Page:Russian Wonder Tales.djvu/152

116 Palace was a fenced garden, where, in the cool of the day, they used to walk together, and often as they walked the Tzarevnas would recall their father's words, and would say one to another: "I wonder which will be the first to be wed and what manner of lover will come wooing her."

One day as they strolled under the green trees, plucking red poppies, a great cloud, black as ink and shaped like a hawk, suddenly rose in the sky. "Let us hasten indoors, little sisters," said Tzarevich Alexis, "for a dreadful storm is about to break." They quickened their steps, and just as they entered the Palace a crash of thunder sounded, the roof split in two and a bright hawk came flying in. It alighted on the floor and was instantly transformed into a handsome youth.

"Greeting to thee, Tzarevich Alexis," said the youth. "Once I came to thy land as a visitor, but now I come as a suitor. I pray thee give me to wife thy little sister Anna."

"If she choose to wed thee, I shall not forbid," answered the Tzarevich. "How sayest thou, my sister?"

So comely was the youth that Tzarevna Anna at once agreed, and the same day they were married and set out for the Hawk's Tzardom.