and how it held many good things and one over, she changed her mind
again, and thought that her Peter was as wise as the moon.

And now nothing was lacking in the cottage; if Peter and his mother
wanted this, it came to them; if they wished for that, the two tall men
in the bottle fetched it. They lined the house all inside with pure
gold, and built the chimneys of bricks of silver, so that there was
nothing so fine between all the four great rivers. Peter dressed in
satin and his mother in silk, and everybody called him "Lord Peter."
Even the minister of the village said that he was no dull boy, for
nobody is dull who rides on horseback and never wears wooden shoes. So
now Peter was a rich man.

[Illustration: Clever Peter rides to the King's Palace upon his fine
Horse.]

One morning Peter said to his mother, "Mother, I am going to ask the
King to let me marry his daughter."

To this his mother said nothing, for surely her Peter was as good as any
princess that ever lived.

So off Peter rode, dressed all in his best and seated astride of a grand
horse. At last he came to the palace which was finer than the handsome
new house of Herr Mayor Kopff. Rap! rap! rap! Peter knocked at the door,
and presently came a neat servant girl and opened it to him. "Is the
King at home, my dear?" said Peter.

Yes, the King was at home; would he come into the parlor and sit down?
So Peter went into the parlor and sat down, and then the King came in,