you will get into our favor; if not, do not blame us, but you shall be executed." "O, you cruel King Koshchey!" thought Ivan. "This is an impossible thing for me to do." Greatly grieved he went to his room and thought his sad thoughts. In the evening a bright bee came flying to his window, flapped against the pane, and he heard a voice saying "Let me in!" He opened the window, the bee flew inside and turned into Princess Mary. "Hello, Prince Ivan! Why are you so sad?" "I have good reasons to be so." "What have you decided to do?" "Nothing. Let him do it. Go where you can and die where you must." "No, my dear Prince Ivan. We must not lose our courage. There are still greater calamities in the world than yours. Go to sleep, and get up very early. The palace will be built for you. You will only have to go around it and knock with your hammer at the walls as if finishing your work." And so it was. Very early in the morning Ivan came out of his chamber, and behold! The palace was all built for him. King Koshchey was surprised. He did not believe his own eyes. "O, you are a very skillful fellow indeed. Now let us see whether you are just as clever. I have thirty daughters, beautiful princesses. Tomorrow I will place all of them in a row; you will pass three times before them and tell me which is the youngest of them. If you don't guess, you shall die. Now go." "Is that hard to guess?" thought the prince. "I certainly will recognize Princess Mary." "What am I to do then?" "I will tell you what: I will be the one who has a small black fly on the right cheek. But beware! Look very carefully; it is easy to make a mistake." And the bee disappeared. The next day the prince was again called to King Koshchey. All the princesses were there, and all dressed alike stood in a row with downcast eyes. "Well," said the king, "pass three times before these beauties and tell us which of them is Princess Mary." Ivan looked at them and thought, "What a resemblance." He passed the first time and saw no fly; passed the second time--still no fly; passed the third time and saw a tiny fly stealing its way across the fresh burning cheek of one of the princesses. The prince blushed and his heart was beating with joy. "Here she is, Princess Mary," said he, giving his hand to the beauty with the fly upon her cheek. "Ah, ah! I see there must be something wrong about it," grumbled King Koshchey, looking angrily at the prince with his big green eyes. "It is true you did recognize Princess Mary, but how did you guess it? Wait now, I will soon find out the truth. In three hours come back to us. You will be welcomed as our guest, but you will have to prove to us your wisdom by deeds. I will light a straw, and you will have to make here upon the spot while the straw is burning, a pair of 

 Prev. P 31/69 next