So the councillor was sent for, and when he came the king saw at once that he had been brought against his will. “And now may I marry the princess?” said Boots. But the king was not willing for him to marry the princess yet; no! no! Boots must not go so fast. There was more to be done yet. If he would come to-morrow morning he might have the princess and welcome, but he would have to pick her out from among fourscore other maids just like her; did he think that he could do that? Oh, yes! Boots thought that that might be easy enough to do. So, good! then come to-morrow; but he must understand that if he failed he should have a good whipping, and be sent packing from the town. So off went Boots, and the king thought that he was rid of him now, for he had never seen the princess, and how could he pick her out from among eighty others? But Boots was not going to give up so easily as all that! No, not he! He made a little box, and then he hunted up and down until he had caught a live mouse to put into it. When the next morning came he started away to the king’s house, taking his mouse along with him in the box. There was the king, standing in the doorway, looking out into the street. When he saw Boots coming towards him he made a wry face. “What!” said he, “are you back again?” Oh, yes! Boots was back again. And now if the princess was ready he would like to go and find her, for lost time was not to be gathered again like fallen apples. So off they marched to a great room, and there stood eighty-and-one maidens, all as much alike as peas in the same dish. Boots looked here and there, but, even if he had known the princess, he could not have told her from the others. But he was ready for all that. Before any one knew what he was about, he opened the box, and out ran the little mouse among them all. Then what a screaming, and a hubbub there was! Many looked as though they would have liked to swoon, but only one of them did so. As soon as the others saw what had happened, they forgot all about the mouse, and ran to her and fell to fanning her and slapping her hands and chafing her temples. “This is the princess,” said Boots. And so it was. After that the king could think of nothing more to set Boots to do, so he let him marry the princess as he had promised, and have half of the kingdom to boot. That is all of this story. Only this: It is not always the silliest one that sits kicking his feet in the ashes at home. [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] Twelve O’clock· The _Dial_ marks the hour of _Noon_; [Sidenote: ☉ enters] The _Men_ will come to _Dinner_ soon, And _Gretchen_ takes the _Beer-Mugs_ down Into the _Cellar_, cool and brown. The _Bread_ is cut, the _Soup_ is hot, [Sidenote: _Dry and Hot._] The _Cabbage_ simmers in the _Pot_; The _Mistress_ scolds a clumsy _Maid_, And _Towzer_ dozes in the _Shade_. K.P.