'Thank you,' said the merchant's son, and he went into the wood,
sat himself in his trunk, flew on to the roof, and crept through
the window into the princess's room.

She was lying on the sofa asleep, and was so beautiful that the
young merchant had to kiss her. Then she woke up and was very
much frightened, but he said he was a Turkish god who had come
through the air to see her, and that pleased her very much.

They sat close to each other, and he told her a story about her
eyes. They were beautiful dark lakes in which her thoughts swam
about like mermaids. And her forehead was a snowy mountain,
grand and shining. These were lovely stories.

Then he asked the princess to marry him, and she said yes at
once.

'But you must come here on Saturday,' she said, 'for then the
sultan and the sultana are coming to tea with me. They will be
indeed proud that I receive the god of the Turks. But mind you
have a really good story ready, for my parents like them
immensely. My mother likes something rather moral and
high-flown, and my father likes something merry to make him
laugh.'

'Yes, I shall only bring a fairy story for my dowry,' said he,
and so they parted. But the princess gave him a sabre set with
gold pieces which he could use.

Then he flew away, bought himself a new dressing-gown, and sat