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 went away again; none of them succeeded in causing her to speak. “And why should not I try my fortune, too?” thought Vanek. “Who knows whether I may not succeed in bringing her to answer when I ask a question?” And so he at once mentioned the matter to the king, and the king and his counsellors led him into the room where his daughter lived. This daughter had a pretty little dog and was very fond of it, because it was very intelligent; it understood everything she wanted to have. When Vanek and the king and those counsellors stepped into her room. Vanek pretended not even to see the royal maiden, but turned to that little dog and says: “I have heard, doggy, that thou art very intelligent, and I am come to thee for advice. We were three boon companions: one a carver, the other a tailor, and myself. Once we went through a wood and had to pass the night in it. In order that we might be safe from the wolves we made a fire and agreed to watch in turn. First the carver watched, and to shorten the time he took a block of wood and carved out of it a fine maiden. When it was finished he woke the tailor that he might watch his turn. The tailor, seeing the wooden maiden, asked what it meant. ‘As thou seest,’ said the carver, ‘time hung heavily, and I carved a dummy out of a block of wood; if thou also findest the time hang heavily, thou canst dress her.’ The tailor immediately drew forth his scissors, needle and thread, cut out a suit, and set himself to sew; and when the suit was ready, he dressed dummy in it. After this he summoned me to go and watch. And I also ask what is up with him. ‘As thou seest,’ said, the tailor, ‘time passed slowly with the carver, and he carved a dummy out of a log, and I, finding time pass slowly, clothed her, and if thou shalt find time pass slowly, thou canst teach her to speak.’ And so I really did teach her to speak by morning. But in the morning when my comrade awoke, each one wished to have dame dummy. The carver says: ‘’Twas I made her.’ The tailor: ‘’Twas I clothed her.’ And I also maintained my right to her. Tell me, then, doggy, to which of us does that dummy maiden belong?’ Doggy was silent; but instead of the dog, the king’s daughter replied: “To whom should she belong but to thee? What is there in a carven dummy without life? What in a tailor-made suit of clothes without speech? Thou gavest her the best gift, life and speech, and therefore she belongs of right to thee.” “Thou hast thyself given judgment about thyself,” said Vanek. “Even to thee have I restored speech and new life, and