“Come in,” said the king, as Jean knocked at the door. Jean opened it, and
the old king, in a dressing gown and embroidered slippers, came towards
him. He had the crown on his head, carried his sceptre in one hand, and the
orb in the other. “Wait a bit,” said he, and he placed the orb under his arm,
so that he could offer the other hand to Jean; but when he found that Jean
was another suitor, he began to weep so violently, that both the sceptre and
the orb fell to the floor, and he was obliged to wipe his eyes with his
dressing gown. Poor old king! “Let her alone,” he said; “you will fare as
badly as all the others. Come, I will show you.” Then he led him out into
the princess’s pleasure gardens, and there he saw a frightful sight. On every
tree hung three or four king’s sons who had wooed the princess, but had not
been able to guess the riddles she gave them. Their skeletons rattled in
every breeze, so that the terrified birds never dared to venture into the
garden. All the flowers were supported by human bones instead of sticks,
and human skulls in the flower-pots grinned horribly. It was really a doleful
garden for a princess. “Do you see all this?” said the old king; “your fate
will be the same as those who are here, therefore do not attempt it. You
really make me very unhappy,-I take these things to heart so very much.”
Jean kissed the good old king’s hand, and said he was sure it would be all
right, for he was quite enchanted with the beautiful princess. Then the
princess herself came riding into the palace yard with all her ladies, and he
wished her “Good morning.” She looked wonderfully fair and lovely when
she offered her hand to Jean, and he loved her more than ever. How could
she be a wicked witch, as all the people asserted? He accompanied her into
the hall, and the little pages offered them gingerbread nuts and sweetmeats,
but the old king was so unhappy he could eat nothing, and besides,
gingerbread nuts were too hard for him. It was decided that Jean should
come to the palace the next day, when the judges and the whole of the
counsellors would be present, to try if he could guess the first riddle. If he
succeeded, he would have to come a second time; but if not, he would lose
his life,-and no one had ever been able to guess even one. However, Jean
was not at all anxious about the result of his trial; on the contrary, he was
