Vassilissa the Cunning had three things,—a brush, a comb, and a towel. She remembered them, and said: “God is yet merciful; I have still defence before the Tsar.” She threw the brush behind her: it became a great drowsy forest; a man could not put his hand through, could not ride around it in three years. Behold, the Tsar of the Sea gnawed and gnawed the drowsy forest, made a path for himself, burst through it, and was again in pursuit. He is drawing near them, has only to seize them with his hand. Vassilissa threw her comb behind, and it became such a great lofty mountain that a man could neither pass over it nor go around it.
The Tsar of the Sea dug and dug in the mountain, made a path, and again chased after them. Then Vassilissa the Cunning threw the towel behind her, and it became a great, great sea. The Tsar galloped up to the sea, saw the road was stopped, and turned homeward.
Ivan the merchant’s son was near home, and said to Vassilissa the Cunning: “I will go ahead, tell my father and mother about thee, and do thou wait here.”
“See to it,” said Vassilissa the Cunning, “when thou art home, kiss all but thy godmother; if thou kiss her thou’lt forget me.”
Ivan came home, kissed all in delight, kissed his godmother, and forgot Vassilissa. She stood there, poor thing, on the road, waited and waited; Ivan did not come for her. She went to the town and hired to do work for an old woman.
Ivan thought of marrying; he found a bride, and arranged a feast for the whole world (mír[4]).
[4] Mír means in Russian the “world,” the “universe;” and also the “commune,” or village society.
Vassilissa heard this, dressed herself as a beggar, and came to the merchant’s house to beg alms.
“Wait,” said the merchant’s wife; “I’ll bake thee a small cake instead of cutting the big one.”
“God save thee for that, mother!” said Vassilissa.