mine? Is there anything you want? If so, only say the word, and you
shall have it."

"Oh, it seems so dull and lonely here," said the daughter, "every one
else has brothers and sisters, but I am all alone; I have none. That's
why I'm so sorrowful."

"But you had brothers, my daughter," said the Queen; "I had twelve sons,
stout, brave lads, but I lost them all when you came;" and so she told
her the whole story.

When the Princess heard that she had no rest; for she thought it was all
her fault, and in spite of all the Queen could say or do, though she
wept and prayed, the lassie would set off to seek her brothers. On and
on she walked into the wide world, so far you would never have thought
her small feet could have had strength to carry her so far.

Finally, one day, when she was walking through a great, great wood, she
felt tired, and sat down on a mossy tuft and fell asleep. Then she
dreamt that she went deeper and deeper into the wood, till she came to a
little wooden hut, and there she found her brothers. Just then she
awoke, and straight before her she saw a worn path in the green moss.
This path went deeper into the wood, so she followed it, and after a
long time she came to just such a little wooden house as that she had
seen in her dream.

Now, when she went into the room there was no one at home, but there
were twelve beds, and twelve chairs, and twelve spoons,--in short, a
dozen of everything. When she saw that she was very glad; she had not
been so glad for many a long year, for she could guess at once that her