so she said at last, "the best food does not please me without salt, therefore i love my father like salt." when the king heard that, he fell into a passion, and said, "if thou lovest me like salt, thy love shall also be repaid thee with salt." then he divided the kingdom between the two elder, but caused a sack of salt to be bound on the back of the youngest, and two servants had to lead her forth into the wild forest. we all begged and prayed for her, said the queen, "but the king’s anger was not to be appeased. how she cried when she had to leave us! the whole road was strewn with the pearls which flowed from her eyes. the king soon afterwards repented of his great severity, and had the whole forest searched for the poor child, but no one could find her. when i think that the wild beasts have devoured her, i know not how to contain myself for sorrow; many a time i console myself with the hope that she is still alive, and may have hidden herself in a cave, or has found shelter with compassionate people. but picture to yourself, when i opened your little emerald book, a pearl lay therein, of exactly the same kind as those which used to fall from my daughter’s eyes; and then you can also imagine how the sight of it stirred my heart. you must tell me how you came by that pearl." the count told her that he had received it from the old woman in the forest, who had appeared very strange to him, and must be a witch, but he had neither seen nor hear anything of the queen’s child. the king and the queen resolved to seek out the old woman. they thought that there where the pearl had been, they would obtain news of their daughter.