[Illustration:  The little gray man and the tablets]

On the table near the tablets was written: 

“This castle is enchanted.  Before the enchantment can be broken, there are three tasks to be performed.  The one who performs these three tasks shall marry the youngest and dearest of the three princesses who now lie asleep in the castle.”

When the eldest brother had read this, the old man gave him the first tablet.  On it was written: 

“In the forest, hidden beneath the thick moss, are the pearls which belonged to the princesses.  They are a thousand in number.  These must be collected by sunset.  If one single pearl is missing, then he who has sought them shall be turned to stone.”

The eldest brother searched the whole day long, but by sunset he had found only a hundred pearls.  So he was turned to stone.

The following day the second brother tried his luck, but by sunset he had found but two hundred pearls.  So he, too, was turned to stone.

Then it came the simpleton’s turn.  He searched all day amidst the moss, but he fared little better than his brothers.  At last he sat down upon a stone and burst into tears.

As he sat there, the king of the ants, whose life he had once saved, came with five thousand ants.  Before long the little creatures had found every one of the pearls and piled them up in a heap.

The little gray man then gave the simpleton the second tablet.  Upon it was written the second task: 

“The key that opens the chamber in which the princesses are sleeping lies in the bottom of the lake.  He who has performed the first task must find the key.”

When the simpleton came to the lake, the ducks which he had saved were swimming upon it.  At once they dived down into the depths below and brought up the key.

The simpleton showed the key to the little gray man, who then gave him the third tablet.  On it was written the third task: 

“The one who has gathered the pearls and found the key to the chamber may now marry the youngest and dearest princess.  He must, however, first tell which is she.  The princesses are exactly alike, but there is one difference.  Before they went to sleep, the eldest ate sugar, the second ate syrup, and the youngest ate honey.”

The simpleton laid down the tablet with a sigh.  “How can I find out which princess ate the honey?” he asked himself.

However, he put the key he had found in the lock and opened the door.  In the chamber the three princesses were lying.  Ah, which was the youngest?

Just then the queen of the bees flew in through the window and tasted the lips of all three.  When she came to the lips that had sipped the honey, she remained there.  Then the young man knew that this was the youngest and dearest princess.

So the enchantment came to an end.  The sleepers awoke, and those who had been turned to stone became alive again.  The simpleton married the youngest and dearest princess, and was made king after her father’s death.  His two brothers, who were now sorry for what they had done, married the other two princesses, and lived happily ever after.