THE SERPENT-TSAREVICH AND HIS WIVES. 193

the Serpent-Tsarevich, he would make me his bride
at once.”

Now this came to the Tsar’s ears, and he com-
manded them to bring her to him straightway. And
the Tsar said to her: ‘* Wilt thou be my son’s bride or
not ?”—And she said: “I will; but before I go to thy
son, give me at once a score of chemises, and a score
of linen kirtles, and a score of woollen kirtles, and
twenty pairs of shoes—twenty of each, I say.”—So the
Tsar gave them to her, and she put on the twenty
chemises, and the twenty linen kirtles, and the twenty
woollen kirtles, and the twenty shoes, one after the
other, and went to see the Serpent-Tsarevich. When
she came to the threshold of his hut, she stopped
and said: ‘Hail, O Serpent-Tsarevich !”—“ Hail,
maiden!” cried he. ‘ Wilt thou be my bride ?”—
““T will!”—* Then take off one of thy skins!” cried
he.

 

“ Yes,” she said, “ but thou must do the same.”
—So he cast off one of his skins, and she cast off one
of her twenty suits of clothes. Then he cried out
again: “Cast off another of thy skins, maiden.’—
“Yes,” she replied, ‘ but thou must cast off one too !”
—So he did so. Nineteen times did he cast off one
of his serpent’s skins, and nineteen times did she cast
off one of her suits of clothes, till at last she had only
her every-day suit left, and he had only his human

skin left. Then he threw off hig last skin also, and
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