ttle
lamp was burning in the chimney. For she had run as quickly as she could
through the pigeon-house and on to the hazel-tree, and had there taken
off her beautiful clothes, and put them beneath the tree, that the bird
might carry them away, and had lain down again amid the ashes in her
little grey frock.

The next day when the feast was again held, and her father, mother, and
sisters were gone, Ashputtel went to the hazel-tree, and said:

'Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
Gold and silver over me!'

And the bird came and brought a still finer dress than the one she
had worn the day before. And when she came in it to the ball, everyone
wondered at her beauty: but the king's son, who was waiting for her,
took her by the hand, and danced with her; and when anyone asked her to
dance, he said as before, 'This lady is dancing with me.'

When night came she wanted to go home; and the king's son followed here
as before, that he might see into what house she went: but she sprang
away from him all at once into the garden behind her father's house.
In this garden stood a fine large pear-tree full of ripe fruit; and
Ashputtel, not knowing where to hide herself, jumped up into it without
being seen. Then the king's son lost sight of her, and could not find
out where she was gone, but waited till her father came home, and said
to him, 'The unknown lady who danced with me has slipped away, and I
think she must have sprung into the pear-tree.' The father thought to
himself, 'Can it be Ashputtel?' So he had an axe brought; and they cut
down the tree, but found no one upon it. And when they came back into
the kitchen, there lay Ashputtel among the ashes; for she had slipped
down on the other side of the tree, and carried her beautiful clothes
back to the bird at the hazel-tree, and then put on her little grey
frock.

The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone, she
went again into the garden, and said:

'Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
Gold and silver over me!'

Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the
former one, and slippers which were all of gold: so that when she came
to the feast no one knew what to say, for wonder at her beauty: and the
king's son danced with nobody but her; and when anyone else asked her to
dance, he said, 'This lady is _my_ partner, sir.'

When night came she wanted to go home; and the king's son would go with
her, and said to himself, 'I will not lose her this