Kabanata Kabanata 113 · The Old Woman in the Wood

. The Old Woman in the Wood

A poor servant-girl was once travelling with the family with which she

was in service, through a great forest, and when they were in the midst

of it, robbers came out of the thicket, and murdered all they found.

All perished together except the girl, who had jumped out of the

carriage in a fright, and hidden herself behind a tree. When the

robbers had gone away with their booty, she came out and beheld the

great disaster. Then she began to weep bitterly, and said, “What can a

poor girl like me do now? I do not know how to get out of the forest,

no human being lives in it, so I must certainly starve.” She walked

about and looked for a road, but could find none. When it was evening

she seated herself under a tree, gave herself into God’s keeping, and

resolved to sit waiting there and not go away, let what might happen.

When, however, she had sat there for a while, a white dove came flying

to her with a little golden key in its mouth. It put the little key in

her hand, and said, “Dost thou see that great tree, therein is a little

lock, it opens with the tiny key, and there thou wilt find food enough,

and suffer no more hunger.” Then she went to the tree and opened it,

and found milk in a little dish, and white bread to break into it, so

that she could eat her fill. When she was satisfied, she said, “It is

now the time when the hens at home go to roost, I am so tired I could

go to bed too.” Then the dove flew to her again, and brought another

golden key in its bill, and said, “Open that tree there, and thou willt

find a bed.” So she opened it, and found a beautiful white bed, and she

prayed God to protect her during the night, and lay down and slept. In

the morning the dove came for the third time, and again brought a

little key, and said, “Open that tree there, and thou wilt find

clothes.” And when she opened it, she found garments beset with gold

and with jewels, more splendid than those of any king’s daughter. So

she lived there for some time, and the dove came every day and provided

her with all she needed, and it was a quiet good life.

Once, however, the dove came and said, “Wilt thou do something for my

sake?” “With all my heart,” said the girl. Then said the little dove,

“I will guide thee to a small house; enter it, and inside it, an old

woman will be sitting by the fire and will say, ‘Good-day.’ But on thy

life give her no answer, let her do what she will, but pass by her on

the right side; further on, there is a door, which open, and thou wilt

enter into a room where a quantity of rings of all kinds are lying,

amongst which are some magnificent ones with shining stones; leave

them, however, where they are, and seek out a plain one, which must

likewise be amongst them, and bring it here to me as quickly as thou

canst.” The girl went to the little house, and came to the door. There

sat an old woman who stared when she saw her, and said, “Good-day my

child.” The girl gave her no answer, and opened the door. “Whither

away,” cried the old woman, and seized her by the gown, and wanted to

hold her fast, saying, “That is my house; no one can go in there if I

choose not to allow it.” But the girl was silent, got away from her,

and went straight into the room. Now there lay on the table an enormous

quantity of rings, which gleamed and glittered before her eyes. She

turned them over and looked for the plain one, but could not find it.

While she was seeking, she saw the old woman and how she was stealing

away, and wanting to get off with a bird-cage which she had in her

hand. So she went after her and took the cage out of her hand, and when

she raised it up and looked into it, a bird was inside which had the

plain ring in its bill. Then she took the ring, and ran quite joyously

home with it, and thought the little white dove would come and get the

ring, but it did not. Then she leant against a tree and determined to

wait for the dove, and, as she thus stood, it seemed just as if the

tree was soft and pliant, and was letting its branches down. And

suddenly the branches twined around her, and were two arms, and when

she looked round, the tree was a handsome man, who embraced and kissed

her heartily, and said, “Thou hast delivered me from the power of the

old woman, who is a wicked witch. She had changed me into a tree, and

every day for two hours I was a white dove, and so long as she

possessed the ring I could not regain my human form.” Then his servants

and his horses, who had likewise been changed into trees, were freed

from the enchantment also, and stood beside him. And he led them forth

to his kingdom, for he was a King’s son, and they married, and lived

happily.