The Cat, the Cock, and the Fox · page 21 2101Then the Moon said, "'Twould be as well to let her go on farther.102Give her the little golden apple, and let her be off as quickly as possible, for her husband is about to marry another wife."103So she passed the night there, and in the morning they sent her away with the little golden apple.104She went on and on.105Night again descended upon her, and she came to the house of the Mother of the Sun, and begged her for a night's lodging.106But the old woman said to her, "I cannot let thee in.107My son is flying about the world, but he will fly hither presently, and if he find thee here he will slay thee!"--Then the bride said, "Nay, but, granny dear, I have already lodged with the like of thee.108I have lodged with the Mother of the Winds, and the Mother of the Moon, and they each gave me a little apple."109Then the Mother of the Sun also let her in.110Immediately afterward her son, the Sun, came flying up, and he said, "Why, what is this, little mother?111I smell an evil smell of Cossack bones!"--But his mother answered, "A young woman came hither who begged for a night's lodging."112She did not tell her son the whole truth, that the bride was in search of her husband, but he knew it already, and said, "Her husband is about to marry another wife.113Let her go to the land where now he is, and give her the diamond apple, which is the best and most precious apple in the whole world, and tell her to hasten on to the house where her husband abides.114They won't let her in there, but she must disguise herself as an old woman, and sit down outside in the courtyard, and spread out a cloth and lay upon it her little silver apple, and all the people will come flocking around to see the old woman who is selling apples of silver."115So the bride did as the Sun bade her, and went to that distant empire, and the Empress of that empire, whom her husband had married, came to see what she was selling, and said to her, "What dost thou want for thy silver apple?"116And she answered, "No money do I want for it.117Oh, sovereign lady, all that I require in exchange therefor is that I may pass the night near my husband."--Then the Empress took the apple, and allowed her to come into the bedchamber of the Tsarevich to pass the night there; but first of all she gave the Tsarevich a sleeping draught so that he knew nothing, and could speak not a word to her, nor could he even recognize what manner of person his true wife was.118Then only did the Empress let her come into the room where her husband lay.119And she watched over him, she watched over him the live-long night, and with the dawn she departed.120The next morning he awoke out of his drugged sleep, and said to himself, "Why, what is this?121It is just as if my first wife has been weeping over me here, and wetted me with her tears!"122But he told nobody what he thought, nor did he say a word about it to his second wife. "123Wait a bit!" thought he, "to-morrow night I'll not go to sleep.124I'll watch and watch till I watch the thing out."125The next day the faithful wife spread out her little cloth again, and laid upon it her golden apple.126The Empress again came that way, went up to her, and said, "Sell me that apple of thine, and I'll give thee for it as many pence as thou canst hold in thy lap!"--But she replied, "Nay, my sovereign lady! money for it I will not take, but let me pass one more night in my own husband's room!"--And the Empress took the apple, and let her go there.127But first the Empress caressed and kissed her husband into a good humour, and then she gave him another sleeping draught.128And the faithful wife came again, and watched and wept over him and wetted him with her tears, and with the dawn she departed.129And now she had only one apple left, but that was the diamond apple, the most precious apple in the world.130And she said to the Empress, "Let me watch by him for this apple but one night more, and I'll never ask again!"131And she let her.132Now this night also her husband was asleep.133And his first wife came and immediately began to kiss him on the head, but he said nothing.134Then she kissed him again, and at last he awoke and started up, and said, "Who's that?"--"It is I, thy first wife."--"How hast thou found thy way hither?"--"Oh, I have been here and there and everywhere.135I have lodged with the Mother of the Winds, and the Mother of the Moon, and the Mother of the Sun, and they gave me three apples, and I gave these apples to thy Empress-wife, and she let me watch over thee, and this is the third night that I have watched by thy side."136Then he came to his right mind, and cried aloud that they should bring in lights, and he saw that his faithful wife was quite an old woman.137Then he bethought him, and said, "Was ever the like of this known?138My first and faithful wife goes a-seeking her husband throughout the wide world, while my accursed second wife, Empress though she be, sells her husband for three apples!"139Then he bade them give his faithful wife rich garments as much as she would, and she stripped off her disguise, and washed her face and grew young again.140But the faithless wife was tied to the tails of four wild horses, and they tore her to pieces in the endless steppe.1 2← previousThe Tsar and the Angelnext →The Origin of the Mole↑ back to Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/20/page/2/