the bride asked her what she meant by that, so she said, "let me sleep a night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps." the bride would not, yet wanted very much to have the dress; at last she consented, but the page was to give the prince a sleeping-draught. when it was night, therefore, and the youth was already asleep, she was led into the chamber; she seated herself on the bed and said, "i have followed after thee for seven years. i have been to the sun and the moon, and the four winds, and have enquired for thee, and have helped thee against the dragon; wilt thou, then quite forget me?" but the prince slept so soundly that it only seemed to him as if the wind were whistling outside in the fir-trees. when therefore day broke, she was led out again, and had to give up the golden dress. and as that even had been of no avail, she was sad, went out into a meadow, sat down there, and wept. while she was sitting there, she thought of the egg which the moon had given her; she opened it, and there came out a clucking hen with twelve chickens all of gold, and they ran about chirping, and crept again under the old hen’s wings; nothing more beautiful was ever seen in the world! then she arose, and drove them through the meadow before her, until the bride looked out of the window. the little chickens pleased her so much that she immediately came down and asked if they were for sale. "not for money or land, but for flesh and blood; let me sleep another night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps."