n I shall never come again.'

When it had said this the duck waddled off again. Several of the servant
girls heard the conversation, and were greatly surprised at it, and
thought that it would be worth while to catch the bird next evening and
see into the matter a little more closely. They had heard it say that it
would come again.

Next evening it appeared as it had said, and a great many were present
to see it. It came waddling in by the drain, and went up to the dog,
which was lying on the hearth-stone.

'Good evening,' it said.

'Thanks, Maiden Bright-eye,' said the dog.

'Where is my brother?'

'He is in the serpent-pit.'

'Where is my wicked sister?'

'She is with the noble king.'

'Alas! alas! I am here this evening, and shall be for one evening yet,
and then I shall never come again.'

After this it slipped out, and no one could get hold of it. But the
king's cook thought to himself, 'I shall see if I can't get hold of you
to-morrow evening.'

On the third evening the duck again came waddling in by the drain, and
up to the dog on the hearth-stone.

'Good evening,' it said.

'Thanks, Maiden Bright-eye,' said the dog.

'Where is my brother?'

'He is in the serpent-pit.'

'Where is my wicked sister?'

'She is with the noble king.'

'Alas! alas! now I shall never come again.'

With this it slipped out again, but in the meantime the cook had posted
himself at the outer end of the drain with a net, which he threw over it
as it came out. In this way he caught it, and came in to the others with
the most beautiful duck they had ever seen--with so many golden feathers
on it that everyone marvelled. No one, however, knew what was to be
done with it; but after what they had heard they knew that there was
something uncommon about it, so they took good care of it.

At this time the brother in the serpent-pit dreamed that his right
sister had come swimming to the king's palace in the shape of a duck,
and that she could not regain her own form until her beak was cut off.
He got this dream told to some one, so that the king at last came to
hear of it, and had him taken up out of the pit and brought before
him. The king then asked him if he could produce to him his sister as
beautiful as he had formerly described her. The brother said he could if
they would bring him the duck and a knife.

Both of them were brought to him, and he said, 'I wonder how you would
look if I were to cut the point off your b