There was once a miller who had one beautiful daughter, and as shewas grown up, he was anxious that she should be well married andprovided for. He said to himself, «I will give her to the firstsuitable man who comes and asks for her hand.» Not long after asuitor appeared, and as he appeared to be very rich and the millercould see nothing in him with which to find fault, he betrothed hisdaughter to him. But the girl did not care for the man as a girlought to care for her betrothed husband. She did not feel that shecould trust him, and she could not look at him nor think of himwithout an inward shudder. One day he said to her, «You have not yetpaid me a visit, although we have been betrothed for some time.» «Ido not know where your house is,» she answered. «My house is out therein the dark forest,» he said. She tried to excuse herself by sayingthat she would not be able to find the way thither. Her betrothedonly replied, «You must come and see me next Sunday; I have alreadyinvited guests for that day, and that you may not mistake the way, Iwill strew ashes along the path.»
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