he woods and in the fields. Of food
she got little or none, and grew pale and thin, and was nearly always
weeping and sad. Among the herd there was a great blue bull, which
always kept itself very smart and sleek, and often came to the King's
daughter and let her stroke him. So one day, when she was again sitting
crying and sorrowing, the Bull came up to her and asked why she was
always so full of care? She made no answer, but continued to weep.

'Well,' said the Bull, 'I know what it is, though you will not tell
me; you are weeping because the Queen is unkind to you, and because she
wants to starve you to death. But you need be under no concern about
food, for in my left ear there lies a cloth, and if you will but take it
and spread it out, you can have as many dishes as you like.'

So she did this, and took the cloth and spread it out upon the grass,
and then it was covered with the daintiest dishes that any one could
desire, and there was wine, and mead, and cake. And now she became brisk
and well again, and grew so rosy, and plump, and fair that the Queen
and her scraggy daughter turned blue and white with vexation at it. The
Queen could not imagine how her step-daughter could look so well on such
bad food, so she ordered one of her handmaidens to follow her into the
wood and watch her, and see how it was, for she thought that some of the
servants must be giving her food. So the maid followed her into the wood
and watched, and saw how the step-daughter took the cloth out of the
Blue Bull's ear, and spread it out, and how the cloth was then covered
with the most delicate dishes, which the step-daughter ate and regaled
herself with. So the waiting-maid went home and told the Queen.

And now the King came home, and he had conquered the other King with
whom he had been at war. So there was great gladness in the palace,
but no one was more glad than the King's daughter. The Queen, however,
pretended to be ill, and gave the doctor much money to say that she
would never be well again unless she had some of the flesh of the Blue
Bull to eat. Both the King's daughter and the people in the palace asked
the doctor if there were no other means of saving her, and begged for
the Bull's life, for they were all fond of him, and they all declared
that there was no such Bull in the whole country; but it was all in
vain, he was to be killed, and should be killed, and nothing else would
serve. When the King's daughter heard it she was