buy a very
handsome dress, one of the handsomest she could find, and transformed
herself into a tailoress belonging to the family, took the dress,
departed, went to poor Ermellina, knocked at the door and said: "Open,
open, for I am your tailoress." Ermellina looked out of the window and
saw her tailoress; and was, in truth, a little confused (indeed, anyone
would have been so). The tailoress said, "Come down, I must fit a dress
on you." She replied, "No, no; for I have been deceived once." "But I am
not the old woman," replied the tailoress, "you know me, for I have
always made your dresses." Poor Ermellina was persuaded, and descended
the stairs; the tailoress took to flight while Ermellina was yet
buttoning up the dress, and disappeared. Ermellina closed the door, and
was mounting the stairs; but it was not permitted her to go up, for she
fell down dead.

Let us return to the fairies, who came home and knocked at the door; but
what good did it do to knock! There was no longer any one there. They
began to weep. The chief of the fairies said: "I told you that she would
betray me again; but now I will have nothing more to do with her." So
they broke open the door, and saw the poor girl with that beautiful
dress on; but she was dead. They all wept, because they really loved
her. But there was nothing to do; the chief struck her enchanted wand,
and commanded a beautiful rich casket all covered with diamonds and
other precious stones to appear; then the others made a beautiful
garland of flowers and gold, put it on the young girl, and then laid her
in the casket, which was so rich and beautiful that it was marvellous to
behold. Then the old fairy struck her wand as usual and commanded a
handsome horse, the like of which not even the king possessed. Then they
took the casket, put it on the horse's back, and led him into the public
square of the city, and the chief of the fairies said: "Go, and do not
stop until you find some one who says to you: 'Stop, for pity's sake,
for I have lost my horse for you.'"

Now let us leave the afflicted fairies, and turn our attention to the
horse, which ran away at full speed. Who happened to pass at that
moment? The son of a king (the name of this king is not known); and saw
this horse with that wonder on its back. Then the king began to spur his
horse, and rode him so hard that he killed him, and had to leave him
dead in the road; but the king kept running after the other horse. The
po