family and the purpose of his visit.

"I," said the boy, "am the son of a poor peasant, and all I have in the
world is an old kneading-trough. I have come here to seek work."

The king laughed when he heard this.

"Indeed," said he, "you have not inherited much, but fortune works many
a change."

He took the lad to be one of his servants, and he became a favourite for
his courage and honesty.

Now the king who owned this palace had an only daughter, who was so
beautiful and so clever that she was talked of all through the kingdom,
and many came from the east and from the west to ask her hand in
marriage. The princess, however, rejected them all, saying that none
should have her for his wife unless he brought her for a wedding-present
four valuable things belonging to a giant who lived on the other side of
the lake. These four treasures were a gold sword, three gold hens, a
gold lantern, and a gold harp.

Many king's sons and many good warriors tried to win these treasures,
but none of them came back, for the giant caught them all and eat them.
The king was very sorrowful, for he feared that at this rate his
daughter would never get a husband, and so he would not have a
son-in-law to whom to leave his kingdom.

The boy when he heard of this thought that it might be well worth his
while to try to win the king's beautiful daughter. So he went to the