a large table, with a gorgeous cloth, and on it lay a big open
book.

Now the Princesses were curious to know what was written in the book,
especially the eldest, and this is what she read:

'The eldest daughter of this King will marry a prince from the East.'

Then the second girl stepped forward, and turning over the page she
read:

'The second daughter of this King will marry a prince from the West.'

The girls were delighted, and laughed and teased each other.

But the youngest Princess did not want to go near the table or to open
the book. Her elder sisters however left her no peace, and will she,
nill she, they dragged her up to the table, and in fear and trembling
she turned over the page and read:

'The youngest daughter of this King will be married to a pig from the
North.'

Now if a thunderbolt had fallen upon her from heaven it would not have
frightened her more.

She almost died of misery, and if her sisters had not held her up, she
would have sunk to the ground and cut her head open.

When she came out of the fainting fit into which she had fallen in her
terror, her sisters tried to comfort her, saying:

'How can you believe such nonsense? When did it ever happen that a
king's daughter married a pig?'

'What a baby you are!' said the other sister; 'has not our father enough
soldiers to protect you, even if the disgusting creature did come to woo
you?'

The youngest Princess would fain have let herself be convinced by her
sisters' words, and have believed what they said, but her heart was
heavy. Her thoughts kept turning to the book, in which stood written
that great happiness waited her sisters, but that a fate was in store
for her such as had never before been known in the world.

Besides, the thought weighed on her heart that she had been guilty of
disobeying her father. She began to get quite ill, and in a few days she
was so changed that it was difficult to recognise her; formerly she had
been rosy and merry, now she was pale and nothing gave her any pleasure.
She gave up playing with her sisters in the garden, ceased to gather
flowers to put in her hair, and never sang when they sat together at
their spinning and sewing.

In the meantime the King won a great victory, and having completely
defeated and driven off the enemy, he hurried home to his daughters, to
whom his thoughts had constantly turned. Everyone went out to meet him
with cymbals and fifes and drums, and there was great r