in the morning on whose branch grapes will be found, him she must take for her husband."

The princess

They all agreed to this proposition. planted three branches of vine in the garden, and named each one after a suitor. In the morning there were grapes on the vine of the poor man. The king not knowing how to get out of this difficulty, was obliged to give his daughter to the youngest brother for wife; he took them at once to church and married them. After the ceremony, the angel took the newly-married couple to a forest and left them there, and they lived in that forest one year.

When the year was up, the angel was again commanded to go and see how the brothers were living, and to assist them if they needed it. Having descended to the earth the angel again assumed the shape of a beggar, went to the eldest brother where the wine was flowing in the stream, and begged him for a glass of wine; but the man drove him away, saying,—

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If I were to give a glass of wine to everybody that asks for it, there would be nothing left for me."

When the angel heard this he made the sign of the cross with his staff, and the water flowed again in the stream as before; then he said to the eldest brother,

"Riches were not good for you; go home and attend to your pear-tree again."

Then the angel went to the second brother whose sheep covered the field, and begged him for a piece of cheese; he also drove the angel away, saying,

"If I were to give a piece of cheese to everybody that asks for it, there would be nothing left for me."

When the angel heard this he made the sign of the cross with his staff, and the sheep changed into pigeons again; then the angel said to him,—

"Riches were not good for you; go home and attend to your pear-tree again.”

The angel

At last the angel went to the youngest brother in order to see how he was getting on, and he found him living with his wife in a poor hut in the forest. asked him for a night's lodging, and they received him with all their hearts, and begged him to excuse them that they could not entertain him as they wished, "for" they added, "we are very poor." And the angel answered them, "Never mind; I shall be satisfied with whatever it is."

What were they to do? They had no corn to make bread with, but they used to pound the bark of trees and make bread of it. Such bread the woman prepared also for the visitor, and put it under an earthen cover to bake.

Whilst the bread was baking they entertained the visitor with conversation. When, some time afterwards, they looked to see whether the bread was baked yet, they

found under the cover fine bread nicely baked-one could not wish for better, and it had even risen up under the cover; when the man and his wife saw it they lifted up their hands to heaven, and said,

O Lord, receive our thanks! Now we can entertain our visitor."

Then they put the bread before the angel and a gourdbottle with water; but as soon as they began to drink out of it, the water was changed into wine. Hereupon the angel made the sign of the cross with his staff over the hut, and in its place there arose a princely palace with plenty of all good things in it. Then the angel blessed the man and his wife, and departed from them, and they lived happily until their lives' end.