Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 2 1884.djvu/22

 14 one and cried out—"This is the youngest princess!" "How the deuce liave you guessed it?" said Bony angrily: "There must be some trickery here. I must deal with your lordship differently. In three hours you will come here again and will show your cleverness in my presence. I shall light a straw and you will stitch a pair of boots before it goes out, and if you don't do it you will perish."

The prince returned desponding and found the bee already in his apartment. "Why, pensive again, prince?" "How shouldn't I be pensive, when your father wants me to stitch him a pair of boots, for what sort of cobbler am I?" "What else will you do?" "What am I to do? I shan't stitch the boots, and I'm not afraid of death — one can but die once!" "No, prince, you shall not die! I will endeavour to rescue you, and we will either escape together or perish together! We must flee—there's nothing else to be done." Saying this the princess spat on one of the window-panes, and the spittle immediately froze. She then went out of the room with the prince, locked the door after her, and threw the key far away; then, taking each other by the hands, they ascended rapidly, and in a moment found themselves on the very spot whence they had descended into the subterranean realm; there was the self-same sea, the self-same shore overgrown with rushes and thornbushes, the self-same fresh meadow, and in the meadow cantered the prince's well-fed horse, who, as soon as he descried his rider, came galloping straight to him. The prince didn't stop long to think, but sprang on his horse, the princess seated herself behind him, and off they set as swift as an arrow.

King Bony at the appointed hour did not wait for Prince Unexpected, but sent to ask him why he did not appear. Finding the door locked, the servants knocked at it vigorously, and the spittle answered them from the middle of the room in the prince's voice, "Anon!" The servants carried this answer to the king; he waited, waited, no prince; he therefore again sent the same servants, who heard the same answer: "Anon!" and carried what they had heard to the king. "What's this? Does he mean to make fun of me?" shouted the king in wrath: "Go at once, break the door open and conduct him to me!" The servants hurried off, broke open the door, and rushed in—what indeed! there was nobody there, and the spittle on the pane of glass was