At dawn Frolic began to jump about, and awoke his master. They went down to the river together, and wandered up and down. Charming was thinking sadly of starting for home when he heard some one calling, “Charming! Charming!”
He looked all about, and thought he must be dreaming, for he could not see anybody. He walked on, and again the voice called, “Charming! Charming!”
“Who is calling me?” he said.
Frolic, who was running along close to the water’s edge, cried out, “All that I can see is a golden carp.”
And there, to be sure, was the great carp, and it spoke to Charming, saying: “You saved my life in the meadow by the willow [[163]]tree, and I promised to repay you. See, dear Charming, here is Princess Goldilocks’s ring.”
Charming stooped down and took the ring from the carp’s mouth, thanking it over and over again. Then he and little Frolic went straight to the palace. Some one told the Princess that he was asking to see her.
“Ah, poor boy!” she said; “he has come to say good-by. He has doubtless decided that it is impossible to do what I asked.”
But in came Charming, and presented the ring to her, saying: “Princess, I have done your bidding. Will it please you to accept the King, my master, as your husband?”
When the Princess saw her ring brought back to her unhurt, she was so astonished that she thought she must be dreaming.
“Surely, Sir Charming,” she said, “you must be the favorite of some fairy, or you could never have found it.”