and his rider proceeded as before, dragging the
man behind after them; nor could he leave go the rope, for the princess
had wrought a charm on him, and thus he was dragged through the city in
the sight of all men, hooted and pelted by the crowd as he was dragged
along.

As for Hans, he felt the rope no more than had it been a spider's web.
The report of the strength of Han's neck spread throughout all the land,
and all declared that that alone was sufficient to qualify him for the
crown, accordingly, on the following day great preparations were already
made for the coronation, which was to take place in the cathedral of the
town.

The doors of the church were crammed with the equipages of all the lords
and ladies in the land, amongst which were the carriages of the
Princesses Clothilde and Carlotta, who had arrived, each with an escort
of armed men, to prevent the coronation of their sister, but the mob was
so violently in favour of the Princess Bertha, that the escorts were
beaten back. The little princess, however, gave orders that her sisters
were to be admitted, so the twin princesses took their seats to witness
the ceremony.

Now, a man had been bribed by them to be close to the person of the
prince all the time, and the moment the crown was being placed upon his
head to stab him in the back; but Bertha, still suspicious of treachery,
looked around her and saw the man, who was just in the act of
assassinating her husband, when, waving her wand in time, she converted
his dagger into a venomous serpent, which twisted itself round his body,
and bit him that he died.

Great was the uproar and surprise at this scene, and the crowd were
ready to tear the twin princesses to pieces; but the arch-priest
commanded them to forbear, and the ceremony proceeded without
opposition.

Suddenly a soft music was heard throughout the cathedral, and a perfume
as of incense arose. Then a sunbeam from one of the upper windows in the
church revealed an innumerable multitude of little fairies, two of which
carried a little crown between them, just big enough for the head of the
pigmy queen.

The multitude was struck with awe and the two sisters filled with fury
at the sight; but the ceremony passed off quietly. Nevertheless, the
twin princesses, dreading the mob, stepped hastily into their respective
carriages, and drove back to the palace.

When King Hans and Queen Bertha drove off in their carriage, which, by
the way, was made