assing that way made himself a flute, and it sang the
maiden's sorrowful end. When this reached the ears of the prince, he
ordered the body to be exhumed and carried to his castle, and by
direction of the flute, it was reanimated with water from the healing
well in the prince's courtyard. The maiden immediately begged the life
of her sisters, who were released. Her hand was then sought for in
marriage by a young nobleman, whom she accepted. After this, she begged
the prince to restore her kitten to life too with the healing water, and
the two sisters were sent to fetch it; but the reed-bed by the lake gave
way under their feet, and they both perished miserably; for neither they
nor the kitten were ever seen again. But the descendants of the
youngest sister still bear a cat on their escutcheon.

[Footnote 27: The commencement of this story reminds us of "Beauty and
the Beast;" the second part is that of the "Magic Flute."]

THE THREE WISHES.

This well-known story appears in one of its commonest forms in the tale
of "Loppi and Lappi" (Kreutzwald), a quarrelsome couple who are granted
three wishes by a fairy. At supper-time the wife wishes for a sausage,
which is wished on and off her nose, and the couple remain as poor as
before.

THE WITCH-BRIDE.

Versions of this story are common in Finland as well as in Esthonia. One
of the latter is "Rougutaja's Daughter" (Kreutzwald). Old Rougutaja[28]
lived with his wife and daughter in a wood. The daughter had a beautiful
face, but it was reported that her skin was of bark, and she could find
no suitors. At last the mother contrived to inveigle a youth into
marrying her daughter by means of a love-philtre, but on the first night
he ran away, and shortly afterwards married another bride. On the birth
of a child, the witch-mother transforms the young mother into a wolf,
and substitutes her own daughter. The nurse is ordered to take the
crying child for a walk; she meets the wolf; the deceit is discovered,
and the husband inveigles the witch-mother and daughter into the
bathhouse, and burns it down.

There is little in this story except the bark-skin of the witch-bride to
distinguish it from the numerous variants among other peoples.

* * * * *

Another story belonging to the class of the witch-bride is

[Footnote 28: See vol. i. p. 22.]

THE STEPMOTHER.

(KREUTZWALD.)

Here the two girls are half-sisters, not step