“Ah! poor dove”, she cried, “if you only knew what I know, you’d fly to me through this window.”
So the dove came flying in through the window, and turned itself into Jack again, who told his own tale.
“Turn yourself into a gold ring, and put yourself on my finger”, said the Princess.
“Nay, nay!” said Jack, “that’ll never do, for then Farmer Weathersky will make the king sick, and then there’ll be no one who can make him well again till Farmer Weathersky comes and cures him, and then, for his fee, he’ll ask for that gold ring.”
“Then I’ll say I had it from my mother, and can’t part with it”, said the Princess.
Well, Jack turned himself into a gold ring, and put himself on the Princess’ finger, and so Farmer Weathersky couldn’t get at him. But then followed what the lad had foretold; the king fell sick, and there wasn’t a doctor in the kingdom who could cure him till Farmer Weathersky came, and he asked for the ring off the Princess’ finger for his fee. So the king sent a messenger to the Princess for the ring; but the Princess said she wouldn’t part with it, her mother had left it her. When the king heard that, he flew into a rage, and said he would have the ring, whoever left it to her.
“Well”, said the Princess, “it’s no good being cross about it. I can’t get it off, and if you must have the ring, you must take my finger too.”
“If you’ll let me try, I’ll soon get the ring off”, said Farmer Weathersky.
“No, thanks, I’ll try myself”, said the Princess, and flew off to the grate and put ashes on her finger. Then the ring slipped off and was lost among the ashes. So Farmer Weathersky turned himself into a cock, who scratched and pecked after the ring in the grate, till he was up to the ears in ashes. But while he was doing this, Jack turned himself into a fox, and bit off the cock’s head; and so if the Evil One was in Farmer Weathersky, it is all over with him now.