round again; the cook gave the boy the box on his ear so that he cried
out, and the maid went on plucking the fowl. And then was the wedding of
the prince and Rose-Bud celebrated, and they lived happily together all
their lives long.

178

The story of "Rumpelstiltskin" is taken from
Margaret Hunt's translation of Grimm. It is the
same story as "Tom Tit Tot" (No. 160), and is
given in order that the teacher may compare the
two. Grimm's is the most familiar of the many
versions of this tale and is probably the best
for use with children, although the "little
man" lacks some of the fascinating power of
"that" with its twirling tail.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter.
Now it happened that he had to go and speak to the King, and in order to
make himself appear important he said to him, "I have a daughter who can
spin straw into gold."

The King said to the miller, "That is an art which pleases me well. If
your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her tomorrow to my palace,
and I will try what she can do."

And when the girl was brought to him he took her into a room which was
quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and a reel, and said,
"Now set to work, and if by tomorrow morning early you have not spun
this straw into gold during the night, you must die." Thereupon he
himself locked up the room, and left her in it alone. So there sat the
poor miller's daughter, and for her life could not tell what to do. She
had no idea how straw could be spun into gold, and she grew more and
more miserable, until at last she began to weep.

But all at once the door opened, and in came a little man, and said,
"Good evening, Mistress Miller; why are you crying so?"

"Alas!" answered the girl, "I have to spin straw into gold, and I do not
know how to do it."

"What will you give me," said the manikin, "if I do it for you?"

"My necklace," said the girl. The little man took the necklace, seated
himself in front of the wheel, and "whir, whir, whir," three turns, and
the reel was full; then he put another on, and "whir, whir, whir," three
times round, and the second was full, too. And so it went on until the
morning, when all the straw was spun, and all the reels were full of
gold. By daybreak the King was already there, and when he saw the gold
he was astonished and delighted, but his he