There was once a miller who had one beautiful daughter, and as she wasgrown up, he was anxious that she should be well married and providedfor. He said to himself, 'I will give her to the first suitable man whocomes and asks for her hand.' Not long after a suitor appeared, and ashe appeared to be very rich and the miller could see nothing in him withwhich to find fault, he betrothed his daughter to him. But the girl didnot care for the man as a girl ought to care for her betrothed husband.She did not feel that she could trust him, and she could not look at himnor think of him without an inward shudder. One day he said to her, 'Youhave not yet paid me a visit, although we have been betrothed for sometime.' 'I do not know where your house is,' she answered. 'My house isout there in the dark forest,' he said. She tried to excuse herself bysaying that she would not be able to find the way thither. Her betrothedonly replied, 'You must come and see me next Sunday; I have alreadyinvited guests for that day, and that you may not mistake the way, Iwill strew ashes along the path.'

When Sunday came, and it was time for the girl to start, a feeling ofdread came over her which she could not explain, and that she mightbe able to find her path again, she filled her pockets with peas andlentils to sprinkle on the ground as she went along. On reaching theentrance to the forest she found the path strewed with ashes, and theseshe followed, throwing down some peas on either side of her at everystep she took. She walked the whole day until she came to the deepest,darkest part of the forest. There she saw a lonely house, looking sogrim and mysterious, that it did not please her at all. She steppedinside, but not a soul was to be seen, and a great silence reignedthroughout. Suddenly a voice cried:

'Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair, Linger not in this murderers' lair.'

The girl looked up and saw that the voice came from a bird hanging in acage on the wall. Again it cried:

'Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair, Linger not in this murderers' lair.'

The girl passed on, going from room to room of the house, but they wereall empty, and still she saw no one. At last she came to the cellar,and there sat a very, very old woman, who could not keep her head fromshaking. 'Can you tell me,' asked the girl, 'if my betrothed husbandlives here?'

'Ah, you poor child,' answered the old woman, 'what a place for you tocome to! This is a murderers' den. You think yourself a promised bride,and that your marriage will soon take place, but it is with death thatyou will keep your marriage feast. Look, do you see that large cauldronof water which I am obliged to keep on the fire! As soon as they haveyou in their power they will kill you without mercy, and cook and eatyou, for they are eaters of men. If I did not take pity on you and saveyou, you would be lost.'

Thereupon the old woman led her behind a large cask, which quite hid herfrom view. 'Keep as still as a mouse,' she said; 'do not move or speak,or it will be all over with you. Tonight, when the robbers areall asleep, we will flee together. I have long been waiting for anopportunity to escape.'

The words were hardly out of her mouth when the godless crew returned,dragging another young girl along with them. They were all drunk, andpaid no heed to her cries and lamentations. They gave her wine to drink,three glasses full, one of white wine, one of red, and one of yellow,and with that her heart gave way and she died. Then they tore off herdainty clothing, laid her on a table, and cut her beautiful body intopieces, and sprinkled salt upon it.

The poor betrothed girl crouched trembling and shuddering behind thecask, for she saw what a terrible fate had been intended for her bythe robbers. One of them now noticed a gold ring still remaining onthe little finger of the murdered girl, and as he could not draw it offeasily, he took a hatchet and cut off the finger; but the finger spranginto the air, and fell behind the cask into the lap of the girl who washiding there. The robber took a light and began looking for it, but hecould not find it. 'Have you looked behind the large cask?' said one ofthe others. But the old woman called out, 'Come and eat your suppers,and let the thing be till tomorrow; the finger won't run away.'

'The old woman is right,' said the robbers, and they ceased looking forthe finger and sat down.

The old woman then mixed a sleeping draught with their wine, and beforelong they were all lying on the floor of the cellar, fast asleep andsnoring. As soon as the girl was assured of this, she came from behindthe cask. She was obliged to step over the bodies of the sleepers, whowere lying close together, and every moment she was filled with reneweddread lest she should awaken them. But God helped her, so that shepassed safely over them, and then she and the old woman went upstairs,opened the door, and hastened as fast as they could from the murderers'den. They found the ashes scattered by the wind, but the peas andlentils had sprouted, and grown sufficiently above the ground, to guidethem in the moonlight along the path. All night long they walked, and itwas morning before they reached the mill. Then the girl told her fatherall that had happened.

The day came that had been fixed for the marriage. The bridegroomarrived and also a large company of guests, for the miller had takencare to invite all his friends and relations. As they sat at the feast,each guest in turn was asked to tell a tale; the bride sat still and didnot say a word.

'And you, my love,' said the bridegroom, turning to her, 'is there notale you know? Tell us something.'

'I will tell you a dream, then,' said the bride. 'I went alone through aforest and came at last to a house; not a soul could I find within, buta bird that was hanging in a cage on the wall cried:

'Turn back, turn back, young maiden fair, Linger not in this murderers' lair.'

and again a second time it said these words.'

'My darling, this is only a dream.'

'I went on through the house from room to room, but they were all empty,and everything was so grim and mysterious. At last I went down to thecellar, and there sat a very, very old woman, who could not keep herhead still. I asked her if my betrothed lived here, and she answered,"Ah, you poor child, you are come to a murderers' den; your betrotheddoes indeed live here, but he will kill you without mercy and afterwardscook and eat you."'

'My darling, this is only a dream.'

'The old woman hid me behind a large cask, and scarcely had she donethis when the robbers returned home, dragging a young girl along withthem. They gave her three kinds of wine to drink, white, red, andyellow, and with that she died.'

'My darling, this is only a dream.'

'Then they tore off her dainty clothing, and cut her beautiful body intopieces and sprinkled salt upon it.'

'My darling, this is only a dream.'

'And one of the robbers saw that there was a gold ring still left on herfinger, and as it was difficult to draw off, he took a hatchet and cutoff her finger; but the finger sprang into the air and fell behind thegreat cask into my lap. And here is the finger with the ring.' Andwith these words the bride drew forth the finger and shewed it to theassembled guests.

The bridegroom, who during this recital had grown deadly pale, up andtried to escape, but the guests seized him and held him fast. Theydelivered him up to justice, and he and all his murderous band werecondemned to death for their wicked deeds.