The crimson fairy book . the gate, and whisperedas he passed : This is the last time you will ever enter the sword clanked, and the lad did not even look ather. As he crossed the threshold fifteen armed Turksbarred his w^ay, with the Sultan at their head. Instantlythe sword darted forth and cut off the heads of everyonebut the Sultan, and then went quietly back to itsscabbard. The witch, who was looking on, saw that aslong as the youth had possession of the sword, all herschemes would be in vain, and tried to steal the sword inthe night, but it only jumped out of its scabbard andsliced
The crimson fairy book . the gate, and whisperedas he passed : This is the last time you will ever enter the sword clanked, and the lad did not even look ather. As he crossed the threshold fifteen armed Turksbarred his w^ay, with the Sultan at their head. Instantlythe sword darted forth and cut off the heads of everyonebut the Sultan, and then went quietly back to itsscabbard. The witch, who was looking on, saw that aslong as the youth had possession of the sword, all herschemes would be in vain, and tried to steal the sword inthe night, but it only jumped out of its scabbard andsliced off her nose, which was of iron. And in the morn-ing, when the Sultan brought a great army to capture thelad and deprive him of his sword, they were all cut topieces, while he remained without a scratch. Meanwhile the princess w^as in despair because thedays slipped by, and the young man did not return, andshe never rested until her father let her lead some troopsagainst the Sultan. She rode proudly before them, dressed. THE B(W WHO COULD KEEP A SECJRET 79 in uniform ; but tliey had not left the town more than amile behind them, when they met the lad and his littlesword. When he told them w^iat he had done theyshouted for joy, and carried him back in triumph to thepalace; and the king declared that as the youth hadshown himself worthy to become his son-in-law, heshould marry the princess and succeed to the throne atonce, as he himself was getting old, and the cares ofgovernment were too much for him. But the young mansaid he must first go and see his mother, and the king senthim in state, with a troop of soldiers as his bodyguard. The old woman was quite frightened at seeing suchan array draw up before her little house, and still moresurprised when a handsome young man, whom she didnot know, dismounted and kissed her hand, saying : * Now,dear mother, you shall hear my secret at last! I dreamedthat I should become King of Hungary, and my dreamhas come true. When I was a child, a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear190
