r with his wine, and knew nothing
of it.

That night the golden bird came flying, and sat in the linden tree just
outside of the Prince's chamber window. Then she clapped her wings and
sang:

"I wept over you once,
I wept over you twice,
I wept over you three times.
In the ram's skin I waited,
And out of the ram's skin I flew.
Why are you sleeping,
Life of my life?"

But the Prince slept as sound as a dormouse, and when the dawn came and
the cocks crew the golden bird was forced to fly away.

The next night the false Princess did as she had done before, and mixed
a sleeping powder with the Prince's cup of wine.

That night the golden bird came again, and perched in the linden tree
outside of the Prince's window, and sang:

"I wept over you once,
I wept over you twice,
I wept over you three times.
In the ram's skin I waited,
And out of the ram's skin I flew.
Why are you sleeping,
Life of my life?"

But once more the Prince slept through it all, and when morning had come
the golden bird was forced to fly away.

Now it chanced that that night some of the folk of the King's household
heard the bird singing, and they told the Prince all about it. So when
the third night came, and the false Princess gave the Prince the cup of
wine with the sleeping powder in it, he threw the wine over his
shoulder, and never touched so much as a drop of it.

That night the bird came for the third time, and sang as it had done
before.

But this time the Prince was not sleeping. He jumped out of his bed and
ran to the window, and there he saw the bird, and its feathers shone
like fire because they were of pure gold. Then he got his magic key and
looked through the ring of it, and whom should he see but his own
Princess sitting in the linden tree.

Then the Prince called to her, "What shall I do to set you free from
this enchantment?"

"Throw your knife over me," said the Princess.

No sooner said than done. The Prince threw his knife over her, and
there she stood in her own true shape. Then the Prince took her to the
King, and when the King saw how pretty she was, he skipped and danced
till his slippers flew about his ears.

The next morning the old King went to the false Princess, and said,
"What should be done to one who would do thus and so?"

[Illustration: The Old King Rejoices at His New Daughter-in-Law.]

To this the false Princess answered, as bold as brass, "Such a one
should be thrown i