he ground and half sits at the head of this table. We have
travelled a long way, we have spoken in the rustle of the wind, have
whispered in the wood, we have sung in the waters, but now we wish to
tell you a story which you know without knowing it, in the speech of
men.'

And a second cushion fell down.

'Let them take their silliness home,' said the empress.

'Oh, no, let them go on,' said the emperor. 'You wished to see them, but
I wish to hear them. Go on, boys, sing me the story.'

The empress was silent, but the princes began to sing the story of their
lives.

'There was once an emperor,' began they, and the third cushion fell
down.

When they reached the warlike expedition of the emperor three of the
cushions fell down at once.

And when the tale was finished there were no more cushions under the
empress, but the moment that they lifted their caps, and showed their
golden hair and the golden stars, the eyes of the emperor and of all
his guests were bent on them, and they could hardly bear the power of so
many glances.

And there happened in the end what should have happened in the
beginning. Laptitza sat next her husband at the top of the table. The
stepmother's daughter became the meanest sewing maid in the palace, the
stepmother was tied to a wild horse, and every one knew and has never
forgotten that whoever has a mind turned to wickedness is sure to end
badly.

(Rumanische Marchen.)

THE FROG

Once upon a time there was a woman who had three sons. Though they
were peasants they were well off, for the soil on which they lived was
fruitful, and yielded rich crops. One day they all three told their
mother they meant to get married. To which their mother replied: 'Do
as you like, but see that you choose good housewives, who will look
carefully after your affairs; and, to make certain of this, take with
you these three skeins of flax, and give it to them to spin. Whoever
spins the best will be my favourite daughter-in-law.'

Now the two eldest sons had already chosen their wives; so they took the
flax from their mother, and carried it off with them, to have it spun
as she had said. But the youngest son was puzzled what to do with his
skein, as he knew no girl (never having spoken to any) to whom he could
give it to be spun. He wandered hither and thither, asking the girls
that he met if they would undertake the task for him, but at the sight
of the flax they laughed in his face and mocked at