Cap-o'-Rushes

Cap-o'-Rushes is an English fairy tale believed to be written in the 18th century by Mrs. Walter-Thomas.

Plot
Once upon a time, a rich man asked how much his three daughters loved him: His first said as much as life, his second said as much as the world, and his third stated as much as meat needs salt. The man thought his third daughter extremely disrespectful and unloving, so exiled her out of the family home.The girl gathered rushes to tie around her impressive garments, and begged to work s a scullion at a grand house, where she was named "Cap-o'-Rushes" due to her not divulging any information about herself.

One day, the house was holding a marvelous ball, and while all the servants wishfully watched upon them, the girl removed her rushes and attended the ball: her master's son fell hopelessly in love with the sight of her, which was incredibly dangerous for the girl; what if she was revealed? She slipped out of the ball, but he still persisted her in the remaining two nights of the ball! On the final third night of the ball, he proposed to her, saying he would rather die than be without her. On that same night, the man ordered the cooks to bring some gruel up to his dorm, and Cap-o'-Rushes pleaded for the cooks to let her prepare the dish so that she might place the ring he had given to her beneath it.

Discovering the ring, the master's son demanded to know who prepared the gruel, and Cap-o'-Rushes was summoned for interrogation, in which she admitted to being the beautiful guest at the ball. Soon after, the couple were married. However, the food served at the wedding was completely flavourless due to her request that all dishes not be prepared with salt. Her father, who incidentally was a guest at the wedding, understood the message she conveyed, and they all lived happily ever after.

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