And the Tsar of this tsardom had an only daughter, so lovely
that the like of her is neither to be imagined nor divined in God's
fair world, neither may it be told in tales. Now this Tsarivna one day
went down to the river to bathe, and plunged into the water without
first crossing herself, whereupon the Evil Spirit took possession of
her. The Tsarivna got out of the water, and straightway fell ill of so
terrible a disease that it may not be told of. Do what they would--and
the wise men and the wise women did their utmost--it was of no avail.
In a few days she grew worse and died. Then the Tsar, her father, made
a proclamation that people should come and read the prayers for the
dead over her dead body, and so exorcise the evil spirit, and
whosoever delivered her was to have half his power and half his
tsardom.

And the people came in crowds--but none of them could read the prayers
for the dead over her, it was impossible. Every evening a man went
into the church, and every morning they swept out his bones, for there
was naught else of him remaining. And the Tsar was very wrath. "All my
people will be devoured," cried he. And he commanded that all the
foreign merchants passing through his realm should be made to read
prayers for the dead over his daughter's body. "And if they will not
read," said he, "they shall not depart from my kingdom."

So the foreign merchants went one by one. In the evening a merchant
was shut up in the church, and in the early morning they came and
found and swept away his bones. At last it came to the turn of the
young man's uncles to read the prayers for the dead in the church.
They wept and lamented and cried, "We are lost! we are lost! Heaven
help us!" Then the eldest uncle said to the lad, "Listen, good
simpleton! It has now come to my turn to read prayers over the
Tsarivna. Do thou go in my stead and pass the night in the church, and
I'll give thee all my ship."--"Nay, but," said the simpleton, "what if
she tear me to pieces too? I won't go!"--But then St Michael said to
him, "Go and fear not! Stand in the very middle of the church, fenced
round about with thy laths and boards, and take with thee a basket
full of pears. When she rushes at thee, take and scatter the pears,
and it will take her till cockcrow to pick them all up. But do thou go
on reading thy prayers all the time, and look not up, whatever she may
do."

When night came, he took up his laths and boards and a basket of
pear