The Violet Fairy Book

d spirits had been drawn by curiosity to its borders, and on their return had reported that they had caught a glimpse of a ruined house in a grove of thick trees, and round about it were

ured to steal back. And besides all this there had once or twice been seen a little old man with a long beard creeping out of the forest, carrying a sack bigger than himself. The women and children ran by his side, weeping and trying to drag the sack from off his back, but he shook them off, and went on his way. There was also a tale of a magnificent black cat as large as a foal, but men could not believe all the wonders told by the peasant, and it was difficult to make out what was true and what was false in his story. However, the fact

ad recently married a young wife. As not uncommonly happens in such cases, she t

live in peace, but this her stepmother would not allow. She beat and cuffed the poor child fro

d on, till at last they reached the edge of the Tontlawald, where the finest strawberries grew, making the grass red with their colour. The children flung t

as you can! We are

trayed farther than the rest, and had found a bed of the finest strawberries right under the trees.

t be worse than my stepmother’; and looking up she saw a little black dog with a sil

and we will play delightful games together, and every day we will go and gather strawberries. Nobody will dare to beat you if I tell them not. Come, l

s gayer than the brightest butterfly sat in their branches and filled the air with their song. And the birds were not shy, but let the girls take them in their hands, and stroke their gold and si

guest are you

her daughter, ‘and brought her back with

and stroked her cheeks and spoke kindly to her, asking if her parents were alive, and if she really would like to sta

ay long. I can do nothing right, so let me, I pray you, stay with you. I will look after the flocks or do any work you tell me; I will obey

ell, we will see what we can do with

he would grant your request when she had thought over it,’ and, telling Elsa to wait, she entered the house to s

crossing the grass wi

p her mind what to do about you. But I hope you will stay here alwa

ing; ‘what is that? I’ve ne

opened and swallowed them up, and as far as the eye could reach you could see nothing but water, which seemed at last to touch heaven itself. Only under their feet was a tiny dry spot. Then the girl placed the mussel shell on the water and took the fish scales in her hand. The mussel shell grew bigger and bigger, and turned into a pretty l

by herself. Elsa could not understand any of the men’s songs, but one word, she noticed, came over and

ed there for ever had not a voice cried out to t

and lo! they were standing close to a splendid house in the middle of the garden. Everything round them was dry and fir

re sitting round a table, looking as if they were about to attend a wedd

she must be in heaven. The guests talked softly, but their speech was strange to Elsa, and she understood nothing of what was said. Then the hostess turned round and whispered something to a maid behin

Elsa. ‘I wish to adopt her for my daughter. Make me a copy of

he lady, and left the hall. After dinner the lady said kindly to Elsa, ‘Kisika has begged

her from the ground and patted her head, saying, ‘All will go well as long as you are a good, obedient child, and I will take care of you and see that you

own his mould and his basket on the ground, took up a handful of clay, and made a doll as large as life. When it was finished he bored

dy, ‘all we want is a dr

with horror, for she thought she w

‘we do not want your blood for any bad purpose

who stuck it into the heart of the doll. When this was done he placed the figure in the basket,

red shoes that she held in her hand, for the girl had hitherto been forced to run about barefoot by her cruel stepmother. In her excitement she never gave a thought to the rough clothes she had worn the day before, which had disappeared as if by magic during the night. Who could have taken them? Well, she was t

stepmother, that she may beat it instead of you. Let her flog it as hard as she will, it can never feel any pain. And if the

r troubles of any sort, and every day her tasks became easier, and the years that had gone before seemed more and more like a bad dream. But the happier she

ruck the stone with it three times, so that the sound could be heard a long way off. At the third blow, out sprang a large golden cock, and stood upon the stone. Whenever he crowed and flapped his w

s, and other fruit, all without trouble to anybody. After everybody had had enough, the old man struck the rock a

nobody ever wanted to eat, a huge black cat ran up, and stood on

ned, till they were

t on his shoulder, and all four vanished into the rock. And this wonderful stone con

, but by the help of the lady and her daughter she began slowly to unde

ly away untouched, but Kisika knew no more about it than she did. The girl must, however,

ngs, and we cannot taste of it without bringing our happy life here to an end. And the world would be a great deal better if men, in their greed, did n

irl that she had been on the day of her first meeting with Elsa. Each morning they both worked for an hour at reading and writing, as they had always done, and Elsa was anxious to learn all she could,

to Elsa, ‘that you have grown so bi

her heart sank, for she feared some evil threatened her. As she crossed the threshold, she saw that the lady’s cheeks were flushed, and her eyes f

o, dear lady, that can never be till death parts us. You o

do to make you happy. Now you are a woman, and I have no right to kee

de you. Make me your waiting maid, or set me to any work you choose, but do not cast me forth into the world. It would have bee

Though we have the bodies of men, we are not men at all, though it is not easy for you to understand why. Some day or other you will find a husband who has been made expressly for you, and will live happily with him till death separates you. It will be very har

ldom becomes better as she grows older, and Elsa’s stepmother was no exception to the rule; but as the figure that had taken the girl’s place could feel no pain, the blows that

round, her body all swollen and disfigured, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. His screams brought the neighbours from their cottages, but they were unable to explain how it had all come about. It was true, they said, that about mid-day they had heard a great noise, but as that was a matter of daily occurrence they did not think much of it. The rest of t

n placed in the body of the figure by the old man who made it. A few days later he was

Elsa had wept and wailed her hard fate in

l tried to speak, but before she could sob out her thanks the old man had touched her softly on the head three times with his silver staff. In an instant Elsa knew that she was turning into a bird: wings sprang from beneath her arms;

happened that one day she was flying over a dense forest, and below hounds were barking fiercely, because, not having wings themse

nder a bush in her own proper form. What had befallen her

ning. Every night, for half a year, have I dreamed, dear lady, that I should one day find you in this wood. And although I have passed through it hundreds of times in vain, I have never given up hope. To-day

den with beautiful things which the lady of the Tontlawald had sent to Elsa. And after the king’s death Elsa bec

he Marchen.]