"the reason is this, then," said the potter. "the king of this country has a daughter whom he is obliged to marry every day, because all her husbands die the first night of their stay with her. nearly all the young men of the place have thus perished, and our son will be called on soon. we laugh at the absurdity of the thing a potter's son marrying a princess, and we cry at the terrible consequence of the marriage. what can we do?"