iss her; and the
wretched girl had to submit to this, notwithstanding her disgust with
the horrid little monster. Presently Herr Dapsul came in, and said--

"Oh, my most egregious Porphyrio von Ockerodastes, won't you come into
the kitchen with my daughter and me, and see what beautiful order your
future bride has got everything in there?"

Aennchen had never seen the wicked, malicious look upon her father's
face before, which it wore when he took little Daucus by the arm, and
almost forced him from the sitting-room to the kitchen. At a sign of
her father's she went there after them.

Her heart swelled within her when she saw the fire burning so merrily,
the glowing coals, the beautiful copper pots and pans. As Herr Dapsul
drew Cordovanspitz closer to the fire-place, the hissing and bubbling
in the pots grew louder and louder, and at last changed into whimpering
and groaning. And out of one of the pots came voices, crying, "Oh
Daucus Carota! Oh King, rescue your faithful vassals! Rescue us poor
carrots! Cut up, thrown into despicable water; rubbed over with salt
and butter to our torture, we suffer indescribable woe, whereof a
number of noble young parsleys are partakers with us!"

And out of the pans came the plaint: "Oh Daucus Carota! Oh King! Rescue
your faithful vassals--rescue us poor carrots. We are roasting in
hell--and they put so little water with us, that our direful thirst
forces us to drink our own heart's blood!"

And from another of the pots came: "Oh Daucus Carota! Oh King! Rescue
your faithful vassals--rescue us poor carrots. A horrible cook
eviscerated us, and stuffed our insides full of egg, cream, and butter,
so that all our ideas and other mental qualities are in utter
confusion, and we don't know ourselves what we are thinking about!"

And out of all the pots and pans came howling at once a general
chorus of "Oh Daucus Carota! Mighty King! Rescue us, thy faithful
vassals--rescue us poor carrots!"

On this, Cordovanspitz gave a loud, croaking cry of--"Cursed, infernal,
stupid humbug and nonsense!" sprang with his usual agility on to the
kitchen range, looked into one of the pots, and suddenly popped down
into it bodily. Herr Dapsul sprang in the act of putting on the cover,
with a triumphant cry of "a Prisoner!" But with the speed of a spiral
spring Cordovanspitz came bounding up out of the pot, and gave Herr
Dapsul two or three ringing slaps on the face, crying "Meddling goose
of an old Caba