im even more beautiful than she had been
the night before. He never left her side, and refused to dance with
anyone else. He begged her to tell him who she was, but this she refused
to do. Then he implored her to return again next evening, and this she
promised him she would.
On the third evening Prince Fickle was so impatient to see his fair
enchantress again, that he arrived at the feast hours before it began,
and never took his eyes from the door. At last Helena arrived in a dress
all covered with gold and silver stars, and with a girdle of stars round
her waist, and a band of stars in her hair. Prince Fickle was more in
love with her than ever, and begged her once again to tell him her name.
Then Helena kissed him silently on the left cheek, and in one moment
Prince Fickle recognized his old love. Full of remorse and sorrow, he
begged for her forgiveness, and Helena, only too pleased to have got him
back again, did not, you may be sure, keep him waiting very long for her
pardon, and so they were married and returned to Helena's castle, where
they are no doubt still sitting happily together under the lime-tree.
PUDDOCKY (From the German)
There was once upon a time a poor woman who had one little daughter
called 'Parsley.' She was so called because she liked eating parsley
better than any other food, indeed she would hardly eat anything else.
Her poor mother hadn't enough money always to be buying parsley for her,
but the child was so beautiful that she could refuse her nothing, and
so she went every night to the garden of an old witch who lived near and
stole great branches of the coveted vegetable, in order to satisfy her
daughter.
This remarkable taste of the fair Parsley soon became known, and the
theft was discovered. The witch called the girl's mother to her, and
proposed that she should let her daughter come and live with her, and
then she could eat as much parsley as she liked. The mother was quite
pleased with this suggestion, and so the beautiful Parsley took up her
abode with the old witch.
One day three Princes, whom their father had sent abroad to travel, came
to the town where Parsley lived and perceived the beautiful girl combing
and plaiting her long black hair at the window. In one moment they all
fell hopelessly in love with her, and longed ardently to have the girl
for their wife; but hardly had they with one breath expressed their
desire than, mad with jealousy, they drew th
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