g and without consulting his Queen who sat by his
side, he said,

"Let the first man have it," who happened to be the peasant whose cart
was drawn by the horse.

Now the Queen was vexed that her husband should have decided so
unjustly, and when the court was over she went to the other peasant
and told him how he could convince the King that he had made a rash
judgment. So the next day he took a stool outside the King's window
and commenced fishing with a fishing-rod in the road.

The King looking out of his window saw this and began to laugh and
called out to the man,

"You won't find many fish on a dry road," to which the peasant
answered,

"As many as foals that come from a horse."

Then the King remembered his judgment of yesterday and, calling the
men before him, decided that the foal should belong to the man who had
the mare and who had fished in front of his windows. But he said to
him as he dismissed them,

"That arrow never came from your quiver."

Then he went to his Queen in a towering rage and said to her,

"How dare you interfere in my judgments?"

And she said, "I did not like my dear husband to do what was unjust."
But the King said,

"Then you ought to have spoken to me, not shamed me before my people.
That is too much. You shall go back to your father who is so proud of
you. And the only favour I can grant you will be that you can take
with you from the palace whatever you love best."

"Your Majesty's wish shall be my law," said the Queen, "but let us at
least not part in anger. Let me have my last dinner as Queen in your
company."

When they dined together the Queen put a sleeping potion in the King's
cup, and when he fell asleep she directed the servants to put him in
the carriage that was waiting to take her home, and carried him into
her bed. When he woke up next morning he asked,

"Where am I, and why are you still with me?"

Then the Queen said, "You allowed me to take with me that which I
loved best in the palace, and so I took you."

Then the King recognized the love his Queen had for him, and brought
her back to his palace, and they lived together there forever
afterwards.

THUMBKIN

A woman was once stringing beans in her kitchen, and she thought to
herself:

"Oh, why have I not got a little baby boy; if I had only one as big as
one of these beans or as big as my thumb I should be content. How I
would love it, and dress it, and talk to it."

As she was speak