"Well, wife," said her husband, "so you are pope?"

"Yes," she said. "I am."

He stood still for a time watching her, and at length he remarked: "You cannot be higher than the pope, so I suppose now you are content?"

"I am not quite sure," she said. But when evening came, and they retired to rest, she could not sleep for thinking of what she should next wish for. Her husband slept soundly, for he had tired himself the day before; but she rose even before the day broke, and stood at the window to watch the sun rise.

It was a beautiful sight, and she exclaimed as she watched it, "Oh, if I only had the power to make the sun rise! Husband, wake up," she added, pushing him in the ribs with her elbows; "wake up, and go and tell the enchanted prince that I wish to be equal to the Creator, and make the sun rise."

The husband was so frightened at this that he tumbled out of bed, and exclaimed: "Ah, wife, what didst thou say?"

She repeated the words.

"Don't

Her husband fell on his knees before her. ask me to do this; I cannot!" he cried, but she flew into a rage, and drove him from the house.

The poor fisherman went down to the shore in terror, for a dreadful storm had arisen, and he could scarcely stand on his feet. Ships were wrecked, boats tossed to and fro, and rocks rolled into the sea.

In his terror and confusion he heard a voice from amid the storm:

"Your wife wishes to be equal to the Creator. Go

home, man, and find her again in her dirty hovel by the sea!"

He went home, to find the glories, the riches, and the palaces vanished, and his wife sitting in the old hut, an example of the consequence of impious ambition.

THE ENCHANTED STAG

BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM.

HERE were once a brother and sister who loved each other dearly; their mother was dead, and their father had married again a woman who was most unkind and cruel to them. One day the boy took his sister's hand and said to her, "Dear little sister, since our mother died we have not had one happy hour. Our stepmother gives us dry, hard crusts for dinner and supper; she often knocks us about, and threatens to kick us out of the house. Even the little dogs under the table fare better than we do, for she often throws them nice pieces to eat. Heaven pity us! Oh, if our dear mother knew! Come, let us go out into the wide world!"

So they went out, and wandered over fields and meadows the whole day till evening. At last they found themselves in a large forest; it began to rain, and the little sister said, "See, brother, heaven and our hearts weep together." At last, tired out with hunger and sorrow and the long journey, they crept into a hollow tree, laid themselves down, and slept till morning.

When they awoke the sun was high in the heavens,

and shone brightly into the hollow tree, so they left their place of shelter and wandered away in search of

water.

"Oh, I am so thirsty!" said the boy. "If we could only find a brook or a stream." He stopped to listen, and said, "Stay, I think I hear a running stream." So he took his sister by the hand, and they ran together to find it.

Now, the stepmother of these poor children was a wicked witch. She had seen the children go away, and following them cautiously like a snake, had bewitched all the springs and streams in the forest. The pleasant trickling of a brook over the pebbles was heard by the children as they reached it, and the boy was just stooping to drink when the sister heard in the babbling of the brook:

"Whoever drinks of me,

A tiger soon will be."

Then she cried quickly, "Stay, brother, stay! do not drink or you will become a wild beast and tear me to pieces."

Thirsty as he was, the brother conquered his desire to drink at her words and said, "Dear sister, I will wait till we come to a spring." So they wandered further, but as they approached she heard in the bubbling spring the words:

"Who drinks of me,

A wolf will be."

"Brother, I pray you do not drink of this spring; you will be changed into a wolf and devour me."

Again the brother denied himself and promised to

wait; but he said, "At the next stream I must drink, say what you will, my thirst is so great."

Not far off ran a pretty streamlet, looking clear and bright; but here also in its murmuring waters the sister heard the words:

"Who dares to drink of me,

Turned to a stag will be."

"Dear brother, do not drink," she began; but she was too late, for her brother had already knelt by the stream to drink, and as the first drop of water touched his lips he became a fawn. How the lit

tle sister wept over her enchanted brother, and the

fawn wept

also!

He did not

run away,

but stayed

close to her;

and at last

she said, "Stand still, dear fawn; don't fear; I must take care of you, but I will never leave you." So she untied her little golden garter and fastened it round the neck of the fawn; then she gathered some soft green rushes and braided them into a soft string which she fastened to the fawn's golden collar and then led him away into the forest.

After wandering about for some time they at last found a little deserted hut, and the sister was overjoyed,