By and by she came close up to the back of her chair, and said,

“Rosamond!”

But the princess had fallen into one of her sulky moods, and shut herself up with her own ugly Somebody; so she never looked round or even answered the wise woman.

“Rosamond,” she repeated, “I am going out.  If you are a good girl, that is, if you do as I tell you, I will carry you back to your father and mother the moment I return.”

The princess did not take the least notice.

“Look at me, Rosamond,” said the wise woman.

But Rosamond never moved—­never even shrugged her shoulders—­perhaps because they were already up to her ears, and could go no farther.

“I want to help you to do what I tell you,” said the wise woman.  “Look at me.”

Still Rosamond was motionless and silent, saying only to herself,

“I know what she’s after!  She wants to show me her horrid teeth.  But I won’t look.  I’m not going to be frightened out of my senses to please her.”

“You had better look, Rosamond.  Have you forgotten how you kissed me this morning?”

But Rosamond now regarded that little throb of affection as a momentary weakness into which the deceitful ogress had betrayed her, and almost despised herself for it.  She was one of those who the more they are coaxed are the more disagreeable.  For such, the wise woman had an awful punishment, but she remembered that the princess had been very ill brought up, and therefore wished to try her with all gentleness first.

She stood silent for a moment, to see what effect her words might have.  But Rosamond only said to herself,—­

“She wants to fatten and eat me.”

And it was such a little while since she had looked into the wise woman’s loving eyes, thrown her arms round her neck, and kissed her!

“Well,” said the wise woman gently, after pausing as long as it seemed possible she might bethink herself, “I must tell you then without; only whoever listens with her back turned, listens but half, and gets but half the help.”

“She wants to fatten me,” said the princess.

“You must keep the cottage tidy while I am out.  When I come back, I must see the fire bright, the hearth swept, and the kettle boiling; no dust on the table or chairs, the windows clear, the floor clean, and the heather in blossom—­which last comes of sprinkling it with water three times a day.  When you are hungry, put your hand into that hole in the wall, and you will find a meal.”

“She wants to fatten me,” said the princess.

“But on no account leave the house till I come back,” continued the wise woman, “or you will grievously repent it.  Remember what you have already gone through to reach it.  Dangers lie all around this cottage of mine; but inside, it is the safest place—­in fact the only quite safe place in all the country.”

“She means to eat me,” said the princess, “and therefore wants to frighten me from running away.”