368 Collectanea.
to go, and, finding her brother. Lambkin, goes home. She secretly digs a hole beside the fireplace,^ where she hides her golden garments away from her mother; she puts on her old clothes and sits down. The mother comes home, and sees that the girl's tresses are of gold. She says, — " Girl, what have you done, that your tresses have turned to gold ? " Then the girl tells her all about it. When the stepmother hears this, she sends her own daughter the very next day to that mountain. The girl drops the distaff from her hand, and enters the cave. The witch turns her into a hideous, horrible creature, and sends her away. They repent of it, but what can they do about it?
One day there is to be a wedding at the palace of the King of that country. The Prince is to be married. The whole country goes to see the wedding. This woman puts on her white sheet,^ throws a veil^ over her daughter's head, decks her out as fine as you please, and goes to look on. Then the orphan girl rises and puts on her golden garments, and from head to foot she is transformed into a fairy princess.^ She goes to look on at the wedding also.
On her return the fairy princess runs to reach home before her mother, and to take off her garments and hide them. Because she runs so fast, one of her golden slippers'^ falls into a fountain. The King's horses are brought there to drink. The horses catch sight of the golden slipper, and they start back in affright, and will not drink. The King has a workman^ called to clean out the foun- tain. He finds the golden slipper, and fetches it out. The King sends a crier through the city to call, — " Whoever is the owner of this slipper shall marry my son." They begin to measure the
^The fireplace, or tandojir, called also tonii\ is built of clay either on the level of the floor or sunk below it. The fuel is put in at the top, and there is an opening at the bottom for the draught. Flat cakes are often plastered on the inside to bake. The thick edges of the fireplace may be hollowed out and used as hiding-places for valuables.
■* The shabtg nnikhmel, or charshaf, is the usual outside wrap worn by the women of the East.
^ The medad, or yazma, is a large square of coloured cotton gauze.
8 A houri ox shining being ; any very beautiful girl.
^ The Armenian word used here is sol. Is it not related to " sole "?
8A kankaii, or workman whose trade it is to build watercourses.
