The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone she
went again into the garden, and said---

"Shake, shake, hazel tree,
Gold and silver over me!"

Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the
former ones, and slippers which were all of gold; so that when she
came to the feast no one knew what to say for wonder at her beauty;
and the king's son danced with her alone; and when any one else asked
her to dance he said, "This lady is my partner." Now when night came
she wanted to go home; and the king's son would go with her, and said
to himself, "I will not lose her this time;" but, however, she managed
to slip away from him, though in such a hurry that she dropped her
left golden slipper upon the stairs.

[Illustration: "SHE SPRANG AWAY FROM HIM, ALL AT ONCE, INTO THE GARDEN
BEHIND HER FATHER'S HOUSE."]

So the prince took the shoe, and went the next day to the king his
father, and said, "I will take for my wife the lady that this golden
shoe fits." Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear this; for
they had beautiful feet, and had no doubt that they could wear the
golden slipper. The eldest went first into the room where the slipper
was, and wanted to try it on, and the mother stood by. But her great
toe could not go into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small
for her. Then the mother gave her a knife, and said, "Never mind, cut
it off; when you are queen you will not care about toes, you will
not want to go on foot." So the silly girl cut her great toe off, and
squeezed the shoe on, and went to the king's son. Then he took her for