ithout words. But will it be in my case? My future husband is ugly,
unrefined, and of low descent. But--he is rich. Yes, rich; but what
are riches if I am going to be wretched? No, I will not marry him
for all the world. I will play a trick on him."

The next day the guard informed her that the riches of the young
man were inexhaustible, for the purse from which he got his money
seemed to be magical. When she heard this, she commanded the guard to
tell the young man that she wished to see him alone. Filled with joy
because of this sign of her favor, the youth hastened to the palace,
conducted by the guard. The princess entertained him regally, and tried
all sorts of tricks to get possession of the magical purse. At last she
succeeded in inducing him to go to sleep. While he was unconscious, the
deceitful princess stole the purse and left him alone in the chamber.

When he awoke, he saw that the princess had deserted him and that
his purse was gone. "Surely I am doomed to die if I don't leave this
kingdom at once," said he to himself. "My purse is gone, and I cannot
now fulfil my contract." He at once hurried home, told his parents to
abandon their home and town, and he himself started on a journey for
another kingdom. After much travelling, he reached mountainous places,
and had eaten but little for many a day.

By good luck he came across a tree heavily laden with fruits. The
tree was strange to him; but the delicious appearance of its fruit,
and his hunger, tempted him to try some. While he was eating, he was
terrified to find that two horns had appeared on his forehead. He tried
his best to pull them off, but in vain. The next day he saw another
tree, whose fruit appeared even more tempting. He climbed it, picked
some fruits, and ate them. To his surprise, his horns immediately
fell off. He wrapped some of this fruit up in his handkerchief,
and then went back to find the tree whose fruit he had eaten the day
before. He again ate some of its fruit, and again two horns grew out
of his head. Then he ate some of the other kind, and the horns fell
off. Confident now that he had a means of recovering his purse, he
gathered some of the horn-producing fruits, wrapped them in his shirt,
and started home. By this time he had been travelling for nearly two
years, and his face had so changed that he could not be recognized
by his own parents, or by his town-mates who had been hired by the
king to search for him for execution.