"

Marusia went to the priest, wept bitterly, and made him promise
to do everything according to her grandmother's instructions.
Then she returned home, bought a coffin, lay down in it,
and straightway expired.

Well, they told the priest, and he buried, first her father and
mother, and then Marusia herself. Her body was passed underneath
the threshold and buried at a crossway.

Soon afterwards a seigneur's son happened to drive past
Marusia's grave. On that grave he saw growing a wondrous
flower, such a one as he had never seen before. Said the
young seigneur to his servant:--

"Go and pluck up that flower by the roots. We'll take
it home and put it in a flower-pot. Perhaps it will blossom
there."

Well, they dug up the flower, took it home, put it in a glazed
flower-pot, and set it in a window. The flower began to grow
larger and more beautiful. One night the servant hadn't gone
to sleep somehow, and he happened to be looking at the window,
when he saw a wondrous thing take place. All of a sudden the
flower began to tremble, then it fell from its stem to the ground,
and turned into a lovely maiden. The flower was beautiful, but
the maiden was more beautiful still. She wandered from room
to room, got herself various things to eat and drink, ate and
drank, then stamped upon the ground and became a flower
as before, mounted to the window, and resumed her place upon
the stem. Next day the servant told the young seigneur of the
wonders which he had seen during the night.

"Ah, brother!" said the youth, "why didn't you wake me?
To-night we'll both keep watch together."

The night came; they slept not, but watched. Exactly at
twelve o'clock the blossom began to shake, flew from place to
place, and then fell to the ground, and the beautiful maiden
appeared, got herself things to eat and drink, and sat down to
supper. The young seigneur rushed forward and seized her by
her white hands. Impossible was it for him sufficiently to look
at her, to gaze on her beauty!

Next morning he said to his father and mother, "Please
allow me to get married. I've found myself a bride."

His parents gave their consent. As for Marusia, she said:

"Only on this condition will I marry you--that for four years
I need not go to church."

"Very good," said he.

Well, they were married, and they lived together one year,
two years, and had a son.