MemGPT/example_short_stories · Datasets at Hugging Face

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When it grew dark the king came into the garden and brought
a priest with him, who was to speak to the spirit. All three
seated themselves beneath the tree and watched. At midnight the
maiden came creeping out of the thicket, went to the tree, and
again ate one pear off it with her mouth, and beside her stood
the angel in white garments. Then the priest went out to them
and said, "Do you come from heaven or from earth? Are you a
spirit, or a human
being?" She replied, "I am no spirit, but an unhappy mortal
deserted by all but God." The king said, "If you are forsaken
by all the world, yet will I not forsake you." He took her with
him into his royal palace, and as she was so beautiful and good,
he loved her with all his heart, had silver hands made for her,
and took her to wife.

After a year the king had to go on a journey, so he commended
his young queen to the care of his mother and said, if she
is brought to child-bed take care of her, nurse her well,
and tell me of it at once in a letter. Then she gave birth to
a fine boy. So the old mother made haste to write and announce
the joyful news to him. But the messenger rested by a brook
on the way, and as he was fatigued by the great distance, he
fell asleep. Then came the devil, who was always seeking to
injure the good queen, and exchanged the letter for another, in
which was written that the queen had brought a monster into
the world. When the king read the letter he was shocked and
much troubled, but he wrote in answer that they were to take
great care of the queen and nurse her well until his arrival.

The messenger went back with the letter, but rested at the
same place and again fell asleep. Then came the devil
once more, and put a different letter in his pocket, in which
it was written that they were to put the queen and her child to
death. The old mother was terribly shocked when she received
the letter, and could not believe it. She wrote back again to
the king, but received no other answer, because each time the
devil substituted a false letter, and in the last letter it was
also written that she was to preserve the queen's tongue and
eyes as a token that she had obeyed.

But the old mother wept to think such innocent blood was to
be shed, and had a hind brought by night and cut out her tongue
and eyes, and kept them. Then said she to the queen, "I cannot
have you killed as the king commands, but here you may stay
no longer. Go forth into the wide world with your child, and
never come here again." The poor woman tied her child on her back,
and went away with eyes full of tears. She came into a great wild
forest, and then she fell on her knees and prayed to God, and the
angel of the Lord appeared to her and led her to a little house
on which was a sign with the words, here all dwell free. A
snow-white maiden came out of the little house and said, welcome,
lady queen, and conducted her inside. Then she unbound the
little boy from her back, and held him to her breast that he might
feed, and laid him in a beautifully-made little bed. Then
said the poor woman, "From whence do you know that I was a queen?"

The white maiden answered, "I am an angel sent by God, to watch
over you and your child." The queen stayed seven years in the
little house, and was well cared for, and by God's grace, because
of her piety, her hands which had been cut off, grew once more.

At last the king came home again from his journey, and his first
wish was to see his wife and the child. Then his aged mother
began to weep and said, "You wicked man, why did you write to me
that I was to take those two innocent lives," and she showed him
the two letters which the evil one had forged, and then
continued, "I did as you bade me, and she showed the tokens, the
tongue and eyes." Then the king began to weep for his poor wife
and his little son so much more bitterly than she was doing,
that the aged mother had compassion on him and said, "be at peace,
she still lives, I secretly caused a hind to be killed, and
took these tokens from it, but I bound the child to your wife's
back and bade her go forth into the wide world, and made her
promise never to come back here again, because you were so
angry with her." Then spoke the king, "I will go as far as
the sky is blue, and will neither eat nor drink until I have
found again my dear wife and my child, if in the meantime they
have not been killed, or died of hunger."

Thereupon the king traveled about for seven long years, and
sought her in every cleft of the rocks and in every cave, but
he found her not, and thought she had died of want. During the
whole time he neither ate nor drank, but God supported him. At
length he came into a great forest, and found therein the little
house whose sign was, here all dwell free. Then forth came
the white maiden, took him by the hand, led him in, and said,
"Welcome, lord king," and asked him from whence he came. He
answered, "Soon shall I have traveled about for the space of
seven years, and I seek my wife and her child, but cannot find
them." The angel offered him meat and drink, but he did not
take anything, and only wished to rest a little. Then he lay
down to sleep, and laid a handkerchief over his face.

Thereupon the angel went into the chamber where the queen
sat with her son, whom she usually called Sorrowful, and
said to her, go out with your child, your husband has come. So
she went to the place where he lay, and the handkerchief
fell from his face. Then said she, "Sorrowful, pick up your
father's handkerchief, and cover his face again." The child picked

When it grew dark the king came into the garden and brought

a priest with him, who was to speak to the spirit. All three

seated themselves beneath the tree and watched. At midnight the

maiden came creeping out of the thicket, went to the tree, and

again ate one pear off it with her mouth, and beside her stood

the angel in white garments. Then the priest went out to them

and said, "Do you come from heaven or from earth? Are you a

spirit, or a human

being?" She replied, "I am no spirit, but an unhappy mortal

deserted by all but God." The king said, "If you are forsaken

by all the world, yet will I not forsake you." He took her with

him into his royal palace, and as she was so beautiful and good,

he loved her with all his heart, had silver hands made for her,

and took her to wife.

After a year the king had to go on a journey, so he commended

his young queen to the care of his mother and said, if she

is brought to child-bed take care of her, nurse her well,

and tell me of it at once in a letter. Then she gave birth to

a fine boy. So the old mother made haste to write and announce

the joyful news to him. But the messenger rested by a brook

on the way, and as he was fatigued by the great distance, he

fell asleep. Then came the devil, who was always seeking to

injure the good queen, and exchanged the letter for another, in

which was written that the queen had brought a monster into

the world. When the king read the letter he was shocked and

much troubled, but he wrote in answer that they were to take

great care of the queen and nurse her well until his arrival.

The messenger went back with the letter, but rested at the

same place and again fell asleep. Then came the devil

once more, and put a different letter in his pocket, in which

it was written that they were to put the queen and her child to

death. The old mother was terribly shocked when she received

the letter, and could not believe it. She wrote back again to

the king, but received no other answer, because each time the

devil substituted a false letter, and in the last letter it was

also written that she was to preserve the queen's tongue and

eyes as a token that she had obeyed.

But the old mother wept to think such innocent blood was to

be shed, and had a hind brought by night and cut out her tongue

and eyes, and kept them. Then said she to the queen, "I cannot

have you killed as the king commands, but here you may stay

no longer. Go forth into the wide world with your child, and

never come here again." The poor woman tied her child on her back,

and went away with eyes full of tears. She came into a great wild

forest, and then she fell on her knees and prayed to God, and the

angel of the Lord appeared to her and led her to a little house

on which was a sign with the words, here all dwell free. A

snow-white maiden came out of the little house and said, welcome,

lady queen, and conducted her inside. Then she unbound the

little boy from her back, and held him to her breast that he might

feed, and laid him in a beautifully-made little bed. Then

said the poor woman, "From whence do you know that I was a queen?"

The white maiden answered, "I am an angel sent by God, to watch

over you and your child." The queen stayed seven years in the

little house, and was well cared for, and by God's grace, because

of her piety, her hands which had been cut off, grew once more.

At last the king came home again from his journey, and his first

wish was to see his wife and the child. Then his aged mother

began to weep and said, "You wicked man, why did you write to me

that I was to take those two innocent lives," and she showed him

the two letters which the evil one had forged, and then

continued, "I did as you bade me, and she showed the tokens, the

tongue and eyes." Then the king began to weep for his poor wife

and his little son so much more bitterly than she was doing,

that the aged mother had compassion on him and said, "be at peace,

she still lives, I secretly caused a hind to be killed, and

took these tokens from it, but I bound the child to your wife's

back and bade her go forth into the wide world, and made her

promise never to come back here again, because you were so

angry with her." Then spoke the king, "I will go as far as

the sky is blue, and will neither eat nor drink until I have

found again my dear wife and my child, if in the meantime they

have not been killed, or died of hunger."

Thereupon the king traveled about for seven long years, and

sought her in every cleft of the rocks and in every cave, but

he found her not, and thought she had died of want. During the

whole time he neither ate nor drank, but God supported him. At

length he came into a great forest, and found therein the little

house whose sign was, here all dwell free. Then forth came

the white maiden, took him by the hand, led him in, and said,

"Welcome, lord king," and asked him from whence he came. He

answered, "Soon shall I have traveled about for the space of

seven years, and I seek my wife and her child, but cannot find

them." The angel offered him meat and drink, but he did not

take anything, and only wished to rest a little. Then he lay

down to sleep, and laid a handkerchief over his face.

Thereupon the angel went into the chamber where the queen

sat with her son, whom she usually called Sorrowful, and

said to her, go out with your child, your husband has come. So

she went to the place where he lay, and the handkerchief

fell from his face. Then said she, "Sorrowful, pick up your

father's handkerchief, and cover his face again." The child picked