Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 2 1884.djvu/25

 Rh child affectionately. That moment his memory was darkened, and he utterly forgot the princess, Bony's daughter.

The princess lay as a white stone by the way-side, one day, two days, and when the third day passed, and the prince did not return from the town, she transformed herself into a corn-flower and sprang in among the rye by the roadside. "There I shall stay by the roadside; maybe some passer-by will pull me up or trample me into the ground," said she, and tears like dew-drops glittered on the azure petals. Just then an old man came along the road, espied the cornflower in the rye by the wayside, was captivated by its beauty, extracted it carefully from the ground, carried it into his dwelling, set it is a flower-pot, watered it, and began to tend it attentively. But—O marvel!—ever since the time that the cornflower was brought into his dwelling, all kind of wonders began to happen in it. Scarcely was the old man awake, when every thing in the house was already set in order, nowhere was the least atom of dust remaining. At noon he came home—dinner was all ready, the table set, he had but to sit down and eat as much as he wanted. The old man wondered and wondered, till at last terror took possession of him, and he betook himself for advice to an old witch of his acquaintance in the neighbourhood. "Do this," the witch advised him: "get up before the first morning dawn, before the cocks crow to announce daylight, and notice diligently what begins to stir first in the house, and that which does stir, cover with this napkin: what will happen further, you will see."

The old man didn't close his eyes the whole night, and as soon as the first gleam appeared and things began to be visible in the house he saw how the cornflower suddenly moved in the flower-pot, sprang out, and began to stir about the room; when simultaneously everything began to put itself in its place; the dust began to sweep itself clean away, and the fire kindled itself in the stove. The old man sprang cleverly out of his bed and placed the cloth on the flower as it endeavoured to escape, when lo! the flower became a beautiful damsel — the princess, Bony's daughter. "What have you done?" cried the princess. "Why have you brought life back again to me? My betrothed, Prince Unexpected, has forgotten me, and therefore life has become distasteful to me." "Your betrothed, Prince Unexpected, is