Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/83

Rh look at the ring, untied the rag round his finger. Hardly had he done this, when the ring sent forth such a brilliant lustre that it lighted up the hut as if by lightning, greatly to Ivan's alarm; the parents and brothers not seeing the ring, only the sudden light, thought Ivan was playing with matches.

"Leave off, you donkey," said one of the brothers, "or you are sure to set the place on fire! It is high time for such as you to be asleep!"

Three or four days after this the king commanded all the people in his kingdom to come to a grand feast in the palace. Not a soul should stay away, and if by chance any persons dared to disobey his orders, they were to be executed at once! The reason of this sudden invitation to every one all round was that the king wanted to find the youth who had taken the ring from the princesses finger. He had already searched everywhere where he thought it likely to find the young man, but all in vain; so he determined to give a grand feast, and invite every one to it. In that way he felt sure that the person he was in want of would be found. He also intended to reward this stranger, and give him the princess for his wife.

Of course the peasant and his family had to go to this feast whether they liked it or not, and were obliged to take Ivan with them. When all the people were seated at the various tables, eating and drinking to their hearts' content, the beautiful princess arose and began serving round the mead with her own fair hands. Suddenly she came upon Ivan, who was sitting with his finger tied up. He had his best clothes on, but these were not much to boast of. He had intended