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When the day came for the wedding to be celebrated, the bridegroom
appeared, and the miller had invited all his relations and
friends. As they sat at table, each was bidden to relate
something. The bride sat still, and said nothing. Then said the
bridegroom to the bride, come, my darling, do you know nothing.
Relate something to us like the rest. She replied, then I will
relate a dream. I was walking alone through a wood, and at last
I came to a house, in which no living soul was, but on the wall
there was a bird in a cage which cried,
turn back, turn back, young maiden dear,
'tis a murderer's house you enter here.
And this it cried once more. My darling, I only dreamt this.
Then I went through all the rooms, and they were all empty, and
there was something so horrible about them. At last I went down
into the cellar, and there sat a very very old woman, whose head
shook. I asked her, does my bridegroom live in this house. She
answered, alas poor child, you have got into a murderer's den,
your bridegroom does live here, but he will hew you in pieces,
and kill you, and then he will cook you, and eat you. My darling
I only dreamt this. But the old woman hid me behind a great
hogshead, and scarcely was I hidden, when the robbers came home,
dragging a maiden with them, to whom they gave three kinds of
wine to drink, white, red, and yellow, with which her heart broke
in twain. My darling, I only dreamt this. Thereupon they pulled
off her pretty clothes, and hewed her fair body in pieces on a
table, and sprinkled them with salt. My darling, I only dreamt
this. And one of the robbers saw that there was still a ring on
her little finger, and as it was hard to draw off, he took an axe
and cut it off, but the finger sprang up in the air, and sprang
behind the great hogshead, and fell in my bosom. And there is the
finger with the ring. And with these words she drew it forth, and
showed it to those present.
The robber, who had during this story become as pale as ashes,
leapt up and wanted to escape, but the guests held him fast, and
delivered him over to justice. Then he and his whole troop were
executed for their infamous deeds.