Page:The Pentamerone, or The Story of Stories.djvu/214

188 this wretched body as to be parted from so beautiful a creature."

So saying he heaved sighs by bushels and shed tears by casksful. But Filadoro, drying his eyes, said to him, "Fear not, my life, that my mother will touch a hair of your head; trust to Filadoro, and fear not; for you must know that I possess magical powers, and am able to make water set cream, and to darken the sun. Enough and sufficient—be of good heart, for by the evening the piece of land will be dug and sown, without any one's stirring a hand."

When Nardo Aniello heard this, he answered, "If you have magic power, as you say, O beauty of the world, why do we not fly from this country? for you shall live like a queen in my father's house." And Filadoro replied, "A certain conjunction of the stars prevents this; but the trouble will soon pass, and we shall be happy."

With these and a thousand other pleasant discourses the day passed; and when the ogress came back, she called to her daughter from the road, and said, "Filadoro, let down your hair!" for as the house had no staircase, she always ascended by her daughter's tresses. As soon as Filadoro heard her mother's voice, she unbound her hair and let fall her tresses, making a golden ladder to an iron heart: whereupon the old woman