THE MIDNIGHT DANCE
Once upon a time there was a king who was a widower. He had twelve daughters: each was fairer than the others. Every night these princesses went where nobody knew: it was only for twenty-four hours, and they always wore out a new pair of shoes. Now the king had no shoes ready for them, and he wanted to know where they went at night and what they did. So he made a feast ready, and he summoned all the kings and korolévichi, all the boyárs, and the merchants and the simple folk, to it, and he asked them, "Can any of you guess this riddle? Whoever guesses it I will give him my beloved daughter as a wife and a half of my kingdom as a dowry."
No one was able to find out where the princesses went at night. Only one poor nobleman cried out, "Your kingly Majesty, I will find out!"
"Very well; go and find out."
So then the poor nobleman began pondering and saying to himself, "What have I done? I have undertaken to find out, and I don't know myself. If I don't find out now, possibly the king will put me under arrest."
So he went out of the palace beyond the city, and went on and on, and at last he met an old woman on the road who asked him, "What are you thinking of, doughty youth?"
And he answered, "How should I, Bábushka, not become thoughtful? I have undertaken to discover for the king where his daughters go by night."
"Oh, this is a difficult task, but it can be done. Here,
