ater.

Then the maiden told the Prince to scatter a few drops from the
water-bottle into the sea. As soon as he did so the sea filled up, and
before the water-sucker could drink one drop, they were at the other
side, safe in the kingdom of the Prince's father.

The Prince did not think it was fitting that his bride should walk to
his palace, so he said he would go and fetch seven horses and a carriage
to take her there. The maiden begged him not to go, because, she said,
he would forget her; but he insisted. Then she asked him to speak to no
one while he was away, and on no account to taste anything; and he
promised that he would go straight to the stable for the horses, and
without speaking a word to anyone, would come straight back.

When he got to the palace he found it full of a merry company, for his
brother was going to be married to a lovely princess, who had come from
a far-off land. But in answer to their cries of welcome and questions
the Prince said no word, and only shook his head when they offered him
food, until the pretty laughing young sister of the bride-to-be rolled a
bright red apple across the courtyard to him. Laughing back at her, he
picked it up, and without thinking bit into it. Immediately he forgot
the Master-Maid, who had saved his life and was now sitting alone on the
seashore waiting for him.

She waited until the night began to grow dark; then she went away into
the wood near the palace to find shelter. There she found a dark hut,
owned by a Witch, who at first would not allow her to stay. The Witch's
hard heart, however, was softened by the maiden's gold, and she allowed
her to have the hut.

Then the maid flung into the fire a handful of gold, which immediately
melted and boiled all over the hut, and gilded the dark, dingy walls.
The Witch was so frightened that she ran away, and the maid was left
alone in the little gilded house.

The next morning the Sheriff was passing through the wood, and stopped
to see the gilded house. At once he fell in love with the beautiful
maiden, and asked her to marry him. The maiden asked if he had a great
deal of money, and the Sheriff said he had a good deal, and went away to
fetch it. In the evening he came back with a two-bushel bag of gold; and
as he had so much, the maiden seemed to think she would marry him.

But as they were talking she sprang up, saying she had forgotten to put
coal on the fire. The Sheriff went to do it for her, and immedia