half, which she wore round her neck on a riband. She
held them together, and they joined each other exactly, and the stranger
said, "I am your bridegroom, whom you first saw as Bearskin; but through
God's mercy I have regained my human form, and am myself once more."
With these words he embraced and kissed her; and at the same time the
two eldest sisters entered in full costume. As soon as they saw that the
very handsome man had fallen to the share of their youngest sister, and
heard that he was the same as "Bearskin," they ran out of the house full
of rage and jealousy.

CINDERELLA

The wife of a rich man fell sick: and when she felt that her end drew
nigh, she called her only daughter to her bedside, and said, "Always be
a good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you." Soon
afterwards she shut her eyes and died, and was buried in the garden; and
the little girl went every day to her grave and wept, and was always
good and kind to all about her. And the snow spread a beautiful white
covering over the grave; but by the time the sun had melted it away
again, her father had married another wife. This new wife had two
daughters of her own: they were fair in face but foul at heart, and it
was now a sorry time for the poor little girl. "What does the
good-for-nothing thing want in the parlor?" said they; and they took
away her fine clothes, and gave her an old frock to put on, and laughed
at her and turned her into the kitchen.

Then she was forced to do hard work; to rise early, before daylight, to
bring the water, to make the fire, to cook and to wash. She had no bed
to lie down on, but was made to lie by the hearth among the ashes, and
they called her Cinderella.

It happened once that her father was going to the fair, and asked his
wife's daughters what he should bring to them. "Fine clothes," said the
first. "Pearls and diamonds," said the second. "Now, child," said he to
his own daughter, "what will you have?" "The first sprig, dear father,
that rubs against your hat on your way home," said she. Then he bought
for the two first the fine clothes and pearls and diamonds they had
asked for: and on his way home, as he rode through a green copse, a
sprig of hazel brushed against him, so he broke it off and when he got
home he gave it to his daughter. Then she took it, and went to her
mother's grave and planted it there, and cried so much that it was
watered with her tears; and there it grew an