You who have hardly left your long clothes behind you ! ' but she did not mind being laughed at , and answered , ` For your sake , father , I would cut the devil himself into small bits , or even become a devil myself . I think I shall succeed , but if I fail , I shall come home without more shame than my sisters . ' Still the emperor hesitated , but the girl petted and coaxed him till at last he said , ` Well , well , if you must go , you must . It remains to be seen what I shall get by it , except perhaps a good laugh when I see you come back with your head bent and your eyes on the ground . ' ` He laughs best who laughs last , ' said the princess . Happy at having got her way , the princess decided that the first thing to be done was to find some old white-haired boyard , whose advice she could trust , and then to be very careful in choosing her horse . So she went straight to the stables where the most beautiful horses in the empire were feeding in the stalls , but none of them seemed quite what she wanted . Almost in despair she reached the last box of all , which was occupied by her father 's ancient war-horse , old and worn like himself , stretched sadly out on the straw . The girl 's eyes filled with tears , and she stood gazing at him . The horse lifted his head , gave a little neigh , and said softly , ` You look gentle and pitiful , but I know it is your love for your father which makes you tender to me . Ah , what a warrior he was , and what good times we shared together ! But now I too have grown old , and my master has forgotten me , and there is no reason to care whether my coat is dull or shining . Yet , it is not too late , and if I were properly tended , in a week I could vie with any horse in the stables ! ' ` And how should you be tended ? ' asked the girl . ' I must be rubbed down morning and evening with rain water , my barley must be boiled in milk , because of my bad teeth , and my feet must be washed in oil . ' ' I should like to try the treatment , as you might help me in carrying out my scheme . ' ` Try it then , mistress , and I promise you will never repent . ' So in a week 's time the horse woke up one morning with a sudden shiver through all his limbs ; and when it had passed away , he found his skin shining like a mirror , his body as fat as a water melon , his movement light as a chamois .
Then looking at the princess who had come early to the stable , he said joyfully , ` May success await on the steps of my master 's daughter , XXXXX she has given me back my life .
So as except for if like of than that through