cried themother stork. "Oh, tell me all about it; you know I cannot bear tobe kept waiting at a time when I am hatching eggs."
  "Well, you see, mother," he replied, "she believed what thedoctors said, and what I have heard you state also, that themoor-flowers which grow about here would heal her sick father; and shehas flown to the north in swan's plumage, in company with some otherswan-princesses, who come to these parts every year to renew theiryouth. She came, and where is she now!"
  "You enter into particulars too much," said the mamma stork,"and the eggs may take cold; I cannot bear such suspense as this."
  "Well," said he, "I have kept watch; and this evening I went amongthe rushes where I thought the marshy ground would bear me, andwhile I was there three swans came. Something in their manner offlying seemed to say to me, 'Look carefully now; there is one notall swan, only swan's feathers.' You know, mother, you have the sameintuitive feeling that I have; you know whether a thing is right ornot immediately."
  "Yes, of course," said she; "but tell me about the princess; Iam tired of hearing about the swan's feathers."
  "Well, you know that in the middle of the moor there issomething like a lake," said the stork-papa. "You can see the edgeof it if you raise yourself a little. Just there, by the reeds and thegreen banks, lay the trunk of an elder-tree; upon this the three swansstood flapping their wings, and looking about them; one of themthrew off her plumage, and I immediately recognized her as one ofthe princesses of our home in Egypt. There she sat, without anycovering but her long, black hair. I heard her tell the two othersto take great care of the swan's plumage, while she dipped down intothe water to pluck the flowers which she fancied she saw there. Theothers nodded, and picked up the feather dress, and took possession ofit. I wonder what will become of it? thought I, and she most likelyasked herself the same question. If so, she received an answer, a verypractical one; for the two swans rose up and flew away with her swan'splumage. 'Dive down now!' they cried; 'thou shalt never more fly inthe swan's plumage, thou shalt never again see Egypt; here, on themoor, thou wilt remain.' So saying, they tore the swan's plumageinto a thousand pieces, the feathers drifted about like a snow-shower,and then the two deceitful princesses flew away."
  "Why, that is terrible," said the stork-mamma; "I feel as if Icould hardly bear to hear any more, but you must tell me what happenednext."
  "The princess wept and lamented aloud; her tears moistened theelder stump, which was really not an elder stump but the Marsh Kinghimself, he who in marshy ground lives and rules. I saw myself how thestump of the tree turned round, and was a tree no more, while long,clammy branches like arms, were extended from it. Then the poorchild was terribly frightened, and started up to run away. Shehastened to cross the green, slimy ground; but it will not bear anyweight, much less hers. She quickly sank, and the elder stump divedimmediately after her; in fact, it was he who drew her down. Greatblack bubbles rose up out of the moor-slime, and with these everytrace of the two vanished. And now the princess is buried in thewild marsh, she will never now carry flowers to Egypt to cure herfather. It would have broken your heart, mother, had you seen it."
  "You ought not to have told me," said she, "at such a time asthis; the eggs might suffer. But I think the princess will soon findhelp; some one will rise up to help her. Ah!