She has stolen away his magic ring . You must get it away from her at whatever cost ; do you hear ? Till you have done this I wo n't take my claws out of your fur . ' ` Good ! ' replied the mouse ; ' I will do what you ask . ' And , so saying , he summoned all the mice in his kingdom together . A countless number of mice , small and big , brown and grey , assembled , and formed a circle round their king , who was a prisoner under Waska 's claws . Turning to them he said : ` Dear and faithful subjects , who ever among you will steal the magic ring from the strange Princess will release me from a cruel death ; and I shall honour him above all the other mice in the kingdom . ' Instantly a tiny mouse stepped forward and said : ' I often creep about the Princess 's bedroom at night , and I have noticed that she has a ring which she treasures as the apple of her eye . All day she wears it on her finger , and at night she keeps it in her mouth . I will undertake , sire , to steal away the ring for you . ' And the tiny mouse tripped away into the bedroom of the Princess , and waited for nightfall ; then , when the Princess had fallen asleep , it crept up on to her bed , and gnawed a hole in the pillow , through which it dragged one by one little down feathers , and threw them under the Princess 's nose . And the fluff flew into the Princess 's nose , and into her mouth , and starting up she sneezed and coughed , and the ring fell out of her mouth on to the coverlet . In a flash the tiny mouse had seized it , and brought it to Waska as a ransom for the King of the Mice . Thereupon Waska and Schurka started off , and travelled night and day till they reached the stone tower where Martin was imprisoned ; and the cat climbed up the window , and called out to him : ` Martin , dear master , are you still alive ? ' ` Ah ! Waska , my faithful little cat , is that you ? ' replied a weak voice . ' I am dying of hunger . For three days I have not tasted food . '
` Be of good heart , dear master , ' replied Waska ; ` XXXXX this day forth you will know nothing but happiness and prosperity .
Till about above as at for from into of up