her, but she on her part
greeted him in the most friendly manner, and asked him at once if he
were under the power of the wicked Fairy. The Prince nodded his head
silently in answer.

Then the black girl told him that she too was in the power of the Fairy,
who had doomed her to wander about in her present guise until some youth
should take pity on her and bear her in safety to the other side of the
river which they saw in the distance, and on the other side of which the
Fairy's domain and power ended.

The girl's words so inspired the Prince with confidence that he told her
all his tale of woe, and ended up by asking her advice as to how he was
to escape the punishment the Fairy would be sure to inflict on him when
she discovered that he had not cut down the trees in the wood and that
he had broken her axe.

'You must know,' answered the black girl, 'that the Fairy in whose power
we both are is my own mother, but you must not betray this secret, for
it would cost me my life. If you will only promise to try and free me
I will stand by you, and will accomplish for you all the tasks which my
mother sets you.'

The Prince promised joyfully all she asked; then having once more warned
him not to betray her confidence, she handed him a draught to drink
which very soon sunk his senses in a deep slumber.

His astonishment was great when he awoke to find the glass axe whole and
unbroken at his side, and all the trees of the wood lying felled around
him!

He made all haste across the bridge of clouds, and told the Fairy that
her commands were obeyed. She was much amazed when she heard that all
the wood was cut down, and saw the axe unbroken in his hand, and
since she could not believe that he had done all this by himself, she
questioned him narrowly if he had seen or spoken to the black girl. But
the Prince lied manfully, and swore he had never looked up from his work
for a moment. Seeing she could get nothing more out of him, she gave him
a little bread and water, and showing him to a small dark cupboard she
told him he might sleep there.

Morning had hardly dawned when the Fairy awoke the Prince, and giving
him the glass axe again she told him to cut up all the wood he had
felled the day before, and to put it in bundles ready for firewood; at
the same time she warned him once more against approaching or speaking a
word to the black girl if he met her in the wood.

Although his task was no easier than that of the day b