k
of geese as you will see on a common.

It is said that the Ogre never recovered from the effects of sleeping
on the old woman's goose feathers, and was less powerful than before.

As for Managing Molly, being now well dowered, she had no lack of
offers of marriage, and was soon mated to her mind.

THE MAGICIANS' GIFTS.

There was once a king in whose dominions lived no less than three
magicians.

When the king's eldest son was christened, the king invited the three
magicians to the christening feast, and to make the compliment the
greater, he asked one of them to stand godfather. But the other two,
who were not asked to be godfathers, were so angry at what they held
to be a slight, that they only waited to see how they might best
revenge themselves upon the infant prince.

When the moment came for presenting the christening gifts, the
godfather magician advanced to the cradle and said, "My gift is this:
Whatever he wishes for he shall have. And only I who give shall be
able to recall this gift." For he perceived the jealousy of the other
magicians, and knew that, if possible, they would undo what he did.
But the second magician muttered in his beard, "And yet I will change
it to a curse." And coming up to the cradle, he said, "The wishes
that he has thus obtained he shall not be able to revoke or change."

Then the third magician grumbled beneath his black robe, "If he were
very wise and prudent he might yet be happy. But I will secure his
punishment." So he also drew near to the cradle, and said, "For my
part, I give him a hasty temper."

After which, the two dissatisfied magicians withdrew together, saying,
"Should we permit ourselves to be slighted for nothing?"

But the king and his courtiers were not at all disturbed.

"My son has only to be sure of what he wants," said the king, "and
then, I suppose, he will not desire to recall his wishes."

And the courtiers added, "If a prince may not have a hasty temper, who
may, we should like to know?"

And everybody laughed, except the godfather magician, who went out
sighing and shaking his head, and was seen no more.

Whilst the king's son was yet a child, the gift of the godfather
magician began to take effect. There was nothing so rare and precious
that he could not obtain it, or so difficult that it could not be
accomplished by his mere wish. But, on the other hand, no matter how
inconsiderately he spoke, or how often he changed his mind, what