rose, opened a little
wicket in the shutter, and handed him out the water. From spinning so
much, her hands were very white and delicate; and when the servant saw
them he thought, "It must be a handsome maiden, for she has such a
delicate white hand." So he hastened to the king, and said: "Your royal
Majesty, I have found what you seek; so and so has happened to me."
"Very well," answered the king, "go once more and try to see her."

The servant returned to the little house, knocked, and asked again for
some water. The old woman did not open the window, but handed him the
pitcher through the little opening in the shutter. "Do you live here all
alone?" asked the servant. "No," she answered. "I live here with my
sister; we are poor girls and support ourselves by the work of our
hands." "How old are you, then?" "I am fifteen and my sister twenty."
The servant went back to the king and told him all, and the king said:
"I will take the one who is fifteen. Go and bring her to me." When the
servant returned to the two old women, and told them that the king
wished to elevate the younger to the position of his wife, she answered:
"Tell the king I am ready to do his will. Since my birth no ray of the
sun has ever struck me, and if a ray of the sun or a beam of light
should strike me now, I would become perfectly black. Ask the king,
therefore, to send a closed carriage for me at night, and I will come to
his palace."

When the king heard this he sent royal apparel and a closed carriage,
and at night the old woman covered her face with a thick veil and rode
to the palace. The king received her joyfully, and begged her to lay
aside the veil. She replied: "There are too many lighted candles here;
their light would make me black." So the king married her without
having seen her face. When they came into the king's chamber, however,
and she removed her veil, the king saw for the first time what an ugly
old woman he had married, and in his rage he opened the window and threw
her out. Fortunately there was a nail in the wall, on which she caught
by her clothes, and remained hanging between heaven and earth. Four
fairies chanced to pass by, and when they saw the old woman hanging
there, one of them cried: "See, sisters, there is the old woman who
cheated the king; shall we wish her dress to tear and let her fall?"
"Oh, no! let us not do that," cried the youngest and most beautiful of
the fairies. "Let us rather wish her something good.