“Yes,” said the Story King; “the stories of those who risk their lives for others are the best of all our stories.”
“Yes,” agreed the Story Queen; “they are the best of all.”
“Now,” said the Story Lady, “we come to our fourth story.”
XXX
THE STRANGE GUEST
ON the summit of one of the heights of a wild country district along the Rhine, there stood many years ago an old castle. In this castle lived a beautiful maiden with her father and two elderly aunts.
Her father was a jolly old nobleman, very fond of his beer, and very fond of hearing himself talk, too. He enjoyed his own jokes better than anyone else, perhaps.
Even so, his dearest possession was his beautiful daughter, his only child. He loved her as the apple of his eye, and wished to give her all happiness.
She had little chance of being lonely, for there were always a large number of poor relatives visiting the nobleman, and indeed they made these visits so long that they sometimes stayed for years.