The old man accepted his half, but immediately made a present of it again to the young king, saying:
“Take it. I am not an old man, but an angel from God. I was sent by God to save thee, for the sake of thy good deeds. Now reign and be happy, and may thy prosperity last long.”
The angel disappeared, and the king reigned there in great happiness. [[46]]
THE WICKED STEPMOTHER
There was once on a time a stepmother who hated her stepdaughter exceedingly, because she was more beautiful than her own daughter whom she had brought with her into the house. By-and-by the father learned also to hate his own child; he scolded her, and beat her, in order to please his wife. One day his wife said to him, “Let us send your daughter away. Let her look out for herself in the world.” Upon this the man asked, “Where can we send her? Where can the poor girl go alone?” To this the wife answered, “If you will not do this, husband, I will no longer live with you. You had better take her to-morrow out of the house. You can lead her into the forest, and then steal away from her and hurry home.” She repeated this so often that at length he consented, but said, “At least prepare the girl something for her journey, that she may not die the first day of hunger.”
The stepmother thereupon made a cake, and, the next morning early, the father led the girl far away into the very heart of the forest, and there left her and went back home.
“At length she came to a fine large house.”
[[47]]