Atondido Stories
the throne, the wicked gipsy combed out the golden tresses and
plaited them and arranged them until the queen fell sound
asleep. Then the gipsy took the pin and stuck it into the queen’s
head. Instantly a beautiful white dove flew off the golden throne
and not a trace was left of the lovely queen except her rich cloth-
ing. The gipsy dressed herself in this, sat in the queen’s place,
and gazed down into the lake. But in the lake no lovely reflection
showed itself, for even in the queen’s clothes the gipsy remained
a gipsy.
The young king waged a successful war against his enemies
and made peace. Scarcely had he got home when he hurried to
the garden to see whether anything had happened to his heart’s
delight. Who can express in words his astonishment and horror
when instead of his beautiful wife he saw the evil gipsy!
“Ah, my dearest one, how you have changed!” he murmured
and tears flowed down his cheeks.
“Yes, my dear, I have changed, I know I have,” the gipsy an-
swered. “It was grief for you that has broken me.”
She tried to fall on his neck but the king turned quickly away
and left her.
From that time forth he had no peace but day and night he
mourned the lost beauty of his wife and nothing consoled him.
Grieving in this way and thinking always the same sad thoughts,
he was walking one day in the garden when suddenly a beauti-
ful white dove flew down from a high tree and alighted on his
hand. She looked up at him with eyes as mournful as his own.
“Ah, my poor dove,” the king said, “why are you so sad? Has
your mate also changed?”
As he spoke he stroked the dove gently on the back and on
the head. On the head he felt a little lump. He blew aside the
feathers and discovered the head of a pin. He pulled out the pin
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