HANDSOME PAUL. 33

tell

you where

they

may

^be

^now."

^{"I don't think} _they can have

come

this

way/'

^{said the} eagle,

and

flew back

home and

told his wife all aboutit. "

Oh

!

you

^{baulked fool!"} cried she,

"

the millet-field

was

_{your daughter,}

and

the lad Paul.

So

back

you go

^at once,

and

_bring

them home."

Paul

and

his foal rode

on

half the afternoon,

and

then the foal said,

"Look

_back,

what

can

you see?" "I

see the eagle again," ^said Paul, "but

now

the flame is twice seven fathoms long; he ^flies veryquickly." "Let'sturn over again,"

said the_foal, "

and

I will

become

a

lamb and you

^{will be the} shepherd,

and

if

my

^fatherask

you

^if

you

^{have seen thetravellers} say yes,

you saw them when

the

lamb was

born."

So

_they turned_over,

and

one

became

a

lamb and

the other a shepherd^; the eagle arrived

and

asked the shepherd ^if he

had

seen the travellers

pass by,

and was

told that they were ^seen

when

the

lamb was

born.

The

king returned

and

told his wife _all,

who

drove

him

_{back, crying,}

"The lamb was

your daughter

and

the shepherd, Paul,

you empty-headed

^{fool." Paul}

and

the foal

went on

a long way,

when

the _{foal said,} "

What

can

you

^see?"

He saw

the eagle again, but

now

it

was

_enveloped in flames_; they turned over

and

the foal

became

a chapel,

and

Paul ahermit inside_; the eagle arrived

and

_inquired after the travellers, and

was

told

by

^{the hermit that} they

had

_passed

by when

_{the chapel}

was

_building.

The

_eagle

went

back a third time,

and

his wife

was

in an awful _rage

and

told

him

_{to stay}

where he

was, telling

him

that the chapel

was

his daughter

and

the hermit Paul. "

But you

^{are so} dense," said she, "

theycan

make _you

believe anything^{; I will}

go

myself and ^see whether they ^{will fool}

me."

The _queen

started off as a falcon.

Paul and

thefoal

went

still travelling on,

when

^{the foal} said, "

Look

_back,

what

can

you

^{see?" (iI seea} falcon," said Paul, "with a flame seventy-seven yards long

coming

^outofitsmouth." "_That's

my

mother,"

said the _foal, "

we must

be careful this time, Paul, ^for

we

^shall

D

34 MAGYAR

FOLK-TALES.

not beableto

hoodwink

herwithlies_; letus turn over quickly, she willbe here ina second. ^I will bea lake ofmilk and

you

^a golden

duck on

it_; take care she doesn't catch you, ^or

we

are

done

for."

They

turned over

and

_changed; the falcon arrived

and swooped down _upon

the

duck

like lightning,

who had

_just time to dive

and

_escape.

The

falcon triedagain

and

_again ^tillit got quite ^{tired; for}each time the

duck

dived

and

so shemissed him. In a great rage the falcon turned over

and became

the queen.

She

_picked

up

^stones

and

tried to strike the

duck

_dead, buthe

was

clever

enough

^to

dodge

^{her, so she} soon got ^tiredof that

and

_said, ^"Ican _see,

you

^{beast, thatI cannot}

do

_anything with

you

^;

my

^other

^two

daughters died before

my

eyes to-day from the beating

you

gave

them

with the iron_pole,

you

^murderer.

Now

^Icurse

_you

^withthis curse,that

you

^willforget each _other,

and

never

remember

that

you have

^ever

known

each other."

With

^{this she} turned over,

became

^a falcon,

and

flew

away home

_verysad,

and

the other

two changed

^{also, this time into} Paul

and

the

princess.

"

Nobody

^will persecute us

now,"

said she,

"let ustravel

on

_quietly.

The

death of

my ^two

^sistersis

^no

^sad

or

bad news

to me, ^for

now when my

^father

^{and mother}

^are

dead

the land will be _ours,

my

^dear

Paul;"

^so they

wandered

on,

and

talked overtheir _affairs, till they

came

to a house;

and

asthe

day was

closing they ^feltvery^tired

and

sat

down

to rest

and

^fell_asleep. Aftersunsetthey

awoke and

stared ateachother, butcouldn't

make

out

who

the other was, ^for they had forgotten allthe _past,

and

_inquired inastonishment

"Who

are

you?" ^and

"

Well,

who

are

you?" ^But

^{neither could tell}

who

the other was; ^sothey

walked

into the

town

as

strangers

and

_separated.

Paul

_got ^a situation as valet to a nobleman,

and

theprincess

became

^a _lady's

maid

in another part of thecity.

They

^lived therefortwelve months,

and

never once

remembered

_anything that

had happened

^{in the past.}

One

night Paul dreamt ^that the

bay

^stallion

was

inits lastagony,

and

soon afterwards died;

the lady's maid, ^{at the}

same

_time, dreamt that the

bay mare

HANDSOME

PAUL. 35

was

_dying,

and

died; by ^this

dream

_{they both}

remembered

all that

had happened

^{to each other;} but even then they ^did not

know

that they

were

in the

same

town.

On

the

day

following this

dream Paul was

sent

by

^the nobleman's son

secretly with a love-letter tothe nobleman's youngest daughter

where

the

lady's

maid

lived.

Paul

took the _letter,

and handed

it to the lady's

maid

so that she

might

place ^it in her mistress's hands; then

he saw who

the _lady's

maid

_{was, that} it

was

his old sweet-heart, the beloved of his soul;

now

he

remembered how

often before

he had

_given her letters from his

young

^{master for the}

young

lady ^{of the} house,

and how he had

donealittle

love-making on

^his

own

_account,but nevertill

now had

he_recognised her.

The

_{princessrecognised}

Paul

at a glance

and

rushed into his arms

and wept

^for joy.

They

^{toldeach othertheir} dreams,

and knew

that her father

and mother

the

bay mare and bay

stallion of yore ^{died last} night.

uLet us be _off," said the princess,

stor else the

kingdom

^{will be snatchedfrom us."}

^So

they agreed,

and

fixed the day^{after the}

morrow

for the start.

Next _morning

the official crier proclaimed ^{that the} king

and queen had

^died suddenly about midnight; ^it

happened

^{at the} very

moment

_they

had had

their dreams.

They

^started secretly

by

^the

same

_road,

and

arrived at

home

in a day.

The

_king

and queen were

^{still laid in state,}

and

the _princess,

who was

_thought tobe_lost, shedtears overthem.

She was

soon afterwards

crowned

_queen of the realm,

and

chose

Paul

^for her_consort,

and

_got married; ^if they have not died since they ^{are still alive,}

and

in great happiness ^{to this} day.

D

2

In document IS IS (Pldal 109-112)