Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 26, 1915.djvu/337

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Peter thought of them, and suddenly a great lot of men were there, and as soon as they arrived, they said to Peter :

" What is your wish, Master ?"

" I want you to bring this house to Emperor Rusty Beard," said Peter.

So then all the men took hold of the house, and brought it along to the Emperor.

But there is one thing I want you to know ; the keys had dropped to the bottom of the sea, and the doors were all locked ! . ..

When the Emperor saw the glass house, he was filled with astonishment, and he asked the Pride-of-the-World to marry him now that the house was there. She answered :

" How am I going to marry, when all the doors are locked ? "

"Peter, run quickly, and fetch the keys!" said the Emperor, for it was Peter and again Peter who had to do everything.

Poor, wretched Peter ! He went away again in search of the keys.

When they came to the spot where the keys had dropped, the Horse said to Peter :

" There, now go and fetch the keys."

"How on earth am I going to reach the bottom of the sea?" said Peter.

So then the Horse said :

" Why don't you think of the fishes you gave meat to?"

Peter thought of the fishes, and as quickly as he thought, there they were, only one was missing. After some time, there it comes, too, with the keys in its mouth. So the Chief of the Fishes said :

" But where were you that you didn't come at once ? "

"Well," said the fish, "I don't know where these keys came from, for they fell right on to my babies, and that's why I'm late. I couldn't come more quickly, the keys are rather heavy."

" Give them to Peter," said the Chief of the Fishes.

Peter took the keys, and brought them back to the Emperor.

Now for the third time, the Emperor asked the Pride-of-the- World to marry him, but :

" No ! " she said, " I'm not going to marry, until you bring me the Water of Life, the Water of Beauty, and the Water of Death."