reat wood, dwelt there; so she was
content to be taken as kitchen-maid, for very small pay.

Now the king's son had thought the princess was dead; and there was
now with him another maiden, whom he had been persuaded he ought to
marry, which grieved the poor kitchen-maid very much.

In the evening, when she had washed up the dishes, and had done all
her work, she felt in her pocket, and found the three nuts which the
old frog had given her. She bit one open, and was going to eat the
kernel, when, behold, inside it was the most beautiful dress
imaginable--so beautiful that the bride soon heard of it, came and
asked to see it, and wanted to buy it, saying it was no dress for a
kitchen-maid. But the kitchen-maid thought differently, and refused to
sell it, but offered to give it as a present, if the bride would grant
her one favour--namely, to sleep one night on the mat outside the
bridegroom's door. The bride gave her leave, because the dress was so
beautiful, and she had none like it.

Now when it was evening, she said to her bridegroom: "The foolish
kitchen-maid wants to sleep on the mat outside your door."

"If you are content, I am," said he.

But the bride gave him a glass of wine, in which she had put a
sleeping draught; so that he slept so soundly, nothing could wake him.
While, outside the door, the princess wept the whole night, saying: "I
have released you out of the wild wood--out of an Iron Stove; in
seeking you, I have gone over a glass mountain, over three sharp
swords, and over a great lake; yet, now that I find you, you will not
hear me."

Next evening, when she had washed up everything, she bit the second
nut open; and inside it was a far more beautiful dress than the first
which, when the bride saw, she wished to buy also. But the girl again
refused to take money and again begged that she might spend the night
outside the bridegroom's door. Once more, the bride gave him a
sleeping-draught, and he slept so soundly, that he could hear nothing.
But the kitchen-maid wept the whole night long, crying: "I have
released you out of a wild wood, and out of an Iron Stove; and have
gone over a glass mountain, over three sharp swords, and over a great
lake, before I found you; and yet, when I find you, you will not hear
me."

The third evening, she bit open the third nut; and there was in it a
still more beautiful dress, which shone stiff with pure gold. When the
bride saw it, she wished more earnestly than