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<v Speaker 1>The Fish and the Ring, written by Flora Annie Steele.

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<v Speaker 1>Once upon a time there lived a baron who was

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<v Speaker 1>a great magician, and could tell by his arts and

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<v Speaker 1>charms everything that was going to happen at any time. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>this great lord had a little son born to him

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<v Speaker 1>as heir to all his castles and lands. So, when

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<v Speaker 1>the little lad was about four years old, wishing to

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<v Speaker 1>know what his fortune would be, the baron looked into

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<v Speaker 1>his book of Fate to see what it foretold. And lo,

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<v Speaker 1>and behold, it was written that this much loved, much

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<v Speaker 1>prized heir to all the great lands and castles, was

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<v Speaker 1>to marry a low born maiden. So the baron was

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<v Speaker 1>dismayed and set to work, by more arts and charms

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<v Speaker 1>to discover if this maiden were already born, and if so,

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<v Speaker 1>oh where she lived? And he found out that she

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<v Speaker 1>had just been born in a very poor house, where

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<v Speaker 1>the poor parents were already burdened with five children. So

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<v Speaker 1>he called for his horse and rode away and away

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<v Speaker 1>until he came to the poor man's house. And there

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<v Speaker 1>he found the poor man sitting at his doorstep, very

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<v Speaker 1>sad and doleful. What is the matter, my friend, asked,

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<v Speaker 1>He and the poor man replied, a little girl has

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<v Speaker 1>just been born to our house, and we already have

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<v Speaker 1>five children. We don't know where the bread is to

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<v Speaker 1>come from to fill the sixth mouth. The baron readily replied,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm just looking for such a little girl to companion

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<v Speaker 1>my son, so if you will, I will give you

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<v Speaker 1>ten crowns to send her with me. The poor man

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<v Speaker 1>jumped with joy, since he was to get good money

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<v Speaker 1>and his daughter, so he thought a good home. Baron

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<v Speaker 1>took the child and rode away, But when he got

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<v Speaker 1>to the river, he flung the little thing into the

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<v Speaker 1>swollen stream and said to himself, as he galloped back

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<v Speaker 1>to his castle, there goes fate. But as fate would

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<v Speaker 1>have it, the little girl didn't sink. The stream was

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<v Speaker 1>very swift, and her long clothes kept her up till

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<v Speaker 1>she caught in a snag just opposite a fisherman who

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<v Speaker 1>was mending his nets. Now the fisherman and his wife

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<v Speaker 1>had no children, and they were just longing for a baby,

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<v Speaker 1>so when he saw the little girl, he was overcome

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<v Speaker 1>with joy and took her home to his wife, who

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<v Speaker 1>received her with open arms, and there she grew up

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<v Speaker 1>the apple of their eyes into the most beautiful maiden

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<v Speaker 1>that ever was seen. Now, when she was about fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>years of age. It so happened that the baron and

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<v Speaker 1>his friends went hunting along the banks of the river

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<v Speaker 1>and stopped to drink water at the fisherman's hut. And

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<v Speaker 1>who should bring the water out? But as they thought

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<v Speaker 1>the fisherman's daughter. Now the young men of the party

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<v Speaker 1>noticed her beauty, and one of them said to the baron,

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<v Speaker 1>she should marry. Well, read us her fate, since you

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<v Speaker 1>are so learned in the art. Then the baron, scarcely

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<v Speaker 1>looking at her, said carelessly I could guess her fate,

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<v Speaker 1>but to please you, I will cast her horoscope by

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<v Speaker 1>the stars. So tell me, girl, what day you were born.

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<v Speaker 1>That I cannot tell, sir, replied the girl, for I

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<v Speaker 1>was picked up in the river about fifteen years ago.

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<v Speaker 1>Then the baron grew pale, for he guessed at once

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<v Speaker 1>that she was the little girl he had flung into

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<v Speaker 1>the stream, and that fate had been stronger than he was.

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<v Speaker 1>But he kept his own counsel and said nothing at

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<v Speaker 1>the time. Afterwards, however, he thought out a plan, so

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<v Speaker 1>he wrote back and gave the girl a letter. He

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<v Speaker 1>said to the girl, I will make you fortune. Take

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<v Speaker 1>this letter to my brother who needs a good girl,

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<v Speaker 1>and you will be settled for life. Now the fisherman

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<v Speaker 1>and his wife were growing old and needed help, so

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<v Speaker 1>the girl said she would go and took the letter,

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<v Speaker 1>and the baron rode back to his castle, saying to himself,

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<v Speaker 1>once more, there goes fate. For what he had written

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<v Speaker 1>in the letter was this, dear brother, take the bearer

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<v Speaker 1>and put her to death immediately. But once again he

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<v Speaker 1>was mistaken, since on the way to the town where

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<v Speaker 1>his brother lived, the girl had to stop the night

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<v Speaker 1>in a little inn, and it so happened that that

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<v Speaker 1>very night a gang of thieves broke into the inn, and,

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<v Speaker 1>not content with carrying off all that the innkeeper possessed,

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<v Speaker 1>they searched the pockets of the guests and found the

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<v Speaker 1>letter which the girl carried, And when they read it,

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<v Speaker 1>they agreed that it was a mean trick and a shame.

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<v Speaker 1>So their captain sat down and taking pen and pag

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<v Speaker 1>and wrote instead, dear brother, take the bearer and marry

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<v Speaker 1>her to my son without delay. Then, after putting the

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<v Speaker 1>note into an envelope and sealing it up, they gave

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<v Speaker 1>it to the girl and bade her go on her way.

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<v Speaker 1>So when she arrived at the brother's castle, though rather surprised,

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<v Speaker 1>he gave orders for a wedding feast to be prepared,

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<v Speaker 1>and the baron's son, who was staying with his uncle,

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<v Speaker 1>seeing the girl's great beauty, was content, and hence they

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<v Speaker 1>were fast bedded. When the news was brought to the baron,

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<v Speaker 1>he almost beside himself, but he was determined not to

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<v Speaker 1>be done by fate, so he quickly wrote to his

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<v Speaker 1>brothers and pretended to be quite pleased. And then one day,

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<v Speaker 1>when no one was around, he asked the young bride

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<v Speaker 1>to come for a walk with him, and when they

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<v Speaker 1>were close to some cliffs, seized hold of her and

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<v Speaker 1>was ready to throw her over into the sea. But

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<v Speaker 1>she begged heart for her life. It is not my fault,

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<v Speaker 1>she said, I have done nothing. It is fate. But

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<v Speaker 1>if you will spare my life, I promise that I

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<v Speaker 1>will fight against fate. Also, I will never see you

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<v Speaker 1>or your son again until you desire it. That will

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<v Speaker 1>be safer for you, since the sea may preserve me

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<v Speaker 1>as the river did. The baron agreed to this, so

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<v Speaker 1>he took off his gold ring from his finger and

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<v Speaker 1>flung it over the cliffs into the sea, and said,

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<v Speaker 1>never dare to show me your face till you can

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<v Speaker 1>show me that ring too, And with that he let

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<v Speaker 1>her go. The poor girl wandered on and on until

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<v Speaker 1>she came to a nobleman's castle, and there she started

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<v Speaker 1>working as a kitchen girl, since she had been used

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<v Speaker 1>to such work in the fisherman's hut. Now. One day,

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<v Speaker 1>as she was cleaning a big fish, she looked out

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<v Speaker 1>of the kitchen window and saw the baron and his

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<v Speaker 1>young son her husband, coming in. At first, she thought

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<v Speaker 1>that to keep her promise, she must run away, but

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<v Speaker 1>after words she remembered they would not see her in

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<v Speaker 1>the kitchen, so she went on with cleaning off the

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<v Speaker 1>big fish, and lo and behold, she saw something shine

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<v Speaker 1>in the fish inside, and there, sure enough was the

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<v Speaker 1>baron's ring. She slipped it onto her thumb and went

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<v Speaker 1>on with her work, dressed the fish as nicely as

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<v Speaker 1>she ever could, and served it up as pretty as maybe,

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<v Speaker 1>with parsley, sauce and butter. When it came to the table,

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<v Speaker 1>the guests liked it so well that they asked the

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<v Speaker 1>host who cooked it, and he called to his servants

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<v Speaker 1>to send up the cook so she may get her

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<v Speaker 1>reward well. When the girl heard she was wanted, she

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<v Speaker 1>made herself ready, and with the gold ring on her thumb,

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<v Speaker 1>went boldly into the dining hall. And all the guests

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<v Speaker 1>when they saw her, was struck dumb by her wonderful beauty,

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<v Speaker 1>and the young husband started up gladly. But the baron,

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<v Speaker 1>recognizing her, jumped up angrily. So without one word, the

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<v Speaker 1>girl held up her hand before his face, and the

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<v Speaker 1>gold ring shone and glittered on it, and she went

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<v Speaker 1>straight up to the baron and laid her hand with

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<v Speaker 1>the ring on it, before him on the table. Then

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<v Speaker 1>the baron understood that fate had been too strong for him,

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<v Speaker 1>so he took her by the hand, and, placing her

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<v Speaker 1>beside him, turned to the guests and said, this is

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<v Speaker 1>my son's wife. Let us drink a toast in her honor,

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<v Speaker 1>And after dinner he took her and his son home

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<v Speaker 1>to his castle, where they all lived happily afterwards,