OCR Output

264 GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES.

brought up the key from the bottom, The third thing that
had to be done was the most difficult, and that was to choose
out the youngest and loveliest of the three princesses, as they
lay sleeping. All bore a perfect resemblance each to the
other, and only differed in this, that before they went to sleep
each one had eaten a different sweetmeat,—the eldest a piece
of sugar, the second a little syrup, and the third a spoonful of
honey. Now the Queen-bee of those bees that Witling
had protected from the fire came at this moment, and trying
the lips of all three, settled on those of the one that had eaten
honey, and so it was that the king’s son knew which to choose.
Then the spell was broken; every one awoke from stony sleep,
and took their right form again.

And Witling married the youngest and loveliest princess,
and became king after her father’s death. But his two brothers
had to put up with the two other sisters.