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THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. |
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her who she was. "I am a poor child without father or mother." Then he asked her: "What do you do in my palace?" "I am of no use except to have boots thrown at my head." "How did you get the ring which was in the soup?" he asked. "I know nothing at all about the ring," she answered. So the king could find out nothing and was obliged to send her away.
After a time there was another feast, and the many-furred creature begged the cook at the last one to let her go and look on. He answered: "Yes, but come back again in half an hour and cook the king the bread-soup that he likes so much." So she ran away to her little room, washed herself quickly, took out of the nut the dress as silver as the moon and put it on. Then she went upstairs looking just like a king's daughter, and the king came toward her, delighted to see her again, and as the dance had just begun, they danced together. But when the dance was ended she disappeared again so quickly that the king could not see which way she went.
She ran to her little room and changed herself once more into the many-furred creature, and went into the kitchen to cook the bread-soup. When the cook was upstairs she fetched the golden spinning-wheel and put it in the dish, so that the soup was poured over it. It was brought to the king, who ate it and liked it as much as the last time. He had the cook sent to him, and again he had to confess that the many-furred creature had cooked the soup. Then the many-furred creature came before the king, but she said again that she was of no use except to have boots thrown at her head, and that she knew nothing at all of the golden spinning-wheel.
When the king had a feast for the third time things did not turn out quite the same as at the other two. The cook said: "You must be a witch, many-furred creature, for you always put something in the soup, so that it is much better and tastes nicer to the king than any that I cook." But because she begged hard he let her go up for the usual time. Now she put on the dress as shining as the stars and stepped into the hall in it.
The king danced again with the beautiful maiden, and thought she had never looked so beautiful. And while he was dancing he put a gold ring on her finger without her seeing it, and he commanded that the dance should |
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