One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and wentout to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a coolspring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself downto rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was herfavourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, andcatching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high thatshe missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded away, and rolledalong upon the ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. Theprincess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was very deep, sodeep that she could not see the bottom of it. Then she began to bewailher loss, and said, 'Alas! if I could only get my ball again, I wouldgive all my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in theworld.'

Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, and said,'Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?' 'Alas!' said she, 'what can youdo for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.'The frog said, 'I want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes;but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from offyour golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring you your ballagain.' 'What nonsense,' thought the princess, 'this silly frog istalking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me, thoughhe may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him heshall have what he asks.' So she said to the frog, 'Well, if you willbring me my ball, I will do all you ask.' Then the frog put his headdown, and dived deep under the water; and after a little while he cameup again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the edge of thespring. As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pickit up; and she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that shenever thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could.The frog called after her, 'Stay, princess, and take me with you as yousaid,' But she did not stop to hear a word.

The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard astrange noise--tap, tap--plash, plash--as if something was coming up themarble staircase: and soon afterwards there was a gentle knock at thedoor, and a little voice cried out and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she sawthe frog, whom she had quite forgotten. At this sight she was sadlyfrightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could came back to herseat. The king, her father, seeing that something had frightened her,asked her what was the matter. 'There is a nasty frog,' said she, 'atthe door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning: Itold him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could neverget out of the spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to comein.'

While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

Then the king said to the young princess, 'As you have given your wordyou must keep it; so go and let him in.' She did so, and the frog hoppedinto the room, and then straight on--tap, tap--plash, plash--from thebottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to the table wherethe princess sat. 'Pray lift me upon chair,' said he to the princess,'and let me sit next to you.' As soon as she had done this, the frogsaid, 'Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat out of it.' Thisshe did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said, 'Now I amtired; carry me upstairs, and put me into your bed.' And the princess,though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put him upon thepillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long. As soon as it waslight he jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went out of the house.'Now, then,' thought the princess, 'at last he is gone, and I shall betroubled with him no more.'

But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the sametapping at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept uponher pillow as before, till the morning broke. And the third night he didthe same. But when the princess awoke on the following morning she wasastonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince, gazing on herwith the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, and standing at the headof her bed.

He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy, who hadchanged him into a frog; and that he had been fated so to abide tillsome princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat fromher plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights. 'You,' said theprince, 'have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish forbut that you should go with me into my father's kingdom, where I willmarry you, and love you as long as you live.'

The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in saying 'Yes' toall this; and as they spoke a gay coach drove up, with eight beautifulhorses, decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness; and behindthe coach rode the prince's servant, faithful Heinrich, who had bewailedthe misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and sobitterly, that his heart had well-nigh burst.

They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach with eighthorses, and all set out, full of joy and merriment, for the prince'skingdom, which they reached safely; and there they lived happily a greatmany years.