proud, still new suitors kept on coming to the palace, for she was
a beauty, the wicked hussey!

So one day there came a prince to woo her, and his name was Hacon
Grizzlebeard; but the first night he was there, the Princess bade the
king's fool cut off the ears of one of the prince's horses, and slit
the jaws of the other up to the ears. When the prince went out to
drive next day, the Princess stood in the porch and looked at him.

'Well!' she cried, 'I never saw the like of this in all my life; the
keen north wind that blows here has taken the ears off one of your
horses, and the other has stood by and gaped at what was going on
till his jaws have split right up to his ears.'

And with that she burst out into a roar of laughter, ran in, slammed
to the door, and let him drive off.

So he drove home; but as he went, he thought to himself that he would
pay her off one day. After a bit, he put on a great beard of moss,
threw a great fur cloak over his clothes, and dressed himself up just
like any beggar. He went to a goldsmith and bought a golden spinning
wheel, and sat down with it under the Princess' window, and began to
file away at his spinning wheel, and to turn it this way and that,
for it wasn't quite in order, and, besides, it wanted a stand.

So when the Princess rose up in the morning, she came to the window
and threw it up, and called out to the beggar if he would sell his
golden spinning-wheel?

'No; it isn't for sale', said Hacon Grizzlebeard; 'but if I may have