ncourse of people was assembled next day to see the
trial. Very pale and sad the Princess looked as she sat prepared to
put the question to Hans. He waited respectfully till she had spoken,
and then, without saying a word, held out his hand to her. Her eye
fell on the golden top-joint of his little finger. She cried out with
delight, and, seizing his hand in hers, turned to the people and said:
"Hans has guessed right, and he shall be my husband."

And all the people raised a glad shout, "Long live Prince Hans!"

"Oh!" said the Princess to Hans, "how I wish my brother were here to
share our happiness!"

"He is here," said the huntsman, who had thrust his way to the front;
and, throwing off his huntsman's disguise, he appeared dressed as a
Prince. Then, turning to Hans, he said:

"A mighty magician, the enemy of our family, condemned me, because I
would not give him my sister in marriage, to take the form of a
unicorn, and to guard the sparkling golden water. Twice every year,
for a fortnight at a time, I was allowed to resume my human shape. It
was then that I came to your hut in the forest, and gave you the token
by which to win your way to the fountain. The spell laid upon me was
only to be raised when some one guessed aright my sister's dream, and
so won her to wife. Thanks to you, brother Hans, the magician's power
is at an end."

Hans and the Princess were married, and after the ceremony the Prince
went off to his own kingdom. Hans's mother had a beautiful suite of
apartments in the palace assigned to her, and Uncle Stoltz was not
forgotten, but was provided for comfortably for life; and they all
lived happily ever afterward.

As for Fritz and Franz, they were so selfish and cruel, that there was
nothing to be done with them but to send them back into the forest
again to burn charcoal; and for all I know they are burning charcoal
there still.

_Destiny_

Once upon a time there were two brothers who lived together in the
same household. One attended to everything, while the other was an
indolent fellow, who occupied himself only with eating and drinking.
Their harvests were always magnificent; they had cattle, horses,
sheep, pigs, bees, and all other things in great abundance.

The elder, who did everything about the estate, said to himself one
day:

"Why should I toil for this lazy fellow? It would be better that we
should separate. I will work for myself alone, and he can do whatever
he pleas