had changed her mind. Now her father and mother talked to her so
much about it, and seemed so anxious to be well off, that the
maiden agreed to be the wife of the White Bear: and when he came
again, she said "Yes," and the White Bear told her to sit upon
his back, and hold by his shaggy coat, and away they went
together. After the maiden had ridden for a long way, they came
to a great hill, and the White Bear gave a knock on the hill
with his paw, and the hill opened, and they went in. Now inside
the hill there was a palace with fine rooms, ornamented with
gold and silver, and all lighted up; and there was a table ready
laid; and the White Bear gave the maiden a silver bell, and told
her to ring it when she wanted anything. And when the maiden had
eaten and drank, she went to bed, in a beautiful bed with silk
pillows and curtains, and gold fringe to them. Then, in the
dark, a man came and lay down beside her. This was the White
Bear, who was an Enchanted Prince, and who was able to put off
the shape of a beast at night, and to become a man again; but
before daylight, he went away and turned once more into a White
Bear, so that his wife could never see him in the human form.
Well, this went on for some time, and the wife of the White Bear
was very happy with her kind husband, in the beautiful palace he
had made for her. Then she grew dull and miserable for want of
company, and she asked leave to go home for a little while to
see her father and mother, and her brothers and sisters. So the
White Bear took her home again, but he told her that there was
one thing she must not do; she must not go into a room with her
mother alone, to talk to her, or a great misfortune would
happen. When the wife of the White Bear got home, she found that
her family lived in a grand house, and they were all very glad
to see her; and then her mother took her into a room by