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.

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.

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