his grief. All was lonely, empty, sorrowful; and the forsaken gnome
resolved that he would have no more dealings with such false creatures
as he had found men to be.

Thereupon he stamped three times upon the earth, and the magic
palace, with all its treasures, vanished away into the nothingness out
of which he had called it; and the gnome fled once more to the depths
of his underground kingdom.

* * * * *

While all this was happening, Prince Ratibor was hurrying away with
his prize to a place of safety. With great pomp and triumph he
restored the lovely princess to her father, and was then and there
married to her, and took her back with him to his own castle.

But long after she was dead, and her children too, the villagers would
tell the tale of her imprisonment underground, as they sat carving
wood in the winter nights.

[_Volksmaehrchen der Deutschen._]

_STORY OF THE KING WHO WOULD BE STRONGER THAN FATE_

Once upon a time, far away in the east country, there lived a king who
loved hunting so much that, when once there was a deer in sight, he
was careless of his own safety. Indeed, he often became quite
separated from his nobles and attendants, and in fact was particularly
fond of lonely adventures. Another of his favourite amusements was to
give out that he was not well, and could not be seen; and then, with
the knowledge only of his faithful Grand Wazeer, to disguise himself
as a pedlar, load a donkey with cheap wares, and travel about. In this
way he found out what the common people said about him, and how his
judges and governors fulfilled their duties.

One day his queen presented him with a baby daughter as beautiful as
the dawn, and the king himself was so happy and delighted that, for a
whole week, he forgot to hunt, and spent the time in public and
private rejoicing.

Not long afterwards, however, he went out after some deer which were
to be found in a far corner of his forests. In the course of the beat
his dogs disturbed a beautiful snow-white stag, and directly he saw it
the king determined that he would have it at any cost. So he put the
spurs to his horse, and followed it as hard as he could gallop. Of
course all his attendants followed at the best speed that they could
manage; but the king was so splendidly mounted, and the stag was so
swift, that, at the end of an hour, the king found that only his
favourite hound and himself were in the chase; all