The last time we danced together, I was wearing a dress woven out of star-light and studded with gems. We had such a dance! But I wouldn’t say a word to him. At the end of the evening, he slipped a ring on my finger, and then he tried to follow my carriage home. He was determined to overtake me, but a terrible wind prevented him from doing so.
Now that I am wearing his ring, however, I feel that I can no longer be a stranger. It is time to come out of hiding.
I go into the kitchen to bring him his soup. On the way to the table, I drop the ring into it. He takes the bowl, looks into my frightened eyes, and then, in a gentle voice, he says, “Take off that bearskin. Some mystery is hidden beneath it.”