There was once a man who was such a boaster that scarcely a word he
said was true. One day he was talking with some companions and he said,
“I have no need to work or worry over anything. I could be richer than
the King himself if I chose, for I have a daughter who can spin straw
into gold.”
A nobleman who was passing by overheard this, and he went to the King
and repeated to him what the man had said.
Now the King of that country was very fond of gold; he never could
have enough of it. He at once sent to the boaster’s house and had him
and his daughter brought to the palace. They were brought to where the
King sat, and the King said, “I hear that you have boasted that your
daughter can spin straw into gold. Is that true?”
The man was very much frightened when he heard this, but he was afraid
to deny what he had already said.
“Yes, your majesty, that is what I said,” he answered.
“Very well,” said the King. “We shall soon know whether you have spoken
the truth or not. I have had a large room made ready for your daughter.
It is filled with straw. I will have her taken to it, and if she spins
it into gold you shall be well rewarded, but if she fails you shall
both be punished severely.”
Both the father and daughter were terrified at these words. They did
not know what would become of them. The boaster was allowed to go home,
but the girl was taken to a large room filled with straw, and was left
there. She sat and cried and cried.
Presently the door opened and a crooked little brown dwarf came into
the room.
“Tut, tut, what a noise,” said he. “Why are you crying so bitterly.”
“I am crying because the King has put me here to spin this straw into
gold, and I do not know how to set about it.”
“That should not be such a hard matter. What will you give me if I do
it for you?”
“This necklace around my neck,” said the girl.
“Very well, give it to me.” The dwarf took the necklace and sat down to
the spinning wheel, and it did not take him long to spin all the straw
into gold—heaps and heaps of it. Then he hopped away, and no one saw
him come or go but the girl.
Early the next morning the King came to see how the girl was getting
on. When he saw the room full of glittering gold instead of straw he
was filled with joy and wonder. But for all that he was not satisfied.
He led the girl into a still larger room, and it, too, was full of
straw.
“You have done very well,” said he, “but I expect you to do still
better. Spin this straw into gold for me and the reward shall not be
lacking.” Then he went away, leaving the girl alone.
She sat and cried and cried.
Presently the door opened, and the same little dwarf came hopping into
the room.
“What will you give me,” said he, “if I spin this straw into gold for
you?”
“I will give you the gold ring from my finger,” answered the girl.
The dwarf sat down at the spinning wheel, and soon all the straw was
spun into gold. Then the dwarf took the ring from the girl’s finger and
went away.
The next day, when the King came and saw all the gold he was even more
delighted than before. He was now as rich as any emperor, but even yet
he was not content. He took the girl into a still larger room, and it,
like the others, was full of straw.
“If you will spin this, too, into gold, then you shall be my bride,”
said he.
The King had scarcely left her before the dwarf came hopping into the
room. “Well,” said he, “what will you give me this time if I spin the
straw into gold for you?”
“Alas, alas!” cried the girl, “I have nothing more to give.”
“Promise me that if the King marries you, you will give me your first
child, and I will help you,” said the dwarf.
At first the girl did not want to promise this, but then she thought
that after all it was very unlikely the King would marry her, and even
if he did she might never have a child. “Very well,” said she, “I
promise.”
The dwarf laughed aloud and snapped his fingers with joy. Then he
sat down at the spinning wheel and spun till the wheel whirred. You
could scarcely see it, it flew so fast. Soon all the straw was spun.
“There,” said he, “now you will not need me again. But do not forget
your promise, for at the right time I shall certainly come to claim the
child.” Then he hopped away, laughing as he went.
Not long afterward the King came into the room. He could wait no longer
to see whether the girl had finished her task. When he saw the heaps of
gold, more than ever before, he hardly knew what to do with himself, he
was so happy.
“Now I am satisfied,” said he. “You shall be my wife, as I promised,
and your father shall be brought to court and become a great nobleman.”
As the King said, so it was done. He and the girl were married, and her
father was sent for to come and live at the court.
And now the girl was very happy. She loved the King, and she had
forgotten all about the promise she had made to the dwarf.
At the end of a year a fine little child was born to the Queen. The
whole kingdom was filled with rejoicings. As to the King he was almost
beside himself with joy.
One day, as the Queen was sitting by the baby’s cradle, the door
opened, and the crooked little dwarf hopped into the room. When the
Queen saw him she turned as white as paper.
“Well,” said the dwarf, “and are you ready to keep the promise you made
when I spun the straw into gold for you?”
Then the Queen began to beg and entreat that the dwarf would leave the
baby with her, and not take it away. She offered him gold and jewels,
and even the golden crown from her head, if he would only leave her the
child. But no—no—the dwarf had gold and jewels, more than he cared for.
It was the young Prince he wanted.
At last he said, “Listen, I will give you one chance. If within three
days you can guess what my name is you shall keep the child, but if you
fail in this then you must give him to me, and no more words about it.”
To this the Queen agreed willingly, for she had no fear but what she
could guess the dwarf’s name.
As soon as he had gone she sent out to all the neighbors round to learn
what were the names of all the men they knew, and when the dwarf came
the next day she was ready for him.
“Was his name John?” “No, it was not.” “Was it Henry?” “No.” “Was it
James or Conrad or Phillip or Habbakuk?” “No, no, no; it was none of
them.” The Queen went over all the names she had learned, but not one
of them was the right one, and the dwarf went away rejoicing.
The next day he came again and the Queen had a fresh list of names
ready, for she had sent out messengers far and wide, and they had
brought back every name they could hear of. But the dwarf said no to
all of them. Not one of them was right. Then the Queen’s heart sank
within her, but she plucked up courage, and as soon as the dwarf had
gone, sent out other messengers, but these brought back not a single
name but those she knew already. The Queen was in despair. She sat at
the window and waited for the dwarf to come, and she held the baby in
her arms.
Then she heard the King’s forester talking to his sweetheart in the
courtyard below. He had heard nothing of how the Queen had sent far
and wide to gather names, for he had been off in the forest for three
days. The forester told his sweetheart how he had lost his way in the
forest the night before. Then he had come to a hollow, and it was full
of rocks, and a red fire was burning among them. Around this fire a
crooked little dwarf was dancing and as he danced he sang:
“To-day I brew, to-night I bake,
To-morrow I the young prince take,
For none could guess, unless they were told
That Brittle-Legs is the name I hold.”
When the Queen heard that, she laughed aloud. Then she arose and put
the baby down, and sent word to the forester that he should tell no one
else of what he had seen in the forest.
Not long afterward the dwarf came as usual.
“Well, and have you guessed my name?” he asked; “for if you have not I
must have the child.”
The Queen pretended to be in great trouble. “Is it—is it Short-Shanks?”
she asked.
“No,” cried the dwarf and his eyes shone like sparks.
“Is it Long-Arms?”
“No,” shouted the dwarf, and he hopped up and down with joy.
“Is it—is it by any chance Brittle-Legs?”
When the Queen said that the dwarf gave a scream of rage. His face grew
first as black as thunder, and then as red as fire.
“Someone has told you! Someone has told you!” he shrieked and he
stamped so hard that his foot sank down into the floor and he could not
pull it out, so he shook it off and hopped away, leaving one leg behind
him, and what became of him after that nobody ever knew. But the Queen
lived happy and untroubled forever after.
“I WENT UP ONE PAIR OF STAIRS,” ETC.
Now I will tell you a joke; whatever I say to you, you must answer
“Just like me.” Now we will begin.