Page:The Russian Garland of Fairy Tales.djvu/262

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RUSSIAN GARLAND

against enemies." Then said the Tsar to his daughter: "Dear daughter, live with thy husband in peace and love, and honour him, for the husband is always the head over the wife." Thereupon he ordered them to drive off to church and be married; and after the wedding they returned to the royal halls. Yaroslav took the bride by the hand and led her to the Tsar Vorcholomei, his father-in-law. All the princes and boyars, with their wives, brought to him costly presents; and the Tsar received them and said: "Long years of happiness to my lord Prince Yaroslav Lasarevich, my beloved son-in-law, and his wife, my daughter, the fair Princess Anastasia!" Then all the princes and boyars cried aloud with one voice: "Hail, Sir Yaroslav Lasarevich, with thy young bride the fair Princess!" and they bowed them to the ground. Then Yaroslav and the Princess Anastasia, with all the princes and boyars fell to eating and drinking and making merry.

One day, as Yaroslav was conversing with Anastasia, he said: "My dear Tsarina, fairest princess in the world, I have gone through many kingdoms to behold thy beauty, and have heard of it far and wide from every maiden; and now, dear, tell me truly, is there any fairer princess than thou, or any braver knight than I?" Then the Princess replied:

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