The Best English Fairy Tales / Лучшие английские сказки. Отсутствует

and looked out.

      “Oh!” he cried; “here is a red rose! I have never seen any rose like it in all my life. It is so beautiful that I am sure it has a long Latin name!”

      He plucked it and ran up to the Professor’s house with the rose in his hand.

      The daughter of the Professor was sitting next to the window, and her little dog was lying at her feet.

      “You said that you would dance with me if I brought you a red rose,” cried the Student. “Here is the reddest rose in all the world. You will wear it tonight next your heart, and as we dance together it will tell you how I love you.”

      But the girl was not satisfied.

      “I am afraid it will not go with my dress,” she answered; “and, besides, the Officer’s nephew has sent me some real jewels. Everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.”

      “Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful,” said the Student angrily. He threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cart-wheel went over it.

      “Ungrateful!” said the girl. “And you are very rude. Who are you? Only a Student. Why, I don’t believe you have even got silver buckles to your shoes as the Officer’s nephew has!”

      She got up from her chair and went into the house.

      “What a silly thing Love is,” said the Student as he walked away. “It does not prove anything, I will go back to Philosophy and study Metaphysics.”

      So he returned to his room and pulled out a dusty book, and began to read.

      The Daughter of the Skies

      J. F. Campbell

      There was a farmer, and he had daughters. He also had cattle and sheep. One day they all disappeared, and he couldn’t find them. Suddenly he saw a dog next to the house.

      “What will you give me,” said the dog, “if I find your cattle and sheep?”

      “I don’t know myself”, answered the farmer.

      “Will you let me marry your daughter?” asked the dog.

      “I will give her to you,” said he, “if she agrees.”

      They went home. The farmer asked his daughters to marry the dog. The eldest daughter and the second daughter said they would not take the dog. He asked the youngest one. And she said, that she would marry him. They married, and her sisters were making fun of her.

      He took her with him home, where he grew into a splendid man. They lived together for a time. Soon she said she wanted to see her father. He agreed, but she could stay there until her child was born. He gave her a horse.

      She did as he asked her. She was not long at her father’s house when she fell ill. And her child was born. That night men were together at the fire to watch. Music came in the night, putting everyone else to sleep, and a man came in and took her child and went away. The music stopped, everyone woke up but they couldn’t find the child.

      The woman took her horse and came back home. Her husband said nothing to her.

      After some time she said again, “I want see my father.”

      He said that she couldn’t stay there for a long time. She took the horse and went to her father’s place.

      That very night a child was born. He came as he did before, with music; every one slept, and he took with him the child. When the music stopped they all woke up. Her father was very angry, because his daughter didn’t want to tell him anything. When she felt better, she took herself away home. When she arrived he said nothing. After some time she said again, “I want to see my father.”

      “Do,” said he, “but be careful.”

      She reached her father’s house, and that very night a child was born. The music came as was usual, and the man took the child away. Her father was very angry. He was going to kill her, if she would not tell what was happening to the children. She told everything to him. When she felt better, she wanted to go home, but she couldn’t find her horse. She went out on foot. At home she found only an old woman, his mother.

      “Be quick and you will find him,” said she.

      She started her journey. After some time she saw a house. When she went in, she saw a woman. “Come up,” said the housewife, “I know everything. But he is going to marry the daughter of the King of the Skies.”

      “He is!” said she.

      The housewife gave her something to eat, and let her sleep. In the morning she said, “You will be in the house of my middle sister tonight.” And she gave her the scissors.

      She was going, and going, till the night came on her. She saw a house. When she went in the house, the housewife was spinning at the end of the fire. “Come up,” said the housewife.

      She made meat for her, she set on water, she washed her feet, and she let her sleep. In the morning the housewife said “You will be in the house of my youngest sister tonight,” said she. And she gave her the needle.

      She was going, and going. She saw a house. When she went in, the housewife was spinning at the end of the fire.

      “Come up,” said she. She made meat for her, she set on water, she washed her feet, and she let her sleep. In the morning she gave her some thread. The thread would go into the needle by itself and as the shears would cut, and the needle sew.

      “You will be in the town tonight,” said the housewife.

      She reached the town in the evening. She went into the house of the king’s hen wife, she was warming herself at the fire. She asked the old woman to give her work. The woman said:

      “The king’s daughter is marrying the next day and no one is working.”

      She gave her shirts to make; she took the shears from her pocket, and she set it to work; she set the needle to work after it; as the shears would cut, the needle would sew, and the thread would go into the needle by itself.

      A royal serving-maid saw and told the king’s daughter.

      “Well,” said the king’s daughter, “ask her, what she will take for the shears.”

      In the morning she went over, and she said to her that the king’s daughter was asking what would she take for the shears. “Nothing I asked,” said she, “but to sleep in your bedroom.”

      “Go,” said the king’s daughter, “and say to her that she will get that.”

      She gave the shears to the king’s daughter. When they were going to sleep, the king’s daughter gave him a sleep drink. He did not wake for the whole night. The king’s daughter came in the morning to throw her out.

      Later the woman was working with the needle, and cutting with other shears. The king’s daughter sent her maid servant over, and she asked “what would she take for the needle?”

      She said she would sleep in her bedroom again. The maid servant told this to the king’s daughter.

      “She will get that,” said the king’s daughter. The maid servant told that she would get that, and she got the needle. When they were going to sleep, the king’s daughter gave him a sleep drink, and he did not wake that night. The eldest son he had was lying in a bed beside them. He heard how she said to him that she was the mother of his three children.

      Later his son told everything to his father. This day the king’s daughter sent the servant maid to ask what she would take for the clue of thread. And she said she would sleep in her bedroom.

      “She will get that,” said the king’s daughter.

      This night when the man got the sleep drink, he did not drink it at all. The woman said to him that he was the father of her three sons. In the morning, they went away to go home. They came home; the spells went off him, they planted together and I left them, and they left me.

      Princess Finola and the Dwarf

      E. Leamy

      A