Page:Lange - The Blue Fairy Book.djvu/308

 But the waiting-maid replied, more haughtily even than before: ‘If you want a drink, you can dismount and get it; I don’t mean to be your servant.’ Then the Princess was compelled by her thirst to get down, and bending over the flowing water she cried and said: ‘Oh! heaven, what am I to do?’ and the three drops of blood replied:

And as she drank thus, and leant right over the water, the rag containing the three drops of blood fell from her bosom and floated down the stream, and she in her anxiety never even noticed her loss. But the waiting-maid had observed it with delight, as she knew it gave her power over the bride, for in losing the drops of blood the Princess had become weak and powerless. When she wished to get on her horse Falada again, the waiting-maid called out: ‘I mean to ride Falada: you must mount my beast;’ and this too she had to submit to. Then the waiting-maid commanded her harshly to take off her royal robes, and to put on her common ones, and finally she made her swear by heaven not to say a word about the matter when they reached the palace; and if she hadn’t taken this oath she would have been killed on the spot. But Falada observed everything, and laid it all to heart.

The waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the real bride the worse horse, and so they continued their journey till at length they arrived at the palace yard. There was great rejoicing over the arrival, and the Prince sprang forward to meet them, and taking the waiting-maid for his bride, he lifted her down from her horse and led her upstairs to the royal chamber. In the meantime the real Princess was left standing below in the courtyard. The old King, who was looking out of his window, beheld her in this plight, and it struck him how sweet and gentle, even beautiful, she looked. He went at once to the royal chamber, and asked the bride who it was she had brought with her and had left thus standing in the court below. ‘Oh!’ replied the bride, ‘I brought her with me to keep me company on the journey; give the girl something to do, that she mayn’t be idle.’ But the old King had no work for her, and couldn’t think of anything; so he said, ‘I’ve a small boy who looks after the geese, she’d better help him.’ The youth’s name was Curdken, and the real bride was made to assist him in herding geese.