,'
replied the fox.

'Oh, nothing is likely to happen to me,' returned the boy.

'Well, go then,' said the fox, 'but be careful not to make any
mistake. Steal only the hen which has the feather missing from her
tail, and leave the others alone.'

The man listened, but did not interfere, and the boy entered the court
of the palace.

He soon spied the three hens strutting proudly about, though they were
really anxiously wondering if there were not some grains lying on the
ground that they might be glad to eat. And as the last one passed by
him, he saw she had one feather missing from her tail.

At this sight the youth darted forward and seized the hen by the neck
so that she could not struggle. Then, tucking her comfortably under
his arm, he made straight for the gate. Unluckily, just as he was
about to go through it he looked back and caught a glimpse of
wonderful splendours from an open door of the palace. 'After all,
there is no hurry,' he said to himself; 'I may as well see something
now I _am_ here,' and turned back, forgetting all about the hen, which
escaped from under his arm, and ran to join her sisters.

He was so much fascinated by the sight of all the beautiful things
which peeped through the door that he scarcely noticed that he had
lost the prize he had won; and he did not remember there was such a
thing as a hen in the world when he beheld the Sister of the Sun
sleeping on a bed before him.

For some time he stood staring; then he came to himself with a start,
and feeling that he had no business there, softly stole away, and was
fortunate enough to recapture the hen, which he took with him to the
gate. On the threshold he stopped again. 'Why should I not look at the
Sister of the Sun?' he thought to himself; 'she is asleep, and will
never know.' And he turned back for the second time and entered the
chamber, while the hen wriggled herself free as before. When he had
gazed his fill he went out into the courtyard and picked up his hen
who was seeking for corn.

As he drew near the gate he paused. 'Why did I not give her a kiss?'
he said to himself; 'I shall never kiss any woman so beautiful.' And
he wrung his hands with regret, so that the hen fell to the ground and
ran away.

'But I can do it still!' he cried with delight, and he rushed back to
the chamber and kissed the sleeping maiden on the forehead. But, alas!
when he came out again he found that the hen had grown so shy that she
would not l