I do not care for your clothes your pearls and jewels nor for your golden crown If you will love me and let me be your companion and sit by you at your table and eat off your little golden plate and drink from your little cup and sleep in your little bed I will go down below and bring your golden ball up again Oh yes the princess said I promise you all you wish But she thought How the silly frog does talk All he does is sit in the water with the other frogs and croak He can be no companion to any human being When the frog had received the promise he put his head in the water and sank down In a short while he came swimming up again with the ball in his mouth He threw it on the ground The king’s daughter was delighted to see her plaything once more She picked it up and ran away with it Wait wait said the frog Take me with you I can’t run She did not listen but ran 6
home She soon forgot the poor frog who was forced to go back into his well The next day the princess was seated at the table with the king and the nobles She was eating from her little golden plate Something came creeping splish splash splish splash up the marble staircase When it got up to the top it knocked at the door It cried Princess youngest Princess open the door for me The princess ran to see who was outside When she opened the door there sat the frog She slammed the door closed and sat down to dinner again but she was quite frightened My child what are you so afraid of the king said Is there a giant outside who wants to carry you away It is no giant but a disgusting frog the princess replied What does the frog want with you Dear Father yesterday I was in the forest sitting by the well and playing My golden ball 8
fell into the water The frog brought it out again for me Because he insisted I promised him he would be my companion I never thought he would be able to come out of his water Princess Youngest princess The frog knocked a second time and cried Open the door for me Do you not know what you said to me Yesterday by the cool waters of the well Princess youngest princess Open the door for me Then said the king That which you have promised you must perform Go let him in The princess opened the door The frog hopped in and followed her to her chair There he sat and cried Lift me up beside you The princess delayed until the king commanded her to do it Once the frog was on the chair he wanted to be on the table When he was on the table he said Push your little golden plate nearer to me that we 9
