Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 26, 1915.djvu/319

 Collectanea. 309

but the Messengers came back, saying that that Devil of a Scale would not, and would not, be weighed down at all, at all !

Then the Emperor, taking with him some bags of gold, went to see this marvel with his own eyes. You see, he did not believe that it could possibly be anything else.

Arrived at the Negress' castle, he went in, and there he saw the Emperor's daughter, the one that had been driven away as a Being of Ill-luck by her Father-Emperor. And what do you think ? That Girl stuck to this Emperor's heart. For you see, she was not ugly. Oh no ! She had charm, and she had " Come along " in her eyes ; then she was learned, of course ; remember, she was an Emperor's daughter ; but she had been dry of Luck, that was all.

The Emperor saw the Scale, too. The dish with the many golden coins upon it was high up, whilst the other one was right down. He put a bag of gold on it himself. But do you think the Scale weighed down ? Not at all ! He put another bag, and then another, and then all the bags that he had, — but the Scale seemed as if she didn't know that there was anything on that one dish of hers ! Then, what do you think flashed into the Emperor's mind ? He jumped on the Scale himself! And then the Scale weighed down, and the dish on which the Emperor stood came just to the same level as the one that contained the silk.

" So then I see that this bit of silk can only be bought with myself as the price?" said the Emperor, who understood the mystery of this Scale like the Emperor that he was.

" So it is. Emperor," said the Negress.

" Well then, if it is so," said the Emperor, " I've got a jolly good mind to throw up my wedding with that capricious slip of a girl I had chosen, if only I knew that the mistress of this silk would have me."

"How could you think that she would not have you?" answered the Negress again, " When you see yourself that even the bit of silk that belongs to her wants you ! "

And so the Girl and the Emperor became betrothed, and soon after that they married, with great joy and love.

And what great happiness do you think the parents and the brothers of Our Girl felt when they heard of this?