the hollow tree into which the
witch had helped him. He brought out the tinder-box and the candle-end;
but as soon as he struck fire and the sparks rose up from the flint, the
door flew open, and the dog who had eyes as big as a couple of tea-cups,
and whom he had seen in the tree, stood before him, and said:

"What are my lord's commands?"

"What is this?" said the soldier. "That's a famous tinder-box, if I can
get everything with it that I want! Bring me some money," said he to the
dog: and _whisk!_ the dog was gone, and _whisk!_ he was back again, with
a great bag full of shillings in his mouth.

Now the soldier knew what a capital tinder-box this was. If he struck it
once, the dog came who sat upon the chest of copper money; if he struck
it twice, the dog came who had the silver; and if he struck it three
times, then appeared the dog who had the gold. Now the soldier moved
back into the fine rooms, and appeared again in handsome clothes; and
all his friends knew him again, and cared very much for him indeed.

Once he thought to himself, "It is a very strange thing that one cannot
get to see the Princess. They all say she is very beautiful; but what is
the use of that, if she has always to sit in the great copper castle
with the many towers? Can I not get to see her at all? Where is my
tinder-box?" And so he struck a light, and _whisk!_ came the dog with
eyes as big as tea-cups.

"It is midnight, certainly," said the soldier, "but I should very much
like to see the Princess, only for one little moment."

And the dog was outside the door directly, and, before the soldier
thought it, came back with the Princess. She sat upon the dog's back and
slept; and everyone could see she was a real Princess, for she was so
lovely. The soldier could not refrain from kissing her, for he was a
thorough soldier. Then the dog ran back again with the Princess. But
when morning came, and the King and Queen were drinking tea, the
Princess said she had had a strange dream, the night before, about a dog
and a soldier--that she had ridden upon the dog, and the soldier had
kissed her.

"That would be a fine history!" said the Queen.

So one of the old Court ladies had to watch the next night by the
Princess's bed, to see if this was really a dream, or what it might be.

The soldier had a great longing to see the lovely Princess again; so the
dog came in the night, took her away, and ran as fast as he could. But
the old lady put on