ller's daughter, it's true," he thought; "but I couldn't
find a richer wife if I were to search the whole world over." When the
girl was alone the little man appeared for the third time, and said:
"What'll you give me if I spin the straw for you once again?" "I've
nothing more to give," answered the girl. "Then promise me when you
are Queen to give me your first child." "Who knows what may not happen
before that?" thought the miller's daughter; and besides, she saw no
other way out of it, so she promised the manikin what he demanded, and
he set to work once more and spun the straw into gold. When the
King came in the morning, and found everything as he had desired, he
straightway made her his wife, and the miller's daughter became a queen.

When a year had passed a beautiful son was born to her, and she thought
no more of the little man, till all of a sudden one day he stepped into
her room and said: "Now give me what you promised." The Queen was in a
great state, and offered the little man all the riches in her kingdom if
he would only leave her the child. But the manikin said: "No, a living
creature is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world." Then the
Queen began to cry and sob so bitterly that the little man was sorry for
her, and said: "I'll give you three days to guess my name, and if you
find it out in that time you may keep your child."

Then the Queen pondered the whole night over all the names she had ever
heard, and sent a messenger to scour the land, and to pick up far and
near any names he could come across. When the little man arrived on the
following day she began with Kasper, Melchior, Belshazzar, and all the
other names she knew, in a string, but at each one the manikin called
out: "That's not my name." The next day she sent to inquire the names
of all the people in the neighborhood, and had a long list of the
most uncommon and extraordinary for the little man when he made
his appearance. "Is your name, perhaps, Sheepshanks Cruickshanks,
Spindleshanks?" but he always replied: "That's not my name." On the
third day the messenger returned and announced: "I have not been able to
find any new names, but as I came upon a high hill round the corner of
the wood, where the foxes and hares bid each other good-night, I saw
a little house, and in front of the house burned a fire, and round
the fire sprang the most grotesque little man, hopping on one leg and
crying:

"To-morrow I brew, to-day I bake,