“Plague on it!” exclaimed the soldier.“I had clean forgotten that.”And he went and brought it.
The witch drew him up, and he stood on the high road again, with pockets, boots, knapsack, and cap full of gold.
“What are you going to do with the tinder-box?” asked the soldier.
“That’s nothing to you,” retorted the witch. “You’ve had your money-just give me the tinder-box.”
“Nonsense!” said the soldier.“Tell me directly what you’re going to do with it, or I’ll draw my sword and cut off your head.”
“No!” cried the witch.
So the soldier cut off her head. There she lay! But he tied up all his money in her apron, took it on his back like a bundle, put the tinder-box in his pocket, and went straight off towards the town.
That was a splendid town! He put up at the very best inn, asked for the finest rooms, and ordered his favourite dishes, for now he was rich, having got so much money. The servant who had to clean his boots certainly thought them a remarkably old pair for such a rich gentleman; but he had not bought any new ones yet. The next day he procured proper boots and handsome clothes. Now our soldier had become a fine gentleman; and the people told him of all the splendid things which were in their city, and about the king, and what a pretty princess the king’s daughter was.
“Where can one get to see her?” asked the soldier.
“She is not be seen at all, ” said they all together; “she lives in a great copper castle, with a great many walls and towers round about it ; no one but the king may go in and out there, for it has been prophesied that she shall marry a common soldier, and the king can’t bear that.”
“I should like to see her,” thought the solider; but he could not get leave to do so. Now he lived merrily, went to the theatre, drove in the king’s garden, and gave much money to the poor; and this was very kind of him, for he knew from old times how hard it is when one has not a shilling. Now he was rich, had fine clothes, and gained many friends, who all said he was a rare one, a true cavalier; and that pleased the soldier well. But as he spent money every day and never earned any, he had at last only two shillings left; and he was obliged to turn out of the fine rooms in which he had dwelt, and had to live in a little garret under the roof, and clean his boots for himself, and mend them with a darning-needle. None of his friends came to see him, for there were too many stairs to climb.
It was quite dark one evening, and he could not even buyhimself a candle, when it occurred to him that there was a candle-end in the tinder-box which he had taken out of the hollow tree into which the witch had helped him. He brought out the tinder-box and the candle-end; but as soon as he struck fire and the sparks rose up from the flint, the doorflew open, and the dog who had eyes as a couple of tea-cups, and whom he had seen in the tree, stood before him, and said:
“What are my lord’s commands?”
“What is this?” said the soldier. “That’a famous tinder-box, if I can get every-thing with it that I want! Bring me some money, ” said he to the dog; and whisk! the dog was gone, and whisk! he was back again, with a great bag full of shillings in his mouth.
Now the soldier knew what a capital tinder-box this was. If he struck it once, the dog came who sat upon the chest of copper money; if he struck it twice, the dog came who had the silver; and if he struck it three times, then appeared the dog who had the gold. Now the soldier moved back into the fine rooms, and appeared again in handsome clothes; and all his friends knew him again, and cared very much for him indeed.
Once he thought to himself, “It is a very strange thing that one cannot get to see the princess. They all say she is very beautiful; but what is the use of that, if she has always to sit in the great copper castle with the many towers? Can I not get to see her at all? Where is my tinder box? ” And so he struck a light, and whisk! came the dog with eyes as big as tea cups.
“It is midnight, certainly, ” said the soldier, “but I should very much like to see the princess, only for one little moment.”
The dog was outside the door directly, and, before the soldier thought it, came back with the princess. She sat upon the dog’s back and slept; and every one could see she was a real princess, for she was so lovely. The soldier could not refrain from kissing her, for he was a thorough soldier.
Then the dog ran back again with the princess. But when morning came, and the King and Queen were drinking tea, the princess said she had had a strange dream the night before, about a dog and a soldier-that she had ridden upon the dog, and the soldier had kissed her. “That would be a fine history! ” said the Queen.
So one of the old court ladies had to watch the next light by the princess’s bed, to see if this was really a dream, or what it might be.
The soldier had a great longing to see the lovely princess again; so the dog came in the night, took her away, and ran as fast as he could. But the old lady put on waterboots, and ran just as fast after him. When she saw that they both entered a great house, she thought; “Now I know where it is; ” and with a bit of chalk she drew a great cross on thedoor. Then she went home and lay down, and the dog came up with the princess; but when he saw that there was a cross drawn on the door where the soldier lived, he took a piece of chalk too, and drew crosses on all the doors in the town. And that was cleverly done, for now the lady could not find the right door, because all the doors had crosses upon them.