"Yes, and so did we fight to get out of danger," said the Master-Maid. Then the Prince knew her again. The Witch who had thrown him the apple disappeared, and now for the first time they began really to keep the wedding. CAP O' RUSHES[J] Well, there was once a very rich gentleman who had three daughters, and he thought he'd see how fond they were of him. So he says to the first: "How much do you love me, my dear?" "Why," says she, "as I love my life." "That's good," says he. So he says to the second: "How much do you love me, my dear?" "Why," says she, "better nor all the world." "That's good," says he. So he says to the third: "How much do you love me, my dear?" "Why, I love you as fresh meat loves salt," says she. Well, but he was angry! "You don't love me at all," says he, "and in my house you stay no more." So he drove her out, there and then, and shut the door in her face. Well, she went away, on and on, till she came to a fen, and there she gathered a lot of rushes and made them into a kind of a sort of a cloak, with a hood, to cover her from head to foot, and to hide her fine clothes. And then she went on and on till she came to a great house. "Do you want a maid?" says she. "No, we don't," said they. "I haven't nowhere to go," says she; "and I ask no wages, and will do any sort of work," says she. "Well," said they, "if you like to wash the pots and scrape the saucepans you may stay," said they. So she stayed there, and washed the pots, and scraped the saucepans, and did all the dirty work. And because she gave no name they called her "Cap o' Rushes." Well, one day there was to be a great dance a little way off, and the servants were allowed to go and look on at the grand people. Cap o' Rushes said she was too tired to go, so she stayed at home. But when they were gone, she offed with her cap o' rushes, and cleaned herself, and went to the dance. And no one there was so finely dressed as she! Well, who should be there but her master's son, and what should he do but fall in love with her the minute he set eyes on her. He wouldn't dance with anyone else. But before the dance was done, Cap o' Rushes slipped off and away she went home. And when the other maids came back she was pretending to be asleep with her cap o' rushes on. Well, next morning they said to her: "You did miss a sight, Cap o' Rushes!" "What was that?" says she. "Why, the beautifullest lady you ever saw, dressed right gay and ga'. The young master--he never took his eyes off her." "Well, I should like to have seen her," says Cap o' Rushes. "Well, there's to be another dance this evening, and perhaps she'll be there." But, come the evening, Cap o' Rushes said she was too tired to go with them. Howsoever, when they were gone, she offed with her cap o' rushes, cleaned herself, and away she went to the dance.