Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 3).djvu/638

 eyes sought in vain, among the ranks of brave warriors who assembled round the palace waving their triumphant banners, for her bridegroom.

But now the King advanced to meet her, and, leading Marzi's murderer before her, said:

"Here is he to whom I have promised your hand; the brave soldier who brought me the ring. To-morrow your wedding shall be celebrated at the same time as a feast in honour of our conquest."

When the Princess heard these words she burst out crying, and didn't cease all day or night. So unhappy was she, that she became very ill. But she never revealed the cause of her suffering to anyone, only she steadily refused to take any nourishment, and she never stopped crying for a minute, in consequence of which both the wedding and banquet had to be put off. Day after day the King grew more alarmed; the suffering of his daughter made him very unhappy, and neither he nor the doctors could discover the cause of it.

In the meantime, Marzi was lying on the ground, and was very nearly becoming food for the crows, when one day the old beggar who had given him the three magic gifts in exchange for his silver penny happened to come along the field, and found the poor little hare lying stiff and stark on the ground. He recognised Marzi at once, and said:

"Hare, get up and live again. Shake yourself, and go as fast as your legs will carry you to the Palace, for another stands there in your place. Make haste, or you will be too late."

Then the hare sprang up alive and well, and hastened with all its might over moor and heath, and when it came to the banks of the broad river it turned itself into a silver salmon and swam across. Then it transformed itself once more into a dove, and flew swiftly over hill and dale till it reached the King's palace. Here it shook itself, and Marzi the soldier stood once more in his Sovereign's presence. But the King wouldn't listen to his story, and told him that he was telling a lie, the same time confronting him with the man who had brought the magic ring.

This encounter so upset Marzi that he could hardly restrain his tears; but he plucked up courage, and said:

"Grant me, gracious King, leave to prove to you that I am no impostor and have spoken the truth. Let the Princess be called, and hear from her lips who is her rightful bridegroom, I or that deceiver!"

The King looked at him narrowly as he said these words, and as he looked he remembered that it was Marzi and no other who had offered to go and fetch the ring; but he said nothing, and led the poor soldier at once into the Princess's presence.

They found the Princess still in the deepest grief, but the moment her eye lighted on Marzi she sprang up and ran joyfully towards him, crying:

"Here is my real bridegroom; it was to him I gave the ring, and to him alone the defeat of the enemy was due."

This declaration astonished everyone greatly; the King was very embarrassed as to how he was to act, for he only knew that one of the men had offered to bring the ring, and that the other had actually brought it.

Then the Princess went and got her box