「What does a frog want with you?」「Ah, dear father, yesterday as I was in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for me, and because he so insisted（堅持）, I promised him he should be my companion, but I never thought he would be able to（能夠） come out of his water! And now he is outside there, and wants to come in to me.」
In the meantime（與此同時） it knocked a second time, and cried, 「Princess! Youngest princess! Open the door for me!
Do you not know what you said to me yesterday by the cool waters of the fountain?
Princess, youngest princess!
Open the door for me!」
Then said the King, 「That which you have promised, you must do. Go and let him in.」 She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped（跳躍） in and followed her, step by step（一步一步地）, to her chair. There he sat and cried, 「Lift me up beside you.」 She delayed（耽擱；延遲）, until at last （最後）the King commanded（命令） her to do it. When the frog was once on the chair he wanted to be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, 「Now, push your little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together.」 She did this, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly（心甘情願）. The frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful （一口）she took choked（choke的過去式，嗆） her. At length （最後）he said, 「I have eaten and am satisfied（滿意的）; now I am tired, carry me into thy little room and make thy little silken （柔軟光滑的）bed ready, and we will both lie down and go to sleep.
The King’s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her pretty, clean little bed. But the King grew angry and said,「He who helped you when you were in trouble ought not（不應該）afterwards（事後；後來） to be despised（輕視） by you.」 So she took hold of the frog with two fingers, carried him upstairs, and put him in a corner. But when she was in bed he crept（creep的過去式，爬行） to her and said, 「I am tired, I want to sleep as well as you, lift me up or I will tell your father.」 Then she was terribly（非常） angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against the wall. 「Now, you will be quiet, you horrible（可怕的） little frog,」 said she.
But when he fell down he was no frog but a King’s son with beautiful kind eyes. Then he told her how he had been bewitched（施魔法） by a wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but herself, and that tomorrow they would go together into his kingdom. Then they went to sleep, and next morning when the sun awoke（原型awake，喚醒） them, a carriage（馬車） came driving up with eight white horses, which had white ostrich feathers（鴕鳥羽毛） on their heads, and were harnessed（駕馭；套） with golden chains（鏈）, and behind stood the young King’s servant（僕人） Faithful Henry.
Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was changed into a frog, that he had caused（引起） three iron（鐵的） bands to be laid round his heart, in case（萬一） it should burst with（突然發生）grief（悲痛） and sadness.
The carriage was to conduct （帶領）the young King into his Kingdom. Faithful Henry helped them both in, and placed himself behind again, and was full of joy because of this wonderful end to their troubles. And when they had driven a part of the way the King’s son heard a cracking（破裂聲） behind him as if（好像） something had broken. So he turned round and cried, 「Henry, the carriage is breaking.」
「No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which was put there in my great pain（痛苦） when you were a frog and imprisoned（監禁） in the well.」 Again and once again while they were on their way something cracked, and each time the King’s son thought the carriage was breaking; but it was only the bands which were springing from the heart of faithful Henry because his master was set free（獲得自由） and was happy.
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Jessica將繼續推送精彩的英文故事。