r. She saw her mistress reclining in a beautiful bed. In the evening
the lady returned and asked her what she had seen; but she answered: "I
have seen nothing." The lady could extort no other answer from her, and
finally clothed her in her peasant's dress, and took her back to the
wood and left her.

The king of the neighboring city happened to pass by, and fell in love
with her, and married her. When her first child was born the lady
appeared at her bedside, and said: "Now it is time to tell me what you
saw." "I saw nothing," replied the young queen. Then the lady carried
away the child, having first rubbed the mother's mouth with blood. This
happened a second time, and then the king put her away, and prepared to
marry again. The first wife was invited to the wedding feast. While at
the table the lady appeared under it, and pulled the first wife's dress,
and said: "Will you tell what you saw?" The reply was twice: "Nothing."
Then the queen fainted. At that moment a carriage drove up to the palace
with a great lady in it, who asked to see the king. She told him that it
was she who had carried away his children, and added that from her
childhood she had been subjected to an enchantment that was to end when
she found a person who should say that she had seen nothing in that
room. She then brought back the children, and all lived together in
peace and joy.[29]

One of the most beautiful and touching of all fairy tales is the one
known to the readers of Grimm's collection by the title of "Faithful
John," and which has such a charming parallel in the story of "Rama and
Luxman," in Miss Frere's "Old Deccan Days." There are seven Italian
versions of this interesting story, which we shall mention briefly,
giving first the shortest entire, as a point of departure. It is from
the North of Italy (Comparetti, Monferrato, No. 29), and is called:

XVII. IN LOVE WITH A STATUE.

There was once a king who had two sons. The eldest did not wish to
marry, and the youngest, although he went about everywhere, found no
lady to his taste. Now it happened that he once went to a certain city,
and there saw a statue with which he fell in love. He bought it, had it
carried to his room, and every day embraced and kissed it. One day his
father became aware of this, and said to him: "What are you doing? If
you want a wife, take one of flesh and bones, and not one of marble." He
answered that he would take one exactly like the statue, or none at