when the king heard him, he said, "Let him come in." So they introduced a dirty-looking fellow; and when he had sung before the king and the princess, he begged a boon. Then the king said, "You have sung so well, that I will give you my daughter there for your wife." The princess was horrified; but the king said, "I have sworn to give you to the first beggar, and I will keep my word." So all entreaties were of no avail; the priest was sent for, and the marriage took place immediately. When this was over, the king said, “Now get ready to go; you must not stay in my palace any longer, but must travel on with your husband."

Then the beggar departed, and took her with him; and they soon came to a great wood. "Pray," said she, "whose is this wood?"—" It belongs to king Crooked-Chin,” answered he; "hadst thou taken him, all had been thine."—"Ah! poor unhappy woman that I am!" sighed she, "would that I had married king Crooked-Chin!" Next they came to some fine meadows. "Whose are these beautiful green meadows?" said she. "They belong to king Crooked-Chin; hadst thou taken him, they had all been thine."-"Ah! poor unhappy woman that I am!" said she, "would that I had married king Crooked-Chin!"

Then they came to a great city. "Whose is this noble city?" said she. "It belongs to king Crooked-Chin; hadst thou taken him, it had all been thine." -"Ah! poor unfortunate woman that I am!" sighed she, "why did I not marry king Crooked-Chin?"-"That displeases me very much," said the musician; "that you should wish for another husband; am I not good enough for you?”

At last they came to a small cottage. "What a paltry

place!" said she; "to whom does that little wretched hole belong?" Then the musician said, "That is your and my house, where we are to live." "Where are your servants?" cried she. "Servants!" said he, "you must serve yourself for whatever you want. Now make the fire, and put on water and cook my supper, for I am very tired." But the princess was quite ignorant of making fires and cooking, and the beggar was forced to help her. When they had eaten a very poor supper they went to bed; but the musician called her up very early in the morning to clean the house. Thus they lived in a miserable way for a few days; and when they had eaten up all their provisions, the man said, "Wife, we can't go on thus, spending all and gaining nothing. You must learn to weave baskets." Then he went out and cut willows, and brought them home, and she began to weave; but they cut her delicate fingers. "I see this work won't do," said he; "try and spin; perhaps that will suit you better." So she sat down and tried to spin; but the tough threads cut her tender fingers till they bled again. "See now," said the musician, "you are fit for no work at all-what a bad bargain I have made! However, I'll try and commence business in the earthenware line, and you shall stand in the market and sell."-"Alas!" thought she, "when I stand in the market, and when any of my father's court pass by and see me there, how they will laugh at me!"

starve.

But it was of no use complaining; she must either work or At first the trade went well; for many people, seeing such a beautiful woman, went to buy her wares out of compliment to her, and many even paid their money and left the dishes into the bargain. They lived on this as long as it

lasted, and then her husband bought a fresh lot of ware, and she sat herself down with it all around her in a corner of the market; but a mad soldier soon came by, and rode his horse among her dishes, and broke them all into a thousand pieces. Then she began to cry, and knew not, in her grief, what to do. "Ah! what will become of me!" said she, "what will my husband say?" So she ran home and told him all. "Who would have thought you would have been so silly," said he, "as to put earthenware in the corner of the market, where every body passes? But let us have no more crying. I see you are not fit for any regular employment, so I have been to the king's palace, and asked if they did not want a kitchen-maid, and they have engaged to take you for your food."

Thus the princess became a kitchen-maid, and helped the cook to do all the dirty work; but she was allowed to carry home in two jars, one on each side, some of the food that was left, and on this she and her husband maintained themselves.

She had not been there long, before she heard that the king's eldest son was passing by, on his way to be married; and she went to one of the doors and looked out, and seeing all the pomp and splendour, she thought with an aching heart on her own fate, and bitterly lamented the pride and arrogance which had brought her to such poverty. And the servants gave her some of the rich meats, which she put into her jars to take home.

All on a sudden the king's son appeared in golden clothes; and when he saw a beautiful woman at the door, he took her by the hand, and said she should be his partner in the dance; but she refused, and was afraid, for she saw that it was king

THE THREE MEN ON NOTTINGHAM BRIDGE.

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Crooked-Chin, who had been one of her suitors, and whom she had repulsed with scorn. However, he kept fast hold and led her in, and the cover of the jars fell off, so that the food in it was scattered about. Then every body laughed and jeered at her when they saw this, and she was so ashamed that she wished herself a thousand fathoms deep in the earth, She sprang to the door to run away; but on the steps king Crooked-Chin overtook her, and brought her back, and said, "Fear me not! I am the musician who lived with you in the poor hut; and it was because I loved you that I concealed myself under that character. I am also the soldier who overset your crockery. I have done all this only to bring down your pride, and to punish you for the insolence with which you treated me. Now all is over, and it is time to celebrate our wedding."

Then the maids of honour came and brought her the richest dresses; and her father and his whole court came, and wished her all happiness on her marriage with king CrookedChin. Joy was in every face. Great was the feasting and rejoicing; and I wish you and I, good reader, had been of the party.

THE THREE MEN ON NOTTINGHAM BRIDGE.

THERE were two men of Gotham, and one of them was going to the market at Nottingham to buy sheep, and the other was coming from the market, and both met together on Nottingham-bridge. "Well met," said the one to the other; "whither are you a-going?" said he that came from Nottingham.

H

"Marry," said he that was going thither, "I am going to the market to buy sheep."—" Buy sheep," said the other, “and which way will you bring them home?"-" Marry," said the other, “I will bring them over this bridge.”—“6 Nay," said he that came from Nottingham, "but thou shalt not."—" "Aye," said he that was going thither, "but I will."-"Thou shalt not," said the one. "I will," said the other. "Tut here," said the one, "and shute there," said the other. Then they beat their staves against the ground one against the other, as if there had been an hundred sheep betwixt them. “Hold them there," said one. “Beware of making my sheep leap over the bridge," said the other. "I care not," said the other. "They shall all come this way," said one. "But they shall not," said the other. And as they were in contention, another wise man that belonged to Gotham came from the market with a sack of meal upon his horse; and seeing and hearing his neighbours at strife about sheep, and none betwixt them, said, "Ah! fools, will you never learn wit? Then help me," said he that had the meal; "and lay this sack upon my shoulder." They did so, and he went to the one side of the bridge, and unloosed the mouth of the sack, and did shake out the meal into the river. Then said he, "How much meal is there in the sack, neighbours?"-"Why none," answered they. "Just so much," replied this wise man,

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as there is wit in your two heads, to strive for that thing which you have not."

Now which was the wisest of all these three persons the reader shall judge.