"I've had nothing but pleasure from it, anyway," the king would reply. Then he would add, "So far, at least."
Sometimes he would take a friend or two with him, and sometimes he would go alone. The habit of listening at doors became more and more a favorite one to him as the months and years passed.
Now in that city there lived a man of humble station who had three pretty daughters. One evening the king passed his house and stopped at the door to listen.
"Whom would you like to marry?" one of the girls was asking. It happened to be the youngest one.
"I'd like to marry the royal baker," the eldest sister replied.
"So that I might always eat fresh bread," was the reply.
"Whom would you like to marry?" the youngest sister asked the middle one.
"I'd like to marry the royal meat cook so that I might always eat meat roasted just to a turn," was her answer.
"Whom would you like to marry?" asked the eldest and the middle sister together.
"I'd like to marry the listening king himself," was the reply which their youngest sister made.
"Silly! Silly!" cried her two sisters. "We have perhaps a chance of getting our wishes, but what chance have you?"
"If one wishes for nothing splendid one never gets anything splendid," replied the youngest sister with a blush which made her look very charming to the king as he peeped through the keyhole.
The king went away with a shrewd smile upon his face. The next day he sent for the three sisters to come to the palace. They were very much frightened.
"Well," said the king to the eldest girl, "do you want to marry the royal baker?"
"Yes, your majesty," she replied. "I have no objections."
"How is it with you?" he asked. "What do you say to marrying the royal meatcook?"
"I'll be most happy to marry him, your majesty," she answered.
The youngest girl was blushing like a rose and her heart was thumping so that she could scarcely breathe. The king smiled as he noticed her fair head bowed upon her breast.
"Would you like to marry the listening king?" he asked her gently.
"Yes, your majesty," she responded, so low that the king could hardly hear her.
"Very well," said the king. "I'll have all these weddings celebrated at once."
Thus it happened that the two eldest sisters got their wishes and married the royal baker and the royal meatcook, while the youngest one wedded the listening king himself. The others were very angry at her luck and their hearts were filled with envy.
