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120 with one another. She took him with her to her maiden Palace, where they were married with great rejoicing and there they lived many months together in happiness.

Now Maria Morevna was a warrior and at the end of this time there befell a rebellion on her border, so she called together her army and leaving Tzarevich Alexis in charge of her Palace, rode to the fight. "Guard and rule all things," she bade him, "only on no account open the door of the locked closet in my inner chamber."

The Tzarevich promised to obey her command, but she had not gone far on her way before his curiosity overmastered him. He went to the inner chamber, unlocked and opened the closet door, and there he saw an old man of huge form hanging from a beam, fettered with twelve riveted iron chains.

"Who art thou?" asked the Tzarevich.

"I am Kastchey the Wizard," answered the old man. "Imprisoned by the father of Maria Morevna, I have suffered tortures here for ten years. Have mercy on me, good youth, and fetch me a little water to cool my parched throat!"

The Tzarevich pitied the Wizard. "A drink of water can do no harm," he thought, and went and