asked the soldier.
  "She is not to be seen at all," they said; "she lives in a largecopper castle, surrounded by walls and towers. No one but the kinghimself can pass in or out, for there has been a prophecy that shewill marry a common soldier, and the king cannot bear to think of sucha marriage."
  "I should like very much to see her," thought the soldier; buthe could not obtain permission to do so. However, he passed a verypleasant time; went to the theatre, drove in the king's garden, andgave a great deal of money to the poor, which was very good of him; heremembered what it had been in olden times to be without a shilling.Now he was rich, had fine clothes, and many friends, who alldeclared he was a fine fellow and a real gentleman, and all thisgratified him exceedingly. But his money would not last forever; andas he spent and gave away a great deal daily, and received none, hefound himself at last with only two shillings left. So he wasobliged to leave his elegant rooms, and live in a little garretunder the roof, where he had to clean his own boots, and even mendthem with a large needle. None of his friends came to see him, therewere too many stairs to mount up. One dark evening, he had not evena penny to buy a candle; then all at once he remembered that there wasa piece of candle stuck in the tinder-box, which he had brought fromthe old tree, into which the witch had helped him.
  He found the tinder-box, but no sooner had he struck a fewsparks from the flint and steel, than the door flew open and the dogwith eyes as big as teacups, whom he had seen while down in thetree, stood before him, and said, "What orders, master?"
  "Hallo," said the soldier; "well this is a pleasant tinderbox,if it brings me all I wish for."
  "Bring me some money," said he to the dog.
  He was gone in a moment, and presently returned, carrying alarge bag of coppers in his month. The soldier very soon discoveredafter this the value of the tinder-box. If he struck the flint once,the dog who sat on the chest of copper money made his appearance; iftwice, the dog came from the chest of silver; and if three times,the dog with eyes like towers, who watched over the gold. Thesoldier had now plenty of money; he returned to his elegant rooms, andreappeared in his fine clothes, so that his friends knew him againdirectly, and made as much of him as before.
  After a while he began to think it was very strange that no onecould get a look at the princess. "Every one says she is verybeautiful," thought he to himself; "but what is the use of that if sheis to be shut up in a copper castle surrounded by so many towers.Can I by any means get to see her. Stop! where is my tinder-box?" Thenhe struck a light, and in a moment the dog, with eyes as big asteacups, stood before him.
  "It is midnight," said the soldier, "yet I should very much liketo see the princess, if only for a moment."
  The dog disappeared instantly, and before the soldier could evenlook round, he returned with the princess. She was lying on thedog's back asleep, and looked so lovely, that every one who saw herwould know she was a real princess. The soldier could not help kissingher, true soldier as he was. Then the dog ran back with theprincess; but in the morning, while at breakfast with the king andqueen, she told them what a singular dream she had had during thenight, of a dog and a soldier, that she had ridden on the dog'sback, and been kissed by the soldier.
  "That is a very pretty story, indeed," said the queen. So the nextnight one of the old ladies of the court was set to watch by theprincess's bed, to discover whether it really was a dream, or whatelse it might be.
  The soldier longed very much to see the princess once more, sohe sent for the dog again in the night to fetch her, and to run withher as fast as ever he could. But the old lady put on water boots, andran after him as quickly as he did, and found that he carried theprincess into a large house. She thought it would help her to rememberthe place if she made a large cross on the door with a piece of chalk.Then she went home to bed, and the dog presently returned with theprincess. But when he saw that a cross had been made on the door ofthe house, where the soldier lived, he took another piece of chalk andmade crosses on all the doors in the town, so that the lady-in-waitingmight not be able to find out the right door.
  Early the next morning the king and queen accompanied the lady andall the officers of the household, to see where the princess had been.
  "Here it is," said the king, when they came to the first door witha cross on it.
  No, my dear husband, it must be that one," said the queen,pointing to a second door having a cross also.
  "And here is one, and there is another!"