under his coat. And they brought out the two sisters, the bad ones,
from their dark prison, and set them in the cart. And the Little
Stupid kissed them and cried over them, and wanted to loose their
hands, but the old merchant would not let her. And they all drove
together till they came to the palace of the Tzar. The shepherd boy
could not take his eyes from the little pretty one, and he ran all the
way behind the cart.

Well, they came to the palace, and waited on the steps; and the Tzar
came out to take the morning air, and he saw the old merchant, and the
two sisters with their hands tied, and the little pretty, one, as
lovely as a spring day. And the Tzar saw her, and could not take his
eyes from her. He did not see the shepherd boy, who hid away among the
crowd.

Says the great Tzar to his soldiers, pointing to the bad sisters,
"These two are to be put to death at sunset. When the sun goes down
their heads must come off, for they are not fit to see another day."

Then he turns to the little pretty one, and he says: "Little sweet
pigeon, where is your silver saucer, and where is your transparent
apple?"

The old merchant took the wooden box from under his coat, and opened
it with a key at his belt, and gave it to the little one, and she took
out the silver saucer and the transparent apple and gave them to the
Tzar.

"O lord Tzar," says she, "O little father, spin the apple in the
saucer, and you will see whatever you wish to see--your soldiers, your