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 When the girl was alone the little Man came again, and said for the third time, ‘What will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time?’

‘I have nothing more that I can give,’ answered the girl.

‘Well, promise me your first child if you become Queen.’

‘Who knows what may happen,’ thought the Miller’s daughter; but she did not see any other way of getting out of the difficulty, so she promised the little Man what he demanded, and in return he spun the straw into gold once more.

When the King came in the morning, and found everything as he had wished, he celebrated his marriage with her, and the Miller’s daughter became Queen.

About a year afterwards a beautiful child was born, but the Queen had forgotten all about the little Man. However, he suddenly entered her chamber, and said, ‘Now, give me what you promised.’

The Queen was terrified, and offered the little Man all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her keep the child. But the Mannikin said, ‘No; I would rather have some living thing than all the treasures of the world.’ Then the Queen began to moan and weep to such an extent that the little Man felt sorry for her. ‘I will give you three days,’ said he, ‘and if within that time you discover my name you shall keep the child.’

Then during the night the Queen called to mind all the names that she had ever heard, and sent a messenger all over the country to inquire far and wide what other names there were. When the little Man came on the next day, she began with Caspar, Melchoir, Balzer, and mentioned all the names which she knew, one after the other; but at every one the little Man said: ‘No; that ’s not my name.’

The second day she had inquiries made all round the neighbourhood for the names of people living there, and suggested to the little Man all the most unusual and strange names.