The Three Little Men in the Wood

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It was still winter, and still very cold,  One bitter morning the stepmother took a fishing net, hung it on the shoulder of the man's daughter, gave her an axe, and told her to go to the frozen pond, cut a hole in the ice try to net some fish.

As usual the girl did as she was told, She went down to the pond, and, swinging the heavy axe as well as she could, she cut an ice-hole. As she had just finished cutting and was letting the net down through the hole, a splendid carriage came by, and who should be inside it but the King.

"My poor child, who are you, and what are you doing here?"

“Iam fishing with a net," said she, "to try to catch fish for my stepmother."

The King was sorry for her, and when he heard how nicely she spoke, and saw how beautiful she was, he asked her if she would like to get into the carriage with him and come to Court?

"With all my heart," answered the girl.

Well, they drove and they drove, and with every mile the King loved her more, and the end of it was that, not long after they got to the palace, he asked her to marry him and when she agreed the wedding was celebrated with great splendour. This, if you remember, was just what the third dwarf had wished for her.