Brick Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and More (35 page)

if thou wilt promise me this I will go down below, and bring thee thy golden ball up again.”

“Oh yes,” said she, “I promise thee all thou wishest, if thou wilt but bring me my ball back again.”

She, however, thought, “How the silly frog does talk! He lives in the water with the other frogs, and croaks, and can be no companion to any human being!”

But the frog when he had received this promise, put his head into the water and sank down, and in a short while came swimming up again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass.

The King’s daughter was delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and picked it up, and ran away with it.

“Wait, wait,” said the frog. “Take me with thee. I can’t run as thou canst.” But what did it avail him to scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as he could?

She did not listen to it, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog,

who was forced to go back into his well again.

The next day when she had seated herself at table with the King and all the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate,

something came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marble staircase, and when it had got to the top,

it knocked at the door and cried, “Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me.”

She ran to see who was outside,

but when she opened the door, there sat the frog in front of it.

Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat down to dinner again, and was quite frightened.