Brick Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and More (9 page)

They were, however, obliged to pass the grave, and there, on the hazel-tree, sat the two pigeons and cried,

“Turn and peep, turn and peep, There’s blood within the shoe,

The shoe it is too small for her, The true bride waits for you.”

Then he took her on his his horse as his bride and rode away with her.

He turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, and said she was not the true one, and that the other sister was to put the shoe on.

Then this one went into her chamber and got her toes safely into the shoe, but her heel was too large.

So her mother gave her a knife and said, “Cut a bit off thy heel; when thou art Queen thou wilt have no more need to go on foot.”

The maiden cut a bit off her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the King’s son.

He took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away with her,

but when they passed by the hazel-tree, two little pigeons sat on it and cried,

“Turn and peep, turn and peep, There’s blood within the shoe,

The shoe it is too small for her, The true bride waits for you.”

He looked down at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her shoe, and how it had stained her white stocking.

Then he turned his horse and took the false bride home again. “This also is not the right one,” said he,

“have you no other daughter?”

“No,” said the man, “There is still a little stunted kitchen-wench which my late wife left behind her, but she cannot possibly be the bride.” The King’s son said he was to send her up to him;

but the mother answered, “Oh, no, she is much too dirty, she cannot show herself!”