the servants returned to wake him
many times in the night.

At last the dawn broke, and the servants rushed to his room, crying:
'Paperarello! Paperarello! get up, the king is coming. You have baked no
bread, and of a surety he will have your head.'

'Oh, don't scream so,' replied Paperarello, jumping out of bed as
he spoke; and taking the lock of hair in his hand, he went into the
kitchen. And, behold! there stood the bread piled high--four, five, six
ovens full, and the seventh still waiting to be taken out of the oven.
The servants stood and stared in surprise, and the king said: 'Well
done, Paperarello, you have won my daughter.' And he thought to himself:
'This fellow must really be a magician.'

But when the princess heard what was in store for her she wept bitterly,
and declared that never, never would she marry that dirty Paperarello!
However, the king paid no heed to her tears and prayers, and before many
days were over the wedding was celebrated with great splendour, though
the bridegroom had not taken the trouble to wash himself, and was as
dirty as before.

When night came he went as usual to sleep among his geese, and the
princess went to the king and said: 'Father, I entreat you to have that
horrible Paperarello put to death.' 'No, no!' replied her father, 'he is
a great magician, and before I put him to death, I must first find out
the secret of his power, and then--we shall see.'

Soon after this a war broke out, and everybody about the palace was very
busy polishing up armour and sharpening swords, for the king and his
sons were to ride at the head of the army. Then Paperarello left his
geese, and came and told the king that he wished to go to fight also.
The king gave him leave, and told him that he might go to the stable and
take any horse he liked from the stables. So Paperarello examined
the horses carefully, but instead of picking out one of the splendid
well-groomed creatures, whose skin shone like satin, he chose a poor
lame thing, put a saddle on it, and rode after the other men-at-arms who
were attending the king. In a short time he stopped, and said to them:
'My horse can go no further; you must go on to the war without me, and
I will stay here, and make some little clay soldiers, and will play at a
battle.' The men laughed at him for being so childish, and rode on after
their master.

Scarcely were they out of sight than Paperarello took out his curl, and
wished himself the best armour