hrough which no one
could force a way.

When the Flower Queen heard that her daughter wanted to marry the
Prince, she said to him: 'I will give my consent to your marriage
gladly, but my daughter can only stay with you in summer. In winter,
when everything is dead and the ground covered with snow, she must
come and live with me in my palace underground.' The Prince consented
to this, and led his beautiful bride home, where the wedding was held
with great pomp and magnificence. The young couple lived happily
together till winter came, when the Flower Queen's daughter departed
and went home to her mother. In summer she returned to her husband,
and their life of joy and happiness began again, and lasted till the
approach of winter, when the Flower Queen's daughter went back again
to her mother. This coming and going continued all her life long, and
in spite of it they always lived happily together.

_THE FLYING SHIP_[24]

Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had three sons; the two
elder were clever, but the third was a regular dunce. The clever sons
were very fond of their mother, gave her good clothes, and always
spoke pleasantly to her; but the youngest was always getting in her
way, and she had no patience with him. Now, one day it was announced
in the village that the King had issued a decree, offering his
daughter, the Princess, in marriage to whoever should build a ship
that could fly. Immediately the two elder brothers determined to try
their luck, and asked their parents' blessing. So the old mother
smartened up their clothes, and gave them a store of provisions for
their journey, not forgetting to add a bottle of brandy. When they had
gone the poor Simpleton began to tease his mother to smarten him up
and let him start off.

'What would become of a dolt like you?' she answered. 'Why, you would
be eaten up by wolves.'

But the foolish youth kept repeating, 'I will go, I will go, I will
go!'

Seeing that she could do nothing with him, the mother gave him a crust
of bread and a bottle of water, and took no further heed of him.

So the Simpleton set off on his way. When he had gone a short distance
he met a little old manikin. They greeted one another, and the manikin
asked him where he was going.

'I am off to the King's Court,' he answered. 'He has promised to give
his daughter to whoever can make a flying ship.'

'And can you make such a ship?'

'Not I.'

'Then why in the world ar