and gave it to her daughter, and said, "Take care of it, dear child;
for it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road." Then they
took a sorrowful leave of each other, and the princess put the lock of
her mother's hair into her bosom, got upon her horse, and set off on
her journey to her bridegroom's kingdom. One day, as they were riding
along by the side of a brook, the princess began to feel very thirsty,
and said to her maid, "Pray get down and fetch me some water, in my
golden cup, out of yonder brook, for I want to drink." "Nay," said
the maid, "if you are thirsty, get down yourself, and lie down by the
water and drink; I shall not be your waiting-maid any longer." Then
the princess was so thirsty that she got down, and knelt over the
brook and drank, for she was frightened, and dared not bring out her
golden cup; and then she wept, and said "Alas! what will become of
me?" And the lock of hair answered her, and said--

"Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it."

But the princess was very humble and meek, so she said nothing to her
maid's ill behaviour, but got upon her horse again.

Then all rode further on their journey, till the day grew so warm, and
the sun so scorching, that the bride began to feel very thirsty again;
and at last, when they came to a river, she forgot her maid's rude
speech, and said, "Pray get down and fetch me some water to drink
in my golden cup." But the maid answered her, and even spoke more
haughtily than before, "Drink, if you will, but I shall not be your
waiting-maid." Then the princess was so thirsty that she got off her
horse and lay down, and held her head over the running stream, and
cried, and said, "What will become of me?" And the lock of hair