city, when the youth
came riding back with the princess sitting behind him, and dragging
the horrible monster by a cord. Everybody cried out that the king must
give the victor the hand of the princess; and so he did, and no one
had ever seen such balls and feasts and sports before. And when they
were all over the young couple went to the palace prepared for them,
which was so large that it was three miles round.

The first wet day after their marriage the bridegroom begged the bride
to show him all the rooms in the palace, and it was so big and took so
long that the sun was shining brightly again before they stepped on to
the roof to see the view.

'What castle is that out there,' asked the knight; 'it seems to be
made of black marble?'

'It is called the castle of Albatroz,' answered the princess. 'It is
enchanted, and no one that has tried to enter it has ever come back.'

[Illustration: THE DRAGON AND THE MIRROR]

Her husband said nothing, and began to talk of something else; but
the next morning he ordered his horse, took his spear, called his
bloodhound, and set off for the castle.

It needed a brave man to approach it, for it made your hair stand on
end merely to look at it; it was as dark as the night of a storm, and
as silent as the grave. But the Knight of the Fish knew no fear, and
had never turned his back on an enemy; so he drew out his horn, and
blew a blast.

The sound awoke all the sleeping echoes in the castle, and was
repeated now loudly, now softly; now near, and now far. But nobody
stirred for all that.

'Is there anyone inside?' cried the young man in his loudest voice;
'anyone who will give a knight hospitality? Neither governor, nor
squire, not even a page?'

'Not even a page!' answered the echoes. But the young man did not heed
them, and only struck a furious blow at the gate.

Then a small grating opened, and there appeared the tip of a huge
nose, which belonged to the ugliest old woman that ever was seen.

'What do you want?' said she.

'To enter,' he answered shortly. 'Can I rest here this night? Yes or
No?'

'No, No, No!' repeated the echoes.

Between the fierce sun and his anger at being kept waiting, the Knight
of the Fish had grown so hot that he lifted his visor, and when the
old woman saw how handsome he was, she began fumbling with the lock of
the gate.

'Come in, come in,' said she, 'so fine a gentleman will do us no
harm.'

'Harm!' repeated the echoes, but aga