East o' the Sun
and West o' the Moon
(continued)

Next morning, the girl sat down under the castle window, and began to play with the golden apple. The first person she saw was the Long-nose, who was to have the Prince.

"What do you want for your golden apple, girl?" said Long-nose, looking over the window.

"It's not for sale for gold or money," said the girl.

"If it's not for sale for gold or money, what is it that you will sell it for? You may name your own price," said the Princess.

"Well, if I may get to the Prince, who lives here, and sit beside him tonight, you shall have it," said the girl, whom the North Wind had brought.

Yes, she might; that could be done. The Princess got the golden apple. But when the girl came up to the Prince's room at night he was fast asleep. She called him, and shook him, and she wept sore, but for all she could do she couldn't wake him up. Next morning, as soon as day broke, came the Princess with the long nose and drove her out again.

In the daytime she sat down under the castle windows, and began to card with her golden carding comb, and the same thing happened. The Princess asked what she wanted for it, and she said it wasn't for sale for gold or money. If she might get leave to go up to the Prince and sit beside him that night, the Princess should have it. When she went up, she found him fast asleep again, and for all she called, and all she shook, and wept, and prayed, she couldn't get life into him. As soon as the day dawned, the Princess with the long nose came, and chased her out.

Again, in the daytime, the girl sat down outside, under the castle window, and began to spin with her golden spinning wheel, and that, too, the Princess with the long nose wanted to have. She threw up the window and asked what she wanted for it. The girl said, as she had said twice before, it wasn't for sale for gold or money. If she might go up to the prince who was there, and sit with him that night, she might have it.

Yes, she might do that and welcome.

Now, you must know there were some poor folk who had been carried off thither. They sat in their room, which was next to that of the Prince, and they had heard how a woman had been in there, and wept and prayed, and called to him two nights running, and they told that to the Prince. That evening, when the Princess came with her sleeping drink, the Prince made as if he drank, but threw it over his shoulder. He knew it was a sleeping drink. When the girl came in, she found the Prince wide awake, and she told him the whole story how she had come there.

"Ah!" said the Prince, "you've just come in time, for tomorrow is to be our wedding day. I won't have Long-nose, and you are the only woman in the world who can set me free. I will say I want to see what my wife is fit for, and beg her to wash the shirt which has the three spots of tallow on it. She'll say 'Yes', for she doesn't know it is you who put them there. That's a work only for honest folk, and not for such a pack of trolls. I'll say that I shall not have any other for my bride than the woman who can wash them out, and ask you to do it."

There was great joy and love between them all that night.

The next day, when the wedding was to be, the Prince said, "First of all, I would like to see what my bride is fit for."

"Yes!" said the stepmother, with all her heart.

"Well," said the Prince, "I've got a fine shirt which I would like for my wedding shirt, but somehow or other it has got three spots of tallow on it. I must have these washed out, and I have promised never to take any other bride than the woman who's able to do that. If she can't she's not worth having."

Well, that was no great thing, they said. So they agreed, and she with the long nose began to wash away as hard as she could. But the more she rubbed and scrubbed, the bigger the spots grew.

"Ah!" said the old hag, her mother, "you can't wash; let me try."

She had not taken the shirt in hand long before it got far worse than ever, and with all her rubbing and scrubbing the spots grew bigger and blacker, and the darker and uglier was the shirt.

Then all the other trolls began to wash, but the longer they tried, the blacker and uglier the shirt grew, until at last it was as black all over as if it had been up the chimney.

"Ah!" said the Prince, "you're none of you worth a straw, you can't wash. Why there, outside, sits a beggar girl. I'm sure she knows how to wash better than the whole lot of you. COME IN, GIRL!" he shouted.

Well, in she came.

"Can you wash this shirt clean?" said he.

"I don't know," she said, "but I think I can."

Then, almost before she had taken it and dipped it in the water, it was as white as driven snow.

"Yes! You are the girl for me," said the Prince.

At that the old hag flew into such a rage that she burst on the spot, and the Princess with the long nose after her, and the whole pack of trolls after her - at least I've never heard a word about them since.

As for the Prince and Princess, they set free all the poor folk who had been carried off and shut up there. Then they took with them all the silver and gold, and went far away, as far as they could from the castle that lay

East o' the Sun and

West o' the Moon.

THE END