preIn olden times when wishing still helped one, there lived a kingbr /whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautifulbr /that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished wheneverbr /it shone in her face. Close by the king's castle lay a great darkbr /forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and whenbr /the day was very warm, the king's child went out into the forest andbr /sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was bored shebr /took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and thisbr /ball was her favorite /br /Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess's golden ballbr /did not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it,br /but on to the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. Thebr /king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and thebr /well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. At thisbr /she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not bebr /comforted. And as she thus lamented someone said to her, "What ailsbr /you, king's daughter? You weep so that even a stone would show pity."br /br /She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw abr /frog stretching forth its big, ugly head from the water. "Ah, oldbr /water-splasher, is it you," she said, "I am weeping for my golden ball,br /which has fallen into the well." "Be quiet, and do not weep," answeredbr /the frog, "I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring yourbr /plaything up again?" "Whatever you will have, dear frog," said she, "Mybr /clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I ambr /wearing." The frog answered, "I do not care for your clothes, yourbr /pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown, but if you will love mebr /and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at yourbr /little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out ofbr /your little cup, and sleep in your little bed - if you will promisebr /me this I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball upbr /again."br /br /"Oh yes," said she, "I promise you all you wish, if you will but bringbr /me my ball back again." But she thought, "How the silly frog doesbr /talk. All he does is to sit in the water with the other frogs, andbr /croak. He can be no companion to any human being."br /br /But the frog when he had received this promise, put his head into thebr /water and sank down; and in a short while came swimmming up againbr /with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king'sbr /daughter was delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, andbr /picked it up, and ran away with it. "Wait, wait," said the frog. "Takebr /me with you. I can't run as you can." But what did it avail him tobr /scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as he could. She didbr /not listen to it, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who wasbr /forced to go back into his well /br /The next day when she had seated herself at table with the king andbr /all the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate,br /something came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marblebr /staircase, and when it had got to the top, it knocked at the door andbr /cried, "Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me." She ran tobr /see who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frogbr /in front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, satbr /down to dinner again, and was quite frightened. The king saw plainlybr /that her heart was beating violently, and said, "My child, what arebr /you so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants tobr /carry you away?" "Ah, no," replied she. "It is no giant but a disgustingbr /frog."br /br /"What does a frog want with you?" "Ah, dear father, yesterday as I wasbr /in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell intobr /the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again forbr /me, and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be mybr /companion, but I never thought he would be able to come out of hisbr /water. And now he is outside there, and wants to come in to me."br /br /In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried, "Princess,br /youngest princess, open the door for me, do you not know what youbr /said to me yesterday by the cool waters of the well. Princess,br /youngest princess, open the door for me."br /br /Then said the king, "That which you have promised must you /Go and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hoppedbr /in and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat andbr /cried, "Lift me up beside you." She delayed, until at last the kingbr /commanded her to do it. Once the frog was on the chair he wanted tobr /be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, "Now, push yourbr /little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together." She didbr /this, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly. Thebr /frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful she took chokedbr /her. At length he said, "I have eaten and am satisfied, now I ambr /tired, carry me into your little room and make your little silken bedbr /ready, and we will both lie down and go to sleep."br /br /The king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frogbr /which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in herbr /pretty, clean little bed. But the king grew angry and said, "He whobr /helped you when you were in trouble ought not afterwards to bebr /despised by you." So she took hold of the frog with two fingers,br /carried him upstairs, and put him in a corner, but when she was inbr /bed he crept to her and said, "I am tired, I want to sleep as well asbr /you, lift me up or I will tell your father." At this she was terriblybr /angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against thebr /wall. "Now, will you be quiet, odious frog," said she. But when hebr /fell down he was no frog but a king's son with kind and beautifulbr /eyes. He by her father's will was now her dear companion andbr /husband. Then he told her how he had been bewitched by a wickedbr /witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the well butbr /herself, and that to-morrow they would go together into his /br /Then they went to sleep, and next morning when the sun awoke them, abr /carriage came driving up with eight white horses, which had whitebr /ostrich feathers on their heads, and were harnessed with goldenbr /chains, and behind stood the young king's servant Faithful /Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was changed into abr /frog, that he had caused three iron bands to be laid round his heart,br /lest it should burst with grief and sadness. The carriage was tobr /conduct the young king into his kingdom. Faithful Henry helped thembr /both in, and placed himself behind again, and was full of joy becausebr /of this deliverance. And when they had driven a part of the way thebr /king's son heard a cracking behind him as if something had /So he turned round and cried, "Henry, the carriage is breaking."br /"No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart,br /which was put there in my great pain when you were a frog andbr /imprisoned in the well." Again and once again while they were onbr /their way something cracked, and each time the king's son thought thebr /carriage was breaking, but it was only the bands which were springingbr /from the heart of Faithful Henry because his master was set free andbr /was happy./pre