Jan 21, 2019
There
was once a husband and wife who had but one child, a daughter. Now
it happened that the wife fell ill and was at the point of
death. Before
dying she called her husband, and said to him, weeping: “I am
dying; you are still young; if you ever wish to marry again, be
mindful to choose a wife whom my wedding ring fits; and if you
cannot find a lady whom it fits well, do not
marry.” Her husband
promised that he would do so. When she was dead he took off her
wedding ring and kept it until he desired to marry again. Then he
sought for some one to please him. He went from one to another, but
the ring fitted no one. He tried so many but in vain. One day he
thought of calling his daughter, and trying the ring on her to see
whether it fitted her. The daughter said: “It is useless, dear
father; you cannot marry me, because you are my
father.” He did not heed
her, put the ring on her finger, and saw that it fitted her well,
and wanted to marry his daughter nolens volens. She did not oppose him, but consented. The day of the
wedding, he asked her what she wanted. She said that she wished
four silk dresses, the most beautiful that
could be seen. He, who was a
gentleman, gratified her wish and took her the four dresses, one
handsomer than the other, and all the handsomest that had
ever been
seen. “Now, what
else do you want?” said he. “I want another dress, made of wood, so
that I can conceal myself in it.” And at once he had this wooden
dress made. She was well pleased. She waited
one day until her husband was out of sight, put on the wooden
dress, and under it the four silk dresses, and went away to a
certain river not far off, and threw herself in
it. Instead of
sinking and drowning, she floated, for the wooden dress kept her
up.