her whom he loved

at any moment he chose, but his spirits sometimes sank when he

wondered what was to be the end of this adventure.

The magic mirror had been for about a year in the Prince’s possession,

when one day a new subject of disquiet seized upon him. As usual, he

was engaged in looking at the girl, when suddenly he thought he saw a

second mirror reflected in the first, exactly like his own, and with

the same power. And in this he was perfectly right. The young girl had

only possessed it for a short time, and neglected all her duties for

the sake of the mirror. Now it was not difficult for Saphir to guess

the reason of the change in her, nor why the new mirror was consulted

so often; but try as he would he could never see the face of the

person who was reflected in it, for the young girl’s figure always

came between. All he knew was that the face was that of a man, and

this was quite enough to make him madly jealous. This was the doing of

the fairies, and we must suppose that they had their reasons for

acting as they did.

When these things happened Saphir was about eighteen years old, and

fifteen years had passed away since the death of his mother. King

Peridor had grown more and more unhappy as time went on, and at last

he fell so ill that it seemed as if his days were numbered. He was so

much beloved by his subjects that this sad news was heard with despair

by the nation, and more than all by the Prince.

During his whole illness the King never spoke of anything but the

Queen, his sorrow at having grieved her, and his hope of one day

seeing her again. All the doctors and all the water-cures in the

kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good. At last he

persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came

to trouble him.

Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his

chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe. So he commanded his

servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more

air. One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird

with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and

finally rested on the sill. His feathers were sky-blue and gold, his

feet and his beak of such glittering rubies that no one could bear to

look at them, his eyes made the brightest diamonds look dull, and on

his head he wore a crown. I cannot tell you what the crown was made

of, but I am quite certain that it was still more splendid than all

the rest. As to his voice I can say nothing about that, for the bird

never sang at all. In fact, he did nothing but gaze steadily at the

King, and as he gazed, the King felt his strength come back to him. In

a little while the bird flew into the room, still with his eyes fixed

on the King, and at every glance the strength of the sick man became

greater, till he was once more as well as he used to be before the

Queen died. Filled with joy at his cure, he tried to seize the bird to

whom he owed it all, but, swifter than a swallow, it managed to avoid

him. In vain he described the bird to his attendants, who rushed at

his first call; in vain they sought the wonderful creature both on

horse and foot, and summoned the fowlers to their aid: the bird could

nowhere be found. The love the people bore King Peridor was so strong,

and the reward he promised was so large, that in the twinkling of an

eye every man, woman, and child had fled into the fields, and the

towns were quite empty.

All this bustle, however, ended in nothing but confusion, and, what

was worse, the King soon fell back into the same condition as he was

in before. Prince Saphir, who loved his father very dearly, was so

unhappy at this that he persuaded himself that he might succeed where

the others had failed, and at once prepared himself for a more distant

search. In spite of the opposition he met with, he rode away, followed

by his household, trusting to chance to help him. He had formed no

plan, and there was no reason that he should choose one path more than

another. His only idea was to make straight for those spots which were

the favourite haunts of birds. But in vain he examined all the hedges

and all the thickets; in vain he questioned everyone he met along the

road. The more he sought the less he found.

At last he came to one of the largest forests in all the world,

composed entirely of cedars. But in spite of the deep shadows cast by

the wide-spreading branches of the trees, the grass underneath was

soft and green, and covered with the rarest flowers. It seemed to

Saphir that this was exactly the place where the birds would choose to

live, and he determined not to quit the wood until he had examined it

from end to end. And he did more. He ordered some nets to be prepared

and painted of the same colours as the bird’s plumage, thinking that

we are all easily caught by what is like ourselves. In this he had to

help him not only the fowlers by profession, but also his attendants,

who excelled in this art. For a man is not a courtier unless he can do

everything.

After searching as usual for nearly a whole day Prince Saphir began to

feel overcome with thirst. He was too tired to go any farther, when

happily he discovered a little way off a bubbling fountain of the

clearest water. Being an experienced traveller, he drew from his

pocket a little cup (without which no one should ever take a journey),

and was just about to dip it in the water, when a lovely little green

frog, much prettier than frogs generally are, jumped into the cup. Far

from admiring its beauty, Saphir shook it impatiently off; but it was

no good, for quick as lightning the frog jumped back again. Saphir,

who was raging with thirst, was just about to shake it off anew, when

the little creature fixed upon him the most beautiful eyes in the

world, and said, ‘I am a friend of the bird you are seeking, and when

you have quenched your thirst listen to me.’

So the Prince drank his fill, and then, by the command of the