Peter Christen Asbjørnsen

“ It isn't at all like that in my house, my love;" for now he began to grow uneasy and wished to be off.
"Why," said the daughter, "it's only a dream, you know, that I am telling. Sit still. The least you can do is to hear my dream out." Then she went on—
"When I went on into the next bedroom the bird began to scream out as loudly as before the same words—'Pretty maiden! pretty maiden! be bold, but not too bold.' And there lay many dead bodies and skeletons of slain folk."
"No, no," said her sweetheart, "there's nothing like that in my house," and again he tried to run out. ”

“ So in came her lover with another girl; and she begged so prettily and so hard he would only spare her life, and then she would never say a word against him; but it was all no good. He tore off all her clothes and jewels, down to a ring which she had on her finger. That he pulled and tore at; but when he couldn't get it off he hacked off her finger, and it rolled away under the bed to the girl who lay there, and she took it up and kept it. Her sweetheart told a little boy who was with him to creep under the bed and bring out the finger. Yes ”