repay you." So saying, she sank down into
the water again, leaving Charming greatly astonished at her politeness.

Another day, as he journeyed on, he saw a raven in great distress. The
poor bird was closely pursued by an eagle, which would soon have eaten
it up, had not Charming quickly fitted an arrow to his bow and shot the
eagle dead. The raven perched upon a tree very joyfully.

"Charming," said he, "it was very generous of you to rescue a poor
raven; I am not ungrateful, some day I will repay you."

Charming thought it was very nice of the raven to say so, and went on
his way.

Before the sun rose he found himself in a thick wood where it was too
dark for him to see his path, and here he heard an owl crying as if it
were in despair.

"Hark!" said he, "that must be an owl in great trouble, I am sure it has
gone into a snare"; and he began to hunt about, and presently found a
great net which some bird-catchers had spread the night before.

"What a pity it is that men do nothing but torment and persecute poor
creatures which never do them any harm!" said he, and he took out his
knife and cut the cords of the net, and the owl flitted away into the
darkness, but then turning, with one flicker of her wings, she came back
to Charming and said:

"It does not need many words to tell you how great a service you have
done me. I was caught; in a few minutes the fowlers would have been
here--without your help I should have been killed. I am grateful, and
one day I will repay you."

These three adventures were the only ones of any consequence that befell
Charming upon his journey, and he made all the haste he could to reach
the palace of the Princess Goldilocks.

When he arrived he thought everything he saw delightful and magnificent.
Diamonds were as plentiful as pebbles, and the gold and silver, the
beautiful dresses, the sweetmeats and pretty things that were everywhere
quite amazed him; he thought to himself: "If the Princess consents to
leave all this, and come with me to marry the King, he may think himself
lucky!"

Then he dressed himself carefully in rich brocade, with scarlet and
white plumes, and threw a splendid embroidered scarf over his shoulder,
and, looking as gay and as graceful as possible, he presented himself at
the door of the palace, carrying in his arm a tiny pretty dog which
he had bought on the way. The guards saluted him respectfully, and a
messenger was sent to the Princess to announce the