the visit was ended, and the young King and his bride had gone
back to their own country, there to live happily ever after, the ugly
ill-natured princess said to her mother, the ugly Queen:

"I also will go into the world and seek my fortune. If that drab of a
girl with her mincing ways got so much, what may I not get?"

So her mother agreed, and furnished her forth with silken dresses and
furs, and gave her as provisions sugar, almonds, and sweetmeats of every
variety, besides a large flagon of Malaga sack. Altogether a right royal
dowry.

Armed with these she set forth, following the same road as her
step-sister. Thus she soon came upon the old man with a white beard, who
was seated on a stone by the mouth of a cave.

"Good morrow," says he. "Whither away so fast?"

"What's that to you, old man?" she replied rudely.

"And what hast thou for dowry in bag and bottle?" he asked quietly.

"Good things with which you shall not be troubled," she answered pertly.

"Wilt thou not spare an old man something?" he said.

[Illustration: The thorns closed in around her so that she was all
scratched and torn]

Then she laughed. "Not a bite, not a sup, lest they should choke you:
though that would be small matter to me," she replied, with a toss of
her head.

"Then ill luck go with thee," remarked the old man as he rose and went
into the cave.

So she went on her way, and after a time came to the thick thorny hedge,
and seeing what she thought was a gap in it, she tried to pass through;
but no sooner had she got well into the middle of the hedge than the
thorns closed in around her so that she was all scratched and torn
before she won her way. Thus, streaming with blood, she went on to the
well, and seeing water, sate on the brink intending to cleanse herself.
But just as she dipped her hands, up came a golden head singing as it
came:

"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on the bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."

"A likely story," says she. "I'm going to wash myself." And with that
she gave the head such a bang with her bottle that it bobbed below the
water. But it came up again, and so did a second head, singing as it
came:

"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on the bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."

"Not I," scoffs she. "I'm going to wash my hands and face and have my
dinner." So she fetches the second head a cruel bang with the bottle,
and both heads ducked down