daylight, and
gradually assuming the form and features of the fairy godmother. "You
did not know me as the Three-legged Wood-wife, whom you so unjustly
sacrificed to your daughter's caprices. But I have had a hand in her
education after all! For twelve months has she croaked and creaked,
snapped and snarled, beneath the summer heat, the winter snow, and the
storms of spring and autumn. Her punishment--and yours--is over."

As the fairy godmother spoke, the pine-tree became a princess once more,
and fell into her father's arms.

But the wood-wife took again the shape of an owl, and the enchanted
stones became bats, and they all disappeared into the shadows of the
forest.

And as the princess shortly afterwards married a very charming prince,
she no doubt changed her name.

Certainly she was never more known as the Snarling Princess.

THE LITTLE PARSNIP-MAN.

(_Freely adapted from the German._)

WHAT PETER FOUND IN THE PAN--AN UGLY SMILE--THE WIDOW'S RECKONINGS--REST
BY RUSHLIGHT.

[Illustration]

On a cold winter's evening it is very cosy to sit by a warm hearth,
where the fire crackles pleasantly, and the old saucepan, which Mother
has set on the fire, sings monotonously to itself between-whiles.

On such a night the wind howled in the street without, beat upon the
window-panes, and rustled through the trees, which stood, tall and
leafless, in the big garden over the way.

Little Peter did not trouble his head on the subject. He sat indoors on
a little footstool, near the fire, and close also to his mother, who was
busy cutting up parsnips for next day's dinner.

Peter paid great attention as his mother took a well-boiled parsnip out
of the saucepan, scraped it, cut it, and laid the pieces on a clean
white dish.

His mother's thoughts were elsewhere. She looked sad and pensive. Only
from time to time she nodded across the dish towards her little Peter,
and when he got up and came and laid his head in her lap, she gently
smoothed his fair hair from his brow, and then she smiled too.

[Illustration]

Peter had no idea that his mother was sad. He had got another parsnip
out of the pan, and wanted to scrape it all by himself; but he was not
very skilful, and he worked so slowly that in the end his mother had to
finish it for him.

The next thing he did was to upset the saucepan; the parsnips fell out,
and Peter began to count them.

All at once he gave a cry that made his mother jump. He had