Vassilissa drank some wine, and what was left in the tumbler she poured into her left sleeve.  She ate some of the fried swan, and the bones she threw into her right sleeve.  The wives of the two elder brothers watched her and did exactly the same.

When the long, hearty dinner was over, the guests began dancing and singing.  The beautiful Vassilissa came forward, as bright as a star, bowed to her sovereign, bowed to the honorable guests and danced with her husband, the happy Tsarevitch Ivan.

While dancing, Vassilissa waved her left sleeve and a pretty lake appeared in the midst of the hall and cooled the air.  She waved her right sleeve and white swans swam on the water.  The Tsar, the guests, the servants, even the gray cat sitting in the corner, all were amazed and wondered at the beautiful Vassilissa.  Her two sisters-in-law alone envied her.  When their turn came to dance, they also waved their left sleeves as Vassilissa had done, and, oh, wonder! they sprinkled wine all around.  They waved their right sleeves, and instead of swans the bones flew in the face of the Tsar father.  The Tsar grew very angry and bade them leave the palace.  In the meantime Ivan Tsarevitch watched a moment to slip away unseen.  He ran home, found the frogskin, and burned it in the fire.

Vassilissa, when she came back, searched for the skin, and when she could not find it her beautiful face grew sad and her bright eyes filled with tears.  She said to Tsarevitch Ivan, her husband: 

“Oh, dear Tsarevitch, what hast thou done?  There was but a short time left for me to wear the ugly frogskin.  The moment was near when we could have been happy together forever.  Now I must bid thee good-by.  Look for me in a far-away country to which no one knows the roads, at the palace of Kostshei the Deathless;” and Vassilissa turned into a white swan and flew away through the window.

Tsarevitch Ivan wept bitterly.  Then he prayed to the almighty God, and making the sign of the cross northward, southward, eastward, and westward, he went on a mysterious journey.

No one knows how long his journey was, but one day he met an old, old man.  He bowed to the old man, who said: 

“Good-day, brave fellow.  What art thou searching for, and whither art thou going?”

Tsarevitch Ivan answered sincerely, telling all about his misfortune without hiding anything.

“And why didst thou burn the frogskin?  It was wrong to do so.  Listen now to me.  Vassilissa was born wiser than her own father, and as he envied his daughter’s wisdom he condemned her to be a frog for three long years.  But I pity thee and want to help thee.  Here is a magic ball.  In whatever direction this ball rolls, follow without fear.”

Ivan Tsarevitch thanked the good old man, and followed his new guide, the ball.  Long, very long, was his road.  One day in a wide, flowery field he met a bear, a big Russian bear.  Ivan Tsarevitch took his bow and was ready to shoot the bear.