they were to present their brides on the next day.

The Tsarevitch Ivan returned home. Cloudy was his brow, more cloudy
than before.

"C-R-O-A-K! C-R-O-A-K! Tsarevitch, my dear husband and master, why so
sad? Hast thou heard anything unpleasant at the palace?"

"Unpleasant enough, indeed! My father, the Tsar, ordered all of us to
present our wives to him. Now tell me, how could I dare go with thee?"

"It is not so bad after all, and might be much worse," answered the
frog, gently croaking. "Thou shalt go alone and I will follow thee.
When thou hearest a noise, a great noise, do not be afraid; simply
say: 'There is my miserable froggy coming in her miserable box.'"

The two elder brothers arrived first with their wives, beautiful,
bright, and cheerful, and dressed in rich garments. Both the happy
bridegrooms made fun of the Tsarevitch Ivan.

"Why alone, brother?" they laughingly said to him. "Why didst thou not
bring thy wife along with thee? Was there no rag to cover her? Where
couldst thou have gotten such a beauty? We are ready to wager that in
all the swamps in the dominion of our father it would be hard to find
another one like her." And they laughed and laughed.

Lo! what a noise! The palace trembled, the guests were all frightened.
Tsarevitch Ivan alone remained quiet and said:

"No danger; it is my froggy coming in her box."