or king could endure it no longer; he saw himself lost, and exclaimed:
"Stop, for pity's sake, for I have lost my horse for you!" Then the
horse stopped (for those were the words). When the king saw that
beautiful girl dead in the casket, he thought no more about his own
horse, but took the other to the city. The king's mother knew that her
son had gone hunting; when she saw him returning with this loaded horse,
she did not know what to think. The son had no father, wherefore he was
all powerful. He reached the palace, had the horse unloaded, and the
casket carried to his chamber; then he called his mother and said:
"Mother, I went hunting, but I have found a wife." "But what is it? A
doll? A dead woman?" "Mother," replied her son, "don't trouble yourself
about what it is, it is my wife." His mother began to laugh, and
withdrew to her own room (what could she do, poor mother?).

Now this poor king no longer went hunting, took no diversion, did not
even go to the table, but ate in his own room. By a fatality it happened
that war was declared against him, and he was obliged to depart. He
called his mother, and said: "Mother, I wish two careful chambermaids,
whose business it shall be to guard this casket; for if on my return I
find that anything has happened to my casket, I shall have the
chambermaids killed." His mother, who loved him, said: "Go, my son, fear
nothing, for I myself will watch over your casket." He wept several days
at being obliged to abandon this treasure of his, but there was no help
for it, he had to go.

After his departure he did nothing but commend his wife (so he called
her) to his mother in his letters. Let us return to the mother, who no
longer thought about the matter, not even to have the casket dusted; but
all at once there came a letter which informed her that the king had
been victorious, and should return to his palace in a few days. The
mother called the chambermaids, and said to them: "Girls, we are
ruined." They replied: "Why, Highness?" "Because my son will be back in
a few days, and how have we taken care of the doll?" They said: "True,
true; now let us go and wash the doll's face." They went to the king's
room and saw that the doll's face and hands were covered with dust and
fly-specks, so they took a sponge and washed her face, but some drops of
water fell on her dress and spotted it. The poor chambermaids began to
weep, and went to the queen for advice. The queen said: "Do you know