dawn on her face, tears flowing in her eyes, falling like pearls.
The Tsar looked and was amazed, and was wroth with the wicked sisters. He asked the fair maiden, "Where are your saucer and the crystal apple?"
Then she took the little coffer out of her father's hands, took out the apple and the saucer, and herself asked the Tsar, "What do you want to see, O Tsar my Emperor? Would you like to see your powerful cities, your valorous hosts, your ships on the sea, or the wonderful stars of the sky?" And she let the crystal apple roll about on the silver saucer, and on the saucer one after the other all the towns appeared in their shape; all the regiments with their banners and their arquebuses standing in warlike array, the leaders in front of the lines and the colonels in front of the platoons and the sergeants in front of their companies. And the guns fired and the shots flew, and the smoke wreathed and writhed: it was all visible to the eye. Then again the apple rolled about on the saucer, the crystal on the silver, and the sea could be seen billowing on the shore, and the ships swimming like swans, flags flying, issuing from the stern, and the noise of guns and cannon-smoke arriving like wreaths, all visible to the eye. Then again the apple rolled on the saucer, the crystal on the silver, and the sky was red on the saucer, and little sun after little sun made its round, and the stars gathered on their dance. The Tsar was amazed at this wonder.
But the fair maiden was lost in tears and fell down at the Tsar's feet and begged for mercy, saying, "Tsar, your Majesty," she said, "take my silver saucer and crystal apple if you will only forgive my sisters, and do not destroy them for my sake."
And the Tsar was melted by her tears and pardoned them at her request. She for sheer joy shouted out and fell upon her sisters. The Tsar looked round, was
