she said to herself, "I'm sure there's time enough for such a nasty
job as that!" and sat on, watching the fire as it burned away, the
glowing red casting off white flakes, and sinking lower and lower on
the hearth.

By and by, merely for want of something to do, she would see what the
old woman had left for her in the hole of the wall. But when she put in
her hand she found nothing there, except the dust which she ought by
this time to have wiped away. Never reflecting that the wise woman had
told her she would find food there WHEN SHE WAS HUNGRY, she flew into
one of her furies, calling her a cheat, and a thief, and a liar, and an
ugly old witch, and an ogress, and I do not know how many wicked names
besides. She raged until she was quite exhausted, and then fell fast
asleep on her chair. When she awoke the fire was out.

By this time she was hungry; but without looking in the hole, she began
again to storm at the wise woman, in which labor she would no doubt
have once more exhausted herself, had not something white caught her
eye: it was the corner of a napkin hanging from the hole in the wall.
She bounded to it, and there was a dinner for her of something
strangely good--one of her favorite dishes, only better than she had
ever tasted it before. This might surely have at least changed her mood
towards the wise woman; but she only grumbled to herself that it was as
it ought to be, ate up the food, and lay down on the bed, never
thinking of fire, or dust, or water for the heather.

The wind began to moan about the cottage, and grew louder and louder,
till a great gust came down the chimney, and again scattered the white
ashes all over the place. But the princess was by this time fast
asleep, and never woke till the wind had sunk to silence. One of the
consequences, however, of sleeping when one ought to be awake is waking
when one ought to be asleep; and the princess awoke in the black
midnight, and found enough to keep her awake. For although the wind had
fallen, there was a far more terrible howling than that of the wildest
wind all about the cottage. Nor was the howling all; the air was full
of strange cries; and everywhere she heard the noise of claws
scratching against the house, which seemed all doors and windows, so
crowded were the sounds, and from so many directions. All the night
long she lay half swooning, yet listening to the hideous noises. But
with the first glimmer of morning they ceased.

Then she