The Crimson Fairy Book
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The prince saw that it was no use, and turned and made his way out
of the forest. But he might as well have stayed there, for any good
he was to his father, so full was his heart of longing for Wildrose.
Twice he returned to the forest in the hopes of finding her, but this
time fortune failed him, and he went home as sad as ever.
At length the emperor, who could not think what had caused this
change, sent for his son and asked him what was the matter. Then
the prince confessed that the image of Wildrose filled his soul, and
that he would never be happy without her. At first the emperor felt
rather distressed. He doubted whether a girl from a tree top would
make a good empress; but he loved his son so much that he
promised to do all he could to find her. So the next morning
heralds were sent forth throughout the whole land to inquire if
anyone knew where a maiden could be found who lived in a forest
on the top of a tree, and to promise great riches and a place at court
to any person who should find her. But nobody knew. All the girls
in the kingdom had their homes on the ground, and laughed at the
notion of being brought up in a tree. 'A nice kind of empress she
would make,' they said, as the emperor had done, tossing their
heads with disdain; for, having read many books, they guessed what
she was wanted for.
The heralds were almost in despair, when an old woman stepped
out of the crowd and came and spoke to them. She was not only
very old, but she was very ugly, with a hump on her back and a bald
head, and when the heralds saw her they broke into rude laughter.
'I can show you the maiden who lives in the tree-top,' she said, but
they only laughed the more loudly.
'Get away, old witch!' they cried, 'you will bring us bad luck'; but
the old woman stood firm, and declared that she alone knew where
to find the maiden.
'Go with her,' said the eldest of the heralds at last. 'The emperor's
orders are clear, that whoever knew anything of the maiden was to
come at once to court. Put her in the coach and take her with us.'
So in this fashion the old woman was brought to court.
'You have declared that you can bring hither the maiden from the
wood?' said the emperor, who was seated on his throne.
'Yes, your Majesty, and I will keep my word,' said she.
'Then bring her at once,' said the emperor.
'Give me first a kettle and a tripod,' asked the old w omen, and the
emperor ordered them to be brought instantly. The old woman
picked them up, and tucking them under her arm went on her way,
keeping at a little distance behind the royal huntsmen, who in their
turn followed the prince.
Oh, what a noise that old woman made as she walked along! She
chattered to herself so fast and clattered her kettle so loudly that
you would have thought that a whole campful of gipsies must be
coming round the next corner. But when they reached the forest,
she bade them all wait outside, and entered the dark wood by
herself.
She stopped underneath the tree where the maiden dwelt and,
gathering some dry sticks, kindled a fire. Next, she placed the
tripod over it, and the kettle on top. But something was the matter
with the kettle. As fast as the old woman put it where it was to
stand, that kettle was sure to roll off, falling to the ground with a
crash.
It really seemed bewitched, and no one knows what might have
happened if Wildrose, who had been all the time peeping out of her
nest, had not lost patience at the old woman's stupidity, and cried
out: 'The tripod won't stand on that hill, you must move it!'
'But where am I to move it to, my child?' asked the old woman,
looking up to the nest, and at the same moment trying to steady the
kettle with one hand and the tripod with the other.
'Didn't I tell you that it was no good doing that,' said Wildrose,
more impatiently than before. 'Make a fire near a tree and hang the
kettle from one of the branches.'
The old woman took the kettle and hung it on a little twig, which
broke at once, and the kettle fell to the ground.
'If you would only show me how to do it, perhaps I should
understand,' said she.
Quick as thought, the maiden slid down the smooth trunk of the
tree, and stood beside the stupid old woman, to teach her how
things ought to be done. But in an instant the old woman had
caught up the girl and swung her over her shoulders, and was
running as fast as she could go to the edge of the forest, where she
had left the prince. When he saw them coming he rushed eagerly to
meet them, and he took the maiden in his arms and kissed her
tenderly before them all. Then a golden dress was put on her, and
pearls were twined in her hair, and she took her seat in the
emperor's carriage which was drawn by six of the whitest horses in
the world, and they carried her, without stopping to draw breath, to
the gates of the palace. And in three days the wedding was
celebrated, and the wedding feast was held, and everyone who saw
the bride declared that if anybody wanted a perfect wife they must
go to seek her on top of a tree.
[ Adapted from file Roumanian.]
Tiidu The Piper
Once upon a time there lived a poor man who had more children
than bread to feed them with. However, they were strong and
willing, and soon learned to make themselves of use to their father
and mother, and when they were old enough they went out to
service, and everyone was very glad to get them for servants, for
they worked hard and were always cheerful. Out of all the ten or
eleven, there was only one who gave his parents any trouble, and
this was a big lazy boy whose name was Tiidu. Neither scoldings
nor beatings nor kind words had any effect on him, and the older he
grew the idler he got. He spent his winters crouching close to a
warm stove, and his summers asleep under a shady tree; and if he
was not doing either of these things he was playing tunes on his
flute.
One day he was sitting under a bush playing so sweetly that you
might easily have mistaken the notes for those of a bird, when an
old man passed by. 'What trade do you wish to follow, my son?' he
asked in a friendly voice, stopping as he did so in front of the youth.
'If I were only a rich man, and had no need to work,' replied the
boy, 'I should not follow any. I could not bear to be anybody's
servant, as all my brothers and sisters are.'
The old man laughed as he heard this answer, and said: 'But I do
not exactly see where your riches are to come from if you do not
work for them. Sleeping cats catch no mice. He who wishes to
become rich must use either his hands or his head, and be ready to
toil night and day, or else--'
But here the youth broke in rudely:
'Be silent, old man! I have been told all that a hundred times over;
and it runs off me like water off a duck's back. No one will ever
make a worker out of me.'
'You have one gift,' replied the old man, taking no notice of this
speech, 'and if you would only go about and play the pipes, you
would easily earn, not only your daily bread, but a little money into
the bargain. Listen to me; get yourself a set of pipes, and learn to
play on them as well as you do on your flute, and wherever there
are men to hear you, I promise you will never lack money.'
'But where am I to get the pipes from?' asked the youth.
'Blow on your flute for a few days,' replied the old man, 'and you
will soon be able to buy your pipes. By-and-by I will come back
again and see if you have taken my advice, and whether you are
likely to grow rich.' And so saying he went his way.
Tiidu stayed where he was a little longer, thinking of all the old man
had told him, and the more he thought the surer he felt that the old
man was right. He determined to try whether his plan would really
bring luck; but as he did not like being laughed at he resolved not to
tell anyone a word about it. So next morning he left home--and
never came back! His parents did not take his loss much to heart,
but were rather glad that their useless son had for once shown a
little spirit, and they hoped that time and hardship might cure Tiidu
of his idle folly.
For some weeks Tiidu wandered from one village to another, and
proved for himself the truth of the old man's promise. The people
he met were all friendly and kind, and enjoyed his flute-playing,
giving him his food in return, and even a few pence. These pence
the youth hoarded carefully till he had collected enough to buy a
beautiful pair of pipes. Then he felt himself indeed on the high road
to riches. Nowhere could pipes be found as fine as his, or played in
so masterly a manner. Tiidu's pipes set everybody's legs dancing.
Wherever there was a marriage, a christening, or a feast of any
kind, Tiidu must be there, or the evening would be a failure. In a
few years he had become so noted a piper that people would travel
far and wide to hear him.
One day he was invited to a christening where many rich men from
the neighbouring town were present, and all agreed that never in all
their lives had they heard such playing as his. They crowded round
him, and praised him, and pressed him to come to their homes,
declaring that it was a shame not to give their friends the chance of
hearing such music. Of course all this delighted Tiidu, who
accepted gladly, and left their houses laden with money and
presents of every kind; one great lord clothed him in a magnificent
dress, a second hung a chain of pearls round his neck, while a third
handed him a set of new pipes encrusted in silver. As for the ladies,
the girls twisted silken scarves round his plumed hat, and their
mothers knitted him gloves of all colours, to keep out the cold.
Any other man in Tiidu's place would have been contented and
happy in this life; but his craving for riches gave him no rest, and
only goaded him day by day to fresh exertions, so that even his own
mother would not have known him for the lazy boy who was always lying
asleep in one place or the other.
Now Tiidu saw quite clearly that he could only hope to become rich
by means of his pipes, and set about thinking if there was nothing
he could do to make the money flow in faster. At length he
remembered having heard some stories of a kingdom in the Kungla
country, where musicians of all sorts were welcomed and highly
paid; but where it was, or how it was reached, he could not
recollect, however hard he thought. In despair, he wandered along
the coast, hoping to see some ship or sailing boat that would take
him where he wished to go, and at length he reached the town of
Narva, where several merchantmen were lying at anchor. To his
great joy, he found that one of them was sailing for Kungla in a few
days, and he hastily went on board, and asked for the captain. But
the cost of the passage was more than the prudent Tiidu cared to
pay, and though he played his best on his pipes, the captain refused
to lower his price, and Tiidu was just thinking of returning on shore
when his usual luck flew to his aid. A young sailor, who had heard
him play, came secretly to him, and offered to hide him on board, in
the absence of the captain. So the next night, as soon as it was
dark, Tiidu stepped softly on deck, and was hidden by his friend
down in the hold in a corner between two casks. Unseen by the
rest of the crew the sailor managed to bring him food and drink,
and when they were well out of sight of land he proceeded to carry
out a plan he had invented to deliver Tiidu from his cramped
quarters. At midnight, while he was keeping watch and everyone
else was sleeping, the man bade his friend Tiidu follow him on
deck, where he tied a rope round Tiidu's body, fastening the other
end carefully to one of the ship's ropes. 'Now,' he said, 'I will
throw you into the sea, and you must shout for help; and when you
see the sailors coming untie the rope from your waist, and tell them
that you have swum after the ship all the way from shore.'
At first Tiidu did not much like this scheme, for the sea ran high,
but he was a good swimmer, and the sailor assured him that there
was no danger. As soon as he was in the water, his friend hastened
to rouse his mates, declaring that he was sure that there was a man
in the sea, following the ship. They all came on deck, and what was
their surprise when they recognised the person who had bargained
about a passage the previous day with the captain.
'Are you a ghost, or a dying man?' they asked him trembling, as
they stooped over the side of the ship.
'I shall soon indeed be a dead man if you do not help me,' answered
Tiidu, 'for my strength is going fast.'
Then the captain seized a rope and flung it out to him, and Tiidu
held it between his teeth, while, unseen by the sailors; he loosed the
one tied round his waist.
'Where have you come from?' said the captain, when Tiidu was
brought up on board the ship.
'I have followed you from the harbour,' answered he, 'and have been
often in sore dread lest my strength should fail me. I hoped that by
swimming after the ship I might at last reach Kungla, as I had no
money to pay my passage.' The captain's heart melted at these
words, and he said kindly: 'You may be thankful that you were not
drowned. I will land you at Kungla free of payment, as you are so
anxious to get there. So he gave him dry clothes to wear, and a
berth to sleep in, and Tiidu and his friend secretly made merry over
their cunning trick.
For the rest of the voyage the ship's crew treated Tiidu as
something higher than themselves, seeing that in all their lives they
had never met with any man that could swim for as many hours as
he had done. This pleased Tiidu very much, though he knew that
he had really done nothing to deserve it, and in return he delighted
them by tunes on his pipes. When, after some days, they cast
anchor at Kungla, the story of his wonderful swim brought him
many friends, for everybody wished to hear him tell the tale himself.
This might have been all very well, had not Tiidu lived in dread that
some day he would be asked to give proof of his marvellous
swimming powers, and then everything would be found out.
Meanwhile he was dazzled with the splendour around him, and
more than ever he longed for part of the riches, about which the
owners seemed to care so little.
He wandered through the streets for many days, seeking some one
who wanted a servant; but though more than one person would
have been glad to engage him, they seemed to Tiidu not the sort of
people to help him to get rich quickly. At last, when he had almost
made up his mind that he must accept the next place offered him, he
happened to knock at the door of a rich merchant who was in need
of a scullion, and gladly agreed to do the cook's bidding, and it was
in this merchant's house that he first learned how great were the
riches of the land of Kungla. All the vessels which in other
countries are made of iron, copper, brass, or tin, in Kungla were
made of silver, or even of gold. The food was cooked in silver
saucepans, the bread baked in a silver oven, while the dishes and
their covers were all of gold. Even the very pigs' troughs were of
silver too. But the sight of these things only made Tiidu more
covetous than before. 'What is the use of all this wealth that I have
constantly before my eyes,' thought he, 'if none of it is mine? I shall
never grow rich by what I earn as a scullion, even though I am paid
as much in a month as I should get elsewhere in a year.'
By this time he had been in his place for two years, and had put by
quite a large sum of money. His passion of saving had increased to
such a pitch that it was only by his master's orders that he ever
bought any new clothes, 'For,' said the merchant, 'I will not have
dirty people in my house.' So with a heavy heart Tiidu spent some
of his next month's wages on a cheap coat.
One day the merchant held a great feast in honour of the christening
of his youngest child, and he gave each of his servants a handsome
garment for the occasion. The following Sunday, Tiidu, who liked
fine clothes when he did not have to pay for them, put on his new
coat, and went for a walk to some beautiful pleasure gardens, which
were always full of people on a sunny day. He sat down under a
shady tree, and watched the passers-by, but after a little he began to
feel rather lonely, for he knew nobody and nobody knew him.
Suddenly his eyes fell on the figure of an old man, which seemed
familiar to him, though he could not tell when or where he had seen
it. He watched the figure for some time, till at length the old man
left the crowded paths, and threw himself on the soft grass under a
lime tree, which stood at some distance from where Tiidu was
sitting. Then the young man walked slowly past, in order that he
might look at him more closely, and as he did so the old man
smiled, and held out his hand.
'What have you done with your pipes?' asked he; and then in a
moment Tiidu knew him. Taking his arm he drew him into a quiet
place and told him all that had happened since they had last met.
The old man shook his head as he listened, and when Tiidu had
finished his tale, he said: 'A fool you are, and a fool you will always
be! Was there ever such a piece of folly as to exchange your pipes
for a scullion's ladle? You could have made as much by the pipes in
a day as your wages would have come to in half a year. Go home
and fetch your pipes, and play them here, and you will soon see if I
have spoken the truth.'
Tiidu did not like this advice--he was afraid that the people would
laugh at him; and, besides, it was long since he had touched his
pipes--but the old man persisted, and at last Tiidu did as he was
told.
'Sit down on the bank by me,' said the old man, when he came back,
'and begin to play, and in a little while the people will flock round
you.' Tiidu obeyed, at first without much heart; but somehow the
tone of the pipes was sweeter than he had remembered, and as he
played, the crowd ceased to walk and chatter, and stood still and
silent round him. When he had played for some time he took off his
hat and passed it round, and dollars, and small silver coins, and
even gold pieces, came tumbling in. Tiidu played a couple more
tunes by way of thanks, then turned to go home, hearing on all
sides murmurs of 'What a wonderful piper! Come back, we pray
you, next Sunday to give us another treat.'
'What did I tell you?' said the old man, as they passed through the
garden gate. 'Was it not pleasanter to play for a couple of hours on
the pipes than to be stirring sauces all day long? For the second
time I have shown you the path to follow; try to learn wisdom, and
take the bull by the horns, lest your luck should slip from you! I
can be your guide no longer, therefore listen to what I say, and
obey me. Go every Sunday afternoon to those gardens; and sit
under the lime tree and play to the people, and bring a felt hat with
a deep crown, and lay it on the ground at your feet, so that
everyone can throw some money into it. If you are invited to play
at a feast, accept willingly, but beware of asking a fixed price; say
you will take whatever they may feel inclined to give. You will get
far more money in the end. Perhaps, some day, our paths may
cross, and then I shall see how far you have followed my advice.
Till then, farewell'; and the old man went his way.
As before, his words came true, though Tiidu could not at once do
his bidding, as he had first to fulfil his appointed time of service.
Meanwhile he ordered some fine clothes, in which he played every
Sunday in the gardens, and when he counted his gains in the
evening they were always more than on the Sunday before. At
length he was free to do as he liked, and he had more invitations to
play than he could manage to accept, and at night, when the citizens
used to go and drink in the inn, the landlord always begged Tiidu to
come and play to them. Thus he grew so rich that very soon he had
his silver pipes covered with gold, so that they glistened in the light
of the sun or the fire. In all Kungla there was no prouder man than
Tiidu.
In a few years he had saved such a large sum of money that he was
considered a rich man even in Kungla, where everybody was rich.
And then he had leisure to remember that he had once had a home,
and a family, and that he should like to see them both again, and
show them how well he could play. This time he would not need to
hide in the ship's hold, but could hire the best cabin if he wished to,
or even have a vessel all to himself. So he packed all his treasures
in large chests, and sent them on board the first ship that was sailing
to his native land, and followed them with a light heart. The wind
at starting was fair, but it soon freshened, and in the night rose to a
gale. For two days they ran before it, and hoped that by keeping
well out to sea they might be able to weather the storm, when,
suddenly, the ship struck on a rock, and began to fill. Orders were
given to lower the boats, and Tiidu with three sailors got into one
of them, but before they could push away from the ship a huge
wave overturned it, and all four were flung into the water. Luckily
for Tiidu an oar was floating near him, and with its help he was able
to keep on the surface of the water; and when the sun rose, and the
mist cleared away, he saw that he was not far from shore. By hard
swimming, for the sea still ran high, he managed to reach it, and
pulled himself out of the water, more dead than alive. Then he
flung himself down on the ground and fell fast asleep.
When he awoke he got up to explore the island, and see if there
were any men upon it; but though he found streams and fruit trees
in abundance, there was no trace either of man or beast. Then,
tired with his wanderings he sat down and began to think.
For perhaps the first time in his life his thoughts did not instantly
turn to money. It was not on his lost treasures that his mind dwelt,
but on his conduct to his parents: his laziness and disobedience as a
boy; his forgetfulness of them as a man. 'If wild animals were to
come and tear me to pieces,' he said to himself bitterly, 'it would be
only what I deserve! My gains are all at the bottom of the sea--well!
lightly won, lightly lost--but it is odd that I feel I should not
care for that if only my pipes were left me.' Then he rose and
walked a little further, till he saw a tree with great red apples
shining amidst the leaves, and he pulled some down, and ate them
greedily. After that he stretched himself out on the soft moss and
went to sleep.
In the morning he ran to the nearest stream to wash himself, but to
his horror, when he caught sight of his face, he saw his nose had
grown the colour of an apple, and reached nearly to his waist. He
started back thinking he was dreaming, and put up his hand; but,
alas! the dreadful thing was true. 'Oh, why does not some wild
beast devour me?' he cried to himself; 'never, never, can I go again
amongst my fellow-men! If only the sea had swallowed me up,
how much happier it had been for me!' And he hid his head in his
hands and wept. His grief was so violent, that it exhausted him,
and growing hungry he looked about for something to eat. Just
above him was a bough of ripe, brown nuts, end he picked them
and ate a handful. To his surprise, as he was eating them, he felt his
nose grow shorter and shorter, and after a while he ventured to feel
it with his hand, and even to look in the stream again! Yes, there
was no mistake, it was as short as before, or perhaps a little shorter.
In his joy at this discovery Tiidu did a very bold thing. He took one
of the apples out of his pocket, and cautiously bit a piece out of it.
In an instant his nose was as long as his chin, and in a deadly fear
lest it should stretch further, he hastily swallowed a nut, and
awaited the result with terror. Supposing that the shrinking of his
nose had only been an accident before! Supposing that that nut and
no other was able to cause its shrinking! In that case he had, by his
own folly, in not letting well alone, ruined his life completely. But,
no! he had guessed rightly, for in no more time than his nose had
taken to grow long did it take to return to its proper size. 'This
may make my fortune,' he said joyfully to himself; and he gathered
some of the apples, which he put into one pocket, and a good
supply of nuts which he put into the other. Next day he wove a
basket out of some rushes, so that if he ever left the island he might
be able to carry his treasures about.
That night he dreamed that his friend the old man appeared to him
and said: 'Because you did not mourn for your lost treasure, but
only for your pipes, I will give you a new set to replace them.' And,
behold! in the morning when he got up a set of pipes was lying in
the basket. With what joy did he seize them and begin one of his
favourite tunes; and as he played hope sprang up in his heart, and
he looked out to sea, to try to detect the sign of a sail. Yes! there
it was, making straight for the island; and Tiidu, holding his pipes in
his hand, dashed down to the shore.
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