t, clearly to be seen from her window, there
stood a tiny cottage, in which lived an aged woman who was known amongst
the poor folks of the neighbourhood as the "Three-legged Wood-wife."
This was because of a wooden staff on which she leaned to eke out the
failing strength of her own limbs. The wood-wife was both feared and
hated by the people, amongst whom she bore the character of a very
malicious witch. The king's daughter hated not only her, but her
tumble-down house, and had sent again and again, with large offers of
gold, to try and purchase the cottage. But the wood-wife laughed
spitefully at the messengers, and only replied that the cottage suited
her, and that for no money would she quit it whilst she lived.

The poor have their rights, however, as well as the rich, and even the
Snarling Princess was obliged to submit to the disappointment at which
she could only grumble.

At one time she resolved never to go into her favourite room again. But
she could not keep her resolution. Back she went, and some irresistible
power always seemed to draw her to the window to irritate herself by the
sight of the wretched hovel which belonged to the Three-legged Witch.

At last, however, by constantly snarling and complaining to the king,
she induced him to turn the old woman by force out of her cottage. The
king, who was just and upright, did so very unwillingly, and he built
her a new and much better cottage elsewhere.

The wood-wife could not resist, but she never put her foot across the
threshold of the new house. Meanwhile the old hovel was swept away as
fast as possible, and by the princess's wish a pretty summer-house was
built on the spot where it had stood, and there she and her court ladies
were wont to amuse themselves on warm summer evenings to their hearts'
content.

One evening the princess strolled out by herself into the forest. She
had been in several distinct rages; first with her court ladies,
secondly with her dressmaker, thirdly with the sky, which, in spite of
her wishes for fine weather, had become overcast with clouds.

[Illustration]

In this ill-humour nothing in all the beautiful green forest gave her
any satisfaction. She snarled at the birds because they sang so merrily.
The rustling of the green fir-tops in the evening breeze annoyed her:
"Why should pine-trees have needles instead of leaves?" she asked
angrily; and then she grumbled because there were no roses on the
juniper bushes. Stil