more:

"There goes Fate!"

For what he had written in the letter was this:

"DEAR BROTHER,

"Take the bearer and put her to death immediately."

But once again he was sore mistaken; since on the way to the town where
his brother lived, the girl had to stop the night in a little inn. And
it so happened that that very night a gang of thieves broke into the
inn, and not content with carrying off all that the innkeeper possessed,
they searched the pockets of the guests, and found the letter which the
girl carried. And when they read it, they agreed that it was a mean
trick and a shame. So their captain sat down and, taking pen and paper,
wrote instead:

"DEAR BROTHER,

"Take the bearer and marry her to my son without delay."

Then, after putting the note into an envelope and sealing it up, they
gave it to the girl and bade her go on her way. So when she arrived at
the brother's castle, though rather surprised, he gave orders for a
wedding feast to be prepared. And the Baron's son, who was staying with
his uncle, seeing the girl's great beauty, was nothing loth, so they
were fast wedded.

Well! when the news was brought to the Baron, he was nigh beside
himself; but he was determined not to be done by Fate. So he rode
post-haste to his brother's and pretended to be quite pleased. And then
one day, when no one was nigh, he asked the young bride to come for a
walk with him, and when they were close to some cliffs, seized hold of
her, and was for throwing her over into the sea. But she begged hard for
her life.

"It is not my fault," she said. "I have done nothing. It is Fate. But if
you will spare my life I promise that I will fight against Fate also. I
will never see you or your son again until you desire it. That will be
safer for you; since, see you, the sea may preserve me, as the river
did."

Well! the Baron agreed to this. So he took off his gold ring from his
finger and flung it over the cliffs into the sea and said:

"Never dare to show me your face again till you can show me that ring
likewise."

And with that he let her go.

Well! the girl wandered on, and she wandered on, until she came to a
nobleman's castle; and there, as they needed a kitchen girl, she engaged
as a scullion, since she had been used to such work in the fisherman's
hut.

Now one day, as she was cleaning a big fish, she looked out of the
kitchen window, and who should she see driving up to dinner but the
Baron and his young son,