so that her husband would not notice
it. Then she extracted from her husband the secret of his life: "I
cannot be killed, but if any one sticks a branch of this herb in my ears
I shall fall asleep, and not wake up again." Maruzza, of course, throws
her husband, as soon as possible, into this magic sleep, restores the
prince, flies with him, and marries him.

Some years after, the branch in the magician's ears withered and fell
out, and he awakened. Then he desired to be revenged, and travelled
about until he found where his wife lived. Then he had a silver statue
made in which he could conceal himself, and in which he placed some
musical instruments. He shut himself up in it, and had himself and the
statue taken to the palace where Maruzza and her husband lived. In the
night, when all were asleep, the magician came out of the statue,
carried Maruzza to the kitchen, kindled a fire, and put on some oil to
boil, into which he intended to throw poor Maruzza. But just as he was
about to do it, the flask which he had laid on the king's bed, and which
had thrown him into a magic sleep, rolled off, and the king awoke, heard
Maruzza's cries, saved her, and threw the magician into the boiling oil.
In spite of his assurances he seems to have been very thoroughly
killed.[28]

A Florentine story (_Nov. fior._ p. 290), called "The Baker's Three
Daughters," is a combination of the Bluebeard and Robber Bridegroom
stories. The husband forbids his wife to open a certain door with a gold
key, saying: "You cannot deceive me; the little dog will tell me; and,
besides, I will leave you a bouquet of flowers, which you must give me
on my return, and which will wither if you enter that room." The two
sisters yield to their curiosity, and are killed. The third sister kills
the treacherous little dog, delivers the prince, as in the last story,
flies with him, and the story ends much as the last does. In a Milanese
version of this story, with the same title (_Nov. fior._ p. 298), the
robber bridegroom takes his wife home, and informs her that it is her
duty to watch at night, and open the door to the robbers when they
return. The poor wife falls asleep, and is murdered. So with the second
sister. The third remains awake, rescues the prince, and flies with him.
The rest of the story is as above.

Of the third version of the Bluebeard story there are but two Italian
examples: one from Sicily (Gonz. No. 20), and one from Pisa (Comparetti,
No. 38)