Prince Chaffinch

: Swedish
: Fairy Tales From All Nations

There was once a king and queen who ruled with the greatest kindness

and simplicity imaginable; and their subjects were just such good

folks as themselves, so that both parties agreed very well. As,

however, there is no condition in the world which has not its cares

and sorrows, so also this king and queen were not free from them; in

fact, the peace of their lives was considerably disturbed by a fairy,

who had patronis d them from their earliest years. Fairy

Grumble-do--that was her name--was incessantly finding fault, would

repeat the same words a hundred times a day, and grumbled at every

thing that was doing, and at all that had been done. Setting aside

this little failing, she was in all other respects the best soul in

the world, and it gave her the greatest satisfaction when she could

oblige or serve anybody.



The union of the royal pair had hitherto proved childless, but

whenever they besought Fairy Grumble-do to give them children, she

invariably replied:--"Children! what do you want children for? To hear

them squalling from morning till night, till you, as well as I, will

be ready to jump out of our skins with the noise? What's the use of

children? Nobody knows what to do with them; they only bring care and

trouble!"



Some such remarks were all the king and queen got for their

entreaties; and the fairy's ill-humour, and the snuffling tone in

which she uttered these speeches made them quite unbearable. The good

king and queen, however, never lost their patience, so that at last

the fairy lost hers, and, in a pet, she all of a sudden gratified them

with seven princes at a birth.



The queen remarked in her usual mild and quiet manner, that she had

now a great many children, to which Fairy Grumble-do answered,

snarlingly:--"Well, you wished for children, Madam queen, and now you

have got them according to your wish, and in order that you may have

enough of them, I shall just double the number."



No sooner said than done, and the queen brought into the world seven

more princes at a birth. The royal pair were now quite in trouble;

fourteen princes of the blood are, in fact, no joke; for however rich

one may be, fourteen princes to nurse, educate, and establish

handsomely, costs a good bit of money. Fairy Grumble-do was quite

right there; fourteen princes do require a good deal of waiting on,

and so she found plenty to do all day, with finding fault, and

scolding first this attendant, then that nursemaid, then this servant,

or that preceptor; and when she once got into the children's

apartment, no one could hear himself speak, for the noise she made.

Still at bottom she meant very kindly, and she promised the anxious

queen that she would take good care of the princes, and one day

provide for them all. Those old times were very good ones, and things

were managed in royal residences with great simplicity. The young

princes played all day with the children of the towns-people, because

they went to the same school with them, and no one had a word to say

against it, which would hardly be the case now-a-days, for kings and

everybody else are grown much grander than they were then.



Quite close to the palace dwelt an honest charcoal-burner, who lived

in his little cottage contentedly on what he earned by the sale of his

charcoal. All his neighbours esteemed him as the worthiest man in the

world, and the king himself had great confidence in his capacity, and

would often ask his counsel in matters of government. He was called

the coal-man throughout all the country, and no one within ten miles

round would have any coals but from him, so that he had to serve every

household, even those of the nobility and the fairies. Wherever he

carried his coals, he was a favourite, and even little children were

not afraid of him, and no one ever said to them, "Behave prettily,

else the charcoal-burner will take you away." After working all day at

his business, he went to his little cottage at night to rest, and to

enjoy his freedom, for he was sole master in the house. His wife had

been long dead, and had left him only one little daughter, called

Gracious; for she was the prettiest creature in the world.






He loved this child beyond all measure; and, indeed, not without

reason, for a prettier little maiden could not be found on earth; in

spite of the coal-smoke that enveloped her, and her poor clothing, she

always appeared charming and agreeable, and no one could help

loving her on account of her wonderful amiability. The king's youngest

son, little Prince Chaffinch, who was as sprightly as he was pretty,

was extremely attached to Gracious, preferred her to all the other

children of his acquaintance, and would play with no one but her, so

that they were always seen together, and indeed, they could not live

without one another. Meanwhile the worthy coal-man, who felt old age

approaching, grew very anxious about the fate of Gracious, after he

should have ceased to live; for the partiality of the king for him did

not seem to him sufficient to put him at ease about her. "The king,"

he would say to himself, as he pondered on the subject, "has a large

family of his own, and is obliged to ask so much of the fairy for his

own necessities, that he surely will not have courage to put in a good

word for my child. Even if he were to promise to do so, I should not

depend on him. For"--thus he ever concluded his self-conferences, "the

poor king, is in fact, worse off than I am; he has fourteen to provide

for; I only one. His are princes; mine is only a poor burgher maid.

Mine therefore will be easier to provide for. A poor girl like her can

manage to get along in the world; she stands alone; but a poor prince

never; hundreds hang about him, draining him, and consuming all his

substance." Now, after thinking it over and over, he grew quite

unhappy at heart, and he knew not what to do. So he went one day, head

and heart full of care, to a very beneficent fairy, who had always

behaved very kindly to him. She was called Fairy Bonbon; she it was,

who, in order to please epicures, both small and great, invented those

sweets which now bear her name. When the good fairy saw the coal-man

in such trouble, she asked him what ailed him; and after he had given

her a highly sensible reply, she promised him in good earnest, that

she would take Gracious under her own care, and desired him to bring

the child to her the following Sunday.



The coal-man obeyed punctually, and when the time came he made little

Gracious put on her best clothes, and the new coloured little shoes he

had bought for her the day before, and set off with his dear little

daughter. Gracious skipped before him, then ran back to him, and took

hold of his hand, saying:--"We are going to the castle, we are going

to the castle!" for her father had not told her anything further about

it.



When they arrived, Fairy Bonbon received them very kindly, but

notwithstanding all was so fine in the castle, and that she had so

many bonbons and other nice things, Gracious could not be happy when

her father went away and left her behind. For the first time in her

life she began to cry, and could scarcely leave off again. This

touched the fairy extremely, so that she grew quite fond of Gracious,

and all who were present said:--"My daughter would not cry so if she

were obliged to part from me." But in time little Gracious became

reconciled to her new residence, and was so obedient and docile that

the good fairy Bonbon never had occasion to reprove her, nor even to

tell her twice of the same thing, so that she took great delight in

her.



When her father came to visit her, the pretty child always ran to meet

him, and threw herself into his arms without fearing to soil the fine

clothes which the fairy had given her. After kissing and caressing her

dear papa to her heart's content, she always inquired after her

friend, Prince Chaffinch, and sent him her best bonbons and toys. The

coal-man always carried them very conscientiously to the prince, who

never failed to send his thanks and a message to say how earnestly he

longed to see her once again.



Thus Gracious lived till she was twelve years old, and then Fairy

Bonbon, who was extraordinarily fond of her, took her father one day

into her boudoir, and desired him to be seated, as she did not like to

see the old man standing up in her presence. The coal-man excused

himself at first, but the fairy insisted, so that at last he was

obliged to obey, although it seemed to him a very strange thing to sit

down in his clothes all covered with coal-dust on a white taffeta

arm-chair, and he could not think how he should manage to prevent his

jacket from leaving marks on it.



At last, however, the fairy constrained him to be seated; and she then

said to him, "Old friend, I love your daughter."



"Honoured madam," replied he, "you are very kind; but indeed you are

much in the right, for she is a very dear child."



"I wish now to consult with you what I shall do," said the fairy; "for

you must know I shall be obliged shortly to travel for a considerable

time in another country."



"Ah, madam, then do have the goodness to take her along with you,"

rejoined the coal-man.



"That is not in my power," answered she. "I can, however, provide very

well for her. Only tell me what would be most agreeable to you that I

should do for her."



"Then I would most humbly beg," replied the coal-man, "that you would

have the kindness to make her queen of a little kingdom, just such a

one as may please your ladyship."



Though gratified by this request, the fairy represented to him, that

the higher the station, the more cares and sorrows it has; but the

coal-man assured her in return, that cares and sorrows are to be found

everywhere, and that those of royalty are the easiest to bear.



"I do not ask of you, most gracious madam fairy," continued he, "to

make me a king. I prefer remaining a charcoal-burner; that is my

trade, which I understand, and as for the trade of royalty, I do not

think that I understand that at all. But Gracious is still young, and

she can learn it, I'll be bound for it; it cannot, after all, be so

very difficult, for I see every day that people manage it one way or

another."



"Well," answered Fairy Bonbon, as she dismissed him, "I will see what

I can do. I must tell you beforehand, however, that Gracious will have

much to suffer, and she will find it very bitter."



"Very possible, gracious Madam Bonbon," replied he. "I also have gone

through many bitter things, and have not gained very much after all,

so have the kindness still to make a queen of her; I ask nothing."



With these words he took leave.



Meanwhile Fairy Grumble-do had provided for almost all the fourteen

princes. She had sent some of them out into the wide world to seek

their fortunes, whereby they had at last succeeded in obtaining

kingdoms, and the rest she had wedded to rich princesses, so that at

least they were safe from want. For little Prince Chaffinch, as yet,

however, she had done nothing; so she came one day to court in her

usual agreeable humour, and found papa and mamma caressing and

fondling their child.



"Ha," said she, "that is a properly spoiled young gentleman, who will

never be good for anything all his days. I lay any wager he does not

know A from B. Repeat me your yesterday's lesson, sir, at once, and if

you miss a single word, you shall have a proper whipping."



Chaffinch immediately repeated his lesson, which, as usual, he had

learnt perfectly, and went through his examination in a style which

was quite wonderful for his age. The king and queen did not dare to

let their gratification at this appear, for fear thereby of

redoubling Madam Grumble-do's ill-humour, for she now maintained that

the instruction given to the prince was not worth a farthing; that it

was far too difficult and too learned for him.



She then turned to the king and queen: "Pray, what is the reason of

your never having asked me to do anything for him yet? It is just your

way. I have been worried into providing for all your other

simpletons--they are the most stupid kings reigning; but that one, of

whom something might perhaps be made, is to be spoilt by you, just

because he is your nest-quackel. But I will not allow it any longer.

He shall go out, and directly too. He is a fine youth, and it would be

a shame to leave him any longer with you. I will not have to reproach

myself with that; folks know that I am your friend, and they shall not

have to say that I encourage you in your follies. Now, let us have no

words about it; let us consider together what is best to be done, for

I am not at all obstinate; I am always willing to listen to good

advice."



The king and queen said very politely that she must decide on that,

for she knew very well that her will was theirs.



"Well then," replied Fairy Grumble-do, "he must travel; travelling

gives a young man a proper finish."



"Very true," said both king and queen with one voice. "But," continued

the queen, "consider that the outfit of the other princes very much

exhausted our coffers, and that just at present we have not the means

wherewith to send out Chaffinch in a style befitting his rank. It

would be very unpleasant for folks to say, 'That is the son of a king,

and he travels like a poor student.'"



"So, that's your vanity, is it?" growled the fairy; "truly vanity is

vastly becoming to people who have fourteen children. You say the

other youths have cost you so much; then, I did nothing for them, I

suppose; you leave all that out of your calculation. Pray, what did

they cost you? Just their bits of meals when they were at home, and a

couple of boxes full of clothes when they went on their travels. Who

found all the rest? Not you, truly; it was I; but you are a pair of

ungrateful creatures, so you are."



"Kind madam," answered the queen, "my husband has set down all the

expenses in the account-book; you can convince yourself."



"A pretty thing, indeed," rejoined Fairy Grumble-do. "Pray, how long

has it been in fashion for a king to keep a debtor-and-creditor ledger

like a tailor? That sounds vastly regal, truly. What is the use of all

the good counsels I have given you, if this is the way you conduct

yourselves. Shame on you! However, I will not worry myself, but I will

put an end to the thing at once. The youth is as giddy as a butterfly,

and wherever he goes he will be telling everybody 'I am a prince and

my father is a king,' Is it not so, eh?"



"Dearest madam godmamma," interposed Prince Chaffinch, "I will say

nothing but what you desire me to say."



"Wait till you are asked, Master Pert!" rejoined she; "you shall say

nothing at all, and I'll take care to prevent you from opening your

self-sufficient beak. Only wait a moment!"



As she blustered out this, she touched him with her wand, and

transformed him into the little bird which to this day bears his name.

The king and queen wished to embrace him, but there was no doing that

any longer now he had become so small; they could only set him on

their fingers. They had scarcely time to kiss him even, for he flew

off, in obedience to the fairy, who pronounced these terrible words:

"Fly where thou canst; do what thou must."



The tears of the king and queen, it is true, did move Fairy Grumble-do

a little, but she would not let that be seen, and merely said, "That

is just like you; you are served quite rightly," and then she seated

herself in her post-chaise, which was drawn by seven magpies and seven

cocks, who made a shocking noise; and off she drove in a very

ill-humour to the assembly of the fairies, which was held that very

day.



By chance she was seated next to the kind fairy Bonbon, and as the

mouth is prompt to speak about that of which the heart is full, she

related to the latter all the trouble she had had in providing

suitably for the fourteen princes; during which narration she did not

fail to give it well to the king and queen, just as if they were

present. At last she asked her colleague if she happened to have a

kingdom or a princess to bestow on Prince Chaffinch.



Fairy Bonbon, notoriously the best-hearted creature in the world, who

was quite averse to this incessant scolding, told her that she would

willingly undertake to find one, but only on condition that Fairy

Grumble-do should not interfere in it, and permit her first to put

the young prince to the proof.



"Do what you please," resumed the latter, speaking more through her

nose than ever--"do what you please, so that I hear no more about the

matter."



She then renounced all her fairy rights over Prince Chaffinch, and

then drew up a formal contract, which they both signed with their own

hands in presence of the lawyer and of competent witnesses.



Bonbon, who soon perceived that her two protege's were well suited to

each other, resolved to look still closer into the matter, in order to

proceed the more securely, and to make Gracious truly happy. But she

was much pressed for time as the day of her departure was irrevocably

fixed, and was rapidly approaching. She had therefore to devise some

means by which the two might have an opportunity of working out their

own destiny by faith and truth. The first thing she did, therefore,

was to catch Chaffinch, whose natural sprightliness caused him to

delight greatly in flying about, to shut him up in a cage, and bring

him to her castle.



As soon as the young enchanted prince beheld Gracious he was very

joyful, flapped his wings, and tried with all his strength to get out

of the cage and fly to her. He was delighted, however, when she said

to him, "Good morrow, my little bird; dear, how beautiful you are!"

Yet he felt grieved at the same time that he could only answer her by

his twittering, but he did that as agreeably as he could, and made

every demonstration of tenderness that a bird could. This greatly

touched Gracious, though she did not in the least suspect the truth;

and she said, quite unreservedly to Bonbon, that she had always been

particularly fond of chaffinches; at which the kind fairy smiled, and

made her a present of the enchanted prince, on condition of her taking

care of him as of the apple of her eye. This Gracious willingly

promised, and did so too with the greatest satisfaction.



When the day came for the fairy to depart, she said to Gracious, "Take

great care of the chaffinch, and never let him out of the cage; for

were he to fly away, I should be extremely displeased."



She then entered her carriage, which was made of silver-paper. Her

castle, her garden, her domestics and her horses, all went off through

the air with her, and Gracious now remained alone and sorrowful in her

little house of porcelain, which assuredly was very pretty; but what

avails prettiness when one is sad? The garden was constantly full of

cherries, gooseberries, oranges, and, in short, of all imaginable

fruits, always ripe and well-flavoured; the oven, of biscuits,

tea-cakes, and macaroons; the store-room, of sweetmeats and

confectionery of all kinds: and all these good things might well have

consoled her, but she could not enjoy them, for the little chaffinch

slept unbrokenly in his cage. She visited him every five minutes, but

still he did not wake, and she mentally reproached the fairy with

having robbed her of such sweet consolation. At last, after trying

vainly every means of awaking him, she resolved to examine him closer,

to see if she could not discover the fairy's secret.



It is true she did not arrive at this resolution without that

uneasiness and self-reproach which one always feels when acting

contrary to an express command. She even opened the cage several

times, and then shut it again suddenly; but at last she blamed herself

for her timidity, summoned courage, and took the bird in her pretty

little hand. No sooner was he out of the cage than he flew out and

perched on the window-frame, which most unfortunately she had not

closed, so little had she thought on what might occur to her.

Embarrassed and alarmed, she endeavoured to catch him again.



The chaffinch flew into the garden, and she jumped out of the window,

which fortunately was on the ground-floor; but such was her anxiety

that she would have sprung out, had it been on the fourth story.

Calling him by the prettiest and tenderest names, she sought to entice

him, but whenever she fancied she would certainly catch him, off he

flew, from the garden to the field, and on towards a great forest,

which filled her with despair, for she knew perfectly well how useless

it would be to hunt after a chaffinch in a forest; when suddenly, the

bird, of which she had never lost sight, turned into the prince as she

had seen him when she was a child.



"What! is it you, Prince Chaffinch," exclaimed she,--"and you fly me?"



"Yes, it is I, lovely Gracious," replied he; "but a supernatural force

obliges me to keep far from thee; I desire to approach thee, and

cannot."



They now indeed perceived that they were always at least four paces

distant from each other. Gracious, enraptured at again seeing the

prince, forgot how disobedient she had been to the fairy, and her

fears grew calm, in proportion as love took possession of her heart.



As neither of them dared return to the little dwelling which they had

left, nor indeed did they know the way back, they went into the wood,

gathered nuts, and asked each other a hundred questions as to what had

occurred since they last met. They then rejoiced at their good fortune

in being again together, and refreshed themselves with the hope of now

remaining near each other. At last they saw a peasant's hut, and went

to it to request shelter for the night, that they might resolve on

what they should do the next day.



The prince, when they got very near to it, said to Gracious, "Wait

here under this great tree, whilst I go and reconnoitre the house and

its inhabitants."



When he got there, he found a woman who was sweeping before her door,

and of her he inquired if she would receive him and Gracious for the

night into her house.



The old woman answered: "You seem to me to be two disobedient

children, who have run away from your parents, and do not deserve to

meet with compassion."



Chaffinch was, to say the truth, a little embarrassed by this remark,

but he said all sorts of flattering things to her, and offered to

labour for her; in short, he spoke like a lover willing to make any

sacrifice for his beloved, for he began to fear that Gracious would

have to pass the night in the wood, exposed to the wolves, of which he

had heard such terrible stories.



Whilst he was trying to persuade the hard-hearted old woman, it

happened that the giant Koloquintius, the king, or to speak more

accurately, the tyrant of the whole district, who was hunting in the

wood, rode past the very spot where Gracious was waiting. He thought

her surprisingly charming, and was a good deal astonished that she did

not think him equally so, nor appear to be enchanted at seeing him.

Without saying a word to her, he desired one of his suite to lift up

the little maiden and place her under his arm, which being done, he

set spurs to his horse, and galloped off to his capital city.



The cries and lamentations of Gracious did not move him in the least,

and she now--when it was too late--repented of her disobedience. Her

cries disturbed Prince Chaffinch and the old woman in their

conversation; the former ran towards the spot where he had left

Gracious; but who can describe his grief, when he saw her under the

giant's arm! Had he been there at the right moment, he would have

endeavoured at the risk of his life to prevent that deed of violence,

but now he had nothing to do but to follow her. But night overtook

him, he lost sight of her, and quite exhausted, he sat down to give

free course to his grief and tears.



As he sat, he perceived, close to him, a little light, like that of a

glow-worm. At first he paid no attention to it, but the light grew

larger and larger, and at last changed into a female clothed in a

brown garment, who said to him: "Console thyself, Chaffinch, do not

give way to despair; take this flask, which is made of a gourd, and

this shepherd's pouch; thou wilt find them always filled with whatever

thou desirest to eat and drink. Take also this hazel-rod, and when

thou hast need of me, put it under thy left foot and call me; I will

always come to thy assistance. This little dog is commanded never to

leave thee, thou may'st want him. Farewell, Chaffinch. I am the kind

Bonbon."



Chaffinch was already greatly moved by these gifts, but when he heard

the name which Gracious had so often pronounced, he sank at the

fairy's feet, embraced her knees, and cried: "Ah, beneficent lady,

Gracious has been carried off, how is it possible that your Highness

did not hasten to deliver her?"



"I know what has befallen her," replied Bonbon,--"but she was

disobedient, I want not to know anything about her; thou alone must

aid her."



At these words, the light and the fairy disappeared, and Chaffinch sat

in such darkness that he could not see his hand when he held it before

his eyes. He was however, much comforted by thinking that he could now

be of assistance to Gracious, though fear and anxiety still tormented

him greatly, and his new friend, the little dog, was unable by all its

caresses to divert him.



At last, the longed-for day dawned, and he was now able to continue

his wanderings. Towards evening he arrived at the chief city, where he

found everybody talking only of Gracious' beauty, and of Koloquintius'

passion for her. It was said that the giant was very shortly to marry

her, and that he had already commenced building a palace for the new

queen. This news cut little Chaffinch to the heart.



When the people with whom he was speaking, saw his shepherd's pouch,

they said, "This is a handsome little shepherd, why should he not tend

the king's sheep? His majesty is in want of a shepherd, and would no

doubt confer that high office upon him."



The desire of being near Gracious determined Chaffinch to take this

hint. He therefore presented himself before Koloquintius, who regarded

him attentively: as he only asked for courteous treatment, and

required no wages, the king appointed him to be his own private

shepherd. His new office did not, however, bring him into the vicinity

of Gracious, so that he did not gain much thereby. He only learned

that Koloquintius was very melancholy because Gracious did not respond

to his love, and this comforted him a little.



Some days after, as he was following his sheep, he saw a state

carriage, attended by twelve negroes on horseback, with drawn swords,

quit the palace, and in this carriage sat Gracious. Little Chaffinch

heroically threw himself in the way of the horses, held his shepherd's

staff before them, and thundered out with his feeble voice, "Wretches!

whither go you?"



When Gracious saw her Chaffinch in such great peril, she fainted, and

he also lost his senses. When he came to himself, he seized his hazel

wand,--instantly the good Bonbon stood beside him.



"Ah, kind lady!" said he, "Gracious is lost, perhaps already dead!"



"No," replied the Fairy, "Koloquintius is only sending her to the

tower because he is furious at her coldness to him, and her fidelity

to thee. Consider how thou may'st get thither also; think for thyself.

I will assist thee; only I cannot change thee into a bird, because

thou hast already been one; at all events Gracious will have much to

suffer, for the tower is a terrible prison, but it serves her quite

right,--why was she disobedient?"



Thereupon she vanished.



The prince, in great distress, conducted (that is, his little dog did

it for him) the king's sheep along the road which the carriage that

conveyed Gracious had taken, and he shortly came within sight of the

terrible tower, which stood in the midst of a great plain, and had

neither windows nor doors, only a small aperture at the top; it could

only be entered by a subterranean passage, the entrance to which was

concealed in a neighbouring mountain, which it was necessary to point

out to those who were unacquainted with it. Prince Chaffinch was very

glad that he had received such a clever little dog from the fairy, for

it did all his business for him, whilst he kept his eyes constantly

fixed on the tower. The more he considered, the more he was convinced

of the impossibility of getting into it; but love, which conquers all

difficulties, at last inspired him with a plan.



After he had lamented a thousand times that he could not again be a

bird, he besought the good fairy Bonbon, to change him into a paper

kite. She granted his request, and conferred on his little dog the

power of effecting the transformation; he barked three times, took the

hazel-rod in his mouth, and touched the prince with it, who now became

a paper kite, with power to resume his own form as occasion might

require. Then, by the aid of his faithful dog, the prince succeeded in

first reaching the top of the tower, and then getting within it to

Gracious.



It was no small delight to her to hear the assurances of his love, nor

was it a less one to him to hear the same from her, and gratefully did

he express his acknowledgments--for, in spite of his altered form, he

still retained his speech. The pleasures of this conversation would

have caused him to forget altogether that he could not remain for ever

in the tower, and that he must feed his flock, if the little dog, more

faithful to duty than he, had not pulled the string to which he was

fastened, just at the right moment.



Chaffinch no sooner reached the ground, than he resumed his own

figure, and drove the flock back again to the royal sheepfold; but his

whole thought was on the pleasure of flying to his dear Gracious,

which caused him to be greatly vexed whenever the wind blew too

strongly for him to be able to ascend, and Gracious shared in his

grief.



Thus they went on for some time; but as there are always to be found

people who interfere in what does not concern them, others who want to

know everything, and still more, others who are always striving to

show themselves very obliging to the great and rich; it was soon

observed by some of these, that the kite very often descended from the

dark tower. Koloquintius was informed of it; he instantly went

thither, in order to punish the audacious persons who dared to convey

letters in this manner to Gracious, for it never struck him that the

kite could serve for any other purpose. Chaffinch and Gracious were

just in the most interesting conversation, when they were disturbed

from it by the vehemence with which the faithful dog pulled back the

prince, for Koloquintius ran up to him, exclaiming vehemently: "Where

is the shepherd, where is the shepherd? I must kill him, because he

has not informed me of what is going on here."



The dog, fearing that Koloquintius might take the string out of his

mouth, and so get the prince into his own hands, let the kite fly,

which was carried far away by the wind, which happened to be very

high, and catching up the gourd flask, and the shepherd's pouch, ran

off to his master, whom he loved very much, and who now had resumed

his own figure. Favoured by the approaching night, they concealed



themselves in the mountains, whilst Koloquintius, foaming with rage,

was obliged to drive his sheep home himself. In order that no one

should approach little Gracious, he caused his whole army to draw up

on the plain, and commanded them to watch day and night, that no one

whatsoever should approach the tower.






Prince Chaffinch beheld all this from the high mountain where he and

the dog had placed themselves, and again appealed to Bonbon for

assistance. She immediately appeared, but when he begged her to give

him an army, wherewith to combat that of Koloquintius, she vanished

without saying a word, and only left him a rod, and a great bag of

sugar-plums. When one is sad, and one's heart is heavy, one is not

much inclined to take a joke; and at first Chaffinch thought she meant

to make a jest of him; but when he reflected how kindly she had always

acted towards him, his confidence in her returned, and he took the bag

of sugar-plums under his arm, and the rod in his right hand, and

accompanied by his faithful dog, advanced valiantly to meet the foe.

As he came nearer to them, he remarked that they grew gradually less

and less, and that their lines contracted; and when he got so near

that they could hear him speak, he perceived, to his no small

astonishment, that all these formidable soldiers, and moustached

grenadiers, had shrunk into children of four years old, so that he

cried aloud to them:--"Yield this moment, or you shall all be

whipped." Then the whole army began to cry, and ran away, pursued by

the dog, who soon threw them into complete disorder. To as many as he

could catch, Chaffinch gave sugar-plums, whereupon they immediately

swore to obey him.



Encouraged by their example, the others soon returned, and they one

and all submitted to Chaffinch; so that Koloquintius was now left

without an army to defend him, whilst the prince had a formidable one;

for as soon as they submitted voluntarily to him, they all recovered

their former size and strength.



By this time Koloquintius arrived; but he no sooner saw Prince

Chaffinch than he likewise lost his giant form and strength, and

became not merely a little child like the others, but a very little

dwarf, with crooked legs. The prince caused a dragoon's cap, and a

gay-coloured garment, with hanging sleeves, to be made for him, and

destined him to be train-bearer to Gracious, and to attend upon her in

her apartments.



After this great victory the first care of Chaffinch was to hasten to

the dark tower, in order to set his beloved free. After so many

sufferings and sorrows, her joy at finding herself again free was

indescribable. As they reached the city, Fairy Bonbon and Fairy

Grumble-do also arrived there from opposite directions. The two lovers

now expressed to them their warmest gratitude, and requested them to

decide their fate. Fairy Grumble-do replied:--



"I assure you I have never troubled my head about you; I should have

been a fool indeed to concern myself with such light ware. You are

nothing to me, for the rest of your blessed family give me quite

enough to do without you. Such a parcel of relations as belong to

Prince Chaffinch, never did king's son, in all the wide world, possess

before; a pretty brood truly."



"Dear madam and sister," interposed Fairy Bonbon, in the gentlest

manner, "you know our agreement; only have the kindness to cause the

king and queen, and the worthy coal-man, to come hither, and I will

undertake the rest."



"So," rejoined Madam Grumble-do, "I am to be wedding coachman--am I?"



"Oh! not so, dear madam and sister," answered Bonbon; "you have only

to say if it is not agreeable to you, and I will go myself."



"A pretty errand--a dog's errand," snarled Madam Grumble-do, who

nevertheless ordered her car to turn into a coach, and to bring

thither the desired guests. Whilst Bonbon, Gracious, and Chaffinch,

were caressing each other, Fairy Grumble-do met the Court-dwarf,

Koloquintius, who came in her way just at the right moment,--for

every one was welcome to her so that she had some one to scold,--and

she gave it him prettily on the text of his vanity and self-love.



"Now you are punished," said she, "and nobody pities you; but, on the

contrary, you are the laughingstock of all your former subjects; that,

however, you have always been, though formerly they ridiculed you

secretly, and in whispers; now, however, they do it loudly, and in the

market-place; it will do you a deal of good."



So she continued to abuse him till the arrival of the king and queen,

when she let him go and turned to them.



"You need not trouble yourselves to thank me for anything; it was not

I who sent for you, and indeed I am very sorry you are come, for now

there will be no getting rid of you again. Good counsel would be

thrown away upon you now, you irrational creatures."



She then perceived the old coal-man, and exclaimed:--"A pretty

father-in-law that, for a prince."



The coal-man was not the sort of person to take such an address

pleasantly, and would soon have given her a rough answer, but that the

good Fairy Bonbon came up and begged the company to walk into the

house. But Fairy Grumble-do did not like that neither; the general

joy made her peevish.



Gracious embraced her dear father a thousand times, who all this while

had not suffered any privation, for Bonbon had made him a present of

the porcelain house in which she had often received the king and

queen. These fondled their little Chaffinch, and willingly consented

to his marriage with Gracious, when proposed to them by Bonbon. The

subjects of Koloquintius were absolved from the oath they had sworn to

him, and acknowledged Prince Chaffinch as their lawful monarch. Thus

did the pretty prince obtain a fine kingdom and a charming wife.



Chaffinch and Gracious long governed in peace and happiness, and had a

great many dear children, who also became kings and queens, for a good

and pretty daughter makes not alone her own happiness, but also that

of her parents, and her husband.