before her. They were
all grown up, strong and handsome; only the youngest had no left arm,
but instead of it a swan's wing.

They hugged and kissed their sister many times, and then the queen
went to the king, and began to speak, and said, "Dearest husband, now
I may speak, and declare to you that I am innocent and falsely
accused;" and she told him about the deceit of the old mother, who had
taken away her three children, and hidden them.

However they were soon fetched safely back, to the great joy of the
king; and the wicked mother-in-law was tied to the stake, and burnt to
ashes. But the king and queen, with their six brothers, lived many
years in peace and happiness.

THE PRINCE WITH THE NOSE.

There was once a king who was passionately in love with a beautiful
princess, but she could not be married because a magician had
enchanted her. The king went to a good fairy to inquire what he should
do. Said the fairy, after receiving him graciously; "Sir, I will tell
you a secret. The princess has a great cat whom she loves so well that
she cares for nothing and nobody else; but she will be obliged to
marry any person who is adroit enough to walk upon the cat's tail."

"That will not be very difficult," thought the king to himself, and
departed, resolving to trample the cat's tail to pieces rather than
not succeed in walking upon it. He went immediately to the palace of
his fair mistress and the cat; the animal came in front of him,
arching its back in anger as it was wont to do. The king lifted up his
foot, thinking nothing would be so easy as to tread on the tail, but
he found himself mistaken. Minon--that was the creature's
name--twisted itself round so sharply that the king only hurt his own
foot by stamping on the floor. For eight days did he pursue the cat
everywhere: up and down the palace he was after it from morning till
night, but with no better success; the tail seemed made of
quicksilver, so very lively was it. At last the king had the good
fortune to catch Minon sleeping, when tramp, tramp! he trod on the
tail with all his force.

Minon woke up, mewed horribly, and immediately changed from a cat into
a large, fierce-looking man, who regarded the king with flashing eyes.

"You must marry the princess," cried he, "because you have broken the
enchantment in which I held her; but I will be revenged on you. You
shall have a son with a nose as long as--that;" he made in the air a
curve of half a