ks and pranks they played, the
princess was just as serious and immovable as ever.

But close to the palace lived a man who had three sons, and they had
also heard that the king had made known that he who could make the
princess laugh should have her and half the kingdom.

The eldest of the brothers wanted to try first, and away he went; and
when he came to the palace, he told the king he wouldn't mind trying to
make the princess laugh.

"Yes, yes! that's all very well," said the king; "but I am afraid it's
of very little use, my man. There have been many here to try their luck,
but my daughter is just as sad, and I am afraid it is no good trying. I
do not like to see any more suffer on that account."

But the lad thought he would try anyhow. It couldn't be such a difficult
thing to make a princess laugh at him, for had not everybody, both grand
and simple, laughed so many a time at him when he served as soldier and
went through his drill under Sergeant Nils.

So he went out on the terrace outside the princess's windows and began
drilling just as if Sergeant Nils himself were there. But all in vain!
The princess sat just as serious and immovable as before, and so they
took him and cut three broad, red stripes out of his back and sent him
home.

He had no sooner arrived home than his second brother wanted to set out
and try his luck. He was a schoolmaster, and a funny figure he was
altogether. He had one leg shorter than the other, and limped terribly
when he walked. One moment he was no bigger than a boy, but the next
moment when he raised himself up on his long leg he was as big and tall
as a giant--and besides he was great at preaching.

When he came to the palace, and said that he wanted to make the princess
laugh, the king thought that it was not so unlikely that he might; "but
I pity you, if you don't succeed," said the king, "for we cut the
stripes broader and broader for every one that tries."

So the schoolmaster went out on the terrace, and took his place outside
the princess's window, where he began preaching and chanting imitating
seven of the parsons, and reading and singing just like seven of the
clerks whom they had had in the parish.

The king laughed at the schoolmaster till he was obliged to hold on to
the door-post, and the princess was just on the point of smiling, but
suddenly she was as sad and immovable as ever, and so it fared no better
with Paul the schoolmaster than with Peter the sold