Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 18, 1907.djvu/242

 2o6 Collectanea.

to young king, who throws it at her for looking loathsome in crowbill- cloak. Heroine saddened, is comforted by old woman, who bids her take more water to king, and, if questioned, say she comes " From Water- throwing Country. " Heroine obeys ; king throws slippers at her. Next time she must say : '* From Slipper-throwing Country. (4) Next Sunday she asks leave to go to church; king says: "You scarecrow, what have you to do in church ! " Old woman bids her go in star dress, and sit opposite king. Heroine leaves church in good time, and is back in crow- bill-cloak when king returns full of praise of beautiful young lady. Heroine is sorry she might not go and see her. All happens the same a second and a third Sunday, but this time heroine is told to wear sun dress, and to loosen left shoe-string. (5) King follows her out, catches her left foot as she mounts her horse, and retains shoe. (6) All the girls bidden to come to court to try shoe, and the one it fits will be queen. Some mothers cut their daughters' toes all in vain. At length heroine appears in crow- bill-cloak, puts on shoe, fetches its fellow, then doffs cloak, and stands shining like the bright sun. She becomes queen.

M. WiNTHER, Danske Folkeventyr. Copenhagen, 1825. P. 12. " De to Kongedcettre " (The two Princesses).

(i) King has two daughters, the elder wicked and ugly, the younger beautiful and good. Elder daughter is beloved, and lives with king in gorgeous rooms of palace ; heroine lives with servants and shares their work. (2) Neighbouring king arranges festival to last several days. Elder daughter attends it with father ; heroine left in kitchen. She sits crying in the twilight in her small room ; suddenly strange little man appears and offers to fulfil a wish. Heroine wishes to see ball where father and sister are ; she may go, on condition that she returns before midnight. (3) Man vanishes, and heroine stands in costly dress, wearing heavy gold chains, and a crown of diamonds ; at her door is magnificent coach with four snow-white horses, whose golden manes reach the ground. Heroine enters coach, and soon finds herself at palace, admired of all, and unrecog- nised by father and sister. As twelve o'clock strikes she mounts coach and is back in her shabby clothes in dark room. Next day father and sister talk incessantly of fair unknown princess. In the evening they go to festival, leaving heroine hard at work. Seeing red glare in sky from illuminated palace heroine longs to go, and immediately is beautifully and magnificently dressed. At the ball she is admired and courted beyond measure. As the clock strikes she leaves in the midst of a dance. This time her horses are yellow with jet-black plaited manes. Third evening a heavy gale blows ; she wears a triple crown of sparkling diamonds ; her coach is drawn by eight flame-coloured horses, with manes like shining gold. Everyone would dance with her ; she stays beyond her tiine, and leaves in her black working dress, to find outside, instead of coach, an