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- <PT8>RUBICON PUBLISHER<QL9pt>
- SAMPLE NO. 1<QZ>
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- <IP><QZ>
- <bd12pt><pt30>I<pt12><bu12pt>n<itl> olden times when wishing still
- helped one, <IL>there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful;
- and the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so
- much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Close by the king's
- castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest
- was a well, and when the day was very warm, the king's child went out to
- the forest and sat down by the fountain; and when she was bored she took
- a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it; and this ball was
- her favourite plaything.<IP2em>
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-
- Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess's golden ball did
- not fall into the little hand that she was holding up for it, but on to
- the ground beyond, and it rolled straight into the water. The king's
- daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was
- deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. At this she began to
- cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. And as she
- thus lamented someone said to her, ``What ails you, king's daughter? You
- weep so that even a stone would show pity.''
-
- She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a frog
- stretching forth its big ugly head from the water. ``Ah, old
- water-splasher, is it you?'' said she: ``I am weeping for my golden
- ball, which has fallen into the well.'' ``Be quiet, and do not weep,''
- answered the frog. ``I can help you; but what will you give me if I bring
- your plaything up again?'' ``Whatever you will have dear frog,'' said
- she; ``my clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown that
- I am wearing.'' The frog answered, ``I do not care for your clothes,
- your pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown; but if you will love
- me and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at your
- little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of
- your little cup, and sleep in your little bed<L->if you will promise
- this, I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball up again.''
-
- ``Oh yes,'' said she, ``I promise you all you wish, if you will but
- bring me my ball back again.'' But she thought, ``How the silly frog
- does talk! All he does is sit in the water with the other frogs, and
- croak. He can be no companion to any human being.''
-
- But the frog, when he had received this promise, put his head into the
- water and sank down; and in a short while he came up again with the ball
- in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's daughter was
- delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and she picked it up
- and ran away with it. ``Wait, Wait,'' said the frog. ``Take me with you.
- I can't run as you can.'' But what did it avail him to scream his croak,
- croak after her, as loudly as he could? She did not listen to it but
- ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go back into
- his well again.
-
- The next day when she had seated herself at table with the king and all
- the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate, something
- came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marble staircase; and
- when it had got to the top, it knocked at the door and cried,
- ``Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me.'' She ran to see
- who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog in
- front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat down to
- dinner again, and was quite frightened. The king saw plainly that her
- heart was beating violently, and said. ``My child, what are you so
- afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry you
- away?'' ``Ah no,'' replied she. ``It is no giant, it is a disgusting
- frog.''
-
- ``What does a frog want with you?'' ``Ah, dear father, yesterday as I
- was in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into
- the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for me;
- and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my companion,
- but I never thought he would be able to come out of his water. And now
- he is outside there, and wants to come in to see me.''
-
- In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried, ``Princess,
- youngest princess, open the door for me. Do you not know what you said
- to me yesterday by the cool waters of the well? Princess, open the door
- for me!''
-
- Then said the king, ``That which you have promised must you perform. Go
- and let him in.'' She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in
- and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and cried,
- ``Lift me up beside you.'' She delayed, until at last the king commanded
- her to do it. Once the frog was on the chair he wanted to be on the
- table, and when he was on the table he said, ``Now, push your little
- golden plate nearer to me, that we may eat together.'' She did this, but
- it was easy to see she did not do it willingly. The frog enjoyed what he
- ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked her. At length he said, I
- have eaten and am satisfied, now I am tired; carry me into your little
- room and make your little silken bed ready, and we will both lie down
- and go to sleep.''
-
- The king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog,
- which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her
- pretty bed. But the king grew angry and said. ``He who helped you when
- you were in trouble ought not afterwards to be despised by you.'' So she
- took hold of the frog with two fingers, carried him upstairs, and put
- him in a corner. But when she was in bed he crept to her and said, ``I
- am tired, I want to sleep as well as you; lift me up or I will tell your
- father.'' At this she was terribly angry, and took him up and threw him
- with all her might against the wall. ``Now, will you be quiet odious
- frog?'' said she. But when he fell down he was no frog but a king's son
- with kind and beautiful eyes. He by her father's will was now her dear
- companion and husband. Then he told her how he has been bewitched by a
- wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but
- herself, and that tomorrow they would go together into his kingdom.
-
- Then they went to sleep, and next morning when the sun awoke them, a
- carriage came driving up with eight white horses, which had white
- ostrich feathers on their heads, and were harnessed with golden chains;
- and behind stood the young king's servant Faithful Henry. Faithful Henry
- had been so unhappy when his master was changed into a frog, that he had
- caused three iron bands to be laid round his heart, lest it should burst
- with grief and sadness. The carriage was to conduct the young king into
- his kingdom. Faithful Henry helped them both in, and placed himself
- behind again, and was full of joy because of this deliverance. And when
- they had driven a part of the way, the king's son heard a cracking
- behind him as if something hard had broken. So he turned round and cried
- ``Henry, the carriage is breaking.''
-
- ``No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, that
- was put there in my great pain when you were a frog and imprisoned in
- the well.'' Again and once again while they were on their way something
- cracked, and each time the king's son thought the carriage was breaking;
- But it was only the bands that were springing from the heart of Faithful
- Henry because his master was set free and was so happy.
-
- <ai><M->The Brothers Grimm<xi><qr>
-