When the time came for them to set out, the aged mother went into the princess's bedchamber, took a knife, and having cut her finger till it bled, let three drops of the blood fall upon a handkerchief, and gave it to the princess, saying-- "Take care of it, dear child, for it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road." They all took a sorrowful leave of the princess, and she put the handkerchief into her bosom, got upon her horse, and set off on her journey to her bridegroom's kingdom. One day as they were riding along by a brook, the princess began to feel very thirsty, and said to her maid-- "Pray get down, and fetch me some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook, for I want to drink." "Nay," said the maid, "if you are thirsty, get off yourself and stoop down by the water and drink. I shall not be your waiting-maid any longer." The princess got down, and knelt over the brook and drank, for she was frightened, and dared not bring out her cup; and she wept, and said-- "Alas! what will become of me?" The three drops of blood answered her, and said-- "Alas, alas! if thy mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it." The princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing to her maid's ill-behaviour, but got upon her horse again. They all rode further on their journey, till the day grew so warm and the sun so scorching that the bride began to feel very thirsty again; and at last, when they came to a river, she forgot her maid's rude speech, and said-- "Pray get down, and fetch me some water to drink in my cup." But the maid answered her, and even spoke more haughtily than before-- "Drink if you will, but I shall not be your waiting-maid." Then the princess got off her horse, and lay down, and held her head over the running stream, and cried and said-- "What will become of me?" And the drops of blood answered her again as before. As the princess leaned down to drink, the handkerchief on which was the blood fell from her bosom and floated away on the water, but the princess was so frightened that she did not notice it. Her maid, however, saw it, and was very glad, for she knew the charm, and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power now that she had lost the drops of blood. So when the bride had done drinking, and would have got upon Falada again, the maid said-- "I will ride upon Falada, and you may have my horse instead;" so the princess was forced to give up her horse, and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and put on her maid's shabby ones. At last, as they drew near the end of their journey, this treacherous servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told any one what had happened; but Falada saw it all, and marked it well.