ween them. Nothing more beautiful
or charming could be seen in the wide world. But they did not know how
the tree had come there in the night. Little Two Eyes alone noticed
that it had grown out of the heart of the goat, for it stood just
where she had buried it in the ground.

Then the mother said to Little One Eye, "Climb up, my child, and
gather us some fruit from the tree."

Little One Eye climbed up, but when she wanted to seize a golden
apple, the branch sprang out of her hand; this happened every time, so
that she could not gather a single apple, though she tried as much as
she could.

Then the mother said, "Little Three Eyes, do you climb up; you can see
better about you with your three eyes than Little One Eye can."

Little One Eye scrambled down, and Little Three Eyes climbed up. But
Little Three Eyes was no cleverer, and might look about her as much as
she liked--the golden apples always sprang back from her grasp. At
last the mother became impatient, and climbed up herself, but could
touch the fruit just as little as Little One Eye or Little Three Eyes;
she always grasped the empty air.

Then Little Two Eyes said, "I will go up myself; perhaps I shall
prosper better."

"You!" cried the sisters. "With your two eyes, what can you do?"

But Little Two Eyes climbed up and the golden apples did not spring
away from her, but dropped of themselves into her hand, so that she
could gather one after the other, and brought down a whole apron full.
Her mother took them from her, and instead of her sisters, Little One
Eye and Little Three Eyes, behaving better to poor Little Two Eyes for
it, they were only envious because she alone could get the fruit, and
behaved still more cruelly to her.

It happened, as they stood together by the tree, one day, that a young
knight came by.

"Quick, Little Two Eyes," cried the two sisters, "creep under, so that
we may not be ashamed of you," and threw over poor Little Two Eyes, in
a great hurry, an empty cask that stood just by the tree, and pushed
also beside her the golden apples which she had broken off.

Now, as the knight came nearer, he proved to be a handsome prince, who
stood still, admired the beautiful tree of gold and silver, and said
to the two sisters--

"To whom does this beautiful tree belong? She who gives me a branch of
it shall have whatever she wishes."

Then Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes answered that the tree was
theirs, and they would break