e wagon contained any one inside, he would not have allowed it to
be brought to his hidden daughter. He said to Juan, "You have told
the truth, that anything can be discovered if money is used; but you
shall not marry my daughter."

"Remember your promise," said Juan.

"Wait, and I will ask the princess," said the king. "She might refuse."

"Whether she refuses or not, she is to be my wife, for I have seen
her and found her," replied Juan.

"Then you shall have her," said the king.

So Juan was married to the princess, and there was great rejoicing
in the kingdom. The king, however, was very sorry that his daughter
had married Juan, who had now the right to inherit the throne from
him. He could not endure the idea, so he pondered night and day how
to kill Juan under some pretext or other. Juan learned of the king's
plot, and decided to leave the city for a while. He asked his wife
for permission to go and visit the little hut in which he was born,
and at last she consented.

One day Juan left the palace and went to the country. While he was
walking in the woods near his old home, two birds flew to him. "Juan,
take this ring with you: it has magic power, and will furnish you
whatever you ask of it," said the male bird.

"Here, take this pen-point, and use it whenever the king asks you to
write for him," said the female bird. "Remember, Juan, you do not
need to have any ink; you can use your saliva," it continued. "Now
go back to the kingdom, and do not be afraid of the king's plots,"
said the two birds together. So Juan went back to the palace, and
lived there with his wife.

One day the king called Juan, and ordered him to write something. The
king thought that if Juan should make any mistakes in the writing,
he would order him to be executed. Juan used the pen-point which the
second bird had given him. The king furnished him only paper, but no
ink, so Juan used his saliva. "Write this, Juan," said the king:
"'It is not right that you should be heir to my crown, and successor
to the throne.'"

Juan wrote the words just as the king had given them, and they appeared
on the paper in letters of pure gold. The king was very much surprised
by this demonstration of Juan's ability.

Then the king continued, "Write this: 'You ought not to inherit the
crown, you who were born in a little village, and whose ancestors are
unknown.'" Juan wrote this dictation, and, as before, the letters
were of pure gold. Again the kin