The King’s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog
which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her
pretty, clean little bed. But the King grew angry and said, “He who
helped thee when thou wert in trouble ought not afterwards to be
despised by thee.” So she took hold of the frog with two fingers,
carried him upstairs, and put him in a corner. But when she was in bed
he crept to her and said, “I am tired, I want to sleep as well as thou,
lift me up or I will tell thy father.” Then she was terribly angry, and
took him up and threw him with all her might against the wall. “Now,
thou wilt be quiet, odious frog,” said she. But when he fell down he
was no frog but a King’s son with beautiful kind eyes. He by her
father’s will was now her dear companion and husband. Then he told her
how he had been bewitched by a wicked witch, and how no one could have
delivered him from the well but herself, and that to-morrow they would
go together into his kingdom. Then they went to sleep, and next morning
when the sun awoke them, a carriage came driving up with eight white
horses, which had white ostrich feathers on their heads, and were
harnessed with golden chains, and behind stood the young King’s servant
Faithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was
changed into a frog, that he had caused three iron bands to be laid
round his heart, lest it should burst with grief and sadness. The
carriage was to conduct the young King into his Kingdom. Faithful Henry
helped them both in, and placed himself behind again, and was full of
joy because of this deliverance. And when they had driven a part of the
way the King’s son heard a cracking behind him as if something had
broken. So he turned round and cried, “Henry, the carriage is
breaking.”
“No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which
was put there in my great pain when you were a frog and imprisoned in
the well.” Again and once again while they were on their way something
cracked, and each time the King’s son thought the carriage was
breaking; but it was only the bands which were springing from the heart
of faithful Henry because his master was set free and was happy.
2 Cat and Mouse in Partnership
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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