"It
was, indeed," says Billy, "very wonderful entirely." After that it was
given out over the country that all the people were to come to the
king's castle on a certain day, till the king's daughter would try the
shoe on them, and whoever it fitted she was to marry them. When the
day arrived Billy was in the orchard with the three goats, three
cows, three horses, and three asses, as usual, and the like of all the
crowds that passed that day going to the king's castle to get the shoe
tried on, he never saw before. They went in coaches and carriages, on
horses and jackasses, riding and walking, and crawling and creeping.
They all asked Billy was not he going to the king's castle, but Billy
said, "Arrah, what would be bringin' the likes of me there?" At last
when all the others had gone there passed an old man with a very
scarecrow suit of rags on him, and Billy stopped him and asked him
what boot would he take and swap clothes with him. "Just take care of
yourself, now," says the old man, "and don't be playing off your jokes
on my clothes, or maybe I'd make you feel the weight of this stick."
But Billy soon let him see it was in earnest he was, and both of them
swapped suits, Billy giving the old man boot. Then off to the castle
started Billy, with the suit of rags on his back and an old stick in
his hand, and when he come there he found all in great commotion,
trying on the shoe, and some of them cutting down their foot, trying
to get it to fit. But it was all of no use, the shoe could be got to
fit none of them at all, and the king's daughter was going to give up
in despair when the wee, ragged-looking boy, which was Billy, elbowed
his way through them, and says he, "Let me try it on; maybe it would
fit me." But the people when they saw him, all began to laugh at the
sight of him, and "Go along out of that, you example, you," says they,
shoving and pushing him back. But the king's daughter saw him, and
called on them by all manner of means to let him come up and try on
the shoe. So Billy went up, and all the people looked on, breaking
their hearts laughing at the conceit of it. But what would you have of
it, but to the dumfounding of them all, the shoe fitted Billy as nice
as if it was made on his foot for a last. So the king's daughter
claimed Billy as her husband. He then confessed that it was he that
killed the fiery dragon; and when the king had him dressed up in a
silk and satin suit, with plenty of gold and silver