again behind the carriage as their servant; so they drove a long long way till they came to a king's palace; and the elder brothers announced themselves as two emperor's sons, and as they had abundance of money, and were so splendidly attired that they could be seen at a great distance, they received a hearty welcome, and were invited to remain at the palace; and the king was at a loss how to make enough of them. But the youngest, who wore the same rags he had on when he left home, and who had not a penny in his pocket, was seized by the watch at the royal palace, and carried out to an island, to which all beggars and idiots who came to the palace were conveyed by order of the king, that they might not disturb the gaiety of the court, going about so tattered and filthy; and they had no more food brought to them than would just support life. The two brothers, who saw the guard row out with their younger brother to the island, were glad that they had got rid of him, and thought no more of the matter. But no sooner had he come to the island, than, taking his scissors, he began to cut in the air, and thus cut out the most beautiful clothes any one could wish to see, of silk and velvet, so that the poor idiots on the island had finer clothes than the king and all the court. The youth then took out his cloth and spread it, when the idiots got food also; and such a feast as had never been seen in the king's palace was served that day on the fools' island. You must also be thirsty," said the youth, taking out his tap, which he just turned a little, and gave the idiots something to drink; such mead and such beer the king himself never tasted in all his born days.

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Now when those who brought food out to the fools and beggars on the island came rowing with cold porridge and whey (such was the food allowed to the poor creatures), they would not touch it, which greatly surprised those from the king's palace; but still more astonished were they on looking at the idiots, who were all so splendidly attired that they believed they were emperors and popes, and that they had rowed out to a wrong island; but on looking more attentively, they found that they were right. It now immediately struck them that it must be the lad whom they had rowed out the day before, who had supplied all this finery

and luxury to the poor idiots on the isle; and on their return to the king's palace, they were not slow in telling how the lad whom they had rowed out on the previous day had dressed up all the fools there so magnificently and sumptuously that they could hardly stand. The porridge and whey we brought with us," said they, "they would not even taste, so grand are they become." One of them had found out also, that the lad had a pair of scissors, with which he had cut out the clothes. "When he raises the scissors," said he, "and cuts in the air, he cuts through silk and velvet." When the princess heard this, she had neither peace nor rest until she saw the youth and the scissors that cut silk and velvet out of the air; the scissors, thought she, would be worth having, for with them she could have as much finery as she desired. She then entreated the king so long, that at length he sent a messenger after the lad who owned the scissors. When he came to the palace, the princess asked him if it were true that he possessed such a pair of scissors, and if he would sell them to her. "Yes, I have such a pair," answered he, but I will not sell them." He then took the scissors out of his pocket, and began cutting in the air, so that pieces of silk and velvet flew about in every direction. "Oh thou must sell them to me," said the princess; thou mayst ask what thou wilt for them; but have them I must.' No, sell them he would not for any price, for such a pair of scissors he could never hope to get again, said he; and while they stood conversing about the scissors, the princess looked more and more at the youth, and thought, like the innkeepers' wives, that so comely a young man she had never before seen. So she began again to bargain for the scissors, and begged and prayed of him to sell them to her; he might ask for them as many hundred dollars as he would, if he would only let her have them. No, sell them I will not," said the youth; but I will do what is the same. If I may lie on the floor close to the door in the princess's bed-room to-night, she shall have the scissors. I shall not harm her; but if she have any fear, she can have two men to keep guard in the room." To this proposal the princess assented; provided only she could get the scissors, she was content; so the youth lay on the floor in the princess's chamber, and two men kept watch

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there. But the princess did not get much sleep; for whenever she shut her eyes; she thought she must open them again to look at the youth once more, and thus she continued the whole night; so that she had no sooner closed her eyes than they opened to look at him again, so comely did he appear to her.

The next morning the youth was rowed back to the island of fools. But when they brought porridge and whey from the king's palace, there was no one who would taste it on that day either, to the great astonishment of those who brought it. One of them, however, ferreted out, that the lad who owned the scissors had also a cloth, which he needed only to spread out, when it was covered with the best of everything that could be wished. When the man, returned to the king's palace, it was not long before he related all this. "Such roast meats," said he, "and such cream-porridge as he had seen in the fools' island, the like had never been in the king's kitchen." When the princess heard this, she prayed and begged of the king so earnestly, that he was obliged to send a messenger to the island to fetch the lad who owned the cloth, and so he came again to the palace. The princess now wished to have the cloth from him, and offered him gold and green woods for it; but the youth would on no account part with it for any price. But if I may be allowed to lie on the bench at the foot of the princess's bed to-night, then she shall have my cloth,” said the youth. "I shall not harm her; but if she is afraid, she can set four men in the chamber to watch." To these conditions the princess assented. The youth lay on the bench before the princess, and four men kept watch. If the princess had but little sleep the night before, she had still less this night; she could hardly close her eyes, and could not abstain from looking at the comely youth the whole night, and the night even appeared to her too short.

In the morning the youth was again rowed out to the fools' island, although it was against the princess's wish, so happy was she with him; but prayers were in vain, he was obliged to depart. When the porridge and the whey were brought to the poor idiots on the following day, there was not one of them that would look at it. At this the men from the palace were not so much surprised, but they

wondered that none of them were thirsty. One, however, of the king's messengers found out, that the lad, who owned the scissors and the cloth, had also a tap which possessed the property, by turning it a little, of giving forth the finest drinks imaginable. On his return to the palace, he was no less loquacious than his comrades had been on the two former occasions; he related at full length about the tap, and how easy it was to get all sorts of liquors from it. "The like of the beer and mead was not tasted in the king's palace," said he, "it was sweeter than either honey or syrup." When the princess heard this she was instantly wishing to have the tap, and had no objection to come to an agreement with the owner of it. She therefore went to the king and prayed him to send a messenger to the isle for the youth who owned the scissors and the cloth, as he had still one thing that was worth possessing; and when the. king heard that it was a tap that had the property of producing the best beer and the best wine any one could drink, by only turning it, you may believe it was not long before he sent a messenger after it.

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When the youth came to the palace, the princess asked him if it were true that he had such a tap. "Yes," answered he, I have it in my waistcoat pocket." But when the princess desired that he should sell it to her, he said, as on the former occasions, that sell it he would not, even if she offered him the half of the kingdom. But," added he, if I am allowed to sleep at the foot of her bed outside the quilt to-night, she shall then have the tap. I shall not harm her; but if she has any fear, she can set eight men to watch in her room.' Oh, no, there is no need for that," said the princess, knowing him now so well. And so the youth lay at the bed-foot. If she had little sleep the two previous nights, she had still less this one; she could not once close her eyes, but the whole time continued gazing on the youth who lay before her at the foot of the bed.

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When she rose in the morning, and they were about to row the lad out again to the fools' island, she begged them to wait a little while, and then ran to the king and earnestly besought him to let her have the youth for a husband, saying, that he was so dear to her, that if she did not have him, she should die.. "Well," answered the king, "if that

is the case thou mayst have him; for he who possesses such things is as rich as thou art."

Thus the youngest brother was married to the princess and got the half of the kingdom; the other half he was to have when the king died. Everything turned out well for him; but his brothers, who had always treated him so ill, he sent out to the fools' island. "There they can remain," said he, till they have found out who has the least want; he who has a pocket full of money, or he who is beloved by all the women."

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It did not help them much, I imagine, to jingle money in their pockets on the fools' island: and if their brother has not taken them away from thence, they still wander about, eating cold porridge and drinking whey from that day to this.

THE THREE SISTERS WHO WERE ENTRAPPED INTO A

MOUNTAIN.

THERE was once an old widow who lived far from any inhabited spot, under a mountain-ridge, with her three daughters. She was so poor that all she possessed was a hen, and this was as dear to her as the apple of her eye; she petted and fondled it from morning till night. But one day it so happened, that the hen was missing. The woman looked everywhere about her room, but the hen was away, and remained away. "Thou must go out and search for our hen," said the woman to her eldest daughter, "for have it back again we must, even if we have to get it out of the mountain." So the daughter went in search of the hen. She went about in all directions, and searched and coaxed, yet no hen could she find; but all at once she heard a voice from a mountain-side saying :

"The hen trips in the mountain!
The hen trips in the mountain."

She went naturally to see whence it proceeded; but just as she came to the spot, she fell through a trap-door, far far down into a vault under the earth. Here she walked through many rooms, every one more beautiful than the other; but in the last a great ugly Troll came to her, and