was out of the door before you could wink. This time she shouted
and ran out of the room, but there were some of the servants in
the next room, and all declared that neither child nor dog passed
out. She felt, somehow, as if it was her husband's fault, but
still she kept command over herself, and didn't once reproach
him.

When the third child was born she would hardly allow a window or
a door to be left open for a moment; but she wasn't the nearer to
keep the child to herself. They were sitting one evening by the
fire, when a lady appeared standing by them. The princess opened
her eyes in a great fright and stared at her, and while she was
doing so, the lady wrapped a shawl round the baby that was
sitting in its father's lap, and either sank through the ground
with it or went up through the wide chimney. This time the mother
kept her bed for a month.

'My dear,' said she to her husband, when she was beginning to
recover, 'I think I'd feel better if I was to see my father and
mother and sisters once more. If you give me leave to go home for
a few days I'd be glad.' 'Very well,' said he, 'I will do that,
and whenever you feel inclined to return, only mention your wish
when you lie down at night.' The next morning when she awoke she
found herself in her own old chamber in her father's palace. She
rang the bell, and in a short time she had her mother and father
and married sisters about her, and they laughed till they cried
for joy at finding her safe back again.

In time she told them all that had happened to her, and they
didn't know what to advise her to do. She was as fond of her