back, as he rode through a green lane, a
hazel-twig struck against his hat; and he broke it off and carried it
home with him. And when he reached home he gave to the step-daughters
what they had wished for, and to Aschenputtel he gave the hazel-twig.
She thanked him, and went to her mother's grave, and planted this twig
there, weeping so bitterly that the tears fell upon it and watered it,
and it flourished and became a fine tree. Aschenputtel went to see it
three times a day, and wept and prayed, and each time a white bird rose
up from the tree, and if she uttered any wish the bird brought her
whatever she had wished for.

Now if came to pass that the king ordained a festival that should last
for three days, and to which all the beautiful young women of that
country were bidden, so that the king's son might choose a bride from
among them. When the two step-daughters heard that they too were bidden
to appear, they felt very pleased, and they called Aschenputtel, and
said,

"Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and make our buckles fast, we are going
to the wedding feast at the king's castle."

Aschenputtel, when she heard this, could not help crying, for she too
would have liked to go to the dance, and she begged her step-mother to
allow her.

"What, you Aschenputtel!" said she, "in all your dust and dirt, you
want to go to the festival! you that have no dress and no shoes! you
want to dance!"

But as she persisted in asking, at last the step-mother said,

"I have strewed a dish-full of lentils in the ashes, and if you can pick
them all up again in two hours you may go with us."

Then the maiden went to the back-door that led into the garden, and
called out,

"O gentle doves, O turtle-doves,
And all the birds that be,
The lentils that in ashes lie
Come and pick up for me!
The good must be put in the dish,
The bad you may eat if you wish."

Then there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and after them
some turtle-doves, and at last a crowd of all the birds under heaven,
chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes; and the
doves nodded with their heads, and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and
then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the
good grains into the dish. Before an hour was over all was done, and
they flew away. Then the maiden brought the dish to her step-mother,
feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go to the feast;