STORY OF

VASILISA WITH THE GOLDEN TRESS,

AND OF IVAN THE PEA.

(FROM THE RUSSIAN.)

MANY years ago there lived a very celebrated czar. He had two sons and a beautiful daughter. This daughter lived in a high tower until she was twenty years of age. She was much beloved by the czar and czarina, and was a great favourite with her nurses and waiting-women. But not a single prince or knight had seen her, as she was never allowed to leave the tower, or to breathe the air of freedom. Her name was Vasilisa with the Golden Tress.

Vasilisa had many handsome dresses and rich jewels, but she was weary of them; the tower was confined, and sad and oppressed, she sighed for a change of scene. She had long, thick hair, of a golden hue, which was

plaited into a single tress reaching to her feet: hence she was called Vasilisa with the Golden Tress.

News flies quickly over the wide world. Many czars, hearing of the princess's beauty, sent ambassadors to her father with offers of marriage. The czar was in no hurry; but when the proper time arrived, he sent messengers to all parts of the world to announce that the Princess Vasilisa would select a husband, and he therefore invited czars and princes to his court. Then he went to the tower, and told the beautiful Vasilisa what he had done.

The princess was greatly pleased, and looking through the golden bars of her chamber on to the beautiful garden full of flowers, she asked permission to go there with her maids to play.

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Father," she said, I have never seen God's world, nor walked on the grass, nor among the flowers; nor have I ever seen your royal palace. Allow me to play in the garden with my nurses and maids."

The czar gave his permission at once. The beautiful Vasilisa descended from the high tower, and went into the courtyard; the door was opened, and the princess found herself in a green meadow which gradually rose to a steep hill; the hill was covered with trees, and the meadow with many coloured flowers. The princess plucked the lovely flowers as she went on, and ran a

little in advance of her attendants. All at once there arose a strong wind, such as was neither known nor heard of before, such a wind as was never remembered by the oldest people,-it blew a perfect hurricane. In a moment the wind lifted the princess up and carried her away. The attendants screamed; some ran away in terror, others looked helplessly around them, and saw how the wind bore the beautiful Vasilisa with the Golden Tress out of their sight. It carried her over many countries and deep rivers, through three kingdoms into a fourth, which belonged to a terrible dragon.

The women ran into the palace, and falling on their knees before the czar, cried piteously,

"Have mercy, and do not punish us! The wind has carried away our light-the beautiful Vasilisa with the Golden Tress-we know not whither!" And they told him all that had happened. The czar was very angry with them, and deeply grieved at the loss of his daughter; nevertheless, he forgave them all. On the following morning the foreign princes arrived, and seeing what grief was depicted on the czar's countenance, they enquired the cause of it.

"Woe is me!" cried the unhappy czar, "the wind has carried away my dear daughter Vasilisa with the Golden Tress, and I know not whither she has gone!" And he told them all that had happened.

When the princes heard this story they thought the czar had changed his mind, and no longer wished his daughter to marry; they therefore hastened into the tower formerly occupied by the princess, and searched everywhere, but could not find her.

The czar dismissed his visitors with all due honour, and gave a rich present to each of them; they mounted their horses and returned to their own countries.

The two young princes, brothers of Vasilisa, seeing the tears of their father and mother, said to them,

"Father, and you, mother, give us your blessing, and permit us to go in search of your daughter and our sister."

"My dear sons," cried the afflicted czar, "where would you go?"

"We will go, father, in every direction; wherever the road will take us,-where the birds fly, and our eyes will guide us. Perhaps we shall find her."

The czar blessed them, and the czarina made everything ready for their journey; they all wept at parting, and then the princes set forth on their search. But whether they would have to travel near or far; whether for a long or a short time, the princes knew not.

They travelled for one year, they travelled for two years, and they passed through three kingdoms. Then, at a distance, they could see dark, high mountains, and

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among them a sandy wilderness, which was the country of the Dragon. The princes asked everywhere of those who passed by,—

66 'Have you heard or seen where the Princess Vasilisa with the Golden Tress is ?" Everywhere the people answered, "We have neither seen nor heard where she is." Having thus replied, they went on their way.

The princes approached a large town; on the road thither they saw an old, lame man on crutches, carrying a wallet, who asked them for alms. The princes stopped, gave him some silver money, and enquired whether he had seen, or heard of, the Princess Vasilisa, the Unveiled Beauty with the Golden Tress.

"My young friends," answered the old man, "I see you are wanderers from a foreign land. Our czar, the Dragon, has forbidden us to talk with strangers. We may not tell to any one that the wind has brought a beautiful princess to this town.”

When the princes heard that their sister was so near to them, they spurred their flagging steeds and galloped to the palace. It was truly a palace! It stood on a single silver pillar, and was made all of pure gold; the roof which covered it was of precious stones. The stairs leading to the entrance door spread out like two wings, but ran into one at the top; they were made of rare pearls. At that moment the beautiful Vasilisa was