The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics) by Franz Xaver von Schonwerth Page A

the house, and the children were so sure that some work was coming their way that they almost flew out of the house. The squire in the coach saw the boy right away, but the girl was shy and remained hidden behind the door. The boy asked the squire if he needed a coachman, and he replied: “Yes, of course I could use a coachman. Pack up your belongings, and you can start work right away.” The boy was beside himself with joy, even though he felt sad about leaving his sister all alone. But he promised her that he would never abandon her. She gave him a miniature portrait of herself, and they took leave of each other with tears in their eyes. The coach hurtled off and was gone in a flash.
    Late in the evening the coach pulled up to the squire’s castle. The squire showed the boy his room, and he unpacked the few things he had with him. He hung the picture of his sister on the wall. Every night he prayed that she would not come to any harm.
    The squire observed this habit, and one day he asked about the portrait in his room. “It’s a likeness of my beloved sister. And every night I pray that she will stay happy and healthy and that no one will harm her.” The squire wanted to take a closer look at the image, and the boy gave it to him, but not without some reluctance. The man gazed at the face for awhile and then said: “If your sister is really as beautiful as she looks in this portrait, I want her to be my wife. But if the portrait is not a faithful likeness, I’ll lock her up in a tower.” The boy told him that his sister was even more beautiful than the portrait, and with great excitement he prepared the horses for the journey back home.
    The squire’s mother had a malicious old chambermaid, who was known to be an evil witch. She slipped into the carriage unbeknownst to anyone and was filled with envy when she witnessed the joy of the reunited siblings. For the return trip the young woman was wearing her most beautiful garments and was seated next to the chambermaid, to whom no one had paid any attention. Her brother said from the driver’s seat: “Don’t stick your head out the window or you might get scratched by the branches!”
    The girl couldn’t hear what he was saying and asked: “What did you say?”
    “You should stick your head out the window,” the old woman said. “There are marvelous birds flying overhead.” The girl put her head out the window, and some twigs and branches scratched her beautiful face.
    The horses took the carriage past a pond, and the boy said to his sister: “Don’t lean out the window or you might fall into the water.”
    “What did you say?” she asked.
    “You should lean out the window,” the old witch said. “Some beautiful little fish are swimming in the pond.” The girl leaned out the window, and the old woman pushed her so hard that she fell out of the carriage and into the water. The boy never saw a thing.
    When the coach pulled up to the castle, the squire was eager to see his bride, but no one was in the carriage except for the witch, who had made herself invisible. The enraged squire threw the boy into a dungeon and hung the portrait by the hearth. At night a guard saw someone come into the room and speak to the mirror on the wall:
    “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, the parting was sweet, and now I bring greetings. Tell me where my brother has gone.”
    “He’s lying hidden in the squire’s dungeon.”
    “Where is my portrait?”
    “It’s by the hearth out in the open.”
    “Where is the old chambermaid?”
    “She’s asleep in the squire’s bed.”
    The next morning, the terrified guard reported everything he had heard. The squire had two men stand watch the next evening, and they reported exactly what the first guard had seen. “Tonight and tomorrow night I will keep watch with you,” the squire said, and he sat down in front of the mirror, sword in hand, and waited. When the clock struck eleven, a form appeared before the mirror and spoke the