she would
be at home to nobody for the rest of the day.

As soon as Hans got back, the huntsman took a cup of water, muttered
some strange words over it, and sprinkled Hans with the contents. He
was conscious of a curious change taking place in him, and before he
could quite make out what it was, he found that he was a white mouse
with a gold claw. The huntsman put him in a box and carried him to the
palace to sell him to the Princess. When he arrived there the porter
refused to admit him.

"No!" he said, "the Princess had given out that she would see no one
that day. It was more than his place was worth to admit the stranger."
However, by dint of flattering words and a handsome present slipped
into his hands, the porter was persuaded to send for one of the
Princess's ladies. When she came and saw the white mouse with the gold
claw, she said she was sure that her mistress would be so delighted
with his beautiful little curiosity that she would pardon having her
orders disobeyed for once. Only, the huntsman must remain where he
was; she would take the white mouse to the Princess herself. To this
the Huntsman consented; and the long and short of it was that the
Princess sent him a handsome sum for the mouse; and Hans found himself
established as her newest favourite. The Princess was so pleased with
her pet that, when she went to bed, she placed him in a cabinet in her
room, the door of which she left open--because he was so tame that she
had no fear of his attempting to run away. Hans was wondering how he
was to find out the Princess's dream in this situation, when his
mistress woke up, laughing heartily, and called for her lady in
waiting to come to her.

"I've had such a curious dream," she said. "I dreamed that I was
married to a man with a golden top-joint to his little finger. I
suppose that it was the white mouse with the gold claw which put the
idea into my head. But," and here the Princess's voice grew very sad,
"how will that poor boy ever guess this dream to-morrow?"

Hans waited impatiently for all to be quiet, then he slipped out of
his cabinet, and finding the door shut, ran up the curtain of the
window, which was fortunately open, and getting on a rose which
clambered up outside the wall, ran down it and made the best of his
way to the inn. There he found the huntsman waiting for him, to whom
he told all that had taken place, and who in a few seconds changed him
back to his own shape.

An enormous co