rying thus, she went on knocking and knocking at the door.

Upon hearing this deafening noise, the ogress was going to throw her
half a loaf and send her away. But the ogre, who was more greedy of
flesh than the squirrel is of nuts, the bear of honey, the cat of fish,
the sheep of salt, or the ass of bran, said to his wife, "Let the poor
creature come in, for if she sleeps in the fields, who knows but she
may be eaten up by some wolf." In short, he talked so much that his
wife at length opened the door for Nella; whilst with all his pretended
charity he was all the time reckoning on making four mouthfuls of her.
But the glutton counts one way and the host another; for the ogre and
his wife drank till they were fairly tipsy. When they lay down to sleep
Nella took a knife from a cupboard and made a hash of them in a trice.
Then she put all the fat into a phial, went straight to the court,
where, presenting herself before the King, she offered to cure the
Prince. At this the King was overjoyed and led her to the chamber of
his son, and no sooner had she anointed him well with the fat than the
wound closed in a moment just as if she had thrown water on the fire,
and he became sound as a fish.

When the King saw this, he said to his son, "This good woman deserves
the reward promised by the proclamation and that you should marry her."
But the Prince replied, "It is hopeless, for I have no store-room full
of hearts in my body to share among so many; my heart is already
disposed of, and another woman is already the mistress of it." Nella,
hearing this, replied, "You should no longer think of her who has been
the cause of all your misfortune." "My misfortune has been brought on
me by her sisters," replied the Prince, "and they shall repent it."
"Then do you really love her?" said Nella. And the Prince replied,
"More than my own life." "Embrace me then," said Nella, "for I am the
fire of your heart." But the Prince seeing the dark hue of her face
answered, "I would sooner take you for the coal than the fire, so keep
off--don't blacken me." Whereupon Nella, perceiving that he did not
know her, called for a basin of clean water and washed her face. As
soon as the cloud of soot was removed the sun shone forth; and the
Prince, recognising her, pressed her to his heart and acknowledged her
for his wife. Then he had her sisters thrown into an oven, thus proving
the truth of the old saying--

"No evil ever went without punishment