"What are we to do with our daughter?" said the king to the queen, "for although the injury to her heart amounts only to a crack at present, this may increase to a decided fracture."
But the princess begged them not to worry themselves about her.
"For you know," said she, "it's the cracked pitcher that goes oftenest to the well."
Meanwhile the youngest daughter grew up, and became a most beautiful as well as a most remarkably clever girl; and many a handsome and wealthy prince from distant lands came to ask for her fair hand. But the old king did not forget the bitter experiences he had had with his two elder girls.
"I have only one daughter left with a whole heart, and hers is also of glass. Therefore, if I give her in marriage to anyone, it must be to a king who is at the same time a glazier, and who understands how to treat an article so fragile; so that, in case of accidents, he would know how to rivet the cracks."
Unfortunately, none of the young princes and nobles who had come as suitors to the princess knew anything at all about how to rivet broken glass, and were none of them glaziers by profession, so they had to return to their native lands miserable and disappointed lovers.
Among the royal pages in the palace was one whose term as page was shortly to expire. He had still to carry the train of the youngest princess three times, and after that he was to be promoted to a full-blown courtier.
On the first occasion when the page had to carry the young princess's train, she glanced at him, and as their eyes met she blushed. When next he carried her train, she waved her hand to him at parting, and the unfortunate youth was unable to sleep the whole of that night in consequence!
The third time when the young fellow bore the princess's train, the king came forward to meet them half way, and dismissed the page, saying—
"You have done your duty now, young man, and you may go. I thank you, and have also to congratulate you on your promotion."
With that the king turned and walked away, while the princess bent forward to where the page stood, and said—
"You carried my train so beautifully."
"You carried my train so beautifully better than anyone else! Oh, why are you not a king and a glazier?"
The unfortunate young man felt so confused, as well as delighted, that he was unable to utter a word in reply. He managed, however, to make a very graceful and polite bow. When the princess had left him, he ran as hard as ever he could to the nearest glazier, and asked him whether he was in need of a foreman.
"Yes," replied the other; "but you will have to work four years with me before you can be foreman. At first you must be a sort of errand boy, and go to the baker's to fetch me my bread; and also look after my children, wash them, and dress them. Secondly, you must learn how to putty the cracks; thirdly, you will have to learn how to cut the glass and fix in windows; and after that, in the fourth year, you shall be my foreman."
The page thought this would take rather too long, so he asked the glazier whether he could not possibly begin with cutting the glass and fixing windows, and leave out the rest, so as to get on quicker. But the glazier shook his head, and assured the young fellow that every good glazier had to begin his career from the beginning, or
