But what was her surprise to see herself curled up asleep in her big wooden bed!
The horror of it made her faint, and she remembered no more until she found herself in her own bed under her own big feather sack. In order that she should not forget her night's adventures, or think it was all merely a dream, she found a ring of yellow grass wound tightly round her third finger. From that hour, though the ring fell to pieces, the mark of it was clearly to be seen on her finger. It was a fairy ring, you see.
Her mother apparently had not missed her, and the baby was as jolly as ever.
"What was the matter with you last night, Käthe?" said her mother. "You were dreamier than ever; not a word could we get out of you. You must have been tired out, you poor child!"
"But everything was all right, wasn't it, mother, the potatoes were boiled and the supper ready?"
"Why of course you managed very nicely. Now hurry up and let us have breakfast."
Now I feel sure that all the children who read this story will want to know what happened to Käthchen and Green Ears later on.
Did he really come back to visit her as a grown man?
Did they marry and live happy ever after?
Had he green ears as a mortal?