When it was evening
she seated herself under a tree, gave herself into God’s keeping, and
resolved to sit waiting there and not go away, let what might happen. When, however, she had sat there for a while, a white dove came flying
to her with a little golden key in its mouth. It put the little key in
her hand, and said, “Dost thou see that great tree, therein is a little
lock, it opens with the tiny key, and there thou wilt find food enough,
and suffer no more hunger.” Then she went to the tree and opened it,
and found milk in a little dish, and white bread to break into it, so
that she could eat her fill. When she was satisfied, she said, “It is
now the time when the hens at home go to roost, I am so tired I could
go to bed too.” Then the dove flew to her again, and brought another
golden key in its bill, and said, “Open that tree there, and thou willt
find a bed.” So she opened it, and found a beautiful white bed, and she
prayed God to protect her during the night, and lay down and slept. In
the morning the dove came for the third time, and again brought a
little key, and said, “Open that tree there, and thou wilt find
clothes.” And when she opened it, she found garments beset with gold
and with jewels, more splendid than those of any king’s daughter. So
she lived there for some time, and the dove came every day and provided
her with all she needed, and it was a quiet good life. Once, however, the dove came and said, “Wilt thou do something for my
sake?” “With all my heart,” said the girl. Then said the little dove,
“I will guide thee to a small house; enter it, and inside it, an old
woman will be sitting by the fire and will say, ‘Good-day.’ But on thy
life give her no answer, let her do what she will, but pass by her on
the right side; further on, there is a door, which open, and thou wilt
enter into a room where a quantity of rings of all kinds are lying,
amongst which are some magnificent ones with shining stones; leave
them, however, where they are, and seek out a plain one, which must
likewise be amongst them, and bring it here to me as quickly as thou
canst.” The girl went to the little house, and came to the door. There
sat an old woman who stared when she saw her, and said, “Good-day my
child.” The girl gave her no answer, and opened the door. “Whither
away,” cried the old woman, and seized her by the gown, and wanted to
hold her fast, saying, “That is my house; no one can go in there if I
choose not to allow it.” But the girl was silent, got away from her,
and went straight into the room. Now there lay on the table an enormous
quantity of rings, which gleamed and glittered before her eyes. She
turned them over and looked for the plain one, but could not find it. While she was seeking, she saw the old woman and how she was stealing
away, and wanting to get off with a bird-cage which she had in her
hand. So she went after her and took the cage out of her hand, and when
she raised it up and looked into it, a bird was inside which had the
plain ring in its bill. Then she took the ring, and ran quite joyously
home with it, and thought the little white dove would come and get the
ring, but it did not. Then she leant against a tree and determined to
wait for the dove, and, as she thus stood, it seemed just as if the
tree was soft and pliant, and was letting its branches down. And
suddenly the branches twined around her, and were two arms, and when
she looked round, the tree was a handsome man, who embraced and kissed
her heartily, and said, “Thou hast delivered me from the power of the
old woman, who is a wicked witch. She had changed me into a tree, and
every day for two hours I was a white dove, and so long as she
possessed the ring I could not regain my human form.” Then his servants
and his horses, who had likewise been changed into trees, were freed
from the enchantment also, and stood beside him. And he led them forth
to his kingdom, for he was a King’s son, and they married, and lived
happily. 124 The Three Brothers

There was once a man who had three sons, and nothing else in the world
but the house in which he lived. Now each of the sons wished to have
the house after his father’s death; but the father loved them all
alike, and did not know what to do; he did not wish to sell the house,
because it had belonged to his forefathers, else he might have divided
the money amongst them. At last a plan came into his head, and he said
to his sons, “Go into the world, and try each of you to learn a trade,
and, when you all come back, he who makes the best masterpiece shall
have the house.”

The sons were well content with this, and the eldest determined to be a
blacksmith, the second a barber, and the third a fencing-master. They
fixed a time when they should all come home again, and then each went
his way. It chanced that they all found skilful masters, who taught them their
trades well. The blacksmith had to shoe the King’s horses, and he
thought to himself, “The house is mine, without doubt.” The barber only
shaved great people, and he too already looked upon the house as his
own. The fencing-master got many a blow, but he only bit his lip, and
let nothing vex him; “for,” said he to himself, “If you are afraid of a
blow, you’ll never win the house.”

When the appointed time had gone by, the three brothers came back home
to their father; but they did not know how to find the best opportunity
for showing their skill, so they sat down and consulted together. As
they were sitting thus, all at once a hare came running across the
field. “Ah, ha, just in time!” said the barber. So he took his basin
and soap, and lathered away until the hare came up; then he soaped and
shaved off the hare’s whiskers whilst he was running at the top of his
speed, and did not even cut his skin or injure a hair on his body. “Well done!” said the old man. “Your brothers will have to exert
themselves wonderfully, or the house will be yours.”

Soon after, up came a nobleman in his coach, dashing along at full
speed. “Now you shall see what I can do, father,” said the blacksmith;
so away he ran after the coach, took all four shoes off the feet of one
of the horses whilst he was galloping, and put him on four new shoes
without stopping him. “You are a fine fellow, and as clever as your
brother,” said his father; “I do not know to which I ought to give the
house.”

Then the third son said, “Father, let me have my turn, if you please;”
and, as it was beginning to rain, he drew his sword, and flourished it
backwards and forwards above his head so fast that not a drop fell upon
him. It rained still harder and harder, till at last it came down in
torrents; but he only flourished his sword faster and faster, and
remained as dry as if he were sitting in a house.