seen except for the king himself.

'I shall marry him to-morrow,' ended she; and ordered the preparations
to be set on foot at once.

When the next day came, however, the bridegroom's father informed the
princess that, by the law of the land, the marriage must take place in
the presence of the king; but he hoped his majesty would not long
delay his arrival. An hour or two passed, and everyone was waiting
and watching, when at last the sound of trumpets was heard and a grand
procession was seen marching up the street. A chair covered with velvet
had been made ready for the king, and he took his seat upon it, and,
looking round upon the assembled company, he said:

'I have no wish to forbid this marriage; but, before I can allow it to
be celebrated, the bridegroom must prove himself worthy of such a bride
by fulfilling three tasks. And the first is that in a single day he must
cut down every tree in an entire forest.

The youth stood aghast as the king's words. He had never cut down a tree
in his life, and had not the least idea how to begin. And as for a
whole forest--! But the princess saw what was passing in his mind, and
whispered to him:

'Don't be afraid. In my ship you will find an axe, which you must carry
off to the forest. When you have cut down one tree with it just say:
"So let the forest fall," and in an instant all the trees will be on the
ground. But pick up three chips of the tree you felled, and put them in
your pocket.'

And the young man did exactly as he was bid, and soon returned with the
three chips safe in his coat.

The following morning the princess declared that she had been thinking
about the matter, and that, as she was not a subject of the king, she
saw no reason why she should be bound by his laws; and she meant to be
married that very day. But the bridegroom's father told her that it was
all very well for her to talk like that, but it was quite different for
his son, who would pay with his head for any disobedience to the king's
commands. However, in consideration of what the youth had done the day
before, he hoped his majesty's heart might be softened, especially as
he had sent a message that they might expect him at once. With this the
bridal pair had to be content, and be as patient as they could till the
king's arrival.

He did not keep them long, but they saw by his face that nothing good
awaited them.

'The marriage cannot take place,' he said shortly, 'till the youth has
j