The Count's Daughter

: The Folk-tales Of The Magyars

There was once, I don't know where, an old tumble-down oven, there was

nothing left of its sides; there was also once a town in which a

countess lived, with an immense fortune. This countess had an

exceedingly pretty daughter, who was her sole heiress. The fame of her

beauty and her riches being very great the marrying magnates swarmed

about her. Among others the three sons of a count used to come to the

house, whose c
stle stood outside the town in a pretty wood. These

young men appeared to be richer than one would have supposed from their

property, but no one knew where and how the money came to them. The

three young men were invited almost every day to the house, but the

countess and her daughter never visited them in return, although the

young lady was continually asked by them. For a long time the girl did

not accept their invitation, till one day she was preparing for a walk

into the wood, in which the young counts' castle was supposed to be: her

mother was surprised to hear that she intended to go into the wood, but

as the young lady didn't say exactly where she was going her mother

raised no objection. The girl went, and the prettiness of the wood, and

also her curiosity enticed her to go in further and further till at last

she discovered the turrets of a splendid castle; being so near to it her

curiosity grew stronger, and at last she walked into the courtyard.

Everything seemed to show that the castle was inhabited, but still she

did not see a living soul; the girl went on till she came to the main

entrance, the stairs were of white marble, and the girl, quite dazzled

at the splendour she beheld, went up, counting the steps; "one hundred,"

said the girl, in a half whisper, when she reached the first flight, and

tarried on the landing. Here she looked round when her attention fell on

a bird in a cage. "Girl, beware!" said the bird. But the girl, dazzled

by the glitter, and drawn on by her curiosity, again began to mount the

stairs, counting them, without heeding the bird's words. "One hundred,"

again said the girl, as she tarried on the next landing, but still no

one was to be seen, but thinking that she might find some one she opened

the first door, which revealed a splendour quite beyond all she had ever

imagined, a sight such as she had never seen before, but still no one

appeared. She went into another room and there amongst other furniture

she also found three bedsteads, "this is the three young men's bedroom,"

she thought, and went on. The next room into which she stepped was full

of weapons of every possible description; the girl stared and went on,

and then she came to a large hall which was full of all sorts of

garments, clerical, military, civilian, and also women's dresses. She

went on still further and in the next room she found a female figure,

made up of razors, which, with extended arms as it seemed, was placed

above a deep hole. The girl was horror-struck at the sight and her fear

drove her back; trembling she went back through the rooms again, but

when she came into the bedroom she heard male voices. Her courage fled

and she could go no further, but hearing some footsteps approach she

crept under one of the beds. The men entered, whom she recognised as the

three sons of the count, bringing with them a beautiful girl, whom the

trembling girl recognised by her voice as a dear friend; they stripped

her of all, and as they could not take off a diamond ring from her

little finger, one of the men chopped it off and the finger rolled under

the bed where the girl lay concealed. One of the men began to look for

the ring when another said "You will find it some other time," and so he

left off looking for it. Having quite undressed the girl they took her

to the other room, when after a short lapse of time she heard some faint

screaming, and it appeared to her as if the female figure of razors had

snapped together, and the mangled remains of the unfortunate victim were

heard to drop down into the deep hole. The three brothers came back and

one of them began to look for the ring: the cold sweat broke out on the

poor girl hiding under the bed. "Never mind, it is ours new and you can

find it in the morning," said one of the men, and bade the others go to

bed; and so it happened: the search for the ring was put off till next

day. They went to bed and the girl began to breathe more freely in her

hiding-place; she began to grope about in silence and found the ring and

secreted it in her dress, and hearing that the three brothers were fast

asleep, she stole out noiselessly leaving the door half ajar. The next

day the three brothers again visited the countess when the daughter

told them that she had a dream as if she had been to their castle. She

told them how she went up a flight of marble stairs till she counted

100, and up the next flight when she again counted 100. The brothers

were charmed and very much surprised at the dream and assured her that

it was exactly like their home. Then she told them how she went from one

room to another and what she saw, but when she came in her dream as far

as the razor-maid they began to feel uneasy and grew suspicious, and

when she told them the scene with the girl, and in proof of her tale

produced the finger with the ring, the brothers were terrified and

exclaiming, "We are betrayed!" took flight; but everything was arranged,

and the servants, who were ordered to watch, caught them. After an

investigation all their numberless horrible deeds were brought to light

and they were beheaded.



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