women, and she was dressed and clad like a princess; but for all they washed and dressed her, she was still as ugly and black as ever.
After a while the kitchen-maid was to go to the dam to fetch water, and then she caught a great silver fish in her bucket. She bore it up to the palace, and showed it to the king, and he thought it grand and fine; but the ugly princess said it was some witchcraft, and they must burn it, for she soon saw what it was. Well! the fish was burnt, and next morning they found a lump of silver in the ashes. So the cook came and told it to the king, and he thought it passing strange; but the princess said it was all witchcraft, and bade them bury it in the dung-heap. The king was much against it; but she left him neither rest nor peace, and so he said at last they might do it.
But lo! next day stood a tall lovely linden tree on the spot where they had buried the lump of silver, and that linden had leaves which gleamed like silver. So when they told the king that, he thought it passing strange; but the princess said it was nothing but witchcraft, and they must cut down the linden at once. The king was against that; but the princess plagued him so long that at last he had to give way to her in this also.
But lo! when the lasses went out to gather the chips of the linden to light the fires, they were pure silver.
"It isn't worth while," one of them said, "to say anything about this to the king or the princess, or else they too will be burnt and melted. It is better to hide them in our drawers. They will be good to have when a lover comes, and we are going to marry."
