從前有位磨房主，他越來越窮，除了磨房后有棵大大的蘋果樹外一無所有。有一天，他到森林里去砍柴，一個(gè)他從沒見過的老頭走近前來對(duì)他說：「你何苦這么辛苦地砍柴呀?

　　只要你答應(yīng)把你磨房后的東西給我，我就讓你過富人的日子?！?/p>

　　「磨房后面不就是那棵蘋果樹嗎?」磨房主想?！感??！顾f著就寫了個(gè)承諾給陌生人。陌生人嘲笑地說：「三年之后，我會(huì)來取走屬於我的東西。」說完便走了。

　　磨房主回到家中，妻子迎出來對(duì)他說：「快告訴我，咱們家這些財(cái)富突然從甚么地方來的?家里所有的箱籠一下子全被裝滿了，又沒人來過，到底是怎么回事呀?」磨房主回答說：「是我在森林里碰到的一個(gè)陌生人給的。他只要我們磨房后的東西作為回報(bào)。我們把那棵大蘋果樹給他不就得了?！?/p>

　　「唉呀，老公，」妻子嚇壞了，「那準(zhǔn)是惡魔!他不是要蘋果樹，他要的是我們女兒，她正在磨房后面掃院子呢。」

　　磨房主的女兒是個(gè)美麗、虔誠的姑娘，她敬畏上帝、沒犯任何過失。三年過去了，在惡魔要來帶她走那天，她將自己從頭到腳洗得乾乾凈凈，用粉筆繞著自己畫了一個(gè)圈。惡魔很早就來了，可就是沒法靠近姑娘。他怒氣沖沖地對(duì)磨房主說：「把水全給我拿走!讓她沒法洗得那么乾凈。要不然我對(duì)她就沒有魔法了?！?/p>

　　磨房主害怕，只得照辦。第二天，惡魔又來了。可姑娘的淚水把她的手沖得十分乾凈。惡魔還是沒法靠近她，因此氣勢(shì)洶洶地對(duì)磨房主說：「把她的手砍掉，要不然我對(duì)她就沒有魔力了!」磨房主嚇了一跳，回答說：「我怎么能砍自己孩子的手呢!」惡魔威脅說：「如果你不這么做，你就是我的，我就要把你帶走?！惯@位父親嚇壞了，答應(yīng)照他說的去做。他走到女兒跟前，對(duì)她說：「我的孩子，假如我不砍掉你的手，惡魔就要把我抓走，我嚇壞了，就答應(yīng)了他?，F(xiàn)在請(qǐng)你幫幫我，饒恕我對(duì)你的傷害吧。」姑娘回答說：「親愛的父親，盡管砍吧，我是你的孩子。」說著，她伸出了雙手，讓父親砍下了。

　　惡魔第三次來到磨房?？墒枪媚镆恢痹诳奁瑴I水將殘肢沖洗得十分潔凈。惡魔只好放棄了，而且對(duì)姑娘失去了所有權(quán)。

　　磨房主對(duì)女兒說：「我以你為代價(jià)換取了這么多財(cái)富。只要你活著，我就會(huì)讓你過得舒舒服服的。」可是姑娘回答說：「我不能住在這里，我情愿出去，有同情心的人們會(huì)給我所需要的東西的，」她請(qǐng)人將她殘廢的手綁到身后，等太陽升起來的時(shí)候，便出發(fā)了。她走了一整天，太陽下山時(shí)她來到一個(gè)皇家花園，在閃爍的月光中，她看到園子里掛滿了誘人的果子的果樹。但是她無法進(jìn)去，因?yàn)楣麍@被一道滿是水的深壕圍住了。

　　姑娘已經(jīng)走了整整一天了，而且沒吃過任何東西。她餓得要命?！赴?，如果我在果園里面就能吃到水果了，」她想，「否則我準(zhǔn)會(huì)餓死的!」她跪到地上向上帝祈禱。忽然，有個(gè)天使向她走來，在水中筑起一道堤壩。這樣一來，壕中的水干了，姑娘就可以走到果園去了，天使陪著她一起進(jìn)了果園。果園的樹上掛滿了迷人的梨子，可每個(gè)上面都編了號(hào)，姑娘來到梨子樹前，用嘴咬下一只吃了，然后滿足地鉆進(jìn)了灌木叢。園丁看到了這一切，可見天使站在姑娘身邊，便以為是幽靈，有些害怕，所以不敢出聲，更不敢大聲喊叫。

　　The king who owned this garden came the next morning. He counted the fruit and saw that one of the pears was missing. He asked the gardener what had happened to it. It was not lying under the tree, but had somehow disappeared.

　　The gardener answered, "Last night a spirit came here. It had no hands and ate one of the pears with its mouth."

　　The king said, "How did the spirit get across the water? And where did it go after it had eaten the pear?"

　　The gardener answered, "Someone dressed in snow-white came from heaven and closed the head gate so the spirit could walk through the moat. Because it must have been an angel I was afraid, and I asked no questions, and I did not call out. After the spirit had eaten the pear it went away again."

　　The king said, "If what you said is true, I will keep watch with you tonight."

　　After it was dark the king entered the garden, bringing a priest with him who was to talk to the spirit. All three sat down under the tree and kept watch. At midnight the girl came creeping out of the brush, stepped up to the tree, and again ate off a pear with her mouth. An angel dressed in white was standing next to her.

　　The priest walked up to them and said, "Have you come from God, or from the world? Are you a spirit or a human?"

　　She answered, "I am not a spirit, but a poor human who has been abandoned by everyone except God."

　　The king said, "Even if you have been abandoned by the whole world, I will not abandon you."

　　He took her home with him to his royal castle, and because she was so beautiful and pure he loved her with all his heart, had silver hands made for her, and took her as his wife.

　　After a year the king had to go out into the battlefield, and he left the young queen in the care of his mother, saying, "If she has a child, support her and take good care of her, and immediately send me the news in a letter."

　　She gave birth to a beautiful son. The old mother quickly wrote this in a letter, giving thejoyful13 news to the king.

　　Now on the way the messenger stopped at a brook14 to rest. Tired from his long journey, he fell asleep. Then the devil came to him. He still wanted to harm the pious queen, and he took the letter, putting in its place one that stated that the queen had brought a changeling into the world. When the king read this letter he was frightened and saddened, but nevertheless he wrote an answer that they should take good care of the queen until his return. The messenger returned with this letter, but he rested at the same place, and again fell asleep. The devil came again and placed a different letter in his bag. This letter said that they should kill the queen with her child.

　　The old mother was terribly frightened when she received this letter. She could not believe it, and wrote to the king again, but she got back the same answer, because each time the devil substituted a false letter. And the last letter even stated that they should keep the queen's tongue and eyes as proof.