When the banqueters saw such a young and beautiful cook they were
surprised. But the Baron was in a tower of a temper, and started up as
if he would do her some violence. So the girl went up to him with her
hand before her with the ring on it; and she put it down before him on
the table. Then at last the Baron saw that no one could fight against
Fate, and he handed her to a seat and announced to all the company
that this was his son's true wife; and he took her and his son home to
his castle; and they all lived as happy as could be ever afterwards.



THE MAGPIE'S NEST

Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme
And monkeys chewed tobacco,
And hens took snuff to make them tough,
And ducks went quack, quack, quack, O!

All the birds of the air came to the magpie and asked her to teach
them how to build nests. For the magpie is the cleverest bird of all
at building nests. So she put all the birds round her and began to
show them how to do it. First of all she took some mud and made a sort
of round cake with it.

"Oh, that's how it's done," said the thrush; and away it flew, and so
that's how thrushes build their nests.

Then the magpie took some twigs and arranged them round in the mud.

"Now I know all about it," says the blackbird, and off he flew; and