152

THE FIRE BIRD
A RUSSIAN FAIRY TALE

There he found the Princess asleep, and saw that her face was the face
he had seen in the portrait 160

With a scream the Princess rushed forward, and, before her wicked
sister could prevent her, she had upset the cauldron with a crash 168

THE STORY OF THE BIRD FENG
A CHINESE FAIRY TALE

The wonderful bird, like a fire of many colours come down from heaven,
alighted before the Princess, dropping at her feet the portrait 172

SNEGOROTCHKA

A RUSSIAN FAIRY TALE

The old wife sang merrily as she sat in the inglenook stirring the soup,
for she had never felt so sad. Many, many years had come and gone,
leaving the weight of their winters on her shoulders and the touch of
snow on her hair without ever bringing her a little child. This made her
and her dear old husband very sad, for there were many children outside,
playing in the snow. It seemed hard that not even one among them was
their very own. But alas! there was no hope for such a blessing now.
Never would they see a little fur cap hanging on the corner of the
mantelpiece, nor two little shoes drying by the fire.

The old husband brought in a bundle of wood and set it down. Then, as he
heard the children laughing and clapping their hands outside, he looked
out at the window. There they were, dancing with glee round a snow man
they had made. He smiled as he saw that it was evidently meant to look
like the Mayor of the village, it was so fat and pompous.

'Look, Marusha!' he cried to the old wife. 'Come and see the snow man
they've made.'

As they stood together at the window, they laughed to see what fun the
children got out of it. Suddenly the old man turned to her with a bright
idea.

'Let's go out and see if _we_ can't make a little snow man.'

But Marusha laughed at him. 'What would the neighbours say? They would
poke fun at us; it'd be the joke of the village. Besides, we're too old
to play like children.'

'But only a little one, Marusha; only a teeny-weeny little snow
man,--and I'll manage it that nobody sees us.'

'Well, well,' she said, laughing; 'have your own way, as you always did,
Youshko.'

With this she took the pot from the fire, put on her bonnet, and they
went out together. As they passed the children, they stopped to play
with them a while, for they now felt almost like children themselves.
Then they trudged on through the sn