THE FROG PRINCE

BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM.

N olden times, when people could have all they wished for at once, lived a king who had many beautiful daughters; but the youngest was so lovely that the sun himself would wonder whenever he shone on her face. Near to the king's castle lay a dark, gloomy forest, in the midst of which stood an old linden tree, shading with its foliage the pleasant waters of a fountain.

One day, when the weather was very hot, the king's daughter came into the forest, and seated herself on the side of the cool fountain, and when at last the silence became wearisome, she began to toss a golden ball in the air, and catch it again, as an amusement. Presently, however, the king's daughter failed to catch the golden ball in her hand, so that it fell on the ground, and rolled over the grass into the water.

The princess followed it with her eyes till it disappeared, for the water was so deep that she could not see the bottom.

Then she cried aloud, and began to weep bitterly for the loss of her golden ball. Presently she heard a voice exclaiming:

"Why do you weep, O king's daughter? Your tears could melt even the stones to pity you!"

She looked at the spot from whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching his thick ugly head out of the water.

"Oh, there you are, old water-paddler!" she said. "Well, then, I am crying for the loss of my golden ball that has fallen into the fountain."

"Then weep no more," answered the frog; "I can get it for you. But what will you give me if I fetch your plaything?"

"Oh, anything you like, dear frog!" she replied. "What will you have my dresses, my pearls and jewels, or the golden crown I wear sometimes?" "Neither," answered the frog. "Your clothes, your pearls, and your jewels, or even your golden crown, are nothing to me. I want you to love me, and let me be your companion and playfellow. I should like to sit at your table, eat from your golden plate and drink out of your cup, and sleep in your nice little bed. If you will promise me all this, then I will dive down into the water and bring up your pretty golden ball."

"Oh, yes!" she replied. "I will promise you anything you like if you will only bring up my ball again."

But she thought to herself that a silly, chattering frog as he was, living in the water with others like himself, and croaking, could not be fit to associate with mankind.

The frog, who believed in the promise of the king's daughter, dipped his head under the water, and sank down to the bottom, where he quickly found the ball, and seizing it in his mouth, carried it to the surface and threw it on the grass. When the king's daughter

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saw the beautiful plaything, she was full of joy, and, catching it up, ran away as fast as she could run.

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But the young

Wait, wait!" cried the frog, "take me with you; I cannot run so fast as you can!" princess would not listen to the frog's croaking; she got to the house as fast as she could, and soon forgot the poor frog, who was obliged to return to the fountain and remain there.

The next day, however, while the princess was sitting with the king and his courtiers, and eating out of her Own little golden plate, she heard a

strange noise on the marble steps outside,

splish, splash, splish,

splash, and presently came a knock at the door, and a voice cried: "Lovely princess, open the door for me." So she rose and went to see who could be outside; but when she caught sight of the frog, she closed the door hastily and seated herself again at the table, looking quite pale. The king, seeing that his daughter was alarmed, said to her: "My child, what is there at the door? Is it a giant come to carry you away?"