The Servant mounted the ladder to the gallows quite quietly, with the halter round his neck; but at the last rung he turned round and said to the Judge: 'Grant me one favour before I die.' 'Certainly,' said the Judge, 'as long as you don't ask for your life.' 'Not my life,' answered the Servant. 'I only ask to play my fiddle once more.' [Illustration: Dancing as hard as he could.] The Jew raised a tremendous cry. 'Don't allow it, your worship, for heaven's sake, don't allow it!' But the Judge said: 'Why should I deny him that short pleasure? His wish is granted, and there's an end of the matter!' He could not have refused even if he had wished, because of the Mannikin's gift to the Servant. The Jew screamed, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! Tie me tight, tie me tight!' The good Servant took his fiddle from his neck, and put it into position, and at the first chord everybody began to wag their heads, the Judge, his Clerk, and all the Officers of Justice, and the rope fell out of the hand of the man about to bind the Jew. At the second scrape, they all lifted their legs, and the Hangman let go his hold of the honest Servant, to make ready to dance. At the third scrape they one and all leapt into the air, and began to caper about, the Judge and the Jew at the head, and they all leapt their best. Soon, every one who had come to the market-place out of curiosity, old and young, fat and lean, were dancing as hard as they could; even the dogs got upon their hind legs, and pranced about with the rest. The longer he played, the higher they jumped, till they knocked their heads together, and made each other cry out. At last the Judge, quite out of breath, cried: 'I will give you your life, if only you will stop playing.' The honest Servant allowed himself to be prevailed upon, laid his fiddle aside, and came down the ladder. Then he went up to the Jew, who lay upon the ground gasping, and said to him: 'You rascal, confess where you got the money, or I will begin to play again.' 'I stole it! I stole it!' he screamed; 'but you have honestly earned it.' The Judge then ordered the Jew to the gallows to be hanged as a thief. Ashenputtel The wife of a rich man fell ill, and when she felt that she was nearing her end, she called her only daughter to her bedside, and said: 'Dear child, continue devout and good, then God will always help you, and I will look down upon you from heaven, and watch over you.' Thereupon she closed her eyes, and breathed her last. The maiden went to her mother's grave every day and wept, and she continued to be devout and good. When the winter came, the snow spread a white covering on the grave, and when the sun of spring had unveiled it again, the husband took another wife. The new wife brought home with her two daughters, who were fair and beautiful to look upon, but base and black at heart. Then began a sad time for the unfortunate step-child. 'Is this stupid goose to sit with us in the parlour?' they said.