the Golden Horse?"

"Perhaps I can help you," the Little Fox said. "Perhaps I can enchant
myself into looking like the Golden Maiden."

With that the Little Fox leaped up in the air, turned this way and that,
and lo! you might have thought her the Golden Maiden except that her
eyes were still fox's eyes.

"Now leave the Maiden outside here hidden in her Golden Cradle and take
me in to the master of the stable. Exchange me for the Golden Horse and
make off at once. Then pick up the Golden Maiden in her Golden Cradle
and ride away and soon I'll join you."

Janko did this very thing. He took in the fox maiden and exchanged her
for the Golden Horse and instantly rode off as the Little Fox had told
him.

The king of the stable at once called all his courtiers together and
showed them the fox maiden.

"See," he said, "this is the Golden Maiden who has never seen the sun!
She is the most beautiful maiden in the world and she now belongs to
me!"

The courtiers looked at her and admired her, but one of them a little
keener than the others said:

"Yes, she's very beautiful and all that but look at her eyes. They don't
look like maiden's eyes but like fox's eyes!"

Instantly at the word _fox_ the false maiden turned to a fox and went
scampering off.

"See what you've done!" cried the king in a fury. "You have changed my
Golden Maiden into a fox with your nonsense! You shall pay for this with
your life!" And he had him executed at once.

The Little Fox meantime had caught up with Janko and the Golden Maiden
and the Golden Horse. As they neared the garden of the king of the
Golden Apple-Tree the Fox said:

"It would be a pity to give away the Golden Horse. Rightly it belongs to
the Golden Maiden and was taken from her by her wicked mother."

"Don't give my Golden Horse away!" the Golden Maiden begged.

"But how else can I get the Golden Apple-Tree?" Janko asked.

"Perhaps I can help you," the Little Fox said. "Perhaps I can enchant
myself into looking like the Golden Horse."

With that the Little Fox leaped up in the air, turned this way and that,
and lo! you might have thought her the Golden Horse except that her tail
was still a fox's tail.

When they reached the garden of the Golden Apple-Tree, Janko left the
Golden Horse and the Golden Maiden outside and took the fox horse in to
the king.

The king was delighted and at once had his servants deliver to Janko the
Golden Apple-Tree.

When Janko was safely