Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/74

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PORTUGUESE FOLK-TALES.

frequently bade her call for her whenever she should be in any trouble. Once that the girl was at the window, who should happen to pass? One of the mistress's daughters—the one-eyed one. She looked towards the window and she saw the girl, and immediately went to tell her mother how she had seen the girl so well dressed. The mistress, much surprised to hear it, asked her "How is it that, remaining in the wood as she did, wild beasts did not eat her up?" The daughter replied, "I do not know about that, but I do know that I saw her very well dressed at the window." A few days after, the lame daughter went and passed the house purposely, and saw the girl very well dressed sitting by the window with the posy of flowers and the bason standing on the window-sill, whilst she heard her repeat, "Little branch of Intingil, it is now time that my love should come." And when she had said this she saw the bird come and leave her much money. The lame girl returned home and her mother asked, "Well, did you see anything?" The girl replied, "I saw her at the window very richly clothed, but I saw nothing else." She did not, however, inform her mother that she had seen the bird come and bring her much money. The mistress then sent the blind girl. She proceeded to the house and heard the girl say, "Little Spray of Intingil, it is now time my love should come;" and she went home and said nothing. The oneeyed daughter then said, "Well, I will go once more, and I am sure I shall see something remarkable this time!" She took with her a handkerchief full of broken glass without telling any one, and on arriving at the house she hid herself, and soon heard the girl at the window repeat the words she was in the habit of saying, and also saw the bird come. The moment she saw the bird, the one-eyed daughter threw the handkerchief full of broken glass at the bird. The poor bird was much hurt and cut in many places, and bleeding very profusely fell into the bason. The girl did not see who had done the wicked deed, but in